“Don’t I? I see Billy sitting on a hard chair with tear tracks on his face because you jerked him away from his grandma.”
“You let our son go out there with those crazy kids. I won’t have him labeled like that. You hear me?” Will seemed to forget his audience. “Take him out there to see his grandma some other time. Hell, go now. Move out there and stay. Be fine with me.”
“You sure? Mama called and said you had your hands all over Sierra MacKenzie. You got something going with her, Will? Didn’t want Billy out there to catch you with your pants down?” She was a pretty woman, with dark hair that fell past her shoulders. Her tight jeans were belted with a rhinestone longhorn buckle. Animal-print high heels let her hit maybe five foot two. She was a small package that made a big impact.
He couldn’t help comparing her to Sierra. To his surprise, the rancher’s subtler beauty made this woman’s heavy makeup and blatant sexuality seem contrived.
“Baby, you’re letting your imagination go wild again.” Will grabbed her fist then pulled her to him before he finally looked around and remembered he had a customer and a parking lot full of interested bystanders watching the show. He shrugged as if he didn’t mind. “Why would I need to put my boots under some gimpy broad’s bed when I’ve got my hot little prom queen right here?”
“I know about your appetites, Will Jackson, and you sure as hell ain’t getting any at home.” She glanced around, biting a lip painted a hot pink that matched cheeks flushed with anger, or was it excitement?
Rhett was taking mental notes. This was pure small-town Texas, all of it—from the way these two moved to the words they used. He itched for his computer so he could write some of this down.
“Sally Ann, you know how hard I work. I got lots of irons in the fire. Big business deals that will make us more money than even you can spend, sweet pea, if you can just be patient.” Will ran his hand over her butt. “But I’ll take care of you tonight. Why don’t you get Billy on home, call a sitter and we’ll go out as soon as I close up here? We’ll have a nice steak dinner at the Wagon Wheel, then I’ll show you how much I appreciate you. Okay, baby?” He leaned down to nibble her neck, just missing her large silver earring.
She jerked away from him when he tried to kiss her. “Don’t mess up my lipstick. Billy! Come here!” She stared into Will’s eyes. “I’m taking him back to my mama. If I see that slut Sierra, she’s going to hear a thing or two, I tell you that.”
“And I’m telling you, I’m not doing her.”
“So you say.” Sally Ann looked down at Billy when he bumped against her hip. She spit on her thumb and wiped his cheeks. “Don’t you cry, sugar. Mama’s here. I’m taking you back to Granny’s. You’re going to spend the night. Because I’m making a reservation at a hotel on the River Walk in San Antonio for Daddy and me.”
“The hell you say. I don’t have time for that. I got people to see. Deals working. I told you that.” Will put a hand on her shoulder to stop her when she turned away.
“Make time.” She stomped one high heel. “This dealership is closed on Sunday. So we’re going to spend the night in a honeymoon suite and you’re going to prove you’re still my man or else.”
“Or else what, honeybunch?” He narrowed his gaze on her. “I don’t take kindly to threats.”
“You don’t want to know, Will Jackson. You aren’t the only one with deals in the works.” She punctuated that with a stab into his polo shirt; then she grabbed Billy’s hand and stomped off. It wasn’t long before the Corvette roared out of the parking lot.
“All talk, no follow-through. You can quote me on that.” Will turned to Rhett. “If you ain’t married, stay single. As if I’ll let a woman tell me what to do.” He stomped off toward his office muttering about paperwork.
“He’ll go.” The salesman, O’Dell, chuckled. “Sally Ann rules that roost, make no mistake about it. She’s a nutcracker and a firecracker. You play, you pay, with that woman.”
Rhett had nothing to say to that. He was busy thinking about his book. Characters. He was getting plenty of those. Now all he needed was the mystery.
He headed for Sierra’s ranch. It was almost dark when he punched the button on the gate, wondering if she might have changed her mind and would refuse to let him back in. But the gate opened almost immediately. Apparently she’d recognized him on the camera. He drove toward the house. What was in store for him this time? Then he spotted the sheriff’s car coming down the drive. Maybe the mystery was closer than he thought.
Chapter Four
“What’s taking so long? I thought you’d have that land tied up by now.” The voice sounded calm but there was steel there.
“I have a plan. Tonight things are moving forward. If this doesn’t get her to accept your offer, then nothing will.”
“Nothing is not an option. Make it happen. There’s a lot of money on the table. Fuck this up and I’m not the one who will be hurting. Am I making myself clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Just so you know, I’ve got eyes on you and on the situation down there. I expect results.”
“Tell your people who are watching to pay attention. Tonight will be big. What happens should scare the shit out of her. I bet she’ll be calling begging for that contract before the end of the week.”
“Then that’s your deadline.” Dial tone.
Great. Someone was watching. Who? A quick look around didn’t help. Everyone nearby looked innocent and guilty. A quick call. The dumbass hired to do the job wanted to back out. The fool liked Sierra MacKenzie. Well, too damn bad. That bitch had to go. She never should have settled in this county in the first place.
Another phone call and the alibi for tonight was airtight. Sending Sierra running back to Houston would be a pure pleasure. And long overdue.
Chapter Five
“I passed a sheriff’s car coming out of your place as I came in.”
Sierra wasn’t going to get into her frustration with Sheriff Myra Watkins with a man who was a virtual stranger. “She was here investigating some cattle I lost yesterday. I don’t think it was an accident. She didn’t seem too worried about it.” She led the way into the den. “Sit down, let’s talk about you staying here for a while. If you were serious about it.”
“I am. I just spent a couple of hours at Will Jackson’s Chevy dealership. I’m itching to write down the things I saw and heard there. Lots of ideas for my book are buzzing around in my brain.” Rhett sat across from her, in the leather chair that had been her dad’s favorite.
“If you ran into Sally Ann, Will’s wife, then I’m sure you did meet a character. She’s Rachel’s daughter and is what folks around here call a ‘pistol.’” Sierra rubbed her knee. Stop it. “So you’re serious. You really want to stay.”
“Definitely. But tell me about the cattle problem. Lost? As in dead or strayed?” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. He had that intent gaze again, like he really wanted to know every detail.
“Dead. Poisoned, we think. The sheriff would like to blame me for not paying attention to my pastures. I’m not careless.” Yes, she sounded defensive, but she was sick of how these locals treated her—as if she didn’t have a clue how to run a ranch. She’d been at it for years now, but she’d forever be ‘that girl from Houston’ to people like the sheriff.
“I’d hope not. What are you supposed to do? Check for weeds in every pasture?” He clearly didn’t know a thing about ranching.
“Something like that. We ride them regularly. The poisonous ones are easy to spot and eradicate. I know that and take care of the problem.” She’d said as much to the sheriff, not that she’d listened.
“What do you think happened?” Rhett leaned back, obviously ready to listen to her concerns, and Sierra found herself pouring out all of her pent-up frustrations.
“I think someone is trying to get me to sell out. There have
been some offers. Supposedly Muellerville is perfect for one of those big senior citizen retirement villages. Sections of land are being purchased by an outfit from Dallas called Oxcart Development. They’ve approached me more than once but I told them I wasn’t interested. Then the trouble started.” Sierra couldn’t sit still. “It’s cocktail hour. Join me in a glass of wine?”
“Sure.” Rhett followed her across the room. He raised an eyebrow when she hit the button next to the deer head mounted on the wall and a door slid open in the paneling. “A hidden bar!”
“Surprised you, didn’t it? My dad had it put in. He liked his cocktails. Red or white?” Sierra could go either way after the day she’d had.
“Whatever you like.” Rhett reached for the opener and two glasses while she dug into the wine fridge and pulled out a bottle of her favorite white. “This is quite a setup. Slick.”
“Daddy designed it himself.” She handed him the bottle, watching him expertly pull out the cork. “Did you think all ranchers drank Lone Star or sipped bourbon?”
“I try not to think in stereotypes. But I do like this hidden option.” Rhett filled the glasses.
“There’s another button that hides our gun safe.” She smiled. “I’ll show you where that is when I know you better.” That had him examining the room like he was looking for it.
He stopped next to the deer head. “Who shot the deer?”
“Dad. None of us kids are much for hunting. I have two brothers. Both are too busy working to have time for it and never caught the bug. Brother Mason is CEO of Texas Star Oil; that’s the family business. My brother Dylan is a lawyer.” She clinked her glass against Rhett’s. “Cheers.”
Rhett smiled. “Yes, indeed. Cheers. I have one sister, the one in Austin. Scarlett.” He held up his hand when Sierra started to speak. “If you’re going to say something about Gone with the Wind, spare me. My mom is addicted and was originally from Atlanta. My dad claimed he had to get a vasectomy or he’d have had a Melanie and an Ashley after us.”
Sierra spewed wine. She grabbed a towel and mopped her shirtfront. God, it was good to laugh.
Rhett shook his head. “Hey, it’s not that funny.” He laughed. “Well, maybe it is. I’m used to it. But you can see why I use a pen name. For my novels.”
“R.B. Hall. I had you investigated. Since I’m thinking of letting you stay here.” Sierra used the towel to wipe her cheeks. She was a mess.
Her resource had done a deep dive on Rhett Hall after she’d called the detective back and told him she was thinking about letting him use her place like a bed-and-breakfast. Leroy Hobbs worked for her lawyer brother and was excellent. She now knew that Rhett a.k.a. R.B. Hall was a best-selling author who could well afford to pay a generous rent. He came from Boston and his story about a sister in Austin was true. Scarlett had suffered this past year, but her troubles seemed to be over.
“Investigating a stranger you were thinking of letting stay with you was the smart thing to do. I have nothing to hide. Well, I did get a ticket on the way out of Muellerville a little while ago. Damned speed trap. It took me a while to get used to the Tahoe I rented.” He nodded toward the couch. “Sit. Let’s talk terms.”
Sierra was glad he wasn’t offended. “I’m sorry about the ticket. Muellerville is bad about that. It’s a major source of revenue.” She sat, surprised when he sat beside her, knee to knee. This close she could smell him. It had been a long day for both of them, but he had that masculine scent that made her realize it had been way too long since she’d been close to someone like Rhett. He smiled, and she found herself smiling back for no reason except that he had that certain something. Charisma, charm, whatever you wanted to call it. He was easy to talk to and he was different, new.
She cleared her throat. “Honestly? I could use the money and the company.” She sipped her wine for something to do with her hands. She realized she wanted to touch him. His thighs were close, and looked firm beneath his jeans.
Oh, girl, you’ve been way too long without a man.
Rhett kept smiling, his knee brushing hers. “I could use the experience on a ranch. For a book. If someone is poisoning your cattle, I’d like to look into it. Find out if it was an accident or not. If this company is trying to run you off your place, that’s a damned ugly way to go about it. Why not offer you more money?”
“Oh, they’ve jacked up the price a couple of times. It didn’t work with me. I don’t need money.” Sierra could see she’d confused him. “Okay, I know I said I could use your rent. So I’m not making sense. I have oil money. You saw the wells pumping. The offers the Dallas developers ran by me were generous, and even let me keep some of the property, but their plans would cut up the land. Oxcart wants access to that highway from Muellerville you came down earlier. That would make it hard to work with my horses. Of course they agreed to leave me the mineral rights. That was clever, but they overlooked one thing—I don’t like to be pushed.” She sighed and took a drink.
“They won’t take no for an answer? Look for another way to get to the highway?” Rhett leaned in, his knee firmly against hers now.
“I guess there isn’t another way. Not that’s direct. I don’t want to ruin this deal for the community. I’ve heard plenty from some of the locals about it.” Sierra set down her glass. “Honestly, I just want to be left alone to enjoy my place that I’ve loved since I was a kid. The company can throw money at me all they want; it doesn’t mean that much to me. This place does.”
“Most people would take the money and find another place. It’s an option.” He was solemn, making a reasonable point.
“Did the company send you here to argue their case?” She stood. “Have I let a rattlesnake into my house?”
“No. I have no idea who is behind this land grab.” He stood in front of her. “Hell, I’ve never even been to Dallas except to change planes once. No, take that back. I did a book signing. In and out in one day. No time to work up a conspiracy.”
“This is serious, Rhett.”
“I see that.” He didn’t smile. “I didn’t mean to come across as anything but sympathetic. Your land, your decision. No one should be allowed to push you around.”
Sierra took a deep breath. She was being paranoid. He’d only suggested what several people, including her hairdresser in town, had told her she should do. For most people a big buyout would be a godsend. She sat.
“Sorry. I’m a little sensitive on the subject. Let me explain.”
“Please. If you don’t mind.” He glanced at the bar. “You want a refill?”
“Why not?” She waited for him to top off her glass, then took a sip before she explained. “You see, my family is rich. I could get help from them to support this ranch if I asked. But I don’t want to ask. When Daddy died, I took this place as my inheritance rather than my share of Texas Star. My mom and brothers got the rest in company stock. They’ve insisted all along that the deal wasn’t equitable, especially since the price of oil has come up. I disagree. All I wanted was a place for my horses. But I need to make this place self-supporting. It’s a matter of pride.” Sierra shut up. Why was she telling this perfect stranger her business? No one knew this much about why she had dug in her heels on this ranch.
“I get it. When I started writing, I had a tough time. You think I sold my first book? Or even my third?” Rhett put his hand on her knee. “Dad offered to let me live at home, be the starving artist on his dime. He’s a literature prof at Harvard, brilliant guy. But he always dreamed of writing his own novels. Never did it.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I couldn’t take him up on it. I left home, took crappy jobs that paid enough to get my own place and just wrote, hours a day. Went through the mill submitting and getting rejected. It took years for me to even get an agent.”
“It paid off. I saw that one of your books is being made into a movie.” Sierra covered his hand with hers for a moment. “That’s so
cool.”
“I’m not holding my breath. It could still fall through. But it would be cool.” Rhett smiled. “Bottom line? I know what it’s like to want to make it on your own. Refusing to let your family bail you out.”
“Thanks. But if I keep losing cattle, I may have to either give up some of the horse rescues or sell off part of the place. When you put a pencil to what I’m doing here, it’s more of a hobby than a profitable business. So says my accountant.”
“You’ll figure it out. My rent will help give you time.” Rhett pulled her to her feet. “Are you hungry? I heard there’s a good steak place in town. The Wagon Wheel. If I’m really allowed to stay, why don’t I shower and we head over there for dinner?”
“I’d love that.” Sierra really wanted to hug him but stepped back instead. “A shower. Yes. Let me show you to your room. There’s a bedroom with its own bathroom this way. You can bring in your stuff.” She named a price that was just slightly exorbitant and Rhett agreed to it. “I’ll call and make a reservation. The Wagon Wheel has great food and is popular on a Saturday night. Eight sound good?”
“Perfect.” Rhett put his arm around her shoulder. “Thanks for agreeing to let me stay here, Sierra. I promise I’ll use my ‘company manners,’ as my mother calls them. If I do anything you don’t like, you just call me out. Okay?”
“I appreciate that, Rhett. We can set some ground rules over dinner.” Sierra felt like all of this was moving too fast. But then she’d been stuck in a rut way too long, letting things happen and then reacting. Was this another example of that? Had she been bulldozed into taking Rhett on? He had a strong personality. But then her father and her two brothers had take-charge attitudes, and she’d always held her own.
Where was her tough MacKenzie spirit? It was past time for her to reach out and take what she wanted. What if some fun with a hot guy was just what the doctor ordered? Sierra grinned as she limped toward her wing of the house. Rhett had wasted no time bringing in his stuff, and she could hear him singing in the shower. What was that tune? Rhett Hall had obviously been listening to the local country music station.
Texas Reckless Page 5