“Speaking of which, have you called Becky yet?”
Sam’s hands grew fidgety. “No, not yet.”
“Why not? You chicken?”
“Maybe I am. At least I admit it.” He glared at Luke. “But I’m going to call her, as soon as I figure out what to say.”
Luke shook his head and stomped toward the door. “Your daughter is just like you. Stubborn and foolish.”
“You’re wrong, Luke. Rusty has a good head on her shoulders, and she’ll do the right thing.”
“Yeah,” Luke mumbled as he left the room. He slammed the door behind him.
“And so will you,” Sam said to the closed door, “when the time comes.” He smiled satisfactorily and hit the button on the remote. He pretended to be interested in the movie he’d found, but he was really thinking about Luke and Rusty. And about Becky. Luke was right—Sam was chicken. But then, so was Luke.
RUSTY PULLED THE SHEETS from Sam’s bed, wadded them into a ball and tossed them in the corner of the room. “I should wash this blanket.” She went to the closet and grabbed a clean set of sheets.
“It’s nice of you to change my bed, but I told you Luke and I have a woman who comes in every Thursday. Mrs. Rogers. She’s a real nice lady. You’d like her. Anything you need done, just ask, she’ll be glad to do it.” Sam sat in an overstuffed chair shuffling a deck of cards while Rusty put the fresh sheets on the bed.
“I told you I like to keep busy. I don’t mind helping out. In fact, I always give Zuri—my housekeeper—the weekends off. Weekends are my favorite time. I fend for myself and clean up after myself. Catch up on my reading. Although I have to admit, it gets kind of lonely sometimes being in that big house with no one to talk to.” She laughed softly. “By Monday, I can’t wait to hear voices again.”
“You don’t have to be alone, sweetheart. Never again. This is your home. You can stay right here with me. And Luke.” He reached down and pet the dog at his feet. “And Jack, too, of course.”
Rusty smiled. She hadn’t thought about where she’d live once she got married. She and her new husband couldn’t live here, not with Luke Galloway lurking around every corner. And not with the way he looked at her. Most times he acted like some kind of sex fiend. Then again, he probably was. And here she’d been afraid of his dog, when all this time it was the master she needed to be careful of.
But she didn’t want to move out. She needed to be close to Sam. He needed her, too. She supposed she’d worry about that when the time came. Right now, she had some questions for Sam. Questions she’d been avoiding. “You’re looking stronger every day,” she started. “What does your doctor have to say? Has he called?”
He looked out the window. “Nah, Bill’s a busy guy. He knows I’ll call if I need him.”
“Are you comfortable?”
“Sure, as long as you’re around.” He glanced her way and smiled. “But you know how it is with sick people. I could have a relapse at any time.”
Rusty shuddered at the thought of Sam suffering. After finishing with the bed, she sat on the edge and looked at his bandaged feet resting on the hardwood floor. “I don’t even know what’s wrong with you. I mean, maybe we should talk about it. Just in case you have a relapse, so I’ll know what to do.”
“I thought Luke already told you.”
Yes, he’d told her, but he hadn’t given her any details. Sam looked so brave, she thought, as she swiped at a tear on her cheek. She refused to cry in front of him. It would only upset him, and he had enough to worry about. “I heard Becky Meyers mention that you had heel spurs removed. Is that when they found the …”
He squinted his eyes, then opened them wide as if he finally understood her meaning. “Yeah, yeah, that’s when they found it all right. Nasty disease. Nasty,” he said shaking his head. “It only strikes one out of every billion.” He didn’t meet her eyes.
Rusty stared at him as if he were crazy. Cancer was a deadly disease and had claimed so many lives, young and old. “The odds are much, much higher than that, Sam.”
“Really? You know some Californians with Rekop?”
Rekop? “I beg your pardon?”
“It’s a rare disease. You’ve probably never heard of it. Becky’s a veterinarian, and she’s never heard of it. It’s sort of like a heel spur, starts in the foot and works its way up through your entire body. I have it in both feet.” He raised his feet off the floor for effect.
Sam was right. She’d never heard of Rekop. But if it was that rare, surely they’d need an expert. “Is your doctor familiar with this disease? Because we could call in a specialist. You know I can afford the best.”
“No, Bill’s fine. He’s done a lot of research. And besides, it comes and goes, you know? I’m sort of in remission right now.”
“But—”
“You know, there’s been some studies done—way over in Egypt or somewhere. You ever been to Egypt?”
She shook her head.
“I didn’t think so. I didn’t hear you mention it last night when we were playing cards. Anyway, these studies showed that a person with Rekop could live a long time if they don’t get depressed about stuff. You know?”
Alarm bells went off inside Rusty’s head. All his longings for a grandchild could be making him depressed. Rusty shuddered at the thought. She’d been about to ask more questions about this rare disease, but changed her mind. Something didn’t make sense. She’d donated millions of dollars to several different charities to help in the fight against deadly diseases, and yet she’d never heard of anything called Rekop. And since she considered herself a fairly intelligent person, surely she would have heard of it.
But if there was no such thing as Rekop, why would Sam make up such a lie? She shook her head while deep in thought. She was being ridiculous. Sam would have no reason to lie about something like that. Maybe he was confused, maybe the disease was something else altogether. And she needed to find out exactly what it was and how she could help him fight it.
“Are you expecting a call, Mr. Galloway?” Rusty asked on her way to the laundry room.
Luke kept the newspaper in front of his face, leaned his hip against the counter and grunted a response. “Uh, uh.”
“Then why are you standing by the phone? And why, when the phone rang a few minutes ago, did you lunge for it?”
He looked up from the paper. “Did I?”
Folding her arms, she said, “Yes, you did.”
He shrugged and buried his face in the paper again. Rusty rolled her eyes and left the kitchen. She’d washed the blanket from Sam’s bed and knew it must be dry by now. She’d just opened the clothes dryer when she heard the phone ring. Luke must have picked it up. Reaching inside the dryer, she pulled out the blanket, draped it over her arm and shut the door.
On her way back to the kitchen, she heard Luke say, “I’m not sure when Rusty’ll be back, Richman, but I’ll tell her you called.”
Oh, for heaven’s sake! Why was he lying to Tyler? To get Luke’s attention, she cleared her throat. “Is the phone for me?”
Slowly he turned around. “Oh, wait a minute,” he said into the receiver. “She just walked in.” He handed the phone to her and shrugged his shoulder. “I thought you left.”
Rusty clucked her tongue and took the phone. “Hi, Tyler.” From the corner of her eye she caught the scowl on Luke’s face. She deliberately turned her back on him to avoid his prying eyes and ears. “I enjoyed last night, too … Yes, I’d love to … Seven o’clock is fine … I’ll see you then.”
She smiled to herself as she hung up the phone. Tyler seemed like such a nice man. The total opposite of Luke Galloway. Tyler had manners. And he was very nice looking. Not that Luke wasn’t attractive in his own way. She just didn’t find him very appealing, that’s all. Although she had to admit he filled out a pair of blue jeans nicely.
“So, you’re going to go out with him tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Uh, huh. Where’s he taking you?”
“Not that it’s any of your business,” she answered smugly, “but Tyler’s going to cook dinner for me—at his place.”
“Well, that didn’t take long. Of course, you sure poured on the charm last night. You probably got the guy so hot and bothered, he’s liable to attack you as soon as he lays eyes on you. No wonder he wants to take you to his place. That way, as soon as dinner is over—if he waits that long—you’ll be close to a bed.”
Rusty’s mouth fell open. “First of all, I did not pour on the charm. I was being friendly, that’s all. And secondly, Tyler Richman seems like a perfect gentleman. Just because your perverted mind thinks up ways and opportunities to lure women into your bed, doesn’t mean that every man thinks like you.”
Luke slapped his thigh. “Ha! Like I said yesterday, you’re pretty damn naive. When a man invites a beautiful woman to his place, there’s only one thing on his mind. And it’s not to show her how good he is in the kitchen.”
His intense olive eyes burned into hers. She quickly retreated into silence. That was the second day in a row he’d said she was beautiful. Well, he hadn’t actually come out and said so, but he’d made his thoughts clear. Not that it mattered to her what he thought.
They stood looking at each other for several moments, then Luke broke the strained silence with a long sigh. “Rusty,” he said is a hoarse whisper. “You don’t have to do this.”
The man could act like such a jerk one minute and so concerned the next. She’d never understand him. He was too complex, too sullen, and moody. Definitely moody. Swallowing back the lump in her throat, she looked away. He made her skin tingle just by the way he looked at her. She was determined not to let him get to her, not to let him change her mind. She had a feeling he was used to getting his own way. Finally she locked gazes with him. “Yes, I do.”
His eyes narrowed and a muscle in his jaw twitched. With a trace of bitterness in his voice, he marched past her and said, “I’m going out for a ride.” She watched his long, muscled, jeans-clad legs until they disappeared around the corner. “C’mon, Jack,” he said. The dog got up from his resting place and followed his master out the door. Only then did she release the breath she’d been holding.
Maybe she was crazy, but she didn’t think so. She’d never considered having a child because she’d never planned to marry. But during the last few days, she’d been thinking about motherhood and had to admit she was looking forward to it. The thought of carrying a child in her womb, giving birth and shaping that child’s life was overwhelming, but she’d never wanted anything more. She had all the money anyone could possibly want and yet nothing mattered more to her at the moment than having a child. Not just for Sam, but for herself.
She wondered if she was being selfish. People wanted things all the time, but they didn’t always get what they wanted. Why was she any different? What made her wants any more important than someone else’s?
She truly believed with all her heart that she’d be a good mother, and a good wife to the right man. A man she could respect, a man who respected her. Had Natalie once believed that, too? Rusty had asked her once why she’d divorced so many times, and Natalie had answered, “Because I always grew bored.” Would she, too, grow bored? Was it somehow hereditary?
Rusty didn’t think so, but the thought still scared her. She sometimes believed that whatever had affected Natalie’s relationships would somehow affect hers, as well. Or maybe it was just that Rusty had never met anyone with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life. Someone who would never bore her. Someone she could trust and respect, and, of course, love. Someone who would keep her on her toes, and make her feel loved and desired.
But she’d given up on those ideas. Hadn’t she just admitted to herself that she was willing to settle for respect, rather than love? Was there something wrong with that? Was it possible to fall in love after the fact? Or did love always come first?
Well, whatever the answers to her questions, she didn’t have time to dwell any longer on the subject. She had to get ready for her date.
As she thought about seeing Tyler that evening she wondered why she wasn’t more excited. He was handsome, polite and a gentleman. He had a respectable career, and no criminal record, that she knew of. And he didn’t leer at her.
And why in the world was she comparing him to Luke Galloway? she wondered, biting her bottom lip.
As Luke dismounted the bay and unfastened the saddle, he spotted Tim Hinkle, one of the stable boys. “You want to rub him down for me?” he called out.
“Sure thing, Luke. Be right there.”
Luke carried the saddle to the tack room and hung it on the wall. He’d kept busy at the stable all afternoon before saddling the bay. He’d ridden long and hard, but it hadn’t done a damn thing to clear his mind of Rusty. She was driving him crazy. The little fool.
Did she actually think she could simply set her sights on a man, explain she wanted to get pregnant—quickly—and then expect him to go along with it? To marry her then and there? A man would have to be a complete moron to do something so stupid.
He climbed into his truck and started the engine. As he headed back to the house, he thought about Tyler Richman. He’d always liked the man, although Luke had once thought that he was a fool to have married Beth. The woman had been hot to trot. How could Richman not have seen that in her? And then again, maybe he hadn’t cared. He’d loved her, married her, and then watched her die. So, maybe a man foolish enough to marry a woman with that kind of reputation was foolish enough to marry a woman he barely knew and give her a child. Especially a woman who had fifty million dollars besides. And especially a woman as gorgeous as Rusty.
Although, he’d never known Richman to give a damn about money. He was pretty frugal considering he made a decent income. The more Luke thought about him, the more he started to dislike the guy. And the fact that Rusty planned to spend the evening with him—at his house—didn’t help the situation. Well, if Luke had anything to say about it, there was going to be a slight change of plans. Rusty would thank him for it later. At least, he hoped so.
Luke let himself in the back door, stopped in to chat with Sam for a few minutes, then headed upstairs to shower. When he got to the top of the stairs, he noticed Rusty’s bedroom door was ajar. Quietly, he made his way down the hall and poked his head in the crack.