Kiss Me

“No!” he yelled. He frantically clicked on the stock trading code of the company to check on recent news articles. A big headline flashed onto his computer screen.

Company President Arrested for Stealing Proprietary Information from Rivals.

He felt more than heard his brother approach. Zane touched the screen. “There seems to be a problem with your plan.”

Chase didn’t know what to say. This was bad. Really bad. Probably the worst thing he’d ever done. He felt nauseous. He couldn’t think. People were going to be arriving for a cattle drive. He didn’t have the money to pay them back, and if Zane didn’t bail him out, he was probably going to be arrested. Or worse.

“I really blew it,” he said more to himself than his brother.

“Looks that way.”

Heat flared on Chase’s cheeks. He stared at the floor, studying the scarred wood beneath his feet and the scuffs on his worn cowboy boots.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry?” Zane swore loudly. “You’ve pulled some pretty boneheaded stunts in the past, but you’ve never gone this far before. I expected better.” He clenched his hands, as if trying to keep from punching something...or someone. “I always expect better of you. After all this time, you’d think I’d learn.”

No punishment, not even a good beating, could ever hurt worse than those words. They made Chase feel small and afraid. His throat tightened, as did his chest. For the first time in years, he thought he might actually cry.

“Now what?” Chase asked.

Zane walked to the door. “Good question. You have a backup plan?”

Chase shook his head. “I g-guess—” His voice cracked, and he had to clear his throat before continuing. “I guess I need to borrow the money so I can pay those people back.”

Zane didn’t say anything for a long time. When he finally spoke, Chase knew it was going to be bad.

“A loan would be too simple,” Zane said. “I’m going to call Raoul and Pia to tell them what you and Peter did. Then I’m going to try to figure out what to do with you. This isn’t going to be an easy punishment. I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.”

He walked out of the room without saying another word. Chase watched him go. For the first time in his life, he wondered if Zane was going to send him away. Chase tried to tell himself it wouldn’t be so bad. He hated the ranch. He wanted to go away, to study computers and lasers and all kinds of cool stuff. Not cattle breeding.

But leaving on his own terms and being kicked out by his only living blood relative were two very different things. He sank back on the bed, feeling alone and scared and a whole lot younger than seventeen.

CHAPTER TWO

TWO HOURS AFTER her court hearing, Phoebe had cleared out her desk, left her pending files on April’s desk, purchased a large quantity of chocolate and candy from the See’s store and driven to the tall Century City high-rise where her best friend, Maya Farlow, was a producer for a TV entertainment news program.

She smiled at the assistant Maya shared with two other producers, sitting at a desk in the wide hallway. Phoebe tapped lightly on the paneled door, then stepped into a tiny office with a floor-to-ceiling window.

Maya was on the phone, but she motioned for Phoebe to take a seat in front of her desk. Instead Phoebe crossed to the window first and stared out at the north-facing view. To the west lay the Pacific Ocean, to the east, the barely visible high-rises of downtown Los Angeles. And somewhere north was the San Fernando Valley—a suburban mecca everyone loved to mock but that Phoebe actually enjoyed visiting from time to time. The June gloom had burned off, leaving behind brilliant blue skies only possible in Southern California. New York might be the frenetic city that never slept, but LA was cutting-edge cool with a dash of sass.

“Zane,” Maya said, her voice tight, “he’s young. He did something stupid, but—”

Zane. Which meant Maya was talking to her stepbrother. From what Phoebe could tell, the two had never had an easy relationship.

“When does it start?” Maya scribbled something on a sticky pad on the corner of her desk. “Fine. I’ll be there. No, I’m coming. I can’t get out of here today, but I’ll be there. Just go easy—”

She stopped talking as Zane apparently had hung up on her. She made a face at her phone.

“A room with a view,” Phoebe said, taking the seat across from her friend’s. “I haven’t seen your new digs since you moved. Congrats.”

Maya leaned back in her chair and grinned. “Thanks, but I’m hoping I won’t be here for long. There’s a job coming up at a network. On camera and talking about real news, not these Hollywood fluff pieces. If I have to do one more story about an actress’s new hairstyle...” Her smile faded as she studied Phoebe. “Tell me what happened in court. I didn’t get a frantic phone call, so I assume you’re okay. I still have access to cash if you’re going to need bail money.”

Phoebe knew her friend wasn’t kidding about the cash. Maya would be there for her, no matter what.

“No jail time, no punitive damages.” She sighed softly. “The earnest money is to be returned. I’m suspended for a month, without pay, although April says she’s going to pay me herself.”

“She should.” Maya swore. “Let me guess. April just watched the whole thing and didn’t utter a word to the judge.”

Phoebe nodded. “I’m such an idiot. I actually thought she would say something.”

“You mean like the truth?”

“That would have been nice.”

“How upset are you?”

Phoebe smiled ruefully. “There’s a half-pound box of butterscotch squares from See’s in my car. I’m also planning to stop by the grocery store on my way home and buy a bottle of wine.”

“Liquor and sugar. That’s pretty bad.”

“It’s as close as I’ll come to a life of crime.” Phoebe rested her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands. “I know better. That’s what kills me about this. What is it with my personality that says I have to earn my place in the world? How many times do I have to be burned before I’ll learn to stop helping people? Every time I do, it gets me in trouble.” She thought about her unexpected meeting with Jeff outside the courtroom.

“Oh, and the Bureau of Real Estate is considering revoking my license. Jeff stopped by to give me the information himself.”

“Did you kick him in the balls?”

“I didn’t think about it in time. Bummer.” She looked at Maya. “Why am I such a sucker?”

“You’re a good person who likes to help people. So what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know. I have a month off. If the board suspends my license...”

She didn’t know what would happen then, nor did she want to think about it. After college she hadn’t had a clue as to what she wanted to do with her life. Then she’d stumbled into real estate, and for the first time ever, she felt that she’d finally found a place where she belonged. She loved showing houses and getting people good financing and watching their faces light up the day they moved in to their new home. It was her whole life.

“April’s a bitch,” Maya said.

Phoebe sighed. “She’s a single mother with three kids, one of whom is chronically sick.”

“You’re making excuses.”

“I’m telling the truth. She’s right. If she’d taken any more time off to stay home with Beth, she could have been fired. So she asked me to fill out the paperwork for the Bauers. My mistake was in listening to her. I knew the paperwork was wrong.”

Phoebe had fought with her boss, and a frustrated April had finally yelled at her to just do what she was told and file the stupid things. Which Phoebe had done, even though she’d known better. But through a series of unfortunate events, what should have just been a mistake had ended up starting a lawsuit and a subsequent criminal investigation—the consequences of which had landed her in court. Rather than tell the truth, April had let her take the fall, explaining that Phoebe could afford to be a screwup. If April got fired, there were three kids on the line. Phoebe hadn’t come up with an argument to refute that one.

“I didn’t think the real estate board got involved in paperwork mix-ups,” Maya said.

Phoebe thought about the letter in her purse. The one she’d read while consuming four pieces of almond truffle and a double latte from Starbucks.

“They don’t. However the Bauers were April’s clients, and I did the paperwork. They’re accusing me of taking the credit and money for her sale.”

Maya’s green eyes widened with sympathy. “Which you didn’t do.”

“But who’s going to believe me?”

“April knows the truth.”

“April won’t risk telling it.”

“So what happens now? You could haul her into court. I could do an exposé.”

“Thanks, but I’m looking for a different sort of option.” Although what it was, Phoebe couldn’t say. “I guess I have a month to find myself a new job.” Depending on what happened with her license, maybe a new career. “I love selling real estate. I don’t want to stop doing that.”

Maya shook her head. “No, what you love is rescuing people. You’re the only Beverly Hills agent I know who specializes in starter homes for the financially challenged. You could be making truckloads of money with movie stars and Hollywood execs, but instead you work with newlyweds and single moms on a budget that wouldn’t support a rodent family.”

Phoebe thought about protesting, but she knew her friend was right.

“I know what it’s like to be desperate for a place to belong,” she said. She’d lived with the feeling most of her life. One day, she promised herself. One day she would find it, and then she would never let it go.

“Oh, wait.” Phoebe brightened. “I do have one movie-star client, but Jonny Blaze doesn’t want to buy a house here in LA. He’s looking for a vacation paradise home complete with room for a helicopter pad.”

“Could you at least sleep with him and take your mind off things?”

For the first time that day, Phoebe laughed. “I wish, but the man actually ruffled my hair and told me I looked like his kid sister.”

“That’s a drag.”

“Tell me about it.” Phoebe rose. “I have chocolate calling my name, and you have the rich and famous to stalk. I’m going to get out of your way.”

“No way.” Maya rose, came around her desk and gave Phoebe a hug. “I’m not leaving you alone. Let’s go out for Mexican.”

“Are you sure you have time?”

“For you? Always.”

* * *

MAYA HAD SAID she needed to wrap up a few things at work, so Phoebe deliberately took the slowest route to their favorite Mexican restaurant. She hated waiting alone in a bar. Instead she took a seat in the foyer and watched the couples and families stream into the popular eatery. Every now and then a single man arrived on his own. She was careful to look away when that happened. The last guy she’d met in a restaurant bar had not only tried to borrow five thousand dollars from her on their second date, but had lied about being married. She was still stinging from the threat of serving jail time and worried about her real estate license—the last thing she needed was a lousy relationship.

Although a good one wouldn’t be so bad, she thought wistfully. She wasn’t looking for perfect—just a nice guy who would love her, who wanted kids and a regular life filled with things like family car-trip vacations and PTA meetings. A family of her own. Unfortunately she didn’t seem to be skilled at meeting normal, stable men. She seemed to attract losers like Jeff the Unfaithful, or married men who wanted money. Maybe instead of looking for a man who obviously didn’t exist in her universe, she should think about getting a dog.

Before she could consider breeds or sizes, the front door opened, and Maya breezed in. She was both stylish and elegant in a black suit that skimmed her curves and highlighted her blond hair. Phoebe had been so caught up in her own problems earlier that she hadn’t noticed the outfit.

“New?” she asked as she stood and smiled. “It’s fabulous.”

Maya grinned, then twirled quickly so her suit could be viewed from the back. “It wasn’t even on sale, but I couldn’t help myself. I love it. This is the suit I bought for my interview with the network, and I’ve got a green number that matches my eyes for the on-camera audition.”

“You’ll totally rock the interview,” Phoebe said loyally. “And look amazing doing it.”

“You’re so sweet. Thank you.”

Phoebe didn’t envy her friend her gorgeous wardrobe. Phoebe shopped at the outlet mall or the Macy’s sale rack. With the exception of action-movie stars like Jonny Blaze, her clients didn’t want to think their hard-earned money was going to support a designer wardrobe, and she was okay with that.

“I’m starving,” Maya said. “And you need a margarita.”

They followed the hostess through a maze of wooden tables laden with drinks, chips and oversize plates of fajitas, enchiladas and tacos. The smell of sizzling beef and chicken made Phoebe’s mouth water.

The waiter appeared, and they ordered their margaritas and, without looking at the menu, the number three dinner. The busboy was on his heels, leaving chips and salsa.

Phoebe eyed the chips, mentally calculating calories. Not that it was going to matter. By her second margarita, she would throw her eating plan out the window and chow down on everything in sight. In the morning she would try to StairMaster off the calories—with minimal success—and skip lunch. She had been battling the same ten pounds for the past three years. So far, the pounds were winning.

“I have an announcement.” Phoebe sipped her drink. “I’ve realized that I get into trouble every time I help someone. I don’t know why, but it happens. So as of now, I’m never helping anyone again. Ever. No matter what.”

Maya’s green eyes widened. “Wow. That’s impressive. I don’t believe it for a second, but it’s impressive.”

Phoebe laughed. “I’m not sure I believe it, either. But I’m going to try.”

“Would you mind putting that on hold? Because I have a pretty big favor to ask. But I think it’s going to be good for you, too, so win-win and all that. You have a month off, and face it, if anyone needs a vacation, it’s you.”

Phoebe frowned. “It’s really not in the budget.”

“That’s why this is so perfect. Actually I’m talking about more of a massive distraction.”

“What kind of a distraction?”

Maya’s expression turned impish. “The kind that involves a rugged, hunky cowboy.”

Phoebe crunched on her chip. As she chewed, she eyed her friend. “You don’t set people up,” she said when she’d swallowed. “I’ve listened to more than one rant on the subject.”

Maya laughed. “Fair enough. But this isn’t a setup. I’m offering handsome man scenery, not a chance at a relationship.” Her humor faded as she wrinkled her nose. “Frankly, I don’t think Zane is capable of a relationship. His passions seem to be limited to running his ranch and being perfect.”

“Zane your ex-stepbrother? That Zane?” The one Maya had been talking to earlier?

“That’s the one.” She picked up a chip but didn’t eat it. “I got a frantic call from Chase just before you got to my office.”

“Your other ex-stepbrother.”

“Right. He’s Zane’s half brother. Chase is seventeen, a complete cutie, a computer whiz and a constant disappointment to Zane. Of course anyone falling short of the ever-perfect ideal is a disappointment. Zane practically had a heart attack when I showed up after his father married my ex-showgirl mother.”

Phoebe nodded. While she didn’t know the details of Maya’s few years on the Nicholson Ranch—they had occurred before she and Maya had met—she’d heard bits and pieces.

“Anyway, Chase screwed up...again. He seems to be making a career of it. But this time, although I really hate to say it, I agree with Zane. He called me right after Chase.” Maya took a drink of her margarita. “Chase and a friend set up a website for a school assignment. They offered a cattle-drive vacation. Somehow the school project got on the internet. Don’t ask me how. Zane does move steers every spring—it’s sort of a back-to-his roots thing with him. He does it the old-fashioned way instead of by truck. He only brings a couple of cowboys with him—mostly the ones who don’t talk in more than two-word sentences. He would never take Chase or—God forbid—a tourist. He’d rather be staked out naked on an anthill.”

Phoebe saw the potential problem. “Did people actually sign up for the cattle drive?”

“You got it. Even worse—Chase and his little friend collected money. Five hundred bucks a head. Chase took the money and day-traded with it.”

“Day-trading? Is he crazy?”

“He’s seventeen and immortal. You remember what that was like. He lost everything through some company going under. I don’t understand it. Anyway, big brother is refusing to bail him out. Zane says Chase has to learn once and for all that there are consequences for his actions.”

“Let me make sure I understand. You’re saying Chase sold vacations for a fake cattle drive, and people sent money?”

The two women looked at each other in silence for a long moment. Phoebe felt her lips twitch. When she saw Maya’s eyes crinkle at the corners, she lost it. In unison, they burst into a fit of giggles that drew the attention of the people at the other tables, which only made them laugh harder.

“Who does that?” Phoebe asked when she could speak again.

“I know! It’s terrible and hysterical. He’s an evil genius,” Maya said, wiping a tear from her eye. “It’s bad. Bad! Stop laughing. I know it’s wrong, but it’s also just so funny. That’s the part Zane doesn’t get. Someday, when Chase is a famous inventor, this is going to make a great story.”

The waiter showed up with their food, and Maya waited until he left before continuing.

“Zane and I went round and round for half an hour. People are expecting a vacation, and Chase played with their lives. We discussed everything from military school to jail time for the kid. Actually it was kind of interesting to have Zane want my opinion.”

“So what did you decide?”

Maya smiled. “What I never would have guessed. On Saturday morning, a group of city slickers will be showing up on the sacred ground that is the Nicholson Ranch. Zane is going to take them on a cattle drive, along with Chase. He’s going to give the kid all the crap jobs, hoping to teach him a lesson.”

Phoebe considered the information. On the one hand, she could appreciate Zane’s frustration. On the other, she could relate to Chase. She’d been a screwup her whole life, too.

“Did Chase want you to rescue him?”

“Yes, and I was forced to tell him no. But as a way of compromising, I agreed to come along on the cattle drive. When I told Zane, he was actually pleased.”

“Why?”

“I’ve nearly always taken Chase’s side. I think he wants me to see him for who he is, or some such nonsense.” Maya shrugged, her green eyes darkening. “The thing Zane can’t seem to figure out is that I already know Chase. I’m very aware of his flaws. But knowing about them doesn’t make me care about him any less. That would be an unknown concept to Zane. Anyway, the point of this story is to invite you along. You love animals and you’ve earned a vacation.”

“A cattle drive?”

“Why not? You claim to like the outdoors, and as long as Zane doesn’t open his mouth and actually speak, he’s pretty easy on the eyes.” Maya grabbed a chip. “You work hard all the time. Do something for yourself. You can use my frequent-flier miles.”

The offer was tempting, Phoebe thought. She had a couple of weeks until her interviews, and she had just sworn off taking care of the world.

“I’m tempted, but my idea of the rugged outdoors is watering the plants on my patio. I’ve never been close to a horse. Aren’t they big and smelly?”

“They don’t smell half so bad as the steers, but we can stay upwind.” Maya smiled. “I think we’ll have fun. Besides, after what you’ve been through, you could use a break. You’ll be able to think more clearly from the back of a horse.”

Phoebe would never in a million years have thought of going on a cattle drive. But she’d promised herself that she was going to make changes and try new things. She was going to reinvent herself. Maybe the new Phoebe Kitzke would enjoy a cattle drive.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll go.”

“You won’t regret it,” Maya promised. “I already have a flight booked for Friday afternoon. I can’t get away before then because I have a bunch of video segments to edit. But I was hoping you wouldn’t mind going tomorrow. Just to distract Zane. He’s so furious with Chase, I’m afraid they’re going to get into a fistfight or something.”

Phoebe stared at her friend. “You’re crazy.”

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but if you were there, Zane would have to behave.”

“I’m not going to show up two days early. I’ve never even met the man. I can’t arrive on his doorstep with no warning.”

“Oh, I’d warn him,” Maya promised.

Phoebe shook her head. “No. I’ll go with you on Friday. Not before.” Besides, her no-more-favors vow was only an hour old. She couldn’t violate it yet.

Maya shrugged. “Okay. That’s fine. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s just I worry about Chase. He was so young when his mom died. Zane practically left him to raise himself. Plus, he’s really vulnerable right now, what with trying to figure out girls and think about college. And he’s the only family I have.”

Phoebe grabbed another chip and tried not to feel as if she’d just kicked a kitten. Maya’s tactics were completely transparent. She was trying to guilt Phoebe into doing what she wanted. There was absolutely no way it was going to work.

CHAPTER THREE

PHOEBE’S FLIGHT TOUCHED DOWN in Sacramento a little after three o’clock on Wednesday. She’d spent most of the flight from Los Angeles calling both herself and Maya names. She absolutely could not believe she’d given in so easily. One or two protests and she was as unyielding as bread pudding.

Now she was going to have to explain her presence to a man she’d never met.

She headed for the baggage-claim area to collect her two suitcases. Not knowing what June weather was like in the mountains, she’d brought plenty of clothes to layer, along with several pairs of jeans, and some boots she’d dug out from the back of her closet. The boots were a reminder of a brief but intense fondness for all things Western.

While waiting for the luggage to arrive, she tucked her headset into her carry-on. When she hadn’t been berating Maya and herself, she’d been listening to self-improvement audio books and working on her mind-centering meditation. Unfortunately the former tended to make her doze off and the latter had a three-part breathing technique that started her coughing. Not something to endear her to her seatmates.

She glanced around, noting several men, but no one fitting Zane’s description. Maya had claimed he looked like Adam Levine. One of People magazine’s sexiest men alive.

Phoebe was skeptical and more than a little nervous. What was she going to say to an Adam Levine look-alike cowboy on the drive to the ranch? She’d tried to rent her own car, but Maya had insisted she would never find her way.

Five minutes later Phoebe had wrestled her two bags off the carousel and hooked them together so she could wheel them outside. She remained escort-less. Okay, so she would give Zane thirty minutes, then she would find a shuttle to Fool’s Gold and figure out her next move. If she had to she could always—

The sliding doors opened, and a man entered the baggage area. A tall, dark-haired man with incredibly broad shoulders, a cowboy hat and a gaze so penetrating Phoebe knew he could probably tell what color her panties were.

He moved with the kind of stride and purpose of someone who was never indecisive, confused or anything other than in charge. He was gorgeous. Adam Levine gorgeous. Of course.

Any small shred of confidence she might have cultivated from her self-help books went belly-up like a zapped bug. She tried to brush off the last of the peanut dust from the front of her yellow T-shirt and wished for the millionth time in her life that she was tall, blonde, blue-eyed and stunning. Actually, right now she would take any one of the four.