“I’ll buy the land from you,” her father offered.
“You can’t put a price on what this land means to her,” Dane answered for her. “One day, she’ll have a child of her own. She’ll have a piece of her grandfather to pass on to them. She’ll build onto the legacy her grandfather left to her.”
Dane ran his hand down her hair and rested it on her neck, his fingers lightly brushing her skin. He comforted her with his touch, his words, his understanding of how deeply she felt about this. Now that she knew about her grandfather, how he felt about her, and what he’d left her, she wanted to hold on to it, his memory, and fulfill his wishes.
Dr. Warwick tried to say something, but Katherine stepped in between Bell and him. “Let it go, Dad. The house is gone, but Bell is right. This is her home.”
Touched her big sister stood up for her, Bell took her hand. “Thank you, Katherine, for understanding this is all I have.”
Katherine hugged her close.
“That’s not exactly true, sweetheart. You have me,” Dane pointed out.
“Yes, I do. You fill me up.”
That earned her one of those smiles she liked so much.
“I want a copy of those papers,” her father demanded.
“I’d send them to you, but I don’t have your address,” Bell responded.
“Give them to your sister this Sunday at the funeral. I expect you’ll want to say goodbye to your grandmother. Come on, Katherine. It’s time to go,” her father ordered and walked back to Tony’s truck without so much as a goodbye.
Tony held his wife’s hand and stood beside her. Katherine’s eyes glistened, but she didn’t shed a tear. “This isn’t how he usually is. I hear him speak to you with that neutral tone and it tears me apart. I don’t recognize the man who raised me. I don’t understand any of this.”
“Let me put it to you plainly,” Bell responded. “He has no love for me, Katherine. I am the result of a mistake he made and wishes he could take back. I am the living reminder that he is not as perfect as he thinks he is. My mother seduced him. He gave in to his baser needs and let his libido lead him straight into temptation. Despite his superior intellect, my mother showed him that he’s no better than any other red-blooded man with a hard-on for a pretty woman. Every time he looks at me, all he sees is how stupid he was and that he got caught—by his colleagues and his wife. His pride and narcissism won’t allow him to admit people make mistakes and he’s only human. So he pretends I’m not his daughter. I don’t exist. Because if I don’t exist in his world, then he isn’t a flawed human but the perfect PhD with the stellar reputation, the adoring husband to his pretty, doting wife, and the perfect father to the wonderful daughter he raised.”
Katherine actually turned green and put a hand to her stomach. Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “I’m sorry, Bell. I don’t know what to say besides this is so, so wrong.” She placed her hand on Bell’s shoulder. “Will you be okay at Dane’s? Is there anything you need? I’m here for you. I want to help.”
“Dane’s sisters took care of my immediate needs.” She swept her hand down to indicate her outfit.
“They’ve got great taste. You look fantastic.”
“Thank you. He and his brothers, along with the sheriff’s department, are seeing to my safety.” She cocked her head toward the sheriff’s vehicle parked thirty feet away.
“If you need anything, please call me. As for Dad, I don’t know what to say.”
“I’m used to being invisible to him, Katherine. Let it be. The more you try to fix it, the worse it will get. Don’t ruin your relationship with him because of me. He doesn’t want to be a part of my life. After today, I think that is actually a good thing. I don’t want or need someone like him in my life.”
Her grandmother’s antipathy had been enough for one lifetime. She wanted more of what her grandfather spoke of. Peace and love and laughter. The man standing right beside her, his hand on her shoulder, his body pressed to hers, gave her all of that and more.
“Bell, when the timing is better, I’d like to talk to you about a business deal,” Tony said. “Don’t say no yet. Give me a chance to put something together to show you. When things settle down and that bastard is behind bars, I’d appreciate it if you’d at least hear me out.”
“I will. When this is done.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” Tony held his hand out to Dane. “We’ll catch up later. Glad to see you walking around without crutches.”
“Me, too.”
“You need any help securing your place, you let me know. I can lend a hand.”
“Thanks. I think we’re covered right now, but I’ll let you know if that changes.”
Bell hugged her sister one last time, then waited for them to drive away. She needed a minute to collect her thoughts and absorb all that happened.
“You okay, sweet thing?” Sammy asked.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“What good would it do you to know this land belonged to you after your grandmother died? Wouldn’t have changed your situation any. You’re a good girl. You took care of that viper these past years. You earned this land, but more than that, you deserve this land because it’s your birthright. Your father denied you that by not giving you his name. Your grandfather hated him for that alone. A man’s name, his word, his integrity are what makes him a man. Your grandfather despised your father for turning his back on his family, on you. He loved you something fierce, sweet thing.”
Bell went into Sammy’s arms and held him close. “Thank you for keeping this for me.”
“I wish I’d done more. I checked on you, sure, but I could have gotten that old bat to do better by you if I’d tried.”
“Don’t. You looked after me and did what you had to do for your family. I did okay on my own.” Bell didn’t begrudge Sammy for looking after his own at the time. Rory, Ford, and Colt’s parents died on a treacherous road in a snowstorm when the hillside gave way and buried their car in an avalanche. They froze to death before help arrived. Sammy took over raising the young boys on his own.
“Aw, you turned out all right, I guess, sweet thing,” he teased.
Rory laughed with his grandfather. She smiled, despite the difficult morning she’d had.
“Come on, Granddad. We need to head up and check on Ford and Colt.”
“Got a surprise for you, sweet thing. You done here?”
“For now.” She let her gaze fall on the wrecked house. She thought of all she’d lost, and how much she’d gained with one letter from her grandfather. Even without Dane’s love, she’d be full. She’d been accepted and loved by a kind and generous man. He’d seen past what she represented to who she was. It had taken twenty-six years, but she finally felt a part of her family.
“Bell?” Dane called her out of her thoughts.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry for your loss, sweetheart.”
Not for her grandmother but for her grandfather. She hadn’t really remembered him. Today, he came into her life and left it all at once. She mourned him. She wanted to celebrate him in some way. She’d have to think about it. Right now, she felt numb. Her mind didn’t want to think anymore. Her heart couldn’t take it either.
Dane took the papers from her hands and placed them gently back into the box. Something rattled when he closed the lid. He opened the box again. She peeked inside, pushing the papers aside to reveal her grandfather’s ring. A simple, thick gold band for a man who loved his simple life. She slipped it on her thumb and held her hand to her chest over her heart. She let the tears fall.
She leaned into Dane’s chest, and he wrapped his arm around her, holding the box under his other arm at his side. He kissed her on the head and let her cry all over him. Such a good man. How could she ever have thought he’d never be serious about anything or anyone?
It didn’t take them long to get home. When they pulled into the driveway ahead of the sheriff’s vehicle parked at the end of the drive to
watch the road, she gasped.
“What are the Kendricks doing?”
“Building you a new chicken coop. Looks like they’re just about done. Go see.”
Bell handed the wood box into Dane’s outstretched hands. She jumped down from the truck and rushed over to the men. She knelt next to the two crates of chickens and peeked inside. Seven full-grown Dorking chickens and eight Buckeye chicks.
“You’ll have eggs in no time, sweet thing.”
“You guys, this is too much. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You just did,” Rory said, handing Ford another piece of wood to trim out the door to clean out the coop.
“This will see you through a lot of years,” Colt said, tapping in another staple to hold the chicken wire in place.
Ford stood back and surveyed their work. “I’ll grab the nesting boxes out of my truck. Colt, you put up the perches. All you need to do, Bell, is lay in some straw along with the woodchip bedding we brought and put your birds in here. You’re all set until the temperatures start to drop. You might need a heat source, but I think you’ve got good insulation and ventilation in this design.”
“I love it.”
Dane and Rodrigo came out of the stables with the straw and a stack of newspaper. They all worked together to finish the coop. She did the honors and let the chickens out of their crate. They scratched at the ground in the fenced-in area. A couple found their way up the ramp and into the coop to scope out the nesting boxes. She stared at them flitting about the pen as she let the day settle in her mind.
Rory, Ford, Colt, and Sammy stood behind her. She turned to face the men and smiled, despite the sheen of tears in her eyes. “Thank you for this. You don’t know how much it means to me.”
“Be safe, sweet thing. Listen to Dane. Stay close to the house and always with someone.” Sammy hugged her close. “I’ll be by to check on you like I always do.”
“I’d like that a lot.”
“We’ll be seeing you,” Rory said, giving her a pat on the shoulder. Ford and Colt followed suit.
They drove away in their trucks. Dane held his hand out to her. She took it and walked with him back to the house.
“So, fried chicken for dinner,” he teased.
She laughed. “No. Not tonight.”
He held the door for her. “I’ll make you some lunch. Why don’t you sit in your new chaise and read for a while. After all you’ve been through this morning, you deserve a break.”
Bell stared at the setup Dane had made for her when he brought the wood box into the house. Alongside the chaise, he’d put a small round table with the wood box, the silver framed photo of her with her grandfather, and two books stacked on top. She moved closer and read the titles. The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.
“How did you know?”
“When I went into your room, those were two of the titles beside your bed. I figured they had to be your favorites. I asked Ella and Gillian to include them in the books they bought you.”
Bell turned and went up on tiptoe, hugging Dane close. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Yes, you do. I’m working on deserving you.”
“Done. You have been the best first boyfriend ever.”
“Good, then you’ll never need another.”
She cupped his strong, rough jaw in her hands and looked him in the eyes. “I only want you.”
He kissed her gently, but the heat turned to a need they both gave into, holding each other close and losing themselves in the moment. Dane pressed his forehead to hers, breathing deep.
She didn’t want to lose this closeness. “How about I help you with lunch, and we watch one of those shows you’re always talking about on TV?”
“I’m corrupting you with TV.”
“We’ll snuggle and maybe make out.”
“Maybe?”
“Definitely.” She smiled up at him.
He traced his finger over her forehead. “That’s better.”
She smirked. “You know we’re going to make out.”
“No. You smiling again is better. I hate it when you’re sad.”
Bell smoothed her hands over his chest. “You make me happy.”
“I’m trying.”
“We’ll let it be for now.” She went up on tiptoe and hugged him close again, his arms wrapped around her, all his strength and kindness easing her mind and heart. “I just want to be with you.”
“Done.”
They made lunch together and settled on the couch, paper plates with roast beef sandwiches and chips balanced on their laps. Dane found an action adventure movie.
“Lots of explosions, little story line, and mind-numbing fun.”
“I’ll take it.”
She never did see the end of the movie. Instead, Dane pressed her into the couch cushions, laid down the length of her, and made her forget everything but her need and love for him.
Chapter 21
Dane sat on the patio at Wolf Ranch, watching Justin and Bell out in the field playing with Justin’s dog, Charlie, and Ella’s dog, Bentley. Justin and Bell threw balls, and the two dogs took off after them. Justin laughed when Bentley jumped up on him and tried to stuff the ball into his neck with his mouth. Bell pushed the dog off the boy, took the ball from Bentley, and handed it to Justin to throw again.
Blake and Gillian were inside with Gillian’s grandparents, the Kendricks, and Dane’s parents. Ella sat on the stone ledge watching the two play.
Gabe sat beside Dane, staring at him.
“What?” Dane finally asked, tired of the scrutiny.
“You’re in love with her.”
Dane raised one eyebrow. “Yeah. So?”
“So, is this a forever kind of thing, or I’ll-let-it-ride-for-now kind of thing?”
“You ever seen me do the I’ll-let-it-ride-for-now thing?”
Gabe narrowed his eyes. “No. So it’s all or nothing?”
Dane stared at his love, standing in the field, and couldn’t think of spending a single day without her. “I’m all in.”
“Huh.” Gabe took a sip from his drink, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I never thought you’d fall this fast and hard.”
“Why? You did for Ella. Blake did for Gillian. Why can’t I have that with her?”
“She’s not the type of woman I ever thought you’d go for, but she is kind of perfect for you,” Gabe said. Dane had said something similar to him about Ella.
“Because she doesn’t let me get away with any BS?”
“That. You’ve changed these last weeks you’ve spent with her. You’re more thoughtful. Settled.”
“Aren’t those good things?”
“I thought you’d have a hard time transitioning back to ranch life. The daily grind. But you seem . . . what’s the word? Happy.”
Dane smiled and shook his head. “I am happy. The ranch is a work in progress. I’ve got another week in this brace and a couple more of physical therapy after that. Bell took off the next two weeks of work. After the funeral on Sunday, I thought I’d take her away on a short vacation.”
“Where do you want to go? I’ll set it up,” Ella offered.
“Ella, you are not the family travel planner. I can do it myself,” Dane replied. When Ella frowned, he explained, “Thanks for offering, but I want to do it and surprise her.”
“Taking her away from here won’t solve the Rowdy problem,” Gabe said.
“No, but if she’s not here, he can’t hurt her.”
“How is she doing now that she met her father?” Ella asked.
“You tell me. How does it feel to know your own family hates you? How do you cope with that? The man acted like she’s a complete stranger. It made me sick to hear the way he spoke to her without any compassion or . . . I don’t know, feeling.”
“Finding out about her grandfather must have helped,” Ella said. “I had my sister. She had her grandfather.�
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“But Bell doesn’t have any memories of him like you do of Lela. She drifts away on her sadness. I pull her back to me, but I’m afraid it’s stronger than me sometimes.”
Ella turned and stared at Bell, standing in the field looking off into the distance. Dane felt her loneliness and sadness from here.
“Give her time,” Ella said. “It’s a lot to reconcile. Hardships like this are even more difficult when it’s family. Betrayal like that is never expected and so hard to get over.”
“I think she might have an easier time getting over it. She expected her father to dismiss her. You never expected your uncle to come after you.”
Gillian and Blake walked out on the patio. “Time to eat.”
Gabe rose from his seat and grabbed Ella’s wrist, pulling her up and over his shoulder. He stood tall, and she screamed and laughed at the same time, smacking him on the butt to put her down. “You can’t carry me like this anymore.”
“Why not? Now I’ve got you right where I want you.” Gabe gave her a smack on the butt.
“Put me down.” Ella’s voice rose with concern. “I’m pregnant.”
Gabe hurried to put her back on her feet gently. He stared down at her. “What?”
“I’m pregnant.”
“You’re sure? The last two months you didn’t say anything . . .”
Ella pressed her fingers to his lips. “I’m sure.”
Gabe confessed to Dane weeks ago that they’d been trying for the last six months to get pregnant but had only been disappointed. The smile on his brother’s and Ella’s faces told him how much they wanted this.
“You’re pregnant,” Gabe repeated. “We’re having a baby.”
“Yes and no.”
“What?” Gabe’s eyes narrowed with concern.
“Yes, I’m pregnant, but not with one baby. Two.”
“Twins?”
“I’m about seven weeks along. I had an ultrasound yesterday when I went to town, and you thought I only went grocery shopping. The doctor confirmed.”
“Twins.” That single word held all the surprise and awe showing on Gabe’s face.
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