“You’ve told me you were gathering information on the area. Like what?” he asked, sitting down on the side of the bed next to her.
One of his old T-shirts now graced her shoulders, covering up her tempting body. Her scent drifted to his nose from her hair. Damn, she smells good.
“Information on the soil, water, those kinds of things. Nothing special.”
“What does our financial stuff have to do with that?”
She jumped to her feet. “Nothing. All right. I was curious. That’s it!”
“I don’t believe you.”
“No shit!”
She threw off his T-shirt and pulled her clothes on.
“Where are you goin’?”
“Back to my cabin. Obviously you don’t trust me and you don’t believe me. I can’t be with a man who thinks I’m totally up to no good.”
“If you aren’t up to something, why are you so defensive?” he asked, coming to his feet too. Something wasn’t right here.
“Fine. I’m telling them every fucking thing I can find out about your family. Your financial situation, everything!”
“Why?”
“Because they want to buy you out!” She pushed her fingers through her hair. “Hell if I know, Jeff. I’m an architect. I’m not a damn financial wizard. They want information on you. I’ve been gathering it, but I’m not sure I’m giving it to them.”
“You’re plannin’ on betraying my family?”
“I’m not planning anything. Some of the things I’ve found on the area lead me to believe things aren’t as they seem.”
Anger zipped through him. “I think you need to leave.”
“I am!” She shoved her feet back into the shoes she’d worn to the house.
“Leave my family alone. I want you off the ranch tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll leave when I’m damned good and ready.”
“You aren’t welcome here anymore.”
“I have a job to do.”
“Do it from someone else’s ranch.”
“Fuck you! I’ll do what I need to do. Plus, I’ve paid for the time to stay here. If you don’t like it, too bad. Talk to your mother.”
“I will!”
She stomped out to the living room, grabbing her purse from the couch on her way by.
The door slammed on her way out and he raked his fingers through his hair. What the hell just happened?
His cell phone jingled on the counter where he’d left his keys. “What?”
“Tell your family their done in the Hill Country.”
The phone clicked in his ear.
“Great. Now I’m getting threatening phone calls too? Jesus.”
He grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and down half of it in several long gulps. Trust. Damn, it’s a two edge sword. He learned not to trust a woman when Misha stabbed him in the back. Now Terri. He’d really begun to think she was different than any other woman he’d known, but apparently not. She used him to get close to his family, just like Misha.
What the fuck? Why do I keep running into these bitches out to use the hell out of me?
Chapter Eleven
Terri walked into the diner in town through the tinkling glass door. The ‘50s décor was a welcome change after everything cowboy the last few days. The checkered tablecloths gracing each of the tables with vinyl and metal chairs at each one seemed almost quaint.
After she’d left Jeff the night before, she’d received a phone call from the partners demanding to meet her today. Up until now, she hadn’t decided whether she was going to give them the information she’d gathered or not.
She took a seat in one of the booths. The vinyl seat felt cool against her back and legs.
“Hi there, sweetie. What can I get you to drink?”
“Coffee, please, Ann.”
“Coming right up.” Ann stayed for a minute as she tilted her head to the side. “Where’s Jeff?”
Terri frowned. “Working I guess. I really don’t know.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you two were friends from what Nina told me.”
“We were, but things have changed a bit with our friendship. He doesn’t want to see me anymore.”
“Now, that seems just like Jeffery. Stupid cuss.”
“Can I get that coffee, please?”
“Oh sure, honey. Sorry.” Ann shuffled off but came back a moment later with the coffee pot and a mug. “Do ya need cream?”
“Yes, please.”
“What would you like to eat?”
“Just coffee for now. I’m meeting someone.”
Ann nodded. “Okay. Just holler when you’re ready.”
“Thank you.”
When Ann had walked away, Terri looked at the door to the diner with trepidation. She didn’t want to do this anymore. Betraying Jeff and his family left a bad taste in her mouth, but what else was she supposed to do? If she told the developers the truth, they’d try to buy out the entire Hill Country. The information she gleaned from her research told her the piece of property next to Thunder Ridge would make a fine development property but if they tried to put in a golf course or something along those lines, they would have to divert a lot of the natural springs to keep the thing watered. She knew a course was part of the developers plan for their property.
One more thing she’d learned. Jeff’s family had never had their property tested for oil. The soil samples she’d taken initially told her there was a possibility. She wanted to tell Jeff. She wanted his family to drill and see if there might be a rich oil deposit on their property, but he wouldn’t talk to her now. Not after their blowup the night before.
“Terri?”
“Yes? Hi, Mr. Cole.”
He held out his hand for her to shake.
“Hello,” she said taking his hand. The sweaty palm grossed her out, making her shiver in revulsion.
“May I?”
“Of course.”
Ann appeared seconds later. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
As soon as Ann departed again, she turned to the gentleman at the table with her. “I don’t know why you wanted to meet this morning.”
“We need a report.”
“There’s nothing to tell you other than the information I have on the area with the soil, water, etcetera.”
“What about information on the family?”
“I don’t have anything.”
“Nothing? Surely you gleaned something from your time spent with the eldest son?”
“No.”
“You mean you were fuck buddies with him and didn’t learn anything?”
“Excuse me?”
“We know you’ve been getting cozy with Jeffery Young. Surely you gained some kind of information we can use?”
“The Young family is a stable part of this community. Leave them alone.”
“We want that property, Terri, and you’re going to help us get it.”
“I’m not doing any such thing.”
He tapped the spoon on the edge of the cup, grating on her nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard.
“Then the loan you took out to open your business comes due immediately.”
“You can’t do that! That’s a quarter of a million dollar loan. I don’t have that kind of money.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s your choice. Tell me what you know or the loan comes due today.”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
“I find that hard to believe, my dear.”
She shivered. The blackness of the man’s eyes made her think of the devil, all he needed was a couple horns sprouting from his forehead. These men were cutthroat and now she was in their sights.
“I don’t know anything. They’ve been very closed mouth about their family and their business. They haven’t told me a single thing that would be helpful to you.”
“Let us be the judge of that.”
She inhaled sharply. What the hell could she tell him to get him to leave her and Jeff’s
family alone? “They are very stable financially. They haven’t been sued for any accidents or anything on their property. The cattle and the guests keep them in a good position.” She bit her lips. “There is something.”
“What?”
“Some information I found out about the property itself. You can’t build on it.”
“What?” He slapped his hand down on the table, making her jump. “That’s crazy. We’ve got plans. We’ve got investors. You’re wrong!”
“I’m not wrong. Water rights are held by the Young family for the property you want to build on. All of the natural springs run through their property.”
“We’ll ruin them so they’ll have to sell.”
Think quickly.
“I’ve also checked with the local zoning codes. The area isn’t zoned for a development.”
“We’ve already talked to the zoning committee about changing the zoning.”
His self-righteous smirk made her want to slap it off his lips.
Her cell phone buzzed. “I need to check this.” The report she’d been waiting for popped up on her screen. Thank you God! “I just received a report I’ve been waiting for. You can’t build on the property you already own because it’s a natural habitat for a rare bird. It’s now been classified as a wildlife refuge.”
“No fucking way.”
“Yes, way.” She turned the cell around so he could see it. “I spotted the bird when I was out riding with my ‘fuck buddy’ as you called him. I wasn’t sure until now.”
“We’ll move the damned bird.”
“You can’t. The paperwork is being processed as we speak to reclassify the property. There’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
He jumped to his feet, pointing one finger at her. “You’ve done this!”
She raised an eyebrow, but managed not to grin.
“You’re going to be ruined. I’ll see to it myself.”
“Do your best. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just doing my job, but you know what? If it means keeping you from ruining a nice family’s livelihood and kicking them off property that has been in their family for a long time, then so be it.”
Ann stepped to the side of the table. “You need to leave, sir. Your coffee is on the house.”
“You can’t kick me out of this establishment.”
“Oh, yes I can. I own this diner and I don’t want your kind here. Good day, sir.”
Mr. Cole sputtered a few obscenities under his breath, grabbed his briefcase from the bench and then stomped like a two year old throwing a tantrum as he left the diner.
“Thank you, Ann.”
“You’re welcome, honey.” She slid into the booth seat. “Tell me what’s going on between you and my nephew?”
“Nothing really.”
“I think there is.”
She ran her finger around the rim of her coffee cup as she stared at the brown liquid hoping for some answers. “It doesn’t matter.”
Ann patted her hand. “What you’ve done for the family matters. You can bet Nina and James will hear of this because I’ll be sure to tell them.”
She focused on the friendly face of the waitress across from her. “Please don’t. I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, you did. You saved their place from those vultures. They have the money and the resources to close Thunder Ridge should they decide to.”
Her heart rate slowed now since Mr. Cole had left, leaving her feeling relieved but anxious at the same time. Would he come back? Would they be able to change the mind of the wildlife committee with enough money greasing palms? She hoped not, but this might not be over yet. “Luck was on their side. If I hadn’t spotted the bird, things would have not gone as well.”
“I heard what you said to him. You were trying to stall hoping for this news from the wildlife people, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I tried everything I could come up with to make him think they wouldn’t be able to build on the property. I knew the report would come through this morning, but I didn’t know when.”
“God watches out for us in mysterious ways at times.”
“Yes, he does.”
Ann’s gaze narrowed. “What did you and Jeffery fight over?”
“All of this.” She waved her hand indicating the entire situation. “He knew I worked for the developers and that I was asking a lot of questions. I needed the information from his family. Originally, the developers wanted me to find out something to ruin them, but I couldn’t do it. Never mind my feelings for Jeff. I just couldn’t see doing anything to hurt such nice people.” She took a sip of her coffee, now gone cold. “I hate cold coffee.”
“Let me warm it up for you.” Ann took the cup and returned a moment later with a fresh one.
“Thank you.”
“Now, go on.”
“Nina, James…everyone has been so nice to me. Even Jeremiah gave me the information I needed to be able to bluff Mr. Cole with until the report came through, but I couldn’t tell Jeff what I was up to. He thinks I got the information to give to the developers.”
“Which he was correct in a way.”
“True, but I couldn’t tell him the real reason behind my need for the information. I wasn’t sure the wildlife committee would come through.”
“So tell him now.”
“He won’t talk to me.” She sipped her coffee. “Besides, he doesn’t trust me now.”
“His ex-wife took care of the trust thing.”
“Yes, she did.”
Ann tapped her fingers on her lips. “I think he’ll come around when he finds out what you’ve done.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m going home to Houston today. My work here is done. I have to make sure Mr. Cole’s threat is nothing more than a threat. He could kill my business if he forces those I borrowed the funds to start my business from into making my loan come due. I don’t have a quarter of a million dollars to pay them off.”
“Don’t worry, honey. Everythin’ will work itself out.”
She squeezed Ann’s hand. “Thank you for listening. I think I’ll take breakfast now.”
“Good. What can I get you?”
After she ordered a ham and cheese omelet, she sat back in the booth with a satisfied smile on her face. She’d done a good deed. It felt wonderful to her heart even as the organ broke inside her chest. Somehow during the time on the ranch, she’d come to care for the enigma of a man who wouldn’t open his heart to her no matter how much she tried or what she said. He wouldn’t trust her now because of her deceit.
As the bell dinged over the door, she glanced up. Nina Young strolled in and took a seat across from her.
“What’s this I hear you’re leaving for home today? You still have a good few days left at the ranch.”
“Hello to you too, Nina.” She laughed.
“I’m not into niceties when my eldest son’s heart is involved.”
Terri shook her head and glanced over at Ann. “She works fast.”
“Yes, she does. Good thing I was already in town at the bank and courthouse dealing with Jeff’s ex this morning when she called.”
Ann placed a cup of coffee in front of Nina and Terri’s plate in front of her. The food look fabulous as her stomach rumbled in earnest.
“Go ahead and eat while we talk.”
“You mean while you talk?”
“Yes.” Nina smiled. “I like you, Terri. I like what you do for Jeff. He needs someone like you in his life.”
“He doesn’t want me in his life. He’s told me as much.”
“He doesn’t know what he needs or wants.”
“And you do?”
“Yes. Ann told me what you did for us. I want to tell Jeff.”
“Please don’t.”
“He needs to know he can trust you. You saved our ranch.”
“He can’t trust me. He knew all along what I was doing and he chose to believe the worst in me…in all women.”
“Damn his ex-wife.”
; “She did a number on him, yes, but it doesn’t explain everything.”
“You’ve heard she left him on their wedding night to party with her friends and didn’t return for two days?”
Terri nodded as she took another bite of her omelet.
“Well the part most people don’t know except me and his father is that he found her with another man.”
“Seriously?”
“Two days into their marriage, she cheated on him. In fact, at first we didn’t know whether Ben was Jeff’s or someone else’s. Why he didn’t leave her ass the minute he caught her cheating, I don’t know except he was in love with her.”
“He’s a lot more patient and loving than any man I’ve known.”
“You know he loves you, right?”
Her stomach flipped over. “No he doesn’t.”
“He’s been nothing but a bear this morning. Slamming things. Cussing up a storm. When I asked him what was wrong, he told me you were gone and you weren’t coming back.” She shook her head. “The sadness in his eyes tore at my heart. Yes, he’s angry because he feels like you betrayed him and us, but we both know you didn’t. He needs to know the details of what happened so he can realize his feelings for you are genuine.”
“I don’t want him to know.”
“You don’t care about him?”
“I care too much for him.”
“I don’t think anyone can care too much.”
Terri shook her head and glanced down at her plate. “Please, Nina. Let it go.”
“All right. I will because you’ve asked me to, but I think you’re making a big mistake.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.” She finished her meal and pushed the plate out of the way. “I’ll be leaving for home in a couple of hours. I’ll be back to the ranch to get my stuff.”
“I wish you would talk to Jeff.”
“I know, but it’s not meant to be.”
The bell tinkled as another couple came in. “Hey, Ma!”
“Oh my. I didn’t realize you two were coming back today!” Nina stood and hugged them both before she turned around to face Terri again. “Terri, this is my son Joel and his new bride Mesa. They just returned from their honeymoon.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She noticed immediately the blue eyes and identical features to Jason and Joshua. “So you’re the third in the triplets.”
Healing a Cowboy's Heart (Cowboy Dreamin' 2) Page 13