Marrying O'malley

Chapter Three

Sarita had just put the corn bread in the oven when again the sound of a car coming down the drive caught her attention. Setting the timer, she headed to the front door. Through the living room window, she saw the red, convertible sports car come to a halt. A curl of dislike wove through her as the pretty, blond-haired driver emerged. Janice DuPree Corbett was a couple of years younger than Sarita. A member of Katherine’s social circle, she considered anyone outside of that circle dirt under her feet and to be ignored.

“Wolf! I had to see for myself. You really are alive,” Janice drawled, her expertly made up lips curving into a smile as she approached the porch. “Now, you’re a sight I never thought I’d see again.”

Choosing not to continue to the front door, but instead moving to the window, Sarita saw Wolf ease himself off the porch railing and into a standing position to welcome the newcomer. Luis rose, also.

Reaching the level of the porch, Janice hugged Wolf.

“I was in Houston all day. When I got home, there was a message on my answering machine from my mother telling me you were back in town. I just couldn’t believe it.”

Sarita noted that Janice had not even glanced toward Luis.

Realizing his presence was not going to be recognized by Wolf’s visitor, Luis reseated himself and returned to his whittling.

Janice’s gaze shifted from Wolf to the house. “And why in the world are you staying here?” The implication that this ranch was much too far beneath him was clear in her voice. A sensual smile spread over her face. “You’re welcome to come stay with me.”

“I don’t think your husband would like that,” Wolf replied. “Jack and I never did get along.”

Janice gave her hair a playful flip. “Jack is ancient history.” Her smile became enticing. “I’ve come to take you to dinner. Mother hired some fancy French chef and let me have Caroline. You always loved Caroline’s cooking. She’ll make something delicious and we can eat by candlelight on the patio. Then you can decide if you want to stay here or remain with me.” She ran her fingers along his jawline. “We should never have quarreled. I only married Jack because I was so angry with you. I never stopped thinking about you.”

Capturing her arms before she could wrap them around his neck, Wolf took a step back, putting distance between them. “As tempting as your invitation is, I have to pass on it.”

Sarita felt dizzy and realized she’d been holding her breath, waiting for his answer. Gulping in air, she experienced a rush of relief. She’d never trusted Janice.

Again stunned by the protective instinct she was experiencing toward the man, she told herself that he could take care of himself. On the other hand, any man can be taken in by a pretty face and good figure, she mused, and her uneasiness returned.

With the uneasiness came frustration aimed at herself. She and Wolf couldn’t be in the same room for five minutes without fighting. Why should she care so much about what he did? What he does is his business, not mine!

Refusing to give up without having the last word, Janice took a step toward Wolf, raised up on tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the lips. “In case you change your mind, I’m leaving the invitation open.” With a final flirtatious smile, she strode back to her car and drove off.

“I apologize for Janice’s bad manners,” Wolf said to Luis, as they watched the sports car disappearing in the distance.

Luis shrugged. “She’s still angry with me for refusing her offer of a job. I explained to her that I’m an old man and can only do so much, and Mrs. Jessip needed me more. Susan Jessip can’t work her garden any longer and she needs the vegetables. But Mrs. Corbett didn’t want to take no for an answer. She doubled the amount she’d offered. Still, I had to refuse.”

Wolf nodded. “Janice likes having things her way.”

Luis looked up at him and grinned. “Most women do.”

Sarita had continued on to the front door to inform the men that dinner would be ready momentarily. “But most of us are tolerant and understand that you men have to have things your way once in a while,” she tossed back at her grandfather.

Wolf raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You? Understanding and tolerant?”

She frowned, as much at herself as at him. “I am most of the time.” She didn’t add except where you’re concerned, but the thought did flash through her mind.

“She’s telling the truth,” Luis said. “She’s got a good nature for a woman. Don’t know why you two could never get along. Right from the beginning, seems as if you declared war on each other. Sort of like you were born natural antagonists.”

“Makes it even more of a puzzle that she’d be stopping by my grave.”

Luis looked up at Sarita in surprise. “You’ve been stopping by Wolf’s grave?”

Hiding the surge of anger Wolf’s telling her grandfather about her early-morning visits caused, she gave a shrug of indifference. “I always go by Mom’s, Dad’s and Abuela’s to say good morning on my way to work. Figured since no one else would remember him, I would.” Not wanting to give either of the men a chance to continue this subject, Sarita added, “I’ve got to get back to the kitchen before my corn bread bums. Dinner will be on the table in five minutes.”

Luis frowned as the door swung closed behind her. “My granddaughter is a constant source of amazement.”

“I always thought she was just a hardheaded brat who grew up into a difficult woman.” Realizing he’d spoken aloud, Wolf grimaced. “No insult intended. That’s just the way she used to act when I was around.”

“You did bring out the worst in her,” Luis conceded.

“I still do. We can’t seem to be in the same place for more than a few minutes without getting into an argument.” Wolf shook his head. “Doesn’t make any sense that she’d go stopping by my grave.”

“If you’re asking me to explain my granddaughter’s actions, you’re asking the wrong person. A long time ago I decided that it could drive a man insane to try to understand what makes a woman tick. So I just enjoy them when they’re happy and stay out of their way when they’re angry.”

Following those guidelines, I should made certain Sarita’s path and mine never cross, Wolf thought. And that might be the smart thing to do. He could find another place to stay. But he wanted to be near his land. Besides, he liked it here. He felt comfortable with Luis. The old man respected other people’s privacy. He never pried and didn’t offer unasked-for advice. As for Sarita, Wolf’s curiosity remained strong. “We’d best be getting into dinner,” he said.

A few minutes later as they sat eating, a question Wolf had avoided asking nagged at him. Of everything he’d left behind, only two things had remained strong in his mind. The first had been his half sister, Claudia. In spite of Katherine’s constant attempts to make certain her daughter did not form any bond with Wolf, he’d always felt protective toward his half sister and had wondered how she’d fared. Bradford had informed him that Claudia was attending a private, very exclusive girl’s school in Dallas. That she wasn’t under Katherine’s constant influence had been good news.

But he did not expect good news about the subject of his second concern and had avoided asking. Now he could avoid the question no longer. “I went by the stables earlier today. They look like they haven’t been used in years.”

“Your father got rid of the horses soon after you were declared dead,” Luis replied.

Wolf was hearing what he expected. Neither his father nor Katherine rode. For as long as Wolf could remember, Katherine had tried to get his father to close the stables and get rid of the animals, but Frank O’Malley had felt bound to his deathbed promise to Willow that he would maintain the stables and provide horses for Wolf to ride. That had only increased Katherine’s hatred of them. “What happened to Blue Thunder?”

“Since he was getting on in age and he wouldn’t let anyone but you ride him...”

Wolf shoved his chair away from the table, his appetite gone. “He had him put down, didn’t he?” he growled around the lump in his throat. “Katherine must have been pleased.” Before either Sarita or Luis could respond, he rose and strode out of the room.

Since returning to the kitchen, Sarita had begun recalling the man Wolf had been before he’d been in the crash. By twenty-two, he’d grown cold, harsh, cynical and distant. And although, for his sake, she was glad he hadn’t been enticed back into Janice’s arms, she was beginning to wonder if he was capable of caring about anything or anyone other than finding ways to antagonize Katherine.

Now she knew she was wrong. The man was capable of caring a great deal. The pain she’d seen in his eyes told her that. Racing after him, she caught up with him in the hall. Grabbing hold of his arm, she forced him to stop. “Blue Thunder didn’t get put down. Abuelo and I took him. He’s in the canyon enjoying his old age.” Feeling his shudder of relief, she realized she was still holding on to him. Releasing him, she was surprised when her hand continued to remain warm from the contact. Shoving both hands into the pockets of her jeans, she took a step back, putting distance between them. “And seeing that you’re back, you can reclaim him. But you don’t have to worry about moving him right away. He can stay in the canyon as long as you like.”

“You kept him?” he asked, finding this turn of events difficult to believe. “Luis was always complaining about his attitude, and Thunder bit you.”

“So he’s high-strung. A lot of horses are. My abuelo understands that. As for the bite, Thunder and I made peace after that.”

Seeing Luis approaching, Wolf’s gaze traveled between them. “I’m grateful the two of you didn’t let him be put down.”

“You’ve got Sarita to thank more than me,” Luis said from behind her. “Not that I like seeing any horse put down. But there’s expenses in keeping one. A man in my position has to be practical. But Sarita said she’d pay for any maintenance, and she made it clear my life would be hell if I didn’t let her have her way.”

Wolf’s gaze returned to Sarita. She was proving to be more complicated than a Chinese puzzle. “Why?”

Sarita shrugged. “I don’t know for sure,” she replied honestly. “I guess maybe I figured I did owe you and him thanks for finding me that day.” Not wanting to continue this discussion, she gestured toward the kitchen with a twist of her head. “I suggest we finish our dinner while it’s still hot”

Wolf smiled crookedly. “That’s as good a thank-you as anyone could deliver. And I will reimburse you for your expenses.”

Again experiencing a curious, uneasy curl deep within, Sarita frowned. “It doesn’t mean I forgive you for that endless lecture.”

Wolf shook his head. “You’re as prickly as barbed wire. Always have been and looks like you always will be.”

“Comes from being raised by two men,” Luis said, leading the way back to the kitchen. “She didn’t have anyone to teach her how to be soft and feminine.”

“I can be just as feminine as the next woman when I want to be,” Sarita snapped. Catching the skeptical look exchanged between the two men as they seated themselves at the table, she picked up her plate and glass. “I’m eating on the porch.”

Without a backward glance, she headed to the front door. Sitting in a rocking chair, her feet propped up on the rail, she glared out at the landscape as she ate. So maybe she didn’t know how to flirt as well as some, and she was no good at playing fragile and helpless—that didn’t make her any less of a woman.

She heard the screen door open, but refused to look to see who had come out.

“I’m sorry if I made you so angry that you weren’t comfortable sitting at your own table,” Wolf said, coming to stand where he could see her face. “Taking jabs at each other seems to come natural for us.”

She looked at him then. There was honest apology on his face. The frustration she’d been experiencing off and on all day bubbled to the surface. “I don’t know why it was so important to me to keep Blue Thunder or why I visited your grave. You’d think, considering our history, I wouldn’t have been affected by your passing. Maybe even thought ‘good riddance.’ Until today we’ve barely spoken since we were fourteen. So, maybe I did feel bad about not thanking you for finding me that day. As for Blue Thunder, I knew it was your stepmother who wanted him put down and I’ve never liked her.” But as she said this, deep down inside she knew that wasn’t true. She’d saved Blue Thunder because he had meant so much to Wolf. And another truth refused to remain ignored. She’d gone by Wolf’s grave because she’d missed him. It wasn’t rational but it was true.

Again Wolf noted that she didn’t appear happy about the obligations she’d felt toward him or Blue Thunder. But he owed her for keeping his horse alive, and maybe his crack about her femininity had been a little unfair. “As I recall, you don’t look so bad in a dress.”

Startled by this sudden change in subject, she stared at him in confusion as a slow curl of pleasure began to weave its way through her.

“Just my way of trying to make peace between us,” he said in answer to the question in her eyes.

The glow of pleasure died. His remark hadn’t been a compliment. It had been an appeasement. “Do you think that’s really possible?” she asked dryly.

“Could be that it’s not. Could be that your granddad’s right and we’re natural-born antagonists. But we could give a truce a try.” He held his hand out toward her. “Shake on it?”

She’d never enjoyed being at odds with him. The thought of making peace appealed to her. “My guess is that this will be an exercise in futility, but I’m always game for a challenge and this should be a big one.”

As his hand encased hers, his touch felt like fire, igniting concern. “Are you running a temperature?” she asked, setting her plate aside and rising so that she could press her free hand against his forehead. His temperature was normal. “I guess not.” Freed from the handshake and breaking the contact with his face, she frowned in confusion. “Your hand seemed so hot.”

“Could have been nerves. Us declaring a truce has got to have been a shock to your system,” he quipped.

“True,” she agreed, reseating herself and picking up her plate.

And mine, too, Wolf thought. Her touch on his forehead had felt incredibly soothing...an effect he’d never expected to experience from her. “Will you join your grandfather and me?”

“I’ll come in for dessert,” she replied, wanting a little more time on her own.

Figuring he’d done all he could to promote peace, Wolf nodded and headed to the door. But as he passed her chair, he had the most tremendous urge to give her pigtail a pull. Talk about residual childish urges, he mocked himself, recalling how in his youth he’d given in to that urge once and been rewarded with a punch in the stomach. I came to make peace not war, he reminded himself and continued inside.

“Sarita still mad at us?” Luis asked when Wolf entered the kitchen and again took his seat at the table.

“She’s agreed to a truce between me and her,” Wolf replied.

“Considering the way you two have bickered from the time you were tots, keeping that truce seems about as probable as a leopard changing its spots.”

So we’re all three in agreement on that point. A sour taste filled Wolf’s mouth, and he realized that he’d been hoping the truce would last. He was tired of the animosity between him and Sarita. Or maybe he was feeling a little desperate for allies. Mentally, he chastised himself. Katherine had taught him to stand alone. He didn’t need anyone but himself.

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