Healing a Cowboy's Heart (Cowboy Dreamin' 2) (19 page)

“I
have a job to do.”

“Do
it from someone else’s ranch.”

“Fuck
you! I’ll do what I need to do. Plus, I’ve paid for the time to stay here.
If you don’t like it, too bad.
Talk to your mother.”

“I
will!”

She
stomped out to the living room, grabbing her purse from the couch on her way
by.

The
door slammed on her way out and he raked his fingers through his hair.
What the hell just happened?

His
cell phone jingled on the counter where he’d left his keys. “What?”

“Tell
your family their done in the Hill Country.”

The
phone clicked in his ear.

“Great.
Now I’m getting threatening phone calls too? Jesus.”

He
grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and down half of it in several long gulps.
Trust.
Damn,
it’s a two edge sword.
He learned not to trust a woman when Misha stabbed
him in the back.
Now Terri.
He’d really begun to think
she was different than any other woman he’d known, but apparently not. She used
him to get close to his family, just like Misha.

What the fuck? Why do I keep
running into these bitches out to use the hell out of me?

Chapter
Eleven

Terri
walked into the diner in town through the tinkling glass door. The ‘50s décor was
a welcome change after everything cowboy the last few days. The checkered
tablecloths gracing each of the tables with vinyl and metal chairs at each one
seemed almost quaint.

After
she’d left Jeff the night before, she’d received a phone call from the partners
demanding to meet her today. Up until now, she hadn’t decided whether she was
going to give them the information she’d gathered or not.

She
took a seat in one of the booths. The vinyl seat felt cool against her back and
legs.

“Hi
there, sweetie.
What can I get you to drink?”

“Coffee,
please, Ann.”

“Coming
right up.”
Ann stayed for a minute as she tilted
her head to the side. “Where’s Jeff?”

Terri
frowned. “Working I guess. I really don’t know.”

“Oh,
I’m sorry. I thought you two were friends from what Nina told me.”

“We
were, but things have changed a bit with our friendship. He doesn’t want to see
me anymore.”

“Now,
that seems just like Jeffery.
Stupid cuss.”

“Can
I get that coffee, please?”

“Oh
sure, honey. Sorry.” Ann shuffled off but came back a moment later with the
coffee pot and a mug. “Do
ya
need cream?”

“Yes,
please.”

“What
would you like to eat?”

“Just
coffee for now.
I’m meeting someone.”

Ann
nodded. “Okay. Just holler when you’re ready.”

“Thank
you.”

When
Ann had walked away, Terri looked at the door to the diner with trepidation.
She didn’t want to do this anymore. Betraying Jeff and his family left a bad
taste in her mouth, but what else was she supposed to do? If she told the
developers the truth, they’d try to buy out the entire Hill Country. The
information she gleaned from her research told
her the
piece of property next to Thunder Ridge would make a fine development property
but if they tried to put in a golf course or something along those lines, they
would have to divert a lot of the natural springs to keep the thing watered.
She knew a course was part of the developers plan for their property.

One
more thing she’d learned. Jeff’s family had never had their property tested for
oil. The soil samples she’d taken initially told her there was a possibility.
She wanted to tell Jeff. She wanted his family to drill and see if there might
be a rich oil deposit on their property, but he wouldn’t talk to her now. Not
after their blowup the night before.

“Terri?”

“Yes?
Hi, Mr. Cole.”

He
held out his hand for her to shake.

“Hello,”
she said taking his hand. The sweaty palm grossed her out, making her shiver in
revulsion.

“May
I?”

“Of
course.”

Ann
appeared seconds later.
“Coffee?”

“Yes,
please.”

As
soon as Ann departed again, she turned to the gentleman at the table with her.
“I don’t know why you wanted to meet this morning.”

“We
need a report.”

“There’s
nothing to tell you other than the information I have on the area with the
soil, water, etcetera.”

“What
about information on the family?”

“I
don’t have anything.”

“Nothing?
Surely you gleaned something from your time spent with the eldest son?”

“No.”

“You
mean you were fuck buddies with him and didn’t learn anything?”

“Excuse
me?”

“We
know you’ve been getting cozy with Jeffery Young. Surely you gained some kind
of information we can use?”

“The
Young family is a stable part of this community. Leave them alone.”

“We
want that property, Terri, and you’re going to help us get it.”

“I’m
not doing any such thing.”

He
tapped the spoon on the edge of the cup, grating on her nerves like fingernails
on a chalkboard.

“Then
the loan you took out to open your business comes due immediately.”

“You
can’t do that! That’s a quarter of a million dollar loan. I don’t have that
kind of money.”

“I’m
sorry, but it’s your choice. Tell me what you know or the loan comes due
today.”

“There’s
nothing to tell.”

“I
find that hard to believe, my dear.”

She
shivered. The blackness of the man’s eyes made her think of the
devil,
all he needed was a couple horns sprouting from his
forehead. These men were cutthroat and now she was in their sights.

“I
don’t know anything. They’ve been
very
closed mouth
about their family and their business. They haven’t told me a single thing that
would be helpful to you.”

“Let
us be the judge of that.”

She
inhaled sharply. What the hell could she tell him to get him to leave her and
Jeff’s family alone? “They are very stable financially. They haven’t been sued
for any accidents or anything on their property. The cattle and the guests keep
them in a good position.” She bit her lips. “There is something.”

“What?”

“Some
information I found out about the property itself. You can’t build on it.”

“What?”
He slapped his hand down on the table, making her jump. “That’s crazy. We’ve
got plans. We’ve got investors. You’re wrong!”

“I’m
not wrong. Water rights are held by the Young family for the property you want
to build on. All of the natural springs run through their property.”

“We’ll
ruin them so they’ll have to sell.”

Think quickly.

“I’ve
also checked with the local zoning codes. The area isn’t zoned for a
development.”

“We’ve
already talked to the zoning committee about changing the zoning.”

His
self-righteous smirk made her want to slap it off his lips.

Her
cell phone buzzed. “I need to check this.” The report she’d been waiting for
popped up on her screen.
Thank you God!
“I
just received a report I’ve been waiting for. You can’t build on the property
you already own because it’s a natural habitat for a rare bird. It’s now been
classified as a wildlife refuge.”

“No
fucking way.”

“Yes,
way.”
She turned the cell around so he could see it. “I
spotted the bird when I was out riding with my ‘fuck buddy’ as you called him.
I wasn’t sure until now.”

“We’ll
move the damned bird.”

“You
can’t. The paperwork is being processed as we speak to reclassify the property.
There’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

He
jumped to his feet, pointing one finger at her. “You’ve done this!”

She
raised an eyebrow, but managed not to grin.

“You’re
going to be ruined. I’ll see to it myself.”

“Do
your best. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just doing my job, but you know
what? If it means keeping you from ruining a nice family’s livelihood and
kicking them off property that has been in their family for a long time, then
so be it.”

Ann
stepped to the side of the table. “You need to leave, sir. Your coffee is on
the house.”

“You
can’t kick me out of this establishment.”

“Oh,
yes I can. I own this diner and I don’t want your kind here. Good day, sir.”

Mr.
Cole sputtered a few obscenities under his breath, grabbed his briefcase from
the bench and then stomped like a two year old throwing a tantrum as he left
the diner.

“Thank
you, Ann.”

“You’re
welcome, honey.” She slid into the booth seat. “Tell me what’s going on between
you and my nephew?”

“Nothing
really.”

“I
think there is.”

She
ran her finger around the rim of her coffee cup as she stared at the brown
liquid hoping for some answers. “It doesn’t matter.”

Ann
patted her hand. “What you’ve done for the family matters. You can bet Nina and
James will hear of this because I’ll be sure to tell them.”

She
focused on the friendly face of the waitress across from her. “Please don’t. I
didn’t do anything.”

“Yes,
you did. You saved their place from those vultures. They have the money and the
resources to close Thunder Ridge should they decide to.”

Her
heart rate slowed now since Mr. Cole had left, leaving her feeling relieved but
anxious at the same time. Would he come back? Would they be able to change the
mind of the wildlife committee with enough money greasing palms? She hoped not,
but this might not be over yet. “Luck was on their side. If I hadn’t spotted
the bird, things would have not gone as well.”

“I
heard what you said to him. You were trying to stall hoping for this news from
the wildlife people, weren’t you?”

“Yes.
I tried everything I could come up with to make him think they wouldn’t be able
to build on the property. I knew the report would come through this morning,
but I didn’t know when.”

“God
watches out for us in mysterious ways at times.”

“Yes,
he does.”

Ann’s
gaze narrowed. “What did you and Jeffery fight over?”

“All
of this.” She waved her hand indicating the entire situation. “He knew I worked
for the developers and that I was asking a lot of questions. I needed the
information from his family. Originally, the developers wanted me to find out
something to ruin them, but I couldn’t do it. Never mind my feelings for Jeff.
I just couldn’t see doing anything to hurt such nice people.” She took a sip of
her coffee, now gone cold. “I hate cold coffee.”

“Let
me warm it up for you.” Ann took the cup and returned a moment later with a
fresh one.

“Thank
you.”

“Now,
go on.”

“Nina,
James…everyone has been so nice to me. Even Jeremiah gave me the information I
needed to be able to bluff Mr. Cole with until the report came through, but I
couldn’t tell Jeff what I was up to. He thinks I got the information to give to
the developers.”

“Which
he was correct in a way.”

“True,
but I couldn’t tell him the real reason behind my need for the information. I
wasn’t sure the wildlife committee would come through.”

“So
tell him now.”

“He
won’t talk to me.” She sipped her coffee. “Besides, he doesn’t trust me now.”

“His
ex-wife took care of the trust thing.”

“Yes,
she did.”

Ann
tapped her fingers on her lips. “I think he’ll come around when he finds out
what you’ve done.”

“It
doesn’t matter. I’m going home to Houston today. My work here is done. I have
to make sure Mr. Cole’s threat is nothing more than a threat. He could kill my
business if he forces those I borrowed the funds to start my business from into
making my loan come due. I don’t have a quarter of a million dollars to pay
them off.”

“Don’t
worry, honey. Everythin’ will work itself out.”

She
squeezed Ann’s hand. “Thank you for listening. I think I’ll take breakfast
now.”

“Good.
What can I get you?”

After
she ordered a ham and cheese omelet, she sat back in the booth with a satisfied
smile on her face. She’d done a good deed. It felt wonderful to her heart even
as the organ broke inside her chest. Somehow during the time on the ranch,
she’d come to care for the enigma of a man who wouldn’t open his heart to her
no matter how much she tried or what she said. He wouldn’t trust her now
because of her deceit.