He couldn't let himself soften. He forced himself back to the needs of the moment. "Then they're not going to stroll in right away. No one knows we have the upper hand yet. At the very least, you owe your grandmother an explanation."
Her expression was stricken. "And you," she said quietly.
"Later," he said, wondering who the hell this woman really was. "Right now I'm going to call the law. Take her home, Ruby."
Except it wasn't home to Scarlett, was it?
He walked out the door.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
She'd wanted to go to Ian again, but he'd gone remote and cold.
Of course he would be upset. She'd nearly gotten him killed, hadn't she? Lied to him, over and over, never mind that she was trying to save him. Trying to save all of them.
"I'm so sorry, Nana," she said after they'd reached the house and stood in the kitchen. She kept her arms around her grandmother's shoulders. "I should never have come."
"Don't be foolish, child. Where else would you come when you're in trouble? We're family." But Ruby's frame trembled. Though her core was iron-strong, she wasn't young by any means. And Sweetgrass wasn't a big, bad city where violence was an everyday occurrence.
The kitchen door swung open, and Mrs. Oldham stood there, the Judge right behind. "What's going on?
"Let's go into the living room. This girl needs to sit down, and so do I," Ruby ordered. "Would you mind starting some tea, Mrs. Oldham?"
"I'd be happy to."
She and Nana made their way down the hall. "Nana, I can't sit. I have to leave, the sooner the better."
"Scarlett Ross, I am ashamed of you."
Scarlett's heart broke. "I understand why you would be, but I'm not a criminal, I swear."
"Well, of course you're not," Ruby huffed. "The very idea!" She led Scarlett inside and settled her on the sofa, then took a seat beside her. "Now first of all, you're not going anywhere. We take care of our own, Scarlett, and you belong here."
You belong here. Had she ever heard anything more beautiful? She'd never belonged anywhere.
"You'd better wait until you hear the whole story, Nana. It's not pretty. I messed up so badly."
Ruby stroked her hair. "Honey, everybody makes mistakes. Not a one of us is perfect."
"You are," she said fervently. "I love you so much. Maybe I can come back one day if only—"
Just then Ian appeared in the doorway, his face grave. "The sheriff needs to talk to you, Scarlett. He has some questions."
Her heart sank. "Am I under arrest?"
An older man in his fifties stepped into the room. "Ms. Ross, I'm Sheriff Collier. Why don't you and I talk alone?"
She glanced at Ruby, then at Ian's stony face. "Are you going to read me my rights?"
"Is there a reason I should? I thought you were the victim in this."
"I—it's complicated. I was arrested in New York. The DA wants me back there."
"Scarlett," Ian warned. "Don't say anything else."
The sheriff's brows rose. "Perhaps I'd better recite them to you, then. And everyone else should go."
"We're going nowhere, Alton," Ruby said crisply. "Now you say what you need to."
She glanced at Ian, but not a trace of emotion was on his face. No telling what he was thinking of her now, but it probably wasn't good, and no wonder. She'd stonewalled him whenever he'd asked her to explain why she couldn't stay.
The sheriff recited the Miranda warning. "Would you like an attorney, Ms. Ross?"
She started to shake her head, but Ruby spoke first. "I'm not sure you should be saying anything, Scarlett. At a minimum, I think we should have the Judge present. Ian, would you call him in here, please?"
"Nana, I—"
"It can't hurt," Ruby interrupted. "Old fool is in the kitchen, probably listening at the door anyway."
Scarlett nearly smiled. Then found her eyes awash with tears.
"Here—" A bandanna appeared before her, held in Ian's strong hands.
She looked up at him. "I'm really sorry, Ian. I thought I'd lost them."
A quick frown, then he left the room.
Soon the Judge made his way in and settled beside her. "Scarlett, I don't want you to answer anything hastily. Perhaps you and I should confer first. You don't have to say anything at all."
"I've already been through this in New York, Judge." She couldn't meet anyone's gaze. "I was arrested and held in jail, but no charges were filed. I want to help however I can. I don't want these men hurting anyone else in Sweetgrass." Ian had already been hurt, defending her. That was too much.
Judge Porter studied her gravely, then nodded. "All right, but I'll call a halt to this the first instant you start badgering this little girl, Alton."
"How the hell am I going to badger her, Judge? I don't have a clue what's going on. Exactly who are these men, Ms. Ross?"
"I think…" She cleared her throat. "I think they're some sort of Bulgarian Mafia. They were sent by a drug dealer named Kostov."
The Judge's eyes widened, as did the sheriff's. "Bulgarian Mafia? Here? Are you serious?"
"I am." Scarlett told her tale as best she could, with the sheriff asking a question here and there but mostly letting her tell the story the way she needed to.
When she finished, Judge Porter spoke first. "Sounds to me like this DA can't really make his case from your testimony. He's just hedging his bets."
"Do you think so? He told me he could still press charges if I didn't cooperate, but I don't really know anything. Andre handled all the finances and took care of the business details. I just cooked. That's what's so humiliating, that I could be that blind when it was going on right under my nose. What frightens me most is that I have no idea how they found me here. I told no one about Sweetgrass. I didn't even know it existed until two weeks before I got here."
The Judge and the sheriff traded glances. "You thinking what I am, Alton?"
The sheriff nodded grimly. "The DA has a leak in his office. Bet your bottom dollar that's how they found her, through someone there."
"You mean if I hadn't called in…?"
"Quite likely," the sheriff said.
"So what does that mean for me?"
"Both men, this Kostov and the DA, seem to be playing a high-stakes chess match, and you're only a pawn." The sheriff's expression was grim. "I don't like it one bit. DA's an ambitious man, I suppose?"
"Sucker's bet," said the Judge.
"He is up for reelection," she remembered.
The sheriff rose. "Well, little lady, I'll be calling that DA's office first thing in the morning to have a little chat with him."
"And I'll be calling the Texas Attorney General," Judge Porter said. "He's a personal friend of mine, as is our congresswoman. Let's see what pressures they can bring to bear."
"To do what?" Scarlett asked.
"All the DA needs to do is to clear you publicly and say you had no helpful information, then take you off his witness list. Dollars to donuts, this Kostov loses interest fast."
Could it possibly be that easy? A flutter of hope rose.
"But what happens between now and then?" Ian asked.
Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Panic replaced the hope, and Scarlett stood. "More could come. I'd better just go. I can disappear again. I won't call anyone this time."
Ian's gaze went hard. Ruby grabbed her hand. "You most certainly will not. We protect our own. You think any hoodlum can get into town without us noticing, now that we've been alerted? You've been here long enough to know how word spreads. Every person in Sweetgrass has a stake in keeping you here, Scarlett."
"Ian," the sheriff said. "I know you're not in law enforcement, but you're the closest thing this town has to a man in charge. I don't have the manpower, but I'm betting you can have some folks organized to keep a watch over Ms. Ross here."
A muscle in Ian's jaw jumped. "I can."
But he looked so unhappy about it. She couldn't bear being in Sweetgrass if Ian didn't wan
t her here.
She wouldn't argue about leaving right now, though. They clearly had their minds made up. She would wait until she was alone to make her plan.
"You don't worry now, Ms. Ross. I'll be reporting back to you after I talk to that sorry DA. Daniel, you let me know what results you get, too, all right?"
"Absolutely."
The sheriff tipped his hat brim. "Ruby, Ms. Ross, I'll be getting along now. Got a couple of fellas to lock up nice and tight in my jail."
He left, and Ian quickly followed without even a glance toward Scarlett.
She wished she knew what he was thinking. Wondered if anyone had taken a look at his injuries. He'd been through a lot on her account, and that after having asked her more than once to confide in him. His life had been endangered because she hadn't trusted him.
But what could he have done? He was a rancher—albeit one who had proven himself to be quite a fighter. Still, those men were hardened criminals. If Ian had been one iota less smart or tough…
A shudder ripped through her. He could have been killed. She could have lost him tonight. In trying to protect him, she'd endangered him instead.
Why should he be eager to talk to her?
"Come on now, Scarlett," Ruby said. "Let's get you to bed. You've had quite a day. And don't you give one thought to the cafe. I'll be cooking breakfast in the morning. Henry can help me, and Jeanette can handle whatever else needs doing."
"Jeanette hates me," Scarlett mumbled. "So does Claris—Rissa."
"They're just protective of Ian. They're both good girls."
Ian… Her heart hurt at the wall he'd thrown up between them.
But she couldn't think about him now, or she'd fall apart. Her bones seemed to have turned into molasses. She could barely put one foot in front of the other, dogged by exhaustion and despair. She believed the sheriff and Judge Porter meant well, but she'd met the DA. They hadn't. He wouldn't give up so easily. He'd send the US Marshals after her as he'd threatened.
She'd have to run again.
The thought made her weary to her marrow.
Ruby and Mrs. Oldham hustled Scarlett upstairs and put her to bed like a child.
Sorrow made her compliant. She welcomed the oblivion of sleep. In sleep she could dream of the life she wouldn't get the chance to experience, the sweet pleasure of living in Sweetgrass, of loving Ian. Of building a life with a grandmother and cousins to cherish…
Stay, The Lady had pleaded.
Don't leave, Ian had asked.
Gentle hands covered her with a quilt. "Snuggle up," said Nana.
Sweet dreams, she tried to answer, but her throat was clogged with tears.
* * *
Ian drove back to Veronica's to finish up, but everyone was long gone. Rather than inflict his foul mood on Veronica, he vowed to check in with her tomorrow and see how everything had worked out and what was left to be done.
When he slammed on his brakes outside the ranch house, he realized he still couldn't talk to anyone. Blue came wagging out to meet him, but even the dog's enthusiasm couldn't put much of a dent into his mood.
But that wasn't Blue's fault. He sank to a crouch and gave the dog a good rub. "Sorry, buddy. Not much company tonight."
The lights were on inside, so his dad was still up. Ian was about to wheel around and escape to the barn when the front door opened and his dad came out on the porch.
"Is Scarlett okay? How about Ruby?"
"Fine."
"What happened? Been getting calls ever since I got home. Bulgarian Mafia in Sweetgrass? How can that be? Did you know she was in trouble?"
That tore it. Ian yanked off his cap and beat it against his thigh, wincing at his sore shoulder. "No."
His dad studied him. "What's wrong with you?"
What's wrong? Ingrained respect kept him from yelling at his dad, but only barely. "Nothing," he said through gritted teeth.
"Doesn't look like nothing. You sure she's okay?"
"How the hell would I know?" Ian finally exploded. "Think she ever bothered to say one word to me about being in trouble? I knew something was wrong, but would she trust me? Hell, no. She's probably packing right now to leave me—" Barely, only barely, Ian made himself stop.
She's leaving me. That's the problem, isn't it? "She was going to leave, Dad. Likely still will. Just like—"
"Scarlett is nothing like your ma, Ian."
"She's city, through and through. She's been to all kinds of places I'll never—" He shook his head. "Even if she can get clear of all this, she has no reason to stay."
"Think not?" his dad challenged. "You give her any kind of reason?"
She made love to me. I made love to her.
It's just sex, she'd insisted.
Maybe that's all it really had been to her, Ian realized, and a hollow opened up in his chest. Once again, a woman was choosing to go and leave him behind. He glanced up at his dad. "I tried. It wasn't enough."
"Did you tell her you love her?"
"I don't—" Love her, he started to say, but his mind filled with images of Scarlett reverently running her hands over the marble slab in his kitchen, of her staring out at the view from his hideaway. Of her laughing and teasing at the cafe and threatening him with her spatula, eyes sparkling with mischief.
Of her in the cupola looking out so wistfully over Sweetgrass, of her grand ideas for what the courthouse could become.
Of her gaze, soft in moonlight as their bodies loved.
Loved.
I never meant to bring my trouble to you, she'd said.
When he thought again of that brute holding her hostage and what might have happened…
She was convinced they'd try again.
"I don't know if it would help." But was he going to just give up without trying?
What if that made no difference, though? What if she still insisted on going away?
"You can't know without trying."
"But—" Could he really have this discussion? His next words would break his father's heart.
"But what? Isn't it worth finding out? Isn't she worth it?"
"Of course she is, but—" Just say it. "What if she can't stay, Dad? I want to be with her, but if she really has to go…" He met his father's eyes. "I can't do that to you."
"You have to." His father shook his head. "It's just land, son. I should have done the same when your ma was so desperate to go. There was a compromise, and I wouldn't make it. I thought these acres were everything."
"They're in your blood," Ian said. "Mine, too." And for the first time in his life, he viewed this place without resentment, feeling the truth of his words. This ground he was standing on had been built with blood and tears and the sweat of generations. His roots went a mile deep. This land defined him as surely as his name. "I can't leave here."
"You can't stay with half a heart, either. I speak from experience."
Ian looked at his dad with new eyes. He'd always thought his dad hadn't missed his mother. "Why did you stay? Was it my fault?"
"No." His dad's voice was resolute. "Not your fault, not one bit. I could have bent, but I didn't. It hurt me that I wasn't enough for her, and I let that hurt harden until it was a big rock that took up all the space inside my chest where my heart should have been." His gaze pierced Ian. "A boulder made up mostly of pride and stubbornness. Learn from me, Ian. Maybe that little girl's got to go, maybe not. But don't you cling to this land so hard that your heart hardens, too. This began as a dream. Be a pity if it turned into a prison instead."
"But what would you do, Dad? How would you get along? The ranch is in trouble. We can't keep going like we have been. Every hand is needed, and still, it's not enough."
"Then maybe we have to sell," his dad answered. "Maybe that's just how things are."
Even though Ian had entertained the possibility, even longed a little for the money and what it would make possible, he found himself shocked to his marrow at the very idea. "No. I can't do that. I can't walk away fro
m all the sacrifices."
"So you'll sacrifice your chance at love instead?"
"What am I supposed to do, Dad? You've put your whole life into this place. Generations before you did, too."
"I think," his dad said slowly, "that no amount of dirt is worth living without the woman you love. My advice to you, son, is to talk to her first. Figure out what's between you. My sense is that she wants to stay, but she needs a reason. Needs to know she has a place to sink roots of her own." He pinned Ian with his gaze. "But that place can be anywhere—being together is what matters. You might want to travel together to scratch that itch you think I don't know you've had all your life. Or maybe you do both—settle here but do some traveling, too. Point is, you and she belong together, and that comes first. If you two decide to stick around, then—" He grinned. "Then, God help me, we'd best talk about how to put some of your newfangled notions into practice so we can make this place thrive again."
Ian's eyebrows rose nearly as fast as his heart. "You'd consider it? Really, Dad?"
"Come on inside, son. This place didn't get built by folks too afraid to take a risk. I just sorta forgot that when I was trying so hard to cling to my belief that I'd made the right choice to stay and let your ma go." As he followed his son inside, he chuckled. "But right now, I'm thinking you'd better get some sleep so you can give that girl your best presentation."
Ian halted. "She might leave during the night."
"Then call Ruby and tell her to lock her in her bedroom if need be."
The image of spitfire Scarlett finding herself a prisoner in her bedroom brought a smile to Ian's face. Shoot, she'd probably climb out the second story window and shimmy down a drainpipe, God help them all.
"Better yet," his dad said with a slap on Ian's back. "You go get your beauty rest, and I'll call Ruby. I'll take guard duty myself, if need be."
* * *
The sun was high when Scarlett awoke. She started to stretch, then bolted up in bed, the events of the night before racing scattershot through her brain.
She raced to the door and yanked it open, then charged down the stairs. "Nana!" Her heart thudded as she pondered what might have happened while she was sleeping. "Nana!"
Texas Roots: The Gallaghers of Sweetgrass Springs Page 21