Dead Man's Bluff Read online

  She went to stand. “Sorry, but none of this is my problem.”

  He leaned forward. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking…I guess, I thought you’d grown to care about the people there and would want to make sure the right person purchased the property. My mistake. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  He was manipulating her, and doing it well. What would it cost her: a week, a couple at most? If she was honest with herself…she needed this closure. She needed to put the past and the ranch behind her so she could move on without any guilt or regret. There was also Birdie, Ms. Susan, Emma, and Griffin to think about. Tink would want her to see that they were okay. She sighed, easing back down into the chair. “Okay, you win. I’ll handle it, but I’m not doing it for you.”

  “I know.”

  As soon as Megan left the office, Paul Stratford reached for his cell. “She agreed,” he ground out.

  Mackenzie’s crude laughter came from the other end. “Of course she did. You’re a persuasive man. Don’t worry old friend you can’t help your lack of willpower to fight temptation. Why beat yourself up over it?”

  Stratford ground the back of his teeth together. “One day you’re going to die a lonely man.”

  “So melodramatic…” Mackenzie was babbling right as Stratford ended the call.

  Stratford planted his elbows on the desk releasing all the air in his lungs as he dragged a hand down his face. If this didn’t end well, his wife was going to snip off his nuts. ♠

  Three

  Drew didn’t knock. He just stormed through the office door, went straight for the desk, and tossed the photo down on top of the accounting books open in front of Lillian. “Mind telling me what this is?”

  She reached out, picked up the photo giving most of her attention to the shape of the guy with his hands braced on her desk. His sharp jawline flexed under the skin and the smell coming from his direction said he’d been drinking. Recently. “Drew, you look like shit. What’s this about?”

  “You tell me. What kind of game are you playing?”

  Her eyes finally settled on the photo in question and some display of emotion passed over her expression, a softening only a mother could have. She sighed and removed the turquoise-colored reading glasses that matched the shade of her eyes, tossed them on top of the opened books. “Okay, it’s a photo of my Meg being fitted for her wedding dress. So?” Her lips twitched finding some humor in his discomfort. “She is going to make a beautiful bride, isn't she?”

  Having no patience what-so-ever for her games he reached across the desk and plucked the picture from her fingertips. “I know who it is. How did it end up in my mailbox? Is this you and your daughters attempt to get in one final dig?”

  She honestly appeared hurt by his accusation. “Wait, do you think I sent this to you.”

  “Didn’t you?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  Some of the tension left his shoulders. “Are you lying?”

  “No Drew, lying is something I’ve never been fond of.”

  “It had to be your husband then?”

  She shook her head. “No. He’s promised never to interfere again.”

  “And you believed him?” Drew shook his head, “I’m disappointed…I thought you of all people understood a man will say anything when he’s been caught.”

  “I do. But I also know how to put the fear of God into a man. My husband knows once I get it in my head to leave him, there will be nothing he can say to change my mind. I don’t think he wants that to happen.”

  He wasn’t so sure Stratford was so easily controlled, but it was true, Lillian was the kind of woman who made a decision and stuck to it…just like her daughter. He couldn’t avoid glancing down at the photo clutched in his grip: Megan in white, the sight still caused a sharp pain in his chest. She was beautiful like always, but if he was being completely honest there was something different about her. First: her hair was significantly shorter than he’d remembered it, chin length now. Second: the dress she was wearing was plain with a high neck showing very little flesh, flesh he happened to know was flawless since he’d once explored every inch of her. All of these were minor details, what grabbed his attention the most was her eyes. Where was the restless fire he’d seen blazing so often in them? She appeared peaceful. Content. It was as if she’d already conformed to playing the perfect wife.

  He backed his way into the leather chair in front of the desk. His gaze never left the photo as he sat. The woman he remembered no longer existed? He had lost her for good.

  “It’s really over,” the words were too low to be heard by anyone other than him.

  “Drew, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I feel like a jackass,” he muttered.

  “You should. I have to ask, does it honestly matter?”

  “I’m sorry… does what matter?” In a daze his gaze lifted from the photo to find Lillian studying him.

  She settled back in her chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and leveled him with a look. A look he was certain she directed at her husband whenever he screwed up, which was probably often. She’d known Drew since he was ten, knew things about him even his own father didn’t know. Other than Megan, she was the only person he’d ever allowed in, but dammit, she was staring at him as if he was a new species of asshole. “I don’t get it. You’ve screwed enough women since yours and Megan’s break up to put even your father’s reputation to shame, then you come barging into my office like a jealous, lovesick maniac. Let’s get one thing straight, Megan doesn’t owe you any loyalty, because you’ve never showed any. You hurt her deeply and it took her a long time to move past it.”

  What could he say? Lillian was always one to cut through all the bullshit. He asked, “Is she happy?”

  “Yes, after she got over the initial shock of hearing what a manwhore you’d become, she’s very happy. Question is…are you?”

  “I’m not sure I’m capable of happy. Here…” He stood and handed Lillian the photo. No way in hell was he going to keep it as a reminder. “…tell her I said congratulations.”

  He was halfway to the door when her words stopped him. “I could do dinner next week at our usual café. Does that work for you?” She had already slid back on her glasses and didn’t even take the time to glance up from her books.

  Opening the office door, he grinned. “Does this mean I’ve been forgiven?”

  There was no denying the slight lift at the corner of her mouth as she began penning in numbers on the pages. “Let’s just say I think you could benefit greatly from the insight of a sensible woman.”

  Honest, deep laughter came from his chest. “Okay then, next week it is.” ♠

  Four

  Drew was fourteen years old when he was first introduced to what it meant to be a Mackenzie. The wind blew sheets of rain against the windows in the den, everything outside gray. It was evening and daylight escaped quickly from the room. Slumped down on the sofa, his head resting on the back cushion, the television on, Drew watched with brown eyes that absorbed everything as water trailed down the glass, each new drop deciding a different path. He’d come home from school, showered, pulled on a pair of black gym shorts and was watching the rain wondering what his life would have been like if his mother had taken him with her.

  Even over the steady drum of the rain he heard light footsteps. He glanced over just in time to see his father’s latest one-night-stand approaching in a long gray T-shirt and the first thought he had was he hoped like hell she was wearing panties under the shirt hugging her thighs.

  “Mind if I join you?” The woman didn’t wait for an answer before she collapsed down on the sofa next to him and lit a cigarette. She dragged an ashtray over glass to the edge of the coffee table and settled in close to his side. Red nails flashed against a white filter as she inhaled. Smoke clouded the air in front of his face. “Your father says I need to be nice to you.”

  Another drag.

  More smoke.

  He could feel
her eyes on him and pretended to be more interested in what was on the television than her. The curves of her body pressed into him. He could smell his father’s Bourbon on her. His heart raced in his chest as he swallowed hard wishing more than anything he would have gone somewhere else after school.

  His right hand was moved from his lap to the inside of her thigh, and then higher until his fingers confirmed that he rarely got what he hoped for. She wasn’t wearing any panties. He jerked his hand back to his lap, his eyes locking with hers.

  Laughter filled the space between them. “Geez relax kid. He was right. You ain’t ever done this before, have you?” One last hit off the cigarette and she crushed it out in the ashtray. Instantly she moved from the couch to the floor on her knees, she separated his legs and inched her way between them. A tip of her red nail started at the base of his throat making a slow trail down the center of his chest, lower to the top of the elastic band of his shorts.

  He swallowed hard, feeling tears gather in his eyes. Dammit, he would not be a baby. He would not cry. But shit, he wanted to. Why was his body responding to her? Why did it feel so good? His gaze followed her fingers as she ran a fingertip over his tight lower stomach, under the band of his shorts. The light touch caused chills to rise on his flesh and his mind to go places it should not be going. Her hand found his semi-hard erection. She smiled, red lipstick showing on her front teeth. “See, I’m not so bad. Relax.”

  “Please, don’t…” was all he could manage as she fisted a hand around him. He inhaled a sharp intake of breath through his teeth as his body slumped down further on the sofa, his eyes rolling closed. He felt her lean into him, the weight of her arms settling across his groin. Her breath was whispered against his most private part, “Your father said I’m not allowed back in the bedroom until I satisfy you. Honestly, I’m not too keen on screwing a fourteen year old, but I will if that’s what you have your heart set on. I’d much rather give you a blowjob you’ll never forget. What do you say?”

  Drew sat straight up in the bed in his apartment; a wet sheen clung to his skin as his breaths came quick in the dark room. He peeled back the covers, leapt from the bed, making a panicked dash for the bathroom toilet. His knees collided with the cold tile right as the vomit exploded from his mouth. Gagging sounds consumed the bathroom. Spasms in his stomach had him gripping the toilet seat tighter. The more he thought about the woman’s mouth moving over him, the more he puked. Finally he had to turn it off, the shit that was inside his head. Mostly it was disgust, disgust because even though he had tried not to, he had enjoyed what the woman had done to him. Maybe, if his father would have hired a stripper or some anonymous woman it wouldn’t have been so bad. But he hadn’t, his father had sent the woman he was sharing his bed with and although it was the first time, it wouldn’t be the last time he’d catch Drew off guard. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Drew sat against the wall, knees up. His head hit the wall, his hands raking through his hair, dragging down his face. He was a mess, inside and out.

  That photo of Megan had gotten to him more than he cared to admit. What was he thinking? He wasn’t capable of normal. If it had been him and her, together, he would have only screwed it up, eventually. There was too much crap scrambled inside his head. He wouldn’t even know what a real relationship looked like if he saw one. But hell, that photo of her, moving on, happy without him, it sawed at his gut causing more burning, but instead of lunging for the toilet again, Drew Mackenzie did something he thought he would never do.

  He cried.

  It started with the easy shake of his shoulders, and then it was as if years of buried shit rose to the surface, a tidal wave of hurt. Minutes passed, maybe hours when he finally acknowledged, “She’s better off without me.” ♠

  Five

  “Looks like you’re all packed up.” Sadness fell over Lillian as she sank down on the side of her daughter’s bed: things were changing; Megan would no longer be right down the hall from her mother’s room. Lillian bent and picked up the sad, ratty looking stuffed dog peeking out from one of the boxes. It was the kind of stuff animal you’d see hanging high above the games at the fair; stiff, with a red bandana tied around its neck. Her lips turned up in the corners, “Taking him with you?”

  “Of course,” Megan said. There was the sound of tape being yanked from a roll, another box sealed and ready. She drew a deep breath for courage. Who knew moving away would be this difficult? “That’s the last of it, at least for now. I left out a few things I might need over the next couple of days.”

  Lillian scowled, making little worry lines form between her eyes. “So, you’re really going to move in the house before you’re even married?”

  Megan rolled her eyes and lifted the final box to go. “Please mom, don’t pretend you’re old fashion. It’s an insult to my intelligence.”

  “Don’t you want some time to think? This is huge step, Megan.”

  Thump! The box was dropped heavily by the bedroom door, and Megan turned to glare at her mother. “I have thought about it, a lot actually. It’s what I want. Besides, Conner’s not moving in until after the wedding. He thought it would be nice if I had a little extra time to get used to the place, which I think says a great deal about the man I’m marrying.”

  Wow. It was really happening. In six months she would be someone’s wife.

  “Yes, Conner is nice.” Lillian sneered the word ‘nice’ as if it was some form of STD. Her fingers pulled at a loose stich on the dog’s leg. “I remember the day your father won this for you.”

  “Me too,” Megan collapsed down beside her mother blowing her bangs out of her eyes, exhausted. “It’s one of the last memories I have of him before he became so sick.”

  Lillian slipped her hand into her daughters and squeezed. They had been through so much lately: sleepless nights, cold wash cloths laid over a feverish forehead, doctor visits…it had definitely strengthened their relationship. “What am I going to do without you here as a buffer? I swear I am going to end up murdering your stepfather.” Laughter exchanged between them. “Meg, I’m serious. The man drives me absolutely insane.”

  “You love him, which is exactly why he drives you insane.” Megan smiled, stood and moved to the open closet door. She was sifting through what was left on the hangers when she noticed her mother’s pinched expression. “Uh oh, here it comes…what did Stratford do this time?”

  Nothing could have prepared her for, “I saw Drew today.”

  Oh God. Megan froze, her hands hovering over the hangers. All the color drained from her face and her heart went crazy in her chest. For so long she had not allowed herself to think of him. Her mother and her had never discussed what happened at the ranch. Megan had come home and fell right back into the same routine: nails, makeup, friends, and she’d even dated.

  But at night, when she was alone, she had cried herself to sleep. For months. Drew Mackenzie had dumped her as soon as he’d won his bet. Lillian had given Stratford hell for his involvement, and openly admitted to her friendship with Drew, but after that…there was nothing, only an understood that Drew was one subject no one discussed.

  Realizing she’d been silent for some time, Megan went back to dragging hangers along the metal rod, a little too noisily to imply she was unaffected by the news. She shrugged a shoulder and controlled her breathing, “You and he are friends. I assumed you two still had lunch every week. Why was today so special.”

  “Oh Megan, I haven’t had lunch with him since you came home. I think Drew has a good heart, that’s all. He’s just never had many people who care about him.”

  She cared, but that wasn’t good enough.

  Lillian continued, “I guess I thought our dinners would help make up for him not having a mother. I never expected you two to get involved.”

  Megan finally glanced at her mother, the initial shock subsiding. She didn’t hate Drew. She didn’t want to see him suffer or be the reason he lost someone important in his life. Closing the closet d
oor, she rested her back against it. “I never asked you to stop being there for him.”

  “I know, but you’re my daughter and your feelings will always come first.” Lillian tossed the dog back in the box with a sigh. “You should have at least called him. He deserved to know.”

  “Are you serious?” Megan couldn’t help laughing to keep from crying. “He used me. Why would I tell him anything?”

  “Honey, I’ve been fortunate enough to have the love of two amazing, passionate men and I know for a fact…the guy who was in my office today is not a guy that just used a girl and forgot about her. He deserved to know.”

  “Are you crazy? It would have only made me appear even more pathetic.” Images of the muscles along Drew’s arms flexing as he held his body above hers, thrusting slowly into her, their eyes connected as well as their souls came rushing back in constricting the air from her lungs the same way a snake crushes his meal. A snake’s meal. Sex with Drew. It was a horrible thought; a thought she should not be having while discussing one of the most challenging times in her life, but honestly it was all she had of him, memories of sex.