“You know you don’t mean that, baby. You still love me. I still love you. We can work this out.”
“We can’t. It’s over between us, Thad.” Her voice trembled, but she didn’t back away.
Carolina put a steadying arm around Mildred’s waist. “There’s your answer, Thad. You can leave now unless you’re looking to go back to prison.”
“Go to hell, Carolina.”
Fury burned in his voice now, his mood turning dark and threatening. He reached out and grabbed Mildred’s arm, jerking her toward him. “Don’t make me do something I’ll be sorry for, Mildred. You know how I get when you make me crazy.”
Carolina pulled her cell phone from her handbag. Thad let go of Mildred and grabbed Carolina’s wrist with one hand while twisting the phone from her fingers with the other. She heard the clunk as it hit the concrete beneath their feet.
“Is there a problem here?”
Carolina jerked around at the sound of the strong, male voice. She gulped in a deep breath. Who’d have thought she’d ever be this thankful to see Jake Dalton?
“No problem that needs your help.” The thug dropped his hold on Carolina’s hand and backed up a step, but his eyes burned with fury. Jake sized him up. Physically fit, probably in his early thirties.
Jake figured he could still take him in a fair fight, but brawling in a parking lot wouldn’t fix anything and was definitely not his style.
He turned to Carolina. “Was this man harassing you?”
“He’s stalking Mildred.”
“Having a conversation with my wife is not stalking.”
Mildred hugged her arms around her chest, head down, looking more like a scared child facing an angry parent than a forceful woman. “I’m not your wife, Thad. We’re divorced.”
So the thug was Mildred’s ex. That clarified the situation a bit for Jake, even though it hadn’t been Mildred the bully was manhandling.
The man reached a hand toward Mildred. “I just want to talk to you—in private.”
Jake turned to Mildred. “Is that what you want?”
She shook her head and raised her eyes to Jake’s, hers pleading when her gaze met his.
“I never meant to hurt you,” Thad said, his tone considerably softer. “I love you. You know that. And you love me.”
“You tried to kill her and almost succeeded,” Carolina cut in, her words blistering. “She’s through with you, so stay away from her or you’ll be back in prison where you belong.”
“Stay out of this, Carolina. You might own half of Texas, but you don’t own Mildred and you sure as hell aren’t going to order me around.”
Jake struggled to contain his own anger as the situation became clearer still. The itch to punch Thad Caffey rode Jake hard.
He stepped toward Jake. “Mildred and Carolina are with me and you’re through here. You have a problem with that, take it up with me now.”
Thad glared at Mildred and then turned to Carolina. “So that’s how it is. You got rid of me and now you’ve fixed my woman up with one of your rich rancher friends.”
“One of my bulls would have been an improvement over you, Thad Caffey.”
Thad beat his right fist into his left hand and ground it as if he were getting ready for a fight. Jake’s muscles tensed. He’d never wanted to punch a guy more.
A second later, Thad turned and walked away without a backward glance. Jake watched him go, but his gut feeling was that this was far from being settled.
Jake lingered with the two women until Thad had sauntered over to an old mud-encrusted pickup truck with a rusted right fender and driven away.
“Good timing,” Carolina said. “I’m not sure I could have taken him down if you hadn’t shown up when you did. But I could have done some serious hair pulling and hopefully got in at least one knee to the groin.”
“Ow. My bet’s on you. But I’m glad I could intervene. Is there more to the story that I should know?”
“Thad is not a nice man,” Mildred said.
“I got that.”
“The four years in prison didn’t make him any nicer,” Carolina added.
“How long has he been out of prison?”
“Almost a week,” Mildred said, “but last night was the first time he tried to contact me. I got a phone call from him at the hotel. I’m not sure how he found out I was here with Carolina. I don’t know how far he would have pushed things today if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”
“Glad to help, but I seriously doubt you’ve seen the last of him. You should let his parole officer know he’s stalking you.”
“He doesn’t have one. He served all his time.”
“Then call your local sheriff.”
“A great idea.” Carolina took her car key from her handbag and pushed the unlock button. “We should get moving. Sara and Peg are probably already at the restaurant wondering what happened to us.”
Jake glanced at the clouds that were rolling in. “I wouldn’t dawdle over lunch,” he suggested. “Weatherman may have been a little optimistic predicting the thunderstorms would hold off until evening.”
He stepped past Carolina and opened the door for her. She brushed past him as she slid behind the wheel. Her skirt rode up her thighs, innocently provocative.
His senses reeled from an unexpected kick of sensual attraction. He was still feeling the effects long after they drove away.
Carolina Lambert was even more stunning in person than she was in her society page photos. Great body. Thick eyelashes. Sun-streaked hair that tumbled past her shoulders in soft, natural curls. Hazel eyes that sparked green when she was mad. Full, beautiful lips.
None of which changed the fact that she had manipulated R.J. into writing that bizarre, manipulative will, a will that she surely planned to work in her favor once R.J. was dead and gone and the family was released from his rules and regulations.
But a deal was a deal, even though he hadn’t known it was her he was helping out this week. Carolina could do her thing. She’d have his wrangler’s full cooperation.
But it was a large ranch. With luck, he wouldn’t even have to see her again.
* * *
TWO HOURS LATER Carolina sped down the highway, barely paying attention to the conversation in the car as the four of them rolled down the last stretch of interstate before taking the exit for the Silver Spur Ranch.
The day had started with sunshine and promise. Now the sky was threatening. The cloud Thad Caffey had cast over the day was even gloomier.
If Jake hadn’t walked up when he had, the situation might have turned violent. Just as frightening, Mildred might have gone with Thad in an effort to protect herself or Carolina from his rage.
Okay. Score one for Jake Dalton. She had to concede that he was not the complete cad she had figured him for. He’d been impressive in the parking lot, all the grit and virility a woman could ask for.
“I should have brought my rain slicker,” Sara said from the backseat. “Looks as if it might start pouring any minute.”
“It’s