Zane

“He doesn’t deserve her,” Zane said in a voice sparked with anger.

“At least the man is willing to give her something you wouldn’t—to make her a permanent part of his life.”

“Damn it, Ramsey. You saw how he was looking at other women at Megan’s wedding. He’s going to end up hurting her.”

“And you didn’t?” When Zane didn’t respond, Ramsey didn’t say anything else for a minute and then said, “I wasn’t going to mention this to you because it’s really none of my business, but…”

Zane raised a brow. “What’s none of your business?”

“I overheard a conversation between Megan and Chloe yesterday.”

“About what?”

“Channing’s fiancé. Tara called from Atlanta and told Megan she saw the man last week and remembered him from the wedding as Channing’s fiancé. He was out on the town with women in intimate settings on two separate occasions.” Tara was married to their cousin Thorn and they lived in Atlanta.

Zane swore through gritted teeth. In a way, he wasn’t surprised about what Tara had seen. But what did surprise him was the fact that Channing refused to accept that her fiancé was a womanizer.

“Like I said, he doesn’t deserve her,” Zane said. “I might not have loved her, but I would never have betrayed her the way he’s doing.”

Ramsey nodded. “I’m going back inside. Are you coming?”

Zane shook his head. “No, I’m calling it a night. Think I might even sleep in late tomorrow. I haven’t done that on a Saturday in a long time.”

“All right. But you’ll be joining us for Sunday’s dinner, right? Susan’s going to be upset if she doesn’t see her uncle Zane there,” Ramsey said, smiling.

Zane thought about his niece, who would be turning four soon. The niece he adored. “I won’t disappoint her. I’ll be there,” he said, moving down the steps. “Tell the others good-night for me.”

* * *

“Hey, babe, are you missing me? All you have to do is say the word and I’ll fly out there and give you all the attention you deserve.”

Channing rolled her eyes, bristling at Mack Hammond’s words. “Cut it out, Mack. Need I remind you what happened last month at Megan’s wedding? You couldn’t keep your eyes off the women. Now you have everyone thinking I’m engaged to a womanizing jerk.”

“Hey, you didn’t warn me there would be so many beautiful women there. It was quite obvious your ex-boyfriend didn’t like the fact that you returned to town an engaged woman.”

Mack was right. Zane hadn’t been happy about it. If their conversation at the hospital was anything to go on, he still wasn’t. “But did you have to check them out so obviously? You don’t believe in the word subtle, do you?” she asked, trying not to smile.

She had met Mack within weeks of arriving in Atlanta two years ago. They had dated a few times, but when he saw she would not put up with his playboy foolishness, they had become good friends instead. A few months ago, when he’d been invited to a cousin’s wedding, he’d asked her to pretend to be his fiancée to keep his matchmaking parents and grandparents off his back. Then, when Channing had received the invitation to Megan’s wedding, Mack had returned the favor. The last thing she’d wanted was to return to Denver alone and looking pathetic.

The only person who knew the truth about her fake engagement was Megan, who had found the entire ploy hilarious. She’d said there was no reason for Channing to end the charade since it really wasn’t any of Zane’s business.

“So, have you seen Zane Westmoreland yet?” Mack asked.

Catching her lower lip between her teeth, Channing eased down onto the sofa and curled up in a comfortable position. “Yes, he stopped by the lecture hall a few days ago. He figured I would be dropping by his family’s place for dinner while I was in town, and he said we needed to clear the air so things wouldn’t be uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable for whom? You or him?”

“Both, I imagine. But I told him he didn’t have to worry about that. I have no intention of attending any of his family’s gatherings.”

“Was he relieved to hear it?”

Channing shrugged. “Not sure, but it really doesn’t matter. He’s moved on and so have I. I’m over Zane.”

“Are you?”

Channing frowned. “Yes. Why would you doubt it?”

“I’ll give you my answer the next time I see you. Have you decided when that will be?”

“Not yet. Class enrollment here is high. I’ve been here almost three weeks already and Dr. Rowe wants me to consider doing another three-week class. I haven’t decided on anything yet.”

“Well, I know whatever decision you make will be the right one,” he said. “Take care and be good.”

“Same back at you, Mack.”

Channing clicked off the phone and tried to force the conversation with Zane out of her mind. Nothing about him had changed. He still wanted to be footloose and fancy-free, and she still wanted the whole shebang—love, marriage and family.

She had lied just now to Mack when she claimed that she was over Zane. She’d honestly believed she was, but all it had taken was seeing him again to be proved wrong. Just being in the same room with him had stirred memories and emotions she knew were better kept undisturbed.

The most she could hope for was that her path and Zane’s wouldn’t cross again.

* * *

Megan caught hold of Chloe Westmoreland’s arm and pulled her into the kitchen. “Do you think Ramsey took the bait yesterday?”

A smile touched Chloe’s lips. “I’m sure he did. You and I were talking loud enough. And tonight was the perfect time for him to tell Zane just what he overheard. In fact, Ramsey just came back inside from being out on the porch with Zane, and when I asked where Zane had gone off to, Ramsey said Zane went home, calling it an early night because he’d had a bad week.”

“I bet,” Megan said, chuckling. “Especially since he found out Channing is back in town.”

“I hope you’re right about how Zane feels about her,” Chloe said in a low voice. “What about Channing? Will she be upset when she finds out we stuck our noses into her affairs?”

“In the end, both Zane and Channing will get what they truly want, which is each other. Zane moped around like a sick puppy when Channing left for Atlanta, but he was too darn stubborn to recognize his true feelings. If he loves Channing like I believe he does, then the one thing he won’t stand for is someone hurting her. Zane is very protective of those he cares about. He’s going to come up with a plan to save her from Mack.”

“What do you think he’ll do?” Chloe asked.

Now that was a good question, Megan thought. Zane was the brother who was usually too logical for his own good. The same one who made it his business to know everything there was to know about women. The family should have known they would be in trouble when Zane decided to major in psychology in college. “I’m not sure. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Three

The next morning, Zane sat on the edge of the bed, holding the locked box. After looking at it for a long moment, he slid it back underneath. He had been tempted to go through its contents once again.

He rubbed his hand over his face, feeling tired, although he had gotten into bed way before midnight. But he hadn’t gotten much sleep, and upon awakening this morning, he had lain there, gazing up at the ceiling and thinking about Channing.

The thought of any man betraying her twisted his gut with anger. No woman deserved that, which was why he was always up front with any woman he was involved with. Channing hadn’t been an exception. He had set the same ground rules with her as he had with other women, and, like he’d told Ramsey, she had accepted his terms.

He truly hadn’t meant for their involvement to last as long as it had, and more than once he’d considered breaking it off sooner instead of later. But each time he felt pressed to do so—whenever he was getting too comfortable and relaxed—he would change his mind.

He enjoyed Channing both in and out of the bedroom. She had been fun to be with. Unlike others he’d dated, she wasn’t a hard woman to please, which somehow made him want to please her more. She’d gotten next to him in a way no other female had: the way a smile could tease across her lips, her special scent that could drive him wild with lust or just plain spending time with her. She’d had a way of making him smile when he didn’t want to be amused, a way of bringing him out. She was someone he could talk to for hours. One thing he missed more than anything else was their late-night phone conversations.

On those nights when she’d stayed late at the hospital, he would come home, shower and wait on her call. When it came, they would chat well into the night. She would tell him how her day went, and he would tell her about his. Then they would move into a number of other topics. It had been a special connection, one he’d hated losing.