Taming Clay

by Raeann Blake

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  He stared out the door and clenched and unclenched his jaw several times. It irritated him that he’d woken up alone. He’d expected her to still be there. He didn’t have any clue what time she left. He took in a deep breath then turned away to start downstairs. When his eyes landed on the picture again he stared at it silently for several seconds then grabbed it and stuffed it in his pocket without looking at it.

  He went silently down the stairs and glanced at her office on his way by. He could see her behind the desk but she didn’t even look up. Instead of stopping, he turned and started for the kitchen.

  “Son, what are you doing up? You probably didn’t sleep more than an hour or two,” Shack said quietly.

  “I’m fine. Good morning, you two. Man, I like this,” Clay said lowly.

  “So do we, buddy. Get some coffee,” Laine said.

  Clay glanced at Isobell then walked to the coffee pot. “Good morning, Isobell.”

  He didn’t miss that several seconds went by before she answered him. It wasn’t hard to figure out that she was angry with him. He poured the coffee in silence then walked back to the bar and slid onto a stool. He let his eyes drift to Hailey’s usual spot then quickly looked away.

  “The herd’s okay, I guess.”

  Clay looked up at Laine then nodded slightly. “Yeah. I didn’t go all the way through the valley, but I didn’t see any down.”

  “Is that old cat still up there?” Shack asked then grinned at Laine when just the touch of a smile tugged at Clay’s lips as he nodded.

  “Yeah, he’s still there. Stared at me for a little while but then he ignored me, just like he always does,” he said then stopped talking and lifted a steady gaze to Isobell when she set a plate in front of him none too gently.

  “You got something to say to me?” he challenged.

  Isobell narrowed her eyes at him for a few seconds and started to turn away but then stopped and looked back at him again.

  “I’ve got plenty to say to you. Most of it you won’t like. But I’ll tell you one damn thing, Clay Cardell. Sometimes I think if brains were leather, you couldn’t saddle a flea,” she snapped then spun on her heel and walked back to the sink.

  “Well then that makes at least one person that agrees with that old bastard that your mamma worked for,” Clay said quietly.

  “Clay,” Shack said harshly.

  Isobell immediately turned back to face him with tears filling her eyes. “Clay, I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry,” she choked.

  Clay blew out a long sigh and shook his head then rose and walked to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

  “No, I’m sorry. That was a shitty thing to say and I know you didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry. Don’t cry.”

  Isobell hugged him tightly then dried her face before she looked up at him again. “Sit down, Clay. Eat your breakfast. I’ll go see if I can get Hailey to eat.”

  “She hasn’t eaten?” Clay asked as he walked back to the bar.

  “No. She said she wasn’t hungry, but I’m going to try again.”

  “Let me try,” Laine said as he pushed off the stool. He walked silently to the office and found her working steadily. He watched her for several minutes without saying anything.

  Hailey set her jaw slightly and waited until he unnerved her a little. “Yeah?”

  “Stop working and come eat.”

  “I’m not hungry. I’ll get something later,” she said evenly without looking up.

  “Hailey, if you’re gonna stay here, you’re gonna have to face him sooner or later. You might as well start now. Get up and come with me,” Laine said as he walked around the desk and reached out to still her hands. He took one in his then tugged slightly until she finally sighed and rose to follow him with leaden footsteps.

  She didn’t know how to face him. She hadn’t been able to stop herself last night and now she didn’t know what to say to him. That’s why she had slipped out before he was awake. She had no doubt that he would regret what had happened and would probably regret asking her to stay even more. She didn’t want to see that in his eyes.

  She glanced up once as Laine pulled her into the room then right back down when she saw his jaw set back into the granite line.

  Laine pushed her towards a stool and said, “Here she is. Feed her. Shack can hold her and I’ll spoon feed her if she won’t eat on her own.”

  “You and what army,” Hailey muttered.

  Laine chuckled and said, “I’ve got a whole ranch full of hands that can help with that. Think that’s enough?”

  Shack couldn’t help but laugh when she lifted a steady gaze at Laine and muttered, “Maybe. But you’d better not be close when they turn me loose.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Are you gonna eat or not?” Laine shot right back.

  Hailey clenched and unclenched her jaw a couple of times then looked up at Isobell when she set a plate in front of her.

  “It looks like I don’t have much choice,” she said quietly then looked down at her plate and started eating quietly.

  “Did you see the belt buckles, Clay?” Shack asked.

  “No,” Clay said lowly.

  Hailey breathed in slowly through her nose and blew it back out before she lifted her head. She still didn’t look at him but she did speak to him. Laine was right. It wasn’t going to get any easier. Might as well just do it.

  “The receipt for mine and Isobell’s is in your office. We told him to expect you to get the others. They do kid-sized buckles as well,” she said quietly.

  “Okay.”

  Hailey waited until she’d taken the next bite and swallowed it before she spoke again. “We need a safe for my office.”

  Clay waited then finally raised his head slowly to look at her. “And why would we need that?”

  “Because when you’re not here, I can’t get to the extra backup drive. We need to get one for my office. I’ll give you the combination but then I can get to it when I need to.”

  When he didn’t say anything she looked up and found him watching her intently. “That’s it? You want a safe for your office to hold that little backup drive?” he asked lowly.

  “Unless you’ve got a better idea,” Hailey said right back without letting her gaze waver.

  “As a matter of fact, I do. That sounds to me like a waste of money when the only thing of any value in that safe is that drive and the petty cash. Since you can sign checks, it’s a little pointless to be worried about what little money is in the petty cash box,” Clay barked.

  Hailey’s mouth opened then shut and she shook her head. “Which would be very fine and well if you didn’t sound like you think I was just trying to get the combination to the safe.”

  “If I thought that, I would have said that. Don’t put words in my mouth. If I suspect you of something, I’ll let you know,” Clay said evenly.

  “Well you certainly haven’t had any problem in that department so far,” she snapped and then started eating again.

  Laine ran a hand down his face and shook his head at Shack as he searched for something to say.

  “Uh—when are we goin’ into get those buckles, buddy? They’re really nice. I’m anxious to get one.”

  Clay dragged the hard gaze at Hailey away then over to Laine. “We can go anytime you want to. Whenever you’re ready. You should go with us, old man.”

  “Yeah, I’ll go with you. They are nice. You should put yours on before we go,” he said then clamped his mouth shut when Hailey’s head dropped slightly and Clay’s eyes lifted up to him. He saw them shift to Hailey with a frown then back to him.

  “What do you mean mine?”

  “Ummm…damn, I’m sorry. I, uh…I guess that was supposed to be a surprise,” he muttered.

  “I thought I told you for the two of you to get yours and I’d get the rest later,” Clay said evenly.

  Hailey let out a ragged breath then suddenly slid off the stool and walked out.
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br />   “Dammit, Clay. She bought it for you. She wanted to give it to you as a gift,” Isobell said hoarsely.

  Clay leaned his head forward and propped it against his hands as he drew in an uneven breath then pushed it back out again.

  “Well…how the hell was I supposed to know that,” he whispered then went through the same door.

  Hailey walked slowly across the yard. She wanted to make sure her expression was calm and giving nothing away before she reached the stables. Her whole world might be coming apart, but she didn’t have to let anybody know that. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin slightly before she pulled the door open and walked through it. She went straight to Charlie’s office and stopped in the doorway.

  “Hey, Hailey. How are you this morning?”

  “I’m fine. Did you get everything set up? Is there anything you need that you don’t have?”

  Charlie shook his head and smiled at her. “I’m good. Everything’s working like it’s supposed to. You didn’t get caught in that storm the other night, did you?”

  “I did actually. It hit just about the time I got to where we camped that second night. It was pretty scary riding through those trees with that lightening hitting so close, but we made it.”

  “I know what you’re talking about. I’ve been caught up there like that. It’s just like you’re right up in the middle of those clouds with the lightening flashing all around you. It’ll put religion in you in a hurry, that’s for sure,” Charlie said then laughed when Hailey nodded seriously but smiled at him.

  “Which I guess you figured out. Are you riding out this morning?”

  Hailey shook her head and said, “No, I just thought I’d talk to Soldier for a few minutes. I’m just taking a break and thought I’d stop and make sure you had everything you needed. Let me know if you need anything.”

  Charlie nodded and waved a hand as she backed up and started back down the aisle. When she reached Soldier’s stall she found him with his head draped over the gate.

  “Hey, fella. How are you today? I guess I put you through a few really tough days, didn’t I? Are you all rested now?” Hailey crooned as she ran a hand down his face then moved to rub down his neck.

  “Heard you got caught with a little egg on your face.”

  Hailey’s head jerked up and around to find a smug look on Lynn’s face as she leaned back against the opposite wall in a relaxed stance.

  “Did you? What would that be?” Hailey asked as easily as she could.

  “Something about some pictures. I gathered Clay wasn’t really impressed with your photogenic qualities.”

  The snide undertone set her temper rising but she didn’t let it show in her face or come out in her voice.

  “Yeah? Where did you hear that?”

  When she only shrugged her shoulders, Hailey decided to take a shot. “I heard something, too. Heard you were seen downtown that day.”

  “You heard wrong. I was right here. Ask Davey or Houston. The three of us were mending fences that day.”

  “And yet you know exactly what day and what you being downtown would imply,” Hailey said without letting her gaze waver from hers.

  “Not nearly what those pictures must have implied,” Lynn said easily then shoved away from the wall and started down the aisle.

  “Still claim to not know who Abraham Yates is? Or is it Isaac Yates that you know?” Hailey asked lowly. When Lynn’s steps slowed and then stopped before she turned back to face her, she added, “Or maybe it’s Pepper you’ve been talking to? Maybe the two of you made up to work towards a common goal? I wouldn’t trust any of them just yet. Their goals and yours are not the same no matter what they tell you.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re fishing,” Lynn said evenly.

  Hailey smiled slightly and nodded. “Uh-huh. That’s why you stopped walking, right? Hit a nerve?”

  Lynn shook her head and smiled brightly at her. “No. Just wanted to hear what you’d say next. Go ahead and hold on. He won’t let you stay here long now. As soon as he found out he couldn’t trust you, your days were already numbered. I can wait.”

  “You’re really not the quickest bunny in the forest, are you? You still don’t get that it doesn’t matter whether I’m here or not. You still won’t be up there in that house,” Hailey said sweetly then turned and walked away. When she reached Charlie’s doorway and found him standing just inside where he had obviously been listening her steps faltered. She couldn’t help letting the wide smile on his face calm her anger a little.

  “Oh, that was sweet. I’m gonna have to write that down. I wanna remember that. First time I’ve heard that one,” he whispered to her.

  “Yeah, well. She does seem to bring out the worst in me. See you later,” Hailey muttered under her breath and started walking again.

  Chapter Thirty

  They had spent the entire day avoiding each other and speaking only when necessary. The conversation had been casual at supper but each of them spoke only to Shack, Laine, or Isobell. She hadn’t wasted any time going back to work but looked up to find him in her doorway only a short time later.

  “I’d like for you to come in my office. I promised Laine I’d listen to what you had to say about those pictures. I’d like to do that now,” he said evenly.

  She hesitated a few seconds as she held his eyes then nodded slightly. “Okay.”

  Clay immediately turned and walked back to his office with her following him. He didn’t look at Shack or Laine as they went by, instead keeping his eyes straight ahead. “Close the door,” he muttered.

  He had not been able to bring himself to do the other thing Laine had asked him to do yet. He just had not been able to open those pictures again. If he did this first, then maybe he could do what he asked after that. He stopped at the desk long enough to open the email then backed up to the credenza behind the desk and motioned to the chair.

  “Go ahead,” he said evenly.

  Hailey drew in a deep breath and sat down in the chair. She opened the first one and turned enough so that she could see him and the computer both. She nodded to it and started.

  “This was when he first walked up. He said something about it being nice to see me when I wasn’t mad enough to chew nails. I stood up and shook his hand.”

  She opened the next one and said, “I think this was when he said something about my accent. I told him he was the first person in Montana who had even mentioned it. He laughed about that.”

  She swallowed hard before she opened the next one when she saw his jaw set tighter before she did. “This was when Isaac first walked up. I’d just finished telling Isobell that it seemed pretty strange that out of the four times I’d been into town that I’d run into Yates three times and the cop three times. And then he walked up. I was a little irritated that somebody else named Yates was standing there. But I stood up again and shook his hand.”

  She went through them one by one. She didn’t miss that his jaw didn’t loosen any and nothing she said had the ice in his eyes thawing at all. She drew in a ragged breath when she opened the next one and heard him grunt slightly and look away from the computer.

  “It’s not what it looks, Clay. I insulted him. I implied he might be okay with the things that Yates has done. He took offense and he told me about the day your…the day that bastard left you in town to walk home. He was telling me how bad he felt about it and how he wanted them to bring you home, but Yates wouldn’t. I started crying and he just reached over to wipe a tear away. That’s all he was doing,” she said hoarsely.

  Clay shook his head slightly and looked at her steadily then glanced at the picture then right back down.

  “You don’t believe me,” Hailey whispered sadly.

  “How am I supposed to believe you? Look at the goddamned picture, Hailey. How am I supposed to believe you?” Clay snapped.

  “Because I’ve never lied to you.”

  “How do I know that?” Clay shouted.
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