Thunderbolt over Texas

Eleven

Cole wheeled his pickup into a wide spot in front of Grandma’s house. The flowers were still blooming. The barns were still standing. And the horses still grazed in the fields.

He’d been to Heaven, then Hell, then home again, but the Texas landscape stuck to its own rhythm, not even missing his presence. He killed the engine, trying to shake the vacant feeling that had built up inside him, forcing himself to drum up some enthusiasm for the good news he was about to give his grandma.

He felt the breast pocket of his shirt for the hard, rectangular package, reassuring himself that the last four days hadn’t been a dream-or a nightmare.

He kicked open the driver’s door, snapping himself out of his mood. Nobody needed to know he’d been taken for a fool. They only needed to know the brooch was back. He’d gloss over Sydney’s betrayal and gloss over his own gullibility.

He crossed the dirt driveway and took the front stairs two at a time.

“Grandma?” he called as he opened the door.

She appeared in the foyer, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “I heard your truck. Do you have news?”

He forced himself to smile as he slipped the case out of his shirt pocket. “I have great news. I found it.”

She searched his face for a moment. “And everything’s okay?”

That wasn’t exactly the reaction he was expecting. He smiled wider. “Of course it’s okay. We have the Thunderbolt.” He held the case out to her.

Her pale blue eyes shimmered with tears and she reached for the case, opening it carefully to gaze at the brooch. “Where’s Sydney?” she asked, glancing to the open doorway behind him.

Cole inhaled, turning to close the door. “She’s in New York.”

Grandma stilled. “Why? Why didn’t she come home?”

“She had things to do.”

“What things?”

“Grandma…”

“What things? Cole Nathaniel? This is her triumph-”

Cole winced and bit back a sharp denial.

“-her achievement-”

He clenched his jaw tight to keep himself silent.

“She needs to be here with us to celebrate.”

“Grandma.”

“Don’t you ‘Grandma’ me.” She snapped the case shut.

“She’s gone.”

“What did you do?”

“Sydney is not our friend,” he said as gently as he could.

His grandmother glared up at him, waving the Thunderbolt case. “That’s ridiculous. You’re marrying her.”

Cole ran a hand through his hair, gripping the base of his neck. He needed to get out of here. He needed some air. He needed not to be answering questions about Sydney right now. “No, I’m not marrying her.”

“Oh, yes, you are.” Grandma nodded. “I’m not letting you talk yourself out of this girl. It’s time to grow up, Cole. It’s time to take on your responsibilities.”

“I’ll marry someone else. I promise.”

Grandma shook her head and clicked her cheeks.

Cole sucked in a breath, calming himself down. The sooner he got it over with, the better. “I didn’t want to have to tell you this, Grandma.”

“Tell me what? What did you do to that wonderful girl?”

That was it. Cole had had about enough. “That wonderful girl tried to steal the Thunderbolt.”

“She did not.”

Oh, great. Denial. That was helpful. “I watched her do it.”

Grandma waved a dismissive hand. “Not possible.”

“She’s a stranger, Grandma. You can’t have such blind faith in her.” As Cole had done.

He’d been taken in by her sexy smile and her sultry voice. This was what happened when you started letting emotions mess around with your logic. Or maybe it was his libido that had messed around with his logic.

“She may be a stranger to you, Cole.” Grandma tapped the case against Cole’s chest. “But I know that woman. She did not betray us.”

Sydney was amazing, a con artist of incredible talent. She probably duped old people all the time. Her and that partner, Bradley Slander.

“You do not know her,” said Cole.

“Go get her.”

Cole sputtered for a moment. “I will not go get her. Grandma, she ditched me in a hotel room to go and make a deal.”

“I’m sure she had a perfectly logical explanation.”

“Yeah. It was logical, all right. She wanted to steal the Thunderbolt out from under us.”

Grandma waved away his words.

“I waited five hours,” he explained. “I took the address from the trash bin. I followed her, and caught her and her partner red-handed, bribing some black market criminal.”

The color drained from Grandma’s face.

Cole was sorry to disillusion Grandma, but Sydney had to be stopped. She wasn’t a good person. She was a thief. “I saw them through the window. The three of them.”

“Cole.” Grandma’s voice turned to a hoarse whisper.

“I’m sorry, Grandma.” Nobody wished more than Cole that things had turned out differently. The fake Sydney was one of the most compelling women he’d ever met. Even now, even after everything she’d done to him, he still remembered her laughing voice, her gentle caresses and her emerald-dark eyes. His stomach contracted with regret.

Grandma blinked at him. She gripped the jewel case against her chest. Then she squared her shoulders. “Sit down, Cole. There’s something I have to tell you.”

Perched on the couch, Cole listened with growing incredulity to his grandmother’s confession.

His grandfather?

His grandma?

When she got to the part where she’d taken Sydney into her confidence, he jerked up and paced across the room.

With every word, with every passing second, his muscles tightened into harder balls of anger.

He didn’t blame Grandma, and he didn’t blame Sydney. He blamed his grandfather. And he blamed himself. It was their job to protect the family, to keep them safe.

“She bought it from your half-uncle,” Grandma finished. “Then she didn’t explain it to you, because I’d sworn her to secrecy. She kept my secret, Cole. She let you hate her, and she kept my secret.”

Cole stopped in front of the fireplace mantel, fixing his furious gaze on the picture of his grandfather.

The man was grinning.

Grinning.

Before he was even aware of the impulse, Cole slammed his fist into the wood paneling next to the picture, cracking the veneer, putting four deep dents into the grain.

Strangely, he didn’t feel the slightest pain.

“Did I miss something?” came Kyle’s voice from the foyer.

A deafening silence swept the room.

“Cole and Sydney had an argument,” said Grandma.

“You never punched a wall over Melanie,” said Kyle.

As Cole stared at his grandfather, everything inside him turned to stone. Then his chest swelled with an ache, and his throat went raw.

He was just as bad as the old man.

He’d failed.

He wasn’t there for Grandma, and he’d sent Sydney packing when he should have been down on his knees thanking her.

She’d done his job for him.

“Cole?” Kyle’s voice seemed to come from a long way off. “Any news on the Thunderbolt?”

“It’s here,” said Grandma, holding out the case.

“Isn’t that mission accomplished?” asked Kyle. “So what’s wrong?”

What was wrong? Everything was wrong.

A family crisis had unfolded right under Cole’s nose, and he hadn’t even noticed. And he’d destroyed the woman of his dreams. She was back in New York right now, shutting down the Viking show and killing her career. She didn’t deserve this. She’d stepped in to help, and what did she get in return?

He cringed remembering the insults he’d hurled at her on the sidewalk. He’d actually threatened to have her arrested.

And she hadn’t said a thing. She’d kept his grandmother’s confidence in spite of everything. Everything.

“Cole?” Kyle repeated, moving into the room, all humor gone from his tone.

Cole ignored his brother, slowly turning to meet Grandma’s eyes.

When a man could no longer trust his own judgment, what was left? “I don’t know what to do,” he said.

Grandma took a step forward. “Give her the Thunderbolt.”

He shook his head. It was too late. Sydney was canceling the show, and she’d never speak to him again.

“I thought you were marrying her,” said Kyle, glancing from one to the other.

“They had a fight,” said Grandma. “Get on the next plane, Cole. Go to New York and fix it.”

“I can’t fix it.”

“Yes, you can.”

Could he? Would an abject apology help at all? Would the Thunderbolt help, even now?

There was only one way to find out.

Cole straightened.

He filled his lungs.

“What the hell happened?” asked Kyle.

Cole turned on his heel and brushed past his brother. Grandma could tell Kyle, or not tell Kyle about the forgery. Cole would respect her decision. But right now, he had one thing to do, and one thing only.

He banged his way out the door and practically sprinted to the pickup truck.

In her cramped office on the mezzanine floor of the Laurent, Sydney hugged her arms around her chilled body.

“You fell for him, didn’t you?” asked Gwen as she perched herself on the window ledge.

Sydney closed her eyes and nodded. At least there was one area where she could be honest with her friend. “I couldn’t tell Cole what was really going on, either, and then Bradley showed up…”

“And Bradley’s the reason Cole thinks you tried to steal his brooch?”

Sydney nodded again, struggling against the overwhelming weight of defeat. How had Cole found her? How in a city the size of Miami had he happened on that little coffee bar?

She’d thought she was home free. She would have come up with a story, any story. But when she placed the brooch in his hands, he would have known she was on his side.

Instead. Instead…

She groaned out loud. “I wish I could tell you more.”

“Hey.” Gwen gave a sad laugh. “It’s really okay. I don’t need to know. But what are you going to tell the boss? He’s pretty upset, what with your promises and my promises…”

“That they wouldn’t lend it to me, I guess.” She shrugged. What did it matter? Her career was over. They were already scrambling to book another show for the front gallery.

Sydney had broken a cardinal rule. She’d made a promise she couldn’t keep. She should have called her boss as soon as the brooch went missing. No. She should never have offered it in the first place.

She should never have offered up an item she didn’t already have in her hand. But she’d trusted Cole. She knew that if he said he had the Thunderbolt, and he said he’d give her the Thunderbolt, it was as good as done.

Not quite, as it turned out. Not that it was Cole’s fault. It was her fault. All her fault.

“Maybe we can replace the Thunderbolt,” Gwen suggested. “Use one of the ruby necklaces.”

“There’s not enough public interest. It had to be a new piece. It had to be a fantastic piece.”

“It’s not fair that you should get hung out to dry.”

Sydney gave a hollow laugh. “It’s official. Life’s not fair.” She knew she should care a lot more about the demise of her career, but she couldn’t seem to get past losing Cole.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him in the Miami hotel room-the sympathy in his blue eyes when she talked about Nanny and Papa, the twinkle when he fed her a strawberry, and the dark passion when he reached out to touch her hair and pull her in for a kiss.

Stop. She had to stop-

“For the record,” came the voice that was haunting her brain, “I gave you the benefit of the doubt.”

Gwen’s eyes went wide. She quickly slipped down off the window ledge.

Sydney pivoted to see Cole, big as life, lounging against the jamb of her office door.

“I’ll…uh…” Gwen quickly brushed past Cole to exit the room.

Sydney blinked, trying to adjust her focus to something that made sense.

“I waited five hours in that hotel room,” he said. “It took me five hours to convince myself you actually had betrayed me.”

“What are you doing here?” Her fingers curled convulsively into the palms of her hands. The Thunderbolt was genuine. He had no excuse to show up and torture her.

He took a couple of steps into the room, swinging the door shut behind him. “Grandma told me.”

“Grandma told you what?”

“She told me the truth.”

Sydney backed up, shaking her head. That couldn’t be. They were home free. Grandma would never have given away her secret once she had the Thunderbolt back.

Sydney’s butt came up against her small desk. “No,” she whispered.

“Yes.” Cole nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me, Sydney?”

What kind of a question was that? “I gave her my word. My vow.”

“I could have helped you.”

“You were the one she was keeping it from.”

“She’s my responsibility,” he snapped.

Sydney recoiled from the shout.

She wished she knew how to help him. This had to be hell on his pride. You took away what a man like Cole needed to protect, and he was lost.

He raked a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know you’re upset.”

He moved closer, shaking his head. “No. I’m not sorry I yelled. I mean, I am sorry I yelled.” He stopped. “But I’m really sorry I mistrusted you. I’m sorry I treated you so badly. I’m sorry we…” His gaze drifted away from hers.

Some of the tension went out of Sydney. “Yeah? Well, I’m sorry about that part, too.” They’d played with fire and they’d both been burned. She’d known all along that Cole was temporary, but she hadn’t been able to resist him. And now any man she slept with from here on in was going to be held up to his standard.

Even now, his elusive scent teased her.

She shook herself. “Why are you here?”

He hesitated. “I’m here to give you the Thunderbolt.”

Her throat went dry. “You can’t do that.”

“Oh, yes I can.”

“But-”

He reached out and took both of her hands.

Her chest contracted with the touch.

“I’m proposing, Sydney.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Proposing? For real?

“How do you mean?” she ventured, not daring to believe it could be true. She’d already had that dream crushed once.

“Just like we planned. You show the Thunderbolt. And then…” He shrugged his shoulders and glanced down at the floor.

The faint hope leeched out of her body. “A marriage of convenience, Cole?”

He nodded. “It is the only answer.”

She’d once thought so, too. But she’d been wrong. Cole loving her was the only answer. Cole wanting to marry her and spend the rest of his life with her was the only answer she’d accept now.

He’d once asked her if she was ready to walk down the aisle in a white dress, promise to love him, then kiss him, throw a bouquet-and then go their separate ways.

She’s been prepared to do it then. She couldn’t do it now.

“I don’t think it’s the answer anymore,” she told him, her throat aching with disappointment.

“You’ve earned it,” he said.

She raised her hand to her lips to stifle a bitter laugh. “By lying to you? By sleeping with you?”

“Don’t.”

She shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, Cole. But I think I’ll pass.”

She couldn’t show the Thunderbolt under these circumstances. And she wasn’t even sure she wanted to show it. The brooch was exactly where it was supposed to be, safe with Grandma, safe with Cole, someday safe with Cole’s real bride.

“I’m not taking no for an answer,” he insisted. “You’re the reason we found it. You’re the reason we even knew where to look. You were there for Grandma when she couldn’t trust me-”

“Oh, Cole.” Sydney’s heart instantly ached for him. “It wasn’t a matter of trust.”

“No?”

“She was embarrassed beyond belief. I was a stranger. She didn’t care about my opinion the way she cared about yours.”

“That’s not how I see it.”

“You’re not thinking clearly.”

“I’m thinking perfectly clearly. I want you to marry me. I want you to reap the professional benefits of showing the Thunderbolt. It’s all I can offer to make up for…”

Sydney fought the chill that moved over her soul. “I don’t want it.” Did he think they could just erase the past two weeks? He’d shown her the moon and the stars, then he’d yanked it all away. She’d watched the way he’d treated his family, felt the way he loved them, felt the way life might be if he might have loved her. But he didn’t, and he never would, and there was nothing she could do about that.

“You’re lying.”

“The answer is no, Cole.”

“You’ll break Grandma’s heart.”

“Low blow,” she retorted, a weak smile cresting his lips.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet.” He clamped his jaw. “Marry me, or I’ll fight dirty.”

She folded her arms across her chest, not about to give an inch. “Go ahead. Give it your best shot.”

“I’ll call Bradley.”

Sydney pulled back in horror.

“I’m sure he’ll have some ideas about showing the Thunderbolt.”

She shook her head. “Cole. No. You don’t know what he’ll-”

“I’ll do it. Either you marry me, or I make a deal with Bradley.”

“You’re bluffing.”

“I don’t bluff.”

“That man’s evil.”

“Then marry me.”

“No.”

He threw up his hands. “I’m not asking you to walk the plank. You only have to put up with me for an hour or two. Give me one little kiss, pretend you like me at the reception, then we each go our own way. You’ll find reasons to be in New York. I’ll find reasons to be on the ranch. And, after a decent interval, we tell everyone it didn’t work out.”

“Could a proposal get any less romantic?” she asked.

He glared at her.

“I mean, really, Cole. Is there anything you could add that would make a girl feel less desirable?”

He stared hard into her eyes. “My desire for you was never in question.”

Familiar stirrings rose up in Sydney’s chest. For a split second she considered saying yes and hauling him off on a real honeymoon. But she couldn’t do that. It would only put off the heartbreak, maybe make the pain even worse.

“You’re thinking about it,” he said. “I can tell you’re thinking about it.”

She shook her head.

“Say yes, Sydney. You can do it.”

Could she?

If she didn’t get past her feelings for Cole, she’d go insane. She needed to focus on something else. And her career was the only reasonable distraction. And at least she’d have the satisfaction of thwarting Bradley.

She gazed into Cole’s eyes, studied those flecks of storm-tossed gray for the last time.

“Fine,” she said, suddenly tired of fighting, tired of feeling, tired of wishing for something he’d never be able to give her. “I’ll marry you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She tossed her hair behind her shoulders. “After all, it’s the professional coup of a lifetime.”