Kat Martin - Against the Sun

He glanced over at Sage. She was dressed in jeans, sneakers and a white cotton blouse. The shirt was tied up in front, giving him a glimpse of bare skin. Though perfectly modest, it was driving him crazy. Her dark hair fell around her shoulders, the way she usually wore it, making him want to run his fingers through it.

His heart rate went up and yet again his groin tightened.

He thought of the brief exchange he’d had with Phillip Stanton in her office on Friday, recalled the evil little demon that had driven him to ruin Sage’s last night with her fiancé.

The protests in front of the building weren’t enough to keep her from dining out with the man she was going to marry. Jake could have escorted her home and checked things out, made sure everything was okay. They had planned to have dinner at River Oaks, and getting inside the exclusive country club was next to impossible.

Jake just couldn’t stand the thought of the guy in her bed.

Sage was staring out the window now, her mind somewhere else. Probably on business. “Why’d you do it?” he asked.

She glanced up at him. “Why’d I do what?”

“Let me push you into canceling your date with Phillip. You knew the protest wasn’t enough of a threat that I needed to be with you all evening. You also knew if you gave me any kind of resistance, I would have backed down.”

She didn’t deny it.

“So why didn’t you fight me?” he pressed.

A slow breath whispered out. “I don’t know.”

“I think you do.”

Sage shifted in her seat, to see him better. “What are you saying, Jake?”

“I don’t think you wanted to be with Phillip that night. I think you were glad I gave you an excuse. What I don’t get is why you’re marrying him.”

He figured she would launch into him, tell him it was none of his business—which it wasn’t.

Instead, she leaned back in the seat. “I met Phillip right after I started working for the company. He was already a vice president, not as important a job as he has now, but someone my grandfather had high hopes for. A few years later, we started dating.”

“So you’ve known him quite a while.”

“That’s right. We got along well from the start. Same interests, same goals. Phillip and I… We’re extremely well-suited.”

“How’s that?”

“We both love classical music and ballet. We’re interested in art and the theater.”

“That’s enough for you? That Phillip likes ballet?”

“Which I’m sure you don’t.”

He grinned. “Watching a bunch of men prancing around in tights? Not a chance.” In the mirror, he saw her lips curve in a smile.

“We share the same interests, as I said, and my grandfather and I talked about it. He thought it was time for me to think about my future. Marrying the right person is important to my career.”

Jake clicked on his turn signal and passed a few cars, then pulled back into the right lane. “Your grandfather raised you after your mother died. I saw that in an article on the internet.”

“He raised me from the time I was twelve. He’s the best man I’ve ever known.”

Jake frowned. “What about your father?”

She gazed down at her hands, then looked back through the windshield at the road. “My father died when I was twelve. It’s a long story. It’s enough to say that when he died, I hadn’t seen him in eight years.”

It was obviously a subject she didn’t want to discuss, and Jake didn’t press her. But his curiosity was piqued. There was something about Sage that didn’t add up. She just didn’t seem to be the self-centered heiress he’d expected. And he thought he had just uncovered the first clue to solving the puzzle.

They reached the impressive wrought-iron gate that marked the entrance to the property. A sign overhead read Double D Ranch. “Double D” for Sage and Ian Dumont? Or for Ian and his dead son, Louis?

Sage gave Jake the security code. He punched in the numbers and the automatic gate swung open. They drove till the highway was well out of sight and the Spanish-style ranch house appeared, huge and white, with a red-tile roof, several turrets and patios. Even the matching guesthouse was big.

Sage was right. The place could easily handle the Saudis and the entourage that was sure to be traveling with them.

There was also a large, tile-roofed stable, and an indoor arena surrounded by lush green pastures. Horses grazed and galloped across the countryside.

“Pretty place.”

“It’s a great getaway,” Sage said. “There was a time when Ian raised the finest cutting horses in Texas. Riding is kind of a passion of mine. My only real hobby, I guess you could say. Lately, I just haven’t had time.” She turned to Jake as he pulled up in front of the house. “Do you ride?”

“Not if I can help it.”

She looked disappointed. He tried to imagine Phillip Stanton on horseback, but the image wouldn’t come.

They parked the Jeep and headed into the main house. It was fully staffed, and decorated, too, in a Spanish style, with lots of old wood, bright serapes and heavy old-world antiques.

By the time Jake had surveyed the two houses, walked the stables and the grounds, he only had one comment.

“Your security here sucks. You want the Saudis to stay in this place, you’re going to have to do something about it.”

Her shoulders slumped. “I was afraid you’d say that. Nothing’s been done in years. I guess we just felt safe out here.”

There were vast open stretches of grassland. Lots of native trees and abundant wildlife. Horses roamed the pastures, deer grazed in the fields and the birdlife was spectacular. A hawk soared overhead as if to make the point.

“So what do you want to do?” he asked.

She glanced back at the house. “How fast can something be done?”

Jake pulled out his iPhone and punched in Trace’s home number. “Hey, buddy, I’ve got a problem.”

A low grumble preceded his friend’s soft Texas drawl. “It’s Sunday, you know. This is supposed to be my day off. I’m spendin’ time with my wife.”

Jake could hear the pride in his friend’s voice. Trace was married and in love. Jake had never seen him so happy.

“I’m out at the Dumont ranch. The place is huge, with lots of land, main house, guesthouse and stables. Some of the security cameras aren’t working and the alarms are years out-of-date. The whole system needs to be replaced. How long will it take you to upgrade?”

Trace muttered a word Jake couldn’t quite hear. “I’ll get on it. I can have someone out there today. We can do a perimeter installation, mount new cameras, put some temporary equipment in the house, guesthouse and stables, till we have time to do a permanent replacement.”

“There’s a housekeeper, foreman, some ranch hands. We’ll let them know your men are coming.”

“We…?”

“Sage is with me. Can you be finished by next weekend?”

“Enough for you to feel safe.”

“Good enough.”

Jake clicked off and shoved the phone back into the pocket of his jeans. “Trace is going to take care of it. He’ll have enough of the system up and running to keep people safe. Let’s talk to your foreman, let him know what’s going on.”

Sage nodded. “I can’t believe how complicated this is getting.”

“Three hundred million is a lot of money.”

“If I make this deal and we get hold of a platform and some used offshore equipment, it’ll be a huge savings to the company.”

“And that means a lot to you.”

“Yes, it does.”

“Then let’s get to it.” Setting a hand at her waist, he guided her toward the foreman’s house. Without her high heels, she seemed almost tiny to him. Jake felt a surge of protectiveness, and told himself it was all right to feel that way, since it was his job. He thought about how much softer she seemed out here, miles away from work.