Round-the-Clock Temptation (5 page)

He was finding it all quite interesting. Horse farming had never been something he imagined himself enjoying. The truth was, he never much considered anything but his chosen course, first with the army, then taking his father's place at the engineering firm, though technically speaking, that hadn't been chosen by him. He followed in his father's footsteps because that's what had been expected of him. To make up where his rebellious twin brother lacked.

Not that his father ever noticed.

“I'm sure,” he told Nita.

She shrugged. “Okay. I guess we're about done here.”

She called to one of the hands and instructed the
young man to take Buttercup and set her out to pasture with the other horses, then she and Connor walked toward the stable together.

“We need to talk about security for the house and the stables,” he said.

“What kind of security?”

“An alarm to start.”

She frowned up at him. “You really think that's necessary?”

“I do. Clint Andover, another member of the Cattleman's Club, is a security expert. I'd like to have him out to evaluate the property and tell you exactly what you would need.”

She took off her hat and drew a sleeve across her forehead. “An alarm sounds expensive.”

“I'm not going to lie to you. It probably will be.”

“Connor, I can't—”

“Don't worry Nita, we'll figure something out.”

Up went the chin. “I'm not a charity case.”

“I'm not suggesting you are. I was thinking maybe you could set up some sort of deferred payment plan.”

Meaning, he could pay Clint and when Nita made payments to Clint, he would divert the money back to Connor. It was the only way they could make it work, because he knew she would never take money from him.

It wasn't as if he couldn't afford it. He lived a pretty simple life. Being in the Rangers meant active service, and missions all over the world at a moment's notice. He could be gone for weeks, sometimes months, at a time. The less complicated his life, the better. No houseplants to water, no pets to board, no significant other left behind to wonder if he would return home in a pine box.
And he'd grown so used to living that way, it was permanently ingrained in his personality. He had more money than he would ever spend sitting around gaining interest. It seemed a waste not to use it on something.

“I don't like the idea of owing anyone money,” Nita said.

“At least let me call him and see what he has to say. It's worth the safety of the people and the animals here. And it could be good for business.”

She looked up at him, squinting against the afternoon sun. Even with her eyes half-closed they were the brightest he'd ever seen. “How do you figure?”

“If you can advertise that you have a state-of-the-art security system, that would eliminate the threat of having the horses harmed. You could very well get back the business you lost.”

Nita shook her head, her mouth in a grim line.

“What's the matter?”

“This is so wrong. Five years ago, we would have never even considered needing an alarm to keep the animals safe. It's the Devlins doing this.”

“You don't know that.”

“Yes, I do.”

Nothing he said, no argument he could make, would convince her otherwise. “At least try to keep an open mind until we get some proof.”

“And when is that going to happen? It feels like all we're doing now is sitting around waiting for the next attack.”

“People are working on it.”

“The Cattleman's Club,” she said, and he only looked at her.

“Should I make the call?”

She hesitated for a second, then shrugged. “What the heck. I guess it can't hurt to hear what the man has to say.”

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed. When Clint's secretary answered, she told him Clint would be out of town a couple of days, but would get back to Connor as soon as possible.

He relayed the message to Nita. “I'll let you know when he calls me.”

They continued toward the stable when Nita heard a car engine, and turned to see a dark BMW pulling up the driveway.

“Who is that?” Connor asked, stepping slightly in front of her, something she was sure he did automatically, from being in the military.

“That would be Gretchen Halifax.”

“Gretchen Halifax?
What does she want?”

It was pretty obvious Connor didn't like the woman, not a big surprise considering she was running against his brother for mayor. “Probably to see her horse. We board him for her.”

“That bitch-on-wheels has a horse? What for?”

“How should I know? It's business. She's one of the few boarders I have who didn't pull out after the feed was poisoned. I may not like her, either, but her money is as good as anyone else's.”

Gretchen parked close to the house and got out of her car. She was dressed in a business suit and high-heeled pumps, and her hair was professionally sculpted into an indestructible shell. The woman reeked of old money. “Hello, Nita,” she called.

“Hello, Gretchen.” Nita walked over to meet her and noticed that Connor hung back, his Stetson pulled low. She took in Gretchen's designer outfit. “Guess you're not here to take Silver Dollar for a ride.”

Gretchen smiled that phony, politician's smile of hers. The one that made Nita's skin crawl. “Not this time. I just happened to be in the area and I wanted to come by to tell you how sorry I am that your father was hurt. Is he going to be all right?”

“He'll be good as new in no time. Thanks for asking. Gretchen, have you met Mr. Thorne?”

Nita waved Connor over knowing that with his hat on Gretchen could easily mistake him for Jake, which, considering the fleeting look of distaste on her face, she had.

“Connor Thorne,” Nita added. “Jake's brother.”

“What a pleasure.” The plastic smile slid into place and she held out a hand for him to shake.

With a slight hesitation, Connor shook it. “Ms. Halifax.”

When Gretchen turned to Nita, Connor wiped his hand on his pant leg.

“I'm not one to listen to rumors,” Gretchen said. “But I've heard you've fallen into hard times. Is there anything I can do to help?”

How about you throw on a pair of boots and muck a stall, Nita was tempted to say, but held her tongue. “We're okay, Gretchen, thanks for asking.”

“I've always admired your family and their hard work. I'd even consider a partnership with you if it came down to it.”

Over my dead body,
Nita thought, wondering what
the woman could possibly gain by offering her help. Women like Gretchen Halifax didn't do anything out of the goodness of their hearts. She used people for her own personal gain. Maybe by owning a farm she thought she would be closer to the community somehow. No matter the reason, it would be a cold day in hell when Nita let Gretchen weasel her way into the family business.

“Those are just rumors,” Nita assured her. “We're doing fine.”

“I'm so glad to hear it. You take such good care of Silver Dollar.”

And how she knew that, Nita wasn't sure. Gretchen rarely came to see the horse and had only ridden her once for a photo shoot. Nita figured she'd bought it as some sort of campaign ploy, part of her political image.

“She's a sweet horse,” Nita said.

“When I'm mayor,” Gretchen said, casting Connor a challenging look, “I'll pressure the sheriff to put an end to the Windcroft-Devlin feud. And with the new policies I'll be enforcing, you'll be eligible for tax breaks that will benefit your business.”

Blah, blah, blah. Nita resisted rolling her eyes. If Gretchen thought that little pitch was going to win her Nita's vote, she was wasting her time. Nita didn't have anything against the woman personally. She just had a distaste for phony, self-serving people in general.

“Thanks for stopping by, Gretchen.” As in, get lost.

“Remember, if there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to call.” Gretchen picked her way across the gravel drive and got into her car, waving before she drove away.

“I feel like I need to go wash my hand,” Connor said from behind Nita.

“Why?” Nita teased, turning to him. “She give you cooties?”

He had a look of thorough disgust on his face. “Does she really think people fall for that fake nice routine?”

“I hear that Malcolm Durmorr is smitten with her.”

“Malcolm is even sleazier than she is,” Connor said.

“What'd she want?” Jimmy called to them. He was loading tools into the back of the pickup.

“Came to see how we're doing,” Nita told him, walking over to the truck. “Wants to help out if she can.”

Jimmy shook his head. “That one gives me a serious case of the creeps.”

“You off to fix those fences?”

He tossed a bundle of precut wood boards in the bed. “Yep. It should take most of the afternoon.”

“I'll be in the office for the rest of the day,” Nita said. “Why don't you take Connor with you?”

“Actually, I think I'll hang back,” Connor said. He didn't like the idea of Nita in the house all by herself. On the off-chance that someone would risk harming her in the middle of the afternoon, he was going to be there to intervene.

“There's nothing for you to do in the house and Jimmy could use the help.”

He could see this was going to be a problem, and looked to Jimmy for a little help. The old man picked up on his silent plea.

“It's nothing I can't handle on my own,” Jimmy told Nita.

“I know it isn't, but it'll go a lot faster with another
man helping, and Connor wanted to learn all about raising horses. That means everything.” She pinned her eyes on Connor. “Even the things you don't think are much fun.”

“This is not about the entertainment value of the work. And I'm going to regretfully decline.”

“Regretfully decline?”
She propped her hands on her hips and her eyes turned stormy. “According to our arrangement, you work for me now. That means taking orders.”

He held his ground, but he didn't see this ending well. She'd dug her heels in and it looked as if she wasn't going to budge. “I'm sorry, but I can't do that.”

Her anger level went from zero to sixty in about half a second. “You're here to keep an eye on the farm, aren't you? So go keep an eye on it!”

He was going to have to tell her the truth about what his real orders were. And she wasn't going to like it. “I'm not here to protect the farm,” he said.

Now she just looked confused. “Then what the heck are you here for?”

“I'm here to protect you.”

“T
he
hell
you say?”

“We think that with your father out of commission, you could be the next target. I've been sent here to make sure you remain safe,” Connor explained.

“Well, I'm touched by your concern,” she said, even though she wasn't, even though she wanted to tell him to take a hike. “But I can take care of myself. What I need is someone to watch the farm.”

“I've been given orders and have every intention of following them.”

“Oh,
now
you admit that you've been given orders? Well, here's an order for you pal, get out there and fix that fence or pack your bags.” She turned and stomped toward the house, anger burning a hole in her gut. Who the hell did these Cattleman's Club guys think they
were? She was perfectly capable of defending herself. She didn't need a keeper.

“You don't want to do that,” Connor said, following her.

She flung the back door open and hurled herself through it. “And why is that?”

“Because when I go, the Cattleman's Club will pull out completely and you may never know who's behind the disturbances. This situation will continue to get worse until you lose everything. Do you want to be responsible for driving your family business into the ground?”

She spun around, found him standing in the doorway looking smug as hell. “Then I'll go to the police.”

“Are you forgetting who the sheriff is?”

Another Cattleman's Club member. Swell. She was beginning to wonder if seeking their help had been such a hot idea after all. “What is this, a conspiracy?”

He walked toward her, his voice low and patient. “If you calm down for a minute, and think of this logically, you'll see that we're only trying to help. And it would be in your best interest to let us do that.”

She took a long deep breath, felt the initial spark of anger begin to subside. Logically she understood their reasoning, and she did need their help. She may be hotheaded but she wasn't stupid. She just didn't like losing control, having her freedom determined by someone else. Her every move monitored.

She didn't seem to have a whole lot of choice, though.

“Let me keep you safe, Nita.”

Something in the way he looked at her, the sincerity in his eyes, made her feel warm all over. It was almost
as if he cared about her, and didn't just want to get into her pants. In fact, he didn't act that way at all.

“I'll go along with this,” she finally said, then added for good measure, “But I'm not going to like it.”

“Doesn't matter if you like it, as long as you're safe.”

She supposed, if she had to be stuck with a man twenty-four/seven, she'd be hard-pressed to find a better-looking one. Not only that, but he was nice. A little on the reserved side maybe, but he definitely had potential. Being in such close quarters would give her a chance to pick that brain of his, to see what made him tick.

It also gave them time for some good old-fashioned horizontal fun.

 

Nita had just finished paying the monthly bills when she heard a car pull up the driveway. Jane was back with Will.

Nita stuffed the checkbook in the drawer and closed her laptop computer. When she opened the office door she found Connor right where she'd left him, sitting on the bench in the foyer, reading, of all things, one of Jane's romance novels.

“Good book?” she asked.

He gazed up at her with an aren't-you-funny look. “I was bored and it was all I could find.”

“You should have asked. Daddy has a slew of books in his room. Espionage novels mostly.”

“I'll remember that next time.” He set the book down next to him. “Someone is here.”

“I know. It's probably Daddy and Jane.”

He unfolded himself from the bench and rose to his feet. “I should give them a hand.”

Nita opened the front door and Connor followed her out. Jane was standing at the open truck, grabbing the bags, and Will was trying to boost himself from the front seat while negotiating a pair of crutches, his cast stuck out awkwardly in front of him.

“I'll help you, Daddy,” Nita called to him and told Jane, “I'm so glad you're back. We missed you around here.”

“Well,” Jane said, shooting Will a lethal look, her voice tight. “It's good to know
someone
around here appreciates me.”

“I'll get those bags,” Connor told her.

Jane thrust them at him then stalked into the house.

Whoa.

She definitely had a temper, but she also had a long fuse. It took an awful lot to get her that riled up.

“What's the matter with her?” Nita asked Will as she helped him to his feet.

“She's got herself in a dither over something,” he said, leaning on his crutches. “As long as I live I'll never understand women.”

“Let's get you settled in then I'll go talk to her.”

She helped him inside, got him seated comfortably on the couch in front of the big-screen television, then brought him painkillers and a glass of water.

“Can I get you anything else?”

“I don't think so,” he said, patting her arm. “It's just good to be home. I hate hospitals.”

“I'm leaving.”

Everyone turned to see Jane standing in the doorway, a suitcase in her hand. Her face was devoid of emotion, but Nita could see barely contained anger not so far
under the surface and her voice was as high and tight as an overstretched guitar string.

“Leaving?” Nita asked. “Where are you going?”

“To stay with a friend in Odessa.”

Boy, Jane really was mad if she had to leave for a few days to cool off. And the timing couldn't have been worse. Nita didn't have time to take care of the farm
and
her daddy. She hoped whatever was eating Jane, she would get it out of her system soon. “When will you be back?”

“I won't.”

Nita was sure she'd heard her wrong. “Say again?”

“I said, I'm not coming back.”

For a second, she too stunned to form words. “B-but…you
have
to come back.”

“I left my forwarding address in the office. You can send my last check there.”

She started to turn, and Nita shouted, “Wait a minute! You can't just leave. You're part of the family. You belong here with us.” She turned to her daddy who sat stone-faced, his eyes on the television. “Daddy say something.”

“Yes, Will,” Jane said. “Say something.”

His mouth clamped tighter into a hard, stubborn line.

Nita turned to Jane, a sick feeling rolling around in her belly when she saw the determined, stubborn look on Jane's face. Nita had seen that look enough times to know Jane meant business.

No. There had to be a way to fix this. Jane couldn't go. Being the only other female on the farm, she was Nita's only ally, her confidant. Jane understood Nita in a way no one else ever had, and never once judged her for her unconventional thinking. She wasn't just a housekeeper, she was
family.

“Tell me what happened,” Nita said to Jane, feeling desperate. “What can we do to fix this?”

“Why don't you ask that hardheaded old fool? I have to go.” Jane spun on her heel and a minute later Nita heard the front door slam. She turned to her daddy.

“What happened? What did you do to her?”

“I don't want to talk about it.”

“Nita, I'm going to go see if Jimmy needs me for anything,” Connor said. He must have figured Will might be more willing to talk without an audience. Either that, or he didn't want to get involved. Not that she blamed him. It was her own family and she didn't want to have to deal with it. She just wanted everything to go back to normal.

“That's fine,” she told Connor. “I'll be out there in a bit.”

When he was gone, she turned back to her daddy. “Jane, a member of our family, just walked out that door and you damned well better want to talk about it.”

“I'll hire a new housekeeper.”

Jane was right about one thing, he was hardheaded. Nita sat on the edge of the couch. “Daddy, please talk to me. What happened?”

He mumbled something Nita didn't catch. “What was that?”

“I
said,
she told me she
loves
me.”

Nita let out a surprised laugh. And here she'd thought something horrible had happened. “Is that all?”

He looked at like she was nuts. “What do you mean,
is that all?
”

“Are you telling me you didn't know? Jane has been in love with you as long as I can remember. Since you never dated I thought…well, I thought maybe you two had something going on the side.”

He looked downright scandalized. “Of course not!”

“Do you have feelings for her?”

“She's been my friend for a long time.”

“I'm talking about romantic feelings.”

His dark eyebrows pulled into a frown. “That part of me died along with your mother.”

How sad that would be if it were true, but Nita didn't believe it for a minute. He was an affectionate, caring person. She was sure he could love again if he'd only let himself.

“When Jane told you she loved you, what did you say to her?”

“I told her that in my heart I'm still married to your momma, and I made a vow to be faithful to her.”

Nita winced. That one had to sting. To be rejected for the ghost of a marriage long since dissolved. “Daddy, Momma's been gone almost twenty years. She would want you to be happy.”

“I
am
happy. I have you and Rose and I have the farm. I don't need a woman to complete me.”

Nita sighed. There was no reasoning with him now. Poor Jane had to be devastated. To wait so long to speak her mind only to have her feelings shot down. No wonder she'd left. And Nita would miss her something fierce if she couldn't convince her to come back.

Jane had been around for so long Nita couldn't even imagine life without her. She'd cooked and cleaned and made sure the house ran like a greased wheel, had taken care of them all when they were sick. She'd been the female confidant Nita and her sister Rose had needed growing up. Jane had taken them shopping to buy their first bras, explained about periods and womanhood
when the time came. But she'd never once overstepped her bounds and tried to take their mother's place.

She'd been like a wife to Will in every way besides the bedroom. They played hours of Gin Rummy, watched movies together and bought each other special gifts for Christmas and birthdays. And Nita suspected that deep down, though he wouldn't admit, he loved Jane, too.

After all these years, Nita didn't understand how he could let her go without a fight.

“I don't want to talk about this anymore,” Will said. “What's done is done. Tomorrow you can go into town and pick up a paper. We'll look in the classifieds and find a new housekeeper.”

“Whatever you say.” Nita patted his arm. Let him think it was resolved. Little did he know, the discussion was far from over.

 

“I think I should come home for a while.”

“Rose, there's nothing you can do here.” Nita cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder while she removed a pan of charred potatoes from the stove and dumped it in the sink.

“With Daddy down and Jane gone things are bound to get crazy around there,” her sister said. “I can help.”

Nita ran cold water in the pan to stop it from smoking. Instead it sizzled and snapped and sprayed grease all over the sink and counter. Whoops.

She waved away the cloud of steam that billowed up in her face. “We're doing fine,” she lied. “I can handle things.”

Jane had only been gone three days and the entire
house had fallen apart. Dirty clothes overflowed from the laundry room, dishes from yesterday's breakfast were still stacked on the kitchen counter, and once again she'd annihilated dinner. One more night without a decent meal and the hands were going to up and quit on her.

“I'm worried about you. I'll feel better if I'm in Royal.”

It wasn't that she didn't want to see Rose, and God knows she could use the help, but Nita knew her sister preferred the city. She would go stir-crazy being on the farm. Nita would never ask her to compromise her happiness by coming home.

“Rose, you don't have to do that.”

Connor walked up behind her and looked over her shoulder into the sink, one eyebrow lifted. He'd just showered and put on fresh clothes and, boy, did he smell good. Like fabric softener and some kind of masculine soap.

“It's been ages since I've visited,” her sister said. “I miss you guys.”

“And you'll be here next month for Thanksgiving.” Nita might have been imaging it, but she swore she heard sadness in her sister's voice and wondered if there was something wrong, something Rose wasn't telling her. Rose always had been the type to hold things inside, while Nita let the entire world know what was eating her. “Unless you need to come home now.”

“Of course I don't
need
to. I just thought you could use the help.”

“Nope, I've got things under control.”

“Well, if you want me to come, don't hesitate to call.”

They said their goodbyes and Nita hung up the phone.

“You've got things under control, huh?” Connor said.

She shot him a scathing look, even though she knew from the grin on his face, he was only teasing her. “Oh, be quiet.”

“What was that?” he asked, nodding toward sink. “I smelled it all the way upstairs.”

“Potatoes. I guess I had the heat in the pan too high. I was trying to cook them fast to catch up with the chicken.”

“I don't think it works that way.”

“I guess not. At least we'll have the chicken.”

He looked around the kitchen. “Where is it?”