Lone Star Legacy

“That little mutt means so much to her,” Ava said,

“I’ll leave you with her and the pup. I think the baby is getting tired,” he said. She looked around to see Muffy stretched on the floor and Caroline petting her. The little dog blinked and closed her eyes while Caroline tried to entice her to play more.

“See you later, Will,” Ava said.

“It’ll be more than just ‘seeing,’” he said in a husky voice.

She couldn’t wait.

Will left for his office to make two calls, the first to Zach, to tell him the news about Caroline, the second to Ryan.

“Zach, it’s Will. I know you got the attorney’s letter about the will—the reading is scheduled for two weeks from now.”

“It’s on my calendar,” Zach answered. “How’s Caroline?”

“She’s coming out of her silence. I mean really out.”

“Hallelujah,” Zach yelled loudly enough Will had to hold the phone away from his ear as he laughed.

“I wanted to shout, too. It’s fantastic.”

“That’s the best possible news, Will. That’s the greatest. I haven’t been any help, but I care.”

“I know you do.”

“What happened? Was it the new teacher you hired?”

“Yes. Ava suggested I get her a puppy. A pup is hard to resist. It was almost instant.”

“Damn, that’s good news.”

“You’re going to be surprised when you see her, Zach.”

“I’ll go get something for her and this pup.”

Will leaned back to talk to his brother, next calling Ryan, happy to tell each of them about Caroline. When he finished his calls, he sat thinking about Ava. He wanted to whisk her away, somewhere he could be alone with her and make love to her endlessly. Last night had been spectacular. No woman had ever excited him the way she did, and he didn’t want to let her go. Instead, she didn’t even want to go out again. He raked his fingers through his hair. He wanted to be alone with her to make love to her tonight. But it wasn’t going to happen, he was certain. She was driven, determined, bright, accustomed to getting her way—unfortunately some of the same qualities he possessed. It was his stand on commitment and marriage that held her back. Would commitment to Ava be a silken trap the way Adam’s marriage had been for him?

Will thought about life with Ava, and it appealed to him in a way the thought of a long-term—actually lifetime—commitment had never appealed before. Was Ava changing him? Or was he changing to keep her in his life? He didn’t want to think about life without her. He was like Caroline: he didn’t want Ava to leave. Did he want her badly enough to think about marriage?

Or was this the kind of fuzzy, blinded-by-love thinking that had tied Adam into a rotten marriage?

During dinner on the veranda, Will asked, “How were the books and reading today?”

He saw Ava and Caroline exchange a look, and he put down his roll and butter knife. “What’s this?

“Caroline read so very well today,” Ava said. “She answered my questions correctly, read a second-grade book and she told me she’d read to you tonight.”

Will’s heart thudded and he forgot his dinner. “That’s fantastic,” he said, looking at Caroline, who smiled broadly.

“You should have told me before dinner. You should have called me this afternoon. I can’t wait to have you read to me,” he said, meaning it. Joy filled him and it was difficult to keep quiet and act natural. He wanted to scoop up Caroline, hug and kiss her and shout for glee. Emotions shook him and he tried to get his voice and stay casual. He leaned closer to Caroline. “Sweetie, I am so proud of you and so happy to hear what you read.”

She smiled at him.

“Thank you,” he said to Ava, wanting to pull her into his arms. He wanted to hug both of them. He had lost his appetite, but Caroline was eating and Ava had taken a bite, so he knew he shouldn’t disrupt their dinners.

He sipped his water. “Tell me about one of the books you read, Caroline.”

To his astonishment, she began a story. Again he shot Ava a grateful glance. She had worked a miracle in no time. A little dog had worked a miracle, too. He put down his fork, listening closely to Caroline tell him about a story she read earlier in the day. It was not one he recalled reading to her, so it wasn’t an old favorite or one she was already familiar with. More than ever, he wanted to shout for joy, but he was afraid he might intimidate his niece.

“Sweetie, what a fun story. You did an excellent job telling me about it. That’s fantastic. I’m glad you liked it. Is this one of the books Miss Ava gave you?”

“Yes, sir,” Caroline answered, and again his heart squeezed with relief and happiness.

After dinner, Ava sat in a rocker in the upstairs playroom, watching Caroline sitting on Will’s lap, reading to him. Though he listened intently, Will would occasionally glance at Ava with a joyous expression that filled her with happiness.

He misplaced all the credit he gave her for Caroline’s transformation. It was far more about the little ball of fur who was currently stretched out asleep, but Ava was happy for him and for Caroline. He had said he wasn’t good daddy material, but he was patient and considerate with Caroline—so wrong about himself. He had been emotional at dinner over the change in Caroline, and Ava was touched, sharing his joy.

“Caroline, that is grand. You are such a smart little girl,” Will said as she finished reading to him. She slipped off his lap and ran to plop beside Muffy, waking the pup while she petted her.

“Uncle Will and Miss Ava, let’s play a game,” Caroline said. “I’ll take Muffy outside for a minute while you set up the game.”

“I’ll come with you.” Will held Muffy while Caroline skipped beside him as they left.

Ava chose one from a closet filled with toys and games. She placed the board game on the floor, and when Will and Caroline returned, they all sat around it to play. She was constantly aware of Will being attentive to Caroline, giving her his full attention.

Watching Caroline, Ava marveled at the change that had been so quick. When they finished two rounds of the game, Will asked Caroline if she wanted to see a movie and suggested she get ready for bed first.

“I want Miss Ava to help me get ready for bed,” Caroline said.

Ava nodded and Will left to take Muffy out again.

Later, Caroline curled in Will’s lap while the three sat on the sofa to watch a movie. Rosalyn came in to view the movie with them. Ava noticed when Caroline began to nod and shortly she was asleep. Will paused the movie to carry Caroline to bed.

Ava went outside. The evening was beginning to cool. Lights were on the veranda and pool. Finally Will returned, pulling her up into his arms to kiss her hard.

Her heart slammed against her ribs the moment he drew her into his embrace. Then she closed her eyes, clinging to him to return his kiss. When she started to move away, he held her with his arm around her waist. “I want you in my arms. I want to make love to you.”

His husky voice was as tantalizing as a caress. She longed to follow her heart and kiss him. Instead, she held his forearms, feeling the solid muscles. “Will, we’re not getting more involved,” she whispered, her heartbeat racing.

“I’d say we’re already involved, darlin’.” As his arm tightened around her, she resisted. He leaned closer to kiss her again, but she pulled away.

“Will, you’re not listening to me. We’re not having an affair. I’m doing a job with Caroline, which I think is phasing out rapidly. Her reading is beyond kindergarten level.” Ava took a deep breath. All the time she talked, Will showered kisses on her temple, cheek and down to her throat.

He raised his head to look into her eyes and she couldn’t move or talk. Her heart pounded while her lips tingled. Desire enveloped her, a hunger that erased everything else.

“No,” she whispered, her protest feeble, far more faint than all her words had been. Will placed his lips on hers and kissed her, his tongue stroking hers. She trembled, standing stiffly for only a moment and then melting. She kissed him passionately as if starved for his loving. As her hands swept over him, he picked her up and carried her inside the cabana, kicking closed the door in the bedroom. Clothes were tossed away. When she fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, Will ripped it away, buttons popping. He yanked open her shirt, pushing it off along with her bra. They kissed while they undressed each other. Standing in front of her, he lifted her up and she wrapped her long legs around him, winding her fingers in his hair while her other hand pressed against his muscled back. Her heart pounded with desire and joy. This is where she longed to be, dreamed about—in Will’s arms.

He lowered her on his thick rod and she gasped with pleasure as they loved with desperate urgency. She wanted him with a deep need that consumed her. Loving him was a necessity. She cried out in ecstasy when she climaxed as he pumped furiously and shuddered with his release.

Clinging to him, she slowed while rapture wrapped her in euphoria.

She kissed his shoulder lightly and soon he shifted her. When she stood, he picked her up to carry her to the bed, yanking away the covers. He lay down beside her and pulled her into his arms.

He combed her hair from her face. “I’ve wanted you so badly, you’re all I think about,” he said gruffly. Her heartbeat quickened in response to his words and the look in his eyes.

“I wasn’t going to do that again. Will, we’re going where I wanted to avoid from the start.”

“I didn’t notice a lot of reluctance on your part just now,” he whispered. “Ava, this is good between us. It seems right, inevitable from the first moment. Go with what you want.”

“Maybe you can move from relationship to relationship so easily, but I can’t. To say the least. I need commitment. For all your wealth, that’s something you can’t give me. Making love is an intimate, binding event. I can’t deal with it without commitment.”

“We are both dealing quite well,” he said, showering kisses on her face, her lips and throat.

“Will, are you even listening to me?”

“Of course. You’re amazing, fantastic. I’ve never known a woman like you. You’re the sexiest woman ever,” he whispered. “Your kisses burn me to embers.”

She wanted to put her hands over her ears. His words were golden chains that could hold her heart captive. She kissed him lightly, just to stop the compliments. She rolled away and stood. “Will, I’m dressing and going in. Otherwise, we’ll make love all night long.”

“Which is the best possible idea,” he said, propping himself on his elbow and looking at her as she stood nude before him. She turned away and grabbed up his shirt to yank it on. “I’ll borrow this for a minute so I’m covered,” she said, picking up her other clothes.

“The view was much better before you found my shirt. Ava, come here,” he said in a husky, coaxing tone that curled her toes and stirred desire again.

Without looking back, she clutched her things and rushed for the door. “I’ll dress and go, Will. You stay right where you are,” she flung over her shoulder, pulling on clothes as she went. There were two bedrooms, a living area with a bar, and bathrooms in the cabana, but she yanked on her things and dropped his shirt in the hall. She hurried out and across the veranda, half expecting Will to stop her at any moment.

In her room she closed the door and leaned against it. She had to find other arrangements for the evenings. She couldn’t be alone with Will night after night and still avoid succumbing to his seductive ways.

She pulled out her laptop to search for condos or apartments in the area. She would finish her time with Caroline, but she had to move out of Will’s mansion and get away from him before she moved into his bed for an affair that would last until Will walked away. Each time they had made love, she was more deeply in love with him, her heart bound to him more. She couldn’t imagine a time when she wouldn’t love him, whether she was with him or away from him, but if there was any hope of getting over him, now was the time to move away. He talked about her being special and said wonderful endearments, but there was no commitment from him, nor would there be. The sooner she moved on, maybe the less she would be hurt.

Ten

In the morning Ava dressed in a black shirt and black capris with sandals. When she went down to breakfast, she heard Will’s deep voice and another male voice in the dining room.

“Ava,” Will said as she approached the doorway. “Come meet my brother Zach Delaney. Zach, meet our wonder teacher, Ava Barton.”

Zach extended his hand. “I’m honored to meet you and tell you we owe you a far bigger thanks than we can ever convey.”

She shook his warm, calloused hand. “I’ve had plenty of thanks, and I’m so happy for the change in Caroline. She’s a little sweetheart,” Ava said, surprised to face a man whose looks were different from his brother. Her gaze ran swiftly over Zach’s rugged features, a craggy jaw, his startling blue eyes, a total contrast to Will’s dark brown eyes. “I don’t believe I’d pick you out in a crowd as Will’s brother. I can’t see that you resemble each other at all.”

Both grinned. “Thank heavens for that,” Will remarked about two seconds before Zach expressed the same sentiment and Ava had to chuckle.

“Please have a seat, Ava,” Will said, holding a chair for her. As soon as she sat, both men did.

“I’ve been telling Zach about last night. All of it was a miracle. Everything Caroline did—her talking and joining in. She ate a good dinner. She reads well, far better now than she used to. She initiated a game with us, then wanted us to watch a movie with her.”

Zach smiled at Ava. “You really are a miracle for this family. You may get tired of hearing that, but I know how hard Will tried before he found you.”

“I think a lot of credit goes to a little puppy,” Ava said.

The brothers both shook their heads.

“Each one of those things is a miracle—all of them together—this change blows my mind,” Will said, sipping his coffee. He turned to Ava. “We’ve finally gotten letters from Dad’s lawyer that we’ll have a reading of Dad’s will in two weeks. Zach and Ryan will both be here. There won’t be any surprises, unless Adam’s wife gets her hopes up, which she should know better. Dad never liked her after she and Adam began having trouble.”

“I suppose Mom will be there,” Zach said.

“I can’t imagine her missing this. I’ll call her, but she’s on the same list we are.”

“She’ll fly in, hear what she already knows, take us to lunch and go. Heaven knows when we’ll see her again.”

“Think she’ll come see Caroline?” Ava asked.

“She’s not the doting grandmother. I seriously doubt it. The plans now are to read the will at his office.”

“Will, I can’t imagine,” Ava said. “Is Caroline going to miss her when she doesn’t see her?”

“No. They aren’t close—surprise, surprise,” Zach said with a cynical note in his voice. “My brother may not have told you, but marriages in this family have not worked out well.”

“I don’t think Lauren will show. I think our ex-sister-in-law will send her attorney,” Will said with a cold tone in his voice that chilled Ava. “Dad told me he left her the token one dollar so she can’t declare she was forgotten. She won’t come and she won’t want to see Caroline.”

“I still can’t imagine. Such a precious child,” Ava said.

Zach glanced at his watch, finished his coffee and stood. “I have to go. Both of you, stay where you are. Ava, it was great to meet you. Endless thanks to you,” he said, shaking hands once again with her.

As Will left to walk out with Zach, all Ava could think about was the Delaney family—and how glad she was that Caroline had wonderful uncles who cared deeply about her.

Ava had another productive day with Caroline. After lessons ended for the afternoon, she had business to take care of, and when Rosalyn arrived to replace her, she summoned a limo and left the mansion.

It was past six o’clock when she returned, but it wasn’t until after Caroline went to bed that Ava saw her opportunity to talk to Will. She found him in the downstairs family room.

He had changed to jeans and a T-shirt, his legs stretched out comfortably on the sofa.

“You said you wanted to talk. I’ve been curious all evening what this concerns. Come sit here by me. I don’t bite hard,” he added with a faint smile.

She moved to the far end of the sofa and he gave her a mocking look.

“Will, I plan to work with Caroline all summer as we agreed.”

“So where is this going?” he asked, sipping his cold beer.

“That means I will work every weekday with Caroline until six. Then Rosalyn will take over or you’ll be here. Today I leased a condo near here for the rest of the summer.”

His expression didn’t change as he looked at her intently. “Why?”

“I think you can figure why. I’ve told you from the start, I can’t handle an affair. I also have found that I can’t say no to you, so I’m moving where temptation will not be as great. It won’t affect my work with Caroline at all.”

“I don’t want you to go,” he stated, and the words twisted her heart. She wanted to scream at him that she didn’t want to leave, either, but she had to, or else see her heart broken far worse later. “This place is big enough—move into the other wing and we’ll never see each other after six if you want. I’ll take care of your lease.”

“No,” she said, trying to hang on to patience. “I’m not moving to a different part of your house.”

“This will set Caroline back.”

“No, it won’t. I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow, and if it seems in any way to upset her, then I’ll rethink my plans. I think I can put it to her so she won’t mind and she’ll never notice. I’ll stay for dinner sometimes if I’m invited, and into early evenings with the two of you, but I’ll have my own place to go to and we will not have a repeat of last night.”

“And that was so terrible?”

“You know it was not,” she said. “That’s the problem. It was wonderful.”

“Ava, damnit,” he said, moving beside her and slipping his hand behind her hair. “You can’t tell me our loving was wonderful and you’re moving to get away from me in the same breath.”

“You’ll break my heart. I can’t deal with a casual affair. Or even a serious one. I’d want marriage. There isn’t a future for us.”

“I’m not asking for a future. Just a day at a time in the here and now.”

“That’s the problem, Will. Can’t you see? I’m not a ‘day at a time’ person. I want it all. I want commitment. I want your love for all time. I can’t give you a day at a time, and I’ve told you as much from the first.” She stood. “Now, in the interest of keeping this a professional relationship from here on, I’ll say good-night.”

He came to his feet to wrap his arms around her.

“Will—”

He kissed away the rest of her words. His hands were everywhere, caressing her back, her bottom, unfastening her slacks and pushing them away.

She pressed lightly against his chest. Continuing to kiss her, his hands went beneath her blouse to cup her breasts and he played over her nipples, stroking her, destroying her rising protests. She couldn’t say no. In seconds, her hands moved over him while she caressed him and he picked her up to carry her to a bedroom, closing the door.

Later, when she lay against him, held tightly in his arms, she ran her fingers through the mat of curls on his chest. “This is exactly why I have the condo.”

“It won’t change things except be more inconvenient sometimes for you,” he predicted. “You’ll see.”

“Will, you’re not listening to what I’m saying.”

“Of course, I am. It’s just ridiculous when this is what you want.”

“Don’t push.”

“This is the best, Ava. The very best,” Will said in husky tones. He pulled her closer and kissed her lightly. Her heart sank. It would be so difficult to move, and in spite of her cheerful front with Will, she hated having to tell Caroline that she was moving.

“I can’t do this, Will. I really can’t.”

“I think you do it supremely well,” he said, nuzzling her neck and she gave up talking to him about it, turning to kiss him instead.

She was still moving, though.

The next afternoon after she was finished with teaching, Ava was stretched on the floor with Caroline as she worked on a puzzle.

“Caroline, I love being here with you and your uncle Will, but I’m going to move into my place nearby.”

Caroline looked up and worry clouded her brown eyes while her brow furrowed. “You’re moving away?”

“I’m moving very close by. I will still be here when you get up in the morning, and I’ll stay until dinner time when Rosalyn comes. Sometimes I’ll spend the evening until you go to bed. I don’t think you’ll notice much difference.”

“I won’t?” she asked.

“No. And then you’ll have a place you can come visit and stay with me all night,” Ava said, the words popping out before she had even thought them over.

“I can stay all night with you?”

“Yes.”

Tears welled up in Caroline’s eyes and she stood, running the few feet to Ava. She threw her arms around Ava and clung tightly. “Don’t go.”

“I’m really not going except late at night and very early in the morning before you’re awake,” Ava said, holding the frail little girl. “Don’t cry, because you won’t notice the difference, and if you do, I promise, I’ll move right back in here.”

“You promise?” Caroline asked, leaning back to look into Ava’s eyes.

Ava pulled out a clean tissue to wipe away Caroline’s tears. Her heart was in knots and she had a lump in her throat. “Absolutely. If you don’t like it, I do promise to move right back here, so don’t cry. If you’re not happy with where I’ve moved, I’ll come back. It will be up to you. You know I’ll be leaving when the summer is over, but if I have this condo, you’ll be able to come visit when you want and I can come visit you every day if you want.”

Caroline studied her intently and then nodded her head. “Will you show me where you’ll live?”

“Yes, I will. You can come this week and help me arrange my things. How’s that?”

Caroline thought for a few long seconds. “I want to do that.”

“All right. I’ll ask your uncle,” Ava replied. “Now a smile.”

Caroline smiled and Ava hugged her again, feeling torn in two.

She had fallen in love with two Delaneys—Will and Caroline. She didn’t want to move away from either of them. She loved them both, and she hurt. As much as she loved them, she couldn’t possibly settle for an affair with no sense of a future. Will would eventually end it. It would be devastating to watch him walk out and later see him going out with someone else.

Ava hugged Caroline lightly again and wiped her eyes swiftly. Caroline scooped up Muffy and returned to where she had been sitting on the floor, with the little brown bear beside her.

When Rosalyn arrived, Ava left, driving to her condo. Silence overwhelmed her in the empty place and she longed to be back at Will’s mansion with Will and Caroline. This empty condo was going to get more empty and lonesome by the day, because she missed them terribly and didn’t want to move away. She leaned against a blank wall and cried. This wasn’t what she wanted in the least.

Two weeks later, on the last Friday in July, Will prepared for the reading of his father’s will, dressing in his charcoal suit with a tailor-made white shirt. As he moved around, his gold cuff links glinted in his French cuffs. His mind should be on the reading, seeing his mother and dealing with Lauren’s lawyer, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Ava.

He hated that she lived elsewhere. She filled most of his waking hours to the point of distraction. She had not shown him her condo yet, and he tried to keep her at his home every night. He had to admit Caroline was doing all right, but that was because Ava stayed until Caroline went to bed a lot of nights.

He knew Ava still kept some things in her suite at his place for Caroline’s benefit.