by Tina Leonard
Feeling sorry for herself now wasn’t going to put food on the table, though. Annie remembered how she’d once told Zach that she imagined the cornfields were a security blanket wrapped around three-quarters of the house. She’d felt invincible, knowing it was a good crop and that, even if their financial situation became more precarious, they could eat many meals off that corn.
Fervently she wished Carter Haskins had never come to Desperado. What a low-down, two-headed snake he’d been, far more dangerous than that old, fat rattler which had met its end in the shadows under her house last night. Annie wished Carter could reap the rewards of the devastation he’d managed to force on her and her family—and then instantly tried to push the bitterness from her mind. It would do no good to let the hatred burn inside her for what he’d done—but it stung her pride to know he was sitting somewhere laughing at her. Waiting for the bank to foreclose now, any day.
Annie reached down to touch the earth, making a solemn vow that a new crop would be planted to be nourished by its life-giving soil. Then she stood and walked toward the house, resolute in her determination to survive this terrible setback. Somehow, some way, she was going to find a way to keep her home.
The sight of Zach’s shiny sports car parked in the drive by her house stopped Annie in her tracks. Leaning against it was Zach, looking big and strong and more irresistible than ever. His arms were crossed over his chest, and in his face she read stubbornness and determination. While she’d been staring at her ravaged land, Zach had been watching her, giving her time to grieve.
But by the hard look in his eyes, Annie knew Zach wanted an explanation for why she’d said she didn’t want to see him.
Chapter Seventeen
“Hello, Zach,” Annie said.
Zach could read the wariness in her eyes. But he’d had to see Annie. Some hopeful, desperate feeling inside him said that if he could just have thirty minutes to talk to her, she wouldn’t tell him to go away.
He could only hope that he was right. “I’m chancing you won’t tell me to hit the road,” he said, striving for a light tone in spite of the truth of his words. She didn’t smile, her ebony brows drawn in a tight line in the mocha of her skin. Her hair, hanging darkly radiant to her waist, was held back with combs so that he could see every nuance of her expression. Annie was going to tread very cautiously with him. “Okay. Will a bribe buy me thirty minutes of conversation with you?”
The lightest trace of a smile passed across her lips. “You haven’t been able to bribe me before.”
“You’ve got a point. So this time, I decided to be smart.” He reached through the open window of the sports car, pulling out a large, rectangular white box. Without a word, he handed it to Annie.
“What’s this for?”
He grinned at the suspicion in her eyes. “It’s not a snake. Go ahead and open it.”
“Oh, don’t even say that,” she murmured. “My fingers shake just thinking about it.” But slowly she pulled the lid off, gasping. “Oh, it’s beautiful!” Carefully, she took out the musical carousel, three white horses on gold poles poised to spin around a glass bottom.
“It’s for Mary,” Zach said quietly. “Do you think she’ll like it?”
“Like it? Zach, she doesn’t have anything like this! It’s…so stunning.” Sunshine shone off the golden bridles and hooves of the white horses, making the carousel look like a starry vision out of a child’s fairy book. “You already were Mary’s hero. Once she sees this—well, it’s a wonderful bribe, Zach. Thank you.”
The delighted and grateful expression on Annie’s face warmed his heart. Once he’d seen the porcelain confection, Zach had known it had to belong to Mary. For a room decorated with raggedy stuffed animals and handmade dotted-swiss curtains, it was the perfect jewel in a little girl’s crown. And for Mary, who had taken the time to teach a city man how to fish and who’d believed him without reservation when he’d said he would return, it was the perfect way to say thank you.
Mesmerized, Annie twisted the carousel. Pink, peach and lilac roses adorned the turning base, while strains of a happy, lighthearted tune melted into the hot Texas air. “You shouldn’t have bought her something so expensive.”
Zach shrugged. “Some things are so special no price can be set for them.” Gently, he reached to stroke one dark tendril that was lying against Annie’s cheek. “Didn’t you tell me that once?”
“About my land,” Annie said with a smile. “You did understand, all the time.”
“I understand much better now. You taught me that. You’ve taught me a lot of things. Annie, don’t turn me away,” he said, his voice husky. “I have to talk to you.”
Annie stared into Zach’s sable eyes, knowing that much more than a need to talk echoed between them. They would share, they would touch, they would laugh—Annie smoothed a finger along the painted roses of the carousel top. Part of her cried out, This man is not the solution to your problems! But the biggest part of her—the part where her heart resided—couldn’t resist time alone with him. “Come with me,” she said softly.
He followed her down to the foreman’s shack. Underneath a potted cactus lay a key, and she opened the door. Inside, Annie turned on a light and the ceiling fan before setting the carousel on a rough, wooden table. Slowly, she turned to meet Zach’s eyes. “I need to tell you something first.” At his nod, she said, “When I told you I didn’t want to see you, I was afraid.”
Approaching Annie slowly, the way he would a frightened kitten, Zach moved to within a few inches of her. Close enough that he could see the darkness of her eyes, see the trembling in her lips. “And now?”
“I’m still afraid. Aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Slowly, he slipped his arms around her, at once struck by how right holding her felt. “But not of this.”
Annie bowed her head, touching her brow to his chest. “I threw myself at you once before, Zach. I can’t forget what you said—”
Stroking her lip with his finger, Zach whispered, “I broke off my engagement.”
“Why?” Annie’s voice was scarcely more than a whisper as she looked up to search his eyes.
“I discovered that my fiancée was unfaithful to me, which was the catalyst for breaking up with her,” Zach replied thoughtfully. “But the truth is, I wouldn’t have been able to marry her, anyway. Once I’d met you, my heart wasn’t in it.”
She shook her head, but Zach placed his finger over her lips. “I’m not saying that you purposely had anything to do with my decision. What I am saying is that in you, I saw faithfulness, whether it was to your family or your land. In you, I saw a woman who knew what mattered in life. I was blinded by ambition and greed, and I’d forgotten what really counts, but I remember now. I don’t think I will ever forget again,” he said, brushing his lips along her forehead.
Annie looked so serious that he wanted to kiss away the frown shading her eyes. “It’s an awful lot to turn your back on. You must have had much in common, or you wouldn’t have wanted to marry her in the first place.”
“If we’d had so much in common, both of us would have been faithful. Fidelity aside, there’s a natural beauty inside you that shines clear to the outside. I realized LouAnn’s beauty was very much artificial.” Zach shook his head. “I wanted you from the moment I first laid eyes on you, Annie Aguillar. If I’d been a smarter man, I would have made love to you on the spot, right out there with the fish for an audience.”
Annie smiled. “I think it’s better that you didn’t. I can trust you, Zach Rayez, because I saw that you were a man of principle. You may be used to getting whatever you want, but you have treated me with honor and respect. There was a better man inside you than you were showing the world,” she said softly, raising her lips to his.
“I’m still used to getting whatever I want,” he replied huskily.
“So am I. So kiss me, Zach.”
With infinite care, Zach joined his lips to Annie’s, feeling a jolt clear through his body that
was emotional as much as physical. A sense that he’d waited all his life for this woman flooded through him, and hungrily, Zach strove to get closer, to know every cell that was Annie. She matched the urgency in his kisses, winding her arms around his neck while he tangled his fingers in the satin fall of her hair, pressing her tightly to him. As if he’d been given a precious gift, Zach kissed Annie’s eyelids, her nose, and returned to the welcoming shelter of her lips. He sensed no reservation in her passion, only encouragement. Knowing that Annie was offering herself body and soul sent masculine need surging through Zach. Now he was free to know the wonder of Annie. Zach knew the moment had come.
Barely aware that he was holding his breath, Zach unbuttoned Annie’s blouse, letting it fall to the floor. She wore no bra, and dusky nipples atop cinnamon-colored breasts beckoned him with their perfection. Annie slid his denim shirt off, lightly tracing through the hair on his chest. With desire clenching his groin, Zach cupped his hands around Annie’s breasts, enjoying her gasp as he lowered his head to kiss them.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, pulling his head up to smooth his lips along hers. “Annie, I want you so much, I feel like a kid in a candy store. I want it all.”
“There’s no sign that says ‘look, don’t touch’,” she told him.
Zach’s heart pounded harder at the thought that all this wild, untamed woman could be his. “Are you sure, Annie?” he asked, tucking one hand into the waistband of her jeans, into her panties, so he could cup her closer to him. Annie’s other hand he took in his, lovingly kissing each finger one by one. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”
“I want to make love with you,” she said hesitantly, “but I don’t have any protection.”
“I do,” he murmured, taking the hand he’d been kissing and putting it around his neck. He bent his head to press warm, searching kisses into the curve of her neck.
“You presumed a lot,” she said, tipping her head back so the area he wanted was freer to his lips.
“I prayed a lot,” Zach returned. “I want you so much the bottom of my feet feel like they’re on fire.”
Annie laughed. “Let’s take your boots off, city boy. That might be the problem.”
“I don’t think so. Feel this?” He moved her hand down to cover his groin. “This feels like it’s on fire, too.”
Her hand turned to unzip his jeans. “We’ll have to take these off too,” she murmured.
“I like that idea,” Zach said, picking Annie up and cradling her in his arms as he carried her to the small bed. Together, they leisurely removed each other’s clothes until finally they lay in the foreman’s cabin, skin to skin, whispering words to each other that only lovers share.
In his dream, Zach was running, running so fast he couldn’t pull enough air into his lungs. His eyes felt like they were ready to burst from his head with the exertion of trying to escape. Muscles burning, he sprinted toward the edge of the light, where he knew there was enough darkness that he could hide from his pursuer. The light grew, like a beam from a movie projector widening to fit the screen. The darkness that he craved seemed further away, more impossible to reach. Just as he made it to the edge—and safety—something grabbed him by the back of his neck with sharp talons, jerking him away from the safe zone. Zach awoke, realizing with a start that he held Annie crushed to him, in a grip too hard to be comfortable. Trying to relax his grip without being too obvious, Zach tried to shake off the dream.
“Sorry about that,” he murmured. “Did I hurt you?”
Her blue eyes widened. “No. Are you all right?”
Reflexively, he tightened his arms around her, needing the secure feeling of solid Annie against his chest. “I don’t know what was after me,” he tried to joke. “I’m glad you saved me, though.”
She lay against him, nuzzling her head against his neck. One hand crept down to caress the flat plane of his stomach. “I kind of like saving you.” Their legs were twined together so that she could feel the hard strength of his thigh underneath her bottom. Rough hairs tickled the back of her leg intimately, in a way that emphasized the fusing of their bodies. Annie looked up, meeting Zach’s interested gaze with a serious look. “Did you come all the way to Desperado just to make love with me?”
“Mostly,” he whispered against her hair. “I have an errand I need to run in town. It was a convenient excuse for coming to see you. Actually, I wasn’t sure you’d want to make love, but I was determined to tell you in person that I wasn’t getting married.”
“Mary was asking for you,” Annie said. “Are you staying until dinner?”
“I can’t,” Zach said with a regretful shake of his head. “Unfortunately, I still have to clean out my office. Plus, I need to do some financial reorganizing of my accounts.” He let his lips trail down to her neck. “But there’s something else I came to tell you, Annie. In fact, I should have told you immediately, but…”
She smiled a lover’s smile. “But we got sidetracked.” Her hand moved from his stomach to a lower region.
Zach captured her playful hand, giving it a kiss. “This is serious. I must have your utmost attention.”
“I think you’ve got it,” she murmured, arching against him. Zach could feel his desire growing, hardening into wanting her again. Immediately. But he had to tell her this. “Annie, listen to me,” he said, raising himself up on one elbow to look down into her eyes.
“All right,” she said obediently, her other hand lazily stroking his back.
“I went into Carter’s office the other day to ask him some questions. I found a map and some graphs pinpointing Desperado. Particularly, there was information in his office indicating that your land may be a prime spot for oil. That’s why he bought the land south of yours. That’s why he’s done everything possible to buy you out. Annie, he was never interested in the commercial real-estate ventures Ritter might have gained. I believe he intended all along to swindle you out of your mineral rights.”
Annie’s eyes had widened during his words. Her mouth had parted somewhat as she listened intently. The hand that had been caressing his back had stilled. But Zach wasn’t prepared for the relieved laughter that suddenly filled the cabin.
“Oh, Zach,” she said. “Don’t tell me that’s what this has all been about. Surely, no one believed that story. My crops are gone because some idiot bought into that pirate’s tale of buried treasure?” Annie sat up. “I think I’m going to cry.”
Zach was alarmed. “Why?”
“Because if you’re right, it was all such a waste. There’s no oil under my land. Years ago, they told my mother the same yarn. The townspeople had been passing that rumor since my grandmother’s time. My mother let them dig up a part of the farm, drill it, virtually tear up every inch of the area where they thought the oil would be. There wasn’t a drop of anything to be found, not even dirty water.” Sadly, she leaned her head down onto her upright knees. “What a shame. And I know they’ll never connect Carter to the fire. I lost the best crop I ever had because of someone’s greed.”
Zach privately agreed that Carter wouldn’t be tied to starting the fire. He’d covered his tracks too well, and the rains had only helped disguise his involvement. Zach sat thinking, remembering the lines and waves he’d seen on the chart. The data had seemed real, not like a pirate’s story at all. Still, if they’d looked for oil once on the land, then there wasn’t a reason to look again.
“I’m sorry, Annie,” he murmured, pulling her close to him. “I was hoping I was delivering good news. I thought maybe I had the key to your dilemma.”
“Were you going to save me, Zach Rayez?” Annie asked, accepting his warm comfort.
“I damn sure thought I was.”
She raised up on an elbow and looked into his eyes. “It’s the thought that counts, Zach. Anyway, it’s not up to you to save us.” Tenderly, she pressed a kiss to the hard line of his mouth. “But thank you for wanting to.” With a curious look, she said, “If you needed help,
would you accept it from me?”
Zach thought about that for a moment. “I would want to solve the situation myself, if I could.”
Annie nodded. “Pride isn’t solely a man’s emotion.”
Lightly, he stroked his hand along her leg, up over her delicately rounded bottom. “But I would be glad you cared.”
“I am glad you care.” Annie pressed herself against him.
“Sometimes another person is the only one who can solve the problem, though. Like two keys that fit together.”
“That’s true, too. My grandmother, Nancy Day, who owned this land originally, felt that way when she met my grandfather, Two Days Laughing. Though they in no way were accepted by Grandmother’s family, she would not have lived without him.”
“Two Days Laughing?” Zach couldn’t help a grin himself.
Annie shrugged. “I don’t know much about the circumstances, but my grandmother wrote in a journal that, after she married him, something happened to my grandfather that caused him to laugh for two days. So, that’s what she called him. Two, for short.”
“Do you know his real name?”
“It’s in a journal somewhere, I know. The name fit Grandfather so well that I never heard anyone refer to him as anything else.”
After meeting dour old Mr. Cade, it was difficult for Travis to imagine the males in the family doing much laughing. “What about your mother?”
“Oh.” Annie’s eyes softened for a moment, the purply blueness turning hazy with happy memories. “Well, she was smart and wonderful and totally in love with my father.” Catching Zach’s eyebrows raised teasingly, she said, “Believe it or not, Papa can be very lovable.”