“So, what do you think of this outfit, Keisha?”
Keisha glanced over at the clothes. Lucia held up a pair of little boy’s jeans with a miniature work shirt to match. It was cute, and she could see Beau wearing it. She smiled. “I like it. Do they have it in a 3T?” Although Beau was two, because of his height he was wearing a size larger.
“Yes, I’ll grab one for you,” Lucia said excitedly.
Keisha grinned as she watched Lucia. Keisha obviously wasn’t the only woman who liked shopping for her child. She was convinced the Westmoreland ladies had her beat. They had shown up on Canyon’s doorstep at one o’clock with Canyon’s younger brother Stern following behind them. Stern was only twenty months younger than Canyon and also an attorney at their family-owned firm, Blue Ridge.
Stern had advised the women that he was their escort for the day, and since none of them had questioned what he’d meant by that, Keisha could only assume everyone had been told of Detective Render’s visit and his warning. Until they found out who was responsible for the craziness going on with her, it would be best if she took every precaution when it came to her and Beau’s safety. And she was discovering the Westmorelands believed in looking after their own. The idea that she was now included in the mix because she was Beau’s mother was mind-boggling.
So now she was in Kiddies’ World Boutique surrounded by five women, who if Keisha wasn’t careful could become her new BFFs. She’d taken a chance on Bonita after they’d met at a spa when she’d moved to Denver the first time and look what had happened. It had taken her a long time to even consider making new friends again.
“Think we got enough things for Beau?” Pam asked, coming up to Keisha holding outfits she’d grabbed off the racks for her sons Denver and Dade.
Keisha couldn’t help but grin. “We bought too much if you ask me.”
“Well, you heard Canyon’s orders to get whatever you wanted,” Chloe said, tossing the outfit for Beau in Keisha’s cart and a cute little dress for her daughter, Susan, in hers.
Yes, he had said that, but it hadn’t made her happy. She couldn’t help frowning at the memory. When Canyon had offered her his charge card, she had refused to take it, telling him that she could pay for Beau’s things without his help. He’d merely slid the card into her shirt pocket and said, “Humor me,” before walking off.
“For what it’s worth, I agree you should humor him, like he said, Keisha,” Pam said softly. “He wants to feel he’s doing something for Beau.”
Keisha released a sigh. “He did something for Beau yesterday. You should see all the stuff he brought back from the store. He got plenty of safety items, but he also bought Beau a lot of toys he didn’t need.”
“Sure Beau will need them,” a pregnant Kalina said, grinning. “Kids can’t have too many toys.”
“It’s the grown men you have to worry about,” Bella said, smiling. “Jason asked his cousin Thorn to build him a motorcycle.”
“Um, you ladies ought to check out Micah’s speedboat back in D.C.,” Kalina said, laughing.
Keisha was amused when each woman told a story about their husband’s favorite new toy. She saw how easy it was for them to laugh at themselves and with each other, and she knew this was what she’d missed out on by not belonging to a big family—a special connection, a camaraderie and a closeness that extended to the women who had married into it.
She glanced to where Stern was sitting in a chair near the entrance of the shop, his legs stretched out in front of him and his Stetson riding low on his head while he talked on his cell phone. Like his brothers and cousins, Stern was tall and ultra-handsome. He had long lashes to die for and a smile that could snatch a woman’s breath right out of her lungs.
He didn’t seem the least perturbed at having to hang out with a bunch of women today. And he hadn’t gotten in the way. This was the second store they’d visited and at both locations he’d hung back, grabbed a chair and sat near the entrance while talking on the phone. But she was fully aware of his alert gaze, which had checked out all the people moving in and out of the store. His actions reminded her of just how serious her predicament was. It might be a while before the police found out who’d targeted her, and she couldn’t expect a member of the Westmoreland family to be her bodyguard that whole time.
“Keisha?”
She shifted her gaze back to the women and found them staring at her. “Yes?”
“We’re not trying to get in your business, because heaven knows all of us have had our ups and downs with Westmoreland men. But is there a reason you didn’t want Canyon to know about Beau? We know about that incident you walked in on with that woman. We’re not judging. But still, didn’t you think he had a right to know about Beau?” Pam asked softly.
Keisha tried not to be defensive. She bit back the impulse to tell them to mind their own business. These women had befriended her when they didn’t have to. They had been nothing but kind to her. Even Bailey, who’d joined them at the first shop they’d visited before leaving to meet a friend for lunch, had been nicer to her today.
All of the women before her had married Westmoreland men. Megan, the only married Westmoreland sister who still lived in Denver, hadn’t been able to join them because she’d been called to the hospital this morning as the anesthesiologist for an emergency surgery.
Keisha wondered how she could explain her reasons so that they would understand. “When I left Denver three years ago, I was hurt and felt betrayed. I didn’t want to see Canyon ever again, and I wanted no contact with him. I was determined to have my child without any man’s help, like my mother did. I thought at the time that Canyon didn’t deserve anything from me. As far as I was concerned, he’d lost any rights to his child.” She paused. “I now admit that I was wrong to feel that way.”
Admitting she was wrong about something she’d believed so strongly at the time was a big move for her. “If I had to do it again I would handle things differently. No matter how or why our relationship ended, I should have told Canyon about Beau.”
There, she’d said it. All it had taken was to see Canyon’s interactions with his son over the past forty-eight hours to know how good they were for each other. Beau’s acceptance of Canyon had been quick and absolute, and the same thing could be said of Canyon’s acceptance of Beau.
Pam gently touched Keisha’s shoulder. “That’s a start, Keisha.”
Was it? Keisha asked herself more than once over the next four hours they spent shopping.
There was still the issue of Canyon’s betrayal. She had forced that nightmare out of her mind and had refused to consider that she’d been wrong. But what had she really seen? Although she hadn’t caught Canyon and Bonita in bed together, Bonita had been naked, and Canyon had walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his middle.
Hadn’t that been enough? Why would Bonita lie and say she and Canyon had slept together when they hadn’t?
* * *
“You okay, Keisha?” Pam asked with concern in her voice as they made a turn onto the road leading to Canyon’s Bluff.
“Yes, I’m okay,” Keisha replied, but she wasn’t. She felt a headache coming on, similar to the one she’d had last night. The same one Canyon had relieved her of...before he’d kissed her.
She took her tongue and licked her top lip, still feeling the aftertaste of pleasure. After she’d gone back to bed, the ache in her head was gone but the ache between her legs had been almost unbearable. It had been an hour later before she’d finally drifted off to sleep with dreams of endless sex with Canyon flowing through her mind.
“We’re here. Looks like your guys are waiting on you.”
Keisha glanced out the car window and felt a flutter in her stomach when she saw father and son sitting side by side on the porch, leaning back on their arms with their legs swinging simultaneously while watching the car pull up. Both had similar huge smiles on their faces. She understood why Beau was smiling. He was glad to see her. But why was Canyon smiling?
She couldn’t imagine that he was glad to see her. She knew he’d been kind enough to provide shelter to her and Beau for the next week, but she knew the only reason he had was because he wanted to protect his son. She just happened to be part of the package.
As soon as she opened the car door, Beau charged across the yard to her. “Mommy! Mommy! You home, Mommy!”
She raised a brow. Home? Beau had only been here for two days and he already thought of Canyon’s place as home. What about her house? Granted the last time he’d seen it, it had been a mess, but still...
“Yes, Mommy is here,” she said, smiling down at him. “Were you a good boy?”
“Yes, good boy. Daddy-Dad has horse. Big horse,” he said, widening his arms. “I ride.”
Keisha chuckled. “Did you?”
“Yes.” He turned toward Canyon. “Didn’t I, Daddy-Dad?”
“You most certainly did.”
Keisha watched as Canyon eased off the porch, and she felt a tingling in the pit of her stomach when his jeans stretched tight across his muscled thighs. She couldn’t ignore the rush of desire that poured through her as she stared at him walking toward her with a stride so sexy she felt flushed by its heat.
“Well, we’ll be going now,” Pam said, reclaiming Keisha’s attention.
She glanced at Pam and all the other women staring at her with a “we understand” smile on their faces. “Okay, and thank you all for everything.”
“No problem. Jill is leaving early tomorrow morning, and she and I plan to do a movie tonight. At least I don’t have to get up and take her to the airport. Aiden is such a sweetie. He volunteered to take Jill for me,” Pam said, getting back behind the wheel of the van.
“I bet he did,” Keisha heard Canyon mutter under his breath as Pam drove off. She glanced at him, wondering what he meant by that. He had come to stand beside her. He looked good, and he smelled good. It was a powerful combination.
Keisha then looked at Stern who’d gotten out of his car to help the ladies remove the shopping bags. “Thank you, Stern.”
He gave her a sexy smile. “My pleasure.”
“Looks like you bought a lot,” Canyon said in a throaty voice, moving past her to take the shopping bags from Stern.
“I took your advice and decided to humor you.”
Canyon threw his head back and laughed. “Thanks.”
“Well, I hate to run, but I’m meeting JoJo in town. We’re attending that Muscle Car Show,” Stern said, opening the door to his car and sliding inside.
“Thanks, Stern,” Canyon said.
“No problem. Lucky for all of you that I didn’t have a date or anything,” Stern said, grinning. Giving them a wave, he then drove off.
Keisha glanced over at Canyon. “Who’s JoJo?”
“His best friend, Jovonnie Jones. They have been friends since they were kids in middle school. Her father owned an auto mechanic shop in town, but she took things over when Mr. Jones passed away.”
Keisha lifted her brow. “She’s a mechanic?”
“The best. She works on all our cars,” he said, turning toward the house. “Where do you want these?”
“Up in my bedroom. I mean the bedroom you’re letting me use,” she corrected.
“I knew what you meant, Keisha. Did you buy something for yourself, as well?”
“Yes, but I didn’t put it on your charge card. I used my own, but thanks for the offer.” She glanced down at Beau, whose hand she was holding firmly in hers as they went up the steps to the porch. She looked back at Canyon. “Was Beau a good boy?”
“Of course. All Westmorelands are good,” he said, grinning.
She rolled her eyes. “So you say.”
“So I know. And speaking of Westmorelands, there’s something I want to discuss with you,” he said, opening the door and gesturing for her to go in front of him.
She released Beau’s hand when he tugged for her to let go. She watched him scamper off to the living room where he flipped down on his stomach to stare at the huge fish tank, which was becoming his favorite pastime. Canyon had purchased several fish to add to the tank yesterday and that had fascinated Beau even more.
When Canyon returned from placing the bags upstairs, he found her sitting down at the dining room table. “So what do you want to talk with me about, Canyon?” she asked, wondering what his discussion would involve.
Instead of sitting down across from her, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and leaned back against the huge breakfast bar that separated the dining room from the kitchen.
“It’s about Beau.”
Her stomach knotted at the serious look in his eyes and the firm set of his jaw. “What about Beau?”
“I want my son to have my name, Keisha.”
She swallowed. “Your name?”
“Yes. He’s a Westmoreland, and I want his last name to reflect that.”
* * *
Canyon knew he had a fight on his hands, but he was ready for the battle. He had thought about it from day one and felt justified in what he was asking. There was no reason for his son not to have his name.
He waited and watched Keisha study the floor before looking back up at him. “All right.”
He blinked, surprised at her response. “All right?”
“Yes, all right.” She stood. “I’m sure Beau hasn’t had a nap yet so I’ll take him up—”
“Whoa. Wait a minute,” he said, straightening away from the breakfast bar.
“Yes?”
“Why?” he asked.
She lifted a brow. “Why what?”
He gave her a level look. “Why are you being so charitable all of a sudden?”
She stiffened her spine. “Did you think I wouldn’t agree to it?”
“Yes.”
She held his stare and then turned away for a second before turning back to find his gaze searching her face. “Well?” he asked, staring her down.
She eased down into her chair. “I owe you an apology, Canyon.”
More surprise flashed in his eyes. “Do you?”
“Yes. Beau is your son and no matter how things ended between us, I should have told you about him.”
Canyon froze. Of all the things he had expected her to say, that wasn’t it. She was right. She should have told him about Beau. “Is that the only thing you’re apologizing for?”
He watched her lift her chin. She fully understood what he was asking. Was she also apologizing for believing he had betrayed her?
“Yes, that’s the only thing I’m apologizing for.”
He stared at her for a long moment. In other words, she still believed him to be a cheating bastard. One day she would realize just how wrong she was about him. When that day came, what would she do? Would she think any words of apology could erase what she had put him through? Had put them both through?
Holding in the anger he was feeling, he said, “I’ll contact a man who handles all the Westmorelands’ legal affairs. He will complete the paperwork for the change.”
“That’s fine.”
He bit back the words to tell her that she was wrong. It wasn’t fine. At that moment, he wasn’t sure if things between them could ever be fine again.
* * *
“Honest, Mom. Beau and I are okay,” Keisha said, talking into her cell phone. She and her mother made a point of talking every Sunday afternoon and Keisha knew she should tell Lynn what was going on.
“And the police have no idea who’s responsible?” Lynn asked.
“Not yet, but they’re on top of this.”
“So you and Beau are living at a hotel?”
Keisha nibbled on her bottom lip. “No, we aren’t at a hotel.”
“Then where are you?”
Releasing a deep sigh, Keisha spent the next fifteen minutes telling her mother everything, including her recent apology to Canyon for not telling him about Beau.
When she finished, Lynn didn’t say anything for a long moment. “I’m glad everything’s out now, Keisha. I never felt you should keep Beau a secret from his father.”
“I know, Mom, but during that time the pain was more than I could bear.”
“I know, baby, but he had that right. Even I knew better than to do that to your father.”
“Yes, but what good did it do?” Keisha asked curtly. “How could he have believed I wasn’t his?” It was something she had wondered about, but had never asked.
“Because I was supposed to be on birth control, and he didn’t want to believe it hadn’t worked. And, unfortunately, at the time a woman had accused his older brother of the same thing and they’d found out she was lying.”
“But he loved you, so he should have believed you,” Keisha said fiercely.
“Um, that’s easy for you to say. You loved Canyon, yet you didn’t believe him when he denied sleeping with that woman.”
Her mother’s words were a blow that Keisha felt in her belly, nearly knocking the wind out of her. “My situation was different,” she defended softly, while her insides struggled for normalcy.
“Was it?”
“Yes.” Keisha glanced out the kitchen window, again wondering if she’d done the right thing by staying here and not at a hotel. It was getting dark, but Canyon was still outside. She could see him working in his yard. Earlier, he had washed down the barn with a hose and before that he had washed his car. He was working off his anger. She understood and accepted his actions.
“I don’t see how. You never saw them in bed together and only went with what that woman said. Getting back to your father, when he saw you for the first time, he knew you were his.”
“Yes, but I was fifteen by then.” She had gone over this with her mother plenty of times. Granted, her mother had moved away from Texas, which had made it impossible for her father to see her, but as far as she was concerned the timing and the distance had been his fault. All he’d had to do that day when they’d run into him and his brother in a restaurant was to look at her to know how wrong he’d been. He had spent the past fourteen years since that day trying to undo that wrong. But she’d refused to meet him halfway. A part of her couldn’t let go of how he’d rejected her before she’d been born.
Needing to change the subject, she asked her mother how things were going at the hospital where she’d worked for more than twenty years. Keisha then inquired about the ladies who’d worked with her for years and whom Keisha considered honorary aunties. The same women who’d been there to give their support during Lynn’s breast cancer scare. She knew her mother wanted to return to their discussion of both Canyon and her father, but Lynn knew when to back off. After all, Keisha was her mother’s daughter, and although the mother might have mellowed over the years, her daughter had not.
When Keisha heard the kitchen door open and close she didn’t have to turn around to know Canyon had come inside. “Okay, Mom, we’ll talk again later. It’s time for me to put Beau to bed.”
“All right, sweetheart. Tell Beau that Gramma loves him. And say hello to Canyon for me.”
Keisha nodded. “I will.”
Keisha clicked off her phone and slowly swiveled around. Canyon was leaning against the refrigerator with his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans, staring at her. A rush of awareness swept through her. It sizzled her insides and sent a gush of blood through her veins. “That was Mom. She told me to tell you hello.”
He nodded and said nothing.
“Beau wanted to wait until you came in to eat.”
Canyon glanced around. “Where is he?”
“Sitting at the dining room table listening to his books.” Canyon had bought Beau a stack of audio storybooks with colorful pictures, which he was enjoying. “I’ll let him know you’re here so he can eat and get into bed at a reasonable time.”
She made a move to walk past Canyon and he snagged her arm. When she glanced up at him, he moved to stand directly in front of her.
“I accept your apology.”