Taming the Moguls (18 page)

Tommy set his empty bowl on the hearth and
settled back against the couch, cradling a beer. The fire and the
food relaxed them both, and their shoulders were practically
touching. “And the kid? Alex?”

She looked at him. A muscle in his jaw
flashed, and she knew he was gritting his teeth.

“What’s he like?”

Gretchen pictured her son’s angelic face. “He
likes baseball. He plays first base because he’s tall for his age.
He plays outfield, too. He’s good. He’s athletic, of course, and he
plays basketball. He wants to try hockey and lacrosse, but I won’t
let him do football. Strangely, he hasn’t asked, so I feel like I
dodged a bullet with that. I like that he’s involved in sports
because he needs that exposure to men, that manly influence he
doesn’t get at home. Holcomb’s been a godsend. He and Elise are
like grandparents to Alex. He’s staying with them while I’m away.”
A lump formed in her throat at the thought of not being able to
talk to him. She’d called him every night of her trip. “He’ll be
worried when I don’t check in.” She sat up and looked around. Why
hadn’t she thought to look for a phone before? “Is there a phone
here?”

Tommy surprised her by placing a hand on her
leg. “No phone, Gretchen, I’m sorry. It’ll stop snowing and we can
get back. Eventually.”

Chapter 36

Tommy left his hand resting on Gretchen’s
leg. She was still cold, and he knew the fastest way to warm up was
to use body heat. He didn’t trust himself to offer anything more
than a hand. Besides, she looked crushed. He had no idea what it
felt like to have someone depend on him the way a child would.
She’d fought for Alex’s life, had nurtured him and given everything
she had to him since she was barely a child herself.

She was a mother, and a damn good one if what
she said was true. How could Tommy’s mother abandon her and her son
knowing how hard it was to raise a child? Everyone who was supposed
to love and care for Gretchen had let her down—including him. He
should have pressed his mother harder for information after she
disappeared. He should have stormed through the house and found
her, not left her in the wolf’s den and taken off to lick his
wounds.

He’d done nothing but berate her since she’d
walked back into his life, and that guilt sat heavy on his
shoulders. She’d left him, but she had her reasons. She was right
to think he would have harmed Ryan Lowry if she’d told him he’d
raped her. He fought the urge to clench his fist and pound the
floor. Tommy would have killed him with his bare hands or died
trying. She knew that and had shielded him to her detriment. She’d
spent ten years alone, raising a child born from an act of
violence. Without thought, he scooted closer and put his arm around
her shoulders. He felt her breath catch before she let it out and
relaxed into his side.

“What about you?” she asked. Her voice
sounded strained. “How have you spent the last ten years?”

“Well…” He thought about being evasive, but
decided there wasn’t any point. Not anymore. “When you disappeared,
I tried to go on with school and football, but I didn’t care
anymore.” She tensed, and he tried to soothe her by running his
thumb along her arm. “I’m not blaming you. I’m just telling you
like it was. I wandered around for a while and ended up working as
a ski instructor at Bear Stream. When the season was over, I made
my way here to my dad. I’d been heading for him all along. He’d
remarried years before and had another kid. I never expected to
like his new wife or become so attached to my younger sister, but
they were so welcoming. It was the family I always craved. I’d
blamed him for my parents’ divorce and you know how upset I was
when my mom married your dad, but my dad’s new family was
so…normal.”

She chuckled. “Gee, what’s that like?”

“It’s wonderful, or at least it was until he
died.”

“Oh, Tommy. I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged. “I had that last year with him.
And I got Nadine and Olivia for keeps.”

“Nadine’s your stepmom?”

“Yeah. She owns an herbal shop over the pass.
I don’t see her much, but she’s there when I need her. Olivia moved
to Denver and is getting married soon.”

“You don’t like her fiancé?” Gretchen
asked.

“No, he’s okay. He’s loaded and—interesting
tidbit—he’s visually impaired. He loves her. I wasn’t sure about
him until I knew he loved her. He makes her happy. That’s all I can
ask for in a husband for her.”

“You love her.”

“I do. When I left Chicago, I left everything
behind. They welcomed me with open arms, and I’m blessed to have
them.” He needed to tell them that more often than he did. He
buried himself in work and didn’t spend enough time with those he
cared about.

“You are. I would love to have a brother or
sister or—ha—a stepmom I could count on. I’m not trying to bash
your mom, but she’s the reason I couldn’t press charges against
Ryan. I was in shock, and I listened to her blindly. I shouldn’t
have, and she should have known better. We should have gone
straight to the police.”

“I may not be able to do anything about the
last ten years, but you can bet your sweet ass I’m going to let my
mom know I know what happened and that I blame her too.”

“I don’t want to be responsible for ruining
your relationship with her.”

“What relationship? We exchange phone calls
on major holidays. I haven’t seen her since my uncle died two years
ago.”

“I haven’t seen my dad in years. He calls.
It’s uncomfortable for both of us. I didn’t even go to his
retirement party.”

Tommy shook his head. “We’re a couple of sad
cases, aren’t we? No family to speak of, your mom gone, and my dad.
No wonder we were drawn together. We were searching for some kind
of connection.”

She looked at him, her brown eyes huge and
intense in the firelight. “Is that all you think it was?”

He tilted his head. “At first, maybe. Until
you were all I could think about.”

“I was in love with you from the beginning,”
she whispered. He was grateful when she looked away. “You were so
angry at me and dad for moving into your house and messing up your
life.”

“I didn’t want a stepfather or a sister. I
didn’t like change. I never have. I was just getting used to the
two of us being on our own. She never even talked to me about it.
She just said, “I’m getting married, Tommy. You’re going to have a
new father and a sister.’ Like I’d be excited or something. I was
sixteen. I wanted a new car and freedom, not family dinners at the
dining room table and two strangers in my life.”

“My dad tried to convince me it was partly
for me, that I needed a woman in my life. I think he was trying to
pawn all my female drama off on someone else.”

“I don’t remember any female drama.”

“That’s because I was trying to impress you
with my maturity,” Gretchen said.

“Ah, of course. I wasn’t actually impressed
until you matured physically.”

She elbowed him in the ribs. “That is so
typical.”

“And true. One day you were this annoying,
skinny girl I couldn’t shake and then the next, you had boobs and
curves. Trust me, I wasn’t the only one who noticed.”

She rolled her eyes. “Now you’re lying.”

“Nope. I pulled the big brother crap and
warned everyone to stay away.”

She stared at him with her mouth gaping open.
“You did not.”

“I did, except Chad Morgan didn’t listen. Guy
was too stupid to live.”

“Thank goodness, or I wouldn’t have had a
prom date.”

He leaned his head back against the couch and
closed his eyes. “You looked so pretty in your light blue dress. I
wanted you so bad that night. I can’t remember what my date had on,
but I can still see the way your dress dipped low to show your
cleavage and the way it shimmered when you moved.”

“Your date wore pink taffeta with a plunging
neckline. I can’t believe you don’t remember that. I wanted to
punch her in the face.”

“I wanted to punch Chad in the face,” Tommy
said.

“You should have. He kept trying to cop a
feel on the dance floor.”

“I know.” When she looked over her shoulder
at him, he lifted his head. “I was watching, remember?”

“I didn’t know. I thought I was invisible to
you.”

“You were everything to me.” He ran his hand
along her cheek. “I’m sorry. I should have done more. I should have
protected you.”

“From Chad? Don’t be silly.”

“From Ryan. I knew he was a sick bastard. I
should have told you to stay away from him.”

Her sigh sounded as defeated as he felt. “It
wouldn’t have changed anything. I wasn’t looking for Ryan. I was
looking for you. I was always looking for you.”

They grew quiet as a decade of missed
opportunity slivered between them. Gretchen yawned. Tommy pulled
the throw up to her chin and tucked her against his side. “Get some
sleep.”

She nodded and drifted off. He watched her.
In the firelight, he held everything he’d ever wanted. He lifted
his eyes to the window and wished for the snow to keep falling.
He’d waited ten years to hold Gretchen. He wasn’t ready to give her
back just yet.

Chapter 37

“Ten thousand?” Shiloh asked. “Four weeks
away and ten thousand dollars?”

“The class doesn’t start until January. I’ve
got probably four thousand in savings.”

“You’ve got?”

“We’ve got. Sorry. When we sell the house,
we’ll have more than enough if we don’t buy right away. I think we
should rent something inexpensive until we know this is the right
move.”

“You want to spend ten thousand dollars we
don’t have, and you’re not sure this is the right move? What if the
house doesn’t sell before the class starts?”

“First, that came out wrong. This is the
right move. We’re agreed on that, right?”

“Yes.”

“Second, if the house doesn’t sell,”—he
lifted his shoulders and hated the bitter taste of the words—“I can
ask Mom or Lyle for a loan.”

“Kevin…I don’t know. Borrowing money from
family? I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“It’s our only option.”

She sighed and sat back. “Not our only
option.” She pushed the hair away from her face. “I tucked some
money away from my salary. I was saving up for house renovations
that I knew you’d say no to, but I don’t need it for that
anymore.”

“You?” He blinked comically. “Saved
money?”

She slapped his shoulder. “Yes, I saved
money. Don’t look at me like I’ve got three heads. I know how to
save money when I want to.”

“How much?”

“A little over five thousand.”

“Really? Then we’re only a thousand short. I
should be able to make that up no problem.”

“If we use all our savings, then we have
nothing. No money. Not only would we move back home, but we’d move
back home with less than what we started with.”

“In our savings, yes, you’re right. But in
our marriage?” He stood and joined her on the couch. “Shi, I’ve
taken you for granted. When you walked out on me in Denver, that
was the lowest point of my life. It was also the kick in the butt I
needed.”

“I didn’t want to walk out. You said some
awful, hurtful things.”

“I did, and I’m sorry. If we can start over
in a new place with new jobs and a new outlook on the future, then
we can do the same with our marriage.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you want more of my attention. You
deserve that, and I plan to give it to you. You’ve proven that you
can save money, which is fantastic. I didn’t think you knew
how.”

“You never said no when I asked for
something. I wasn’t going out and buying stuff on my own. I’d run
it by you first, and you always gave me the go ahead.”

“I love you. I don’t want to say no to you. I
never have.”

“You can say no, Kevin, and I won’t leave
you. Do you really think I’m with you so you can buy me
things?”

“I know you liked me being a pilot.”

“Of course I did. It’s what you wanted. I was
proud of you. You’ll still be a pilot, and I’ll still be proud of
you.”

“I won’t be a fancy pilot. Crop dusting isn’t
anything fancy.”

“So? Your stepdad’s a rancher. You’d be that,
too, in the winter. That’s nothing but hard, honest work. I work in
a bank. There’s nothing fancy about that either. You love those old
boys at the airport, and I know you’ll enjoy your job. I like Mrs.
Lyons and the folks at the bank, so I’ll enjoy mine, too.”

“You don’t mind if I take your decorating
money?”

“It’s our money, and no, I don’t mind.”

“You’ll wait for me when I’m away at
school?”

As if she had any choice. “Loving you is like
breathing. I can’t just stop because life got a little difficult.
I’ll wait, and I love you all the more because you asked.”

“Will you stay with me tonight?”

“On one condition,” she said.

“What’s that?”

“That we’re together from now on. No more
sleeping apart. I don’t care if we sleep on an air mattress in your
brother’s office, in your mom’s spare bedroom, or in my old
bedroom. When you’re here, in town, we’re together.”

“Deal.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m not going to
complain.”

“Of course not.” He nuzzled his lips against
her neck, and she felt all her troubles slip away. “I’d wonder what
happened if you didn’t.”

“Don’t ruin this.”

“Ruin what?” His lips found hers, and she
sighed. Her hands moved over him, under the flannel shirt and over
the undershirt that stuck to his skin. She felt hard planes where
there’d been curves. “What’s wrong?” he asked when she pulled
back.

“Take your shirt off,” she demanded.

“Okay, if you insist.” He yanked the flannel
and undershirt off in one swift move.

Her eyes roamed his chest while her hands
explored the new contours. “See? This is something new. This muscle
right here. I like it.”