Texas Temptation (5 page)

Satisfied at last, both Annie and Slater relaxed.

“Welcome aboard, Mr. Slater,” Annie said, sticking out her hand again.

“Glad to be here, Miss Bailey.” He took her hand. “Just Slater will do.”

She nodded. “Bailey for me.”

They grinned at each other.

Jared raised an eyebrow at Slater's smile. That was something that happened about as frequently as Halley's comet. If nothing else, Jared noted, it was going to be interesting around here.

“I'd like to take a look at the rig.” Slater turned to Jared. “Why don't you join me when you're done in here?”

Jared knew that was Slater's way of asking for a few minutes alone. Jared also understood why. “I'll be out in a while.”

Annie stared silently after the big man as he left the office. After a long moment, she sucked in a deep breath and leaned back on the desk beside Jared. “Wow.”

He smiled. “That's a common word describing Slater.”

“No kidding.” She gave her head a shake. “I take it you've worked with him before?”

“Two years in Venezuela.”

There was an uneasiness, a tension that Annie suddenly felt from Jared. He was leaving something out, she realized. Then it dawned on her what it was.

“And here?” she asked quietly. “Was Slater the foreman on this rig four years ago?”

His lips thinned. “Yes.”

“Was he here, I mean, when...”

“Yes.”

She closed her eyes, letting the wave of sadness wash through her. “He wasn't at the funeral.”

“Slater doesn't do funerals.”

Annie had the distinct feeling that Jared and Slater had been through more than one loss together. She also realized that, whatever it was, it wasn't something Jared wanted to talk about.

Men.

Business was the only thing Jared wanted to talk about, she thought with annoyance. With a sigh, she stood and stared down at the map spread across the desk. “So how did it go in town?”

“Not so well. Three crew members quit.”

“Quit!” She glanced up at him. “Why would they do that? You haven't even started drilling yet.”

He shook his head. “Said they got a better offer in Odessa. If Slater hadn't brought most of the men with him from Cisco, I probably wouldn't have a crew at all.”

“How do you know they won't quit, too?”

“Not Slater's men. I've never seen such loyalty in a crew.” He raised a brow. “Would
you
tell Slater you quit?”

She smiled. “No, I guess not.” Still, an uneasiness crept through her. “Will you be able to replace the men you lost?”

“Slater's got a few calls out. I have to take him back to town shortly, and we'll see if there's been any response.”

“Why don't I take him?” she offered. “I'll be heading that way in a little while, anyway.”

Jared's jaw tightened imperceptibly. “Not necessary.”

“But it's silly for you to—”

“I said I'd take him.”

The sharp edge in Jared's voice made Annie fall silent. His jaw was set, his eyes narrowed as he stared over her shoulder at the map. It didn't make any sense. She knew he had things to do here at the rig, and going back to town was out of his way. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn that he didn't want her to be alone with Slater. But why? Was it possible...? Could he be jealous?

No. She shook the silly thought away. Protective, maybe. But that's all it could be.

But it was there again between them. She felt it building right now. A tension, like a coil being slowly tightened around them. He was a mere hand's width away, and the heat of his body singed her. Her heart lurched in the sudden stillness, and the tension became almost unbearable.

His arm moved up and reached toward her. His eyes darkened to the color of midnight as he stared at her, and she held her breath as he ran his fingertips over her ear. She shivered at the contact, and her eyes drifted closed.

He removed the pencil from her ear.

She jerked her eyes open again, but he'd already bent over the map she'd been working on and was busy scribbling a note.

She wanted to throw something at him. Something large, with sharp edges. Instead, she ground her teeth and counted to ten, then cursed silently. She moved away from him on legs with the consistency of warm molasses.

“By the way,” she said coolly, “there're some logs I can't find that Jonathan generated when he worked this map up. Did I leave them in your trailer?”

Jared laid the pencil down and straightened. “They're on my coffee table. I was cross-referencing them to my copy.”

She sat back down in the desk chair. “I'll need them to refigure the proposed fault line. Something's not quite right, but I haven't been able to figure out what yet. I'll pick them up on my way back to town tonight.”

He nodded, watching her with a quiet intensity that threatened to be her undoing. She looked away from him, forcing her hands to pick up the pencil and turn back to her work.

And when he walked out of the office, she resolved to get—and keep—her mind on business. Even if it killed her.

* * *

Jared parked his truck in front of his trailer and stepped out into the still night air. He stared at the ceiling of stars and raked his hands through his hair. The moon was nearly full, and it cast long shadows over the Texas land, dark lonely shadows that seemed to reach out and close around him.

He had the strangest desire to howl at that moon.

He was bone-tired. He'd had a long week getting everything ready to drill on Monday, and at last it looked as if everything was in place and ready to go. Slater had even managed to find replacements for the men who'd quit.

He grabbed the paper bag off the front seat of his pickup and slammed the door, thankful to be home. What he needed now was a tall stiff drink and a bed.

What he needed now was a woman.

Not just any woman, he acknowledged as he strode toward the trailer door. He could easily have that. Marie Lambert had spotted him at the restaurant where he'd been having dinner with Slater earlier and had slid into the booth beside him. Marie, a beautiful redhead he'd gone to high school with, had made it plain for years that she was interested.

Tonight had been the first time he'd almost taken her up on her unspoken offer. He'd almost convinced himself that taking Marie to bed would ease the ache inside him, the constant burning need that left his temper on high every day and his bed a shambles every night.

But it wasn't a redhead that woke him every night in a cold sweat. It was a blonde. An obstinate determined long-legged blonde with a voice smoother than Southern Comfort and eyes with more shades of gold and green than an autumn meadow.

He'd almost kissed that blonde earlier, when they'd stood so close in the office. His body was still screaming at him because he hadn't. But when he'd run his fingertips over the soft curve of her ear and she'd leaned toward him, her eyes darkening with sensuality, he'd realized that he couldn't. He realized that even the simplest touch, or the simplest kiss, would never be enough.

Annie Bailey was driving him crazy.

With a weary sigh, Jared opened the door to his trailer, dreading another night of endless tossing. He had a full bottle of whiskey, and tomorrow was Saturday. He'd told Annie to take the weekend off, since once they started drilling there would be few breaks. He cradled the paper bag in his arm and thought that maybe, with a little help from his friend here, he could just sleep the weekend away. Once they started drilling, he'd be too distracted and too busy to think about Annie, he told himself.

He made his way to the kitchen in the darkness. The paper bag crinkled as he pulled out the bottle.

He froze.

Turning slowly, he narrowed his eyes and listened intently. A small sound, a sigh, came from the living room. He reached for the kitchen light and flipped it on.

Annie. His throat went dry at the sight of her. She was lying on his couch, her feet dangling over the side, her head propped on a pillow. A map and several logs were spread around her, and he remembered she'd mentioned coming by here.

No. Good Lord, not now. I can't take this.

He looked down at his hand and realized he had the bottle of whiskey in a death grip. He set it down, cursing as he moved toward her. He had to wake her up, get her out of here.
Now.

He knelt beside her, leaning close as he reached for her shoulder, intending to shake her.

She sighed again, and he felt the soft warmth of her breath on his neck. He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed hard.

“Annie,” he whispered.

She smiled and curled her long slender fingers beside her cheek. Her hair shone like silk.

He cursed again.

His gaze moved slowly over her, at the soft rise and fall of her breasts, the curve of her hip, the long legs in tight jeans. His body responded instantly; he felt the blood pumping through his veins, the pounding of his heart, the growing hardness of his arousal. He imagined what it would be like to slide her clothes off and slip into the heat of her body. To look into her eyes as he moved inside her, to hear his name on her lips, instead of—

He pulled his hand sharply away and stood. He was a fool to allow himself thoughts like that. An idiot.

Because Annie Bailey was the one woman he could never have.

Drawing in a long ragged breath, he moved the map and logs out of the way, then reached for the throw on the arm of the couch and gently covered her with it. She didn't stir.

He moved into the kitchen and frowned at the bottle on the counter. His palms itched, but he left the bottle where it was and shut off the light.

It was going to be a hell of a night.

S
he awoke slowly, stretching her arms over her head with a satisfied groan. Snuggling under the blanket, she smiled and slipped her arms around the pillow, hugging the soft cushion and sighing contentedly.

Finally a good night's sleep.

She burrowed deeper into the mattress, refusing to open her eyes, even though she was aware that the sun was up. She listened to the quiet tick of a clock and the hum of an air-conditioning unit. The mattress seemed softer this morning, and the smell of coffee was sheer heaven.

The smell of coffee?

She went perfectly still. She hadn't ordered room service. Breath held, she slowly opened her eyes.

Oh, my God.

She was in Jared's living room, on his couch!

She closed her eyes again, praying that she was dreaming, that she hadn't actually spent the night in his trailer. The last thing she remembered was stopping by here to pick up the logs. She'd sat down to look at Jared's map, then closed her eyes for a moment.

And slept the entire night through.

This time when she ventured a look, she was staring into eyes that were Stone blue. She threw the blanket over her head and groaned again.

“Oh, Jared,” she moaned, “why didn't you wake me up?”

She heard him chuckle. “I doubt a herd of horses would have woken you up. And besides, disturbing a peaceful sleep ranks somewhere with kicking puppies and pulling the wings off butterflies.”

She pulled the blanket tighter over her head, resisting Jared's tug. She wished the couch would swallow her. “I'm so sorry. I'll get out of your hair as soon as—”

He tugged harder, yanking the blanket off. “Don't worry about it, Annie. It's no big deal.”

She peeked up at him, suddenly terribly conscious of what she must look like. But Jared wasn't looking so hot himself, she thought, taking in his tousled hair, dark lines under his eyes and the morning beard. And yet, even though he looked rumpled, he also looked incredibly sexy. He was pure masculinity with his bare broad chest and sleepy eyes. Her pulse responded with a resounding high-speed skip.

Stop it,
she told herself.
Don't set yourself up for another fall.

She sat stiffly, combing the hair away from her face as she struggled to gain some semblance of control. “Are you going to just torture me with that coffee,” she said, staring at the cup in his hand, “or are you going to share?”

After the night he'd had, a little torture would be fair measure, Jared thought as he extended the cup toward her. His bed had looked like a war zone this morning. The image of her soft slender body so close, with only a wall separating them, had driven him crazy. He'd lost count of the times he'd sat on the edge of his mattress, arguing with himself about dragging Annie into his bedroom with him. One time he'd even made it to the door before he came to his senses.

Needless to say, he hadn't exactly woken up cheerful.

Her fingers closed over his as she reached for the coffee, and he felt that same wild need, that same jolt of electricity that shot through him every time she touched him. His hand tightened on the cup, and he slowly lifted his gaze to hers.

Her eyes were smoky, heavy with a passion he'd only dreamed about. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips moist and inviting. He knew they'd be warm and soft under his own.

There was no past at this moment, no future. Just a man and a woman where time had ceased to intrude.

“Annie.”

His voice was no more than a ragged whisper, a plea. He set down the coffee cup and started to reach for her—

Someone knocked at the front door. Loudly.

“Jared! Wake up, you lazy bum. Your baby sister's here!”

He closed his eyes and swore heatedly. Of all the lousy timing! An expression of sheer panic flashed across Annie's face. She grabbed for the blanket in a knee-jerk reaction.

Jessica Stone burst through the front door, her arms filled with department-store bags. She stopped abruptly as she took in Annie and Jared.

“Oops.” She started to turn, mumbling an apology, then quickly spun back around, her eyes widening. “Annie?” she whispered. “Annie Bailey?”

Annie couldn't help but smile at Jessica. They hadn't seen each other in almost four years, but Jared's sister looked the same, although maybe more beautiful. With her dark shining hair and blue eyes, she was a Stone sibling through and through.

What must she think! Annie thought as she bit back a groan. The last time Jessica had seen her, Annie was engaged to Jonathan. Now here she was, with Jared, after obviously spending the night in his trailer.

What else
could
she think?

Jared jumped up and stepped away, shoving his hands into his pockets. Good Lord, the way both she and Jared were acting, who wouldn't think something was going on?

With a laugh, Jessica dropped her bags, then bounced on the couch beside Annie and threw her arms around her. “Annie! Why didn't you tell me you were coming? When did you get here? How long are you staying?” Before she could even answer, Jessica hugged her again. “Oh, it's so good to see you!”

Warmed by Jessica's welcome but speechless, Annie sent an imploring look to Jared.

“Arloco Oil has agreed to back me,” Jared said. “Annie is their geologist.”

Jessica stared at Annie. “I'd almost forgotten. You
were
studying to be a geologist. Jonathan graduated a year before you.”

Annie nodded.

Jessica shook her head in disbelief. “And now you're back here. Incredible.”

“Incredible” didn't begin to describe it, Jared thought. “Why did you come back early? I thought you were in San Antonio with Jake and Savannah and Emma.”

“We all got home last night, Jared. Like we were supposed to.” Jessica frowned at him. “You never were very good at dates, big brother. I suppose you've also forgotten that Emma's tenth-birthday party is this afternoon, too.”

“It is not.” Jared grabbed the black T-shirt he'd set on the coffee table earlier and pulled it on. “It's next Saturday.”

Jessica looked at Annie and sighed. “He's cute, but hopeless. I'll expect you both at the ranch this afternoon. Four o'clock.”

“Oh, no.” Annie shook her head. “I can't. I...well, I'm staying in town, and—”

“Great!” Jessica said brightly as she stood. “You can ride in from town with me then. We'll have lots of time to catch up.”

Jessica gathered up the bags she'd dropped and deposited them in Jared's arms. “I know how much you love to shop,” she said sarcastically, “so I picked up a few things for you in San Antonio. I'll send you the bill.” She winked at him, then reached up and kissed his cheek. “Wear the shirt in the white bag this afternoon.”

Jared frowned down at his sister. She had a mischievous look in her eyes, and he knew it meant trouble.

But there was no escaping whatever it was she was up to, he thought with a sigh. And so what if Annie was at the party? What harm was there in that? There'd be enough other people around to keep a safe distance from her, and it wasn't as if they were going home together.

He stared after his sister as she sashayed out the door with a wave, thinking there were tornadoes that caused less damage.

* * *

The last time Annie had been to Stone Creek Ranch there hadn't been pink balloons or streamers decorating the inside of the one-story brick house. There'd been no real laughter, as she heard now, no smiling faces. No brightly colored cake with huge pink roses. The people hadn't been dressed in party clothes. They'd worn black, and they'd come to say goodbye to friend and neighbor, Jonathan Stone.

For Annie, that day had been a blur. She'd sat with the family, talked with everyone there, but even now, she couldn't recall one conversation she'd had or the name of one person she'd met. All she remembered was the cocoon of pain, and the horrible overwhelming feeling that she'd forgotten something and couldn't remember what it was.

But today, when she'd stepped through the front door in a sheer floral-print dress, it was as if she'd moved from one time zone into another, from a dark place into a bright place, and though she'd felt a moment of panic, she also felt as if she belonged here. And when Jessica dragged her through all the other guests to Jake, the minute he wrapped his arms around her, whatever anxiety she'd been feeling was gone.

She felt as if she'd come home.

She hugged Jake back, then gasped when he lifted her off the floor, not a difficult feat for him, considering the fact that he was six foot four.

Jake set her down, then held her away from him and smiled the Stone smile that drove women crazy. “Annie Bailey. Tell me you're single, you gorgeous creature.”

It was at that moment that Annie's gaze caught Jared's. He was leaning against the fireplace a few feet away, a bottle of beer in his hand, watching her intently. Black jeans hugged his narrow hips, and a deep blue Western-style shirt emphasized the blue of his eyes and dark hair. She felt her pulse race as he nodded at her, but made no move to join them.

Shaken, she turned her attention back to Jake and forced herself to grin at him. “I am single, but I hear you're not.”

“Can't take my eyes off this man or he's into trouble.” A slender blonde moved beside Jake and slid her arm through his. Her soft Southern accent was honey-smooth. “Watch out, Annie, or he'll break your heart like he did mine.”

“I seem to recall it was the other way around,” Jake said indignantly. “I'm the one who had to beg you to marry me in front of twenty little giggling girls.”

“A fitting punishment for letting me get away in the first place,” she reminded him coolly, but there was laughter and love in her eyes when she kissed him on the cheek. She turned back to Annie, her hand outstretched. “I'm Savannah.”

Jessica, who had been standing beside Annie looking extremely amused, handed Annie a can of soda as she leaned close and whispered loudly, “I'll give you all the juicy details about these two later.”

Jake frowned at Jessica, then looked at his wife. “What have you been telling her?”

Savannah smiled innocently. “Why, nothing, dear.”

A little girl who was a young version of Jessica peeked curiously from behind Jake's back. Jake slipped an arm around the child and pulled her in front of him. “Annie, this is my sister, Emma. Emma, this is Annie Bailey, a good friend.”

Annie held out her hand. “Happy birthday, Emma.”

Emma shyly took Annie's hand, then studied her for a long moment. “You were in Jessica's movie.”

Annie furrowed her brow. “Jessica's movie?”

Emma nodded. “From her video camera. You were kissing my brother Jonathan, who went to heaven.”

Annie felt her throat thicken at Emma's innocent comment. Jessica had also been home from college the summer Annie had come to Stone Creek with Jonathan, and she'd brought a new video recorder with her. Every time Annie and Jonathan had turned around, Jessica was pointing the camera. Annie had forgotten all about that tape.

“Were you going to marry him?” Emma asked.

There was an awkward moment, a hesitation in the space between heartbeats where Annie wasn't sure what to say. Savannah touched Emma's shoulder. “Sweetheart, why don't we—”

“It's all right.” Annie looked at Emma and smiled softly. “Yes, honey, I was going to marry him.”

She glanced at Jared. His expression was blank, but still she noticed the subtle tightening of his shoulders and slight narrowing of his eyes, and she knew he'd heard their conversation.

“My mommy went to heaven, too,” Emma said with understanding, then glanced up at Savannah. “But I live with my Aunt Savannah and Jake now. They love me, too.”

It was easy to see the truth in Emma's statement as Jake and Savannah smiled down at the child. Through all the problems Annie knew they'd had, they were still a family. A family who loved one another beyond anything else. A family that stayed together, no matter what.

Jonathan had wanted children, and so had she. He'd teased her that, because he was a twin, they'd have two sets in three years.

And now nearly four years had passed. Jonathan was gone, and there were no children. A dull ache settled in Annie's stomach.

She glanced at Jared again, and a sudden wave of uneasiness washed over her. Is that why she was so attracted to Jared? Was it possible that subconsciously she was trying to replace what she'd had with Jonathan? That on some level she'd realized how quickly time was moving on, realized that she might never have the family she so desperately wanted?

“Well, hello, again.”

Annie turned at the sound of her name and nearly winced. It was Myrna. The circle of Stone siblings immediately tensed. Even Jared had pushed away from the fireplace and made his way toward them, a frown on his face.

“Mrs. Stone.” Annie nodded at the woman.

Purple-and-green cloisonné earrings dangled from Myrna's ears, matching her green silk jumpsuit. “So lovely to see you again, dear.”

Annie forced a smile, but did not respond. She felt torn between wishing she had an aspirin or a stiff drink, instead of the can of soda her fingers were tightly wrapped around.

Myrna gestured with her nearly empty wineglass. “So what does everyone think about Annie working for Jared?”

“Annie doesn't work for me.” Jared moved beside Annie. “She already explained that to you.”

“Well, not technically, but—”

“We think it's wonderful.” A hard glint shone in Jake's eyes as he cut his stepmother off. “Why wouldn't we?”

“Annie is brilliant,” Jessica chimed in. “Jared is lucky to have her working with him.”

They were all protecting her, Annie realized. It didn't matter that all that time had passed. They still treated her now as they had then—as a member of the family. A warmth that even Myrna couldn't destroy spread through her.