For Always (A Donovan Friends Novel)

by AC Arthur

  Tyler had been following Gabriella’s procession across the room, but was sidetracked by a very interesting sight.

  “You sure about that, little brother? Looks like she’s becoming pretty chummy with someone else.”

  He nodded in Brooke’s direction when Jagger only looked at him quizzically. The frown on his brother’s face as they watched Brooke toss her head back and laugh, while rubbing a hand up and down the arm of a guy dressed in black denim jeans, black boots and a gray shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. That made the tattoos on each arm visible, even though Tyler couldn’t make out what the tattoo was specifically or what the words beneath it stated.

  “That’s Noah Windmyr,” Jagger said through clenched teeth.

  “Who?” Tyler asked. He looked at the guy’s face again, studying the five o’clock shadow at his jaw and the disheveled mud brown hair.

  “Noah. Jessie Windmyr’s son. Remember Jessie used to work here on the ranch.”

  Yes, now Tyler did remember. Jessie Windmyr was a stout man with a bald head and a gold front tooth.

  “He’d been a ranch hand when we were kids. But when I came home for Christmas that year, he was in the house a lot. When I asked Dad about it, he’d just said that Jessie had been promoted. He never said to what position.”

  “Noah was in the same grade as me, that’s probably why you don’t remember him,” Jagger said.

  His brother threw his head back and swallowed the scotch he’d poured before starting across the room. Tyler followed Jagger, because this was Dessie’s dinner party and the last thing she’d planned for was a brawl in the middle of the living room. He’d lost sight of Gabriella and wondered if she’d gone into another room. And if so, who was she with?

  “Hey, Noah,” Jagger said, tapping the guy on the shoulder.

  When Noah turned his attention from Brooke to Jagger, Brooke dropped her hand from Noah’s arm. Tyler tried not to frown at her when she looked past Jagger to him. In that moment Tyler knew her type. She was an opportunist. But why had she set her sights on Jagger? Before their parents passed away, Jagger made a good living, but he wasn’t obscenely wealthy. At the reading of the will Clyde informed Tyler that his parents’ estimated worth was somewhere around nine million. This included property, stocks that had been passed down from his grandfather, treasury bills, and investment accounts. Cash-on-hand totaled eight hundred and ninety-five thousand. That was already divided between Tyler and Jagger. At Jagger’s written request—because he was in Paris during that first week after the murders—his portion of the cash had been transferred into two separate accounts.

  Brooke couldn’t have known what Jagger would inherit. Not unless she’d already researched the ranch and their parents’ holdings. Which, Tyler realized with a start, he did not doubt was possible.

  “Jagger West,” Noah said and extended a hand for Jagger to shake. “It’s been a long time.”

  His brother looked more confident now that Brooke had moved to stand beside him, threading her arm through his.

  Jagger accepted the hand and kept eye contact with Noah. Their father had taught them to look a man in his eye at all times—whether he be friend or foe.

  “Eighteen years ago,” Jagger said, releasing Noah’s hand.

  “And Tyler,” Noah added as he looked away from Jagger. “You’re back too.”

  “Hey Noah,” Tyler spoke. He did not extend his arm to shake Noah’s hand, and noted that the guy hadn’t either.

  “The West boys are back at Westwind,” Noah said. “Bet nobody ever thought that would happen.”

  “Oh we won’t be here long, will we Jagger?” Brooke asked. “We’re just wrapping up the sale of the property and then we’ll be heading back to New York.”

  Tyler didn’t reply because he didn’t want to discuss the status of the ranch in front of Brooke, or Noah for that matter.

  What he really wanted was to talk to Gabriella. But he still had no idea where she’d gone.

  * * *

  Gabriella needed some air.

  She probably needed to catch the next flight out of this town and head back to Connecticut, with the mess she feared was going on around her. How had she walked into this confusion? Technically, it wasn’t her fault. She’d been hired to do a job and she’d come here to do it. Simple. Right?

  No.

  Now she was being low-key threatened by a primped and pampered bitch. And if that wasn’t bad enough, a washed up Barbie look-a-like was giving her the sharpest side-eye Gabriella had ever experienced. It was a wonder she wasn’t cut up and bleeding at this moment, after the way Hannah Palmer had watched her crossing the living room. If there was one thing Gabriella hated it was catty women, with issues they always tried to blame on someone else. Hell, she had enough issues of her own, she didn’t need to inherit or share any with others.

  With a sigh she leaned against the edge of the outdoor stove and looked up to the sky. When she was inside, she’d looked through the wall of windows that were steadily becoming her favorite feature in the entire house, and saw that the sun was just going down. Now, she was outside enjoying the sight and trying to clear her mind of what had happened in the first few minutes of her being here, when she was joined by someone else.

  “Hi. I’m Naomi Garret, Stephen’s wife. I just wanted to meet you before we sat down to dinner.”

  Gabriella smiled and shook the woman’s hand. “Hi Naomi. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Oh no, it is definitely my pleasure,” she said. “When Stephen told me you were an actual designer, I couldn’t wait to get over here to meet you.”

  “Really? Are you interested in design?”

  “Yes! I watch HGTV all the time. I was so excited when Stephen and I moved out of that little trailer we were staying in before the wedding. We’d been saving for a while so the trailer was cheaper than having to pay anybody rent. Mr. George let us park it on the grounds, back behind the employee residences. There’s no couples allowed in that building, so once Stephen and I became engaged we had to figure something out.”

  “I see,” Gabriella said.

  Naomi had a pretty smile and a lovely cinnamon brown complexion.

  “I hope you don’t mind but once you get started working on the house, could I stop by just to see how it’s really done?”

  “Sure,” Gabriella told her. “I mean, it’s okay with me. I’m not sure if you’ll need to get Tyler or Dessie’s approval as well.”

  Naomi chuckled. “Dessie’s the one who suggested I ask you. She knows I’ve been into designing for a while now. And when she told me she was going to hire a professional to help get the ranch together for sale I was so excited. Not that the ranch might fall into someone else’s hands, but because someone trained in design would be here.”

  “Well then, if Dessie is encouraging you, you must be good,” Gabriella said. “If and when I get started, I may need some help finding the best spots in town to pick up a few things. I use a lot of online vendors but I’m definitely planning to incorporate some local flavor. This place is already brimming with it, but I’d want to class it up a bit.”

  “Definitely,” Naomi squealed. “Thank you so much! And yes, I know exactly what you mean. Ms. Verna had good taste, but it was an older taste. Tyler and Jagger are younger, so I think bringing the house into a more contemporary western setting would be good. But, I mean, you tell me. I know you’re the professional and I’ll do whatever you ask.”

  “Then we have a deal,” Gabriella said. “I’m meeting with Jagger and Tyler tomorrow, so let me get your number and I’ll call you afterward to let you know which way we’re going with the project.”

  Gabriella had a good feeling about Naomi. Not just because she desperately needed to feel good about somebody on this ranch tonight, but because the woman had been referred to her by Dessie. Of everyone she’d met in Hobbs Creek so far, Dessie seemed to be the most genuine and Gabriella was determined to steer clear of the foolishness while she was
here.

  Including Brooke Radison and Hannah Palmer. Those two women definitely had plans for drama in their midst and Gabriella had already endured her share of that.

  Chapter 7

  Tyler touched Gabriella’s shoulder and when she turned, said, “Walk with me for a minute.”

  She hesitated and he held back a frown. “No touching or kissing or anything this time. I just want to talk to you.”

  “We talked before dinner,” she said, folding her arms over her chest. “And tomorrow at three we’ll be meeting to talk again.”

  “We won’t be alone tomorrow at three.”

  “Anything you have to say to me, can be said in front of Jagger. This is a professional relationship, remember?”

  “This is…something,” Tyler agreed. “Look, we both survived a pretty tense dinner party and now the guests are gone. The night is clear and nearly as sweltering as it was earlier in the day. I just want to take a few minutes to walk with you. Is that so wrong?”

  She didn’t immediately reply, but Tyler knew she was mentally ticking down a list of everything that was wrong about going for a walk with him. He’d gone through that same list in his mind throughout dinner. And still, he’d decided to approach her.

  “For just a few minutes,” she replied finally. “I don’t want to return to the room too late.”

  They’d been standing on the front porch and Tyler had already started down the steps before asking, “Why? Is somebody there waiting for you?”

  “No,” she answered quickly.

  Too quickly.

  “Not that it matters,” she continued as they started walking toward the side of the house.

  “It matters if there’s a security issue or something else going on at the resort. If there’s a problem, let me know and I can take care of it. Or you can just stay here.”

  The suggestion had come easily and Tyler found that he actually liked the idea of her being on the ranch with him. It was odd, but he’d already said it and couldn’t take it back.

  “My room at the resort is just fine. Thank you.”

  She was still irritated. He’d known that throughout the entire dinner. Dessie had put place cards on the long cherry wood table in the main dining room. Gabriella was seated beside Tyler on one side and Ted Palmer on his other. Ted had pretty much talked to Tyler the entire time, trying to get some confirmation on whether Westwind would remain the primary supplier for his steakhouse. Tyler had been as non-committal as possible, but still kept the conversation flowing in the direction of continuing their long-standing business relationship.

  So he hadn’t been able to assure Gabriella that there was nothing between him and Hannah. Somewhere between dessert and after-dinner drinks Tyler wondered why it even mattered. Gabriella had been stern in her position that they were only professionally involved. She wasn’t interested in any type of entanglements with a man. And Tyler had agreed, about three seconds before he’d kissed her again. After that second kiss, Tyler had been pretty certain that he wanted Gabriella Bennett in his bed. But he wasn’t going to force her there. He wanted her to come to him willingly.

  “You and Naomi Garret seemed to hit it off,” he continued as they moved further down the stretch of the house.”

  “She’s really nice and she’s interested in design. So if I end up working here, I’m going to hire her as a part-time assistant.”

  “Really? Just part-time?”

  “Yes. She told me that Dessie had talked to her about possibly taking the position as house manager if the decision is to keep the ranch.”

  “Really?” Tyler asked again.

  “Oh. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to say that much. I just assumed that you knew,” she said.

  Her feet moved steadily over the grassy path. Tyler continued to look down as they walked because her heels were really high, maybe five inches. He’d seen many women who couldn’t manage that well. Gabriella not only walked steadily in the heels, she seemed oblivious to how sexy those shoes made her legs look. For as lovely as Gabriella was, she never appeared to know it. Unlike many woman whom Tyler had crossed paths with. He liked that about her.

  “No. It’s fine. Dessie did mention something about hiring a house manager now that my mother is no longer here to run this place.”

  “So your father took care of all the ranch stuff and your mother managed the house? Then when they decided to open the resort, she hired her best friend to manage that. There seems to be a lot of love and loyalty surrounding Westwind.”

  Tyler looked over to her. They were still walking and she was staring straight ahead, holding her purse under her arm.

  “It used to be that way,” Tyler admitted. He hadn’t thought about that aspect since he’d been back, but Gabriella was absolutely right.

  “My parents where childhood sweethearts. They married at seventeen and started their life here. I saw my dad doing everything from milking goats to mucking stalls. And my mother could clean a bathroom better than any housekeeping staff I’ve had in all my adult life. She could also cook a fantastic pot roast and smoothly negotiate half off the price for a piece of furniture.” Tyler rubbed a hand down the back of his head. “They were great people.”

  “And now you’re wondering if you can be as great as they were if you choose to run this place?

  Her question came as they approached the entrance to the garden his mother had fondly tended. Suddenly, Tyler wanted to know if Gabriella liked the garden too. He led them under the trellis covered in ivy.

  “I know absolutely nothing about tending a garden,” he said when he watched her looking around.”

  “This is beautiful,” she said and walked ahead of him. “I love how the colors blend seamlessly together. It’s probably vibrant and cheerful in the daylight.”

  “It is. And the cattle are large and healthy. The horses sturdy and from good bloodlines. Everything around here works the way it should. But I bought in exercise equipment because that’s how I function. Back in L.A. I spend the bulk of my day either in my home gym or filming at a studio gym. So, yes, I guess you’re right,” he told her. “I don’t know if I can run this place. I don’t know if I have what my parents did.”

  She turned slowly until she faced him. They were a few feet apart because he’d been following behind her.

  “Then you make it what you want. You run this place the way you want to. Not the way they did.”

  “What if I can’t?” he asked the question that had been on his mind since the moment he set foot back on this ranch.

  “But what if you can?” she proposed instead.

  “Stay with me tonight,” he said and slipped his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching out for her.

  Her reply was immediate. “No.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m working for you.”

  “Not because you don’t want to?” he countered. He needed to hear her say it.

  “Tyler,” she started and then sighed. “We’ve gone over this already.”

  “You’re right,” he told her with a quick nod. “We’ve gone over the fact that you came to Hobbs Creek to do a job. So let’s not rehash that. What if you weren’t here to work? What if you and I just met? Would you stay?”

  She held her bag in front of her, fingers clenching it tightly.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Yes, you do.” He took one hand out of his pocket and ran a finger along his chin. “You’re a decisive woman. You were offered a job, you accepted and you showed up. You were told to leave because there was no job. You said okay and you packed up. You were told there might be a chance again at that job. You said fine and you stayed. Not once did you say you didn’t know, or that you had to think about it. You decided and you acted. That’s what you do.”

  “You don’t know me,” she replied quietly.

  “But I’d like to get to know you,” he said. “I’d like to find out what your favorite meal is. Mine used to be shepherd’s pie. Are you right-ha
nded or left-handed? Do you snore? Electric toothbrush or regular? Autobots or Decepticons?”

  She smiled.

  “I kind of like Megatron,” she replied.

  He grinned, loving the fact that she actually knew who the Transformers were. “It figures.”

  When they stood in an oddly comfortable silence surrounded by the scent of flowers for a moment, he decided that was enough for the night. If he stood here with her any longer he would be tempted to pick her up and carry her to his bedroom. And while that sounded good, it wasn’t her coming to him willingly.

  “I’ll walk you to your car,” he said and turned to head back to the entrance.

  When she called his name and touched his arm, Tyler stopped. He looked over his shoulder to see her standing at his side.

  “I am attracted to you,” she said and then cleared her throat. “I don’t know why or how because it wasn’t my intention. But there it is.”

  “There it is,” he said and nodded. “So what now?”

  “Now I go to my car and head back to the resort. I have a meeting to prepare for. And you should probably go inside and wash Hannah’s lipstick off your cheek.”

  Tyler instantly recalled Hannah’s goodnight kiss and rubbed his left cheek. Cursing he looked at his fingers and saw the smudges of red.

  “It’s not what you think,” he began. “Hannah and I went to high school together. I haven’t seen or talked to her since I left Hobbs Creek twenty years ago.”

  She was nodding now and grinning at him. “It’s fine, Tyler. As I said before we don’t owe each other any explanations. Besides, I know what Hannah’s intention was. She left her mark so I would stay away. I understand.”

  “But I’m not hers to mark. It’s ridiculous and—”

  His lips clapped shut when Gabriella rested a hand on his shoulder and leaned in to plant a kiss on his other cheek.

  “There,” she said. “Now Hannah and I are even, so we can drop this.”

  Tyler was going to say something else, but Gabriella had walked ahead of him and as he followed, he lost his train of thought because he couldn’t keep his eyes off the tempting sway of her ass.