“What did your father say about it?”
“I haven’t talked to him yet.” He laid his head back on the headrest. “Lucy took him to a doctor’s appointment in Kalispell.”
“This doesn’t make sense. What exactly did Tony tell you?”
“That I should get off my high horse and figure out what’s really going on at the Lone Wolf.”
“Well, obviously he had something to do with it, and Eddie, I’d imagine. But you kicked them out before they had a chance to sell off the...” Rachel sighed, her temples throbbing. “No, the thefts started last August and stopped right before Christmas. They’ve had plenty of time to get rid of everything. But why would he steer you toward evidence that would incriminate him?”
“He wouldn’t...unless Wallace knows,” he said bleakly.
“But he doesn’t need any of the— Oh, God.” An unpleasant thought hit her. “Noah and Cole suspected Avery Phelps of having something to do with the thefts because he wanted to get back at us for taking in guests. Right after we opened, our trailer went missing, and then other ranches started getting robbed.”
“I’m not following,” Matt said, frowning. “Although that’s about the time Tony and Eddie hired on.”
“Wallace and Avery never liked each other, but they started getting chummy, drinking at the Watering Hole together.” She took a shaky breath, becoming more convinced Wallace was involved. “Avery couldn’t have acted alone but he may have given your father the idea. A lot of folks started blaming us for bringing in crime along with the tourists.”
Matt rubbed his eyes, his mouth set in a grim line.
“I’m just thinking out loud. Don’t listen to me.”
“It’s okay, Rachel. I think we both know Wallace somehow had a hand in this.”
“Look, my brothers and everyone else will just be so happy to get their property back. After that, who knows.” She hated to point out the obvious. “I mean considering the circumstances.”
Matt met her eyes. “I don’t want anyone to know yet.”
“What do you mean by yet?”
“I need time to talk to Wallace, and if necessary, sort things out with Noah when he gets back. I don’t want Nikki to get caught in all this. She needs her chance to find closure.”
She felt queasy recalling that he wanted the conversation kept between them. “We should tell Cole. He’ll be angry but after we explain about your dad’s health—”
He swore under his breath. “I shouldn’t have told you.”
“Of course you should have.”
“But now I’ve put you in the middle.” Matt stared out the windshield, shaking his head. “I’m such a selfish prick. Guess the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“Don’t you dare spout that crap.” Now she was pissed. “I mean it. You know better.”
He turned to her with a sad smile. “Give me twenty-four hours,” he said, reaching for her hand. “I know what I’m asking, and it kills me to do it.”
And it was killing her to agree. She nodded, feeling like the worst kind of traitor to her family. But this was Matt. And he could throw Nikki’s name around all he wanted, but Rachel knew he needed the closure, too. Needed to feel he’d mattered to his father and that their tiny new bond was real.
She knew she was right, but that didn’t lessen her guilt and it sure wouldn’t help her sleep tonight. The McAllisters had always placed family first. Always. Everything had just gotten too damned complicated. Maybe she should think seriously about heading to Tahiti before she was banished from the Sundance.
* * *
“I THOUGHT YOU’D LEFT,” Wallace said the next morning when he entered the kitchen, his shoulders stooped and his complexion pasty. Though he actually looked better than yesterday. The trip to Kalispell and two doctor’s appointments had worn him out.
“In a few minutes.” Matt sipped the coffee he’d just made. This was it...he had to lay his cards on the table. Maybe then he could quit stewing over the predicament he’d put Rachel in.
Maybe even get a good night’s sleep himself. The upside was he’d been able to do a lot of thinking while he stared into the darkness as the hours ticked by. His dad hadn’t been getting around much. It wasn’t unreasonable to believe he was ignorant of the thefts or what Tony and Eddie had been up to.
“Seems as if you’ve got something on your mind, son.” With a disinterested frown, Wallace looked up from the note and plate of bran muffins Lucy had left him. “You got something to say?”
“You heard about the thefts around the county, I’m sure.”
Wallace concentrated on pouring his coffee, the tremor in his hand causing the liquid to slosh over the rim. “Yep.”
“I have some bad news.” Matt paused, waiting for a reaction he didn’t get. “I found the stolen items here on the Lone Wolf.”
His father had trouble setting down the coffeepot. “Where?”
“A locked shed in the back. You know anything about it?”
“No.” His frail body shuddered and he gripped the edge of the counter. “Why would I need to steal? I run the only profitable ranch in this county. And by myself.”
“I’m not accusing you of stealing,” Matt said, trying to reconcile the man before him with the one who’d scared the shit out of him when he was a kid. Damn, he’d never thought he’d see the day Wallace would look so broken. Some of the fight left Matt and he knew he couldn’t corner the guy and kick him while he was down. “I think your two boys, Tony and Eddie, might’ve been pulling one over on you.”
Remaining silent, Wallace moved to the refrigerator for his milk.
“No need for you to worry about it,” Matt said. “I just thought you should know. I’ll make sure the property is returned to the victims. If everything is there, I doubt the sheriff will see fit to track anyone down. Those guys have to be long gone by now.”
Wallace nodded, but kept his gaze averted. No way to tell if he was feeling guilty, or angry with himself for not seeing what had been going on under his own nose. And maybe Matt was nothing but a damn fool. But he hadn’t wanted a blowup. The guy was dying. What did any of it matter? All Matt wanted was to clear things up with Rachel and let his sister make peace with the old man.
“I’ll go get Nikki.” Matt drained his mug and stood, then heard an engine. He went to the window. “She’s here. Must’ve borrowed a Sundance truck.”
On his way to the front door he noticed his father smoothing back his hair, and Matt smiled. Wallace was sober and worried about his appearance. Good sign.
“I was getting antsy, and Trace told me to use his truck,” Nikki said as she entered the house. “I left a message on your phone that I was coming. Is he sober?”
His phone was upstairs. Still, no harm, no foul. “Fine. Having coffee in the kitchen.” He motioned for her to go first but she shook her head and shoved him in front of her.
Wallace was sitting at the table, looking small and harmless. He offered a tentative smile, his worried eyes following Nikki. “Would you like coffee?” he asked, and started to rise.
“I’ll get it.” With a glance at the table, Matt motioned for Nikki to sit. “You want one?” he asked her. “Fresh Columbian.”
“No, thanks.” She took a seat, her skittering gaze landing everywhere but on the man sitting across from her.
Matt started to break the ice, then decided to let his father do it. Until the damn silence seemed to last longer than an eight-second ride on a pissed-off bull.
Then Wallace said two words Matt never in his life thought he’d hear him say. “I’m sorry.” Wallace noisily cleared his throat, but his voice still wobbled when he continued. “For abandoning you and your mother. It’s important to me that you know I loved Rosa, and I wanted to be with her. But I already had a wife and son, and I had to protect them.”
Matt stared at the years of guilt and shame etched in his father’s ravaged face. In some perverted way, he had sacrificed for Matt and his mother. He
’d been wrong to have the affair in the first place. So much of what his father had done in his life had been wrong, as a parent and a husband, but seeing him in this new light did something funny inside of Matt.
He glanced at Nikki, her expression blank. She always fought hard to control her emotions, but he knew it hurt her to hear this. She’d deserved her father’s loyalty and support as much as Matt. She took a deep breath and her features relaxed, a little sad but not angry. Hell, the man was dying and she probably felt like Matt did...what was the point?
“I resented you for a long time,” Nikki said softly. “At first I didn’t understand why you couldn’t love me, then I was angry because I saw how much you’d hurt Mom. But you know what?” She started to reach for Wallace’s shriveled hand but then pulled back and folded hers on the table. “Mom and I are really close. We had each other, and I never doubted for a single day that she loved me with all her heart.”
Wallace smiled a little. “That’s Rosa. She doted on you.”
“Were you jealous?” Nikki asked, her eyes pools of fresh hurt. “Is that why you stopped coming?” She made a small sound of distress. “No, don’t answer. It doesn’t matter.” After a sharp intake of breath, she rushed on. “I’m glad you sent her money. Thank you for that. She worked hard to make ends meet, but what you sent really helped and it gave us more time together.”
Matt grabbed the coffeepot, sweat already popping out on the back of his neck. “Refill?” he asked his father, who shook his head and covered his mug with a trembling hand.
His gaze briefly slid away from Nikki. “What I did was wrong,” he said, his voice choked with shame. “I was furious with Rosa for refusing to see me because I hadn’t legally acknowledged you. But I had no call to stop the checks after two years.”
“What? But you didn’t.” Nikki frowned, glanced over at Matt.
His heart hammering in his chest, he shrugged. “Dad, you should lie down for a while. You don’t look so hot.”
“Mom was the one who stopped you from sending the money orders,” Nikki said. “After I quit community college.” Looking confused, Nikki and Wallace stared at each other. “That was a year ago.”
Wallace squinted as if trying to remember. “It wasn’t me,” he murmured, his expression a swirl of panic and confusion like a man who thought he was losing his mind.
Matt sighed. “It was Mom. She started sending money a year after you stopped. After she died, I took over.” He could barely bring himself to look at Nikki.
Her eyes turned black with emotion, going from stunned to hurt to furious in seconds. “You lied to me?
“Technically, no.”
“Screw you, Matt.” She got to her feet. “Screw both of you.”
“Catherine knew about Rosa?” Wallace clutched the table.
“Nikki, wait.” Matt started to go after her, but she was running for the front door and he knew she’d reach the truck before he could stop her. He wouldn’t chase her and risk her wrapping herself around a telephone pole.
He watched from the window as she sped down the driveway, knowing the look she’d given him would haunt him forever. As if she thought that by hiding the truth, Matt had treated her no better than Wallace had.
18
WALLACE STAYED IN the chair, his shoulders drooping, his blank stare aimed at the empty doorway. Damn, he looked shaky and a lot like a man who needed a drink. What did it matter now? Nikki wasn’t likely to return, or have anything to say to either of them...except maybe go to hell.
“I’ll go talk to her.” Matt set his mug in the sink. “Stay here. I won’t be long,” he said, but Wallace just kept staring, showing no sign he’d heard. “Dad?”
He looked up then and nodded.
Matt ran upstairs for his phone and keys. Before leaving he checked in again on Wallace. He hadn’t moved.
Since the truck was borrowed, he assumed Nikki was headed for the Sundance. That would be his first stop. He had to try and explain the promise he’d made his mother. She’d wanted Nikki and Rosa to believe the money had come from Wallace. No use the girl growing up completely bitter, she’d said.
Rachel was waiting on the porch for him when he arrived. Nikki had beat him by five minutes and was in her room. “I think she was crying,” Rachel said. “What happened?”
“The money. It came up before I could tell her and now she’s pissed at Wallace and me.” He pushed a hand through his hair, avoiding Rachel’s eyes. “I need to talk to her.”
“She’s probably more hurt than angry. Give her some time to calm down.” Rachel turned when the front door opened, and smiled at the three women who came outside.
Matt nodded at them, but made it real clear he wasn’t in the mood to visit by staring off toward the mountains as they passed.
Behind him he heard Trace’s voice coming from the direction of the stables. Then he caught a glimpse of Cole near the barn. Great. The whole family was around today. “Your mom inside?”
“In the kitchen,” Rachel said with a sympathetic look, then took his arm. “Let’s go for a walk.”
He wouldn’t budge. “I know you mean well, but I have to—”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you right now.” Rachel let out a sigh of frustration. “I’m sorry. She asked me to tell you.”
Jesus, first he’d put her in the middle, and now Nikki had. He let Rachel steer him around the south side of the house, neither of them speaking as they avoided patches of snow. The ground was still soggy, and his boots were taking a beating, but he kept walking.
“Did she say anything else?” he asked finally.
“No, just that she thought you might follow her.”
“I’m sorry.” He shoved his cold hands into his pockets. “I know you have work to do.”
“It’s okay.” She hugged his arm. “It’s nice to walk.”
“Right, in thirty-degree weather.”
“You big wuss, we can turn around if you want.”
Matt smiled. “I saw Cole and Trace. Is Jesse around? I want to tell them about finding the trailer.”
She stopped and stared up at him, shading her eyes. They were so green in the sunlight. “Did you talk to Wallace?”
“I did.” He had to look away. “He didn’t know anything about it. I told him it was probably Tony and Eddie.”
“Then you’ll have to call Noah as soon as possible so he can locate them. I believe he’ll be back in the office today.”
“I’m gonna make sure everyone gets their stuff back. I don’t know that it’s worth pursuing.”
“I hope it’s that simple,” Rachel said quietly. “Your father has made a lot of enemies, and since the items were found on his property... Matt, people are going to be angry.”
He saw it in her eyes, the pity and concern, saw the way she studied his face. She knew that he didn’t believe his father was blameless. He’d never been able to hide anything from her. He wasn’t even sure why he was trying.
They walked in silence for another ten mintues, then Matt stopped. “Let’s go back while your brothers are still around. I wanna get this over with.” He lifted a loose curl off her shoulder and twirled it around his finger. “You just found out about it.”
“Yes, if you don’t mind, that would be best.” She slid an arm around his waist, even though he didn’t deserve her, not even a little.
They walked back to the house, motioning for Trace, who was working with a black stallion in the corral. Cole was nowhere in sight, but Rachel somehow communicated they wanted him because Trace stopped in the barn, and then both men walked toward the porch where he and Rachel waited.
“We’ll get my mom and go to Cole’s office,” she said, lowering her arm from around his waist. Then she squinted past his shoulder. “Might be Jesse. But he doesn’t drive that fast.”
Matt turned and saw dust plumes. The vehicle had to be moving at a hell of a clip to kick up that much dry dirt under the gravel. The air fled Matt’s lungs. It was Wallace’s SUV
that came barreling and swerving toward the house.
Skipping the steps, Matt jumped off the porch and charged toward the vehicle. He heard Rachel scream his name but he kept moving, his pulse racing out of control. The SUV stopped not three feet in front of him. Through the windshield he saw Wallace’s flushed face, and knew the bastard was drunk even before he staggered out.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Matt grabbed his shirt before he fell backward. “I told you to stay put.”
“You don’t tell me shit, boy.” Spit flew from Wallace’s mouth. Rage filled his eyes as he leaned to his left and glared past Matt. “Yeah, I took your damn horse trailer, and I’m not sorry. You goddamn McAllisters think you’re better than everyone.” He turned his head and spit in the gravel.
Matt knew Cole and Trace were behind him and he was tempted to release Wallace, let his ass land on the cold hard ground. “Not everyone.” Matt fisted the shirt tighter. “Just better than you. And they’re right.”
“What’s he talking about?” Cole’s pinched voice came from just over Matt’s shoulder. “Where’s our trailer?”
Maintaining his hold, Matt turned to face him.
“It’s safe and in good shape, Cole,” Rachel said, rushing toward them, Trace alongside her. “Matt was about to explain.”
Trace and Cole both stared at their sister. “You knew?” Trace said, his puzzled frown slowly sliding to anger.
Cole’s eyes blazed, boring into her, demanding the truth.
“She just found out,” Matt said. “I just told her.”
A guilty blush burned in her cheeks. She opened her mouth but couldn’t seem to speak, only swallowed convulsively.
Matt stared in horror. She was going to confess. “Rachel.”
She wouldn’t look at him. “Yesterday. I knew yesterday.” Her voice caught and she hung her head.
“No.” Matt turned his back on Wallace to face the brothers. They were pissed, and rightfully so. “She’s confused.”
“What’s going on out here?” Barbara stood on the porch, slowly stepping down, her startled gaze riveted on Wallace.
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