The Barons Of Texas: Tess. Fayrene Preston

was only one thing she could say. “You’re right.”

      He nodded, apparently satisfied that she understood. “I need time to shore up the ship, to brace it in such a way that it will be protected from whatever happens on your rig.”

      She rubbed her aching forehead, trying to focus. “I don’t see how you can really do that.”

      “It’ll be hard, but I can try to make sure it will be safeguarded as much as possible, and then I can pray like hell. Besides, with the crew you’ve got, plus modern technology, the possibility of a full catastrophe such as a blowout is considerably lessened. But there are other things. There are fault lines down there that would easily channel vibrations of any sort from your rig over to the Águila.” Pausing, he looked at her in an assessing way. “That’s why I’m here to ask you to stop drilling for at least three months.”

      “At least?” If she hadn’t been sitting, she might have fallen. As it was, the percussion section of the band in her head returned. He had no idea what he was asking of her. “Nick, there’s no way I could stop for even a week’s time.”

      His body tensed. She didn’t see it; she felt it in the air between them.

      “What’s the matter, Ms. Baron? Aren’t you rich enough yet?”

      The question hit her like a slap. “No, as a matter of fact I’m not, Mr. Trejo.”

      Nick didn’t move, not a muscle, not an eyelash. “Funny, you didn’t strike me as the greedy type.”

      “Do you honestly think you have the right to call me greedy? You’re asking me to give up three valuable months of an operation that will bring in millions so that you can have three months to ensure you can safely harvest a crop of gold worth millions.”

      Cold amber eyes stared at her.

      Ron walked out again, the phone in his hand, an anxious expression on his face. “Vega insists on talking to you.”

      She reached for the phone just as Nick rose. “Hang on a minute, Jimmy.” She covered the mouthpiece and looked at Nick.

      “I won’t take up any more of your time this morning.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll pick you up this evening at seven.”

      “Excuse me?”

      He was already walking away from her. “Seven,” he called as he disappeared from the terrace.

      Seven? Had he just asked her for a date? A date? It was hard for her to imagine Nick doing something as mundane as asking a woman for a date. He must want more time to try to change her mind, and there was no rule that said she had to go. Still…

      “Tess? Tess?”

      She glanced at the phone, then lifted it to her ear. “Sorry, Jimmy. What’s happened now?”

      

      Nick pulled his car onto the road that would take him to the little house he was renting. Tess Baron was every bit as smart and tough as he’d thought she would be. He’d known she wouldn’t be an easy sale. Hell, why should she be? What he was asking of her required an enormous sacrifice on her part.

      But he’d really thought that on some deep level she would understand and comply. He still had hope that she would.

      His hand tightened on the steering wheel. Damn it. Why couldn’t he just have kept his hands off her last night? Why couldn’t he have kept his mind on business? It would have made things between them so much easier.

      But now his personal feelings were in the mix, infusing every word, every gesture, with the possibility of volatility. How else could he explain his need to stand up from that table, circle it and pull her into his arms for a long, deep kiss, despite the fact that she’d told him no?

      He exhaled a long breath. Obviously he was going to have to get his fast-growing appetite for her under control. He was also going to have to present what he was asking of her in an entirely different way. In effect, he was going to have to set a trap.

      He had a little over nine hours to set things in motion, and there would be no margin for error. After this evening, he wouldn’t get another chance to change Tess’s mind.

      Abruptly he took a turn and headed in a different direction.

      

      Six forty-five. It had taken a while, but Tess could now see the face of her watch quite clearly. Nick was supposed to arrive in fifteen minutes, and she had no idea where they were going, or even if this was to be another business meeting or a genuine date.

      If Nick planned to spend their time together attempting to convince her to cease her drilling, it would make for a very long and difficult evening for her. But today, as she’d thought about the coming evening, she’d been alarmed to discover that, even if that were his plan, she still wanted to go with him. Which was exactly why she needed to find out up front what he had in mind.

      She had all the risk she could handle in her professional life, which was the reason she’d never allowed any risk to enter her personal life. Then last night Nick had appeared, and she hadn’t had to look twice to know that, in one way or another, he would be a risk for a woman, a danger for a woman’s heart.

      Tonight was a prime example. She had no idea where he planned to take her, or why. She only knew she wanted to go. However, she had no intention of allowing that to happen unless he told her it would be a social evening.

      She’d chosen an outfit that was suitable for a date. It was a red, sleeveless, A-line knit dress, with a matching cashmere sweater casually tied around the neckline. Her opentoed shoes with a midsize heel were also red. Last but not least, she’d wound her hair into a loose French twist.

      If it turned out that Nick planned on talking business, she would politely turn him down, then treat herself to dinner and maybe even a movie. She just wished she knew what he had in mind.

      As the day progressed, the pain in her head had lessened and her stomach had calmed. The party guests who stayed over had all left, and the house had quieted. Still, the day hadn’t exactly gone great.

      There had been all kinds of problems on the rig, from broken drill bits to machinery failure to tangled lines. Sometimes she thought the operation was jinxed—but she couldn’t afford to think like that.

      If anyone could handle the problems and bring in the oil, it was Jimmy. If there was oil to find.

      She shook her head, then bent her head to rub her brow. That was something else she couldn’t afford to think about. Every one of the tests had looked great, but they were just that—tests. Despite the sophistication of today’s testing, in the end, drilling for oil was still very much a wildcatting venture. There were so many variables. To compete in the market, you had to have money, nerves of steel, a large portion of luck, perfect timing and, last but not least, a great instinct for oil.

      So far, her wells were bringing in money in amounts that would make anyone deliriously happy. Anyone, that is, except her father.

      She glanced at her watch again and noticed that her heart was beating just a little harder as the time drew closer to Nick’s arrival. She drew a deep breath of the sea air to compose herself. Tomorrow she was scheduled to fly out to the rig for an inspection, plus an up-to-date cost-andtime report from Jimmy. But for tonight, well, she’d see.

      “You look lovely.”

      She turned, and there he was, all darkness and brilliance, outlined against the sun. Her heart jumped into high gear.

      “Thank you. Since I didn’t know where we were going, I wasn’t certain what to wear.” Lord, she sounded like a flustered schoolgirl about to go out on her first date.

      His gaze slowly raked her, his lips curved upward. “You chose perfectly.”

      Which told her exactly nothing. “Then where are we going?”

      He held