The Tycoon's Runaway BrideThe Tycoon's Runaway BrideBy: Christine RimmerCopyright 2011 by Harlequin Books S.A.Department store tycoon Jack McKay had no idea what had made his fiance run out on their wedding and escape to Thunder Canyon, Montana. But he was going to find out. And then he'd bring Melody Kilkalen home, no matter what it took.Melody knew exactly why Jack wanted her to return to Texas with himand it wasn't because he loved her. And yethe seemed so sincere about his feelings for her. She had to know for sure whether Jack truly cared for her. Only this time she would call the shots, this time she was in controland this time she was the one with the secret.In July 2011, USA TODAY bestselling author Christine Rimmer launches the new Montana Mavericks continuity, Montana Mavericks: The Texans Are ComingTexas oil barons come to Montana looking for oilonly to find romance, too!Related TitleResisting Mr. Tall, Dark & TexanResisting Mr. Tall, Dark & Texanby Christine Rimmer Harlequin Special Edition Heart & Home Montana Mavericks: The Texans Are Coming! List Price: $5.25 Our Price: $4.20 You Save: $1.05 Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter EightOnline Read LibraryCommunityChapter OnePrint this PageSomehow, he had found her.Melody Kilkalen's pulse spiked. She set down her fork and lowered her hands to her lap so he couldn't see them trembling.Then, slowly, trying to look as though she couldn't care less, she turned her head away from the sight of him sitting there, alone at a table not fifteen feet from hers. She gazed out the wide window at a stunning view of Thunder Mountain. It was so beautiful; the craggy peaks were still crested with snow at the end of May. She watched the lengthening shadows that darkened the mountainside as evening came on.Damn you, Jack McKay.Why had he come here? The question echoed, loud as her own heartbeat, in her brain. What could possibly be the point of tracking her down? Following her? Hadn't her leaving him at the altar a week ago told him everything he needed to know?And how had he found her?She'd fled in her wedding dress right before the wedding march started, grabbing her purse and running, with no idea where she would go. A kindhearted trucker picked her up and took her all the way to Fort Collins, Colorado. She'd checked into a motel and slept for twelve hours straight.The next day, she'd paid the motel maid to get her some jeans and a T-shirt. The maid had admired her Vera Wang wedding dress, so Melody had given it to her.And then she'd called a cab and asked the cabbie to drive her to the nearest car rental place. Once she had a car, she'd been on the road again. She'd driven north until she found herself in a small Montana town called Thunder Canyon. She'd followed the signs to the Thunder Canyon Resort and taken a suite.And she'd been here ever since. The resort had everything she neededseveral restaurants, boutiques where she'd bought a whole new wardrobe, a great spa if she wanted to pamper herself. Everything. She'd decided to splurgeshe was on her honeymoon, after all. A honeymoon minus a wedding, and without a groom.She'd contacted no one back in Houstonwell, except for her parents. Just to tell them she was safe, to ask them to call her bridesmaids and say how sorry she was to have left them at the church, all dressed up for a wedding that wasn't going to happen. She'd had a long talk with her dad, explaining how betrayed she felt that he hadn't been honest with her, that he hadn't told her what he knew about Jack. And then she'd made both her mom and dad swear they wouldn't reveal to Jack where she'd gone.Had they broken their promise?She'd been so sure that they wouldn't.But Jack McKay could be very persuasive when he wanted to be. He might have the face and body of a street-fighting thug, but he was also skilled at turning on the charm. He could seem so sincere when he chose to be. The low-life lying bastard scum.Her parents must have told him where to find her. Or maybe he'd hired some detective to track her down. He'd had several days to work on it, after all.Which brought her back to the real question: Why?Oh, please. She knew why. And it wasn't for her. If a sad little flicker of hope had dared to flare in her heart at the sight of him, well, she needed to stomp it out.He was here because without her, he couldn't get what he wanted. She was part of the dealin fact, without her, there was no deal.She picked up her fork again. See? Her hands were steady now. Even her galloping heart had settled to a more sedate rhythm.It wasn't right that he'd followed her to the resort, that he'd tracked her down to the place where she'd found refuge from his two-faced betrayal. She liked it here, and she planned to stay for a whileat least for the whole two weeks they would have been on Turtle Island for their honeymoon. All she wanted was to lick her wounds in peace, in the shadow of the craggy snow-capped mountain.Her stomach rolledno! She refused to be sick here, in the beautiful Gallatin Room, the resort's best restaurant. Not while he was watching, seeking a weakness, trying to find an opening, a way to get to her. She kept her expression composed as she took a bite of tender prime rib. Her gag reflex tried to kick in.She didn't let it. She made herself chew and swallow. And then she ate another bite. And another after that.The food stayed down. Thank God. No way could she afford to reveal that to him. Her secret was her own. And she was glad, so glad, that she'd never shared it with a user like him.She ate the rest of her meal in a calm and unhurried fashion.She did not once glance his way again.And by the end of the meal, she'd come to a decision. She would confront himwhich she probably should have done before she ran out on him.She would tell him exactly what she thought of him. And then she would demand that he go home. She would make him realize that he was wasting his time.It was over, and he wasn't getting what he'd schemed and lied to get. So he might as well just leave her alone.***Jack McKay waved away the waiter's offer of dessert. "Just coffee."The waiter brought him the coffee and left him.He sipped, set the cup down and stared at Melody's delicate profile some more. She didn't look his way again. One glance was all she'd given him. So far.She probably thought that she could get rid of him if she refused to admit he was even there.Fat chance, Melody.It had cost him a bundle to find her. The best private investigators didn't come cheap. But he had found her. And now that he had, he was staying right here at this mountain resort in the middle of nowherestaying on the same floor as hers, as a matter of factuntil she came to her senses and agreed to return to Texas with him.Jack wanted answers and he was going to get them.She'd made a fool of him in front of everyone who mattered in Houston. He needed to find out why she'd left him at the altar and fix whatever the problem was between them so that they could get back together and move on.Jack was not a man who gave up what was his. Melody ought to know that by now. He was a fighter and a winner, in spite of long odds. And Melody was his. He would make her see that, no matter what it took.But he was getting ahead of himself. Before he could convince her she'd made a huge mistake, he first had to figure out how to approach her, this woman who in an instant had turned into someone he didn't know.She was probably the most gentle, well-bred person he'd ever met, yet she'd behaved like a crazy woman. The few who'd seen her running away had said she'd simply come out of the dressing room off the church waiting area, lifted her white skirts high and sprinted out the church doors, running as if the devil himself were after her.Jack had done his research on her and her family before he'd decided to pursue her. There was no history of mental illness. It made no sense.And that meant he had no idea what she would do when he tried to talk to her. Burst into tears? Slap his face? Start yellingor just turn on her heel and walk away?The possibility that she might behave rationally seemed remote at best. And if she started crying and shouting at him, well, where would he go from there?She was a small, slender woman, with big, innocent eyes. And he was tall and broad-shouldered, with plenty of muscle. If she told him to get away from her and he didn't go, some damn fool would be bound to come to her rescue.Jack didn't want trouble.He just wanted answers and to take her home.How to get what he wanted from a woman who wouldn't even meet his eyes? That was the question.He sipped more coffee and watched her smile at the waiter and sign the check. Should he get up and follow her out when she left? At this point, he wouldn't put it past her to bolt. And he'd have to hunt her down all over again.She pushed back her chair and stood, her baby-fine soft blond hair shining in the light from the chandeliers overhead, her posture charm-school straight. She picked up her small clutch purse and turned toward him.And shocked the hell out of him when she looked straight at him.Her elegantly shaped mouth trembled.She started walking.Right for him.She didn't stop until she stood by his table. "Jack." Her voice was soft as a breath, musical, refined. Something down inside him went hot and tight."Melody." He let his gaze slide downward to where she clutched her purse against her small breasts in her left hand. "You're not wearing your ring" Had she ripped it off her finger and thrown it away as she ran down the church steps?Rich girls. They had no damn appreciation for the value of expensive things.Yet it wasn't the money he'd paid for it, he had to admit. In fact, the money wasn't what ate at him at all. He'd chosen that ring specially, all by himself, just for her. When he'd slipped it on her finger, he'd been the happiest man in the world.The thought of her tossing it out like trash, as if it meant nothing to her, as if he meant nothing to her. It galled him. And hurt him. A lot."No, I'm not wearing the ring you gave me," she said with a civility he hadn't expectedan over-the-top graciousness that set his teeth on edge. "And I will never wear any ring of yours again." Her smile was etched in acid. She added, "We need to talk. Alone."Alone. Perfect. She'd made the first move for him.He smiled, pushed back his chair and followed her out of the Gallatin Room.Chapters: 1 Chapter TwoPrint this PageMelody got on the elevator and Jack followed her.The doors slid shut and she had a moment of pure panic. Was she out of her mind to volunteer to be alone with him? The elevator walls seemed to close in on her. He dwarfed the space, sucked up all the air. She felt small and fragile and insignificant andNo!She would not let her insecurities get the best of her. It had been a good move to take the lead, to face him down. A bold move. She was proud she'd taken the initiative.And this confrontation would be over soon. She would tell him exactly what she thought of him and send him away, and that would be that.At the fifth floor, the doors glided openon a nice-looking guy named Roger. She'd met Roger the day she checked in at the resort. And he always said hi whenever he saw her."Roger." She put on a smile for him."Hi, Melody." Roger was a golfer. He wasn't carrying his clubs right then, but he was wearing a Puma golfer's hat, an argyle polo shirt and Bermuda shorts, probably on his way down to dinner at one of the resort's more casual eateries. "Still hoping to see you on the fairways.""Soon, Roger," she lied, smiling wider, stepping off the elevator, with Jack following much too closely behind her.Roger said goodbye and got on the elevator. Melody heard the soft rumble of the doors sliding shut as she turned down the hallway toward her rooms. She was sticking her card key into the slot when she glanced back at Jack.He stood halfway down the hall, tossing a golf ball toward the ceiling. Catching it neatly in his big hand, he tossed it up again.She tried not to roll her eyes. "Where did you find that?""Next to the elevator." He threw it into the air once more. "Roger seems to be losing his balls.""You are not the least bit amusing." The lock light blinked green. She pushed the door wide and went in, letting the door swing shut behind her. If he didn't hurry up and catch it, so be it. He could stay out in the hall. That would be just fine with her.No such luck. Jack moved fast when he wanted to. He grabbed the door before it closed in his face and came through behind her.And she had that feeling againthat overwhelmed, trapped feeling. She ignored it. She set her purse on the table near the door, aimed her chin high and led the way into the sitting area. "Something to drink?""No." He set the golf ball in a small crystal dish on a side table and dropped into a wing chair. She sat on the sofa across from him. Frowning, he studied her through narrowed hazel eyes. "You look tired."Oh, please. As if he cared. "Not your problem, Jack."He sat back and braced his elbows on the chair arms. "So who's Roger, anyway?""Just a guest of the resort. He came for the grand opening of the new golf course this past weekend.""You're playing golf with him? You hate golf." His eyes held hers.She knew he was remembering. She tried not to, but she was remembering, too.On their third date, Jack had talked her into playing a round of golf with him at Fazio Foothills in the Barton Creek Resort near Austin. In the middle of the game, she'd confessed that she disliked golf and hoped he wouldn't ask her to play again. He'd taken her hand, pulled her into his arms and kissed her, right there on the ninth greena long, delicious, wonderful kiss. And then he'd ushered her into the golf cart and driven her back to the clubhouse. That was it for golfing when they were together.And why was she remembering that kiss on the golf course? So what if he'd actually listened to her when she told him she didn't want to play? That didn't make him any less of a liar now."It's still true that I don't enjoy it," she said stiffly. "And no, I'm not playing golf with Roger.""Well, he's way too damn friendly.""He's a nice guy who happens to have a wife and a little boy.""So? A wife and kid didn't stop him from falling all over you.""He did not fall all over me. And Roger's not the issue here. You know it. I know it."His frown turned to a scowl. "All right. You want to get right down to it?"She refused to waver. "Isn't that why you came here?""Fine, Melody. Let's go for it. I don't know what happened, why you ran out on our wedding, made a fool of me, left me and everyone else in that church wondering what the hell went wrong. I don't know. And it doesn't matter. I just want to work this out so we can go back to Houston and get on with our lives."Go back to Houston and get on with our lives? She wanted to laugh in his face. But she was afraid that if she did, she might start screamingor burst into tears. She wrapped her arms around herself. Tightly. "You don't know what happened. Hah. That's rich."He leaned forward, intently. "I don't. I think you'd better tell me.""I can't believe you haven't figured it outin fact, Jack, my guess is that you know exactly what happened. And you're just playing dumb. Since you're a very smart man, I'm not buying your act.""Stop talking in circles."Fair enough. "Think back.""Back to?""Two nights before the wedding, Jack. We went to my parents' house. Before dinner, you and my dad had a nice little private chat alone in his study."Jack's face paled. The sight was quite satisfying. "You heard our conversation.""Oh, yes. I heard. Dinner was ready. I came to tell you. The door was slightly ajar. You men really should learn to shut the door if you want to keep things secret.""Melody, I"She put up a hand. "I'm not finished, Jack. You and my dad were talking about the little merger you were planning." Jack owned McKay's, a chain of very successful discount department stores. And Melody's family had been in retail for over a century. Kilkalen's was one of the oldest and most respected upscale department store chains in the country. "Kilkalen McKay. It has a nice ring to it," she said sourly. "Strange that neither you or my father ever mentioned any merger to me.""We planned to tell you everything," he said gruffly. "In time. We were still in the negotiation stages.""Were, Jack?""Cut the crap," he said in that rough way of his. He might dress in beautifully tailored trousers and designer shirts, but underneath, he was a guy who'd come up from nothing, and sometimes he let that show. "Everything's on hold now. You have to know that.""Maybe because my father has his doubts about you now. Particularly given the fact that I ran from the church and kept running until I reached Montana, all so I didn't have to marry you."He was scowling again. "I don't get it. You didn't say a word to me about what you'd overheard. You went right on as though nothing had happenedthat night, and the night after, and the day of the wedding. You got all the way to the church before you suddenly decided you couldn't go through with it?""All that time I was trying to convince myself that it would be all right. That we would be all right."He dared to look at her with reproach in his eyes. "You should have talked to me."She made a low sound of outrage. "Talked to you? I was in shock. Reeling. Hurt. I" Tears pushed at the back of her throat. No way would she cry in front of him. She swallowed the tears down. "I thought you were differentbetter than half my girlfriends growing up, than just about every boyfriend I ever had. I thought you didn't care about my money, about what knowing me could get for you. I loved you. And then, two days before I almost made the biggest mistake of my life and married you, I overhear my dad telling you that he knew you had only gotten close to me to get close to him."He looked away. "Damn it, Melody""You didn't even try to deny Dad's accusation," she reminded him through clenched teeth. "And thenthen he said he'd watched us together and thought we had something good between us. That he wanted me to be happy, and as long as you were ready to be a real husband to me, he could live with your original motives being" She paused for a slow breath. "How did he put it? Oh, yes'less than pure.'"Jack faced her again. "All right. That's true.""Of course it's true," she cried. "You thought you could claim it wasn't?"His blunt-featured face looked carved in stone. "I'm not trying to. Yes, I thought a merger with Kilkalen's would be good for both companies. Yes, I set out to meet you, to get to know youto get close to youas a way to get on good terms with your dad. Originally. But""But what? I'm supposed to just accept all that and meekly go back to Houston with you? I'm supposed to fall into your arms and tell you all is forgiven because you admit that you cheated and you lied.""I did not!""You lied to me, Jack. It was all a lie.""That's not true. When I asked you to marry me, I wasn't thinking about how I would be Reid Kilkalen's son-in-law. I was thinking that I wanted you to be my wife.""Well, of course you wanted me for your wife. I'm Reid Kilkalen's only child and I stand to inherit a bundle. Not to mention the connections I have because of my name. Marrying someone like me is a pretty big step up for a guy raised in foster homes, a guy who never knew his dad, a guy whose mom died when he was barely out of diapers, a guy who had to claw and scrape for everything he ever got."He squared his powerful shouldersand tried to take the high ground. "I'm not ashamed of where I came from, Melody. And I've done all right for myself. Better than all right. I never needed to marry you to get ahead.""That's not the point.""The hell it's not. I don't need your money.""No. You were after my connections. And I didn't say you should be ashamed of your background. You have a right to be proud of how far you've come. But the way you manipulated me, well, you could have a little shame for that, Jack. You could have a lot of shame.""Listen, I asked you to marry me because I wanted youyou, Melody. Not Kilkalen's. Not the merger. Not your big, fat trust fund. You." He paused. And then he delivered his best shot. "And if you had listened at your father's study door just a little bit longer, you would have heard me say that."She sat back against the sofa cushions. And she made herself speak coolly. "Actually, Jack. I did hear you say that."That took him by surprise. He even blinked. "You did?"She gave a nod. "I heard it. And I didn't believe it. Why ever would I? You've been lying to me since the day we met.""No, I haven't. I"She cut him off. "Oh, come on, Jack. Why should I believe a word you say?""I want to marry you, Melody.""You didn't answer my question."He said nothing. He held her eyes for a moment. And then he looked away. He got up and went around the end of the sofa to the window behind her.She turned to watch him. Beyond his tall form, the window provided another splendid view of the snow-capped Thunder Mountaina shadowed view now. Twilight had come.More softly than before, she spoke to his broad, strong back. "Give it up. Please. It's over and you know it. We both know it. I want you to go back to Houston, get on with your life and leave me alone. Let meget over you. I mean it, Jack. I never want to see you again."Chapters: 1 2Chapter ThreePrint this PageShe wanted him to go.She never wanted to see him again.Jack stared out the picture window in the sitting room of Melody's hotel suite. A trick of the twilight showed him both the snow-covered mountain peaks beyond the glass and also the shadowed reflection of the room behind him. He saw his own face: the broad forehead, the deep-set eyes, the nose that had never been straightnot even before he'd broken it in a school yard brawl.And behind him, he saw Melody. She had turned to look at him. Her sweet brown eyes were bigger than ever. Even in the window's dark reflection, he saw the sadness in those eyes. The hurt. And the disappointment.She watched him, waiting.For him to give up and leave.She really should know him better than that.He faced her again. "You can't tell me you think our entire relationship was a lie."She drew herself up. "Isn't that what I just said a few minutes ago?""Then you're lying." He said it quietly.Her eyes changed as she remembered. It had been good with them. So good. So right. She glanced away. "That doesn't matter.""Oh, yeah. It matters." He started toward her. And he didn't stop until he stood looking down at her, with only the back of the couch between them. "It matters more than anything.""No." She sounded breathless now."Yeah." He bent close, braced his fists on either side of her and shamelessly invaded her space. "It's true I had an ulterior motive at the start."She pursed her soft mouth. "So generous of you to admit that now."He loomed closer still. Close enough that she gave ground a little, swaying away from him. "You had your say. Now it's my turnif that's okay with you." He laid on the sarcasm.She leaned closer again, getting right in his face. "Oh, by all means. Go ahead, Jack. Have your say."He wanted to strangle her. He wanted to kiss her. Instead, he continued where he'd left off. "Yes, in the beginning I arranged to be near you to get entre to your dad. But I never would have married you for a damn introduction. Uh-uh. Right away, the first time I spoke to youat that party in River Oaks, remember? After that ridiculous charity dinner. You were wearing a silk dress that was both brown and gold at once. Like your eyes""Bronze," she corrected in a whisper. "The dress was bronze.""Bronze," he repeated. "Yeah. You wore a bronze silk dress and you were so sweet and shy and beautiful."She bit her lip. "I'm not beautiful. We both know that."He shook his head. "I know what I see. You're beautiful, Melody. And I could tell right away that you were different. That youwould matter to me. So I changed my plan. Because in an instant nothing else mattered. I wanted you most of all. You were the real prize. I swear it to you. I wanted you from the first night we met. I still want you. Give me a chance to prove it, Melody."Her soft lips were a thin determined line. "You don't deserve a chance, Jack.""Maybe I don't. But we do."***Melody tried to remain unmoved as she gazed up at him.But it wasn't easy. Because, in spite of everything, she wanted to believe him.She looked into his unforgettable hazel eyes and she wishedWhat? That things could have been different?Yes. All right. She did. She wished that he hadn't lied to her. That there was some way they might start over and do things right this time. Without the lies.He said it again softly, with what she couldn't help but recognize as real tenderness, as honest yearning. "Give me a chance."And she thought of her secret, of the truth she hadn't shared with him. Deep down, she felt more than a little guilty about that. Really, he wasn't the only one who'd hidden important information.Who'd lied.So just tell him. Now. Get it over with.No. She couldn't. How could she trust him with something like this? The words wouldn't come.She might be weakening, finding herself starting to believe that whatever his motives had been at the first, he'd actually started to care about her. She could even almost accept that he'd meant it when he'd promised her father he loved her.But she didn't fully trust him. No way. Not yet. Once she told him her secret, he would have a whole other argument as to why she should become his wife. A very powerful argument. Right now, she couldn't allow herself to give him more ammunition to hurl at her crumbling defenses.He continued, speaking with an intensity and heat that sent a shiver of longing sliding under her skin. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving. Not until you come with me."She shrugged. But refused to give in. "Enjoy your stay, then. Alone. Maybe you and Roger can play a little golf."A muscle in his strong jaw twitched. He studied her for a long time. Finally, he said in a raw voice, "What do I have to do, Melody? Anything. I'll do it. Just say it."Call the merger off, she thought. Tell my father you've changed your mind, show us both that it really is me you want and not the deal.But she didn't say it. That offer was one he had to make of his own accord, not because she bargained their relationship for it.And he hadn't offered to kill the deal. She needed to remember that. He might actually care about hermore than she'd let herself believe when she ran away from their wedding. But he still wanted to merge his stores with Kilkalen's. Very possibly, he wanted that more than anything. More than her.Could she live with that?It shocked her that she could even ask herself such a question.But there was one painful truth that she couldn't get around. The thing she couldn't deny now that she'd seen him again, now that she'd heard his voice, looked into those tempting gray-green eyes. Now that she'd listened to him explain that he did care, that he wouldn't have asked her to marry him if he didn't want her and only her for his wife.Okay, she might as well face it. She believed him, even though her pride kept warning her not to.The painful truth was this: she still loved him.And she was having his baby.As much as he'd hurt her, well, love and a baby had to count for something. Love and a baby were worth more than a merger. They were worth fighting for.Chapters: 1 2 3Chapter FourPrint this Page"I want a week," Melody said.Jack wasn't following. "A week for?""A week of you and me. I want what's left of what would have been our honeymoon. We'll spend it here, at the resort. And in Thunder Canyon, too. We'lltake some time together. A lot of time together. We'll see how it goes."This was sounding really good to Jack. Excellent, as a matter of fact. He couldn't have come up with a better plan himself. If she needed reassuring, he was only too happy to reassure the hell out of her. "Yes. Absolutely. We're on. I'll move my stuff in here right now." He leaned in a little closer across the back of the couch to claim a kiss.Again. At last.She stopped him, laying her hand against his chesta too brief touch. But one that lasted long enough for heat to blaze through him. And also to communicate clearly that the kiss he wanted was not happening. "Hold on," she said.He tried to look innocent, though he wasn't all that successful at it. Still, he did his best, widening his eyes, relaxing his mouth. "What?""Get your own room."Damn it. "I already have a room, it just so happensnext door to you."She cast a glance toward the ceiling. "Why am I not surprised?""I'm a determined man, Melody.""No kisses." She shook a finger at him. "Not until I say soif I say so."He tried not to be too disappointed. She would be saying so. Very soon. He would see to that. He'd smother her in flowers, shower her with diamonds. "However you want it," he said in a heartfelt tone."No flowers and no gifts."He had to shut his mouth to keep from gaping. How did she do thatread his mind like that? She'd been able to do it from the first night he met her. It was damn disconcerting. "What's wrong with a few flowers and a little bling?"Her soft mouth was set. "They don't prove anything. They're not what matters, Jack. You and me and trying to work this out. That's what matters.""Fine. Great," he grumbled. And then he went around the end of the couch again and dropped into the chair. "Have it your way. No gifts. No flowers."She faced him. "And that's not all."He had a bad feeling suddenly. He looked at her sideways. "What else?"She smiled. Much too sweetly. "You know, you really did sweep me off my feet, Jack. The diamonds, the pearls"Two diamond tennis bracelets, several gorgeous pairs of earrings, a triple-strand black pearl choker, with earrings to match. And a number of other pieces he couldn't specifically recall at that point. "I thought you liked them.""I did," she replied. "Very much. Oh, and the orchids"He had sent her a lot of orchids. "You said you loved orchids.""I did. I dothat's not the point." She sighed. "And all those trips, Jack. Those romantic getaways""But you told me you enjoyed travel.""Not the point.""You keep saying that. Just tell me. What is the point?"She sat back on the sofa and spread her arms wide. "The point is that it's my turn."Okay, he was lost. "Your turn to?""To decide what we do. To be in control."He didn't get it. "You're going to buy me flowers and jewelry?"She laughed for the first time that night. The sound wrapped around his heart. He loved her laugh. And there had been a few dark moments in the past week when he'd wondered if he would ever hear it again.She continued, "No, I'm not going to buy you flowers and expensive gifts."Gruffly, he replied, "That's fine. I'm not real big on orchids, anyway."She crossed her slim legs, smoothed her skirt and leaned toward him a little. "We're going to dosimple things. Ordinary things. Take walks. Go horseback riding. Window shop on Main Street, right here in Thunder Canyon, arm in arm."It didn't sound too bad. "Whatever you want.""All right, then." She rose lightly to her feet. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."He stayed in the chair and frowned up at her. "Just like that? I'm being dismissed?"She held down her hand. "Come on. I'll walk you to the door."He didn't want to go. Not yet. They had a million things to settle first.But then again, well, at least she had some color back in her cheeks. And she'd actually offered him her hand.He took it and stood.She tucked her soft little fingers around his arm. "This way"Reluctant but resigned, he let her lead him to the door.But he hadn't become a retail tycoon by taking no for an answer. Clearly, what she needed was a little more wooing. No problem. She wanted wooing? He'd woo the socks off her.***At nine the next morning, Jack was on his computer in the middle of a videoconference with his Houston office when the room phone rang."Give me a minute," he told his assistant and the two executives on the other end. He paused the session and picked up the phone on the sitting room desk. "McKay.""Breakfast," Melody said. He smiled at the sound of her voice. "The Grubstake. I'm waiting."He grunted. "The Grubstakethat's the coffee shop downstairs, right?""That's it. Are you coming?"He sent a rueful glance at the open laptop. He really needed to finish this meeting. "I'm a little tied up right now."A silence. And then, in a low, so-sweet voice, "Jack. If we'd gone on our honeymoon, would you be video-conferencing before breakfast?"How did she know he was video-conferencing? She always seemed to know way too muchabout what he was thinking and what he might be doing.And he wanted to argue that they hadn't gone on their honeymoon, damn it. Because she'd run away from him. Plus, he had a company to manage.He didn't argue, though. After all, they did have an agreement. And he had a wooing campaign to wage."Ten minutes," he barked into the phone. "I'm there.""Excellent." She hung up.Five minutes later, he left his room to go downstairs. He found Roger, the guy from the evening before, waiting for the elevator. Roger had a golf bag full of clubs and a boy of seven or eight with him, a Roger-in-miniature. The kid wore an argyle golf shirt and a Puma golf hatand carried a child-sized set of clubs."Hey," Roger greeted him, holding out his hand. "Roger Pemley. Last night? You were with Melody, I believe.""I remember." Jack took the guy's hand. "Jack McKay.""And this is Roger Jr.," the golfer said proudly. The kid beamed up at him, showing two teeth missing in front. In his little fist, he clutched a golf ball. "Junior, put that ball away," Roger nagged the kid. Then he sent an apologetic glance at Jack. "He's always losing them. People trip on them everywherein the hallway, on the elevator, down in the lobby"So, then. It wasn't Roger who was losing his balls. "I found one last night.""Sorry," said Roger. He gave his son a threatening scowl. "Put it away. Now.""Aw, Daaaaadddd" But the kid did put the ball in the zippered compartment of his child-sized bag.The elevator came. Jack let the two Rogers and all their equipment get on first. Roger Sr. chatted like a happy magpie on the way down. He and his family were from Wisconsin. They loved the resort. They were having the time of their lives.Jack listened and nodded and left them on the main floor.In the coffee shop, Melody was waiting for him. She wore a sleeveless yellow shirt and a big smile and the sight of her made him feel like the sun had come up all over again.He sat down across from her and ordered coffeehe'd had breakfast delivered to his room earlierand watched her put away a big plate of French toast with bacon. She always used to be a picky eater. But the mountain air must agree with her. She ate heartily.And the dark circles he'd noticed under her big bronze eyes last night? They seemed to have faded. He decided to take that as a good sign. She must be feeling better now that they were working things out.Come to think of it, he felt better, too. At least he had found her. And he knew that she was okay.Though he didn't really get how walking around some Podunk, Montana, town side by side, holding hands and looking in shop windows, was going to help her to see that he did care about her. But then, what did he know about how to make her realize what she meant to him? The diamonds and orchids he'd supplied in abundance were supposed to have done that job. But they hadn't, or she never would have run away from him.So all right. He had a thing or two to learn about intimate relationships. He supposed that wasn't really too surprising. He lacked experience when it came to the whole love thing. He'd never had his own family, never even had a brother or a sister to stand with against the world.He only knew that he wanted her, Melody. He wanted her in a deep and elemental way. He wanted her with him. He wanted to see her smile, to hear her musical laughter. He wanted to wake up every morning in the same bed with her.If doing "simple things" together was going to convince her that she really did matter to him, well, okay. Bring on the simple things.Swallowing a mouthful of French toast, she said, "Today, we're going into townOld Town, to be specific. That's the side of Thunder Canyon originally settled back in the eighteen hundreds. New Town is east of Old Town, and it's""Let me guess," he offered dryly. "Newer?"She popped a piece of bacon into her mouth and grinned in a very self-satisfied way. "That's right. In Old Town, we're going to explore Main Street, check out the cute shops. Visit the Heritage Museum.""I can't wait." He tried to sound cynical. But her enthusiasm was contagious. Hey. As long as they were together, he didn't really care what they did.Scratch that. Given the choice, he'd rather have her alone in his suite, where he could take off that sunny yellow shirt and everything else she was wearing. He'd rather make love to her all day long.Her mind might hold out against him, but her body knew better. If he could only get his hands on her, he was sure he could quickly eliminate every doubt she had left about whether or not to come home to Texas with him."I know that look, Jack." She shook her last piece of bacon at him. "Forget it. Not happening." And then she gazed at him from under lashes. "Not today, anyway."He saw his opening and went for it. "Tomorrow, then."She ate the bacon, wiped her tempting lips with her napkin. "I'm making no promises.""Maybe not in words"She tried to appear stern. "No guarantees. We'll see how it goes." She signed the check with her room number. "All right. You ready?"He reached in his pocket and got out his car keys. "Let's go.""Put those away," she told him smartly. "I'm in control and that means I'm driving."Chapters: 1 2 3 4 Chapter FivePrint this PageIt was a great day, Melody thought.The sun was shining, the sky a clear, gorgeous faded-denim blue, with the occasional cottony cloud drifting around up there. Melody drove them down from the mountain in her rental car and parked in the lot at the corner where Thunder Canyon Road turned sharply and became Main Street, between a bar and restaurant called The Hitching Post Saloon and a cute little motel named the Wander-On Inn.They got out and started down Main. When Jack reached for her hand, she gave it. Why not? They were trying to work things out, after all.His hand was big and warm and solid as ever. She wove her fingers with his and let herself enjoy the shiver of excitement that radiated through her. Because she was with him. Because the simple touch of his hand seemed to promise so much. Everything.Their future, reclaimed. Their happiness, rediscovered.And really great sex.Not that she was going there today. She'd told him she wouldn't. She shouldn't let herself anticipate how wonderful it might be whenno, ifshe did.But she did anticipate. She tried not to remember what it was like when Jack held her in his arms. But she might as well have tried to stop breathing.He knew her weakness. And he played on it. He eased his thumb between their joined hands and stroked her palm with it in a light and way-too-tempting caress. As they strolled along Main Street, he took every opportunity to move in closer to her, so their bodies touched. The seemingly accidental contact made her constantly, intimately aware of him. Every brief, brushing touch fanned the banked fires of desire that smoldered between them.She didn't tell him to cut it out. She just couldn't. It felt too good.They visited a couple of cute little gift shops. She bought some souvenirs: a Montana Gold T-shirt, a Thunder Canyon shot glass and a book about Thunder Canyon history called Gold Rush Grooms, written, the gift-store owner proclaimed proudly, by a local author.Farther down the street, Jack stopped in front of a bakery. "La Boulangerie." He read the sign painted on the window, mangling the pronunciation in his own endearing way. "French for bakery, right?" She'd lived in Paris for a year back in her college days and had learned to speak French fluently, though she was a little rusty now. At her nod, he asked, "Remember that time I took you to Paris?"She would never forget. "It was more than a year ago. In early spring. Our first trip together." The first time they'd made love."I remember everything." He said it with gruff tenderness.She sighed. "The Tuileries gardens were spectacular. All those gorgeous tulips in bloom."He arched a brow. "Feel like a croissant?"Her heart seemed to get lighter inside her chest. He'd brought her croissants the morning afterthey'd eaten them in bed, not even caring about the crumbs.He really was trying. And the way he looked at her, well, he didn't seem like a man who was only after her money and connections. "I would love a croissant."They went inside. The French baker behind the counter was not a friendly fellow. He scowled as he waited on them. But one bite of her croissant had Melody deciding that she didn't care if the baker had a lousy personality. He baked the best croissants she'd ever tastedeven counting the ones she'd had in Paris.Jack swallowed a big bite of the clair he'd chosen and grinned across the round bistro-style caf table at her. "So good"She wholeheartedly concurred. She could have ordered a second croissant. Maybe even a third. Her appetite was huge latelyat least in the morning and early afternoon. At dinnertime, things got rockier. Whoever called it morning sickness didn't know what they were talking about.And her thoughts had circled back to the baby again, to her dilemmawhen to tell him? How?He was frowning. "Mel? What's the matter?"Just do it. Just say it: We're having a baby, Jack.It shouldn't be this hard.But it was. She pasted her smile back on. "Not a thing."***After the bakery, she took him over to Pine Street, where they visited the Heritage Museum.She kept him at the museum for over an hour, admiring the rooms full of authentic pioneer furniture, the glass cases packed with clothing and tools from days gone by.When she'd finally had enough, she announced, "I'm starving. We need some lunch."He teased, "If you don't watch it, you won't be able to fit into those skinny jeans that look way too good on you"She laughed. "I don't know what it is. I'm hungry as a horse lately" But she did know what it was. She was eating for two, as the old saying went.And she was going to tell him about it.Soon. Very soonBack on Main, she ushered him into a tea shop called The Tottering Teapot. They ordered Darjeeling tea and sandwiches made with whole wheat bread and filled with wholesome ingredients: organic mayonnaise, free-range chicken and locally grown lettuce and tomatoes. He was the only guy in the place.He kidded her about that. "Looks to me like one of those places you should come with your girlfriends. No self-respecting man would be caught dead here.""Should I check your pulse? See if you're still breathing?"He shrugged. "Just sayin'. You're in control." And he sipped his tea from a delicate china cup.Next, they walked back to the little park in the center of Old Town, the town square. They sat on a bench, held hands some more and watched the young mothers play with their children in the grass and on the slide and the rings and the small jungle gym not far from where they sat.Strange how everywhere they went that day, she was reminded of the secret she kept from him.He squeezed her hand. "You seem quiet. You sure nothing's bothering you?"Again, she put on her liar's smile. "Nothing at all."He studied her face for a moment, and then he turned back to the play area. "Kids. Look at them. Not a care in the world. I don't ever remember it being like that. Life wasn'tsafe for me. Not when I was little. If I ever have a kid" He shifted and faced her again, pinning her with his gaze. But only for a momenta little girl on the swings laughed and he focused on the playground again. "If we ever have kids, it's going to be different." A slight smile curved his mouth as he watched the little girl. Her pigtails flew as she swung high. "Our kids will have everything. We'll keep them safe."Her heart twisted. She should say it right now. It was the perfect moment. I'm pregnant.But doubts kept nagging at her. Was he only saying what he thought she wanted to hear? What kind of father would he be, really? He'd never had a family and he was such a driven man. If she told him there was a baby and went back to Texas with him, would he be there for their child? Or would he only use her pregnancy as another way to get her to do what he wanted, to convince her to marry him so he could make the merger happen?She longed to believe in him again. And she did. But not completely. Some small, wounded part of her heart continued to hold out against him. So she said nothing.***Before they returned to the resort, they dropped in at the Hitching Post Saloon, where a painting of a beautiful woman draped in nothing but a few precisely placed scarves hung over the bar."That's Lily Divine," said the bartender. "The story goes that back in the 1830s, Lily owned a house of ill repute called the Hitching Post in the original building at this very location. Some say she wasn't really running a whorehouse, though. That what she did was to take in prostitutes who'd been mistreated, or any woman who came to her in need of a helping hand and a way out of a bad life." The bartender gave the lady in the picture a thumbs-up. "I say, whatever you were up to, Lily, you are lookin' good."The pretty woman in the picture smiled seductively down at them.Jack ordered a beer and Melody had ginger ale. Since she'd never been all that fond of alcohol, he didn't question her choice of a soft drink over something stronger. But the truth was that she might have enjoyed a beer with him if she hadn't known she was pregnantand if she wasn't already feeling her regular afternoon queasiness.They pulled in to the resort around four. By then, her stomach was seriously acting up."You okay?" he asked her as they entered the clubhouse lobby, with its huge natural stone fireplace and soaring five-story ceiling."Not really." She tried to make a joke of it. "Must have been the free-range chicken"He had her arm and was guiding her toward one of the conversation groupings, a leather sofa and a couple of fat easy chairs. "Come on. Sit down. Relax for a few minutes."Not a good idea. She needed to get up to her roomand quickly. "Uh. No. I think I'll just go upstairs and lie down for a while."He frowned, worried. "The resort has an infirmary. I'll take you there.""No. Really. I want to go upstairs." She headed for the elevators.By the time they got on the car and started going up, she was absolutely certain she would chuck her cookies right there in the elevator."Mel. Seriously. I don't like the way you look. What if it's something serious? I think I should take you to a doctor."She would not be sick in front of him. Absolutely not. And she wasn't going to the doctor, either. "I am fine!" She said it too strongly and she knew it.He glanced at her strangely, but at least he quit insisting on a visit to the infirmary.After an eternity, the elevator doors opened. Fumbling in her purse for her card key, she raced down the hallway. He was right on her heels.She reached her door, swiped the key, got the green light and shoved the door open."Melody"Somehow she managed not to lose her lunch all over him. "I'll be fine. I'll call you. We'll have dinner""But Mel, I don't"She put up a hand, gently pressed her fingers to his lips to silence him. "An hour. Really. I'm fine." She slipped through the door and closed it in his worried face.And then she dropped her purse and bags of souvenirs on the entry table and ran for the bathroom. She made it just in time.Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 Chapter SixPrint this PageJack stared at the door she'd shut in his face.He didn't get it. She'd seemed fine until a few minutes ago. And he'd had the chicken sandwich at that frou-frou girly place, too. Yeah, he would have preferred a chili dog and fries, but he didn't feel the least bit sick.That was how it went with food poisoning, though. Two people ate the same thing, but only one got the dangerous dose of salmonella.Was she okay in there?He lifted his hand to knock, to call out to her and demand to know that she was all right. And then he lowered his arm without making a sound.He turned and slid to the floor in front of the door. He would sit right here, in case she might need him. He'd give her ten minutes. Then he would call her and make certain that she didn't need the resort doctor. Food poisoning wasn't anything to fool with.He looked at his Patek Philippe, which was the plainest watch he'd ever owned. And a birthday gift from her.Leave it to Mel to buy only the best.He almost smiled, thinking of herand then he scowled as he started to worry again. It was 4:15. Ten minutes. And when he called, she'd better be okay.With a grunt of frustration, he let his head fall back against the door. He waited. The next time he let himself check, it was 4:17. Longest two minutes of his life.The remaining eight would take forever.He let his head fall back again and he shut his eyes.The light nudge at his hip made him open them again. He looked down, saw the golf ball that had apparently rolled toward him until it had run into him. He picked it up.And that was when he heard giggling.Roger Jr. peered at him from down at the turn to the next hallway. He brought up his little hand and covered his mouth to stifle the sound of laughter.Kids. Sheesh.Jack rolled the ball back to him. Junior was ready for it. He scooped it up and vanished down the other hall.4:22. Three more minutes. That was all he had to wait.Those minutes took a lifetime to pass, but at last they were over.He got out his BlackBerry and called Melody's cell.She answered on the second ring. "Jack. I said I would call you." She soundedpretty good, actually."Feeling better?""I am, yes." A pause, then, "Thank youand where are you?""Sitting on the carpet outside your door.""Jack." She said his name reproachfully. But kind of sweetly, too."So shoot me. I was worried." He half hoped that maybe she might let him in.But she only said gently, "I'm fine. Really. If I could just rest for a little while.""You're sure? Salmonella can kill you.""It's not salmonella.""How do you know?""Because, um, I'm feeling better already. And how about this? Dinner. The Gallatin Room. Seven.""You're sure you're up for it? Because we could just""I'm sure. Seven, Jack. See you there." And she hung up.He went back to his suite and checked in at the office. Then he handled messages and email. And tried his damndest not to imagine the worstthat she might be lying alone in her room, writhing in pain, desperately needing him, but too weak to auto-dial his number.***She showed up at the restaurant right on time wearing a little black dress and looking like a billion bucks.So okay. Maybe it wasn't salmonella after all.They got a nice, quiet table tucked away where they wouldn't be disturbed. Her eyes looked so big and soft. And she smiled and laughed and seemed as happy to be with him as he was to sit across from her.He thought about how much he wanted to kiss her. How much he wanted to spend the night holding her in his armsthat night, and all the nights to come.When they went back upstairs and got to the door of her suite, she kissed him, a kiss that reached down deep inside him. Heat flared across his skin. Her perfume, so light and tempting, like dew and roses, was all around him. He gathered her closer, slanted his mouth the other way.But then she pushed lightly against his chest.He lifted his head, demanded, "What?" in a voice very close to a growl."Good night, Jack." And she turned, slipped her key in the slot and went into her room without him.He tried not to be too disappointed. Tomorrow night would be different. He could wait until then.***But the next night was the same. A kiss at her door and a soft good-night. Likewise for Thursday and Friday, too.She was driving him crazy.But in a good way. They spent each day together, talking. Laughing. She spoke of her childhood, how she wished she'd had brothers and sisters. He said he understood. And he did. They were both "only" children, though she was born the golden princess of the Kilkalen empire. And he was born with nothing, a kid without a mom or dad, a kid nobody wanted.He ached to beg her to come home with him, to be his wife. Something kept him from that, though. Maybe it was the strange feeling he had that she was holding something back. Or maybe it was the agreement they'd made: a week together, to see how it went.Or maybe it was his own realization that he ought to be offering her the one thing that would really matter. He should give up the merger. He knew that if he did that, all her doubts about him would be silenced. She would come to him willingly. They could go home.But he wasn't ready to do that. Why should he? The merger was for both of them. They both stood to gain by it, and her mother and father, toonot to mention every single employee of both the giant retail chains. She ought to see that, accept that. The merger was good for everyone.Yeah, he should have told her what he was up to as soon as he realized he wanted a lifetime with her. He was wrong to have kept the truth from her. But by now it should be clear that he regretted his dishonesty. He couldn't see how, after all they'd shared in the past few days, she could doubt that she mattered to him.She mattered most of all.They went into Old Town again. They took in a movie at the theater in New Town. The resort had a large stable. They rented horses and explored Thunder Mountain's scenic trails, sharing a picnic high up, near the snow line, where the wind had a bite to it.Sometimes he would catch her looking at him and he'd have that feeling he so often had now, that there was something she wanted to tell him.He knew what it wasor at least, he hoped that he did. He hoped she was trying to figure out a way to admit that she believed in him again, that she no longer doubted that he loved her. To say that she was ready to go home with him, to marry him, to become his wife, as she should have done almost two weeks ago now. He was waiting for her to take his hand at her door each eveningand pull him inside.But it didn't happen.They met some people from Midland who were there for a wedding. Rose Traub was in her late twenties, possibly thirty. Her twin brothers Jackson and Jason were a few years older. Another brother, Corey, was the groom. The Traubs were heirs to Traub Oil Industries. Corey and his bride, Erin, lived in Thunder Canyon.Rose invited them to the wedding reception in the resort ballroom on Saturday evening. They dropped in after dinner, after the cake had been cut, when the band was playing and everyone was dancing.Jack took Melody in his arms and they swayed to the music. He tried not to be jealous of the bride and groom, who had married in a local church several hours earlier. He tried not to think about how, right now, he and Melody should have been married. Right now, she should have been his wife.She lifted her head from his shoulder and gazed up at him. Her eyes were shining. And he knew then. It had happened at last. During the past golden days together, she had learned to trust him again."Jack," she whispered. And then the words that mattered most of all. "I love you, Jack."His heart lifted and he kissed her, right there on the ballroom floor, with a hundred other couples swaying around them.And later, when they stood at the door to her suite, she took his hand. She looked up at him, her tender heart shining in her eyes.And then she led him inside.Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chapter SevenPrint this PageMelody planned to tell him about the baby right then, that night, as soon as they entered her suite, before they made love for the first time in weeks.But as soon as the door to her room closed, he took her in his big arms and kissed her. And by then, all that mattered was the heat of him surrounding her, the feel of his body pressed to hers, the scent of that clean-smelling aftershave he wore. There was only the way his lips urged her to open for him.She did open. His tongue swept in, claiming every secret space. His arms tightened around her and she was lost in the wonder of what they had together. In the pure, sensual splendor.He unzipped her silk dress and peeled it away from her. It fell around her feet and she shivered a little. He trailed kisses down her body as he took all her clothes away, every last stitch that covered her and hid her from his sight.Finally, she had only her high-heeled shoes and her little black panties. He knelt before her. And he wrapped his big hand around her ankle as he gazed up at her through eyes that burned her, eyes that seared her to her soul.He lifted her foot. She wobbled a little, laughed a breathless little laugh as she braced herself on his rock-hard shoulder. He took off her shoe.And then he took off the other one. And then, still holding her eyes, he slid those big hands of his upward, skimming the vulnerable flesh of her bare legs. She trembled as he hooked his fingers under the elastic at her hipsand pulled her panties down.Melody sighed. He swayed toward her, pressed a kiss at her navel. She gathered him to her, weaving her fingers in his hair.He didn't stop there. He went on kissing her, touching her. She let her head fall back and she lifted her hips to him as he found the womanly heart of her and played it like a song. Until there was only his kiss and his skilled, knowing touch. Until she shuddered and cried out his name.Then, rising, he scooped her high against his chest and he carried her into the shadowed bedroom of the suite. He laid her down on the bed and stood above her, his eyes green fire, as he quickly, ruthlessly, stripped off his clothes.She reached for him as he came down to her. She enfolded him in her arms and he came into her, fully. Deeply. Completely.He groaned her name against her throat. She gave his name back to him.They rose to the crest and went over as one.Later, she held him in her arms as he slept. She stroked his thick, short brown hair with gentle fingers.Tomorrow, she thought. I'll tell him tomorrow***In the morning, Melody woke to the sight of him, glorious and naked, lying next to her. Snuggling close, she pressed her lips to the hard bulge of his shoulder. She'd tell him about the baby as soon as he opened his eyes.He opened one eye. "Melody"And then he pulled her close.She wrapped her arms around him. And then her legs. She sighed in pleasure.There would be time to talk about the baby later.After an hour or so, they got up and showered together. That led to more kisses. And kisses led toother things.Finally, around eleven, they debated whether to order room service or go downstairs and have breakfast at the Grubstake.She teased him, "If we don't get dressed and get out of this room, we might never leave it.""Sounds like a great plan to me."She laughed. "Come on. Get dressed. Let's go downstairs."His dress shirt from the night before was a hopeless tangle of wrinkles. They stopped in at his suite so he could change into clean clothes. He kissed her as they were heading toward the door. And it was touch and go for a moment whether they would ever leave his room. But eventually, they pulled apart."The Grubstake," she said, panting a little."The Grubstake," he repeated, as breathless as she was.They got out of there and headed for the elevatorwhich had a big Temporarily Out of Order sign taped to the doors and a little note about how management was sorry for the inconvenience.Jack said hopefully, "Room service?"She shook her head. "Come on. It's only five flights and we'll be going down. Piece of cake." She turned and made for the red exit sign at the end of the hall and the steel door that led to the stairs."Hey! Wait up." He started after her."Get a move on," she called over her shoulder as she reached the stairwell door and pulled it wide.She should have been looking down, watching where she was going. But it never occurred to her that there could be a problem. Her foot landed on something hard and roundand went shooting out from under her.A shocked cry escaped her. And then she was tumbling, falling, rolling, bouncing like the golf ball she'd tripped on, down the stairs. She landed in a heap on the cold concrete slab of the next landing down.She heard Jack call her name. "Melody! My God"The baby. She tried to put her hand over her stomachand cried out as a pain sharp as knives speared through her shoulder."Melody!" Jack raced down to her, his face white as a bleached sheet. But she was so afraid that it was already too late.Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chapter EightPrint this PageShe looked like a rag doll, broken on the stairs.Jack could hear the damn golf ball that Roger's kid must have left at the top of the stairwell as it bounced its way down the next flight of stairs and the next after that.Jack was already moving. In seconds, he was kneeling at her side. "Melodyoh, sweetheart"She was still conscious. Was that a good sign? She reached out a handher left one. The right one hung at an odd angle. "Jack. So sorry, Jack" Her soft fingers grazed his cheek. And then her arm dropped away.He probably shouldn't move her. But he couldn't just leave her there while he went for help. And if he stayed and tried to call, how long would he have to wait there beside her, helpless, until somebody came?He got out his BlackBerry. No bars. The stairwell must be blocking the signal. He would have to run back up to their floor to get reception.She whispered, "Don't leave me, Jack""Never."She reached for him again. "Jack"He made up his mind. He put a hand under her neck and one under her knees and he gathered her into him.She didn't cry out. But a soft moan of agony escaped her. She wrapped her good arm around his neck and held on as he rosethat was a positive sign, wasn't it? She was not only conscious, but able to hold on"Need to tell you" She moaned the words through clenched teeth."Shh. It's okay. Tell me later. Not now.""No." Her voice was stronger. "Listen. Hear me."He started down.She said the impossible words as he reached the third-floor landing. "I'm having a baby. Our baby, Jack"He didn't say anything. What could he say right then? Her words seemed to bounce around inside his head.A baby. My God, Melody. Pregnant. I'm such a damn idiot. I should have known.There had been plenty of clues, he realized now. The food poisoning incident that was over by dinnertime. The way she sometimes looked at him, with secrets in her eyes. And how many times had he been sure she was about to tell him something important? Ten? Twenty? More?I should have known, should have kept after her to say what was on her mind.Pregnant with his baby. And not sure how to share it with him. And then overhearing him and her father, learning the truth he should have explained to her long before.He saw it all in a whole new light now. And what he saw did not make him proud of himself.No wonder she had run from him. He didn't deserve her. He'd never deserved her.He wanted to tell herhow sorry he was. How wrong he had been.But now was not the time to make amends. He had to get help for her first. So he kept moving. He didn't break stride. He put one foot in front of the other and he held her as gently as he could, tried to keep from jostling her, as he carried her down.At the lobby level, he managed to get the heavy door open and get them through. And then he was calling for the front desk staff, shouting, "Get the resort doctor. And call an ambulance, someone! Call an ambulance, now!"***"A sprained ankle and an anterior dislocation of the right shoulder, which I've relocated manually with excellent results. Also, several bad bruises," said the doctor.It was past one in the afternoon by then. The doctor and Jack stood outside the private room they'd given Melody after her injuries had been treated."No broken bones," the doctor added. "And somehow, she managed not to hit her head on the way down that flight of stairs."Jack could almost breathe for the first time since he'd watched her trip on that golf ball. "So you're saying she's okay. She's going to be okay."The doctor nodded. "Yes. She's a very lucky woman.""Andthe baby?" Jack swallowed convulsively as his pulse lurched into racing mode all over again."The baby's fine," said the doctor. "Your fiance is only in her first trimester; the fetus is very small and well protected within the womb. But we'll keep her here overnight for observation. Just to be on the safe side.""Good. Right. That's wisecan I see her?""Go on in. She's resting.""I won't disturb her."The doctor pretended to look stern. "Make sure that you don't."Jack slipped into the room and went to the side of the bed. She was so small and still beneath the white sheet.But then she turned her head and tried to smile. "Oh, Jack"He took her hand, smoothed the silky hair away from her forehead. "You're going to be all right."She caught her lower lip between her even white teeth. "We need to talk.""Later. Tomorrow. After they give you a clean bill of health. Rest now."Her eyes darkened, the gold fading so they turned deepest brown. "Are you leaving?""No way. They would have to drag me out of here."***Somehow, that scary day passed.Jack kept his word. He did not leave her room. The nurses put up with him, bringing him a tray, too, when they served her an early dinner.Around five, the Pemley family appearedRoger, his wife, Midge, and Roger Jr. Roger wanted to apologize for the golf ball that had caused Melody's fall.Junior apologized, too. "I am tho thorry that you fell, Mith Kilkalen," he lisped through the space between his teeth. "I will never play with my golf ballth in the hallway again. Promith."Melody gave him her brightest, kindest smile and told him that he was forgiven.***That evening, when the lights were out and Jack was just drifting off to sleep in the chair, she whispered his name. "Jack?""Hmm?""I never threw my ring away," she said. "I couldn't. It's in the safe in my room at the resort."He had the strangest feeling then. A tightness in his chest, an emotion of equal parts pain and happiness. "You're serious? You didn't?""I thought about it. But I couldn't.""I'm happy you didn't. But Mel, II could understand now, if you had.""Oh, Jack""Shh," he told her softly. "We'll talk tomorrow. Now, you need your rest."He heard her sigh. And then nothing more after that, except the soft, even sound of her breathing.***The doctor examined her at ten the next morning.Afterward, when Jack reentered the room, she looked at him in wonder. "He says I'm okay. Can you believe it, Jack? I'm going to be fine. And the baby is, too."He went to her, bent close, pressed a kiss at her temple. "I'm so glad," he whispered prayerfully. "I can't tell you how glad."Her big eyes had tears in them. "I know I should have said something to you about the baby. I kept meaning to. I justsomehow, the words wouldn't come.""It's okay. I understand. I do, Mel. More than you know. You weren't sure, after the way I lied to you, after how I misled you, that you could really trust me. And I" He took her hand, brushed his lips across her knuckles. "I've made a decision."She must have seen something in his face, something that scared her. She gasped. "Oh, no. What?"He squeezed her hand. "Relax. It's nothing that terrible. It's good, really, the best thing.""But what?""It's the merger. It'snot right. I pulled strings to meet you and get close to you with the merger in mind. And even when I realized I wanted a lot more than a business deal from you, I kept that central lie in place. I never told you how wrong I was, never apologized for going after you for all the wrong reasons.""Oh, Jack""I'm apologizing now, Melody. Really apologizing. In the only true way I know how. I'm going to give the merger up completely. Even if your dad is still ready to carry on with it, I'll explain to him that it's not going to work. Whatever happens, even if you never feel you can go home with me and be my wife, the merger is off.""Oh, Jack" The gold lights were back in her eyes again. "Jack, I love you."He gave her a rueful smile. "And I just lied some more. I'm giving up the merger, but I can't give you up. Not you, and not our baby. I love you. I want to be a father to our child. I want that more than words can say. I want the family I've never had and I want it with you. No matter how long it takes for you to trust me again, I'm sticking around, Melody. I'm not giving up."She smiled at him then, a smile that was like the sun coming out after a long, stormy night. "Good. Because I'm ready to go back to Texas, Jack. I'm ready to go back with you, to stand up beside you, to be your wife."His heart stuttered in his chest. "Don't say it if you're not sure."Her bright smile didn't waver. "Oh, I'm sure. I am absolutely positive. I love you, Jack McKay. You're the only man for meand I trust you. I truly do. Enough that I don't need you to give up the merger. It will be good for all of us."Right then, he didn't care in the least about the damn merger. "Say that again. How I'm the only man for you."And she did. "You're the only man for me, Jack." And then she whispered, "Kiss me.""I love you, Melody. You are my heart. My soul. The one I've been looking for all of my lonely life.""Kiss me. Please."And he did. He kissed her slowly and tenderly. And she lifted her arms and wrapped them around him, wincing a little at the pain in her still-tender right shoulder.He chided, "Melody, your arm""Shh. It's fine. I'm fine. I love you." She held on tight.And, cradled close in her tender embrace, Jack McKay knew at last what it meant to come home.THE ENDChapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8