wish it could be after I’m back in California and there’s half the U.S. between us, but I’ll probably tell him before I go back. Okay—absolutely between the two of us. It’s—”
“Don’t tell me,” Shannon said, covering her ears. “I don’t want to know.”
Lila laughed. “You do make me feel better. I can tell you and you’ll probably guess anyway.”
“No. I don’t need to know. I don’t even want to know, because it will be easier later if someone gets to quizzing me. You know, you can keep that quiet only so long,” she said, glancing over Lila. “I guess that’s why you’re wearing a dress that covers your middle.”
“That’s right. I’m three months along.”
“Oh, my. How long will you stay in Texas on this movie-production business?”
“Probably till the end of the month. Sometimes it’s shorter, sometimes longer, but once I start really working, I don’t think I’ll see the significant person often.”
“Does your mom understand? Your dad isn’t going to.”
“She’s supportive. I don’t even understand what got into me.”
“I think it’s called hormones,” Shannon remarked dryly. “And he’s probably adorable because we have some goodlooking, fun, great guys here.”
“Oh, yes,” Lila replied, thinking that was a fitting description of Sam. “As for Mom, we’re close. Mom has two sides to her. The one my dad sees and others think she is, and then there’s a side that’s not that way at all. Mom manages to get her way with my dad. He just doesn’t realize it. She’ll help me.”
“Good. Sorry, Lila. You’ve complicated your life.”
“That’s an understatement. Thank heavens I can leave Royal and go back to California.”
Two men emerged from the front door and turned toward them. Lila recognized both of them as ranchers from a neighboring county.
“Hey, ladies,” Jeff Wainwright said. “I thought I saw you two out here. You’re missing the fun and a really good hoedown in the barn. Right now they’re having line dancing. Want to give it a whirl?”
Impulsively, Lila accepted, thinking it would be good to move around, expend some energy and forget her pregnancy for five or ten minutes.
If only she could forget. The first sight of Sam had taken her breath. She had thought she wouldn’t have any physical response to him, but she had been wrong. Worse, she had been unable to control her response. With a sparkle in his clear blue eyes, he’d stood facing her. His navy plaid Western shirt had the sleeves rolled high, revealing firm biceps. The shirt tucked into his narrow waist and the faded tight jeans showed his muscled lean frame. He looked sexy and filled with vitality—a good-looking, appealing man. She couldn’t deny that part.
Also, it had felt good to tell Shannon about the pregnancy, to have a friend who knew what she was going through. And a level-headed friend, too.
In minutes Shannon was dancing with Buck McDougal while Lila danced with Jeff. Sam was on the dance floor with Piper Kindred, one of Royal’s paramedics. As she turned, Lila noticed the ex-rodeo rider, Ryan Grant, on the sidelines watching Piper intently. Lila looked away, thinking about how she tried to avoid watching Sam or even looking at him, but it was impossible. He was light on his feet, sexy. It didn’t matter how much appeal he had—his personality, his opinions, his most basic beliefs all were opposite from her own. He was old-fashioned and would never understand her career or her attitude.
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
