by Mary Leo
“That all sounds great, amazing, actually. Still, I have one more question. If I agree to all of this. If I sign all these documents and suddenly become a rich man . . . who will own the Cooper Ranch? The Cooper family or Circle Starr Enterprises?”
Chuck grinned. “By signing those documents, you will be part of Circle Starr. You will one day own all of it.”
He turned to Avery, depending on her for the truth. “Just tell me, who will own the Cooper Ranch?”
Her eyes widened, and at once he knew the truth without her having to tell him, but she did anyway. “Ultimately, you will, but for now, the Cooper Ranch and everything associated with it will be under the umbrella of Circle Starr Enterprises.”
Reese felt as if he’d been sucker punched. He turned to his mom. “Did you know these were the terms of my signing these documents?”
She didn’t flinch, didn’t move her gaze from his. “Yes,” she said without preamble. “It’s the only way for our family to keep the ranch.”
“What do you think dad would say about these terms?” Reese asked his mom, staring into her faded blue eyes, eyes that were now tearing up.
“I think he would hate them, but your dad had his own reasons for keeping his distance from Circle Starr. They have nothing to do with you.”
Reese smiled and snickered. “That’s just it, Mom. His reasons have everything to do with me.”
She tilted her head to the side, something Reese had seen a million times before. It usually signaled that she was about to try to manipulate his emotions, try to get him to see with his heart instead of his head. “By signing this agreement, you take the burden of our ranch off your shoulders, son. I no longer have to see you working so hard that your hands bleed, that you lose weight, and you give up a real life for yourself. That my other children give up a life for themselves. But more importantly, I won’t have to watch you work yourself to death like your father did.”
Reese’s emotions were too raw for this kind of discussion. The lump in his throat was too large, and he couldn’t help the mist forming in his eyes. “What are you saying, Mom? That all those years working our ranch had been a mistake? Had been too hard? That you want to step over all those years and forget about them?”
“I would never want you or any of my children to forget about where they came from or how hard your dad worked. All I’m saying is that maybe it’s time we tried another lifestyle. One that isn’t filled with strife.”
“And you think joining Circle Starr would do that for us?”
She carefully folded her hands on the table, looked down for a moment, then back up at Reese. He could tell she was pulling in all her strength and purpose for what she was about to say.
“I’m asking you to seriously consider Chuck’s offer. To weigh it carefully before you make up your mind. It doesn’t just affect you. It affects our entire family now and for generations to come. It’s a huge decision that can’t be taken lightly.”
Reese hit the table with his fist, and stood. Anger surged through his veins, and fogged his judgment. He needed to calm down, but that didn’t seem like an option at the moment. “Don’t you think I know that?”
“I do, and you should know that whatever you decide, you have my complete support.”
“Even if I decide not to do this?”
“Even then.”
Reese shook his head, then stared over at Chuck. He couldn’t help the ironic grin that stretched his lips tight over his clenched teeth. A moment later he said, “So, you’d win in the end, wouldn’t you? Either way, you’ll win. You know we can’t afford to keep the ranch, so you’ll buy us out if I don’t sign this. If I do sign, not only do you get my father’s ranch, the ranch you’ve been salivating over for decades, but you’d get me to work by your side. Ironic, don’t you think?”
But Chuck remained stoic. He didn’t even blink.
Reese gazed down at the blue folder on the table, pushed his chair back with the back of his legs, hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly scooped up the thick folder. “I’ll have our lawyer look it over and get back to you,” he told Chuck, knowing perfectly well he had no intention of doing either.
“Take all the time you need,” Chuck said, standing, his face warm and friendly now, reminding Reese of that time when he was a kid in the restaurant when Chuck had given up his table. He hadn’t seen that look since that day, and watching him now, a tiny crack formed in Reese’s distrust of Chuck Starr.
Damn, but he didn’t want that to happen, especially not now.
“I intend to do just that,” Reese said, then he grabbed one of Kaya’s muffins and strode out of the room.
TEN
“Reese!” Avery called from behind him, as she saw his arm go up, thinking he was probably taking a bite of the muffin. “Wait up.”
But he didn’t slow down. Instead he kept walking towards the front door, chomping on his muffin.
Right before he reached the door, Kaya appeared. “These are great,” he told her holding up the muffin.
“Thank you,” she said, opening the door for him.
He nodded and Avery caught the smile he threw out to Kaya as he walked out the front door, onto the expansive porch.
When he took a few steps outside, he turned to face Avery. She could tell that some of his anger had dissipated. “Sorry, but I needed to get out of there. Couldn’t breathe. The air smelled of deceit. Couldn’t you smell it?”
She didn’t answer, didn’t want to contribute to his anger, so instead she let his observations mix with the sunshine.
He finished off his muffin, wiping his fingers and his mouth on the napkin he’d picked up from the table, then shoved it into his pocket. “Chuck was right about the muffin, one of the best I’ve ever eaten.”
She liked this muffin conversation much better and decided to embrace it, hoping it would soothe any remaining agitation. “One of the best?”
“My mom’s are better.”
“I’ll hope to try them one day.”
“With what’s going on, that’s not likely.” He started down the steps. If he left now, she knew this whole thing between them would be over, and for her own selfish reasons, she refused to allow that to happen.
“Reese! Wait! Don’t you want to talk about what just happened in there? About Chuck’s offer? About that partnership agreement?”
She thought she’d appeal to his more pragmatic side. The Cooper Ranch needed an influx of money, fast. Maybe he didn’t want to sign it over to the Circle Starr, but that didn’t mean something else couldn’t be worked out.
He got to the bottom of the steps and turned back to her. “You’re not my lawyer. You’re Chuck’s lawyer and talking to you would be a conflict of interest. But you already know that, so unless you want to pick up where we left off last night, I’ll be on my way.”
She hated that he had turned on her when there was no basis for it. That he wouldn’t listen to her, refused to even consider her emotions in all of this.
“Do you know what a shit you’re being right now? And what a shit you were during that entire meeting?”
She folded her arms across her chest as her stomach soured, making her feel slightly nauseous. She hated this kind of conflict, especially between people she cared about. It brought up memories of her parents’ arguments, each of them saying things that hurt the other. Her mom unwilling to listen to her dad’s logic, and her dad calling her insane, and names she didn’t want to remember.
“Oh, I’m sorry, but maybe I was reacting to being lied to, even by you. I mean, I’ve recently learned to expect it from my mom, and I’ve had a lifetime of it coming from Chuck, but I thought we had something good going on between us. Something I could trust despite the fact that you’re sleeping with the enemy.”
She hated what that inferred. “You know that’s not true.”
“Maybe not literally, but you’re sleeping in his house, on his ranch. I’d be a fool not to think you weren’t part of this whole thing.�
�
“Then you’re a fool because I knew a few things, but I only learned the final details last night, after I left you. I had no idea that Chuck wanted to make your ranch part of Circle Starr. You’re assuming things about me that aren’t true. I know how much your ranch means to you. I would never have encouraged Chuck to make that part of the deal. Never.”
“So, you want me to believe you’re innocent in all of this? That Chuck isn’t using you to get to me, ‘cause it sure looks like that’s what he’s doing.”
Her stomach lurched, and her throat tightened. She’d once again been put in a situation that caused a complete misunderstanding. She didn’t blame Chuck, she blamed herself for not standing up to him early this morning, before the meeting after she’d had time to dwell on all the facts.
“Everything in that agreement can be negotiated. It’s not set in stone. I didn’t betray you. I’m not Chuck’s whore, Reese. He’s not my pimp.”
“It sure seems that way.”
“That’s a horrible thing to say.”
“I’m sorry, but I feel as if you betrayed me. That this is just another of Chuck’s elaborate schemes to fuck over the little guy, and this time, that little guy is his own son. And he used the woman I care about to do it. He’s a heartless bastard, Avery. Can’t you see that?”
Avery stood her ground. She couldn’t give in now, she just couldn’t. Chuck was only doing what he thought was best for everyone. She refused to believe there was anything else to it and was ready to fight for her beliefs when Machala’s advice flashed up on her mental screen: if you don’t change your loyalty soon, Reese will be a delightful memory.
“You might be right about everything, Reese. He may have used me, and he may be using you to build up his empire. I don’t know for sure. I can’t get into his head to know the truth, but neither can you. All I know is, I’m in the middle, and I care about you both.”
“Maybe it’s time to pick a side.”
“I can’t. Not now. Not with everything I have going on in my life.”
“And what’s that?”
She hadn’t wanted to tell Reese about her problems back in Phoenix, but at the moment, she didn’t really have much of a choice. “Something happened at my law firm, something that, depending on the outcome, could affect the rest of my life. I needed a friend, and Chuck was there for me. It seemed that everything in my life had taken a bad turn, and I was desperate for someplace to go to clear my head for a while. Chuck offered me that. I was doing fine for the first couple of weeks I was here, until I met you. You’re a complication I wasn’t expecting.”
“What kind of a bad turn?”
“What?”
“Your life? Your career? What kind of a bad turn?”
She didn’t really want to get into this right now.
“My law firm suspended me pending an investigation on conflict of interest charges. I may not get my job back, and could be disbarred if the charges are proven to be true.”
“Are they?”
“On some level, yes, they are. However, I had no idea the man I’d been having the affair with was my client’s husband. He’d given me false information about himself.”
Reese shook his head while he gazed down at the ground. She could tell this information hit a sour note with him.
“You were the other woman?” he asked, not really looking at her, but instead watching one of Chuck’s hired hands guide one of Chuck’s many horses back into the stable, which wasn’t far from the house. The ranch seemed busier today, with people and livestock getting shuffled around, pickups driving by, and cowboys moving supplies from one outbuilding to another.
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t check this guy out?” He still didn’t look at her.
“I didn’t think I needed to.”
If ever Avery regretted a decision, it was her trust of this man. She’d fallen hard and fast at a vulnerable time in her life, and it had proven to be the worst decision she’d ever made. She just hoped falling for Reese didn’t end up the same way.
He finally looked at her again. “Seems we’ve all been taken in by charmers.”
She dropped her arms to her sides, and sat down on the first step, hoping he’d come back up and join her. “I don’t know how to take that.”
Reese knew how to get under her skin with just a few words. She sometimes wondered if he didn’t have a window to her soul. No one seemed to understand her like he did. It was uncanny how he seemed to be able to sense something deeper when she tried her best to put forth a simple explanation.
“However you want. Were you serious about this guy?”
“Not really. We’d only been seeing each other for a few weeks. Looking back on it now, I know he was purposely using me to blow up his wife’s case . . . and he succeeded.”
“So you were having sex with this guy just a few weeks ago?”
Reese knew how to cut to the quick. How to sting where it hurt most, in the tender underbelly of his victims. She refused to let his words deter her. She knew his underbelly and it was weak and vulnerable, more so than hers.
“Why are you pushing me away, Reese? I thought you said I was the woman of your dreams?”
She wanted him to know she remembered what he’d told her about his dreams. That she’d been paying attention. That she cared. On some level, Reese was difficult for her to figure out. On the one hand, he seemed to lay everything out on the table, but then on a closer look, he’d tuck a few cards up his sleeve and toss them out when he felt cornered.
Apparently this was one of those times.
“You’ve got it wrong. What I said was you’re the woman from my dreams,” he said, trying to clarify his words.
A gentle breeze tossed her hair over her face, and Reese noticed. He started to reach out to her, but then abruptly stopped himself.
“Is there a difference?” she asked as she slowly removed the strand of hair from her face, then shook her head, allowing the wind to blow her hair all around. She knew she was tormenting Reese now and wanted to keep it going.
“Yes,” he said, but the word caught in his throat. He cleared his throat, then said it again. “Yes, there’s a difference.”
He ambled back up the steps as she stared into those emerald eyes of his, eyes that became a deeper shade of green whenever he became aroused. She stood to meet him, getting as close to him as possible. His eyes went at least two shades darker, and she intended to take full advantage of the moment.
“Maybe you can explain it to me,” she whispered, standing so close she could feel his warm breath on her face.
He took a couple steps back on the porch, shaking his head, then pointing his index finger, making little air circles. “This thing you do . . . this thing right here, is what’s messing me up. It’s what brought me to the Circle Starr today. It’s what drives me crazy and messes up my thinking. I can’t think straight when you’re anywhere near me.”
She purposely moved in even closer. He didn’t budge this time. “Why is that, do you think?”
“It’s those damn dreams. I can’t get them out of my head. I can’t get you out of my head. My need for you overshadows everything else, even my reason. I wouldn’t be reconsidering Chuck’s offer if it wasn’t for you. I wouldn’t be thinking that maybe he and I can work it out . . . renegotiate . . . come back to the table. That kind of power over another human being must be heady. Is it?”
“I wouldn’t know. So far I can barely get you to kiss me. You’re easily distracted.”
He stared at her for a moment, stared deep into her very soul, then he pushed his strong hands into her hair, cupping the sides of her face. He kissed her, deep and hard as if he owned her. As if she was his property.
As if he loved her.
THE NEXT FEW minutes happened in a frenzy of finding privacy in the middle of the day on a ranch that was overrun by people and livestock. Fortunately, the bedroom Avery had been occupying inside the Starr ranch house had its own entranc
e from the left side of the porch, the side that no one used. The side that was devoid of sitting areas, but for one single chair that Avery had put out there to gaze at the spectacular view on the first night of her arrival.
She’d tucked the key under the cushion, just in case she ever needed it. The front door opened with a combination from her phone, but the private side door had an actual key.
Reese tossed the blue folder on the chair, as they fell into the room in a rush of heat that Avery hadn’t been expecting. The previous night must have primed them both, because there was nothing that would stand in their way now.
Reese had already unbuttoned her jacket and slid it down her arms to land on the floor. Her silk blouse was next, then her bra, which came off without a moment of hesitation on Reese’s part. His mouth instantly clamped onto a breast, suckling her nipple until it blossomed in his mouth, then he worked on the other breast with such a force she thought her entire breast would be consumed by the power of his passion.
“Take off your skirt,” he demanded as he moved away from her, his eyes burning through her. “And everything else you’re wearing. I want to see you naked. Right now, surrounded by daylight.”
He slipped out of his shirt, his chest a desirous state of muscle and perfection. She reached out to touch him, but he moved away from her reach. “Not yet. First you. I want to see you . . . all of you.”
She unzipped her skirt, and it slid down to the floor. She stepped out of it. Then her slip fell to the floor as well. When she stuck her thumbs under the elastic of her black panties, she almost hesitated, reminding herself that there was no going back now. Whatever happened, wherever this would lead, she had to be all in or their relationship would end, right here and right now. She gazed up at him one more time, just to be sure he wanted this as much as she did.
“Take your time. We’re not in a hurry.” He reached out and cupped her chin, then gently kissed her. Reese Cooper was an all or nothing kind of man and she had to match that or end it.