“And you may be the money, but I call the shots.”
The other side of her mouth tilted upward, as well. “Of course.”
His grin came slowly. “Looks like we’ve got a deal, Miss Bailey.”
“I’d say so, Mr. Stone.”
He released her, intending to shake her hand, but then, with a laugh, she jumped up and circled his neck with her arms. Startled, he simply stood there, his hands in midair, not knowing what to do. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and he sure as hell knew what he wanted to do. And with that dress she was wearing, it would be so damn easy. He held back the groan deep in his throat.
But he was only human, and it was impossible not to wrap his arms around her and draw her against him. Just this one time, he’d allow himself the pleasure of her closeness, of her enthusiasm. He pulled her tightly to him, breathing in the scent of her as he brushed his lips against her soft silky hair.
He felt something inside himself shift and settle, a spark of life he’d thought had died long ago. It wasn’t sexual—though he was certainly feeling that. It was something else, something that scared the hell out of him, because it was something he could never permit himself to feel. Not for Annie.
Because it should be Jonathan standing here with Annie. Jonathan with his arms around this beautiful vibrant woman.
But Jonathan had been cheated out of that happiness, and there was no way Jared would ever allow himself to step in and take his brother’s place.
“Now that we have that settled,” she said brightly, slipping out of his arms, “can we go eat? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
She took his hand and he followed her back into the restaurant, afraid to tell her that he was indeed starving. More than she’d ever know.
* * *
One week later everything was set in place. The crew— three teams of six men each—was hired, the paperwork completed and the equipment primed and ready to go. Drilling was scheduled to start on Monday and Jared had gone into town to handle the transfer of money from Arloco’s bank to his.
Annie leaned forward in the desk chair and stared at the map spread out in front of her. The lines blurred hopelessly together. She’d been here at the site since the crack of dawn, going over the mountains of logs and comparing the figures to the map for the tenth time. The real work hadn’t even begun yet, and she was already exhausted.
With a small groan, she stretched and sat back in the chair. For the past week, she’d tossed and turned every night in her motel bed, and her lack of sleep was beginning to wear on her. She tried to tell herself that it was the emotional drain of coming back to Stone Creek, back to the rig where Jonathan had died. But in her heart she knew that wasn’t the reason. It had taken a long time, but she’d dealt with those ghosts and laid them to rest.
It was Jared.
Her pulse still skipped every time she remembered the night in the restaurant parking lot. It had been an impulsive act, she knew, throwing her arms around him the way she had. She’d just been so excited at the prospect of reopening the rig she hadn’t thought.
But when he’d pulled her into his arms behind the restaurant, she’d known that the fierce beating of her heart had nothing to do with her excitement over the rig. It was a different excitement altogether. It was dark and wild and shimmered between them with the intensity of a live wire. They’d both felt it. They’d both understood. It didn’t matter that it was only for a moment. It was strong enough to stun, and frighten, both of them.
He’s Jonathan brother, she told herself, then waited for the recriminations. But there were none. Only the lonely sound of goodbyes said long ago. One at the airport, then one over a coffin.
And now fate had brought her back. Back to a place where she’d never thought she’d return, back to the rig that had taken Jonathan from her.
Back to a man who blamed himself for his brother’s death.
Sighing, she closed her eyes, wondering what might have happened if she hadn’t pulled herself out of Jared’s arms the other night. Would he have kissed her? Would it have been a hard demanding kiss, like the first time, or would it have been tender and giving?
He’d been careful to keep his distance the past few days. Almost to the point of being ridiculous. But no matter how much either one of them ignored it, the attraction was still there, hovering, circling. And sooner or later, it was going to come in for a landing. A crash landing, no doubt, she thought with a frown.
“Annie?”
She nearly fell over backward in her chair; her legs flew upward and down as she caught herself. A word no lady should say flew from her lips.
“Jared!” She gripped the chair arm as she spun the seat around to face him. “You startled me.”
He grinned at her. “Sorry ‘bout that. I thought you heard me drive up.”
She might have, if she hadn’t been so engrossed in thinking about him. She started to rise from her chair. “No, I—”
She stopped at the sight of another man, in worn jeans and a chambray shirt, standing directly behind Jared. He was a giant of a man, an inch or two taller than Jared, with a barrel chest and short brown hair. A scar cut across his right brow to his temple, and his dark eyes had a narrow dangerous glint in them. She took a deep breath and sank back into her chair.
“Annie,” Jared said, “this is Hugh Slater, our foreman.”
Hugh. As in hu-mongous, Annie thought, forcing her legs to push her up and out of the chair. She stuck out her hand, almost expecting to lose it, but when his gigantic paw covered hers, his touch was amazingly gentle. His eyes, a deep brown, took her in, but she sensed that his measure was not of a sexual nature. He was assessing her character.
“What’s her fieldwork?” Hugh asked Jared, but kept his eyes on her. He didn’t smile.
“Parker Phillips,” Jared began, “Sonny Hodges—”
“I can speak for myself, Mr. Slater,” Annie said indignantly, and she went on to list the rigs she’d worked on. He was obviously familiar with most of them, because he nodded approvingly several times.
When Annie turned the tables on the man and began to grill him on his experience, Jared sat on the edge of the desk and watched in amusement. Slater’s shoulders stiffened and squared as Annie directed several questions at him regarding drilling procedures. People rarely questioned Hugh Slater on his expertise. Especially women.
But then, if Jared had learned anything about Annie, it was only to expect the unexpected. One minute she was sexy and soft and the next minute she was facing down a 250-pound bear of a man without so much as blinking an eye. She had a red pencil stuck behind her ear that seemed to punctuate the air every time she asked a question, while Slater, his massive arms folded, scowled at Annie, answering her with a controlled patience that Jared had never witnessed before.
She was one hell of a woman, he thought. The kind of woman any man would be proud to—
He stopped himself. To what?
To hire, he decided. To have on his team.
He forced his thoughts back to the discussion taking place in front of him. Annie’s head was tilted, her brow furrowed, as she listened to Slater explain a complicated but inexpensive method of jetting mud.
Satisfied at last, both Annie and Slater relaxed.
“Welcome aboard, Mr. Slater,” Annie said, sticking out her hand again.
“Glad to be here, Miss Bailey.” He took her hand. “Just Slater will do.”
She nodded. “Bailey for me.”
They grinned at each other.
Jared raised an eyebrow at Slater’s smile. That was something that happened about as frequently as Halley’s comet. If nothing else, Jared noted, it was going to be interesting around here.
“I’d like to take a look at the rig.” Slater turned to Jared. “Why don’t you join me when you’re done in here?”
Jared knew that was Slater’s way of asking for a few minutes alone. Jared also understood why. “I’ll be out in a while.”
Annie stared silently after the big man as he left the office. After a long moment, she sucked in a deep breath and leaned back on the desk beside Jared. “Wow.”
He smiled. “That’s a common word describing Slater.”
“No kidding.” She gave her head a shake. “I take it you’ve worked with him before?”
“Two years in Venezuela.”
There was an uneasiness, a tension that Annie suddenly felt from Jared. He was leaving something out, she realized. Then it dawned on her what it was.
“And here?” she asked quietly. “Was Slater the foreman on this rig four years ago?”
His lips thinned. “Yes.”
“Was he here, I mean, when...”
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes, letting the wave of sadness wash through her. “He wasn’t at the funeral.”
“Slater doesn’t do funerals.”
Annie had the distinct feeling that Jared and Slater had been through more than one loss together. She also realized that, whatever it was, it wasn’t something Jared wanted to talk about.
Men.
Business was the only thing Jared wanted to talk about, she thought with annoyance. With a sigh, she stood and stared down at the map spread across the desk. “So how did it go in town?”
“Not so well. Three crew members quit.”
“Quit!” She glanced up at him. “Why would they do that? You haven’t even started drilling yet.”
He shook his head. “Said they got a better offer in Odessa. If Slater hadn’t brought most of the men with him from Cisco, I probably wouldn’t have a crew at all.”
“How do you know they won’t quit, too?”
“Not Slater’s men. I’ve never seen such loyalty in a crew.” He raised a brow. “Would you tell Slater you quit?”
She smiled. “No, I guess not.” Still, an uneasiness crept through her. “Will you be able to replace the men you lost?”
“Slater’s got a few calls out. I have to take him back to town shortly, and we’ll see if there’s been any response.”
“Why don’t I take him?” she offered. “I’ll be heading that way in a little while, anyway.”
Jared’s jaw tightened imperceptibly. “Not necessary.”
“But it’s silly for you to—”
“I said I’d take him.”
The sharp edge in Jared’s voice made Annie fall silent. His jaw was set, his eyes narrowed as he stared over her shoulder at the map. It didn’t make any sense. She knew he had things to do here at the rig, and going back to town was out of his way. If she didn’t know better, she could have sworn that he didn’t want her to be alone with Slater. But why? Was it possible...? Could he be jealous?
No. She shook the silly thought away. Protective, maybe. But that’s all it could be.
But it was there again between them. She felt it building right now. A tension, like a coil being slowly tightened around them. He was a mere hand’s width away, and the heat of his body singed her. Her heart lurched in the sudden stillness, and the tension became almost unbearable.
His arm moved up and reached toward her. His eyes darkened to the color of midnight as he stared at her, and she held her breath as he ran his fingertips over her ear. She shivered at the contact, and her eyes drifted closed.
He removed the pencil from her ear.
She jerked her eyes open again, but he’d already bent over the map she’d been working on and was busy scribbling a note.
She wanted to throw something at him. Something large, with sharp edges. Instead, she ground her teeth and counted to ten, then cursed silently. She moved away from him on legs with the consistency of warm molasses.
“By the way,” she said coolly, “there’re some logs I can’t find that Jonathan generated when he worked this map up. Did I leave them in your trailer?”
Jared laid the pencil down and straightened. “They’re on my coffee table. I was cross-referencing them to my copy.”
She sat back down in the desk chair. “I’ll need them to refigure the proposed fault line. Something’s not quite right, but I haven’t been able to figure out what yet. I’ll pick them up on my way back to town tonight.”
He nodded, watching her with a quiet intensity that threatened to be her undoing. She looked away from him, forcing her hands to pick up the pencil and turn back to her work.
And when he walked out of the office, she resolved to get—and keep—her mind on business. Even if it killed her.
* * *
Jared parked his truck in front of his trailer and stepped out into the still night air. He stared at the ceiling of stars and raked his hands through his hair. The moon was nearly full, and it cast long shadows over the Texas land, dark lonely shadows that seemed to reach out and close around him.
He had the strangest desire to howl at that moon.
He was bone-tired. He’d had a long week getting everything ready to drill on Monday, and at last it looked as if everything was in place and ready to go. Slater had even managed to find replacements for the men who’d quit.
He grabbed the paper bag off the front seat of his pickup and slammed the door, thankful to be home. What he needed now was a tall stiff drink and a bed.
What he needed now was a woman.
Not just any woman, he acknowledged as he strode toward the trailer door. He could easily have that. Marie Lambert had spotted him at the restaurant where he’d been having dinner with Slater earlier and had slid into the booth beside him. Marie, a beautiful redhead he’d gone to high school with, had made it plain for years that she was interested.
Tonight had been the first time he’d almost taken her up on her unspoken offer. He’d almost convinced himself that taking Marie to bed would ease the ache inside him, the constant burning need that left his temper on high every day and his bed a shambles every night.
But it wasn’t a redhead that woke him every night in a cold sweat. It was a blonde. An obstinate determined long-legged blonde with a voice smoother than Southern Comfort and eyes with more shades of gold and green than an autumn meadow.
He’d almost kissed that blonde earlier, when they’d stood so close in the office. His body was still screaming at him because he hadn’t. But when he’d run his fingertips over the soft curve of her ear and she’d leaned toward him, her eyes darkening with sensuality, he’d realized that he couldn’t. He realized that even the simplest touch, or the simplest kiss, would never be enough.
Annie Bailey was driving him crazy.
With a weary sigh, Jared opened the door to his trailer, dreading another night of endless tossing. He had a full bottle of whiskey, and tomorrow was Saturday. He’d told Annie to take the weekend off, since once they started drilling there would be few breaks. He cradled the paper bag in his arm and thought that maybe, with a little help from his friend here, he could just sleep the weekend away. Once they started drilling, he’d be too distracted and too busy to think about Annie, he told himself.
He made his way to the kitchen in the darkness. The paper bag crinkled as he pulled out the bottle.
He froze.
Turning slowly, he narrowed his eyes and listened intently. A small sound, a sigh, came from the living room. He reached for the kitchen light and flipped it on.
Annie. His throat went dry at the sight of her. She was lying on his couch, her feet dangling over the side, her head propped on a pillow. A map and several logs were spread around her, and he remembered she’d mentioned coming by here.
No. Good Lord, not now. I can’t take this.
He looked down at his hand and realized he had the bottle of whiskey in a death grip. He set it down, cursing as he moved toward her. He had to wake her up, get her out of here. Now.
He knelt beside her, leaning close as he reached for her shoulder, intending to shake her.
She sighed again, and he felt the soft warmth of her breath on his neck. He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed hard.
“Annie,” he whispered.
> She smiled and curled her long slender fingers beside her cheek. Her hair shone like silk.
He cursed again.
His gaze moved slowly over her, at the soft rise and fall of her breasts, the curve of her hip, the long legs in tight jeans. His body responded instantly; he felt the blood pumping through his veins, the pounding of his heart, the growing hardness of his arousal. He imagined what it would be like to slide her clothes off and slip into the heat of her body. To look into her eyes as he moved inside her, to hear his name on her lips, instead of—
He pulled his hand sharply away and stood. He was a fool to allow himself thoughts like that. An idiot.
Because Annie Bailey was the one woman he could never have.
Drawing in a long ragged breath, he moved the map and logs out of the way, then reached for the throw on the arm of the couch and gently covered her with it. She didn’t stir.
He moved into the kitchen and frowned at the bottle on the counter. His palms itched, but he left the bottle where it was and shut off the light.
It was going to be a hell of a night.
Five
She awoke slowly, stretching her arms over her head with a satisfied groan. Snuggling under the blanket, she smiled and slipped her arms around the pillow, hugging the soft cushion and sighing contentedly.
Finally a good night’s sleep.
She burrowed deeper into the mattress, refusing to open her eyes, even though she was aware that the sun was up. She listened to the quiet tick of a clock and the hum of an air-conditioning unit. The mattress seemed softer this morning, and the smell of coffee was sheer heaven.
The smell of coffee?
She went perfectly still. She hadn’t ordered room service. Breath held, she slowly opened her eyes.
Oh, my God.
She was in Jared’s living room, on his couch!
She closed her eyes again, praying that she was dreaming, that she hadn’t actually spent the night in his trailer. The last thing she remembered was stopping by here to pick up the logs. She’d sat down to look at Jared’s map, then closed her eyes for a moment.
And slept the entire night through.
This time when she ventured a look, she was staring into eyes that were Stone blue. She threw the blanket over her head and groaned again.
Texas Temptation Page 5
