His face went white under the bronze of his tan. “No, but I didn’t—”
“Just shut up! I don’t want to hear any more of your lies.” Her breath caught on a sob as she waved the papers at him. “This tells the whole story. Well, you want to know what I think about your trust fund?” Savagely, she ripped the papers into small pieces and threw them in his face.
“I never wanted your money or your company, and neither does Zack. We’ve made it fine on our own.” She took a backwards step toward the door. “I can’t make you leave the ranch, but Zack and I will be gone as soon as I can arrange it. Until then, stay away from me, Quinn.”
Before tears could blind her, she bolted, Quinn’s frantic voice following her as she ran.
Instinct led her to the stable. Several horses were saddled, waiting on a group of riders. She leaped onto the back of the closest, ignoring Sherry’s alarmed questions. By the time they went through the open stable door, the chestnut mare was running flat out.
* * * * *
Quinn watched helplessly as Lanie raced away on horseback. Her face was buried in the mare’s neck as she spurred it to greater speeds. It didn’t take much imagination to know she was crying.
He had to find her, explain. With her head start, there was only one horse on the ranch capable of overtaking her. Xan. He knew the horse was kept in a separate pasture away from the mares, and it would mean taking the time to saddle the fractious stallion, but he’d have to risk it.
Even as he moved toward the stable, he gave a piercing whistle, praying the horse hadn’t forgotten him. There wasn’t time to chase him down.
For an instant there was silence, and he held his breath, waiting. Then in the distance he heard the shrill scream of the stallion, followed by the thundering of hoofs.
He watched long enough to see the black soar over the shorter inner fence, clods of dirt flying into the air when he landed. Quinn dashed into the stable, his gaze searching frantically. Several saddles were out, ready for use, and he grabbed one, hoisting it to his shoulder as he snagged a bridle from a hook.
Sherry blocked his return path into the corral. “Quinn, what are you doing? No one has ridden Xan in five years!”
“Then he should be well rested. Either help me, or get out of the way.”
Xan was prancing nervously outside the door, his neck arched as he danced sideways. A cross between an Arabian and an American Saddle breed, the black was huge. His delicate ears twitched forward as Quinn crooned to him softly, and he took a hesitant step toward his owner. Cautiously, he extended his long neck, wide nostrils flaring as he checked Quinn’s scent.
“That’s a good boy,” Quinn murmured. He caressed the satiny hide with one hand, and with the other slipped the bridle over the horse’s nose. When it was buckled, he handed the reins to Sherry. “Hold him while I get the saddle on.”
“Quinn, please.” The blonde was clearly agitated. “Xan isn’t one of our trained riding horses. Even if he’s willing to let you on his back, it won’t be from the right side. He’s too excitable.”
“I’ll manage.” He got the saddle on in record time, acutely aware of each passing second.
She snorted. “Sure you will. Okay, if you’re determined to do this, try climbing up on the fence and mounting from there. I’ll hold him until you’re seated. At least that way you won’t hurt your leg again.”
His feet barely hit the stirrups before Xan exploded. The bridle was ripped from Sherry’s grasp as the big horse raced across the corral. There wasn’t even time to open the gate. Quinn braced himself when he felt the muscles beneath him bunch and tighten. Grinding his teeth against the strain to his thigh, he shifted his weight forward. And then they were airborne, Xan’s front legs tucked to his body as they cleared the fence.
It almost seemed the horse had been waiting for this chance. Taking the bit in his teeth, he shot across the pasture like a bullet fired from a high powered gun. Quinn wrestled the black’s head around until he was pointed in the direction Lanie had gone, then let him run.
Tears formed in his eyes as the wind created by their speed battered them. With every step, Xan’s stride lengthened until they were flying across the ground, and the surrounding area became a blur of green.
He had no idea where Lanie might be. All he could do was hope she would continue in the direction she’d been going. The mare had been a quarter horse. Good for a brief burst of speed over a quarter-mile stretch, but lacking the stamina for a prolonged run. Xan could go on like this for miles.
Even then, it seemed like hours before he caught sight of Lanie. Without continued guidance, the mare had slowed, sweat still dripping from her chestnut coat after her forced exertion.
Lanie’s head was down, her shoulders slumped, so lost in thought that the mare became aware of their presence before she did. The chestnut whinnied nervously, stepping sideways as she scented the stallion.
The movement brought Lanie out of her stupor. Quinn saw her glance over her shoulder, her eyes going wide at the black bearing down on her. Abruptly, she dug her heels into the mare’s flanks, but it was too late. Quinn was beside her. Xan had slowed on his own as he reached the mare, and with no hesitation, Quinn plucked Lanie from her saddle.
For a moment she struggled, her hands beating his chest, then she went limp. “Damn it, I told you to stay away from me.”
She may have stopped fighting, but her eyes were still molten with anger and pain. Tears had left tracks in the dust on her cheeks.
His arms tightened around her, and his own heart pounded with fear. What if she didn’t believe him?
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, I don’t take orders any better than you do. Did you really think I’d sit back calmly and let a bunch of lies ruin what we have together?”
She turned her face away. “They weren’t lies. You own the company. You put all your money in that trust fund because you were afraid I’d try and take it away from you.”
“That’s not true, Lanie. Edward took the facts and twisted them around to his benefit. And he got exactly the reaction from you he was hoping for. Do you really want to play his games again?”
“I saw the papers with my own eyes.”
He barely restrained the urge to shake her until her teeth rattled. The woman’s middle name should have been “Stubborn”. “Yes, you saw the papers. And yes, I did buy up controlling interest in the company. But I don’t own it. Zack does. It all went into the trust fund. I don’t want it, Lanie. And I don’t want the ranch unless you come with it.”
Xan danced restlessly at the added weight and Quinn shifted Lanie so she was sitting more comfortably on his lap.
“And I suppose you’re going to tell me your lawyers didn’t suggest you live with me?”
“No, they didn’t. It was the day after you left Chicago. I kept telling them you had no reason to fight us, that you were the one who wanted a fast divorce. But Franklin Delaney, our lawyer, was having a nervous breakdown over the situation. He started listing all the legal problems that could crop up, and abandonment was one of them. He never suggested I live with you. What he suggested was that I come to Wyoming and get you to sign releases on all my finances.”
She still wouldn’t look at him, but he could tell she was listening. “Edward was dead-set against me coming back here. At first I thought it was because he was afraid if I came back, I’d want to stay. When Franklin insisted it was the only way, Edward dropped his bombshell. He finally told me about Zack.”
Quinn took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. “I can’t describe the way it made me feel. To say I was mad wouldn’t even begin to cover it.”
She finally looked at him, her gaze searching his face.
“I wanted to hurt him, Lanie. The way he’d hurt me. But the only thing Edward cares about is that damn company. That’s when I decided to acquire controlling interest. It wasn’t just revenge, although that was part of it. I wanted the company to be there for our son, but there was the possi
bility that Edward would try to manipulate him the way he has me. I had to prevent that at all cost. I got the idea for the trust fund from my mother. She set one up for me that Edward couldn’t touch. That’s what I did for Zack. It had nothing to do with keeping you from getting it.”
She was still searching face, trying to determine the truth of his words. “And what if Zack doesn’t want the company, Quinn? Are you going to force him to take it anyway?”
“Of course not. Zack will be free to do whatever he wants. If he doesn’t want the company he can sell it. At least this way he has a choice.” He gave her a weak smile. “I was kind of hoping that by the time he was twenty-five we’d have a few more kids. Maybe one of them will be interested in the company if he’s not.”
“But as president, you’ll have to run the company. That means you lied about staying here.”
“No, Lanie. I’ll be acting president, certainly, and I’ll have to make trips to Chicago occasionally, but my CEO will handle most of the business. Anything that needs my attention on a daily basis, I can do from an office on the ranch. I won’t have to be there in person. I’m not going to leave you and Zack again.”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Oh, God, I don’t know what or who to believe anymore. I’m so tired of having my life torn into pieces. I can’t do this right now, Quinn.”
“You don’t have to,” he soothed, running a hand over her hair. “It will all be over in a few days. Edward’s call to you was a last-ditch effort to cause problems. Franklin is filing the trust fund with the court this morning and notices will be sent to the board members this evening. Edward will have to leave and he knows it.
“Just promise me you won’t do anything rash until you’ve had a chance to calm down and think things over. I love you, Lanie.”
Her bottom lip quivered and she bit down on it before replying. “I guess if I didn’t love you I’d be home packing right now. And I can’t leave until after the trail ride, anyway.” She wiggled off his lap and slid to the ground. “That gives me a few days to make a decision. We better get back before they send the whole ranch out to look for us.”
It wasn’t a promise, but he’d take what he could get at this point. He couldn’t stand to lose her again.
Chapter Nineteen
Quinn sipped the hot coffee cradled in his hands, his gaze moving over the dark campground, searching for Lanie in the light from the bonfire. She’d been avoiding him since they had returned to the ranch Wednesday.
Not that it had been hard to do, he thought ruefully. He’d wound up on the phone with Franklin most of that afternoon, getting things in order. The man had been euphoric when Quinn offered him the CEO position. But there was no one he trusted more than Franklin. The lawyer knew the business almost as well as he did.
By Thursday morning, everyone had heard about the changes taking place, and he’d been swamped with phone calls from frantic board members. It had taken all his powers of persuasion to soothe them, plus a promise that a board meeting would be convened sometime in the next two weeks.
Now he had to figure out how to convince Lanie he would only be gone a few days. With the mood she was in, he was afraid to tell her about the board meeting at all. But he’d learned his lesson. Never again would he keep anything from her. Tomorrow was Sunday. As soon as they got back to the ranch and a little privacy, he’d sit her down and explain what was happening.
And then he’d make her go to bed and get some rest. A frown furrowed his brow as he checked the group again. For the first time since they had started on this trail ride, Lanie was nowhere to be seen.
He was really getting worried about her. She’d been like a dynamo, doing enough work for three people, never taking five minutes to rest. And while she laughed and talked to the guests, he’d seen the underlying tension she hid from the others. Dark circles had formed under her eyes and she hadn’t eaten enough to keep a worm going. Now she’d vanished.
At the bonfire, one of the kids Lanie had hired pulled out a guitar and began to strum a tune. Quinn checked Zack’s location, then stood resolutely. His son was sitting on a log between Sherry and Duncan, ready to join in the singing. That should keep him occupied long enough for Quinn to find Lanie. He had a pretty good idea where she was.
Stopping behind the small bathhouse, he let his eyes adjust to the darkness before moving toward the path leading into the woods. The moon was bright, and that helped guide his way. But even without the moonlight, the sound of gurgling, tumbling water would have led him in the right direction.
The small waterfall nestled in a rocky glade had been one of their favorite spots on the ranch when they were young. There was something almost mystical about the place at night. The water seemed to glow with a light of its own, and he wouldn’t have been surprised to see fairies dancing in the clearing.
Instead, he saw Lanie. She was perched on a rock facing the falls, knees drawn up to her chest with her chin resting on them as she stared into the water. Half afraid she’d run, he moved to her side, sitting gingerly.
“It’s still beautiful,” he commented softly.
Lanie didn’t even glance at him, and for a second he wondered if she was aware he’d joined her. When she finally spoke, her voice was low.
“I’ve always thought Zack was conceived here, that last time.” Her chin quivered and a single tear glistened on her cheek. “I’m not pregnant, Quinn. I started about an hour ago.”
She brushed the tear away with the heel of her hand. “I’m such an idiot. A baby is the last thing we need right now. I should be happy I’m not pregnant. But it feels like I’ve lost something special and I can never get it back again.”
“Sweetheart.” Through his own disappointment, he reached for her, pulled her onto his lap. “You aren’t an idiot. I wanted you to be pregnant, too.” Her arms curled tightly around his neck and he could feel her body trembling against his. Instinctively, he rocked her, his hands moving slowly over her back.
“I love you, Angel, and there’s nothing I want more than to have another baby with you. But there’s no rush. It will happen sooner or later.”
“If you’re here.” Her voice was muffled against his shoulder.
“I’ll be here, Lanie. Like I told you before, there will be times I have to go back to Chicago, but it will only be for a few days. I’ll always come home again.”
“Do you promise?”
A sweet ache of joy filled his soul and he smiled. “Not only do I promise, I cross my heart.”
The tension drained from her body, leaving her soft and warm in his arms.
“Okay,” she whispered. “I guess I’ll stay. I didn’t know what I was going to tell Zack, anyway.”
“Is that the only reason you want to stay? Because of Zack?”
She hesitated, then shook her head. “No. I’m tired of fighting my feelings, Quinn. I may be taking a chance, but it’s time I started trusting you.”
He buried his face in her hair, a lump the size of a fist in his throat. Did this mean she was finally ready to call it quits with Harper and make a life with him instead? God, he hoped so. But he didn’t dare ask her. Not right now. He would have to be happy with what she was willing to give.
“I think you’re just tired, period.” He brushed his lips across her temple. “I know you haven’t been eating. Have you been sleeping?”
“Not much. Maybe a few hours a night.”
“Then it’s time you did. You can’t keep pushing yourself like this, Angel. As soon as we get back to the camp I want you to eat, then go to bed.”
She sighed. “I can’t. I have to take care of the guests, and then there’s Zack. If I don’t put him to bed he’ll stay up half the night.”
“I’ll take care of Zack. As for the guests, let the people you hired do their job. They don’t need you every second.”
“I’m not sure I can sleep. Every time I try, I just lie there with my mind spinning from one thing to another.” She pushed a lose stran
d of hair away from her face and hesitated. “Will you stay with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”
“You know I will. I’ll always be there when you need me.” He stood and lowered her feet to the ground, catching her hand. “Come on. The sooner we get back, the sooner you can get some sleep.”
He led her straight to the chuck wagon. Ollie, the younger of the two brothers who served as cooks for the trail rides, was rummaging through the items on the lowered side of the wagon. He glanced up as they stopped, then smiled, his eyes nearly disappearing into his whiskered cheeks.
“I was hoping you could get her to eat.” He took a covered plate off a shelf. “Saved her supper just in case.”
“Good.” Quinn watched Lanie take the food. “Now make sure she eats it even if you have to sit on her.” The threat wasn’t a mild one, considering Ollie’s size.
Lanie rolled her eyes, but obediently took the cover off the plate and sat down. Quinn leaned over and brushed her cheek with his lips. “I’ll put Zack to bed while you finish.”
He wound his way through the guests who were singing “Sweet Betsy from Pike” with more enthusiasm than talent, until he reached Duncan and Sherry. He squatted near the blonde, his voice low when he spoke to her. “I’ve convinced Lanie to get some sleep. Can you handle things without her?”
“Sure.” She glanced at Zack before leaning closer. “I’ve been worried about her. She’s running on nerves and not much else. If anyone ever needed a vacation, she does.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I’ll see what I can do.” He put his hand on Zack’s shoulder. “Hey, champ. Ready to hit the sack?”
“Aw, Dad! Do I have to? I want to listen to the music.”
“You can still hear it from bed. Pete and Ollie have the canvas raised on the wagon, so it’ll be just like sleeping outside tonight.”
Zack gave a long-suffering sigh. “Okay. Can I sleep with my clothes on like everyone else?”