by Linda Conrad
Her new life could be ruined. Ty could see through her disguise completely and would hate her. She wouldn’t get a chance to live in a real-life world. Ty would hate her. She might never have another opportunity to find real friendship.
And, oh my God, Ty would hate her.
A tiny reminder that eventually she would have to own up to her deception and tell Ty the truth came into her conscious mind. But she pushed it aside.
She simply could not bear for that to happen. No way would she ever let that happen. No damn way.
After two days of finding excuses to stay away from the Foundation office—and Merri—Ty gave in to the urge to see her again. He was tired of fighting it. Tired from not sleeping—and tired of arguing with himself about her.
For a half-dozen reasons, he needed to get over it and get on with becoming her friend. Her roof was in need of more permanent repair. The Foundation needed her help with new donations. Jewel was constantly bugging him about Merri’s welfare.
Dang. He stood in front of the full-length mirror in his walk-in closet and studied his appearance the way he had never done before in his life. Was this chambray work shirt the right thing to wear? Maybe he should change out of his work jeans into something nicer.
Eyeing his still-wet work boots that were standing in the corner, Ty knew for certain those soggy old things wouldn’t work for Merri today. Hell. He never hesitated or fussed over his clothes, and as long as he’d been the boss of his own companies it had never mattered. Bank presidents, oil sheiks. Shoot, even senators and governors. None of them ever once mentioned his looks or so much as cared one way or the other.
But now it mattered—a lot.
As he flipped through his shirts to find something more suitable, Ty’s thoughts turned to Merri once again. Her clothes didn’t seem exactly right for her, either.
Okay, they were probably right for a shy office assistant with impeccable manners. But after that kiss they’d shared the other night, he’d become absolutely convinced that Merri could be so much more than that. Was so much more.
He remembered thinking years ago that his former fiancée, Diane, was so much less underneath her sexy clothes and outgoing personality. Merri was just the opposite.
That kiss was driving him totally insane.
Finally, he found a long-sleeved shirt and dress jeans that seemed to match. Today he had an appointment with a donor that wouldn’t care about his looks. But he wanted to please Merri.
He just had to get closer to her. Business associate. Friend. Lover. Hell. He would take whatever she would give.
Of course, it didn’t mean he could forget to keep the gates up on his heart. That was nonnegotiable. But he wasn’t above testing Merri, trying to find out what was really behind the gates she had erected around herself.
In less than half an hour, Ty pulled his pickup into the Foundation office’s lot and parked. After stepping out of the truck, he tucked in the shirt at the back of his waistband and straightened his collar. He even rubbed the toes of his new boots against the backs of his jeans-covered calves to make sure they were free of dust before he allowed himself to open the office door.
“Hey, there,” he said when he spotted her at the computer. “How’s your day going?”
She looked up at him with an irritated glimmer in her wide emerald eyes and his knees wobbled. It took a minute for him to realize she wasn’t wearing her glasses. The sight nearly took his breath away.
“I’ve had better days,” she finally admitted with a scowl. “The computer keeps going blue screen. And on top of that, Jewel called a while ago to say she’s made an appointment for me to meet with a retail clothing buyer who’s a friend of hers for four o’clock this afternoon.
“Apparently this woman is willing to donate clothes for the modeling show, but that will mean I have to drive to some town named McAllen and find the department store where the meeting is to take place. Waste of an afternoon, if you ask me.”
“Juanita Ramirez.”
“Excuse me?”
“Jewel’s friend, the buyer. Her name is Juanita Ramirez and she grew up near here. Jewel taught Sunday school for years and Juanita was one of her star pupils.”
“Oh? Yes, well…” Merri’s scowl changed to a half smile. “I’m sure she’s a lovely person. But still…”
“Let me try to make your day better if I can,” he interrupted with as much charm as he could manage. “I’m on my way to see an old friend who lives on a ranch about an hour out of McAllen. I wanted to invite you to come with me since he’s about to become one of the Foundation’s biggest donors.
“So…why don’t we make a day of it?” he continued as he placed both hands flat on her desk and leaned closer. “I’ll call the computer tech, who may yet be able to make it out here to the office late this afternoon. Then you and I can go pick up a check from my friend before we swing by and visit with Juanita on the way home.”
Merri blinked a couple of times and looked as if she was considering all the possibilities—including the fact that the two of them would be spending most of the day together riding around in his truck. But Ty wasn’t about to mention any such thing. Not until he got her to agree.
“I don’t think…”
“Your eyes are the most fascinating color of green,” he told her, trying for distraction until he could make her say yes to his proposal for the day. “Do you absolutely have to wear those glasses all the time? I mean, in the last few minutes I’ve counted at least three different shades your eyes have turned as the emotions rolled across your face. It occurs to me that it must be a real pain having to wear glasses unless you’re positively forced to.”
“What?” She looked stricken as she fumbled on her desk for her glasses. “No…I mean…yes. I have to wear the glasses. Uh…except to work on the computer.”
Ty found the glasses and handed them over. She flipped them on her face and took a breath. Interesting reaction. Maybe he was having an effect on her, after all.
“What do you say?” He was determined to push her as far as possible without being rude. “It’s turning into a great day. The sun is finally out and things are drying up from that last rainstorm. We can do all our chores at one time and when we return, the computer should be up and you’ll be back in business tomorrow.”
“I suppose so…”
Gotcha. “Terrific. Grab your things while I make the call, and then we can lock up. The tech has a key to let himself in.”
He watched Merri slowly stand up and begin to straighten her work in order to move it out of the way for the computer technician. She was dressed in something softer today. Her long-sleeved dress was still prim, but not nearly as severe as the last couple of things he’d seen her wear.
And it was in an icy jade color. Just the exact shade her eyes had become when he’d seen her considering being alone with him for the afternoon.
Uh-oh. He’d never noticed such things before in his entire life. He just might be in a world of trouble here.
Great day, Merri mumbled to herself. Right. Sure it was great—if a person liked ninety-degree temperatures and humidity high enough to frizz hair and make clothes feel all limp and sticky.
The sun looked like a burner on an electric stove set at “high.” But it was hanging out in the cerulean sky overhead and beating down through the windshield as if it were determined to ruin any chance that the pickup’s struggling air conditioner would be able to make things comfortable.
Ty hadn’t said much while they drove for an hour and a half down winding farm-to-market roads. A minute ago they’d bumped over a grate in the road, then jostled under a twenty-foot sign indicating this was the Double S ranch.
“Ouch,” she complained when the truck dipped into a pothole the size of Orange County, California, and knocked her sideways into the door handle. “I thought your friend must have money if he’s going to make such a big donation. Can’t he afford to pave the driveway to his house? Or does he just like gravel ro
ads?”
“This isn’t gravel. It’s caliche,” Ty told her without turning to face her. “And Miguel Santos could afford to pave over the entire state of Texas if he wanted to. But part of his empire includes the largest caliche pit in the world. You might want to refrain from bringing up the subject of paving.”
“Ah. I see. Well, caliche is nice, I guess.”
She half turned to look at Ty and found herself noticing how he absently drove his fingers through his hair and then straightened his collar as he kept his eyes trained on the road ahead. This great day would have a long way to go in a competition with Ty on who looked the best in the sunshine.
Obviously, he’d made an effort to dress a little nicer than usual in order to make a good impression on the new donor. His royal blue shirt brought out the deeper blue in his eyes. The jeans he wore looked brand-new and she was sure his boots had never been worn before today.
It warmed her heart to see him trying to change his appearance.
Merri wondered how long she would have to know him in order for her to feel comfortable taking him on a shopping trip. She could just picture him in an expensive, designer suit and tie. Yum.
Within a few minutes, they’d parked the car and were being ushered into a rambling house that seemed to stretch out into the next county. Miguel—Mike—Santos met them halfway down a Saltillo-tiled hall. He was a short man with salt-and-pepper hair and a twinkle in his dark brown eyes. Even though he was an inch shorter than Merri, his regal presence made him seem like a giant.
And…he wore dirty, torn blue jeans and boots that looked like they hadn’t been polished once in their whole existence. Merri smiled at her own naive stupidity. Clothes did not always make the man.
Ty clasped the man’s hand and her boss’s expression said it all. He genuinely liked Mike Santos. And he couldn’t care less about the way that either of them were dressed.
Maybe she had a lot more to learn about real life than she’d ever imagined.
For the next hour, over cold drinks and tamales, she listened to Mike as he reminisced about his late wife and showed them pictures of his grandchildren. He had been born right here on this ranch, which had come to his family as a Mexican land grant over two hundred years ago.
But his wife had come from a poor immigrant family and had lost her parents when they crossed into the United States. Hers was a sad story, filled with struggle and hardship. And it made Merri feel more than a little uncomfortable with her own spoiled upbringing.
At last Mike stood, but he signaled for her and Ty to stay in their seats. “You have been very gracious to listen to an old man’s story, Merri. I feel that I could tell you anything. Gracias.”
Mike turned to Ty and put a hand on his shoulder. “I planned to donate a nice sum to your children’s foundation, amigo. Without your backing when I needed it most, I might not have saved the ranch.
“But now…” he continued hesitantly. “Seeing Merri and talking to her about my Maria’s childhood has made me ashamed that I have not done more for your lost children. If you will excuse me for a few minutes, I will remedy that situation by tearing up the original check and writing a new one. I think perhaps Maria, looking down from heaven, would not be pleased unless I gave twice the amount that you and I discussed.”
With that, Mike turned and smiled at Merri. “You are quite a lady, senorita. I hope Tyson appreciates the outstanding gem he has in you.”
Mercy. Tyson did in fact appreciate the gift he had been given in Merri. More every minute. He’d watched her as she charmed his old friend. He had been enthralled with her genuine interest in Mike’s tales and by the kind way she had urged him to tell only what he could manage without becoming too morbid.
Merri whispered her thanks and Mike disappeared into his study.
“I’ve never heard that story about Maria,” Ty told Merri when they were alone. “You completely captivated him. I think with a little more encouragement you might’ve had him confessing every sin he’d ever committed. You are amazing with people, darlin’.”
She blushed a delightful shade of pink and shook her head. “I like Mike. It was easy to listen to his stories. But he’s giving to the Foundation because of you and the respect he has for what you are trying to accomplish…it has nothing to do with me.”
Ty wasn’t so sure about that. He knew that, if asked, he would gladly give her anything—everything.
He had to find a way to make sure she stayed with him—uh—with the Foundation. In fact, he’d found himself giving serious consideration to making her the head of the entire charity instead of just the head of Development. She was so much better at this charm business than he was.
Maybe she should become the public face for the Lost Children’s Foundation? Yeah, her face was bound to be better suited for that sort of thing than his was.
Hmm. Not a bad idea at all.
Six
The old gypsy woman narrowed her eyes and scowled down at her crystal ball. Fool!
It was hard to believe Tyson Steele was smart enough to have made so much money in his life. He certainly seemed too stupid to be descended from a great lady like Lucille Steele. Bah!
The gypsy steepled her gnarled fingers and sat back in her chair. Her father had been clear enough with his last instructions. The needy members of Lucille’s family were to receive the magic gifts made specifically for them. Tyson Steele’s gift had been the magic vision.
Twisting her fingers through the silver strands of hair that poked out from under her favorite scarlet scarf, she shook her head and scowled. What was she to do with such an idiot? She had placed the magic in his hands, hadn’t she? She’d even told him how to use it. All he had to do was pick up the glass and look.
But so far, he’d only managed to wade ever deeper into a fog of hazy confusion. With his heart’s desire near enough for him to reach out and grasp, he ignored the magic. Even now he considered moving ahead on a very dangerous course instead of following her advice.
There was nothing the gypsy could do to make him see. Her hands were tied. She was not allowed to interfere. The magic only worked if he used it of his own volition.
Sighing, the old woman shook her head again and raised her eyes. Could it be possible that the man would never see? That he would let his stubborn disbelief cause him to lose his one chance?
Stupid. Stupid. She would continue to observe him in her crystal, but she wondered if she could stand watching Tyson Steele lose everything. It would be the ultimate disrespect for the memory of Lucille Steele.
The young fool!
Walking across the steaming asphalt parking lot, Merri felt as if she were wilting. Could this really be just early spring? What would the weather be like in the heat of the summer?
“I think you’re going to like Juanita,” Ty said casually as they strolled toward the department store for her appointment.
The man didn’t seem fazed by the heat. He was still as cool and crisp in his long-sleeved shirt and jeans as he had been hours ago when he’d first walked into the office.
But riding around the countryside with him and being so close was driving Merri crazy—and making her body temperature rise higher than ever.
She would’ve thought that being sweaty would cool any erotic longings she might have. But no. If anything, having perspiration inch its way down between her breasts was causing her mind to automatically form images of tangled bodies and blazing hot passion.
But those kinds of thoughts would never do. She and Ty were on the verge of forming a true friendship. There were hardly any strained silences between them anymore.
Hopefully, he had put their one kiss out of his mind. She only wished she could’ve done the same. But just when she was laughing at some joke he’d told—or whenever they were quietly discussing his plans for the future of the Foundation. That’s the time when the memory of his arms around her, taking her lips and making her blood sing, came back to haunt her—and make her long for more.
> As Ty would say, Shoot. And dang it all.
“I hope Juanita will be able to help us with clothes donations,” Merri managed to say, trying hard not to think of kissing him again.
“I’m sure she will,” Ty said with a smile. “Juanita is a big shot in the fashion industry. She’s headquartered in New York and is the national sales manager for some huge design firm. She comes back to Texas a couple of times a quarter to check on sales here. I’d guess she knows lots about modeling shows.”
“Oh?” Uh-oh.
They entered the department store and asked for Juanita. A nice clerk called to some office and then directed them to the second-floor specialty boutique.
Merri had a bad feeling about this. Even in the cold blast of air-conditioning that had felt so good at first, the sweat broke out on her forehead. There probably weren’t two people in high positions in the New York fashion world that she didn’t know—and most she knew very well.
Her mind was racing, first trying to place a Juanita that she might know from the New York scene. And second, trying to figure some way out of her appointment altogether.
“There she is,” Ty said as they stepped off the escalator. “Hey, Janie!” he called, trying to capture a woman’s attention on the other side of the floor.
Janie? Oh my God. No. Not Janie Ramirez. It couldn’t be.
“Janie?” she asked with trepidation. “I thought her name was Juanita.”
“Oh, sure. Janie is a nickname. ’Round here she goes by both, but in New York I understand they only know her by Janie.”
It was too late for Merri to run and there was nowhere for her to hide. Was this going to be the end to her true-life Odyssey?
As they walked closer, Merri dropped her chin and hung back, hoping that she could keep most of her body hidden behind Ty’s. Though her mind was racing, there didn’t seem to be any way of avoiding catastrophe.
“Good to see you, Juanita,” Ty said as he greeted the other woman with a smile in his voice. “I’d like for you to meet my new assistant and Jewel’s new renter, Merri Davis.” He stepped aside so that the two women could face each other.