The Rancher Returns (15 page)

“I'll be okay. I will have enough to keep me busy.”

Layla wouldn't tell him yet that she wanted lots of children. She'd always wished for siblings and would make sure she had more than one child. And she didn't want to wait a long time before she began having them.

Before Gavin, she'd never thought beyond her career goals. But now she'd achieved those. With him by her side, she could have everything—success and a family and the man she loved.

“So, will you marry me?”

That question, as far as she was concerned, was a no-brainer. “Yes, Gavin, I will marry you.”

He released her hands as he lowered his mouth to hers. She wrapped her arms around his muscled back.

She loved her SEAL, her rancher. For them, the best was yet to come.

Epilogue

L
ayla couldn't help but dab at her eyes. The vow renewal ceremony for Bane and his wife, Crystal, was simply beautiful. The words they spoke to each other in the presence of family and friends were filled with so much love that Layla couldn't help but shed tears.

Gavin had told her how Bane and Crystal had eloped as teens, and then had been separated for five years when her family had sent her away. But what Layla found so precious was how their love had survived. They had reunited a year ago and since no family members had been present for their first wedding, they'd decided to renew their vows in front of everyone.

What was doubly special was that Crystal and Bane had announced to everyone earlier that day that they were expecting a baby. Everyone could tell from the smiles on the couple's faces that a baby was something they both wanted. Gavin and the guys couldn't wait to tease Bane about impending fatherhood. Mac, who had a number of kids of his own, said he would give Bane pointers on changing diapers.

Today was officially the couple's sixth wedding anniversary and Crystal's twenty-fourth birthday. Layla thought it refreshing to find someone even younger than her with a PhD; they had a lot in common. Crystal was beautiful and Layla thought she was just the woman for Bane.

It was a lovely November day in the city of Denver. And since one of Bane's brother's had married an event planner, the home belonging to Bane's older brother Dillon, where the ceremony took place, had been decorated beautifully in colors of blue and gold. Layla had already talked to Alpha Westmoreland about planning Layla's dream wedding, which would take place in June.

“You okay, baby?” Gavin whispered before boldly using his tongue to lick away one of her tears.

“Behave, Gavin,” she whispered back in a warning tone, knowing when it came to her he wouldn't behave.

She glanced around to see if anyone had noticed what he'd done. Bane certainly had a big family. There were Westmorelands everywhere. Gavin had warned her but she hadn't believed him. No wonder the locals referred to this section of Denver as Westmoreland Country. There were also some Westmorelands who lived in Atlanta, Montana and Texas. She'd even discovered Bane's cousin was married to a king in a country in the Middle East. All the Westmorelands she'd met were friendly and made her feel so welcome.

Another couple she'd met and liked right away was Bane's cousin Bailey and her husband, Walker Rafferty. They lived in Alaska. Layla hadn't wanted to keep staring at Walker but she remembered when he'd been a movie star years ago. He'd been a heartthrob then and he was definitely one today. She recalled seeing his picture on the cover of a recent issue of
Simply Irresistible
magazine. When she'd mentioned it to Bailey, the woman had chuckled and looked up at her husband adoringly before saying, “There's a story behind that. One day I will have to tell you about it.”

It was good seeing Gavin's teammates again. Layla was glad to meet Mac's wife, Teri. The mother of four was simply gorgeous. Everyone planned to visit the Silver Spurs in June for Gavin and Layla's wedding. They'd agreed to spend Thanksgiving at the ranch and Christmas with her family. Ms. Melody and Caldwell had married and seemed to be very happy together.

Layla looked down at her engagement ring. It was beautiful. They had talked about Gavin giving Layla his mother's wedding set. Jamie had still been wearing the rings when her body had been unearthed. But Gavin had said he wanted Layla to have her own special rings and he would keep the rings his father had given his mother to pass on to their first son... Gavin Blake IV. She smiled at the audacity of Gavin thinking he would one day have a son to carry on the Blake name.

When the minister told Bane he could kiss his wife, everyone cheered. Bane pulled Crystal into his arms and gave her one hell of a kiss. What the couple shared was definitely special. Just as special as what Layla and Gavin shared.

Bane then leaned over and whispered something in Crystal's ear, which made her blush. Layla leaned over to Gavin. “I guess you heard that.” He had told her about what his teammates dubbed as his sonic ears.

Gavin smiled. “Yes, I heard. Every single naughty word.”

“The ceremony was beautiful,” Layla said, fighting back more tears.

Gavin took her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “And so are you. I can't wait until the day you will officially have my name.”

Layla couldn't wait, either. He'd been trying to talk her into eloping in January and having a huge wedding reception in June. He wanted them to be married before he left for this next covert operation. She was giving his suggestion some serious thought.

“And I can't wait until later, when I get you back to our hotel room,” he added, whispering close to her ear.

Layla smiled as they linked hands and walked out of the church. She knew her life with her SEAL/rancher would never be boring.

* * * * *

Don't miss where the legacy began...meet the Westmorelands from the very beginning...

THE WESTMORELANDS

Any of the titles can be read as stand-alone novels, but the entire Westmoreland experience is available in discounted box sets for your reading pleasure!

Brenda Jackson
THE WESTMORELANDS SERIES
, Books One–Five

DELANEY'S DESERT SHEIKH
A LITTLE DARE
THORN'S CHALLENGE
STONE COLD SURRENDER
RIDING THE STORM

Brenda Jackson
THE WESTMORELANDS SERIES
, Books Six–Ten

JARED'S COUNTERFEIT FIANC
É
E
THE CHASE IS ON
THE DURANGO AFFAIR
IAN'S ULTIMATE GAMBLE
SEDUCTION, WESTMORELAND STYLE

Brenda Jackson
THE WESTMORELANDS SERIES
, Books Eleven–Fifteen

SPENCER'S FORBIDDEN PASSION
TAMING CLINT WESTMORELAND
COLE'S RED-HOT PURSUIT
QUADE'S BABIES
TALL, DARK... WESTMORELAND!

Brenda Jackson
THE WESTMORELANDS SERIES
, Books Sixteen–Twenty

WESTMORELAND'S WAY
HOT WESTMORELAND NIGHTS
WHAT A WESTMORELAND WANTS
A WIFE FOR A WESTMORELAND
THE PROPOSAL

Brenda Jackson
THE WESTMORELANDS SERIES
, Books Twenty-One–Twenty-Five

FEELING THE HEAT
TEXAS WILD
ONE WINTER'S NIGHT
ZANE
CANYON

Brenda Jackson
THE WESTMORELANDS SERIES
, Books Twenty-Six–Thirty

STERN
THE REAL THING
THE SECRET AFFAIR
BREAKING BAILEY'S RULES
BANE

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The Black Sheep's Secret Child

by Cat Schield

One

S
avannah Caldwell bypassed the line of partygoers held in a queue by velvet ropes and headed for the burly linebacker with the crooked nose guarding the nightclub's front entrance. Club T's was only open Friday through Monday. Without a table reservation, the average wait for general admission on a Monday night was one to three hours. Savannah had no intention of standing around that long to get in to see her brother-in-law.

A driving beat poured from the club's mirror-lined doorway. At one o'clock in the morning, Club T's was in full swing, and Savannah was actively second-guessing her impulse to hunt down Trent to discuss business at this unorthodox hour. But she'd been turned away from his office earlier when she'd tried to make an appointment with his assistant, and so coming here seemed the only way she could get him to acknowledge her.

A wave of melancholy caught her off guard. She'd been fixated on Trent since age eleven when she'd left Tennessee and moved to LA to live with her aunt Stacy, the Caldwell family's live-in housekeeper. At first Savannah had just wanted him to like her. As she entered high school, she'd developed a full-blown crush on him. But it wasn't until she'd moved to New York City at eighteen and began modeling that Trent finally noticed her as a woman.

When she'd married Trent's brother, Rafe, sixteen months ago, Trent had severed all contact with her. The loss had been devastating. To cope she'd buried her sadness. But suppressing her emotions had turned her into a poorly crafted replica of who she used to be. She spoke less. Dressed and acted like a matron twice her age. She'd lost all touch with the optimistic young woman who dreamed of a loving family, and a husband who adored her.

Savannah stepped up to the blond bouncer with the well-defined cheekbones. In four-inch heels, she stood six feet tall, yet the top of her head came no higher than the second button of his snug black polo with Club T's logo. Where ten minutes ago she'd been truly determined, she was suddenly awash in hesitation. Even if Savannah was comfortable with confrontation, she was no match for this man. He was accustomed to subduing intoxicated, belligerent troublemakers twice her size.

WWCD.
What would Courtney do?

She drew in a breath to counteract her rising anxiety and ran through the centering exercises her acting coach had drilled into her. Playing the part of wealthy mean girl Courtney Day on a soap opera for three years had enabled Savannah to summon the demanding character at will, even two years after she'd stopped acting.

In the early days of working on the show, Savannah had struggled in a role as foreign to her as Courtney. While she'd certainly encountered enough rich, entitled and manipulative women during her years of living in the Caldwell household to draw from to create Courtney, Savannah hated the sort of conflict the socialite thrived on. Savannah would rather retreat than stick up for herself and had a hard time acting as if everyone should rush to do her bidding.

She'd landed the role because of how she'd looked in Courtney's designer clothes, with her hair and makeup done by professionals, not because she could act. Within the first two days, it was obvious she was going to be fired unless she learned to embrace Courtney's mean-girl persona. A fellow actor recommended her acting coach. Bert Shaw was tough and smart. He convinced her to live the persona 24/7 until she was more familiar with Courtney than Savannah. It had taken two weeks, but once she surrendered to Courtney's strengths, her flaws were easier to accept.

With a slow blink, Savannah wrapped herself in her alter ego once more. “I need to speak with Trent,” she told the gatekeeper.

To her shock, the man nodded. The smile he gave her was surprisingly gentle for one of his imposing bulk. “Of course, Mrs. Caldwell. He said to let you right in.”

Savannah wasn't sure whether to be delighted or worried that Trent had at long last made himself available after ignoring her phone calls for the last seven days. What sort of game was he playing? Knowing Trent the way she did, it could be any number of things.

“He'll be in the VIP section upstairs.” The bouncer unhooked the rope from the stanchion and gestured her toward the entrance.

Courtney treated most people as if they existed only to serve her. Savannah should have sailed through without giving the bouncer another glance, but she sent him a grateful smile as she went by.

Once upon a time she might have enjoyed being here, but not tonight. Club T's catered to twentysomethings who favored short dresses that bared long tanned legs and impressive amounts of cleavage. As she eased through the press of bodies, she was feeing positively archaic.

She'd had fun taking in the LA and New York City nightlife at Trent's side. But that was before she'd entered a loveless marriage, given birth to her son and become a widow all in the space of a year and a half. Not what she'd hoped for herself.

When she thought about the girl who'd dreamed of living happily ever after, she missed her a lot. Naive and very foolish she might have been, but she'd also been brimming with optimism. Undaunted by a lonely childhood where she'd been more burden than someone's pride and joy, she'd craved a traditional family lifestyle, with a husband and children, a cozy house with a dog, and a white picket fence. Instead, she'd fallen for Trent Caldwell and picked the one man who would never make her dreams come true...

Handsome and confident, with an irresistible charm, Trent could also be difficult and moody when things didn't go his way. His family brought out the worst in him, something Savannah had often witnessed during the years she'd lived with them.

When Trent's father, Siggy, went after his younger son for his wild nature and reckless behavior, the whole house had resonated with his denigrating monologues. Siggy saw himself as the head of a dynasty and viewed Trent as the bad seed. During the seven years Savannah had lived with her aunt, it became clear that while eldest son, Rafe, could do no wrong, younger son, Trent, did nothing right.

In the aftermath of those arguments, Savannah had always gone to Trent. In him she saw reflected the loneliness and isolation that defined her situation. Believing they were kindred spirits fanned her girlish crush on him. She supposed that Trent acted the way he did because it was expected of him rather than because it was his nature. Just as she was confident that if he'd been raised by a father who'd been supportive and kind, rather than a tyrant, he would have ended up totally different.

She paused at the edge of the dance floor and searched for the stairs that would take her into the VIP section. Since Savannah had never visited Las Vegas before, she had no idea where she was going. The photographs she'd seen of Club T's didn't do the enormity of the place justice. The club occupied forty thousand square feet in Cobalt, one of the premier hotels on the Strip. In addition to the enormous dance floor inside, the club boasted a sprawling outdoor patio and pool area.

The club was owned by three men—the T's that made up the club's name. Trent Caldwell, Savannah's brother-in-law, who managed the day-to-day business, had a 50 percent stake. The other half was split between Kyle Tailor, former Cubs pitcher and part owner of the LA Dodgers as well as the boyfriend of Trent's sister, Melody, and Nate Tucker, Grammy-winning singer/songwriter, Free Fall's lead singer, producer and owner of Ugly Trout Records.

Before Savannah could start moving again, a medium-size man with brown hair snagged her arm. “Hey, there, beautiful. If you're looking for someone, here I am. Let me buy you a drink.”

“No, thank you.”

“Come on. One drink.”

“I'm meeting someone.”

“I'm sure he won't mind.”

She'd had too many encounters with men like this. She didn't need a basket filled with cookies or a red cape to attract the wolves. Something beyond being blonde and pretty made her prey. And all too often she had a tendency to trust when she should question instead.

“I mind.”

The bodies around them shifted, allowing Savannah to slip away without further confrontation. She angled away from the bar and the dance floor. Sheer luck allowed her to blunder in the right direction. Another mammoth guarded the VIP entrance, but he let her in without challenge. Noting the earpiece he wore, Savannah assumed he'd been warned to expect her.

She wound her way past plush, curved couches loaded with celebrities from the music industry and Hollywood. Her brother-in-law was easy to locate. She just needed to look for the most beautiful women.

Trent was completely in his element. Like an emperor accustomed to being adored, he sat on a curved couch, arms spread wide to allow the brunettes flanking him to snuggle close. Each girl had a drink in one hand and rested the other hand possessively on Trent. If they hoped to pin down this elusive bachelor, Savannah wished them luck. From the look on his face, he wasn't into either of them. Not that that would stop him from showing them a good time. And from their blatant pawing, it appeared that's what they were looking for.

Savannah stepped up to Trent's table and spoke his name. The DJ picked that second to talk over the loud music and drowned out her voice. Nevertheless, whether he heard his name or just noticed her awkwardly standing there, Trent turned his attention to her.

As his eyes met hers, longing slammed into her, as inescapable as it was four years ago when he'd kissed her for the first time. Strong emotions bumped up her heart rate and released butterflies in her stomach. Squaring her shoulders, she ignored her body's disloyalty. She couldn't let Trent get to her. She'd come to Las Vegas with a business proposition and that's what she needed to focus on.

“Savannah, what a surprise.” A welcoming smile curved his lips, but to someone who'd seen Trent unguarded and truly happy, it looked fake. “Come join us.”

She shook her head. “I'm not here to party.”

He mimed that he couldn't hear her and waved her closer. Savannah held her ground, not relishing the idea of becoming one of his groupies. If she'd felt out of place downstairs, that was nothing compared to the humiliation of standing on display for Trent's fashion-forward friends. Pity, boredom and mockery made up their expressions as they judged her.

In the year and a half since she and Rafe had become a couple, she'd adapted to his preferred style. Her husband had dictated that she wear her hair sleek and fill her closet with elegant clothes worthy of a CEO's wife. Tonight, she'd been thinking along the lines of business rather than clubbing when she'd left the suite wearing a sheath of red satin and sheer checkerboard squares over a nude lining. It covered her from collarbone to knee and made her stand out from the crowd in the worst way possible.

“I need to speak to you.” As much as she hated raising her voice, the loud dance music required her to shout to be heard.

“Just one drink.” He signaled the waitress. “One drink and we can talk right here.”

She was not going to go sit beside Trent and pretend that the way he'd treated her this last year and a half hadn't bothered her. Because it had. She'd been angry with Trent for refusing to even consider making a commitment to her and tormented by guilt for marrying his brother for all the wrong reasons.

Savannah crossed her arms over her chest. She might have to beg for Trent's help, but she wouldn't let him see her humiliation at needing to do so.

“I'd prefer our conversation to be a private one.”

She'd never negotiated with Trent and won. The man never seemed to care whether or not he got what he wanted. He was always ready to walk away from the bargaining table, which gave him an advantage.

They stared at each other—each determined to have their way—until the music and the lights faded to insignificance in the background. Trent's gaze toured her body with lazy intensity as he waited for her to surrender to his will. It bothered Savannah how much she wanted to give in to him.

His power over her hadn't faded one bit. Her thoughts were jumbled as she was overwhelmed by the urge to taste his sexy mouth and feel his hands roaming all over her. Their lovemaking had always been hot and satisfying. He'd spent an exceptional amount of time getting to know her body's every sensitive spot. An ache blossomed inside her. It had been nineteen long months since she'd last been with him, and her every nerve was on fire with anticipation.

Coming here tonight had been a bad idea. She should have held out for a civilized meeting in his office. Instead, she was filled with a recklessness inspired by the dance music's heavy beat and her own dangerous desire.

She had to go.

As a child Savannah had coped with her father's temper and her grandmother's frequent illnesses by hiding somewhere she felt safe. By the time she'd become a teenager, the habit of fleeing difficult situations was fully ingrained in her psyche. Retreat and regroup. Now that she was a mother, she'd grown better at standing her ground, but when overly stressed she fell back on what was familiar. Which explained why she turned away from Trent and headed for the exit.

The club seemed busier than it had five minutes earlier. Savannah wormed through the press of undulating bodies, familiar tightness building in her chest. The ever-changing lights and the hammering beat of the music combined to batter her senses. Her legs shook as she wound her way past the dance floor, and she wrenched her ankle during an awkward sidestep. Her head began to spin. Pressure built until she wanted to scream. She had to get out of the club. But which direction was the exit?

“There you are.” The man she'd escaped earlier sneaked his arm around her waist and breathed alcohol at her. Her brief encounter with Trent had stripped away her Courtney armor. Locked in her panic attack, she was vulnerable to the man's boldness. “Thought you could get away from me, didn't you?” His lips met her cheek in an untidy kiss.