“Come here, Ms. Williams,” he called out to her with his deep, commanding voice.
She did as he demanded, as everyone did when they had any dealings with Edwin McCoy. He stepped back to allow her entrance into his house. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she maneuvered herself with effort until she was standing in the hallway.
“Follow me,” he said gruffly, leading the way to his study.
Rachel followed, glad that her crutches made the trip a slow one. The feeling in her gut worsened with each awkward step that she made, but she followed anyway. When they walked into the study, he stood aside until she entered then closed the door firmly behind them. He turned to face her, causing her to back up a step out of pure instinct for self-preservation.
“Ms. Williams, I am only going to say this to you once,” he told her quietly, the tone of his voice deceptively calm. “You are to break off all future dealings with my son. If you try to influence my son in any way, it will be Sam who will suffer. I will cut him off without a penny. He will not work for me. He will not continue medical school on my dime. Even if he is able to secure financial loans and aid, I will see to it that no school in this country will take him in. He will not become a doctor.”
“Why?” Rachel asked in horror. “How can you destroy your son’s future?” Her words were spoken in a voice that was barely a whisper. She was disgusted at his total lack of concern for his own child.
“My son’s future is what I determine it will be,” Edwin McCoy told her evenly, his cold eyes leveling her with his stare. “He will work within my business for the year. At the end of that year I will decide if he will be allowed to continue with medical school. If I decide to allow him to do so, he will work at the hospital of my choosing upon completion of his schooling. He will marry a girl that I deem fit for his place in society. He will not end up a country doctor working for chickens, married to a girl like you who does not befit my son’s station in life.”
Rachel stared up at him, her disgust making her unable to form any words. Edwin McCoy just looked at her silently. There was no emotion in him as he faced Rachel. Rachel felt all the anger rushing to her chest, nearly making her explode. She knew her face had to be mirroring her anger.
“Mr. McCoy,” she finally said quietly, facing him squarely, “I have always tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I was wrong. I have to say, you’ve shocked me with how much you’re willing to hurt Sam.” She stood facing him with contempt and loathing evident in her eyes. “You won’t be able to use me to destroy your son.”
Edwin McCoy looked at her with something very close to boredom. That irritated Rachel more than anything. She turned to leave, determined not to give this man any more of her time or attention. He watched her silently, not moving to stop her.
“Ms. Williams,” he said quietly. “You’d be surprised just how much I am willing to do to have my son follow the path in life that I have chosen for him.”
Rachel stopped and turned to look back at him. He hadn’t moved and was looking at her calmly with his hands casually placed inside the pockets of the black silk robe that he was wearing.
“Are you really willing to risk Sam’s future, and the future of Roy Monroe and the Monroe Ranch?” he asked her evenly.
“You keep my family out of this,” she warned him, her voice strong and under control despite her fear.
“That’s entirely up to you, Ms. Williams,” he told her calmly. “Just understand that I only need to make one phone call to purchase the mortgage to the Monroe Ranch. Your aunt will be tied up in financial difficulties immediately since I plan to call for the full payment of the loan. That would sufficiently prevent your cousin from finishing college. Even if he is able to procure loans to finish his last year of schooling, he won’t be able to find work anywhere in this state.”
Rachel just stared at him, unable to speak. She wanted to scream at him that Sam had his own choices to make. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to tell him what a poor excuse of a father he was. But a sudden realization overcame her. Edwin McCoy had money. That meant he had power. He had the control in this situation. She did not.
The decision she made right then would determine the fate of two families. She would not be the reason for the ruination of Sam’s career and the certain destruction of her cousin and aunt. She knew of the power that Edwin McCoy uncaringly wielded. She knew how far his influence stretched.
Rachel faced him directly, trying desperately to hide what she was feeling. Her heart was pounding. She was sure that he was able to hear it in the deafening silence of the room. There was no doubt in her mind that Edwin McCoy would follow through on his threats against her family and Sam. Rachel looked at the man before her, knowing there was only one choice open to her in order to keep everyone that she loved safe.
“I’ll keep clear of your son,” she told him calmly. “You keep clear of my family and Sam’s dream.”
She reached forward and pulled open the study door. She was glad that she hadn’t cried. As much as she wanted to, her anger and disgust toward this man made her more determined not to let him see any weakness. She made her way to the front door as fast as her crutches would take her.
She had made a promise to Joanna McCoy to be there for Sam. But she also knew that the only way to protect Sam and be there for him as she had promised, was to never see him again. As she walked slowly toward her car, her heart ached for the love that she would never know with the only man she could ever love.
Present Day
Rachel Williams walked confidently out of Grand Central Station and headed out to join the throng of people that walked the busy streets of New York City. She wore denim shorts and a red T-shirt that showed off her feminine figure. She carried herself with confidence as she hailed a cab and reached forward to open the rear door as it cruised to a stop beside her.
“Plaza Hotel,” she told the cab driver quickly, settling her garment bag, briefcase, and overnight suitcase beside her. She leaned back against the seat and looked out into the busy traffic.
It was a quick ride to the elegant hotel. The doorman opened the cab door and stood back to allow her to exit the cab, quickly beckoning to the staff that waited behind him. The bellhop reached out to take the luggage from her and stood aside so the door could be opened for her. The efficient staff ushered her inside to register with an ease that spoke of years of outstanding service. The front desk clerk smiled in recognition as she approached the white marble counter of the front desk.
“Good afternoon, Miss Williams,” she welcomed her warmly, always glad to see the friendly woman before her.
“Hello, Carol,” Rachel greeted her. “Nice to see you again.”
“Hope your stay is a pleasant one,” Carol told her sincerely as Rachel signed the papers before her.
“Thanks, Carol,” she said happily, taking the card key from her. “Have a good one.”
Rachel passed through the hotel lobby, feeling at once spoiled and unused to the luxury of the exquisitely beautiful marble surroundings and crystal chandeliers. Despite her successful writing career and financial situation, she was still the basic country girl that had spent her childhood in the mountains of Colorado with her cousin and aunt.
By the time she made her way to her room on the fifteenth floor, her mind was already filling with memories of her time spent with her Aunt Kay, Roy, Jarod, and Sam. She swiped her card key and opened the door, closing it behind her and flipping the extra security lock into place. She threw her purse and card key onto the rich cherry credenza then sat down on the elegant rose brocade coverlet on the decadent bed. She lay down on the softness and sighed, tired from her trip from Connecticut.
After allowing herself the luxury of doing absolutely nothing for a few minutes, she stood up and reached for her bags that had already been placed in her room. She unzipped the garment bag and carefully removed the delicate dress that was inside it. She hung it up quickly and turned to open her overnight bag. She looked at her watch and saw that it was still early enough for her to take some time to rest before she had to get ready for her night out. Setting the alarm on her phone, she placed it on the bedside table to make sure she wouldn’t oversleep and miss her date.
Settling beneath the soft covers, she turned onto her side and cuddled into the warmth of the sheets. It was cool in the room with the air conditioning unit on, but she liked to sleep with the room cooler. Closing her eyes, she sighed tiredly. She concentrated on the sound of her breathing and willed herself to relax. When she scented the cinnamon and sugar fragrance, she smiled at its familiarity. That scent always made her happy. It also always preceded a really nice dream.
She calmed immediately and settled. It wasn’t long before she drifted off into a restful sleep. The scent intensified and she breathed deeply to inhale the comforting presence that wrapped her in warmth.
The sweet angel Bernadette smiled down at the kind woman who had been close to her heart since she had been born. Rachel was a wonderful person. Bernadette ached for the loneliness and the cruelty that her sweet baby had experienced. Well, it was time to make things better for her little girl.
She laughed softly as Rachel took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. She loved that she had such an effect on her. Over the years, Bernadette had visited Rachel often as she slept. She sent her beautiful dreams that helped her when she was sad, but sometimes her dreams weren’t enough. Rachel ached with the loss of the one man she had sacrificed so much for in order to protect both him and her family.
Sam McCoy was her destined mate. Bernadette knew the goodness of the man. She also knew how he had suffered without Rachel by his side over the years. This had to be remedied. Her little baby girl was all grown up. Her beautiful Rachel needed to find the love and the happiness that she was destined to experience with Sam.
Leaning forward, she kissed the crescent moon birthmark that graced the corner of Rachel’s right eye. She giggled sweetly as Rachel smiled and released a sigh of contentment.
“Sleep, my sweet Rachel,” Bernadette whispered to her. “Dream about the man who awaits you to give you the life of love that you deserve. It is your destiny.”
Rachel smiled as Bernadette’s words settled deep within her soul. She sighed, drawing in the comforting scent once again and allowing it to release her worries and tensions. It was only a matter of moments before she was dreaming.
She was lying in her bed. She could feel the hard body of a man behind her as he held her against his chest. The gentle way he held her told her that he was asleep. She turned carefully to face him and smiled at the way his black hair curled over his forehead and his face was rough with scruff. He was sexy, gorgeous, and all hers.
“Are you staring at me again, baby?” he asked as he smiled, his eyes still closed.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Can’t help it. I love looking at you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“I love looking at you, too, baby,” he whispered, opening his eyes slowly and blinking to clear his vision.
Rachel laughed softly as she leaned forward and kissed his lips lightly.
“Love you,” she whispered against his mouth.
His responding growl made her laugh. When he tightened his hold on her and pulled her up onto his body so that she lay draped across him, she gasped and tried to push out of his arms.
“No, Sam. I’ll crush you,” she protested.
He laughed as he held her firmly against his chest. “Baby, there’s no way you could crush me,” he told her. “You have a really skewed perception of your body.”
“I do not,” Rachel protested. “I know exactly what I look like and how heavy I am.”
Sam reached up and framed her face with his hands to hold her steady. “Rachel, you look beautiful. You’re not heavy. You’re perfect.”
“My belly is getting big,” Rachel said quietly.
“Yeah. It is,” Sam admitted, grinning up at her. “I couldn’t be happier about it.”
Their baby took that moment to move within her, making both of them smile. It was the merest of flutters, but it was there and they had both felt it. The fluttering stopped and Sam’s smile couldn’t get any wider.
“Do you know how happy I am that our baby is growing inside of you, Rachel?” he asked quietly.
“I think I do,” Rachel whispered, leaning forward and cuddling against his neck, kissing it lightly. “You did a good job making our baby.”
“Did I?” he asked, laughing softly.
“Yup. And I think you should show me again and again how you did that.”
Sam growled softly as Rachel reached between them and took firm hold of his hard cock to pull up on it carefully. He moved his hips slightly to give her more room to play.
“I think someone needs to be loved,” he whispered, running his hands down her back and palming her behind to press her closer against his hard shaft.
Rachel moaned softly, spreading her legs as she straddled his waist. Easing herself up just slightly, she tipped the head of his cock toward her welcoming channel and held him securely as she lowered herself down onto him. His responding moan of pleasure made her smile.
When she was fully seated, she passed her fingertips around his shaft to feel how snugly he filled her body. She loved to touch the hardness of him as he stretched her. Passing her fingers across her clit, she gasped at the zing of pleasure that raced through her.