Trying to swallow the thickness in her throat, she asked, “So when do you want to have this wedding? I’ll need a bit of time to get things organized at the ranch. Natalie will handle most of it for me. So I’ll probably fly there a day or two beforehand.”
“Who’s Natalie? A relative?”
Kitty shook her head. “Other than my aunt Renee I don’t have any female relatives near El Paso. Natalie is my racing manager. But most of the time she ends up managing any and every sort of problem or event that comes up on the ranch. I’m sure this one is going to be a big surprise to her.”
His lips took on a wry twist as he urged her into a leisurely stroll toward a small sand dune. “Surprise is a mild description of my mother’s reaction to the news this morning. I very nearly sent her into shock.”
“What about the rest of your family? I know you have five siblings. Did you talk with any of them?”
“I didn’t have time. Besides, I knew as soon as I ended the call Mom would be on a mega speaker, spreading the word. And what about your brother?” he asked. “Have you told him yet?”
At the mention of her brother, Owen, Kitty inwardly stiffened. Although she loved her brother, their relationship was not an easy one. Especially since their father had died and the will had been read.
Oh, God, the will. Since she’d seen Liam yesterday, she’d been trying not to think about the impossible burden her father had heaped upon her. And she’d not had time to contemplate just how Liam might react to her problems or even if she should tell him about the issue. Right now the baby was her first concern and it was Liam’s only concern. The ranch couldn’t enter into the tenuous relationship she had with this man.
Trying to sound casual, she said, “He’s been working the night shift here lately. I don’t like to wake him, unless it’s an emergency. I’ll give him the news later.”
And she was definitely dreading Owen’s reaction. He’d already made it clear that he wasn’t pleased about her condition. Not that he had anything against single mothers or that he blamed her for being reckless. No, he’d already decided that the father was a first-class jerk for not stepping up to the plate. What was he going to think when he learned it was Liam Donovan?
Owen had never met Liam face-to-face, but he’d heard enough about him from their father. Will had painted Liam as a damned smart trainer and a man to be respected. But Owen had his own opinions about people and she could only hope he would see the goodness in Liam and welcome him into their small family. But she had her doubts about that. Liam was in the horse-racing business and that in itself was enough to make Owen dislike him.
“Well, I’m not sure how your racing schedule is this April, but mine won’t get into full swing until the third week of this month. I could manage to be away from the barn any time before that,” he said.
“I’ll contact Natalie this evening and go over my schedule. Maybe I can have everything ready in two weeks. Are you agreeable to that?”
He grimaced. “You sound like you’re planning a business meeting instead of a wedding.”
Vaguely surprised by his comment, she cast him a pointed look. “In our case it is business. Baby business.”
Reaching up, he touched a finger to her cheek. The simple touch warmed her face far more than the sun and she could feel a blush tinge her face with color.
“In a manner of speaking,” he replied. “So what are we going to do about a honeymoon?”
Honeymoons were for lovers, she wanted to say. And she couldn’t imagine bearing the pain of spending several days in some romantic place while her husband pretended to be madly in love with her.
She released a short laugh to mask her sadness. “I don’t think our wedding warrants a honeymoon. And neither of us can really afford to be away from the horses for any length of time.”
He let out a heavy breath and Kitty wondered if the reaction was one of relief or disappointment.
Don’t be a ninny, Kitty, the man is relieved. He’s hardly the sort of guy who’d choose to entertain a woman for several days when he can be with his horses instead. Especially when he doesn’t love the woman.
“You’re right. It would take some maneuvering with our schedules. But, well, every bride deserves a honeymoon. I don’t want to cheat you out of the experience.”
Bride. It felt strange to hear him use that particular word. She didn’t think of herself as soon becoming a bride. Her name would change to Donovan and there would be a piece of paper declaring them man and wife. Other than that, what could possibly change?
Wiping her windswept hair away from her face, she looked out at the rolling waves. “I don’t expect you to treat me like a new bride, Liam. Besides, a honeymoon requires traveling and I get plenty of that with our job. And let’s face it…I’m not exactly in the perfect condition right now for such a trip.”
“Well, if that’s the way you feel about it,” he said. “We can always act coy and tell our families we’re planning to take a honeymoon after the baby is born—when you feel more up to it.”
Unable to bite back the sarcasm on her tongue, she glanced at him. “Might as well. Everything else about the marriage will be phony. Let’s have a pretend honeymoon to go along with it.”
“Kitty.”
There was censure in the way he spoke her name, but Kitty also picked up a hint of disappointment threaded through his voice. And the idea left her feeling a little ashamed of herself. Marriage, even if it wasn’t borne of love, wasn’t something to be mocked.
She sighed. “I’m sorry, Liam. I shouldn’t have said any of that. I’ve not exactly been myself these past few days. And all of this planning—it’s more than I can take in.”
His hand gently rubbed the side of her arm. “I’m the one who should be apologizing, Kitty. I expect you to just fall in with all of this as though it’s an everyday thing.” His hazel-green eyes softened as he studied her face. “I’m sorry. Because I should understand this is not the way you’d planned or imagined things would be for you. But I believe that later on you’ll be glad of all these decisions we’re making now.”
If a woman was lucky she got married once in her life to the man she loved with all her heart. This had to be her one time. But years from now, when their baby was grown, would they still be man and wife? She didn’t want to think about the answer.
“I truly hope so, Liam.”
*
Near the end of April, on a Tuesday afternoon, Kitty understood why it had been so important to let Liam’s family believe they were in love and marrying for all the right reasons. She’d never seen such a happier group of people. The Donovans had all traveled to West Texas to see Liam get married. His parents, Doyle and Fiona, Grandmother Kate, his two brothers, Conall and Brady, and three sisters, Maura, Dallas and Bridget, plus a host of children ranging in ages from four years to infancy.
The big house at Desert End had seen parties before with laughing guests clearly enjoying themselves. But this was all very different for Kitty. This was a huge family, something that she and Owen knew nothing about. And the idea that she was just minutes away from becoming a part of Liam’s vast family was almost overwhelming. And as she stood in her bedroom in front of a full-length mirror, nagging qualms were trying to shred holes in her decision to marry him. Above everything, she didn’t want to hurt or disappoint Liam or his family. She wanted to be a part of them in a real sense. Just as much as she wanted to be Liam’s real wife and the first and most important thing in his heart.
“You don’t think the neckline of my gown is too revealing, do you?” Kitty asked as she thoughtfully stared at her image. The dress she’d chosen was champagne-colored silk with an overlay of white, rose patterned lace. The V-neck plunged to the valley between her breasts, while the long, close-fitting sleeves came to a point on the tops of her hands. An empire waist with subtle gathering gently camouflaged her expanding waistline and though everyone was telling her she looked gorgeous, she could only wonder what Liam was reall
y going to think about her appearance. Two weeks ago on the beach he’d called her beautiful and she’d held on to those words like a ray of hope. Now doubts and nerves were setting in, making her wonder if she was about to leap into a lion’s den.
“Not at all,” Fiona scoffed away her question. “You look very feminine and beautiful. Liam is going to be mesmerized by the sight of you.”
As Fiona fastened a string of pearls at the back of Kitty’s neck, she felt the woman’s joy spreading into her and it helped to calm the nervous flutter in her stomach.
“I think she’s already mesmerized Liam,” Kate spoke up from across the bedroom. “I haven’t seen my grandson looking this happy in a long, long time.”
“Neither have I.” Fiona let out a little laugh as she gave Kitty’s shoulders a brief hug. “We’d all thought Liam had given up on love and marriage. And all this time he had you! But he’s always been one to keep things to himself. Even as a little boy.”
Kitty returned the two women’s smiles. How could she not? They’d been so warm and welcoming, so delighted over the fact that a baby was on the way. They could have accused her of trapping Liam, of being a gold digger or worse. Right after she’d agreed to become Liam’s wife, the idea that the Donovans might be concerned about her motives had entered Kitty’s mind. She’d suggested to Liam that he might want to have a prenup drawn up to protect his interest in the Diamond D, but he’d dismissed the idea, saying he trusted her to always be fair with him. Apparently the rest of his family trusted her, too. Kate, Fiona and all the Donovans had been more than welcoming and had openly thanked her for making Liam happy.
But oh, God, was he happy? Since he was bound to put on a good front for his family, Kitty couldn’t guess what he was actually feeling today. But sooner or later, his real feelings were bound to show and thinking of that time scared her.
Yet today she was going to do her best not to think about the future. This was her wedding day and as far as she was concerned, Liam was the only husband she would ever have in her lifetime.
“Well, I didn’t have time to have a dress sewn,” she said with a nervous laugh. “Actually, I haven’t had time to do much at all. Liam’s been rushing me.”
Rising from a cushioned armchair, Liam’s grandmother smoothed down her pencil skirt. For a woman in her eighties, Kate looked and acted decades younger. Kitty was amazed by her, especially when she’d learned that Kate made it a daily routine to go horseback riding every morning.
“Just like a man,” Kate said with a chuckle. “I hope he doesn’t plan on rushing your honeymoon.”
Glancing away from the older woman, Kitty toyed with the braided chignon at the back of her head. “No. There won’t be any rush concerning our trip,” Kitty said, hoping she didn’t sound too evasive. “Liam and I decided it would be best if we put our honeymoon off until the baby is born and our racing schedules quiet down.”
“Oh. Well, that makes sense. I—”
The rest of Kate’s sentence was halted by a sharp knock on the door and she quickly strode across the room to answer it. After a brief moment she returned to where Fiona was pinning a white Camilla to Kitty’s hair.
“It’s your brother, Kitty. He says everything is ready whenever you are.”
Nodding nervously, Kitty tried to smile, but found herself dangerously close to tears. “Well, I guess this is it.”
“You look lovely, Kitty,” Fiona assured her.
“You also look a bit shaky. Here, take my arm,” Kate ordered as she thrust a sturdy elbow at Kitty.
Flanked by the two women, Kitty left the bedroom to find Owen standing out in the hallway waiting to escort her to the back of the house where the ceremony would be taking place in the courtyard.
After Kate handed her over to Owen, she and Fiona quickly excused themselves. Once Kitty was alone with her brother, she clung tightly to his arm.
“Kitty,” he said with an awed hush. “You look more beautiful than I’ve ever seen you.”
Owen was a tall, sinewy dark-haired man with features that resembled his late mother’s. As a lawman, he naturally exuded strength and authority and this was one time Kitty was glad to lean on him.
“Thank you, brother.”
“If Dad was here he’d be beaming,” he told her.
Kitty cast him a skeptical look. Pleasing her father and making him proud had always been important to her, even when they’d fought over certain aspects of her life. She could only hope and pray he was smiling down at her now. “You think so?”
“Where you were concerned, he always beamed.”
In spite of their many clashes, she and Owen had always managed to speak their minds with each other and she didn’t hesitate now. “It’s obvious you’re not overjoyed about this marriage.”
He grimaced as he glanced out the window. Since the minister wasn’t yet in place, he decided he had time to reply. “Sorry but that’s the way I feel, Kitty. Hell, this has all been so quick. You’ve been pregnant for nearly seven months and you’ve not seen fit to tell me that Liam Donovan was the father. That tells me you were uncertain about him or maybe yourself. Then you go out to California for a few days and suddenly you’re telling me you’re getting married.”
“I realize it seems sudden. But—”
“Sudden! Kitty, you’re not an impulsive person. And the way I see it, you’d already waited this long. You could have waited and thought about it a bit more.”
She practically glared at him. “I wanted you to give me away today because Dad is gone. You’re my brother and the only close relative I have left. I’d hoped for this one special day in my life you’d try to show me a bit of love. I guess I forgot that you’re hell-bent on hurting me.”
“I’ve always loved you. That’s why I’m trying to warn you.”
“Yeah. That’s what Dad always said, too.”
His lips clamped together. “This isn’t a time for us to be fighting. We’ve already talked about this last night. There’s no point in hashing it over again.”
“I’d just like to know why you have to oppose everything I do?” she asked in a low, gritty voice. “Why can’t you be happy for me?”
He shot her a dark look. “I would be happy for you if I thought it was the real thing. But this marriage is all about this ranch, the horses and your desperation to hang on to everything. I know this and you know it. And so will Liam, eventually. But don’t worry, sis. I won’t bring it up today or any other day. You’re going to hang yourself without me having to open my mouth.”
Kitty momentarily closed her eyes. “Oh, Owen, please stop.”
He reached over and covered her hand with his and her eyes opened to see that his expression had suddenly softened.
“Look, sis, you don’t need Liam Donovan. You don’t need Black Dahlia or any of those damned horses.”
“I know what I need, Owen. And no one is twisting my arm to do anything. I love Liam. Really love him.” She stared unwaveringly at her brother. “That might not mean anything to you. But I hope to God that someday it will.”
He studied her for a moment longer and then with a sigh of resignation, he bent and placed a kiss on her forehead. “All right, sis. All right. But just remember—if Liam Donovan doesn’t treat you right, I’ll break his damned neck.”
With that threat ringing in her ears, Owen led her through a pair of wide French doors and out to a large courtyard where Liam and the minister were waiting against a backdrop of blue, blue sky, endless flowers and a tinkling bronze fountain sculpted in the shape of racing horses.
As Kitty and her brother walked through a narrow aisle of seated guests, Kitty was vaguely aware of the wedding march being played on a violin, the soft breeze blowing against her cheeks, the sturdy support of Owen’s arm, and the glances from family and friends as she moved forward. But none of those things could distract her focus away from Liam.
A Western-cut suit hugged his tall form and silhouetted the lean, muscular shape of his body, while t
he chocolate color of the fabric set off the rich subtle streaks of gold and chestnut in his brown hair. But it was the expression on his face as he watched her move toward him that had her heart beating fast, her gaze locking with his. Something in his eyes, some fleeting emotion grabbed her and then she felt the baby move. The baby that they had made together.
By the time she reached Liam’s side and Owen handed her over to him she was trembling. And when he enveloped her right hand in his, tears stung the back of her eyes. He might not love her, she thought, but he did care. And for now, for this special moment in her life, that was enough.
Chapter Six
Five hours later, their plane landed at LAX. A short time after that they were ensconced in Liam’s truck, driving away from the busy airport. Their flight from El Paso had been short and uneventful. For the most part, Kitty had been quiet during the trip and Liam couldn’t decide if she was merely tired from all the traveling and hustle and bustle, or if she was thinking about the wedding and wishing she’d not gone through with it.
Now as he maneuvered the vehicle through the heavy freeway traffic, he flexed his tense shoulders and glanced over at her. She was relaxed in the seat, the back of her head resting against the soft leather.
Dressed in a long skirt and thin sweater that matched, she looked very pretty. But the image of Kitty in her wedding gown with flowers in her hair was one that he knew he’d never forget. As she’d stood beside him and repeated the vows the minister had read, her beauty had practically taken his breath. He’d felt humbled that she was becoming his wife, grateful that she was having his child, and frightened by the intensity of his emotions.
Even now, just thinking about their kiss as man and wife clogged his throat and left him feeling like a sentimental fool. Like she’d said, they’d never been a couple before and she wasn’t marrying him for love, yet he was letting himself think of their marriage in those terms.
“Are you feeling okay?” he felt compelled to ask.
She gave him a wan smile. “Yes. Just a little tired.”
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