Heartland (13 page)

“I’m glad. There are times when I wish I knew more than music.”

“How are the plans for the record company coming?” He shifted his feet and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.

“We have a tentative name: Kendall McKenna Records.” Emily leaned against the back of her car beside him. “Our lawyers are writing up the contracts and taking care of all the other crap. I don’t understand all of the business end of it.” She shook her head and forced a smile suddenly feeling very much alone. “I’ll admit I never dreamed I’d have a partnership in a business. My ignorance about all of this stuff makes me feel stupid.”

“You aren’t stupid. None of us know everything. You know more than most people do about the music business. Hell, I don’t know anything about it. If you want to learn more, you could always take classes.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “I don’t know. I never thought about going to college and have no real desire to go now. I wasn’t a bad student, but I hated school. Mike used to get mad at me because I didn’t care about getting As. All he talked about before the shit went down with him was me going to college. All I ever wanted to do was sing.” She let out a bitter snort as she thought of Trevor Marshall and the law degree he’d someday have. “You know Glenda Marshall was right. If there had been romantic feelings between me and Trevor, I would’ve ruined him eventually.” With a shake of her head, she walked past him. “I guess I’ll go around back. Maybe Dad can take me home. I can’t be alone, but I can’t stay here.”

EJ’s gentle touch on her arm stopped her, then he took her hand. “C’mon, let’s take a walk.”

“I can’t let you leave your own party.” She bit her lip and shook her head. “Besides, what about Austin?”

“No one will miss me. Austin is being spoiled rotten by his grandparents.” He quirked his head toward the barn and dark pasture. “No more excuses.”

“Okay.”

He led her past the parked vehicles crowding the driveway to the corral near the barn. She paused when he stepped onto the grassy, rutted path made by the ATVs Tucker used to carry hay to his stock. EJ looked back at her, then glanced at her feet. “Guess we can’t go too far without you breaking your neck in those crazy shoes.”

She glanced down at the platform wedges. “Not that way anyway.” With a wink, she slipped out of the shoes and picked them up. Holding the designer heels by their back straps with her index finger, she grinned. “But I can always take them off.”

With a shake of his head, he wrapped an arm around her back and guided her along the fence. “C’mon then. We won’t go far, but I want us to be able to talk.”

When they reached the back of the barn, he opened the door and they went inside. He turned on the fluorescent lights, and she looked around. Unlike the interior of the house, not much of the barn had changed from when she was a little girl. Four horses nickered at the interruption in their sleep and peered over their stall doors at Emily and EJ. She wished she had some horse cookies to treat them with.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close. “What exactly do you have planned regarding Mike?”

She shrugged and snaked her hand around him. His warmth seeped through his shirt into her, adding fuel to her out of control desire and heated the icy places caused by her addiction. “I’m going to have my assistant call the tabloids to let them know I’m here.”

He stiffened and furrowed his brows. “Won’t that put a target on your back for every hack with a camera?”

And hopefully for Mike to find me, too.
“Probably.”

“I don’t like it.” As he spoke, he pulled her tighter into his embrace. His breath warmed her ear as he spoke in a deep timbre. “You’re taking a huge risk. I don’t want you staying at the Double K alone.”

“I won’t be. Vince and the other ranch hands live nearby.” As she caressed his back, her breathing quickened. “Besides, I can call in my bodyguards.”

He pulled away enough to meet her gaze. “That isn’t good enough. If I’m going to keep you safe, I need to be under the same roof as you.”

Her heart stuttered over a beat. “What do you mean?”

“When your parents leave on Monday, I want you to move into my house.”

Shaking her head, she stepped away from him. Despite the warm evening, a chill ran down her back. Her belly quivered at the thought of being close to him and yet having to stay far away. “EJ, I can’t move in with you. Dear God, it would only be a matter of time before some tabloid reporter discovered I’m living with you. Do you have any idea how that would affect you--us?”

He stepped in front of her and feathered his fingers over her cheek to her temple. “I don’t care about anything except keeping you safe. Either you move into my house or I stay at the Double K
.
”

She had to make him see reason. “What about Austin? If I’m with you, he will be in danger, too.”

His jaw twitched as if he clenched his teeth. Good, she’d hit a chord with him.

He lost the pensive expression and lifted one side of his mouth. “I’ll ask my mom and dad to take him back to Arizona. They would love to have him for a few weeks.”

“EJ, this isn’t going to--”

He leaned forward and placed his lips over hers, effectively stopping the flow of words. She opened under him, and he deepened the kiss. He tasted sweet and intoxicating as he caressed her mouth. Dropping her shoes behind him, she pulled him close and gave as good as she got. She could easily fall for this amazing man, but she couldn’t let their flirtations, his goodness, and his strength get to her heart. No matter how much she wanted him.

He pulled out of the kiss and rested his forehead on hers, his breaths coming as hard and fast as hers. “I know we can’t be more than friends, Emily. But I have to warn you. I don’t think I can stay away from you.”

His words caused the hair on her arms to stand on end and her knees weakened. She was losing the battle between her desire for him and her good sense telling her to stay way. Could she have the type of relationship he was suggesting?

Was it possible to keep her heart protected from him if they complicated their friendship with sex?

She honestly didn’t know, but damn it, she wanted him too much not to explore the possibilities.

Unable to deny her need, she captured his lips again as she threaded her fingers into his hair, knocking his hat off to fall to the hay-littered floor with her shoes. She delved into his mouth and explored the sweet depths. He groaned and pulled her tighter against him. Wanting to get as close as possible, she lifted her leg to hook over his hip, which brought his erection right where she wanted it. He caressed his hand from her waist to the bare thigh exposed under her dress. When he touched her damp panties, she moaned and moved against his hand.

With a growl, he broke the kiss. “Emily, we have to stop. Damn, I want you.”

“I know.” She struggled to catch her breath and let her leg slide to the ground. “We had better get back. Someone might come looking for us.”

He picked up his hat and her shoes. As he put his Stetson on, he handed her the sandals. She reached up with her free hand and wiped her finger over his lips. His breath caught at her touch. “You have my lipstick all over you.”

With a chuckle, he took her hand and pressed a kiss to her fingers. “I’m sure it will be hard to hide what we’ve been up to for the past half-hour in the barn.” He captured her lips again and kissed her with all the promise of more to come.

“Hey, there you are. Tucker is chopping at the bit to start the fireworks.” Vince came through the front door of the breezeway. “Oh… Am I interrupting something?”

EJ pulled away and grinned, but Emily leaned into his chest and laughed hard enough to make tears came to her eyes as a memory of another interrupted kiss flashed in her mind.

He wrapped his arms around her. “Emily, what’s wrong. Vince won’t tell anyone what he saw.”

“Is she crying?” Vince asked with a hint of panic in his voice.

The brothers’ assumptions made her peals of laughter sound more like sobs. What was wrong with her? Was it the stress of everything going on causing a breakdown? Sure, the similarity between her current situation and the one she’d walked in on when she was fourteen between her parents was funny, but she was on the verge of hysteria and these two poor men were helpless.

Shaking her head, she looked up into EJ’s concerned expression. He used his thumb to wipe tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s--” she gasped for air and control as another giggle bubbled up--“I’m okay. When my dad came back to McAllister, I caught him and my mom kissing in this same barn.”

“Is history repeating itself?” EJ chuckled and held her around the waist as they headed out the way Vince had come in.

She shook her head. What did he mean? Was he implying they, too, would end up like her parents? The implication sobered her and sent a shiver through her. “You know it can’t.”

“Wait.” Vince paused beside them. “Are you two dating?”

“No,” both Emily and EJ said at the same time as they stared at each other.

At least he understood the truth. They probably would end up in bed, and soon if the intensity of their kisses were any indication, but they couldn’t ever have more than what they had now. Love could never enter into the equation.

God help her, she could fall in love with him.

“C’mon, Vince.” He slapped his brother on the shoulder. “Stop trying to figure it out. You’re already crazy enough.”

Chapter 11

EJ entered his kitchen from feeding his three horses and making sure the twenty cattle had hay. Someday he wanted to work the five hundred acre ranch to its full potential, but that would have to wait until he stopped needing a day job to make ends meet.

He sensed his mother’s probing stare as he hung his hat on the rack by the door and slipped out of his barn boots. Sleep hadn’t come easy to EJ, and he didn’t want to deal with his mother’s questions at six-thirty on a Sunday morning. He’d spent the restless night listening to the CD Emily had given him and being seduced by the sexiest voice he’d ever heard. By morning, he had a hard-on he needed an icy shower to take care of. He knew without a doubt he would have sex with Emily Kendall sooner rather than later.

His mother made two mugs of coffee using his Keurig and set them on the table. As she sat in one of the chairs, she said, “Come. Sit. We have to talk about Austin.”

Following Tucker’s impressive fireworks show--the legality of which EJ didn’t want to investigate--he’d asked his parents if they would take Austin with them when they returned to Arizona. He hadn’t provided a reason for the visit. But if his mother’s imposing presence was any indication, he’d have to give her one now.

He swallowed and pulled out the chair opposite her.

After he sat, she squared her shoulders and leaned over her arms resting on the table. Although he and his brothers all towered over Meredith Cowley, no one questioned her authority. Even his father bowed to her when she turned her no-bullshit blue-eyed stare on him. Like the one she gave him now. “There has to be something going on with you if you’re willing to face Glenda Marshall’s wrath by letting us take Austin home with us. Don’t give me a pack of lies either. I saw how you looked at the Kendall girl last night. Then you disappeared with her after she put on that performance. I saw the CD she gave you. How serious are the two of you?”

“Mom, I told you we’re friends.” His mother didn’t need to know about his wanting
benefits
with their friendship. “That’s all.”

She sipped her coffee as she regarded him with sharp scrutiny. He couldn’t help but squirm in his chair. Damn, the woman wasn’t going to let any of this go.

“Is her baby yours?” She set her mug on the table.

He blinked. Too shocked that she figured out Emily’s secret and thought the baby was his to do much but open his mouth then close it again. Finally he sputtered, “What?

She leaned back, pursed her lips, and shook her head. “You didn’t know she’s pregnant. Figures. Men are dense. She hides it well, but a girl as tall and naturally slender as she is doesn’t have a belly, unless she’s got a baby in there.”

“I know she’s pregnant.” He picked up the creamer and poured a generous amount into his coffee. As he sipped it, he wished for something a hell of a lot stronger than Folgers. “The baby isn’t mine. It belongs to her ex-husband. Please keep quiet about it. She doesn’t want it to become public knowledge yet.” If his mother knew about the baby, others surely did too. He’d have to warn Emily.

His mother narrowed her eyes. “Edward James, what’s going on? You aren’t sending Austin with us while you have fun with some woman, are you? I know you’ve always had a bond with her, but she isn’t the same girl. If she’s pregnant with another man’s baby, then there’s even more reason to stay clear.”

“Mom, nothing happened between Emily and me. Nothing will,” he outright lied. The thought of their kisses had him shifting in his seat.

“She may have become a beautiful woman, but fame has damaged her, son,” she went on as if she hadn’t heard him. Or believed him, more like it. “You need to stay away from her.”

He’d be lying to himself if the only reason for sending Austin away was to protect him from what Mike Ritter might do. Austin needed protection from looking at Emily as a potential mommy. When the craziness going on between him and Emily was over, Austin would be spared a broken heart.