Texas Ransom

“I love you. You know that, right?”

She turned. Was it his imagination or did her smile seem tentative? Wistful? “I love you, too.” She lifted her hand to trace his jawline. “It’s going to be okay.”

His heart did a funny little somersault against his chest. “What is?”

“Tonight,” she said, but there was a slight hesitation before she answered.

He nodded and managed a smile although suddenly his mouth had gone dry. Something was going on with her. Something she didn’t feel she could share with him.

“Kendall?”

“Yes?”

“Are you sure the earth moved?”

She punched his shoulder. “Forget it. We’re not having a quickie on the rooftop to stroke your ego when there’s a whole roomful of people waiting downstairs to tell you how wonderful you are.”

“Not the same thing at all.”

“Seriously, Graham. I’m so proud of you,” she said, her eyes suddenly glistening.

That was another thing that had Graham a little concerned. Kendall had been so emotional these past few days. He had no idea what that was all about, and she didn’t seem to want to tell him.

“All right,” he said reluctantly. “You’ve convinced me. I suppose we should go downstairs and at least make an appearance.”

She nodded. “I need to freshen up first. My hair must be a mess.”

“You look beautiful.”

“I never look beautiful,” she said with a resigned shrug that always broke his heart.

He resisted the urge to trace one of the scars on her face with his fingertip, but she wouldn’t like that. Since the last surgery, the imperfections were barely even visible, but she knew they were there. And even after all this time, she was still a little self-conscious in social situations.

To Graham, though, she would always be beautiful.

She started for the elevator, but he caught her arm and she turned back. “What is it?”

He gazed into her eyes. “Are you happy? With me, I mean.”

Her lips trembled and for a moment, he thought she was going to cry. Instead she smiled and lifted herself on her tiptoes to remove his glasses before she kissed him.

“Being with you is like being in heaven,” she whispered.

“YOU’RE ONE lucky bastard, Graham. I hope you know that.”

Graham nodded as he surveyed the glittering crowd that had assembled to celebrate the post-construction phase of the PemCo Tower. “I’m doing okay.”

“Doing okay?” Michael Barron, his best friend since their college days at Rice University, clapped him on the back. “I think most folks would say you’re doing a little better than okay. Gorgeous wife. Big house. Your own company. And now this…” His blue eyes twinkled. “You’re living the dream, buddy.”

“You’re not doing so badly yourself,” Graham said, his gaze still on the crowd. Where the hell was Kendall? She’d gone to freshen up as soon as they came down from the roof, and he hadn’t seen her since. That had been several minutes ago. He didn’t know why, but her absence made him uneasy.

Or maybe his apprehension that evening had more to do with the argument he’d had with Terrence that morning. He hadn’t told Kendall about their latest disagreement because he knew how much she hated the combative relationship he had with his older brother. Terrence always knew how to push his buttons, and Graham should have known better than to let him get to him. After all this time and all the success he’d achieved, he certainly had no reason to feel intimidated.

But somehow in Terrence’s presence, Graham always reverted to the insecure geek who’d grown up in the shadow of his football-star brother.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong.” Michael deftly plucked a champagne glass from the tray of a passing waiter. “I’m living the good life, too. It’s just that my career has taken a few unexpected turns. Not you, though.” He took a long sip of his drink. “You’ve had the same goal since we were roommates in college. You always said you were going to design the tallest, grandest building in Houston, and by damn if you didn’t pull it off. I admire your focus, Graham. I really do.”

Graham tried not to wince at the accolade. Sometimes he wasn’t so sure his dedication was anything to be proud of. Career tunnel-vision had almost cost him his marriage, but ever since he and Kendall had reconciled five years ago, he’d made a promise to her and to himself that their relationship would come first no matter what.

He’d been worried when he first took the PemCo contract that it would put too much stress on their marriage. From inception to completion, the project had consumed nearly two years of his life, requiring endless meetings and arduous hours at the computer drafting version after version of the building until a design was finally accepted by the team.

And then came the politics, the disagreements, the costly delays and untold man hours that were inevitable with such an ambitious project. The tension had only escalated once the alliance between Houston-based PemCo and Pemex, the Mexican state-run petroleum company, became public. One of PemCo’s refineries had been firebombed in protest, and the mastermind, a former head of the oil workers’ labor union named Joaquin Galindo, had been arrested in Mexico City and sent to prison.

There were times when Graham wondered if the project would ever be completed under such volatile conditions. But through it all, Kendall had been supportive in a way he could never have imagined before the accident. The near-death experience had changed her, softened her, made her reevaluate her priorities just as it had Graham.

He really was a lucky guy, Graham thought, taking a sip of his own champagne. He had everything any man could ever want.

“I just never thought I’d find myself working for your brother,” Michael was saying. “Let alone occupying the office that should have been yours. That wasn’t my plan when I first passed the bar.”

Graham shrugged. “You’re a better vice president than I ever would be so it all worked out for the best.”

“Maybe. But I still say if your old man had lived, he would have eventually worn you down.”

“Not a chance. I’ve never wanted to do anything but design buildings. Dad would have finally accepted that fact. Besides, there’s no way I could work with Terrence. One of us would kill the other.”

Michael scowled. “This is none of my business, but we’ve been friends for a long time so I hope you won’t take my advice the wrong way. You need to cut Terrence some slack. The company’s going through a rough time, and he’s got a lot on his plate. That knock-down-drag-out you two had earlier didn’t help.”

Graham frowned. “What are you talking about? Hollister Motors has always been financially sound.” The company his father founded nearly forty years ago had given them all the kind of lifestyle most families could only dream of. Graham was well aware of the fact that his inheritance had allowed him to open his own architectural firm in Austin at a time when many of his contemporaries were still struggling to pay off school loans.

“And it will be again,” Michael said adamantly. “But there’s a lot of new competition for the kind of specialized engines we build, and to stay ahead of the game, we’ve got to become more innovative with our designs. Research and development is expensive. We need an infusion of cash right now, which is why Terrence is proposing selling off some of the family assets rather than incur more debt.”

“We own property besides Dad’s ranch. The downtown warehouses have got to be worth a small fortune.”

“Only if you hold out long enough to find the right buyer. Terrence already has someone interested in the ranch. These guys will fork over a check as soon as the papers are signed. We could have that money in a matter of days.”

“I’m not trying to be difficult about this, but—”

“But what?” Michael cut him off impatiently. “The deal makes sense and you know it. Hey, I like playing cowboy as much as the next guy, but we’re all adults now with busy lives. When’s the last time you drove out there?”

Graham couldn’t remember the last time. Still, he was hesitant. “Dad loved that ranch. I don’t feel right selling off something that he put his heart and soul into.”

“The ranch was a hobby at best. He put his heart and soul into Hollister Motors. He’d be all for this plan and you know it.” Michael’s gaze hardened. “The company needs that money. If you’re holding out just to spite your brother—”

“Give me a little more credit than that,” Graham said angrily. “I was blindsided this afternoon. I had no idea Terrence was even considering selling off assets, let alone the ranch. Maybe if I’d been given some warning instead of having papers shoved under my nose and ordered to sign, I might have been a little more agreeable.”

“He went about it the wrong way, no question. But what else is new? Terrence is a straightforward kind of guy. Forget how it was put to you. You’ve had time to mull it over, and you know what’s at stake if we don’t sell.”

“Why didn’t Terrence tell me all this himself?”