Oklahoma Moonshine (The McIntyre Men #1) (17 page)

He lifted his head away, smiling down into her eyes.

“I hardly know what to do here,” she said.

“You don’t have to do anything. There’s nothing either of us have to do. We’re gonna take things as they come. Nice and easy. No
pressure, no hurry. I just…I need honesty.”

She nodded. “I get that. And I don’t blame you. I just… I still need time.”

He looked right into her eyes. “Just don’t let me fall too hard before you hit me with a deep dark secret that’s gonna ruin it,
okay?”

She blinked at him, stunned because it was almost like he was predicting the future. “Okay.”

“Okay. Come on inside. We’ll hit the net and I’ll show you the mares I’ve got my eye on.”  He put his arm around her
again, and they walked back toward the house.

Things were good. Things were so, so good. She could make it here. She could be the kind of woman a man like Rob McIntyre deserved. She could build a
business, earn her money honestly, pay back the people she’d wronged. She could make a life she was proud of.

Unless her sister ruined it all.

Kiley came down from her morning shower looking cool and pretty in a pair of pink shorts and a sleeveless white button-down blouse. She’d pulled her
still-damp hair back into a ponytail that was curling as it dried. But her eyes looked sleepy.

Rob was already up, had made the coffee, and filled her a mugful when he heard her coming down the stairs. “Good morning, beautiful.”

“Ha. I look like I’ve been rode hard and put away wet.” She bit her lip, took the mug. “That’s a horse-related saying, not a
sex-related saying.”

He laughed softly and leaned back against the counter. She sipped her coffee, and he saw her noticing that he’d fixed it the way she liked it, with
an overdose of cream and sugar.  “So you didn’t sleep well?”

“Tossed and turned all night, in spite of the brand new bed. I keep thinking about the people I’ve hurt, the people my sister’s hurt—”

He liked the sounds of that. “You have a conscience.”

“I know.” she admitted it as guiltily as if he’d said, “You have bad breath.”

“A conscience is a good thing, Kiley.”

“Not when you’ve done the things I have. And my sister—”

“You’re not responsible for cleaning up her messes. They’re not your doing.”

She sighed and said, “I can clean up one of her messes, though. One I helped perpetuate.”

He waited for her to go on. She looked at him for a long moment, and then sighed heavily and said, “Okay here it is. I’m gonna tell you. That
guy, Dax Russell? The one who was looking for me?”

He nodded. “He was actually looking for your sister, though. That was her photo he was showing around.”

“Yeah.” She took a deep breath. “I got his contact info and called him. We met at a little café in Tucker Lake yesterday.”

“
Alone
?” He almost barked the word, then held up a hand and said, “Sorry. Go on.”

“He showed me the photo. Told me it was taken a couple of weeks ago. I told him she was dead, and it about broke his big old heart.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about his big old heart, hon.”

“He had tears in his eyes, Rob. I think he’s actually a
decent guy. And then I came back and there she was, alive and well.”

“And you think you need to track him down? Tell him the truth?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know yet what she’s running from. But I think he can be trusted. At the very least, I have to try to get his
money back for him. She conned him out of a bundle. Told him it was for a kidney transplant.”

“He um…he was in love with her?”

“I think so. And he borrowed the money from the race track he runs for his father. She told him she’d have it back to him in just a couple of
days. He’s a nice guy, he really is. His father’s gonna find out and he’ll lose his job, and he just…he doesn’t deserve all
that.”

He nodded. “So what do you want to do?”

She looked him in the eye. “I want to get into her room at The Long Branch. See if I can find Dax’s money or anything that’ll tell me
what the hell she’s running from and what she’s up to in Big Falls.”

He blinked, thought of something, and couldn’t believe he’d thought of it. It was devious, and sly, and dishonest, and totally not him. And
then he said it out loud. “It’s Sunday.”

“So?”

He told himself to shut up and kept talking anyway. “Sundays are gigantic, high-calorie combination lunch-dinners out at Dad and Vidalia’s
place. Right after church, which Vidalia never misses. She cooks enough to feed an army, which is fortunate because we are the size of one. The whole
family’s invited, and this week that includes you and your sister.”

“Oh my God. Rob, I don’t think she should be there. She’s wrapping her tentacles around your family and—”

“And therefore will not be in her room this afternoon. And the saloon will be empty.”

She looked at him like he’d sprouted horns. “You mean, you’d let me into her room?”

He tilted his head. “She has the only key. I lost mine while I was living there, had to take the extra one, and as far as I know, no one’s had
another copy made yet. So we’d have to…sort of…break in. Somehow.”

“Shoot, I can pick that lock in under ten seconds,” she said. Then she widened her eyes and clapped a hand over her mouth.

It’s okay, he told himself. She’s a
reformed
master criminal. Sort of.

“The guys are coming out to help me build fence this morning,” he said, to get them off the subject of breaking and entering. Even though,
technically he was part owner of what they were breaking into.

“Did you do it? Did you buy the mares?”

“Thanks to you, I did. They’re coming this week.” He was as excited about that as a kid a few days from summer vacation. He had been ever
since he’d made the decision to use his father’s money. The way she smiled, he got the feeling Kiley was excited, too.

“That’s gonna be amazing.” Her smile froze, then wavered and died.

“What? What’s wrong?” he asked.

 She heaved a big sigh, sipped more coffee. “I feel so lucky right now. To be here, in this place, with you. It’s like life gave me a
do-over.”

“And that’s a
good
thing.”

“Unless I screw it up. I’ve got so much more to lose now than I had before. The beginning of a whole new life. A whole new me.”

He went to her, took her cup away, slid his hands around her waist, and leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose. “You can’t screw it up. You
can only keep moving forward, one step at a time, making your life better and better with every one you take.”

“And yet I’m starting to tangle you up in my family drama. And it’s not you, Rob.”

“You let me worry about what’s
me and what’s not, okay?” Then reluctantly, he stepped away from her. “I’ve gotta get busy. I’ll have Jason and Joey make our
excuses to Vidalia for not making the big meal today. We’ll probably have to promise to show up next week, though.”

“Okay,” she said.

She walked him to the front door. He stood there a second, and then figured what the hell, and swept her into his arms for a big kiss that reassured him he
was doing the right thing. Even though he was also doing everything he’d sworn not to do. And he just wasn’t thinking about the breaking and
entering, either, but about letting himself fall for a women with a heart full of secrets.

Yet, he didn’t feel as if he had much of a choice in the matter. And she was trying to turn over a new leaf. She hadn’t told him everything.
Not yet. But it was a start.

A good start, he hoped.

Kiley spent the morning pulling one item after another out of the smaller barn and stacking them outside. She uncovered an old fish tank she figured was
worthless, but there was a very old-fashioned wooden high chair she thought had to be valuable. This stuff wasn’t junk at all and never had been.

It was funny how her father had spent all his time here running various games and cons on people to get money, never even taking advantage of the treasure
trove right under his nose.

And the ranch itself could bring in money. And would!

By mid-afternoon she was dirty and dusty, but the barn was empty, and she thought there were as many antiques in it as there had been in the larger one.
She’d unearthed an old butter churn, several unbroken brown & tan crocks, three old-fashioned flat irons that were actually made of iron with
wooden grips fastened onto their handles, and dozens of other treasures. She’d piled them all out in front of the barn with the things from the
larger barn to await Vidalia’s friend the antique dealer.

After a quick shower she put on fresh clothes—narrow, ankle-length jeans and a sleeveless, cotton button-down shirt in a pretty blue that matched her
eyes. Yes, she was trying to look pretty. And yes, it was because Rob was going with her.

And he noticed. She felt him near, and then heard a little low wolf whistle, that had her grinning like an idiot as she pivoted to face him. He stood just
inside the kitchen door, his T-shirt damp, a fine sheen on his forehead, hayseed sticking to his arms, and his cowboy hat still in place.

“You look too good to be in the same room with me, Kiley.”

She had to lower her head to hide her burning cheeks. “I think the same about you every time I look at you,” she said. She moved closer, but he
held up both hands. “Don’t get too close. I’m a mess. The guys just left. We’ve got the meadow out behind the barn completely
fenced in and ready for the mares. I need a quick shower and then we can head out on our…secret mission.”

“Yeah, about that…”

“What?” he asked. “You change your mind?” He sounded kind of hopeful.

“Not about breaking in. Only about dragging you with me to do it. A life of crime is not your thing, Rob. You’re honest. This is gonna be bad
for you.”

“It’s not really breaking in. I own the place. And your sister…well, frankly, she’s a criminal and she’s on the lam. The only
thing I’m feeling morally ambiguous about is not just telling Jimmy about her and—”

“But he’d arrest her!” She stared at him wide-eyed. “He’d have to, he’s the police chief.”

“I know he
would. But Kiley, have you thought maybe that would be the best thing for her? That she might learn something from it?”

“It would kill her, not reform her.”

“It would keep her from victimizing anyone else.”

She lowered her head. “She’d blame me.”

“Well, who cares? What can she do to you from behind bars?”

“Offer testimony in exchange for a lighter sentence, maybe.”

“Testimony against who?” Then he frowned hard. “You?”

She took a deep breath. “I’ve found my way without doing time. She can too, I know she can. I just need to find out what she’s up to and
put a stop to it, and get her the hell out of town before she gets caught and drags me down with her.”

Rob sighed heavily. “Are you ever
gonna tell me what you did?”

“Yes. I am.”

“You are?” He looked up, surprised.

“Soon. This isn’t the time. I need to get into her room while she’s out at Vidalia and your dad’s. But yes, I’m gonna tell
you. Everything. I decided last night, while tossing and turning and mulling on my life and my mistakes and my decision to be better.”

“I’m really glad to hear that,” he said. “Give me five minutes to take a shower and we’ll head over.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

“Okay, go shower. That’ll give me time to dig my kit out of the trunk. It’s buried in there somewhere.”

“Your kit?” he asked, turning to head for the stairs.

“My lock picking kit.” He turned around at those words, and she closed her eyes and said, “I should probably throw it away after
this.”

He smiled at her like you smile at particularly adorable puppy, but there was worry behind his eyes. Then he headed upstairs for his shower.

Rob drove them out past The Long Branch, then turned onto a dirt road, and parked where his truck would be out of sight. Then they both got out, but when
he started walking down the road, Kiley grabbed his hand and said, “Let’s cut through the woods. Take a look at the place from across the
street, make sure it’s empty.”

He nodded, and followed her into the scrubby woodlot, hating to think that she knew what she was doing. But she did. Could he handle it? Oh, he’d
already pegged her for a smalltime con. But what she’d admitted to him this morning had shaken him. She’d done things worthy of prison time.
That was way more than he’d bargained for.

Now that she was on the brink of telling him everything, Rob wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

No. He definitely wanted to know. He just wasn’t sure if he could handle knowing.

She walked through the woods, kicking up the scents of the loblolly pines and undergrowth. They followed a sunlight dappled animal trail to the spot right
across the street from the saloon and took a seat on a fallen log that smelled of earth and rotting bark.

He sat down beside her and watched her staring intently across the road at his family’s saloon. She was in some kind of state of ultra focus. And she
was as beautiful as always, but the sweetness wasn’t there. She was on alert.

“Her car’s still there,” she said.

He dragged his eyes off her face and looked across the street. “Maybe she rode over to Dad’s with Joey.”

“How can we be sure?”

Loud rustling in the woods brought his head around. Kiley jumped to her feet, and lifted a limb the size of a club over her head, and Rob jumped to his
feet beside her.

Dax Russell emerged from the foliage, stopped in his tracks and held up both hands. “Easy, easy, I’m not here to fight.” His gaze was
zipping from Rob’s face to Kiley’s makeshift weapon. “You wouldn’t really hit me with that, would you?”

“Shhhhheeze,” she breathed, and dropped the limb onto the ground. “You scared the life outta me. What are you doing out here,
Dax?”

“Same thing you are, I imagine.” He nodded at Rob. “I…I owe you an apology.”