Unleashed #4 (14 page)

Declan took the
portfolio from my lap and flipped through the remaining pages.
Apparently his father had remarried toward the end of his life, just
three years before he passed away. Altogether, he’d left behind a
sum total of six descendants: Declan, four from his first wife plus a
stepson.

“Six kids,” I
marveled. From three different women. But, I guessed family came in
all shapes and sizes. Whatever, however, whoever, I thought it was
exciting.

Declan clearly didn’t.
He sat staring at a page with a picture of his father, the late
Richard Kavanaugh. “He wanted to find me.” He shook his head,
staring into the middle distance. “I can’t believe it.”

“It sounds like he
tried.”

“But he didn’t
succeed.” He looked up at me and I could see all the emotions there
swirling through him, sadness and anger and loss. I needed to settle
down and give him time to make sense of this all.

I didn’t even bring
up the two hundred and fifty million dollar elephant in the room. It
harrumphed and trumpeted around enough without my saying a word. That
was a gargantuan amount of money. I knew Declan didn’t need it, he
had more than enough as it was, but what could that kind of money do
for his charity? Think of the children he could help with that kind
of funding.

But to release the
funds, he had to agree to meet the family. As much as I wanted to hop
on a plane with him right now and be by his side as we knocked on
everyone’s doors, starting with Ash Black so I could get him to
sign a t-shirt for me, I had to admit, I couldn’t exactly picture
Declan doing it. He was such a proud man, had defined himself so
resolutely as a lone wolf. He’d spent all 27 of his years standing
proudly on his own two feet. What would it feel like for him now to
attempt to enter into a family that didn’t want him to exist?

He was probably right,
with that kind of money there had to be at least some relatives who
wished he’d crawl right back under a rock and leave that money
untouched so the rest of them could split it. Not to mention the
ex-wife his father had cheated on when he’d come out to Montana and
slept with Declan’s mother. She couldn’t be happy about him
surfacing now, after all those years. Declan wouldn’t want any part
of causing more pain and anger.

Still, I couldn’t
shake it, the sense that this was a good thing. He wasn’t an
unwanted cast-off, a boy whose father had abandoned him. His father
had wanted to find him, had sent money to provide for him all along.

But I couldn’t push.
Declan was a stubborn and proud man, and he needed time to make his
own decision. I wanted to plunge in headlong, but I always wanted to
do that. I felt certain things would work out. Declan felt certain
everything would require a fight to the death. It was one of the many
reasons we made a good team together. We balanced each other out.

Declan put the thick,
black portfolio back down on the coffee table.

“Let’s go get some
dinner,” I said, giving him the opportunity to change the subject.

“Sounds great to me,”
he agreed.

I knew what I needed to
do. I needed to give him time. It wasn’t as if we were married and
this was a joint decision.

In fact, I didn’t
even know what the future would bring for us. I’d been hanging out
with him here at this resort, lounging in this alternate universe,
recovering from my trauma. Bill at the ranch and Dot at the diner
encouraged me to do it, but soon I’d have to return to reality.
Would Declan be in it? Different question, same answer. Give it time.

§

“Wanna go swimming?”
The next day Declan sauntered into the main room in the cabin, a
boyish grin on his face. I loved seeing him look so young. I wondered
how many times in his life he’d had the chance to ask that
question. I guessed it hadn’t been all that many. His childhood
hadn’t exactly been filled with lazy days picnicking at swimming
holes.

“I didn’t even know
you were back!” I stood up from the couch, delighted. He’d headed
up to Billings early that morning, but now, three o’clock, here he
was.

“You up for a swim?
he asked again.

“Absolutely,” I
agreed.

“There’s this
amazing creek,” Declan continued, sounding a lot like a
six-year-old the night before Christmas. “I can’t wait to show
you.”

“I can’t wait to
see it!”

“Wait…” He paused
and drew back. “Are you sure you’re up to this? I don’t want to
exhaust you.”

“Declan, yes, I’m
up for it.” If I could have sex with him like a rabid bunny, I
figured I could manage to go for a swim. He still seemed nervous
about my full recovery, but I wasn’t, not anymore.

Declan packed a picnic
blanket and some towels. I pulled together some sandwiches, chips and
fruit. We headed off into the day, blue sky, green grass and birds
chirping overhead.

Driving over, I felt my
whole body relax. I didn’t have to fight anything anymore. Declan
had been my fantasy since I’d been 18. I’d fallen for him the
moment I’d seen him. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about
him ever since.

“I can’t believe
you left because my father kicked you out,” I blurted out,
mid-stream of my thoughts.

“Wow, what’s going
on in your head over there?” At the wheel, Declan looked over at
me.

“I guess I’m just
still adjusting. So much has happened in the past couple of weeks.”

“That is a massive
understatement,” he agreed.

“That summer you
left? I really thought you’d hit it and quit it.” I shook my
head. I’d known my father was over-protective, but his role in it
all still surprised me. “I can’t believe my father did that.”

“I was pissed at the
time,” Declan acknowledged. “But, now I get it. I was a mangy
mutt back then.”

“You were not.” I
remembered him like something out of a movie, the classic cowboy
against that setting sun, long legs in worn jeans, hat tipped just
right.

“I was, trust me. I
was.”

“You’re defending
him?”

“I’m just saying,
someday if I’m ever lucky enough to have a daughter, if I see some
joker like me messing with her, I’m going to run him straight off
my property.”

The thought of Declan
as a father made me giddy. I couldn’t believe he was talking like
that. I’d never heard that sort of thing from him before. I’d let
myself acknowledge my feelings for him, sure, but never fully let
myself dream. I knew he’d never seen himself as the settling-down
sort of family man.

He cleared his throat
as if sensing where the train of my thoughts was taking me. “I’m
just saying. If someday.”

I smiled at him. What
was this, Declan feeling awkward? I freaking loved it. This powerful,
wealthy man, more gorgeous than literally any guy I’d ever seen
before, was maybe feeling self-conscious? My heart swelled in my
chest.

He had more inner
strength than anyone I knew, rising from impossibly hard
circumstances to make so much of himself. Hard-working and smart,
he’d found a way to sustain the ranching life out here in Montana
while also moving it forward. And he’d started a foundation to help
foster kids! Now, I felt self-conscious. What had I done to deserve
this man?

We drove the rest of
the way in silence, each of us rapt in our thoughts. He parked us in
a sunlit clearing by a weeping willow. Suddenly shy, I fussed with
the picnic things, setting out the blanket and arranging Tupperware
containers as if it was of utmost importance.

“Kara,” Declan
choked out by my side. He looked distraught and I almost wondered if
he’d hurt himself.

“I used to worry that
I wasn’t a good enough man for you,” he continued. “Now I know
I’m not. I don’t deserve you, but I need you. I know I’m not
the perfect man for you. But I want to try.”

Wait, what was
happening? Declan dropped down on one knee. In his hand he held out a
diamond ring.

“I know things are
crazy. And I can’t promise you what the future will bring. But I
can promise you I’ll love you the rest of my life.”

Tears sprang to my eyes
and I brought my hands up to my face. What was he saying?

“Kara,” he asked,
his voice gruff with emotion. “Will you do me the honor of becoming
my wife?”

“Declan!”

“Will you marry me,
Kara?” he asked, offering me the ring. It glittered in the
sunlight, the diamond casting sparkles in every direction.

“Yes!” I flung my
arms around his shoulders and even though he had to have at least 80
pounds on me he nearly lost his balance. I gave him everything I had.
We tumbled together onto the soft flannel of the picnic blanket. He
kissed the tears from my cheeks even as more flowed from my eyes,
happy tears, and we kissed and laughed. Thankfully, he still managed
to keep the ring between his fingers even as we fell together to the
ground. He wiped another tear of joy from my cheek and took my ring
finger in his hand.

The ring fit. I didn’t
know how I’d manage to get used to wearing something that
spectacular on my hand every day for the rest of my life. But it was
a challenge I was willing to face.

I kissed him again. I’d
never get enough of his lips, so soft and so masculine all at once.

“Kara,” he murmured
into me, kissing me as if his life depended on it.

“Declan.” I never
wanted to let go. And now I never had to. We belonged to each other.
Always had. Always would.

Declan

Six
Months Later

The warm, gentle breeze
caressed our limbs as we lay in our private, beachfront cabana. On
what resembled a raised canopy bed surrounded by white sand and pale,
aqua-blue ocean, we lounged in privacy and decadence. Here in the
South Pacific it was hard to believe it was December. Of course it
was technically their summer, and boy did it feel like it with the
full sun shining down and the lapping of the ocean waves.

Kara looked over and
smiled at me. “I think everything went so well.”

“I know it did.” I
took her hand in mine and stroked her palm with my thumb. Only a few
days after the wedding, most brides would still be talking about the
ceremony and reception. Not Kara, though. I knew how her mind worked.
She was thinking about the holiday party she’d helped host a week
ago for foster children.

“Do you think the
remaining gifts have been delivered yet?”

I chuckled. So
concerned about others, even as we lay there in paradise. “Yes, I’m
sure my instructions have been followed. We have a great team.” She
smiled and relaxed.

She’d helped give a
huge holiday party for the Montana chapter of the charitable
organization I funded. Kara had thrown herself into all of the
details, planning the Santa visit, finding out every child’s wish
list, coordinating all of the gift purchases and wrapping. She’d
seen to it that every child had a stocking, too, stuffed with things
I never would have considered. You wouldn’t think a slinky or a
cheap paddle ball, the kind with the string attached, would make kids
so happy, but I saw it happen all around me, the room exploding with
whoops and hollers of glee. I’d seen an 11-year-old boy who looked
as tough as nails sitting and building an elaborate helicopter out of
Legos. In the middle of the chaotic party, he’d had the
concentration of a surgeon. I’d have to remember his name and help
him get an internship somewhere. That kid had drive.

“You brought them
Christmas.” I took her hand to my mouth and kissed her.

“No, you did,
Declan,” she insisted.

My wife. I couldn’t
believe it. I’d only been able to use the term for three days now.

We’d had a simple
ceremony back in Montana. Compared to the foster kids’ holiday
party, it had been a small affair. I would have rented out Buckingham
Palace, secured a guest list of thousands if she’d wanted a
spectacle. I’m sure I could have gotten us press, had a couple of
magazines do features on us.

But she didn’t want
any of that. Like she’d told me back in the cabin in Bozeman, all
she wanted was me. Seemed like she was missing out, but I certainly
was happier that way. I didn’t go in for all that pomp and
circumstance myself, just tolerated a certain amount that brought in
business.

I would have done it
for her, though, released the doves and all that, but she wanted
simple and small so that’s what she got. She looked so lovely that
day. I thought I’d been prepared for it. I was used to Kara taking
my breath away, but she outdid herself. She looked like an angel
nearly floating down the aisle as old Bill held her arm, wiping a
tear from his eye. Bill still couldn’t get over it, the two of us.
He was a good man, had helped Kara get through the rough times. I’d
made sure he had enough help now on the ranch so he’d never have to
work again a day in his life, even though I knew a tough old bird
like him would probably want to anyway.

We didn’t have much
family at the ceremony. I had a former foster mother on my side.
She’d fallen ill and been unable to care for me for very long, but
she’d stayed in touch and I knew she meant well. I had her in a
nice house now, with a home health care attendant whom she said made
all the difference. Angie, my PA, and her kids were there, looking
uncomfortable in their starched Sunday best.

I never would have
believed it, but Shelly came, too, the tiny girl I’d known for only
a few, brief months during my last stay in a foster home. I’d
looked out for her until I’d gotten hauled into juvie. The world
had always seemed too much for Shelly, like it would eat her up and
spit her out. She’d spent hours sitting in the corner with her
Beauty and the Beast
CD, playing it over and over and singing along.

I’d mentioned her to
Kara and, Kara being Kara, she didn’t let it go. She’d gotten
people involved, and they’d gotten other people involved, and
before I knew it we were meeting Shelly for coffee at a shop
downtown. Shelly was 19 now, and still way too skinny for her own
good with shadows under her eyes. So, of course, Kara had set right
to helping her out, involving her in all the planning for the
Christmas party for the foster kids. She’d even seen to it that
Shelly got hired on as staff, seeing to event planning. I more than
loved Kara. I was in awe of her. She healed bones I’d long given up
on ever setting right.