Every Breath She Takes (25 page)

“You’re right.”

“Someone should have put a bullet in him after what he did to you in Vegas that time. A couple of inches in any direction, he’d have killed you.”

His father had seen the Vegas footage? The thought floored him for a moment. Though he shouldn’t be surprised. That wreck was one they never tired of showing. But had he seen any of the victories? Had he watched his son win a gold buckle?

“Mark my words, Callum, that animal will run you through again if it gets a chance.”

Cal shook off his reverie. “I know. I won’t be riding him again. I shouldn’t have ridden him in the first place without two solid bullfighters. He’s on his way back home right now.”

Lauren gripped his arm. “You sent him back? Really?”

“Really.”

“You’re not riding him again?”

“Nope.”

She pulled a chair out and sank down on it. “Thank heaven!”

His father hobbled to a chair and sat too. “’Bout time you saw the light, boy. You’re too old for this tomfoolery anyway.”

Cal felt his pulse leap painfully in his bruised temple as that old anger lunged against its chains. Nothing had changed. “According to you, I was always too old for it.”

“I never made any secret that I thought it was foolishness.”

All the leashed resentments inside howled pure frustration. He had to get out of here.

“No, you sure didn’t. And you’re right about one thing—it’s long past time to hang up my spurs when women and old folk have to do my bullfighting for me.” He strode to the door and stopped with his hand on the knob. “I’ll send someone with ice.”

Cal didn’t see Lauren again until supper.

She’d missed the kids’ roping clinic, an event she’d been looking forward to, and it was his fault.

He’d gone to his father’s cabin to thank the man for quite possibly saving his life, and what’d happened? He’d lost his damn temper and all but accused Zane and Lauren of embarrassing him by coming to his rescue. What must Lauren think of him? His dad…well, Cal couldn’t remember it ever being any different between them. But Lauren…

And where had she spent the afternoon? Had she gone back to her cabin to reflect on her poor judgment in hooking up with such a miserable SOB? Or worse, had she stayed with Zane to hear him recite a litany of his son’s many transgressions? By the time she showed up, Cal figured she’d come to tell him off.

While he debated how best to approach her, she spotted him and made a beeline across the dining room.

He stood. “Lauren, I’m glad you’re—”

“Have you seen Marlena?”

“Marlena?”

“You know, ex-wife.” Her gaze roved the room. “Blonde, lots of curves, hard to miss in a crowd.”

He grinned. “No, I haven’t, but I’m not surprised. A kids’ roping clinic wouldn’t rate very high on her excitement meter.”

She released her lower lip, which she’d been worrying with her teeth. “No, I suppose not.”

“She won’t have ridden off, if that’s what you’re worried about. I told Brady about the anthrax threat so he’ll make good and sure she doesn’t saddle up. Not that she’s likely to go anywhere just now anyway, what with all this testosterone swaggering around under her nose.”

Lauren gave him a faint smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Was it concern for Marlena he saw there or disappointment in him? The thought depressed the hell out of him, but whatever it was, they had to talk about it.

“Hey, we’ve got forty minutes before the roping starts, and Jim’s got everything in hand. Walk down to the creek with me?”

Her eyes darkened the way they always did when she got aroused. Excellent. He had her.

“I’d love to.”

“Good. There’s a nice grassy spot overhung by trailing willows that’s just—”

She held up a hand to stop him. “
After
I’ve located Marlena.”

“Again with Marlena?” Cal groaned. “What is it now? Another premonition?”

“Yeah.” She grimaced. “I know you think it’s silly. Do you mind?”

He suppressed a sigh. The last thing he wanted to do was go hunting for his ex-wife. What he
did
want to do was tell Lauren
how his heart had stopped with fear when his men had told him she’d tried to put her slight frame between his unconscious body and Misadventure. How it still pounded when he thought of her in that corral with that beast. And
God, yes
, he wanted to give her an orgasm under that willow, this time with his mouth and hands. And afterward—

“Cal?”

He blinked the image away. It would all have to wait. They didn’t have time for what he had in mind anyway, and while he couldn’t understand this bug Lauren had for Marlena, he could see her concern was genuine. “Well, I guess if anyone could get herself into trouble anywhere at any time, it would be Marlena. If it’ll set your mind to rest, let’s go find her.”

“Thank you.”

The gratitude in her eyes was enough to make him very glad he’d acceded to her request. “My pleasure.” Taking her elbow, he guided her outside.

They didn’t have to go far. A shiny black Ford F450 pulled up just as they passed the corral.

“That’s McLeod, come to see the third bull ride, I imagine,” Cal said. “Can we hang back a sec so I can tell him it’s off?”

“Sure.”

Harvey jumped out of the truck, but instead of heading toward Cal immediately, he circled the truck and opened the passenger door. Cal’s stomach lurched. He couldn’t see the passenger through the smoke-tinted windows, but he had a damn good suspicion. An instant later, like a Cinderella being helped from her gleaming heavy-duty carriage, Marlena emerged regally. Then Harvey stepped in close to her and kissed her full on the mouth with explicit possessiveness, and Marlena gave it right back to him.

“Oh, for the love of God!” Cal muttered. “Of all the men Marlena had to choose from this weekend, she had to go and pick Harvey McLeod.”

“He’s very charming,” said Lauren in a halfhearted defense of Marlena, “and you told her yourself he’s wealthy.”

“Yeah, well, it’s what I
didn’t
tell her that worries me.”

Lauren gripped his arm. “What do you mean? What should she know about Harvey McLeod?”

“Well, for starters, he’s the kid’s father, or rather, he was until that paternity test disproved it and he disowned him.”

“Whose father?” Lauren’s grip tightened, and her voice was urgent.

“Brady’s,” Cal said.

“Harvey McLeod is Brady’s father?”

Cal tugged Lauren up against his chest. “Geez, could you say it a little louder?” He glanced at the people milling around outside the corral.

“Why didn’t you
tell
me that?” she hissed.

“I just did.” He looked at her, baffled. “And like I said, Harvey is not really Brady’s father. I imagine that news would be tough enough to handle without the man you knew as your father for your whole life kicking you to the curb because of it.”

“Omigod, this is awful!”

“It was nasty, all right,” Cal agreed, keeping his voice down. “And just to turn the screws, Harvey made them—his ex-wife Carol and Brady both—surrender the McLeod name. Made it part of the settlement, I guess, that they both take Carol’s maiden name. By all accounts, by that time Brady was more than happy to shed Harvey’s name.”

“Oh, this is so not good. Brady will be
wild
if he sees.”

“That ship sailed,” he said. “Though why it matters so much to you, I can’t imagine.” For the benefit of any onlookers, he dropped a kiss on her tightly closed mouth.

Her fingers dug into his ribs, hard, and he lifted his head.

“Cal, stop it! What on earth are you doing?”

“What’s it look like I’m doing? Making a spectacle of us so everybody doesn’t gawk at Marlena. For Brady’s sake, not
Marlena’s,” he clarified. “I stopped caring what other people thought about Marlena’s antics a long time ago.”

She strained in his arms, twisting to search for the younger man, but he held her still. “No, don’t look. It’ll only compound his humiliation.”

She subsided in his arms. “Oh, no. This changes
everything
.”

Geez, there she went again with the dramatics. “What do you mean?” Cal caught her chin in what he hoped looked like a lover-like grasp. “How does this change
anything
? Marlena couldn’t have made her…admiration…for Harvey more plain the last time we crossed paths with him.”

She pulled away. “But I didn’t know that Harvey…that Brady…”

“Yeah, but Harvey and Brady knew.” His eyes narrowed on her face as he let her go. “What does
your
knowing change?”

“It’s so much more volatile than I thought.” She chewed her lip anxiously.

It dawned on him then. “Oh Lord, this all plays into your thing about Marlena, doesn’t it?”

She colored but held his gaze. “Am I worried that she’s putting herself at risk with her behavior? Absolutely.”

He laughed harshly. “Join the crowd. Marlena makes an art out of putting herself in these situations. Ain’t nothing we can do about it. What we
can
do is deflect attention.”

“But…”

“Trust me when I say I’ve had some experience in this,” he gritted. “Come on, let’s join the other guests.”

Cal placed a possessive hand on Lauren’s back, guiding her over to join the crowd gathered outside the corral. As he hoped, his uncharacteristic public display had drawn attention to himself and Lauren. Anything to get the focus off Marlena, Brady, and Harvey.

“Afternoon, Cal.”

Harvey’s voice, right behind him. Damn the man. Couldn’t he just get in his vehicle and go back home?

“Harvey.” He cast his neighbor a casual glance, moving closer still to Lauren. She relaxed into him, playing the part. “Hope you’re not back for an encore. I sent Misadventure home earlier after that last mishap. There won’t be a repeat.”

Harvey flashed a toothy grin. “Yeah, I heard you blinked.”

Cal smiled a slow, fierce smile as he fought down the urge to knock a few of his neighbor’s pearly whites down his throat.

“Yeah, that’s right, McLeod. When it comes to other folks getting hurt, I guess I just don’t have your stomach for it.”

Harvey’s smile widened, but his eyes turned hard. “You got the stomach for some other stuff, though, don’t you, Taggart? A little garden-variety cover-up, for instance.”

Conscious of their audience, Cal drew himself up, putting Lauren behind him. “You got something to say to me, McLeod?”

“Me? No, I got nothing to say. Not when this says it so much better.” Harvey uncurled a newspaper he’d been clutching white-knuckled in his right hand and thrust it at him.
“Deadly Anthrax Outbreak Suspected at Foothills Guest Ranch.”

Cal felt as though he’d been turned to stone as Harvey swiveled the paper around for all to see. Impossible. That veterinary inspector had given his word that he wouldn’t go to the press. But there it was in black and white.

“What’s wrong, Taggart? Didn’t want your guests to know they’re locked down here while this gets swept under the rug?”

Hell, how’d he know that?
“Dammit, Harvey, nothing’s being swept under the rug. There’s no positive diagnosis yet.”

Harvey snorted. “That supposed to make me feel better?” He curled the paper up and wagged it like an accusing finger. “The pasture where that dead steer was found is hard up against one of mine, and you didn’t see fit to tell me?” Harvey waved the paper toward his audience: “You didn’t see fit to tell these folks?”

Cal’s fingers curled into fists, but before he could lay hands on McLeod, Lauren stepped quickly between them.

“Wait a minute, Mr. McLeod,” she said. “Your herd is one thing; I understand your concern. But as far as Cal’s guests go, there’s no risk to them of contracting anthrax.”

“Yeah, right.” Harvey’s handsome face had turned a mottled red. “It gives hardened soldiers nightmares, but these folks shouldn’t worry about it?”

Cal shouldered his way past Lauren. “That biological warfare stuff is a different thing, and you know it.”

“Excuse me if I don’t feel reassured, especially after you kept it under wraps for
two days
.”

“If you don’t believe Cal, you can believe me,” Lauren said calmly, though Cal noticed her own hands were fisted too. “I’m a qualified veterinarian. I’m telling you the risk to humans is negligible, even if they were exposed, and
no one was exposed
.”

“How can you be sure it’s so negligible?” Harvey shot the question at Lauren, then turned back to Cal. “You said yourself, Taggart, that you don’t know what you’re dealing with yet.”

Cal felt the anger in him howl for release, but managed to keep his voice flat and quiet. “I know what you’re doing, McLeod. This isn’t about a single animal that may or may not have gone down with anthrax. This is about opportunity, plain and simple. You want my land and you’re not too particular about how you get it. Isn’t that right?”

Cal stood his ground as Harvey thrust his now florid face closer. “This is about business, Taggart. I can’t afford to be tainted by this.”

“Bullshit!”
Cal stood toe to toe with Harvey. “An episode like this wouldn’t even put a crimp in your business. How many head you slaughter a day over there now? A thousand?”