There wasn’t anything about Caroline to vote against, that he could see. The tousled mahogany hair, the rosy cheeks and shining eyes, the way a lightweight yellow dress set off her curvy figure and slender legs... No, not a single thing to object to, in his opinion. “I don’t consider your plan to be in our best interest. That’s all.”
“Wyatt may think differently. Garrett certainly does. What happens then?”
“I guess you go forward with your project.”
“But you’d still oppose me?”
“If the family votes yes, I’ll cooperate.”
She shook her head. “Spoken like a lawyer. I’ll just have to hope that Wyatt and Dylan are willing to take a chance on my kids.”
“We’ll talk it over and let you know as soon as we’ve reached a decision.”
She gave him a bright smile. “Then I guess the faster I get you home, the faster I’ll hear the answer.”
Which gave him a fair idea of where he stood as far as Caroline Donnelly was concerned.
* * *
THOUGH SHE’D GROWN UP practically next door to the Marshall brothers, Caroline had never been to the Circle M Ranch. Yet here she was on a Sunday afternoon, driving Ford Marshall home. He looked relaxed enough in the passenger seat, but he seemed to fill up the space around her, which made getting a decent breath difficult. When she tried, his scent teased her nose with hints of pine and grass edged with an exotic tang she couldn’t name.
His silence was getting on her nerves, so she spoke the thought at the front of her mind. “You and your brothers didn’t grow up at the Circle M, did you?”
“No.” The hand lying on his thigh fisted and then relaxed. “My folks had a house in town. When Dad died—” he paused and drew a deep breath “—Wyatt went to work for Henry MacPherson at the ranch. After a couple of years, the old man had us move out here. Dylan was twelve, I think. I stayed for the summer before heading off to college.”
“So you really haven’t lived here that long.” She turned off the road to drive between two stacked-rock columns, which supported an iron arch carrying the ranch’s brand—a circle with an M inside. “You didn’t come back for the summers, did you?”
He glanced in her direction, his eyebrows raised. “You kept track?”
Caroline felt her cheeks flush. “It’s just...I mean, for those first few years, the graduating class got together, you know, to have a party during the summer and find out what everybody was doing. But you were never there.” Even that was admitting too much. Why had she noticed whether Ford Marshall came or not?
“As I said earlier, I worked most summers in legal offices, getting experience to put on my law school applications.”
“But you probably wouldn’t have come even if you were in town.”
“Probably not. I wasn’t Mr. Social Scene when I was here.” After a moment, he continued. “But you were. I’m not surprised you made all the parties.”
That was the third strike, as far as Caroline was concerned. She stomped on the brake, put the truck into Park and turned in the seat to face him. “What did I do to you that made you resent me so much?”
Again, that look of surprise. “What are you talking about?”
“That’s the third time you’ve insinuated that I’m shallow and stupid.”
“You said you got your master’s degree. That’s not stupid. I just meant you were Miss Popularity.”
“There you go again. Yes, I was popular in high school. When did that become a crime?”
“This is a ridiculous argument for two adults to have. High school was fifteen years ago.”
“But whatever grudge you’ve got against me is standing in the way of helping some troubled kids get the future they deserve. So I want to deal with it now and move on.”
His hand fisted again. “I was a poor orphan kid from the wrong side of town. You were the rich socialite with the world and most people in it at your feet. I grew up being reminded I wasn’t good enough to breathe the same air as George Donnelly’s kids. But I’m over it. Can we drive now?”
Caroline continued to stare at him. His explanation fit the facts and yet...didn’t. What wasn’t he saying? “People do change, you know.”
“Yes, they do. Some more than others.” He opened the door and dropped to the ground. “Thanks for the ride. Garrett will call you after we have the family meeting.” With a two-fingered salute from an imaginary hat brim, he set off in the direction of the house.
As he strode off, Caroline noticed the summertime beauty of the lush pastureland around her. Circle M Ranch sat at the base of the Big Horn Mountains, where a winter’s worth of snow had brought up green grass and gorgeous wildflowers—pink fireweed, yellow buttercups, white daisies and blue lupines.
She also appreciated the physique of the man walking away from her. He’d taken off his jacket, and she enjoyed the play of shoulder muscles under his dark plaid shirt, the fit of denim over his narrow hips and long legs. He had certainly changed since high school—though still lean, he carried himself with a confidence the skinny teenager had lacked.
Yet he’d been the cutest boy in school. Which was why she’d always hugged to herself a secret crush on Ford Marshall.
Not that she would tell him about it. He was way too sure of himself for her to give him that kind of advantage. Maybe she’d had a lucky escape in high school—a man like Ford would dominate a woman’s life rather than simply share it. And Caroline wouldn’t surrender her hard-won independence just to be someone’s “little woman.”
This summer, though, she wanted him on her side, which meant mending fences. So she put the truck in gear and followed him down the road, slowing as she came alongside him. Through the open window, she called, “I’m sorry for being cranky. Get in and I’ll take you the rest of the way.”
He shook his head and kept walking. “That’s okay. I don’t get out enough in San Francisco. Feels good.”
“Are you going to make me follow you all the way to the house?”
“It’s only about a half mile.”
“Come on, Ford. Get in.”
He stopped, set his hands on his hips and stood facing away from her, gazing out over the land. They were on a bit of a rise and could see all the way to the mountains, plus the ranch buildings in between—a timber-sided house, a big red barn with corrals around it and other structures.
“It’s beautiful,” Caroline said. “I never realized what a view you have over the valley. My dad’s ranch isn’t nearly this pretty.” Especially considering all the metal buildings set up to house his quarter horse breeding business. With the stallion barn, the mare barn and foaling barn, the indoor arena, offices and equipment sheds, not to mention the landing strip for his plane, the place resembled a military base more than a Wyoming ranch.
“Yeah, it’s pretty special.” He came to the door and leaned one arm on the windowsill. “You’re a problem, Caroline Donnelly. Do you know that?”
“I don’t intend to be. Why don’t we let the past be over, and start from here and now?” She held her hand out across the seat between them. “Deal?”
He stared at her face for a long moment, then his gaze dropped to her hand. His shoulders lifted on a deep breath. “Deal,” he said, clasping her fingers with his. He let go quickly. “But I’m still walking home.”
* * *
FORD DIDN’T LOOK BACK when he heard the truck’s engine