Riding for Love (A Western Romance) (3 page)

She shrugged her shoulders as if to loosen the effects of her assault on Dent. “First, he called the sheriff.” Crossing her arms on the top fence rail, she relayed the entire incident. “Last time I looked in the rearview mirror he was standing in the middle of the sidewalk staring after me. End of story.”

Tom had a strong hunch that was definitely not the end of the story, but kept his opinion to himself. He hooked the heel of his boot on the bottom rung, and viewed the ranch Eve had created from the dilapidated farm left by her parents.

Over the years, as she was growing up, Tom had wanted to beat some sense into her father. He and Ed had played high school football and basketball together, helping lead their teams to championships every year. To Tom, sports were something to do for fun, knock off steam, impress the girls. To Ed, football was life.

After winning a football scholarship to the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Ed met Linda, a beautiful, dark-haired, dark-eyed cheerleader. Tom had been half in love with Linda himself but didn’t have time to pursue women, let alone a classy one like her. He was the best man at their wedding. Eve arrived seven months later.

In their junior year, Tom’s father died in a farm accident. Being the eldest child, he left school to help his mother with the farm and his younger siblings.

In the last game of the season his senior year, as the pros were hot on his tail with contracts, Ed broke his ankle in several places by an opponent wishing to make a name for himself. His dreams of playing in the NFL were as crushed as the bones in his ankle. Where Tom had accepted what life threw at him, Ed couldn’t handle the disappointment.

By the end of the semester, Ed started drinking. With only five months to go, he dropped out of the university and returned to this farm, where he proceeded to make life hell for everyone. If Ed couldn’t be happy, neither could anyone else.

At times Tom thought it was lucky Ed and Linda had only Eve, so Ed couldn’t make anyone else’s life miserable. At other times he wished they’d had a houseful of kids for Ed to spread out his spite.

As time went on, Linda retreated more and more into herself. No longer getting pleasure from hurting his wife, Eve became his next target. During her teens, she occasionally tried to fight back, but became like her mother, quiet and reclusive.

Then Eve met Denton Johansen. In spite of what happened later, Tom was grateful to the young man. Not only did he get her away from home, but he brought laughter and confidence into her life. He never saw two people more suited to each other. Even Ed’s persistent ridicule of his daughter couldn’t bring her out of the clouds she’d lived in that year with Denton. It took his betrayal to do that. Not only did she lose her boyfriend, but she didn’t have his support during the death of her mother.

Awful to think, and something he voiced to only one other person, but while Linda didn’t deserve to die, Tom thought it’d turned out to be a good thing. Linda had been set free from her tyrannical husband and Eve from her father.

The subsequent trial for homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle sent her father to prison, allowing Eve to get on with her life. With her parents and Denton gone, a fierce determination to succeed and prove she wasn’t like her father developed.

Eve graduated from college in hospitality, travel, and tourism. With his financial help, she turned the dilapidated family farm into a riding ranch for the summer and fall, and a playground for cross-country skiers and snowmobilers in the winter. After years of hard work, they now had a fairly successful business.

He turned to the young woman beside him. Pride welled up again, bringing tears to his eyes. If only a man would ride into her life to love her, the way she deserved to be loved. There was so much of Linda in her, and maybe that’s why he loved her so much. Had Linda lived . . .

He sighed. No sense living in the past. Look where it got Ed. Tom touched Eve on the arm. “Well, kiddo. What about Max? No doubt he’s smitten with you.”

Eve nodded. “It’s just that . . .”

“He doesn’t make the earth spin faster and bring a blush to your face.”

“Something like that. I have a date with him tomorrow night. I wish I could convince him just to be friends.”

Tom patted her hand. “I’m afraid he wants more than that, dear girl.”

With mutual ease, he enjoyed the scenery with Eve. “You know what you have to do, don’t you?” When she remained silent, he gave her an answer. “You need to find out what happened with Denton and Marie so you can get over him once and for all and move forward.” He planted a kiss on her cheek when she didn’t respond.

“Well, this isn’t getting the place ready for customers, girl.”

Her face lit up, and she chuckled as she grabbed his arm. They headed to the barn. “No, sir, it isn’t. We have to muck out the barn.”

“Clean out the cabins.”

“Repair and put away the winter toys,” she added.

Arm-in-arm they continued to rattle off the chores to complete before the first of the customers hit in three weeks’ time. Their list became more outrageous as they thought of their future demanding guests.

“Pick up twigs.”

“Turn the grass green.”

“Help the horses learn not to swish their tails.”

“Teach the fish to jump into the boats.”

“And mosquitoes not to bite.”

Chapter 3

Eve sat back in her chair and twirled the stem of a wine glass between her fingers and crossed her legs at her ankles. She suppressed a contented sigh. Going out to dinner with Max had turned out to be an excellent idea. Soft, live piano music, subdued lighting, and whispered conversations all worked together to relax her to the point of feeling as if she’d stepped from a hot, scented bath. Even Max’s puppy-dog gazes couldn’t stem her mellow feelings.

Somehow, she had to put a stop to his attempts at making something more of their friendship. Tonight she was too laid back. It would have to wait until another time.

Max had made reservations at her favorite restaurant in Eau Claire. Ice cubes in his glass of brandy clinked as he swirled the amber liquid. As usual, their discussion turned to horses, her ranch, his business, and the upcoming season.

“Are you ready for your first customers?” he asked.

“Almost,” Eve answered with a grimace. “Every year we think we’re going to be ready early so we can relax before the onslaught, and every year we’re rushing around like banshees trying to get done in time. Those late snowstorms set us back. The snow seemed to take forever to disappear and trails to dry out.”

Max leaned back, allowing the waitress to place their plates on the table. “How are the bookings this year?”

“We may add a few more cabins this fall before the snowmobile season.” Eve tore off a piece from a warm loaf of bread. “We’re up from last year and actually had to start a waiting list. What do you think about adding extra horses?” she asked, looking from her plate to his face.

He was staring at her over the rim of his glass as he took a sip. “Good idea. You should be proud of yourself, Eve. You’ve worked hard to make Tamarack Hills a successful business.”

She smiled warmly at his comments. She
had
worked hard. If only she had someone to share her dreams as well as her current problems with besides Tom. Someone with dark, laughing eyes and full lips capable of sucking the breath out of a woman with one simple kiss or put life back, depending on her point of view. She mentally shook herself. Damn Denton for bumping into her life again.

“You’ve been a big help, Max.” Even though he was a friend, something held her back from telling him about the recent rash of “accidents” on the ranch. She reached across the table and patted the back of his hand. “Your expertise on raising horses has been invaluable to us.”

Max took her warm hand in his. Power surged through his chest. He’d tried hard over the past few years to be a confidante and friend. Things had changed lately and it was time to take the steps to win her over.

“I’m glad I’m not on call this weekend,” Max said with a grin. “As much as I enjoy being a vet, if I have to help deliver one more colt or calf, I’ll scream. I even dream about it.” He leaned forward and pressed her fingers. “I’d much rather dream about you,” he added in a husky voice, hoping she would realize the meaning in his comment.

“Don’t worry. By the time the birthing season is almost over and the tourists start coming, you will have so many pampered pets to take care of, you won’t even have time for me,” Eve said, laughing.

He rubbed his thumb across her soft knuckles. “I don’t mind coming out to your place.” In his dreams, the trip would be a forever one. He sighed as she gently, but firmly, removed her hand from his. Frustration washed over him at her lack of response to what he considered obvious intentions. No idea of what to do to get her to accept him as something other than “her vet” had come to him yet. But he’d think of something. He had to.

Their conversation came to an uncomfortable end. Afraid to make another approach, Max sat back in his chair and took a sip of his drink. He couldn’t figure Eve out. Her elegance and grace were in her simplicity. Where other woman worked at enhancing themselves, Eve simply let herself be. Her beauty turned him in knots and, yet, she didn’t seem to realize or care. She had something others lacked and oozed class whether in jeans, flannel shirt, and baseball cap, or, like tonight, a slim black dress. As they entered the restaurant tonight, he sensed other men following her with their eyes.

For some reason, she lacked passion for him. If he hadn’t seen the way she acted around her horses and foreman, he would wonder if there was an iceberg hidden in her pants.

She never talked about her past. He didn’t like listening to gossip, but couldn’t help overhearing stories about her parents and her childhood. Unfortunately, a few people took exception to her success, including her cousin, Snook, who didn’t bother to hide his disdain of her. Perhaps it was the reason she didn’t get close to him or anyone else.

He often hoped she stayed away from other men because of him, but lately he wasn’t so sure. The subtle way she ignored his overtures. Either she chose to ignore his feelings for her, or was oblivious to them. Sometimes he actually hoped it was the latter; it would be easier on his heart.

Eve twisted the pearl ring she wore on her right hand, catching the light of the candles, turning the surface from white to pink. She usually wore gloves working around the ranch, so he didn’t know if she always wore the ring or just when she went out. He wondered at its significance. A gift from a past lover? In the years since moving to town, he’d never heard her name tied with another man’s. From what he had heard about her parents, he doubted the ring would have come from her father, but possibly her mother had saved something from her past to give to her daughter.

Max leaned across the table and took her ring-clad hand in his again, having decided to ask about the ring. She stiffened and tried pulling her hand from his, but he held on. Tremors moved through her hand to his, and she blushed. Had his touch finally produced a reaction, a sign she was warming to him?

Realizing her eyes were focused, not on him, but on something behind him, he let go of her hand. Her once rosy cheeks turned as pale as the wine in her glass, and her eyes glimmered with unshed tears. Before he could question her change in mood, she stood.

“Excuse me, Max,” Eve said, grabbing her clutch from the table. “I’ll be right back.” Keeping her head down, she maneuvered around the tables and headed for the back of the restaurant.

Confused, he glanced over his shoulder to try and figure out what had changed Eve so rapidly. Except for a couple walking across the room toward their table, everyone talked or ate quietly. He recognized the woman, but not the man accompanying her. Watching the tall, dark-haired man with the older woman approach, Max had a sinking feeling the man had something to do with Eve’s quick departure. Goosebumps crept up his arms as a premonition hit him. The man meant bad news. He straightened his shoulders and rose to greet Rose Johansen and her companion.

Eve leaned against the doorframe of the woman’s bathroom. Grasping her purse against her stomach with both hands, she tried calming the herd of horses charging through her system. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and peered through the leaves of a tall potted plant placed to obscure the view of the restrooms. Her pulse picked up speed. Rose and Denton approached Max.

“Smart move,” she muttered. “Chicken. You should be raising chickens instead of horses, moron!”

She slapped her hand over her mouth when an elderly woman exited the bathroom and gave Eve a polite smile and a wide berth. The woman went to her table and whispered something to her companion, probably about a crazy lady talking to a tree. Eve suppressed a laugh. Crazy, that was her all right. Crazy to be afraid of Denton and the rush of adrenaline snapping her nerve endings at the sight of him.

“C’mon, girl, he can’t eat you.” Visions of Denton nibbling on her neck sent shivers up her spine and down her legs. “Well, not literally, anyway.”

Over the years, though, memories of his desertion had eaten away at her, turning her into an emotional cripple, afraid of becoming close to anyone except Tom. “Damn! Why did he have to show up tonight and ruin the evening?”

She peered through the branches of the plant. Max kissed Rose on the cheek. Rose introduced Max and Denton.

Eve couldn’t help comparing the two while they shook hands. Both men were good-looking, tall, about six two. Max’s hair was blond, straight and short, while Denton’s was dark, wavy, and worn nearly to the collar of his pale blue dress shirt.

Max’s slim, wiry physique hid a strength making him capable of handling even the largest animals. Denton’s broad shoulders and hips accentuated his slim waist making him seem taller than Max. Women’s eyes followed Max when he came into a room, but he seemed to pale in comparison with Denton.

The men shook hands, but didn’t immediately let go. Max frowned. Did Denton grimace? Were Max’s fingers turning white? Were they going to start arm wrestling in the middle of the restaurant? Not that it mattered, but had Denton seen them together and think she and Max were lovers?

Max said something and the three of them turned in her direction. Eve skittered back, hoping the rustling branches weren’t obvious. She peeked through the leaves again. They were still looking her way.

“Oh, hell,” she muttered. “I can’t hide out here forever.” Wiping her hands down the sides of her dress and taking a deep breath, she stepped into the hallway, head high, shoulders back, knees trembling. “I’m not chicken,” she said, surprising a couple sitting nearest the restrooms.

“Eve, what a nice surprise,” Rose said, giving her a gentle hug when she reached the table. “You remember my son, Denton, don’t you?”

Eve couldn’t believe Rose’s question. What was she trying to pull? Even though her relationship with Denton had ended years ago, her friendship with his mother had grown and blossomed. Before she answered, Denton leaned over and placed a brief kiss on her cheek.

A lighted blowtorch placed directly against her skin wouldn’t have burned anymore than his simple peck. Memories flashed back at her. Denton chasing her around the trees in his parents’ yard. Denton’s first tentative kiss on their fifth date. His last soul-searching one the evening before he left for college. The one from a lover during his Thanksgiving break.

“Hello again, Eve.” His soft words snapped her out of her memories.

“Hello, Denton,” she managed to utter, avoiding his eyes and glancing at Max.

Max observed the interaction. The urge to mark his territory overpowered him. He took Eve’s hand in his. “You two know each other?”

He expected Eve to answer since Rose was only a passing acquaintance. When the older woman didn’t say anything, he glanced at Eve. Her face had gone from pale to rosy again, and she kept her eyes on their clasped hands. With a subtle motion, she turned the pearl side of her ring to the inside of her hand, leaving only the thin, gold band showing. What the hell?

It was obvious he was not going to get an answer from Eve or Denton. He raised an eyebrow at Rose.

“Max, Eve and Denton went to high school together. They haven’t seen each other in a long time,” Rose answered Max’s silent inquiry. “Denton, Max is a veterinarian and takes care of Eve’s animals.”

“We’re out enjoying one last quiet evening before the seasonal rush starts,” Max said, trying to cover the awkward situation while attempting to figure out all the currents flowing around them.

It was more than the way Denton looked at Eve, like a lost puppy having found his way home, or the way Rose watched Denton looking at Eve. There was so much voltage zapping between Eve and Denton, Max thought the restaurant lights should be popping and snapping.

Was this Denton an adversary? A future friend? He sure as hell wished he knew because the situation was getting more strained by the second.

An awkward silence landed on the foursome once more. Eve didn’t understand Rose’s smug smile. Max squeezed Eve’s fingers tighter and glared at Denton as the silence stretched. Denton glanced between Max and Eve’s joined hands and their faces, seeming to come to some decision. He came forward and took Eve’s other hand in his.

“Eve, I need to talk to you,” he said, pressing her fingers in his.

Max’s hold on her hand increased as he gently eased her away from Denton.

Denton grasped her hand tighter.

“Please, Eve. I need to explain.”

She tried to turn and face him, but Max’s grip forced her back to face him. She was beginning to feel like a piece of taffy, being stretched and tugged to the maker’s satisfaction. A glance at Rose’s smiling face told her she wasn’t going to get any help from Denton’s mother. Max and Denton acted like gladiators in a coliseum ready to fight for their lives. She only wanted to leave. People were starting to stare at the foursome still standing beside the table.

As she tried to extract her hands from both men, their grips became equally stronger. Her fingers began to tingle from lack of circulation. She tugged again and finally faced Denton.

“Please let go of my hand. I have nothing to say to you,” she said in a low voice.

Denton stared down at their hands, his tight grip surprising him. He placed her white fingers across his palm, resisting the temptation to kiss color back into them.

“I’m sorry, Eve. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Eve showed him her back as she faced Rose. “Nice seeing you again, Rose. Let’s get together for lunch before the rush starts.”

Rose gave Eve a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll call you.” She stepped back and nodded at her bewildered son. “Come on, Dent. Let these two finish their evening together.”

Denton reached for Eve again. “Please, Eve. I need to talk to you. I won’t take up much of your time.”

Instead of answering, she sat down, took her napkin, placed it on her lap, and picked up her glass of wine. “I don’t think so, Denton.” She motioned to Max. “Please sit down. Our meal is here.”

How foolish could a person be? He knew a retreat was the best, but wanted to grab her, throw her over his shoulder, run out the door, toss her in his car, and kiss her until she was ready to listen. People still stared. His mother touched his arm. It was time to back off, for now. A restaurant was not the place for a confrontation. He’d think of something else.