by C. C. Coburn
“And these are your children, Nick and Lily?” Megan asked Becky, gesturing toward the other two occupants of the room—a boy with his mother’s red hair and vivid blue eyes and a baby, sleeping in her carrier—hoping she’d got their names correct. Becky beamed, clearly pleased that Megan had remembered her children’s names.
“Nicolas, this is your aunt Megan,” Becky said to the boy who was kidding around with Sasha.
It was probably the first time Megan had seen the girl smile. Obviously, she liked her cousin.
“Hi, Aunt Megan,” he said, approaching her and shaking her hand.
Megan noted that he walked with a slight limp and wondered about it. “Hello, Nick,” she said. “I’m pleased to meet you.”
Cody and Daisy had rushed in the back door moments earlier, and she introduced Cody to everyone who hadn’t met him yet, cringing at his sullen attitude but reluctant to call him on it in front of his new relatives.
Megan looked to her husband for guidance when the room fell silent. When Luke didn’t respond, she cleared her throat and glanced back at the gathering. “Well, I suppose I should ask, ‘Won’t you all sit down?’ so please—” she held her arms out, taking in the well-worn furniture of the living room. “Make yourselves comfortable. I think Sasha and Celeste have prepared some treats for you.” She glanced at Sasha, who prodded Celeste and disappeared into the kitchen along with Nick.
Megan sat in a large, comfortable chair, and after Luke had finished serving drinks to everyone, he perched on the arm of it.
The children returned from the kitchen and passed some appetizers around. Sarah was standing unsteadily by her father, clinging to Matt’s leg.
Becky reached into the duffel bag she’d brought with her. “I brought over some clothes of mine that don’t fit me anymore. Beth said your own belongings won’t get here for a few days. Although looking at you, I’m sure all my clothes will be too baggy. I don’t think I’ve been as slim as you since I was about twelve.” She laughed and said, “If ever!”
Megan observed Becky’s generous curves and envied her. She knew Becky’s comments were meant in jest, but they stung a little all the same. “Thank you, but I don’t think I’ll need them. My stuff should get here soon. Until then I can manage with what I have.”
Beth dug into her bag, too, and produced a small pile of neatly folded clothes, saying, “But wait, as they say in the ads, there’s more.” She gave the pile to Megan with a smile. “I hope you can find something to fit you here, too, Megan.”
Megan nodded and accepted the clothes, feeling like someone’s poor relative. “I…I really don’t think I’ll need them,” she said again.
“’Course you will,” Sasha piped up. “You don’t even have a nightgown. Daddy had to put you to bed in your underwear last night.”
Megan gasped. She’d never felt so totally mortified in her life. Her face was so hot it must be glowing beet red and her lips trembled at the accusatory tone of Sasha’s voice. Why was Sasha doing this to her—and in front of everybody?
“E-excuse me,” she finally managed to say, and got awkwardly to her feet. “I’ll just put these in my room.” She turned and fled down the hallway.
She threw the clothes on her bed. “Charity case!” she muttered angrily. “Little brat! And the rest of them think I’m a charity case!”
“Megan?”
Megan turned at the sound of Beth’s voice. She’d walked into Megan’s room and had obviously heard every word she’d said. Her face held pity.
Megan brushed at an errant tear. “Don’t look at me like that!” she said. “I don’t need to be treated like this!”
Beth closed the door, then urged Megan over to the bed and sat down beside her. “I’m sorry, that was all my fault. Becky and I didn’t mean any harm by it. Matt told me you didn’t have anything other than the clothes you wore to court and a pair of jeans and a shirt you bought on the way out of New York. He said the moving company could be a week, so I’m afraid I mentioned it to Becky this morning.” She placed her hand on Megan’s arm. “It’s all my fault,” she said again. “Please don’t blame Becky. We meant it in the kindest way. We’re sisters now,” she said gently.
Megan reached over to grab a tissue to dab at her tears, angry at herself for letting her emotions surface like this. “I didn’t need Sasha pointing out how incompetent I was. I guess that’s what set me off,” she murmured.
Beth placed her arm around Megan’s shoulders. “I’m afraid Sasha’s mother wasn’t the kindest person on earth and Sash has inherited her sharp tongue. I apologize for her behavior, but you’ll see—she’ll come around. This is going to be a big adjustment for her, having another woman in the house full-time. She’s really a very generous child underneath all her bluster.”
Megan nodded. “I know. But she likes to stab me every now and then with her cattle prod.”
Beth laughed. “That’s better! Keep a sense of humor and you’ll be fine. As for Becky, she was just treating you like one of us.” She squeezed Megan’s shoulder. “We’re all so overjoyed to have you in our family and for Luke to have found his son. We’d never want you to feel uncomfortable about being here.”
Nodding, Megan blew her nose. There was a knock at the door and then Sasha called, “Can I come in?”
Megan looked dubiously at Beth, who squeezed her shoulder again. “Give her time,” she whispered.
Megan stiffened her shoulders and got up off the bed to open the door. Sasha stood there twisting her hands. Megan had never seen her nervous before.
“My daddy said I should apologize to you for what I said.”
Megan let out a sigh. “If you want to apologize, that’s fine, Sasha, but don’t feel you should just because your father told you to.”
Sasha seemed confused by that remark, glanced at Beth, and then back at Megan. “Yeah, well, I’m sorry. Okay?” she said with a touch of belligerence.
“I’m sorry, too, Sasha, for making a mess of the clothes you’d taken so much time over. I should have changed into my jeans to bathe Celeste. I’d forgotten how much water a four-year-old can kick out of a tub.”
Sasha nodded solemnly. “Well, are you going to come outside with everyone now?” she asked.
Megan turned to Beth, who smiled encouragingly. She turned back to Sasha. “Lead the way,” she said.
EVERYONE HAD MOVED outside to the back lawn. The sun was setting in magnificent colors behind the mountains and the older children had a makeshift game of baseball going on. The adults either sat or stood around talking. When Luke noticed Megan standing on the bottom step of the porch, he came toward her and caught both her hands in his. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice full of concern.
“I’m fine. A minor misunderstanding, that’s all. I hope I didn’t spoil the party by being so stupid.”
Luke squeezed her hands gently between his. “I’m truly sorry about what Sash said. And my sisters-in-law just wanted you to feel welcome.”
“I realize that now and I’ll try not to be so sensitive in the future….”
Luke cupped her cheek and touched her lips with his. When she pulled back, startled, he said under his breath, “Work with me here, will you?” he said gruffly. “I don’t need my wife treating me as though I’m repugnant to her.”
Taken aback by his admission that he needed them to maintain an outward show of togetherness—and needing to feel Luke’s touch—she looped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.
She wasn’t prepared for the explosion of sensation and feeling that shot through her body as their mouths met again and Luke pulled her closer. Standing as she was on the bottom step, Megan wasn’t that much shorter than Luke. Through the thickness of his jeans and hers, she could feel the hard evidence of his desire. It both shocked and surprised her. She’d thought Luke was indifferent to her after his declaration earlier and his plea to pretend to the rest of the family that they were happily married. She hadn’t thought he could desire her.
She leaned close and Luke placed his arms around her, deepening the kiss. Megan closed her eyes and let the sensations assail her, allowing her fingers to comb through his hair.
The catcalls and whistles from the garden permeated the erotic haze surrounding her and when Luke ended the kiss, she was breathless and wishing they were alone. He might not love her, but God help her, she loved him, had never stopped loving him. She’d take every morsel of affection she could grasp.
“Talk about a cold shower,” Luke muttered and took several deep breaths as if trying to control his reaction to her. “Maybe we’d better join the others?”
Megan nodded, hoping her blush of embarrassment wasn’t visible in the evening light and let him lead her to where the others waited.
“We don’t need to light the barbecue, we’ll just sizzle the steaks on you two,” Will declared, and laughed uproariously. The others joined in and soon Megan’s self-consciousness was forgotten.
THE EVENING WENT WELL. The food was consumed with gusto, the children played happily together, and by the end of the night, Cody had come out of his shell and was talking to the other kids, especially Becky’s son, Nicolas. Celeste had spent almost the entire evening sitting on Megan’s lap, telling everyone that her new mommy had done her hair. The child’s acceptance of her had eased the way for Megan and she was grateful for it.
The only sour note came when the dessert had been served and Becky had made a remark about giving Megan the recipe for ambrosia, saying, “Luke won’t be able to keep his hands off you when you feed him that!”
Sasha, sitting with the children, had overheard it and announced, “That won’t be a problem, since they don’t even share the same room.”
Megan had gasped with horror and looked around the gathering. There was pity on the faces of Beth and Matt, who knew they didn’t share a room, but Will, Jack and Becky hadn’t been aware of the fact until now and all eyes seemed to be boring into her, curious to know what was going on.
“Sasha, go to your room,” Luke said quietly.
“But, Dad, it’s true!” she protested.
“Go to your room.”
She stood and threw her napkin on the table. “It’s true! They don’t sleep together!” she told the gathering. “I don’t even believe they’re married!”
“Go to your room, Sasha!” Luke’s voice rose dangerously.
Megan put a restraining hand on his arm. “Luke, please. Don’t make a scene. Leave her be,” she pleaded softly. Megan hadn’t missed the shocked look on Cody’s face at Sasha’s outburst, she was embarrassing him so much.
“Gosh!” Becky said, and laughed heartily. “Is that what you’re worrying about, Sash? You think your daddy and Megan aren’t properly married, so it isn’t right for them to share a room?” She glanced around the rest of the adults at the table, as if trying to garner their agreement.
Megan was grateful that Becky was attempting to turn Sasha’s reaction around to seem less offensive and downright rude. Even Cody seemed to have relaxed.
“Well, we’ll just have to have another wedding,” Becky declared. “A real one this time, with pretty bridesmaids and a ceremony and a big party afterward!”
That effectively diffused the situation and got the children involved, with each of them yelling excitedly about what they wanted to contribute and who was going to be wearing what. All except Sasha. Megan was staggered by their enthusiasm. Becky sure knew how to stir up a crowd.
“I can ask Mom and Pop to get back here by next weekend,” Matt offered.
“And naturally I’ll perform the honors, seeing as I’m a qualified judge,” Becky said.
“I’ll call everyone Luke’s ever known and invite them.” That was Jack. He turned to Megan, smiling. “And I’ll make the calls for you, too.”
Megan shook her head. Her family wouldn’t be interested in coming and she had very few friends in New York, certainly none who could afford to travel all the way to Colorado. She felt Luke’s hand reach for hers beneath the table and that small action heartened her. She stiffened her back and spoke up. “I appreciate that, Jack, but Cody and I are part of your family now, so I hope your friends will be ours.”
When Luke brought her hand to his lips, Megan knew she’d said the right thing without having to reveal to his family the painful circumstances of her estrangement from her own.
“I can’t help out much,” Luke said. “I’ll be up at the Cattlemen’s Convention and sale in Wyoming until Saturday morning.”
“Never fear!” Beth assured him. “The O’Malley women are here. When you get back on Saturday, all you’ll have to do is scrub up, put on your tux and get out onto the back lawn in time for the ceremony.”
Luke grinned. “Sounds good to me.” He looked at Megan. “Is all this okay with you? They’re not railroading you into anything you don’t want, are they?”
Megan had lost her voice since Luke had lifted her hand to his lips. She shook her head, mutely. He was leaving her by herself on the ranch next week? And she was only finding out about it now?
Matt slapped his hands on the table. “I’m going to go call Mom and Pop while the kids clean up the table and load the dishwasher.”
“Aw, Uncle Matt!” they cried in unison.
Matt held up his hands to stay their protests. “Come on, guys, your moms have worked hard to prepare this feast and your fathers have worked hard eating it, so it’s your turn. I’ll give a ride in my patrol car to the kid who works the hardest.”
That had children flying all over, clearing tables, scraping plates, carrying things to the kitchen.
Becky watched them all disappear into the house, Matt bringing up the rear to go and phone his parents. “What a guy.” She sighed. “Sometimes I wish I’d married that man.”
Will guffawed and grabbed his wife around the waist. “If you’d married him, then I wouldn’t have a terrific sister-in-law like Beth.”
Becky considered that for a moment, then nodded sagely. “You’re right. Good thing I was prepared to put up with second best.” Then she squealed when Will threw her up over his shoulder, fireman-style, and carried her into the house, Becky laughing and pummeling his back all the way.
Jack and Beth collected the remaining glasses and hurried after them, laughing as Will tickled Becky, making her squeal more.
Megan watched them go, longing for the happiness and love the other couples shared. She’d been alone for so many years, depending only on herself, she found it comforting to acknowledge that such closeness between families could exist. But now, having spent the evening with the O’Malleys, she wanted that camaraderie for herself.
“What are you thinking?” Luke asked beside her.
Megan turned to him, startled by the intense tone of his voice. Darkness had descended as they’d eaten dinner and now the garden was lit only by bamboo torches, placed at strategic points around the perimeter, and candles on the table. Luke leaned forward, cupping his hand around the nearest candle and blew it out, then moved closer to Megan.
Instinctively, she pulled back. She wasn’t ready for this, despite what had happened earlier. Despite wanting to deepen their relationship. Her reaction had been unthinking—self-protective.
Luke gave a hiss of disgust, got up from the table and strode into the house.
Chapter Eight
Megan tossed and turned most of the night. She’d handled things badly and upset Luke when she hadn’t meant to. She’d seen the passion flare in his eyes. Did Luke have genuine feelings for her? Megan was afraid to ask. Afraid of the answer—either way!
When she stumbled tiredly into the kitchen the next morning, it was deserted. The house was silent. Apparently, everyone had already eaten breakfast and gone. A note from Luke was propped against the vase of flowers in the middle of the table. Megan opened it and read.
We’ve gone to help at Matt and Beth’s house. Cody, too. Ben will give you directions. Keys are in the car.
Megan stared at t
he note. He must still have been angry when he wrote it, she thought. No greeting, no signature, just a curtly written note as if he didn’t care whether she showed up or not. Well, she wouldn’t, because she didn’t have a driver’s license. In fact, she hadn’t driven since she’d dropped out of college. That was a legacy of living in New York—no need for a car and nowhere to park one, anyway.
She had toast and a cup of coffee for breakfast, then went in search of anything she could do around the house to fill in the time until everyone returned. The house was neat; the only thing that might need cleaning were the worn covers on the sofas. “Uh-uh!” she said. “Forget it. Little Miss Sourpuss’s going to complain, no matter what I do.”
Megan headed back into the laundry, seeking clothes to wash or iron. Everything was spotlessly clean, pressed clothes hanging, waiting to be taken to various rooms. Megan could work out by the sizes who owned what, so she took them to their respective rooms and hung them up. That done, she found some carrots and brought them to the stable, making friends with the various horses. Ben, the ranch hand, wasn’t anywhere in sight.
“So much for getting directions from Ben,” she muttered, and stroked Sage’s nose. The horse nickered, pressing her muzzle to Megan’s face. “What do you think of that husband of mine, Sage? I can’t figure him out, that’s for sure.” The mare nodded as if agreeing.
The sound of a truck pulling up outside and a honking horn had Megan racing to the barn door, hoping it was Luke returning to say he’d forgiven her and that he wanted them to try and be friends…and maybe lovers.
Her face fell when she didn’t recognize the vehicle. The door opened and Beth climbed down. “Hey, Megan!” she called toward the house.
“Over here.” Megan waved.
Beth turned in her direction. “Is everything all right? Luke sent me over to get you. He got worried when you didn’t turn up. You don’t look too happy,” Beth observed as Megan neared the truck.