Texas Temptation (14 page)

An emptiness settled over Annie.
He was leaving.
Just like that. She hadn't really thought he would, not with Jessica and Jake and Emma here. She knew how much his family meant to him. And deep in her heart, she'd even hoped that he might want to stay for her, because he did love her, and maybe, just maybe, they might have a chance.

Jared turned to her then, his eyes hollow as he looked down at her. “Thank you, Annie,” he said without emotion. “In spite of what you might think, I'm glad you were here. I'm sorry this didn't work out.”

She watched in amazement as he started for the office, but when he saw Myrna and Carlton standing in the doorway, he turned sharply and headed for his truck.

Thank you? Sorry this didn't work out?

That was how he said goodbye?

So much for second chances, she thought, curling her hands into fists.

Cold anger suddenly filled the vacuum inside her. She was tired of trying to understand his hurt and guilt. Tired of her own hurt. She'd loved Jonathan, and when he'd died, she'd thought her world had fallen apart. But time had slowly put it back together and eased the pain. She'd been fortunate to find love again, a deeper stronger love that came with a maturity she hadn't had the first time. And now she'd lost that, too.

It made her mad as hell.

She followed him to the truck, her boots throwing mud with every angry step. He'd already started the engine when she appeared beside him, her eyes narrowed.

“Annie, I'm sorry, I—”

“Save it,” she snapped. “I don't want to hear it. You're a damn fool, Jared Stone. You can run as far as you want, but someday you're going to run out of places to hide,” she said, repeating Slater's words. “Then what will you do?”

She turned and walked away before he could respond, and when his truck drove off, she swallowed the thick knot in her throat. All she wanted to do was get the rest of her things and get out of here. She headed for the office, cringing at the thought of having to deal with Myrna right now. At least Carlton had gone outside and was talking to a couple of the crew members.

Myrna was sitting behind the desk, using the phone, but quickly hung up when Annie walked in. She stood and bestowed her with a pitying look. “Oh, Annie, you must feel so awful. And Jared, the poor dear,” she went on. “He looked so devastated.”

“Mrs. Stone, please excuse me,” Annie said coolly, “but I have some work to finish up in here.”

“Why, yes, of course. I'll just get out of your way.” Myrna picked up her purse and started for the door. “Don't be too hard on yourself, dear. It's not your fault.”

Holding back the sigh of exasperation in her throat, Annie just shook her head as the woman left the office, then sat at the desk. The map that Jared and Slater had spilled soda on was still spread out on the desktop.

It's not your fault.

Annie froze as Myrna's words sank in.

A strange sensation came over her, a feeling as if she'd suddenly remembered something she'd forgotten long ago.

It's not your fault.

The dark stain on the map stared at her. The image of Jared and Slater arguing about it sprang into her mind. Frowning, she closed her eyes and concentrated.

It's my fault,
Jared had said.

No, it's my fault,
Slater disagreed.

But it was
both
their faults.

Two faults!

With a gasp, her eyes flew open. There were two faults! That was what had been staring at her all these weeks. Two faults with oil traps. But she'd been so busy fine-tuning the first fault, wanting to make sure she had it exact, that she'd neglected to look for another.

The logs and seismics would prove her theory, but she hadn't much time. It could be another ten feet, or another hundred. But it was there. She knew it. She didn't know how she knew it, but she did.

She ran to the office door. She searched frantically for Slater and found him standing by the compressor, preparing to release the air from the hoses.

“Slater!” He turned, his brows raised as she ran at him, waving her arms. “Wait! We're not done yet.”

Myrna and Carlton were getting into their car, but stopped at Annie's announcement. The men, who'd been milling around to talk, looked over.

“Slater.” She stopped in front of the foreman and grabbed him by the arms. “Get the crew back in place. There's a second fault. I'll need a little time to map an approximate, but I know it's there.”

Slater frowned at her. “You can't do that, Bailey. Arloco will can you if we drill beyond what's authorized.”

“Where's Ken?” she asked, searching the area for her her supervisor. “I'll get him to okay it.”

Slater shook his head. “He already left. Said to tell you he'd see you back in Dallas.”

No!
Ken was the only one who could approve an extension. And she wouldn't be able to reach him now for hours.
Dammit.
She couldn't give up.

She
wouldn't.

“Let them can me. I don't care. I'll take full responsibility. It won't come back at you.”

“You think I'd give a damn if it did?” He gave her a long, searching look then nodded slowly. “All right, Bailey, you're the boss.”

From the corner of her eye, Annie saw Myrna and Carlton approaching. She leaned in close to Slater and whispered, “See if you can keep the dogs chained, okay? I need some quiet.”

Slater's smile was devilish. “No problem.”

Ignoring Myrna, Annie hurried back into the office. She heard Myrna call her, but quickly slammed the office door shut and locked it.

Annie closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. She drew in a deep breath to calm herself and cleared everything from her mind. She couldn't let Myrna or Arloco, or even Jared, interfere with her now.

* * *

He stood under the oak tree and stared up at the wide spreading branches. A warm wind softly rustled the leaves, and the low-pitched chirp of a resident bird carried on the breeze. Autumn touched the late-afternoon air.

Jared had climbed this tree many times as a child. He and Jonathan had chiseled their names in the coarse bark. He moved to that spot, surprised at how far down he had to look to find the carvings. Twenty-two years ago, they'd been eye level.

He knelt and touched his fingers to the roughened edges of his brother's name. It was still clear, though weathered with time. Jonathan had cut his thumb with his pocket knife that day and insisted Jared cut his, too, so they could be blood brothers. Jared remembered arguing the issue, saying they were already blood brothers, and there was no point in both of them bleeding. The argument degenerated into name-calling, then fists flying. When Jared's nose started to bleed, Jonathan got his way.

The smile on Jared's face slowly faded. Who'd have thought that at age twenty-nine one of them would be buried under this tree in the family cemetery.

He drew in a slow breath and moved to the first headstone, paying his respects to his mother first.

Helen Roberta Stone, Beloved Wife and Mother.
Images flashed through his mind. Her brilliant smile as she lit birthday candles...her gray eyes narrowed with a reprimand...her soft laugh at the dinner table....

She'd been the quiet voice of reason in a house full of hotheaded impulsive men—not to mention Jessica, with her determined disposition. His father had cherished Helen, her children adored her. Her death had devastated them all, but none more than J.T. and Jessica.

He moved to his father.
Jeremiah Tobias Stone.
The image in his mind now was hard piercing blue eyes. He'd been a strong hardworking man who showed his love with a look or touch, but never with words. And even though they'd argued when he'd closed down the well, Jared knew his father had done it because he loved him.

Jared still remembered the night before he'd left for South America. J.T. had stood at the door, watching his son pack. “Just remember, son,” J.T. had said, “no matter where you go or what you do, your family will always be there for you. Always.”

“I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Dad,” Jared said softly now.

He stepped to the final grave and stared unblinking at the dry earth, then at the simple block of granite.

Jonathan Graham Stone.

He'd gone from a name carved on a tree to a name carved in a headstone.

A heavy ache grew in Jared's chest, moving upward, closing his throat and blinding his eyes.

“We didn't hit oil, Jonathan,” Jared said. “All those plans, all the years of preparing. Nothing. You died for
nothing.
”

A feeling darker and blacker than he'd ever felt before swelled inside him. Fists clenched, he sank to his knees.

“Damn you, Jonathan Stone.” Jared hit the ground with his fists. “Why weren't you here with me for this? All those years of planning, of hard work. We were supposed to do this
together.
Damn you.
Damn you.
”

The wind picked up, shuddering the branches overhead. The bird flew off, chattering loudly. Jared drew in a choking breath, watching as the leaves swirled around his knees. What the hell was wrong with him, he thought, shouting at Jonathan like that? He certainly couldn't hear him. Jared looked up, listening to the whisper of the wind.

Or could he?

Slowly Jared unclenched his fists and stared at his hands. All these years he'd held a tight knot of anger inside him. Anger at himself for letting Jonathan die. For loving Annie. For going to South Amer-ica. He'd worn that anger like a suit of armor, and it had shielded him from the truth. The truth of his real feeling, his true anger.

But it wasn't himself he was mad at. It was Jonathan. For dying. For leaving him behind.
How could he do that to him? They were blood brothers.

The sound of their voices from that day came back to him: the childish laughter, the heated argument. He glanced up at the tree, and a sudden calm overcame him.

He felt no shame in the moisture on his cheeks. Only relief. He stared at the leaves gathered around his knees, felt the wind on his face and knew that Jonathan would never truly die. He would always be with him.

And as he looked at the headstone, he heard the quiet sound of goodbye.

He stood slowly and thought of a beautiful blonde with hazel-green eyes who had captured his heart the moment he'd laid eyes on her. He'd been lost.

But she'd belonged to Jonathan. And that would always be there between them. He didn't want to be second. He couldn't live with wondering if it might be Jonathan she thought of when he held her, if Jonathan's name might slip from her lips when he made love to her.

He knew he had to let her go. She deserved so much more than he could give. A man who could love without doubts, without fear. If she stayed, it would drive them apart, then drive her away. And losing her like that would be a death more torturous than anything else he could imagine.

He sighed wearily, wondering if she'd left the rig yet. He at least owed her a decent goodbye. An ache spread through his chest as the image of Annie's soft smile came to his mind. He'd loved her from the first; he would always love her.

His feet felt like lead as he walked to the truck. He drove back to the site in a daze. When he saw her Cherokee parked in front of the office, the pain in his chest tightened. She was probably still packing a few things.

He pulled in front of the office and cut the engine, then suddenly realized that the drills were running again.

“What the...?”

Frowning, he glanced first at the rig, then at the office. Those drills should have been shut down more than an hour ago. What was going on?

And as he opened the truck door to go find out, the office exploded, then burst into flames.

T
he blast threw him to his knees, but he was up and running before the shock wave passed.

“Annie!”

He screamed her name as he reached the blown-out front door. Flames shot through the opening.
“Annie!”

He ducked, intending to jump through the fire, but suddenly found himself yanked backward into the dirt by a strong pair of arms. Slater was on top of him, struggling to keep him down.

“Annie!” Jared yelled. “I've got to get Annie!”

He fought like a crazy man, oblivious to what Slater was saying to him. He nearly broke loose of the huge man's hold, but several others joined in and succeeded in pinning him to the ground.

He called Annie's name over and over and thrashed wildly, determined to break loose if even a hundred men held him.

“Jared! Stop it. I'm right here. I'm fine.”

Annie.
It
was
Annie. She stared down at him, her brow twisted in worry. But she was fine.
Thank God, thank God...

The men released him then and hurried off to fight the fire. Thick black smoke billowed from the burning office. Coughing, Jared staggered to his feet and dragged Annie away. Fire hoses came from two directions, and water quickly drowned the crackling flames, turning the smoke pale gray.

Jared took hold of Annie's arms and looked at her. “I—I thought you were in the office.”

She shook her head. “I was up on the rig.”

He looked at the office. The fire was almost out now, but a few of the men were still dousing the structure with water. Slater shouted a few orders, then turned and walked over to Annie and Jared.

“Is everyone all right?” Jared asked.

Slater nodded, his jaw set tight. “There was no one in the office or close enough to be hurt. Though I do think your stepmother screamed loud enough to break a few eardrums.”

Jared glanced over and saw Myrna standing beside her car, looking pale and shaken. Carlton sat on the front seat, with the door open and his feet outside. Jared had no idea why they were still here, nor did he care at the moment.

He looked back at Slater. “What the hell happened?”

“We don't know yet. We'll have to check it out when things cool off.”

One of the men called to Slater, and he headed back toward the office. Jared looked at the torched structure again and felt a shudder pass through him. If Annie had been in there...

He pulled her into his arms and held her, burying his face in her hair and breathing in the sweet smell of the silky strands. He wanted to pull her inside him, keep her where nothing could touch her, where nothing could harm her. He didn't give a damn about the office or anything else. Only her.

He took hold of her shoulders and held her away from him. “What the hell were you doing up on the rig, anyway?”

She raised one brow. “Well, it was certainly better than being in the office.”

He frowned at her and she sighed. “Glenn asked me to help him with a reading on the drill pipe. Everyone else was busy, and with you gone, we were short.”

“We were shut down. Finished. Why is that drill still running?”

“Jared.” She wrapped her hands around his arms. Her eyes were bright as she looked up at him. “There's another fault. A second oil trap under our target zone. I just know it. I'm working with the seismics and logs to chart it now.” She stopped suddenly and groaned. “At least, I
was
working on it.”

Confused, he stared at her. “Arloco authorized an extension on drilling before you mapped the fault?”

“Not exactly. I authorized it.”

Surprise joined the confusion in Jared's eyes. “Annie, you can't do that. It'll mean your job.”

“It's there, Jared, I know it is. It's been staring at me the whole time.” With a deep sigh, Annie turned toward the destroyed trailer. “Everything was in the office. The seismics, the logs. I can't do anything now.”

“Jared!” Slater walked toward him with Glenn at his side. It took Jared a moment to realize that the young man was not a willing companion. Slater had hold of one of his arms and was virtually dragging him.

Jared stepped away from Annie. “What's going on?”

“I thought you might like to ask Glenn here that question. I just caught him trying to sneak out, not to mention the gas can and rags in his front seat.”

“I was just moving my car,” Glenn protested. His face was pale; sweat beaded his brow.

Glenn?
Jared couldn't believe it. Glenn had always been the first one to offer help or work overtime if he was needed. He'd had a little problem with gambling, but still, he'd have been the last one Jared would have suspected of any wrongdoing.

Which also made him the most logical.

Glenn was shaking so badly Jared almost felt sorry for the kid. Almost, until he remembered that Annie could have been in that office. A sudden furious rage overtook him. He swung hard and clipped Glenn on the jaw, sending him sprawling in the dirt. “You could have killed Annie, damn you. I ought to string you up right here.”

Glenn's eyes were round with fear as he picked himself up and touched his bleeding lip. “No! No. I would never try to kill anyone.” He looked at Annie. “Especially Annie. I'd never hurt her.”

“And what about the compressor?” Jared said fiercely, giving the terrified young man a shake. “And all the other mishaps around here. The lights blowing, the pipe twisting off. Even the so-called flu. They were all your doing, weren't they?”

Jared started toward Glenn again, but Annie stepped in his way and touched him on the arm. She faced the young man and looked him in the eyes. “Why, Glenn?” she asked quietly. “Why would you do this to Jared and the crew?”

Glenn's face twisted in agony. “I—I gambled. Owed a lot of money. Too much, to the wrong people. I was scared.”

Jared's eyes narrowed. “Are you saying someone paid off your gambling debts so you'd do this?”

Glenn drew in a shaky breath and nodded.

“Who?” Jared's face was set in granite as he grabbed Glenn once again.

“I don't know,” Glenn said quickly. “I swear. A man contacted me by phone. I never saw anyone. I was just supposed to cause some problems, but no one was supposed to get hurt.” He hung his head. “I'm sorry, Jared.”

“Sorry?” Jared dragged the young man closer. “You try to ruin me, you could have killed someone, and you're
sorry?
”

Jared shoved Glenn backward and looked at Slater. “Lock him up in the toolshed. We'll let the sheriff take care of him.”

Myrna, who was making her way toward Annie and Jared, stepped aside and watched as Slater dragged his prisoner away. She pressed a hand to her chest and hurried over to Jared. “Jared, my God, what happened?”

“Someone barbecued my office,” he said dryly. “You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“Me?” Her eyes widened. “Why would I know anything?”

“Funny, that's the same thing you said to Jake right after his barn burned down.”

Myrna's face turned ashen. “Jared, how can you say that? You know I had nothing to do with that. It was that ranch hand Jake fired.”

“You wanted Jake's land, and he had unexplained problems. Now you want mine, and I'm having problems. I'd say that's one hell of a coincidence.”

Myrna looked desperately from Annie to Jared. “Of course I want the land. Your father left me with none of my own. But I had nothing to do with any of this. You have to believe that.”

Jared didn't want to believe his stepmother was involved. No doubt she was guilty of being selfish and stupid, but he couldn't have her thrown in jail for that.

The truth would come out sooner or later, and if she was responsible, he'd deal with her then. Jared sighed heavily. It hardly seemed to matter anymore. He hadn't found oil, and he was going to lose the land, anyway. Whoever had gone to all this trouble had done it for nothing.

“Carlton looks tired, Myrna,” Jared said. “I think you better take him home.”

“Jared, we've got to—”

“I mean it,” he said harshly. “I want you to go. Now.”

She opened her mouth, but quickly shut it again as she saw the hard look on his face. She cast a pleading glance at Annie, then walked back to her car.

Jared turned away and headed for the rig.

“What are you doing?” Annie was at his heels.

“I'm shutting down.”

“Jared, no! We can't stop. It's there, I know it's there.”

He shook his head. “I can't let you do this. You'll be throwing your career away. You told me yourself you'd never jeopardize your job for personal reasons.”

“I was wrong.” She grabbed his arm and dug her boots into the ground, forcing him to stop and face her. “Sometimes a person has to go with what's in their gut and their heart. Every part of me is screaming to go for this, Jared. Please, we've got to try.”

He saw the intensity of her eyes, heard the desperation in her voice. “Annie, we'll both be roasted alive for violating a work contract. We may never work in the business again.”

“I'll take that chance. But please, don't stop.”

He glanced up and noticed that all the men, including Slater, had gathered around. They stood rigid, waiting for instructions, their expressions anxious. They wanted to proceed, too, he realized, even though they now knew they were working without authorization.

He looked back at Annie. Her eyes pleaded with him.

“What the hell,” he said. “I guess I'm not too old to learn a new trade.”

Laughing, she threw her arms around him, then quickly let go as she realized everyone was staring.

“One hour,” he said sternly. “Not one minute more. Not one foot more. No arguments.”

She crossed her heart and nodded furiously.

He turned to the men and glared at them. “Well, what's everybody waiting for? Get to work.”

* * *

Forty-nine minutes, thirty seconds later, they were still drilling. Every member of the crew was extremely aware of each minute that passed and oil wasn't found, but no one more so than Annie.

The drilling had gone smoothly, but the soil samples being brought up the drill pipe showed nothing. She looked at her most recent sample, then stood, groaning softly as she straightened her bent back. She was ankle-deep in mud, bone-tired and starving.

She was also just about out of second chances.

For the rig, and for Jared.

He'd been worried about her when he'd driven up earlier and saw the office burst into flames. No, frantic, she realized, remembering the way he'd tried to fight off the men holding him down. Knowing what he'd gone through when he'd watched Jonathan die, she felt her chest ache. Even for those few seconds he'd thought he was watching her die, too.

She loved him. And as each minute ticked away, she was that much closer to leaving. It didn't matter to him that she loved him or that he loved her. He was too determined to deny himself happiness, and nothing she'd said had made a difference.

Damn that stubborn streak of his!

She had no idea what she was going to do when she got back to Dallas. She'd have no job, a broken heart and a life that was suddenly going to become very complicated.

She sighed wearily, then noticed Slater hurrying from the toolshed. The foreman waved to Jared, who was up on the platform tightening a coupling joint. She watched curiously as Jared climbed down and the men talked for a moment. She couldn't hear the words over the noise of the drill, but when Jared put his hands on his hips and a fierce scowl darkened his face, she had a pretty good idea what he was saying.

Jaw set tight, he walked over to her.

“What is it?” she asked.

“It's Glenn,” he said. “Slater just went to check on him and he's gone. Kicked out a panel in the back of the shed and got away. There's no way of knowing how long. We've all been too busy to notice.”

She shook her head slowly. “It doesn't matter, Jared. He won't come back here. Not now.”

“He could have killed you,” Jared said angrily.

“No. He made sure that office was empty. He never wanted to hurt anyone, I'm certain of it.” She lifted her gaze and looked into Jared's eyes. “I never would have forgiven him if anything had happened to you, though.”

He moved closer to her. “Annie, you look like you're ready to drop. Let's shut it down.”

The temptation to lean her exhausted body against his was strong. She resisted, knowing that if she gave in while she was in such a highly emotional state, she might crumble altogether. She lifted her arm and showed him her watch. “We still have seven minutes and twenty seconds.”

“Annie...”

She shook her head. “You know those runners who are so far behind they have no chance of winning, and even after the race is over they keep running so they can cross the finish line?” A dizzy spell came over her and she closed her eyes for a second. “That's how I feel, Jared. It doesn't matter if I finish first. I just have to finish. I have to cross that line and go the distance.”

Jared looked down at Annie. He saw the fatigue in her face and in her slumped shoulders. But the determination shone brighter and stronger than ever in her soft hazel eyes, and he loved her more at that moment than he'd ever thought possible.

It doesn't matter if I finish first,
she'd said.
I just have to go the distance.

Her words hit him square in the gut with the impact of a freight train. He was an idiot! A first-class absolute idiot.

It didn't matter who was first. Whether or not she had loved Jonathan. What mattered was
now.
That she loved Jared Stone. And that he loved her. This—here and now—had nothing to do with Jonathan. This was about Annie and Jared.