Kiss Me (Fool's Gold #17)(82)

“I can do that,” Zane said.

Reilly slapped him on the back. “You’re a guest, son. I’ll take care it.”

Zane offered a gruff, “Thank you.”

Reilly led the way upstairs. The kids’ room was first, with C.J. and Thad across the hall. Next up were Eddie and Gladys, then Phoebe and Maya.

“This is my grandson’s old room,” Reilly told them. “Ryder’s in Kenya now, taking pictures for National Geographic. He’s single, you know. I keep tellin’ him he needs to find a woman and settle down.” He winked as he spoke. “Now, you let me know if you need anything.”

“He’s charming,” Maya said when they were alone. “I can’t believe he and Zane are fighting.” She plopped down on one of the beds and stared meaningfully at Phoebe. “So? Start talking.”

Phoebe felt her stomach clench. “I can’t. Zane told me in confidence.”

Maya raised her eyebrows. “Am I or am I not your best friend?”

She winced. “We both know you can probably guilt it out of me, but I wish you wouldn’t. I don’t want to betray Zane.”

Maya studied her. “So things have progressed even further than I thought.”

“I... We...” Phoebe sank onto the other bed and covered her face with her hands. “Help.”

Maya surprised her by laughing. “Okay, kid. I’m giving you a break because we are best friends, and I don’t want to snap your moral backbone. But you owe me.”

“Forever,” Phoebe promised, grateful to be off the hook.

While Maya dried her hair, Phoebe took a couple of minutes to explore the room. Framed nature photographs covered almost every inch of wall space. The frames looked homemade, and she could imagine Reilly building one every time his grandson sent a new picture.

There was a close-up of a polar bear, every ice-white hair on its massive body in sharp focus. Next to it, a baby monkey clung to its mother as she leaped between trees. Over the dresser was an oversize print of a daredevil in a skintight platinum-colored bodysuit, riding a surfboard in the sky. The color and the daring combined to make Phoebe catch her breath. And on the nightstand, there was a portrait of Reilly with the man she assumed was his grandson, Ryder. He looked to be about twenty in the picture, though she assumed with all of his world traveling that he was older now.

A bathroom was attached to the bedroom. After sighing over the thrill of indoor plumbing and coming up with a schedule for the shower and Jacuzzi tub, they headed down to lunch.

Matilda might have only had forty-five minutes’ notice, but she’d still managed to put together a lunch that rivaled Cookie’s best meal.

There was stew, and spaghetti and garlic bread, a salad, cut-up fruit and chocolate cake for dessert. Phoebe slid into a high wood chair across from Zane and offered him a smile.

“This is really nice,” she said.

He grunted.

She studied his tight expression and the wariness in his eyes. Obviously his claim to be “fine” was overstated.

But before she could say anything, the rest of their group entered the room and took seats. Then Reilly joined them.

There was plenty of food to go around, and lots of conversation. Reilly entertained them with stories about Ryder’s photo adventures around the world. He found out a little about each guest, then turned his attention to Zane.

“I didn’t know you’d started offering cattle drives,” he said.

Zane grunted. Phoebe wasn’t surprised he didn’t respond any other way. He didn’t want everyone to know why they were on the cattle drive.

Reilly looked as if he might probe a little, so Phoebe tried to change the topic.

“Your house is beautiful,” she said. “The craftsmanship is amazing, and there are so many unique architectural elements.”

“Well, thank you, Phoebe. A lot of that is my mother’s doing. She had big plans and a real eye for detail. To me this was always the place where I grew up. Now, with my kids and grandson gone, it’s a big, empty house. Ryder insists he’s never going to want to settle down. That boy was born with itchy feet. I’m thinking about selling.” He shrugged. “If the right offer came along, I’d take it.”

Across from her, Zane stiffened, but Phoebe barely noticed. A picture had flashed in her brain. A picture of a man describing his dream house, including the isolated location, with plenty of land. But something unique.

She looked around at the carved molding in the dining room and the inlaid flooring. Was this the place Jonny Blaze had been talking about?

* * *

ZANE WANDERED RESTLESSLY through the house. He hated being here nearly as much as he hated being indebted to Reilly. No doubt the old bastard was gloating. Once again he’d gotten the better of him.

He crossed to a window and stared out at the storm. The afternoon was gray and cold. He knew he didn’t have to worry about Chase. The kid would be fine. Cookie’s wagon was more than enough protection for the two of them. And in this kind of rain, the cattle weren’t likely to do much more than hunker down and endure. But he couldn’t help worrying. And thinking. The past was always close, and in this house, it threatened to overwhelm him.

Determined not to give in, he went searching for Phoebe. He found her in a back office by the kitchen. She was working on a computer.