One Night with the Texan

by Lauren Canan

  Grabbing a stick leaning against the base of the old wood-burning stove, she clanged it against the metal and yawned again. By the fourth ding, the two skunks waddled out from under the bed and headed for the front door.

  “You guys need to find a day job.”

  Normally she wouldn’t allow houseguests but she’d been so tired the past few days, she just came inside after her bath in the river and dropped. If they didn’t bother her or bite her toes, she would pay them the same courtesy. Her food was locked up in the Ford so there was nothing in the cabin to entice them. She figured they rummaged all night in places unknown and joined her in the shack just before daylight. Where they went now was anyone’s guess.

  She had just finished her morning tea when the sound of an engine—or engines—shredded the air. Stepping out onto the porch, she was shocked to see about a dozen four-wheelers top the rise near the cabin and continue on, making a large loop that took in the hills and valleys...and her current dig site. They didn’t ride over the string that clearly defined the current grid but came close to it. A man in a pickup rode behind them, stopping on occasion to post a numbered sign.

  What had Masters done now? With her mouth drawn into a straight line, she set her teacup down on the porch and angrily walked in that direction.

  “Excuse me,” she said, dodging two more riders as they topped the hill. “What is this?”

  “Good morning, ma’am,” the man replied, tipping his hat. “This is the day we have our Wheels for Wishing charity event. There are various skill levels and, by the end of the day, the rider with the fastest time will win the trophy and the grand prize. Of course, all the money including the grand prize will go to the charity. This year it’s for the orphanage in Calico Springs. The owners of the Circle M Ranch always let us hold it on their land. Different locations each year, so no one has an advantage over the new contestants.”

  “And this year it’s here.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He nodded. “But don’t you worry. Cole told us you were working in the area and cautioned us to be sure to stay clear of your archeology site.”

  “Oh, he did?”

  “We drew out the course together, just to be sure.”

  A calm seemed to come over her. She had to give Masters kudos for his determination. This time, however, she wasn’t going to lose her temper. She was not going to ask him what he thought he was doing. He knew full well what he was doing. And she had no intention of leaving. No, this time she was going to give him a taste of his own medicine.

  “Where is Mr. Masters?”

  “He had business in Dallas, but he’ll be back late this afternoon.”

  That should be just about right.

  The people at the copy store in town were more than willing to lend assistance, helping her to put on paper an eye-catching announcement. Buzzy and his friends who, excited at getting five dollars for their efforts, began to spread the several hundred flyers all around the small town.

  * * *

  The ground below was carpeted in every size, make and model of vehicle produced in the past twenty years. It was a virtual smorgasbord of metal roofs and hood tops in every color under the sun. It would be an amazing sight to behold if it hadn’t been on the grounds surrounding his house. Cole flew in close, making a small circle above the cars and trucks, curious what in the hell these people were doing.

  It looked like they were making toasts: people were coming and going in and out of the house holding glasses up toward him. Those who swarmed the swimming pool clapped. And he could hear what sounded like rock-and-roll music above the sound of the helicopter’s engine. In the far distance there were more parked cars surrounding the circular route chosen for the four-wheeler competition.

  Cole quickly landed the chopper and stormed toward the house. His cell in his hand, he tried to contact his security team. The phone was finally answered with, “Hey, Mr. M. You’re just in time. The second round of pizzas was just delivered.”

  “Is this Marco? Meet me in my office in two minutes.” He ended the call.

  As Cole made it through the back lawn and pool area, he was greeted with shouts of “Thank you” and a drink was pushed into his hand—perfect timing. The crowd parted, opening a path to his back door. Before he ever got to his office he’d ascertained what was happening and knew without any doubt whatsoever a certain archeologist was to thank for all her trouble.

  After meeting with his security detail, he strolled outside, letting his eyes search the crowds around the pool. He spotted several ranch hands and more than half the residents of the town and, in the middle of it all, there she was. Miss Let’s-Throw-a-Party, kicked back in a lounger wearing the tiniest hot-pink string bikini he’d ever seen in his life. How did one approach such a sight and keep his anger in the foreground?

  “Dr. Finley,” he said, his hands on his hips. “Great party you’re hosting.”

  She looked up over the sunglasses perched on her nose. “Oh, it isn’t my party. It was a work day until the four-wheeler festivities began.” She laid back and pushed her glasses farther up her nose. “What’s the old saying...if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em?”

  About then someone did a belly flop into the pool, sending a wave of water directly toward Cole’s backside.

  “Hey, see if you can find a chair and enjoy the perfect weather.”

  His jaw muscles worked convulsively. If you can’t beat ’em... He looked around and spotted an empty lounger. Within a few seconds he had dragged the chair next to Tallie and sprawled out beside her. If his action surprised her she hid it well.

  “You’re gonna get too hot in those clothes.”

  “How nice of you to notice. Maybe you would like to help me take them off?”

  “So glad you could make it for the celebration,” she said, ignoring his question.

  “Actually the party is over. The security detail will be making the rounds shortly. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share a couple of moments with a gorgeous woman.”

  She tensed. “Why do men see only the outside?”

  “Because we’re men.” He looked over at her. “That’s just what we do. But...give us the chance to get to know a woman and it’s amazing how fast the old heart can start tripping all over itself.”

  “You talk as if you know that from experience.”

  He nodded. “Maybe I do. Have dinner with me tonight, Tallie. You’ve lost the entire day, might as well waste the evening, too.”

  She turned and stared at him. “You want me to have dinner with you?”

  “Absolutely.” He sat up from the recliner. “Unlike some among us, I don’t hold grudges.”

  “Can’t say I know what you’re talking about, but I have to work tonight. Catch up the discovery log. And I don’t really want to get into another...discussion of why I can’t just leave now.”

  “But here’s something you might keep in mind. I can make a large contribution to the museum if certain needs are met.”

  “And what would those needs be?”

  “Postpone your dig.”

  “Not happening.”

  “You’re sure about dinner?”

  “I’m sure, and here’s why. You are a spoiled egomaniac who thinks he’s a hotshot. But you want to kick back, lose the bad boy, hottest-man-of-the-year reputation and be a real guy for a change. And my weakness is falling for guys like you. My strength is saying no to them. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

  Cole reflected on the irony of what she’d just said. Tallie had fallen for him, in a big way, in New Orleans. It was a small miracle that she still didn’t recognize him—or was that just an act? He needed to figure out what she was up to.

  She stood from her chair and smiled. That perfect little grin that made him crazy. He would remember this. He hadn’t been played this well in
...maybe forever. Still, paybacks for Dr. Finley would be priceless. She wouldn’t get away with this.

  But why did that little voice of reason in the back of his mind keep repeating, Yeah, she will...

  * * *

  Tallie swung her feet to the floor and got out of bed. She had a long day ahead of her. She quickly got dressed, grabbed the bottled water and headed to the wagon to get her tea. But the can was empty. She dug down inside the boxes of rations. No tea. In fact, she realized she was out of almost everything.

  In the past few days, she’d made real progress on the site. She had just begun to find tiny pieces of pottery she was almost certain came from the 1500s or earlier. She hated to interrupt her work now. But she’d learned long ago, no tea, no clear head. No clear head, no work. So, to the store she would go.

  The small town of Calico Springs was only about ten miles from the dig site. Returning to civilization always felt good but odd. It didn’t take her long to find what she needed, including her tea. To be safe, she grabbed two more cans. She added a can of insect repellent that hopefully was better than the first she’d bought and a box of mothballs to the items in her cart. Somebody had long ago told her skunks wouldn’t tread over mothballs. She didn’t have anything to lose.

  Once she’d purchased the supplies, it was back to the dig site. On the way she called in to Dr. Sterling at the museum. He was excited about the slivers of pottery she’d found in the past few days. He encouraged her to keep at it as long as her condition would allow, apologizing again for not having enough staff to send someone to help her.

  The remaining seven weeks would go fast and, before she knew it, she would be out of time. That was one thing her boss didn’t need to remind her of. She had Cole Masters for that.

  Only a mile from the cabin the car began to pull hard to the left. Crud. Not a flat. Please. But when she got out and checked, that was exactly what she had. She looked around at the same rolling hills she’d been gazing at since the day she’d arrived. No human in sight.

  Tallie walked to the back of the vehicle and began taking boxes of groceries out to get to the spare tire. The spare tire rack had long since stopped functioning so the tire had to be stored in the back along with everything else. She crossed her fingers the jack was with it and the spare had some air.

  She was in luck. She found the jack and when she bounced the spare out of the vehicle she was pleased to see that it had plenty of air. But then she popped off the hubcap only to find the lug nuts were rusted onto the bolts. She stood, arched her back and considered her alternatives. It would take a dozen trips to carry her supplies to the camp. She might have phone service but no clue whom to call. It looked like this would cost her a full day of digging.

  She heard a pickup coming down the private road, turned and saw Cole Masters behind the wheel. Of all the possible white knights, why did it have to be him? She didn’t want to be indebted to this surly man for anything.

  He pulled up next to her and got out of his truck.

  “Give me the lug wrench.”

  “I can do this myself. Thanks anyway.”

  “There might be a spider lurking behind the tire.”

  She glared. “It must be nice not to fear anything.”

  He snatched the tool out of her hand, lowered the car until the wheel was firmly back on the ground and loosened the rusty bolts in less time than it would have taken her to remove one brand-new one. As she watched him work, she was again struck with the feeling that she’d met him before. Something about him seemed familiar. It was then that she saw it: a small tattoo, partially revealed in the vee of his shirt collar where it was unbuttoned.

  “You have a tattoo,” she ventured. “What is it, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  He froze. Then he turned the last lug nut, pulled off the tire and stood. “You’ve probably seen one like it at some point.” He pulled aside the collar on the shirt.

  “That’s cool. You know I do remember seeing one like it.” She frowned with a shrug. “I just can’t remember where.”

  He merely smiled. It was a humorless smile that only amplified the little warning bells going off in her head. What was he up to now?

  Today he was wearing black jeans and a black shirt. His hair had grown out since she’d first arrived at the ranch and it looked shaggy and wind-blown. If you took away his beard, he’d look exactly the way the stranger had looked that night in New Orleans.

  She stepped back from him, her heart thundering in her chest and her eyes growing wide. It couldn’t be. It. Could. Not. Be. Was Cole Masters the man she’d...met...in New Orleans? She shook her head in denial. It was impossible. The man who had taken her to bed was nice. He wasn’t arrogant. There might be an uncanny resemblance, but the two men were completely different.

  But everything fit; all the pieces suddenly slammed together. Cole would be the kind of guy to have treated her the way he had. He probably either borrowed the clothes he’d worn or visited a thrift store. So no one would recognize him. He didn’t live under a bridge or in a run-down apartment in New Orleans. He lived in multiple mansions around the world. She recalled a couple of news articles she’d read after Dr. Sterling had warned her to be wary of Cole Masters.

  Dr. Sterling had no idea just how right that warning had been.

  Six

  She took a step back as the truth washed over her. “You knew. All this time. You knew and you didn’t bother to tell me?”

  “I was curious how long it would take you.”

  Her emotions were all over the place. She pressed her hands against her forehead. She could feel the blood surging to her head while her heart pounded in her chest.

  “You are an arrogant, sneaky, sabotaging, lying, two-faced billionaire.” She turned to march back to her truck. “Is this how you get your kicks? You...you play with people’s emotions?”

  In her mind a war raged. Was this the same guy she had met and shared a bed with or was he trying to mess with her? The man she’d met in New Orleans might have been a derelict but he was a nice derelict. She could feel the blush run up her neck and across her face. Even the tips of her ears felt hot.

  Her mind was whirling. She couldn’t stop staring at Cole as she desperately tried to dispel the notion that he was the sexy stranger who had so easily and proficiently taken her to bed. A stranger. One who did magic things with his hands, his mouth, his body. The memory of that night would stay with her forever.

  “You lied to me.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Yes, you did. If you’d been honest, you would have told me as soon as you knew I didn’t recognize you. And I wouldn’t have recognized you without the tattoo. And the dark shirt. And the jeans.”

  What was he grinning about?

  “I’ve never done that before, just so you know,” she added.

  “Done what?”

  “Gone to bed with a complete stranger.”

  “It was a great night. Why are you apologizing?”

  “I’m not apologizing,” she retorted. “I just wanted to set the record straight.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It matters to me.”

  He stood and rubbed his hands together. “I didn’t do anything you didn’t want me to do. You worry too much. We both had a great time. That’s all that counts. It just isn’t a big deal.”

  The more he shrugged it off, the angrier she got.

  “So picking up a stranger in a bar is the norm for you? How very sad.”

  “No.” He rested his hands on his waist and held her gaze. “As a matter of fact, that was a first for me, as well. But I can’t say I’m sorry.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

  He frowned, obviously not understanding.

  “You left me there,” she continued.
“You left me to wake up alone without even knowing your name. Who does that?”

  “Look, Tallie—”

  “No. Don’t ‘look, Tallie’ me. What if you had a disease? For that matter, what if I had a disease?”

  “I took precautions. Anyway, we both know it’s all right now.”

  Oh, how she wanted to tell him how it wasn’t all right. Before she could gather the words Cole spoke.

  “Tallie, I admit I could have handled it better. But everywhere I go, at least several times a month, I come in contact with a woman or a tight little group who sends in a woman to try and entrap me. If we have sex, a false pregnancy claim will shortly follow. If we arrive at a restaurant, you can set your watch by how soon she will accidently fall. Or step in a hole walking up to my front door and sprain her ankle so that she can sue. In New Orleans, when I told you I wasn’t into a long or permanent relationship, I meant it. If I recall, you said the same thing. I’m not a family man. I never will be. I don’t want a wife and I don’t want kids. For all I knew, you could have been like any of those other women. I never thought I would see you again, so why bother with formalities?”

  He tossed the tire iron in the back of her vehicle and walked toward her.

  “You could have asked me my name. I know my own name and I wouldn’t mind sharing it. Especially...especially under the circumstances.”

  “At the time I wasn’t thinking. I don’t think you were, either.”

  She couldn’t argue with that. She was still trying to swallow the fact that Cole was her dream man. And it had nothing to do with money. Their coming together in New Orleans was like something out of a movie or a romantic novel. At least it had been until she’d confirmed she was pregnant.

  But now she had her answer. If she told him she was carrying his child he would accuse her of all sorts of awful things. Tears welled in her eyes at the complete finality of the situation. Any dream that he would believe her and maybe even ask her to marry him was gone. She would raise the baby herself. She now knew without any shadow of doubt that was what she must do. He’d made it clear he wasn’t a family man. He wanted no kids.