She let him enfold her hand in his. The contact felt solid, permanent, warm and safe. “Deal.” Kit started to kiss him, but didn’t think that was appropriate business deal behavior. “Come on. Let’s go to my office, I’ll give you what I have.”
Rogue went with her, eager to see what she could show him. He had a lot going on with Dusty’s company and his own, but he felt a sense of excitement knowing that he could help Kit. Standing back while she opened the door, she shocked him when she cried out.
“Rogue! Someone has been here.” He stepped over the threshold and saw that her office was ransacked. Papers were everywhere and the file cabinet was on its side.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called the cops.
“Maybe being my partner isn’t a wise decision.” Kit sighed. Could things get any worse?
CHAPTER NINE
Dave Parker pulled into the motel and slammed out of his car. “Fuck!” The drive from Red Creek to Hutchinson had only given him more time to think. But so far, thinking had gotten him nowhere. Where in the hell could Will Ross have stashed those bearer bonds?
Glancing around the parking lot of the Shady Hill Motel, Dave made certain he saw no one who would recognize him. Not that he knew anyone in Hutchinson, but with his luck he had to be careful.
As he made his way into the office to rent a room, his mind was full of panic. He had no money and nothing to hock.
“Can I help you, sir?” the clerk asked, standing behind a counter with a bored expression on his face.
“Yea, give me a room, king-size bed, by the pool if you have it.” Not that he felt like swimming. Maybe he’d drown himself.
Dave gave the clerk his last hundred dollar bill, then looked down at the meager change. He needed a card game. Taking the plastic key card he was given in exchange for the greenback, Dave turned, almost knocking down a woman in the process. “Excuse me,” he grated, heading for the door. What was he going to do next, knock off a convenience store?
Frowning, he studied the sidewalk as he returned to his car. Everything had gone to hell in a handbasket. All of his carefully laid plans were crumbling around him. Almost blind with agitation, he climbed into his car and started the engine. He’d just backed out of the parking place and was easing across the parking lot toward the room he’d rented when his cell phone rang. Snatching it up, he looked at the caller I.D. “Barnaby Miller.”
“Barnaby, what’s up?” He knew what was always up with Barnaby. Texas Hold ‘em.
“There’s a game next week. Want in?”
Dave felt the familiar rise of lust. Some men got off on women and sex. He found his pleasure in fifty-two cards and the luck of the draw. “You bet.” He found himself answering before his brain was engaged.
“Great. We’ll be playing in the back room at the Red Rooster bar.”
Even as Dave hung up, he was wondering what he could get his hands on to make that game happen. Maybe this time, his luck would change. Life owed him. Will Ross owed him. Nothing had been the same since Sheila had chosen Will instead of him. He’d taken everything that should have been Dave’s, including the investment in the Rogue Angel Gas Field.
* * *
“I don’t understand why someone broke in.” Kit huffed, hands on her hips. “They didn’t take anything.” She and Rogue had spent three hours cleaning up the mess. After the cops had come and looked around, they’d determined there wasn’t much they could do. There was no evidence of a break-in, it appeared that Kit had left the garage door open. Since nothing seemed to be missing, they told her to take more precautions next time.
“I think it was Dave,” he announced out of the blue.
Kit whirled. “Why would you say that?”
Rogue shrugged. “I don’ know, it’s just a hunch. He gives off a funny vibe. Any man that will trick his wife into signing a note for a quarter of a million will break into your house. He’s up to something.”
“But what?” Kit asked. “I don’t have anything worth stealing.”
She had a point. “I don’t know.” Putting his hands on his hips, he took one last look around.
“I won’t tell my mother that, not till I know more. The very idea would break her heart.”
“Well, there’s one thing we can do.” He turned and walked out of her office.
“Where are you going?”
“Check your locks.”
“They don’t need checking.” He didn’t pay her any mind. Instead, he looked at her doors, fussed at the lack of deadbolts and made a list of things he’d need to fix it. “You don’t have to do this.” Even as she protested, Kit had to admit it felt good to have a man see to things like this. No one had taken care of her since her father died.
“I know I don’t have to.” He kissed her on the end of the nose. “I want to.” Rogue gave her a wink. “You’re my partner.”
Kit felt a stab of regret. She knew the score. A partner was a good thing. Pity her poor heart wanted more. “We’re more than that, Rogue.” The little demon on her shoulder decided to tease him. Watching him stiffen didn’t do a whole helluva lot for her ego.
“Sure we are.” He gave her a swift grin. “We’re friends.”
“Yea, friends with benefits.” With that emotional volley, she grabbed his hand. “One of the benefits is that you get the insider’s tour of the ranch and get to sample some of Cook’s meatloaf. Let’s go, partner.”
The sexual innuendo got his cock’s attention. “Kit-Kat, what you’ve been doing to me surpasses benefits, I think this is more like friends who’ve hit the erotic lottery.” He caught up with her, wrapped his arms around her waist and nudged her sweet ass with his swollen dick.
Part of her wanted to lead him back to the bedroom, but they had too much to do. “As much as I’d like to stop and play powerball with you, I would feel better if we worked out the details of our relationship—our business relationship.”
Dang, she doesn’t have to be so emphatic, Rogue thought. He knew what their relationship entailed, he’d set the damn boundaries himself.
During the next few hours, Rogue saw a whole new side of Katherine Ross. The day of the Viagra debacle, as he thought of it, Kit had been as concerned about one-upping him as she’d been about showcasing White-Wing. Today, she poured herself into telling him and showing him why she loved her home. They started in the lodge and she proudly carried him from room to room—kitchen, dining, the billiard room and out to what she called the dance hall, a large open room with hardwood floors where a band could play and people could celebrate in whatever manner they chose.
“This is great.” Rogue looked around, checking out the facility.
“I think so.” She ran her hand over the keys of an upright piano. “We’ve already had a couple of events here and I’m hoping to have a lot more.”
Rogue crossed his arms. “We need a sound system in here.” He pulled out his phone and made a note.
“Do you think so? Most bands have their own, don’t they?”
“Sometimes, but if you have one installed, there’s always a back-up, plus the regular guests can use them for their functions. It’s a smart thing to do.”
“I can’t afford it.” Kit sighed. “I have to make the most of what we have and try to get the funds coming in before adding on more debt.”
“Not if your partner takes care of it.” Rogue grinned.
“Rogue, before we go any further, let’s hash this out.” She grabbed him by the hand to lead him to a chair and he whirled her around, kissing her lips. “What are you doing?”
“It’s a dance floor, I’m dancing.” Rogue laughed, he was in a good mood. The stuff with Dusty seemed a million miles away.
“Be serious,” Kit chided. “I want to talk to you about your investment. How does this sound? You get twenty-five percent of all the take, beginning today. What do you think?”
Rogue seemed to consider her words. “Fifteen and only after all expenses and only till the notes are paid in f
ull. And I’ll be responsible for the note payments until such time that you’re caught up.”
His generosity was a little overwhelming. “You know, you’re more like your father than you know.”
Rogue froze. “How?”
Kit realized she’d offended him. “You’re generous. There’s hardly a family or a business that Dusty didn’t step up and help or bail out. He’s been our area’s greatest philanthropist for years.”
“You do know what he did, don’t you? I told you about my brothers. But I didn’t tell you they were by three other women—none of them his wife. He cheated on his wife with four women and sired a bastard by each one.”
There was no way Kit could stop herself. She put her arms around his neck and hugged him. “I’m so sorry. I know how important a father is, I wish you could’ve had a childhood as good as mine.” Kit sniffed, then giggled. “My father loved me dearly, but I knew he always wanted a boy. I did everything I could to make him not regret me. I don’t think he did.”
Rogue held her tight. “There’s no way anyone could ever regret you.”
Kit’s heart dipped. “There’s no way Dusty regretted you, either. Or you wouldn’t be here today. Didn’t you say he left you and your brothers his business?”
“Yes, he did. That’s what I have to do next week, all week. I have to step into Dusty’s boots and try to walk in his path.”
“You’re taking on a lot. With your own business and Walker Mineral, I don’t know if you have time to take White-Wing on too.”
Rogue kissed her on the temple. “I have time for White-Wing because I have time for you.”
Kit felt feelings rise that stole her breath. She could not afford to get too attached to this guy. Rogue had made it very clear that he only wanted a casual friendly association. And her brain agreed, her heart and body were more difficult to convince. “Okay, shall we go on?”
“Sure, you lead the way.”
For the next couple of hours, she carried him over the entire property. They toured several of the cabins and the grounds. Before heading out to the lake and woods, Kit ducked into the kitchen and picked up a picnic basket she’d had Cook put together. “I think you’ll like this,” she said, holding up the wicker container. “We’re having some of my specialties.”
“I’m sure I will, smells great. Allow me.” Rogue took the container from her, following her outside.
“Let’s take the horses. We can see everything better,” she suggested.
“Perfect.” A woman after his own heart. She escorted him to the barn where they led out two of the horses, saddled them up and started off. “Let’s head over to that far ridge to the north.” Kit pointed. “I want to tell you about the deer.”
As they rode, he was struck again how graceful she sat her mount. “I have to confess something to you,” he began. “When I hurt you back in college, when I said all of those things…”
Kit didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t want to be reminded of that time. Things weren’t different, she felt different. “There’s no need, please.”
“Yes, there is.” Rogue insisted. “You’ve got to know that the problem I had with you was never your looks. You might not have been as flashy as the girls I hung out with, but the reason I balked at spending time with you was because you were better than me. I resented you because you were a girl and you were more talented.”
“That’s debatable, I was lucky.”
Rogue was beginning to think he was the lucky one. With her long hair streaming back behind her, she looked like a Native American princess. As they topped a hill, a movement caught his eyes. “Look, whitetail.”
They brought their horses to a stop. “Yes, we have about two hundred head of deer here. A special ten foot fence keeps them on White-Wing.”
Rogue leaned on the saddle horn, one arm crossed over the other. “Kansas whitetail are bigger than the ones we have down in Texas. I know one guy that was going to bring some down to go on his ranch. There’s a legal way to do it, but he didn’t get the permits. This fella trapped them, tranquilized them and loaded these deer on a small plane.” Grinning, Rogue finished his story. “The only problem was that about halfway there, they woke up.” He laughed. “Talk about a problem. Once those deer started moving around, he had to make an emergency landing. He had to pay a big fine.”
Kit giggled. “I guess deer on a plane was worse than snakes on a plane.”
They laughed and rode on. Rogue asked intelligent questions. He wanted to know what services and guides they provided and what White-Wing charged. “Do you process the deer for the guests?”
“Yes and there’s a cook provided for their overnight camping trips, if they choose to rough it rather than returning to the cabins.” To Kit’s surprise, he kept making notes on his phone. And when they rode across the fields to get nearer to where the pheasant nested, he took photos.
“We need to get a professional photographer out here. I think we need to make up some brochures and buy some advertising in Garden and Gun, maybe Southern Living or Texas Monthly.” He named some well-known periodicals. When Kit looked skeptical, he eased her mind. “This is something else I’ll take care of. Investments like these are what’s going to make the difference between a full house and vacancies.”
Kit knew he was right. “I guess I don’t have the best head for business.”
“Nonsense.” Rogue shook his head as he looked around. “Your vision was spot on. All we need to do is let people know about it. Next we’ll work on the website and some social media.” When he saw her amazed look, he winked. “I don’t know how to do this stuff. But when I got Lone Wolf off the ground, there was this young guy back in Austin who established an online platform for me. I’m sure the same type rules will apply.”
For the first time in a long time, the knot in Kit’s insides seemed to loosen. “I’m not sure how I can ever thank you. All of this is so unexpected. You didn’t have to do any of it, you didn’t owe me anything.”
Reaching over, he took her horse’s reins and tugged the mare closer. When he had her near, he leaned over and kissed her. “I never do anything I don’t want to. And I want to do this.” He captured her lips again and kissed her until the horse danced away, forcing their mouths apart.
Kit didn’t say anything as they turned to ride toward the lake. Rogue took the lead on the trail and she hung back, the fingers of one hand covering her lips where he’d kissed her.
For the next hour, she showed him the docks and fish cleaning stations, the trail that led around the lake for horseback riding and the area far away from the livestock that had been designed for skeet and target shooting. Finally, they ended up at a shady area near the lake. Dismounting, she raised her arms over her head and stretched. The hem of her shirt rose where he could see a strip of tanned, smooth skin. As she flexed, her breasts were thrust out and Rogue felt his cock respond. This erection wasn’t due to any oil beneath the ground, it was due to the sexy woman at his side
“Well, what do you think?” she finally asked.
“About what?” He teased, knowing full well what she meant.
Giving him a smirk, she expounded. “What do you think about the ranch, partner? Are you still willing to make the investment?”
“I am. I’ll get Zane on the papers as soon as we get back to the lodge.”
“Are you ready for a picnic?” She took the basket from behind her saddle.
“I’m hungry all right.” As she spread out a blanket and sat down the wicker container, Rogue untied a length of rope from his saddle.
“Are you coming?” Kit asked as she bent over.
“Soon,” Rogue whispered as he twirled the rope over his head and let it go, smiling as it gently settled over her shoulders. Before she knew it, he tightened the rope. “Gotcha.”
“Rogue!” Kit squealed as he took her by surprise. “What are you doing?”
“Flirting with you, is it working?” he asked as he threw one leg over the horse, step
ping down, never letting go of the rope.
“Maybe.” She gave him a sly little smile. “You’ve caught me, now what are you going to do with me?”
Going to her, Rogue walked up behind her, wrapped her in his arms and pulled her back flush to his front. Pressing his cheek to hers, he answered, “That depends on how much privacy we have out here.”
Kit smiled, all of her female parts perking up at the possibilities. “Almost total. No one has any reason to come anywhere close today.”
Sliding his hand to her neck, he tilted her head back, brushing his thumb over her lower lips. “Good, because you’re impossible to resist.”
Kit’s stomach bottomed out. She looked up at him, drowning in his eyes. Her heart was pounding. “Rogue…” she whispered, shocked at herself at what she wanted him to do. She wasn’t certain if he truly cared for her or if he was still, in his own way, trying to make up for past mistakes. Did it really matter?
“Kiss me, Kit,” he whispered. Collaring her throat, Rogue angled her head and began to devour her mouth. Taking command of the kiss, he ravished her with lips and tongue. His chest eclipsed her back, she felt small and helpless, at his mercy. Tremors of excitement shook her to the core as he crushed her mouth with his and left her with no question as to who was in charge of her pleasure.
Knowing he didn’t need the rope to keep her in his arms, he gently removed it, turning her in his embrace. She tasted like sunshine, spring and desire. He rubbed his face on her skin, knowing he’d leave a mark – and liking it. “Lie with me,” he instructed, guiding Kit to her back on the blanket. Taking her wrists, Rogue pulled them over her head, holding them securely in the grip of one hand.
“I love kissing you,” she murmured just before he delved deep, taking complete possession of her mouth, laving and seducing her with his tongue. His other hand wasn’t idle, he palmed her breast, flicked her nipple, then moved to grasp her hip, holding her still.
Beneath him Kit writhed, bucking upward, wishing she could get closer. Her head spun and her heart took flight. The only thing tethering her to the earth was Rogue, so she clung to him, wrapping her arms and legs around him, rubbing against his thick cock. He seemed to enjoy it, Rogue rode against her, humping the vee between her legs, causing her sex to vibrate with electric arousal.
Rogue: The Sons of Dusty Walker Page 15