Just Until Morning, An Enemies-to-Lovers Novel (Carrington Cousins Book 3) Read online

  Chapter 4

  Brett stayed out in the dark for a long time. He felt natural there. He’d always escaped into the wilderness when things got too crazy in civilization. This was the first time he’d brought the craziness along with him into the hills.

  “She’s just a woman,” he muttered to himself more than once, trying to be convincing. “There are plenty more like her. Forget her. By this time tomorrow she’ll be old news.”

  But he knew he was just pretending to fool himself. He’d watched the different emotions chase their way across her face, and he’d had a sense of wonder. This was one complex woman, unlike the bright-eyed, beautiful but simple women he usually went out with—all fun and no thinking. That complexity fascinated him, and he wasn’t sure why. He’d have to be careful. This was no time to get loony over a woman just because she didn’t fall for his advances at first glance like most women did. He’d have to watch his step or he might find himself in deeper water than he’d ever been in before.

  Things were very quiet as he came back into camp, but he knew right away she was still awake, and sure enough, she moved as he came near.

  “Brett,” she said softly. “I... I just want to tell you I’m sorry...”

  He let his breath out in a rush of disgust. “Sorry? What are you sorry for? I’m the one who’s been acting like a fool.”

  “No.” She half-rose in the bag. “I am. We’re both adults and I think we both can control ourselves if we try.” She took a shaky breath. “So come on and share this bag. It’ll be okay.”

  He hesitated, looking down at the mass of her black hair in the moonlight. “You sure?”

  She nodded. “Really. We both need to sleep. Let’s be mature about it.”

  She lay back down and he slipped in beside her, trying hard not to touch her, but brushing against her often of necessity. She’d turned her back to him and he did the same, lying so still his breathing almost seemed to stop, listening to her. He knew her eyes were as wide open as his own. But little by little, awareness faded, and finally, they slept.

  Still, it was a night Kendall knew she would never forget. By the next afternoon she was back at the wildlife center, Chelsea and her three babies were in their cage, and Brett was off down the road in a cloud of dust, and yet if she closed her eyes, she could feel how it had been in that sleeping bag with the man.

  “I want to thank you,” she’d said once they were back and everything was wrapped up. She’d forced herself to look up into his eyes and even to smile. “I couldn’t have done this without you. You probably saved Chelsea’s life.”

  His eyes had been hooded, distant, yet at the same time, overly knowing. “I’m not so sure about that,” he’d murmured. “But it sure was interesting.”

  She started to say something, then forgot what it might have been before the words started coming out. Quickly, she looked away. “Would you like a tour?” she asked. “Would you like to see what we’re doing here?”

  “No thanks.” He shifted his weight, obviously itching to be gone. “I’ve got my own work to do.”

  “Oh. Of course.” She pulled a checkbook out of the desk and wrote out a check for the amount agreed to. “Here you are.” She handed him the check. “Thank you again.”

  “Sure.”

  She expected him to head for the door, but he didn’t do that right away. Instead he stood where he was, looking down at her. Kendall was feeling more and more uncomfortable. She searched her mind for a topic of conversation to fill the gap. “Uh... if your sister Danielle comes looking for a job...”

  He shook his head and grimaced. “Hire her if she’s qualified.”

  “You wouldn’t mind?”

  “Oh, I’d mind all right. I don’t want her working here any more than I want you to put in this place. But I’ve got so many objections to so many things Danielle wants to do, I don’t think I can handle another fight over this one. As long as she’s what you want, go ahead.”

  “Thank you.”

  He shifted his gaze at last, looking toward the purple hills they’d so recently come down out of. “Good luck with your zoo, lady,” he said softly, turning toward the door. “You’re going to need it.”

  And then he was gone. Kendall took a long shower, scrubbing hard to cleanse herself of the dirt that seemed to have crusted on her skin, avoiding the sore areas that would be stiff for some time yet.

  There was no one to rub salve on her now.

  She made a face at herself in the mirror and shook herself. No more of that. She had work to do. Brett Carrington was just a memory.

  She spent the rest of the afternoon supervising the unloading of more animals, looking in on Chelsea whenever she had a moment. She’d called the veterinarian in to check her over and to look at the new little ones. Dr. Carver had given them all a clean bill of health, barring a few minor injuries to Chelsea.

  “Nothing serious,” he reassured Kendall. “She’s lost a little blood, but the wound is healing nicely. As long as no infection sets in, she should be fine.”

  After he’d gone she walked slowly through the compound, looking at the enclosures under construction for the lions, the shelter for the monkeys. She had a construction crew on the payroll for that sort of thing, and two full-time helpers with the animals, but she knew she was going to need more. Eventually she hoped to get volunteer help from the community, maybe fundraising from local service organizations. But that would take public relations work that she didn’t have time to undertake just yet. For now, she was doing all this on Gerald’s money. Luckily, there was a lot of that.

  She stopped, leaning against a fence to watch Ringo, the ocelot, sleep, and thinking about Gerald. What would he think about all his money going for animals? She’d known him well enough to know he’d be outraged.

  She’d had moments of unease about that. Was it really fair to take a man’s money and use it for things she knew he wouldn’t have used it for if he were alive? After a few sleepless nights, she’d come to a decision. Using the money like this was a way to atone for all the ugly and hurtful things Gerald had used his money for himself.

  Besides, her rationalization went on, it wasn’t as though he’d made the money with the sweat of his own brow. It was all inherited. Gerald had never really worked a day in his life.

  She was at ease with the decision now. The money was going for a good cause. That was all that mattered.

  She compared Gerald to Brett for a moment, but the juxtaposition was so ludicrous she almost burst out laughing. Brett was a man who lived close to the currents of nature. Gerald had lived as artificial a life as one could imagine.

  But why did she even bother thinking about them? Neither one of them was going to affect her any longer. She was her own woman. She wouldn’t let anyone else call the shots for her, ever again.

  Brett’s sister Danielle didn’t show up looking for a job that day, nor did she appear the next, and Kendall decided she was just as glad the girl had changed her mind. After all, having her around would be a constant tie to Brett. And for all the memories that kept stealing in to rob her of her peace of mind, she wanted Brett to stay out of her life.

  Basically, she was too busy to think too much about it. The work load was staggering, and just because she was the president and manager didn’t mean she got out of any of the less pleasant jobs. Cages and compounds had to be cleaned regularly, and of course, the animals were constantly hungry.

  She was cleaning out the water trough for the timber wolves when the Johnson brothers arrived to pay her a visit.

  It was late in the afternoon and Kendall’s two employees had gone home. The sound of water hitting metal kept her from hearing the approach of the two men. She first realized they were there when one of them spoke.

  “Hey there, lady, why don’t you just let them two wolves go? I could do with a little target practice.”

  Kendall whirled to confront the two. The one who spoke lifted his rifle to his shoulder, illustrating his words. Both o
f them were shabby, unshaven and laughing, their small, reddish eyes glittering as they watched for her reaction.

  “That’s all a timber wolf is good for,” said the other one. “Target practice. Right, Hiram? That, and killing off a yard full of hens, if he gets the chance.”

  Kendall clutched the hose, staring at the rifle. These men were like characters right out of a scary movie. She’d really rather not tangle with them, but she couldn’t let them see that.

  “Put that gun down,” she demanded. “And please leave. We’re closed.”

  “What?” The first one pretended surprise, but he lowered the rifle. “That doesn’t make any sense, lady. You’re scared of a good old rifle but you keep all kinds of mean, nasty animals around like they were kittycats, bred for lap-sittin’.” He turned to his brother. “That make any sense to you, Hi?”

  Hiram shook his head. “No sense at all.” He stuck his ugly face close to Kendall’s. “We came over here to talk some sense into you, lady. You got to cut out bringing in these varmints. They got no place in this valley. Me and Bill, we don’t want them here.”

  Kendall resisted the temptation to scream at the two of them, to threaten to call the police, to get them with the hose. Each one of those ideas rushed through her mind, but she knew none would take care of this problem. She had to find a way to change the Johnson brothers’ minds. They were her neighbors. They had to be persuaded to leave her alone.

  With supreme effort, she kept her voice steady. “Listen to me, please. These animals are no danger to you or your farm. This is a well-constructed wildlife shelter. They’re all in cages and compounds, locked carefully away.”

  “Oh yeah?” Bill gestured toward the dark house where the wolves were sleeping in the cool shade. “They’re in those cages now. How about tonight? Or tomorrow night? How can you tell they won’t ever get away?”

  “We’ll watch them carefully...”

  “But you can’t guarantee they won’t get out and eat our livestock.” Hiram slapped the butt of the rifle. “You can’t guarantee they’ll never touch any of the kids in this neighborhood.”

  The last was her worst nightmare. The expert who’d helped her plan her shelter had assured her, properly maintained, her compounds were practically escape proof.

  But what if the worst happened? What if one of these animals did get loose and found itself caught in town and felt itself cornered. What then?

  She’d weighed the risks of that happening and decided to gamble with it. Besides, she was far enough from civilization—except for the Johnsons’ farm—to be pretty sure the chances were slim any animal would head for Sweet Willow rather than for the mountains.

  “No,” she responded to Hiram’s challenge. “And I can’t guarantee you won’t be hit by lightning, either. But I can promise you we’re doing our best...”

  For some reason her protests only seemed to anger them. They looked meaner now. Their faces were getting red and they were glancing back and forth as though to egg each other on.

  Kendall began to wonder what they might do to try to convince her. She wondered, and she began to back away. The office wasn’t far, and there was a lock on the door. If she turned and ran, could she outrun them? That was something she wasn’t sure of.

  “Doing your best,” Bill was scoffing, stepping toward her as she backed away. “Was that your best the other day when that cougar of yours got out? Huh?”

  She blinked at him. “Who told you about that?”

  “Everybody knows about it. You can’t keep secrets in a town like Sweet Willow.”

  Obviously not. She wondered if Brett had been talking to these men, and that thought lit a blaze of anger in her heart.

  He wouldn’t have—would he? But then again, why not? The Johnsons were on his side. He didn’t like her shelter either.

  She could feel sweat forming beads on her forehead. The menace in the men was beginning to get to her. She shouldn’t have stayed here alone. She shouldn’t have left the gate unlocked ...

  Suddenly the tension was split by a friendly call. “Hey boys, how’s it going?”

  They all three turned to see Danielle Carrington striding their way, hands shoved deep in the pockets of her jeans, her face alight with devilish amusement.

  The two men looked immediately abashed. Their shoulders drooped and they began to shuffle a bit. “Hey, Danni,” both Johnsons muttered, and Bill went on, “You ought to get on out of here. We’ve got business with the lady.”

  “Do you now?” Danni glanced at Kendall, and she could have sworn the girl winked at her, then took a position, legs apart, and grinned at the two men. “Say, is that your green pickup parked out on the dirt road?” she asked casually.

  Bill and Hiram looked at each other, then back at her. “Yeah,” Hiram said at last. “What of it?”

  She flicked her hair back with careless fingers. “Well, it’s not exactly parked anymore.”

  There was a moment of shocked silence, then they cried out at once, “What do you mean?”

  She smiled sweetly. “I mean, it’s rolling down the hill, back toward town. I thought it was peculiar, but then again, I thought maybe you were planning to get your exercise chasing it or something, and were just letting it get a head start to make the chase more interesting...”

  But there was no one left listening to Danni. The Johnsons were running, whooping as their fat little legs bowed under them, their arms waving with the exertion. In a moment they were through the gate and out of sight.

  Kendall turned to Danni, half laughing, shaking her head. “You didn’t release their parking brake, did you?”

  Danni shook her head, eyes wide and amused. “Nope. But he did.”

  Kendall looked toward where she was pointing. Brett was coming in, stopping to bar the gate as he entered. Her heart began a fast tattoo, and she had to make an effort to catch her breath again.

  The man shouldn’t be allowed to sneak up on people like that! She realized she would have to be prepared for him from now on. If his very presence was going to knock her for a loop, she would have to learn to cover.

  Brett noticed she was trembling as he came up and misinterpreted the cause. His gaze sharpened. “What did they do to you?” he asked quickly, looking her over.

  “Nothing. Nothing at all.” Kendall swallowed hard and tried to get herself back to normal. “I... are they going to catch that truck?” She ran a hand through her thick hair.

  He shrugged away her concern. “Don’t worry about the Johnson boys. There’s a dip at the bottom of the hill that’ll bring the truck to a stop. And there’s nothing in the way that could possibly get hurt.” He looked at her quizzically. “I take it they were registering their complaints?”

  She nodded. “And waving a rifle around,” she said, then wished she hadn’t when his face darkened. “They were just trying to convince me of how seriously they take this.” She shrugged, looking around at her property. “They don’t like it.”

  “No, I don’t imagine that they do.”

  “Well, I like it,” Danni said, looking around with excitement shining in her eyes. “It looks great to me. Do you need any help with the animals? Anything I can do?” She turned and looked at Kendall. “I’m applying for a job,” she said quite formally.

  Hiring Brett Carrington’s sister was the last thing Kendall wanted to do, but she did need help and she couldn’t very well resist those big blue eyes. She turned to look at Brett. He nodded slowly.

  “Well, all right,” she said to Danni. “I could sure use you a couple of hours after school each day. When can you start?”

  “Tomorrow, I guess.” She looked far from the pouting girl Kendall had met that first day at Brett’s house. “Do I have to fill out papers and things?”

  “A few. Go on into the office. The new employee packet is on my desk. Just fill out the part-time form.”

  Danni hurried into the office and Kendall turned to face Brett. His thumbs were hooked into his belt and he was lookin
g up and down her dusty pathways. “How many animals have you got here now?” he asked.

  “Eighteen, not counting Chelsea’s cubs.”

  He nodded slowly. “How many you aiming for?”

  “I’m aiming to help as many as need it.”

  His grin was mocking. “Then get ready for a population explosion,” he said. “The need will never quit.”

  “I’m prepared for that.”

  His eyes narrowed as he continued to survey her property. “I suppose you live in that trailer?” he said, nodding toward it. “How about your employees? Where do they stay?”

  She didn’t want to answer his questions. She knew it was mostly friendly interest, but she also knew he didn’t approve, so she felt defensive. She answered, but grudgingly.

  “In their own homes, where they belong.”

  He turned to her in surprise. “You’re all alone here at night?”

  She nodded.

  “That’s crazy. You’ve got to hire a night watchman.”

  She met his gaze and started to say stiffly, “I can handle this myself...” when he broke in, almost angry.

  “Do you have a gun?”

  “No, of course I don’t have a gun. I wouldn’t have one of those things around.”

  Now he was angry, his blue eyes flashing. “Then tell me this. Do you have a lick of sense?”

  Anger was a communicable disease. Suddenly she had it too.

  “Great. You’re just like the Johnsons, all wanting to talk sense into me. As if I didn’t make any on my own.”

  “Well, you don’t.” He swore and kicked at the dirt. “What are you going to do if the Johnsons come back?”

  “I’ll keep the gate locked and call the police.”

  “What if it’s someone meaner than the Johnson boys? What if he cuts your electric lines before he jumps your fence?”

  She shook her head stubbornly. “Why would anyone want to do that? That’s crazy.”