Her reaction had been involuntary, no more stoppable than a force of nature. If she’d had any warning, her reaction would have been much different, more civilized and ladylike. And, she decided, that’s just what it would be from now on. Strictly business. She wasn’t the same innocent girl that he’d taken advantage of before. Now she was a hell of a lot smarter, especially where Cole Jordan was concerned.
As a matter of fact, she might as well start acting businesslike now. With the shot of whiskey bolstering her courage, Charley picked up the telephone. She’d just call him and apologize for the way she’d reacted earlier, and find out what time he’d like to meet tomorrow. There was only one motel in town, and if he’d been here for very long, she’d have heard about it.
“Tanya? This is Charley Hart. Can you connect me to Cole Jordan’s room, please?” She could hear paper rustling in the background.
“Charley? We have no one registered under that name.”
“Well, how about under CJE, Inc. or Jordan Enterprises?”
“Nope, sorry.”
This was silly. Where else could he be staying? “Has anyone checked in over the last twenty-four hours?”
“A mother with two screaming kids, and a salesman.”
“What does the salesman look like?”
“About sixty, gray hair, kind of chubby.”
“Okay, thanks Tanya. That’s not who I’m looking for.”
She dropped the phone into the cradle and stared at it in perplexity. So much for that plan. She’d just have to do it tomorrow, face-to-face. The idea didn’t thrill her. It would have been much easier to apologize if she didn’t have to see his expression when she did it.
Pulling her purse from under the counter, she headed toward the door. She’d have to be sure to set her alarm when she got home. Only rarely did she make it to work before eleven, but tomorrow she wanted to be sure she was here well ahead of Cole. The reasoning behind this decision escaped her at the moment, but she didn’t really care. With a final glance around to make sure everything was in order, Charley locked the doors and climbed into her Chevy pickup.
The grinding of the starter made her hold her breath, and she didn’t let it out until the motor finally caught. Uncle Victor had offered to buy her a new truck but she had refused. This one might not be pretty, and it might not be the most reliable transportation in the world, but it was paid for and she’d done it all by herself. Most importantly, it would get her back here in the morning for her next confrontation with Cole Jordan.
In spite of her intentions to be businesslike, a chill ran over Charley. Dear God. He was back, and tomorrow she would have to face him knowing that he was going to break her heart all over again.
Chapter Three
The sun was just beginning to emerge from hiding when Cole stepped out of the shower, his mind on the coming day. A whole day to spend with Charley. If she showed up, that is. He couldn’t keep from smiling. He had expected her to be upset over his sudden reappearance in her life, but never in his wildest fantasies had he expected her to go ballistic as she had last night. It gave him more hope than he’d had in years. If some part of her didn’t still care, there would have been no need for a reaction like that.
Again, he dressed in jeans and a shirt, then headed out to the Jag. He wanted some time at the Red Dog before Charley got there. When he’d bought into the saloon, he’d received a set of keys, so getting in would be no problem. The only real problem he could see would be keeping his hands off Charley. But he had to, and as much as he hated the deception, he had to make her think that this was just business for him. He had to give her a chance to get to know him again, and hopefully, to love him. Everything he had—the money, the businesses—were worth nothing to him without her. For Charley, he would give away every penny he’d earned the last few years, and do it with a smile on his face.
Full daylight had finally pushed its way across the sky when he stopped the car behind the Red Dog. The parking lot was empty, just as he’d hoped it would be. He let himself in, turning on lights as he went. Charley’s office was easy to find. It was the only one in the building. Her desk was neat, as though she rarely used it, and he suspected she probably didn’t. Charley had always been more the hands-on type, preferring to do the physical work herself. Last night had shown him how good she was at it. Her customers loved her. She must hate the paperwork that went with running a business.
The books were in plain sight, but he ignored them for now, choosing instead to explore the rest of the building. The hall was long and lined with doors. He went through each room methodically. Several were cavernous storage areas, full to the rafters with boxes and supplies, but at least three rooms would be suitable for offices when they were cleaned out. The one directly across from Charley’s would be his. It wasn’t the largest, but he liked the location, and it would fit his needs perfectly. At the moment it only contained one long table with several folding chairs. They would need the table before the day was over.
After making a trip to the Jag to get his briefcase, Cole returned to Charley’s office, taking long enough to start coffee brewing in the pot that sat on a side table. With the books spread out in front of him, he went to work, periodically jotting notes on the paper next to him. Charley had created her own system for keeping books, it seemed. He smiled slightly. It was going to take an accountant a solid week of hard work to get them straightened out again.
The first inkling he had of Charley’s arrival was the loud backfiring of a vehicle from somewhere nearby. The sputtering of a motor that sounded like it was making its last bid for life echoed from the back of the building and then stopped completely. Relief flowed though him. She had decided to show up.
Listening to the back door open, and the sound of her footsteps down the hall, he went back to staring at the books, trying his best to look uninterested in her arrival. He didn’t even look up when she stopped in the doorway. The silence extended until Cole was on the verge of checking to see if he’d only imagined she was there.
“How long have you been here?” She sounded edgy and nervous, but no longer mad.
“Long enough.” He still didn’t look up. “Who does your books, Attila the Hun?”
Instantly, she bristled. “I do my own books, and the system works just fine for me. If you don’t understand it, that’s your problem.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t understand it. But the way they are now, if you were ever audited, they’d probably throw you in jail just on general principle.” He finally looked up, his gaze sweeping her rapidly before returning to her face. She had obviously dressed with care. Nothing too fancy, of course. Just a pair of khaki pants and a golden-brown, silk blouse, but she looked like an angel in them. “That’s the first change we’re making. I’m going to hire an accountant to take care of them, if you don’t mind.”
“Do I have a choice?” Sarcasm dripped from her words.
“No. Not in this area.” He leaned back in the chair. “Maybe we should get a few things straight right up front, Charley. I bought into the saloon because I happen to have some plans for this area of the county. It was a good investment, and it has the potential to make us both quite a bit of money. I don’t intend to take the management of the Red Dog away from you. For one thing, I don’t have time to do it myself. For another, you seem to be good at it and I don’t believe in fixing what isn’t broken. On the other hand, I have no intention of fighting with you over every improvement I want to make. So you can either work with me and have a say in what’s happening, or you can stay out of my way. What’s it going to be?”
Charley stared at him. He knew the exact moment when it finally dawned on her that this wasn’t a short business trip for him. He was back to stay. Cole watched as emotions flashed across her face too rapidly to read.
“Why didn’t you let me know you were the one buying into the saloon, Cole? Why the big mystery?”
He toyed with an ink pen. “If you’d bothered to read the contra
ct carefully, you might have known.”
“My lawyer handled it. She’s competent. I was mainly concerned with the financial details.”
“Maybe you should take another look at it. It says very plainly that CJE, Inc. is a subsidiary of Jordan Enterprises.”
“Oh, believe me, I will.” She took another step into the room. “I tried to call you at the motel last night.”
Cole leaned forward and pulled a pad of paper closer. “I’m not at the motel.” He jotted two numbers down. “You can reach me at one of these if you need to. The second one is my cell phone. Don’t lose them. They’re unlisted.” He handed her the paper, his fingers just barely skimming hers. A tingle shot all the way up his arm, and he saw with amusement that she flinched. “What did you want?”
Charley looked down at the numbers, then folded the paper and stuck it in her pocket. “Two things, really. I wanted to find out what time you were planning to be here, and I wanted to apologize.”
“Apologize?” It was hard not to smile, but he managed to keep his expression only mildly interested.
“Yes. For the way I acted last night. It was uncalled for and rude. My only excuse is that you surprised me. There’s really no reason we can’t be civilized about this. After all, the past is past.”
“Is it? That’s an interesting philosophy.” He gave her a bland stare. “But don’t worry about it. I’ve been called a lot worse than bastard in my life. I suspect I will be again.”
She hesitated. “Business is really the only reason you’re back?”
Cole arched an eyebrow. “What else would it be?”
She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. “I don’t know. It’s just that the Red Dog doesn’t really seem important enough for you to be this interested in it. Not when you’ve got your company in California to take care of.”
“I didn’t say I was here just to make changes to the saloon. It’s actually a very small part of the business that’s brought me back. I need a base of operation. The Red Dog is in the perfect spot to provide me with one.”
“What other business could you have in Canyon Bend? There’s nothing here.”
“I remember.” He gave her a half smile and gestured. “You may as well sit down and I’ll tell you about it. You’ll find out soon anyway. I’ve asked for a special meeting of the City Council Monday night.”
Charley sat down on the edge of a chair and wiped the palms of her hands surreptitiously on her legs. “I don’t understand.”
“I bought Duncan Mills. By the middle of next week an entire crew of construction workers will begin renovations on the ghost town. The projected time to completion is six months. When they’re done, Duncan Mills will be restored to what it once was and become a major tourist attraction.”
In spite of herself, Charley felt a tingle of excitement. “You’re serious? Do you know what this means?” She leaped to her feet and began pacing. “More jobs, higher wages. Canyon Bend will become a boom town!” She waved her hands in the air. “This is fantastic! There will be so many opportunities. And the Red Dog! There’s so much I need to do. Six months, you say?” Reality hit hard, and she sank back down in the chair, groaning. “I can’t. We’re making money, but not that much.”
Cole stood and picked up his briefcase. “Come on, let’s go across the hall.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to show you something, and I need more room.”
Charley followed him, watching his broad shoulders move under his shirt. This man in front of her had made love to her, and there was hardly a night since then that she hadn’t felt him touching her, driving her into a frenzy of need. She shook her head, trying to push the memory away. He was also, she reminded herself fiercely, the man who had left her without a word. She wouldn’t allow it to happen again.
Before she had time to brace herself, he turned with his back to the door and their gazes met as he pushed it open. Charley could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks and willed herself to look away.
“Charley, is working with me going to be a problem for you?”
The heat flared higher as she brushed by him. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”
“You seem kind of uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable? Why would I be uncomfortable?” Anger shot through her again. “I mean, you ask me to marry you one night, and then disappear for ten years. Now, you suddenly waltz back into town and act as though nothing happened. You want to know why I seem uncomfortable? Think about it!”
He dropped the briefcase onto a chair and leaned back against the table, watching her. “Sometimes, Charley, circumstances are out of our control. One of these days, maybe we’ll talk about it.” He turned and pulled out a set of blueprints. “Unfortunately for you, you’re stuck with me. There are only so many things I can delegate before I have to step in and do the work myself.”
Was it her imagination, or had his voice softened for a moment? And what circumstances was he talking about? Could it be that he hadn’t wanted to leave her? An unidentified emotion began to slowly unfurl inside her, but she squashed it like a bug. Whatever excuse he came up with would be a lie. She knew Cole well enough to realize that nothing could have made him leave if he hadn’t wanted to. Steeling herself to a calm dignity, she moved to the table. “What’s that?”
Cole glanced at her. “Blueprints for the Red Dog.” Anchoring one end of the roll with his briefcase, he spread the plans on the table. “See? This is the building as it exists now. When Duncan Mills is fully operational, there are going to be some things that are desperately needed. A restaurant is one of them. What I’d like to do is add one on to this side of the saloon.”
Charley leaned over the table, scanning the plans rapidly. “Are these to scale?”
“Yes.”
“Then we have a problem. As much as I’d love to see it happen, this restaurant would take up most of our parking space and quite a bit of the land bordering our property. Even if I had the money to build it, which I don’t, I doubt the owner of that lot would approve of us building on it.”
“I own the land. As a matter of fact, I own all the land between here and Duncan Mills. Another one of my projects is going to be a hotel. It will be built halfway between Duncan Mills and the restaurant. Money will be no problem. I’m paying for the restaurant.”
“No.” Charley stepped back. “That wouldn’t be fair. I own half of the Red Dog, I should be able to pay half the cost of improvements.”
“Can you?” he asked bluntly.
Charley wilted. “No. My house is mortgaged to the hilt and there’s no way the bank will loan me any more.”
Cole ran a hand though his hair, glanced down at the plans and then looked back at her. “If we don’t move on this now, someone else will. How about if I loan you the money? You start paying it back after all the work is done and the tourists start to arrive. Say, one year from now.”
“If you own all that land, why don’t you just build it there? You don’t need it to be part of the Red Dog.”
“Yes, I do. I’ve had feasibility studies done, public opinion studies done, marketing studies, and two dozen more that I won’t go into. They all agree that the best place for it is right here.”
“How long have you been planning this?” Charley asked, surprise running through her.
“Two years. It took that long to buy the land and get the preliminary work out of the way.”
“So when you bought half of the Red Dog, you already knew?”
“Yes.”
Charley chewed on her bottom lip, thinking. “I want a contract of repayment, and I want the payments to reflect the current interest rate. Also, I expect an accounting of every cent spent on the construction, and I want a clause that doesn’t penalize me for early payoff of the loan.”
Smiling, Cole stuck out his hand. “Deal.”
She stared at his hand for a second, every nerve in her body screaming. Hesitantly, she raised her own and felt it enfolded i
n his warm grip. Instead of shaking it, he held it, his gaze meeting hers again.
“Your lawyers or mine?” The tone of his voice seemed huskier than it had been and Charley felt heat curl in the center of her body.
“What?” She couldn’t seem to take her eyes from his.
“Who do you want to draw up the contract, your lawyer or mine?”
“Oh.” Somehow, she managed to extract her hand from his. “I guess yours can do it, and then I’ll have mine go over it. After I read it, of course.”
“Of course.” If he intended to say anything else, his words were cut off by a beeping noise coming from his pocket. “Excuse me.” He pulled a cell phone out and flipped it open. “Cole Jordan.”
Charley leaned over the plans again, trying to at least give him some semblance of privacy.
“She did? No, that’s fine, Robert. Here’s the deal. I know there’s a lot of yard to take care of, but I’ll pay you ten dollars an hour during the summer. When school starts back, you can put in a few hours once or twice a week in the evenings, and all day Saturdays. How does that sound?” He listened for a second and then laughed. “Sure. You can start Monday, and bring your swimming trunks.” There was another pause. “Of course you can use the pool. That’s what it’s for. Just give me fair warning if you plan on deluging me with your buddies. See you Monday.” He shut the phone and returned it to his pocket. “Sorry for the interruption, but I told Robert to call me today. I didn’t want to disappoint him.”
“Robert?” Charley glanced up in curiosity.
“Robert Stockton. I met him in town yesterday.”
“I know him. He’s a very nice boy. His father owns the garage.” She hesitated. “You’ve already rented a house?”
“No, I bought one.” For the first time today, he was the one who seemed uncomfortable. “I bought the Carstairs house.”
For Love of Charley Page 3