by Myra Johnson
In the kitchen, Audra had pushed the start button on the coffee maker. “Have a seat, Owen. Care for a slice of pumpkin bread with your coffee?”
“Uh, sure.” He took a chair at the far end of the table.
Lindsey busied herself getting plates, forks and napkins while Audra cut three hearty slices from the loaf. She’d been baking again yesterday, the aroma filling the house and tempting Lindsey’s taste buds. Today, though, she doubted she could choke down a single morsel.
With the coffee poured and the pumpkin bread served, Audra chose the chair nearest her brother, sparing Lindsey, who seated herself at the opposite end of the table, then did her best not to look directly at her father.
No one said anything for several tense moments while nibbling—or pretending to, anyway—on their pumpkin bread.
Then Lindsey’s father nudged his plate aside and leaned his elbows on his knees. “Look, I’m not trying to be unreasonable here. Just realistic.”
A caustic remark begged for release from Lindsey’s lips, but Audra silenced her with a light tap on her hand. “I respect your point of view, Owen. I also know this ranch never held the same meaning for you that it has for me. Perhaps I’m not being completely realistic in wanting to hold on to it. But for you to be so insistent about selling... I can’t help but think your only interest is the money.”
“I admit, that’s part of it. My...my stepkids...” He slid his glance toward Lindsey, then looked away. “DeeDee and I got married last month, and, well, families are expensive.”
Lindsey trembled with the effort required to hold her tongue. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take.
He whipped a folded paper from his breast pocket and slapped it open in front of Audra. “I tried to talk to you about this the other night. It’s a more than fair offer on the property, enough to pay off the debts and set us up real nice for the foreseeable future.”
Snatching the page, Lindsey scanned the official-looking document. “Where’d you get this?”
“An Austin real estate broker emailed it to me last week.” His mouth twisted in a smug smile. “Guess the prospective buyer figured I’d be more open to negotiating than my stubborn sister.”
“You still can’t make a deal without Audra’s agreement,” Lindsey muttered while searching for the line naming the buyer. “Ah, another corporation with a suspiciously obscure name.”
“Doesn’t matter who the offer’s from. It’s legit. Come on, sis, why wouldn’t you jump at the chance to get this albatross off your neck?”
“Albatross?” Lindsey flew from her chair.
“Honey, sit down.” Aggravatingly calm, Audra waited until Lindsey had complied, then shifted to face her brother. “What’s really going on here, Owen? Why do you despise this ranch so much?”
“I don’t.” He swallowed hard, his glance shifting uneasily between Audra and Lindsey before he looked directly toward the Navarro ranch. “It’s them I despise. Every last high-handed, coldhearted one of them.”
This was too much. And completely irrational. “How can you lump them all together like that?” Lindsey burst out, then bit her lip as she recalled doing pretty much the same thing with Spencer only a few weeks ago. She forced a measure of calm into her tone. “The feud was between Grandpa and Arturo. You can’t possibly think all the Navarros are out to get you personally.”
“Oh, no?” His cold stare held hers. He clenched his jaw so tightly that it quivered. “There’s a lot you don’t know, Lindsey. Stuff that should make you want to stay as far away from that family as you can—”
He cut himself off suddenly. As if he’d read her mind—or more likely the pained look in her expression—he continued, “I’m too late, aren’t I? You’re getting involved with one of those Navarro boys.” He gave his head a disgusted shake. “You’re asking for trouble, Lindsey. Play with fire and you’ll get burned...” His tone fell to a murmur. “Like I did.”
While Lindsey tried to make sense of his statement, Audra studied her brother, a look of comprehension widening her eyes. “I was too young then to realize... You were in love with Alicia, weren’t you?”
Nodding, he sat back with a thud. “And because of it, the Navarros ruined both our lives.”
Lindsey gulped for air as if someone had cut off her oxygen supply. “So Mom was your consolation prize? Did you ever even love her?”
“Linds, don’t.” He stretched his hand toward her across the table, but she recoiled. “I admit, I was an angry, hurting mess after Arturo refused to let us get married. I hated my father, too, for not standing up for us. So I packed and left. Got a job in West Texas working oil rigs. Met your mom and tried to forget all about Alicia Navarro.”
“But you couldn’t,” Lindsey said flatly. “That’s why you and Mom fought so much, isn’t it? Why you gave up on us and walked out.”
His silence was the only confirmation she needed.
She rose and emptied her cold coffee into the sink. Standing before the window, she looked beyond the ugly barbed-wire fence as Spencer led a saddled horse toward the arena. Even with all her doubts and misgivings, her heart lifted at the sight of him. This feud must not win.
Whirling around, she faced her father. “I’m sorry for you. Sorry you let a stubborn old man dictate your happiness. Even sorrier you took out your resentment on Mom and me. But I’m not going to repeat your mistakes, and I’m not going to let you force your sister to give up the ranch she’s more than earned the right to keep. If it means me holding down three jobs so I can help Audra raise the money to buy you out, I’ll do it. Name your price.”
“Lindsey—” Teary-eyed, Audra reached out to her.
She crossed the kitchen to stand behind her aunt’s chair. Resting her hands on Audra’s shoulders, she hiked her chin. “I’m serious, Dad. Whatever it takes, the ranch is staying in the family.”
He stared at her for a long, tense moment, then slowly stood. Retrieving the offer to purchase, he ripped it into four ragged pieces and tossed it in the center of the table. “Fine, Lindsey. If you want it that badly, it’s yours. First thing Monday, I’ll have my lawyer legally transfer my share of the ranch to you. Consider it an early start on your inheritance. If you want to dig your own grave trying to save this place, more power to you.”
Lindsey’s jaw dropped. Had she heard him right? “Dad...”
Halfway to the entry hall, he halted without turning around. “And just so you know, it was never about the money.”
The front door slammed behind him.
* * *
The roar of an engine followed by the squeal of tires on pavement snapped Spencer’s head up and startled his horse. “Easy, boy. You’re fine.”
The animal settled, and Spencer peered toward the road to see the same beat-up hatchback driving away that had been parked in front of Audra’s house on New Year’s Eve. Lindsey’s dad again?
Spencer’s grandfather, who had been observing this training ride from the bleacher seats at the end of the arena, slapped his thigh. “You see what is happening? If those people are allowed to commercialize their property, such disturbances will only get worse. Who knows what kind of riffraff their outrageous event venue will attract?”
“Those people are our neighbors, Tito.” Spencer wouldn’t state the obvious—that the Navarro quarter horse ranch was also a commercial operation.
Concerned for Lindsey, he struggled to keep the high-strung horse steady while he tugged out his phone and typed a quick text. U OK?
“You need to stop spending so much time over there,” his grandfather ranted on. “If you’re determined to pursue your rescue program, we can build you a barn right here, far enough away from our horses so as not to be a concern.”
How many times had Spencer proposed that idea and been shot down? It would be an unjustifiable expense, the rescues already took up too much of Spenc
er’s time, and so on and so on. Now, it seemed his grandfather was grasping at anything to cut off all association between the Navarros and McClements.
He checked his phone. No reply yet. Minutes ticked by, and all he could do was continue putting the horse through its paces. This smart, smooth-moving gelding would go to a cattle rancher in Juniper Bluff who needed a reliable cutting horse for working his herd.
Either because Spencer refused to engage in argument or because he’d satisfied his grandfather’s expectations about the gelding’s training, the old man eventually clambered down from the bleachers and returned to the house. Tito was definitely moving more slowly these days.
As he finished up the ride, his phone vibrated. Finally, Lindsey replied with a double thumbs-up and a message. Crazy day. Tell you all about it later.
Relieved, and more than a little curious, Spencer untacked the horse and brushed him down, then returned him to the pasture. He’d scheduled two more training rides for the afternoon, and by the time he’d completed them, the winter sun was sinking behind the hills. Hungry and exhausted, he trudged toward the back porch.
As he pulled open the screen door, loud voices reached him from the kitchen. It sounded like Tito was on another tear about something. More than likely, it involved the McClement ranch.
At that moment, his mother burst onto the porch. The door to the kitchen slammed behind her. Seeing Spencer, she drew up short. “You don’t want to go in there right now.”
He didn’t like the angry glint in Mom’s eyes. “Why? What’s Tito carrying on about?”
“I can’t believe he’s done this, that he’d stoop so low—”
“Mom, what?”
She blew out a ragged breath. “Arturo and his lawyer created some kind of anonymous legal entity for trying to buy the McClement ranch. Except they completely bypassed Audra and were trying to negotiate with her brother.”
“Lindsey’s dad?” Spencer yanked off his hat and raked stiff fingers through his hair. No wonder Owen McClement had shown up out of the blue. “Of all the backstabbing—”
“Apparently, the offer got nowhere. Audra’s still refusing to sell, and Owen couldn’t change her mind.”
Which would explain why Owen had sped off earlier.
Spencer slapped his hat back on his head. Somehow, he felt responsible, even if none of this was his doing. “I need to go see Lindsey.”
Mom gripped his arm. “Be careful, son. If I hadn’t walked in on your grandfather talking to his lawyer, we’d all still be in the dark about this. No one was supposed to know. Not even your dad.”
“Then having his scheme exposed will serve Tito right.” With a quick glance of apology to his mother, Spencer tugged free of her hand and marched out.
Two minutes later, he was rapping on Audra’s front door.
She answered with a surprised smile. “Spencer. Come on in.”
She looked a lot cheerier than he would have expected, all things considered. His news would likely wipe that smile right off her face. “I don’t want to interrupt dinner.”
“We’re finished.” Audra opened the door wider. “Lindsey’s starting a pot of decaf. Will you have some?”
“No, thanks.” Hat tucked against his chest, he entered the foyer. “I, uh, have something I need to tell you. Tell you both.”
Audra’s brow creased. She motioned him toward the kitchen. “Lindsey? We have company.”
“Please tell me it isn’t—” Her face brightened the moment she saw Spencer. “Oh, hi. I’ve been waiting all day to tell you what happened.”
“Spencer says he has news, too,” Audra said, concern in her tone. “Maybe we should let him go first.”
With both Audra and Lindsey staring at him, he didn’t know how to begin. He set his hat on the table and hauled in a steadying breath. “My grandfather has done something.”
The women shared a meaning-fraught glance before Lindsey spoke. “Would this have anything to do with a suspicious corporation wanting to buy our ranch?”
He swallowed hard. “I’m so sorry. Nobody in the family knew he was doing this. I only found out a few minutes ago.”
“It’s all right, Spencer.” Lindsey turned to the coffeepot and filled two mugs. She handed one to Spencer before seating herself at the table.
He frowned at the coffee he hadn’t asked for and didn’t think he could choke down. Why wasn’t she more upset?
Audra poured some decaf for herself. Mug in hand, she passed behind Lindsey and patted her on the shoulder. “Think I’ll go in the living room so y’all can talk between yourselves.”
As Audra disappeared around the corner, he looked back at Lindsey. “I know your aunt refused the offer, but still—realizing my grandfather would do such a thing—”
“It’s not your fault, Spencer. You don’t have to apologize for him.” Looking like the cat who’d swallowed the canary, Lindsey sipped her coffee. “Are you ready to hear my news now?”
He gingerly set down his mug and lowered himself into a chair. “Maybe you’d better tell me quick, because I am way beyond confused right now.”
She sat up a little straighter. “As of Monday morning, my father will no longer be half owner of the McClement ranch.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When Dad couldn’t talk Audra into accepting the offer, he was livid. Mad enough,” she added smugly, “to wash his hands completely of the ranch and sign his share over to me. His attorney already phoned me to get the specifics for drawing up the papers so he can have them ready for signatures by Monday morning.”
Spencer gave his head a quick shake. “Then you...”
“That’s right. Audra and I will be co-owners, and my dad will be out of the picture.” Even as she spoke the words, her confident expression faltered. “It’s still sinking in exactly what this will mean for the ranch.” She glanced away, her lower lip trembling. “For me. For my future.”
Spencer couldn’t help wondering the same thing. His hand crept across the table, closer and closer to where hers rested near her coffee mug. Their fingers grazed. “I know what I’d like it to mean.”
Her hand slipped into his. “All this time, I thought I was trying to save the ranch for Audra’s sake. But now I realize it’s more than that. Always has been.” She lifted those gorgeous brown eyes to meet his gaze. “Every summer I spent here as a kid, every ounce of effort I’ve put into this place over the past few weeks—it’s because no place I’ve ever lived has felt more like I belonged.”
Spencer’s heart hammered the backside of his breastbone. “So...you’re staying?”
“Yes, I’m staying.” A smile spread across Lindsey’s face, as if she’d only this moment admitted it to herself. “This ranch is my home now, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Waves of relief surged over him, along with the ridiculous hope that the day would finally come when they could put the Navarro-McClement feud behind them once and for all. He reached for his Stetson and absently pinched the crown. “It’s true I thought for a while that selling the ranch would be the best thing for Audra. My grandfather even had me convinced that when the ranches were divided, your grandfather somehow cheated him out of the best acreage.”
“My grandfather was not a cheat,” Lindsey stated. “He would never—”
“I believe you. I also believe there are two sides to this feud and that we may never know the whole story.”
“One thing I found out today...” Lindsey’s tone grew serious. “You and I aren’t the only couple our families have tried to keep apart.”
She’d begun to think of them as a couple? That alone was reason to hope. There was someone else, though? “Who?”
She tipped her coffee mug to swirl the contents, then set it back down with a thunk. “Did you know that my father and your aunt Alicia were once in love?”
Sp
encer stared at her in shock. “You’re kidding.”
“Dad claims it’s why he could never fully commit to Mom. Why they fought so much.” A tear pooled beneath her eye. “Why he left us.”
“Aw, Linds.” Without a second thought, he rose and drew her into a hug. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
She tucked her arms around his waist. “I know. It’s crazy.”
Holding her, all he wanted was to protect her from every hurtful thing their families had ever done or might do to each other. To pretend he wasn’t a Navarro and that she wasn’t a McClement. That they could blink their eyes twice and wake up in a world where love triumphed over greed and deceit and life made sense again.
Chapter Twelve
Sitting in church with her aunt on Sunday morning, Lindsey struggled to keep her thoughts centered on the readings and message. Her mind kept replaying those moments in Spencer’s arms last night, his tender kiss before he said he needed to get home and clear up a few things with his father and grandfather.
She’d urged him not to confront them—not yet, at least. As often as he’d encouraged her to trust God and go forward in faith, she couldn’t bear it if his grandfather’s destructive choices caused him to lose faith. “We both need to pray about how to handle this,” she’d told him. He’d seemed both surprised and grateful to hear her speak those words.
She’d been a little surprised herself. God had certainly been working on her heart these past few weeks, and she wished she could have attended worship with Spencer this morning so they could come before God united in prayer. But the Navarros and McClements hadn’t belonged to the same church since the ranch was divided all those years ago. If Lindsey and Spencer did break free from their pasts and plan a future together, then would be the time for them to look for a new church home, where they could worship as a couple without the shadow of the feud continually hanging over them.