The Secret Truth at Dare Ranch (2 page)

Mitch's
hands settled on her shoulders. The heat from his fingers seeped through her
shirt, warmed her skin and brought back images of his hands stroking her body,
his lips hot and hungry on hers. She pushed away the memories and eased out of
his hold.

"Lexie,
we never really talked about that night." His voice was silky with
encouragement urging her to talk.

The
breeze, still warm and ripe with summer, but tinged with a hint of autumn,
stroked her face, and ruffled her shoulder length hair.

He
opened the top button on his shirt before he loosened the tie at his throat. Her
mouth went dry at the sight of light brown hair curling through the opening.

Why
did he still have to look so good?

After
Parker's death, she spent more and more time in the barn with the horses in an
effort to escape from her father’s drunken rages. The night Mitch came to say
goodbye, her loneliness spread invisible fingers around her soul. She
understood why he had to leave town and make a life for himself, but her heart
broke when he told her he was leaving.

Her
happiest memories were tied up with Mitch and Parker. She’d never wanted to lose
those memories, but she desperately wanted to escape from the cold, distant
relationship she’d had with her father. She’d asked Mitch to marry her and take
her away from Mason Dare because she had no resources of her own.

Lexie
remembered his soft, indulgent tone when he’d turned her down. He had made it
clear they were too young for marriage and needed lives of their own.

Mitch
spread his left hand around the nape of her neck bringing her thoughts back to
the present. Her pulse skittered and her skin tingled. He turned her to face
him and Lexie cocked her head and tried to hide the attraction growing inside
her. "Don't tell me the live-for-today Mitch Quinn felt guilty about the
night we spent together."

"Yeah,
believe it or not, I did. I knew you were hurting. You were innocent, Lexie and
I let myself forget that fact until it was too late.”

Mitch
lifted his hand from her neck and crossed his arms over his chest. "I
remember we talked about Parker and old times. One minute we were laughing and
the next you were bawling. Those tears scared the life out of me.” His voice was
warm and tender. "I'd never seen you cry like that before. You looked at
me with those big, weepy eyes and I took you in my arms only to comfort you,
but after one little kiss...I didn't have a prayer.”

A
brief, sharp pain stung the secret regions of her heart for reasons she
couldn't explain, but at the same time a sense that she'd made the right
decision seven years ago lightened the emotional weight on her shoulders. "You
shouldn't feel guilty. I wanted to know what it was like to be with a man and I
wanted that man to be you.” Her voice broke in a tremulous whisper.

Tenderness
filled his gray-green eyes. He stepped closer and caressed her cheek with the
back of his hand leaving a trail of heat behind. "That was quite a gift."

A
little shiver of pleasure darted through her stomach at his words but she
pushed it away. "Don't let it go to your head. I survived.” She’d survived
her father’s wrath and much more, but she had never been the type to let life
get her down. Lexie forced a smile. "So, do you have anyone special in
your life?"

"No,
I travel too much. Women like their men to hang around longer than a day or two.
Besides, I have no interest in commitment. What about you?"

What
about her? Dates were few and far between. Not many men wanted to become
involved with a single mother who was drowning in debt. "No.” She grabbed
a broom and started sweeping the bits of hay and dirt off the alleyway. "Let’s
cut the idle chit chat shall we? Why are you here?"

He
waited a beat. "I heard you have a tax problem." His voice was cool
and all business.

She
gripped the broom handle tighter until her knuckles turned white and the wood
bit into her skin.

"Why
would that interest you?” Despite the forced lightness in her question, a sense
of foreboding filled her chest.

His
expression grew serious. "I have my reasons."

She
pushed the broom against a small clump of dung and flicked it in Mitch's
direction. "That's not an answer."

The
chunk landed on top of his shiny, leather shoe and his gaze snapped to hers. A
gleam of amused tolerance shone in his eyes. He jerked his foot and tossed the
clod away.

"Why
are you so interested in my finances? What's going on?"

"The
foundation I work for wants to buy this ranch."

Her
heart leapt into a gallop. She inhaled a shuddering breath. Why did they have
to send him? Did he want to take the assignment? "What kind of foundation?
What do they want with my ranch?" She blurted the words aware of the alarm
in her voice but unable to temper it.

He
assessed her reaction while one dark brow arched in surprise. "Why are you
upset? Look, I've done my research. I know this place is in debt. You're barely
hanging on by a boot strap, Lexie. If you sold the ranch to the foundation, they
could pay off the debt and turn this place into something really useful."

A
sudden gush of fury whipped through her blood. "Really useful? The ranch
is damned useful. This is my home. I've never lived anywhere else.” The anger
she fought to control shoved into her throat frosting her words with ice. "You
know how much this place means to me.” Or did he even care anymore? "No
amount of money will ever tempt me to sell."

"Don't
bet on it. Everybody has a price, Lexie.” He ambled over to one of the horses and
rubbed his muzzle. "Everybody.” Mitch pivoted and stared at her. "Even
you."

"You're
wrong. I won't sell no matter what." She was pleased at the uncompromising
tone in her voice. Who was she kidding? The bank would leap at the chance to
recoup their money. Not to mention the IRS. She could have a clean slate. But,
then she wouldn't have the ranch.

"I
know you owe back taxes. I did my research. The foundation could pay the taxes
today and own this ranch."

A
sudden chill leached the warmth from her body. "You can't do that."
She hated the desperation in her voice but she couldn’t stop it. She loved the
ranch.

"Sure,
I can. I have the power to decide how millions of dollars are going to be spent
and where. I'm good at what I do. I always make the deal.” He moved over to
Aspen and rubbed his golden neck. "Your horses will be just as happy
living someplace else."

"My
horses aren't going anywhere, Mitch, and neither am I."

Mitch's
mouth spread into a tight-lipped smile. "Lexie, I work for the Brookfield
Foundation, the largest charitable organization in the country.” His voice
sounded resolute and unyielding, his eyes glittered with lethal self-assurance.

Lexie
swallowed against a knot of trepidation building in her stomach.

"I
cut my teeth working for an investment banker before the foundation recruited
me."

Lexie
brushed some dirt from her jeans in an effort to still her shaking hands. "So,
what is it exactly that you do?"

"I
allocate funds to build rehab hospitals, set up hospice care, provide
assistance to families who've had a family member severely injured or
handicapped in an accident or the result of an illness.” His voice was oddly
gentle and full of pride. Softness bloomed in his eyes and the stiff posture
he'd held in his shoulders seemed to drain away.

"The
ranch would be perfect."

He
pushed his hands into the pockets of his trousers and stepped outside the barn
where the land dipped and flowed until it grew into rocky peaks. "There's
plenty of land for expansion. Trails could be made and therapy pools built."
He gestured toward the land outside the barn. "Not to mention the healthy
atmosphere away from the brown cloud of Denver.”

A
cold wave of apprehension swept through her. What was she going to do? Determined
not to let Mitch sense her panic, Lexie lifted her chin and squared her shoulders.
She would do what she'd always done. Fight like the devil. Dani depended on her.

She
rolled her head from side to side to relieve the clawing tension in her neck. She
inhaled a deep breath and prepared for battle.

"I've
been working damn hard to save this place. But I love the hard work because I
love this ranch. I'm not a quitter, Mitch. I never have been. I won't give up
this land. Tell them I won't sell."
You’re a fool, Lexie Dare
.

Mitch
threw her a knife edged smile and stroked a finger over the bridge of her nose.
Lexie jerked away and he nodded in acquiescence. "You won't have a choice,
Kitten.”

The
use of her old nickname made yearning for what had been lost rise lightly in
her chest, but she fought the emotion.

Lexie
stared into his eyes. "I do have a choice. What can I do to make you go
away?"

He
grinned. "Is that a challenge?” The rich timbre of his voice and his
arresting smile made her knees turn to water. He wanted to take the ranch. How
could she be attracted to him? "You won't win, Lex."

"How
do you know?" She reached for the strength that had sustained her the past
several years.

"Your
debt load is breaking your back, the IRS is breathing down your neck, the bank
is ready to foreclose and you can't run this place much longer with the number
of hands you have working for you. Besides, I like challenges," he
finished with the confidence of a man who never accepted failure.

"So
do I." And saving Dare Ranch would be her biggest challenge yet.

He
smiled grimly and shook his head. "The tax man doesn't give a hang how
much you love this ranch, neither does the bank."

Did
he
? Does he care at all? He's been gone for seven years.

"They
just want to be paid. The foundation has the means to do just that.” A steely
determination edged his voice.

Lexie
breathed a heavy sigh. A crazy mix of hope that she could save the ranch and
fear that Mitch and his foundation would take it from her warred inside her
chest. Mitch was right. This foundation could pay the back taxes, settle her
debts and there would be nothing she could do about it. She was grateful they
hadn't. "Why are you doing this?"

A
squeal of brakes snagged Lexie's attention. A green station wagon skidded to a
halt in the ranch's driveway with a rooster tail of dust whipping out behind it.

Oh
God, Dani's home.

The
passenger door flew open and Dani bounded out.

Her
yellow dress flapped around her skinny legs, a Barbie knapsack jostled against
her back. She ran to Lexie and wrapped her arms around her waist.

"Mommy!"

Shock
clouded Mitch's brain. Mommy?

"Mom,
I got all my spelling words on the test today." Excitement and pride rang
in the little girl’s voice.

He
watched Lexie cradle her daughter's face and smile down at her. The love in her
face and eyes reached out and stroked the loneliness in his soul, a loneliness
he'd only become aware of in recent years.

"That's
great, honey."

The
little girl turned and looked at Mitch with curious gray-green eyes. A breeze
blew a lock of her dark brown hair across her cheek and she brushed it away. "Who're
you?" Her voice was soft.

"This
is an old friend of mine," Lexie said. Her voice shook. Anxiety gleamed in
her eyes. Why was she so nervous? "He's Mr. Quinn's son. Mitch, this is my
daughter, Dani.”

He
still couldn’t believe Lexie had a daughter. Who was the father? His father had
never mentioned a word about Lexie being married or having a child.     

Dani
smiled at Mitch. A smile of open innocence. Something familiar tugged at the
corners of his mind. For a moment, she looked a little like his father. No that
couldn’t be. "Hi, Dani. Call me Mitch."

Her
smile melted and her face grew serious. "Mommy doesn't like it when I call
adults by their first name." Her voice was a loud whisper. "She says
it's presume..."

"Presumptuous?"

"Yes,
sir."  

Lexie
wrapped an arm around Dani's shoulders and pulled her close. Dani hugged her
back then scooted out of her mother's arms and over to Morning Star. She fished
her small hand into her pocket and retrieved a cube of sugar. The horse nibbled
the treat from her flat, open palm.

"Morning
Star, I'll go change and be right back." She gave the horse a kiss on her
soft muzzle. "I'll bring you an apple.” She hefted her backpack and jogged
toward the door of the barn.

Mitch
shifted his attention back to Lexie. Nervous tension flickered over her face. She
fidgeted and her lower lip trembled. Her bright blue gaze darted everywhere,
but she refused to look at him. What the hell was going on?

"Dani,"
Lexie called.