Tempted by Trouble

chapter NINETEEN


An eggbeater couldn’t have scrambled his mind any better. Who the hell invented short skirts? He’d love to nail the bastard. And then again, he’d love to shake his or her hand. Damn. Carolina rocked the hem of worn denim. Sitting prim and prissy inside his car, with a pair of hot legs that he’d wrapped around his waist enough times to know he was diving in deep, where he longed to be now and forever.

For the love of God. It was true. He didn’t want her to leave. He sure as hell didn’t look forward to her departure.

Tonight added to his misery. Self-torture, by way of taking Carolina out and letting a bunch of cowpokes stare at her. He gritted his teeth. She swiveled on the front seat and her skirt hitched up another couple of inches, revealing twelve inches of thigh. How long were her legs? Did he have to ask? Hell, no. His memory was etched with the lines of her body, the texture of her skin, her scent.

His finger itched to slide along her inner thighs but if he started he’d not be able to hold back. So far each time they clashed, he’d resorted to the only thing he could think of with Carolina and his dick always won out. He promised her dinner and dancing, not f*cking in the back seat of a sports car.

They pulled into the Silver Streak and he jingled his keys. “Any chance of a kiss?”

She leaned over and pressed her lips to his. He didn’t want to claim her but wanted her to come to him of her own volition. Jesus, he couldn’t get enough of her. He pulled back and she followed. His pulse skyrocketed. If only he’d taken her to a romantic restaurant, then maybe he’d force the issue. Matt glanced about the parking lot. As he held onto her hand, he realized this wasn’t the place he envisioned. No need to be hasty, she wasn’t leaving tomorrow.

He came around the car, opened Carolina’s door and nearly choked. He reached down to help her up and reminded himself to step back and give her room to move. He locked the door, all the while keeping his eyes locked on her.

“As I live and breathe.” A man’s voice rang out.

Matt heard the words but dismissed them. He didn’t recognize the man who spoke, except to acknowledge the man’s expression bothered him. Then Matt did focus all his attention upon the stranger, and his whole body tensed in an instinct to protect what was his. No conscious thought, just primal energy. He edged Carolina behind him, his chest automatically filled, and he stepped in front of the man about to do what amounted to a body check of his woman.

“Excuse me,” the man said, hauling up to stop before slamming into Matt.

“Yes, may I help you?”

“And you are?”

“Matt McLemore.”

He laughed. “Well, this is all too convenient. I’m Jeff Welch, your pathologist. How do you do?”

“You came all this way to deliver a report.”

“Yes. I’m thorough. Do you mind if Carolina is involved in this conversation?”

Matt felt her fingers tighten around his forearm. This is what he got for hiring a woman that was gorgeous and had stolen his heart.

“What are you doing in Texas?” she snapped.

“I told you I’d like to discuss this over dinner. Didn’t you share that with your client?”

“And I said to send the reports by this evening.”

“Well, I’m delivering them, as promised. And now you owe me a drink.”

“Where are the reports, Jeff?”

“Quid pro quo? N’est-ce pas?”

“How nice. Multi-lingual for BS.”

He stared at Carolina just long enough to take in her edgy response. This was a man she’d dated and from what he knew, a man who had hurt her deeply. She hadn’t asked for Welch’s appearance at the ranch so what the hell was the man doing here? Matt stepped away, giving her space. An uneasy feeling rolled around the pit of his stomach. Carolina was basically finished with her work. She’d expected to be free once she had contacted her resource. His head told him Dr. Welch was the jerkoff, but his heart had been down this f*cked up road before.

Inhaling deeply, he fought to slow his thoughts as he steadied himself against overreacting to his past. Carolina deserved his trust without question; if it he could only put aside the doubt suddenly stabbing him. The back of his neck knotted and an all too familiar tightening of his chest followed. Crap, he couldn’t give into that mind game; he’d better buck up and see what this idiot had up his sleeve. Someone was being played and this was too important to let the past f*ck with his head and heart. He curled his hand around Carolina’s hip giving her a firm squeeze.

“Care to join us inside?” Matt asked.

He ignored Carolina’s open-mouthed stare.

He pushed on, trying to display an easy-going attitude. “I want to know about the analysis. Now’s as good a time as any. You two coming or would you rather just give me the report and you both can play catch-up?”

Carolina looked back to the good doctor. She pursed her lips. The heaving of her chest all spoke to her unease. “Jeff, give us a moment. We’ll meet you inside.”

Welch snickered. “I’m a sucker for a dominating woman. Table for three, coming right up. Wish I’d worn my boots.”

Carolina waited for the man to enter the restaurant, and then turned to Matt. “What are you doing?”

“I know a jerk when I see one. Since Welch made the trip I fully intend on picking his brain. I paid for these samples. If the cocksucker came all this way, then I intend to get the results. You said earlier that I’d have them this evening. It’s past five o’clock and from where I come from, when you tell someone in the world of business that they’ll have a report, it’s by close of the business day. So far, it’s after five and this report is the only thing I’ve got. Your contact and you have a past that I can’t help. I need answers not melodrama. I suggest we both suck it up long enough to listen for the future of Evermore and then leave. Can we do that?”

“I checked the email before we left. I’m upset that he didn’t send his reports on time, but obviously he was in transit, trying to get here. He’s a jerk. I didn’t’ want to use him but you gave me no choice. Please don’t let him come between us.”

“Carolina, I’m not letting him or anyone else come between us. If you say it’s water under the bridge, my only choice is to accept your words. Maybe in the future, you might consider breaking all ties with him if you can’t participate in a business meeting with him on one side of the table. Either it’s over between you and Welch … or it isn’t. By chance, you might consider this is your subconscious talking.”

Her eyes reminded him of all the hurt and pain he’d experienced in his life rolled up and reflected.

Shit. Just shut up. Her expression made him want to sew his mouth shut.

He couldn’t stop the vile and hurtful things pouring out of him when all he wanted to do was take her into his arms. His best shot had been giving into his own pain by hurting her. He was destroying them both. He needed to get the reports and leave. At least if he shut up, he might not do any more damage. He faced her.

“Are you ready to go inside?”

Her eyes darted to his car. “No. I’m not. I will go, but then promise me, we’ll leave. Not you storming out and leaving me with him.”

“I won’t leave. Not without you.”

She nodded. She walked ahead of him and they entered the restaurant. Of course the shit head doctor was standing right there in front. More than likely had observed their conversation.

“I’ve got a table right over here.”

What a cocksucker. Acting like this was his town. “Okay, let’s cut to the chase. What’s the prognosis?”

“Genetically speaking, you’ve a malicious gene suppressing code on your hands. Change the bull and you should be flying straight. Get off Baylor’s Relief’s line if you’re staying with the same cows. Breeding is akin to roulette and this combination is a magic bullet to the head. Here.” He pushed a manila envelope across the table. “This details the exact gene expression and location, if you need to know where to look. Chances are this won’t happen again in a hundred years. If you want, I’d be happy to look at your other cattle. I can come home with you. Make it an early night.”

The man was f*cked up. No wonder Carolina couldn’t stand the sight of him. Did he mean he wanted to engage in a three-way? Matt ignored the innuendo. “Thanks. But we’re good.” He slid his fingers across Carolina’s arm.

Jeff’s eyes watched the gesture and came up. “Just an offer. In case you think otherwise, here’s my card. I’ll be here until tomorrow. I’m on my way to California. One reason I decided to stop and drop.”

Matt wasn’t about to query him on the fact that this stopover was not on any plane route he knew of. There was no reason to belabor that point.

He watched his kid sister walk past the windows. Shit. What the hell was Cory doing here? She stopped in front of a wall of men: Ranch hands from Colliver’s, and not a bunch that Matt enjoyed the company of in any sense of the word. One man moved in front of her, as another boxed her in from behind. He’d seen this movement. He swore.

“Carolina, I need to help Cory. Stay put.”

Matt arrived outside in time to see the four corners form around his sister. He grabbed hold of one of the guys by the scruff of the neck and hauled him backwards. “Cory, get going now,” he commanded.

“Well if it ain’t McLemore himself.”

“There’s no need for this. Let it go, Jessie.”

“Why, ’cause there’s four of us and one of you?”

“No, because I taught you a lesson that last time you tried to bully someone from my family.” Matt didn’t back down. Not from Jessie. This little shit had tried this move on Brandon and Rory.

“F*ck off. You’re just sour that Melinda had you by the short hairs for a good time and nothing else. Broke your heart, and you never forgot.”

“Think what you want, Jessie, but grow up. Aren’t you nearly forty and still acting the bully? One day you’ll be alone. Then what? You want a piece of me, take your best shot.”

Matt watched the other men out of the corner of his eye. He stepped back as Jessie’s younger brother went to scurry behind him. He wasn’t going to be caught and then sucker-punched by a sucker.

He elbowed the man behind him, taking hold of his neck in the crook of his arm. “Now, just what do you think you’re doing, Blair?” He popped him in the mouth and released him. Blair fell to the sidewalk.

This wasn’t going to stop until Jessie got what he had coming. Except tonight he had more to think about besides himself or the ranch. He’d promised not to leave Carolina alone and that’s exactly what he’d done.

“You’re an ass, Jessie.”

His pride was less affronted then his need to make certain that Carolina was safe. He turned and Cory waited for him on the sidewalk by the front entrance. “Cory, what the heck are you doing here?”

“We got a call at the house. A doctor looking for you and Carolina with some report. Said you needed to get it tonight. Your cell is off and I don’t know Carolina’s number. I’m on my way to Sharlenne’s, and I just stopped by to give you his number.” She held a slip of paper out to him.

“Thanks. Those guys ever bother you before?”

“They’re dicks. I would have clocked Jessie, but you stopped me. I’ve got my knees and my nails. Don’t think I can’t take care of myself.” Cory reached over and squeezed his arm.

“Where’s Carolina?”

He jerked his chin. “Inside. I need to get back.”

Inside the restaurant, he stopped. He gazed at the table and the man had moved closer to Carolina. His arm was back along the rail of her chair and he was twirling her hair over his fingers, whispering in her ear. Her body leaned uncomfortably away from the man and then she stood up entirely. Something passed from her lips before she glanced over her shoulder, meeting his eyes with anger heating her face. Welch said something, extending his hand, and she wiped a hand across her forehead. Her old boyfriend leaned back in his chair.

Matt had already been down this road once. He swore. Everything in him commanded that he haul Welch outside except he’d already demanded that they both stay for the good of the ranch. Fine time to decide it he couldn’t stand the heat, just turn and leave. He shook his head and resumed walking, faster now.

Matt moved toward the table. Calm down. Carolina’s gaze melded with his, taking hold of his chest with a snap and tug feeling. “Hey, sorry about that.” He noticed Welch steady stare across the table. He met the man’s eyes without wavering until the man dropped his gaze to the reports. Matt moved his chair closer to her and put his arm around the back of Carolina’s chair.

“Everything all right with Cory?”

“Fine.” He sat, running his thumb along the top of her shoulder, and waited for the cornered prey-look he’d observed in Carolina’s eyes to dissipate. Her body relaxed. Matt sat forward, leaning halfway over the narrow table.

“I think we understand the issue. It wasn’t necessary for you to come all this way.”

You’d better calm down.

The man had better get the f*ck up or he was going to lose all possible means of being rational.

“I don’t mind. It’s my pleasure. Regarding the genetic issues — ”

“Let me make myself transparent. If you set foot in this town again, I’ll make certain you don’t ever forget the experience. This is a promise.” To prove his point, he fist-lanced the doctor’s chin, executing a pop. Silent and powerful. The doctor slumped in his chair.

“Let’s go.” He stood and pulled her chair back. His mind wasn’t about to simmer down. He needed to keep his mouth shut and get the hell out of the restaurant … out of the parking lot before he said something or did something he’d regret.