The Texan's Contested Claim: The Texan's Contested Claim / The Greek Tycoon's Secret Heir

He knew of only one place that fit his needs: his stepmother’s son’s ranch.

Muttering a curse, he paced his room. He didn’t want to call Jase. Calling him meant explaining where he was, what he was up to, and his stepmother had made them promise they wouldn’t search for Ali, that they would respect her request for privacy and leave her alone.

But he hadn’t promised, he reminded himself. Jase and Eddie, Jase’s father, had promised.

Admonishing himself of any guilt for his actions, he pulled his cell phone from his briefcase and scrolled through the address book until he found Jase’s home number.

Mandy, Jase’s wife, answered on the second ring.

“Hello?” she said sleepily.

“Mandy, it’s Garrett.”

“Well, hey, Garrett,” she said, sounding surprised to hear from him. “What are you doing calling me in the middle of the night?”

“I’m in a jam. Is Jase there?”

“He’s in Washington visiting his mother. Haven’t you seen him?”

“No, and I really need his help.”

“Call him at Barbara’s. I’m sure he’ll do whatever he can to help you out.”

“I can’t call him at Barbara’s,” he said in frustration. “You’ll have to help.”

“You know I’ll do whatever I can, but wouldn’t it make better sense to just call Jase, since he’s in Washington and I’m in Texas?”

“That’s just it. I’m in Texas, too.”

“What!” she cried. “Where?”

“Ali Moran’s house.”

A pregnant pause followed his announcement.

“You’re at Ali’s?” she said.

“Yes. I’ll explain later, but we need a place to hide out for a couple of days. I was hoping we could stay in one of the hunting cabins.”

“Of course you can,” she told him, then asked hesitantly, “Does Ali know you’re Barbara’s stepson?”

“No, and you’ve got to promise me you’ll keep it that way.”

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” she asked doubtfully. “Barbara made y’all promise you’d leave Ali alone.”

He felt a stab of guilt and quickly shrugged it off. “Jase and Eddie promised. I promised nothing.”

“That’s splitting hairs, don’t you think?”

He drew in a breath. “We can discuss this later, okay? Right now I’ve got to get us out of Austin.”

“Okay. But when Barbara finds out about this, I’m pointing all ten fingers at you, buddy. Understand? I’m not chancing getting on my mother-in-law’s bad side just to save your butt, even if it is a cute one.”

The next call Garrett made was to the head of his company’s security department.

“Joe, it’s Garrett. We’ve got a problem.”

Four

The plan Garrett devised for his and Ali’s escape included every mode of transportation, with the exception of air. He probably would’ve considered that, too, if he or Ali had known how to fly.

Their adventure started on land, with them sneaking down to the pier and climbing aboard the rowboat Ali kept on hand for her guests to use. With moonlight as their only illumination, they’d rowed across the lake and docked near the shoreline of the Hyatt Regency. From there, they’d grabbed a taxi for the airport, where Garrett had insisted Ali rent a vehicle, claiming if he rented it he would be leaving a paper trail that could easily be followed.

After loading their luggage into the rental, they’d left Austin, with Ali behind the wheel. She had thought he would insist on driving, had even suggested it, but he had reminded her she had rented the car and had listed herself as the sole driver, a legality Ali was willing to overlook in exchange for some much needed sleep. Apparently Garrett wasn’t.

Though she’d repeatedly asked him their final destination, the most she had been able to get out of him was that he’d arranged for them to stay in a friend’s hunting cabin.

“I feel like I’m playing connect the dots,” she said wearily, as she made the turn off the highway that carried them beneath an iron arch bearing the brand CCC. “Turn here, turn there. Go straight. At least tell me if we’re getting close.”

“We’re almost there. Keep driving until you see a small wooden arrow on the right that says ‘Hunting Cabins.’”

“Are you sure these people are expecting us?” she asked uneasily. “It’s four o’clock in the morning. I don’t want somebody shooting at me, thinking I’m a trespasser.”

“They know we’re coming.”

“Have you been here before?”

“Once.” He pointed ahead. “There’s the sign.”

Ali made the turn, slowing when her headlights illuminated a road that was little more than a path. “Now I know why you told me to request an SUV from the rental agency.”

“Pointless to hide, if you’re going to make yourself easily accessible.”

“I shouldn’t even be hiding,” she said petulantly. “I should be at home asleep in my bed.”

“If you were home, I guarantee you wouldn’t be sleeping. You’d be listening to your doorbell and phone ring off the wall. And if those guys hanging around outside have figured out a way to scale the rock wall that borders the street-side of your property, you might find yourself staring at a stranger’s face in your window—or worse, the lens of a camera. And when daylight arrives, you can bet at least one helicopter will be hovering over your house, taking aerial shots.” He waved a dismissive hand. “But once those pictures hit the papers, you wouldn’t have time to worry about the cameras any longer. You’d be too busy trying to stay alive.”

“Okay, okay,” she snapped. “I get your point.”

“Good. I really don’t want to have this conversation again.”

She saw a large shadow looming ahead and hit the bright lights. “Is that the cabin?” she asked.

“One of them.”

“How many are there?”

“Six, as I recall. They’ve left the cabin on the far end open for us.”