Page 9

C HAPTER N INE

L ila pulled into the parking lot on the south side of the Trail’s End restaurant. The battered Hyundai, parked in one of the spaces, told her that Crystal was waiting for her.

She could feel the nervous tension as she parked the white Jeep Liberty next to the dumpster at the back of the lot. She’d decided against driving the Porsche into town. The last thing she wanted was to be noticed, and the sleek luxury car was a flag for attention.

Meeting at the restaurant had been Lila’s idea as well. Crystal had suggested a spot by the old railroad bridge, where teenage lovers liked to park at night. But Lila had insisted on a safe, public place where words and actions would be limited to a civil exchange. She’d also chosen lunchtime, when the place would be crowded and too noisy for their conversation to be overheard. She’d even reserved a booth in the far corner, where they could talk in relative privacy.

So far, everything was under control.

Walking around the corner to the front door, Lila reminded herself to be cool, confident, and in charge. Crystal mustn’t be allowed to call the shots.

Walking through the door was like diving into a sea of noise. Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” blared from the speakers. Appropriate , Lila thought as she wove her way through the busy dining room. But Crystal was no Jolene. She was just a greedy little tramp who’d been impregnated by a married man and was out to profit from it.

She could see Crystal now, sitting in the booth, sipping a drink and watching her approach with a faint smile on her pretty, made-up face, which struck Lila as odd. Surely the woman didn’t think the two of them could be friends.

Lila slid into the opposite side of the booth. There was an untouched Coke with ice, a straw, and a lemon in front of her. A basket of French fries with paper cups of ketchup sat in the middle of the table. “I ordered Cokes for us,” she said. “Yours is diet. And you can help yourself to the fries if you want. They’re to share.”

Lila sipped her Coke but ignored the fries. “Let’s just get this over with,” she said. “I accept that the baby you’re carrying is my late husband’s. If it’s money you want, tell me what you expect, and we’ll take it from there. Frank wouldn’t want his child to go without. But you must understand there are limits. You’re not going to get rich just for sleeping with a married man.”

Crystal selected a fry, swirled it in the ketchup, and ate it. Her expression revealed nothing.

“What is it?” Lila asked. “Are you thinking you want to terminate your pregnancy?”

“No! Heavens, no!” Crystal showed emotion for the first time. “I loved Frank, and I love our baby. I want him—or her—to have a good life. A better life than I can provide.”

“I can’t help you if I don’t know what you’re thinking,” Lila said. “Suppose you tell me.”

“I will, if you’ll listen.” Crystal nibbled another fry.

“All right, I’m listening. Go ahead.”

“You probably think I’m just a bimbo,” Crystal said. “But I’m smarter than I look. I’ve done my homework. I happen to know that you’re fighting Frank’s kids for your ranch. They’re claiming that you’re not entitled to stay there because you didn’t give Frank any children.”

Shocked, Lila stared across the table at her rival. “How did you—?”

“Let’s just say that I got lucky. I work as a hostess at Jackalope’s, usually the afternoon shift. Most of the customers are men. Some are just looking for peace and quiet. Others want to talk about their troubles—their jobs, their marriages, whatever. If I have time, I’ll listen.”

Crystal dipped another fry in the ketchup, gazed at it thoughtfully, and left it there. “Your lawyer stepson is a regular in the afternoon. Mostly he just drinks and then leaves. But when I realized who he was, I started paying him extra attention, encouraging him to talk. It took a little time, but I finally got the story out of him.”

Lila stirred the ice in her drink, her thoughts scrambling. That’s not surprising , she told herself. Darrin was never the sharpest pencil in the pack. Still, it was hard to believe that he would share such private information with an attractive stranger in a bar. Maybe he’d had too much to drink.

Whatever the reason, Lila had underestimated the woman who sat across the table with a triumphant gleam in her eye. Crystal Carter was an adversary to be reckoned with.

“I’ve heard enough,” Lila said. “Just cut to the chase and tell me what you want.”

“All right,” Crystal said. “As I told you, I want the best life for my baby. I also know that you’d do anything to keep from losing your ranch. So here’s what I’m proposing.” She paused, taking a breath. “How much would it be worth to you to adopt Frank’s child?”

Lila stared at her, stunned into silence.

“Think about it,” Crystal said. “You’d be adopting a Culhane, a child who could continue Frank’s bloodline. And with the baby legally yours, Frank’s other children would have no case. I’m due in February. That should give you plenty of time to make the arrangements.”

“Wait—” Lila found her voice. “I need to understand. Your question—you asked me how much it would be worth.”

Crystal nodded. “That’s right. I’m thinking a million dollars. I know you’re good for it.”

The clamor of sound in the dining room coalesced into a roar that filled Lila’s head. How could she process this now? She forced herself to speak.

“You mean to say that you’re offering to sell your baby? That’s illegal. It’s also wrong.”

Crystal shrugged. “So are a lot of other things. But this is a win-win situation. The baby gets a good home. You get your genuine Culhane heir. And for my part, I deserve something, too. Take it or leave it.”

“And if I say no? If I refuse to take part in this travesty?”

“Then I’ll decide what to do. I can’t picture myself as a good mother. But if I decide not to have this baby, I’ll need to make arrangements soon. I can’t wait months for you to make up your mind. If it’s yes, I’ll need a down payment now and the rest when the baby comes. If it’s no . . .” Crystal let the implication hang.

Lila opened her purse and whipped out her checkbook and a pen. “This isn’t a down payment. For the welfare of the baby, I was prepared to pay for your basic expenses and set up a trust fund for when he—or she—is older. I’m giving you fifteen thousand to start—enough for a health checkup, some vitamins, a decent place to rent if you need it, and a cheap used car to replace that death trap you’re driving.”

“What about the rest?” Crystal’s disappointment showed in her pretty, painted face.

“The rest?” Lila gave her a sharp look.

“You know, the adoption and all.” For the first time, she sounded uncertain.

“I’m still thinking about that.” Lila pushed the check across the table and slid out of the booth. “Meanwhile, if I find out you’ve had an abortion, you’ll never get another cent from me. Understand?”

Crystal nodded.

“We’re done for now. I’ll be in touch.” Lila turned away from the table and made her way through the crowded dining room to the front door. She stepped outside without looking back.

* * *

Crystal gazed down at the check Lila had left on the table. Fifteen thousand dollars was more money than she’d ever seen at one time, let alone possessed. The cash would get her into a small apartment, buy her a usable car, and allow a few nice things to wear. She could even get her hair and nails done in the beauty salon that had opened next to the grocery store.

But that was all. And it wasn’t enough. Not when she’d hoped to come away with the down payment on a million dollars.

She had foolishly believed that the money would come easily. But Lila Culhane was one tough bitch. Frank’s widow would probably make her earn every cent—on her knees.

Crystal’s threat to end her pregnancy hadn’t been serious. She’d only wanted to put pressure on Lila. But what if it hadn’t been enough? What if, for whatever reason, Lila refused to go through with the adoption?

If the baby had been Judd’s, deciding what to do would have been simple. But this baby was Frank’s. She had the results of the paternity test. Frank’s name would be on the birth certificate. That alone had to be worth something.

A chance like this one would never come again. If things didn’t work out with Lila, she was going to need a Plan B, and maybe even a Plan C.

Crystal selected a cold French fry, dipped it in the ketchup, and chewed it slowly, thinking. She could always get a lawyer and sue the family for her child’s share of the estate. It would take time and money, and she might not be able to start legal action until after the baby was born. She would have a good case; but the settlement, whether in property or cash, would go to the baby, probably in a trust, not to her.

There had to be another way, an easier way that would get her the money sooner. If the adoption didn’t happen, who else might be interested in Frank’s baby?

What about Frank’s son, Darrin, and his pregnant wife?

Crystal’s pulse skipped as the thought struck her. They might not want the baby, but they’d do anything to keep Lila from adopting a Culhane heir and securing her claim to the ranch. They should be willing to pay—either for an end to Crystal’s pregnancy or a guarantee that the newborn would be sent out of Lila’s reach. Maybe they’d even want the baby themselves, to raise with their own child.

For now, she would keep her arrangement with Lila. But it was comforting to know that, if anything went wrong, she had a backup plan.

A splatter of ketchup had dripped onto the check. Crystal dabbed it away with a corner of her napkin, but the crimson stain had soaked into the paper, blurring part of her name. Never mind, the check was still good. She slipped it into her purse. She would take it to the bank now and open a checking account with a debit card.

Her head swam with plans as she laid a $10 bill on the table and left the restaurant. Until now, things had been tough for her, living in a dump at the Blue Rose, thrift shopping for clothes, and driving her ex’s junk car. But those hardships were over. Starting now, her dead-end life was about to change.

* * *

Lila gripped the Jeep’s steering wheel, her hands damp with nervous sweat as she sped through the open country between the town and the ranch. Had she done the right thing, giving money to Frank’s pregnant mistress? What if instead of writing that check, she’d turned her back and walked away? Would Crystal already be seeking some back alley abortionist to end her baby’s life?

This was blackmail, pure and simple. But what about Crystal’s adoption offer? There was no way Lila had seen that coming. She still didn’t know what to make of it, let alone what she should do.

She was driving too fast. Her foot slammed the brake as a family of feral pigs trotted across the two-lane road. The Jeep screeched to a halt, just short of hitting one. Blasted animals. They were dangerous and had ways of turning up anywhere. Charlie Grishman sometimes killed them to feed his menagerie. But he was allowed to shoot them only on his own property.

The pigs moved down into the grassy bar ditch and vanished from sight, but Lila could still hear them grunting and squealing. She felt shaky and needed to get home. She started the engine and continued on down the road.

What did she want to do about the baby? Common sense told her to walk away. Get involved and she’d be facing worry, expense, possible legal issues, and heartache. Even if Crystal had offered to give her the baby for free, Lila would have hesitated. She wasn’t ready to be a mother—especially not to the child of her husband’s affair.

But what if Crystal was right? What if adopting a Culhane baby could secure her inheritance?

How could she even entertain such a coldhearted, mercenary, utterly despicable idea?

But she was already involved. She’d opened that door when she’d met with Crystal and given her the check. She should at least talk to her lawyer and discuss her options before she took another step.

Ahead, she could see the ranch, the stately house rising above the barns, stables, and pastures that spread behind it. In the eleven years she’d lived here, she’d come to love this place. It would break her heart to lose it. But what if the price for keeping it was too high?

Still feeling shaken, she drove in through the front gate, rounded the house, and parked the Jeep in the vehicle shed. For a moment, she sat in the driver’s seat, gazing toward the back door. She wasn’t ready to go inside yet. She needed to talk to someone—not a lawyer, just someone who’d listen without judging while she talked things out.

Mariah wouldn’t do as a confidante. Her actions when Madeleine was around had made it clear where the cook’s loyalties lay.

Sam would be the better choice. He knew about the baby. He’d interviewed Crystal. With him, Lila wouldn’t have to start her story at the beginning. But she couldn’t tell Sam about the woman’s offer to sell her child. Such a transaction, if she actually decided to go through with it, was highly illegal. Sam would have no choice but to report it.

His SUV was parked next to the bungalow. She would probably find him inside.

The midday sun felt like the open door of a furnace as she climbed out of the vehicle. She was exhausted from the battles she was fighting on every front—alone, with no one she could trust to stand beside her. Even Sam, behind his mask of friendliness, was a man doing his job. A man who still suspected her of murder. How could she trust him with her secrets?

She had started for the house when she glanced the other way and happened to see Roper come out of the stables.

He appeared to be taking a short break from work. His sweat-dampened shirt was plastered to his torso. His dark hair lay flat against his head. He raked it back with one hand while the other hand raised a jug of water to his lips. He drank long and deep. Lowering the jug, he turned to go back into the stable. He stopped as he caught her watching him. Would he come to her or go back inside?

As she waited, something inside her seemed to break. She felt the strange, warm pain of it, like a dam washing away in a spring thaw. It wasn’t Sam she needed to talk with. It was Roper.

He wasn’t the easiest person to understand, but he’d been honest with her even when it made her angry. She had struggled to keep him at a distance, especially after they’d lost control and made love. Could she keep that distance if she took him into her confidence?

He walked toward her. She waited for him to come within speaking distance.

“Boss?” He stopped a few paces from her. “Is everything all right?”

“Not really,” she said. “Have you got a few minutes to talk?”

He frowned. “I can arrange it. Give me a minute to put somebody in charge.”

He vanished inside the stable, leaving Lila to wait and wonder. What if Roper was driven by motives she wasn’t even aware of? Could she trust him?

But she was overthinking now. She wanted to trust him. She needed to trust somebody.

A few minutes later, he reappeared. He had splashed his face and hair with water. Drops glistened on his sun-weathered skin. “If you want to talk, maybe we should get out of the heat,” he said.

“The Jeep’s still cool, and the AC is working. Let’s take a ride. You can drive.” Lila tossed him the keys and led the way back to the vehicle shed. Inside, the Jeep was already warming, but when Roper started the engine, the air conditioner kicked in with a cooling blast.

“Where to?” he asked as he backed out of the shed.

“Anywhere.” She fastened her seat belt. “Just drive.”

* * *

At the gate, Roper made a left turn onto the road that would lead past the McKenna ranch and down the lane where Lila had driven him the night she’d picked him up to offer him a job. After hours in the stifling heat of the arena, the blowing air felt deliciously cool on his damp face. But he was here for other reasons.

In his side vision, he could see Lila’s profile, a tendril of pale hair fluttering against her cheek. Her silence lay between them, weighing on his concern. Was he in trouble? Should he say something, or wait for her to speak?

But waiting wasn’t his way.

“What is it? Have I done something wrong?”

“No, not you,” she said. “This is just something I need to talk about. There’s nothing you can do to help. All I’m asking is that you listen.”

“That sounds easy enough.” He slowed the Jeep as they passed the gate to the family ranch. He could see his mother outside hanging sheets on the clothesline. The house had come with a dryer, but Rachel liked to do some things the old-fashioned way. And the air-dried sheets did smell fresh.

Rowdy’s pickup was parked in the yard. Roper could only hope the young rascal was getting along with his parents and helping with the work.

Ahead, the lane cut off to the right. Without asking, Roper swung off the main road and followed the unpaved pathway through the overgrown tangle of brush and trees to where it ended next to a wide curve in the creek overhung with willows. He pulled into the shade, switched off the engine, and opened the windows far enough to let in the sound of water babbling over stones.

After unfastening his seat belt, he turned toward her. “Take all the time you need, Boss. I’m all ears.”

She shifted in her seat and took a deep breath. “I know you thought a lot of Frank. Did you know he was cheating on me?”

“I didn’t know until Sam showed me the photo you had taken. He was wondering whether the woman could be my sister, Cheyenne. As soon as I saw the woman’s hand in the photo, I knew that she wasn’t.”

“I can’t imagine she was the only one,” Lila said. “I know he cheated when he was married to Madeleine—and not just with me. Sorry, I can’t say I’m proud of that, but I had my reasons.”

“No need to apologize. I’m not here to judge you.”

She leaned back in her seat. “When Frank died, I tried to put the past behind me. I told myself the cheating didn’t matter anymore. Then I got a phone call from the woman in the picture. Her name is Crystal Carter. She’s pregnant.”

Roper had seen the photo and was aware of the woman. He wasn’t surprised that she would contact Lila. But pregnant? That was a stunner. For a moment he was lost for words. I’m sorry didn’t seem appropriate here.

“And she claims the baby is Frank’s?”

“I insisted that she take an in vitro paternity test,” Lila said. “The doctor called me with the results. Guess what?”

She’d spoken calmly, but there was a broken undertone in her voice. For all her cool demeanor, Roper sensed that she was devastated.

“I take it the woman wants money,” he said.

“Yes. I wrote her a check today, just to help her out. But that’s not the half of it.”

She nodded, her lips pressed together, visibly battling emotion. Roper waited for her to go on.

“She knows about the legal fight for the ranch,” Lila said. “She offered to let me adopt her baby—making the child my legal heir and Frank’s—for a million dollars.”

Roper pretended not to be shocked. “So the dispute over the will would go away.”

“In theory.” Her tone was laced with irony. “I have yet to talk to a lawyer.”

He mouthed a silent curse. “That’s monstrous,” he said. “I don’t know the law, but I think an offer like that could be illegal as well.”

She gave him a fragile smile. “Thank you. I’m glad you agree with me. But the situation isn’t that simple.”

“I can imagine.”

“It’s not the money. Even if I couldn’t bargain for less, I could manage it if I had to. It’s not even the legality. Things like that can be done under the table if you’ve got a smart lawyer.”

She was struggling now, her voice on the edge of breaking. “It’s the baby, Roper. That poor, innocent little thing. If I walk away from this, she’s threatening to get rid of it.”

“My guess is that she’s playing you,” Roper said. “The baby’s a Culhane. As long as the child lives, she’ll have that connection to Frank’s family and whatever money or influence it can buy her. Without it, she’ll have nothing.”

“But imagine the baby growing up with that woman as a mother—a woman with no resources, a woman who’d exploit her own child. If I were to go through with the adoption—yes, I’d be giving the baby every advantage money could buy. But how would you feel if you were that child and you found out you’d been bought like a piece of property for reasons that had nothing to do with love?”

“But surely you’d come to love the baby.”

“Would I?” she demanded. “What if I couldn’t—because of my guilt or because I couldn’t forgive Frank? I’d be no better than the woman who sold me her child. Maybe that’s really what scares me.”

The tears had begun to flow, salty rivulets accompanied by muffled sobs, as if something had broken inside her, releasing her tightly guarded emotions.

Lila had stood alone in the storm since Frank’s death, and even before that. Frank’s family was against her. Even the cook had sided with her rival. And the FBI agent would arrest her in a heartbeat if he could find a reason.

Here on the ranch, Roper realized, he was her only hope of an ally. But he’d done a pitiful job of being there for her, behaving as if he cared only about the horses and winning the upcoming contest. She needed a champion. So far, he had failed her.

Lila was a proud, independent woman who hid her tender heart. He was seeing that heart now, and it was breaking.

Her hands balled into fists as she struggled to stop her tears. “I’m sorry . . .” she muttered. “You shouldn’t have to see me like this. It’s not in your . . . job description.”

“It doesn’t matter. Come here.” He wrapped her in his arms and drew her against his chest. She went rigid for an instant. Then she softened and pressed her damp face into his shirt.

Overcome by tenderness, he cradled her, his lips nibbling a trail of kisses along her hairline. Holding her felt right. Maybe too right. But for now, that didn’t matter.

She released a long tight breath.

“Let it go,” he murmured. “You don’t have to be the boss all the time.”

“Then who’s going to make the decisions—and live with the consequences? It can’t be you—you work for me. And I won’t let it be Darrin. He’d sell the horses and turn the whole place into a cattle operation. Sometimes I think about how easy it would be to give up and walk away. But I can’t. There’s nobody else. And now, with so many decisions to make, I feel paralyzed. You can’t imagine what it’s like. I’ve watched you, Roper. You always seem so sure of yourself.”

A shudder passed through her body. His arms tightened around her. His lips brushed her temple as he spoke. “You don’t know how wrong you are. Once, you asked me to tell you a story. At the time, I wasn’t ready to share it. But maybe the time is now.”

She nestled against him, her breath warm against his throat. Roper took her silence as consent to go on.

“If you don’t like me by the time I’m done, that’s a chance I’ll have to take,” he said. “It’s about a decision, the worst one I ever made.”

He took a deep breath as the memory returned—the high valley, the ragged skyline of the mountains above it. “You know my family came here from Colorado,” he said. “We had a small ranch there. Times were hard, especially with the cold winters, but we were happy enough. We survived.

“There was a town nearby, with a school. I had a sweetheart. Her name was Becky. She was a good girl, from a religious family, but I was wild, and she wanted to please me. You can guess what happened. She got pregnant. I did the honorable thing and married her.”

Lila’s body tensed slightly, but she didn’t speak.

“It wasn’t as bad as you might think. We were young and crazy in love. We were excited about the baby. But her parents had kicked her out, and we had hardly any money at all. We had to move in with my family.

“We wanted to be on our own before the baby came. For that, we needed cash, and I knew of just one way to get it. I left Becky with my folks, renewed my PRCA card, and went on the rodeo circuit.

“It was the summer season, Cowboy Christmas, with rodeos every week. I got an old truck running and hit the road. Becky wasn’t due till fall. I promised her I’d be back in plenty of time for the baby, but she was having a rough time of it. I still remember how she cried when I left.”

Lila stirred, shifting against him. When she looked up, he caught a fresh glimmer of tears in her eyes. By now she would have guessed how the story ended. Still, he felt compelled to finish it.

“I slept in the truck and ate out of cans to save all the money I could. There was no cell phone service at the ranch, so it was hard to keep in touch. I did manage a few collect calls, but the connections weren’t the best, so I focused winning money to bring home.

“I was a pretty good bronc rider, both bareback and saddle. I didn’t always win, but I usually finished in the money. As the weeks passed, I could tell that I was getting better and better.

“The time came when I’d promised Becky to be home. But there was one big rodeo left the following weekend—with a ten thousand dollar first prize for bronc riding. Winning could make all the difference for my new family. I decided to stay and drive home after the rodeo.”

“And did you win?” Lila asked.

“Not a nickel. The horse bucked me off out of the gate, and I broke my ankle when I hit the dirt. The medic taped me up so I could drive home, but on the way out of town, the clutch went out on the truck. It cost me two days and a chunk of my savings to get it replaced, but I was finally on my way again. If I didn’t lose any more time, I figured that I could still make it back in time for the baby.” He fell silent for a moment, remembering. “I came back to a grave.”

“Oh, Roper,” Lila whispered.

“Becky’s labor started early. My mother had planned to help her with a home delivery, which was how she’d had all her own children. But with Becky, there were complications, and not enough time to get her to a hospital. She died in the truck. The baby—a little girl—didn’t make it either. Maybe if I’d been there, I could have done something to save her. I still blame myself for that. At least I would have started for the hospital at the first sign of trouble.”

“What happened wasn’t your fault,” Lila protested.

“Wasn’t it? My mother said it was God’s punishment because we’d sinned. But I don’t believe God had anything to do with it. It was my decision not to come back when I’d promised to.” He shook his head. “It’s not a pretty story, but I’m telling it because if you see me as a man who’s too cocksure to make a mistake, you couldn’t be more wrong—”

“Stop beating on yourself, Roper!”

Her lips blocked his words. His heart slammed as she pressed upward, deepening the kiss. He circled her with his arms, feeling her warmth, her yielding softness and his own racing pulse. Need, like hot pain, surged in him—not just need for her body but for her tenderness, her understanding, and her love. He kept his response gentle. His kisses were slow and deep, as if his soul was reaching for hers. Her fresh tears wet his face. He ached to love her. But this wasn’t the time or the place.

Reluctantly, he eased her away. “We need to get back to the ranch, Boss,” he said. “Back to where we were—and who we were.”

“Yes.” She brushed back her hair, her lips curving in the slightest hint of a smile. “But only for now.”

Her words triggered a surge of hope. This could be the beginning of something real. But hope was a fragile thing, and there was a world out there that could shatter it like a blown glass ornament. Roper was no fool. He knew.