Against the Wall (6 page)

Colton opened his mouth to respond and then jumped as a small hand slapped him on the back.

“Nice job with the steers, Colt,” a curvy brunette said with a smile. “Hi Loni, Tom.”

“Hi, Melanie.” Loni grinned and introduced the young woman to Sophie. “Have you eaten?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Melanie nodded to Sophie and smiled. “I’m just heading down to watch Jonsie ride a bronc in the left pasture.”

“Count me in.” Colton jumped to his feet and slung an arm around Mel. “See you later, Mom.” He pulled the woman away.

“They make a nice couple,” Sophie noted with a pretty smile.

Loni sighed. “They’ve been the best of buddies since preschool. Though,” she said, her eyes twinkling with mischief, “I can’t wait until he looks up one day and realizes she’s all grown up.”

“Boys are stupid,” Leila muttered, and her grandmother nodded.

Chapter Seven

Monday morning, Sophie found herself in the middle of her pretty room with the golf course design calling from the desk and her sketchbook beckoning from her bed. She had work to do. But she wanted to draw the scene of Colton chasing a steer. She had spent half the night capturing Jake wrestling Buttercup to the ground. It was her best work.

The shrill of an antique pink phone saved her from having to make a decision, and she jumped across the bed to answer it. She stretched out on her belly before saying hello.

“Hi there, Sophie, I hope I’m not calling too early.” A country ballad wafted through the line.

“Hi, Loni, no, I’m just getting to work.” Well, she’d been thinking about getting to work, anyway.

“Oh, good. That’s why I wanted to call you. I’d like to hire you. Well, I mean, that we would like to hire you. The tribal council, that is.”

Sophie sat up. “Hire me? For what?”

“We finally have enough funds to build a garden in memory of a good friend of mine. We want it near the base of headquarters, right before Spades Mountain, you know, the one that leads to all the hiking and horse trails?”

No, she really didn’t know. But, “What do you need from me?”

“We need you to design it. You have a landscape design degree, right?”

“Well, yes. But I specialize in golf courses.” Though it would be interesting to design a garden—and probably be good for her résumé. Just in case.

“But your public hearing isn’t for another week and your designs are all finished, aren’t they?”

“Yes.” Her heartbeat quickened as her mind spun with creative ideas.

“Then this might be fun. Plus, you’d be working with the council, so you’d have time to sell everyone on the golf course.”

“You dangle quite the carrot, Loni.”

“Yeah, it’s a gift. We’d pay you for the garden design.”

“I don’t know…” The project sounded interesting, and branching out to another type of design appealed to the artist inside her.

“Tell you what. The council is meeting for lunch today. Why don’t I schedule the first fifteen minutes for you to present your golf course design, and then you can stay and listen to our plans. Plus, Mrs. Shiller has bridge today, so you’d be eating all alone. What fun is that?”

“All right.” Sophie needed to take every opportunity to convince people her designs worked. “I’ll be there. Tribal Headquarters at eleven?”

“Yes. See you then.” Loni clicked off. Probably before Sophie could change her mind.

A couple of hours later she climbed the hill toward headquarters, her new boots working the pedals of the Jeep. She told herself that she’d taken extra care with her makeup to prepare for a business meeting and not because Jake may be at headquarters.

Then she told herself to stop lying, that it wasn’t healthy.

Loni met her at the door and took one of the large mounted designs from her hands. They headed into the familiar conference room and placed the designs on easels, then Loni introduced Sophie to three men ranging in age from sixty to ninety named Earl, Jacob, and Freddie and two white-haired women, June and Phyllis, whom she’d already met at the picnic.

“The chief may pop in, and Jake should be here sometime.” Loni gestured for Sophie to grab a plate and sandwich from the table.

“Jake is on the council?” Sophie sat beside Freddie, who looked a bit like Bob. Dream Bob.

“No. But we act much like a Board of Directors, and every board needs a lawyer.” Loni sat on Sophie’s other side and selected a turkey sandwich.

“So I hear the sheriff won the pot again this year.” Freddie pushed his plate away. His long jowls swung as he spoke, his deep brown eyes surveying a platter of cookies with interest.

“Quinn has a knack for that kind of thing.” Loni grinned. “Those boys are not in cahoots.”

“Humph,” Freddie replied around the cookie.

“What was the pot, anyway?” Sophie dropped her napkin on her empty plate.

“About two grand this year.” Freddy rubbed his chin.

Sophie swung her gaze to him. “Two thousand dollars?”

Loni shrugged. “It’s an event. Every year.” She sat back. “All right, Sophie, show us your plan.” She nodded toward the colorful renderings.

Drawing in a breath, Sophie stood and passed out packets detailing the project, with residences scattered every two acres. “The group is proposing a golf course community, most likely retirement folks, with a clubhouse and restaurant. It’s close enough to Maverick that the public could come golf for the day, maybe on the way to the tribe’s casino, three miles down the road.” She paused and crossed to the renderings. “The Charleton Group has developed similar properties all over the world with great success.”

“Didn’t the Group buy this property with a development in mind?” Phyllis asked, her face buried in the papers.

“I believe so, yes.” Sophie tightened her knees so she didn’t tremble.

“That was gutsy, since the county commissioners could refuse their permit,” Freddie chimed in.

Sophie nodded. “The Group seems confident the law will allow the development. Their lawyers are more up to date with the legal aspects of the proposal. My area of focus is just the golf course.”

“This does look like a fun course,” June mused. Her deep eyes emerged large and round from thick glasses. “Look at those sand traps around the fifth green.”

Jacob nodded. “And the water hazard on the sixteenth hole. Man, that’d be fun.”

Loni grinned. “This is a wonderful design, Sophie. I like how the residential lots are two entire acres while keeping the feel of the country. The council meets again tomorrow, and we’ll discuss an official position on your proposal.”

The council had been more receptive than Sophie had hoped. Pleasure lifted her lips in a smile and her shoulders relaxed. “Thank you.” She retook her seat.

“Our next item on the agenda is Willa’s Garden at the base of the road.” Loni perched narrow glasses on her nose.

The group peppered her with suggestions—everything from a gazebo to flowerbeds and ponds.

Loni turned toward Sophie. “Willa served on the council until she became too ill and passed away. She taught school for thirty years before that and never married. The tribe was her family.”

“So was the entire community, tribal or not,” June spoke up.

The loving way the board spoke about Willa touched Sophie. Ideas shot through her head. A community garden? “How much land are we talking? Do you want fields for sports?”

Loni shook her head. “No. In fact, we’re going to build an entire sports complex on the other side of the high school. That could be your next project. But for Willa’s Garden, we just want peace and tranquility.”

Sophie’s hands itched to get ahold of her charcoals and start designing. But she’d never designed a garden. “Well, I can draft up a design for you and then see what you think.”

“By Wednesday?” June’s eyes lit up.

Sophie nodded, trying to contain her own excitement. “I can have a rough design by then.”

“Excellent.” Earl leaped to his feet. “Come on guys, bingo starts in an hour at the casino.” The other two men tossed their empty plates into the trash and followed him out the door.

“Thanks again, Sophie,” Freddie called over his shoulder.

Sophie smiled. They’d drawn her in as if she were one of them. Being included shouldn’t matter to her. Yet she couldn’t lose the smile. She stood to help Loni clear the rest of the table. She expected a handshake, but both ladies gave her gentle hugs on their way out the door.

A deep voice from the doorway startled her. “Drop those sandwiches, Mom.” Jake strode into the room, his eyes on the food as his mother handed over the plate.

Sophie had thought the man was devastating in chaps. That was nothing compared to his look in full charcoal-gray Armani. The strength of his upper torso was evident through the dark silk, and his red tie breathed of power. The subtle stripe in his pants emphasized the impressive length of his legs. Butterflies danced in her stomach.

She lived in a big city. Muscles were earned in gyms and exercise rooms. Jake earned his the hard way—outdoors battling nature, lending a wildness to a man she should resist. Men like him didn’t exist in her world, and she didn’t fit in with theirs. But those butterflies beat with furious wings and didn’t give a hoot about logic. Or safety.

She needed to shut her mouth before she drooled.

His dimple winked and his gaze slid over her face like a kid eyeing licorice in a candy store. Her gaze dropped to his lips. She remembered how his mouth felt against hers, his tongue tangling with hers, and she flushed. His lips curved in response.

“How was court, dear?” Loni pushed the plate of cookies toward her son and broke the tension.

Jake released Sophie’s gaze and dropped into a vacated chair. “Idiot EPA,” he mumbled between bites.

“Jake, are you done for the day?” Loni asked.

“Definitely.”

“Good. Sophie needs to see the five acres for Willa’s Garden, and I have an appointment in town. Would you show it to her?” Loni edged toward the door.

“Subtle, Mom. Yes, I’d love to show Sophie around.”

The double meaning wasn’t lost on Sophie. Probably wasn’t lost on any of them.

“Good. ’Bye.” Loni made her escape.

Sophie clasped her suddenly trembling hands. She had the oddest urge to tackle the lawyer to the ground and steal a kiss but busied herself gathering the extra copies of her presentation. What was wrong with her?

“So they suckered you in, huh?” Jake turned amused eyes on her.

Oh yeah. Her job. The one she loved. Man, she lost all sense of reality when Jake was around. She ran a quick hand over her face. “Completely. Easily and without much of an effort.” Of course it helped that she wanted to design the garden.

“They do that.” Jake grabbed another cookie. “But—” He paused, obviously to choose the right words. “The tribe isn’t going to support the Charleton Group’s proposal on that land no matter how much we like your design.”

Sophie stilled. “Are you sure?” Maybe he was wrong about the council. They’d seemed to like her golf course design.

Jake rubbed his chin. “They may seem like a sweet, old, bingo-playing group, but they’re ruthless. Before you know it, ten years will have passed and you’ll have designed everything from memorials to summer gardens. We both know you’re meant to be in the city.”

She frowned. “We both know I belong in the city?” The man had just met her. At his nod, she raked her gaze over his now relaxed form. “Look who’s talking. Armani looks good on you, Jake.” She’d bet anything he was a force to watch in a courtroom.

One eyebrow lifted. “I was in court today.”

“Obviously. What wrong are you and the EPA trying to right?”

“Ah, stereotyping, are we?” His narrowed eyes belied his lazy drawl.

Heat roared through her ears. “Excuse me?”

“I sat on the opposite side from the EPA today, sweetheart.” He explained why the tribes often sat across the fence from the government.

She tilted her head. Every time she thought she had a handle on Jake Lodge, he surprised her again. His analytical mind complemented his sexy grin in a way that would intrigue any woman. She had to fight her attraction in order to save her uncle’s company.

“Come on, we can load these, and then I’ll take you to the memorial site.” Jake stood and tossed his trash into the can before grabbing both foam boards with the golf course designs and holding out a hand.

She relaxed as he turned off that direct stare and placed her hand in Jake’s much larger one. Warmth shot heat to her lower stomach. Warmth she didn’t want to feel.

Because he was right; she was a city girl.

Wasn’t she?

Chapter Eight

Sophie sketched a quick design for a garden, including natural stone paths, a koi pond, and picnic areas. The site had been perfect for the memorial, and she’d enjoyed tromping through the brush with Jake after he’d thrown on cowboy boots. Even in a suit, the man looked natural surrounded by wild nature. He hadn’t tried to kiss her again, and she told herself she was glad. There was no future for them.

Although that hadn’t stopped her from agreeing to dinner with his family. She glanced at the clock. He’d return for her in less than an hour.

The cell phone jarred her out of her musings.

“Hi, Sophia.” Preston’s voice came smooth and sure over the line. “Miss me?”

Not so much, actually.
Interesting
. “I’ve been working. How’s the Seattle job going?”

“Don’t ask. We’ve run into some interesting competition. How’s it going with the tribe?”

Her shoulders hunched. “I’m not sure. They all like the design but don’t want it on the Charleton Group’s land.”

“Still?” He rustled papers over the line.

“We may not have tribal support when we face the county commissioners next week.” Dread chilled her gut.

“The Group’s lawyers are pretty good. You’ll just describe your design and they’ll do the proposal for the permit.”

Thank goodness she had backup at the hearing.

“But I’ve done a bit of research. You haven’t run across Jake Lodge, have you?”

The air caught in her lungs. She took several deep breaths. “I’ve met Lodge. He’s the tribe’s lawyer.” And the man who had kissed her into oblivion. “Why?”

“He’s good. Really good. Took on the state twice, won both times in the U.S. Supreme Court. Tell me he’s not involved in opposing the project.”

Sophie coughed. “I’d say he is involved. Very. Though he hasn’t seemed too fired up about opposing us.”

“Probably the calm before he strikes. I’ve heard he’s the shark of all sharks. Plus, there are rumors that the tribe wants to build its own golf course over by the casino and are out to prevent any competition.”

“No, you’ve got it wrong. Jake’s not like that.”

Quiet slid across the line. “Just how well do you know him?”

“I’ve met with him regarding the proposal.”

Preston cleared his throat. “Of course. Well, I guess I’d just tell you to watch your back.”

She needed to get off the phone. Now. “No problem.”

“So have you given any thought to taking the cruise with me?”

No. Not at all. She’d been too busy mooning over a dangerous, country badass of a lawyer who might just torpedo her proposal. “The cruise? I, ah, don’t know. I should probably concentrate on work right now. We need to save Uncle Nathan’s company.” She didn’t want to hurt Preston’s feelings. He was a good man. On paper, they so worked. In reality? Maybe not.

“I’m not taking no for an answer. Keep thinking about it. ’Bye.” He clicked off.

Sophie shut the phone and stared sightlessly at the drawings before her. Just a week ago she would’ve jumped at the chance for a cruise with Preston. Now she balked. Why? She reached for her sketchbook and flipped it open to the second page. The answer stared back at her with Jake’s eyes.

What was she thinking, agreeing to a dinner at the Lodge house? Jake stirred feelings in her that all but guaranteed a broken heart when she left—when she returned home.

Why did home seem so far away?

Hurriedly, she changed and then headed downstairs. She waited for Jake on the wooden porch swing, her nervous motions swaying it back and forth.

Thick boots thudding on the wide steps announced his arrival.

“No Armani tonight, Jake?” Sophie raised an eyebrow at his black graphic button-up shirt, low-slung jeans, and polished cowboy boots. Combined with the deep black eyes, rugged face, and jet hair curling over his collar, he all but screamed bad-boy handsome. A true temptation for some girl to try and tame.

Some
country girl
to try and tame.

“You look spring pretty, Sunshine.” His grin was pure sin.

Electricity zinged through her when she took his proffered hand. “I think your family is matchmaking.” It wasn’t what she’d meant to say.

“They like you.” He flipped her around, pressing her against the hard metal of the truck. “So do I.” He lowered his head, giving her all the time in the world to resist or shift away.

She didn’t move. Her breath caught with anticipation.

Warm and soft, his lips wandered over hers before he deepened the kiss to something intimate, something demanding. Sophie sighed deep in her throat. One broad hand molded itself to her lower back and pulled her against him. Sheer masculine strength met her softness.

Her heart pounded, and need thrummed between her legs. Her nipples peaked to sharp points. Fire lashed through her nerves—fire for him.

Jake raised his head, his face an inch from hers, his eyes the dark clouds of a summer storm. “You have a decision to make.”

“What?” Confusion battled with the desire ripping through her veins.

“There’s something here.” He dropped a gentle kiss to her lips. “I want to explore it.”

“Jake—”

“I’m not asking for forever. We both know our lives exist in different worlds. But we’re here now. For a brief time.” Broad, warm hands slid down her arms.

She fought a shiver. God, it was tempting. To lose herself in all that strength. The pure maleness of the man. “I’ll think about it.”

His triumphant grin made her question her sanity. She barely knew the man, for goodness sake. Jake released her and opened his door. She scrambled over the seat and secured her seat belt.

“How’s the garden design going?” he asked once they were on the way.

She shook her head to concentrate. A dangerous ache pounded through her body, blooming at the apex of her legs. “The garden? Great. Mrs. Shiller helped with the placement of flowers and shrubs.”

“It’s very nice of you to include her.” They sped out of town toward the surrounding mountains. “Are you seeing anyone?”

Sophie jumped at the unexpected question. “No.” An invitation to a cruise didn’t count.

“Me neither.”

“I said I’d think about it.” Jake Lodge was becoming too much of a temptation. Her body pressed her to say yes. Her mind reeled to keep sane. She turned and admired the changing landscape, searching for a safe topic of conversation. “Rumor has it Quinn won the Buttercup pot the last couple of years.” She sent a sly glance his way.

Jake grinned. “Yeah, Quinn has a knack for it, I guess.”

“You’re not in cahoots?”

“No.” It was his turn to glance sideways. “But…you won’t tell anyone?”

“I promise.” For once, she‘d be in on the joke.

“He has a formula.”

“A formula?”

“He takes last year’s time, subtracts two seconds for Buttercup’s aging a year, and then multiplies it by a factor of how many injuries I’d sustained the past year.”

“Really?”

“Yep. He’s won the last four years in a row.” Jake’s deep chuckle sent a skittering along her nerve endings.

“Do you get injured a lot in court?”

“Not usually in court. I work my ranch, and injuries are common. But my brothers and I have the routine down, so we’re fairly safe.”

“You and your brothers seem really close.” Longing flowed through her as she realized she’d missed out on something important by being an only child.

“We are. If for no other reason than to keep Dawnie safe. That woman’s a menace. The second she started noticing boys, one in particular, life changed for all of us.”

“Hawk seems like a decent guy.” A group of horses caught her attention, their manes spraying a myriad of colors through the wind as they galloped over hills.

Jake flashed her a surprised glance. “He’s way too old for her. And a dead man if he goes near her. Besides, his job’s screwing him up as bad as—” Jake’s jaw snapped shut.

“Screwing him up as bad as the Rangers did you?” Would he let her in? Actually let her know him? The desire for his trust caught her unaware.

“Who’ve you been talking to?” His attention was riveted completely on her.

Man, he probably nailed witnesses on cross-examination. “Nobody.” Sophie struggled not to squirm.

Jake turned his focus to the road and she relaxed. “I’ve made my peace with the things we did in the service. And no,” he noted as she leaned forward to speak, “I won’t tell you about it right now.”

“Oh.” She sat back, way too much pleasure coursing through her at the idea that they had more than “right now.” “Were you married while in the army?”

“No. I married Em one month after my discharge.” He frowned. “She was too young. Wanted a big life in the big city. I just wanted a normal life. After the army.” He turned the truck through the massive logs standing vigil at the foot of his parents’ ranch. “We had dated in high school and ran into each other my first night back. I hadn’t even seen my parents yet. Tequila led to bourbon, and one thing led to another. We found out she was pregnant three weeks later.” He shook his head. “Leila is the biggest blessing of my life. But I wish things had been different for Emily.”

“How did she die?” Sophie kept her voice low. He was trusting in her, whether he knew it or not.

Jake sighed. “I’m not sure what happened. I knew she was unhappy here, but it could’ve been postpartum. It was the dead of winter and I was back east arguing a case. She asked my mom to watch the baby. Then Emily packed her bags into a little two-seater sports car I’d bought her during the summer and headed out. In a blizzard. In a summer car.” His voice turned hoarse. “She slid off the road and down an incline. Doc said she was dead on impact—that she didn’t suffer.”

Sophie’s heart clenched. “I’m so sorry, Jake.” She ran a hand along his tense arm, the muscles rippling at her touch.

Jake nodded. Then he stopped the truck in a circular drive of the two-story log home and turned toward her. “Enough bad memories. We’re supposed to have fun tonight.” His knuckle brushed her cheekbone. “And you’re supposed to be deciding to sleep with me.”