Sara Orwig - The Forbidden Texan

“We’re not going to find any bodies, are we?”

Jake laughed as he shook his head. “Nope. At least, I hope not. As far as I know, Thane’s grandfather was only a gambler. He must have been good at it to hang on to this ranch. That’s an imposing-looking house. I figured we’d find something that should be leveled. That’s what Thane suggested and I think what he intended to do. We’ll have to see what it’s like inside, but if it’s solid, I’m not tearing it down.”

“Tearing it down would be a real loss,” she agreed. “I can’t believe I’m going to live in that for the next few weeks.”

“Count on weeks. I’m guessing the inside is filled with stuff, from what Thane indicated. Years of stuff. If so, it’ll take time to go through it.” They drove over rocks and through a stream that was only a trickle.

“Someone is there. See that pickup by the oak?” she asked, pointing ahead.

“That’s the caretaker, who’s also in charge of security. Rum McCloud. I don’t know whether Rum is a nickname or his real name. I notified him that we were coming.”

Standing in the shade, a lanky man in a plaid long-sleeve Western shirt, jeans, boots and a broad-brimmed hat waited with his hands on his hips. They parked and Jake went around to open the door for Emily, but she stepped out quickly.

Jake walked up to Rum and held out his hand. “I’m Jake Ralston and this is Emily Kincaid.”

“Howdy, folks. Rum McCloud. Welcome to the Long L. Here’s two house keys and my card with my phone number and email address. Anything I can do for you, just let me know. You can call or text.” Rum aso handed Jake three key rings, which he assumed were for locks inside the house.

“Thanks. We’ll go look at it. We plan to stay in the house to get stuff sorted and out of it. I’ll let you know, Rum, what we end up doing.”

“Fine. We can send dinner up from the big kitchen for you. My crew will still be around 24/7. We watch this place.”

He looked over his shoulder at the house. “The place needs repairs, but it’s time and weather that’s taken a toll. We keep vandals, kids and drifters away from here. After his grandfather died, Mr. Warner came and looked at the place, locked it up and left and never came back. Inside that house is just like his grandfather left it. I’m sorry about Thane. He was a fine man.”

“Yes, he was. We became friends too far back to remember. I told you on the phone—I intend to keep this ranch, raise cattle and keep you and the other men who are here now. You can pass the word on that.”

“Glad to hear that. I’ll pass it along. Everyone is wondering about the future. Now I can tell them they still have a job.”

“Yes, you can. The only quick changes will be to this house. We’re not staying tonight. We’re only here to take a look inside the house. I’ll let you know when we’ll be back and when we’ll stay to go through stuff. Hopefully, we’ll start next week,” he said, glancing at Emily, and she nodded.

“I can do that,” she said, mentally going through her business calendar. Next week would fit her schedule nicely, and she was looking forward to getting her hands on the antiques.

There was only one thing she was still fretting over. Living out here with Jake Ralston.

Emily said goodbye to Rum and was aware of Jake beside her as they walked to the front steps.

“This was a grand old house in its day,” Jake said. He paused at the foot of the steps to look up at the house.

“I think it’s still a wonderful house,” she said and he looked down at her and smiled.

“Why do I think that you are a definite optimist?”

She shrugged. “I like the house and I see the good side of keeping it. Cleaned up and freshly painted, it could be charming. I’ve already sent a text to my assistant and she’s getting a cleaning crew lined up for tomorrow.”

“We’ll see what my contractor says. He knows a lot about houses.”

After crossing the porch, Jake unlocked the oversize door, which swung open. The entryway had a marble floor with a stone fountain that had no water. The fountain was centered in a shallow circular marble pool, also dry and with a thick layer of dust. Above that, the ceiling soared to the second floor with a dust-and-cobweb-covered chandelier hanging high above the empty fountain. She couldn’t judge the condition of the furnishings, since they were all covered with sheets.

“I never was here with Thane. He told me he hated coming here. He said his grandfather didn’t take care of it and it was a depressing mess. I see what he meant if this was the way the old man lived.”

Emily took pictures with her phone. “I’m sending these to Leslie so she’ll have an idea what this cleaning job is going to entail.”

They walked around the empty fountain and a wide dark hallway stretched ahead of them. Nearby, two sweeping staircases led to the second floor and a high ceiling above it.

He started walking down the dark hallway and paused. “What a mess this is,” he said, pointing at the packing boxes that stood in the hall and in the rooms they peeked into. Papers littered the floors, cobwebs were growing in corners and windows were covered with grime on the outside. Inside, dust coated everything. They entered another room filled with shelves and books and found the same situation. A desk was covered with notebooks. Along one wall were locked cabinets with wooden doors. Jake looked at the three key rings he’d been given.

“I think there should be a key here for each of these cabinets.” He ran his hand over a dusty cabinet door. “From the looks of these, I’d guess they hold guns.”

“Guns? Maybe.” She leaned closer to look, glancing again at the lock. “You have maybe forty keys on those rings.”

“There are numbers on them. This is ring number one,” he said, holding a ring with keys of various sizes and shapes. “We can try these next week after they get the dirt and cobwebs out of here.”

“You can just walk away and not try to get in and see what’s inside?” she asked.

He turned to focus on her. “Yes, I can.” He looked amused. “You can’t? Be my guest, then,” he said, holding out the three key rings.

“You really don’t care?”

“No, I don’t. You’re hired to help me clear this stuff out, remember?”

“You go look at more rooms and I’ll try the keys. I’m too curious to wait. What’s in here? A hidden bar? Rare books? Family albums? Whatever it is, there’s a lot of it,” she said, looking at the cabinets covering one wall.

“Here,” he said, taking her hand in his and placing the key rings in it. The moment he took her hand, everything changed. She forgot the keys, cabinets, even the house. That fiery awareness flared again and she knew he felt it, too, because his chest expanded as he inhaled while he flicked a questioning look at her and continued holding her hand.

“Does that happen to you with every guy you meet?” he asked quietly and her heart thudded.

She didn’t need to ask what he was talking about. She shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “Not ever. I figured it’s something you always have happen, though. You do have a reputation for attracting the ladies.” Her heart drummed and she had a prickling awareness of him, of his hand still holding hers as he ran his thumb so lightly back and forth over her knuckles.

“It happens sometimes, but not quite like this,” he replied. “And never with someone I work with. Not ever. You’re unique in my life, Emily,” he said and she shook her head.

“I think I’ll forget looking in the cabinets this afternoon,” she said, giving him back the keys and yanking her hand away from his, eager to put some distance between them. “Let’s make a quick tour of this floor. I’ll take the other side of the hall and you do this side and we’ll meet at the other end of the house.” She didn’t want to have a reaction to him and she couldn’t allow the moment to get personal. She had to work with him for a few weeks at least. When they got the place cleaned up, they would stay here, some nights just the two of them. She didn’t want to have a breathtaking, instant, heart-racing reaction to him every time their hands brushed.