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Mercy. At any moment he expected to hear music in the background and Roy Orbison break out in song at the sight of her.
Hands down, Chloe was a hell of a pretty woman.
And too damn sexy for words.
“Please have a seat,” Willoughby said.
“Thank you.” She moved toward the chair next to Jake with the grace of a dancer, her eyes glimmering with sexual confidence.
Jake might have braced himself for a fight, but he hadn’t realized he’d have to buck his libido, too.
Interestingly, Willoughby didn’t seem to be the least bit fazed by her. And why was that?
Jake supposed it was because Desiree had always carried herself in a similar manner, and her attorney had grown used to it.
Well, Jake wouldn’t get used to it. Looking at Chloe all dolled up like that left him a bit unbalanced. And he didn’t like having the urge to stare.
Fortunately, Willoughby got them all back on track by reading the will. And per Desiree’s wishes, the estate was split between Jake and Brianna, which Jake didn’t have a problem with. But Desiree had appointed Chloe to look after Brianna’s holdings and her best interests until she was of age.
What kind of ogre had Desiree thought he was?
Jake would never put his own interests ahead of his sister’s, so his stepmother’s distrust cut him to the quick.
Chloe shifted in her seat, drawing his attention, then crossed a leg over her knee, flashing a lovely stretch of thigh. “What about custody of Brianna?”
Jake tore his gaze away from the sexy redhead and focused on the attorney. Chloe had only been granted temporary custody. Surely, Desiree knew the best person to have permanent custody was Jake.
“Desiree appointed you two as joint guardians,” Willoughby said.
“Excuse me?” Jake gripped the armrests of his leather seat. “That’s crazy. Desiree couldn’t have been in her right mind when she drew up that document. How in blazes can two people living in different states share custody of a child who will start kindergarten in the fall?”
“Let me read the letter she wrote, giving the details of her wishes.” Willoughby sorted through the pages before him, found what he was looking for and cleared his throat:
“Dear Jake and Chloe,
I’ve been dealt a crappy hand, but I’ll play it out to the end. I know this may be a bit out of the ordinary, but I hope you’ll understand where I’m coming from.
Brianna has lost her father and now me. No child should have to go through that, but I’ve tried to prepare her the best I can. Now it’s up to you. I know that you both love her. And interestingly enough, I believe that having the two of you share custody will be best for her. Jake, you favor your father in more ways than looks. And Chloe, you’re a lot like me. I’m hopeful that Brianna will be comforted by that.
I’m asking you to live together as a family at the ranch for six weeks. At the end of that time, I’d like you both to come to an agreement on how to make shared custody work.”
What? No way.
Jake wasn’t about to stay in the same house with a sexy redheaded bombshell who seemed to get off on taunting a man.
Willoughby continued to read:
“I realize you both are established in separate states, but maybe Brianna can spend the school year in Bayside and summer vacations, holidays and some weekends on the ranch. Either way, I know you both love her. And I expect you to learn to accept each other and become friends for Brianna’s sake.”
“A request like that can’t be legally binding,” Jake said.
“You’re right.” Willoughby placed the letter on his desk, then folded his hands over the handwritten note. “You don’t have to abide by her wishes, but she hoped you would agree for Brianna’s sake. It was Desiree’s sole desire to ease her daughter’s loss and help her to adjust to life without her parents. In fact, that’s why Brianna has been seeing a child psychologist in town for weekly visits, something Desiree also hoped you two will continue for a while.”
“Desiree explained her wishes to me weeks ago,” Chloe said. “And as difficult as it will be for me to remain in Texas, I promised her I would do so.”
“Well, she didn’t say squat to me,” Jake snapped. “I didn’t even know she had cancer. Or that she was dying.”
“Jake,” Willoughby said, “what’s done is done. But if Desiree told me once, she told me a dozen times. She wished the two of you had been closer.”
Jake raked a hand through his hair. Okay, so he’d been a bit…hardheaded. What would it have hurt to be…well, not friends, but…
He blew out a sigh. He should have taken the olive branch she’d tried to give him, but it was too damn late to do anything about it now. Either way, he wasn’t going to reveal his regret here. Or anywhere, for that matter.
“Desiree also asked that you return here in six weeks with your decision,” Willoughby added. “And, at that time, if you can’t agree, a preappointed third party is to evaluate the relationship between the child and each adult and determine who should be granted full custody, with fair visitation given to the other.”
“Who is the third party?” Jake asked.
“Desiree asked that the identity be kept secret so that there was no chance of influencing the decision. Of course, Mrs. Braddock was hopeful that it wouldn’t come to that.”
Jake suspected the psychologist was the person who would make the ultimate decision on custody. It only made sense. And, that being the case, maybe Jake ought to volunteer to take Brianna to her appointments so he could share his concerns with the doctor about Chloe’s ability to parent.
Willoughby reached into a manila envelope, withdrew something small and handed it to Chloe. “Here’s the key to the ranch.”
A chill hunkered over Jake, as he watched his father’s memories and essence be given to a stranger—at least, symbolically.
And what about Brianna?
Who would make sure she was okay during all of this?
Damn.
As it was, he had no choice but to agree with his stepmother’s foolish request to move back to the ranch temporarily. If they were all together, it would be easier for Jake to look out for Brianna’s best interests and make sure she was treated well.
And if she wasn’t?
Then he’d have firsthand evidence for the custody battle he would wage when Desiree’s fantasy family failed.
Chapter Three
The next morning Jake packed his bags, then threw them in the back of his Lincoln Navigator and headed for the ranch.
During the entire one-hour-and-fifteen-minute drive out of the city, he utilized his cell phone, informing his office staff and rescheduling as many meetings as possible. He’d do what he could from a distance, but there would be days when he’d have no choice but to make the trek back to Dallas.
Damn. His life would be out of whack for six long weeks.
Desiree had surely been out of her ever-loving mind when she’d cooked up this scheme. Not that he wouldn’t have put his life on hold indefinitely for Brianna or done whatever it took to make sure she adjusted to her loss. But he couldn’t figure out why Desiree had thrown Chloe into the mix. It hadn’t been necessary—unless this was some lame attempt to punish Jake. Of course, if she’d known how much he now regretted not coming around more often, she wouldn’t have bothered. His conscience would be punishing him for a long time to come.
Up ahead he spotted the entrance to the ranch and turned on his left blinker. Then he swung into the tree-lined, graveled drive and continued to the house.
The wooden fence, which surrounded the front portion of the property from the county road, had been bright white when his father had been alive, but it needed a fresh coat of paint. He’d have to see that it got done, because when the designated time passed and the custody issue had been settled, he was going to put this place on the market, something his father should have done years ago.
The Braddock Enterprises office was in the city, as was Jake’s townhouse, so there was no reason to keep the ranch.
He parked his SUV near the barn, removed his things—a leather briefcase and an overnight bag—then headed toward the front porch of the sprawling custom-built adobe house. His first inclination had been to open the front door without knocking, something he’d done when only his father had lived here. But times had changed.
As he climbed the front porch steps, the morning sun moved from behind a cloud, casting its light over him. A westerly breeze kicked up, and he caught a whiff of alfalfa. In the distance, a horse whinnied.
He almost felt like a kid again. Coming home.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth. The ranch had ceased being a home to him the day Desiree had moved in. The day his father had become another person.
Jake knocked lightly, and when no one responded, he rang the bell. It was discomfiting to know there was a stranger living here—even temporarily.
Footsteps from within sounded, and Barbara Davies, the housekeeper, answered the door.
He lifted the briefcase he held in one hand and the suitcase he held in the other. “Desiree’s orders.”
“Yes, I know.” She stepped aside, allowing him entrance. “She mentioned it to me a month or two ago.”
Again Jake was reminded that he hadn’t been privy to squat. And since he was probably to blame for refusing his stepmother’s offers of friendship, another rush of regret twisted a knot in his gut. There wasn’t much he could do about it now, though.
“Would you like to stay in the master bedroom?” Barbara asked. “I’ve got it ready for you.”
Since that room had been the one his father had shared with Desiree, and then hers alone, he wouldn’t feel comfortable in there. “No, I think I’ll stay in my own bedroom, the one I used as a kid.”
After his folks had split up, Jake lived with his dad, who insisted upon spending every weekend at the ranch to give his city-boy son a wholesome dose of reality.
There’d been some good times, Jake supposed, remembering the old fishing hole, horseback riding. But there’d been chores, too. Mucking out stalls, shoveling horse manure.
“Consider them character-building tasks,” his father had often said.
At the time Jake had been skeptical. He still was, he supposed.
As Mrs. Davies closed the door behind him, he was pulled from the nostalgic past and forced back to the awkward present.
He scanned the living room, the leather furniture, the oak and glass-topped tables and shelves, the stone fireplace with its rough-hewn mantel, the colorful Southwestern art on white plastered walls. Desiree had redecorated when she’d moved in, but she hadn’t changed much since then.
“From what I understand,” the housekeeper said, “your old room is just the way you left it. I dust it twice a week, and although the sheets are clean, the bedding needs to be freshened. I’ll do that later this morning.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I take pride in my work,” she said. “And it’s no trouble at all.”
The warm aroma of cinnamon and spice drifted in from the kitchen, and his stomach rumbled, reminding him he’d only had an espresso earlier. “Something sure smells good.”
Mrs. Davies beamed. “It’s the zucchini muffins in the oven. Desiree told me you liked them. And they’re almost ready.”
How would Desiree have known that? he wondered. Had he mentioned it to her once? If so, it was odd that she’d remember. And that she’d pass that tidbit of information along.
On the other hand, he didn’t have a clue as to what kind of things Desiree had liked. He’d never noticed, never cared. And although it hadn’t bothered him before, he felt a bit remiss right now.
“I’ve made a lemon meringue pie, too,” the housekeeper added.
Another favorite of Jake’s.
It was as though Desiree was trying hard to make him feel welcomed, yet instead her efforts—or rather her predeath orders—only made him…uneasy. And undeserving.
“It’s pretty quiet in here,” he said, trying his best to shrug off his discomfort.
“Everyone else is still asleep.”
He glanced at his watch—10:07 a.m. Apparently, Chloe was a night owl. A lot of prima donnas were. He hoped that kind of attitude didn’t rub off on his little sister.
“How’s Brianna doing?” he asked.
“Last night was a bit rough. She had a crying spell, then had a difficult time falling asleep. Chloe read to her until at least eleven, which is when I finally turned in.”
Okay, so maybe he’d been wrong about the prima donna thing—at least, last night.
At the sound of footsteps padding along the hallway, Jake spotted Chloe entering the living room wearing a white sleeveless undershirt and low-riding sweatpants.
She yawned, then ran a hand through her tousled hair, an acrylic nail snagging on a rumpled red curl.
Seeing her like that, fresh out of bed, was more arousing that he cared to admit. And even though she was fairly well covered, she looked as sexy as hell, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
He wanted to suggest she go back and put on a robe, but wouldn’t. No need for her to suspect the kind of effect she had on him.
“Good morning,” the housekeeper said, her voice as tight as the rubber band in a cocked and primed slingshot. “Now that you’re up, I’ll put on a pot of coffee and whip up some breakfast.”
“Thank you,” Chloe said. “I’m not much of an eater in the morning, but I’d love a cup of coffee.”
When they were alone, Jake set his bags on the floor and crossed his arms. It was time to lay it on the line, to find out what Chloe’s thoughts were about all of this and what he was up against. “I imagine that you aren’t any happier about things than I am.”
Chloe met his stare, lifting her chin a little. “You’re right.” She wasn’t at all pleased about leaving her dance studio and relying on someone else to look after her rental properties. And she wasn’t especially comfortable living in someone else’s house and having a live-in housekeeper/cook, either.
Mrs. Davies was nice enough, but she had an innate way of lifting her nose and arching a brow whenever Chloe did or said anything she considered unconventional. And since Chloe never paid much attention to social mores, the older woman’s nose and brow seemed to be in constant motion.
Then, to make matters worse, she had to deal with a man who was too conservative for his own good, a man she suspected would try to control her every chance he got.
She strode toward the cream-colored leather sofa and sat on the armrest. “But do you know what? If I had asked Desiree to make a sacrifice for me, she wouldn’t have thought twice about doing so.”
Jake didn’t respond.
“And whether you believe it or not,” Chloe added, “Desiree would have done the same for you.”
“We weren’t that close,” he said.
“I know. And I’m sorry for your loss. It was huge.”
