Jenny (7 page)

Any momentary attraction he'd felt for her vanished as he hardened his heart. He would have to deal
with her, true. He couldn't avoid it, but he would
make sure that their dealings were strictly business.
Then she would be gone.

"The trip was fine," she answered quickly, his unexpected appearance embarrassing and unsettling her.
"Cole what are you doing here?"

"Louie told me you would be arriving today, and I
needed to speak with you."

"About what?" She couldn't imagine what they had
to say to each other. It would have been better, less
awkward, if they'd never seen each other again.

"If you'll come into the study with me and sit down
for a moment, I'll explain." He motioned toward the
doorway behind him.

Frances and Evelyn had heard them talking, and
they appeared at the far end of the hallway just then.

"You're back?" Evelyn was surprised to find Jenny
and Cole in conversation.

"Yes, but Cole needs to talk to me for a moment,
so I'll be with him in the study."

The two women disappeared back into the kitchen
as Jenny followed Cole into the room that had been
her father's haven.

The study embraced her with nearly overpowering
memories of her father. From the masculine scent of
his leather-bound books to the sight of his massive
desk and chair, nowhere else in the house was her
father's presence more evident than in this room. The
study had been his special place. It had been the place
where he'd gone to work, the place where he'd gone
to read, the place where he'd spent long hours teaching her how to play a serious game of chess. Tears
burned in her eyes, and the ache of missing him grew
in her heart.

Jenny moved farther into the room. She couldn't
imagine what Cole was doing at her home or what
business he could possibly have with her. She resented his being there.

Cole waited until Jenny had come all the way inside the room, then closed the study door behind her.
He gestured toward a chair before the desk.

"Please, sit down."

Jenny was taken aback by the fact that Cole was
telling her what to do in her own home. She sat down
without comment, though, just wanting to get this
conversation over with as quickly as possible. They
had parted under terrible circumstances, and, though
he had been nothing but polite since they'd come face
to face, she could well imagine what his true feelings
were toward her. It would be best if he would just
say whatever he had to say and then leave.

"I trust you've been well?" Cole asked casually as
he sat down at the desk and faced her.

"I was until the news about Papa came." Jenny's
answer was terse. She certainly didn't want to make
small talk with Cole, and she was greatly irritated that
he'd taken it upon himself to sit at her father's desk
as if he had the right.

Just who did he think he was?

"Your father's death was a horrible thing, and
that's what I need to talk with you about."

Cole gave up trying to be cordial and got down to
business. She was being so cold that he was more
than ready to see her board the eastbound train and
head back the way she'd come the sooner, the better.

"It was important that I meet you here today be cause I needed to make you aware of some of the
provisions in your father's will."

"Didn't he have a lawyer who handled all this?"

"Yes, Andrew Marsden, and yesterday Mr. Marsden sent word to me to meet him at his office. I made
the trip into town and spoke with him at length."

"About what?" she asked cautiously.

"Marsden informed me that your father had made
some changes in his will a little over a year ago
changes that no one else was ever made aware of"

"What kind of changes?" She suddenly had a terrible feeling about what was to come.

"Your father had directed Marsden to make me the
executor of the estate."

"He what?"

"According to the terms your father set down, I am
to be in control of everything until you turn twentyfive years old or get married or decide to sell the
ranch, whichever comes first."

Jenny stared at him in disbelief. Her father had
named Cole the executor?

"But you're not even family," she protested. Even
as she said it, she was a bit embarrassed, for she realized that they could very well have been man and
wife right now had she not walked out on their wedding.

"I pointed that out to Mr. Marsden, but he said your
father was most explicit in the terms of the will. We
can arrange a meeting with Mr. Marsden tomorrow if you'd like. He can go over the will with you then, so
everything can be straightened out."

"Can you be removed as executor? Surely that was
some kind of mistake on my father's part," she remarked, hoping it was possible.

She couldn't imagine what her father had been
thinking when he'd chosen Cole to run things. She
was perfectly capable of taking charge of the ranch.
Hadn't she just proven that by going back East to
school? She was an educated woman, a woman full
grown, and she didn't need anyone to take care of her
or oversee her interests.

Cole stared at her, and if it were possible, the look
in his eyes turned even colder.

"I had nothing to do with this, Jenny. Your father
specifically set things up this way. Marsden will explain that to you when we meet with him. I didn't
know anything about being named executor until yesterday, and believe me, I am not thrilled with the
arrangement either."

His words lashed at her, and she paled.

Cole hated her.

"I would much rather have your father alive and
well and here with us right now, but that's not possible," Cole continued harshly. "It was his request that
I do this. He's the one who wanted me to take charge
of the estate and see that things are handled properly.
I will respect that request."

"I see."

"If you're agreeable, handling the estate shouldn't prove too difficult. We should be able to conclude
most of the business in just a few days, I would
think."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm more than willing to buy the Lazy S from you.
Name your price. We can let Marsden handle all the
paperwork, and then you can be on your way."

Jenny stiffened at his cold, calculating statement.
She glared at him as she replied, "And just what
makes you think that I'm prepared to sell?"

"You can't very well run the Lazy S from Philadelphia."

"And who said I was going back to Philadelphia?"

"Well, since you haven't bothered to come back
here for the last two years..."

Cole's accusation hit a nerve with Jenny, and she
lifted her gaze to his, her expression challenging and
angry. "I have no intention of leaving again. I've
come back home, and I plan to stay."

It was the first time she'd said it out loud, but now
that she had, she knew it was the right thing to do.
Aunt Evelyn was going to be shocked by her decision,
but it was her decision to make. As much as she'd
enjoyed her time in Philadelphia, this was where she
was meant to be. This was where she belonged.

Cole stared at her in open irritation. He'd known
that dealing with her wouldn't be easy, but he'd never
imagined that she would decide to stay on at the
ranch. He'd thought she would come home, take one
look around, and leave again just as fast as she could. Certainly, she'd shown no interest in being here before. But now, if she didn't sell out to him, he would
be forced to work with her until she married or turned
twenty-five, and that was years away. He wanted to
swear in frustration.

"Let's meet with Mr. Marsden tomorrow afternoon.
The sooner I speak with him, the better," Jenny told
him. "And while I appreciate your offer for the Lazy
S, the ranch is not for sale. I'm back, and I intend to
take over and run things just like my father did."

Cole was tempted to tell her about her dire financial
situation right then and there to discourage her, but
he held back. Tomorrow would be time enough for
her to find out what bad financial shape the ranch was
in. If she heard it from him tonight, she might think
he was lying or exaggerating just to anger her, but if
it came straight from Marsden, she would have to face
the truth. Then maybe she would change her mind
and sell out to him and leave.

The last thing Cole wanted was to be forced to deal
with Jenny on a regular basis until she was twentyfive-and if she stayed and tried to take over the
everyday running of the ranch, that was exactly what
would happen. Even though she had been raised on
the ranch, she was a woman, and some of the ranch
hands might have a problem with working for a female.

"I'll set things up with the lawyer for tomorrow
afternoon, and I'll meet you at his office." Cole stood
up, ready to leave, wanting to get away. He deliber ately did not offer to accompany her into town. He
was certain she could find her own way into Durango.

"That will work out just fine," she agreed, rising,
too, to see him out. She could tell by his surly expression that he wasn't pleased with the way things
were going. "I am sorry that this has been forced upon
you."

"Believe me, so am I, but it's what your father
wanted. I'm doing it for him," he said curtly as he
walked toward the door. "I'll see you in town."

Jenny followed him from the study, but he strode
down the hall and out of the house without looking
back. She closed the front door and walked slowly
back into the study. She was standing just inside the
doorway when Evelyn found her.

"Is everything all right, dear?" Evelyn asked.

"I'm not sure-"

"What's wrong? Cole didn't try to cause any trouble, did he?" She had been worried about Jenny running into Cole again; finding him here at the house
had been disturbing.

"Papa made Cole the executor of the estate," she
explained.

"He did? But why?"

"I don't know. Whenever Papa came to visit, he
rarely mentioned Cole, and when he did, it was only
in passing. I know he always liked him, but I had no
idea that he would do something like this to me."

"You're worried about dealing with him?"

"According to what Cole told me, he's in charge of everything until I turn twenty-five, get married, or
sell out. I have no intention of selling out, and I certainly don't plan to get married any time soon," she
said with conviction.

"But I thought we were planning to return home to
Philadelphia once you'd settled everything here."
Evelyn was taken aback by her declaration. Living on
the Lazy S was nice enough, she supposed, but she
was accustomed to life in a big city.

Jenny turned to look at her aunt, her expression
serious. "Aunt Evelyn, I am home."

"Oh, my." The older woman sank down on a chair,
her own plans in chaos. She knew how headstrong
her niece could be, and she could tell that Jenny had
made up her mind. Still, she had to ask, "But what
about Cole? Are you going to be able to work with
him? He didn't seem all that friendly today, and four
years is a long time to be forced to deal with one
another."

"I can do anything when I set my mind to it," she
declared. "I'm going to make Papa proud of me."

"He was always proud of you," Evelyn said with
certainty.

Jenny knew there had been times when he hadn't
been proud of her-like when she'd walked out on
Cole. But that had been then, and this was now.

"Well, I'm going to make him prouder. I want the
Lazy S to be the best ranch around." She went to look
out the window. The land stretched before her in
seemingly unending glory. "It's so beautiful here, Aunt Evelyn. This is my home. This is where I want
to stay. I hope you understand."

"Oh, I do, dear, and if you want me to, I'll stay
here with you," she offered.

Jenny looked at her in surprise. She'd expected her
aunt to be anxious to leave. "But what about your life
in Philadelphia?"

Evelyn smiled gently at her as she went to stand
beside her. "You're my family, Jenny. I love you and
want to help you in any way I can."

Jenny hugged her. "We'll make Papa proud, you'll
see. It may have taken me a while to realize that this
is where I belong, but now that I'm back, I never
intend to leave again. I'm home, Aunt Evelyn. I've
come home."

Jenny turned to gaze out the window again at her
beloved ranch, and her heart filled with love and
fierce determination.

She was going to do this for her father and for
herself.

So, Jenny planned to stay.

The ride to his ranch was a long one, and Cole was
glad. He needed the time to calm down. He'd known
that seeing Jenny again was not going to be easy, but
he'd had no idea it was going to be this difficult. He'd
thought that he would only have to meet with her two
or three times, and then she'd be gone from his life
forever. But it looked like that wasn't going to happen.