No One Needs to Know (6 page)

Levi and Kathy shook his hand and made sure he knew where the birthing kit was. He watched them meet Annie halfway to their truck. Huh. He’d expected Kathy to touch Annie. A hug maybe, or at least a friendly hand on her shoulder. But they kept to their own personal spaces, and said their goodbyes with nods.

When Annie returned to the stable, the first thing she did was hand him a couple of pills and a bottle of water. “Ibuprofen.”

“Thanks.”

With a nod, she went to check on Glory, but from outside her stall. Tucker followed until he was close enough to smell a hint of liniment, which he didn’t mind at all. He supposed it had a lot to do with his own history. The scents of a ranch were home to him, including the one that overshadowed the sweet peaches that lay beneath....

At the thought a bolt a lust shot through him, making him reel. It was crazy. Maybe he was too tired to be sticking around when everyone else was gone. He’d like to think he was made of stronger stuff, but his reactions were off. Just to get some distance, he went to check on the other pregnant mare.

The two empty birthing stalls still had shavings instead of pure straw. He walked deeper into the stable, really looking at the other horses. A sturdy-looking mustang had a bandage over one eye. Then there was a buckskin Appaloosa who seemed unaffected by the human comings and goings, but had some bandages on her flank. She reminded Tucker of a horse he’d ridden for five years, a great palomino who’d been so good-looking, no woman for miles could resist her.

“You can’t see it from here, but Pretty Girl was quite a mess when she arrived,” Annie said, indicating the Appaloosa. She’d come close, and Tucker kept his gaze on the mare. “She’d tangled with some barbed wire, and it took a lot to patch her up.”

“You do it well.”

“Nothing like on-the-job training. I put another pot of coffee on while I was at the cabin. I’m going to make us a couple of thermoses. How do you like yours?”

“Black is fine. If you tell me where things are, I could do that for you.”

“That’s okay. I think we have a wait. I’ll be back in plenty of time.” Annie started walking, but stopped before she stepped outside. “You promise you’ve done this before?”

“I swear.” He put his hand up, and she sighed.

When she had rounded the path out of his sight, he let himself breathe again as he got out his cell to speed-dial George. Tucker updated him on the attached photographs, what he’d found under the bed, and then asked him to look for evidence that Annie might have been working with someone else. Maybe someone who was pulling her strings.

“You think she was coerced?” George asked, not sounding as surprised as Tucker might’ve expected.

“I don’t know. I’m trying to look at every angle. Some things don’t make sense about her. I’d rather we kept an open mind. If she’s not the only one behind the embezzlement, I want to know. You find anything else since we talked?”

“No. That account number might just be the answer we’re looking for.”

“It might,” Tucker said. “I’ll call you when I can.”

After he put his cell away, he found a couple of blankets in the area they used for supplies, and brought them up front. If they were going to wait, they might as well get comfortable. Besides, it was better to be as discreet as possible when mares were foaling. They could spook so easily.

He spread out the blankets against the wall in the stall next to Glory’s, then went back to the supply area to gather everything they’d need for the arrival of Glory’s foal. He couldn’t see well with the red lights, but it didn’t matter because the packaging told him most of what he needed to know.

The same could not be said about Annie. If he’d returned to his hotel room, he would’ve gone straight to his computer. Hell, he wouldn’t have been able to wait that long. He had an iPad in his briefcase in the rental, and he’d have stopped way before Kalispell to reread every word in his files. Watch the videos, look at the pictures as if he didn’t have each detail seared into his memory.

Thing was, he’d only been with Annie a few hours, so maybe him not being able to figure everything out wasn’t all that strange. On the other hand, now was the time to turn every stone, including the ones that seemed least likely.

He thought about his mother spending Tuesday evening on her own. He’d asked if she’d made other plans, but he’d anticipated her answer. She would end up in her room, eating off a tray. She’d watch TV, mostly reruns of shows she’d liked when his father had been alive.

Tucker had heard her talk to him from time to time. As if he were in the next chair. Irene was lonely. What scared him was his suspicion that she wanted all the forgiveness she could get from Christian because she didn’t plan on sticking around.

He rubbed his tired eyes, then stared at his watch until it came into focus. Annie was taking a long time. A whole lot longer than making a pot of coffee required. Maybe she was checking her hiding spots, making sure he hadn’t been snooping. Great. He’d probably disturbed something that made her suspicious. For all he knew she’d grabbed her coffee can and run.

As if on cue he heard the rumble of an engine. He jumped to his feet, half expecting to see her taking off in that old green pickup, leaving a cloud of dust behind. As soon as he made it outside, he saw that it was a truck, a late-model four-door from what he could tell, coming down the road toward Safe Haven. He’d assumed they’d be alone for the rest of the night, but maybe the local vet was arriving to check on the mares.

Annie came around the edge of the path, stopping to stare at the oncoming vehicle. Tucker couldn’t see her face, but her body stiffened and she brought the thermoses she carried up to her chest.

A moment later, she relaxed again. The truck was familiar to her. The vet, or perhaps a friend. Although Kathy and Levi had suggested that Annie didn’t have many of those.

She shot him a look, and when he nodded, she changed course for the parking area. The big truck had settled next to the old green pickup. He watched four people climb out. Two men, two women. The men were both tall, one dark haired, the other light brown, both dressed as his own hands would be, but that didn’t mean a thing in cattle country. He knew professors and CEOs who wore Stetsons and jeans on a daily basis. The smaller woman was a brunette, the other a redhead, also wearing jeans. Annie was taller than both of them.

Instead of continuing to stare like a tourist, he went back into the stable. Glory was on her side, huffing, uncomfortable, more obviously stressed. He watched for a bit, but he couldn’t see enough from this angle to tell if there was cause for concern. She settled, though, so Tucker went to the birthing kit and checked it out, even though he knew exactly what he’d find. Subdued voices approached, and he walked outside. One guy held a cooler, and the other had a big picnic basket. A good distance from the doors, Annie and the two women waited. The closer he got, the more uncomfortable she appeared.

“Kathy called Shea, so they came with dinner and help if we need it. Doc Yardley is stuck on a call at another ranch, most likely for the night,” Annie murmured, sweeping a glance from the newcomers to him. “This is Tucker Brennan.”

“Shea Monroe,” the brunette said, and held out a stiff hand, which he shook.

“Ah, yes, the chairman of the board,” he said. “Pleasure.”

Annie nodded at the guy holding the drinks. His hair was shorter than his cohort, almost a military cut. “Jesse McAllister.”

“The pilot. That’s a great service you run,” Tucker said.

“It’s a co-op. I just fly where I’m told.”

“And this is his sister, Rachel.”

They greeted each other with smiles.

“I’m Matt Gunderson,” the other guy said. “Hope we’re not intruding, but according to Shea, you two are in for a long night.”

“You’re not intruding.” Annie’s words sounded sincere, but she wasn’t looking at any of her friends, and the thermoses were back in place against her chest.

“Have we met?” Tucker asked, staring at Gunderson.

“Don’t think so.”

“Wait, you’re a bull rider. I’ve seen you ride in Dallas. You won the nationals in Vegas last year.”

Matt nodded. “That’d be me. Listen, I know you guys have to keep it down, make sure the mares are doing okay. We can just drop this stuff off and be on our way, unless you think you’ll need a hand.”

Annie looked up at that, first at Matt, then at Tucker. He couldn’t read her expression, but if he had to guess, he’d have said she’d tell them to go. But then she looked at Shea, and her shoulders dropped. “No, stay. In fact, you guys can tell Tucker about town, and the new boardinghouse and stuff. I have to go check on Glory.” Annie shoved one of the thermoses at him, then walked into the stable.

The surprise wasn’t that he’d guessed wrong about her telling her friends to leave, but at the deep sense of disappointment he felt at Annie pawning him off. He tried to convince himself that his frustration was because of his investigation, but he knew that wasn’t quite true.

6

A
NNIE
HAD
KNOWN
THAT
LETTING
people into her solitary life was going to be trouble. She just hadn’t guessed the form it would take. She’d tried to make it clear that any generosity or kindness flowing her way should be directed solely at Safe Haven. People being nice to
her
made her want to scream.

It wasn’t their fault. They had no idea who she was, what she’d done to her parents, to the people her stupidity had harmed. Even with what Shea knew, she probably still didn’t get it. They all saw this person saving animals and figured she must be a wonderful soul, selfless to the core.

The only reason she hadn’t chased them away was because of Tucker. Annie should have been prepared with some food and drinks. Despite all appearances, she hadn’t been raised in a barn.

But at least she could trust Shea with Tucker. Unlike Kathy and Levi, Shea was more concerned with getting financing from Tucker’s foundation than talking up Annie. As if she hadn’t figured out their little ploy.

Glory was really sweating. She was on her feet and moving around, and as Annie watched, the mare’s placenta ruptured. Annie wouldn’t leave again until the foal dropped. Glory went down again in the middle of her nest.

Annie held her breath as the first signs appeared. Thank God it was two front hooves and muzzle. Still, a lot could go wrong.

“She looks good.”

Annie exhaled, starting at Tucker’s voice so close to her. She had to stop doing that. She hadn’t heard him or sensed him enter the stable, let alone come right up to stand by her shoulder.

She didn’t reply, her focus entirely on the mare. The contractions made her wince, but the baby was coming on fast. Before it seemed possible, the foal was mostly expelled, but Mom needed a few minutes to gather more strength before the next push. When it came, there was a beautiful soaking mess of a foal, and everything from that moment on went like clockwork.

Tucker never interfered at all, but he was right there when Annie took care of the umbilical stump and handed her towels to rub the foal.

She had no idea what time it was when Glory set about bonding with her baby, except that humans were no longer welcome in the stable.

After a quick look at the other two mares and getting cleaned up at the deep, old-fashioned sink, Annie led the way out. She expected that everyone had eaten, or at least to find the picnic basket and cooler waiting for them, sans company. But that was clearly too much to hope for.

Matt opened the cooler and pulled out two beers. “Cause to celebrate?”

Tucker took them both and handed one to Annie. “Textbook,” he said.

“Great. Let’s eat.” Shea headed to the parking lot, where Annie saw they’d set up the food tailgate-style, complete with folding chairs.

Annie had to admit she was hungry. It had been an utterly nerve-racking day, and while her adrenaline was flowing now, she knew a crash was inevitable. Thankfully, it wasn’t that late. Tucker could go home right after a quick bite, and she could at least try to get some sleep.

She had the feeling that no matter her degree of exhaustion, turning off thoughts of Tucker wouldn’t be easy. So many things to process, not the least of which was the fact that every time he came within spitting distance, the flutters started up with a vengeance.

There were enough chairs for everyone, and whoever had set them up did her a favor by putting them in a large circle. The cooler was brought to the open tailgate of the pickup, alongside the basket.

“We’ve got sandwiches,” Rachel said. “Roast beef, tuna and veggie on sub roles. There’s chips and carrot sticks—”

“And cupcakes,” Jessie added. Annie doubted he meant to sound quite so excited.

“Cupcakes and beer?” Tucker shook his head. “You Montana folks are culinary daredevils.”

Rachel snorted, but somehow made it ladylike. “We had a whole ten minutes to pull everything together because someone who should have reached out earlier didn’t,” she said, pinning Annie with a mock glare. “Oh, and there are cold sodas and bottles of water in the cooler.”

Annie really liked Kathy, but she was going to strangle her. “Just how many meals were you planning on serving?” she asked. “It’s late. You guys all have to go home so I can get some sleep.”

“We didn’t know that the horse was going to foal so early,” Matt said. “And I heard there was more than one ready to go.”

“We only have one other mare in the stalls, but there’s no reason to think she’s going into labor tonight.”

Shea looked at her. “Would you prefer that we left?”

Annie knew Shea wasn’t being sarcastic or touchy. “No, really. I just hate keeping you all out like this. Tucker flew in from Dallas this afternoon, remember?”

“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I’ll be fine. I confess, I could eat.”

Annie touched his arm with her hand before walking over to the basket. “Thank you for your help today. It was unexpected.”

He stared at where her hand had been, then met and held her gaze in the weird light cast by two lanterns. “It’s been my pleasure. A very memorable day.”

She had no idea what to say to that, and honestly couldn’t tell if he was simply being polite or flirting. The flirting part was probably wishful thinking, which was nuts because what in the world was that going to get her? The two of them would never happen. No way in hell.

She swallowed hard. What she hated the most? The need was back, the desire to touch and be touched. And if anyone could satisfy that itch, it was a man like Tucker Brennan. She stepped back, away from temptation, and did everything in her power to not turn and run.

* * *

T
UCKER
GRABBED
A
RANDOM
sandwich and bag of chips, way too aware of the woman beside him. He’d flirted with her. Hadn’t meant to, especially in front of her friends. The blame went to the long day at least for now, but when he was alone again, he’d have to have a serious talk with himself about appropriate behavior.

As no one else was sitting, he went for the farthest chair, hoping Annie would sit opposite him. He wanted to watch her from a distance. He would’ve preferred to observe from outside the circle so he could concentrate on what was important instead of chasing his personal fascination with the enigmatic Annie. Instead, food was grabbed quickly and everyone sat, leaving Annie the chair to his left.

“How did you find out about Safe Haven?” Shea asked.

Halfway to a bite, Tucker paused, the question catching him off guard. He thought about asking her the same question. A woman with her security clearance and computer skills didn’t fit in this cowboy world.

“My foundation manager,” he said. “I’m not sure precisely where he ran across this particular sanctuary, but he does a very good job of finding worthy causes.”

She nodded slowly. “Perhaps I can speak to him. I’d like to know how effective our online marketing is. It’s difficult to choose where to spend money and energy when there’s so little to spread around.”

“I’ll make sure to get you that information.”

It turned out the sandwich was tuna, and it was good. He’d been so distracted he hadn’t realized how long ago he’d eaten, and for a few minutes he did nothing else.

Annie was chowing down, too, and it should have been far less compelling to watch her hunched over her sandwich as if she were afraid someone would steal it. But she managed to make it look sexy in a way that was slowing him down as his pulse sped up.

Damn, but she was a beautiful woman. That was another conundrum. Beautiful women often seemed to use their looks to get what they wanted. It was difficult not to, when the world around them made it so easy. Beauty was a passkey to so much. Even as children, teachers treated cute kids differently, everyone did. He’d been a recipient of that kind of bias himself. And he knew for a fact Annie had successfully used her looks to deceive Christian.

Yet, here she was out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by livestock when she could have hidden in a hundred easier ways. He couldn’t imagine the number of men who would have been happy to hide her, to keep her safe.

When he looked down, he realized he’d not only finished his sandwich, but actually used his fingers to capture the last crumbs of his potato chips. After a swig of beer, he went back to the basket. “Anyone else want seconds?”

“I’ll take another beer as long as you’re up there.” That was...Matt. The rodeo champ.

“You still riding the circuit?” Tucker asked, handing Matt his beer before heading back to his own folding chair.

Matt didn’t answer straightaway. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ve got things here in Blackfoot Falls that are taking precedence at the moment, but I’m still riding.”

“You’d better be,” Annie said. “We’ve been talking about having a charity rodeo for Safe Haven. Trouble is housing out-of-towners. There’s an old boardinghouse that’s going to be fixed up, but we’ll probably have to hold the rodeo closer to Kalispell if we do it in the next year.”

“It’s not a bad drive.” Tucker sat, consciously slowed himself down while unwrapping his next course. His hunger was easing, not gone.

“Too much beer drinking at rodeos to have people driving afterward,” Annie said.

Having a conversation made observing her easy. Although the way he was getting caught up in the view was a problem. “True,” he said. “But a rodeo is a good idea.”

“From what I saw on your website, your ranch is riding out the drought well,” Jesse said.

All Tucker’s plans to keep Annie engaged, to keep himself separate from the group, vanished in a discussion about cattle and the weather, which then segued into ranching innovations. By the time the eating and drinking had come to its natural conclusion, he felt every hour he’d been awake, and every ache he’d earned from his goat wrestling.

None of them would let him help pack up the impromptu picnic, but he was allowed back into the stable to check out the newborn. Already standing on wobbly legs, the still-damp foal was a sight to see.

Next to him, Annie sighed softly as they stood in the neighboring stall, keeping as quiet as possible. She had to lean into him so he could hear, and the contact against his arm wasn’t helping things. “We should go,” she whispered. Her warm breath skimming the side of his neck sent a jolt of awareness straight to his groin.

He nodded, made his tread as light as possible on his way out, Annie walking alongside him. For some reason the others were still there, all standing near the pickup. His knee-jerk reaction was disappointment. Dammit. Wanting to be alone with her was fine, even wise if he wanted to get information, but not when it was personal.

“What’s wrong?” Annie asked, as soon as they’d reached the others.

“That,” Rachel said, nodding at Tucker.

Caught in the middle of a yawn, he snapped his mouth closed. “I’m fine.”

“You might be right, but we don’t want to take any chances. Safe Haven needs your money.” Rachel grinned, but she wasn’t lying. “Our place is close by. We have a spare room you can bunk in for the night. Then you can go back to the hotel first thing to change and whatever.”

“I assure you, I’ve lived in isolated places my entire life, and I purposely had only one beer. I can drive.”

Jesse shook his head. “You’ll pass more deer, cattle and coyotes than cars on the way, but that’s not the problem. You’re tired from flying and driving. Why take the chance when we’ve got room?”

“Besides,” Rachel said, “you should get a look at the Sundance before you leave. You’ll be surprised.”

“At?”

“All the beautiful women who are staying with us,” Jesse said, and grunted when Shea elbowed him.

“Excuse me?” Tucker looked to Annie, who smiled, at least for a few seconds.

“They’ve turned it into a dude ranch,” Annie said, and then he recalled the website where he’d seen her photo. She’d been at the Sundance ranch when it was taken.

“Wait a minute.” Jesse was obviously annoyed. “That’s not true. Our main concern is raising cattle.”

Shea and Rachel exchanged glances, then stared at their feet to hide smiles. Clearly the dude ranch operation was a touchy issue, and as a cattleman himself, he understood. But that didn’t concern him. What did interest him was the opportunity to find out more about Annie from these people. And Shea...perhaps he should know more about her.

“Sorry,” Annie said. “It’s a working spread, but the dude ranch part is helping to transform the area. More guests, more tourists, more cash flow. And more opportunities to spread the word about Safe Haven. It’s all good.”

Rachel laughed. “Trust Annie to squeeze in Safe Haven.”

He didn’t think about it for too long. He would have preferred having his things with him, but the chance to gather information, and frankly, to get to bed sooner, was too strong an incentive to say no. “All right. Thank you, I’ll take you up on that.”

“Thank God,” Annie said, sincerity softening her voice. Her lips lifted in a tired but sweet smile. “I’d never have gotten to sleep if I was worrying about you driving all that way.”

That he instantly thought of staying right where he was, bunking down on the blanket in the empty stall, made him shake his head. He needed a good night’s rest. Desperately.

* * *

I
T
WAS
ONLY
WITH
TREMENDOUS
will that Annie brushed her teeth before heading upstairs to bed. She’d watched as Tucker had followed Jesse’s truck down the road to the Sundance, then she’d done a final check on the horses.

The short walk to the cabin had felt more like a mile, and she’d made herself prepare the morning’s coffee before she hit the bathroom. Now she had to climb stairs, but then she’d be horizontal and nothing would come between her and sleep.

An hour later, she was seriously contemplating bashing her head against the wall because her brain would not stop.

At first, it had been okay thinking about Tucker and wondering yet again if he’d flirted with her. She’d debated taking care of her suddenly awakened body, which was something she hadn’t done in so long, she wondered if she remembered how.