Wrangled and Tangled (41 page)

She wondered if he would’ve said anything at all if she hadn’t prompted him with, “Renner?”

“Sorry. You just caught me off guard.”

“Why? Was our time in Denver ‘what happens at the National Western Stock Show stays at the National Western Stock Show’?”

After a while he let out a slow breath. “We’d be open about our relationship with everyone for the rest of the time you’re at Split Rock?”

Now Tierney understood his hesitation. He believed this was temporary—not that she’d ever led him to believe otherwise. “You think I intend to leave.”

“Don’t you?”

No. Because I love you. Because I never knew men like you existed. Because we have the start of something real.

It was her turn to stay silent. Grateful for the darkness, she watched the snowy mounds zip by as she gazed out her window.

Evidently Renner needed to finish their conversation. He pulled the truck to the side of the road, threw it in park and shut it off. “Don’t start playing games with me now, Tierney.”

“I’m not.”

“Then look at me and tell me what’s goin’ on.”

“I don’t know how to do this.”

“Do what?”

She gritted her teeth against the stupid tears that accompanied her dry mouth, sweaty palms and churning stomach.

“Do what?” he repeated.

“I don’t know how to tell you I love you, okay?” she blurted. “I don’t know how to tell you that I don’t ever want to leave the Split Rock. I don’t ever want to leave you.”

Every bit of air in the cab seemed to vanish.

Tierney was suffocating in her own overheating skin. She fumbled with the door handle. Between the height of Renner’s truck cab and the steep incline of the shoulder, she slid gracelessly into the ditch. Snow went down her pants and scraped her palms. She scrambled to her feet and climbed up by the back end of the truck.

Of course Renner was there, grabbing her upper arms and getting right in her face. “Why did you bail out like that?”

“Let me go.”

“
Like hell. Where were you goin’?”

“To get some air. I can’t breathe.” She kept her face pointed at the ground and twisted out of his hold. “Just let me breathe.”

He let her be. But he didn’t leave her.

Tierney wrapped her arms around herself, concentrating on dragging fresh air into her lungs. The icy wind whipped her hair around her face and she welcomed the sting that cooled the burning in her cheeks. She kept her eyes closed and simply breathed.

When she started to shiver, Renner was behind her, tugging her in his coat. He murmured, “Better?” against the whistling wind.

She nodded.

“You ready to get in the truck?”

She shook her head.

“Okay. We’ll just... stay like this. For as long as you want.”

She lifted her chin to look at the sky. Too much reflection from the snow didn’t allow for the night to be pitch black. The stars were silver spatters in a swath of indigo stretching as far as the eye could see. No light. No sound except for the wind. This land was breathtaking in its austerity. Humbling in its magnitude. She loved it here. Even if Renner rejected her, she couldn’t return to the life she’d led in Chicago.

Her legs were feeling the effects of the cold. Renner’s probably were too, but he hadn’t moved or complained. She turned her head into his chest and said, “I’m sorry.”

“For what? For saying you love me?”

Her heart raced.

“Are you sorry you love me, Tierney?”

She wiggled until he released her and she spun around to look him in the eye. “No. I’m not sorry I love you.”

“Then are you sorry you told me that you love me?”

Why was he pushing her? “I don’t know.”

“I’m not sorry you told me.” He attempted to push her hair out of her face—a losing battle against the never-ending wind. “It just caught me by surprise. But I should’ve known.”

“Known that I love you?”

“No, known that you wouldn’t play games. That you’d tell me how you felt about me as soon as you figured it out.”

Renner smiled so softly, so wistfully her breath stalled. She feared he was about to tell her that as much as he liked her, he didn’t feel the same way.

“You’re very straightforward. That’s what I love most about you.”

A beat passed and then she blurted, “Wait. You love me?”

“Yep. And darlin’, you’re a lot braver than me, because I’ve known how I felt about you for a while and didn’t have the guts to tell you.”

“Define a while.”

“Since before Christmas.”

They stared at one another.

She said, “Now what?”

“First, this.” Renner pressed his cold lips to hers and held them there. “And then this.” Their lips moved against each other’s. Warmed each other’s. Although they kissed for a good long time, the kiss never caught fire. It stayed easy. Sweet. Tender. Loving. Perfect.

Then he rubbed his cold nose into her warm neck and she shrieked. “Omigod, that’s cold!”

“Now can we get in the damn truck and go home? I’m freezin’ my ass off.” Renner took her hand and helped her in the driver’s side. As soon as she put her coat on he reached for her hand again. And he didn’t let go once on the drive to the Split Rock.

They crested the hill leading to the main lodge and noticed the lights were on. And a Land Cruiser was parked in the front.

He frowned and pulled in behind it. “We weren’t supposed to get guests until tomorrow, right?”

“Right.”

“Let’s see what’s going on before we unload the luggage.”

Tierney’s feeling of unease increased with every footstep. Renner held the door open and they both froze upon seeing the man sitting by a roaring fire, drinking out of a brandy snifter and conversing with Janie.

Hands shaking, she took off her coat and crossed the room. “Hello, Father. What are you doing here?”

“Enjoying the ambiance and the delightful company of Miss Fitzhugh.” Gene Pratt stood and held his hand out to Renner. “Good to see you again, Jackson.”

“You also, Pratt.”

If Renner or Janie was surprised by the lack of affection between father and daughter, neither showed it. Tierney went straight for the bar. She grabbed two bottles of beer, popped the caps, and handed one to Renner.

Her father frowned.

Janie said, “I was just telling Mr. Pratt how lucky it was, Tierney, that Renner was able to give you a ride back from your trip to Denver.”

“What were you doing in Denver, Tierney?” her father asked. “Janie was a little vague.”

Now she felt guilty keeping Janie in the dark about their relationship. Tierney didn’t want to make the woman look incompetent, but not at the expense of maintaining a lie to her father about her relationship with Renner.

She stopped in front of the fireplace. “Actually, I was with Renner the whole time. At the National Western Stock Show.”

“Ah. Doing a little word-of-mouth advertising for the resort?”

“No. Renner’s livestock contracting company had business meetings set up with rodeo promoters. It was partially a working vacation for him as well as a getaway for us.”

Janie’s gaze flicked between Tierney and Renner. “Us?” she repeated. “What does that mean?”

“It means that at some point my financial manager has become intimately involved with the man who’s borrowed a whole pile of money from me.” Her father stared at Renner. “Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Involved? As in the two of you are . . . together?”

Tierney nodded.

Janie leapt off the couch and got right in her face. “How long has this been going on?”

“For a while,” Renner said.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Janie whirled on Renner. “Either of you?”

“Yes, Tierney, why didn’t you share the good news with anyone about your new relationship?” her father taunted.

“Because it’s private and has no bearing on our business relationship.” She locked her gaze to Janie’s. “Since you had no idea that Renner and I were anything but business associates, you can reassure my father that our working hours were solely devoted to business.”

Janie looked at Gene Pratt. “Sir. I assure you that I had no inkling more than a business relationship existed between them.”

“I believe you. I see how upset you are by all this, and I don’t blame you.” He smiled empathetically at Janie. “I’d like to talk to you in more detail about what we spoke of earlier. I’ll be here all day tomorrow and I leave on Tuesday morning for Denver.”

Another day and night with her father?

“Thank you. There’s stuff in the office I need to take home.” Janie started up the stairs.

Tierney’s father stood. “I’ll be in the lounge area. Dodie prepared dinner for us. You’ll have to serve, as I’ve sent her home.” He had his BlackBerry in his hand as he wandered away.

Renner mouthed, “Serve?” as they scaled the stairs.

“Yes. God forbid if he ever had to fix himself a plate.”

The door to the office was ajar. “Janie?”

“Don’t worry, I was just leaving.”

“Stay a minute and talk to us,” Renner said.

Janie dabbed her eyes with the tissue in her hand. “Why? So you can explain? Save it. I don’t want to know.” She sniffed. “Jesus. I’m such an idiot. And I’m sure you both got a huge laugh putting one over on me.”

Renner touched her arm in a show of support, but Janie flinched like he’d slapped her.

“Don’t be nice to me. I trusted you. Both of you. And it hurts like hell that you couldn’t be bothered to tell me what was going on between you.”

Rather than continue to coddle her, Renner got mad. “Really, Janie? You didn’t notice that every time Tierney came near me I couldn’t keep my eyes off her? You didn’t wonder why we locked ourselves away in this office so often?”

“I thought it was about business,” she said petulantly.

“After you moved in with Abe? You never once asked me how I spent my nights. Or who I was with. You didn’t question why we went away to Denver together? Don’t blame us for
you
bein’ oblivious.”

“Janie the idiot. It’s probably a sign that I should move on,” she muttered, slipping on her coat.

“A sign you should move on?” Renner demanded. “What’s that mean?”

She gave him a cruel smile. “It’s my private business and has nothing to do with you.” The door slammed behind her.

He swore.

Tierney walked to the window and watched it snow. Was it really only an hour ago she’d never been happier? That everything she’d ever wanted was finally within reach?

Now she just wanted to cry.

Chapter Thirty-three

S
upper, aka dinner in Gene Pratt’s world, was a stiffly formal affair. With no table staff, Tierney served the food, poured the wine and acted like the uptight Tierney he’d first met months ago.

Renner didn’t like the reversion one bit.

But her father didn’t notice because he talked over her. Lectured her in the guise of discussing business. Not once during dinner did Gene Pratt ask a single personal question of his daughter.

As they lounged by the fire, acting ridiculously civilized, Renner topped off Tierney’s wineglass. He didn’t care if she rebuffed his support; he’d damn well show it in front of her father. Sitting beside her, he draped his arm behind her shoulders. Then he kissed her temple and set his booted feet on the coffee table, like he always did.

Tierney hid her smirk behind her wineglass.

Gene Pratt did nothing so crass as scowl, but disapproval rolled off him. “Where exactly do you see this relationship going?”

“With all due respect, that is between me and Tierney.”

“But you aren’t so naïve to believe this relationship will continue once Tierney returns to Chicago.”

“I’m not returning to Chicago.”

It was all Renner could do not to turn and gape at her. Seemed Miz Straightforward hadn’t been so forthcoming.

“And I told you I wouldn’t accept your resignation. Your six-month sabbatical is nearly up.” He swirled the cognac in the snifter. “Besides, you have been doing work for me while you’ve been on personal leave.”

“Freelance work. I billed you accordingly. Your accounts payable department paid me accordingly.”

“Are you still in a snit because of Steven?”

“Are you asking if I’m still upset that you promoted Steven instead of me? Not because he was more qualified—I have three advanced degrees in finance to his none—but because he was born with balls?”

Her father gaped. “Tierney. What is wrong with you?”

“What? Women aren’t supposed to say balls? Or they aren’t supposed to act like they’ve got them?”

“Is there a point to this crudity?”

“Is there a point to this surprise visit to Wyoming?” she countered. “I’d like to hear it.” She held up her hand, warning, “And please don’t use a bullshit excuse like you missed me.”