Zane

Zane heaved out a deep, frustrated breath. “Channing knew the score, Ram. Love is not in my vocabulary. She knew that and accepted my terms. Then, months later, she tried changing the game, but there was no way I was going along with it.”

“So, in other words, you wanted her as your lover but had no intention of ever allowing her to be more than that. You would have been satisfied to keep a casual arrangement for another two, three, possibly four years? Forever? Damn it, Zane, how would you feel if Rico would have wanted that kind of relationship with Megan, or Callum with Gemma? Yet you had no problem wanting one with Channing.”

“I don’t love her like Rico loves Megan and Callum loves Gemma,” Zane said, narrowing his eyes. “And I wasn’t going to lie to her and say I did.”

Ramsey shook his head. “Then I don’t blame Channing for leaving. You let her know she was nothing more than another notch on your bedpost.”

“She accepted my terms like all my other lovers,” Zane snapped. “She knew the score. We couldn’t have the kind of future she wanted because I didn’t love her.”

“If you really didn’t have feelings for her, you wouldn’t have moped around for months after she left, and you wouldn’t be all tied up in knots about her being in Denver now,” Ramsey muttered. He shook his head and added, “Well, it doesn’t matter now since she’s engaged.”

“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.