by Samathe Beck
Loni patted Leila’s braids. “Now honey, remember when we talked about boys not being quite as smart as girls?”
Twin heys of protest came from Tom and Quinn, as Jake’s brother slid onto the bench next to Sophie.
Leila giggled and nodded.
“Okay. Well, they don’t know how to talk about important stuff like feelings, so they do stupid stuff instead.” Loni winked at Sophie. “Tommy probably just wanted your attention, and that was the only way he could think of to get it,” Loni said softly.
“Boys are stupid.” Leila turned twin dark eyes on Sophie. “Hi.”
Sophie smiled at the little girl. She was going to be an incredible beauty one day.
“You’re the golf course lady. You went on a date with Daddy.”
“Ah, no, it, ah, wasn’t a date,” Sophie sputtered. Quinn coughed back a laugh, and if she had known him better, she’d have elbowed him in the ribs. She settled for giving him a small glare.
“Did you go on a picnic?” Shrewd black eyes met hers across the table.
“Well, yes.” Sophie fought to keep from fidgeting under the scrutiny.
“Did you have a pretty view?”
“Definitely.” Where was the child going with this?
“And you ate lunch with some wine?”
Sophie’s face heated. “Well, yes.”
“Sounds like a date to me.” Leila grinned in triumph.
Quinn didn’t even try to mask his laugh this time.
Loni bit back a grin. “Here, Leila, why don’t you color for a while?” She pushed crayons and a coloring book in front of her granddaughter, causing a blue pencil to roll to the ground.
“I can reach it.” Leila leaned down and grabbed the pencil before emitting a soft gasp. “I like your boots.” She peeked her little face above the table and stared at Sophie.
“Thank you.” There was no way in hell she’d admit they were a gift from the girl’s father.
“Do you have Manolos?”
Unease pricked Sophie’s skin. “I do actually have a pair. They were a gift from my mother for my eighteenth birthday.” She had wanted an art easel.
“Oh, are they pretty?” Leila breathed out in longing.
“Um, yeah. Pink and sparkly.” Sophie smiled.
“I wish I could see them.” A frown marred Leila’s pretty face.
“Well.” Sophie reached for a blank piece of paper and the pink pencil. “Let’s see what we can do about that.” Her hand moved with sure strokes. Leila watched intently. Sophie handed over the paper.
“Wow, they are pretty.” Leila sighed at the delicate sandals dangling from a pine tree. “Is this for me?” She held the paper as if it were infinitely precious.
“It’s all yours,” Sophie confirmed.
“Sophie, you are so talented,” Loni noted in admiration just as a shadow crossed the table.
Pleasure slid through Sophie. Although these people were all strangers, she felt comfortable. Accepted. She marveled at the little girl surrounded by such warmth and affection.
“What’s that?” Jake asked from behind her. Sophie’s heartbeat increased.
“My Manolos, Daddy.” Leila’s excitement made the effort seem much more than it was. “See?” She held out the paper to her father, who took it over Sophie’s shoulder.
“Wow. They are pretty.” Jake handed the drawing back to his daughter. “My mother’s right—you are very talented.” He slid onto the bench next to her, effectively trapping her between two hard male bodies. Talk about immovable objects.
His compliment had her feeling like she’d just aced a difficult test. Gaining control over her emotions, she glanced at the lawyer. “You showered.”
Jake nodded. “In the bunkhouse. Believe me, it was necessary.” Clean jeans hung low on tight hips over black boots while a light black shirt emphasized the corded strength in his upper body. His dark hair curled over his collar. For once, it wasn’t tied back, and the mass lent him a dangerous air.
Almost primitive.
Jake settled onto the picnic bench, his attention on the woman who had fit so nicely into his family gathering. Though her pretty picture of city shoes should be a dose of cold water.
Except cold wasn’t something he equated with Sophie.
Pure heat. Full sunshine. Raging fire. He wanted nothing more than to jump into the flames and get burned. His cock flared to life behind his zipper, and he fought a groan. Now wasn’t the time.
Quinn sent him a smart-assed grin over Sophie’s head.
Damn younger brother had always been a mind reader. Jake scowled back.
Colton loped up and slid into the seat across the table. He’d showered and stolen one of Jake’s shirts to wear. The guy was a genius with money, but he couldn’t remember to bring a complete change of clothing. “Let’s eat; I’m starving,” he muttered. He flipped open a lid covering freshly prepared fried chicken as Loni passed plates all around. Different salads and cookies completed the meal.
Sophie nibbled on a drumstick, and Jake fought another groan. Those pretty lips were much too talented to be wasted on chicken.
Colton glanced around. “Where’s Dawnie?”
“She went to eat down by the pond with a bunch of friends.” Tom scooped more pieces of watermelon onto Leila’s plate.
“What friends?” Colton handed Leila the napkin she’d dropped.
Loni shrugged. “I just saw her with Adam.” She handed the bowl of chicken over to Colt.
“Adam?” Quinn shook his head. “I don’t like her being in that band.”
“Me, neither.” Jake bit his lip. Maybe it was time to intervene and pull Dawn from the band. She didn’t belong in a bar.
“Dawn’s in a band?” Sophie put her napkin on her empty plate.
“Yes. The gal sings like an angel,” Tom said with a proud grin.
“She should be singing in church, not with Adam,” Quinn muttered.
Loni rolled her eyes. “Adam is Hawk’s best friend, Quinn. He’s as safe as they get.”
“Adam is anything but safe, Mom,” Quinn said.
Loni shook her head. “Leave Dawn alone, all of you. She has to find her own way, and you three”—she peered at her husband—“I mean, you four, are going to do nothing but push her in the wrong direction. Trust me.”
Colton opened his mouth to respond and then jumped as a small hand slapped him on the back.
“Nice job with the steers, Colt,” a curvy brunette said with a smile. “Hi Loni, Tom.”
“Hi, Melanie.” Loni grinned and introduced the young woman to Sophie. “Have you eaten?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Melanie nodded to Sophie and smiled. “I’m just heading down to watch Jonsie ride a bronc in the left pasture.”
“Count me in.” Colton jumped to his feet and slung an arm around Mel. “See you later, Mom.” He pulled the woman away.
“They make a nice couple,” Sophie noted with a pretty smile.
Loni sighed. “They’ve been the best of buddies since preschool. Though,” she said, her eyes twinkling with mischief, “I can’t wait until he looks up one day and realizes she’s all grown up.”
“Boys are stupid,” Leila muttered, and her grandmother nodded.
Chapter Seven
Monday morning, Sophie found herself in the middle of her pretty room with the golf course design calling from the desk and her sketchbook beckoning from her bed. She had work to do. But she wanted to draw the scene of Colton chasing a steer. She had spent half the night capturing Jake wrestling Buttercup to the ground. It was her best work.
The shrill of an antique pink phone saved her from having to make a decision, and she jumped across the bed to answer it. She stretched out on her belly before saying hello.
“Hi there, Sophie, I hope I’m not calling too early.” A country ballad wafted through the line.
“Hi, Loni, no, I’m just getting to work.” Well, she’d been thinking about getting to work, anyway.
“Oh, good.
That’s why I wanted to call you. I’d like to hire you. Well, I mean, that we would like to hire you. The tribal council, that is.”
Sophie sat up. “Hire me? For what?”
“We finally have enough funds to build a garden in memory of a good friend of mine. We want it near the base of headquarters, right before Spades Mountain, you know, the one that leads to all the hiking and horse trails?”
No, she really didn’t know. But, “What do you need from me?”
“We need you to design it. You have a landscape design degree, right?”
“Well, yes. But I specialize in golf courses.” Though it would be interesting to design a garden—and probably be good for her résumé. Just in case.
“But your public hearing isn’t for another week and your designs are all finished, aren’t they?”
“Yes.” Her heartbeat quickened as her mind spun with creative ideas.
“Then this might be fun. Plus, you’d be working with the council, so you’d have time to sell everyone on the golf course.”
“You dangle quite the carrot, Loni.”
“Yeah, it’s a gift. We’d pay you for the garden design.”
“I don’t know…” The project sounded interesting, and branching out to another type of design appealed to the artist inside her.
“Tell you what. The council is meeting for lunch today. Why don’t I schedule the first fifteen minutes for you to present your golf course design, and then you can stay and listen to our plans. Plus, Mrs. Shiller has bridge today, so you’d be eating all alone. What fun is that?”
“All right.” Sophie needed to take every opportunity to convince people her designs worked. “I’ll be there. Tribal Headquarters at eleven?”
“Yes. See you then.” Loni clicked off. Probably before Sophie could change her mind.
A couple of hours later she climbed the hill toward headquarters, her new boots working the pedals of the Jeep. She told herself that she’d taken extra care with her makeup to prepare for a business meeting and not because Jake may be at headquarters.
Then she told herself to stop lying, that it wasn’t healthy.
Loni met her at the door and took one of the large mounted designs from her hands. They headed into the familiar conference room and placed the designs on easels, then Loni introduced Sophie to three men ranging in age from sixty to ninety named Earl, Jacob, and Freddie and two white-haired women, June and Phyllis, whom she’d already met at the picnic.
“The chief may pop in, and Jake should be here sometime.” Loni gestured for Sophie to grab a plate and sandwich from the table.
“Jake is on the council?” Sophie sat beside Freddie, who looked a bit like Bob. Dream Bob.
“No. But we act much like a Board of Directors, and every board needs a lawyer.” Loni sat on Sophie’s other side and selected a turkey sandwich.
“So I hear the sheriff won the pot again this year.” Freddie pushed his plate away. His long jowls swung as he spoke, his deep brown eyes surveying a platter of cookies with interest.
“Quinn has a knack for that kind of thing.” Loni grinned. “Those boys are not in cahoots.”
“Humph,” Freddie replied around the cookie.
“What was the pot, anyway?” Sophie dropped her napkin on her empty plate.
“About two grand this year.” Freddy rubbed his chin.
Sophie swung her gaze to him. “Two thousand dollars?”
Loni shrugged. “It’s an event. Every year.” She sat back. “All right, Sophie, show us your plan.” She nodded toward the colorful renderings.
Drawing in a breath, Sophie stood and passed out packets detailing the project, with residences scattered every two acres. “The group is proposing a golf course community, most likely retirement folks, with a clubhouse and restaurant. It’s close enough to Maverick that the public could come golf for the day, maybe on the way to the tribe’s casino, three miles down the road.” She paused and crossed to the renderings. “The Charleton Group has developed similar properties all over the world with great success.”
“Didn’t the Group buy this property with a development in mind?” Phyllis asked, her face buried in the papers.
“I believe so, yes.” Sophie tightened her knees so she didn’t tremble.
“That was gutsy, since the county commissioners could refuse their permit,” Freddie chimed in.
Sophie nodded. “The Group seems confident the law will allow the development. Their lawyers are more up to date with the legal aspects of the proposal. My area of focus is just the golf course.”
“This does look like a fun course,” June mused. Her deep eyes emerged large and round from thick glasses. “Look at those sand traps around the fifth green.”
Jacob nodded. “And the water hazard on the sixteenth hole. Man, that’d be fun.”
Loni grinned. “This is a wonderful design, Sophie. I like how the residential lots are two entire acres while keeping the feel of the country. The council meets again tomorrow, and we’ll discuss an official position on your proposal.”
The council had been more receptive than Sophie had hoped. Pleasure lifted her lips in a smile and her shoulders relaxed. “Thank you.” She retook her seat.
“Our next item on the agenda is Willa’s Garden at the base of the road.” Loni perched narrow glasses on her nose.
The group peppered her with suggestions—everything from a gazebo to flowerbeds and ponds.
Loni turned toward Sophie. “Willa served on the council until she became too ill and passed away. She taught school for thirty years before that and never married. The tribe was her family.”
“So was the entire community, tribal or not,” June spoke up.
The loving way the board spoke about Willa touched Sophie. Ideas shot through her head. A community garden? “How much land are we talking? Do you want fields for sports?”
Loni shook her head. “No. In fact, we’re going to build an entire sports complex on the other side of the high school. That could be your next project. But for Willa’s Garden, we just want peace and tranquility.”
Sophie’s hands itched to get ahold of her charcoals and start designing. But she’d never designed a garden. “Well, I can draft up a design for you and then see what you think.”
“By Wednesday?” June’s eyes lit up.
Sophie nodded, trying to contain her own excitement. “I can have a rough design by then.”
“Excellent.” Earl leaped to his feet. “Come on guys, bingo starts in an hour at the casino.” The other two men tossed their empty plates into the trash and followed him out the door.
“Thanks again, Sophie,” Freddie called over his shoulder.
Sophie smiled. They’d drawn her in as if she were one of them. Being included shouldn’t matter to her. Yet she couldn’t lose the smile. She stood to help Loni clear the rest of the table. She expected a handshake, but both ladies gave her gentle hugs on their way out the door.
A deep voice from the doorway startled her. “Drop those sandwiches, Mom.” Jake strode into the room, his eyes on the food as his mother handed over the plate.
Sophie had thought the man was devastating in chaps. That was nothing compared to his look in full charcoal-gray Armani. The strength of his upper torso was evident through the dark silk, and his red tie breathed of power. The subtle stripe in his pants emphasized the impressive length of his legs. Butterflies danced in her stomach.
She lived in a big city. Muscles were earned in gyms and exercise rooms. Jake earned his the hard way—outdoors battling nature, lending a wildness to a man she should resist. Men like him didn’t exist in her world, and she didn’t fit in with theirs. But those butterflies beat with furious wings and didn’t give a hoot about logic. Or safety.
She needed to shut her mouth before she drooled.
His dimple winked and his gaze slid over her face like a kid eyeing licorice in a candy store. Her gaze dropped to his lips. She remembered how his mouth felt against hers, his tongue tangl
ing with hers, and she flushed. His lips curved in response.
“How was court, dear?” Loni pushed the plate of cookies toward her son and broke the tension.
Jake released Sophie’s gaze and dropped into a vacated chair. “Idiot EPA,” he mumbled between bites.
“Jake, are you done for the day?” Loni asked.
“Definitely.”
“Good. Sophie needs to see the five acres for Willa’s Garden, and I have an appointment in town. Would you show it to her?” Loni edged toward the door.
“Subtle, Mom. Yes, I’d love to show Sophie around.”
The double meaning wasn’t lost on Sophie. Probably wasn’t lost on any of them.
“Good. ’Bye.” Loni made her escape.
Sophie clasped her suddenly trembling hands. She had the oddest urge to tackle the lawyer to the ground and steal a kiss but busied herself gathering the extra copies of her presentation. What was wrong with her?
“So they suckered you in, huh?” Jake turned amused eyes on her.
Oh yeah. Her job. The one she loved. Man, she lost all sense of reality when Jake was around. She ran a quick hand over her face. “Completely. Easily and without much of an effort.” Of course it helped that she wanted to design the garden.
“They do that.” Jake grabbed another cookie. “But—” He paused, obviously to choose the right words. “The tribe isn’t going to support the Charleton Group’s proposal on that land no matter how much we like your design.”
Sophie stilled. “Are you sure?” Maybe he was wrong about the council. They’d seemed to like her golf course design.
Jake rubbed his chin. “They may seem like a sweet, old, bingo-playing group, but they’re ruthless. Before you know it, ten years will have passed and you’ll have designed everything from memorials to summer gardens. We both know you’re meant to be in the city.”
She frowned. “We both know I belong in the city?” The man had just met her. At his nod, she raked her gaze over his now relaxed form. “Look who’s talking. Armani looks good on you, Jake.” She’d bet anything he was a force to watch in a courtroom.
One eyebrow lifted. “I was in court today.”
“Obviously. What wrong are you and the EPA trying to right?”
