by Unknown
It was late in the afternoon before they pulled away from the house in a large pickup of Jonah’s. His possessions were loaded and tied down in the bed of the truck. By the time they reached the city limits, Henry was asleep in the back seat.
“You have a wonderful family,” Kate said. In the close quarters of the front seat, she was only a few feet from Jonah and watched him as he drove. The day had been filled with moments of longing, and now to sit with him so close, she had to fight the urge to touch him.
“They are great. Henry seemed to fit right in.”
“Yes, he did,” Kate replied. “He’s losing his shyness quickly. Or maybe he just feels at home with your family.”
“They’re his family, too, Kate. And kids are kids. Especially boys. Give ’em a ball to play with and they’re happy.”
Under former circumstances, it would have been a wonderful day, and she would have been relaxed, happy, eager to go home and go to bed with her exciting husband. Instead, she was on edge, fighting an attraction that wouldn’t diminish. Every minute with him added to her need.
Why not toss aside her worries about his lifestyle and see if she could get him back? She was startled by the thought that had popped into her head. Immediately, she rejected it. She thought it would take years—if not a lifetime—to get him to forgive her. And she really didn’t expect him to stay on the ranch more than six months. If he wasn’t living life on the edge, he would get restless and bored. Yet if she wasn’t careful, she would be more deeply in love with him than ever.
Kate studied his profile, doubly familiar because Henry looked so much like him. Only Henry had childish features and a child’s jaw. Jonah’s firm jaw and prominent cheekbones were those of a man, masculine and sexy. She looked at his mouth, his full lower lip, and her insides tightened. Her gaze dropped down over his bulging biceps, his smooth brown skin, the jeans that were tight on muscled thighs.
When she looked up, her gaze met his before he turned his attention back to the road. Her face flushed with heat at being caught so blatantly studying him.
“You’re not dating anyone?” he asked abruptly.
“No, I’m not. I never have.”
“Not in five years, Kate?”
“I was pregnant most of the first year, had a new baby the second one and then two sick parents after that. I really didn’t want to date. What about you, Jonah? Is there another woman in your life now?” she asked, trying to sound casual and knowing she shouldn’t care—not after five years away from him. But in spite of reason, of telling herself that she had to let go, and imagining that he had remarried, at this moment she cared and couldn’t keep from feeling a rush of satisfaction when he shook his head.
“Nope. There’s no one in my life.”
“That makes us even more vulnerable to another hurt, since we’re living in the same house.”
“I’ll manage, and I’m sure you will, too,” he said, a muscle working in his jaw, and she knew he was enveloped by his smoldering anger.
“Your mother and sisters-in-law are forgiving.”
“They can probably see things more from your point of view than my brothers, who probably see Henry’s birth the way I do.”
“They were coolly polite and so was your father, but it doesn’t matter, because they were all wonderful to Henry.”
“You know how my family loves kids and loves family. They’re happiest when we’re all together.”
“Do they mind seeing you move farther away?”
“They’re accustomed to my being away—out of the country a lot of the time. And they’re thrilled about the ranch. I want to have Mom and Dad come visit soon.”
“Anytime, Jonah. Henry loved being with them. I think he’s missed my parents.” She thought about all the nieces and nephews she’d met. “Your family is growing.”
“By leaps and bounds,” he answered.
“Now, tomorrow, when I go to my new job, you’re planning to keep Henry with you?”
“That’s right. We need to hire a nanny for part of the time. I’ll pay for one.”
“When I start work, I can share the expense.”
He waved his hand. “No. I’ll do that. What hours will you work?”
“Fortunately, they have flex time. I can work longer four days a week if I want, and then take off Fridays. I’d like to see how that works,” she said.
They discussed her job and then talked about Henry for a while. Eventually their conversation drifted on to various other topics, making the ride home seem brief. Jonah carried Henry inside and put him to bed, while Kate changed into her suit and went for a swim, then returned to her room.
She pulled on her cutoffs and a T-shirt and went to the kitchen to get a cold drink. When she looked outside, she saw Jonah swimming laps in the pool, and realized he had waited until she finished her swim before he got into the pool. She inhaled deeply, knowing he was right. They should avoid each other, yet how difficult it was to do!
As she watched him, he climbed out of the pool and picked up his towel. Her gaze raked over his muscled body and her pulse galloped. She turned away swiftly and hurried to her room. He hadn’t chosen to join her in a swim, and she shouldn’t hang around downstairs where he’d have to encounter her now.
In her room, she ran her hand across her forehead. What a day it had been! Yet in some ways she was glad it was over and Jonah’s family had met her son. Henry needed that big family, with all its love and laughter. Jonah’s parents would be wonderful for him.
Far into the night, Kate tried to read. She had her clothes laid out for the coming day—her first day on her new job. She was excited about the prospect, but its importance had diminished over the weekend. She sat on the balcony of her room and gazed at the yard and the land beyond it.
She fell asleep in a chair, and later when she moved to her bed, noticed the lights still blazed on the grounds surrounding the house. “You don’t worry about the light bill anymore,” she said softly, remembering how careful Jonah used to be, rigging timers on the outside lights and switching lights off when he left a room.
She stretched out in bed in the darkness, cognizant of the fact that she was once again under the same roof as Jonah, and from the moment of their encounter yesterday, her life had changed again forever.
The night was clear and dark as the big truck’s engine broke the silence, and brakes hissed when the rig slowed and stopped.
A man hopped out of the cab of the empty truck and pulled wire cutters from his pocket. With decisive snips he sliced through the barbed wire and then climbed back into the cattle truck, revved the motor and rammed the fence post, toppling it. With a glance in the rearview mirror, he saw that the pickup was following him. How easy it all was! The only bad thing was he wouldn’t be there to see their faces when they found out what had happened.
He had seen the rancher who lived here.
Jonah Whitewolf was in the house tonight. He and his brat and his beautiful wife. Arrogant, taking possession just as if he had earned his inheritance. Retired Special Forces. A lot of good all his fancy training would do him in this situation.
The man wiped his sweating brow. He was a pro at this now, he thought. They had practiced, starting up north and working their way down across Texas. The fools who worked for him had no idea what his true motive was. They thought he was doing it for the same reason they were—for the money. The money was icing on the cake, but that wasn’t the real reason.
As he bounced over the rough ground, the man glanced around him. The night was perfect because of the darkness and the clouds that hid the sliver of a moon.
Motioning to his cohorts by waving his arm out the window, he led the way across open pastures. When he encountered another fence, he simply laughed and revved the motor, bursting through it and flattening it. The barbs wouldn’t penetrate his thick tires. He knew exactly where to go, not caring that the big truck’s engine roared and the trailer clanked and jangled with each rut and bump. There was no on
e around to see or hear him. Those cowboys didn’t patrol the ranch—there had never been a need to guard it before tonight. Complacency was in his favor.
When he spotted the cattle, he grinned, and anticipation built in him. Everything was just as he had planned. While the rancher slept, the terror would begin.
The man slowed and stopped, cutting the motor and climbing out to give directions. He slid his hand over a scabbard fastened to his belt, reassuring himself that the knife was there.
Revenge was exquisite! Only one disappointment—the man who had caused all this was no longer alive to see it.
Monday morning when Kate went down to the kitchen, Jonah was already there with glasses of orange juice and slices of ham. The enticing smells of hot coffee and baking biscuits made her mouth water, but they weren’t as tempting as Jonah. He stood at the stove, scrambling eggs. In jeans and a black T-shirt, he was sexy and appealing and looked as if he had had a long night’s sleep, far different from her own experience.
“Good morning,” he said. His smoldering gaze slid over her and she was suddenly self-conscious, hoping she looked all right in her lightweight, navy cotton suit.
“You look great,” he said gruffly, and she gazed into his eyes. Blatant desire burned like a bonfire in their brown depths, giving her an additional jolt.
“Thank you,” she said, wanting to add, “You do, too,” but knowing she shouldn’t. How many mornings in their marriage had she come into the kitchen to find him already cooking breakfast? And how many of those times had they made love right then or gone directly back to bed?
She took a deep breath, trying to bank memories that she had kept shut away for the past five years.
“What would you like for breakfast? Help yourself, and I’ll have scrambled eggs in one more minute,” he said.
“Thanks, Jonah,” she replied, pouring a glass of orange juice. “When I get to work today, I’ll call with my new number—just as soon as I have it.”
He put down the spoon and turned, picking up a small blue cellular phone. “Here’s an extra phone that I kept in the truck. You take it, since you don’t have one.”
“Thank you,” she said, quietly pocketing the phone, knowing he would probably use it far more than she. She glanced out the kitchen window to see a barrel-chested cowboy striding purposefully toward the house. His gray Western hat saw squarely on his head. “Here comes someone,” she said.
“That’s my foreman,” Jonah said when he’d crossed the room to look outside. “You need to meet him. From the frown on his face, I’d guess there’s trouble.”
Chapter 5
J onah opened the back door and ushered his foreman inside. “Kate, this is Scott Adamson. Scott, this is my ex-wife, Kate Whitewolf.”
“How do you do,” the cowboy said politely, removing his hat and running his fingers through his thick red hair.
“Sit down and have breakfast with us,” Jonah offered, and minutes later all three of them were seated around the table with cups of steaming coffee, plates of hot biscuits and jelly, and scrambled eggs.
“We’ve had trouble,” Scott announced abruptly. “We had rustlers last night.”
“What did they take?” Jonah asked.
“A lot of cattle—all of the herd in the far south pasture are gone.”
Jonah stood. “I’ll call the Piedras County sheriff and then I need to phone my insurance adjuster.”
“Sheriff Dakota Gallen’s a decent man,” Scott said. “You’ll like him.”
“As soon as I talk to him, I’ll go look at the scene.”
“I’ll drive back up here and you can follow me. I’ve checked, and our equipment is intact.”
“That may be because of the high-powered alarms around the barn and the house,” Jonah said as he crossed the kitchen to pick up the phone and call the sheriff.
“Are you from these parts, ma’am?” Scott asked Kate, and she shook her head.
“Not at all. I’m from North Carolina. This is the first time I’ve been to Texas. I start a new job this morning in San Antonio.”
“I hope you like it here.”
“I thought rustling was something out of the last century,” she said to the freckled foreman. She noticed his thick, blunt fingers, the freckles covering the back of his hands and wrists as he picked up his cup of coffee. Even though the weather was hot, he wore a long-sleeved blue shirt, and she guessed he tried to protect his skin from the sun.
“Rustling still happens. People can make a lot of money by taking someone else’s livestock.”
Jonah returned to the table. “The sheriff is on his way.”
“If you’ll excuse me,” Kate said, standing, “I have to get to town. You’re still all right with taking care of Henry?” she asked Jonah.
“Sure. Both Clementine and Marvella will arrive any minute now, and I’ll be here all day and take him with me most of the time. Excuse us, Scott.”
“I need to go, too. It was nice to meet you, ma’am,” the foreman said, standing as she left.
After seeing Scott out, Jonah caught up with Kate and walked down the hall beside her, toward the stairs.
“You have a cell phone and you have my number, so you can call me anytime about Henry. Don’t worry about him, Kate. I’ll take good care of him.”
“I know you will,” she said, stopping at the foot of the stairs. Jonah faced her and straightened her collar, his fingers brushing her throat lightly. She met his dark-eyed gaze and wondered what he was thinking, unable to tell anything from his impassive expression.
“Good luck today with your job,” he said.
“Thanks,” she replied, thinking how polite they were being and wondering what undercurrents flowed around them. She suspected the only reason he was chatting with her was to reassure her about leaving Henry in his care.
“How late does he sleep?”
She glanced at her watch. “You’re used to getting up very early compared to him. He’ll wake up about eight o’clock.”
Jonah nodded and strode away, disappearing back into the kitchen, where she heard his boots scrape the oak flooring. She went up to her room to get her purse and look at herself one more time, and then left the ranch.
When Clementine Blair arrived, Jonah returned to the kitchen. He waited until Marvella arrived to clean so he could talk to both women at once. When Marvella entered the kitchen, he addressed them. “Clementine, I know you aren’t a nanny, and I’ve contacted an agency about hiring one. But this morning I need to leave Jonah here for a short time while I drive out on the ranch.”
“That’s fine, Mr. Whitewolf,” Clementine replied instantly. Marvella nodded.
“Call me Jonah,” he insisted, wondering how many times he was going to have to tell her, or if she would forever address him formally. “I won’t be gone long.”
“Don’t you worry one minute. I took care of that precious baby, Jessie, when the Frateses were at the ranch, and I miss the child although I’m happy she has a new home now. I miss having a little one around, and it’s super news that your son is with us.”
“It’s very super,” Jonah agreed. “Okay, thanks. I have to meet the sheriff. We had rustlers last night.”
“I heard,” she said, and he marveled at how fast word traveled around the ranch. Jonah suspected it reached surrounding areas and Stallion Pass just as swiftly.
“Two ranches a lot farther north have been robbed,” Marvella added.
“Is that right?” Jonah gazed beyond them, through the window at the yard. “When I decided to move here, I thought it would be peaceful and quiet.”
“It usually is,” Marvella said.
“You both have my cell phone number, and be sure to keep the alarm on when I’m gone,” he said.
“I always keep that alarm on,” Clementine replied, putting butter in the refrigerator and closing up a jam jar to put it away.
“I better go,” Jonah said. A short time later, he strode outside to his truck. The sunny morning and d
eep blue Texas sky did little to lift his spirits. He was angry that his cattle had been stolen on his first week at the ranch.
When Scott Adamson drove past him, Jonah pulled in behind Scott’s shiny red pickup, following him across the ranch until they reached the area where the rustlers had struck.
Jonah climbed out and looked at smashed fences, high grass beaten down where truck tracks cut across the green pasture. “They didn’t try to hide their tracks.”
“They drove them from this pasture over to the loading pens, got them loaded up in trucks or a big cattle truck.”
“Let’s drive there and look,” Jonah said and climbed back in his car to follow Scott to the pasture with the pens.
When he climbed out of the pickup this time, Scott hurried toward him. “That isn’t all,” Scott said. “I didn’t want to talk about it over breakfast and in front of your woman.”
For an instant Jonah was taken out of his surroundings, forgetting anger or worry about the theft. Your woman. Kate hadn’t been his woman for a long time now. The statement startled him and gave him a pang that he shrugged away. She wasn’t ever going to be his woman again and he damned well better remember that.
Then he recalled what else Scott had said. “What else happened?” Jonah asked, a sense of dread gripping him.
The foreman pointed his long arm and index finger. “Over there. You have cattle with their throats cut.”
“Oh, damn. That changes the crime,” Jonah said, walking toward the scattered carcasses of dead animals.
“Sure as hell does,” Scott drawled. “After the lawmen are finished, I’ll get some of the boys and we’ll take care of these carcasses.” At the sound of an engine, he glanced around. “Here comes the sheriff.”
Jonah waited with his hands splayed on his waist, watching the official, shiny black car driven by the Piedras County sheriff bounce over rough ground, slow and stop. A tall, rugged-appearing man climbed out of the car and slammed the door. On the passenger side, another uniformed man stepped out of the car.
