by Marin Thomas
That didn’t make him any happier, and she threw up her hands. “You should probably just go home,” she said, hating the thought of his leaving like this, of being alone for the rest of the evening.
“I’ll stay until the dishes are done. You empty the dishwasher and I’ll bring in the stuff from the living room.”
“That’d be nice. Thank you.”
* * *
NOT IN THE best of moods, Zach turned and headed back to the living room. Of all the nights to have words with Gina. He didn’t want to argue with her or leave things unsettled. The second he’d caught sight of her in the airport baggage claim, he’d known they were as mismatched as a cowboy boot and an expensive pump.
The problem was that every time he saw her, he wanted her more.
He shouldn’t have kissed her yesterday, but he wasn’t sorry he had.
The plates clattered loudly as he stacked them. Then he remembered Gina’s warning to be careful. He collected the utensils and glasses with more care and brought them to the kitchen.
Gina was putting away the clean silverware and acknowledged him with a curt nod.
Time for an apology. He set the dirty dishes in the sink and waited for her to look at him. Her wary expression tugged at something in his chest. “Look, I don’t want to fight with you,” he said.
“I’m so sorry for what I said—what I implied.” She swallowed loudly, her eyes filled with remorse. “That was rude and completely uncalled for.”
“It was, but I overreacted. We’ve both been through a lot, especially today, and feelings are raw.”
“It isn’t just losing Uncle Lucky.” She bit her lip. “I’m worried about things at work.”
“Ah.” She kept reminding him that work was her main priority, and he kept forgetting. Unable to think of a decent reply, Zach shook his head. “I’ll grab my coat and let you get back to it.”
“Tonight I don’t want to do anything remotely work related,” she said. “I don’t even want to think about my job, but I’m so stressed out that I can’t help it. Carrie, my assistant, isn’t doing what she promised. She’s supposed to take up the slack and handle the accounts while I’m here. I’ve only been gone three days, and already she’s fallen behind. My clients expect blue-ribbon service. I can’t risk losing them because of her.”
Zach understood. “Ask a colleague to step in and help.”
“I’m going to have to,” she said. “But everyone is trying to clear off their desks before Wednesday, when we close for the long Thanksgiving weekend.”
“Have you talked to your boss?”
“Not yet.” She sighed. “It’s a bit of a mess. My assistant and I both assured him that she was up to the responsibility. He isn’t exactly the compassionate type and I worry that he’ll question my ability to manage. Even if I do find someone to step in, I’ll have to take the time to explain what needs to be done. Which means I’ll be stuck spending more time on work when I’d rather focus on the things I need to do here before I leave. Like sort through Uncle Lucky’s papers and his personal effects and figure out what to keep and what I can toss. How am I supposed to get it all done?”
“Winter is a slow time for ranchers. I’ll do what I can. Other people have offered to help, too. We can’t sort through Lucky’s papers for you, but we can get rid of the newspapers and old magazines and clean out the basement. You just need to ask.”
“Thanks. I’ll sort everything out and let you know.” She gave him a small smile. “Sorry for dumping on you like that.”
“No problem.” Zach felt for her. “I remember when my grandfather died. My family put what we didn’t want or need immediately into storage. It was years before anyone looked through that stuff. You already have Lucky’s financial papers. You could go through the rest of his things some other time.”
That stubborn look crossed her face. “I don’t want to put it off, Zach. I don’t think Uncle Lucky would want me to.” She pulled the last of the cutlery from the open dishwasher and put it away. “I feel bad enough that I didn’t come home more often while he was alive. The least I can do is take the time and care to sort through his things now.”
Her shoulders slumping, she fiddled with the knob on the silverware drawer and avoided his gaze. She was easy to read. Guilt was weighing her down.
Having been there himself, Zach knew how heavy that load was. He moved toward her. “Letting the guilt eat you alive won’t do you or Lucky any good,” he said. “Like he used to tell me, don’t beat yourself up over things you can’t change.”
Her curious expression told him that she wondered what he’d beaten himself up about. But Lucky had been the last person to hear about that, and Zach was not going to revisit his sorry past ever again.
“My uncle gave you good advice, but I don’t know that I can follow it.”
“If I did, you can. You look like you could use a hug,” he said, surprising himself.
He opened his arms, and she walked into them.
Without her heels, she barely reached his shoulder. As strong a woman as she was, her bones were fine and delicate. Zach tucked her against the hollow of his shoulder and rested his chin on the top of her head.
After a few moments, he felt the tension drain out of her, felt her relax. Perfume and the womanly scent underneath filled his senses. “That’s much better.”
Closing his eyes, he kissed her head. She wriggled closer, her softness teasing his body to life.
Now who was tense? Zach loosened his hold on her and started to back away.
“Don’t go.” Hanging on tight, she looked up at him, her green eyes round and pleading. “I need you tonight. Kiss me, Zach.”
All day he’d wanted to do exactly that—and more. But wanting her was wrong for them both, and kissing her was dangerous.
He should walk away now, while he still could. But she laced her arms around his neck and pulled him down, and he was lost.
Her lips were sweet and eager. He slid his tongue inside her mouth and explored. He sat her on the cutting board top of the dishwasher and stood between her long legs.
One kiss blended into another, each one burning into him. His body went hard with desire. Wanting to taste more of her, he ran his lips down the column of her neck. She liked that, especially when he nibbled the place where her neck met her shoulder.
Mindful of the tiny gold hoops in her ears, he gently tugged her earlobe with his teeth. She liked that, too.
Hands on her hips, he scooted her forward and moved in closer. Big mistake.
She stiffened. “No, Zach.”
What was he doing? He was supposed to convince Gina to keep the ranch, not fool around with her.
He straightened and stepped back. Gina hopped down from the dishwasher and tugged her sweater over her hips. The soft wool stretched tight across her breasts.
Zach swallowed. “It’s time for me to go.”
He grabbed his coat and let himself out.
* * *
UPSTAIRS, GINA STARED at herself in the bathroom mirror. With her slightly swollen lips and her flushed cheeks, she looked as if she’d been thoroughly kissed.
And she had been. Closing her eyes, she replayed the thrill of Zach’s demanding mouth on hers and the way his strong arms had felt around her.
She’d enjoyed his kisses all too much, had wanted more. Which was exactly why she’d stopped him. She wasn’t into casual sex, nor was she about to get involved with Zach—even if he was intelligent and not at all the hard cowboy she’d first thought. She wanted a man with the drive and ambition to be more than a ranch foreman.
None of that stopped her from thinking about him.
His father had taught him to mix drinks so that he could bartend at parties. That didn’t sound blue-collar. Did Zach’s parents have money? Had he attende
d college? Why had he left Houston, what had brought him to Saddlers Prairie and why was he working as a foreman on Uncle Lucky’s rundown ranch?
Gina was beyond curious, but Zach was so closemouthed about his past that she doubted she’d ever learn the answers from him.
That wasn’t going to stop her from trying to find out more. Surely someone in Saddlers Prairie could tell her what she wanted to know. She would ask around and see what she could find out.
Chapter Seven
There was nothing quite like waking up gradually in bed on a Saturday morning. After rising before dawn pretty much seven days a week for months, lazing about felt luxurious.
Yawning and stretching, Gina let her thoughts wander. Naturally they homed in on Zach. Everything he’d done yesterday, from giving a eulogy at the funeral to spreading Uncle Lucky’s ashes to spending the evening with her family, had been above and beyond and proved what a great guy he was.
But he was a rancher, and his life was tough. Gina wanted an easier life, with a regular paycheck, raises and bonuses.
Which meant that Zach wasn’t the guy for her.
But the way he made her feel when he kissed her... She went warm and soft inside. She wanted more in spite of herself.
No, she firmly told herself and sat up.
It was time to get up and get to work on the house. She would start sorting through Uncle Lucky’s things, beginning with the contents of his desk.
After showering and dressing, Gina headed downstairs. While her cinnamon bread toasted and the coffeemaker percolated, she turned on her phone.
To her relief, Carrie had texted, letting her know she’d emailed the report Gina wanted and that she would wait for Gina’s call Monday morning.
“That’s more like it,” Gina murmured. She was relieved and decided that for now, she wouldn’t bother any of her colleagues with the request to help her assistant.
As she loaded her breakfast dishes into the dishwasher, she couldn’t help remembering the kisses she and Zach had shared right there last night. Unbidden heat flooded her, and she wanted him again.
Exasperated with herself, she turned her back on the dishwasher and considered making plans to go out tonight and do something to take her mind off Zach.
Saddlers Prairie didn’t offer much of a nightlife, but she needed something to fill the evening. Not that she didn’t have plenty to keep her busy right here. It would be nice to get out, though, even for a little while. She needed to write thank-you notes to those who sent cards and flowers, so she could drive over to Spenser’s and pick up some nice note cards and some chocolate. Then she’d check out the TV guide and look for a movie. And, what the heck, she’d check her email today after all.
What a fabulous Saturday night she had planned.
Armed with trash bags and boxes, Gina started for Uncle Lucky’s office.
She was halfway down the hall when her cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen and saw that Autumn Naylor was calling. Autumn was a year older than she was, but they’d attended the one-room Saddlers Prairie grade school together. Both had been dirt poor and they’d developed a friendship of sorts.
“Hey, Autumn,” she said, smiling.
“Hi, Gina. That was a nice service yesterday.”
“I thought so, too. We were all glad to see you and your family.”
Autumn and Cody had an adorable little girl and four foster sons they were raising at Hope Ranch.
“I know this is last minute,” Autumn said. “But Cody and the boys are seeing a movie in Red Deer tonight. April goes to bed at seven, and I have the whole evening to myself. I’m throwing a pizza party, no guys allowed. You know everyone who’s coming, either from school or the funeral, and I’d love for you to come. That is, if you can spare the time. I know you have a lot on your plate.”
Gina jumped at the invitation. “I’ll be working on the house all day, but I’m free this evening. What should I bring?”
“Nothing, but since the Pizza Palace is on your way here, it’d be great if you picked up the pizzas for me. I’ll call and put them under my name.”
“Sure,” Gina said.
“Great. See you tonight.”
Pleased to have something fun to look forward to, Gina hummed as she sat down at the desk.
Having done a cursory search through the drawers the other day, she didn’t expect to find anything worth keeping. They contained packages of never-used pens and pencils, paper clips and sticky notes—enough to last years. Her thrifty uncle had always preferred to buy his supplies in bulk. She would donate them to the school, she decided as she filled a box.
She made short work of all but the fat bottom drawer, which was crammed with ancient-looking folders containing old bills and statements dating back decades.
Who knew why her uncle saved all this stuff, or why he kept his current statements in the safe. Not that it wasn’t entertaining to see what groceries had cost twenty-five years ago. Otherwise, it was worthless.
She was tossing the folders into a trash bag and thinking about taking a coffee break when a yellowed folder label caught her eyes. It read Beau and Marie in faded ink. Her parents.
Curious, she opened the folder, which was thick with papers. At first she wasn’t at all sure what she was looking at, but seeing her parents’ signatures here and there filled her with nostalgia. Her father’s sense of humor and self-deprecating laugh had often lightened up the most difficult times, while her mother’s canning and baking skills had kept their stomachs relatively filled. And despite working two jobs and preserving food, she’d somehow found the time to make many of Gina’s clothes—outfits that often rivaled the store-bought items the other girls wore but sometimes fell far short.
Even after all these years, Gina still missed them—but not the hard life they’d endured.
At the bottom of the file she found papers that made her widen her eyes and suck in a breath. Bankruptcy papers.
The one on top noted that shortly after her birth, her parents had declared bankruptcy.
Stunned, she sat back in her chair. No one had ever told her about this. Not a whisper, even after both her parents had died.
Something else her family had kept from her. It had happened a long time ago, so what was the big secret?
Of course, bankruptcy wasn’t good; Gina got that, but she was family. She deserved to know! Fuming, she set the folder aside, stood and stalked into the kitchen. Next time she saw her relatives, they were going to hear about this.
Over a cup of reheated morning coffee, she thought about her parents’ bankruptcy some more. Knowing about it explained a lot. Her mother’s constant worry about money and her tight hold on the family purse strings, and her father’s grudging acceptance that his wife controlled the checkbook.
They’d had a legitimate reason for their money problems. Thanks to a recession and hard times, the farm-equipment business had all but failed. To supplement the family income, her dad had started an equipment-repair business, which had brought in some cash. Both her parents had put in long hours, leaving Gina to fend for herself at home.
Another unsettling part of the whole thing was that, despite her own large paychecks and fat year-end bonuses, she also struggled to make ends meet.
In that way, she wasn’t so different from her parents.
That was upsetting. She wasn’t like them. She wasn’t! Too restless to sit still, she carried her coffee to the window and stared out at the snow-covered backyard and the rolling pastures beyond.
The snow turned everything into a winter wonderland. But nothing could hide the hard-scrabble life her uncle and parents had lived. Gina’s life was much easier, and she had the condo, high-end car and closet filled with beautiful clothes and shoes to prove it. Yes, she struggled to pay the bills, but her bonus would help her catch up.
Skating so close to the financial edge was nerve-racking, something she didn’t want to think about right now. She pushed the thought away and stared at the back pasture and the herd of cattle lumbering toward an old flatbed, where four men tossed heavy bales of hay onto the ground.
Was that Zach? He was too far away for Gina to be sure, but... No, that was him. As the tallest man, he stood out. Even in a bulky winter jacket, she recognized his long, muscular, jeans-clad legs.
From out of nowhere, a sigh escaped her. She was relieved that for the moment he was out of reach and glad she had plans away from the ranch that evening.
With any luck, she could avoid Zach for a while and rein in her unwanted feelings.
* * *
MAN, IT WAS cold. Standing in the north pasture, Zach stomped his numb feet and glanced at the wintry blue sky. It didn’t look like snow, but in Montana, you never knew. Between the bitter cold and ice and the seasonal downtime at the ranch, Montana winters were a bitch.
Not that any of the ranch hands complained. They were glad for the work and used their free hours to spend time with their families and visit the friends they had little time for during the rest of the year. Next week, Pete, Bert and Chet would take off for the Thanksgiving holiday, while Zach and Curly had Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off.
When the truck bed stood empty, Zach whipped off his hat and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his coat sleeve. “That’s it for today.”
Chet and Pete whooped and made for the truck.
Curly Gomez, wryly nicknamed for his bald head, hung back. He and Zach had become friends of sorts and often spent their Saturday evenings hanging out together. They headed for the barn on foot.
“What’s on the agenda tonight?” Curly asked, his breath puffing from his lips like smoke.
Anything that would take his mind off Gina. After a hard evening last night—hard being the operative word—Zach needed to keep his distance.
The wanting inside him just wouldn’t quit. It had been a while since he’d scratched that particular itch, and he figured it was time to change that. “I’m thinking we grab a pizza at the Pizza Palace, then drive up the highway to Sparky’s.” The bar just outside town was a good place to hook up with a willing woman.