Hold 'Em: A Gambling Hearts Romance Read online

  She looked at Matt and caught the gleam of his smile in the dashboard lights.

  “Yep, that’s home,” he said, voice ringing with pride. “Not what you expected, Princess?” He slowed to a stop and rested his arm on the steering wheel to look at her. “It still grabs me that way, and I grew up here. It’s been in our family for five generations and Grannie has managed it for the last fifty years. We have two hundred forty-seven employees and run cattle and horses across two hundred and fifty thousand acres. It hasn’t all been a bed of roses, but an oil find back in the seventies helped make her what she is today.”

  “It’s beautiful, Matt.” Cass was unaccountably moved by the obvious love he had for his childhood home. With a father who had been in the military before his appointment to the Canadian Senate, she’d lived in a variety of countries and houses—she could never call them homes. She envied him his heritage.

  “Thanks,” he said. “Ready to meet my family?”

  Uh, sure,” she answered, while inside the jitterbugs started dancing again. Anyone who managed an operation this large had to do it with an iron hand. She pictured Matt’s grandmother with a baseball bat in one hand and a horsewhip in the other.

  He shifted into gear and the truck started rolling toward the pit of doom. “Don’t worry, they’ll love you.”

  Sure they will. Until they found out the engagement was a big, fat hoax—then, all bets were off.

  The ranch house sat on a knoll overlooking the rest of the complex. As they drove up, lights flickered to life behind gauzy white curtains. The double Spanish style entry doors of the hacienda-type structure swung open, and what seemed like half the village spilled out onto the courtyard.

  Cassandra turned accusing eyes on Matt. “You told them we were coming.”

  He grinned and shut off the truck. “Of course, I did. The eldest son is bringing home his future bride. It’s cause for celebration.”

  Before she could blister him with the words on the tip of her tongue, he hopped out and held his arms open to a gorgeous young woman who’d been practically jumping up and down since they pulled up. More arms opened, and more, and soon he was swallowed from view. Cassandra wished she could vanish herself. Back to before she ever knew Matthew Shaughnessy.

  Short of sliding into the driver’s seat and disappearing into the sunset—oh, so tempting as it was—Cass pulled up her big girl panties and opened the door of the truck. The noise hit her first, a cacophony of laughing and crying, and what seemed like a hundred voices talking all at once. This was ten times worse than meeting Jeff’s family. For one thing, he hadn’t deserted her like bait left out for the wolves to find.

  A pair of muscular arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her off the seat to her startled shriek. She had a blurred vision of laughing blue eyes, then she was swung around and set down in the middle of the crowd. A younger, carbon-copy version of Matt leaned down and kissed her cheek before he stepped back after a stern warning from a tart voice.

  And then Cassandra was face to face with the matriarch of the Shaughnessy family.

  Far from the dragon lady she’d been imagining, Matt’s grandmother looked as though sugar wouldn’t melt in her mouth. Slim, tiny, with smooth unlined skin and hair that still retained much of its natural thickness and wave—though Cass had been told the chemo was taking its toll—she rolled closer and held out her hand, the wheelchair cutting a swath through the crowd.

  “So, you’re the young lass who stole my grandson’s heart.”

  Cassandra squirmed under her piercing gaze and cursed Matt for leaving her alone. She gently took the old woman’s papery hand in greeting, but when she tried to let go, Grannie tightened her grip.

  “Let’s have a look at you then,” she said as if Cass was a horse at market. Should she show them her teeth?

  “Gran, let my fiancée go, you’re scaring her,” Matt’s laughing voice came from behind Cass. She turned… and his lips grazed her cheek to take possession of her mouth.

  She froze, shocked to the core by the heat and textures bombarding her senses. His mouth stilled, then moved against hers, soft and demanding at the same time. The noise faded, taken over by the buzzing of her pulse and the encouraging murmur coming from his throat—or was it hers?

  A loud war-whoop from nearby broke them apart. Cass stared into his chocolate brown eyes and saw the same bemused arousal that she was feeling. Not good. Not good at all.

  She yanked herself out of his grasp and turned back to Grannie, ignoring the cheers for more from the crowd. “Is there some place I could get cleaned up? It’s been a long trip.”

  Grannie’s speculative gaze turned sly. “Of course, honey. We don’t stand on ceremony around here. I know how you young people are so I had Sophia put you in the adjoining suite next to Matthew. Matt, take her to your room, son.”

  “Oh, but,” Cass protested, but Matt cut her off.

  “I missed you, Gran.” He leaned down and gave his grandmother a hug filled with a little boy’s love. “We’ll let you get off to bed and talk more in the morning. I can’t wait for you two to get to know each other.” He grinned at Cassandra and grabbed her hand. “C’mon, darlin’, time to hit the hay.”

  Cass stumbled along behind him, not sure how she’d managed to fall down this rabbit hole.

  6

  Cassandra barely waited until they had left Matt’s family behind for the cool, terracotta comfort of the house before she turned on him.

  “I am not sleeping with you,” she hissed, all but stamping her foot. Lapis-lazuli eyes snapped like fireflies and her fists clenched at her sides like she wanted to whop him one. Was it wrong that he was turned on?

  “Relax, princess.” Matt grinned. “What do you take me for? I’m not that kind of guy.”

  She snorted. “You’re all that type of guy.” Her purse strap had slipped off her shoulder, her cute summer dress was rumpled, and the carefully styled hair she’d started the day with looked as though it had come through a wind storm.

  He liked it. It made her seem more approachable.

  Until she spoke.

  “What is that?” she squealed, ducking behind him and peeking around his shoulder.

  Matt looked to where she was pointing and laughed outright. “That’s my dog, Chewy.” He bent in time to catch the hairless Chihuahua limp-racing across the tiles, its nails click-clicking to a chorus of excited yapping.

  Consuela, dressed in a colorful swirly skirt and white peasant blouse with bangles jingling on her outstretched arm hurried around the corner. “Oh, Master Matt, I’m so sorry. He was eating one minute and then he was gone.”

  Matt tried to control the excited pooch working its way up his chest, tongue hanging weirdly out the side of its mouth and little bug eyes glittering with joy. “It’s okay, Consuela, I was wondering where he was.”

  “It’s good to have you back, your abuela misses you.”

  Matt ran a gentle hand over his pet’s bony spine, flattening the narrow black strip of coarse fur that had a mind of its own. “And I missed all of you, but I’m home now, and…” He twisted his torso until Cassandra came into view, “I brought a fiancée.”

  Cass gave him an ugly glare, then switched on a warm smile for the housekeeper. “This is my first trip to Texas. You have a beautiful home here, Consuela.”

  She nodded and stepped forward to take Chewy from his arms. “Thank you, miss. The Shaughnessys are like family.” She patted Matt’s cheek. “This one, he is special.”

  Warmth for this woman, who had helped his grandma raise a troubled boy, flooded his chest. “If I am, it’s because of you. I can’t thank you enough for taking care of all of us over the years. And now…”

  “Shh, don’t talk of it, child. We don’t want to invite bad spirits.”

  Matt smiled through the ache. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d been warned about the spirits. “Yes, ma’am. I’m going to show Cassandra to her room. It’s been a long day.” He hugged Consuela an
d whispered in her ear. “It’s good to be home.”

  He stepped back and smiled into her tear-filled eyes. “None of that now. This is meant to be a celebration.”

  Consuela swiped at her wet cheeks and nodded. “We will make it special. You get married here, on the ranch? Your grandmother, she’s been talking non-stop about it since you called. Wait until you see her plans. It’s been good for her. For all of us.”

  Matt winced. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten himself into this mess. What started out as a simple way to please his grannie before she passed on had turned into a three ring circus. He glanced at the fuming woman beside him and wondered how long it would be before she blew the lid off this charade.

  Time to find some privacy and remind her of her obligation.

  “We’ll discuss the wedding tomorrow.” He tugged Cassandra under his arm. “My bride-to-be is swaying on her feet.” He got them moving, heading down the hall toward his childhood bedroom. “C’mon, honey. Let’s get you tucked in so you can get your beauty sleep.”

  She poked him in the ribs and he grunted. Damn, she had bony elbows. As soon as Consuela was out of sight, Cass escaped his hold. Her heaving breasts were a distraction until he realized he was staring, and jerked his gaze to her face.

  “This has gone too far,” she snapped.

  Matt opened the door to his room and ushered her through, determined to keep this private. He secretly agreed with her, but they’d already entered into this bargain, he didn’t plan on letting her renege.

  He closed the door and leaned back to watch Cassandra pace his boyhood room. She avoided the king-sized sleigh bed he’d exchanged for the twin he’d had until early teens, to check out his trophy collection from swimming and baseball. Then she moved on to the few framed pictures lining his dresser, mainly him and his friends mixed with a couple of him and Gran, out riding horses or herding cattle. She’d always taken an active role in the running of the ranch. Right up until the doctor told her she couldn’t do it anymore three months ago. Funny how life fell into two categories like that. The before filled with days taken for granted, and then the after diagnosis where every moment becomes something to be cherished.

  “Is this you?” Cassandra asked, holding up a picture of him in a black and white tux, his then girlfriend, Candy, perched on his arm in a bright yellow ball gown.

  “Prom,” he answered, amazed he’d ever looked that young.

  She ran a finger down the glass and his body responded as though she’d physically touched him. He cursed under his breath. The last damn thing he needed was to be attracted to a woman who detested the ground he walked on. Never mind the fact she was engaged to be married—and it wasn’t to him.

  He shoved away from the wall and stalked across the spacious room to his desk where his overnight bag had been left by one of the staff. He unzipped the side compartment and pulled out the distinctive blue box.

  “Put this on.” He tossed the container at her and had to admit he was impressed with her swift catch.

  She eyed it warily, then slowly slid the lid off to reveal the midnight blue velvet box within. “Is this what I think it is?”

  There she went with that finger again, rubbing the box like it was a gene’s lamp. Matt stared. Goosebumps chased up his spine and whispered in his ear that he was in a boatload of trouble. Yeah, he had that part figured out.

  “You need a ring,” he said shortly, shifting to ease the sudden pressure behind his zipper. “Grannie will expect you to have one. You can keep it when we part ways—consider it a bonus.” God, he could be such a dick sometimes.

  She sent him a glance that cut to the bone, then carefully pulled the box out of its wrappings and opened the lid as though she thought it might explode in her hand. The flash of surprise she quickly hid tugged at his heart. She liked it.

  “Where’s my ring?” she asked, sliding the pretty solitaire onto her finger.

  He was happy to see it fit. “You mean my ring, don’t you?”

  She snapped the jewelry box closed and he winced.

  “It’s in a safe place. You live up to your end of the bargain, princess, and I’ll live up to mine.”

  Cass waved her hand in the air, and the new ring glinted under the lights. “I’m here, aren’t I? Let’s just try to get through this week without killing each other, shall we?” She flopped onto the side of his bed and bounced a couple of times. “Where are you going to sleep?”

  Matt hid a grin. If this weren’t so serious, and she wasn’t holding all the cards, he’d be hard-pressed not to like this girl.

  “Well, darlin’, that’s where it gets interesting.”

  7

  Consuela knocked on the partially cracked open door to her mistress’s bedroom out of courtesy, then turned and pushed it the rest of the way with her backside, careful not to upset the tea tray she held in her hands.

  Madeline lay tucked beneath a thick pile of covers, even though the room was oppressively hot. She’d ordered a fire started in the stone fireplace filling most of one wall, and the sparks danced and sang like a band of fairy gypsies.

  “How many logs did that old man put on that fire,” Consuela grumbled, and set the tray down on the bed table so she could open the window. “You’re going to roast in here, Miss Maddie.”

  Madeline waved her concern away with a blue-veined hand, her gaze excited as Consuela moved to help her sit up so she could fluff the cushions at her back. “Did you see them?” she demanded. “She’s the one, Consuela. She’s the one that visited me in my dreams.” She started coughing, her body wracked by shivers. “It’s her.”

  “You overdid it tonight, Miss Maddie.” Consuela snapped, her brows a tight line of worry. “Doc told you, you need to take it easy.” She settled her higher on the pillows, then turned to pour some tea, careful to add a spoon of honey the way her mistress liked it. “Drink this now. It’ll warm you from the inside out.”

  Madeline grimaced, but did as asked, swallowing the fragrant herbal tea as though it were foul-tasting medicine. Her fingers trembled as she replaced the cup onto the saucer and handed it back. It seemed to sap her strength. Her head collapsed against the pillows, her still-long hair piled high like a top hat.

  Consuela clicked her tongue and folded the handmade wedding ring quilt neatly on Madeline’s chest before sitting on the side of the bed. She held her mistress, and best friend’s, hand. “He likes her. I could see it in his eyes.” She wasn’t sure about what she’d seen, but if it made Maddie happy she’d say the moon was made of cheese.

  Tears sparkled on Maddie’s eyelashes. “I love that boy so much. He reminds me of my Joseph.” She smiled. “He’s just as stubborn.”

  Consuela couldn’t argue that one. She’d been here since she was a child herself and had seen firsthand the adoration between the boss and his wife. It was a dark day when their twin engine Piper crashed on the way home, instantly killing not only Joseph, but his son and daughter-in-law too—Matthew’s parents.

  With the ranch in upheaval, Consuela had taken over the care of Matt and his siblings, and she’d quickly fallen in love with them.

  She patted the blanket, then stood. “From the little I saw, that girl is more than his match. I wouldn’t doubt they lead each other on a fine dance.”

  Maddie smiled, her expression dreamy. The warmth and the tea were kicking in to relax her features. “It’s my fondest hope to see those kids settled before I go to meet my maker.”

  Consuela’s heart skipped a beat. “Let’s not have any of that kind of talk. You aren’t going anywhere for a good long while yet.” She hoped.

  Maddie sighed, her gaze sad but resolute. “I’ve faced the facts, my dearest friend. It’s time you did too.” She closed her eyes and added, her voice drowsy, “I’ve had a good life. No regrets.”

  Yes, she had. Madeline Shaughnessy had once been the belle of Texas. She could have had any beau she wanted, but the moment she laid eyes on big, brawny Joseph with his chocolate brown eyes an
d easy smile, her fate was sealed.

  Consuela picked up the tray and eased to the doorway, careful not to rattle the dishes. She took one last glance at the still form in the middle of the queen-size pine bed Joseph built and gifted her with on their wedding day, and quietly closed the door.

  * * *

  Cassandra stared at the tall Texan filling the bedroom with his personality. An army of fire ants scrambled under her skin. He was trying to drive her crazy, that’s what it was. He wanted her to give up, so that he’d win the bet. Then she and her father would be out all their savings, not to mention her sapphire engagement ring.

  He roamed the room, a restless cougar just waiting for the right moment to pounce. Well, if it were up to her she’d call the authorities and have him caged, where he belonged. Unfortunately, her father would come out on the wrong end of that scenario. The Canadian senate wouldn’t be happy to find out one of their own suffered from a compulsive need to gamble away everything he owned.

  Cassandra sighed. She had no real choice. One week. She glanced around the spacious room, by-passing her nemesis. She could do this. She had to do this.

  “What do you mean by that’s where it gets interesting?” She sat up and glared at him. “I know there have to be spare bedrooms in a house this size, so don’t try telling me you have nowhere to go.”

  Matt’s smile was that of a shark. “Oh, there’s room. Normally.” He waved a hand out the door. “In case you didn’t notice, the word’s out. I’ve chosen a bride.” His tone was laced with sarcasm. “My entire family is here to meet you. So in answer to your concern, I have nowhere else to go. We’re stuck with each other while we play out this charade.”

  Cass was surprised that his condemnation stung. It wasn’t her fault he’d chosen to fool his grandmother with this foolish pretense. They’d be lucky to carry it off without anyone finding out the truth. She’d called and left a message with Jeff’s secretary, but it was only a matter of time before he came looking for her. And then what?