Dismissed by yet another friend, Riley practically ran to his truck. Gravel flew from his tires as he drove down the driveway until he reached the end where he stopped and swore, slamming his hands against the dashboard. His hands wrapped around the steering wheel until his knuckles ached. None of them understood. They were his friends. They’d lived through it with him and should understand he couldn’t stay, that it was just too damned hard. Damn Olivia for calling him a coward—he wasn’t!
Pulling his truck onto Trick and Kaylee’s property, he drove up to the beautiful log home that Trick had built for Kaylee. The wraparound porch looked welcoming with the rocking chairs beckoning, yet Riley steeled himself for more. Maybe he wouldn’t…
Just as Riley shut the truck off, and started to step out of the truck the back door opened and Kaylee stepped onto the porch. She smiled at him, seemingly glad to see him. She was a beautiful blonde woman with green eyes. He stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked up at her.
“You don’t look pregnant,” he said with a grin.
Kaylee laughed. “I’m only three months. Come on in, Riley.”
Climbing the steps, he hugged her when he reached the top and she wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tight.
“What the hell are you doing with my wife, Madison?”
Riley chuckled as he released Kaylee. “I got the same question from Gabe when I hugged Emma.” Turning, Riley stuck his hand out to another old friend. “How are you, Trick?”
“I’m good.” Trick winked at Kaylee. “Better than good actually.”
Love is all around. Riley watched Kaylee blush as Trick wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple.
“What brings you out this way?” Kaylee asked him.
Here we go. “I’m leaving and wanted to say goodbye.”
“Why?” Trick asked.
“Why what?”
“Why are you leaving? I heard you were seeing Katie…we thought…”
“I asked her to go with me but she won’t, end of story. Look, I keep explaining this and I shouldn’t have to. I can’t stay here.”
“You’re so full of shit, Madison. You have the woman you’re meant to be with yet you’re letting the past get in the way. Fine. Leave.” Trick just shook his head.
Shaking his head and raking his fingers through his hair in frustration, Riley ran his hand down his face and once again, went through the explanation. Kaylee went inside the house, and Trick simply frowned at him. It didn’t matter what he said, no one saw it his way. After leaving Trick’s home, he headed to Ryder’s ranch.
Knocking on the door, his gut clutched when Ryder answered the door with a frown. Shit! Ryder wasn’t going to let it go either.
“Come on in,” Ryder said as he opened the door wider.
Taking off his hat, Riley entered the kitchen and smiled at Kelsey who was sitting at the table eating a salad. She smiled back at him.
“Would you like something to eat, Riley,” she asked him in a friendly manner.
“No, thank you, Kelsey…I just stopped in to say goodbye. I’m heading back to Texas soon.” He waited. Nothing. They both stared at him. Pulling out a chair as he sighed, he took a seat beside Kelsey. “Aren’t you going to raise hell with me too?”
“Too?” Ryder asked him, folding his arms across his big chest as he leaned back against a counter.
“Well…I’ve stopped at everyone’s place and caught hell for leaving.”
“You should catch hell. You’re walking away from the love of your life.” Ryder’s eyes narrowed as if daring him to deny it.
“Damn it, she won’t go with me. I asked her to go but she refuses to leave here.”
“Then you stay here. It’s that simple. What’s the problem?” Kelsey asked him, as she stood to take her bowl to the sink.
“Too many bad memories—” Kelsey’s snort stopped his words.
“Oh, please. You think Ryder doesn’t have bad memories. Yet, he’s here and happy.” She folded her arms as she stared at him. “Apparently, he just has more balls than you do.” With that, she left the room.
Riley glanced over to Ryder only to catch him hiding a grin. “I hated Roscoe.”
“I hated my old man too, brother, but I wasn’t going to let him run my life. This ranch belonged to me, and in the end, I took it from him. Just because I had a rough childhood here doesn’t mean I was going to let those memories or him keep me from being happy—right here. In spite of him, I suppose.”
“You got out, Ryder. I didn’t. I stayed behind when you ran off.” Riley glared at him.
“I asked you to go with me at the time. Maybe if you had, you’d feel different about things now. I never understood why you stayed.”
“Because I thought…I thought if I worked the ranch with him, he’d…he’d love me again.” Riley explained to Ryder about Roscoe not being his real father.
“He stopped loving you the day he found out you weren’t his son, but that was no excuse to beat you. He just snapped. So why let that crazy old man win now? You have a chance to make good memories with Katie and frankly, you’re a fool if you leave her and Sadie behind. She doesn’t want to leave Clifton. This town is her home, the people…her family. Hell, Sam is here. You know how she loves her big brother. If you take her to Texas, what’ll happen? She’ll be alone, that’s what. Clifton is all she’s ever known. You can’t ask her to do that.”
Glancing at the ceiling, Riley shook his head. “My home is in Texas.”
“Bullshit. As much as you hate to admit it, your home is right here. Just like mine is. We had a hell of a childhood with the parents we had. At least you were lucky enough to find out he wasn’t your real father and I was lucky enough to find Frank and Grace. Things worked out for both of us, Riley. Don’t let Katie slip through your fingers. You’ll regret it the rest of your life. She can help you make all the bad shit disappear.” Ryder stepped forward and stuck his hand out. “I need to get back to work. Have a safe trip.”
Dismissed by yet another friend, one who should have truly understood, Riley gave Ryder a terse nod and left. He climbed into his truck and sped off down the driveway wanting to get far away even as his gut ached with something he couldn’t describe. Later that afternoon, he sat in the cabin reeling, for he’d received the same lecture from Brody. Friends, who should understand but didn’t, and it hurt.
The next morning, Riley sat staring at the TV not really seeing it, when someone knocked on his door. Opening the door of the cabin, he took a fist to the chin, knocking him back a few feet. Falling back against the couch, he gazed up at Sam while putting his hand to his chin and moved it back and forth.
“Christ, Sam,” Riley muttered and started to rise.
“You get up and I’ll knock you right back down,” Sam growled in more than a menacing tone.
Deciding to be wise, Riley stayed where he was. “There was no reason for that.”
Sam strode forward. “The hell there wasn’t. I told you, if you hurt her, you’d deal with me.”
“I asked her to go with me.”
“She told me.” Sam swore, clenching his fists. “You just don’t fucking get it, do you? Katie built her business into what it is today, on her own. She seems so independent, but everyone who matters to her is here—in Clifton. She doesn’t know any other way of life. You take her away from here and she’ll be lost.”
“She’ll have me,” Riley yelled not understanding why everyone thought he couldn’t take care of Kaitlyn and Sadie.
Sam shook his head. “And no one else. What happens when things get hard, who does she turn to then? I love my sister and I respect her, but she’s my little sister. She won’t be happy so far away from the only life she’s ever known.”
Riley shoved his fingers through his hair. “I can’t stay here, Sam.”
“Bullshit, Riley. The bastard is dead and buried yet he’s still running your life. You stood up to him before, do it again. Show hi
m you can stay here and not let him win over you.” Sam sighed. “Everyone in this town is family. Clifton would love to have you come home.”
Slowly climbing to his feet, Riley watched Sam hoping he wouldn’t move at him again. “You aren’t going to hit me again, are you?”
Flexing his fingers first, Sam shook out his hand. “I haven’t decided yet. I told you not to hurt her. I saw her yesterday and you’re damn lucky, I took some time to cool down. You broke my sister’s heart.” Sam stepped closer again.
“Fuck, Sam. I wanted to take her and Sadie with me. I begged her. I’d never hurt Kaitlyn intentionally. I…I love her, Sam…Sadie too.”
“Then stay here and make them both happy,” Sam told him. “If you leave, it’s only going to hurt her even more…if that’s possible. And what about Sadie? She loves you too. Can you really just walk away from them?”
“I can’t stay,” Riley said in a quiet voice while shaking his head.
Sam growled. “You were like a brother to me, but right now I want to kick your ass. I would too, except I know Katie would hate me if I did.” He turned away stopping in the doorway. “Fine. Leave then. You fucking pussy.”
“Hey,” Riley shouted making Sam turn.
“Do not push me, Madison.” A look of pain crossed Sam’s face and he shook it away. “I really thought you were tougher than that. Once you got older, you stood up to that son of a bitch for years but now that he’s dead, you’re going to let him run you out of town—again. That makes you a fucking pussy.” He sighed, looking out the door instead of at Riley. “You need to ask her about Kevin.”
Sam strode from the cabin, slamming the door behind him, leaving Riley to stare at the door. His gut ached again. Sam was wrong…he wasn’t a pussy. The hate for Roscoe was too great. Clifton was poisoned by the memories of never knowing love from a man he wished every day would love him, or at least, respect him. There was just no way he could stay here.
Climbing up from the floor, he took his seat on the couch. With no other option, he decided he’d just have to convince Kaitlyn to leave with him. Damn, Sam has a mean right hook.
Riley rubbed his chin, waggled his jaw, thinking perhaps he had deserved it. Standing, he grabbed his hat and headed out the door. Now was as good a time as any. Kaitlyn had to understand how much he needed her with him and besides, what Sam had said had him curious and he wanted to know about her husband.
As Riley drove toward town, he passed the cemetery. He slowed the truck and pulled off the road. Swearing as he made a U-turn, he drove into the cemetery and parked. Throwing open the door, his hands clenched into fists, he got out and headed for the grave. When he located the marker, Riley stared down at it then squatted.
“When I was little, I wanted you to love me. So what…I wasn’t your son by blood. I was in every other sense of the word, and you should have loved me because I thought you were my father. Even after you sent my mother away, you should have loved me. I loved you.” Riley cleared his throat. “Most of the other kids had dads they looked up to. I could never talk about you to them because all I could ever say was you hated me. Only Ryder truly understood.” Anger filled him again, and he bolted to his feet. “It wasn’t my fault I was another man’s son, I belonged to you. Hell, Sadie isn’t mine but I love her as if she were my own.” Riley’s eyes were burning. “All I wanted was your love.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “And all I got from you was a shitty rundown ranch. Well, the laugh’s on you, old man, because the house is going to be great and I’m going to get top dollar for it.”
Marching away from the grave, he hated that the bastard could still make him hurt. He was leaving Clifton no matter what anyone said to him. The house and land would go on the market and with a little luck, sell quickly. Riley didn’t need to be there for the sale. He could do everything over the phone and through email. As much as it killed him, he was leaving, and he’d try one more time to get Kaitlyn to go with him. If she still refused then he’d have to learn to live without her…Christ, the thought of life, without her and Sadie, hurt like hell.
Chapter Twelve
Kaitlyn tiptoed from Sadie’s room, closing the door as quietly as possible. She’d finally gotten her to sleep for her afternoon nap. Frankly, Kaitlyn needed one herself. Crying all night and most of today had left her exhausted, yet she couldn’t seem to stop. As she moved away from the door, the sound of a knock on the front door made her jerk with surprise. Glad not to hear Sadie cry out, she figured it was probably Sam checking up on her. Not in the mood for his big brother act, she sighed and moved toward the door, pulling it open.
“I’m fine, Sam—” Seeing Riley standing there made her words catch in her throat. Without a word, he simply strolled in then spun around to stare at her.
“I need you to come with me, Kaitlyn.”
Too tired to have this argument, Kaitlyn sighed. “We’ve been over this, Riley. I’m not going with you. I won’t take Sadie away from everyone she knows and loves.”
“Damn it. She’ll get past it. She’s too young to remember, and you’ll both make new friends.” He took her hands in his. “Please, Kaitlyn. I love you. I want to marry you and have more children with you…to make a family for Sadie.”
“We can do that here.”
“No, we can’t,” Riley snarled turning away with his hands on his hips, she saw him take a deep breath then exhale before turning back to face her. “I’m leaving the day after tomorrow. If you’re not at the cabin tomorrow night, then I’ll know you’re not going with me.”
“I won’t be there,” Kaitlyn’s voice caught on a sob.
Riley hung his head and shook it slow from side to side. “I-I wish…Katie, tell me about your husband.”
Kaitlyn gasped. “Who…? Sam. I’ll kill him,” she muttered turning away.
“I want to know. I’ve wanted to ask about him for quite a while but never thought it was a good time. I want to know now. I think I need to know.”
Sinking into the sofa, Kaitlyn took a deep breath but didn’t look at Riley. “Kevin came through Clifton about five years ago. He lived in California. I met him in the diner. The place was packed so I had to sit beside him at the counter since all the tables and booths were full. We started talking, and he asked me out.” She shrugged. “I said yes, and the romance began. Only I fell in love and he fell in lust. Some people tried to warn me about him, but I wouldn’t listen. We married within a year and it wasn’t long before the rumors started flying about him.” Her eyes shifted to Riley and saw he wore a tight-lipped expression. “Kevin couldn’t keep his pants zipped, you see. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like if I’d move to California like he’d wanted me to do originally. Hell, living here in Clifton was bad enough because I spent most of the time alone in the house we lived in. You see, he was always with his mistress while I sat home alone, and I hated it. If I hadn’t had my friends and Sam here, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“Do you think I’d do that to you?” Riley’s voice rose.
“I didn’t say that, Riley. Please let me finish.” When he nodded, she continued. “We talked about having children before we got married but on our one-year anniversary, I asked about starting a family and he told me he’d changed his mind, that he no longer wanted children. I’m sure he thought kids would tie him down, interfere with his good times. His refusal to have kids devastated me. I was a fool because he had a mistress even before we got married, but I refused to listen to the people who tried to tell me. One night, we got into an argument and I told him I knew about his mistress. He said if I was more of a wife, he wouldn’t need a mistress.” Kaitlyn shrugged. “I told him it didn’t matter anymore because I’d never sleep with him again. He…he dragged me to the bedroom and raped me.” She heard Riley hiss in a breath but couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “Right after I discovered I was pregnant, Kevin and his mistress died in a car accident. They were coming around Copper Ridge Road when
a truck came around the turn too fast, and crossed the centerline. I’m ashamed to say I felt no grief for his death. I’d loved him at one time and I was carrying his child. A child he never wanted…but...” She took a deep breath. “I thought about how glad I was that I never went to California with him. I would have been left alone out there, and so I promised myself I’d never leave here. My shop is here, lifelong friends and of course, Sam is here. I doubt he’s leaving—ever. It’s bad enough that our parents don’t live here anymore, but I’m so close to Sam that I’m okay with that.” She turned her eyes to Riley. “This is my home, Riley, and I won’t leave it. Not now, not ever.”
Watching him, she saw him take a deep breath and suspected it was in resignation, and then Riley moved toward the door. “Then I guess we’re at an impasse since I won’t stay here. I’ll let you think about it. We could visit…I’d fly you home anytime you wanted, Katie. You’d never want for anything. I’m sorry for what you went through and if he were alive right now, I’d kill him. You deserve someone who loves you, and I love you. I want you with me—you and Sadie—but in Texas. Tomorrow night.”
Frozen, she stared at the spot where he’d stood, the sound of the door slamming behind him still echoing in her ears. He just didn’t understand. Sure, he could fly her home any time but it wasn’t the same thing. Her shop was here, her business, her success…a place she loved and enjoyed working. It was the only other thing besides Sadie that Kevin had left her. Having listed her as his beneficiary, she’d inherited quite a bit of money, enough to buy the shop, and still have enough left over for Sadie’s college fund while living comfortably for the rest of her life. Kaitlyn didn’t need to work, but she wanted to. True, she was nowhere near as wealthy as Riley was but she would have no money problems either.
There was no question as to her being there tomorrow night. She wouldn’t be there. Her heart was breaking thinking of him leaving. It’s your own fault. You knew from the start he wasn’t staying in Clifton. He has no reason to stay. Her hands clenched into fists. Damn it! He did have a reason to stay…two of them…Sadie and her. Weren’t they reason enough?
RILEY Men of Clifton Montana by Susan Fisher-Davis FINAL (1) Page 16