by S A Monk
The entire first and second floor were dark as she made her way upstairs in search of aspirin, peace, and sleep. She’d seen Hawk’s truck out front and knew he was home. Before she went into her bedroom, she glanced under his closed door to see if there was a light on. There wasn’t. She assumed he was asleep. She wondered how long it would be before he talked to her again. This afternoon was the first time she’d seen him really angry at her. Would he stay angry at her? Had she permanently damaged their relationship? She hoped not. She was really beginning to like him— a lot. She wasn’t ready to return to work, but she supposed she might have to if they couldn’t mend this rift between them.
She entered her room and flipped on the small hurricane lamp by her bed. Her bra was lying discreetly below her pillows, half-covered by the eyelet ruffles on the shams. She pulled it out. It was ruined, of course, the elastic torn in back, the hook and eye fastening shredded. She remembered then that Hawk had stuffed it in his back pocket before leaving the line cabin. All the bitter-sweet details of their intimate kiss came rushing back.
She wondered if Hawk would ever ask her out again, and realized that if he didn’t she would be deeply hurt and disappointed.
CHAPTER 10
The grange hall in Winthrop where the Cattlemen’s meeting was being held was the last stop in a long day. Jenny had been up at dawn to drive Peter to Denver to catch his return flight to Los Angeles, then driven through the mountains as quickly as was safely possible to make this meeting, which she knew was important to Hawk.
Over lunch at the airport, Peter had admitted that he was afraid he was going to lose her as a partner and a friend. She’d reassured him that she would always be his friend, but that she couldn’t be as sure she’d always be his partner. She’d asked him to refrain from seeking any new design contracts for a while, in order to give her time to decide what she wanted to do. And she’d made him promise not to take any money from Brad Caldwell or any other investors without her approval. She promised, in return, to let him know what she decided to do as soon as she decided it.
He hadn’t been thrilled with her ambiguity. And he had been even less thrilled that she was remaining in Colorado, in the same house, with Larson. Even though she and Peter hadn’t been lovers for years, she knew he still harbored hopes that they might be again. That was not in her future, though. She’d made it clear on more than one occasion that they could be good friends, nothing more.
Peter told her once again that he didn’t like the way Larson seemed to be taking advantage of her grief to get closer to her. If he was guilty of misconduct in the partnership, he might be trying to hide it by luring her into a physical relationship. She tried to reassure him that Hawk was not taking advantage of anything, or trying to influence her, for that matter. And she gently reminded her associate that she was fully capable of weighing all the information and making intelligent decisions. Peter hadn’t been extremely mollified by her reassurances, but at least they had parted with a hug and kiss before he’d gotten on his plane. Of course, he’d also told her he’d call often and not to stay too long.
On the quiet three hour drive home, Jenny gave a lot of thought to her future. She really felt she owed it to her dad to stick around and see just what kind of trouble the ranch was in and if there was anything she could do to help. Tom had spent a lifetime working hard to make his ranch prosperous. He’d probably literally worked his heart out.
In her heart, she knew Tom would want her to keep the ranch and the business in-tact. Even if Hawk had the money to buy her out, she thought her dad would have liked to see her work the place, or at least take an active interest in it. Tom had known her heart had always been here, and that she had always dreamed of coming home someday. Ranching was hard, sometimes dangerous work. It would never make her rich. It was more of a financial struggle than what she did now, but she’d always enjoyed the challenges involved. And she would much rather be on a horse in these incredible mountains every day, no matter what the weather, than sitting on a crowded, smog-filled freeway, waiting in a traffic jam. In truth, the idea of returning home for good and becoming a rancher appealed to her.
She could probably even continue her costume designing, as well as her other designing enterprises. Business could be conducted long distance. She really ought to also invest some money into the ranch. Hawk definitely could use a cash infusion soon. She could do that even if she decided to return to L.A. She wondered how he’d take that. He was a pretty proud guy. He’d never ask her for monetary help. Up until yesterday, they had been getting along pretty well. But she hadn’t seen him last night, and she hadn’t seen him this morning before she’d left. She had to assume he was still angry with her.
Maybe by showing up at this meeting, she could begin to show him she was on his side, not Brad Caldwell’s. Eli had told her this morning where and when it would be. After listening to Hawk talk about this meeting with Hank Tate yesterday at lunch, she knew he intended to bring up his concern that someone was stealing their cattle. She wanted to be at the meeting to support him, but she also wanted to see how Brad Caldwell, as President of the Cattlemen’s Association, addressed the issue. Hawk may not have any proof that Caldwell was behind all his problems, but after socializing with the Caldwells last night, Jenny thought the man was definitely ruthless enough to force the Bar FL into foreclosure.
She saw Hawk’s truck in the parking lot, so she pulled into an empty space next to it and went inside to find him. He was seated near the front of the room, at the end of a row, with Scott Richards next to him. There were also a couple dozen men and women seated in the rows of folding metal chairs that faced a podium at the top of the room. Brad Caldwell stood off to the far side of the podium, near an exit door, talking to a group of men.
Jenny made her way down the center aisle toward Hawk and Scott. She was wearing another one of her own designs. Her rust hued suede skirt was cut straight, calf-length. Over it, she wore a matching vest and a black, long-sleeved, silk knit sweater. Underneath, she wore dark brown leather boots that came to her kneecaps. As she walked down the aisle, she could see that she was drawing attention, including Brad’s. Her thick high heels clicked against the hardwood floor. Maybe she was a bit over dressed or maybe, she thought rather proudly, she was just a damn fine fashion designer.
When she got to the row where Hawk was seated, she put her hand on his shoulder. “Hey.” She hoped he was happy to see her. He looked surprised, like he definitely hadn’t expected her. “Can I join you?” God, she prayed he wouldn’t tell her no! She looked down at the cowboy on the other side of Hawk. “Hi, Scott.”
Scott returned her greeting and moved down a seat, leaving one open between himself and Hawk, who stood up and stepped back to let her pass in front of him. She’d put her long hair into a ponytail that morning, and she felt it brush Hawk’s jaw as she squeezed by him. “Sorry, tight fit,” she said as she sat down between the two men.
Hawk gave her long appraising look, from the tips of her fancy boots to the swing of her ponytail. “You look nice tonight. How are you feeling? How’s your back?”
She smiled at him. He looked nice, too, in his jeans and long-sleeved white western styled shirt. The color contrasted sharply with his dark skin and black hair, which at the moment was neatly swept back and hatless. She didn’t often see him without his Stetsons. He looked as good without them as he did wearing them, which wasn’t always true of men in cowboy hats. Her attention had always been captured by a man in a Stetson, but once it came off, not always by the man underneath. That wasn’t true with Tom’s partner.
“My back is better today,” she told him. “I’m just tired. It was a long drive to Denver and back, even in a Corvette.”
“Peter got off okay, then?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t seem angry with her anymore, which pleased her immensely. Apparently he wasn’t one to carry a grudge on forever.
“Good.”
She laughed at his obvious p
leasure. “He said he might be back, though.”
She thought he hid his reaction very well. “I should have flown him to Denver and saved you the drive.”
Jenny was anxious to see this airplane he kept mentioning. “You’ve got way too much to do to bother with that. I had the time. I used it to think about a few things.” His only reply was a silent nod, so she asked him what he’d been up to today.
“I finished repairing that section of fence we started the other day. It’s ready for some of the herd now.”
“You probably got a lot more done without me.” She saw that he started to protest, and that made her feel good, but she wanted to talk about something before the meeting started.
“You know Brad knows an awful lot about what’s been happening at the ranch.”
“Yeah, well Tom’s always done business with his bank. He’s got access to all our accounts.”
“You can’t bank elsewhere?”
“I don’t think he’d let the loans be sold to another lending institution. He has us where he wants us.”
“Is Brad a lawyer, too? He sure sounded like one last night?”
“Yeah, he is.” Hawk stared at her with a lift of one dark eyebrow. “Interesting evening, huh?”
Jenny’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “It gave me a migraine headache.”
“That interesting, huh?”
“You know, since he’s interested in me, maybe I should socialize a bit with him and see if I can get him to slip up and reveal some connection to all this damage,” she suggested. “He might tell me what he’s up to if he thinks I....”
“No, absolutely not,” Hawk adamantly disagreed, cutting her off. “Brad can be dangerous.”
“Dangerous? He’s a banker, a lawyer, a businessman.”
“He’s a lot more than that.” The look in his eyes was laser sharp. “Leave him to me, Jenny. I mean it. I don’t want you at risk. Tom wouldn’t have wanted that, either.”
Jenny didn’t want to argue with him, not when they seemed to have gotten past their incident from yesterday. A loud gavel came down on the podium, and the meeting was called to order. On the other side of her, she heard Scott mutter, “Here go the fireworks.”
Brad Caldwell looked imperious from his position at the podium as he waited for silence. After listening to the reading of the minutes from the last meeting, he rose again. His voice was clear and deep as he reviewed old business, then called for new. He wore slacks and a sport coat and a black turtle neck sweater. His only concession to being a rancher himself was the very expensive alligator boots he had on his feet. He was extremely adept verbally— a practiced public speaker. He looked and acted like an important man, a man to be reckoned with.
Jenny could see him running for some political office someday. He made a formidable enemy.
Maybe Hawk was correct. Maybe Brad Caldwell was more dangerous than she had thought. Finally, after everyone else that had business at the meeting spoke, Hawk was allowed to bring up his new business. It was a surprise that he first chose to introduce her to his fellow cattlemen. The genuine smile he gave her and the pride in his deep voice sent a wave of pleasure through her. She blushed self-consciously when he told everyone that not only was she Tom Fletcher’s daughter, but a Hollywood costume and fashion designer. As she stood up beside him to briefly acknowledge his unexpected introduction, she saw many of the women give her clothing renewed interest. Hawk gave her hand a quick reassuring squeeze, then she sat back down, and he turned to address Brad.
He told him and the other ranchers in the room that he currently had over fifty head of cattle missing from the federal graze land he leased, and that he suspected someone was stealing them. He asked that if anyone had any information which would help him find out who was responsible, he would appreciate their sharing it with him. Otherwise, if they’d keep their eyes open for any suspicious activity he’d appreciate that, too.
Brad scanned the room for reaction, then returned his attention to Hawk. His expression was etched with an insolent grin. “So, what you’re telling us, Larson, is that you think there are cattle rustlers in the valley?” Brad’s laughter was joined by a few muffled snickers.
Hawk stiffened at the insult. “I’m telling everyone I’ve got cattle missing, and I’d like them to keep their eyes open for anything suspicious.”
“Are these cows carrying your brand?”
“Some of them. It looks like there are some new calves missing, too, ones that should have been born over the summer, that wouldn’t have been branded yet.”
“And that brand is?” Brad asked sarcastically. “The Bar F/Lazy L?”
Hawk swore under his breath at the deliberate insult. “Everyone here knows everyone else’s brand,” Hawk reminded him just as curtly. “Ours is the Bar F/Bar L.”
“That’s right. I forgot Tom Fletcher added that ‘L’ when he added you.”
Jenny drew in a sharp breath, shocked at the contempt in Brad’s voice. Beside her, Hawk was so furious that he had to fight to keep his temper leashed. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides. She wondered if everyone else in the room could feel the animosity between these two men as much as she could. Wanting Hawk to know she empathized with him, she reached for one of his clenched fists, rubbing her thumb soothingly over his whitened knuckles. She saw Brad take note of her supportive action.
“All right Larson,” he conceded, a bit less sarcastic. “Assuming you haven’t just simply lost those cows, we’ll all keep a sharp look out for them.” He sighed loud enough to be heard through his microphone. “Now, if there is no more new business,” he stated, looking around the room and dismissing Hawk at the same time, “this month’s meeting is adjourned. Drive home safely. See you next month.”
Disgusted with the attention Brad had paid Hawk’s problem, Jenny stood with Hawk and moved to the center aisle. He was immediately surrounded by a group of other ranchers who sounded truly concerned about his missing cattle. She was glad not everyone thought his problem was as laughable as Brad had.
She was tired and thought she’d leave Hawk to talk to his neighbors alone. “I’m going to the car,” she informed him quietly when there was a moment’s opening in conversation.
“Wait for me. I’ll be out in a minute.” He stopped talking long enough to address her. She nodded with a tired smile.
“I’ll walk you out,” Scott offered.
She shook her head no. “I think you better stay here,” she said, looking toward Brad who was standing close enough listen to the support Hawk was getting. “You might need to keep those two apart.”
“You might be right,” Scott agreed with a knowing grin. “See you next week— at cow camp.”
Jenny nodded and walked to the rear exit doors. She was unlocking her car door, under the bright beam of an overhead pole light, when she was stopped by Brad Caldwell. He reached for her wrist just as she touched the handle on her car door. Surprised that he had caught up to her so quickly, she gave a little start.
“Did you get Peter off okay today? How are you after the long drive?”
“Peter got to his plane on time, but it has been a long day. I’m pretty beat.” Now leave me alone and let me go home, she wanted to add, but didn’t out of good manners.
“Cindy and I will miss him.” Brad seemed not to notice her impatience. “Will he be coming back again?”
“He said he might, but he’s got a lot of work to get caught up on after being gone for two weeks. He’ll be busy a while.”
“You’ve been lucky to get so much time off.”
“Comes with being your own boss.”
Brad’s dark blue eyes swept her figure from head to toe. “You look spectacular tonight. One of your own designs again?”
“Yes, and thank you.” Her manners might not last too much longer if he kept her here with all this small talk.
“Your talent is extraordinary. I have a feeling you would be well worth investing in, Jenny.” His voice was low and s
eductive as he took both her hands in his. “Any chance you’d let me set a date with you for dinner— just you and me and a nice restaurant?”
“Brad, I...”
She was saved from having to give him an answer when they were interrupted by two men. Brad shook hands with the older, shorter man. Interestingly, he didn’t introduce her to either man. Jenny stepped back and gave them a silent assessment, while Brad and the older man turned away from her to talk in low, hard-to-hear voices.
The younger man was huge—tall, muscular, a body builder type. The older man was obviously in charge, though. They were both dressed in dark suits. Businessmen, maybe. Rather intense, she thought. Not ranchers. Probably not from this area. She heard a bit of a New York dialect in the older man’s speech.
Moneymen or investors of some kind. They looked like the type of men she saw frequently around the movie studios. The kind of men who put up the dollars for the productions, pressuring the moviemakers for returns on their investments. Maybe she was just being melodramatic because she was tired, but they made her a feel uneasy. And both of them, especially, the younger one, kept casting speculative looks in her direction. Unwisely, she let her eyes linger a moment on the body builder. The lecherous gleam in his eyes chilled her to the bone.
As they bid Brad farewell and walked away, she shivered, a deep, whole body shiver that had nothing to do with the cool night breeze. Brad immediately slid an arm around her shoulders. She was just about to move out from under his arm when Hawk walked out of the grange hall. He gave her a sharp look, first in anger, then in disgust.
Shit! It was her first reaction. Then Cindy Caldwell emerged from around a dark corner of the building, and hurried up to Hawk. She was breathless, like she’d been rushing. Well, didn’t this scene go from bad to worse?
“Oh, I’m glad I didn’t miss you!” she told Hawk as she came up to him and took his arm. “My ride dropped me off late.” With a breathy little laugh, she stood up on her toes to give Hawk a kiss on the cheek. “But I’m here. Ready to go?”