Boots and the Bachelor (9 page)

By now Gwen was sobbing, shaking her head as she stood before him, her world coming apart, her heart breaking.

“It means,” he said, “that I love you, and I'll be damned if I let you get away again. I will be back and I'll, by golly, woo you until you can't say no. You can't shut me out of your goddamned life.” He yanked her into his arms and kissed her hard. Then he shoved her away from him and left, stomping down the steps and all the way out to his truck.

Gwen stood staring at the door, her heart squeezing hard, the pain so intense it almost brought her to her knees. Tears flowed down her face in an unending stream. She crumpled to the ground and curled into a fetal position, wrapping her arms around her knees, the dress swirled around her hips, her lack of panties a vivid reminder of the beauty of what she'd just experienced.

How could she push him away? It had to be the stupidest thing she'd ever done in her life. On the other hand, how could she expect Angus to take her and Dalton into his life? What man would understand that her son would always come first, and the man's needs would always be second?

A soft knock on the door barely penetrated the darkness of the hell she'd sentenced herself to.

“Gwen? It's me. Mona. Let me in. You promised me all the details.”

“I don't feel like it,” Gwen moaned from her position curled up on the floor.

“Gwen? What's wrong? Open the damn door.” Mona banged louder.

If Gwen didn't answer the door, Mona would wake the other residents in the building.

Gwen pushed to her feet, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her so that she didn't have to take another breath that only made her hurt worse. Then she thought of Dalton. She had to keep moving for him.

Gwen twisted the doorknob and stood back.

Mona burst through, took one look at her and engulfed her in a huge hug. “What did he do? Was he hateful? I'll send Grant after him. Hell, I'll kill him myself.”

“No.” Gwen laughed, the sound coming out of her throat on a sob. “He was…perfect.”

“Are those tears of joy?” Mona brightened, then her face fell. “Not with that look on your face. You resemble a kicked puppy.” Her friend smoothed the damp hair out of her face. “Tell me what happened.”

Blubbering like a fool, Gwen gave Mona the lowdown on what happened, skipping much of the sexy details. When she finished, her tears had dried, but her heart still hurt.

Mona crossed her arms and glared at her. “For a corporate-savvy woman with a great company and clients who swear by your business acumen and intelligence, you're pretty damned stupid sometimes.”

Gwen reeled back as if she'd been slapped. “Mona, I thought you understood.”

“I understand that you're being stupid.” She cocked her head to the side. “Do you love the man?”

“We can't be together.” Gwen swallowed in an attempt to clear the lump lodged in her throat. “How I feel has nothing to do with it.”

“Like hell it doesn't.” She stared hard at Gwen. “Do you love the man?”

“The sex was incredible, but I have to think about Dalton.”

“Pull your head out of your panties. Do you fuckin' love the man?” Mona persisted.

“Yes.” Gwen threw her hands in the air. “I never
stopped
loving him. All these years, I haven't thought of anyone else. There. Are you satisfied?”

Mona's face softened. “Then cut you and him a break, sweetie. Don't throw away something beautiful because you're afraid.”

“I'm not afraid. I can't do this to Dalton.”

“Bullshit.” Mona shook her head, her look softening her words. “Dalton would love having Angus in his life.”

“Maybe, but Angus could never love Dalton as much as I do.”

“How do you know? You haven't even given the man a chance. You pushed him away as soon as it started getting hot.”

“
After
it got hot,” Gwen corrected.

“Right. Which is even worse. You led Angus on by making him believe you had feelings for him.” Mona held Gwen's hands in hers. “Did you ever think that by pushing him away, you'd break
his
heart? Again?”

“Oh God.” Gwen buried her face in her hands and tears sprang to her eyes. “No matter what I do, someone is going to get hurt.”

“Not if you let Angus in. You win, he wins. Dalton gets a great man as a father.” Mona spread her arms, palms up. “You'd have a complete family.”

All her fears for the future, her mother-bear need to protect her son and her own raging desires piled in on her, swirling in her normally structured head. “I can't do this. I can't think about this right now.”

“Meanwhile, you let Angus get away. The man who admitted he hasn't stopped loving you. The man you admitted you haven't stopped loving. Geez, Gwen, wake up. You don't get second chances like this every day.”

A knock on the door jerked Gwen's attention away from Mona. Had Angus returned? Was he there to sweep her into his arms and smooth away all her doubts?

“Answer it.” Mona pointed to the door, her jaw set firm. “It's probably Angus, come back to call bullshit at what you just did. You better answer that door, take him into your arms and tell him you love him before you lose him again.”

Gwen took one step, then another. The next thing she knew, she was flying toward the door, her heart in her throat, hope surging out of control.

“Angus, I'm so sor—” she cried as she flung open the door. Gwen stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth falling open as she stared at the man leaning against the doorframe.

“Hey Gwendy baby, how's my favorite girl?” Wayne Kent, her ex-husband and the father of her little boy, strode through the door like he owned the place and turned. “Where's my kid? I've come to take custody of him.”

Chapter Nine

Gwen's belly cratered all the way to hell. Could he do that? Did Wayne have any rights where Dalton was concerned?

Fuck no!

“What do you mean, you've come to take custody? Dalton is
my
son. You've never shown one iota of interest in him.”

“Well, I am now.” He put his hands together and cracked his knuckles. “So? Where is he?”

“Who the hell are you?” Mona asked.

Gwen glared at the man. “Mona, this is my son's biological father, Wayne Kent.” Then, planting her fists on her hips, she glared at the man. “No court in this state will grant you custody of any kind since you spent the last five-and-a-half years ignoring your son.” She prayed he would take her words as gospel, otherwise the man would take her to court, and she couldn't risk him getting his hands on Dalton.

“Why now?” Mona asked. “You stayed away all this time. Why show up on Gwen's doorstep now, at ten o'clock at night five-and-a-half years later?”

“Yeah,” Gwen said. “And how the hell did you find me here?”

“Finding you was easy. Your housekeeper told me where you'd gone.” He gave Gwen a sly smile. “She's a pretty little
mamacita
.”

Anger burned up her neck and into her cheeks. “Stay away from Delores. She's going to college to be a nurse, and she doesn't need to get mixed up with a bastard like you.”

“It's completely her choice.” Wayne gave Gwen the charming smile he'd flashed at her over her third shot of tequila that night she and her friends had landed in Vegas. The fateful night she'd slept with the charming gambler.

She'd been flattered, and missing Angus so much it hurt. “Why are you here now? You can't possibly care about a boy you've never met.”

“Because I finally caught up with you after that quickie divorce. All these years, I didn't know you had a kid. Now that I do, I want joint custody of him. So where is he?”

Gwen thanked the stars that had aligned for Dalton to take to the McFarlans so quickly and stay the night with them. Under no circumstances did she want Dalton to meet his biological father until Gwen knew the real reason for Wayne showing up in their lives now.

“You're looking pretty good after all these years, Gwendy. Makes me wish I hadn't signed those divorce papers.” Wayne moved around her like a circling vulture. “You know I've thought about you often after that weekend we spent together in Vegas.”

“That's funny, I haven't thought about you at all.” She wanted him out, but not before she discovered his reason for coming. It couldn't be Dalton. He'd never even seen his son.

“Oh come on, Gwendy, don't you remember how much fun we had getting married at that little chapel on the strip?” His voice slipped into that rough cowboy drawl that at one brief moment in her life had reminded her of Angus.

Not now. Knowing he'd only been out for a weekend fling, she couldn't recall why he'd reminded her of Angus at all. “I was young and had a few too many drinks. And it was just one weekend. Not anything worth talking about, or remembering, but for the lesson learned. And stop calling me Gwendy. It's not my name.”

Wayne's gaze narrowed. “That weekend must have meant something to you if you had my kid.”

Gwen inhaled and counted five before saying, “It meant the condoms you used weren't worth a damn.”

“Had I known you had a kid, I'd have come sooner.”

“He has a name, it's Dalton. And I notified you of his birth with a letter, the day after I had him.”

Wayne raised his hands, palms up. “Well, I don't remember getting a letter telling me I had a kid.”

“Yeah? Well, you signed for it. I sent it certified.” God, this was Gwen's worst nightmare. The one where someone stole her son away from her.

He shook his head. “Nope, it wasn't me. And that's what I'll tell the judge.”

“Gambler, right?” Mona said, her gaze raking Wayne.

“Right.” Wayne turned his charm on Mona. “How'd you guess?”

She smirked. “I can smell a gambler from a mile away. They kind of stink like bullshit.” She shook her head. “Don't see what Gwen saw in you.”

“Me either,” Gwen agreed. “But then I wasn't seeing straight at the time. I was on a weekend bender trying to get over someone else.”

“What do you really want?” Mona demanded.

Wayne's smile slipped and the slimy charm went with it. “I want to see my boy.” Then his gaze slid over Gwen. “And maybe rekindle an old flame.”

“Nope.” Gwen shook her head. “That's not going to happen when there wasn't a flame to begin with.”

“How do you know?” Wayne rubbed a finger along her bare arm. “I usually have girls lining up to be with me.”

“That's it.” Mona stepped between Wayne and Gwen, and jabbed a finger toward the door. “Out of here. Now.”

Wayne cocked his head to the side, his brows rising in challenge. “Or what? You'll call the police?”

Mona snorted and leaned into Wayne's face, her voice dropping to a threatening tone. “No, I'll call the biggest, meanest cowboy I know to take care of you and dump your sorry ass in a freshly dug hole so deep in the boondocks the authorities will never find you.”

Wayne's eyes narrowed and he stared at Mona for a long time.

Gwen almost laughed when the badass gambler backed down and headed for the door. “I'm leaving, but I'll be back with a lawyer and a court order.”

“You won't be back with shit,” Mona said. “You're too much of a coward.”

Wayne's lips pulled back in a snarl. “Shut your mouth, bitch. That kid's mine, and I'll see him when I like, and teach him how to gamble if that's what I want.” He faced Gwen. “If you don't like it—tough. You, with all your money, makeup company and fancy cars, won't be able to do a damn thing about it.”

Gwen stepped up to the bastard. “What is it you really want, Wayne? My money?”

“Is that it?” Mona stood beside Gwen. “Because, if it is, you're not getting squat out of Gwen. She
earned
her money, not by threatening single mothers.”

Wayne fisted his hands and stepped toward Mona.

Gwen's pulse leaped and she moved between the two. “Leave, Wayne.”

He breathed through his nose like an angry bull. “I'm going, but I'll be back with a court order.” He left, slamming the door behind him.

Gwen sank into one of the lounge chairs and buried her face in her hands. “Damn, damn, damn.”

“What are you worried about?” Mona stroked her hair. “That man doesn't have a leg to stand on.”

“I've seen it happen all too often. A woman goes into court thinking she has all her cards lined up and then bam. The court gives the deadbeat joint custody. A boy needs a father figure, they'll say. No matter how bad a role model the dad is.” Gwen looked up at Mona, her vision blurred by the tears threatening to overflow. “Dalton doesn't even know the man. Can you imagine Wayne marching in and taking Dalton away for court-ordered visitation? What if he never brought him back?” Gwen shook her head. “I can't let that happen.”

“We'll get a good lawyer,” Mona said. “One of the best.”

“What if it's not good enough? What if I get a judge sympathetic to the father? What if he believes Wayne wasn't informed of Dalton's birth?” Gwen stood and paced across the room and back. “Dalton would be terrified. And Wayne is not fit to be a parent.”

Mona snorted. “He's not fit to be a human.”

Gwen turned around. “Unzip me.”

“Why?” Mona frowned and didn't move to comply.

“I need to go get Dalton.”

“Now? He's probably asleep out at the ranch.”

“I have to get him.” Gwen twisted around, reaching for the zipper. “I couldn't sleep with Wayne out there. What if he tries to kidnap Dalton?”

“Like I said, I'll find the biggest, baddest cowboy out there to lynch the bastard. Grant would stand first in line. He loves Dalton. Then I'd take my turn and chop off Wayne's balls, if he has any.” Mona stood in her black jeans, black boots and a soft-pink tank top, her curly blond hair pulled up in a loose ponytail. She looked like an avenging dark angel who could kick ass and hand out cotton candy to the spectators.

Gwen couldn't ask for a truer friend. “I can't let you do that. If it's money Wayne wants, I'll give it to him. Anything to keep from losing Dalton.”

“Oh, honey, you can't do that. You give a man money once, and he'll be back again and again. It's like feeding a bear. He'll quit trying to feed himself.”

“This bear is Dalton's biological father. He has rights.”

Mona's lips pressed into a line. “He lost those rights the day he ignored your certified letter.”

“Still, I can't relax until I know Dalton is safe.” She twisted again, reaching for the zipper.

A loud knock sounded on the door and Gwen froze, her fingers on the zipper tab, her desperation spiking into raw, raging anger. “Go away, you self-centered bastard!” she yelled, too distraught to think straight.

She listened for the sound of footsteps, but only got silence. “I mean it. Get lost!” Her voice caught on a sob.

“I'll handle this.” Mona started for the door.

“No. Let me.” Gwen reached for the doorknob and flung it open. “What part of get lost did you not—” She stopped and stared at the big cowboy standing in the doorframe, his hat in his hands, a frown denting his beautiful brow.

“I admit I'm clueless when it comes to women. Did I do something heinous to piss you off?” he asked, his fist wrapped around his hat's brim. “I'll leave, just as soon as you hear me out.” He stared into her face, his jaw tight, the light shining from his eyes fierce. “I love you, Gwendolyn Graves, and I'm not going to leave you alone until you admit you love me too. Do you hear me? I love you.”

Gwen sniffed once, twice, and flung herself into his arms, holding on to him as if he were the life raft in a stormy sea. “Oh, Angus. I love you.”

Angus chuckled. “You're booting me out one minute and hugging me tight the next.” He held her with one hand and smoothed her hair with the other. “Either you're bipolar or I won't ever understand the workings of a woman's mind.”