Better to wait, to see what came of George’s investigation.
Tucker put his iPad in his briefcase, along with an emergency set of clothes, just in case, and headed down to his rental. It wasn’t right the way he was itching to see Annie again. But there didn’t seem to be a damn thing he could do about it.
* * *
THE INSTANT ANNIE WOKE UP, she knew something was wrong. The light. There was light coming in from the window, and she’d set her alarm...had she set her alarm?
With a hammering heart she looked at the clock. Ten. Ten in the morning, and God, Glory and the new foal. The morning feed. She jumped out of bed and almost screamed as all the aches and pains from yesterday hit her like a sledgehammer. Wincing and cussing all the way through throwing clothes on, she barely looked at what she’d hauled out of the dresser. Limping downstairs, she washed up so fast she probably skipped half her face.
Forget coffee. She hurried to the stable, trying to get her heart to slow down and her brain to speed up. She caught her hip on the edge of the door as she swung herself inside and it was a lucky thing because she would have fallen at the sight in front of her.
Tucker Brennan stood at the entry to Glory’s stall, his head turned, his brow furrowed and a single finger over his lips. “Quiet, he’s eating.”
“He’s...?”
“The little guy,” Tucker whispered. “He’s been having some trouble this morning, but he’s finally latched on tight.”
“How long have you been here?”
“About half an hour.”
“The feed. I have to—”
“Levi and Kathy are out there somewhere, said to tell you not to worry. They’ve got you covered.”
She’d known the couple would come today, but they typically didn’t arrive until long after the early-morning rounds. “I overslept.”
“So I gathered.”
“I never do. This is literally the second time it’s happened, and the first was because of a power outage, but then I bought a battery-run clock.”
His smile was warmer than it should have been. They were strangers, maybe would-be business associates, and that smile was meant for a friend. Something they could never be. “It was a long day yesterday. Come on over here and take a look.”
She crossed the short distance to the side of the stall and made sure she didn’t stand too close to Tucker. Especially after she’d found her stride slowing as she ran an appraising gaze down the back of his body. He had on jeans and a blue Oxford shirt. Sharp, clean and sexy as hell, and she hadn’t even bothered to brush her hair. Great. Bedhead was one of her better looks.
Then she saw the dark brown foal with his skinny, knobby legs splayed so he could get up under his mom. Glory was munching away, calm as you please. “Oh, that is a sight.”
“There might be another one tonight,” he said. “Cocoa’s on her way.”
“It’s a factory in here,” she said. “Something big must have happened eleven months ago to the day for two so close together.”
“Statistical probability, but I know what you mean. We see groupings a lot. Pheromones, I imagine, in the herd.”
She nodded, liking this. Just talking. It was easier when she wasn’t looking at him. “I need to do my rounds, catch up with Levi and Kathy. You can come along if you like, or stay. After, I’m going in to make coffee. I hope you’ll join me at the cabin.”
“I’ll come with you now,” he said.
He didn’t follow her into the other stalls as she checked on the rest of the brood, but he accompanied her to the barn, where the chickens ignored them but only because the goats wanted all the attention.
Pinocchio, it turned out, was doing fine, and deeply unconcerned about his battle scars. Kathy, who’d sadly lost her own land due to hard times, started out smiling at Annie, but that changed in a flash to something far harsher.
Kathy’s hand went to her hip. “I hope you’re hurting like Hades, young lady.”
“Gee, thanks. Yes, I am.”
Kathy’s big hair barely moved as she nodded. “Serves you right for getting in that mess with Pinocchio. You should’ve let him work himself into a frenzy until he passed out. Then you could have cut him free, and not got yourself in trouble.”
Oh, God. Annie knew everyone meant well but she did not want to hear the same thing for a month. “He also could have died.”
The older woman sighed. “There are always risks. Pinocchio might’ve died, and that would have been sad, but if you got sidelined...”
“Point taken. I’ll do better next time.”
“Levi finally got that part in for the feed truck. Should be working by this afternoon.”
Annie grinned at the news. “Fantastic.”
“Now might be a good time for you and Mr.... Um, sorry, my short-term memory’s shot, don’t take it personal.”
“It’s Tucker,” he supplied.
Kathy smiled. “You and Mr. Tucker should take a ride out. Show him the field.”
Annie and Tucker exchanged glances and laughed.
“What?” Kathy frowned at them.
“Nothing, really.” Annie cleared her throat. “Tucker is his first name.” It was weird for her, sharing a private joke with someone. No, not someone...with him. “We will get a ride in, but first we have to go over the books.” She squeezed Kathy’s shoulder, then moved over to give one of the baby goats some attention. “When are you two planning on leaving?”
“Not until this afternoon. We worked it out with Will. You’re covered tonight. For as late as you want. This meeting is important to all of us, so take the time you need.”
“Thank you,” Tucker said. “The attitude of the volunteers tells me a great deal about an organization.”
“Well, sir, we’re all simple folks from around Blackfoot Falls. We believe the sanctuary helps everyone. To my mind, a community should be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable creatures. We’re doing what we know in our hearts is right.”
“I agree,” he said.
“And I need coffee. I’ll see you when we’re done inside.” Annie started walking before Tucker could see her sappy grin.
* * *
HALFWAY TO THE CABIN, Tucker decided to change things up, take a chance. See what happened. “As long as you’re covered here at Safe Haven, how about dinner tonight?”
Her inhale told him the suggestion had thrown her off balance. So did the pause in her step. She hadn’t expected the invitation. For a moment there, she’d been frightened. He’d seen it, but only because he’d been paying close attention. So far, they’d kept things professional. Dinner could mean anything.
“I’ve been wondering what motivated you to take over the sanctuary. I don’t know much about you, and it’s always interesting to discover what leads someone to this kind of life. It’s not an easy one. You have to want it badly to put up with all the obstacles. I thought we could talk about it over a meal.”
The flash came again, only for a second, and more contained this time, but it was important that he push her. More than ever, he needed to get to the bottom of this mystery. If she had acted under duress, as he suspected, he had to know. Not that he was forgetting about Christian. His brother was still his priority, but if he could get to the truth, it would solve both their problems.
“You know what? Let’s see how the day goes.” She hurried the rest of the way to the cabin, held the door for him. “Why don’t we have that coffee and go over the books? Then see where we are. I mean, you’re going home tomorrow, so—”
“I’ve moved some appointments around. Thought I’d attend your first meeting tomorrow, meet the rest of the board.”
She looked at him as if he’d slipped a rug out from under her feet. He supposed he had. Trouble was, instead of taking satisfaction in throwing her off kilter, it seemed he wanted to catch her before she fell.
8
THE HORSE ANNIE GAVE TUCKER TO ride had been named Ronald Weasley, by a committee of four from the h
igh school. She assured him that at one time, the majority of the cast from the Potter series had been in residence, but that a lot of them, including Harry, had found homes.
She rode Candy Cane, who’d become something of a favorite among the staff. The names and explanations behind them had taken them past the first and second corrals. Annie was grateful for the distraction, knowing she couldn’t put Tucker off for too much longer. After the ride was over, she planned to shower and change, sending him to town on his own. After all, it was foolish to take one vehicle when he’d be going back to Kalispell for the night. She’d meet him at Marge’s.
She’d debated calling him with an excuse after he’d gone to the diner, but that seemed like a surefire way to kill any chance of getting foundation funds. A man like him was used to conducting business over dinner. In New York she’d done it more often than not. There was no reason for her to think he wanted to share a meal for any other reason. At least him driving ahead would give her time alone to figure out what to tell him.
When she’d first arrived in Blackfoot Falls, people were curious about her and of course they’d had questions. But she’d been vague and firm, and for nearly two years no one had pressed her about her past. God bless cowboys. Not that everyone didn’t gossip about her—she knew they did. But that was fine.
Tucker had caught her off guard, that’s all. Sure, he had money, but at heart he was a cowboy. She’d been ready to tell him every last detail about Safe Haven and all her plans. She wasn’t comfortable telling him lies.
It was bad enough she’d donned Annie Sheridan like a new skin. On the few occasions anyone asked, she said she was from back east. True. When they asked her why she wanted to run Safe Haven, she said she’d always had an affinity for animals, horses in particular. Also true. Then she changed the subject. That wasn’t going to work with Tucker.
“This is gorgeous country.” Tucker rode in a way that made her feel like a klutz. “I’d forgotten what a real spring looks like.”
She wasn’t a klutz. In fact, she was a good rider. But Tucker had been born to the cowboy life.
“The drought has hit everyone in Texas hard,” he said, his baritone laced with sadness. “It’s a different landscape from when I was a kid. It breaks my heart.”
“I’ll bet,” she said. “This is all Safe Haven land, you know. It doesn’t belong to the state or the Bureau of Land Management. That’s good, because we need the space. But we’re not incorporated, and if there’s a fire, unless it threatens buildings or livestock, it’s only going to be managed, not fought. So the more snow and rain we have, the better it is for everyone. Thankfully, this far north, we still get a lot of snow.”
“You have trouble with predators?”
“Much as any ranch out here. We’ve lost our share, but that’s the way of it. The price for free range. Most of the cattle are just passing through, though. We’re not equipped to take care of many, but people are quicker to take cows.”
“That’s good. What about the horses?”
She found herself urging Candy Cane to move faster. “We get a lot of abandoned horses. Too many folks have lost their homes, lost their property, including their ability to care for their stock. Cows are typically bought, but horses... There’s a lot of sentiment around horses, even if the old-timers want to deny it. Nobody likes to send a horse to slaughter. Unfortunately, those same people aren’t able to find them new homes. I’m sure it’s the same story on your end.”
“Every rescue shelter we support has a different set of circumstances unique to their location.” Tucker looked around at the distant prairie, spread as far as they could see. “There are plenty of lakes here. Shade trees. Underground water flow. A horse might find a decent chance.”
She nodded. “Good thing we have that because there’s never a time we’re not at capacity. Not a week goes by we don’t have to turn someone away.”
“That won’t change if you get funding.”
“It’ll happen less. That’s something to hope for.”
He seemed to study her with a different kind of interest. “Safe Haven is lucky to have you. Whatever happens from this trip, the work you’ve put into this place is something you can be proud of.”
“Thank you.” Annie rode ahead a bit, trying not to let him see her confusion over the oddly ominous compliment. Had he already eliminated Safe Haven as a worthy nonprofit? Then why bother to stay for the board meeting?
Maybe they weren’t ready for a gift yet. She’d run across that in her fundraising efforts, where an organization would hold back money until certain goals had been met.
That would be a blow, but only because she was letting herself hope too much. Nothing was ever guaranteed. Especially when things looked brightest.
They weren’t far from the field she wanted Tucker to see. Putting aside her worries, she let the excitement of this amazing project spur her forward. Candy Cane caught her enthusiasm and Weasley trotted along. The perfect breeze lifted Annie’s hair, taking her out of her myopic panic for the first time since he’d mentioned dinner.
The day couldn’t have been better. Green leaves and buds and early flowers were everywhere she looked, the scent of spring vivid, the sky an astonishing blue. Realizing she’d let this pass her by for half an hour reminded her to grab what she could while she could.
When Tucker caught up to her, she truly saw him, not as the man who could solve her financial problems or the nosy stranger who asked too many questions. He wasn’t smiling or anything so obvious, but he looked happy. As if he belonged in Montana, at least for this day.
It was the contrast that made it so clear to her. Yesterday, this morning, Tucker had walked with an air of gravitas about him. Even when he joked around or drank beer from the bottle, he made an impression. You wouldn’t want to tangle with this guy. She had the feeling if he went after someone, they wouldn’t know what hit them until the dust had long settled.
“What’s this?” he said as they got closer to the five-acre experiment. “How tall is that fence?”
“Seven and half feet. It’s not finished, though. But we’ll need to keep the deer out, so we had to go high.”
“What’s it guarding?”
“The future,” Annie said, her voice tight with anticipation of his reaction.
When he looked at her, sparks lit up all through her, but she decided they were a result of the project, not Tucker. “Show me.”
“Well, the view’s not impressive. Yet.” She urged Candy Cane into a burst of speed and led Tucker around the fence to the western gate. Of course, he could see through the wires, see that there was nothing but flat ground, not even plowed yet. But she wanted him to get a feel for how big the plot was, how big the idea was, so she slowed, dropped from her saddle and waited until he’d done the same.
They walked beyond the gate. “This is going to be a field of alfalfa,” she said. “Five acres. Before the tractor engine blew, we’d just started to amend the soil, so it won’t be ready for planting until next year. There are some issues with irrigation that need to be handled before we can truly make this work, but I know we’ll do it. All old school. No motors, no generators. Just wind to push the water through.”
“Huh,” he said, mostly to himself, turning his head as if trying to picture what this land would look like in five years. In ten.
“If it works, which it will, it’ll be the first of many plots growing feed. Not only to make Safe Haven more self-sustaining, but to help future interns learn about alternative agricultural methods. We want to train ranchers to be able to take care of their land using creativity to build and grow.
“This fence has been a large-scale project guided by the high school kids. They did all the fundraising and recruited the help they needed to get the fencing equipment. They’re still working on it, and maybe it’ll take more than a year, but I don’t think so. We’ve discussed making it a cooperative, so that other ranches might be able to start rebuilding. But that’s pretty far i
n the future.”
When he turned to her this time, his smile made her blush. There was no doubt that Tucker was impressed. More than she’d hoped. “This is remarkable. Really outstanding. It was your idea?”
“I’d mentioned it as a faraway dream, but Melanie and the students, they ran with it. She’s so committed to using the sanctuary as an educational resource that great ideas are all stacked up, just waiting to come to life. She’s amazing.”
“She isn’t the only one.”
Annie’s cheeks burned. She ducked her head and tucked her hair behind her ear. When she looked up again, though, something had changed. The smile had frozen on his face, and his gaze seemed troubled. A second later, the grin lifted, and if she hadn’t looked up at the right time, she would have missed it entirely. “Is something wrong?”
“Not at all,” he said. “I’m very glad you brought me out here.” He moved closer, and for a moment she thought he was going to touch her arm, but then he ended up running his hand through his hair. “You have any more surprises up your sleeve?”
“Nope. This was it.”
He nodded. “Maybe we should head back, then. I’ve got some phone calls I need to make, and I know you have things to do. We’ll figure out dinner arrangements on the way.”
“Sure, no problem.” Annie mounted her horse, unsettled and disappointed. The moment had been so perfect. What had changed? She couldn’t think of anything she’d done wrong, but then, she wasn’t always quick to see beyond her own enthusiasm. So much for her ace in the hole.
* * *
MARGE’S DINER WAS...A DINER. It wasn’t crowded. Only two men sat at the counter sipping from white mugs. Tucker nodded to them as he passed on his way to a booth in the back. A waitress appeared, poured the men refills, then brought him a menu along with a curious smile.
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