Page 17 of One Scorching Summer

“Language, young lady.”

“Seriously? Gimme a break.” Skye sighed dramatically. “What do you expect when I've been raised around you and your employees the last four years, mostly men by the way, who talk like they do?”

“That's no excuse," he said gruffly, admonishing his sassy niece. “Do better, please.”

“You're a might grumpy today. What gives? Oh ... Yes ... Jorja.” She teased, reaching up and popping him lightly on the head, irritating him. “You were practically salivating. There's more to her than those enhanced pretty faces with bodies youusually go for. Like, she's got a brain and gumption. She's naturally beautiful. And tall. You need tall. Why don't you ask her out?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Butt out of my business.”

“Business.” She stopped and faced him, then snapped her fingers. “Oh, yes ... Business. Our family business.” She repeated slowly. “I witnessed the entire thing the other day, you know, when Jorja showed up at the ranch for her appointment with you. Yes, the wrong name was on me, but jeez, when she fell out of the truck, you were a total jerk.”

“Drop it,” he warned.

“No, I won't drop it. I saw the entire thing. I was coming to ask you about something when she pulled in. I hung out in the shade of the Creek House,” she said, referring to the stone homestead structure named for the enchanting brook behind it, which meandered through the shade of trees. “I saw Jorja tumble out of the truck. Took you long enough to help her up.”

Rake ignored Skye’s sarcasm.

“I dug into the files in your office after she left, after you went off to help the wranglers. The same files you have encouraged me to read since I learned that I'm going to own the ranch with you and Uncle Lee. I had no interest before, but I must say that Jorja’s appearance motivated me.”

“Skye, look?—”

Her hand sliced through the air, surprising him into silence. “I educated myself about our William Carpenter and her Silas Ogden. How many greats are attached to those two men?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but was stopped by her open palm, fingers spread wide and glaring eyes. She was not finished talking.

“It doesn't matter. The point is that Jorja is not responsible for what happened between our forefathers. She didn't do anything to you or to Lee or to me. It was a decision William Carpenter made to hold onto our ranch and to provide future generations of Carpenters with opportunity and security. Silas Ogden helped him do that by purchasing the mineral estates. Then he held onto the estates after the boom began because he was a businessman. You, Lee, and I would have done the same. Mom would have, and I bet others who lived before us would have too. No one should blame Silas Ogden. And you cannot blame Jorja. What's done is done. Neither man knew what the future held in oil and gas or in ranching. They gambled, quite successfully. I've gotta think, beyond their wildest dreams. Ogden-Keller is a titan in oil and gas. The Carpenter Ranch holds the same status in cattle and agribusiness, with a solid foothold in oil and gas despite not owning the majority stake of mineral estates. The ranch is profitable. Am I right? You can respond now, Uncle Rake.”

He had been stung by being made to listen to someone roughly twenty years younger than him, yet as proud as hell about her confidence, ability to handle him, and succinct summary of the history. She was correct. His niece was bossy and intelligent, two traits that would serve her well. Similar to ... Jorja. Damn.

Still irked, he shot Skye an icy look for her impudence and opened the truck door for her. “You're right.” He conceded, squeezing her shoulder, feeling his annoyance evaporate.

Skye leaned in, rose onto her toes, kissed his cheek, then wrinkled her nose. “You need to shave. Call her, Rake. She's totally your caliber. I mean, she's like only one of a handful of women that can match your drive, intelligence, and, uh, appetites.”

“Change the subject before I get aggravated again.” Hell, he already was. He turned on the vehicle, rolled the windows down, and cranked up the air container. Fuck, it was hot as hades. Or was it his temper? He waited outside the truck until it cooled. “You're out of line and in my personal business now.”

“Well, someone needs to be. I know you really well, better than I ever expected to. You've put a lot on hold since becoming my guardian, but I'm heading off to college soon and you're going to miss me. You need to return to living as a whole person. You need a woman, not a series of booty calls. You're almost forty.”

“I'm thirty-seven." He corrected her through clenched teeth, getting into the truck.

Skye got in on her side and snorted. “You'll be thirty-eight soon. Like I said. Closer to forty than thirty. You need someone to partner with. Someone strong. Jorja comes to mind. Also, I think some having kids would be good for you.”

He yanked the steering wheel to the left and glared at her before gunning the truck onto the main road. He reduced speed, exhaled slowly, and kept his tone deceptively neutral, immediately regretting the question. “Kids? And you think this why?”

“Because I know. Remember Nell Carpenter-Alamilla? My mother? Your sister? I have her gift.”

A chill crept up his spine. The Carpenter women had a knack for knowing things that went back as far as he remembered. Now he understood why this conversation with his eighteen-year-old niece was happening. Because Skye was indeed like her mother, wise beyond her years, with more horse sense than most people he'd ever met. God how he missed his sister.

“Jorja lives in Landry. We got off on the wrong foot.” Shit. He just gave his niece, who believed that she had all of the answers, another inch in.

“You got off on more than wrong foot, but you can fix that. You have a lot to work with. Charm, when you want to use it, and intelligence. Sensitivity under that he-man exterior. Women love that combination in a man.”

“Skye …” The conversation was entering the awkward zone.

“You can be fun. Hell, you make me laugh when I don’t want to. And you're handsome as fuck, with a body women would pay dearly to sleep with.”

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