Caught in the Crossfire Read online

  She grinned. "I can't imagine how your mother managed to feed all you guys when you were still living at home."

  He shrugged. "She's always had plenty of help in the kitchen and with the household duties, but Dad used to say that we ate enough to feed a starving nation."

  He smiled and she couldn't help responding. She really liked Jared. If the truth were known, she was attracted to him a little too much. It was tempting to take him up on his offer, but that was her silly emotions talking. A marriage between them wouldn't work. She'd gotten to know him well enough these past few weeks to face the reality of the situation.

  She loved the East. He was pure Texan, born and bred, and wouldn't have it any other way. She was interested in art. He was interested in sports. Oh, there were hundreds of reasons why this would never work and she knew it.

  "My father isn't vindictive or spiteful, Jared. He is fair in his assessments, at least as a politician. Yes, he's overprotective of me. You already know that. Once he calms down, I know he'll see reason. Just give him some time."

  Jared couldn't think of anything to say that would make her change her mind. Which meant she refused to marry him. Which should be a big relief. So why was he searching for something to say to convince her she was wrong?

  The waitress removed their plates and refilled their cups. When they were alone once again, he said, "I've found out more information about the other night since I talked to you yesterday."

  "What more information do you need, Jared?"

  "I was set up by somebody."

  She frowned. "Set up? What does that mean?"

  "I spoke to my friends who were shooting pool with me. They said a stranger came over to shoot some pool with us. He hadn't been there long when I suddenly became ill. According to my friends, I left the bar with some guy I've never heard of who offered me a ride home. It's quite obvious he took me to your place, instead."

  "That makes no sense. Why would he do something like that?"

  "I have no idea, but when I find the guy, I'm going to get some answers from him. One of them is how he got my truck out here. My friend Matt said I was in no condition to drive, he was certain of that. I think the guy put something in my drink."

  "Aren't you being a little paranoid, Jared? Maybe—for whatever reason—you told him that you lived at our place. If he was a stranger, he wouldn't know the difference."

  "Well, if I was as bad off as Matt said, I would have been bumping into walls, dropping things, making a hell of a lot of noise. And I agree with you—you couldn't possibly have slept through that much commotion. So obviously, I didn't. Somebody put me to bed, Lindsey. Someone who was fairly certain that you'd sleep through the night."

  "That's the most bizarre thing I've every heard of. Talk about far-fetched conspiracy theories, that one should win a prize."

  He was losing his cool, which irritated him further. Why was she ignoring the obvious? He narrowed his eyes slightly. "All I know about the stranger is that his first name is Ted." He waited, but she made no comment. "Sound familiar?"

  That certainly got a reaction. She stiffened. "What's going on here, Jared? First you propose and now you're implying that I—that I—what are saying? Are you suggesting that I arranged for you to be brought to my home and placed in my bed?" Her voice rose slightly at the end and he quickly looked around.

  In a low voice, he replied, "Maybe not you, but somebody sure as hell did."

  "Maybe not me?" she repeated in an icy voice.

  "Well, maybe your dad had something to do with it."

  "Just so you know, Jared Crenshaw," she said through clenched teeth, "my father happens to be one of the most honest, most decent, most respected men that I have ever known. And yet you've accused him of being capable of a vendetta against your family, of setting you up for some unknown reason. My father loves me and he would never do anything to embarrass or hurt me." She carefully placed her paper napkin on the table.

  "If I haven't already made it clear to you, Mr. Crenshaw, you would be the very last man I would ever think of marrying. I am stunned by your boundless arrogance." She slipped off the bench and, despite her flashing eyes and obvious temper, quietly said, "If you'll excuse me."

  Lindsey left the café as calmly as possible, actually smiling at a few of the people who happened to catch her eye. Inside, she was seething.

  How dare he suggest that? Lindsey shook her head. She refused to think about it. He suggests marriage to her and in almost the same breath accuses her—or maybe her father—for the situation they were in.

  And to think that she had actually liked him up until now! Boy, had she made a huge error in judgment. Beneath all that charm, affability and good looks was a sleazy, arrogant louse she hoped never crossed her path again.

  After paying the bill, Jared walked out of the café and stood looking around the square. He thought of how disappointed in him his dad was. He thought about the good senator and the possible wrath that would soon come down on the family.

  And he thought of Lindsey. He could have handled the matter more diplomatically but—damn it!—somebody knew what was behind all this.

  So he'd deal with the senator and he'd figure out a way to find out something—anything—on the man named Ted.

  Most important of all, he would forget he'd ever met or dated Lindsey Russell.

  Four

  From his position at the head of the table, Joe Crenshaw raised his glass. "I'd like to make a Thanksgiving toast," he said, "because I'm not only thankful but honored to have so many family members here to enjoy the mouth-watering meal that several of our wives have put together."

  Jared said a silent amen to that one. By the time he'd tasted everything he was too full for the pies set out on the sideboard.

  His dad's three brothers and their wives were here, as well as his mom's two sisters and their husbands. Most of his various cousins had made other plans and he and Jake were the only two of the brothers here.

  Their Thanksgiving celebration was held at the hacienda, where there was plenty of room for everyone, and Jared was touched to see the older members get together. He hoped that someday he and his brothers would be gathered with their families in a similar scene.

  Not that he expected to have a family. He enjoyed what he did. He enjoyed working around the world, looking for the almost invisible signs that oil lay beneath the land.

  No wife would be interested in having a husband who was absent for months, sometimes years, at a time.

  He'd gotten a call on Monday that he'd be returning to Saudi Arabia for an undetermined amount of time around the first of January. The irony didn't escape him. Had Lindsey agreed to marry him, they would have had only a few weeks to pretend they were a happy married couple—a necessity if they were to please the good senator—before they'd gone their own way.

  "I also have a toast," Jake said, calling Jared away from his thoughts. "It gives me great pleasure to announce that Ashley and I are expecting an addition to the family in mid-summer."

  Jared joined the family in congratulations and excited planning for an event that was at least seven or eight months away. Jared couldn't help teasing his brother a little. "Not wasting any time populating the area, are you, bro?"

  Jake laughed. He and Ashley sat with Heather between them. The little girl was chattering about all sorts of ideas for a new baby, causing general laughter.

  "We decided to wait a while before we told anyone."

  Ashley spoke up. "That we did. He managed to keep quiet for—oh, let's see—almost seventy-two hours!"

  A baby. Since Jake had been unaware that he had a daughter until this past summer, Jared knew how much Jake welcomed the opportunity to be there for the birth of the new arrival.

  Joe glanced at his watch. "Well, gentlemen, are you ready to adjourn to the living room? The Cowboys' game will be starting shortly."

  Gail said, "Now you know Joe's secret. The real reason we're here today is so you men can enjoy the giant-screen t
elevision Jake and Ashley just acquired!"

  The scraping of chairs and general laughter that followed made Jared smile. He was grateful, very grateful, for a family like this one. Which was why he felt he'd let the family down by not resolving his issues with the Russells.

  He'd talked to a couple of his uncles before dinner and they'd admitted that Senator Russell had suddenly become too busy to return their calls.

  His dad had been right but Lindsey obviously saw her father through rose-colored glasses. He'd spent many sleepless nights searching for a way to undo the damage that he'd caused. It no longer mattered how or why he'd been in Lindsey's bed. The damage was done and he could think of no way to make the problem go away.

  Unless he married Lindsey, of course, and that would never happen. More than once he'd thought about going over there and throwing himself on his knees before her, pleading for her to marry him.

  Yep, he was losing it and that was a fact.

  By the time Jared pushed back his chair and stood, the women had gathered plates and dishes and were taking them into the kitchen. He gathered up some, as well, and followed them.

  "Oh, my gosh!" his aunt Colleen said, grabbing her chest. "Gail! Tell me your secret! How did you manage to train your son to help clear the table?"

  Well, now he felt like a complete fool. "Just thought I'd do my part," he drawled, and winked at his mom.

  She walked over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for your good deed of the day, son. Now, go watch your ball-game."

  "Everything was delicious, ladies," he said, and was rewarded by several hugs before he followed the rest of the men into the living room.

  Most of the chairs and sofas were already taken, so Jared snagged a large throw pillow and stretched out on the floor. He had to admit that the large screen was truly awesome and he settled himself in to enjoy the rest of the day.

  The game was a close one and the only sounds in the room were the announcer's voice and noise from the Crenshaws—cheers when the Cowboys scored and groans when the other team scored.

  The Cowboys had a slight lead as the clock ticked down to the end of the second quarter and halftime.

  "Unca Jared, you know what?"

  Jared looked up and saw Heather beside him. He smiled at her and asked, "What, sweetheart?"

  "I's going to have a baby brother or sister one of these days!"

  "I am going to have a baby," he corrected.

  "You are? Then we'll have two babies!"

  The men burst into laughter. He sat up and looked at each one of them. "Not funny, guys." He looked back at Heather. "I'm not having a baby, honey. Your mommy is."

  "Yes!" She clapped her hands with glee.

  "I can see you're really excited."

  "Uh-huh, 'cause I can teach her all kinds of things and she can wear my clothes and play with my dolls. I can hardly wait."

  Jake looked over at his daughter and winked at Jared. "And if you have a brother?"

  "Oh. Well. I'll just play with him, I guess. Maybe teach him stuff."

  Jake laughed. "That's what we're afraid of."

  Ashley walked into the room and said, "Sorry to interrupt, Jared, but you've got a phone call."

  He glanced at the television screen. Only a couple of minutes left in the second quarter and the score was too close for comfort. Who would know to call him here? Then again, it was Thanksgiving, when families got together. Whoever it was could wait until the game was over. With his eyes focused on the television, he said, absently, "Maybe you could take a message for me. Do you know who it is?"

  "Lindsey Russell."

  Jared jumped to his feet so quickly that he almost knocked Heather over. He quickly grabbed her so she wouldn't fall. "Sorry," he muttered while the rest of the men in the room laughed.

  "He's got it bad," his uncle Jeff said to the room in general. "Anytime a woman can drag him away from a close ball game, we know he's a goner!"

  Jared glanced at his dad. Only the two of them knew the significance of this call. He strode to the door and down the hallway to Jake's office. Why would she be calling him?

  He picked up the phone and gruffly said, "This is Jared."

  She didn't speak right away and when she did, her voice sounded muffled. "I apologize for disturbing you today."

  "No problem. What do you need?"

  Another pause. "I'd like to meet with you as soon as you're available."

  "Why?" he asked brusquely.

  She gave a quavery laugh and that's when he realized she was crying. What was going on here?

  "I deserved that, I guess. I wasn't very nice to you the last time we spoke."

  "Well, yeah, that about covers it."

  "I'm sorry. I really am. And I've been thinking about what you said."

  "About what?"

  "Our getting married."

  He sank down into Jake's chair. "Oh, yeah?"

  "The thing is—" She stopped and he could hear a soft sob. "I'm sorry, this is so hard." He waited and then she said, "I'm at the New Eden hospital. Dad had some kind of spell after dinner. He put it down to indigestion because he'd overeaten, but I talked him into coming to the emergency room. The doctors think it's his heart."

  Jared was honestly surprised. He didn't think the man actually had a heart, as cold-blooded as he appeared to be. His only redeeming feature in Jared's mind was his love for his daughter—if love was what his possessiveness could be labeled.

  "I'm sorry," he said quietly. And he was sorry that Lindsey was taking this so hard.

  "I really hate discussing this over the phone. Would it be possible for you to meet me here at the hospital?"

  "Now?" he asked, the ball game flashing through his mind. He also recalled that Senator Russell hadn't been taking calls from the Crenshaws. So now she wanted to discuss the possibility of marriage, which would no doubt go a long way toward appeasing the senator.

  "If it isn't inconvenient for you."

  He shrugged off the idea of telling her he'd be there after the game was over. "Okay. I'll leave now. Should be there in a half hour or so."

  "Thank you, Jared," she quietly replied.

  He could think of nothing to say to that.

  "I'll see you," he said and hung up the phone.

  He sat there staring at the historical map of the region that Jake had framed and placed on the wall across from his desk. The map showed the original boundaries of the Crenshaw ranch from over a hundred and fifty years ago.

  His ancestors had truly had to battle to hang on to the land. They'd faced destructive weather, raiding war parties and disease in both the humans and livestock.

  The map was a reminder to Jared that what he was dealing with at the moment was nothing compared to what members of his family had faced long before he was born.

  He was a Crenshaw and darned proud of it. If marrying Lindsey would help to preserve what his ancestors had fought for, and from the sound of things she was reconsidering her answer, then he would marry her.

  He found his mom in the sunroom with the rest of the women. "I've got to go. Please save me some of that pie, okay?"

  "Of course," she said grinning. "I'll put it in your refrigerator on our way home this evening."

  "Thanks." He looked at the other women. "Good to see everyone again. We should get together more often."

  Ashley chuckled. "We do, Jared. You're just not around. Maybe if you'd stop spending so much time overseas, we'd get a chance to see you more often."

  "Good point." He didn't bother telling any of the men that he was leaving, although the thought did occur to him that he could get them to tape the second half.

  Naw, he could survive. This once.

  * * *

  The hospital, named after Jared's great-grandfather, Jonathan C. Crenshaw, had been built in the late sixties. Jon's two sons had donated the land and building to the community in his name. Newer wings had been added since then and an excellent staff worked there.

  When he pulled into the p
arking lot, he was surprised at the number of cars there until he walked inside and saw the lobby full of people milling around. Most of them were on cell phones or held cameras. Reporters, no doubt.

  Jared made his way to the information desk and in a low voice said, "I'm Jared Crenshaw. Senator Russell's daughter is expecting me."

  "Oh! Yes, Mr. Crenshaw, she left a message to allow you to join her." She nodded toward one of the doors. "Go through there and you'll see signs directing you to the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit."

  "Thanks."

  As he pushed through the door, Jared heard several people questioning the woman, wanting to know who he was and why he'd been allowed entry. Was he family? Was he—? He didn't hear the end of the question.

  He spotted Lindsey standing in the hallway with several other people. When she saw him, she quickly wiped her eyes and walked toward him.

  He'd only met her six weeks ago and had seen nothing of her for the past three weeks, so why did the sight of her give him so much pleasure? She wore a bright red turtleneck sweater that enhanced her dark hair and eyes, slim black slacks and high-heeled boots. Her hair had been pulled away from her face by jeweled clips of some kind, and it fell in a cascade to her shoulders.

  Damn, but she looked good. He hated to admit to himself that he'd missed seeing her.

  When they grew closer to each other, he could see the redness around her eyes and nose and he had the strongest urge to fold her into his arms and comfort her.

  "Thank you for coming."

  Aw, to hell with it. He pulled her against him, wrapped his arms around her and silently dared her to kick up a fuss as he held her.

  Instead of fighting him, she relaxed against him, gripping him around the waist as though she'd found a buoy in a stormy sea.

  Her precarious control over her emotions snapped and she broke down, sobbing into his shoulder.

  Jared couldn't really blame her, no matter how uncomfortable he felt. He made no effort to say anything. Instead, he gently stroked her back until her tears eventually subsided. He handed her his handkerchief and she muttered a watery, "Thanks."