by Ruth Langan
“What’s this?”
Ace turned. “I figured it was the least I could do to repay your hospitality. By the way, I found the iron and ironing board. Thanks.”
“You iron and cook?”
“A little. Enough to look decent in an emergency, and well enough to hold back starvation.”
She peered over his shoulder. Crisp bacon was drain ing on a paper towel. He had added bits of onion and pepper to scrambled eggs. Toast was stacked on a plate.
“I guess you haven’t left me anything to do.”
“You could set the table.”
Without a word she carried dishes and silverware to the table, setting them on colorful place mats while her grandfather watched.
“Coffee, Gramps?”
He nodded. “I can’t wait. Been smelling that ever since I got in here. Is it ready?”
“It is.” She filled three cups with coffee and set them on the table, while Ace carried the platters across the room.
Harlan dug into his meal. “Where’d you learn to make eggs like this, Ace?”
“From my sister-in-law Maggie. She’s married to my oldest brother, Chance.”
“She must be some cook.” Harlan closed his eyes in appreciation.
“She is. She used to own a restaurant in Chicago before she came to Wyoming.”
“Allycat, you have to try this.”
At her grandfather’s urging, Ally helped herself to some eggs and bacon. After her first taste she gave a reluctant nod of her head. “Gramps is right. This is great. What else can you cook?”
Ace laughed. “Not much, I’m afraid. Although I do grill a mean steak.”
“Just happen to have some in the freezer,” Harlan said between bites. “If you’d like to come back later and work on your truck, I’ll have them thawed.”
With a look of annoyance, Ally glanced from her grandfather to Ace. If she didn’t know better, she’d think these two were conspiring to wear her down. “Gramps, Ace has better things to do than spend another evening here.”
“Well, I do have to get that truck working.” Ace sat back, sipping coffee and enjoying the frown on her pretty face. “And it could take hours.” He winked at Harlan. “You have those steaks thawed, and I’ll do the grilling.”
“You got yourself a deal.” The old man sat back with a look of smug satisfaction. “As for me, I think I can operate these wheels enough that, if I had a ramp, I’d take myself out of this house today and visit my workroom out in the barn.”
“That wouldn’t be wise, Gramps.” Ally shot him a worried glance. “You haven’t had much experience with that scooter yet. And after that storm, the ground will be soft. It’s just as well you can’t leave the house yet. I think you ought to give it a couple more days of practice before you start exploring.”
Ace looked up. “You got a couple of boards out in the barn, sir?”
The old man shrugged. “A few. Why?”
“I could probably fix you a ramp in no time.” Ace saw the disgusted look from Ally and merely smiled as he got to his feet. “I’ll take a look. See what I can come up with.”
Half an hour later they heard pounding on the front porch. When Ally opened the door, Ace was just putting the finishing touches on a crude ramp.
After testing it he nodded. “Not very fancy, but it’ll do the trick.”
Harlan Brady’s face was wreathed in smiles. “I’m mighty grateful, son.”
Ally frowned. “I wish you’d reconsider, Gramps.”
“Nonsense. I haven’t been to the workroom in months. I’m getting rusty.” He brushed his lips over his granddaughter’s cheek. “Stop acting like a mother hen. I’ll be fine.”
He shook hands with Ace. “I’ll see you tonight. Now it’s time I got back to earning my living.” He pushed the button on the scooter and turned a neat circle, then eased down the ramp.
“Speaking of earning a living…” Ally glanced at the clock. “I’d better drive you up to the mine.”
Ace stepped inside. “All in good time. Right now I’m going to clean up the mess I made in your grandfather’s kitchen.”
“I can do that later.”
“I’ll do it now.” He strolled to the kitchen and picked up his dishes before heading to the sink. And while Ally watched helplessly, he loaded the dishwasher, and even helped himself to a second cup of coffee.
“Okay.” He dried his hands. “I’ll take you up on that ride now.”
Ally went in search of her keys, then led the way to her old dusty truck. After several tries, the engine coughed and wheezed, then began chugging.
As they threaded their way along the rutted lane, Ace studied the barren land dotted here and there with cattle. “Your grandfather ought to stick to making saddles.”
She bristled at the insult. “You sound like my father.”
At the tone of her voice he turned to look at her. “He didn’t approve of your grandfather’s ranching techniques?”
“That’s an understatement. They fought constantly. After my grandmother died Dad wanted Gramps to sell the land so he could have a stake in his own dream.”
“Which was?”
“Anything but ranching. He hated this place.”
“Where is he now?”
She swallowed. “He died ten years ago. On an oil rig in the Atlantic.”
“I guess that’s about as far from ranching as you can get.” His tone softened at the look of pain on her face. “How about your mother?”
“She died this past spring. But she was never really healthy or strong after my dad left us. That was the reason I’ve been gone so long. I couldn’t leave her alone. And she refused to return to the ranch. I don’t know what I’d have done without Gramps. When my parents took me from this place, I thought I’d die.” She looked around, seeing it through the eyes of love. “I missed it so much. I used to call Gramps and cry on the phone. Each time he’d tell me to be patient. It would all work out in time.” She shook her head. “I never doubted that I’d come back here. This was the only place that ever felt like home.”
Ace fell silent. This was something he could understand. He’d always felt the same way about the Double W.
As they drove up to the mine, Ally felt the tug around her heart. She’d had such high hopes for this job. A chance to earn enough to make her grandfather comfortable in his old age. Enough to make the necessary repairs on the ranch house. There was no other company in the area that could match the salary offered by WildeMining. But she intended to start looking as soon as she dropped Ace off.
As she brought the truck to a stop, Ace turned to her. “I’ve been doing some thinking. I need an assistant. The sooner the better. And you need a job. Maybe we should start over.”
He saw the way her eyes widened before she composed herself. “Are you saying you’d forget about Clancy’s?”
“Yeah.” He grinned, feeling expansive. It never occurred to him to admit that he’d pulled hundreds of that same con himself. After all, there was only so much a guy should reveal about himself.
She was staring at him as though trying to figure him out. “And you’d like me to work for you?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Her smile was quick and dazzling. The smile he remembered from that first night. “I’d really like that, Ace. You won’t be sorry.”
His eyes narrowed on her. “I hope not. I want you to know, Red, you’re not off the hook. I intend to hire a firm to do a thorough investigation. If you have so much as a smudge on that reputation, I’ll find out about it.”
“Don’t you worry about my reputation. From what my grandfather told me about your family, you’re the one who ought to be concerned about what an investigator will find. It sounds to me like the Wildes have made plenty of enemies through the years.”
“I guess we have. But right now there’s only one enemy I’m worried about. And that’s the one who’s trying to destroy the company I built from the ground up. Whoever he is, he won�
�t get away with it. Whoever messed with those contracts is going to pay.”
At the fire in his tone Ally shivered. She’d already had a taste of Ace Wilde’s temper. She’d hate to be on the receiving end if that temper ever erupted into violence.
Then she pushed aside all thoughts but one. The day was looking a whole lot brighter. That little incident in Clancy’s was behind her. She had a job. And that meant she could begin to make her grandfather’s life a little easier.
She wouldn’t allow herself to think beyond that. But as she parked the truck and followed Ace inside, a nagging little thought intruded. Though she hated to admit it, part of her excitement was due to this man. A man who was stirring up feelings better left alone.
Chapter 5
“Yes, Mr. Curtis.” Ace sat at his desk, his shirt-sleeves rolled to the elbows. The remains of his forgotten lunch rested beside his computer. “I know I promised to have the contracts on your desk when you arrived back in Washington. But there was a…glitch.”
He glanced up as Ally walked into the room and placed a fresh stack of papers on his desk. He read them quickly and noted with satisfaction that the offensive paragraphs had all been deleted.
While the man’s voice droned on, he rolled his eyes and Ally had to stifle a laugh.
“I have the contracts here on my desk, showing the new delivery dates. All that’s needed is my signature and they’ll be winging their way to you.” He paused. Listened. “Of course. Overnight delivery. You’ll have them on your desk by morning. I give you my word.”
He set his teeth against the lecture he’d anticipated. A lecture about a man’s word being his bond. About the business community living up to its promises, especially when the welfare of the entire government was at stake. And a reminder that the government would take whatever action deemed necessary if WildeMining didn’t live up to its promises. All delivered in that monotone that recalled, for Ace, memories of his misspent youth, when he’d been reprimanded by his high school coach for everything from oggling girls when he should have had his mind on the game, to rumors of his gambling. He nearly smiled. If the coach had known the half of it…
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he realized Phillip Curtis wasn’t about to stop now. On a roll, he rambled on incessantly about trust, the weaknesses in today’s business leaders, and the fact that he was forced to deal with idiots.
“Can I take this away?” At Ally’s whispered question, Ace looked up to see her standing beside his desk.
She indicated the tray of half-eaten lunch. He nodded. As she bent to remove it, his smile returned, and he inhaled the spicy perfume, and watched her shapely backside. At least there was something going right today.
“You’re absolutely correct, Mr. Curtis. And again, I do apologize. But I believe we’re on track now. That little…glitch has been corrected. The contracts are, as we speak, being signed. You’ll have them in hand tomorrow.”
He was forced to endure several more remarks, delivered in that same stern tone of voice, before he could hang up.
“Ally.” He buzzed her desk, and a moment later she was standing in the doorway of his office.
“These are perfect.”
She smiled. “Thanks. I’ve ordered the courier. And I’ve prepared the mailing envelope.” She carried it to his desk. “I think the best way to handle this is to keep it here with you until it’s handed over to the mail carrier.”
“Good idea. Is the locksmith finished?”
She nodded and handed him a sealed envelope. “Here are the new keys to the government file.”
He opened the envelope and offered one to her. “You and I will have the only keys.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want a key. Until this is resolved, I think you should keep them.”
He nodded. “You’re right. If I need something from the file, I’ll get it myself.”
A short time later Ally returned to his office to announce the arrival of a Mr. Thorpe.
“I’ve been expecting him. Send him in.”
Ace stepped from around his desk and offered his hand to the small, rumpled man who entered. Then he closed the door and the two men settled down to business.
“I know my brother Chance has used Thorpe and Associates in the past, when he’s had security problems.”
Thorpe nodded.
“This was a major breach of security. A government contract that was altered. If those changes hadn’t been caught before reaching Washington, WildeMining would have lost millions of dollars in penalties when we wouldn’t have been able to live up to the unauthorized delivery dates. Besides the money, there’s the matter of our prestige. Washington would have eliminated us from their list of acceptable suppliers. Millions more would have been lost in future contracts.”
“This is serious.” Thorpe leaned forward. His staccato voice that still carried the flavor of New York rapped like bullets. “Tell me how many people have access to these contracts.”
Ace frowned. “It’s set up to be strictly confidential. Only my personal assistant and I have keys to the locked files. Only our two computers can access the files that pertain to the government contracts. But in truth, our security was weak. I have a new assistant, who left the contracts on her desk unattended for a period of maybe fifteen minutes.”
“Long enough for a motivated thief to do his dirty work.”
“Yeah. That’s what I’m thinking.”
“Still, a thief would have to learn the password to get into the computer files.”
Ace shook his head. “I’m told a good hacker could do it without knowing the password.”
Thorpe nodded. “True enough. But just to make it harder, establish a new password that only you and your assistant will know.” He lifted a brow. “What about this new assistant? Can you vouch for her honesty?”
Ace shrugged. “I’d like to think so. But right now, I want everyone who works in the offices at WildeMining to be scrutinized.” He reached for a stack of papers. “Here are the personnel files.”
Thorpe accepted them and offered his hand. “Don’t worry, Mr. Wilde. That’s what I intend to do. When I’m through, you’ll know more about your employees than their mamas.”
“Thanks, Thorpe.” Ace watched as he left, and let out a long, slow breath of air. Now that he’d taken the first steps, he was feeling more in control. Whoever tried this would be caught eventually. In the meantime, he would take nothing for granted.
Ace poked his head around the corner. Ally was hard at work on the computer, calling up a list of orders he’d requested from the files.
As the printer began spitting out the pages, he leaned a hip against her desk. “It’s after five. I hope I don’t have to pay you overtime.”
She looked up smiling. “Are you in a hurry to go? I can have these orders on your desk in a few minutes.”
“No rush. Take your time.”
He returned to his office and retired to the rest room where he kept a change of clothes. By the time Ally was placing the printouts on his desk, he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. The transformation was amazing. In the blink of an eye he had gone from business tycoon to cowboy.
Seeing the way she was staring, he gave her a smile and glanced down. “Yeah. Those infamous boots.”
She couldn’t help laughing. “Come on. I can see that work’s over for the day and you’re eager for my taxi service.”
She grabbed up her purse and led the way to the elevator. The outer office was already empty. The employee parking lot was deserted, except for Ally’s dusty old truck. As usual, it took several attempts before the engine started.
“Maybe when I’m through working on my engine, I’d better have a look at this one.”
She shrugged. “You can try. But I doubt that anything can be done for it now. I think it’s just old age.”
“Better not let your grandfather hear you say that. I have an idea he doesn’t take kindly to any mention of something old being beyond repair
.”
She laughed. “He’s one tough old bird. When I came back here, I found him dragging himself around with the help of a rolling cart. He’d lean on it and push it around the house. He hadn’t been out to his workroom in the barn in months.”
“Wasn’t there anyone he could have phoned for help?”
Ally shook her head. “Who would he call? There isn’t a neighbor for a hundred miles, except…” She stopped when she realized what she’d almost said. “Anyway, he’d never give in and admit that he needed anything. There’s a stubborn streak in him that’s a mile wide.”
Ace gave a short laugh. “Sounds like Agnes.”
“Who’s that?”
“Agnes Tallfeather. She’s been with us since I was a kid.”
“A maid?”
He laughed. “You’d better never let her hear you call her that. She’s more like our self-appointed mother hen. She used to cook for us, before Maggie married Chance. And she still lives with us. She does some cleaning, delivers the chow to the bunkhouse. Watches game shows on television. But she’s like your grandfather. Tough as they come. Set in her ways. There’s no changing her. Still, she’s come to accept Maggie and Erin, my sisters-in-law. But not without a lot of effort on their part. She wasn’t about to give up her boys without a fight. She wasn’t ready to see any part of our lives or hers change.”
“I’m not sure Gramps will ever accept change.” Ally turned the truck off the rutted road into the yard and pulled to a stop.
She stepped out to a chorus of barking, and endured a warm, wiggly greeting from Buster and Billy.
“It must be nice to be so loved.” Ace leaned against the truck as he watched.
“Yeah.” She laughed. “Sometimes they practically love me to death.”
Before they’d taken half a dozen steps they looked up at the sound of Harlan’s voice from the barn. “Glad you’re home, Allycat. Ace, if you need any tools, you’ll find them out here. I didn’t forget the steaks. They’re on the kitchen counter. I’ll be another hour or so in my workroom. Then I’ll join you two.”
Ace looked at Ally. “He sounds happy.”