Thunderbolt over Texas (3 page)

Cole masked a spurt of frustration by focusing on the wine-pouring. He hated that Kyle had to run to him for every little signature. His brother was an incredibly talented cattleman, and the tradition that put the ranch solely in the name of the eldest son was archaic and unfair.

“Way to go,” he said to Kyle, setting out the glasses. “You always were the brains of the outfit.”

Kyle scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

Cole pulled out his own chair and held up his glass in a toast to his brother's advantageous deal. “I'm dead serious about that.”

“Are we going to talk shop all night?” asked Katie, sitting down.

Simultaneously, Cole said yes while Kyle said no. They both sat down.

Sydney leaned forward. “Maybe we could talk about my shop.”

“I'm deeding you half the ranch,” Cole said to Kyle, without so much as glancing in Sydney's direction.

Those words had the effect he was looking for. The air went flat-dead silent. The barbecue hissed once, and a sparrow chirped from the poplar trees.

“I talked to a tax lawyer in Dallas last week,” Cole continued, reaching for a roll. “About our options.”

“Cole,” Kyle cautioned.

“I figure we can subdivide along Spruce Ridge, then follow the creek bed to the road.”

Kyle planted the butt of his steak knife on the wooden table. “Stop.”

“I'm going to do it,” said Cole.

“Oh, no, you're not.”

“You can't stop me.”

“Boys,” Katie interrupted.

“Oh, yes, I can,” said Kyle. “I won't accept.”

“It's not up to you.” Cole took a breath. The guilt on this one had been burning inside him for a long time. He wasn't about to back off. “Sometimes a man has to put his foot down and make decisions that are in the best interest of his family.”

“Was that a slam?” asked Kyle.

“No.”

“It sounded like a slam.”

Cole dropped the roll to his plate, regretting his choice of words. “I didn't mean that. I meant, a man needs his own land.”

“Kyle?” Katie tried again. “Cole?”

“You saying all these years I haven't had my own land.”

That threw Cole. “Of course not.”

“There you go.”

“What about your kids?”

Kyle clenched his jaw but remained silent.

Cole hoped that meant his brother was running low on
arguments. “You need to build a legacy for your kids.” He rushed on. “You need to leave them something. If you won't think of yourself, think about your children.”

Sydney's hand touched Cole's thigh. His muscle immediately convulsed and he shot her a stunned look.

“Let's move on,” said Kyle, a steely thread to his voice.

Cole looked back at his brother. “Let's agree to go to Dallas and talk to the lawyers.”

Sydney's fingernails tightened, jolting Cole's nervous system.

What the hell was she doing?

“It's not just you anymore,” Cole said to Kyle. “You have a family—”

Sydney pinched him. It actually hurt.

He swung his gaze back to her, but caught Katie's expression on the way.

He stopped.

He stared at his sister-in-law's white lips. “Katie?”

Kyle pulled back his chair as Katie started to tremble.

Katie stood and Kyle rose with her.

“What?” Cole jumped up. “What's wrong?”

Katie gave a little shake of her head and waved away their concern. “I'm fine.”

“You're not fine,” said Cole.

She placed her hand on Kyle's arm. “I'm really okay. I'm just going to get a glass of water.”

Kyle put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. “You sure?” he whispered.

She nodded. “Really. The less fuss, the better. I'll be right back.”

Kyle watched her disappear into the kitchen.

Cole raked a hand through his hair, trying to sift through the turn of events. “I'm sorry,” he said. “What the heck…”

“Can I help?” Sydney asked Kyle.

Kyle closed his eyed and dropped back into his chair. He shook his head. “It's the talk of kids.”

Cole slowly sat, opening his mouth to ask for an explanation, but Sydney's fingers closed on his thigh again.

He felt like a bull in a china shop. What was he missing here?

“She hoped to be pregnant by now,” said Kyle.

Cole went cold.

Sydney tossed her napkin onto the table. “I am going to make sure she's okay.”

Both men rose with her.

After Sydney disappeared, Kyle moved restlessly to the rail, taking a long, steady swig of his wine.

Cole followed, not sure of what to say. He and Kyle didn't exactly have heart-to-heart talks about their sex lives, never mind their sperm counts. Was this a medical problem? Did they need to see a doctor?

“Are you…” he began. “Uh, do you…”

“The doctor thinks it's stress,” said Kyle. “But we don't know anything for sure, and Katie's worried she'll never have kids.”

Cole could have kicked himself. “And I was a big help.”

Kyle snorted out a dry chuckle as he gazed out over the Blue Hills. “Next time, watch my expression and grab a clue.”

“Next time I'll pay attention when Sydney mangles my thigh.” Cole regretted his bull-headed stupidity. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Get married and have some babies so Katie doesn't have this whole dynasty thing on her shoulders.”

“That would be a trick.”

“Hey, you've got a bona fide offer in my kitchen.”

“We could have a bona fide con artist in your kitchen.
Besides, Sydney doesn't want babies, she wants the Thunderbolt. I'm pretty sure this is a platonic offer.”

Kyle turned to face Cole. He braced his elbow on the rail and a speculative gleam rose in his eyes.

“What?” asked Cole, dragging the word out slowly, trepidation rising.

“You wouldn't
really
have to have babies with Sydney,” said Kyle. “You'd just have to let Katie
think
you'll have babies with Sydney.”

“That's insane.” And even if it wasn't, Katie knew why Sydney was here. There's no way they'd ever convince her they were having babies together.

“No.” Kyle shook his head. “It's brilliant. You pretend to fall in love with her, pretend to marry her for real. She gets the brooch and Katie relaxes enough to get pregnant.”

“And I get a wife I don't know, who doesn't love me, won't sleep with me but takes my jewelry?”

Kyle took another swig of his wine. “I'm sure you're not the first guy that's happened to.”

Cole snorted.

Kyle clapped him on the shoulder. “You get the satisfaction of knowing you put your foot down and made a decision that was best for your family.”

“Somehow I don't think this is me putting my foot down.”

“So you'll do it?”

“I never said that.” How could Cole justify getting married on the off chance it would help Katie get pregnant? Then again, how could he justify not getting married if there was a chance it could help Katie get pregnant?

“We'd be lying to your wife,” he pointed out to Kyle, looking for some loophole that didn't make him the bad guy.

“No, we wouldn't. We wouldn't have to say a thing. Katie's a hopeless romantic. Trust me, she's going to throw
you and Sydney together no matter what you and I decide. All you'd have to do is hang around and look besotted.”

“I don't do besotted.”

“Just look at Sydney the way you were looking at her before dinner.”

“I haven't—”

“That was more aroused than besotted, I'll admit. But it should work.”

“You're out of your mind.”

“She's a babe, Cole. It's not like it would be this huge hardship.”

Alarm crept into Cole's system as Kyle's words started to make some kind of bizarre sense. He couldn't consider this. Then again, he couldn't
not
consider this.

“This is the dumbest plan I've ever heard,” he said. “Take Katie on a vacation. She can relax on the beach. I'll pay.”

“She'll worry about you.”

“She doesn't have to worry about me.”

“I know that, and you know that, but Katie…”

It was Cole's turn to gaze at the dark hillsides across the lake. “You know, this morning things were looking pretty good for me. I'd just bought a new mare. I was minding my own business, thinking about shoeing, thinking about building a new hay shed, maybe buying a combine…”

Kyle started to laugh.

“Then along comes Sydney Wainsbrook and suddenly she's taking over my life.”

“Kyle?” Katie called from the kitchen.

“Yes, sweetheart?” he called back.

“Do you think it's too late for Sydney to drive to Wichita Falls all by herself?”

“Of course it's too late.” Kyle waggled a victorious eyebrow at Cole. “It's way too late.”

“She's going to stay over,” Katie called.

“Sounds good.”

“I haven't agreed to anything,” Cole muttered to his brother.

“You have the easy part,” said Kyle. “Just hang around and look besotted.”

“I'm going home.”

“Come back for breakfast.”

“Nope.”

“I'll send Katie after you.”

“Good luck with that.”

C
ole was steadfastly chowing down on hotcakes and coffee when a knock came on his cabin door.

“Come in,” he called gruffly, ready to take on Kyle or Katie or both.

But it was Sydney who poked her head around the door. “Hey, Cole.”

Cole cringed, cussing inside his head.
Low blow, Kyle.
“Good morning, Sydney.”

She gestured inside. “May I?”

No, never.
“Of course.”

Her lips curved into that brilliant, sexy smile. “Thanks,” she breathed, messing with both his equilibrium and his libido.

Katie had obviously lent her some clothes. Instead of her impractical suit, Sydney wore a tight pair of faded blue jeans, a short T-shirt, and her hair was pulled back in a
perky ponytail. Her makeup was more subtle than yesterday but, if anything, it made her sexier.

“Coffee?” he asked, finding his voice and rising from his chair.

“Love some.”

“It's a little better than yesterday.” One cup of coffee. That was it. And no matter what, he wasn't letting her talk him into going back to the house for breakfast.

Kyle's plan might be crazy, but Cole knew he'd cave—even if there was only a slight chance it would help Katie get pregnant. Because Katie without babies was positively unthinkable. She'd be the greatest mother in the world.

“Yesterday's coffee was fine,” said Sydney.

“You lie,” said Cole.

She shrugged. “I've had worse.”

“Don't know where.” He put a fresh, steaming mug on the table in front of her.

“Sherman's on West Fifty-second. Ever been to New York?”

“Never have. You hungry?”

“Katie made eggs.”

He nodded and sat back down. “How's she doing?”

Sydney wrapped her hands around the mug. “Sad, I think.”

Cole nodded, trying not to feel like a heel.

“You know your brother's come up with a plan to fix this, right?” she asked.

Every muscle in Cole's body contracted. His brother had brought Sydney into the loop? Why, that low-down, sneaky…

He bought a few seconds by taking a swallow of his coffee. “What kind of a plan?”

“He said he'd explained it all to you last night.”

Of course he did.
“What did he tell you?”

“That my timing couldn't have been better. That you and I should get married and let Katie think we're expanding the Erickson dynasty.”

It was a conspiracy. It was a bloody conspiracy. “You actually think Katie will fall for it?”

Sydney gazed knowingly at him from under her thick lashes. “You don't think she'll believe you're interested in me?”

“Fishing?”

Her smile turned self-conscious and she gave a shrug. “Maybe.”

“Or cornering me, perhaps?”

Her smiled widened then. “Maybe that, too.”

Cole sighed. “I meant no disrespect to you.” He simply didn't want to marry a stranger. Was that such a horrible thing?

Sydney was assessing him with those gorgeous green eyes. “Okay, I'll go first. You're a good-looking, sexy guy. It's not a big stretch for Katie to think I might go for you.”

Cole's chest tightened on the word sexy.

It was Sydney who wrote the book on sexy. The way she moved with such fluid grace. The way her husky voice caught on that trembling laugh.

He could still feel her touch on his arm, on his thigh. Okay, so the thigh one wasn't the most pleasant memory in the world. But it was still sexy. Which was pretty pathetic.

“Cole?”

“Hmm?”

“I think it's a good plan.”

“Of course you do.”

“If we're lucky, it'll help Katie. It'll definitely help the
Laurent—a respected public institution, I might point out. So where's the harm?”

“Don't you have places to go? Things to dig up?”

“That's archeologists. There's nothing higher on my priority list than the Thunderbolt.”

Cole pushed aside his pancakes.

She wanted to take this seriously? Okay. They'd take it seriously for a minute. “What about your family? You'd lie to them about getting married?”

She waved a hand. “Not an issue.”

“You're not close to them?” That surprised Cole. She was such a smart, perky, good-natured woman. What kind of a family wouldn't want to stay close to her?

A shadow crossed her face. “My foster parents died five years ago.”

Cole's stomach clenched in sympathy. He knew what it was like to lose parents. “I'm sorry to hear that.”

She shook her head. “It's okay.”

“What about brothers and sisters?”

“None.”

His sympathy rush escalated. Now he had a sexy, vulnerable little orphan Annie challenging him to do right by his sister-in-law.

He stood up and took his dishes to the sink.

She followed. “Cole?”

“Yeah.” And there was that elusive scent again. He didn't dare turn around.

“Why are you hesitating? We can draft whatever legal documents you want to protect the Thunderbolt.”

“It's not that.” Well, actually, it was that. At least, that was part of it. He didn't know Sydney, and he'd be a fool to trust her.

But there was more to it than the legal risks. It was a
marriage, a marriage to a woman he didn't love, didn't even know. Maybe he was an old-fashioned guy, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

“The Laurent is a very reputable institution,” she said.

“I believe you.”

“Is it lying to Katie, then?”

Cole turned. And there was Sydney, mere inches away. A slight movement of his hand and he'd be touching her. A tip of his head and he'd be kissing her.

“It's lying to Katie,” he said. “Lying to Grandma. Lying to God.”

“We could have a civil service.”

“Not a possibility.”

She tipped her head, looking perplexed.

He moved in, just a little, pressing his point, hoping he could make her understand and give up on this ridiculous idea. “We're talking about my family here, and they know me very well. They know that if I loved someone—if I
truly
loved someone—I sure wouldn't say so in a civic office in front of a clerk and two impartial witnesses.”

Sydney bit down on her bottom lip. Her cat-green eyes narrowed in concentration, but she didn't respond.

“You ready to walk down the aisle in a white dress, promise to love me and honor me, then kiss me and throw a bouquet?”

As he outlined the scenario, an unexpected vision bloomed in Cole's mind. Sydney in a white dress. Sydney in a veil. Sydney with a spray of delicate roses trembling in her hands. He could feel her skin, smell her perfume, taste the sweetness of her lush lips.

“We'd both know it was fake,” she said.

Cole startled out of the vision and gave a short nod. “Yeah. Right. We'd both know it was fake.”

“And that's what would matter. That's what would count.” She squared her shoulders. “Knowing the benefits, I could do it.”

Cole clenched his jaw. He'd hand the Thunderbolt over to her tomorrow if he could. But Olav the Third was specific, and Cole's grandfather's will was ironclad.

He examined the idea from every angle. From his, from Kyle's, from Katie's, from Sydney's.

She could do it? Of course she could. It wasn't as if it would be physically painful. And nobody would die. And nobody would ever be the wiser. Marriages failed all the time. After a decent interval, he and Sydney could simply divorce.

“Then so can I,” said Cole, just as he'd known he would from the second his brother conceived the plan. His family needed him, and that was an unconditional trump card.

A brilliant smile lit Sydney's face. “Where do we start?”

 

“First thing we have to do,” said Cole two hours later while Sydney watched him saddle a horse outside his cabin, “is convince Katie I'm falling for you.”

Sydney eyed up the big animal from the safety of his porch, having second and third and fourth thoughts. Oh, not about marrying Cole; she was completely convinced that was the right thing to do. She was having second thoughts about getting on the back of an animal that could crush her with one stomp of its foot.

“Tell me again why that has to involve horses?” she said.

“Don't you watch the movies?” Cole pressed his knee into the horse's ribs and pulled snug on a leather strap. His strong, calloused hands worked with practiced ease, and she had a sudden vision of them against her pale skin.

He released a stirrup and secured a buckle. “People who are falling in love gallop their horses along the beach all the time.”

Maybe so. But there was no way in this world Sydney was galloping any horse anywhere anytime soon. “Couldn't we just go to a movie?”

He rocked the saddle back and forth on the horse's back. “Where?”

“I don't know.”

“It's a long way to Wichita Falls.”

“What about a picnic? You, me, some ants, maybe a bottle of wine?”

“We want Katie to see us.”

Good point. Cole and Sydney alone in a meadow didn't do anybody any good. Well, except maybe for the cowboy Viking fantasy she was working on. The one where Cole dragged her into his strong arms and kissed her until she swooned.

“Maybe you could double me on your horse?” That ought to give Katie something to think about.

“I wouldn't do that to my horse.”

“Hey!”

He rolled his eyes. “Don't be so sensitive. I'm the heavy one, not you.”

She scrambled for an alternative, any alternative. “I know. We could mess up our clothes and our hair and let Katie think we had sex.”

He walked the smaller of the two horses over to the porch. “On our first date?”

“What? Are you a prude?”

“No, I'm not a prude. Come over here and get on.”

She shook her head, moving backward until she came up against the cabin wall. “Then why not on a first date?”

“Because I'm supposed to be falling in love with you. Come on. Clarabelle won't hurt you.”

He couldn't have sex if he was falling in love? “Don't tell me this is a good girl, bad girl thing.”

His eyes darkened to cobalt and a shiver ran up her spine. “This is a horseback-riding thing.”

“Because, if you've got some hang-up—”

“What? You'll refuse to marry me.” His look turned challenging.

But then, Sydney was up for a challenge. There was nothing wrong with sex on a first date. Not that she'd ever done it. But she could have if she'd wanted to.

“I won't refuse to marry you,” she answered, striking a pose. “But you'll have to tell me which kind of girl you want me to be.”

His nostrils flared.

There. Now he was the one off balance. She took a few bold steps forward and her breasts came level with his eyes.

She made a show of reaching past his shoulder to pat the horse. It twitched at the contact—a warm muscle jumping against her fingers. She let her voice go husky. “Which kind do you want me to be, Cole?”

“Sydney.”

“Hmm?”

“Don't do this.”

“Don't do what?”

“Don't flirt with me.”

She blinked in mock innocence. “I'm simply asking a question.”

“No, you're not.” He swung up on the porch, positioning himself behind her, speaking very close to her right ear, making her skin vibrate with his gravelly, sensual voice. “What you're asking for is trouble.”

He was right. Tall, strong, sexy and right. And if that was trouble, bring it on.

But his voice went back to normal. “Hold on to the saddle horn,” he instructed, placing his hand on the back of hers and moving it into place. “You're going to put your left foot in the stirrup and swing your leg over the saddle.”

Sydney tensed. Flirting, she knew. Horses were something else entirely. “Listen, I've never, ever—”

“It's easy.”

She fought his grip. “Cole.”

“She's calm and gentle, and she'll follow right along behind me.”

“I'm scared,” Sydney admitted. What if the horse bucked? What if she fell? What if she was trampled?

“Tighten your grip.” He pressed her hand against the hard leather of the horn. His palm was warm and sure, and for a moment she relaxed.

“I'm right behind you.” He nudged her forward, urging her closer to the horse. “Foot in the stirrup now.”

She took a deep breath and did it.

“Up and over.” He placed a broad palm under her butt and all but lifted her into position.

It was a quick thrill, but a thrill all the same. And now she was straddling a shifting horse, staring down at a rough-and-ready cowboy with a knowing glint in his blue eyes.

She could feel the heat coming off her cheeks and tiny quivers jumping in her thigh muscles.

“For the record,” he said, back to husky and sexy.

“Yeah?”

“You should feel free to be good
and
bad.”

 

It was a long mile from Cole's cabin near the creek up to Katie and Kyle's house on the hill. They took it at a slow
walk, and Clarabelle followed the black horse along a faint trail through a wildflower meadow. Sydney's thigh muscles grew tight, but otherwise the ride went without incident.

“Katie said you used to live up here,” she called to Cole as the two-story house rose up in front of them.

He twisted in the saddle to look back. “I moved out when Kyle got married.”

“Was it just the two of you?”

He nodded, then did something to drop his horse back so they were side by side. “My parents died when I was twenty. Kyle was eighteen.”

“I'm sorry.”

“It was tough. But at least we had Grandma.”

“The matchmaking grandmother.”