The Reluctant Texas Rancher (Harlequin American Romance)

by Thacker, Cathy Gillen

  Travis opened a third folder. “Copies of all the text messages we sent, confirming the various engagements and business dealings. Also arranged in the order they were sent.” He held out a fourth. “And all my meeting notes, along with memos summarizing any other discussions we had during the course of my representation of her.”

  Liz perused a few of them, noting the attention to detail. Which didn’t surprise her. Travis excelled at everything he did.

  In and out of bed…

  She swallowed, pushing the thought away.

  He sat on the edge of her desk, facing her. Something hot and sensual shimmered in his eyes. “How are things going on your end? Were you able to speak with any of Olympia’s four previous attorneys?”

  “Yes, I did. By phone.”

  “And?” He lifted a brow.

  Reluctantly, Liz admitted, “The first two were not asked for a reduction in billing rate. The third and fourth both were, but elected not to give it to her, since it was not their firm’s policy.”

  Travis went still. “What about a relationship?”

  “If it happened, no one is admitting it,” Liz said with a sigh.

  His lips compressed. “So this pattern of behavior began and ended with me.”

  “As far as we know. I mean, we can ask during the course of the deposition if she is still receiving a reduced billing rate from Haverty, Brockman & Roberts. And whether or not she’s dating anyone else in the firm.”

  “My guess is yes to the first and no to the second, given what happened to me.”

  Liz nodded.

  A dejected silence fell.

  Travis stood and moved away from the desk. “So, the deposition is in two days. And we’re back to ‘he said, she said.’”

  Liz rose and followed him to the shelves containing her law books. “You still have a solid case for unlawful firing and defamation.”

  “Part of my job was keeping the client happy.” His jaw clenched. “HB&R can and will argue I failed to do that.”

  Liz refused to admit defeat. “And we’ll argue in return that no attorney can keep Olympia Herndon happy for long. Her track record when it comes to representation speaks for itself, and I am ready and willing to call in her previous attorneys and ask them under oath exactly how demanding and difficult a client she was.”

  “That will get ugly.”

  Liz knew he was thinking about his family, trying to keep them from being involved—by extension—in anything undignified or defamatory. But while she sympathized with that, her job was to protect him.

  “It’s already ugly. We just have to hope that, when it comes right down to it, everyone involved will realize this is a can’t-win situation, with the potential to hurt all the participants.”

  “It sounds like you’re talking settlement already.” Lines of disapproval bracketed his lips.

  “No. I’m talking about a voluntary withdrawal of all charges, with binding confidentiality agreements on both sides. A win-win solution for all of us that will keep the ugliness confined to the deposition room and out of the public eye. It’s quite a different animal.” Liz paused. “Trust me to petition well on your behalf.”

  “I do.” Travis took her hand and squeezed it. They smiled at each other, in sync once again. “In the meantime, I have a favor to ask of you…”

  “DINNER WITH YOUR FOLKS, at their ranch,” Liz repeated in shock. “Tonight.” They hadn’t even done that when they were dating.

  Travis glanced at his watch. “We’re due there as we speak.”

  “I’m in a suit.” Or in other words, way overdressed, so at a disadvantage, socially and otherwise.

  Travis lounged against the wall and surveyed her head to toe. “You could be wearing Birkenstocks and a toga, with a wreath in your hair, for all they’d care.”

  Liz went to the wardrobe and supply closet in her office, where she kept a few emergency outfits. She opened it, and stood looking at the choices.

  Travis hovered next to her. “I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t really want you by my side tonight.”

  Her heart took a little leap. “Put that way…of course I’ll go.” She removed a white, notch-collared blouse and black slacks. That and her black flats were the best she could do.

  She slipped into her private bathroom and shut the door.

  Travis called through the panel, “I’ve already told them we can’t stay past dinner, so it shouldn’t be a long evening.”

  Liz hurriedly changed clothes. “Any of your siblings going to be there?” He had two sisters and two brothers. All younger.

  “Nope. I’m not sure whether to be happy about that or sad.”

  She ran a brush through her hair, reapplied lipstick and spritzed on a small amount of jasmine perfume, then opened the bathroom door. “How come?”

  Travis lifted one corner of his mouth as she approached him. “If they were there,” he admitted with uncharacteristic ruefulness, “they’d take some of the attention away from me.”

  Liz shut down her computer, picked up her handbag and keys and turned off the lights. She led the way out. “So you think this is going to be a tense situation?”

  Travis fell into step beside her. “Hopefully not, with you there.”

  The excitement Liz’d felt began to fade.

  So much for presuming this invitation was romantic in nature.

  She paused and turned to face him, so suddenly he almost ran into her. “In other words, you’re using me as a human shield?” She kept her voice mild.

  He curved his hands over her shoulders, his eyes full of affection. “More like the target of my longing.” He rubbed his thumb across her cheek.

  Liz sighed and tried not to lean into his touch. “You think sweet-talking me will you get somewhere?”

  He flashed a slow, sexy grin. “One can hope.” Then he bent his head and kissed her. “I’ll make this up to you,” he promised.

  He was going to have to, Liz thought. Her emotions were in such turmoil!

  Talk once again turned to his legal situation and the strategy they were planning to take.

  Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Travis’s parents’ ranch.

  Located on the northeastern side of Laramie County, the former Lockhart Ranch had belonged to Kelsey’s family, until Kelsey Lockhart and Brady Anderson had partnered up to purchase the property and renamed it the Double Deal Ranch.

  Over much familial protesting, Travis’s parents had entered into a marriage of convenience—that soon turned into the real thing—in order to get a start-up loan for their two businesses. Thirty-four years and five children later, Kelsey and Brady were happy and prosperous.

  Kelsey’s horse-riding operation took up one half of the ranch, Brady’s cattle operation the rest. They employed a half-dozen riding instructors, a dozen full-time cowboys and a dozen grooms, a cook and two secretaries. Everything on the ranch was modern, luxurious and state-of-the-art. Including their very own backyard barbecue pavilion. The spacious entertaining area featured a beautiful limestone floor, polished oak bar and stools, and banquet table. A mammoth grill and Sub-Zero fridge, plus sink and dishwasher, comprised the outdoor kitchen area. Flat-screen TVs and ceiling fans were suspended from the roof.

  Liz recalled being intimidated the one time she had come out here to meet his parents, when she was a teenager and dating Travis. They had stayed only a few minutes, but it had still been nerve-racking.

  That was nothing compared to the way she felt now, as she and Travis walked across the patio toward his waiting parents.

  Brady was behind the polished oak bar, making margaritas. Kelsey was setting a bouquet of flowers on the table. The scents of mesquite-smoked chicken and baking bread filled the air.

  The evening was all set to be homey and welcoming, yet she felt as if she was under scrutiny, however polite.

  That feeling intensified when they sat down to dinner.

  During the meal, the conversation was light and casual. It was only when they we
re finishing up with pie and coffee that Travis’s parents finally exchanged glances and got down to brass tacks. “Hargett told us about his offer to you,” Kelsey told her son, her freckles standing out against her fair skin.

  “Before you decide, your mother and I would like to put in our own offer,” Brady said.

  Liz’s discomfort intensified. “Perhaps I shouldn’t be here for this…” She started to rise.

  Travis draped a possessive arm around her shoulders and used the pressure to push her right back down in her seat.

  He turned to face her, stating simply, “I want you with me.”

  The sensation of being needed made her spirits soar.

  He regarded his parents steadily. “Liz can hear anything you-all have to say to me this evening.”

  Brady wasn’t happy about it, but he nodded and continued with the frankness for which he and his wife were known. “Son, if you want to ranch, we want you to start out right. Not to insult you, Liz, but we don’t want to see our son herding goats and donkeys on someone else’s property when he could be running cattle on his own. Which is why, Travis, your mother and I are prepared to lease you a chunk of our land to get started on. When and if you find a ranch you’d like to buy, we’ll help you with that, too.”

  Clearly insulted, Travis removed his arm from Liz’s shoulders and sat up straight. “I appreciate the offer, but…no.”

  A tense silence fell.

  Finally, Kelsey bit her lip. “We just want you to know there are options.”

  “My name will be cleared,” Travis stated firmly.

  The Andersons cast hesitant looks at Liz.

  Suddenly, she knew where this was going. Anxiety choked her throat. “You’re concerned that Travis asked me to represent him, instead of going with a big and powerful Houston law firm,” she said hoarsely. And having already said as much to him, to no avail, they were now prepared to appeal to her.

  Sagely, Brady commented, “It would seem that path would level the playing field a lot more than the one he is on now.”

  Kelsey leaned toward her oldest son. “You’ve worked so hard for so long to get where you are in your law career. We don’t want to see you pushed off the fast track and forced to give up all that hard-won success.”

  Awash with hurt and embarrassment, Liz interjected, “I don’t want that, either. And if it would make you feel better, I will recuse myself from this situation.” If for no other reason than to regain my dignity.

  Travis scowled and nudged her leg under the table. “No, you won’t!” he countered.

  Heat flowed through her. Liz moved her leg back so they were no longer touching. “Travis…”

  A muscle worked in his jaw as he captured her hand and held tight. “Mom. Dad. I’m sorry this situation has embarrassed you. It’s humiliated the heck out of me, too.” He leaned forward penitently. “It’s also my fault. I used poor judgment. Instead of holding out for something better—something like you and Dad have—I got involved in a casual relationship that I knew from the outset was destined to end. Possibly even badly…” He huffed in frustration, his gaze direct. “Well, it has. Not for the reasons I would have assumed, but still in a way that’s created havoc in my life.”

  Brady’s scowl deepened. He started to speak.

  Travis cut him off. “Liz is doing a fine job representing me.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her wrist. “I have faith in her. And if you respect me at all…” he paused to let his words sink in “…you’ll accept my judgment on this and trust her, too.”

  Maternal worry clouded Kelsey’s eyes as she got up to pour them all more coffee. “Have you thought about what an uncomfortable position Liz is now in?” she demanded, glaring at her son.

  “It was one thing when the two of you were little more than old acquaintances. But now…” When his mother sat down again, her expression turned pleading. “Travis, if this doesn’t go well, it can and will affect your relationship.”

  Just as his single-minded ambition once had.

  “Your parents are right.” Liz wrenched her hand from Travis’s and struggled to her feet.

  Much as she was loath to admit it, his parents weren’t blowing hot air.

  Travis had been playing cowboy and living on the Four Winds as a way of escaping. But soon the depositions would bring them sharply back to reality.

  And the truth was, Travis belonged in a big, fancy law office, in the heart of Houston, along with all the other power players.

  She might be content to live in a small town, helping those around her with problems large and small. Travis never would be. Not in the long term, anyway.

  Liz inhaled a shuddering breath. “Since I’ve been representing you, the situation has gotten even more perilous and complex.”

  Travis’s head lifted in surprise.

  “Olympia is determined to make you pay for being unable to get her the business deal she wanted.” To the point the oil heiress appeared ready to do and say anything.

  Travis pushed his empty dessert plate away and downed the rest of his coffee. “The truth is on our side.”

  Unfortunately, Liz knew, truth did not always prevail in court.

  “Hargett is acquainted with her family. He says Olympia can be vicious when crossed,” Kelsey interjected. “He’s worried you aren’t as prepared as you should be.”

  Liz knew they weren’t even close. What if her emotions got in the way of the defense she was crafting? What if she screwed up?

  Kelsey went on, “All your father and I are saying, Travis, is that if there is something between you and Liz—and it seems that there is—why risk that?”

  “Why not let someone else handle your defense?” Brady said.

  So that if the attempt to prove the accusations false failed, someone else would take the blame, Liz thought. She and Travis could go on....

  “Look,” Travis said, standing in turn. He glared at his parents. “Just because you love me does not give you the right to try to run my life.”

  “That’s not what we’re doing,” Kelsey protested, visibly upset.

  “Really?” he countered, circling around the table to take Liz’s hand. Clasping her fingers tightly, he drew her out from beneath the pavilion. “Because it sure as heck seems like it is!”

  “I’m sorry,” Liz said miserably when they reached the driveway.

  He reached the passenger door, suddenly growing very quiet, very serious. “Don’t be. This has nothing to do with you.”

  She stared at him, her stomach twisting with a combination of tension and nerves.

  “It’s always been like this,” Travis continued in frustration. He lounged against the side of the truck, arms folded in front of him.

  In a low, furious voice he confided, “Because I’m the oldest, I’ve always been expected to be perfect, to live up to the image my parents have of me in their heads. I’m expected to set an example, Liz. And I have. All the way through high school and college and law school, I was damn near perfect.”

  “Yeah, you were,” Liz recalled in open admiration. So much that she’d been left feeling not just too young for him, but unworthy....

  He dipped his head in acknowledgment of her compliment, all the while holding her gaze.

  “Editor of Texas Law Review, top in my class. Really good job with a big firm. I was on the fast track to huge success.” His lips curved ruefully, in a way that did funny things to her insides.

  “And then I screwed up.” He shrugged his shoulders. “And my parents can’t accept it.”

  She edged closer, her arms folded, too. “I think they’re just worried about you,” she murmured compassionately.

  As am I.

  He reached out and pried her hand loose, covering them with his. His usual confidence was back. “I’ll be all right, Liz…no matter what happens.” His fingers tightened. “I’ve got the job on the Four Winds and a place to live.”

  Which was so much less than what he was meant for, she realized sadly.
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br />   She drew a breath, lifted her chin. “You’ve also got the offer from your grandfather.”

  Which would ensure a seven-figure salary and a lot of power and prestige.

  “And the offer from your parents.” If being a rancher was truly what he wanted. And Liz wasn’t sure it was.

  Clenching his jaw, he opened the passenger door. “I’m not taking either of those.”

  Liz delayed climbing inside the cab. Emotions rioting, she gripped the armrest. “Why not?”

  Travis wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her into the seat, the same way he’d lifted her against the wall when he’d made love with her.

  “Because there is no dignity in nepotism.” He let her go, stepped away. “I’m not falling back on the family coffers. I’ve got too much self-respect for that.” He leaned inside the cab, cupped her face in his palm. “I want to live my own life, my own way.”

  He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her on the mouth, in full view of the Double Deal ranch house and anyone who might be passing.

  Liz clutched at his shirt. He kissed her again.

  “Starting now,” he promised in a husky voice.

  Her heart pounding, Liz flattened her palms on his chest. “Travis,” she moaned. If he didn’t stop…

  He tangled his tongue with hers, dragging his fingers through her hair. “Let’s go somewhere we can be alone. A hotel in San Angelo, maybe…”

  How Liz wished they could forget everything and just go off somewhere, close out the world and make love. Over and over again.

  But the lawyer in her knew it would be a very bad path to take.

  Ignoring the weightless feeling in her tummy and the ache between her thighs, she shook her head and straightened. “No, Travis. I have work to do. And so do you.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Liz walked into the Four Winds kitchen a little past eight o’clock, her thoughts still focused on the recent talk with Travis and his parents. Although they hadn’t come right out and said so, their concern made her wonder whether she was helping Travis get his life back, or merely standing in the way of his inevitable departure. One thing was sure: she did not have a documented pattern of behavior that would hold up in court and prove Olympia Herndon had set out to use—and possibly destroy—Travis’s career, for the oil heiress’s own gain.