by Tinnean
The man didn’t seem surprised, unlike the people on the plane. He simply nodded and put the tools back into Will’s trunk.
“You’re going in the wrong direction,” he stated casually. Although he said very little, his eyes never seemed to leave Will as he studied him. The scrutiny made Will very uncomfortable, although he tried unsuccessfully to hide it. Will took a tentative step toward him while pulling the slip of paper from his pocket that had Katrina’s directions scrawled on it. He showed it to him. “I’m trying to follow this map, but I can’t seem to understand it. Maybe you could help me?” he asked, hopeful that the man would correct any problems in it. Will wasn’t ready for the flash of awareness that shot through him when the man reached out and brushed the hair back from his face. The gesture was friendly, but the touch of the man’s fingers on his face lingered for a very long time. A slight smile touched his lips at Will’s reaction and quickly, without comment, he took the paper from him and corrected it.
“Follow this and you’ll get there.” The man handed it back to him. Will was careful not to touch him as he took the map. He had no idea what was happening, but Will did know that he’d never been so acutely aware of someone in his entire life. He took the note from the man’s muscular hands; they were strong, capable. Will’s eyes also took in the fit of his shirt across his chest. He had to force himself to look the man in the eyes and stop taking inventory. It startled him to see the intensity with which the man regarded him.
“Thank you, sir,” he said sincerely, “for the map and the tire change.” As he watched the man walk back to his car, Will’s inventory continued. His jeans fit in all the right places. The man was in very good shape and walked with an extremely confident swagger. Will wondered lustfully, for a moment, what he would look like without his well-fitting clothing.
“You’re welcome,” he answered without turning around. His response pulled Will from his disturbing thoughts and he blushed. Thankfully the man didn’t see it. He got into his car and pulled away, passing Will and continuing out of sight.
That was intense, he thought as he, too, got into his car and drove away in the same direction. “I wonder who he is?” he said out loud after realizing he hadn’t introduced himself. Will hadn’t found himself that attracted to someone in a long time. No, I’ve never been that attracted to anyone, he corrected himself. Even his one and only boyfriend of two and a half years hadn’t brought out these sensations. George had been a kind and loving man, but there had been nothing really between them. After those years of trying to build a feeling other than friendship with him, Will finally broke it off. To his dismay, George hadn’t seemed all that upset about it and within two weeks had found himself a boy toy.
This man was something completely different. Will doubted that the stranger would walk away so graciously from a breakup. The man struck him as someone used to getting exactly what he wanted. But then again, he considered, who in their right mind would dump him? He was compelling and handsome, his eyes so blue….
“Oh Jesus, get a hold of yourself,” he stated aloud, exasperated with the direction of his thoughts as he shifted the front of his pants uncomfortably. He probably has a wife and a whole herd of children back at the ranch. He again forced himself to shake off whatever it was that had possessed him and focus on the problem at hand. He needed to concentrate his thoughts on Katrina and the Hunters. Elijah, in particular. What is expected of me? Why does he want me here? What’s in it for Katrina? He kept his thoughts under strict control, and it wasn’t long before he came upon the ranch in question. He was met with an enormous, iron entrance gate that arched over the roadway. Will couldn’t see anything of the ranch beyond it, but he knew it was the right place once he saw, written in heavy black letters on the gateway, the name “HUNTER.”
No one was around, and the gate was open, so he decided to proceed. Will drove several miles onto the property before he came to yet another, less formidable gate. Behind it he could see a large, sprawling group of buildings of varying sizes. He was shocked by the immense size of the ranch, which seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. A huge main house, barns, outbuildings, and smaller homes covered probably several acres or more. The sight of it brought on an apprehension that caused him to stop and stare for a while. There were no neighbors within sight and therefore no visible means of escape. A man in jeans and a work shirt standing near the gate came over to speak with him. Will rolled down the window, and the man leaned into it in order to speak to him. He smelled of grass and fresh air.
“Go right on in, sir. They’re expecting you.” He registered Will’s surprise, so he added, “It’s okay, go ahead.” He smiled warmly and waved him onward.
“They’re expecting me?” he questioned out loud to himself. How can that be? No one knows that I was planning to arrive today. Katrina didn’t even know. He thought that perhaps the ranch hand at the gate had gotten him confused with someone else until he saw the large, black car parked in the shade near the main house. So that’s why they’re expecting me, he thought knowingly, Mr. Tire Change must have come directly here to tell them that I was on my way. So much for the element of surprise—they were ready and waiting.
He pulled the car up toward the end of the drive and stopped. The same anxiety that had gripped him earlier came on again. He sat in the car and took several deep breaths before he was able to gather his nerves and head toward the house. Will slowly approached the massive pair of oak doors, which were on the other side of the endless stone porch. Before he could knock, the doors swung open and an older woman, probably mid-sixties, was there to greet him. She was short and stocky, but had a pleasant face and a friendly smile.
“Good afternoon, sir. Come right in.” She led him into what looked to be a small living room. “Wait here while I get Mr. Hunter for you.” She smiled at Will and then quickly left the room.
“Thank you,” Will mumbled to her retreating back. This is too weird. She didn’t even ask what I was here for. She just knew. He scanned the room for somewhere to sit and saw a plain straight-back chair by the large window on the east side of the room. He sat down and waited. “This doesn’t feel good,” he mumbled under his breath. After awhile, his eyes wandered to the large window, and he noticed that it gave a full view of the horse yard. A beautiful, black horse was currently being led about by a young man. Will was so engrossed in watching the large, graceful animal that he didn’t hear the man entering the room until he was standing directly over him.
“I just purchased him for breeding. Magnificent, isn’t he?”
The suddenness of his words, spoken so close, made Will jump to his feet and swing around abruptly. He was surprised and embarrassed to see the same dark man who had changed his tire standing there, towering over him. He acknowledged Will’s shock and smiled, but it wasn’t a particularly friendly smile. He demonstrated a reserve and distrust that hadn’t existed out on the road. He’d obviously sized him up and found him wanting, Will considered as he watched the man reach out his hand. “Elijah Hunter,” he introduced himself. “I’m very pleased to meet you, William.”
Will tried to gather his thoughts, but they refused to come together and form a sentence. He simply stood there for several seconds, staring at him and holding his hand. Finally, he snapped out of it and, very much embarrassed, released his hand. Elijah looked mildly amused.
“Where is… Katrina?” Will asked. He’d come so far with purpose and intent, and here he was, reduced to a quivering idiot. Why does he make me feel so inadequate? Why can’t I put it… him… away like every other unmanageable or unpleasant feeling? Will quickly averted his eyes when Elijah tilted his head in a puzzled manner. He was studying him again, like he had before. He was continually weighing and measuring. Will didn’t like it, but there was nothing he could do about it at present.
“She’s not here,” Elijah said softly and then asked, “would you like to sit down?” He led Will over to a large sofa with a gentle hand on his arm. Will was s
o caught up in his nearness and touch that he almost missed the “she’s not here” statement.
“Where did she go?” Will asked, perplexed by his casual manner. “I thought there was a big problem. I thought I was supposed to come here to help her. I thought you were holding her to a contract that she signed, some sort of marriage contract.” He moved away from Elijah on the sofa when he realized Elijah’s proximity wasn’t doing anything for his thought processes.
“Didn’t she tell you?” he said with what looked to be a hateful grin. Will didn’t appreciate whatever game he was playing. His back stiffened, as did his features.
“Tell me what?” Will wasn’t amused. He turned to regard him with the most derisive stare he could produce, although it seemed to have little or no effect on him.
Elijah stood and walked over to a small bar. He poured Will a brandy and brought it to him.
“Here,” he stated, “I think you’re going to need this.”
Will’s previous infatuation with the man was disappearing and was being replaced by a growing fear. It took all of his control not to let it show. His stomach tensed as he accepted the brandy. Elijah sat back down beside him and put his left hand over Will’s as it rested on his thigh. He wished he had the nerve to pull his hand away but he didn’t want to antagonize Elijah just yet. Will would hear what he had to say, and then he would react. He pulled his strength together again and met Elijah’s eyes.
“Katrina left about half an hour ago,” Elijah began. His voice was deep and clear, as if he were a lawyer advising his client. “Norman drove her to town. You probably passed them on the road.” Will remembered a dark blue sedan with an older man at the wheel and someone in the backseat. He hadn’t paid them much attention. If he had been able to see them, then Katrina certainly could have seen him. He wondered why Katrina hadn’t stopped. If she were no longer being held here by the Hunters, then there was no reason for this visit. Elijah seemed to sense that his thoughts had drifted; he squeezed Will’s hand to recapture his attention. “I allowed Katrina to leave because she said that you were arriving to take her place. After I met you on the road and found out that she was telling the truth, I returned and released your sister to go home and try and come up with the money or a good lawyer. She left immediately.”
Will was floored by his declaration. “I’m not here to take her place.” Will tried to stand up, but Elijah kept him seated. It was then that he took a full swallow of the brandy. “What do you mean? Katrina asked me to come here and speak with you, that’s all. I’m not taking on her problems,” Will stated emphatically.
“Oh, but you are,” he said too smoothly. “She said that this entire scheme was your idea. You persuaded her to go after a rich husband and to secure that husband by any means. You’re as guilty as she is.” His eyes narrowed as they scrutinized him closely. “No morals, no integrity, no class. What kind of man are you?”
That was enough. Will jumped to his feet and turned on him brutally. “I’m the kind of man who isn’t going to sit here and listen to your wounded-male attacks on my character. You do not know me; you don’t know the first thing about me. If you are so naïve that you believe the lies that my sister has been spreading, then I think you got exactly what you deserved.” He stormed toward the archway that led to the front door. Before reaching it, he swung around to regard him once more. He was sitting on the sofa watching him with the coldest of expressions. “She obviously played you both for fools, and judging by what I’ve seen, I doubt it was very difficult.” He had to get in the last sarcastic remark. He just couldn’t let it go. Before he could reach the front door, Elijah was on him. He grabbed Will’s arm and jerked him back against him. The shock of Elijah’s hands on his suddenly overly sensitized skin and being roughly slammed against his chest disoriented him for a moment. Fear spread through him. Will stared up at him with all the indignation he could muster
“Where do you think you’re going?” Elijah spat out, his anger evident in his grip and his tone. Will tried to pull away from him, but Elijah held him firmly. Will could feel his breath against his cheek and the thudding of his heart against his chest. Will also sensed an unwelcome reaction to their closeness. His own heart was beating as rapidly, and he felt the same stirring in his groin that plagued him after their first meeting. Just breathe, he told himself as he tried to mask the growing tightness in his trousers and calm himself.
“I’m going home,” Will stated with considerably less bravado. “I have nothing to do with this. I only came here to see if I could help Katrina. I am not a party to any of this, and you have no right to keep me here.” His gaze faltered slightly under the dark look in Elijah’s eyes, and he focused instead on the top button of his shirt. He should have known that Elijah wasn’t the type of man who would sit back and take cruel sarcasm, but then he never was a very good judge of people. “I don’t even know exactly what it is that Katrina did to you and your brother.”
Elijah tilted Will’s head up with a finger under his chin. Will managed to hold Eli’s gaze this time. To look away now would be total defeat. He struggled to hold his tongue; he was angry, not stupid. Pushing Elijah any further at this point was not a good idea, so he remained silent. He was a very powerful man. His hands held Will immobile with virtually no effort. He pondered the realization that Elijah felt as good as he looked. Standing there, pressed against him, he could feel all the solid muscle that lay beneath his clothing. Elijah could easily restrain him for as long as he pleased.
“Your sister pretended to be pregnant because my brother refused her marriage proposal.” He spoke softly, but with great force and meaning. “What could he do? He’s an honorable man. Believing that she was indeed carrying his child, he agreed to marry her. She demanded that Martin sign a contract promising her the marriage would take place within the year. She wanted to be married before the baby was born, she said.” He sneered unpleasantly. “If he refused to sign, she said she would run away and have their child in secret, and he would never see her or the baby.”
His expression of repressed anger and disgust remained as he related the rest of the story. “I knew that Katrina’s only motivation in this was money. She thought Martin was rich, and she wanted a piece of it. I told her that if Martin were to sign, then I wanted her to sign also. It was the exact same contract. It stated that if she refused to marry Martin then I could hold her in breach of contract. This breach would cost her $500,000. It was the same amount she wanted from Martin if he reneged on his agreement. I thought it was only fair.” He smiled, but it wasn’t a kind smile. “It was only after she found out that Martin’s riches were minimal at best that she decided to try and back out. She told him that she wasn’t pregnant, and that it had all been nothing but a money-making scheme concocted by her brother William.”
Will’s face went pale, and he mumbled under his breath, “God, I hate my sister.” Elijah continued to stare at him silently and hold him in place. After a few minutes of this tense nonverbal exchange, he released Will slowly and stepped back, his eyes never leaving his face.
“What do you plan to do?” Will asked and then became more specific. “Why are you treating me like this? I haven’t spoken to my sister in nearly two years, until last Friday when she called to tell me she was getting married and then called me back to beg for my help. I have done nothing to either you or your brother.” Will kept his voice as calm as possible and maintained his eye contact. He knew that was important. If he was to convince him of his innocence, then he had to be able to see him. Eli remained silent for a long moment. He was again studying Will, taking his measure.
“I think we would do better to discuss this in private,” he said, more amicably than Will expected. He approached him, and with a gentle hand on his back, led Will down the hall to a dark room on the right. Eli went in first and switched on the lights. There were heavy curtains over the windows that blocked out the daylight and made the room darker than necessary. At first glance, it looked to be a very
masculine room. There was a leather sofa and chair, a heavy wooden desk, and a thick, dark green carpet that blended with the thick, dark green drapes on the windows behind the desk. There were many books lining every wall, and a couple business machines: a fax, computer, and a copier. There weren’t any frills here, but it was a handsome room.
Eli directed him to sit on the sofa, and seated himself immediately in front of him on the carved oak table. He positioned his legs on either side of Will’s, pinning him to the spot. To Will’s dismay, he realized that their legs would touch if he moved to one side or the other more than a fraction of an inch, so he concentrated on sitting very still.
“Katrina asked to be allowed to leave the ranch in order to go and raise the money needed to release her from the contract. I told her that the only way I would let her go was if you took her place.” Will attempted to speak, but Eli cut him off. “She told me you were on your way. When I met you on the road, I assumed you were coming here to take her place, so when I returned to the ranch, I allowed her to go.”
“But I’m not… I didn’t….” He couldn’t get his words or thoughts together.
“Katrina couldn’t get out of here fast enough. I thought she would stay to speak with you, but apparently she wanted to leave before you found out she’d set you up.” Eli smiled again, more friendly this time.
“I’m not staying,” Will stated firmly and attempted to stand, but it was impossible considering the way they were seated. “Legally, you cannot keep me here.”
“Let me explain something to you, William.” Eli grew very cold with the tone and the look he was now giving Will. “I plan on going after Katrina legally if she doesn’t carry out the marriage as planned or if she doesn’t come up with the money. I realize that she has little or no assets. From what I have learned, she inherited quite a lot when your parents died, but she has gone through it rapidly. On the other hand, I have the right to go after any of her late father’s holdings that remain.” His eyes hardened as he studied Will’s reactions and expressions. Eli couldn’t read him this time. Will sat rigid and seemed to be trying to disconnect.