For Always (A Donovan Friends Novel)

by AC Arthur

  “Jagger left before the security systems were installed. So we never got a chance to give him a badge,” Tyler stated.

  “But you would have given him one?”

  Tyler didn’t like the question any more than he liked the way Alvarez was glaring at him at the moment. “Of course I would have. He’s my brother.”

  “It’s no secret that you two had a run-in and you bought out his share of this ranch. Maybe there’s some hard feelings. A grudge to settle,” Alvarez continued.

  “The West boys were raised better than that,” Clyde said, coming to a slow stand.

  “Jagger is my brother, regardless of whose name is on the deed for this property. We’ve had many spats in our lifetime, but nothing changes the fact that we’re blood,” Tyler replied through clenched teeth.

  Alvarez nodded. “Gotta cover all the bases.”

  Tyler would have appreciated it if the bases didn’t include his brother, but he took another gulp of his drink instead of replying.

  “Now, what do we know about this Gabriella Bennett?” Alvarez had moved on.

  “She’s been on the ranch for three weeks now. Checked in to the resort on June 24th. Works for The Proctor Group, a national company.”

  “Dessie hired her to help fix up the ranch for sale,” Clyde stated.

  “And I hired her to re-design the ranch when I decided to keep it,” Tyler added.

  “Is that all we know about her? What’s on her resume?”

  Tyler tried not to frown because he knew Alvarez was paying particular attention to his reactions to the questions.

  “I know that she’s good at her job. She spends the bulk of the day here at the ranch or down at the employee residences. And at night she returns to the resort,” Tyler told him.

  Clyde spoke up again. “Sometimes she walks around the resort taking pictures and measurements. Dessie says she’s determined to do a good job.”

  Alvarez nodded. He hadn’t written down anything Tyler or Clyde had said about Gabriella.

  “Word around town is you’ve got a personal interest in her,” the sheriff said after a few moments of silence.

  Tyler did frown then. He hated gossip. It was a part of the culture in Hobbs Creek and in L.A. Seems no amount of running or growing up had afforded him an escape from that fact.

  “Word around town is not my word,” Tyler replied.

  “So she’s not upstairs sleeping in one of those rooms?” Alvarez asked. “She’s not going to spend the night here on your ranch?”

  “She was shot at here on my ranch,” Tyler told him.

  He emptied his glass and set it on the desk in front of him.

  “Could that be because of a jealous lover? You’ve got a pretty good following with your videos and pictures and stuff,” the sheriff continued.

  Tyler spoke in as calm a voice as he could muster, considering he wanted to punch the sheriff for reinforcing the guilt Tyler already felt about what happened to Gabriella today. “I wasn’t involved with anyone before I came here and I’m not involved with anyone now.”

  “That’s not what Hannah Palmer’s saying,” Alvarez persisted like a dog with a bone.

  “Now, really, sheriff. Are you going to stand here and start bringing up all the town gossip? Or are you going to get out there and find out who was shooting at these kids this morning?” Clyde asked and then walked over until he was standing face-to-face with the sheriff.

  “This session is over. Tyler has given you all the information he has. And so has Stephen. If you need to speak with these men about what’s happened on this ranch today and the day of the vandalism, you can contact my office to schedule an appointment.”

  Alvarez tilted his head. “You sure that’s how you want to play this, Clyde? I get the impression you don’t know much of what’s going on out here these days. George is gone so you’re not in and out the way you used to be. There’s a new West in town and he’s doing things his way.”

  “He’s doing things the way his daddy taught him,” Clyde continued. “And I’m doing things the way my law school degree taught me. Now, again, this session is over.”

  Alvarez took his time flipping the cover over his notepad and sliding the pen into the holder on its side. He tucked that pad in his back pocket and then picked up his hat from the edge of the desk. Placing the hat on his head, Alvarez tipped it back and looked at Stephen, then Clyde, and finally to Tyler.

  “I’ll be going now,” he said. “But I’ll be back.”

  “Hopefully with news that you’ve caught the person responsible,” Tyler told him.

  Alvarez nodded before leaving.

  When he was gone, Tyler sat heavily into the leather office chair.

  “He’s going to keep digging until he finds something,” Clyde said.

  “Good.” Tyler nodded. “Let’s hope he finds something fast. Before I have to take matters into my own hands.”

  * * *

  Gabriella’s cell phone was broken. It was on the dark wood floor in a million little pieces. So she reached over to the night stand to pick up the land line. She pressed the talk button and put the phone to her ear.

  He was laughing.

  The way he used to laugh whenever they watched a stand-up comedy special. His favorites were Kevin Hart and Katt Williams. She preferred to watch an actual movie, but she’d compromised for him. Because that’s what one was supposed to do in a relationship.

  He continued to laugh as her hand shook. He was mocking her, again. And Gabriella couldn’t stand it another minute. She tossed the phone across the room. It crashed through the window. The noise was so loud, she woke up.

  With a hand to her heaving chest, Gabriella screamed in frustration. And then she remembered where she was. She clapped a hand over her mouth and sat in the middle of the queen-size bed willing the tears not to fall. She was so sick of this! She’d just let her chin drop to her chest and closed her eyes when she heard the door to the bedroom open. Jumping off the bed quickly, she grabbed the first thing she saw. Because it was the middle of the night and the only light in the room were the slithers of moonlight coming through the partially opened blinds, that was the pillow off the bed.

  The light came on and Tyler ran over to where she stood.

  “Are you alright? Did something happen?”

  He was asking questions, his concerned gaze raking over her. She felt bare in a way that far surpassed the fact that she was wearing a nightshirt that barely covered her butt.

  “I…ah…I’m—”

  “Here, let me take this,” he said coming closer and easing the pillow out of her grasp.

  She’d still been holding it above her head like she was ready to hit him—or whoever was coming into the room—with it.

  “I just,” she started and then stopped. Gabriella let her arms fall by her sides and fought for the composure she always displayed in business situations. In fact, she made a point of displaying a carefully composed and often exuberant persona at all times, in front of all people. It was how she’d always been able to cope.

  “Had a bad dream, I guess,” she said with a shrug. “Sorry to have wakened you.”

  “No need to apologize,” Tyler said. “I can go down to the kitchen and fix you some hot tea, or if you want to stay up for a while, I can stay with you.”

  His tone was low and soothing and almost put Gabriella at ease. Almost, but not quite. She’d been down that road before and had sworn she wouldn’t travel that path ever again.

  “No,” she said adamantly.

  He tossed the pillow on the bed.

  She sighed.

  “I’m not being a bitch,” she said. “Or maybe I am. But I don’t mean to be.”

  She cleared her throat. “I’m fine. I’ve had bad dreams before and I survived. Thanks for coming to my rescue, again, but I’ll be okay.”

  He gave her a curt nod, and said, “But you’re not okay right now.”

  She wasn’t. She was anything but okay. Her stomach wa
s doing some weird flip-flopping, her temples were throbbing from trying to forget the latest disturbing dream and the air conditioner really worked well in this house because not only were her nipples growing hard, but her legs were chilly.

  “I am,” she insisted, being careful not to say she was fine. “I’m good. Really, I am. You can go back to bed. I promise I’ll be quiet for the rest of the night.”

  “You don’t have to be,” he said. “Quiet, I mean. If you’re afraid, you can say something. I know it’s not normal to go riding and have someone shoot at you. I promise you I’ll find out who it was, but until I do, I plan to keep you perfectly safe.”

  “Oh,” she said because it was all she could think of.

  He thought what happened this morning was what had frightened her. Oh, how Gabriella wished it were that simple.

  “It was just a dream, Tyler. I promise you I’m okay now,” she said.

  He nodded and turned to walk toward the door. That’s when she noticed that he was only wearing shorts, no shirt, no socks, and no shoes. And she had no idea what the hell she was doing.

  “You can call me if you need anything.”

  “Huh?” she asked when she realized he’d stopped at the door and was staring at her expectantly.

  “If you wake up again or if you can’t fall asleep,” he said. “I’m right next door. You can call me on my cell or just come over. I don’t mind.”

  “I won’t,” she replied. “Because I’m okay.”

  “Right. You’re okay.”

  He gave a half smile and then a little wave of his hand before pulling the door closed behind him. The moment Gabriella heard the click of the door closing, she fell back on the bed and bit back a groan.

  She had to get herself together. There was no room in her life for regrets or even memories. What happened with Austin was over and done with. She’d survived and moved on. The words seemed easier and even true when they were recited in her mind. As for her daily activities, well, that still left a lot to be desired.

  Thanks to Austin’s latest text messages and the dreams, Gabriella felt like she was reliving that nightmare all over again. It was so unfair. She’d worked so hard to move past this, to put herself back together after being in love with Austin had shattered her. And none of it had worked. She was still a mess. And if she didn’t get her act together, she was going to show Tyler how broken she really was.

  Unless…

  Her mother believed in fate. How many times had Beatriz told her children about things happening beyond their control, and how sometimes those things were for the best? Too many for Gabriella to count. What if meeting Tyler was fate? What if Gabriella was meant to be in this place at this time, with this man, so that she could prove that she was finally over Austin and all that he’d done to her?

  What if the physical attraction she’d felt toward Tyler from day one was fate and not just hormones?

  What if she took him up on his offer and walked next door to see if that’s where fate was leading her?

  What…what the hell was she doing?

  Gabriella turned off the light and climbed back into bed. Her mind was playing awful tricks on her. First with the bad dreams and then by adding the fantasies of Tyler into those dreams. She was here to do a job, not to get laid.

  Even if she did kind of need the latter, pretty badly.

  * * *

  Tyler punched the pillow like it owed him money. He’d been tossing and turning for the last half hour. Sleep wasn’t in the mood for him tonight, something he’d accepted hours ago when he’d finally left the office and come upstairs.

  He’d paused by the closed bedroom door and stared at it for endless seconds. Then calling himself the biggest fool, he’d walked the extra steps to his bedroom and closed the door. He told himself to stop thinking about her and the fact that she could have been shot and killed today, because of him. The cold shower he’d taken had been a form of punishment for giving her a reason to stay here and had nothing to do with his hourly hard-on each time he thought about her.

  This wasn’t about sex. He’d put her life in danger, all because he hadn’t wanted her to leave. Because he wanted to sleep with her.

  The shower hadn’t been punishment enough.

  He’d spent the next few hours lying in bed berating himself yet again for the mistakes he continued to make in his life. Tyler knew that was normal. It was a part of growing. He’d read enough motivational books to get the picture. Do things, make mistakes, learn a lesson, stop doing things, and be a better person. That’s how it worked. For some people. For him, it was more like do things, feel bad, do more things, feel worse, do the ultimate thing, and what? Get somebody killed? He’d been cursing himself and holding his pillow over his face in the hope that maybe it would stop his breathing, when he heard her scream.

  It was like hearing the gunshots all over again. His heart stopped and he just took off, trying to get to her as fast as he could. To make sure she was alright. It was imperative that she was alright.

  Why, he had no idea.

  Or rather, he didn’t want to think too hard on that particular idea.

  Because it wasn’t for him. He’d known that after the whole Hannah episode. Love, relationships and happy ever after weren’t on the agenda for Tyler West. As for Jagger, well, he’d always won in that department. For years Tyler had thought it ironic that his father considered him the best at ranch work and Jagger hated that. While Jagger always won with the women, Tyler used to hate that.

  And she was standing there, holding that pillow up like she was ready to swing it at him or whoever came into that room. She was ready to defend herself, but he’d come to her rescue. It was weird, the feeling that she didn’t really need him to make sure she was okay, slapping against his guilt for putting fear in her life in the first place. He couldn’t quite get a handle on it. Nor could he stop staring at the way her raised arms lifted that already short nightshirt she was wearing so that he could see the pink panties that covered her mound.

  The stark fear and pain he saw etched across her face had jerked him out of the fantasy where he was pulling those panties down her long bronzed legs, with his teeth. He’d gone to her and tried to help and she’d told him she didn’t need his help. So he’d left. Yet, even now, as he lay in the bed, in the room next to hers, he still felt like he was standing right there in front of her, struggling for the right words or actions that would…what? Make him the winner where women were concerned this time? Tyler groaned at the sheer stupidity of that thought.

  Then he jumped at the soft knock on his door.

  He got out of the bed and walked to the door, surprised once again by the sight of her when he opened it.

  “You told me to come to you when I was ready. You said you would be waiting,” she said.

  She was standing with her shoulders squared, her hands clasped in front of her, and that wicked short nightshirt still playing a mean game of peak-a-boo with him.

  “I was waiting,” he admitted as he knew now that was the real reason he hadn’t been able to sleep.

  She licked her lips quickly and smiled. “Well, I’m here. And I’m ready.”

  Chapter 10

  There was no fear in her eyes. No pain etched along her face. Nothing, but natural beauty staring back at him so starkly, Tyler felt like he’d been slapped in the face and commanded to wake up from a dream.

  “Are you not ready now?” she asked after he’d closed and locked his bedroom door.

  “I’m trying to be sure we’re both on the same page here, Gabriella,” Tyler said.

  He wished like hell it was as simple as saying ready, set, go and jumping into bed with her. A few weeks ago, that may have been the case. He would have gladly ripped her clothes off and thrust deep inside her without any words other than consent. Tonight, things were different.

  She stood at the foot of his bed, her arms behind her back, feet bare, and hair a tangled mess haloing her face.

  When he�
�d come back into his room Tyler had switched on the lamp on the nightstand beside his bed. So there was a golden hue surrounding her, making her appear almost ethereal. Tyler closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and released it slowly before opening them again.

  “We agreed there was an attraction between us. We’ve spent weeks getting to know each other. You were ready first. You said you would wait for me to come to you. I’m here,” she said. “I’m ready.”

  “What about Austin?”

  The words were tough to speak because Tyler didn’t know if he really wanted to hear the answer. If she told him that she was in love with another man at this very moment, he wouldn’t like it. He’d live with it, but he wouldn’t like it at all.

  She didn’t speak immediately, but the look on her face said it all. Shock, trepidation, annoyance and then resolve.

  “You whispered his name when you regained consciousness,” he told her before she could ask him how he knew the name. The last thing he wanted her to think was that he’d done any type of background check on her, beyond the Google search they’d both admitted performing on each other.

  “Austin and I broke up months go,” she stated slowly, evenly. “I don’t know why I would have whispered his name.”

  “Are you still in love with him?”

  “No. If I was, I wouldn’t be here asking you to make love to me.”

  And he wouldn’t be standing there trying to keep a tight rein on his desire.

  “I know what I want, Tyler. I know who I’m with.”

  She grabbed the hem of her nightshirt and lifted it up and over her head.

  Tyler watched the material fall to the floor and then he looked at those white painted toe nails once more. They were the first part of Gabriella Bennett he’d ever seen. His gaze traveled upward past the bronzed skin of her calves, to the smooth curve of her thighs, and the puff of her mound covered in a wisp of pink lace.