Texas Heat (6 page)

Myrna tapped her red-polished nails impatiently on the arm of the chair. “Why do you insist holding on to a nonprofitable venture? You risk losing it all if you don't get out while you can.”

Myrna was every bit Carlton Hewitt III's daughter, Jake thought bitterly. All either of them saw was the bottom line of a financial statement. The land itself, the sweat and blood that had been poured into it, meant nothing.

There was a graveyard under an oak tree that embraced every deceased Stone for the past 130 years, and the turned soil had barely settled on three of those graves. Jake would give it all away before he let Myrna have one square foot more than she already had her claws into.

“Ten years ago Stone Creek was the most profitable ranch in the county,” he said flatly. “Strange how that all changed after J.T. married you.”

Myrna lifted her chin indignantly. “Even J.T. would have known when to throw in the towel, Jake.”

“There'd be no towel to throw in if he hadn't had to mortgage this place to build that monstrosity of a house you live in.”

Cool disdain laced the look she threw him. “We could hardly live here with you. Daddy pulled a lot of strings at the bank so we could build our dream house. Your father loved Stone Manor every bit as much as I.”

Jake nearly laughed out loud at the absurdity of her statement. J.T. had hated Stone Manor and had spent most of his time with Jake at the ranch.

Jake sighed. He was growing extremely weary of this conversation. “What would you do with this ranch, Myrna? Turn it into a shopping mall? No one besides you would drive this far to shop.”

“All I have is the house.” Myrna's voice was a near whine. “I have no land. Daddy's willing to offer you a great deal of money for this ranch—more than it's worth. We thought we might build some stables and hire a couple of trainers for some thoroughbreds. It would be fun.”

Fun? She wanted to buy the ranch so she could have
fun?
He counted slowly to ten. “No, Myrna,” he said tightly. “I'm not selling.”

Exasperated, she let out a long breath. “Well, what about the child's land, then? You don't need it, and I'm sure the money will come in handy for both her and her aunt.”

Anger shifted, then settled in Jake's gut. He'd known it was only a matter of time before his stepmother tried to get her fingers in that piece of pie. “It's not for sale.”

“That's really not your choice, Jake. You might be the executor, but I'm sure the child's aunt has some say in the matter.”

“Her name is Emma,” he ground out. “Emma Victoria Roberts Stone. And the land is
not for sale.
”

“What land?”

Jake turned sharply at the sound of Savannah's voice behind him. Wearing a blue cotton sleeveless dress, she stood in the doorway, her still-damp hair pulled into a French braid. Her cheeks were flushed from her shower and he felt a swift stab of desire as he remembered that same flush on her cheeks after he'd kissed her.
Damn it,
but his timing was consistently off with this woman.

Savannah paused before she entered the room. Jake and Myrna obviously hadn't heard her come in and the look of annoyance on Jake's face suggested he'd rather she left. But Emma's name had been mentioned, and what concerned her niece concerned her, as well.

Myrna smiled brightly. “Savannah. We were just talking about you.”

Savannah glanced at Jake. The tight expression on his face told her it wasn't a conversation he'd intended her to overhear. “Hello, Mrs. Stone.”

Gold bracelets jangled on Myrna's wrist as she reached over and patted the couch beside her chair. “Come sit down, dear. And please, do call me Myrna.”

Savannah noticed the muscle that jumped in Jake's jaw as she moved hesitantly into the room. She also noticed the snug fit of the clean jeans he'd changed into and the contrast of tanned skin with the white shirt he'd rolled up at the sleeves. He folded his arms tightly, watching her as she sat on the couch, and for one brief instant she saw the hunger in his eyes. Her pulse skipped, then broke into a full run.

It was a good thing Myrna was here, Savannah decided. After what had happened between them this afternoon, she hadn't known how she was ever going to face him again. Neither one of them had spoken on the ride back in. Even as they'd unsaddled and taken care of the horses, not more than a dozen words had passed between them. How could she have lost control like that? What could she have possibly been thinking? But that was exactly the problem, she realized. She
hadn't
been thinking. At least, not with her head.

“I want to apologize for my behavior the other day, dear,” Myrna said, interrupting Savannah's renegade thoughts. “I was just caught unawares, you understand.”

The Stone men had a way of doing that to women, Savannah thought. “I realize that our stay here will be awkward for you.”

“Not at all.” Myrna gave a flick of her wrist. “In fact, it gives me an opportunity to get to know you both better. J.T. would have liked that.”

Savannah glanced at Jake when she heard him mumble something under his breath. His narrowed eyes were a dark menacing blue, but he kept his mouth tightly closed. Why did he resent the woman so much? she wondered. Couldn't he see she was trying to be civil? Not that Jake would recognize “civil” if it bit him on the nose. Ignoring him, she turned back to his stepmother.

Myrna went on. “Why don't you and your niece come out to my place for lunch next week? I can have my cook put something special together for us.”

Jake took a step forward. “I hardly think that's a good—”

“We'd love to.” Savannah cut Jake off. She probably would have turned the woman down if he hadn't interfered.

“Wonderful.” Smiling, Myrna rose and picked up her navy blue designer clutch purse. “William can pick you up early so we'll have time for a nice long chat.”

Savannah offered a weak smile, already regretting her impulsive acceptance. “I'm sure that would be lovely.”

Myrna walked by Jake. “Daddy always taught me not to let my sentiments get in the way of good business, Jake. Think about what we discussed.”

He nodded stiffly, but did not answer her. After the woman let herself out, Jake turned to Savannah. Frustration etched lines around his eyes. “Why in the hell did you agree to have lunch with her?”

Savannah lifted her chin and leveled her gaze to his. “Let's just say it's my day to make mistakes.”

Her verbal jab hit him square on the chin. His scowl deepened. “Myrna uses people to get what she wants, Savannah. That includes you and even Emma.”

Was he any different? she wondered. “What could the woman possibly want from me or Emma? She knows nothing about us.”

His expression hardened, but he said nothing, just turned his back to her and stared out the window.

“There is something, isn't there?” she asked, almost afraid to know. She took a step toward him, but knowing that she'd miscalculated the magnitude of her reaction to him before, she kept her distance. Still, she was close enough to smell the musky scent of his after-shave, and an involuntary shiver prickled her skin. “Jake, I think it's time you told me.”

He turned to face her. “She wants land.”

Savannah furrowed her brow. “What land? I don't have—” She stopped suddenly, remembering something that had made no sense to her before. “That first day we met you accused me of wanting land. I thought maybe you meant your ranch, but that isn't what you meant at all, is it?”

He shook his head. “When J.T. died, he divided Stone Creek in his will. Myrna got Stone Manor, but no land. The ranch went to me, an oil well to Jared, and a ghost town to Jessica.”

Oil well? Ghost town?
Savannah's eyes widened.

“There's another parcel,” he went on. “It adjoins the ranch and backs up to Myrna's house. J.T. left that to Emma.”

To Emma? J.T. left property to
Emma?
“But, how—” her voice faltered “—I mean,
why
would he do that?”

“Emma is J.T.'s daughter, but he was never able to be a father to her. The land was all he could give her.”

She shook her head in bewilderment. “But he'd never even seen her. How could he know for sure that Emma was his?”

“He knew,” Jake said with certainty. “He never would have left her the land if he didn't.”

Savannah still couldn't believe it. Emma owned part of Stone Creek. “Exactly how much land are we talking about?”

“Ten thousand acres.”

“Ten thousand acres!”
She couldn't even comprehend that much land. Then the realization hit her.
He'd known all along.
But he'd said nothing, not one word. “When were you going to tell me this?”

Jake saw the distrust in Savannah's eyes as she stared at him.
Damn Myrna.
His stepmother had known exactly what she was doing when she came out here. “I'd planned on taking you and Emma out there on Sunday.”

He watched her pace the length of the room. “What else do you have ‘planned'?” she asked tightly.

He definitely didn't like the tone of her voice or the direction this conversation was taking. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

Arms folded, she closed the distance between them. “Who's the executor of the estate?”

Jaw set tight, Jake ground out, “I am.”

She lifted one eyebrow and gave an irritating, cocksure nod. “So you have control over the property?”

Jake set his back teeth, wondering how it was that this woman was able to incite such a range of emotions from him. Five minutes ago he'd wanted nothing more than to drag her to his bed. Now he was seriously entertaining the idea of throttling her. “Do you think you could get to your point sometime this year?”

“Ten thousand acres is a lot of land and a big chunk of Stone Creek. A nine-year-old child living in the big city wouldn't be interested in owning desolate ranch land. It must have worried you, not knowing if you'd find a For Sale sign on the property one day.”

He held his growing anger in check. Barely. “I'd be notified in the event of a potential sale.”

“But in the meantime you wouldn't know what the owner's intentions were. I'm sure you'd sleep better if you had the land's rightful owner close by, where you could keep an eye on her.”

He almost laughed at that. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep since the day he'd brought them here. He narrowed his eyes in warning and took a step toward her. “Savannah, so help me—”

“Was that your plan for Emma, Jake?” she continued, his warning unheeded. “And me? Was I part of your plan, too? Did you think I'd fall for that Stone charm as easily as my sister?”

Something inside him snapped. He took hold of her shoulders. He watched her eyes widen, but defiance shone there, not fear. “You seem to forget your little performance that first day we met, Savannah, when you led me to believe you were Angela. It seems you had a plan of your own then.”

“I would have said or done anything to protect Emma.” She tried to twist out of his hold. “I still would.”

“And so would I,” he countered through gritted teeth. “My great-great-grandfather bought Stone Creek with a gold watch and two prize bulls. I wouldn't sell one foot of this land, let alone ten thousand acres. Maybe it's something you could never understand, but this land is our legacy, what we stand for, and that includes Emma, too.

“And as far as you and me, Savannah,” he said, his voice rough as he pulled her against him and lowered his face within a whisper of hers. “I'll tell you right now I sure as hell wasn't thinking about Stone Creek or Emma this afternoon when I kissed you. I had one thought, and one thought alone—to have you in my bed, naked, with those damn sexy legs of yours wrapped around me.”

Savannah knew she should be shocked by Jake's admission, but the only thing that shocked her was her reaction. His verbal image of their making love aroused her, as did his closeness. She went still, lifting her eyes to his. His blue eyes blazed with a dangerous mixture of desire and anger. His hands tightened around her arms.

There was no stopping this thing between them, and there certainly was no denying it. Her lips parted, waiting impatiently as he closed the breath of distance between them—

A horn honked repeatedly from outside, the sound growing louder as the car came closer. Swearing, Jake dropped his hands from Savannah and turned away. He dragged a hand through his hair and stalked to the window.

Saved by the horn,
Savannah thought, drawing a deep breath as she folded her shaking arms in front of her.

A car door slammed, then Emma's laughter rang through the clear Texas air. “You-ou-ou can't catch me,” she sang. “You can't catch me.”

Emma burst through the front door, followed closely by Jessica, who scooped up the child and swung her. Emma wiggled out of Jessica's hold and took off again, through the kitchen and out the back door. Jessica ran past Savannah and Jake. “Hi, guys. See you later.”

Jake stared after his two sisters, listening to the sound of their play. His mouth set tight, he finally turned back to Savannah. “Tomorrow is Saturday and I have to go to town for supplies. I'll take you and Emma out to the land on Sunday after I get the animals fed.”

He grabbed his hat off the peg by the front door and jammed it on his head. The front door slammed behind him.

Savannah stared at the closed door for a long minute, wondering what in the hell she'd gotten herself into.

E
mma and Savannah rode in to town with Jake on Saturday, with Emma chattering the entire way about Betsy, the calf she'd been bottle-feeding. Excitement danced in the child's eyes as she told them that Jessica was going to help her enter the animal in the Cactus Flat Roundup. Savannah was thankful for her niece's incessant conversation. It not only filled the silence, it eased the tension.

She and Jake had not discussed Emma's property since Myrna's visit three days earlier. In fact, they'd barely seen each other for more than a few minutes. Jake was gone before the sun even rose and wasn't home till well after dark. He'd eat whatever Savannah left for him, then tuck Emma in and read her a story. Last night he'd even fallen asleep in the chair beside Emma's bed. Savannah had walked in and found him like that, the book hanging loosely in his hands and his head forward. Emma was sound asleep, as well, and the picture of the two of them brought a tightness to her chest.

She glanced at Jake now, watching him as he tilted his head toward Emma, patiently listening as the child described in animated detail her encounter with a mouse in the barn. He seemed truly interested, but was it all part of a plan? Had Emma's visit been a carefully orchestrated strategy on Jake's part to gain control of her land, or had he sincerely wanted to become acquainted with his newly found sister? Though he'd never said so, she knew he was having financial problems. He'd admitted he would do whatever he had to in order to keep his land and family together. Did that include manipulating a nine-year-old child?

“Aunt Savannah.” Emma tugged on her sleeve. “Can we buy a bell for Betsy after we go to the grocery store?”

Savannah saw the corner of Jake's mouth twitch. “Maybe Jake can tell us where we can find one.”

“I need to stop at the feed store when we get into town.” Jake grinned down at Emma. “How ‘bout you come with me and you can pick one out?”

Emma's face lit up and Savannah had to rein in the rush of emotion that swept over her. She didn't want to believe that Jake would use Emma to keep Stone Creek intact, but when it came to a man like Jake, denial was a dangerous thing. She couldn't afford to let herself be caught off guard.

Cactus Flat was a town straight out of an Old West travel catalog—right down to the wooden sidewalks and general store. The Cactus Flat Motel boasted twenty rooms with cable TV and the adjacent Bronco Diner boasted the biggest steak in west Texas. In front of the bank, two weathered-looking cowboys waved to Jake as he drove by, and in front of the beauty parlor an attractive redhead smiled, her gaze following them down Main Street. Much to Savannah's annoyance, she found herself wondering who the redhead was.

Jake parked in front of a small café called the Hungry Bear, and the scent of grilled hamburgers had Savannah's stomach growling as they stepped out of the truck. Jake suggested they eat before they picked up supplies, and Savannah quickly agreed.

The counter stools were nearly full and cowboy hats turned in unison as Jake entered the café. The pretty waitress pouring coffee from behind the counter looked up, her large brown eyes widening as she stared at Jake. “Hey!” a cowboy yelled, startling the waitress, who realized she had overfilled the man's coffee cup. Apologizing, she grabbed a towel and cleaned up the mess, her gaze darting toward the corner table where Jake had pulled out chairs for Savannah and Emma.

Ignoring another cowboy's request for a refill, the waitress hurried over to the corner table with a coffeepot in her hand. “Hi, Jake. Haven't seen you for a while.”

Savannah detected the note of disappointment in the woman's tone. Jake nodded at the waitress as she poured him a cup of coffee, but did not respond to her comment. “Loretta, this is Savannah Roberts and my sister Emma.”

Loretta's eyes narrowed in confusion as she glanced at the child. Emma, fascinated by a stuffed, seven-foot brown bear in the opposite corner of the café, was oblivious to the introduction.

“Your...sister? But—”

“Jake!” A gravelly voice rang out. “Jake Fitzgerald Stone! Come here so I can whup your butt!”

Savannah stared in amazement as an older man nearly as tall as Jake rounded the counter. His hair was as silver as his mustache and he had the lean muscular body of a man who kept himself in top physical condition. Savannah held her breath as the man approached angrily, his meaty fists swinging at his sides.

Jake lifted his coffee cup lazily to his lips. “How's it goin', Digger?”

“Don't you ‘how's it goin'' me, you mangy prairie dog. You ain't made good on our last poker game.” The old man waved a piece of paper under Jake's nose. “Two bucks, mister. Pay up.”

Jake pulled the money out of his pocket. “Digger, you're as mean as that bear over there and stuffed with the same sawdust.”

Digger grabbed the bills from Jake's hand and shoved them into his pocket. “Since your daddy couldn't teach you no respect, looks like I'll have to take the job. Come on out back where these here ladies won't have to watch you embarrass yourself.”

Savannah gasped when Jake stood and stepped closer to the man. She sighed in relief when they threw their arms around each other.
Men are such imbeciles,
she thought.

“Digger, this is Savannah Roberts,” Jake said when the old man released him. “Savannah, this is Francis Elijah Montgomery.”

“You call me that again, boy, and I'll kick you so far you won't have to drive home.”

It started up again between them, the exchange of insults, until Savannah didn't know whether to laugh or groan. Digger was in the middle of a comment comparing Jake's face to a jackass when he stopped suddenly. He stared at Emma, who was watching the two men in wide-eyed amazement.

Jake glanced at Emma, then met the old man's pale blue eyes. “This is Emma.”

He said the words quietly, but gave no explanation. He obviously didn't have to. Digger stared at Emma, then a slow smile spread over his deeply lined face. He knelt down and waved the child to come over. Emma glanced at Savannah, who nodded her approval. Hesitantly Emma scooted out of her chair and moved closer. She stood in front of the gruff old man, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“Your daddy was a good friend of mine,” Digger said softly.

“He was?” Emma smiled widely.

Digger nodded. “Maybe sometime you and me can talk about him. I know he'd be right pleased if I passed along a few things to you he wanted you to know.”

Moisture glistened in the old man's eyes, and Savannah felt her own eyes burn as she watched Emma nod enthusiastically. The child had asked questions about her daddy since she'd been three, but Angela had always said, “When you're older, sweetie.” Well, now she was older, and she had no mother
or
father.

Digger laid a gentle hand on the child's shoulder, then stood and looked solemnly at Jake. “You take care of her, Jake. J.T. would have wanted that.”

Jake nodded. “I intend to.”

What did he mean by that? Savannah wondered. No one was taking care of Emma but her. She'd made that crystal clear. But then,
some
people were thickheaded, she thought, looking at Jake.

The waitress was looking at Jake, too, Savannah noted, and the look said she'd like to serve him more than coffee. Had Jake and she dated? Had he kissed this waitress the same way he'd kissed her? She'd lain in bed for the past three nights thinking about that damn kiss and the way she'd reacted to him. And no matter how much she denied it, no matter how much it embarrassed and infuriated her, she wanted him to kiss her again.

Digger refused Jake's money when he attempted to pay for the lunch and told him he'd win it off him the next poker game, anyway, so it didn't much matter. After a few more exchanged digs at each other, Jake drove them all to the feed store.

Savannah and Emma deliberated the purchase of a bell for Betsy while Jake ordered supplies. Emma insisted on a careful testing of every bell, and Savannah winced as her niece rang each one several times.

“I'd take that one,” a deep voice said.

Savannah turned abruptly. A dark-haired man stood at the end of the aisle, his thumbs looped lazily in the waistband of his jeans. He grinned at Emma, then nodded to Savannah. “I had a teacher in the fifth grade that used to call us to class with a bell like that.”

“I'm going to be in the fifth grade.” Emma took hold of Savannah's hand. “And my aunt Savannah is a teacher.”

“Really?” The man's dark brown eyes flashed to Savannah. “And is this your aunt Savannah?”

Savannah shifted uncomfortably as the man's gaze slid over her. He was handsome, she noticed, but his looks were more reminiscent of a corporate executive than a rancher. He moved toward them, his hand extended. “Sam McCants. I own the Circle B just west of here.”

“Savannah Roberts.” His hand was smoother than Jake's, Savannah noted as she placed her fingers in his palm. He wasn't as tall, either, but he was still over six feet. He held her hand a little longer than she would have liked. “And this is Emma.”

“What's going on, Sam?” Jake asked flatly as he walked up beside them. His gaze dropped to Sam's hand on Savannah's, and she could have sworn she saw his jaw tighten. Sam let go, but the two men did not shake hands.

“Where you been keeping yourself, Jake?”

The way everyone was acting, Savannah was beginning to wonder if Jake had been hibernating for ten years.

“I've been around,” he replied matter-of-factly.

Sam looked at Savannah and Emma. “These two ladies with you?”

“That's right.”

“You always did get the pretty ones.” Sam winked at Emma, then smiled at Savannah. Jake stiffened.

“We're just visiting,” Savannah explained when Jake seemed reluctant to do so.

“Jake's my brother,” Emma announced proudly.

Sam's brow raised. “Your brother?”

“That's right.” Jake met the other man's curious stare, but gave no further explanation.

Why was Jake being so brusque? Savannah wondered. She didn't have a sense that he truly disliked Sam. He just didn't seem to want to talk to him.

“I've herded your steers out of my southwest section twice in the past week,” Jake said tightly to Sam.

Sam shook his head. “I've fixed that fence four times this last month.” He sighed with exasperation. “I'll send a hand over to take care of it.”

“See that you do.”

Sam turned back to Savannah. “I'm having a barbecue next week. I'm sure Jake would like to bring you and Emma. You can meet a few people and there'll be other kids there for Emma to meet.”

“Will you have games?” Emma asked hopefully.

“And dancing, too.” Sam looked at Savannah. “I insist on the first one.”

Savannah glanced at Jake and saw the muscle in his jaw twitch. “Thank you,” Savannah said, returning Sam's smile, “but I'm afraid I'm not much of a dancer.”

“Well, then, I guess I'll just have to teach you,” Sam offered.

Savannah felt Jake stiffen beside her when Sam took her hand again. “See you next week, then,” he said, and tipped his hat. He smiled as he added, “If not before.”

“Let's go.” Jake grabbed Savannah's arm and practically dragged her to the counter. His shoulders were tight and his expression hard. After the clerk wrapped the bell, Jake handed it to Emma and she ran out to the truck with it. Hoisting a bag of grain over his shoulder, Jake stalked out of the store.

Exasperated, Savannah folded her arms and followed Jake out to the back of the truck. “Do you want to tell me what that was all about?”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“You know damn well what I'm talking about. Something, or someone, put a bee in your bonnet. You were rude to your friend in there and you didn't even explain Emma or me.”

“I don't have to explain my family to anyone,” Jake replied tersely.

Savannah kept her voice down so Emma wouldn't hear. “Are you embarrassed about Emma?”

“Oh, for—” He threw the burlap bag into the bed of the truck, then faced her, his hands on his hips. “Why in the world would I be embarrassed about Emma?”

“This is a small town, Jake. Maybe it bothers you to admit to everyone your father had an affair.”

He rolled his eyes. “Why would I bring Emma out here at all if that was true?”

That was exactly what Savannah wanted to know. Why
had
he brought Emma here? “You didn't introduce her to Sam as your sister, and you made it obvious you didn't want to take us to the barbecue.”

“You really think I give a damn what anyone thinks?” He lowered his voice, but his tone was iron-hard. “Did you ever consider the fact that maybe I don't want to share what little time I have with Emma? That maybe I'd rather get to know my sister without two hundred people around?”

She hadn't thought of that. If it was true, it was certainly a good reason. And he
had
introduced Emma to the waitress. Savannah suddenly felt very foolish.

“And as far as Sam goes,” Jake went on, “I've known him all my life, and I know exactly why he invited you to the barbecue. It had nothing to do with Emma meeting other children and everything to do with the way you look in those tight jeans of yours.”

Of all the...
Savannah felt her cheeks flame, and when she started to turn away from him he grabbed her wrist.

“Oh, no, you don't.” Jake kept his back to the cab of the pickup so Emma couldn't see them. “You wanted to hear my reasons, and the minute you don't like what I say you think you can walk away. You're going to listen, whether you like it or not.”

She pressed her lips together and met his dark gaze.

“Maybe you're too naive to see it, Savannah, but Sam just gave you every indication he was interested in a very different kind of dancing than you thought.” His hand tightened on her wrist as he pulled her closer to him. “Just remember this, for however long you're here, Emma's not the only person I have no intention of sharing.”