Chapter Fifteen
The next morning, Rachel braced herself as she entered the kitchen, but Ruth was the only person still around. She hadn’t deliberately slept in after her encounter with Cauy, but she hadn’t set her alarm. The last thing she wanted was a roomful of Morgans giving her their opinions about the current state of her love life. She was pretty certain that Ry would have told HW and maybe even the rest of them.
Rachel helped herself to coffee, and took scrambled eggs and bacon out of the still warm cast-iron pan on the stove. Working on the ranch had definitely increased her appetite.
“Would you like some pancakes to go with that?” Ruth asked.
“No, thanks, I’m good.” Rachel sat at the table and ate while Ruth put on her specs and read the local paper.
“That was funny,” Ruth said conversationally as she turned the page.
“What was?” Rachel asked.
“Last night when you came into Cauy’s kitchen and found us all camped out there waiting for you.”
Rachel groaned and covered her eyes. “I’m never going to live that down, am I? Why did you all have to be there?”
“Well, Ry was driving, and Jackson needed a ride after Cauy left him behind,” Ruth said. “Where else were we supposed to go?”
“Ry could’ve dropped you off first and left Jackson at the front door. Or you could’ve stayed in the truck.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Ruth winked at her. “I thought Cauy was going to pass out when Billy looked at him.” She chuckled. “Why on earth did Jackson think Billy was Cauy’s father?”
“Because he’s an idiot?” Rachel sipped her coffee. “Who asks someone that in the middle of a coffee shop?”
“Jackson was always a straight hitter.” Ruth offered Rachel more coffee. “And at least it’s out in the open now, and you’re not worrying about it.”
“True,” Rachel reluctantly agreed. “Which, considering the circumstances, is a good thing.”
“There was some mystery about who fathered Anita’s baby,” Ruth mused. “I’ll have to ask Roy if he remembers anything about the men who worked on the ranch back then. It was odd the way Mark suddenly took against us after his marriage.”
“Was Mark really not nice to Cauy?”
“I never remember him saying a good word about the boy, and I wasn’t surprised when Cauy took off when he was sixteen.” Ruth took out a notepad and a pen. “Would you be willing to go into town and get me a few things I forgot yesterday? I’ve got to start the pies today for Thanksgiving.”
“Sure!” Rachel was eager to do anything that got her away from her siblings on the ranch.
“And maybe you can drop Cauy’s mail off to him on your way back? Jackson left it all in Ry’s truck.”
“I’m sure I can do that as well.” Rachel waited as Ruth kept writing. “Aren’t you going to say anything about me and Cauy?”
Ruth looked up. “What would you like me to say?”
“Are you . . . annoyed with me?”
“Why would I be? He’s a nice boy, I know the family, and that’s all there is to it.”
“But I’m only here for the holidays.” Rachel wondered why she was offering up her own objections rather than waiting on Ruth’s. “Am I being unfair?”
“That’s between you and Cauy, dear.” Ruth ripped the sheet of paper off the pad and slid it across the table to Rachel. “After sitting here at this very table and listening to all the nonsensical reasons your brothers have had for falling in love, or not falling in love, I’ve heard just about everything under the sun. They all worked it out in the end, and I suspect you will too.”
“Oh,” Rachel said. “Actually, I was hoping for some advice.”
“Do you love him?” Ruth held her gaze.
“It’s not like that,” Rachel hedged. “We just like each other a little bit.”
“And does he make you happy?”
“I think so. I’m trying not to overanalyze it at the moment.”
“Then enjoy it until he doesn’t, and then come and talk to me again.” Ruth patted her hand.
“Thanks, I will.” Rachel tucked the list in the pocket of her shirt and stood up. “Is there anything else you need in town?”
“No, Yvonne’s bringing Rio with her to Thanksgiving dinner, and she insisted on bringing several desserts and her delicious bread rolls. I only have to make the pies and deal with the turkey and sides.”
“For about twenty people,” Rachel reminded her. “I’ll help as much as I can.”
“We’ll manage.” Ruth stood up and put the newspaper away. “We always do.”
Impulsively Rachel went around the table and hugged her grandma tight.
“Thank you, Ruth.”
“For what? Making you do all my chores?”
“No, just for being you, and for making me feel so welcome here.” Rachel hugged her even tighter.
“It’s your home. It always has been,” Ruth said. “Don’t you ever forget that.”
* * *
“I’m sorry, Bro,” Jackson said again. “I didn’t think things through.”
Cauy eyed his brother, who was sitting at the desk in the farm office working through another pile of paperwork. Cauy had gone out into the freezing wind to tend the horses, only to find that the Morgan Ranch hands had got there before him, mucked out all fourteen horses, and put them out to pasture for a couple of hours.
He’d spent a few minutes talking to Santiago about renovating the large feed shed. Santiago had written down a list of supplies necessary to get the roof back on and fix the old door. He intended to start work tomorrow after they’d cleared out the junk, and Cauy was looking forward to helping him.
Cauy had left them to it, confident that things would get done, and went back to the house to have his breakfast. He’d dreamed of Rachel rather than his usual nightmares, which was a pleasant change. He almost wished she’d stayed the night but that might still be a step too far. He reminded himself that he wasn’t going to think about anything too deeply and should just enjoy the moment.
“Isn’t it a good thing I asked Billy if he was your father?” Jackson looked hopefully at him. “Otherwise you might have been committing all kinds of indecencies with Rachel.”
“I wasn’t—” Cauy sighed. “Hell—”
“She’s really hot,” Jackson said, nodding. “I can see why you like her.”
Cauy had no intention of discussing Rachel with his gabby brother. “How’s the paperwork coming along?”
Luckily, Jackson was easily diverted into talking about money. “I’ve straightened up the last couple of years so you can turn those over to your accountant. They are all online now and in some kind of order. The deeper Dad got into the booze, the more discrepancies I noted.” He sat back. “There’s money there somewhere, but I can’t find it yet.”
“Maybe he drank it all.” Cauy perched on the edge of the desk to look over Jackson’s shoulder at the old written account books.
“Possible, but unlikely.” Jackson stretched out his arms. “I still think he stashed it away in another bank somewhere.”
“Then keep digging.”
“Will do. Is there anything that needs doing with the horses right now?”
“Nope, the Morgan Ranch hands have seen to pretty much everything.”
“Nice.” Jackson grinned.
“I’m going to measure up the old food storage shed so that we know what length timber to cut,” Cauy said. “But I can get that done myself.”
“I thought I might go into town and buy some wine, or something to take with us to the Morgans,” Jackson said.
“That’s a great idea.” Cauy stood up.
“Maybe flowers for the table?” Jackson frowned. “Is there a florist in town?”
“Yeah, right close to the coffee shop. I think it’s called Daisy’s.”
“Then I’ll stop off there if it’s open, or maybe I can do it online.”
Cauy paused at the door. “How come you know about all this stuff?”
Jackson shrugged. “Lots of different postings mean you have to get your manners on. Let me know if you need anything in town before I go. Like condoms or anything.”
Cauy winced. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that, I wasn’t anticipating—”
Jackson threw a cardboard carton at him, and Cauy reflexively caught it.
“There you go. I’ll get some more.”
“Thanks.” Cauy stuffed the condoms into his pocket aware that he might be blushing, which was totally unacceptable. “I owe you.”
* * *
Cauy was busy hauling stuff out to the trash pile when he heard a truck stopping outside the house. He threw the rotting timber onto the ever-increasing heap and went to see who had arrived.
Rachel stood at his back door petting Grace, who had been running around the fenced part of the yard. Just seeing her made him stop and stare like a fool. Why she’d taken a chance on him he would never understand, but he intended to enjoy the moment.
As if sensing his stare, she turned around and waved. Her smile hit him low in the gut, and he was instantly hard. He walked toward her and swept her into his arms for a kiss that instantly turned hotter than hell. He backed her up against the wall and hitched her up until the zipper of her jeans met the bulging fly of his, and pressed himself close.
“Cauy . . .”
Her arms wrapped around his neck and adjusting his stance he picked her up and carried her inside, stopping at least twice to grind himself against her like some horny teen. She didn’t seem to mind, her booted heel jabbing his ass like she was spurring him on.
When he reached his bedroom, he locked the door and deposited her on the bed, his mouth locking back over hers as she undid his belt and plunged her hand inside his jeans to fondle him.
“Jeez . . .” His breath whooshed out as she shoved down his boxers and took him in her mouth, drawing him deep and holding him there while he struggled to get his balance and keep up. His fingers tangled in her short blond hair as he enjoyed every pull of her mouth on his heated, hard flesh.
When he thought he might come, he gently eased her away, and helped her out of her jeans and panties, cupping her mound in his palm and finding her more than ready for him.
He sat on the bed, found a condom, and covered himself before drawing her down to straddle his lap.
“This okay?” he murmured against her lips.
“God, yes.”
She bit him as she rocked her hips taking him deep, rising and falling over him, her breasts in his face as he frantically tore off her jacket and sweater and lavished her skin with his mouth.
It was wild, it was hot as hell, and they were coming together, and that was the best thing of all....
* * *
Rachel shuddered through her climax, her nails digging into Cauy’s neck and shoulders and his mouth swallowing her screams. She’d never had sex like this before. It was addictive.
She slowly raised her head to find him smiling at her.
“Hi.”
“Hi yourself.” She kissed his nose. “Is Jackson here?”
“No, he’s in town.” Cauy kissed her back, his mouth lingering until she started squirming on his lap making him catch his breath. “Want to go again?”
“I have to get back and help Ruth,” Rachel sighed. “There’s a lot to do feeding the family and the last guests.”
“Okay.” Cauy gripped her around the waist and eased her free of him. “Shower?”
“Not enough time.” She breathed in his scent. He’d been working outside and smelled like wood smoke and the barn with a side of ice. “I only came to deliver the mail Jackson left in Ry’s car.”
“Thanks for doing that.”
Cauy moved off the bed and went into the bathroom. She heard water splashing, and when he returned, he’d obviously washed up. She gathered her clothes and went to set herself to rights. There were red patches on her throat and chest from his stubble. According to her phone, she’d only been at the ranch for twenty minutes, which was kind of amusing.
When she reappeared, the bedroom door was open, and Cauy was whistling in the kitchen. She paused to appreciate the cheerful sound. Had she ever heard him whistle before?
“Can I get you some coffee?” Cauy called out as she came into the kitchen.
“Yes, please.” Rachel headed for the back door. “I’ll just get your mail.”
On her return to the house, her cell buzzed. She took it out of her pocket to read the text message from Chase and frowned.
“What’s up?” Cauy asked as she came through the door.
She sat at the table and took the coffee he gave her. “Chase says he thinks someone has gotten into the mine.”
“What?” Cauy’s smile disappeared.
“Some of the images from last night show inconsistencies.” Rachel sighed. “He wants me to go up there and check around the sensors to see if there’s been a cave-in or something.”
“I’ll come with you.” Cauy finished his coffee in one hit. “What about Ruth?”
Rachel was already texting. “Chase is on it. She says just go ahead and report back.”
Rachel was happy to go in Cauy’s truck, which was better suited to the terrain than hers, and had the added benefit of heated seats, which worked sporadically but were better than nothing. The high ground around the mine was as bleak and desolate as the moon surface.
When she got out of the truck at the first GPR unit the coldness made her cheeks hurt and her breathing ragged. Luckily, she didn’t have to stay out there for long.
“This one looks okay.”
Cauy nodded, and they drove to the second marker, which was similarly undisturbed.
“Let’s stop at the mine,” Rachel suggested.
“Sure.” Cauy parked close to the entrance and got out, his expression darkening as he came around to her side of the truck. “What the hell?”
Rachel stared at the broken bottles and silver tracks of frozen beer that littered the closed entrance to the mine. The wooden panels had been kicked or attacked and the bottles thrown at the barrier.
“Someone obviously tried to get in here,” Rachel stated.
“Yeah, and I bet it was those Morgan Ranch guests who came up here the other day.”
Rachel glanced at him. “We don’t know that for sure.”
“Who else could it be?” Cauy asked.
“Someone from town? I gather it’s still something of a draw to thrill seekers.”
“True, but the most obvious answer is the guests.” He crouched down and began to pick up the shards of glass.
“Watch your hands,” Rachel warned. “Can I take one of the buckets from the back of your truck to put the glass in?”
“Go ahead.”
They picked up the glass, and Cauy continued his search around the mine entrance.
“Lots of hoofprints and one set of tire tracks.” He stopped and looked back at Rachel. “If they didn’t succeed in getting in here, where else might they have tried?”
Rachel’s gaze went to the sinkhole and she walked over to peer into its depths. There was no sign of anything down there let alone a vehicle.
Cauy turned on his flashlight, but the high-powered beam picked up no trace of any activity or disturbance.
“Too obvious?” Rachel asked.
“Too dangerous.” Cauy turned off the light. “Let’s go and check the other two GPR units, and see if there’s anything up with them.”
The third GPR was fine, and at the fourth marker, the one farthest away from the mine itself, there was no obvious sign of surface damage. Rachel got out of the truck and turned a slow circle, her hands deep in her pockets and her chin buried into the warmth of her knitted scarf.
“Cauy, look at this.” She bent down and picked up a few cigarette butts, and a spent lighter. “Someone was out here.”
He joined her, his quiet gaze scanning the barren fields and frosted fence line before he set off down the slope following a faint trace of footsteps in the ice. Rachel went after him. He reached a hollow sheltered from the wind that was cut into the side of the hill, and stopped again.
“The ground is very flat here. Maybe man-made.” Cauy stamped his booted foot and then looked up the slope. “And the lines are . . . not natural.” He studied the sparse bushes growing up against the side of the slope and suddenly dove into them.
“Hey!” Rachel glanced wildly around and then followed him in, holding her arm across her face to avoid the branches springing back as he forged ahead of her.
“Wow.”
Rachel peered around Cauy’s shoulder. “What is it?”
“I think it might be another way in to the mine.”
Rachel reached out to touch the broken planks of wood and Cauy grabbed her hand.
“Don’t get too close.”
She frowned at him. “I’m not stupid. I was just trying to work out if anyone had moved the boards recently.”
“There are footprints around here. If they did get in, this might be what Chase picked up on the GPR unit and camera.” He turned back. “Come on. Let’s go and tell him what we’ve found.”
* * *
Cauy heeled and toed his boots off in the Morgans’ spacious mudroom and hung his coat up. Rachel had disappeared upstairs. She’d told him to go through to the kitchen when he was ready, and she’d join him. She’d already sent a text to Chase on the ride over so he was expecting them.
Cauy carefully stretched his fingers and studied the damaged skin. He’d forgotten to put the cream on last night, and it showed. But the problem was more than skin-deep. Shrapnel from the explosion had embedded in his left hand breaking his fingers and wrist in multiple places. Flinging up his left arm had saved his sight so he’d learned to live with it. But today the pain was jagged and set his teeth on edge. The cold seemed to infiltrate every tiny crack and nagged like the worst kind of toothache. He’d have to take some medication later, and he hated that.
“You okay?”
He turned to see Chase coming down the stairs, his laptop under his arm.
“Yeah. What’s up?”
Chase waved at him to go first. “Nothing much. I’ve taken the rest of the week off, and I intend to enjoy the time with my family. It’s cool that Jackson was able to join you for Thanksgiving.”
“You just reminded me”—Chase found his cell—“I need to tell him where I am in case he gets lonely.”
Chase snorted. “No chance of that here. There’s always someone getting into your business.”
“Have you thought about building yourself a separate house like BB is doing?” Cauy asked.
“January likes it here in the old house.” Chase shrugged. “That’s all I need to know. And we do have an apartment in San Francisco, so we can get away for some privacy.”
“Lucky you.” Cauy went into the kitchen. “Jackson wouldn’t know a boundary if it slapped him in the face.”
“So I heard. To be honest, I’m amazed you let him live after that clunker.” Chase sat at the table and opened his laptop. “Let me show you the images the GPR units recorded last night.”
By the time Rachel arrived smelling like a bunch of flowers from her shower, Cauy was convinced Chase was correct, and there was definitely something going on in the mine. He let Rachel relay what they’d discovered out near the main entrance and the new hidden unmarked entry point on Lymond land.
“Thanks for checking it out,” Chase said as he shut down his laptop. “I’ll put more cameras up there and see if we can catch a glimpse of these guys.”
“Rachel thinks it might be people from the town, but I’m more inclined to believe it’s your current guests,” Cauy stated.
“It could be either.” Chase rubbed his hand over his face and groaned. “The last few guests are leaving the day after Thanksgiving only because they couldn’t get flights and we offered to let them stay another night. If we hold off actually accusing anyone of anything, maybe the problem will take care of itself.”
“I suppose so.” Cauy wasn’t convinced, but waiting a couple more days wouldn’t hurt. “The boards on the second entrance looked newer than the ones at the original level. I’ll have to check the Lymond records and see if my father left any notes about finding that entrance or doing anything with it.”
“That’s a good point.” Chase exhaled. “Maybe he was using it for storage or something. I’d hate it to be any of our guests. We really don’t need that kind of bad publicity for the ranch right now when we’re just getting started.”
“I’m more worried about someone going in there and causing a cave-in. That environment is very unstable,” Rachel piped up.
“Agreed.” Chase nodded. “Let’s get through Thanksgiving and take another look on Saturday, agreed?”
Cauy and Rachel both nodded.
“Great. I’ll let everyone else here know what’s going on so that they can keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior from the guests.”
“Maybe we could pay BB to patrol the cabins every night and scare the crap out of anyone who ventured out?” Rachel suggested.
“Not a bad idea, but we do already have cameras here at the ranch,” Chase reminded her. “Which I can also access to see if there’s been any shenanigans going on. Mind you I’m way more likely to see Ry and HW sneaking around trying to get it on with their lady loves.” Chase grinned with all the smugness of a happily married man. “They’re both so sad.”
“I think Sam’s planning on moving into town soon,” Rachel said. “HW doesn’t know yet.”
“She’s a brave woman,” Chase said, shaking his head. “He’s not going to be happy about that.”
Cauy cleared his throat. He really didn’t want to know every single detail about the Morgans and their complicated private lives. The only Morgan he was interested in was sitting right next to him, her thigh touching his. He half rose from his seat.
“I have to go into town and get some supplies. Do either of you need a ride?”
“Sorry, Cauy. We got off topic there for a moment.” Chase smiled at him. “Thanks for all your help, and we’ll see you and Jackson tomorrow for Thanksgiving.”
Rachel stood as well. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
Cauy didn’t argue with the first great suggestion she’d made in a while. He followed her to the mudroom where he’d put his jacket, hat, and boots.
“This place hasn’t changed much,” Cauy said as he took his jacket off the hook.
“Did you come here when you were a kid?” Rachel asked, leaning back against the dryer, her arms folded under her breasts, drawing Cauy’s gaze.
“Once or twice, when my dad didn’t know where I was going. He would’ve beaten the crap out of me otherwise.” Cauy studied the old stairs. “Which room are you in?”
She waggled her eyebrows at him. “Wanna see?”
“Not if you want me to keep my clothes on.” Cauy set his Stetson on his head.
“Didn’t we just do that?” Rachel blinked at him. “Like an hour ago?”
“Yeah.” He glanced down at his jeans. “So?”
Reaching out a hand, she traced his straining zipper with one fingertip, and he forgot how to breathe.
“I like that,” Rachel said.
“Which particular thing?” He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, bringing her whole hand into contact with his now aching dick.
“This would do nicely,” she purred.
He stepped in close, trapping her against the dryer, his whole body aligned with hers. He hadn’t felt this desperate since he’d first discovered sex as a teenager and wanted it all the time.
“I’d like to take you up those stairs, strip you naked, and make love to you all day,” Cauy murmured against her lips.
“Okay,” she sighed.
“You’re not supposed to encourage me. We’re standing in your grandma’s mudroom.”
“Not a problem for me.” Rachel licked his lower lip and then bit down on it, sending a shot of pure lust straight to his groin. “I think I’m a bit besotted with you.”
“Yeah?” For one wild moment he considered picking her up and taking her to her bedroom before his hard-won common sense reasserted itself over his hard-on. “Your brothers would kill me.”
“True, but it would probably be worth it.” She put her hands on his chest and pushed him away. “Go home then, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Cauy put on his coat and boots and did exactly what she said. She might not mind him facing the Morgan brothers, but he’d rather stay alive and try again another day.