by Connie Mann
Eve watched him ride away and almost sank down into the dirt. But she wouldn’t cave, wouldn’t let anyone see how much he’d hurt her. Sheer force of will kept her spine stiff as he rode farther and farther away. Would he look back? She didn’t think so, but her foolish heart hoped he would anyway.
He had almost disappeared from view when her cell phone rang. She checked the caller ID before she answered. “Hello, Mr. Braddock.”
“Eve, we have a situation here.” He launched directly into a lengthy description of another tip on suspected illegal dumping of chemicals, without so much as saying hello or asking how things were going. Which was how he’d always spoken to her, but somehow, now, it grated. How hard was it to take a minute and ask about her mother, how Eve was doing?
When he finally paused for breath, Eve said, “My mother seems to be improving, so we’re thankful for that.”
The silence lengthened; then he cleared his throat. “Good, good. Glad to hear it. I also read about your little investigation in Safe Harbor. Sounds like you’re doing a bang-up job, but we have bigger fish to fry than a single well in a small town. The amount of chemicals these criminals are dumping . . . well, I need you on the next plane back to DC. I need my best investigator on this, and you’re it.”
Eve had known, as soon as he’d started talking, that this was the reason he’d called. But hearing him dismiss her investigation here so casually left her with a hollow feeling she hadn’t expected. She couldn’t just abandon Celia. Or Cole. Not before she figured out who was behind it all.
At the sound of hoofbeats, she turned to see Cole galloping back toward her with an urgency that made her stomach clench. Had something else happened?
“I need to go. Thanks for calling, Mr. Braddock. I’ll have to let you know.”
“It wasn’t a suggestion, Eve,” he ground out, but she didn’t hear whatever else he said because all her attention was focused on Cole.
He pulled up and slid from the horse, then pulled her into his arms with enough force that she landed against his chest with a whoosh. Before she could form a single coherent thought, his lips were on hers and those powerful arms had her wrapped so tight she could barely breathe. His heart thundered against hers, and she tasted panic, and desperation, mixed with a hefty dose of confusion in his kiss.
Which perfectly mirrored her own stormy feelings. She responded with all the churning emotions spinning in her own heart and mind in what became a mind-numbing kiss.
Cole cupped her cheeks, and the kiss changed from stormy to calm, welcoming.
Eventually Cole eased her back a bit and brushed the clouds of hair back from her face. He ran the back of one finger down her cheek. “You have the softest skin,” he murmured.
She smiled, but the intensity in his eyes unnerved her.
“Stay with me, Eve. Here on the ranch.”
Her heart pounded, and panic made her hands shake. “I-I, ah, I don’t know what to say.” She couldn’t live on a ranch in this tiny Florida town. How could she make a difference from here? If she quit her job, more water would be contaminated, more children would get sick and die. She had work to do. Work that mattered. Her work stopped criminals and saved lives.
Cole seemed to sense her hesitation, and she saw a protective shield come down over his eyes a split second before he slid his hands away and took a step back. “You’re leaving.”
Eve rubbed her arms as the chill in his voice washed over her. It wasn’t a question, but she answered anyway. “My boss wants me on the next plane. But I’ll hold him off until we figure out what’s going on here.” She paused. “I never planned on staying.”
“Plans can change.”
“Sometimes. My work matters. Can you understand that?”
He nodded, eyes sad. “I can. And it does.”
Without another word, he swung back into the saddle and left again. Eve stared after him, the tears she’d held back pouring down her face.
Here was a terrific guy, promising her a good life, and she couldn’t accept. Because she was afraid that he would see through her, see the fraud she was. She fought so hard for others, but all those years ago when her own mother had desperately needed Eve to be her advocate, her champion, Eve had hidden in the alley as her mother had asked, scared to death while the woman she was trying to protect died, alone. Never mind that her mother had ordered her to hide. Eve shouldn’t have listened. But she’d followed the rules, while others hadn’t, and her mother had died because of it.
That’s why she didn’t always do what she was supposed to, not when lives were at stake. She’d vowed to be a champion for others, to protect them from unsafe water and chemicals that could cause illness or death. In a small corner of her heart she hoped that someday, if she won enough battles, eventually the guilt that still wanted to suffocate her would ease enough so there was room for something—or someone—else in her life. But it wasn’t that day yet. And until it was, she had work to do. Alone.
Eve shook off the dark thoughts as Hector came up beside her and gave her a thorough perusal, his dark eyes missing nothing. “Cole is a good man. Very different than his father.”
“Different how?” Eve swiped at her tears. She’d heard bits and pieces. Maybe Hector would finally give her the whole story.
He shook his head. “I don’t like to speak ill of the dead.”
“I need to know, Hector.”
Hector studied her intently for a few moments, then nodded. “Hank was a hard man. He thought that being tough was the way to make a man out of Cole. He beat him with his belt—too much. He never had a kind word, never tried to encourage Cole in any way, even though Cole has always been wonderful with the horses.”
Eve’s heart clenched at an image of a young Cole being subjected to a belt.
The unfairness of it all made her appreciate the man Cole had become even more. It would have been easy to succumb to bitterness, after a childhood like that. But she’d seen no evidence of that in Cole.
“What about Alice?” Her blood ran cold at the idea that Hank beat his wife, as well.
He wouldn’t meet her eyes, and the silence lengthened as she watched him debate how much to say. “She tried to protect Cole when she could. She made sure Cole never saw, never knew.”
She heard what he wasn’t saying. “Hank beat her, too.”
“Sí. Especially if he was angry with Cole, or things at the ranch did not go well.”
“Which happened a lot.”
Another shrug, averted eyes. “Sí. Too often. I tried to stop him, but he said if I interfered again, he would throw me off the ranch.”
“You stayed to protect Cole. And then, Alice.”
There was steel in his voice. “She is a strong lady and should be treated with respect.”
Eve wondered if maybe Hector had feelings for Cole’s mother. “I’m sure it means the world to Cole that you were there when he couldn’t be.”
Alarm flashed in Hector’s eyes. “No, senorita. You must not tell him. I just did my job.”
Eve hurried to reassure him. “This is not my story to tell, Hector. Please do not worry. But I think it explains why Alice might be ready to live elsewhere.”
He stiffened. “She is leaving the ranch?”
Oh dear. What had she just finished saying about telling other people’s stories? “I think she’s considering a change. But you should discuss that directly with her, I think.”
He nodded, clearly troubled by the prospect. Then he looked out toward where Cole had disappeared into some trees. “Cole is a good man. He should be the boss of the ranch.” He eyed her sideways. “You are good for him, senorita.”
Eve tried to smile as his words brought a lump to her throat. “He is more than a good man. He’s the best, and he deserves the best. I am not that person.” She kept her tone light. “I’m a crusader, always off on a mission to right wrongs, save the world.”
“Perhaps the wrong you are trying so hard to right is something that happened lo
ng ago, and can’t be fixed. It can only be forgiven.”
The words froze Eve’s smile and hit like an unexpected blast. How could he know what happened in her past? But when she looked into his brown eyes, she saw understanding, and recognized a kindred spirit, someone who had seen too much, perhaps, but had still found a way to move forward, to look for the positive. She envied him that, wanted that for herself, but didn’t think she deserved it.
“Grace is what we get when we let go of the burden we are struggling to carry. When we hand it over to el Señor, God himself, he carries it for us and gives us a new start, another chance. But we have to stop carrying the burden first, and lay it down.”
The words were spoken quietly, but with great conviction. Looking into Hector’s bruised face she realized she didn’t need to know the details to know he spoke from experience. She wanted what he was talking about. But after so many years, she didn’t know where to begin.
All she knew was how to fix things, to try to make amends.
On impulse, she reached up and hugged the older man, and she could swear the tips of his ears turned red. “Thank you, Hector. You are a good man.” She stepped back. “And I’m sorry—again—about the damage to your truck. The mechanic said he’ll have it ready for you in a couple of days.”
She ignored Hector’s protest about the cost as she turned back to the house. Right now she still had battles to fight on Cole’s behalf.
And maybe, just maybe, somewhere in the middle of it all, she’d figure out what to do about Cole.
Chapter 29
Cole galloped away from Eve a second time, calling himself eight kinds of fool. She’d never said she was staying, never let him believe, for even a second, that living out in the middle of nowhere on a struggling ranch with an ornery cuss like him was something she might want to do. What had he been thinking?
He’d been thinking about what he wanted. About how right she felt in his arms. About how he hadn’t realized how lonely he was until Eve showed up in his world with all her fire and passion and zest for life. She shook him out of his detachment and made him long for connection, something he had deliberately stopped wanting when he was a teenager. If you didn’t get involved, you couldn’t get hurt. But Eve had changed all that. She’d made him want to open his heart, more fool him.
She, however, had been thinking about the same thing she’d been obsessed with since she was a teen: her latest crusade. He admired her need to help people, he really did. It was a big part of what made Eve, Eve. But couldn’t she save the water supply and save the planet from the ranch?
He sighed. She probably could, if she wanted to. But therein lay the problem. It didn’t appear she wanted to. So, now what?
Did he want to stay on the ranch without her?
He looked up as Leon drove by in his pickup truck, heading for the back field, near where the rustlers had loaded the cattle.
What was he doing way out here? Cole turned and headed in that direction, watching as Leon got out of the truck, picked something off the ground, and got back in.
He met him as he was heading back. “Hey, Leon? What brings you out this way?”
“Thought I dropped something last time I checked that ramp.”
Cole thought the other man seemed uncomfortable, which surprised him. “Didn’t realize we’d had a problem with the ramp.”
“No equipment to fix, that’s a fact, but I was helping Hector check the fence after those rotten thieves done stole part of your herd, and lost one of my tools.” He held up a pry bar. “Gotta have this baby to get things done.”
Cole smiled. “Glad you found it, then.” He tipped his hat and backed away as Leon drove over to the barn. The conversation bothered him at a level he learned long ago not to ignore. Something was up with Leon. But was it personal stuff—everyone knew his wife had left him recently—or something to do with the sabotage on the ranch?
He headed back to the barn to talk to the hands. He knew he wouldn’t figure it out standing here.
Eve went looking for Buzz. He was seated in the office, booted feet propped on the desk while he checked over a list of some kind. When she walked in, his feet hit the floor and he stood up and said, “Cole’s not here.”
Eve kept a pleasant expression on her face. “I know. Any word on Duane today?”
“Heard they took out the breathing tube, which is good.” He shrugged. “Haven’t heard any more. Still can’t figure out what he was doing out in that field with the fire.”
Eve had a few theories she wanted to discuss with Nick about that. For now, she shrugged. “It’s hard to know, but I’m glad there is some improvement. This has been really hard on Alice.”
“It has, though I don’t know why she cares so much about the stubborn drunk.” He stopped, shook his head. “I get that he’s her brother, but he’s done nothing but make the people who care about him miserable for too long. Alice doesn’t deserve that.”
“Agreed. Seems she’s had hardship coming faster than she can keep up with.” Eve paused, tried to decide how to phrase her next question.
Buzz studied her, then folded his arms over his chest. “Spill it, whatever it is you came to say.”
Eve’s chin came up at his tone. “I came to ask if you’d consider helping Cole get through this rough patch, financially.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, just studied her from narrowed eyes. “Cole—or his mama—don’t cotton to charity.”
“I didn’t figure they did. But a helping hand from a friend isn’t the same thing, now, is it?”
When he didn’t say anything, Eve added, “You and I both know Cole is doing all he can, but someone is sabotaging him at every turn.”
“Don’t see you coughing up your hard-earned money, missy.”
An embarrassed flush crept over Eve’s cheeks. “Fighting the good fight has never paid well,” she shot back, then sobered. “If I had any to give, you can bet I would have already done it.”
“You think I have pots of cash sitting around?”
“I think that fancy car you drive didn’t come from Walmart. You may not be rich, but I’m betting you could help if you wanted to.”
“And what makes you think I’d want to?”
She studied his harsh expression. “Alice. You may not care that much for Cole, but Alice is a different story.” She held up a hand when he started to protest. “And don’t try to pretend differently. I’ve seen it. So, will you help?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Fair enough.”
“And while I’m thinking, you might want to take another look at Richard Blackwell’s place. I’ve seen quite a bit of activity there at night that might bear looking into.”
She remembered what Celia had said about seeing Buzz ride by late at night. “Where?”
He sketched a quick map of the area he was talking about.
Unsure what else to say, Eve thanked him and left.
As soon as it got dark, she would go check it out.
Restless and edgy as Cole’s words, combined with Hector’s, played over and over in her mind, Eve stopped by the marina. She had only planned to stay a few minutes, just to see how Mama Rosa was doing, make sure all was as it should be. But the minute she pulled up and saw Mama in her rocker on the porch, she knew she’d be here a while. The trick was to not let her guard down and tell Mama everything—no matter how tempting that could be—because Mama had enough to worry about right now without adding Eve’s romantic issues to the list.
“How is my Eve? Come give me a kiss,” she commanded when Eve climbed the steps to the porch.
Eve smiled and leaned over to kiss the familiar cheek, shocked anew at how much weight she’d lost. Mama had always been apple-round and soft; now her skin hung on her frame. The scarves she wore around her bald head always made panic flare in Eve’s chest. Especially now, with the threat to Mama still surrounding them.
Eve pulled another rocker up close and sat down, gently taking
Mama’s hand in her own. “How are you, Mama?”
Mama smiled, some of the familiar twinkle back in her sunken eyes. “It is good to be home, my Eve. There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed, even though Sal snores loud enough to wake the dead. Even that, I missed. Though the family’s hovering is making me crazy.”
Eve smiled, as she’d been meant to do. And they’d keep hovering, as long as they needed to. “I’m glad you are home.”
“Tell me how little Glory is doing.”
Eve assured her the little girl was back home and improving steadily. Instead of a smile at that update, Eve saw sadness. “Mama? What’s wrong? I thought that would be good news.”
“It is. The best.” She paused and bit her lip. “But it means you will be heading back to DC soon, no?”
Eve hesitated, tried to gentle her tone. “Eventually, yes. But not until we know what happened to make Glory sick. You knew I wasn’t staying forever, right?”
Mama’s brave smile felt like a knife to Eve’s heart. She wanted to say, No, don’t cry. I’ll stay forever. But she didn’t. Couldn’t. Because it was almost time to leave.
“Cole asked me to stay.” The words were out before she could call them back.
A quick flash of joy appeared in Mama’s eyes, but then she sobered. “You told him no.”
Eve shrugged, looked away, then back. “My work is in DC. I have a job to do. I make a difference there.”
“You could make a difference here, too. With all those computers they have today, you could work from anywhere, no?”
Eve couldn’t meet her eyes.
“Look at me, my Evie.”
Eve turned at the command. Mama squeezed her hand, and her voice was firm. “Your work matters, Eve. There is no question. You help protect the drinking water, protect families and little children like Glory. Keep people—keep children—from getting sick and dying. And that is commendable and good. But no matter how many things you make right, you will never make up for your mother’s death. Because. It. Wasn’t. Your. Fault. You didn’t poison that water, Eve.”
Mama had said this to her before, many years ago. She couldn’t accept the words then. She still couldn’t. Could she?