by Regina Duke
“Me, too,” said Keegan.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Megan left Keegan to his animated pet and went looking for Kevin. She found him on the front porch in the swing.
“Room for two?”
Kevin smiled up at her. “Definitely. I was just wondering if I was going to have to take a ticket for a chance to talk to you.”
Megan sat down.
Kevin took her hand in his, and Megan felt a zing of electricity, just like at Lake Tahoe the day before, and at Pike’s Market. He was so darned good looking!
“Your brother and your sister are priceless.”
“Thanks. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear you say that!”
Megan held her hand out palm down and wiggled it back and forth. “Your mother? Mmmm, jury’s still out.”
“Speaking of parents,” said Kevin, “my old man is up to his usual chicanery. He sent Zach a letter, telling him to make time in his schedule to meet with surveyors. Dad is acting like the ranch is his already and he’s planning to sell it.”
“Two questions,” said Megan. “First, is this the Zach you mentioned on the plane?”
“Yes, our ranch foreman. He and mom grew up together. You’ll meet him tomorrow.”
“Okay. And second, your dad doesn’t stand a chance, does he? I mean, with the way things have played out…” She left it hanging.
“Theoretically, no. But he is notorious for rocking the boat at the last minute. Mom thinks he’ll be scheming to the very end.”
“Well, he knows about me. We saw his spy in Tahoe. Did you tell your mom about that?”
“Yes.”
“And about Reno?”
Kevin squeezed her hand. “I keep trying, but we keep getting interrupted. By the way, mom wanted to know if you’re strong enough to deal with all this craziness.”
“So far, so good. What’s on the schedule for tomorrow?”
Krystal’s voice cut through the twilight. “I have arranged for my personal seamstress to spend the morning fitting your wedding gown.”
Megan started to pull her hand back, but Kevin wouldn’t let it go.
Krystal settled in a wicker rocker a few feet away. “Young lady, you have made a very good impression with two people who are not easy to impress. Both Karla and Keegan give you two thumbs up.”
Megan smiled. “I like them, too.”
Krystal hummed with amusement. “You are a gift from above. Oh! Have you met my foreman? Zach? Zachary!”
Megan recognized Zach as the man on the computer screen when she’d done a Google search on Kevin’s family. He looked a bit older than in the photo, and his hair was very gray at the temples. But he was dressed like a ranch hand and wearing cowboy boots, just like in the photo.
More interesting, however, was the transformation that came over Krystal when Zach joined them on the porch.
Krystal’s voice softened. “Zachary King, this is Megan—”
“Mully,” supplied Kevin.
“Megan Mully, Kevin’s fiancée. After the wedding on Friday, Megan will be giving the orders around here. Try to make a good impression.”
Megan’s mouth dropped open at Krystal’s pronouncement, but she closed it quickly as Zach stepped close and offered his hand.
“It’s a pleasure, little lady.”
Megan shook his hand and wondered if he’d call her ‘little lady’ if she was standing up. But she smiled and replied, “From what I’ve seen so far, you’re doing a great job. Do you have a dog named Buttercup?”
Zach stepped back. “Why, yes. How’d you know that?”
“Keegan told me. He misses her a lot.”
“She’s six years old, and when I rescued her four years ago, I was told she was fixed. But lo and behold, she had herself a litter of pups. Three have gone to homes, but there’s two left, and believe me, she has had enough of motherhood.”
“Two? That’s perfect!” She turned to Kevin. “Guess what I want for a wedding present!”
Kevin shot a questioning glance at Zach.
“No problem here,” said Zach. “I was hoping we’d get to keep a couple at the ranch. But let me get their final puppy shots tomorrow. You can take possession the day after. If Krystal doesn’t object.” He raised his brows and addressed the last sentence to Krystal.
“Megan will be the lady of the house, so if she wants a puppy, she shall have a puppy. And you’re right about the timing. She’ll be much too busy with her dress tomorrow to add a new family member.”
Zach held a hand out to Krystal. “Ma,am? May I interest you in a stroll through the orchard?”
“Why, yes, you may.” Krystal took his hand and let him help her out of the rocker. “Megan, the seamstress will expect you in the parlor at nine a.m.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Megan. She watched Krystal walk away on Zach’s arm. When they were out of earshot, she tapped Kevin’s arm.
“Did you see that?! Did you see?”
“See what?”
“How could you not see it?” She lowered her voice. “Your mother is in love with Zachary King.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Wednesday, June 27
Megan discovered that Krystal expected her to sleep separately from Kevin since the wedding hadn’t taken place yet. At first, she was relieved. Then she was disappointed. When she signed their prenup, she was certain this was just a job. But now, she found herself growing fonder of Kevin every hour. And he appeared more attractive than ever as she witnessed his affection for his family. She allowed herself a fanciful moment, imagining him knocking softly on her door after everyone else was asleep. Then she blushed hotly. His mother’s room was right next door! She couldn’t imagine spending their first intimate night next door to his mother.
She slept like a baby in the blue room. When she opened her eyes, it was already eight o’clock. She rushed through her shower, got dressed, and headed downstairs to the kitchen, looking for coffee. The house was very quiet.
Cookie was ready for her. She poured her a big mug of coffee and offered her a plate of toast.
“Thank you, Cookie. Morning, Keegan.”
Keegan did not look up. His thumbs were moving furiously over the controls of an electronic game. “Morning.”
“Where is everyone?”
Cookie poured herself a cup of coffee and joined Megan and Keegan at the table. “Kevin and Krystal went riding about seven. Karla is still asleep, most likely. She is a teenager, after all. I just got back from taking coffee and rolls over to the office yonder.”
“That big metal building over there?”
“That’s where the ranch business is done. It takes a lot to run a place like this.”
“Speaking of which,” said Megan, “last night Krystal said that after the wedding on Friday, I will be the lady of the house.”
Cookie drew inward and started to get up from the table. “Yes, ma’am.”
“No, no, please sit! I was surprised by her announcement. Surely she will always be the lady of the house, not me.”
Cookie relaxed and reached for a slice of toast. “Oh, that. Yes, in a way she’ll always be head of this household. But she’s been waiting for years for Kevin to get married so he can inherit the place, take over the trust, and run the ranch. And his wife will legally be the lady of the house. Mrs. Krystal’s parents wrote that into the trust. They never figured that their male heirs would die before the property could be transferred. They never made arrangements for a female heir, except that she could hold the property and the estate for safekeeping until her son was old enough to inherit. And then, of course, there was the famous marriage requirement. Kevin has to marry before his twenty-fifth birthday, or the property and the estate both go to Mrs. Krystal, which she deserves, but she’s afraid her husband will get his hands on it if that happens.” Her inflection on the word “husband” told Megan how she felt about that idea.
“Wow. That’s barbaric.”
“It’s very Victorian,�
� said Cookie. “They didn’t figure a woman could run a place like this. Mrs. Krystal is a trustee, but Zach is really in charge of the ranch. But of course, he defers to Mrs. Krystal.”
“And Mr. Wake never tried to install his own man as foreman?”
Cookie threw her head back and laughed. “You are a very bright young lady. As a matter of fact, he has tried, three times that I know of. But the biggest power Mrs. Krystal has is being able to choose her foreman.”
“That poor woman.”
“Well, she has a lot upstairs herself. She got you and Kevin here for a wedding, didn’t she?” She picked up a napkin and reached over to wipe peanut butter off Keegan’s face. “Mr. Keegan, please don’t leave the table with peanut butter smeared all over your face and fingers.”
“Okay.” Without looking up, he grabbed the napkin and smeared the peanut butter over a wider swath than before.
Cookie shook her head in mock disgust. “I’d better get a wash cloth. And you, Miss Megan, eat your toast. You have a full morning of fittings ahead of you. Mrs. Krystal’s seamstress is a perfectionist.”
Three hours later, Megan decided that Cookie’s definition of perfectionist matched other people’s definition of sadist. Her leg throbbed from spending most of the morning standing up as Genevieve’s fingers flew, tugging here, loosening there, hemming, trimming, and stitching away. At last, Megan begged for mercy.
“Maybe we can continue later,” she said. “I’m recovering from a traumatic injury, and I simply cannot stand here any longer.” She moved toward a chair.
“Don’t sit! This dress is not for sitting!” Genevieve straightened up and cracked her back. “No one told me you were convalescing. Let me help you out of that dress. I can finish the rest on the dummy.” She patted Megan’s arm. “You’ve been an absolute dream to work with. And you’ll be a gorgeous bride.”
As Megan left the parlor, she decided she needed to be more open about her injury. She could have saved herself at least an hour of torture by speaking up earlier.
She found herself heading for the kitchen again, not for food or coffee, but for Cookie’s comforting presence. She no sooner entered from the dining room when a stern, blond man with angry green eyes came through the back door.
“Who the hell are you!?” he bellowed. “Where is everybody? Are you the trollop my son is trying to pass off as a legitimate bride? I saw the pictures of you two swilling champagne on the beach at Lake Tahoe. Get out! Get out of my house!”
Megan had thought she was strong enough to face him down, but he reminded her so much of her own father in a temper that she turned and ran, just like she used to do as a child.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Kevin found Megan in her room, face pressed into her pillow. When he touched her shoulder, she jumped.
“Oh, Kevin! Your father is worse than mine. What a horrid beast of a man. You win again.” She tried to make a joke, but her tears garbled the sound.
Kevin pulled her close. “He’s such a jerk,” he grumbled. “He’s getting an earful from Krystal right now.”
“I should have stood up to him! He made me feel like a helpless little girl again. And I’m really pissed about that. I’m going down there right now, and tell him this isn’t his house. It stopped being his house yesterday.” She tried to pull free, but Kevin held tight.
“Let’s not rush,” he said. “We don’t want him to be forewarned. There are still a couple of days for him to come up with strategies. I would rather have him cracking the whip over the backs of his lawyers than turning his rage on you.”
Relieved, Megan slumped against him. “Okay. Thanks.” She took a breath and realized that Kevin’s manly scent was more than comforting. It was also stirring feelings deep inside. Not only was he devastatingly handsome and buff, but she’d realized since arriving that he was giving up his life of freedom in Seattle for the good of his crazy, funny, attention-deprived siblings. At that moment, Megan was filled with love for him.
But she still didn’t want to get intimate next door to his mother’s bedroom, even if he were so inclined. There it was again, that twinge of disappointment.
“Let’s take a break,” said Kevin. “Let’s go into town for a while. I’ll buy you lunch.”
“That sounds great,” said Megan, hastily wiping her eyes. “Let me run a brush through my hair.”
“I’ll be standing guard right outside your door.” He planted a kiss on her cheek.
Leaving the ranch for a few hours was a huge relief. Kevin drove the battered old pickup as if he were in it every day.
Hanging onto the dash, Megan said, “I thought we’d be taking the rental car.”
Kevin laughed. “Zach and one of the hands had to go into Eagle’s Toe this morning so they dropped the rental off while they were there. No point paying for it if we don’t need it. I learned to drive in this truck. It’s more fun than the rental anyway. Zach said if I could drive this baby, I could drive anything.”
“Zach taught you to drive?”
“Yep. He’s trying to coax Karla behind the wheel as well. I think she needs one more year, and then she’ll jump at the opportunity.”
“They’re great kids,” said Megan. “Oh, look! A toy store! We have to go in. I want to get the kids a surprise.”
Kevin watched as Megan kept adding to the stash of toys in her cart. Outdoor chalk, several cars and trucks, a dump truck, and a road grader. She even picked up a few action figures, including Hollywood’s most recent action heroes and some soldiers. Then she went down the aisle for costumes and theatrical makeup. She included a book on the artistry of stage makeup. Then she found an aisle with Halloween props.
“Karla has to have a skull that lights up, don’t you think?”
Kevin scratched his head. “I’m impressed with your insight, but don’t you think Keegan would like one of those new electronic games?”
Megan pinned him with a look. “He already sneaks those things to the table and never goes outside. I’m getting him toys he can appreciate at the ranch. He needs a sandbox, by the way. A big one, so he can play with his dump truck.”
“And Karla needs more face paint?”
“She’s very talented! Who knows what she will become next. I’m just encouraging her strengths. And besides, she’ll need all of this to do our makeup for the second set of wedding photos.”
Kevin’s face screwed into a question. “What are you talking about?”
Megan pushed the cart toward the checkout. “Your mother told her she couldn’t come to the wedding as a vampire. Since it’s my wedding, I told her she could. I hope Krystal understands, but either way I want Karla in the wedding photos, and if she wants to be a vampire, I told her to camp it up. Do some poses. And I thought it would be great fun if we keep the photographer around and let her do our makeup afterward, so we can have a whole group picture of a vampire wedding! Don’t you think that would be fun?”
Kevin was speechless.
“It would go a long way to bringing Karla out of her isolation,” said Megan.
Kevin tilted his head to one side. “You know, I think it could work. All right, I’m in.” He pulled out his credit card.
“No, wait. These are my gifts to the kids.” She took her wallet out of her purse. “Allow me the illusion of using my own money.”
Kevin slipped an arm around her and squeezed her gently. “I don’t mean to destroy your illusion, but as of day before yesterday, this is your money.”
Megan paused, thought for a moment, then tucked her wallet away. She took the credit card out of his hand and said lightly, “That’s right! Thanks, honey.” With a big smile, she handed the card to the cashier.
She did use her cash at the little restaurant where they stopped for lunch. She couldn’t let Kevin use his credit card for everything.
“You know how I feel about credit cards and debt.” Her hand clutched her purse as she spoke.
“As soon as I inherit,” said Kevin, interpreting her c
oncern, “I’ll pay off those medical bills. Don’t worry.”
Megan made a face. “You can already read my mind?”
“Of course. We’ve known each other a whole five days. Plenty of time for mind reading.”
The gifts were a big hit.
Karla growled, “Thank you, One Called Megan.” She already had the book open as she climbed the stairs.
Keegan raised his action figures in the air. “My favorites! How did you know?”
Kevin said, “Bro, they’re plastered all over your door.”
“Oh, right. Look, they fit in the trucks! Come on!”
Megan and Kevin helped him carry his trucks and action figures outside.
“We need dirt,” said Keegan.
“The horseshoe pit,” said Kevin. “It’s filled with sand. How’s that?”
“Perfect!” Keegan ran ahead, and plopped down in the sand, already pushing it around with his grader.
Megan lowered herself carefully to the ground and began placing action figures inside vehicles. “Build me some roads,” she said, “so these guys will have places to go.”
Kevin knelt beside her on one knee and began scooping dirt with the dump truck. He winked at her and mouthed the word, “Brilliant.”
Megan tapped her temple with one finger and mouthed back, “Genius.” Then she glanced around them. “Umm, I didn’t see your father inside. And I don’t see any other vehicles. Did he leave?”
Krystal’s voice came from behind her.
“Unfortunately, no. Douglas went into town to meet with his lawyers. They’re staying at a hotel there.”
Megan turned. “Oh, hi, Krystal. I couldn’t resist buying some gifts for Keegan and Karla.”
Krystal’s expression remained stern, but her eyes softened. “So I see. Did they teach you this in college?”
Megan shrugged. “My concentration was in Youth Development, so in a way, yes.”
“Hmph.” Krystal watched her youngest crawling through the sand, building roads with on-ramps and off-ramps. “What do you know,” she said. “Well, well. Please see to it that he cleans up before dinner.”