The air in the kitchen chilled as Ryan chewed over Nate’s words.
He nodded his head and walked out.
Nate reached for Joy. “You okay?”
“What did he mean, they sent you over here?” Her eyes darkened.
Nate’s stomach sunk. “Nothing. Don’t you worry about it.”
She grabbed his sleeve and spun him around as he tried to walk away. “Don’t you turn your back on me, Nate Hansen. If you’re in some kind of sneaky deal to set me up and do his dirty work, I want to know right now.”
How the heck was he going to get out of this? He gave her his trademark panty-melting smile. “Now, Joy. Don’t get the wrong idea.” Nate reached out to stroke her cheek, but she slapped his hand down.
“Don’t think you can charm your way out of this. You’re in cahoots with that man, aren’t you?” Pain swam in her eyes.
What a monumental fuck up!
He heaved out a sigh, reined in the charm, and stared at a spot over her shoulder. “No. No, I’m not.”
“I don’t believe you, Nate.” Her voice wavered. “Funny how you’re the only one who applied for this job in person when everyone else went through the lawyer, as per the instructions.”
“Seemed like the logical thing to do. I was desperate and you sure as heck didn’t seem to be scared to take me on. In fact, you insisted we get married when all I wanted to do was work for you.”
Fire burned in her eyes. “Don’t you dare go blaming me and changing the subject. I asked you a question. Did Ryan set this up?”
“No. At least I don’t think so. One of his boys told me you were looking for a worker, but he didn’t say what kind of job you were offering.”
“I don’t believe you.”
He shrugged. “And I don’t blame you, but it’s the truth. I should’ve told you earlier; I get that. But if they set me up, I’m in the dark. They never gave me more than a couple of days’ work and sure as heck never offered me anything to come and work for you. They thought it was a joke, and I figure it was at my expense.” Doubt still clouded her eyes, but Nate saw a spark of something else and went for it. “Thing is, even if they did offer me cash or a job to stitch you up, I wouldn’t take it. I might be some things, but I’m not that kind of man. I promise you I’d never do something like that to you.”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore.” Her shoulders sagged as the fire in her eyes dimmed.
“Maybe you have it all wrong, Joy. He seemed nice enough. Offered you help and even brought Toby a gift. Are you sure you haven’t imagined it all and let it get out of hand because you’re so stressed out trying to do everything on your own?”
“No.” She held out some paperwork to Nate. “If this is true, then no. I’m not imagining it.”
Nate reached for it and quickly scanned the pages. He’d seen a will before, but this one didn’t make any sense to him. Too many big words and addendums for him to take in right now. He threw the pages down on the table. “Why would he do this when he’s offering to help you out?”
“Because he’s a greedy, nasty man, despite the way he carried on in front of you. He wants nothing more than to kick me off the place.”
“Didn’t look that way to me. He offered to help you.”
She gave a bitter laugh. “Oh, Nate. He’s got you suckered, too, hasn’t he? That’s how this man works. Makes everyone think he’s as nice as pie, but underneath it all is a man hell-bent on getting what he wants. If the honey doesn’t work, he brings out the big guns.” She nodded at the will. “Guess he’s given up being nice to me.”
“I don’t believe it.” It all seemed too over the top.
Joy’s back straightened, a spark of defiance glowed in her eyes. “Bradley left the ranch to me and Toby, and nothing that man says is going to change that.” She lifted her chin. “I can’t do anything to make you believe me, Nate. Any more than you can make me think you had nothing to do with some harebrained scheme of Ryan’s to come work for me and get your foot in the door. Comes a time when we gotta trust each other. You gotta decide if that time is now.”
*
She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t believe her. Her father-in-law’s words before Nate arrived left a dirty taste in her mouth. “You’re no better than I said you were. Marrying my son to get your hands on his inheritance then slipping into bed with this here slimeball soon as Bradley’s cold in his grave just proves it. I’ll see you two in court.”
And then he turned on the charm when Nate walked into the kitchen. Pretended to be the doting grandfather. Now he had Nate and her doubting each other when the whole plan had been to put up a united front and save the ranch.
What a recipe for disaster. Who could she trust, and would Nate trust her? She’d seen the doubt in his eyes when he asked her the question. She came across as a neurotic widow grasping at straws because she couldn’t hold her ranch together without someone to lean on. Would he think she talked him into marriage for her own benefit, or would he just think she was plain crazy?
“What I told you in the beginning is true. If you stick around long enough, you’ll see that. Ryan is a snake in the grass. Comes across as kind and considerate when he wants something, but if he doesn’t get his own way, he turns nasty. Bet if you asked around town, you’d find that out for yourself.”
“Okay.” The way he dragged the word out made her shake her head.
It would be an uphill battle to get him back onto her side. But then, there was something he wasn’t telling her either.
“Look at it this way. You’re no worse off now than you were before we got married. If, after a month, you still don’t think I’m telling you the truth, you can get a divorce. I won’t hold you to anything.”
He tilted his head and stared at her. “I thought you said you never go back on a promise.”
What the heck? “I don’t.”
“Seems to me that you promised to love me until death do us part.” His usual swagger settled on his hips as he approached. His trademark grin that had the ladies quivering in their shoes was aimed right at her.
“I did.” But she didn’t know then what she knew now. Ryan had sent Nate here, but for what, only time would tell. In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt to let him know she wasn’t going to be pushed around. Not by him or her father-in-law. “But you didn’t tell me the whole truth then, so I guess that makes it null and void.”
“So maybe instead of fighting each other, we should be trying to get along and sort this shit out.” He slammed his hand over his mouth. “Sorry. Keep forgetting the little guy here.”
She smiled through her frustration and wiped her hand across her face, trying to bring herself back to an even keel. They had to see this through to the end, regardless of their differences. “Yes, we should.”
“Good.”
“Let’s take this one step at a time. What did he say?” Nate pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.
“His usual stuff about how I should give in now and let him have what’s rightfully his. When I told him to stop shouting because he’d upset my son, he pulled these papers out of his jacket pocket and waved them in my face.”
“Did you read them?”
“No. I didn’t have a chance. He was too busy badgering me for me to concentrate anyway. I’m sure it’s just a whole heap of nonsense, same as everything else he’s come up with to intimidate me.”
Nate rubbed his chin and frowned at her.
A sinking feeling hit her stomach. “It is, right?”
“It looks like a will, Joy. A proper, legal will.”
“Not a copy of Bradley’s will?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Didn’t really have a chance to look at it either. Tell you what, how about I take this young man into the bathroom and clean him up while you read it? If you like, we can talk it over after Toby goes to bed.”
Damn her father-in-law. She really didn’t need any more of his crap. What had she ever done to him to deserve th
is? It didn’t make sense. Joy picked up the papers and started reading in the solitude of her kitchen.
Later that night, when they lay in bed, side by side but still not touching, she told Nate about the will. “It’s Bradley’s grandmother’s will. Written after the one that left this place to Bradley from what I can gather.” A heavy stone sat on her chest. He was going to take her to court and force her out of her home, and there was nothing she could do about it. “How is that possible?”
“I’m not sure what that means. I don’t know the details of the first will, but didn’t she leave the ranch to Bradley, who in turn left it to Toby? Why is anything going to change anything?” Nate rolled over and stared at her.
“Because Ryan can probably get the will we used overturned with this latest one. It means that Bradley didn’t have any right to leave me and Toby this place. It belongs to his father legally, handed down from his mother-in-law, I suppose.” She put a hand over her eyes. Saying the words out loud made them seem all the more real. She would be homeless, married to a man who didn’t need to be tied to her. What an awful way to end the last twelve plus months of hardship and grief.
“Why would he bring that out now? Why not produce it at the time?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t exactly in the right frame of mind to ask him.”
A sob rose in her throat, and she didn’t even try to hold it back. It was all too much. Joy found herself wrapped in strong arms, her face against Nate’s chest. She let her emotions take over and sobbed her heart out. All the while, he patted her back and whispered in her ear.
“I don’t have any answers for you, Joy. I don’t know what to do.”
Her last recollection was his stroking her hair from her tear-stained face, his breath warm on her head.
Chapter Eleven
Joy opened her eyes and stared straight into her new husband’s chin. They lay snuggled together, arms around each other, and it felt comforting to be held by someone once more. She blinked, remembered crying herself to sleep last night. Nate had been kind and thoughtful. Nothing like the man she was expecting when he applied for the job. Nothing like the man he used to be, according to the town gossipers. She stared at his face, following the sharp angles of his jaw, the shadow of his dark hair as it hugged his cheeks. The tiny creases around his lips that matched the lines around his eyes from the sun.
Those long dark lashes were wasted on a man, but suited him perfectly.
“You staring at me, Joy?” His lips curved into a smile.
A warm wave of lust uncurled in her belly. “Maybe.”
The arm around her waist tightened, and she sucked in a breath as the fire in her gut sprang to life. She was asking for trouble lying here with him like this, but she didn’t want to move away.
He raised a hand and scratched the bridge of his nose before he opened his eyes and met her gaze. “Anyone tell you your eyes look like melting butterscotch, right before it burns and goes dark?”
“No.” Flames seethed and crept over her skin.
“Pretty as a picture. My momma used to make butterscotch when she was feeling up to it, before she got too sick. Sometimes it set real good, and sometimes it wasn’t cooked enough. Made it chewy like soft toffee, but we liked it anyway. Us boys would fight over it to get the last piece.”
“You must really miss her.” After what she’d been through, she could understand how lonely he must have been, even with his brothers for company.
“I guess. What I miss most is the family connection, you know? Knowing that there’s someone there for us. Sure, I have my brothers, and when it comes down to it, they’ll have my back, but I miss the stability we had with a parent in the mix.”
Joy shuffled closer to Nate, desperate to hang onto the connection that’d been missing in her life since her husband’s death. The need that had chosen this morning to wake up and make itself known. Nate kissed the top of her head just as a howl came from Toby’s room. Talk about timing. She pulled away from him, a groan clogging her throat.
“You stay put. Let me get him up.”
“No, Nate. You don’t have to do that.” She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Me and Toby are like this.” He crossed two fingers and grinned at her. “Buddies.”
“That’s nice. I’m really glad you two get on so well.” She rested back on the pillow and sighed. He’d bonded better with her son than with her.
“You and me will, too, Joy. I know we can make this work. Just take one day at a time, treat each other respectfully, and eventually, we’ll connect where we need to be.”
Joy gave a bitter laugh. “Oh, Nate. I love your optimism, but I read the will last night. If that’s a genuine piece of paper, I’m going to lose everything. You won’t need to connect with me after all.”
He pulled his jeans over his boxer shorts and studied her while he did up his buttons.
“Nothing that man tells you should be taken at face value. We’ll run it all past Sadie and see what she says.” He grabbed a shirt and slipped his arms into it. “If the ranch was supposed to be his, don’t you think he would’ve found this will back then?”
She lay back and curled under the covers while Nate got Toby up. Something wasn’t right about this whole thing and damned if she was going to let the ranch be taken off her so easily.
*
Nate pulled his cell phone from his pocket on his way to feed the horses. It’d rained during the night, and the dips in the drive shimmered with water. After he caught up on all the other jobs, he’d flatten it out, make it smooth again so Toby wouldn’t trip over the potholes and hurt himself.
Sadie picked up the phone on the first ring. “Nate, how are you?”
He lifted his foot and placed it on the fence rail, quickly dealt with niceties, and then gave her a quick rundown of what had happened last night.
“You’d better get me the paperwork so I can look into it. I’ll be in the office later this morning. Seriously, this man will stop at nothing to get Joy off that ranch.”
“I know. I saw him in action last night. He’s smooth, but under it I suspect he’s mean, real mean, like a rattler on a hot day if what Joy says is true. It’s not like he needs the land or anything. What he has is plenty big enough for him and his other sons. What would it hurt him to leave Joy alone?”
“I know. But he has a reputation for getting what he wants at no cost to him. Get Joy to drop off the papers to me, and I’ll get right on it.”
“Thanks. He had Joy all worked up, and poor Toby doesn’t understand the tension between them.”
“What did you say to him?”
“Told him I wasn’t prepared to put up with his threats and, if need be, I’ll call in the sheriff.”
“Good. I don’t want either of you to put a foot wrong here. Let him be the one who breaks the law; it’ll give me something to slap him down with. Harassment I can work with.”
“He threatened to take her to court. In fact, I believe he said he’ll see us in court.”
“Great. Just what you don’t need.”
True, but his life had never been that easy. Why change things now? “Oh, well. I never did expect this to go smoothly. You know the saying, if it looks too good to be true…”
The thoughts had run riot in his head last night after Joy fell asleep in his arms. How had he come to this? Trying to change his ways that was how. By being an adult and taking responsibility for a change instead of drifting around from woman to woman. Being taken to court for his actions might make him rethink the whole “nice guy” persona. It was so much easier being a tomcat without a care in the world. This adulting shit was hard work.
But it did have its benefits. Nobody had cared much about him back then or given him more than he’d offered. A different bed every night, a different body. Now he had a little boy to help bring up and a woman who needed him.
And she baked him cakes. Chocolate cake. His favori
te. Nobody had done that before. Asked what his favorite foods were and produced them like it wasn’t a bother. If things didn’t work out for them, he’d keep that memory in his mind forever. A small gesture of kindness that meant so much more than she could imagine.
Last night was the first time they’d touched, and he had her father-in-law to thank for that. Without Ryan upsetting Joy, Nate didn’t know how long it would’ve been before he would’ve said the situation was right to reach out for her. Try as he might to curtail his urges, sleeping on the couch had cost him.
Small steps. Small steps to a big future. That’s if they could get past this bump in the road.
“Don’t think like that,” Sadie cut off his deprecating thoughts. “You’re a good guy looking for a break, and Joy is a wonderful woman who needs help and someone to stand up for her. I think you’re that guy, Nate.”
“I don’t know. I like her and all. I mean, we get on fine, so far. Not sure things are going to work out or even if they need to if Ryan gets his way.”
“You leave Mr. Mitchell to me. How did Toby react to him throwing his weight around?”
“That’s the thing. He’s kind and considerate where Toby is concerned. Brought him presents too. Toby doesn’t see what Joy does.”
“That’s a good thing then. If you can spare him that, it’d be good.”
Nate grinned. “He’s a cute kid.”
“He certainly is.” Sadie’s voice softened. “And I’m glad it’s you who’s there for him.”
Nate’s throat closed. If there was one thing that was going to bind him to Joy more than his marriage promise, it was Toby.
“I kind of feel that this is where I’m supposed to be, you know? I mean, apart from the obvious point that I need a job, I figure this little tyke needs a father and maybe that’s me.”
“I like how you think, Nate. You have the opportunity to be someone very special in Toby’s life. Don’t go letting that man muck it up for you. I told both you and Joy that this wasn’t going to be easy, and it won’t be. You’re always going to come up against opposition because it’s not your usual kind of marriage contract. But don’t let that derail you. It worked for the Watson boys. It can work for you.”
The Convenient Cowboy Page 6
