Ambush At Dry Gulch

“She’s with Tilson and the ladies.”

That did not sound like his daughter. “How did that happen?”

“Mrs. Lambert started asking her about the horses and the next thing I knew, Lizzie was headed to the horse barn with them. I haven’t seen her since, so she must have decided to stay with the group.”

Inspiring Lizzie to do anything that didn’t include social media, texting or hanging out with her friends was a major accomplishment. If Lizzie was actually with them and hadn’t slipped away from the ranch without mentioning it to Edna.

“I’ll be home in a few minutes,” he said. “Take care and stay inside. If you see Lizzie, tell her I said not to leave the house again.”

“I’m sure that once she gets inside, she won’t leave again in the storm.”

Edna had more faith in Lizzie’s judgment than he did. He broke the connection and gave his injured foreman a quick call. Granger answered on the first ring.

“How are the weather preparations going?” Jake asked.

“We’re on top of things, even though I’m just able to man the phones. Winds are already gusting and blowing up whirlwinds of dust. Clouds are threatening to let loose with a deluge any minute now. Lanky’s heading up to the big house to check on Edna, just in case she needs help with anything. He should be there any second.”

“Sounds good. What about the livestock?”

“Got a couple of wranglers checking on the horses now. You know how spooked they get when a storm blows in. I had the cattle in pasture six moved to pasture five. Ground’s higher there and will drain off a lot quicker if we get the rain they’re forecasting. Feeding is taken care of.”

“And the rest of the wranglers?”

“Told Fisher and Morgan to hightail it on home before the storm hits. The others are probably in the bunkhouse sipping whiskey and cooking up a bunch of fajitas by now.”

“Edna tells me Tilson is still out with the ladies’ tour group,” Jake said.

“Just talked to him. They’re on horseback and not five minutes from the big house. Lanky will help him take care of the horses after he drops off the ladies.”

“That’s what I needed to hear. I’m less than five minutes from the gate myself.”

Streaks of lightning darted about the gray depths of the heavens as he broke the phone connection. A gust of wind made the truck shudder.

A big yellow dog ran the fence line just past the burned ruins of the old Baptist church. A shrieking murder of crows lined an electric line as if warning motorists they’d best get on home.

The first huge drops of rain began to pelt his windshield as he passed through the ranch gate. By the time he pulled into the three-car garage, the rain was falling in wind-driven sheets. He took the covered walkway to the back door.

Thankfully Tilson and the Saddle-Up group had made it back to the house, but not before the rain had hit. They were huddled in the kitchen, drenched to the skin. Carolina’s gaze met his as he joined them, but it wasn’t her eyes that brought him to instant attention.

Her firm breasts and puckered nipples were detailed beneath the clinging shirt. Arousal hit Jake so hard and fast it was dizzying.

He looked away quick, before the ache in his groin became a visible bulge.

He didn’t even like the woman. What the hell was wrong with him?

Chapter Four

Tilson called his name and Jake jerked himself back to reality. “Sorry,” he said. “I missed that.”

“I was just apologizing for getting the ladies caught in the rain.”

“Actually, it’s our fault,” Carolina corrected him. “We were so impressed with the view at Cotter’s Canyon that we lingered too long.”

Cotter’s Canyon. His spot. More of a gulch than a canyon but special all the same. The place he went to get his head on straight. Now when he went there he’d most likely remember Carolina’s nipples pressed against the white cotton.

Stunning even dripping wet. Sinfully sexy.

Texas was full of beautiful women. He needed to get out more, see something more intriguing than cows. A date every now and then couldn’t hurt.

Edna stepped into the room, her arms filled with fluffy white towels. She passed them around, and the ladies took them eagerly.

“I’d best get back to the horses,” Tilson said.

“I’ll help,” Lanky said, “unless you want me to hang around longer, boss man.”

“No. You and Tilson just take care of the horses. Move quickly and take cover if need be. There are some extra ponchos on hooks in the garage,” Jake said. “Grab a couple.”

“Too late now. Besides, a little rain never hurt a cowboy,” Tilson said. “Mighty sorry for letting our guests get caught in the downpour, though.”

Unwittingly Jake’s gaze swept back to Carolina. She dabbed her face before wrapping long locks of dripping hair between folds of the thick terry.

“Where’s Lizzie?” Jake asked, coming to his senses to realize she was missing from the group.

“Headed straight to her room to get out of her wet clothes,” Edna said.

“You have a lovely daughter,” Carolina said.

“Really fun to be around,” Peg added.

“Thank you.” Obviously they’d seen the side of Lizzie she seldom shared with him anymore.

“We’re puddling your floors,” Carolina said, looking down. “If you’ll get me a mop, I’ll clean up our mess.”

“Guests don’t mop,” Edna said quickly. “I’m more worried about the four of you standing around in those wet clothes. Why don’t I show you to guest rooms and gather some robes? You can change into them and I’ll toss your wet clothes into the dryer. They’ll be ready for you to put back on in no time.”

All four of the women voiced their approval of that.

Jake walked over to the counter to start a pot of coffee while the women now draped in thirsty towels followed Edna to retrieve the robes. As usual, Edna was way ahead of him. The pot was full.

He was halfway through a mug of hot brew when Lizzie padded barefoot into the kitchen. Her long auburn hair was turbaned in a light blue towel. Her too-skimpy white denim shorts rode low on her hips. A blue cropped top showed far too much skin for his liking.

As tempted as he was to send her back to her room for something more suitable for guests, he decided to let it ride this time.

“Where did everyone go?” she asked.

“To change into robes so that Edna could dry their clothes.”

“I’ll go see if I can help.” She headed for the hallway.

“Lizzie.”

She stopped and turned toward him with a roll of her eyes. “What did I do now?”

“Nothing. I appreciate you helping out today. It was a...” He searched for the right words.

“Decent thing to do. I get it, Dad. Don’t sound so shocked. I’m not completely heathen.”

“I was simply saying thanks.”

“Yeah.” She nodded and left the room.

He couldn’t even pull off being appreciative and make it work with her anymore. How had the gulf between him and his daughter ever grown so wide?

Jake checked the weather radar on his phone. The entire county was getting hit, but the worst was north of them, toward Austin. He stamped to the mudroom, grabbed the mop from the closet and went to work on the floor.

“Keep that up and you’ll scrub the finish off the tiles,” Edna said, rejoining him in the kitchen a few minutes later.

He looked down. The floor was completely dry. He eased his grip on the mop handle as lightning zigzagged across the sky, followed by a clap of thunder that shook the windows.

“Keeps storming like this and a few of those low-lying roads are sure to flood,” Edna said. “Lucky we have plenty of spare bedrooms if the ladies need to stay over.”

A sleepover with Carolina was exactly what he didn’t need. “Storm will likely pass in a couple of hours.”

“Might. Might not. I’ll take some chicken out of the freezer just in case. It can be thawing while I wash their clothes.”

“What happened to the plan to just throw them in the dryer for a few minutes?”

“The hems of the jeans were muddy and everything smelled of wet horseflesh.”

“Nothing wrong with that. This is a ranch.”

“We don’t have to smell like the horses. Besides, it’s not as if they have to get dressed immediately. They can’t set off for Austin in this storm. I told them to slip out of everything and put the laundry outside the door. I’ll pick their soiled clothes up in a few minutes and toss them in the washer while they just make themselves at home.”

“You are definitely getting into this.”

“Do you blame me? It’s not every day we have someone like Carolina Lambert in the house.”

“Now you’re knocking my friends.”

“You know what I mean. She’s exciting and so interesting. Her friends are nice, too. Even Lizzie is enjoying herself, in case you haven’t noticed.”

He’d noticed. He’d dated a few times since Gloria’s death. None of the women had made anywhere near the impression Carolina was making.

“Did you know that Carolina is a widow with three adult sons and four grandchildren?” Edna asked.

“I’ve heard that.”

“She doesn’t look nearly old enough to have grown sons or be a grandmother.”

He couldn’t argue with that.

“Her son Durk is the CEO of the family oil business and her other two sons, Damien and Tague, manage the Bent Pine Ranch.”

“You are just chock-full of information today.”

“I like to know about the people I’ll be entertaining for the next few days.”

“Whoa. We are not entertaining them. They’re using our facilities and our horses, but we’re not involved. It’s totally their show. Keep that in mind.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t be hospitable. You need to do the same. You never know. You might just find some chemistry with one of our guests.”

“I’m not looking for chemistry.”

“It might find you anyway if you’d stop being so contrary.” Edna pulled a package of chicken from the freezer. “I settled the ladies into all four of our guest suites. Made sure they had plenty of that good-smelling soap, shampoo, and fresh towels and washcloths, too.”

Great. So now Carolina Lambert was taking a hot shower under his roof. Naked. He swallowed hard, determined to keep his arousal level at low-key. He didn’t like the woman, and with good reason. Why couldn’t his manly urges get that?

“Just remember you’re bringing all this extra work on yourself, Edna. Don’t blame me if your good intentions turn into more than you bargained for. In the meantime, I’ll be in my office if you need me—getting some work done while we still have power.”

“Good thinking. I’ll put out some candles and the oil lamps. Never know when the electricity will go out.”

His office was down the hall on the first floor, far away from all the guest rooms—except one, which was only a few steps from his office. With his luck, Carolina was probably stripping out of her clothes in that one right now.

* * *

CAROLINA STARED OUT the window and into a torrent of rain. She should be back in her hotel room in Austin. But here she was, standing in one of Jake Dalton’s guest rooms, no longer dripping, but with her damp clothes clinging to her like a clammy second skin. She looked away from the storm and glanced around the room.

A king-size bed topped with a dark green comforter was piled high with pillows. A small antique desk held a cup of pens, some note paper and several hardcover novels displayed between beautifully sculptured horse-head bookends. A floor mirror in a beautiful oak stand adorned a far corner.

The walls were painted a pale green and decorated with framed photographs of Texas landscapes, at least two of which she was certain had been taken on the Silver Spur. She recognized the magnificent views from this afternoon’s ride.

A wooden rocker next to the window with a flowered cushion and a knitted afghan thrown over its arm looked cozy and inviting.

Difficult to imagine the calming decor was the rugged rancher’s doing. But then, she had to admit, she actually knew little about the man other than his coldhearted stubbornness where R.J. was concerned.

Thinking about the brief phone conversation she’d shared with him a few days back still left her seething. She couldn’t understand anyone unwilling to bend a little for a dying parent—even if R.J. had been a rotten father.

She dropped the towel she was wearing sarong-style over her wet clothes and caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror. She grimaced. Her wet, curly locks and runny mascara gave new meaning to the drowned-rat cliché. Her gaze fell lower.

Ohmigod. She could see every pucker of her nipples beneath the damp cotton of her shirt. The others’ shirts had been just as wet—but not white. They’d clung, but she hadn’t noticed that you could see right through them.

No wonder Jake had stared so hard. She might as well have stripped off her shirt.

Her cheeks burned. How was she going to face the guy again? Not without a bit of embarrassment, that was for sure. As if things weren’t awkward enough between them.

No use to dwell on it now. There was no changing the facts. She undressed quickly, peeling off everything, including her bra and panties. Then she dropped the wet clothing outside her door as Edna had instructed.

She wondered if Jake knew what a jewel of a housekeeper he had in Edna. Hopefully he was a lot more considerate to her than he was to R.J.

Carolina headed to the bathroom, took a quick shower to shed the odor of horseflesh and then used a fresh towel to buff her naked body.

The overhead light flickered a couple of times but didn’t go out as she padded back into the bedroom. She wrapped herself in the soft robe, though she had no intention of going back to the den until she was fully dressed.

She threw back the coverlet and slid between the sheets. It was like sinking into a cloud. The serenity lasted only until thoughts of the morning encounter with Thad Caffey returned to haunt her.

Mildred had thought her life with him was behind her. Clearly, Thad did not share that sentiment. But how far would he go to get her back?

How sad for Mildred that her marriage had deteriorated into fear and danger. Yet she must have cared deeply for Thad at one time, before the love changed to fear and heartbreak. Before she saw the man she’d vowed to share her life with as the monster he really was.

Carolina had difficulty comprehending that kind of relationship. Her life with Hugh had been loving and exciting. If anything he’d been overly protective of her. A man’s man, all the way. He’d been her world, and she’d never known fear of anything or anyone when he was around.

The familiar ache set in again. As busy as her life was, as much as she loved her family, her heart still longed for the relationship she’d shared with Hugh.

Having known that kind of love, she could never settle for anything less. She had no illusions that she’d ever find love like that again.

Chapter Five

The pain was blinding, as if someone were hammering nails into his skull. Not a new pain, but one that had become excruciatingly more familiar since the day he’d been sentenced to four agonizing years in prison.

He recognized the torture for what it was, knew the only real release would come when he was back in control. When he could feel the sweet release of revenge.

He’d had four years to plan the payback. Nights of trying to fall asleep to the sounds of rants from half-insane inmates and the scratching of rats scurrying in and out of his stinking cell. Days of staring at bars and marching to the barking orders of guards whom he longed to twist apart like rotten fruit.

Four years of torture. It was time for action. The plan was all in place. The clock was clicking inside the very marrow of his bones.

He picked up the bottle of beer from the bar in front of him, took the last gulp and signaled to the waitress to bring him another.

Before she could, a platinum blonde wearing a low-cut top and inches of thick makeup got up from her stool a few down from his and walked over.

“Want some company? Looks like the rain is going to be with us for a while.”

He didn’t want company, but he shrugged and she obviously took that for a yes. She slid onto the stool next to his.

“I hate stormy Mondays.”

“Yeah,” he muttered. In prison a man lost track of the days. They came and went in a steady stream of monotonous boredom, seeing the same people, eating the same lousy food, staring at the same dull walls.

“You married?” she asked.

“Yeah. My wife is out screwing some wealthy rancher. Is that what you’re looking for, too? I figure you’re just another slut looking for some man to pay for your drinks and maybe get in your pants.”

“You’re crazy, you know that? A freakin’ nutcase.” She stood and walked away.

The waitress put his bottle of beer in front of him without saying a word. He threw a few bills on the bar, gulped down his beer, then got up and walked out of the nearly empty bar.

The rain needled his skin. He kept walking. The hammering grew worse. If he didn’t let off some steam soon, he’d explode.

Chapter Six

Carolina was curled up beneath the comforter, trying to concentrate on a suspense novel she’d taken from the antique desk. She looked up at a light tap on her door.

She glanced at her watch. Almost five. “Come in.”

Peg did, still in her robe and barefoot, since their boots probably wouldn’t be dry for hours. Yet her hair was dry and shiny, makeup meticulously applied.

“Laundry’s done.” She handed Carolina her jeans, shirt, socks and undies.

“You even folded them. Thanks.”

“Actually, Edna folded them. She wouldn’t let me or Sara near the laundry room.”

“We’ll have to think of something nice to do for her after this week,” Carolina said. “Have you seen Mildred?”

“Not yet, but Edna is taking her dry clothes to her now. She would have delivered yours, but she was afraid of waking you. She thinks you’re royalty.”

“That’s what happens when you make the society page.”

They both laughed. “I told Edna you’re a workaholic and were probably in here finalizing and double-checking everything for the Saddle-Up training.”

“You know me too well,” Carolina answered, sidestepping the truth.

Working would have been far more productive than vacillating between concerns about what Thad Caffey might try next and trying to figure out how she could totally manage to avoid Jake Dalton, especially after her wet T-shirt display.

“Edna suggested we meet back in the den for cocktails or a glass of wine once we’re dressed.”

“I’ll join you, but no alcohol for me. I still have to drive back to Austin tonight.”

“If the roads are passable. That was a deluge for about an hour.”

Peg shut the door behind her as she left. Carolina slid off the side of the bed and padded over to the window.

The wind had stopped howling, the thunder had faded into the distance and the driving rain no longer swept the windows in sheets. Only a light mist and a blanket of dark clouds remained—the clouds a lingering threat that the weather might not be through with them yet.

Carolina dressed hurriedly, finished drying her hair and put on a tinge of lipstick before heading back to the den. She heard the laughter as soon as she started down the hallway.

“Thought you’d abandoned us,” Mildred said when Carolina rearranged a couple of throw pillows and took a seat on the end of a deep brown leather sofa.

“I had some paperwork to do.”

Lizzie perched on the arm of the other end of the sofa. “Those camps must be a lot of work, but I bet those kids love it—or do some of them hate it?”

“Some do when they first arrive,” Carolina admitted. “But we usually convert them long before the month is over. The horses win their hearts.”

“I know. When I got my first very own colt, I even slept in the horse barn a few nights. Do you teach Western saddle riding?”

“Absolutely,” Carolina said. “We do the whole cowgirl experience. Riding, some minimal roping, sampling every kind of taco you can imagine and singing songs around the campfire. Of course they have to learn to clean stables and take care of the horses, too.”

“Naturally. So, do you get out with the kids yourself or just sponsor the camps and the training?”

“I’m hands-on,” Carolina said, “especially for the fun activities.”

“She’s out there every day, all day,” Mildred said. “Works harder than any of us.”

“Awesomesauce,” Lizzie said. “The way Edna talks, you’re like a queen or something.”

“Those were not my exact words,” Edna denied, untying and pulling off her apron as she joined them in the den. “But I’m impressed myself that you’re out there with the kids getting all hot and sweaty.”

Peg joined them in the den. “Looks like the gang’s all here except for the boss man himself. Where did your father disappear to, Lizzie?”

Lizzie shrugged. “Who knows? He’s always doing something on the ranch. Some days we hardly see him.”

“Running a ranch is hard work,” Edna reminded her. “Does anyone mind if I turn on the TV? I’d like to catch the early-evening news, see what they have to say about that storm that blew through here like a wailing banshee.”

Of course, no one objected.

They tuned in just in time to be reminded that a little pill could guarantee them a perfect sex life at any moment with no preparation. It had been years since Carolina had given much thought to a sex life.

The top news story of the night was the storm. The screen switched to a live shot of a male reporter in a dark blue wind jacket standing in water up to his knees. The running print dialogue below the images warned of flash flooding in low-lying areas in and around Austin.

“Looks like Austin got the brunt of it,” Peg said as images of flooded streets, overflowing drainage ditches and cars stranded on the highway were shown in rapid succession.

“Good thing we didn’t hang around there all afternoon,” Mildred said.

“Or get out on the road during the storm,” Sara added as the images and narrative skipped to the report of a six-car pileup on the interstate. “We could have been stuck out there for hours if we’d been behind that.”

“Numerous fender benders and stalled cars have basically shut down the interstates in all directions around Austin,” the reporter continued. “Stay off the roads unless it’s absolutely necessary, but if you must venture out, watch out for rising water.”

“That settles it,” Edna said. “It is definitely not safe or sane for you ladies to drive back to Austin tonight. There’s plenty of room for all four of you to stay right here.”

“Makes sense for Mildred and Carolina,” Sara agreed. “I definitely wouldn’t risk flooding out Carolina’s sports car if I were her. But our ranch is less than a half hour from here. My hubby will come pick up Peg and me in his four-wheel-drive pickup truck.”

“Staying here works for me,” Mildred said.

It definitely did not work for Carolina. Things were awkward enough as they were without adding a sleepover with Jake to the mix. “Thanks for the offer, Edna, but I’m sure the roads will be safe for travel again in a couple of hours.”

Conversation stopped as the back door opened, followed by heavy footsteps. A few seconds later, Jake joined them in the den.

Jake’s six-foot-plus frame and commanding demeanor dominated the scene even before he said a word.

“Any storm problems?” Edna asked.

“Some of the horses needed a bit of calming down, as usual, but no wind damage that I noticed except for a couple of limbs down in that stretch of pines along the creek.”

“Did you check the entire ranch?” Peg asked.

“Not enough time for that, but we’ve been through enough storms to know where floods and the wind usually do their damage.”

Edna straightened the skirt of her blue-flowered housedress. “You should have seen the pictures of the flooding in Austin.”