Читать книгу Genuine Cowboy - Joanna Wayne - Страница 9

The voice proclaiming the fatalistic message was masculine, husky. Unfamiliar.

The intruder reached for the door and slammed it shut, leaving her and the knife in full view.

Her knees buckled and her breath rushed out in a whoosh. This wasn’t Orson. Instead, it was hunk of a cowboy who reeked of strength and power.

Before she could say anything, he grabbed the arm holding the knife, yanked it over her head and shoved her against the wall. She struggled to push him away, but she might as well have been flailing against a brick wall. A brick wall with broad shoulders that smelled of musk and forest glens.

“Take your hands off me,” she sputtered.

“After you tell me what the hell is going on here.”.

“I thought you were someone else.” Her relief drowned in a rush of confusing awareness, as the man’s breath heated a spot just below her right earlobe. His masculinity was staggering. She gasped and gulped for air.

“Who are you?” he demanded.

“I’m a friend of Troy’s. Now back off before I—”.

“Before you what, come at me with a knife?”.

She writhed and tried again to break free, but he strengthened his hold on her wrists and kept his body pressed against hers.

Finally, she shifted so that she was staring straight into the depths of his dark eyes at extremely close range. Something jumped inside her, an eruption of emotions that under the circumstances made no sense at all.

His hold loosened, as if whatever had left her quaking had affected him as well. “I’ll take that knife,” he said. “And then you can tell me who you are and why you’re defending my father’s house like it was the Holy Grail.”.

Anxiety swelled again. This didn’t add up. “You’re lying,” she said. “I met Troy’s son earlier tonight.”.

“You may have met Dylan. I’m Sean, the mild-mannered offspring with a cool head. Lucky for you.”.

She saw the resemblance now. He looked even more like Troy than Dylan did. The same slightly squared jawline. The same classic nose. Only, Sean was years younger than Troy, and so ruggedly handsome that he could have been a soap opera star. And he was still so close that he could probably feel her heart beating.

Collette had said that Troy’s other sons were estranged from their father. But then Dylan must have called them when he left for the hospital. Maybe his having a heart attack had gotten through to at least one of Troy’s other sons.

“If you talked to Dylan, he must have told you I was here,” she said, still trying to make sense of this.

“He mentioned a friend had found Dad. He didn’t say you were staying here. In fact, he made a point of telling me the house would be empty and the spare key was under the flowerpot next to the door. So what are you doing here?”.

“If you’ll release me, I’ll explain.” She wouldn’t, of course, but she’d tell him all he needed to know.

“Deal. As soon as you let go of the knife.”.

She exhaled sharply and released her killer grasp on it. Before he moved away, his right hand slid slowly down her left arm. Awareness vibrated through her.

“Mommy! Mommy!” She made a quick return to the harsh reality of the situation, as Joey’s high-pitched calls echoed down the hallway.

“My son,” she said. “He has nightmares.”.

Sean cocked his head to the side and arched his brows. “Your son. A husband? A daughter? Exactly how many people are in this house?”.

“Just my son, Joey, and me. I don’t have a husband and Joey’s an only child.”.

She was babbling in her relief. Whatever complications Sean presented would be minuscule compared to what she’d have faced had it been Orson instead of Troy’s son who’d showed up tonight.

“Momma!” The cry had become more hysterical.

“I’m coming, sweetie.”.

She hurried away without further explanation, grateful to break away from Sean Ledger and get her emotions back under control.

In the two years since Brock’s death she hadn’t once felt the pangs of attraction for another man. She’d begun to worry that she never would. Now was not the time for fate to turn up the heat.

SEAN WATCHED EVE WORTHINGTON hurry down the hall and disappear into what had once been his bedroom. She was the last thing he’d expected to find when he pushed through the heavy door of his childhood home.

Before encountering her, his head had been swimming in a thick fog of memories. The good, the bad and the tragic had immersed him so deeply into the past that his feet had felt like lead when he climbed the steps to the porch.

Nothing like a woman about to plunge a knife into your back to smack you back into the present. But what in the hell was a woman and kid doing here?.

Dylan had written several times about their father and the fact that he was settling into the life of a rancher. Not once had he mentioned that Troy had a lady friend—one young enough to be his daughter. If he had, Sean would have never come home again.

He’d been only thirteen years old when his mother was murdered in this very house. His world had been destroyed that day. Then, when his father had been accused of the crime, Sean literally wanted to die.

When his brothers were asleep that night, he’d taken one of his dad’s guns and actually placed the barrel of it into his mouth. He might have pulled the trigger if his imagination hadn’t played ghostly tricks on his mind, probably an easy feat, considering his shaky emotional state.

He saw his mother that night as clearly as he saw the weapon in his hands. She’d stepped into the room and taken the gun from his shaky hands. It had fallen to the floor without a sound. He’d tried to hold on to his mother, but she dissolved like a warm breath on a frosty morning.

He never told anyone about that, had tried to block it from his own mind. But there had been many nights when those memories were so vivid that he could feel the chill of the evaporating vapor and taste the cold metallic bitterness of the gun barrel.

He shouldn’t have come back here. Returning to Willow Creek Ranch had worked for Dylan, but there was no way Sean would ever mend fences with his father or become totally convinced of his innocence.

He’d visit his father in the hospital in the morning, but then he’d be on his way. In fact, he should probably apologize to Eve Worthington for barging in on her and leave right now, before he looked into those gorgeous, haunted eyes of hers again.

He started down the hall after Eve, hating the memories that the house awakened. He stopped near the doorway where she’d disappeared. Her voice was soft and reassuring when she talked to her child, yet there was a shudder of fear in its depths, likely the same fear that had initiated her waiting at the door with a knife.

She’d thought he was someone else, obviously someone she was deathly afraid of. A stalker? An ex-husband? A betrayed lover?.

None of his business and not his problem. He was running from woman trouble, not looking for it.

He stopped, just out of sight of Eve and her complaining son.

“I wanna go home.”.

“It’s too far to drive back to Dallas tonight. Besides, you don’t want to miss the fun of seeing the horses, do you?”.

“What if I don’t like horses?”.

If she was from Dallas, then why hadn’t Dylan realized she was spending the night? Perhaps he’d just forgotten with all that was going on with Troy. Still, it was odd he hadn’t remembered it when he told him to make himself at home. Sean turned and walked back to the kitchen.

He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. He’d barely swallowed his first swig when his cell phone rang. It was Dylan. Sean didn’t bother with a hello. “What the hell have you gotten me into in now? “.

“I take it that means you’ve arrived at the ranch and met Eve Worthington.”.

“I met her all right. She threw me a welcoming party, only instead of balloons, she was wielding a knife.”.

There was a short pause in the phone conversation in which Sean overheard a muttered thanks from Dylan.

“Sorry, bro,” Dylan said. “One of the nurses just brought me a cup of coffee. What’s this about a knife?”.

“Dad’s houseguest took me for an intruder and came at me with a kitchen knife. I had to take it away from her.”.

“Still fighting off the women.”.

“You’re smiling, aren’t you?”

“Maybe just a little. Why’d she have a knife?”.

“She thought I was someone else.”.

“Probably believes all that bunk about the house being haunted.”.

“Our house is haunted?”.

“So some of the locals say. Anyway, I’m sure Eve’s fear was no match for your Ledger brawn and charm. Apologize to her for the confusion.”.

“As soon as you explain why you failed to warn me the house was occupied.”.

“I just found out myself. I called Collette to tell her you were in town, and she said she’d persuaded Eve to spend the night. That’s why I’m calling, hoping to give you fair warning. Collette is calling Eve, probably has her on the phone now.”.

“A little after the fact.”.

“You know, you have to take some of the blame,” Dylan said. “You could have called and said you were coming before you reached Mustang Run. Then we could have avoided the surprise element.”.

“I wasn’t sure I’d actually go through with the visit, until I saw the city limits sign.”.

Even after he’d made the call to Dylan, he still might have turned around and driven the other way if Dylan hadn’t told him about Troy’s coronary attack.

“Why are you still at the hospital?” Sean asked. “You said you were leaving for the night the last time we talked. Troy’s not having any new problems, is he?”.

“No. Dad’s resting now. The cardiologist on staff stopped by the room. He says the prognosis is good for a complete recovery, though nothing is guaranteed. I’m heading that way now. Do you need anything?”.

“A few answers. What’s the deal between Dad and Eve?”.

“Hard to say. The situation being what it is, I haven’t had a chance to get the full story from either of them. Apparently, they became friends when she was his prison psychiatrist a few years back. She said she was just passing through tonight and decided to stop in and see him. Just in time to save his life, I might add.”.

“Then they’re not a romantic item?”.

“Man, Sean. Where did you get an idea like that? She’s our age. She has a kid, probably a husband as well.”.

“There is no husband. And what did you expect me to think? I show up, and she’s here in her pajamas.”.

“In her pajamas, huh? That must have spiced up the knife removal routine.”.

“I was defending, not groping.”.

“Whatever. But don’t read any more into this than is actually there. Eve said she was passing through. No reason not to believe her.”.

“Then she didn’t mention that she was in any kind of trouble?”.

“No, but now that you mention it, Dad seemed anxious about not getting to talk to her.”.

“Did he say why?”.

“No. He’s been pretty much incoherent all night, first from the coronary trauma and then from the meds.”.

“Okay. We’ll talk more when I see you.”.

“I’m dead tired. Do you mind if we put off our reunion until morning? Collette and I will come down and cook you, Eve and the boy an old-time ranch breakfast.”

“Sounds like a winner. I guess I can round up some linens and a pillow around this place?”

“Take your old room. The beds are made.”

“And occupied.”

“Then avoid temptation and find another room.”

“There is no temptation involved.”

“Then just make yourself at home. And, Sean, I’m really glad you’re here. It will mean a lot to Dad.”

Sean doubted that. He said a quick goodbye.

Once he’d finished the beer, he checked the rest of the fridge’s contents. Choices weren’t bad.

He found bread in the pantry and made himself a ham and cheese sandwich, then poured a tall glass of milk to wash it down. Halfway through the meal, he heard the soft patter of footsteps in the hallway.

He looked up as Eve joined him in the kitchen. She’d pulled a pale blue robe over her pajamas. That did nothing to hide the fact that she was a damned attractive woman.

She looked around the kitchen, her gaze focusing on the sandwich fixings he’d left on the counter.

“Help yourself,” he said. “Bread’s fresh and the ham is good. There’s plenty of beer, or milk if you’re a purist.”

“I’m not opposed to cold beer, but a glass of milk sounds better tonight.”

“Something to soothe the savage beast.”

A blush flushed her cheeks. “I’m not ordinarily so savage. I’m a city girl. I guess I let the isolation get to me.”

“Looked like a little more than that to me.”.

“Look, Sean, I’m really sorry about the knife incident, but can we just forget about it now?”.

“Subject closed.” For the time being. “There’s hot chocolate mix in the pantry.”.

She nodded. “That sounds even better. Can I make a cup for you? “.

“Sure. Why not?”.

She turned back to face him, and her straight, shiny brown locks seductively bounced around the bottom of her chin. Much too seductively.

He finished off his sandwich and wiped his mouth on the paper towel he’d been using as a napkin, just as she started to the table with two steaming mugs of cocoa in hand.

“Sorry, but I didn’t find marshmallows,” she said.

“I suspect Troy is not a marshmallow kind of guy,” Sean said. “But then, you evidently know him much better than I do.”.

She stared into her cup for a moment and then lifted her eyes to meet his. Hers were the color of warm cognac, vibrant even in the fluorescent light from the overhead fixture.

“I was Troy’s prison psychiatrist for a couple of years.”.

“Dylan told me. He called while you were calming your son.”.

“Collette called me as well. She explained everything. I’m truly sorry for intruding on your homecoming.”

“Actually, I’m more the intruder. You were the invited guest.”.

“It’s your home.”.

“Was my home. When I was thirteen. I’ve hung my hat in a lot of places since then.”.

“Nonetheless, Joey and I will clear out of your way in the morning.”.

“Don’t leave on my account. It’s a big house, and I don’t plan to be here long.”.

Her shoulders squared. “You should. You owe it to your father to get to know the man he is today.”.

He bristled a bit at the preachy tone, especially when she had no idea what she was talking about. “Do you always offer your opinion to people you’ve just met?”.

“No,” she admitted. “I seldom give advice at all anymore.”.

Her shoulders and voice fell as if he’d sucker punched her. It gave him no pleasure. “It’s okay,” he said. “My dad and I have issues.”.

She merely nodded, leaving lots of questions in his mind about just what his father had told her about him and his brothers. Had Troy played her, fed her what he thought she’d like to hear in order to make an impression on her? Or had she just dug around in his mind and come up with her own conclusions?.

She finished her hot chocolate, stood and carried her empty cup to the sink. Once she rinsed it, she turned back to him. “Again, I’m sorry for the knife incident, and I wish you and Troy the best.”.

He watched her walk away, her slim hips swaying just enough to make her exit interesting. He thought again of the way her body had felt pressed against his. For a minute back there, he’d had the crazy urge to kiss her.

The urge surfaced again, and he wondered what she’d do if he followed her to the bedroom door and kissed her good-night.

Probably come at him with a knife while he slept.

He’d leave well enough alone before he became as lust-craved as Laci Cahill. With one big difference. He wasn’t married—and had no intention of ever playing the matrimony game.

EVE PULLED THE COVERS about Joey and leaned close, letting her lips brush his forehead. Asleep, innocence was etched into his youthful face. If only she could give him that simple purity of joy back again, instead of dragging him back into the ominous threat of peril.

Trepidation played havoc with her breathing as she backed away from Joey’s bed. What if that had been Orson at the door tonight? What if he’d been the man who’d pinned her to the wall with his brute strength? The truth shuddered through her.

There would have been no way she could have protected Joey.

But it hadn’t been Orson Bastion. It had been Sean Ledger, whose hard, unrelenting strength held her captive. Yet, the minute she’d realized he wasn’t dangerous, it had been attraction, not fear, she’d felt at his hands.

Eve slipped out of her robe, draped it across the one chair in the room and then dropped to the twin bed opposite Joey’s. She slid beneath the crisp sheets and pulled the quilt over her as confusing thoughts tumbled through her mind.

The dread that had chilled her before Sean’s arrival had disappeared. The rambling old house no longer made her uneasy. If anything, she felt protected. Sean made the difference.

Yet, she couldn’t start relying on him. Tomorrow might bring anything. Tonight she needed to get some sleep.

Her eyelids grew heavy, and she turned over to stare out the window and into the darkness, and the scatter of stars that studded the sky.

Her mind flashed back to Sean and a rush of heat crept inside her.

Surely not desire, she told herself. Not in this situation. If she felt anything at all for Sean, the attraction stemmed from pure relief that he wasn’t Orson Bastion.

If he had been, she’d be dead.

But Orson was still on the loose.

SOMEONE WAS IN THE HOUSE. Eve could hear him breathing, smell the odors of sweat and cheap aftershave, see his shadow coming nearer.

She clutched the knife and felt the sear of pain and hot, sticky blood gushing into her hand. When she looked down she saw that the handle was missing and the blade had sliced into her palm.

Her brain began to clatter. Eve jerked awake and sat up in bed. The clattering wasn’t in her brain, but was coming from the bedside table where her cell phone was vibrating against the old wood.

She glanced at the clock as she grabbed the phone to quiet it before it woke Joey. Five minutes before six in the morning was extremely early for a call from either Gordon or Collette, and they were the only two who had her number.

The vibration in the palm of her hand mirrored the state of her nerves as she whispered hello.

“It’s Gordon. Is this Eve?”.

“Yes.” The urgency in his voice told her this was not a good-news call.