“It’s true. I owe him everything. And I think the only reason Hassan helped you was because of me,” Luke said.
“You? I don’t get it.”
“Somehow he must have figured out we’d been involved. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for family, and if you claimed some tie to me …”
“But I didn’t.”
She again remembered Hassan’s comments about Daniel’s eyes and she felt afraid. Still, with an air of bravado, she said, “Why don’t you ask him why he helped me?”
“I did ask him. He was evasive. So, I came here to satisfy my curiosity, and because Hassan forced the issue. The fact is, this ranch is the last place I’d willingly return to. Just as you are the last person I’d help, if I had a choice. But Hassan wants to help you, and he asked me to figure out how to do it, so here we are—stuck with each other.”
“Why don’t you just leave?”
“And tell Hassan to keep bailing you out? No, I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I’m here to protect Hassan.”
His narrowed green eyes pierced her. His sharp words stung. She was the last person he’d help, if he had a choice.
He was angry. Why? He’d betrayed her family, jilted her and left her pregnant, with unattractive options, while he’d reinvented himself as this arrogant, world-class businessman. What did he have to be mad about? Unless he knew about Daniel … which he didn’t. At least, not yet.
Again her gaze strayed to the house, searching for Daniel.
Don’t panic. Be polite. Just send him on his way—fast. How hard could it be to get rid of a man who didn’t want to be here?
So much for her miracle. She was in worse trouble than before.
Caitlyn turned to Lisa. “Look, I need to talk to Luke. In private. You can work with Ramblin’ Man on your own until I get back. Do a little groundwork … like I showed you before he put his foot into the trailer.”
“Okay,” Lisa said reluctantly, glancing at Luke.
“Follow me,” Caitlyn said curtly as she unlatched a gate and headed out of the round pen. She was tired of Lisa hanging on to their every word, and there was the added danger that Lisa might blurt out something about Daniel.
Luke nodded casually to Lisa before loping after Caitlyn. “Look, if you need to get her stallion in the trailer before we talk, go ahead. I have a report from one of my CEOs that I need to read. Our meeting can wait a half hour. Lisa told me about the bees.”
He’d had time for a private chitchat with Lisa before Caitlyn had seen him. Her sudden burst of jealousy infuriated her.
Caitlyn stopped in the shadow of the barn and whirled to face him. “I’m canceling our meeting.”
“The hell you are. I flew all the way from London.”
“I don’t care if you flew in from another galaxy. You had no right to come here under false pretenses.”
“I promised Hassan I’d figure out a solution to your problems.”
“I don’t want your help. You’re too late, Luke Kilgore. Six years too late. I’ve made it this long without you. I can keep on making it without you.”
His green eyes flamed with surprise, and fresh suspicion. “What the hell do you mean by that?”
Her hand flew to her lips and she took a step backward. She’d almost said too much. Maybe she had said too much. Notching her chin higher, she held her ground. “Nothing,” she said. “I want you to leave! Now! You haven’t been welcome here for a very long time.”
“Is that so?” He glanced upward to the barn. “I remember a time when things were very different between us.”
She remembered, too. They’d made wild, sweet, unforgettable love in the hayloft. Ever since, he’d haunted her dreams. Even after he’d abandoned her, he’d cast a long shadow over her marriage.
“When you were a teenager, you followed me everywhere. I couldn’t load a bale of hay without finding you watching me,” he said. “You damn near threw yourself at me.”
“I was a young, stupid fool!” she cried, hating that she’d once made no secret of how intensely she’d felt about him.
“I was the fool. Hell, maybe I still am.” He grabbed her by the waist, pulled her close. “If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll figure out why Hassan really sent me here. I thought he wanted me to marry the woman I’m dating, Teresa. Then suddenly he sends me here. Why?”
She jerked free of his grip because she couldn’t concentrate when in his arms. “I thought he sent you to solve my money problems.”
“There’s another reason. I’m sure of it. You made him think we’re still connected.”
She shook her head in denial. “I didn’t.” Frantic to distract Luke, she said, “Teresa? Is she another of your gorgeous supermodels?”
“No. A countess.”
In spite of the fact that his love life was no concern of hers, Caitlyn was suddenly crushingly aware of how plain and unappealing she must seem in her dusty jeans. He’d become a mega-success while she was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Only by biting her tongue until she tasted the coppery flavor of blood was she able to remain silent. Too bad that the minute she quit biting it, she lost the battle to prove she could behave like a lady.
“If she’s so perfect, you’d be a fool not to propose to her!”
“She’s a little young. Nineteen. I was actually considering asking her to marry me, when Hassan started in on me about coming here. Ever since he met you at Keeneland, he’s asked questions about my life in Texas. He won’t say why, but I think he’s decided I’m still hung up on you. Well, I’m not! I don’t believe in rehashing or whining about the past, and I’ll do whatever it takes to convince him—even work with you on your finances.”
She caught a whiff of his musky scent mingling with minty cologne, and her feminine hormones flared. “So marry your precious Teresa and prove you and I are ancient history!”
His eyes slid over her. “You don’t look much like ancient history. You look as sassy as ever. So, no man’s tamed you yet? Not even your husband?”
“Leave him out of this! He’s dead, you know.”
“I’m sorry.” There was genuine regret in his deep tone. “This is a big place. In the middle of nowhere. It must get lonely out here.”
Unimaginably lonely, especially at night, when the wind blew and the eaves groaned and the coyotes howled as she lay in the dark, her head spinning with money worries.
She’d lain awake, alone, for too long. But she had a ranch to run, son to raise, hence little time for fun.
Too aware of the hunger that sparked in Luke’s green eyes and her own vulnerability, she took a step backward.
When he reached out and took her by the hand, she fought to pull it free. He held on tight, lifting her palm and inspecting it closely.
“You’ve been working hard. Too hard.” The sympathy in his voice surprised her and temporarily lessened her anger. Without thinking, she quit tugging and leaned closer to him.
What was she doing? Softening toward him? She should fight him harder, yank her hand free, but her emotions were escalating too fast to control. His tall, powerful body and his understanding intoxicated her. She’d done without a man’s passion for too long. Done without him. If only