Once and Always (Women of Character) (5 page)

Was he warning him he'd meet with
hostility? Tyler knew memory was long in such a small community. "If
you're still up for making that root beer float," Tyler said, "I'll
take you up on it."

"'Course." The old man
wiped the counter with his rag. "While I'm throwing that together, you can
tell me what you've been up to, Tyler."

He watched Jake make his float
like in the old days. Suddenly, the tightness in him eased, surprisingly
replaced by a feeling of coming home.

"I've been living in
California."

"My granddaughter lives out
there. She had a great job until everything went bust in the tech world."

"I guess I was lucky. I got
into tech after that bad downward spin."

"And now you're back here.
How's your dad?"

Tyler stared at the smiling woman
in the 1960's advertisement behind Jake. "My dad died two weeks ago."
The tightness returned, burning his throat this time. He thought about the
grave he'd stopped by this morning, the small wreath he'd placed on the new
stone in honor of his father.

Jake set the root beer float on
the counter in front of him. "I'm sorry to hear Grant passed on," he
said, his voice low in sympathy. "That's not the best homecoming, now is
it―you having to come back to bury Grant?"

"It's where he wanted to
be," Tyler said simply. His father had insisted he didn't want to return
to Marsh Plains, not until the last month of his life. He'd given Tyler the
deeds to the cemetery plot and asked to be buried in the town where he'd been
born. Guilt weighed on him when he'd realized his father had probably never
returned because he'd known how Tyler was eaten up inside over the past. "I
plan to lease the Double B," Tyler added abruptly, placing several bills
on the counter. "I've already talked to Annie."

Jake scratched his head.
"You're taking a lease on the place? That's one of the nicest pieces of
ground in this area. Annie's always been a good gal, but. . .." he let his
voice trail off, as if he'd said more than he intended.

"She let the place get too
much ahead of her," Tyler said coolly, dipping his spoon into his ice
cream float. "It needs a lot of work."

"Annie did the best she could
under the circumstances," Jake said quickly. "She's a hard worker,
but after the fire, well―we don't see too much of her these days. Danny
comes into town for whatever she might need, groceries and whatnot. I hope
you're going to keep him on. It'd be a real shame if he was turned away after
devoting himself to Anna and the Double B the way he has. As for her, folks
pretty much let Anna have her privacy. Seems that's the way she wants it."

Carefully, he put down his spoon.
"I know there was a fire. What happened?"

"She got hurt bad." Jake
reached for the bills and stepped away from the counter. "You might better
speak with Annie to get the facts. All I know is one of the barns burned and
she got caught in the middle of it trying to get her horses out. That gal's had
a hard row to hoe since Martin died. She certainly needs a break in this
life." Jake rang up the sale and closed the cash register. "Now, it's
getting on toward eleven, so I'm going to finish closing up. Take your time
with that float."

"Thanks, Jake, for your
hospitality and the float." Tyler wondered at the older man's almost
protective attitude when he'd asked about Annie, but he knew he wasn't getting
any more information from him tonight.

Ω

The finer details of the lease
agreement were hammered out later that week. Anna stared at the sheaf of papers
on the small table against the wall as she waited for Tyler to join her in the
foyer. They had a meeting with her lawyer in thirty minutes and she felt
jittery with nerves, hoping she was doing the right thing.

Anna picked up the papers. For
such a simple matter as a lease, there was a lot of paperwork involved.

During their work on the lease and
accompanying agreement, Anna learned Tyler had participated in rodeo and
reining competitions throughout the years, garnering several impressive
championships. He also mentioned casually that he'd recently sold his interest
in two large dude ranches in the mid-west. He seemed to have extensive plans
for renovation at the ranch, and Anna couldn't help but wonder about the money
he had at his disposal. Was he planning on dumping money into the Double B in
the hope that eventually she'd sell it to him? Didn't he know she'd do
everything possible to hang onto this place?

Nervously, she adjusted the skirt
she'd changed into for the meeting. It wasn't fancy, but it was more
business-like than her usual attire of jeans. Now she wondered if she should
have stuck to jeans, she didn't want Tyler to think she was going out of her
way to look nice for him. She shook her head in confusion. He wouldn't care
what she wore. All that mattered to him was their business arrangement. All
that should matter to her was this business arrangement, so she'd better not
worry about personal details. This lease was a means to an end.

Anna looked at her watch, thinking
of the pile of boxes waiting for her upstairs. She still had to move about half
of her belongings to the guesthouse out back.

"I'm ready," Tyler said
behind her.

Anna ran her hand quickly over her
cheek, making sure her makeup was in place, then turned to face him, staring at
his suit jacket and dark pants. She'd never seen him in a suit and she couldn't
help but compare this Tyler to the young man she'd given her heart to years
ago. Why couldn't she get over the memories that repeatedly slammed her?

Tyler moved forward and stood very
close to her. "You look really nice, Annie," he said, his voice husky
and deep.

She opened her mouth with a ready
retort, but the look in his eyes made her stop. As she pulled back and looked down
at the papers, the fresh scent of the soap clinging to him made her grip the
papers in heightened awareness. Carefully, she eased her fingers open,
smoothing the rumpled edges of paper.

"Thank you," she said
coolly, determined to keep things on an even keel. "When I wear my
camouflage makeup, it's harder for people to see the scarring. If you're ready,
we can go."

He didn't say anything further,
for which she was glad. They left the house and walked toward the driveway and
the car Tyler had on lease. Tyler opened the door for her. Before she got
inside, Anna met his eyes. She felt as if the air was being squeezed out of her
lungs. It had to be due to tiredness. She hadn't been sleeping well, and she'd
risen earlier than usual this morning. But she couldn't deny it was because of
her reaction to Tyler as a man. Part of her wanted to reach up and grip him by
the shoulders, move close and lay her cheek on his chest.  Stop it, she chided
herself. Don't even think about looking back. Six years was a long time.

Tyler lifted one hand toward her
face and startled, Anna arched back.

"Your hair is snagged on your
earring." Gently, he unthreaded the hair. "Nice earrings."

Anna touched the earrings, for the
moment having forgotten which ones she'd chosen. Her fingers traced the light
filigree pattern and the rough garnet stone. "They were Martin's
favorite," she said quietly. She had thought for one crazy moment he
intended to touch her cheek. Angry that she was actually trembling, Anna turned
her head away as she settled in her seat. "Thanks for taking care of
that," she said crisply.

"No problem, Annie." He
insisted on calling her Annie. She'd already reminded him several times to call
her Anna, but it hadn't mattered. In the end, she told herself it made no difference
what he called her, theirs would be a working relationship. If he could handle
them working together, then so could she. Somehow.

"Do you have
everything?" he asked.

She met his glance, and stiffened
her shoulders. She could do this. "Yes." She hoped she was ready,
because very soon she would be committing herself to a year-long lease with a
man who clearly wanted her ranch. A man she used to love and for whom she still
felt an attraction. Knowing she had to take affirmative action, Anna pulled her
car door closed.

"Let's go."

Ω

The drive into town was silent.
Anna couldn't help but wonder if Tyler's silence could be attributed to
arrogant unconcern for the events unfolding. His slight frown gave no clue to
his thoughts. How could he not be plagued by doubt or worry that they could be
in such close proximity for months and make this work? Even sitting beside him
in the car she kept suffering flashbacks. She didn't want to remember how he
used to look out for her, how he used to kiss and touch her. . .the close
friendship they'd shared until it deepened, for a few short weeks, into
something more. She put her hand up to her forehead and rubbed gently.

Fifteen minutes later they arrived
at the attorney's office. In the middle of town, Randal France's office was in
a busy office complex with a dozen other lawyers. Anna stared at the four-story
gray building and moistened her lips. She glanced across the parking lot, which
was almost full, but since it was only ten-thirty in the morning, there weren't
a great deal of people leaving as would have been the case during the lunch
hour. Tyler opened his door and exited the vehicle. Anna stared at the
building. Randal's office was on the first floor, second door on the right as
you entered the building. One receptionist, and then his private secretary, and
the waiting room. Anna had been in Randal's office a dozen times, so there was
really no need for anxiety but Anna could help wondering if she was making the
right choice.  Despair played at the back of her mind.  She wondered if she'd
ever feel normal again, facing strangers.

She thought of Martin and the dead
end her life had turned into. She jumped slightly when Tyler opened her car
door. She stared at him, seeing the mild inquiry on his face. She took a deep
breath. He had no idea the crazy fears jumping around in her head, and that's
the way she intended to keep it. They walked up the short sidewalk into the
building. Once inside she approached the reception desk.

"Anna Barlow," she said,
looking to her left down the hallway where two women and a man stood talking.
"We have an appointment." On the right, Anna saw the corridor to her
lawyer's office was empty. Some of the tension eased from her shoulders as they
were told they could go right in.

Once inside her lawyer's office,
Anna handed the secretary behind the desk the papers. "It will be a few
minutes," said the young girl. "Please take a seat." Stiffly,
Anna sat beside Tyler in the otherwise empty waiting room.

"Is this the right thing to
do?" The words almost forced themselves from her mouth. She stared at him
with mounting tension when he didn't answer right away.

He narrowed his eyes. "Are
you thinking of backing out?"

Anna looked around the room, then
at the closed door beyond Tyler's shoulder, feeling her heart beating in a
desperate kind of way. "I'm wondering if this is too rushed. Maybe we
should go over the terms again."

"Annie, if you've got
concerns about the lease, let's address them in the lawyer's office. I want
everything clear and above board."

She nodded jerkily. She almost
felt like she had pre-marital jitters. Pre-lease jitters. She clamped her lips
together to keep back the nervous laughter. "The ranch is too important
for me to take chances. My grandfather would probably kill me if he knew what I
was doing."

Tyler's face remained
expressionless. She wanted to scream at him to at least crack a smile, but the
butterflies were having a field day in her stomach. At least if they'd gone
right in she'd have something on which to focus.

Anna tapped her fingers. "I
hate waiting."

"Who's your lawyer?"

"Randal France."

"He used to be a judge,"
Tyler said flatly, suddenly rising.

Anna nodded, surprised when he
began to pace. "He's been retired for quite a few years and now practices
law part time. We
―
that
is, Martin, always used him for anything that came up." She suddenly
realized his face had gone pale and his lips were compressed tightly. "Are
you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Mr. France will be with you
any moment," the secretary interrupted, then the woman gathered together
several papers and left the room.

"You don't look that
well," Anna said.

"I'm fine," he muttered,
running a finger under his collar and pulling slightly at his gray striped tie.

"This shouldn't take too
long," she said, amazed that she was offering him reassurance.

The door opened and Randal France
entered the room, wearing a severe black suit and black tie, and at
six-foot-three, looking very imposing. "Hello," he said, his eyes
sharp. Anna had met Randal when she'd first come to the Double B. He'd handled
the case when Martin formally adopted her. Although well into his sixties, he
was a handsome man with a sharp wit and a way of looking through any person
intent on evading the truth, no doubt a leftover from his years as a family court
judge. He approached her. "Anna, how are you? It's been so long since I've
seen you."

"I'm doing okay,
Randal." She was conscious of the heat of Tyler's hand on her elbow as she
rose to her feet and took Randal's extended hand. "How's Marnie? Is she keeping
up on her riding?" Casually, she took a step away from Tyler.

"Of course, you know how much
my daughter loves horses." Randal smiled. "You should come out to the
house one of these days. I know she'd be glad to see you. She took several blue
ribbons this year."

"She's always been a talented
rider," Anna said, not committing to a visit. She half-turned toward
Tyler. "I'd like to introduce you to Tyler Stanton. As you know, we're
here to sign the lease agreement."