Summer Days

“So don’t lose it,” Charlie said. “We’ll help.”

“I can do some research,” Annabelle offered. “Come up with examples of Máa-zib cave paintings. That way, if you want to go through with this, we’ll be ready.”

Heidi sighed. “Thank you. Both of you. I have to think about this. I’m just not sure. I do want to save my home. I have to. But I don’t know that this is the right way.”

“Not to be a bitch or anything, but you’re kind of out of options,” Charlie pointed out.

“I know. Give me a couple of days to think about this.”

She would look for an alternative. If she couldn’t find one, then she would use their plan.

“You think,” Annabelle told her. “I’ll get my thoughts together, and maybe sketch out a few ideas for the cave paintings. The women of the tribe were sophisticated for their time, so we’re talking about a little bit more than stick figures. How are your artistic skills?”

“Not much more than basic. I used to draw, but I haven’t for years.”

“Let’s hope it comes back to you.”

Heidi felt that she’d been living on hope for too long. Waiting and wishing and dreaming. When she’d found out what Glen had done, she’d been so scared they would lose everything. Slowly, after meeting May and Rafe, she’d let down her guard. That had been a mistake. Rafe was ruthless. She saw that now. He would take what he wanted, and he didn’t care who or what got in his way. She would have to be just as strong, just as determined. She’d come too far to lose it all now.

* * *

HEIDI HEADED BACK TO the ranch right after lunch. She was hoping to escape to her room for a couple of hours of private time. She needed to really think her friends’ plan through. She’d always been an honest person, and deceiving the town didn’t sit well with her. But she had a bad feeling that if she trusted in the system to take care of her, she would find herself and her goats out on the street. After all, May was the injured party in all this.

When she drove onto the property, she saw a large delivery truck parked outside the house. The big lettering and appliance pictures made it clear May hadn’t ordered another set of llamas. Had the old stove finally died? Was May getting it repaired?

Heidi walked in through the mudroom and found May hovering as two guys hooked up a brand-new, stainless-steel stove. There were six gleaming burners and an oven big enough to roast a thirty-pound turkey.

May saw her and clapped her hands together. “You’re back. I was hoping they’d be gone before your lunch was over. I guess it’s still a surprise, though, right?”

May looked both guilty and pleased. “I couldn’t bear the thought of cooking in that old oven again, and Glen told me that pie is his favorite. I hope you don’t mind me going ahead with this. I should have asked first. I’m sorry.”

Heidi studied the other woman—the hope and worry in her dark eyes, the slight quiver at the corner of her mouth. There was no way May knew what Rafe was up to. Heidi refused to believe that. May was open and giving and generous. Traits her son could learn, but hadn’t.

“The stove is beautiful,” Heidi told her. “I’m thrilled.”

“Are you?” May hurried forward and hugged her. “That’s a relief. I was worried you’d be annoyed. But when I went to look at appliances, I couldn’t help myself.”

She led Heidi to the range and pointed out the features. The guys finished the installation. May signed the paperwork, and they left.

May reverently touched the handles. “Think about what we can cook with this. I’m going to make fresh strawberry pie first. Did you see the strawberries they have at that farm stand on the way to town? They’re huge and so delicious. I need to bake the crust, so it can cool.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “There’s just enough time.”

The back door opened and Rafe walked in.

“Mom, you’ve got to stop surprising us like this.” He walked into the kitchen. “New stove, huh?”

“Isn’t it wonderful?”

Heidi did her best to control her breathing. If she focused on inhaling and exhaling, she might not be so aware of Rafe standing next to her. Of the size of him and how, despite everything, she found herself longing to touch him.

Images from the previous night filled her brain. Sense memories tricked her fingers into recalling the feel of his skin. She could inhale the scent of him, feel the sensual kisses that had weakened her.

Without meaning to, she glanced at him. He winked and gave her a knowing smile. One that implied intimacy and connection. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to scream or weep. Pain battled with anger, but before either won, another large truck drove by the house.

“What else did you order?” Rafe asked, stepping through the mudroom on his way out back.

“Nothing.” May followed him. “Just the stove. I don’t have any other animals coming this week.”

Meaning there were more coming next week? Heidi didn’t bother asking. She honestly didn’t want to know.

She went out after them and saw a man walking around his truck to the horse trailer he had pulled behind. The trailer looked fancy, with a heating and air-conditioning unit on top and plenty of ventilation.

The man himself seemed familiar. Tall, with dark hair and a build very similar to Rafe’s. In the time it took May to shriek and run toward him, Heidi recognized his features from the pictures all around the living room. Shane Stryker had decided to join his family in Fool’s Gold. Lucky her.

* * *

“MOM TOLD ME TO COME,” Shane said from his place in the living room.

“When did you start listening to her?” Rafe wanted to know. Not that he wasn’t pleased to see his brother. He and Shane had always gotten along.

“It’s time for me to make my move,” Shane told him. “I’ve been working for other people long enough. I’m going to start my own bloodline. I’m already working on it. I bought a new stallion and he’s perfect.” Shane took another swallow from his bottle of beer, then shrugged. “Except for his damned temper. But I’ll get him to come around.”

Rafe glanced toward the kitchen, where May was happily cooking dinner for her middle son. “Did Mom mention we don’t technically own the ranch yet? In theory, the judge could rule in Heidi’s favor.”

“In theory.” Shane grinned. “Come on. You’re not going to let that happen.”

“True, but until we’re sure, you shouldn’t be making any plans.”

“I have faith in you, big brother. You’ll end up winning everything, like you always do.”

Rafe glanced toward the ceiling, a little uncomfortable with the conversation. While he did plan to end up victorious, he wasn’t ready for Heidi to know that. Especially after last night.

Just thinking about what had happened between them made him want to grin like a fool. Being with Heidi had been better than he’d imagined, and he’d imagined a whole hell of a lot. Just thinking about her in his bed had his blood heating. Not anything he wanted to experience with his brother in the room, so he shifted his attention to the horses Shane had unloaded.

“You drove here from Tennessee?” he asked. “With six racehorses?”

“The airlines don’t let me buy them seats, so there wasn’t much choice. They did fine. Now they can settle in while I finish up my business back east.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Driving back in a few days.”

“What’s going to happen with the horses?”

Shane took another swallow of his beer, then grinned. “Funny you should ask that.”

“No way. I’m not taking care of them.”

“Someone has to.” Shane looked more annoyed than concerned. “What are you doing with your day that you don’t have time to take care of my horses?”

“Running a business, for one thing.” Not that he had spent much time on his business. Odd how he was only a few hours from San Francisco, yet he was a world away from all he remembered. The town was getting to him, and he couldn’t seem to find it in himself to mind. Or maybe it wasn’t the town. Maybe it was Heidi. Not that he could see the bad in that, either.

“I’ll do it.”

They both looked up. Rafe saw that Heidi had walked into the living room. At least they weren’t still talking about him taking over the ranch. That sure would’ve changed the tenor of their relationship.

Shane stood. “Evening, ma’am.”

Heidi laughed. “While May would be thrilled with your good manners, if you call me ma’am again, I’m going to give your favorite boots to my goats. I’m Heidi. You must be Shane. Nice to meet you.”

Shane took a step forward and they shook hands. Rafe felt himself stiffen for that brief second of contact. The need to claim Heidi, to tell his brother to back off, nearly overwhelmed him. He held the words inside, because he and Heidi had agreed that no one would know about last night. But he sure didn’t like the way his brother smiled at her.

“Good to meet you, too,” Shane said.

“Now that we have that out of the way, tell me about your horses.”

“I brought six. Thoroughbreds. A little temperamental, but good animals. You know anything about horses?”

Heidi slid her hands into her back pockets, which caused her chest to arch forward. Rafe told himself the act was unconscious. She wasn’t flirting with his brother, trying to distract him with her feminine curves. Still, he wanted to step between them, to change the conversation.

“We board two horses here already. I take care of them. You’re welcome to take a look, and I can give you the phone numbers of the owners. For reference purposes.”

“If the price is fair, I’m interested,” Shane told her.

“We could go take a look at the barn after dinner.” Heidi smiled. “You can tell me what you expect, and then we can negotiate.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“All right, all right.” Unable to stand it, Rafe moved toward them. “Heidi’s off-limits. Mom and I have been living here.”

Shane frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Rafe expected Heidi to understand, to appreciate his desire to protect her. Instead, she seemed annoyed.

“Rafe has some peculiar ideas about how things should be done,” she said. “And what belongs to whom.”

Rafe felt as if he’d missed a significant part of the conversation, which wasn’t possible. He’d been standing right there. So why didn’t he know what Heidi was talking about?

Shane put his arm around Heidi. “Rafe has a lot of peculiar ideas about a lot of different things.”

Rafe didn’t like where this was going, but before he could protest, his phone rang.

He took it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen, then groaned. “Nina,” he muttered under his breath.

“Who’s Nina?” his brother asked.

“His matchmaker. She’s in San Francisco, and he’s using her to find the perfect wife.”

The only good to come out of this potentially disastrous topic of conversation was that Shane dropped his arm to his side as he turned to face his brother. “You’ve hired a matchmaker?” Shane chuckled as he asked the question. The chuckle turned into laughter. He slapped Rafe on the back. “Are you telling me that, with all the millions you have, you still can’t get a girl?”

Rafe pushed the ignore button on his phone. “I can get a girl just fine.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Heidi said. “I guess the real question is, can you keep one?”

With that, Heidi left.

Shane gave a low whistle. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you sure stepped in something.”

“Tell me about it.”

Rafe couldn’t blame Heidi for being pissed. They hadn’t had a chance to talk that morning, and now he was getting calls from his matchmaker. He didn’t blame her for wanting his head on a stick.

“Does Mom know?”

Rafe scowled at his brother. “Know what?”

“That you and Heidi are together.”

“We’re not together. Not exactly.”

“You’re sleeping with her.” Shane wasn’t asking a question.

“Yes.”

“And you’ve hired a matchmaker to find you a wife.”

“That was before.”

“Nina’s still calling, bro. Let me get this straight. You’re ha**g s*x with the woman whose ranch you’re trying to take, while living with your mother and trying to find a wife.” Shane slapped him on the back again. “Must be good to be you.”

“Go to hell.”

“Why don’t you tell me what it’s like there, bro? Sounds like you already know.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

HEIDI GLANCED DOWN AT THE PAD of paper in her hand. The notes on the care of Shane’s horses covered three pages. “When I die, I want to come back as one of your horses.”

“I’ve heard that before,” Shane said, rubbing the side of the mare’s face. “I believe in treating my animals well.”

Heidi looked at the six horses Shane had brought with him. They were all beautiful. Their coats gleamed, defining the rippling muscles underneath. Their eyes contained curiosity and intelligence, and they’d all been friendly enough when Shane had introduced her.

“I’m going to be here a few more days,” he said, stepping out of the stall and closing the door behind him. “We’ll have a chance to go over everything again. I’ll make sure you’ve ridden each of the horses before I go. These guys are easy. You shouldn’t have any problems.”

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