An Intimate Bargain

issue.”

Travis stepped forward. “Oh, no, you don’t.”

“I’d like to talk to Abigail.”

“But Abigail wouldn’t like to talk to you.”

“I think Abigail can speak for herself.” Lucky raised his brow.

She struggled to shake off the shock. So far, he was keeping their night a secret. Although she had to find out what he was up to, and quickly.

“It’s okay, Travis,” she said with a quick glance to her brother.

“No, it’s not okay. He doesn’t get to waltz in here and-”

“I’m not out to harm you.” Though Lucky was responding to Travis, he kept his gaze fixed on Abigail.

“You’re a liar,” said Travis.

Abigail agreed with her brother. Lucky’s being here couldn’t possibly be a coincidence. Had he set her up from the very beginning? A wave of disappointment and humiliation washed over her.

“I’m not lying,” said Lucky.

The odds were overwhelming that he was lying through his teeth, but one thing was sure, she needed to talk to him alone. Bad enough that she’d slept with him, but in the wee hours of the morning she’d also confessed embarrassing secrets. She’d told him how badly she wanted a career in business, that she didn’t want to work with her brother on the ranch. She’d said some things that, in retrospect, were downright disloyal.

“It’ll be fine,” she assured Travis in the calmest voice she could muster.

“You don’t need to be polite,” Travis pointed out. “This guy’s the enemy.”

Lucky heaved a frustrated sigh.

“I’m a grown woman.” Abigail was firm. “I think I can decide who to talk to.”

“Don’t start with me,” said Travis.

“Can we step outside?” asked Lucky, taking a step toward the door.

Travis barged between the two, facing Lucky, his back to Abigail. “Leave,” he commanded.

“Travis,” she said from between clenched teeth. “You have to back off.”

“No.”

“We’re only going to talk.”

He rounded on her. “I don’t understand. Why would you give this jerk the time of day?”

“I’m giving him five minutes.”

Travis spread his arms in obvious frustration. “I’ve already given him ten.”

Fine, Abigail was frustrated, too. When Travis got like this, there was no point in arguing with him. But she didn’t dare give in, not until she knew what Lucky was up to. She held her palms up in surrender and took a backward step, then another, and another.

When she was clear, she turned for the door, stomping her way outside, assuming Lucky-no, Zach-would have sense enough to follow. Her brother was a tough, intimidating man. But Zach seemed as if he could hold his own. And she was hoping against hope they were too civilized to engaged in a fistfight in the living room.

She banged her way through the front doorway, stomped across the porch, down onto the gravel driveway, taking a few steps out onto the turnaround. She pushed back her hair, acutely aware of her disheveled appearance.

She shouldn’t care. But she couldn’t seem to help herself. Zach had seen her at her best last week, dressed up for the party. Okay, so he’d also seen her naked. But she didn’t think she looked that bad naked.

Right now her shirt was wrinkled and covered in grit. She was pretty sure there were dust streaks marring her face. Her hair looked like something out of a horror flick. And she smelled like the rear end of a heifer.

“Abigail?” came Zach’s voice, followed by his swift footsteps crunching on the gravel.

She squared her shoulders and turned to face him.

“What are you doing here?” she asked shortly.

“I need your help.” He came to a halt a few feet away.

“No. I mean, what are you doing here?”

“I don’t get the distinction.”

“How did you find me? Did you know who I was all along?” She feared she already knew the answer, but she wanted him to admit it out loud.

“I didn’t find you. I didn’t even know who you were.”

“Right,” she scoffed. He had to have targeted her from minute one. She could only imagine he’d been laughing at her all night long.

“I didn’t know your name,” he insisted with remarkable sincerity. “I met Doll-Face. I liked Doll-Face.” He paused, and an emotion flicked through his eyes. “Why wouldn’t you tell me your name?”

“Apparently I didn’t need to.”

“I didn’t know your name,” he repeated. “It was only later I heard that Abigail Jacobs was the best person to help me with the water license. I put those two things together exactly two minutes ago.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Had she come across as completely stupid and gullible? What a depressing thought.

“Yes, I expect you to believe me.”

“I believed you were leaving town,” she challenged. “That was a week ago, Zach. You haven’t left town.”

“I told you I was passing through.”

“What kind of play on semantics is that?”

“I am passing through.”

“You set me up from the start.” There was no other explanation.

He spread his legs, firming his stance. “I did not know who you were that night.”

“Bull.”

“I didn’t. If I had…” He paused. “Hell, I don’t know what I would have done if I had. That night was pretty great.”

“You don’t get to talk about that night.” Not now, not ever.

“It doesn’t matter if I talk about it or not.” His gaze smoldered for a silent second, transmitting the unspoken message that he remembered it as well as she did.

“It’s nothing more than a blur to me,” she bluffed.

He eased closer. “You can’t lie worth a damn.”

“Yes, I can.” The protest was reflexive. She didn’t want to be a good liar, and his opinion meant nothing to her.

“I need your help, Doll-Face.”

She leaned in, pointing an index finger at his chest. “You can’t have my help.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I can.” His tone was mild, but his eyes had gone hard as flint.

A cloud moved over the setting sun, cooling the air and darkening the world, while a sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.

“I saw your look of panic inside the house,” he finished.

“That wasn’t panic,” she lied again.

“You don’t want your brother to know about us,” Zach stated.

As if on cue, Travis appeared in the doorway, leaning on the jamb, arms folded over his chest and a scowl on his face.

Abigail didn’t dare let Zach know he had the upper hand. “Believe me when I tell you, you don’t want my brothers to know about us.”

“I’ll take my chances with your brothers.”

Did she dare call his bluff? Was it a bluff? Was he willing to risk her brothers’ wrath over a water license? Her skin prickled and her heart rate doubled.

Okay, this might be the beginning of panic.

“I am certain,” he continued, voice lower, leaning ever so slightly toward her, “that you want to keep every