Baby I'm In (Honky Tonk Angels #3) (8 page)

“No.”

“This isn’t working out the way I’d hoped.”

“No?”

“No.  Herbert Pursell has it in for me.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Mitch said “Boss said we had permission to get a taste of you,” just before it all got physical.”

“And you think he meant Herbert?’

“I do.”

“Why?”

“Uh, one word… Paulo.”

Something about her answer rang false, but Kyle dismissed it.  She had a point.  Herbert wanted to ram Paulo down Wes’s throat and cut Liz out of the job.  Thanks to Landing, Paulo had not only proven himself incapable, he’d also demonstrated the kind of man he was.

And Liz had bested him. 

But surely Herbert Pursell would not give his men permission to rape Liz?

Wes walked back inside and took a seat.  “They said you plied them with liquor and invited them into your room.”

Liz rolled her eyes.  “Yeah, right.”

“I didn’t say I believe them, but here’s the rub.  No one knows anything about this Joe guy.  He’s not on the payroll and aside from you no one has seen or talked to him.”

Kyle wasn’t surprised that the stories differed.  That was always the way of things.  But the deal with this guy Joe was strange.

“Well he’s not a figment of my imagination.” Liz said.

“I’m not saying I don’t believe you,” Wes said. “But those men technically work for my father so I don’t have a lot of power in this.”

“So they keep their jobs and you fire me.  Is that the gist of it?”

“No.  I’m not going to fire you.  But you can’t live here anymore, so I’ll pay whatever it costs for you to rent a room or place in town.  I know there are rooms available.”

“In town?  Isn’t that like an hour away?”

“Forty-five minutes.”  Kyle said.

“Forty-five minutes.  And they have places for Traveler?”

“No,” Wes replied. “But you can board Traveler here, free of charge.”

“Just fire me and be done with it.”

“I don’t want to fire you, Liz.  I need you.”

“And I need to be close to Traveler.  I can’t do that trekking back and forth to town.  Best if I just pack up and – “

“You could stay in the Creek House on my place.”  Kyle said.

Both Liz and Wes looked at him. They couldn’t be any more surprised than he was.  Kyle couldn’t believe the words had come out of this mouth.  Damn. He was angry at what had happened to Liz, and combined with the attraction he had for her, he’d spoken without thinking.

But one look at Liz and he couldn’t consider retracting the offer. “It’s a small place.  One bedroom, bath, kitchen and sitting room.  But it’s sound and livable.”

“You’d be willing to rent?”  Wes asked.

“Yeah.”  Kyle kept his eyes on Liz.

“How much?”

“How much you want to pay?”

“A thousand a month.”

“Sounds fair.”

“Wait, hold on.”  Liz held up her hands.  “First, thank you Wes, that’s incredibly generous  And Kyle, that’s … that’s wow, I’m overwhelmed, but there’s one thing.”  She looked at Kyle.  “Are you sure about this and can I bring Traveler?”

“Yes and of course.”

“I’ll pay to board him.”

“Yes, you will.”

“Okay then.”  She looked at Wes.  “Thank you.  This will work.  Thank you.”

“Good.  So, I’ve got things to attend to and I think you two have a horse to train.”

“Yes.”  Liz jumped to her feet.  “Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome.  I think it’d be best if you cleaned out your room now rather than waiting until later.”

“Okay, sure.”

“Great, then I’ll see you later.”  He looked at Kyle. “Kyle.”

“Wes.”  Kyle nodded and waited until Wes left before turning his attention to Liz.  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, why?”

“You don’t seem fine.”

“I don’t?”

“No.”

“It’s just… it was just a rough night.  I’ll be fine.  I’ll just go pack my stuff and stow it in my truck.  I’ll meet you at the track in twenty minutes, if that’s okay.”

“It’s fine.  I’ll just wait outside, in case…”

“Thanks, Kyle.”  Her voice softened for the first time. 

“You’re welcome.”

She nodded and hurried to her room.  Kyle blew out his breath and rolled his shoulders. This could be a huge mistake.  Not only were things not going well here on the Pursell ranch, but he couldn’t forget what he’d overheard her say on the phone.

He wants me to come back, give up control of my life to him and settle down with some jerk of his choosing who will be of benefit to him.

Who was she talking with and about?  It didn’t sound like a good situation and if someone was out to try and control her life, there was a good chance that someone would end up finding her and bring more drama and conflict.

He hated both with a deep and abiding passion. But, he had a thing for Liz.  He accepted that. Yes, he wanted to get into her pants, and yes he wanted to find out what made her tick.  But what he didn’t want was any more of an emotional connection than he already had.

He wasn’t prepared for that.  Not at all, and he feared that with her close by every evening and them working together every day, that connection was going to try to grow.

He’d just have to make sure that was a plant that didn’t get watered.

Liz wouldn’t admit it, but she’d been a little nervous about driving to Kyle’s ranch.  They’d worked Landing twice that day, each time for two hours and then together had bathed, fed and watered him.  She’d loved doing it, but by the time they’d finished and had loaded Traveler into her trailer she was bone tired.  The combination of physical exertion, lack of sleep and probably a good measure of stress over the run-in with the ranch hands had her feeling like she could sleep for two days.

Fortunately for her, Kyle’s ranch was only ten minutes from the Pursell place.  She was surprised when they arrived. He had at least four barns, easily half a dozen paddocks, various storage buildings and the house, while small, was in pristine condition.

Kyle stopped in front of the house, parked, got out and walked over to her truck. “Who you want to get settled first, you or Traveler?”

“Traveler.”

“Then pull over to the third barn.”  He pointed toward a structure.

“Get in.”

“I can walk.”

“Quicker if you ride.”

He got in and she drove over to the barn he’d indicated.  It took them five minutes to get Traveler unloaded and situated in a stall, but Liz spent another ten minutes in the stall with him, rubbing and talking to him.  When he started ignoring her in favor of food she knew he was okay and turned to leave.

That’s when she noticed Kyle watching her.  She approached the stall door where he leaned.  “That’s a fine animal.”  He glanced at Traveler.

“Yes, he is.”

“And interesting name.”

“It’s not his original name.  But when I saw him run I changed it.”

Traveler was young and while he’d cost a pretty penny, he hadn’t brought a big enough sale price to have gained notice.  She’d wanted him because she saw more in him than bloodline.  He had heart, and he was smart.  She could see it in his eyes and she felt it in her gut.  And she always went with her gut.

“Oh?”

She turned and leaned against the stall door, looking at Traveler.  “He runs with joy.  As if he can’t wait to see what’s around the next bend or turn. He doesn’t just run. He travels – like he’s experiencing an event that delights him.”

Embarrassed at her own words, she shrugged.  “Or so it seems to me, anyway.”

“You have a way with horses.”

Liz turned to look at him again.  “I love them. They’re the most beautiful creatures on earth.  So noble and filled with such grace of spirit. There’s nothing more incredible than watching them run.  Not saddled, just running for the joy of it.”

“I agree.”

“You’re a whisperer, aren’t you?”

“Excuse me?”

She’d seen the surprise on his face.  “I’ve been watching you.”

“And?”

“And you’ve got something extra.  I can tell by the way you watch Landing and the way you work with him.  It’s like you understand him.”

He shrugged. “It’s what I do.”

“Yes, it certainly is.  Well, I think Traveler’s fine and I want to go to bed.”

At those words his gaze moved to hers and she felt that punch again.  Damn, this man definitely had something more than just good looks that got to her. It was only when she felt a warmth spread through her body that she forced herself to look away.  Warning bells were virtually ringing in her head.  If she wasn’t careful, she would make a mistake with Kyle Stadler.

“Let’s get you settled in then.”

“Thanks.”

He rode with her to what he called the Creek House.  It was situated at the end of the drive, off to one side.  A one-story house, it was small with a wide covered front porch.  Inside was a sitting room, kitchen and small dining room, one bedroom, one bath and a small laundry room and pantry.

It wasn’t furnished fancy, but what it contained looked sturdy and well-tended. Kyle helped her carry in her things, most of which was riding gear.  Once everything was piled in the sitting room he headed for the door but stopped.

“I forgot.  The kitchen isn’t stocked.  You want me to drive you to the store?  You’re gonna want to eat.”

“I’m too tired to eat.  I’ll worry about that tomorrow.  All I want is a shower and a bed.”

“Well, there’s at least soap in the bathroom but I’m pretty sure there’s no fancy hair stuff.”

“It’s no problem.  Thank you, Kyle.  Oh!  Wait.”  She went to her pile of things for a leather shoulder bag.  She found her billfold and dug out some cash.

“This is for the first month for Traveler.  I’ll want to check out your feed if you don’t mind and if I need to pay extra for anything special for him I will.”

“You don’t have to pay now.”

“Yes, I do.  And you make sure Pursell pays you for housing.  If he doesn’t, I’ll pay you out of what I earn.”

“He’ll pay.”

“Okay.  So what time do I need to be at Pursell’s in the morning?”

“Probably around ten.”

“That late?”

“I have some things to take care of here first.”

“Well, I’ll take care of Traveler.”

“You’re paying to have him boarded.”

“I want to.”

“Works for me.  Meet me in front of the house at nine-thirty and we can ride over to the Pursell place together.”

“Okay, thanks again.”

“Sure.  Rest well.”

“I will.  See you in the morning.”

When he left she blew out a breath.  She must be more tired than she thought because being around Kyle was starting to wear on her.  Not that he wasn’t a nice man, he was just freaking sexy, and it had been a good while since she’d had anything close to a love life.

To compound the difficulty, he was a genuinely nice man and nice people seemed to be a rarity in her life.  Being around someone who was kind, gentle with animals, seemingly honest as the day was long and sexy as homemade sin was a heady brew that she sure wanted to take a big gulp of.

Yes, working with him was a challenge on many levels.  But for now, she was alone and ready to crash.  With that in mind, she headed for the shower, shucking her clothes as she went.

*****

As he made his way back to the main house, Kyle thought about what needed to be done and the events of the day thus far.  It was only five in the afternoon so hopefully there was time for him to take care of everything.

He’d be glad to get his next paycheck from Pursell.  He wasn’t broke, but he needed to hire some more men and that required more income.  The job with Pursell would take care of that and some of the repairs and improvements he wanted done.

It would pay for a lot if Landing won.  Just one win would put Kyle flush and set him up comfortably. While he wasn’t given to pipe dreams, this dream was one he was willing to put energy into because this one had potential.

Maybe.  He looked back at the Creek House.  Could Liz Redgate really cut it as a jockey?  She had good form, and it was a given that no one had controlled Landing the way she did.  But could she go the long haul?

And what was that look old man Pursell always gave her?  And the comment he made?  Furthermore, why did she look like a scared jackrabbit when she looked at the old man?  Then again, there was what he’d overheard her say on the phone. There was more than met the eye to all of this and that made him wary.

Maybe he should encourage Wes to consider one of the riders who rode for multiple owners.  There were some good ones available and it might be smarter to go with someone who was proven than an unknown.

As hot as she was and as well as she rode and controlled Landing, Liz Redgate was not just an unknown, but one with an air of mystery about her.  And in his experience, mystery often hid things that people didn’t want known.

He couldn’t let anything get in the way of achieving his goals. Not even a smokin’ hot brunette with a kinship to horses that came close to matching his own.

*****

Herbert Pursell stood at the window of his study, puffing on a cigar and staring out over the landscape.
Providence has its appointed hour for everything.

He smiled at his own clever abbreviation of Mahatma Ghandi’s original quote.
Providence has its own appointed hour for everything.  We cannot command results, we can only strive.
  He had little use for the quote in its entirety, but had often used his shortened version when he felt the need to gloat.

Fate had handed him the key to taking down one of his biggest rivals, Lucas Cooper Quinlan.

He and Quinlan had battled in and out of the business arena and for years Quinlan had left Herbert in his dust.  Then Wes went up into the Dakotas and had outdone himself.  The last decade they’d run neck-in-neck in oil and energy, ranching and horse racing. 

However, this year the projections had Quinlan pulling so far ahead Herbert would never catch up, despite all of Wes’s successes up north.  Quinlan had the home team advantage in the Dakota’s and Wyoming when it came to oil and energy.

Herbert held the upper hand in Texas, an area that was, so far, a small part of income for Quinlan.  Herbert intended to keep it that way, by any means necessary. Now the task was to figure out how best to use the key he’d found to destroy Quinlan.

He turned and picked up his phone from the desk to dial Wes.  On the second ring Wes answered.

“Dad?  I don’t have much time.  I’m due to leave— “

“I know.  Come to my study.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now.”

“Fine.”

Herbert placed the phone on his desk and turned back to the window, smiling at his own reflection.  He always found satisfaction in taking Wes down a peg or two.  Not that he didn’t love his son.  He did.  Wes was his only child and the heir to Herbert’s kingdom. Nonetheless, there were times when Wes’s education and his success gave him the idea he was the captain of the ship.

Those times called for Herbert to remind his son that he still had a lot to learn and when it came to making money and staying on top, Herbert was still king.

He didn’t turn at the tap that sounded on the door, he just called out.  “Come on in.”

“What do you need, Dad?”

Herbert finally turned to face Wes.  “Your girl’s costing us a pretty penny.”

“You mean the Paulo thing.”

“Indeed I do.”

“From what I hear it was self-defense.  He tried to beat her with his whip.”

Herbert didn’t want to get into an argument.  He knew his son and Wes would argue with a signpost and then throw rocks at it when he thought he was right.

“So you stand behind her?”

“We’ve already had this discussion, and the answer is still yes.”

“Well, son, it seems to me that you’re putting a lot of faith in someone you know nothing about. I assumed you did have her checked out?”

He could tell from the tension that came into Wes’s stance that he had not.  “I’m having that done now.  I didn’t see a need to do it for merely an audition.”

“That could have been a hell of a mistake, son.”

“Excuse me?”

“Have a seat.”

Herbert noticed the way Wes hesitated, but it was a brief pause.  Wes took a seat and Herbert did as well. “Why could it have been a mistake?”  Wes finally asked after several seconds of silence.

“Because that gal might not be here for the reasons you think.”

“What would make you say that?”

“Second shelf of the bookcase behind you.”

Wes turned and looked behind him then at his father. “I don’t get it.”

“The picture in the back, the one of us at the Belmont Stakes.  That was the year we took the winner’s circle and Quinlan’s horse came in third.”

“I remember.”

“Look at the picture, son.”

Wes got up and went to the bookcase.  He picked up the framed photo and brought it back to his seat, studying it.  It was of the top three horses, their riders and owners.  Herbert and Mary were in the photo, as was Wes, along with L.C. Quinlan, his wife, two dark-haired teenagers and Everett Reedy.

“Okay, so?”  Wes looked at his father.

“You were how old then?”

“I don’t know.  That was more than twenty years ago I guess.”

“Yes it was.”

“So, what’s the point of this, dad?”

“Look at the girl with Quinlan.”

“His daughter?”

“Yep.  Look familiar?”

“No.”

“Look again.”

Wes stared at the photo for nearly a minute before he looked up sharply.  “No.  It can’t be.”

“I’ll lay down good money right now that it is.”

Wes looked down at the photo again. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“I think it’s time we got our people on this.  I want to know everything there is to know about that girl and what brought her here and I want it yesterday.”

“Like I said, I already have someone running a background— “