Irresistible You

by Francis Ray

  “And I love you for it.” Catherine leaned over and kissed Luke on the lips. “He even sits through my lectures on child psychology.”

  “Same here with Phoenix.” Morgan cut into his breakfast T-bone steak. “She has a showing in Chicago at the DuSable Museum next month.”

  Sierra put her fork on her plate; a dreamy expression came over her face. “Chicago. Shopping on the Gold Coast. The Presidential Suite at the Palmer House. Sailing on Lake Michigan. Real pizza.”

  “Traffic. The biting-cold wind. The crazy airport,” Phoenix ticked off. “I’d never leave home if it wasn’t necessary.”

  “As long as Luke is with me, I don’t mind.” Catherine sipped her coffee. “I’m flying out next week to see my agent in New York.”

  Sierra slumped back in her chair. “A suite at the Palace Hotel with a view of Central Park. Bergdorf. Carriage rides. The view from the Empire State Building. Sandwiches so thick you have to eat from the sides.”

  “And overpriced at twenty-seven dollars with a ridiculous no-sharing rule,” Brandon snorted.

  “Which we always ignore,” Sierra pointed out cheerfully.

  Sabra looked at Faith, who answered the unspoken question. “We’ve only been married a short time, but we plan to follow the family and extended-family tradition of never sleeping apart. Of course, since we’re all self-employed it makes that more manageable.”

  “You truly are an amazing family,” Sabra said softly. “You’ve discovered the magic and plan to keep it.”

  “That we do,” Morgan said, but he spoke for all of them.

  For a moment Sabra felt incredibly sad. Pierce’s brothers and their wives shared everything. She’d always thought her parents had a good marriage. What might have happened if her father had confided in her mother instead of taking it on himself to “borrow” funds? Sabra couldn’t imagine any of the Grayson men keeping a secret from their wives that involved the welfare of the entire family.

  “You all right?” Pierce asked.

  She forced a smile. “Yes.”

  “Good, then maybe you’ll want to join us.” Catherine placed her napkin beside her plate.

  “Thanks, but I can’t afford to lose the rehearsal time to fly back to New York.”

  “Sorry, I wasn’t clear. I meant horseback riding this afternoon.”

  Sabra couldn’t keep the surprise from her face. “Horseback riding?”

  “No offense, Sabra, but I hope you don’t ride well,” Faith said. “I’m still learning.”

  “And doing fabulous,” Brandon said.

  Sierra wrinkled her nose. “She’d do better if you’d pay more attention to teaching her than other things.”

  Faith blushed prettily. “Sierra rides like she was born in the saddle.”

  “I’ve never been on a horse in my life,” Sabra confessed.

  The men at the table looked horrified. “Never?” Pierce asked.

  “Not even a wooden one,” she confessed.

  “Then I’d say you’re overdue, if you’re game,” Pierce told her.

  She hesitated. “If I fall and break something, your mother will have both our heads.”

  “You won’t fall.”

  She stared into his eyes and believed. “All right.”

  PIERCE WANTED SABRA TO NEVER FORGET HER FIRST time on horseback. He wanted her to have memories that she hadn’t shared with another man. He admitted it was selfish, then accepted it and moved on.

  The sun-kissed day was certainly cooperating, with a gentle breeze and the bluest sky he’d seen in weeks. After leaving the restaurant, he took her back to the condo to change clothes. She dressed in a long-sleeved white cotton shirt and fitted black jeans that made his heart thump, and her black eel-skin boots.

  By the time they arrived at the boarding and riding stable owned by Richard Youngblood, a close friend and the top veterinarian in the country, the others were already there. Entering the clean, well-lit stable, Pierce received his second surprise of the day.

  Standing easily beside Richard, and a safe distance away from his brothers, was Naomi. Catherine, then Richard had befriended the wary young woman when she fled from her abusive husband. Holding Richard’s hand was Kayla, Naomi’s pretty and bubbly daughter. The young child was the exact opposite of her shy, wary mother.

  “Hello, everyone,” Pierce greeted them.

  “Oh, Mama, look at the pretty dog.” Kayla took off at a dead run, heedless of her mother’s frantic call for her to come back.

  “Kayla, no!” Richard said, two steps behind the running child.

  Kayla stopped three feet from Isabella, almost quivering in anticipation. “I remember, Dr. Richard.” She looked up at him with a gap-toothed smile. “Sometimes animals don’t like to be touched unless they know they aren’t being threatened.”

  Richard smiled and placed his hand on Kayla’s shoulder. “Your mother wasn’t so sure.”

  Kayla glanced over at her mother, a few feet behind Richard, her hands clenched. “I didn’t forget, Mama.” She faced Pierce. “I’m going to be a veteri-na-rian, too.”

  Pierce hunkered down and tugged one of the thick plaits on either side of her amber-hued face. It was obvious she had practiced saying the word. “You’ll make a good one, too.” He looked at her mother. “Can I introduce Kayla to Isabella?”

  “Isabella can be testy with adult strangers, but she loves children. She won’t hurt Kayla,” Sabra assured the obviously concerned mother.

  Kayla’s mother knelt beside her daughter and placed her hand on Kayla’s shoulder. Pierce saw the emotions run across Naomi’s pretty face. She’d been through a lot, remained wary of people, even frightened at times. He didn’t know what to think when Richard casually swept his hand down her back, but it seemed to give her courage. She stopped clenching her hands.

  “Yes,” she finally said.

  Pierce introduced Kayla to Isabella, then Sabra to Richard and Naomi. “Sabra is going to have her first riding lesson today.”

  Sabra knelt on the other side of Pierce. Kayla happily talked to Isabella. “Pierce promised not to let me fall. Do you ride, Naomi?”

  She started to shake her head, then said, “No.”

  “Dr. Richard and I are going to teach her,” Kayla said proudly, her arm around Isabella’s neck.

  “Not today, though,” Naomi said.

  “Whenever you’re ready.” Richard took Naomi’s arm and came to his feet, bringing her with him. Pierce and Sabra stood as well. “Yours and Sabra’s horses are ready.” He glanced down at Isabella. “What about her?”

  “She’s going with us. She doesn’t like unfamiliar surroundings if Sabra isn’t around,” Pierce said. “We had our ‘talk,’ so she’ll be all right. I’ll see how she behaves before we leave. Then keep it slow and easy. Any problems, we’ll come back.”

  “We’ll let you get to it then.” Richard reached out his hand to Kayla. Even with the strong lure of the animal, she immediately placed her hand in his. Together, he and Naomi walked while Kayla skipped to a single-level white ranch house with a red tile roof gleaming in the early-afternoon sun.

  “Thank you for reassuring her,” Catherine said, coming to stand by Sabra as she watched the trio enter the house.

  “She was frightened and struggling not to let her child see that fear,” Sabra said. “That’s another kind of courage.”

  “And, hopefully, one day she’ll see that,” Catherine said softly.

  “Richard will help her.” Luke led two horses to them and curved his arm around his wife’s shoulders.

  Catherine looked up into Luke’s strong, handsome face. “The right man can do that.”

  “I’ll vouch for that,” Phoenix said.

  “There’s nothing like it,” Faith put in.

  “Oh, brother.” Sierra swung effortlessly into her saddle. “Can we have less talk about love, and do some riding?”

  “Scared it might be catching?” Brandon chuckled and gave Faith a boot into the saddle of a pr
etty roan mare.

  Sierra snorted. “Why should I be? I’m not next on the list.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she stiffened. Her contrite gaze bounced from Pierce’s narrowed eyes to Sabra’s puzzled ones.

  “What kind of list?” Sabra asked, her brows knit.

  “Nothing important.” Pierce led Sabra to where their horses were saddled and waiting. “Now, let’s talk about something important. Riding.”

  LATE THAT AFTERNOON SABRA RELAXED IN THE Jacuzzi tub, the jets on full blast. Her head rested on a foam pillow. She was a little stiff from riding, but not unduly so. In any case, it had been worth it to be with Pierce.

  It had been after three when he dropped her off with a brief kiss and ordered her to take a long soak in the Jacuzzi. She’d wanted to ask him in, but he had walked away before she worked up the courage.

  Once the horses were mounted, they’d set off together at a sedate pace and never gotten much faster. No one seemed to mind as they teased and laughed at each other. Isabella acted as though she had been around horses all her life. When Morgan’s and Phoenix’s horses wanted to go for a run, they’d taken off, with plans to meet up with the group later. Sabra didn’t remember ever feeling so at peace and happy. It must have showed on her face, because Pierce had reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear.

  “Having fun?”

  “Yes, although my backside might regret it later.”

  “I give a great massage,” he said so low only she could hear.

  “Another talent?” she asked as her heart thumped crazily in her chest.

  “Yes.”

  Her eyes shut as she remembered the searing look in his eyes. Pierce could definitely make a woman forget her good intentions. Cutting off the jets, she stood and stepped out of the tub to dry off. Instead of thinking about Pierce, she’d do better to strategize for tomorrow. Dry, she slipped on black lounging pj’s and crawled up into the middle of her bed and reached for the laptop.

  Several keystrokes later, she was looking at the list of investment counselors whom her father might have contacted eight years ago. There were eight on the list. She’d already made appointments to see them at their offices within the next two weeks. She wasn’t going to take a chance that they’d run into Pierce in the building.

  To get the appointments so fast, she’d had to risk using her own name. She wasn’t sure of Pierce’s reaction if he learned she was interviewing investment consultants. Heaven forbid he find out she had an ulterior motive for accepting his mother’s invitation.

  The laptop forgotten, Sabra stared out the window. She wished there had been another way. Pierce and his family were a wonderful, close-knit family. On second thought, Pierce wouldn’t be the only one ticked if they thought for one moment she had used their mother.

  When you mess with one Grayson, you mess with them all.

  She shivered. The entire Grayson clan would come down on her like an avalanche. She just had to see that it didn’t happen.

  There was nothing she could do about it now. This was the last thing she could do for her father, and no matter how she felt personally about the deception, she was seeing it through.

  She closed out the file and opened Seasons, a three-act one-woman play about a woman through the seasons in her life and the lessons she’d learned. Sierra worked on the play when Anything for Love was going slow. Millicent, the lead character, had loved and lost but had never given up on life, on hope that the next day would be better. The matriarch of the family, she’d buried two husbands and loved neither one of them. Life had given her some hard choices. She’d made them and not looked back.

  The play opened the morning of Millicent Stewart’s eightieth birthday with her wondering if her children and grandchildren would come for love or for her vast fortune, wondering if she had loved too well or not enough.

  As Millicent stood on the balcony of the second-floor bedroom of her palatial estate in Virginia and waited, she thought back over her life. She’d been born the daughter of a poor farmer but dreamed of a better life. She’d gotten it but had paid a high price.

  The antique clock on the Italian marble mantel over the fireplace struck quarter past the hour. Her hand shook on the walking stick she used when no one was around. They were fifteen minutes late. Would they come?

  HOURS LATER, SABRA’S FINGERS PAUSED OVER THE keys and she felt the ache in her neck and shoulders. Darkness had come while she worked. She moved her shoulders, then read over what she’d written. Millicent had just married a spoiled rich young man who would make her life hell and give her the first of her three children. Satisfied, Sabra saved the material, then got out of bed and dressed.

  “Thanks for letting me write,” Sabra told Isabella as she pulled on undergarments and a soft gray velour jogging suit with a hood. Nights in Santa Fe were chilly. “What do you say we go for a walk and pick up takeout?”

  Isabella immediately came to her feet, then picked up the leash from the lounge chair in the corner of the room.

  “Glad you agree. Even if it won’t be as good as Brandon’s food or the Mesa.” Ruffling the dog’s fur, Sabra clipped on the leash, then shoved a coin purse with her keys and money into the zip pocket of her jacket.

  “Which direction do you think we should walk?” she asked on the elevator.

  Isabella barked.

  “Would it be too obvious if we just walked by the Red Cactus?”

  Isabella barked again.

  “You’re right. We’ll walk over to the Plaza, then back.” The elevator door opened and Sabra stepped out. In a matter of minutes, she was in the downtown area known as the Plaza, the very heart of the city.

  Despite the obvious influx of tourists, the city kept its charm. As the capital of New Mexico, it was the oldest capital city in the United States.

  She enjoyed the sights and sounds, the low-lying buildings and architectural marvels, adobe buildings, some of which were hundred of years old, covered with stucco to protect them. If not for the hustle of people around her she might have felt as if she had stepped back in time.

  She strolled passed the Palace of the Governors, the oldest public building in the United States, past Burro Alley and the Federal Courthouse, one of the few Greek Revival buildings in the region. She could see why the Graysons loved coming back here. Even Sierra, who enjoyed the finer things and could probably live anywhere, appeared happy to be here. Sabra would hate to leave. She accepted that Pierce was a big part of the reason.

  It wasn’t until she was on her way back that she realized she was hungry and the Red Cactus was a short distance away. As usual, a line was out the double doors and the patio filled to capacity.

  People were laughing, talking, and leaning or sitting on the three-foot-high iron railing enclosing the outdoor dining area. They didn’t seem to mind that there was a chill in the air. The temperature had dropped twenty degrees since that afternoon.

  Sabra slipped her hood over her head, thankful she had left her hair pinned up after she got out of the Jacuzzi. She considered crossing the street, then thought that would be silly. It wasn’t likely she’d see Pierce. And if she did, she’d just say hi and keep going.

  If he had wanted her to join him for the family dinner she’d heard Faith mention while they were riding, he would have asked her. Why she felt a certain sadness that he hadn’t was beyond her. Or was it worry that he might have asked Raven?

  Sabra blew out a breath. She wasn’t the jealous type. Besides, she and Pierce hadn’t made any commitment to each other. She had made sure of that. Sierra had had ulterior motives for asking Sabra to join them at a family celebration. There was no reason for Pierce to do so.

  “Come on, Isabella.” Continuing down the street, Sabra was aware that her grip had tightened, her body tenser with each step closer. She ignored the whistles and calls to join them from three young men about to enter the restaurant. A fourth man with the trio ducked his dark head. She recognized the lanky man as a St. John’s student, an extra
for the play.

  “Honey, tonight is your lucky night,” the tallest and brawniest of the three men said. “Ditch the mutt. We have a table waiting.”

  She ignored him and spoke to the student. “Hello, Paul.”

  The whistles and offers stopped abruptly. Their gaze bounced from Paul’s unsure expression back to her. She could almost hear the wheels turning in their heads, wondering what the connection was and if it could get them in trouble.

  Paul swallowed several times. He finally managed to get out, “Hi, Sabra.”

  Smiling, Sabra kept going. Perhaps they’d think twice before bothering another woman by herself. The incident had diverted her attention at least. But as she continued down the street, thoughts of Pierce came hurtling back.

  “Mind some company?”

  Sabra spun, her mouth gaped. Her grip loosened on the leash and Isabella bounded the few feet to rear up on Pierce, barking in delight. “I guess I have one vote.”

  “Where’d you come from?”

  He motioned over his shoulder. “I was coming out and heard some college students talking about a woman walking her dog who was off the chart.”

  “I wish you had caught up with me earlier,” she confessed, feeling infinitely better. Raven hadn’t been with him. Pierce wasn’t the type to dump one woman for another.

  “You hungry?” he correctly guessed.

  She was suddenly ravenous. “I’d planned on getting takeout at the sandwich shop in our building, but after passing the Red Cactus, second or third best doesn’t sound tempting anymore,” she confessed. “I’d love a hamburger with steak fries.”

  Pierce took out his cell. “This is Pierce; please get Brandon.”

  She didn’t say anything, simply waited. It was nice to have a man who wanted to feed you.

  “Brandon, your new favorite customer is hungry, and doesn’t want to settle for second or third choice. She wants a hamburger and steak fries.”

  “Please,” she said, pressing her hands together in supplication.

  “Medium well, red onions, applejack bacon, and American cheese all right?”

  “Perfect.”