The Rancher and His Unexpected Daughter (9 page)

“Mom, how could you?” Jenny protested with all of the hurt and confusion a thirteen-year-old could experience.

The kitchen door rattled on its hinges as Jenny left far more noisily than she had entered.

“I'll go after her,” Harlan offered, but Janet stilled him.

“No, it's up to me. You'd better leave, though. She won't want to see you again tonight and this could take a while.”

He nodded, reluctance clearly written all over his face. “If you're sure.”

“I am. I'll handle it.”

“You'll be at White Pines in the morning, then?”

“That might be difficult,” Janet said. “She might not want to be there after this.”

“A deal's a deal,” he reminded her, his expression intractable.

She saw then, what she should have recognized before. Harlan Adams had a will of iron when it came to the things he wanted. What worried her was that she'd just had unmistakable evidence that what he wanted was her.

H
arlan was up before dawn the morning following his dinner with Janet and Jenny. By six he was pacing the front porch from end to end, wondering if they would show up and if they did, what kind of reception he might get.

He'd cursed himself a dozen different ways on the drive home the night before. As much as he'd been aching to kiss Janet, he never should have taken a chance on doing it where Jenny could walk in on them. Even a fool would have been smarter than that.

Now, not only had he put his relationship with the intriguing Janet Runningbear at risk, but it seemed likely he'd spoiled the fragile rapport he'd been building with her daughter.

When he finally heard the sound of an engine in the distance, his spirits soared, then crashed just as quickly when he saw that it was Cody's red pickup barreling down the lane.

Just what he needed. He doubted there was a chance in hell he could keep his perceptive son from
guessing what was on his mind. And if Cody picked up on his mood, he'd be offering unsolicited advice to the lovelorn and enjoying every minute of it.

“Aren't you supposed to be up north today, checking those fence lines?” Harlan grumbled as Cody approached. “You're getting a mighty late start.”

Cody eyed him warily. “You roll out on the wrong side of the bed, Daddy?”

“No, it's just that we could lose a lot of the herd if that fence doesn't get taken care of. I shouldn't have to be telling you a thing like that.”

“I'm aware of what's at stake,” Cody retorted as carefully as if he'd unwittingly walked into a mine field. “Which is why I sent Mac and Luis up there first thing yesterday morning. I didn't want to wait for today.”

“Oh,” Harlan said, and fell silent. It took everything in him, but he kept his gaze averted from the lane.

“How's Melissa?” he asked eventually since his son didn't seem inclined to venture any further conversation. He couldn't say he blamed him, given the reception he'd gotten so far.

“Fine.”

“And Sharon Lynn and the baby?”

“Fine. Just about the same as when you saw them in church yesterday morning.”

Harlan shrugged. “Never can tell with kids, though.”

“True,” Cody said, then suddenly chuckled.

Harlan scowled at him. “What's so blasted amusing?”

“You,” Cody said. “What's the matter? Haven't they shown up yet?”

“Who?”

“The tax collectors,” Cody retorted with heavy sarcasm. He shook his head. “You are so pitiful. I'm talking about Janet and Jenny, of course.”

“No, they're not here yet.”

Eyes sparkling with pure mischief, Cody added, “Heard you had quite a poker game with them on Saturday.”

So the cat was out of the bag, Harlan thought, stifling a desire to groan. “I suppose Mule couldn't wait to report every detail,” he said sourly, resigning himself to as much taunting as Cody cared to mete out.

“Actually, I heard about it from Maritza, who heard it from her cousin Rosa, who witnessed it all right there in her very own café.” He grinned. “And just so you know, Luke's housekeeper also got the word from cousin Rosa, which means your oldest son knows every detail by now, too. He couldn't wait to check out the story with me.”

“Damn, I knew it was a mistake helping that whole darn family to settle in Los Piños,” he muttered, regretting the day he'd first hired Consuela, who was now working for Luke, and subsequently her cousin Maritza, his present housekeeper. He'd even cosigned the loan for Rosa's damned café. So much for loyalty. They apparently hadn't been able to wait to blab his business all over hell and gone. “Don't they have anything better to do than gossip?”

“Guess not,” Cody said. “Especially not when the news is so fascinating. So, how was dinner with the loser?”

With the grapevine already abuzz anyway, Harlan didn't bother trying to contain a grin at the memory of the meal that Jenny had snuck in from DiPasquali's.

“Fascinating,” he attested.

“So why the worried look when I drove up?”

He weighed telling his son the truth or at least part of it. Maybe if he swore him to secrecy with a promise of eternal damnation if he broke his vow, he could chance it. If he didn't talk about what had happened, he'd go plumb stir-crazy.

“This doesn't get repeated, okay? Luke already knows too much. I don't want him and Jordan hovering around here, trying to decide if I'm losing my mind.”

“It may not be Luke and Jordan you need to worry about,” Cody drawled. “If Jessie and Kelly get wind of it, they'll get matchmaking fever the likes of which west Texas has never seen.”

“All the more reason for you to keep your trap shut,” Harlan said, shuddering at the prospect of all that meddling. “Can you do it?”

Eyes dancing with renewed mischief, Cody solemnly crossed his heart. “Not a word. I swear it. What happened last night?”

“No guffawing, okay?”

“I wouldn't dream of it.”

Harlan was doubtful about that, but he decided to chance it. “Okay, let's just say the evening ended on a more awkward note than I might have preferred.”

Cody's mouth gaped. “You made a pass at her?”

He made it sound like Harlan was sixteen and had been trying to get into the drawers of the preacher's daughter. “It wasn't a pass, dammit. It was a kiss.”

“Well, I'll be damned. I bet Luke you wouldn't have the guts to try that for at least another month.”

Harlan groaned. “I knew this was a mistake. I knew it.” He scowled fiercely. “You blab one word of this and I'll hang your hide from the oak tree out back just to set an example for your brothers.”

Unfortunately, Cody didn't exactly seem to be intimidated. He chuckled even as he said, “Not a word. I already promised. Besides, do you think I want Luke to know I lost the bet? So what was so awkward?”

“Jenny walked in.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh is right. She wasn't happy.”

“She's a kid. She'll get over it. Surely her mom has been on dates before.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But it took me most of last week to get a civil tongue in that girl's head. Now I've gone and lost whatever ground I gained.”

“What was Janet's reaction to all this?”

“Naturally she was upset.”

“With you or Jenny?”

“I'm the supposedly responsible adult. I'm the one who caused the problem.”

“Not if she kissed you back,” Cody corrected. “Did she?”

Harlan couldn't help smiling at the memory. “She did, indeed.”

“Then you'll find a way to work it out,” Cody predicted, apparently satisfied that he'd completed his
role as counselor. “I'm going inside for breakfast. All this advice has left me famished.”

“You're always famished,” Harlan observed. “Doesn't Melissa ever feed you?”

“Sure, but that was two hours ago,” he said as he opened the front door. Just as he was about to step inside, he looked back. “Hey, Daddy?”

Harlan's gaze was already riveted on the lane again. “Hmm?”

“Remember what you used to tell us when we were dating?”

His head snapped around. “What?”

“It's not polite to kiss and tell,” Cody taunted.

If he'd had something available, he would have thrown it at him. “Then see that you don't repeat my mistake,” he warned emphatically. “There will be hell to pay for both of us, if you do.”

By eight o'clock Harlan had just about accepted the fact that Janet and Jenny wouldn't be coming. He decided to let it pass for today, but if they didn't show up tomorrow, he vowed to have a little chat with Jenny about paying off debts and living up to obligations. If he was more concerned about his own selfish interests, well, that was something she wouldn't have to know.

He was in the barn saddling up his favorite stallion when he glanced up to see Jenny standing hesitantly in the doorway. Surprise kept him speechless, even as relief spread through him. When he could keep his tone matter-of-fact, he said, “A little late, aren't you?”

“Mother dropped me off on the highway. I had to walk the rest of the way up the lane.”

“I see. Whose idea was that?”

Jenny's chin rose a belligerent notch. “Mine.”

He would have guessed as much. It was probably her way of keeping him and her mother apart. The fire in her eyes dared him to make anything of it. He clamped a lid on his desire to challenge her. At least she was here. He considered that a good sign.

“The lane's pretty long,” he offered blandly. “Must be close to two miles. You thirsty?”

“A little,” she admitted, scuffing her sneaker in the dirt and avoiding his gaze.

“Then, run on in the house and have Maritza give you something cool to drink.”

She didn't dash off as he'd anticipated she would.

“Are you going riding?” she asked.

He nodded. “I was about to.”

“Can I come?”

“Of course.”

“You'll wait?”

“I'll wait,” he agreed, trying to remain as nonchalant as she was when he was filled with questions about what had happened after he'd left last night. Her odd mood wasn't telling him much, but at least she didn't appear to be holding that kiss against him. She simply appeared determined to stave off a repeat.

“I'll hurry,” she promised, and took off.

He stared after her, confusion teeming inside. Would he ever figure out the workings of that girl's mind?

Jenny was polite, but quiet for the rest of the day. She did everything he asked of her, if not eagerly, at least without complaint. By the end of the day he was longing for a little of the more familiar sass.

“Is your mama picking you up at the house or are you meeting her out by the highway?” he inquired eventually.

“At the highway,” she said, shooting a belligerent look at him that confirmed his earlier opinion that this was her way of keeping him and Janet separated.

“You'd better get going then. It'll take you a while to get out there. The humidity's up. Maybe you'd better borrow a baseball cap and get a thermos of water to take along,” he said, deliberately emphasizing that the walk would seem even hotter and longer than it had in the cooler morning air.

He let that sink in for a minute, then added casually, “Or I could drive you out.”

He could tell from her expression that she was struggling with the offer, weighing the advantages of the quick, cool ride with the disadvantages of having him possibly bump into her mother.

“I suppose that would be okay,” she conceded grudgingly. “I don't want to get heatstroke.”

“Good thinking,” he said. He glanced at his watch. “Should we leave now? It's almost five.”

She nodded and followed him to his car, a luxury model he kept in the garage. Her mouth dropped open when she saw it. “How come you drove that pickup, when you had this?”

“It was more practical. I'm always hauling stuff for the ranch.”

“Oh.” She touched the leather interior almost reverently. “I like this. It's really soft. I'm going to have a car just like this someday.”

“I'll bet you will,” he agreed. “Are you planning to earn it or steal it?”

“Hey, that's not fair,” she protested, frowning. “I'm really not a thief.”

“You couldn't prove that by me.”

She grimaced. “It's not like I have a criminal record or something. What happened was just like an impulse or something. The truck was there. I could see the keys inside. I took it. I figured it served you right for leaving the keys inside.”

He nodded, hiding a grin. It was a bad habit he and all of his sons had. Half of Los Piños was aware of their reckless pattern. This was the first time, though, that anyone had taken advantage of them.

“I suppose it did,” he admitted.

She shot a look at him. “Does that mean I'm off the hook?”

“Not on your life. Even if I'd gone off and left it sitting wide open with the engine running, it wouldn't give you the right to take what's not yours.”

“Oh.” She looked more resigned that surprised.

At the end of the lane she started to climb out of the car. “It's awful hot out there,” Harlan observed. “Not much shade, either. Why don't I wait? You can sit in the air-conditioning.”

She promptly shook her head. “I'll be okay. Mom ought to be here any minute.”

“What if she got held up?”

“By what? A traffic jam?” she asked sarcastically.

“Maybe a client,” Harlan said.

“Yeah, right.”

“You never know.”

“Oh, for Pete's sake, if you want to wait, wait.” She closed the door, settled back in the seat and
folded her arms around her middle, her gaze directed out the passenger window toward town.