Some Like It Ruthless (A Temporary Engagement) (20 page)

And then crossed that idea off when she realized that would lead to never doing it again.

She stretched, a little sore, a little worse for wear, and she smiled. He’d finally stopped thinking. Stopped worrying that he was hurting her. Stopped worrying about the consequences.

She lived by plotting, preparing, manipulating. But there was something to be said for throwing all caution to the winds, living only for now. She’d never been able to do it with anyone but him.

And she’d take advantage of him until their time came to an end because it was unlikely she’d ever find anyone else.

She grabbed her phone, thinking Cole was probably in Midland by now and called him.

He answered on the first ring. “Hi.”

She smiled at the gravel in his voice. He sounded like a man who had gotten very little sleep.

“Hi back. You left early.”

“Self-preservation. It was either leave then or leave never, and I can’t take another day off work again so soon.”

She tried not to sigh when she said, “And you’re not coming back until Friday?”

“Early Friday. Really early on Friday. We have a ring to buy.”

She closed her eyes at the reminder. She said, “Maybe I can distract you somehow.”

“I don’t think there’s a maybe about it. But there will probably be some time during the weekend that we’ll have clothes on; we’ll do it then.”

She hummed in the back of her throat. “I think there’s a maybe about that.”

She smiled into the silence and he finally said, “That’s just mean, Maggie.”

“I wasn’t trying to be mean, only realistic. It’s going to be five days. Five. Whole. Days.”

“I’ll see if I can push it to Thursday.”

They hung up and Maggie dragged herself to the shower, washing the chlorine out of her hair, washing Cole off of her.

She dressed carefully, hiding the mark on her shoulder, thinking she’d have to make sure she left a mark on him next time to keep things even. She picked a skirt that went below her knees, heels with a t-strap instead of an ankle strap.

She’d had an idea in the shower. An idea that was part really good, part really desperate, part potentially infuriating.

She headed for the kitchen to see if Ginny was around to cast the deciding vote on whether she should do it or not.

Rosa was cooking, and when Maggie kissed her cheek good morning, the woman muttered in Spanish about devils and stupid girls.

Rosa had been with their family since the girls were young,
was
family now. She’d been the salve to her mother’s sharp words, hidden cookies after an angry dinner, kisses on scraped knees.

Maggie and Ginny had loved their mother, always would, but it had been complicated. There was no complication with Rosa, only love, only a woman who spoiled them rotten to balance a mother who expected a lot from her daughters.

Although since her mother had died, Rosa had taken on the part of disapproving with aplomb.

And Maggie understood now what her mother had given them. Now that she knew that Rosa could have been replaced every year with someone new. Never allowed to stay long enough to crawl into the girls’ hearts, never allowed to be important to them.

Maggie’s mother had expected a lot of everyone, herself included.

Ginny sat at the counter, eating scrambled eggs and bacon. Maggie looked at the bacon and thought of Cole.

Ginny said, “Late night?”

Maggie poured coffee. “You didn’t hear us?”

“We heard you. I thought Daddy was going to wake up and get his shotgun.”

Maggie smiled sadly. “That would have been horribly wonderful.”

“Yes, it would have been.”

Ginny sighed, and they both knew that he was never waking up. If last night hadn’t done it, nothing would.

Maggie said, “I’m thinking of heading out to Midland this afternoon, making an appointment with Western Oil.”

“Are you going out to Midland to make a deal or to sleep with Cole?”

“Both.”

“That might upset him.”

“I’m trying to decide if upsetting him is a pro or a con. It’ll tip the scales either way.”

Ginny eyed her. “What happened to your dignity?”

“You were the one who said you’d rather be happy. What happened in half a night?”

“I remembered the last time you gave Cole your heart.”

Maggie set her cup down, sitting down in the chair hard. “I’ve
never
given Cole my heart.”

Ginny raised her eyebrows. “Yes, you did. In high school. I was here when he broke it. Rosa was the one to sweep up the pieces.”

Rosa dropped a plate in front of Maggie, saying, “I remember it, mija. Even if you don’t.”

Maggie looked between the two women and said, “I was in love with Tanner in high school.”

Ginny blinked. Rosa crossed herself.

They said, “Tanner?”

Ginny said, “You liked
Cole
. You were
sleeping
with him.”

Maggie sighed deeply. “I liked Tanner. He was beautiful and golden and perfect. Cole was. . . something else.”

Ginny slid from her seat, wrapping her arms Maggie and whispering, “I wouldn’t have gone out with him if I’d known.”

Maggie smiled and patted her back. “Wouldn’t have married him?”

Ginny pulled back, her eyebrows knitted. “No. I wouldn’t have.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t know since you love him and I never did.”

“But you just said–”

“I should have said I
thought
I loved him, but I realized a long time ago that I didn’t. You can’t love what you can’t fully see.”

Ginny still looked unhappy and Maggie said, “Your husband is not perfect.”

Ginny eyebrows snapped back together, this time in anger. “I know.”

“I thought he was. And when I found out he wasn’t. . . It was like the blinders fell off and I could see him for the first time. You always knew who he was, that’s who you loved. I only loved what I thought he was.”

Ginny didn’t say anything and Maggie said, “Don’t be angry. Tanner is family, he’s my brother now. I love him, I just don’t
love
him. And that’s a good thing since you’re the one married to him.”

“What about Cole?”

“What about him?”

Ginny looked at her. “Why were you sleeping with Cole if you loved Tanner?”

“I wanted to. You don’t have to love someone to want them.”

Rosa crossed herself again, waving her arms around and saying she didn’t want to hear this.

Ginny watched Rosa leave, then turned to Maggie. “You’re a liar.”

Ginny sat back down in her chair, pushing her breakfast away.

Maggie said, “You’ve loved every man you’ve slept with?”

“I’ve only slept with one man,” and Maggie jerked her head back.

“Only one?”

“I’ve only ever wanted Tanner.”

Maggie’s heart hurt a little bit at that. She couldn’t decide if it was happiness for her sister or jealousy.

“It’s nice that the one you wanted, wanted you back.”

Ginny chewed on her bottom lip. “Maybe I was blind but all I ever saw was you and Cole. I had no idea you ever even liked Tanner.”

“I learned my poker face from Mother. You can only see what I want you to.”

Ginny put her hand over Maggie’s. “Not always. Maybe it wasn’t love I saw on your face twelve years ago but I saw something.”

Maggie thought about last night, thought about all those nights long ago. “I could probably guess what was on my face. It wasn’t love, but lust probably makes a similar face.”

“You know you gave Rosa a heart attack. She just kept worrying what would happen if you got pregnant by the devil’s son and what would Daddy do when he found out.”

Maggie tried not to but the laugh broke free. “Poor Rosa. We owe her a nice retirement, don’t we?”

“What’s with the we? I wasn’t the one sleeping with the devil’s son where my housekeeper could walk in on me.”

Maggie closed her eyes at the memory. At the expression on Rosa’s face when she’d found them. The fear, the anger, the sorrow.

Rosa had chased him away, hissing at him, and Maggie had been surprised to find Rosa was just as scary as her parents when she wanted to be.

Ginny said, “Why were you sleeping with Cole if you were so in love with Tanner? And don’t tell me it was because you wanted him. No girl sleeps with her first unless she loves him. Maybe since then it’s been different, but not the first.”

Maggie nodded, unable to argue with the logic. “We made a deal. I’d sleep with him if he’d give the Beaumonts more time to pay.”

Ginny’s mouth fell open. “You were sleeping with him to. . . And he. . .”

“Yeah.” And Maggie laughed. It all seemed so. . . inevitable. As if anyone with a lick of sense could have seen that train wreck coming.

Ginny whispered, “No wonder you didn’t want to ask him for a favor again.”

Maggie snorted. “No wonder.”

“I hope you kicked him in the balls.”

“Should’ve.”

She didn’t want to remember what she’d really done. Didn’t want to think for even a second that it could happen again.

Because it wouldn’t. This time she was sleeping with him only because she wanted to. Not to save someone he could destroy, not because she trusted him. She was using him. Using his money, using his reputation, using his body.

Ginny said, “You said your eyes were opened about Tanner. Have they been opened about Cole?”

“I told you, I never loved him. I hated him, after. But. . . he wasn’t perfect beforehand. I’ve always seen what Cole is. With Cole you watch your back, I just didn’t think
I
had to.”

“Are you watching your back this time?”

Was she? Did she still think she didn’t have to? Or had she learned her lesson?

Maggie scrunched up her face. “So you think it’s a bad idea to go out to Midland?”

“No. That’s not what I’m saying.”

“You think I should go?”

“I think you want to go.”

Ginny carried her plate to the sink, rinsed her coffee cup, and turned back to her sister. She said, “And the Caldwells always get what they want.”

Maggie looked at her for a long heartbeat. And then smiled.

Yes, they did.

Ten

Cole walked down the stairs of his office trailer to meet her, a crooked grin on his face.

Maggie said, “I have a scratch.”

“You need someone to itch it?”

“Maybe.”

He looked around the parking lot. “Maybe doesn’t make someone drive out to the middle of nowhere.”

“I have business in Midland. You were on the way.”

“You have business in–” He stopped and narrowed his eyes. “Are you meeting with one of my competitors?”

She smiled. “Just looking for opportunities, Cole.”

He folded his arms and took a step closer. “Who?”

“Western Oil.”

He glanced down at her skirt, her shoes.

She said, “You’ve got issues. I can work around them.”

“Good. I have a few more issues I’m going to need you to work around.”

“I’m willing to hear them. But only the skirt was free.”

Cole said, “Are you blackmailing me?”

“No. I’m telling you I’m looking for partners.”

He stared at her, his blue eyes hard. Her heart sped up at the thrill, the challenge, the fun. No one was as fun as Cole.

He finally said, “I’m not into that threesome sort of thing. Western Oil is out.”

Maggie said, “I should have brought a shorter skirt for my meeting.”

“How long until you go disrupt
their
operations?”

She smiled. “About an hour and a half.”

“Just enough time for me to show you we don’t need any one else crawling into bed with us.”

She said, “If you’re fast.”

He closed his eyes. “I’m going to slow you down one of these days.”

She looked down at the bulge in his pants. He might slow her down one of these days but it wasn’t going to be today.

She said, “Want me to walk in front of you?”

“Yes. My trailer’s parked behind the office.”

She walked carefully through the dirt and pebbles and he muttered, “Gonna buy you a pair of boots.”

Behind his office trailer was a fifth-wheel, a pop-out on one side of the trailer, metal stairs at the back.

She climbed the stairs and said over her shoulder, “If you put a hat on the door, I will probably kill you.”

“I don’t have a tie, Maggie.”

When she opened the door, a wave of cool air hit her and she stepped inside to find a spacious living area, a couch and dining table in the pop-out. A kitchen with a small counter and two bar stools.

She said, “When you said you slept in a trailer, I felt bad for you. I thought you were roughing it.”

“The bed’s a queen, I hardly fit.”

She pointed to the TV and VCR, the air conditioner. She opened the fridge and found juice, bacon, frozen breakfast sandwiches and ice cream in the freezer.

He put his arms around her waist, rested his chin on her shoulder. “It’s precooked bacon.”

“You poor, poor man.”

He grinned and kissed her ear. “It’s still a trailer.”

“It’s plenty of room for one person.”

He leaned against her, pushing her toward the short flight of stairs up to the bedroom. “It’s plenty of room for two people.”

She narrowed her eyes, looking over her shoulder. “And do you have proof of this?”

“Not yet. But I’m feeling lucky.”

She planted her feet and held up a hand to stop him. “Just tell me this about your life of deprivation out here in Midland. Do you have video games to go with that TV?”

“No video games. And honestly I never even turn the TV on. Too busy.”

“But you’re willing to take the time to see if the two of us will fit in a queen?”

He murmured, “If you’re going to drive all the way out here, I can find the time.”

He pulled her blouse out of her skirt and over her head as she climbed the carpeted stairs and past a small bathroom.

He kissed the mark on her shoulder. “No apologies?”

“No need. I’ll return the favor.”

“I can’t wait.”

He did sound excited about it.

He said, “If you cancel your meeting you can even things out right now.”