Hot Westmoreland Nights - Brenda Jackson [33]
“Not yet,” her father said, interrupting her thoughts. “We thought we would call our oldest child first.”
She smiled. Already he was thinking of them in terms of a family. “Okay, and I hate that I’m not there to celebrate, but when I return to Florida we’re going to all get together.”
“And when will you be returning to Florida?”
Chloe nibbled her bottom lip. That was a good question. “Not for at least another two weeks,” she said with certainty. Ramsey’s regular cook should have returned by then, and hopefully she would have come clean and told him the truth. She was hoping that once she made it clear he owed her, that he would do the cover and the article, grudgingly or otherwise.
“Okay, sweetheart. Stephanie wants to talk to you.”
It was at least twenty minutes later before Chloe ended the call with the woman who would become her stepmother. They talked about plans for the wedding but only briefly because Danita’s input would be needed on any major decisions.
She cuddled in bed wishing her own personal life could be as happy and exciting as her dad’s. She took a long breath wondering where that yearning had come from. Probably with her dad’s calling and then recalling her earlier conversation this evening with Ramsey about matrimony had stirred something within her, and it was something she hadn’t thought about in a long time. It was her own desire to one day settle down, marry and have children. When things had ended with her and Daren, she hadn’t given up on that dream. And although such a thing was not in her immediate plans, she still had that desire tucked away somewhere. What woman didn’t? Even with her determination to be successful with her magazine company, she believed once that was achieved, she would find her Mr. Right. And one thing was for certain he definitely wouldn’t be some surly sheep rancher.
But then if that was the case…and she was most certain that it was, why did she go to bed thinking about him every night? And why was the last thing she saw before closing her eyes his intense, penetrating dark eyes staring at her like they could see right through to her soul.
She closed her eyes. Like now. There he was, in vivid color, as he had been that evening, sitting across from her on the sofa with his legs stretched out in front of him, with his Stetson still on his head and looking sexier than any man had a right to look. So much in fact that more than once she had been tempted to get up off the sofa and go to him and curl up in his lap and purr.
She slowly opened her eyes, grateful she hadn’t done such a thing. She really should thank him for keeping her agitated during most of the conversation, which stopped her from making a complete fool of herself. But if the truth be told, telling her about his great-grandfather had helped to refocus her attention. She knew there was more to the story and wondered why this was her first time hearing it. If such a thing hadn’t come up on one of her computer’s search engines that meant it hadn’t made the news. Hmm. It was definitely something she would like to share with her readers, which might prompt them to want to start looking into their own family tree.
She shifted in bed thinking she was determined to get the whole story from Ramsey. If not Ramsey, then one of his brothers or cousins would do. Before leaving today Zane Westmoreland had tipped his hat at her, given her a flirty smile and a promise that he would be showing up for breakfast in the morning.
She shook her head. The only Westmoreland she wanted to concentrate on at the moment was the one who was probably sleeping peacefully in the bed only a few doors down the hall.
Six
“Good morning.”
Ramsey glanced up from