Riding Hard (15 page)

“I want you to. Then you can see for yourself that we’re just friends. What happened between us shouldn’t have. I hope that we can—” The rumble of a powerful pickup cut into the quiet of the summer morning. Drake glanced toward the front gate. “Looks like somebody’s payin’ us a visit.”

Tracy turned as a cherry-red dually truck drove into the yard. And the morning had started out with such promise before it took a nosedive. She didn’t feel even slightly ready to face the man who drove that truck. She sighed.

“I take it you know who it is?”

“Unfortunately, I do. I suppose after telling Morgan and Gabe about us last night, I should have expected this.”

“Who is it?”

“Jack Chance.”

15

D
RAKE
STRAIGHTENED
HIS
SHOULDERS
.
“I’ve heard plenty about the guy. It’s about time I met him.” He was glad Tracy had talked him into the hat. As they walked toward the big red truck, he pulled the brim a little lower over his eyes. He was willing to bet that Jack Chance wore a black hat.

Had he had someone to take that wager, he would have won it. Jack climbed down from the cab wearing a hat that looked remarkably like Drake’s. So Jack had good taste.

Instead of coming toward them, Jack rounded the front bumper and opened the passenger door. Drake had never been so glad to see anyone as he was to see Josie getting out of the passenger side. Then again, he hadn’t followed the program. He’d slept with Tracy. Josie might not be on his team anymore.

As Josie and Jack walked toward them, Drake couldn’t help thinking of the gunfight at the OK Corral. Josie and Jack weren’t smiling—never a good sign.

Then Drake remembered how Tracy had handled the encounter with Morgan and Gabe. He would behave like the Southern gentleman he’d been trained to be, with a slight Western twist now that he had a hat.

He smiled and held out his hand to Jack as if he’d known him for years. “I’m real glad you two came by. We just let Dottie and her foal out in the pasture. You might want to take a look. He’s cute as the dickens.”

Jack shook his hand without missing a beat. His grip was strong but not a bone-crusher. “We’d be happy to. Nothing like a newborn colt to make a person smile.” But Jack was not smiling.

Josie was, though. “I can hardly wait to see him.” She wore a brown Stetson and her blond hair was gathered into a single braid as it had been when Drake had talked with her.

He couldn’t believe that had been a mere two days ago. It felt as if months had passed since then.

“That’s one of the reasons we’re here,” Josie said. “Let’s go see the little guy.”

Drake took note that it was only
one of the reasons.
He exchanged a quick glance with Tracy before they all walked back up to the pasture. She shrugged.

“The place is coming along.” Jack looked around as he and Josie walked a little ahead of Drake and Tracy.

“I didn’t see it before the transformation,” Drake said, “but Regan told me about the work everyone did to make it a viable operation.”

“Regan and Lily get most of the credit,” Josie said. “They worked so hard, and I’m glad they took this trip. They both deserve a break from the routine. I’m glad you were available to house-sit for them, Tracy.”

“Me, too, although they may not thank me for taking in a pregnant mare.”

Jack cleared his throat. “That’s one of the things I want to talk to you about.”

“That I overstepped my authority? I know that I—”

“She had no choice.” Drake spoke without hesitation. “She was faced with an animal in dire straits. She did the right thing.”

Jack glanced at him, and for the first time he
almost
smiled. “Easy, Brewster. I wasn’t criticizing her decision. I absolutely agree it was the right one. If there’s any blame, it belongs to Jerry Rankin. I’m trying to decide whether he deserves the job I’ve given him. He put Tracy in a helluva position. Nice hat, by the way. Looks new.”

“Thanks. It is.” And that, Drake thought, was why Jack Chance was the reigning prince around here. He projected authority with his big red truck and his take-charge attitude, but then, just when you were ready to hate the guy for throwing his weight around, he disarmed you with an obviously sincere compliment about your new hat.

Josie had mentioned that she thought Drake and Jack would get along. Drake wasn’t sure about that, but it would be interesting to find out. Much depended on Jack’s other reasons for driving over to Peaceful Kingdom. At least Drake had put him on notice that nobody was going to chastise Tracy while he was around.

“Jerry’s a poor old guy who ended up in a bad situation,” Tracy said. “Do you know he can’t read?”

“I found that out.” Jack paused as they reached the pasture fence. Then he leaned on it and gazed at Dottie chasing after Sprinkles. “Now that’s a real good-looking horse. If her foals typically looked like that one, I can see why Jerry made some money.”

Tracy joined him at the fence. “But if his wife was his business manager, after she died he couldn’t handle things the way he used to. I think she helped him disguise his illiteracy so he could keep his job and sell Appaloosas on the side.”

Drake admired the way she stuck up for Jerry. Her compassion was another thing he loved about her. The list kept growing.

Jack nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s true. I’m just not sure he’s the right fit for the Last Chance. I’ll keep him on for a while, but he’s a little overwhelmed by the size and scope of the place. However...” He turned and leaned his back against the fence and propped one booted foot on the bottom rail as he surveyed Peaceful Kingdom.

Tracy smiled. “Nice try, but you’re talking to the wrong person. Regan and Lily have to make that decision.”

“She’s right, Jack,” Josie said. “Don’t go trying to strike a deal with Tracy. Honestly. You would have made a great politician.”

Jack didn’t disagree. “Hey, she’s met the guy. She could be his character reference.”

Drake couldn’t help laughing at that. “Wouldn’t you be the logical character reference? She saw Jerry for about twenty minutes, tops. He’s workin’ at your ranch. You know him better than she does.”

“Yes, but if I talk him up, Regan and Lily will figure out I’m trying to unload him, which I am. Whereas Tracy has nothing to gain or lose if she talks him up. She’ll have a much better chance of convincing them to take on Jerry than I will. They’ll suspect me of ulterior motives.”

Josie shook her head. “Which you have coming out your ears. So, are we done with this topic?”

“That depends.” Jack glanced at Tracy. “Will you please put in a good word for old Jerry with Regan and Lily?”

She grinned at him. “Yes, Jack, I will. I really think he’d make a great employee here.”

“Thank you. So do I. And that frees us up to discuss a more sensitive topic.” He looked straight at Drake.

Drake tensed.

Tracy had obviously seen Jack’s look, because she pushed away from the fence and faced him, her jaw tight. “Jack, you know I think a lot of you, but if you’re going to say anything negative about Drake, then, with all due respect, I’ll have to ask you to get back in your truck and drive away.”

Drake was touched by her loyalty, but he couldn’t ask her to fight his battles. He stepped forward. “I appreciate that more than I can say, but if Jack wants to have it out with me, we should. Maybe it’ll clear the air. I’m sick of having the most prominent family in Shoshone treat me like a leper.”

“A leper?” Jack looked wounded. “I hardly think that’s fair, Brewster. We’ve been polite. From a distance.”

“Which is exactly how they used to treat lepers, Chance!”

“Oh, for God’s sake.” Josie blew out a breath. “Drake, we came over this morning to invite you to Regan and Lily’s engagement party next weekend.”

Drake was stunned into silence.

“I was working up to that,” Jack grumbled. “Then everybody jumped on me.”

Drake still couldn’t get his head around it. “You’re inviting me to a party...at the Last Chance Ranch?”

“Yes.” Josie’s tone was friendly but efficient. “It starts at one, and we’ll be serving an outdoor barbecue. You can bring a gift if you’d like, but it’s certainly not—”

“You bet I’ll bring a gift! Regan’s my best friend!” Belatedly he realized he wasn’t exactly displaying his Southern gentleman’s manners. “I appreciate the invitation. Thank you.”

“It required a big family meeting,” Jack said.

“Jack.” Josie gave him a look of warning.

“Well, it did.”

“We don’t need to discuss it, though.”

“Oh, please do.” Drake was fascinated. “I’ve never been the subject of a big family meetin’ before. I want to hear about it.”

Jack seemed all too willing to share. “See, Morgan was on the phone with everybody last night, carrying on about the incident at the hamburger joint. So my mom, Sarah Chance Beckett to you, called a family meeting early this morning because she said we couldn’t keep this up. Regan’s been saying you’re an okay guy, and now Tracy seems to think so, too, so we voted, and...” He shrugged. “Looks like you’re in. Congratulations.”

“I’ll be damned.” He glanced over at Tracy. “Will you be my date for this shindig?”

To his surprise, she hesitated. “I’d be glad to, but don’t forget that Jeannette will probably still be here then. You might rather take her, instead.”

“If it comes to that, I’ll take both of you.”

Tracy’s cheeks turned pink. “No, that’s okay. I can get there on my own.”

He realized that suggesting all three of them go together might not have been his brightest idea.

Then Jack spoke up again. “Who’s Jeannette?” He looked from Drake to Tracy. “The name sounds familiar, but I can’t place her.”

Josie cleared her throat nervously. “Are we talking about Regan’s Jeannette? Wait, I don’t mean that like it sounded. She’s not
Regan’s
Jeannette anymore, obviously. But is she the woman I’m thinking of? Because if she is, then—”

“Yes, it’s that Jeannette, and I invited her to come here for a visit,” Drake said. “I cleared it with Regan and Lily, first, of course.”

Jack stared at him in obvious disbelief. “Brewster, I was just thinking that maybe I might like you, and now I discover to my great disappointment that you have shit for brains. Are you telling me that you have invited Regan’s ex-fiancée to Jackson Hole?”

“It was my idea,” Tracy said. “Well, not the inviting part, but having Drake call her was my idea. They’ve been buddies since they were kids, and now they’re not friends anymore. That’s a shame.”

“Of course they’re not friends!” Jack scowled at Drake. “You slept with her! You can’t be friends with someone you...” He shot a glance in Josie’s direction. “Well, yes, you can, but not in this case. This is a particularly screwed-up case. You really invited her here? Really?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Can you uninvite her?”

“No, I can’t. She’s probably already booked a flight. She should be here in a couple of days.”

Jack groaned. “We’re just now getting used to
you,
and you bring the other half of the triangle into town?” His scowl deepened. “Hold it. Scratch that. You can’t have two halves of a triangle. It would be the other third of the triangle, but who the hell gives a damn about geometry at a time like this? Brewster, you suck.”

“He does
not.
” Tracy got right in Jack’s face. “I started all of this by saying he should get in touch with her, but if he thinks it’s an even better idea to bring her out here so that she can clear the air with Regan, and Regan and Lily agree to it, then it’s a done deal. You don’t have to meet Jeannette, so it’s none. Of. Your. Business.” She held his gaze with defiance radiating from every part of her trembling body.

Jack blinked. “Oh.” He adjusted the angle of his hat so it sat back a little more on his head. “You have a point.” He looked over at Drake. “Sorry, Brewster. Sometimes I forget I’m not the king. Fortunately I have people more than willing to remind me of that.”

Drake was blown away, both by Tracy’s fierce defense of him and Jack’s instant capitulation. “Apology accepted.”

Jack held out his hand and Drake shook it. Then Jack glanced at Josie. “Think we should mosey on home, now?”

She rolled her eyes. “Not yet, Your Majesty. Drake needs to know whether Jeannette is welcome at the party. I’d be happy to have her. I’ll bet Regan will want her there. But if you’re going to treat her like a leper, too, then—”

“Oh, God. Here we go with the leper thing again.” Jack sighed and faced Drake again. “Please bring whoever you want to the party, Brewster.” He looked to Josie for approval. “Is that okay?”

She smiled. “That’s fine. Let’s go home.”

“Yeah, let’s do. I’m exhausted.”

Josie came over and hugged Tracy. Then she sent a cautious smile Drake’s way. “See you two later.”

Jack gave Drake one last glance. “I really do like the hat. It suits you.” Then he slung an arm around Josie’s waist and they headed back to the big red truck.

Once they were out of hearing range, Drake turned to Tracy and cupped her face in both hands. “I don’t know what to say. You were incredible. It’s not even your fight, but you stood up for me.” His gaze searched hers and found what he was looking for. She loved him. He knew it more surely than he knew his own name. “Tracy, I’m in love with you, and I think you’re in—”

“Drake, you can’t trust what you’re feeling now.”

“The hell I can’t. I’ve never met a woman I’ve wanted this much, and not just sexually, although that part is beyond amazing. That’s rare, by the way. Take my word for it because I’m the one who’s supposed to be the experienced person in this group.”

“Okay, I believe you, but—”

He tightened his grip and poured out his heart. “I want
you,
Tracy. All of you—your compassion, your loyalty, your crazy fantasies, your great laugh, your quirky sense of humor, which is so much like mine it’s scary. But mostly I want that certain something we share, as if we’ve known each other forever, as if we
will
know each other forever. I want to be with you, Tracy. Whatever it takes, I want to be with you.”

“Oh, Drake...” Her eyes grew moist. “I wish it could be that simple.”

“It is simple. We’ll make it that way. We’ll—damn, there’s my phone.” And it was Jeannette’s ring. Terrible timing. He decided to let it go to voice mail.

But Tracy gently took his hands from her face and stepped away from him. “Take the call. It might be Jeannette.”

“I don’t care. I’ll get it later.”

“Take the call.”

The moment was spoiled, anyway, so he reached for the phone in his pocket. It had stopped ringing, but then his text message signal chimed. He opened the message. When he lifted his head, Tracy was watching him, a question in her eyes.