Lone Star Legacy

by Roxanne Rustand

  Halfway through the book, the telephone rang. And rang, and rang. Beth kept reading, but then finally gave up and pulled the portable receiver from her pocket.

  The voice was instantly recognizable. Roger Bennings, the owner of the company where Patrick had worked. Her heart sank. “Roger. I…haven’t talked to you in a long time.”

  “I want to know if you’ve reconsidered,” he snapped.

  She felt a great weight press down on her chest. “About what?”

  “I know you fooled the cops. And I know you think you’ve gotten away with this, but you won’t. You and your husband nearly ruined my company.”

  “I don’t have your money,” she said wearily. “I have no idea where it is. Maybe you need to look at someone else.”

  “You’d like that. But I’m not a fool, and if I don’t have the answers I want by the end of this month, I’ll be hauling you in to court. You understand?”

  “The police investigation—”

  “They screwed up, and so did your husband’s supervisor, for letting this happen. But I’ll be taking things into my own hands from here on out. I’ve fired Ewen, and if you don’t want trouble, you’d better plan on cooperating.”

  He’d called several times right after Patrick’s death. His hollow condolences and subtle, prying questions had made her skin prickle, but he’d never made her feel this uneasy. “Are you threatening me?” she asked coldly. “If you are, I plan to report this to the police.”

  “It’s no threat, Ms. Lindstrom. It’s a fact. Go ahead, report it to the police. They’re ramping up their investigation, and I’m sure they’d like a chance to talk to you again.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “YOU MUST’VE HAD one hell of a day,” Joel said as he forked a rib eye onto Beth’s plate.

  The aroma of prime, mesquite-grilled beef made her mouth water as she sliced off a stack of small pieces for Sophie and slid them over onto the child’s plate. She cut her own baked potato lengthwise and gave Sophie half of that as well, with a generous dollop of butter and sour cream.

  “I must look awful.”

  He automatically passed her the steak sauce. “Not awful, never that. Just tired.”

  Beth served Sophie a small piece of corn on the cob and garlic-buttered French bread, then passed the serving plates to Joel.

  They’d settled into a comfortable routine, each taking care of part of the supper meal. The companionable process had become a highlight of her days, while the long, late nightly talks out on the porch swing had been even better—as long as they veered carefully away from Joel’s past.

  It would all end tomorrow, when she and Sophie moved back to the café apartment, and just the thought of leaving made her feel…lonely. Which was ridiculous, because that apartment was where they belonged, and this had always been just a temporary situation. She’d known that from the start.

  “You don’t have to leave,” Joel said, his gaze on hers. “You’re still better off here. And why move twice, if you plan on leaving Texas in August?”

  “We’ve imposed for over two weeks already.”

  “It was never an imposition.”

  “And I really should get back there, so I can start trying to build up the breakfast business. There hasn’t been even one prospective buyer so far.”

  A corner of Joel’s mouth lifted. “There’s always Tracy.”

  Beth snorted. “Only as a last resort, and maybe not even then.”

  His smile widened. “Take a look.”

  She followed his gaze to Sophie, whose eyelids were drooping. “Sweetie, it’s time to eat.”

  Sophie’s head bobbed up, but then she started to slump in her chair. “Excuse me. I think I’d better change her into her jammies and brush her teeth so she can go to sleep. She’s had a long day.”

  Beth took her back to the bedroom and got her ready for bed, then stayed until Sophie was sound asleep. Leaving the bedroom door open, she went back to the kitchen and found Joel waiting, with both of their dinners in the oven turned on low. “You didn’t have to wait for me.”

  “I wanted to.” He managed to pull a sad face. “After tonight, I’ll be eating alone.”

  Beth laughed. “From what I’ve seen of the interested and available young women in this town, you’d never have to worry about that.”

  “But would they be good company? That’s the real question.”

  “Probably a better bet than a widow with financial troubles, a child and someone from her past lurking about.” She kept her tone light. “I’m afraid I’m not a very good bet for anyone.”

  He frowned. “What happened today?”

  “Nothing, really.”

  “Did Hubie show up again?” He studied her face. “You look stressed.”

  “No…I just had another call from Patrick’s old boss. He says he’s still sure I can access all the money that disappeared, and he wants it back or he’s taking me to court.”

  “How can he do that? Does he have any proof?”

  “He plans to investigate until he does.” She toyed with a slice of her steak. “But I can’t tell him any more than I told the police. I don’t know anything.”

  “Then you have nothing to worry about.”

  She exhaled slowly. “Until I found those gambling receipts, I never thought Patrick would do anything wrong. Now I wonder if he could’ve been frantic over being deep in debt and afraid I’d find out. Maybe he gambled even more, trying to win it all back.”

  “Which never happens. Though in the meantime, he could’ve had someone pressuring him for the money.”

  She closed her eyes against a very real possibility that had been preying on her thoughts all day. “Maybe…he was gambling to try to pay back money he’d ‘borrowed’ from the company. What if he really was depressed, and did try to kill us all in the car wreck?”

  Her lower lip trembled at the thought of her sweet little girl, and what could have happened on that awful day.

  “Awww, Beth. Come here.” Joel pushed away from the table and offered her his hand, pulling her into an embrace. Offering her his strength.

  She melted into him, her head tucked beneath his chin and welcomed everything he offered. The steady, comforting beat of his heart. The warmth of his hard-muscled chest and the feeling of childlike security while cradled in his arms.

  “Whatever happened, it’s over. You and Sophie are here, and you’re safe. And that’s what matters now, right?”

  She nodded, holding back the tears she’d refused to shed over the past year. Determined to stay strong and not let them go now.

  Joel pulled back to cup her cheek in the palm of one hand, then lifted her face so he could look down into her eyes.

  Something between them changed. The air grew heavier. Charged with the electricity of sudden, rising desire that had been held back for too long. His gaze bore into hers for a long moment, silently questioning. Offering space. And then he lowered his mouth to hers for an exquisitely gentle kiss.

  He deepened the kiss, sweeping one hand down to the small of her back and pulling her even closer. His mouth was hot and his hands burned and she reacted almost instantly, wanting him. Needing far, far more than just this kiss.

  And just that fast, she knew there’d be no turning back.

  Because, though she would never tell him, she knew in this moment that she loved him. Not in the quiet, steadfast way she’d loved Patrick, but with a soul-deep awareness that was nearly overwhelming, making her heart ache for him.

  Because no matter what happened here tonight, she’d be leaving soon. Leaving his house, then leaving this town, and there were no other options.

  He ended the kiss and looked down at her, his eyes dark and intense and infinitely seductive, and she shivered with the realization that he would be nothing like she’d ever experienced before. Again, he was silently giving her a chance to back away, but she no more could have done that than she could still the rapid beat of her heart.

  This wasn’t ju
st desire.

  She felt an aching sweep of need and desperation, because this might be the only chance she’d ever have with him.

  After a lifetime of being good and proper and cautious, a heady feeling of recklessness swept through her. She cradled his face between her hands and pulled him down into a kiss that left her shaking and hungry, and if he hadn’t held her in his arms she might have simply slid to the floor.

  His gaze, hot and dark, now filled with amusement. “Should I take this as a ‘yes’?”

  She grinned back at him, an exhilarating sense of joy and anticipation welling up inside her. “Only if you want to live.”

  SHE’D PLANNED TO MOVE back to the apartment on Sunday. By the following Friday, she’d remade and broken her resolution four times, unable to give up the long, companionable evenings—and now, the long, incomparable nights—at Joel’s place.

  But today she was making a clean break of it, and it was proving to be the hardest thing she’d ever done. It was time to start listening to her head, instead of her foolish heart.

  “This is it,” she said, loading the last sack of Sophie’s toys into the back of her Bravada, then lifting in Viper’s carrier. She rounded the vehicle and reached in the backseat to check Sophie’s car seat, then turned to face Joel. She carefully focused on his shoulder, knowing that her determination would evaporate if she lost herself in his dark, compelling eyes. “I—can’t thank you enough.”

  “I still think you should stay.” He pulled her into his arms. “At least here, I know you and Sophie are okay.”

  She leaned into him, savoring his warmth. Resisting the desire to move back in and never leave. “We’ll be fine. There’s been no trouble for weeks now, so the newspaper article about the security system probably warned people away.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

  “And someone trashed my place so thoroughly, it must’ve been pretty clear that I have nothing worth stealing, and certainly nothing related to the problems at Pat’s company. I should be home free.”

  He pulled back and rested his hands on her shoulders. “If you want me to, I can stay with you a couple nights.” A corner of his mouth lifted. “I could toss a sleeping bag into some corner downstairs, for propriety’s sake.”

  She shifted her gaze to his top button, but found herself wanting to nibble it open. Then the ones below it, too. Bad idea. “It’s Sophie. Here, there’s privacy, but there, it would just be too—”

  He touched a finger to her lips, then cupped his hands behind her head to draw her into a gentle kiss. “I know.”

  “And you’ve got chores here. Your cows, and horses, and Earl…”

  “I know. But if you have any trouble—anything at all—promise you’ll call me.” He brushed a kiss against her forehead then stepped back, setting her free.

  Freedom that suddenly made her feel empty. Bereft.

  His work was done at both the café and the clinic, and on Wednesday he’d started a job in Prophetsville, thirty miles to the north, so she’d no longer be seeing him at odd times of the day for those casual visits. At the sound of the bells chiming over the front door of the café, her heart wouldn’t be making that funny little leap of anticipation.

  He might still stop by in the evenings, but it wouldn’t ever be the same.

  And staying here any longer would just make it all the more painful, because with every day, she fell a little more in love…and she was only fooling herself if she thought there’d ever be a future with him. He’d made that perfectly clear.

  Though it didn’t matter anyway, because soon she’d need to leave Lone Wolf behind.

  Last night she’d taken a hard look at the income she could clear at the café. The heavy burden of taxes on the self-employed. The lack of good benefits that would make it harder to raise Sophie alone.

  There was no way she could afford to stay.

  COMMITMENT WAS a frightening thing. Since the end of his marriage, just the thought of it made Joel’s blood run cold, dredging up the memories of his little girl’s death and the bitterness of his divorce. No one had come close to weakening his shell of bone-deep self-preservation.

  Until Beth.

  And he’d even managed pretty well in that regard, until…hell. Probably five minutes after he met her, though he’d managed to hide his feelings pretty damn well from everyone, including himself. Except perhaps Walt, who’d been giving him knowing looks and helpful advice for the past two months.

  Unrequested advice. Every day.

  Joel had smiled and politely ignored him. Tried to instantly forget everything the irascible old man said. But now Walt’s words haunted him in an endless litany at night.

  Words about lost years. Lost chances. Empty lives and foolish men who paid the price for being too dang stubborn for their own good.

  The first night after Beth left, Joel resolved to keep some distance, knowing that it was what she wanted, too. By the second night he was slamming silverware in the dishwasher and even snapped at poor old Earl, who’d lumbered into an end table and knocked over a lamp while endlessly searching for his little friend.

  Obviously working Joel’s guilt to his advantage, the old dog climbed onto his bed during the night…snoring and whuffling, and edging ever closer until he had the dead center of the bed.

  But when he draped his long, heavy nose over Joel’s ear, that was the final straw.

  Joel rose up on one elbow and looked him in the eye. “You, Earl, have got to go.”

  Earl whined softly, then closed his eyes.

  “Now.”

  The dog didn’t even twitch. For an animal that had been totally dominated by a nine-pound ball of fur, he now appeared remarkably unconcerned by his master’s voice.

  Joel pushed him—at least sixty pounds of deadweight—to the other side of the bed.

  Earl crept back, looking as sorrowful as Joel felt. “Maybe we can get them back,” Joel said.

  Earl opened his eyes.

  “This place was perfect before. And now it’s…empty.”

  His own foolish words came back to him. What he’d said to Beth about his determination to avoid marriage forever, and how he knew he’d never want to be a father again. “And I am just so damned stupid.”

  At that, the dog lifted his head, and the deep wisdom in his rheumy old eyes suggested that Earl fully agreed.

  Joel thought about what it would take to keep Beth in Lone Wolf and who could help make it happen. How hard could it be?

  Surely it couldn’t be too late to get this right.

  “HIRING YOU WAS the best move I’ve made,” Beth said. She watched Yolanda painstakingly wipe down and sanitize the last table in the café, then carefully put back the condiments and vase of fresh flowers. “Do you have any questions?”

  The girl beamed at her. “So I did okay on my first day?”

  “Perfect. And thanks to you and the newspaper, business picked up enough to make it possible. This was our best Monday yet.”

  “You want me to dust?” Yolanda planted her hands on her slim hips and peered up at the decorative coffee tins lined up on top of the china hutch in the corner. “I don’t mind.”

  “I can do that later. I’d rather you took Sophie outside to play for a while. She’d love to swing and play with Viper.”

  “Viper.” Yolanda shuddered. “That’s a baaaad name. How about Sweetie Pie. Or Puffy…or Fluff?”

  “Have you seen her in action?” Beth gave the lunch counter one last swipe with sanitizer solution. “Piranha might work.”

  Beth watched Sophie happily take Yolanda’s hand and go out the back door, then she grabbed the stack of mail on the counter and started flipping through it. With a groan she set it aside. The stack fanned out across the counter.

  It had been hard, moving from Joel’s place to town.

  She’d gone through all the motions at the café, but she hadn’t been able to get Joel out of her thoughts. Should she have stayed? Enjoyed as much of him as she could, u
ntil the time when she needed to pack for Montana?

  The painful wrench of her heart confirmed her decision. It had been wise to make a clean break, so she could heal and move on.

  Heaving a sigh, she gathered up the mail to take with her upstairs, but a Montana postmark on a thick envelope caught her eye. She slid a fingernail under the flap and pulled out a two-page letter, some clippings from a newspaper and a dozen photographs.

  Her entire future, delivered for a dollar’s worth of stamps.

  She sat on a swivel stool at the counter and glanced at the article about a new steak house opening on the west side of Billings, then painstakingly tried to decode her sister’s looping scrawl.

  Melanie had found a nice little two-bedroom rambler just a few blocks from her home, priced below market as the owners had already moved to Arizona. Low down payment. New roof. Fenced yard. The photos showed it from all angles, inside and out. It looked…nice. Well kept.

  And boring.

  Beth returned to the letter and read more details about the house and about the steak house, which apparently belonged to some childhood friends of Melanie’s and needed a manager. The owners had already expressed strong interest in Beth, so if she could just send a résumé…

  Melanie, bless her heart, had always been the flighty sister. The one who needed to be advised or bailed out of one situation after another. Yet here, she’d managed to line up a good job and a great deal on a snug little house, and her letter bubbled over with excitement over her finds and the fact that Beth would soon live close by.

  She put the letter down and sat back, suddenly tired.

  The front doorbell jingled. She looked over her shoulder, ready to let a patron know that the noon serving time was over. Her heart skipped a beat. “Joel?”

  He’d seemed remote when they’d said their goodbyes at his place on Saturday. She hadn’t heard from him since, and that had only confirmed what he’d once said about avoiding commitments. He might as well have said “good riddance” when she drove away.