Texas at Dusk

by Delores Fossen

  “Yeah, we’re getting back together,” Ryland verified without much enthusiasm. That was because Ryland was scowling at the photo he’d gotten from Nico, and then he passed it to her. It was the same one that Silla had.

  With plenty of suspicion in his eyes, Nico studied them a moment before he shrugged. “If there’s anything I can do to help—”

  “There is,” Ryland interrupted. “If you see the clown doling out these pictures, call me. I’d also appreciate it if you’d collect any of the photos you see and burn the damn things.”

  “Will do.” Nico gave him a supportive slap on the arm. “Hey, whatever you’re going through with this, it could be worse. It could be naked pictures of the two of you.” He chuckled and walked away, which was why he didn’t see the frustrated looks on their faces.

  Ryland threw his truck into gear and started driving again. “I’m going to my place,” he said. “I’ll call all my friends and repeat to them what I just asked Nico to do.”

  “Good idea.” And it would go along with the plan of having her at his house to further the facade of them being a couple again.

  “Having my friends collect the pictures might stop a person or two from seeing them,” Ryland went on. “But it might not stop the word from getting back to your boss. If she hears about it, she might question your judgment in husband material.”

  Nova made a sound of agreement, and while she knew that Ro could have that reaction, it was also possible that the woman might do some drooling over Ryland. That was what Nova tried not to do herself when she looked at the picture. Not that she actually had to see it—the image was imprinted in her mind. Ryland was hot stuff, and since Ro wasn’t blind, she’d realize that, too.

  “We’ll need to come up with something to tell Mrs. Waterman if she does get her hands on the photos,” Ryland added.

  Nova tore her attention away from the picture. A good thing, since she was focusing too much on the fit of those boxer briefs, and while that was enjoyable, it wasn’t going to fix their immediate problem.

  “If Ro does ask about it,” she said, “I could just come clean with her and tell her that Barry is acting like a fart-head toddler who’s hell-bent on punishing me because I no longer want his sorry ass.”

  Ryland slid her a quick glance while he took the turn off the main road. “Perhaps work on the wording.” He didn’t exactly smile, but it was close enough that it made Nova feel a little better about things.

  Again, though, she got distracted when Ryland’s ranch came into view. She knew the place, of course. She knew all the properties in and around Coldwater, and it had once belonged to Harry Granger, who’d moved to Houston to be closer to his grandchildren. Nova remembered the place as being run-down and an eyesore, but it certainly wasn’t now.

  The house had been painted white with dark green shutters, and someone—Ryland probably—had extended what had once been a sliver of a porch to a wraparound. There were white rocking chairs and plants in terra-cotta pots. All so, well, homey and perfect. Ditto for the barn and corrals. Beyond those, she saw some horses grazing in the pasture.

  “Wow,” she muttered when she stepped from the truck.

  Ryland gave her another glance, but this time it wasn’t amusement in his cool blue eyes. It was pride and maybe satisfaction that she had noticed all the hard work he’d put into making it look amazing. Except it wasn’t just looks. If what her aunt had told her was true, then Ryland was on his way to becoming a very successful horseman.

  One step inside the house and Nova took in the scent. Actually, it was Ryland’s scent. Leather and male. It went well with the dark wood floors and furniture.

  Ryland hung his Stetson on a peg by the door and reached for her. For a moment—an incredibly sizzling one—she thought he was going to pull her into his arms. Instead, he took the picture from her, tossed it into the large stone fireplace and lit it with a match.

  “You might need a bonfire if your friends collect as many as I think they will,” she murmured.

  “Yeah,” he said, watching his image go up in flames. Ironically, his crotch was the last part to burn. “I’ll get started on those calls,” he added a moment later. “If you’re thirsty, there are drinks in the fridge.”

  She wasn’t thirsty, but she headed in that direction anyway. It wasn’t hard to find the kitchen, since it was just off the living room. Not a huge space, but like the rest of the house and grounds, it had been recently updated. She took a Coke from the fridge and continued her stroll around.

  There were three bedrooms, one of which Ryland had turned into an office. Beyond that was the master. The bed had been made with a simple cream-colored quilt. Nothing unusual here...until her attention landed on the photo album that was on the nightstand.

  Their wedding album.

  She instantly recognized it because she had an identical one tucked away in her apartment. Nova went closer, opened it to the first page and got another jolt of memories and lust. Not a good combination. But there Ryland was, grinning and hunky in his jeans, cowboy boots and black jacket. They hadn’t gone formal for the wedding, something that Nova appreciated now because Ryland looked amazing in jeans.

  Her lust grew as she flipped through the pages, but it didn’t take Nova long to start dodging the memories. They’d been plenty happy that day, but it hadn’t lasted. The last ten years had leveled her temper over the arguments they’d had, and she no longer saw their marriage through the eyes of a twenty-one-year-old.

  Ryland had wanted to stay in Coldwater and make a home like this. And she’d wanted to be a hotshot photographer in the city. Nova had gotten that with her job and her trendy loft on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Even though their homes were less than an hour apart, they lived in two drastically different worlds.

  When she heard the footsteps coming her way, Nova shut the album, but it was too late. Ryland was already in the doorway, and he’d caught her snooping. She considered coming up with an excuse, but then she heard something else.

  A vehicle approaching the house.

  Ryland turned, going back toward the front, and she was right on his heels when he reached the door. Good thing, too, because she saw through the sidelight window it was Barry. While she wouldn’t mind having Ryland punch the man’s lights out, Nova thought of a better way to handle this.

  She hauled Ryland to her and kissed him.

  Even though the faux-turned-real kiss on Main Street had been amazing, this one instantly felt different. It had an angry edge to it. More anger on Ryland’s part than hers. She was going for effect here, and he was clearly wondering what the heck had gotten into her.

  “I want Barry to think we just got out of bed,” she whispered.

  She saw that dawn in his eyes. Saw Ryland frown about it as well. He didn’t care a rat what Barry thought, but Nova believed if they stuck with their plan, they could soon be rid of the little twerp.

  Ryland didn’t let go of her. He started up the kiss again, putting plenty of energy and emotion into it. Unfortunately, they didn’t put “balance” into it, and they landed against the back of the door. Even with the jolt from the impact, they didn’t end the lip-lock. And, oh, it started to have a scorcher of an effect on her.

  Her body softened from the heat. Ryland’s body went in the opposite direction. She could feel hard, tight muscles and other parts of him. Mercy, it felt good, and she wanted more. That wasn’t going to happen, though. At least not at this moment.

  Forcing herself to stop, Nova backed away from him. Her breath was gusting, and she seriously doubted that she looked as if she wanted to put a halt to this. But right now, she had to confront Barry, and that meant setting the scene.

  Nova raked her hand through her hair to muss it and then did the same to Ryland; all the while he looked confused. “The pretense,” she said.

  And even though that was a puny explanation, Ryl
and got it because he glared at her. Well, he didn’t glare when she unbuttoned his shirt, perhaps because it involved her touching his chest. He certainly didn’t glare when she tugged on his zipper to lower it an inch. Ryland made a manly sounding grunt, the kind a man would make when he was aroused and tempted but wasn’t especially happy about it.

  She gave him one last look and nodded, satisfied that it did indeed appear as if they’d just gone a round with each other. Too bad her body knew differently. Maybe it was because she’d just had her hands all over him, but Nova suddenly felt...wanting and unfulfilled. Thankfully, the knock on the door jarred her back, and she got a different kind of wanting. Barry was about to be taken down a notch.

  Nova threw open the door. “You leaked the photo,” she snarled, and it wasn’t hard to work up the anger in her voice. That was because there was plenty of anger coursing through her now that she was face-to-face with this idiot.

  “I did leak it,” Barry readily admitted. He opened his mouth to say more, but he stopped when his attention landed on their rumpled clothes and hair. He swallowed hard. “Obviously, I didn’t put any of the really bad ones out there, just one that I thought would get your attention.”

  “You already had my attention,” Ryland said, his voice a low growl. “Now, convince me why I shouldn’t get your attention by punching you in the face.”

  Barry definitely looked unnerved, but he quickly regained his composure and hiked up his chin. “I didn’t think you were taking me serious enough.”

  “What the heck does that mean?” Nova managed to ask once she got her jaw unclenched.

  Barry gave an indignant wobble of his head. “I thought you were playing games with me, that you weren’t really getting back together with your ex.”

  Nova had to sigh. Obviously, her plan wasn’t working because Barry was too dense to see the big picture.

  Without saying another word to Barry, she shut the door in his face and turned to Ryland. “I’m so sorry,” she told him. “It’s time for plan B.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  RYLAND WAS PRETTY sure that plan B was going to suck as much as plan A had. Maybe even more, since it didn’t appear Nova and he would be doing any fake kissing as part of this shift in strategy.

  Nope.

  Because now they’d be shifting to semi coming clean with Ro Waterman, Barry’s mother. Nova and he would admit to her that photos had surfaced, ones that had been photoshopped so that the conservative woman wouldn’t think Nova had a dirty streak that wasn’t compatible with Ro’s equally conservative company. They would further admit that Barry had gotten his hands on the photographs, and that he’d leaked one. Of course, a weasel like Barry might claim he was innocent, so Nova and Ryland would have to convince Ro otherwise.

  The semi coming clean with Ro, however, wouldn’t include the truth about their relationship. Nova still wanted to tell the woman that Ryland and she were trying to mend their marriage, but for that to happen, they needed to be rid of the pressure of the photos. In theory, that would get Mrs. Waterman to pressure the hell out of her son, maybe even force him to hand over the pictures to her.

  Pressure, partial truths and a shift in the pretense. But no kissing. No pretending they’d just crawled out of bed. That was a shame in Ryland’s opinion. The kissing had been a major plus in an otherwise dismal strategy for keeping a lid on Barry and the photos.

  Ryland hadn’t known how much he’d missed kissing Nova. But he sure as heck knew it now, and that led him to one mountain-sized question.

  What was he going to do about it?

  Unlike Nova, he was pretty much planless when it came to this, and Ryland had no choice but to wait and see how this would all play out. Even if Nova did manage to nix any future release of the pictures, that didn’t mean everything would be hunky-dory. Nope. Nova and he would still be divorced. His life would still be in Coldwater, and hers would be here in San Antonio, where she lived and worked.

  Well, maybe.

  As Nova pulled to a stop in front of the sprawling Waterman estate, Ryland figured both of them were at least considering the possibility that this visit with Ro would put things in an even faster downward spiral. Ro’s bottom line could be to fire Nova, leaving her in search of a job and a new place to live. And that was why Ryland took hold of Nova’s arm when she started to get out of the truck.

  “How hard would it be for you to go ahead and look for any copies of the photos that Barry might have here?” he asked.

  Since that had been part of her plan A, Nova didn’t seem that surprised with his question. “I could do it...if you can manage to distract Ro, but—” She stopped, sighed. “You’re thinking that even if this meeting goes well, that Barry could still release the pictures.”

  Ryland nodded. “He’s an ass, and if we convince his mother that he’s an ass, that still doesn’t mean he’ll stop his ass-like ways.”

  Her next sigh was weary, heavy, and conveyed her complete agreement. Nova nodded. “All right. I’ll do the search. Just be warned that it means you’ll be spending some time chatting with Ro.”

  Ryland could add that to the things that he wasn’t looking forward to on this visit. Actually, the only thing about it that appealed to him was that Nova and he were going to spill about Barry and his penchant for photo thievery.

  They got out of the truck, and the moment they reached the house’s double front doors, they opened. Not by a uniformed butler or maid as Ryland had expected but by a tall woman wearing a yellow flowered dress. Her silver-gray hair was pulled back from her smiling face.

  “Nova,” the woman greeted, and she pulled Nova into a hug. Nova hugged her right back, too. “And you must be Ryland,” she added after she eased away from Nova. “It’s so good to meet you. I’m Ro Waterman.”

  So, this was Nova’s boss, and her quick smile and welcoming voice loosened the knot in Ryland’s stomach. Maybe they could reason with the woman after all.

  “Come in,” Ro invited, motioning them into the foyer. “We’ll have drinks in the sunroom. The spirits are restless today,” she whispered from over her shoulder.

  Nova’s forehead bunched up. “Ro believes the house has ghosts,” she told Ryland.

  “It does have them,” Ro corrected, her voice still pleasant. “And since they’re restless today, it’ll be best if we don’t disturb them. They won’t go into the sunroom. Too much light in there. They prefer the shadows.”

  Okay, so maybe they wouldn’t be able to reason with the woman after all. Ryland wasn’t going to totally dismiss the notion of ghosts and such, but he didn’t feel good about being around someone who seemed to be so in tune with their feelings, movements and lighting preferences.

  Ryland silently cursed when he found himself glancing around, looking at, yes, shadows, and in corners as Ro led them through the rooms that looked more suited for a museum than a house. When they reached the sunroom, there was a woman he guessed was a maid, and she was setting up a white wicker table with lemonade, coffee and cookies.

  “Any idea why the spirits are restless?” Nova said as if it was a perfectly normal topic of conversation. She took the seat that Ro indicated, and Ryland did the same.

  “I suspect it’s because of your visit,” Ro answered, having a sip of her lemonade. “Spirits know what’s in our hearts and minds.”

  Well, that was downright creepy. “Uh, you’re not uncomfortable living in a house with them?” Ryland risked asking.

  Ro laughed, the sound light and fluttery. Probably the way a ghost would laugh. “No. Not at all. We all share the same world. They have just as much right to be here as I do.”

  It was hard for him to reason that this was the same woman who owned a conservative company, and he wondered if her clients knew about this side of her.

  “Now, let’s talk about the two of you,” Ro continued, and she leaned forward to give Nova’s hand a
gentle squeeze. “You’ve decided to give your marriage a second chance.”

  Nova nodded but didn’t confirm it with words. Maybe because they might stick in her throat. Despite Ro being on the weird side, it was obvious that she liked Nova and vice versa. “Barry isn’t helping with that.”

  Ryland hadn’t expected Nova just to lay it out there so soon like that, but he was glad she had.

  “I see,” Ro said, and she paused to have another sip of lemonade. “Barry told me that you were acting, well, irrational, and that he was worried about you.”

  Ryland saw Nova’s jaw go tight and figured his was doing the same. “Your son is acting like a spoiled, jealous brat,” Ryland spelled out for the woman, and he thought that might earn him a warning glance from Nova. It didn’t.

  Instead, Nova nodded. “Barry is trying to hurt Ryland’s business. He’s trying to hurt us,” she verified. Then Nova abruptly stood and slid her hand over her stomach. “Excuse me, please, while I use the ladies’ room. I might be a while because I’m feeling a little queasy. Ryland can fill you in on what’s going on with Barry.”

  “Oh, dear.” Ro stood, too, but Nova motioned her back down and hurried away. Probably to do a search of Barry’s room. “Is she okay?” Ro asked him.

  “This situation with your son has Nova all in knots.” He looked her straight in the eyes. “Do you know what Barry has done?”

  Ro studied him and leaned back in her chair. “He told me that he believes you’re coercing Nova in some way, and he said he was trying to convince Nova to break free of you.”

  Apparently, Barry had been less than forthcoming with his mother. “Actually, Barry stole some pictures from Nova’s computer. Old pictures of her and me.”

  Ryland didn’t think the surprise that went through the woman’s eyes was anything but genuine.

  “They were pictures that Nova took of us over a decade ago,” he went on. And here was where Ryland knew he had to tread carefully. “Many of the pictures are photoshopped and were meant for our eyes only.”