Page 84 of Wyoming Heart

THECOFFEEANDcake were delicious. The coffee seemed to sober up Cort’s father, who was quiet and even more morose and sober. He excused himself after one cup and went to his room upstairs.

“He needs to call his wife,” Mina remarked.

“Good luck getting him to do it,” Cort mused. “I tried. He said she’d been pretty firm about not wanting him back in her life, and she’d already seen the divorce lawyer.” He grimaced. “When he gets served, he’s going to go wild.”

“We’ll handle it,” she said simply.

He searched her eyes. “There’s something I didn’t mention,” he began. “Because you didn’t know who I really was. But I’ve got business meetings in several states, starting tomorrow. You’re going to be on your own for a while. I don’t like leaving you here with Dad, in his present state.”

“I like to write poetry, as well as play games,” she said. Well, she had, in the past. “So I’m at my computer a lot. I’ll just knit and compose and play video games and watch sunsets.”

He chuckled. “Poetry, huh?”

“Yes.” It was a lie and it was probably going to come back and haunt her. She had to find a way to tell him what she did for a living. It was going to be difficult, if she was totally honest. She’d work on it while he was away.

“I’m glad you have hobbies to keep you busy,” he said. He leaned back on the sofa, studying her. “You look tired.”

“I am, a bit,” she confessed. “It was a long trip, even in a comfortable private jet.” She touched her stomach. “I don’t think the baby likes flying.”

He grinned from ear to ear. The baby lifted his heart. He’d never imagined what it would be like to have a wife who was pregnant. He was discovering a family man hidden deep in his philandering heart. “He’ll have to get used to it,” he teased. “He’ll inherit Latigo one day.”

“And my little ranch,” she replied.

“And your little ranch.” He got up and leaned over to kiss her softly. “Come on. I’ll show you to your room. I’ll have one of the cowboys bring your bags up, too.”

HERROOMWASbigger than most of her little house back in Wyoming. The bathroom was twice the size of her bedroom. She was aghast at the utter luxury of it. Everything was done in shades of blue and beige, and the bed looked big enough for five people.

“This was my mother’s room,” Cort said softly. “I’m putting you in here temporarily, because I’m going to be gone a lot for the next few weeks. I’m really sorry,” he added. “Things piled up while I was away. Now I have to play catch-up.”

She turned and looked up at him. “It’s okay,” she said, smiling tenderly. “I love this room.”

He moved closer and drew her against him to kiss her with soft, tender lips. “I’ll sleep in here with you tonight,” he whispered. “But I’ll be gone before you wake, I’m afraid.”

“Where do you have to go?” she asked.

“New York. Chicago. Miami. Denver. Los Angeles.” He rattled them off and smiled ruefully. “The cattle are our main concern, but we own mining interests and oil interests, and a lot of real estate. It takes hard work to keep it all solvent, and I’m the point man.”

She smoothed her hands over his broad chest. “It’s an empire,” she mused.

He nodded. “It is. I’m sorry that we won’t get much of a honeymoon, but I’ll make it up to you when I get things back in line. Where would you like to go? France? Italy? Spain?”

She laughed. “Let me have a little time to get used to being here,” she said, “before we rush off to foreign places.” In fact, she’d been in a lot of foreign places, most of them where sane people would never go.

“I can do that.” He smoothed over her long fingers, resting on his chest. “Mina, you’re going to have to learn a few things. Like how to organize business dinners, cocktail parties, stuff like that. And you’ll need new clothes.” He winced at her expression. “I’m not trying to talk down to you. Honest I’m not. You dress well for someone on a budget. But you’re not on a budget here. I’ll get you a gold card and you can fly up to Dallas, to Neiman Marcus, to shop. You’ll need a whole new wardrobe.”

She bit her lower lip. “Not right now?” she asked, almost pleading.

He let out a breath. She was tired, and this was culture shock. He could understand her reticence. “Okay. Not right now. I’ll give you time to settle in before we go along, okay? You’ll get used to it.”

She recalled how much he’d been drinking at Pam Simpson’s party and it disturbed her. She knew that many social parties involved drinking. She wasn’t afraid of Cort’s father, or Bill McAllister, when they had liquor, but she was nervous about strangers who had too much. How could she explain that to Cort?

She started to try when his phone rang. He pulled it out of the holder. It was a short conversation, but it caused him to brood.

“I have to leave today,” he said, grimacing when he saw Mina’s expression. “Honey, I’m sorry. There’s a labor dispute at a company we own in Ohio. I have to go myself to negotiate with the shop foreman.”

She drew in a breath. “You’re a tycoon, so you have to do tycoon stuff,” she translated. She forced a smile. “I’ll be fine. You go and do what you have to.” She didn’t tell him that she was going to have to be on the road in a couple of weeks. She didn’t know how, just yet.

“You’re a sweetheart.” He bent and kissed her hungrily. “Damn,” he muttered as he put her away from him. “I’ll miss you like hell.”

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