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“Great. Give us a list. The women members are responsible for this. As soon as we eat, we’ll go look at the rooms. I told you that we’ve agreed on the basic structure, which includes built-in shelves, drawers and cabinets. I’ll show you all of our plans and notes.”
“I’m sorry the other women couldn’t join us for lunch. I would really be in good company with you, Missy Reynolds, Vanessa Woodrow and Abigail Price.”
“You should join, too.”
Lila shook her head. “I’m going back to California. You need members who will be active.”
“Abigail’s little girl, Julia, will attend the center as soon as it opens.”
“It’s exciting to be part of this,” Lila said, enjoying seeing her friend and having something else to think about in place of the constant concerns about her pregnancy.
When they finished lunch, they went first to the door of the old billiard room. Men were sawing and hammering, and the noise made talking difficult.
Shannon just motioned for Lila to follow her and they went down the hall.
“We can go to the billiard room.”
They entered the darkened room with four billiard tables, heavy brown leather furniture and coffee-colored walls. There were two small stained-glass windows. Shannon switched on an overhead light fixture made of deer antlers.
“Looks dark and sort of like pictures I’ve seen of hotel lobbies in the early 1900s,” Lila said.
“They’ll redo it, although I think there will still be dark leather furniture and I’m guessing the stained-glass windows will remain. That’s not our deal and frankly, I don’t care what they do with this room.” They sat at a game table in the corner of the room and Shannon spread the papers in front of Lila.
“Here’s a list of some child centers that have been recommended to us as the best examples. You can study them and see what ideas you come up with. We want a state-of-the-art child-care center.”
“Will the center open onto a play area outside? I don’t see a door anywhere.”
“Great grief. No one has said a word about a playground,” Shannon said, her eyes opening wide. “We may have been so busy campaigning to get a child-care center that we didn’t stop to think about outside, but we definitely should have a playground. I’ll send Missy a text about this. That’s a necessity.” She pulled out her phone, speaking into it, dictating her text.
“I don’t know why we didn’t think of that. We have plenty of space outside and we can have a fenced area with alarms, making it secure for the kids. We’ll always have attendants to watch and cameras. We’ve ordered a state-of-the-art alarm system for an enormous price, but it’ll be worth it and give families peace of mind.”
“This center is going to be wonderful, Shannon.”
“It is, but there’s a faction who really opposed it and they still don’t like it. Sometimes that makes me uneasy.”
“These are honorable men. For all my dad’s bluster, he does have a good heart. He’s just old-fashioned but, in his own way, courteous to women and good to Mom.”
“I’m sure you’re right. I guess this thing with Alex disappearing is disconcerting. Something isn’t right and you can’t keep from wondering if anyone is in danger.”
“Hopefully, they’ll learn the truth soon or he’ll return. As far as I know, there’s been no demand for a ransom.”
Shannon shivered. “One of Royal’s citizens kidnapped—that’s ghastly.” She glanced at her watch. “How about meeting here again at twelve-thirty or one on Wednesday? If you can have lunch, great. If not, that’s fine, too.”
“Actually, one will be better.”
“Good deal.” Shannon’s gaze ran over Lila. “Are you feeling all right?”
“Yes. Mornings are rocky, but then I’m okay the rest of the day. This center is exciting, Shannon. Maybe I’m interested because I’m thinking about children now.”
“I’m excited and there’s no little one on my horizon. I think it’s great. It’s almost time for my meeting. Wednesday, it is. Lunch again.”
“Fine. I’m going to stay a few minutes here to think about this. You go ahead to your meeting.”
“I’m going to see Abigail Price there. She’s so excited about this center.”
“Very good. Abigail was brave—the first woman to join the club. She’ll be in their history whether this bunch of members likes it or not.”
“Enough liked it to get her voted in,” Shannon said, laughing. “See you Wednesday.”
She disappeared out the door. Lila looked at the room, the billiard tables, imagining how many deals had been made over these tables and what a male domain the billiard room had been. It was time for change.
Less than five minutes later Lila walked out and saw a tall man in cowboy boots down the hall. She recognized the broad shoulders and lean frame of Sam Gordon. He stood in a doorway talking to someone and glanced her way. The minute they locked gazes, a reaction shook her. Another jump in her heartbeat accompanied a thorough awareness of him. She raised her chin as if meeting an adversary.
As she drew close, he finished talking, stepping fully into the hall and turning to wait for her to catch up with him.
“I haven’t seen you here in a long time. Having lunch with your dad?”
“No, I’m not. I met with Shannon today. She asked for suggestions on planning the interior of the child-care center.” Lila caught the slight frown that was gone from Sam’s expression almost as fast as it had come.
“I can’t imagine a child-care center in this club. What I can imagine is the reaction the founders would have had to such a thing.”
“Sam, come into this century. The founders were a long time ago. You’re way too young to be a fossil.”
“I don’t remember you accusing me of being a fossil when we danced or kissed,” he said, leaning closer, “but then, there are some places, Lila, where our different opinions don’t matter one whit.”
“I walked into that one,” she said. “The child center is going to happen, so you might as well get resigned. You don’t like kids, Sam?” she asked, feeling a clash of wills with him.
“’Course I like kids, but here in the club—that’s a different. This club wasn’t founded to babysit a bunch of kids.”
“Who was it founded to babysit?” she asked sweetly.
He leaned closer, placing his hand against the wall over her head and hemming her in. Too aware of his proximity and her pounding heartbeat, she drew in a deep breath. “It was founded as a male haven where men could relax and enjoy a drink or a cigar or the friendship of cronies without kids yelling and running through the halls.”
She laughed. “Mercy me. You’re beginning to sound just like my dad. If I heard you and didn’t know you and couldn’t see you, I’d guess you were part of his generation.”
“That’s not all bad, Lila. You go out with me tonight and we’ll see if I’m an old-fashioned fossil,” he drawled softly, his blue eyes holding fires that sparked.
Lila tingled. She had gotten on dangerous ground with him again. “Thank you, but, Sam Gordon, you and I are generations apart in our lifestyles and ways of thinking, the places where it really counts. Lust is universal. Compatibility is not. I’ll see you around,” she said, hurrying away, trying to ignore her racing pulse and the stab of longing to go out with him.
He was totally off-limits and she shouldn’t have even stopped to talk to him, much less spent time flirting with him. They had little in common, so how could he hold such an intense appeal to her? Worse, now he was the father of her baby. For years to come she had tied her life to Sam’s, unless he had no interest when he discovered the truth. She knew just how her daddy and some of the old-fashioned men who were his friends would have reacted to the situation, and that was exactly the way she expected Sam to react. He would want to marry her.
She shivered. She was not marrying, settling for a life like her mother’s and living in Royal for the rest of her life. Being the “little woman” in the kitchen and his toy in the bedroom and being seen and not heard otherwise. No way was she going to become part of that scene.
She encountered Shannon in the hall. “I thought you’d be gone now,” Shannon said.
“I ran into Sam and talked a minute.”
“He’s here for the meeting. I’ve never missed one since I joined the club, which irritates some of the good ol’ boys,” Shannon said, smiling broadly. “I’m sorry, your dad is one of them. If looks could kill, I’d be gone.”
“That’s dreadful, Shannon. I don’t even know why you want to be a member and have to put up with that.”
“There are a lot of benefits. This is the most exclusive, elegant club in this area, so it’s great for private parties. I can swim, eat here, bring Rory here—you know they have the best chef and cooks for miles around. I love the dances.”
Lila laughed. “Shannon, when you’re here, you don’t have spare time to do anything except ranch chores.”
“When Rory can come and my foreman is well, I have more time. Rory does a lot. Maybe I can’t resist shaking up the old boys a little,” she added with a grin.
“Go to your meeting and shake them up. I’m going home to the Double H,” Lila said, walking away before she ran into Sam again.
Sam relaxed in the meeting room at the Texas Cattleman’s Club. He tried to focus on what was being said by Gil Addison, their president, but his thoughts kept slipping back to discovering that Lila intended to help plan the child-care center. The whole idea was repugnant to him. He looked around at the dark, rich wood, the mounted animal heads, trophies of past members and evidence of their shooting skills. The clubhouse was over one hundred years old, now, a monument to being built right and using the best materials.
The club had been a male haven. Leadership, Justice, Peace—the basic founding motto of the members. In an earlier day the club’s members had banded together covertly on secret missions to save innocent lives. That wouldn’t happen now with all the changes. The club was relaxing, filled with the things he liked to do—swim, dine, play billiards, exercise, just talk with friends. It was the perfect place for business lunches or dinners. Now women had moved into it and changes were coming, but the biggest alteration was a child center. Children racing through the clubhouse and scampering over the grounds would change the ambiance and the noise level would rise like a balloon in the wind. A child-care center. Beau Hacket had been bitterly opposed and Sam, as well as his twin, had lined up with Beau. There was not one positive reason to take children into the Texas Cattleman’s Club, but they had been voted down.
Sam glanced across the room at the female members, clustered together, their husbands, mostly younger members. Why did they want to be part of the club? A streak of stubbornness? To ruin the club for the men? To take it over and turn it into their own club? He couldn’t figure the logic, but they were not going away. Between their husbands, boyfriends and friends, they had solid backing, not only gaining membership but easily voting in the child-care center. Once they got the center, the club would become a whole different type of organization.
His gaze rested on Shannon. She was Lila’s close friend and the one who had talked Lila into helping plan the child center. He liked Shannon; she was a no-nonsense person and a fine rancher. Of all the women who had joined, Shannon probably had the most right to be there because she was a rancher and toiled like the men on her ranch. She ran the place and fit in with other cattle ranchers. A stranger would never guess, because when she left the ranch, she looked all woman.
Lila would help with the center. If she lived here, she would want to join. Beau had definite ideas, but he hadn’t been able to control Lila or raise her to live the way her family did. There were probably some stormy conversations at the Hacket house.
Sam tried to stop thinking about Lila except to acknowledge she was taking over too much of his thoughts.
Once again, he tried to pull his attention back to Gil, who stood relaxed, his black hair combed back and one hand holding a small card that he occasionally glanced at.
In his quiet, efficient manner, Gil had covered the business of the day and Sam had barely heard a word.
“I know some of you opposed the new child-care center, but it’s been voted in and work has started. During the renovations, we’ll have noise and interruptions, but we’ve had that before. the child-care center is going to be reality in the near future. We want a state-of-the-art center.”
Annoyed, Sam thought it would partially be thanks to Lila’s input. In fairness, the billiard room would be renovated into a center for kids whether Lila helped or not. The founders of the exclusive men’s club would be stunned by this latest turn of events. He thought of Tex Langley, the founding father, who might not have even wanted the club if he had known how it would be changed.
As far as Sam was concerned, the club would never be the same. He attempted again to pay attention to Gil, who seemed to remain impartial, although Gil had Cade to raise by himself, so probably, he was happy to see the center open.
“Another reminder, next month Zach Lassiter will be inducted,” Gil said.
Zach was another newcomer and Sam knew nothing about his past except that he had been successful with investments and he had shared an office with Alex Santiago.
Startled, Sam realized he was thinking in the past tense about Alex. What had happened to the man? It was a disturbing mystery that seemed to puzzle everyone in town.
“One last thing before we close our meeting today,” Gil said in a loud voice that quieted everyone. “We all know we have a missing member, one of our newest members, Alex Santiago. Nathan has something to share with us,” Gil said, turning to face Nathan Battle, who rose.
Tall, with a commanding presence, Nathan made a good sheriff. He was a law-enforcement officer the town could be proud of. The men of his family had been members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club for generations and Nathan had broken away from his ranching background to become a lawman. He’d become an asset for Royal.
“This will be brief. We’ve turned up something. My office hasn’t gone public with the news yet and we don’t intend to make an official announcement at this time, but I’ll tell you now—Alex’s truck has been found about fifty miles from town.”
There was a low rumble of remarks, with surprised looks on a few members’ faces.
As soon as Nathan began to speak again, silence fell over the room.
“The truck was hidden in bushes. That may indicate foul play. At this point, we’re not ruling anything out. From all indications, there’s a possibility that Alex was abducted.”
Another shocked ripple of noise erupted.
“Nathan, when will you go public with this? Are we to keep quiet about it?” Dave Firestone asked.
“We’ve been investigating and trying to find out what we can before moving the truck, but several people already know about our discovery. I’m not trying to keep our news secret from the town, but I’ve asked to keep it out of the media at least the rest of today. Alex was a friend and one of our members and I know there’s high interest in his disappearance. At this point, that’s all.”
Nathan returned to his seat and Gil finished the business at hand before closing the meeting.
Shocked by the news, Sam thought about Alex Santiago, a venture capitalist and new to Royal. He’d grown up elsewhere, without Texas roots that went back generations the way so many of the other members’ did. Newly engaged to Cara Windsor, Alex had just recently disappeared. Word got out slowly at first and then swept over the town. Sam glanced across the room at another member, Chance McDaniel, who used to go out with Cara. Chance sat stony-faced, staring straight ahead, a slight frown on his brow beneath his blond hair.
How bitter was Chance over Cara getting engaged to Alex? Sam had wondered about that since people began to openly question what could have happened to Alex.
Jumping to conclusions wasn’t good, but it was impossible to avoid suspecting Chance, who would have a motive for getting Alex out of the way.
At the same time, Sam liked Chance and would hate to see his suspicions bear fruit. He hoped Chance wasn’t involved. Finding Alex’s truck abandoned and hidden was not good news.
After the meeting when Sam was leaving, he stopped in the doorway of the future billiard room. The place was dim inside with muted sounds from the club, the old billiard tables standing empty. Life was changing. Was he as backward in his thinking as Lila had accused him of being? He shook his head. He couldn’t imagine little kids all over the place or that their presence would be great for the club. The TCC could have built a separate building on their property or bought some land near the club and built a separate center and everyone would have been happy. Or at least that’s how he and several other members viewed it, but their idea had been killed before it ever got started.
Yesterday he’d had a business lunch and he was glad he could bring a client to the club just the way it was. Time would tell whether the child center was an asset or a liability. Turning to leave, he spotted something on a chair by the door. He walked over to pick up a small stack of papers with a long mailing tube. Shannon’s name was on the mailing tube, so she had probably left everything while she attended the meeting.
As he turned to go, Lila entered and stopped. “I left some of my things in here and I came back to get them.”
“I just found them. I thought they were Shannon’s.” He handed Lila the stack of papers and the mailing tube. His hands brushed hers only lightly, yet the touch was electric.
“Did the meeting just get out?” she asked.
“It’s been a few minutes. I stopped in to look over the new billiard room.”
“I’m sure you’d prefer no changes to this room, just as you prefer no changes to the original billiard room.”
“You’re wrong there. The room is antiquated and we’ll have a new billiard room. I have nothing against little children. You don’t know me half as well as you think you do. But now we can begin to remedy that. I’d like to hear all about this California job you have and why California is so much greater than Texas.”
“One more big difference between us. I’ll be happy to tell you why California is so great—one thing is I can be independent and on my own. That’s a little difficult to do here in Royal with my dad constantly present everywhere I go.”
“If that’s the problem, I can take you someplace where we can enjoy the shade and your dad won’t be anywhere around. We can discuss that in the bar or outside on the patio where the mist makers are keeping everyone cool. It’s late in the afternoon and it’s nice outside if you’re in the right place. Come have a drink with me and then I’ll take you to dinner. Or even more private, I can take you to my place and I’ll guarantee no one will disturb you.”
“Except you, Sam. You’re disturbing enough,” she said, and his insides tightened and heated. Her eyes sparkled and eagerness made him smile.
“Darlin’, you take my breath away. You look great, Lila,” he said, gazing into thickly lashed green eyes that he could look at endlessly.
“Thank you, Sam.”
“C’mon. Let’s get that drink. What are we waiting for?”
He could tell the moment the wall came up between them. Her expression changed only slightly, but the sparkle left her eyes and she looked as if she were on the other side of a glass wall. She shook her head.
“That’s a tempting offer, Sam, but I need to head home.”
As she started to move away, he touched her arm lightly. “I promise. Stay and you’ll have more fun. I can take you home later if you want and bring you back tomorrow to get your car.”
