To him the future was as clear-cut as a pane of glass or a ten-carat diamond. Whatever Janet Runningbear’s original agenda had been in coming to Los Piños, he had a feeling it was only a matter of time and subtle persuasion before he’d have her seeing the years ahead as vividly as he did.
12
The bouquet of flowers that arrived in Janet’s office the next morning was so huge that the only surface big enough to accommodate it was her desk. She was still staring in astonishment at the arrangement of splashy yellow mums, vivid orange tiger lilies, Texas bluebonnets and fragrant white roses when the man responsible for sending it walked in.
She didn’t get it. Why was he lavishing all this attention on her, now that he knew the truth? Why had he kept so silent about what Jenny had told him? Was he planning to set her up to take a tremendous fall? If that was it, it was a pretty diabolical plan; one she couldn’t imagine Harlan resorting to.
She was still trying to puzzle it out when he came up behind her, spanned her waist with his hands, brushed aside her hair and planted a kiss on her nape.
“I see it got here,” he said, sounding extremely pleased with himself.
“Just a few minutes ago,” she said, unable to take her eyes off the lavish display. She couldn’t quite decide whether to be awed or appalled. She settled for adding, “The flowers are beautiful.”
He released her, stepped in front of her, then examined her face intently. Apparently her expression gave her away. He frowned.
“Too much?” he inquired.
“It’s not that...exactly,” she said, not wanting to trample on the sentiment behind the overdone gesture. She’d discovered long ago that men required all the positive reinforcement possible, if a woman expected flowers and candy not just for special occasions, but as impulsive gifts for no reason at all. This wasn’t a habit she wanted to break, just to modify. And this was an improvement over that first floral excess he’d brought to the house.
She gestured helplessly at the arrangement’s takeover of her desk top. “Where am I supposed to work?”
He nodded. “Definitely a problem.” He settled an innocent look on her. “So, take the day off.”
She couldn’t help laughing at his mischievous expression and at the outrageous suggestion. “Was that why you sent such a huge bouquet, so I wouldn’t be able to work?”
“Actually, no, but I’m a man who can think on his feet. I could see your dilemma right off and came up with what I consider to be the perfect solution—play hooky.”
She studied him suspiciously. “Seems a little convenient to me that you turned up here just in time to make a suggestion like that.”
“You’ve obviously been hanging around with too many criminals. You lack trust.”
Janet perched on the only available corner of her desk and studied him intently. “Okay. If—and that’s a very big if—I were to take you up on your suggestion, what exactly do you have in mind?”
“Lunch,” he said at once.
“It’s barely nine-fifteen in the morning.”
“In Dallas.”
She stared at him and tried to keep her mouth from gaping. “You want to go all the way to Dallas for lunch? Isn’t that a little extravagant?”
He had a ready answer for that, too, apparently. “We could shop,” he said without so much as a hesitation.
“For?”
He shrugged, his expression vaguely uncertain. “Beats me. I just figured all women loved to shop. And much as I love Los Piños, I can see that it’s not exactly loaded with those fancy little designer boutiques, where a hankie costs an arm and a leg.”
“I can’t afford a boutique where hankies cost a hundred times what I’d pay for a pack of tissues.”
“But I can.”
She grinned at his persistence. “You want to fly to Dallas to buy me lunch and a hankie?”
“Or maybe a fancy outfit to wear to a party,” he said, watching her with another of those exceptionally innocent expressions that wouldn’t have deceived anyone with even half a brain.
Janet’s gaze narrowed. “What party?”
“The one I’m throwing on Saturday night to introduce you to a few of my friends.”
“Harlan, I told you I do not want you trying to drum up business for me.”
He scowled, his exasperation apparent. “This isn’t about business, darlin’. This is strictly personal.”
For some reason she didn’t find that nearly as reassuring as she should have. It struck her as being too...personal, she decided, using his own word to describe it. Too intimate. Especially given that unspoken subject hanging in the air between them. Why, why, why? she wondered again. What was he up to?
“I don’t know—” she began, only to have him cut her off.
“It’s no big deal,” he reassured her. “There are a lot of people I owe for inviting me to dinner and stuff. I figured one big bash would take care of all those obligations. I can’t have a big to-do without a proper hostess, can I?”
“And that’s me?” she said skeptically. “The woman who can’t cook a lick.”
“I have Maritza and all of her relatives for that.”
“You also have three very lovely daughters-in-law who would be happy to play hostess, I’m sure.”
He waved off the suggestion. “I want a woman of my own.”
She cringed at the possessive description, but let it pass. “Half the people in town barely say more than hello to me,” she noted pointedly.
“That’ll change when you’re with me.”
Knowing that he was right about that grated. “Harlan, I have to win people over myself.”
“You will. I’m just opening the door, so they’ll give you a chance to show ’em what a brilliant, witty, warm woman you are.” He reached behind her desk and grabbed her purse. “Come on. You can think it over while we fly to Dallas.”
“What about Jenny? What have you done with her since I dropped her off?”
“She’s helping Melissa out with the kids today. I’m paying her ten bucks an hour to baby-sit. She says minimum wage is too cheap for the trouble those kids get into. Had to admit she was right about that.”
Janet shook her head. “This is the oddest brand of punishment I’ve ever seen.”
He shrugged. “So I’m lenient, sue me. Any more excuses?”
She was about to muster the last of her resolve and say no when she took a good, long look into his eyes. They were bright with excitement. He genuinely wanted to do this for her. How could she possibly disappoint him, when he’d already been so good to her and to Jenny? Besides, an unplanned trip to Dallas was exactly the sort of impulsive act she’d indulged in far too rarely.
“Okay, let’s go for it,” she said at last.
At the same time, she swore that she would do everything in her power not to take advantage of him. Lunch was one thing. A party outfit was something else entirely. She would buy that for herself, if she could convince herself that one of the dozens of cocktail dresses already in her closet from what seemed like another lifetime wouldn’t do.
* * *
For a man who claimed not to know much about shopping, Harlan guided her around the best shops in Dallas with the ease and familiarity of an extravagant tour guide. He seemed to have his heart set on a particular kind of dress and, after trying on dozens, all she knew for certain was that it wasn’t baubles, bangles or beads he was looking for.
“I think I know just the place,” he said at last, and led her to a boutique carrying designer Western wear. He gazed around at the fancy Western-cut shirts and rhinestone-studded jeans and nodded in satisfaction. “Yep, this is it.”
Janet shook her head. “You knew all along this was what you wanted me to wear, didn’t you?” she accused.
“I wasn’t sure,” he claimed.
“Harlan, there
is no comparison between those cocktail dresses and this,” she said, gesturing to the displays. “Why’d you waste three hours taking me to those stores, so I could try on silk and lace?”
“I thought all women liked to dress up in pretty clothes. Besides, I thought you might find something you couldn’t resist.” He shook his head. “You’re a tough nut to crack, though. I never once saw a glimmer of longing in your eyes.”
“Because I wore those kinds of dresses to more social functions than I care to recall back in New York. My closet is crammed with them. If I never wear another one, it will be okay with me.”
He chuckled at that. “That’s another thing I love about you. You’ve long since figured out who you are.”
Janet denied his assessment with a quick shake of her head. “You’re wrong. I know who I don’t want to be anymore. I don’t want to be a big city lawyer, living in a pressure cooker. I don’t want to go to parties because I might meet someone important,” she said pointedly, then added with a touch of wistfulness, “But I’m still discovering who I am.”
Harlan listened to all that intently, then asked softly, “Any room in the picture for a rancher?”
The direct question took her by surprise. Her heart thumped unsteadily as she considered all the implications of what he was asking. “Maybe,” she said eventually, her gaze locked with his.
“That’s good enough,” he said quietly. “For now.”
She finally forced herself to break eye contact by feigning a sudden interest in a fancy denim outfit.
“Janet,” Harlan said, drawing her attention back to him. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned the past few years it’s that life is unpredictable and often far too short. Don’t get the idea I’m going to leave you much room to maneuver for long.”
Her breath caught in her throat at the silky tone. “Is that a threat?”
He touched his fingers to her cheek in a light caress that set off fireworks in her midsection.
“It’s a promise,” he declared, then winked. “Now, try on that outfit you’ve been eyeing since we walked in the door. And while you’re at it, take a look at that skirt and blouse with the sparkly doodads on it.”
“Rhinestones?” she teased.
“That’s the one. Looks perfect for square dancing.”
“We’re going to be dancing on Saturday?”
“Darlin’, you can’t have a big to-do in this part of the world and call it a party, unless there’s dancing.”
“I had no idea.”
“That’s why you have me,” he reassured her. “I’m going to see to it that you fit right in in no time.”
“I do so admire a man with a mission,” she said as she grabbed the selected clothes off the racks and carried them into a nearby dressing room.
Inside the room, she shut the door and leaned against it, drawing in a deep breath. With every single minute she spent in Harlan Adams’s company, she realized she was coming closer and closer to losing her heart. The day when she would have to choose between that and her own personal mission was clearly just around the corner.
* * *
On Saturday, Harlan fussed over every detail as the time for guests to start arriving neared. Maritza was beginning to mutter in Spanish, her tone suggesting it would be far better if he didn’t try to translate. Her cousin Consuela, who’d been the original housekeeper at White Pines until Luke had lured her off to his ranch, finally backed him out the kitchen door by waving a dish towel in his face.
“Go, go. You stay out now,” she ordered, barring the doorway. “You are only in the way in here.”
“Damn, but you’re bossy,” he grumbled affectionately. “Who’s running that house of Luke’s? You or him?”
Her dark eyes flashed fire. “You remember that I can walk out before this affair of yours begins,” she threatened, her own tone just as fond. “I will take Maritza and the others with me. How will you manage then, señor?”
“With my charm,” he quipped.
She turned her gaze toward heaven as if praying for patience. “It will not feed this crowd you have invited,” she reminded him. “Now, go and talk with your sons or play with your grandbabies.”
“I’ll go out and check to see if the tent’s set up right,” he said.
“No,” she ordered at once. “The men have everything under control.” She tilted her head at him. “I do not recall you making such a fuss over details in the past. This party is important to you?”
He nodded, feeling sheepish. “Silly, huh? We must have thrown a hundred parties in this house, but this is the first time I’ve ever been a wreck.”
Consuela’s expression sobered at once. “It is because you no longer have Mary by your side,” she said sorrowfully. “I should have thought, Señor Harlan. You must miss her very much at a time like this.”
That was part of it, he supposed. But he’d come to terms with his loss in the past few months. Though he was likely to miss Mary until the end of his days, he had moved on. No, this sense that he was standing at the edge of a precipice and that the slightest misstep would send him over was due to another woman entirely.
“No,” he corrected softly. “It is because I want everything to be perfect tonight.”
Consuela’s eyes widened. “For the señorita, yes?” At his startled look, she explained, “Rosa told me she has seen you together in town many times and then Luke and Jessie described meeting her. They say your eyes light up when you are in the same room. You care for this woman?”
He nodded, even though that was a pale description of his feelings. “Deeply,” he admitted.
“Then Maritza and I will see that this party impresses her. Leave it to us, okay?”
He grinned. “Do I have any choice?”
“No,” she conceded, and disappeared into the kitchen from which she had just banished him.
Left at loose ends, he paced. When that failed to calm him, he retreated to his office and fiddled with papers, none of which caught his full attention. He was trying for the third time to add up a simple column of figures when he realized he was no longer alone. He glanced up and found not one, but six pairs of prying eyes studying him with amusement.
“What’s the matter with the bunch of you?” he grumbled, staring sourly at his sons and their wives. If he could have kept them away from this event, he would have, but he hadn’t wanted to send the wrong message to Janet. He was very aware of how sensitive she was about not being accepted in Los Piños, despite the cavalier attitude she had expressed on the subject.
“We heard you were driving the entire staff nuts,” Luke said. “Consuela thought you might need company.”
“Consuela is a busybody.” He noticed Jordan and Cody rolling their eyes. “And you two can be uninvited, you know.”
“Us?” Jordan said innocently, exchanging a look with his younger brother. “What did we do?”
“We’re giving him a taste of his own medicine,” Cody retorted, clearly undaunted by the threat. “Looks like he can’t take it.”
Harlan heard the sound of footsteps clattering down the stairs. “Aren’t those your little hellions I hear?” he demanded. “Damn, but they make a racket. Can’t you control them?”
“Those are your precious grandchildren,” Luke corrected. “And you’re the one who said you wanted this to be a family event. How come, Daddy? You have big plans for tonight? Maybe an announcement of some kind?”
Harlan was startled by the suggestion, even though he could see how they might have leapt to that conclusion. “Don’t go getting ideas. This shindig’s just to let Janet get to know the family and some of my friends.”
“How big’s the guest list?” Jordan prodded, his expression entirely too smug.
“Two hundred, okay?” Harlan retorted, frowning at him. “Once I got started, I figured I might as well invite everybody at
once.”
“I hope Janet’s not expecting an intimate little gathering,” Jessie said worriedly. “I’ll never forget that birthday party you threw for me when I was first married to Erik. I’d never seen that many people gathered together outside of a church revival in my entire life.”
“Well, we’ll know soon enough,” Kelly stated. “She and Jenny are just pulling up.” She grinned at her father-in-law. “Did you tell her to come early to play hostess?”
Harlan shook his head in disgust at their teasing. “Never mind what I told her,” he said as he strode past them.
“He must not think we’re up to the responsibility,” Kelly said to Jessie and Melissa. “Think we should stage a protest?”
“I’m for it,” Melissa teased.
Harlan turned back and glared at the lot of them. “If you all don’t behave tonight, I’m disowning every one of you.”
“I win!” Cody said with a whoop.
Harlan scowled at his youngest. “Win what?”
“We placed bets on how long it would take you to threaten to disown us. I figured less than ten minutes. Luke and Jordan thought you’d hold your temper longer.”
“I was counting on Janet being here to keep him in line,” Luke explained.
“Out of the will, every one of you,” Harlan declared as he walked off and left them laughing.
Only after he was out of their eyesight did he allow himself to smile.
* * *
Harlan must have invited everyone within a hundred-mile radius, Janet decided as she stared at the throng of people filling their plates at the heavily laden buffet tables.
As if he sensed that she might be overwhelmed, he had stuck close to her side ever since her arrival, silencing gossip with a frown, introducing her to people who could bring her their legal business, shielding her from his sons’ excessive teasing.
He’d left her just a moment before to greet the governor, promising to bring him back to meet her. The governor, for heaven’s sake! At what Harlan referred to as a little backyard barbecue. Obviously he took such illustrious guests in stride.
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