Maggie reached across the table to take Susan’s hand. “Take a deep breath. I didn’t mean to upset you.
“It’s just...so many things have changed. Zach is being very nice, but it’s for his grandfather’s sake.” And she worked hard to remember that when he touched her, held her. She tried so hard, but she feared she was losing the battle. One of these days, she’d attack him and then never be able to face him again.
“Is this private or can I join in?” Kate asked, a cup of coffee in her hand.
“J-join us,” Susan said, hoping they could talk about business now, or about her sisters’ babies, or the weather, or anything but Zach Lowery.
After a quick exchange of glances with Maggie, Kate said, “Susan, the brochure was brilliant! The printer was practically drooling over your work. He wanted to know if you’d take on any other clients.”
Whatever she’d been expecting, it wasn’t an offer for more business. “I don’t think... I mean, I’m working for our company.”
“I know, but now that the brochure is done, how much work is there? I think you’d have time to do the work, and you could do it here.” Kate smiled ruefully. “At least, I hope that’s what you want, ’cause I told him yes.”
It was Maggie who scolded her. “Kate, that’s Susan’s decision!”.
“I know, I know. But I told him you were expensive. We agreed that you wouldn’t do a brochure for less than five thousand.”
Susan choked. “That much? But—”
“And a bargain at that price,” Kate announced, as if no one would have the nerve to argue with her.
Her two sisters watched her expectantly. Susan reached out a hand to each of them. “Thanks. That would be great.”
Kate gave a relieved sigh. “I’m glad. I didn’t want to run over you, the way Zach has.”
Susan stiffened. “He’s only doing it for his grandfather’s sake.”
“He hasn’t done anything you don’t like, has he?” Maggie asked, watching her closely.
Susan could feel her cheeks heating up. She didn’t want to think about the kisses, the hugs, the comfort he’d given her. She shouldn’t like it...but she did.
“No, of course not. And he’s been wonderfully kind to Paul and Megan.”
“Megan? Is Megan at the ranch?” Kate demanded.
“No, not now. But I left a message for her with the ranch phone number in case of an emergency. She found out I was married and was waiting for me Monday.”
“Is she okay with everything?”
“Yes, but...the Lowery men are overpowering. Gramp immediately wanted her to transfer to KU so she’d be closer to the ranch.”
“How did Megan feel about it?”
“Oh, she was ready. She said she was too lonesome in Nebraska.”
“Susie, let Maggie and me pay her tuition wherever she wants to go. You know I don’t need the money from the diner. Maggie doesn’t, either, both because of Josh and her own successful business. Pop would be so proud if he thought the diner was providing for you.”
“Kate’s right,” Maggie added. “And we could start a fund for Paul, so he’d have a choice, too.”
Tears streamed down Susan’s cheeks. She never used to cry. At least not in front of people. Now she seemed a veritable fountain. “You’re so generous. But really, it’s not necessary.”
“We know. But we still want to do it,” Maggie said softly.
Susan squeezed their hands. “I—I think that would be great,” she finally agreed.
Her sisters appeared stunned by her capitulation. “Terrific!” Kate finally responded. “We’ll set up a trust fund for each of them. When will Megan transfer? Can we—”
Susan held up a hand. “Wait! There’s a condition.”
She gathered her thoughts, then said, “I want you not to tell Megan until after May.”
“Why?” Kate demanded.
“Because once we leave the ranch, it might affect her decision. I’ve explained that the marriage isn’t permanent, but Zach and his grandfather are so...so convincing, that I’m not sure she’s accepted my explanation.” She drew in a large gulp of air. “Fairy tales are so believable.”
“Of course we’ll wait,” Maggie agreed, ignoring Kate’s sharp look. “But we’ll still pay for room and board the second semester. We’ll just give the money to you.”
“No, I have enough for—”
“Don’t go back on your word,” Kate chided. “Buy something for yourself. Or put it in savings. This one’s on Pop.”
Susan blinked back her tears. She’d never known her father, but her sisters were the most wonderful people in the world. “Thank yon so much.”
“No thanks necessary. Now, we’d all better get home to our menfolk,” Kate said, looking at her
watch. “Things are looking up for the O’Connor girls, but we’d best take care of business, as Pop used to say.”
They all got up, and Susan hurried to her office to get her purse. Then she waved goodbye to her sisters and headed for the ranch. She didn’t mind going home now. Her prospects were improving. She was going to be able to pay her own way.
Maggie and Kate stood at the door of the diner, watching as Susan drove away.
“Is she as miserable as I think she is?” Kate asked.
“Absolutely.”
“Will everything work out all right?” Kate asked, seeking reassurance.
Maggie sighed. “I don’t know. But she’s beginning to open up, to let us in. I think loving Zach has made a difference.”
“Men! They always get the credit.” Kate protested with a grin.
“Yeah. I only hope Zach realizes how fortunate he is,” Maggie said, her gaze filled with worry.
“If he doesn’t, we’ll send Josh and Will out to beat him up.”
Maggie chuckled. “They’d probably end up commiserating with him. They were just as miserable until we settled everything.”
“True. I think Susan will work things out by herself. After all, she’s an O’Connor, whether she claims the name or not. The Lucky Charm is working for her, as it did for us.”
“Yes,” Maggie agreed. “Pop would be so proud.”
Chapter Twelve
Z
ach was encouraged Wednesday night. Susan came home in a good mood, even sparing him a smile or two at dinner.
He’d been right Patience was the key. Now if he could just convince his body of that theory. Because when winter came, cold showers weren’t going to be a lot of fun.
“Rosa and I took the boys and Josie to school to register today,” he mentioned to Susan.
“You did? Paul? Did everything go okay?”
“Sure. I met my new teacher. She liked Zach a lot” Paul helped himself to more mashed potatoes.
Susan turned to stare at Zach. “I’m sure she did,” she said coolly.
Zach hastily clarified Paul’s comment “She’s an old friend. A
married
old friend. We went to school together.”
“How nice,” Susan said, turning her attention to her meal.
“Manny and I are in the same class,” Paul added.
“I’m glad,” Susan said, “but I’d better not get a report that you’re not paying attention and doing your work.” Her brother nodded, unconcerned with her strictures. “What time will you leave for school each morning? I can drop the two of you off when I leave.”
“Zach said he could take us in his truck,” Paul said, watching his sister for her reaction.
Zach hurriedly intervened. “It would be better if your sister took you, buddy. I might have some things to do here.”
Susan gave him a searching look but said nothing.
“How’s your work going, Susan?” Pete suddenly asked.
“Very well.”
“You one of those career women?”
Zach almost groaned aloud. “Uh, Cramp—”
“I’m not sure what you mean, Gramp. I like my work.”
Pete, who was now eating at the dinner table instead of in bed, leaned forward. “I mean, when you have babies, you’re not going to insist on working, are you?”
“Gramp,” Zach said, jumping in, “Susan doesn’t need to worry about that right now.”
Again Susan sent him a sharp look, as if she suspected him of something. Hell, he was trying to keep
the pressure off of her. A lot of appreciation he was getting for it.
“Just thinking ahead, boy,” Pete protested.
“Well, you’d better eat your dinner. There’s a great movie starting in a few minutes. I thought we all might watch it together.”
That got everyone’s attention, and Zach breathed a sigh of relief. He was going to have another talk with Cramp. He couldn’t survive too many more dinners with Gramp playing a heavy-handed Cupid.
In the den, as they all settled down to watch the movie, Gramp maneuvered Zach and Susan onto the couch, encouraging Paul to sit beside his sister while pushing her closer to Zach.
Okay, so Zach was going to be patient, but he couldn’t resist wrapping his arm around Susan a few minutes after the movie started. She rested against him, laying her head on his shoulder, her warmth enveloping him, and he scarcely saw any of the movie.
Zach was working in the far corral, putting a young filly through her paces, when Hester came puffing to the fence railing.
“Zach?” she called.
He led the horse over to the railing. “Hi, Hester. Is anything wrong?”
“No. Just a message from Susan. She asked you to meet her at the Plaza Hotel at five o’clock.”
Zach frowned. “Did she say why?”
“Nope. Said she had some errands to run and
would meet you there.” Hester turned to go back to the house.
Zach asked one more time, “You’re sure it was Susan? And she said the Plaza at five o’clock.”
“Yep. I figured you’d need all the time you could to get cleaned up and make it on time.” Then she walked away.
Zach stared at his dusty jeans, rubbed the stubble on his chin and realized Hester was right. He’d have to hurry. And he guessed it didn’t really matter why Susan had sent the message. He released the filly into a nearby pasture and sprinted for the house.
Half an hour later, he jumped into his truck, the dust and stubble gone. He was still dressed in jeans, but he brought a suit with him in a hanging bag, just in case Susan had something dressy in mind.
“Good evening, Mr. Lowery,” the man behind the check-in desk greeted him. “Here’s your key. Everything’s arranged.”
Zach raised his eyebrows. “Okay, thank you. Is Mrs. Lowery here?”
“Not yet, sir.”
Zach discovered they were booked into the honeymoon suite again. Had Susan changed her mind? Was she interested in more than she’d originally said?
Those thoughts had him jabbing at the button on the elevator several times, impatient. Then he drew a deep breath. He’d promised patience. He’d let Susan make the first move.
Then he’d be able to satisfy his frustrations.
Oh mercy...
He slid the key into the door and carried his hanging bag through to the master bedroom closet. On the way back into the other room, he saluted the large bed.
No couch tonight.
He paced the length of the living room several times before he noticed the tray on the table. Another bottle of champagne waited in a bucket of ice.
Susan was going all out, he decided with a smile. Until he remembered her inexperience with the bubbly. Eyes narrowing, he approached the table.
Beside the bucket with the champagne was a note. Frowning, Zach picked it up.
Patience isn’t working. Enjoy.
Zach closed his eyes with a groan. Gramp.
The door opened to admit Susan.
“Zach? What’s going on? Why was I supposed to meet you here?” She came closer, her gaze falling on the champagne. She came to a halk her widened stare returning to Zach. “What’s going on?”
He crumpled the note behind his back. “Uh, Gramp wanted us to have some time alone.”
Before Susan could respond, someone knocked on the door.
Zach crossed the room and pulled it open to find an older man in a dark suit, holding several boxes. “Good evening, Zach. I’m James Pruitt, the manager here. Your grandfather sent some gifts for you and Mrs. Lowery.”
Zach had no choice but to take the boxes. He set them down on the end of the sofa. James Pruitt held
out an envelope. When Zach took it, the manager bowed and left.
In the envelope were tickets to a performance at Starlight Theater, the outdoor theater that operated all summer, as well as a note indicating dinner would be at seven o’clock.
“Damn,” Zach muttered. Gramp was determined to push Susan into a real marriage.
“It’s all right. Your grandfather doesn’t understand. We can—”
“These are tickets to the Starlight. Dinner for two in the restaurant downstairs. And, just at a guess, I think he probably bought us clothes.”
To his surprise, Susan opened the two boxes. One held a suit for him, ordered from his favorite clothing store. Zach didn’t want to think what Gramp had had to pay for such fast delivery.
In the other box was a blue dress, shimmery and feminine, that made Susan gasp. “Oh, it’s beautiful.”
“It’ll look even better with you wearing it. Want to go to the theater?”
“I don’t want to upset Gramp.”
Oh, he was tempted. To have an evening, a night, with Susan, had been his hope when he’d arrived. But he couldn’t take advantage of her.
“Honey,” he began, then had to clear his throat. The thought of what he was denying himself was painful. “Honey, Gramp knows.”
She stared at him, uncomprehending. Then, her voice huskier than ever, she said, “He knows? He knows we’re not married?”
“We are married! We’re just not—not really married.”
She dropped the dress back into the box. “You told him?”
“No, he figured it out.”
“That’s a relief,” she said, slowly sinking onto the couch. “That means—When did he tell you?”
“Monday, the day Megan came to the ranch.”
As his answer sunk in, her anger rose. “That’s four days ago! You let me continue to believe that we had to pretend to—pretend to be in love?” She advanced toward him. “How could you? How could you torment me even one day, Zach Lowery? You knew—”
“I knew that you were safe, taken care of, settled. I should have told you and upset you?” he asked, not sure what his response should be.
She backed away from him, looking for her purse. “We’ll move out at once.”
“You damn well won’t! How dare you even think of such a thing. Just because Gramp knows doesn’t mean your leaving wouldn’t hurt him. And what about Paul? Are you going to separate him from his best friend, from Gramp, from
me?”
Susan was hurting inside herself. She didn’t want to leave Zach or the ranch. She didn’t want to be on her own again. Loving Zach had made her weak, as she’d feared.
And now she couldn’t stay.
“We have to go. I only agreed to stay until Gramp was recovered, and obviously he’s recovered very
well.” She tried to move past Zach, but he blocked her way.
“You agreed to stay the entire school year. Until May. You promised. You promised Paul and me.”
She closed her eyes. If she didn’t, he’d see how much she hated her decision. How much she wanted to stay.
“left me go, Zach.”
“I
won’t
let you go. I won’t
ever
let you go.” Then he pulled her against him, his lips taking hers.
How could she want him so much? How could she feel the wonder of his touch, when she knew she had to leave? Her mother had always given in to the physical. She wouldn’t.
But Zach’s hands stroked her body as his mouth continued its domination over hers. Her own hands crept up his chest to lock around his neck. He lifted his mouth, then returned it at another angle, asking more and more of her in response.
And, God help her, she responded.
Wrapped in his arms, she pressed closer and closer to him, wanting more, wanting to feel him inside her, to become one with this man whose very presence tortured her senses every day.
His hands left her hips to unbutton her jacket, then her blouse. She found the snaps on his Western shirt to be much more efficient. In one mighty pull, she exposed his broad, muscular chest. Her hands memorized it with loving caresses.
Suddenly, she realized they were moving, step by agonizing step, toward the bedroom. Susan knew
what Zach intended. She also knew she could stop him at any time.
The decision was hers.
But for the first time in her life, she wanted a man, this man, with all her heart. Forever. Even if he never intended to love her.
She couldn’t resist the temptation to give him her love, unstintingly. With a whimper as his lips left hers, she didn’t fight their progress. In fact, she pulled his shirt out of his pants and shoved it down his arms. He helped by shrugging out of it, dropping it on the floor, then doing the same to her jacket and blouse.
The electric sparks that their touching ignited, the powerful surge of desire that filled her, numbed her to anything but Zach. The resistance she’d tried to maintain had melted away.
When they reached the bed, Zach stopped. Susan almost cried out as he caught her by her arms and held his tantalizing lips away from her.
“Honey, I’m not overpowering you, am I? Do you want this as much as I do?”
“yet,” she whispered. One word was all it took to make Zach dismiss any qualms, but Susan wasn’t complaining. She’d saved herself for this moment, to become one with the one man in the world she loved.
Even if he didn’t love her. At least he made her feel as if he did....
Zach was an artful lover, teasing her, encouraging her, touching her. She loved the feel of his hands on her body and returned the favor as much as she could. He was so strong, so loving.
When he was finally ready to enter her, Susan was so beside herself with need, with hunger, that she pleaded with him to take her.
He did.
And gasped her name. “Susan!”
The pain was minimal, the joy of communion immense. “Yes, please, Zach.”
His lips took hers again and they mated, as lovers do, but Susan didn’t think anyone could ever have experienced such incredible happiness.
Her first time.
He’d wanted to share a first with her the last time they’d been together in this suite, but he hadn’t dared. Now he’d experienced the ultimate first with Susan.
And he only loved her more.
His woman, his wife, was loving, kind, selfless and incredibly sexy. He gathered her against him afterward, his lips kissing her brow. “You should’ve told me,” he whispered.