After slamming the shot down, he tapped the bar. “Gimme another.”
He felt her before seeing her, and turned to see the hungry look of a woman more desperate than him. “Don’t I know you?”
Fuck no. They both knew it. “Maybe.”
She slid onto the stool next to his and giggled while pretending to have trouble settling. He steadied her. “Can I buy you a drink?”
The woman brightened. “Sure.”
Considering he’d probably sleep in his truck, he wondered if he would take the woman up on what she’d offer after a couple more drinks. He needed something, and even if it was a blow job in the bathroom, it would help to take the edge off.
Sure enough, a couple of drinks later, the woman, Sally or Patty, leaned into his ear. “Wanna come over to my place?”
He compared her to the woman whose light touch had sent his body to full alert. The perfume on Patty, or whatever her name was, didn’t make him want to inhale deeper like Leah’s had.
“I’m flattered, but I better not.” He pretended enough interest to allow his gaze to linger over hers.
He was an idiot.
8
Her car swayed this way and that over uneven terrain to the fence line. Leah wondered what in the hell she was thinking not renting a truck or SUV? At this rate, she’d have to take her BMW in for an alignment or new muffler. A loud bump on the undercarriage made her cringe.
“Damn it! I need to be in an office,” she said out loud. “This shit sucks.”
She spotted two men on horseback and slowed down. It looked like Toby and Luke had mounted and headed to where a crew of men worked on the fence.
Nearby several cows meandered toward the activity, probably the reason why the twins rode toward the fence. Not to oversee the project, but to cut the animals off from going onto her land.
Deciding it was best to walk the rest of the way, she got out of her car. No use in finishing whatever damage she’d done. Just as she got a few yards from her car, Luke waived to get her attention.
“Get back in your car!” Luke screamed. “There’s a bull loose.”
Leah looked in every direction not seeing anything other than cows. But she didn’t need to be told twice. Hoofs sounded and she yelped at spotting an angry bull charging towards her.
Racing to her car although the animal was quite far, she fought to keep from screaming the entire time until safely ensconced within the metal structure.
Luke’s horse galloped into the bull’s path, rider and horse seeming one as he circled getting the bull’s attention. The animal slowed, and seeming to lose steam, turned in its path heading back toward the Hamilton lands.
It was enthralling to watch when Toby took over galloping in circles guiding the bull away without getting too close.
Both men belonged there. Being descendants of cattle ranchers, they’d not lost touch with their heritage.
When rider and horse neared, she got out of the car. He looked down at her, his face shaded by his black Stetson. “The bull got out of his pen. Was chasing after the cows who decided to come investigate the commotion.”
Unlike the last time she’d seen him, Luke seemed at ease, friendly almost.
Almost.
The team the Hamilton’s hired was smaller than she expected. With only four men, it would take weeks to do the miles of fencing. She shaded her eyes and looked into the distance, not seeing anyone else. “Is this the entire team?”
“Yes. You didn’t give us much notice.”
At this point, Toby neared. He acknowledged her with a nod before looking to Luke. The twins were identical, but not so much now as Toby wasn’t as built or appeared to have any tattoos.
Luke lifted a brow. “You didn’t give us a timeline for the project to be finished. Just said it had to be done.”
Leah couldn’t help letting out a huff. “Seriously? At this rate, it could take a year.” Grinding her teeth to keep from cussing, she pinched the space between her eyes. A headache threatened. “This is not acceptable.”
His face hardening, Luke dismounted and Toby followed suit. The twins moved forward, but Toby moved faster almost as if to step between where she stood and his brother.
Undaunted by his twin, Luke’s flat stare bore into her. “Tough shit. I don’t care if it takes two years.”
Before he could continue, Toby interrupted. “Look Leah. You come out of nowhere with a demand about something that neither of our families have ever had a problem with. I’m willing to bet if you survey the land over by the creek, the fence is deeper into our land than it should be. I believe our grandfather did that to be fair to yours. They wanted to ensure the cattle had plenty of access to water.”
“I’ve had the entire property line surveyed and that is not true.” She crossed her arms, too angry to keep from tapping her foot. “I won’t be bullied by you Hamiltons again.”
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what this is all about? What happened when we were young and stupid?”
“No. This is about what’s right.”
He took a step forward and Toby pushed him back. “Luke go see about the cows. I’ll talk to her.”
Something transpired between the brothers. Tobias didn’t back down, his hand on Luke’s shoulder. “Go on.”
Finally Luke lowered his shoulders and turned away.
Toby waited until after his brother was out of earshot. “Don’t provoke him. He’s not the same guy from high school.”
Her temper, which up to this moment was managed, finally escaped. “I’m not provoking anyone. I’m just asking for what is legally in my right to demand. We’re talking about a lot of land.”
Tobias looked to the men who’d stopped working and watched with interest. “Patch it up boys, close the gap and call it a day. We’re done.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Leah looked between the men who continued watching and Toby. “Why are you stopping?”
When Tobias’ hazel eyes darkened, they reminded her more of Luke’s. The firmness of his jawline and flare of his nostrils made her wonder if Luke was the only twin with anger management issues. “Homestead act of 1910 covers us. I will submit the paperwork proving we’ve been on this part of Morgan land since 1872 and file for a deed. Now get the fuck off our property.”
He turned to the horse, mounted and rode off.
This would definitely not be the last of it. Undeterred by his pronouncement, she stalked to her car intent on beating him to sue for her land back.
“No, you will not.” Her father’s stern tone made Leah wonder if all men somehow communicated through some hidden system. “He’s right. Technically the land is theirs. If you go ahead with the sale, which I don’t know yet that I approve of, the buyer won’t balk over a narrow strip of land. Not when we’re talking about over one hundred and fifty acres.”
Leah sat up straighter. “What do you mean, you may not approve? You asked that I come here to see about prospering the ranch or seeing what kind of profit can be made by selling it. And, you also said that it was my decision.” A harsh breath escaped. “You don’t mean to do anything with this ranch do you? It was just a way to push me out.”
“I have not changed my stance on the fact you will step into my shoes when I retire. However, you needed to step back and regroup. Right now it seems as if you’re not changing one bit.” He ended the call and she stared at the display.
The world had gone insane. A tapping on the car window made her jump and she lowered it.
“Here to see about patching up the roof.” An older man looked from her to the roof, as if anxious to get away from her. Probably because she was scowling and glaring at him.
“Yes of course.”
Although not in the mood for a social situation, Leah was tired of eating take out and cold cuts. She walked into Melba’s, a diner that had always been in Laurel Creek for as long as she could remember. Spotting an empty booth, she hurried to it only to stop when spotting Luke sitting in the one n
ext to it. He looked up, and for a moment it seemed as if neither could look away.
He motioned to the bench opposite him. “Welcome to join me.”
It would be awkward now to sit on the one next to his and besides, he wasn’t about to scare her off, so she nodded and slid onto the bench. “I didn’t want to eat another cold sandwich. What’s your excuse?”
“I didn’t feel like cooking.”
It was hard to picture him cooking, much less doing any kind of domestic chores. But, she supposed he’d have to know how to do for himself since he had to be close to forty-five. “You cook much?”
Luke waited until the waitress took her order after sliding a hamburger and pile of fries in front of him. He motioned for her to refill his soft drink. “Yeah, almost everyday since getting here. Toby and Taylor don’t cook much more than what they can nuke.”
“I can’t picture you cooking.” She watched him bite into the hamburger and resisted the urge to reach for one of the French fries.
Seeming to read her mind, he turned the plate sideways and motioned to the potatoes. Since his mouth was full, he didn’t say anything.
“You can have some of mine when she brings my burger.” Strange as it was, eating from his plate didn’t seem awkward at all. Interesting how they seemed to have two different relationships, she and Luke. There was the pseudo friendship from years of knowing each other and the strained interactions over the property.
“I think my Dad is trying to push me out of the family business,” she blurted out the words, needing to say them aloud. “Now he’s saying I can’t sell the ranch.”
Luke wiped his mouth, his gaze not meeting hers, instead on his food. “What do you want to do most right now?”
The question was so simple, and yet it caught her by surprise. “I want my life back. I’m a good executive.”
“If that’s true, why are you here?”
She looked out the window. Why had she not pondered that? Instead of taking time to think, to consider the reasons behind her being sent away for a sabbatical, she’d brewed over it and thrown herself into a property fight over a strip of land that lay between two families who’d coexisted for over half a century.
“I suppose because I’ve changed. Since my divorce...” The server returned with her food and she was grateful. Best to eat and keep from spilling her guts to a guy who didn’t give a shit about anything.
9
A myriad of expressions flickered across Leah’s face. She didn’t realize how expressive she was. Luke wondered if one of the reasons she’d had to leave the corporate world was because others could tell what she thought by her expressions.
He wanted to laugh at the possible misunderstandings that could have occurred.
“Divorce has a way of changing a person.”
Of course he wasn’t going to go down the “been done wrong” lane with her, but it was the truth. A failed marriage was not something that he considered one of his proudest accomplishments. Divorce was rare in his family until he, Tobias, and Taylor had formed the loser team championship.
Up until them, it seemed a Hamilton didn’t marry unless the other person was the right one. They were hesitant to commit, but once they did, everyone in the family assumed it was permanent.
His ex didn’t get the memo.
Leah’s dark brown eyes bore into him. “I didn’t know you were married before.”
“Yeah.”
Once again he read surprise and then the lowered eyebrows as she tried to picture him married with a white picket fence, a dog, and other shit.
“It wasn’t my best idea.”
“How long have you been divorced?” Damn, he shouldn’t have opened that can of worms. Now her curiosity was peaked.
“A couple years, maybe five.”
She sipped from her soda and then turned her plate sideways. “Have some of my fries.”
Strange, no more questions. Instead she continued eating her hamburger while he drank from the newly refilled glass. In companionable silence, both in their thoughts, they finished the meal and he wondered if they’d go back to bickering over the property line once they got back to their ranches.
On impulse he tapped her hand. “Want to drive out to the mines? I planned to go out there to hike.”
Surprise and then consideration. The woman was an open book. But she managed to surprise him with a nod. “Sure, I haven’t been out there since high school.” She blushed at pretty much admitting to having gone out there to make out.
In Laurel Creek, there were plenty of places to park out by the mines and back when he was a teen, every high schooler knew the lay of the land by the old mines. Luke wondered if the new generations went there as well.
After paying the tab, they walked out in silence. He opened the passenger door to his truck so she could get in. Thankfully, she was wearing jeans and sneakers. As she stepped up into his truck, her pert ass took his attention. That part of her, he’d not studied before.
“Luke?” Leah had sat down and looked to him perplexed. “Something wrong?”
“Nah, just thinking we better grab some water before heading out.”
With the windows rolled down and the radio off, the sound of air and flapping of the wind through the interior of his truck filled the space.
Strange that he didn’t feel awkward at remaining silent for long stretches of time when around Leah.
In his opinion, there was never a need to fill spaces with empty dribble. He slid a glance toward her noticing she scanned the surrounding landscape with a slight curve to her lips.
“Makes you wonder how any other state could top Montana when it comes to beauty,” she said, not seeming to need a reply. “No matter where I travel, this place always takes my breath away.”
Luke followed her line of sight to sloping hills where a few cows lingered. She was right. Many a night he’d fallen asleep while in the Middle East and dreamt of home.
They arrived at the gold mines. No other cars were about, so he ensured to pull over to a spot that overlooked the valley below. From there, they could catch sight of most of downtown Laurel Creek and the surrounding mountains. He’d forgotten how picturesque the view of his hometown was from there.
Funny how things looked different when one returned home. Things that were previously taken for granted, now stood out. Although jaded with people, he was not as much with Montana and what being home did for him.
“I’d forgotten about the view.” Leah climbed out and rounded the truck to look out to the horizon.
Once he put four water bottles in a small backpack, he slung it over his shoulder. “Ready?
“We’re not going too far are we?”
“Nope, I gotta be back by five. Lawyer is coming over.”
He knew the statement would bring out a reaction, so he purposely walked faster toward the mines. “Come on.”
Leah caught up with him. He could feel her looking at him, but she didn’t say anything. After a while, she started looking around, taking in the surroundings.
They walked for a mile or so before he stopped and crouched to study some animal prints. No need to put Leah in danger if there was a predator nearby.
Looked to be a coyote or wolf. Doubtful they’d attack.
“Is it about the land? The meeting today?”
He straightened and considered what Tobias would say about telling her about the visit. “Suppose so. Tobias arranged it. Takes a lot to make my brother mad. You seem to have an good inkling about what buttons to push with people.”
You’re such an asshole. Although she didn’t say it out loud, her expression screamed it.
“It’s an acquired talent,” she replied wryly. “Don’t waste your money, I’m dropping the issue. Probably go back to Billings.”
“Giving up huh? You don’t seem the type.”
“What the hell do you think I should do? I don’t have a job. This whole ranch thing was just a rouse to get rid of me. I don’t need you to counsel
me Luke. I need to relax, to figure things out.”
Her eyes shined with tears and didn’t that just make him feel like a total ass. She was right, he was the least qualified to say anything. His own shit was a long way from being together.
When she sniffed, he closed the distance between them to pull her close. No sooner did he wrap his arms around her did Leah slump against him. The woman was about as war-torn as anyone he’d seen in a long time. Of course her father had to have seen it too.
She had the look of someone becoming lost in work or whatever just to keep the monsters at bay.
Of course, this wasn’t the time to tell her that no matter what one did, the bastards would remain. Nothing, or no one, could kill his flashbacks nor the memories that popped up uninvited at the most random times.
She looked up at him. Her eyes moving to his lips and at the just so subtle invitation he lowered and took her up on it.
The kiss, which was all it was supposed to be, turned hungry, raw even. She raked her fingers up pushing his ball cap off.
Needing to feel more of her, he cupped her round ass with both hands and pulled her up against him. She wasn’t a short woman, which suited the situation just fine.
He was hard as fuck within seconds of her pouty lips against his. Damn if the thought of how much he wanted them around his cock didn’t make him even harder.
She slid her hands under his t-shirt and ran the soft palms across his back. The action stirred a need so deep, he moaned out loud.
They wouldn’t progress to a point of lovemaking, not out there standing between rocks and for that he was thankful. The last thing he needed was the complication of any kind of expectance from her.
His mind whirled at the possibilities. He realized what had happened and took her by the upper arms to push her away. “Shit.”
Both breathed heavily. His erection pulsed in his pants and she leaned forward and raked her fingers through her hair while blowing out a breath.
Jaded: Luke: Laurel Creek Series Page 5
