Dalton's Undoing

by RaeAnne Thayne

  Chapter Fifteen

  It was tough to get a good drunk on at one in the afternoon. Oh, he tried, but all he had in the house was beer and he didn't feel like driving back into town for something harder.

  After two Sam Adams, he decided it was pretty pathetic to sit there in his cold house with only Lucy for company, wasting perfectly good beer when he wasn't at all in the mood.

  Driven by emotions he didn't know how to deal with, he finally decided to channel all this restless energy into trying to catch up on the work he'd neglected in order to take Jenny shopping. He grabbed his coat and hat, whistled for Lucy and headed out through the cold to the indoor arena.

  It didn't help much, he decided an hour later atop a big, rawboned bay mare he was training for a client. A little but not much.

  His chest still ached and he couldn't quite keep the knot out of his throat, but at least he wasn't sitting around feeling sorry for himself.

  He was roping one of the iron calf heads they used for training when Lucy suddenly barked a happy greeting. The loop landed yards shy of the mark as he turned quickly in the saddle to see who had come in.

  The hope in his chest died a quick and painful death when he saw his oldest brother leaning against the top rail of the arena gate.

  He gave a mental groan. This was just what he needed. His brother tended to see far too much and was never shy about doling out advice, wanted or not.

  As tempted as he was to ignore Wade and just keep on roping, he knew he would only be delaying the inevitable. He took his time coiling the rope, then nudged the horse toward the fence.

  "She's looking good," Wade said when he neared.

  He dismounted. "Yeah. I imagine Jimmy Harding will be pleased with her when I'm done."

  "For what he's paying you to train her, she ought to be able to stand on her back legs and salute the flag as it goes by."

  He bristled. Here was the fight he was itching for. How considerate of Wade to hand deliver it. Though the fence was between them, that didn't stop him from climbing in his brother's face. "Are you implying Harding's not going to get his money's worth?"

  Wade sniffed, then raised an eyebrow at the half-empty beer bottle Seth had brought along and left on the railing a few yards away. "Not at all. I just wondered if your usual training method involves working with a horse when you're half plastered."

  "I had exactly two and a half beers! What are you, working for the state alcohol commission?"

  "Nope. Just a concerned brother."

  "Who should learn to mind his own damn business," Seth snarled, yanking the saddle off the horse.

  Wade just watched him for a long moment while Seth led the horse back to her stall.

  "You want to talk about it?"

  "What?" He grabbed a brush and started grooming the horse.

  "Whatever has your boxers in a twist."

  "Nothing."

  "You sure?"

  "Fairly, yeah," he drawled. "Contrary to popular belief, I think I know my own mind."

  "I never said you didn't. But do you know your own strength? Because if you tug that brush much harder, Jimmy Harding is going to look mighty peculiar riding his bald horse."

  He froze when he realized what he was doing. He let out a breath and eased up a little then pulled off the bridle and gave the horse one last pat before he let himself out of her stall to face his brother.

  "You want me to talk about what's bothering me? Sure. I'll talk about it. How's this? I've got this brother with a beautiful wife and three great kids, one more on the way. His life is frigging perfect, which makes him annoying as hell to be around, especially since he thinks he knows every damn thing in the universe."

  Wade seemed in a particularly jovial mood because even that direct attack didn't seem to get his goat, to Seth's frustration. He only gave a cheerful smile that made Seth want to take out a few teeth. "If I knew everything, I wouldn't need to ask what has you drinking two and a half beers in the middle of the afternoon, would I?"

  Seth released a slow breath. None of this was Wade's fault. Venting his hurt and rage at Jenny on his relatively innocent brother was unfair and slightly juvenile.

  He was bigger than this. A few years ago he probably couldn't have said the same thing, but he'd come a long way in those few years, thanks in great measure to Wade's astonishing confidence in him.

  If not for his brother's encouragement and support, Seth might never have found the courage to follow his dreams and build this horse arena, diverting Cold Creek resources in an effort to diversify and build up the equine operations of the ranch.

  His brother had placed a great deal of faith in him the last two years. He deserved better than to be sacrificed to the sharp edge of Seth's temper.

  "Don't worry about it," he managed after a minute. "I'm sure I'll be fine in a day or two."

  He paused, feeling awkward as a brand-new boot. "Sorry to take my bad mood out on you."

  Wade studied him and he had to wonder how much of his turmoil showed up on his features, especially at his brother's next words.

  "Does your lousy mood have anything to do with the lovely new elementary school principal you took to Jackson yesterday?"

  He could feel a muscle work in his jaw and he fought the urge to pound his fist into that support. With his luck, he would probably not only break his fist but send the whole barn tumbling down around his ears.

  "You could say that."

  "The great Seth Dalton having woman trouble? This has to be one for the record books."

  "Yeah, yeah. Hilarious, isn't it?"

  Something in his tone had Wade giving him an even longer look. Whatever his brother saw had him straightening. "Whoa. I was joking about the woman trouble, but this is serious, isn't it? Trouble with a capital L-O-V-E."

  Seth made a scornful, snorting kind of noise that didn't convince Wade for a second.

  "Carrie said this one was different," his brother said, shaking his head. "She predicted after that day we went up the mountain for Christmas trees that you were going to fall hard, but I couldn't see it. I should have listened to her. That means I owe her dinner at the Spring Creek Ranch. Man, you know how much that place costs?"

  He stared at his brother, appalled. "You and your wife bet on my love life?"

  Wade grinned, looking worlds different from the surly widower he'd been until Caroline Montgomery blew into their lives. "Yeah, I should know better, shouldn't I? Carrie knows a mark when she sees one. I guess that's what comes from growing up with a con artist for a father."

  Quinn Montgomery, Caroline's father and their mother's second husband, had enjoyed a fairly profitable career on the grift until the law had caught up with him a few years before he'd met Marjorie.

  Despite his somewhat shady past, all the Dalton sons had come to have a deep affection for the man. How could they help it when he plainly adored their mother and had given her the joyous life she'd been deprived of in her first marriage?

  "So what's going on with Jennifer Boyer?" Wade asked. "I'm assuming the shopping trip to Jackson and your unexpected stay didn't go well."

  The understatement of the whole damn year.

  "Why should I tell you? Remind me again when we became best girlfriends, here?"

  "If you can't get advice from your brother with the frigging perfect life, where else can you turn?"

  He had a point. Though his brother was only six years older than he was, Wade had been more of a father figure through most of his life than Hank had ever been. The Dalton patriarch had died of a heart attack on Wade's eighteenth birthday and from then on, Wade had stepped up to show Seth by example how a decent man should live his life.

  He hadn't always followed his brother's lead but he had always respected him and at least listened to his advice. It couldn't hurt, he decided.

  "All right. You want to know what's wrong? I'll tell you. You'll appreciate this, I'm sure. You know how you've spent the last twenty years telling me my wild, reckless ways were goi
ng to catch up to me some day? Guess what? Big surprise, you were right."

  "Yeah?"

  "Did you know my reputation is somewhat tarnished in Pine Gulch?"

  "Don't know if I'd say tarnished. Maybe dented a little in spots."

  "Well, Jenny Boyer is looking for a saint, apparently. And too bad for me, I lost my halo sometime around my sixteenth birthday."

  He waited for some wisecrack from his brother, some "I-told-you-so" kind of gloat but Wade just looked at him, and the sudden compassion in his eyes turned the lump in his throat into a damn boulder. He worked to swallow it, fighting back the horrifying emotion burning his own eyes.

  "I'm sorry, man."

  "Yeah. It sucks."

  "She's wrong about you," Wade said after a moment, looking about as uncomfortable as Seth was with this conversation. "You might not be a saint but beneath all those dents, you're a good man."

  "Uh, thanks. I think."

  "You are. You're a hard worker, you're about the most honest man I know, you always dance with all the wall-flowers at any party, and you're the first one I'd pick to back me up in a fight. I'm proud of you, Seth. I haven't said that nearly enough over the years, but I am."

  He placed a hand on Seth's shoulder for just a moment then let it drop, to Seth's vast relief. Much more of this and he'd be bawling like a just-weaned calf.

  "Come on down to the house for dinner, why don't you? Caroline's fixed a roast and some of those twice-baked potatoes you like so much. I think Nat might have even made a cake."

  He mustered a smile, wondering if he'd always be the bachelor uncle his brothers would have to leave a place for at the table. "Thanks anyway, but I've got some things to do here. I'm not very good company anyway."

  "You know the kitchen's always open if you change your mind."

  "Right. Thanks."

  Wade left and Seth leaned against the stall railing for a long time watching Jimmy Harding's mare munch her feed and wondering how long it took to heal a broken heart.

  * * *

  "Everything is perfect. I can't believe we pulled it off!"

  Hundreds of twinkling lights reflected off the tiny sparkles of glitter in Marcy's upswept hair but they didn't hold a candle to the brilliant glow in her eyes.

  From somewhere deep inside, Jenny forced a smile for her giddy assistant. "You did all the work and you deserve every bit of the credit."

  "Ha. I was a wreck. You're the one who came through with the coq au vin. Everyone's been raving about it and they can't believe you fixed it all by yourself! I don't know how you did it."

  Jenny had to admit, she had no idea. She had been so numb after her fight with Seth that she could barely remember anything after he dropped her off and drove away.

  I care about you. Hell, I think I might even be in love with you.

  As they'd been doing for hours, his words seemed to ricochet through her mind, bouncing off every available surface.

  It couldn't be true. He was only saying that because he was like a thwarted child, willing to say anything to get his way.

  No. That was unfair and didn't mesh at all with the man she'd come to know these last weeks. He had never lied to her and she couldn't imagine he would start with such a whopper.

  Did that mean he had been sincere?

  Despite the room full of people she knew she should be working hard to impress with her warmth and wit, she couldn't seem to think about anything else but those stunning words.

  "Is everything okay?" Marcy asked, jerking Jenny back to their conversation.

  "Sorry. Everything is great. Look what a wonderful time everyone is having and it's all because of you."

  It was a great party, one she was sure everyone would remember for years. The food had been delicious, the company entertaining and everyone but her seemed to be in a holiday mood.

  "I mean it, Marcy, you saved my bacon on this one."

  Her assistant looked pleased with the compliment but she continued to look at Jenny with concern.

  "Too bad you're not enjoying it," she said.

  Jenny started. Was she that transparent? "Of course I am!" she lied. "Why would you say that?"

  "You've only been looking at the clock every five minutes and you haven't left the kitchen for long all night. Keep it up and your faculty is going to think you don't want to spend time with them."

  "That's not it at all," she exclaimed, horrified she might have given that impression. "I just…It's been a rough day, that's all."

  Marcy arched an eyebrow. "Does your rough day have anything to do with the shiner you got from one of Seth Dalton's ex-girlfriends?"

  The platter of finger food she'd been replenishing at the buffet table nearly slipped out of her hands and she looked around frantically to be sure no one else overheard.

  "You know?" she hissed

  Marcy gave her a rueful look. "My cousin Darlene works at the Aspen during the ski season. She makes major cash in tips, let me tell you. One time Harrison Ford came in and left her fifty bucks! She said he's even better-looking in person than on-screen. Anyway, she said she saw you and Seth Dalton having dinner. She knew Seth, of course—who, by the way, she says is better-looking than even Harrison Ford. And she recognized you because she dropped her little brother off one day at school. He's in Mr. Nichols's fifth-grade class."

  Marcy snagged a chicken roll from the plate and popped it into her mouth before going on. "So, Amy says you were enjoying your meal when suddenly another waitress's roommate comes over and starts making this big scene about how Seth dumped her. Amy was in the kitchen and didn't see the whole thing but she said this girl tried to slug Seth but hit you instead."

  Jenny couldn't seem to breathe and knew her cheeks must be ablaze with horrified color. "Does everyone know?"

  Marcy shrugged. "I doubt it. Everyone's been asking me if I knew what happened to your eye and I just told them the same story you told, you know, about slipping on an icy step. I figure it's none of their business."

  Before Jenny could thank her for that, at least, one of the third-grade teachers approached them.

  Susan Smoot was a widow who had taught at the school for thirty years. Rumor had it the other woman had had her eye on the principal's office for a long time and Jenny knew she had been one of her most vocal critics when the school board opted to go outside the district to hire her.

  She was a formidable enemy—though Jenny had a feeling she could be a powerful ally, as well.

  "Thank you for the party, Ms. Boyer. Everything was delicious."

  Though she was still rocked by Marcy's revelation, Jenny managed to put it away for now and smile. This was the warmest snippet of conversation she'd ever received from the woman and she didn't want to ruin it.

  "Thank you, Susan. Please, I've been here for three months now. When do you think you might consider calling me Jennifer?"

  The teacher's mouth twitched but Jenny couldn't really tell if it was a smile. "If you do this again next year, you might want to have it someplace where those of us who don't like the loud garbage that passes for music these days can find a place to hear ourselves think."

  "Great idea," she said.

  Susan's gaze fixed on the black eye that stood out no matter how she tried to camouflage it with makeup. "And you know, the best thing for icy steps is to sprinkle a little kitty litter on it, Jennifer. Works better than salt and won't kill your flowerbeds in the spring."

  "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

  As soon as the other woman left, Jenny turned quickly back to Marcy and dragged her into the kitchen for a little privacy. "Who else do you think knows I was in Jackson with Seth Dalton?" she asked.

  Marcy looked taken aback by the frantic note in her voice. "I don't know. Why does it matter?"

  "How can you ask that? Of course it matters! Do you think Susan Smoot would find it an amusing little anecdote that I was decked by one of Seth's jealous ex-lovers? Or even that I was in Jackson having dinner with him in the first pla
ce?"

  Marcy made a scornful noise. "Let me tell you about Sue Smoot. Most of the time her husband, Carl, was a fine, upstanding citizen. President of the Lions Club, first tenor in the church choir, the whole thing. But every once in a while he'd go on a holy tear and get completely loaded. Before he retired, my dad was the police chief and he used to come home with all kinds of stories about that crazy Carl Smoot. One time he took a shotgun and sprayed every single stop sign in town. Every one! Sue stuck by him through it all. I figure she can't throw any stones at you just for having dinner in Jackson with Seth Dalton on the same night some woman decides to go mental."

  "I shouldn't have been there with him. It was a mistake."

  "Are you kidding? Any woman who finds herself on the receiving end of that man's undivided attention ought to get down on her knees and consider herself blessed."

  She stared at her assistant. "He's a player! Everybody says so. He dates a different woman every day."

  "Not true. Maybe he used to a few years ago but ever since the Cold Creek started their horse operation, he's been a different man. He still likes a good party, but he's settled down a lot now that he has some focus."

  "I heard you talking to Ashley Barnes that day in the office when she was upset he didn't call her back. You told her about the Seth Dalton School of Broncbusting. You said he was a dog!"

  "No, Ashley said he was a dog. If you remember, I said he was a good guy, just a little on the rowdy side. He is. His blood might run a bit hot, but that's not such a bad thing, if you ask me, as long as he finds the right woman to help him channel it."

  "I'm not that woman!"

  Marcy smiled, the sparkles in her hair reflecting the recessed lights in the kitchen. "I don't know. Darlene said he looked whipped in the restaurant before the big scene with the other girl. She said the two of you were holding hands and everything."

  I care about you. Hell, I think I might even be in love with you.

  She shivered but before she could say anything, Lance Tyler poked his head inside the kitchen. "Marcy, why are you hiding out in here? Are you going to make me dance with Mrs. Christopher all night?"