Sinful

by Joan Johnston

  “Then all hope is lost.”

  He leaned up on his elbow and shifted her onto her back so he could look into her eyes. “That doesn’t sound like the indomitable woman I know. And love.”

  Eve’s heart skipped a beat. They might have felt love for each other all their lives, but the words had never been spoken. Until now.

  She searched his beautiful blue eyes for the truth. “Do you love me?”

  “More than…” He didn’t finish the sentence. He cleared his throat and said, “More than I ever imagined it was possible to love someone.”

  Eve was glad he hadn’t said he loved her more than Molly. A comparison wasn’t possible. They were two completely different women, both of whom had loved him. And both of whom he’d loved back.

  “What are we going to do, Connor?”

  He turned out the light, then lay back down, easing her head onto his chest so she could hear the strong beat of his heart. “We’ll figure out something.”

  Eve was almost asleep when she realized she hadn’t returned the gift he’d given her. She leaned close to his ear and whispered, “I love you, too.”

  She heard a gurgle as he swallowed hard, but he said nothing. Eve hoped she had the chance to repeat those words many times in the years to come. Right now, their problems seemed insurmountable. She had to leave. And he might lose his ranch. And there seemed no way to avoid the separation that would result.

  Eve slid her arm across Connor’s chest and snuggled close. She would put her mind to work overnight. Maybe it would come up with a solution by morning.

  Chapter 26

  “WHERE THE HELL is my daughter?”

  Eve stared through the screen door at the madman standing on the back porch. His eyes were bloodshot, black stubble shadowed his cheeks, and his face looked haggard. She shoved the door open and said, “Pippa’s missing?”

  “You know damn well she is!” Matt retorted. “She told me she was going shopping in town, but she never came home last night.”

  Eve arched a brow. “And from that you concluded that I had something to do with her disappearance?”

  “You know goddamn well you and those bratty sisters of yours—”

  “That’s quite enough swearing for one conversation,” Eve said as she joined him on the back porch, letting the screen door slam behind her. “I’ve got two impressionable kids sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast.”

  “Where’s Connor?” Matt said, looking beyond her shoulder.

  “He left early for town, which is where you should be if you’re looking for Pippa.”

  His eyes narrowed. “What do you know?”

  “What you just told me! If Pippa went to town, that’s probably where she is.”

  “I’ve been all over Jackson. Twice. She isn’t there,” Connor said. “Those sisters of yours swore up and down they had nothing to do with her being gone, but I don’t believe them for one minute.”

  Eve could see Matt was crazy with worry.

  He pulled his Stetson off and ran an agitated hand through his hair, then put the hat back on and tugged it low on his forehead. “You’re my last resort.”

  Eve hesitated, then said, “Do you think Pippa might have taken off because you want her to give up her baby?”

  Matt’s jaw dropped. “How the hell—”

  Eve opened her mouth to cut him off, but he’d already cut himself off. “I accidentally overheard the two of you talking,” she admitted. “Your daughter seemed as determined to keep her baby as you were that she should give it up.”

  “The choice is hers. But raising a baby isn’t kid stuff. It’s hard work. I should know, I—” He cut himself off again.

  That was the second time Matt had let Eve catch a glimpse of his life. It was hard to imagine him as a teenager raising a little girl on his own. What had happened to Pippa’s mother? He still hadn’t said a word about why he’d gone so far away or stayed gone for so long.

  “Why do you think my sisters or I had something to do with the fact that Pippa’s missing?” Eve asked.

  “How about Taylor’s threat to make me sorry I ever came here?” Matt said. “I should have thrown the twins out on their fannies last week when they let King’s Tennessee Walker stallion into the pasture with my quarter horse brood mares.”

  “They did what?” Eve said, aghast.

  “Not that they admitted to it. God knows how many mares that stud covered before I got him out of there. That means I’ll be waiting a year for some very expensive quarter horse mares to deliver their mixed-breed foals before they’re any use to me. Not only that, I have to wait to see how many mares are pregnant before I can breed the rest of them. I gave those two hellions a good piece of my mind and a warning that if they tried another stunt like that they wouldn’t have to wait a year to find themselves without a roof over their heads.”

  “So you think they’ve graduated to kidnapping?” Eve said doubtfully.

  Matt met her gaze with bleak eyes. “I think they resent me enough to do anything.”

  Eve shook her head. “They wouldn’t hurt Pippa.”

  “No. But they might help her run away again. Did they know she was pregnant?”

  “I didn’t tell them.”

  “A paragon,” he muttered.

  “Look, I’ll be glad to ask Taylor and Vick if they know anything. But I think you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

  “What did I do that was so bad?” he murmured. “Why would she run away?”

  Matt was asking questions to the air, but Eve took the opportunity to answer them. “Maybe Pippa wants some time on her own to think. When she’s ready to come home, she will.” Eve hesitated, then added, “Unless you believe there’s a chance of foul play.”

  A couple of young girls had gone missing in the past around Jackson and been found murdered, but that villain had been caught. Still, that didn’t mean there weren’t other crazy people out there. When she saw the sudden dread in Matt’s eyes, Eve was sorry she’d mentioned the possibility that someone had taken his daughter against her will. Most likely Pippa was all right, but Matt would likely suffer the torment of the damned until he knew for sure.

  “The sheriff’s office won’t do anything because she’s considered an adult,” Matt said.

  “Maybe Pippa will call you once she’s settled, wherever that turns out to be.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  “Why wouldn’t she?”

  “Because she knows I’ll come get her and bring her home,” Matt said through tight jaws. “Like I did the last time.”

  “From what I overheard, the circumstances then were vastly different from what they are now,” Eve said.

  Matt rubbed a hand across his nape. “How much did you hear?”

  “That she ran off with a man who lied to her about the fact that he was married.”

  “A lot of ringers—that’s an Australian cowboy—leave their families behind in the city, and that’s what this lowlife did. He pretended to be free and single—and in love with Pippa—and she was innocent enough to fall for him.

  “I should have sent her off to boarding school in Brisbane or Sydney so she wouldn’t have been so lonely, but I…”

  He turned his back to her, and Eve saw him surreptitiously swipe at his eyes.

  Eve had filled in the rest of his sentence. Would have missed her too much. Clearly Matt had gone through a great deal to keep his daughter and raise her, and he’d wanted to extend her childhood as long as possible. But like so many choices parents had to make, this one had backfired.

  Eve didn’t want to feel sorry for Matt, not after the ruthless way he’d shoved her horses off the ranch. But he was clearly a man at the end of his rope. “When was the last time you had something to eat?”

  He turned back around and said, “I need to keep looking.”

  “At least stop long enough to have a cup of coffee,” she urged.

  He pulled his hat off and turned it in his hands while he considered what
to do next. At last he said, “All right.”

  Eve was surprised he’d accepted her offer, but he was so antsy she pulled open the screen door and held it for him to enter before he could change his mind.

  When the screen door squeaked, Brooke turned to look and yelled, “It’s Uncle Matt!”

  “Hi, Uncle Matt!” Sawyer called out.

  Eve turned to Matt, her brow raised, and said, “When did you meet Connor’s kids?”

  “I stopped by the Lucky 7 when they were visiting there and Aiden introduced me.” He ruffled Sawyer’s hair and pulled one of Brooke’s pigtails. “Hi, kiddos.”

  “We’re not kiddos,” Sawyer said. “We’re kids.”

  “I stand corrected,” Matt said as he turned around a kitchen chair on the opposite side of the table and straddled it.

  Eve hurried to pour him a cup of coffee. “Cream? Sugar?”

  “Black is fine.”

  Eve set the coffee in front of him, then collected her cup of tea and sat at the end of the table.

  “Did you come to see Daddy?” Brooke asked.

  “I’m looking for my daughter, Pippa.”

  “She’s not here,” Brooke said. “Uncle Brian said she was going to live with Uncle Devon.”

  Matt bolted out of his seat. “What?”

  Brooke took one look at Matt’s ferocious expression and shot an anxious glance at Eve, who’d also come out of her chair. “Did I say something wrong?” the little girl asked.

  Eve crossed to lay a reassuring hand on Brooke’s shoulder. “No, sweetie. It’s fine.”

  “Where did you hear that?” Matt asked.

  “When we were leaving church last week. Uncle Aiden said Uncle Devon should keep his nose out of other people’s business, but Uncle Brian said Uncle Devon could do whatever he wants, ’cause he’s a big boy.”

  Eve was astonished at how much Brooke had remembered of a conversation she’d apparently overheard in passing. The Flynn brothers obviously hadn’t taken account of the fact that little pitchers have very big ears.

  Eve glanced at Matt and said, “It looks like you’re accusing the wrong relatives of absconding with your daughter.”

  Matt was shaking his head, his brow furrowed. “Why sneak around? Why not say something to me?”

  “Maybe because Pippa doesn’t want to be yanked back home?” Eve suggested.

  Matt made a face, conceding the truth of what she’d said.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  Matt’s shoulders slumped and he sighed. “I don’t know.”

  He headed for the door, too self-absorbed even to say goodbye to the kids, and Eve followed him.

  She turned back before she stepped outside to say, “When you’re finished, put your dishes in the sink and go play. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Outside in the sunlight, Matt’s face looked even more ravaged at this new betrayal. “Where the hell does Devon live?”

  Eve shook her head. “I’m not sure. He’s got a place in the mountains, I think. You have to believe that Devon only offered Pippa a place to stay out of the goodness of his heart. Of all the Flynns, he’s the one who’s gotten into the least trouble. She’ll be safe there. Maybe you should leave well enough alone.”

  “She’s my daughter.”

  “She’s twenty. That’s plenty old enough to know her own mind.”

  “I didn’t ask for your advice.”

  “You’re going to get it anyway. Let her be. You know where she is. You know she’s safe. Give her time and space. Let her decide if she wants to come back home.”

  “How do I know she’s really there?”

  “I’ll ask Connor to find out and let you know.”

  “You’d do that for me?”

  “I’d do that for her.”

  “Good enough. Make it soon.”

  She nodded. “As soon as Connor gets back I’ll have him find out what he can.”

  “Thank you. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, let me know.”

  Eve couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice. “You’ve done quite enough. I don’t think—” She interrupted herself and stared at him speculatively. “As a matter of fact, there is something you can do.”

  “What?”

  “I’d like to hold an event at Kingdom Come.”

  Matt arched a brow. “I’m listening.”

  Ever since Angus had issued his ultimatum to Connor, and Connor had refused to have their marriage annulled, Eve had been thinking about ways Safe Haven could be funded. She would have her earnings from the National Geographic shoot, of course, to throw into the pot, but in order to do the most good, Connor was going to need a lot more money.

  She was very aware that they lived in one of the wealthiest counties in the country. Seasonal folks wouldn’t be back until the summer, but there were plenty of ranchers and businessmen who lived here year-round who might be willing to donate money to help maintain a ranch dedicated to providing R&R for veterans.

  “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Connor lost his funding for Safe Haven.”

  “I heard Angus threatened to cut off his trust fund. I didn’t know he’d actually done it.”

  “He did,” Eve said curtly. “In order for this ranch to continue to provide free services to veterans, we’re going to need to raise a lot of money. I want to hold an old-fashioned barbecue at Kingdom Come and invite as many folks as possible to come and make a contribution.”

  Matt looked skeptical. “You think that will do the job?”

  “Leah’s setting up a Safe Haven website where people across the country can make donations, and I’ve gotten an agreement from National Geographic to mention that vets are working with a herd of wild mustangs at Safe Haven, along with the website URL where people can contribute. We’ll probably need another function, maybe a picnic, later in the summer when more of the out-of-town folks are here. But I’d like to hold that event here, so people can meet a few veterans and see Safe Haven in operation.”

  “Why didn’t Connor say something to me about all this?”

  Eve flushed. “Connor doesn’t know I’ve set all this up.”

  Matt raised a brow. “I see. An event is going to tie up operations at Kingdom Come for at least a day, maybe more.”

  “I guess it will.”

  He eyed her speculatively. “But it’s for a good cause.”

  “So you wouldn’t do it for me, but you’ll do it for the vets?”

  “I’m doing it for both.”

  Eve was surprised Matt was willing to help now, when he wasn’t before. But maybe he was learning that she wasn’t who he’d thought in the beginning, just as she was learning the same about him.

  “Goodbye, Matt. Connor will be in touch.”

  He put a finger to the brim of his Stetson, then turned and walked wearily away, as though the weight of the world lay on his shoulders.

  As he reached his pickup Eve called after him, “Be sure to apologize to my sisters.”

  He held up his middle finger and said, “When hell freezes over!”

  Chapter 27

  CONNOR HADN’T BEEN entirely honest with Eve. He did have supplies to buy in town, but he also intended to make a stop at the café where King Grayhawk met up with his friends on Friday mornings for breakfast—not to be confused with the restaurant where his own father met up with his cronies. He had an idea how Eve could do the assignment for National Geographic closer to home, but he needed her father’s help to make it happen.

  He’d gotten in touch with her editor at the magazine to confirm what Eve had already told him. It was possible to change the location of the wild herd Eve photographed, so long as it was a bona fide herd of wild mustangs, including a stallion and pregnant mares. And the mares had to be delivering their foals in May. The May birth dates weren’t as much of a problem as the editor seemed to think, since Connor had learned from Eve that most mustangs delivered in May or June.

  “But to my knowledge, no such he
rd exists near Jackson,” Eve’s editor said.

  “Not at the current time,” Connor agreed. “That may change shortly.”

  “Someone you know have a little pull with the BLM?” the editor asked.

  “Could be, ma’am,” Connor replied. “Eve will be in touch to let you know whether the project will be done in Wyoming.”

  “I’ll look forward to hearing from her, Mr. Flynn. One way or the other.”

  Now all Connor had to do was convince King Grayhawk to use his political influence to get the BLM to move a herd of wild mustangs to Safe Haven.

  Connor had one ace in the hole. While he’d purchased a thousand acres of land, the dude ranch had leased another four thousand acres for ninety-nine years. That lease had another twenty-nine years to run. Many of Eve’s current herd of mustangs were being broken to the saddle and would soon have new owners. There was plenty of water and grass to support a herd of thirty-five to forty animals—in the summer. He’d gone to Aiden to ask for help with hay over the winter.

  “You’re out of your mind,” Aiden had said. “Just let Eve go to Nevada.”

  “I’d let her go, if I didn’t know it will break her heart to leave. She loves the children, Aiden. And she loves me.”

  Aiden had looked skeptical at that final admission. “That happened pretty damn quick.”

  “We’ve always loved each other,” Connor said. “We just never did anything about it because of all the stuff going on between our families. You can help us stay together if you’ll agree to pay the price of hay for the herd over the winter. I’ll plant my own, so you won’t actually need to buy the hay. But it’s not planted yet, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to need to prove to the BLM that I can feed the herd if necessary, so I need a guarantee from you. Will you do it?”

  “Is this going to help you keep Safe Haven up and running?”

  “Eve’s earnings will support us until I can figure out a better solution. She has to take the job. The only question is whether she leaves us behind to do it, or is able to do it and still tuck the kids into bed at night.”

  Aiden shook his head. “If you can get a herd moved to Safe Haven, I’ll provide a guarantee that you’ll have the winter hay you need.”