He laughed. “Good point. But you can’t come to Vegas without seeing one. I am going to treat you to the most extravagant lunch we can find.”
All of a sudden, she didn’t feel sleepy anymore.
Fifteen minutes later, they reach the famous Las Vegas Strip. Rebecca’s mouth dropped open as they passed luxury resorts like the Bellagio and Caesar’s Palace before Alec pulled up to the valet of the Venetian Hotel Casino. She looped her arm through his as they strolled through the replica of St. Mark’s Square and entered the glamorous lobby. Gondolas full of tourists floated down the canal past dozens of chic boutiques boasting designer names. To her amazement, the ceiling was even painted to mimic the sky. She felt as if she’d stepped right onto the streets of Italy.
“Come on,” Alec said, looking as elated as she felt.
The casino was so large she could barely see across to the other side. They wandered through the dizzying maze of flashing lights and spinning roulette wheels before they finally reached a collection of restaurants. Rebecca nearly choked when she saw the price for the lunch buffet, but Alec didn’t blink as he handed over his credit card. They entered the opulent dining room under a stunning crystal chandelier, where the lunch buffet spread out before them like a smorgasbord. Her stomach growled as they drifted past long rows of Alaskan King crab and Maine lobster, a caviar bar, even a chocolate fondue fountain.
“Will this do?” he asked.
She stifled a laugh. “It will definitely do.”
They loaded their plates to the brim and sat beside each other in a booth near the canal. “What can I bring for you to drink this afternoon?” their server offered.
Alec took a quick look at their wine list. “A bottle of your reserve Dom Perignon, please. We’re celebrating today.”
“Well, congratulations. I’ll bring that out for you at once.”
Rebecca gawked at him. She didn’t need to be a sommelier to know that the champagne he’d just ordered cost a small fortune.
“Alec,” she whispered when their server was out of earshot, “what are you doing?”
“Celebrating,” he repeated, giving her a little wink. “You have no idea what kind of weight you’ve taken off my shoulders. We may sit here and drink a whole case of it before the day is through.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “It’s fine, Bec. Don’t even worry about it.”
She grinned at him sideways. “You’ve never called me Bec.”
He dropped his gaze to their entwined fingers. “I know.”
Their server returned with two flute glasses and the bottle of French champagne. When he’d filled their glasses, Alec lifted his flute in Rebecca’s direction.
“To you.”
“To us,” she clarified, mirroring his toast and taking a sip of the delicious sparkling wine.
“What did you say to her?” he asked softly. “How did you know she’d sign?”
“I didn’t. And you gave a really good effort at being civil. But you needed a neutral third party to negotiate, so I did.”
“How?”
“A person’s eyes are usually bigger than their pride.”
He frowned. “I don’t follow you.”
“I showed your mother the bill of sale. As soon as she saw the amount of money she’d be getting, I knew she’d sign. She’d be foolish to pass up that kind of cash for the sake of her pride. It’s basic human nature.”
“That’s it? That’s really all you did?”
She gave him the gist of the conversation. “Your mother is callous, but she’s still a woman. I played on her emotions and she took the bait.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “Do you know what kind of dire straits I’d be in right now if it weren’t for you?”
She bit her lip. “Your problems are still waiting for you when you get home, Alec. I didn’t take them away from you.”
“No, you didn’t. But you’ve made them so much easier for me to bear.”
Rebecca smiled as she lifted her fork and bit into the sweet Maine lobster tail. “Oh, how I’ve missed you,” she mumbled to the pathetic-looking crustacean.
Alec watched in amusement as she skillfully cracked open the lobster’s claws. “You’re quite the expert there. Remind me never to make you mad.”
She giggled and dipped a piece of claw meat in the drawn butter. “Want a bite?”
He raised his brows. “Miss Sheehan, are you flirting with me?”
She blushed when he took the morsel of lobster from her, brushing his lips against her fingertips. “I think, Mr. Westin, that you’re flirting with me.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
Her stomach fluttered. “Don’t you dare.”
After they’d devoured the lobster and a stack of King crab claws, Rebecca wiped the butter off her fingers. “Why did you force me to do that riding exhibition?”
He winced. “Yeah…sorry about that. I was trying to get rid of you, because I knew you were going to be nothing but trouble. Turns out I was right.” They both laughed. “To be honest, I didn’t want to be distracted the entire summer with so much else going on.”
“Understandable. How’s that working out for you?”
“Terribly. I’ve thought of nothing but you for three months now. I should’ve fired you when I had the chance.” They laughed again. “So what about you?”
“What about me?” she asked.
“Well, you made it pretty clear that you despised me at first.”
“Oh, did I ever. You were impossible. Poor Jeff used to listen to me go on and on about what a tyrant you were.”
Alec nearly choked on his champagne. “Wow, and he didn’t deck me the first time he met me?”
“I assured him that you’d mellowed out.” She paused, pondering the events of the summer. “Something changed between us on the Fourth of July, I think, even before the whole Kevin thing.”
“That dress you were wearing,” he said, sliding his thumb across her back. “God, you were stunning. I was so jealous that you danced with everybody on the ranch except for me.”
“You could’ve asked me, you know.”
“Are you kidding? I was terrified to go anywhere near you.”
Rebecca found his candor endearing. She laid her hand on his and sent him a warm smile. “Would you like to know the exact moment I fell in love with you?”
“When was that?”
“On the cattle drive, when you played that last song on your guitar. You looked up at me when it ended, like we were the only two people there…and I knew. I couldn’t fight it anymore.”
He dropped his gaze to the tablecloth. “I didn’t have one moment of clarity like that. For me it was all the little things that added up. It started that morning you got my father the blanket. Then I watched your determination that whole week when Tommy was teaching you to ride, and I loved you for that.” He gave her a sideways grin. “Who taught you the sliding stop, by the way?”
“Alli.”
“I figured as much. The way you were with Star was another thing. I’m sorry I initially fought you over bringing her back. I hope you can understand why I didn’t want her at first.”
“I do now.”
He squeezed her hand. “But I watched you love and nurture that horse back to health, and then I saw you warm my father’s heart, get him to smile and laugh and fall in love with you, too…and that did it for me. I knew you were different than anyone I’d ever met.”
Rebecca smiled. “What type of women do you usually date?”
He gave a mirthless laugh. “Are you kidding? I haven’t been on what you’d call a proper date since my father’s accident. Never have time for it.”
“So what about before? What were your relationships like?”
“Casual,” he replied with a shrug. “And brief. Let’s face it, who would put up with me for any length of time?”
She scratched her chin. “That’s very true.”
“Thanks,” he said, sighing in mock indignation. “What was yo
ur boyfriend like, besides strung out on drugs?”
“Nothing like you. He was a disaster. Underhanded and very manipulative.”
“Your age?”
“No. My brother’s age.”
Alec raised a brow. “So…you’ve always had a thing for older guys, huh?”
“Maybe. You always had a thing for jailbait?”
He groaned at her terrible joke. “You’re too much, you know that?”
“Yes,” she replied, giving him a playful nudge. “But only because you can handle it.”
They returned to the buffet for dessert, selecting an array of exotic fruits and decadent chocolate truffles. “You made my birthday incredible, by the way,” she said as they walked back to the booth. “I never got a chance to thank you.”
“It was my pleasure,” he replied, pulling her close for a long, lingering kiss. “That’s what I really wanted to give you for your birthday.”
“But instead, you settled for giving me a horse.”
“I figured that was the simpler option.”
Rebecca smiled. “Thank you so much for giving me Star. I can’t even describe how much that means to me.”
“Well, while we’re talking horses, thank you for stopping me from selling Onyx. I would’ve been devastated to lose him.”
They lingered over dessert, savoring the delicate flavors and finishing the last of the champagne. Then they ordered two cappuccinos and sat back to watch the gondoliers float by, belting out operettas as they pushed tourists along the winding canal.
“You mentioned at the fair that you wish you’d gone to college,” Rebecca said. “Did you ever have the chance?”
“Not really. We hired Roger when I was nineteen, and for a while I thought about moving to Laramie. But after the accident, everything else got put on the backburner. Somehow I had to look after my father and keep the ranch afloat, and I could only do that if I stayed.” He gave a little shrug. “Sometimes I wonder where I’d be right now if I’d gone to school. Mostly, though, I’m just grateful for the time I’ve had with my father. He’s taught me more than I could ever learn in a classroom. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
“I don’t blame you. He’s an incredible man.”
“Yeah, he is.” Alec paused. “What are you planning to major in?”
“Psychology.”
“You’ll be good at it, if today was any indication.”
She squeezed his hand. “What would you have studied?”
“If I had my choice? I would’ve gone into veterinary school.”
“I could definitely picture you as a vet. You have an amazing gift with horses.”
“Thanks,” he replied modestly.
“I thought you were going to say you’d have studied English. You’re very articulate. And I noticed that stack of classics on your bookshelf my first day in your office. I was surprised. It didn’t seem like the type of thing a rancher would have.”
He chuckled. “I love to read, when I have the time. There’s nothing like Tolstoy to make your own problems seem insignificant.”
He wrapped his arm around her and she leaned against his shoulder, sighing contentedly. “So what’s Boston like? I’ve never been to the east coast.”
Rebecca considered it. “Well, once you get out of Southie and into downtown–it’s magnificent, really. The soaring buildings and churches, the old cemeteries, the harbor. Fenway Park, where the Red Sox play, is practically a religious site for us. The North End is row after row of the best Italian restaurants and the most amazing food you’ve ever eaten. And Boston Common in the spring and fall is beautiful.”
She paused, momentarily lost in memory. “My favorite place in the whole city is the swan pond in the Public Garden. I go there every chance I get and listen to music, read a book, or just sit and think. There’s always something to see and do, whether it’s a concert or a festival or a sports event. And there’s a buzz of energy in the air all the time, day and night, no matter what time of year it is.”
Alec traced his fingers through her hair. “Sounds like a whole different world.”
“It is.”
They sat in companionable silence for a while before he spoke again. “I’m not ready for today to be over yet.”
“I’m not, either. But we should probably get on the road soon, don’t you think?”
When he didn’t respond, she lifted her head to look at him. He held her gaze for a minute before he took her hand under the table and laced his fingers through hers.
“What if we stayed here tonight?”
Rebecca’s breath caught in her throat. Spending the night with Alec in a luxury suite on the Vegas Strip sounded like a fantasy out of her wildest dreams. It had been one of the best days of her life–probably the best–and she didn’t want it to end, either. Even so, she couldn’t ignore the fact that she still had every intention of returning to Boston in a few short weeks. If they let this go any further than it already had…
Just as she was opening her mouth to reply, Alec’s cell phone rang, jolting them back to the present. She was surprised when he didn’t answer the call. Instead he silenced his phone without even looking at the number. He turned back to her and smiled, tilting her face towards his for a tender kiss. Her pulse skyrocketed when he lowered his head and traced his lips down the side of her neck, leaving a warm trail of moisture on her skin. For someone who supposedly had no time for it, Alec knew precisely how to touch a woman. She all but forgot they were in the middle of a crowded restaurant as he eased the strap of her tank top aside and kissed the top of her shoulder.
“Alec, maybe we–”
His cell phone rang a second time, cutting her off mid-sentence. Reluctantly he lifted his head and gave an apologetic grin as he reached for his phone.
“Hello?…Tommy, I hope this is important…what?! Wait, wait, slow down…”
Rebecca grew fearful as his eyes widened. She couldn’t discern what Tommy was saying, but she could tell he was speaking in a rapid tone. Alec swallowed hard and ran his hand though his hair.
“She never went to Jeff’s house…yes, I’m sure. She’s sitting right beside me…well, it’s a long story, but we’re in Vegas. We drove down last night…”
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
He shook his head and continued listening. “Yes, we’re leaving right now. It’ll be eleven or twelve hours, though, at least…I’ll call you when we’re getting close. We’re on our way.”
“Your father?” she asked as he hung up his phone.
“No. It’s your brother.”
“My brother? What happened?”
“Someone broke into his apartment last night and attacked him. Tommy’s on his way to the hospital now.” He paused and reached for her hand. “He’s in a coma, Rebecca. It doesn’t look good.”
*
Alec and Rebecca raced out of the restaurant, ignoring the curious looks from other patrons. Their happy champagne buzz morphed into sheer panic as they flew through the lobby and retrieved his truck from the valet.
“Do you want me to take you to the airport?” Alec asked as he tore out of the resort. “You might be able to get a flight out to Jackson.”
She shook her head, staring unseeing out the window. Alec gripped the steering wheel with one fist and her hand with the other as he merged onto the highway and pushed his truck to ninety miles an hour.
“It’s Kevin,” she whispered. “It has to be.”
“Why would he attack your brother?”
“What better way to scare me than go after my family?”
“He doesn’t even know Jeff, though.”
“Doesn’t matter. I talked about him all the time. He knew enough to know we were close.”
He reached into his pocket and retrieved his phone. “Call Deputy Harris. He should be able to tell you what happened.”
She scrolled through his phone and found the number to the sheriff’s office. “Harris here,” came his g
ruff voice.
“Deputy, this is Rebecca Sheehan.”
There was a brief silence. “I wondered why the name seemed familiar. You’re related to Jeff Sheehan.”
“He’s my brother, sir. I just heard he’s in the hospital.”
“We answered the call about four o’clock this morning. His neighbors reported seeing someone hanging around the complex earlier in the evening. Blond hair, stocky build, mid-twenties. Sound like your guy?”
“It’s Kevin. That description matches him perfectly.”
“Miss Sheehan, your brother was unconscious when we found him. He was struck in the head multiple times with some sort of blunt object. Paramedics got him to the hospital at four-thirty this morning. He’s stabilized but in critical condition. Last report I received says he’s still unconscious.”
She covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to maintain her composure. Across the truck, Alec reached out and gently touched her arm.
“A couple of people in town have reported some suspicious activity over the past few days,” the deputy added. “I have my investigator working overtime to find the person who did this. I promise that we’ll contact you immediately with any new developments.”
*
The sun was setting behind a mass of towering clouds as they zoomed north along highway fifteen through Utah. Alec drove nonstop through the stormy night, not showing a bit of weariness. Rebecca drifted in and out of restless sleep and breathed a huge sigh of relief when she saw the sign for Jackson. It was almost four in the morning when they pulled into the parking lot, twenty-four hours after Jeff’s attack.
When they dashed through the downpour and into the emergency room, Tommy was there to greet them. “I’m sorry, Bec,” he said, standing to give her a hug.
Despite her anxiety, she managed a half-hearted smile as she pulled back to look at him. “Thank you for being here. Have you seen him yet?”
“No, they’ll only let family in.”
“Where’s Allison?” Alec asked. “She’s not alone at the ranch, is she?”
“I dropped her off at a friend’s house here in town,” Tommy answered. “You think Kevin did this?”
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