'Hi, Dad.' Laura greeted him with a huge smile, eyes sparkling. Abandoning her chore of shredding chicken, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. 'Nice to see you've come out of hibernation. Are you going to stay in the office all day today?'
J.T. couldn't suppress a grin at his daughter's impudence. He was feeling pretty good, despite his lack of sleep last night. Refusing to admit Caitlan was responsible for his pleasant mood, he replied, 'I thought I'd check the creek for blockages.'
Laura shot him a disproving glance. 'What about your head?'
'My head is fine, Smidget. I only want to check and make sure the creek is clear.' Leaning his hip against the counter, he nabbed a piece of chicken and tossed it into his mouth.
Frowning, she spread mayonnaise on a slice of bread, then heaped it with chicken and a slice of cheese. 'Why can't the other guys do that?'
'They can, but I want to get out for a bit. I won't do anything strenuous, I promise.' To prove his point, he added, 'Want to go with me?'
She looked at him, and he caught a flicker of pleasure in her eyes before it was quickly replaced by something much more mischievous. 'No, but I'd bet Caitlan would like to go with you. She's been cooped up for two whole days. You can show her how beautiful it is here.'
J.T. glanced at Paula, who gave him a light shrug and a I-had-nothing-to-do-with-Laura's-scheme kind of look before she continued slicing the loaf of fresh bread she'd made that morning. Paula might not have anything directly to do with Laura's ploy, J.T. thought, but she definitely wasn't against the idea.
Neither was he, which should have been enough to warn him he was getting too damned close to her. After their hot kiss last night, and the truce they'd established, taking things a couple of steps farther would be so easy…
Reminding himself of the complications of getting involved with Caitlan, he shored up his resolve. 'We haven't had much time together lately, Laura. I'd really enjoy if you came with me.'
She waved a hand between them. 'I've got things I want to do around here today. And Karen might come over this afternoon. Caitlan was saying just yesterday how she'd love to see the ranch.' A sudden smile lit up her features, her eyes dancing with excitement. 'You know, I just thought of something.'
'Really?' he said dryly. 'I can hardly wait to hear this one.'
'Dad, stop being so stuffy!' she huffed in exasperation.
He raised his brows. 'Me? Stuffy?'
'Yes, you.' Laura poked him playfully in the chest, then gave him her best impression of an angelic look. 'I was thinking, why don't I make you a couple of sandwiches, and after you and Caitlan check the ranch you can take her on a picnic?' Satisfied with the merit of her plan, she began wrapping sandwiches in plastic wrap.
'Laura, I don't think that's a good idea-'
She gave him a pointed look. 'If you're going to be out checking the ranch, then you're both bound to get hungry.' Grabbing a knapsack from a kitchen drawer, she put three sandwiches inside. 'Here, I'll pack you a few sandwiches, some potato salad, and apples.'
Paula chuckled, and J.T. glared at her, somehow knowing he'd lost this round.
'The girl's right, you know,' Paula said, handing over two shiny apples to Laura. 'You need to get out of the house, and Caitlan would love to see the place. You both just might get hungry, too.'
J.T. didn't mention that he could just as easily eat lunch before he went out. He'd always used ranching as an excuse to forget everything and clear his head. Now, cooped up in his office, he found he constantly wondered where Caitlan was and what she was up to. What harm could there be in taking her with him? And a picnic was an innocent enough gesture, considering they were bound to get hungry.
'Where is Caitlan, anyway?' He watched as Paula filled a thermos with lemonade and added it to the sack.
Laura handed J.T. the care package with an encouraging smile. 'She went to take Missy some milk and scraps. She's probably still down in the barn. Why don't you go get her?'
'I guess I will.' J.T. grabbed one of his old Stetsons off the coat rack and jammed it on his head. 'We won't be gone long.'
'Don't worry about hurrying back.' Laura practically pushed him out the kitchen door. 'Oh, and have a good time!'
J.T. shook his head at his daughter's match-making. In the back of his mind he knew he should at least be annoyed by Laura's meddling, but he found it difficult to get mad at her for something he wanted just as much.
'Hello, Missy,' Caitlan said in a soft voice as she approached the momma cat and her kittens. 'I brought you some milk and chicken.' As soon as she placed the bowl and plate next to the cardboard box housing Missy's family, the feline abandoned her nursing kittens for the food. Caitlan laughed softly at the loud mews of protest coming from the box.
Missy feasted on her meal, and Caitlan stroked the cat's back and scratched her behind the ears. Missy purred deep in her throat and let out an appreciative meow.
Smiling, Caitlan turned her attention to the mewling kittens. Murmuring sweet words to them, she reassured each of them with a touch and a caress that their mother would be returning soon. She heard steps behind her and assumed it was one of the hands working around the ranch today. From what Laura had told her, on weekends the hands rotated days off, and most of the men spent their time lazing around the bunkhouse and barn area.
Then the fine hairs at the nape of her neck tingled with apprehension.
'Well, if this isn't a tender scene.'
The familiar, insolent voice sent a shiver racing up Caitlan's spine. Standing, she turned and gave her nemesis a tolerant look. 'What do you want, Randal?'
He pushed off the stall he'd been leaning against and approached her with slow, stalking steps that made Caitlan uneasy. 'You know what I want.' Bloodshot eyes raked her from head to toe. 'I want some answers.'
Caitlan didn't care for the heinous glint in his gaze. 'I don't know what you're talking about.' She started past him, determined not to get into another confrontation.
Blocking her path, he shoved his hands hard against her shoulders, and she stumbled back into the wall. Missy, eating by Caitlan's foot, hunkered down and glared at Randal, her tail swishing in warning.
Gaining her composure, Caitlan made an attempt to dodge Randal, but the quarters were cramped and his hands shot out and slammed against the wall on either side of her head before she could make a clean getaway.
His eyes glittered with malevolence. 'You're not going anywhere.'
She turned her head slightly as his breath, hot and fetid with the odor of liquor, slipped up her nose. Knowing better than to provoke someone who'd been tipping the bottle, she remained calm. 'Let me go, Randal.'
'I want to know what the hell is going on!' he said in a low voice infused with fury. 'You being here is just too damned convenient.'
Lifting a brow, she looked him square in the eye, hoping to intimidate him. 'Do you have something to hide, Randal?'
Panic flashed in his glassy eyes, then was quickly replaced by a challenge of his own. 'You tell me.'
If she informed him she knew he was behind J.T.'s attack, she'd put J.T., and this mission, in jeopardy. She couldn't say anything; J.T. had to discover Randal's intentions on his own. So, instead, she gave Randal a noncommittal shrug.
He looked at her long and hard, the uncertainty in his gaze shifting to an outright leer. Slowly, a crude grin curved his mouth. 'I don't know how you've managed it, but you've got J.T. wrapped around your finger.' He pressed his body to hers, grinding his hips obscenely against hers. 'You must really be something in the sack.'
A thread of panic stole through Caitlan. Randal was a solidly built man, and she was no match for his strength. She pressed her hands against his chest and pushed, but he didn't budge. 'Let me go, Randal.' Her voice was even, in control. 'You don't want to do this.'
'Oh, I think I do.' He laughed, the sound full of malice. 'The perfect retribution. I think I'd like a piece of J.T.'s woman for myself. J.T. always gets everything, and since he's taken everything from me, I can show him what it feels like to be betrayed.'
Caitlan shook her head, seeing a chance to reason with Randal. 'J.T. has never betrayed you. He wants to help
