“Why not? You’ve acted like a spoiled brat, taking things that don’t belong to you and lashing out at those who don’t give you what you want.
“If you don’t plead guilty to all charges, you can take your chances with a public defender.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Grow up and face the consequences of what you’ve done. What I’m offering you is fair and just, and a hell of a lot more than you deserve. You killed my family!
“You killed my mother. She confronted you at the estate and called you out about my father’s plane crash and your obsession with her. You wanted her, but all she wanted was my father back.”
He slammed his shackled fists on the table. “She refused me. She tried to kill me.”
The anger didn’t completely mask the anguish behind those words he’d torn from his heart. He as much admitted to killing her mother. She didn’t commit suicide and leave Ella and Lela on their own.
Ella shook her head, her heart heavy in her chest. “She loved my father. Not you. You killed your own brother to get him out of the way, then you made her pay for refusing you. You hung her, and it made you just a little bit happy because how dare she want another man over you.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“No? I think that’s why you slept in her room, all those pictures of her staring at you. You loved her, but you felt guilty that it made you happy to kill her. Maybe that’s why you found a woman desperate enough to play your games and turned her into Rose. You wanted to have the fantasy you created in your mind. You needed her. Without her, all you had was the guilt that you killed the only woman you ever loved, and killing her made you feel good.”
Silence. He couldn’t even look at her anymore. Strange, she felt a weight lift from her and a soft touch, like her parents’ and Lela’s hands on her shoulders, letting her know she’d done all she could for them.
She turned for the door.
“Where are you going? We aren’t done here.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “I’m done.”
Chapter 32
Gabe stood at the windows in Ella’s penthouse, staring out at the park. He stuffed his cell phone back in his pocket, his mind on the call with Dane. After a week, things at the ranch were settling into a routine. The men Ella hired with Dr. Potts’s help were doing a good job. Several of them had moved into the bunkhouse on the property.
Ella’s hands ran up his back to his shoulders. She squeezed and kneaded, massaging his muscles. “Longing for the great outdoors?”
She read him so well. The city and massive amounts of people were closing in on him. Claustrophobic, he longed to be out in the wide open spaces of Montana again, atop his horse, breathing the fresh air.
He pulled her around him to lean against his side. “I just got off the phone with Dane.”
“How’s the ranch?”
“Well, Miss Wolf, your cattle are getting fat and happy. The friend you sent to move me and unpack the contents of the storage lockers back into the house is all finished. Blake delivered Angel and Belle two days ago. They are settled in their stalls and under his spell. I think he means to horse-nap them.”
“You’ll break his nose if he tries, right?”
“Anything for you, darlin’.” They’d come to a silent understanding these last days, keeping things light, neither of them discussing or even hinting that their time together was drawing to an end neither of them really wanted, but was inevitable all the same.
“How about something you want?”
Interested, he leaned down, nuzzled her neck, and whispered in her ear, “I always want you, honey.”
She giggled, a genuine show of happiness. Closure with her uncle allowed her to find her comfort zone, running the company her way. She smiled more often, and it did his heart good to see the joy come back into her eyes.
“I’m taking you out tonight.”
“You are?” he asked, surprised.
“To meet my friends.”
“I heard there’s something going on today.” He dipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out the charm bracelet he bought her yesterday. He held it up and let the ruby heart charm catch the light. On either side of it hung a gold E and an L.
Ella gasped and covered her open mouth with her hand. Tears filled her eyes and spilled over.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.” He held the bracelet up and tapped the red heart. He’d already given her his, but this one she’d wear, a reminder of him and their time together, because soon all they’d have were their memories.
“Gabe, it’s beautiful. It’s perfect.”
Ella held out her hand. He secured the bracelet around her wrist and kissed the back of her hand.
“Thank you.” She leaned up and kissed him. “I have something a little different for you.”
“What? No jewelry?” he teased.
“Come upstairs. We need to get ready to go.”
“Honey, if I take you upstairs, there’s no way we’re going anywhere.”
She pulled his hand and he followed her to the stairs. Smiling over her shoulder, she said, “We’ll leave after we do that.”
“What?” he asked, still teasing her.
She turned back to him before taking the stairs up and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. “We don’t have much time, but take me to bed, cowboy.”
“You city girls sure are bossy.” But it was his pleasure to do her bidding, keep her in his arms as long as possible, because soon his arms would be as empty as the days stretching out in front of him.
She opened her mouth to protest his jibe, but he shut her up with a deep kiss and walked right up the stairs and into her bedroom. They landed on the bed in a tangle of arms and legs.
Gabe kissed his way up Ella’s back. She lay on her stomach, her pretty face buried in the pillow. She didn’t open her eyes, but rolled over, grabbed him by the back of his head, and kissed him long and deep, reminding him of last night and all the fun they had both in bed and out.
“Good morning, sweetheart.”
Ella stared up at him, a soft smile on her face. “Hi. Did you sleep well?”
“I guess.” After making love to her again, he spent most of the night staring at the ceiling, holding her close, and dreading what he had to do this morning.
“We had a late night, huh?”
“Well, that’s what happens when you go out with a wild party girl.”
After he made love to her yesterday evening, she’d rushed him through a shower, ordered him to put on dressier Western wear, and dragged him into a limousine that took them to a country bar she’d rented out for all her and Lela’s friends. She stood onstage and gave a lovely tribute to Lela, telling stories about them together growing up as kids. Friends stood up with her and each one started with “Remember the time . . .” and told one story after another. Most of them were filled with fun and happiness, a few more poignant, but the thread throughout remained the kind and loving woman had left her mark on each of their lives and would be remembered as a true friend.
Ella made the last toast, making everyone tear up. Then she introduced the band, told everyone Lela would want a celebration, not a funeral, and she downed the shot of vodka like it was nothing. From that moment on, the drinks flowed, one of his favorite bands rocked the place, rattling the walls, and Ella and her friends had a blast.
Happy in her element and with those closest to her. By the end of the night, one thing was clear. Ella adored her friends, and they loved her. Not just friends, but family. She glowed. He’d thought Ella beautiful and strong from the moment he met her, but now she was thriving.
She belonged here. After all she’d lost, no way he could take her from everyone she loved and isolate her on his ranch in Montana. It would be too unfair. As much as he wanted her by his side, he wanted her happiness more.
She glanced at the clock beside the bed. “Why are you up so early? Come back to bed
.” She reached for him, and he willingly leaned down for a kiss, but pulled back far too early for her liking. “What’s wrong? You’ve got a strange look in your eyes.”
He desperately wanted to make love to her again, close out the world and the inevitable, but restrained himself, trying to make himself get what he had to say out.
“It’s time for me to leave, Ella.”
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“Now.”
“I’ve got a seven o’clock flight.”
She sat up, the sheet tucked under her arms and draped across her chest. Sadness and fear lit her eyes. “I don’t understand.”
“Yes, you do. Just like me, you knew my coming here was temporary. As much as I hate to leave you, I have a ranch in Montana to run.”
“So, what? This is it?”
“This is where we were always headed, city girl. You knew that as much as I did.”
“I’m caught between angels and cowboys. The city and the country. Work and you. I owe my family for everything I have.”
“You don’t need to make excuses for doing what you need to do, Ella. They left everything to you because they knew you’re strong and capable and smart enough to carry on all they started and hoped Wolf Enterprises would become. I know you’re going to be a huge success. I am so proud of you for everything you did to avenge your sister and parents’ deaths.
“You’re an amazing woman, Ella Wolf. You’re going to do amazing things with the company you now run. I’ve heard you talk about the projects you want to implement and the excitement in your voice about the launch of the new cosmetics line. You’ve found your place here, and that’s okay. This is where you need to be.”
“So, what, you don’t want me anymore?” Tears glistened in her beautiful green eyes, making his gut go tight and his throat ache.
“I’ll always want you, but I won’t ask you to live a life you don’t really want. I did that once, and it ended in disaster. I won’t let what we shared turn into fights and resentments and anger and hate because we can’t live with each other and have what we really want. I won’t do that to you, to us, knowing in the end you’ll hate me for it.”
“Gabe, no, I just need more time to settle things here. We can be together.”
“Ella, you and I both know your life is here, at the company and with your friends. This is where you belong, where you are your best, not on some isolated ranch in Montana. Even if we never said it, we both knew this day would come.”
“We can make it work. I don’t want this to be the end.”
He tried to ignore the tears in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. He hated to break her already battered heart. She had to know that every one of those tears he caused tore his soul to shreds.
“We’re partners in Wolf Ranch. Like you said, you’ll always know where I am, but we have to face reality. You and me and forever was never meant to be.” The words came out gruff, but he forced himself to swallow the agony and misery those words and the outlook of his bleak future caused.
He did the hardest thing he’d ever have to do and walked out the door, knowing he couldn’t ask her to be someone she wasn’t, and he couldn’t be a different kind of man. It didn’t bring him any comfort to know he’d done it for her, for him, and that it was the only way he knew how to preserve the love they’d shared.
The emptiness settled in his gut and spread through his heart and deep into his soul. The ache throbbed with every beat of his broken heart.
Chapter 33
Gabe stood beside Blake at the stall door, checking out the colt. Gabe’s nemesis these last weeks. “Thanks for coming to pick up Pain in My Ass for training.”
Blake laughed. “I thought his name is Bo.”
“That may be his name, but that’s not what he is,” Gabe grumbled. He’d done a lot of that lately. “How’re things with Bud and Dee at Three Peaks Ranch?”
“Get this, Bud found his granddaughter. She killed her father.”
“No shit!”
“Bud’s trying to get her to come home to the ranch.”
“She’s not in jail?”
“No. The way I hear it, it was self-defense. Her dad went drugged-out-nuts on her.”
“I hope she’s okay.”
“I’ll find out soon. She should be here in a week if things work out. Everything good with you?”
“Tell Mom everything is fine.” Blake’s eyes held the light of innocence, but Gabe didn’t buy it. “Yes, I know that’s why you came here to get the horse, instead of me bringing it to you tomorrow.”
“Why the hell don’t you just call her?” Blake asked.
“Leave it alone,” Gabe warned.
“I don’t understand why you broke things off with her. She’s running around New York. You’re here. You two own this place together, but you don’t talk to her and she isn’t here. It’s been two weeks.”
“Thanks for summing it up.”
“Don’t you love her?”
Gabe grabbed hold of the stall gate, gripping it so tight his fingers ached. Of course he loved her. More than anything or anyone, but he couldn’t ask her to leave her life and live his. She’d resent him. Eventually, she’d hate him. The thought turned his stomach even now. Better to hold on to the beautiful memories of what they shared than to tarnish them with the bitterness that would build with each day she stayed with him when she’d rather be at work, with her friends, back in New York with everything and everyone that mattered most to her.
“Well, since you didn’t go after her, looks like she came after you, big brother.” Blake cocked his head toward the open barn door.
Gabe couldn’t believe his eyes. The car skidded to a stop and Ella got out, slammed the door, and walked toward him with a pissed-off scowl and fury flashing in her eyes. She’d never looked more beautiful.
“I want to talk to you.”
He wanted to grab hold of her, kiss away the feral look on her face, and never let her go again. But she didn’t belong to him. She never really did. So why did she come back?
“City girl, what are you doing here?”
“I own eighty percent of this place, or did you forget?”
“Hard to forget when it’s your name on the gate and the brand.”
“Hey, honey,” Blake said.
Gabe shoved Blake toward the doors. “Get out.”
“You staying for dinner?” Blake pressed, smiling like an idiot.
Gabe almost cracked a smile when she opened her mouth to answer, but closed it and glared harder at him. Blake looked from her to him and shook his head, walking out the doors without another word.
“You left me.” Some of the pain that flashed in her eyes wiped out the anger in her words.
“I didn’t leave you. I came home.”
That took the wind right out of her sails. He hated to see the uncertainty in her eyes.
“You said you’d always want me,” she said more boldly than the unsure look on her face conveyed.
“I wanted you the second I saw you. I want you every second of every day.” He wanted the truth from her, so he gave her the truth he lived with day in and day out missing her. “Doesn’t change the fact this is never going to work, city girl.”
“Stop calling me that. You don’t understand.”
“Oh, I understand. You don’t belong here. Look at you. It’s thirty-something degrees out and you’re in a silk skirt, a short-sleeve sweater, no coat, and high heels that you ruined traipsing through the snow.” Seeing the ruby heart bracelet he gave her for Valentine’s Day on her wrist made his heart melt. “You’re standing in the stables when you should be standing in a conference room conducting a board meeting.” Gabe didn’t want to say the words, but he did so anyway. “Go home, city girl. You don’t belong here.”
Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. Just the sight of them almost made him cave. Everything inside him ached, but his heart broke into a thousand pieces, a band
around his chest tightened until he couldn’t breathe, and he held his breath and waited. She didn’t disappoint. Ella’s fingers curled into tight fists, the unshed tears cleared from her eyes, and she took a menacing step toward him.
“Do you have any idea how many planes it takes to get here from Paris? How many hours it took me to cross half the globe? You tell me you’ll always want me with one breath and tell me to go home with the next. Well, cowboy, I’m not going anywhere until you answer one question.”
“What?”
“Do you love me?” Her voice went soft with the simple question that was more complicated than anything she could have asked him.
“Ella, what are you doing here?”
She threw up her hands and let them fall and slap the sides of her legs. “What am I doing here? You’re here. Wherever you are is where I want to be. Don’t you get it? I love you. I want to build a life with you. Here. With the horses and the cows and the children we’ll have. I thought that’s what you wanted too.”
“I want that more than I can tell you, but let’s face it, saying you want it is one thing. Making it happen—you living and working here and being happy—isn’t exactly going to be easy for you. It’ll be harder, especially when the power and Internet go down during a storm.”
“Gabe, I have a battalion of people working for me. I am not the end-all-be-all at the company. I don’t want to be. I want to have a full life. Yes, running the company, but also with the man I love and the children I want to share with you. What do I have to say to make you believe that the life we build here is what I want, what I need, what I long for every second of every day that we’re apart? I love you. Isn’t that enough to see us through whatever compromises we have to make?”
“My answer to your first question is yes.”
“What?”
“I love you. I want you. Wherever you are is where I want to be. I needed you to make the choice on your own, without everything that happened with your family clouding your mind, or me influencing you. I needed to know that you aren’t here for any other reason than this is where you want to be.”
At Wolf Ranch Page 28