Josh Read online

  “She didn’t like living on your ranch?”

  “On the one hand, she loved it. And once Quinn was born, she seemed to settle in well enough. After two more sons, I was the happiest man on earth, but there she was, surrounded by all those men. She was this gorgeous, prissy girly-girl who loved expensive perfume and fancy cocktails. She never seemed to know just where she fit into the rough-and-tumble lifestyle of a rancher’s wife. I suggested that she learn to drive, so she could go into town and make some friends. She refused. So I tried to persuade her to join me and the boys in the barn, or go riding with us up into the hills, but she wanted no part of it. And no part of homemaking chores either. She left them to Ela.”

  “Really? What did she do all day?”

  That had Cole glancing at his son before throwing back his head and roaring with laughter. “What didn’t she do? She put on plays and dances for her sons. Read them endless books, and played her classical records for them, day and night. I don’t think my boys ever fell asleep to anything but Beethoven and Bach when they were little buckaroos. When they were really little, she colored with them. Later she switched them to paint and canvas. If it was highbrow, my Seraphine loved it. If it was plain old country, she just didn’t relate.”

  “It doesn’t sound as though you were unhappy with that.”

  “Girl, I was so damned happy with my Seraphine. She didn’t need to muck stalls or ride horses to own my heart. If she wanted to wear a tutu and dance across the hills, that was fine with me. No matter how different our worlds were, when we came together at the end of the day, we both knew without question that we were meant to be together for all time. For all time…”

  His voice trailed off. He fell silent and stared hard at the table, lost in thought.

  Sierra thought about how startled she’d been when Josh told her that his mother had just disappeared one day, never to be seen again.

  “It must be a terrible jolt whenever you realize she’s really gone.”

  When Cole made no response, she glanced at Josh, wishing she could take back her words. Now they lay between them, adding to Cole’s burden.

  She could see the pain mirrored in Josh’s eyes. Not only for himself and his loss, but for the father he adored and the loss that could never be explained or eased.

  It was the sort of pain and loss that Sierra couldn’t even imagine.

  She knew, in that moment, that her own troubles with her parents, and the pain they inflicted on their only child by their careless choices, were nothing compared with the loss the Conway family had suffered and continued to suffer every day. A loss that couldn’t be explained. A pain that was endless.

  If only she knew how to distract them from their dark thoughts.

  Just then a big hand clamped over Cole’s shoulder. He looked up to see a grizzled old cowboy grinning down at him.

  “Hey, Chester.” With an effort, Cole pulled himself back from his painful memories, forcing a smile. “Where’ve you been keeping yourself?”

  “Got a job at the Randall ranch. Sorry I couldn’t lend a hand with the roundup this year.”

  “That’s okay.” Cole nodded toward Sierra. “Chester, this young lady is a guest of ours. Sierra Moore, Chester Coggins.”

  “Hi, Chester.”

  The old man snatched his hat from his head and blushed to the tips of his ears before offering a handshake. “Ma’am.”

  “Come on, Chester.” Cole indicated a chair. “Join us for a beer.”

  “I will if you’re buying.”

  “I am.”

  As the old cowboy pulled out a chair, Cole looked over at his son. “Why don’t you and Sierra go out there and dance while we reminisce over old times?”

  Josh grinned and held out his hand to Sierra. “What Pa’s saying is that he and Chester want to be free to enjoy their man talk and cuss without apology. Come on. We’ll give them some space.”

  As they walked toward the small wooden dance floor crowded with swaying couples, the two men lifted their beers and bent close so they hear each other over the throb of twanging guitars.

  The music had switched to something slow and bluesy.

  Josh gathered Sierra close and found, because of the crush of bodies around them, that he could do little more than sway to the rhythm.

  He pressed his lips to her temple. “I think I like this better than dancing.”

  She lifted her face to him and smiled.

  Though their lips weren’t touching, he could almost taste her. “I’m sorry Pa came along and spoiled the great seduction I’d planned.”

  “I’m sorry, too. If you hadn’t planned a seduction, I planned on seducing you.”

  “Yeah?” A slow grin touched his lips.

  “Oh yeah, cowboy. But it’s hard to be offended when your dad’s such a sweet man.”

  Josh grinned. “Now that’s a word I haven’t heard anybody else use to describe Cole Conway. Tough, rowdy, hard-nosed. Those are words usually reserved for Pa. But not sweet.”

  “Then they just don’t see him the way I do. He almost had me in tears.”

  “Yeah. I think you should know something. Pa never talks about his loss. Not to us. Not to anybody. The only way he’s managed to cope all these years is by holding it all inside. So when he started telling you that you reminded him of his Seraphine, I couldn’t believe my ears.”

  “Really?” Sierra brows drew together in a frown. “I was feeling so terrible because I’d opened up his obviously painful wound.”

  “Yeah. The pain is real.” Josh swallowed. “For all of us.”

  “I’m so sorry, Josh.” Sierra lifted a hand to his cheek.

  He closed a hand over hers and looked into her eyes. “Watching the two of you”—he shook his head in disbelief—“I could see just how comfortable Pa is with you. You got him to open up in a way I’ve never seen before. If Chester hadn’t come along, there’s no way of knowing what else he might have told you.”

  She lifted a finger to still his words. “Maybe Chester’s arrival was a blessing in disguise. I saw your eyes when he was describing your mother. You were feeling the pain as deeply as he was.”

  At the press of her finger to his mouth he felt his body react. It was the sweetest torture to hold her like this, swaying softly to the music, knowing that if they’d only waited a few minutes longer, or refused Cole’s invitation to come to town, they could be lying in the soft hay right now, indulging all their fantasies.

  He wanted her. Wanted her with every fiber of his being.

  To lighten the mood he said, “There must be something in the air here. First Big Jim, and now my father. I think they’ve both been bitten by the same kind of love bug that—”

  Josh stopped swaying and went very still. He could feel a tingling at the nape of his neck and between his shoulder blades, as though someone were staring daggers through him.

  He deftly turned Sierra so that he could have a better view of the entire room. He studied the faces of the men at the bar and swept the crowded tables, but he couldn’t see anyone staring directly at him.

  Still, the feeling persisted. It was time to head back to the ranch.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Sierra shot him a puzzled frown. “Josh, where did you go just then?”

  He shrugged. “Just a feeling.” He smiled down at her. “Sorry. Now about that love bug…” He lowered his face to hers and brushed his mouth over hers. “I just felt something bite me. Quick. Let’s get back to the table and see if Pa’s ready to go.”

  They were both laughing with delight as they returned to where Cole was seated.

  Sebastian sat on the bar stool, a wide-brimmed hat pulled low on his forehead. In faded denims and plaid shirt, he managed to look like just another cowboy celebrating roundup.

  While the voices, low with curses or high-pitched with laughter, swirled around him, his complete focus was fixed on the couple on the dance floor.

  He’d seen Sierra walk in with the gray-haired cowboy and k
new, from his detailed research, that her escort was Colby Conway.

  It hadn’t taken her long to find a rich powerful champion, Sebastian thought with a wave of fury. By all accounts, the Conway ranch was one of the largest and most successful in the country. Not that it mattered. An American rancher couldn’t hold a candle to his family’s empire. As for power, the Delray family had wielded both power and influence for generations, long before the Conways had ever even planted a foot in Wyoming.

  Wyoming. The very name annoyed him. This was the last place he wanted to be. He hated these coarse clothes he was forced to wear in order to blend in. Loathed the crude saloon that smelled of horses and leather and sweat. Couldn’t abide the rough voices with an accent that grated on his nerves.

  He had envisioned himself at the villa by now, lazing in the azure Mediterranean, with Sierra at his side. He wanted to dress in a tuxedo and head over to Monte Carlo for an evening of dinner and gambling.

  He wanted, desperately, to get away from this disgusting place and these people who were so beneath him that he could barely tolerate being in the same room with them.

  And all because of Sierra Moore.

  Sebastian watched as she swayed in the arms of the Conway son. Josh, the one who found lost hikers in the mountains.

  His eyes narrowed as he watched the way the two of them stared into one another’s eyes, like lovestruck teens. Was this why Sierra hadn’t come to him?

  Hadn’t he given her every opportunity to repent? He’d let her know that he was here, and that he was willing to forgive her. The diamonds had cost a king’s ransom, but they couldn’t hold a candle to her beauty. Yet, she’d ignored his offer of a truce. She hadn’t even responded to his offer to send a car and leave this primitive place in her dust. And then she’d done the unforgivable. She had named him in a document ordering him to keep his distance from her.

  That slut had ordered him to stay away.

  And now she was here, looking at some rough cowboy the way she ought to be looking at him.

  His fingers tightened on the longneck the way he wanted to tighten them around Sierra’s neck, until she begged for forgiveness.

  Sebastian couldn’t recall the last time he’d ever wanted for a thing that he didn’t instantly receive. And right now what he wanted, more than anything in the world, was to exact revenge.

  Did this ungrateful little bitch really believe she could just walk away from him and go on her merry way, cozying up to other men, without any consequences?

  She would pay. Oh, she would pay dearly.

  Someone tapped him on the shoulder. A man’s voice, slurred from alcohol, said, “Hey, Bremmer.”

  Sebastian glowered at him. “You have the wrong man.”

  “Oh. Sorry. My mistake.”

  The cowboy moved on until he paused beside a tall, dark-haired cowboy just walking into the saloon with some friends.

  Watching him, the germ of an idea began playing through Sebastian’s mind.

  And as the loud country music blared from speakers, and the revelers around him added to the din, he retreated into his mind, turning the plan over and over, looking for flaws, until he was satisfied that it would work.

  Though he yearned for champagne, he ordered another beer and slowly drained it while he watched the woman who consumed his every waking moment.

  Josh led the way from the saloon. Behind him Cole had his arm around Sierra’s shoulders and moved along beside her, swaying slightly.

  Josh breathed deeply, grateful to clear his lungs in the sting of cold air. “Come on, Pa. I’m parked behind the medical clinic. The walk will do you good.”

  When they were settled in the truck, Josh turned the key in the ignition, eager to get home. If he played his cards right, he and Sierra could still find some time alone.

  As they started along the street Cole tapped his son on the shoulder. “There’s a parking space right in front of Flora’s Diner. Grab it. I have a powerful urge for a couple of her greasy sliders with grilled onions.”

  “Pa—”

  “Don’t argue with me, Josh. Pull over here.”

  Josh turned the truck into the empty space and turned to glare at his father. “You know what the doctor said. If Phoebe hears—”

  “You’ve seen the rabbit food I’ve been eating since the heart attack. Are you going to begrudge me this one simple pleasure?”

  Josh sighed and saw the smile on Sierra’s face.

  “Now how could I deny you anything, Pa? Come on. Let’s load up on calories and cholesterol.”

  “That’s my boy.”

  Cole was humming a little tune as he followed Josh and Sierra into the diner.

  Josh quickly studied the faces of everyone. The crowd had thinned to a couple of tables, and Josh was relieved to see that he knew them all.

  Cole nodded a greeting to everyone before making his way to the counter. Josh and Sierra took up places beside him.

  Flora looked up from the grill and called a greeting at the open pass-through: “Well, Cole, honey, how’re you doing?”

  “Doing just fine, Flora. Especially now that I’m here.”

  “You hoping for some of my banana cream pie?”

  “Maybe a sliver or two. But first I’ve got a powerful hankering for a couple of your sliders.”

  “You got ’em. With grilled onions, just the way you like ’em.”

  She turned to Josh and Sierra. “How about you two?”

  They shook their heads.

  “I see. Living on love, are you?” The old woman cackled at her joke, and the folks in the diner did the same.

  Flora’s daughter, Dora, made her way to the back room, carrying a tray of dirty dishes from the tables outside. After depositing them she stepped behind the counter and began filling three cups with steaming coffee.

  She set them down with a grin. “I don’t know if you ordered coffee, but tonight I’m handing it out to anyone who comes in. Hits the spot after a night of drinking at the saloon.”

  “Thanks, Dora.” Cole gulped the coffee, then broke into a wide smile as Dora set a plate of greasy hamburgers in front of him. “Now this is what I’ve been craving.”

  While he dug into his food Dora glanced at Sierra. “That great-looking guy was in asking about you again.”

  Very deliberately Sierra set her coffee down and carefully schooled her features. “When?”

  “This morning. He had lots of questions about the Conway ranch. How to get there, how big it is, how many people work there. What was this roundup he’d heard about. And he asked if you were still there.”

  “What did you tell him, Dora?” Josh fought to keep his tone disinterested.

  She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear while she considered. “I hope you don’t mind, but I may have bragged a bit. After all, the Conway ranch is the biggest in the state, and that gives us bragging rights. And I told him that, as far as I knew, the pretty blonde was still there.”

  “Anything else?” Josh stared into his coffee to hide the flash of temper he knew she would see if he looked at her. Beside him, he could actually feel Sierra’s body vibrating with the nerves she was struggling to conceal.

  “I told him if I had to put my money on the reason she was staying, it was because of you, Josh honey.”

  She caught the flush on Sierra’s face and turned to her mother. “What’d I tell you? Women just can’t resist our hunky cowboys, can they, Ma?”

  “And why should they?” Flora’s laughter filled the room.

  “We surely do love our cowboys.” Dora was still wiping away tears of laughter a half hour later when she picked up Cole’s empty plate, bearing a trace of the giant slice of banana cream pie he’d indulged in after devouring three sliders.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  As the truck left the little town of Paintbrush behind, Cole leaned back, feeling mellow.

  “Now that was worth driving into town for.”

  His words brought Sierra out of the somber moo
d that had come over her since Dora’s words back in the diner. “The beer with Chester Coggins, or the food at Flora’s Diner?”

  “Both. Chester’s an old buddy. He helped Big Jim out when I was just a kid, and I’ll never forget that. I owe him big-time. As for Flora, that woman can cook.”

  Josh glanced across Sierra. “She sure can. Just don’t eat there too often, Pa, or your arteries will be overloaded.”

  At Josh’s word of caution, Cole frowned. “I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention our little visit to Phoebe. She worries.”

  “Worries, hell. If she knew, she’d have your hide, Pa.”

  Cole threw back his head and laughed. “That’s why it has to be our little secret.”

  Josh’s smile faded as he glanced in the rearview mirror. As far as he could see, there wasn’t another pair of headlights in view. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being followed.

  What in hell was happening to him? First at the saloon, and now along a completely deserted stretch of highway.

  He’d definitely been alarmed when Dora told them “that handsome guy” had been back, asking questions about their ranch and whether or not Sierra was still there. It told him in no uncertain terms that Sebastian was still in town, and still trying to get information, despite the order of protection.

  There was no law that prohibited asking questions. As long as Delray didn’t violate the rules of the restraining order, there was nothing Josh could do except to remain vigilant.