by Jill Shalvis
She hopped off the tailgate and moved in front of him. "Ty?"
When he still didn't bother with a response, she reached up and flicked off his sunglasses.
Now he looked down at her with those fathomless steel eyes. "Break's over."
She didn't pretend to know him well, but something was wrong. He seemed so … well, regretful, and he wasn't a man to waste time on regrets. "Ty, come on. Truth."
"Truth." He nodded, turned and kicked the tire of the decrepit old truck with angry vehemence. "Truth is, this life is too hard for you."
That was a good one. Compared to the life she'd already led, this was a cakewalk. "You're wrong about that," she said evenly.
"It is," he insisted.
"So I suppose you want me to sell to you and hightail it on outta here."
"This isn't what you expected, Zoe. You know it's not. It isn't good for Maddie and Delia."
Maddie and Delia. Of course, it all came down to them, because who really cared what the tough, cold Zoe thought? "They're fine," she said, more harshly than she meant.
"But for how long?"
She kept her voice even. "Sorry you agreed to stay on for the year?"
He looked disgusted at that thought. "No."
"So it's true, then," she said slowly. "You want us to run off with our tails between our legs and leave you the land."
"No." But he turned from her.
"Ty."
"No!" He nearly shouted this, then dropped his head back on his shoulders and stared at the lazy white clouds floating across the sky. "Hell. I'm not regretting helping. That's the last thing I'd regret. I'm talking about money, Slim."
"What about it?"
"You don't have any, for one. Constance didn't have any to leave you. This place is dead without it, and you won't let me help financially."
"We'll manage."
"How?" He shook his head, frustration spilling out of his every pore. "Why won't you let me in as partner?"
"So we could spend your money?"
"Well … yes. Dammit, yes."
"Is that what this is about? Your pride?"
He let out a rough laugh. "You have a way, Zoe, of putting things. Makes me feel about two feet tall."
"We could care less about money." She thought about it, then amended that statement with a fond smile. "Well, Maddie and I, anyway. Delia, she's another story."
"You all deserve more." He shoved his fingers through his hair and walked around in a slow circle. He'd not slept agonizing over this. It was hard to relinquish Ben's dream, and this land had truly been his brother's dream, but he couldn't, wouldn't cheat these women of theirs, either.
He just couldn't do it. Couldn't live with himself if he pushed them until they gave up.
"So you're upset that this life is too tough for us?" She laughed at him. Laughed. "And who appointed you our keeper?" She put her hands on her hips and faced him, eyes flashing, hair wild, looking stunningly primal. "I'm a big girl, Ty Jackson, and I've been through lots of crap. This is nothing."
He wondered just how bad that "crap" had been. No use mentioning he agonized over that, too, because she wouldn't believe him. "I know—"
"No," she interrupted flatly. "You don't. I'm stronger than most, though, so if you really think you're responsible for me and that you have to take care of me, think again, buster. No one but me takes care of me."
How to explain that what he felt for her wasn't "responsibility." Hell, it wasn't even close to brotherly, hadn't been since the beginning and had only escalated since their brief embrace in the barn, just before she'd clobbered him with a surprisingly effective right hook. But he couldn't put those feelings to words because he didn't have the words for something he didn't want to face. "I just—"
Her finger poked into his chest, her head barely meeting his shoulder as she continued to rant with the sun beating down on them. "I make my own decisions, one of which was to come here. It's a mess, I agree on that. But a mess my sisters and I will deal with together. And together, alone, we'll fix it."
"How can you fix it without money?"
"I can hammer just as well as you, that doesn't take cash. And—"
"And you have no idea what you need here. This was a horse ranch, but you have no horses. No money to buy them. And no idea how to work the land to raise crops instead, not to mention no money for that, either."
"I have a little money." Very little. "Delia does, too, though not much because she can't keep cash to save her life. Maddie doesn't have anything, but—"
"It's not enough," he said firmly.
She put her hands on her hips and faced him. "So I ought to just sell it to you, I suppose."
"Sounds good to me."
They were standing toe to toe, nose to nose in the dirt by the truck. "No go. Never. No way," she clarified.
He growled in pure frustration. "You're just being stubborn."
"We'll be fine."
"A loan won't give you the know-how."
She swiped at her forehead, streaking more dirt. She looked stubborn, full of determination and beautiful. "I know. But I have a manager. Unless … you're done here."
"Do you want me to be done?"
"No. We … need you."
He gaped at her surprising admission, while she sighed, clearly not happy about having to admit it.
"Do you?" he asked quietly.
"Yes." She drew a deep breath. "So … will you help?"
"Good question." He could smell the light, tantalizing scent of her. He could feel the heat from her body seeping into his. Their thighs almost brushed, and at his sides his hands curled into fists to keep from grasping her hips and bringing them to his.
"Know what I think?" she whispered.
"What?" His voice wasn't quite steady, and he cleared his throat at the awareness shooting like electricity between them.
"I think you need us, too. You just don't even know it." God, he wanted to put his hands on her again, his mouth on hers. And he didn't want to see that flash of fear in her eyes when it happened. He didn't want to feel this way about her, but he did.
"Isn't that true?" she pressed.
Why couldn't she back off? She didn't want to show him the real Zoe hidden beneath her tough facade; she should just leave him and his feelings the hell alone. He took back his sunglasses and placed them on his nose.
"Chicken," she taunted. "Too chicken to talk to me."
"I want to do a whole hell of a lot more than talk," he assured her, watching her flush with little satisfaction.
"There you go, being a bully again."
That did it. Really did it. She gasped when he stalked toward her, backing her to the side of the truck.
"Ty. What—"
He did what his body demanded. And maybe he was being a bully, but he didn't care.
He swallowed her startled breath with his mouth.
* * *
Chapter 5
« ^ »
Zoe's body reacted first, with a delicious shudder as Ty's mouth ravaged hers. Her bones dissolved, but instead of falling she found herself plastered against him. She let the kiss take her, and oh, what a kiss.
The small part of her mind still functioning reminded her that she didn't do such things no matter how wonderful this mindless, floating feeling was. Reminded her she wanted a new life for herself and her sisters, and that didn't include sleeping with anyone, much less a man who wanted her land for his own.
But the sun felt good on her face, and Ty's mouth felt even better against her, so it was a long, hot moment before she found the strength to resist.
Ty tensed when she pushed at his chest. He lifted his head and stared at her warily. "You going to hit me again?"
She sighed and pushed harder. "No. Go away."
"What's the matter?"
He was too tempting, that was the matter. "I don't feel like it, that's all."
His mouth, still wet from hers, curved, but he dropped his hands from her. "You felt like it a mom
ent ago."
"Changed my mind."
He looked as though he might have argued, but the sound of a motor revving on the dirt road stopped him. He cocked his head. "That's one of your sisters."
"How can you tell?"
"Listen to it. The engine sounds like it's on its last legs."
She listened, and he was right. The engine coughed and stuttered. Then it came into sight, and it was indeed the second of Constance's two trucks.
Zoe hadn't been able to believe the run-down condition of the vehicles. It was a silent and gut-wrenching testament to how desperate Constance must have been in the past years of her life. Too old to make a success out of the ranch without a family, and with not enough money to pay someone else, Constance had been stuck.
It was enough to break even Zoe's stoic heart, and while she waited for the truck to come closer, she stole a glance at Ty.
He remained a mystery. Tough, independent. He dodged all personal questions about himself, not to mention how his staff seemed to go out of their way to avoid him. He most definitely was a loner.
Yet he hadn't let Constance down. He might have been unable to get her trucks fixed for her, but he hadn't left her alone. He'd been there for her, until the very end.
Which gave her a funny warm feeling to think about. The ancient, beat-up old truck stopped, and Delia, Maddie and Cade McKnight stepped out into the bright sunshine.
Cade saw Zoe and waved. Even now, after Constance's death, Cade was determined to figure exactly which of them was the true heir—not because he wanted to kick two of them off the land, but because he loved a good mystery.
He was sharp, tenacious and very good at what he did. He was also tall, dark and handsome enough that Maddie's cheeks were red.
So was Delia's whole face, which made Zoe want to laugh, because for some reason Zoe didn't quite understand, Cade seemed to get under Delia's skin.
Oblivious, Cade shook hands with Ty, then smiled at Zoe. "I see you met your neighbor."
Zoe bit back her grimace. Met him and was just kissing him senseless, thank you. "Ah … yes."
Ty lifted a brow, daring her to speak her mind.
Zoe looked away. "We were just … um … fixing fences," she said lamely. "Working really hard, too." Sweat trickled between her breasts. "Hot today, don't you think?"
No one but Ty seemed to notice her discomfort. His smile spread, and with no one watching him, he winked at her conspiratorially.
If they'd been alone, she thought she might have slugged him again.
"Cade wanted to see how we were doing," Maddie said. "Yeah, well, he could have called for that." Delia ran a finger over her latest self-applied manicure. Her nails were electric blue with bolts of lightning on the thumbs. "What he really wanted, Maddie, was another home-cooked meal."
Cade grinned.
"Well, he's in luck, then." Maddie smiled. "We're having a pot roast tonight. With homemade bread."
Cade's eyes lit with hope. "You're too good to be true, Maddie."
Maddie flushed under the praise, looking pretty and cool in her fresh white jeans and a blue denim top, despite the fact she'd been working hard inside all day. Delia looked smooth and very sophisticated as well, with her black silk shell and jeans, leaving Zoe to swipe the grime on her hands down the front of her own already-dirty jeans, wishing for a hot shower.
Cade looked around the empty land with a sad frown. "I guess I also wanted to see if you'd made any plans. I know this place wasn't quite what you'd expected. I didn't know if you'd definitely stay…?"
Zoe looked at her sisters and was relieved to see the same determination on their faces as she knew was on hers. "We're staying," she told him firmly. "No question. But you could have told us, Cade."
He looked ashamed but not apologetic. "Would you have come?"
Zoe fell silent, unsure. Would they have? She didn't know and that made her sad. She would have missed out on the pull of the land, the freedom … the tall, handsome face of Ty as he watched her quietly with an intense expression.
"This land meant everything to Constance," Cade told them. "And to think of it being unoccupied and neglected, as it was before you got here, destroyed her. You three weren't the only ones who got something out of the inheritance, she did, too—the knowing that Triple M would live on." Cade paused. "So what will you do?"
"We'd like to ranch," Zoe answered. They'd stayed up late every night talking about it. "But we can't be sure until we make plans and pin down the financial side of it."
"There aren't many options on land such as this."
"No." Zoe had been worried about this as well. If they didn't raise horses or cattle or crops, which she knew nothing about, what would they do? They had expected the ranch to be running, with a full, knowledgeable crew, and that she hadn't checked it out thoroughly was a guilt she would have to live with. They couldn't live here like this for long, they had to make money. A ranch seemed the logical choice, but they knew so little. She hated to be dependent on anyone, but how else could she do this other than to get help from someone who knew what to do? She glanced at Ty and her nerves tightened. "We're not leaving, though, whatever we decide."
"Good." Cade looked at everyone. "I guess Ty has filled you in on the gaps in the story."
Zoe's stomach took a little dive. "Gaps?" She stole another glance at Ty, but suddenly his eyes, open and friendly only a second before, had completely shuttered, giving none of his thoughts away.
"This can wait" was all he said.
"No need, we're all here." Cade leaned into the truck, grabbed a container of water and took a long drink. "The sky's as blue as a crayon today, but it's sure dry out here, isn't it? Not nearly so warm in the city, let me tell you."
"Well, city boy, feel free to pack it on home, then," Delia said blandly. "You could just call when you don't have any news, you know. You certainly don't have to come out here to say nothing and complain about the weather." Daintily, she picked her way through the dirt to the truck, ignoring Cade's unperturbed grin.
"I bet the change of scenery is nice for you," Maddie said quickly, always the peacemaker. "You know you're always welcome, Cade."
"Thanks, Maddie." Cade swiped at his forehead, but in truth, he looked just as at home as they did, wearing faded jeans and a snug T-shirt revealing the city boy was well nourished and perfectly fit. "But it's kind of you, Delia," he called out. "To worry about me traveling so far to help you."
Delia rolled her eyes, and Zoe, wondering why no one else was going mad, lost her patience. "What gaps!"
Cade sighed, and his smile faded. "None of your parents have yet been successfully found, much less traced back to Constance. It doesn't matter for the inheritance."
Zoe swore softly, bitterly disappointed. Cade touched her shoulder. "Constance didn't need more proof than what she had—three women born approximately when she thought her granddaughter might have been born, and who were in the right place. She felt certain it was one of you. She knew how close you were, how much you loved one another, and that was enough for her."
Zoe nodded and fought her crushed hopes. Whether she liked to admit it or not, she would have given her right hand to know what had happened to her mother that day she'd been dropped off so many years ago.
And she would have died before admitting to a soul that she was twenty-six years old and still haunted by what her mother had done, that she needed to know why she'd been deserted, and that need grew daily.
"Other than the fact that none of you have a father on your birth certificate, and that you'd all been left by a mother who disappeared out of your lives, we have little to go on," Cade admitted.
Zoe spoke kindly because he was doing everything he could, but it was hard to be patient when she was dying for more. "So what 'gaps'?"
"We're busy now," Ty interrupted. "We've got fencing—"
"Ty, I've got to know."
"Fine." Abruptly he turned away, back to the fence. Hunkering down, he set to work, ign
oring her.
"Cade?" More urgently now, Zoe turned to him. "Tell us."
"Should we go back to the house first?" he wondered.
Behind them, Ty's hammer hit a post hard. Zoe glanced at him, at the tense set to his body, but she didn't have time to worry about the moody, brooding cowboy when her own life was on hold. "No, please tell us now."
Delia came closer again and lost most of her defiance as she stood united with her sisters. Cade flashed a look that begged them for understanding, but Zoe wasn't prepared to blindly give anything.
"Constance was only a prayer away from bankruptcy," he said quietly, easily, but it was clear how badly he felt in every line of his tall, rangy body. "And if she'd gone bankrupt before her death, there'd have been no land to inherit."
"That's no secret, is it?" Delia asked. "It was pretty clear to us from the beginning how much money trouble she'd had."
"That poor woman, all alone, facing that," Maddie said with pain in her voice. "I wish we could have found her sooner."
"Losing this land would have killed her," Cade admitted. "Triple M Ranch was everything to her. The only thing that meant more was finding her granddaughter."
"If she was so poor, then how did you get paid?" Delia asked. "I'm sure you're not cheap. And now that I think about it, why do you keep on this case even now, when there's clearly no money in the estate for you?"
"I'm getting to that." Obviously a man used to hostility, Cade calmly took another long drink of his water. "Aah, that's good." He looked at Delia evenly. "Constance had a benefactor."
"You mean like maybe an older man who loved her and couldn't stand to see her hurt?" Maddie's face softened. "Oh, how romantic."
"Not an older man, no," Cade said. "But it was someone who cared about her a great deal, and yes, someone who didn't want to see her hurt."
"Dammit!" roared Ty.
Everyone looked at him. He ripped off his gloves and sucked on an injured finger. He'd shucked his hat a while back so that the sun shone off the dark hair that fell nearly to his shoulders. He was taut as a bow, an explosion just waiting to happen.
Zoe's bad feeling got worse, and she turned back to Cade. "You're telling me that this someone paid off both her debts and your fee? Just because they cared? That's a whole lot of caring." In her opinion, no one did something like that without a really good reason.