by Fox, Calista
“Oil,” Caleb said.
Her eyes widened. “Seriously? You’re real-life Ewings?”
Both men laughed. “Maybe if we were greedy SOBs who thrived on family drama,” Sam said. “But I left the house when I was eighteen and enlisted. Caleb went to college and vet school after he graduated high school. Our trust funds will help our kids along someday, but we’re not the sort to spend that money. At least not on anything frivolous.”
“That is so commendable,” she said, once again wishing she had some greater calling in life.
Caleb asked, “Who wants a walkthrough of this massive acreage I’ve committed myself to?”
They followed him to the stables and then the corrals. He told them of his plans for the med facility and the additional stalls. When they made it to the house, Reese was so impressed she was speechless. Sam, however, had plenty to say.
“I know you well enough to know you already have your staffing plan in place, but damn. If you need another pair of hands, I’m your man. This is an incredible idea.”
“Not a lot of money left over for the hired help,” Caleb warned him.
“Oh shit. I don’t give a damn about that and you know it. This is a good-sized house you’ve got here. If there’s a room for me… I’d be game.”
“Are you serious?” Caleb asked.
With a nod, Sam told him, “My time with the military is up. Frankly, I’m tired of getting shot at. I’d like something more low-key. And you know I’m good with horses.”
Caleb grinned. “I would’ve asked you sooner, but I didn’t want you to accept out of obligation.”
“This isn’t Dad’s company where we’re supposed to follow suit without wanting to fulfill any other sort of meaningful purpose. The thing is, he’s got more than enough experienced people to run the business. Our cousins, even. He’s not lacking for executive vice presidents to groom. And those people are infinitely more passionate about making money than we are. I’m good with what I’ve got, without even touching more family finances.”
“Well, that’s inevitable, because the money runs our way regardless. But I agree with you. I’m saving it for my kids, so maybe they can also do what they want to without feeling the pressure of following in my footsteps. They can be whatever the hell they want to be.”
Reese had to press her lips together to keep her jaw from dropping at the admirable notion.
Sam said, “Dad gets it, some of the time. He fully supported me becoming a Marine. But Judith still wants clones. She wants us to imitate Dad and she wants our wives to be just like her.”
“I’m guessing Judith is your mother?”
“Mine,” Caleb said. “Sam’s mom was a waitress in Lubbock. Dad hooked up with her years before he married my mother. It wasn’t until she died of breast cancer that he found out about Sam.”
“The illegitimate child of the family,” he said with a laugh. Though a flicker in his dark-green eyes told her he missed his mother. She could certainly relate.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks,” he said. “So how’d you meet this bum?”
She smiled. “I own the B&B he’s staying at.”
“Ah, convenient.” He nodded knowingly at his brother, making Reese’ face flush.
To change the subject, she asked, “What are you going to do with this enormous property?”
They stood on the back porch. Sprawled before them was a lush carpet of green grass. A clearing down the middle led to a sensational view of the lake and the mountains in the distance. Edging the clearing were tall, mature trees of varying kinds, all majestic and magnificent. The grounds were immaculate and breathtaking.
Caleb’s gaze swept the area before he shook his head and said, “I haven’t the slightest idea.”
* * * * *
Caleb and Sam surveyed the fencing around the corrals to assess the necessary repairs. According to an environmental report Caleb had received from a hired contractor—and from his own assessment—hard rains had flooded the grounds a year ago and had washed away the soil around the posts. None of them were steadily standing. The previous owner had left skeletal supplies for Caleb, negotiated in the sales price. He found a wheelbarrow, shovels and racks in the stable. He and Sam agreed to move some dirt to fill in the holes and have the landscaping company plant new grass in the barren areas.
But as they walked from the stable to the back porch of the house, where Reese arranged lunch on a lightweight blanket she’d spread out on the redwood deck, a new thought sprang to mind.
Settling on the floor because there was no furniture, Caleb said, “Maybe adding a new stable isn’t the way to go.”
“What do you mean?” Sam asked as he reached for the spoon in the large tub of macaroni salad. Reese had also put out chips and three halved sandwiches stacked with turkey and ham, apparently expecting Caleb to have a big appetite.
“There’s so much land here,” he said. “I have twelve stalls in the main stable to use for the most severe cases, so I can keep them under close supervision. But rather than add another stable with eight stalls, why not build eight corrals? Let the horses that can manage it—and that need the space—roam a bit?”
“I can’t imagine they’d complain about that,” Reese said.
“You’re probably looking at similar costs, since you’d have to build the second stable anyway.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
They devoured lunch, then Sam took the opportunity, as Reese cleaned up and returned the picnic basket to the SUV, to approach family business. He said, “You know there’s a party in Dallas for Dad after Christmas.”
“Already RSVPed in the negative.”
“That would be the third reason I’m here.”
Caleb snickered. “It’s not even a party for a particular occasion. Well, other than for Mom to show off the new diamond necklace Dad bought her for Thanksgiving.”
“Regardless,” Sam said, “it’d be a good idea for us to go. Show our support for them, as well as our united front.”
With a groan, Caleb told him, “I’ll give it some thought.”
Sam got to his feet and said, “I’m gonna fix a few more posts. Then I’m going into town for dinner, if you both want to accompany me.”
“In need of a place to stay?” Reese asked as she returned.
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
“I’ll give him directions,” Caleb said as he stood.
Later, Reese recommended the steakhouse for dinner. She greeted several people and told them about Caleb and Sam’s undertaking. After they’d eaten their meal, Sam picked up the tab and they all drove to the B&B.
“The second-largest room in the house is upstairs at the end of the hall,” she told him. “It’s quiet back there.”
Sam handed her a credit card before heading up to the room with his bag. She set it on the kitchen counter with Caleb’s. He wondered if she ever planned to charge him. Perhaps Tommy’s words hadn’t quite left her memory. It wasn’t at all a moral dilemma in his own mind. He was living in her house and eating her food, after all. She needed to be fully compensated. If she didn’t run his card soon, he’d bring her cash. She couldn’t ignore that.
As he considered the predicament, she stared up at the landing at the top of the steps. He deduced she needed to find some way to make peace with her own bedroom. Caleb didn’t find it necessary at the moment. His fingers twined with hers and he tugged gently.
“Why don’t you climb into my bed?”
A smile seemed to tickle the corners of her mouth at the invitation. “What about Sam?”
“Let him find his own bedmate.” He strolled toward his suite, taking her with him. “Don’t worry. He won’t mind the racket.”
“He’s on the opposite side of the house. How noisy do you think we’re going to get?”
“Depends on how hard I can make you come.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
His sexy grin made her toes curl
. “I haven’t heard you say no to me yet.”
“You haven’t given me a reason to.” He swept her up in his arms and she laughed again. “You like doing that, don’t you?”
“Maybe it’s territorial, but I can’t help it.”
She nuzzled his neck. “Again…not complaining.”
* * * * *
Ginger told Reese the next afternoon at the lingerie shop she wanted to treat her friends to dinner and drinks for helping with the first round of wedding decorations. They all met at Pietro’s.
“You are not going to believe the latest word on the street,” Jess said in an offended tone as she slid into the booth in the far corner of the dining room.
“If it has anything to do with me,” Reese said as she reached for the basket of sourdough bread, “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Well, of course it does. And you absolutely do want to hear it.”
Reese dipped the end of her hunk of bread into the small pool of olive oil and balsamic vinegar she’d poured onto her side plate. After swallowing, which gave her time to decide whether to listen to what her friend had to say or reiterate she didn’t want to know, she caved.
“Fine. What am I up to now, according to the rumor mill?”
“Tommy is spreading word all over town that you’ve now got two men staying with you at the B&B.”
“That’s hardly worthy of calling it gossip. It’s a fact.”
Jess crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s also saying that you’re sleeping with one of the men, and he’s hinting there might be a threesome developing, since y’all were out to dinner together last night looking chummy.”
Reese dropped her slice of bread. “Are you shitting me?” She was certain the color drained from her face.
“Would I be so upset if I were?” Jess demanded.
“Oh good Lord,” Ginger said, her eyes wide.
Liza merely waved a hand in the air. “Please. No one will ever believe you’re involved in a love triangle, Reese. You are not the ménage type.”
“Were I not royally pissed off right now, Liza, I’d take extreme offense to that comment. I could so do a three-way.”
The other women laughed. Ginger said, “No you couldn’t. You’re fiercely loyal—even when it’s to your own detriment. You couldn’t divide your affection, sweetie.”
Reese sighed. “Well, you do have a point there.” Especially when it came to Caleb. Her mind shifted back to her ex. “So what the hell? Tommy’s staking out the B&B to see what kind of business I’m doing?” Another ominous shiver slithered down her spine—he brought the sensation on in spades. “Oh my God.” She gasped. “Tommy’s staking out the B&B. He’s keeping tabs on me.”
“That will not do.” Ginger whipped out her cell.
“Who are you calling?” Jess asked.
“Ryan, of course. He’s on patrol tonight for Deputy Baker. I’m going to have him drive by the B&B more often.”
While she placed the call, Reese’s gaze slid around the restaurant. Her mind whirled. Not only was she creeped to high hell that Tommy might be watching her, but she wondered exactly how many people in town—and in Pietro’s—had heard the speculation she was sleeping with her guests. What did they all think? She’d turned the place into a brothel?
She groaned. “For the love of God,” she whispered. “This is so humiliating.” As though she needed another dose of mortification heaped on top of her.
“Don’t go shrinking into the seat,” Liza snapped as she began to do just that. “You know people in this town are on your side.”
“Yes, but if they start thinking I’m trying to sow some wild oats with two men, they’re going to be digging a huge hole for me.”
“Exactly who is this second guest of yours?” Jess asked. “Because apparently he rivals Caleb in the hottie department and there are several Wilder women already drooling over him.”
“Sam is Caleb’s older half brother. And he’s just as down-to-earth as Caleb.”
“Boy this town is getting better looking by the day,” Jess quipped.
“Wait ’til we all have kids,” Liza said. “Can you imagine mini-Jacks running around Wilder?”
Ginger wrapped up her call and clasped her hands together. “You two are thinking about starting a family?”
Liza positively beamed. “Jack asked, I said yes. I mean, how could I not? The mere thought of having children with his good looks and my fashion sense brings a smile to my face.”
“Ryan and I want children too.”
Jess laughed. “I have to admit, George has been hinting. Big-time. When we remodeled the Tudor, we prepped a room to make it easy to turn into a nursery.”
“Oh this is just too much.” Reese rolled her eyes. “Here y’all go again. Just when I thought I’d caught up in the sexual bliss area, you’ve moved onto baby bliss.”
“No one’s pregnant yet,” Liza said in an exasperated tone. “Don’t get too worked up. Jack and I have just, you know, been practicing.” She winked. “A lot.”
“Anyway,” Jess said, obviously changing the topic to get Reese’s mind off all the marital bliss. “I heard this Sam fellow isn’t wearing a wedding ring, so you can be certain there’ll be much more interest in him if he sticks around.”
Reese’s eyes narrowed on her. “Did you spend the afternoon in Lydia’s salon? Is that where you heard all this gossip?”
“Of course. Couldn’t you tell?” She gave a gentle shake of her light-auburn hair, the perfect complement to her peach-colored complexion.
“You look fantastic,” Liza assured her. “But how does that woman hear so much chatter before anyone else in this town?”
“If you sat in her chair even one time, you’d know,” Reese said in a droll tone.
“Still doing my own highlights,” Liza told them. “While Lydia has mellowed out considerably, I’m not yet convinced she won’t do something drastic to my hair because she doesn’t like the way I dress.”
“She did something drastic to my hair when she was mad about Ryan dating me,” Ginger said. “And it turned out great!”
Ginger’s golden locks sat perkily on her shoulders, all nice and fluffy.
“I can’t afford for her to hack off five inches,” Liza said. “I do not look good with short hair.”
“Interesting how the woman is even more talented when she’s miffed,” Reese mused. “Maybe you ought to give her a chance, Liza. You’ve still got a tinge of orange to those highlights.”
Liza smirked. “And you’ve got a couple gray hairs coming in along your part.”
Reese scoffed. “Now don’t go mentioning gray hairs to me. I’m sensitive about this cougar thing.”
“I still think it’s sexy as hell,” Liza contended. “And you just know it has to grind Tommy’s wheels.”
“Hear, hear!” Ginger said as she lifted her wineglass for a toast. “And don’t let the gossipmongers get you down. They just have too much time on their hands. Plus, Ryan said he’d swing by the B&B regularly and alert Dan Baker to do the same while Tommy’s in town.”
That was a tremendous relief. Unfortunately, she’d also have to warn Caleb and Sam. An unsettling thought.
Chapter Seven
Reese waited to broach the subject of her ex’s vicious rumor spreading and peeping Tom activities, not particularly amused by the pun, until the next afternoon. She drove out to the ranch around noon, taking the men lunch.
She honked as she passed the stables where they worked, then continued up to the house, some distance away. Climbing out of the car, she stared up at the enormous building and wondered what on earth the previous owner had been thinking when he’d constructed the huge abode. From what Reese knew of the place, no one had ever lived on the premises. The ranch had been completed in the early 2000s but had sat unoccupied all this time. Rumor had it the seller had moved out of the country with his global business. Obviously, he’d had enough money to not worry about paying for the property while it sat vacant, s
ince the bank had never foreclosed. Reese wondered if he’d intended to start, or had at the time, a large family. Were that the case, the ranch would certainly be a legacy worthy of investing in.
Her gaze slid to Sam’s truck as it pulled alongside her car. She wondered about Caleb’s true stance on children. Not that she was really thinking that far ahead, but he had mentioned he was saving his trust fund for them. And regardless of the fact that they were still testing the waters with their new romance, what woman wouldn’t consider all the nuances of a future with someone she was deeply attracted to? It was nice to know the deal breakers up front, and truth be told, all the baby talk the previous evening had her mulling over the possibilities.
Granted, for the time being, she was simply happy to have found someone to share her evenings with, so babies were most definitely not a pressing issue. And with Sam in the house as well, she actually felt as though she were a part of something more significant than being the standalone B&B owner she’d been, even during her marriage. The lonesomeness, she suddenly realized, had vanished completely since that first kiss Caleb had given her.
She smiled at him as he strode her way. When he reached her, he gave her a long, searing kiss, making her forget all about her mission to warn them of Tommy’s gossip.
Sam finally interrupted them by clearing his throat. “Get a room, you two. There’s only a dozen of ’em in that house.”
Reese pulled away and laughed. “Yeah, I was just wondering what the heck went through the previous owner’s mind when he built it. My best assumption is he and his wife were extremely fertile.”
“No kidding,” Sam said. “I don’t think he agreed with that TV show, Eight is Enough.”
Caleb asked, “What brings you by? At lunchtime, no less…” He gave her a hopeful grin.
“I’m guessing you didn’t think to grab anything to eat before you came out here.”
“No, we did not.” He snickered. “Too excited to get to work. We were just talking about making a quick trip into town when you pulled in.”
“Now you don’t have to,” she said. “If one of you will grab the cooler from my trunk, I’ll feed you.”