An Intimate Bargain

Her mind screamed no. But there was something in the raw honesty of his plea that got to her.

“If it was your family?” he asked more softly this time, “what would you do?”

She tipped her chin and tossed her head, telling herself she was capitulating for a good cause. “Fine. We’ll try one more time.”

He was silent for a moment, almost as if he couldn’t believe she’d finally said yes. “Thank you,” he breathed, in obvious relief and gratitude.

She was hit with an unexpected rush of pleasure. Which was silly. She might feel good about helping him, but that didn’t change the cold hard facts. “I wish I could be magic, Zach. I truly do.”

He gently took her hands. “You are.”

Despite everything, she wanted to throw herself into his arms, squeeze him tight and forget the rest of the world existed. “Go away,” she murmured. “Leave me alone for the next few hours.”

He nodded, and with a final, reflexive squeeze of his fingers, he let go and walked away.

She stared into the dark reaches of the garden, struggling to bring her emotions under control.

Lisa’s voice came from behind her, skirt rustling, heels clicking rhythmically on the concrete as she approached. “Now, who the heck was that?”

Abigail shook her head and gave a helpless laugh. “Nobody.”

“Come on. Anybody who looks at you that way is not a nobody.”

Abigail was tired of keeping all this locked tight inside her chest. She gave in to temptation. “Cone of silence?”

“Cone of silence.”

“That was my one-night stand.”

Lisa whistled low, turning to look at the doorway where Zach had disappeared. “Oh, mama.”

“You got that right.” Abigail gave a wry grimace. “He was also my midnight research project. And tonight I’m meeting him after the reception.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You okay?”

“No.”

“You want to tell me what’s going on?”

“Yes,” Abigail admitted. “But I can’t.”

Lisa moved closer. “Oh, but you can.”

“I really can’t.” Abigail hadn’t gone to all this trouble to blurt the truth out to Lisa.

“I’m family now,” said Lisa. “Plus, I’m discreet. And I’m not above feeding you champagne until you reveal every single secret locked away in your little heart.” She nodded to a waiter standing just inside the doors. “You might as well do it without the hangover.”

It was tempting.

Lisa rapidly rubbed Abigail’s arm. “Tell me.”

Abigail gave in. “I lied to and betrayed my entire family.”

“You did not.”

“Yes.” Abigail nodded, looking square into Lisa’s eyes. “I did.”

“Then wait right here.”

Lisa swiftly crossed the patio, helped herself to two glasses of champagne and returned, handing one of them to Abigail.

Abigail took a swallow. “I slept with Zach. He’s that guy you just saw. Only, I didn’t know he was Zach then.”

“You’re an adult.”

“I know.”

“Was it good?”

Abigail shot her an incredulous look. “That’s irrelevant.”

“Yeah, but was it good?”

“Yes.”

“So far I’m not hearing anything particularly problematic.”

“Yeah, well, it gets better. He blackmailed me. Threatened to tell Travis and Seth-”

“Tell them what you like in bed?” It was Lisa’s turn to be incredulous.

“No. No. It was something that I told him in bed.”

“Oh, good. Though I have to admit, you had me curious.” Lisa waggled her brow. “Little Bo Peep outfit, handcuffs, whipped cream.”

“Give me a break.”

“It’s not as if you can tell by looking at a person.”

“I’m not into handcuffs.”

Lisa shrugged. “So what’d you tell him?”

Abigail was having second thoughts about the conversation. She glossed over the facts. “The important point is that he blackmailed me into helping him get a variance to his water license.”

“He got a variance?” Working in the mayor’s office, Lisa was well aware of the contentious water issues.

Abigail shook her head. “The committee turned him down. And now he wants me to try again.”

“Wow, Abby. Unless we’re talking black leather and whips, and even then, just tell him no.”

“This isn’t about kinky sex.”

“Then just tell him no.”

“There are hundreds of jobs at stake.” Abigail found herself defending Zach. “Hundreds of orphans’ jobs at stake. Because that’s what Zach does. He grew up in foster care, and he’s built this whole brewery conglomerate to give jobs to other foster kids. You should see the place, Lisa. The headquarters are in Houston, and the people who work there, well, they all but worship Zach and his partner, Alex. He’s given them all a real shot in life, given them a place to belong. And I’m the only person who might be able to help him save it.”

“What does this have to do with water?”

“They need to up production at their Craig Mountain brewery. To do that, they need water. If they don’t, it all falls apart like a row of dominoes.”

“It’s still not your problem,” Lisa told her gently.

“They’re his family.”

“And you want to help them.”

“I do,” Abigail admitted. “I know it’ll set a precedent that will hurt the ranchers. But I want to do it anyway.”

Lisa smiled. “He must be damn good in bed.”

“He is.” Abigail felt her cheeks grow warm. “That’s irrelevant. But he is.”

Lisa’s grin widened. “Then you’d better help him.”

“And betray my family.” That was the conundrum. She might sympathize with Zach, but the facts remained the same.

Lisa linked arms with her. “It’s not the worst betrayal in the world. Besides, if they kick you out of the house, I’ll take your room.”

Abigail tried to smile at the joke, but she couldn’t quite pull it off.

“Chill, Abby,” said Lisa. “The water battle will go on for a long, long time to come. And in the end, Zach’s variance will be a mere blip on the radar.”

“If I pull it off,” Abigail reminded her as they started for the door. Having met some of Zach’s employees, she truly wanted to save their jobs. “I honestly don’t know what I can do to change the committee’s mind.”

“Seth told me about all the research you did on this,” Lisa reminded her. “The paper you wrote, your presentation in Denver. You didn’t let those bureaucrats intimidate you. The Ranchers Association thinks the world of you. He also told me he credits you with getting him elected. You wrote every speech, developed every policy. You’ve been a straight A student since first grade. You’re brilliant, Abby. If anyone can do it, it’s you.”