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Troy Pendleton doesn’t know how he got roped into tracking Senada “Sin” Calhoun all the way to a two-bit Texas saloon. But he’s got orders from him his family not to come back to Tennessee without her, or the truth about why she left. The sultry bar manager tries to send Troy packing, but the desire in her eyes has him staying put. Sin’s every bit as tempting as her name suggests--it’s a good thing Troy’s not stupid enough to fall in love…
Sin’s not interested in confiding in Troy about why she fled to her hometown. She learned a long time ago not to count on any man, and she’s not going to start with the youngest and most overbearing of the Pendleton brothers. Yet denied other sensual pleasures, she’s soon indulging in a passion-filled night with the too-rugged, too-masculine Troy. When morning comes, will she be able to trust him with her secrets—and her heart?
Previously published.
To Eric, for motivation and inspiration
Special acknowledgments to
Donna Beard and Karen Britton for sharing
technical knowledge and personal experience
Prologue
“I wish someone would go after her,” Lisa Pendleton said, exasperation tugging at her features as she toyed with her food. “Someone who could reason with her.”
Troy Pendleton took another bite of chicken and watched his brother Brick nearly choke on his iced tea. This was the first family meal his sister, brothers and their assorted spouses and children had shared since Lisa gave birth to triplets.
“Reason?” Brick repeated to his wife. “When has anyone been able to reason with Senada Calhoun?”
Lisa scowled at him. “You just never understood her.”
“Me and the rest of the human—” Brick muttered, then broke off and sighed. He drummed his fingers on the table. “Maybe Jarod—”
Jarod Pendleton shook his head. “I used my vacation for my honeymoon.” He grinned and wrapped his arm around his new wife, Augusta.
Troy rolled his eyes at the lovesick couple and reached for another roll.
“One of Garth’s mares just foaled,” Jarod pointed out gently, eliminating another brother. “And Daniel’s busiest season is starting now.”
“That leaves…”
A long silence followed Lisa’s statement. Troy paused while buttering his roll and looked up to find everyone staring at him. Worst of all, Lisa was looking at him as if he were the last great hope. Realization dawned. He immediately shook his head. “No way.”
“I’m worried about her,” Lisa said in earnest. “One day she was my business partner and friend, the next, she sold her share of the partnership and left for some bar in Texas.”
“Maybe she needed a change.” Lord knew, Troy felt like he needed one. His restlessness was eating him from the inside out.
“Something is wrong. I can feel it. I’d go after her if I could, but with the babies…” She lifted her hands helplessly.
Troy was tempted to offer to keep the kids in lieu of going after Senada Calhoun. His only obstacle was that he couldn’t breastfeed. “You need someone who can reason with her. I sure as hell can’t.”
“I need someone who can find out what’s wrong with her first,” Lisa corrected.
Troy’s interest in the elaborate home-cooked meal waned. He dropped the uneaten roll to his plate. “Senada and I don’t get along.” What man could get along with a woman whose nickname was Sin, a woman who seemed to take the greatest pleasure in tormenting a man with her blow-off-the-roof sensuality? A woman who, he was convinced, was a few sandwiches short of a picnic.
Lisa placed her hand on his arm. “Show a little compassion, Troy. I know you’ve got some in there somewhere.”
Troy held his breath for a long moment. A glimmer of concern flickered to life inside him. Even for Senada, this behavior was unusual. What if there was something seriously wrong? What if she needed help? He snorted at the thought of Senada accepting help from him. Age-old self-protective instincts rushed to the surface, and he shook his head. “Give it up. There’s nothing you can say that will make me go tearing after Senada Calhoun. Nothing.”
When Lisa continued to look at him with that please-help-me expression on her face, Troy lifted his hands in exasperation. “I’d have to be certifiably crazy to go after her.”
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Chapter One
He was certifiable all right, Troy thought as he eyed the desert landscape with distaste. Someone should have tossed him into the loony bin and thrown away the key. Slamming his rental car door shut, he walked toward Padre’s Saloon.
In the back of his mind, he hoped this little mercy mission would earn him enough respect from his brothers to give him more control over the family farm. Thus far, they’d wanted his brawn, not his brains, and the growing need to leave his own mark was making him restless.
Even so, he still wasn’t quite sure how he’d allowed himself to get talked into this. All Troy knew was that he was there to get some answers, and he would do what it took to get them. He’d also been instructed to persuade Senada Calhoun to return to Chattanooga. That, he thought as he stepped into the busy watering hole, could get a little tricky.
Peanut shells littered the scarred wooden floor. Cowboy paraphernalia decorated the walls. His stomach growled at the scent of hamburgers and beer. Past the haze of cigarette smoke and what seemed like a herd of male bodies, he immediately spotted Senada.
Troy watched her give instructions to a waitress, then turn her attention to the customers, moving from one table to another. Her hair swung in a long black silky mantle past her shoulders, her eyes flashed with a hint of the fire in her personality, and her smile, well, her smile could tempt Saint Peter.
She probably thought the black jeans and frilly white shirt she wore covered enough to discourage male attention. Perhaps on another woman they would, but Senada’s black jeans cupped and molded her hips the way a man would want to cup and mold her with his hands. Her blouse had a ribbon that held the white material against her tanned skin.
Troy bet every man in the place was rubbing his fingers together with an itch to tug that ribbon loose. In his own gut, he felt a visceral tension grab and clench.
Shaking his head, he put the first sensation down to temporary insanity and the second…to indigestion. He moved toward her, and by the time he got within talking distance, her back was facing him. He hesitated a second, feeling as if he were preparing to walk straight into a fire.
He shook off the ridiculous thought. “Any chance a guy from Tennessee can get a beer around here?”
Senada whirled around, her dark brown eyes wide with surprise.
There was something different about her, he noticed instantly. Her usual flirty demeanor was missing, and she didn’t quite conceal a flash of vulnerability. Then he could almost swear he saw steam coming out of her ears.
Senada frowned. “Lisa sent you.”
Troy shrugged. No use denying it.
“She shouldn’t have.”
“She was worried.”
“There’s no need. I’m fine. I—”
He grinned. “What am I gonna have to do to get that beer?”
Senada stopped and took a deep breath. She wanted to club him. Lord help her, the last thing she needed was one of the Pendleton brothers planting his size-12 feet into her life. “This way,” she said tersely, and headed for the bar.
“Interesting place you’ve got here,” Troy said.
“I don’t own it. I manage it.” She motioned for the bartender. “Rico, please give this man a beer.”
“On the house?” Troy asked, needling her a little to gauge her reaction, as he leaned against the bar.
Senada paused in the act of pouring herself a glass of water and looked at him sideways. “Consider it one for the road.”
Troy laughed. Maybe this was the change he needed after all. He leaned closer, matching her haughty expression with a steady gaze. “Darlin’, my return flight’s not booked. I’m here for the duration.”
Impatience gnawed at Senada, and she seriously considered throwing the water in his handsome face. It took all her effort, but she stifled the urge. “Then make the duration short. There’s no need for you to stay on my account.”
“There is a need.” He took a long swallow of beer. “I need to know why you left Chattanooga, and—”
She pushed her hand through her hair. “I told you. I needed a change.”
Troy shook his head in disbelief. “Here? You would deliberately choose to leave a thriving upscale catering business for this?”
“My mother is from this area,” Senada said, and took another sip of her water.
“Are you living with her?”
Senada didn’t know why she felt compelled to answer his questions, except she knew that if she didn’t give him some excuse, he would never leave her alone. “No, I’m not living with her.”
“Is she sick?”
“No,” she said quickly, feeling the familiar pinch of loss. “She’s dead.”
Troy paused a half beat. “When?”
“Years ago.” She neither expected nor received sympathy from Troy. She knew the Pendletons had lost their mother and father, yet somehow they had come out stronger because of it. Until lately, she thought she’d become stronger because of her losses too. “Listen, I need to get back to work. There’s no need for you to be—”
He caught her arm. “I need, because I made a promise. I can’t leave here until I’m satisfied that you’re okay.”
The determined look in his violet eyes unnerved her. “It’s really none of your business.”
“It is now.”
Senada took a calming breath. No need to get upset, she told herself. She could handle Troy. She’d always sensed she made him a little uncomfortable, a little off balance. She preferred it that way. Instead of pulling away, she stepped closer and smiled. “Why Troy, I would have never dreamed you cared. You’re an intelligent man. Now take a good look,” she dared him. “Can you honestly say I look like I’m suffering?”
She withstood his narrowed gaze and felt a measure of surprise that he focused on her face instead of her breasts.
He lightly traced beneath her eyes with his callused thumb. “Dark circles?”
Another dart of surprise raced through her. He was more perceptive than she’d thought, and she would be looking for a new concealer tomorrow. “A good time and late night will catch up with the best of us,” she lied with a shrug, and slipped away. “You should know that. Now you’ve done your brotherly duty. Give Lisa my best and tell her I’m fine.”
Senada turned her back to him and wished with all her heart that she wasn’t lying. Because she wasn’t fine.
Troy watched her deliberately avoid him for the rest of the evening.
“Muy attractiva, sí?” a man next to him said.
Unfortunately, the only Spanish Troy knew was what he’d learned from Speedy Gonzales cartoons and Terminator movies. “Pardon?”
The man snickered. “One hot woman, that Senada. Yes?”
“Yeah,” he said, sizing up the man. “You know her well?”
“Not well enough.” He gave Troy a meaningful glance. “She is a beautiful tease. All the men try, but she goes home alone. My name is Juan Marcheta. You are new?”
“Visiting from Tennessee. I’m Troy Pendleton.”
“You do not sound like the Texans.”
Troy chuckled. He supposed he sounded pretty foreign to this guy. “I guess not. You know anywhere I can get a room for the night?”
Juan recommended a few places, then left Troy to ponder the puzzle of Senada. Although he would be the first to admit he had the sensitivity of a block of wood, he suspected something strange was going on. Aside from Senada’s abrupt departure from Chattanooga, she usually had a half-dozen men dangling on her line. The fact that she wasn’t seeing anyone gave him pause.
Women.
Troy shook his head. With the exception of Ethan and Nathan, his brothers had all lost their minds. They’d turned his existence upside down. They’d gotten married.
And now, because his sister-in-law was worried, he was in a two-bit Texas border town, and he was not only supposed to get some answers from a woman, he was supposed to reason with one—a crazy one at that.
He swore under his breath. This family duty stuff was for the birds, but Troy was a man of his word. Sliding back into the hard wooden chair, he ordered a burger and nursed another beer and watched Senada.
It was 2:00 a.m. when Senada pushed the key into the doorknob of her small but well-maintained rental home. Feeling a prickling sensation on the back of her neck, she stopped and turned around. Probably Juan, she thought, staring into the darkness. He’d followed her home another time.
“The answer is no,” she said, wishing her porch light hadn’t burned out.
Her heart sprinted when she saw the silhouette of a big male form. Juan wasn’t that tall.
The moonlight hit Troy’s face as he stepped forward. “I didn’t ask.” His mouth tilted. “Yet.”
Relief sputtered through her, followed quickly by irritation. “What are you doing here?”
He shrugged and opened the door for her. “Just wanted to see where you live.”
Senada kept her back to the doorway. “It would have been polite to warn me.”
“It would have been polite for you to invite me,” he corrected in a low voice, and met her gaze.
“It’s late.”
Troy nodded but didn’t graciously back off. His blue eyes didn’t waver, his jaw was set in a firm line.
She sighed and led the way into her living room. “Three minutes,” she told him, and flicked on a lamp.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and prowled around the small room. “Looks like rental furniture.”
She’d always known Troy was big, but having him in her home made her more aware of the fact. Two minutes and thirty seconds, she noted. “Mine’s in storage. This was quicker, easier.”
“Why were you in such a hurry?” he asked, turning back to her.
Tossing her purse on the sofa, she shrugged. “I don’t know. I needed a change. Haven’t you ever felt like you needed to make a change and it had to be now?”
“Yeah, but moving halfway across the country requires a little planning,” Troy drawled, stepping closer.
“For you,” she conceded, and flipped her hair behind her shoulder. “I’ve been told I’m impulsive.”
“Maybe.” He gave her a long considering look, his gaze brushing over her body and returning to her face. “But there’s more to the story, isn’t there, Sin?” he said in a low voice.
It was an intimate, you-can-trust-me voice, and she felt the lick of temptation. She’d always thought Troy, with his six-foot-plus height, unapologetic chauvinism and blatant masculinity, was a little over the top.
Too much had been her assessment. Too big. Too rugged. Too intractable. Senada had always been the one to hold the aces when it came to male/female relationships. She suspected Troy preferred calling the shots. They wouldn’t mix well. Still, he was a strong man, more than physically strong, and that strength appealed to her now when she was vulnerable. Maybe he could handle the truth.
He cocked his head to one side and lifted his hand to cup her cheek. “Something is going on,” he mused. “Tell me and I’ll help.”
Her heart tugged. His hand was gentle, his gaze warm. She’d locked herself away from human kindness over the last few weeks and suddenly felt the loss. It would only take one step, and she would be in his arms.
In that second, she thought of her big, strong father and how he’d been unable to handle the truth. She took a giant step back, physically and emotionally. “It’s been three minutes.”
“I’m gonna find out,” he told her.
Sin shook her head and headed for the door. “You’re wasting your time.”
“I already know you’re not seeing any men, and Lord knows that’s out of character.”
She whipped around. “How do you know that?”
“Juan, but I would have found out anyway.” He twisted his lips in a cynical grin. “I’m the youngest of seven brothers, Sin. When you’re the youngest, you learn by watching, so I’m damn good at watching. And just so you’ll know, another characteristic about the youngest is that people underestimate you.” His gaze fell over her like a hot brand, then he looked into her eyes.
“Hasta la vista, baby.”
Troy didn’t like the accommodations.
His hotel room was the size of a closet, and if he turned over in his bed, he would land on the floor. No AC, no fan. To make matters worse, the walls were thin, and it sounded as if the guy next door had gotten very lucky tonight.
To distract himself from the explicit cries of his neighbors, he thought about Senada.
More convinced than ever that something strange was going on, he considered the possibilities. She could be sick, but it didn’t make sense that she would abandon her home and friends for that reason.
She could also be pregnant.
If the guy had dumped her, maybe she felt humiliated and didn’t want to face her friends. He frowned. The only catch was that he’d never heard of anyone dumping Senada. She went through men like tissues and always appeared to be the one to move on.
He remembered how soft her cheek had felt in his palm, and the appealing mix of fire and vulnerability in her eyes. For a minute there, she’d looked as if she wanted to trust him, as if she would share her secrets with him.
He swore, kicking off the sheet. This was going to take patience, and he’d never been patient. He deliberately closed his eyes, and the image of her stole past the barrier in his mind.
Her mouth was red and taunting, her eyes dark and sensual. His body heated. He swore again. His dear beloved brothers had sent him straight to hell.
Over the following nights, Senada tried to ignore Troy. It should have been easy. Most of her customers were male. Many watched her, but none with Troy’s unwavering intensity. He wasn’t the least bit sly about it, just propped himself on a stool at the bar, nodded his head in greeting, and watched.
She really didn’t need this, she thought, five days after he arrived. She’d fled to San Pedro with the intention of going to her father, but once she’d arrived, she chickened out.
If her father had been unable to handle her mother’s illness thirteen years earlier, how could he deal with Senada’s current crisis?
So, here she was, still shocked and afraid, and trying to adjust to a new and totally necessary lifestyle. She shook her head and checked the time. These days she was more conscious of the clock.
Juan sidled up to her. “This man from Tennessee. Troy. He comes every night. Is he bothering you?”
She flicked a glance at Troy and saw that he must have overheard. “Bothering me?” she repeated. Yes.
Another regular customer came up behind Juan. “Yeah, like stalking.”
Senada wrinkled her eyebrows. “I don’t know if I’d really call it stalking. It’s more—”
Juan waved his friend up to the bar. “If he’s bothering you, you should let us know and we’ll take care of him.”
Senada rolled her eyes. She could practically smell the machismo. “He’s not doing—”
“We can make him go away.”
She felt a stab of alarm. If this got out of hand, it could get messy, and Senada didn’t consider breaking up fights one of the perks of her new job. “You don’t need to do anything. He’ll be going away very soon,” she said, throwing a meaningful glance in Troy’s direction.
Troy shook his head. “I’m not leaving until I get what I came for.”
Juan stiffened and pointed his finger at Troy. “What makes you think you have rights over Senada?”
Pausing, Troy gave a warning glance at Juan’s accusing finger. He took an unrushed swallow of beer and leaned back in his seat, clearly sure of his power. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve got rights with Senada.”
Then he looked at Senada, and she felt the impact of his take-no-prisoners gaze to her toes. “She left me at the altar.”
Chapter Two
After being ignored for days, Troy felt a measure of satisfaction at seeing Senada stare at him in shock. “I may not be the only one she’s left at the altar,” he continued, elaborating on his fabrication, “but I think I deserve some answers. Wouldn’t you?” He shot Juan a challenging glance. “She told me that all those stories about her ex-husband having to be—”
“Ex-husband!” Senada repeated, apparently finding her voice.
“—rushed to the hospital on their wedding night were just rumors.”
“The hospital,” she sputtered. “You’re lying.” She looked at Troy as if he’d lost his mind.
“You’re crazy. You’re—”
Troy nodded. “That’s right. Crazy for you. You stood with me at the altar, then left me. I deserve a chance to win her back.” He nodded at the men. “Agreed?”
Juan looked uncertainly from Senada to Troy.
A waitress gave Senada a searching glance. “Why’d you dump him?”
“I didn’t! He’s lying. I never promised him anything. He’s crazy. He just wants…” She took a breath, running out of words.
“He just wants what, señorita? Or is it, señora?” Juan added meaningfully.
“Can you honestly say you didn’t stand beside me at the altar?” Troy demanded, recalling Lisa and Brick’s wedding, where Senada had been a bridesmaid.
She paused, her eyes narrowing. “No, but that wasn’t our—”
“There you have it, boys. From her very own mouth.”
Juan motioned his friends backward. “A man deserves to claim his woman.”
Senada slammed the pitcher of beer down on the counter. “His woman, my fanny.”
“Appreciate your understanding,” Troy interjected with a nod.
She glared at him with enough heat to melt iron, then seared him with a rush of Spanish words for which he could only guess the meaning.
She narrowed her eyes. “You know, up until this moment, you just annoyed me,” she told him as she rounded the counter. “I had decided you were pushy because you were misguided. And if you were a little thick upstairs, it was probably just genetic, since the rest of your brothers seemed to be the same way. When people annoy me, I ignore them.”
She leaned closer to him, and Troy was amazed at the quick leap of response in his body. “Now, I really don’t like you,” she whispered in a voice that shouldn’t have been but was outrageously seductive. Her eyes were nearly black with emotion, and Troy felt himself sinking.
He closed his own eyes, blinking at the odd sensations inside him. Before he knew it, cold beer gushed down his head. Senada put the empty pitcher on the counter. He swore. His hair was drenched, his shirt wet. “What in hell—” He swore again, jerking away and shaking his head.
Senada smiled. “That’s what I do to people I don’t like. Don’t mess with me, Pendleton. You are out of your league.”
After his shower, Troy received a call from his brother Brick. “Nothing yet,” he said, toweling dry his hair. “I knew she was moody, but you could have warned me about her temper.”
“Lisa says she doesn’t like being told what to do. And she gets really upset if she thinks someone is trying to put one over on her,” Brick said.
Troy glanced at his beer-drenched shirt wadded up in the corner of his room and nodded.