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“To see me. He said it’s urgent.”
“What gall. He almost beat you to death. You’re divorced now. You owe him nothing.”
“He admitted all that, but he begged me to give him another chance. He says he’s a changed man.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That it’s over and he should go on with his life. But I know Thad. He’s not going to accept that. He thinks I belong to him like a piece of property. He always did.”
Mildred was clearly disturbed and with good reason. She needed to talk this out, but the meeting was due to start in minutes. “Why didn’t you mention this at breakfast or on the drive from the hotel to the capitol?”
“I didn’t want to upset you, but then I started to feel guilty about keeping it from you. If you want me to drop out of the training, I’ll understand.”
“Drop out and let Thad dictate your life. Absolutely not. You can block him from calling you again, and you definitely don’t have to see him.”
“That doesn’t mean he won’t cause trouble.”
“If he does, we’ll contact Sheriff Garcia and he’ll have him arrested. The law is on your side. You don’t have to put up with Thad’s abuse ever again. Now, let’s not let Thad Caffey ruin our day. After all, we have Jake Dalton for that,” she added with a smile, trying to ease Mildred’s tension.
Senator Ralph Baldwin caught up with them just as they reached the door. He pushed it open and held it for them to enter.
“Good morning, Carolina. You look beautiful, as always,” he said, practically ogling.
“Thank you. You look nice yourself.” She stepped through the door and kept walking. She could definitely do without Ralph’s seduction routine this morning.
The senator took her arm and tugged her to a stop. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d be here today?”
So she could avoid awkward moments like this one. “I’m just here for a meeting.”
“I have a luncheon meeting myself today, but I’m free tonight. Surely you could stay over in Austin and have dinner with me,” Ralph said. “I hate to eat alone.”
“I’ll go on ahead,” Mildred said, no doubt mistakenly thinking Carolina would appreciate the privacy.
Carolina turned back to Ralph. “You could always have dinner at home with your wife.”
“She’s in Midland visiting her parents.” He lowered his voice. “Besides, I’ve told you, we’re married in name only and even that will come to an end after the next election.”
“Perhaps we’ll have dinner then.” And perhaps there would be a Dallas snowstorm in August. “I need to go now. Time for my meeting.” She hurried away before he had time to reply.
No one seemed to understand that she didn’t need a man in her life. She’d been married to Hugh Lambert, bigger than life, a man among men. How could she ever expect to find a man to measure up to him? If she did, it certainly wouldn’t be a lowlife philanderer like Ralph Baldwin.
Carolina hurried down the wide halls of the capitol and slipped inside the conference room a few minutes before the scheduled starting time. Once she was inside, the noise level increased dramatically. A good sign that the volunteers were excited about the project.
Carolina glanced around the room, nodding and smiling at the attendees. This would be her first time to meet many of them, though she’d interviewed every volunteer by phone and had a background check run on them. In every case they were respectable ranchers’ wives or experienced riders, active in their communities.
There was much more to providing an enriching summer experience to these teens than just teaching them to ride. She had to make sure the volunteers knew exactly what they were signing up for and that they had a true desire to help and bond with the frequently troubled girls.
She quickly spotted Jake Dalton, standing in a corner by himself. It was only the second time she’d seen him in person, the first being at the Dry Gulch just after R.J. had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
The occasion had been less than joyous—the reading of R.J.’s will while he was still alive. Jake had been resentful then, and unlike his half siblings, he apparently still nurtured his grudge.
He had the same ruggedly handsome features as his four younger half-brothers. Tall. Tanned. Broad shouldered. Chiseled jaw. Lean and hard bodied. Blatantly masculine in his ranch-cut sports jacket and shirt that was open at the neck. A bit of gray salted the thick, dark hair around his temples.
About her age, she’d guess, though he might be younger than her fifty-five years. The only obvious negative to his looks was a mouth that looked as if it might have forgotten how to smile. Probably a reflection of having to deal with her this morning.
Only he didn’t have to. He could have said no. She knew for a fact he was good at that.
Aidan welcomed the group and talked for only a few minutes before introducing Carolina. Jake Dalton stared at her, looking as shocked as if someone had thrown a glass of ice water in his handsome face.
So he hadn’t known he’d be dealing with her and hadn’t recognized her before now. That explained a lot. She could start looking forward to five days from hell.
After the introductions, Aidan and Jake excused themselves and left the room, and the rest of the meeting went off without a hitch. The women all seemed capable and excited about the project.
They broke at noon. Carolina, Mildred, Peg Starling and Sara Billings, the four who planned to tour the facilities at the Silver Spur Ranch that afternoon, lingered in the conference room.
“How is it you failed to mention our host was a hunk?” Sara asked.
“And no little gold band on the gorgeous rancher’s finger,” Peg commented. “Guess that means he’s available?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Carolina said. “Any ideas for lunch that won’t eat up too much of our afternoon?”
“There’s a French bakery nearby that makes great coffee and sandwiches and the best almond tart I’ve ever tasted,” Sara suggested. “It will be crowded, but service is fast.”
“Works for me,” Mildred said.
“And for me,” Peg added.
“Then the bakery it is,” Carolina agreed, ready to get moving before the conversation switched back to Jake’s looks or relationship status.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll get you and Mildred to follow us to our ranch after lunch,” Sara said. “It’s on the way and we can change into jeans, drop my car off at home and catch a ride with you out to the Silver Spur.”
“Can do. Mildred and I brought more appropriate clothes for the ranch, as well. We can change at your place.”
“I would have packed much sexier jeans if I’d known Jake Dalton was so good-looking,” Peg said.
“You’ll be sexy no matter what you wear,” Mildred assured the shapely blonde.
Carolina picked up her purse and slung the strap over her shoulder as the door opened and both Aidan and Jake stepped back into the room. She wasn’t surprised to see Aidan, but she’d assumed Jake was long gone, possibly trying to figure out an excuse to get out of his commitment to the project.
“I hope everything went well,” Aidan said.
“Couldn’t have gone better,” Carolina assured him.
“Carolina’s enthusiasm gets everyone fired up,” Sara added.
“I’d love to take you women to lunch,” Aidan said, “but I have another meeting at one.”
“What about you, Mr. Dalton?” Peg asked flirtatiously.
“I have some errands to take care of in town before I head out,” Jake said, keeping his tone businesslike. “I’ll give you directions to the ranch. When you get there, my housekeeper, Edna, will hook you up with one of the wranglers. He’ll show you around and answer any questions you have.”
“That will work out fine,” Carolina assured him, keeping her tone as cool and aloof as his had been.
Directions were simple, and she was relieved when they were finally on their way. Jake was no doubt as eager to be rid of her as she was of him. He was turning them over to a wrangler for today’s tour. She suspected that would be his modus operandi for the remainder of the training session.
With luck, she might not even have to see him again.
“I know you think Jake Dalton is a heartless cad,” Mildred said as she walked to the car with Carolina.
“Yes, I do.”
“You can’t blame him too much for not bonding with a father he never really knew. Didn’t all of R.J.’s sons feel that way at one point?”
“Yes,” she admitted reluctantly, “but that doesn’t excuse Jake’s behavior. He’s the oldest. He should feel some level of responsibility.”
“If anyone can change his mind, you will,” Mildred said.
“With luck, I won’t even have to speak to him.”
They were several yards away from her vehicle when Carolina spotted a man leaning against the front fender of her car. He was in ripped jeans and a black muscle shirt, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. A snake tattoo covered much of his right arm. A pair of aviator sunglasses hid his eyes, but his mouth was twisted into a menacing frown. An uneasy chill crept up her spine.
She glanced around. The parking lot was crowded with cars and pickup trucks, but the closest people she spotted were two men in suits, several rows down, walking in the opposite direction.
When the thuggish-looking man noticed her staring at him, he smiled and nodded as if in greeting.
Mildred grabbed Carolina’s wrist and pulled her to a stop. “What are you doing here?” Mildred demanded.
The man flicked his cigarette to the concrete and ground it out with the toe of his right boot. “Waiting on you.”
The taunting voice struck a chord and finally Carolina recognized Thad. He’d changed during his four years behind bars. Gained weight. Added a lot of muscle.
Mildred dropped Carolina’s wrist and hugged her arms about her own chest, as if protecting herself from Thad’s presence. “We no longer have anything to discuss.”
“That doesn’t sound like much of a welcome for a husband you haven’t seen in four years.”
“You are no longer her husband,” Carolina corrected.
“Stay out of this, Carolina. This is between me and Mildred,” Thad snapped.
“Please, Thad. Just go,” Mildred pleaded. “I don’t want trouble.”
“I’m not going anywhere until we talk.”
“What part of her not wanting to see you do you not understand? Either you go willingly or I call the cops,” Carolina ordered.
“I’m not breaking any laws. This is a public parking lot. So you call anybody you want to.”
He left the car and stepped closer, his gaze firmly planted on Mildred, his tone switching from arrogant to loving without missing a beat. “I know I made mistakes, sweetheart, but you can’t imagine how much I’ve missed you. We can start over now. I promise you that things will be different.”
Carolina’s stomach turned at his meaningless promises. Too little, too late. “Last chance, Thad. If you don’t leave this minute, I’m calling 911.”
“How about you let Mildred speak for herself? Or are you running her life now the way you run half of Texas?”
Mildred let her arms fall to her side. “I do speak for myself now, Thad. I hope you have changed—for your sake—but we can’t go back. I’ve moved on.”
“You know you don’t mean that, baby. You still love me. I still love you. We can work this out.”
“We can’t. It’s over between us, Thad.” Her voice trembled, but she didn’t back away.
Carolina put a steadying arm around Mildred’s waist. “There’s your answer, Thad. You can leave now unless you’re looking to go back to prison.”
“Go to hell, Carolina.”
Fury burned in his voice now, his mood turning dark and threatening. He reached out and grabbed Mildred’s arm, jerking her toward him. “Don’t make me do something I’ll be sorry for, Mildred. You know how I get when you make me crazy.”
Carolina pulled her cell phone from her handbag. Thad let go of Mildred and grabbed Carolina’s wrist with one hand while twisting the phone from her fingers with the other. She heard the clunk as it hit the concrete beneath their feet.
“Is there a problem here?”
Carolina jerked around at the sound of the strong, male voice. She gulped in a deep breath. Who’d have thought she’d ever be this thankful to see Jake Dalton?
Chapter Three (#ulink_b9e551a1-a9e4-5126-b7a7-9aac14fe1ed7)
“No problem that needs your help.” The thug dropped his hold on Carolina’s hand and backed up a step, but his eyes burned with fury. Jake sized him up. Physically fit, probably in his early thirties.
Jake figured he could still take him in a fair fight, but brawling in a parking lot wouldn’t fix anything and was definitely not his style.
He turned to Carolina. “Was this man harassing you?”
“He’s stalking Mildred.”
“Having a conversation with my wife is not stalking.”
Mildred hugged her arms around her chest, head down, looking more like a scared child facing an angry parent than a forceful woman. “I’m not your wife, Thad. We’re divorced.”
So the thug was Mildred’s ex. That clarified the situation a bit for Jake, even though it hadn’t been Mildred the bully was manhandling.
The man reached a hand toward Mildred. “I just want to talk to you—in private.”
Jake turned to Mildred. “Is that what you want?”
She shook her head and raised her eyes to Jake’s, hers pleading when her gaze met his.
“I never meant to hurt you,” Thad said, his tone considerably softer. “I love you. You know that. And you love me.”
“You tried to kill her and almost succeeded,” Carolina cut in, her words blistering. “She’s through with you, so stay away from her or you’ll be back in prison where you belong.”
“Stay out of this, Carolina. You might own half of Texas, but you don’t own Mildred and you sure as hell aren’t going to order me around.”
