Dirty Little Secret

by Jennifer Ryan

  “Tom propositioned her the same day we buried John and read the will. He had a hotel all set up for them to meet. She told me he was thinking with the wrong head, so she made sure he’d use the right one the next time he saw her.”

  Austin burst out laughing, drawing everyone’s eyes from the crowd dispersed around them. “I see why you like her.”

  “She’s not what you expect when you see her. You look at her and every thought turns to sex. Then, you talk to her, find out about her life, and all you think about is how someone with her background has such a kind, generous heart. You’ll see.” He nodded toward the ballroom double doors.

  They stared down the aisle between the white-draped dinner tables to the beautiful woman standing alone, outshining everyone in the room.

  “Damn.” Austin’s hand slammed down on Noah’s shoulder and squeezed. “You were right, I’ve got her laid out on white sheets, all that black hair spread over the pillow, and she’s . . .” Austin gasped and sucked in a quick breath when Noah’s elbow connected with his gut.

  “She’s mine,” Noah stated, never taking his eyes off Roxy.

  She looked like a midnight dream in her black dress that sparkled silver in the light. He had no idea how it did that, but when she moved, it shimmered. The top draped and hugged her full breasts. The material met at the edge of her shoulders and the sleeves were slit down the outside, meeting at her wrists. Unlike the rest of the dress, he could see through the sleeves to her golden arms. The rest of the dress skimmed her curves and ended just above her knees, the see-through material going on to just below. His eyes skimmed down her gorgeous legs to her pretty feet in a pair of silver strapped high heels.

  “You say she’s yours,” Austin challenged. “Let’s see what she has to say.”

  Roxy scanned the crowd, searching for Noah. He caught her eye and her whole face lit up with her brilliant smile. The relief in her eyes made his heart soar.

  “Take your best shot,” Noah challenged. “She’ll shoot you down.” Because she loves me. His heart swelled with the absolute truth in that thought.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Roxy hated being the center of attention, but the moment she stepped into the ballroom, everyone’s eyes focused on her. She kept her head held high and reminded herself not to fidget.

  Show no weakness.

  Even though she expected the stares and whispers, it still unsettled her.

  With Noah by her side, she could get through this evening. Hopefully, people would hold their tongues and Noah wouldn’t end up punching someone.

  Sweet, the way he stood up for her all the time.

  Still, she didn’t want it to become a habit he had to repeat the rest of his life.

  Her heart soared the minute she saw him, standing with the blond man she’d seen him with at the funeral. Noah’s eyes landed on her, scanned from head to foot, and even from this distance, she felt the heat in his gaze. He liked the dress. She smiled and started toward him, dodging a waiter and two couples involved in a boisterous conversation.

  Instead of coming for her, Noah stood back and his friend walked toward her, a very intense look on his face. Serious blue eyes held hers. She stopped in front of him and waited.

  “I planned to lead with the whole, ‘Are you a hooker?’ thing, but I’ve thought better of it.”

  “Refreshing.” She kept an open mind and tried not to read anything into his intense stare.

  “Thanks. I’d hate to be lumped in with everyone else you’ve met.”

  The smile caught her off guard. It changed everything about him, softened the intensity surrounding him, and made him less cold.

  “You mean everyone in this town who’s staring at us, wondering if we’re coming to terms on a wild night of meaningless sex?”

  He held out his hand and she accepted it without reservation. If he was important to Noah, she’d give him a chance. “Austin Hubbard.”

  “Roxy Cordero. Infamous non-hooker and John’s secret daughter.” She shook, then released his hand. “So, Austin, best friend and protector, here to check me out and see if I’m good enough to be with Noah, did I pass?”

  “Not yet,” he answered truthfully. “I want to know if you’re running some game on him, or if you’re the real deal.”

  “All I want is him. Clear enough?”

  “I guess since you got the lion’s share of the ranch, you don’t need his money.”

  “Everything I need comes straight from his heart. If he decides I’m not worth that, I’ll leave him be.”

  “Word is, you can’t leave the ranch.”

  “It’s a big place. Two people could live on that spread and never see each other. The thing is, I like seeing Noah every day. What I don’t like is anyone thinking they can hurt him because of me, or what they think of me. I hate that people are talking behind his back and tarnishing his good name. I love the way he defends me, but despise the need for him to do so. I came here tonight so people could see me and make up their minds. What I didn’t come here to do is stir up any more rumors, or give people cause to think I’m doing something I’m not. So, if you’ll excuse me, the longer we stand here together, the more everyone is speculating about us. I’m going to join Noah.”

  She stepped away, but he grabbed her arm and held her still.

  “Smile at me, like we’re friends.” When she hesitated, he added, “Please.”

  She smiled and held up her end of the show. “Noah and I have been friends since we had training wheels on our bikes. Noah said you’re not what people expect. Even though I agree with him, I’d take his word over anyone else’s on anything. Which is why, in this case, I had to make sure. I didn’t know if he was seeing you the way he wants you to be, or seeing the real you.”

  “Noah is one of the few people who took the time to get to know me. For that reason and a thousand others, I’d do anything for him. Satisfied?”

  “Completely. Sorry. You understand.”

  “Completely,” she mimicked and made him laugh.

  She snuck a glance at their avid audience. “I expected the stares. Why are so many pointed at you?”

  “You’re not the only one who can stir up gossip.” He winked and held out his elbow for her to take his arm. She did, and he led her straight toward Noah. “Look at the way he looks at you. He’s got it bad.”

  “He’s not the only one,” she answered his unspoken question.

  A distinguished gentleman with silver hair and Austin’s distinct blue eyes stepped in front of them and blocked their path. The muscles in Austin’s arm stiffened beneath her hand. He shifted to go around, but the other man sidestepped and blocked them again.

  “It’s not bad enough you’ve become the town drunk, now you’re cavorting with whores in front of family, friends, and business associates.” Those were fighting words.

  Roxy immediately disliked this man.

  Austin’s eyes narrowed. His jaw firmed, muscles ticked in his cheek. Everything about him went on the defensive like some wild animal alerted to a threat.

  Austin sucked in an angry breath, gearing up for an argument, but she cut him off, hoping to avoid a scene. Only family could push your buttons like this.

  “Mr. Hubbard, we haven’t been introduced. I’m Roxy Cordero. Owner of the Speckled Horse Ranch.”

  “I make it my business to know the people of this community. And we all know the Wild Rose Ranch is where you really work.”

  “In this case, you’ve been grossly misinformed.” Noah joined them and defended her. Again. “Roxy is a businesswoman, ranch owner, and championship barrel racer. You’ll treat her with respect.” Noah’s hot glare could melt steel.

  “There is nothing respectful about a place like that.”

  Roxy couldn’t help herself and blurted out, “Been there, have you?” When his eyes went wide with shock and disgust, she knew he’d never debase his self-perceived untarnished character. Lisa and Cheryl contributed to the gossip, but one person had crossed
a legal line. And a reckoning with him was coming. “No. Tom spilled all the dirty secrets to you and everyone else because I wouldn’t sleep with him. Funny, you receive information from someone so willing to sell out his clients and their privacy and take him at his word. You accuse me of something I’ve never done, and dismiss me with disdain and no chance to prove you wrong.”

  “John should have kept you a secret instead of inviting you into his home and this community.”

  Noah took a menacing step forward, but she held him back with her hand on his arm.

  “Secrets never stay hidden long. I wonder what secrets you’re hiding.”

  He glared. “I’ll not be one of those men whispering my secrets to you in bed.”

  “My standards are much too high.”

  He gasped and Noah and Austin smiled beside her.

  “This is the company you keep?” Mr. Hubbard asked Austin.

  “Yeah, I have better friends than family. I’ve only known her ten minutes and already I like her more than I ever liked you.”

  Mr. Hubbard glared at her again. “He doesn’t have a penny to his name. No job. No prospects. Nothing but a piece of land he’s too stubborn to sell for his own good.”

  Roxy caught the undercurrent and the spark of something in the old man’s eyes. “A piece of land you covet,” she guessed.

  His eyes went wide with surprise, but he masked it and glared at Austin. “One day you’ll give up.”

  Austin puffed out his chest. “I’ll never sell it to you.”

  “Stubborn . . .”

  “Pot and kettle,” she addressed both of them. “Austin, I’m interested in this land. Sounds like there’s a story I’d like to hear.”

  Mr. Hubbard scoffed. “Like you’re interested in a plot of dirt.”

  She smiled sweetly. “I’m interested in why you are interested in this particular plot of dirt.”

  “It’s family land.” Something didn’t ring true.

  “Family lives on it,” she pointed out.

  “It’s none of your concern.”

  She held Austin’s arm and leaned into him. “Austin is my new friend. I’m making it my business.”

  Mr. Hubbard’s ears burned red with rage. “It’s not worth buying.”

  She gave Austin an assessing look, wondering if he agreed. He shrugged, not wanting to be drawn into the scene further.

  “Maybe I do want to buy it. Help a friend out, and all that, when he’s down on his luck.”

  “That land is worth far more than you’ll ever make on your back.”

  This time she had to plant her hand on Noah’s chest to hold him back.

  “You’re dangerously close to leaving in an ambulance tonight,” Noah warned.

  The crude remark stung, but she laughed it off, so others around them thought he’d made a joke. “Well, I do have more money than the collective bank accounts of everyone in this room.” She leaned in close. “Including yours.”

  She guessed at his wealth by the cut of his suit and the diamond ring and Rolex watch he wore. The boots alone probably cost him several hundred dollars. Aside from all that, she recognized the man’s arrogance. She’d seen men like him come and go from the Ranch, taking what pleasures they wanted because they felt entitled.

  This man liked hurting Austin and lording whatever secret he held about the land over Austin’s head. Beating his son meant more than family bonds and loyalty.

  “Interesting that you state the land isn’t worth buying, but is worth a lot of money.”

  Mr. Hubbard took a step closer and practically growled out, “This is family business. If you know what’s good for you, stay out of it.”

  “Moved on from degrading me to threatening women,” Austin said. “Pathetic.”

  “Yes, you are,” his father shot back.

  “I’d take Austin over a man who turns his back on family any day.” Roxy’s heart took a hit because she’d been on the receiving end of cruel cut-downs by her mother. Usually when she was drunk or stoned.

  Austin’s father glared down his nose at her. “You’ll regret crossing me.”

  She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “If Tom was willing to spill my secrets, I wonder what it will cost me to get him to spill yours.”

  Outraged, Mr. Hubbard huffed out his outrage and rushed away.

  She’d guessed right about Tom being his lawyer, too. “I want to know everything about this land and why he’s so hell-bent on getting it back from you.”

  Austin shrugged. “My grandfather willed the land to me when he died last year. My father wanted to add it to his acreage. I refused to sell because the land is from my mother’s family. I wanted something of my own, something that was a part of her. He’s pissed I won’t sell it to him, so he fired me from the family business and cut me off. That’s all.”

  “Bullshit.” She didn’t believe for a minute this was all about bad blood because the land passed to Austin and not his father.

  Roxy reached out for Noah’s hand. “Do you have any idea why Austin’s father wants that land so bad?”

  Noah linked his fingers with hers. “Because he’s a vindictive asshole. No offense, Austin.”

  Austin stuffed his hands in his pockets. “It’s the truth.”

  “I think there’s something more there.” She squeezed Noah’s hand. “It’s time to fire Tom.”

  “He deserves a hell of a lot worse for what he’s done. He should be disbarred.” Noah walked her toward a group of men who appeared very interested in them. “Ready to work the room, dispel the rumors, and schmooze the people who hold the money and influence in this town?”

  “Sounds like fun,” she groaned out.

  Austin offered encouragement. “Just like my asshole father, these people are looking for anything they can use to peg you for who they think you are. Be yourself, and you’ll do fine.”

  Noah squeezed her hand, addressed her, but raised his voice so the others overheard. “How was your business trip? Did you sort out the cable system requirements for your project?” Noah gave her an opening to discuss what she really did for a living in front of the expectant men.

  She took his lead and went with it. “It was a very successful trip. We won the bid based on several of my designs and my overall proposal.”

  “What’s this about a cable system?” one of the men asked, directing his question to Noah.

  Still, it was a start.

  “Roxy is a designer. She works for a company that makes the equipment cable systems use to get their services into people’s homes. She designs the layout of the equipment across a town or part of a city to feed those customer’s homes. I can’t really speak to all of it. It’s quite complicated, but Roxy makes it look easy. She works long hours and comes up with some complicated solutions.”

  All the men stared at her and she spent the next few minutes talking about her work and answering their questions before walking to the next group.

  Noah and Austin made a great team, ushering her around to all the people they knew, introducing her and always working her job into the conversation. When they met other ranchers, not only did they bring up her job, but Noah, and Austin once he caught on, brought up her horse training and championship wins. Any time someone even hinted at asking about the rumors, or her mother, Noah or Austin changed the subject with hardly anyone noticing. By the time dinner rolled around, she’d spoken to half the room of guests, but everyone was talking about her.

  In a different way now.

  Noah was careful never to be overly affectionate. When men showed any kind of interest, Noah kept his hand at her waist, her body tucked close to his, but never too close. He remained attentive, but not demonstrative.

  “I’m impressed.” Austin leaned in close to her ear at the table. “You really are nothing like what I expected, or what a man thinks when he first looks at you.”

  “No, I’m not. But never forget I can drink you under this table, and if I turn on the sexpot, I can have
you begging on your knees.”

  “If I’m on my knees, you’ll be begging for mercy.”

  “Stop flirting with my girlfriend,” Noah scolded Austin with a good-natured smile.

  “I can’t help myself,” Austin replied with an easy grin. “She’s so damn good to look at.”

  “Keep it to looking, or I’ll break whatever part of you touches her.”

  To show Noah she only wanted him, she gave in to her overwhelming need to touch him, reached up and slid her hand over his clean-shaven jaw, leaned in close, and whispered. “I missed you today.”

  “Not as much as I missed you. I wanted to drive you here tonight, have you to myself for a while before we walked in together. Don’t ever leave the ranch without telling me.”

  “I left you a note.”

  “I’d rather you have woken me up and told me.”

  Austin leaned into her other side. “Oh God, you two are too sweet. I think I’m getting a toothache,” Austin complained with a silly grin.

  “Dance with me.” She leaned close and squeezed Noah’s thigh.

  His nostrils flared and his eyes locked with hers.

  Austin stood and smacked Noah on the back. “You two have a good night. I’m out of here.”

  “I want to talk more about your land,” she called after Austin.

  He kept walking away, but held up a hand and waved to let her know he’d heard her, even if he was dismissive about it.

  Noah stood, held his hand out to her, helped her up, and walked her to the dance floor. She went into his strong arms, kept a respectable distance between them, and smiled up at him as they swayed to the beautiful slow song.

  “Why are you pushing Austin on this?”

  “I want to help him get back on his feet.”

  “Why?”

  She tilted her head, reading the jealousy in his eyes. “First, he’s your best friend. Second, I don’t like family turning on family over something as stupid as a piece of land. Third, I know men like Mr. Hubbard. If he wants that land, it’s for a reason. If it’s really worth something, Austin should benefit from it.”

  “Let’s forget about Austin for now. He wouldn’t accept my help. I doubt he’ll accept yours.”