“Me, too,” Melissa and Avery both spoke at the same time.
“I’m glad I have you two together,” Melissa said, deciding it was time for a change of subject. Even though Trevor deserved getting the warning about his notorious behavior, she took no pleasure in it having to be done. “One of the guests at the spa left a magazine in the reception area and it had pictures of a nursery decorated with an ‘under the sea’ theme,” she explained. “I really liked it and I think that’s what I want to use for the nursery. It incorporated all of the pastel colors and had the cutest baby sea creatures.”
“I looked at that just the other day,” Avery said, nodding. “It’s adorable.”
Melissa briefly wondered why Avery had been looking at nursery themes, but dismissed the thought. Her friend had probably been looking for ideas to use for the baby shower.
“I love the little pink sea horse and blue octopus,” Melissa added, knowing she had settled on the theme she wanted for the nursery.
“It would be perfect for a boy or girl, too,” Erica agreed enthusiastically. “And we can use all of the colors when we decorate for the shower.”
Melissa hugged both women. “You two are the best. Thank you for planning this baby shower for me.”
“Uh-oh. It looks like I’m going to have to go soothe the savage beast,” Avery said suddenly, pointing toward Guy as he walked back into the ballroom. “He doesn’t look as if the encounter with Trevor was pleasant.”
“I doubt that it was,” Melissa said, hating that her family had to deal with yet another conflict.
“I’m afraid I need to get back to Christian,” Erica apologized, rising to her feet. “I see he’s been cornered by someone, no doubt looking for free legal advice.”
As she watched her two best friends walk back to their fiancés, Melissa wondered where Shane was. She checked her watch. He had told her he would only be a few minutes and that had been a half hour ago.
Deciding he would probably be back soon, she left the table to freshen up before the closing speech began. As she started down the hall toward the ladies’ powder room, she couldn’t help but recognize Shane’s voice coming from just around the corner.
“I’m flattered that you asked me to help with the investigation, Senator,” Shane said. Melissa started to join him and the senator, but his next words stopped her in her tracks. “I have a couple of stables to design, but after I send the blueprints to the contractors, I’ll have all the time in the world to devote to the investigation.”
“There could be times when you’ll have to do some frequent traveling,” Senator Kurk warned.
There wasn’t even so much as a moment’s hesitation before Shane answered the man. “That won’t be a problem. There’s nothing keeping me from spending all the time needed on the job sites and giving them my undivided attention.”
Lissa couldn’t stand to hear any more. She and their child were nothing? Hadn’t he listened to what she’d told him just the night before?
Feeling as if her heart had shattered into a million pieces, she turned and walked straight to the resort’s lobby. Shane was no different than her father had been. He intended to put work ahead of his family, and that was something she just couldn’t accept.
At the front desk, she asked for a piece of the resort’s letterhead and an envelope. When she finished scribbling the note, she sealed it in the envelope and handed it to one of the clerks working the reservations desk.
“I want this delivered to Erica Prentice at the head table in the Grand Ballroom,” she said, surprised that her voice sounded so steady. “Take it now before the closing speech starts.”
“Yes, Ms. Jarrod,” the young woman behind the counter said. “I’ll take it to her right away.”
As the woman hurried down the corridor leading to the ballroom, Melissa thought about walking to the lodge, but decided against it. She had left her light wrap at the table and the temperature outside had already dropped considerably. Besides, she didn’t relish the idea of walking that distance in three-inch heels.
She turned to the concierge. “I want someone to drive me to Willow Lodge.”
The man nodded. “It may take a few minutes to—”
“Now!” If she didn’t get back to the lodge soon, there was a very real danger of her falling apart right there in the middle of the lobby.
Never having heard her bark orders at anyone, the man moved faster than she had ever seen him and in no time Melissa found herself seated in the back of one of the resort’s courtesy limousines. She forced herself to remain stoic on the short ride up the road to Willow Lodge. She knew that she had already caused enough gossip and speculation among the employees with her outburst at the concierge. She didn’t want to add more by dissolving into a sobbing heap in the back of the limo.
When the driver stopped in front of the lodge, she got out and hurriedly let herself inside. Only after she had closed and locked the door did she give in to the emotions that she had held in check since overhearing Shane and Senator Kurk.
First one tear and then another slipped down her cheeks and Melissa rushed into the bedroom to collapse on the bed. As she stared at the diamond ring on her left hand the loneliness of a lifetime came crashing down on top of her. She had never been able to live up to her father’s expectations and it appeared that she wasn’t enough for Shane now.
Nine
When Shane and the senator returned to the ballroom the closing speech had just begun and all eyes were focused on Blake Jarrod, Lissa’s brother, the new CEO of Jarrod Ridge. As he thanked the guests and investors, Shane looked around for Lissa.
Where the hell had she gone? Had she become ill and had to leave? If so, why hadn’t she found him to take her back to Willow Lodge?
As he scanned the crowd to see if she might be sitting at another table, he glanced at the head table. Lissa’s sister, Erica, was staring at him and he could tell from her expression that she knew something about where Lissa might be.
Frustrated by the fact that he couldn’t get to Erica to ask where Lissa had gone until after Blake concluded his speech, Shane barely heard his name being called when the investors were asked to stand and be recognized. By the time Blake gave his closing remarks, Shane was already on his feet and threading his way through the crowd to the head table.
“Where did Lissa go?” he demanded when he reached Erica.
“Just before Blake’s speech she sent me a message that she was having someone take her back to Willow Lodge,” Erica said, looking worried. “Do you think she’s not feeling well?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell going to find out,” he said, already turning toward the door. “Thanks.”
“Please let me know if she’s all right,” Erica called after him.
Nodding that he would, Shane impatiently made his way through the crush of people leaving the ballroom. Was there something wrong with her or the baby?
As all of the things that could go wrong during the first trimester ran through his mind, he quickly decided that he’d done a little too much research about pregnancy. Apparently, ignorance really was bliss. It had to be better than the hell his imagination was putting him through now.
It seemed as if it took an eternity to make his way across the crowded lobby and out the resort’s main doors. Unwilling to wait for the valet to bring his truck around, Shane broke into a run as he headed for the lane leading up to the private lodges.
Why had Lissa sent her sister the message saying she was leaving instead of him? What had happened between the time he and the senator stepped out into the corridor and the time they reentered the ballroom?
As he sprinted up the steps and across the deck of Willow Lodge, he fished for the key Lissa had given him from his pocket. His fingers felt clumsy as he rushed to unlock the door and let himself in.
“Lissa?” he called when he finally opened the door.
The silence was deafening. He glanced around the room. Her handbag was lying on
the couch as if she’d tossed it aside so he knew she was there.
“Lissa, where are you?” he called, his heart thumping against his ribs as his fear increased. When he found her in the bedroom, she was lying on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. “Lissa, angel, what’s wrong?”
Before he could sit on the side of the bed and take her into his arms, she raised her face from the pillow she clutched. “D-don’t, Shane.” Shaking her head, she scooted to the opposite side of the mattress. “P-please just…go home.”
What had gotten into her? When he left the table at the dinner, she had been fine.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded.
“I want you…to leave,” she sobbed. “Just go…back to your ranch…and leave me alone.”
“Angel, you’re not making sense,” he said, trying to maintain a patient tone. “Calm down and tell me what happened to make you so upset.”
Pushing herself to a sitting position, she swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, then shook her head. “I overheard you and Senator Kurk.”
“And?” He couldn’t think of a single thing they had discussed that would send her into such an emotional meltdown.
“There’s nothing to keep you from traveling extensively?” She shook her head. “What about me? What about our baby? Are we always going to come in a distant second to whatever project you’re working on? Aren’t we important enough to you that you want to be with us?”
“Calm down, Lissa.”
“Don’t tell me what to do, Shane. All my life I’ve come in last place behind a man’s work and I won’t do it again.” Her eyes flashed with a mixture of hurt and anger. “Answer my question. Do you or do you not want to be here with me to make a marriage between us work?”
He had told the senator he was free to travel and devote his time to investigating design flaws in several federal and military buildings. But he couldn’t tell her the reason he’d agreed, because he didn’t like admitting—even to himself—that he needed distance to regain his perspective.
When he remained silent, Lissa’s crushed expression caused his gut to twist into a painful knot. “I think your silence is answer enough, Shane.” Removing the engagement ring he had given her, she reached across the bed to place it in his hand. “I’m just glad we discovered that it wouldn’t work out between us before we actually got married.”
“Lissa—”
“Don’t, Shane,” she said, sounding completely defeated. “There’s really nothing left to say.”
Staring at her for several long moments as he tried to put his tangled thoughts into some semblance of order, he shook his head. “This isn’t over, Lissa.”
Silent tears slid down her smooth cheeks. “Yes, it is, Shane.”
He could tell from the look on her face she wouldn’t listen to anything he had to say, even if he had been able to explain himself. “What about the investors and your family? What are you going to tell them?”
“That’s really no longer any of your concern,” she said flatly. “I’ll handle whatever announcement I need to make regarding our breakup.”
Suddenly angry, he asked, “What about the baby? I want to know—”
“From now on, anything you have to say to me can be done through Christian Hanford. Closer to the baby’s birth, I’ll have him contact your attorney to work out a custody agreement.” She took a deep breath and pointed toward the door. “I’d really like to be alone now, Shane. Please lock the door as you leave.”
He stared at her for a moment longer before turning to walk out of the bedroom. Placing the door key she’d given him on the kitchen counter, he let himself out of the house and descended the porch steps.
As he slowly walked down the lane toward the resort’s main building, the engagement ring he still held felt as if it burned a hole in his palm. When he’d given it to her, he could tell it meant the world to her and he’d suspected then that she’d fallen in love with him.
He knew now that his instincts had been right on the mark. Lissa did love him and he could tell that it had broken her heart when she’d taken off the ring and handed it back to him only minutes ago.
His anger escalated, but it wasn’t directed at anyone but himself. What the hell was wrong with him? How had he let things get so out of control?
He’d known for the past couple of weeks that he was walking a fine line, and keeping his feelings for Lissa in check was going to take monumental effort on his part. That’s why he’d eagerly agreed to accept Senator Kurk’s offer. He’d suddenly needed the distance between them to pull back before he found himself in far deeper than he’d ever intended to go.
But was it already too late? Had he done the unthinkable and fallen in love with her?
Shaking his head, Shane wasn’t sure. And until he got it all figured out, it would be best to leave things as they were between them. He’d already hurt her terribly. He’d rather give up his own life than do it again.
Standing on the deck at Willow Lodge, Melissa stared at the mountains beyond. How could her life have changed so dramatically, yet everything around her stayed the same? She had never experienced such emotional pain, never felt so alone as she did at that moment, yet the birds still sang and the sun still shone on the golden aspens whispering in the crisp mountain breeze.
Why had she deluded herself into thinking that Shane would be as committed to making their marriage work as she intended to be? How was it possible that she had missed seeing he was as driven by ambition and work as her father had been?
Shane had told her he would be faithful, and she had no doubt he’d meant what he said. But fidelity was one thing. Spending the time together that a couple needed to make a marriage work was something else entirely.
She had been willing to give up the life she’d built for herself in Malibu to remain in Colorado so that they could be a family. Was it too much to ask that he make a few concessions, as well?
The night he’d given her the engagement ring, he’d told her that his career required only occasional travel. But at the first opportunity that had come along for him to spend more time away from her and their child, he hadn’t been able to agree fast enough.
All her life she’d come in a distant second to her father’s ambition to make Jarrod Ridge the number-one resort in the Rockies. She refused to settle for second place with her husband.
“Melissa, is everything okay?” Turning at the sound of her sister’s voice, Melissa watched Erica climb the steps and walk across the deck toward her. “You left the dinner so suddenly yesterday evening, I was afraid you might not be feeling well. Are you all right?”
“No, and I’m not sure I ever will be again,” she said honestly. “But I’ll survive. I always do.”
“What’s wrong?” Erica asked, clearly alarmed. “Are you feeling ill? It isn’t anything with the baby, is it?”
Melissa shook her head. “As far as I know the baby is fine.”
Erica looked around. “Where’s Shane?”
“I don’t know. Probably at his ranch.” Since learning she had a half sister and welcoming Erica to the family, the two of them had grown fairly close and Melissa did need to talk to someone. “I broke off our engagement last night.”
“Oh, no!” Erica immediately wrapped her arms around Melissa. “I’m so sorry. You both seemed so happy.”
Melissa shrugged one shoulder. “It’s probably better that it happened now instead of after we got married.”
“That’s true,” Erica agreed. “But it’s still so sad.” When the breeze picked up, she suggested, “Why don’t we go inside and I’ll make us both a cup of herbal tea?”
A few minutes later Melissa sat at the table, staring at the steam rising from the mug Erica had placed in front of her.
“Are you sure the two of you can’t work things out?” Erica asked quietly.
“I don’t see how.” Over the course of the longest, loneliest night of her life, she had asked herself a thousand times if she’d made the rig
ht decision. Each time the answer had been that she had. “We both saw our relationship differently and I’m not sure that could ever change.”
They were silent for several minutes before Erica asked, “Is there anything I can do?”
Melissa nodded. “You can be there for me when I let the rest of the family know the marriage is off.”
“You know that Avery and I will both be there to support you no matter what,” her sister said without hesitation. “For that matter, I can’t imagine any of our brothers being anything but supportive.”
“I hope so.” Erica hadn’t grown up in the same house with their father and therefore had no way of knowing how much emphasis had been placed on appearances and the family’s reputation. “I’ve decided that I’ll be going back to California soon.
I can have the baby out there without causing any disruption with the investors.”
“Melissa, you can’t do that. You’ll lose your share of the resort.” Erica shook her head. “No one wants to see that happen.”
“If I don’t, we could lose a considerable amount of funding for highly successful events like the Food and Wine Gala.” She rubbed the tension building at her temples. “We’ve probably already lost one of our biggest investors.”
Erica frowned. “Who’s that?”
Melissa gave her sister a sad smile. “Shane.”
“Do you really think he’ll stop funding special promotions because the two of you are no longer involved?” Erica looked doubtful. “I’m sure he’s made a lot of money from helping fund Jarrod Ridge projects. I wouldn’t think he’d want to give that up.”
“I don’t know. It could be a bit uncomfortable for both of us.” She took a sip of her tea. “But aside from Shane pulling out of upcoming projects, some of the others aren’t going to look kindly on me being pregnant and single.”
Erica touched Melissa’s hand. “I think you’re giving those people too much power over you. It’s none of their concern what you do in your personal life.”
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