A Christmas Baby Surprise: Reclaimed by the Rancher

by Catherine Mann

  She licked her lips and took a deep, visible breath. “Samson Oil is trying to buy the Peyton ranch.”

  Two

  Lucy was diabetic; she’d been diagnosed as a twelve-year-old. If she didn’t take her insulin, she sometimes got the shakes. But nothing like this. Facing the man she had come to see made her tremble from head to toe. And she couldn’t seem to stop. No amount of medicine in the world was ever going to cure her fascination with the ornery, immoral, two-faced, spectacularly handsome Jeff Hartley.

  At the moment, however, he was her only hope.

  “May I come in?” she asked, trying not to notice the way he smelled of leather and lime and warm male skin.

  Jeff stared at her long enough to make her think he might actually say no. In the end, however, gentlemanly manners won out. “Ten minutes,” he said gruffly. “I have plans later.”

  If he meant to wound her, his barb was successful...though she would never give him the satisfaction of knowing for sure. As they navigated the few steps into his living room and sat down, she found herself swamped with memories. This old farmhouse dated back three generations. It had been lovingly cared for and well preserved.

  For one brief second, everything came crashing back: the hours she had spent in this bright, cheerful home, the master bedroom upstairs with the queen-size mattress and double-wedding-ring quilt, the bed Jeff had complained was too small for his six-foot-two frame...

  She didn’t want to remember. Not at all. Not even the spot in this very room where Jeff Hartley had gone down on one knee and offered her a ring and his heart.

  Dredging up reserves of audacity and courage, she ignored the past and cut to the chase. “My cousin is trying to sell his land to Samson Oil.” Recently, the outsider company had begun buying up acreage in Royal, Texas, at an alarming rate.

  Jeff sat back in a leather armchair and hitched one ankle across the opposite knee, drawing attention to his feet. “Is it a fair offer?”

  Nobody Lucy had ever known wore scuffed, hand-tooled cowboy boots as well as Jeff Hartley. At one time she wondered if he slept in the damned things. But then came that memorable evening when he showed her how a woman could take off a man’s boots at the end of the day...

  Her face heated. She jerked her thoughts back to the present. “More than fair. But that’s not the point. The property has been in the Peyton family for almost a century. The farmland has contributed to Maverick County’s food supply for decades. Equally important—the wildlife preserve was my grandfather’s baby. Samson Oil will ruin everything.”

  “Why does Kenny want to sell?”

  “He’s sick of farming. He swears there’s nothing for him in Royal anymore. He’s decided to move to LA and try for an acting career. He pointed out that I sold most of my share to him, left for college and then stayed away. He wants his chance. But he needs cash.”

  “And this is my problem, how?”

  Three

  Lucy bit her lip until she tasted blood in her mouth. She couldn’t afford to let Jeff goad her into losing her temper. It had happened far too easily on his front porch a moment ago. Her only focus right now should be on getting what she needed to stop a bad, bad decision.

  It might have helped if Jeff had gotten old and fat in the past two years. But unfortunately, he looked better than ever. Dark blond hair in need of a trim. Piercing green eyes, definitely on the hostile side. And a long, lean body and lazy gait that made grown women sigh with delight whenever he sauntered by.

  “I need you to loan me twenty thousand dollars,” she blurted out. “The farm is self-supporting, but Kenny doesn’t have a lot of liquid assets. He may be bluffing. Even if he’s serious, though, twenty grand will get him off my back and send him on his way. He thinks the only choice he has for coming up with relocation funds is to unload the farm, but I’m trying to give him another option.”

  “What will happen to the farm when he goes to the West Coast?”

  It was a good question. And one she had wrestled with ever since Kenny told her he wanted to leave town. “I suppose I’ll have to come back to Royal and take over. At least until Kenny crashes and burns in California and decides to return home.”

  “You don’t have much faith in him, do you?”

  She shrugged. “Our fathers were brothers. So we share DNA. But Kenny has always had a problem with focus. Six months ago he wanted to go to vet school. Six months before that he was studying to take the LSAT.”

  “But you already have a career...right? As a physical trainer? In Austin? That fancy master’s degree you earned in sports medicine won’t do you much good out on the farm.” He didn’t even bother to hide the sarcasm.

  She wanted to squirm, but she concentrated on breathing in and breathing out, relaxing her muscles one set at a time. “Fortunately, mine is the kind of job that’s in demand. I’m sure they won’t hold my exact position, but there will be plenty of similar spots when I go back.”

  “How long do you think you’ll have to stay here in Royal?”

  “A few months. A year at the most. Will you loan me the money, or not?”

  Jeff scowled. “You’ve got a lot of balls coming to me for help, Lucy.”

  “You owe me,” she said firmly. “And you know it.” This man...this beautiful, rugged snake of a man had been responsible for the second worst day of her life.

  He sat up and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His veneer of calm peeled away, leaving a male who was a little bit frightening. Dark emerald eyes judged her and found her wanting. “I don’t owe you a single damn thing. You’re the one who walked out on our wedding and made me a laughingstock in Royal.”

  She jumped to her feet, heart pounding. Lord, he made her mad. “Because I caught you at our rehearsal dinner kissing the maid of honor,” she yelled.

  Four

  Something about Lucy’s meltdown actually made Jeff feel a little bit better about this confrontation. At least she wasn’t indifferent.

  “Sit down, Lucy,” he said firmly. “If money is going to change hands, I have two conditions.”

  She did sit, but the motion looked involuntary...as if her knees gave out. “Conditions?”

  “It’s a lot of money. And besides, why ask me? Me, of all people?”

  “You’re rich,” she said bluntly, her stormy gaze daring him to disagree.

  It was true. His bank account was healthy. And sadly, Lucy had no family to turn to, other than her cousin. Lucy’s parents and Kenny’s had been killed in a boating accident eight years ago. Because of that tragedy, Lucy had a closer relationship with her cousin than one might expect. They were more like siblings, really.

  “If my bottom line is good, it’s partly because I don’t toss money out the window on a whim.”

  “It wouldn’t be a whim, Jeff. I know the way you think. This thing with Samson Oil is surely eating away at you. Outsiders. Taking over land that represents the history of Royal. And then doing God knows what with it. Drilling for oil that isn’t there. Selling off the dud acres. Shopping malls. Big box stores. Admit it. The thought makes you shudder. You have to be suspicious about why a mysterious oil company is suddenly trying to buy land that was checked for oil years ago.”

  That was the problem with old girlfriends. They knew a man’s weaknesses. “You’re not wrong,” he said slowly, taken aback that she had pegged him so well. “But in that case, why wouldn’t I buy Kenny’s land outright? And make sure that it retains its original purpose?”

  “Because it’s not the honorable thing to do. Kenny will see the light one day soon. And he would be devastated to come back to Royal and have nothing. Besides, that would be a whole lot more money. Twenty thousand is chicken feed to you.”

  Jeff grimaced. “You must know some damn fine chickens.”

  Perhaps sh
e understood him better than he wanted to admit, because after laying out her case, she sat quietly, giving him time to sort through the possibilities. Lucy stared at him with hazel eyes that reflected wariness and a hint of grief.

  He felt the grief, too. Had wallowed in it for weeks. But a man had to move on with his life. At one time, he’d been absolutely sure he would grow old with this woman. Now he could barely look at her.

  “I need to think about it,” he said.

  Lucy’s temper fired again. “Since when do you have trouble making decisions?” Her hands twisted together in her lap as if she wanted to wrap them around his neck.

  “Don’t push me, Lucy.” He scowled at her. “I’ll pick you up out at the farm at five. We’ll have dinner, and I’ll give you my answer.”

  Her throat worked. “I don’t want to be seen with you.”

  Five

  The barb wasn’t unexpected, but it took Jeff’s breath momentarily. “The feeling is mutual,” he growled. “I’ll make reservations in Midland. We’ll discuss my terms.”

  “But that’s fifty miles away.”

  Her visible dismay gave him deep masculine satisfaction. It was time for some payback. Lucy deserved to twist in the wind for what she had done to him. A man’s pride was everything.

  “Take it or leave it,” he said, the words curt.

  “I thought you had plans later.”

  “You let me worry about my calendar, sweetheart.”

  He watched her flinch at his overt sarcasm. For a moment, he was ashamed of baiting her. But he shored up his anger. Lucy deserved his antagonism and more.

  The silence grew in length and breadth, thick with unspoken emotions. If he listened hard enough, he thought he might even be able to hear the rapid beat of her heart. Like a defenseless animal trapped in a cage of its own making.

  “Lucy?” He lifted an eyebrow. “I don’t have all day.”

  “You could write me a check this instant,” she protested. “Why make me jump through hoops?”

  “Maybe because I can.”

  He was being a bastard. He knew it. And by the look on Lucy’s face, she knew it, as well. But the opportunity to make her bend to his will was irresistible.

  The fact that each of them could still elicit strong emotions from the other should have been a red flag. But then again, that was the story of their relationship. Though he and Lucy had grown up in the same town, they hadn’t really known each other. Not until she’d come home to Royal for a lengthy visit after college graduation.

  Lucy’s parents had been dead by then. Instead of bunking with her cousin Kenny, Lucy had stayed with her childhood friend and college roommate, Kirsten. One of Kirsten’s friends had thrown a hello-to-summer bash, and that’s where Jeff had met the luscious Lucy.

  He still remembered the moment she’d walked into the room. It was a case of instant lust...at least on his part. She was exactly the kind of woman he liked...tall, confident, and with a wicked sense of humor. The two of them had found a private corner and flirted for three hours.

  A week later, they’d ended up in bed together.

  Unfortunately, their whirlwind courtship and speedy five-month trip to the altar had ended in disaster. Ironically, if they had followed through with their wedding, two days from now would have been their anniversary.

  Did Lucy realize the bizarre coincidence?

  She stood up and walked to the foyer. “I have to go.” The words were tossed over her shoulder, as if she couldn’t wait to get out of his house.

  He shrugged and followed her, putting a hand high on the door to keep her from escaping. “I don’t want to make a trip out to the farm for nothing. So don’t try standing me up. If you want the money, you’ll get it on my terms or not at all.”

  Six

  Lucy hurried to her car, heartsick and panicked. Why had she ever thought she could appeal to Jeff Hartley’s sense of right and wrong? The man was a scoundrel. She was so angry with herself...angry for approaching him in the first place, and even angrier that apparently she was still desperately in love with him...despite everything he had done.

  During the past two years, she had firmly purged her emotional system of memories connected to Jeff Hartley. Never once did she think of the way his arms pulled her tight against his broad chest. Or the silkiness of his always rumpled hair. At night in bed, she surely didn’t remember how wonderful it was to feel him slide on top of her and into her, their breath mingling in ragged gasps and groans of pleasure.

  Stupid man. She parked haphazardly at the farm and went in search of her cousin. She found him in the barn repairing a harness.

  Kenny looked up when she entered. “Hey, Luce. What’s up?”

  She plopped down on a bale of hay. “How much would it take for you not to sell the land?”

  He frowned. “What do you mean? Are you trying to buy it for yourself?”

  “Gosh, no. I’d be a terrible farmer. But I have a gut feeling you’ll change your mind down the road. And I’m willing to keep things running while you sow your wild oats. So I’m asking...would twenty grand be enough to bankroll your move to LA and get you started? It would be a loan. You’d have to pay back half eventually, and I’ll pay back the other half as a thank-you for not letting go of Peyton land.”

  The frown grew deeper. “A loan from whom?”

  Kenny might pretend to be a goofball when it suited him, but the boy was smart...and he knew his grammar.

  “From a friend of mine,” she said. “No big deal.”

  Kenny perched on the bale of hay beside hers and put an arm around her shoulders. “What have you done, Luce?”

  She sniffed, trying not to cry. “Made a deal with the devil?”

  “Are you asking me or telling me?”

  Kenny was two years younger than she was. Most of the time she felt like his mother. But for the moment, it was nice to have someone to lean on. “I think Jeff Hartley is going to loan it to me.”

  “Hell, no.” Kenny jumped to his feet, raking both hands through his hair agitatedly. “The man cheated on you and broke your heart. I won’t take his money. We’ll think of something else. Or I’ll convince you it’s okay to sell the farm.”

  “You’ll never convince me of that. What if being an actor doesn’t pan out?”

  “Do you realize how patronizing you sound, Luce? No offense, but what I want to do is more serious than sowing wild oats.”

  She rubbed her temples with her fingertips. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

  After a few moments, he went back to repairing the harness. “Why did you go to Jeff, Lucy? Why him?”

  Bowing her head, she let the tears fall. “The day after tomorrow would have been our wedding anniversary. Jeff Hartley still owes me for that.”

  Seven

  Jeff made arrangements to have the Hartley Ranch covered, personnel wise, in the event that he didn’t return from Midland right away. There was no reason in the world to think that he and Lucy might end up in bed together, but he was a planner. A former Boy Scout. Preparation was second nature to him.

  As he went about his business, his mind raced on a far more intimate track. Lucy had betrayed the wedding vows she and Jeff had both written. Before they’d ever made it to the altar. And yet she thought Jeff was the one at fault. Even from the perspective of two years down the road, he was still angry about that.

  At four o’clock, he showered and quickly packed a bag. He traveled often for cattle shows and other business-related trips, so he was accustomed to the drill. Then he went online and ordered a variety of items and had them delivered to his favorite hotel.

  When he was satisfied that his plans were perfectly in order, he loaded the car, stopped by the bank, and then drove out to the farm. There was at least a fifty-fif
ty chance Lucy would shut the door in his face. But he was convinced her request for a loan was legit. In order to get the cash, she had to go along with his wishes.

  Unfortunately, Kenny answered the door. And he was spoiling for a fight.

  Jeff had spent his entire life in Texas. He was no stranger to brawls and the occasional testosterone overload. But if he had plans for himself and Lucy, first he had to get past her gatekeeper. He held up his hands in the universal gesture for noncombative behavior. “I come in peace, big guy.”

  “Luce never should have asked you for the money. I can manage on my own.”

  “In LA? I don’t think so. Not without liquidating your assets. And that will break your cousin’s heart. Is that really what you want to do?”

  “You’re hardly the man to talk about breaking Lucy’s heart.” But it was said without heat. As if Kenny understood that more was at stake here than his would-be career.

  “Where is she?” Jeff asked. “We need to go.”

  “I think she was on the phone, but she’ll be out soon. Though I sure as hell don’t know why.”

  “Lucy and I have some unfinished business from two years ago. It’s time to settle a few scores.”

  Kenny blanched. “I don’t want to be in the middle of this.”

  “Too late. You shouldn’t have tried to sell your land to Samson Oil. And besides, Lucy came to me...not the other way around. What does that tell you?”

  Kenny bristled. “It tells me that my cousin cares about me. I have no idea what it says about you.”

  Eight

  Lucy stood just out of sight in the hallway and listened to the two men argue. Strangely, there was not much real anger in the exchange. At one time, Kenny and Jeff had been good friends. Kenny was supposed to walk Lucy down the aisle and hand her over to the rancher who had swept her off her feet. But that moment never happened.

  Lucy cleared her throat and eased past Kenny to step onto the porch. “Don’t worry if I’m late,” she said.