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What She Knew

Page 14

by Barb Han


  “All good points.” He paused for a minute as he navigated out of the parking lot and onto the narrow street. “I still don’t remember her or much about that weekend.”

  “And don’t you think that’s odd?”

  “Look, I made a mistake. I must’ve fallen off the wagon—”

  “What if you didn’t, Rylan?”

  “I’m not ready to let myself off the hook. It’s happened before,” he admitted.

  “Years ago you slipped. But you said yourself that this time was different.” Amber wasn’t letting him hang guilt around his shoulders like that. Not if he was innocent.

  “That doesn’t mean anything—”

  “You’ve been beating yourself up over this, Rylan. And if you did it, then that’s fine. But—”

  “No ‘but.’ I can’t make excuses for myself, Amber. Don’t you see that? It’s too easy for a person like me to slip and fall down that slope again. I’d been under a lot of stress. I might’ve picked up a beer.”

  “You just don’t remember it,” she countered.

  “That doesn’t mean I didn’t do it, dammit.” Frustration poured off him in waves. Guilt and shame seemed to clock him.

  “I believe in you,” she said calmly.

  “Well, don’t.”

  She let that sit between them for a few minutes.

  “Can you answer a question?” she asked.

  “I can try.”

  “Those couple of other times that you said you fell off the wagon early on. Do you remember the first drink?” Amber gripped her cell.

  “Yeah. I do. Clearly.”

  “But not this time,” she continued.

  “What, are you a prosecutor now? I already said that I don’t remember any of it.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles were white. “Are you satisfied?”

  “Yes. I am.” Amber gave it a moment to sink in.

  “I hear what you’re saying. It was different that time and that could’ve been because I didn’t willingly take that first drink. It’s a nice assumption, and one I want to be true with everything inside me. But I had a drinking problem at one time, and that means I can’t make excuses. I have to take responsibility for my actions. Period. Until I know for certain that I didn’t willingly take that first drink, I have no intention of cutting myself any slack.”

  The casual tone she was so used to in conversation with Rylan was gone. He usually covered what was going on inside with a wink and a smile. His charm was so good at seducing women, at making her fall a little bit harder for him. But this genuine side to him was an express train to hurt. Because she was falling for him hard. “I believe in you, Rylan. I believe that you’ve changed. And I believe that you’re sober. I understand what you’re saying, and I appreciate your perspective. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you to think you might’ve jeopardized your sobriety. All I want you to do is open up to the possibility that it wasn’t your fault. We have no idea what Alicia’s intentions were. She might’ve signed up to get pregnant—”

  “Why would anyone do that?” Rylan cut her off.

  “We don’t know her circumstances. Let Zach investigate. You know he’s good at his job. He’ll uncover the truth,” she said, trying to soothe him. His commitment to his daughter only served to draw Amber toward him even more. When she’d given Red the unexpected pregnancy news, he’d come off as supportive in the early days. It didn’t take long for his true feelings to surface. Red didn’t want a child. Of course, she’d learned that after the wedding. At eighteen, she’d been young and naive. Had she been in love with Red? No. She cared about him, though. And she’d believed a relationship could grow from there. That they could grow to love each other after becoming a family. And then their child had been stillborn. Red had packed his bags and moved out before she made it home from the hospital. Looking back, he’d done them both a favor because being a Kent would’ve caused her to stick out their relationship. Kents didn’t quit.

  The divorce papers showed up a month later. Red had moved to California and moved on with his life. It should’ve hurt, but instead she felt relieved that he was gone. Ever since, she could admit that she never allowed herself to get close to anyone.

  Speaking of family, there was something she needed to know before she made the argument that they might be safer at the ranch, just not at the main house. “Rylan, what happened between you and my brother?”

  “It’s between me and your brother.” Rylan’s tone had a definiteness to it that she ignored.

  “I need to know.”

  “Why? What purpose could it possibly serve?” He white-knuckled the steering wheel.

  “I changed my mind. I think we should go to the ranch for a few—”

  “Forget it.” Those two words had the sharpness of a blade and the finality of death.

  “There’s security at the main house. I know what happened to Breanna, and I reacted to that earlier but that was on the property, which we both know is vast,” she argued.

  “I still don’t like the idea,” he admitted.

  “We can’t just drive around all night. Being on the road isn’t safe if those henchmen decide to come back and forcibly remove Brooklyn from our arms.” Amber had no intentions of giving up easily.

  “You said yourself there are flaws in ranch security.” He could be a mule when he wanted to be.

  Amber bit back a yawn. “There are baby supplies there. How are we supposed to take care of a three-month-old while being chased by these idiots?”

  “We’ll figure it out.” Rylan checked the rearview mirror again, reminding her of just how much danger they were in.

  “How?”

  “You underestimate my abilities,” he scoffed, and seemed genuinely put off by her lack of confidence in his skills as a soldier.

  “I’ve seen how you handle yourself. Believe me when I say that if this was a one-on-one situation I’d have no doubts. But you have two handicaps, me and a baby who needs to eat every few hours and has to be handled with care. She could cry at the wrong moment, and you might not be able to cover in time. I’m not much use while I’m trying to hold her. You know that normally I know my way around a shotgun and I’m not afraid to use one. This is different, Rylan. Even a tough guy like you can see that we’ll hold you back and quite possibly cost us everything. I know you’re strong physically and mentally.”

  He grunted at that last word.

  “You are, Rylan.”

  “We need to find Alicia Ward, and we can’t do that from the ranch,” he argued.

  “That’s a good point. We can’t find her and offer the best protection for Brooklyn. If the Robinsons or their henchmen catch up to us, we might be forced to hand over your daughter and let the courts decide. You heard Zach. That could take months or years. Our family attorney would tell you the same thing if we called him.” She gave him a few minutes to let those words sink in.

  He concentrated harder on the stretch of road in front of them. She was getting through, making progress.

  “The ranch is the safest option for Brooklyn,” she added.

  “That’s playing dirty,” he finally said.

  “Maybe, but I’ll do anything to keep that little angel safe and so will you. The Robinsons are going to leave Zach’s office without their baby. They believe, right or wrong, that they have rights to her. Until your official DNA test comes back and proves to the courts that you’re the father, we don’t have any aces in our hands. Can you live with yourself if someone takes her? We only assume the vehicles were linked to the Robinsons. What if they weren’t? Brooklyn could be sold off into some baby ring and literally disappear from our lives forever before we have a chance to find her.” Amber risked a glance at Rylan, and she could see that her filibuster was working.

  So, she stopped in order to let her argument sink in.
r />   After circling a block three times, Rylan turned east, the direction of the ranch.

  “I don’t like the idea of putting your family in harm’s way,” he said.

  “Breanna Griswold might argue that you can’t protect everyone.” Amber’s heart fisted thinking about Breanna, about her family, about her lost life even before her death. “We need to get some rest and give Brooklyn a break. I can get enough supplies from the main house to get us through the night without alerting anyone to our presence.”

  “Where do you expect us to sleep without someone realizing we’re there?” he asked.

  “The bunkhouse.” She could’ve sworn she saw him tense at the idea of going to the last place they’d been alone together before he left eight years ago.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The rest of the ride to the ranch was silent. All the noise was going off inside Rylan’s head. Thoughts battled for attention. Frustration nailed his gut. And he’d be damned if he wasn’t thinking about the kiss he’d shared with Amber that had been so much better than the one in the bunkhouse. There’d been so much promise and intensity and chemistry in that kiss. Rylan could honestly say there’d never been a kiss like it. He wondered if that was what it was like to have something more than a physical attraction to someone. Although he had that, too. In spades.

  He had to remind himself that he was falling down another slippery slope and as silly as it sounded, even to him considering he was a grown man, the promise he’d made to Will at eighteen still mattered. The fight the two had had and the position Rylan had put Will in still mattered. Even more so now that Rylan was a man.

  But this wasn’t the time to dwell on an inappropriate attraction to his former best friend’s baby sister. He almost laughed out loud at the baby part. Amber Kent was all woman. She helped expand the successful family cattle ranch into the powerhouse it was today and had yet to hit thirty years old. She was a force to be reckoned with. She had a sharp wit, an easy laugh and a heart that knew no bounds. And even though she’d closed off parts of herself, which he assumed had to do with the baby she’d lost, she was still the most open woman he’d ever met. One look into those eyes and he could see right through her.

  Rylan refocused his attention. Dwelling on Amber’s good points wasn’t doing anything to quell his attraction to her—an attraction he needed to keep in check.

  His thoughts were weighted with other issues. He wondered if there was a court in Texas that would take his daughter away from him. He didn’t remember the girl’s mother. How would that make him sound? His playboy ways might catch up to him, and Brooklyn could pay the price.

  But then, if the adoption wasn’t on the up-and-up, would the Robinsons want to bring this to court? Was that why they’d brought the big guns now? They’d walked into that interview room like they owned the place. When he really thought about it, Teague Thompson had played the confidence card. Mr. Robinson had seemed angry and put out. Those were understandable emotions given the fact that they’d been promised a baby who’d then disappeared. Mrs. Robinson seemed troubled. Rylan got a bad feeling every time he thought about her. And Zach had made a good point about the family’s possible political connections.

  “I know a private investigator who might be able to help us dig into the Robinsons’ background,” Amber said as they approached the gate to the ranch. “That way we won’t feel like we’re wasting time resting.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Rylan stopped at the guard shack.

  Isaac Vanguard stood six feet one inch. He worked security at the ranch. With short, light brown hair and powder blue eyes, he would likely be considered attractive by most women.

  Isaac stepped out of the building. He bent down as Rylan opened the window.

  “Amy’s worried about you,” he said to Amber. “Said you two were supposed to be planning a lunch to benefit a women’s shelter, but she hasn’t been able to reach you.”

  Amber leaned toward the driver’s side and filled Rylan’s senses with her flowery and clean scent. Had she always smelled this good? “I’m sorry. I totally forgot. My cell battery died, and I keep forgetting to charge it. If you see her before I get a good charge, would you mind telling her I’ll be in touch as soon as I can?”

  Isaac glanced in the back seat. “Will do, ma’am.”

  He moved back inside the shack and pressed the button to open the gate. There was another security guard in the background, a man Rylan recognized from the other day. It seemed the Kent family was serious about adding extra security, and he saw that as a good sign they could handle almost anything that came their way. “Who was the other guy?”

  “That’s Blaise Dillinger.” Amber rubbed her temples.

  “You okay?” Rylan picked up on the tension. Granted, what they’d been through would have anyone stressed. Adrenaline had long faded from their encounter with the pickup truck and sedan, and the surprise of the Robinsons showing up at Zach’s office.

  “I was just turning over ideas in my head, spinning out. What if my cousin has to follow through with an investigation? The Robinsons could get a search warrant and surprise us. My family would never give us up, but they’d also be put in a bad position if they knew we were here. They’ll protect us no matter the cost. They won’t hesitate to stand up for us, and that could cost them if they’re found in contempt of court.”

  “We’re here. What now?” Rylan figured they were already well in over their heads.

  “Would you mind doubling back to Isaac for a second?”

  Rylan put the gearshift in reverse and navigated backward toward the iron gate.

  Isaac must’ve realized something was up because he hopped out of the guard shack and jogged toward them.

  “Need something?” he asked.

  “If anyone asks who’s at the ranch, you don’t have to answer—”

  “Yes, ma’am. I know.” He nodded.

  “I would never put you in a position to lie, Isaac—”

  “I took an oath to protect this family. I’ve been advised of my legal rights and am aware my actions could be contested in court.” Isaac’s dedication was noble. “I don’t have to answer any questions I don’t want to. Ever. Unless I’m in a court of law being asked by a judge. It’s my decision whether or not I want to put myself in jeopardy with the system. And in case you’re wondering what that means, my loyalty lies with this family.”

  “I’m not asking whether or not you’re loyal, Isaac. I already know the answer to that question. I wouldn’t want you to put yourself in a bad position over me,” Amber said, clarifying.

  “With all due respect, I can decide the risks I’m willing to take.” The man’s loyalty would never be in question, and Rylan couldn’t help thinking that Isaac would’ve made a good soldier. He had all the right qualities: honesty, loyalty and bravery. Everything else could be taught.

  Amber pursed her lips, no doubt wanting Isaac to think of himself first but obviously realizing he wouldn’t. When she finally spoke, she said, “Thank you, Isaac. You’re a good man, and you can’t know how much I appreciate everything you do for my family.”

  Isaac allowed himself a small smile before nodding.

  Rylan pulled away and navigated around the house toward the barn. Between family members and ranch hands, there were enough vehicles at the Kent main house parking lot to slip into a spot and have a reasonable expectation no one would be the wiser.

  “There are sleeping quarters in the barn if you’d rather go with the men—”

  “I know.” He’d worked three summers in that barn alongside his best friend, Will. Damn. Everything good about Rylan’s childhood always came back to the Kent family—a family that had always made him feel like one of their own despite him being from the wrong side of the tracks, coming from a no-good father and having a decent hardworking mother who had no gas left in the tank to spend time with him on the rare o
ccasions she wasn’t at work. “I don’t want to be separated from you, Amber. Not right now.”

  Amber gave a small smile before fishing out her key ring and fanning out the keys. After sliding a couple around the ring, she selected one. “I’ll grab a few things from the main house and meet you in the bunkhouse.”

  The thought of being alone with Brooklyn set his stress levels on high alert. This was his daughter, and he had to learn how to be alone with her. Rylan had been to a hostile country. He’d encountered enemies with every kind of face-to-face weaponry. He’d endured hostile, unforgiving terrain.

  But he’d never imagined something that weighed next to nothing would be the thing to take him down.

  Rylan brought the whole car seat inside with him. The bunkhouse was actually an apartment over the Kent Ranch offices.

  In a few hours, Lonnie would be awake and ready to start the day. It wasn’t uncommon for one of the Kents to sleep over in the second-story apartment, so Lonnie most likely wouldn’t be the wiser as to who was actually there. He wouldn’t bother the occupants.

  It didn’t seem right to sneak around the same ranch he could practically call home. Being here brought back so many memories, most of them were good. His last year in Jacobstown had been hell after his mother had passed away.

  The offices smelled the same, hay and horses. With a diaper bag over his shoulder and a baby carrier in his left hand, he would be a sight. No one from his past would believe this to be possible. Hell, he was still trying to digest this one.

  He shuffled up the wooden stairs, looking over the offices where he’d spent so much of his childhood.

  The apartment was small but cozy. The furniture was arranged just like he remembered. There was an open-concept living room with a kitchenette. A flat screen was mounted on one wall, with the most comfortable couch Rylan had ever slept on across from it.

  The kitchenette was in the corner. This close to the offices and barn it only had a sink, a fridge and a microwave, but that was good enough to get by in a pinch. The apartment was never meant to be a permanent residence. The rectangular dining table had one of its long sides pushed up against the wall. Two chairs were at opposite ends, and two were tucked into the same side. It was comfortable for two, maybe three people to eat there. Four was a stretch even though there were four place settings.

 

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