Megan immediately broke eye contact and breathed in slowly, taking a sip of her wine. She fought to get her mind back on track and regain the senses she’d almost lost just now. She could control this. She had to. Desire and lust were things she didn’t have time for. The only reason she wanted to go to Texas with Rico was to be there when he discovered the truth about Raphel.
Thinking it was time to make her announcement, she picked up her spoon and tapped it lightly against her glass, but loud enough to get everyone’s attention. When all eyes swung her way she smiled and said, “I have an announcement to make. Most of you know I rarely take vacation time, but today I asked for an entire month off, starting tomorrow.”
Surprised gazes stared back at her…except one. She saw a look of suspicion in Rico’s eyes and noted the way his jaw tightened.
“What’s wrong? You’re missing Bailey already and plan to follow her to North Carolina?” her cousin Stern asked, grinning.
Megan returned his grin and shook her head. “Although I miss Bailey, I’m not going to North Carolina.”
“Let me guess. You’re either going to visit Gemma in Australia or Delaney in Tehran,” Chloe said, smiling.
Again Megan shook her head. “Those are on my to-do list for later, but not now,” she said.
When others joined in, trying to guess where she was headed, she held up her hand. “Please, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“It’s a big deal if you’re taking time off. You like working.”
“I don’t like working, but I like the job I do. There is a difference. And to appease everyone’s curiosity, I talked to Clint and Alyssa today, and I’m visiting them in Texas for a while.”
“Texas?”
She glanced down the table at Riley, which allowed her to look at Rico again, as well. He was staring at her, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see he wasn’t pleased with her announcement. Too bad, too glad. She couldn’t force him to take her to Texas, but she could certainly go there on her own. “Yes, Riley, I’m going to Texas.”
“When are you leaving?” her brother Zane asked. “I need to, ah, get that box from you before you leave.”
She nodded, seeing the tense expression in Zane’s features. She wondered about the reason for it. She was very much aware that he had a lock box in her hall closet. Although she’d been tempted, she’d never satisfied her curiosity by toying with the lock and looking inside. “That will be fine, Zane. I’m not leaving until Friday.”
She took another quick glance at Rico before resuming dinner. He hadn’t said anything, and it was just as well. There really wasn’t anything he could say. Although they would end up in the same state and within mere miles from each other, they would not be together.
Since he didn’t want her to accompany him, she would do a little investigating on her own.
Three
The next morning Rico was still furious.
Now he knew what Ramsey’s warning had been about. The little minx was going to Texas, pretty damn close to where he would be. He would have confronted her last night, but he’d been too upset to do so. Now here he was—at breakfast time—and instead of joining Zane, Riley, Canyon and Stern at one of the local cafés that boasted hotcakes to die for, he was parked outside Megan’s home so he could try and talk some sense into her.
Did she not know what red-hot desire was about? Did she not understand how it was when a man really wanted a woman to the point where self-control took a backseat to longing and urges? Did she not comprehend there was temptation even when she tried acting cool and indifferent?
Just being around her last night had been hard enough, and now she was placing herself in a position where they would be around each other in Texas without any family members as buffers. Oh, he knew the story she was telling her family, that she would be visiting Clint in Austin. Chances were, she would—for a minute. He was friends with Clint and Alyssa and had planned to visit them as well, during the same time she planned to be there. Since Forbes wasn’t that far from Austin, Clint had offered Rico the use of one of their cabins on the Golden Glade Ranch as his headquarters, if needed.
But now Megan had interfered with his plans. She couldn’t convince Rico that she didn’t have ulterior motives and that she didn’t intend to show up in Forbes. She intended to do some snooping, with or without him. So what the hell was she paying him for if she was going to do things her way? He got out of the car and glanced around, seeing her SUV parked at the side of her house. She had a real nice spread, and she’d kept most of it in its natural state. In the background, you could see rolling hills and meadows, mountains and the Whisper Creek Canyon. It was a beautiful view. And there was a lake named after her grandmother Gemma. Gemma Lake was huge and, according to Riley, the fish were biting all the time. If Megan hadn’t been throwing him for a loop, Rico would have loved to find a fishing pole while he was here to see if the man’s claim was true.
Megan’s home was smaller than those owned by her brothers and male cousins. Their homes were two or three stories, but hers was a single story, modest in size, but eye-catching just the same. It reminded him of a vacation cabin with its cedar frame, wraparound porch and oversize windows. It had been built in the perfect location to take advantage of both lake and canyon.
He’d heard the story of how the main house and the three hundred acres on which it sat had been willed to Dillon, since he was the oldest cousin. The remaining Denver Westmorelands got a hundred acres each once they reached their twenty-fifth birthdays. They had come up with pet names for their particular spreads. There was Ramsey’s Web, Derringer’s Dungeon, Zane’s Hideout and Gemma’s Gem. Now, he was here at Megan’s Meadows.
According to Riley, Megan’s property was prime land, perfect for grazing. She had agreed to let a portion of her land be used by Ramsey for the raising of his sheep, and the other by Zane and Derringer for their horse training business.
If Riley suspected anything because of all the questions Rico had asked last night about Megan, he didn’t let on. And it could have been that the man was too preoccupied to notice, since Riley had his little black book in front of him, checking off the numbers of women he intended to call.
It was early, and Rico wondered if Megan was up yet. He would find out soon enough. Regardless, he intended to have his say. She could pretend she hadn’t recognized the strong attraction between them, that sexual chemistry that kept him awake at night, but he wasn’t buying it. However, just in case she didn’t have a clue, he intended to tell her. Again. There was no need for her to go to Texas, and to pretend she was going just to visit relatives was a crock.
The weather was cold. Tightening his leather jacket around him, he moved quickly, walking up onto the porch. Knocking on the door loudly, he waited a minute and then knocked again. When there was no answer, he was about to turn around, thinking that perhaps she’d gone up to the main house for breakfast, when suddenly the door was snatched open. His jaw almost dropped. The only thing he could say when he saw her, standing there wearing the cutest baby-doll gown, was wow.
* * *
Megan stared at Rico, surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?”
He leaned in the doorway. “I came to talk to you. And what are you doing coming to the door without first asking who it is?”
She rolled her eyes. “I thought you were one of my brothers. Usually they are the only ones who drop by without notice.”
“Is that why you
came to the door dressed like that?”
“Yes, what do you want to talk to me about? You’re letting cold air in.”
“Your trip to Texas.”
Megan stared at him, her lips tight. “Fine,” she said, taking a step back. “Come in and excuse me while I grab my robe.”
He watched her walk away, thinking the woman looked pretty damn good in a nightgown. Her shapely backside filled it out quite nicely and showed what a gorgeous pair of legs she had.
Thinking that the last thing he needed to be thinking about was her legs, he removed his jacket and placed it on the coatrack by the door before moving into the living room. He glanced around. Her house was nice and cozy. Rustic. Quaint. The interior walls, as well as the ceiling and floors, were cedar like the outside. The furniture was nice, appropriate for the setting and comfortable-looking. From where he stood, he could see an eat-in kitchen surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows where you could dine and enjoy a view of the mountains and lake. He could even see the pier at her brother Micah’s place that led to the lake and where the sailboat docked.
“Before we start talking about anything, I need my coffee.”
Rico turned when she came back into the room, moving past him and heading toward the kitchen. He nodded, understanding. For him, it was basically the same, which was why he had drunk two cups already. “Fine. Take your time,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere because I know what you’re doing.”
She didn’t respond until she had the coffeemaker going. Then she turned and leaned back against a counter to ask, “And just what am I doing?”
“You’re going to Texas for a reason.”
“Yes, and I explained why. I need a break from work.”
“Why Texas?”
She lifted her chin. “Why not Texas? It’s a great state, and I haven’t been there in a while. I missed that ball Clint, Cole and Casey do every year for their uncle. It will be good to see them, especially since Alyssa is expecting again.”
“But that’s not why you’re going to Texas and you know it, Megan. Can you look me in the eyes and say you don’t plan to set one foot in Forbes?”
She tilted her head to look at him. “No. I can’t say that because I do.”
“Why?”
Megan wondered how she could get him to understand. “Why not? These are my relatives.”
“You are paying me to handle this investigation,” he countered.
She tried not to notice how he filled the entrance to her kitchen. It suddenly looked small, as if there was barely any space. “Yes, and I asked to go to Forbes with you. It’s important for me to be there when you find out if I have more relatives, but you have this stupid rule about working alone.”
“Dammit, Megan, when you hired me you never told me you would get involved.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I hadn’t planned on getting involved. However, knowing I might have more kin out there changes everything. Why can’t you understand that?”
Rico ran a frustrated hand down his face. In a way, he did. He would never forget that summer day when his mother had brought a fifteen-year-old girl into their home and introduced her as Jessica—their sister. Savannah had been sixteen, and he had been nineteen, a sophomore in college. It hadn’t mattered to him that he hadn’t known about Jessica before that time. Just the announcement that he had another sister had kicked his brotherly instincts into gear.
“I do understand, Megan,” he said in a calm voice. “But still, there are things that I need to handle. Things I need to check out before anyone else can become involved.”
She lifted a brow. “Things like what?”
Rico drew in a deep breath. Maybe he should have leveled with her yesterday, but there were things that had come up in his report on Raphel that he needed to confirm were fact or fiction. So far, everything negative about Raphel had turned out not to be true in Dillon’s investigation. Rico wanted his final report to be as factual as possible, and he needed to do more research of the town’s records.
She poured a cup of coffee for herself and one for him, as well. “What’s wrong, Rico? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
He saw the worry in her eyes as he accepted his coffee. “Look, this is my investigation. I told you that I was able to track down information on Clarice and the fact that she might have given birth to a child. That’s all I know for now, Megan. Anything else is hearsay.”
“Hearsay like what?”
“I’d rather not say.”
After taking a sip of coffee, she said, “You’re being evasive.
He narrowed his gaze. “I’m being thorough. If you want to go to Texas to visit Clint and Alyssa, then fine. But what I don’t need is you turning up where you don’t need to be.”
“Where I don’t need to be?” she growled.
“Yes. I have a job to do, and I won’t be able to do it with you close by. I won’t be able to concentrate.”
“Men!” Megan said, stiffening her spine. “Do you all think it’s all about you? I have brothers and male cousins, plenty of them. I know how you operate. You want one woman one day and another woman the next. Get over it already. Please.”
Rico just stared at her. “And you think it’s that simple?”
“Yesss. I’m Zane and Derringer’s sister, Riley, Canyon and Stern’s cousin. I see them. I watch them. I know their M.O. Derringer has been taken out of the mix by marrying Lucia, thank goodness. But the rest of them, and now the twins…oh, my God…are following in their footsteps.
“You see. You want. You do. But not me. You, Rico Claiborne, assume just because you want me that you’re going to get me. What was your warning? If we go somewhere together alone, that you’re going to have me. Who are you supposed to be? Don’t I have a say-so in this matter? What if I told you that I don’t want you?”
Rico just stared at her. “Then I would say you’re lying to yourself. You want me. You might not realize it, but you want me. I see it every time you look at me. Damn, Megan, admit there’s a strong attraction between us.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, I find you attractive. But I find a lot of men attractive. No big deal.”
“And are you sending out the same vibes to them that you’re sending to me?” he asked in a deep, husky voice.
Megan recalled that Pam had said something about vibes. Was she sending them out to him without realizing she was doing so? No, she couldn’t be. Because right now she wasn’t feeling desire for him, she was feeling anger at him for standing there and making such an outlandish claim.
But still, she would have to admit that her heart was pounding furiously in her chest, and parts of her were quivering inside. So, could he be right about those vibes? Naw, she refused to believe it. Like she’d told him, she’d seen men in operation. Zane probably had a long list of women he wanted who he imagined were sending out vibes.
From the first, Rico had come across as a man who knew how to control any given situation, which was why she figured he was the perfect person for the job she’d hired him to do. So what was his problem now? If he did want her, then surely the man could control his urges.
“Look, I assure you, I can handle myself, and I can handle you, Rico,” she said, “All of my senses are intact, and you can be certain lust won’t make me lose control. And nothing you or any man can say or do will place me in a position where I will lose my self-control.” The men who thought so didn’t call her “Iceberg Megan” for nothing
.
“You don’t think so?” Rico challenged her. “You aren’t made of stone. You have feelings. I can tell that you’re a very passionate woman, so consider your words carefully.”
She chuckled as if what he’d said was a joke. “Passionate? Me?”
“Yes, you. When I first looked at you at the wedding reception and our gazes connected, the air between us was bristling with so much sexual energy I’m sure others felt it,” he said silkily. “Are you going to stand there and claim you didn’t feel it?”
Megan gazed down into her coffee and erased her smile. Oh, she remembered that day. Yes, she’d felt it. It had been like a surge of sexual, electrical currents that had consumed the space between them. It had happened again, too, every time she saw him looking at her. Until now, she’d assumed she had imagined it, but his words confirmed he had felt the connection, as well.
After that night at the wedding, she’d gone to bed thinking about him and had thought of him several nights after that. What she’d felt had bothered her, and she had talked to Gemma about it. Some of the things her married sister had shared with her she hadn’t wanted to hear, mainly because Megan was a firm believer in self-control. Everybody had it, and everybody could manage it. Regardless of how attracted she was to Rico, she had self-control down pat. Hers was unshakable.
She’d had to learn self-control from the day she was told she would never see her parents again. She would never forget how Dillon and Ramsey had sat her down at the age of twelve and told her that not only her parents, but also her aunt and uncle, whom she’d adored, had been killed in a plane crash.
Dillon and Ramsey had assured her that they would keep the family together and take care of everyone, although the youngest—Bane and Bailey—were both under nine at the time. On that day, Ramsey had asked her to stay strong and in control. As the oldest girl in the Denver Westmoreland family, they had depended on her to help Gemma and Bailey through their grief. That didn’t mean she’d needed to put her own grief aside, but it had meant that in spite of her grief, she’d had to be strong for the others. And she had. When the younger ones would come to her crying, she was the one who would comfort them, regardless of the circumstances or her emotions.
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