Closer to You (A Haven, Montana Novel)

by Jill Sanders

  He felt like pulling out his hair, but instead took several deep breaths and answered every question patiently. His mind kept screaming to him to be more like his father when his temper wanted him to revert back to the good ol’ Tyler ways he knew so well.

  “Yes, we do both.” He answered the same question for what seemed like the hundredth time. “We’ve been drilling and servicing the lines for over twenty years.” Since he had the woman’s attention, he continued. “We use a precision drilling method perfected by my father over twenty years ago, then lay the lines and ship the oil to Billings. Once the well is dried, we cap and abandon the site, leaving it in better condition than when we started. Plant a dozen or more trees on the site too. I’m sure that if we find sufficient cause to drill on your land, you’d be happy with the improvements we made. Not only would you have better access to your land, you would have the extra money from the commissions . . .” He glanced up as his door opened and felt his headache triple when he watched his Uncle Carl walk in. The man looked drunk already.

  “Yes, I’m still here. I’m sorry to break this conversation short, but I’ve just had an important meeting walk into my office. Why don’t I swing by your place later this week so we can talk face-to-face?” He wrote down the date and time she requested and quickly got off the phone. “To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit this morning?” Tyler leaned back.

  “Oh.” His uncle walked over to the bar and poured himself a shot of whiskey like he owned the place. “Do I need a reason to visit my favorite nephew?”

  Tyler waited silently until Carl sat down across from him. “Why are you here?” he asked more blatantly.

  “Why do I always come around?” His uncle swallowed the whiskey in one gulp.

  “You need money?” Tyler asked, already knowing the answer.

  “What I need is for you brats to give me what I deserve.” His uncle’s fist slammed down on the desk, sending several of the pictures to the floor.

  Tyler lifted his eyebrows in return and felt the pounding in his head increase. “You’ve already gotten what you deserve, and more.”

  “If your father were alive . . .”

  “He’s not. And, according to his will, you’ve already gotten everything you should have.”

  Carl stood up and wobbled as he leaned over the desk. Tyler could smell the liquor on his breath as he moved closer.

  “I made this company. Without me, this wouldn’t be.” He motioned around the room.

  “And, as mentioned before, you’ve gotten your payment, which everyone in town knows you’ve squandered away on booze and prostitutes.”

  It was an old argument, and despite repeating it more times than Tyler could count, Carl had yet to squeeze another dime from any of the brothers. They knew how to handle the man, but Tyler always gave him the benefit of the doubt. Until he crossed the line.

  “You little shit . . .” His uncle reached across for him, sufficiently crossing that line, just as the door swung open.

  Kristen stood in the doorway, next to Rea, who had a cell phone up to her ear, no doubt with the sheriff on the other side.

  “Is there a problem?” Kristen said as she calmly walked into the room. Her eyes moved from one man to the other. For the first time in his life, Tyler watched his Uncle Carl shrink back. When no one answered, she walked over and stopped at the end of his desk. Her chin raised as her eyes bore into his uncle.

  “Rea has informed me that the sheriff is on his way here . . . to see to some business.” She turned to Tyler and nodded slightly. “So, unless there is some other business you have here, I think it’s best if you leave.”

  Tyler’s mouth dropped slightly as he watched his uncle blink, then turn and stumble from the room.

  When the room was empty, he turned and looked up to Kristen with a smile. “Marry me,” he croaked out, causing her to laugh.

  “Why? Because I know how to handle a bully?”

  Since he hadn’t found his full voice yet, he nodded.

  She smiled. “I have a crazy Aunt Hilda, who likes to hit the bottle and slap my mother around. I learned to stand up to her when I was twelve, and from then on, Hilda never comes around without my mother making sure I’m there as well.”

  “You oughta keep that girl around,” Rea said as she walked from the room and reached back to close the door behind her.

  “I could have handled him,” Tyler said after a moment of silence. Kristen had moved over and sat in one of the chairs across from him.

  “I’m sure you could have.” She smiled. “But I had too much fun. Besides, Rea was going to barge in all by herself and something tells me she wouldn’t have done such a good job of getting rid of him.”

  “No.” He frowned, remembering the last time he’d hauled his uncle from the office. “No,” he said again, leaving it alone.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  She tucked her shaky hands together and took a few deep breaths. Her body always reacted that way when dealing with her aunt. Even after all these years of doing so, it still got to her.

  Sure, she’d seen the determination in Tyler’s eyes. She’d also seen his clenched fists. There was no doubt in her mind that he knew how to use them, but she was thankful he hadn’t.

  She’d read the file on the uncle. Carl McGowan was more than a drunk. He had too many DUIs; even after he’d lost his license almost five years ago, he’d still been caught driving. He had a long police history with other arrests as well. He’d been divorced three times. Each time ending with accusations of spousal abuse. He had six restraining orders filed against him and several other arrests for breaking most of them.

  “Why does he come around?” she asked.

  Tyler sighed and shrugged. “Why else? Money.” He leaned back in his chair.

  “Does that happen often?” she asked, more curious now than ever.

  “Whenever he runs low.” He glanced back toward his computer. “Why does your aunt come around?”

  She sighed. “Not for money. My grandparents set her up for life.”

  “Oh?” He leaned closer, his eyes on her now.

  “They owned several outlet mall stores. You know, the buildings.” He nodded, so she continued. “Anyway, before my grandmother passed away, then my grandfather less than a year later, they had set up a trust fund for my aunt. She’s never been right in the head.” She sighed again. “So, naturally, most of their money went to her.”

  “What about your mom?” Tyler asked.

  “My grandparents never really recognized her. It’s almost as if they were so tired of dealing with Hilda that they forgot they had another daughter.”

  “Sad,” he said under his breath.

  “Yes,” Kristen agreed. “So, when my mother does have to deal with Hilda, it’s been hard. But she’s used how she was raised to become the best mother possible.” She smiled and her eyes lit up with love.

  “Something we have in common then.” He smiled and she felt her heart skip as she nodded. “Was there something you needed?” he asked.

  She’d come into the office because she’d been curious. Her early-morning call to her boss hadn’t gone well. She’d asked him the questions but had been highly disappointed at his short answers.

  The official position from JB on McGowan Enterprises was simply their intent to acquire the business. Nothing else had been planned, or at least nothing that Mr. Burnett would say over the phone.

  He had pivoted quickly, tasking her with finding out more about McGowan Enterprises, telling her to dig deep for something they could use to sweeten their offer. For some reason, the facts she’d presented to him on paper weren’t enough. He wanted more detailed reports on the brothers and their mother. Which, after she’d met them that first night, she’d written up and sent to him. Still, he asked for more.

  Kristen got the impression he was hiding something but wasn’t in the position to press him at the moment. Especially after he’d started taking the “tone” with her. She’d worked for the man
long enough to know when he’d said all he was going to about a subject.

  Which led her straight back to Tyler’s office to see if she could get some answers there.

  “Yes.” She leaned forward in the chair. She’d thought about how to approach him with her questions. Figuring bold and direct was best, she said, “I was wondering if I could take a look at your books.”

  She was impressed that he didn’t immediately laugh at her. Instead, his eyes narrowed, causing a small line to form between his dark brows.

  “Why?” he finally said.

  “Well . . .” She shifted in her seat. “I asked about JB’s plans for McGowan.”

  “And?” He too leaned slightly forward.

  She shook her head and sighed. “Didn’t get far. But I was thinking . . .” She bit her bottom lip, then decided to jump all in. “If I could look at your books, maybe I can find out why they’re so interested.”

  He was silent for a moment as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes scanning hers deeply.

  “Why should we trust you?” he asked.

  “Why shouldn’t you?” She shrugged. “I mean, I’ve seen your numbers for the past few years. The ones that JB has anyway.”

  “Yes, but those are public records. You’re asking me to give you full access to . . . everything?” he asked, and when she nodded, he sighed. “Why?”

  “Would you believe me if I said I’m curious?”

  Another moment of silence passed between them. “Rea will give you the log-ins.” He turned to his computer as she got up from the chair and walked toward the door. “Kristen.” She stopped with her hand on the doorknob and looked back at him. “If you find something, anything, I expect to be notified first.”

  She smiled and then nodded her head quickly. When she shut the door behind her, she took a deep breath. The man had a way of sucking up all the air in a room.

  “Rea, can you get Ms. Howell a guest log-in for our accounting, please?” Tyler’s voice chimed over the phone system.

  Rea’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Yes, sir.” The older woman smiled at Kristen. “You must have made an impression on him,” Rea said, clicking away at her keyboard.

  “I think he finally realized that we have the same goal.”

  “Oh?” The woman stopped typing and looked up at her in question.

  “Believe it or not, my best interest is in seeing what’s best for McGowan Enterprises.”

  “Even if that means not selling to your employer?” Rea asked.

  Kristen thought about it for a moment. “I’m sure that when I’m done, the brothers will change their minds.”

  “What if they don’t?” the woman asked.

  “Then I’ll leave quietly.” She walked closer to the desk. “What system do you use?”

  For the next half hour, Rea filled Kristen in on how to access the system. It was a version of QuickBooks she’d used before so she knew it fairly well. She had already seen most of the figures while researching the company, but still, there was enough there to keep Kristen busy for the next few days.

  Rea cleared a spot for her in the corner at a desk. Kristen made herself as comfortable as possible. Several times during the day, she heard Tyler raise his voice as he talked on the phone. Around lunchtime, he stormed out of the office and stopped when he noticed her scanning her laptop screen.

  “Lunch?” he asked. She could tell he was only asking out of courtesy.

  Smiling and shutting her laptop, she stood up. “Yes, that would be wonderful.”

  She’d been right. He frowned and continued walking out of the building. She grabbed her coat and followed him.

  “There are only a few places to eat in town,” he said as he pulled the truck out of the muddy parking lot.

  “I’m good with whatever,” she said. She wished she’d thought to bring a pair of sunglasses along. The snow had stopped and every cloud in the sky had disappeared, leaving the snow to melt and blind her as the sun reflected off the whiteness of everything.

  Tyler reached across her lap, brushing his arm against her legs as he reached into the glove box and pulled out a spare pair of sunglasses.

  “You’ll need these.” He set them in her lap.

  “Thank you.” She put the glasses on and instantly felt the tension behind her eyes dissipate.

  “Montana is hard on a body,” he said quietly.

  “I suppose it is.” She felt the heat of the sun on her shoulders and thought about removing her coat. “It must be in the seventies,” she said absently.

  Tyler chuckled. “One day it’s in the teens, the next day you’ll broil.” He shook his head. “Gotta love it.”

  The truck turned a corner and for the first time since arriving yesterday, she got her first view of the hills around Haven, Montana. It had been overcast and dark when she’d driven around before. Now, however, the sun was out and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Her breath caught at the beauty of it all.

  The small town was nestled at the base of snow-covered hills. Everything was still freshly blanketed in snow and had yet to melt to the point of being dirty.

  Tyler turned on the main street and Kristen could just imagine this is how the town had looked for the past hundred years. Sure, there were probably horses and carriages at one point instead of trucks and cars. But still, the beauty of it was almost overwhelming.

  The older buildings were in good enough condition that nothing looked fallen in or neglected. For an old town, the place looked very well maintained.

  Even her hotel was in better condition than she’d first imagined.

  “Tell me about the town,” she said as he drove slowly up the street.

  He glanced at her quickly, then shrugged. “Haven was initially built in the great gold rush. After all the hills were dry, the town went silent, only to be revived when oil was struck about thirty years ago. We have a population of just under five thousand, our own police force, and . . .” he glanced over at her. “A woman was just elected mayor last year. Mayor Martha Brown.” He smiled.

  Facts. Short and to the point, she thought as he parked along the main street.

  “It may not be much,” he said, helping her out of the truck, his hand on her elbow as she stepped onto the sidewalk. “But it’s home.”

  She glanced up at the sign on the building in front of them and watched as Tyler walked toward the brightly painted door.

  “You . . . you don’t mean to go in there?” she asked, stopping him from disappearing into the door.

  “Sure, why not?” He glanced back at her. “They have some of the best steaks in town.” He shrugged and held the door open for her. His smile had grown until she was sure he was laughing at her silently.

  “But—” She took a step back and blinked a few times. “But it’s a strip club.”

  Tyler sat across from Kristen and held in a laugh. Her eyes had turned to huge saucers since following him in the pink doors.

  She’d yet to say another word to him, but instead sat silently, looking down at the menu Carolyn had handed her after they’d sat in his favorite booth. Every now and then he’d see her eyes trail up to glance at the dancers.

  “They don’t bite,” he leaned forward and whispered to her.

  “I don’t know what you mean.” She shifted and set her menu down. Then took it up again and dipped her head down until all he could see was her dark eyebrows over the cover.

  “Listen, this town isn’t all beautiful scenery. These men work hard and deserve to play hard too,” he said, nodding around the room.

  For the first time since walking in the doors, he watched her eyes travel around the room. This time not seeing the half-naked women working for a dollar, but the men who filled the tables and booths around. Most of them were too busy eating lunch or talking with one another to bother with the half dozen girls trying to get them to spend their hard-earned money.

  “Why do they allow it?” she asked after a moment.

  “Who? What?” he asked as sh
e set her menu down.

  “Them.” She nodded to a group of men who worked for him. They were having lunch with their wives. “Why do they eat here with their husbands?”

  He chuckled. “Because sex is sex and a good meal is a good meal.” He shook his head.

  Kristen was stopped from saying anything more when Carolyn walked over to take their orders. Tyler ordered the steak and was surprised when Kristen said she’d have what he was having.

  “Surely you’ve been to a strip club before?” he said, leaning back in the booth and taking a sip of his beer. Normally he didn’t drink during lunch, but after the phone calls he’d had that morning plus the unwelcome visit from his uncle, he figured he was due.

  “They aren’t as popular in New York,” she said dryly, causing him to laugh out loud.

  “Their loss.” He glanced over to where Darla was working the pole and cringed. He’d been trying to avoid her for weeks. Ever since she’d made it known to the entire town that she had an eye on him. Now he was seeing her twice in one day, and he expected she might think he was doing it on purpose.

  His eyes moved back to Kristen and wondered why she’d followed him into a place like this. Just looking at her, he could tell she was too good for this place. Hell, she was too good for Haven or the entire state of Montana.

  She’d tied her long dark hair up today. There were a few wisps falling around her face. Having her hair pulled back only accented the pale-green color of her eyes more. Her lips were painted a pale pink, the same color as her sweater, which clung to her body like a glove.

  Suddenly, it was too hot in the room. Tyler pulled his sweater over his head and tossed it in the seat next to him. When his eyes met hers again, he realized she’d watched his every move. She was biting her bottom lip again and he found it hard to focus.

  Blinking as his mind focused, he cleared his throat from the aching with another sip of cold beer.

  “So, did you find anything in the books?” He decided to keep their conversation professional. That way thoughts of peeling off her tight sweater slowly wouldn’t cause his libido to overheat during lunch.