Summer's Desire (4 page)

“So, who here drinks coffee?” It surprised her when
they all chimed in. “Luke, John, you drink coffee? How about some milk?” Luke’s
hard look made her realize that she said the wrong thing.

“Coffee. Black,” Luke said, slow and loud while he
gave her a hard stare.

Matt hit Luke’s shoulder. “Have some manners.”

Luke turned red and hit Matt back. “At least I don’t
have the
hots
for the woman.”

Holden stepped between them. “Matt, no hitting. Luke,
you apologize to both your brother and to Summer. She is not ‘the woman.’ She
has a name.”

Luke hesitated and Matt threw down his napkin and
slammed the door closed as he left.

“She thinks I’m some kid. If I want coffee, I expect
coffee. Who is she to be asking anyway?”

“Luke,” the warning in Holden’s voice was evident.

“You are far from perfect,” Luke spouted before he
high-tailed it out the door too.

Mark and John appeared shell shocked. They sat straight
up in their chairs staring at each other.

Summer sighed. “I’m sorry. I made a mess of things.”
Part of her wanted to cry, but she knew better than to cry at work. Tears never
solved anything.

Holden shook his head. “No darlin’, you did nothing
wrong. I’m sorry that Luke’s anger was directed at you. We’ve all been a bit
touchy since… well since the move. I’ll talk to them and have them apologize. For
now let’s eat. I’m starved and this all looks amazing.”

She put the coffee pot on the table. They could pour
their own after that fiasco. Sitting, she peered at Mark and John. They
appeared decidedly uncomfortable but ate anyway. “I hope you like it.” She
tried to smile but she knew she didn’t succeed. With this many males there were
bound to be some stepped on toes. Men thought women were touchy. Obviously they
didn’t realize the truth.

“This is really good,” John said with a full mouth.

Holden had his mouth open, probably to admonish him,
but Summer picked up a piece of toast, leaned over and put a corner of it in
Holden’s mouth. His eyes widened in surprise for a second before he took a bite
and they all laughed. The tension in the room broke and he sent her a look of
gratitude. It made her smile.

“Really, this is good and I appreciate it.” Holden
wiped the side of his mouth with his napkin. “I have to get to the office. Mark,
tell Matt that I don’t want him trying to ride Yukon just yet. That horse still
needs some work. John, I need the western fence line checked.” John opened his
mouth. “Before you argue, I don’t care who does what. I just want it done.”

Both Mark and John nodded.

“I should be back in time for dinner. Summer, I’ll
call and let you know.”

Summer nodded too. “I have more than enough to keep
me busy. Have a good day.” She got up and cleared the table. One by one the
others left. It was just an adjustment, she hoped. They really were just boys.

Chapter Two

Holden parked his truck in front of the community
center. It galled him to see Beverly Rain run out toward him. Didn’t she have
books to tend? How big was the library anyway? Obviously not big enough to keep
her busy. He slowly got out of the truck, grabbed his black Stetson and smashed
it on his head.

A warm breeze washed over him and he was suddenly
glad he turned the air conditioning on for Summer. It was bound to get warmer.

He tried to pretend he didn’t see Beverly but she
started yahooing at him. Resigned, he rolled his eyes then turned her way and
put on a smile. As she came closer he could see her face full of glee. It was a
sure bet she had gossip to share and he wasn’t in the mood.

“Good morning, Doctor.” She put her hand to her
heaving chest as though she had just run a marathon.

“Ma’am.” He tipped his hat and started around her.

She reached out and grabbed his arm. “I need to talk
to you.”

He gazed down at his arm and then stared at her,
hoping his “don’t mess with me” stare worked. It always worked on his brothers.

“Now, now.” She patted his arm. “I’ve something
important to tell you.”

“Spit it out.” He wanted to laugh at her attempt to
seem affronted.

“I just heard about Summer Fitzgerald. You have been
led astray and there is no way you can employ her. Why, what would the town
think? It will kill your practice. She’s real good with her innocent act but
don’t let her fool you. I’m telling you if the townspeople find out, they won’t
be happy.”

Holden was sure if he didn’t listen, she would go
out of her way to tell each person what she thought.

“She was a bartender.”

“I know. Nothing wrong with that.”

“Did she tell you why she no longer works there?”

“No, and frankly it’s none of my business.” He hoped
she’d get the message that he was not interested.

“Paul Gallagher owned the place and he treated her
like a daughter.”

“Listen, I really don’t have time.” He pulled his
arm away and turned.

“Wait, I didn’t tell you how she robbed the place.”

Holden closed his eyes, wishing he never left the
ranch. He had to hear her out now; he was responsible for his brothers. Turning
back around, he stared at her again. She seemed flustered and he was glad.

“She planned the robbery with an old boyfriend,
Brent. Paul was beaten to death and money was stolen. It’s the most horrifying
thing that has ever happened here.”

“Why isn’t she in jail?”

“Because she pretended to be a victim. She pretended
that she was beaten unconscious. Her clothes were ripped but she wasn’t
violated.”

“Violated?” He shouldn’t have asked. Her smile
became one of triumph.

“Yes, she wasn’t raped and that is beyond fishy. I
know she was desperate for money, but there just wasn’t enough forensic
evidence to charge her.”

Forensics? Beverly Rain was no librarian, rather a
watcher of crime shows. The glee in her eyes made his stomach turn. She seemed hell
bent on causing trouble.

“I thank you, Mrs. Rain.”

“It’s Miss. I’m not married.” She smiled at him.

Somehow she made him feel dirty in the moment. “Okay
then, well you have a good day.” He stalked to his clinic, barely said hello to
Mindy Sue and stormed into his office.

He sat in his big leather chair shaking his head.
Violated? If the gossip wasn’t about Summer, he’d laugh. The whole thing was ridiculous,
wasn’t it?

A knock on his door pulled him from his musing. He’d
been rude to Mindy Sue. “Come on in.”

The door opened slowly and only Mindy Sue’s head
appeared. Her hair was platinum blonde today. “Is everything okay?”

Holden waved her in. “I’m sorry. How are you today, Mindy
Sue?”

“I’m fine.” She stared at him with one eyebrow
arched.

He knew she was curious. “Any messages?”

“Only from Colt. He said to say thanks when you got
in and that he hoped you didn’t have to come in early.”

Holden nodded.

Mindy Sue relaxed and smiled. “More horses needed
rescuing?”

He ran his hand over his face, realizing he still
had his Stetson on. He took it off, set it on his desk feeling weary. “A bunch
of them were being transported to Canada for slaughter.”

“I thought it was illegal now.”

“Well that little technicality doesn’t seem to
discourage some people. I’m a bit cranky, so I’m going to do some paperwork and
if the coast is clear, I might head on home early.”

“It makes me so mad. Get your paper work done and
don’t worry, I can hold down the fort.”

“Thanks.” He gave what he hoped was a grateful
smile.

The door closed and he dived right into his work. He
didn’t want to think about what Beverly told him, but unfortunately his mind
kept going back. Was there any truth to the story? Summer did say she had
worked at the bar and grill and she mentioned an owner named Paul. When had all
this taken place? She didn’t look beat up to him.

Unable to concentrate on his work, he picked up his
hat, smashed it back down on his head and headed out. He really wanted to hear
Summer’s side of the story.

He had his own past he didn’t want anyone to know
about. There were false allegations, but people believed the most salacious tidbits.
It shocked him when people he’d known most of his life took sides against him. Matt
was never charged and the truth came out but still everyone seemed glad when
they left Texas.

No, he decided he wasn’t going to ask her but he was
going to keep an eye on her. If she had robbed the place why was she still in
Carlston? Why bother to look for another job?

His brothers came first and he was determined they’d
have fresh start. A little caution never hurt and if he balanced it with common
sense laced with a dose of skepticism, things should be fine.

He made good time getting home and when he got
there, all he wanted to do was sleep. He’d use one of his brother’s beds. Hopefully
he’d be able to think after a good rest.

Driving up, he spotted Summer hanging sheets on the
line. They waved in the breeze billowing back and forth. Summer’s honey blonde
hair blew around her and she kept brushing it away from her face. It was hard
to believe that she helped to rob and beat someone.

Caution
,
he reminded himself.

He walked up to the house without acknowledging her,
hung his hat on the rack and headed upstairs. Glimpsing into Matt’s bedroom he
saw a naked mattress. There weren’t any sheets on any of the other beds he
checked either. All the beds were stripped. Groaning, he went back down the
stairs to see if he could find any clean sheets.

As soon as his foot hit the bottom step, the front
door opened. Summer entered appearing incredibly fresh and clean. Her blue eyes
sparkled and she hummed a tune. Her humming stopped as soon as she spied him
and the sparkle dimmed a bit.

“I didn’t see you come in.”

“My truck is outside.”

She nodded. “So, are two others. I guess I didn’t
count them.”

“I’m trying to find some sheets. I need some sleep.”

Summer bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “They
are all on the line. All but the ones I put on your bed. Take a nap in your own
bed.”

He’d been avoiding doing just that. The bed would
have her scent and he needed rest, not dreams of her. “There’s always the
couch.”

She put her hands on her hips and frowned. “Holden,
how in the world do you expect to get any sleep? The boys are in and out all
day and it’ll just make things hard to do if I have to tiptoe around you.”

Running his fingers through his hair, he tried to
think of another option. Nothing came to mind. “You’re right. I’ll get a few
hours shut-eye.”

Her smile made his heart flip over in his chest. It
made him feel crazy. He didn’t even know if she was trustworthy yet. His mind
and body were warring and he didn’t like it at all. He smiled back at her and
she blushed, suddenly finding the floor more interesting than him. He quickly
went back up the stairs. No more smiles and no more blushes. It was the
quickest way toward trouble. Trouble he didn’t need.

Lying in bed, he tossed and turned, sheets smelling like
vanilla with maybe a hint of cinnamon. She smelled like a snicker doodle except
for a bit of musk. He hoped the other sheets dried quickly; he didn’t get
enough sleep as it was and he didn’t need distractions. Hell, she was a
distraction whether he wanted her to be or not and he found it hard to believe
that little gal would be part of any crime. Damn, she hummed doing laundry and
he just didn’t know what to think. Just as he started to fall asleep, he
decided that he needed to know what happened at the Bar and Grill.

*
* * *

Summer found bread, deli meat and cheese and made a
whole slew of sandwiches for lunch. Hopefully, Holden was getting his rest. Did
he know he was beyond handsome? He didn’t act as though he was aware of it but
some woman must have told him before.

Mark raced in, his eyes wide and he was breathing
hard. “Call a doctor!”

Alarm raced through her. “What happened?”

“Matt is hurt.”

Summer felt the blood drain from her face. Hell, she
was supposed to be watching them. “Go get Holden. I’ll see to Matt.” She didn’t
wait for a reply as she ran out the door.

Luke and John were inside the corral. Racing over,
she spotted Matt on the ground. He seemed awfully still.

Before she even reached the boys, Holden raced by
her, jumped the fence and knelt beside Matt. He examined every part of him
without moving him while she prayed that it wasn’t anything serious. Their
faces were all anxious and John had tears in his eyes.

“Holden?” He didn’t look at her. “Holden, is he
going to be all right?”