“As long as I don’t look like one, old man.” Denton smiled through clenched teeth. “Not a good way to impress a woman.”
Tom laughed as he followed the limping man through the barn.
Chapter 11
Eve brought Tilly to a stop at the barn and dismounted. Sundays were supposed to be a day for fun, to relax by the lake and enjoy the sun and camaraderie between customers.
After tossing and turning all night, alternating between reliving Denton’s kiss and worrying about her ranch, then spending the day watching his tan and buffed body splashing around in the water, she was burned out, physically and emotionally. Luckily, she didn’t need to do anything tonight, except chill out around the house. She’d purposely stayed behind the group when they left the lake in the hay wagon, hoping they’d disappeared into their cabins or headed into town before she got back.
Satisfied no one was around, she led her horse into the cool barn, groomed him, then gave him some food. When she walked into the bright light of the yard, a man, similar in height to Denton, was leaning against an older model, blue truck. His arms were crossed over his chest, his legs spread out before him as he surveyed her property, like a king scrutinizing his kingdom.
“Hey ya, cuz,” the man said, pushing his obviously new cowboy hat back on his head. “Don’t you recognize family, Evie, old girl?”
“Damn,” Eve muttered. That’s all she needed right now. With everything else going on, her lousy cousin, Snook, shows up. What else would go wrong? She crossed the distance between them and stopped a few feet away. “What do you want, Snook?” She smiled at his reaction to his nickname.
“Don’t call me that,” he snapped. He stared down his nose at her. “Is that any way to treat your favorite cousin?”
Eve crossed her arms over her breasts. “You certainly are not my favorite cousin. I’ll ask once more before I toss you off my property. What do you want, Snook?” She hid a smile as his hands clenched into fists and the muscles in his jaw flexed. He took a deep breath and struck a pose Eve referred to as his ‘I know something you don’t’ stance, which usually meant something bad for her.
“Word is your old lover boy is back in town,” he said, smirking.
“What are you talking about, Snook?”
He pushed away from his truck and took a couple of steps toward her. “Oh, come on, Evie. Don’t tell me you don’t remember good old Denton. You know, the guy who you were joined at the hip with during his last year in town. The one who professed to love you so much and then, let’s see . . .” Snook tapped a finger against his lips then snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah, he married someone else.”
“Shut the hell up, Snook.”
Snook balled his hands into fists. “Don’t. Call. Me. Snook,” he yelled in her face. Drops of spit dotted her shirt.
Eve took a tissue from her shorts and wiped his spit off. “I’m aware Denton is back, Snook.”
His jaw dropped. “You are?”
“Yes, she is,” Denton said from the other side of the truck.
“Well, well, well, there’s old lover boy, himself. Figured you’d be sniffin’ ‘round my cousin. Didn’t take you long to get your hands in her pants again, eh, old pal?”
Denton came flying around the truck so fast, Eve thought he burned paint chips off in the process. He grabbed Snook’s shirtfront.
“Don’t you ever, ever talk about Eve like that again. There’s nothing going on between us. Understand?” he growled between clenched teeth.
Snook jerked Denton’s hands free and straightened his shirt. “So, if you’re not gettin’ it on with old Evie, what the hell are you here for?”
Eve grabbed Denton’s fist when he pulled it back for a punch. “Don’t. He’s not worth a broken hand,” she whispered. “Since you’re so interested, Snook, he’s here as a customer—a paying customer.”
Snook snorted. “Whatcha doin’, cuz, trying a new way to help this dump make money? A riding ranch.” He chuckled. “Get it? Riding ranch, like a whore riding a cowboy?”
This time Eve didn’t stop Denton’s fist from slamming into Snook’s face, knocking him to the ground. “You son-of-a-bitch. You ever come here again, you’ll get more of that, and then some.” Denton rubbed his knuckles. “You were a damn bully in high school and you haven’t changed one bit.”
Snook swiped the back of his hand over his bloody nose and wiped it on his shirt. He rolled over and pushed himself to his knees. “You’ll be sorry, Denton.” He stood and glared at Eve, the hatred in his eyes making her step back. He got into his truck, slammed the door, and stuck his head out the window.
“You sure this place is yours, cuz? You sure your old man won’t come in and steal it away from you?”
“Now how can he do that when he’s in prison?”
“Well, well, seems the good news hasn’t reached this far out in the boonies.” Snook slapped his hand against the door and chuckled. “Why, Eve, old girl, your dear old dad’s out, sprung loose from the hoosegow.”
Eve sucked in a breath as alarm settled in her stomach. Out? Her father was out of prison?
Snook sneered. “Yup. Seems like he was a real good boy in prison, and they let him loose for good behavior. Can’t believe he hasn’t come running to take over this joint. Then, again, he might be biding his time before he comes home to his little girl.”
“You’re lying. My lawyer is supposed to call me if his status changes. Where is he?”
“He’s free, cuz. I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing.” Snook gazed around the ranch. “Yep, this sure is a beautiful place, Evie, old girl. Too bad it’s not really yours.”
Eve scowled at Snook and took a step toward the truck. She hid a grin when he jerked back inside. “What do you mean? He can’t come anywhere near this place.”
“Well, your old man owes my old man. Since yours has nothing but this place, and mine doesn’t have long to live, it seems to reason that this place will soon be mine.”
“You listen here, buster.” She pointed a finger at his face. “My father doesn’t own this place, I do. I worked hard, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let your old man or you get your lazy, grubby hands on it. Understand?’
He put his elbow on the window ledge and pushed her hand away. “You’ve gotten way above yourself. There’s more than one way for a person to get what he wants and deserves. You just watch your step, cuz. When your old man comes around, tell him Ralph says howdy.” He started the engine, threw the truck into gear, and tore down the driveway, leaving Eve and Denton waving dust from their faces.
Denton turned to Eve. “Any idea what he’s talking about?”
“No, but I’m beginning to wonder if he’s behind what’s happening around here.”
“Sure gives us something to think about.”
Eve looked around the yard. A few of her employees watched and, unless they peeked from their cabin windows, no one else seemed to have viewed the altercation. “And maybe it is my dad.”
“You okay?” Denton asked, putting his hands on her shoulders.
She stepped away, crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head, her ponytail swishing back and forth. “I don’t know. So much has gone on in the past few weeks. Sometimes it’s too much to take in.”
“Do you need to talk?”
Eve dropped her arms to her sides and headed to the house. “Want something to drink?”
After stepping onto the covered porch, Denton said, “Sit down. My treat.”
She dropped into a chair, put her feet on a low wooden stool, and closed her eyes. She took slow, deep breaths, letting the robin’s chirping calm her nerves. The rattle of glasses came through a window. She cleared her brain and her body relaxed.
“Here,” Denton said, making her jump.
Her hea
rt picked up speed as she remembered her dream of having someone share the day’s problems with her. Her eyes snapped open and she took the glass he held out to her.
Denton sat in the vacant Adirondack chair and crossed his ankles on the stool next to hers. A wet towel was wrapped around his knuckles. He took a long swallow of his beer. “Want me to do some checking into your father’s release?’
“What can you do? You’re a CPA, not a lawyer.”
“Actually, I’m a lawyer, too.” He grinned. “Close your mouth, Eve. It’s not unusual to have two degrees. But I have to get my Wisconsin licenses.”
“When did you get your law degree?”
He contemplated the glass he cradled on his stomach before answering. “I had plenty of time on my hands with Marie flitting around. After the divorce, I had even more time, so I went back to school. Even though I specialize in tax law, I can handle other legal issues. So, you want me to see what’s up with your dad?”
Eve decided having wine before supper wasn’t bad after all. Then she remembered how her father had started every morning with a can of beer or two or three and then continued throughout the day. She set the glass down on the porch floor. “I never know whether to believe Snook or not. He could be yanking my chain to get me mad. He’s always been like that.”
“I remember. What a pain in the ass. So, did it work?”
“Did what work?”
“Confronting him.”
Eve chuckled. “Yeah, it worked. For a while, I had some power over him.” She nodded at his hand. “Does it hurt much?”
He peeled the towel back and flexed his fingers.
Eve sucked in her breath at the broken skin and bruises across his swollen knuckles.
“I’ll be all right. I’ve had worse. I wish I’d broken the bastard’s nose.”
“Let me see.”
“Dammit, Eve. I said I’m fine.”
“Denton Johanson, you punched Snook in the nose because of me. The least I can do is make sure your hand isn’t broken.”
“So you’re a doctor?”
Eve laughed. “No, but I’ve seen enough broken bones in animals and a few coworkers. Let’s not forget someone who broke his collarbone.”
Denton flinched. “Don’t remind me.”
“At least let me put something on the cuts.” She held up her hand, stood, and headed toward the door. “Don’t even think about saying no. Remember whose face you hit? Who knows what scumbag germs are now swimming around in your blood.”
“Good point. Don’t want to die from Snook disease.”
After she went into the house, Denton leaned his head against the back of the chair and tried to ignore the throbbing in his knuckles. He was pretty sure nothing was broken, but Eve was right about the germs. Her cousin was definitely a disease-ridden son-of-a-bitch.
He surveyed the surroundings, warmth spreading through his body. Whenever he thought of how his life should be, it was like this. Sitting on a porch, enjoying the surrounding sounds of nature with a woman he loved. Actually sitting on the porch was not part of the scenario because he’d never imagined Eve making the ranch what it was today. He wasn’t sure what he thought she’d do, but turning the ramshackle farm house into an incredibly beautiful, cozy home was testament to her strong will and drive he remembered from high school.
He took a sip of wine. Wine in the afternoon? Why the hell not? In his dreams, this happened after a hard day’s work and supper, but this worked. The way she slapped her glass on the porch floor and the sheer panic in her eyes, made him think Eve was uncomfortable with it.
The front screen door slammed, and Eve sauntered toward him carrying a wicker basket lined with some type of white frilly, lacy thing hanging over the edge. “Going on a picnic?”
She stuck out her tongue. “I’ll have you know this is my first-aid kit.” She pulled out bandages, ointment, itch cream, sting cream, a package of wicked-looking needles, and other various items he prayed she didn’t use on him. “I need to be prepared for anything. We’re too far from town for immediate medical attention if anyone is injured. I have one of these in each building, including the barn.”
Denton smiled at the thought of the fancy baskets sitting among horse tack. He groaned when he recognized a bottle of skin-burning anti-bacterial spray. “Is the one in the barn as pretty as this one?”
Eve took his damaged hand in hers. “You scoff, but who’s going to keep you from dying of Snook disease?” She unwrapped an alcohol packet, wiped his knuckles clean and quickly squirted anti-bacteria liquid over them.
“Ouch, dammit, that hurts!” He jerked his hand from hers.
She took his palm. “Ooh, poor baby,” she crooned, blowing across the back of his knuckles. Her eyes twinkled into his. “Do you have a big, bad owie? Should I kiss and make it all better?”
Denton squeezed her fingers and raised his eyebrows. “By all means, sweetie. While you’re at it, I think Snook hurt my upper lip during the altercation.”
Giggling, she leaned her forearms on his thighs, kissed her forefinger and placed the tip on his upper lip.
The crunch of boots on dirt and stone had them both rotating in the direction of an approaching employee. “Cook sent me to ask you ‘bout the fresh vegetables. Said to tell you he’s sorry to disturb you but he’s looked everywhere.”
Face beet red, Eve shot to her feet. “I’m coming.” Without a word, she started picking up her medical supplies and returning them to the picnic basket.
Denton opened his mouth to tell her to stop, that he wanted her to continue her tender ministration. To see where they’d lead. But all he could do was watch as she hastened away.
Chapter 12
Eve hummed a little ditty while she picked out Tilly’s hooves. She should have done the job earlier, but with Snook’s visit and taking care of Denton, for the first time she forgot. Denton’s presence was messing with her mind, but she was enjoying his humor and willingness to help. Of course his sexiness wasn’t helping things, either. Nope, not at all, and even though things were moving faster with Denton than they probably should, she couldn’t help enjoying her time with him. Her heart sang along with the tune running through her head.
Satisfied the trail dirt was out of the hoof, she dropped Tilly’s hind leg and reached for the other one. The horse refused to bend her knee. Exasperated at the mare’s unusual behavior, Eve turned around and rubbed her flanks. “What’s up, old girl?” she crooned. “I know I should have done this sooner, but things got in the way.” Like Denton’s smile and his teasing and his kiss. Man, oh, man, could the man ever kiss!
She turned back to lift Tilly’s leg again. The mare nickered and stomped sideways, nearly stepping on Eve’s foot. “Tilly, what is wrong with you? Point made. You’re mad I forgot to pick out your hooves. Won’t happen again.”
Tilly nickered once more and stepped back, pushing Eve into the back of the stall. Finally giving up or risk being injured by a horse that never so much as whisked her tail in her face, Eve moved around Tilly and rubbed the mare’s head.
“C’mon girl, what’s bothering you?’ Tilly’s eyes moved to something behind Eve. She caught a movement in the shadows of the barn. “Denton? Why are you skulking over there? I won’t hurt your hand again, I promise.”
Eve threw a hand over her heart when a person, who wasn’t Tom or Dent, stepped into the dim light of the barn. She grasped the pick tighter in her other hand as the stranger moved closer. With everything that had happened lately, she didn’t feel safe anymore. A longer handle on the pick would make her feel a little more secure. Where was Tom? The man stepped closer, and Eve moved to put herself between Tilly and the stall wall.
“Hold up there, girlie. It’s your father.”
She tightened her grip on the pick. Her father? Her breath caught, and she
clutched her stomach. A kick in the stomach from Tilly couldn’t hurt worse. She’d never expected him to show his face here. What on earth was he doing in her barn?
“Yeah, it’s your old man, Evie girl.” Ed approached the stall door, allowing Eve a better view of her one remaining parent. He seemed smaller than the last time she’d seen him—the day he’d been escorted out of the courtroom to begin his prison term. What remained of his full head of thick, dark hair was barely a ring of silver wrapping around the base of his skull and ears.
The awful dark mustache she remembered was gone, and with it memories of the way it twitched before he took his first swing; the way it thinned out with his lips before he struck for the second time. Eve had learned to watch for those telltale signs before getting out of the way, most of the time. Her mother had always stood and took whatever he’d doled out.
“Evie?” Ed interrupted her thoughts as he took a step closer.
She glanced at his mouth. No sneer, no thin lips, no warning, twitching mustache. All the same, his presence caused her to shrink inside herself. Then she stood taller. She wasn’t that frightened teenager anymore.
“Stay where you are, Ed,” she said, and was relieved when he stopped. “What the hell are you doing here? There are ten more years on your sentence.” She shook her head. “I thought Snook was kidding when he said you were out.”
“So Snook already broke the good news?”
“Oh yeah. He was eager to tell me my old man was out of the slammer.” Eve couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
Ed pointed a finger at her. “Hey, is that anyway to talk to your father?”
Eve pointed a finger back at him. “You ceased being my father decades ago, long before you killed my mother. Right now, I want you off my property.”
Riding for Love (A Western Romance) Page 13