by Stacy Finz
She gave him a quick jab in the arm with her elbow, and he pretended to struggle with the steering wheel. They’d already breezed through Dry Creek. The drive went fast with Aubrey in the passenger seat.
And his hand had made it to her thigh.
Chapter 11
It cost Aubrey $185 to get her Volvo back, not including the price of having the car towed to the ranch because it didn’t run, and she was spitting mad. How could Stu have done this to her? It was a rhetorical question, of course. She knew exactly why. Stu Nally had been Mitch’s dad’s best friend since high school.
At least Aubrey’s mom had dated the impound yard manager, who’d been kind enough to take twenty-five bucks off the bill. Good to have friends in low places.
The whole ride home, she’d planned her revenge on Mitch. Perhaps she’d sign him up for an escort service and have the company send him their sleazy brochures to Reynolds Construction. Or better yet, she’d report him to health services, tell them he had chlamydia and was infecting half the county.
“What are you doing over there?” Cash pulled her from her payback fantasies.
“Thinking of ways to get even with Mitch.” She gave him a sideways glance. His blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of aviator sunglasses, but nothing covered that square jaw of his or the cleft in his chin. They really ought to take away licenses from men like him. Driving while sexy. It was too distracting to all the other motorists.
“Why don’t you talk to him? If you want, I’ll come with you.”
She planned to have a talk with Mitch all right, but unless she was willing to out him, it wouldn’t do much good.
“Why did you two break up anyway?” Cash was trolling for information. It didn’t take an FBI agent to see that.
“He cheated on me.” Aubrey decided it wouldn’t hurt to give him half the story.
Cash turned in his seat to look at her, then shifted his eyes back to the road. “You know this how?”
Because she’d walked in on him when he and Jill were doing it on his desk. “Let’s just say I have direct evidence as opposed to circumstantial.”
“I don’t get it.” Cash drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited at the stoplight. “If he cheated on you, what does he have to be so angry about? And why drag Jace into it?”
Because Jace knew his secret, and Mitch thought a good strategy was to discredit both of them in case they went public with his cruel affair.
“I can’t tell you why. There are other people involved who would be hurt if this got out, so please keep what I just told you under your Resistol.” She eyed his cowboy hat.
“Like who?”
She poked him in the shoulder. “Quit being an FBI agent and drive.” She pointed at the light that had turned green some time ago.
“I stopped being an FBI agent more than four months ago. I’m just trying to put the pieces together, because frankly, none of this makes sense.”
“How come you quit being an FBI agent?” She could just as easily turn the tables on him. Besides, she was insanely curious. “Was it the drinking?”
He shot her a glare. “Keep it up and I’ll pull the truck over and spank you.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” But she kind of wanted to see if he’d actually follow through. “Really, why did you quit? According to Jace, you were an amazing agent and solved all kinds of crimes.”
“You’re doing it again.” He slid his hand down her back, pretending to go for her butt. “Changing the subject. We were talking about you and Mitch, remember?”
“I don’t want to talk about me and Mitch. Me and Mitch are old news.”
“Are you, though?” All playfulness had left his voice. “Because from my experience, two people don’t go to war when they’re old news.”
He had a point, and under a normal scenario, she’d have to agree that a couple that was truly over moved on and didn’t involve an entire town in their breakup. This, however, was not a normal breakup.
“We’re definitely old news,” she said. “Our conflict isn’t about me wanting him back or him wanting me back. Or about me being jilted. It’s way more complicated than that, and that’s all I’m going to say about it.”
“Okay. Fair enough. In the meantime, I’d find a new grocery store and dine at a different restaurant.”
She blew out a breath. “At the rate I’m going, I won’t be able to afford to shop or eat.”
“Mama said she’d give you a good deal on getting your car to the ranch.”
“Mama appears to be the only person in Dry Creek who’s not taking sides.” Though it had been Mama’s Towing—the sole tow service in Dry Creek—that had done Stu’s bidding, hauling Aubrey’s Volvo from the Dry Creek Market to the impound lot. Aubrey didn’t blame Mama. She was just doing her job.
Cash nodded. “As soon as she gets your car to the ranch, I’ll fix whatever the problem is.”
It was an old car with over 200,000 miles on it. More than likely her antique Volvo was just giving up the ghost. The prospect of having to buy new wheels was too depressing to contemplate.
“You’re a prince among men, Cash Dalton.” She leaned over, grabbed him around the neck, and planted a big kiss on his cheek.
Cash arched his brows. “You want me to pull over so you can thank me properly?”
“I thought we’d decided”—she wagged her hand between them—“this…us…was weird.”
“It doesn’t mean I don’t want to finish what we started.” His lips slid up in a grin that was all male. “But yeah, the timing’s bad.”
“Absolutely,” she rushed to agree. “You’ve got Ellie, I’m going through an acrimonious breakup, we’re both looking for jobs. Definitely bad timing.” She stopped, having run out of reasons.
“Right,” he said, and his mind seemed to wander off somewhere. Then, halfway home, he said, “I had a talk with Ellie last night about the fact that I didn’t know of her existence until Marie was on her deathbed. I pretty much told her that her mother kept us a secret from each other. Needless to say, she didn’t take it well.”
“It’s the truth, right? What are you supposed to do, let Ellie believe you never took an interest in her all those years?”
It seemed a shame that Cash had missed out on Ellie’s formative years and that Ellie had missed out on having a dad. Aubrey’s own parents had divorced when she was a little girl, and her father had died of a heart attack when she was only ten. Perhaps if she’d had a stronger male figure in her life, she wouldn’t have settled for jerk-off Mitch.
“That was my thinking,” Cash said. “But maybe I should’ve soft-pedaled it instead of making Marie look like the bad one.”
“You didn’t intentionally malign Marie, you were just trying to explain where you’ve been all this time. Ellie must understand that.”
Cash looked dubious. “Ellie has me marked as public enemy number one. I don’t think there’s much I can do to change that, and yesterday’s disclosure didn’t help matters.”
“You guys seemed good yesterday at Jimmy Ray’s.” The two of them had looked adorable, eating lunch together, like a daughter and daddy day out.
He hitched his shoulders. “I don’t know about good, but at least we were communicating, as short-lived as it was.” Cash slanted her a look. “She likes you, though.”
“That’s because I’m a girl.” And not Ellie’s parent, which made Aubrey the good cop.
He shot her another glance, this time more lascivious than the first. “Girls are good.” He was back to being flirtatious. Just one sexy look from him and she was a goner. In a minute, she’d ask him to pull over. Bad timing be damned.
They drove through the ranch gate and found Ellie and Sawyer sitting on the front porch, killing any real chance of that happening.
“As soon as your car gets here, I’ll take a look at it
,” Cash said and drove her up to her front door. “But first, I’m taking my daughter on a horseback ride around the ranch.”
Aubrey unfastened her seat belt. “Nice.” Before hopping out, she turned in her seat. “Again, I can’t thank you enough for all your help.”
“Don’t mention it.”
She slid over and gave him another peck on the cheek, because even though they’d decided romance was off the table, he’d become her friend.
“You trying to kill me?” he asked, holding her a little closer than the innocent kiss called for.
“No. I’m just an affectionate person by nature and you’ve been a lifesaver.” It was the truth.
“I’m affectionate too.” He squeezed her ass and winked. “Now, get out of my truck before our mutual affection gets out of hand.”
Teasing aside, she got the sense he wasn’t as under control as he led on. The evidence had pressed against her leg as he’d goosed her butt. And any semblance of willpower she possessed had deserted her halfway home. Cash Dalton was one of those once-in-a-lifetime men, the kind who could show you a night you’d never forget. His kiss alone still gave her shivers.
She hopped down from his SUV and, to remind herself they were keeping things platonic, she resorted to business. “I ordered Ellie’s furniture. It should be here in less than two weeks,” she said, then closed the door and climbed her stairs.
By the time she got inside and kicked off her shoes, Cash had backed down the driveway and parked next to Sawyer’s Range Rover. She watched through the window as he went up onto the porch.
She didn’t want or need a man anyway. Not until she got her life in order.
Today, her pocketbook had taken a major hit. Without work, she’d be scraping the bottom of her savings in no time, which reminded her to see if she was eligible for unemployment. Mitch had fired her for cause, some bullshit about her being insubordinate. The real reason, of course, was that she’d caught him boinking Jill on top of his desk. She didn’t know where exactly that fell in the labor rules to collect.
She flipped open her laptop to check her Houzz profile and tweak her website a bit by adding some new before and after pictures.
Anything to drum up business.
There were a few new messages in her email, and she quickly scrolled through, deleting the penis enlargement ad and an alert that someone loved her Pinterest pins. And, much to her delight, an email from the Vegas developer. He wanted to set up a telephone interview in the next couple of days. She read the note three times, then dashed off a reply, trying not to sound too desperate.
Vegas.
Other than leaving for college, she’d never lived anywhere besides Dry Creek. Her mother had also been born and raised here and had recently moved to a retirement community near Sacramento, which wasn’t that far away. Only her brother had ventured out of state.
Las Vegas, Nevada. A new place, a fresh start, where people didn’t hate her because she’d dumped the town’s golden boy. Yes, the change would be good, her head said. But her heart was already homesick.
Get over it, Aubrey. It’s time to see something other than your own backyard.
Her cell rang and she rummaged through her bag, hoping the call was from Mama, letting Aubrey know her car was on its way to the ranch. But when she finally found her phone, the caller ID wasn’t one she recognized.
“Hello,” she answered, eager that it might be someone looking for a designer.
“Hey, Aubrey,” the caller whispered.
“Who is this?” She got up and moved away from the fan so she could hear better. “Hello. Are you there?”
“I don’t want Jill to hear me, she’s in the other room.” It was Brett.
Aubrey immediately went on alert. “Is everything okay?” No answer, just rustling in the background. “Brett?”
“Hang on a sec.” More swishing noises that made Aubrey think Brett was outside. “Can you hear me now?”
“Much better. Where are you?”
“In the backyard.” A year ago, Mitch had built two ramps at Brett’s place so he could get his wheelchair in and out of the house. “Whaddya doin’?”
“Nothing much.” Why tell him about the shenanigans with her car? It would only lead to questions she didn’t want to answer. “What about you?” He sounded a little odd, or maybe because of his PTSD she was being overly sensitive.
“Making plans, but I need your help.”
She flopped back onto the couch. “Sounds mysterious. What are you up to, Brett?”
“It’s Jill’s birthday next week and I want to throw her a surprise party.”
“Oh,” Aubrey said, trying not to choke on the single word, then immediately searched for a reason why she’d be out of town that day, even though she didn’t know what day they were talking about.
“You’re better at this stuff than me. I was hoping you could help with the details. Who to invite, decorations for the house, that kind of thing. I’m holding it a week from this Saturday. What do you say? You in?”
“Uh…I don’t know, Brett.” She stalled, trying to come up with a legitimate excuse to bow out. The hypocrisy of her planning Jill’s birthday party was almost comical. Almost. If you had a sick sense of humor. “With the way things are with Mitch and…well, you know.”
“Ah, come on, Ree. We’re all adults, and Mitch doesn’t have a problem with it.”
“You talked to Mitch? When?” The son of a bitch was supposed to be out of town, presumably on their honeymoon. She popped her feet up on the coffee table and tried to keep from grinding her teeth.
“Earlier today. He was good with it, even volunteered to buy the keg.” Sure he did, the complicit asshole. “You know who all of Jill’s friends are. Can you make me a list?”
How the hell was she supposed to say no to that without looking like a total jerk? It would probably take her ten minutes to compile a list of names—if it took that long—and only slightly more time to create a group email or invitation.
“Sure, Brett. But I may be out of town next weekend for the party.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. Damn, she was the world’s worst liar. “I’ve got a job interview and they’re flying me out.”
“Oh yeah?” Brett sounded excited, which made her feel even more like a lowlife. “Where?”
“Las Vegas.” It wasn’t so much of a stretch. If she impressed the developer on the phone, he’d likely want to fly her out for an in-person interview. Then again, who scheduled job interviews on a Saturday? “They want me there for a few days to get the lay of the land.”
Liar, liar, pants on fire.
“Holy shit, Ree, you’re not planning to leave us, are you?”
Oh boy, she was digging herself in deeper. She reached under her shirt and unsnapped her bra. The underwire was cutting into her rib cage. She slipped her arms out of her sleeves and managed to take it off without removing her shirt.
“Ree?”
“Let’s see if I get the job first.” She tilted her head against the sofa backrest and banged it up and down. Since when did she make up stuff to her friends? Never, until now. But it was a white lie, she told herself.
A white lie that would save a good man and a war hero what little shred of joy he had left.
* * * *
Cash decided the horseflies were even worse than the heat. Still, it was a good day. He’d forgotten just how much he enjoyed being on the back of a horse, seeing his family’s land—his land now—endlessly roll out in front of him.
Ellie came jogging up behind him. She had an excellent seat and, for a city girl, was fearless, choosing Sugar, one of Jace’s more spirited mares for the ride. They’d brought her riding boots from Boston and Cash had borrowed one of the boys’ helmets. But the girl needed a good sturdy pair of jeans instead of the stretchy riding pants she had on, which were better suited for ridin
g in a ring than the rugged countryside.
He twisted around in his saddle. “How you holding up?” The heat wasn’t ideal, but if she wanted to stick it out, he’d find a trail with some shade trees.
“Good.” It was only one word, but it lacked her usual sullenness. Surprisingly, she looked happy, like she was enjoying the ride as much as he was.
“Should we head over to the east end? It won’t be as sunny there.”
“Sure. Can we canter?”
“You mean lope?” He winked. “No self-respecting cowgirl calls it canter.” He tugged on her reins to pull her closer, reached in his saddlebag, pulled out a tube of sunscreen, and slathered a mess of it on her face. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her. “You’ll thank me later.”
She attempted to wipe off some of the lotion, then cleaned her hands on her britches. He was quickly learning that a good part of raising a twelve-year-old was doing endless loads of laundry.
Sugar, anxious to get the show on the road, began to wander toward the fence. Ellie took control and deftly steered the mare alongside Cash’s gelding. He couldn’t help but reach over and tweak Ellie’s button nose.
“How come you never called my mom after you met her?” she asked, her brows furrowed in challenge.
The question startled him because he thought they’d called a temporary truce, leaving the day to riding and exploring the ranch. But it was obvious she’d been giving their talk from the other night some serious thought and had some things she wanted to get off her chest.
The problem was, he didn’t have a good answer, or at least an answer that was G-rated. Still, he wanted to explain the best he could. “I lived on the other side of the country and there was no expectation that we’d ever see each other again.”
They let their horses wander idly across the field, leaving the lope—or canter—for later.
“You didn’t like her?” Ellie asked, tugging Sugar’s head up to keep her from munching the grass.
