It Takes Two: Deep in the Heart, Book 1 Read online

  His vice president appeared to think about that for a moment before shrugging and ambling to the office door. “It wasn’t my intention to try to sway you by using your father. I’ve known you long enough to know that wouldn’t work. Though I do hope, selfishly maybe, that you’ll change your mind about the deal.”

  Zach took a deep breath. “And I hope that this conversation doesn’t surface between us again, or you may find that my last act as president in this company is to make sure you no longer work here.”

  The threat was clear. Don’t try to screw me, Carter.

  After several shocked moments, Carter moved past the door frame and closed the door. Zach had a feeling Carter wasn’t telling the truth about the visit to Pop. Something else was going on, but he sure as heck didn’t know what. The only thing he was certain of was that Carter didn’t make friends unless he needed them. What possible motive could Carter have for getting buddy-buddy with Pop?

  The phone rang, startling him. He picked it up. “Hello?”

  “Darling, I’m downstairs at the curb, if you’re ready to go to dinner.”

  Despite the static of the car phone, Zach could hear the anticipation in LouAnn’s voice. Well, dammit, he was going to be excited about their dinner plans too, and he wasn’t going to let Carter ruin it for him. “I’ll be right down,” he said.

  “Hurry, darling.”

  The phone went dead and Zach hung up, shrugging into his suit jacket. He started to pick up the envelope containing his father’s check, then stopped. Why was Carter so interested in his correspondence with his father? Since the beginning, when Zach had met the struggling law student, his associate had known of the difficult relationship he had with his father. At some point, Carter had taken it upon himself to fill a void in Pop’s life. Now Carter had gone too far in his friendship with Zach’s father and something felt sinister about it.

  Zach had made it to the door when the phone rang again.

  “Dammit,” he murmured. The last thing he needed was to get held up on a business call. If LouAnn was at the curb, she’d have to keep circling the building or risk a ticket. Too many times having to circle would take the curl right out of LouAnn’s blonde hair, and they’d start the evening off at odds.

  “Hello?” he said briskly.

  “Zach? Zach Rayez?”

  He frowned, not recognizing the voice although it sounded familiar. “Yes?”

  There was silence for a moment before the quiet voice spoke again. He had to press the phone hard to his ear to hear. Then he knew that voice, knew it like he’d heard it all his life. “Annie? Has something happened?”

  “No.” She sounded like she was at the point of tears. “But I wondered if you had a moment to talk.”

  Zach was speechless. The one thing he’d never imagined happening was this. Annie sounded so distressed that he was worried. “Are you all right?”

  He heard a sniffle before she said, “I’m fine.”

  “Nothing’s happened to your father, has it?”

  “No; he’s doing much better.”

  So it wasn’t urgent, although he certainly wanted to talk to her and make sure she really was fine. “Listen, I really do want to talk to you, but I need to leave the office now. How about if I call you back tonight? Will you be home?”

  She was silent. Zach wondered if she’d heard him, but then Annie softly replied, “I’ll be home after nine.”

  He wouldn’t be home quite that early, but maybe he could call her from the restaurant. Suddenly, he remembered LouAnn was waiting on him—impatiently, no doubt. “All right. I’ll call you back this evening.”

  It sounded like Annie said thank you, and then the phone went dead. Zach tossed it down and strode to the door. He caught the elevator as it was closing. Quickly, he got on, hoping to catch LouAnn before she had to move out of the way of traffic. Her little white sports car was just pulling up to the curb. He squeezed himself into the car, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

  “I got caught on the phone. Sorry about that.”

  LouAnn smiled, obviously in a good mood over something. “It’s okay. I’ve got something special planned for you tonight.”

  “Oh?” Zach glanced at LouAnn’s perfectly styled hair and fingernails. A sudden thought occurred to him that he couldn’t remember ever seeing LouAnn without the full complement of cosmetics she always wore. She was beautiful, of course, stunning enough to make heads turn whenever they walked into a function—but he wasn’t sure what lay beneath the veneer of makeup. He wasn’t sure what her skin smelled like without the scent of perfume and hairspray clinging to her; even her cheeks smelled like expensive lotions and powders.

  Suddenly it seemed urgent that he get to know this woman—the real LouAnn—before he married her. Hesitantly, he asked, “What did you plan?”

  “Something at your place, where we can get comfy and be alone,” she said suggestively. She slid her hand up his leg. “I’m having dinner delivered too, so we don’t have to be bothered while we’re trying to talk about our wedding plans. How does that sound?”

  Zach caught her roving fingers deftly in his, on the pretext of wanting to hold her hand. How was he going to call Annie with LouAnn hovering around? “Sounds great,” he murmured.

  “I knew you’d be excited,” LouAnn said, her cherry-colored lips stretched into a smile. “I can’t wait until we’re married. I’m going to surprise you like this all the time.” She reached into the back of the car, handing him a small bag. “I got you something to get you in the mood for discussing wedding plans, Zach. Open it and see.”

  Reluctantly, Zach released LouAnn’s hand, hoping it wouldn’t wander back into his lap. He opened the bag. Underneath the white tissue lay a pristine, lacy white pair of crotchless panties.

  LouAnn giggled. “So, shall we go talk wedding?”

  “The faster the better,” he replied, knowing that was the expected response. LouAnn laughed, and the little car sped through a yellow light. Zach closed the bag and returned it to the backseat, wondering why he suddenly felt a little nauseous.

  Carter waited until Zach left, then strolled into his office. The phone call Zach had just received had been very interesting. He’d listened shamelessly through the door, realizing almost immediately from Zach’s reaction who was on the other end of the line.

  Zach had sounded so concerned that Carter pondered the conversation again. Something had happened while Zach was at the Aguillar farm. Surely he hadn’t allowed himself to go soft over that woman. Zach had never once looked at another woman since LouAnn, and the Aguillar woman was a direct contrast to the trophy female he’d caught himself. Zach would never cheat on LouAnn—but something just wasn’t making sense.

  The check on the corner of the desk drew his eye. Oh, he knew all about the row between Zach and his father. They’d finally had it out, the sore in their relationship festering over the years until it had finally reached painful proportions. That Zach still felt responsible for the worthless old man who shared his bloodline amazed Carter. It was possible being in love was making his boss go soft in the head.

  Carter’s eyes widened. In love, yes, but possibly not with LouAnn. Zach’s behavior hadn’t altered in the nine months he and LouAnn had been engaged; he’d been as ruthless and deal-hungry as ever. Suddenly, he’d had it out with his pop and was still willing to front the old toad, and he had a lack of hunger where a deal was concerned. All since he’d gone to Desperado.

  All since he’d met the owner of the Aguillar farm.

  Was it possible, was it even conceivable, that Zach had fallen a little bit for that black-haired, countrified witch of a woman?

  It was too strange to bear thinking about, and would certainly throw a kink into Carter’s plans. Decisively, he strode to Zach’s desk. The envelope bearing Zach’s father’s name he opened, staring at the amount written there.

  “Stupid fool,” he muttered before tearing it up.

  She shouldn’t have called him. Embarra
ssment flooded over Annie like water from a burst dam. Zach’s voice had sounded so distant over the phone lines that she knew the small bond she’d imagined between them had never been real.

  She glanced at her father, who lay peacefully sleeping in his hospital bed. It was eight thirty in the evening. Cody would be waiting for her out in front of the hospital. Annie picked up her purse and leaned over to touch her lips to her father’s forehead. He didn’t move, so she silently drifted out the door and down the hall.

  As she’d expected, the hearse was parked at the curb in the fire lane. Cody obeyed no authority in life except that imposed upon him by the sun and the moon. A slight breeze brushed her legs as the hospital doors slid open, and Annie walked faster, anxious to leave the hospital behind.

  “Hiya, Annie,” Cody said as she got into the car.

  “Hi, Cody.” She gave him a smile before leaning her head tiredly against the headrest. “I appreciate you giving me a ride home.”

  “No problem. It’s on my way.”

  She turned to look at him, her eyebrow arched. “This is most certainly not on your way.”

  He shrugged and pulled out of the parking lot. “But it’s not far enough to make a difference either, Annie. I’m glad to do it.”

  The distance between his farm and the hospital was about twenty miles, Annie calculated. Add to that the driving distance to her farm and it was a round trip of about sixty miles. She pursed her lips, feeling guilty. Cody shouldn’t have to do for her. His mother was already keeping Mary, and that was enough of an imposition. The weight of her responsibilities bore down upon her, and a little resentment too. Never before had she felt so dependent, so helpless.

  Unaware of the emotions he was stirring up, Cody said, “By the way, I took your check by the electric company. Everything’s straightened out now, and when you get home, you should find lights and hot water waiting for you.”

  Annie smiled weakly. “Your efficiency is impressive, to say the least. Thank you.”

  He turned his head to look at her. Illumination from occasional city lights chased the shadows from his face. Cody was handsome, in a rough-hewn sort of way, all the more attractive because his countenance spoke of hard work. But Annie felt no spark inside her soul for Carlos’s brother, despite the softness his smile held just for her.

  “I don’t need any thanks, Annie. You’re family, and family pulls together.”

  Yes, but she was a drag on the line. “I can’t help feeling bad for everything you and your mother are having to do for me. I’m disrupting your lives.”

  He ran a light finger down her cheek before pulling onto a main road. “And what would you do if my mother was in an accident of some kind?”

  “Oh, my goodness,” Annie murmured. “Well, I’d cook for her, and try to get her to let me clean the house. Mary would want to color her a hundred get-well cards, and—”

  “Now, then,” Cody interrupted smoothly, “you’d feel the same way we do about helping you out while you’re having difficulties. Everybody goes through hard times, eventually. You’re just suffering a little more than your share right now.”

  His smile was kind and wise. Annie took a deep breath, trying to calm the raging sea of worries inside her. Cody was right. In the end, everything was going to work out fine.

  Suddenly, she felt more awkward than ever that she’d placed that call to Zach Rayez. Since when did a little misfortune knock her off her horse? Since when had she forgotten to get right back up and ride like hell?

  Never again was she going to bow to the pressure of self-pity and anxiety, Annie vowed.

  “Well, here you are,” Cody said. He pulled the hearse in front of her house. “I’ll go inside with you and make sure the electricity has been restored.”

  Annie started to say it wasn’t necessary, but Cody had already opened his door and gone off into the darkness, muttering something about hell to pay if it wasn’t. She sighed and climbed out of the car, relieved to be home. Tired as she was, Annie appreciated the sense of comfort and welcome that seemed to resonate from every corner of her home. Home. That’s what this small, hard-baked piece of land was, and just setting foot on it sent strength welling up inside. Whatever insidious doubt had caused her to weaken, to pick up the phone and call Zach, she didn’t know, but when he returned her call tonight, Annie knew she would stick to mundane matters and never mention what she’d really been calling about.

  She would never admit, with her dying breath, that she’d actually considered selling a tiny portion of the land that was hers by right of birth.

  “You comin’, Annie?” Cody called. A warm flood of light radiated from the porch with his words.

  Annie hurried toward the house. “I’m right here.” He met her at the door. “Everything’s in order. You can spend the whole evening relaxing.”

  She put her purse down on a table, meeting his smile. “I don’t know if I’ll actually relax, but it’s definitely nice to have the lights back on. Thanks again, Cody.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll be going, unless there’s something else you need.”

  Shaking her head at his wistful expression, Annie said, “You’ve done enough.”

  “I’ll do a lot more, if you ever say the word,” he replied huskily.

  Annie cast her gaze down, unwilling to witness the hope she saw in his expression. “You’re a good friend, Cody,” she murmured.

  After a moment, he sighed before walking to the front door. “I’ve got a small surprise for you, so I’ll pick you up around nine in the morning. How does that sound?”

  She allowed her eyes to finally meet his. “Wonderful.”

  “Great. See you then.”

  The sound of his boots thumping down the porch steps brought a feeling of relief, because now she could truly be alone with her thoughts. Sooner or later, he was going to require an answer to the startling proposal he’d offered her. Annie sighed, trying to force herself to relax in her little home.

  Yet, strangely enough, a feeling of loneliness pervaded her. The house was too empty. Too quiet. Mary’s laughter was missing, and so was Papa’s gruff encouragement.

  Still, Annie warned herself to be strong. Giving in to alien feelings of weakness was what had preyed on her before. Like vultures, there were people circling, waiting to take advantage of the slightest crack in her defenses.

  It was so good to be home. She could get strong again here.

  And then nothing could get to her.

  Not even Zachary Rayez and the memory of his lips against hers, the feel of his man’s need pressed against her. He’d wanted her, Annie knew with certainty, but that kiss would have to sustain her through many lonely nights. It would only make her miserable to dream about something that was never going to happen again.

  Pressing her lips together, Annie realized she hadn’t remembered to get the mail when they’d driven up to the house. Cody hadn’t thought about stopping at the little, mailbox at the end of the drive, and neither had she. Walking down there in the darkness could be dangerous, despite the fact the night breeze blew sultry in the inky sky and a walk would be refreshing and nice.

  She thought about the overdue electric bill that had caused such problems, then hesitated. Cody had removed the rattlesnake at some point, leaving the box empty for its next inhabitant. There wasn’t much chance of her coming across one if she stayed on the rock- and dirt-packed lane. Annie shook her head. There were other bills she hadn’t paid in an exact and timely manner. Likely there was nothing in the mailbox that couldn’t wait until morning.

  And besides, she might miss Zach’s call. Annie instantly frowned. Why did she feel like it would matter?

  Suddenly, silence pressed in upon her. It was too damn quiet; it felt like she was in a tomb. And maybe that was why she wanted to be sure she caught Zach’s call.

  To reassure herself that she was still alive.

  Chapter Eight

  Sleep came uneasily to Annie that night. It was as if she were holdi
ng her breath; she tossed and turned, never fully awake.

  In the morning she rose feeling sluggish. The rejuvenation that she so desperately needed eluded her. Annie realized she’d never fully relaxed when she’d finally gone to bed—because her subconscious had been listening for the phone to ring.

  And it never had. Zach never returned her phone call.

  Bitter disappointment washed over her, all the sharper because it shouldn’t have mattered, and it did.

  “What a fool I am,” Annie whispered to herself, raking her long, black hair into a careless braid. The mirror reflected a woman too tired and too tense to have any contentment inside her soul. She sighed, deeply. “I can’t say Papa didn’t warn me about Zach.”

  Her pride stung all the more when she remembered their kiss, how he’d refused to take what she’d so plainly been offering—sexually. What he wanted was her land, and that he couldn’t have, so he’d gone away without making the conquest he’d wanted.

  And she was no more than a name on paper to him now.

  Loud honking outside drew Annie’s attention to the window. Cody’s hearse was pulling up, and he had a passenger. With a glad cry, Annie ran to the door, flinging it open in her delight. “Mary!” she cried, running to the car to open it and pulling the small child inside into her arms.

  Annie breathed in the strawberry-sweet scent of Mary’s hair, noting that her daughter’s shoulders felt small and frail as she clutched her. “Mommy’s missed you so much,” she murmured.

  “I’ve missed you too, Mommy,” Mary replied. “When can I come home?”

  Annie winced at the question. “I don’t know, sugar. Aren’t you happy at Grandma’s?”

  “Yes.” Mary’s nod was definitive. “But I miss you. I miss my grandpa. I want to come home.”

  Annie pulled Mary back into her arms for another tight hug. “I know you do. Mommy wants that, too. I love you so much.”