Expecting the Rancher's Heir (8 page)

When she did, she looked puzzled. “I don't understand.”

“Stormy is yours now, angel.” The look on her face was everything he had hoped for.

“He's mine?” Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the blue roan, standing saddled in front of her.

“Yup.” Shane grinned. “I've already sent in the paperwork to transfer his registration to you.”

She glanced at the sun sinking low in the Western sky. “Do you think we have enough time to take a short ride?”

Grinning, Shane nodded. “I thought you might want to do that. That's why I had one of my men saddle Stormy and have him ready.” As Lissa mounted her horse, Shane walked into the stable. He returned with his stallion and swung up onto the saddle. “We should have time to ride to the trailhead that leads to Rainbow Falls and make it back before dark.”

“Thank you for everything.” Riding the roan up beside his sorrel, Lissa leaned over to kiss his cheek. “This is the nicest, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me.” Her delighted expression suddenly turned to a teasing grin. “You are going to get so lucky tonight.”

“Then let's get the hell out of here,” he said, nudging his stallion into a lope.

“What's your hurry, Cowboy?” she asked, laughing as she urged Stormy to follow.

“I want to get back.” When she caught up to him, he grinned. “I could really use some…luck.”

 

As they rode across the valley back to the stable, Melissa couldn't keep from smiling. “I love it here.”

“Really?” It sounded as if Shane had a hard time believing she meant what she said.

“Who wouldn't love this?” Twisting around in the saddle, she took in the majestic beauty of the surrounding snowcapped mountains. “This has to be the quietest, most peaceful place on earth.”

“Some people would rather live where there are people around and things to do besides sit and listen to the grass grow,” he said, staring straight ahead.

She shook her head. “I'm not one of them.”

“That reminds me. There's something else we need to discuss before we get married,” he said slowly. “Where do you want to live?”

Confused, she stopped her horse. “This is your home. I assumed you'd want us to live here.”

Reining in the stallion, Shane turned to meet her questioning gaze. “I do want to live here. It's home. But I also know and accept that once the snows start, I may only get out of the valley a handful of times until the spring thaw. I accept the fact that there isn't a convenience store just around the corner. It's a good ten-mile drive if you forget to buy something while you're in town.”

It was almost as if he was trying to talk her out of living on the ranch. Once they were married, didn't he want her to live with him?

“I remember you telling me the first day you brought me here that the road leading into the valley sometimes gets closed off for several weeks.”

His intense gaze caught and held hers. “Do you think you can stand being snowbound for that long?”

She stared at him for several moments before she spoke. “I can't answer that right now because I've never been in that situation, Shane.” She flicked the reins to urge Stormy into a slow walk. “What I can tell you is this. I understand all the drawbacks of living here and I'm still more than willing to give it a try.”

Each lost in thought, neither had much to say as they rode into the ranch yard. Dismounting the horses, by the time they had the animals groomed and turned into their stalls, Lissa had started yawning.

“I have to send an e-mail to a potential client. Why don't you go on upstairs and take a hot shower?”

Shane asked, when they entered the house. He caught her to him for a quick kiss. “I promise I won't be long.”

“I think I'll do that,” she said, hiding another yawn. She smiled apologetically. “I'm beat.”

“I know, angel.” Kissing her again, he released her and took a step back. “I'll be up in a few minutes.”

Shane watched her climb the stairs before he went into his study and opened his e-mail. Quickly composing a message with a quote for his architectural
services, he pressed the send button, then turning off the computer, sat back in his desk chair.

The evening couldn't have gone more perfectly. Lissa had loved the engagement ring he'd bought her and couldn't have been happier when he gave her the roan gelding. The ride to the trailhead had gone well, too—right up until she mentioned how much she enjoyed the peace and quiet of his ranch.

What had gotten into him anyway? Why couldn't he have taken her at her word that she wanted to live on the ranch? Why had he felt compelled to point out all the drawbacks of living on the Rainbow Bend?

Something he had overheard his father tell Cactus right after Shane's mother left kept running through his mind. At first, Carolyn McDermott had loved living on the ranch and hadn't minded the isolation. But as the years went by, being snowbound for weeks on end and having no neighbors close by had taken its toll and she had come to hate the picturesque valley.

After living on the ranch for a while, would Lissa end up feeling the same way? Would her resentment grow to the point that she left and never looked back?

Unlike his mother, Lissa was from Aspen and well aware of what the weather was like in the Rocky Mountains. But she had lived in California for the past eight years and although she said she missed the winter activities, she also liked living on the beach. After being snowbound a few times, what if she
decided she preferred the more temperate climate of Malibu? And what if instead of leaving her child behind as his mother had done, Lissa took their son with her?

Staring at the dark computer screen, Shane drew in a deep breath. He didn't think Lissa would do that to him. Even before he'd convinced her to let him do the honorable thing and make her his wife, she had told him that arrangements could be made for him to be part of their child's life.

Rising from the chair, he turned off the desk lamp and left the study to head upstairs. Lissa had told him she wanted to try living on the ranch and that was really all he could ask of her. Only time would tell if her enthusiasm would turn to loathing. As long as he kept that possibility in mind and didn't allow his fondness for her to develop into a deeper emotion, he should be fine.

Unfortunately, he was finding that harder to keep in check with each passing day. Lissa was quickly becoming an addiction, and one that he wasn't sure he would ever be able to live without.

“H
ow was your meeting with the other Jarrod Ridge investors this afternoon?” Melissa asked when Shane stopped by the spa the following afternoon.

“Long and boring as hell.” He chuckled. “At least it was right up until I made my little announcement about our engagement.” Laughing out loud, he shook his head. “You should have seen Elmer Madison's and Clara Buchanan's faces.”

“Let's go into my office and you can tell me all about it,” she suggested, not wanting to talk in front of the spa staff and resort guests.

They had agreed that he would tell the other members of the investment group they were getting married, but decided to wait until after the wedding to let them know about the pregnancy.

Once they entered her office and closed the door, she turned to face him. “Tell me what happened.”

“When Elmer asked if there was any more business we needed to discuss, I stood up and announced that I'd asked you to marry me and that you had said yes.”

He took off his cowboy hat and sailed it over to land on the couch. Then, pulling her against him, he kissed her until she saw stars.

“I—I want…details,” she said, trying to catch her breath when he finally lifted his head. “What could they possibly find wrong with our getting married? You didn't mention the baby, did you?”

“No, that would have probably sent both of them into outer space.” Shane shook his head. “I think they are both scared to death that, by marrying you, I'll get in on an investment they won't.”

“That's ridiculous.” She frowned. “All investments for special events are done through the group. They can pull out of the group at any time or choose not to support a project, but we offer all investment promotions to the group as a whole, not to individuals.”

“I know, angel.” He shrugged. “It might be they are afraid that once I'm married to you, I'll start contributing more and end up getting a bigger return on my money. Either that or they're both a few cards shy of a full deck.” He grinned. “My guess is it's a little of both.”

“Did they say anything?” She couldn't imagine what it would be if they had.

“Nope. They didn't say a word.”

“Then how do you know they had a problem with our getting married?” Maybe Shane had misinterpreted their reaction.

His blue eyes twinkled with humor. “When I said that you and I were getting married, old Elmer turned so red in the face, I thought he might bust that blood vessel that stands out on his forehead whenever he gets upset.”

“What about Clara?” Melissa asked, trying not to laugh at the visual picture Shane was painting. “What was her reaction?”

“She was taking a drink of water and got so choked, I thought I was going to have to perform CPR on her.” He made a face. “I'd rather climb a barbed-wire fence buck naked than put my mouth on hers.”

“And all this time, I thought you had a secret crush on Clara,” she teased.

His exaggerated shudder and horrified expression had her laughing so hard, she found it hard to breathe. “Not in this lifetime. Just the thought of getting ‘cozy' with that old bat is enough to make a man swear off women for good.”

She couldn't stop laughing. Clara was at least twice Shane's age and always looked as if she had just sucked on a lemon.

His expression suddenly turned serious. “Lissa,
I want you to know that although the pregnancy brought about our decision to get married, you don't have to worry. I give you my word that I'll always be a good provider and a faithful husband.”

Taken aback by his unexpected proclamation, she stared at him. “I'll be a good, faithful wife to you. But what brought this on?”

“I know that my reputation of moving from one woman to the next is only slightly better than Trevor's,” he explained. “I just wanted you to know that I honor my commitments. You never have to worry about me going out and finding someone else.”

After spending so much time with him in the past couple of weeks and seeing him interact with Cactus, she knew for certain Shane wasn't that kind of man. “It never crossed my mind that you wouldn't be anything but faithful to our marriage.”

The sudden knock on the door came as no surprise. The spa had been extremely busy all day with guests getting ready for the dinner tomorrow night.

Reluctantly leaving Shane's arms, Lissa walked over to open the door. “Is there a problem, Rita?”

“I hate to bother you, but Joanie just got sick and had to go home,” her assistant manager explained. “She has two half-hour facials booked and I'm afraid all of the other girls' schedules are full. Will you be available to take her place or should I cancel the appointments?”

“I'll be right there, Rita.” When the woman went
back to the reception desk, Melissa closed the door and turned to Shane. “I'm really sorry, but I have to get back to work. We've really been slammed today. It looks as if I'm not going to get out of here for at least another couple of hours.”

He picked up his hat from the couch and walked over to where she stood by the door. “I need to go anyway.” He gave her a tender kiss, then reached for the doorknob. “I have to pick up my tux at the cleaners and then I have a couple of things Cactus wanted me to get before we go back to the ranch for dinner.” Shane grinned. “He's planning on making you his world-class beef stew and sour-dough biscuits.”

Just the thought made her mouth water. “That sounds scrumptious.”

Nodding, Shane opened the door. “I'll be back to pick you up this evening around five.”

Walking out into the reception area, Melissa sighed as she watched Shane leave. She loved him and if she hadn't known that before, she would have after his reassurance that he would be a good husband.

Cowboys had a reputation for their word being their bond. If it was important enough for him to tell her he would be committed to their marriage, then he fully intended for it to work out between them.

It hadn't been the declaration of love she would have preferred, but it was enough to give her hope. Maybe one day he would say the three words she longed to hear.

 

“When would you like to get married? Shane asked as he and Lissa sat in front of the Willow Lodge fireplace. After having dinner with Cactus, he had driven them back to the cabin for a nice quiet evening alone in front of a crackling fire.

“So much has happened over the past couple of weeks, I haven't had time to give it a lot of thought,” she said, snuggling against him. “But I'd like to wait until after Erica and Christian's wedding. I don't want to take anything away from their special day.”

He nodded. “I can understand that. When is it?”

“Christmas Eve.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “What would you think of a New Year's Eve wedding?”

“Sounds good to me,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Do you want a big wedding?”

“Not really.” She sat forward and reached for her mug of hot cocoa. “I think I'd like something small with just family and close friends.”

“Whatever you want, angel.” He grinned as he leaned over to kiss away a smudge of melted marshmallow from the corner of her mouth. “I guess the next question would be where do you want the ceremony?”

He watched her look around the great room of the lodge. “I think right here would be nice.”

“You don't want to get married at Jarrod Manor?” He'd thought she would want to have it at the family mansion.

“No.” Her emphatic answer surprised him.

They stared at each other for several silent moments before he asked, “Why not, Lissa?”

She hesitated, then just when he thought she was going to avoid answering his question, she shook her head. “I don't have a lot of pleasant memories there.”

“But that's where you grew up.” He reached for her cup of cocoa to set it on the coffee table, then took her hands in his. “What was there about it that made you unhappy, angel?”

“There wasn't any one thing,” she said, sighing. “It just never felt like much of a home to me.”

“Why is that?”

He watched her shrug one slender shoulder before she met his questioning gaze. “I think you've probably figured out by now that I wasn't overly close with my father.”

Shane nodded. From what she'd said about her dad wanting his children to start learning about the resort at such an early age and her obsession with how other people's opinions of her could reflect badly on Jarrod Ridge, he'd come to the conclusion that Donald Jarrod had placed his business above all else and taught his children to do the same.

“I've been told that when my mother was alive my father wasn't as focused on Jarrod Ridge as he became after her passing,” she said quietly. “But for as long as I can remember, he never had time for us. He was always too busy either working or traveling to
promote the resort.” Her expression turned resentful. “And he expected us to make Jarrod Ridge our number-one priority, as well.”

He had dealt with Donald Jarrod on several occasions through the investors group, as well as when the man bought horses for the resort stables, and he didn't think he'd ever met a bigger workaholic. But surely Jarrod had realized his family was more important than business.

“Maybe he was unaware—”

“Oh, I think he knew.” She rose from the couch to walk over to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the great room. “Unfortunately, it's too late now to do anything about repairing our relationship.”

Shane got up from the couch to walk up behind her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her back against him. “I'm sure your dad was just trying to be a good provider for you and your brothers, angel.”

She sighed. “That might be, but tell that to a child wanting nothing more from her father than his love and attention.”

Although Shane's dad had lost interest in almost everything in life after his wife left, he'd still been there to raise his son. And, in his own way, Shane was certain his father had loved him. But apparently Lissa hadn't had that assurance.

“You at least had your brothers,” he said, tightening his arms around her.

Nodding, she rested the back of her head against his shoulder. “I did, but they were all older. Besides,
they were boys and didn't want to play with dolls or have tea parties.”

Shane chuckled. “No, I can't imagine any of your brothers wanting to do that.”

She turned within the circle of his arms to face him. “Just the thought is pretty amusing, isn't it?” she asked, the ghost of a smile curving her coral lips.

He nodded. “Blake would have probably shown up in a suit and tie and Trevor would have invariably brought a date.”

Her smile broke through. “Of course.”

Happy to see that her mood had lightened considerably, Shane pressed his lips to hers. “So it's decided, then. We'll get married here on New Year's Eve with family and close friends.”

Resting her head against his chest, she nodded. “I think I'm going to invite Hector and Michael. They're two of my closest friends in Malibu, and besides, I'd like to talk to them about running the spa for me with the option to buy after a specified length of time.”

“Are you sure you want to get rid of your business?” It pleased him that she intended to make her move to Colorado permanent, but he hated to see her give up a business she'd built from the ground up and was obviously quite proud of.

“It's not so much that I want to get rid of it,” she admitted, yawning. “But I grew up with a father who was more absent than not and I don't want that for our child from either of his parents. Besides, I'll have
Tranquility Spa, and if we stay as busy as we are now, I'm going to talk to Blake about expanding.”

“Uh-oh. It looks like the sandman is about to pay you a visit,” he said, chuckling when she yawned again. “We had better get you to bed.”

“I hope I can stay awake during the investors' dinner tomorrow evening,” she said when he rose and guided her toward the hall.

“Yeah, it would be a shame to fall asleep during one of the speeches.” Shane laughed.

“Maybe I better plan on taking a nap tomorrow afternoon,” she said as they entered the bedroom.

“I'll plan to take one with you,” he said, giving her a wicked grin.

“You're insatiable, Mr. McDermott,” she said, shaking her head.

He took a step toward her. “And I intend to show you just how ravenous I am as soon as we get into bed.”

 

As he and Lissa walked into the Jarrod Ridge Grand Ballroom for the festivities, Shane knew beyond a shadow of doubt that he was with the sexiest, most beautiful woman in attendance. Lissa had put her long blond hair up in some kind of soft, feminine twist, exposing her slender neck. He would like nothing more than to kiss every inch of it.

But the long, shimmery black evening dress she wore was what had his libido shifting into high gear. Slinky and form-fitting, it emphasized every one of
her delightful curves and each time she moved it reminded him of a sleek jungle cat's elegance and grace.

Remembering where they were, he tried to rein in his unruly hormones. If he didn't get things under control soon, everyone in the whole damned place would know exactly what he had on his mind.

He spotted Clara Buchanan on the other side of the room and concentrated on how she would react to the evidence of his wayward thoughts. That was enough to take the wind out of any man's sails.

“There's Blake and his secretary, Samantha,” Lissa said, bringing him back to reality. “They'll be seated at the head table with Erica and the rest of my brothers.”

“What about us?” he asked. “Is that where we're sitting?”

“No. As an investor, you'll have your own table and I told Guy to have the kitchen staff put my place card next to yours.”