Safe In The Rancher's Arms: Stranded with the Rancher / Sheltered by the Millionaire / Pregnant by the Texan

As they pulled up in front of Willowbrook, Jed excused himself and walked away. Drew helped Beth down from the truck, his hands lingering a second longer than was necessary at her narrow waist. “I think I’m ready for that pie now. You want to join me? We can take it in the den and watch some TV.”

Beth nodded. “Sure.”

The kitchen was dark, the housekeeper gone for the night. But she had left the pie front and center on the table. Drew grabbed a couple of plates and cut two big slices. Beth looked askance at hers. “Seriously?”

He grinned at her, feeling the stress of the day melt away. “You’re still catching up on calories. It won’t hurt you. Besides, you know you’re a knockout.”

She blinked twice as if his words had shocked her.

Taking the can of topping, he spritzed both desserts with a fancy swirl. Since Beth was still mute, he dared to tease her. “Maybe when we know each other a little better, I’ll let you use the whipped cream.”

“In your dreams,” she shot back.

But he had made her smile.

They carried their plates to the comfy den. Drew lowered the lights to a gentle glow and sat down on the sofa with a sigh of contentment. Beth took a seat beside him, but at the other end. They both kicked off their shoes and propped their feet on the coffee table.

Someone had already built a fire in the fireplace. Everyone on Drew’s staff knew that as soon as the thermometer dropped below fifty for the first time in the fall, he wanted firewood and matches ASAP. It was a comfort thing to him, not so much for warmth as for the sound and smell. The pop and crackle—and the scent of burning wood. Fires reminded him of happy times with his dad...the many occasions the older Farrell had taken Jed and Drew camping in the Texas hill country.

The silence in the room was comfortable. He and Beth ate pie in harmony. It was, perhaps, a temporary détente, but he was content to enjoy the moment. Now that he was seated, the full weight of exhaustion rolled over him. Between the sleepless night and the hard, emotionally draining work in Royal today, his body felt battered.

He finished his dessert and set the plate aside. Closing his eyes, he let his head drop back against the sofa.

Beth’s voice caught him just as he hovered on the edge of sleep. “How bad was it in town?”

Not bothering to move his body, he turned his head to look at her. “Bad. As bad as I’ve ever seen in person.”

Beth was pale, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. “What did you and Jed do today?”

“Helped with the search and rescue teams. The houses we went to were all empty, but I heard that one of the crews this afternoon found a mom and two kids trapped in a bathtub with a mattress over them. They’d been yelling for help off and on for hours. But with their house crumpled on top of them, it took the dogs to sniff them out.”

“But they’re going to be okay?”

“Yes, thank God.”

“I want to go with you tomorrow,” she said.

“I understand. And there will be plenty of stuff to help with. But I’ll come back for you after lunch. Jed and I have a meeting at the Cattleman’s Club in the morning. Did you call the building inspector I told you about?”

Beth didn’t seem entirely pleased. “I did, but I feel bad about it. Jumping to the head of the line seems rude.”

“It’s not rude at all. That’s what friends do.”

“But he’s not my friend.”

Drew sat up, rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his eyes with his fingertips. Was he doomed to surround himself with stubborn women? He counted to ten. When he thought he had his temper under control, he glared at her. “I know you’re an independent woman. I know you can take care of yourself. But why not let me smooth the path when I can? I guarantee that if you try to find an inspector on your own, your house will sit there for a long time. Half of Royal is going to be in the same boat.”

* * *

Beth felt the pinch of shame. Drew was only trying to help. And she was being less than gracious. “I’m sorry,” she said stiffly. Her mother had raised two kids on government assistance, leaving Beth with an aversion to asking for or taking help. “You’re right. I’ll be happy to meet with him. Thank you.”

The sharp planes of Drew’s masculine face softened. He reached across the cushioned no-man’s-land between them and twined his fingers with hers, playing with the silver ring on her right hand. “Now, was that so hard?”

She managed a smile though she was distracted by the curve of his mouth and the way his sexy, humorous grin left her breathless. She tugged her hand away. “It must be gratifying to be able to hand out help without thinking of the consequences.”

Now he frowned. “Why does that sound like an insult?”

“I wasn’t being sarcastic. I’m serious. You have the means to help people without worrying about the bottom line. I imagine you find that rewarding.”

He released her and returned to his earlier position. Perhaps her impulsive statement had offended him.

Shaking his head in what appeared to be disgust, he frowned. “I won’t apologize for having money.” The words were flat. “If you weren’t so stubborn, and if you would let yourself think outside the box, you might realize that our dispute over the road could be handled in a way that would help your bottom line immensely.”

This time the silence that descended was awkward. He had shut her out deliberately. Maybe she had not been entirely truthful about her lack of sarcasm. It was possible she had some passive-aggressive issues to work through when it came to the inequity between their lifestyles. But if he thought he could buy her automatic compliance, he was mistaken.

Drew was champagne and Rolex and jetting to Paris. Beth drank tap water, used the clock on her cheap flip phone and had never been outside of Texas. Was it any wonder that she felt at a disadvantage when it came to dealing with a macho, Texas-born-and-bred billionaire?

“May I ask you something?” she said, wanting to get inside his head and understand what made him tick.

His gaze was wary. “I suppose.”

“When we were in the storm cellar, you started to tell me something about your engagement, but I cut you off. I’d really like to hear what you were going to say.”

He shrugged. “It’s not anything noteworthy.”

“Then tell me.”

He linked his hands behind his neck, staring into the fire. “Her name was Margie. We met at an equine convention in Dallas. Shared a few laughs. Tumbled into bed. We had a lot in common.”

Beth pondered his response for several long seconds. “And that was enough for an engagement?”

“We went back and forth seeing each other for six months. Her condo in Houston. My place here in Royal. By the end of the seventh month, it seemed like the right time to settle down. Start a family. So I proposed. She was pleased that I asked.”

“No grand passion?”

“I wouldn’t call it that. No.”

“Ah.”

“We made it a couple of months with a ring on her finger before the problems began to crop up. She was stubborn. Extremely bull-headed.”

“And so are you.”

“Exactly. We locked horns about everything. If I said the sky was blue, she said it was green. Soon, every time we ended up in bed turned out to be for make-up sex.”

“Some couples thrive on that.”

“Not me. I started to realize that I had made a huge mistake.”

“So what happened?” Beth was curious, more than she cared to admit.

Drew inhaled sharply, letting the breath out slowly. “I introduced her to a buddy of mine. Deliberately. He was from Houston. A handsome, charming veterinarian. They hit it off. Six weeks later she gave me back my ring.”

“Ouch.”

“But don’t you see? That was what I was after. People showered me with sympathy over my “broken” engagement. I felt like a complete and utter fraud.”

He turned away, perhaps already regretting his honesty. “So now you know my dirty little secret.”

Several minutes passed in silence as Beth tried to analyze her confusing response to his tale. Jealousy? Relief? Sympathy? Eventually, a slight noise alerted her to a change in the status quo. Drew had fallen asleep. Poor guy.

In slumber he seemed slightly less intimidating. She studied him intently, trying to see through the handsome package to the man beneath. For months he had harassed her about selling her property to him. Even yesterday, he had approached her with fire in his eyes. But in the midst of incredible danger, he had taken control in the best possible way and made the experience of surviving a killer tornado bearable.

His dark lashes fanned out against his tanned cheeks. The broad chest that rose and fell with his regular breathing was hard and muscular. Below his belt, a taut, flat abdomen led to long legs and sock-clad feet.

Part of her was disappointed that the evening had so obviously ended. Her attraction to Drew made her want to spend time with him. But the snarky, inner Beth said danger, danger, danger. A girl could get her heart broken by a man like Drew Farrell.

She wondered what had happened to Jed. Drew told her he was visiting from Dallas. But the man was like a phantom. If he was in the house tonight, he was keeping to himself. Too bad. It would certainly help to have a third party around. Someone who might be able to keep Beth and Drew from either strangling each other or tumbling into bed without weighing the consequences.

A gentle snore from the man on the couch made her smile in spite of her unsettled emotions. Drew was out for the count. He would probably sleep better in his own bed, but Beth definitely didn’t feel comfortable poking his leg and suggesting that he move. In lieu of that, she stood quietly, removed the fire screen, and added a couple more logs to the blaze.

Warming her hands, she studied the dancing flames. Already, she felt the pull of Willowbrook Farms. It was a warm, welcoming place, something she had never experienced growing up. She’d never slept on the street, but a home was more than brick and mortar. A home meant security and comfort. Beth and her brother had battled uncertainty and fear more times than not.

Shaking off the bad memories, she turned for one last wistful look at her would-be benefactor. She couldn’t afford to depend on Drew. She’d already had one man give her a helping hand. But at least back then, she’d been a broke college student, so there was some basis for taking what had been a huge gift.

Now, she was an adult woman who paid her bills on time and took care of herself. If she weakened and let Drew do too much, her self-respect would become an issue. Not only that, but there was a good chance he was trying to soften her up. Maybe he thought if she were beholden to him it would be easier to sway her to his way of thinking. Because she was attracted to him, the situation was even more fraught with pitfalls. If and when the two of them ever pursued what she now knew was a definite spark, she wanted a level playing field. A relationship of equals.

Unfortunately, that was never going to happen. No matter how you spun the fantasy, she didn’t belong in Drew’s world. She was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

Six

Drew struggled to stay focused on the conversation ping-ponging around the large conference table. Every man and woman in the room was a friend of his. And they were all well-respected members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club. At Sheriff Nathan Battle’s request, the informal group had convened to discuss the coordination of cleanup efforts and the utilization of volunteers now that the county had been designated a disaster area.

Nathan looked as if he hadn’t slept at all. Drew himself had awakened at 3:00 a.m. to a cold, empty living room. The fire had long since burned out, and Beth was nowhere to be found. He’d dragged himself to his bed and managed a few more hours, but he’d been up at first light, eager to get into town and assess the situation.

The trouble was, though he was here, all he could think about was Beth. He’d left the keys to the truck he had promised her with the housekeeper. And Allan was supposed to be at Beth’s place at 10:00. But even so, Drew felt a churning in his gut that told him he was more invested in Beth’s situation than was wise.

Forcing himself to concentrate, he was startled when his buddy Whit Daltry whispered in his right ear.

“I helped rescue Megan’s daughter, Evie, from the daycare center yesterday. It was chaos. All those terrified parents and kids. I can’t imagine what Megan was going through.”

Drew muttered softly in return. “I thought you and Megan were mortal enemies.”

“Very funny.” Whit rubbed two fingers in the center of the forehead as if he had a headache. And he probably did. “Things change, Drew. Especially now.”

The talk at the table had moved to an even more sober topic. Funerals. There would be a number of them over the next week. Fortunately, the mortuary and Royal’s three main churches had sustained only minimal damage.

Drew spoke up at one point. “Jed and I would like to donate $100,000 to start a fund for families with no insurance.” One by one, people jumped in, offering similar amounts as they were able. A representative from social services suggested designating a point person to triage which needs were most urgent.

Shelter would be the first priority. And then cleanup.

The enormity of the task was mind-boggling. Drew looked around the table at Royal residents he had known since childhood, people who pulled together in times of trouble. The town had never faced a catastrophe of this magnitude. But together they would rebuild and help the helpless.

The building in which they sat, the Texas Cattleman’s Club, was an icon in Royal. Built in the early 1900s, it had served as a gathering place for movers and shakers, primarily ranchers whose families had owned their property for decades. Though once upon a time a bastion for the good ole boys, the club in recent years had moved into the twenty-first century.

Despite opposition from the old guard, the club had begun admitting female members. Not only that, the TCC had opened an onsite day care center. Times were changing. The old ways were beginning to coexist with the new. Both had something to offer.

As a historical and social landmark, the TCC was an integral part of the town’s identity. Fortunately, the main building had survived the tornado, but downed trees had damaged many of the outbuildings. Broken glass and water damage seemed to be the worst of the problems.

Gil Addison was on his feet now. “I think I speak for everyone in this room, Nathan, when I say that we’ll do whatever it takes, for however long it takes. As each of you leaves in a few moments, my assistant will be at a table outside taking volunteer sign-ups for shifts on various work details. I know most of us will have some personal issues to deal with, but I appreciate whatever you can do for the town. Because we are the town.”

Applause broke out as the meeting ended.

Jed ran a hand through his hair and turned to Drew. “I brought work clothes with me. What if you and I grab a bite of lunch and then I’ll stay here while you go get Beth?”

“Sounds like a plan. Do you think Kimberly will want to help, too?”

A funny look crossed Jed’s face. “I don’t think she’s free this afternoon.”

Drew felt as if there was something going on there, but he had too much to juggle on his own without sticking his nose into Jed’s life. He was just glad his brother had been in Royal and not Dallas when the tornado hit. It felt good to have Jed’s support at a time like this.

On the way out, Drew paused to speak to friends: Stella Daniels from the mayor’s office, who was playing a key role dealing with the media, and Keaton Holt, who co-owned and ran the Holt Cattle Ranch. Everyone’s demeanor was the same. Grief, determination, and beneath it all, a pervasive sense of loss. The tragedy had stripped away a semblance of security and left them all floundering.

Drew signed up for a shift later in the day and spoke briefly with Nathan, reporting the damage to Beth’s home. When he finally made it to his truck, he waited for Jed to grab his things. “I think I’ll take a pass on lunch,” he said. “I want to catch Allen, the inspector, if he’s still around and hear the report on Beth’s house.”

Jed nodded. “I’ll give you a rain check. Say hi to Beth for me...and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

* * *

Beth felt a trickle of sweat roll down her back. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, with temperatures reaching the lower eighties. That was Texas for you. A veritable smorgasbord of weather. For the first hour, she had been banned from the house while the inspector, hardhat in place, went over the structure with a fine-tooth comb.

At last, he permitted her to enter. He took her around, pointing out spots that would require repair. Fortunately, the foundation was intact. That was a huge relief.

Beth put her hands on her hips and frowned. “So if I had to sleep here, I could?”

Drew’s buddy frowned. “Well, in theory, yes. But it should be a last resort. You’d be breathing in bits of insulation and maybe mold in the short term. I wouldn’t recommend it.” He clicked a few more times on his hand-held tablet and pursed his lips. “I should be able to get you this report by tomorrow morning. If you call your insurance immediately and give them my contact info, we can get the ball rolling. Hopefully, you’ll be near the front of the line.”

“Thank you for coming.”

He climbed in his car and lowered the window to say goodbye. “It won’t be so bad. To a layperson, this might look daunting, but a professional carpenter will have you back to rights in no time. I’ll be in touch.”

As the inspector drove back down the driveway toward the shared road that had been a bone of contention between Beth and Drew, she wondered for a bleak half second if she should simply sell her land to Drew and relocate. She’d poured what little capital she had into making a go of Green Acres. It would take months to recover from this setback. Maybe it would be smarter to look for a small house in town.

She had worked at the bank before. It wasn’t her passion, but it paid the bills.

As she stood there pondering her options, a second vehicle arrived, this one an ancient green Pinto with a muffler that was shot. The car shuddered and snorted to a stop. Beth’s stomach clenched. The last thing she needed today was a run-in with her deadbeat brother.

The car door opened and Audie stepped out. He weighed barely a hundred pounds sopping wet. Numerous jail sentences over the last ten years had hardened him. Mostly B&E, with a few disorderly conducts and a handful of public drunkenness thrown in. Audie had his mother’s alcoholic tendencies. Unfortunately, she’d let him drink his first beer at age twelve. It was a wonder he wasn’t already dead from liver failure.

Audie had been in and out of rehab repeatedly. But apparently this last time had produced some success. Though Beth found it difficult to trust anything he said, Audie had supposedly been clean for six months now.

Beth had done her best to rise above the stigma of her upbringing. Hanging out with her brother didn’t help matters. But as much as she hated his behavior and his lack of backbone, she couldn’t ignore the fact that he had a wife and child.

Angie, Audie’s bride of four years, was a cheerful woman-child with less street smarts than most kindergarteners. What she saw in Audie was anyone’s guess. The baby was small and sad-eyed, but as far as Beth could tell, little Anton was healthy. Angie had picked out the decidedly non-Texan name. She liked having three As in the family.

Angie and Anton remained in the car, so that meant this visit was business and not pleasure. Beth’s stomach knotted. She had called her brother to check on him only this morning and gotten his answering machine.

When she made no effort to approach the parked car, Audie ambled in her direction. “Hey, sis.” When he smiled, the usual sly calculation in his gaze was missing. He appeared clear-eyed and sober. “Looks like the house is okay.”

She raised her eyebrows, incredulous. “An entire section is gone.”

He shrugged. “Still standing. Our apartment is toast. Thought we might stay with you for a while.”

“Audie....” She struggled for words. Bringing in a homeless stranger would be an easier task than dealing with her sibling’s personality.

“C’mon,” he said, slinging an arm around her shoulder. “We’re family. You wouldn’t let a baby sleep on the streets, would you?”

Feeling boxed in and frustrated, Beth evaded his grasp. “There are shelters set up in town.”

“Those are for people who don’t have relatives to help out. I got you, babe.” His snickered reference to an old song didn’t amuse Beth in the least.

“I’ll have to get repairs done. Construction debris is no place for a child.”

“We can stay out in the shed. It has electricity and a sink. And a utility shower.”

It was clear that Audie had made up his mind. Beth knew from experience he would continue to harangue her until she gave in. Perhaps she shouldn’t stay in Royal at all. Sometimes the temptation to move far away and make a new start was compelling. This setback in her fledgling farm endeavor might be a sign.

But in the same instant, she thought of Drew. And of her friends and neighbors in Royal who faced a long road ahead. This corner of Texas was all Beth had ever known. Though her memories of growing up weren’t entirely positive, Royal was home. Audie would always be her brother, no matter how hard she tried to tell herself they were nothing alike. They shared DNA and a difficult past.

Audie had made different choices in life than Beth had. Poor choices in many instances. She felt no real compunction about letting him bear the consequences of his actions. But she couldn’t turn her back on an innocent child and a waiflike woman with no common sense at all.

“Fine,” she said. “Have it your way. You can stay. But you’ll have to bring in some kind of camp stove and a mini fridge.”

“Why didn’t you take care of that?” he asked.

“I’m not staying here,” she said evenly. “Drew Farrell has invited me to Willowbrook Farms for as long as it takes me to get the repairs done.”

Audie frowned. Apparently he had assumed Beth would be responsible for everything. “Well, that’s convenient. Seems like you always have men hanging around to look after you.”

The implication in his voice and in his words made her furious, but she wouldn’t let him see that he could get to her. Keeping her expression bland, she lifted an eyebrow. “Audie...”

“Yeah?”

“For once in your life, try to think of someone other than yourself. If this turns out to be too uncomfortable for Angie and Anton, please be a man and find a solution.”

“Easy for you to say.”

She refused to let him make her feel guilty. “I’m leaving now.” She headed toward the green Pinto to greet her nephew and sister-in-law. But before she got there, a familiar dark truck turned off the highway and approached the house. Well, this day just keeps getting better and better. Grim-faced, she watched Drew Farrell park and get out of his vehicle.

He lifted a hand as he approached. “Has Allen already come and gone?”

She nodded. “I’m surprised you didn’t pass him. It hasn’t been that long.”

Drew stopped short, seeing Audie and the car. He held out a hand. “I’m Drew Farrell. Don’t believe I know you.”

Audie wiped his palm on his jeans before returning the gesture and shaking Drew’s hand. “I’m Audie Andrews, Beth’s brother.”

Beth knew Drew well enough by now to see that he was surprised. But he hid it well. “I suppose you’re checking up on your sister.”

Audie seemed nonplussed, possibly because the notion of worrying about anyone other than himself was foreign to him. “Um...yeah.”