Once and Always (Women of Character) (16 page)

"She's one person. What about
Randal France and Lynn Barnum?"

He shook his head, unwilling to be
sidetracked. "We'll see what happens in the next few months. All I know is
my return is business. It's not a homecoming party."

Looking disgusted, Annie shook her
head. "No one is saying it should be a party." She came to her feet
slowly and began to dress.

Tyler watched her, his mouth going
dry as she reached for her brassiere, then her shirt again where she'd let it
slide to the ground. It had been so unique, empowering to make love with Annie.
As she slid the last button in place, he wondered how they would go on from
this moment. He didn't regret his words, they were reality, but he could see by
the sadness in her face she didn't agree with him. "Do you expect me to
get sentimental about being back here? My feelings are nothing close to
sentimental."

"Nobody twisted your
arm." She turned toward her horse.

Tyler thrust a hand through his
hair. He didn't want her leaving with things so unsettled between them.
"Don't go." He moved to stand in front of her, but when she looked up
at him expectantly, he wasn't sure how to begin or even what he wanted to say.

There was regret on her face.
"We're on opposite sides of the fence." She stepped around him.
"Nothing has changed."

Tyler reached down and scooped up
his black shirt and quickly pulled it on his shoulders, following her as she
caught up with Spirit.

She unthreaded the reins, jammed
her foot in the stirrup and mounted.

Annie looked down at him. "I
don't regret what happened but the timing's off. I guess we don't have anything
to build on."

Tyler couldn't deny the same
thought.

"I've done most of the
talking!" Annie said, exasperated, "Say something! I know darned well
you've got an opinion."

Tyler recognized some of Annie's
spark from the old days, and he couldn't help but smile. Desire rose again and
he almost reached up to pull her down. "Step off that horse and I'll have
plenty to say." The smile lurking in her eyes told him he'd touched a
familiar chord. He could almost see the wheels churning in her head, and he
wondered if she'd slide into his arms. He stepped closer, knowing if she
dismounted, he'd pull her back to the ferns and there'd be no turning back for
either of them.

His body still vibrated with the
memory of their lovemaking. What would it hurt to find that satisfaction in
each other's arms again?

A half smile lifted her mouth.
"It would be so easy, wouldn't it? Swing my leg over this saddle and jump
down. Walk into your arms." She looked toward the trees and her expression
grew pensive. "But then I think of the aftermath, the problems we could be
creating down the road with everything so unresolved between us." Her
glance met his. "We don't know each other anymore and maybe we're starting
over backwards."

"Dammit, Annie, we know each
other as well as any other two people. Do you want promises that I might not be
able to keep?"

She straightened and picked up the
reins, but he caught the hurt in her eyes. Turning the mare's hindquarters to
him, Annie looked back over her shoulder. "That's the last thing I'd
ask," she said softly. "We jumped into this too fast and I haven't
got a clue where to go from here, but I can make sure it doesn't happen again.
I'll see you around."

"Annie!"

She nudged her mare into a lope
away from Tyler and it took all his control not to jump on his horse and chase
her down. She had a mind of her own and he'd said the wrong thing, but he'd
been honest with her.

Annie seemed to think they needed time. They'd already had
six years, but he didn't know how much more it would take to heal the hurts
they both held. Grimly, he feared they might never heal.

When Tyler returned to
the barn twenty minutes later he found Danny sitting on the fence rail, chewing
on a piece of grass and staring vacantly across the empty pasture lot. As Tyler
drew closer and dismounted from his horse, Danny finally looked up and
acknowledged his presence with a quick nod. Slowly, he dropped his feet to the
ground and approached him.

Tyler stifled an impatient groan,
not sure he was up for a conversation with anyone. He needed time to think
about what had happened up there on that hillside with Annie and right now his
brain felt like it was short-circuiting. Annie wasn't the same as he
remembered, and he felt as tangled up inside as a bad roll of baling twine.
After their lovemaking, he'd been on an incredible high, but with the way
they'd parted and with doubt setting in, he felt about as wonderful as a day
old hangover.

He kept seeing Annie's head drop
back, the heavy strands of hair splaying across his arm, heard her sighs as he
kissed her again and again. . ..

"Miz Anna said I was to wait
for you." Danny rubbed his hands down the sides of his jeans and watched
him expectantly. "No matter how long it took, I was to wait."

"Danny, why don't you come
into the barn?" Tyler led his horse inside. Quickly and efficiently, he
unsaddled the gelding and brushed him down.

Danny watched him closely and then
walked with him as he led Frisco to the outside paddock and released him. Tyler
rested his boot on the fence rail and looked out over the pasture. Finally, he
turned to the other man. "You know, Danny, this is a big ranch. By next
week, I'll start cutting hay and there's a load of other chores that have to be
done. I'll need a good man to work for me."

"That's why I have to talk to
you. Miz Anna said you're the boss now and I'm to listen to you."

Tyler looked at Danny
speculatively. "We've known each other a good long time, haven't we,
Danny? We were friends once."

Looking confused, Danny stared at
the ground.

"Danny," Tyler said
patiently, "if you're going to work for me, I don't want any problems. I
have to know what's going on with the ranch, no matter how big or small a
problem. That means there are no secrets. And I won't have you interfering
between Annie and I."

"No problems, no mistakes. I
do my work," Danny said, his jaw now clenched. "You won't have to
fire me."

Tyler stared at the other man's
guileless pale blue eyes. "Did Annie say you'd be fired if you made a
mistake?" He didn't believe that.

Danny's blue eyes went wide with
shock. "No, No. I'll do a good job and you won't fire me."

"Who said you'd be fired?"
Tyler asked again.

Tyler watched Danny nervously
clench his hands. "Mr. Martin told me to be quiet and if I make any more
mistakes, I get fired."

Tyler frowned. "You're
talking years ago, Danny. Do you remember the day my father and I left?"

Danny quickly shook his head.
"No. I gotta go." Without another word he turned and walked away.
After about forty feet, he stopped and looked at Tyler over his shoulder.
"I'll be on time tomorrow morning and I'll work hard, but I don't remember
anything about Mr. Martin." Quickly, he walked away.

Frowning, Tyler watched him hurry
up the road until he disappeared and he wondered if Danny knew something about
what had happened six years ago. Maybe Martin had threatened to fire him if he
told anyone the truth. With a sick twisting in his gut, Tyler knew he'd have to
find out what Danny knew, even if only for his own peace of mind. The problem
would be getting that information without scaring Danny away.

Ω

Much later that evening Tyler
heard a car door slam and looked out the office window. He'd turned on the
outside light earlier so Annie didn't come home to a dark house, and now he
could see her battered pickup truck in the driveway they shared.

Tyler left the papers he'd been
going over and exited the office. Throwing open the front door and walking
across the lawn between the houses, he called her name.

Annie stood by her front door, and
now she turned, a small bag clutched to her chest. "Tyler, you startled
me."

"Sorry. Can you come over to
the house?" he asked.

She retraced her steps and then
crossed the lawn towards him. "Is something wrong?" she asked, her
voice hushed in the semi-dark. "It's pretty late."

"We need to talk."

She hesitated a moment, but then
she nodded. "Sure."

Tyler led the way back to the
house, holding the door as she stepped inside the foyer. He closed the door
behind her and noticed her quick glance around.

"It looks bare in here
without your certificates and ribbons," he remarked.

"I've packed it all away in
boxes. With you leasing the house it's more fitting for your awards to be up
there."

      "I'd like to collect
trophies that show our collective effort," he said quietly, reaching
behind her to switch on a wall sconce. She smelled as fresh as the outdoors,
and Tyler wanted to catch her close to him and kiss her like he had this
morning.

Annie stepped away, shaking the
hair off her forehead as she turned in a half circle, her eyes large in her
pale face. "That would be a wonderful coup, of course, but I don't imagine
I'll return to competition."

"I hate to see good talent
wasted," he said. "Have you ever shown Spirit?"

"No. We've only played at
barrels from time to time."

"I think she'd do well."

"I'm not ready for setting up
schedules, thinking about show timelines or being in the public eye. I don't
know if I'll ever have the confidence to show again." He saw a flicker of
interest in her eyes but she merely shrugged a shoulder. "I loved
competition, but sometimes it's just the right time to stop. Like Martin used
to say; know when to cut your losses and move on."

"That can be a tough
philosophy to follow, but it's your choice." Martin had played hardball
all his life, and he'd expected Annie to fall into line. Tyler had often
suspected that even his early friendship with Annie had set Martin against him
to some degree. "Something else I've been thinking about today is putting
out press releases to let people know we're open for business. And," he
studied her intently, "what do you think of having an open house to kick
things off? We'd invite the public, not just horse people―the general
public for a fun, informative day here at the ranch. We could have a barbecue,
have some reining demos going on. I know it could go either way," he
added. "People will show up or they'll decide to stay away. I'm hoping
curiosity will win out and they'll come."

"The open house sounds like a
great idea, but what about the renovations you've just started?"

"I have a bigger work crew
coming in so the renovations won't take too long," he said. "I want
to have the open house in the next month or so, maybe earlier if I can pull it
together." He glanced at his watch. "I've already come up with some
ideas. Why don't we talk about it while I whip up a late night dinner? Have you
eaten?"

She hesitated a moment. "Sara
and I caught a late lunch together in town." He thought she'd refuse, but
then a ghost of a smile appeared on Annie's face. "Now there's an enticing
thought, a man to make me dinner. Will it be hot dogs and beans?"

Like old times. Tyler almost said
the words, but he stopped himself in time, his thoughts flashing back to six
years ago. Back then, all he'd mastered was hot dogs and beans. The memory
created a dull ache in his chest.

"No," he said lightly.
"I was thinking about a juicy steak and Greek salad. I like cooking once
in a while. . .nothing fancy, but I'll guarantee it's edible."

Annie laughed. "The word
edible did the trick," she said.

"Come into the kitchen."

"I'll set the plates and
silverware out," she said, slipping past him as he held the kitchen door.

Tyler followed, enjoying the
light, fresh scent lingering in her wake.

As Annie gathered plates and
eating utensils from the cabinets and drawers Tyler opened the refrigerator and
removed the salad and steaks he'd promised her. With an economy of movement, he
placed the steaks under the broiler and turned the dial.

"So how is Sara―and the
new job?"

"She's dived in with both
feet. More responsibility, which means a bigger time commitment.  But she's
loving it." She lifted a brow. "Sara told me you plan to give them a
donation."

"It's a good cause."

"It is." She smiled at
him.

He took a deep breath, determined
to tell Annie the real reason he'd invited her over. He turned to face her just
as she pulled her sweatshirt over her head. The movement pulled her T-shirt
underneath up, exposing her ribs and outlining her breasts, then she tugged it
off her head. As she pushed her shirt back down and smoothed her hair, he
cleared his throat, trying to recall what he'd wanted to say. He wasn't going
to get very far if all he could think about was how good it had felt to touch
her this morning.

"Annie, it feels like we've
gone too fast." He had a hard time forcing the words out.

She balled up the sweatshirt, her
shoulders stiff as she stared at him with a guarded expression. "If you're
referring to this morning," she said stiffly, "I've never―that
is―"

"I just want you to
understand I don't want to ruin our relationship," he cut in, "any
type of relationship, before we even get started. What would you say to getting
to know each other at a slower pace?"

"You mean go back to square
one?" she asked cautiously, leaning her hip against the table.

Hope filtered through Tyler.
"Yes. We get to know one another again." He pulled a chair away from
the table and invited Annie to sit down, then he opened the broiler and turned
the steaks as he waited for her answer.

"I don't know. It didn't work
out for us six years ago, why think now is any different?"