The Rancher's Surrender, Page 4

  "And how much is this going to cost us?" Zoe asked. "In say … land?"

  Trust her to speak so bluntly. "I'm not going to cheat you out of anything, Zoe. Ever."

  Her eyes, the color of drenched moss in the dim light, stared at him warily, unwilling to believe, which hurt in a way he hadn't expected.

  "Well, I for one know you'd never hurt us," Delia said gently as she scooted around the pizza to put her arm on his shoulders. She squeezed him. "We just don't want to take your money, that's all."

  "It wouldn't be right," Maddie said, smiling sweetly and patting his knee. "You keep it for yourself, Ty."

  He couldn't believe it, but his throat actually tightened at their easy affection and trust. He hugged Delia back, and touched Maddie's lovely face. Something about the heat warring with fear in Zoe's eyes kept his hands off her, for she wasn't as simple to show easy affection to as her sisters.

  But he wanted to touch her, the need shocked him. "I can help," he said instead. "You expected this place to be up and running."

  "But, Ty, we hadn't decided that we were definitely going to … breed," Delia pointed out.

  Ty had spent every summer since he was ten on a series of ranches in "the country," really just a suburb of Chicago. At first he'd been sent there by the city officials because no one had wanted the trouble-causing boy he'd been. He'd been worked hard, and he had grown to love every minute of it, while still pretending to hate it

  Then later he'd gone willingly, taking Ben, feeling more at home in the great outdoors than anywhere else. He loved horses, loved all animals, and had begged, borrowed and practically stolen to make Ben's fantasy of ranching come true.

  It had to be in one's blood to make this hard living work. And if it wasn't in these women's blood, they'd go away and he would buy the land. Then they'd all win.

  "Let me get this straight." Zoe studied him carefully. "You want to be involved as a partner, not just to manage, but to own a part of it."

  "Yep."

  "You want to control it."

  Her mistrust was palpable, and he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her to make her this way. "I wouldn't even attempt to control you, Zoe," he said softly, everything else fading away but this woman with the beautiful and so-unsure eyes. "If that's what you're thinking."

  "You couldn't, anyway," she said, lifting her chin.

  "It snows here in the wintertime," Delia said shakily.

  "Quite a bit," Ty told her.

  "If we had a bunch of animals here, we wouldn't be able to head south for warmer weather."

  "You'll love cross-country skiing. I'll teach you," Ty said, shocked to discover he meant it. But they were leaving soon. He was counting on it, he reminded himself.

  "Oh Lord," Delia murmured, rubbing her head. "It just hit me. The wilds. We're really living in the wilds."

  "Eighty-three thousand square miles of wonder," he confirmed. "That's Idaho. There's no place more wild in the U.S., except for maybe Alaska."

  Delia moaned.

  "Well, it's not like we're camping," Maddie pointed out in her quiet, infinite wisdom. "You have electricity for your hair dryer, Delia. A tub for your bubble bath."

  Zoe let loose enough to laugh, the sound unexpectedly light and happy. Her tense face transposed, softened … and took Ty's breath away. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

  "Skiing," Zoe murmured a bit dreamily. "I've always wanted to try it."

  The yearning in her voice tugged at him. "You're in, Slim?"

  He knew what the stakes were for her, Delia had told him. After years of going to college at night while working full-time during the day, Zoe had finally gotten her business degree. Would she be happy running a ranch when a cool, easy living was all she'd ever wanted?

  "And you're going to stick with us?" she wondered. "No matter what?"

  They were still watching each other, so that there was no hiding what flickered between them. Honesty, fear. Need. Startling need. "I'm going to stick, no matter what," he said.

  He saw the moment his response registered. The promise he was making. Saw, too, her fierce disbelief, and he experienced a strange urge to pound whoever had hurt her so badly in her past, whoever had caused Zoe to accept a promise, any promise, with such mistrust.

  "Well, I think you'd make a good partner," Maddie said softly, with a shy smile. "But only if Delia and Zoe agree."

  Delia's wide gaze whipped to Maddie. She was so uncustomarily ruffled she forgot to pretend she wasn't.

  "I promise to make sure all the amenities run smoothly," Ty said seriously, though he wanted to sigh in relief. They'd never stay long, and while he might actually miss them, he convinced himself he was doing them a favor. "I'll even build a Jacuzzi, Delia. Just for you."

  "Oh, really?" She beamed. "You really will?"

  "Promise."

  "Okay, but I won't raise pigs. Or kill anything that makes red meat," Delia said firmly.

  "No problem. We can start with horses if you'd like." Delia flipped back her hair and took a deep, calming breath. "Oh God. Okay. I'm in, too. Maddie's right. You'd be a great partner. Zoe?"

  All eyes flew to Zoe, including Ty's. She looked at him, unusually intense.

  And again that strange, inexplicable communication happened between them. She was looking for honesty and he'd claimed to have given it, but he hadn't, not fully.

  He was counting on them leaving and guilt hit hard.

  She deserved more, but unfortunately he couldn't give it.

  The room was thick with unspoken hopes and dreams. Ty watched Zoe, waited while that current tugged between them.

  Stubbornness set her jaw, and he knew from the sudden disappointment filling him what her answer would be before she even spoke.

  "You know what?" she said softly. "We'll do this, we'll manage to get this ranch running, but we can do it on our own. We won't be a burden to anyone."

  "I never said you'd be a burden," he said carefully. What had given him away? Had she read his guilt for what it was? "I offered."

  "Zoe, I—" Delia pinched her mouth closed at the look of determination on Zoe's face. "Never mind. You're right."

  Maddie sighed, then smiled and took Zoe's hand, effectively disarming the tension. "Thanks, Ty, for offering." She spoke softly but firmly, sparing one last glance for her still-silent and brooding sister. "But we'll be fine."

  They were united, together. Reluctant admiration shot through Ty. Seems they had grit after all.

  Then he looked at Zoe, who was looking at him with a definite challenging light. He felt his blood stir to meet that challenge. They would still work together. After all, he was manager of their property for the next year whether they liked it or not. It would be interesting, to say the least, considering she was stubborn to the last drop.

  So was he.

  "But Ty, honey?" Delia smiled beguilingly. "Think I could still have that Jacuzzi?"

  * * *

  Zoe took a walk after dinner in the cold night, desperately in need of some perspective, which she couldn't get being in the same room with the enigmatic, sexy Ty Jackson.

  Leaving Ty happily and easily charming Maddie and Celia, she stomped along. Why did he do that? she wondered. He certainly didn't bother with any charm when it came to her, yet with her sisters, he poured it on. It wasn't fake, either, which also confused her. No, when he spoke to Maddie or Delia his eyes were warm and relaxed, his manner genuine and easygoing yet somehow protective.

  But she wasn't fooled.

  Letting her pent-up energy take her where it would, she roamed. In daylight, Triple M was too gorgeous to believe. Behind the house, there were the three peaks, behind them more mountains for as far as the eye could see. The fertile black soil was covered with lush growth. Tall green grass, myriad colors of wildflowers, the azure-blue sky, the deeper blue of the raging river, and interspersed among it all were the two rustic red barns, the ranch house and a series of run-down cottages.

  A picture-perfect s
cene.

  Except that the barns were empty and in desperate need of repair. So was the house. Brightly colored wildflowers grew like weeds in the empty pastures.

  At night, though, like now, Zoe could walk through and imagine it how it should be.

  She gave in to the panic gnawing at her belly. They had savings, but they were small. Too small. God, she thought, leaning against a wooden railing. What would they do? They couldn't go back, there was nothing for them in L.A.

  This was where they belonged, she could feel it, but she was deeply afraid about their future.

  For whatever reason, Ty wanted this place, too. But she was every bit as rough and tough as he, and utterly indestructible, despite the broken promises in her past.

  She told herself she hardly ever thought about that anymore, her mother's hastily whispered vow to return as she dumped a terrified three-year-old Zoe in the group foster home.

  Good thing for Zoe that home had been so strong, so supportive. There had been some rough kids she'd had to fend off occasionally, but the owners of the house, the Fontaines, had been kind, loving and very warm. Without that base in her life, who knows how or where she would have ended up.

  Yet she wasn't stupid enough to ignore the fact that she had indeed been perversely affected by her beginnings, no matter how much she shoved those beginnings away. She knew she didn't trust well. She knew she used gruffness and irritability as a shield to keep others at bay. And she protected her wary heart with a grid of iron, never allowing anyone but her sisters too close. Even then, she'd held back a good part of herself, though it shamed her to admit it, for in return they had given her everything.

  Fact was, Zoe liked control. A lot. And she went out of her way to ensure she always had it, which included holding tight reins on her feelings. But she didn't have it here and she didn't have it with Ty. One look into those sharp, knowing eyes and she knew the truth. Ty Jackson wasn't the type to be controlled, which was reason enough to steer clear of the man. Not a problem, even if he had the best butt in Idaho and a smile that made her heart stutter. She'd steer clear.

  She didn't need the heartache.

  What she did need was to survive, and she was a master at that. All she had to do was turn this ranch around, and fast. As in yesterday.

  She could do it. They could do it.

  But the little flutter of nerves had her pushing on. She drew in a deep breath of night. Dark in Idaho was unlike anything she'd ever seen in Los Angeles. It was … black. And complete. The sky was littered with stars, the air cold and crisp. It smelled like … camping.

  And now it was home. Home.

  God, what was she thinking? They were out of her element, there wasn't a Taco Bell within a hundred miles! There wasn't even a major city within a hundred miles.

  But deep down she knew she wasn't worried about Boise. Shooting the house a disgusted look over her shoulder, she kicked at some dirt and walked into the night, her inefficient tennis shoes sticking in the mud.

  She was worried about her sisters.

  And, if she were being honest, she was worried about Ty.

  One of them was bound to fall for him. Delia loved a man with a sense of humor hidden behind the body of a Greek god, and Ty definitely fit the bill. And Maddie, she seemed to be such an easy mark for any man, with her low self-esteem and constant need to be … well, needed. Someone like Ty could take advantage of a woman like her in less than two minutes.

  Only one problem with the theory of Ty hurting one of her sisters—he wasn't looking at either Maddie or Delia with that fiery passion hidden behind sleepy bedroom eyes. He was looking at her.

  What had that been over dinner, that strange connection between them? For a long, uncomfortable amount of time, she hadn't been able to tear her gaze from his. Not that the big, lean, muscular man was a hardship to look at, but it unnerved her, this attraction she didn't want.

  Just the thought had her walking faster into the night. Behind the shack of a barn, and nearly a hundred yards away, was another building, a second barn. With all her energy, it was no problem to cover this distance quickly. She was oddly unafraid of the dark, even with all the night sounds echoing around her. In fact, she felt more at home here in the wilderness than she ever had on the crazy streets of Los Angeles.

  This barn was much nicer than the one closer to the house, and she knew why. It wasn't used by Constance's ranch, it was part of the land leased by Ty. This part of Constance's land was closest to his, and at certain times of the year, such as now, when it was still cold at night, he kept horses stabled here.

  Through a thicket of trees and up a gentle slope she thought she could see the lights of his own ranch house. But because she didn't want to imagine his life there, she turned away and opened one of the heavy double barn doors.

  "Well, hello there."

  Zoe nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected voice, which was mixed with the sounds of the horses within the barn, stomping impatiently at the late intrusion.

  "It's just me. Cliff." The man turned his flashlight on himself as he dismounted from his horse. "How'ya doing tonight, ma'am?"

  Zoe recognized him as one of Ty's men. He was young, late twenties at the most. He smiled easily, laughed just as easily, was sweet and kind to a fault; altogether the opposite of his boss.

  "I'm just checking the horses," he said, as if he needed to put her mind to rest. "We've got one close to foal."

  Zoe's troubles fell away at the thought. "Really?" She pictured a brand new baby horse, all awkward and adorable, struggling to stand next to its mother, and went warm and fuzzy inside. "I've never seen a pregnant horse before."

  "Can't have that," Cliff drawled, smiling at her. He walked past her into the barn and hit one of the switches on the wall. Soft light filled a small portion of the barn. So did an intriguing mix of scents that Zoe hadn't gotten used to yet, but liked. Sweet hay, horse … man.

  Even here, she thought with wonder, she could smell Ty. She told herself that was dumb and concentrated on looking around. There was a double row of stables here, and a couple of curious horses peeked out over the doors. A sable-colored mare stood closest in her stall, staring over the wood with large, melting eyes.

  Zoe moved closer, mesmerized. In the past few days she hadn't had time for this, with getting the house cleaned and everything situated. She reached out with a slightly nervous hand, charmed when the horse pushed her big head closer, stretching her long neck.

  Then Cliff was there, right next to Zoe, holding an apple. He pulled out a pocketknife and sliced off a piece. Gently, he took Zoe's hand in his warm, callused one, put the wedge of apple on it and held it out. Zoe went still at Cliff's touch and waited for that burst of awareness, the same one she got whenever Ty inadvertently touched her.

  Nothing.

  Disappointed, she looked up into Cliff's handsome face, wondering why. It didn't seem fair in the least that this man did nothing for her. It wasn't unusual, she'd gone most of her life without being tempted in the slightest by the more rugged male species. She'd managed to lose her virginity early due to pure curiosity, but a shrugging disinterest in the activities had assured her she wasn't missing anything.

  Here she was at twenty-six, a woman who didn't seem to lust as most normal women did. So why was she suddenly doing just that with Ty of all men?

  Well, if she had to be experimenting, then it should be with someone kind and gentle like Cliff. Maybe if she tried just a tad bit harder…

  Oblivious to her thoughts, Cliff held the apple up to the eager horse. "Watch," he whispered conspiratorially, winking when Zoe beamed up at him, giving it her best shot.

  The beautiful animal, whose sides were bursting, obviously filled with pregnancy, reached its sniffing, hopeful face toward them and … bright light flooded the place.

  The horse snickered, annoyed. Zoe blocked her eyes from the bright glare.

  "This is certainly cozy."

  Zoe blinked until she could see. Ty leane
d negligently back against the wall, arms loose, fingers hooked into his belt loops, legs crossed in a deceptively casual pose. Every switch on the wall had been flipped on. "Sorry if I interrupted anything," he said, looking anything but.

  Cliff smiled at him and shook his head. "Just giving Abby a bedtime snack." But he dropped his hand from Zoe's.

  Ty nodded, his expression inscrutable. "Are you all done for the night?"

  Cliff's smile faded some and he shuffled his feet slightly. "Well…"

  Ty lifted a brow, all stern and unrelenting, none of the sharp wit that Zoe had come to think of as innately part of the man in evidence now. "Well, what?" he snapped.

  Zoe opened her mouth, but not sure what to say, she shut it again.

  Cliff shifted his weight. "I didn't have time to—"

  "You had time to come on to Ms. Martin."

  Now Zoe opened her mouth again, suddenly positive she did indeed have plenty to say.

  Before she could, Ty pushed away from the wall, and when he did, Cliff shot Zoe a half-sheepish, half-apologetic glance, moving clear from her.

  "Ah … gotta go," he mumbled.

  With enough bright lights shining that she could see every line on his tanned face, Zoe had no trouble detecting Cliff's blush, or his embarrassment. She glared at Ty, who didn't appear to notice. When Cliff had fumbled his way out of the barn, leaving the door open in his haste to escape, Zoe ground her teeth and turned to Ty. "Well, that was … nice."

  His eyes flashed. "Don't flirt with my help."

  "Flirt?" A shocked laugh left her. This had to be a joke. But it wasn't, she realized, looking at his furious face.

  "If you want to flirt," he growled, "you do it with me."

  Carefully she closed her dropped jaw. "You're the last man in Idaho— No, the last man on earth that I'd flirt with." Tossing her hair beck, she stormed over to him. That her chin didn't even come to his tense shoulder didn't stop her, she wasn't afraid of him. "And don't you ever tell me what to do."