He's Got Her Goat (23 page)

Sterling slammed his fist against the hood of the truck. The loud bang quieted Dotty enough for him to get a word in edgewise. “What do you think? I’m going to marry her tomorrow? This is the right thing to do. That’s all. If you’re not with me, then drive away. That will be the end of it.”

Paige had a bad taste in her mouth. At this point, she wouldn’t mind if they both drove away. She’d take her chances with Elaine. Paige turned toward the front door to go call the sheriff after all.

She was mid-stride when Dotty said, “Well, I might as well stay since I’m here anyway.”

“That’s more like it.” Sterling said.

The front door opened and a very pink Austin, his hair still wet, stood on the threshold. “So what’s the plan, boss?” he asked Sterling.

“It’s a go.” His voice sounded excited.

Still feeling unsure and a little abused, Paige didn’t turn toward Sterling or Dotty. Paige could still call this off and was tempted to. Then she felt Sterling’s strong hands around her.

He touched her chin and lifted it to meet his. “Are you okay with this?” His voice was so tender it melted her. “It’s up to you.”

Paige glanced at Dotty, who obviously did not find the embrace amusing, and then over to Austin, who evidently found it clearly uncomfortable. Returning her focus to Sterling, she said, “Let’s give it a try.”

In that instant, Sterling let go of her. “Can you prepare the truck for transporting the goats while I give Austin and Dotty their assignments?”

“Wait. We’re moving goats in the U-haul?” Paige had to admit the size looked about right, but it would be a bear to clean out when the job was done. While Sterling went off a little way and was whispering with Dotty, Paige turned to Austin. “Do you think we can really get away with stealing the goats?”

He gave a curt nod. “If anyone can do it, Sterling can.”

There was that confidence again. It was Austin’s admiration of Sterling that had gotten her in this mess in the first place. Dotty felt the same way though. Fine, she’d trust him with her business and let him clean up this mess with Elaine, but that was it. After what he’d said to Dotty, it was clear his intentions were only short-term. She wondered if they had stayed in those adjoining rooms the entire week, what might have happened. No, she had to be careful. Though her feelings for him were strong, she also was quite certain he’d break her heart if she let him.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Sterling could hardly believe it when Dotty drove up ten minutes after she had left. Once she cut the engine she called, “The milking crew arrived early. Cool your jets, people. They won’t be done until after seven tonight. Then it’s an all clear.”

Sterling rushed to her side. “How did Ryan react to your showing up?”

She buffed her nails from the driver’s seat as she answered. “The lug can’t wait for our evening alone together. His ex-wife did a number on him, and he’s desperate for positive feminine attention. I told him I felt so badly that our last interaction wasn’t satisfying for him and that the guilt forced me to search him out. He lapped it up like honey. What a patsy.”

“This could work to our advantage,” Sterling said. “We’ll be harder to track at night.”

Paige walked over from the barn with a wheelbarrow full of fresh hay for the back of the truck. “You think Elaine will have us followed?”

“If she knew we were back in town. Remember, she thinks we’re still in Dallas, Texas,” Sterling said.

“Well, it is your hometown.” Dotty got out of her car and leaned against the convertible. “You know that’s why she sent you there, right?”

“She didn’t send me there. I found
Earth Tech
on my own.” He remembered reading about them in a local paper, but couldn’t recall how he came across it.

Dotty lifted her nose and turned away from him. “You think what you want, and I’ll pretend I never saw that article on the printer in Elaine’s office three weeks before you brought it up.”

The only good part of what he was hearing was that Elaine might not figure out where they were going.

Dotty seemed to be getting bored with the conversation and turned to Paige. “You got a couch and television, goat girl?”

“Yes, Austin’s in the house; he can show you,” Paige said.

“Don’t bother me until quarter to seven.” Dotty headed for the house, and Sterling was relieved she was gone. He wanted to spend some time alone with Paige, to talk about what happened in Dallas, but she spoke first.

“Sterling, do you have any idea where we’re taking the goats? Joe’s got a place on Mt. Hood. I know he’s got the room, and he wouldn’t mind.” She had been spreading hay in the back of the truck and had a stalk of straw in her hair.

He reached up to remove it, but she backed away. “Is something wrong?” he asked. The last he knew they were getting along well.

Paige let out a puff of air. “Let me think. My herd has been stolen beneath my nose, I’m on the verge of committing a felony, and I have no idea where you’re planning to take us. I’d say there’s a lot wrong and not much right. Wouldn’t you?”

Sterling wanted to hold her hand, but they were folded tight in front of her. “I know where we’re going to go, but it’s complicated. How about if I help you prepare the truck then we can talk about it?” He hadn’t shared why he left home all those years ago with anyone and wasn’t looking forward to the prospect.

Austin slammed the front door and marched their direction. “I can’t wait here until seven. Your secretary is verifiably insane.”

“I get that a lot.” Sterling laughed. “Why don’t I take you home to pack some clothes? We’ll be gone for five days.”

“Great.” Austin stretched his neck and rotated his shoulders. “I’ll get some more micro-dots at my apartment, just in case. Do you want to drive?” He fished his keys out of his pocket.

Sterling snatched them up. “Sorry, Paige. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

“Don’t hurry on my account,” she said, returning to hay duty.

He knew he was chickening out of telling her the truth, but he would have lots of time later. He only hoped she wouldn’t think less of him when she found out.

STERLING AND AUSTIN RETURNED
with no time to spare. The plan wasn’t complicated, in fact just the opposite. A simple grab and go. While Ryan was off flirting with Dotty, Paige and Sterling would load the goats. Meanwhile, Austin would find any paperwork from his original packing extravaganza, so they’d have documentation in case they went to court. If all went well, fifteen minutes, and they would hightail it out of there.

Dotty left first, asking for half an hour alone with Ryan before they arrived. With five minutes to go, Sterling climbed in the U-haul, expecting Paige to sit next to him. Instead, she held the door open, so Austin would sit in the middle. As they crept up the new road at the back of the former emu farm, there was only one car parked beside the red Miata. Sterling backed in near the double doors at the east side of the building. He cut the engine and waited.

Once they were certain they hadn’t been spotted, the trio bolted from the rental. Sterling grabbed a stick off the ground to drive the goats, the way he had with the cows back home. As soon as the goats saw him, they scattered. He was getting nowhere then noticed five goats were already in the truck and seven more were on Paige’s heels, following her up the ramp.

“Are you magic, like the goat piper or something?” he asked.

“No.” She held up a bag of brown wafers. “Goat cookies. Try them.”

She tossed one his direction, and he held it up. Sure enough, the goats almost stampeded toward him.

With the goats safely in the U-haul, Paige got behind the wheel. She’d promised to drive away if there was any trouble while Sterling went back for Austin and Dotty. Both were in the office.

Opening the door, he had a shock. Ryan was hogtied with Dotty’s long riding scarf and lying on the floor. Muffled grunts came from his stuffed mouth.

“I told you to distract him,” Sterling said.

“He is distracted.” Dotty gave an innocent-looking pout. “He’s trying so hard to get out of those knots that he didn’t even notice the goats were gone.”

Meanwhile, Austin shuffled through all the papers on the desk. “They aren’t here.”

“What?” Dotty asked.

Austin’s hands were shaking. “My notes. The list of goats and all the supplies.”

“Oh.” Dotty tapped a finger against her pursed lips.

Sterling knew that look. “Do you know where they are, Dotty?”

She knelt beside Ryan and reached in his mouth with her fingers, withdrawing a wad of scrunched up papers she had used as a gag. Immediately, the bound man began spewing profanities.

Dotty kicked him with her stilettos. “What’s your problem, Ryan? You said I could do anything I wanted to you. Didn’t ya?”

The inner struggle between Austin’s disgust at the spittle-covered pages and his sense of obligation to flatten the documents was amusing, but Sterling knew he couldn’t watch. It was time to go.

He pecked Dotty’s cheek. “What are you going to do about Ryan?”

“Blanche, his ex, was a lot rougher than me.” Dotty waved her hand. “I may play with him a little longer, but there’ll be no permanent damage. He’ll tell everyone it was a dozen ninjas or something. We’ll be fine. What about you? Where are you going?”

“It’s best if you don’t know.” Sterling turned to go.

Dotty’s hand clamped around his arm. “I mean it. Don’t give up everything for her. You’ll hate her if you do.” Her eyes pled with him, but Sterling couldn’t imagine ever hating Paige.

He put his hand over Dotty’s. She had been the closest thing he had to a mother since he lost his own. “Truth is, I’m getting a lot more than I’m giving.”

“You always see the best in people. It’ll hurt you in the end.” Dotty let him go.

Hurrying to the truck, Sterling found Austin and Paige already inside. He leapt into his seat, and they pulled onto the highway. It was only seven thirty, the goats were milked, and Sterling steeled himself for the hardest part of the trip.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

M
OST OF THE RIDE WAS SILENT
. Austin fell fast asleep early on. Paige assumed Sterling kept quiet because he was worried about waking him. They stopped to get a bite to eat at eight o’clock then topped off the tank a half hour later even though it was less than half empty. When they re-entered the truck, Paige sat next to Sterling, and Austin nodded off again.

“So?” she whispered.

“We made it.” He didn’t say anything else. Paige watched shadows play across his drawn face. He seemed lost in thought. When a green mileage sign said they were five miles from Dallas, Oregon, it all made sense. In fact, she was a little relieved. Now she’d see who Sterling really was. His family must be horrible to have hurt him so badly. His left hand clutched the wheel, so she slipped her arm through his right, trying to be supportive.

Sterling smiled. “What’s that for?”

Paige leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’m grateful for what you’re doing. This must be hard.”

He didn’t answer, but she could see his jaw clench in the dim glow of a passing headlight. He’d tell her when he was ready. For all he was doing for her, she could wait.

It was close to ten by the time they pulled onto a road leading to a white farmhouse with a green tin roof and matching shutters. A barn ten times the size of hers loomed across the open yard. She leapt out the same door as Sterling, leaving a sleeping Austin behind them.

“This is perfect!” she said. Balancing on the bottom rail of the gate by the barn, Paige lifted herself up, so she could peer further into the dim enclosed stalls inside. “Hey, I thought dairy barns usually had cement floors, so you could hose out the manure. This has a dirt one.”

Sterling’s smile seemed strained. “The milking barn’s around the corner. This was for horses but hasn’t been used since I was fifteen.”