Family Ties (Hidden Secrets) (5 page)

Chapter Four

Tobey

Her laugh was enchanting; too enchanting.  I was beginning to forget my reason for being here. Oh but when she laughed her whole face lit up like lights on a Christmas tree.  It was a sight to see.  Lost in her laughter, I just stared at her.  My head was telling me to focus on the mission, but everything else was telling me to focus on her. 

The sudden buzzing of my phone broke my trance over her laughter.  When I looked down I saw who it was. I glanced up at Mary.

“I’m sorry. I have to get this.” I gave her my best apologetic smile.

“
It’s okay, I understand.” She smiled and played around with her napkin.

“
Hey, what’s wrong?”

“
Stargazer got tangled in a downed wire.”

“
What are you talking about?  Why was she in a pasture with wire and not fencing? You know she doesn’t see them as fencing.  It was the whole reason we sectioned off the pastures the way we did.”

“
I know. I can’t tell you how it happened.  I asked the guys and they said none of them moved her over.  We’re asking the hands, but I just wanted to let you know.  She’s hurt pretty bad.”

“
We were supposed to show her next week.  How bad is she?”

“
I’m not going to lie to you brother, she’s pretty tore up. Unless the vet can do plastic surgery, I think we lost our show horse…with her anyway.”

“
Fuck!”

“
Look, I gotta go Joel’s flagging me down here.”

“
Yeah, keep me updated.”

As I hung up the phone and was rubbing the bridge of my nose, Mary
’s phone rang.  I glanced at her as she got a nervous look on her face.  She kept staring at her phone and I could see her hand begin to shake.  Slowly, she lifted her hand and swiped her finger across the phone, answering it, raising the phone to her ear.  She jumped a little.

“
I’m eating lunch or will be once the fo-…No…I stayed for…Will you…No ple…” She pulls the phone away from her ear and stares at it blankly.

“
Everything okay?”

She
jumped as if she didn’t know I was sitting there. “Oh yeah, fine,” she smiled and I could tell it’s forced.

For some reason, I wanted to help her.  I had to clench my fists under the table to keep from reaching for her.  I was still unsure what the hell is going on with my body, but thankfully my brain still has control.  There is no room for error right now.  I have to execute my plan and get back to my ranch. Just as I
’m about to get ready to be a complete ass, a voice breaks through my anger about losing my show horse.

Find out her secrets and tell the world
… then you can bring down the girl.

That
’s exactly what I need to do.  I need to figure out how to bring her down and the only way I can do that is by getting close to her. Besides, what harm would there be in having my cake and eating it too?  It has been a while since I have even thought about having some fun and meeting some of my physical needs, but Mary just seemed like the perfect woman to end my dry streak with.  If my semi was any indication of the effect she had on me.  She was definitely different.

Mary was smart, entertaining, sexy as hell and just fun to be around.   Yes, I still remembered what I was doing, but it
didn’t mean I couldn’t have some fun while I was at it.  She was definitely one of a kind.  Talking to her, I couldn’t help but wonder why she would have gone after my family like she did.  She doesn’t seem to have an evil bone in her body.  Though, I have learned that looks can be deceiving.  Hell for all I know she could be acting the role because we’re in public. But then I watch as she thinks of others before herself. She graciously signed autographs for all the people that came up to our table while eating.  She didn’t even seem the least bit irked by it either.  I, on the other hand, was getting annoyed because this was my time with her and they were interrupting. 

After the last handful of people left, she dropped her gaze to the table and said, “I
’m sorry.  I’m sure this makes you angry.  I understand if you want to call off the date now.”

“
Absolutely not!  I’m having a great time,” I insisted and I was being honest too. 

I was having a fantastic time.  There were several moments since we have been sitting here that I have forgotten what my objective was.  Which scared me some, but I needed to get her to trust me in order to execute my plan.  The plan could not go far from my mind or I might get into trouble.  It was bad enough I already felt I was getting in a little deep. And getting a little too deep and doing what I will be doing was not a good thing at all.

“You are?”  She interrupted my thoughts. 

She must have been burned by some guys not getting all of her attention in the past and made her feel like shit because of it.  That
wasn’t the kind of guy I was.  Though I wasn’t the kind to get revenge for something I wasn’t involved in either.  Everyone back home referred to me as the walking teddy bear.  The guy that was the best friend and boyfriend not ever the one night stand kind of man and it was true.  That was the truth until this moment anyway.

Truth be told, I really
didn’t know what had happened with her family and mine. Hell, I don’t know much about Mary at all.  However, what they have told me that she did to them, I just couldn’t see a person alive lying about.  As I looked at Mary though, I didn’t see her capable of the things that they accused her of.  It was like trying to convince someone that cotton candy had no sugar in it. 

Maybe I need to do some digging on Mary and her family and find out what was going on.  I knew somewhat of what the papers printed about Mary, but the person sitting in front of me was not everything they say or that my family has said.  I really had no idea who Mary was or who she was related to, but I will find out. No better way than to find out
who she really was then straight from the horse’s mouth as they say.

“
I am.  You sound surprised that I could be enjoying my time with you.”

“
Well, that’s because I am surprised.  Actually, everything today has been different.  You are the first one not to try groping me or getting me into bed right away.”

“
There’s still time for that,” I winked only half joking.  “Is that really how your dates go?”

“
Most times.  Guys see me as some kind of conquest.  Sleep with the celebrity, kind of thing.  I won’t lie, I have lived it up, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want more. You know?”

For some reason this statement pisses me off to no end.  Why the hell would I care if she slept with other guys? Fuck! I need to get on with this.  I
’m setting myself up here I can feel it.  Swallowing my anger, I look at her and pretend she wasn’t someone I was after to bring down and went with an honest gut response.

“
It sounds like you are selling yourself short.  You need to realize the kind of total package you are.  You are funny, smart, talented, and damn if you aren’t sexy as sin,” I said huskily.

Realizing what I just said, I shook my head and looked into her beautiful eyes as she gaped at me.

“Wow…” Was all she had the chance to say before we were interrupted. 

Her name was screamed from the door and she jumped.  Turning, I saw a guy that was in a suit standing in the doorway to the restaurant. Glancing back at Mary, she was pale and had a panic look on her face. The guy came storming up to the table. 

“Where in the hell do you think you get off on leaving that meet and greet without clearing it through me first?!”

“
Kyle, I…”  He interrupted her by grabbing her arm and yanking her out of the booth we were sharing.

I watched as her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath. “You
’re hurting me, Kyle.” 

That was it; I had all that I could handle.  This woman did not deserve this treatment! No woman should ever be manhandled by a man. Even though my head is screaming at me to stay out of it, that this was public and would aid in bringing her down, my southern roots and
raising would not let me sit back why some man manhandled my woman.

What the hell?

Shaking my head, I focused on the matter at hand not my sudden need to claim this woman. In one swift move, I got out of the booth and pulled Mary behind me with my arm wrapped around her waist. 

God, she felt good against me.

Even with the situation that was unfolding before me, I still
couldn’t ignore the way she felt with her chest against my back.  When she put her hands on my hips, I almost turned and claimed her as mine right then and there.  The heat from her hands had penetrated through my clothing and went straight down to my groin.

Fuck this woman was trouble! And I seemed to be glutton for punishment.

“I think you need to leave before I call the cops.”

“
I am not going anywhere without Mary!” He roared.

“
Well, she’s not going with you.  She’s not safe with you.”  I turned keeping the man in my peripheral vision and whispered to her, “You have cop friends you said, call one now while I keep him occupied.”  Mary grabbed my phone and did as I said.

“
I think you need to reconsider this situation, buddy!  No way in hell am I going to let her go with you when you just hurt her by your rough grabbing. Who the hell are you anyway?” I asked my anger rising by the second. 

“
She knows who I am!  Now get out of my way!”

“
No!  She’s not going anywhere with you!” 

She whispered to me that it would be about ten minutes.
Nodding my head, I tucked her further behind me holding her with both hands now.  In a matter of that little time that I held her behind me, I knew I was in big trouble. She was making it very hard to stick to my plan to break her and leave her hurt.  She was starting to get under my skin. A feeling I wasn’t comfortable having for her.  How was it, I only met her a couple hours ago and already something was stirring in me.  If I didn’t figure something out quick, my plan may just backfire.

“
I am in charge of her not you!  Get out of the way!”

“
Sorry, no can do.  You are in charge of no one.  Last time I checked this was a free fucking country.”  I turned my head, still keeping an eye on him, and whispered, “Is he like this a lot with you?” 

She just nodded her head.  My stomach tightened. Every time he yelled she jumped and gripped my sides tighter.  I wondered what was really going on here.  I was definitely going to find this out from her later, but first I needed to deal with the situation.

              Kyle, which I found out was her manager, was pacing back and forth trying to get to her.  I was beginning to contemplate just knocking him the fuck out and leaving the restaurant when the door flew open.

“
Kyle Hall! I think that is enough from you!  Leave here now or I will arrest you for assault.”

“
Assault? How do you figure…” he waited for his name.

“
Detective Lane and because of the scene you are causing and hurting her before.” He said with venom in his voice.  For some reason, it caused a jealous surge to run through me.

“
Never mind all that. There is no problem here, Detective Lane, other than this son of a bitch won’t get away from Mary to let her return to her job.”

“
Mare?  What do you want to be done?”  She stepped out from behind me to my side.  I put my arm around her and kept her protectively at my side. Detective Lane’s face was unmistakable as he looked at where my arm wrapped around Mary’s waist.

Yup, there was or is something going on there.  Interesting…

“I am not going anywhere with him right now. Please allow me…”

“
You little bit-…” I cut him off.

“
I think you might want to refrain from what you are about to say unless you want to be eating through a straw,” I hissed at him.

“
Are you threatening me?” He hissed. “Detective Lane, do you hear this man threatening me?”

“
I’m not threatening you.  You take one step near Mary and you will be eating through a straw for a very long time.”

Watching as Detective Lane walked up to Mary and cupped her face in his hands.  He whispered something to her.  Damn, if I
couldn’t make out what it was.  Whatever he said she nodded and rested her head on his chest while he held her with his eyes closed.

Fuck! Why do I care? Why does this bother me?

“Listen you sorry son of a bitch.  She has commitments and no wet dream of yours is going to be filled right now because she’s a damned sl…”

My fist swung out and nailed him in the jaw.  He stumbled backwards and I moved forward to hit him again. Kyle continued to stumble back until he tripped and fell on his ass.  Leaning down, I grabbed his jaw and he yelled in pain as I did.