by Jeannie Watt
She headed on through the night, tripping over a clump of frozen grass and going down to her hands and knees. She jumped back up to her feet, brushing her stinging palms against her jeans, then instead of stumbling on, she waited where she stood, knowing Gus would be heading toward the lights of the ranch. But when she finally spotted him, she started moving.
“Gus—”
She barely got the word out when he reached out to pull her against him. Lillie Jean wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed her face against his cold cheeks, inhaled deeply.
“I was so worried,” she muttered against his neck. His grip tightened, and then he leaned back, looking down at her through the darkness before his mouth came down to find hers. A homecoming of sorts, and when Lillie Jean pulled back, the tears that she’d been fighting were even closer than before.
She blinked a couple of times, thankful for the darkness.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Am I okay? What happened to you?”
“Red pulled a tendon. I had to lead him off the mountain.”
Another shudder went through her and Gus held her more tightly against him, bringing his cheek down to rest against her hair. “It’s okay,” he murmured.
“No. It’s not.”
She felt him smile and eased herself out of his embrace. What did it mean that she didn’t want to let go of him? Didn’t want to step back.
Trouble was what it meant, but Lillie Jean would deal with that later. Right now, man and horse needed to get out of the weather.
They continued the slow walk to the barn. Lillie Jean held open the pasture gate and Gus and Red passed through. Once they were in the welcome shelter of the barn, Gus began unsaddling the horse. Lillie Jean took the saddle from him, carted it into the tack room and then returned for the damp blanket and the bridle. By the time she’d returned, Gus was kneeling, running his reddened hands over the horse’s leg.
“Do we need to call a vet?”
Gus shook his head. “No. An injury like this takes time to heal. Not much else we can do, except give him some analgesic to help with the pain and swelling.”
Lillie Jean helped fork straw into the pen where the first heifer had calved, then filled the water barrel while Gus brushed down the horse and then forced some medicine into his mouth through a big plastic syringe. She was glad to be moving, because when she stopped moving, she might have to think about what had happened between her and Gus out in the pasture—and how very right it’d felt.
They stood side by side near Red’s pen, watching as the horse nosed at his hay.
“You should get in out of the cold,” Lillie Jean finally said.
“Yeah.” He started to move, then stopped and reached out to take her hand, turning it over. The heels of her palms were skinned and darkened with imbedded grit.
“I fell.” And had been so cold that she hadn’t realized the extent of the damage she’d done.
“Where are your gloves?”
“My coat pocket. I was in such a hurry—”
Gus lightly ran his thumb over the wound, the sensation making the rest of the words stall out in her throat.
“Come on,” he said, taking a light hold of her elbow and steering her toward the barn door.
“I can take care of it.”
“No doubt. But I have the medical supplies.”
Once in the house, they shed coats and hats. Gus unlaced his boots and pulled them off, taking his socks half with them. He reached down to pull the socks the rest of the way off and tossed them into the empty clothes basket next to the washer. Lillie Jean didn’t say a word as he led her through the house to the small bathroom where he gently washed her palms, the water stinging as it hit the scrapes and warmed her numb skin.
Her left palm was raw and starting to seriously sting. The right wasn’t so bad.
“Sit.”
Lillie Jean sat and watched, her heart twisting with an emotion she did not want to feel as Gus knelt in front of her, dabbing ointment on the scrapes and then carefully applying a large bandage over her left palm. When he was done, he sat back on his heels and looked up at her without letting go of her hands.
“We have us a situation here, Lillie Jean.”
He echoed Thad’s words from what seemed like a long time ago—the day after she’d first showed up on the ranch, only this time they seemed truer than before. This was a situation.
And then, even though she knew she was only making a bad situation worse, she pulled her hands from his grip, gently framed his face and leaned in to kiss him. He kissed her back, gently, almost reverently, and then they jerked apart as the back door rattled.
“Are you here, Lillie Jean?”
“I phoned Thad when you didn’t show up on time,” she said before calling to the kitchen, “I’m here, Thad. So is Gus.”
And she was both relieved and disappointed that Thad had chosen that moment to arrive. She wanted to talk to Gus—no...she needed to talk to him—but she had no idea what to say. What to do. Because she’d done exactly what she’d told herself she would not. She’d fallen hard for her business partner.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“LILLIE JEAN—YOU need to think about you. If you get an offer, take it. Buy back your business. Come home.”
Kate’s solution sounded simple. It should have been simple. Except for the part where it wasn’t.
Lillie Jean wanted her business back. Then Kate could not only work for her, she could bring the kids with her and not have to pay day care, thus freeing up Julie to work more hours at her job. After leaving Gus’s house the night before, Lillie Jean had bit the bullet and left a message for Isabella to contact her. The singer had a contract with Andrew, and Lillie Jean didn’t want to look like she was trying to undermine that contract, but she was getting desperate. To her surprise, Isabella texted her back in short order, making it clear that if Andrew didn’t deliver, she wanted to wear Lillie Jean’s designs. That could get Lillie Jean and Kate through the first few months while they worked to regain their footing and rebuild their reputation. And hopefully Isabella would bring them clients to replace the ones Andrew and Taia had lost.
Just Lillie Jean and Kate. It could work. It could solve a lot of problems. All she had to do was to come up with the capital to take over ownership.
“Lillie Jean?”
“There is no offer yet, and even if there is, the guy has to agree to some things.” And if he didn’t, then Lillie Jean didn’t know what her next step would be. If she couldn’t buy the business from Andrew, then she had no real workspace, no machines except for her home sewing machine. She’d be working out of a rented apartment, trying to fill orders while saving enough money to acquire a real workspace, and then develop a storefront. And, of course, she’d have to get a day job.
Back to square one.
Lillie Jean hung up the phone and then checked her look in the mirror. Unlike the first time she’d met Carson Craig, Lillie Jean had taken pains to be as professional as possible. She’d sewn a simple sleeveless dress from some deep blue linen, twisted her hair up into a knot, put on some makeup. Her shoes—the black leather flats she’d worn while she drove north from Texas—had seen better days, but she’d rubbed some hand lotion into them to spiff them up, and all in all, she felt ready to talk business.
She drove to town on autopilot, going over scenarios in her head, very much as she had when she’d driven to Montana. But never in a thousand years had she thought that she’d be going back to Texas feeling like she’d left part of her heart in Montana.
Maybe she and Gus could work something out. Maybe she could stay a long-distance partner...thus letting down Kate and essentially sentencing herself to years of rebuilding.
Maybe you could stay on the ranch.
Then what? Have a wild fling which may well develop into a highly uncomfo
rtable state of affairs?
Lillie Jean gave a grim snort. Yep. Definitely a situation.
The Evergreen Restaurant was an upscale establishment on the outskirts of Gavin, and Lillie Jean imagined that during the tourist seasons it was probably quite popular. But on a cold March day, there were only a half-dozen cars in the lot—most of them brand-new.
And then there was the old Cadillac.
Lillie Jean pulled in next to a shiny Land Rover and parked. Oh yeah. Her homemade linen shift and light cardigan were certainly going to fit in here. She wasn’t even going to think about shoes shined with hand lotion. She grabbed her purse, a high-end gift to herself that would fit in, and got out of the car.
Carson Craig sat next to the picture window on the far side of the restaurant, a glass of wine at his elbow. He raised a hand and smiled as Lillie Jean entered the room and several heads turned her way. Lillie Jean didn’t recognize a single face, perhaps because this wasn’t the spaghetti-feed kind of crowd.
“Glad you could make it,” he said after rising to his feet to pull out her chair. Once he was settled again, he signaled the waiter, who hurried over to take her drink order. “I took the liberty of ordering lunch.”
“Thank you.” Lillie Jean wasn’t there for lunch. In fact, she didn’t feel like eating at all.
“If you don’t mind talking business before the food gets here, have you considered my offer?” Carson slowly swirled his wine, the ruby liquid coating the sides of the crystal glass.
“I have. Here’s my situation—I promised Gus Hawkins time to procure a loan to buy me out.”
Carson leaned back in his chair and, even though he was still smiling, the expression in his eyes had shifted, moving from warm to wary. “How much time?”
“As long as it takes to get an answer. If he’s unable to procure financing, then I’d be happy to negotiate with you.”
“I see.”
The waiter set down the wine and Lillie Jean gave him a quick smile of thanks before once again meeting Carson’s gaze. “If we come to an agreement, Gus will have final say in management issues.”
“He will?”
“Yes. Because I’m only selling 45 percent interest in the ranch.”
“You’ll retain the other 5 percent?”
Lillie Jean smiled and reached for her wine.
Carson leaned his forearms on the table, bringing his face that much closer to hers. He was a handsome man with dark hair and striking blue eyes, but Lillie Jean felt like pulling back as he got closer. The affable veneer had evaporated.
“Here’s my offer,” he said smoothly. “I’ll pay you cash for 50 percent. And I’ll pay you as soon as I can cut a check.”
“I told Gus he’d have the time—”
“This is a limited time offer.”
“How limited?”
“Three days. Then the offer is officially off the table.”
“I see.”
Carson’s handsome mouth curved up on one side, giving him a self-satisfied look that made Lillie Jean understand why Gus itched to smack him. The change in the man was remarkable.
“You might find that it’s not that easy to find someone to buy half of a run-down property. It’s different for me because my ranch is adjacent, and my offer would be quite generous given the circumstances.”
“If I say no, your property is still adjacent,” Lillie Jean said softly.
Carson Craig’s eyebrows lifted.
“I’m not selling 50 percent.” Lillie Jean’s mama taught her to roll with the punches, but her grandpa had taught her to throw a few of her own.
“Then we don’t have a deal, and you may never be able to rebuild your clothing business.”
Lillie Jean managed to keep her expression from shifting. Of course he’d researched her—and even if he hadn’t, the Gavin grapevine would have taken care of the matter.
“A chance I’ll have to take.” She sounded so cool, but inside she was dying. She could take the money so easily—help Kate, help herself. But then there was Gus and Thad to consider, not to mention her dislike of the arrogant man sitting on the other side of the table, fully expecting her to cave under the pressure he was so expertly applying.
“I’m in a position to aid you in your endeavors. I have property in Texas. I know people. People who can have a great effect on one’s business dealings.”
Lillie Jean sensed he was speaking of both positive and negative effects.
She smiled at Carson. “And I know someone who might feel the need to build a nice big pig farm on the boundary fence of your property. I hear that the scent carries.”
Carson gave her a frowning look. “Is that a threat?”
Yes. It was.
“I don’t like threats,” he said as if she’d answered him aloud.
“Neither do I, Mr. Craig.” She rose to her feet, shouldering her purse in one smooth motion. “I’m done talking. We will not be doing business.”
Again, heads turned as she left the restaurant, but not for the same reason as when she’d arrived. Perhaps she’d spoken that last bit too loudly.
Oh well.
She marched out to her car and started the engine with a blast of exhaust and swung the big car into reverse. Carson Craig was lucky the food hadn’t arrived before she left, or he might have been wearing some of it.
No. She did not like threats.
Lillie Jean headed back through town, cruising slowly by Annie Get Your Gun and then pulling to the curb near the Shamrock Pub.
“We’re closed.” The red-haired woman behind the bar called when Lillie Jean cautiously stuck her head through the door. Lillie Jean couldn’t help but wonder if she was the person who’d put the lip prints on Gus’s forehead.
“I’m looking for Thad. I’m Lillie Jean.” The woman gave a “so what?” shrug. “His ranch partner,” Lillie Jean added.
The woman’s mouth fell open. “Oh, sorry.” She set down the glasses she held. “Upstairs. Just head through the back entrance and take a left. The stairs are right there.”
“Thanks.”
Lillie Jean crossed the bar and went through the rear doorway, pausing before she started up the stairs. One deep breath and up she went, the hard soles of her flats making an echo as she climbed. When she reached the top she realized that she didn’t know which door to knock on, but that problem was solved when the door to her immediate left swung open.
“Lillie Jean.” Thad blinked at her in surprise. “I thought Mimi needed something.”
“No. It’s just me.”
Thad stood back and opened the door wider. “Would you like to come inside?”
Lillie Jean drew in another deep breath. “Yes. I would.”
Thad’s apartment was roomy with two large windows looking over Gavin’s main street. Pleasant, but a far cry from his view at the ranch. Yet, he, a ranch guy, had chosen to live in town for most of his life, according to Gus. And her grandfather, who apparently had also been a ranch guy, had chosen to do the same.
“Do you have a housekeeper?” Lillie Jean asked with a gentle smile, hoping to break the tension that had started radiating between them the second Thad opened the door.
“No. I like puttering around.”
Indeed he did. The apartment was spotless, the dishes rinsed, the counters wiped clean. The only sign of everyday life was the half-filled coffee cup next to his glasses and a folded back magazine on the end table next to a leather chair.
Thad waved her to the chair close to his and Lillie Jean perched on the edge of the dark brown upholstery while he took a seat. A few silent seconds ticked by and then Lillie Jean dove in.
“You are my business partner, and sometimes, working with Gus, I forget that.” Thad gave a nod, and there was something about the shift in his expression when she mentioned Gus that alerted her to the fa
ct that he may have been thinking about the two of them on the ranch. “I need funding to buy my business back. And if I can’t buy my business back, then I need funding to start another. I have some money, but not nearly enough.”
“Can you take out a loan, using the ranch as collateral?”
Something Lillie Jean had thought about long and hard. “If I have to make loan payments, then I can’t hire my friend. Not unless the business takes off immediately.” She went on to explain about Katie and talking her into quitting her corporate job and the issues with child care for her twins. “I feel responsible.”
“I know that feeling,” Thad said softly. Lillie Jean frowned at him, but he offered no explanation.
“I talked to Carson Craig a little while ago.”
Thad’s reaction was very much like Gus’s, except his expression was even more deadly. Gray eyebrows crashed together, but before he could speak, Lillie Jean said, “I’m not doing business with the man. He tried to play me, just like Gus said he would. But, Thad...I’m going to have to start the ball rolling soon. I know I promised you guys time, but I’m running out of time.”
“You want to go home.”
Thad was studying her closely. “I need to go home. Pick up the pieces. I got a nice start here on the ranch. I made sketches, planned a collection of pieces that I think can sell well. But I can’t operate from Montana when my clientele are Austin musicians.”
“Do you want to go home?”
Lillie Jean frowned as Thad repeated the question. Then she understood. “My life would be easier if I went home.”
“So would Gus’s.”
Lillie Jean should have been insulted, but she wasn’t. Probably because Thad told the truth.
“I’m not my grandmother,” she said softly, meeting Thad’s blue gaze. Yes, she could see where her grandmother might have gotten lost in that gaze fifty years ago. “What happened between you and her is not going to happen between Gus and me.”
“That’s not what I’m seeing.”
