Stone Cold Charade (A Stone Family Novel) (13 page)

Tugging off his boots, he thought about
tomorrow. His men would arrive and they’d be spending countless nights staking
out the perimeter of the ranch. He loved working outside. It made him feel
free. Working on a ranch was hard work but he loved being outside all day
instead of inside at some desk. That was not his idea of real living. He had
considered going back to school to become a lawyer when he left the military,
it was what he had originally planned to do, but had abandoned the idea. He
hadn’t wanted to get a degree that would keep him locked inside an office all
day. Once he had figured out the career he really wanted, he had used the money
he’d saved up while in the military to buy himself a small ranch in Eastern
Oregon, and get his degrees in criminal investigation and business.

His place was small compared to Max’s
operation here, but it was the right size for Ty. He had good, loyal employees
and the security company was beginning to take off. The reason his men hadn’t
traveled with him was because they were wrapping up another job in Texas. All
of the income he brought in from the business was going straight into the bank.
He needed the capital to make repairs on his own place and he wanted to build
himself a nice nest egg. He was proud of how much he had accomplished in such a
short period.

He was still out of Alex’s league when
it came to finances. Her grandfather was richer then he would ever be in this
lifetime or the next. And, there was no way he could ever hope to compete with
the kind of men she socialized with, they probably didn’t even know how to
balance their checkbooks. They had accountants that did it for them.

He already suspected that Alex did still
feel something for him. He just had to find a way to make her admit it. He had
a hard road ahead. It was going to be tough convincing her that he had only
pushed her away for her own good. He was sure she wouldn’t believe him, even
when he confessed why he’d done it. She would just try to deny what she had
felt for him back then.

Not that there hadn’t been other women
in his life since Alex, but he always found himself comparing them to her and
the hunger only she created in him. When he touched her nothing else mattered
except being with her. Being close to her was everything. He never understood
why she affected him so much; she wasn’t even his type. She definitely wasn’t a
man’s image of a debutant, and she sure hadn’t changed her appearance by
dressing according to fashion. Yet, the woman still made his body heat to a
fever pitch just by being close by.

Heading to the bathroom, he decided a
cold shower before bed wasn’t a bad idea. Knowing Alex was just down the hall
was going to make sleep incredibly difficult. The thought of her just out of
his reach caused his body to go taut. When he remembered how responsive she had
been in his arms as a young girl, he couldn’t help but wonder what the woman
would have in store.

Waking early the next morning to the
smell of coffee brewing, Ty pulled on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt
before tugging on his boots. Placing his Stetson on his disheveled head, he
grabbed a dark blue flannel and tossed it over his shoulder before heading to
the kitchen hoping to rustle up some breakfast before setting out with the
foreman. He had a full day planned, needing to look over the breaks in the
fences that they hadn’t gotten to the day before.

As he sauntered into the dining room, he
wondered if Alex was going to put in an appearance. Whether she liked it or not
they still had things they needed to discuss. Unfortunately, with such a busy
day ahead, he didn’t know when he would be able to see Alex again if he missed
her at breakfast. He needed to get the gear unloaded and checked before his men
arrived. In addition, he needed to draw out a working schematic of the house so
Parry could start setting up the new security system inside.

Entering the kitchen, Martha was the
only one present, smiling at him as he walked in.

“Hungry? I’ve got bacon and eggs on,”
she said with a nod of her head, indicating the table in the kitchen. He
noticed that it was already set for two. The small table sat by a large picture
window that looked out on to the back porch. As he walked to the table, he
flung his flannel over the back of the chair and placed his hat on the back
corner before sliding into his seat. Martha moved toward him and set a full cup
of coffee in front of him.

“I could get used to this kind of
treatment. If you ever think about quitting, call me,” he said with a wink
before taking a sip. He turned to watch her at the stove as he asked, “How did
you know I didn’t take anything in it?” He raised his eyebrow at her. He never
diluted his coffee.

“Emma’s my boss, not Max. She even told
me how you liked your eggs, over easy right?” Martha moved across the room and
set a warm plate in front of Ty, then moved back to the stove.

“Now I’m really impressed, brains too,”
he said with a mischievous grin. “How is Emma by the way?” he inquired, digging
into his breakfast with gusto.

“Fine, but Max is giving her a fit. She
knows he’s up to something no good with Frank. Emma can’t seem to get him to
confess to what just yet.” Martha chuckled to herself as she started on another
breakfast.

“He always was a cantankerous old goat.
I wish her luck! If he is up to something, Emma’s the only one I know of who
can stop him. Are the girls down yet?” Ty watched her place another hearty
plate on the table.

“Alex should be down shortly, you’ll
just have to wait patiently. You don’t fool me Ty! Emma gave me the low down on
the phone yesterday after you arrived,” she said chucking.

Martha turned towards the sink to start
washing some of the dishes she’d used to fix breakfast.

“What exactly did Emma have to say?”
Growing uneasy, he moved across the room to the coffee pot. He regretted even
asking the question once Martha answered.

Waving a soapy spatula at him, she
warned, “Oh, just that if you hurt her granddaughter again you’ll find your
butt at the end of her shotgun.” Martha chuckled.

She shook her head as he looked up from
refilling his coffee mug with a stunned expression, nearly over filling it.
Martha was aware of how protective Emma could be about her beloved granddaughters,
and judging by Ty’s facial expression, she guessed he was more scared of Emma
than Max.

“Well, you can tell Emma I’m here to do
a job for her husband. Nothing more.” He replied, striding back to the table.
Great!
Just what I need, Emma gunning for him,
he thought.

Martha glanced over her shoulder at Ty,
shaking her head.
And I still believe in the Easter Bunny. Just who is the
boy trying to convince? Me, or himself?
,
she wondered.

Alex glided into the room smiling at
Martha. When she noticed Ty sitting at the kitchen table she stopped in her
tracks.

“Good morning!” Ty called. As he looked
at Alex, he saw the smile flee from her clean face as she turned toward the
table. Ignoring Ty, Alex took her seat on her high horse, choosing to look at
her plate instead of meeting his eyes. Martha placed a glass of orange juice in
front of her, nodding as Alex thanked her before starting to eat, and went back
to doing her dishes.

Alex had stayed up late to work on a new
song that she was thinking about for the next album. She planned on spending
the entire day in the den, ironing out the lyrics and the melody at the piano.

Thinking of the piano, she called over
her shoulder, “Martha, I’ll be working today if you need me. I’ll be in the den
so you can call my blackberry,” returning to her meal, not waiting for an
answer.

“Can’t she knock like the rest of the
human race, or are you afraid if you open it I’ll be on the other side?”

Martha finished rinsing the plates and
closed the dishwasher before turning to answer him herself, “Knocking on that
door does no good. The entire room is sound proof. Her mother had it done years
ago. I always wondered if she did it just to get some peace from Max.”
She’s
just like her mother, knowing when to lock herself away from the temptation to
kill a man.

“Great! Care to give me the number to
her phone in case I need to speak to her?” he asked Martha, then directed his
attention to Alex. “You know you are behaving rather childish. I just wanted to
talk last night.” Ty was angry at this new development.

Leaning back in his chair, nursing his
coffee, he turned his head to regard Martha as she commented, “Good luck
getting her blackberry number. I hear it’s as hard to get as the keys to a
chastity belt.” Martha chuckled. “I think there are only about ten people on
the planet with access to it.” Martha shook her head as she turned back to the
cupboards where she was placing the cleaned breakfast pans.

Ty was wondering how he was supposed to
complete the job and get the security up and running if Alex wouldn’t
cooperate. Sam had informed him at dinner the night before that Alex was
supposed to help him get things done.

“Look, I don’t want to talk to you.
Nothing you say interests me in the least, got it? Just do your job and I’ll do
mine. If you need anything out of Sam’s office just go get it. As for anything
else, you’re smart. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” She raised her head and
gave him a chilling look from behind her glasses.

Her expression suggested that she wished
he was in Siberia. She was going to make this harder than it had to be with her
stubbornness; she was as bad as Max. She was still wound so tight from their
confrontation yesterday that if he made a move towards her she’d probably jump
a mile high. He studied her as she sat stiffly in her chair eating her
breakfast.

“God woman, will you try and relax? I’m
not going to jump your bones here at the table!” he growled.

Alex almost choked on her eggs when she
realized what he was implying. As her face flamed red, she could hear Martha
chuckling at her expense.

“It might do her some good, instead of
day dreaming about Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome!” Alex gasped as she swung
around in her chair, looking mortified by what the older woman had implied.
She’d forgotten to tell him that Ty didn’t know anything about Fire!

Finally having enough of them, she
stressed through clenched teeth, “Just stay out of this please.”

Righting herself in her chair, she
started to eat her breakfast again. When she stole a quick glance at Ty, she
could see the speculation in his eyes. He was wondering whom Martha had been
referring to. Good, if he believed she was involved with another man he might
leave her alone. Suddenly her breakfast tasted like saw dust. She forced
herself to swallow it, despite her closing throat. She didn’t want Ty knowing
anything about her life now.

Ty was astonished to realize the very
thought of Alex being involved with someone made him feel malicious. He didn’t
want to stop and analyze why, he just knew it was interfering with his plans. He
didn’t want her thinking about someone else; he wanted her concentrating on
him. Leaning forward in his chair and placing his hands around his coffee mug,
he studied her.

“Look, I need to set up the security
system. The foreman can help, but I’ll need help from the main house too. Just
face it, I’m not going anywhere and you’re stuck with the situation. So learn
to live with it. Dream boy can wait.”

Alex was glad he hadn’t asked anything
about the man Martha joked about. Alex would have to speak with her after he
left and warn her not to say anything else around him.

He was upset. His eyes were almost
black; a sure sign he was getting steaming mad.

Tossing her head, she pushed her half-eaten
breakfast away because she knew she wouldn’t be able to finish it. She stared
at Ty scornfully. “Dream boy, is none of your business. As for being stuck with
you, I seriously doubt we’ll even see that much of each other while you’re
here. I will stay out of your hair if you stay out of mine. Obviously, I don’t
want to be in your company any more then you want to be in mine!” She was
hoping that telling him she wouldn’t be hanging around him like some love
struck fool he would be less hostile toward her. She didn’t want him to think
that she still had hidden feelings for him. All she felt for him was contempt.

“It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know
you’re not happy having me here. Well, for your information, it’s no picnic for
me either, babe.” He gripped his coffee cup hard to stop himself from grabbing
her and shaking some sense into her. “I have a job to finish; it’s what your
grandfather is paying me a lot of money to do. I have plans for that money, and
I’m not going to let some spoiled brat who likes to throw tantrums interfere.
Moreover, I am not going to give Max the satisfaction of seeing me fail. He
would love nothing more than to see me fall on my face!” he said, frustrated.

Ty watched her face flame with
embarrassment. As he locked his gaze with hers, he saw the fury smoldering in
her eyes. She placed her hands in her lap when they started shaking from the
anger coursing through her body. He knew her well enough to know she was
itching to throw her half-eaten breakfast in his face.

“Who do you think you are?” Alex fumed.
“You can’t talk to me like that!” she stammered, outraged. “I already told Sam
I would help.” Picking up her water glass and gesturing with it to Ty, “I don’t
need some poor excuse for a human being giving me a lecture on my behavior!”
she nearly shouted. She brought the glass to her lips, taking a sip in an
attempt to calm her nerves. Alex felt like she was going to explode. She saw
the death grip she had on her glass; her knuckles white from her hold on it.
She concentrated on loosening her grip, and slowly set it back down on the
table, barely resisting the temptation to throw its contents in his face.