Wrangled and Tangled (45 page)

“Would you have taken the money from me if you’d known you didn’t have an open line of credit from PFG?”

“Fuck no,” he spat.

“You needed that money. Without it—”

“I’d be exactly in the same position I’m in now. Seriously screwed and no way out.”

Tierney shook her head. “Listen, it might seem bad right now, but I know we can come up with a plan.”

“There is no
we
anymore, understand? I trusted you. And I . . . There’s no way I can come up with that kind of money to pay you back or your father back. If I’da been able to snap my fingers and conjure that much cash last year, I sure as shit wouldn’t have borrowed from PFG.” Frustrated, behind schedule and absolutely heartsick, he stomped to the door.

“Renner. Wait. Where are you going?”

“I still have another business to run, and thank God for that.”

“When will you be back?”

“I don’t know.”

Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Please. Don’t leave like this. I love you.”

Damn her show of vulnerability. The woman was always rock solid. The fact she was crying tied him up in knots. “I have to leave. I don’t have a choice.”

Chapter Thirty-six

G
athering her meager things from Abe’s place hadn’t been a monumental undertaking last night.

Always ready to leave at a moment’s notice, aren’t you?

Nothing wrong with that. But her motto, no fuss, no muss—move out and move on, seemed a little hollow.

Janie hadn’t expected Abe to coddle her after she’d shared her craptas-tic day, but his anger had been totally unexpected.

Not unwarranted though.

Her cheeks heated when she considered the words she’d carelessly tossed off. She realized she must’ve come across as a cold unfeeling bitch in both matters of the head and matters of the heart.

The night had been filled with many revelations. Not all of which she’d shared with Abe, especially after he’d demanded to know why she hadn’t noticed Tierney and Renner were in love.

Duh, cowboy. You want to talk about piss-poor powers of observation? How come you haven’t noticed I’m head over heels in love with you?

She was so lost in thought she literally ran into an infuriated Renner after she left Gene Pratt’s room.

He put his hands on his hips and said, “He got to you too, Janie?”

A million excuses and explanations bounced around in her head, but none exited her mouth.

Renner stared at her. Hard. Then Renner, the most even-keeled person she’d ever known, latched on to her bicep and hauled her down the hallway into the laundry room. His eyes, usually a calm, serene blue, were snapping fire. “What did that bastard promise you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play coy with me, Janie. Gene Pratt. He offered you a job with PFG, didn’t he?” When she didn’t immediately respond, he laughed bitterly. “That’s just awesome.”

“Ren, I—”

“Don’t give me your ‘this was a temporary gig’ reminder. I honestly don’t think I can take another piece of bad news today.”

“What other bad news?” Her stomach clenched at Renner’s expression of defeat.

“Nothin’ that concerns you anymore. And I wouldn’t want to say anything against your new boss.” He walked past her.

But Janie hooked her finger in his belt loop and dug her heels in to stop him. “Oh, no, you don’t. Get back here and talk to me.”

“I’m talked out, to be honest.” He sighed with weight-of-the-world weariness. “Look. Things run their course. I get that. But I’d hoped since you’d been with me on this project from the start, that maybe you’d stick around longer than a few months.”

“That’s not fair.”

Whiny much? And didn’t you use the same excuse last night with Abe?

Renner’s hands gripped the doorframe. He wouldn’t turn around and look at her. “I know it ain’t, but I can’t help the way I feel. I’m sure our paths will cross again someday.”

“Why does it sound like you’re leaving?”

“Because I am.”

“Where are you going?”

“Back to what I know. Back where I belong.” Renner said, “Good luck with your new job, Janie.”

She was so stunned she let go of his belt loop. Those long legs and determined stride carried him out the door. Her response, “But I turned it down,” was lost in the whir of the washing machine.

Hours later, when the resort was completely quiet, Janie tracked Tierney to Renner’s trailer.

She sat on Renner’s unsightly mint green and turquoise sofa, with a box of tissues on one side and a bottle of peppermint schnapps on the other.

Janie took the chair opposite the couch. “We need to talk.”

Although Tierney’s eyes were red and puffy beneath her glasses, she wore a look of defiance. “I’m not in the mood to hear anything you’ve got to say.” She swigged directly from the bottle. “Save your breath if you plan to wax poetic about the wonderful job opportunity Daddy dearest offered you. The man’s a slimy liar, a cheat, and . . . I’m out of other names but I’m sure more will come to me.”

Janie rested her forearms on her thighs. “Why does everyone think I jumped at the chance to work for PFG?”

“Didn’t you?”

“No. I’ll admit I interviewed with him today. I wanted to see what breaking my loyalty to Renner was worth to him.”

“And?” Tierney asked dully.

“First off, he changed his mind and made it a formal interview rather than preliminary. His offer was to triple my current salary, immediate relocation for a three-year hospitality training position with the Grand Gateway Hotel in Muskrat Cove, Wisconsin.”

“That’s the crappiest property PFG owns. The manager is a troll and the employee turnover is close to ninety percent.” Tierney tipped the bottle again. “What was his response when you declined the offer?”

“He seemed smug. Especially after I told him I loved working for Renner. And you. He told me to enjoy it while it lasted.” Janie watched Tierney squirm. “Wanna tell me what that means?”

“Renner’s contract contains a fucked-up payment clause even I didn’t catch. My father will forgive Renner’s debt entirely, turn ownership of the Split Rock over to him completely, if I return to my previous position with the company in Chicago.”

Janie frowned. “Weren’t you always planning to return?”

Tierney shook her head. “No. I resigned. Everything I’ve done here has been on my own. Including lending the resort money out of my personal account, which, naturally I hadn’t told Renner and when he found out . . . he wasn’t pleased.”

“And I thought I was fucked,” Janie muttered. “So what are you going to do?”

“What are my choices? Take everything from Renner because he was stupid enough to fall in love with me? And if I love him as much as I say I do, then shouldn’t I make the ultimate sacrifice and walk away so he can have what he worked so hard for?”

“Did Renner tell you that’s what he wants?”

“No.” Tears slid down Tierney’s cheeks. “It would’ve been easier—smarter certainly—for us to fall in love with someone else. But we didn’t. It’s so screwed up. Renner is . . . everything. Now I can’t imagine my life without him. I’m still pinching myself that a man like him would want me. Love me. But he does, I know in my heart he does. And we’re both in a helluva mess because of it.” She sniffed. “So if you’ve got any advice, Janie, I’d love to hear it.”

Janie stood and grabbed a glass from the kitchen. She held it out so Tierney could share the schnapps. After a slow sip, she plopped down, propping her feet on the coffee table. “Tit for tat, girlfriend. Here’s my fucked-up situation. I’m so in love with my ex-husband it ain’t funny.”

“Does Abe know?”

“Who knows? When I was complaining to Abe about not knowing you and Renner were in love, he got a little pissy and said it was obvious. I’m thinking to myself, if he could see that with you guys, how could he
not
pick up on the fact I’m goofy in love with him? So that made
me
pissy. And then I reverted to the bratty behavior I pulled when we were married.” She scowled at her drink and drained it. “Which went over well, especially when I hinted I was ready to pack up and leave Muddy Gap, I had nothing tying me here, yada yada yada.”

“Did you mean it?”

“No.” She bit the inside of her lip to keep from breaking down. “Now I think I’ve screwed up any chance of convincing him I love him, and everything I tried so hard to get away from years ago is exactly what I want now, because it’s better now. We’re both better. Frankly, even with all that weird shit that went down, I’ve never been happier in my life than the last few months.”

“Tell him that.” Tierney reached across the table and refilled Janie’s cup. “If it’s not about your pride, if you want a life with him, then you’re going to have to make the first move and prove it.”

“I don’t know if he trusts me.”

Tierney lifted her glass. “Well, there you go. Get him to trust you. Then your problem is solved.”

“Sounds simplistic.”

“The best things often are. So . . . now that I’ve helped solve your crisis, how about returning the favor?”

“Me? You’re the financial whiz.” Janie shoved a hand through her hair. “There’s got to be a way to keep this place out of your father’s hands. Except for writing him a check so you take ownership of the Split Rock, then turn it over to Renner, because he will see you bailing him out as charity. Trust me on this.”

“Just like he assumed my father handed me the job,” she murmured.

“Exactly. I know life is not supposed to be about keeping up appearances, but out here in the West? It is. Renner won’t be able to hold his head up in the community if locals assume you’re his sugar mama.”

When Tierney slowly straightened, Janie saw the wheels spinning. “What? You already came up with something, didn’t you?”

“Maybe. I need a couple days to see if it’s feasible.”

Janie took that as her cue to leave. “At the risk of sounding self-centered, do I still have a job?”

“Of course. I know why my father wanted to snap you up, Janie. You’re very good at what you do.”

“Except for my inability to sniff out office romances,” she said dryly.

“We were discreet.”

“Well, discretion sucks. Maybe if we toss it to the wind, we’ll both get lucky with what we want.”

Tierney flashed a decidedly sharklike smile. “Not luck. Skill. We both have the skills to get what we want. We just have to be smart enough to use them.”

Janie rolled out of bed at four a.m. She muttered as she dressed in her warmest clothes, including the ugly neon orange winter cap Abe had purchased for her at the feed store. She shivered as she climbed in her car in the pitch black and drove out to the ranch. The lights were still off in the house, but she knew he’d be up soon.

Abe hadn’t bothered to lock the door. She snuck into the kitchen and started coffee, listening to George whimpering in his crate. She whispered, “You have a lot to learn about being a ranch guard dog, pup.”

As the pot brewed, she dug in the front coat closet for an old pair of Celia’s coveralls and a small jacket.

Shoot. She eyed her athletic shoes. They’d have to do until she found time to buy a new pair of boots.