Courting the Enemy (10 page)

Her head bobbed as the tears continued to fall. “Yes, but these were on my desk one morning with a note to put the seal on them and leave the file for Mr. Grogan. That’s what I did. I thought it must be really urgent.” She regarded her new boss with dismay. “I thought it was what you wanted, that it wouldn’t matter if I broke the rules since you were the one telling me to do it.”

The bank president simply stared at her. “I know you’ve only been here a short time, but have I ever asked you to do anything dishonest?”

“No, sir. That’s why I thought it must be very important.”

“And you have no idea who put the papers there?”

“None. They were there when I arrived for work. You were in your office, so I was sure you’d left them, just like the note said.”

“I don’t suppose you kept the note,” Nate said.

She shook her head. “No, sir.”

Grogan sighed heavily. “You may go, Miss Ames.”

“You’re…you’re not firing me?”

“Not at this time,” he said. “Not until we get all of this sorted out, at any rate. But if I find you know more than you’ve told us just now, you
will
be out of here. Am I making myself perfectly clear?”

Her head bobbed. She left the room looking so terrified that Grady almost felt sorry for her.

“I apologize,” Grogan said. “I don’t know what she could have been thinking.”

“That she was doing you a favor, I’m sure,” Grady told him wryly. “Obviously she’s very loyal to you.”

“Or to someone else,” Grogan said wearily. “I’ll straighten this out. I promise you that. And I will call Mrs. Hanson and explain things to her.”

Grady nodded. “I wish you would. And one more thing. Were you the one who warned Caleb Hanson about this so-called attempt on my part to buy up his mortgage?”

“Yes. I saw to it that the application was denied and then told him what was going on. He and his family have banked here for years. I thought he had a right to know.”

“Who else could have left those papers on your secretary’s desk, especially before she arrived in the morning?”

“Anyone who works here. The other employees arrive here around eight. Miss Ames drops her son off at school. She doesn’t arrive until closer to eight-thirty. It wouldn’t take a minute to drop off the file. People leave papers on Miss Ames’s desk all day long. No one would think a thing about it.”

“But it couldn’t have been an outsider, correct? It had to be someone working here?”

“So it seems.” He looked Grady in the eye. “I’ll get to the bottom of it. You have my word on that.”

Grady nodded. He didn’t doubt that Nathaniel Grogan’s intentions were honorable, but as Jarrod Wilcox had already pointed out, this incident, like the others, had taken place long ago. Finding answers wasn’t going to be simple. People’s memories faded. Except, of course, for the person who’d done it. He or she
wouldn’t have forgotten. But could the wrongdoer be persuaded to tell the truth?

“I’ll hold you to that,” he said as Nate walked with him onto the main floor of the bank.

Just as they stepped into the marble-floored lobby, Karen walked through the front door, took one look at the two of them and turned pale. Then bright patches of color flared in her cheeks right before she turned and fled.

“Dammit,” Grady muttered, and took off after her. He knew what she was thinking, knew she was adding up two and two and coming up with a hundred and ten or whatever number would be most damning.

He caught up with her halfway down the block and fell into step beside her. She didn’t even glance over at him.

“Good morning,” he said, being deliberately upbeat.

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“That’s fine, because I have quite a lot to say to you,” he said, steering her into Stella’s before she could protest. He knew her well enough to understand that she wouldn’t make a scene, not here in front of her friend Cassie, who was staring at them, clearly ready to intercede.

“This looks like a nice quiet place to talk,” Grady said tightly as he aimed for the booth in the back.

He stood there until she sank onto the seat with a resigned sigh, then he slid in next to her just to be sure she couldn’t bolt before they had this out.

“Everything okay?” Cassie asked, her worried gaze on Karen.

“Fine,” Grady said. “Bring us two cups of cof
fee.” He glanced at Karen. “Have you had breakfast yet?”

“It’s after ten. What do you think?”

He bit back a grin, then glanced up at Cassie. “I guess the coffee will do for now.”

He noted that Karen’s hands were folded primly on the table, that her gaze was everywhere but on him. Those angry patches of color in her cheeks hadn’t faded. He warned himself to give it another couple of minutes before saying anything. Maybe once she’d had her coffee, her temper would die down and she’d be ready to listen to reason.

Cassie brought the steaming cups to the table, then lingered, but when neither Karen or Grady looked up, she sighed and walked away.

“I suppose you were wondering what I was doing with Nate Grogan,” he said finally.

“I don’t think it takes much imagination to figure that out,” she snapped. “Did he agree to let you buy up the mortgage this time?”

“I never tried to buy the blasted mortgage,” Grady retorted. “Not today. Not two years ago.”

“So you say.”

“Ask Grogan. He intends to call you to explain what happened anyway.”

“I’m sure he’ll say whatever you want him to say,” she said.

“He didn’t before, did he? Wasn’t he the one who called Caleb to tell him what I was supposedly up to?”

She hesitated at that. “Yes,” she conceded.

“Well, today he found out that I was not the person who filled out that original paperwork. I’m sure he’ll tell you that if you ask.”

She turned to him at last, her blue eyes filled with confusion. “But the papers…?”

“They were forged by someone and later notarized by a loyal secretary who thought she was doing what Grogan wanted her to do.”

Her gaze searched his and Grady thought he saw a faint flicker of hope in her eyes. “Honestly?”

“I won’t lie to you, Karen. I haven’t before and I won’t start now. I want that land, but I have never done anything devious or underhanded to try to get it.”

A sigh seemed to shudder through her at that. “I want to believe you,” she admitted.

“Then do it,” he pleaded. “Believe me. Trust me.”

“If only it were that simple,” she whispered.

She didn’t have to say what she was really thinking. Grady knew. Caleb had labeled him the enemy. How could he possibly overcome the accusations of a dead man, especially a dead man that she had loved with all her heart?

At that moment, for the first time, Grady understood the true meaning of hatred and jealousy. He hated Caleb Hanson, not for all of the lies he had believed about Grady and shared with his wife in the past, but for his ability to rob them of a future even from the grave.

S
omething had changed in that split second when Grady had looked into Karen’s eyes at Stella’s. It was as if a light had gone off inside him, as if he’d been defeated. It wasn’t long before he’d made his excuses and left, leaving her staring after him in confusion.

She had told herself then that it would pass, that things would return to normal, that he would pop up when she least expected him at the ranch, but it hadn’t happened that way. Just as he’d disappeared before when she’d hurt him, he hadn’t been around for days now. Even Hank and Dooley, who had regarded him with suspicion from the beginning, had commented on his absence.

“Thought he was becoming a permanent fixture around here,” Dooley said, a hint of disapproval plain in his voice.

“Well, he wasn’t,” Karen said defensively. Hiding
her confusion behind anger, she added, “And we don’t have time to stand around gabbing about a man who had no business being here in the first place.”

“Fine by me,” Dooley said.

“And me,” Hank said fervently. “The boss never did like him.”

“I’m the boss now,” Karen reminded him. “You need to worry about what
I
like.”

Dooley’s eyes widened. “Are you saying you trust a scoundrel like Grady Blackhawk?”

“He’s not a scoundrel,” she said. “And what I was saying is that you both have work to do. Didn’t I ask you to finish checking that fence today? I saw another section down when I drove back here yesterday. We’re going to be moving the herd in a few weeks and I don’t want them wandering off our land. We can’t afford to lose a single head.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dooley said, his tone respectful, even if he was regarding her with a worried frown that suggested he wasn’t entirely certain she was in command of things.

After both men had left, she sat down with a sigh. Who was she kidding? She might be in charge, but she was only holding on to this place by a thread. She knew well enough what needed to be done, but she didn’t have the resources to make much of it happen. Lately it seemed she lacked the stamina as well. She simply wanted to crawl under the covers and sleep the winter away.

For a brief time Grady’s presence had stirred her out of that depressing inertia, but now that he was no longer around, she couldn’t seem to shake it.

The welcome ringing of the phone jarred her out of her misery.

“Hey, girl,” Lauren said, her cheerful voice bringing a much needed smile to Karen’s lips.

“Hey, yourself. What’s up in Tinseltown? I need some hot Hollywood gossip to perk me up.”

“Since when do you care about celebrity gossip?”

“It’s the closest I’m likely to come to having any glamour in my life,” Karen said. “Come on. Spill something absolutely titillating.”

“Sorry. I’ve been holed up trying to learn my lines for this new movie. Brad Pitt could get married and I wouldn’t know it.”

“Brad Pitt
did
get married,” Karen pointed out with a chuckle. “Ages ago, in fact.”

“See what I mean? I’m oblivious.”

“What good is it having a friend who’s a superstar if you never know any hot secrets?”

“I do know one,” Lauren retorted. “I know that a certain rancher has been seen hanging out with her mortal enemy. Quite an intense little tête-à-tête from what I heard.”

“Cassie blabbed,” Karen said with a resigned sigh. She should have known her friend would make way too much out of that public appearance she and Grady had made at Stella’s. It had probably taken all of fifteen seconds for her to spread the word to the others.

“I never reveal a source,” Lauren said loftily. “So, what’s the scoop with the sexy Mr. Blackhawk? Are you two becoming an item after all?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Karen snapped, pushing back the thought of those two steamy kisses. “Even if I was attracted to him, which I’m not, how could I get involved with Grady?”

“Because of Caleb,” Lauren said flatly.

“Of course because of Caleb.”

“You have to live your life for
you
now,” Lauren reminded her, her tone gentle. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t remember Caleb, but you can’t take on his baggage, Karen. If you like Grady, if you want to spend time with him, that’s your decision to make.”

“Not according to the Hansons,” Karen said dryly.

“Oh, what do they know?” Lauren said, dismissing the importance of the opinion of Karen’s former in-laws. “Besides, they’re in Arizona.”

“With a direct hotline to the gossip in Wyoming,” Karen reported.

“Ignore them,” Lauren advised.

“How can I? They’re Caleb’s parents.”

“So naturally they’re going to be upset if you get involved with someone new. They’ll get over it.”

“Not if it’s Grady,” Karen said flatly.

“Then you
are
interested,” Lauren said, seizing on her slip and obviously concluding that Karen regretted being unable to act on her fascination with the man.

Karen sighed. “I don’t know how I feel about him.”

“Is he pressuring you to decide that right this second?”

“No. Actually he hasn’t been around much lately. Not since the morning Cassie saw us together. I think something I said or did upset him, but I can’t imagine what. He’s a very complex man.”

“A break may be exactly what you need. Give it some time. You’re a smart woman. You’ll sort out your feelings when the time is right.” Lauren hesitated, then asked, “Do you want me to come home? I’m a pretty good judge of character.”

“Oh, really? I can list two lousy marriages that say otherwise.”

“Ouch,” Lauren said. “No one can see their own mistakes until it’s too late. Everyone else’s, however, are crystal clear. An outside opinion wouldn’t hurt and I can be there tomorrow.”

“No. You’ve put your career on hold enough for me as it is. I can’t ask you to come running every time I get scared.”

“Scared?” Lauren teased. “Of Grady or yourself?”

“Maybe both,” Karen admitted.

“You listen to me, Karen Hanson. Nobody I know has a better head on her shoulders than you do. Trust your instincts. And any time you want me there for backup, you call. I can drop everything and be there in a few hours. To tell the truth, I like feeling needed for a change. Say the word and I’ll be back there mucking out stalls and working with the horses for as long as you need me.”

Karen was so startled by the heartfelt sincerity of the offer that she was at a loss for words. It wasn’t the first time the offer had been made, but something in her friend’s voice suggested that she was truly hoping to be asked to rush home.

“Stunned into silence?” Lauren asked.

“Truthfully, yes. You’ve hinted around about wanting to come home for good, but that’s the first time you’ve come right out and said it. What’s wrong, Lauren? What haven’t you been telling us?”

“There’s nothing wrong,” her friend assured her. “Nothing I can put my finger on anyway. I’m sure whatever it is, I’ll get over it. But the offer stands, no matter what. If you need me, just say the word.”

“Thank you,” Karen said softly. “And…Lauren?”

“What?”

“If you need to be here, don’t wait for an invitation. I’ve got a room waiting any time you want to come. I mean that. And if it’s hard physical work you’re looking for, I can supply that, too.”

“I know you mean it. and I love you for saying it. Take care, sweetie.”

“You, too.”

Karen had barely hung up when she realized she wasn’t alone. She turned to find Grady standing just outside the screen door. Still troubled by her conversation with Lauren, she barely spared him a glance. And this time, she refused to get her hopes up. His habit of coming and going when she least expected it was too disconcerting.

“Anything wrong?” he asked, his expression concerned as he stepped inside without waiting to be invited.

“Not with me,” she said, injecting a false note of cheer into her voice. She was not going to discuss Lauren’s odd mood with a man she didn’t entirely trust. If it wound up being splashed all over the tabloids, she would never forgive herself.

Even as the thought of Grady pitching such personal information to a tabloid ran through her mind, she scolded herself over the absurdity of it. Why would he do such a thing? He certainly didn’t need the money. And he was trying to prove to her that he was trustworthy. Wouldn’t such a deliberate act of betrayal be counterproductive? It just proved how deep her own distrust ran.

“I thought I’d stop in and let you know that I’ll be
out helping Hank and Dooley today. The fence along the highway is down.”

“I know. I spotted it yesterday. They’re out there now. They can handle it.”

“I’m sure they’d be grateful for an extra pair of hands.”

Her gaze narrowed. “Look, it’s been obvious the past few days that you have a life of your own to live. You don’t have to keep doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“Pitching in around here. Stay home and take care of your own chores.”

Amusement lurked in the depths of his eyes. “So you did miss me?”

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

She frowned at him. “Is that why you stayed away, so I’d miss you?”

“No,” he said curtly. “Now let me make this clear for the last time. I don’t mind helping out around here. I like the company.”

She regarded him with skepticism. “Hank and Dooley’s?”

“Hardly,” he said, grinning at last. “But the boss lady has a certain way about her that I find intriguing.”

Her heart fluttered at the compliment. “Is that so?”

He nodded. “Besides that, she owes me dinner. Our deal’s not over.”

“I thought you’d forgotten about that. Besides, the two weeks were up long ago.”

“We missed a few nights,” he reminded her.

“I never gave you a rain check.”

“But you wouldn’t renege on a deal, would you? Doesn’t that go against that conscience of yours?”

“I suppose.”

“That’s settled, then. And just so you know, I have a real hankering for apple pie.”

“Stella’s is good,” she told him.

“But I’ll bet yours is better.” His gaze caught hers. “Still warm from the oven with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into all the little crevices.”

Karen swallowed hard. Somehow he had managed to make a perfectly ordinary slice of pie sound like something wickedly sensual. Or was that just her state of mind?

“How about it?” he asked. “Pie for dessert?”

She gave him a resigned look. “I’ll see what I can do.”

He winked at her. “I’ll be counting on it.”

Don’t,
she thought to herself after he’d gone.
Don’t count on me, Grady.

Because the truth was, if push came to shove, she had no idea which of the men in her life she’d choose…a ghost or the flesh-and-blood man who was tempting her more and more each day, despite his entirely too unpredictable comings and goings.

Grady heard the argument long before he spotted Hank and Dooley.

“I say we’ve got to tell her,” Hank shouted fiercely. “The woman has a right to know that someone deliberately cut this fence.”

“Mrs. Hanson’s got enough on her mind,” Dooley argued. “We’re taking care of it, aren’t we? There’s no harm done. Why get her all worked up about a problem that won’t exist after today?”

Grady crested the hill and spotted the two hands squared off, a section of barbed wire in Hank’s hands.

“I’m telling you she needs to know that somebody’s out to get her,” Hank countered. “She ought to be calling the sheriff. This isn’t right.” His gaze narrowed as he looked at Dooley. “Or is there some particular reason you don’t want the sheriff involved?”

The old man drew back his fist and aimed a punch straight for Hank’s face. It landed solidly, snapping the younger man’s head back.

Grady leaped from the saddle and got between the two men. “Okay, enough. What the hell’s gotten into you two?”

Whatever distrust they felt toward him was apparently less than they were feeling about each other at the moment, because both men started hurling accusations so fast and furiously, Grady could barely keep up.

“Hold it!” he commanded finally. “One at a time. Dooley, you first.”

Hank glared at Grady as a look of satisfaction spread across the old man’s face.

“Like I was trying to tell this pea-brain here, the boss already has too much on her mind,” Dooley said. “There’s no need to worry her with this latest incident, since we’re taking care of it.”

“The incident being that someone deliberately cut the barbed wire?” Grady concluded.

“Exactly,” Hank said, holding out the section of wire. “Cut through, clean as a whistle. This is new fence, too. Put it in myself just last spring.”

Grady didn’t like the implication one bit. Once again, someone was trying to sabotage the Hanson
operation. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the blame was going to fall on his shoulders sooner or later. That raised those same two interesting possibilities again. Either someone wanted to force Karen out of business for their own reasons, or they wanted to cast more doubt on his integrity simply to keep her from selling to him.

“Who owns the land on the other side of the highway?” he asked Dooley.

“Tate McDonald.”

The name meant nothing to Grady. “Has he been around long?”

“Bought the place eight, maybe nine years ago,” Hank said. “About the same time I came to work for the Hansons.”

“Has he been looking to expand?” Grady asked.

Both men exchanged a look, then shook their heads.

“He’s not here much,” Dooley said. “Spends most of his time in California, from what I hear. His foreman runs the place. They keep a small herd over there, nothing like what Duke Walters had when he owned it.”

That didn’t mean that McDonald didn’t aspire to having a much bigger operation in the future. Grady resolved to find out what he could about the man.

He already knew that the land to the west had been owned by the same family for sixty years—the Oldhams—and that the property due north belonged to Jack Fletcher, a cantankerous ex-rodeo star who trained horses and whose daughter, Maggie, had a difficult streak of her own. None of them struck him as the kind of people who’d try to force a neighbor
out of business, but he’d have Jarrod Wilcox do some checking, just in case.