The Reluctant Texas Rancher (Harlequin American Romance) (7 page)

His gaze drifted over her, taking in her black sheath dress, pale pink cardigan and heels. Ever so slowly, he returned to her eyes. “Why do you care?”

Liz lifted her chin. “Because what is happening to you is an injustice.”

He sent her a level look. “And injustice happens all the time.”

“Not on my watch.”

He came closer, appearing ready to show her the door. To what had until recently been her private domain!

Gently, he spun her around and directed her forward. “As you pointed out,” he said, his warm breath brushing her ear, “I’m not
on
your watch.” He dropped his hand and moved back. “Not any longer.”

Feeling as if she had been burned, Liz turned right back around. Determined to get through to him, for both their sakes, she spread her hands wide. “Look,” she said in a much more cajoling voice, “sleeping with Olympia Herndon…sleeping with any client…was obviously a mistake.”
Just like my taking on your case was.
But that didn’t mean they couldn’t remedy the situation.

Not that Travis looked in any way ready to cooperate with her, she realized in aggravation.

He lifted an eyebrow. “A mistake you would never make. Right?”

His sarcasm stung, even if it was on point.

Liz nodded, keeping her gaze level with his. “Right,” she drawled, her voice every bit as goading as his had been.

Travis came closer, his expression like that of a lion stalking his prey. Slowly, deliberately, he grasped her elbows. “Sure about that?” he asked in a low, silky voice.

Liz swallowed, every inch of her going on white-hot alert. “Wh-what are you doing?” She stepped away, aware she was holding her breath.

He slowly danced her backward, toward the wall. “Putting your willpower and integrity to the test.”

The feel of his tall, muscular frame pressed up against her trembling body sent a shimmer of need sifting through her. “Travis…”

He brushed his thumb along her jaw, then her lips, the soft pressure encouraging them to part. “I’m not your client anymore, Liz.” He touched his mouth to hers, all too briefly. “I’m not even your friend.”

He bent his head and kissed her again, his lips tenderly coaxing and recklessly taking, his sensual mouth moving over hers, until she wreathed her arms about his neck and kissed him back every bit as passionately as he was kissing her.

When he finally lifted his head, she asked breathlessly, “What is your point?”

“That I’m human,” he told her gruffly, tracing the contours of her face and looking deep into her eyes. “And so are you.” Travis kissed her again, letting all the emotion he’d been holding back flow into the potent embrace.

Liz had always wondered what it would have been like if she and Travis had started dating when they were a lot older. When sex was more a way to connect with someone than a forbidden mystery.

Now she knew.

“We’re going to regret this,” she murmured, even as she savored the sensations he sent spiraling through her body.

“I know.” He wrapped his arms around her and brought her flush against him. Brushing her hair aside, he kissed his way down her throat.

Liz reveled in the feel of him, so hard and hot and masculine. She turned her lips back to his. “It’ll never happen again.”

He chuckled, already guiding her toward the bed. “I know you think that,” he murmured. And then their kisses intensified, until he was all she felt, all she knew, and there was no denying she wanted this. Wanted him. With all her heart and soul.

For the first time in her life, she let herself go, let the heat slash through her. The only sound in the room was their heavy breathing as they undressed each other and tumbled onto the bed.

Liz writhed beneath his touch, her own fingers finding the hard, sensitive places on his body. They rolled again and then he was dropping lower, until he was at the apex of her thighs. She gasped and caught his head, shuddering helplessly and gasping for air. But there was no rushing him, not even when he paused to find a condom and roll it on. Not when he lingered over her breasts and slid between her thighs.

He took her where she wanted to go with seemingly no effort at all, diving deep. The sensations filled her with an intense driving need, and they surged together in sweet, perfect unison until she lost track of everything but the need to surrender to the blinding pleasure of the moment.

Afterward, they lay together, quiet…breathless. And that was when Liz’s cell phone rang.

Happy for the distraction—anything to keep her from thinking too hard or too long about what she had just done—she reached for her BlackBerry. Noted the caller ID. Sighed.

Draping the sheet around her, she moved from the bed. Clicked on. “J.T. Good morning to you, too. No, I haven’t submitted anything to the city yet. And I’m not going to until after I talk to the pool company and the surveyor and the town engineer about possible solutions to your problem.” She rubbed her temples as J.T. prattled on. “Maybe not, but it never hurts to try to forge a solution that satisfies everyone before heading to court. I understand. Give me until Thursday to see what I can work out, and we’ll meet in my office. Um…four o’clock okay with you? All right. See you then.”

Liz touched the screen with her fingertip and ended the call.

Feeling a little more in control, now that she was back to business, she glanced over her shoulder at Travis, who was still lounging in the bed. Looking incredibly satisfied and content.

“This was a mistake.”

Now that she had her wits about her, she couldn’t believe she had allowed him to make love with her to prove a point. And that she was so susceptible to his hot, passionate advances.

Travis exhaled roughly and sat up. “You said that already.”

Liz snatched up her clothes and went into the bathroom to dress.

When she came out, she picked up where they had left off. “We’re like oil and water.”

Travis snapped the buttons on his shirt. Tucked it into his jeans. “I thought we mixed pretty well just now.”

She slid her feet into her heels. “Don’t joke.”
Not about my vulnerability, or yours—and certainly not about the loneliness that drove us to do this....

Because if either of them was in love with anyone else, this would not have happened.

Travis sobered and silence stretched between them.

Liz knew if she wasn’t careful she would fall all the way in love with him. “I want you to hire someone else to represent you.”

Travis shook his head, his jaw rigid. “There’s no point. It’s a ‘he said, she said’ situation. I don’t want my family name dragged through the muck.”

Liz stared at him in frustration. “You have Dobbs willing to testify on your behalf.”

Travis shrugged off the coup. “I know my former bosses. They’ll muddy the waters as much as they feel necessary to succeed in winning this lawsuit for Olympia, and keeping the Herndon Oil business in-house.”

He shoved his fingers through his hair. “If she hadn’t gone public with the affair, who knows what might have happened…but it’s clear now she’ll stop at nothing to trash my name and reputation. And there is a point,” he concluded grimly, “where it’s just not worth it.”

Liz shook her head in admonishment. “You’d give up the law?” she asked incredulously. “Because that’s what is at stake here, Travis—your license to practice.”

He was silent a beat too long. “There are times when it’s more important to keep your dignity and self-respect than cling to some hard-won goal.” His words were short and clipped. “This is one of them.”

“I
HAVE
A
BETTER
IDEA
,” Liz declared.

Travis lifted his head, unable to match her resolve. “Yeah? And what’s that?”

His mood grim, he located his boots and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Vibrating with energy, Liz came closer, watching as he shoved his feet into them.

Finished, Travis looked up at her, resting a forearm on his knee. Hard to believe he had just made love to her—this feisty, beautiful woman he’d never suspected would let herself go.

But she had opened up the floodgates of desire. And he couldn’t get over it.

The Liz he had known before had backed off after a few kisses, too much of a kid to enjoy them. The grown-up Liz clearly reveled in kisses.

Had the circumstances been different, he’d have her back in his bed right now, proving his desire for her, all over again. Just to make sure she knew it was as genuine as his growing attraction to her.

But that wasn’t going to happen.

Not this morning, anyway.

Not with chores and cattle waiting, and the world outside already crowding in.

Liz offered a hand, pulling him to his feet. “Let’s fight ’em with all our might.”

Travis rubbed his jaw, considering. “I thought you’d quit.”

She finger combed her hair restoring order. “I’ve decided I want back in.”

He found her a brush. “As my lawyer or my lover?”

“Lawyer.” She walked to the mirror to repair the damage the roll in the sack had done, and she caught his eyes in the glass. “The lover business still has to go.”

Travis came up behind her, with effort keeping his hands to himself. Quietly, he challenged, “Suppose I’d rather have the latter?”

Liz turned and slapped the brush back in his palm. She glided past him in a drift of lavender perfume, being careful not to touch him. “You’re not thinking clearly right now, so I’m going to forget you said that.” She paused a safe distance away, then stated, “What I would like you to do is this—authorize me to contact HB&R on your behalf, and tell them we are prepared to not only deny all charges but file a countersuit for unlawful termination against Haverty, Brockman & Roberts. Plus a defamation suit against Olympia Herndon.”

Travis studied her, admiring her never-ever-give-up attitude. “And you think this will get us…?”

“For starters? A much better bargaining position. And a delay in anything being filed. That will give us time to do a little sleuthing and strategizing on our own, as well as prepare for the deposition they are likely to insist upon, before all is said and done.”

“I’ve already told you everything that’s relevant.”

“I doubt it,” Liz replied airily, making sure her appearance was intact before she headed out the door. “But before we’re done—” she paused to glance deep into Travis’s eyes “—I promise that you will.”

Chapter Seven

Determined to get a quick and easy solution for at least one of her clients, Liz looked at the men sitting around the conference table in her office. “The three of you have the power to fix this problem,” she told them sternly.

Steve Wylin, from Custom Pools, threw up his hands. “I already designed what J.T. wanted.”

Liz held Steve’s gaze. “You know the town is never going to allow him to have a swimming pool in his front yard.”

Clyde Burns, the town planner, turned to Liz. “Which is why you should convince J.T. to table the whole thing.”

“I agree with that,” J.T.’s neighbor, Tim Patrone, said, looking as irritated as ever. “Furthermore, why isn’t J.T. here?”

“Because he is too emotional right now to be in on this conversation.” Liz frowned. “And the three of you should show some compassion.” She leaned forward earnestly. “Imagine you had lost the love of your life, your constant companion for the last forty years. You’d be grief-stricken and overemotional, too.”

“I don’t see it as our problem,” Clyde argued.

“Well, it’s not. Except…” Liz deliberately made eye contact with all three men “…if you don’t work together to find a solution, the three of you will likely be embroiled in a lengthy battle.” She paused to let her warning sink in. “’Cause I know J.T. He is not going to give up on this idea.”

Silence fell.

“On the other hand,” she continued, more gently now, “if the three of you put your heads together and figure out a solution that captures the essence of what J.T. is trying to do, and would be acceptable to the neighborhood, then I am sure I can convince him to scale back his expectations and accept your proposal in the spirit that it is given.”

The men exhaled and exchanged looks.

“It can’t hurt to try,” Clyde said finally.

“Deep down, he is a good guy,” Tim added. “Just eccentric.”

“And I would still like to sell a pool,” Steve admitted.

This, they all knew, was the only way it would happen.

“So we’re in agreement?” Liz asked, standing.

The men nodded. Handshakes sealed the deal.

Liz was in the process of showing them all out when the door opened and Travis walked in.

Though she had promised herself she would be immune to him emotionally from here on out, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him.

He was still wearing the ranch clothes he’d had on that morning, only now the chambray shirt and denim jeans were covered with smudges of dirt and grass stains, and the stubble on his handsome jaw looked even silkier. It gave him a ruggedly sexy appeal.

Telling herself to ignore her reaction, she said, “Everything okay?”

He nodded, his attention on ranch matters once again. “We’ve got fifty calves that are now a month old. They need their first set of vaccinations, and your mom wants it done this evening.”

Uh-oh. “It’s a two-person job, even after you get them separated from their mamas,” Liz said.

He nodded. “I offered to bring in an extra hand, but Reba refused to hear of it. She said that tradition requires a Cartwright woman be part of the inoculating team.”

Liz sensed a matchmaking scheme kicking into high gear. “Let me guess… Mom volunteered me over Faye Elizabeth’s protests.” Without bothering to check Liz’s schedule. So what was new?

Travis gave her a look that said
I wish.
He shook his head. “
She’s
going to do it.”

Liz groaned. “And likely reaggravate her sciatica in the process.”

“I agree it’s a bad idea.” Travis hissed out a breath and shrugged. “But Reba’s running the ranch....”

Liz came closer, inhaling the man-leather-and-horse scent of him. She stared at his broad shoulders. Shoulders that right now were carrying too much. “So Mom gets to make all the decisions.”

Travis acknowledged that with a slight bow of his head. “You could change that. All you’d have to do is take over the reins, like your family wants....”

Liz drew a shaky breath and gave up trying to explain her resistance to being put in charge. She had too much responsibility on her own shoulders right now. “It’s not that simple and you know it.”

His eyes filled with understanding, and he touched her cheek. “I do.” Emotional connection made, he dropped his hand, stepped back. “But I’m also not in a position to tell your mother what to do. My job—at the moment, anyway—is to follow orders. And right now I’m on my way over to the vet’s office to pick up the vaccines that Reba ordered this morning.”

Tingling from the brief, tender contact, Liz beckoned him toward her private office. “Aren’t you going to ask about your case?”

He fell into step behind her. “I figured if there was anything to report, you’d tell me.”

Liz sighed. “I faxed the letter threatening counterlitigation this morning, and I gave them until five o’clock to respond.”

Travis grinned, appreciating the legal gamesmanship. “Which means they’ll send something at 4:57.”

“Probably.” Liz answered his cryptic smile with one of her own. “In the meantime…tell Mom not to sweat it, that I’ll help you with the inoculations this evening.”

Travis frowned, looking as reluctant to overburden her as she was to overwork him. “Sure about that?” he drawled.

Trying not to get too excited about the evening—it would be hard work, after all, and lots of it—Liz nodded. “Absolutely. By then, the initial response of opposing counsel should be in.” For a moment, she indulged in a romantic whim and let her gaze linger on the rugged contours of his face. “We can talk about what our next step should be while we work.”

L
IZ
PHONED
HER
MOTHER
as soon as Travis left, and told her she’d be coming back to the ranch shortly. “But there is something I want from you in return....”

“You’re sure J.T. wants company tonight?” Reba asked.

“It doesn’t matter, Mom. He needs it. And if you want me at the ranch, you’re going to have to help me keep him out of trouble.”

Her mother chuckled. “Doesn’t sound like I have any choice. I’ll get right on it.”

An hour and a half later, Liz drove up to the ranch house.

Her grandmother’s sedan was parked in front of the house, its trunk open. Tillie was loading cleaning supplies, a vacuum cleaner and a mop. Faye Elizabeth was putting in a cooler and two insulated food carriers for hot dishes.

Liz moved quickly to lend a hand. “What’s going on?”

Tillie frowned. “Have you been in J. T. Haskell’s home recently?”

“No.” Liz tensed, leery of receiving any more bad news. “Why?”

Faye Elizabeth leaned close. “Reba called from town. Apparently, it’s a complete disaster. The fridge is empty except for cookies and beer. No wonder the man’s a mess. Apparently, he hasn’t had a decent meal since he can’t remember when.”

Tillie got in the passenger seat. “The man needs help and we’re going to give it to him. And we’d do it even if we didn’t owe him.”

Liz knew that was true. Life in Laramie County was all about neighbor helping neighbor. Still… “Did J.T. agree to that?”

Tillie grinned. “From what I heard, your mother didn’t give him much choice. Besides, what man in his right mind turns down Faye Elizabeth’s home cooking?”

Good point,
Liz thought. “How long are you going to be gone?”
And how long will Travis and I be alone out here?

“Don’t know.” Her grandmother shrugged. “We’ll call.”

Liz could see Travis working in the pasture closest to the barn. As always, he was a sight to behold—the picture of raw capability and masculine efficiency. And it looked as if he had his hands full at the moment.

The cows were on one side of the fence, their calves already in the corral. Moos of displeasure echoed across the countryside.

While the ladies drove off, Liz hurried inside the ranch house to change.

By the time she got out to the corral where the chute was located, the frantic mooing and calling of cows and calves had escalated.

Travis glanced up at her. “Ready to get started?”

Trying not to think what it would be like to have him here on a permanent basis, Liz nodded.

If she was going to keep from falling into bed with him again, she was definitely going to have to burn off some emotional energy.

She pulled on her leather work gloves. “Let’s get to it.”

Together, they headed toward the pasture.

Around sixty-five pounds at birth, the calves now weighed about a hundred and ten. They were used to being handled gently, as all the Four Winds cattle were, so showed little fear as Travis approached them one by one and maneuvered them onto their side. He held them firmly while Liz administered the five inoculations, starting with IBR/P13 into each nostril. The vaccinations for haemophilus, pasteurella, leptospirosis and clostridial disease were given intramuscularly.

When she’d finished, they let the calf up and turned it into another corral, with troughs of water and creep feed.

Then on to the next.

Forty-nine more times, they administered protection and turned the baby calves out to feed. All the while, their mothers mooed and paced and watched protectively from the other side of the fence.

Finally, it was all done.

Liz opened the corral gates, and Travis shooed the calves through. Mamas and babies were reunited in the adjacent pasture, and suddenly the ranch was serenely quiet once again.

Liz turned to him. Though filthy, sweaty and smelling of cows, she had never been happier.

He looked pretty satisfied, too, and gazed at her in gratitude. “How about we both get cleaned up and meet at the ranch house?”

He hadn’t so much as touched her, yet his glance warmed her through and through.

Liz smiled. “Sounds good to me,” she said.

F
ORTY
-
FIVE
MINUTES
LATER
, Liz cradled the phone to her ear. “What do you mean, you’re not coming home ’til midnight?” she demanded of her mother, waving Travis into the Four Winds kitchen with her free hand.

Reba shouted to be heard above the voices in the background. “The evening is young and we’ve decided to teach J.T. to play SKIP-BO.” There was a chorus of laughter. “Can you believe he’s never learned?”

Liz knew the card game was incredibly popular with senior citizens in Laramie, far surpassing the old standbys of bridge and poker. “It sounds like fun, Mom. You all be careful driving home.”

Reba chuckled flirtatiously and murmured something to J.T. that Liz couldn’t quite catch. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, honey. You don’t need to worry about that. Of course we will. And don’t wait up.” She ended the call.

Travis came closer.

Darkness had fallen outside, but the kitchen lights cast a cozy golden glow, making the room feel close and intimate.

A sensation made more so by the tall, rugged man smelling of soap.

He sauntered closer, his eyes filled with the easy affection he showed to all his friends. “Everything okay?”

Telling herself that was all they would be—friends—Liz took the lid off the Crock-Pot. The mouthwatering aroma of a hearty beef stew filled the room.

Ignoring the pebbling of her nipples against her bra, she bent to look in the silverware drawer. “Seems to be. The ladies are staying in town to play cards with J.T., so they won’t be home until later.”

Accepting her wordless offer to help himself to the food on the counter, Travis filled his plate. “You’re surprised.”

Liz took butter and jam out of the fridge, along with a pitcher of mint-flavored iced tea, and set them on the table next to the cloth-covered basket of sourdough biscuits. “It sounded like J.T. was actually having fun.”

“Three Cartwright women plying him with good food and better company? What’s not to like? And yet…you don’t trust it.”

Liz sat down opposite Travis. She spread her napkin on her lap, glad she had someone other than family to confide in. “I’m happy J.T. is getting some respite from his grief.”

Travis forked up a tender carrot dripping in gravy. “But you don’t think it will last, do you.”

Reluctantly, Liz admitted, “No. Unfortunately, I don’t.” She took a bite and found the stew to be as melt-in-your-mouth delicious as it smelled. “But I’ll take the reprieve.”

“Speaking of difficult situations…”

They had planned to talk while they worked, but it had proved impossible. At times during the inoculations the noise had been damn near deafening.

Liz took a deep breath, sat back in her chair and forced herself into lawyer mode. “The only thing I got was an email at the end of the day, telling me that opposing counsel plan to talk with Olympia. Everything is on hold until she has a chance to weigh in, and they don’t expect that to be until late Friday, at the earliest.”

Travis’s brows lowered angrily. “They’re stalling and strategizing. Their next move will probably be to call a face-to-face meeting.”