other woman dangerous and obviously felt Lacy couldnât handle herself.
Not that he had proof to the contrary, Lacy mused. After all, Janelle had manipulated her. But Janelle had managed to manipulate everyone to a greater or lesser degree. And besides, that was the old Lacy. Sheâd done a lot of growing this past year. Never mind that some of it had been as Sara, the woman sheâd been when her memory was gone. Sheâd kept with her all the experiences that Sara had gone through, all the lessons that Sara had learned. They had helped forge a backbone for her that wasnât easily bent.
Not even for a man she loved.
Politely extracting himself from these strangers who had become, through the whimsy of fate, his siblings, Connor sidestepped his mother. Megan took his place in the center of the circle, filling the void. He expected nothing less. Ever since heâd arrived here, it seemed to Connor that there had been endless talking and activity around him.
The Maitlands certainly didnât value their quiet time, he thought.
Taking Lacy by the arm, he guided her out of theroom to the adjacent living room, mercifully leaving the din behind.
âI need to talk to you.â
He sounded tense. Despite promises to herself to let him have his say and remain calm, Lacy felt her back go up.
âIf this is about going to see Janelleââ
He cut her off before she could start. âNo, this isnât about going to see Janelle.â He set his jaw. âItâs about the future. Yours and mine.â
Connorâs stoic expression baffled her. Lacy hadnât a clue what he was trying to say. âYou know, for a man whoâs just been taken into the bosom of a loving family, you donât look like you feel very happy.â
He was honest with her. Of everyone in the house, she was the one who at least had a history with him. As well as a son.
Knowing he had a child only added to his tangled web of emotions.
âI donât know what I feel right now. Confused, mostly,â he admitted before his face hardened again. âBut thatâs my problem.â
He was shutting her out again. Why did she expect anything different? Lacy silently upbraided herself. âRight, I remember. Youâre very big about defining borders. I wonât trespass on your problem.â For two cents, she would have taken her fists and beaten some sense into his hard head. âNow what is it you want to talk to me about?â
He thought of the deed that was still hot in his pocket. âI bought a ranch this afternoon.â
Lacy could only stare at him. He hadnât said anything to anyone about wanting to buy property. âYou did what?â
âBought a ranch,â he repeated. âItâs down the road from Garrett Lordâs place.â Garrett had gone with him to look at it. It had taken only ten minutes for him to make up his mind. Theyâd gone to a lawyer to draw up papers this afternoon. âThe guy who owned it had been thinking about selling it for a long time, and I figured that since Iâve just found my real mother, maybe I should stick around here for the time being. Thereâs nothing for me in Montana.â
âMontana? Is that where you went off to?â Heâd disappeared right after sheâd left the ranch. No wonder it had been impossible for her to contact him once sheâd decided to give it one last try.
Montana. Somehow, that suited him, she thought. Vast stretches of land where you wouldnât come across another living soul if you didnât want to. It was Connorâs kind of country.
âYeah.â He didnât want to talk about where heâd been. He needed to talk about where he was going, before common sense kicked in and prevented him from doing what he knew he needed to do. âLook, that part doesnât matter. I bought a ranch and thereâs a house on it, ready to be moved into.â Damn it,
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