Perfect Family

by Potter, Patricia;

  “Sarah was bound and determined to talk to her. She gave her one of those photograph albums.”

  “And the girl never said anything about her father?”

  “Damned little.”

  Marc’s eyes narrowed. “You know how important this is?” It wasn’t a question as much as a statement of fact.

  “Of course I do. You’ve told me enough times.”

  “I thought she would be eating out of your hand by now.” Marc’s voice had an edge to it.

  “You thought wrong.”

  “You must be slipping, Alex.”

  “She’s agreed to the blood test. She needs time, Marc. You won’t win her to your side if you push right now. She’s still grappling with everything I’ve thrown at her, and she doesn’t know the half of it yet.”

  “Are you sure? Are you sure her … Harding said nothing to her?”

  “Nothing is sure, Marc. You know that by now. But I would wager my Jeep that Harding never uttered a word about his past. She was completely stunned.”

  “Then we have to keep it that way.”

  “She deserves to know everything.”

  Marc raised an eyebrow. “Everything? We don’t know her that well. Hell, she might have the clue to those bonds without knowing it. If we tell her, she could take everything herself.”

  “I don’t think so,” Alex said.

  “Well, I’m not willing to risk it. And you can’t say anything. You’re bound by attorney-client privilege. The family is your client, and she’s not a Clements yet.”

  “You’re a fine one to be talking about ethics.”

  Marc shrugged. “Has she gotten to you? I didn’t think she’s quite your type.”

  “Are you through, Marc?” Alex started to rise.

  “For now,” Marc replied. “When are you bringing her back to the ranch?”

  “This afternoon for the barbecue.”

  Marc nodded. “I don’t want her to spend time with Ross.”

  “Hell, Ross didn’t even show up last night, though I think Sarah expected him. He has little patience with greenhorns.”

  “She isn’t exactly a greenhorn,” Marc said. “You said she was an exercise girl for her father. She’s probably damned good. I’ll ask April to take her riding.”

  Alex couldn’t keep the surprise from his face.

  “I thought April was still in Washington.”

  “She arrived last night. I think she and my new cousin might get along well together.”

  “Maybe,” Alex said dubiously. Marc’s two children had been a handful when young, both vying for their father’s attention. Unfortunately, he’d been gone much of the time and had spoiled them rotten on the rare occasions they were together. They still hungered for his favor, and couldn’t seem to make a life of their own; both planned to work in his senatorial campaign. April had majored in journalism and at twenty-eight was Marc’s press secretary. She was talented and ambitious. And, Alex knew, willful. She always wanted what she couldn’t have. Still, Alex had always been intrigued by her. They’d even dated for a short time before April had left for Washington, and she’d left him with an itch he’d never recovered from. But he had learned to hide it well. If not, April would use it as a weapon. So would her father.

  The one striking thing about April was her unquestioned devotion to her father. And his career.

  Marc looked out the window at the tourists. “Smith needs an answer soon, or the deal will fall through.”

  “It’ll also fall through if this whole thing is handled wrong,” Alex said. “Be patient.”

  “I’m still not sure what side you’re on.”

  “I’m the family’s attorney. I’m on the side of the majority.”

  “You can sway that majority …”

  “Can I?”

  Marc’s lips frowned in disapproval. “Don’t play games with me, Alex.”

  Alex shrugged. “You give me too much credit. I don’t care for the responsibility.”

  “You never have,” Marc observed. “But I can tell she likes you.”

  “Perhaps, but she doesn’t completely trust me. She doesn’t like lawyers.”

  “Smart girl,” Marc said. “But she’ll be happy enough when she realizes she’s inheriting a great deal of money.”

  “I don’t believe money means that much to her. She’s never once asked whether there is any kind of inheritance.”

  “That much money means a lot to everyone.”

  Alex shrugged. “Perhaps.”

  “I’m depending on you,” Marc said. He didn’t wait for an answer but rose, tossed a twenty-dollar bill on the table, and walked away. He stopped and talked to people on his way out, his face wreathed in a smile. The consummate politician.

  And a good one, Alex knew. Marc had been careful to keep any stains from his record, and people liked him. But he needed money if he wanted to be senator. He hadn’t been able to raise enough to compete effectively. At least Alex didn’t think he had.

  Jessica was the key to that money.

  Alex picked up his mug and sipped the rest of his coffee. The next few weeks would be very interesting.

  Jessie had breakfast at the hotel, then took a cup of coffee down to the creek. She sat on a boulder that overlooked the stream.

  She looked up at the huge rock called the Coffee Pot, for obvious reasons. The sun dappled its side, pulling out the various shades of red. Not for the first time, she wished she were competent with a paintbrush. No wonder there were so many artists here.

  The land had already grown on her. Grown on her and seeped into her very being.

  Was that why she’d finally consented to the blood test?

  She’d been hesitant before. It was a commitment of sorts. A negative result would destroy her feeling of being Alice in Wonderland or even Dorothy in Oz. She hadn’t been sure she wanted to prick the dream. But after seeing the photos, she had few doubts that Clements blood ran through her.

  The creek bubbled along, a musical accompaniment to her thoughts. There had been so many questions asked that she hadn’t been able to answer. So many more questions in her own mind.

  “Jessie.”

  She whirled around to see Alex standing there. “I thought I might find you here after my knocks didn’t work.”

  “I’m sorry. Am I late?”

  “No. I’m a few minutes early. I thought we would get rid of the business early, then drive out to the ranch. They’re cooking a side of beef. They probably started it last night.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “It is.” He looked at her closely. “Having second thoughts about the blood test?”

  “No. It’s just still a little bewildering.”

  “They’re really not that bad.”

  “I didn’t think they were. They’re just … overwhelming. I liked Sarah, though.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “No one else?”

  “You’re fishing.”

  “I am,” he admitted shamelessly. “Are you ready?”

  No. She wasn’t. Not really. She nodded.

  They walked silently to her room, where she picked up her handbag. She was wearing a pair of jeans and an embroidered shirt. Barbecue clothes. She hoped.

  The morning went quickly. Once they arrived at the medical building, a physician ushered them into his silent office. He’d obviously opened it just for her, and he regarded her with more than a little interest. “And so you are Miss Clements?”

  “Clayton,” she corrected.

  His eyes twinkled. “I think that’s what we’re here to find out.”

  Several minutes later, she and Alex were walking out of the office. “You must have influence,” she said. “I didn’t expect a doctor to do it.”

  Alex shrugged. “I didn’t think you would want this to be public knowledge. I trust Phil.”

  She wondered whether it was the family that didn’t want this to become public knowledge, but she quickly shoved the thought out of her consciousness. She was going
to enjoy this afternoon.

  Ross changed to a pair of clean jeans and shirt. He couldn’t delay this any longer. Sarah had been visibly upset this morning, refusing to accept his excuse of a sick horse. “Maybe you want to lose the Sunset,” she said. “I don’t.”

  “Going to a party isn’t going to change that,” he said bitterly.

  “It could. And you will like her.”

  “The heiress? I don’t think so.” He had already pictured a gold digger in his mind.

  She frowned at him. “Don’t always be a cynic, Ross. She’s nothing like that. She doesn’t even know about the terms of the will.”

  He looked at her skeptically. “I can’t believe that Alex hasn’t started working on her.”

  “You could be nicer to him.”

  “When horses sprout wings and fly.”

  “Just be pleasant.”

  “I’ll show up. I can’t promise more than that.”

  She gave him an anguished look before starting for the door.

  “I’ll try,” he said, uttering a curse under his breath when she turned around and beamed at him. He didn’t want to be a part of this, none of it.

  He shaved quickly, and ran a comb through his unruly hair. Didn’t really matter. It would be unmanageable again. It was coarse and straight and kept falling over his eyes. He hated taking time to get a haircut, and now he’d let it grow too long.

  But there were far more important matters. Like a job. He would never find another position like this one. He had chosen a quickly shrinking career field. There was no demand for ranch managers, particularly one who had his own way of doing things.

  The family had left him alone as long as the Sunset was making money. But profits had shrunk, along with the price of beef, in the past few years. And meanwhile, the price of land near Sedona had grown proportionally greater. He’d responded by diversifying. The price of good cutting horses had risen dramatically in the past few years. But it took years to build a recognized stable that would bring the prices he needed.

  Two more years. Just two more years.

  But the family wasn’t willing to wait.

  The family! Damn them. All but Sarah. He owed her. God, he owed her his life.

  And he knew he would do anything necessary to repay her.

  Jessie saw Ross Macleod and immediately knew who he was.

  Alex had parked the car near the corral. A man she hadn’t seen before lounged against a fence post, talking to a very pretty woman dressed in a sky-blue silk blouse and tailored dark-blue slacks. She was looking up at her companion, and Jessie heard her laughter.

  For a moment her gaze lingered on the woman. She was blond, like the congressman. Jessie couldn’t see her eyes, but she would bet a twenty that they were blue. Her gaze moved to the man. In contrast to the well-dressed woman, he was dressed in well-worn jeans and a faded blue shirt with its sleeves rolled up. His skin was bronze. She realized that it was not altogether from the sun.

  She was struck by his resemblance to David Macleod, Sarah’s husband. The way he leaned against the corral was identical to the photo of his adoptive father. His mouth was the same, and so were the deep-set eyes. His cheeks, though were more finely drawn, more angular. He was adopted. Then why the physical resemblance? More secrets?

  Like David Macleod, this man’s hair was dark, nearly black. A shock of it fell over his forehead, and she watched as his fingers ran through it, pushing it back in place. Even that movement had a grace to it, a quality common to good horsemen. He was not handsome in the accepted way, but there was a rugged attractiveness that appealed to her. More than appealed to her. It jolted her like a sudden streak of lightning.

  “That’s Ross,” Alex said, touching her arm. She wondered if she’d looked as starstruck as she felt. She felt a flush rising to her cheeks. “And April. She’s Marc’s daughter.”

  Something intimate touched his words. She turned and looked at him, wondering if he had an interest there. She felt his hand guiding her toward the two. April appeared to be close to her own age, but looked as elegant as a film star. Her blond hair was pulled back into a French twist. Her face had the bone structure of a Grace Kelly.

  The woman turned toward them, fixing her gaze on Jessie. Her eyes were blue, a gorgeous unfair blue. Jessie suddenly felt awkward and tall and not very well put together.

  But the woman gave her a blinding smile and held out her hand. “You must be Jessica, our long-lost cousin.”

  Her charm was every bit the equal of Alex’s. Jessie couldn’t help but melt under the force of it as she took April’s hand. “We’re not sure of that yet,” she cautioned.

  “Sarah is sure and that’s good enough for me,” April said. “So welcome to the family.” Then she looked up at her companion. “Have you met our recluse yet?” she asked in a light, teasing voice.

  Jessie looked up into Ross Macleod’s face and suddenly was tongue-tied. His eyes were nearly as dark as his hair, a deep dark brown framed by thick black lashes. Unlike the other Clementses, there was no welcome in them, not even curiosity. If anything, she saw traces of hostility, and most certainly wariness.

  He gave a nod of acknowledgment. “Miss … Clayton, is it?” His voice was deep, drawling but devoid of warmth.

  “Jessie,” she said. It came out more of a croak.

  “How do you like Sedona?” April broke the silence that followed.

  “It’s very pretty,” Jessie said inadequately, then blundered on. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “I understand you live in Atlanta. It’s an exciting city.” April was doing her best to make her feel at ease, and yet Jessie felt like a lump of coal. Perhaps because Ross Macleod was studying her as if she were a horse he might consider buying, then found it wanting.

  “I like it,” she finally said.

  “Daddy said you ride. Would you like to take some horses out this afternoon? I can show you some rather spectacular Indian ruins. Maybe even the bear here will go.” She looked up at Ross again, a grin on her face.

  One side of Ross’s lips turned up slightly, bringing out an unlikely dimple in his chin. Perhaps it had been hidden in his scowl. “The bear?”

  “The bear,” April confirmed, obviously not at all intimidated by his manner.

  Jessie suddenly wished she could tease out a real smile. Instead, she could merely observe.

  Ross turned to her, and she felt her legs suddenly weaken. Again, his eyes seemed to probe her. “Perhaps Alex can accompany you later. I have a horse that’s ready to foal. I don’t want to leave now.”

  “You always have an excuse,” April complained, and for the first time some of the charm was gone. “Oh well, we don’t need a chaperon.”

  Alex’s fingers tightened on Jessie’s arm. It was an outright rejection of him. Jessie felt a sudden wave of sympathy. “I would like him to come,” she said, gratified when she saw appreciation in Alex’s eyes and surprise in Ross’s. Something like irritation flashed across April’s face, but then it disappeared as quickly as it came.

  “We’ll go at sunset,” April said. “It’s the prettiest time of the day.”

  Ross seemed about to say something, then turned away. “I’ll have some horses saddled.”

  “I want Ladybird,” April said. She turned to Jessie. “Do you ride well?”

  Jessie hesitated. She hadn’t ridden since she was seventeen, but then she could ride nearly any horse. She shrugged. “Adequately,” she said.

  April looked toward Ross. “Maybe Jessica would like Firebird. He’s Ladybird’s brother. He’s fast and steady.”

  “No,” Ross said. “I’ll pick one.” He nodded to Jessie, then strode off toward the barn.

  “Charming as a rattlesnake,” Alex muttered.

  April’s gaze followed Ross Macleod. Jessie couldn’t help but notice the longing in her face before turning back to them.

  “I’m hungry,” April said lightly. “Come on, Jessica, I’ll introduce you to the latecomers.” />
  Alex watched Sarah take Jessica under her wing again, regaling her with stories familiar to him: how Hall Clements came to the area with his parents just after the last of the Apaches and Yavapai had been driven out by General Crook. Apache crops of squash, beans, and corn proved that the soil was fertile.

  Like a handful of other pioneers, Hall’s father had been seduced by Oak Creek Canyon and the majestic red rocks. He’d found a piece of land beside a creek and planted crops; within two years his wife died of a rattlesnake bite and he was killed a year later by a bear. Hall had been only fourteen, but he had stayed on the land they homesteaded, doing a man’s work. Because he was a hardworking lad, and well-liked as well, no one had made a point of telling authorities.

  He’d married at twenty-five, but his first wife and child died in childbirth. Brokenhearted, he waited ten years to wed again, this time to a strong determined young woman he met in St. Louis. She, so the story went, was sturdy enough to survive the hardships of frontier life. Mary Louise more than fulfilled his expectations. Practical in many ways, she’d loved her husband desperately, knowing that she had escaped being an old maid by his unromantic proposal. It was Mary Louise who started calling the ranch the Sunset, a name that forever replaced Hall’s plain-spoken Double R Ranch, which remained on the deeds.

  They had grown old together. Mary Louise died first, but prior to her death she’d insisted on the terms of Hall’s will. She’d wanted two things: to keep the Sunset in the family, and to keep the family together.

  Alex watched the rapt look on Jessica’s face. She was being seduced by the family history, just as Sarah knew she would. The stories were many and for someone like Jessica, who’d never had much of a family, probably irresistible.

  He looked around for Marc, but he had not yet arrived. God knew everyone would be aware of his presence the moment he appeared. He seemed to expect it and usually took care in making an entrance, even when it involved only his family. April, whom Alex knew had been told to keep Jessica busy, had disappeared. Probably to the barn.

  He swore under his breath. He hadn’t seen April in six months, the last time at Christmas. She’d been angry then, and she apparently hadn’t forgiven him. The reason had been the same: Ross.