Free A Little Texas by Liz Talley

years.” She lifted her chin, glared at him.
    “Sure, you can hire an attorney. But there is the matter of the letter you sent.” Her father pulled a paper from his shirt pocket and waved it. “I’m not sure a judge would look favorably on blackmail. Besides, a lawsuit will take years and there is always the chance I’m not your father. Presently, I’m not asking for proof. You can have the money and you wouldn’t even have to be my real daughter. The odds are in your favor.”
    Kate felt the trap slam shut. He was right. She didn’t have the time or money for a lawsuit. She needed the money now.
    And Justus knew it.
    She took her hands from her hips and crossed her arms across her chest. If she did what Justus wanted her to do, she’d be letting go of that tenuous branch and immersing herself in that raging river. She could only hope that there was dry ground ahead. And that she wouldn’t get sucked beneath the surface and end up broken on the rocks below.
    It was only two weeks of her life. She could handle anything for two weeks even if it would be a bitch to arrange…and endure.
    She let go. “Fine.”
    Rick moved behind her. She could smell his cologne, feel his warmth. She wanted to lean against him. Or turn and bury her head in his chest. Which was dogass stupid. She didn’t need anyone to take care of her. Certainly not a man she’d only known for seventy-two hours.
    “Excellent,” Justus said, moving his chair from the window toward the desk anchoring the room. “I’ll have Rosa prepare a room for you.”
    “I can’t stay here,” Kate said, stepping back. Her back bumped Rick’s chest. His hands slid to her elbows, bracing her.
    “How will I get to know you if you aren’t at Cottonwood?”
    Kate panicked for a moment. He wanted her here alone in this house with him and his cold wife? The thought made her stomach twist into ropes. “If I stay here, you have to give me something to do. I can’t just ramble around this house. I need a job. Cover. People talk about me enough in Oak Stand.”
    “A job?” Justus repeated. “I don’t have a job for you.”
    “The center,” Rick said. “We need to hire an administrative assistant to handle things like therapist appointments and grant paperwork. It’s really piling up.”
    Justus frowned, but she felt a niggling sense of satisfaction. Rick had helped her. And there was a flash of something else. Something to do with spending her days with the sexy man. A sort of anticipation. “Good. I’ll help at the center and then spend some, ah, time with you in the evenings. That’s my deal. Take it or leave it.”
    Justus’s eyes moved between the two of them. Several seconds passed before he muttered, “I suppose that will be acceptable.”
    Kate felt a string snap inside of her as relief flooded her body. She wasn’t absolutely alone in this.
    “Okay, I’ll stay here with you.” She swallowed the acid that had welled in the back of her throat. She could do this. Do it for her future. For the salon’s future. “But first, I have to pick up my things. And I’ll need to buy more clothes and toiletries. I only planned to stay a few days.”
    “Give her a credit card, Enrique,” Justus said, without a single blink.
    She lifted her chin. “I can pay for my own things.” She glanced at Rick. “Although a ride into town would be nice.”
    “I’ll be glad to take you into Longview after I stop at Phoenix. I’ve got a few things to do there.”
    “Well, then. I’ll see myself out.” She slipped from the room as quickly as she could manage. Though she still felt partially victorious for setting her own terms of surrender, she could feel a migraine headache starting. Little zigzaggy things were already shadowing her vision. When she got to the hallway, she pressed herself against the polished wainscoting and took several cleansing breaths.
    Had she waved the white flag? Or was the battle only beginning? She wasn’t sure, but she was