by Vicki Tharp
Maybe she was right. Though he couldn’t bear to get his hopes up, only to have them dashed. It would break him.
There came a knock on the door, and Reynolds’ secretary poked her head in and said, “If you’ll follow me, please.”
Levi extricated himself from his chair and pulled Olivia along behind him. “Where are you taking us?”
“The conference room.” The secretary led them down a back hall and knocked twice on a door labeled ‘conference room’ before opening it. She motioned them inside. “Mr. Reynolds will be in shortly.”
Levi was brought up short in the doorway when he saw June, Clive, and another suited man Levi assumed was their lawyer already sitting at the table. “What the hell is going on here?”
“That’s what we’d like to know,” the suit said. The man stood and offered his hand to Levi. “Dick Norris. You must be Levi Banks. And your girlfriend?”
“My wife, Olivia Banks.”
Norris spared Olivia a short nod. June gave a derisive snort that said wife, my ass.
Before Levi’s tongue and temper could get the better of him, Reynolds walked in and took a seat at the head of the table. Levi settled across from Norris, Olivia across from June, and Clive was seated to June’s left.
Reynolds had left the door open, which Levi thought odd, but it wasn’t like the lawyer’s office bustled with activity. They were likely the only clients there at the time.
Norris pointedly looked at his watch. “If you don’t mind, Mr. Reynolds, I have to be in court in an hour.”
Reynolds straightened the manila folder on the table. “Certainly. We wouldn’t want to keep you.” He pulled a document from the folder and slid it to Norris. “As soon as your clients sign this, everyone can get on with the day.”
Reynolds’ tone, while courteous, held a hint of triumph. Olivia squeezed Levi’s hand. He was afraid to breathe. Norris eyed Reynolds for several long seconds before glancing down at the document. He flipped through the paperwork, then sat back and glanced back up at Reynolds. “You’ve got a set of balls on you, Reynolds, I’ll give you that.”
“W-what is it?” June asked.
“It’s a request for dismissal,” Reynolds said in that same patient, triumphant voice.
June and Clive glanced at each other, then at their lawyer, completely lost. Norris turned a remarkable shade of crimson. It started at his neck and slowly burned up his face where it settled in the balls of his cheeks and the dilated spiderweb of veins on the tip of his nose.
“In English,” Clive said.
Norris looked put out. “Essentially, it’s paperwork withdrawing your claim for custody.”
“Why would we do that?” June said. “We’ve gone through the evaluations. With flying colors, I might add. We have our court date next week.”
“They’ve got nothing,” Norris said. “Their backs are against the wall. They’ve got nothing to lose by trying a little gamesmanship.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Reynolds pulled out another document and slid it over to Norris. It was titled the same but was almost twice as thick. “The first would keep the allegations detailed within out of the public record, which I would imagine your clients would prefer. But I would be quite happy to file this second request for dismissal.”
As Norris read the new document the crimson drained from his face until he’d turned a sickly shade of white. “This is preposterous.” Though the way he said it, the words lacked conviction.
“Not according to the attached affidavits.” Reynolds maintained his decorum, and Levi tried to sit back and let it play out, but his heart hammered in his chest so loud, it was almost easier to read lips.
Clive slammed his hand on the table. June jumped. Reynolds smiled.
“I demand to know what’s going on,” Clive said.
“According to this document, Mae confided in her therapists that she suffered from...” The red returned to Norris’ face, and he couldn’t quite meet Clive’s eyes. “From abuse. Of a sexual nature.”
“I don’t see what that has to do with our getting custody,” Clive blustered.
What surprised Levi the most was the revelation hadn’t surprised either Clive or June. Olivia squeezed his hand tighter. He glanced over at her and raised his brow asking if she’d known. Olivia shook her head.
“Because you were the one who abused her, Dad.”
All heads turned to the doorway where Randy stood in his wrinkled suit with his hair disheveled. To Reynolds, he said, “Sorry, I couldn’t stand in the hallway and take it any longer.”
“Well, I never,” June huffed, seeming more shocked to see who the witness was than by the actual accusation.
“That’s right, Mother. You never. You never quit looking the other way. You never told Dad no. You never made him stop. You never took Mae’s side over his.” Randy’s hands shook as he scrubbed them through his hair. “I was a kid back then. I didn’t understand what was going on. But I’m an adult now. What you two did was unforgivable. I’m not going to stand by and let the two of you destroy Clementine the way you destroyed Mae.”
Reynolds took the first document and slid it down the table to Clive. “I suggest you sign. A decent lawyer would advise you to do the same.”
“You have no real proof.” Norris finally found his voice. “Just because Mae told her therapists she’d been abused doesn’t mean she was abused. Or abused by her father. She could have been lying.”
Levi couldn’t keep silent any more. “Who the hell lies about something like that?”
“We may not have physical proof. Only the subpoenaed testimony of her therapists as well as Randy’s testimony.”
Mae and Clive glared at Randy who stood his ground, arms crossed.
“But either way, we go to court, this secret comes out.” Reynolds’ level gaze traveled from June to Clive. “Are you prepared for friends, family, parishioners to hear these accusations about what you did to your own daughter?” His gaze went back to June. “The evil you failed to protect your daughter from?”
June swallowed hard, her eyes staring down at the table. Olivia let out a long-held breath, reminding him to take one of his own before spots appeared in front of his eyes.
“Can I go now?” Randy asked Reynolds.
Reynold nodded. “Yes. Thank you for coming. I know this couldn’t have been easy for you.”
Clive glared at his son as if the familial betrayal had cut deep. Levi almost laughed at the hypocrisy. What about Clive’s ultimate betrayal of his daughter?
“Aunt June,” Olivia said, her voice barely a whisper. “Is this true?”
June didn’t answer or raise her gaze from the table. Pursing her lips, she reached for the pen and the first document and scribbled her name on the last sheet of paper and handed it to Clive. She reached down, gathered her purse, and left the conference room.
“I could fight this. I’m a deacon. A pillar of the church, of the community—”
“Clive,” Norris said. “Sign the damn paper.”
* * *
Olivia stood next to her stock trailer at the Caddo Parish fairgrounds near Shreveport, Louisiana. The mid-day sun made sweat break out on her skin, and the rising humidity made the air thick as soup.
“You sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to back out,” Mr. Cox said.
“I’m positive.” Olivia accepted the cash from Cox Ranch, No Bull’s chief competition in Texas for roughstock supply. “Jettison is still a great bull, but his questionable infertility won’t help my breeding program any.” Besides, she had big plans for the money the bull would bring.
Within minutes, she signed over the transfer papers and Rusty helped the Cox Ranch boys load Jettison onto their trailer. When they’d finished, and Cox and his new bull were on their way home, Rusty asked, “You headed back to Texas tonight?”
It was late Sunday night, and the rodeo had ended a few hours before. Rusty and the rest of her crew had a long drive to get to Florida, s
o they were about to hit the road.
“First thing tomorrow. I’ve got business to take care of in the morning.”
She still hoped she’d made the right decision about tomorrow’s purchase. It was the biggest expenditure she’d be making without consulting Levi. Not that No Bull wasn’t hers to run, but he was her husband, and they were running it together. Which meant they generally discussed the big sales beforehand. Except, she wasn’t sure Levi would approve, and she was hoping for forgiveness in place of permission.
When she got to her motel room, she dialed the operator and placed a collect call to the ranch. Levi picked up after a single ring.
He was out of breath when he answered. Clementine must be asleep if he was sprinting for the phone. “Hello?”
“It’s me.”
Levi’s deep chuckle sent heat to her core, and she wished she’d been able to complete her business that night, so she could have made it home in time to crawl into bed with him. “Hey, me.” Levi’s voice shifted down an octave or two. He knew that always got her juices flowing. The damn man never played fair.
“I should be home by early afternoon tomorrow.”
“You’ve got some explaining to do.”
That’s not the response she’d expected. “What do you mean?”
“What’s with the construction equipment that showed up today?”
Ummm... Shit. They weren’t supposed to come until later in the week.
“Liv.” Levi used his stern voice. The what-have-you-got-up-your-sleeve voice.
“What did gramps tell you?”
“To ask you about it.”
Phew. “I promise I’ll tell you tomorrow, okay?”
His “okay” came on the heels of a reluctant, indulgent sigh.
She quickly changed the subject because she was so excited about what she had planned she didn’t think she could keep from telling him if he pressured her. “That Curry kid asked for your number. Did he get hold of you?”
“Yeah. Get this. He and Jameson are interested in bulldogging coaching.”
“I told you if you put the word out, you’d find people interested.”
“I guess. I feel like I’m putting the cart before the horse. I don’t have the proper facilities for that kind of training.”
Don’t tell him. Don’t tell him. But God, she wanted to. “You gotta start somewhere.”
She heard rustling over the phone and Levi’s muffled voice said, “Hey, Pix, what are you doing out of bed?” Then he came back on the line and said, “Hey, I gotta go. I think Clementine had a bad dream. Drive safe. I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
She got a speeding ticket on the way home the next day. Almost got another one ten miles from home. She pulled into the long driveway to her ranch, her windows down, the warm breeze blowing in.
Up ahead she saw the earth-moving equipment, the trucks filled with dirt and sand. At least they hadn’t tried to start the work before she’d returned.
As she drove by the house and parked next to the barn, Chunk whinnied in the trailer. Her bucking stock whinnied back.
Levi came out of the barn, Clementine in one hand and the lead rope to a freshly bathed and brushed pony in the other. The pony whinnied. Chunk returned the call.
Olivia came around the front of the truck. Levi’s steps faltered as his eyes focused on the trailer. He dropped Clementine’s hand and tied the pony to the trailer. Olivia went to her knees and scooped Clementine up when she ran into her arms.
“Liv.” Levi’s coarse voice proved difficult to hear over Clementine’s chattering. He didn’t look excited, or pleased, or angry or...anything.
Oh, God. Had she royally screwed up?
“What have you done?” Then he did a double take on the trailer. “And where’s Jettison?”
It was then that Clementine noticed who was in the trailer. “Chunky!”
Chunk nickered, and Olivia put Clementine down. Clementine ran to the trailer and climbed up on the bumper, sticking her fingers through the slats to scratch Chunk’s fuzzy nose.
Olivia stepped over to Levi and wrapped an arm around his waist. Red rimmed his eyes and the sun glinted off the moisture gathering there.
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” he said at last.
“You can’t teach bulldogging without a good bulldogging horse.”
He glanced down at her. “We don’t have the money for—” Levi cut himself off as the realization sank in. “Jettison.” It came out as a statement, but it was more of a question.
She nodded.
He waved his hand in the general direction of the construction equipment. “And this?”
“Jettison sold at a very fair price. There was enough money to buy back Chunk and build the arena and chutes you need to run your bulldogging school.”
“It’s too much. You should have talked to me. It could be years before a school is profitable, if it ever is. I—” He looked dumbfounded. “Why?”
“You made a promise to me to put our family first. You’ve done that. Each and every day. But putting Clementine, me, and this ranch first doesn’t mean sacrificing your dreams as well. I want you to have this. For you. For us.”
Clementine hopped off the trailer’s running board and ran back to Levi. “Daddy! I wanna ride Chunky!”
Levi laughed. “So do I, Pix. So do I.” He picked her up and held her on his hip then wrapped an arm around Olivia’s neck and brought her in for a kiss.
“Eew, gross.”
Levi chuckled and pulled away. “You shouldn’t have done it. But, babe, I’m so glad you did.” He squeezed her tight against him again, and she knew that in his arms was where she wanted to be for the rest of her life.
“You know,” she said, “you once asked me what I was afraid of. I now know what that was.”
“Yeah?”
“I was afraid I couldn’t make you happy. Not really. I want this for you. I want you to be as happy as you’ve made Clementine and me.”
He put Clementine down and pulled Olivia in close.
Clementine bopped him on the leg. “Daddy.”
“Hang on, Pix.” He cupped Olivia’s cheek. “You didn’t have to do this to make me happy. I love you, Liv. That’s what matters.”
He kissed her then, to a chorus of Clementine’s complaints, pouring himself, his emotions, his soul into her. It made her heart swell. She had a hard time catching her breath. When he finally pulled back, she said, “So does that mean you want me to call the construction off?”
He laughed. “Oh, hell, no.”
Chunk stomped in the trailer. Clementine took Levi’s hand and started pulling him toward the rear door.
“I’ll get him,” Olivia said, as she opened the trailer and led Chunk out.
She took Clementine’s hand and handed Levi the rope. Chunk took a step forward, planting his head in the middle of Levi’s chest. His fingers found the itchy spots on Chunk’s chest.
Levi whispered in his horse’s ear, loud enough for Olivia to hear, “Looks like we’re both home now.”
A Letter to My Readers
Dear Reader,
A blast from the past is always a kick, but now it’s time to return to the present, to a ranch that’ll make you want to strap on your spurs.
Running from her past has led battle-scarred veteran Mackenzie Parish into unfamiliar territory—a Wyoming ranch. She’s survived enough violence to last a lifetime, but middle America isn’t much safer than Iraq.
Not when the ranch becomes a target.
Now lives are in danger.
Can an ex-bull rider’s sweet touch draw Mackenzie out of herself—and her painful past?
Or will Mackenzie have to choose between saving herself, and the man who has made her feel whole again?
You’ll want to hang onto your hat because Cowgirl, Unexpectedly is a sexy, gritty ride you won’t want to miss.
Your next adventure starts here: www.books2read.com/CU62
Rom
antic Suspense
Lazy S Ranch Series
Cowgirl, Unexpectedly (Book 1)
Must Love Horses (Book 2)
Hot on the Trail (Book 3)
Cowboy, Undercover (Book 4)
Cowboy, Unbridled (Book 5)
Cowgirl, Unbroken (Book 6)
Wright’s Island Series
Don’t Look Back (Book 1)
In Her Defense (Book 2)
Steele-Wolfe Securities
Wyoming Confidential (Book 1)
Contemporary Romance
Rockin’ Rodeo Series
Luck of the Draw (Book 1)
Photo Chute (Book 2)
Reined In (Book 3)
Rockin’ Rodeo Series Collection (Books 1-3)
MM Romance
Black Stallion Studios Series
One Shot (Book 1)
Key Grip (Book 2)
Best Boy (Book 3)
Black Stallion Studios Box Set (Books 1-3)
Valley Boys
Art of Love (Book 1 Coming soon)
About the Author
Vicki Tharp makes her home on small acreage in south Texas with her husband and an embarrassing number of pets. When she isn’t writing, you can usually find her on the back of her horse—avoiding anything that remotely resembles housework—smelling like fly spray and horse sweat.
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