First Down (Texas Titans #3) (13 page)

Alana scrambled to think of an excuse. After the way she’d bailed on dinner at their parents’ place, she had no idea what Grayson had told his family about her. “Um, it looks like she’s busy right now,” she said, referring to the man Terri was talking to. “I can meet her later.”

“No worries. That’s just her husband, Duane.”

Alana didn’t know how that bit of knowledge was supposed to make her feel better about intruding, but Jaxon dragged her across the lawn. She had no choice but to put on a happy face and hope Grayson’s family would like her. She couldn’t say why that was so important to her, but it seemed like the only thing that mattered.

“Hey, you two,” Jaxon said, putting an arm around Terri. “I brought someone I’d like y’all to meet. Duane, Terri, this here’s Alana Holmes. She works in our accounting department.”

Terri tipped her head back to glance at her husband. There was no doubt in Alana’s mind they knew exactly who she was.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Alana,” Terri said, offering her hand with a warm smile. “My brother told us about you at dinner the other night. I was hoping I’d get to meet you.”

Alana returned Terri’s smile as she tried not to read between the lines. Alana didn’t think Grayson was the type to tear her down in front of his family, even though she had reamed him out in public.

“Honey, why don’t you and Jaxon go grab a beer?” Terri smiled at her husband. “I’m dying to get to know Alana better.”

Alana swallowed. She shouldn’t have been nervous about chatting with Terri. Terri had given her no reason to believe she had it in for her.

“You got it,” Duane said, winking at his wife. “Come on, Jaxon. I know when it’s time to shove off.”

Jaxon looked hesitant. “I brought Alana here. I don’t wanna just bail on her.”

Alana could have kissed Jaxon for being so considerate, but she knew she’d have to face the music some time. Best to get it over with so she could try to enjoy the rest of her day. “It’s okay. You go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Terri reached for Jaxon’s arm. “Hey, before you go�� Mama said Gray was out of town this week. Is he gonna be here today?”

Jaxon chuckled. “Last I heard, he was gonna make an appearance, but when I texted him last night, he was with Patti. Who knows whether he’ll be able to drag his butt out of bed today. You know what she can be like.”

Terri rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe he’s still wasting his time with her. Can’t he see her for what she is?”

Jaxon’s lips twitched. “You mean hot? Sexy? Fun? Yeah, those qualities are a real turn-off.”

“Oh, shut up,” she said, smacking his chest. “You know what I mean. If Gray didn’t have two nickels to rub together, that girl wouldn’t give him the time of day.”

“Don’t think your brother doesn’t know that. He may be a lot of things, but naïve sure as hell ain’t one of ‘em.” Jaxon smirked before walking away with Duane.

Terri frowned at Jaxon’s back as she crossed her arms. “I’ll never understand men. Why would they wanna waste their time with a woman who’s only after their money?”

“You got me,” Alana said, pouring herself a glass of sweet tea. “You’ve, uh, met Patti then?”

The other woman’s eyes narrowed with interest. “It’s not like he’s brought her home to meet the folks or anything. A bunch of us went to Vegas for the weekend, and he hooked up with her while we were there.”

“I take it you don’t like her?” Alana shouldn’t have taken so much pleasure in the fact that Grayson’s lady friend hadn’t scored any points with his little sister.

“God no.” Terri wrinkled her nose. “She attached herself to my brother like a leech. I thought someone was gonna have to piss on her just to get her off of him.”

The two women shared a look before they burst out laughing.

Alana knew right then and there she liked Grayson’s sister. “You’re bad. I like that.”

Terri nudged her hip. “So you gonna tell me why the hell you’re here with Jaxon instead of my brother?”

Apparently speaking your mind was a Barrett family trait. Alana preferred someone who was direct instead of someone who sneaked around behind her back and lied to her. “Like Jaxon said, your brother’s in Vegas with his…”

“Leech.”

Alana shook her head and chuckled. “You know I’m dying to know what she’s like. So?”

Terri looked thoughtful as she slipped her sunglasses up on her head. “Well, Jaxon’s right about her being pretty, and I guess most men would think she’s sexy. Tall, slim, red hair, green eyes. You know, the whole package.”

Alana wished she’d poured something stronger than sweet tea. “Huh.”

“She’s the whole package physically,” Terri said, touching Alana’s forearm. “But trust me, that’s where it ends. She has no depth.”

That made her feel marginally better, but Alana wasn’t sure Grayson was looking for a woman with depth. Maybe he was just looking for a good time while he looked for something better. That would never be her. If she were involved with a man, she wanted to know she was the only one. Not that she and Grayson were involved or ever would be…

“Why do you look so sad?” Terri asked. “I didn’t say something to upset you, did I?”

“No, nothing like that,” Alana said. “I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“I like your brother. He’s a nice guy. I wouldn’t want to see him end up with the wrong kind of woman, that’s all.”

“I heard he messed things up with you. That’s why you didn’t make it to dinner at Mama and Daddy’s last weekend.”

Alana was surprised he had taken the blame for what happened. She’d thought he might have vented to his family about how unreasonable she’d been.

“I hope that doesn’t mean you’ve given up on him.” Terri’s eyes drifted to Jaxon. “I love Jaxon like a brother, but I’d much rather see you with Gray.”

Alana was flattered she’d earned Terri’s seal of approval so quickly, but she wondered how that had happened. “I appreciate that, but you don’t even know me. How can you be so sure I would be right for Grayson?”

Terri smiled. “Call it women’s intuition. I haven’t seen my brother that torn up about a woman… ever.”

“Torn up?” Alana swallowed. Had he really been as upset about their argument as she had been? “Are you sure you’re not exaggerating just a little?”

“Hell no,” she said, reaching for a glass of red wine. “Trust me, I know a messed-up man when I see one, and my brother was a wreck that day. He said you weren’t going to take the job with High Rollers, because he’d been too pushy. What changed your mind?”

Alana’s eyes drifted to Jaxon and smiled at his antics. He was tossing a laughing pre-schooler with water wings into the pool. She would definitely enjoy getting to know him better. She could use more positive energy in her life.

“Please don’t tell me Jaxon’s the reason you decided to stay.”

Alana didn’t realize she’d been staring at Jaxon with a wistful expression. “No, not at all. Your brother was the one who talked me into taking the job. He came to see me after he left your parents’ place that night. He said he’d like to start over, that even if we couldn’t be friends…” She cleared her throat delicately. “Or more, he still thought I’d be a valuable member of their team. He promised if I was uncomfortable reporting to him, I could go to Jaxon instead.”

“I’m sure Jaxon was thrilled about that,” Terri said, taking a sip of wine. “Spending time with beautiful women seems to be one his favorite pastimes.”

“We’re just friends, honestly.”

“You and Jaxon, or you and my brother?”

“Both.”

“That’s too bad.” Terri sighed. “We really hoped this thing with you and Gray could go somewhere.”

Alana felt a little flutter of excitement in her tummy, but she tamped it down. “I don’t think so. I just got out of a really bad marriage. I thought I knew Ronan, and it turns out I didn’t. I’m having a little trouble trusting my judgment when it comes to men these days.”

“That’s understandable. I’d probably feel the same way in your shoes.” Terri hesitated, as though she was weighing her words. “My brother mentioned that he reminds you a bit of your ex.”

Alana laughed. “More than a little. If you met Ronan, you’d know what I mean.”

“Would you think I’m terrible if I admit that I Googled him?”

“No, I wouldn’t think you’re terrible,” Alana said, smiling. “I probably would’ve done the same thing.”

“I can’t deny there’s a striking resemblance.”

“It’s not the physical resemblance that bothers me.” Alana couldn’t believe she was about to open up to Grayson’s sister, but she wanted her take on it. “Your brother is pretty intense. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a nice guy, but—”

“He seems controlling?” Terri smiled when Alana nodded. “And he always has to be right. I hate that about him. But there are so many things to love about him you learn to overlook that.”

Alana didn’t doubt that was true, but given her history, she had good reason to be wary.

When a couple approached the table, Terri said, “Why don’t we snag those chairs in the shade before someone else does?”

“Sure.” Alana should have been circulating, meeting her new bosses and co-workers, but she felt more comfortable with Terri than she had with any woman, aside from Kari, in a long time.

“What’s my brother told you about his past?” Terri asked once they were seated.

“Not a lot,” Alana admitted, sipping her sweet tea. “We don’t know each other all that well.”

“Seems you know each other well enough for you to have formed some pretty strong opinions about the kind of man he is,” Terri said. “I’m not judging you. I can certainly understand why you feel the way you do. Did Gray tell you he played college football?”

Alana knew Grayson should have been the one telling her about that, and she felt a little guilty for allowing his sister to fill her in. “No, he didn’t mention that.”

“He was a quarterback.” Terri set her empty glass in the grass by her feet. “He was good, really good. He had a good shot at going pro.”

“Wow, I had no idea. What happened?”

“My daddy had a stroke, and Gray had to drop out of school to come home and take care of the ranch.”

Alana’s mouth dropped open before she snapped it shut again.

“He still got his degree, one class at a time, but his football dreams died the day he told the coach he was catching the first plane home.” Terri blinked back tears before she allowed them to fall. “We almost lost Daddy that year. Rehabilitation was hell. He couldn’t walk or talk. Hell, he couldn’t even feed himself. He was just a frightening shadow of the man he used to be.”

“I’m so sorry,” Alana said, reaching for Terri’s hand. “That must have been awful.”

“It was. But it was harder on Gray than anyone. Daddy was his hero, and Gray was so afraid of letting him down. The ranch has been in my daddy’s family for four generations, but if it wasn’t making enough money, we’d have no choice but to start selling off the land. Gray knew that would kill Daddy.”

“So he gave up his dream of playing professional football to take care of your family?” Alana swallowed the lump in her throat. Grayson seemed as if he had it all together, as if he’d always had it easy. She couldn’t believe how wrong she’d been. “That must have been hard.”

“You have no idea,” Terri said, releasing a shaky breath. “Sometimes, after everyone else went to bed, I’d wander downstairs and find him on the back porch with a beer. He said he couldn’t sleep, had too much on his mind.”

“But your father made a full recovery?” Alana asked, hoping the story had a happy ending.

“He did, but it took a few years, and he never went back to ranching full time. By then, the ranch was doing so well he could afford to hire someone to manage it. That was right around the time Jaxon came to Grayson with the idea for High Rollers. Daddy gave them the money Grayson had refused to draw as a salary for all those years.”

“Do you think he’s sorry he wasn’t able to play professional football?” Alana asked. He didn’t seem like a bitter or resentful man, but she didn’t know him all that well.

“I think he would do just about anything for the people he loves,” Terri said, obviously avoiding the question. “He had to take control, otherwise we would have lost everything. I think that just became so ingrained in him that he’s had a hard time shaking it.”

“It serves him well in his business dealings though,” Alana said. Men like Grayson—or Ronan—who felt they had to control everything and everyone always had a story. As noble as Grayson’s was, that didn’t change that he was a control freak.

“Sometimes. All the guys are pretty strong-willed. They butt heads a lot, but they always manage to come to some kind of agreement.”

“You’re obviously proud of your brother,” Alana said. “I meant what I said earlier—I do think he’s a great guy.”

“You’re just not sure he’s the right guy for you?”

“No, I’m not.”

Terri touched her forearm. “No one can convince you to feel something you don’t, but I think you’ll regret it if you don’t give him a chance. What can it hurt to get to know him better?”

***

Grayson was surprised to see Alana chatting with his sister. They looked deep in conversation, so he didn’t want to intrude. Were they talking about him? Was his little sister putting in a good word for him with Alana? If she was, he’d have to reward her with expensive jewelry for her birthday next month.

“Keep your eyes off my girl,” Jaxon said, wrapping his arm around Grayson’s neck.

“Your girl?” Grayson gripped his longneck tighter as he shook off Jaxon. “Who the hell are we talking about? And don’t tell me it’s Alana.” He’d been making himself crazy wondering about Jaxon and Alana.

Jaxon chuckled. “Why didn’t you just tell me you had a thing for her? You know I would’ve backed off.”

Grayson breathed a sigh of relief. Jaxon understood guy code well, and they would never step on each other’s toes. Even if his partners gave him a hard time about breaking his own rules, Grayson could live with that if it meant he could come clean about his feelings for her. “How’d you know I was into her?”

Jaxon chuckled. “Might’ve been the fact you looked about ready to rip my head off when I talked about going over to Alana’s place.”