by Nancy Radke
"Adam's family was devastated by Grandma's death," Mike asserted, biting his words off sharply. "I know. I was there. I went to see them, Dad. It would have helped if you had, too. You and Mom and Gramps. And Jo."
"I didn't think of it that way, Mike," her father stated. "But Adam still needs to realize what he's done. All of you. We were lucky this time. We might not be so lucky again."
A new wave of remorse hit Jo. She felt as sterile as the hospital rooms. Why was life so unfair, to force her to choose between the people she loved? If she followed her heart and chose Adam, and then Gramps died, she'd never live with herself. She had to support her grandfather. Even if it meant giving up the only man she'd ever love.
But oh, what a loss.
Shaking with anger and disappointment, his world collapsed, Adam watched Jo run inside the hospital. He started to drive away, but pulled into the parking lot instead. He had to know if Gramps was still alive or not.
He sat there, trembling, then finally broke down into tears. His final shot for happiness and he'd blown it. He wanted to go slow. He hadn't planned for his emotions to skyrocket like they had.
He'd expected resistance from Jo. He figured he'd have to overcome a lifetime of dislike. Instead she had met him more than halfway.
Her grandfather must have seen them together on his porch. It must have been a huge shock to the old man.
Jo thought he’d done it deliberately. He hadn't, but it showed she didn't trust him at all.
He couldn't live here any longer. Even if she moved away, her presence would haunt these mountain trails, as it had when she went to Virginia. He couldn't take it. He'd turn the ranch over to Johnny and move somewhere else. He was still young. He could find another place. Find another girl.
Grief threatened to overcome him. He'd hoped for Jo's love for so many years, waiting for her. It was the wrong thing to do. He could see that now. It didn't pay to put your life in someone else's hands.
He couldn't stop the tears. They poured down his face like the rain outside his car, hurtling down in great buckets of water. The ground was thirsty and would welcome it, he knew, his rancher-self glad to see it even as he mourned.
Unable to wait any longer, he called the hospital. They put him through to the waiting room. Mike answered. Jo refused to talk to him, but Mike told him that Gramps was alive. That he had given him first aid while Frank drove to the hospital.
Adam started the car and drove, aimlessly, through the streets and finally along the mountain roads. At least he and Jo hadn't killed him.
Not dead. Would there be a chance? Did he want there to be? If he and Jo got together agin, and then Gramps demanded something and she chose the old man over him again, then what? What kind of life could they have together?
He looked around, saw where he was, and pointed his car along the road where the ranchers had lost so many cattle. As long as he was driving, he might as well drive there.
He slowed down as he came up to a vehicle parked beside the road. Next to a mountain gate. He looked around, didn’t see anyone.
A small truck with a shell on it. He took his foot off the gas and stopped.
He got out. He could see, in his headlights, prints of cattle and people around the back of the truck. He turned off his lights, jumped into his car and drove down the road, around a corner and parked.
His cell phone had a signal here. He called the sheriff and left a message, describing the truck and the location.
"I'm sure. These are the ones. I'm going back there, so hurry."
He hung up before the dispatcher could answer.
He didn't carry his rifle in his car. Throwing open his trunk, he found a rope and a tire iron.
He coiled the rope. It was one he used to rope cattle with. He'd thrown it in here for some reason.
He eased the trunk lid gently down to avoid making a noise. Carefully he walked down the road, back to the truck, getting his rope ready. A calf was bawling and fighting the two men trying to shove it into the back. He put the bulk of the truck between him and the men. He could hear their struggles.
Quick to move, he came around the side and caught the man with his back to him a sharp blow on the head and shoulders with the tire iron. The man dropped, and Adam hoped he hadn't killed him.
The other man raised his head and looked directly at Adam.
Peter Johnson! The crook dropped the calf and started to run down the road.
It was too easy. Adam already had his loop built. He dropped the tire iron as he stepped free of the truck, swung the rope and made a foot catch, throwing Peter into the mud on the side of the road.
He checked the other man, whom he didn't know. He wasn't carrying a weapon. It was hard to wrestle steers and not shoot yourself. He spotted the rifle propped up against the front fender, and moved it into the brush.
He walked the few yards to where Peter was trying frantically to undo himself. Peter stopped when Adam got near, and glared at him.
"You," Peter said.
"Yes," said Adam. "I guess I should have run you out of the country the other night. Get up."
He had Peter remove the rope, then marched him over to his friend, who was still unconscious. He could hear the calves bawling in the truck.
"Did you know that these are your grandfather's calves?" he asked, taking the rope and tying Peter with it.
Peter looked sullen. "Doesn’t matter."
Peter's friend moaned, regaining consciousness. Adam used the other end of the long rope to tie him.
"Any more of you?" Adam asked, swinging the tire iron so that they watched it in fear.
"No."
"Who you been selling these to?"
“A cattle dealer in Pendleton. He doesn't ask where we get them."
By the time Sheriff Allerton arrived, Adam had the dealer's name and address and the name of Peter's friend.
The sheriff's deputy took pictures of the truck, the cattle in the truck, the two men, and the general area. Peter's grandfather, Marvin, had padlocked the gate, but Peter had simply cut the wires, so the deputy took pictures of the gate and the wire cutters. And the rifle.
Inside the truck they found bolt cutters, ropes, and bills of sale from the buyer in Pendleton.
"Let's hope the judge can get some of the money back," Allerton said as the deputy kept taking pictures. "Now that we've got all this evidence, we can put these calves back into their pasture. Imagine, stealing from your own grandfather. Marv said he wanted the kid to inherit the place. Doesn't look like the punk wanted to wait."
Adam helped the sheriff put the animals back, then walked to his car and got some gloves and fencing supplies, which he never went anywhere without. He was able to jury-rig the gate enough so it would hold until Marv sent a man up to fix it properly.
By the time they were done, it was well past three. The sky was getting lighter. Adam drove home, emotionally drained, and went to bed. Johnny couldn't raise him, so did the morning chores himself.
When Adam finally got up, he asked if there had been a call from the hospital, or any of Jo's family.
None. It was the same old pattern repeating itself. He told them about catching the thieves and who it had turned out to be, but no one could really relax as long as they hadn't heard from the Davies family.
Finally Mike called and brought them up to date. Then Karen called Johnny. Frank called on the fifth day, when they brought the old man home. But not Jo.
In the five days before her grandfather was allowed home, Jo helped with the chores, trying to immerse herself in the hard work. Every evening she rode Paca aimlessly in the lower pastures, avoiding the timber country and the off chance she might run into Adam. Each night she cried until there were no more tears left, and then fell into a troubled sleep.
Adam had become so much a part of her that Jo's life shattered into a void, leaving her aching with emptiness, as if standing motionless, staring off into space. Having spurned him, the bright promise of future spun out of he
r reach, disappearing into the black clouds.
He had telephoned the hospital the first night and Mike gave him the report on Gramps. Jo refused to speak to him—burdened with the finality of her words.
Without conscious decision, she fell back into her old defense of not saying anything. Lost in the turmoil of her thoughts, she rejected all comfort or advice. Guilt and loss combined to form a load too heavy to bear, and her mind refused to consider anything but its task of reviewing things said or not said during that long drive to the hospital.
She closed the heavy curtains in her room, the final cutting off of all contact with Adam.
She and Karen tried to put on a cheerful face when they were around their grandfather, but on his fourth night home, when Karen fled from him, crying, he rounded on Jo, spinning his wheelchair on the porch to bring himself closer.
"What is this, Joanna? Are the doctors not telling me something? Am I going to die?" He plucked at the blanket across his legs.
Jo tore her fixed gaze back from where it had strayed to the lights in Adam's room. Was he watching them, even now? "No. No, Gramps. You're fine. Everything's fine," she added, scooting her chair around so she no longer faced Adam's home.
"You sure? I can understand you having a rough time, but what's wrong with Karen?"
"She'll be okay, Gramps," she hastened to assure him, wondering if it would ever be true. His heart attack had devastated Karen, and with the failure of her plan, all her hopes had vanished.
Jo's grandfather scowled at her. "How about you? Are you going to press charges?"
The word came so unexpectedly, Jo wondered if she'd heard right. "Charges?"
"Yes. Against Adam."
She shut her eyes, then opened them to look, puzzled, at her grandfather. Was there something here she wasn't getting? "Why?"
Her grandfather slapped his hand on the arm rest, in agitation. "I thought you'd want to, after what he did to you."
"To me?" She paused, more puzzled than ever. "Don't you mean, did to you?"
"No. You're the one that Adam, that Adam...."
"What?"
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Her grandfather bit his lip, eyes silently assessing her before he continued. "Raped."
"Raped? Who told you that?" Jo's voice rose in anger and disbelief. "Adam never raped me."
Her grandfather's face whitened. "He didn't. But...I heard— and then Frank said—" He raised a shaking hand to rub across his brow. "Your face was bruised."
"Who told you such a vicious lie?" Jo demanded, trembling in rage.
"Marv Johnson. He called me—"
"Mr. Johnson?" This was unreal. "When? Why?"
"Sunday morning. Peter went home, looking terrible. Marv said his face was all smashed up. Peter claimed you and he had stopped along the road to talk, when Adam drove up, drunk, and forced you out of the car. He said you were fighting and Adam turned ugly and ripped your clothes."
"And I bet he said he tried to defend me?" Jo added, sarcastically, biting off each word as if it were Peter's neck.
"Yes...yes, he did. That was how he got beat up. When he came to, Adam had raped you and left."
Jo leaned forward, grasping his hands tightly. "Oh, Grandpa, think. Adam Trahern has never hurt any of us. It's always our family who wrongs him. He would never attack me."
"You mean Peter...?"
"That's right. Peter mixed up his characters. He was the drunk one tearing my dress. Adam came and rescued me. Adam came in time. Otherwise I'd have Peter in jail."
His voice dropped, into a hoarse whisper. "Peter's left. Marv said he hasn’t been home since the night of my attack. So it wasn't Adam." He gave a deep sigh of relief. "Somehow, I couldn't quite believe it, Joanna. But your face was bruised Sunday morning and...and Frank said it was true." Bewildered, he asked, "Why did he say that?"
"He didn't know what you were talking about. Adam had asked me to sit with him in church. Dad thought you meant that."
"Ah. I see, I see.... I see some other things, too." His voice rasped with emotion. “So Adam never harmed you. Then what's wrong? And what's wrong with Karen?"
Jo hesitated, studying the old man's face. Should she tell him everything? The time was right, but he looked so frail since the attack, the years catching up to him and aging him all at once. Yet there was a resolve, a set purpose in his voice. He'd keep after her until she told him. "Karen... well, she...." What should she say?
"Yes? Come on, out with it."
She's been dating, secretly."
"Afraid of me? Huh."
"Partly. She didn't want to upset you. She was afraid you'd have a heart attack."
"Silly of her."
"Not silly at all. You just had one."
"Humph." His fingers beat a rapid tattoo on the arm rest, eyes thoughtful. He nodded as he reached his conclusion. "Has to be Johnny Trahern."
"How did you—"
"I suspected something was going on. All those evening strolls. Tell him to come through the front door, where I can keep an eye on him."
"Gramps." Jo caught the twinkle in his eye and took courage. "They're engaged. They want to be married."
He received the news in silence, taking a deep breath as he looked out toward the Trahern lights, then swung his gaze towards the mountain grave site where Anna lay.
Jo followed his gaze, tears dimming her sight. "Let her go, Grampa," she murmured, her heart aching for him. "It's time. Let her rest."
He nodded, eyes filling with tears, then nodded harder as Jo continued. "We need to welcome Johnny into the family, for Karen's sake. You're tearing her apart. All of us."
He settled back with a long sigh. "You're right. This heart attack made me realize just how short life is. Tell Karen I want her to be happy. You too, Joanna." He fixed his shrewd gaze on her. "You love Adam, don't you?"
"Yes. I do." He looked bleak. So lonely, and Jo had to steel her heart against giving in to him again. Now that Gramps knew, nothing was going to keep her away from Adam. Unless it was Adam himself.
He shifted his weight uncomfortably in the chair, hands gripping the arm rests as if unwilling to let go. "Thought so. I saw it coming for years. After the accident, I closed my eyes to everything but the hurt. I couldn't bear to think Adam would take you from me."
"He can't, Grampa. Not unless you force me to choose between the two of you. I'll always love you. But I want Adam, and I'm going to go to him, even if you tell me not to." She brushed away the tears with the back of her hand, striving for a brave showing.
"I know. That's how you should feel. I've been a foolish old man, almost ruining my granddaughters' lives. If I'd have forgiven the Traherns years ago, I'd not have almost killed myself. It was probably the best thing that could've happen to me," he asserted.
At his words, Jo began to cry. To win her grandfather's acceptance...and lose Adam. How could life be so cruel? She shook her head, swiping her eyes. "I won't be marrying Adam."
"Why not? Isn't he in love with you?"
"How can he be? I ruined everything." Fighting against her tears, Jo told him about Karen's plan with its disastrous ending.
Her grandfather heard her silently to the end, his fingers tapping thoughtfully on the chair. "How much do you love him?"
"Tremendously. It's...it's like I belong to him, somehow. I feel I've lost a part of me, and it's out there, with him." Fresh tears welled up and slid down her cheeks. "It's hopeless, Gramps."
"Nothing is hopeless, Jo, unless you make it so."
Jo dropped her head in defeat. She had made the situation hopeless. Adam had vowed he'd never resume things if she backed out on him. And she had done much worse, breaking all her promises, destroying the rapport they were building. She had totally killed any love that Adam might have felt. "He'll never forgive me. I said such terrible things."
"Nonsense. He can't forgive you if you won't speak to him. He doesn't know how you feel. He probably thinks you still blame him."
"But what i
f he doesn't love me?"
"He does. Adam's been telling you he loves you ever since you started this little game."
"How can you tell?"
"I can, from what little you've said, which I know's been edited."
"You're sure?"
"If Adam didn't love you, he'd have told me about Karen and Johnny some other way...like saying I wasn't invited to the wedding. He'd never have started this in the first place. Men like Adam don't get involved in things unless it suits their purpose."
"And you think his purpose was...?"
"To get you. Just like he said he would."
"But that was a threat to you."
"Then I might be wrong, but I'm betting I'm not. You'll never know unless you try. Where's your spirit, girl?"
Jo sniffed back further tears. "Just needing a good kick. If he was really courting me, he went at it the back way."
"He had a lot to overcome. We've done him a great wrong, you and I. Both of us, Joanna."
Jo blotted her eyes once more. "Can it really be love, Gramps? It happened so fast. In just over a week?" Looking back it seemed unreal. Impossible.
The old man was more confident. "Sometimes that's all you need. I knew Anna only three weeks when I decided I'd marry her, and she a stranger to me. You've known Adam since you were born. All it took was something to break down the barrier."
Jo nodded her head, sighing deeply in despair. "The barrier came down all right, with a bang, and took my heart with it." She stared forlornly at her grandfather. "What am I going to do?"
"Well, I'm going to tell the rest of the family about our little talk and how I've misjudged Adam. Then I'll tell Karen to get that ring on her finger where it belongs. You go talk turkey to Adam. Tell him...."
"Yes?"
"Tell him I'm giving him back the lease, tomorrow. That should let him know better than any words I say."
Jo smiled through her tears, hope rekindled. She wheeled her grandfather inside, deciding to call Adam right then. It was worth a try. If he loved her even a little bit, maybe he would forgive her.
Still, Gramps had nursed his bitterness for years. What if Adam did the same?