Texas Temptation

“Sandwiches—” He stopped abruptly at the sight of Annie’s full breasts pressing tightly against her blouse as she arched her back and groaned. He quickly recovered, though he had to swallow first in order to finish speaking. “—are about the extent of my culinary abilities.”

“Really?” She gave him a curious look. “I would have thought that—”

She caught herself, but he knew what she’d been about to say. Jonathan had practically been a gourmet cook. Jared felt a strange surge of anger and nearly blurted out that he wasn’t Jonathan, but he held his words in check.

“I manage to get by on canned soup and frozen dinners,” he said, moving into the kitchen. “Jessica takes pity on me once in a while and cooks something for me. Even Savannah insists I come over for dinner at least once a week.”

He opened the refrigerator and loaded his arms with sandwich makings, then shut the door and plopped everything down on the counter. “I must look like I’m wasting away, the way they fuss over me.”

Hardly, Annie thought, uncrossing her legs and standing. In fact, she doubted she’d ever seen a healthier more virile man than Jared.

And she certainly had seen Jared.

For the most part, she’d managed not to think about what had happened between them this morning. There’d been momentary lapses, such as when he’d spoken and the rough grain of his voice had skimmed over her skin like a current of low-voltage electricity. Or the time he’d brushed her knee with his, and her heart had shifted into double time. The idea of women fussing over Jared was not a difficult concept to grasp.

She sat on a bar stool opposite him at the counter, watching him slice a tomato with a sharp knife. His hands fascinated her. They were large, with long work-worn fingers and callused palms. She’d experienced their rough texture on her skin that morning and knew firsthand the sensuality they contained.

She knew the pleasure they contained, as well.

“Lettuce?” he asked.

“Please.” Disturbed by her thoughts, she looked quickly away, pretending interest in a small clay paperweight shaped like an oil well.

What was happening here? she asked herself, lifting the paperweight so she’d have something to occupy her hands. She couldn’t be attracted to Jared. He was Jonathan’s brother.

Since Jonathan, she hadn’t found anyone who had interested her enough to date more than casually. Most of the men she met in the field were arrogant die-hard chauvinists whose main hobby was seeing how quickly they could get a woman into the sack.

She couldn’t help the smile that crept over her lips. Jared had probably beat the world record this morning in that masculine sport.

“Emma made it for me.”

“What?” She glanced up sharply.

“The paperweight.” He gestured to the crude sculpture in her hands. “Emma made it.”

“Emma?” Annie turned it over and noticed the inscription on the bottom: To Jared. E.R.S. “Oh, yes. Your half sister. You want to tell me about her?”

He handed Annie a sandwich. “We found out about her at the reading of J.T.’s will. Turns out that my father had an affair ten years ago with the architect who designed his house.”

“You mean Stone Manor?” Annie asked, remembering the huge house that J.T.’s wife, Myrna Stone, had been so proud of and lived in still. Annie had never liked the place. It was cold and pretentious, like the woman herself.

Jared nodded. “The architect’s name was Angela Roberts. She left when she found out she was pregnant. She never told my father, and it was several years before he finally hired a private investigator to look for her. The man managed to uncover the fact that Angela had had a baby, but unfortunately J.T. died before the mother or child could be found.”

Annie started to take a bite of her sandwich, then stopped. “But...then, how did you, I mean...”

Jared reached behind him and opened the refrigerator. He pulled out two sodas and set one in front of Annie.

“Jake continued the search. The P.I. found the child five months later. Only problem—” he popped the lid of his soda and it fizzed loudly “—was that Angela Roberts had also died.”

Annie closed her eyes and released a long slow breath. “Oh, Jared, I’m so sorry.”

He stared at the soda can for a long moment, then nodded grimly.

“Anyway,” Jared continued, “when we found Emma a few months ago she was living with an aunt. It wasn’t easy, but Jake talked the aunt into coming here with Emma for a visit.” A smile lifted one corner of Jared’s mouth. “Then he married her.”

Annie still couldn’t believe it. Jake, of all people, remarried. She remembered that when Jonathan had told Jake he was getting married, the first thing Jake had said was, “Better you than me, bro. Have a dozen kids to make up for the ones I won’t.” Though he’d laughed as he said it, the smile never made it to his eyes.

The sandwich she was eating suddenly tasted like sawdust in her mouth. Annie had never had the chance to even marry Jonathan, let alone have his children. She’d almost thought—even hoped—that she’d been pregnant when she’d left that summer. She’d desperately wanted something of Jonathan she could have with her always, a part of him that she could love. A child.

But she hadn’t been pregnant. She realized later, of course, that it was for the best, but at the time she’d been disappointed.

She set the sandwich down and looked at Jared. “And now you’re here, too.”

“And now I’m here.”

And so am I, she thought.

For a few minutes there’d been an easiness between them, a connection that surprised her. But it was gone now, as if it were no more than a wisp of smoke.

And they were both abruptly aware that her visit was not of a social nature.

A weariness overcame her, and she felt a sudden desperate need to be alone. Away from here. She stood and rolled her shoulder to loosen the stiffness there.

“Thanks for the sandwich, Jared, but I think I’ve done all I’m capable of doing for now. I’m beat. It’s been a long drive here from Dallas. Why don’t we start fresh tomorrow and take a look at the rig first thing in the morning? Say about nine?”

“All right.” He set his sandwich down as if he, too, had lost his appetite. “Where are you staying?”

Annie couldn’t help but notice the fatigue that lined the edges of his deep blue eyes, and she realized that he was just as tired as she was. Based on the condition she’d found him in this morning, she assumed he hadn’t slept much the night before. She’d also noticed that he hadn’t stepped too close to a razor for a couple of days, and unbidden, the memory of how those rough bristles had felt against her neck flooded her mind.

She looked away, letting her insides settle before trusting herself to speak.

“I have a room in town,” she said, turning around and gathering up her notes. “At the Cactus Flat Motel. You can call me there if you need to. I’ll be going over this paperwork tonight.”

She turned to leave, then turned back again and lifted her gaze to his. “I know it’s hard for you, my being here,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

He nodded slowly, and she saw the pain in his eyes as he stared at her. The most natural thing in the world would have been to go to him and put her arms around him. To comfort him and to be comforted.

But she didn’t. And though she didn’t know why, she did know that in all the time she’d been here neither she nor Jared had said Jonathan’s name once.

Three

Annie was already at the rig when Jared drove up the next morning. At least her car was there, he noted as he pulled up beside the Cherokee, but she wasn’t in it.

He’d arrived early, hoping to get there before her. Partly to give himself a few minutes to do a test run on the drill motor, and partly because he needed a few minutes alone there before she showed up.

Maybe she’d needed a few minutes herself, Jared realized grimly.

He stepped out of his truck and tipped his Stetson back as he searched the area. The equipment shed was locked, so she couldn’t be in there. He started toward the small square trailer that served as office and lounge for the crew, but hadn’t gotten more than a few feet when he heard her call his name. Turning, he frowned as he looked around, but still didn’t see her.