Secret Love

She frowned. No doubt Sterling had known about the absence of an outside phone line at the cabin. He had made her promise that she would not be calling her agent or anyone else regarding work. He had wanted her to spend the next three weeks resting.

Diamond walked back inside. Jacob had told her that the kitchen had been stocked for her visit, but if she ever got tired of cooking to just pick up the phone and call the ranch, and he would have his cook prepare something and that he’d bring it out to her.

Although she knew he was doing certain things to assure her privacy, Diamond couldn’t help but feel that he was also doing everything within his power to keep her at a distance. It appeared the ranch was his domain. He didn’t mind sharing his land as long as she stayed in the space he had decided to give her.

Diamond tried to laugh at the thought of any man keeping her at a distance. She’d never had that sort of problem before and found the thought interesting. She had always become irritated with men who became obsessed with the way she looked. If her theory was true and Jacob was keeping her at a distance, it would be a first. But then, Jacob Madaris had started off being a first in a number of ways already. He was the first man, other than Sterling and her other childhood friend Kyle Garwood, who could elicit a genuine smile from her. And he’d been the first she had actually noticed as a man in a long time. A very long time. His masculinity was something any sane woman just couldn’t miss…or ignore.

Opening the refrigerator door, she began pulling out the items needed to make a salad. The sound of thunder was getting closer. After dinner she would take a shower and curl up in bed with a good book. For the first time in years, she would spend her evening doing practically nothing.

“And you’re sure she’s okay?”

Jake stared out of his kitchen window. From the brightly lit patio he could see at least half a dozen roses already in full bloom. He could easily remember the day his ex-wife had planted a number of them in various places on his land.

“Jake, did you hear what I asked?”

Sterling’s sharp words startled Jake out of his study of the flowering plants. Just as well, he thought. The last person he wanted to think about was his ex-wife, Jessie. He would have destroyed all of the rosebushes after she’d left if the darn things hadn’t bloomed so beautifully that year and every year since.

“Yes, Sterling, I heard,” he barked back into the telephone as he moved away from the window. “I’ve already told you at least twice that she’s fine. A thunderstorm came up after dinner so chances are she’s already retired for the night.”

Jake’s brow pulled tight over his forehead. “What’s with you and Diamond Swain anyway? I thought you told me there was nothing going on between you two.”

“There’s not. Diamond and I are just good friends. I’m worried about her, that’s all. She’s been pushing herself a lot lately and needs plenty of rest.”

“Well, she has no reason not to get it here. I put her up in the cabin like you asked, so she has all the seclusion she’ll ever need.”

“If she’ll stay secluded. You don’t know Diamond. She actually likes being around people. Unfortunately in our line of business you can’t afford to be too friendly. You never know whether or not the person you’re befriending has a part-time job with the tabloids.”

Sterling paused before continuing. “I have a feeling she’ll love Whispering Pines so much that she’ll eventually come out of her shell.”

Jake frowned. “What shell?”

“The one she’s been in since her divorce. Professionally she’s doing fine, but personally I’m still worried about her. Her divorce last year was a nasty affair. I’m sure you probably remember reading about it.”

Jake shook his head. “No, I’m not into reading that sort of stuff. I have enough to do around here without worrying about what goes on in someone else’s life. I don’t have time to concern myself with other people’s problems.”

“Hmm, I’ll see how long that lasts.”

Jake frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing. Hey, look, I need to get off the phone and study my script. I’ll check in again at the end of the week.”

“Yeah, you do that.”

Jake hung up the phone, wondering if Diamond had indeed retired for the night like he’d told Sterling. When the storm had hit earlier that afternoon, he couldn’t help but think about her and wonder how she was making out. She hadn’t called, so he could only assume she was doing okay. But maybe he should check on her anyway. Sterling seemed awfully antsy about her welfare.

Convincing himself that he was calling for Sterling’s benefit and not his own, Jake dialed the number to the cabin. His forehead knotted into a frown when she didn’t answer by the fifth ring. He was about to hang up when she finally picked up. He could tell by the quickened sound of her breathing that she had rushed to the phone.

“Where were you?” he demanded to know in a raised voice.

An intense frown covered Diamond’s face, and her back stiffened. Jake’s question brought back memories of when Samuel used to ask her that same question in a very accusing tone. “I was in the shower. Is something wrong?” she snapped defensively.

“No.”

“Then why are you yelling?”

Jake scowled at the sudden realization that he had indeed raised his voice. “For no reason,” he said, lowering it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. Sterling called tonight and was concerned when he couldn’t reach you earlier. So I thought I’d check on you to make sure you were okay. You had me worried when it took so long for you to answer the phone.”

Diamond’s anger deflated somewhat upon hearing that he’d been worried about her. She wrapped a huge towel securely around her body. “I’m fine. I had planned to take my shower earlier, before the storm hit, but things didn’t work out that way. I had to wait until now. I was just stepping out of the shower when I heard the phone. I barely had time to completely dry off.”

Jake’s heart began to thump erratically, and his hand holding the phone began to shake when a heated image of a half-naked Diamond rushing from the shower filled his mind. He hadn’t had to look twice at the way she had filled a pair of jeans to know that her body was a real work of art, especially her perfectly rounded backside.

“Jacob, was there anything else you wanted?”

Her innocent question hung in the air. Yeah, there was something else he wanted but he wouldn’t dare tell her what that something else was. He immediately squashed the thought. He and Diamond were as different as night and day. He was a rancher, and she was a Hollywood superstar, and that was far worse than her being just a sophisticated city woman. One sophisticated city woman had already taught him a lesson that he would never forget. Ranchers and sophisticates didn’t mix. What he’d gone through with Jessie had helped to mold him into the man he was today, especially when it came to women. His strictest rule was to never get tangled up with another sophisticate again. Diamond was not only a sophisticate, she was a celebrity. That spelled double trouble.

“No, there’s nothing else. Sorry I bothered you.”

“You didn’t bother me, Jacob.”

Jake nodded, glad that he hadn’t. He moved to the window again and looked out at the roses. They were a constant reminder of what a fool he’d been at one time. He had no intention of repeating it.

“Do you think you’ll need a car while you’re here? If so, you can use mine. Maybe it’s not a good idea for you to be so far out from the ranch without some sort of transportation,” he said.

“A car won’t be necessary. But what are my chances of getting a horse sometime later this week? I’d like to go riding. Would that be okay?”

“Sure, just as long as you don’t mind the risk of running into one of my men. This is roundup time and although the location of the cabin is pretty secluded, they’ll be out working all over the place if they ever have to look for strays.”

Diamond nodded. “That’s fine. I’ll call you when I’m ready to go riding.” There was a pause, then she said, “Sterling told me that the people who work for you can be trusted to keep my presence here a secret.”

Jake leaned back against a kitchen counter. He couldn’t help but smile when he remembered the meeting he’d held with his men yesterday morning to announce Diamond’s visit to the ranch. At first all of them had simply stared at him, then one by one their mouths had dropped open. They had walked around the rest of the day tongue-tied. The thought of someone like Diamond Swain at Whispering Pines had some of them acting downright ridiculous. A few of them had even shown up for work this morning in what he considered as their Sunday best. He had sent them back home to change. No one in their right mind wore a suit to roundup and brand cows.

“Yes, they can be trusted. In fact, they’ve taken a solemn oath to make sure your privacy is protected at all costs.”

“That’s very nice of them. I’d like to meet them while I’m here.”

Jake lifted a brow. It surprised him that she would bother to take the time to do that. “I’m sure they’ll get a kick out of it.” He knew that was putting it mildly. His men would be overjoyed at the chance to meet her. Some of them were really big fans of hers.

After a somewhat lengthy pause, she asked, “How do you do that?”

Jake lifted his brow. “Do what?”

“Get your men to be so loyal to you.”

Jake shrugged before answering. “Loyalty, like respect, is earned. A lot of the men have worked for me for years. I believe if you give people respect and loyalty, they’ll give it back to you. There are three things my daddy always told me that have stuck over the years. The first thing is to watch older cowboys work; they know the simplest and least expensive ways to get things done, and they’ll appreciate you for taking the time to show interest in what they do. The second thing is to always hire cowboys who are smarter and more skilled than you are. And lastly, never hire a cowboy who won’t tell you when you’re wrong. I have that kind of relationship with my men. I’m the boss, and they know it. But they also know their thoughts and ideas count. I didn’t make Whispering Pines into what it is today by myself. I give my men just as much credit.”

Silence fell, and Jake knew it was time to withdraw. He had shared more about himself with her than he had intended to. “Look, I know you’re pretty tired, so I’ll let you go.”

“Thanks for calling, Jacob. Will I see you tomorrow?”