by Soraya Lane
Tears pricked in Lexi’s eyes when she started to talk again, the weight of what was happening was a weight on her shoulders she could barely stand any longer.
“This has been allowed to happen right under our noses, in our community, to the people who are most vulnerable among us,” she said, clearing her throat when her voice wavered. “There are wealthy businessmen and developers who are allowed to do things that simply should not be permitted. We have to ask ourselves if too many envelopes are being passed under tables at local government offices!”
The people standing with her erupted into clapping and yelling, and even the crowd listening clapped their hands.
“And by envelopes?” the reporter asked, her dark curls bouncing as she nodded, eyes intent, waiting for something she could no doubt turn into an even bigger story.
Lexi took a step closer to the camera and stared down the lens. “I mean the type filled with a big wad of cash, to make sure the right papers are signed off on.”
“That’s enough!” Cody’s voice cut through the frigid air, and Lexi fought the urge to scurry backward as he stormed toward her. “I will not have you insinuating that my decision or ability to develop this land had anything to do with corruption!”
Her heart was beating so hard she was sure Cody would be able to hear the thudding from where he was standing, but she wasn’t going to back down. This was her chance, and she’d stayed quiet far too long—when Cody had left her, when her husband had acted like a jerk, and when she’d first found out about the development. It wasn’t going to happen again.
“I’m not insinuating anything, Mr. Ford,” she said, eyeballing him straight back. “There is a way that deals get done. I think we’re all aware of this, but instead of thinking about our community, you’re only seeing the dollar signs at the end.”
She’d never seen his face turn red before, never imagined for a second he could even be embarrassed because he was always so cool, calm, and collected, but this? This had him rattled.
“I’m sure the community will more than appreciate beautiful housing being erected on this land,” he said, his voice rising as his temper flared. “This was a business decision that any astute developer would have been crazy not to have entertained.”
“What’s next for you and all the people here?” the reporter asked. “Will the elderly be forced from here, Mr. Ford?”
Lexi jumped in before Cody could answer, raising her voice so he couldn’t interrupt her. “The people behind me, the workers who’ve so diligently looked after our loved ones, will be out of jobs. A few weeks after Christmas they’ll be searching for work.” She paused, nodding and gesturing back toward the building behind her. “And our loved ones?” Tears pricked her eyes and she couldn’t help the drop in her voice, the desperation that she knew was echoed in her words. “They have nowhere to go. The care many of them need will force their families to move them at least an hour’s drive away, which means they’ll lose the support they need. How many of us can drive an hour or more daily to visit our mothers or fathers, our aunts or uncles? And if we don’t move them, then we’re forced to care for them ourselves.”
The reporter was nodding, her frown showing how sympathetic she was. “Mr. Ford, do you have a response?”
He folded his arms, defensive, before clearly realizing his mistake and dropping them to his sides, smiling as if he could win everyone over with his charm. “If the four-week notice isn’t enough, I’m more than happy to extend it to ensure these people have the time they need to move. If only Ms. Murphy here had thought to come to me first, I’m sure we could have easily worked something out.”
The bastard! He even had the reporter smiling at him now.
“But I—”
“Thanks for your time,” the reporter said, waving at her cameraman that it was time to leave.
Which left her face-to-face with Cody, standing there, shoulders heaving as she tried to breathe, as she tried to see how he’d ended up with the upper hand.
“You’re brave, I’ll give you that,” he said, his arms moving up to cross again in front of his body.
Lexi jutted her chin and stared up at him. “Brave? I’m not trying to be brave, Cody. I’m trying to fight for something I believe in, for something that’s affecting me personally.”
His frown made her laugh.
“Oh my god, you actually think this is about you, don’t you? You think that I’m doing this as some pathetic way to get back at you?”
He grunted. “The thought had crossed my mind.”
She stepped closer, staring up at him, eyes not wavering from his even as they watered from the cold. “You can put an end to this, Cody. You can be the good guy and put a pin on this entire deal.”
“You really think it’s as simple as that? That some other developer wouldn’t jump straight in and buy it the second I pulled out?” He shook his head. “Don’t be naïve, Lexi. This is a huge deal, and believe it or not, I’m not trying to be an asshole. The residents need longer, then you have my word, they can have another four weeks to find alternative arrangements, but you’re better dealing with me than anyone else.”
She folded her own arms and stared back at him. “Better the devil you know, huh?”
“Yeah, something like that,” Cody said, before turning on his heel and storming back to the car.
“Honey, it’s so cold out here, I think I’ll go back in.” Lexi turned and saw one of the nurses calling out to her, the rest of the workers gathering with her, and she crossed over to give the woman a big hug.
“Thanks for coming out to support us.”
“You’re fighting for your mom, we’re fighting for our jobs. We’re in this together, right?”
Lexi said goodbye and looked around at the small group slowly going their own ways, everyone cold and tired of being out in the open. Her shoulders slumped as she gathered her sign and her bag, the cold suddenly biting at her skin and making her want to scurry back indoors too. She walked around the back of the building and dumped her placard in the trash, staring at it before turning around and heading back to the front entrance.
She’d tried, but who the hell had she been kidding thinking she could shame or bully Cody into changing his mind? Stupid, that’s what she’d been, and nothing she did was ever going to make a difference. Not a television interview, not a petition, nothing.
Lexi walked in the door, smiled at the receptionist and then trudged her way over to the elevator. She stopped and waited, staring up at the ceiling and biting down hard on her lower lip to stop the emotions threatening to spill over. The elevator dinged and the door opened, and Lexi stepped in, waiting for the doors to close and swallow her in solitude. As the doors slowly closed and shut her away from everyone else, Lexi let out a gasp, her body shuddering with a sob as she sunk to the floor. She dropped her bag, clamped her hand over her mouth as a noise so deep and guttural escaped from her it sounded more animal than human. Tears flooded her cheeks as her lungs fought for air.
Ding.
She scrambled to her feet, frantically wiping her eyes and clearing her throat just as the doors sprung open and a male nurse in scrubs stepped in.
“You okay?” he asked, eyebrows drawn in concern as he held the elevator door for her.
Lexi nodded and hurried out, not wanting pity or concern or anything even vaguely resembling sadness from anyone else. And just like she’d done all her life, she held her head high, refusing to let anyone see the cracks, refusing to give in for even a second to the bricks tumbling all around her trying to break down her carefully constructed wall.
She stopped outside the door to her mom’s room, knocking before letting herself in. She waited a beat and then turned the handle, the familiar smell of her mom’s perfume filling her nostrils. She glanced at the bed and saw her there, the television on low as she watched something mindless to fill the time, but at least it smelled good, better than the hospital smell of the rest of the place. She always made sure, no matte
r how tight money was, that her mom had her perfume to spray around the room and on herself.
“Hi, Mom,” she said, spraying a touch of the fragrance to her own skin as she passed, before sinking down into the chair, reaching for her mom’s hand. She wanted to lie with her, to have her hair stroked as if she were still a little girl, words of comfort whispered that always seemed to make everything better.
“Connie, why did you take so long to come see me?”
Lexi’s tears made a fast return. “It’s me, Mom. It’s Lexi.” Her mom often thought she was her sister, not realizing that she’d died many years earlier.
Her mother’s face twisted into confusion and Lexi shuffled forward to cradle her, holding her mom and kissing the top of her head. All she craved was someone to look after her, but she was the mom now, and nothing was ever going to be the same, ever again.
“Oh, Lexi!” she smiled and hugged her, her eyes bright as if her old mom had suddenly appeared again.
“Hey, Mom.” Sometimes she was normal, other times she was so forgetful and away with the faeries.
“How’s your day been, darling?”
She loved moments like this, when she could forget the reality of her mom’s disease.
“Interesting,” she replied. “It’s been interesting. Cody Ford is back. Do you remember him?
Usually her mom was great with things far in the past; it was the more present things she struggled with.
“The one who broke your heart,” her mom said. “I should have given you the letter, shouldn’t I?”
Lexi stared back at her. “What letter, Mom? Did Cody send me a letter?”
She must be confused. Maybe it was a letter from someone else.
“You were so upset I didn’t think I should give it to you.”
Lexi’s hands started to shake, but she knew she couldn’t push her mom too hard. “Do you still have it?”
Her mom smiled. “Of course. I have it with all those photos, in that box in my bedroom. I’ll go get them for you, dear.”
“No,” she said quickly, knowing her mom was about to get upset when she remembered all over again that her house was gone. “It’s fine. I don’t need to see it. Let’s just sit and watch television together for a bit.”
Her mom settled then, but Lexi didn’t. Because all she could think about was this letter, and whether it was imaginary or real.
Chapter 12
“SHE kind of has a point,” Mia said, her elbows on the counter as she leaned forward.
Cody opened the fridge and took out two beers, holding them out. Mia shook her head, so he put them both back in and returned with two Coca-Colas instead. She smiled and held out her hand.
“It’s way too early in the day to be drinking.”
Cody was going to sit down beside his sister, but instead he paced over to the window and stared out at the view, taking in the sprawling land that stretched farther than the eye could see. It was beautiful in a way that scared him, that made him wonder what it would be like to stare at it each and every day. But it also made him want to scurry straight back to the safety of his apartment and his office, where there were no distractions, no memories, and, more importantly, no emotions.
“If you’d had the day I just had, you’d be wanting to drink too,” he said, turning around and watching Mia.
“Only I still wouldn’t because I have to run around after little people and get up way too early in the morning.”
He nodded. “Fair point.”
“Talking about points, you completely ignored what I said before.” Mia smiled, and he knew he’d never get away without answering her questions. Or interrogations more like it. “Lexi isn’t the enemy here, she’s just fighting for what she believes in.”
“Yeah, well, so am I.”
“You’re like a dog with his hackles up,” she snapped. “What is it about successful men acting like women shouldn’t have a voice? She has every right to be as damn vocal as she wants to be.”
Cody walked slowly over to her, put down his drink, and held up his hands. “Mom didn’t bring just you up to be a feminist, Mia. She raised us all the same way, and this has nothing to do with Lexi being a woman.”
Mia blew out a breath that raised the stray hair on her forehead. “You’re sure?”
“Well, it has something to do with her being a woman,” he muttered, picking at the label on his bottle. “She’s beautiful and smart and sexy as hell, and until this all blew up, I…” His voice trailed off. “Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. Spit it out,” she said, her frown turning into a subtle smile. “You like her, don’t you? Hell, you really like her! I can see it clear as day now.”
Cody wasn’t going to answer. If he gave Mia even so much as a hint of how he was feeling, she’d be like a dog with a bone. He’d already said too much.
“Cody?” Mia asked. “Come on, what’s wrong with guys sometimes? What’s wrong with just saying how you—”
“Fine,” he interrupted. “I like her. Hell, I wouldn’t have slept with her if I didn’t like her. And what are you doing back here visiting already? Don’t you have your own ranch to look after?”
“You slept with her?” Mia slapped the counter and burst out laughing, totally ignoring everything else he’d said. “You’ve only been home, what, three days? How the hell have you had time to sleep with her in between arriving, falling out with her…” Mia’s eyes grew wide. “Ahh, when you had dinner together. I thought you’d have dropped her at the door afterward.”
“Tanner and Lauren took Harry to their place,” Cody said simply. “We had a great night, old feelings flared up and, well, I don’t need to tell you the rest, do I?”
“I thought you guys had had a big blowup at dinner,” she said. “I thought no one in this family could keep a secret, but it seems Lauren can.”
Cody grunted. “Yeah, we can trust the ones who marry in, just not our own blood.”
“Whose blood?”
He looked up as Angelina walked in, looking like she was about to head into the office or go out for an expensive dinner. It was only late afternoon, and she was dressed in polished cotton slacks and a silk shirt with her hair perfectly falling over one shoulder. Cody suppressed a laugh—they thought he was the one dressed inappropriately for ranch life. The only giveaway she wasn’t going anywhere were her bare feet.
“Wow, and just like that you make me feel like a worn-out mom,” Mia said with a sigh.
“You could make more of an effort,” Ange said, walking around to her sister and stroking her hair back, before twisting it up and making a bun with it. “See, doesn’t she look beautiful now?”
Cody just shook his head. “No way am I wading into this discussion, but yeah, Mia, you always look beautiful. Even without someone doing your hair.”
“Thank you,” Mia mouthed, giving him a wink, at the same time as Angelina scowled and gave him a death stare.
“I’m surprised to see you so relaxed,” she said. “Given your name is being dragged through the mud. I thought you would have jumped on a plane back to New York by now.”
“Don’t tempt me,” he muttered, putting down his soda and deciding it was definitely beer o’clock. Where was his brother when he needed him? Tanner would always be up for a beer.
There was a bang at the side door, and Cody looked up to see Lauren entering, a bottle of wine in hand and a warm smile on her face. “Hey!” she said as she walked in, dusting the snow from her shoulders.
Cody stepped around to reach for her coat, smiling down at her as she shrugged out of it. He draped it over the back of a chair and went back to the fridge.
“Tanner joining us soon?” he asked.
“No.” She sighed. “Something about a colicky horse?”
Dammit. He took two beers from the fridge, deciding he’d go find Tanner and see if he could help. Why the hell hadn’t he called up to tell him instead of dealing with it on his own? But he knew the answer to that. He was probably
the last person he’d think to call for help on the ranch.
“I might head down to see him, in case I can help,” Cody said, as all three women looked up at him. Mia and Angelina were sitting, Lauren was standing, but they all had the same expression on their faces. He suddenly had the feeling he was trapped, and nothing scared him more than three women giving him their full attention.
“I was just telling Cody that I can understand where Lexi’s coming from,” Mia said, her voice soft as if she was talking to her children and trying to convince them of something.
“You can?” Ange asked, sounding incredulous. “Well, I can’t. I’m firmly on team Cody. Business is business, and we haven’t got to where we are by listening to every sob story.”
“Ange!” Mia scolded. “You sound like a heartless bitch.”
Ange shrugged. “When it comes to work, I am.” She looked at Cody. “We have to be, right?”
Cody’s eyebrows shot up but he didn’t answer, more terrified of the sweet, caring women in the room than his sharp-as-a-tack businesswoman sister.
“I agree with Mia,” Lauren said. “I know I’m not family, and you don’t have to listen to me, but you have history with Lexi, and she’s important to this family.”
“You are family, Lauren,” Cody said. “Don’t you ever feel like you’re not part of this family, because you are.”
He saw tears swim in Lauren’s eyes then, and he was surprised when she came closer to him and gave him a hug. He hugged her back, awkwardly to the side with one arm, and when she looked up at him he could see exactly why Tanner had fallen so hard. She was one of the sweetest women he’d ever met.
“Tanner and I had a lot of history before we found our way back to each other,” she whispered.
“I think we’re way past the point of no return,” he replied. “But thanks.”
He and Lexi were nothing like Tanner and Lauren. Were they?
“Cody, if this was our mom? If she were still here? You’d fight tooth and nail to protect her. I know you would.”