Homestead

Chapter Nineteen

“What’s good here?” Kelly put aside the menu and looked around the Sly Fox. “Besides the beer?”

“Probably just about anything on the menu,” Clay said. “I can vouch for the burgers. Wings are excellent. So are the fries.”

Kelly laughed. “Come here often?”

“Ah…” Clay shrugged and nodded. Like many of the locals, she ended up here most nights for a meal and a beer to purge the dust of the day. Unlike the others, though, she didn’t take part in the casual conversation and friendly gossip that went on around her. She recognized most of the faces but she wasn’t one of them—and while some gave her a quick glance and nothing more before moving on to the next topic, other eyes lingered on hers, challenging or accusing. She didn’t mind—most of the suspicion would magically disappear when the money started flowing in with the gas, and then she’d be on to the next town, all her sins forgiven. Only this time she’d be taking her sins with her. Only Tess could forgive her those, and the time for forgiveness was past.

Tess. She’d caught glimpses of her all week as she’d worked with the crew up on the hill above the farmhouse—early in the morning and late in the evening when Tess walked to the main barn for the milking, at midday when she checked the crops in her ATV, late in the afternoon when she repaired a section of fence out behind the barn. Always from a distance, Tess’s features a little too blurred to read what was in her eyes. That’s how everything seemed between them now, distant and out of focus, when once the welcoming passion in Tess’s eyes had set her heart soaring.

Clay clenched her fists on her thighs as the helpless frustration gnawed a hole through her insides.

“You seem to have a fan at the far end of the bar—big guy, gray hair, midforties, work clothes.” Kelly leaned back in her chair, and to anyone who didn’t know her, she’d seem relaxed. She probably was. She was also watching everyone in the room. She’d been NYPD before coming to work for NorthAm. Like Ella, she was smart and good company. Clay didn’t work with her very often because she rarely needed any more security than Ella could provide.

Clay sipped the beer the waitress had delivered along with the menus and checked the bar. “That’s Pete Townsend.”

“One of the holdouts on the rights?”

“Yeah. And a vocal opponent.”

“He’s on his way to pay his respects.” Kelly eased her chair back, making room to stand if she had to.

Clay waited until a shadow fell over the table before looking up. “Hi, Pete.”

“Sutter.” A beer bottle hung from his left hand two inches from Clay’s cheek. “How’s the work going over at Tess’s place?”

“Making progress.” Clay didn’t even like the way he said Tess’s name, as if he had some right to be familiar with her. Clay blinked away the red heat clouding her vision. She’d handled bigger opponents than Pete Townsend before without losing her temper.

“Planning to put a rig up on that hill?” Pete put his foot on the rung of Clay’s chair and leaned over her, the innocent-seeming gesture subtly intimidating.

Clay wasn’t easy to intimidate. She pushed her chair back, turning to look up at him squarely, forcing him to step back to keep his balance. “When I decide where we’ll drill, I’ll let everyone know at a town meeting. I’m sure you’ll be there.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“I left a few messages with your manager this week,” Clay said. “We still need to talk. I’m sorry I missed the last time.”

“Busy week.”

“Yeah. How about Monday?”

Pete frowned, turned the beer bottle in his big hand. “Sure. Seven thirty?”

“I’ll be there.”

Pete nodded curtly and strolled away.

“Pleasant guy,” Kelly remarked.

“Yep.”

“More trouble than just talk?”

Clay thought about the truck coming at her from out of the dark. She couldn’t say for sure Pete drove one, but odds were a thousand to one he did. “I don’t know.”

“Make sure you take company with you on Monday.”

“Do I have a choice?”

Kelly pulled her chair back to the table and swallowed some beer. “I’ll leave that discussion to Ella.”

“Chicken.”

Kelly smiled. “You should at least take some time off this weekend.”

Clay grimaced. She’d had the paramedic at the job site take her stitches out that morning. The laceration on her forehead was healing well but still bright red, and the bruise on the side of her face was a nasty shade of green-yellow. “That bad, huh?”

“The heat up on that hill has been ferocious all week. I feel like someone’s twisted me into a knot and then put me through a wringer.” Kelly shrugged. “I could use a break.”

“Thanks for giving me an excuse to lay low.” She was tired, but it wasn’t the heat or her lack of sleep. She was tired of trying to fill every waking minute with business or fleeting pleasure that never really reached deep enough to satisfy the empty spaces in her soul. Tired of making do. And ever since she’d first seen Tess again, tired of pretending she didn’t want more. She rubbed both hands over her face. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I’ll spend some time watching the balloons tomorrow.”

“Oh, right. The balloon festival.” Kelly grinned. “It sounds like fun.”

“Yeah—” Clay’s phone rang and she debated ignoring it, but whatever it was, problem or not, wouldn’t go away just because she wanted it to. She pulled the phone from her pocket and glanced at the readout. Especially this one. “I’ll be back in a minute. The signal is better outside.”

Kelly started to rise and Clay held out a hand. “I’ll be right out front. There’s plenty of people around. Nothing can happen.”

“I’ll just take a little stroll around out there while you talk.”

Clay knew she wasn’t winning this one and signaled to the waitress they’d be back. Outside, she found a spot a ways away from the people congregated by the door and called her father back. “Dad? Sorry I missed your call.”

“More than one,” her father said dryly. “And I haven’t had any reports from you all week.”

“Sorry.” Clay wondered why he was taking such a personal interest in this project—he usually let the project managers handle the day-to-day details. But it was his company, and she worked for him. “I’ve been getting back pretty late at night and was planning to catch up on paperwork this weekend. I don’t have a lot to tell you just yet, but—”

“Where do things stand on those last few contracts that needed completion?”

“There’s a little more resistance in the community up here than usual, probably because we haven’t been active this far north yet. Before I started pushing on the rights, I wanted to get some of the preliminary data analyzed. The site development is coming along well—we’ve got all the housing and storage facilities completed. I’m talking to the trucking company next week about effluent disposal.”

“Good. You’re on schedule, then.”

“More or less. The permit applications are in, but the town clerks up here are only in the office a couple half days a week. I’m going to push, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take.”

“I think I’ll be able to assist in that.”

Warning bells sounded. “What do you mean?”

“I’m sending Darnell up this coming week. I want those contracts sewn up tight, and there’s no reason you have to take time away from site prep to do that.”

“Darnell? That’s a little overkill, isn’t it?” Darnell Holmes was one of the corporation’s senior attorneys, and he didn’t usually attend personally to something as minor as contracts. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t like loose ends, Clayton. And considering the circumstances, it will be better all the way around if you don’t need to handle them.”

Clay’s stomach knotted. “You mean Tess.”

“She’s part of it, yes.”

“Look, Dad, I’m going to talk to her as soon as—”

“My point, Clayton,” her father said with exaggerated patience, “is that we’ll have it taken care of and you won’t need to deal with her at all.”

“These people won’t be railroaded, Dad. It’s not the right way to deal with this community. That’s why you sent me. It’s my job, let me do it.” Clay walked in a circle, a headache forming at the base of her skull. Why was he so set on keeping her away from Tess? Hadn’t she stayed away all these years—hadn’t she done as agreed? Tess wasn’t a girl anymore—neither was she. Maybe she’d let the past hold her prisoner for no reason at all. “I don’t want Darnell—”

“I know your skills and I respect them. This is something that should’ve been handled before your arrival, and now it will be. Is everything else in order?”

“Nothing new.” Clay hadn’t told him about her accident. Why would she? He couldn’t do anything about it, and his knowing wasn’t going to help her recover any more quickly. She didn’t share her personal life with him, she never had. She’d used the accelerated work schedule as a reason to bring on more security. Ella couldn’t spend every moment working, after all. When would she have time to date Tess? Clay closed her eyes. “I’ll get a report out to you as soo—”

“Very good, then. We’ll speak again next week when matters have been completed.”

“Good night, Dad,” Clay murmured into the silent phone.

“You sure this is okay with you?” Tess asked as Ella parked in the lot next to the Sly Fox.

“Absolutely. A burger and beer sounds great.” Ella cut the ignition, released her seat belt, and turned to face Tess. “I had a great time today. Thanks so much for taking me to meet your friends.”

Tess smiled. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so relaxed. Or the last time she’d spent an afternoon not worrying about the weather, the economy, or the price of feed. “I did too. It was fun. Listening to Dev talk about the lake and her work was fascinating.”

Ella laughed. “She does have a way of making fish seem like people, doesn’t she?”

“She loves what she’s doing, that’s for sure.”

“She reminded me of you that way.” Ella caught a strand of Tess’s hair in her fingers and ran it lightly between them.

Tess felt her face grow warm. The tug against her scalp was oddly exciting. Her whole body seemed to be on alert, an exposed nerve tingling with energy. She drew a breath, focused on Ella’s teasing smile. Bad idea. She glanced away. “Somehow I don’t think I could make corn and cows sound quite as interesting.”

Ella’s fingers brushed over Tess’s neck. “Oh, I don’t know. I think you would.”

The parking lot was dark with only the section closest to the tavern illuminated by the light filtering through the big front window. They weren’t visible inside the car, cocooned from the rest of the world. The tone of Ella’s voice, the touch of her fingers, wasn’t hard to read. She was going to kiss Tess in another second.

“Ella—” Tess swallowed. “We should probably head inside. It’s Friday night—going to be crowded.”

“Hungry?” Ella murmured, softly stroking the back of Tess’s neck.

“Famished,” Tess said shakily. A kiss wasn’t anything to be afraid of—she had been kissed a time or two. But when she looked at Ella, her vision swam until the image resembled someone else. She eased away.

“All right,” Ella said softly. “Let’s go inside, then.”

Tess caught Ella’s fingers in hers. “Thanks.”

Ella laughed softly. “That’s not necessary.”

“It’s just—”

“There’s no need to explain, Tess. Today was great.”

“Yes,” Tess said. “It was.”

Tess held the door to the tavern open for Ella to pass and paused just inside the crowded room, searching for a free table. She froze when she saw Clay sitting close to a pretty young blonde at a table in the corner. Clay wore a typical work outfit—a blue cotton work shirt with the sleeves rolled up past her forearms, jeans, and boots. The blonde wasn’t dressed for fieldwork—her dark slacks, pale shirt, and lightweight tailored dark jacket were more office wear. If she wasn’t one of the construction workers on Clay’s crew, maybe she worked in the office at the work site. Or maybe she was simply a date. Why wouldn’t Clay date while she was here? Of course she’d want female company—she was going to be here for two or three months. As Tess stared, the blonde looked over, smiled widely, and waved. Tess’s immediate reaction was to turn around and walk out. The last thing she wanted was to see the blonde put a hand on Clay.

“Ella,” the blonde called. “Come on over. We’ve got room.”

Clay looked their way and her mouth tightened into a hard line. She didn’t echo the invitation.

“Do you know her?” Tess asked.

“Yes, but we don’t have to join them,” Ella said quietly, “if you’d rather not.”

“No,” Tess said, refusing to let Clay guess anything about the situation bothered her, “that’s fine.”

When Tess sat down next to Clay at the crowded table, she was careful not to let any part of their bodies touch.

The blonde sent her hand across the table. “Hi, I’m Kelly Wilcox.”

“Tess Rogers.”

“Good to meet you.”

Kelly was friendly and hard not to like. While she and Ella were obviously friends, Kelly included everyone in her conversation, which was light and smart and funny. Tess contributed when she had to, but Clay drank her beer and said nothing. Clay’s silent presence was a force field pulling Tess ever closer even as she struggled to break free. She couldn’t help but glance at Clay, and every time she did, Clay was studying her with a brooding intensity that stirred a deep ache inside her.

When the meal was over, Clay took the check and said to Kelly, “You can take the car. I’ll walk from here.”

Ella shook her head and spoke before Kelly could reply. “That’s not a good idea. I need to take Tess home and you shouldn’t be—”

“I doubt anyone would be foolish enough to try a repeat.” Clay rose abruptly, laid money on the table, and looked down at Tess. “Can I speak with you privately for a moment?”

Caught off guard, Tess glanced at Ella.

“It won’t take long,” Clay growled, her dark gaze fixed on Tess.

“Go ahead,” Ella said. “There’s no rush.”

“Outside.” Clay grasped Tess’s hand and pulled her through the crowd toward the door.

“Clay—” Tess protested, tugging to get free. Clay’s hold was too tight to break, and when a few people looked their way, she relented and simply followed. If she didn’t, she could just imagine the stories that would be going around by morning. As soon as they were outside and away from prying eyes, she yanked her arm free. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting your attention for a change.”

“What?” Tess shivered under the wave of angry heat rolling off Clay’s tense form. She’d never been the focus of Clay’s anger before and it was like being buffeted by high winds in a thunderstorm.

“If you hadn’t avoided me all week we might have avoided this,” Clay said.

The slanting light from the tavern etched the contours of Clay’s face in stark black and white, carving out the sharp angles and planes. She looked a little dangerous there in the dark, and Tess’s heart beat hard. The night was still hot, and every now and then a slight breeze would carry the scent of earth and sky that clung to Clay. The primal force of her called to Tess, and something deep inside yearned to answer.

“What?” Tess fought the spell and focused on her own anger. She hadn’t avoided Clay—well, she’d made sure their paths never crossed, but that wasn’t the same thing. If Clay had wanted to see her, she knew where she was. Where she’d always been. Her spine stiffened. “What are you talking about?”

Clay drew her beneath a large maple by the corner of the parking lot. “You need to hire an attorney.”

“I’m sorry? What are you talking about?”

“You need to get an attorney, Tess.” Clay leaned closer and Tess’s back brushed the trunk of the tree. “You’re out of time.”

“I have an attorney. Why?”

“The company is sending up our attorneys to finalize the rights contract Ray initiated. There might be loopholes in there you can exploit to get out of it, but these guys are good. They’re used to getting what they want, loopholes or not.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Tess shot out her chin. She wasn’t going to run from anyone, especially some high-priced New York lawyers.

“Because I know how they operate.” Clay bit off the words as if every syllable was an effort. “If you want a choice in this, you’re going to need someone smart and tough to represent you.”

“That’s not what I mean. Why are you helping me?”

Something hard passed through Clay’s eyes, something wild and untamed. She spread her hands on the tree on either side of Tess’s shoulders and bent until their faces nearly touched. “What did you say?”

“I said,” Tess repeated softly, trapped by the fire in Clay’s eyes, “why are you helping me?”

“How can you not know?” Clay grasped Tess’s arms and yanked her forward, her mouth coming down hard on Tess’s.