Jennifer Morey - A Rancher's Dangerous Affair

“But—”

“Please, Jillian, just go.”

“No.”

He moved her so that she was outside his door and shut it.

“You bastard!” she screeched, pounding the door. “I knew you were hiding something from me about that bitch. Let me back in there! I’ll make sure she knows where you belong!”

Holy cats! The woman had lost it. Was she referring to Eliza? She’d questioned him about her. Maybe someone in town had let her in on the history between them. That he’d broken up with her, and she’d moved away with a broken heart. Had seeing him interact with her tonight triggered this bizarre tantrum?

A few seconds of silence passed.

“Brandon?” Jillian pleaded. “Please don’t do this. Please let me in. I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect you to do this tonight. It started out so good, and…Brandon?”

He didn’t respond.

The doorbell rang. Rang again. When he didn’t answer, she knocked. Pounded.

“Brandon?” she called louder.

She pounded for about a minute longer before she finally gave up.

“This isn’t over,” she growled from the other side of the door.

There had to be something wrong with her. She was unnaturally angry. Violently jealous of Eliza. What would she do next? Would she come after him? Or Eliza….

Was that yelling she heard? And someone had pounded on the front door. Who was it? Was someone here for David? Alarmed and worried about Brandon and Jillian, Eliza checked on David. He’d passed out as soon as he lay down. He hadn’t even undressed or gotten under the covers.

In her nightgown, she left the guest room that was on the first level and made her way down a long hallway, opposite the kitchen. Stepping into the living room, she saw Brandon looking out the front window.

After a few seconds, he turned and saw her, his unwelcoming face impassive the way she remembered him. She had always wondered what lived beneath that thick wall. Glimpses of a softer man had sneaked out when they were kids. Maybe that was what kept her from being able to forget him and move on.

She stepped closer, searching for Jillian. “Is everything okay?”

He took in her knee-length nightgown with spaghetti straps and scooped neckline as she stopped before him. “Yes. Jillian just left.”

“Is she okay?”

“You should go back to bed.” He started for the stairs leading to the upper level.

“Who was at the door? Was it someone looking for David?”

Stopping, he turned and angled his head shrewdly. “Why would anyone be looking for David here?”

“Who was at the door, Brandon?” she insisted. Why did he not want to tell her?

She moved toward him. He undressed her with his eyes as he once again took her in, spending too long on her scooped neckline, which was demure enough to be proper. It didn’t hide the movement of her breasts, however. She supposed she should have put on a robe, but the urgent yells and pounding had made her skip that step.

“Jillian,” he finally answered. “She was upset.”

Upset? “What was she so upset about? And why was she on the other side of the door?” Recalling the way she’d glared at her, Eliza had a pretty good idea already.

“I’d really rather not talk about it.” He headed for the stairs again.

“Did you break up with her?”

With a hand on the railing, he turned his brooding gaze on her. “Go to bed, Eliza.”

“Was she getting too close?”

He sighed in annoyance and came back to her, standing close. “She didn’t want you and David to stay here.”

There was only one reason for that. Jillian was jealous. And then she’d gotten angry. Had he kicked her out? He must have. That by itself didn’t surprise her. Jillian’s reaction did. Eliza was married to David. Brandon wasn’t interested in her that way. What had Jillian seen? What had David seen? Were they both overreacting or was there some merit to this?

“She was that mad when you told her we were staying?” she asked.

Slowly, he nodded, his worry showing. And something else.

“You did break up with her, didn’t you?” Her original conclusion had to be correct. “She was getting too close.”

“Eliza, damn it.” He turned again.

Why had he broken up with her tonight, though? She’d heard them in the kitchen before Brandon was aware of their arrival. They’d sounded so infatuated with each other. What had happened to turn him off so quickly?

“You do that all the time, Brandon. When are you going to get over that? Why are you so afraid of commitment anyway?”

“I’m not afraid. I know when it isn’t going to work…unlike you.”

That gave her a jolt. “What is that supposed to mean?” And why was he so defensive?

“David shows up at one of your fancy parties and you think he’s the one. Well, all you’ve done is make matters worse for him. He had problems before he ran into you again. All you’re doing is compounding them.”

Why was he so angry? She’d nailed him with the truth and now he was retaliating by bringing it all back onto her. She had to breathe to calm her shock and the aftermath of the insult. “That’s not fair! He asked me to marry him.”

“Yeah, and I can see why. With you, the party never ends.”

“You’re going to stand there and blame me for the way David has been behaving lately?”

“Lately? What’s changed? He’s still as wild as ever. More so. I was close to getting him back on track when he met you at that athlete’s party and you two started having such a good time together.”

David must have told him everything. She certainly hadn’t had the opportunity to have a close and personal talk with him.

Eliza folded her arms. “So it was all me. David had nothing to do with it. He didn’t have to make any decisions on his own. He just had to do what you told him.”

Brandon glanced down to where her breasts had plumped. “Go back to bed.”

She refused to move. He was always the one walking away. Not her. Eliza wasn’t a quitter. When it came to relationships, Brandon was, and she had a flaming impulse to find out why.

He’d caused her enough grief in her life. Maybe it was time to get to the bottom of it and put an end to it once and for all. Maybe then she could leave him in the past where he belonged.

Eliza left the guest room. She was glad she had to prepare for her party. It kept her mind off Brandon, or more appropriately, her desire to mine through his rock-hard heart to learn what was in there. Uncover the layers, as it were. There had to be some. Many. All of which he kept hidden, especially from women.

David had protected him. Both brothers looked out for each other in different ways. When Eliza had asked about Brandon’s inability to stay close to anyone, he’d answered vaguely, guarding Brandon’s privacy. Which only made her more curious. What was so important to hide?

She checked her watch. David wasn’t here at the ranch. He wasn’t answering her calls, either. While that worried her, she’d waited too long already. If she didn’t leave now, she’d be late. She’d only come back here to shower and change. The house was quiet. Brandon hadn’t come in from the stable yet. Good. She’d enjoy her evening without both men. Because she was pretty sure David wasn’t going to show up. He’d taken one of Brandon’s ranch trucks and gone God only knew where.

Opening the driver door of the rental car, Eliza stopped when she saw an envelope with her name on it.

Dropping her purse into the rental, she picked up the envelope and tore the paper, slipping out a card with a pretty red flower on the front. Opening it, she read, “You made a big mistake this time.” It was a blank card except for that.