12-Alarm Cowboys (156 page)

She let out a nervous breath. “That’s good.”

“We’ll go out on the town after we spend a little while with them. I want to show you my old stomping ground.” Titan knew his parents would love her. How could they not? He was a bit concerned about Tara. She tended to be a bit overprotective where he was concerned. He certainly didn’t want his sister interrogating Makenna.

“All right.” As they came nearer, she could see the Austin skyline. The pink granite state capitol building she could recognize. “What’s the tall thin building to the north?”

“That’s the tower on the UT campus. When the Longhorns win a ball game, it’s lit up with burnt orange lights.”

“Austin is growing, isn’t it?” As they neared the downtown area, she could see a lot of new constructions. Makenna realized she was probably asking a lot of questions. She was trying to take her mind off meeting Titan’s family. “Do they know about Damien?” The question came out of nowhere.

Titan placed his hand on her knee. “Yes, they know. They are very supportive,” he reassured her. “And yes, Austin is growing by leaps and bounds. I think the population is over eight hundred thousand now.” Once they were downtown, Titan slowed down and they started looking for a parking spot. “I probably should go to a parking garage. Do you want me to let you out?”

“No, I’d rather stay with you.” As soon as he found a spot, they began walking through the concrete garage toward the street. On the way, they passed several groups of people. Some were couples, some appeared to be college kids. It didn’t matter what age the women they met were, Makenna noticed they couldn’t take their eyes off of Titan. To give him credit, he didn’t seem to notice. His focus was entirely on her. “You look really nice tonight.” The black western suit fit him like it had been made just for him. His shoulders were a yard wide, and the cut was impeccable.

“Why, thank you, beautiful. Walking next to you would make any man look good.”

When they stepped out on the street, Makenna could see the huge Texas star sculpture that sat out in front of the building. She could also see people arriving. Some of the women were dressed to the nines and she suddenly felt self-conscious. “I’m not sure I’m going to fit in.”

Titan tightened his arm around her waist. “Anywhere you are, you will be the prettiest woman there. Besides, you’re with me. You never have to clear a path, I’ll clear it for you.”

The difference between Titan and Damien was never more pronounced than at this moment. Damien would have walked off and left her to fend for herself and Titan wouldn’t leave her side. It was with pride she held his arm as he led her into the beautiful building.

The awards ceremony was being held in the Grand Lobby, which had a sweeping two-story vista with a majestic staircase. The lighting was low, but the decorations were breathtaking. Everything spoke of Texas, but not just its wide-open spaces, the wealth of Texas was on predominant display. “I’m still not sure what’s going on. Your family takes part in Rodeo Austin?” It was apparent a thought just came to mind. “Did you ride rodeo?”

Titan escorted her deeper in the room, stopping a waiter to grab two glasses of champagne. A country-western band was playing, but the dress was not western by any means. These women knew how to dress. Makenna tried to make herself appear smaller so as not to draw too much attention. Maybe everyone would be looking at Titan and just ignore her.

“I did some calf roping, but it was my father and my sister who were the winners. My dad was a legendary bronc rider and Tara won the world championship barrel racing title twice.” He raised his glass at people who recognized him, calling him by name. Makenna carried her glass until she found an empty table to place it on. Titan continued to explain. “The Sloans sponsor Rodeo Austin and help pick the recipients of the scholarship.” With that fairly vague explanation, they turned at the sound of a woman’s voice.

“Titan!”

“Mother!”

Oh Lord,
Makenna thought,
this is it.
They were greeted by a tall elegant woman wearing a chic evening gown and enough diamonds to blind someone.

There was no doubt she loved her son, her hug was warm and her eyes lit up with excitement. “I’m so glad you could come. I don’t see you nearly enough.” Facing Makenna, her smile didn’t change. “Makenna, it’s such a pleasure to meet you. Call me Louisa. You all must sit with us.” She hastily kissed Makenna on the cheek. A cloud of Chanel No. 5 hovered around her. The only way Makenna recognized the scent was because it was Allie’s favorite. Louisa stood on tiptoe and glanced around. “Titan, do you see your daddy?”

“I do.” Titan stepped out to shake a man’s hand, a giant of a man formed from the same mold as his son. It fascinated Makenna to see what Titan would look like in thirty years. He would still be a handsome man. His father’s face was lined, but when he smiled a genuine kindness shone through. “Dad, this is my girlfriend, Makenna Flynn. Makenna, this is Ross Sloan.”

She noticed he used her maiden name, and that made her happy. “Hello, Mr. Sloan.”

He took her hand and gave her a gallant bow. “I’m delighted to meet you, Makenna. You’re a little too pretty for this big old brute, aren’t you?”

Makenna smiled, but she was so insecure, she didn’t know if he really thought she was pretty or if he was gently warning her off his son. “Thank you. He’s the most wonderful man in the world and I’m lucky to be with him.”

Her soft-spoken explanation caused both men to stare at one another and Titan pulled her even closer. “She’s something, isn’t she, Dad?”

“She sure is, she sure is.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen, if you’ll take your seats, we’ll begin.” On the way to the table, Titan introduced her to a few more people, whose names she either wouldn’t remember or didn’t hear clearly. When they neared the front, a whirlwind in blue came out of nowhere.

“Titan! You’re here!”

When Titan picked up the pint size woman and hugged her, Makenna’s mouth dropped open. But when he set her down and held out his hand, she took it. “Tara, this is Makenna Flynn, my girlfriend. Makenna, this is Tara Sloan, my big sister.”

Tara and Makenna both laughed. Compared to Titan, Tara was just a smidge of a person. “Yes, I am, Titan Sloan, and don’t you forget it!” She wagged her finger in his face, then faced Makenna with a slightly different expression. It wasn’t unfriendly…it was just analytical. “So, this is Makenna.” It was obvious she was being sized up.

“Hello, Tara, I’m so glad to meet you.” She held out her hand.

Tara didn’t take it immediately. She looked up into her brother’s eyes, who met hers with a flinty concentration. Makenna almost let her arm drop, but at the last second, Tara clasped her hand and said, “I’m happy to meet you too, Makenna.”

“Titan, take your seat,” his mother hissed and to Makenna’s surprise, they were seated at the head table. Looking out at the lavish table displays and the obviously well-to-do attendees, Makenna began to get a different picture.

Titan Sloan wasn’t a country cowboy/firefighter. Titan Sloan was well-to-do.

Well, damn.

Rodeo Austin proved to be more than a rodeo, carnival and stock show association. The gathering reminded her of the night Titan had received his
Brother’s Keeper
Plaque. Before the evening was over, the association had distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of scholarships to deserving students. Makenna discovered the Sloans were one of the main backers. She picked at her steak and dragged her fork through her potatoes. Her appetite had fled with the realization that she was way out of her league—both at the party and in Titan’s life.

“What’s wrong?” Titan found her hand under the table and took it in his, rubbing his thumb over the back. “You don’t like your food?”

“No, it’s good.” She smiled at him. For the rest of the meal, they managed to eat one-handed because he never let her go. The guest speaker turned out to be Titan’s father and he quickly had the room in stitches. But he also said some deep things. She could see where Titan got his engaging personality. “Rodeo is a lot like life, you don’t just have to learn how to ride, you have to learn how to fall.”

As Makenna listened, she understood how true his words were. Her life hadn’t been easy by any stretch of the imagination. She’d been a victim of one of the worst terrorist acts on U. S. soil, and her husband had abused Makenna’s body and her trust. With her father’s help, she had survived the bombing, coming to grips with her mother’s death and the knowledge that you were never really safe anywhere. Now, Titan was helping her rise from the ashes of her abuse. Learning how to live wasn’t just about when things went smoothly, you had to learn how to fail and learn how to get up when you do. When Ross Sloan was finished speaking, she rose with everyone else to give him a standing ovation.

Soon, the ceremony was over and Tara leaned over to speak to Titan. “Are you coming to the house? Mother wants us to come for drinks.” She spoke in a pointed tone, conveying the message that he should attend.

Makenna noticed Titan didn’t let Tara fluster him. “Yea, we were planning on it. Then we’re going out for a while.” He rubbed Makenna’s shoulder. “I want to take my girl dancing on 6
^th
street.”

“You’d do well to spend some time with Dad. You know you’re going to have to take over the company soon.”

Company? Makenna could see this was an old argument between them. She wondered if Titan would get upset. Instead, he laughed. “Tara, you’re the perfect one to run the company and Dad and I both know it.”

The next few minutes were hectic as everyone was up and moving. They spoke to his mother for a moment and assured her they would be driving over to the west side of town. “Let’s get outta here, baby.” He wound an arm around her neck and pulled her close. “This monkey suit is making me itch.”

When they were back in the truck, Makenna let out a sigh of relief. “That was fun, but I don’t like crowds.”

“Me neither,” Titan agreed, backing out and heading down the spiral route to street level.

“Your family is very nice,” she offered, laying her head on his shoulder.

“Tara can be a bit much. She’s been trying to fight my battles since she walked me to school on my first day of kindergarten.”

Makenna rubbed her hand across his knee. “She loves you and that makes her all right in my book.”

As they hit the Interstate and went north, Makenna watched the city lights go by. “Here, Austin has a policy against cell phones. Read my texts.” Titan gave her his phone.

A man that would turn his phone over to his girlfriend is a man who can be trusted. “Okay.” She opened his messages. “Oh, no!”

“What is it?” Titan was instantly concerned.

“This is from Hotshot. There was another fire, but they handled it.”

“What else does it say? How did it start?”

Makenna understood he was wondering, like she was, if Damien was responsible. If he was, that meant he was back in town. She read on, then let out a relieved breath. “No, it was a grease fire at a restaurant.”

“Anything else?” he asked as he took the exit to 183 west.

“There’s a message from Aiden, thanking you for our visit.” This made her smile. “He’s a really nice guy.”

“I’m a really nice guy,” Titan stated flatly.

“Yes, you are.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “The very best, you’re my hero.”

“And you’re my dream girl, Makenna, don’t forget it.”

Suddenly the pressure of holding it all in came bubbling out. “Titan, we haven’t been using condoms and every time we make love, I get too excited to remember to tell you that I’m not on the pill.”

Titan’s hand jerked on the wheel. He looked in the rearview mirror, changed lanes and took the exit toward Loop 360, Capital of Texas Highway. “Hold on, honey. Let me pull over.” He saw a road leading off to the Arboretum Mall and he took it, stopping in front of a duck pond.

The fact that he hadn’t said anything made Makenna feel like she was going to throw up. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.” She covered her face with her hands. “I wasn’t on the pill. Damien and I didn’t…do much and when we did, he always used something because he thought I was…dirty—”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence. He was out of his door and around to her side. Titan threw the door open and the next second she was in his arms. “You think you might be pregnant?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never been regular. A gynecologist told me once he wasn’t sure if I could have children…but we—”

“I haven’t been protecting you,” Titan said. “If there is any fault here, darlin’. It’s all on me.” He framed her face. “But understand this, if you’re having my baby—I’m thrilled. I’d be the luckiest man in the whole world.”

She nestled against him, so relieved she thought she might faint. “I’m so glad you’re not mad. I bought a pregnancy test, but I haven’t been courageous enough to use it yet.” Makenna buried her face in his chest. “And I still, we still…last night…”

“Hey, don’t you worry, don’t worry a bit. You belong to me, and I want you and I would want our child more than anything.”

“I need to get on the pill.” She ran her hand over his neck. “Everything’s too new for us to go so fast…if…”

“I’ll use a condom until you can get on the pill.” He picked her back up and set her on the seat. “But if you’re already with child…” he smiled this huge, brilliant, toe-curling smile, “I’ll be so happy.”

“I guess we should go see your parents.” She felt as if an immense worry had been lifted from her shoulders. As usual, Titan was willing to bear the weight of her troubles.

Before he returned to the driver’s side, he kissed her passionately and deep, holding her tight. “You aren’t alone, Makenna. Never again. You aren’t alone.”

*