by Regan Black
It was possible someone had been drunk, driven off the road and had ambled about until they came to their senses. He’d believe it if the trail meandered or had been muddled. It didn’t. One set of boot prints led toward the fence, took a brief stroll along the fence line and then turned back to the tire tracks.
He didn’t like it, not this close to Mia’s hiding place. Not right on top of his run-in with Regina and Mia’s uncomfortable call with her father. Had someone been looking for her? He took pictures with his cell phone of the boot prints and the tire tracks and the damaged vegetation.
Questions and options raced through his mind. Call in his brother, notify his boss, ask Selina to invite Regina over for a chat so he could get his hands around that devious woman’s throat.
He started with the most crucial piece and sent Mia a text message to confirm she was all right. He waited for a reply, and his heart pounded as he pulled himself back into the saddle. Duke sidestepped, sensing his distress. He took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down for the horse. For the next calls he’d have to make to Spencer and Asher.
He was about to blow up Mia’s secret, force her to hide elsewhere, all because Regina was a greedy, dangerous person who would go to any lengths to keep her power, money and status.
Impatient and increasingly unsettled, he called Mia, riding toward the bunkhouse while the call went through.
“Jarvis?”
Her voice hit him like a ray of morning sunlight, and the sharpest of his worry evaporated like dew. “Yes.” He forced a smile onto his face, into his voice. “I was close and wanted to check in.”
“That’s thoughtful. I—I’m good.”
The catch in her voice sent him right back into worry mode. “You’ve had trouble today? Where are you?”
“No trouble,” she replied. He didn’t quite believe her. “We’re at the bunkhouse. I’ve got my hands full with Silas,” she said. “Did you meet with your brother?”
“I spoke with him and he’s going over your information now.” He didn’t mention his side trip to Selina’s house. “I just needed to hear your voice.”
“Oh, good.” She sounded delighted by that admission. “Wait. Did something happen?”
“Not really.” He wanted to tell her everything and press her for what was on her mind, too. But he didn’t have facts and he wouldn’t upset her without reason. “I’ll be at today’s dig site soon. Do you need me to bring anything along with dinner tonight?”
“That’s more than enough.”
Now that she sounded more relaxed, he felt better, too. Ending the call, he forwarded the pictures he’d taken to Spencer, with a request to factor them in with the information from Mia. With no damage to the fences, he wouldn’t tell Asher yet.
As if on cue, his phone rang and Asher’s picture filled his screen. He kept Duke at a slow walk as he answered the call.
“I saw you finished at Selina’s place,” the foreman said.
“It was a loose wire on those string lights on her deck,” Jarvis replied. “Did she complain about me?”
“Should she?” Asher countered, laughing. “You know I’m more curious if she said anything helpful.”
“No clear admission of anything. My take is that she was fishing to find out if she’d told me something important when she was so tipsy after the party.”
“You couldn’t use that?”
Jarvis watched the terrain for landmarks. “No. If I had guessed and been wrong, she would’ve known I was lying. Better to keep her off balance.”
“Probably right. Where are you now?”
“I rode off into the sunset to give Selina something to ponder,” Jarvis joked. Asher howled with laughter. “Have you heard about anyone interested on the northern property line? It looks like someone pulled off the road and was poking around.”
“No one should be out there,” Asher said. “Probably a drunk driver.”
“I looked around and came to the same conclusion,” Jarvis said. “The fence is fine,” he added. “I took some photos, just in case, but I didn’t see any damage worth reporting.”
“Well, that’s a plus. Keep me posted.”
“Will do,” Jarvis promised.
Hours later, Jarvis knocked on the door of Mia’s bunkhouse. It was well past dark and his shoulders ached after another fruitless attempt to find a small metal box on the massive ranch. At least dinner would be amazing. Fried chicken, corn on the cob, green beans, biscuits and berry cobbler had been on the menu tonight for the crew. Although he hadn’t expected to be on the cleanup crew, a mishap with a kitchen knife meant he had to fill in.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said when she opened the door.
She treated him to that beautiful, open smile that made him feel downright heroic. “Smells delicious,” she said, eyeing the bag in his hands. “You’re forgiven. Get in here.”
“Grab a plate.” She did while he unpacked the bag, opening the various containers for her. “How was Silas today?”
“He had a great day. Fresh air and sunshine, a full tummy, playtime and good naps.”
“Living his best life,” Jarvis observed.
“He is.” She ate while he amused the baby.
The little guy was taking in everything with those big brown eyes. Although Jarvis knew Mia’s ex was part of the baby’s DNA, whenever he looked at the baby he only saw Mia’s features. If the genetics held, the little boy would be breaking hearts by preschool.
He and the baby smiled and played. He tried not to dwell on how natural it felt to chatter along with the baby while he waited for Mia to open up about what was bugging her. It was something to do with her son, if he read her correctly.
“Thanks for feeding me.” She blotted her lush lips with a napkin. “Did you see Regina in town?” That she’d felt the need to ask was a huge clue to the issue on her mind.
“No. But I’ve been away from civilization most of the day. I had to handle the meeting with Spencer over the phone.”
“Oh.”
“Regina might be manipulating your father’s phone and emails, but she can’t possibly have access to the MVPD.”
“True. I’m just...”
He picked up the baby and moved to the table. “Just?”
“Tired and paranoid. And sad. Dad texted me this morning, but it probably wasn’t him. So I was careful.”
“I don’t think it will take Spencer long to get back to us.”
A faint smile touched her lips. “Were you able to search at all?”
“I found another place the box is not,” he said.
“Good.” She took a bite of the cobbler and closed her eyes. “This is epic.” She handed him a fork. “There’s enough to share.”
One more boundary he plowed right through for Mia. They polished off the sweet dessert and she reached for her laptop. “I think I have a better idea. Come over here.”
As he sat down, he caught her minimizing a map of residential Las Vegas and a tab with home listings in Denver. “Are you thinking of moving?”
“Yes. Call it plan B. Or G, or whatever letter I’m up to by now. We can talk about it after you see what I found for you today.”
His stomach cramped. His search seemed less important lately. He had all his life to find that box. Mia’s situation was more urgent. She couldn’t stay out here indefinitely and was clearly making plans to move on.
Without him.
Why the hell did that hurt?
Yes. She was thinking of moving. Said it as if that was the most obvious solution. It was. She couldn’t live in secret out here forever. He looked down into Silas’s face, his ears ringing and his heart hammering that his time with this little guy was limited.
“Jarvis. You’re not listening.”
“Sorry.” He focused on the map of the ranch filling her screen and the point where her fi
nger hovered. “Your son is a terrible distraction.”
Her expression softened. “I know.”
An unsettling feeling of rightness sifted over him. This woman, with that warm, uninhibited love shining in her eyes and her child in his arms, was right. For him. He could almost hear the click as everything snapped into place. He hadn’t counted on this at all.
Was her love worth the effort and risk theory rubbing off on him? He’d initially blamed her philosophy about life and living on motherhood and a daughter’s tender heart and devotion. He had no idea how to explain the reaction rocketing through him.
He felt Silas getting sleepy and he stood up, swaying gently with the baby. “Why add this spot to the search?” he asked, the unfamiliar emotions making his voice rough.
“I made a few calls this afternoon. Many of the public records have been scanned in and I was able to access them online. I’d rather be there in person, but...” Her voice trailed off and she stroked a curl of hair over Silas’s ear.
“Anyway,” she cleared her throat. “I took a closer look at which acreage was acquired when.” She zoomed in. “We’re here,” she pointed. “And this sector northwest of us is a prime spot to look.” She tipped her face up, smile blooming. “I think it’s the spot.”
In his arms, Silas gurgled. “He seems to agree,” Jarvis joked. “Tell me more.”
“Either Herman or Eugene Colton picked up this strip of land just a few years before the date on that deed of sale that shows Herman sold the property to Ainsley.”
She clicked and opened a new window on her screen and a spreadsheet opened. “This is hardly proof of anything, but this is the list of when which parcels changed hands. Between Herman and Eugene and the Ainsley family, the acreage that melded into the Triple R was in flux for a long time.”
“But we’re not sure that first deed of sale between Herman and Ainsley was legit.” He said it out of habit as much as belief. He still had faith in his grandfather’s story, but that properly filed deed of sale would be hard to overcome. “It doesn’t make sense that Herman would sell the land and keep searching for the card cheat while telling anyone who’d listen that the property was rightfully his.”
“I know.” She looked at him, sadness filling her lovely eyes. “You may never know exactly what happened.”
Well, he had no chance of separating fact from legend without the box. “So that’s the spot?”
Her teeth nipped her lower lip and her mouth quirked to one side. “All it needs is an X,” she said with confidence.
“Can I take a look?”
She scooted over and he handed her the baby, before taking the seat she’d been using. He scrolled in and out on the image as he read through the documentation of this particular acreage. “This is even farther out than I expected.”
“We know the land and landmarks can change over time.”
He nodded. “Weather, usage, roads and development. Earthquakes.”
She rested a hand on his shoulder. “You won’t offend me if you disagree.”
He gave in and leaned into her comforting touch. “It’s worth a look.” He smiled, pulled out his cell phone and noted the position. He added a star to it, his reminder that the location was her suggestion. It was strange having help in this endeavor, a quest he’d relegated to white-whale status.
“I guess I have my marching orders,” he said. Sitting back in the chair, he moved the cursor over the Las Vegas tab, but he didn’t open it. “So tell me why you’re thinking of moving away.”
“An email came through earlier. It was an update on the college fund my dad and I set up for Silas. Someone closed the account. The money is gone.”
He knew Mia was thinking about her stepmother’s previous theft. “Who has access?” he asked.
“Only my father and me,” she said. “It has to be Regina. Either she convinced him to move the money or she managed to fake the signatures. Again.”
It was exactly what he’d been thinking. “Convincing your dad to move the money seems like a hard sell. Even if he’s upset with you, he wants what’s best for your son.”
She gave a low growl of frustration. The sound was far from intimate, but it slid under his skin, anyway. Made him wonder what kind of pleasured sounds he could draw out of her.
“Did you try to call?”
“As soon as I saw the email,” she said. “My calls went straight to voice mail. I sent text messages, but he hasn’t answered. Regina hasn’t answered for him, either.”
He knew she was thinking the worst, that Regina had finally attacked her father to draw her out. “Wouldn’t closing or moving an account like that have to be done in person?”
“It can be done online,” she said. “I don’t care about the money. That account was entirely a gift for Silas from Dad.”
The baby had dozed off in her arms and he hoped her distress wouldn’t wake him. One thing that struck him time and again was how down-to-earth Mia remained. Practical, kind and genuine.
“Online or in person, there has to be a record, whether it’s security cameras or electronic documentation. This is something Spencer can dig into. Let me loop him in,” Jarvis urged. “Your dad handles accounts for many high-profile people and businesses. If he’s being coerced, people need to know.”
“That’s true. Do it.”
He sent the information on to Spencer, then studied her profile. While talking about his search, she’d been animated and confident. Now she looked more defeated. “What’s also true is that moving away won’t guarantee your dad’s safety. Regina is greedy and conniving. That won’t change no matter what you do.”
He ignored the small voice in his head that whispered he was being selfish by urging her to stay. She needed a life, a full and vibrant life, and once Regina was under control, she could have it right here in Mustang Valley, where he could still see her around town. It wasn’t like they were destined for wedded bliss. He wasn’t the man who could keep her and Silas happy and content in the long term.
Carefully, so he wouldn’t wake the baby, he pushed back from the table. He stretched his arms overhead, then arched his back, easing the aches that affirmed an honest day’s work on the ranch.
“You really do love being a cowboy.” Her soft smile lit up her face and ignited something deep in his chest.
“You’re right.” Could she love him as a cowboy? He swallowed the question before it embarrassed them both. “I don’t see it changing.”
An operation this size always needed something, and each day was a slight variation on the last. Yet it was the constancy amid all of it that appealed. And like a fool, he kept wondering if she could be happy with an average cowboy rather than a slick, wealthy businessman. Even if his old career miraculously put him in the same financial league as Mia, he couldn’t go back to that life, not even for her.
“Will you stay again tonight?” She peered up at him through her lashes.
“Sure.” Of course he’d stay. It wasn’t just about keeping watch. He was too attached to her and her son. The smart move would be creating some distance before he spouted promises he couldn’t keep. “And with a little luck, tomorrow night I’ll be here with dinner and Herman’s box in hand,” he said lightly.
With Silas down for the night, they talked of other things, lighter topics until they were ready for bed, as well. Mia was a woman who deserved promises and a man who would keep them. Jarvis came from a long line of men who drank heavily and died early, leaving the people who dared to love them behind. He wasn’t an alcoholic, but that wasn’t enough to convince him he’d be different in the long run.
His siblings, the only two constants in his life, had found the courage to fall in love. That was great and fine for them. Jarvis couldn’t muster up the same faith in a happy ending for himself.
“Jarvis?” She twisted around to face him in the bunk. “Will y
ou be here for coffee?”
“I’ll probably need to get out of here early.” His mouth touched hers almost against his will. He needed that sweet taste of her to carry him through the night. She was warm, her lush lips tempting. His self-control fraying, he pulled her close, his fingertips caressing her generous curves.
“I want you,” she whispered. The invitation fluttered against his throat. Butterfly wings carrying world-altering cargo. “I don’t want to wait anymore.”
The idea of spending the night with her body tangled with his hit him like a kick in the chest. With another woman, child or not, he might jump at the chance. He’d been the rebound guy before and been fine with it.
An easy, compatible one-night stand wouldn’t be enough. Instinctively, he knew Mia wouldn’t be out of his system with just one night. That was why he’d been avoiding anything more than hot kisses and sizzling caresses. He feared she was an addiction as detrimental to him as alcohol and bitterness had been to his grandfathers.
“We shouldn’t,” he said. “I want to,” he insisted as her disappointment sagged against him.
“Because of the baby?” Her fingertips dragged down his chest and lower until he trapped her hand under his.
“Because of everything.” An owl called and Jarvis listened. There was no reason to think Mia was in danger, and yet he remained alert.
“I understand.” Her words brushed against his throat.
He was glad one of them did. “Get some rest.” He brushed a kiss to her lips and heard himself make her a promise. “When this is over, if you still want me, I’m all yours.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
He was already hers. And he was increasingly convinced that nothing would alter that fact.
Chapter 11
Mia wondered how Jarvis was doing. She’d hoped to say good morning, share that magical first cup of coffee with him this morning, but he’d been gone before Silas had woken her.
As the day wore on with no contact from him, she started doubting herself for being direct last night. But she did want him, had wanted him from that very first kiss. One way or another, her time here would end. It was selfish and possibly arrogant to think making love with Jarvis would somehow bind him to her when she and Silas came out of hiding.