The Rancher Returns (17 page)

Trent ignored the compulsion that demanded he step in and fix everything. “While this is all fascinating, what does any of it have to do with me?”

“The company needs you.” Her big blue eyes went soft and concerned in the way that always kicked him hard in the solar plexus.

Trent's first impulse was to laugh. He never got the chance. Questions crowded in. He didn't give a damn about the company. But did
she
need him? Trent crossed his arms over his chest and regarded her through half-closed eyes. She was beautiful. Poised. But not happy. He should've felt triumphant. Instead there was a dull ache in his gut.

“You know, better than most, that isn't going to sway me. Try again.”

She gazed at the blank walls that made up his office. If she was looking for some clue about how to appeal to him, she wouldn't find it there. He was a man who didn't give a damn about anything. Or that's the face he showed the world. It made it much harder for someone to hurt him if he showed no vulnerability.

“Prove to your father you're a better businessman than he is.”

He should be gloating. Trent—not his father or brother—would be the one to save the struggling West Coast Records, but his only emotion was bitterness.

“He would never believe that.” The great Siggy Caldwell never owned up to his mistakes. He sure as hell wouldn't admit that his pitiful excuse for a second son was a better anything. “If that's the best you have, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you.”

She let the silence fill the space between them for a beat before speaking. “I need your help.”

He resisted the urge to sweep her into his arms and pledge his support. She was staring at him in desperate hope, as if he was her knight in shining armor. That was the farthest thing from reality. Sure, maybe he'd helped her out a time or two in the past, but she wasn't his responsibility anymore. The time for rescuing her had ended sixteen months earlier when she'd promised to love, honor and cherish his brother.

“And just like that, you expect me to drop everything and rush to your aid?” It cost him, but he gave his words a sardonic twist and hardened his heart. “It's not going to happen.”

Copyright © 2016 by Catherine Schield

ISBN-13: 9781488001987

The Rancher Returns

Copyright © 2016 by Brenda Streater Jackson

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