“It’s about time you hauled your sorry butt out of bed.”
At the sound of the elderly gentleman’s comment, Melissa stopped abruptly just inside the kitchen doorway. Standing at the stove, wearing nothing but a pair of long underwear and boots that had seen better days, the man had his back to her and apparently only heard her approach. She assumed he was Shane’s housekeeper, Cactus, and he obviously thought that Shane had come downstairs for breakfast.
How could she let him know that she wasn’t who he thought she was without startling him?
When he suddenly turned around, they both jumped. “God’s nightgown! Where in the name of Sam Hill did you come from?”
“You must be Cactus,” she said, unsure of what else to say. “Shane’s told me a lot about you.”
“Well, he never told me a damn…danged thing about you,” he stammered. “If he had, I sure wouldn’t be standin’ here in nothin’ but my long johns.” His wrinkled cheeks turned fiery red above his grizzled beard. “Excuse me, ma’am. I’ll go get myself decent.”
The man disappeared into a room off the kitchen as quickly as his arthritic legs would allow. A moment later, Shane walked up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist.
“How did you manage to get breakfast started so fast?” he asked, kissing her nape.
Her skin tingled from the contact. “I didn’t. It appears that your housekeeper, Cactus, has arrived home a little earlier than expected.”
He sighed as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Lissa. I should have known this would happen. Whenever he goes to see his sister they always get into an argument and he ends up coming home early about half the time.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She turned within the circle of his arms to smile up at him. “Cactus probably doesn’t know anyone affiliated with the resort. Besides, I seriously doubt that he would tell them I was here, even if he did.”
Shane kissed the tip of her nose. “Why is that, angel?”
“Because he knows I could tell them I caught him cooking breakfast in his long underwear,” she said, laughing. “If his blush was any indication, I think I embarrassed him all the way to the roots of his snow-white hair.”
Rolling his eyes, Shane shook his head. “He definitely marches to the beat of his own drum. But don’t worry. He’ll get over it.”
“Boy, I got a bone to pick with you,” Cactus groused as he limped back into the room. “Why didn’t you tell me you were gonna have a lady friend comin’ for a visit this weekend?”
“I didn’t figure it would matter, since you weren’t supposed to be here,” Shane answered, unaffected by the older man’s irritation. Releasing her, he walked over to the coffeemaker. “Have a seat at the table, Lissa, while I pour us a cup of coffee. Lissa, this is Cactus Parsons, my housekeeper and the orneriest old cuss you’d ever care to meet.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Cactus,” she said, smiling.
He nodded. “Ma’am.”
Remembering something one of her friends had mentioned about not drinking caffeinated beverages while pregnant, Lissa shook her head. “Thank you, but I think I’ll pass on the coffee.”
When Shane walked over to sit beside her at the table, Cactus asked, “How do you like your eggs, gal?”
“Say scrambled,” Shane whispered. “That’s the only way he knows how to cook them.”
“I heard that, and it ain’t true,” the old gentleman retorted. “I know how to put cheese in ’em or if your lady friend would like onions and green peppers, I can make ’em that way, too.”
Shane laughed. “But they’re still scrambled.”
“It don’t matter,” Cactus insisted, his toothless grin wide. “They’re still different than just plain old eggs.”
Having grown up in the house where teasing and good-natured banter hadn’t existed, Lissa enjoyed listening to the exchange between the two men. It told her a lot about the kind of man Shane was.
Besides going out of his way to preserve an old man’s dignity by making bets they both knew were a complete farce, Shane went along with and even encouraged the man’s complaints because he knew it made Cactus happy.
That was something her father certainly would have never done for one of his employees. For that matter, he hadn’t bothered to do anything even remotely similar to that for his own children.
There wasn’t a single time in her life that she could remember her father teasing or playing with her or her brothers. He had reminded them on a daily basis from the time they were old enough to listen that if they weren’t excelling academically or working to somehow improve Jarrod Ridge, they were letting themselves down and disappointing him.
“Here you go, gal,” Cactus said, interrupting her thoughts as he placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her.
As soon as the plate touched the table, the food that had smelled so delicious only a few moments before caused a terrible queasiness in the pit of her stomach. Glancing at Shane, she watched his easy expression turn to one of concern and she knew she must look as ill as she felt.
Unable to make an excuse for leaving the table, Melissa jumped from the chair and ran as fast as she could for the stairs. She barely managed to make it into the master bathroom and slam the door before falling to her knees.
She had never in all of her twenty-six years been as sick as she was at that moment. If the fact that she was pregnant hadn’t sunk in before, it certainly had became very real now.
Feeling as if the blood in his veins had turned to ice water, Shane took the stairs two at a time as he chased Lissa. What the hell was wrong with her?
She had seemed fine when they got up and came downstairs for breakfast. Then, without warning, she’d turned ghostly pale and bolted from the room like a racehorse coming out of the starting gate.
As soon as he entered his bedroom he heard her and found the bathroom door locked. “Lissa, let me in,” he demanded.
“Go…away…Shane.” Her voice sounded weak and shaky.
“Not until I know you’re going to be all right.” If he had to, he would break the damned door down. But he wasn’t going anywhere until he found out what was wrong with her.
“I think…I have…morning sickness,” she said, sounding downright miserable. “Please leave…me…alone so I…can die…in peace.”
Feeling completely useless, Shane drew in a deep breath and walked over to sit on the end of the bed while he waited for her nausea to run its course. He felt guilty. If not for one of his swimmers, she wouldn’t be in there feeling as if death would be a blessing.
He rested his forearms on his knees and stared down at his loosely clasped hands. He wished there was something he could do for her, but he was at a total loss. Horses didn’t suffer through morning sickness and, since he never intended to have a wife and kids, he had never bothered to learn more than the basics about human pregnancies. Now he was going to have to play catch-up and learn all he could on the subject.
Several minutes later as he sat there mentally compiling a list of things that he wanted to research, he heard the bathroom lock click open and Lissa slowly opened the door. His heart slammed against his ribs at her appearance.
She looked as though she had just been through hell. Her usual peaches-and-cream complexion was still a pasty white, perspiration dotted her forehead and her long blond hair hung limp around her shoulders.
“I asked for privacy,” she said, sounding completely spent.
“I gave you as much as I thought you needed.” He might fall short with his lack of knowledge, but there was no way he would have left her on her own and gone back downstairs. “Does morning sickness last the entire length of the pregnancy or is it a short-term thing?”
Walking over to sit down on the bed beside him, she shook her head. “Every pregnancy is different. Some women have it for the entire nine months and others aren’t bothered by it at all. My friend in California only had a problem with morning sickness for a month or so before it disappeared.”
Nine months of being sick every morning? Just the thought made his skin crawl. In his estimation even a day or two was way too much.
“Is there something the doctor can give you to keep it from happening?” he asked, hoping there was.
He put his arm around her shoulders and tucked her to his side. Surely in this day and age there had to be something to help a woman get through it.
“I think there is medication to help with the nausea, but since I haven’t been to the doctor yet, it’s irrelevant at the moment.” She yawned. “Maybe it would be a good idea for you to take me back to the resort this afternoon.”
Shane didn’t have to think twice about his answer. “No way.” Rising to his feet, he pulled her up with him, then walked her around to the side of the bed. “There’s no one there to take care of you and as sick as you are, I don’t want you being by yourself.”
“If I need something or someone, I can call Erica,” she said, referring to the half sister the Jarrod children had learned of during the reading of their father’s will.
“We both know you wouldn’t do that,” he stated, pulling back the comforter. “Your sister would want an explanation, and you aren’t ready to give her one.” He motioned for her to lie down. “I told you that I was going to see you through all of this and that is exactly what I intend to do, angel. Now, stretch out and take a nap. Maybe you’ll feel better when you wake up.”
“You’re not going to be a bully about this, are you?” she asked. He thought she might dig her heels in and try to resist him telling her what to do, but to his satisfaction she climbed into bed. “Because if you are, I’m not—”
“Only if I have to be, to make sure I keep you and the baby safe and well,” he said, careful to keep his voice gentle. Pulling the cover up over her, he sat down on the side of the bed. “Now get some rest, Lissa.” It was only after he kissed her smooth cheek that he realized she had already fallen asleep.
Shane wasn’t certain when he had developed the fierce protectiveness that coursed through him now, but there was no denying its presence or its overwhelming strength. Staring down at the blond-haired woman in his bed, he silently made her a promise. No matter what it took, he would do everything in his power to keep her and their child safe and healthy.
“Where’s Cactus?” Melissa asked when she came downstairs to find Shane sitting at the computer in his office.
“He and a couple of the men who stayed around for the weekend are playing poker down at the bunkhouse,” Shane answered, looking up from the screen.
“What excuse did you give him about my…sudden exit from the room?” She could only imagine what the outspoken old man had to say about that.
“He didn’t ask,” Shane said, shaking his head. “He muttered something about it being my fault he burned the bacon as he scraped your plate into the garbage disposal.” He shrugged. “I didn’t bother to correct him.” His expression changed to one of concern. “Are you feeling all right?”
His consideration touched her deeply. She had awakened to find a plate of crackers and a cup of weak tea on the bedside table, along with a note from him, telling her not to get up until she had consumed both. Apparently Shane had found the home remedy on the Internet, and whether it had been the nap or the crackers and tea, she did feel a lot better.
Nodding, she sat down in one of the two leather armchairs in front of his desk. “Right now I’m doing fine. I don’t know for certain, but I assume since it’s called ‘morning sickness’ that I won’t be bothered again until tomorrow when I wake up.”
“Good.” He stood up and walked around the desk to sit in the chair beside her. “I’ve been checking the Web for information on pregnancy and doctors. If the tea and crackers work to help alleviate the worst of the nausea, it’s best to stick with that, rather than a prescription medication. I’ll set my alarm to get up earlier and have them waiting on you when you wake up tomorrow.”
She smiled. “It sounds like you’ve done quite a bit of research.”
“You wouldn’t believe how much information there is on pregnancy.” Clearly amazed, he shook his head. “The first thing we need to do is make an appointment with an obstetrician and get you on prenatal vitamins. Then, we’ll have to review your diet to see where nutritional adjustments are needed.”
Melissa stared at him a moment as she tried to assimilate Shane the ladies’ man, with Shane the expectant father. “I intend to call for an appointment as soon as you take me back to Aspen,” she assured him. “And I’m certain I’ll be given instructions on what foods I should avoid and what I should add to my diet, when I see the doctor.”
Nodding his obvious approval, he went on. “We’ll also need to—”
She held up her hand to stop him. “Back up, Cowboy. Where is all this ‘we’ stuff coming from?”
“I told you, angel. I’m going to be with you every step of the way.” He reached over to take her hand in his. “You’re not going through this alone.”
“I truly appreciate your willingness to help,” she said slowly. “But if I’m in California and you’re here in Colorado—”
“That’s unacceptable,” he interrupted, shaking his head. “I’m not going to let you risk losing your inheritance, Lissa.”
“And I can’t take the risk of having even one of the investors pull out of the upcoming projects planned for Jarrod Ridge.”
Unable to sit still, Melissa rose to her feet to pace the floor in front of his drafting table. They had reached the moment she had been dreading. Decisions were going to be made that would affect the rest of their lives, as well as that of their child’s. She just hoped with all of her heart they made the right choices.
“There are a lot of people dependent on the resort’s success.” She needed to make him understand. “Jarrod Ridge is the single largest employer in Aspen. If future projects like the Food and Wine Gala are canceled because the investment capital isn’t there, people will start losing their jobs.”
“None of that is going to happen,” he said calmly.
Turning to face him, she couldn’t believe his assertion. “You know Elmer Madison and Clara Buchanan. They are huge investors in Jarrod Ridge and two of the most puritanical members of the group, not to mention the most influential. We both know they’d disapprove of me becoming an unwed mother and convince several of the other investors to take their money elsewhere. I can’t be responsible for—”
“The first thing I want you to do is calm down,” he cut in. “Stress isn’t good for you or the baby.” His commanding tone indicated that the issue wasn’t up for debate. “And the second is, you’re worrying for nothing. Once they learn we’re getting married, there’s nothing they can say without looking like the pompous, judgmental asses they are.”
“Shane—”
“Hear me out, Lissa.” He rose to his feet, then walked over to loosely wrap his arms around her waist. “There’s no way I’m going to allow you to go back to California to have our baby alone.”
“You’re starting to sound like a bully again,” she warned. No one had told her what she was or wasn’t going to do since she had left home after high-school graduation, and she wasn’t inclined to let Shane pick up where her father had left off.
“I’m not being a bully. I’m trying to get you to see reason.” His tone was less dictatorial and he had apparently gotten the message that she wasn’t going to be ordered around. “This is my child, too, Lissa. We may not have planned on you becoming pregnant, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be just as much a part of his life as you do.”
She had always wanted children some day and prayed that their father would be more interested and involved than her own father had been with his. That would be next to impossible with her living in one state and Shane in another.
Nibbling on her lower lip, she shook her head. “I’m sure we could work something out that gives us both equal time.”
“Don’t you see? Marrying me solves everything, angel.” He drew her close to press a kiss to her temple. “You get to keep your inheritance, the resort keeps its investors and our baby gets a full-time momma and daddy to raise him.”
Either her resistance was down or what he said was beginning to make sense to her. She did want to maintain her share of Jarrod Ridge and she could likely only do that by remaining in Aspen to manage Tranquility Spa. If she married Shane, some of the investors might grumble about her becoming pregnant before the marriage, but it should be enough to keep them from pulling their funding.
Leaning back, she gazed up at his handsome face. She had always hoped to have a husband and family, but in her dreams she had imagined marrying for love, not to save the resort’s reputation and funding.
He must have sensed her resolve was weakening. “I give you my word that you won’t regret becoming my wife, Lissa,” he promised. “We can make this work. We already have a lot more going for us than other couples have.”
His statement took her by surprise. “We do?”
He nodded. “We get along well, we enjoy and appreciate some of the same things, we have a fantastic love life and a baby on the way. The way I see it, that’s a damned fine start.”
“But there’s still a lot we don’t know about each other,” she said, unwilling to give in so easily.
“We’ll learn as we go,” he said with a knowing grin.
The skunk knew she was going to agree with his plan. Was it too much to ask that he not gloat about it?
“How would we tell everyone the news?” she asked, wondering what her family would say.
Shane looked thoughtful for a moment. “I can make reservations to throw a dinner party in the Sky Lounge. I’m a Jarrod Ridge investor and given the way your family feels about losing its backers, I’m sure your brothers, sister and their significant others will feel compelled to attend.”
If there was one thing she was certain of, it was the compliance of her family with one of the resort’s investors. Shane and his father before him had contributed quite a lot of money to special events at Jarrod Ridge. There was no way her brothers would risk losing that.
“I can’t think of a single reason that anyone in my family would turn down your invitation.”
“Good.” His grin widened. “Now, can you think of anything else we should do before we tell your family?”
She shook her head. “Not at the moment.”
“Then there’s only one thing left to do.” He dropped to one knee and taking her hand in his, smiled up at her. “Melissa Jarrod, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Staring down at Shane, she couldn’t help but wonder what she was getting herself into. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this,” she murmured. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Then, straightening her shoulders, she opened her eyes and nodded. “Yes, Shane, I’ll marry you.”