The Enemy's Daughter
Linda Turner
THE AGENT: Secretive, smoldering sexy Russell Devane.THE MISSION: Taking on a new identity to capture a traitor.THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT: The enemy' s stunning daughter!When undercover SPEAR agent Russell Devane arrived at the Pear Tree cattle station in search of a dangerous traitor, he saw that the best way to get information was to get close to the enemy' s daughter. He got close, all right too close and found himself fighting a forbidden attraction to the beautiful Lise Meldrum. As an agent, Russell always got his man. Now the question was, could he get his woman?
As an evil traitor threatens
to destroy the top-secret SPEAR agency,
A YEAR OF LOVING DANGEROUSLY
continues.
Russell Devane aka Steve Trace
Strong and strapping
a man who knows how to get the job done.
Masquerading as another manand romancing the enemys daughter under false pretenseswere all in a days work. Until Russell tempted fate by falling for the fresh-faced goddess he was forbidden to claim!
Lise Meldrum
An Amazon beauty with a cloud of
luxurious auburn hair, rose-petal-soft skin
and a secret yearning for love.
All her life, love-starved Lise had been searching for a man like Steve to make her feel feminine, desirable, cherished. But what would she do once she uncovered his shattering deception?
Simon
Scarred inside and out, this ruthless traitor
felt the tide turning in his favor
until he discovered hed been double-crossed.
When his daughter aligned herself with the enemy, Simon vowed there would be hell to pay. For he would stop at nothing to exact his revengeincluding sacrificing one of his own!
Dear Reader,
Youve loved Beverly Bartons miniseries THE PROTECTORS since it started, so I know youll be thrilled to find another installment leading off this month. Navajos Woman features a to-swoon-for Native American hero, a heroine capable of standing up to this tough copand enough steam to heat your house. Enjoy!
A YEAR OF LOVING DANGEROUSLY continues with bestselling author Linda Turners The Enemys Daughter. This story of subterfuge and irresistible passionnot to mention heart-stopping suspenseis set in the Australian outback, and I know youll want to go along for the ride. Ruth Langan completes her trilogy with Seducing Celeste, the last of THE SULLIVAN SISTERS. Dont miss this emotional read. Then check out Karen Templetons Runaway Bridesmaid, a reunion romance with a heroine whos got quite a secret. Elane Osborns Which Twin? offers a new twist on the popular twins plotline, while Linda Winstead Jones rounds out the month with Madigans Wife, a wonderful tale of an ex-couple who truly belong together.
As always, weve got six exciting romances to tempt youand well be back next month with six more. Enjoy!
Leslie J. Wainger
Executive Senior Editor
The Enemys Daughter
Linda Turner
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Dear Reader,
When my editor invited me to write The Enemys Daughter for A YEAR OF LOVING DANGEROUSLY, I was thrilled. It turned out to be a book of firsts for me. Ive always loved writing stories full of adventure, but Id never done anything with spies or espionage or secret law-enforcement agenciesexcept work for the FBI after I graduated from college. But thats another story.
And the fact that my particular book was set in Australia was an added plus. Id never done a story set in another country, and Ive always wanted to go to Australia, so this was perfect. I would have loved to have made a trip down under to see the Outback for myself, but I didnt have the time, unfortunately. So I had to be content with reading about it, instead. One day, though, I will make it down there.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed writing the book and collaborating with the other Silhouette authors and editors. It was a labor of love, and I hope you like the finished book as much as I do.
Sincerely,
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 1
For as far as the eye could see, the land was a vast, endless stretch of lonely plains that resembled the high desert of New Mexico. An occasional eucalyptus dotted the landscape with its thin, spindly branches, and small arid plants that needed little moisture in order to survive thrived under a hot sun that burned in a cloudless sky. And covering everything was a veil of choking red dust kicked up by a dry wind that blew steadily from the north.
Staring out at the haunting land that was the Australian outback, Russell Devane had, before hed accepted this particular mission, thought he was a man who could take in stride whatever nature threw at him. After all, his job as an operative for the secret organization SPEAR had taken him to the farthest reaches of the globe. Hed withstood the bone-numbing cold of the Arctic and the blistering sands of the Sahara, all without complaint. But he could see already that nothing in his past had really prepared him for the vastness of the outback and its drastic temperature changes. It was the tail end of summerfall was just days awaybut the temperature had to be a hundred and twenty degrees in the shade. And it wasnt even noon yet!
Just thinking about working in that kind of heat all day long made him sweat, but he grimly resolved to get used to it. He had to. In a few minutes, he would be arriving at the headquarters of the Pear Tree Cattle Station, where he would assume the identity of Steve Trace, the stations newest cowboy and an associate of Art Meldrum, the owner of the place.
To the rest of the world, Art was an absentee landlord who left the running of the huge ranch in the hands of his daughter, Lise, most of the time. Only Russelland his fellow SPEAR operativesknew that Art was actually an alias for Simon, the traitor whod spent the last eight months trying his damnedest to destroy not only Jonah, the head of SPEAR, but the agency itself. And he was slippery as an eel. Time and again, just when SPEAR operatives were sure they had him in their grasp, hed managed to slip away.
Not this time, Russell promised himself, his gray eyes steely as he thought of how Simon had evaded capture just days ago on the Caribbean island of Cascadilla. The bastard had, in fact, never even put in an appearance on the island. Thanks to the real Steve Trace, a kidnapper and thug whod been hired sight unseen by Simon, hed been warned he was walking into a trap if he came to Cascadilla. So hed run home to the outback, where he could lie low in the bush, and hed never known that the real Steve Trace had died soon after hed gotten word to him he was in danger.
SPEAR had made sure that no one knew of Traces death, making it easy for Russell to step right into his life. Pretending to be Trace, hed used Traces cell phone and discovered through the phones address book that Simon was using the name Art Meldrum in Australia. Hed immediately called him and given him a sob story about needing a job. Not suspecting a thing, Simon had told him to come to the station, which was just what Russell had figured would happen. After all, Simon had narrowly escaped capture thanks to the quick thinking of Trace. The least he owed him was a job.
So here he was two days later, right in Simons own backyard, and so damn close to the bastard, he swore he could smell him. And Simon didnt have a clue what kind of trouble was coming his way. Russell hoped he enjoyed his freedom because it was just about to come to an end.
The station headquarters came into view then, just a dot on the horizon that grew steadily larger with every passing mile. Long moments later, the mailman Russell had hitched a ride with just outside of Roo Springs pulled up before the main house in a swirl of dust. Here you are, mate, he said, frowning at the house. The place looks deserted.
Russell had to agree. Set in the middle of the barren plain without so much as a single tree to offer shade, the large, two-story frame house appeared empty. There were no cars in sight, and nothing moved but the dust stirred up by the wind.
Shooting him a frown, the mailman arched a dark brow at him. You sure youre expected? Lise usually sticks close to the house when companys coming. She doesnt get many visitors way out here in the bush.
If anyone would know Lises schedule, Russell figured it would be the mailman. Roo Springs was the closest town to the stationif you could call a wide spot in the road with fifty inhabitants a townand there was only one mailman to deliver the mail. There was probably little that went on within a two-hundred-mile radius that the older man didnt know about.
I didnt know exactly when I would be arriving, Russell replied, which was the truth. Ill just unload my stuff and wait on the front porch until she gets back.
The postman, who was as thin and scrawny as the scraggly bushes planted in the dust in the yard, looked anything but convinced. I dont know, mate. Its a warm day, and you being a Yank and all, you should be inside out of the heat. Let me see if I can raise somebody. And with no more warning than that, he laid on the horn.
Wincing, Russell swore. Damn idiot! Hed hoped hed have a chance to look around the place without being observed, but then again, he hadnt expected to arrive with horns blaring like the leader of a damn parade, either! This was great. Just great!
Muttering under his breath, he started to tell the old man to lay off, but then his eyes fell on the corral next to the barn on the far side of the house. His heart stopped dead in his chest at the sight of a woman nearly under the hooves of what appeared to be a wild mustang rearing on its hind legs. Frightened by the horn, its eyes wide, the horse looked ready to stomp her into the ground.
Later, Russell never remembered moving. One second, he was all set to chew out the mailman and the next, he was out of the vehicle and charging across the compound at a dead run toward the corral.
If someone had asked him then what she looked like, he couldnt have said. All he saw was a woman in trouble. Hopping the fence, he swept her up into his arms like she weighed no more than a feather and set her out of harms way on the other side of the corral fence.
Only then did he take a good look at her, and what he saw infuriated him. She was a big girl, five feet eleven if she was an inch, with a cloud of auburn hair that fell nearly to her waist and skin that was rose-petal soft under his hands. Tanned from working outside, her eyes as blue as the sky, she was trim and fit and had the kind of fresh-faced, subtle beauty that a lot of men often overlooked. Not Russell. In the stark barrenness of the outback, she was an unexpected treasurethat had almost been stomped into the ground by a horse that was no doubt as wild as a March hare.
Infuriated at the thought, he released her abruptly, but only to snap, What the hell do you think youre doing, woman? Trying to get yourself killed? Dont you have any better sense than to step into a corral with a monster like that? You could have been killed!
Her heart still pounding from the shock of being swept off her feet by a giant of a man whod appeared out of nowhere, Lise could only stare at him like a starstruck teenager whod lost her tongue. For most of her life, shed been at least eye level with every man she metit wasnt often that she had to look up to one. But this one towered over her by at least five inches and had the broadest shoulders shed ever seen. In a matter of seconds, he did something to her that no man had ever done beforehe made her feel small and delicate. It was a heady feeling.
Then his words registered.
Outrage sparked in her eyes like a summer thunderstorm. The nerve of the man! This was her station, dammit, and if he thought she was going to stand there and let him yell at her like she was a two-year-old who didnt have the sense to come in out of the rain, he could think again!
Hold it right there, mister! I dont know who the hell you think you are, but for your information, I had everything under control until you came charging in here like Indiana Jones!
The hell you did!
And Thunders not a monster! He was just startled. If you hadnt blown your damn horn
I didnt! That was the mailmans idea. But dont go blaming him. He thought the place was deserted. If you hadnt been in the corral in the first place, this never would have happened. Anyone with eyes can see that that horse is wild, and youve got no business going anywhere near him!
That was the wrong thing to say. Lise considered herself an easygoing woman, but no man was going to tell her where she could and couldnt go on her own station. Her blue eyes narrowing dangerously, she almost purred her words. Oh, really? Well see about that! And before he could stop her, she slipped through the wooden rails of the corral fence and approached the still spooked horse without an ounce of fear.
Behind her, she heard her rescuer swear and start to follow her into the corral, but she never took her eyes off the mustang. Still half wild, he could, if he chose, pound her into the dust if she made one wrong move. She didnt. Talking to the animal soothingly, she sweet-talked him into letting her touch him, and before he knew what she was about, she had him bridled.
Triumphant, she turned to her visitor with an arch look. You were saying?
Russell couldnt help but be impressed, and too late he realized he may have stepped over the line. This had to be Lise Meldrum, Simons daughter and the manager of the place. Hed planned to charm her into liking him so he could get on her good side and pump her for everything he could about her father, and here he was yelling at her, instead! Talk about a bonehead move. What the devil was wrong with him? He was good at what he didhe didnt usually make those kind of mistakes. But then again, he didnt usually come across a beautiful woman caught under the hooves of a frightened horse, either.
Which has nothing to do with anything, a voice in his head growled. Remember your mission.
Silently cursing himself for the reminder he shouldnt have needed, he forced himself to relax and step into the cover of Steve Trace. For the rest of his stay in Australia, he would answer to nothing but Steve. And it would help him assume his new identity by convincing himself that his name was Stevenot Russell.
Giving her a teasing smile, he said wryly, Did I say what I thought I just did? It must be the heatits fried my brain. Can you forgive me? Obviously you know what youre doing. Of course, I would have won Thunders trust with some sugar before I took a chance on stepping back into the corral when he was still so skittish, but I know women like to do things their own way. And thats okay, he said, grinning when steam practically poured from her ears. Youre the boss.
Stepping over to the corral fence, he extended his hand to her over the top rail, his gray eyes glinting devilishly. You must be Lise. Your father told me youd be running the place. Im Steve Trace, your new cattle drover. Or at least, I am if you dont can my hide for this stunt. You just scared the hell out of me, and I overreacted. Can you forgive me?
Gritting her teeth, Lise looked him over, taking in his chiseled good looks, the long chestnut hair worn in a ponytail, the bold glint in his gray eyes and told herself she shouldnt forgive him. She knew his kind. He was a charming flirt whod been talking his way out of tight situations from the time he was a little boy and hed first learned he could get his way with a woman by flashing a smile. He was trouble, and she had a feeling that if she let him stay, he was going to give her plenty of it.
Right then and there, she should have sent him packing. It would have been the smart thing to do, and her father wouldnt have cared. She was in charge of running the station and had full authority to hire and fire. But she was, as usual, shorthanded. Life in the outback was harsh, and finding good men wasnt easy. The work was hard, the pay minimal, the hours long. Cowboys had a tendency to drift with the wind, never staying anywhere very long. If you found a good one, you hung onto him with both hands.
And something told her the Yank would be a good one. Big and strapping, with the shoulders of an American football player and a strength that had stolen her breath, he appeared to have what it took to do the work and do it well. And she needed him, dammit. With the annual fall roundup just around the corner and only a handful of men to work tens of thousands of acres, she could use all the help she could get.
Left with no choice, she reluctantly gave his hand a firm, businesslike shake, but if he thought she was going to let him off that easy, he was in for a rude awakening. Of course, she retorted coolly. As long as you understand that things are done my way around here, there shouldnt be any problem, should there?
Just that easily, she laid down the ground rules and dared him to question them.
Not the least intimidated, Steve only grinned. Whatever you say, boss lady.
You just remember that, and well get along fine, Yank. Grab your things. Ill show you to the bunkhouse.
The battle lines were drawn. Enjoying himself, Steve couldnt help but be pleased. He liked a woman who stood up for herself, who had the confidence to hold her own with a man and challenge him at every turn. SPEAR had been able to give him very little information about Lise Meldrum other than that she managed the place because her father was gone a lot on what, to the rest of the world, appeared to be business trips. Other women might have handled the business end of the station from the comfort of an air-conditioned office and left the real work to her cowboys, but that didnt appear to be Lises way. She wasnt a hothouse flower, but a hands-on manager who apparently worked right alongside her men, and he liked that. This mission was going to be much more interesting than hed expected.
Adrenaline pumping through his veins, Steve thanked the mailman, whod watched the exchange between him and Lise with a wide grin of appreciation, then retrieved his duffel bag from the back seat of the mail car. He hadnt brought much with himhed learned a long time ago that in his business, it paid to travel light. Sometimes you had to move fast. If you had to abandon a mission in the middle of the night, the last thing you wanted was baggage slowing you down.
All set, he told Lise as the mailman waved at Lise and drove off in a cloud of dust. Lead the way, maam.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously at that. Its Lise, she corrected him. Just Lise. We dont stand on ceremony around here.
Hed already figured as much, but he could see that pushing her buttons was going to be an enjoyable pastime he hadnt expected. Whatever you say, maam. Your father told me Id get along fine here as long as I followed orders. Where is he, by the way? Id like to thank him in person for the job.
He glanced around casually, but inside, every nerve ending was standing at full alert. Hed been on the move nonstop for the last twenty-four hours in hopes of catching Simon unaware on his own turf. One phone call to Belinda, his contact at SPEAR, and he could have backup there in fifteen minutes or less.
Any hope of capturing the bastard that easily, however, died a swift death when Lise said just as casually, You could if he was here, but he had to leave early this morning for a business meeting in London. Im not sure when hell be back.
Yeah, right, Steve thought cynically. Who the hell did she think she was fooling? She might appear to be as honest and straightforward as Mother Teresa, but only a fool bought into that act. And Steve was nobodys fool. She was Simons daughter, for Gods sake, and probably the only person in the world he really trusted completely. Of course she knew when the bastard was coming back. She was just protecting him. Steve couldnt allow himself to forget that she would, no doubt, continue to do that at all cost.
Then I guess Ill just have to thank him another time, he said easily, and silently promised himself it wouldnt be long.
They reached the bunkhouse, and she preceded him inside. Far from disappointed that things at the station werent quite as hed expected, Steve glanced around his new home and decided that this wasnt going to be so bad. Granted, there was little privacy, but he could find a way to work around that. Especially if it meant uncovering Simons dirty little secrets. This was the one place in the world where the traitor felt safe. With any luck, he kept records here not only of his illegal activities, but also of the network of contacts he used around the world to carry out his evil plans. If Steve could uncover that kind of information, SPEAR could not only finally capture Simon, but finally shut down his entire operation worldwide.
Its not the Ritz, Lise said stiffly, but I havent heard any of my men complaining. They have their own space, and they eat good. I make sure of that. The cook here is one of the best in the country.
Realizing he was frowning in concentration and shed taken that for disapproval of the accommodations, he blinked, and just that quickly flashed a grin at her. Now youre talking, boss lady. I think Im going to like it here.
She bristled at the title hed labeled her with, and it was all he could do not to chuckle. He wasnt teasinghe only had to look around to know that he really was going to like it there. As a kid, he hadnt been able to wait until the day he could leave the dairy farm hed grown up on in Wisconsin, but deep down inside, hed been missing the place ever since. Lately, hed been thinking maybe it was time to go back. Hed worked for SPEAR a long time, and the world of intrigue and adventure could be addictive, but there was a part of his soul that ached to get back to his roots, to a place where he could relax and get back to nature. For now, this just might be that place. Granted, he still had to be on guard, and the outback wasnt Wisconsin, but there was something about the whisper of the wind across the dry, parched, endless land that called to him. It wasnt home, but it felt like it.
He didnt fool himself into thinking his missionor the cover hed adoptedwould be easy. On a station the size of the Pear Tree, there was a lot of work to be done and never enough time in the day to do it all. The men put in a long day, and if Steve needed proof of just how hard the work was, he got it later that evening when the rest of the crew returned to the bunkhouse when their shift was over.
Straggling in, their faces baked as brown as the land by the hot, unforgiving desert sun, they were dirty and sweaty and sporting various cuts and bruises. They wanted a shower and food, in that order, and nothing was getting in their way. Taking time only to greet Steve and introduce themselves, they headed for the showers, then the dining hall.
Far from offended, Steve knew they would loosen up some after they had a chance to clean up and fill their bellies, and he was right. The long table in the dining hall of the bunkhouse had barely been cleared off before Nate, the oldest of the six cowboys, pulled out a deck of cards. Thin and wiry and weathered from years spent working in the elements, he had the kind of face that didnt give away his age. With a thatch of gray at his temples and brown hair that was naturally thin, he could have been anywhere from thirty-five to fifty.
His faded blue eyes twinkling with a challenge, he held the pack of cards to Steve. You up to a game of poker, mate?
Liking him immediately, Steve grinned. Well, now, that depends. Im not much of a gambler. How about you?
He shrugged. I lose more than I win, but Im willing to give it a try if you are.
Steve watched smothered grins spread through the rest of the cowboys and knew he was being set up. Not bothering to hide his grin, hed expected as much. He was the odd man out and a Yank, to boot, and if hed been in their shoes, he would have done the same thing. The way a man played poker said a hell of a lot about him.
Pulling out a chair across the table from the older man, he said, Im in. Name your stakes.
Chairs scraped on the old wooden floor as the others quickly joined in, someone pulled out a bottle of whiskey, and the game was on.
It didnt take long for his companions to figure out that Steve was no slouch when it came to cardsor for him to realize that they could hold their own with him when it came to bluffing. Especially Nate. He could be holding everything from a royal flush to nothing but a pair of deuces, but youd never know it from the easygoing grin on his face.
And that made him a very dangerous man indeed, Steve acknowledged. When you couldnt tell what someone was thinking, you didnt dare turn your back on him. He knew that, accepted it and didnt intend to forget it. But that didnt mean he didnt thoroughly enjoy pitting his wits against Nate and every other man there. From the way things were looking, first with the daughter, then Nate and the rest of the hands, this mission was going to be a hell of a lot more fun than hed expected.
Losing his second hand in a row to the older man, Steve watched him rake in winnings that at the outset of the hand hed been sure were his, and he could do nothing but swear good-naturedly. Youve got a hell of a way of losing there, mate. You ever let anyone else lose?
Not if I can help it. He chuckled. I kind of like it this way.
I can see why you would, Steve drawled, amused. Just dont get too comfortable. Things are about to change.
Far from perturbed, Nate only grinned. I wouldnt go spending my winnings just yet, if I were you. From where Im sitting, you havent got any.
The nights not over yet, Steve retorted, his own grin wide. Deal.
With nothing more than that, the challenge was issued and the stakes were raised. Enjoying himself, Steve won the next two hands, then lost three. But he couldnt complain. The game stayed friendly, and it gave him a chance to learn more about Lise and her elusive father.
Tossing his ante into the middle of the table for the next game, he said with studied casualness, I guess things are pretty easy around here when the boss is away, huh? How longs he going to be gone?
In the process of taking a sip of his whiskey, Chuck, the youngest of the group, nearly choked. What are you talking about? The old man doesnt give a rats ass about whats going on around here. Hes not here half the time. Lise is the one who keeps this place going.
And she does a damn good job of it, Preston, the quiet one of the group, said proudly.
The others nodded in agreement, and there was no question that Lise was respected by all of them. Shes a good boss, Nate said. I never worked for a better one.
No kidding? Steve said. This place must be half the size of Texas. You sure her boyfriends not helping her? Thats an awful lot of responsibility for a woman alone.
Fishing for more information, Steve threw the bait out and didnt have to wait long for a response. Lise aint got no boyfriend, Frankie, a big, balding hulk of a cowboy, said with a crooked grin. Never has, as far as I remember.
Wait a minute, Barney said. A short, husky man with a tattoo of a mermaid on his arm, he had a wicked grin and the very devil in his eyes. Dont go forgetting old man McEnnis. He was sweet on her there for a while.
Sweet, my eye, Nate retorted. The old geezer didnt have any teeth! And he died the next week! That aint no boyfriend. Thats a nightmare!
Everyone laughed at that, including Steve, even as he filed away the information for future use. So Lise didnt have a man in her life, and from the sound of it, never had. That would make romancing her a hell of a lot easier, if thats what he had to do to find out more information about her father.
In her fathers study in the main house, Lise sat at his oversize desk and was frowning at the ranch books when there was a knock at the study door. Glancing up, she smiled at the sight of Tuck standing on the threshold with his hat in his hand, looking for all the world like an overgrown kid being called on the carpet before the schoolmaster. He was a big man, nearly as tall as she, with a round face and an easygoing nature that made him a favorite with just about everyone. That didnt, however, mean he was soft. Far from it, in fact. He could be tough as nails when he had to, and knew the cattle business inside and out. Which was why he was her right-hand man. She could always depend on him to tell it to her straight when it came to anything concerning the station.
Closing the station books, she sat back in her chair and motioned him inside. Have a seat. Is that the list of supplies we need for the roundup?
Yeah. Sorry its so late. I meant to have it to you by this afternoon, but I couldnt get Cookie to give me a list of the provisions he wanted to take. You know how he is. He never can make up his mind until the last minute. Handing over the list to her, he took the seat across from her desk and sighed in relief as the cool air of the air-conditioning washed over him. Damn, that feels good! The heats really been getting to me this year. I dont know how Im going to stand the roundup. Its going to be hotter than hell out there in the bush.
Making no attempt to hold back a grin, Lise had to laugh. For as long as she could remember, the fall roundup was held the same time every year. And every year, Tuck complained about the heat. Anyone listening to him would think he was a whiny baby who didnt have a bit of stamina, but every year, he toughed it out with the best of them and weathered the heat just fine.
You love it and you know it, she teased. What about the rest of the men? Are they all ready? Hows Frankies foot? He didnt seem to be favoring it as much today as he has been.
Just last week, Frankies horse had stepped on his foot and hed been hobbling around ever since. Its better than it was, Tuck replied, but its still tender. It should be better by next week. Even if its not, weve got the Yank to pick up the slack, so we should do fine.
Her pulse kicking into high gear just at the memory of how hed made her feel, Lise frowned. You think hell be able to handle the work?
He laughed. Are you kidding? Hes big as a house! And from what you told me about the way he hauled you out from under Thunders hooves, hes not only strong, he keeps his head in an emergency. You must have thought so, too, or you wouldnt have hired him.
She couldnt deny it. Like Tuck, shed thought he was just what she needed in a cowboy. Now she wasnt so sure. There was something about the man that disturbed her, and she couldnt for the life of her say what it was. For now, though, she was reserving judgment on Steve Trace, though she had no intention of admitting that to Tuck.
Its not like weve got a flood of cowboys beating a path to our door in search of a job, she said dryly. Beggars cant be choosers. Sometimes, youve got to take what you get till something better comes along. Not that hes not going to work out, she amended quickly. At this point, its too soon to tell. But at least weve got another hand for the roundup, and right now, thats our main concern.
If he didnt work out after that, she thought, shed send him packing. Theyd be shorthanded again, but somebody would come along eventually. They always did.
The next day started early. Long before daylight, the men were up and dressed and wolfing down bacon and eggs and homemade biscuits in the dining hall. Feeling like he was back home again in his mothers kitchen, Steve bit into his first biscuit of the morning and groaned in appreciation. Lise hadnt been kidding when she said she fed her cowboys well. His mother was an excellent cook, but even she never made biscuits like this. Damn, this is great!
Looking up from the four biscuits he was slathering with real butter, Frankie grinned. If you think this is good, wait till the roundup starts. Youre not going to believe what Cookie can do on a campfire.
In the process of taking another bite of his biscuit, Steve stiffened slightly. What roundup?
The one that starts a week from Monday, he retorted. Didnt Lise tell you about it yesterday when she hired you? The summers are so hot, we have a roundup every year at the beginning of fall to check out the cattle and watering holes. The whole crew goes.
Including Lise?
He nodded. Yep. We load the horses up in trailers, along with all the gear, and head out for a couple of weeks in the bush. Its just like being in the Old West. Its great!
Steve didnt doubt that it was. But he wasnt ready to leave the compound yet, dammit. Certainly not for two or three weeks! He had to get inside the house and search it, and he couldnt do that if he was miles away, traipsing around the bush playing cowboy.
There wasnt, however, a hell of a lot he could do about it without blowing his cover. Hed come there pretending to be down and out and in need of the job Simon had promised him, and when the boss said you had to go out in the bush, you went without complaint. Damn. Now what was he supposed to do?
Hey, thats my biscuit! Chuck bellowed when Barney snatched the last one in the pan right out from under his nose. Youve already had five, you pig! Gimme that!
Not on your life, junior. You just ate four, yourself. This ones mine.
Furious, the younger man looked ready to punch him, and Steve wasnt sure if it was because Barney had stolen the last biscuit or because hed called him junior. Either way, Steve knew an opportunity when he saw one. Grinning at the two men, he drawled, Geez, fellas, theyre damn good biscuits, but you dont have to fight over them. Here, Chuck, take mine. Tossing him the last one on his plate, he rose to his feet and grabbed the empty biscuit pan. Ill get a hot one from the kitchen. Anybody else want one?
When five hands went up, including Chuck and Barneys, he had to laugh. If Cookie can keep up with you guys, he must be some cook. Ill be right back.
Chuckling, he strode out, but his smile died the second the door to the dining hall closed behind him and he headed for the house thirty yards away. He was taking a chance, making a move when Lise and the cook were both there, but what other choice did he have? With the roundup starting in a matter of days, he was running out of time.
Another agent would, in all likelihood, have had a game plan in place before he even thought about stepping into the house, but Steve had never operated that way. He was a roll-with-the-punches, fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of guy, which was what made him a damn good agent. He didnt acthe reactedand nine times out of ten, his instincts were right on the money.
That didnt mean the old ticker wasnt pumping out the adrenaline as he approached the door. Every nerve ending was on alert, his muscles tense, though he liked to think he hid it well. His gait easy and relaxed, he opened the back door as if he had every right in the world to be there.
Not sure what to expect, he stepped inside and found himself in a small back hall. Stairs directly in front of him gave access to the upstairs, and to the right, a swinging door obviously led to the kitchen. Through the door, he could hear pots and pans rattling as Cookie sang to himself in an off-key baritone.
So he hadnt heard him come in, he thought with a soundless sigh of relief. Now, where the hell was Lise?
Standing perfectly still, he cocked his head and thought he caught the faint strains of what sounded like the weather channel coming from a television upstairs. Pleased, he smiled slowly, his gray eyes glinting with satisfaction. So Cookie was tied up in the kitchen with the dishes, and Lise was upstairs. He couldnt have planned it better if hed tried. He couldnt do a search now, not when either one of them could walk in on him at any second, but at least he could discover the floor plan. Then if he had to search the place in the middle of the night, he wouldnt run into a lamp or something and wake the household.
The question was, which way did he go first? Hesitating, he stared down the hall, then to his left, and wondered which led to the study. He knew there was onelast night when Tuck had returned to the bunkhouse and joined the poker game, hed mentioned that hed been talking to Lise in the study. It was there, no doubt, that Simon had concealed records of his illegal activities.
Five minutes, Steve thought grimly. He didnt care how well the bastard had hid them, give him five minutes and he felt sure he could find them.
Tossing a mental coin, he decided to explore through the door to the left, but before he could make a single move, he heard a noise at the top of the stairs. Freezing, all senses on alert, he glanced up, ready to explain that he was there for biscuits and didnt know where the kitchen was. But the words never left his mouth. He took one look at Lise in her nightgown and robe, her waist-length auburn hair flowing past her shoulders, and his mind went completely blank.
Chapter 2
She had no right to look so captivating so early in the morning, he thought with a frown. After all, it wasnt as if shed been expecting him and had set out to knock the air out of his lungs. The gown and robe she wore covered her body like a sack and were hardly flattering. But still, he was somehow seduced. It was her hair, he told himself. A woman with hair like that could tempt the devil himself. And Lord knew, he was no saint. All too easily, he could picture her naked in his bed, her fiery locks spread out, giving him tempting views of her body as she smiled and held out her arms to him.
Then his gaze lifted to her face, and he realized it was a hell of a lot more than her hair that attracted him. She had an innocence about her, a total lack of awareness of her own beauty that he found incredibly appealing. With no effort whatsoever, she reached out and grabbed his attention just by breathing, and she didnt even seem to know it.
But he did, and alarm bells were going off all over the place in his head. Watch it, a voice cautioned in his ear. Remember who the lady is and why youre here. You may have to seduce her before its all said and done. If you dont keep your head about you, you may end up losing it. This is Simons daughter, for Gods sake!
It took nothing more than that to pull him up short. Silently cursing himself for momentarily losing sight of his mission, he jerked himself to his surroundingsand his very precarious position. If shed come down five seconds later, shed have caught him boldly exploring the house.
He watched surprise widen her eyes, then suspicion, and didnt give her time to wonder any longer just what the devil he was doing in her back hall. Turning on the charm to distract her, he grinned at her. Well, if it isnt my lucky day. Good morning, boss lady. Were you looking for me? All you had to do was whistle, and Id have come running.
Stopping dead in her tracks at the sight of him, Lise felt the physical stroke of his eyes and couldnt, for the life of her, understand how he made her so breathless with just a look. Growing up around cowboys, shed seen his kind all her life. She knew better than to take anything he said seriously.
Not, she reminded herself, that she had any personal experience with flirtatious cowboys. The ones she knew had never even noticed she was a woman, and that had always been fine with her. She knew bull when she heard it, and shed always wondered how the women in town and at parties could fall for one load of manure after another.
Now she knew.
Caught in the trap of his boyish grin, her heart was fluttering like a schoolgirls, and that irritated her no end. Her delicately arched brows snapping together in a scowl, she growled, Stuff it, Trace. What are you doing in my house?
Not appearing the least bit offended, he held up the empty biscuit pan hed brought with him from the bunkhouse and winked at her. The boys want more biscuits. Id rather have you.
She should have laughed at his outrageousness and put him in his placeit would have been no more than he deserved. But there was something about the glint in his eye that made her all too conscious of the fact that she stood before him in nothing but her nightgown and robe. Her mouth suddenly as dry as the outback itself, all she could manage was a nod toward the door on his right. The kitchens through there, she said hoarsely. Excuse me. I need to get dressed.
Turning, she fled up the stairs, leaving Steve staring after her in a way that may have flattered her immensely if shed only turned around and looked. She didnt.
Did I hear somebody say something about biscuits?
Jerking his gaze from the top of the empty stairs, Steve turned to find a short, rail-thin Aboriginal watching him with small black eyes that missed little. Obviously, the man had seen Steve gazing after Lise like hed never seen a female in her nightclothes before.
His smile rueful, Steve made no apologies for his behavior. Theres something about a woman who can put me in my place that really turns me on, he said honestly. Holding out his hand, he grinned. Hi. Im Steve Trace. You must be Cookie. Do you think you could give my mama your recipe for biscuits? Ive never eaten anything like them in my life.
He spoke nothing less than the truth, though he would have said the same thing if the biscuits had been as hard as rocks. In order to do his job, he needed to gain the confidence of everyone who could help him discover more information about Simon, and Cookie was right at the top of the list. A trusted servant who had his own room inside the house, he, unlike the cowboys, was in a position to know everything that was going on with Simon and his daughter.
He wasnt, however, a pushover. If he was flattered by Steves compliment, he didnt show it. He shook his hand, but only briefly. I dont give out my recipes, he said curtly. Come in the kitchen. I just took another pan of biscuits out of the oven.
Not waiting to see if he followed, the other man pushed through the swinging door, leaving Steve silently swearing behind him. His last chance to look around now gone, he was left with no choice but to step into the kitchen.
Standing in front of the mirror, Lise adjusted the collar of her cotton blouse for the third time in thirty seconds, only to realize that she, Lise Meldrum, was primping! Oh, God! she whispered. Horrified, she swore and quickly dropped her hand, leaving her collar just the way it was.
Quit being a ninny, she scolded her image in the mirror. The mans playing with you and youre falling for it. Look at yourself, for heavens sake! Youve got lip gloss on!
Wincing, she couldnt deny it. Shed definitely taken pains with her appearance, but not because she was trying to look pretty for Steve Trace, she assured herself. She was going into town later for supplies for the roundup, that was all, and she didnt want to look like a hoyden. What was wrong with that? It wasnt as if she was dressing for Steve. She had work to do in the study that would keep her busy all morning, and the trip to town and back would take all afternoon. If she was lucky, shed be able to avoid him not only for the rest of the day, but from now until they left for the roundup. After all, organizing a roundup took a lot of work, and even though shed been doing it for years, it didnt get any easier. Between now and the morning when horses and men were loaded into trucks to begin the trek across the bush to the wildest regions of the station, shed work every night until midnight and be up at dawn. She had too much to do to waste a single second between now and then thinking about Steve.
Her chin set at a determined angle, she turned from the mirror, and hurried downstairs to the study. She had letters and e-mail to answer from charities and youth organizations she contributed to every year in her fathers name and that took all of her attentions. By the time she finished, it was noon and time to leave for town. Quickly dialing the bunkhouse she wasnt surprised when Tuck answered. They spoke every day, rain or shine, about what needed to be done that day, and she didnt know how she would have run the place without his help.
Im leaving for Roo Springs in five minutes, she told him. Send one of the boys over to go with me. Ill need help loading everything.
Sure thing, he said easily. Oh, and dont forget to add metal fence posts to the list, he reminded her before she could hang up. After that storm we had last winter, were bound to need them.
I forgot about that, she said, quickly jotting a note at the end of the extensive list of supplies she had to buy. At the rate were going, I may have to make two trips to town and back just to haul everything.
Take the diesel, he suggested. It holds more.
Good idea. As soon as I gas it up, Ill be ready to go.
Her mind on everything she had to do, she checked one last time with Cookie to make sure she had his final list, then grabbed the keys to the diesel truck from a hook by the back door. The second she stepped outside the blistering heat of the day hit her in the face.
And she loved it. She always had. Shed been born and raised there, and the heat and wind and grit was as much a part of her as the color of her eyes. Given the chance, she would have parked herself in the porch swing and relaxed just by watching the wind blow. As usual, however, she didnt have the time. Tomorrow, she promised herself, and climbed into the truck to drive it over to the gas tank behind the barn.
She had a little over a quarter of a tank of gas, but it was over a hundred miles to town, and there was no place between there and home to buy anything. She had a cell phone, of course, if she got into trouble, but she could just hear Nate and Tuck and the rest of the boys, as she liked to call them, if she ran out of gas on the way to town. Theyd never let her hear the end of it.
I must be living right. Is that smile for me, boss lady?
Caught up in her reflections, Lise jerked her attention to her surroundings to find Steve leaning against the pickup bed on the opposite side of the truck. Watching her pump gas, he had that little grin on his face that she swore he wore just to irritate the hell out of her.
What are you doing here? she demanded.
But even as she asked, she knew. He was the most expendable cowboy she had, the one who didnt know his way around the ranch yet and hadnt a clue how things were done in the bush. And no one had time to teach him. Which was why he was the perfect one to go with her to town. He was big and strong and could load the truck without breaking a sweatand he could be gone for hours and would never be missed.
And here I thought youd be thrilled we were going to spend the day together, he replied teasingly, flashing his dimples at her. Now Im hurt.
A quick retort sprang to her tongue, but she bit it back, refusing to give him the satisfaction. No, she told herself grimly. She wasnt going to let him push her buttons so easily. So she ground her teeth on the sassy words and said instead, I dont have time for your jocularity. Get in the truck, Trace. Its time to go.
Whatever you say, he said with an easy grin. Youre the boss.
It was, Lise decided, going to be a long day.
It wasnt, however, until she slid behind the wheel and joined him in the cab of the truck that she realized just what shed been set up for. The diesel wasnt one of those little midget trucks that was only big enough for two small people. It was big and roomy and had a cab that could, if necessary, hold up to four regular-size adults.
The problem was, Steve wasnt a regular-size adult.
Lise knew she was no slouch when it came to size, but Steve made her feel like one of those small, delicate women who couldnt open a door without using both hands. Lord, he was big! Her heart thumping in her chest, she would have given anything not to notice, but he made that impossible. Seated on his side by the window, with nearly three feet of space between them, he seemed to fill the cab of the truck.
And it wasnt fair, dammit! she thought as she drove out of the compound and forced herself to stare straight ahead at the road. Without sparing him a single glance, she was aware of everything about him. The irritating man didnt have an ounce of fat on him. He was just big. He shifted on the seat, stretching out his long legs, and she could practically feel the muscles in his thighs ripple.
Swearing silently under her breath, she tightened her fingers on the wheel and sternly ordered herself to ignore him. She might as well have told herself not to breathe. He was a man who was at ease in his own skin and comfortable with who he was. Slouching in his seat, he looked like a big, lazy jungle cat lounging in the sun. She wasnt, however, fooled by the deceptive pose. She knew better than most how fast the man could move when the situation called for it. With no effort whatsoever, she could still feel the strength of his arms as theyd closed around her when hed swept her out from under Thunders hooves yesterday.
Her heart lurching at the memory, she reached over and turned the air conditioner from low to high.
Arching a brow at her, Steve grinned. Hot?
A blush climbed high in her cheeks. She trained her eyes straight ahead. Its a little stuffy in here. The truck was sitting in the sun and hasnt cooled off yet.
His grin broadening, he murmured, I see.
Afraid he did see all too clearly, she pressed her lips together tightly. If he thought she was going to trade cryptic comments with him all the way to Roo Springs, he could think again.
Silence didnt bother her. She could drive the entire way without saying another word.
It was a good plan, but she quickly discovered that Steve wasnt the least perturbed by her lack of encouragement. Content to carry on the conversation by himself, he settled back in his seat with a contented sigh and said, You know something? I think Im going to like it here. It reminds me of Wisconsin.
Shed sworn she wasnt going to respond, no matter what he said. And she wouldnt haveif his statement hadnt been so outrageous. Jerking her gaze from the road, she looked at him incredulously. Ill be the first to admit that my American geography isnt the best, but isnt Wisconsin up north? By Canada?
His dimples winking at her, he nodded sagely. Yep. I grew up there.
And Wisconsin looks like this?
When she glanced pointedly at the desert landscape that stretched as far as the eye could see, he had to laugh. Not exactly. Weve got a lot more trees and its a hell of a lot cooler. But weve also got cows. My parents own a dairy farm there, and I was milking cows almost before I was old enough to walk. I bet you were, too.
She couldnt deny it. We only had a few we kept for milk, though.
He laughed as he told her about his childhood. God, it was cold in the winter! The snow would pile up higher than the house, and sometimes it didnt melt again until spring. But my brothers and I had a great time growing up. As soon as we finished our chores after school, wed go ice fishing or play hockey on an outdoor rink my dad built for us.
Lise was captivated by how Steves face was alight with memories, his gray eyes sparkling, as he told her about good times and bad, including when the winter storms were so bad that they lost half their cows to the cold. But then there were the summers when there were fireflies to catch and camp outs in the woods and the nights he and his brothers laid out in the grass and oohed and aahed over meteor showers high in the heavens above.
And in spite of all her best intentions, Lise found herself smiling and remembering in turn. Oh, she had never seen snow, and even in their worst winter, theyd never lost a single cow to the cold. It was the summers that were bad in the outback, the summers that could kill. Shed only been a child, but she could still recall vividly the summer that was so dry the watering holes dried up. Dozens of cows died of thirst before the ranch hands could get water to them.
She doubted that Steve had any experience with a drought or could understand why a summer rain usually meant a party, but still, they were kindred souls. As children, theyd both listened to the lonely lullaby of a cow lowing. And if he was anything like her, when twilight fell and the dew turned the air cooler, he would think there was no sweeter smell on earth than the fresh earthy scent of the land.
I can remember frying eggs on the patio out back and going swimming at nine oclock at night, she said quietly, her eyes trained on the road and the past at the same time. I went on a walkabout once with Cookieor at least I thought it was a real walkaboutbut I was just six and we were only gone for four hours. But he taught me all about life in the bush, the dangers and the magic of it, and I loved it.
Hes been here that long?
She nodded. Since before I was born.
And what did your mother say about him taking you off for four hours? Was she worried?
She died in a riding accident when I was five, she said simply. I dont remember that time period very well, but I think thats why Cookie took me on the walkabout. I was lonely here all by myself except for my nanny, and he felt sorry for me.
Steve had read what little information SPEAR had on her; hed known her mother had died some time ago. But hed had no idea shed died when Lise was so young. The poor kid.
Instantly sympathetic, he frowned. What about your father? Surely he didnt leave you here with the nanny and cook when youd just lost your mother. You werent much more than a baby!
The very idea outraged him, but she only smiled ruefully. And he had just lost the only woman he ever loved. He adored her. Maybe if Id taken after her more, he would have stayed, but even at five, it was obvious that I wasnt going to be small and petite the way my mother was. He had business interests that called him away, and to be perfectly honest, I think he jumped at the chance to go. He was never happy here after Mama died. Thats why he still never stays very long. He misses her too much.
If theyd been talking about an ordinary man, Steve might have believed that. His own father would be devastated if his mother died first. But Art Meldrum was no ordinary man. He was Simon, a traitor without an ounce of conscience who was out to destroy Jonahthe man at the helm of SPEARany way he could, and bring down the entire secret organization. A man like that was incapable of love. He was a monster without a heart, and although Lise had, no doubt, had an incredibly lonely childhood, shed been blessed every time the bastard had found an excuse to leave the station.
That wasnt, however, something she was ready to hear. So he said instead, Then he should have taken you with him. You were just a little girl, and youd already lost one parent. You shouldnt have lost the other one, too.
Suddenly focusing on something else shed said, he scowled. And what the hell do you mean, your father would have stayed if youd been small and petite? Theres nothing wrong with you the way you are!
She was, in fact, damn well just the right size, as far as he could see. Hed never understood why anyone would look twice at a woman who was little more than skin and bones. Give him a real woman to fill his arms, not one he constantly had to worry about crushing.
I never said there was, she said stiffly. Annoyed, she gave him frown for frown and wanted to kick herself for confiding in him. Her relationship with her father was no ones business but her own, and she didnt normally discuss it with anyone. But then again, shed never met anyone who was quite so easy to talk to. He made her forget that he was not only an employee, but little more than a stranger. Shed have to watch that in the future.
Anyway, when did this conversation become about me? she demanded irritably. We were talking about you. So what brought you to Australia besides a job? I would have thought cowboy jobs were a dime a dozen in the States, so it had to be something else besides that.
Steve didnt so much as flicker an eyelash. Giving her a slow, intimate smile, he replied, Thats easy, darlin. Id always heard the women Down Under were something to see, so I thought Id check them out for myself. So far, Im not disappointed.
Rolling her eyes, Lise sternly ordered herself not to be flattered. Hed only been in the country two days, and as far as she knew, hed spent that time hitchhiking to the station. Which meant, in all likelihood, that she was probably the only woman hed met so far. So much for compliments. It was easy to look good when you were the only female in sight.
Then I guess that makes this my red-letter day, Yank, she retorted mockingly. Ill be sure to mark it on my calendar for prosperity.
Far from offended, he just laughed, and that only irritated Lise all over again. There was nothing so frustrating as a man who refused to be insulted. Damn the man, why did he have to be so likable? Couldnt he tell she wanted nothing to do with him?
Yeah, right, a sarcastic voice drawled in her head. When was he supposed to realize that? Before or after you told him your life story?
Clamping her teeth on an oath, she swore she wasnt going to say another word the rest of the way to town, and she was acutely aware that Steve seemed to enjoy watching her struggle to keep that promise to herself. Openly studying her, he made no attempt to hide his grin when a kangaroo bounced across the road a hundred yards in front of them and she had to press her lips tightly together to keep from making a comment.
Damn, she was something! he thought in growing admiration. Strong and sassy and spunky. He liked that in a woman. She stood up for herself and didnt take garbage from a man. She had no idea how that appealed to him. Delighted, he almost told her this wasnt the way to discourage him, but where was the fun in that? Settling back to enjoy himself, he let the silence stretch between them and wondered how long it would be before she broke it.
He didnt have to wait long.
The wind suddenly picked up speed, and in the time it took to blink, they found themselves driving through the middle of a small dust storm. Swearing, Lise immediately lifted her foot from the accelerator, turned on her lights and slowed to a crawl. I hope another roo doesnt jump out in front of us, she muttered, peering through the dust that surrounded them like fog. I cant see a damn thing.
I guess you have a lot of dust storms out here, he said casually, his eyes dancing with amusement as he glanced at his watch to see how long it took her to realize shed broken her silence. Theres nothing to block the wind.
Its something you learn to live with, she retorted. When I was a kid, we got hit with a bad one one year when we were on roundup. It was awful. We ate dust for three days afterward.
You were out in the bush when it hit? Whatd you do?
Theres nothing you can do but keep your head down and your face covered and try to get to shelter. The trick is not to get turned around in the storm. Sometimes its better to just hunker down and wait it out right where you are.
Sounds like a blizzard, only in reverse. I bet that blowing sand can hurt like hell.
It feels like youve been rubbed raw with a piece of sandpaper, she replied, grimacing. It gets between your teeth and in places you dont want to th Apparently realizing just how personal the conversation had grown again, she snapped her teeth shut.
Glancing at his watch, Steve chuckled. Three minutes. And Roo Springs was still eighty miles away. If she kept not talking to him at this rate, hed know everything there was to know about the lady by the time they reached town.
Roo Springs might have been classified a town by outback standards, but it was really little more than a wide spot in the road collecting dust. There were no springs, no pond, not even a water tower to justify the places name. There was a grocery store, a hardware and station supply store, as well as a vet who worked out of his home. A small bank and post office shared the only brick building in town, and a gas station and restaurant made up the rest of the business district, if you could call it that. With a dozen or more houses huddled in the dirt, it looked hot, weather-beaten and miserable.
Steve hadnt seen much to recommend the place when hed hitchhiked through there on his way to the Pear Tree Station, and a second visit did little to change his mind. If thered just been something besides a few dusty gum trees to add a little more color, he might have found it more appealing, but there was nothing. No greenery, no flowers, no color. Baking in the late morning sun, the entire town was nothing but a dull reddish-brown blob.
In spite of that, however, it was a booming little metropolis, and it was easy to see why. Gas stations were few and far between in that region of the outback, and cars and pickups were lined up halfway down the street, waiting for their chance to fill up. And those who didnt need gas were stocking up on groceries and ranch and household supplies.
When just about everyone they passed recognized Lise and threw up a hand in greeting as she drove past, Steve was surprised. She was over a hundred miles from home! But when he thought about it, he realized it only made sense. When you lived out in the middle of nowhere, you had to go where the stores were for supplies. Lise had probably been coming to town with Cookie for groceries since she was a little girland so had the rest of her neighbors.
Looks like youre pretty popular around here, he told her as he opened the door to the station supply store for her. Following her inside, he arched a brow at the sight of the man across the store from them. Whos the tall skinny dude at the counter? Hes so happy to see you, he looks like he could kiss you.
Apparently surprised that hed opened the door for her, she glanced up and nearly burst out laughing when she saw who he was talking about. Fred kiss me? I dont think so! Hes just happy to see me because he knows Im going to spend a lot of money in here.
Far from amused, he frowned. Dont sell yourself short. Why wouldnt he want to kiss you? Is he married? When she shook her head, he growled, Then whats his problem? Youre a damn attractive woman. Is he blind or what?
He made no effort to keep his voice down, and he didnt care if everyone in the store heard him.
Color stinging her cheeks, she looked as if she wanted to sink right through the floor. You dont understand, she whispered. Around here, Im just one of the guys.
Steve could already see that for himself. And he didnt like it one little bit. As Lise walked up and down the aisles collecting the supplies she would need for the roundup, none of the men who greeted her even tipped their hats at her or showed her the least courtesy. When hed opened the door for her, at least two more men could have done the same thing before he caught up with her, but they let it slam shut behind them without even offering to hold it partially open for her. Steve had never seen anything like it in his life. What the hell was wrong with Australian men?
Irritation glinting in his gray eyes, he almost asked her, but he never got the chance. Their cart filled with the smaller items on her list, they stopped in the fencing department to see about getting metal fence posts and wiring brought to the loading dock so they could transfer it to the truck. Before they could find a clerk, however, they found their path blocked by a group of cowboys telling jokes.
Greeting Lise with a broad smile, a lean, bronzed man who looked as tough as boot leather said, Hey, Lise, did you hear the one about the chicken farmer and the sex education teacher? The teacher had this thing about feathers.
Encouraged by wide, expectant grins and masculine chuckles, he began to tell a joke that should have never made its way outside a locker room. Outraged, Steve couldnt believe his ears. Was the jackass raised in a barn, or what?
Not caring that he was sticking his nose where some people might think it didnt belong, he growled, Hey, buddy, watch your mouth. Theres a lady present.
That should have been enough to shut the other man up. Instead, he looked around and said, Where?
The loser wasnt joking, Steve thought incredulously. The man didnt even look at Lise, but instead glanced around to see if another woman had walked up while he wasnt looking.
Infuriated, Steve wanted to tear him apart. What do you mean, where? he thundered. I was talking about Lise, you bastard!
To his credit, the other man suddenly realized what hed said and had the grace to cringe with embarrassment. Oh, God, Lise, Im sorry! I dont know what I was thinking of
Its okay, Gene, she said huskily, quickly stepping in front of Steve before he could deck him. No offense intended, none taken. Excuse us, will you? This is my new droverSteve Trace. We need to talk outside. Now, Steve!
She didnt give him time to argue, but simply grabbed his arm and dragged him to the front of the store to pay for the supplies theyd collected. The second she finished paying, she hustled him outside and whirled on him, her blue eyes sparking fire. What the hell was that all about?
Thats what Id like to know! You should have let me pop that jackass. He deserved it.
That jackass, she said through her teeth, happens to be a very good friend of mine.
Some friend! he retorted. Does he always insult you that way?
He wasnt insulting me!
No? Then what would you call it?
He looked so indignant that Lise couldnt help but be touched. But he couldnt go around hitting people just because they didnt treat her the way he thought they should treat a woman. Look, she sighed, I appreciate the Sir Galahad routine, but you really dont have to protect my tender sensibilities. Gene wasnt being intentionally rude. He just doesnt think of me as a woman. And neither do the rest of the guys. And thats okay. Its more important that they treat me as an equal.
They can treat you as both while Im around, he snapped, or theyre going to find themselves picking themselves up off the floor. Now that weve got that settled, why dont you bring the truck around to the loading dock so I can load this stuff and we can get out of here?
Rolling her eyes, Lise could see that there was no arguing with the man. Fine. Just try not to get in trouble while Im gone, okay? Id have to bail you out, and that wouldnt make me very happy, and you dont want to see me when Im not happy.
Grinning, he said, Ill be an angel. I promise.
When Lise snorted at that, he winked at her and just that easily made her heart thump crazily in her breast. Angel, my eye, she thought, irritated with herself as she turned and fled for the truck. The man was a handsome devil and too good-looking for his own good. If he thought he was going to take her in with just a wink and a boyish grin, he could think again. She wasnt that stupid.
Satisfied she had her emotions under strict control, Lise drove the truck around to the loading dock and backed into place. Before shed even turned off the motor, Steve had pulled on the work gloves hed brought with him and started loading the fence posts and barbed wire into the back of the truck.
Here, let me help you, she said as she quickly joined him. You cant do that all by yourself.
No.
She was already reaching for some of the fence posts. She had hardly picked two of them up before he took them away from her. Hey, give me those! What are you doing?
Loading the truck, he retorted. Thats why you brought me along, remember? So why dont you grab a seat in the shade and let me do my job?
Lise couldnt believe he was serious. Dont be ridiculous. I can help.
Maybe so, but youre not going to. Im perfectly capable of doing it myself.
His jaw set at an angle she was just beginning to realize was as immovable as Gibraltar, he gave her a hard look and just dared her to argue with him further. She told herself he was kidding, but there was no glint of laughter in his steely gray eyes, no smile on his mouth. Obviously not caring that they might be drawing the eye of everyone on the stores huge loading dock, he glared at her, silently daring her to pick up so much as a box of nails from the supplies still waiting to be loaded.
Standing toe to toe with him, she should have told him she was the boss and could load any damn thing she wanted. It would have been the wise thing to do. After all, who was supposed to be giving whom orders? But the darn man didnt play fair. Hed done it again, made her feel like a dainty, feminine woman, and she didnt know how to handle it. Without a word, she found a seat on a nearby wooden crate to watch him work.
Thats when alarm bells clanged in her head. What was she doing? she wondered wildly. Just because the man had opened a few doors for her and wanted to wrap her in cotton like a china doll didnt mean he was interested in her. No one had ever looked twice at her before, and she didnt expect that to change just because this cowboy had walked into her life. He might have told her stories about his childhood, but what did she really know about the man himself? Nothing. For all she knew, he was just a charming drifter who never stayed anywhere long and left a string of broken hearts behind him. He wouldnt break hers, she promised herself. She wouldnt make an idiot of herself over him and have every cowboy within a hundred miles laughing at her.
That didnt mean, however, that she couldnt enjoy watching him work. With an ease that stole her breath, he picked up a heavy role of wire as if it weighed no more than a matchbox and tossed it into the bed of the truck. Muscles rippled in his arms. His back strong and straight, his broad shoulders handling the task with no effort whatsoever, he didnt even break a sweat. Fascinated, Lise had to admit that he really was something to see.
Chapter 3
From the outside, the Flamingo Caf looked like a dive that would blow away in a stiff wind. Constructed of rusty corrugated tin with faded pink flamingos painted on the side, the entire building leaned slightly to the left. It had no class and very little eye appeal, and Steve loved it. The second he followed Lise inside, he couldnt help but grin. Everywhere he looked, there were pink flamingos.
This is great!
Surprised, Lise arched a brow. You like it?
Are you kidding? It reminds me of a place back homethe Lily Pad. He laughed just at the thought of it. God, Id forgotten about it. It was wild! There were frogs everywhere, from all over the world. And the best frog legs you ever tasted in your life. On Friday and Saturday nights, they had a band, and you could forget about getting a table if you didnt get there by seven oclock.
Dont tell Mabel about that, she warned as a waitress arrived to show them to one of the few empty tables in the space. Shes the owner, she explained when he lifted an inquiring brow. And shes always trying something newwhich is how she got hooked on flamingos to begin with. Someone gave her some as a gag, people commented on them, and the next thing you knew, the place was full of them. If she thought she could do the same thing with frogs and actually sell frog legs, the place would turn into a zoo.
From what Steve could see, it was that already. Every available inch of space was taken up by either a table or a flamingo, and whatever Mabel was serving, the locals were eating it up with a spoon. Picking up a menu, he flipped it open and blinked. Beef Wellington, steak tartar, grilled fresh salmon with dill sauce. Who would have thought it out here in the middle of nowhere?
Glancing up from her own menu, Lise smiled slightly. Mabel likes to surprise people. Believe it or not, she studied in Paris. You name it, she can cook it.
Steve didnt know about the other items on the menu, but he soon discovered Mabel knew what she was doing when it came to the salmon. Taking his first bite a few minutes later, he groaned as it all but melted in his mouth. Swallowing, he told Lise, Do you realize Ive only been in this country two days. Two days! And Ive already had the two best meals of my life! This is incredible.
Suddenly noting that shed hardly touched the beef Wellington shed ordered for herself, he frowned. Whats the matter? Youre not eating.
Nothing, she said with a shrug. Im just not as hungry as I thought I was. I ate a big breakfast.
Steve didnt doubt thathe had, too. With Cookies cooking, who could resist pigging out? But breakfast was hours ago, and theyd left the station just as lunch was about to be served. Since theyd arrived in town, theyd been so busy collecting supplies that they hadnt even had time for a candy bar, which was why theyd decided to have an early dinner before heading back to the station. Neither one of them had had anything to eat in hours.
Are you feeling all right? You look a little pale. Youre not sick, are you?
He studied her with sharp eyes that missed little. Her gaze quickly dropping to her food, Lise silently cursed her expressive face and tried not to squirm. No! she wanted to cry, she wasnt all right. Damn the man, why did he have to be so comfortable to be with? In spite of her best efforts to keep her guard up with him, he had a way of sneaking past it when she least expected it. Who would have thought he would like the Flamingo? The men she knew cringed every time they walked into the caf, though they had no complaint with the food. And then there were his manners.
The man was a drover, for heavens sake. A stockman, a cowboy who bummed around the world in search of work. He could have been crude and rough and boorish, but he was nothing like that. He not only opened doors for her, he did it for every other woman he encountered, and he didnt even seem to realize it. It was ingrained, as was his flashing smile and the way he carried heavier items for her without her having to ask for help. And she found that incredibly appealingand far too dangerous for her peace of mind.
She should have brought someone else with her to help heranyone else. The other men didnt flirt with and tease her. They didnt make her constantly aware of the fact that she was a woman. They didnt make her wonder what it would be like to kiss them.
Suddenly realizing where her thoughts had wandered, she stiffened, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. If he guessed what she was thinking, shed die right there on the spot. Im just tired, she said stiffly. This time of years always hectic, and I havent been getting enough sleep. Ill be fine once I get my second wind.
That sounded good, but Steve wasnt buying it. Over the course of the day, shed grown progressively quieter and more withdrawn, and he found himself missing the woman hed ridden into town with. For the life of him, he didnt know what had happened. Had he said something he shouldnt have? Something that made her suspect his real reason for being there?
Frowning, he thought over everything hed told her from the moment hed met her yesterday, but he wasnt surprised when he couldnt think of anything hed said that she would find suspect. After all, hed been in the business a long timehe didnt make those kinds of mistakes. He protected his cover at all costs. Which meant that something else had to be bothering her, something she didnt want to talk about that had nothing to do with him.
Maybe dessert would make you feel better, he suggested. The chocolate praline cheesecake sounds good.
He didnt know another woman who would have turned that down, but Lise was apparently made of sterner stuff than that. Pushing her barely touched beef away from her, she wrinkled her nose at the suggestion. No, thanks. I dont have much of a sweet tooth.
That effectively ended the conversation. He finished his meal. There was nothing left to do after that except pay the bill and head back to the station.
The ride home was nothing like the one to town. There were no childhood stories, no teasing, no laughter. The minute they got in the truck, Lise turned the radio to a news station, adjusted the volume to one that made conversation difficult and kept it that way for the next two hours.
Another man might have been discouraged, but not Steve. Settling back, he took advantage of the fact that she kept her eyes trained straight ahead on the road. Openly studying her, he said loudly, You know, sometimes it helps to talk to somebody when somethings bothering you. It helps you get a different perspective.
Nothing bothering me, she retorted.
Oh, really? So youre always this quiet.
For the first time since theyd left Roo Springs, she took her eyes from the road long enough to spare him a glance. Not everyone has to fill the silences with chatter.
As far as zingers went, it was a good one. Impressedand not the least insultedhe grinned. That was good, boss lady. So is that what Im doing? Chattering? Some women find it quite endearing.
For a second, he thought he saw her lips twitch, but then she tossed her head and sniffed. Theres no accounting for taste, is there? I guess thats what makes the world go round.
I heard it was love.
You cant believe everything you hear, she said with a shrug. Itll get you in trouble every time.
That was the first cynical statement hed heard her make, and he had to wonder where it came from. Was that really what she thought of love? If so, he couldnt say he blamed her. Stuck out here in the bush, she hadnt had very much positive reinforcement when it came to relationships. In spite of the fact that her parents had supposedly adored each other, Simon had virtually abandoned Lise to the staff after his wife died and hadnt had much to do with her since. What had that told her about love? That she wasnt good enough? That she couldnt expect to be loved if she wasnt small and petite?
That was the biggest load of bunk Steve had ever heard in his life, and if he could have gotten his hands on Simon at that moment, he didnt think he could have been held responsible for his actions. No one had a right to do that to a child.
One day soon, before his mission was completed and he left, hed find a way to tell her she deserved someone better than Simon for a father, but today wasnt the day. Shed already returned her attention to the road. Staring straight ahead, she ignored all efforts on his part to pull her into a conversation. Giving up in defeat, he, too, stared at the road that stretched endlessly before them and let the rest of the drive pass in silence.
Even though there were others at home to unload the truckful of supplies Lise had bought, she and Steve both stuck around to help. A stickler when it came to neatness and proper storage of foodstuffs, Cookie oversaw the grocery items that were brought into his kitchen and made sure everything was put away in the right spot. Then Lise drove the truck to the barn, where the ranching supplies were quickly unloaded and stacked in the storage area until they would be needed for the roundup.
Lise had been telling herself for hours that she couldnt wait to get back home and put some distance between her and Steve, but now that the day and evening were over with, she was surprised to discover she was disappointedwhich only annoyed her all over again. Damn the man, what was it about him that confused her so? No one had ever stirred her emotions so easily, and for the life of her, she didnt understand why she continued to let him do it.
Frustrated, needing some time to herself to think, she turned to him stiffly as the rest of the men headed to the bunkhouse. Thank you for your help today. I appreciate it.
She didnt look like she appreciated it. In fact, Steve thought in growing amusement, if her frown was anything to go by, she was glad to be well rid of him. And he had to ask himself why. What wasnt there to like? He was a damn good-looking man. And modest, too.
Swallowing a chuckle at his silent ramblings, he said gruffly, My pleasure. Any time, maam.
Her eyes narrowed at that, but before she could come back with a quick retort, she obviously thought better of it. Good night, she said coolly. Its been a long day, so I guess Ill turn in.
Closing the door to the barn, Steve watched her walk to the house in the dark and found himself looking forward to tomorrow. He didnt know what was going on inside her head, but he could count on her to make the time he spent there damned interesting. If the contents of Simons study turned out to be just as interesting, hed be one lucky dude.
As soon as Lise reached the back porch and stepped inside the house, the porch light went out, and Steve found himself surrounded by the all-concealing blackness of the night. The other hands had gone to the bunkhouse, and for the first time in hours, he was totally and completely alone.
The house stood before him like a present waiting to be unwrapped, and as he watched the lights go out one by one, his fingers itched to find a way inside. He could search the study in the dark, and no one would be the wiser. All he had to do was give Lise and Cookie both time to fall asleep, and he could walk right inside. The door probably wasnt even locked.
But even as he considered it, he knew the timing wasnt right. When hed slipped into the house that morning, hed had little time to do anything except discover where the kitchen was, and the back stairs. He knew Cookie slept in the house, presumably off the kitchen, but he didnt know where. If he tried a search tonight, it would be just his luck that hed stumble across the old cooks room by mistake, and blow his cover.
Patience, he reminded himself. A good agent didnt rush the job. There was more than one way to get into the study. With a little help from SPEAR, Lise herself would invite him in. All he had to do was set things in motion.
Pleased with the idea, he slipped through the darkness like a shadow to the far side of the barn. Hidden by the concealing blackness of the night and out of earshot of the house and the bunkhouse, he quickly pulled his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans. To the untrained eye, the plastic card he extracted from it looked like nothing more than a credit card that was slightly thicker than normal. Instead, it was a phone that allowed him to keep in touch with SPEAR from anywhere in the world.
All his senses on alert, he peered into the darkness to make sure no one had come looking for him, but the night was quiet and still. Nothing moved, not even the leaves on the trees. Satisfied, he ran his fingers over what appeared to be the numbers of a credit card, activating the phone. A split second later, he was connected to Belinda, his contact with the agency.
Not taking any chances that he might be overheard, he murmured as if to himself, I wish Mom would call so Id know how Dad is doing. Lise wouldnt mind if I got a call on the house phone.
Your wish is my command, Belinda retorted just as quietly. Expect a call at ten oclock tomorrow morning.
Not surprised when she hung up without another word, Steve slipped the fake credit card into his wallet, then headed for the bunkhouse. Hed done all he could do for tonight, and it had taken less than ten seconds. Now all he could do was wait. He might as well get some sleep.
When the phone rang at ten oclock the following morning, Lise was at her desk in the study writing out the bills she would pay before the roundup started. Expecting a call from her father, she smiled and quickly answered it. Hi, Dad. I was hoping youd call this morning.
For a moment, there was nothing but a surprised silence before a woman finally said hesitantly, Im sorry. I obviously have the wrong number. I was looking for Steve Trace. This is his mother. I was told I could reach him at Pear Tree Station.
Oh, yes, of course, Mrs. Trace, Lise said, surprised. This is the Pear Tree. Im Lise MeldrumI manage the station. If youll hang on for a minute, Ill find Steve for you.
Thank you, dear, the older woman said in a voice that seemed to be on the verge of tears. I hate to put you to all this trouble, but I really need to speak to him about his father. Hes been sick, and I just need to talk to him.
Lise hated to hear that. Please, its no trouble, she assured her. Youre welcome to call here any time. Hang on while I put you on hold. Ill find Steve as quick as I can.
The second she put her on hold, she buzzed the equipment shed, where she knew Steve was working on one of the horse trailers that would be used in the roundup. Hello, he said on the second ring. That you, boss lady?
Since the phone line came straight from the house, she didnt have to ask how he guessed it was herCookie had little reason to call the barn. Normally, she would have reminded him that she didnt go by the name boss lady, but that seemed trivial now. Steve, she said huskily, your mom called and is on the other line. She needs to talk to you about your dad. If youll come up to the house, you can take the call in the study so you wont be interrupted.
Ill be right there, he said grimly, and hung up.
He arrived at the front door less than a minute later. Lise had never seen him so somber and subdued. His gray eyes dark with worry and his mouth unsmiling, he greeted her quietly. Wheres the study?
In here, she said quickly and showed him to the study to the left of the entrance hall. Paneled in dark, rich wood and furnished with man-size furniture that always reminded her of her father, it was one of her favorite rooms in the house. Take as long as you need.
She slid the pocket doors shut and never saw the smile that broke across Steves face as he turned toward the desk. All right! He was in!
Quickly settling into the big leather chair behind the desk, he reached for the phone. Hi, Mom. Lise said you needed to talk to me about Dad, he said, continuing the charade in case someone picked up an extension in another part of the house. How is he?
Belinda, as quick on her feet as he, said regretfully, Not well, dear. Your fathers caught some kind of Turkish virus that the doctors here dont seem to know anything about. I was hoping maybe you might be able to find out something about it there in Australia, since its a different country and everything. Your uncle Wally thought maybe you might try the Internet. Do you know how to do that?
Searching through the desk drawers as he talked to her, Steve didnt pretend to misunderstand her. The father Belinda spoke of wasnt his, but Lises. Apparently, Simon was in Turkey, and no one knew why or what kind of trouble he was going to stir up. Uncle WallyJonahwas hoping that Steve might find some damning information in the Pear Trees computer files.
I dont know a lot about the Internet, Mom, or Lises computer. Ive never used it before, but she probably wont mind. Give me a moment to figure out how it works, and well see what we can come up with. Knowing that Belinda would understand that he was telling her this was his first opportunity to get in the study, he switched on the computer and quickly began searching the files.
Damn!
At his soft curse, Belinda said, What is it? Bad news?
No, he sighed in disgust. From what he could see, there wasnt a single file that belonged to Simon. They all appeared to be for the station, though appearances could be deceptive. Hed have to go through every one of them to make sure their contents corresponded with their file names. I just dont see anything that would help Dad. Sometimes these things are hard to find, though. Ill have to do some more checking.
I knew you would find a way to help, son, she said, sighing in relief. Ive just been so worried about your father. Hes had quite a fever, and sometimes he feels like the walls are closing in on him. Its a difficult thing to watch.
So the SPEAR operatives were closing in on Simon, and he was feeling the heat, Steve thought with a grin. Good. It was no more than the bastard deserved. That wasnt, however, something he could chance saying aloud. You know Ill do whatever I can, Mom, but I dont know how long itll take. Weve got a roundup starting at the beginning of next week, and everyonell be gone for two or three weeks. Ill try to find something before then, but I cant make any promises.
It went without saying that he would try to slip back to the house to search it if he got the chance, and Belinda knew that. I know youre busy, honey, she said. Dont jeopardize your job.
Or your life.
Steve heard the message loud and clear and grinned. You know me, Mom. I always play it safe.
When she only snorted, he almost laughed aloud. They both knew nothing could have been further from the truth.
Hesitating outside the closed study doors, Lise told herself she wasnt eavesdropping when she heard the deep, quiet murmur of Steves voice. After all, how could she be? She couldnt understand a word he was saying. Not that she was trying to, she quickly assured herself. She was just staying close by in case his mother gave him bad news.
And what if she does? Then what are you going to do? a voice in her head demanded. Rush in and comfort the poor man?
No! Mortified at the thought, she hurried out the front door to the porch and sent up a silent prayer of thanks that he hadnt caught her lingering in the front hall like a starry-eyed teenager waiting to catch a glimpse of the new boy in town. God knows what he would have thought.
Heat climbing in her cheeks, she sternly ordered herself to find something, anything, to do so shed stop thinking about the man. She didnt have to look faronly to the flower boxes that lined the front porch. The wilting plantsnot even on a good day could she call them flowersdesperately needed a drink of water. Relieved, she grabbed the hose and went to work giving each plant a thorough soaking.
Later, she couldnt have said what made her glance into the study window. She certainly hadnt intended to. It was justthere. One second she was frowning at the most pathetic pansies shed ever seen in her life, and the next, she was looking, straight into the window next to her fathers desk. And there was Steve, at the computer, frowning at the screen as his fingers flew over the keyboard.
Surprised, she stood there for what seemed like an eternity, a frown wrinkling her brow as she watched him talk to his mother on the phone. His back was half turned to herhe had no idea that shed seen himand before he could turn and find her at the window, she hurriedly made her way to the other end of the porch. And all the while, she couldnt help but wonder what the devil he was doing.
It wasnt that she minded him using the computer, she told herself with a frown. Shed just thought he was the type to ask first. Not only was it common courtesy, but computers were expensive and easily screwed up. She had all the station books on hers, and if he pushed the wrong keys, God knew how long it would take her to straighten things out.
Just thinking about that twisted her stomach in knots. She would, she promised herself, definitely talk to him about overstepping his boundsbut only after she was sure his father was okay. After all, she wasnt so hard-hearted that she would hit him with such a minor annoyance when his father might be seriously ill.
Her thoughts on what was going on inside her study, she didnt notice that shed saturated her plants until water began overflowing the flower boxes. Muttering a curse, she hurried to the hydrant and had just turned it off when she heard the front door open and Steve stepped out on the porch. She took one look at the grim set of his face and felt her heart sink.
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