With Family In Mind (Saddle Falls Book 1) (5 page)

She cleared her throat, groping for professionalism. “Mr. Ryan—”

“It’s Tommy, lass,” he said with a gentle smile. “We don’t stand on formality around here.” He cocked his head, then frowned a bit. “You’re a finelooking lass, I must say, but just a tad too skinny. Doesn’t look like Edmund’s been taking very good care of you.” He chuckled at her stark look of surprise. “Well, I think a meal would do you good.” He glanced at his watch. It had an unusual crest on the face: a deep, bold blue enameled eagle frozen in flight,
encircled with an intricate braid of gold. She found it fascinating and couldn’t help but stare at it for a moment.

“That’s a beautiful watch, Mr. Ryan—Tommy,” she corrected with a smile.

“Aye, that it is.” He held his wrist up for her to see it better. “It’s the Ryan family crest. An important part of our history and tradition.” His smile came easily. “Something I’ll tell you about once we’ve had some lunch. It’s a good place as any to start.” He glanced around. “It’s much too quiet in here,” he said with a knowing chuckle. “I’m surprised the little lads aren’t howling to fill their bellies.”

“They have been,” Jake admitted. He still couldn’t believe his grandfather had agreed to allow Rebecca access to the family. “I sent them to wash their hands and take Ruth for a walk.”

“Aye, and what did you promise them for doing the deed proper, Son?” Eyes twinkling, Tommy glanced at Jake. “Is it ice cream or cookies this time?”

“Extra ice cream,” Jake admitted with a shameless grin.

Tommy nodded. “A good bribe works as well as any other, I suppose—if it gets the deed done.” He winked. “It always worked with you.” He turned to Rebecca. “Stay for lunch, Rebecca. It will give us all a chance to become better acquainted before you begin. Details are always worked out best on a full stomach I’ve found.” Tommy took her hand. “Come along now, lass.” He glanced pointedly at Jake, then leaned close to whisper loudly in her ear, “The boy, well,
he’s the eldest and I adore him, but his bite’s not nearly as bad as his bark.”

Feeling a bit more relaxed, Rebecca laughed. “Well, I don’t know that I agree with that,” she said, giving Jake a glance of her own. “I think I was just about to feel his bite.”

“Nah, lass, Jake’s a softie, especially for a beautiful woman.” Tommy winked at her. “Comes by it naturally—he inherited his charm from me.” He frowned a bit. “But the poor lad can’t cook.” Tommy sighed, his custom-made, gold-handled cane clicking softly on the marble floor as he made his way toward the kitchen with Rebecca in tow. “And if there’s lunch to be made, I suppose I’ll be making it, since Mrs. Taylor, our cook and housekeeper, is off today.”

Tommy held on to her hand as he led her toward the kitchen. “Now tell me, lass, where is it you’re staying?”

“At the Saddle Falls Hotel.”

Tommy laughed. “It’s a Ryan property, lass, one of many, but a bit of a trip back and forth into town, don’t you think? Especially if you’re going to be doing most of your work, your research and interviews and such, out here.” His brows drew together in thought. “There’s a little coach house at the back of the ranch. It’s been empty for years now, but I think with a little elbow grease we can make it comfortable for you. I’m sure if I give Mrs. Taylor a ring—she lives on the ranch too—I can convince her to take a stab at freshening the place up a bit for you.”

Rebecca’s steps slowed. Shock shifted her heart into double time.

The little coach house.

The house she and her mother had once lived in. Rebecca’s eyelids shut and she felt as if the floor dipped beneath her as she valiantly struggled to get her surging emotions under control. With some effort, she forced herself to take slow, deep breaths.

“You…you want me to stay
here?
” It had never occurred to her that she might one day actually be able to go back to her home, for she still thought of that little four-room coach house as
home.

It had been the only home she’d ever really known.

Fear and joy mingled—fear at returning to a place where her life had been shattered. Joy at returning to the one and only place she’d ever felt safe.

Memories once again threatened to overwhelm her. Too many emotions were swarming and converging, too many to separate or understand right now. So she buried them, as she’d learned to do for so many years, forcing herself to focus only on the tangible and the practical, what she needed to do her job. “I don’t want to be any trouble, Tommy.”

“No trouble, lass. Like Jake, Mrs. Taylor’s bark is worse than her bite.” He winced a bit. “Most days,” he added with a grin. “But this seems the only sensible thing. All my notes, papers and the like are in my office here at the house, and with all the boys living on different schedules, you’ll have plenty of access to them if you’re right here on the grounds. And there should be plenty of room in the coach house to be comfortable. It’s small, but more than adequate, I think. You can take your meals with us, spend time with the family and really get to know the Ryans so
that you can do the job proper.” He frowned suddenly. “I don’t like the idea of you having to drive back and forth into town every day, and then again at night.” Tommy glanced at her with obvious concern. “Unless the idea doesn’t appeal to you?”

“No. No.” She shook her head, pressed a hand to her tummy to try and still the roiling. “I’d…love to stay here on the ranch. It’s very generous of you, but I don’t want to be any trouble.”

“No trouble at all, lass, “Tommy said. “It’s selfish, since it’ll save me from worrying about you driving into town at night. It’s not that far, but these roads are deserted and winding, and dangerous at night if you don’t know your way. I think this will be for the best.” He turned toward Jake. “Don’t you agree, Son?”

Jake hesitated a moment, then saw the look in his grandfather’s eyes. There was something there he hadn’t seen in years: sadness and an odd kind of plea that tore at Jake’s heart. He sighed.

Obviously, Tommy had a reason for doing this. His grandfather never did anything without a good reason. Jake couldn’t and wouldn’t deny or refuse his grandfather anything. None of them could. Not even if it meant doing something they didn’t particularly want to do.

“If you think it’s for the best, Tommy,” he said with resignation.

“I do, Son. I do.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Rebecca shook her head, then offered Tommy a brilliant smile. “Thank you.

“You’re more than welcome.” He patted her hand, met her gaze, held it. “Just do a fine job of it, lass. That’s all I ask.”

“I’ll do my very best,” she promised, meaning it.

He glanced over his shoulder at his grandson. “After lunch, Jake can go into town to help you move your things out. Since you’ll be needing some general background information, and Jake’s got a bit of time on his hands, I think we’ll put him in charge of helping you get started. He can be your liaison to the family background and such.”

Jake was home—for the moment. He traveled the country searching for and checking out both buildings and businesses to acquire for the family.

“Help her?” Jake frowned. “You want me to help her?” How could he help Rebecca and not feel like a traitor to his family? He blew out an exasperated breath, reminding himself that this was important to Tommy. “I don’t know how much time I’ll have or how much help I’ll be.” He hesitated, trying to think of a plausible excuse. “I’ve got…things to do.” And at the moment anything else seemed preferable.

Tommy nodded his head. “Aye, we all do, Son. We all do. But Jared’s in Lathrop until tomorrow buying feed, and between his taking care of the twins and the ranch here, I’d say he’s got his hands full. And you know Josh is taking care of the hotel full-time now until he finds a proper manager, and with all the other family businesses he’s handling, I don’t imagine he’s got any time. Besides, with so much of his work in town, he’s been staying in town most nights to do it. Since he’s only home on the weekends, I don’t see
him being of much help.” Tommy smiled. “So that leaves just you and me. And the twins.” The old man’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “If you’d like, Jake, I can run into town with Rebecca, help her get moved in and started, but that means
you’ll
have to baby-sit the twins until Jared returns in the morning—”

“No!” The word exploded out of Jake’s mouth and he openly shuddered. “I’m not old enough to spend an entire day and night with those two.” He shook his head again, appalled at the mere thought of being the twins’ sole caretaker. He’d rather go ten rounds with a rabid rabbit than be in charge of caring for the darling delinquents. They’d almost done him in this morning. Not that he didn’t love them dearly, but they had a penchant for mischief and mayhem, and had gone through ten nannies in less than ten months— which was why he was waiting to interview a new one this morning.

The twins had earned the moniker delinquents fair and square, as far as he was concerned.

He glanced at Rebecca, weighing the lesser of two evils. If nothing else, at least she was easier on the eyes, not that he found the thought of helping her any more appealing.

“This is important, Jake,” Tommy said, meeting his grandson’s troubled gaze. “I want the family history recorded properly before it’s time to meet my maker.” He shrugged and his face held a hint of sadness. “I always thought I’d get around to it one day, but time’s slipping by me.”

Just the thought of possibly losing his grandfather
one day sent a ripple of icy fear through Jake. The thought was inconceivable.

Tommy had always been their stability and security, the rock they all clung to. First, when Jesse had disappeared, and the family had been shattered; then a second time, less than ten years later, when their parents had been killed in a plane crash, leaving him, Jared and Josh orphans.

It was Tommy who had held them together, instilled family tradition, taught them that family was sacred.

They not only loved their grandfather, they respected and admired him. If Tommy had willingly agreed to do this, it
must
be important to him.

Jake sighed, dragging a hand through his hair, tousling it further. Maybe he didn’t understand Tommy’s reason right now, but maybe he didn’t need to. The fact that his grandfather wanted this was reason enough.

At least for now.

Swallowing his pride, Jake glanced at Rebecca before shifting his gaze back to his grandfather, swallowing the protest he’d been about to utter.

“I’ll be happy to help.” He almost choked on the words, but managed to get them out.
Happy
wasn’t quite the term he’d use to describe how he felt about helping Rebecca, never mind having her underfoot every day, prying into personal family business. But it would do for the moment.

“That’s my boy.” Tommy beamed at him as he clamped a hearty hand on Jake’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I knew I could count on you, son.”

“Always, Tommy.” Jake’s gaze shifted to Rebecca
again and his eyes narrowed. For some odd reason there was something about this woman that set him on edge. What, he didn’t know.

It only made him more determined to find out what the hell she really wanted. And he wasn’t about to let her beautiful face or that glorious body distract him.

He hoped.

He’d tangled with a beautiful, deceptive damsel in distress once before, and he wasn’t a man who ever forgot a hard-learned lesson.

No Ryan was.

For his grandfather’s sake, he’d help Rebecca as he’d promised, and maybe in helping her, he could keep an eye on her, find out what she was really up to. Because one thing was certain—she wasn’t telling them the truth, at least not the
whole
truth.

And he wasn’t about to let her, or anyone else, hurt Tommy or the family. At least not in his lifetime.

Not again.

Jake scowled, remembering another woman who had sad, haunting eyes, another damsel who’d wiggled her way into his heart with lies and deception. In disgust, he vowed not to fall into that trap again.

He’d been young and foolish then, but he wasn’t now, and Diana had taught him a lesson he never intended to forget. When he’d met her, he’d been totally taken in by her sweetness. She’d ensnared him easily because it had never occurred to him that she could be deliberately deceiving him, or using him. He wasn’t accustomed to dealing with those kinds of people, and up until that point, had taken women at face value.

Not anymore.

When he’d first met Diana, he’d been mesmerized by her beauty, her apparent fragility, very quickly falling head over heels in love with her. Wanting her to be part of his life, he’d brought her home, introduced her to the family and paved the way for her so that she’d feel comfortable.

Little did he know that she was merely using him, had deliberately arranged their meeting. Had pretended to love him merely to get close to the Ryan family and get enough information to write an article about them—a kind of “how are they now” piece that came out around the tenth anniversary of Jesse’s disappearance.

When Jake realized she was a reporter, and had used him to get to his family and garner information she might not otherwise have accessed, he’d been devastated. She admitted she’d never felt anything for him, and had merely been play-acting all for the sake of the story. It had hurt more than he could have believed. More importantly, he’d felt both guilty and foolish. Guilty because he’d exposed his family to her and her vicious manipulating, and foolish because he’d let a beautiful woman with sad eyes hoodwink him.

He may have been naive up until then, but not anymore.

Never again would he let a woman get close to his family like that, not unless he was absolutely certain who she was and what her intentions were. His family was far too important to him.

Shaking his head, Jake blinked away the painful
memory of Diana, focusing on Rebecca, trying not to be swayed by that beautiful face and body.

One damn damsel in distress had already burned him, and he still bore the scars. He wasn’t up to going another round.

Not ever.

He would help Rebecca as he’d promised, he decided grimly, but only because he’d never break a promise, especially to his grandfather.