Jake (23 page)

She was grateful that he’d given her some space. She turned away, her gaze sweeping the landscape, her foot tapping.

Finally, she took in a long, deep breath and crossed the distance between them. “I’m sure you have questions. Can we talk in a little while?”

He shrugged. “If you’d rather.”

“Thanks. If you’re hungry, Ela and Phoebe sent chicken and corn bread.”

He followed her up the steps of the porch. As she unlocked the door and stepped inside, he remarked casually, “I didn’t hear you invite Noah to stay for supper.”

“He’s not a chicken-and-corn-bread kind of guy.”

Jake chuckled. “Too bad. His loss. I guess that means more for me.”

“If I don’t eat it all first.” Relieved that Jake was willing to give her time to clear her mind, she washed her hands at the sink and began removing the bags of food from the refrigerator, while Jake set the table.

“Milk or coffee?” Meg asked.

“Both, as long as you have both.”

“I do.” She measured coffee and filled the maker with water before fetching two frosty glasses of milk.

When everything was ready, they took their places across from each other. As they ate, Jake tried to gauge Meg’s mood while he waited for her to fill in the blanks. She took her time, feeding an appetite sharpened by the hours spent in the high country.

At last, when the meal was finished, and they were sipping strong, hot coffee, she began to talk haltingly.

“Noah is the son of Cyrus Kettering, the senior partner of Howe-Kettering. He’s being groomed to replace Cyrus when he retires.”

“And you’re being groomed to be the wife of the new senior partner.”

“I know how it looks, but…” She sighed. “It isn’t something we’ve talked about exactly. Mostly, when we have time away from work, we talk about our latest clients, and our strategy for winning our next trial. It’s an extremely high-energy world, and that leaves little time for small talk or romance. But he’s made it plain that we’d make an unbeatable team. His father makes it equally plain that he approves. It was Cyrus who interviewed me, at my stepfather’s request, and Cyrus who gave me my first assignment with the firm, and who has personally watched my star ascend.”

“And you owe him.”

She nodded. “Big-time.”

“Enough to marry his son?”

When she said nothing in her defense, Jake studied her over the rim of his cup. “So he sent his top gun out here to bring you back to the fold.”

Meg nodded. “Something like that. I think Cyrus was not only sending a message to me, but he was also asking me a question. Just how important is all of this to me? And now he has my answer, and I have his. Though he doesn’t like it, he has no choice but to grant me this time, or he risks losing me.”

“What about your risk?”

She sighed. “It’s huge. Cyrus could decide to bring in a replacement. The city is full of hotshot legal eagles who would die to have a chance at my job.”

“That’s the business risk. What about the personal risk?”

She shook her head. “What Noah and I have is a mutual love of our chosen careers. We’ve never actually talked about a commitment.” She kept her eyes on the tabletop, avoiding Jake’s gaze. “I’m sure a lot of people slide into an arrangement because of a shared interest.”

“Slide into marriage? What about love? Passion? Romance?”

She gave a short laugh. “A nice thought. In my world, there isn’t time.”

“That’s a pretty harsh world you’re living in.” He reached over to press his hand over hers. Cold, he realized. “Maybe some people settle. You don’t strike me as someone who’d settle for less than having it all.”

“I thought I had it all.” She sighed again, long and deep. “Now I’m not sure about anything. In the dark of the night, watching Cory asleep in the barn and seeing Honey with her puppies, I felt so sure. Staying here until I figured things out seemed like the right thing.”

“And now?”

She gave him a wan smile and withdrew her hand from his to clench it tightly in her lap. “I’m sure I’ll have to fight a lot of demons, but for now, I’m doing the only thing I can.” She drained her cup. “And it’s not some big, noble gesture. It’s purely selfish. I’m doing this for myself. So that whether I stay or go, I’ll be satisfied that I took the time to think it through. One step at a time.”

Jake crossed to the sink and filled it with hot water before gathering the dishes. Meg removed a clean linen cloth from a drawer and dried. When the dishes had been put away and the table wiped down, Meg set mugs, coffee, cream, and sugar on a tray and led the way to her father’s old office.

While Meg filled their mugs, Jake piled logs and kindling on the grate and started a fire to chase away the chill of the night.

As they settled themselves in front of the fire, Meg sipped her coffee and smiled. “It’s hard to believe that the nights are still cool enough for a fire. Back in D.C. I’d be cranking up the air in my town house.”

“Do you miss it?”

She thought about his question before forming a response. “Funny. I don’t, so far. I have friends there, of course. Guys from the office who are always willing to talk shop over a quick dinner. And friends from boarding school who are often in the city for a day of shopping, or a weekend. I’m comfortable enough with them that I can call, even at the last minute, if I find myself with a free evening and a chance to enjoy a leisurely dinner.” She glanced at him. “Maybe, if I stay long enough, I’ll miss the city and all it has to offer. But right now all of this is so new and yet so familiar, I’m beginning to feel that I never really left.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe what a difference a day makes.”

“Yesterday was a tough one for both you and Cory.”

She nodded. “And so enlightening. It was like having a switch thrown, and suddenly I was bathed in so much light it was blinding. I couldn’t seem to take it all in. I didn’t know if I’d been blinded, or blindsided, but I was definitely overwhelmed.”

“Either way, you’re dealing with it.”

“I hope Cory is.” She turned to him. “How do you read Cory, Jake?”

“He’s scared. He’s lost his anchor. I’d guess that after his mom died, the only secure thing he had left was his father. And now that anchor’s gone, too. Any kid would be scared and angry.”

“I don’t know. Sometimes I think—” she searched for the proper words “—he’s carrying a heavy load of guilt.”

“Don’t you think it’s natural for a kid to feel guilty because he’s alive and his parents are dead?”

“Maybe.” She sipped her coffee. “I just wish I could get him to open up to me.”

“Give him time, Meg. If last night was any indication, he’s come a long way from that mute kid you confronted when you first arrived.”

Meg laughed. “You’re right. I’d forgotten just how alarmed I’d been, thinking he couldn’t speak.” She got to her feet and set her empty mug on the tray. “There’s another cup of coffee left. Want it?”

Jake shook his head. “I’ve had enough.” He crossed the space that separated them and set his cup down before taking her hand. “If you’d like, I’d be more than happy to keep you company here tonight.”

Her smile was quick and easy. “I just bet you would. That’s very generous of you, but I need to prove that I can take care of myself.”

“You don’t have to do this alone, Meg.”

“I do.” She picked up the tray and started toward the kitchen.

Jake followed. “If you really plan on being alone, I could lend you my rifle. It’s in my truck.”

She shook her head as she set the tray aside on the kitchen counter. “I’ve never even handled a rifle. If an intruder broke in, I’d probably blow a hole in the wall, or shoot myself in the foot. And wouldn’t that have everyone in Flora’s Diner laughing at the silly city girl?”

Jake couldn’t stop the grin that curved his lips. “Yeah. You’ve got a point. You’d be the talk of the town. But I wish you’d let me stay. I could sleep in your dad’s office, if you’d like.”

“Nice try, cowboy. But since I’ve decided to be perfectly honest, I have to admit that if you were anywhere in this house tonight, we’d find a way to get together. And it wouldn’t be just for warmth.”

“Now you’re talking.” That sexy smile widened.

“That’s why you’re going back to your ranch. And I’m going to prove to myself that I can survive the night by myself.”

His smile faded. “Keep your cell phone charged and by your side.”

“I will.” She held open the back door.

“It probably wouldn’t hurt to leave the outside porch lights on.”

“All right.” She touched the switch, flooding the area with light.

He paused. “I don’t like this, Meg. I should stay.”

“I don’t like it either. But you’re going.”

He paused and brushed a quick, hard kiss to her mouth. They were both startled by the sparks that sizzled between them.

She put a hand to his chest and looked up at him. “Don’t make this any more difficult than it already is, Jake. Go.”

He stepped out the door and made it down the steps before turning. “I could—”

“Good night, Jake. And thanks for everything.”

He folded his arms over his chest. “I’m not leaving until you close the door and lock it. And for good measure, wedge the back of the chair under the handle.”

She did as he asked. When she waved from the window, he turned and walked to his truck. She was still waving as he drove away.

She looked, he thought, like a scared kid putting on a brave face before boarding the bus on the first day of school.

It was killing him to drive away and leave her. But she’d probably kill him if he stayed.

Chapter Nineteen

Jake parked the truck behind the darkened ranch house and let himself into the barn. At this late hour, he’d expected the building to be dark, but all the lights were on.

Cory was leaning on the low rail of Honey’s pen, watching her and her puppies while they dozed. The boy looked up in surprise. “You’re not staying with Meg?”

Jake shook his head. “She wants to prove that she can take care of herself.”

“But…” Cory looked genuinely alarmed. “She shouldn’t be alone.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that there’s no use fighting a female once she sets her mind to something. Especially that female. Your sister is one tough cookie.” Jake’s laughter faded as he studied the boy more closely, seeing the real terror in his eyes.

He put a hand on Cory’s shoulder. “Hey. What’s this all about?”

Cory turned away, avoiding his touch. “Nothing. She just shouldn’t be alone is all.”

“Do you know something I don’t?” Jake struggled to keep his tone deliberately casual and nonthreatening, but it wasn’t easy when Cory was so obviously unnerved.

The little boy avoided him, walking into Shadow’s stall and shaking out the bedroll hanging over the railing. He seemed to be shaking it as hard as he could. Almost as if, Jake thought, he was shaking the very devil out of it.

Jake heard the ping of a text message and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Seeing nothing, he glanced over at Cory. “That must have been your phone.”

Without looking Cory shook his head. “Who’d be texting me?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you check?”

The boy removed his cell phone from his pocket and turned away, blocking Jake’s view. Then he returned it to his pocket with a shrug. “Like I said. Nothing.”

Jake’s eyes narrowed. He knew what he’d heard. Knew also that the boy was hiding something from him. But short of calling Cory a liar, he didn’t see much that he could do about it.

“I guess I’ll go up to bed then, unless you’d like some company.” Jake backed away, hoping Cory might relent and share whatever was bothering him.

Instead, the boy kept his back to him, looping an arm around the colt’s neck.

“All right then,” Jake called. “If you ever feel like talking, I’m always ready to listen. ’Night, Cory.”

“’Night.”

Jake studied the boy’s rigid back as he closed the barn door and latched it.

As he made his way toward the house by the light of the moon, Jake wrestled with the idea of going back and confronting Cory.

Though the boy denied knowing anything, Jake was more convinced than ever that Cory Stanford knew a whole lot more than he was admitting to.

And just what he knew could be the key to solving the mystery of who was intruding on Meg’s private life. And why.

Meg had all the lights in the house turned on. The windows of the ranch house were ablaze. To help keep her spirits up, she added another log to the fireplace. The warmth of the fire added a layer of comfort. Cory’s baseball bat at the side of her desk added an extra layer of safety. She realized it wasn’t much of a defense, but just knowing she had something handy to swing at an intruder gave her courage.

She was dressed in a pair of comfortable flannel pajama bottoms and a soft tee. Her hair was held back with a rubber band.

Because she was too nervous and keyed up to sleep, she decided to tackle some of her father’s files. She spent the next hours going over his financial ledgers, noting the cost of feed and grain for the herds, the cost of maintenance on the house and outbuildings, and the detailed list of wranglers employed to tend the herds and their payments. Her father’s meticulous bookkeeping would certainly make it easier for Meg to plan for the final payments to the wranglers at the end of round-up. Whether she was still here, or whether she was back in D.C. in her town house after directing Kirby to make the payments out of the estate, at least she would have a handle on the expenses.

Meg studied her father’s scrawl, methodically marking the date, the check number, and the amount of each transaction. It was shocking to think that he’d made these entries just days ago. And now he was gone.

She struggled to put the thought out of her mind. It was too painful to think that if she’d only come here for a visit a week ago, she would have been able to sit down with her father and catch up on his life. She could have told him about all the things she’d accomplished, and the life she’d made for herself. Maybe they could have put aside their differences to share a laugh or a hug.

Could have.