A Real Cowboy Never Says No

by Stephanie Rowe

  For a moment, Alan’s eyes narrowed. She could tell she’d taken him by surprise, and she waited, resisting the urge to babble in defense of her lie. She’d learned from her dad that liars usually talked too much, wrapping themselves up in fabrications that unraveled when more information was revealed. People who told the truth let the facts speak for themselves.

  So, she said nothing else.

  “A DNA test will clear up that situation, won’t it?”

  Crap. How dare he be intelligent enough to know about basic science?

  He jerked his chin toward the back door, and she was startled to see that his two suited escorts were now in the doorway, waiting for his command. “Find out how old an unborn baby has to be before we can do a DNA test. I’m sure we don’t have to wait until it’s born.”

  Bastard! Of course he’d want a DNA test. “You can’t run one without my permission, and I’m not giving it to you.”

  “You’re unfit to be a mother,” he said, his fingers still digging in. “I have reams of evidence of you buying illegal drugs, coming home drunk, and using your dying mother’s pain killers to fund your own habit.” He released her to pull a document out of his envelope. “I have over twenty affidavits from people who will attest to your substance abuse problem, as well as evidence that you were defrauding the insurance companies to steal money from your mother’s medical funds to pay for it.”

  He slapped the document in her hands, and she looked down, her heart sinking when she saw the names of assorted prominent people from town listed, and their quotes. How much money had he paid them? Were there so many people willing to sell themselves for money? Apparently, there were. “They lied.”

  “They swore under oath.” Alan leaned forward. “You have two choices, Mira. Take a million dollars cash and disappear. Or you can fight me, and I’ll destroy your reputation until the courts ban you from ever coming near the child again. That kid will grow up knowing that his mother was an addict who thought her next high was more important than her own kid. I can do it. You know I can.”

  Her mind started to spin, and she felt dizzy. She wanted to protest that Chase would never let it happen, and that Alan couldn’t violate the sanctity of the marriage vows, but the words died in her throat. If she roped Chase in deeper, he’d destroy Chase as well. He’d take the ranch, destroy his reputation, and steal everything that mattered to him. Especially because it was AJ’s child and that might give Alan power she didn’t want him to have.

  “If you sign the papers giving me guardianship, I’ll tell the kid that his mom was a good woman who died in a plane crash. He’ll never know otherwise.”

  Never know her own child? Or have it grow up thinking that she was an addict? “Chase is the father,” she managed. “Not AJ. You have to leave.”

  Alan grabbed the front of her shirt and jerked her over to him. “You will sign the papers, Mira. If the DNA test shows Chase is the father, then I’ll walk away and tear up the contract, because I don’t want his filthy spawn. You can keep the money. If it’s AJ’s kid, then the deal is a go.”

  “No!” She tried to twist out of his grasp, but his grip tightened. “I’m not signing anything!”

  Alan snapped his fingers, and one of the other men walked up. He was holding a tablet computer. Silently, he turned it so that Mira could see what was on the screen. It was a detailed email outlining countless instances of substance abuse, including an incriminating paragraph about how she was pregnant with the heir to one of the most dominating empires of the south, and how the baby’s future was at risk because of her substance abuse problems. The recipient of the email was the editor-in-chief of a major national newspaper, and the producer of a national investigative television show. “I have twenty-two more emails ready to send right now to other media outlets. The campaign will begin this instant. Once word gets out about how messed up you are, you’ll have no chance to ever see the kid again, and you’ll be locked down in my house until the baby is born.”

  Oh, God. “You’re going to look like a fool once the DNA test says it’s Chase’s child.” Her breath was tight in her chest, and she was having trouble getting oxygen. “And it’s all lies, so I can sue you for libel and slander. No one will publish that. They’ll all be liable.”

  Alan smiled. “They’re only lies if you can prove they’re lies. I have proof that it’s all true, and I can afford to fight a very lengthy legal battle in the process. Can you?”

  She felt sick. “You’re the bastard,” she snapped. “If you drag me into a court battle, I swear I’ll expose you for the father you truly are. I’ve seen AJ’s scars, and I know his foot was messed up because of what you did to him.” His face darkened with rage, and she leaned in toward him, anger surging through her. “I guarantee I’m not the only one who knows you beat him, and I’m guessing that your other son has told an awful lot of therapists that the reason he’s such a mess is because his daddy beat the hell out of him. Is that worth it, Alan? You really want to go there? Because that is the truth, and we both know it, and I will make sure it gets out.”

  White-hot anger flashed over his face, and sudden fear ripped through her. She’d pushed the monster too far.

  She had no time to back up before his fist came up and hit the side of her face.

  No one helped her when she fell.

  His two escorts simply walked out of the room, shut the door behind them, and left her alone with a bastard.

  Chapter 16

  She wasn’t answering her phone.

  Sweat trickled down Chase’s spine as his truck hurtled down the highway toward his ranch. Mira’s phone was going directly into voicemail, and he was still twenty minutes away. What if she stood up to Alan? What if she pissed him off?

  Shit!

  His phone suddenly rang, and he lunged for it, nearly losing control of the truck in his frenzy to get it. One glance told him it wasn’t Mira, but he answered it anyway. “Maddox! Where are you?”

  His brother, who he hadn’t spoken to in several months, answered. “Heading toward the hospital. We’re about forty-five minutes away. I have Ryder with me. How’s Steen? Tell me he’s gonna be okay.” The edge to Maddox’s voice bit deep, and Chase knew that the bond that tied the Stocktons together was soul deep.

  He was going to have to ask his brother to break that bond. “How far are you from the ranch?”

  “A couple minutes. Why? You need something?”

  “There’s a woman there. She needs help. I’m fifteen minutes away. You have to go help her.”

  There was a short silence. “What?”

  “A woman. Mira Cabot. Get over there now!” His fingers were tight on the steering wheel, and Chase wanted to leap through the phone and grab his brother by the throat.

  “You want us to go help a woman instead of coming to see Steen? What the hell? I thought he was dying.”

  “He is.”

  “Well, shit, Chase, why are you—”

  “There’s a bastard there who’s going to beat her up! Get the hell over there! She’s under my protection and she’s pregnant with the guy’s grandkid. He’s like Dad, and he wants to hurt that baby!” And Mira. Son of a bitch. Alan wanted to hurt Mira as well.

  There was more silence, and then he heard Maddox talking to Ryder. Chase gritted his teeth, pressing the accelerator even harder, but even he couldn’t make the truck fly. “Travis and Zane are with Steen. I told them I was coming to help her. Come on, man. Do this for me.” He couldn’t keep the urgency out of his voice. “I can’t get there in time.”

  Maddox came back on the phone. “The bastard’s dead. We’re on it.”

  Relief rushed through Chase. “Thanks.”

  “Tell Steen that if he dies before we get there, we’re going to hunt him down in the Afterlife and make him pay,” Maddox added. “Got it?”

  “Got it.” He hung up and immediately called Travis. When his brother answered, he gave him the message for Steen.

  Something had to reach his brot
her. Maybe that was it.

  ***

  Pain rang through Mira’s head as she dragged herself backwards, trying to get away from Alan. “Every time you hit me, it digs your hole deeper, proving what you did to your sons,” she snapped. “Get out while you can, Alan.”

  His face was grayish and pinched as he advanced upon her. “No, bitch. I’ve had enough of you interfering in my relationship with AJ. He rejected me because your family told him to. Your piece of shit father tried to steal my son, and you helped. Your entire family took him from me.” He kicked aside a chair that went spinning across the kitchen floor. It slammed into the wooden cabinets with a sickening thud that made Mira jump. “It’s over now. I’m taking what’s mine.”

  Mira scrambled to her feet, staggering as a wave of dizziness hit her. Pain raked through her abdomen, and sudden fear knifed through her. What if he made her lose the baby? “Stop it!” she shouted, keeping the island between them. She pressed her hand to her belly. “Don’t you dare touch me again,” she snapped. “You want to hurt the baby?”

  He lunged across the table and grabbed her hair. “Any grandchild of mine is tough enough to handle a few bumps.”

  She yelped and grabbed his hand, trying to stop him from pulling her hair, but he dragged her around the island anyway, jerking her to him. “Sign the papers,” he snapped. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

  “Yes, I do.” She slammed her elbow into his gut.

  He grunted and released her hair. She immediately broke for the back door, her feet slipping on the polished wood. She grabbed the doorknob, but Alan caught her arm just as her fingers closed around it. He jerked her back, just as she heard shouting from outside. “Help!” she shouted. “Help me!”

  There was more yelling, and she recognized Gary’s voice, among others. She realized he’d come to help her, but Alan’s men were blocking his path. “Gary!”

  Alan threw her onto the couch, and she landed so hard she couldn’t breathe. She just lay there, fighting for breath as Alan walked up and crouched beside her. Outside, the shouts continued, but no one came in to help her. She couldn’t even yell for help. All she could do was try to regain her breath.

  Alan’s face was pale, deathly pale, his features contorted into a diabolical rage. He set the papers on the couch by her face, and shoved a pen into her hand. “I have dozens of witnesses who will swear you signed this of your own free will,” he said, his voice pinched with anger. “I can keep this up all night, and if my grandchild doesn’t survive it, then it’s on you, not me.”

  She closed her eyes as a wave of nausea washed over her. She realized he was telling the truth. He would rather win than have his grandchild survive. He hated her and her family for the fact AJ rejected him, and it was finally his chance for payback. If she kept fighting, she would lose the baby. If she gave up, the baby might survive, and she might be able to fight back in courts.

  She opened her eyes to look at Alan, and her heart fell. He had power and connections beyond comprehension, and she had nothing. Was there really a chance she could defeat him in a legal battle? She knew with sinking certainty that he’d never let it get that far. He’d never let her expose who he was. After the baby was born, there would be another night. Another visit. This time, with no witnesses. A night she wouldn’t survive. “Did you kill my father?” The question popped out unexpectedly, as if she’d known it as a truth all along. “Did you cause that car accident?”

  Alan stared at her for a long moment. He didn’t answer, but she saw the truth in his eyes.

  He’d killed her parents out of spite, out of hate, out of a psychotic insanity about his son, and now he was ready to do the same to her.

  ***

  Chase gunned the engine as he raced up his driveway, and his gut dropped when he saw Maddox and Ryder in a brawl outside his front door. Gary was slumped on the ground, not moving. Both his brothers were in a hard-fought hand-to-hand battle against two guys in suits who knew how to fight. It was clear his brothers were trying to get into the house, and the men were blocking them. Neither suit was Alan, but a long, black limousine was sitting ominously in front of the house.

  Chase knew Mira had to be inside the house with Alan. Fear ripped through him, and he gunned the engine and jerked his steering wheel to the right. The truck plunged over the edge of the driveway and bounced across the rutted ground toward the back of the house. It bounced over rocks, careening dangerously to the side, but Chase didn’t even slow down.

  The truck skidded around the corner of the house, and Chase plowed down a birdbath before slamming on the brakes. The truck crashed into his gas grill, knocking it over as Chase leapt out and vaulted onto the back porch. He exploded through the back door into the living room.

  Mira was on the couch, and Alan’s face was twisted in rage as he drew back his fist to hit her.

  “No!” Chase leapt across the room and tackled the older man, throwing him back against the wall before he could land the blow. They crashed into the built-in shelves, and books rained down upon them.

  He threw aside a hardcover book as it cracked against his temple and leapt to his feet. “Mira!” His heart seemed to freeze in his throat as he took in her bruised face and her bleeding lip. He vaulted over the coffee table and landed beside her, going down on one knee.

  She managed a smile, but her eyes were pinched with pain. “Thanks for coming.”

  “I was late. Shit. I was late.” Guilt poured through him, as he pressed his hand to her forehead. Her skin was cold, but sweat was trickling down her temples. He saw her hand pressed to her belly, and terror congealed in his gut. He set his hand over hers. “Tell me, hell, he didn’t hit you in the stomach, did he?”

  She shook her head. “No, not yet. I think the baby will be okay.”

  Chase felt his chest constrict, as he wrapped his arms around her, helping her sit up. Just as she sat up, she looked past him, and her eyes widened.

  Chase spun around immediately, rising to his feet as Alan grabbed the fireplace mantle and dragged himself to his feet. His skin was ashen, and his cheeks were sunken. He looked like a man who’d been to hell and had never found his way back. Disgust poured through Chase for the man who was the replica of his own father, a bastard to the end. “Assault and battery is going to get you prison time, you piece of shit.”

  Alan grabbed his left shoulder, as if he’d hurt it in the fall. “I’ll buy your mortgage, Stockton. You’ll lose the ranch. You want to risk that?”

  Chase froze. “What?”

  “Your mortgage. Lenders sell them all the time.” Alan tried to stand up more erectly, and his face pinched with pain. “I can own you by the end of the day.”

  His ranch? His ranch? Could Alan really find a way to take it?

  Mira’s fingers slipped into the waistband of his jeans, and she pulled herself to her feet. “Stay out of it, Chase. It’s my battle. Don’t risk the ranch.”

  Movement outside caught his eye, and Chase glanced out the front window. He could see Maddox fighting. Blood was trickling down the side of his face. His brothers were out there taking hits for him, because he’d asked them to. Could he really sacrifice his ranch, their ranch?

  Then he looked down at Mira. Her jaw was clenched with pain, but there was a fire in her eyes, and he knew she wasn’t going to give up. She was a fighter who had lost her family and her home, but she wasn’t going to step down.

  He realized suddenly that this was what family was about. Family wasn’t a ranch. It was his brothers stepping in to help him, defending a stranger because he’d asked. It was Mira, willing to take whatever Alan dished out to protect her baby.It was the fact that every one of his brothers had rushed back to town when Steen needed them, without hesitation. Family was defined by the people who stood together against all odds, and it didn’t matter whether they were standing on a ranch, or in a gutter somewhere. It was all the same.

  It wasn’t about a ranch, and it hadn’t ever been. The front door sudden
ly flew open. Maddox and Ryder rushed inside, both of them battered, bruised, and bleeding. The brothers stopped when they saw Chase, but when they noticed Mira’s black eye, their eyes narrowed in open hostility.

  Chase nodded at them, and then slung his arm around Mira’s shoulder, pulling her against him. “You can try to take the ranch,” he said evenly to Alan. “I don’t give a shit. But you need to know that you will never get through me to Mira or our baby.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Maddox and Ryder’s faces go blank in shock at his announcement. He tensed, ready for them to resist, the way Zane and Travis had. But to his surprise, they walked right up, flanking him and Mira. Their cowboy hats were dirty, their faces were bruised, and knuckles were bleeding. They looked as mean as their father ever had, and Chase knew they could fight just as dirty.

  “You have to go through me, too,” Maddox said, wiping the back of his arm across a stream of blood trickling down his forehead.

  “I’m in,” Ryder agreed. “Don’t touch what’s ours.”

  Alan looked back and forth between them, then he glanced toward the door, where his men were limping in with torn suit jackets and more damage than either Maddox or Ryder had sustained. “This isn’t over,” he snapped.

  “Yes, it is!” Mira pulled out of Chase’s grasp and walked over to him. “Let it go, Alan. You almost destroyed AJ, and you’re doing the same to your only living son. Get help. You won’t ever get my baby—”

  His lip curled in distaste. “I will. You wait.” He lurched over to the coffee table, walking crookedly, as if he were drunk. He swept the computer off it. “I’ll still send the email, Mira.”

  Mira stiffened, and Chase didn’t need details to understand the threat. He strode over to Alan, and stopped beside Mira, angling himself between the bastard and Mira. “You don’t get it, old man. You can blackmail her or any of us all you want, and we won’t give in.” He took Mira’s hand, squeezing tightly. “We stand by each other, and every piece of crap you throw at us will have to go through all of us. You’ll never do it.”