“Oh yeah, they know. Sharon Lynn was the one who brought the paper out to the ranch. They were scheming to buy up every copy in town and burn them, when I walked in.”
“Your sister used to tolerate me well enough because she knew you cared about me, but she must really hate me now,” Laurie said with unmistakable regret. For so many years all she had wanted was to fit in, to be accepted by this wonderful, loving family.
“Let’s just say I’d be careful about ordering any food from her next time you stop by Dolan’s,” Harlan Patrick told her with a crooked grin exactly like the baby’s. “Big sisters have a way of carrying loyalty to extremes.”
“I wouldn’t know,” she said, unable to hide the trace of envy in her voice. “No sisters, no brothers. That’s why I always loved going to the ranch with you. Even though it was just you and Sharon Lynn in your family, the extended Adams family was so huge and rambunctious.”
“That’s Grandpa Harlan’s doing. He’s not happy unless the place is crawling with family. He likes to think of himself as head of a ranching dynasty.”
“He was very kind to me when I called. I doubt he will be the next time I show my face in Los Piños.”
“Oh, darlin’, you’ve got to be kidding. You’re the mama of yet another great-grandbaby. You’ll be welcomed with open arms. In fact, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t greet you, then introduce you to a minister and hand me a couple of gold bands.”
“Now, there’s a reason to stay away,” she murmured.
Harlan Patrick chuckled. “I never took you for a coward. You don’t have a bit of trouble saying no to me. Are you saying you won’t be able to resist granddaddy’s matchmaking?”
“You know I’ve always respected your grandfather.”
“And?”
“And yes, it would be hard to ignore his wishes. I would hate to have him think less of me.”
“Guess that tells me where I rank in the Adams hierarchy.”
“Don’t pout, Harlan Patrick. When you’re eighty, I’ll probably listen to you, too.”
“In the meantime you’ve just given me a tremendous incentive to lure you back to Texas.”
She regarded him with a stubborn lift to her chin. “I am not going anywhere near Texas, so you can just forget about that.”
He shrugged. “Then I’ll just have to figure out how to be more persuasive in Montana, Texas, Tennessee or wherever else you intend to run to hide out.”
“I’m not hiding out. I’m working.”
“From where I sit, it looks like the same difference.”
Laurie couldn’t take any more. The worst part about Harlan Patrick’s accusation was that it was true. The further she ran, the busier she stayed, the less she had to think about Amy Lynn’s daddy and the sneaky way he had of stirring up vivid memories and wicked sensations.
The instant she stood up, though, the baby began to cry. Harlan Patrick was on his feet in a heartbeat, reaching for Amy Lynn and murmuring soothingly until she quieted at once in his arms. Laurie scowled at the two of them—one a persistent, clever devil, the other a tiny traitor.
“I’m going to go in and pack,” she said, and whirled around to leave the room. If she spent too much time witnessing the wonderful, instantaneous bonding between Amy Lynn and her daddy, she would never in a million years be able to keep Harlan Patrick on the fringes of their lives.
At the doorway to the bedroom, she glanced back to find Harlan Patrick totally absorbed with his daughter. He was regarding her as if she were the most magnificent, mysterious creature on earth. Which, of course, she was, Laurie conceded with motherly pride.
Watching the two of them, she realized that in less than twenty-four hours the plan she’d had to keep Harlan Patrick at bay had totally and thoroughly unraveled. She would never keep him on the fringes of their lives as she had hoped just moments ago. He was already smack-dab in the middle of their world. And one thing she knew about Harlan Patrick—about any Adams—was that budging him once he’d gotten so much as a toehold was all but impossible.
For better or worse, Harlan Patrick was in their lives to stay.
Six
Once he’d lost the first round in his fight to claim Laurie as his wife, Harlan Patrick didn’t even have to think twice about what he was going to do. For as long as it took