Hawk's Way: Garth Read online

  And probably not a virgin anymore.

  He tried not to think about that, but couldn’t get the idea out of his head. He would never have taken her innocence, but now that she was an experienced woman, why not have her? He wondered if she would be willing. His lip curled cynically. Why else had she sought him out? Probably she was taking him up on his offer to come back when she was ready to have an adult relationship with him. He sure as hell wasn’t going to turn her down.

  “I don’t have much time,” he began. He watched her face closely and saw the disappointment she couldn’t hide. “But I can spare you a few minutes.”

  The smile was back, and a brightness in her light gray eyes that made his gut twist. He wanted her. His mouth was so dry it was hard to swallow. His body felt taut, stretched on a rack of desire.

  It was a damn good thing they were having a drink at the hotel, he thought. At least that way it wasn’t far to the nearest bed.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Candice Baylor wanted one thing from Garth Whitelaw—and it wasn’t sex. That was a good thing, because from the look on his face as she had approached him, he wasn’t the least bit happy to see her.

  Her last encounter with Garth had cured her of her childish infatuation with the wrangler, but even so she couldn’t help admiring the man. He stood well over six feet tall, and his lithe body was all muscle and sinew. He moved with the easy grace of someone who has spent his life depending on the strength and coordination of his body.

  Over the years since that night in the parlor at Hawk’s Way, Candy had tried to figure out what it was about Garth Whitelaw that had caused her to fall in love with him. She had watched him with the horses he bred and trained and seen that he was capable of gentleness, infinite patience and compassion. Her only mistake had been in thinking that Garth would be able to transfer those emotions to human beings. He had turned out to be a hard, harsh and unforgiving man where women were concerned.

  As they headed toward Garth’s pickup truck for the ride to the hotel, Candy stole glances at the man she had once thought she loved. His face wasn’t conventionally attractive. It was full of hard planes and gaunt hollows. His dark brown eyes were feral, almost dangerous. He wore his black hair too long, down over his collar, and even his tan Western suit didn’t make him look the least bit civilized.

  His expression was brooding, his eyes hooded, his body taut with what Candy recognized as the first signs of desire. She felt a shiver run down her spine, aware of a sexual attraction to the rugged horseman which she thought had been put to rest forever.

  Candy was grateful that the hotel was so close, since neither of them said anything to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them in the truck. Once in the hotel restaurant, Garth took charge of ordering an iced tea for her and a whiskey for himself.

  Candy didn’t want to be interrupted when she told Garth what she wanted from him, so while they waited for their drinks to arrive, she asked about his family, whom she had met during her ill-fated visit three years before.

  “Jesse and Tate are both married and have children,” Garth said. “Faron…” He frowned and finished in a voice that didn’t invite further probing, “Faron’s gone to Wyoming on business.”

  “So you’re all alone at the ranch now?”

  “Except for Charlie One Horse.”

  “How is he?”

  “As cantankerous as ever.”

  Candy knew Garth wasn’t married, but she wanted to ask if he had a steady girlfriend. She resisted the impulse. It would bring back too many memories she wanted to forget. But she couldn’t think of anything else to ask, either.

  Fortunately, Garth picked up the slack. “I heard your father’s big black stud won another cutting horse futurity.”

  Candy smiled. “You mean Comanche Moon? That horse can stop on a dime and give you nine cents change,” she said proudly. “There’s a good chance he’ll be World Champion Cutting Horse this year. Not that it’ll be easy to beat Hawk’s Honor. I know your stallion has proved he’s a champion the past two years, but this year the title belongs to Comanche Moon.”

  “Any chance your father would let me buy him?”

  Candy shook her head. “Comanche Moon isn’t for sale. Dad wouldn’t part with him for all the oil in Texas.”

  The waiter arrived with their drinks, and Candy fiddled with her tea, squeezing in lemon and stirring in sweetener to postpone the moment when she would have to make her proposal to the wrangler.

  “All right,” Garth said after he had taken a drink of whiskey. “Spit it out. What do you want?”

  “I want to hire you to teach me everything you know about breeding and training cutting horses.” She rushed on before he could interrupt. “If I want to be the best—and I do—I figure I need to learn from the best. That’s you. As a rider, you’ve won every cutting horse competition there is. As a breeder, your horses have what it takes to win championships.”

  Garth was stunned by Candy’s suggestion. It was a far cry from the sexual invitation he had been expecting. He was surprised at the sharp disappointment he felt that she wasn’t seeking him out for more personal reasons. On the other hand, he was flattered by her obvious admiration for what he had accomplished with cutting horses. He was tempted to say he would take her on and teach her what he knew.

  Two things stopped him. First, having her around would be a constant distraction from his work. There was no denying the way his body reacted to her. He wanted her, wanted to be deep inside her. If she came to Hawk’s Way he would have her.

  However, having her wasn’t the problem. It was getting her to leave when he was tired of her. It was bound to get awkward if she stuck around to learn about cutting horses long after he had lost interest in having her in his bed. It never occurred to him that his interest in her wouldn’t wane. No woman had ever held his attention for long after he had bedded her.

  His second reason for refusing her was equally compelling. In Garth’s experience, rich people thought they could buy anything with money. His mother, for one, had been tempted into an affair by the gifts of jewels and money a wealthy man had offered her. Garth Whitelaw wasn’t about to hire himself out to anybody—especially not to some spoiled little rich girl.

  Garth had been staring into his drink while he thought. Now he looked up and saw that Candy had caught her lower lip in her teeth. His belly tightened as he remembered the sweet taste of her. His voice grated with need when he spoke.

  “I’m not interested. You go on back to college in the fall and finish your education.”

  Her eyes flashed with irritation, but her voice remained calm. “In the first place, I’ve graduated college. I went straight through and finished early. In the second place, I’m prepared to pay—”

  “Keep your money, sweetheart. Now, if you’d like to make me a different proposition…” He let his voice trail off suggestively.

  “Like what?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Seems to me we have some unfinished business together.”

  Candy realized suddenly what Garth wanted from her. She felt the heat skating up her throat. She had hoped and prayed he had forgotten her youthful indiscretion. Here it was, back to haunt her. “I’m only interested in a business relationship, Garth. If you’re worried about me making any other overtures, you can relax. I wouldn’t dream of imposing myself on you.”

  “Unfortunately, I can’t make the same promise. I find you a damned attractive woman. Now that you’re not a virgin anymore, I can’t guarantee I could keep my hands off you.”

  Candy opened her mouth to tell him “I am too a virgin!” and snapped it shut again. It would be too embarrassing to discuss such a thing, and he was bound to say something that would make her so furious she wouldn’t be able to talk.

  “What if I made it clear I didn’t want anything to do with you?” she asked.

  “I’ve never forced myself on a woman,” Garth said. “I’ve never needed to.” His smile was slow in coming
, but no less devastating to her senses.

  Candy pressed her thighs together, but that did nothing to stop the growing warmth between her legs. She was still determined to get what she wanted, even if it meant she would have to deal with Garth’s sexual overtures. She could handle him. Especially since he had promised no force would be involved.

  “Look,” she said, “I’m willing to work with you on a purely professional basis if you’ll just work with me.”

  “That’s the point, sweetheart. I don’t want to work with you.”

  Candy gritted her teeth to keep from snapping something back at Garth that would forever close the door to Hawk’s Way. “I’ll give you some time to think about it and—”

  “I don’t need time to think,” Garth interrupted. “The answer is no. Not now, not ever.”

  “You are the most stubborn, most arrogant sonofa—”

  Garth’s eyes narrowed. “I think you’ve said enough.”

  There was something in his tone of voice that warned Candy he was at the end of his rope. One look at his face told her that words weren’t going to change his mind. She hid her disappointment, not wanting to give him something else to throw back in her face. “All right, Garth. If that’s the way you feel, I suppose I’ll have to look elsewhere for someone to teach me what I want to know.”

  Garth wondered who she would find. Sam Longstreet at the Double Bar Ranch was good. He was a bachelor, too. Garth felt a sudden unreasonable jealousy, but forced it down. He stood when Candy did and reached out a hand to help her from the booth.

  Candy slid out on her own. Her eyes met Garth’s one last time, searching for any sign that he might relent. When she found none, she said, “Goodbye, Garth.” Then she turned and walked away.

  Garth stared after her, wondering if he had done the right thing. He sat back down and finished off his whiskey. Then, because he was beginning to think maybe he had been too hasty, he ordered another drink and nursed it while he tried to get the image of Candice Baylor out of his mind.

  Meanwhile, Candy headed upstairs to the hotel suite she shared with her father. She was glad he wasn’t there, because by the time she arrived, she was on the verge of tears. Candy hadn’t admitted to herself how much she had been counting on Garth Whitelaw to agree to her plan. She had tied up her hopes and dreams for the future in that one request. And it had been denied.

  Candy slipped into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She felt weary beyond words. She lay down on the bed and hugged a pillow to her chest, pressing it to her mouth to hold back the sobs that threatened.

  It was dark when Candy’s father knocked on her door.

  “Candy? I’ve been waiting downstairs for you. I thought we were supposed to have supper together. Are you all right, honey?”

  “I’m fine, Daddy.” Candy quickly turned on a lamp and swiped at her eyes, which were red from all the crying she had done.

  “Can I come in?” he asked.

  She jumped up and crossed to the bathroom for a damp cloth. She dabbed at her eyes, trying to undo the ravages her tears had left. “Come on in, Daddy.”

  When she came out of the bathroom, her father took one look at her and said, “What happened? What’s wrong?”

  “It shows, huh?”

  He opened his arms and Candy crossed into them. With her father’s arms around her she confessed what she had wanted to do and Garth’s rejection of her proposal. Of course, she didn’t mention anything about Garth’s personal interest in her. Evan Baylor was very protective of his daughter and would likely make things worse by confronting the younger man.

  “It doesn’t matter, Daddy,” she finished. “I suppose it was pretty presumptuous to think he’d be willing to teach me. I’ll find somebody else.”

  “But Garth Whitelaw is the best!” Evan protested.

  Candy shrugged and managed a smile. “Then I guess I’ll have to take second best.”

  Evan’s mouth firmed. He hadn’t started out as one of the richest men in Texas, and he had learned over the years how to get what he wanted. What he wanted now was to take that look of defeat and despair off his daughter’s face. Which meant he had to find a way to get Garth Whitelaw to reverse his decision.

  “Don’t you worry, honey,” Evan said. “Maybe when Garth thinks it over he’ll change his mind.”

  “He sounded pretty definite about his decision,” Candy said.

  Evan didn’t bother arguing with her. “You still hungry?”

  “I’d rather have something sent up to the room, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all,” Evan said. That would give him a chance to hunt up Garth Whitelaw and see about changing the man’s mind. “You order whatever you like. I think I’ll go out and get myself a good steak. See you tomorrow morning.”

  “Good night, Daddy.”

  “Good night, honey.” Evan gave his daughter a hug and received a kiss on the cheek. He adored his only child. She was the light of his life. He would do anything to see her happy. His eyes narrowed in calculation as he began to examine his options.

  Evan headed back downstairs. Candy had left Garth Whitelaw in the hotel restaurant. There was just a chance the man was still there. Sure enough, as Evan entered the restaurant Garth was just on his way out. He had his arm around a luscious-looking redhead.

  “Hello there, Garth,” Evan said. “I see you’ve got yourself some entertainment for the evening.”

  “Yes, sir,” Garth agreed with a grin.

  “I wonder if I could take a few moments of your time before you retire. I have a proposition to make to you.”

  Garth glanced down at the redhead. She wasn’t the woman he wanted, as Evan Baylor’s appearance reminded him.

  Evan took advantage of Garth’s hesitation to hand the redhead a hundred dollar bill. “Why don’t you go have yourself a drink?” he said.

  The redhead looked from Garth to Evan and smiled broadly. “Why sure, mister. Whatever you say.”

  Garth’s brow arched as what he saw reinforced both his distrust of women and his belief that the rich used their money to get what they wanted. He eyed Evan warily, but when the older man gestured, he joined him in a booth in the hotel bar.

  “What are you drinking?” Evan asked.

  “Whiskey.”

  Evan held up a twenty, and a waitress quickly appeared. “Two whiskeys,” he said.

  Garth remained silent. He knew Evan Baylor well enough to appreciate the man’s shrewd business sense. He figured Evan wanted something from him, and it wasn’t too hard to guess that it might have something to do with his recent conversation with Candy.

  Evan didn’t wait for the whiskeys. He got right down to business. “What would it take for you to accept my daughter’s proposition?”

  “I’m not for sale,” Garth said flatly.

  “Of course not,” Evan placated. “But there must be something you want that you can’t get on your own. Some new piece of land to expand Hawk’s Way. Some new mare. Some stud you’d like to have.”

  “Did Candy put you up to this?” Garth demanded.

  “She doesn’t know I’m here. In fact, she’s willing to settle for second best. I’m not. There must be something I have that you want,” Evan insisted.

  Garth started to tell Evan Baylor to go to hell. Then he thought of something Evan had that he wanted very much. “Comanche Moon,” he said in a soft voice.

  Evan hissed in a breath. “That stud’s going to be World Champion Cutting Horse this year.”

  “That’s my price.” Garth was certain the old man would never pay it. That was the only reason he had even suggested it.

  “Done.”

  “What?”

  “You teach my daughter everything you know about cutting horses, and I’ll give you Comanche Moon.”

  “What if she quits before I’ve taught her what I know?” Garth knew ways to make that happen.

  Evan stared down at work-roughened hands. He might be rich, but he still worked from daw
n to dusk each day. And he had taught his daughter everything he believed about hard work and persistence being the roads to success.

  “Candy won’t quit,” Evan said certainly. He looked up at Garth. “I’m so sure she won’t quit that if she does, I’ll give you the stud anyway.”

  Garth shook his head. “If she quits, I buy the stud at a fair price.” He didn’t want to cheat Evan, and he was pretty certain Candy Baylor wasn’t going to be hanging around Hawk’s Way for very long. He didn’t plan to make it easy on the girl if she came to live at his ranch. He had already told her there was only one thing he wanted from her. If he didn’t end up fulfilling his part of the bargain with Evan because the girl couldn’t handle everything he threw at her, Garth wanted to pay for the horse.

  “Done.” Evan held out his hand to be shaken by the other man. He knew his daughter well. Garth Whitelaw was in for a big surprise if he thought the girl would quit.

  “There’s one condition,” Evan said. He knew how upset Candy got when he used his money to get his own way. His daughter was just stubborn enough to refuse to go along with the bargain if she found out the truth about the deal he had made with Garth. “You can’t tell my daughter that I had anything to do with your change of mind.”

  “That’s fine with me,” Garth said. After all, he had just gotten through telling Candy he couldn’t be bought. He wasn’t willing to admit—even to himself—that he had spent the better part of the afternoon seeking some way to get Candy Baylor alone at Hawk’s Way.

  “One other thing,” Evan said.

  “Now what?”

  “I know your reputation with women,” Evan said.

  Garth stiffened. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “I don’t want my daughter hurt.”

  The warning was there, and the threat also. Garth wasn’t offended. He had every intention of taking Candice Baylor to bed, and no intention at all of marrying her, so he could understand her father’s concern. Nevertheless, Garth didn’t believe Candy was going to suffer from their relationship.