Slow Ride Home (The Grady Legacy)

by Leah Braemel

  “What an asshole.” Jake slammed the office door. “He’s looking to offload his guilt, that’s all.”

  Ben slowly shook his head. “I can’t forgive him for what he did, but he’s right. What guy shares his woman with another guy if he loves her?” He stared up at his brother, feeling like the stupid younger brother instead of the role model he’d always thought of himself. “I’m just as responsible as him.”

  “You were eighteen and stupid in love,” Jake said. He returned Ben’s gaze evenly. “What? You were crazy stupid when it came to Allie back then. Harlan knew it too and manipulated you.” He lifted their grandfather’s journal. “At least you can tell her the video has been destroyed. And who took it. That’s worth something, right?”

  * * *

  Allie removed her laptop and her report from her case and set it on Ben’s kitchen table. She’d debated whether to go out looking for him to give him the news or wait until he came home. Considering it was midafternoon before she’d gotten through filing the Tank’s quitclaim at the county clerk’s office, she’d decided to wait. Besides, the news about Gabe was something he needed to hear in private, not out in the open. So she’d texted him that she’d closed his case, but they still needed to talk and she’d meet him at his house.

  As she finished up filing her report, including scans of Tank’s quitclaim, she wondered again how to tell Ben about his half brother. Had he known all along? Had he lied to her?

  Her stomach somersaulted when his truck drove up outside before she’d made a decision. The truck door slammed and gravel crunched. What are you going to tell him? Decide, damn it. She jumped to her feet and stood in the middle of the room, wringing her hands. Forget somersaults, her stomach was doing a full gymnastics routine.

  As he slowly walked toward the back porch, she noticed the grease stains on his cheek and shirt, grass stains on his jeans, and a blue book jammed under his arm. When he saw her standing at the screen door, he smiled, though it hinted more at sadness and pain than happiness. “Hey there, beautiful. You’re early.”

  “I know. I hope you don’t mind that I let myself in.”

  Despite her vow to be professional, the moment he’d stepped into the kitchen and placed his book on the table, she ran to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “Everything will work out. I promise.” She buried her face in his chest, and inhaled the scent of machine oil, grass, wood and Ben, wondering if it might be her last chance to hold him.

  He stiffened for a moment, then he wrapped his arms around her, his palm stroking her back. “It’s all right, Al. I’m not about to blame you for my family’s screw-ups.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. He was soothing her, worrying about her.

  Breathe. You can do this. It’ll hurt him, but he deserves the truth.

  Besides, it wasn’t like she had a choice.

  He pulled away, sliding his hands down her arms until their fingers linked. “I asked Jake to meet us here so you can tell us both about what your investigators have discovered. But while we’re waiting I’ve got something I need to tell you.”

  His seriousness frightened her. She sought out the safety of a kitchen chair before her legs collapsed beneath her. “All right.”

  He picked up the book from the table and flipped to a page. “Jake found this when he was helping Gram the other day. It’s Gramp’s notes from...well, that summer.” He held it to her so she could see the page filled with strong black handwriting. “Harlan Vance took the video and used it to blackmail Gramps into letting him keep his job. He and Logan set us up, Al.”

  “Logan?” she said weakly. She took the book and flipped to the page he’d marked where she found George’s notes about the video, but also about how he’d caught her father stealing.

  “Gramps says the video’s been destroyed, if that helps. I’ve fired Logan as my lawyer, and Uncle Charlie’s firm too.” Ben raised his eyes, his gaze filled with hurt and sorrow. “I’m sorry for what my grandfather did to you, for what Logan and his father did. I don’t know how to make it up to you or if you’ll ever want to see me again.”

  No wonder pain radiated from Ben like a living presence. Not only had Logan sold her out, but he’d betrayed his best friend. Then, and now. If Logan ever crossed her path again, he’d learn firsthand what a good kick she could deliver, and if they ever met in a courtroom or on a case, she vowed to take the man down.

  She squeezed Ben’s hand. “You don’t need to apologize for other people’s actions. Not for your grandfather, or Logan. Any more than I should apologize for my father stealing from your family.”

  An ATV roared up the side of the house and Jake let himself into the kitchen moments later. His gaze glanced over her but settled on her holding Ben’s hand, and the book they rested on. “What did I miss? Have you told Ben who Pop’s other kid is yet?”

  “No. I asked her to wait until you got here, just like I promised.” There was a trace of irritation in Ben’s voice but his gaze never left Allie. His voice softened as he said, “Has your father returned your call yet?”

  “No.” The suspicion that her father had avoided her because of his own guilt grew. He still owed her an apology but she’d deal with that later. She closed the book and glanced between the two brothers. “Now about your claim. Tank has admitted he lied and signed a quitclaim, which means I’ve closed your case—if the banks give you any more problems about a title dispute, send them to us. Or tell them to check county records. And since the will filed with the court names you and Jake as the legal heirs to Bull’s Hollow, no one else has the legal right to sell any of your land.”

  “Good,” Jake said. “Now tell us the part about Pop’s other kid.”

  Her hands trembling, she withdrew the report from its envelope. “Are you sure you want to do this? He can’t legally claim any part of Bull’s Hollow. The adoption was legal, and all rights given up. He isn’t named in either your grandfather’s or father’s wills, so you can let this drop if you chose.”

  “He’s a Grady, “ Ben stated. “We need to know.”

  “What then?” she asked. Maybe she should be speaking to Gabe first? “What if he doesn’t want to know who his birth parents are? What if he’s happy where he is? With the parents he has? With the life he has now. Have you thought about that? How would you feel knowing a man whose family motto is Gradys look after their own didn’t look after you? Gave you away for someone else to raise.”

  Doubt-clouded eyes searched hers—blue and gray—then the brothers exchanged a glance. Jake gave a short nod at their unspoken conversation.

  “Just tell us who it is, Al,” Ben finally said. “Then we’ll decide. Maybe we can find a way around it. Talk to his adoptive parents or maybe we could hire an intermediary.”

  Just get it over with; it’s like ripping off a bandage. Except this one would expose a huge gaping wound that might never heal.

  “It’s Gabe Larson.”

  While Jake hunched over in his chair, shock widened Ben’s eyes for a second to be replaced with a scowl. “That’s not funny.”

  “It’s not meant to be. It’s true. Gabe Larson is Ed’s son.” She slid the report across the table. “Apparently, your Uncle Charlie kept your grandparents regularly updated about Gabe’s progress. When Gabe got into trouble, they stepped in and offered to help straighten him out. Anonymously—as far as our investigators could tell George never told Gabe or the Larsons that Gabe was his grandson.”

  The silence grew heavy as Ben read the report, while Jake sat where he was, his gaze firmly fixed on his fists, curled in his lap. When they’d reached the last page, Ben pushed the report to the middle of the table as if it were crawling with spiders.

  “I want a DNA test done before we go any further,” Ben said. “I know the paper trail proves that Denise gave birth to Gabe, but that doesn’t mean he’s Pop’s son.”

  “Of course. That can arranged easily enough.” The shoulders she’d drawn up relaxed at his busin
ess-like demeanor. Of course that could still be a ruse, and he could still hold her responsible, but she didn’t think Ben blamed her.

  * * *

  Unable to process what he’d just heard, what had just happened, Ben opened the fridge door and stared inside. What the hell was going on in his world if his father had cheated on his mother, and his grandparents had brought their own grandson to live on their ranch but never once acknowledged him?

  Holy hell, Gabe Larson.

  He found himself holding a beer, already uncapped, though he couldn’t for the life of him remember picking it up. After taking a long drink, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and faced the room. Jake stared across the room with a blank expression—probably shell-shocked.

  “We have to tell him,” Ben decided then paused. Gabe was a good guy, but news like this could change a person. “Maybe we should talk to his mom first though,” he decided. “Or get Randy involved. He’d know how to handle a situation like this. Wouldn’t he?”

  He suddenly felt better about his decision to fire not only Logan but Uncle Charlie’s firm too. Although Charlie had been acting on his grandparents’ instructions, he’d bet his uncle would be insistent on making sure Gabe never learned his true identity.

  “We’re going to have to tell Ma, too.” His mother running out on them had caused this whole mess. Not directly but it had been the catalyst. Maybe Pop might have cheated even if Ma had been around. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I guess we’d better go over and do that once we’ve got everything squared away here.”

  Jake shook his head without looking up. “Ma already knows it’s Gabe. I’ve known for a while too.”

  Ben clutched the beer bottle before it slipped from his grasp, and choked out, “What?”

  “You know how Tank said Gramps left a holographic will that Gram hid?” Jake’s voice wavered. “It wasn’t Gramps’ will Tank overheard Gram discussing. It was Pop’s.”

  “And you’re only just telling us now?” Ben exploded. “I asked you—repeatedly—if you knew anything about a will, and every. Single. Time. You said no.” He slammed his fist on the counter with each word.

  “I couldn’t tell you!” Jake shot to his feet, his arms rigid at his side. “Ma and Gram swore me to secrecy. I gave them my word. Don’t you get it? I shouldn’t even have told you now.” His gaze slid to Allie. “Ma could go to jail.”

  Oh fuck. Oh fuck fuck fuck. Ben dropped back to his seat and reached blindly for Allie.

  “Shh, it’s all right.” She gently stroked his arm. Between her touch and soft words his world stopped spinning so crazily. “We’ll figure this out.”

  Feeling more in control, he flipped his hand over and laced his fingers with hers. “I know you’re a lawyer, but this isn’t covered under client confidentiality rules, is it? I mean, they’d say only discussions related to the claim title are confidential, right?”

  “Technically this is part of my investigation, and you’re still my clients because I haven’t officially closed your file yet.” Using her free hand, she flipped to a new page of her legal pad and picked up her pen. “Now, Jake, why do you think your mother would go to jail?”

  “Because Ma destroyed Pop’s will,” Jake explained, his voice rough. “I don’t know if he meant it to be a will, but from what I saw of it, he’d copied the wording of his original will and adjusted it to leave Gabe an equal share.”

  “Copying is fine, that doesn’t make it a will unless he signed it.” Allie kept her voice steady and quiet. Professional.

  Uncle Charlie was right. She was wasting her talents working for SSTG. Maybe he could convince her to move to Dallas. It was closer. Or maybe there was some other firm who needed a new bright lawyer. Though Carter Valley wasn’t already busting at the seams with legal offices, there had to be businesses who had in-house lawyers close by.

  “It was signed. That makes it a legal document she destroyed. That’s got to be illegal, right? Fraud or something?”

  Crap. Was he about to see his mother, his grandmother and his brother hauled before a judge? Since they couldn’t carve off parts of the spread for sale, the legal bills defending all three of them could force them to sell the entire ranch.

  “What about witnesses?” Ben asked.

  Allie shook her head. “Texas doesn’t require a handwritten will to be witnessed. As long as your father signed it, it was legal.”

  Oh God no. Despite the air conditioning, sweat beaded on Ben’s forehead. “Could she be arrested?”

  Allie placed her pen down with a sigh. “Maybe. Maybe not. The sheriff might be interested in investigating her for possible fraud. And since you knew about it, Jake, you could be named an accomplice. But the police are pretty busy with other crimes they deem more important. They’d probably only follow up on it if Gabe learns about it and decides to lay a complaint. Of course without proof that the will really existed, he’d have trouble proving his case. More likely he’d lay a civil suit for replevin. That’s basically a ‘hey, that’s my property, so you’d better give it to me’ suit. That might be more successful—you’d have to testify against your mother then.”

  “There’s an easier way around it.” Ben met his brother’s gaze. “How do you feel about cutting Gabe in for an equal share?”

  “Pop wanted him to have it.” Jake’s voice broke. “We’d just be righting the wrong that he got left out.”

  “Wearing my lawyer hat, you are not obligated legally to make Gabe a partner,” Allie said slowly. “Just because Gabe’s your half brother doesn’t give him the legal right to inherit a share.” She held up her hand when Jake shot a glare at her. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t make him a partner. I’m just giving you a legal perspective.”

  “It’s not about legal obligations,” Ben answered, his confidence in his suggestion solidifying. “Gabe is Pop’s son, our half brother. It’s not like we’re breaking up the ranch, giving it over to someone who isn’t family so we’re fulfilling that part of Bull Grady’s legacy. And we can’t expect him to work here as an employee just because Pop couldn’t marry his mom.” What if Pop had known he’d gotten Denise pregnant? Would he have chosen her over his mom? Life would have been so different. Maybe he’d have ended up in juvie instead of Gabe, at least shuttled between two homes, forced to choose between them.

  “Gabe loves this land as much as us. He’s worked almost half his life here. I say he deserves it.”

  Jake’s leg danced a jig beneath the table. “The only problem is Gabe might not want to stick around once he learns that Gramps knew who he was all along and didn’t tell him.”

  “Once he learns Gramps didn’t tell him?” Ben snapped. “You don’t think he’ll be pissed that you didn’t tell him, asshole? You were his best friend. He should have been able to count on you telling him the truth.” The same way you shouldn’t have lied to me.

  “I told you. I promised Ma and Gram that...fuck it all. Okay, so you’re Mr. Perfect who would have done the right thing where I fucked it up. I get it.”

  Allie placed her hands flat on the table and leaned between them. “We’re not going to get anywhere if you two are each other’s throats.”

  Ben swallowed his need to get in Jake’s face. “You’re right.” He glared at his brother, letting him know they’d pick up the discussion again. Once Allie wasn’t in earshot.

  Jake met his glare with one of his own. “So we offer to cut Gabe in for a third. What if he wants to sell his share?”

  Ben wrestled with how Jake had omitted himself for a reason Gabe might walk away. Discovering his best friend had betrayed him was bad enough to make Ben walk away from Logan; when Gabe discovered his best friend and half brother had repeatedly lied to him for months? Yeah, there was a distinct possibility Gabe would hightail it off the ranch to the nearest lawyer. Not that Ben could blame him.

  “Then we buy him out.” It would put them in debt that would choke a horse, but he’d find a way.

  “Whether he takes
your offer or doesn’t,” Allie picked up his thread. “You’ll have the comfort of knowing you’ve done the right thing.”

  “So how do we do this?” Jake’s leg eased its shaking so Ben didn’t feel like the table was about to bounce across the kitchen anymore.

  “My guess is we start off by talking to Randy. See if he can get all our ducks in a row before we talk to Gabe. Make sure everything’s legal.” Ben looked to Allie for confirmation.

  “That’s a very good place to start.”

  “What do we do about Ma? When do we tell her?” Jake asked.

  “I think we probably should get Randy involved in that too. Not just as a lawyer but someone her age. Pop trusted him. She does too.”

  Allie rested against him. “You’re a good man. I know a lot of people who would point to Ed’s will and say you’re a fool. That Gabe isn’t entitled to anything.”

  Like his grandparents. “They aren’t me.”

  “I know. That’s what makes you special.”

  Where some of the women he’d dated seemed to suck energy from him, Ben drew strength from her. His breath seized when he realized she’d not have a reason to come back to the ranch after this. Who would have thought a little over a month ago Allie would walk into his life and turn it upside down?

  Fear that he’d lose her again flooded him, made everything he’d felt the summer he’d lost her pale in comparison. Sure, they could email and talk on the phone or text, and she could drive out here on weekends, but how long before she got tired of the commute, or found some fancy businessman who could offer her more than being a farmer’s wife?

  * * *

  For the next two hours Allie made more notes, offered suggestions, and when things got tense mediated between them as Ben and Jake planned what needed to be done to include Gabe as their new partner, and member of their family.

  “Anything else you think we need to cover, Allie?” Ben scrubbed his face in his hands.

  She squinted at her notes, realizing the sun had set and the light in the room had gone dim. “I can’t think of anything else. But it’s not going to happen overnight. If anything else needs to be done, you can take care of it then.”