by Samathe Beck
Sharp pangs of light shot through the awning of pine needles and clouds rolling in. The horse meandered through the trees and past rambling huckleberry bushes. Jake let Sophie set the pace, and her muscles soon relaxed against him. Finally, they emerged out of the forest to the narrow dirt road where her Jeep waited.
Jake helped her to the ground.
She self-consciously stepped away and tossed curls out of her face. “Thanks for the lift,” she said, backing up even more.
“Any time, Sunshine,” he said.
“It was, ah, nice to have met you.” She pivoted and all but bolted for her Jeep.
The woman wanted to be rid of him. He fought another grin. Too bad she wasn’t going to get what she wanted—this time. Boy, was she in for a surprise.
He waited until she jumped into the vehicle and watched until it was out of sight, his heart lighter than usual as Guardian waited for the command to run.
Chapter Two
Several hours after her unexpected horseback ride, Sophie pored over papers scattered across the bedspread as hazy light glinted off the brass bedrail in her room. She loved the bed & breakfast with the burnished antique furnishings and lemon-oil smell. The milk-glass lamp added to the moonlight from the open window as she lay back in her warm T-shirt and boxers. The needles from the massive bull pine outside her window scraped against the glass.
Get out of town before you get hurt. The peaceful surroundings washed away her unease as she perused the hastily scrawled note stuck on her windshield. She rolled her eyes. If they thought that would scare her, they were crazy. She shifted her attention to the legal documents her staff had faxed to her, and her head started to pound as she prepared for the early meeting with the Kooskia Tribe.
Her cell phone chattered a nameless tune, and she stretched to reach it.
“Hi, Sophia. How’s life in the middle of nowhere?” The deep voice elicited a familiar fluttering in her lower stomach.
“Hi, Preston. I’m in Montana. I think it’s somewhere.” She settled more comfortably against the flowered pillows. “Why are you calling so late? Don’t tell me your date had an early math test tomorrow.” She grinned at her own joke as she imagined his blue eyes sparkling with humor.
“Funny. The blonde you met before leaving town works at Shinnies and isn’t a college freshman. Do they even have running water where you are?”
“Running water, paved roads, and even electricity.” Sophie lost her grin at the image of the too-perfect waitress. “When are you going to stop dating bubble-headed Barbies?”
“When the right girl comes along, I guess.”
The words hurt more than they should have. She reminded herself they were just friends. One freakin’ kiss didn’t make a relationship. She cringed as she thought of how distant he’d been afterward—at least until she reassured him they were just friends and the kiss had been a mistake.
“In fact,” Preston’s cultured voice reached across the miles, “I’ve been thinking quite a bit about that kiss at the Christmas party.”
Sophie focused all her attention on the little phone in her ear and struggled to keep her voice calm. “What kiss?”
Preston chuckled. “You know exactly what kiss.”
Of course she did. She’d only relived the whole evening in her mind for months afterward. “I know. But Preston—”
“I can change, Sophia.”
“I doubt that.” She snorted even though her heart warmed. She’d had a crush on her debonair coworker for so long she again wondered, What if?
“Well, I’ve done something…” Preston’s voice lowered.
“What?” What in the world could he have done?
“I booked us on a Caribbean cruise next fall to celebrate your successful design.”
“That’s a bit premature, isn’t it? We don’t even have the permit yet.”
“You’ll get it.”
She wasn’t so sure. “Wait a minute. What do you mean by ‘us’?”
“I mean us. You and me. I’m tired of dancing around this. Your uncle is going to retire soon and wants the business taken care of. You and I have a great relationship and it could be even better.” Something clinked against the phone as he swallowed—probably his usual scotch in a crystal tumbler.
Her heart sank. She may have had a crush on the man, but her brain still worked. “Wow. Sounds like a successful merger.”
“It would be. Add in the fact that we want each other, coupled with similar tastes and interests, I think we have it made.”
“What about love?”
“Seriously? What are you, twelve?”
Sophie laughed. “Yeah, seriously. Shouldn’t love, fire, passion…and all that be the goal?”
“Whose goal? Plus, we have the fire and passion, so love’s probably just around the corner.”
Sophie was quiet for a moment. Preston was exactly who she’d always wanted. Young, ambitious, already successful. He had even designed his own home overlooking the Bay in San Francisco, and he resembled a tall, blond, Nordic god. Plus, she genuinely liked him.
She sighed. “I don’t know.”
“Come on, Sophia. Be realistic and stop daydreaming—puppy love is for naive morons.” Self-ridicule and an odd loneliness wrapped around his tone.
Her head jerked up. “Who hurt you so badly, Pres?” Her question surprised her even as she asked it.
Quiet reigned over the line. “I don’t know what you mean.” But he did. She could tell.
“Sorry. It just slipped out.” So much for a routine phone call. For the first time, doubt filled her about the successful architect.
“It’s all right.” His voice hinted at sensual promise. “Also, I want to thank you for taking this project on so I could concentrate on the Seattle proposal.”
She relaxed as they returned to business. “No problem. I’ve been waiting for Uncle Nathan to let me take the lead on a golf course design, and this is finally it.” Of course, they’d only use her design if the county approved the construction plan. Hope inflated her chest.
“Yeah, I know. It’s a big job. The Charleton Group stands to lose a boatload of money if this project doesn’t come to fruition.” The sound of paper shuffling came over the line. “More importantly, we have five more projects lined up with them. Our bottom line for the next three years depends on the Group.”
“No pressure there.”
“Sorry. But you need to understand. We’re in trouble.”
The breath caught in her throat. “How much trouble?”
Silence echoed from a world away. Finally, Preston cleared his throat. “Your uncle met with financial restructuring specialists yesterday.”
Holy crap. Sophie sat straight up. “We’re going bankrupt?”
“That’s one option.” Preston sighed. “The economy has hurt us pretty badly. I think we can crawl our way out of this mess with your current project and mine in Seattle. They both need to work.”
Her mind spun. Damn it. Uncle Nathan couldn’t lose the company. “Don’t worry. I’ll get the job here.”
“Your uncle mentioned the local tribe is opposing the course.”
She picked at a thread on the bedspread, her shoulders hunching. “Yeah. That’s why I decided to stay at the B & B on the reservation instead of in Maverick. I meet with the tribe tomorrow. They own the lake just below the proposal site, and they’re worried about pollution from fertilizer and people.”
Preston sighed. “Our science is just as good as theirs, and the lake will be fine. But you still have to get the conditional-use permit with the county, and the tribe may have the influence to sway them.”
Her skin prickled. “Yeah, I know. That hearing isn’t until a week from next Monday, so I thought I’d see what headway I could make with the tribal elders tomorrow.” She leaned against the pillows and forced her muscles to relax.
She loved to design land, but the legal issues involved in land-use planning caused a drumming in her temples. An ache between her
eyes. A rolling in her stomach that forced her to take deep, measured breaths. “I don’t understand why we need a permit from the county, since this is privately owned land.”
“Well, the land is zoned rural, meaning you can put a house on every five acres. One of the possible uses is a golf course, but you have to get a conditional-use permit to build it as well as the houses surrounding it.” Preston took another deep swallow. “You need a public hearing in front of the county commissioners before they can make their decision. Sometimes those hearings get a bit, well, energetic.”
“Great.” Sophie sighed. “I meet with the Maverick Chamber of Commerce early next week as well as with a citizens’ group concerned with development. Maybe having their support will help at the hearing.”
“Sounds like a good plan. I’ll let you get some rest before your big day tomorrow.” What sounded like ice clinking in a glass chattered across the line. “But give some thought to my idea about our, er, personal merger. I think we’d be a good match.”
Sophie started to reply when a loud beep came across the line.
“Oops, that’s my second line. I’ll talk to you later, Sophia.” The line went dead.
Sophie powered down her phone and switched off the light, then stared at the muted ceiling. Moonlight glinted off the brass rail from the open window and lent a coziness to the room. She wondered who would be calling Preston so late in the night. And she wondered if she wanted to be merely a good match. She doubted it. She wanted passion and desire and comfort. All feelings, no planning.
Her mother would be disgusted.
Sophie’s thoughts flew again to the mad dash through the forest in the hard arms of a modern warrior. She had felt safe and protected in those arms, even before she knew who he was or why he’d grabbed her. Even before she knew that she was, in fact, safe. His eyes had shown interest—and promise. A fluttering winged around her abdomen that had nothing to do with her fear of horses and everything to do with the man who controlled wild beasts. Would she see Jake again?
Surprise filled her at how badly she wanted that to happen.
Jake put the truck in park, slipped the manila files into his briefcase, and tried to focus on tomorrow’s hearing. It was a big one, and if he won the motion for his client, the other side would settle. As a lawyer, he liked a good trial, but it was always better for a client to settle before all the stress started. Unlike him—he thrived on stress and challenge.
As a working single-dad to a six-year-old, it was a good thing he liked a challenge.
But as he stepped onto the gravel drive, his mind kept flashing to the pretty blonde who’d so bravely tried to steer his horse the previous day. Guts and beauty in such a small package was a temptation he’d never resist.
He glanced down at his watch. Damn it. He was late.
Why had he agreed to meet at the tribe’s main lodge instead of in his office? He grimaced. He hadn’t wanted Sophie to be uncomfortable, and the lodge was a thing of beauty. Next he was going to agree to her terms.
Which he couldn’t do.
So he marched into the lodge and headed toward the main conference room, sliding inside the door.
The woman sat at the far end of the table, looking spring-fresh in a flimsy blouse and pencil skirt.
God. He loved a woman in a pencil skirt. She looked like every hot-librarian he’d ever dreamed about. “Miss Smith,” he said smoothly.
Her eyes opened wide, her gaze sweeping from his boots to his face. “What the hell?”
Amusement filled him, and he fought the insane urge to tug her from the chair for a kiss. “Not who you were expecting?”
Her eyes narrowed. “No. I was expecting a lawyer.”
“I’m the tribe’s lawyer.” He couldn’t help reaching for her hand to shake. His palm enclosed hers, and he made sure not to squeeze the delicate bones.
“You’re kidding me.” She tugged her hand free, a pink flush wandering across her high cheekbones.
“Afraid not.” He slid into the nearest chair, inhaling her fresh scent of strawberries. “I’ve read over your proposal, and while I think the golf course is magnificent, it doesn’t belong on the site you’ve chosen.” Much better to get the business out of the way before he asked her out.
Sophie smiled then, and he felt his first sense of unease. Maybe this wouldn’t be as easy as he thought.
Sophie wondered if she’d be arrested if she cold-cocked Jake Lodge across his arrogant face. “Mr. Lodge—”
“Jake,” he reminded her. Again.
Sophie growled low in her throat. “Jake, you are not being reasonable.”
“Yes, I am.” Strong arms crossed over a hard chest as he sat back in the dark leather chair.
“Are not,” Sophie spouted before she could stop herself. A raised eyebrow and glint of amusement met her frustration head-on. She took a deep breath. “You. Do. Not. Own. The. Land.”
“I. Know. That.” The amusement turned to a full-out grin. “I hate clichés.”
“Excuse me?”
“Clichés. They’re boring.” He placed two broad hands on the oak table between them and leaned forward, into her space. “But you are absolutely stunning when angry.”
Her heart gave a nasty thud. Sophie shook her head. Even indoors the man was as primitive and dangerous looking as he’d been controlling a powerful stallion. His presence overwhelmed the small conference room with its tan leather chairs and burnished wooden table. Light filtered softly through several open windows, and the breeze carried the scent of wildflowers through the small room.
The scent of man tempted her much more than the flowers.
A long-sleeved black T-shirt emphasized strength and muscle, while faded jeans hung low on tight hips over his long legs. Black cowboy boots crossed negligently at the ankle, and he’d tied his dark hair back at the nape, throwing the sharp angles of his face into stark relief. Black eyes reflected humor and determination in equal parts as he held firm. The panoramic window behind him framed rugged mountains and a placid lake in gentle stillness.
The wildness outside only enhanced his.
His watchful intelligence made the floor beneath her pumps shift like quicksand. She smoothed curls back from her face and blinked to keep from glaring. “I thought I was meeting with a tribal elder today.”
“You will. But the chief wanted me to explain our legal position to you first.”
“You don’t look like a lawyer.” She said what she’d been thinking for the last hour.
“Good.” Jake grinned an even row of white teeth. “I’d rather you didn’t see me as a lawyer.”
“What do you want me to see you as?” Good God, she was flirting with the man.
The grin narrowed, and his dark gaze roamed across her rapidly warming face. “Hopefully someone you’d like to get to know better while you’re in town, City Girl.” His eyes hardened to deep coal.
“What?” She would’ve taken a step back had she been standing. As it was, her body tensed as she focused on the large man seated across the table from her.
The oak door behind Jake swung open, which prevented him from responding. An elderly man with long, shockingly white hair strolled into the room and crossed over to Sophie.
She rose to her feet. His hands clasped hers warmly, and two dark brown eyes twinkled at her. “Miss Smith, I’m Chief Lodge of the Kooskia Tribe.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Chief Lodge.” Sophie smiled up at a face similar to Jake’s. Strong features set into a bronze face with lines created by laughter, though the sculpted jaw hinted at a stubbornness she’d already encountered in Jake, who had to be related. Charisma and charm surrounded the elder. If the chief were anything to go by, her new nemesis would age well. “Please call me Sophie.”
“Ah, Sophie. Such a pretty name.” The chief gestured for her to retake her seat as he turned and sat at the head of the table. He wore faded jeans over scuffed brown cowboy boots with a deep red button-down shirt. “I see you’ve met my g
randson and lawyer, Jake.”
“Yes.” The warmth deserted her as she eyed Jake. His grin in return made her want to throw something. At his head.
“So.” The chief’s upper lip quirked. “What can I do for you, Sophie?”
Sophie focused on the elder’s calm facade. Those deep lines sat comfortably on a smooth face—he could be anywhere between fifty and a thousand years old.
“I’m here to explain the golf course proposal and earn the support from the Kooskia Tribe.” She hoped to have better luck with the elder than his grandson.
Wisdom flowed through the chief’s eyes along with amusement. “Is that why you’re here?”
“Um, well, yes.” Sophie tossed a quick look to Jake. Did the chief know anything about her proposal or not?
“Oh, I’ve studied your design,” the chief reassured her. “Sometimes what we think we know isn’t what we really know.”
“I don’t understand.”
The chief shrugged. “You don’t need to.” He reclined in his chair. “I have to tell you that your design is magnificent.”
Sophie’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yes. Wonderful—looks like a great course to play. I love to golf, you know.”
Sophie slanted a glance toward Jake, but his implacable face revealed nothing. She turned back to the chief. “The development will bring money to the tribe and casino.”
“Yes, I believe that it would.” He clasped broad hands together on the hard table. Hands that reminded her of Jake’s. The breeze tossed the sweet scent of berries through the room as the chief breathed deep in appreciation. “Huckleberries. Should be quite the crop this year.” He focused on Sophie’s face. “They grow wild all over your client’s property.”
Sophie maintained her smile. “I understand huckleberries grow wild across all the nearby mountains, even by the roadside.”
The chief flashed an amused grin. “That they do. You’re a spunky one, Sophie Smith.”
“Thank you.” Sophie ignored Jake’s sudden grin.
“And the course really does look like a fun one; I especially like the water hazards.” The chief nodded.
