One Night with the Wealthy Rancher

by Brenda Jackson

  Could he be saying that he had cared as deeply about her as she had about him? She continued to stare at Darius and noted the way he was looking back at her. Then he asked slowly, with disbelief, “And Walt actually told you that?”

  “Yes.”

  Darius released her and eased out of bed, seemingly barely able to keep the lid on raging anger. She swallowed, slowly realizing the impact of what now appeared to be a blatant lie. But why?

  “Put on some clothes. We need to talk, and this is not the place for us to do it,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. He picked up his jeans and eased into them. “Please meet me in the living room.”

  Summer stared at his back as he walked out the room.

  Darius paced his living room with his hands in tight fists. Why in the hell had Walt told Summer something like that? How could he have told her?

  He could vividly remember sharing a beer with Walt one night after their shift had ended and telling him just how much Summer had come to mean to him. Walt had sat there listening, not saying anything, mainly because Darius hadn’t given him a chance to say anything. His heart had been filled with love, and he had wanted to share those emotions with someone he had considered a friend.

  He and Walt had gotten hired around the same time and had easily become friends. He was well aware of Walt’s issues with the opposite sex because of his ex-wife’s betrayal, but Darius had overlooked them because it hadn’t been his issue or concern.

  Now he had to wonder just how deep Walt’s deception went. He knew what Summer had been told, but what about what Walt had told him about Summer, and the message she had supposedly left for him? According to Walt, Summer had left town with an older man. A rich man.

  “I’m here now.”

  Darius stopped his pacing and turned around. She stood there, not in the shorts and blouse he had taken off her earlier that night, but in one of his T-shirts that had been thrown across a chair in his room. Whether it was her intent or not, her wearing his shirt meant something to him. It was as if she was giving him an unspoken acknowledgment of their connection, a connection that had started seven years ago and by some work of miracle was back in full force.

  Making love to her over the past weeks had closed old wounds. But now he was discovering that those wounds were self-inflicted due to his belief of Walt’s lies. “Let’s sit and discuss this, please. I’m beginning to think we’ve been played.”

  He watched as she took a seat on the sofa, trying not to notice that his shirt hit her mid-thigh, and how sexy she looked in it. More than anything, he had to keep his mind on the issues at hand, issues they needed to dissect and resolve. After she was seated, instead of sitting beside her on the sofa, he took the leather wing chair that sat not far away.

  “To take up the conversation we started in bed, I want you to know, I want you to believe, that at no time did I discuss sleeping with you with Walt. There was no bet.”

  He watched her features. She held his gaze as intensely as he was holding hers. He saw in her eyes a desire to believe what he said. But…

  “Then how did he know about that night?” she asked. “He knew that you had spent the night over at my place.”

  Darius thought about her words. “He must have driven by your apartment and seen my car parked out front.”

  He could tell from her expression that she was taking his explanation into consideration, agreeing that it was possible. However, there was still lingering doubt in her eyes.

  “Why didn’t you contact me?” she then asked him. “He told me you left town and would be gone for a few days, but I never heard from you again. It was like you had scored and put me out of your life.”

  Darius leaned back in his chair. “Did he not tell you why I had to leave immediately or where I had gone?”

  “He didn’t go into any details. He just said you’d been called away on police business and would be gone a few days.”

  Darius jaw tightened. “The reason I had to leave when I did was because I got a call that Ethan had been critically injured in a car accident and was being wheeled into surgery. Since I’m his only family, I had to get to Charleston. For a while, I wasn’t sure Ethan was going to make it. I was by his bedside day and night and did not have use of my cell phone. And when I did call, I got a message that you had gotten your cell number changed.”

  He saw the shock in Summer’s gaze and before she could say anything, he knew she hadn’t known. “Walt didn’t tell me that,” she said angrily, getting to her feet. “I didn’t know.”

  Connecting his fingers in a steeple, he placed them under his chin. “When I returned to town almost two weeks later, after Ethan’s condition had stabilized, I went straight to your place from the airport, only to be told by your landlord that you had moved out a few days earlier, and that an older man in a Mercedes had picked you up and that you had left with him.”

  She nodded. “Yes, that was Karl Lindsey.”

  He paused for a second and then said, “Walt is the one who told me why you had left.”

  She shifted in her seat and his gaze was drawn to a flash of her thigh. His attention went back to her face when she said, “Yes, Walt just happened to drop by that day Karl was there, and just on the off chance you cared enough to ask, I told him that I had taken a job with Karl and would be moving to Florida for a year.”

  Darius raised a brow. “A job?”

  “Yes, Karl had been one of my regulars at the restaurant. He’s a writer. He offered me a job as his assistant, editing and organizing his notes. He had offered me the same job before but Tyrone had forced me to turn it down. When I hadn’t heard anything from you, and after Walt told me what you did, I decided to take Mr. Lindsey’s offer and moved to Florida with him and his wife and—”

  “His wife?”

  Summer didn’t say anything for a moment as she studied his expression. Then she said, “Yes, Lola, his wife. You sound surprised.”

  Darius stared at her as a deep sharp pain ripped through him. For the first time he was seeing that trust on both sides had been shattered because he and Summer had been quick to believe the lies of others. He had been so quick to believe the worst of her and she of him. Not because they thought of each other as devious people, but because their relationship had been in the early stages, at a very delicate period when trust, faith and love was building. He didn’t want to think of how strong their relationship would be if it had been given a chance to grow.

  “Darius?”

  He hated telling her what he’d thought, what he’d assumed, but knew that he had to do so. “The message Walt gave me, the one he claimed you left, was that you had met this old, rich man and that you couldn’t waste your time with someone who was nothing but a college-educated cop with no aspirations of being anything else.”

  She stared at him. He saw the hurt and pain in her eyes and knew why. Just like she had believed Walt’s lies about him, he had believed the man’s lies about her.

  “Why were we so quick to believe the worst of each other?” she asked in a whisper that he could barely hear. “We played right into Walt’s hands,” she added. “That’s sad.”

  As far as he was concerned, it was worse than sad. It was pathetic. Seven years wasted. He then said the only thing that he could say at that moment. “I’m sorry.”

  She breathed in deeply. “And I’m sorry, as well.”

  Darius could only sit there silently for a moment, wondering how one went about repairing a love that had been destroyed by lies. Lies that had been so easy to accept. Inside of hi
m, a voice said, One day at a time.

  “Summer, I—”

  “No, Darius, I think we both need time to come to terms with what happened, the lies that were told and why we were so quick to believe them. I haven’t been in a relationship with anyone since you, serious or otherwise. I’ve grown accustomed to being by myself, not wanting a man to share my life. I don’t trust easily anymore. I’m more cautious. I really don’t know if that can change.”

  He could read between the lines. She was letting him know when it was all said and done, regardless of the fact that they had lived together for the last few weeks or so, getting along marvelously, complementing each other’s personalities, she was not all that certain that she wanted to give them another chance because of their lack of faith and trust in each other. From what she was saying, she still didn’t want a man in her life. Things had changed. She had changed. In a way, he understood.

  Over the years he had kept most women at bay, being selective about who he wanted to spend his time with and not allowing himself to get serious about anyone. But he could see all that changing and wondered if she could. Their relationship—and he considered them to be in a relationship—had to undergo some serious repairs. Major repairs. But he thought they could do it.

  They had uncovered a lot tonight. But he still had something else to come clean about—his association with the TCC.

  “Summer. I—”

  “Will you contact the authorities to see if anyone has seen Tyrone again?” she cut in to ask.

  He knew she was trying to get off the subject. He would let her do so for now since tonight had been overwhelming, to say the least, and he wasn’t sure how she would handle the unveiling of another lie. One that had been his own, as a way to hurt her. He would tell her another time. Soon. Tomorrow.

  “Yes, I’ll do that.”

  There was no need to tell her that he planned on killing two birds with one stone by driving to Houston tomorrow to meet with Tyrone’s parole officer and that he would also be paying a visit to Walt.

  He studied her, wondering if she knew the significance of what she had admitted moments ago. He was the last man she had made love with. She hadn’t wanted a man in her life in seven years, yet she had shared herself with him.

  At that moment, all he could think about was what they had shared. The heat. The passion.

  “I guess we could sit here and stare at each other all night,” she finally said, “but I prefer going back to bed.”

  He rose to his feet, accepting the gravity of the mistakes they’d both made. But he also accepted that she needed him now like he needed her. “Then I don’t plan to keep you up any longer.”

  He crossed the room to her. They had a lot left to talk about, still more truths to tell. But at that moment, they needed to be together and they both knew it.

  Darius held his hand out to her and she took it. Together, they returned to his bedroom.

  While en route to the shelter the next morning, Darius received a call. “This is Darius.”

  He listened attentively to what the caller was saying and then he said, “That’s good news and I appreciate you calling to let me know. I’ll pass the information on to Ms. Martindale.”

  He clicked off the phone and glanced over at Summer. “That was a Texas Ranger friend of mine. He was calling to let me know that they picked up Whitman this morning.”

  Darius saw a wave of relief pass through her. “Where?” she asked.

  They had come to a stop at the traffic light and Darius glanced over at her. “Less than a block from your house.”

  He hated telling her the next part but knew that he had to. “He had a gun and a rope in his possession.”

  Summer stiffened and Darius understood why. Chances were Whitman had discovered where she lived, and a good possibility existed that he had planned on using that information for no good. Since he had violated parole in more ways than one, Darius knew he would return to prison and serve his entire sentence.

  She didn’t say anything, staring straight ahead, out the windshield.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She turned to him. “Yes, I’m okay.”

  She might be okay, but he wasn’t. How could he have been so wrong about her? He couldn’t wait to confront Walt about the lies he’d told. “I have something to take care of this morning and won’t be back in time to join you for lunch.”

  “All right.”

  She didn’t seem to be in a talkative mood and he figured she needed time to digest everything he had told her about Whitman.

  “Since Tyrone is in police custody, there’s no reason I can’t return home now, is there?”

  None other than I don’t want you to go. I’ve gotten used to having you around. I’ve fallen in love with you all over again. “No, there’s no reason you can’t,” he said.

  He breathed in deeply and at that moment, he knew there was no use denying what he’d known all along. He loved her. He had not stopped loving her.

  And all this time he had tried convincing himself that he would seek revenge for what she had done, when he knew he couldn’t have gone through with that plan no matter how much he’d thought he wanted to hurt her.

  From the first moment she had turned her eyes on him he had been a goner, and although he’d convinced himself over the years that he had gotten over her, the simple truth was, he hadn’t. Coming to terms with his love for her was a monumental release of the hold he’d placed on his emotions. All the built-up tension and anger he’d felt since seeing her again left his body, flowed out of his muscles. It strengthened his heart, propelling him to do whatever he had to do to make her his again.

  Ten

  A few hours later, Summer slipped into her walking shoes to go to the café for lunch, reflecting that this was the first time in quite a while that she would be doing so without Darius by her side.

  She drew in a huge breath of profound relief, knowing what could have been another nightmare with Tyrone was now over. She shivered when she thought of the items that had been in his possession. There was no doubt in her mind he intended to do her harm, and she was grateful yet again to Darius for keeping her out of harm’s way.

  Darius. The man she still loved.

  She wondered if she’d sounded convincing when she told him that she didn’t want a man in her life. A part of her did want to belong to him, totally and completely, but was afraid to get her hopes up again. Even though she knew the truth now, it couldn’t erase the pain she had felt for seven years.

  Besides, there was nothing Darius had said to make her think that he wanted to renew what they’d once shared. When she’d mentioned returning to her place now that the threat with Tyrone was over, he hadn’t said anything to talk her out of it, he hadn’t said that he didn’t want her to leave.

  He had apologized for believing the lies Walt had told him. And she had apologized to him, as well. Later, they had made love but no promises had been made. There had been no discussion of a future together. Although he hadn’t said as much, she had a feeling that he didn’t want a woman in his life.

  That left her with the same life she’d been living since leaving Houston. The kind of life she had gotten used to. It was somewhat lonely but safe. She would continue to live it without the man she loved.

  The anger within Darius told him to strike out the moment he saw Walt walking toward him. But he fought to hold his rage in check. There was only one thing he wanted from the man an
d that was for him to explain why he’d done what he did.

  Without telling Walt why, he had called and requested to meet with him in Laverne Square, a newly developed area of Houston near the Madaris Office Park. He rose from the bench when he saw the curious look in Walt’s eyes.

  “Darius, didn’t you get my message that the guy you wanted me to check out was clean? I left it on your voice mail last week.”

  “That’s not why I asked you to meet with me,” Darius answered, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

  Walt lifted a brow. “Oh. Then what’s up?”

  Darius looked directly into his eyes. “I’m here about the lie you told me about Summer Martindale.”

  Walt held his gaze for an instant before shifting his eyes to look out over the pond in the square. Time stretched on and for a moment, Darius wondered if he was going to say anything. Then Walt turned his gaze to Darius.

  “She came with a lot of baggage and was trouble with that crazy boyfriend of hers. You didn’t need her.”

  His words, spoken as if he’d had a right to make that decision, slithered down Darius’s spine. “You were wrong, Walt. She wasn’t trouble and you knew how I felt about her. I not only needed her but I loved her.”

  “You have a lot to learn about women, Darius. You can never let one get under your skin, and you can never admit to loving one.”

  Darius stared at him for a moment. “Actually,” he said in a deep, cutting tone, “there’s a lot that you need to learn about them, and recognizing a good one when you meet her is at the top of the list.”

  A deep frown settled on Walt’s face. “There aren’t any good ones.”

  Walt had extreme issues, but Darius couldn’t concern himself with that right now. As far as he was concerned, what Walt had done was unforgivable. When he thought about all those wasted years when he and Summer could have been together, years when he had loathed her very name, he practically wanted to kill the man. It was all for nothing. All for lies.