Her Desert Treasure (Entangled Ignite)

by Larie Brannick

  “Jake and I go way back. I know why he left Chicago, and I know he’ll move back after he’s had a chance to lick his wounds.” She cleared the doorway and walked across the room, pausing beside Meg. “You might be his pet project right now, and maybe you’ll even be the rebound to help him get over being dumped, but mark my words, he will get over it and realize he didn’t have to leave home to do it.”

  His wounds? And what woman in her right mind would dump Jake?

  “Jake has a…well, let’s call it an overdeveloped White Knight gene. He looks out for everyone. Heals sick animals. He finds a lost cause and becomes its champion.”

  “Those are all admirable qualities.”

  “Maybe, but all that pressure only made what he sees as failure worse. He’s come out here in some misguided attempt to redeem himself for screwing up with his last girlfriend.”

  “I don’t know what this has to do with me.”

  “This is where my advice comes in. I wouldn’t get too attached if I were you. Once Jake has slain your dragon, whatever that may be, he’ll stop doubting himself. In his mind, he’ll have made up for the fiasco with Carolyn and move on, come back to Chicago and the next crisis.” She continued on her way out of the kitchen, looking back at Meg from the doorway. “When he does, I’ll be waiting.”

  Meg watched her saunter out. The look on the other woman’s face sent a shiver up her arms. Forgetting the water she’d come for, she returned to the living room to ask Jake’s parents about it just in time to see Bob helping his wife down the hall. Linda giggled and waved. “Good night, dear.”

  Bob smiled. “See you in the morning, Meg.”

  Realizing she’d get no answers from them tonight, she simply called, “Good night,” and went down the hall in the opposite direction, mentally replaying the scene in the kitchen.

  Her thoughts shifted abruptly when she reached Jake’s room. It was large and open with its own en suite bathroom. The king-size sleigh bed and matching night stands were centered along one wall, and a large dresser and mirror were on the opposite wall. The room was sparsely but tastefully decorated in earth tones with a few pictures on the walls.

  Meg stepped further into the room, drawn to the French doors along the back wall. Though she went to look, it was too dark to see out. Easing open one door, she stepped onto a secluded deck surrounded by trees. Overhanging branches made it a very private refuge, and she stepped out into the cool night to fill her lungs with the fresh air. The sweet fragrance of Russian olive trees mixed with the scent of sage brush and pine, and the steady chirping of crickets soothed her. Kristen’s proclamation had bothered her more than she cared to admit. Of course, there were things she didn’t know about Jake—a whole lifetime of things, in fact. She’d be crazy to think he’d never been in a relationship before, but knowing he’d been hurt badly enough to move across the country? What had happened with his ex-girlfriend? What could he possibly have done to cause her rejection? Though curious, she realized that given their differences over how she saw her grandfather’s land being used, she might not even see him again once his parents left.

  That thought troubled her, too.

  Returning to the bedroom, she closed the door and leaned against it. Exhaustion pulled at her, and all she wanted was to curl up in that comfy-looking bed.

  Just until he came back, then she’d hit the sofa.

  …

  It took longer to calm the horses than Jake expected. Something had spooked the mare, and he’d taken extra time to make sure she hadn’t harmed herself or the foal when she thrashed around the stall. He’d just closed the corral gate when the four dogs outside started barking. Now what? He toured the perimeter of the yard but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, though it wasn’t uncommon to spot a mountain lion in this country. Maybe one had wandered in and shaken up the animals. He checked on each of the dogs and, satisfied that they were all right, headed for the house.

  The living room was empty when he entered—everyone must have gone to bed. After switching off a table lamp, he turned toward his room and nearly collided with the dark figure standing in front of him. Momentarily surprised, it took him a second to focus. She was back lit from the meager light in the kitchen, her expensive perfume hung heavily in the air. Well, shit. Not the woman he’d hoped would be waiting for him.

  “She’s cute, Jake. So this is how you’re passing your time these days?”

  He stepped back and cleared his throat. “Kristen. Did you need something?”

  She took a step when he retreated, closing the space between them. “I can think of a few things I need.” The husky tone of her voice said more than her words.

  “I meant, is your room adequate?”

  When she didn’t answer, he stepped around her, but she placed her hand on his arm. “Don’t rush off, Jake. Stay here and keep me company.”

  He fisted his hands on his hips and blew out an exasperated breath. He wanted nothing more than to get to Meg, to hopefully pick up where they’d left off in the car. “It’s late, Kristen, and I’ve had a long day. If there isn’t anything else,” he took another step, “I’m going to bed.”

  She simply shrugged and turned toward the hall. “We’ll have plenty of time to catch up tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe you’ll decide to leave Mayberry and your little country bumpkin and come back to civilization with me.”

  Jake stood still until he was sure she was in her room. Then he stepped into the kitchen and turned on the light above the sink to wash his hands. Finally, a chance to be alone with Meg. Would she be waiting for him? Distracted by the thought, he didn’t hear his father come in. Startled, he looked up. Damn. Almost a clean getaway.

  “Can I get you something, Dad?”

  Shooting him a crooked grin, Bob shook his head.

  “Naw, came to get a drink of water and an aspirin for your mother. She had a little too much to drink tonight.”

  Jake grinned back. “Yeah, I noticed. Well, if you’re all set then—”

  His father held up his hand. “Do you have a minute, son? I promised your mother I’d talk to you about the Wyndham Clinic back home.”

  Jake longed to head to his bedroom but resigned himself to having this conversation with his father now. “What about the Wyndham Clinic?” he asked cautiously. He’d left that place in his rearview mirror years ago.

  “Of course, you know Ted Wyndham is getting up in years.” At Jake’s nod, Bob continued. “Ted is planning to cut back in the next year and is looking for a partner. Someone who can buy him out when he decides to retire.”

  Jake leaned back against the counter and folded his arms across his chest. “Good for Ted. He’s a good guy, and I hope it works out for him.”

  “It’s just that your mother thinks this would be a great opportunity for you. And it would get you back home.”

  Dropping his gaze, Jake shook his head. “Unbelievable.” He raised his head to look at his father. “You both realize that I already own my own clinic, don’t you? A very successful one, I might add.”

  “I know, Jake. And I couldn’t be prouder of you. I’m happy if you’re happy. I just know your mother misses you, I do, too, for that matter, but she’s having an especially hard time with you being gone. Like it or not, she still thinks of you as her baby boy.”

  Jake smiled at his last comment. “I guess I can understand that—to a point. But I’m thirty years old, Dad. She has to let go sometime. Like this mess with bringing Kristen out here and butting into my love life. I can’t say that makes the idea of living closer to you again more appealing.”

  “I know, Jake. But we both want you to be happy. And we both worry that you haven’t gotten past the situation with Carolyn.” He held up his hand to stop Jake’s protest. “You have to admit, you haven’t even come close to settling down.”

  Jake shrugged. “I haven’t met the right woman, yet.” Until now, maybe. “And you have to know that Kristen isn’t that person. She never was and never will be.”


  Bob winced. “I knew it wasn’t going to work, but I think the combination of your mom being worried about you and Betty Johnson wanting to marry Kristen off—well, she was just trying to kill two birds I guess.”

  “It backfired big time.” Jake ran a hand through his hair.

  “Remember, too, you’ve never even mentioned Meg to us. How were we to know?”

  “I wanted you to meet her on this visit,” Jake mumbled, not wanting to get into details about Meg right now. “And speaking of Meg, I probably should go make sure she has everything she needs.”

  “Far be it for me to stand in the way of true love. And your mom needs that aspirin.”

  Brought up short, Jake stopped.

  “What?” Bob asked. “Did I say something wrong?”

  Shaking his head, Jake whispered almost to himself, “True love?” The thought had skittered across his mind earlier, but hearing it aloud from his father made it real to him. Was he falling in love with Meg? “No, you didn’t say anything wrong.”

  Bob examined him closely. “You really care about this girl don’t you, son?”

  Jake nodded, dazed. “Yes, sir. I really do.”

  “Then you’d better not keep her waiting any longer. Good night, Jake.”

  Jake patted his father’s back as he walked out of the room. “Good night, Dad. See you in the morning.”

  Jake entered his room and quietly shut the door behind him. All the lights were off except for one on his night stand. His breath caught at the sight of Meg curled up in his bed. So sweet. Though he’d never had a woman in this room, it felt perfectly right for her to be here. Hell. Between the animals and his talk with his father, he’d taken too long, and she must have given up on him. She had to be exhausted. He started to pull the sheet over her, but his mouth went dry. Her top had shifted up, and the waistband of her skirt had been tugged down, exposing the curve of her waist and her toned abs. His breath caught. He wanted to kiss that satiny skin. Dip his tongue into her belly button and work his way lower.

  The light caught a silvery sheen just above her left hipbone. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a scar. The raised skin had jagged edges, and even though it wasn’t new, it was a violent flaw on her perfect skin. He gently ran his finger over the scar, tracing it down until it disappeared into the waistband of her skirt. Rage boiled his blood. He had no idea what had happened, but his gut told him someone had hurt her. Hand shaking, he pulled away and, as carefully as possible, covered her with the sheet, tucking it around her shoulders before pressing a soft kiss to her temple. She snuggled deeper into the bed and murmured something in her sleep. Not wanting to wake her, Jake gently removed the top spread from the bed, grabbed a pillow, and went out to the deck through the French doors.

  It took a few minutes and several deep breaths to calm down. His powerful reaction to the thought of her being injured took him by surprise. The need to hunt down whoever had done this to her was fierce. He kicked off his shoes and situated himself in the hammock he had strung there and tried to get comfortable. His brain couldn’t shut out the anger roiling in his gut. He gently swung the hammock and breathed deeply, willing himself to relax and think about anything but the beautiful woman in his bed.

  Chapter Ten

  Meg woke to soft kisses on her neck, the moist heat of a tongue sliding around the shell of her ear. She smiled and stretched like a spoiled feline as chills traveled up and down her spine. Astonished by how she felt about him after less than four full days, she opened her eyes to find Jake’s dark brown ones staring back at her. He pressed a sweet kiss to her mouth.

  “Morning.” He sat on the side of the bed with one hand resting on her pillow.

  “Mmmm... Good morning to you. What time is it?” No light shone through the windows.

  “It’s a little after five. I wondered if you wanted to ride with me this morning. It might be the only peace I get today.”

  “That’s right. You have to entertain your guests.”

  “About that. I really want you to come with us. I don’t feel right leaving you alone all day.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to cause a problem. Besides, maybe it won’t be as bad as you think.”

  Jake smiled down into her eyes. “Are you always so optimistic?”

  Meg grinned back. “It beats the alternative, doesn’t it?”

  “I still don’t like it.” Jake gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “What do you say to the ride?”

  Meg realized she was still wearing her clothes from yesterday. She brushed a hand over her rumpled skirt. “As much as I wish I could, I’m hardly dressed for horseback riding.”

  He spread his arms wide. “We’re a matched set.”

  He had on the same clothes as the day before, as well. “Did you sleep in your clothes? Oh, I took your bed, where did you sleep? What happened to you last night?”

  He chuckled at her rapid fire questions. “It took me a while with the horses and then I got sidetracked by my dad wanting to talk. I slept in the hammock out back. You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “That was thoughtful. I’m sorry I fell asleep on you.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to tuck you in properly.”

  Jake’s gaze held hers, and she swore the temperature in the room heated up. Or was it just her? Jake lowered his head, lightly skimming her lips with his. Meg reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, at the same time pulling him closer. Their kiss was incendiary, tongues warred, teeth nibbled. Jake gave one last thrust of his tongue and pulled away slowly.

  “Sorry, but I tend to get carried away with you.” He stood and moved to the door. “Since I can’t take you riding, I’m going to feed the animals.”

  Meg got out of bed and straightened the blankets. “Give me a minute, and I’ll come with you.”

  Her offer earned her a dimpled grin. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  When Meg joined him ten minutes later, he was setting the timer on the coffee maker. The man had a stellar backside. She walked up behind him and gave his cute butt a squeeze. Jake jumped and turned around, grabbing her by the waist. “If you’re feeling playful, I think I can come up with better ways to spend our time this morning.”

  Meg plastered on a look of innocence on her face. “What?”

  “So, Meg, what are you going to do today while I’m enduring the company of a spoiled child?”

  “Poor baby.” Now that she thought about it, she didn’t know what she was going to do. Being Saturday, none of the municipal offices would be open. But since she couldn’t do anything with her property until she heard from Bernie, it didn’t matter. “I have to do a little shopping.” She laughed. “I can’t remember the last time I had a whole day that I didn’t have a list of things to do.”

  Jake smiled, pulling her closer. “You sure there isn’t anything I can do to change your mind about coming with us?”

  As tempting as the thought of spending the day with Jake was, Meg couldn’t help being excited about having a day to herself. “Sorry, Slick. I’ve got a date with a backpack and a thousand acres of quiet.”

  His smile turned to a frown. “I’m not sure I like the idea of you going hiking out there by yourself.”

  “Jake, let’s don’t do this again.” Meg tried to pull out of his arms, but he held tight.

  “I don’t want to argue, either, but I don’t feel right about sending you out to God-knows-where all alone. You never know what danger is out there, Meg.”

  The White Knight gene, as Kristen called it, was making an appearance. She reached up and kissed his cheek. “I’m not climbing Everest or swimming the English Channel. I’ve walked that land all my life.”

  Even though he kept his voice light, she felt his muscles tighten. “I’m serious, Meg. I really wish you’d wait until I can go with you.”

  Pushing out of his embrace, she searched his face. Warning bells sounded in her head. Troy used to mess with her emotions when h
e wanted something, pretending to be easygoing when anger simmered under the surface. Had Jake used the same tactics with his old girlfriend? Was that why she’d ended things?

  It wouldn’t be fair to assume the worst based on Kristen’s story and Troy’s erratic behavior. But… She hesitated. She had to learn to trust her own intuition, and it was telling her that she could be honest with this man and he wouldn’t hurt her. “I’m serious, Jake. This is my home. I don’t need a chaperone on my own property.”

  He pulled her back and blew out a frustrated breath. “Okay. I’m sorry. At least let me give you my cell number in case you need to reach me.”

  Relief flooded her. He wasn’t Troy. He was not going to bellow with rage or threaten her or shove her onto shards of broken glass if she disagreed with him. “Okay. Deal. Now can we take care of the animals before everyone else wakes up?”

  …

  By the time they returned to the house, Jake’s parents had made their way to the kitchen in search of coffee. Bob smiled broadly at the two of them, but Linda was a little more sedate. Jake figured she was suffering a bit from her wine binge the night before and chuckled under his breath.

  Meg punched his arm and poured his mom a cup of coffee. She placed the steaming mug in front of Linda. “Here you are. Do you need cream or sugar? Can I get you anything else?”

  Linda gently shook her head. “Thank you, dear. Just black coffee this morning.” She patted Meg’s hand.

  Meg smiled down at her and went around the table to her chair. As she was about to take her seat, Jake grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down, settling her firmly on his lap. He tightened his grip when she squirmed, and she gave up trying to escape. The four of them enjoyed their coffee and easy conversation until Kristen strolled coolly into the room. She walked to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. Leaning against the counter, she took a sip as she took in the scene. She scrunched her nose and set the mug aside.

  “Jake, darling, please say whatever you have planned for me today involves a Starbucks.”

  Meg tried again to leave Jake’s lap, but he squeezed both arms around her tighter and grinned up at her, happy with her predicament. Without taking his eyes off her, he answered, “Mom and Dad like to go to The Pointe. You can probably find a decent cup of espresso there.”