by Sara Orwig
“Try me and see what it gets you,” he said.
“Maybe I’ll do that, Jake.” She sipped her juice and lowered the glass. “I think we should get back on a less personal, less flirty basis. I wish I could view life that way. Even though I had a very comfortable life growing up and have Grandmother’s fortune now, I can’t be as relaxed about money as you are.”
“You have a normal attitude. Besides, when the dust settles, I expect my father to change his mind. But if he doesn’t, I’ll stick by what I’ve said.”
“I think, Jake Benton, you are an unusual man.”
He reached out to tilt her face up to his. “And you, Caitlin, are a beautiful woman. Go to dinner with me tonight. We can fly to Dallas.”
“Won’t that take a lot of time?” she asked while her heart raced. Dinner with Jake. Foolish, yet it might help win her the ranch.
“I have a plane here. We’ll be there in no time. I’ll pick you up at a quarter to six.”
“A Benton asking out a Santerre. You wouldn’t have done that twenty-four hours ago.”
“Life changes. I can adapt. So can you.”
“Who’s the woman in your life right now and what is she doing while you’re at the ranch? Will your taking me to dinner interfere in your relationship with her?”
“There is no woman in my life right now. Not one here or in Dallas. I’d think that detective you hired would have told you that item.”
“Actually, he did. I just wanted you to confirm it because he could have missed something. That makes me feel better about going out with you.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” His hand slipped behind her head and he moved closer to brush her lips with a light kiss. “Good morning, by the way.”
“Good morn—” His mouth covered hers and ended her sentence. Her heart slammed against her ribs. His kiss was slow, hot, igniting desire instantly. While her heart drummed, she relished kissing him. Negatives with Jake ceased to exist. The only awareness was Jake and sensations he caused. With an effort to grasp safety, she finally ended the kiss.
“How did we get on this footing so swiftly?” she asked, catching her breath. “This time yesterday, I didn’t even know you except on sight. And you didn’t know me when you saw me. Now we’re kissing.”
“It happens. Sometimes even faster. The chemistry is there. You feel it, too.” He moved away to get the coffeepot and returned to refill their cups. When he sat down, he sipped his juice. “I’ll take you home this morning. I’ve already called the stable to get your horse ready and we’ll put him in a trailer.”
“Great. I’ll be happy to avoid the long ride home. While you’re at the house, I want you to meet Cecilia, Kirby and Altheda. I’ll call and let them know you’re coming.”
“That isn’t necessary,” he said.
“I know. I really want you to meet them.”
She ate her breakfast, but her appetite had diminished. The more she was with him, the less likely she thought he would part with his newly acquired property, yet the thought of Jake coming in and tearing down the beloved house turned her to ice. She wasn’t going to dwell on that until he gave her an answer about a sale.
“Stop worrying, Caitlin,” he said lightly.
“Does it show that much?” she asked, thinking it was sinful for a man to have such thick lashes and such blue eyes.
“Yes, and at this point, it’s unnecessary. I haven’t made a decision and I want to talk to my brother, Gabe, and our geologist.”
“After breakfast, I’ll call Altheda to let her know we’re coming. I told you about Altheda last night. She’s the resident housekeeper and cook. And you’ll meet Cecilia, too. She was Grandmother’s companion and secretary and long before that, a nanny for me. She’s almost part of the family and feels like an great-aunt. I really might as well have been an only child. I can hardly count Will as a sibling even though, legally, he is.”
“I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t count Will as a sibling either, but then I have strong feelings about Will, just as he does about me. I’m still astonished he sold to me.”
“I’m sure all Will was thinking about was the money he would get. He wouldn’t have cared whose money it was.”
“Actually, I think he thought he was getting the best of me by getting my money while I got the ranch. Besides, I was the highest bidder—by far.”
“I’m sure he’d view the sale that way. The money was the best of the deal to him.”
Jake reached for his coffee. “So does the photography go on hold when you’re at the ranch?”
“At the moment, I’m between jobs and I had cleared my schedule, so this is fine. I have to get back to the city soon. I only intended to be here a few days, mainly to see you and discuss the sale.”
“I had to get away from Dallas, as well as make myself unavailable to my dad. Now I’m especially glad I did. I just made this decision at the last minute. Your private detective must be a good one. He also must have access to my office or someone very close to me.”
“It’s not difficult to learn your whereabouts. You don’t hide what you do. You flew in your plane and your pilot had a flight plan filed.”
Jake nodded. “Interesting. No, I’ve never had to hide from anyone, so I’m not overly cautious. I keep a relatively low profile anyway.”
She laughed. “Right. How many times have I seen your picture on society pages with beautiful women on your arm?”
“Those hardly count.”
“The pictures or the women?” Before he could answer, she said, “I’m teasing you. I know you meant the pictures.” She went on. “I know a few things about you from the detective. You have close friends you play golf and basketball with. Let’s see if I can remember, Tony Ryder is one close friend. You mentioned your friend Nick Rafford. Those are the ones I recall.”
“They’re my best friends. Plus my brother. I have a bet with those guys, not my brother, but the others. When we were all bachelors we agreed to each bet a million that we would not marry. The last to marry wins the pot.”
She laughed. “So if you marry, you lose a million dollars in a bet and if you don’t marry you lose millions in your inheritance. You’ll lose either way, Jake. How did you get yourself into that?”
He grinned. “I think the million is the smallest loss. Also, the least likely.”
“And your friend Nick is married?”
“Married a woman who was guardian of his baby nephew and she and Nick had a baby. Now he’s married and the father of two.”
“May you have such great fortune,” she teased and Jake rolled his eyes.
“Actually, Nick’s really happy. It’s been good for him. His dad is ecstatic, which is why my dad is so eager. Tony’s dad is just as bad. I’m a buffer for Gabe. Dad always focuses on me while Gabe squeaks by without as much interference. Heaven help him if I marry and get out of Dad’s sights. Enough about that.”
“I can’t imagine such a thing. Grandmother let me make so many of my choices with little direction from her.”
“Be thankful.” He finished his coffee. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, great,” she said, having no intention of telling him she couldn’t get him out of her thoughts; or how she had wanted his kisses. She wouldn’t admit when she had fallen asleep, she had dreamed about him. “And you?”
“Great, but I wasn’t in a strange bed in a strange house. This is home to me. Only one thing would have been an improvement,” he added with a huskier note entering his voice.
“I’m not asking about that improvement. You had an undisturbed night’s sleep. End of subject.”
“We’re through breakfast. Fred will clean this, so let’s get ready to go.”
“I can’t shake the feeling you’re putting me off about discussing a purchase,” she said, knowing she should drop it until he wanted to talk. She couldn’t get it out of mind more than a few minutes at a time.
“I’ve told you that we’ll talk, but I want to think about i
t first.”
“It seems incredibly simple to me. Sell me a small chunk of the ranch. Deal done. You’ll never miss it.”
“Maybe.”
“Surely you don’t want me out of this area. I have never done anything to hurt you,” she said, carrying her dishes to the sink in spite of what he’d said.
He caught her wrist as she set down the dishes and reached for the faucet. “I told you, no cleaning. And no, you’ve never done one thing to hurt me, nor has your grandmother. It’s your father and Will that I have strong feelings about.”
“Oh, surely, you can’t mean that you would hold that land just because I have the same name as Will.” She looked into unfathomable blue eyes and wondered how strong his hatred was.
“No, I don’t, Caitlin,” he said quietly and something inside her unclenched.
“I’m glad,” she said, realizing in first one way and then another, he was gaining her liking and her respect. He already stirred desire. It was becoming a potent and frightening combination because she didn’t want to care about Jake Benton or have her heart race when he looked at her. Scariest of all was admiring and liking him.
“With oil hanging in the balance, I just want to give some thought to my decision.”
“We both have old demons to get past,” she said.
“I agree. We’ve spent a lifetime hating each other’s families. It’s difficult to switch that off instantly. You rode over here angry with me all the way, didn’t you?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. I’ve told you why—all those messages I left for you ignored by your employees.”
“I’ll have to talk to someone about that. Maybe they need to find out a little more about the person before they turn them away. On the other hand, I don’t think anyone would have reported to me that a very gorgeous woman was being told she couldn’t even have a phone conversation with me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Caitlin smiled.
He turned her to face him. “I’m not being ridiculous. You wouldn’t have stood a chance at getting me to sell any land back to you if we hadn’t met in person, I can truthfully tell you that. I’ve always lumped you in with your father and half brother.”
“Big mistake,” she said. “But then Grandmother didn’t like your family, so there you are. I didn’t, either.”
“Hopefully, that has changed forever for you.”
“Time will tell,” she said.
“That’s a reserved answer, Caitlin,” he said, studying her.
“My guess is, you feel the same way. You can’t expect me to be overjoyed with you if you turn me down and I’m definitely not saying that as an ultimatum.”
“Let’s not get into conflict when it isn’t necessary,” he said. His cell phone buzzed and he answered to talk briefly before placing it in his pocket again.
“The car, trailer and horse are waiting. Shall we go?” he asked. As they left the house, they emerged into a clear day with water still dripping from trees and the rooftops.
They reached the truck and Jake held her door while she climbed inside. In a short time they were on the highway and she thought of the long ride to his ranch on horseback and how angry and determined she had been to see him.
As they sped toward her ranch, she studied his profile. His stand toward his father’s unreasonable demand, his care for his sister and brother—she envied that slightly because she had never had any love or even much kindness or attention from Will. Those things softened her harsh feelings toward the Bentons. Plus the wild unwanted allurement that had captured both of them.
Jake was turning out to be so different from the man she had imagined him to be. Much more appealing. Yet beneath all the good things lay their past history. He was a Benton who had done unacceptable things to Santerres. Will’s dislike of Jake and competition with him in sports and school was legendary. Maybe both had excelled simply because they were each trying to outdo the other.
Soon they were on what had once been Santerre land, and she grew more tense with each mile. She wanted to keep her house, keep the people who had worked for her grandmother. Damn Will and his selfish ways and the ultimate cruelty in selling all this to Jake without giving her any chance to buy part of it.
“In a way, I’m surprised Will would sell you the mineral rights.”
“I wouldn’t have bought the ranch otherwise, but Will told me there’s no oil. His father had geologists study the land, even leased it at one point, but they gave up and said there was no oil.”
“What about natural gas?”
Jake smiled at her. “As far as Will’s concerned, if there’s no oil, there’s no gas. Will is into buildings and cities and finance, not oil, gas and wind. Or even water rights. There’s a lot of water on your ranch.”
“I can’t believe Will’s lawyers let him do this without giving him a lot of advice that was solid.”
“Your brother doesn’t strike me as the type to take advice well. Not even from men he hires to give it to him.”
She nodded. “You’re right. Will is supremely confident. It helps him in many ways, but sometimes it blinds him.”
“You’re so much younger. I’m surprised you were around him often.”
“I wasn’t, but we had family gatherings because my father was the darling of my grandmother.”
“What about you?”
“Oh, yes. She was wonderful to me. I’m a granddaughter, the daughter she never had. But she loved my father with all her being. He loved her, too, so we were together on holidays where Will made his presence felt. I hated being with him because when I was little, he was mean. He’d pinch me or thump me. When I’d cry, he’d deny he had done anything. He’d say I was pretending until Grandmother lectured him. With someone checking on him, he left me alone, but he was never nice, never a brother. Since she passed, he’s barely spoken to me.”
“Will is something else,” Jake said with disgust in his voice.
When they topped a hill, a tall three-story Victorian house came into view. Trees surrounded it and shaded the steeply sloped rooftops, gables, balconies and wide bay windows.
“See, Jake, it’s a beautiful old house built by the first Santerre.”
“That wasn’t the first house,” he said.
“There’s a tiny log house that was the first, but in time, this house was built. The family considers it the first real ranch house.”
She wanted Jake to see the house, meet the people who worked for her and had devoted years to her grandmother. It should be much more difficult for Jake to displace them if he knew them, rather than faceless, nameless entities.
They drove to the corral where a wiry, sandy-haired man with streaks and sideburns of gray came forward to greet her. His weathered face was tan from years in the sun.
“Jake, meet our foreman, Kirby Lenox,” she said when she stepped out of the truck and greeted Kirby. “Kirby, this is Jake Benton.”
She watched the two shake hands and Kirby size up Jake. She saw no reaction from Jake except a friendly greeting, but she suspected he was taking in everything he saw to help him make his decision about her place.
“I’ll get the horse now. It won’t take long and then you two can go on to the house,” Kirby told them.
As he backed the horse out of the trailer, Jake watched. “That’s a fine horse,” he said, looking over her bay.
“This one’s a dandy. Caitlin has a keen eye for a horse.”
“That’s because I learned from you,” she said, smiling at Kirby.
He grinned as he patted the horse. “He’s a fine one. He’s Caitlin’s favorite. Nice to meet you, Mr. Benton.”
“It’s Jake, Kirby. We’ll see each other again,” he said easily as he held the pickup door for Caitlin.
She felt as if she were walking on broken glass, treading carefully, hoping Jake would appreciate the old house and the people or at least like them even half as much as she did.
“Thanks,” she said. In minutes Jake stopped in front
of the house and walked around to open her door. He took her arm in a light touch that was a blistering contact.
“Come look around,” she said, gazing with satisfaction at the porch with wooden rockers, swings, pots of blooming flowers. Lacy gingerbread spindles formed the posts and lacy curtains were pulled back inside the bay windows. Caitlin sighed, wondering how anyone could resist the house’s charm.
“This is too beautiful to bulldoze,” she said as they crossed the porch. “I don’t think a Benton has ever been in this house,” she added, knowing this was another twist in the history of the family feud.
When he didn’t answer, she became silent. The door swung open and Caitlin faced Cecilia whose big brown eyes went from her to Jake and back to Caitlin. “I’m back. Cecilia, I want you to meet Jake Benton.”
“Mr. Benton, welcome to Caitlin’s home,” Cecilia said warmly, extending her hand to Jake who smiled as he took her hand.
“Jake, this is Cecilia Mayes. I’ve told you about her,” Caitlin said, studying the two of them. Jake sounded incredibly polite, not the least a hard-hearted owner who would evict them. He towered over Cecilia who was only five feet tall, small-boned and thin. She wore a flowered cotton housedress and sandals. Her gray hair was fastened behind her head in a bun. She looked as sweet as she actually was to everyone and Caitlin loved her deeply and wanted to protect her from harm.
“I’m glad to meet you, ma’am,” Jake said politely. “Please just call me Jake.”
“Certainly,” she said. “Come in, please. We can sit in the front parlor and I hope you’ll stay for lunch with us. I told Altheda to plan for that.”
“Thank you, but I should get home before then. I can sit a minute and visit.”
“Fine,” she said.
“Cecilia, I want to take Jake to meet Altheda and show him a little of the house. Then we’ll join you in the front parlor.”
“Of course,” Cecilia said.
“I want you to see some of the inside of this house,” she told Jake when she was alone with him. “The original house is over a hundred years old. Grandmother made changes, had closets built in, added a wing, a deck and pool, an entertainment center. I’ve added an office. Even so, a lot is still the same.”
