Rodeo Queen (23 page)

Liz caught herself and glared at him. “Come on.” She held open the front door. “Daddy is in the barn working, the others are in the north pasture, and Silvie took off to go to town. Let’s go talk in the kitchen before anyone gets back. You want something to drink?”

Kurt arched a brow. “What do you think?”

Liz rolled her eyes as she led him towards the kitchen. If she didn’t need his help—if he weren’t the most immoral person she’d ever met—she never would have called him. But he was such an ass to deal with. She pointed at the kitchen table as he pulled out a chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him and leaning back. She reached into the refrigerator and pulled out one of the cold beers she kept in the back, holding it out to him.

“So what’s the deal, Liz?”

“I need you to help me get Scott’s share of the company so I can sell it off.”

Kurt laughed as he took a swig of the beer. “Sure, no problem. I’ll just ask Scott and I’m sure he’ll hand it over.” He tipped the bottle in her direction. “Just how do you suggest I do that?”

Liz narrowed her eyes at him and arched a brow. “Don’t be a smartass.” She didn’t have time for him to play around. One of the hands could come back to the house at any moment.

“Okay, let’s say you
can
get Scott to give up his shares to you. What about Jen and Derek? They aren’t going to give you anything.”

“Derek is weak. He practically hates Scott and will do just about anything to see him fail. And if both of the boys give up their shares, Jen will cave too. She’ll be outnumbered.”

Kurt shrugged. “Why do you want to sell this place all the sudden anyway? You think your dad’s gonna let you do that?”

Liz shook her head. “I’m doing this for him. The doctor told him to stay away from stress, and for him that would be this company and the Chandlers. He won’t say anything.”

“Why not just sell Scott your dad’s share?”

“Since when do you care about seeing Scott succeed?” Liz shot back. Kurt just rocked the chair onto the back legs and shrugged. “I want to see him beaten off that pedestal he puts himself on. The perfect Scott Chandler needs to see he’s not so perfect after all.”

Kurt chuckled viciously. “So is this because he dumped you, or is it some kind of ‘Daddy’ thing?” Liz glared at him. “Okay, both. So what do I get out of this proposition?”

“My undying gratitude?”

Kurt slid the empty bottle onto the kitchen table. “Your undying gratitude almost got me killed the last time I saw Scott. Not interested.”

“You always said you wanted to get your own revenge. Steal his girl.”

“Hmm . . . Who is this girl?” A faint smile played at his lips. Liz knew he loved a challenge, and no girl really stood a chance against him when he turned on the charm.

“Some rodeo queen Daddy hired to train horses.” She shrugged. “I’m not sure how she convinced him . . .”

“A name, dear. Give me a name.”

“Sydney something, I think. I only met her for a second, and she’s pretty forgettable.” Liz was bored with the turn of conversation. She didn’t want to talk about Scott’s little bimbo.

Kurt bolted upright in the chair, upsetting the bottle on the table. “Thomas?”

“Geez, Kurt,” she reprimanded. “Be more careful.” Liz reached for the towel on the sink to wipe up his mess.

Kurt jumped up and grabbed her shoulders roughly. “Thomas, Liz?” He shook her when she didn’t answer right away. “Is her last name Thomas?” he yelled.

Liz slapped at his hands, trying to push him away. “That hurts!”

“Answer me, dammit!”

She’d seen Kurt get angry at other people, but he’d never launched his attack her direction. For the first time, she was truly afraid of him. She liked to be in control of every situation, and he suddenly seemed uncontrollable.

“I think so,” she finally managed, still trying to unlock his grip on her shoulders.

“I’ll do it.”

Liz was curious what sort of person could elicit a reaction like this out of Kurt. “What the hell?” She rubbed the spots she knew would be bruised by tomorrow morning. “I take it you know her?”

“I guess you could say that.” Kurt nodded, fingering the scar on his face.

S
COTT PULLED INTO
the driveway and headed straight to the barn with Sydney following close behind. He knew that her curiosity was probably killing her, but she would be happy for the distraction when she saw what he had planned.

“Come on, slowpoke,” he teased.

Sydney stopped in her tracks. “I’m not taking another step until you tell me where we are going.”

Scott walked back to her and slid his hands down her arms, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “Come on, princess. Don’t ruin my surprise.”

Scott felt the pulse in her wrist speed up and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She looked up at him, her eyes glowing with unspoken doubt. “Trust me.” Scott pulled her into the barn where Noble and Valentino stood, saddled and waiting patiently. Valentino whickered a greeting before she even came into view. “I guess that’s two of us eating out of the palm of your hand, huh?”

“Right.” She laughed at his teasing and he was thrilled that they could spend a little more time together, even if they did have to work during the day.

Scott checked the gear in the pack strapped to the back of his saddle. Since Mike had gone ahead and set everything up for him earlier, he simply needed some provisions for their ride. “Okay, we have everything we need.”

Sydney mounted Valentino, and, to her credit, didn’t ask where they were headed. He wondered if she recognized the path out to the lake, where she and Derek had shared lunch right after her arrival. Scott looked over at her and marveled at how relaxed she became when she was on the back of a horse. It was as if nothing else in the world mattered any longer. She and the animal were part of the same body, sharing every breath and enjoying each experience with the other. Her joy was almost childlike.

“Want to stop and let the horses get a drink at the lake?”

“We aren’t staying here?” Her eyes shone brightly as she dismounted and led the stallion to the water’s edge.

Scott shrugged his shoulders, refusing to give her any hints. Dropping Valentino’s reins and letting him step into the cool water at the edge, Sydney twirled in place, laughing.

“I love this place.”

Scott chuckled at her antics. “Just wait until we get to where we are headed.”

“And that would be?” she said, trying to trick him into giving their destination away.

“Someplace where we’ll . . .” Scott stopped mid-sentence, looking out beyond the lake.

“What is it?” Sydney asked, moving closer to him.

Scott stared at the approaching figure until his mind registered the rider. He sighed and turned back to the horses. “It’s only Derek.”

“Derek? I’ve missed him the past few days.”

Sydney’s voice registered a little too much enthusiasm for his liking. A sharp stab of jealousy shot through him and he tried to shove it away. He realized that he usually didn’t feel jealous of any man, not because there was no reason to, but because he never let himself feel enough for any particular woman to warrant any possessive emotion. Scott hated the feeling, but couldn’t stop himself from slipping his arms around her waist and branding her as his as Derek approached.

“When did you guys get back? I never even saw the truck.”

“We haven’t.” Scott’s curt answer was meant to send Derek back to work. Sydney’s tight laugh was obviously an attempt to lighten the tension between the brothers.

“We just got back and Scott said he had a surprise for me, so we came for a ride.”

“Oh.” Scott didn’t miss the disappointment he heard in Derek’s voice, nor did he miss Derek’s glance at his arm draped around Sydney’s shoulders. “Maybe we can catch up over dinner then. You can let me know how the rodeo went.”

Scott arched a brow. Since when did Derek care how any rodeo went? “We’ll be gone for dinner too.”

Nice try, bro, but Sydney is mine.

Sydney and Derek both turned, looking at Scott incredulously, and he wondered if he’d actually spoken his thoughts aloud.

“Fine.” Derek mounted his horse and glanced back at Sydney over his shoulder, adjusting his baseball cap. “I can see I’m interrupting here, so I guess I’ll just be going.”

“Don’t worry,” Scott said as he slid his arm around Sydney’s waist and pulled her closer to his side. “She’s safe with me.”

Derek glared at his brother. “She’d better be.”

“You have something you want to get off your chest, Derek?” Scott challenged. Scott could tell his brother was fishing for Sydney to ask him to stay, but he wasn’t about to let it happen, not today. “Why don’t you just get back to work. I’ll make sure that Sydney’s in good hands.”

Derek shot a sad, pleading look toward Sydney before kicking his horse and taking off at a lope across the pasture. Scott pulled Sydney into his arms.

“Don’t you think you were a little bossy with him?” She shook her head. “What’s with you two?”

Now that Derek was gone, he could relish the feel of her in his arms, her body pressed up against his, causing a slow burn through his clothing. He felt his body tighten in response to her breasts pressed against his chest. Scott smiled down at her and gave a husky laugh. “It’s you.”

“What’s me?” She tried to pull back, but he refused to release her.

“Derek’s jealous because he wants you but he knows you’re mine.” Scott pulled her against him, one hand caressing her back while the other found its way into her hair and tipped her head back.

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s it. Derek and I are just friends.”

“Wanna bet? Derek the lady-killer wants the one person he knows I won’t let him have.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Scott felt her tense up. He didn’t want to talk about his brother; he wanted to kiss her silly. To do that, he’d have to get where they were headed.

“Nothing.” He released her and headed to gather the horses from the edge of the water. He handed her Valentino’s reins and saw that she wasn’t happy with his answer. “Don’t get defensive, I just meant that you’re mine and I’m not letting you go anywhere.” He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her pouting lips. “Come on, it’s not much farther.”

Sydney swung into her saddle. “Where are we going now?”

“To your surprise.” Scott checked his cinch and swung into his saddle. “You coming?”

“I’m right behind you, cowboy. Lead the way.”

S
COTT LED HER
around the small lake and over a high hill to find a hidden valley. In the distance was a log home, towering over the terrain like a rustic castle. He directed her to a corral behind the massive house. Scott unsaddled Noble as Sydney followed his lead, removing Valentino’s tack and following him into the barn. Scott turned Valentino loose in the corral and put Noble into a stall.

“Come on.” Scott’s eyes shone with childlike excitement as he reached for her hand.

Sydney was too awed to speak. The house was amazing. Scott walked her past the comfortable-looking Adirondack chairs up the stairs that led to a deck that surrounded the entire back of the house. He opened the double doors to an open living room filled with overstuffed leather couches and a stone fireplace reaching to the second-story ceiling. The room was filled with light from the many windows that gave views of the gorgeous vistas beyond the house.

Scott leaned down and brushed her temple with a kiss. “Wait here.”

She watched as he left the room before wandering around the living room. The leather furniture lent a rustic, masculine air to the house. It still smelled of pine and leather but had a hint of lemon cleaner and didn’t seem lived in. She made her way past the dining table on her left to the kitchen. The dark granite countertops were obviously a modern addition, but the dark cabinetry still reflected the homey atmosphere family gatherings are built upon. Sydney immediately recalled memories of Thanksgiving dinners in her parents’ home.

“Ready?” Scott came down the stairs with two oversized towels.

“Just what are you planning?” She arched a brow, suspicious at what he might have in store for her.

“I told you. It’s a surprise.” He reached for her hand, handing her one of the towels, and made his way out the front door.

“What is this place?”

“You like it? It was my parents’ home before they died. A few years ago I was able to hire a friend of mine to restore it and make some additions.”

“You grew up here?” She spun around, taking in the full impact of her surroundings. “It’s beautiful.”

“It wasn’t quite this big and elaborate when we lived here, but Davis did a nice job.” He guided her toward a grassy path that led to the right of the house into a wooded area. He had obviously landscaped the surrounding property to blend with the natural terrain. As he ushered her over the path blanketed with velvety grass, she heard the unmistakable gurgle of water. Scott stopped suddenly, turning her to face him. He cupped her face with his palms and placed feather-light kisses on her forehead, eyes, cheeks, and nose before finally reaching her lips.

Sydney’s heart pounded in anticipation and her knees turned to liquid. She leaned against him for support as he tasted her, her tongue mating with his. She was breathless when he finally broke the kiss.

“This place is special to me, princess,” Scott began. “This was where I came as a child, either to hide or to think. When I restored the house, I had Davis turn this into my own private retreat. Jen and Derek have never even been here. I wanted to share it with you.”

Chapter Fourteen

T
HE SIGHT THAT
greeted her stole her breath. They were surrounded by a thick wood with the trees blocking out any entrance other than the one they had used. Directly in front of her was a pool of bubbling water, steam rising from the top, but what caught her eye was the waterfall to her right. She could hear the birds twittering and squirrels chattering in the trees above. She could almost imagine a deer stepping from beyond the trees to drink from the water. While it wasn’t dark, the only light that filtered into the hidden sanctuary came from above the trees, lending a magical, ethereal aura to the haven.