One Night with the Texan

by Lauren Canan

  Shaking her head, she turned around and limped back outside to her vehicle. She had to go back and try to retrieve her other boot from the mud once the water was turned off. Pulling out her phone, she wiped the dried dirt from the screen and punched speed dial to the museum curator’s private line.

  “Tallie? Great to hear from you,” Dr. Sterling said. “How’s it going?”

  * * *

  “Excuse me, sir,” said one of the house staff. “You are wanted on line one.”

  “Take a message.”

  “I’m afraid he’s rather insistent. It’s Governor Mitchell.”

  Cole snatched up the phone. “Governor?”

  The man sounded angry. Cole caught two words: “attack” and “hose.”

  “What?”

  The governor repeated himself.

  “I most assuredly did not attack her with a water hose!”

  “This is getting too good,” Wade muttered from the sofa in Cole’s home office.

  Cole sat forward in his desk chair. “It was a problem with the irrigation system and it’s being repaired as we speak.”

  “I shouldn’t have to tell you that Dr. Finley is there on a very important assignment. I would expect you to assist her in any way you can. From what I was told, you also tried to sabotage her dig in other ways.” Governor Mitchell paused. “Cole, I’ve known you boys for a lot of years and, frankly, I’m surprised and disheartened by the reports I’m getting from the director of the museum where Dr. Finley works.”

  Cole was seething. He found himself out of his chair and pacing around his office. She did this. Governor Mitchell had been a family friend for most of his lifetime. But apparently Cole wasn’t the only one in the picture who carried some weight. And right now Tallie’s side was winning.

  “It was all a misunderstanding, Ted,” Cole said in what he hoped was a convincing tone. “I was attempting to lend assistance not destroy her work.”

  “I’d have to say your assistance blew up in your face,” the governor replied. “As I understand, she only has another six or seven weeks. Try and work with this woman, Cole. She’s highly regarded in the academic community. Graduated with the highest honors and is well on her way to becoming one of the top researchers in her field. It would not bode well for either of us if she botched this dig and you were the reason behind it.”

  “I understand.”

  “I hope you do,” he returned. “So, how are Chance and Holly? Is married life treating them well?” Cole’s younger brother, Chance, had just gotten married a little over a year ago.

  “Yes. They’re doing great.” A lot better than he was. “They just moved into their own house here on the ranch. It’s kind of you to ask.”

  “You tell them both I sent my regards. To Wade, too,” the governor said.

  “I certainly will, Governor. Thanks for your call.”

  Cole hung up the phone and felt the room spinning around him. He looked at Wade, who sat five feet away still trying not to laugh. “Governor Mitchell sends his regards.”

  “I take it that call was about our little archeologist?”

  “Don’t say a word,” Cole warned his brother.

  “The two of you make a cute couple.”

  “Wade, I’m warning you.”

  “When did you meet her?”

  “What does it matter?”

  “Exactly.”

  “New Orleans. That weekend I stayed over after the Coleman merger.”

  “New Orleans? Interesting.”

  “Shut up or leave.”

  “This just gets better and better.”

  “I think she’s in cahoots with someone who doesn’t want me to finish my project.”

  “Maybe if you offered to help her, she would complete her mission faster and get out of your way.”

  “Tried. Failed.”

  “What did Mitchell want?”

  “The irrigation thing. Someone told him I attacked her with a garden hose,” Cole said.

  “And you would never do that.”

  “I didn’t!” Cole’s anger returned. “Okay, I did have Red and a couple of the boys go digging on her site.”

  “Bro, you are bad. What else?”

  “I asked Stuart to turn some heifers loose in the pasture. She ran them right through the damned fence. Not only did I have to have somebody put up a new fence, Holly spent a week bandaging cuts and giving tetanus shots. But the damned sprinkler system wasn’t me.”

  The most irritating part of the whole thing was that, despite everything, Cole still found her exceedingly attractive. He had even envisioned helping her clean the mud from her body, making certain to check every square inch. The thought had come to him while she’d stood there miserable and soaked to the skin, pointing her finger at him, and he still couldn’t shake the image from his mind.

  He wished they had met under different circumstances. But when he thought about it, they actually had. If only he could rewind to what they’d shared that weekend in New Orleans. He would have liked to get to know her and see where it would go from there. But with their current situation, it wasn’t in the cards. She couldn’t stand him for reasons that were obvious. And she made him crazy. He didn’t exactly know how to get around that. He refused to grovel. So he would move on, suppress his feelings, and no one would be the wiser.

  Eight

  “Cole?”

  It was Debra Davis, his secretary, a middle-aged woman who’d been his right hand for almost ten years. Hopefully she was calling him to give him the good news that something—a loophole, a favor, money—something had been found that would remove the good doctor from his land once and for all.

  He knew he was on shaky ground. Tallie was just too damn tempting. In fact she was the first woman in all the years since Gina’s death who’d touched him on a level he never thought he would feel again. He needed to keep his eye on the ball, to stay focused on building the corporate retreat. Every time he came in contact with Tallie he lost his mind. He wasn’t getting much sleep. Had no appetite. And her beautiful face was always in his thoughts. It was all he could do to stay away. This last-ditch effort to remove her was as much for self-preservation as it was the project.

  “Talk to me, Debra.”

  The silence on the other end of the line was not a good sign.

  “There’s nothing,” his secretary finally said.

  “What do you mean there’s nothing?” Cole asked, sitting forward in his chair, ready for some serious explanations. Debra was the best. She could find information where there wasn’t any. She could make things happen that seemed impossible. She was Cole’s genius at the controls. No one could best Debra. This was not the answer he’d anticipated but after receiving the report from his security division, he wasn’t surprised.

  “I checked with Jeremy—” the lead counsel at Masters Corporation “—the court, Dr. Finley’s boss at the museum. There’s no way around it. Sorry, Cole, but it looks like you’re stuck with her for fifty-one more days.”

  This was not happening. He’d dealt with bureaucratic red tape before but this was pure insanity.

  “See if you can get him on the line, Debra.”

  “One moment.” And it literally only took Cole’s assistant one moment to get Tallie’s boss on the phone.

  “This is Henry Sterling.”

  “Dr. Sterling? Cole Masters. Thank you for taking my call.”

  “Of course, Mr. Masters. How can I help you?”

  “As I’m sure you know, one of your archeologists, Dr. Finley, is working on some land I own in Calico County.”

  “Yes. We are all most excited about the possibility of what she may discover.” He caught himself, apparently realizing that would not be why Cole was calling. “Your administrative a
ssistant called earlier, asking if the dig could be postponed or cancelled. I’m afraid I couldn’t accommodate her.”

  Cole had to make the man understand his need for Tallie to leave. “I don’t know if you are aware but I am in the process of developing that land. In fact, I have cement trucks standing by to pour the foundations for both the main lodge and thirty cabins. Then a pool will be constructed along with other amenities. The dig, as she refers to it, is causing me a serious delay.”

  “That is regretful.”

  “It’s more than regretful.”

  Cole felt his frustration rise to the surface. “I’m sitting around twiddling my thumbs while she scrutinizes dirt.” Which wasn’t entirely true. He had plenty of projects needing his attention, but this was his project. Other than the sheer indignity he would suffer if this venture fell apart, his brothers would never let him live it down, all in good-natured joking, but still... Plus, he needed Tallie off his land for a very personal reason. The longer he was presented with the temptation of this woman, the harder it was to keep a hold on his sanity. “Why is there no one helping her?”

  “Unfortunately all of the archeologists and even the approved volunteers from both the museum and the university are tied up on other projects. Dr. Finley was scheduled to join a dig in Brazil that is also short on manpower as soon as she finishes at your property.”

  “Was?”

  There was a long pause. “You understand I can’t discuss Dr. Finley’s employment or any health issues she might have. Let me just say that her participation in the Brazil dig is still to be determined.”

  “Of course.” It struck Cole as odd that Dr. Sterling would bring up her health. What medical condition could she possibly have? He hoped it wasn’t cancer or some equally horrific disease. His heart did a flip-flop in his chest. Guilt at giving her such a hard time almost overwhelmed him. “Why don’t you hire more people? That would seem to be the obvious solution.”

  “Primarily the problem is a severely limited budget. We just don’t have the resources to fulfill the needs of all the sites allotted to us. Pretty much par for course, unfortunately. Dr. Finley is donating her time and some of her own money to see her project finished. Perhaps you can—”

  “So what if my corporation made a donation? Enough for you to hire, say, a dozen people for a year?”

  “We are always delighted to receive donations, but I must tell you that isn’t the way it works here. Donations are handled through the museum’s board of directors. They decide the allocation of funds. There are many other programs that are waiting for backing besides archeology-related projects.”

  When Cole made no response, Dr. Sterling added, “I am genuinely sorry for your inconvenience, Mr. Masters. If it’s any consolation, Dr. Finley is one of our more highly educated specialists with dual degrees in both archeology and biological and forensic anthropology. I have no doubt she will work as hard as possible to complete the dig as soon as she can.”

  “Are you telling me there is no one I can call and offer to pay them to help her?”

  “Not as far as I know. You might try calling the State Archeology Program Center. Perhaps they know something I don’t. Would you like that number?”

  This was insane. “I’ll pass on the number. Thanks for your time.” Cole ended the call.

  Before he could stand, his private line rang.

  “Yes?”

  “Cole, I forgot to remind you...” Debra sounded a bit hesitant. Again. What could it be this time?

  “The ground-breaking ceremony for the retreat is next week. On Friday. I was afraid you might have forgotten under the circumstances.”

  He had indeed. “You’ll have to cancel it.”

  Another hesitation. “I can’t. The RSVPs have been confirmed with a card from you, thanking them for coming to this—”

  “I know what the cards say,” he snapped. God damn. Some twenty potential investors would be arriving on Thursday. And on Friday they would be escorted to the site where the main lodge would be constructed. Would they see a foundation? Oh, no. Hell, no. They would see one little red flag among two hundred other little red flags and a woman crawling around in the dirt in the middle of it all.

  “The limos are set and ready to meet each flight, pick up the guest at the airport and escort them to the hotel then bring them to the project site.” Debra stopped talking and the silence was deafening.

  “Cole?”

  “I’m here.” But he sure as hell didn’t want to be.

  “Have you used your...skills?” He could picture Debra with that irritating smirk on her face. The one she used every time she caught him in some peculiar situation. He appreciated her humor and positive thinking. Except at times like this. “You can be pretty persuasive when you set your mind to it. Dallas magazine didn’t name you Bachelor of the Year three times for nothing.”

  This nightmare just would not end. He wasn’t about to confess to Debra that the good doctor had already turned him down flat. “I’ll consider it. Thanks, Debra.”

  “I’ll talk with you tomorrow. Chin up.”

  Cole ended the call. What in the hell was he going to do?

  He let himself consider seducing Dr. Finley for two seconds longer than he should. He knew he couldn’t do it. Not only would it feel wrong to him, a woman with her intellect would never let it happen and he would end up looking like a love-starved idiot. Again. In the short time he’d known her he knew what she would and would not accept in certain situations. And a love affair was probably at the top of her list of things to avoid.

  There would be no flattery, flirting or sucking up with Dr. Finley because if he tried he knew she would call him on it. He was drawn to her, his body responding immediately and decisively every time he got close. At those times she could ask him to fly to the moon and he would do it. He had to get a grip on the attraction, step back from her and the situation.

  He sat back in his desk chair, took a deep breath then rubbed his hands together, an old habit he had any time he was perplexed about something. Somehow he had to get her out of there, at least for the day of the ground-breaking. Surely she would agree once she understood the necessity.

  He could offer to extend the ninety days in exchange for her agreeing to disappear next weekend. It would delay his project even further but at this point, what was another few days? The impression he made next week was vitally important. His plan had been to have the foundations poured and some of the framing completed on the main lodge structure. So much for that idea. All he could do now was pick up the pieces and go from there. And the last thing he needed was Tallie there distracting him when so much was on the line.

  * * *

  The next day when Cole pulled his truck up to the site, she kept working. For a man who wanted her off his property he certainly spent an exorbitant amount of time at the dig.

  “Good morning,” he said, smiling.

  Tallie couldn’t tell if his greeting was forced but she had an inkling he was after something. What was it this time?

  “You moved where you’re working.”

  She didn’t give the man the benefit of an answer.

  “Didn’t you?”

  With a huffed sigh, she embedded the shovel into the ground and faced the horrible man. “Yes. I moved out of the mud.”

  “I hope your instincts are right,” he said. “Too bad if you spent all this time for nothing.”

  Tallie chose to remain quiet.

  “What’s this?” Cole walked over to the sifter, obviously choosing to ignore her cold shoulder. “Is it broken?”

  “That’s my sifting box and, no, it isn’t broken. I normally use it in a plowed field but I decided to try it here. It speeds up the process especially since someone kindly provided me with thoroughly churned dirt. The negative is I run the risk of damagi
ng a relic.”

  She demonstrated by jabbing the narrow shovel into the earth, used her foot to send it a bit farther into the red soil then dumped her load into the sifter. “Now you shake it and look for anything unnatural left in the tray. Anything you think shouldn’t be in there. It could be unusually shaped rocks, onions or other roots from a past garden, or of course, painted pottery, arrow heads, jewelry...”

  “Jewelry?”

  “Just because people lived five or six thousand years ago doesn’t mean the ladies didn’t want to look their best.”

  “Five thousand years?” Cole was surprised. “You’re attempting to find something from a culture that old?”

  “That’s the plan. According to my grandmother, our ancestors’ tribe dates back that far. But it doesn’t matter because it’s none of your concern,” she replied, keeping her voice calm even though she was flustered. She seemed to constantly be flustered around this man. Thankfully, the little butterflies in her stomach remained on the inside out of sight. “Anyway, how can I help you this morning?” If she had a door, she would help him through it.

  He seemed to hesitate; his hands coming to rest on his hips while he appeared to stare into space. “I need a favor,” he said, shifting his gaze to her face.

  “A favor? From me?” She couldn’t keep the sarcastic tone from her voice. “This should be good.”

  “There’s a ground-breaking ceremony scheduled for next Friday. I have CEOs from various companies coming in from all over the country. They are interested in investing in my project and want to see it. What little there is of it.”

  “And you need me to disappear.”

  His eyebrows rose in surprise, as though he hadn’t expected her to understand so quickly. “Friday, if you wouldn’t mind?”

  She stopped shaking the sifter and faced him, one hand on her hip. “You need to make up your mind. You call my boss and insist I work faster. Now you’re asking me to stop working altogether.” She shook her head. “Can I know why you want me to stop my work? I mean, what I’m doing is perfectly legal. It’s certainly nothing to be ashamed of. In fact it’s been my experience that most people are fascinated by what we do. Normally we lose a couple of hours a day from having to stop and give demonstrations or explanations of exactly what we hope to find and how we go about finding it.”