by Susan Fox
Until Kane had caught her leaving one night with a pillowcase of food. Until he’d hauled her to the main house to face his father as the fugitive and thief she’d become.
Sam Langtry, as always, had seemed a giant of a man—and never more so than on that night when he’d looked down on the ragged, dusty child who’d stood before him with her pillowcase of stolen food.
“Who owns what’s under your feet, girl?” he’d asked in that low, gravelly drawl. Though his tone was soft, it carried the unmistakable authority of a powerful man whose word on any subject was final.
Rio’s quiet “You do, sir,” was wary. After eleven years of living with a father who yelled and smashed things with his big fists over every minor irritation, she’d been prepared to vault out of harm’s way at the smallest sign of anger from Sam Langtry.
“Do you figure I got some say around here?” he’d asked her next, all the while staring so steadily and deeply into her eyes that Rio felt he could see everything bad and wrong in her.
“You’re the boss,” she’d got out, and realized sickly that no matter how hard she’d tried not to be taken away, no matter how much she feared having to go with the social worker, she would. She’d have to if Sam Langtry decreed it, and she’d mind him fast and with no complaint because she was terrified of him.
“If you know that, how come you didn’t think to come talk to me?” It had been a stunning question. Rio never would have risked actually facing this man for any reason for a talk. He’d been nice to her in the past, but her mother had been around then. The foreman let her do odd jobs for money, but for almost two years she’d done her best to stay out of Sam Langtry’s sight. Her father had always been in trouble and Rio was ashamed of that. Besides, no one seemed to like her any better than they had her father. Now, she was completely on her own. She had nothing, she was nothing. Trash like her didn’t dare pester anyone, especially someone as important as Sam Langtry.
“Are you shy?” The hard line of Sam’s mouth bent a little with the question, but his look was just as direct, just as penetrating.
“I’m scared.” The horrifying admission slipped out and Rio felt her face go hot.
“No need to be scared, girl,” he said, then asked, “How about somethin’ hot to eat, an’ maybe a piece of apple pie to top it off?”
The question caught her off guard. Her nervous gaze veered toward the big clock over the door behind the big rancher. “But it’s the middle of the night,” she said, then caught her breath, suddenly worried that he’d think she was arguing with him.
“Might be, but a meal sounds good.” He stepped away from her to the hall from the big kitchen to call out, “Hey, Ardis! If you’re up, we could use somethin’ hot to eat out here.”
To Rio’s astonishment, the cook had shuffled into the kitchen in a robe and fuzzy slippers, her dark hair wound over brushy rollers. Her eyebrows climbed high when she saw Rio, but her mouth was a noncommittal line.
“Is this that Cory girl?”
The cook’s blunt question embarrassed Rio. She heard herself referred to. that way often, and never in a kind way.
“This is Miz Lenore’s daughter, Rio,” Sam said, his choice of words somehow a correction. “While we were talkin’, I got hungry for an early breakfast— steak, eggs, toast and some of them spicy potato chunks. Hot chocolate, if we got some, Ardis. And apple pie. Miz Rio’s gonna join me, so you’d better make plenty.”
Ardis’s brisk “hmm” as she looked over Rio’s dusty clothes was disapproving, but she moved off toward the refrigerator to get started.
That night marked the biggest turning point of Rio’s young life. It had been more stunning than the death of either of her parents, more unexpected than anything in her eleven years and, because of Sam’s kindness, more wonderful than anything a lonely, frightened child could have ever dared hope.
And now the man who’d done that for her, the man who’d taken her in, treated her like his own and given her more love and understanding and stability than she’d ever known, was dying.
The reminder hurt, the daily evidence of his decline filled her with despair. Her life wouldn’t be the same without him. She could bear the loss of Langtry, she could bear having to leave and lose her last hope that Kane would ever truly accept her. She couldn’t bear to lose Sam.
Rio quickly turned on the cold water tap and splashed her face with water. She resolved then to stay close to the house, close to Sam. There weren’t many days left, and certainly not many days until Ramona and Tracy were due home for a short respite from the social whirl of Dallas. Until then, she would spend all the time with Sam that she could. She’d do her best to cater to every whim he had. And if that included a hundred trips to the Painted Fence, she’d make certain she took him on every one.
Sam got his hat and ambled out the back door. The heat from the late-afternoon sun was overpowering now that his heart was so susceptible to the stress of temperature extremes. The big ranch pickup he and Rio normally used for their little excursions had a good air conditioner, so he made his way around the pool and across the huge back patio toward where they’d left it the day before.
His chest hurt and he was out of breath by the time he reached the truck and climbed into the passenger side. He leaned over and twisted the key that had been left in the ignition. It didn’t take long before the cool air from the compressor rushed through the vents at him, but it took a little longer to get his breath back and for the ache in his chest to ease.
By then, Kane was walking up the lane from one of the stables. He changed direction when he saw his father in the idling pickup.
“Where’s Rio?” The stern line of his son’s mouth implied that Rio was remiss for not being close by.
Sam leaned his arm on the bottom of the open truck window and watched his son’s expression closely. “She’ll be along in a minute. Has B.J. been around today?”
The mention of B. J. Hastings made Kane’s frown deepen and Sam was relieved to see it. Kane’s terse, “No. Why?” was the opportunity Sam had hoped for.
“Rio came in a while ago, lookin’ like someone had kissed the daylights outta her.” Sam leveled his gaze on his son’s hard expression, then felt a run of satisfaction when Kane didn’t remark.
“Whoever it was, oughta take it easy. Rio’s worked awful hard around here to earn the men’s respect. Wouldn’t do for someone to jeopardize that.”
Kane’s hard expression went black. “Rio can be responsible for her own reputation.”
Sam wasn’t at all intimidated by his son. “That’s right, but Rio’s more vulnerable than most to gossip.”
“Then she should hurry up and marry B.J., or cut the poor sucker loose.”
“Rio’s had a lot to live down. She’s careful about who she offends. Cuttin’ B.J. loose will take some unhurried finesse and a lot of diplomacy. You and I might soften the blow by scraping up a loan to help the Hastings out.”
Kane swore. “B.J. is a world-class spendthrift. All a loan’s gonna do is give him another few turns around the drain.”
“Yeah, he and his daddy would rather get their hands on a meal ticket than a loan anyway, which explains the marriage proposal. Neither one of them sees a value in Rio beyond dollar signs.”
Kane’s mouth tightened and he glanced away from his father. “Hell, Rio could be in love with him.”
Sam gave a hoarse chuckle. “B.J. is too much his daddy’s little boy to appeal to Rio. Besides, any man who takes a shine to that girl is already being measured against an impossible standard.”
Kane didn’t comment directly, but gave an irritable grunt. His father wasn’t finished with the subject, however.
“And just in case you didn’t take my meaning earlier, Mr. Impossible Standard, you go easy on that girl.”
Kane’s gaze swung back to. his father’s and narrowed. He’d assumed Sam was the impossible standard Rio measured other men against. On the other hand, he should have realized his father would ne
ver have used such words to describe himself. It would have been conceited. But to hear Sam bluntly remind him of his status as the object of Rio’s hero worship angered him. “Rio needs to grow out of her adolescent crush.”
Sam tipped his head back slightly to study him for a long moment. “Then don’t play kissing games with her, Kane. She doesn’t have your experience, and she’ll never be as hard bit. You could hurt somethin’ real special in her.”
Kane felt his anger mount. Rio Cory was as tempting to him as she was an irritant. He wasn’t certain anymore that there was any real difference between the two feelings. It was bad enough that at twenty-three she still lived on Langtry Ranch. The eleven-year-old orphan he’d caught stealing food from the cook house had grown into a Texas beauty. Despite the fact that she worked on Langtry as hard as any ranch hand, there was a polish to her now, a feminine allure he wouldn’t have imagined from someone with her background. And yet, there was something not quite tame about her, a wariness that made him think of a green-broke mustang more accustomed to following its wild instincts than submitting to a firm hand on the reins.
His father had gained her trust, her loyalty and her love. But then, Sam had taken her in, given her a home and provided her with the chance to be something more than she would have been had her father lived. In return, Rio idolized his father, devoted herself to him like a daughter and lived up to his expectations. It was no secret to Kane that Sam fancied Rio a suitable marriage choice for his only son.
And that made Rio Cory the subject of the only real argument between father and son. Their other disputes were centered largely in the realm of business. Rio was the lightning rod of their personal disagreements. Kane had opposed Sam’s decision to take in the scrawny little thief. She’d had a rough childhood, had run wild for years and the Cory name had made her an outcast in their ranching community. Besides, Kane had known that she was a reminder to his father of things best forgotten. Despite Kane’s objections, Sam was almost obsessed on the subject of protecting Rio and compensating her for her dismal childhood. To her credit, she’d rarely allowed Sam to give her much besides food, shelter and basic clothing. She’d worked on Langtry for ranch hand’s wages since high school and had been smart enough to win scholarships to put herself through college.
She’d soaked up every bit of the affection and attention Sam had offered, and the bond between the two was unshakable. Nevertheless, Kane didn’t want to be Rio’s reward or Sam’s replacement when he died, so his father’s subtle maneuverings to put Rio in his path was something he felt compelled to resist.
His terse, “Then warn her off,” was heartfelt.
Sam gave his son a narrow look. “Are you tellin’ me Rio’s been throwin’ herself at you?” The slant that came to his mouth showed his skepticism.
Kane growled a curse and his dark gaze flicked away. “A female doesn’t have to throw herself at a man to send the signal that she’s his for the taking.”
“A lot of red-blooded Texas men would give ten years off their lives if Rio would send them that signal,” Sam declared, the pride in his voice bringing his son’s angry gaze back to his.
“Then she should pick one of them.”
Sam shook his head and gazed out the windshield of the idling pickup to focus into the distance. “Rio lives by her instincts. She’s like a wild mustang filly who’s drawn to the biggest, toughest stallion. She’s got to survive the elements and the predators. She’s too savvy to bother with a weaker, less decisive male. She needs one who’s strong enough to take on whatever comes along and survive the longest She’s already lost a lot. When I die, she’ll lose again. She’ll be lookin’ for someone durable.”
Kane chuckled harshly at the mustang analogy that so closely matched his own perceptions of Rio, but there was no amusement in his tone. “You’re gettin’ whimsical in your old age, Daddy.”
“Closer I get to the end, the simpler and more clear it’s all becoming. Most things between a man and a woman aren’t complicated, once they have some care for what each of them needs.” Sam turned his head and looked at his implacable son. “Rio wouldn’t be such a touchy subject if you’d pay more attention to your own instincts and followed them awhile.”
One corner of Kane’s mouth quirked. “Followed an instinct today…qualified for this lecture.” With that, Kane took a step away from the pickup and nodded his head in the direction of the back patio. “The wild child’s comin’ this way. Don’t get yourself tired out.”
Rio didn’t let her stride falter when she saw Kane standing beside the pickup. She felt heat rush to her face, then endured the inevitable disappointment and relief when Kane turned away and walked off toward the stable. Her heart sank a little when she saw the grim line of his mouth. She could always tell when Kane and his father were having a disagreement. That she was usually the cause made her heart sink a bit more.
Soon, there wouldn’t be any more disagreements. The dismal reminder was suddenly oppressive.
CHAPTER TWO
RIO managed to get through the first few minutes at supper that night by simply not looking Kane’s way. It was difficult to do, since he sat across from her. She felt more awkward with him than ever after that torrid kiss in the stable, and wished with all her heart she’d had the good sense to shove him away. Of all the things she’d had to live down, living down her wild response to Kane was made worse by the fact that this was one embarrassment she’d earned all by herself. It helped that he would never tell anyone else about it. It was certain she never would. But the knowledge that Kane was usually unforgiving toward her made the notion of redeeming herself in his eyes a near impossibility.
It was Sam who broke the uneasy silence at the table. “Aren’t we gettin’ that new bull tomorrow?”
“He’s due by nine, but Rio may have to take delivery,” Kane answered. “I’ve got an eight-thirty phone call. If I’m not finished by the time the truck gets here, she can see to it.”
Rio accepted the indirect order from Kane as a matter of course. Since Sam’s retirement, Kane was the boss. Rio was in charge when Kane was away or unavailable. The foreman took his orders from her in those instances, but she’d learned long ago that he and the ranch hands were competent enough not to need a taskmaster to map out their day. The men deferred to her because Sam’s regard for her had ensured it. Rio showed her respect for their experience and competence by issuing few directives. The delivery of the expensive bull required one of them be present to accept it, but because Kane had spent a veritable fortune on the animal, Rio hoped this particular responsibility wouldn’t fall to her.
She knew better than to let Kane know how she felt about it, however. Kane tolerated her position in the chain of command because of his father and because she’d managed to never give him an excuse to exclude her. Rio never trifled with Kane’s orders and instructions. She’d just have to be especially vigilant to be certain the bull arrived in fit condition and that he was unloaded and settled in with special care.
It was Kane who brought up the next subject. “Ramona called while the two of you were out. She and Tracy will be here by tomorrow afternoon.”
Though the news wasn’t unexpected, Rio couldn’t help the disappointment she felt. Or the tension. Ramona delighted in her petty torments, particularly since she’d learned early on that Rio never reported them to Sam.
Sam’s only remark was, “It’s about time.” Rio didn’t remark at all. She knew Sam wasn’t happy that Ramona’s idea of being a rancher’s wife was to live most of the year at her penthouse in Dallas spending Langtry money. Rio usually made herself scarce when Ramona came home, both to avoid the woman and to ensure that Sam had as much time with his wife and stepdaughter as possible. She wouldn’t this time, however. Because of Sam’s health, Rio meant to remain close to the house.
“I need you to help me with paperwork tonight.”
Kane’s statement brought her gaze up to meet his briefly before she forced herself to look away. She
dared a quiet, “Is this something new?” Kane took care of the lion’s share of paperwork, just as he wanted. Rio had barely touched anything to do with papers or book work since Sam had retired. She suspected Kane’s mention of paperwork was a ruse in order to speak to her alone, but she still felt shaken by what had happened in the stable that day.
“Come see for yourself.”
Rio couldn’t help another swift glance at Kane. She’d heard distinctly the challenge in his tone, but nothing on his harsh features confirmed her impression until he reached for his coffee cup and leaned back in his chair. His eyes met hers with a suddenness that sent a tiny shock through her system. The slow lift of one corner of his mouth was pure male arrogance and she felt her cheeks burn. Somehow she managed to keep her gaze steady with his until he broke contact and finished his coffee.
Kane soon excused himself and went off to the den. Rio and Sam headed off to the informal family room at the back of the big ranch house. After a leisurely game of checkers, Sam went to his room for the night. Though he told Rio he planned to watch a movie video before he went to sleep, she secretly doubted he would. He seemed unusually tired tonight, and she was grateful for the small elevator Kane had installed in a storage closet off the back hall. Sam had refused to have his bedroom moved down to the main floor when his doctors had restricted him from using the stairs. When he’d returned home from a hospital stay to find an elevator in operation, he’d taken severe exception. He’d used it grudgingly, but three months ago, he’d stopped disparaging it.
And that was another measure of his declining health, she was reminded, and felt the familiar melancholy descend. A long walk, or better, an evening horseback ride might have lifted her spirits a bit and made it easier to sleep, but she doubted either choice would work any better tonight than they had all the other nights she’d tried them. Besides, Kane expected her to join him and she’d avoided his summons as long as she dared.
