Five-Star Cowboy

by Charlene Sands

  “The good news is that they’ve gotten Laney’s blood pressure down,” Evan said, wolfing down eggs Benedict and coffee as if it was his last meal. “The contractions have stopped.” Evan inhaled sharply and shook his head as if the thought of what might have happened quaked him. He finished off his coffee. “Laney’s very tired now, but she wants to see all of you later.”

  “Oh, that’s good,” his mother said, slightly relieved, as she set down her fork. She was a slender woman who ate very little, so Trent was glad to see she’d eaten her entire breakfast.

  “I can’t wait to see her,” Julia added, her voice much lighter than before. “She’s had us all worried.”

  “Laney’s like my second daughter,” Matthew said. “The two girls have been like sisters. I’ve been sending up some heavy prayers for that child and her baby.”

  “You and me both. I’ve never felt so damn helpless in my life,” Evan said, rising from the table. “Thanks for being here. It means a lot. I’ll let you know something more as soon as the doctor examines Laney again.”

  Evan turned to him. “Walk back with me, Trent.”

  “Sure thing.” Absently, Trent leaned over to plant a quick kiss on Julia’s cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Julia darted a glance at both parents, then cast him a sheepish smile before he walked off.

  They headed toward the elevator. “I can’t thank you enough for coming and taking care of things,” Evan said. “Brock’s halfway between New Orleans and Maui right now. He said he’d come, but I told him to hold off. It’s good you’re here for Mom. She’s more fragile than she looks.”

  “You’ve got your hands full, Ev. You take care of your wife and baby. I’ll handle the rest.”

  “I appreciate that.” They stopped at the elevator and Evan laid a hand on his shoulder and looked him square in the eyes. “Julia’s a great girl, Trent. Not only is she Laney’s best friend, but I’ve gotten to know her some myself.”

  “Yeah, I agree. Your point?”

  “Women like that don’t usually walk into your life. Take it from an expert. Laney and I almost didn’t make it. Now, I can’t imagine my life without her. Nothing’s more important than what we have together. If that girl means something to you, let her know. That’s all I’m saying.” Evan punched the elevator button. “Think about it.”

  When the elevator dinged, Evan stepped inside and the doors closed automatically. Trent stood there for a minute, staring at the elevator door, his brother’s words ringing in his ear.

  “Excuse me, mister,” an older woman said, trying to get to the elevator button.

  Trent stepped out of her way, mumbling, “Sorry, ma’am.” He headed toward the patio, but when he saw Julia conversing with his mother at the table, something shifted in his gut. He pivoted around and walked straight out of the hospital doors.

  He needed some air.

  Julia sat by Laney’s bedside, holding her hand. To her immense relief, Laney’s eyes were bright and she had color in her face. They’d gotten the news at four in the afternoon that mother and unborn baby were out of the woods. “You gave us quite a scare, honey.”

  “I’m sorry. It all happened so fast. Evan told me you’ve been here since last night. Thank you. I’ll never forget that.”

  “I couldn’t be anywhere else. I had to come. You look good, but how are you feeling?”

  “Like I ran a fifty-mile marathon,” she replied with a soft laugh. “But all that matters is that the baby is fine. Strong heartbeat again and no more contractions.”

  “That’s the best news.”

  She nodded, patting her stomach. “The baby’s grounded me though. I’ll be confined to bed rest, at least for now. But I’m grateful, so no complaints. The medical staff has been terrific.”

  “Yeah, Evan kept them on their toes. No one slouched off while his wife was in trouble.”

  “Tyler men are like that,” Laney said, her voice filled with pride.

  “Tell me about it.”

  Laney gave a little tilt of her head, her hair brushing against the pillow on her bed. “Have you and Trent gotten closer?”

  “Depends on what you mean by closer?”

  “I mean,” Laney said, lowering her voice, but speaking passionately, “are you two in love?”

  Julia closed her eyes tight and reopened them to face her good friend, who waited with a hopeful expression. “I am. Desperately. But Trent doesn’t talk about his emotions. I’m taking it one day at a time with him. I don’t think…I mean…I don’t know what the future holds for us.”

  “Oh, Jules, that man has rocks in his head.”

  “Hard, granite rocks,” she agreed.

  “He should be bowing at your feet. According to Evan, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him.”

  “I’ve always liked Evan. He’s a smart man,” she mused, before coming to her lover’s defense. “Trent’s been really great since this all happened. I’ll admit I was pretty shaken yesterday when I heard about you and the baby. Trent took control. He eased my mind and comforted me and always seemed to say the right things. He’s been caring and sweet. It’s a side to him I’ve not seen before and I like it very much.”

  “Maybe now’s the time for you to make a stand, honey.” Laney’s face twisted. “Give him something to think about.”

  “Oh, Laney, please don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” Then she smiled, refusing to cause Laney a moment of anxiety about her love life of all things. She shifted the conversation. “I’m excited about the progress at Tempest West.”

  Julia spent the next twenty minutes speaking with Laney about Sarah Rose and Ken Yellowhawk and all the things she’d planned for the hotel, until Evan walked into the room with Trent. Shortly after, Rebecca and her father joined them.

  Julia slipped out to give them a chance to visit, and ten minutes later Trent met up with her in the waiting room, sidling up next to her by the window.

  “She looks good,” he said.

  Julia nodded. “Thank heaven. She’ll be confined to bed rest for a while, but she’s fine with that as long as the baby continues to thrive.”

  “I’d better head back to Arizona. There’s nothing more I can do here. Are you coming with me?”

  Julia made up her mind hours ago that she wouldn’t leave Laney. She’d promised Evan she’d stay a while to keep her company and help out when she came home from the hospital. “No, I’m staying a few days in L.A. to be with Laney.”

  Trent stared at her, then nodded and she couldn’t quite read his expression. “Okay. Walk outside with me? A car is picking me up to take me to the airfield.”

  “I can do that,” she said, and when Trent took hold of her hand and squeezed gently, her heart melted. Maybe his head was filled with rocks, but he’d been her rock, the solid ground she could tread upon when the world had gotten shaky. There was something valuable in that. She ached for him to admit his feelings for her, yet she couldn’t deny that he’d been wonderful during the past twenty-four hours. He’d held her, comforted her and had been the moral support she’d needed. She doubted Trent had spent a night in bed just holding a woman before, to help her sleep. But he had done that for her.

  And this morning, he’d taken charge, easing everyone’s minds, distracting them all with a delicious catered breakfast.

  She walked outside, squinting into the sunlight, side by side with Trent. He stopped by the sidewalk and she faced him, her hand shielding her eyes from the blistering sunshine, and spoke from her heart. “I don’t know what I would have done without you, Trent. I think you know how frightened I was. But you held me up. You’ve been so solid in all this. Today, you were wonderful to everyone, seeing to all our needs.” She smiled wide, looking into his deep dark appreciative eyes and felt a real twinge of hope. “I just wanted to thank you, before you left.”

  Trent took her into his strong embrace, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist. “Darlin’, don’t you know that I’d do anything to
keep you at Tempest West.”

  He crushed his lips to her mouth, stroking her tongue and sweeping her into a storm of desire, right there in broad daylight.

  The limousine pulled up right on schedule and Trent released her and smiled, before bounding into the car and driving off.

  Julia caught her breath a second.

  Before the true meaning of Trent’s declaration struck her right between the eyes.

  Eleven

  T hree days later, Julia returned to Tempest West and headed straight toward Trent’s office. She wanted to get this over with once and for all. She wouldn’t let the sight of him distract her from her mission. She’d fumed. She’d cried. She’d gone over and over it in her head dozens of times back in Los Angeles, but the bottom line had always been the same. The hardest part had been hiding from Laney that her brother-in-law had crushed her heart. Heaven knew that her friend didn’t need any more worry after the fright she’d had with the baby. Laney’s blood pressure was stabilized and Julia wanted to keep it that way.

  After Trent left L.A., Julia hadn’t taken his calls. Anything work-related, she’d e-mailed straight back to Kim. She wanted nothing to keep her from her decision.

  When she reached Trent’s office, she stopped and inhaled sharply. She knew he was in there—he always arrived early in the morning before the rest of the staff.

  Julia burst through the door, startling Trent. He lifted his head from the work he’d been concentrating on and raised his brows, before casting her a big smile. “Julia, I’ve been trying—”

  “I’m resigning,” she said, walking toward his desk and tossing her letter of resignation down in front of him. “I’ll stay on for three weeks, until Sarah Rose leaves. But then I’m gone.”

  Trent rose abruptly. “What?”

  “You heard me.” She held her voice steady. “I want out, the sooner the better.”

  “What’s got your panties in a knot, darlin’?”

  He had. He’d gotten her panties in a knot, so much so, that she couldn’t see what was right before her eyes. Trent was using her to gain ground with Tempest West, but he had no true feelings for her. He’d never said so. And what made her most angry was that she allowed it to happen. She’d been charmed right out of her panties.

  “I’m through at Tempest West, Trent. You don’t need me anymore. Your hotel is booked to capacity now. I’ve seen to that. My job is done here.”

  Trent appeared confused. His face contorted and he shook his head, raising his voice. “You’re gone for three days. You don’t answer my calls. I miss the hell out of you, and then you come back to say you’re quitting? What the hell’s going on?”

  Julia lost him after he said he’d missed the hell out of her. But she couldn’t believe him. She wasn’t that big a fool. “You missed me? What did you miss, Trent? Me—making your life easy? Me—getting your precious hotel out of the red? Me—under your sheets at night? Or me? Just me?”

  Trent stared at her, wordless.

  Julia had her answer then. “I’m staying on for three weeks, not for your sake, Trent. I’m doing this for Sarah. I promised her I’d be here with her. I’ll speak with you about hotel business, because after all, that’s what you’re paying me for, right? But don’t ever approach me about anything else. Got that, boss?”

  Trent came around his desk, slow and easy, marking his steps, and banking his fury, just barely, under the surface. “Why, Julia? Why are you doing this?”

  She laughed softly, the absurdity hitting her.

  Because you refuse to love me.

  “You used me, Trent. And what’s sad is that you don’t even know that you’ve done it. You don’t care about anything but your precious hotel. It’s all that matters to you. I’m through living that way,” she said with finality.

  His nostrils flared and he spoke with authority, “Are you forgetting that I’ve got you under contract?”

  “You don’t have me under anything, anymore.” She smiled, glad to have made that abundantly clear.

  A tic worked in Trent’s jaw, but the slight flicker in his eyes gave him away. “I could—”

  “Sue me? Ruin my reputation? Go ahead and try. I’m not afraid of anything you might do. Any employer worth his salt would love to hire me. I have an impeccable reputation and a strong work ethic. My successes speak for themselves.”

  Trent scrubbed the back of his neck. He spoke softly now, perhaps realizing that she meant business. “Julia, come on. You’re angry about something, but I can’t figure it out. Just tell me what I did and I’ll fix it.”

  Julia shook her head. “You don’t get it. You can’t fix this. You’re a fool, Trent. But I’m the bigger fool. I fell in love with you.”

  Julia turned and walked away before witnessing Trent’s reaction. She didn’t want to see it. She couldn’t bear to glimpse his stunned surprise or, worse yet, his indifference.

  “Julia did a nice job setting this all up,” Pete Wyatt said, as he sidled next to Trent and watched the hotel guests take their seats and eagerly await Sarah Rose to arrive. Trent leaned against a cottonwood tree in the background, arms folded, taking it all in.

  There wasn’t an empty seat to be had. Every single one of the invited guests was in attendance for this special private performance. Sarah Rose’s signature background music played softly, getting the audience in the mood. Destiny Lake’s dock had been transformed into a stage, surrounded by flowers and shrubbery that were native to Crimson Canyon.

  “She did,” Trent agreed, eyeing her from a distance as she made last-minute preparations by the dock. He had to give her credit. Julia had the ideas and the know how to make things happen.

  She looked so pretty in her country duds. She wore a denim skirt that fit her slim waist and a russet ruffled blouse that brought out her olive skin tones. She’d dressed for the special occasion, boots and all.

  A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. Julia wasn’t speaking to him. He’d gotten an earful from Evan and Brock today. News traveled fast in the Tyler clan and they all knew Julia had decided to leave Tempest West. He’d avoided the calls from his mother, though. He wasn’t up to explaining something to her that he couldn’t explain to himself.

  Julia took a stand on the dock facing the crowd, her face alight with anticipation and…pride. She glanced out at the guests and the background music ceased playing. She spoke to the group, welcoming them to Tempest West’s first exclusive performance, and was greeted with a round of applause. When the applause died down, Julia began, “As you know, Tempest West is all about legends. Live our legends or create one of your own. So before we get started, I’d like to tell you how this beautiful lake got its name and about the struggles, hopes and dreams of the people who lived here decades ago and witnessed this amazing canyon sunset every day of their lives. The legend goes….”

  Julia spoke from the heart, emotion ringing out in every word. When she was through telling the tale, she introduced Sarah Rose and turned her attention out on the waters. The country singer appeared in a boat on the shimmering lake, being rowed toward the dock by two Tempest West wranglers. She waved to her audience and they cheered as she was helped up the few landing steps and handed her guitar.

  Sarah sat on the stool placed on the edge of the dock and began to sing, the orange-gold sun setting behind her, streaking vivid hues of color across the lake.

  Brilliant.

  The guests loved it.

  Trent glanced at Julia, and she turned to him at the same time from yards away, their eyes meeting and for one second there was triumph and bonding—they’d accomplished their goal together. But then, the spark in her eyes went dim. Trent winced at the extreme sadness he witnessed on her face before she turned away.

  Suddenly, Trent feared losing something more precious than his hotel. Julia loved him. He didn’t have to search his heart far to know he’d blown it with her, big-time. Evan and Brock had both told him so, tossing in a few expletives along the way, the phone conversations
not the highlight of his day. He’d let his own ambition and drive blind him and now it was too late.

  “You got a new head wrangler in mind yet?” Pete asked quietly.

  The question broke into his thoughts. Trent nodded. “I think Joe Hardy can do the job.”

  Pete agreed. “He’s a good man.”

  “You sure you want to leave?”

  Pete sighed and shook his head. “It’s time I go back home. Things here got more complicated than I thought.”

  “Female trouble?”

  “Yeah, and I don’t need more of it. I appreciate you keeping my secret,” he said. “I owe you one.”

  Trent smiled at his friend. “I know where to find you.”

  Pete nodded and they both stood there, listening to Sarah Rose’s sweet stirrings in a soft sad ballad of unrequited love.

  “You’re leaving,” Kim said to Julia, her heartache evident on her face.

  Nothing much got by the watercooler gang. Tempest West was like a small city in itself and it seemed everyone knew the score. Julia gazed at her new friend as they walked toward the hotel for the postshow party in honor of Sarah’s first performance. Julia knew how much she’d miss the young impulsive girl.

  There were a dozen things she’d miss about Tempest West. She’d made friends here. She’d enjoyed the work, the challenge and the gorgeous surroundings. Her vision for Tempest West was beginning, but she wouldn’t have the pleasure of seeing it through. Sarah’s concert was the first step and it had been hugely successful.

  She put her arm around Kim as they headed for the Canyon Room.

  “It’s going to be hard without you here, Julia.”

  Julia felt the same way. She’d miss her newfound friendship with Kim. But she had to leave. She couldn’t get past her hurt and anger at Trent. She hadn’t spoken more than a few sentences to him in the past few days. “You know we’ll always be friends.”