The Lionhearted Cowboy Returns (6 page)

What was she going to tell Jeff? Pride wouldn’t allow her to say her own husband didn’t trust her enough to share their troubles. She had to come up with another reason to pull out of their partnership.

She struggled with threatening tears. For the first time in nearly a year she’d started to hope again. She was going to get to do what she truly enjoyed, train horses and provide security for her kids. Now, once again, she had to fight to keep a roof over her family’s head.

At the cabin, she found the door partly opened. “Jeff?” With no answer, she peered inside. The neatly organized room was empty and Jeff was nowhere in sight. She started to leave when she caught sight of a
pair of jeans at the end of the bunk alongside his boots, one still with the metal prosthesis attached to it.

Sadness washed over her as she thought about the agony Jeff had to have gone through. She didn’t know any details about his accident, but it must have been life-or-death for the doctors to remove his leg. She felt a tear on her cheek and brushed it away. So much had changed in just a year. While Trevor had been fighting to live, it seemed Jeff had been, too. Was he just trying to make up for the past, for not being here when his best friend was dying?

Lacey had carried the guilt as well. But this was different. She wasn’t Jeff’s responsibility. Maybe finding the loan papers was the disconnection she needed. She couldn’t let Jeff get drawn any closer to her.

Lacey walked out of the cabin. She had to get out of here before Jeff came back, but she couldn’t leave without making sure he was okay. Halfway to the creek she saw the top of his head in a portable shower. How did he do that, standing on one leg?

It wasn’t her business. She quietly backed away, hoping he hadn’t noticed her. Before she got back up the slope, she heard a curse and looked over her shoulder. The shower had collapsed to the ground, taking Jeff with it.

She rushed toward the creek and knelt down beside him. “Jeff! Jeff, are you okay?” She worked to open the canvas flap.

His head shot up with a groan. “Lace? What the hell are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you. You need me to help you.”

“No, I don’t need your help. Just go.”

His short hair was spiky, his face unshaven. He looked good in a rough-guy sort of way. “I can handle it.”

“I can’t leave you like this.” She looked around and saw an abandoned crutch by the stream. “At least let me help you up.”

“No!” He sat up and the canvas fell, exposing his muscular chest and washboard abs. He pointed to the spot just out of his reach. “Just hand me the crutch and leave.”

Don’t think about this gorgeous man,
she told herself. She finally tore her gaze away and went to get what he asked for. “Someone’s got to help you to the cabin.”

His dark eyes locked with hers. “Then you’re going to be waiting a long time, lady.”

“You are the most bull-headed man,” she sighed.

“And you are one seriously stubborn woman. I can do this myself.”

“And I’m going to make sure that you don’t hurt yourself any further.” She glanced down at his body. She gasped. He was naked. Of course he was—he’d been showering!

Her eyes met his narrow gaze. “That’s right, Lace. You’re going to get an eyeful if you hang around much longer.”

She swallowed as she realized she was practically lying on top of the man. She could feel his heat, the hardness of his body. “I only want to help you,” she managed.

“And I’m telling you, I don’t need it.” His gaze darkened even more as it lowered to her mouth. “Unless you want to take care of my other needs.”

“Hey, you two.”

They both turned as Brandon came toward them. “And here I was worried about you.” He grinned. “I can see you’re both in good hands.”

D
AMN
. The last thing Jeff wanted was an audience.

“Not funny. Why don’t you both leave? I’ve got this under control.”

He glared at Brandon, hoping he’d understand and take Lacey with him, but neither one of them moved.

Lacey looked at Jeff. “Since Brandon’s here to help you, I’ll go.” She turned and marched off.

Once he heard the truck start, he breathed a sigh and, naked as the day he was born, got up onto his knees. “Grab me that towel, would you?”

“Not a problem.” Brandon did as he asked and handed it to him with a grin. “Anything to keep from looking at your skinny butt.”

Jeff couldn’t help but smile. “You were always jealous ’cause the girls liked mine better in jeans.”

“What is this, high school?”

Sometimes he wished it was. Life was so much simpler. With the towel secured around his waist, Jeff reached for the crutch, then pulled himself up with ease. Once he got his balance, they headed to the cabin.

Jeff walked inside with Brandon following him. “So you want to tell me what was going on with Lacey?” his cousin asked.

“Nothing. She just showed up.” Jeff sat down on the bunk and slipped on a pair of boxers, then his jeans. Securing the prosthesis boot over his stump, he stood and pulled them up. After buttoning the fly, he walked to the kitchen area and took two cold cans of soda from the cooler, and handed Brandon one. “Just like you did.”

“We’re cousins. Do I need an excuse to stop by?”

Jeff studied him awhile. “Are you going to tell me I should move home where someone can take care of me?”

Brandon cocked an eyebrow. “Why should I do that? You seemed to handle things.” He took a drink of soda. “And besides, you’ve got Lacey showing up to check on you.”

Jeff glanced away. “Ending up butt-naked on the ground isn’t the way to impress a woman.”

Brandon’s smile grew bigger. “That depends on how you want to impress her.”

Jeff stared. He wasn’t going to go there. He’d stepped over the line once before, never again. “She’s my friend’s wife.”

“Was,” his cousin corrected. “Trevor’s been gone nearly a year.”

Jeff was surprised at Brandon’s suggestion. He shook his head. “It wouldn’t be right.”

“Says who?”

“Me.” He turned and looked out of the window above the sink. He loved this view. Would he ever get over the guilt? “I can’t think about this now.”

“Why, because you lost a leg?”

Jeff’s fingers gripped the counter. “That’s part of it. Another is I don’t exactly have a career.”

“None of that will matter to the right woman.” He
paused. “Not to someone like Lacey. She cares about you, Jeff, and if you’re honest you care about her, too.”

“Of course I do, she and Trevor were my friends.” He couldn’t just blurt out his feelings for Lacey. “My main focus is trying to figure out how I’m going to fit in here.” He turned to his cousin. “In case you haven’t noticed, my life has changed drastically in the past year.”

Brandon nodded. “And know that we’re your family and we love you. We’re just happy to have you back.”

Brandon watched him for a few seconds. “That brings me to why I stopped by. I want you to meet my wife, Nora. We’d like you to come to dinner.”

Jeff didn’t want to do the single-guy-comes-to-dinner thing. “I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“You’ll never be ready. Just jump in. Hey, it’s not a big family dinner, only Nora, myself and Zach.” Brandon looked thoughtful. “If you don’t want to come alone, bring Lacey and her kids. Colin is about Zach’s age.”

Bring Lacey as his date? That could change things between them. Not that there was anything between them, or ever would be. He suddenly flashed back to the creek and how it felt having her body pressed against his. A thrill raced through him, but he shook it off.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to get close to a woman.”

Brandon gave him an incredulous look. “From what I saw out there between the two of you, I’d say you’re pretty much there already.”

Hours later, Lacey was still pacing the office at the house. Colin was up in his room and Emily was in the family room playing with her dolls.

That gave her too much time to wonder about the bank’s next move. Would they evict her in two weeks?
Would she have time to find a place for the horses, as well as an apartment? She began to shake, knowing she couldn’t do anything to stop her world from falling apart. She’d already used most of the auction money to cover Trevor’s hospital bills.

Anger and fear took over. “Oh, Trevor, how could you leave me with this mess?”

“Lacey?”

She turned around to find Jeff standing in the doorway. What was he doing here? “Jeff.”

“Your back door was open and I called out, Colin let me in,” he explained. “What was so important you needed to see me about?”

Now that he was here, she was quickly losing her nerve. “Oh…I didn’t mean you had to rush over.”

“That’s not how you were acting a few hours ago.”

He was right. “I just needed to tell you I’ve decided against the partnership.”

His expression didn’t change. “So what made you change your mind?”

She shrugged, unable to look him in the eye. “It’s just a lot of work, and we’re not sure it will pay off. I’ll be taking a big chance. We both would. You should go into business with your uncle.”

She was hoping he would get angry and walk out. Instead, he came further into the one-time pantry, which had been converted into an office. “What are you really afraid of, Lace?”

Those dark eyes bored into hers, not letting her hide. “A lot of things, Jeff. Businesses fail all the time. We could lose everything, and I can’t afford that. I have my children to think about.”

“I thought that was one of the reasons you consid
ered doing the partnership? So your kids would have their mother around, and a chance at a better life.”

She didn’t have an answer so she shrugged. “I may just sell the ranch altogether.”

“The hell you will,” he said and took her shoulders. “Tell me the truth, Lacey. Is it me? You afraid I can’t pull my weight?”

His strong grip held her close, making it hard for her to think, to talk. “No, Jeff! This has nothing to do with you.”

“Then prove it. Trust me to make this work.”

“Trust?” she questioned. “I don’t know if I can, ever again. Not after what Trevor—” She closed her eyes, hating her weakness.

He released her. “Trevor? What did he do?”

She shook her head. “Nothing that concerns you. I’ll deal with it.”

Jeff didn’t budge, taking up too much space. His scent engulfing her.

“Like you told me this morning,” he began. “I’m not leaving until I know you’re okay.”

When she didn’t offer to tell him, he looked over the desk as if he had every right, then picked up the bank notice.

“Give me that,” she demanded as she tried to take it away.

His strength won out. Lacey gave up and he read the paper. “How long have you had this?”

She sighed. “It came today.”

“Is this why you had the auction?”

Lacey shook her head. “The money that made was for medical bills and the little that left is for the ranch operation. This took me by surprise.” She took a breath.
“It seems Trevor took out the loan. He had kept money in an account to make the monthly installments, but there’s not enough for the upcoming balloon payment. He never told me,” she said in a whisper.

Jeff wanted to believe his friend had a good reason for doing something like this without his wife’s knowledge, but it was hard. The problem now was paying it off so she and the kids wouldn’t lose anything.

The amount wasn’t so large he couldn’t handle it himself. He’d saved a lot in the military, but he knew without asking that Lacey wouldn’t take his help.

“Let me talk with the bank.” He found the name of the guy. “This Mr. Dixon.”

“I tried and it didn’t do any good.”

“If he knows that we’re going to partner in a business, maybe he’ll agree to more affordable payments spread out over time.”

She shook her head. “Jeff, no. This is my problem.”

“If we become partners then it’s both of ours.”

She blinked. “You still want to be my partner?”

Seeing her sadness, his chest tightened. “I wouldn’t have asked you if it’s not what I wanted.” Jeff found himself reaching out and brushing away the moisture from her cheek. “Lace, I’m not going to let you and your kids lose the ranch.”

She quickly pulled herself together. “Thank you for that, but there might not be a choice.”

“There’s always a choice. We just have to come up with a plan.”

“How can I?” she asked. “I’ve already sold most of my stock. My job in town doesn’t pay enough to qualify for refinance.”

“It’s going to be all right, Lace.” He couldn’t seem
to resist drawing her into his arms. His hand pressed her head against his chest as he absorbed her sadness and fear. “I promise. You’re not going to have to move anywhere. We’ll find a way to keep the ranch going.”

She raised her head. Her eyes filled with tears. She looked beautiful. Without thinking he leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead. The touch was so fleeting that he didn’t think she felt it until she gasped. Her pretty green eyes darkened, but she didn’t pull away.

Neither did he. As hard as he tried to think about the loan problem and the future of the ranch, he couldn’t. He wasn’t able to think at all as he lowered his head and brushed his mouth over hers. She gave a breathy sigh. God help him, he went back for more.

Then he heard, “Hey, Mom.”

Jeff jerked back just in time, as Colin poked his head inside the doorway. “I’m hungry.”

“So fix yourself a sandwich,” Lacey told him.

Colin gave them both another long look, then finally left.

Jeff turned back to Lacey, and seeing her flushed face, guilt once again washed over him. He had no right to kiss her. Not now, not even back then. “I need to go.” Grabbing the paper from the desk, he walked out. Even hearing her call his name didn’t stop him because if he went back, he’d break all the rules. Again.

Two mornings later, Lacey stood outside the bank in downtown San Angelo. She checked her watch again, knowing she had to be at work in a little over an hour.

Where was Jeff?

She thought back to the other day at the house and
his kiss. She’d been telling herself ever since that it had just been a reassuring kiss. Just a soft brush of his lips over hers. She shivered. The effect had been far more devastating, stirring up feelings she had no business feeling.

She wanted more. What had gotten into her? Not since that summer when she’d broken up with Trevor had she ever thought about another man. Not any man, only Jeff Gentry. And look where that had gotten her.

Well, not this time. She couldn’t let this happen. No matter the feelings he’d caused, she wasn’t ready. Her life was enough of a mess, and he had his own problems. Adjusting to a new life as well as losing his leg was enough to handle. Not that that bothered her. But they both had too many other complications to deal with.

She closed her eyes. Even now, she still couldn’t believe Trevor was gone. He’d been such a big part of her life since adolescence. So had Jeff. Although Trevor had been the one who’d stayed for her. But now, she found herself fantasizing about Jeff.

“Sorry I’m late.”

Lacey swung around to see the man in question. “Oh, hi.”

Her heart raced as she looked over the handsome man dressed in a white collared shirt, dark trousers and shiny black boots. He was carrying a leather folder.

She groaned. “You look so nice. I should have worn something smarter.”

He put on a smile and took her arm. “You look fine. Let’s go get that loan.”

Inside Mr. Dixon’s small office, Jeff tried to relax as the loan officer went over his business proposal.

The young man behind the desk looked as if he was
barely out of college. “This looks very impressive, Mr. Gentry,” he said as he sat back in his chair. “On paper. But these are hard times.”

Jeff leaned forward. This guy was going to be a hard sell, but he had ten years of military training. “Farmers and ranchers go through rough times, it’s a fact of life. I know because my family ranches. And you also know that Mrs. Guthrie’s land is worth thirty times the amount of her loan. I’m bringing in stock, and Lacey is going to do the training in this business venture.”

“It’s still a risk.”

“What risk? Our stock combined is worth this much.”

Dixon straightened. “Are you willing to put up the horses as collateral?”

“No,” Lacey jumped in. “I can’t agree to that.”

Jeff didn’t know much about loans, but shouldn’t the land be enough? “It’ll be okay, Lace.” He turned back to Dixon. “I need to make a quick call.” He stood and moved across the room, punching in numbers.

His uncle answered. “Chance Randell.”

Jeff explained to him what was going on. Chance listened then asked to give him ten minutes and he’d get back to him.

Mr. Dixon reluctantly granted them the time, then he called to get some coffee. Soon a secretary came in, along with another man.

Mr. Dixon stood immediately. “Mr. Handley,” he greeted the visitor eagerly.

The older gentleman ignored the loan officer and walked directly to Lacey and Jeff. “Hello, I’m Bert Handley, the bank manager. You must be Mrs. Guthrie and Mr. Gentry.”

“Yes, sir, we are,” Jeff said.

Mr. Handley turned to Lacey. “I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your husband, Mrs. Guthrie. I wish we had known sooner.”

“Thank you, Mr. Handley,” Lacey said. “That’s why we’re here. Since my husband’s death, I can’t handle the terms of the loan.”

The bank manager smiled. “Then we’d best work something out.”

“We’ve been working on that, Mr. Handley,” Dixon said quickly. “They’re going to put up their stock as collateral.”

Bert Handley walked behind the desk and glanced over the loan papers. The older man frowned. “I don’t see a reason why the ranch itself can’t be enough to secure a loan.”

Dixon was nervous. “It’s just that with a new business venture and no assured income, I thought—”