“Chardonnay?”
“Yes, that’s Spencer’s wife.”
“Her family owned a vineyard and named her Chardonnay?”
Canyon chuckled. “Yes, they did. I guess it’s no different than my parents naming me Canyon after what they conceived on a pretty nice vacation.”
He paused a moment and then asked, “How did you come up with the name Beau?”
He watched as she slid down to sit on the steps. “You don’t have to sit down there when I have a perfectly good sofa,” he added.
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” She took another sip of her wine and then said, “Beau’s full name is Beaumont. He was named after my uncle...my mom’s only brother who died when I was a little girl. Mom and Uncle Beau were close and when I hadn’t decided on a name, she asked if I would name Beau after her brother. So I did.”
Canyon leaned against the staircase. “When did you find out you were pregnant?”
She took another sip of wine before glancing up at him. “I was already late when I left for Tampa but while I was there I took a pregnancy test.” She paused. “The reason I came back to town early was to tell you. It was something I figured was too important to tell you over the phone. But then I found you with Bonita.”
Canyon’s stomach clenched in anger. Up until that moment he’d convinced himself that no matter the circumstances, he and Keisha could talk things out in a rational manner. But now, after hearing the truth from her—that she’d known she was pregnant before leaving town and had allowed her distrust to keep her from telling him he was going to be a father—was too much. He couldn’t hold back his anger.
“Please come with me. I don’t want to wake Beau.”
* * *
Keisha followed. She’d known from the anger she heard in his voice that her words had infuriated him. It was best for them to have it out now, to get it over with. He led her through his dining room into the kitchen and she stopped in the doorway. Even the kitchen was huge and spacious. Since she knew Canyon wasn’t any more of a whiz in the kitchen than she was, that meant this kitchen—with all its sterling-silver appliances, rich dark oak cabinets and beautiful granite countertops—was only a showplace.
He pulled out two chairs and remained standing as if expecting her to sit in one. She’d rather stand, but changed her mind when his glare deepened. He watched as she moved from the doorway to cross the kitchen and sit at the table. Once she sat down he claimed his seat, as well. She looked over at him and lifted her chin. “Are there any more questions, Canyon?”
She almost saw steam come from his nostrils. “You know damn well there are.”
And, as if he was trying to rein in his anger, he didn’t say anything for a moment. “I’m not going to restate my innocence as to what happened that night since you choose to believe a lie. And to be quite frank, I don’t care anymore what you think. Because if you can believe I did what you’ve accused me of doing that means you didn’t deserve my love. I refuse to feel bad about what happened.”
His words, spoken in barely contained rage, caused her to flinch. Not because of the harshness of his tone but because of what he was saying. Her gut clenched as his meaning sank in. Uncertainty flowed through her. What if she had been wrong? What if Bonita had lied? What if he was innocent of what she’d accused him of?
She hesitated, not wanting to consider that possibility. Everything about Bonita’s story had added up. But still, what if...
“You hated me so much that you felt I didn’t need to know I had a child?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
She felt the tension growing between them. “We were no longer together and...”
When her words trailed off he lifted a brow. “And what?”
“And after a while, I figured if I told you I was pregnant, you might question whether or not Beau was yours.”
Canyon stared at her for a long moment without saying anything, but she saw the fury building in the gaze holding hers hostage. “That’s bull and you know it,” he finally said with a degree of steel in his voice that had her shifting in her seat. “There was no reason for me to assume your baby wasn’t mine. Unlike you, I trusted you. Unconditionally. Your excuse is unacceptable, Keisha. And what’s really unacceptable is that you’ve been back in Denver for ten months and you’ve seen me a number of times yet you never told me I had a son. Didn’t you think I had a right to know?”
She decided to be honest with him. “No. What you did was unforgivable and dissolved your rights where I or my child was concerned. Besides, the last thing I wanted was for my pregnancy to make you feel obligated to a woman you evidently didn’t love.”
He leaned in closer to the table. “But I did love you. I told you as much a number of times.”
She leaned closer as well, until their noses almost touched. “But then you showed me that love was a lie.”
He pulled back and Keisha knew he was trying to control his anger. “You kept me from my son for two years because you didn’t believe I loved you, because you believed that I betrayed you. What you’ve done is unforgivable. One day you’re going to find out that the only lie in this whole thing is what you’ve believed for the past three years. You were wrong about me and when you find out the truth, I want you to think long and hard about what you did to me and to Beau.”
Her chin stiffened. “Beau had me.”
“And you were supposed to be both mother and father?”
“A woman does what she has to do when there isn’t a man in the picture. My mom did.”
“But you didn’t give me a chance to be in the picture.” He leaned back in his chair. “Is that what this is about, Keisha? Your father not wanting you, so you assumed I wouldn’t want my child? If that’s the case, I’m holding two strikes against you. One for not trusting me and another for thinking I’m the jerk your father was.”
His words stung and stung hard. She slowly rose to her feet. “I made a mistake coming here tonight.”
He tilted his head back to look up at her. “You’ve made several mistakes, Keisha, but coming here wasn’t one of them. I am confident that one day you will realize you were wrong about me and wrong for keeping me away from my son.” He paused. “But be forewarned, Beau and I won’t be separated again.”
She suddenly felt uneasy. “What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. If you try keeping my child from me again I will take you to court and fight you for custody. Full custody.”
She gasped. “You would take my child from me?”
“Didn’t you take him from me? You kept me from the pregnancy, from being there when he was born, from watching him take his first steps and from hearing him say his first words. You denied me my right to all those things, Keisha, so yes, I would take him from you, without blinking an eye. I have the means to do it. Two can play your games.”
She released a frustrated breath. “Fighting between us isn’t the answer, Canyon.”
“Didn’t say it was. But now you know where I stand.” He got to his feet. “Detective Render called while you were upstairs. He’ll be coming by tomorrow around noon to talk to you.” He paused. “And Pam called.”
She knew Pam was Dillon’s wife. “And?”
“We’re invited to breakfast at nine.”
“I don’t think—”
“At the moment, I really don’t care what you think. It’s time my family met my son.”
She lifted her chin. “I’ll go, but I won’t pretend.”
His gaze turned to stone but his tone was dangerously calm when he said, “Pretend what? We’re in love? That we’re a family? That you don’t hate my guts for thinking I betrayed you, to the point where you kept my son from me for two years? No, Keisha, the last thing I want you to do is pretend you feel anything for me, because I sure as hell won’t be pretendin
g I feel anything for you.”
Keisha swallowed hard as her heart pounded in her chest. In other words, even his family would know how much he despised her. “Fine,” she said in a shaky breath. “It’s late, and I want to go to bed, so if you’ll please grab those things out of the car I’d appreciate it.”
She hadn’t wanted to pack any of her things to bring with her. Her skin crawled every time she imagined anyone touching her belongings before tossing them out of the drawers and closets. Canyon had made a pit stop at a Target where she’d rushed in to grab some toiletries and an outfit for tomorrow and something to sleep in. Luckily, she kept extra clothes for Beau in a bag in her car’s trunk in case of emergencies.
She would go shopping for him tomorrow before leaving for the hotel. And there was no doubt in her mind that after she talked to Detective Render she would check into a hotel.
There was no way she could stay here with Canyon another night.
* * *
An hour or so later Canyon went up to bed but he couldn’t sleep. Anger kept him awake. It was fueling his mind and riling him to a degree that he’d never been before. He felt enraged. Infuriated. How dare Keisha deny him so much? Her love. His son. Her faith and trust. And all because she believed another woman’s lie.
He eased out of bed and tried to put a cap on his anger. He couldn’t. It was too deep. Too strong. And, to his way of thinking, too justified. He knew there was only one thing that could ease his anger: gazing through his telescope.
Because of his fascination with the stars, his cousin Ian, of the Atlanta Westmorelands, had given him this beauty after discovering Canyon’s captivation with the galaxy. Like him, Ian was into stars. Canyon shook his head, thinking that was truly an understatement where his cousin was concerned. Ian was not just into stars, but the entire galaxy. He graduated from Yale with a degree in physics and had worked for NASA, as well as for a research firm, and had become the captain of his own ship, all before his thirty-third birthday. Now Ian owned the Rolling Cascade, a beauty of a casino in Lake Tahoe.
Canyon looked through the telescope, searching for one star in particular. He had first seen it at the age of ten and named it Flash. Now, twenty-two years later, Flash still had a soothing effect on him, and he really needed to see Flash tonight. It took him a full half hour before he found it and relief flooded through him as he took in the beauty of the universe.
Minutes later, he was about to get back in bed when his cell phone rang. He glanced over at the clock and saw it was almost one in the morning. “Hello?”
“I was calling to see if everything is okay.”
Canyon settled in bed with his back against the headboard. When his parents, aunt and uncle had died, Dillon had become guardian to everyone under eighteen. And those over eighteen had still looked to him for guidance and leadership in keeping the family together. Canyon couldn’t help but recall that the twins, Adrian and Aiden, as well as Bane and Bailey, hadn’t made things easy when they’d gone through those terrible teen years.
But Dillon was still the fearless leader. He was someone they could go to for advice, knowing that with his level head he would give it to them straight. He had an uncanny sense of when one of them was troubled about anything. So, in a way, this phone call wasn’t a surprise.
“Yes, Dillon. Everything is okay.” He paused a moment and then added, “At least for now. But seeing how Keisha and I feel about each other tomorrow is another story.”
“And just how do the two of you feel about each other, Canyon?”
Canyon released a deep sigh. “She hates me, and I hate her.”
“Hate is a strong word, Can. Besides, you’re not capable of hating anyone. It’s not in your makeup. You might not like a person but you could never truly hate anyone.”
Canyon frowned. It annoyed him that his oldest brother seemed to know him better than he knew himself. “Okay, I don’t hate her. But I don’t like her.”
“No, because you love her.”
Canyon rolled his eyes. “I used to love her. She destroyed that love.”
“By doing what?”
“Dammit, Dil, I have a son. A son I didn’t know about because she kept him from me. Even after she returned to Denver and I approached her all those times...I gave her the opportunity to tell me, and she didn’t. Beau is a little over two and was born just shy of eight months after Keisha left town.
“What pisses me off more than anything is that not once did she pick up a phone, send an email, find me online or send a letter to let me know about him. And to top it off she feels she was justified because I screwed around on her. She actually still believes that. And because she believes it, she feels I had no rights where he’s concerned. I missed out on the first two years of his life.”
Canyon paused and then asked, “Can you imagine missing out on the first two years of Denver’s life?”
There was silence on the other end before Dillon said, “No, I can’t.”
Canyon was certain that his brother knew how he felt. But he also knew Dillon Westmoreland was, and would always be, the voice of reason—even when no one wanted him to be.
“But look at another side of things,” Dillon said.
“What other side?”
“What if she’d decided not to carry your child to term?”
Canyon closed his eyes at the thought of Keisha choosing that alternative. “Then I would hate her for sure.”
“So, in other words, she’s dammed if she does and damned if she doesn’t.”
“Don’t try to defend what she did, Dil,” Canyon said. His annoyance was turning to anger again, anger he’d gotten under control just moments ago.
“Not defending her, Canyon. Just giving you something to think about. Keisha thought you were unfaithful. I’m sure you’d even admit things looked pretty bad. The woman was naked in bed and you were coming out of the shower practically naked. That woman played the two of you.”
“Yes, but Keisha should have believed me.”
“I’m wondering,” Dillon said, as if he’d given what he was about to say some serious thought.
“Wondering what?”
“If you had come home from a trip and found a naked man in your bed, with Keisha barely wrapped in a towel, what would you think?” Then, without missing a beat, Dillon said, “Looking forward to seeing you and your family at breakfast in the morning. Good night.”
His family.
“Good night, Dil.” After Canyon clicked off the line, he rubbed a hand down his face. Now he would spend the night thinking about what Dillon had said.
Five
“Wake up, Mommy. Big bed.”
Keisha forced open her eyes, one at a time, to find her son’s face right in front of hers. She blinked and then recalled where they were and that Beau had been asleep when they’d arrived.
She pulled up in bed and tumbled him into her arms, loving the laugh she got out of him. “Good morning, Beau. Yes, this is a big bed.”
“Not Beau’s bed.”
“No, not Beau’s bed,” she said, running her hand through the thick curls on his head. Knowing he would have another question for her, she quickly said, “Potty?”
He nodded. “Yes, Mommy. Potty.”
She eased out of bed to lead him to the bathroom and watched as he looked at everything for the first time. Beau was pretty smart for his age. He mastered his words well for a two-year-old and bathroom training hadn’t been the horror story she’d heard it would be. They had just come out of the bathroom when there was a knock on the door. She quickly grabbed her robe off the bed before saying, “Come in.”
Canyon strolled in.
Keisha tried not doing a double take but it was hard when Canyon Westmoreland was eye candy. Dressed in jeans and a Western shirt, he was the epitome of a fit ma
le with a physique that would put most men to shame. That body...muscled shoulders, perfects abs and broad chest...and she of all people knew how hard that chest was since she’d been intimately pressed against it a number of times. The muscles of his upper thighs would tighten whenever she gave him a—
“And how is everyone doing this morning?” he asked.
She was grateful for his intrusion into her thoughts. The last thing she wanted to remember was any intimacy she’d shared with him. Her gaze moved from the lower portion of his body and traveled up to his face. He was smiling.
What on earth did he have to smile about? And why did it appear he was in a good mood? Before going to bed they’d had heated words, but you wouldn’t know it from the smile on his face. Then it hit her why he was acting so nice. Beau. Canyon might not be willing to pretend for his family, but he evidently had no problem putting on a front for his son.
“Dad!”
Before she could stop him, Beau took off, racing across the room and launching his little body right at Canyon. Canyon’s deep laughter filled the room as he picked up Beau in muscled arms and lifted him high in the air. That got a squeal of glee from Beau.
She just stood there and watched the interaction between father and son, still somewhat astonished with how quickly Beau took to Canyon when it usually took him a while to warm up to strangers. And before yesterday, Canyon had been a stranger.
While holding Beau high over his head, Canyon glanced over at her. She saw a flash of heat pass through his eyes and was convinced it had nothing to do with anger. In fact, she was so sure that she tightened her robe around her.
“How is everyone doing this morning?” he repeated when the only sound in the room was Beau’s laughter.
Heat stung her face at the thought that he’d caught her staring. “We’re fine. You’re up early.”
“Breakfast at the main house, remember?” he said, lowering Beau to the floor. “You haven’t changed your mind about going, have you?”
Brenda Jackson The Westmoreland Collection: ZaneCanyonStern Page 22