by Debra Holt
“Thank you,” she responded, keeping her smile as even as possible, even though her nerves were anything but as she shook his hand. “Chance and I were so pleased you could join us.”
“I see you wish to withdraw almost all the funds in the special account. Is there a problem? If there is an issue with the bank in any…”
She hastened to assure him. “There’s no problem. I just want to do something special for Chance for his birthday…it being the first together as a married couple and all…and it’s going to take a bit more funds than I expected but, then again, you’d probably do the same for your spouse, I’m sure.”
A smile that was both understanding and relieved lit the man’s face. “Well, I suppose I can certainly understand that. Even though you’re both still in your honeymoon stage, Chance is one lucky man to have such a caring and generous wife. I’ll have the teller take care of this right away. Give my best to Chance.”
Twenty minutes later, Josie was on her way home. Only when she had shut the door behind her and walked into the living room, did she allow herself to slow down. It was amazing how quickly what she thought would be a normal day of ranch work had gone so completely off track since the moment Dev had told her the news over lunch.
Her stomach was rolling with nerves, and she knew she couldn’t eat dinner. There was no use going into the kitchen. She went into her small office and seated herself behind the desk. The quiet loneliness of the house settled around her. Chance’s presence had changed things in just a few short weeks. Now, his absence made her painfully aware of just how much she had come to rely on his company, in some strange way that had infiltrated her life when she wasn’t looking. He had walked right in and staked his place and his claim on her heart.
She knew he saw her differently than he had the gangly girl following him around, talking incessantly about her silly feelings for his brother. He was attracted to her. He said he wanted her, and he had made love to her. Her face warmed with the recollection of her responses to him. Surely, he had to have known how she felt about him. But wanting wasn’t loving.
His response after the first time had been to apologize to her. That pretty well summed up the fact his heart wasn’t involved. The second time, there had been no apology, just a man totally into the heat of the moment…and no words of love or other closely-related emotion had been spoken. It couldn’t matter. All that did matter at the moment was that she could do something to somehow make things right and keep both Chance and his brother safe. She was never going to touch all the funds Chance had placed in her account anyway. It could be used to help Dev and keep Chance safe. Once she had made certain there was no more danger to Chance, she would tell him what she had done.
The ringing of her cell phone broke the silence of the room. She didn’t look at the caller ID before she answered. It was bound to be Dev.
“Did you make the arrangements?”
“Arrangements?” The voice did not belong to Dev. It was Chance. “Guess you found the note that I had to run up to Amarillo for that replacement gear on the pump house at the foaling barn. There wasn’t anyone extra to be spared today, so I’m on the way. I should be back tomorrow afternoon. I’m also going to swing by and look at the mare Chuck Donovan has for sale while I’m in the area. Will you miss me?”
The unexpected sound of his voice on the other end of the line shocked her and her mind had to run to switch gears. “Hi. Yes…I did read the note. Thanks. I hope your arrangements all go as planned,” she replied, grasping to remember what Chance had just told her about his trip and the reason for it. “Of course, I’ll miss you. Just be careful and take your time coming back. Drive safely.”
There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the line. “Josie…you sound a little strange. Is everything okay?”
He couldn’t get suspicious. She needed him to believe all was well. “I’ve just walked in the door from town, and I need to get over to the stables before Tom leaves. My mind is on my long list of things to do…as usual.”
“Well, I won’t keep you on the phone, then. I realize we didn’t have much time for talking last night, but we’ll make time when I get back. Try not to miss me too much.”
Chance’s voice felt as if it came through the phone and melted over her bones. She already missed him far too much.
“I’ll try not to. Have a safe trip.”
“I’ll call later.” That was it. Nothing remotely close to I love you and miss you. But what did she really expect? It was all just a nice fantasy. However, there was a dark reality pressing in and she needed to concentrate on that.
*
The road was flat with few bends in it from Lubbock to Amarillo. It gave Chance’s mind room to wander back over the conversation with Josie that just kept gnawing at him. It had been short, but there was something in her tone he couldn’t put his finger on. Or was it in what she wasn’t saying more than what she did say? His gut told him that something wasn’t right back at home. Had he come on too strong? Overplayed his hand? Taken things too far between them, too fast?
Chance had tried to put brakes on his feelings and hold back on his actions in order to not scare her off. He had planned to woo her. Give her time to get used to him and the idea of caring for him. If he gave her time, surely, she might start seeing him as more than the friendly shoulder he had been for so many years. Things might have progressed further and sooner if Dev hadn’t unexpectedly come back into the picture.
His brother kept popping up at the most inopportune moments, and Josie certainly seemed to not mind…until last night. Last night. His mind kept trying to reconcile the Josie he knew with the Josie who took matters into her own hands…in more ways than one. She had lit a fire that turned into an inferno.
Dev’s sudden appearance tampered it down a bit, but once they were alone again, in their bedroom, the new and definitely improved Josie had returned in her sexy black lace undies and no holding back. They had finally fallen asleep, exhausted, in each other’s arms in the early morning hours. He had hated to leave her alone in that big bed when he had crawled out of it, knowing he needed to be on the road, so he could take care of things and get back to her side. He felt hope inside him that they were on the right track toward making a life together.
His cell phone rang, and he reached for the button on the steering column to connect. “Braxton.” He answered, eyes still on the road, his mind trying to will itself away from Josie.
“Hey there, Chance. It’s Mike over at the bank. Hope I’m not calling at a bad time?”
“Mike…this is a surprise. You caught me on the road to Amarillo. What can I do for you?”
“Well, I might be overstepping here, but I had a feeling that I needed to give you a call on this. I sure hope Josie will forgive me if I’m wrong and have spoiled her surprise for you.”
Chance’s mind was instantly on alert. “What’s the problem?”
“Well, Josie came into the bank this morning, and she withdrew everything from the account you set up for her…except for a hundred dollars. She said it was for a surprise for your birthday. However, after she left, I got to thinking on it and looked it up and sure enough…your birthday was four months ago. I’m sure sorry if I blew whatever the surprise is for you.”
A sinking feeling began to form in Chance’s stomach. He had had a feeling something wasn’t right with Josie when he spoke to her on the phone. What was she doing taking that much money out of the account? There could be no “surprise” worth that. Unless it had something to do with his brother.
“Say, Chance,” the banker continued, “there’s something else, and I only tell you this as a family friend and nothing against your brother or anything…”
Knew it. “What is it, Mike?” Chance knew his tone sounded abrupt, but at the mention of his brother, a feeling fairly close to fear hit him. Had his brother persuaded Josie into something?
“Some of us were having an early lunch over at Pete’s, and I was surprised to
see Josie and Dev there. They seemed to be in a pretty deep conversation. One minute it looked like they were pretty friendly…and the next, Josie looked upset…as in mad…when she left him. Then she shows up at the bank, and you know the rest.”
Chance’s grip increased on the steering wheel. “Thanks for letting me know, Mike. I do need to check into some things. Give my best to Anita.”
“Sure thing and hope all is okay.”
Chance’s mind was moving a mile a minute. What the hell was going on? He couldn’t come up with any valid reason for Josie to need all of the money from her account…not when she had vowed she’d never touch it when he told her about it. But now, Dev was in the mix. When Dev came around, she wasn’t the same Josie that she was with him.
What had their lunch meeting been about? Why didn’t she mention it during their call earlier? There was a thought that came into his mind and was immediately tossed away. Only it wouldn’t stay away. What if she needed the money to go away with Dev? Dev was always in need of money. She had access to more than he did. His mind replayed all the times he had walked in to the house or the stables and there was Dev…and Josie. Once during a kiss…actually there were two kisses they had shared. Three, if he counted the one on the cheek at the wedding.
Had he been played for a fool? Josie had agreed to the marriage before Dev had returned. Surely, she could have stopped the marriage at any time up to the wedding itself if she wanted his brother? Or did she want the ranch more? Maybe she was trying to have both of them…the ranch and Dev? Whatever the excuse, she was hiding something from him. It was time to find out what the hell Josie and his brother were up to.
Chapter Nineteen
The lights twinkled on across the city as dusk settled. Chance’s room looked over the mostly flat vista from the top floor of the hotel. He looked due south, his mind flying across the darkening miles to the house where Josie would be…should be. Was she there? Or had she already left with his brother for the bright lights of some big city? His mind couldn’t wrap around that scenario.
He would stake his life on the fact that Josie would never leave the land she was born and raised on and was so much a part of her fabric. But then, he had little experience with what a woman in love would do for the man she wanted. That reminded him what a fool he had been to believe in a happily-ever-after with the woman he married.
He had gotten to the machine shop earlier and picked up the part that was needed. He’d take a chance the mare would still be available once he got to the bottom of what was going on at home. The plane he chartered would be ready to leave at six in the morning. He could have turned around and driven back the six hours, but he might put himself in a ditch if he did that, and then where would he be but in another mess. For two hours, he had talked himself out of calling Josie. He had called his ranch and found out from Juanita that his brother had finished his dinner and was in the den making some phone calls. He’d bet one of those would probably be to Josie.
Chance could stand it no longer. He set the glass of whiskey down on the table and reached for his cell phone. He took a deep breath and listened to the ringing of the phone, fully expecting to go straight to her voice mail.
“Hello?”
The sound of her actual voice threw him off for a moment. “It’s me…Chance. Didn’t know if I’d catch you in or not.”
“Where else would I be at this hour of the day? I’m just finishing up a bowl of stew. I didn’t feel like eating earlier.”
“That sounds good. I haven’t decided on anything to eat yet.”
There was a stretch of silence. “You should take advantage of one of the good steakhouses up there and go out,” she suggested.
“I’m really not in the mood for being out in a crowded restaurant. I’ll probably just order something from room service. How did your day go today? Tell me about it.”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. I picked up supplies in town and ran a few other errands to the dry cleaners and post office. Then back to the ranch.” There were a few moments of hesitation on the line. “Are you still planning to be back sometime tomorrow afternoon?”
“I hope to be back then. That’ll give me time to shower and change and make the monthly cattlemen’s meeting. What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“Just another typical day.”
Conversation waned between them. Josie finally spoke.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“I don’t know. You seem a little preoccupied or something.”
“Guess I do have some things on my mind,” Chance admitted with a sigh.
“Is something wrong?”
“No…not really. Just have some things to sort out. Don’t worry about it. I better let you go and find something to eat and then hit the sack. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. Sweet dreams.”
Josie didn’t want to let him go. She realized how much she missed him and the depth of it had shocked her.
“Is there something else on your mind?” He spoke up when she was silent for so long.
“A girl has to have some secrets.”
“You used to tell me your secrets. Remember?”
“I remember. However, I told you most of them, but never all.”
“Should I be worried about the ones you don’t tell me?”
His voice lowered, and he held his breath…hoping that she would trust him one more time.
“Tom is here, and I need to talk to him. Have a safe trip back tomorrow.”
There was another long pause on the line. “Okay, Josie. I’ll let you run away one last time. Bye.”
“Good night, Chance.”
Chance sat looking at the phone in his hand for several long seconds. He had asked her what was wrong. She had every opportunity to tell him. She chose not to say anything. She had also left out the part where she had lunch with Dev and her trip to the bank. He ended up not ordering room service. He had another drink instead. The morning couldn’t come fast enough. He needed to get back to Josie.
*
“Do you have your money?” Those were the first words Josie spoke as she met Dev on the sidewalk outside the house at the planned time next morning. It was almost ten. Tom and the rest of the ranch hands were in a far pasture working, and everything was quiet around the ranch house…just as she planned. She didn’t want anyone to see Dev arrive or her hand him anything.
“I have mine,” he said, patting the breast pocket of his suit jacket. “What about the money from Chance?”
“I have the money here.” Josie reached inside her jacket pocket and withdrew the white envelope. Inside the envelope, was the cashier’s check for almost the entire amount Chance had placed in an account for her to use at her discretion. She knew this wouldn’t be the usage Chance had in his mind when he had made those provisions, but he did say it was up to her how it was spent. If she chose to use it to keep Chance safe and Dev out of trouble, then so be it. When all was said and done, she would explain to Chance what she had done and why.
“I knew I could count on you getting Chance to help out.”
“Chance doesn’t know anything about this, Dev. This money isn’t exactly from him. But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that you have the money to pay back your debt to those people, so they won’t make good on their threats. The sooner you do it, the better.” Josie was glad to be rid of the envelope. Dev took it with a swift eagerness and added it to what was already in his pocket. He flashed the smile that used to always make her day brighter. It no longer had the same attraction.
“Well, it makes no difference where it came from. You’re an angel for helping me out. I’ll be on the next plane to Vegas and get this all straightened out.”
“Don’t bother. We can get it straightened out right now.” The voice surprised them both. Josie caught sight of Dev’s face before she quickly turned to look at the two men standing at the corner of the house. There was a strange mixture of surprise and
perhaps a moment of fear in his eyes. That immediately put her body on alert. The stark reality of how alone they were at the moment hit her.
“Looks like we get to save you the cost of that plane ticket, Devlin. Shouldn’t you be thanking us?” The taller man of the pair, dressed in a gray silk suit and too much gold jewelry, advanced to stand just a couple of feet from them both. The shorter one hung back a few steps, his eyes watchful and cold. “Unless, of course, you were actually planning to disappear on us again, with all that money? Like you did when we found you in Atlantic City, last June?”
Josie swung her gaze to Dev. He had grown pale under his tan.
“Who are these men, Dev? And what about Atlantic City?” She was beginning to get a really sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“Devlin’s forgotten his manners,” the man spoke up. He turned his smarmy smile on Josie, extending a manicured hand in her direction. “Allow me to make the introductions, sweetheart. I’m Caesar Marin, one of the brothers of Devlin’s heartbroken ex-fiancée, Mariah. This other quiet visitor is Jaime…a cousin of ours. And, being a gambling man, I’d wager you’d be Devlin’s latest conquest.”
“You’d lose that one.” Dev finally found his voice and edged closer to Josie’s side, placing his body more between her and the man whose outstretched palm was ignored. “She’s none of your business. I told you I would have your money today. We agreed to meet in town. We’ll leave here and meet as planned.”
“Well, I think this is a fine place for a meeting.” The man’s eyes took in the quietness and the obvious fact no one else was around to cause problems. “You just hand over the money, and I’ll keep this beautiful lady company in the meantime.”
His gaze made Josie’s blood run cold in her veins. What mess had Dev gotten them both into?
“The only people going anywhere will be you and your friend…off this ranch and out of Braxton.”