Adrian shook his head. Rosita hadn’t changed. She had spilled the same crap to him at the ranch.
“You fool, she didn’t love you,” Steve said. “She peeled her clo-”
“Steve,” Adrian interrupted. Duke was a dumb snake, but he didn’t need to hear how Rosita tried to seduce Adrian in the barn.
Steve kept quiet.
“I take it that I’m out of a job,” Duke said solemnly.
“Yeah,” Adrian confirmed. “You’re out of a job.”
Duke exhaled. “I can’t say I blame you.”
Steve and Adrian left Duke to simmer in the mess he had helped to create. They went to the ER lobby. Detective Chambers was there talking to two officers.
Chambers gave them their marching orders, and they left the lobby. He turned to look at the brothers. “Hey, did you find out what you wanted to know?”
“Yeah,” Adrian said. “Thanks for letting us talk to him.”
“No problem,” Chambers said. “Do you want to press charges?”
“Against Duke?” Steve asked. “Didn’t know we could.”
“We got him dead to rights,” Chambers said. “He admitted on tape and camera that he planted coke on your property, called the DEA with a false tip, and would have planted more coke if you guys hadn’t become so vigilant about someone setting you up.”
“If we pressed charges against him, it could help get the DEA off our backs,” Steve said.
“Sure would,” Chambers confirmed.
“All right,” Adrian said. “Let’s do it.”
“It’s late,” Chambers said. “You can come down and make a statement in the morning, but we have enough evidence to arrest Duke tonight and place him in custody.”
“That’s fine,” Adrian said.
“Here’s my card,” Chambers said and handed it to him. “I’ll be at the station by 10 a.m.”
“What about Andy?” Adrian said. “Do you think him being arrested will help Joey’s case?”
Chambers shrugged. “If you have a shrewd lawyer, it might. Depending on what the DA in Wichita wants to do. He might be able to get a fair plea deal. Hell, the guy that ratted him out was a drug dealer, a hacker, and now a killer. A jury would give him the side eye.”
“Let’s hope,” Steve said.
“Where are Faith and her brother?” Chambers asked.
“They went to a hotel for the night,” Adrian said.
Chambers said, “She’s one helluva woman. Treat her right.”
“I will,” Adrian said.
“Congratulations on the baby,” Chambers said.
Adrian’s eyebrows shot up. “She told you?”
“No. Andy checked into Faith at Rosita’s request. Rosita wanted to find out if Faith had an old boyfriend she could use to lure Faith away from you,” Chambers said.
“Damn. Momma used to say we shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but I think that only applied to humans,” Steve said and shook his head. “Oh, well, she’s a wild hyena in hell now.”
“Since you are going to press charges against Duke, I’m going to place him under arrest,” Chambers said.
Chapter 46
Cliff had texted Adrian on his cell phone to let him know which hotel and rooms they were in.
Faith had taken a shower and put on a complimentary hotel robe. She was hungry, so she ordered room service.
There was a knock at the door.
Faith walked to the door and opened it.
It was Adrian. “Hey, Angel,” he said with a small smile.
They hugged each other.
Faith was relieved to see him. Not only was she worried about him, but she also missed him. “Come in,” Faith said. “I thought you were room service.”
“Hungry?” he asked as he crossed the threshold.
“Yeah, a little,” Faith said. “I just got some fruit, cheese, and sparkling cider.”
“Sounds like a nice light snack,” Adrian said and took off his black Stetson. He placed it on the dresser. “Where’s Cliff?”
“He’s in his room across the hall,” Faith said. “Cliff was tired. He said he didn’t sleep well last night then he got up early to catch the plane here.”
There was a knock on the door.
“Sit down,” Adrian said. “I’ll get it.”
Faith sat on the edge of the bed.
Adrian opened the door. It was a waiter with a cart. “Come in,” Adrian said. He opened the door wider for the food service worker to enter.
“We have sparkling cider and a fruit and cheese tray, correct?” the waiter asked.
“That’s correct,” Faith said.
“Just leave it there,” Adrian said as he dug in his pocket. He pulled out his wallet and gave the boy a tip.
“Thank you,” the waiter said. “You folks have a good night.” The waiter left.
Adrian wheeled the cart closer to the bed where Faith was sitting. He grabbed the sparkling bottle of cider and started opening it.
“Where’s Steve and Joey?” she asked.
“Steve and Joey rode back to Elliot in the jeep. We didn’t want to take the chance of Joey being discovered.”
“How in the world did he get that ankle bracelet off?” Faith asked with intense curiosity.
“Joey wouldn’t say, but I told him before they left that he better get it off Hagar and back on himself before I get home tomorrow,” Adrian said flatly.
“What happened at the hospital?” Faith asked.
Adrian popped the plastic cork on the bottle. “Well, Andy was attended to. He got one in the shoulder and one in the leg. He’ll spend the night at the hospital for observation then the police will escort him to jail.” Adrian poured the cider into two champagne glasses on the tray.
Faith removed the covers off the trays.
“Steve and I spoke to Duke. He was in love with Rosita. She had told him that she came to the ranch to apologize to me. She had also told him that we threw her off the ranch for no good reason. Duke felt that the woman he loved was insulted, so that’s why he agreed to plant the drugs in the stables.” Adrian shook his head as he sat the bottle down on the food cart. “It was obvious she was using him. Duke lost his job and is probably going to jail for a year or two over a woman that didn’t give a rat’s ass about him.”
“And she’s dead,” Faith said. “Are you okay?” Faith popped a piece of cantaloupe in her mouth.
“Yeah, but Duke’s betrayal was hard to swallow. He had been working at the ranch for four years.”
“I wasn’t talking about him,” Faith said. “I know you don’t love her anymore, but you did at one time. You had to feel something when you saw Rosita on the floor – dead.”
Adrian sat down on the bed next to her. “I did. I felt pity for her. I also felt that her duplicity came back and bit her on the butt. If she would have continued to go on with her life instead of coming back to Elliot for God knows what, she would be alive. Now, she’s dead and there’s a three-year-old boy out there somewhere that has to grow up without a mother.”
Faith shook her head. She ate a strawberry.
“We’re pressing charges against Duke,” Adrian said. “The cops got him on tape admitting that he planted drugs on the ranch and he called in one of the phony tips into the DEA. It will go a long way in ending the DEA investigation against us.”
“That’s good,” Faith said. “That’s what I wanted out of all this. I wanted to get Rosita on tape admitting that she set you guys up. I had hoped that we could get something against the hacker, too so he would recant his statement to the DA’s office in Wichita.”
“Joey might get out of this still,” Adrian said. “Chambers’ theory is that the DA might offer Joey a good deal since the star witness in the case is a drug dealer and a murderer.”
“Let’s hope,” Faith said and popped a grape into her mouth.
Adrian took a sip of sparkling cider. “Faith, why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”
She knew that ques
tion was coming ever since Cliff admitted that he spilled the beans to Adrian when he had arrived. “I wanted to wait until after the sting. I thought you would see it as good news once your troubles were behind you.”
Adrian sipped from his glass again and placed it on the food cart. He looked at her. “You didn’t think I would be happy about it?”
Faith glanced away. “We’ve only been seeing each other for a little over a month at the most.”
Adrian put his finger under her chin and turned her head to face him. “I think I’ve made it clear how I feel about you,” Adrian said. “And that I want a future with you. You are designing a house on the property we just bought.”
Her heart warmed as she smiled. “I feel the same way, but this is all happening so fast. I…I wasn’t planning to have children this soon.”
He grinned. “Well, it’s not like I gave you a chance to use precautions.”
Faith laughed. “Yes, I went to Dr. Green to get birth control pills. You can imagine my surprise when he said that it was too late.”
“Is everything okay? I mean, is the baby healthy?”
“As far as we can tell, yes,” Faith said. “I’m only a few weeks pregnant. I have an appointment for an ultrasound in a week and a half. I’ll know more then.”
“We’ll know more then,” Adrian corrected. “I’m coming with you.”
Faith smiled. “I would like that.”
Adrian lifted her chin a little higher. He leaned down and kissed her. The tip of his tongue slowly traced the outline of her mouth. Then, he sultrily lapped at her lips. He didn’t stop until she let out a yearning moan.
She gazed up at him.
He looked down at her under heavy lids. “Tomorrow morning, I’m going to ask Cliff for your hand in marriage.”
She gasped. “Oh Adrian,” she whispered. “I think Cliff would appreciate that. He will see it as a sign of respect.”
“And what about you?” Adrian asked. “How would you see it?”
“I’m going to save that answer for when you officially ask me to marry you,” Faith said with a smirk.
He chuckled. “I love you, Faith.”
“And I love you,” she whispered.
Adrian kissed her again as he leaned her back on the bed.
Epilogue
Three months later…
Faith was upstairs in the main house at the Lone Wolf Ranch. She stared at herself in the full-length mirror. Her wedding dress was white satin with a ten-inch train. Three white roses were pinned on the side of her auburn hair.
She was fourteen weeks pregnant, and she was barely showing. They had started building the house, but it wouldn’t be ready for another two months. Until then, Adrian and Faith would live in the house with Steve, Aunt Bea, and Joey.
The DEA had dropped the drug investigation against the Matthews family. The DA offered Joey a plea deal. Chambers was right. The DA didn’t want to take a chance at trial, despite the computer disk Andy had given him proving the crime. Since Andy was a criminal of the highest order, the DA was afraid that a good defense attorney could argue that the disk was forged to make Joey look guilty. The DA believed a jury would take that under consideration. Joey got two years’ probation and two hundred hours of community service.
Andy was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in twenty years. Duke was sentenced to one year in jail. Faith kept her word and didn’t press charges against Richard Lewis. The truth was, if Richard hadn’t hit her that night, Faith and Adrian never would have met.
Since Richard’s father was too old and sick to take care of a three-year-old boy, Richard took Rosita’s son and brought him to Dallas. It was evident that a near prison and death experience had matured and changed Richard. He had contacted the Rodriguez family and had said that they were welcomed to visit Carlos whenever they wanted. The family took Richard up on his invitation.
The wedding guests had arrived. They were having the ceremony and reception inside since it was cool in Texas this time of year.
Aunt Bea, Cliff, and Tenika, Cliff’s wife, entered the bedroom.
Aunt Bea was smiling like a proud mother. “You look beautiful,” she said.
“Thanks,” Faith said.
“It’s time,” Tenika said. “Are you ready?” Tenika was Faith’s maid of honor.
“I’m more than ready,” Faith said with a big smile.
Tenika handed Faith her bouquet that was filled with lilies and greenery.
Cliff stuck his arm out. “Let’s do it, little sister.”
Faith took her brother’s arm so he could escort her to her future as Mrs. Adrian Matthews.
Thank You
Thank you for purchasing The Rancher. I hope you have enjoyed Faith and Adrian’s journey of love. May you find peace and love in your own life.
Olivia
Saxton
The Billionaire’s Proposal
Calvin Michelson needs to get married and produce an heir so his fly by night cousin won’t inherit the family legacy and fortune when he dies. This is business for Calvin. He has every intention of resuming his playboy life after marriage so he needs a woman who is willing to bear a child and can put up with his ways. After a quick conversation with a family member, Calvin realizes that the perfect bride was right in front of him all along.
Yvonne Moore has worked for Mr. Michelson for ten years. He was a good boss and he had never expressed interest in the efficient assistant with dark framed glasses who always wore her hair in a bun. So when her billionaire boss asked her to marry him, she laughed her head off– until she realized he was serious. Yvonne wants time to think about it. Calvin is not a patient man. He’s in hot pursuit in convincing Yvonne to marry him and have his child. What Calvin and Yvonne didn’t bank on was falling in love.
Garvey’s
Biracial twin sisters, Jodi and Jackie, are two inches away from filing for bankruptcy and losing their heritage. The twins’ grandparents started Garvey’s Hotel and Bar. The business was solvent until the 2008 crash.
With eminent ruin on the horizon, Jodi comes up with a radical idea to revitalize Garvey’s; hosting orgies in the bar on the weekends. Jodi convinced her conservative twin, Jackie, to try the new business plan on a trial bases.
However, things come to a screeching halt when local law enforcement shuts them down. Jackie and Jodi must team up with other citizens in the small Arizona town to keep the Orgy Bar alive.
The Rancher Page 21