Heart's Desire Read online

  Nathan took a long drink of the lukewarm water, if only to spite her, and used a napkin to wipe up the puddle on the table.

  “I’d like a beer!” Bailey strolled in, immediately breaking the tension in the room, smiling from ear to ear as she winked at Nathan.

  She plopped down beside him at the table and reached for one of the sandwiches. Her energy was contagious and Nathan bit back a grin. At one time, this was how Jessie had acted around him—vivacious and full of life.

  “You’re still on the clock at the clinic, and I need you after lunch, so no,” Justin scolded.

  “Party pooper,” she muttered under her breath.

  Nathan choked on his water as Bailey chuckled, slapping his back. “Relax, Wall Street. It might not be Voss but it’s not that bad. Straight from the well.”

  Jessie rolled her eyes at Bailey. Irritation seemed to seep from her, directed pointedly at Nathan. “Can we get this over with? I have stalls to get ready.”

  “For what? Please, tell me you didn’t take in more horses,” Justin said.

  She chewed the bite of sandwich in her mouth slowly and tipped up her chin. “Okay.”

  “Okay, what?”

  “Okay, I won’t tell you.”

  A shadow of a smile played at the corners her lips. Bailey didn’t even bother to hide her mirth and laughed loudly. Nathan had seen Justin lose his temper enough in the past to know Jessie was treading on very thin ice. She wasn’t just tempting her brother, she was outright poking a bear of a man with a temper to match, and it made him wonder if the years had made her stupid or just incredibly brave.

  “Jessie,” he growled through clenched teeth. “I thought I told you—”

  “And I told you to let me handle it.” She leaned back in her chair, not looking the slightest bit worried about the impending eruption from Mt. Justin. The air practically sparked with the tension. “I’ve got this,” she assured him.

  “You don’t have this. Unless you’re on a mission to put us all in the poor house, there are too many useless mouths to feed and not enough hay to do it.”

  “I don’t recall asking you for money.”

  “And, yet, I don’t recall you turning it down when I offered,” Justin countered.

  “I know what I’m doing,” she insisted.

  “Then why am I here?” Three sets of eyes turned toward Nathan.

  Nathan was used to moving when his instinct directed him. Usually it meant hanging back and supervising operations, watching for opportunities others might miss, not jumping headfirst in to a hornet’s nest of sibling drama. Jessie’s blue eyes grew even colder, her sharp glance cutting.

  “Good question.” She glared back at her brother. “Why is he here? What can he do that we can’t manage on our own?”

  Nathan wasn’t about to sit back and let this slip of a woman insult him. She might have every right to be angry with him for what happened in the past, but his business acumen was above reproach, and he was proud of the success he’d achieved in the past few years.

  “Well, for one thing, I can look at your books and see where there might be corners you can cut. My goal is to make sure that you’re operating within the optimal tax benefits, legal structure, and primarily, making the best business decisions possible for every dollar spent.” Nathan crossed his arms and locked eyes with her. “And I’m damn good at my job.”

  “Modest much?” Jessie quirked a dark brow, not bothering to hide her distaste.

  “Just statin’ facts, ma’am,” he teased, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

  This was where he was most comfortable, on the offensive. He didn’t want to make her mad, but he needed her to realize how serious her situation was. This wasn’t about his past mistakes; this was about her future. However, he had to admit it was a thrill to push Jessie’s buttons, making her eyes spark with blue fire. To make those perfect lips round in outrage. What he wouldn’t give to kiss her again.

  Nathan cleared his throat, forcing himself to concentrate on the reason he was here. “We need to sit down and talk with your accountant to get a clear perspective on your finances. Justin and I are doing that later today, right?” He looked to Justin for confirmation. “And we need to talk about what you’re each planning for this ranch.”

  “I can’t put everything here on hold to chat. I barely have time to train the horses after I’ve finished with barn chores.”

  “Then maybe you shouldn’t be bringing in more,” Justin muttered under his breath.

  Jessie rose, glaring at him before marching toward the kitchen sink, the island between them. Nathan could see by her defensive stance that she was fighting the desire to escape the conversation altogether.

  He saw Jessie pull out her cell phone and frown at the screen. “Crap,” she muttered.

  “What?” Bailey looked at the phone screen as well. “Go. Justin and I will clean up lunch.”

  Whatever she saw on her phone must have been important, because Jessie snatched her keys from the hook by the back door and hurried out the front door to her truck. He heard the roar of the diesel engine and the crunch of gravel as the massive tires rolled down the tree-lined driveway.

  Nathan raised a hand to his temple, rubbing at the headache beginning to form. “We are never going to get anything accomplished this way.”

  He had a life to get back to in LA and, if Jessie didn’t become more cooperative, this job was going to last forever.

  “Don’t worry.” Justin laughed, pulling out his cell phone. “We’ll take a trip into town to meet with Brendon today, get that out of the way. Then we can have a drink and catch up.” He cocked his head and frowned. “Loosen up. I don’t remember you being such a tight-ass in college. Maybe you need this visit more than you think.”

  Yeah, the way I need a hole in my head.

  JESSIE HATED SITTING outside the principal’s office. She hadn’t liked it that time she’d been caught cutting class in high school, and she hated it even more now. She shook her head and frowned at the sixteen-year-old boy seated beside her, his long hair draped over his eyes. “What in the world were you thinking, Michael? Vandalizing the locker room?”

  “I told you, it’s Ice.”

  “Really? Ice?” She sighed. “Because you don’t have enough trouble in your life right now without getting involved with that gang again? They’re bad news and going nowhere.” Jessie glanced through the window where two other students sat, their wrists handcuffed behind their backs. “You’re not like them.”

  He eyed her through his shaggy bangs. “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

  “Quit doing what your brother tells you to and start living the way you want. Do you want to end up in jail like him? You told me you wanted out, remember? I know you don’t want to be part of a gang, so why would you even take part in their initiation? You’re better than this.”

  Luckily, the office door opened, ending their conversation. Two deputy sheriffs escorted the other street-tough teens toward patrol cars she’d seen parked in front of the school. Ellie, Jessie’s friend and Michael’s foster mother, was next, followed by the principal. Ellie looked tired, much older than her twenty-eight years, as she turned her eyes toward the pair.

  “Come on, Michael, let’s go.” Jessie could hear the exhaustion in Ellie’s voice as she shook the principal’s hand and thanked him for his help with the police.

  Michael stared after the other boys before turning back to her. She could read at least a thousand questions in his eyes, but he left them unspoken. “You mean, I’m not—”

  “No, you’re coming with us. So let’s go,” Ellie ordered, raising her voice slightly.

  Jessie stood, following her exasperated friend to her truck, watching as the police cruiser pulled away from the curb. She still wasn’t sure whether Ellie had asked her to come because she simply needed moral support or if there was something else on her mind. She waited, knowing Ellie would make her intentions clear soon enough.
/>
  Michael’s shoulders slumped forward as he opened the passenger door and tossed his backpack to the floorboard.

  “Take your things with you. You’re going home with Jessie tonight,” Ellie instructed.

  “What?”

  “What?” Jessie repeated, as confused as the teen.

  “I’ll be out later, but I think some ranch work might help Ice put things into perspective while he’s suspended from school. Don’t you agree, Jessie?”

  Jessie bit her lip as understanding dawned. If Ellie wanted to teach the boy a lesson, she could come up with plenty of chores to accommodate her. “I have fences to be mended, and there are always stalls that need cleaning.”

  Ellie gave her a grin and a quick wink. “I figured as much.” She turned back to Michael. “You head out and get started. I’ll be out later, after I get off work.”

  The boy opened his mouth to protest, but Ellie held up her hand. “Don’t say a word! You’re lucky you’re not in the back of that patrol car with those two boys after the stunt you pulled today. You’re getting off easy with just three days suspension. So, show some gratitude.”

  Jessie could see his jaw clenching. He was at that age where everything set him off. He wanted to fight the system and declare his independence, but he hadn’t realized yet how far was too far. Today he’d crossed the line when he’d vandalized the locker room. At least he hadn’t pushed as far as his older brother had, landing him in prison for armed robbery.

  Ellie had taken Michael in—an impressionable boy who looked up to his troubled older brother—and offered him the world, but she could only do so much as a foster parent. The choices were still his to make, and thanks to his brother’s influence, he was making bad ones.

  “Come on,” Jessie threw her arm around his slim shoulders and gave him a quick squeeze. “We’re getting in three new horses tomorrow. You can help me get ready for them.” She saw the light return to his eyes. “Besides, Grady’s been missing you.” At the mention of the old gelding, she saw Michael try to hide a smile.

  “Fine,” he sighed. He heaved his shoulders dramatically, but Jessie didn’t miss the relief in his eyes.

  Jessie pulled out her phone to let Justin know they would have two more people tonight for dinner.

  How did she manage to go from being alone last night to having a packed house before lunch? Nathan’s arrogant grin filled her mind. How was she going to explain having two juvenile delinquents at the ranch when Nathan started asking questions?

  Chapter Four

  NATHAN SAT AT the kitchen table of the cabin Jessie had relegated to him, staring down at the countless documents her accountant had compiled. Besides an external hard drive filled with account information, more payable than receivable, there were loans, both personal and business, as well as the will from her parents. Since Justin hadn’t really talked about his parents’ death, Nathan knew he would have to press one of them for details eventually. Reading the will now, he could see none of the Harts fully understood the value and desirability of their property.

  With two thousand acres split equally between them, each of the siblings had been given a portion of the property to use for separate business ventures, yet the entirety remained in joint ownership. Wading his way through the legal jargon, grateful for his years in law school, he finally found what made them think they had more than a familial interest in one another’s businesses. Each business was run as a separate entity, meaning that Jessie was in full control of the dude ranch portion of the property and could operate it however she chose. But, because of the way their parents had structured it, if one business went under, the others were forced to compensate or help fund it. According to the documents, their father insisted they keep the property whole, or it was to be sold in its entirety. In other words, if one failed, they all failed.

  “Colton, what were you thinking?” he muttered to himself. The knock at the front door interrupted his thoughts. “Come in.” He looked up in time to see Justin peer around the entrance.

  “Aren’t you coming for dinner?”

  Nathan glanced at his watch and looked out the window to see the sun setting behind the tall pines. He hadn’t realized how much time had passed since he’d started looking into their finances. He slid the will into a folder and rose from the small table. “Would you mind if I borrow your truck to head into town and grab a burger?”

  Justin laughed. “Afraid of the pip-squeak? When did that happen?”

  “I’m not afraid. I’d just rather avoid getting my head served to me on a platter.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. She’s not happy you’re here.”

  “That’s a bit of an understatement.”

  Nathan moved to the sink, wishing he’d thought to buy groceries when they’d been in town earlier. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard stocked with dishes for guests and filled it with water from the tap.

  “Didn’t you talk to her before you invited me? Maybe if you would’ve explained why I was coming . . . ”

  “I tried.” Justin brushed past him and opened the refrigerator. “I even gave her a list of things to get you. See? But Jess has a temper and thinks this should be a family matter.”

  Nathan bent down and stared at the fully stocked refrigerator, complete with a six-pack of his favorite beer, sandwich fixings, fresh produce, and dairy. There was enough food to feed him for at least a week. Guilt hovered over Nathan’s head like a rain cloud, and he wondered if Justin still would have apologized if he knew what had transpired between Jessie and Nathan. He would have to confess the truth to Justin eventually. But not quite yet.

  They’d barely spoken in the last eight years. He wanted to renew their friendship on a good note before he jumped off that ledge. Once he’d helped Jessie, it would be easier to confess the truth to Justin. He reached for two beer bottles, holding one out to Justin, wondering if he really trusted Jessie not to poison him.

  “So, she’s taking her frustration out on me instead of you?” Nathan had no doubt Jessie’s ire had more to do with his silence after leaving and his reappearance now than it did with Justin.

  “Trust me,” Justin assured him with a laugh. “You’re getting the PG version. I’ve been chewed out several times for even suggesting she call you. Be glad you’re staying out here instead of one of the guest rooms in the house.”

  “Yeah, that makes me want to join you for dinner.”

  Nathan tipped his head back, enjoying the yeasty brew as it slid down his throat, warming his belly. At least, he wanted to believe it was the beer and not the memory of the last time he’d been alone in the house with Jessie. He hadn’t prepared himself for this onslaught of memories. It wasn’t like him not to be ready for every possible scenario, but he’d been too busy equipping himself for her hatred to think that feelings of his own might resurface.

  Not that he didn’t deserve her anger. He’d had eight years to set the record straight and should have done so as soon as he’d worked his way from under his father’s thumb, but there was more to her anger than simply a failed summer romance.

  “She’s overreacting a bit, wouldn’t you say? I mean, most people don’t enjoy having their finances scrutinized, but wouldn’t the possibility of saving this place be enough to make her at least somewhat civil?”

  “Jessie’s always had a chip on her shoulder about you. I think she had a crush on you that summer and when you never came back . . . ” Justin took a long draw from his beer and shrugged. “But who knows. Ever since our parents were killed in that car accident, she’s been working herself to the bone trying to keep this ranch in the black, but she won’t admit that she can’t do it alone. Everyone sees that except for her.” He tipped back the bottle again, finishing off the last swallow. “It’s turned into this vicious cycle. She isn’t taking reservations, so we’re losing money hand over fist trying to afford all these horses no one is coming to ride. We even had to cut our crew loose because we couldn’t afford to keep paying them. When I try
to talk to her, she shuts me out. We’re going horse-poor.”

  “Horse-poor?”

  Justin twisted his lips, pulling his mouth to the side humorlessly. “Yeah, it’s what we call it when you have too many horses to feed. They’re nothing more than a money pit at this point. Jess is a great trainer, and we could recoup a lot if she would just sell a few, but she refuses and keeps taking in more projects.”

  “Projects?” He was sure he sounded like an idiot, but as far as he was concerned, Justin might as well be speaking a foreign tongue. “What sort of projects?”

  “She’s been rescuing a lot of abused horses since our parents died. I don’t know if it’s her way to cope or what.”

  “Have you asked her about it?”

  Justin shook his head. “Every time I try to talk to her about the horses, she gets defensive. It doesn’t really matter why she’s taking them in though, we still have more mouths to feed than we can afford. Speaking of which, we have guests for dinner tonight, so let’s keep all the money discussions for later, in private, okay?”

  “Paying guests?” Nathan had seen enough of Heart Fire’s finances to know a few paying guests each month could go a long way to salvaging the ranch. It would be enough to keep it afloat until he could come up with a concrete plan of action for Jessie.

  Justin chuckled and gave Nathan a wry look. “I wish. A friend of Jessie’s and a couple of foster kids.”

  Foster kids? Abused horses? Nathan glanced out the window and saw the shadow of a woman stepping onto the back patio, staring toward the barn. He watched Jessie wander down the steps of the patio and make her way toward the pool. Jessie had always had a tender heart for the broken and those in need of rescue. In the weeks he’d spent here, she rescued a litter of kittens, hand-nursed a calf, and saved an orphaned raccoon cub.

  He turned away from the dark-haired beauty as she walked through the gate and headed toward the barn. “When was the last time anyone paid to stay here?”

  “We had a full house when we found out about Mom and Dad’s accident,” he said quietly. “We canceled all of our reservations and since the funeral Jess hasn’t booked anything. I know she’s having a hard time, but she just keeps saying she’s not ready. Honestly, I’m not sure she’s ever going to be ready, and we can’t have anyone stay without a bare-bones crew at least.”