Only His (11 page)

The three of them hugged.

When they'd started walking again, Dakota drew in a breath.

“We've been talking….” She trailed off.

Nevada frowned. Dakota always knew what to say. “What?” she demanded.

“We were thinking we would really like a double wedding, but then we thought you'd feel bad, so we decided not to, but it makes financial sense, but if it's mean or you're hurt or don't want us to, we won't.”

Dakota got the words out in a rush, then stood there, twisting her hands together.

“We love you,” Montana added.

“I know that,” Nevada told her, stunned by the words. A double wedding. Sure. They were engaged
and sisters and Dakota was pregnant so getting married made sense. As for them doing it at the same time, the three of them had shared nearly all their milestones. Why not a wedding?

Except she would be left out, what with not even dating, let alone being serious about someone.

“I think it's a great idea,” she said, smiling, hoping she sounded excited and happy. “Do you have any dates picked out?”

“We were talking about Thanksgiving weekend,” Dakota said. “Mom thinks Ford will be home for the holidays.”

Ford was the youngest of their brothers, although still older than them. He was in the navy and stationed overseas.

“You'll want Ford here,” she said firmly. “I think Thanksgiving weekend is a great time.”

They both studied her, as if searching for the truth. Nevada held in a sigh. What was she supposed to say? That she felt lonely and abandoned? That while she was thrilled her sisters had found happiness, she wanted a little of that for herself? Well, she did. But wanting something wouldn't make it happen and there was no way she was going to stand in the way of her sisters' weddings.

“You'd better decide pretty soon,” she said. “There aren't a lot of places that can hold the whole family and half the town.” She smiled at them both. “I'm sure. This is the right thing for you to do.”

“Thank you,” Dakota whispered.

“I'm the superior triplet,” Nevada told her. “I don't know why you were worried. Now, you two run off and
plan your wedding. I'm going to find something with equal parts sugar and fat to clear my head.”

She left her sisters talking about whatever it was prospective brides talked about and hurried toward the closest Starbucks. Once there she got a mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream and told herself that her sisters getting married was a good thing. They deserved to be happy and in love. The fact that she deserved it, too, was something she would wrestle with another time.

 

S
ATURDAY AFTERNOON
, still reeling from the embedded memory of her mother's escapades and slightly off-balance from her sisters' announcement, Nevada found herself with nothing to do and nowhere to go. She wandered into Jo's Bar thinking she might find some of her friends there. Heidi, Charlie and Annabelle were at a table in the middle and they waved her over.

“We're escaping the happiness of the Fall Festival,” Charlie announced, pushing a bowl of chips toward Nevada. “I love the festivals, but all those children.” She shuddered.

Heidi laughed. “Not a kid person?”

“Individually they're fine, but as a group? I don't think so. Did you read
Lord of the Flies?
”

Annabelle tilted her head. “It's not about children,” she began. “It's an allegory for—”

Charlie groaned. “You really are a librarian.”

“Because I would lie about that?”

They laughed.

Nevada relaxed for the first time in days. Here she
could escape the complications of her life and just hang. Was that why men liked bars?

She studied the three women at the table. Heidi was casually dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, as suited her goat-girl status. Her long blond hair hung in a thick braid. She had a fresh, clean kind of pretty. Annabelle, on the other hand, was a petite redhead who favored delicate prints and wore dresses with puffed sleeves. A little fussy for Nevada's taste, but they suited her. Charlie was at the other end of the spectrum. Nevada had always considered herself pretty casual, but compared to Charlie, she practically wore couture. Charlie's off-duty uniform consisted of cargo pants and a big, open shirt over a tank top. Her short-cropped hair looked as if she'd cut it herself because it was easier than going to a salon.

Jo walked over to the table. “You drinking today?” she asked Nevada.

“No. I'll have a Diet Coke.” She glanced at her friends. “Want to split nachos? These chips have put me in the mood.”

Annabelle groaned. “I love nachos. And they love my thighs. Sure, I'll share.”

Heidi and Charlie both nodded.

Jo looked at Heidi. “Want me to use some of that cheese you brought me?”

“Sure.” Heidi smiled. “I'm bringing samples to all the businesses in town. To get some interest going. With a big ranch comes a big mortgage.”

“I'm not sure I want to know how the dry cleaner is going to use cheese,” Charlie muttered.

“You never use the dry cleaner,” Nevada reminded her.

Charlie grinned. “A point of pride with me.”

Jo looked at Nevada. “Is it true? Was your mom really going at it with Max Thurman on the kitchen table?”

Nevada winced. “Which of my sisters told you?”

“Both of them.”

So typical. No one kept secrets in this town.

“I have to say,” Jo continued, “I've always liked your mom, but now I have complete respect for her. She's raised six kids, survived the death of her husband and now this. I hope I'm just like her when I'm her age.” She winked. “You have a great gene pool. I hope you're grateful.”

“Yes, but oddly traumatized by the sight of my mother having sex.”

Jo laughed, then returned to the bar.

“Did you really see Denise like that?” Charlie asked. Her voice was more “you go, girl” than shocked.

“Why is everyone taking her side?”

“Because I don't have it in me to have sex on a kitchen table,” Heidi admitted. “Wouldn't it be cold and uncomfortable?”

“It depends on the surface,” Annabelle said. “Glass could be freezing, but wood isn't….” She cleared her throat. “Theoretically, of course.”

Charlie raised her eyebrows. “Someone has a past.”

Jo returned with the soda, then went back to the bar.

“How are things out at the ranch?” Nevada asked Heidi.

“Good. We've nearly finished repairing the barn. The goats are great. The cheese takes time to produce, so what I'm selling now I made before we moved here. Next year we'll do much better with the cheese. Until
that happens, cash is going to be tight. We're thinking of boarding a few horses. Do you think there's a market for that?”

“I'm looking for a place to put my horse,” Charlie said.

The three of them stared at her.

“You have a horse?” Nevada asked, trying to imagine Charlie riding.

“Sure. I like horses, I like being outside.”

“I've never seen you on a horse.”

“I board him at a place about thirty miles from here. I'd like to get him closer. I'm not the only one. Morgan just bought his granddaughter a pony and they're keeping it in the same place.”

Heidi grinned. “Thanks for telling me. The barn is ready to go. Seriously, why don't you come by and look it over?”

“I will.”

They set a time for the following afternoon.

Jo arrived with the nachos. Conversation shifted to the Fall Festival and what was going on in town.

“I got the paperwork on the blasting permits,” Charlie told Nevada.

“Good. Are you going to be our fire department representative?”

Charlie grabbed a chip covered in cheese. “I'll be there, keeping you in line.”

“I don't plan to cross the line, believe me. We want everything to go smoothly.”

“Oh, look.” Annabelle shifted in her seat and pointed toward the door.

Nevada turned around and saw Will walking in. He crossed to the bar and waited for Jo to notice him.

“They were fighting in the alley the other night,” the librarian said. “Well, not fighting exactly, but having a heated discussion.” She lowered her voice. “He really wants to go out with her and she keeps telling him no. I'm not sure why. He's cute and he seems nice.”

“He is,” Nevada said absently, watching as Jo shook her head, ignoring whatever it was Will was saying. “I work with him. He's a sweetie.”

“I don't get it,” Charlie said. “There aren't that many good guys out there. If someone like him is interested, she should go for it.”

Nevada glanced at the tall woman. Charlie sounded almost wistful.

“Jo's been burned,” Heidi told them. “She has the look. Trust me. Some guy broke her heart and she doesn't want to go there again.”

“No one knows for sure,” Charlie said. “With Jo, it's all unsubstantiated rumors.”

A few minutes later, Will left. Jo checked on their table.

“How are you four doing?” she asked.

“What's up with the guy?” Charlie asked, delicate as always.

Nevada thought Jo would say it was none of their business, but instead she shrugged. “He's interested, I'm not. End of story.”

“You know he's a great guy, right?” Nevada said, then held up her hands. “Sorry. I can't help it. I work with him.”

“Then you want what's best for him,” Jo told her. “That's not me.”

She walked away, leaving them all staring after her.

Annabelle reached for a chip. “I love this town. It's better than TV.”

 

“Y
OU COULDN'T DRIVE
?” Tucker called, pushing off the truck and walking toward the man stepping off the private jet that had just landed at the Fool's Gold airport.

Nevada hung back, not sure why Tucker had asked her to come with him to pick up his father. Tucker crossed the tarmac and the two men shook hands, then embraced.

They were about the same height, with similar dark hair and easy smiles. Nevada shifted from foot to foot, then moved toward the two of them.

“Mr. Janack,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Elliot, please,” he said. “Good to see you again, Nevada. You keeping my son in line?”

“Doing my best.”

They climbed into Tucker's large truck. She took the rear seat. Elliot angled toward her.

“I'm glad you're on the team,” he told her. “Having someone local is a big asset. I remember when we were working in South America and I pissed off one of the local farmers. He cut off my water supply until I apologized and bought designer handbags for his eight daughters.” Elliot chuckled. “I don't want to make that mistake again.”

“You'll be pleased to know our town council isn't that hard to work with.”

“Good to hear.” Elliot faced front again. “Are we on schedule?” he asked his son.

Tucker brought him up to date on the clearing, explained about the permits for water and sewer and told him when they would start the blasting. By the time they arrived at the job site, Elliot knew as much as any of them.

After Tucker parked, Nevada got out of the truck.

She expected to tell Elliot goodbye and go back to work. Instead the older man motioned for her to stay with him.

“Tucker has to make a few calls,” he said as his son walked toward the trailer. “Show me around.”

It sounded a lot more like an order than a request, but she was okay with that. The teams were doing great work and she was proud to show it off.

She pointed to the various clearing sites and explained how they were saving the largest-growth trees.

“People like that,” Elliot said. “It's good for the environment and not much more work for us. A win. How do you like working with Tucker?”

“He's a good boss,” she said, not sure what information he wanted. She would bet a lot of money that Elliot didn't know about her past with Tucker, so the question was probably general rather than specific.

“He's going to be taking over for me in a year or so.”

“I didn't know that.”

Elliot smiled at her. “He claims I'm not ready to retire, but I could start cutting back. He calls this project his last test. His chance to prove he has what it takes.”

“That's a lot on the line,” she murmured. While she'd known Tucker was taking on more and more
responsibility, she hadn't thought of him running the multibillion-dollar company. “He'll do well.”

“I agree.”

“So, he'll be located where the headquarters are, right?”

“Yes. Chicago. I'm thinking of spending part of the year in the Caribbean.”

He said something about buying a sailboat, but she wasn't listening. Tucker was leaving. She'd always known he would—that this job was temporary. But now she understood that this project was simply a stepping-stone to something bigger. Running the family firm. Of course he would want to do that. It wasn't as if she'd expected him to stay in Fool's Gold.

Location wasn't exactly the biggest problem, she admitted to herself. It was Tucker's attitude about relationships. Being in love didn't mean being a fool, no matter what he thought. Not that they had a relationship, other than friendship. She knew better than to fall for him again.

One of the guys hurried toward her. “Sorry to interrupt, boss,” he said, nodding at Elliot. “We have a problem.”

She raised her eyebrows, waiting for details.

“Goats,” he told her. “We have goats.”

“T
HIS IS A FIRST FOR ME
,”
Tucker admitted, leading two goats down the road. He'd had to deal with wildlife before, but not goats. At least they were friendly enough.

“Poor Heidi,” Nevada said, hanging on to her own two goats. “I think she assumed the fencing was secure. I know she's going to blame this one on the cows.”

“She has cows, too?”

“Sort of. They're feral.”

Tucker chuckled. “Feral cows? Is that possible?”

“According to her, it is. They came with the ranch, but they've been running wild for years. The old man who used to own the Castle Ranch died a long time ago. I barely remember when he lived there. It was abandoned close to twenty years.”

And he'd been worried that building a hotel and casino in Fool's Gold would be boring.

“You know those cows,” he said with a chuckle. “They can cause all kinds of trouble. Skipping class, smoking behind the gym.”

She grinned at him. “Is this where I remind you you're dealing with goats on your job site? Don't mock the cows. They may come after you.”

He laughed. “I can handle feral cows.”

“You say that now. I noticed your dad didn't volunteer to return them to Heidi.”

“He's more of a hotel guy. Too many years behind a desk.”

“Ever since you started heading the big projects, I'll guess,” she said.

He nodded. After his disastrous relationship with Cat had ended, he'd thrown himself into his work. Within a year, he'd been managing a ten-story building in Thailand. The following year he'd built a bridge in India. His father had started spending more time in the office.

“I don't think I could live like that,” she said. “Going from place to place. I like having a home.”

“Moving around is all I've known.”

He glanced at her. Sunlight illuminated the various shades of blond in her hair. Her profile was perfect, her mouth full.

He looked away, not wanting to stray too far down that path. It was tempting but dangerous. Better to think about the day, the bright blue sky, the trees, the rhythmic clip-clop of the goats.

“Tell me about Fool's Gold,” he said.

She smiled. “I'm not sure we have that long. It has a distinguished history.”

“I'm sure. No pirates or scoundrels here.”

“Maybe a few, although I am a direct descendant of one of the founding families. The first people to live here were
your
relatives, though. The Máa-zib tribe.”

“Strong female warriors who used men for sex, then abandoned them. Something you can respect.”

“
Appreciate
might be a better word.” Humor danced in her eyes. “They left or died out. History isn't clear on that. In the eighteen hundreds, a young woman named
Ciara O'Farrell was on her way to an arranged marriage to a very wealthy older man. She fled her ship in San Francisco to look for gold and make her own fortune so she would never be at the mercy of a man.”

“This place does something to women,” he said. “I need to warn my guys.”

“They can take care of themselves. Do you want to hear the story or not?”

“I do. Tell away.”

“The captain of the ship, Ronan Kane, pursued Ciara.”

“Ronan, like the guy who built my hotel?”

“It wasn't a hotel back then. He came after her and they fell in love and found gold. He built her a beautiful mansion to show his love to the entire world.” She looked at him. “That's your hotel.”

“Okay. I like that. Drama, a chase, a happy ending.”

“We're so pleased you approve of our history.”

“Is there still gold in the mountains?”

“Probably, but no one is looking for it. Kids sometimes go panning for gold. It's been years since anyone discovered anything.”

“Maybe Heidi could train the goats to sniff out gold.”

“I'll mention that to her.”

They rounded a corner and saw an old farmhouse up ahead. It had been built in the thirties, he would guess. The roof wasn't in bad shape, but the whole place needed painting. He wondered if any of the original woodwork remained. He appreciated craftsmanship in any form.

A woman ran out the open gate and hurried toward them.

“Heidi,” he guessed.

“Looking for her goats.”

“Maybe I should get a goat.”

Nevada laughed. “Start with something small. Like a fish. If you can keep that alive, we'll talk.”

“You wound me.”

“I'm sorry,” Heidi called as she approached. “It's all my fault. I wasn't paying attention and I left the gate open.”

“Not to worry,” Nevada told her. “They found their way to the construction site and scared the guys. I enjoyed seeing that happen.”

Heidi gave her a sad smile. “We were distracted by some bad news.” The smile faded. “A friend of my grandfather's told us he's sick. He needs surgery and medicine and doesn't have insurance. It's a terrible situation.” She took the lead ropes. “Thanks for bringing them back.”

“You're welcome.” Nevada touched her arm. “What can I do to help with your friend?”

Tucker noticed the phrasing. Not “Can I do anything?” but “What can I do?” There was a difference. An assumption of getting involved. Another small-town characteristic?

“Nothing right now, but I'll let you know if that changes.”

“Please do. You're one of us now, and we take care of our own.”

Heidi's blue eyes filled with tears. “Thank you,” she said, and hugged Nevada. Then she turned back to the ranch, leading the goats.

“That was nice,” Tucker said when they'd started back to the construction site.

“I meant it. If she needs help, we'll be there for her. We can do a fundraiser or check with the local hospital to see if they can give the guy a break on the cost.” She frowned. “I'll go back later today and explain all that. Maybe talk to the mayor.”

“Why would the mayor get involved?”

“That's the beauty of a small town. Or, at least, Fool's Gold. If anyone tries to mess with Heidi or her grandfather, he or she is going to be messing with the whole town.”

“You should put out a warning sign.”

“We prefer the thrill of the surprise.”

 

T
HE
G
OLD
R
USH
S
KI
L
ODGE
and Resort sat up on the mountain at just over four thousand feet. There was plenty of snow in the winter for skiers and snowboarders, and the cold weather was also a great excuse for those who simply wished to look good sitting around the fireplace. The elegant resort was home to Fool's Gold's only five-star restaurant and had a monthly “chef in residence” dinner that brought in people from as far away as New York and Japan. It was the kind of place where anyone who enjoyed food looked forward to going for dinner. That meant Nevada should be thrilled to be there. Except she wasn't.

The invitation had come when her mother left a message on her voice mail. “Family dinner at seven. You'll be meeting Max.”

As Nevada had already seen Max naked, she wasn't sure an introduction was necessary at this point. Nor
was it especially welcome. What was she supposed to say? Where was she supposed to look? There were dozens of potential pitfalls and she wasn't confident in her ability to avoid them all. Not that staying home was an option.

She'd briefly thought about bringing Tucker with her as a distraction, but if she asked him she'd have to explain why she needed him, and she didn't want to have to relive the moment by talking about it. Instead, she deliberately arrived a few minutes late, hoping the crowd of her brothers and sisters, their families and significant others would shield her.

She saw Simon, Montana's fiancé, in the lobby, talking on his cell phone. His expression was intense, so she hung back until he'd ended the call, then crossed to him.

“Hi, Simon.”

He tucked the phone into his suit jacket pocket, then smiled and took both her hands. “Nevada. How are you?”

After kissing her cheek, he tucked her arm in the crook of his elbow and led her toward the private dining room off the lobby.

She came to a stop, forcing him to do the same. “I need to ask you a medical question.”

He faced her, his gray-green eyes meeting hers. “Of course. How can I help?”

Simon was possibly the most handsome man Nevada had ever seen. There was a beauty to his face that made him slightly separate from others who were merely good-looking or attractive. But that was only
half the picture. The other half was a set of burn scars that savaged half of his features.

He was both beauty and beast—outwardly. From what Nevada knew of him, on the inside he was a gifted healer who sacrificed all for his patients and loved her sister with a devotion that would cause the happiest of women a slight case of envy.

“Is there some way to erase a specific memory?” she asked. “Hypnosis or maybe some kind of electronic probe in my frontal lobe?”

The perfect side of his mouth twitched slightly.

“This isn't funny,” she added, knowing she sounded defensive.

“It's a little funny.”

“Fine.” She sighed. “Be amused, but I still want an answer.”

“What do you know about your frontal lobe?” he asked.

“Not much.”

“Trust me. It's not a place you want to go messing around in.” He kissed her cheek again. “Your mother is an amazing, vital woman. You should be happy for her.”

“I am. I just didn't want to
see
her ‘vital' side. She's my mother. It's not natural.”

He chuckled. “I'm sorry. I can't help. For what it's worth, the memory will fade with time.”

“That's not worth very much.”

“It's the best I have.”

“And here I thought you were a gifted doctor.”

He was still laughing when they walked into the dining room.

She stood in the doorway, watching Simon walk to Montana, then took in the rest of her family. Kent with his son, and Ethan with Liz. Their kids laughing and talking. Dakota with Finn, who held Hannah. Nevada braced herself for the rush of memories and allowed her gaze to sweep over her mother and the tall, well-dressed man next to her.

Here it is,
she thought, trying not to wince. The memory slammed into her, making her want to cover her eyes and shriek. Instead she grabbed a glass of champagne from the table by the door and sucked about half of it down in a single gulp. To quote that dead German guy, that which didn't kill her would make her stronger.

She made the rounds, greeting her siblings, her nieces and nephews, spouses and fiancés, then finally, when there was nothing else to do, walked toward her mother and Max.

Denise saw her coming and whispered something to Max, before meeting Nevada in the center of the room by the elegantly set table.

“How are you?” Denise asked, frowning slightly. “I wasn't sure if I should call or come by.”

“I'm fine, Mom.”

“That's not what I heard.”

Nevada drew in a breath. “I'm glad you and Max are happy. Really. It's great. Don't take this wrong, but I never, ever want to walk in on the two of you having sex again. Especially on the kitchen table.”

Denise grinned. “Weren't you even a little impressed?”

“No. You're my mother. I ate cereal at that table. It was too twisted for me.”

“I know. I'm sorry. I'll make sure the door is locked when we…you know, do it.”

Nevada winced. “Please don't say ‘do it,' I beg you. Let's call it
armadillo.
You'll lock the doors when you armadillo and then no one will surprise you. How's that?”

Her mother laughed, then hugged her. “I can't wait for you to have children of your own.”

“I don't see that happening in the near future, but, sure.”

“Are we okay?”

Nevada nodded. “We're fine.”

“Good. Now, come meet Max.” Her mother drew her toward the man. “You're really going to like him. He's great.”

“I'm sure he is. And, hey, what a butt.”

Denise started to laugh. Nevada joined in and decided that maybe it was going to be all right after all.

 

A
FTER DINNER
, Nevada drove home, but found herself too restless to stay inside. She changed into jeans and tennis shoes, then grabbed her keys and a hoodie and went outside. It was nearly ten and the sky was clear. She could practically touch the stars as she walked. There was a bit of nip in the air, so she shrugged into the hoodie, but didn't bother zipping it.

They were nearing the end of September. One morning she would wake up and the leaves would all be changed. Then winter would come and the mountains would be blanketed in white. For the most part Fool's
Gold only got a small portion of the snow that was dumped higher up, but there could be enough to slow construction. She made a mental note to go over the schedule to make sure there were contingencies and allowances for bad weather.

Once she reached the center of town, she paused, not sure which way to go. Jo's Bar was always an option, but on Friday and Saturday night it was more a date place than a girl hangout. Good for Jo's business, but not so fun for single women who were restless.

“How was dinner?”

She turned and saw Tucker walking toward her. “Hi. It was good. I got through it without shrieking.”

He grinned. “I'm sure that pleased everyone. You and your mom okay?”

“We were always fine. I wasn't mad at her, I was just freaked a little. And don't tell me to get over it. Would you want to walk in on your dad having sex with some woman?”

“It depends on the woman.”

She shoved his arm. “You're lying. It would send you screaming into the night just as much as it did me.”