Worth the Price
Page 9
His head lifted and Danika felt a surge of triumph at the smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “You’ll protect me?”
“That’s right. Guess I never told you about those Tae Kwon Do lessons I took?”
He pushed back a strand of hair from her face. “I don’t believe you have.”
The touch was gentle and sweet, without the slightest hint of intimacy. It felt like they were entering into uncharted territory, that their relationship had shifted. For the better. The air in the room grew thin for her. Danika forced a smile, despite the pull of her heart urging her to wrap her arms around him and tell Brandon how much she was falling for him. How deeply she was falling in love.
She continued the playful banter. “The lessons didn’t end quite that well for me. I did manage to get as far as a green belt, but I broke my ankle trying out a new technique.” She lifted a shoulder. “Dad pretty much put an end to my ‘Kung Fu’ wannabe days, after that little mishap.”
“It’s all right, Danika.” He swept his lips to her temple. “I should be able to protect both of us without anyone breaking an ankle or any other body part.”
Her heart was drumming so hard she wondered if it was possible for Brandon to hear the frantic beat. “Brandon?”
He raised his head and eyes brimming with desire seared into her. Excitement pulsed between her legs. “I lied to you before.”
His thick eyebrows arched to which Danika nodded. “I hadn’t fallen asleep by accident. I was waiting up for you.”
Another smile touched his lips. “I hoped you would. I could barely concentrate, worrying if I would be welcomed inside the house.”
“You worry way too much.”
“I worry because I have someone I care about. I’ve never had that before or anyone who gave a damn what I had to say.”
“So, Brandon Sharpe cares what I think?”
His face went blank. “Isn’t it typical for a husband to care what his wife thinks?”
“Our marriage is the definition of not typical. It’s a simple question, Brandon. Do you care what I think?”
“I care.”
Worth the Price
Brandon checked his watch. It was shortly after eleven in the morning, which meant Prescott was bound to be inside his downtown office of Prescott Construction. Although he had never before entered the spacious loft-style firm, he was shocked at the appearance. Gone were the sleek multi-colored modern designer furnishings that used to be viewed through the expansive glass walling. They were replaced by empty space scattered with a few boxes here and there. Instead of workers with telephones attached to their ears and typing away on computer keyboards, there was, well…no one. He wondered how soon before Prescott had stopped paying their wages, they had all abandoned ship.
Sidestepping a plastic container deluged with folders and sheets of paper, Brandon rounded a corridor, then heading past a deserted cubicle to Prescott’s office at the end of the hallway. He stopped in his tracks at the sight that greeted him. The dark-skinned man was slowly and painstakingly removing a picture frame from the wall. Halfway between laying it in the box at his feet, he noticed Brandon. The frame slipped from his hand, hitting the bottom of the cardboard with a clatter.
“Came to gloat, Sharpe?” Frank Prescott asked, face upturned in anger. “Or maybe you wanna rub it in my face some more how you weaseled every goddamn thing away from me.”
“I came to talk about my wife.”
“Your wife?” Prescott scratched his head. “Oh, you lost me for a second there. You must mean my little girl who you managed to brainwash and turn against me?”
“How about the woman you should be thanking for keeping your sorry self off the streets. Me, I couldn’t care less what happens to you, but for some reason Danika has it in her head you’re worth the effort. So what does a bastard like you do instead? Crap on the only person who thinks your worthless hide deserves the help.”
Prescott’s nostrils flared. “And what about you? You know damn well you don’t care about Dani. This is about you using my daughter to get to me.” He slammed his fist against the desk. “Damn you. I don’t for a second believe you didn’t fuck with my car. Never had a damn problem with the engine until that day. Mighty convenient eh, me breaking down miles away from the auction. You knew, goddammit, you knew how determined I was to place my bid on the land. Every cent I had was riding on it.” His eyes beaded with fury. “How did you do it, Sharpe? Forget about screwing with my car. Where the hell does a nobody like you crawl out of the woodwork with enough money to buy that ranch? How’d you manage to rustle up those funds? C’mon I won’t tell anyone. Just between you and a broken-down old man.”
Brandon folded his arms and clenched his jaw. This was insane. He wasn’t about to offer Prescott another ounce of fuel for his miserable fire.
“That property should be mine. Every damn thing of value to me, you’ve managed to get your cruddy hands on. You’ve got my daughter shacking up at your house in a sham of a marriage, all because you’re holding dollar signs over her head. Acting like a damn street walker for you is what she’s doing.” The older man’s chest moved furiously up and down. His breathing became labored.
“Prescott—”
“Get out of my office,” he wheezed, gripping the edge of his desk.
“I’m not going anywhere until you hear what I have to say. Whatever you think about me, just know that I’m not holding a gun to Danika’s head. She can leave if she wants to. You hear me, Prescott. I’m not keeping your daughter on my ranch as a slave, prostitute or whatever else you might think. Danika’s free to go anywhere she chooses, whenever she wants.”
“Then send her home. Tell Danika as soon as she ends this so called marriage she can come home. Her bedroom is still there. It’s exactly as she left it. I haven’t changed a thing in there. Give me back my daughter, Sharpe.”
A tick ricocheted through his muscles. Was Prescott not only thickheaded, but deaf as well? “I just told you I’m not holding her hostage on my ranch. She’s my wife, Prescott. Wife, in every sense of the word. Danika is mine and I didn’t have to force not one thing on her.”
In a seething tone, Prescott whispered, “I’m warning you for the last time. Get the hell out of my office and don’t ever let me see your twisted mug anywhere near my home. So help me God. Matter of fact, get the hell out of Hart’s Fall and slither back to whichever Godforsaken hole you crawled out of before you came and ruined…took everything from me. I only pray to God you don’t drag my daughter down into the cesspool with you.”
Danika swiped her hand against her damp eyebrows. She had stopped by the shelter after work, intending to complete the painting she’d begun the previous day. The humidity of the afternoon in a building that was not yet wired for air conditioning made the job all the more tiresome. She dipped the flat paintbrush into the tray, wet with a sun-kissed yellow color to add a second layer of coat to the lounge area wall.
“Dani, what do you think about this color for the kitchen?”
Her head lifted to see Zoe standing outside the doorway with a small bucket of paint in hand. Danika squinted to get a closer look, cringing at the puke-green shade her friend wished to use on the kitchen walls. She pretended to mull it over.
“What about the terracotta color I saw Beth Ann with earlier? You could paint with that. The original tiles that were used in the farmhouse came back yesterday. They were pieced together nicely. You should take a look. They might go better with it.”
Zoe hesitated then looked down at the pail in her arm. “Be honest. It’s ugly isn’t it?”
Danika offered a weak smile. “A little.”
“All right you win. Terracotta it is.” Zoe turned then paused in her step. “That uh, that’s the brownish orange color right?”
Danika nodded before recognizing they were no longer alone. Automatically, her gaze darted to Zoe. Danika prayed she wouldn’t become trapped in a battle of words between Austin Hart and her friend.
Zoe laughed and rotated her waif-like shoulder with a look of indifference. “A few tumbles on the catwalk aren’t going to stop me. As a matter of fact, I have a flight booked for Manhattan next month. This stick figure has been tapped for a very lucrative contract with a high-end designer who’s dreamed of working with me for ages.” Zoe flipped a thick braid off her shoulder. “As touching as your concern is, please keep it to yourself.”
Danika examined the rancher’s face to see if his level of shocked matched hers. Not once had Zoe mentioned her plans of returning to New York or modeling. In truth, her friend had avoided the subject all together and Danika hadn’t pressed the topic. Hart’s features, however, betrayed nothing.
“Austin, can I help you with something?”
He cleared his throat. “Yes. Sure. Beth Ann would like to know if you’ve started the guest list for the grand opening party.”
Danika shook her head. “Not yet. I’ll get right on it by the end of next week. It’s less than three months from now. We should have enough time to straighten it all out long before November.”
She turned to her friend and blew out a low exaggerated breath of relief as the rancher exited the room. He was mid-way through the door when she saw Brandon’s approach. His wide shoulders almost collided with Austin’s.
“Sharpe.” Austin issued a curt nod and cast another glance backward.
Brandon jerked his head in response, barely acknowledging the man. Zoe was no better. She bolted out the door, the can of paint clutched tightly in her hand.
“What’s that about?”
Danika rolled her eyes. “You don’t even wanna know.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” He took a purposeful stride toward her. His attention switched to the door then returned her with an intensity that made her shiver. “When I see a man like Austin Hart leave in a rush and your best friend following suit. I definitely want to know.”
She dragged in a tremulous breath. Brandon was jealous. Her heart felt light and airy, yet she managed to maintain her expression of serenity as Brandon braced his hand on the wall above her head. “Do you suspect I’m having an affair with Austin?” A steady pulse raced through her veins. “Maybe Zoe walked in on us.”
His eyes locked with hers. Danika felt that look all the way down to her baby toes. She wondered if he actually thought her capable of cheating.
“I trust you. It’s every other male I don’t trust. You’re the prettiest girl in this whole town.”
“I’m not. Zoe is. She’s the model.”
“Your friend’s job means nothing to me.” He leaned closer until their toes touched. “Was Hart hitting on you?”
“It was nothing like that. He came to ask me a question, saw Zoe and decided to mock her recent falls during a fashion show in London. He probably saw the pictures in the newspaper.”
“What’s he got against her?”
“I honestly wish I knew. The only thing I know for sure is that Zoe heard Austin talking about her one day. He called her stupid.”
“And she hates him for that?”
“You don’t know her that well, so I guess I can understand why you wouldn’t see it as a big deal. Zoe is my best friend and I love her to death, but she isn’t exactly the smartest person I know. She knows it too, that’s the hard part. As for whatever is going on between her and Austin, I won’t even try to guess, because I’m completely in the dark. All I’m certain of is that I heard his voice in the background one day when I called Zoe. She was in New York at the time, too. She hasn’t said a word to me about it, so I never asked.” Danika held out her hands and sighed. “Either way, I think Austin realized this wasn’t the place to unleash whatever pent up anger he has for Zoe.”
A slow crooked smile warmed his lips. “Did you practice those Tae Kwon Do moves on him? Is that why Hart stampeded out of here so fast?”
Groaning, she slapped him on the shoulder. “I never should have said anything to you about it.”
“I like hearing those odd little details about you.”
Her cheeks heated. He was giving her that intense “Brandon stare,” making her feel awkward. She shifted her feet, remembering where they were. “So, what are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were busy?”
“I am. I’ve still got a ton load of work waiting for me at the ranch, but I wanted to stop by and see if there was anything I could help out with.”
“Most of us are about to call it a wrap for this evening.”
“Does that mean you’re ready to go home?”
“I’m ready.” The thought of home, her and Brandon alone made tiny shivers dance along her skin.
Worth the Price
Greeted by a warm summer’s breeze, Danika dashed outside of the house. It was a Saturday afternoon. Brandon and a few of the workers who rotated the weekends, were working the cattle. In the hours between she’d cloistered herself in the kitchen, determined to impart whatever minute trace of culinary skills she’d inherited from her mother to prepare what she hoped was an authentic Irish dish to surprise her husband.
She cut across the path from the corral to the vibrant meadow that flourished a short distance from the stable. She spotted Brandon right away. He was walking with a rope slung across his broad shoulder and a pair of chaps over his faded jeans. Finn, a sable Border collie with a white ring around its eyes, and also one of the four “cattle dogs” used on the ranch to help work the cattle, trotted beside him with his tail wagging.
Her sex clenched in response to the sight of her husband. It was nearing the two-month mark to the date in June she had become a married woman. She was happier than ever. Brandon was the most attentive husband she could have ever wished for and she prayed to God it would remain as such.
“Brandon!” She raced toward him. A gust of wind gathered, causing the hem of her skirt to billow and fan upward. Uncaring, Danika continued her pace. She watched as he lowered his hand to ruffle Finn’s shaggy head. His lips moved, although she was unable to decipher what he told the dog. Whatever he said met with the animal’s approval, because he yipped and scampered away in the direction of the barn, where no doubt Brandon had a treat already laid out and waiting for him.
“Glad to see me?”
“Always,” Danika said, unsure if she was breathless from running toward him or being near him. Standing on her tiptoes, she brushed her lips over his. Brandon responded in full and deepened the kiss as one hand kneaded her bottom.
After the kiss ended, she looked around, relieved that they hadn’t just provided illicit entertainment for the ranch hands. “Did the workers leave?”
Brandon nodded. “Sanchez and Maines are still over at the pasture. There’s a patch of tansy and Canadian thistle that needs to be weeded before the cattle start to graze on it and get sick. The others…” He paused, narrowed his eyes at her then flicked away something in her hair.
“What have you been up to?” He held up a finger dusted with flour.
“It’s a surprise or was supposed to be a surprise if I’d thought to check the mirror before I left the house.”
He toyed with a strand of her powdered hair. “And I thought you coming out here to meet me was the sweet surprise.”
She blushed beneath her brown skin, made darker under the summer sunshine. It was hard to believe this was the same man who would barely utter anything except for “yes, no, maybe”. Joy swelled in her heart for the confidence Brandon displayed in himself and their relationship. On impulse, she snatched the Stetson from his head. She twirled the hat around her fingertips, hips swishing to her own beat
and arched her brows in mischief.
“You want your hat back, Irish?”
His lips twitched in amusement. “I have two more on the top shelf in our closet. Same color.’”
She wagged a finger back and forth. “That’s not how the game is played.”
“Game?”
“Yes, game,” she replied, popping the wide brimmed hat on her head. “You know, kind of like tag. I have something you want, so you have to chase me. Catch me to get it.”
He blinked in surprise and inched closer until his lips whispered against her ear. “If I catch you, Cailín it’s no’ the hat I’ll be wanting.”
Her entire body shivered. She knew he had purposely and wickedly, at that, spoken with an undiluted lilt, and all because she’d let it slip out to him one night the power his accent had on her level of arousal.
“What…what will you want?”
His gaze drifted over her frame as the wind blew again, hiking her dress even higher, exposing her panties. She felt the breeze whip across her bottom, heightening her arousal.
“There’s nothing you can think of?” he asked, desire dripping from each word.
The raw need in his eyes made her heart flip. She spun around in her sandals and took off running, one hand holding on to the hat on her head. Chancing a look backward, she giggled as Brandon flung the ropes he had been holding to the ground and gave chase.
She never stood a chance. Within seconds, he had caught up to her. He wrapped his arms around her like a blanket, cushioning her fall as they toppled onto the grass.
Pinned beneath her husband’s rock-hard frame, Danika pouted. “You were supposed to pretend to let me get away.”
“I don’t know how to play games, remember?” He ran his hand along her inner thighs, trailing upward until the seam of her underwear was held within the crook of his finger.
“I did just say that, didn’t I?”
Brandon eased her legs apart. “You did. But tell me, does it feel like I’m playing a game?” His hardness jerked against her sex.