Читать книгу Ultimate Romance Collection - Rebecca Winters, Amalie Berlin - Страница 29

Eighteen

Layla stood at the window. It was snowing and what had begun that morning as small flakes was now huge and covering the earth in a white blanket. Four days had passed since the dig, and activities on the Silver Spurs were returning to normal. Once Gavin’s mother’s remains had been unearthed, the town’s coroner had been called and the yellow tape had been reerected. But not before Jesse James’s strongbox filled with gold bars had been uncovered.

The Silver Spurs became the focus of two big news stories—a decades-old murder and the first recorded discovery of Jesse James’s loot in the state of Missouri. No-trespassing signs had been posted when the media had converged on the ranch.

Gavin had given his one and only statement regarding the recovery of his mother’s remains. “I am glad the truth about my mother’s disappearance was discovered and I hope Sherman Lott rots in hell.”

A news conference had been held regarding the discovery of Jesse James’s loot, which was making international news. Dr. Clayburn arrived in town and tried to claim the university was associated with the dig. Layla refuted his statement since she had documentation in the form of an email from both Dr. Clayburn and the president of the university advising of her termination prior to the dig. The following day, the two men were in even more hot water when photographs surfaced of the two of them involved in illicit affairs with female students. Not surprisingly, Tammy was in many of the photographs, arriving and leaving various hotels with both men.

Layla didn’t have to guess where the photographs had come from. Apparently Donnell and some of the other students had exposed the sordid activities. Within twenty-four hours of the photographs being splashed across the front page of the Seattle Times and making the national news, the two men, along with a few other faculty members, had turned in their resignations.

Donnell, Wendy and Marsha had joined Layla at the news conference and were acknowledged for their participation on the dig. The Missouri Archaeological Society had authenticated the loot as that stolen by Jesse James from the Tinsel Bank.

Already offers of employment from numerous universities had arrived for Layla, in addition to offers of book deals and television interviews. Yesterday she’d received a call from her grandmother and one from her parents. She had been surprised when her parents told her how proud they were of her. They’d even said she’d done the right thing by following her own dream and not theirs. They invited her to spend the holidays with them in DC.

She drew in a deep breath and moved away from the window to sit on the bed she’d just left a few moments earlier. She had awakened to find Gavin gone. He must have left to check on the ranch with his men. Even with the no-trespassing signs clearly posted, a couple of reporters and their camera crews had encroached on the property only to have Gavin’s men run them off again.

The coroner had released his mother’s remains and yesterday morning a private memorial service had been held. Jamie Blake had been reburied beside her husband in the family cemetery. Layla had stood beside Gavin along with his grandmother, Caldwell and Gavin’s teammates. Even his commanding officer had flown in to attend the service.

After dinner, Gavin’s teammates left to return to their various homes, but not before each one had given her a huge hug and told her how glad they’d been to meet her. She had gotten to know the four well and could see why they and Gavin shared such close relationships. Bane, Coop, Flipper and Mac were swell guys who were fiercely loyal to each other. She couldn’t thank them enough for their part in recovering Jesse James’s loot.

Now that the dig was over, Layla could feel Gavin withdrawing from her. She had tried ignoring it but she knew something was bothering him. She thought it was related to his mother but, to be totally honest, she wasn’t sure.

There was no reason for her to remain on the ranch any longer and she had mentioned that she would be leaving in a couple of days to return to Seattle. She had hoped he would ask her to stay but he hadn’t. Instead he’d merely nodded and hadn’t said anything else about it. Was that his way of letting her know she had outstayed her welcome?

The thought that he wanted her to leave his ranch had tears welling up in her eyes. She’d known when she fell in love with him that there was a big chance he wouldn’t love her back. So why was the thought that he didn’t breaking her heart?

The time they had spent together on the Silver Spurs had been special but now she had to move on.

* * *

Gavin placed his coffee cup on the table, stared at his grandmother and then asked, “What did you just say?”

Melody Blake smiled brightly. “You heard me right, Gavin. Caldwell asked me to marry him. This was his third time asking and I finally said yes. We don’t want to make a big fuss about it and Reverend Pollock agreed to perform the ceremony next weekend. I’ll be moving into Caldwell’s place afterward.”

Gavin didn’t say anything for a long moment. He was happy for his grandmother and Caldwell. It was about time. “Congratulations. I’m happy for you, Gramma Mel. Caldwell is a good man and I believe the two of you will be happy together.”

“Thank you. What about you? What are your plans regarding Layla?”

He lifted his coffee cup and took a sip before saying, “What makes you think I have any?”

His grandmother frowned. “Don’t try pretending with me, Gavin Timothy Blake III. You love Layla. You’ve admitted as much. I would think you’d want to take the next step.”

Yes, he had admitted it to her and he didn’t regret doing so. “Sometimes taking the next step isn’t always possible.”

“Why not? I’d think you’d want something permanent between the two of you.”

He shook his head. “Layla and I are very different. Dad took Mom out of a big city and brought her here and she was miserable. Layla is from Seattle. She’d be just as unhappy and miserable here as Mom was.”

“Have you talked to Layla about it? Have you asked her how she feels?”

“No.”

“Then maybe you should. You’re basing your opinions on assumptions. I know for a fact Layla loves the Silver Spurs. She said as much.”

“But that doesn’t mean she loves me. If she doesn’t love me, then there’s nothing to hold her here. She’s gotten a lot of job offers from a number of big universities, including Harvard. All we have in Cornerstone is a small college. Why would she settle for that?”

“Well, I think you’ll be making a big mistake if you don’t talk to her about it, tell her how you feel. Let her decide what she wants to do. You might discover that she loves you as much as you love her.”

* * *

An hour or so later, Gavin entered the party house. He removed his hat and shook off the snow from his jacket before hanging both items on the rack.

The first thing he noticed as he headed for the kitchen was that the curtains were still closed. Everything was just as he’d left it at daybreak, which meant Layla hadn’t gotten up yet. Placing the box containing the breakfast his grandmother had prepared on the table, he moved down the hallway to the bedroom. Opening the door, he stuck his head inside and saw Layla curled up in bed still sleeping.

The bad weather had pretty much dictated that everyone stay inside. He knew his men had a card game going and he could certainly join them. But he much preferred staying here and joining Layla, right in that bed. What if Gramma Mel was right? What if Layla wanted to stay on the Silver Spurs with him? Would it be fair to ask her to stay when a call from his commanding officer meant he would drop everything for a covert operation? Would she want that?

He sat in a chair and removed his shoes and socks before standing to take off the rest of his clothes. No matter the temperature, he preferred sleeping in the nude, something he couldn’t do while away on missions.

Crossing the room, Gavin slid into bed with Layla and pulled her into his arms, to warm his body as well as his heart.

* * *

Layla thought she was dreaming when she felt a hot and husky whisper against her ear. It took a moment to open her eyes and gaze into a pair of sexy dark ones staring back at her. Gavin’s body was pressed close to hers. It was warm, even hot in certain places, and she knew without a doubt that he was naked.

“We need to talk, Layla.”

She heard the seriousness in his voice. Why did they need to talk? He was ready for her to leave. She got that. But why was he rushing her away? Did he already have another woman lined up to share his bed? The thought made her mad and she buried her face in the pillow, but not before saying, “I don’t want to talk. I have nothing to say to you.”

He pulled the pillow away from her, frowning. “What the hell did I do?”

“Just being a typical man. You share a bed with a woman, and then you tire of her and want her gone so you can replace her with another.”

He stared at her. “You think I would do that?”

“Why wouldn’t you? You’re a man, aren’t you? You’re not tied to any woman, especially not to me. It’s not like I didn’t notice that reporter flirting with you.”

He frowned. “What reporter?”

Layla rolled her eyes. “The one that kept putting that microphone all in your face and kept touching your shoulders every chance she got, even when she didn’t have to.” Layla hated that she’d said something about that. Now she sounded like a jealous hag. Just because they’d slept together a few times didn’t mean she had dibs on him.

Before she could catch her next breath, he had flipped her on her back. He loomed over her and held her hands in a tight grip above her head.

“Why would I want another woman, Layla?”

That was really a silly question. “Why wouldn’t you want another one?”

He stared down at her with an intensity that made a rush of desire claw through her insides. “Because you are all the woman I need. Hell, I can barely keep up with you, Layla.”

* * *

Lord knows that’s the truth, Gavin thought, as he felt familiar need hammer through him. Only Layla could do this to him. Make him feel so consumed with desire for her, he would go up in flames. More than once his teammates had told him to take a cold shower when just looking at Layla heated an entire room.

Gavin just stared down at her. She was wearing a nightgown, but barely. It was made of flimsy material and part of it was bunched up around her waist, leaving her bare below. Her hair was loose and tousled around her shoulders. Because of the way he was holding her hands, her breasts jutted up, firm and hard. He could see the impression of rigid nipples through the thin material of her gown.

Just that quickly, her breathing changed. He heard it and then he felt the sinfully erotic movement of her hips against him. After all the times they’d made love right here in this bed, not to mention the times they hadn’t made it to the bed, didn’t she know how much he wanted her? Her and no other woman? She actually thought she had a reason to be jealous of some damn reporter who couldn’t keep her hands to herself?

He knew from the eyes staring back at him that his grandmother was right. Layla had no idea how he felt about her. The woman hadn’t a clue. He had told her they needed to talk, and then she’d gone on the offensive. Why? Had his grandmother been right on both accounts, that Layla cared for him as much as he cared for her?

There was only one way to find out.

“Let’s backtrack for a minute, Layla. Earlier I asked you why I would want another woman, and you asked why I wouldn’t want one. I don’t think I made myself clear enough. The main reason I don’t want another woman is because I love you. I’ve fallen in love with you, Layla, and when a man falls in love with one woman she takes away his desire for other women. She becomes the one and only woman he wants in his life, his bed, his home, his mind and his heart. You are that woman for me.”

She stared at him for a long time without saying anything. And then he saw it, the tears forming in her eyes. “But if you love me, why were you sending me away?”

He frowned. “I wasn’t sending you away. The other night you told me you were going. What was I supposed to do, tell you that you couldn’t go?”

She frowned back at him. “You could have told me you loved me.”

“Why would I tell you that when I didn’t know how you felt? Hell, I still don’t know. With your credentials, you can teach anywhere. I know about all those job offers that have come in. Why would you want to stay here? My mother hated it here.”

“I love you, too, Gavin, and I love it here. I fell in love with the Silver Spurs the minute I drove onto the land. There are times when I will leave to do speaking engagements and interviews. Maybe even teach a class or two for a semester. However, I will come back. You leave, don’t you? To go on your covert operations. Yet you come back. You return and step into your role of a rancher. Why can’t I return and step into a similar role.”

“As a rancher’s wife?”

She lifted her brow. “Wife?”

He smiled down at her. “Yes, wife. You don’t think you’ll hang around as my live-in lover, do you? I want to marry you. I want you to one day have my children. I want you to live here on this ranch with me.”

“And be here whenever the rancher returns?”

He chuckled. “That would be nice.”

A smile touched her lips. “That can be arranged.” She didn’t say anything for a minute. “About all those offers. I don’t want to decide on anything just yet. After dealing with the likes of Clayburn and Connors, I just want to chill for a minute. Possibly write a book. I’d love to take my time and do it here.”

He nodded. He needed to let her know something.

* * *

Layla waited for him to speak.

“Gramma Mel told me this morning that she and Caldwell are getting married. She’s moving to his place. That means you’ll be here by yourself whenever I’m away. I’m supposed to report back for duty at the end of January.”

“I’ll be okay. I will have enough to keep me busy.”

Layla wouldn’t tell him yet that she wanted lots of children. She’d always wished for siblings and would make sure she had more than one child. And she didn’t want to wait a long time before she began having them.

Before Gavin, she’d never thought beyond her career goals. But now she’d achieved those. With him by her side, she could have everything—success and a family and the man she loved.

“So, will you marry me?”

That question, as far as she was concerned, was a no-brainer. “Yes, Gavin, I will marry you.”

He released her hands as he lowered his mouth to hers. She wrapped her arms around his muscled back.

She loved her SEAL, her rancher. For them, the best was yet to come.