6
JULES FORGOT HOW to breathe. What the hell was Tanner doing at the Round Top? How the hell had he found her? Still frantically searching for something to say, she gaped at him. The Colonel surprised her by saying, “What the hell are you doing here, boy?”
Boy? Her gaze went from the Colonel to Tanner, then back again.
“Good afternoon to you too, Colonel.” Then he gave the Colonel a lazy salute, which seemed to hold equal amounts of respect and contempt. “Jules.”
“That’s Doc Heller to you,” the Colonel corrected him. He seemed damn near apoplectic in tone while his expression remained grim. “Doc, you get back to work. I’ll deal with this.”
Jules really didn’t know what to say—Tanner was the Colonel’s son? And from the shit-eating grin on his face, he was far more pleased at finding her than she was at discovering where he belonged in the scheme of things. Of all the ranchers in the valley that she could have accidentally had a one-night stand with—it had to be the guy whose father owned the place where she currently lived. Dropping the spent needles into the bucket, she returned it to the cart and began pulling new doses. The Colonel strode toward the fence. And the two men seemed to face off even as Tanner dismounted from the beautiful paint he’d ridden. The man’s lines were perfect in the saddle, out of the saddle—in clothes, out of clothes.
Jules, stop thinking about him naked. Because the naked could not happen again. He’s the Colonel’s son—a rancher. Out-of-bounds.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on assignment?” The Colonel possessed one of those booming voices that carried over great distances. The cattle were all used to him, thankfully, and they barely moved, save for the occasional tail swish. Though every angry syllable made Jules’s spine stiffen.
The man had suffered two heart attacks in the last six months, but other than some weight loss and pallor, he didn’t act like it was an issue. Maria and Ramon fussed over him, but he refused to listen. The only concession he made to his health was not riding out on horseback to meet her for the shots. Instead, he rode with her in the Jeep. Six months earlier, he would have been just like Tanner.
The Colonel still didn’t trust her to work alone with the animals beyond those in the barns. A part of her believed it had more to do with his concern that the animals might hurt her rather than anything she might do. She appreciated his care, even if it was delivered in such a gruff manner.
“I was on assignment, then I was done. I retired, or didn’t you get the notice?”
Despite her best intentions, Jules couldn’t help but listen. So that explained why Tanner hadn’t seen a lot of movies lately. He’d been in the Marines. She knew the Colonel had a son who was a Marine captain, but she’d never seen a picture of him. Most parents showed off their kids, but not the Colonel. He’d mentioned Tanner—and not by name—exactly one time that she could recall. It had been during one of their first meetings. He told her he had one son in the Marines, another son wasting his time as a street musician, and a daughter who had at least gone to college—even if she couldn’t find a husband.
Shaking her head, Jules had had to bite back a smile because her first reaction to the Colonel’s rather archaic beliefs had been to laugh in his face. However, since the Colonel was a potential employer and someone paying her for her services—not to mention a potential landlord—she’d decided against mocking him for beliefs formed in an age when women were required to wear skirts to work.
Having gathered the next batch of doses, she checked the scanner attached to her belt and retrieved her bucket before glancing at the men. Though she couldn’t see the Colonel’s face, his posture suggested fury. She hadn’t seen him angry since Doc Clayton told him he had to be on bed rest for a few days. Then again, the only reason she’d been witness to that particular outburst had been her need for signed purchase orders before she went to pick up the meds for the ranch.
To be honest, she’d wished then as she did now to be anywhere else. At least Maria had let her escape into the kitchen when the yelling began.
“Dad, I’m home. I’m here to help. So put me to work.” Tanner’s body language seemed more defensive than aggressive, but his tone held distinct notes of frustration.
“No. Get your butt back to the Marines, boy. That’s where you should be. Not here. Here is fine. Who called you?” The Colonel turned suddenly and pinned Jules with a glare. She froze. How had this become her fault? “You called her Jules.” He cut his gaze back to his son, the accusation meant for him. “Did you send her here to spy on me?”
“No.” Though Tanner looked as stunned as she felt by the accusation. “Dad, I met Jules last night. I didn’t know she was the vet, and I didn’t know she was here. Doc Clayton called me.”
“I knew it. Interfering old man.” Incensed, the Colonel’s face flushed. Anger was not conducive to his well-being.
Jules let out a deep breath of relief, even as her concern for the Colonel amplified. She did not envy Clayton—not one little bit. Walking away, she just carried her items back out into the herd, all but fleeing the conflict boiling over between father and son. Maybe she could disappear into the field and not see either man ever again.
Guilt dogged her steps. She genuinely liked the Colonel—backward attitudes and gruffness included. Older, he was very much set in his ways. Yet, he demonstrated on numerous occasions that he was also a consummate gentleman.
He called her ma’am, and in very rare moments he referred to her as honey, and it always sounded more like a term of affection rather than patronization. The interest he levied in her direction always involved safety for her and his animals. In fact, he only agreed to sublet the guesthouse after she proved her capabilities with a shotgun. His reasoning was that she was far enough out from the house that if anything happened, it might take time for someone to come to her assistance. With a loaded shotgun and a little skill, she could look after herself and dissuade any unwanted visitors.
Kind of sweet in his own way.
“I don’t need your damn help to tell me how to run my ranch.” The Colonel’s voice carried over to where she was standing, and she sighed. Right now, she didn’t envy Tanner either. His father didn’t want to listen to anyone, least of all his son, on what he should be doing.
What a lot of people didn’t seem to understand, and Jules figured out relatively quickly, was that the ranch was all the Colonel had left. He might’ve been proud of his kids in his own way, but since the death of his wife, he didn’t seem to have much of a social life other than the occasional card game he played with some cronies in town. Maria and Ramon didn’t gossip about the Colonel, but there were plenty in Durango Point who dropped little bits of information they found tasty. Most of the time he didn’t leave the ranch.
He rose at the same time every morning, ate breakfast alone in the dining room of the big house, then set out to begin his daily chores—whether they involved following her around while she treated his animals or watching over his trainers. He ate lunch at the same time each day. He ate dinner at the same time each day. As far as she knew, he went to bed at the same time each day.
If she could figure it out in the handful of occasions she’d engaged with him over the past ten months, surely those who were closest to him should have noticed it sooner. He was alone, and the ranch had become his everything.
She couldn’t hear what Tanner’s response was, but the Colonel’s voice rose again. “I don’t want you here.”
“Well, that’s too damn bad, Colonel. This is my home. I am here, and I’m staying.”
With that, the shouting stopped—much to her relief—although when she peeked past one of the cattle she could see that the two men were still talking. Hopefully, they were actually communicating rather than yelling at each other. Jules returned to the task of vaccinating the cattle. She scanned the tag on each cow’s ear to update its record, then gave each its shot. It verified that she didn’t double-dose any of the animals. The process made for a slow and onerous task, but one that needed to be done. These cattle in particular were not set for market but for breeding.
When those dozen were finished, she returned to the Jeep to dispose of the spent needles and retrieve fresh doses, and found the Colonel and Tanner still facing off. This time, the Colonel was on the other side of the fence pacing back and forth.
Tanner caught her looking and gave her a wink, which she tried not to enjoy.
Pursing her lips, she simply shook her head and went back to work. The curiosity and puzzlement in Tanner’s gaze stabbed at her, but they would have to settle whatever was between them when his father wasn’t there. The last thing she wanted to do was have any kind of personal entanglement revealed right in front of the Colonel. Number one, the Colonel wouldn’t approve, and it would look bad; if word got out, that would look even worse. Hadn’t she warned Tanner about the perils of living in a small town? And he just let her go on?
Returning to the herd once more, she sighed. Why did he let her do that? Why didn’t he tell her he was a local? Or had he deliberately tried to deceive her?
That makes no sense. How could he have even known who I was? Sully could’ve told him, but to what end? Too many questions and not enough answers. She returned to the Jeep just in time to see the Colonel swing up on the back of the horse Tanner had arrived on, then trot off.
He was not supposed to be riding horses. “Why did you let him do that?”
Tanner stared after his father, with hat in hand, then swung around to glare at her. The heat from the ire in his eyes scorched her, and she backed up a pace. “If you haven’t noticed, nobody tells the Colonel to do anything.” Then he muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, “Damn fool old man.”
Jules was torn. Did she call Doc Clayton and warn him about what the Colonel was doing, or did she leave it alone? How far was too far in overstepping the line? Tanner climbed over the fence and joined her at the vehicle.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said, his tone still bearing hints of anger, but the smile returned to his lips. “I missed you this morning.”
“Don’t do that.” She pointed a finger at him. “Don’t flirt.”
Coming to lean against the trailer, Tanner raised his eyebrows. “Why not?”
“Because if I’d known who you were, I would never—I would never have gone back to that hotel with you.” Which would’ve been a pity, because she’d really enjoyed their time together. It sucked he was the Colonel’s son. Shaking her head, she resumed counting out doses.
“So if you had known who I was, you wouldn’t have slept with me?”
Not glancing up from her task, she said, “I believe that’s what I said.”
“But you don’t regret sleeping with me?” The weight of his stare didn’t leave her, but she kept count, depositing the spent needles in the secured biohazard bin.
“I didn’t say I regretted it, because that would be a lie. I prefer to keep my personal entanglements distant from my professional ones. I have to work here. On this ranch . . . on all the ranches.” Her hand trembled, but she shook it off. “I don’t get involved with any of the ranchers. I don’t need anyone deciding I’ve gotten too invested in someone else’s animals to take care of theirs. So nothing personal, but you need to keep your distance.” There, she’d handled that well. Made very clear where she stood on the matter. And as disappointed as she was, she could be professional. She was here for the cattle and the horses, not for Tanner.
“Huh,” he said. “That’s about the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Jules turned and stared at him. “Excuse me?”
“No excuses needed, sweetheart, but that’s just plain dumb. So you’re the vet—a mite better looking than Old Man Willoughby, I do have to say—the folks around here . . . they’re not going to care if you’re seeing me. They’re not going to care if you see any of them—now, I’d care if you took an interest in someone else.” The last bit seemed to be added almost as an afterthought, but it carried another suggestion of anger. “Like I said, I sure as hell didn’t show up at Sully’s last night looking to get laid. You were a happy accident, one that I very much enjoyed. But no, I’m not gonna pretend that it didn’t happen, and I’m sure as hell not going to keep my distance.”
Was that a threat or a promise? The flutter in her belly at his declaration proved even more unsettling than finding him on the ranch.
“I thought you came back here for your father,” she said, regretting the choice almost immediately. While turning the conversation back to the Colonel might’ve gotten them off the discussion about sex, it also amped up Tanner’s earlier display of temper. His eyes flashed, and his mouth tightened.
“You let me worry about the Colonel. He just takes some time to get used to a new idea. He needs to slow down. You were here when he had his heart attacks—how do you think he looks?”
“He’s lost about twenty-five pounds. His color is not good, he has palpitations, and he sweats more profusely than before. He doesn’t eat correctly. He overworks, but he’s also desperately trying to hang on to his schedule, and his independence. Having a purpose in life is far better for a patient recovering from a life-threatening illness or injury than being told to sit down and let the world go by.”
That came out a great deal longer than she intended, but Tanner stared at her with an expression both thoughtful and intense. “How well do you know my father?”
She counted out the doses she needed, then nodded toward the cattle. “If you want to keep talking, you’re going to have to walk.”
When she set off, he fell into step right behind her. She continued. “As to how well I know your father, not that well. I worked here for little under a year, but I used to visit Durango Point when I was a kid. I’m renting one of the guesthouses. The one down by old Prairie Peak.”
“You’re renting Pete’s old place?”
“I don’t know who Pete is, but your father said it was available when my uncle informed him of his retirement and introduced me as his replacement.”
“Old Man Willoughby is your uncle?” Suddenly Tanner laughed, his chuckle both soothing and irritating her at the same time.
Sweat soaked the back of her shirt and ran down her arms. “I wouldn’t have called him that, but yes, he’s my uncle. Why?”
“Was it his cuckoo clock?” he asked.
“Yes, it was his clock.” Why had she told him that story?
“I get why he laughed now. The story is funnier too. I just never knew he had a niece.”
“Well, there’s no reason you should have known. I didn’t used to come on his rounds with him until I was in my late teens. When I was younger, I spent most of my time with my aunt out at their place.” That explained why she’d never met Tanner before—he’d enlisted by her teens. She rarely went up to the big house, other than to slip into the kitchen when invited by Maria or Ramon.
“What about your parents?”
“Why are we talking about my parents?” Not a subject she wanted to share. “We were supposed to be talking about your father.” She turned away to continue on her rounds. Taking the bucket from her and freeing it of her hands, Tanner followed her from cattle to cattle. Though she hadn’t needed the assistance, she appreciated the gesture.
“I think your parents would be far more interesting than mine,” said Tanner. “I know all about the Colonel and don’t know anything about yours.”
Arrogance irked Jules—even playful arrogance. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to take him down a peg or two. “Oh, you know everything about him, do you? If you did, what made you think that riding out here to let him know he was no longer relevant was a good idea?”
He shifted his stance as though uncomfortable, and a frown overshadowed his earlier smile. “That’s not what I did. I came out here to see him and let him know I was home.”
Oh, he didn’t like being called out on his behavior. Interesting.
“You ambushed him.” She scanned the ear tag, then checked the inventory, which brought her sum to all two hundred and fifty cattle being inoculated. Thank God she was done with this field. Now she could get out of there. Turning, she started walking toward the Jeep with Tanner in close attendance.
“You know what you said earlier, about being new—you don’t know everybody.” From the tautness in Tanner’s voice, it seemed Jules had touched a nerve. “I came home because Doc Clayton said my dad needed help. That’s not ambushing him.”
“You say potato, I say potahto. Your intentions might be great, Tanner. But the Colonel wasn’t expecting you, and he didn’t appreciate it. Maybe you should have given him a heads-up that you were coming.” At the Jeep, Tanner shook his head and set the bucket in the trailer, then stood back, watching as she cleaned up and repacked the gear. After stripping off her gloves, she reached for a water bottle. Her fingers were slicked with sweat, and even the hot air felt cooler against her skin. She’d been working outside since returning to the ranch earlier in the morning. Hot, tired, and starving, she was more than a little done with testosterone.
“Tell you what, Jules, you let me worry about the Colonel, and I’ll let you worry about the cattle. How’s that?”
It sounded a little snotty to be perfectly honest, but Jules reminded herself he was the son of the owner. Which meant she technically worked for him now. “As you wish.”
With that in mind, she finished packing the gear away and climbed into the Jeep. Tanner shocked her when he slid into the passenger seat.
“I seem to have lost my ride.”
Great. Now she had to drive with him all the way back. Meeting her one-time lover in the most unexpected place was one thing, but having to drive him back meant she had to spend more time with him. It didn’t matter that even arguing with him held some element of fun: Tanner was supposed to be a part of her past already. A delightful, sweet memory she could take out and examine when it was late at night and she was alone.
“Fine, I’ll drop you off by the house. I need to put some of the equipment in the barn anyway.” They kept the store of emergency veterinary supplies at each barn, but all the medicine and inoculations were stored in the main barn. It allowed her a central inventory to monitor.
Most of the ranchers kept their own supplies of vaccines on hand, since some had to be shipped in from out of state and could take a while to arrive. It made it easier for her to move from ranch to ranch without having to maintain a huge quantity, particularly when she was looking at doing upward of five to six thousand inoculations on any given ranch. Sometimes they ran the animals through a chute, and it was her job to sit there and inject them as they came through—like an assembly line. It was her least favorite part of her job.
“I’ll go with you to the barn. I need to make sure the Colonel got back anyway, then on the way you can tell me all about what you’d like to do for dinner tonight. . . .”
Sliding her sunglasses into place, she glanced over at him before she started the engine. Damn, he switched subjects on a dime. One moment snarling at her to mind her own business, the next telling her they were going out to dinner. Yet another reason not to date ranchers. “I’m busy.”
“Oh, I know you’re busy, because you’re going to have dinner with me, Jules.” Then he stretched his arm out to brace it against her seat. “You can tell me all about what a terrible son I am. I’ll still buy you a nice steak dinner.”
“I don’t date the ranchers.” Apparently it needed repeating. “Remember?”
“I’m an exception to the rule, because we’ve already dated.”
Jules snorted. “We didn’t date, we had sex.”
Suddenly, Tanner leaned toward her, crowding her space, and said, “We had fantastic sex, we had laughter, we told stories, and we danced. We practically had the best date ever. And we’re going out to dinner tonight, Jules—I’ll pick you up at seven.”
Saying nothing, she concentrated on the drive home. Let him show up at seven. She wouldn’t be there.