When Megan had looked up at him and blinked, Luke experienced a rush of protectiveness toward her. She seemed as full of wide-eyed innocence now as she had nearly fifteen years ago. If only he’d realized back then how much their actions would change their lives…
“I guess you’re right. Okay,” she said.
The assistant had removed the ring and passed it to Luke, who raised Megan’s hand and placed it on her finger, holding his breath and hoping it fit. It really was a beautiful ring and symbolic of their hasty engagement and marriage. “Perfect,” he said when it fit. He looked into her eyes, trying to see what was hidden there.
She’d blushed and pulled her hand away. “We’d better get back. They’ll be wondering what’s happened to us.”
Luke nodded. There’d been something in her eyes, something strange and unreadable. He planned to get answers when they were alone at the ranch—starting with why she’d kept Cody’s existence a secret.
He’d quickly paid for the rings and, as they didn’t need wrapping, headed outside to find Matt and Cody still waiting, only now Cody was wearing headphones attached to a handheld gaming device he was absorbed in playing.
“Cody! Where did you get that?” Megan cried, as though fearing he’d stolen them.
“Relax.” Matt placed a restraining hand on her arm before she pulled the headphones off and repeated her question. “Cody suggested we pop back into the store. Somehow I got talked into buying him that.”
“I’m so sorry, Matt,” Megan said. “I…I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
“Megan, he’s my nephew and I owe him a bunch of birthday and Christmas presents. Besides, it’s a long trip back to Denver and this is a small price to pay for some peace and quiet. He hasn’t uttered a single curse since he put them on.”
“Really?” Megan’s frown turned into a smile, lighting up her face. Luke liked the effect.
Luke hailed a cab, which whisked them to the airport. Since it was a Friday, the flight was full, but fortunately there were seats available in first class. Luke purchased them without batting an eye.
Cody had seemed impressed and set about devouring every item of food offered to him. He’d then downed a couple of sodas and fallen asleep.
Luke glanced across the aisle at his sleeping son and felt a pull of recognition. He was an O’Malley all right. In spite of the hair and the piercing, he resembled the O’Malley males. He was already pushing six feet and would no doubt end up at least as tall as Matt, who at six-four was the tallest of the five brothers and two inches taller than Luke. Matt, too, was sleeping. How alike his son and his brother looked. Cody had the square, sometimes stubbornly set jaw and straight nose that characterized the O’Malleys.
It was so strange to discover he had another child. A son. He wondered how the girls were going to take it. Twelve-year-old Sasha would probably hate him on sight—and not hesitate to say so! She was at that difficult age—no longer a girl, not yet a woman—with a mass of confused hormonal behavior to back it up. Nine-year-old Daisy, in spite of her feminine name, would challenge him to an arm wrestling or calf-tying contest. She was a real tomboy and loved ranch life. Sweet four-year-old Celeste would have him wrapped around her little finger in minutes.
A pang of conscience gripped him. Was he taking a huge risk by exposing his very innocent, country-raised daughters to his tough, streetwise son? He hoped not and then wondered what Cody would make of his half sisters.
He looked at Megan, dozing beside him, her seat reclined. With her face relaxed in sleep, he could see the beauty that had first attracted him fifteen years ago.
Whoa there, fella! Megan Montgomery might be his wife of a couple of hours, but he hadn’t thought about her that way in a very long time. She’d been a holiday fling that had turned into something deeper—or so he’d believed until she’d run out on him. He’d had a lot of flings while working as a ski instructor. The job had provided an income over the winter months while his father tended the ranch. Luke was well aware when he started dating Tory that she’d had several lovers. But so had he. She was a willing bed-partner and he didn’t think beyond that because he didn’t intend to make their relationship permanent. When Luke married Tory a month after Megan left town, he’d hung up his instructor’s jacket and given up the carefree bachelor life for good.
Megan stirred and shifted, moving her head closer to him. She breathed in deeply, then exhaled a tiny sigh and buried her head against his arm.
Luke sat stiffly, waiting for her to settle, fighting his reaction to the sound of that tiny, innocent sigh and the feel of her nose pressing against his arm.
This wasn’t what he’d planned. He’d assumed he could remain cool and aloof, treat Megan with the respect due the mother of his child and not get involved.
He stood and made his way to the bathroom.
MEGAN FELT LUKE LEAVE his seat, felt the warmth leave her body where her face had nestled against him. She’d woken herself up with that sigh of contentment. Woken up after having a wonderful, slightly erotic dream that even smelled good. And then she’d opened her eyes and realized where she was—on an airplane with her face right up against Luke’s arm. He was wearing a polo shirt so she’d been burrowed against his bare, muscled flesh. She hadn’t dared move, in case he saw she was awake.
“Would you care for a drink?” the flight attendant asked.
Startled, she sat up. “What? Um, I guess so.” Unaccustomed to the luxury of flying first class, Megan was a little intimidated by the attentive service. Once, a lifetime ago, such treatment was what she’d been raised to expect.
“We’ll have a bottle of your best champagne,” she heard Luke saying as he returned to his seat.
The flight attendant turned toward Luke and stepped a little too close for Megan’s liking. “Celebrating something?”
“We just got married today.”
“Oh, that’s lovely,” she said, although it sounded to Megan like she didn’t really think that was lovely at all. “Congratulations.” She encompassed Megan in her already faded smile. “I’ll get a bottle and two flutes immediately, sir,” she assured Luke.
Luke stretched and then sat down. “I hope you don’t mind. It seemed appropriate. We haven’t had a chance to toast each other and our future together.”
Our future. She wondered how long that future could possibly last. Luke wouldn’t be satisfied with hanging around home and hearth indefinitely. He’d soon be out seeking the company of other women. Willing women like the young flight attendant. Sadness engulfed her. Sadness and confusion. She could never hope to compete for Luke’s affections with such a smorgasbord on offer. But was that what she actually wanted? Luke’s affections? A real marriage—to him? Too much had happened in too short a time; her life had changed in a matter of hours and she hadn’t caught up to it yet.
“Is everything okay?” Luke asked.
“What? Oh, yes. Fine. Why?”
“You look a little peaked. I hope you’re not having regrets already.”
Not yet, but I know I soon will, she thought.
“You’re afraid of heights. Are you also afraid of flying?” he asked, reminding them of their first date.
Luke had packed a picnic and driven them to Inspiration Point, a local beauty spot above the town of Spruce Lake. The location would’ve been ideal—if it didn’t plunge nearly a thousand feet to the valley floor. As soon as she’d stepped from his vehicle and noticed how high they were and just how close the cliff face was, she’d suffered an attack of vertigo and nearly passed out.
Interesting that he’d remembered that date…and how afraid of