A Rancher's Dangerous Affair

by Jennifer Morey

  “He loved her.” Jillian looked down at her cup. “Why does that always happen to me? Every man I meet and have feelings for is in love with someone else. Not that I want David.”

  “You love Brandon.”

  She nodded unhappily.

  “Eliza wouldn’t have married David if she thought there was any chance of having Brandon. I remember the crush she had on him. She was heartbroken when it ended between them. Why do you think she hightailed it out of Vengeance?”

  “David thought his brother was going to sleep with her.”

  Picturing his wife with another man, anxiety pushed him to hurry and find her. “They wouldn’t do that.”

  He checked his cell phone for the time, thinking about Eliza. She had been wild in high school. Stealing other girls’ boyfriends. The social butterfly of Vengeance High. It’s what had driven Brandon away. The rancher was the antithesis of Eliza. Plus he had some shadows in his past. A mother who’d committed suicide. A father who was a drunk. That kind of childhood had to be hard on a kid. Ryker had always thought it peculiar that he’d sent his own father to prison. He’d witnessed him in a hit-and-run accident that killed the other driver. Then he’d testified without any emotion. He hadn’t had any trouble at all slam-dunking a prison sentence on his father.

  Ryker had always wondered what had happened to make him such a hard man. Whatever had driven him to put his own father in prison would answer that question. Ryker might be angry with Eliza for not holding up her share of the responsibility in caring for their mother, but he didn’t wish her ill. Maybe leaving Vengeance—and Brandon—behind had been the best thing for her.

  “Is she going back to Hollywood?” Jillian asked, sounding so small and insecure that he took pity on her.

  He laughed. “Now there’s something you never have to worry about. Eliza would never live here. She couldn’t get out of here fast enough. Hollywood is her gig. She’s got a thriving business there. I’m sure as soon as David’s murder is solved she’ll head back.”

  “What if she doesn’t?”

  “You mean, what if Brandon gets her to stay?”

  Jillian nodded.

  “Eliza told me Brandon isn’t the marrying kind. If she stays, it’ll only be until he’s had his fill of her.” He searched Jillian’s sad face. “You’re a beautiful woman, Jillian. Go find a man who makes you feel like you’re the only woman in the world. Brandon Reed won’t give you that. He won’t give any woman that.”

  The smile that shaped Jillian’s mouth was warm, but there was something else there. Desperation. “Thank you for telling me that.”

  “I’m sure I’m not the only man who’s told you you’re beautiful.” What did she see when she looked in the mirror? No ogre.

  “Not many have.”

  “Well, you are. Don’t settle for less than you deserve.” Meaning, a man like Brandon, who was capable of loving no woman.

  “If you weren’t married, Ryker Harvey, I’d be calling you all the time.”

  The way she said it had an odd ring to it. Starved for male attention. Clingy. How could a woman who looked like her be so desperate?

  * * *

  Aegina wasn’t at her mother’s. Ryker had just come from there, and now he was sick with foreboding. Her mother didn’t have a clue where her daughter was. They hadn’t spoken all day. Her sister didn’t know where she was, either.

  Aegina had lied. Pain sliced through him. She’d lied to him. Why? He wanted to deny it. But he couldn’t. Aegina was having an affair. This town was rampant with them. It bore too much similarity to his sister’s predicament. He wasn’t embroiled in a murder investigation, but his spouse might be cheating on him. He’d suspected something was wrong, but this was worse than he’d imagined. Aegina. His Aegina. How could she?

  He drove by the second hotel in town and saw her car. An unmanly lump formed in his throat. He hadn’t cried since he was a boy, but he felt the urge to do so now.

  He sat in his truck for a few minutes, trying to grasp the reality that his wife was in there with another man. No wonder she’d been so distant lately. He thought she was just tired of his complaining about living in Vengeance. Maybe that was part of what had driven her into the arms of another man. Maybe she never loved him to begin with.

  No...it couldn’t be. He couldn’t have lost her.

  He loved her.

  The realization assaulted him in a rush. He loved Aegina so much. His sweet, beautiful Aegina. Mother of his kids. His lover. His best friend. He’d loved her from the second he saw her at the library. He’d been looking up colleges on the computer, and she’d been looking for books to read. She read nonfiction. Biographies were her favorite.

  He wiped a traitorous tear off his face and climbed out of his truck. Everyone in town had envied them. Their love had been that perfect. Ryker and Aegina, a match made in Vengeance.

  In the hotel, he spotted Ben Richardson behind the counter, the hotel manager.

  Ben’s eyes popped open wide when he saw him. Standing frozen, he said, “Ryker.”

  “Tell me which room she’s in, Ben.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  Ryker leaned over the counter and grabbed Ben’s uniform, hauling him forward. “What room.”

  “Two-ten.”

  “Give me a card key.”

  “Ryker, I can’t do that.”

  “Give it to me.” He shoved Ben. “My wife is up there screwing another man. You think they’re going to open the door for me?”

  Ben hesitated, sympathy in his eyes.

  “As a friend...” He and Ben had gone to school together. “Please.”

  Ben blinked in resignation and silently worked on the computer. Then he handed him a card key.

  In the elevator, he put his head back against the wall, pain twisting his insides. Why? Why did she have to do it?

  The doors opened and he walked with shaky legs to room two-ten.

  Did he really want to do this?

  If he didn’t, he might overlook it just to keep her. Swiping the card key, he pushed the door open.

  Aegina sat at the table in the room, a man next to her. They both stopped eating to look at him.

  “Ryker!” Aegina sprang to her feet.

  At least she was still dressed. Then he recognized the man. One of his mechanics.

  “You’re fired,” he said.

  “What are...how...?”

  Ryker walked into the room, letting the door swing shut. He tossed the card key onto the TV stand.

  “Hiding in the room for dinner?” he indicated the room service they’d ordered. Steak. Wine. Not very romantic with the TV playing. Apparently Aegina didn’t need romantic. She only needed another man to screw.

  His mechanic backed away, glancing fearfully from Aegina to him. “How did you get in here?”

  “Leave. Now. Before I kill you.”

  The man grabbed his keys and left.

  Aegina stood there gaping at him. Her shoulder-length red hair was thick and shiny, her eyes not as lively as they usually were. She was still slender and beautiful. Baby fat didn’t stay on her. The thought of another man sampling that body killed him inside.

  “Did you sleep with him?” Maybe he’d gotten there in time.

  She lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes. That answered his question well enough. His heart was imploding.

  “How many times have you been with him?”

  She shrugged, defeated. “Four. Five. I wasn’t counting.”

  “When?”

  She lifted her head, tears forming in her eyes. “I didn’t think you’d care.”

  She didn’t think he’d care? Rage consumed him. “You’re my wife.”

  “A wife who chained you to Vengeance.”

  “You’re going to cop that attitude again?”

  “It’s true. You settled for me because your sister left and you felt obligated to care for your mother.”

  “I didn’t settle for you.”

  “Y
ou wanted to be a doctor.”

  He had. But after facing this lost dream over the years, he no longer felt so strongly about it.

  “I love you,” he said. “Don’t you know that?”

  She started crying. “Now you tell me.”

  He was at a loss for what to do. His wife had slept with another man, believing her husband didn’t love her.

  Aegina used a napkin to blow her nose. Still sniffling, she looked up at him.

  “If I’d have asked you to move with me to another state, would you have?” he asked.

  “Vengeance is my home. It’s yours, too, Ryker.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “When we were first married, yes. Now? No. I wouldn’t go anywhere with you.”

  How had it gotten to this point? How had their marriage been destroyed so easily? One minute he was happily married; the next he wasn’t.

  “Why?”

  “You have to ask?”

  Because he hated living here. “Vengeance has nothing to do with the way I feel for you.” Felt. He wasn’t sure how he felt about her now. She’d let another man where only he belonged.

  What about their kids? The thought of visitation made him ill. Would Aegina fight him in court? How far out of love had she fallen?

  “It has everything to do with it. You can’t stand it here. I love it here. You want to leave. I want to stay. You blame me and your sister for being trapped here.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  “Yes, you do, and I can’t live with it anymore. You’re a bitter man who’s never taken charge of his own destiny.”

  “I’ve made a good living for us. I support you. You never had to work raising the kids.”

  “I might as well work for you then. I married you because I loved you, not because you could take care of me. I don’t need anyone to take care of me. What I do need is a husband who loves me.”

  “I do love you.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  It was the same argument over and over again. “That’s why you threw our marriage away?”

  “You threw it away long before I did. Stop looking outside yourself when you look for someone to blame for your unhappiness. You’ve done it to yourself.”

  And he’d driven her away. His unhappiness over living in Vengeance. Being stuck here. This was all Eliza’s fault.

  Chapter 7

  September 10th

  Eliza left the stable after a long horseback ride, careful to stay away from the pastures where Brandon worked. Being stuck in the house had driven her mad. Once, she’d caught him in his office with his head in his hands, a picture of grief. And then he’d lifted his head and the grief had morphed into a dark sort of desire and then anger. He’d gotten up from the chair and left the room through doors leading to the back patio.

  She didn’t dare go into town right now, not with suspicion flying around that she may have murdered her husband. The only thing saving her reputation was the lack of motive to kill the senator and the sheriff. She planned parties for the senator. They were friends. Why would she kill him?

  In riding pants and boots with a tucked-in short-sleeved shirt, Eliza stopped short when she spotted Ryker’s impeccably refinished 1970 Charger. Her brother rose out of the muscle car and approached.

  As they closed the distance, she could tell right away that something was terribly wrong. “Ryker? Are you okay?”

  “I just caught Aegina with another man,” he blurted.

  Her brother never came to her for comfort. She felt his need erupting now. Careful not to get too close too soon, she reached out to touch his arm.

  “Oh, Ryker. Let’s go inside and talk.” She guided him easily into the house.

  “Where’s Brandon?”

  “Out with the cattle.” He’d avoided her since that morning.

  Eliza had considered getting a room in town until David’s killer was captured. She stayed because Brandon was his brother, and she couldn’t stop worrying about the car she’d seen twice on the road leading here.

  As she sat beside him at the kitchen table, Eliza began to surmise a few things. First, it wasn’t surprising that Aegina had done it; second, Ryker would no doubt blame her, even though it wouldn’t make sense. Was that why he’d come here today?

  Ryker put his head in his hands. Eliza had never seen him this way. “I don’t want to go home.”

  “You can stay here. Brandon won’t mind.” Maybe they’d have a chance to mend their differences.

  He didn’t move.

  “You don’t have to go back there. I’ll drive to your house and pack a few things for you. And I’ll go get your kids whenever you can arrange to see them. I’ll bring them here.”

  He lifted his head. “You’d do that for me?”

  “I’d do anything for you. You’re my brother.”

  After a while he put his head back into his hands. “This isn’t your ranch, Eliza. You can’t invite me here.”

  “I’ll talk to him. He wouldn’t turn you away.”

  His head rose again, and this time he put his hands on the table. “I have to go home for the boys.”

  Of course, she should have thought of that.

  “Evan’s having trouble at school. He’s being bullied for defending a girl when the bully teased her.”

  “You’re raising him right.” She smiled.

  “He asked me if his mommy and I are going to get a divorce.”

  She reached over and put her hand over his. “I’m so sorry, Ryker. I’m here for you whenever you need me. If there’s anything I can do, all you have to do is call. Okay?”

  He nodded. “Thanks.”

  “And if you need a place to stay, even if it’s just for tonight, you’re welcome here.” She regretted what she’d said. She sounded as though this were her house, too. Why did it feel as though it could be?

  After studying her while he registered that, he said, “You seem to be getting close to him again.”

  Closer than she had to her husband, he left unspoken. Eliza averted her gaze to the big window. Rolling hills. Trees. Blue sky.

  “You feel comfortable enough to invite guests into his house?”

  “I’ve known Brandon since I was a kid.” She tried to minimize it, but it was obvious that there was more going on.

  “You’ve been in Hollywood for years. When is the last time you saw him?”

  Disconcerted under the weight of his pointed grilling, she couldn’t answer.

  “You still love him.”

  “No.”

  “Oh, come on, Eliza. Admit it.”

  “No,” she said quieter, still raw and remorseful over last night.

  “Poor David.”

  “Ryker, don’t.” It was cruel of him to throw that in her face now.

  He seemed to realize the same and softened. “Do you know what happened to him?”

  She shook her head. “The police came to question me.”

  “They suspect you did it?”

  “Maybe.”

  He swore. “You didn’t, right?”

  Gaping at him with an audible gasp, she didn’t have to answer.

  “Sorry.”

  “I didn’t kill David. It’s bad enough that I married him.”

  That drew a chuckle out of him. “At least you’re being honest now.”

  She smiled a little at him, glad for this glimmer of connection they were having, but David’s death bereaved her, especially with the weight of her and Brandon sleeping together.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call you,” he said

  When? After he’d learned David was killed? “You have a lot on your mind.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m glad you came here today, Ryker.”

  Resistance to what she said crossed his eyes. He stiffened. “I don’t know why I did, to tell you the truth. I just drove and this is where I ended up. All I can think about is Aegina with another man. The way only we should be.” His eyes glistened as
he fought against tears. “I can’t stand it.”

  Eliza squeezed his hand where she still covered it on the table.

  “She thinks I don’t love her.”

  “You never wanted to live here. She did, Ryker. That had to have taken a toll on her.”

  “I know. I know that now.”

  Leaning back, she met his misty eyes. He loved his wife, and he may have lost her because of his wish to leave Vengeance. “Do you want to stay married?” He might do it for his kids, she thought, but what about his wife?

  His hesitation revealed his doubt. Infidelity was a big hurdle to overcome. Some people couldn’t do it.

  But Ryker and Aegina had real love. It would be a shame to see it go to waste.

  “I wish I was more like you.”

  What did he mean by that?

  “It’s easy for you to walk away.”

  His honesty stung. “I didn’t walk away from you.”

  “You walked away from everyone.”

  “No—”

  “Ever since Dad died, you’ve walked away. When you married David, I wondered if you did it because he was Brandon’s brother, or if you did it because he was another person you could walk away from without feeling too much. Look at you now. You haven’t even cried yet, have you?”

  The sting of truth burned in her chest. “You make it seem as though I’m a terrible person.”

  “You’re a selfish person, Eliza. So is Brandon. The two of you make a perfect pair. You both don’t feel a thing.”

  Letting go of his hand, Eliza leaned back against her chair and tipped her head back with a long breath. When she regained control, she looked over at him. “You’re hurting. You just caught your wife with someone else.”

  “That doesn’t mean I’m blind to the truth.”

  “Why did you come here, then?”

  Abruptly, he stood from the chair. “I must have needed to. Looking at you, I can see what I have in Aegina. For a while I wondered why both of us had spouses who cheated on us. Maybe I did have trouble letting go of my dream. Maybe that did make my wife feel unloved. But I do love her. And I know she loves me, or she did. If I can make her love me like that again, I will. And I’m not going to waste any more time resenting you for stealing my dream from me.”

  “I didn’t steal it from you, Ryker. You never went after it.”