Lonestar Secrets (30 page)

The family hadn't realized she was out here yet. Jem hadn't barked. Shannon stood on the porch and listened to the sound of laughter as Rick teased Allie about looking sexy pregnant. The love in his voice made hot tears well in Shannon's eyes. She had never experienced that kind of love and support.

And after today, she never would.

Dashing the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand, she rapped on the screen door. The laughter and voices stilled, then Allie appeared on the other side.

Allie opened the door with a smile. "Shannon, I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."

Shannon stepped into the entry. "I got the chip out of my arm. Rick said he could give it to a friend to decode."

Allie nodded. "Want some chili? It's still hot."

"No thanks, we ate already. Besides, it's only good with crackers, and Enrica has everyone in the house on a strict no-wheat diet. I think it might even help my MS." She followed her friend to the kitchen. "But I'd take some coffee." Rick and Betsy greeted her.

"There's a fresh pot help yourself," Allie said.

Shannon knew her way around the Bailey kitchen, even better than her own since Enrica hardly let her near the room. She got down a cup and poured the strong coffee into it. She found cream in the refrigerator and sugar in the canister. Being here always infused her with a sense of belonging and love.

If only her own home held this much contentment.

Most days she was on the sidelines looking in at life, just as if she were back in her uncle's house. She took a swig of coffee and sat beside Betsy at the kitchen table. "Hey, Bets, are you going to come play with the girls one of these days?"

Betsy nodded. "Can I come tomorrow?" She looked up at her mother as she spoke.

"If it's okay with Shannon."

"That would be great. Kylie and Faith have been asking about you." She didn't want the twins to get so close they excluded other friends.

"You have the chip out?" Rick asked. His hair hung over his tanned forehead, and he leaned forward in his chair.

Shannon slid the petri dish across the table to him. "There it is."

Allie's glance moved to her arm. "Did it hurt?"

Shannon shook her head. "The doctor numbed it. It aches a little now but nothing major. Take a look the chip is tiny."

Rick held the dish up to the light. "I can hardly see it. I'll overnight it to Brendan Waddell, my friend in Washington. He'll figure out what it is. You sure you want to do this? That guy might be back for it if he finds out this is what he's been looking for."

"I don't know where Mary Beth is, and I don't want to turn it over to them if she's in danger. It's my only bargaining hope. How long do you think it will be before Waddell gets back to you?"

"I'd give it a week. He might be involved in some big issue at work." Rick rose. "I'll go give him a call, then head out to the barn to check on the horses."

"You might stop by the bunkhouse and make sure no kids have snuck out," Allie said.

He nodded. "We've got a pretty good batch this time. I don't anticipate any problems with them." He glanced at Betsy. "Want to go with me, squirt?"

"Sure, Daddy." Betsy slid from her chair and put her hand in Rick's.

"Thanks," Shannon whispered as they passed. Smart man to know she needed to talk to Allie.

"What's wrong?" Allie demanded as soon as Rick and Betsy were out of earshot. "You're too pale and shaky for it to be caused by digging that little chip out of your arm."

It would be easy to blame Jack for her upset, but the time for truth was here. Shannon didn't want to lose Allie's friendship, but she might react as badly as Jack had to Shannon's secretiveness.

"Jack found out today that I have MS."

Allie's mouth gaped. "You've never told him? Oh, Shannon." Her voice was reproachful.

"I know, I know. I meant to tell him this week. I've been so stupid, Allie. I . . . I wanted him to start to feel something for me, and I thought if he knew everything about my past, about my illness, he'd never love me." She rubbed her hands together. "There's more though. You've never asked about the girls' father."

"I thought when you wanted to talk about it, you would."

That would be never. Shannon sighed and took a sip of coffee. "Tucker Larue showed up at my uncle's ranch when we were there Friday. He told Jack he was their father."

"Tucker?" Allie grimaced.

"I know, it seems strange. He wasn't always so out for himself." Shannon lifted her shoulders. "Anyway, Jack was furious and told me he wanted all the secrets out. I should have told him about my MS then, but the time didn't seem right. I was so stupid!"

Allie took Shannon's hand. "I'm so sorry. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, but the stress has kicked up my symptoms a little."

"There's a really good naturopath in Alpine. I think you should go up there and see her. I know an MS patient she treated, and you can't even tell my friend has it now."

"Really? I'm willing to try anything. Make me an appointment and I'll go."

Allie nodded and continued to stare at Shannon. "I assume Jack was mad when he found out?"

Shannon winced at the memory of his white face. "Furious. And I can't blame him. I forced him into marriage and didn't tell him the whole story. I was stupid and selfish. I've faced worse than a disease. It's not going to lick me, and we would have been okay without him."

"You married to make sure Kylie was taken care of, right? Surely he can understand that." Allie stood and began to carry the dishes to the sink. Her huge bulk swayed.

Shannon gathered the rest of the dishes and began to put them in the dishwasher. "I was beginning to hope there was a future for me and Jack that was more than ... than I'd first thought."

Allie leaned her weight against the counter and stared up at Shannon. "You're in love with him," she said.

"He's about as easy to love as a horse fly." Shannon wanted to turn away from the probing blue eyes of her friend. "We're still strangers. I did hope that we could be friends."

A smile played about Allie's lips. "I know the signs, my friend. I tried to ignore my feelings for Rick for way too long. You can deny it all you want, but the evidence is clear."

"Clear as black water." Shannon tried to laugh off Allie's words, but they sank deep, down to her soul.

She had tried to talk herself out of her initial realization that she loved Jack. She could admire his tenderness with the girls and his commitment to his first wife without being in love with him. It was fine to watch his broad shoulders across the paddock and see his gentleness with the mustangs without allowing it to go any further. Noticing his strength and unswerving integrity didn't mean she had given her heart with no hope of retrieval.

Did it?

Her throat closed. Was there anything more pathetic than being in love with a man who despised her?

"Your emotions are right on your face," Allie said. "It's okay to love him. He's your husband, after all. When I married Rick, I thought it was for Betsy's sake and would be temporary, but Rick realized our vows were sacred. He decided to love me in action and hoped the feelings would come later. They did."

Shannon had never witnessed a happier union than Rick and Allie's. Maybe there was hope for her and Jack after all. "Jack doesn't love me. He's still in love with Blair."

"Fight for him, Shannon." Allie's gaze locked with Shannon's. "He might not love you right now, but show him love and respect anyway. Once he gets to know you better, he can't help but love you. Anyone would."

"You're prejudiced." Shannon smiled weakly. "I don't know if I can do this. Or even if I want to do it. I've had a lot of rejection in my life. I'm not sure I can face a rejection that would hurt so much."

"No pain, no gain," Allie said. "I know that sounds flippant, but it's life, girl. Would you trade the joy you've had with Kylie to avoid the pain that's gone along with it?"

"No," Shannon said. "Not in a million years."

"Then try. Shower Jack with love and respect and see what happens."

Shannon's pulse gave a jump at the thought of going out on a limb that way. "I'll think about it," was all she could manage to say.

DRIYING ROME UNDER THE STARS, THE ROMANTIC IDEALS ALLIE HAD talked about seemed easy to put into action. Jack was an easy man to respect and love. Facing the reality of his aloof expression was something else. The girls were in bed when she got home, and he sat watching the sports replays on the news.

When she passed the door to the den, he called to her. "Shannon, you won't believe what the sheriff said. Come here a minute." He leaped from his leather chair when she came into the room. "You'll need to sit down."

He was scaring her. "What's wrong?" She shook him off when he tried to push her into a chair.

"I think it might all be over. It was your cousin Curt all along."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sheriff Borland was driving past your uncle's place and saw a light inside the house. He shut off his cruiser by the road and walked onto the property, found Curt on the porch with a box of papers. Curt tried to talk his way out and said you'd given him permission to be there, but he dropped the box and Borland found old stocks inside. When he started to call you, Curt objected. The sheriff didn't like his manner but let him go. Borland kept the stocks though. He checked them out and they're worth a tidy sum. He wants to know if you authorized Curt to take stocks from the house. I told him no, so he's going to pick Curt up for questioning"

"So that's what Curt's been after. But why? He has plenty of money."

Jack shook his head. "Not so much. He's on the verge of bankruptcy. He lost an important case about six months ago, and his practice has tanked. It's over, Shannon. He's been behind all this."

"But what about Mary Beth?"

"Borland is sure he can get Curt to sing"

A thought began to hover. "Maybe if I take the stocks to the guy who's been assaulting me, he'll let Mary Beth go. This might be what he's been looking for."

"You're not in danger anymore. Or the girls."

Shannon stepped closer. Her arms came up around his waist, and she clung to him. Did his lips just brush her hair? She hugged him tighter, words of love hovering on her lips.

But no. He would never believe it. She had to show it, like Allie said. Dropping her arms, she stepped away and directed a full-wattage smile his way. He nearly reeled when she did. "I'm glad I heard it from you," she whispered. She turned toward the door. "I want to talk to Curt and get those stocks."

"I'll come with you." He got up from the sofa and followed her. He called his intentions to Enrica.

Shannon tried her phone after piling into Jack's truck. Jack pulled out onto the main road. "Stupid thing is dead again," she muttered.

Jack fished his cell phone out of his pocket. "Here, use mine. Who are you calling?"

"Mary Beth's phone." She was going to take charge of this situation and put an end to it. She plugged her phone in to charge, then punched in the number and listened to it ring. When she got Mary Beth's voice mail, she left a message for the captor saying she had what he wanted.

Jack parked his truck in front of the sheriff's office, a single-story stucco building that was showing signs of weathering on the corners. Shannon let Jack explain what they wanted while she thought about how to handle Curt. What did she even feel about what he'd done?

Acceptance. That's what this sense of peace was all about. All the property should have belonged to Curt anyway. She'd tell him he could have it all, but she had to take the stocks to his partners so Mary Beth could go free. She followed Jack and the deputy back to the cells and faced Curt through the bars.

He sat on a bunk with his head in his hands. He leaped to his feet when he saw her. "Shannon, you've got to tell them I wasn't doing anything wrong."

"I'm going to," she said. "I'm not pressing charges. But why didn't you just tell me what you wanted, Curt? I would have let you have anything you wanted. Or wouldn't your partners let you?"

"What partners?" He shook his head. "If you're talking about that crazy idea of Borland's that I had something to do with a kidnapping and some attacks on you, it's not true."

She didn't want to believe him. "I'm going to take the stocks to your partners, and you can go free. I'm also going to sign over the ranch to you."

He gave a harsh laugh. "That place isn't worth the kerosene to burn it down. I don't want it. But I need the stocks."

She shook her head and walked away, ignoring his shouts. Jack pointed out the sheriff's office, and she stopped long enough to take possession of the box of stocks and tell him she wasn't pressing charges.

When she stepped outside, she stopped in her tracks at the sight of Verna talking with reporters. She and Jack exchanged glances, then approached the tangle of media. "What's going on?" she asked.

Verna's gaze was direct. "I'm telling the truth, Shannon. All of it. I can't sleep, can't eat, can't even take pleasure in my garden. People ha-have been saying wrong things about you and Jack. I'm not standing for it anymore."

Shannon's eyes welled, and she blinked back the tears. "Thank you, Verna." Jack murmured his thanks, too, and ignoring the shouted questions from the media, they pressed past the crush of people to his truck.

By the time they reached the vehicle, her cell phone was ringing. She and Jack locked gazes. "It's Mary Beth's cell phone," she said. "He's returning my call." Her pulse was thumping loudly in her ears, and she unplugged the phone, then flipped it open. Jack bent his head to listen in.

The man's voice came through the phone. "You ready to play ball? Where do you want to meet?"

"I want to know that Mary Beth is okay first."

"You're in no position to call the shots, lady. No money and the woman goes bye-bye."

"Look, I have the stocks right here in my hand. I'll turn them over to you, but not without Mary Beth."

"Stocks? What stocks? Is this some kind of scam?"

"You ... you aren't after my uncle's stocks?" Confusion swept over her.