Teasing Annie: The Temptation Saga: Book Two (11 page)

“You want me. I can feel it.”

“I want you. I won’t deny it. I can’t. But as soon as you sober up you’ll ditch me again. So the answer is no.” She pushed him away, successful this time, and scrambled out of the tub. She threw him the bottle of shampoo. “When I come back in here, I expect that hair to be clean, along with the rest of you.”

Sopping, she left the bathroom, making a mental note to wipe up the floor before he got out of the tub. In his condition, he’d likely slip and harm himself. She rolled her eyes, berating herself for giving a damn. She’d dry the freaking floor for him. Despite everything, she couldn’t bear the thought of him hurting himself.

Back in the bedroom, she stripped off her drenched clothes and pawed through his dresser for something to wear. She found a pair of striped cotton pajamas that looked brand new. She dried herself off and put the garments on. They hung on her, but the pants had a drawstring that she tightened around her waist. She cuffed them to her ankles and looked in the mirror. She laughed to herself, more at the sheer absurdity of her present situation, rather than out of humor. She certainly wouldn’t win any fashion contests, but it would do. She picked up her wet clothes and went in search of the dryer.

Traipsing through Dallas’s huge house, she finally found the laundry room hidden in a corner of the first floor. Like everything else in the sprawling ranch house, it was oversized, about the size of Annie’s living room in her tiny apartment above the clinic. She started her clothes on the gentle cycle, and then went to the kitchen and poured a large mug of coffee for Dallas. She padded barefoot back up the stairs to the bedroom and placed the coffee on Dallas’s night table. Sighing, she went into the bathroom to check on him. His hair was wet, though whether it was from a shampoo or their earlier grappling session, she wasn’t sure. At any rate, she was done fighting with him, and the water was losing its heat, so she decided it was time to get him to bed.

“Are those my pajamas?” he asked.

“I had to put something on. My clothes are in the dryer.”

“God, you look sexy.”

“I look like a frumpy housewife.”

“You could never look frumpy, Doc. Damn, I want you.”

“So you’ve said.” She held out a towel for him. “Come on. Let’s dry you off and get you to bed.”

“Now you’re talkin’.”

“For
sleep
, Cowboy. You’re going to pass out within minutes.”

“Not a chance, as long as I know you’re here.”

“No problem, then. As soon as I get you bedded down and my clothes are dry, I’m outta here.” She jiggled the towel at him. “Come on now.”

He let out a sigh and stood up and stepped out of the tub.

“Oops,” Annie said. “I meant to wipe up the floor. It’s wet, so be real careful, okay?”

“I’m fine. A little chilly, though.”

“The water was losing its heat. Don’t worry.” She rubbed him with the towel. “I’ve got some hot coffee for you. You’ll be snug as a bug in no time.”

“Stay with me?”

“Sorry.” She wiped the last of the moisture from his body and toweled off his hair. “Come on.” She led him into the bedroom and helped him into a clean pair of boxers. “Lie down, now. Like a good boy.”

“I am a good boy. I always was. I never made”—he let out a lion’s yawn—“the same mistake twice.”

“So I’ve heard.” She handed him his coffee. “Take a few sips. It’ll warm you.”

“Thanks.” He took a sip and promptly choked. “Damn. What is this? Sludge?”

“It’s coffee, you idiot. Now drink.”

“This ain’t coffee, Doc. It’s pine tar.”

“Quit your whining. I don’t drink the stuff. How am I supposed to know how to make it? Now drink.”

“Yes’m.” He and took two more sips, screwing his face into distortion. “That’s all I can take. If your intent was to punish me for my overindulgence, consider yourself successful.”

“Funny man. Lie down now.”

“Come lie with me.”

“Nope.”

“Please? I don’t want to be alone.”

The words crushed into her heart. They were the same words she had said to him the first night they spent together. He had stayed.

So would she.

“All right. I’ll bed down in one of your guest rooms.”

“No. Here. With me.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Don’t care. Please.”

She sighed. He had stayed with her that first night and held her when she needed him. “Fine. You’ll be passed out within ten minutes anyway. Then I can turn the blasted channel to something other than sports.”

He chuckled into his pillow. “A romantic comedy I bet.”

“Action I think. Something with Bruce Willis or Arnold. Better yet, Gerard Butler. He was hot in
300
.”

“Annalisa,” he said softly.

“I’m here, Cowboy. Right here.” She kissed his forehead lightly.

“I should have never seduced you. Wasn’t right.”

“Ha. What makes you think
you
did the seducing?” Annie pulled a crisp cotton sheet over his body.

“Shouldn’t have. Wasn’t gentlemanly.” He yawned, his jaw opening farther than Annie thought possible. “I don’t do things like that. Never before. But I wanted you so much. Couldn’t control myself. Still want you. Annalisa.”

“It’s okay, Dallas. I understand.” She didn’t, but he needed comfort right now, not an argument. “Sleep now.”

“Annalisa,” he said again. “So pretty. Annalisa.” He sighed lightly and closed his eyes, his ebony lashes settling against his cheeks. “Annalisa,” he whispered. “I love you.”

A
nnie sat
, mesmerized by his steady slumberous breathing. A lone tear trickled slowly down her cheek. She locked her gaze on his handsome face. The tear fell from her face to his and began meandering through the stubble of several days’ growth of beard. She lowered her lips and kissed it away.

He wouldn’t remember saying the words, and she wouldn’t fool herself into thinking he’d actually meant them. But oh, she wanted to believe it. She so wanted to believe it.

Because she loved him.

She would do what she had to do to be with him. She’d tell him the truth tomorrow. All of it. Every last horrible detail. When he was sober. If he turned his back on her, so be it. She’d be no worse off than she was this very moment.

Forgetting about her desire for an action adventure movie, she clicked off the television, snuggled under the covers, and smoothed her hand over Dallas’s shoulder, down his arm, over his hip and thigh. His skin was warming. She cuddled into his back and kissed his shoulder.

“Good night, Cowboy,” she whispered.

D
allas was still
out cold when the sun rose. Annie stretched and got out of bed. She went to the bathroom, took a quick shower, and fetched her clothes from the dryer. Once dressed, she made a tummy-healthy breakfast of scrambled eggs and hash browns, left some for Dallas, and headed in her car to the herding site to check on the sick cattle.

After saying hi to the hands, she examined the stock and breathed a sigh of relief when she found no new sick animals.
It must be the grain then
. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the clinic to check for messages. Nothing yet. She administered doses of sodium thiosulphate to the recovering steers, but before she could get to her car, Doug Cartwright drove up in his police car with Chad in the passenger seat.

“Hey, Annie,” Doug said, the sun casting glints in his red hair. “You’re up with the birds.”

“Just checking on the stock,” she said. “No new sick ones today, which is good.”

“That’s great,” Chad said.

“I tried calling Dallas, but he’s not answering,” Doug said.

“I’m not surprised.” Annie rolled her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Do you have any news?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. One of my deputies got an anonymous call late last night.”

“And?”

“It seems one of Dallas’s men may have been paid off to poison the grain.”

“I thought he trusted his men.”

“He did,” Chad said. “But if the price is right, even the most honest man can take a tumble.”

Annie knew the truth of Chad’s words. She had seen her ex-husband turn from nice guy to violent criminal all for the sake of money. “Any idea which one it is?”

“I’m going to start questioning them today. We’ll find the culprit.”

“I hope he hangs,” Annie said. “Anyone who hurts innocent animals is a monster.”

“Well, babe, hangin’ kind of went out a century ago, but we’ll see he’s taken care of.” Doug winked at her.

“You know what I mean.”

“I sure do,” Chad said, “and I agree with you. Any man who’d hurt an animal ain’t nothing but a coward.”

“Can’t say I disagree with either one of you.” Doug raked his fingers through his auburn mane. “I don’t want to start questioning the men without Dallas though.”

“I can go up to the house and get him,” Chad offered.

“If you don’t mind, that’d be great,” Doug said. “I’ll just stay here and keep Annie company.”

Annie forced a smile. Doug Cartwright wanted more than to keep her company. It was written all over his face. “No need,” she said. “I’m done here.”

A
thousand wildebeests
were stampeding inside Dallas’s head. It hurt to move. Hell, it hurt to breathe. Fragments of the previous evening came to him. Lying supine on his bed, sucking on a bottle of Macallan. Calling Annie. Annie helping him to the bathroom. Kissing her in the tub. He smiled at that one. Her silky hands helping him into a pair of boxers and putting him to bed. She had stayed. So where was she now?

Cursing, he walked to the bathroom and swallowed four ibuprofen. He quickly dressed and went to the kitchen. On the table was a note.

He smiled. Lemongrass herb tea.
God, she’s adorable. God, I love her
. If only she had stayed. If only she were here now. If only…

He was wiping his lips after breakfast when Chad came in the back door. Though his brother shut the door gently, the thud echoed in Dallas’s aching head.

“Quiet, will you?”

“Sorry, bro. Doug’s out at the site. He needs to talk to you.”

“Have you seen Annie?”

“She’s out there too, checking on the stock.”

“Good. She’s still here.”

“What? You don’t mean—”

“No. Nothing like that. She just…took care of me last night. I had a little too much to drink.”

“Sweet girl.”

“She is that. I wish…”

“Don’t wish, Dallas. Just make it happen.”

“Can’t. So what does Doug want?”

“He wants to question your men. He got an anonymous call last night that one of them was paid off to poison your stock.”

“What? Damn.” Dallas rubbed his temples. “I can’t believe that.”

“I know it’s hard to fathom, but it could be true. After all,
someone
poisoned those steers.”

“It couldn’t have been one of my guys.”

“No one else has access to your barns.”

“Someone could have broken in.”

“But no one did. Doug would have found evidence if there had been a break in.”

“God damn it all to hell.”

“I hear you talkin’. Trust me, I’m as upset as you are. You should have seen Annie when he told her. She was chomping at the bit for a hanging, no less.”

“A hanging?”

“Seems she hates animal abusers.”

“Of course she does. She’s a vet.”

“Yeah, well, she’s out there waiting for you.”

“She is?”

“Well, Doug is.”

“Right.” Dallas stood up. “Damn, my head hurts. Let’s go.”

Annie had left by the time Dallas and Chad got to the herding site.

“Said she had to get back and check in at her office,” Doug told them. “Said to call when you found anything out. And she’d call or come out with the lab results when she got them.”

“Okay,” Dallas said. “Well, let’s get on with it.”

“This ain’t going to be a picnic, Dallas,” Doug warned. “Your men’ll get defensive.”

“Yeah, I know. But let’s get it done.”

“You’re sure you’re up to this?”

“Hell, no. I’ve got twenty jackhammers pounding in my head right now. But damn it, no one messes with my livestock and gets away with it, so let’s get it over with.”

F
our hours later
, Dallas’s head hurt worse than ever. Grilling his men had taken its toll, and Doug had a suspect that he dragged to his station for further questioning. A young man who had been with Dallas for several years. Morgan Bailey. Single. No immediate family in the area. Ripe for the picking.

But young. And weak. A little rough talk from Doug and he had squealed like a pig.

And the worst part? The trail led to a man named Jon Parker, chief legal officer for Beaumont Enterprises, his ex-father-in-law’s business.

Jon Parker. Chelsea had mentioned him on more than one occasion. They had been friends since seventh grade or something like that. For a while, Jon had been obsessed with Chelsea. Apparently he still was. But why would Chelsea want to hurt Dallas’s cattle? He had given the bitch seven figures, for God’s sake.

He pursed his lips and strengthened his resolve. He was more determined than ever never to get involved with a deceptive female again. After last night, he had considered giving Annie another chance.

Wasn’t going to happen.

He’d just have to get over her.

Funny, it sounded easy enough, but the thought of it ached in the marrow of his soul.

Speak of the devil. Annie’s Beetle drove up the dirt road as Dallas and Chad were waving Doug and the young suspect off.

“Hey, Dr. Annie,” Chad said, as she got of her car, “any news?”

“Yeah. Just got the call. Your grasses are clean, like I suspected. But the grain tested positive for cyanide.”

“Not a surprise. Doug just took in our suspect.”

“Good. You found him already. How are the animals?”

“They’re doing well, thanks to you,” Chad said.

Dallas still hadn’t spoken to Annie. She looked beautiful in a slim denim skirt and a peasant blouse. The sun cast glints in the burgundy highlights of her hair. How he wished things could be different. She turned to him.

“I need to talk to you,” she said.

“What about?”

“In private. Please.”

“That’s my cue,” Chad said. “I’ve got plenty to do. See you all later.”

“Can we go up to the house?” Annie asked.

“Uh, sure.”

“Good. I’ll drive. Hop in.”

When they reached the house, Annie headed straight for the kitchen, pulling things from shelves as if she lived there. For a moment, Dallas let himself imagine she did, that this was her house, her kitchen, her home. She looked right in his kitchen. Warmth filled his heart, and he stiffened. He couldn’t let the image soften him.

“How’s the headache?” she asked, filling a teakettle with water and placing it on a burner.

“Hurts like a bitch.”

“I don’t doubt it.” She pulled two teabags out of her handbag. “Lemongrass,” she said, “with some peppermint and linden flowers. The water’ll take a minute.”

Dallas smiled. He loved the way Annie said “wooder” for water.

“Annie, I should thank you. You know, for last night.”

“No problem. I owed you one.”

“No. You don’t owe me anything.”

“Sure I do. That first night, remember? You stayed with me. Comforted me. I owed you the same.”

“It was sweet of you.”

“Look”—she fidgeted, her fingers shaking as she set a mug on the counter—“I really need to talk to you.”

“What about?”

“This is hard for me, Dallas.”

“What is it? Are you in trouble?”

“No. Of course not. Nothing like that. I just…” She cleared her throat. “I don’t like talking about my first marriage.”

“You don’t need to.”

“Yeah, I think I do.” Her voice wavered a little, cracking.

“Your first marriage isn’t any of my business.”

“I think it is. It’s keeping us apart.”

“What?”

“I know why you decided not to be with me.” Her face turned that adorable shade of pink. “You didn’t like that I stayed on the pill when my husband wanted kids. There’s a reason, Dallas.”

“No.” He slammed his fist on the counter, worsening the throbbing in his head. “Damn it. I don’t want to hear it.”

“What?”

“Annie, I just spent the last four hours interrogating my men. Do you know what I found out? One of them was paid off, probably with my own money. Money I gave Chelsea for a settlement. The whole thing was orchestrated by an employee of Chelsea’s father’s. She was pissed off about something. Probably got a wild hair up her ass after finding us together.”

“An employee. What does that have to do with Chelsea?”

“He’s an old friend of hers. Obsessed with her or something.”

“Is that any reason for us to be apart?”

“Not the fact that she saw us. Or that some guy is obsessed with her. Of course not. But this morning’s whole debacle just reminded me what I had decided when I divorced Chelsea. I have another reason.”

“Which is?”

“I won’t get involved with another deceptive woman.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“But I’m not a deceptive woman. I’m as honest as they come.”

“You deceived your first husband.”

“But I had a reason! If you’ll just let me explain.”

“No. It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done, and I won’t be with you, no matter how much I want it. I won’t go through that again. I learned a long time ago—”

“Never to make the same mistake twice.” She finished for him, her voice low, robotic.

“Yes. I never make the same mistake twice.”

The teakettle whistled on the stove. The shrill singing pounded in Dallas’s head.

“Let it steep for three minutes,” Annie said, picking up her handbag. “I’m leaving.”

“I’m sorry, Annie.”

“Don’t be.”

“Annie—”

“There’s nothing for me here,” she said.

She walked out of his house. Out of his life.

But she left the knife twisting in his gut. He wondered how long he would suffer before it eased its way out.

F
ighting back tears
, Annie drove to her apartment. She wasn’t even all the way unpacked yet, so packing up would be easy. She’d leave tomorrow. Maybe even tonight if she could get a flight. California. That would be a good place to start over. She could even visit Disneyland. The happiest place on earth.

What a crock.

Damn him! Why wouldn’t he listen to her? Cocky, stuffy son of a bitch. She’d been ready to pour out her guts to him, to expose herself emotionally to the man she loved. Stupid cowboy.

Were there cowboys in California? No. Surfers and divers, but probably no cowboys. Change would be good. Hopefully she’d make it longer than two weeks there.

Pulling into the alley behind the clinic, she turned off her engine and bowed her forehead against the steering wheel. She let the tears flow, cursing Dallas, cursing Colorado, cursing Logan Riggs. After fifteen minutes, she gulped down her last sob and headed up to her apartment.

Oddly, the door was unlocked again. Had her mother returned? She walked in and gasped at the figure, shadowed in the afternoon sun, sitting on her couch.

“Sweet Annie,” Logan Riggs said. “How the hell are you, you conniving bitch?”