“Hello, Liam,” she greeted.
Instead of giving her a simple hello in return, he walked straight up to her and planted a kiss on her cheek.
Kitty smiled at him and hoped she didn’t appear as taken aback as she felt.
“Good morning,” he murmured to her then acknowledged the other two men with a nod of his head.
Since Shep Johnson wasn’t all that familiar with Kitty, Liam’s kiss meant little or nothing to him. But Clayton was staring wide-eyed at the two of them.
If Liam was trying to display some sort of public brand of ownership on her, he’d gotten the job done, she thought drily.
After taking a moment to clear her throat, she promptly set about introducing him to the two men.
“No need for that,” Shep said quickly. “I’ve known Liam for years.” He stuck out his hand to Liam. “How are you, old man? Hope you’ve brought a string of runners this time. California is hurting for more horses.”
“Twenty. And I might send for more as the meet goes on,” Liam informed the farrier while shaking his big, brawny hand.
“Great,” the other man said with a grin, then cast a wink at Kitty. “Better watch him, Ms. Cartwright. He’ll beat your—hind end if you’re not careful.”
She said, “Yes, I’m well aware of Liam’s success.”
Liam greeted Clayton with a polite handshake then surprised Kitty by curling his arm around the back of her waist. “Kitty isn’t worried about me outrunning her,” he told the farrier. “Pretty soon, it’ll be all in the family. Kitty has agreed to marry me.”
Shep Johnson was quick to offer his congratulations to the couple, while Clayton stood there staring at the two of them in disbelief. He’d only learned yesterday that Liam was an acquaintance of the family. Now he was hearing she was marrying the man. No doubt he was wondering what else she was keeping from him. Like the identity of her baby’s father.
“You’re getting married?” He finally directed the question to Kitty.
Kitty didn’t know what Liam was up to or why he’d found it necessary to blurt out their plans so quickly. But no matter the reason, she didn’t appreciate his busy mouth. Clayton was her trusted right-hand man. She’d wanted to give him the news in private, where she could assure him that, concerning his position with Desert End, nothing would change.
“Yes, I am,” she said, while darting Liam a pointed look. “But we haven’t yet set a date.”
“I can assure you it will be soon,” Liam informed her assistant.
Clayton continued to stare at her, and Kitty could see he was more than stunned, he was offended that she’d kept something so important from him. His gaze slid to her belly and she felt the heat of embarrassment rush to her cheeks.
“Well, it looks like congratulations truly are in order,” he said with a strained smile.
Thankfully, someone across the way called to the farrier and the man quickly excused himself from the group. Clayton followed suit, saying he’d better get Pink Sky back to her stall.
“I’ll get with Shep in a few minutes and schedule a time to deal with her shoes,” he assured Kitty.
“Thanks. And, Clayton, I’ll be gone for most of the afternoon, so if you need me for anything just phone or text.”
“Right,” he said, and then with Pink Sky in tow, he headed into the barn.
Fighting back a weary sigh, Kitty turned to Liam. “Was all of that necessary?” she asked. “I haven’t had time to discuss our engagement with Clayton or any of my staff.”
“What difference does it make? They’re going to find out soon enough.”
“Maybe I should blurt the news to your staff or, even better, your family,” she threatened. “And see how you feel.”
“I’ve already told them,” he said with a faint grin. “Apparently, I’m more proud of the news than you are.”
Proud? Was he? The notion warmed her. At least he wasn’t embarrassed to have her become his wife. That had to be a start.
“You’ve had time for that today? What did you do? Type out a one-sentence announcement and hit the send all button?”
He chuckled. “Hardly. I’m one of those rare people who still prefer to talk instead of push buttons.” He gestured toward the barn. “Do you need to collect anything from your office before we leave?”
“Yes. Just give me five minutes and I’ll be ready,” she assured him.
As she hurried into the barn, she passed Pink Sky’s stall and seeing that Clayton was inside the small space, getting the filly settled, she stepped inside.
His expression questioning, the young man looked around at her. “I thought you were leaving,” he said.
“I am. I—” Folding her hands behind her back, she stepped deeper into the stall. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry you had to hear about my engagement like that. I’d planned to tell you earlier, but we kept having interruptions and—”
“Forget it, Kitty,” he said curtly. “It’s none of my business anyway.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Clayton. Because I don’t.”
Turning his back to Kitty, he combed fingers through the filly’s forelock. “I said you don’t have to explain things, Kitty. Who you marry has nothing to do with me.”
Hurt laced his voice and as Kitty stared at his back, the notion struck her that he almost sounded jealous. But that couldn’t be. He’d never given her any sort of hint that he cared for her in a romantic sense.
“Yes. It is. You’re my assistant and you’re also my friend. You mean a lot to me,” she told him. “And I want you to know that nothing is going to change at Desert End just because Liam and I will be husband and wife.”
He glanced over his shoulder at her. “You won’t be merging the two barns?”
“Not at all.”
“Oh.” The tenseness on his face relaxed a bit. “Then I suppose you will need me to stay on,” he said.
She patted her belly. “Now more than ever.”
With a faint grin, he turned away from the filly and wrapped an arm around Kitty’s shoulders. “Okay. If you’re happy about this marriage, then I am, too.”
Relieved, she smiled at him. The last thing she needed was a strained relationship with her assistant. Without him, she couldn’t keep her barn active or her horses running. “Thanks, Clayton. I’m, well, things are changing quickly for me. It’s a relief to know that things with you and me will stay the same.”
Easing away from him, she started out of the stall. As she was passing through the wire gate, he called out, “You can count on me, Kitty. Always.”
She nodded then hurried away to her office. By the time she’d gathered up her bag and sweater and returned to the back of the barn, Liam had walked over to a patch of ground covered with a sparse carpet of green grass. He was conversing with a groom who was leading a horse she recognized from the Diamond D stables.
When she reached him, he arched his brows at her. “I thought you’d decided not to show. Is anything wrong?”
“Sorry,” she quickly apologized. “I took a few moments to speak with Clayton.”
Reaching for her arm, Liam urged her down a narrow gravel driveway to where his truck was parked. “About your horses? Or about us?”
“Us,” she replied. “I don’t think he’s too happy about your announcement.”
“That’s not surprising,” Liam said flatly. “He obviously has a thing for you.”
Kitty shook her head. “Not really. He and I work together. I think he was afraid you might start butting in. I assured him our barns would remain separate.”
A grimace crossed his face. “I’m sure by now he’s put two and two together and come up with me being the man who got you pregnant—out of wedlock. I can’t expect him to look at me in an admirable way. Him or anyone else for that matter,” he added.
Surprised, she looked at him. “Why, Liam, I never expected you to be so old-fashioned.”
“Old-fashioned?” he practically sputtered.
Sensing he’d taken offense at her comment, Kitty shrugged. “Okay, maybe that’s the wrong word. Maybe I should say you’re—conventional.”
“Well, hell, yes, I’m conventional! I was raised to be a responsible man. I’m not a playboy. Not even close. But I suppose when people look at you they’re going to think things like that.”
“I seriously doubt anyone will be thinking you’re a playboy,” she said pointedly. “Or anything close to it. Besides, there are more important things to consider than appearances.”
He didn’t say anything to that until he’d helped her into the truck and settled himself behind the steering wheel.
“I’m glad you brought up the subject of appearances.” He looked at her as he stabbed the key into the ignition. “It’s something I want to discuss with you.”
She turned slightly toward him. “Why? What does that have to do with anything?”
Instead of starting the engine, he leaned back in his seat and looked at her. “When I spoke to my mother this morning, I realized that—well, for a long time my family has been urging me to marry again. All of them, my parents and siblings are all happy and in love. They want the same thing for me. And now my mother is no doubt spreading the word that I’ve found it.” Sighing, he looked away from him and shook his head. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t want to disappoint them. I’d like for them to think that you and I are a typical couple.”
But they weren’t typical, she thought sadly. He knew it and so did she. “Ah. I understand. When we’re around your family you want us to pretend to be in love and crazy about each other.”
“Actually I was hoping we wouldn’t limit the pretense to my family. If everyone got the idea that we’re in love, they’d come to the conclusion that we didn’t have to get married.”
So that was the reason for that little kiss on the cheek he’d given her a few minutes ago. She should have known it wasn’t a real display of affection for his new fiancée. Her brows arched with disdain. “But we don’t have to get married. That was your idea.”
His jaw tightened. “You agreed to it,” he reminded. “Or are you already backing out on your promise?”
Her gaze dropped away from his face to focus on her growing belly. “No. I’m not backing out. Whatever you might think of me, I’m not a quitter. Or an actress,” she added then inwardly groaned. Who was she trying to kid? Herself? She didn’t have to act like she loved Liam. The feelings were already there. And that was the whole problem, she decided. Her “acting” might be so real he’d get to believing it. And then where would she be? “But I suppose I can try. If it means that much to you.”
She glanced over to see visible relief on his face.
“It does. And in the long run I think it will be good for our child.”
Good? How could a marriage based on pretense be good for anyone? Especially their child? She wanted to fling the questions at him, but she tamped them down. She had to get a grip on herself. She had to remember that she couldn’t let emotions dictate her behavior or even her plans for the future.
A future without love.
Trying to shove that dismal thought away, she said, “I hope you’re right, Liam. And I hope that our child never learns that his parents were a pair of phonies!”
He started the engine and gunned the truck onto the driveway. “Sometimes the truth hurts much worse than a lie,” he muttered.
Kitty looked out the passenger window and blinked away her tears.
Chapter Five
By the time the Pacific Ocean glimmered in the distance, Kitty had collected herself and was determined to enjoy the sand and surf. Before venturing onto the beach, they purchased hot dogs and drinks from a sidewalk vendor and shared the meal on a nearby park bench.
Although the day was nice and sunny, the sea breeze was brisk enough to have Kitty dragging a soft blue sweater over her white shirt. As they walked along a stretch of empty sand, Kitty focused her gaze on the waves rolling onto the shoreline and the swooping gulls, but her mind was honed in on the man walking beside her. The man who was soon to be her husband.
“So have you thought about the sort of wedding you want?” he asked after they’d traveled only a short distance.
Surprised, she glanced at him. The wind was tousling his brown hair and the sun on his face made his features appear even more tanned. He was one sexy man and just thinking about becoming his wife left her warm all over. “Wedding?” she repeated blankly. “I figured you’d probably want a simple civil ceremony here in Los Angeles County.”
His gaze dropped to the sand and their slow-moving footsteps. “I suppose that would legally get the job done. But I’d like for my family to be present and a priest or minister to marry us. Other than that I’ll leave it all up to you.”
He’d just made an issue of them presenting the image of a loving couple to his family. She should have known he’d want to make their wedding appear to be a sanctified union.
“That’s fine with me,” she murmured.
Kitty had never been one of those young women obsessed with having an elaborate wedding and all the trappings that went with it, but she had often dreamed of that special day and how it might be. Mostly when she’d imagined her wedding day, she’d thought of her father giving her away and the pride and emotion she would see on his face. He’d always wanted to see her married to a good man. And no matter the situation between her and Liam, there was no doubt in her heart that he was a good man.
All at once she felt so very far from home. From the big Texas sky, the sage and cactus, the smell of the desert after a rain and the horses dozing beneath the shade of a mesquite. Her father had made that beautiful home for her. The least she could do for him now was to be married there.
“I’d like to have the ceremony at Desert End,” she said suddenly. “I believe Dad would have wanted that.”
Without warning Liam paused and curled an arm around her shoulders. Kitty turned to look at him and as she did, he pulled her to him and rubbed his lips against her forehead. Her breath caught as sweet sensations rippled through her.
“I think you’re right,” he murmured, his fingers tangling in her windswept hair.”
Trying not to tremble or let him see just how much his touch affected her, she said, “Liam, there’s no one out here who knows us. You don’t have to pretend with me now.”
“Who says I’m pretending?”
Her breathing nearly stopped as she carefully scanned his face. “What does that mean?”
His gaze settled on her parted lips. “You’re a beautiful woman, Kitty. And we have made a baby together.”
Her heart jerked then sped into a gallop. “The wine—you weren’t thinking.” The breathless sound of her voice betrayed the upheaval he was causing inside of her. “Today you—”
“I had soda with my hot dog,” he interrupted with a wry grin. “So I’m thinking now. And kissing my new fiancée doesn’t require acting. With a woman like you it’s a natural instinct.”
His lips moved from her forehead to her cheek and her fingers clutched at the front of his shirt. “Liam, you aren’t thinking now.”
“And you’re thinking too much, Kitty.”
Was she? She didn’t have time to contemplate the answer as his lips settled over hers and swiftly put a stop to her ability to think at all.
The gulls screeched, the wind sang in her ears and down the beach the happy shrieks of a child mingled with the bark of a dog. But none of those sounds distracted Kitty’s senses from Liam’s kiss.
It was shameful how much she wanted him, how much her body craved his and how little she could do to hide it. In fact, hiding her desire was impossible as she opened her lips beneath his and slipped her arms around his waist.
As far as Kitty was concerned she could have continued kissing him for long, long minutes. Wrapped in his arms, his mouth against hers, it was easy to let herself believe he was kissing her with love.
But the embrace came to an a
brupt halt as something suddenly smacked against Kitty’s leg and voices sounded only steps away.
The intrusion instinctively parted their heads and Kitty glanced around to see a young woman chasing after a small girl around the age of five. At the moment, the child had one thing on her mind and that was to retrieve the yellow beach ball that had rolled to a stop near Kitty’s and Liam’s feet.
“I’m so sorry,” the woman called out to them. “My daughter’s aim isn’t very good. Especially in this wind.”
“No problem,” Liam assured the woman. Reaching down, he retrieved the ball and tossed it to the dark-haired girl.
Somehow the child managed to grab the ball in midair and once she’d secured her hold, she took off in a joyous run. A chocolate lab raced behind her, barking enthusiastically at the game of tag.
Suddenly, the girl paused long enough to shout back at them. “Thank you!”
“Yes, thanks,” the mother added before hurrying to catch up with her daughter.
Kitty wistfully watched the trio head on down the beach while Liam curved his hand against the back of her waist.
“She’s an adorable little thing,” he remarked, then glanced thoughtfully down at Kitty. “Would you prefer a daughter?”
“Boy or girl doesn’t matter,” she said, her gaze still on the family. “I was just wondering about her father.”
“We don’t even know if she has one,” he said. “At least one that shares the same home.”
She glanced up at him. “That’s what I mean. Is he around to love and care for her—like mine was for me?”
“Let’s hope so.” His hand slid around her side until he was touching her stomach. “One thing you can be sure of, I’ll be around for our son or daughter.”
Her gaze flickered back to his face and like a magnet it was instantly drawn to his lips. For a brief moment his kiss had felt so deep and full of need. Or had that been her own passion blurring her senses from the truth? Oh, God, she couldn’t keep weighing and analyzing his every word and every touch, she told herself. She’d have a mental breakdown before she ever said the words I do.
His Texas Baby Page 7