Second Time Around (9 page)

“Good. That’s faster than I expected.”

“He’s got two separate crews working. One has already started on the deck for the hot tub, and the other is working inside.”

Before Quinn could respond, the phone on the wall next to him rang, and without thought he picked it up.

“Hello?”

There was a slight hesitation from the person on the other end. “Quinn McAllister?”

“Speaking.”

“This is Jared Harper.”

Every muscle in Quinn’s body tightened and his jaw went rigid. When he answered his voice was clipped. “Sorry, Harper. My wife is out working, but I’ll be sure to tell her you called.”

“I wasn’t calling to speak with Lanie.” There was another hesitation. “I think we need to talk, McAllister, but not over the phone. Would you meet me at the Spotted Horse in an hour?”

“I’ll be there.” Quinn dropped the phone into the cradle.

Duncan was leaning against the counter, one eyebrow arched. “You’ll be where?”

“He wants to meet me at the Spotted Horse. It’s a combination bar and restaurant in Watson.”

“Want me to go with you?”

5“Thanks, but I doubt it will come down to throwing punches. Besides, one of us needs to be here in case the contractor has any questions.”

“And what if Lanie wants to know where you are?”

Quinn started out of the room. “Tell her the truth.”

* * * * *

Watson had changed, Quinn realized as he drove through the town. He had seen two new hotels and several fancy restaurants that hadn’t been there five years ago.

Most of the stores along Main Street now catered to tourists instead of residents. A huge banner spanned the roadway, proclaiming the start of Frontier Days in a few weeks.

The Spotted Horse hadn’t changed, though. It still looked exactly as it had when he was eighteen and spent most of his weekends at the bar. There were only a few vehicles in the parking lot, but it was midway between breakfast and lunch. He knew it would fill to capacity in an hour or so. During the day the bar section was closed, the business catering to families. At eight on the button, the families left and the bar opened. It was a system that worked well for the owner, Buck Denton, and customers alike.

Buck himself, sitting behind the checkout counter, glanced up from the newspaper he was reading when Quinn entered, a grin splitting his face.

“Dang, McAllister. I thought we’d seen the last of your sorry hide around here. Do I need to get my ball bat out from under the bar?”

Quinn returned his smile and shook hands with the older man. Buck had put on a little weight, but for the most part, he still looked exactly the same. Like a slab of solid granite.

“No need, Buck. My fighting days are over. Guess we all have to grow up sometime.”

“Speak for yourself. That’s a disease I never plan on catching. Just ask Ruby. She’ll vouch for me. How long are you here for?”

“I’m back for good.”

“Well, that’s the best news I’ve heard in weeks. You always were one of my most regular customers. Tell you what. How about I treat you to a welcome back breakfast?”

“Thanks, but maybe next time. I’m here to meet someone.”

Buck glanced toward the dinning room, a slight frown on his face when he turned back.

“I’m beginning to get the picture.”

And if Buck got it, everyone in town would know what was going on before the day was out. Quinn stifled a sigh.

“I’ll talk to you later.”

Since only three tables were occupied, it didn’t take him long to identify Harper.

The man was sitting alone near a window, his gaze fixed on Quinn. Warily, the two 5men assessed each other as Quinn crossed the room, and he wasn’t sure he liked what he saw. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but Harper was too damn good looking for his peace of mind.

The veterinarian stood as Quinn reached the table and gestured to the booth across from him. “Thanks for coming. I wasn’t sure you would.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” He slid onto the seat.

Harper shrugged as he sat down. “You have to admit this is a little awkward.”

They both paused as Buck stopped by the table and filled two cups with coffee, his gaze shifting between them warily. He moved on quickly, not bothering to ask if they wanted to order.

Quinn ignored the cup, keeping his gaze on his rival. “Did Lanie ask you to try and talk me out of this?”

“No. She’d probably be upset if she knew I called you.”

“Then why did you?”

“Partly curiosity, I suppose.” The man’s expression didn’t change. “I wanted to see what I’m up against. Lanie never told me much about you.”

Quinn curled a hand around his cup, forearms propped on the Formica top of the table as he studied the man who wanted to marry his wife. Lanie couldn’t have found anyone more opposite from Quinn if she’d searched deliberately. And he wasn’t just opposite in appearance. Harper exuded a calm steadiness that was palpable. Would anything shake him up, rattle that placid exterior? Maybe it was time to give Harper a dose of the truth.

“Lanie still loves me, you know. She may not be ready to admit it yet, but she does.”

“You’re right. Part of her does love you. You’re Zack’s father, after all.” Harper lowered his gaze to the table. “I met Lanie when Zack was a month old and I rented her grandparents’ place. For me, it was love at first sight, but it took over a year to convince her to go out with me. It was another three years before she agreed to marry me.”

Exaltation surged through Quinn but he kept it out of his voice. “Why are you telling me this?”

Harper looked up, his eyes narrowed. “Because I want you to understand a few things. I’m a patient man when it comes to something I want, McAllister. I’ve already waited years for Lanie. Three more months isn’t going to make that much difference. In spite of what you think, she loves me, too.”

Quinn leaned back, straightening his leg a bit. “I’m going to fight for her, Harper.

And I’m going to win. There’s nothing you can say that will make me change my mind.”

“I can’t blame you for trying, even if you are wasting your time. If I were in your shoes I’d be doing the same thing.” He ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair. “As much as I hate to admit it, maybe it’s a good thing this happened. I don’t like seeing 5Lanie upset and hurting, but at least now she’ll have to make a choice. A bed can get awfully crowded when there are three people in it. When this is over, the only people who’ll be in mine are me and Lanie.” He shrugged again. “Better get used to the idea.”

“I suppose that means you’ll still try to see her?”

Harper gave him a cool smile. “You aren’t the only one who plans on fighting for what he wants. I’ll see her every chance I get.”

“Too bad,” Quinn commented. “She’s already promised me she won’t see you alone.”

“You may be able to keep her away from me, McAllister, but you can’t force her to trust you again. You had your chance five years ago and you blew it.” He hesitated.

“There is one more thing, though. Zack. I promised him he could go on some calls with me Saturday. I’d still like to take him.”

Quinn nodded. “I told Lanie last night I wouldn’t stop you from seeing Zack.

Having me show up suddenly is enough trauma for him. I’d like to keep the rest of his life as normal as possible.”

“I appreciate that.”

“And now that we’ve drawn the lines, you might as well call me Quinn.”

Harper arched an eyebrow.

“We’re never going to be friends, Harper—” Quinn paused to smile. “But we do have one thing in common. We both have great taste in women. And it will make it easier on Zack if we can keep this civil.”

“Quinn.” Harper nodded. “And you can call me Jared.”

“You aren’t going to win,” Quinn told him quietly. “Lanie and I have too much tying us together.”

“And Lanie knows that at the end of these three months I’ll still be here waiting. I’ll always be here for her. Can you honestly say she believes the same thing about you?

Don’t count me out yet, McAllister. You may have won the first battle, but the war is just starting.”

* * * * *

Jared stayed at the table after McAllister left, finishing off his coffee and thinking. A frown creased his brow. From Edward’s description, he’d expected Lanie’s husband to be the nerdish type, more interested in business than people.

Nothing could be further from the truth. He was going to have to be very careful with this man, maybe keep his distance from Lanie for a while. At least until he came up with a legitimate excuse for seeing her. Lanie wouldn’t break a promise easily.

He paid Buck then stepped out onto the wooden sidewalk. For the last four years, he’d followed Edward’s orders. They hadn’t seemed demanding at the time, and he 5owed the man a lot. Now he was beginning to wonder if Edward had told him the entire truth about Lanie’s past with McAllister.

With an inward sigh, he walked to his truck and climbed in. Even if Edward had been lying through his teeth, it was too late to back out of the deal. It had been too late the first time he’d seen Lanie.

* * * * *

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lanie stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at the horde of men who had come to a standstill at her barked question. One of them, obviously the crew chief, finally stepped forward.

“Mr. McAllister hired us. I have the order right here.” Tentatively, he held out a yellow piece of paper.

She yanked it out of his hand, rapidly scanning the list with growing disbelief. A weight room? A sauna? A hot tub and deck? But that was undeniably Quinn’s signature on the bottom. Was he trying to turn her ranch into a spa, for God’s sake?

So furious her hair was prickling erect, she shoved the slip back at the confused foreman, spun on her heel, and ran smack into a hard male body. When she lifted her gaze it was to meet Duncan’s calm brown eyes.

“Where’s Quinn?” she spit the question through clenched teeth.

“In the kitchen. He just got back.”

She paused suspiciously at the wicked gleam in his eyes. “Got back from where?”

“From town.”

Something was up. Duncan looked at her speculatively, and she could see he was waiting with great interest for her next question. For a second she contemplated ignoring him, but curiosity won out.

“Okay, what was he doing in town?”

“Meeting Jared Harper.”

The anger left her like a deflated balloon, replaced by fear and a hollow ache in the pit of her stomach. Without a word, she headed for the kitchen.

Quinn looked up and smiled as she stomped through the door. “Perfect timing.

Martha just finished making us lunch. I noticed the picnic table is still under those trees out back. I thought we could eat there.”

“How dare you?” She wanted to yell, but her voice wasn’t cooperating. The words were barely a whisper. “I agreed to your terms, Quinn, but they didn’t include you going after Jared. I won’t have him hurt anymore than he already has been. He doesn’t deserve this, and if you persist, our deal is off. We can fight this out in court.”

His smile faded before he reached for the picnic basket on the table. “We can talk about it while we eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

5“Then you can sit and watch me.” His grim gaze met hers, flickers of yellow anger shooting through the amber depths. He reached around her and pushed the door open.

“After you.”

“Quinn—”

“I said we’d talk about it while we eat.”

Her lips thinned to a straight line as she followed him across the yard. His back was stiff, his gait jerky. From his body language, he was as upset as she was. Puzzled, she let her gaze sweep over him again. There was something odd about the way he was walking, something she couldn’t put her finger on.

Mentally, she shook her head. He was only compensating for the weight of the picnic basket. And she wouldn’t allow anything to distract her.

“You really have a low opinion of me, don’t you?” Quinn took a cloth from the basket and spread it over the table before removing dishes of food.

“If I do it’s because you’ve given me good reason.” Her chin squared defiantly.

“I suppose I have.” He sat down and filled two plates, pushing one across in front of her. “But for your information, Jared Harper called and asked to meet me, not the other way around.”

“What?” She sank onto the bench. “Why would Jared want to meet you?”

A half-smile lifted one corner of his lips. “He wanted to see what he was up against.

I have to admit, I was curious myself.”

“And now that you’ve met him?” She reached for the chicken leg on her plate, absently noting he’d given her the part she liked best.

“Let’s just say he wasn’t what I expected. Is he always that stoic? I’ve seen statues with more emotion.”

Lanie stared at him, guilt curling in her stomach. Hadn’t she thought the very same thing from time to time? But she wasn’t about to admit that to Quinn. “He’s not stoic, he’s dependable. Everyone loves him.”

Quinn continued to eat. “I don’t. There’s something strange about him.”

“There is not. You only think that because I’m engaged to him.” She picked up a fork and dug into the potato salad. “What did you talk about?”

“You. Zack.”

“Zack?”

“We agreed to keep everything civil for Zack’s sake. I told him the same thing I told you. I don’t want to disrupt Zack’s life any more than necessary. It’s obvious he cares about Jared, and I won’t do anything to hurt him.”

She dropped the piece of chicken back onto her plate. “That’s it?”

“Pretty much.”

Relief flowed through her, but it was short-lived.

“Were you sleeping with him?”

5Her gaze snapped to Quinn’s face. “That’s none of your business.”

“You’re still my wife, Lanie. Anything you do is my business.” His voice softened.

“You weren’t, were you?”

“No.” She kept her gaze steady in spite of the heat suffusing her cheeks. “I wanted to wait until we were married and Jared agreed with me.”

Satisfaction gleamed from his eyes as he reached across the table and took her hand.

“Maybe you wanted to wait because you were afraid it wouldn’t be as good as it always was for us.”