by Tina Leonard
Zach’s eyes burned. He tried to push down the tidal wave of emotion rising in his chest, nearly choking him. Mary’s joy was wonderful—alive and infectious—and he was glad he’d made her happy. But had he done the right thing? Uneasily, he patted her on the back. “You’re welcome, Mary.”
She pulled back far enough to fasten her indigo eyes on to his. Dark lashes framed eyes so penetrating that he could tell exactly what Mary was going to say even before she said it. “I love you, Mr. Zach.”
“I love you, too, honey.” The response was natural and true, and Zach meant every word of it. Mary nodded, their communion complete. Sliding down out of Zach’s lap, she said, “I’m going to go show Grandma. Is that all right, Uncle Cody?”
“It’s fine, honey. Be very careful carrying it.”
“Oh, I will,” Mary said breathlessly.
Zach stared at the empty white box pensively. His gift had been meant to be special, but it might imply promises to a hopeful little girl. The truth was, he didn’t know what would happen between him and Annie. Didn’t even know if he was ready to pursue another relationship with the frosting still sitting on the wedding cake for this weekend. There were so many loose ends to tie up right now that he really couldn’t make any promises about the future. He simply didn’t know.
Zach pursed his lips, setting his chin. “Guess I’ll be heading out, Cody. Thanks for tea,” he said, avoiding the other man’s eyes.
“Gonna say good-bye to Mary?”
Lilting notes floated down the hall into the kitchen. Zach paused, considering. “I think I should just let Mary enjoy her present for a while.”
Cody shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Silently, they walked outside to Zach’s car. He got inside, not knowing what to say to this enigmatic man whose life he’d saved, who saw so clearly inside him.
“Here, Slick. Got a souvenir for you to take home,” Cody said, handing something through the open window of the car.
Zach took the snake teeth in some amazement. “They don’t look so frightening once they’re not connected to reptile, do they?”
“Nope. Good luck, Slick.”
Laying the fangs on the dash, Zach said, “Thanks, Cody.” With a brief nod, he pulled out and headed down the dirt road, trying to ignore the chilling sensation that he’d just run off on Mary.
Annie dialed the tax assessor’s office, her fingers trembling. It hurt her pride to have to make this phone call. Knowing it had to be done, she could only pray that the officials would listen to her with kind ears.
The secretary was someone she’d gone to school with. “Schula? It’s Annie Aguillar. I’m fine, thank you. How’s the family? Oh, we’re all fine, here. Well, the fire was a bit unplanned, but we’ll get along. Thanks for asking, though. Is Mr. Barland in? I need to talk to him about my tax situation.”
“He’s not in right now, Annie. Can I leave him a message for you?”
Annie hesitated. “I guess so. Will you tell him that I’ll be down to the office tomorrow to pay on the taxes I owe?”
Thankfully, some of her salsa money had come in. It meant she’d have to impose on Cody for a ride, but he wouldn’t mind. He was becoming used to having two families to care for, she thought unhappily.
“Um, Annie, I thought your account was paid up to date.”
She frowned. “No, Schula; I haven’t paid anything yet.”
“Well, let me check. I thought for certain that gentleman who was in here this morning was paying off your taxes. Here’s your folder. Let me see… Aguillar, Annie, balance zero.”
Shock tightened Annie’s chest. She felt cold, leaden. “There’s been a mistake somewhere, Schula. Believe me, I wish it were true. But there’s no way—”
Suddenly, a bizarre thought hit Annie. Oh, there might be a way all right. She just couldn’t envision it. Surely Zach hadn’t taken it upon himself to pay her debt? Not after the conversation they’d just had in the foreman’s cabin. If you needed help, would you accept it from me? she’d asked him.
Zach had thought about that for a moment. I would want to solve the situation myself, if I could.
And she’d replied, Pride isn’t solely a man’s emotion. A vision of the carousel, wonderfully elaborate and more expensive than Annie could ever afford, flashed into her mind. A carousel for Mary, a clean account for her mommy.
Did a few hours of delicious lovemaking mean Zach thought he had to dip into his wallet for Annie, too? Her face burned with shame. Apprehensively, she asked, “Are you certain it’s my account that’s paid in full? The papers haven’t gotten confused with Cody’s farm?”
“No way,” Schula said cheerfully. “I was here and got the paperwork for Mr. Barland myself.”
Dismay threaded itself into Annie’s chilled heart. Were you going to save me, Zach Rayez? her own teasing words mocked her. “Can you tell me who paid off the taxes?”
“Well,” Schula sounded uncertain, “since it’s your account, I don’t see why not. It was a man, a real handsome man. Tall, dark and fascinating, you might say.” She gave a purely feminine giggle.
“It wasn’t Cody.” Annie’s voice was flat.
“No. Hair was shorter and he looked, I dunno, kinda citified. You know what I mean? No dirt under the nails, I guess. Ah, here it is. Zachary Rayez. Cash payment. Anything else you want to know?”
Annie closed her eyes, astonished by the pain she felt inside. “No, thank you, Schula. I appreciate your help. Say hello to your folks for me, please. Good-bye.” She hung up and slumped her head over into her hands, thinking that having her taxes paid and a big cloud lifted from over her head should make her deliriously happy. Unfortunately, it only made her sad. And furious with Zach.
And ultimately, she just felt taken.
Chapter Nineteen
Zach got out of the car and walked up the cobbled sidewalk to his house, his mind pondering everything that had happened in Desperado. He wished Cody weren’t right about how Mary played into the equation, but he was. Mary and Annie were a package deal, and what Zach did with Annie ultimately affected Mary. It could be a positive effect, of course, if he thought out the consequences of his actions. But a periodic roll in the hay with Annie would affect Mary adversely at some point. Cody was damn smart to realize Zach and the little girl had forged an important emotional bond.
Hell. They all had.
Zach was worrying so hard about this new concept of a permanent relationship with Annie that he at first didn’t realize the lamps inside the house were on, dimmed to a romantic glow. He’d left them off, since he hadn’t known how long his business in Desperado would take. There was only one person who had a key to his home, yet he didn’t want to take for granted that he knew who was—or had been—in his home. Leaving the door unlocked behind him just in case he wanted to make a quick exit, he glanced around, cataloguing changes in the room since he’d left.
The emerald earrings had vanished from where he’d tossed them onto the teak table. A sudden, subtle tease of a perfume he recognized well lingered on the air. Slowly, like a man who knows he’s being ambushed, Zach walked toward the bedroom.
LouAnn lay stretched out in the bed, wearing a black negligee that could only be described as nothing. The earrings dangled at her ears, beckoning. Zach took a deep breath, commanding himself not to pick her up and throw her from his house.
“What the hell are you doing, LouAnn?”
Seemingly unfazed by his harsh tone, LouAnn simply smiled. Running one palm down a length of white thigh, which moved her breasts enticingly under the lace, she said, “Waiting on you, Zach. I know we had harsh words earlier, but you didn’t give me a chance to tell my side of the story. Come here, lover, and tell me you were just jealous. There isn’t anything between Carter and me, you know,” she whispered huskily.
Zach stared at the red of LouAnn’s lips as she smiled at him. All he could think of was the taste of Annie’s mouth, bare and clean of cosmetics, delicious to his taste. He wasn’t sure if he’d ev
er tried to get past the satin-slickness of Chanel Red to discover the true LouAnn. He’d known the glamour had gone along with the girl, and he hadn’t looked past the mirage.
It had been a grievous mistake.
“I think I got your side of the story, LouAnn,” Zach stated. “You wanted more than I could give you. You wanted the whole pie. For a while, you got it. But now, the party’s over. Get the hell out of my bed.”
“Is that any way to treat your fiancée? Zach, we’re getting married this weekend. You’re suffering from cold feet. Let me warm you, all over.”
She sat up, reaching her arms out toward Zach. Rosy nipples called to him, and he could see the dark triangle at her thighs, waxed into its usual heart shape. Once that had been an appealing notion. Now, the realization that LouAnn had given to someone else what he’d thought was his alone turned Zach off. Shaking his head, he backed up a step. “I’m giving you five minutes to get dressed and be out of my house. Leave the earrings and my key on the table in the den. Five minutes and then I’m calling the police.”
“Zach, wait!” she called, leaping from the bed to rush to his side. Throwing her arms around his neck, she pressed herself against him, pleading, “We were meant to be together.”
She swayed and, automatically, his hands went to her waist to steady her. His voice rough, Zach replied, “I thought so once, too. That was before I knew there were three of us.”
Click. Click. Whirr.
The second Zach heard the sounds, he swiveled his head, realizing he’d been set up. Before he could react, the photographer squeezed off another set of shots, then hurriedly made his escape.
He stared down at LouAnn, frozen by what had just happened.
“Actually, there were four of us. But you weren’t going to be honest about that, were you, lover?” With a sinuous motion, LouAnn detached herself from Zach. She gave her hair an idle fluff, smiling catlike at him. Enraged, Zach snatched the earrings from her ears, but LouAnn just shrugged and turned away. “I got what I came for, Zach. If you thought you were going to embarrass me by calling off a wedding that everyone who is anyone has already bought an evening gown for, you were wrong. You thought you’d just leave me holding the bag, having to send back all those wonderful wedding gifts with pathetic little explanatory notes attached. Wrong plan.”
Blinding rage tore through Zach. “Excuse me, LouAnn, but I did think fidelity was part of an engagement. I’m not marrying a woman who’s cheap.”
“Oh, honey, I’m not cheap at all. This little escapade is going to cost you plenty.” She waved a red-tipped fingernail at him. “I was plenty good for you when you had your eye on rebuilding Daddy’s business. You switched midstream when you found a better venture. I know you, Zach. You’re like a magnet, only the attraction is to money. And I didn’t stand a chance against a woman who had oil under her land, just waiting for some lucky man to discover.”
LouAnn had dressed quickly during her speech of fury. Hips swaying, she walked to the front door. “The pictures are insurance, Zach. I want you to be a good boy from now on. If you dare to even think about not showing up for the rehearsal dinner and our wedding, I’ll see that your brown-skinned slut gets these photos. In fact, I’m so pissed by the way you tried to dump me, I may do it, anyway. See you Friday night, lover.” With a thin smile, she sashayed out.
Zach listened to the sound of LouAnn’s high heels clicking down the sidewalk, his heart sinking. True to form, she was determined to have her way. Unfortunately, LouAnn having her way meant a whole lot of other people could—and probably were going to—get their feelings hurt. He thought about Annie and closed his eyes, feeling sick. She’d be terribly distressed to think he’d lied about ending his engagement. Never would she trust him again, and he couldn’t blame her. And Mary. What could she possibly think if she were to see a picture of a lace-draped, almost nude woman clinging to her Mr. Zach?
He sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to think of an escape hatch before this time bomb exploded. No easy answer came to mind. Hot, boiling wrath filled him, made worse by the fact that he could still smell LouAnn’s perfume clinging to his sheets. Zach leaped to his feet, tearing the linens from the bed as if he could exorcise LouAnn and her deviousness that simply.
Problem was, he was only obliterating one half of what was angering him. Carter’s mark was all over LouAnn’s actions.
All Zach could do now was wait for Carter to make his move.
Two hours later, Zach sat thinking in the dimly lit den, his body unable to relax in the comfortable easy chair. He was caught in a metal-teeth snare, into which he’d stepped blindly. The only person who’d ever been able to make him feel more miserable than LouAnn was Pop. With a start, Zach realized he needed to talk to Pop about the wedding. They’d had harsh words about Pop attending, but Zach had never stopped hoping in his heart that some of the shell around his father would crack and he would want to be present. Now, Zach could tell him there wasn’t going to be a wedding.
Because that was the painful decision he’d made. Annie or no, he couldn’t be strangled by LouAnn for the rest of his life, now that she’d shown her true colors. Either way he turned, Annie was lost to him. LouAnn had greatly miscalculated her plan, though. Knowing that he was going to lose the woman he cared deeply about had left him no motivation at all to try to appease LouAnn. He’d called and left a message on her answering machine, once he’d gotten his thoughts straight. No wedding. All he could hope for now was that she’d been bluffing about sending the pictures. Surely there was a core of decency in LouAnn somewhere. Even he knew that wasn’t a likely scenario. Briefly he considered calling Annie to warn her, then realized what an idiot he’d sound like. Once more the red sign flashed neon in his mind. End of the road, Zach.
Turning off the lights, Zach stepped out into the darkening twilight. Humid air hung around him, suffocating. He got into the car listlessly and headed it toward Pop’s. There was a chance Pop might be home this early, unless the heat was keeping people at the bingo parlor later than usual. Even so, he could go over there and drag Pop out so they could talk, though the old man would be none too pleased about the interruption.
The house was dark and lonely against the shouting and laughter coming from the bingo parlor. Zach glanced that way, deciding he’d check inside before going across the street. “Pop!” he called, pulling open the door.
“No need to shout. I’m sitting right here,” Pop replied laconically.
Zach let the door close quietly as he peered into the darkened living area. Pop sat on the broken chair, his head resting on his hand, as if extremely important matters were weighing on his mind.
With a jolt of realization, Zach realized his old man was stone sober. There was no haze of wrath hanging in the air, ready to explode; no twisted grimace of hate on his face. For once, the fetid smell of liquor was absent from the air. He could remember no other time in his life that Pop had been in a decent condition.
“Are you all right?” Zach asked. “I…do you want me to turn on a light?”
Pop sighed and pointed to a box. “Leave the light off and pull up a seat. I’m fine; I just want to sit and think for a while.”
“All right,” Zach said cautiously. “I’m kind of in a thinking mood myself.” He sat, mostly resting his weight on his outstretched legs in case the flimsy wood should break. Astonishingly enough, it appeared that the most fragile object in the room at the moment was Pop. Never had he seen worry lining his father’s face. Only the distortion of moodiness that came from drinking too much.
They sat in the dark for maybe five minutes before Pop finally spoke. “Well, Zach, as much as I hate to admit this, you were right.”
“About what?” The idea that the old man was backing down on something was nearly as amazing as his sober state.
“About Carter. About the deal. It was a cheap rip-off. I’ve sat here near all afternoon, and I may have finally figured it out.” Pop sighed unhappily. “Carter screwed me.”
“Well, you’re not the only one who can make that claim this week,” Zach muttered. “I thought you two were buddies. Like he was the son you never had.”
He regretted the words instantly the minute he saw deep pain shadowing Pop’s eyes. “Now that’s a funny thing for you to say, Zach. Much as I’d like to lie about it, I think I was using Carter to make you jealous. Stick it to you, because we’ve never been able to be close.”
“Thanks.” Zach couldn’t help the sarcasm in his tone. It disguised the pain he was feeling.
Pop shrugged. “Chickens always come home to roost. Only this time, there ain’t no home to return to.”
“What are you saying?”
“The limited partnership was very limited. Carter came here today to collect on my share of the money for the land deal. I have no money, so he owns my house now.”
Sadness glimmered in Pop’s eyes. Zach swallowed, realizing the old man was trying desperately to hold back tears.
“If I can’t come up with the money in three days, I have to move out. What a sorry end to come to. Old as I am, and I’m going to be evicted from the only home I’ve ever known.”
Disbelief curled through Zach. He’d been right from the start; Carter’s pretense of friendship with Pop had been a means to get to Zach. Firing Carter was turning out to be a costly gesture to just about everyone Zach cared about. His vice president—and college friend—had thought out all the twists to this game. Any way Zach turned, he was discovering a precipice.
Sighing deeply, he decided he would try to figure out a way off this Monopoly board later. For the moment, Zach had to consider Pop. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
Zach rubbed his forehead, thinking. “Do you want any help?”
His father tiredly swayed his head back and forth in a helpless gesture. “Think I’d be damned grateful to get any help from you that I could, Zach. I wasn’t going to ask you, because I know I don’t deserve it, but …hell, yeah, I’m in hot water here.”