At Wolf Ranch (9 page)

“You can’t be real. No guys are as nice as you are and look like that.” She held out her hand and swept it up and down to indicate his strong, toned frame and that gorgeous, rugged face. She loved the way he cocked back one side of his mouth and laughed under his breath, dismissing her words. He had to know women drooled over him, but he didn’t use his looks to his advantage. Comfortably easy with who he was, he didn’t need to do anything but be himself to disarm strangers and make them feel relaxed with him.

“I’m far from perfect, honey. Ask my brothers.”

She sighed, and the grief threatened to drag her under when she thought of her sister and what she’d say about Ella riding around with a virtual stranger, confronting gun-toting wannabe cowboys, and trying to take down their uncle by herself.

“How many do you have?”

“Three.”

“Wow. No sisters?”

“Just us boys.”

“I always wanted a brother.”

“I imagine having an identical twin was a lot of fun. You two must have spent your schooldays fooling your friends and teachers, making them think you were the other one, like you did with me.”

“All the time, but not anymore.” She leaned her head against the side window and stared off into space.

“I’m sorry. You must miss her a lot.”

“More than my heart can take.” She sucked back the tears and held tight to Gabe’s strong hand. They pulled into the yard, and Gabe stopped the truck in front of the house. She stared at the simple wood two-bedroom structure. Dark brown, cream trim, a small covered deck off the front. She liked the stone path. The snow from the night before clung to the ground and tops of bare branches on the trees and plants. The roof held a thick coating, making the house seem cozy and inviting beneath the white blanket. “How did I end up staying with you?”

“Because when you’re left on your own in Montana, you piss off cowboys, who dump you on your ass in the snow, you pull shotguns from the same idiot cowboy with no regard for getting shot, and though you haven’t said it, sticking with me is a hell of lot safer than confronting your murderous uncle.”

“I see your point,” she said, hiding a smile.

“You really scared the hell out of me, pulling that gun from Travis like that.”

“He didn’t have his finger on the trigger. He’s all bluster.”

“Yeah, well, next time someone’s got a gun on you, do me a favor, don’t rush them and grab it.”

“What would you have me do, stand there and get shot?”

“Stay away from people with guns,” he ordered, getting disgruntled.

“Is that possible in Montana?” she asked, checking out the gun rack behind her that held two rifles.

“Smart-ass.”

“Top of my class,” she teased back.

“Not you, party girl. You probably cut more classes than you attended.”

That sparked her anger. For whatever reason, she wanted him to see her, not the made-up person on TV and in the papers. “Right. You hear the gossip, see a bunch of pictures of me out with friends, and you think you know me? I’m just some party girl. Another spoiled rich girl, wasting my life on booze and drugs. No dreams. No aspirations. Nothing I want to do with my life. Not a care in the world, because I only care about myself, spending my dead parents’ money, and having fun. Right? That’s the woman you saw on TV this morning. The woman the whole world thinks they know.”

“Hold it right there, city—”

Wound up, she let her anger reign. “Well, let me tell you something. You don’t know me. You don’t know anything, except for the hundreds of seconds captured by the camera flash out of the billions of seconds they didn’t capture or care about.

“You think I’m just the party girl out for a good time and a wild fuck?” She leaned up and kissed him hard. With cold and impersonal calculation she took the kiss deeper. She didn’t expect the connection they’d both tried to ignore until now to flare and race through her system, making her want to draw even closer to the fire.

He tore his mouth from hers, grabbed her by the shoulders, and set her back, but didn’t release her. “I am more than willing to kiss you senseless when the time is right, but not like this. Don’t kiss me like that, just to prove a point. It’s not you.”

The kiss forgotten, her hurt and anger flashed again. Better to be angry than engulfed in her sadness. “How the hell would you know? You don’t know who I am. You don’t know anything. You didn’t watch your sister die right before your eyes and stand there helpless to do anything. You didn’t run away and leave your other half lying dead and bloody on the floor while your uncle plotted your death with a cop who should have protected an innocent woman.

“So don’t act like you know. You don’t know. No one knows.” The tears filled her eyes and spilled over and down her cheeks.

Damn it to hell, this woman had been to the devil and back. “You never said you were there when he killed your sister.” He held her shoulders and made her look at him. “Does he know you’re here? You asked if he sent me to find you. Is he coming for you?”

“No.” She tried to pull away, but he held firm. “I paid cash for the ticket and used a fake ID.”

Relieved beyond measure, he wrapped his arms around her, and pressed his cheek to the top of her hair. If her uncle didn’t know where to find her, they still had time to sort this out. He hoped.

Chapter 10

G
abe held Ella close. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed so hard, he felt every wracking breath reverberate through his ribs. The breakdown was inevitable. Still, he had no idea what to do with a beautiful crying woman. He had brothers. If one of them broke down, he’d slap him on the back, tell him to suck it up, everything would be okay, and they’d drink until they were numb and bottled their feelings again.

Heartsick, frightened, and in pain from her injuries, she needed time to process, heal, and grieve without all of this hanging over her head.

He got out of the truck, scooped her into his arms, and carried her up the icy walk to the front door.

“Why are you always picking me up?”

“Easiest way I could think of to get my hands on you.” Okay, maybe that was more truth than the moment called for, but he’d never had good timing with women. Probably why his bed remained empty the last eight months.

“I need to find the papers for the missing paintings.” She settled her head on his shoulder.

God, the way she smelled, so sweet, like spring wildflowers . . .

Yeah, she needed those papers, some kind of proof her uncle had been stealing from her. He needed to talk to her more about her sister’s murder and the cop who helped her uncle cover it up.

He shoved open the front door, walked through, and kicked it closed with his heel. He walked to the couch and sat down with her in his lap. He gathered her close, pressed his cheek to her soft hair, and held her, letting her know without words she wasn’t alone.

Time ticked by and his mind spun thoughts of her returning to New York to face her uncle with the proof, not knowing who to trust. He formed one plan that turned into several variations. No matter what happened, he swore he’d keep her safe.

Her tears faded and she settled against him, drifting into the sleep she desperately needed. Gabe’s gaze swept the room and his comfortable furnishings. He’d made a good place for himself here, but he’d reached for more. He’d reached too high, thinking he’d move into the Wolf place, run the ranch, grow the business, and one day be worthy of that house and land and what it stood for in this community. Wealth. Prosperity. Hard work to build something to encompass that vast land and large house. All of which belonged to the woman in his arms.

He wanted that place, but damn if he didn’t want the woman in his arms more. If she noticed how much, she’d ignored it the way he tried to ignore the state of his hard cock pressed to her hip. Fresh and lovely. Too wealthy and educated. Too much the city girl to his backwoods country boy. It could never work in the real world. Still, he couldn’t help wanting the fantasy.

He hated seeing her cry, knowing how deeply she hurt. He admired her spunk and determination. While he enjoyed watching her put Travis in his place, he didn’t like her impulsive move to disarm him. That smart, sharp mind of hers probably got her into all kinds of trouble. She’d keep him on his toes.

But she wasn’t staying. He had to get that through his head. Once she had the proof she needed, she’d go back to her life. The life that suited her. She had a company to run, a family dynasty to uphold. No way she chose a life out here in the middle of nowhere on a cattle ranch. After everything that happened, she’d probably sell Wolf Ranch for the money it was worth and forget she ever stepped foot in Montana.

With a heavy sigh, he gave in to stupidity and hugged her close. She moaned in pain when he crushed her side too tight. He smoothed his hand over her hip, soothing the small hurt, and she settled against him again.

He couldn’t sit here all day, even though that was exactly what he wanted to do, not when he needed to feed the horses and go to town to get her father’s papers. The sooner he helped her clean up this mess with her uncle, the sooner she’d go back home and stop unknowingly torturing him.

He indulged in one last sweet smell of her soft hair and shifted her off his lap and onto the leather sofa. He pulled the dark pillow beneath her head and settled her legs on the couch as he slid off to stand beside her. Careful not to jar her sprained ankle, he unzipped her worthless boots and placed them on the floor. He propped her bad foot on another pillow and tucked her coat around her to keep her warm while she got some much needed sleep. Satisfied he had her settled for at least a couple of hours, he leaned down and kissed her on the head. He closed his eyes, holding back the urge to lie down with her and hold her in his arms.

He stepped away, but stopped when she reached out and grasped his jeans at his thigh. He knelt beside her and brushed the hair from her face. “What is it?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. Just don’t grab guns from people anymore.”

“No. For what my uncle did to you.”

He traced the tear that escaped her lashes and rolled over her soft cheek. “I’ll figure something out.”

“I’ll make it right. I promise.”

“Get some rest. I’m going out to feed the horses.”

“I’d like to see them.”

“Later. You need some sleep.”

Her lids slid closed despite how hard she tried to stay awake. He stood and stared down at her peaceful face, thinking of how young and sweet she was with so much weighing on her shoulders. Still, she thought of him and wanted to make things right. If he hadn’t been such an idiot, she wouldn’t need to make things right. Nothing for her to do anyway, except hopefully get his money back. Even then, what could he do? Buy another piece of property? He’d have to spend some time researching his options. Nothing compared to Wolf Ranch, but if he reevaluated his needs and found something to fit, it might take him only a few months to close the deal.

What if he didn’t get his money back? That thought didn’t even bear thinking about right now. He’d be ruined. He didn’t have money to hire a lawyer to sue Phillip Wolf, who could probably use his vast wealth to fight Gabe for years, making it impossible to get his money and costing him a fortune in legal fees.

“What a fucking mess.” He stepped out into the backyard and made his way over the five inches of snow to the stables. His boots crunched on the ice. The yard would turn to a muddy mess if the weather warmed up a few more degrees. Of course, this time of year they’d probably get more snow. He felt the chill of it in the air and looked north to the building gray clouds. Yeah, they’d get more snow soon. Should have checked the weather reports, but he’d been distracted by a green-eyed beauty.

He liked her a lot. She wasn’t callous and frivolous. The sad and disgusted way she looked at how all those cows were treated told him she cared about their well-being. While the smell made her wrinkle her cute nose, she didn’t go all girly on him and whine about leaving that place immediately. No, she’d been more concerned with helping those animals than preserving her sense of smell or her ruined boots that probably cost someone’s monthly salary.

Gabe walked into the overcrowded stables and shook his head. He’d hoped to get the twenty-seven horses into the Wolf stables, spread them out, give them the room they deserved. He thought it’d be only a matter of weeks. Now he’d have to come up with another place to house the horses he’d doubled up in the stalls. He’d have to build a temporary shed. He hated leaving them out in the weather, especially with more snow coming.

Mentally making a list of things he’d need to do and change because of the circumstances, he fed and watered the horses. With the snow coming, he’d have to run into town and get supplies. No telling how long he’d be stuck on the ranch with Ella.

The thought appealed a lot. More than he’d like to admit.

He worked for an hour in the stables with the horses. Being with them calmed his mind, and the physical work helped relieve the stress. He didn’t think about the bogus contract, or how much he wanted to kill Phillip for signing those worthless papers when he knew his signature was meaningless.

See, he wasn’t thinking about it at all. He dumped the pitchfork in the wheelbarrow full of horseshit and straw, planted his hands on his hips, stared at the ground, and shook his head.

Everything he’d worked so hard for, all down the drain.

He walked down the center aisle toward the door and gave Sully and Winnie a pat on the head before he left. He loved being with the horses. If things got any worse, he’d lose them, too.

He thought of the woman in his house. Not going to happen. He’d protect her and everything he’d worked so hard to build.

Chapter 11

E
lla woke up in the dark, momentarily disoriented. She focused on the stone fireplace with the chunky wood mantel and the pictures of Gabe and his family. It wasn’t hard to imagine him on a bucking bronco or bull, winning those buckles and trophies.

A warmth spread through her chest when she thought about him. Strong. Kind. A physical powerhouse, he’d punched Travis like he was flicking an annoying gnat. When she broke down under grief’s strain, he held her protected in his strong arms.

A piece of her connected with Gabe and refused to let go.

She had to fix this mess before any more of her uncle’s evil deeds touched his life.

The anger in his eyes, she’d recognized. She felt the very same, but the death of his dream for his future tore at her heart. A hardworking man, he’d earned the money to buy Wolf Ranch with the sweat off his back. No one handed him anything. Well, her uncle handed him Wolf Ranch on a silver platter, complete with a ridiculous price tag.

Which begged the question. Why did her uncle want to sell the property for so little when it was worth so much more? Why sell it now? To hide the art theft? It didn’t make any sense. If he planned to kill her and Lela—which it seemed clear he had—why did he need to sell the property to cover up something so small as theft? In the grand scheme of the Wolf fortune, those paintings were a drop in the bucket. Yes, they were worth a small fortune, but nothing compared to the other assets held by Wolf Enterprises. The paintings, especially the one her mother painted, were more sentimental than anything. A reminder of happier times they’d spent at the ranch.

Why did her uncle need the money? Maybe if she discovered that, everything would finally fall into place.

She didn’t know where Gabe had gone, but the house felt empty and cold without him. She stood, wincing at the ache in her ankle. She limped to her room and sifted through the sparse contents of Lela’s suitcase. She pulled out her sister’s favorite pair of black leggings. Lela liked to wear them on the plane for comfort. She
used
to wear them. Ella held back the tears and chose the lavender pullover tunic. Soft, warm, it reminded her so much of her sister’s simple, yet elegant taste.

She held the sweater to her nose and inhaled her sister’s scent. God, she missed her.

She drew the line at borrowing her sister’s underwear, but snagged the lavender lace bra and a pair of black socks. Based on the contents, she had two more outfits. As pretty as her sister’s clothes were, nothing she packed would keep her warm outside.

What were you thinking?

Probably that she’d come here, get the proof, and be home in no time to take her uncle down.

“Why didn’t you come to me for help? Why did you do this on your own?”

Ella didn’t have the answers to those questions and had to respect her sister’s choices.

“You were supposed to do it with me, Lela. Side by side like always. You and me against the world.”

With a heavy heart, she searched all the pockets and compartments in the suitcase for more clues. Nothing.

She scooped up the clothes and her sister’s toiletry bag and limped across the hall to the small bathroom. She closed the door and set her things on the toilet lid. She stripped, turned on the shower, and stepped under the spray, welcoming the warmth and massaging effect on her back and head. Clean and feeling human again, she stepped out of the shower, pulled the rolled-up tan towel off the pile on the shelf under the sink, and patted herself dry. She felt bad rooting through Gabe’s things. She didn’t want to take advantage, but took one of the three toothbrushes from the cabinet drawer along with the travel size tube of toothpaste and brushed her teeth. Dressed in her sister’s clean clothes, she applied tinted moisturizer on her face to improve her sallow appearance.

She tossed her dirty bra and panties into the sink, washed them with the hand soap, and hung them next to her wet towel on the bar next to the shower. She hated to leave her things strung over Gabe’s bathroom, but what choice did she have at this point?

She pressed her thighs together, thinking of Gabe and the warm way he made her feel when he looked at her.

She thought of him wrapping his arms around her from behind, and sliding his hands over her taut belly and lower, to pull the towel up and touch her where she burned.

Stop. You’ve got things to do.

Still alone and not knowing when to expect Gabe home, she grabbed her tote off the table by the front door, set the heavy bag on the dining table, and pulled out her laptop and notebook.

She opened her laptop, but froze before turning it on. What if they could track her Internet access and emails?

Frustrated, she opened her notebook and concentrated on making a list. She thought of her sister. What could she do for Lela?

Check on funeral arrangements
. Maybe her uncle already made them, but Ella wanted Lela buried at the ranch with their parents.
Plan memorial service
.
Find proof against my uncle.
Find someone I trust to help me arrest
my uncle.
She wrote:
State attorney? FBI?

Who was she kidding? Without Internet access and the ability to hide her identity, she couldn’t accomplish anything.

The desk across the room caught her attention, but she hesitated to use Gabe’s laptop. She’d imposed so much already, she hated to use his things without asking. Still, she couldn’t sit here and do nothing. Too much time had passed already.

Set on accomplishing at least one of her tasks, she limped over to his desk and sat in his chair. She opened his laptop and the screen lit up. No password protection; several spreadsheets and documents popped up. She tried not to snoop, but they were right in front of her face. His plans and calculations for the ranch, the cattle, his breeding program, cost estimates, land allocations. More stuff she couldn’t decipher. Smart, well-thought-out plans for a man about to embark on a new venture. He’d outlined the steps he needed to take, timelines for different aspects of the business, and forecasts for the next five years.

She touched her fingertips to the screen. “You worked so hard to set this up.” She’d learned a thing or two about finance in school and working her way through the many departments at the company. If his projections were correct, and she had no reason to doubt them based on what she’d seen, he’d be profitable inside a year and making better than decent money in five. More than enough for him to live at Wolf Ranch and support a family.

Her gaze went to the photos on the mantel. Family was important to him. Naturally, given his age and a prospering business, he’d want to settle down, get married, and have a family of his own. She thought of dark-haired, brown-eyed babies in his strong, protective arms and sighed. Such a pretty picture.

She shook it off and stared at his spreadsheets again, more plans forming in her mind. More she needed to do to make this right for him.

With Gabe’s pages minimized, she opened his browser and typed in the New York City morgue they’d mentioned on the news. She jotted down the number on her pad. With a few more keystrokes and searches, she found Heaven’s Gate Funeral Home in New York. She’d ask Mary to make arrangements to have them prepare her sister’s body for burial and ship it to a funeral home in Crystal Creek.

Warm hands settled on her shoulders and kneaded her tight muscles. Gabe. She hadn’t heard him come in or walk up behind her. He worked her shoulders with his big hands, easing her mind as well as her body. She looked up at him upside down, and he traced his finger along her cheek, wiping the single tear away. The moment stretched, their gazes held, and he combed his fingers through her damp hair to let her know he felt the pull between them too.

Unable to decide on a casket on Heaven’s Gate’s website, she’d been staring at the photos for ten minutes. Gabe’s body brushed against her back as he leaned over, took the mouse, and clicked on the screen. She stared at the wood coffin with the white satin interior. A vine of roses carved into the wood. His hand settled on the rose pendant on her chest.

“That’s the one,” he said simply, his fingertips brushing up her neck and through her long hair. Shivers danced up her spine and his hands settled on her shoulders again.

She jotted down her choice—the perfect choice, thanks to Gabe’s help—on her notepad and sighed.

“You can’t make that phone call.”

She ignored the order in his voice, knowing he was only trying to protect her.

“I’ll contact the house staff and instruct Mary to complete the arrangements.”

“What if the phone is tapped, or she tells your uncle where you are?”

“My uncle would never expect me to call. The servant extension is a different number from the house. I’m not going to tell her where I am. And she won’t say anything. She works for me, not my uncle.”

“Is there a difference?”

“Yes. Which is one of the reasons my uncle is doing this.”

“It’s too great a risk.”

“I have to do this. My sister deserves to be buried with dignity, not left in some cold morgue.”

She leaned back in the chair and stared up at Gabe. He leaned against the desk, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He gave her a nod that he didn’t like it, but he’d drop it.

“You look better and worse all at the same time,” he said, not smiling.

“Thanks. You’re a real sweet-talker.”

“That’s why the place is crawling with women,” he teased back, letting go of the tension between them from a minute ago.

“Um, I guess I never thought about it. Is my being here a problem for you and your girlfriend?” He didn’t wear a ring and the house definitely shouted bachelor with its sparse furnishings and decorations, but a man like him probably had a girlfriend somewhere. Or maybe ten.

“My fiancée—”

“Oh shit. I’m sorry. I kissed you. I’ll explain to her that it was my fault.”

“Ella. Stop. She left me years ago. She never stayed one night in this house.”

Since he started this conversation, she waited, feeling as if he wanted her to know what happened.

“It’s no big deal. I met a girl in college.”

“Good ol’ Texas A&M.”

“We were together three years. I asked Stacy to marry me junior year. She said yes. We graduated. I bought this place and brought her home to marry her and build a life, starting on this small spread. I brushed off her complaints about living this far from even the smallest town, and how she’d never find a job, friends, how she’d be stuck out here with me, as nothing more than wedding jitters. Hell, I was nervous too. I figured once we settled in, she’d make this place hers, and we’d have some kids, and she’d be happy.”

“This place wasn’t what she expected?” Ella guessed.

“Let’s say she was a bit high-maintenance from the get-go. She grew up in a middle-class home in a good-size town in Texas. All the plans we talked about at school sounded good. She went along, swearing she loved me and couldn’t wait to be a rancher’s wife.”

“You brought her here, and the reality of living in the country on the ranch with the animals set in.”

“A tiny house in the middle of nowhere, limited access to shopping malls, the movies, restaurants—fun—wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.”

No. Ella imagined she’d wanted something grand, like Wolf Ranch, and located closer to a big city like Bozeman.

“What happened?”

“She left me standing at the altar, staring at the house and land and the life she didn’t want.”

Ella had seen the beautiful wood arch out back down by the creek, under two towering trees. She bet it was beautiful in the spring and fall with the grass and wildflowers. The perfect spot to get married.

“I’m sorry, Gabe. No one deserves to be abandoned like that.”

She understood all too well the kind of hurt that caused. Her mother loved her father and couldn’t overcome her grief at losing him after the plane crash. She’d gone to their New York estate, the place they used to go to be alone and ride the horses, and hung herself, choosing death and an afterlife with her beloved rather than a life with her daughters. Loving someone that much was dangerous. A broken heart could break you.

“Yeah, well, after that, I left this place and followed the rodeo circuit to earn the money I needed to buy a bigger place and set up the ranch I really want.”

Yes. Wolf Ranch. Gabe had jumped at the chance to buy it when her uncle presented a deal too good to be true, because he needed the house and land to prove himself worthy.

“I rode broncos and bulls and any woman I could get my hands on.”

To prove he didn’t need Stacy and could have any woman he wanted. Blunt, but she appreciated his honesty. She’d bet everything she owned all he had to do was smile and they jumped into his bed. The thought brought on a wave of unfamiliar jealousy and anger. She barely knew him, but thinking about him with another woman set off a bunch of emotions she didn’t want to analyze too closely.

“Did it help you forget Stacy?”

“Nope, but it passed the time, and I made a lot of money.” He might have stopped sleeping with random women to prove he was over Stacy and what she did to him, but he still needed the big ranch to prove he had something to give a woman who shared his dream.

Gabe’s gaze met hers. “Stacy showed up about two years ago. She wanted me back. Said it was a huge mistake to leave me, that we could make a life together work.”

“Must have made you feel good to see her come crawling back.”

“Not like I thought it would. She gave me all the words I thought I wanted to hear, but I didn’t feel anything inside. Nothing. I’d made a mistake, thinking she’d be happy living the life I wanted. I never considered the life she wanted. I deserved what I got, standing alone at that altar, waiting on a woman who only existed in my head. A woman I thought I loved once but didn’t. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“You made a name for yourself and a lot of money on the rodeo circuit. She thought you’d have the life she imagined.” She pointed to the buckles and trophies.