Deep in a Texan's Heart

She thought about that night with him. Her dad had seen Sam in Royal and talked him into dinner with them in town. When Sam had said he would take her home, her dad had gone ahead to the Double H, her family’s ranch. She and Sam had flirted through dinner and afterward, until Sam invited her to his place for a nightcap and she accepted.

The flirting grew more intense until she was in his arms. A night of wild passion, laughter, loving, a night she had known she would always remember. Now there was no doubt. A few weeks later, she had learned she was pregnant.

Lila’s thoughts came back to the present while she danced in the barn. They had gone from line dancing to a square dance and she noticed Shannon had dropped out and was gone.

They square danced, changing partners as the steps were called out to the fiddlers’ music. When they called “Promenade left, promenade right,” and she moved to the next dancer, she faced Sam and the look in his eyes made her heart pound. He wasn’t saying a word, yet sparks flew and she felt at any second he might grab her and kiss her wildly.

She danced away from him and the moment was gone, but her heart still raced and she wondered if they would talk again or if he would ask her to dance. She gave a shake of her head as if to clear her thoughts. She needed to stay away from Sam. She didn’t want him to guess that she was pregnant. She had to be mentally prepared for when he learned the truth.

Finally, she told Jeff she’d had enough dancing. As they left the barn, she glanced back and met Sam’s smoldering gaze. Even with the length of the barn between them, the minute she looked into his eyes, a current spiraled, tickling her insides. Why did she have such a physical response to him? She did not want to know Sam better or go out with him again. Yet now she had not only bound her life with his indefinitely, she would have to struggle with his old-fashioned, narrow view of the world.

The tempting smells of the barbecue were beginning to have the opposite effect on her. To get away from the cooking, she crossed the yard until she saw a friend.

“Sophie,” she called, catching up with her high school friend.

Sophie Beldon turned to wait, her light brown eyes friendly as she smiled. “This is a great party, Lila. Your family really knows how to do this. I think everyone in these parts looks forward to August because of your family barbecue. It’s legendary.”

“Thanks. They’ve been doing it long enough. It’s good to see you. Where are you headed?”

“Some quiet corner—if there is such. I’m getting looks and people ask all sorts of questions. Some act like I have the answers and just won’t say anything about Alex’s disappearance.”

“Sorry. That must be tough. You’re his executive secretary, so everyone probably thinks you know something about him. I’m sure everyone has been shocked to hear Alex has disappeared. Still no word?”

“Nothing. What’s bad—they don’t know whether something’s happened to him or his disappearance is something he has deliberately done. He had a quiet side where he kept things to himself. I’ve always thought of my boss as a man of mystery. Or it could be just circumstances where communication has failed and Alex thinks we all know where he is.”

“That seems impossible. You’d hear from him, I’d think.”

The blonde shrugged. “Who knows. You can’t rule out any possibility, but his disappearance has some people on edge.”

“Reasonably so, I’d say. You dealt with him daily. You should know the most about him,” Lila said, stopping in the shade of a tall oak to the east side of the house and away from the crowd.

Long lashes framed Sophie’s eyes while her brow furrowed. “I get looks from Nathan Battle, but Nathan’s fair, so I’m not worried about his opinion where I’m concerned. I really don’t have any idea about Alex and what’s happened to him.” She studied Shannon in silence a moment as if debating something. “I know I can trust you—I’m working now for Zach Lassiter. He’s Alex’s business partner.”

“I’ve heard Dad talk about him. From what I hear, no one seems to know much about his past.”

“Talk about a man of mystery—Zach is more mysterious than Alex was. I don’t think anyone knows much about Zach. I thought if I could get close to him, I might find out something about Alex’s disappearance.”

A chill ran down Lila’s spine. “Sophie, be careful. You have no idea what’s involved in Alex’s disappearance. It could be foul play. You really don’t know anything about Zach Lassiter and it sounds as if no one else in Royal does. what you’re doing might be dangerous.”

“I’ll be careful, and I don’t see how Zach can suspect my true motives. It’s a business. I can’t keep from wondering what he knows about Alex, because they worked closely together.”

Lila shook her head. “I don’t think you should take such a risk. Be really careful about what you do. You’re not a trained detective and you don’t know anything about investigations. Does anyone else know what you’re doing? Does Nathan Battle?”

“Heavens, no. You do now, so there’s one person who knows. I promise, I’ll be careful. I see friends headed our way.”

Lila turned to see three more friends she had been close to in high school and her private conversation with Sophie ended, but as she listened to the light chatter of her friends, she still had a nagging concern about Sophie. She wished she had urged Sophie to say something to Nathan, although Nathan and Amanda had recently married, so he might not have his mind on Alex’s disappearance. Still, Lila felt certain Nathan would advise Sophie to stay out of it and her friend might actually listen to him.

Later, lines formed at the long tables covered with food while servers at each end carved chunks of meat and ribs. Lila went inside to eat more fruit, passing up the steaming barbecue, knowing her dad saw to it that they cooked so much there would always be some leftovers if she wanted any later.

After dinner, fiddlers swung into music for more dancing and Lila enjoyed herself, dancing with many of the Texas Cattleman’s Club members who always attended the Hacket barbecue. She danced with Ryan Grant, one of the newest members. His tangled brown hair fell over his forehead as he concentrated on dancing. He was light on his feet, which didn’t surprise her, because she had danced with him before.

The next dance was with rancher and widower Gil Addison. She knew his four-year-old son, Cade, was with the other kids. Her parents always hired local nannies to watch the small kids during the barbecue. She enjoyed Gil in his quiet way and was sorry he was raising his son alone.

As soon as that dance ended, Sam’s twin, Josh Gordon, politely asked her to dance. She could sense the coolness and disapproval in spite of his invitation and she knew he was one of the club members who disapproved of her independence. She suspected he had asked her to dance as an obligation to her dad, the host.

Although Josh and Sam were identical twins, Lila could tell them apart without any difficulty. Sam’s hair was longer and he had a sparkle in his eyes, a more carefree attitude than his solemn brother.

As she danced with Josh, a fast number where they had no physical contact, she wondered what his reaction would be when he learned that he was going to be an uncle.

As soon as the dance ended and she had politely thanked him, Josh disappeared into the crowd. She turned to face Sam Gordon.

Two

“I think it’s my turn. Will you dance with me?” he asked, taking her arm before she could answer.

“This is typical, Sam. You didn’t even wait for my answer.”

He grinned and released her, turning to face her. “Darlin’, you can’t begin to guess how eager I am to dance with you. Miss Hacket, may I have this dance?”

Knowing Sam was the one person she should avoid, she nodded her head anyway. “You’re hopeless.”

“No way, sugar. I just want to dance with you in the worst way,” he said, taking her hand and coaxing her. “C’mon.”

“In the worst way?” she teased, having fun even though she shouldn’t encourage him.

“Oh, yeah,” he drawled in a huskier voice as they joined the dancers on the barn’s makeshift dance floor. “The very worst—down and hot as only you can do,” he said.

A tingle sizzled while she laughed at the same time. “Not on your Nelly, Sam Gordon,” she tried to reply sternly, but it came out breathlessly. “I don’t even know how.”

“Oh, yes, you do, darlin’,” he said, his blue eyes twinkling. “My memory is crystal-clear. In the privacy of my place, we’ve danced down and dirty before and it was a bushel of fun and sexy as hell.” He moved closer. “And you haven’t forgotten, either.”

“If you want to keep dancing, Sam, you better get off that subject fast. You’ve skated onto extremely thin ice,” she said, wishing she sounded more forceful and knowing she had made a big mistake in flirting with him even for mere minutes, not to mention dancing with him.

He waved his hands as if he had dropped a burning iron. “I’m off the subject of how enticing your dancing is. You look great, Lila, and I’m glad you’re home.”

“Thank you,” she said, twisting and turning so they wouldn’t have to talk, yet aware of his steady gaze following her every move. She should never have encouraged him, but he was fun to be with and she loved to dance. Thinking like that was what had gotten her into the situation she was in now.

The instant the music stopped, she turned to him. “Thanks, Sam. Mom asked me to mix with guests. I’ve just mingled with you, so I’m off to socialize with others,” she said sweetly, and walked away before he had a chance to reply. Her back tingled because she knew he watched her and she expected him to catch up with her or take her arm to stop her.

As if pulled by a magnet, she couldn’t keep from glancing over her shoulder. Sam was leaning against a post on the sidelines and he was watching her as she had suspected. She turned around quickly, but he had seen her look back at him.

As she moved through the crowd and toward the house, she fought the urge to glance over her shoulder again. Her mother had given her no such instructions, but she had partied all she wanted to for one night. She was going to her own room in the sprawling ranch house.

Standing near the bar, Sam watched Lila cross the back porch and enter the Hacket home. As puzzled as ever, he couldn’t figure her. For minutes tonight, she had let down that guard and been open, friendly, more—she had flirted with him. And he thought she’d had fun dancing with him. Then it was over and the barrier was back between them. The moment the dance ended, she was gone. Why her coolness? Was it his attitude toward her job and women in the club? That seemed absurd and hadn’t made that much difference their night together. He couldn’t think of a thing that would cause this rift between them.

She didn’t approve of his views of women and he didn’t approve of her career, so he should accept the rejection and move on. Rejection was something he didn’t experience often—was it that difficult for him to accept? He still wanted Lila in his arms and in his bed.

She had looked great tonight—a flush in her face that made her cheeks rosy, a sparkle in her fascinating green eyes, her long legs showing from the knees down.

The dress hid her tiny waist—a pity because he remembered exactly how narrow it was. But the top of the sundress was cut low enough to reveal lush curves that seemed even fuller than he remembered.

He inhaled and took a long drink of his cold beer, wishing he could just pour it over his head to cool down.

Monday, Lila walked into the rambling clubhouse made of stone and dark wood. Sunshine splashed over the tall slate roof. The smell of bacon cooking wafted from the building, giving her a queasy feeling. Morning sickness had come early and had been mild. To her relief, it was beginning to disappear, and so far, today was one of the good days.

Shannon was waiting in the wide hallway. Dressed in a sleeveless navy cotton dress and heels, she didn’t look as if she had spent the morning doing ranch chores with the men who worked for her, but Lila knew Shannon and what her life had been like until recently, single-handedly managing a big cattle ranch.

Shannon’s smile sparkled. “Hi! I’ve looked forward to this since the night of the barbecue. I’m so excited over this child center.” She leaned closer to Lila. “I’ll warn you now—you’re going to get some nasty glares from the members who do not welcome what we’re doing.”

“I’m getting looks at home from Dad. He grumbles and stomps off without really saying anything.”

Shannon laughed as they headed toward the dining room for lunch.

Over crisp green salads, she enjoyed talking to Shannon, listening to plans about the center. “Remember they built onto the club and we have more meeting rooms now, so they moved the billiard tables to one of the meeting rooms. They’ll renovate the room later, but for now they just moved out the other furniture,” Shannon said.

“It wouldn’t do for all those men to be without their billiard tables,” Lila said with a smile.

“Right. Meanwhile, they’ve started on the billiard room and the room built adjoining it. They’re taking out the walls that separated the rooms. We’ll divide off areas for play, for eating, that sort of thing, and a special area for the babies.”

“I know some great California stores for furniture, pictures, little dividers that still keep an open look and can be easily moved.”

“Great. Give us a list. The women members are responsible for this. As soon as we eat, we’ll go look at the rooms. I told you that we’ve agreed on the basic structure, which includes built-in shelves, drawers and cabinets. I’ll show you all of our plans and notes.”

“I’m sorry the other women couldn’t join us for lunch. I would really be in good company with you, Missy Reynolds, Vanessa Woodrow and Abigail Price.”

“You should join, too.”

Lila shook her head. “I’m going back to California. You need members who will be active.”

“Abigail’s little girl, Julia, will attend the center as soon as it opens.”

“It’s exciting to be part of this,” Lila said, enjoying seeing her friend and having something else to think about in place of the constant concerns about her pregnancy.

When they finished lunch, they went first to the door of the old billiard room. Men were sawing and hammering, and the noise made talking difficult.

Shannon just motioned for Lila to follow her and they went down the hall.

“We can go to the billiard room.”

They entered the darkened room with four billiard tables, heavy brown leather furniture and coffee-colored walls. There were two small stained-glass windows. Shannon switched on an overhead light fixture made of deer antlers.

“Looks dark and sort of like pictures I’ve seen of hotel lobbies in the early 1900s,” Lila said.

“They’ll redo it, although I think there will still be dark leather furniture and I’m guessing the stained-glass windows will remain. That’s not our deal and frankly, I don’t care what they do with this room.” They sat at a game table in the corner of the room and Shannon spread the papers in front of Lila.

“Here’s a list of some child centers that have been recommended to us as the best examples. You can study them and see what ideas you come up with. We want a state-of-the-art child-care center.”

“Will the center open onto a play area outside? I don’t see a door anywhere.”

“Great grief. No one has said a word about a playground,” Shannon said, her eyes opening wide. “We may have been so busy campaigning to get a child-care center that we didn’t stop to think about outside, but we definitely should have a playground. I’ll send Missy a text about this. That’s a necessity.” She pulled out her phone, speaking into it, dictating her text.

“I don’t know why we didn’t think of that. We have plenty of space outside and we can have a fenced area with alarms, making it secure for the kids. We’ll always have attendants to watch and cameras. We’ve ordered a state-of-the-art alarm system for an enormous price, but it’ll be worth it and give families peace of mind.”

“This center is going to be wonderful, Shannon.”

“It is, but there’s a faction who really opposed it and they still don’t like it. Sometimes that makes me uneasy.”

“These are honorable men. For all my dad’s bluster, he does have a good heart. He’s just old-fashioned but, in his own way, courteous to women and good to Mom.”

“I’m sure you’re right. I guess this thing with Alex disappearing is disconcerting. Something isn’t right and you can’t keep from wondering if anyone is in danger.”

“Hopefully, they’ll learn the truth soon or he’ll return. As far as I know, there’s been no demand for a ransom.”

Shannon shivered. “One of Royal’s citizens kidnapped—that’s ghastly.” She glanced at her watch. “How about meeting here again at twelve-thirty or one on Wednesday? If you can have lunch, great. If not, that’s fine, too.”

“Actually, one will be better.”

“Good deal.” Shannon’s gaze ran over Lila. “Are you feeling all right?”

“Yes. Mornings are rocky, but then I’m okay the rest of the day. This center is exciting, Shannon. Maybe I’m interested because I’m thinking about children now.”

“I’m excited and there’s no little one on my horizon. I think it’s great. It’s almost time for my meeting. Wednesday, it is. Lunch again.”

“Fine. I’m going to stay a few minutes here to think about this. You go ahead to your meeting.”

“I’m going to see Abigail Price there. She’s so excited about this center.”

“Very good. Abigail was brave—the first woman to join the club. She’ll be in their history whether this bunch of members likes it or not.”

“Enough liked it to get her voted in,” Shannon said, laughing. “See you Wednesday.”

She disappeared out the door. Lila looked at the room, the billiard tables, imagining how many deals had been made over these tables and what a male domain the billiard room had been. It was time for change.

Less than five minutes later Lila walked out and saw a tall man in cowboy boots down the hall. She recognized the broad shoulders and lean frame of Sam Gordon. He stood in a doorway talking to someone and glanced her way. The minute they locked gazes, a reaction shook her. Another jump in her heartbeat accompanied a thorough awareness of him. She raised her chin as if meeting an adversary.

As she drew close, he finished talking, stepping fully into the hall and turning to wait for her to catch up with him.

“I haven’t seen you here in a long time. Having lunch with your dad?”

“No, I’m not. I met with Shannon today. She asked for suggestions on planning the interior of the child-care center.” Lila caught the slight frown that was gone from Sam’s expression almost as fast as it had come.

“I can’t imagine a child-care center in this club. What I can imagine is the reaction the founders would have had to such a thing.”

“Sam, come into this century. The founders were a long time ago. You’re way too young to be a fossil.”

“I don’t remember you accusing me of being a fossil when we danced or kissed,” he said, leaning closer, “but then, there are some places, Lila, where our different opinions don’t matter one whit.”

“I walked into that one,” she said. “The child center is going to happen, so you might as well get resigned. You don’t like kids, Sam?” she asked, feeling a clash of wills with him.

“’Course I like kids, but here in the club—that’s a different. This club wasn’t founded to babysit a bunch of kids.”

“Who was it founded to babysit?” she asked sweetly.

He leaned closer, placing his hand against the wall over her head and hemming her in. Too aware of his proximity and her pounding heartbeat, she drew in a deep breath. “It was founded as a male haven where men could relax and enjoy a drink or a cigar or the friendship of cronies without kids yelling and running through the halls.”

She laughed. “Mercy me. You’re beginning to sound just like my dad. If I heard you and didn’t know you and couldn’t see you, I’d guess you were part of his generation.”

“That’s not all bad, Lila. You go out with me tonight and we’ll see if I’m an old-fashioned fossil,” he drawled softly, his blue eyes holding fires that sparked.

Lila tingled. She had gotten on dangerous ground with him again. “Thank you, but, Sam Gordon, you and I are generations apart in our lifestyles and ways of thinking, the places where it really counts. Lust is universal. Compatibility is not. I’ll see you around,” she said, hurrying away, trying to ignore her racing pulse and the stab of longing to go out with him.

He was totally off-limits and she shouldn’t have even stopped to talk to him, much less spent time flirting with him. They had little in common, so how could he hold such an intense appeal to her? Worse, now he was the father of her baby. For years to come she had tied her life to Sam’s, unless he had no interest when he discovered the truth. She knew just how her daddy and some of the old-fashioned men who were his friends would have reacted to the situation, and that was exactly the way she expected Sam to react. He would want to marry her.

She shivered. She was not marrying, settling for a life like her mother’s and living in Royal for the rest of her life. Being the “little woman” in the kitchen and his toy in the bedroom and being seen and not heard otherwise. No way was she going to become part of that scene.

She encountered Shannon in the hall. “I thought you’d be gone now,” Shannon said.

“I ran into Sam and talked a minute.”

“He’s here for the meeting. I’ve never missed one since I joined the club, which irritates some of the good ol’ boys,” Shannon said, smiling broadly. “I’m sorry, your dad is one of them. If looks could kill, I’d be gone.”

“That’s dreadful, Shannon. I don’t even know why you want to be a member and have to put up with that.”

“There are a lot of benefits. This is the most exclusive, elegant club in this area, so it’s great for private parties. I can swim, eat here, bring Rory here—you know they have the best chef and cooks for miles around. I love the dances.”

Lila laughed. “Shannon, when you’re here, you don’t have spare time to do anything except ranch chores.”

“When Rory can come and my foreman is well, I have more time. Rory does a lot. Maybe I can’t resist shaking up the old boys a little,” she added with a grin.

“Go to your meeting and shake them up. I’m going home to the Double H,” Lila said, walking away before she ran into Sam again.

Sam relaxed in the meeting room at the Texas Cattleman’s Club. He tried to focus on what was being said by Gil Addison, their president, but his thoughts kept slipping back to discovering that Lila intended to help plan the child-care center. The whole idea was repugnant to him. He looked around at the dark, rich wood, the mounted animal heads, trophies of past members and evidence of their shooting skills. The clubhouse was over one hundred years old, now, a monument to being built right and using the best materials.

The club had been a male haven. Leadership, Justice, Peace—the basic founding motto of the members. In an earlier day the club’s members had banded together covertly on secret missions to save innocent lives. That wouldn’t happen now with all the changes. The club was relaxing, filled with the things he liked to do—swim, dine, play billiards, exercise, just talk with friends. It was the perfect place for business lunches or dinners. Now women had moved into it and changes were coming, but the biggest alteration was a child center. Children racing through the clubhouse and scampering over the grounds would change the ambiance and the noise level would rise like a balloon in the wind. A child-care center. Beau Hacket had been bitterly opposed and Sam, as well as his twin, had lined up with Beau. There was not one positive reason to take children into the Texas Cattleman’s Club, but they had been voted down.