Reunited with the Rancher
Page 4
It hurt to hear Tom say that she couldn’t have more children, but everything he said was the truth. As their conversation trailed off, she was acutely aware of him so nearby. She had been doing fairly well when she didn’t see him or talk to him on a regular basis, but now to be with him, to joke around with him, even just this tiny bit, drew her to him. And the memories were tormenting her. They had been so wildly in love when they were dating and first married. Her world had crashed and would never again be the same. She had been slowly adjusting to life without Tom, and now he was coming right back into it. Would she be able to cope with living in the same house again? Could she resist the intense, scalding attraction she always felt for him? What would happen if he tried to seduce her?
The questions came at her constantly, and there were no answers.
Three
When they got to town, Tom parked in front of the sheriff’s office and carried the CPU inside. Nathan greeted them and shook Tom’s hand. “We don’t have much in the way of good leads and I don’t expect to get anything from your computer, but I need to check it out. I hope both of you will go to the meeting Monday.”
“We plan to,” Tom said. “I’ll help in any way I can. Just let me know.”
“Thanks,” Nathan said. The sheriff was tall and had friendly brown eyes. “I’d like to talk to each of you, one at a time. Emily, want to go first?”
“Sure,” she answered, smiling at him. He was slightly older than Tom and she, but she knew him and his wife, Amanda, who owned the Royal Diner, which was a town fixture.
Emily went into his office and tried to answer his questions. She was with him only a short time and then he talked to Tom. Their session was also brief.
Soon both men came out of Nathan’s office. “If either one of you think of anything to tell me, just call, no matter what the hour is. I want this Maverick caught.”
“I think most of the people in Royal probably want him caught quickly,” Emily said.
“Sorry we weren’t more help, Nathan,” Tom said. “I’ll keep thinking about any possibilities.”
“Sure. Both of you try to make the meeting Monday. I’m shocked that Emily was a target. And it could have been to get at you, but why you? You don’t have any real enemies around these parts.”
“You never know—you can aggravate someone without even knowing it. Since there are several people now who’ve received these Maverick messages, I’d say this is a sour character who has a lot of grudges.”
“You’re right. I want to catch him—or her. I’m sure Emily’s computer will be the same as the others—we can’t trace where the messages originated. Maverick may be mean, but he’s not stupid.”
Nathan followed them outside, and the three of them stood for a moment in the late-afternoon sun. “Emily, since you’ve moved into your uncle’s house here in town, if you need us at any time, just call. I’m glad Tom is there now, because that takes away some worries.”
“We’ll keep in touch,” Tom promised as he took Emily’s arm lightly. He was saying goodbye to the sheriff, paying little attention to her, but with each of Tom’s touches, the contact was startling. How could he still do this to her when they were no longer in love and headed for divorce? They had no future together, she was annoyed he had taken charge of her life and was staying with her, yet the slightest contact was electrifying. She hoped her reaction didn’t show.
They told Nathan goodbye and walked to the car. As they drove away, Tom glanced at her. “Let’s stop at the diner and get a burger.”
“Sure,” she answered, knowing Tom was probably hungry, but suspecting he wanted people in Royal to see them together.
Everything they did reminded her of old times with him, which made her sad, but at the same time, she couldn’t keep from enjoying his company.
They drove the short distance down Main and stopped at the Royal Diner for burgers. Too many things she did with Tom reminded her of their life when everything was exciting and they were in love. The reminders hurt and made her realize how her expectations had been destroyed and there wasn’t any putting their marriage back together. They might fool Maverick, but it was going to cost her peace of mind to have Tom hovering around.
They sat down in a booth upholstered in red faux leather. “How many times have we eaten burgers or had a malt here?” she couldn’t resist asking Tom.
He smiled at her. “Too many to keep track, but my mind was never on the burgers or the malts.”
“I doubt mine was, either,” she said, remembering how exciting he was to her. “This is the first place you asked me to go with you—to get a malt.”
“I remember,” he said, focusing on her with a direct gaze that made her warm. “After you ran into my car.”
“That was one of the first times I ever took the car. I just didn’t see you when I pulled out of the school parking lot. It’s a good thing you had quick reflexes, because it would have been a worse wreck if you hadn’t put on your brakes.”
“That seems so long ago. Your uncle Woody was understanding about the whole thing. His insurance paid for my car and he had faith in you. He knew you’d learn to drive, and I guess he figured you’d be more careful after hitting my car.”
“I was definitely more careful.”
“It was worth it to get you to pick me up every morning and take me to school while my car was being fixed,” Tom said, smiling at her.
“I thought so, too,” she said, loving to see him smile. The sad times they’d experienced had taken away smiles and laughter, but before that she had always had more fun with Tom than anyone else. “I liked picking you up, except it was embarrassing, too, because everyone in school knew what I’d done.”
He leaned across the table, and his voice dropped as he spoke softly. “Remember our first kiss? I do.”
She looked into his bedroom eyes and drew a deep breath. But it felt as if all the air in the diner suddenly vanished. She couldn’t keep from glancing at Tom’s mouth, thinking about his kisses, remembering them in exacting detail and wanting to kiss him again.
“Of course I do, but I’m surprised you do.”
“I do. Why do you think I asked you out again?” he said, those hazel eyes twinkling.
“It was all exciting, Tom,” she said, full of regret.
“Then don’t cry about it now. Happy memories. Take the ones that were special and exciting and concentrate on them.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” she said lightly, smiling at him.
Their burgers came. She ate half of hers, reflecting on how she didn’t want Tom staying with her but finding no way to avoid it, especially after Nathan said it was a good arrangement.
They left and she felt certain they would never eat burgers together in the Royal Diner again. She glanced up at Tom as she walked beside him. He was still exciting to her, which was something she didn’t want to feel, because they had no future and all too soon they would officially be divorced. Why did that hurt so badly when it was what they both wanted? Now with him moving in to stay in the same house with her, was she going through another emotional upheaval that would be more difficult and painful to get over than the last time?
“Want to make a quick stop and see my studio?” she asked impulsively. “It isn’t something you have to do.”
“No, I’d like to see it.”
“Turn at the next corner.” She gave him directions and they drove just two more blocks and parked in front. She was sandwiched in between a law office and a popular bakery that had delicious bread. He paused to look at the pictures of babies and dogs and families on display in her front window.
“Very nice, Em. You’ve turned your hobby into a good business. You’re very good.”
“Thank you,” she said, feeling he was being polite.
“I think I may just stand out here an
d smell the bread,” Tom remarked.
“It’s fantastic. We can pick up a loaf to take with us. They have specialties. Come in. This is tiny, but big enough for me.”
He walked around the waiting room, looking at more pictures on the walls. Some of the people he recognized, a lot he didn’t, especially the children. Then he came upon a large framed picture of their son when he was two years old.
“Em, this is a wonderful picture of Ryan. I want a copy.”
“I’ll get you one. I’m glad you like it. It makes me happy to see his picture when I come to work.”
Tom continued looking at the framed photographs. There was one from when the tornado hit Royal, of the damaged town hall with three floors destroyed and the clock tower left standing. “You’re very good at this,” he said, moving to another picture of a black horse in a pasture, the wind blowing its tail, sunlight spilling over its satiny black coat. Tom glanced at her.
“This looks like my horse Grand.”
“It is. He’s photogenic and cooperative.”
“Wow. I’d like a copy of that picture, too.” He leaned closer. “I don’t see a price on these.”
“You’re special. You can have that picture compliments of the house.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I want to,” she said, smiling at him.
“Thanks. It’s a great picture of him.”
“Come see where I take pictures and my desk.”
He walked around and bent down to look through a camera set on a tripod. Across from him was a backdrop of a field of green grass.
“Tom, let me take your picture.”
He grinned at her. “You’re kidding. You know what I look like.”
She took his arm. “Come stand and let me have a picture of you. I might want it on cold winter nights when you’re not with me.”
His smile faded. “You’re serious. All right, I will if you’ll let me take one of you on my phone.”
She laughed. “Sure I will.”
“And promise you won’t stick me out there in the window.”
“I wouldn’t think of it,” she said. “Your picture will go home to my bedroom,” she said, expecting a laugh or sexy reply, but he stood quietly looking at her and she wondered what he was thinking. “You stand right here,” she said, motioning to him.
Behind the camera, she adjusted the settings and took a picture. “Now turn slightly and look over your shoulder a little at me and smile.”
“Em, I feel silly.”
“Smile and cooperate. I’ll buy you a loaf of bread when we leave.”
“You’re really good at this bribery business.” He turned and smiled and she snapped some more.
“Now, want to see your pictures? I can get proofs for you while we go get that loaf of bread.”
“I don’t really care about seeing my picture, but I definitely care about that bread. You don’t have to buy it. I’ll go get it and you get your proofs or whatever you do. What kind do you want me to get?”
“I love the sourdough.”
“Sourdough, coming up. I’ll be back.” He left and she worked quickly on the proof. She was examining them when she heard the bell in front. She scooped up the proofs, turned off lights and hurried to meet him.
“I have two loaves of bread and they smell almost too good to wait to eat. Ready to go?”
“Yes, look. You take a very appealing picture.”
She held a couple of proofs out for him to see. He barely glanced at them but smiled at her. “I’m a very appealing subject,” he said and she smiled.
The sun was low in the west when they left her shop. As soon as they were in the car, she turned to him slightly. “When we leave here, get ready for a shock. The house is in terrible condition. At the last, Uncle Woody was so ill—”
“Emily, I’ve meant to tell you that I’m sorry I missed being at his funeral.”
“There wasn’t any reason for you to fly back from your business trip in Wyoming. I never asked you if you bought the ranch,” she said, realizing how far apart they had grown. In times past he would have been at her side for her uncle’s last hours and through the service. She would have known whether Tom bought another ranch in Wyoming and he would have discussed his decision with her before he did anything. They were moving farther apart and the divorce was inevitable, but right now, she didn’t want to give any satisfaction to Maverick and neither did Tom, so they’d stay together.
“No, I didn’t buy it. If I buy another ranch, it’ll be in this part of the country,” he said. “I’m beginning to rethink getting someone else to run it. I have to be hands-on with a ranch.”
She was quiet when they turned on the street where she had lived from the time she was nine years old until she had married Tom. Big sycamores and oaks lined the road. Tiny green leaves covered some branches, but many had bare limbs. The aging sidewalk was pushed up by tree roots. Tom slowed in front of the three-story house and turned onto a driveway where grass filled the cracks of aged concrete that had disappeared beneath a cover of weeds.
Tom parked beside the back corner of the aged house. “I want the car out here where it can be seen. If anyone has been watching you, whoever it is will know this isn’t your car. I want Maverick to know I’m here with you, that the email didn’t work and didn’t hurt either one of us.”
“It gives me the shivers to think someone might be watching me,” she said. “I never even thought of that.”
Tom gave her a look and smiled. “You’re trusting.”
He cut the engine while he gazed at the house, and she studied it with him. Long ago it had been painted white, but now the paint was peeling. There were gables on the front and west sides with a shingled roof that needed replacement. The large round tower on the east side had broken windows and all the ground floor windows were broken. The house had a wraparound porch with wooden gingerbread decoration that had shattered through the years and ornate spindles that were broken.
She sat a moment looking at the dilapidated condition: peeling paint, shutters hanging awry or gone, broken windows, concrete steps crumbling. She remembered one night when Tom had brought her home and parked on the drive. They had gotten out of his car and he had kissed her beneath the mulberry tree. A kiss became kisses and then he asked her to marry him. They both had a year of college left and they’d talked about waiting, but that night was the night he proposed. Before she went in, they agreed they wouldn’t do anything official until they finished their senior year.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
Startled, she turned to him and wondered if he had guessed that being with him at the house had triggered memories. “I have a lot of windows to repair,” she said.
“Yeah,” he said in a gruff voice, and she wondered if he remembered the same moments she had. “So this is where you want to live instead of the house on the ranch. This is going to be a job and a half,” Tom said, looking at it in the dusk as the last sunlight slipped away into darkness. “It’s also the least secure place you could pick to stay.”
“I’m in Royal, which is a peaceful town.”
“A peaceful town that has a hateful troll spreading grief.”
“I know I have a lot of work to do here, but I work in town now and the house is my only tie to my past and my family. The ones I was really close to are all gone. I hardly know my cousins, and they live in Oregon and Vermont. I never see them. This house is my tie to Mom and Uncle Woody.”
“It’s a fine old home, but your uncle couldn’t keep up with it and it’ll be an expense for you.”
“He didn’t want me to hire anyone to work on it, so I did what he wanted.”
“Honoring his wishes was probably more important. Well, we can fix it up and hire people to do some of the work.”
He frowned, his jaw clamped shut. The happy moments they’d had disappeared with her request for him to leave. Jolted by regret, she reminded herself it was for the best. She didn’t need Tom staying with her, and it would complicate both their lives—he had a ranch to run and she didn’t need him hovering.
“People will have seen us together and your car here and they’ll talk about it. You don’t need to stay longer,” she added when he didn’t say anything.
“You may not want me, but I’m staying,” he said in a gruff tone. “Think of me as a bodyguard and maybe you can tolerate my presence. You might need me.”
“Suit yourself,” she said, still wondering how she would get through the night with him in the house.
She reached for the door handle and he placed his hand on hers.
Startled, she looked up at him.
“I don’t feel right about you walking into this big empty house. Anybody could be in there, because there is not one lick of security here. They could step in through any one of downstairs windows. Do you even lock the doors?”
“Actually, no. What’s the point with windows broken out?”
“You just wait here in the car while I check the place. Keep the car keys and give me your house key.”
“Tom—”
“I know I’m being cautious, but it only takes minutes and we have time. I’ll feel better. Now you stay locked in this car, and if you see anyone call me instantly. And if anyone tries to get in the car—”
“I’ll just run over them,” she couldn’t resist saying, because she thought he was being ridiculous.
He didn’t laugh. “Emily, I’ve seen a guy walk into a house and get his throat slashed. I know we’re in Royal, but I don’t see one damn reason to take a chance.”
“Ah, Tom. Sorry,” she said. “I know you’re trying to help, but this isn’t a war zone, it’s Royal, and so far, Maverick has only sent emails.” She waved her hand. “I’ll do as you say. You check out the house.” She knew his warrior background had kicked in and there was no use arguing.