“I would never have approved of her for Junior. My disapproval didn’t have anything to do with whether she was a saint or a sinner.”
He watched her wet her lips anxiously before asking, “What was your main objection, Angus? Was it because she had me?”
So that’s it, he thought. Alex blames herself for her mother’s fate. Guilt had driven her to get to the bottom of this case. She craved absolution for the sin Merle Graham had laid on her. What a spiteful thing for the old bitch to do to a kid. Still, it served his purpose well.
“My disapproval had nothing to do with you, Alex. It was Reede and Junior.” Humbly, he folded his hands and studied them as he spoke. “Junior needs somebody to goad him every now and then. A strong daddy, a strong friend, a strong woman.” He looked up at her from beneath lowered brows. “You’d be a perfect mate for him.”
“Mate?”
He laughed and spread his arms wide at his sides. “Hell, I might as well come right out with it. I’d like to see a match between you and Junior.”
“What!?”
Angus wasn’t sure whether she was actually stunned, or a damn good actress. Either way, he was glad he’d chosen to prod this thing along himself. Left alone, Junior wasn’t getting the job done.
“We could use a smart lady lawyer in this family. Think what a contribution you’d make to the business, not to mention the empty bedrooms at the ranch. In no time you’d fill ’em up with grandbabies.” He lowered his eyes to her pelvic region. “You’ve got the build for it, and you’d bring new blood to the stock.”
“You can’t be serious, Angus.”
“I’ve never been more serious in my life.” He patted her on the back. “For now, though, let’s just leave it at this: I’d be pleased as punch if something romantic was to spark between you and Junior.”
She moved away from his touch. “Angus, I don’t want to offend you or Junior, but what you’re suggesting is…” She searched for the right word, then laughed and said, “preposterous.”
“Why?”
“You’re asking me to play the role my mother was cast for. You rejected her.”
“You’re suited to the role. She wasn’t.”
“I’m not in love with Junior, and I don’t want the part.” She stood up and moved to the door. “I’m sorry if there’s been any misunderstanding or if I’ve misled anybody into thinking…” He gave her his darkest, most fearsome frown, the one that usually struck terror into the hearts of those who opposed him. She withstood it well. “Good-bye, Angus. I’ll be in touch.”
After she left, Angus poured a drink to calm himself down. His fingers closed around the glass so tightly, it was a wonder it didn’t shatter under the pressure.
Angus Minton rarely had his ideas questioned, and even less frequently, snickered at. They were sure as hell never called preposterous.
Alex left feeling greatly disturbed. In spite of her best intentions, she had offended him. She regretted that. But what disturbed her most was that she’d seen into the man behind the good ole boy demeanor.
Angus Minton liked to have things go his way. When they didn’t move along fast enough, he boosted them. He didn’t take kindly to being crossed.
More than ever, Alex pitied Junior, whose pace was so different from his father’s. No doubt that had always been a source of friction between them. She could also understand why a man as self-sufficient as Reede had left Minton Enterprises. He wouldn’t have functioned well under Angus’s heavy thumb.
She returned to her car and began to drive aimlessly, leaving the city limits and taking to the back roads. The scenery wasn’t much to brag about. Tumbleweeds were snagged on barbed-wire fences that seemed to stretch forever. Oil wells, black outlines against the colorless earth, pumped desultorily.
The drive helped; it gave her privacy in which to think.
Like her mother, she had become entangled with three men, all of whom she liked. She didn’t want to believe one of them was a killer.
Lord, what a muddle. She was gradually peeling away layers of deception. If she kept at it long enough, surely she would eventually get to the truth.
But her time was running out. She had only a few days left before Greg would demand to see some results. If she couldn’t produce something concrete, he would demand that she desist.
As she approached the city limits on her return, she became aware that the vehicle behind her was following too closely.
“Jerk,” she muttered, glancing into her rearview mirror. For another mile the pickup rode her rear end like a shadow. The sun was at an angle to prevent her from seeing the driver. “Come on around if you’re in such a hurry.”
She tapped her brake pedal, enough for the taillights to blink on. He didn’t take the hint. On this rural highway, the gravel shoulder was so narrow it hardly qualified as such. She edged toward it anyway, hoping that the driver of the truck would pass her.
“Thank you very much,” she said when the truck straddled the center yellow stripe and sped up to pass her.