by J. D. Faver
Cami stepped out of Red’s stall and returned the brush to its peg. She inspected Gypsy, stroking her neck.
Red whinnied again.
“I think he’s jealous,” Breck said.
“We just met.” Cami led Gypsy out of the stables and into the drive. She saw that Breck had towed a horse trailer behind his truck.
He opened the trailer and led a large saddled horse from its depth. He was entirely black except for a narrow white blaze down his nose and one white stocking on his left foreleg.
“He’s beautiful,” she said.
“Thanks.” He gave her the benefit of a wide grin. “This is Cavalier. He was raised from a foal on the Ryan ranch.”
The Ryan ranch seemed to specialize in raising big, dark and handsome males.
She shivered though the sun was warm on her shoulders. She reached up to grab
Gypsy’s saddle horn and heaved herself into the saddle.
“I was going to help you mount up,” Breck said.
“Well, now you don’t have to.” She turned her head as the sound of Red whinnying and kicking his stall reached her ears. “I hope I didn’t upset Red when I curried him.”
“I think he liked it too much.” Breck swung himself up onto Cavalier’s back. “I know I would.”
They rode east, toward the pasture where the largest herd was grazing on winter rye grass and the hay Frank delivered. Cami enjoyed the ride and when they drew their reins, she could see they were on a little rise overlooking a sheltered pasture. Breck pointed out the boundaries to Silky’s land to the east and where Ryan land began. A rough cedar structure provided some shelter for the cattle in bad weather. Steam rose from a creek running from the Ryan land onto Silky’s.
“There’s an underground spring that feeds the creek.”
“So you and Silky shared a water resource?” she asked.
“I wish you could start thinking of all this property as being yours. Silky passed it on to you.” He gazed at her, his brows drawn together in a frown. “It’s your land now.”
Cami’s throat felt tight. “There are so many strings attached. I don’t know if I can be what Aunt Silky wanted me to be. I don’t want to disappoint her.” She turned to face Breck’s accusing eyes. “I had a whole life in Houston, complete with people and obligations and unfulfilled dreams.”
“You are a doctor, and we need a doctor here.”
“I’m a doctor, but your friend Doc Parker seems to be taking care of everyone just fine.”
“He’s aching to retire, Cami. The man must be close to seventy. He’s hoping to pass the reins over to you.”
“I can’t believe you brought me out here to spring this on me.” Cami looked away.
“Sorry.” Breck adjusted his Stetson. “Silky talked to me about you so many times, it’s hard to believe she didn’t mention any of this to you at least once.”
“Hard to believe,” she said under her breath.
“Let’s ride over to the mesa. It’s a part of your property, too.” He nodded his head in the opposite direction.
“I remember that,” she said. “I’ve ridden there with Aunt Silky when I was younger.”
By the time they’d reached the rocky terrain close to the mesa, Cami was lost in memories. Silky had called this area ‘the mountains’ but it was more like a group of rocky hills, one having a flat top similar to the mesas in nearby New Mexico. Riding to higher ground, they paused to look over the surrounding scenery.
“What do you think?” Breck asked.
A rush of strong emotion filled her chest, robbed her of thought save the grandeur of the place. “It’s beautiful.” She took a deep breath of clean, cool air. The blue sky was almost cloudless now. Snow was melting and running off the mountains.
“Wait until the wildflowers are out. It’ll amaze you.”
She turned to meet Breck’s grinning expression. “You really love it here, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do,” he said. “As did my parents and their parents before them.” He swept her with a glance under dark lashes. “As will my children and their children.”
“It must be nice,” she said, “having all that family, knowing what’s expected of you and being raised to take over the reins.”
“It makes the choices easier,” he said. “I know you had a rough time, losing your parents and all, but you received a lot of support from Silky. Don’t you think you owe it to her to at least give it a try?”
Cami swallowed hard. “That’s not fair,” she murmured.
“I’ll be here to help you every step of the way.”
“Are you sure you don’t just want to take Silky’s land and make it all into Ryan land?”
“I owe it to Silky to help you become a successful rancher.”
“I’m a doctor,” she said.
“Doctor-rancher,” he amended with a grin.
“Give me a chance to make this decision without pressure,” she said. “If I give up my fellowship, I don’t want to regret it for the rest of my life.”
“I won’t pressure you,” he said. “But I’m going to do my best to make you fall in love.”
Cami jerked her head around, staring at him, open-mouthed.
His gray eyes twinkled. “With the ranch.”
She gave him a short, mirthless laugh. “Let’s return to the house.”
They rode back to the ranch and stabled Gypsy. Breck loaded Cavalier into the trailer and drove away, leaving her feeling oddly alone.
I’ve been alone most of my life, she thought. Why do I feel even more lonely when Breck leaves? she watched his truck make the turn onto the main road and then allowed the lace curtains to fall into place.
Cami made a sandwich out of leftover ham and shared scraps with her furry companions. “I wonder if Silky was such a pushover for your big eyes.”
While she rinsed her hands, the phone rang. “Cami Carmichael,” she answered.
“It’s E.J. It’s good to hear your voice,” he said.
She could hear his smile over the phone. “And yours, too.”
“I’m hoping you’ve decided to have dinner with me tonight,” he said. “Please don’t disappoint me.”
“I have a fiancé waiting for me in Houston, so I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to take me to dinner.”
“Sometimes, dinner is just dinner,” he said. “I’d like the opportunity to get to know you better. We can make an early evening of it.” His voice was deep and rich.
“Well” She hesitated.
“Good, I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“But” She heard the dial tone. “Well,” she said, feeling uncertain about her impending dinner date. Aunt Silky’s phone didn’t have caller ID so she had no idea how to call E.J. back and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. At least he was amusing and she couldn’t claim to have any other plans for the evening. She settled the receiver back in its cradle, certain that E.J.’s interest stemmed from Eldon’s desire to acquire her ranch. It might be pleasant and something soon forgotten when she got back to Houston.
That evening she dressed in one of her new jeans and a soft blue angora sweater. The cowl formed a flattering drape around her face allowing just a little more skin to show than her other sweaters. Audrey Hepburn would have looked good in this sweater. Lacking Audrey’s swanlike neck, Cami thought she looked pretty good, anyway. Not that it mattered. She was engaged, after all.
Involuntarily, she glanced at her left hand, the one without an engagement ring on it.
E.J. showed up early, holding a huge bouquet of yellow roses.
Cami grinned as she accepted the flowers. “They’re beautiful!” she said. What a nice surprise.” She led him inside and searched for a vase.
Shadow lowered his head, a deep growl rumbling in his throat.
Cami spoke to him and stroked his head.
E.J. kept his distance, but followed her into the kitchen. “How about this for a vase?” he asked, pointing to a large white milk pitcher.
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“That will do nicely.” She filled the pitcher with water and trimmed the stems under the running faucet.
“I see I’m not the first man to think you deserve roses,” he said.
“Actually,” she said, “my fiancé sends me roses on many special occasions.”
“This is a special occasion to me,” he said. “I’ll always want to remember our first date.”
She gave him a sharp glance. “You said a dinner is just a dinner.”
E.J. grinned, leaning closer to her, and whispered, “I lied.”
“So, what am I to expect of you this evening?” She finished arranging the roses and turned to face E.J. confidently.
“You can expect to be treated like a lady. But I put you on notice, Cami Carmichael. I plan to try to impress you and attempt to sweep you off your feet.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m pursuing you, officially.” He stood grinning at her.
“Ah,” she said. “Thanks for the warning.”
He raised his eyebrows, as though surprised. “You don’t think you’d like to be pursued by me?”
“Somehow, I sense that your motives aren’t pure.”
E.J. took one rose out of the bouquet and held it to his nose, inhaling deeply. “And what, lovely doctor, do you perceive my motives to be?”
“I think you’re here because of your father’s interest in acquiring my aunt’s…my land.”
“Interesting theory,” he said, all the while gazing at her with his incredibly blue eyes. “However, you’ll soon discover that I’m not in the least bit interested in acquiring any ranch land. I’m not a farmer or a rancher. I was raised in the city, Dallas to be exact. I have an MBA in accounting. I imagine I’ll return to Dallas whenever my dad gets over this kick he’s on.”
“And what kick might that be?” Cami leaned back against the counter and folded her arms across her chest.
“My dad has delusions of being a gentleman rancher. He made his fortune in the oil business. I grew up expecting to be dragged kicking and screaming into the world of energy, but he decided to change venues when I least expected it.”
“So, why are you here, E.J.?”
He hesitated. “You’re a very direct person, Cami. I like that. You seem to think I have some sort of ulterior motive in asking you out.”
She grinned up at him. “Your dad made it pretty clear that he wants this property. He’s got a reputation for getting what he wants, no matter what.”
“And you think I’d allow myself to become a pawn in my father’s game?”
She cleared her throat. “I don’t know you well enough to answer that question.”
“Then it’s time you get to know me,” he said. “Let’s go.”
“Are you sure you still want to take me to dinner?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “It’s actually quite refreshing to be in the company of a woman who doesn’t see dollar signs when she looks at me.”
Cami pushed away from the counter, a wry grin on her lips. “That’s definitely not what I see when I look at you. Let’s go.” She headed for the front door.
E.J. helped her into the leather jacket and held the door for her.
When she stepped out onto the porch she saw a Jaguar XKR gleaming in the moonlight. “This is not the car I expected to see a rancher’s son driving.”
He gave her a mischievous smile. “I am my own man, Cami.”
“Good to know.” She slid onto the expensive leather seat.
When they were on the road, he turned to her and said.
“The only reason I asked you out was because I’m attracted to you. You’re lovely and intelligent; a refreshing combination. I enjoyed dancing with you and I wanted to spend more time with you.”
“And here we are,” she said. “Where are we going?”
“We have limited choices here in Langston.” The high performance engine whined as he shifted to a higher gear. “There’s the diner, the steakhouse or the Mexican restaurant. I was thinking the steakhouse.”
“Sounds like a good choice.”
He pulled in at a restaurant with only a few other vehicles parked in front. He opened her door and held out his hand to her.
She hesitated before placing her hand in his. He looked like a Hollywood film idol and he sounded so sincere, yet she had been warned about the elder Kincaid. Could this apple have fallen far from his tree?
CHAPTER EIGHT
The steaks were delicious and the lack of customers probably accounted for the excellent service.
E.J. was amusing and asked her many questions involving her education and upbringing. He was familiar with the private school she’d attended in Dallas. His own rearing had taken a parallel course, except he’d gone to a pricey parochial school and been raised mostly by his mother because Eldon Kincaid had spent the majority of his son’s childhood chasing oil wells all over the southwestern United States.
By the end of the meal, Cami felt a lot more comfortable with E.J. Kincaid. She’d learned that he harbored some sort of resentment towards Eldon. As best, she could surmise it had to do with unresolved abandonment issues and the fact that his mother had recently died of complications secondary to liver disease.
“So, how do you happen to be here in Langston?”
“I was summoned.” He leaned on his elbows as the waiter picked up their empty plates. “Would you like something else?”
“No, thanks. I’m stuffed. What do you mean, you were summoned?”
“The old man insisted that I join him here in Hell’s half acre. He said I should put my fancy education to use by working for his corporation as CFO.”
“Chief Financial Officer?” She gazed at him across the table, allowing a smirk to take possession of her face. “And I’m supposed to believe that the CFO of Kincaid Corporation has no interest in acquiring my property?”
“I’m drawing a paycheck from my father’s company, but I have little interest in it. It’s going to blow the old man’s mind when I take off. I’m saving my money. I plan to use it to open my own business back in Dallas.”
“Wow! That’s quite a plan. Don’t you want all of your father’s stuff?”
“Nope. If he wants to disown me, I can handle it.” He met her smirk with one of his own. “I heard you were thinking about walking away from your inheritance. Why shouldn’t I?”
“Don’t ask me? I’m neck deep in my own conundrum.”
He threw his head back and laughed heartily. “I don’t think there’s another person here in Langston who could use the word conundrum in a sentence.”
A picture of Breck’s face with his intelligent gray eyes sprang, unbidden, to her mind. “Oh, I imagine there are a couple of people who could.”
E.J. drove her home and walked her to her door. He grinned at her. “I enjoyed your company, Cami. I hope we can do this again.”
“E.J., I had a great time. I’m probably not going to be here that much longer, but if you like, we can go out again.”
“I would like.” He leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks for the roses and a lovely evening,” she said.
“The pleasure was all mine.” E.J. crossed the porch and climbed into his vehicle. He gave her a little wave as he drove off.
She entered the house and had to face Shadow. “Yes, I went out with a Kincaid.”
Shadow cocked his head and whined softly.
She rubbed his ears and set about getting ready to retire for the evening. She moved the bouquet of roses to the center of the dining room table, smiling as she turned off the lights and climbed the stairs with Shadow as her escort.
#
Sunday morning, the telephone awoke her. She groped for her robe and struggled to an upright position. She bumped into the door and made her way into Aunt Silky’s room, the location of the nearest telephone.
She slid across Aunt Silky’s yellow satin bedspread. “Hello?”
“Rise and shine, sleepyhead.” Bre
ck’s voice was annoyingly cheery.
“Why are you calling me so early in the morning?” She leaned back on the satin covered pillows.
Moon jumped up on top of the bed, purring.
“It’s Sunday. I thought you’d appreciate a ride to church. I’m sure all of Langston is getting gussied up. How about if I pick you up at nine-thirty?”
“Church? I haven’t been to church lately,” she said.
“No time like the present,” he said. “People will expect it of Silky Carmichael’s niece.”
“All right! I’ll be ready.” She hung up the phone and fell back on the pillows. Moon curled up against her and kneaded her stomach. She lay quietly, stroking the cat and looking around the room. She’d been reluctant to enter the shrine but, at the moment, she felt like Aunt Silky was close at hand.
If she kept the ranch, perhaps she could change the color scheme. It was quite a comfortable room with an attached bathroom and dressing room. A fireplace with an ornate hand-carved marble mantle held kindling and logs ready to be lit. A portrait of a much younger Silky wearing a yellow satin gown hung over the mantle, seemingly staring down at the interlopers reclining on her bed.
“Right, Aunt Silky. I’m outta here.” Cami left the bed to Moon and exited the room. She set out her best outfit to wear to church and stepped into the shower. When Breck arrived, she’d just poured her second cup of coffee.
“You look very pretty this morning,” he said.
She smiled. “Thanks. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Sure,” he followed her to the kitchen, taking note of the huge bouquet of roses on the dining room table. “Are these from your fiancé?”
“No,” she said. Cami poured coffee for Breck. When she handed him the steaming mug, she met his gaze, surprised at the frown knitting his brows. “The flowers were from E.J. Kincaid.”
Breck rolled his eyes and a muscle in his jaw twitched. “May I inquire as to why he’s sending you flowers?”
Cami mentally girded her loin. Unwilling to lie, she was sure she was about to ignite an explosion. “It seems he’s intent on pursuing me.”
“What?” He bit off his question.
“We had dinner together last night and he announced his intention of pursuing me.” She grinned as she watched his face change colors. “It seems my lack of an engagement ring is sending all kinds of signals.”
