by Julie Kenner
She could hear the rising hysteria in her voice, so she clamped her mouth shut.
“I think you were right not to tell her. Jase and she need to focus all their energy on figuring out who’s trying to kill her. But it may be the same person who’s trying to kill you.”
Jordan stared at him. “You think?”
“Two professionals hired to take out two sisters on the same day?” Cash’s tone was dry. “It’s hard to think there isn’t a connection.”
He was right. She knew that. But she just hadn’t wanted to think about it. A wave of disgust moved through her. “I’m being a coward.”
Cash snorted. “A coward? You wouldn’t know how to be one.”
“Ever since the phone call, I’ve been wallowing in fear and self-pity. I don’t do that. I deal with things.”
He glanced at her again. “You don’t have to deal with this alone, Jordan. And Maddie doesn’t, either. Your friend Jase owns a security firm. He’s got men he can call on for backup. And according to Maddie, he was the one who saved her life in Central Park.”
His voice was as calm, as if he were trying to settle a skittish horse, but Jordan could see the tension in his jaw. When he reached over to cover her hand with his, she felt it in the tightness of his grip.
“You’re worried that you don’t have enough backup to protect me.”
“Yeah. I’m worried. I’ll feel better when Jase’s brother, D.C., gets here,” he said.
That was the one thing that Jase had insisted on—sending his brother to Santa Fe—and Cash hadn’t objected.
“Have you ever met him?”
“Yes, back in the days when Jase and I were in college. He’s a year younger than Jase and he went into the army right after he graduated. I didn’t even know he was in New York.”
“What’s he like?”
“Jase used to tell me stories about the trouble they’d gotten into as kids. He claimed that D.C. was the brains behind most of their escapades. Even in college, he had a reputation for being a bit on the wild side. But I imagine a couple of tours of duty in Iraq have settled him down.”
“He’s in the military police, right?”
“Yes.”
Cash glanced at his watch. “He’s going to call when he lands in Santa Fe, but I don’t imagine that will be until late tonight or early tomorrow morning.”
Jordan turned to study him. “You worry too much. I’m used to taking care of myself.”
“I’m beginning to understand that. I’m wondering why.”
She could have given him an evasive answer. But he was always so forthright with her. “My mother was always focused on her jewelry design business, so I grew up trying to take care of the practical stuff. When I discovered early on that I didn’t have her creative flair for jewelry design, I went to business school. I figured I could make my contribution that way.”
“Your contribution to what?”
“Her dream.”
“What about your dreams? Do you ever do anything just for Jordan?”
“Of course.”
But when he said nothing more, she started to think. She’d done things for herself. She’d wanted to get her business degree. For as long as she could remember, she’d wanted to make a contribution to Eva Ware Designs. But had she ever done anything only for herself? Once more she turned to study Cash. Immediately, she felt the tingle of awareness, the heat of anticipation that he could ignite in her by simply being there. She wanted to touch him. And more.
“In your whole life, what have you done exclusively for yourself?” he asked.
“You. You’re what I’m doing for me.” She hadn’t expected him—wasn’t sure she was even ready for him. But if she hadn’t ended up with him in Maddie’s bed…if she’d had to go through life not knowing him, not knowing what they could bring to each other…she didn’t even want to think about that.
“I have to confess I don’t understand what’s happening between us, but I’m sitting here right now wondering what would happen if I touched you.”
He shot her a slow smile. “If that police cruiser weren’t right on our tail, I could come up with a few ideas of exactly what we could do if you touched me. Have you ever made love in the back of a pickup?”
“No.” But she was already starting to imagine what it might be like.
“We’ll have to put it on our to-do list. Once we get back to the ranch, what do you have to do to get ready for the show tomorrow?”
“I want to take Maddie’s jewelry out of the safe and experiment with some ways to display it. Then I’ll review her notes again on the various buyers who might drop by. There are also a couple of designers she’s friends with besides Lea. Luckily I can look them up in the catalog and match names with photos.”
He shot her a smile. “Sounds like a pretty full agenda. Before you dig in, why don’t we take the horses out for a ride?”
The idea delighted her. “You mean it?”
“I don’t say things I don’t mean. I think we both need a break. It should be safe enough. It would be pretty tough for anyone to follow us—unless they were on horseback, too.”
A careful man, she thought. And something inside of her warmed. She really wasn’t used to someone looking out for her. Of course, Jase cared about her, but she’d never thought of him as her…what? Protector?
“We’ll ride in the direction of the hills east of the ranch. There’s a canyon there I want to show you. And it has the added attraction of being a place where Pete Blackthorn does a lot of his prospecting.”
“Two birds with one stone?”
He shot her a grin. “Busted.”
It occurred to her that the more she got to know Cash, the more she liked him. And she had a strong hunch that it was going to complicate their relationship. Big-time. He might not like to predict endings, but she did. So she couldn’t let herself forget that whatever they discovered together would end in three weeks. But maybe they could enjoy each other and part as friends.
Something tightened around her heart. Perhaps if her parents had foreseen the inevitable ending, they wouldn’t have been forced into difficult decisions.
AIR AS DRY as the land beneath them whipped past as they rode toward the hills jutting upward behind the ranch.
Once they’d exited the corral, they’d let the horses set the pace. Cash had chosen Lucifer, a black stallion he’d said had belonged to her father, and she was on Maddie’s Brutus. Both horses were eager for a fast run, and they galloped side by side.
The only sound to mar the silence was the pounding of hooves. The hat she’d worn to shield her from the sun lay forgotten on the back of her neck as Jordan let her body familiarize itself with the movements of the horse beneath her. Gradually, her mind emptied.
Riding was something she loved. It had become an integral part of her life. Sports had never been her thing, and though her mother loved working out in a gym, Jordan just didn’t see the point.
She’d made it a habit to get away at least twice a month to ride Julius Caesar, the horse she kept just north of the city. For her, the time she spent riding was better than going to a spa. It cleared her mind, toned her body and often provided her with a fresh perspective on some challenge she faced at work.
She spotted the fence coming up in the distance.
“You game?” Cash asked.
“You bet.” She bent low over Brutus, using the stirrups to raise herself slightly as the horses sailed over in unison. She laughed and urged him on.
Usually, riding emptied her mind. But Cash kept sneaking in. Earlier, when they’d gotten back to the ranch, they’d showered separately as they had in the morning. Jordan had thought about joining Cash in the other bathroom, but her practical side had won out. If they indulged in shower games, they wouldn’t have as much time for their ride. And after all, they’d have to shower again when they returned to the ranch…
While she’d selected clothes from Maddie’s closet, she’d heard Cash puttering in
the kitchen. When she’d joined him, she found he’d filled canteens with water and packed them an early dinner in a saddlebag. The man thought ahead.
That’s what she should be doing, too—thinking of Maddie’s jewelry and playing some arrangements through her mind. But with the wind in her hair and the breathtaking scenery around her, she simply couldn’t. Giving in to the moment, she simply let herself enjoy.
A short time later, they reached the spiky patches of grass at the foot of the hills and reined to a stop.
“Thank you,” she said. “I needed that.”
“Me, too. If you turn, you can get a different view of the ranch,” Cash added.
Jordan glanced over her shoulder, then urged her horse around. The sun was lowering in the sky in front of those huge picture windows, and the back of the buildings were throwing off shadows. From this distance, the ranch, the stable, the bunkhouse and the white fences of the corrals all looked like a child’s play set.
A memory flickered at the edge of her mind, and this time it pushed through. What she saw in front of her reminded her again of that toy ranch set that Santa had brought her all those years ago. Shifting the reins to one hand, she pressed fingers against her temple.
“What is it?” Cash asked.
“I had a toy ranch when I was small. There were buildings, fences that pulled apart, horses and cattle. I used to spend hours moving everything into different configurations. I thought about it earlier, but it didn’t click.”
She turned to him. “Maybe that’s why I feel—I have felt from the moment I arrived—that I’ve come home. I thought maybe it was because I had some memory of this place. But that’s ridiculous.”
“Why? You have proof based on your birth certificates that you and Maddie were both born here. This probably was your first home.”
“But I was so little. How could I possibly remember?”
“Children remember love. I can tell you one thing. Your father—Mike Farrell—loved you. I saw the way he was with Maddie. He adored her. He taught her to ride. And when she showed an interest in jewelry design, he converted that building into a studio for her.”
“He converted it? I assumed he built it for Maddie as a studio.”
“No, it’s been there as long as I can remember. When she was younger, it was her playhouse.” He winced. “One time she asked me to come in and play with her dolls.”
Jordan grinned. “Did you?”
“Dolls? Not on your life. I saved myself by persuading her to enjoy more manly things. I taught her how to rope a cow. Play poker. I’m probably personally responsible for turning her into a tomboy. Before she went to college, I even taught her some karate moves.”
“Karate moves?”
“Just some basic stuff. They offered some classes in our high school, and Shay and I signed up for them. Maddie wanted to be able to defend herself. She’s pretty good.”
“Yes, she is.” Jordan remembered the way Maddie had handled Adam right after the reading of the will. “I think I’m just beginning to know my sister.” And that reminded her that she’d very nearly lost her sister.
Cash took her chin in his hand and turned her face toward his. “We’re not going to think about Maddie’s near miss right now. We’re on a break, remember?”
“Okay.”
“What you should know is that your sister was one of the most important things in Mike’s life. He couldn’t possibly have felt differently about a second daughter.”
Jordan thought of the framed photo she’d discovered of Maddie sitting on Brutus and her father standing next to her. The love had been palpable.
“Then why…?”
“Why did they separate you? You may never find the answer to that.”
“I know. I know.”
“C’mon, I have something else to show you.”
They eased the horses into a walk. Ahead of them, she saw a sharp break in the hills, and Cash turned into it. To her surprise, they were suddenly in a narrow canyon with the sheer sides of a cliff rising on either side. The ground beneath the horses’ hooves was rough and rutted, and the trail twisted and turned through the mountain.
When a fork appeared, Cash led the way to the right. Before long, the trail opened into a small clearing. At one end, surrounded by tumbled rocks was a pond. The horses, sensing water, moved quickly toward it. As he dismounted and took the reins of both animals, Cash kept his eyes on Jordan’s face. She knew how to guard her feelings when the occasion demanded. He’d seen her mask fear on that wild ride down the mountain. And she’d done a good job of hiding her nerves when she’d met Daniel Pearson and Margo Lawson.
But she wasn’t doing that now. He saw surprise, wonder and pleasure race across her features. And he decided he’d made the right choice.
“It’s like an oasis,” she said.
“Your sister and your father called it paradise.”
When she’d dismounted, he led the two horses closer to the edge of the water and let them drink. Thanks to the height of the cliffs surrounding them, the pond was half in shadow, and a cool breeze moved across the water.
Her eyes shifted to the cliffs, and there were still traces of awe on her face. “How?”
“Some kind of underground spring feeds it. Water is rare in these parts, so Mike Farrell kept this a well-guarded secret.”
She glanced at him. “But he shared it with your family?”
“After I discovered it. The canyon is a shortcut between the two ranches. When I told him about it, Mike swore me to secrecy. He came from a long line of ranchers and he was very protective of his land. He didn’t want to do anything to encourage tourists trespassing or to exploit the land that he’d inherited in a commercial way. He wanted very much to pass on his heritage the way it was handed down to him. My father was a lot like him. They were ‘green’ before they even invented the name for it.”
“Then it’s very important that Maddie hang on to the ranch—so that she can pass it down.”
“Yes.”
“If she’s losing money, then I need to come up with a business plan that will allow her to start making some profit. Three weeks from now, if everything goes well, she’ll have the money from my mother’s will to invest. Of course, she’ll sink some of it into her design business. But she’ll also have enough to invest in the ranch. The problem will be not to throw good money after bad.”
“What are you thinking of, Jordan?”
“You’ll think I’m crazy. But it’s one of the things I used to pretend when I was so fascinated playing with my ranch toy. I mean, what did I know about cattle ranching?”
“What did you pretend?”
“That I was operating a dude ranch. What else would a Yankee tenderfoot come up with? But why couldn’t Maddie do both? She could protect her heritage, still keep it a running ranch, but open up a new business. She could add on to the bunkhouse or even build a new structure just beyond the stables to house guests. Offer comfortable accommodations, gourmet food, and give them a chance to get into the cowboy thing.”
“Whoa. The cowboy thing?”
She waved a hand. “You’ll have to help me with that. But I was thinking to start out very exclusive at first, offer guests the chance to really participate in ranch life, rounding up cattle, fixing fences. Just a ride through that canyon would be exciting. It’s like a movie set.”
Cash let her talk until she ran down. He led the horses over to a patch of grass and loosely fastened the reins to a tall shrub. Then he lifted off the saddlebag and the two canteens. When he walked back to her, she was still staring across the pond, seeing something that he didn’t.
“I hate to rain on your parade, but how is Maddie going to run a dude ranch and still grow her design business?”
She turned to him. “Yes, that’s the kicker, isn’t it? Do you see anything wrong with the dude ranch idea besides that?”
“No. There are other dude ranches in the area, but you’ve got some unique ideas in terms of serving go
urmet food and creating the ‘cowboy’ experience.” Setting the saddlebag down, he took out two glasses and a bottle of wine. “I brought red because I figured white would be too warm.”
She studied him for a moment. “You don’t seem like the kind of man who’d be into wine.”
“Your father got me interested in it. He has a good cellar.”
She waited until he’d uncorked the bottle, handed her a glass and tipped wine into it. “You’re not sounding very enthused about my idea.”
“I’m thinking about it.”
When he’d filled his own glass, she clicked hers against it before she sipped.
“Maddie has a lot on her plate right now, and she’s very intent on her business. When she’s in that studio, she loses track of everything. It’s one of the reasons the ranch is suffering. When Mike was alive, he’d drag her out and insist she do other things. If I didn’t come over and talk her into going riding or into a game of poker, I’m not sure she’d ever come out.”
“Wow.” Jordan found a flat rock and sat down. “She sounds exactly like my mother. I insisted that she and I have lunch together every Wednesday, and then we’d go to a matinee or shopping or to a gallery. I always had it planned out very carefully. Otherwise, she never would have taken a break.”
For a moment, she sat in silence. Cash moved to sit on a rock facing hers. She’d turned away to stare out over the water again, and he could tell her mind was still focused entirely on the idea of a dude ranch. She wasn’t a lot different than her mother and sister once she got her teeth into a business idea.
It was time to distract her. She’d taken the hairpiece off when she’d showered, and the wind had given a good toss to her hair. He reached out and touched just the ends.
She immediately turned to him. “I appreciate it that you’re worried about Maddie. But I’m going to figure out a way. That’s what a good business plan is for. And I won’t hurt my sister. You can trust me on that.”
He took the hand that wasn’t holding the wineglass and raised it to his lips. “I do.”
