Solid Gold Seduction (The Drakes of California) (10 page)

Chapter 23

W
arren stood to the side of the large hole. He watched his grandfather, obviously in his element, converse with the gold-mining expert he’d phoned and brought to the site. Walter, decked out in hard hat and blue jeans, rubber boots and a cotton shirt, laughed at something the expert said and Warren smiled. It was clear that calling his grandfather had been the right thing to do. Walter Drake often boasted about how much he loved retirement, but he also loved people. Looking at him now, Warren knew that interacting in this type of productive fashion was something that his grandfather missed.

It was just as well that Walter was here, and in control. Because try as he might, even with the prospect of finding the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow before him, all he could think about was Charli and yesterday evening’s conversation, the one they’d had on the way back from their spontaneous tryst in the woods. Even now it replayed in his mind.

* * *

“Tell me about your parents.”

Charli had hesitated only a moment before answering. “They divorced when I was little. Dad remarried, had two more children—my younger half brother and sister—and lives in Hawaii. My mother started dating Pierre when I was thirteen. That’s when I began spending most of my time at Grandpa’s ranch. They married when I was sixteen and I moved in with Grandpa until it was time for college.”

“Why didn’t you stay with your mother? Did you not like Pierre?”

“He tried as best he could, but I probably wouldn’t have liked anyone my mother brought into my life. I’d been a huge daddy’s girl, just adored my father. It hurt me deeply when he left, seemingly without a backward glance. It was years later when I learned that his new wife had a lot to do with it, that she was always jealous of my mother, and afraid he’d go back to her. And since I am part of my mother, she was jealous of me, too. To say that she didn’t encourage a continued relationship is putting it mildly.

“But by the time Pierre and my mom married, I’d accepted their relationship and become somewhat cordial. He’s from Canada, though, and when they made the decision to move back there, I chose to stay. I’d become as close to my grandfather as I’d once been to my dad.”

“Did I ever meet your mother?”

“Cherise Reed? Probably not. We lived in Oakland. But you might have seen her picture. She used to model, and appeared quite frequently in
Ebony,
Essence
and other magazines. Her most popular picture is the one where she is wearing strips of colorful, carefully placed strips of cloth...and not much else.”

“I remember!” Warren had said after a moment of thinking. “Very regal, looked a little like that other dark-skinned model...what’s her name?”

“Iman. Yes, you’ve remembered. My mom actually did a few shows with Iman, in Paris and Milan. But that was before she married and had children.”

“Children as in plural? You have a sibling outside of your half brother and sister?”

“No, I don’t. My mom became pregnant with what would have been my younger sister. But she was stillborn.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I was only four years old and don’t remember.”

“Charli,” Warren had asked once they reached the gate where their ride had begun and they’d stilled the horses.

“Yes?”

“I asked Griff and he wouldn’t tell me. But do you know what happened between our grandfathers?”

“I know what my grandfather and Griff have told me. But your grandfather is still living, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’d have to agree with Griff on this one. I think that you should ask him.”

* * *

As he watched Walter wave him over to where the men now gathered, Warren considered Charli’s suggestion to ask him what happened. Before his grandfather left California for New Orleans, he vowed to do just that.

“We’ve got a situation,” Walter said as soon as Warren reached them.

“What’s happening?”

“The way things are looking, we need to dig horizontally instead of vertically.” Walter’s face was fixed in a frown as he delivered this news.

Warren shrugged. “Fine with me.”

“Not so fine, grandson.”

“It’s our land. What’s the problem?”

Walter looked at the man he’d known since his gold heyday, the expert he’d flown up from his retirement home in Florida.

“This device here,” Mr. Sanders said, “tracks gold. We put it on the end of a prod and send it into the ground for readings. We’ve been doing that all morning and the more we dig westward—” the man pointed toward Charli’s farm “—the louder she pings.”

“Ah,” Warren said, as Walter’s concerns dawned. “You think the gold might run all the way onto Reed property.”

Walter scowled. “Precisely. And I sure hope that that is not the case.”

“Why, Grandpa? I’ll just alert Charli and Griff that there’s—”

“Griff?” Walter interrupted. “Is that mean hound still living?”

Hmm, that conversation about Charles Reed and the ranch may take place sooner than I thought.
“Yes, Grandpa. He’s very much alive. He and Charles Reed’s granddaughter still have the farm and still run the dairy.”

“Well, the last thing you want is to get them involved in this. If Griff gets a sniff of money about, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

Warren looked at the curious expressions of Jackson, Tom, Mr. Retirement and the crew and then looked at his grandfather. “Let’s take a ride,” he said, already turning to walk away. “I need you over here.”

He walked fast, knew that his grandfather was working to keep up, but kept moving. When he reached the SUV he popped the lock and climbed inside.

Walter was right behind him. “What’s going on, Warren? You left those men like the devil was after you. What’s over here that I need to see?”

Warren turned to face him. “A different perspective.”

“Excuse me?”

“Or at least I do. When I first took an interest in this property, I had no concern about or knowledge of my neighbors. Then, when I put up the property fence, I met Charli, Charles’s granddaughter. She was rude and full of attitude.”

“You said she was kin to Charles, right? You’ve heard that saying about apples and trees.”

“Later,” Warren continued, pointedly ignoring his grandfather, “I met Griff and got more of the same.”

“Surprised you didn’t get filled with buckshot,” Walter mumbled.

“But a few weeks ago, after yet another misunderstanding, I went over to their house.” Walter looked at him, aghast. “We talked about what was bothering me and settled some things. I’m proud to say that as of right now, we’re cordial neighbors, I’d even say friends. But that’s not why I pulled you away from the group.”

Walter was silent, possibly still digesting Warren’s surprising words. “You wanted to tell me about your new friendships?” he finally asked with more than a little sarcasm.

“No. I want you to tell me about your past enemy. Specifically, I want to know what happened between you and Charles Reed.”

Chapter 24

“I
need to see you.”

Five simple words that caused Charli to unexpectedly exercise her core muscle. It had been two days since their horse ride, and Coal’s rider had been all she’d thought about. Him, the kiss and the impossibility of it all.

“I’m rather busy,” she responded after a pause. “We’ve got a man coming by to give an estimate on fixing the water tank and Bobby just discovered a hole in the fence that—”

“Charli. Stop.”

She knew she was prattling but with the myriad of thoughts and emotions chasing themselves around her brain, it was the best she could do.

“Five or ten minutes is all I need.” She continued to hesitate. “It’s important.”

“Are you at the ranch?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be there in half an hour.”

Charli pulled her Ford up next to Warren’s shiny new SUV. She’d purposely covered her ripped tank top and jeans with an oversize striped shirt, then knotted it at the waist. Unbeknownst to her, what she called modesty Warren would find as sexy as sin.

Looking around and not seeing Warren, she exited the truck and walked up to the man she’d seen on both of her previous visits to the ranch.

“Excuse me.” The man turned around. “I’m looking for Drake.”

The man’s brow rose slightly. “Warren?” She nodded. He smiled. “Charli, right?” Another nod. He held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Jackson Wright, Warren’s brother-in-law.” They shook hands. “He’s in his office.” He pointed to a building not far from the stables. “His office is at the end of the hall. I think his secretary may be at lunch, so if she’s not at her desk, go on back.”

“Thanks.”

Charli walked across the gravel drive to a simple A-frame building painted a stark white with black trim. Here, a concrete sidewalk had been poured, leading up to the door. She entered and after seeing the desk facing the door empty, continued down the hall.

“Drake?”

“Back here.”

She stopped, took a deep breath and then proceeded to the open door at the end of the hall. “Hello.”

“Hello, sexy neighbor.”

Doing her best to ignore the compliment, she took a moment to look around his office and get her feelings in check. The plainness of the outside was deceiving. Inside, Drake’s office looked rich and inviting: floors made of ebony wood with the same wood used for the built-in bookcases only half-filled with books. In contrast his desk was modern, made mostly of smoky glass, and devoid of anything save an iPad and the folder he was perusing. On his tan-colored walls were framed enlarged photographs of what appeared to be an aerial view of the property, a wide shot of his vineyards and a close-up picture of a cluster of grapes. There were also two framed diplomas and a black-and-white photo of a young man in overalls standing next to a tractor.

She observed all this in a matter of seconds before saying, “What do you need to see me about, Drake? As I said on the phone, I don’t have much time.” She looked at her watch for emphasis.

Warren leaned back against the plush black swivel chair in which he sat. “Are you going to act defensive every time you see me, even after the other day?”

“I’m not defensive,” she stated, very defensively.

“Ha! What would you call it?”

“I’d call it direct, to the point. Which, if you don’t get to it...” She turned slightly.

“Slow your roll, Charli. Close the door and have a seat.” She looked skeptically at the door, then back at him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bite you.” She began shutting the door. “At least not without your permission.” She stopped. He laughed. “Please.”

She offered her style of smile, a smirk, really, before she closed the door, walked over to one of two black leather chairs facing Warren’s desk and sat down.

“You remember the digging I told you about, how we might have to extend it onto your property?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s no longer a possibility, but a definite.”

She frowned. “You had to see me for that? I already told you that as long as you repaired what you tore up, it was okay.”

“That’s not all. It’s not only that we’re digging up your land, it’s now why.”

“You found a sinkhole?”

“No, Charli. We’ve found gold.”

“Gold?”

“Yes.”

“Here, on our land?”

“Yes.” He stood, walked over to one of the bookshelves and reached for a small, covered porcelain bowl, then walked over and handed it to Charli. “Take a look,” he said, walking back to his chair and sitting down.

She took off the lid, set it on the smoky glass table between the two chairs, then spilled the collection of rocks into her hand. “These are rocks.”

“At first glance that’s what anyone would think. But those are gold nuggets, darling. And according to my expert grandfather, there is plenty more where that came from—some of which is on your property.”

Charli studied the rocks more carefully. “This is gold?”

“Yep.”

“How much do you think there is? I mean, could there be enough to...”

“End your financial worries? We don’t know. But there is enough to warrant us digging deeper and finding out. That’s why I needed to see you. I know the bad blood that has existed between our families and want everything about this joint venture to be legal and aboveboard. I also want us to split any profits fifty-fifty.”

“With you handling time, labor and all up-front expenses, how can we do that?”

“We can do it because it’s the only arrangement I’ll accept.”

She shook her head. “No can do, Drake. If this is a joint venture, then my say counts, too. And I’d say that with your gifting the cows you’ve already done too much. For this to feel right, I’ve got to share some of the financial burden of the excavation.”

Tension whipped around in the silence like errant particles of dust across Warren’s glass desk. “If you insist,” Warren finally answered with a shrug.

“I do. And I need to run any paperwork past Griff and our own set of lawyers.”

“Of course.” Warren fully intended to pay for everything concerning the excavation, a point he felt was best kept to himself until he could persuade her to his way of thinking. “Anything else?”

“Not that I can think of at the moment.”

“I’ll have my attorneys get right on this and send over something as soon as possible, perhaps as early as tomorrow morning.”

“Okay.”

Warren stood and walked toward her. Charli stood, too. “Now,” he said, his voice low and husky as he stood in front of her. “Was what I just shared worth your time in coming over?”

Kicking herself for licking her lips after eyeing his succulent ones, she answered, “Yes.”

“One more question.”

“Shoot.”

“Can I bite you?” She shyly shook her head. “No?”

“No,” she said softly. “No biting.”

“Then may I have a kiss?”

“Yes.”

“Two?”

“Don’t push it.”

Warren had no intention of pushing it, or of continuing the conversation at all. One more look at her luscious lips and he knew that there were much better ways that they could be spending this time alone.

Chapter 25

A
week after Warren’s conversation with his grandfather and the subsequent conversation with Charli, a lot had happened. So much so that Warren felt he needed to get away from everything and everybody just to sort it all out. And he wanted Charli to go with him. That’s why he’d called her last night and asked her out to dinner. He’d said nothing more than to wear slacks and bring a jacket. And that’s why she now stood on a wide expanse of land about ten miles out of town with the sound of helicopter blades whirring around them and a look of surprise on her face.

“I’ve never been in a helicopter before,” she shouted over the humming propellers.

“I’ve only been up a few times myself,” Warren admitted. He looked across the strip at the pilot, who nodded and gave him a thumbs-up. Warren took Charli’s arm. “Let’s go!”

They entered the helicopter and within minutes had been outfitted with the devices through which they could communicate and be heard over the roar.

“This is crazy!” Charli said, her eyes bright, excited. “When you asked me out to dinner I was thinking either Acquired Taste or Bucks!”

Bucks was the second most popular eatery in Paradise Cove. As down-home as Acquired Taste was upscale, the establishment boasted barbecued ribs, succulent fried chicken and the best burgers in town.

“I didn’t want anyone to see us!” Immediately realizing how that must have sounded, he touched her arm and added, “Wait, that didn’t come out right. I’d love for people to know I’m with the prettiest girl in Paradise Cove. I just don’t want people even more in our business than they are already!”

“Thanks for being kind. But we both know that you’re talking about Griff.”

“I have to give it to the old man. When it comes to you, he’s very protective. Though I’m hoping that after your lawyers have reviewed and approved the contract, he’ll stop being suspicious.”

Charli laughed. “He’ll stop being suspicious of you when you stop being a Drake.”

“Unfortunately, you’re probably right. Wish he’d had that same kind of suspicion when his friend showed up before asking for the man’s opinion—” Warren made air quotes “—in confidence.”

It was true. Upon hearing about the gold and the proposed Drake/Reed joint venture, a highly wary Griff had asked the advice of a longtime friend who’d just happened to drop by their farm the same day that Charli had shared the news. One thing led to another and Griff’s friend told his wife, who then shared it with her beautician at one of the town’s hair salons. That had been the beginning of the end of their secret gold find. Now what was happening on the Drake and Reed properties was the talk of Paradise Cove.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“San Francisco, baby.”

“Oh, really? Cool! I’ve only been back a few times since graduating Berkeley.”

Casual conversation continued during the thirty-minute ride to a San Francisco airstrip. Once there, a town car awaited to whisk them into the heart of the city and to the chic restaurant Jackson had told Warren about. There was one stop before that, however. It was to a chic downtown boutique, close to the city’s financial district. It wasn’t until they were comfortably seated at the private booth that they both felt they could truly catch their breaths.

Charli picked up her glass of lemon water. “Wow, that helicopter ride was exciting.”

“It was pretty nice. And may I say, you look lovely.”

Charli eased a hand over the silky, formfitting dress that both the saleswoman and Warren had talked her into letting him buy. “It is as if both the color and design were made for you,” the woman had vowed in heavily accented English. She was right. The one-shoulder number that boasted a subtle butterfly print against a primarily coral background emphasized her neck and toned arms, while the cut highlighted her ample breasts, slender waist and long legs. The dress stopped a couple inches above her knees. Its color complemented her deeply tanned skin perfectly, a coppery tone further enhanced by the bronzer brush of the makeup artist whose shop was next door to the boutique. Finally, a dainty pair of strappy, jeweled heels, along with teardrop earrings and a bracelet of Swarovski crystals and a light shawl completed her ensemble. There was no denying it: when Charli left the shop she’d felt like Cinderella.

She still did.

“If you were trying to make an impression...mission accomplished.” This statement was accompanied by the almost smile that Warren now expected.

“Believe it or not, woman, I’m just trying to have some peace!”

“Ha! Well, for the record, you clean up pretty well yourself.”

Warren smiled. “Thank you.”

He wasn’t the cocky sort but had been told more than once how he blessed a pair of slacks or jeans. He’d kept his attire simple: black suit, stark white shirt, pinstriped tie of black, gray and coral. He’d visited his barber first thing that morning and knew his close-cropped curls looked just right. Never one for much flash, he limited his accessories to an understated Cartier watch and monogrammed platinum cuff links.

“Seriously, I’m glad for this time with just the two of us. This situation is getting crazy. Various family members have suddenly becoming mining experts, my parents are now the most popular guests on the dinner circuit and the final straw? A call from a reporter at the
Cove Chronicle,
wanting a quote.”

“She called you, too?”

Warren nodded. “If I’d known it was going to get like this, I might have kept that little nugget in my pocket and never called Grandpa.”

“All this hoopla on the mere
chance
that there might be serious gold down there.” She shook her head, her eyes wistful. “I never in a million years would have thought that gold existed under my cattle’s hooves. Like you, I’ve grown up with the stories. Except mine were tinged with my grandfather’s intense...dislike for your grandfather.”

Warren sighed. “I think that unfortunately there was some mutual dislike going on.”

“You told me that you asked him about what happened between them. But you never shared what he said.”

Charli had been curious when she’d heard that
the
Walter Drake, the man she’d heard so much about from her grandfather, was back in town. “You don’t have to. It’s...”

“Not important,” Warren finished.

They paused while the waiter came out, freshened their waters and took drink and food orders. When he left, Warren continued. “The fact of the matter is what happened between those two men is in the past and has nothing to do with us. I believe that even if my grandfather did have a problem with Charles Reed, it was his problem. I don’t have to make it mine. After talking with my grandfather, that’s what I decided.”

Charli was quiet for a moment, looking at Warren with an unreadable expression. “I never looked at it quite that way.”

Warren gave her a crooked smile, making him appear boyish and unassuming. “I got that feeling.”

“Stop it!” She slapped his wrist, and for the first time since they’d met, gave him a genuine smile.

“You should do that more often.”

“What?”

“Smile.” Taking a huge chance, he reached for her hand, held it between his two large ones before exposing her palm and running a strong, thick forefinger down her lifeline. Taking an even bigger chance...he kissed her.

It was a definable moment when their lips touched, when he applied the merest pressure before pulling back, looking into her eyes and then kissing her once more.

She didn’t back away. Somehow he knew she wouldn’t. It was as if being in a different place, away from all that was familiar and those who knew them oh so well, allowed a different side of each of them to be explored. Allowed them to enjoy the attraction that Charli tried so hard to deny.

For him, it was a side that pushed away worries about ulterior motives or rejection, two issues that had dogged past relationships.

For her, it was a side that embraced the concept of trust, in a man, but even more importantly, in herself.

“That was nice,” he finally said.

“Yes,” she said, dipping her head in a moment of shyness. “It was.”

For a brief snatch of time they just sat there in a companionable silence, each dealing with their own thoughts, feelings and reactions. In the end, the look they gave each other said that there would be no going back to whatever they had before. They’d just gone to another level. And both were happy about that.

The waiter brought their salads and soon gushing comments about the deliciousness of their meal vied with personal bits and pieces that allowed Warren and Charli to know each other more. There were more smiles and laughter than they’d ever previously shared. By the time the entrées arrived, a new understanding had been reached.

“I’m so glad the legalities regarding the Drake/Reed excavation are behind us. Although I wish you’d stop fighting it and let my company absorb the expenses. I was putting in an in-ground pool, remember? So an excavation would have occurred at any rate.”

In a rare show of flirtation, Charli leaned forward. She used her newly manicured fingernail to graze the back of Warren’s hand. While looking up into his eyes, she purred, “I thought you brought me all the way up here so we could stop talking about the gold rush.”

Warren’s eyes went from looking at hers to observing her lips, licking his own as he remembered the kiss. “I know what I’d like to do.” Warren’s phone rang. “Hold that thought.” He pulled it from his pocket. “The pilot,” he mouthed to Charli as he took the call. “Hello?” He nodded, then frowned. “Seriously?” He muted the phone. “A problem with the helicopter I rented. They’re trying to find another one to take us home.” He returned to the call. “Yes, I’m here. Uh-huh. We just finished dinner and are about to have dessert.” He listened for another minute and then asked Charli an unexpected question. Perhaps it had something to do with his growing courage and her emboldened flirtations.

“By the time they either fix or replace the helicopter, it will be midnight or later. Do you want to just spend the night here, in San Francisco?”

Charli’s answer was even more unexpected, for both of them. “Yes.”