AlmostHome (4 page)

“Ben Bell, meet Haley Kilpatrick.” She smiled at Haley as
the two sat down. “Ben’s the best vet in Junction.”

Oh my, but wasn’t he something to look at, decked out in a
cream-colored Western shirt with brown leather piping?

“Pleased to meet you, Haley. I was your aunt’s vet. I hear
you might be setting up a breeding program out at the One-Eyed Jack. You’ve got
a pregnant mare?”

“I do and I’ve been meaning to call you and have you check
her out.”

He nodded. “Be happy to.” He pulled out his wallet and
fished out a business card. “Give me a call and we’ll schedule a day for me to
come out.” He poured beers for everyone and settled comfortably into his seat.
“I’ve seen you race in Austin a couple of times. You’re good, and that stud of
yours is quite the athlete.”

Haley beamed. “He is. Raised him from a foal. There’s no
better stud. Molly’s foal will be his first. I can’t wait to see how he
produces.”

The band took the stage and got the party started. Ben Bell
held out his hand. “Dance with me?” He chuckled at the panic that must have
been apparent on her face. “Not a dancer, I take it.”

“Nope. In fact, this is my first time in a place like
this…other than dragging my little brother out before he got to fighting over
some woman.”

Ben winced. “Ouch. So, you’re probably not thrilled to be
here.”

“Tracie wanted to come so I figured I’d tag along. Keep her
outta trouble.”

Tracie uttered a delighted laugh. “That’s so sweet.” She
accepted the hand of a cowboy asking her to dance and gave him a flirty smile.
“Y’all have fun talking, I’m gonna dance.” She disappeared into the mass of
people circling the dance floor. That was pretty much the way the whole night
went.

* * * * *

Somewhere around midnight, and several beers too many, Haley
looked up to see Wyatt pull up a chair beside her. Where had he come from?

“Having fun?” he asked, an amused twinkle in his eyes.

“I don’t know as you’d call it fun,” she admitted, voice
slurring. “I believe I’ve had too much to drink, can’t feel my feet.”

He chuckled and Haley thought it was probably the sexiest
sound she’d ever heard, that deep rumble that seemed to start in the center of
his chest and work its way up. She rested her elbow on the table, chin in her
hand but it slid off and she lurched in her chair. “You sure are pretty,” she
said with a sigh, leaning precariously on the edge of her seat.

Wyatt gave a shout of laughter. “Come on, sweet pea, let’s get
you home.”

“Can’t. Came with Tracie. Gotta look out for her.”

“Tracie’s fine. Ben’s gonna make sure she gets home.” He
pulled her to her feet, which didn’t seem to want to work properly. One went
one way, the other another.

“Woopsie,” she crowed. “My feet’r tangled up in something.”
She looked down, trying to find whatever it was.

“Tangled up in beer, I expect. You ain’t much of drinker,
are ya?” She offered up a snorty little laugh and he leaned down, pulled her
over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold. “Time to go, darlin’.” She whooped a
laugh. “Say good night to the nice people.”

“G’nite nice people!”

* * * * *

Haley was pretty sure she was dying. The most she’d ever had
to drink at one sitting was two beers. The pounding in her head spoke volumes
about her capacity to hold her liquor. She groaned and pushed herself up to sit
on the edge of the bed, thanking the stars that she had Dooley around to feed
the stock in the morning. A shower was definitely the first order of the day.
Then coffee.

Oh god, the hot water running on the back of her neck felt
better than anything, ever. She could almost feel the beer coming out of her
pores. If she ever looked at another, it would be too soon. She scrubbed up,
got out of the shower and toweled off, nose going in the air when the smell of
coffee hit her. God bless Maria’s little heart. She dressed in jeans and a
sleeveless cotton shirt, jammed her feet into her most comfortable boots, and
hurried downstairs. She blinked, figuring the beer must have done something to
her eyesight. Was that Wyatt Brody in her kitchen?

He smiled up at her as she stood on the last step. “How do
you take your coffee?”

Well, shit. Had she slept with him and not even known it?
She did a quick survey of her body, focusing on the area most likely to be
affected by a sexual encounter. Nope, no soreness. Would have been a damn shame
to miss her first time because she was drunk.

“I slept on your couch. Didn’t wanna leave you alone in case
you needed help in the night. You were pretty drunk.” White-hot heat rushed to
her face and he took pity on her. “Happens to the best of us every now and
again. No need to be embarrassed.”

She took the coffee he offered her and took a seat at the
island. “Never gotten drunk before,” she muttered. “Can’t say I understand the
attraction. I feel like I been trampled by a herd of elephants and don’t know
I’m dead yet. I…did I behave myself?”

That sexy chuckle rumbled and he grinned at her. “Well, you
told me I sure was pretty.”

Haley groaned and banged her head on the granite countertop.
“Oh god. I’m never drinking again.”

Wyatt took a seat beside her and sipped at his coffee. “Oh,
I don’t know, you’re kind of cute when you’re drunk and I kind of like that you
think I’m pretty.”

“Well, shit. At least I didn’t strip naked and dance the
hoochey-coochey.”

“Nope. No dancing at all from what I hear.” He patted her on
the back. “It’s all right, sweet pea, your secret’s safe with me. Now, how
about I pick you up in the morning and we go get the rest of your stock?”

Haley rested her cheek on the cool granite and squinted at
him. “You sure you wanna be seen in public with a drunkard?”

“I’m sure. So long as I can trust you to keep your hands to
yourself.” He gave her a wink, slid out of his seat, and strutted to the door.

“Very funny,” she grumped, winging a woven straw trivet at
his head.

He caught it in midair and laughed. “You’re mean when you’re
hung over.”

She sat up and pointed imperiously at the door. “Out.
Just…out.”

* * * * *

Wyatt picked Haley up at seven the next morning and they
drove into town to have breakfast at Margie’s Diner. The significance of taking
her to Margie’s was lost on Haley but Wyatt knew the implications beyond a
shadow of a doubt. By taking her to Margie’s, where he’d had his breakfast
every morning since the death of his father, the message was loud and clear.
Haley Kilpatrick was his and woe to any other man who tried to put the moves on
her. He figured it was just a matter of time before every round heel in the
county sat up and took notice of the pretty horse trainer and he was making it
known she was off the market before she was even on.

He’d been looking forward to this day ever since he offered
to help collect her stock. It was a five-hour round trip, not to mention the
time it would take to load up the animals, so he’d be spending the better part
of the day with Haley—a circumstance he found appealing on several levels. She
wasn’t the most forthcoming woman he’d ever met, one of the few he’d come
across that didn’t like to talk about herself. He didn’t know if that was
because she preferred to keep her private life private, or if it was because
she had secrets. Most folks had secrets and if she wanted to keep hers to
herself, well, he couldn’t blame her. Still, there was a sadness about her that
he felt compelled to alleviate. And wasn’t that just the damndest thing? He’d
begun to wonder if he’d ever feel this way about a woman. But there it was.
Before he saw it coming, Haley had come to mean something to him.

“So, where are we going, exactly?” he asked, glancing at her
out of the corner of his eye.

“Just this side of Austin. A little nothing dirt ranch. It
ain’t exactly the middle of nowhere but you can see it from there if ya
squint.” She paused, took a deep breath. “It’s my brother’s place.”

There was a cautionary tone to the words. “And?”

She halfway turned in her seat. “And he don’t have much to
recommend him. He’ll likely be riled when I tell him I’m taking the stock.”

Wyatt raised an eyebrow. “Does he own an interest in them?”

Haley snorted. “Hell no. Conner figures he’ll drown if he
breaks a sweat. I bought those mares with my own money and I got the papers to
prove it.”

Wyatt nodded. “Then I guess he can blow up a blue norther’
all he wants but we’ll still take the horses.” He drove in silence for a few
more minutes. “You wanna tell me about him?”

She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.
“He’s three years younger than me. Spoiled to the point of thinking the world
owes him a living. My daddy went to prison when I was sixteen and Conner became
my responsibility. I’ve been taking care of him ever since.”

He’d seen it before, no-account men who expected the women
in their lives to support them while they lay around and did nothing. No doubt
the brother was part of the pain he saw in Haley’s eyes. She was world-weary
and he figured she’d be a tough nut to crack when it came to letting any man
get close to her.

“So, your pa’s doing time.”

Haley sighed. “Hard time. Ten to fifteen for a knife fight
in a bar.”

“Do you see him much? How long’s he been in?”

“I used to, but I haven’t visited in a while. He’s been in
going on nine years now. Figured him being locked up was my ticket out from
under. I’ve supported him and Conner most of my life. Not no more.”

“Good. That’s good.” Her silence and sudden fascination with
the view outside the passenger window spoke volumes about Haley’s frame of
mind. Had to figure she was dreading what was coming. Probably a little sick to
her stomach at the prospect of revealing too much to him. Fearful of what he
might think. Anxious about her brother’s behavior. If her brother was the type
of man Wyatt suspected, there were sure to be fireworks. He just hoped Haley
could stick to her guns. The ride continued, mostly in silence, until they got
closer and she gave him directions down miles of dusty Texas road.

If the brother didn’t have much to recommend him, neither
did the place he called home. They passed under a rusting archway, a cattle
guard rattling beneath the tires. Wyatt could tell Haley was embarrassed by the
place because she refused to look at him when they pulled up next to a
ramshackle barn. He shut off the engine and hurried around to open the truck
door for her. Her mouth popped open in surprise at the gesture and that damn
near broke Wyatt’s heart. Had no one ever treated her like a lady? He offered
his hand and she looked at it for a minute before taking it.

“I try to be a gentleman, Haley, and a gentleman always
helps a lady from a vehicle.”

“A lady,” she whispered. “I swear.”

He put his hands on her waist and swung her down from the
tall four-wheel drive, making her laugh. “I give you my word, I’ll never treat
you as anything but.” He could see she struggled with meeting his gaze, but did
it.

“Thank you.”

He was just about to lean in for tender kiss when he heard a
screen door slam. Shit.

“Whoo-wee, that’s a fine-looking rig. Looks like you come up
in the world, Haley girl.”

Wyatt clenched his teeth when she winced. For that alone, he
wanted to kick Conner Kilpatrick’s ass. There was a subtle meanness in the tone
of the brother’s voice that instantly put Wyatt’s back up. The urge to protect
Haley had his fists balling at his sides but he swallowed it down. She wouldn’t
appreciate him stepping in, no matter how badly the brother needed to learn some
respect. Instead of going with his first instinct, he let Haley step away and
turned to get his first look at Haley’s brother.

He was a good-looking fellow, at least he figured women
would think so. Tall and rangy, he had the same golden-blond hair as Haley, the
same brown eyes, though Haley’s lacked the calculation Wyatt saw in the
brother’s. Clad only in a pair of worn jeans and flip-flops, he swaggered down
the drooping stairs and sauntered toward them. Wyatt immediately put an arm
around Haley’s shoulders and tucked her in close. Her spine straightened and
she nodded to her brother.

“Conner. I come for the mares.”

The younger man scratched his bare belly. “I kin see the
trailer.” He smiled then, one he probably took for charming but held all the
allure of a rattler ready to strike. “At least come inside for a glass of tea
and a word or two. Hell, I ain’t seen you for weeks. Been wondering where you
got to.”

“A glass of tea would hit the spot,” Wyatt said, extending
his hand. “Wyatt Brody. I’m Haley’s neighbor.”

The brother’s dark brown eyes narrowed calculatingly.
“Neighbors, huh? Didn’t know my big sis had set down roots.” His gaze settled
on Haley. “Where you living girl?”

“Nowhere near here. How’re the mares?”

“The damn mares are fine,” Conner said with a flash of
anger. “All you ever care about is your damn horses.” He took a deep breath,
then offered up an aw-shucks grin. “Sorry. I just been missing ya is all. Y’all
come on inside.” He turned and they followed him in. “Excuse the mess. Hailey
ain’t been here to clean up and you know how us bachelors are.” Wyatt knew how
he kept his own place but figured Conner’s standards were less exacting.

The house was an old clapboard farmhouse, the paint peeled
and stripped by the harsh Texas sun and wind. Inside, the wallpaper was faded
and torn in places. An old box fan groaned in protest at the job of trying to
cool the place. Grimy curtains hung listlessly from windows that had long since
lost most of their caulking. Wyatt figured they probably rattled like all get
out when the wind was up. A fine coating of dust and grit was testimony to that
fact.

In the kitchen, crusty dishes filled the chipped porcelain
farm sink. The walls around the stove were caked with grease stains and Wyatt
felt a shiver rock Haley’s slender frame. He gave her shoulder a squeeze and
pulled back a chair at the kitchen table. Her brother smirked at the simple
gesture. He pulled out his own chair, spun it around on one leg, and straddled
it.