The Secret Affair

She cleared her throat. “Is anything wrong?” she asked when the silence began to stretch.

Her question seemed to jar him. He frowned slightly before quickly forcing a smile. “Not sure.”

As he opened the French door to go inside, she wondered what he meant by that.

* * *

Why, of all the women in the world, have I developed this deep attraction for Jillian Novak?

The first time he’d noticed it was when they’d been introduced four years ago. He’d been twenty-two, and she only seventeen, but still a looker. He’d known then that he would have to keep his distance. Now she was twenty-one and still had the word innocent written all over her. From what he’d heard, she didn’t even have a boyfriend, preferring to concentrate on her studies and forgo a love life.

And speaking of life, Aidan was fairly certain he loved every part of his, especially his family. So why was he allowing himself to be attracted to Pam’s sister? He didn’t want to cause any trouble for Dillon.

Pam Novak was a jewel and just what Dillon needed. Everyone had been shocked when Dillon announced he had met a woman who he intended to marry. That had been the craziest thing Aidan had ever heard.

Dillon, of all people, should have known better. Hadn’t his first wife left him when he’d refused to send the youngest four members of the Westmoreland family—namely him, Adrian, Bane and Bailey—to foster care? What had made Dillon think Pam would be different? But it didn’t take Aidan, his siblings and cousins long to discover that she was different.

As far as Aidan was concerned, she was everything they’d all needed; she knew the value of family. And she had proven it when she’d turned her back on a promising acting career to care for her three teenaged sisters when her father passed away.

To say the Westmorelands had undergone a lot of family turmoil of their own was an understatement. It all started when Aidan’s parents and uncle and aunt died in a plane crash, leaving his cousin Dillon in charge of the family, along with Aidan’s oldest brother, Ramsey, as backup. Dillon and Ramsey had worked hard and made sacrifices to keep the family together—all fifteen of them.

Aidan’s parents had had eight children: five boys—Ramsey, Zane, Derringer and the twins, Aidan and Adrian—and three girls—Megan, Gemma and Bailey. Uncle Adam and Aunt Clarisse had had seven sons: Dillon, Micah, Jason, Riley, Canyon, Stern and Brisbane.

It hadn’t been easy, especially since he, Adrian, Brisbane and Bailey had been under the age of sixteen. And Aidan would admit the four of them had been the most challenging of the bunch, getting into all sorts of mischief, even to the point that the State of Colorado ordered they be put in foster homes. Dillon had appealed that decision and won. Lucky for the four youngest Westmorelands, Dillon had known their acts of rebellion were their way of handling the grief of losing their parents. Now Aidan was in medical school; Adrian was working on his PhD in engineering; Bane had joined the navy and Bailey was taking classes at a local university while working part-time.

Aidan’s thoughts shifted back to Jillian, although he didn’t want them to. The birthday party yesterday had been a surprise, and the shocked look on her face had been priceless—adorable and a total turn-on. If he’d had any doubt about just how much he was attracted to her, that doubt had been dispelled when he saw her.

She had walked out onto the patio expecting a going-away party for his sister Gemma, who had married Callum and was moving to Australia. Instead it had been a surprise birthday party for her. After shedding a few happy tears, which he would have loved to lick away, she had hugged Pam and Dillon for thinking of her on her twenty-first birthday. From what he’d heard, it was the first time Jillian had had a party since she was a little kid.

While everyone had rushed over to congratulate her, he had hung back, checking her out. The sundress looked cute on her and it was obvious she wasn’t the seventeen-year-old he’d met four years ago. Her face was fuller, her features stunning and her body...

Where had those curves come from? There’s no way he would have missed them before. She was short compared with his six-foot-two-inch height. He figured she stood no taller than five feet three inches in bare feet. And speaking of her feet, her polished toes, a flaming red, had been another turn-on. Pam might not want to hear it, but her sister was Hot with a capital H.

When he realized he had been the only one who hadn’t wished her a happy birthday, he was about to do so when his phone rang. He had slipped off the patio to take the call from a friend from college who was trying to fix him up on a blind date for next weekend.

When he returned to the patio after finishing his call, everyone else had gone inside to watch a movie or play cards, and she’d been alone. She would never know how hard it had been for him to sit across from her without touching her. She looked good and smelled good, as well.

Jillian Novak had definitely caught his eye.

But Dillon and Pam would pluck out that same eye if he didn’t squash what he was feeling.

Everybody knew how protective Pam was when it came to her sisters. Just like everyone knew Aidan wasn’t one to take women seriously. And he didn’t plan to change his behavior now. So the best thing for him to do while he was home for the next three days was to keep his distance from Jillian as he’d always done.

So why did I get her phone number and give her mine, for crying out loud?

Okay, he reasoned quickly, it had been a crazy moment, one he now regretted. The good thing was he doubted she would ever call him for help and he would make it a point never to call her.

That was a good plan, one he intended to stick to. Now, if he could only stop thinking about her that would be great. Glancing down at the medical journal he was supposed to be reading, he tried to focus on the words. Within a few minutes he’d read one interesting article and was about to start on another.

“Will you do me a big favor?”

Aidan glanced up to stare into the face of his sister Bailey. She used to be the baby in the Denver Westmoreland family but that had changed now that Dillon and Pam had a son, and Aidan’s brother Ramsey and his wife, Chloe, had a daughter.

“Depends on what the favor is?”

“I promised Jill that I would go riding with her and show her the section of Westmoreland Country that she hasn’t seen yet. Now they’ve called me to come in to work. I need you to go with Jillian instead.”

“Just show her another day,” he said, quickly deciding that going horseback riding with Jillian wasn’t a smart idea.

“That was my original plan but I can’t reach her on her cell phone. We were to meet at Gemma Lake, and you know how bad phone reception is out there. She’s already there waiting for me.”

He frowned. “Can’t you ask someone else?”

“I did but everyone is busy.”

His frown deepened. “And I’m not?”

Bailey rolled her eyes. “Not like everyone else. You’re just reading a magazine.”

He figured there was no use explaining to Bailey that his reading was important. He just so happened to be reading about a medical breakthrough where the use of bionic eyes had been tested as a way to restore sight with good results.

“Well, will you do it?”

He closed the medical journal and placed it aside. “You’re positive there’s no one else who can do it?”

“Yes, and she really wants to see it. This is her home now and—”

“Her home? She’s away at school most of the time,” he said.

“And so are you, Adrian, Stern and Canyon, and this is still your home. So what’s your point?”

He decided not to argue with her. There were times when his baby sister could read him like an open book and he didn’t want her to do that in this instance. It wouldn’t take her long to figure out the story written on his pages was all about Jillian.

“Fine. I’ll go.”

“Act a little enthused, will you? You’ve been kind of standoffish with Jillian and her sisters since Dillon married Pam.”

“I have not.”

“You have, too. You should take time to get to know them. They’re part of the family now. Besides, you and Jill will both become doctors one day so already you have a common interest.”

He hoped like hell that would remain their only common interest. It was up to him to make sure it did. “Whatever,” he said, standing and walking toward the door, pausing to grab his Stetson off the hat rack.

“And, Aidan?”

He stopped before opening the door and turned around, somewhat annoyed. “What now?”

“Try to be nice. You can act like a grizzly bear at times.”

That was her opinion. Deciding not to disagree with her, because you could never win with Bailey, he walked out of the house.

Chapter Two

Jillian heard the sound of a rider approaching and turned around, using her hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun. Although she couldn’t make out the identity of the rider, she knew it wasn’t Bailey.

The rider came closer and when her heart began pounding hard in her chest, she knew it was Aidan. What was he doing here? And where was Bailey?

Over breakfast she and Bailey had agreed to go riding after lunch. Because the property was located so far from Denver’s city limits and encompassed so much land, the locals referred to it as Westmoreland Country. Although Jillian had seen parts of it, she had yet to see all of it and Bailey had volunteered to show it to her.

Dropping her hand to her side, Jillian drew in a deep breath as Aidan and his horse came closer. She tried not to notice how straight he sat in the saddle or how good he looked sitting astride the horse. And she tried not to gawk at how his Stetson, along with his western shirt, vest, jeans and boots, made him look like a cowboy in the flesh.

When he brought the horse to a stop a few feet from where she stood, she had to tilt her head all the way back to look up at him. “Aidan.”

He nodded. “Jillian.”

His irritated expression and the cutting sound of his voice made her think he was upset about something. Was she trespassing on a particular part of Westmoreland land where she had no business being?

Thinking she needed to give him an explanation, she said, “I’m waiting for Bailey. We’re going riding.”

“Yes, those were your plans.”

She lifted a brow. “Were?”

He nodded. “Bailey tried reaching you but your phone is out of range. She was called in to work and asked that I take her place.”

“Take her place?”

“Yes, take her place. She indicated you wanted to tour Westmoreland Country.”

“I did, but...”

Penetrating dark eyes held hers. “But what?”

She shoved both hands into the pockets of her jeans. There was no way she could tell him that under no circumstances would she go riding anywhere with him. She could barely be around him for a few minutes without becoming unglued...like she was becoming now.

The reason she had placed her hands in her pockets was because they were already sweaty. And then there was that little ball of fire in her stomach that always seemed to burst into flames whenever he was around. Aidan Westmoreland oozed so much sexiness it was driving her to the edge of madness.

“Jillian?”

She blinked when he said her name. The sound of his voice was like a caress across her skin. “Yes?”

“But what? Do you have a problem with me being Bailey’s replacement?”

She drew in a deep breath. She couldn’t see him being anyone’s replacement. It was easy to see he was his own man, and what a man he was. Even now, the weight of his penetrating gaze caused a heated rush to cross her flesh. So, yes, she had a problem with him being Bailey’s replacement, but that was something she definitely wouldn’t tell him.

“No, I don’t have a problem with it,” she lied without even blinking. “However, I would think that you do. I’m sure you have more to do with your time than spend it with me.”

He shrugged massive shoulders. “No, in fact I don’t, so it’s not a problem. Besides, it’s time for us to get to know each other better.”

Why was her body tingling with awareness at his words? She was sure he didn’t mean them the way they sounded, but she thought it best to seek clarification. “Why should we get to know each other better?”

He leaned back in the saddle and she couldn’t help noticing the long fingers that held the reins. Why was she imagining those same fingers doing things to her, like stroking her hair, splaying up and down her arms, working their way across her naked body? She tried to downplay the shiver that passed through her.

“Dillon married Pam four years ago, and there’s still a lot I don’t know about you and your sisters,” he said, bringing an end to her fantasizing. “We’re all family and the Westmorelands are big on family. I haven’t been home to get to know you, Paige and Nadia.”

With him naming her sisters his earlier statement felt less personal. It wasn’t just about her. She should be grateful for that but for some reason she wasn’t. “Because of school I haven’t been home much, either, but we can get to know each other another time. It doesn’t have to be today,” she said.

She doubted she could handle his closeness. Even the masculine scent of him was overpowering.

“Today is just as good a day as any. I’m leaving to go back to Boston tomorrow. There’s no telling when our paths will cross again. Probably not until we come home for Christmas or something. We might as well do it now and get it over with.”

Why did she get the feeling that getting to know her was something he felt forced to do? She took offense at that. “Don’t do me any favors,” she all but snapped at him while feeling her pulse pound.

“Excuse me?” He seemed surprised by her remark.

“There’s no need to get anything over with. It’s obvious Bailey roped you into doing something you really don’t want to do. I can see the rest of Westmoreland Country on my own,” she said, untying her horse and then mounting it.

When she sat astride the mare she glanced back over at him. “I don’t need your company, Aidan.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and she could tell by the sudden tensing of his jaw that he hadn’t liked her comment. She was proven right when he said, with a degree of smoldering intensity that she felt through her clothes, “I hate to tell you this, Jillian Novak, but you have my company whether you want it or not.”

* * *

Aidan stared hard into Jillian’s eyes and couldn’t help but feel they were waging a battle. Of what he wasn’t sure. Of wills? Of desire? Passion? Lust? He rubbed his hand down his face. He preferred none of those things but he had a feeling all of them were fighting for the number one spot right now.

He all but saw steam coming from her ears and figured Jillian didn’t like being ordered around.

“Look,” he said. “We’re wasting time. You want to see the land and I have nothing better to do. I apologize if I came across a little gruff earlier, but by no means did I want to insinuate that I am being forced into showing you around or getting to know you.”

There was no need to tell her that Bailey had asked him to be nice to Jillian and her sisters. He’d always been cordial and as far as he was concerned that was good enough. Getting too close to Jillian wasn’t a good idea. But then, he was the one who had suggested she call him if she needed help preparing for medical school. He now saw that offer had been a mistake. A big one.

She studied him for a moment and he felt something deep in his gut. It was a lot stronger than the kick in his groin he’d experienced when he’d watched her swing her leg over the back of the horse to mount it. He’d taken a long, explosive breath while fighting the sexual hunger that had roared to life inside of him. Even now, with those beautiful full lips of hers frowning at him, a smoldering spike of heat consumed him. One way he knew he could put a stop to this madness was to get her out of his system, since she seemed to have gotten under his skin.

But the way he would do that wasn’t an option...not if he loved his life.

“You’re sure about this?”

Hell no, he wasn’t sure about anything concerning her. Maybe the main reason behind his attraction to her, in addition to her striking beauty, was that he truly didn’t know her that well. Maybe once he got to know her he’d discover that he didn’t like her after all.

“Yes, I’m sure about this, so come on,” he said, nudging his horse forward to stand beside hers. “There’s a lot to see so I hope you’re a fairly good rider.”

She gave him a smile that made him appreciate the fullness of her mouth even more. “Yes, I’m a fairly good rider.”

And then she took off, easing her horse into a canter. He watched in admiration as she flawlessly jumped the horse over a flowing creek.

He chuckled to himself. She wasn’t a fairly good rider; she was an excellent one.

* * *

Jillian slowed her pace and glanced over her shoulder to see Aidan make the same jump she had. She couldn’t help but be impressed at his skill, but she shouldn’t be surprised. She’d heard from Dillon that all his brothers and cousins were excellent horsemen.

In no time, he’d caught up with her. “You’re good,” he said, bringing his horse alongside hers. The two animals eased into a communal trot.

“Thanks,” she said, smiling over at him. “You’re not bad yourself.”

He threw his head back and laughed. The robust sound not only floated across the countryside, but it floated across her, as well. Although she’d seen him smile before, she’d never seen him amused about anything.

“No, I’m not bad myself. In fact there was a time I wanted to be a bronco rider in the rodeo.”

For some reason she wasn’t surprised. “Dillon talked you out of it?”

He shook his head, grinning. “No, he wouldn’t have done such a thing. One of Dillon’s major rules has been for us to choose our own life goals. At least that was his rule for everyone but Bane.”

She’d heard all about Aidan’s cousin Brisbane Westmoreland, whom everyone called Bane. She’d also heard Dillon had encouraged his baby brother to join the military. He’d said Bane could do that or possibly go to prison for the trouble he’d caused. Bane had chosen the navy. In the four years that Pam had been married to Dillon, Jillian had only seen Bane twice.

“So what changed your mind about the rodeo?” she asked when they slowed the horses to a walk.

“My brother Derringer. He did the rodeo circuit for a couple of summers after high school. Then he got busted up pretty bad. Scared all of us to death and I freaked out. We all did. The thought of losing another family member brought me to my senses and I knew I couldn’t put my family through that.”

She nodded. She knew about him losing his parents and his aunt and uncle in a plane crash, leaving Dillon—the oldest at the time—to care for all of them. “Derringer and a few of your cousins and brothers own a horse-training business right?”

“Yes and it’s doing well. They weren’t cut out to work in the family business so after a few years they left to pursue their dreams of working with horses. I try to help them out whenever I come home but they’re doing a great job without me. Several of their horses have won important derbies.”

“Ramsey resigned as one of the CEOs as well, right?” she asked of his oldest brother.

He glanced over at her. “Yes. Ramsey has a degree in agriculture and economics. He’d always wanted to be a sheep farmer, but when my parents, aunt and uncle died in that plane crash he knew Dillon would need help at Blue Ridge.”

Jillian knew that Blue Ridge Land Management was a Fortune 500 company Aidan’s father and uncle had started years ago. “But eventually he was able to pursue his dream, right?”

Aidan nodded. “Yes. Once Dillon convinced Ramsey he could handle things at the corporation without him. Ramsey’s sheep ranch is doing great.”

She nodded. She liked Ramsey. In fact, she liked all the Westmorelands she had gotten to know. When Pam married Dillon, the family had welcomed her and her sisters with open arms. She’d discovered some of them were more outgoing than the others. But the one thing she couldn’t help but notice was that they stuck together like glue.

“So how did you learn to ride so well?” he asked.

“My dad. He was the greatest and although I’m sure he wanted at least one son, he ended up with four girls. He felt we should know how to do certain things and handling a horse was one of them,” she said, remembering the time she’d spent with her father and how wonderful it had been for her.

“He evidently saw potential in me because he made sacrifices and sent me to riding school. I competed nationally until he got sick. We needed the money to pay for his medicine and doctor bills.”

“Do you regret giving it up?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. I enjoyed it but making sure Dad got the best care meant more to me...more to all of us...than anything.” And she meant it. There had been no regrets for any of them about giving up what they’d loved to help their father.

“Here we are.”

She looked around at the beauty of the land surrounding her, as far as her eyes could see and beyond. Since Dillon was the oldest, he had inherited the main house along with the three hundred acres it sat on. Everyone else, upon reaching the age of twenty-five, received one hundred acres to call their own. Some parts of this area were cleared and other parts were dense with thick foliage. But what took her breath away was the beautiful waterway that branched off into a huge lake. Gemma Lake. She’d heard it had been named after Aidan’s great-grandmother.

“This place is beautiful. Where are we exactly?”

He glanced over at her and smiled. “My land. Aidan’s Haven.”

Aidan’s Haven, she immediately decided, suited him. She could see him building his home on this piece of land one day near this huge waterway. Today he looked like a cowboy, but she could see him transforming into a boat captain.

“Aidan’s Haven. That’s a nice name. How did you come up with it?”

“I didn’t. Bailey did. She came up with all the names for our one-hundred-acre plots. She chose names like Stern’s Stronghold, Zane’s Hideout, Derringer’s Dungeon, Ramsey’s Web and Megan’s Meadows, just to name a few.”

Jillian had visited each of those areas and all the homes that had been built on the land were gorgeous. Some were single-story ranch-style designs, while others were like mansions with several floors. “When do you plan to build?”

“Not for a while yet. After medical school I’ll probably work and live somewhere else for a while since I have six years of residency to complete for the cardiology program.”

“But this will eventually be your home.”

A pensive look appeared on his face. “Yes, Westmoreland Country will always be my home.”

She’d always thought she would live in Gamble, Wyoming. Although she knew she would leave for college, she figured she would return one day and work in the hospital there before setting up a practice of her own. After all, she had lived there her entire life; all her friends were there. But after Pam married Dillon things changed for her, Paige and Nadia. They were close to their oldest sister and decided to leave Wyoming and make their homes close to Pam’s. It had worked out well for everyone. Nadia was in her last year of high school here in Colorado and Paige was in California attending UCLA.

“What about you? Do you ever plan to return to Gamble, Wyoming, to live, Jillian?”

Again, she wondered why her stomach tightened whenever he said her name. Probably had something to do with that deep, husky voice of his.

“No, I don’t plan to return to Gamble. In fact, Nadia and Paige and I talked a few weeks ago and we plan to approach Pam about selling the place. She would have done so already, but she thinks we want to keep it as part of our legacy.”