She stepped away from the corral and eyed the nearby barn. She’d nearly died in there. Alice had almost won. Even looking at the building caused a small sense of panic to sweep through Greta.
She straightened her shoulders and took a step forward. It wasn’t Alice’s barn; it was hers. She had to push past the anxiety that gripped her as she thought about going inside.
She had to reclaim the space as her own, and the only way to do that was to go into the building and not give Alice power over her ever again.
Placing one foot in front of the other, she slowly approached the barn. She paused at the doorway. This was the place where she kept her equipment, where she kept feed for troubled horses.
Was the pine box still there? If so, she wanted it taken out immediately, if not sooner. This was a good place and there was no room for a coffin in it.
The smell of sweet hay greeted her as she went inside. She headed for the dark corner and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the space was empty.
Obviously, somebody had already removed the box that had been meant to be her coffin. She sank down on one of the nearby bales of hay and released a tremulous sigh.
It was over. Alice was in jail and would probably be there for many years to come. The danger had passed. Her barn was once again a building meant to feed the horses she loved.
Tears misted her eyes as she thought of Tyler. Buck up, girl, she mentally told herself. After all, she was a Colton and Coltons were strong no matter what they faced.
Still, even telling herself that didn’t halt the tears that ran down her cheeks as she thought of Tyler and the love he didn’t have for her.
Chapter 17
Tyler walked into his quiet house and tugged at the tie that clung around his neck. For the past three days he’d been back on the job at Stanton Oil. Tonight he’d grabbed Chinese takeout on the way home from work. He tossed the bag on the table and then stared out the back window, where Sugar was in the corral.
He knew he should go out to the corral and walk the perimeter as he’d watched Greta do. He should be working with the horse to get her used to his presence. But every time he looked at Sugar, a vision of Greta filled his head and he couldn’t make himself go out there to interact with the horse.
He took off his suit jacket and slung it over the back of a kitchen chair and then sat at the table and began to unload the food he’d brought home.
Staring at the waxed boxes, he decided he didn’t want food. What he needed was a good stiff drink and some company. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and punched in Derek’s number. He’d never liked to drink alone.
“I’ve got a scotch and soda waiting with your name on it, if you’re interested,” he said when Derek answered. “I’ve also got a ton of Chinese food I just brought home and I’m not hungry.”
“A scotch and soda and free Chinese? I’m so there,” Derek replied. “See you in ten.”
While Tyler waited for Derek to arrive, he pulled down the bottle of scotch, grabbed the tonic and two glasses, and set them on the table. He then added forks and two plates. Even though he had no appetite, he knew that Derek would chow down on the Chinese offerings.
It was exactly ten minutes later that Derek appeared at the back door. “I see you got rid of the wreck of a Jeep in the driveway,” he said as he shrugged out of his denim jacket and sat at the table.
“Yeah, I had it towed to a shop with the instructions to fix it and return it to the Colton place.” Tyler fixed the two drinks and then sat across from his friend.
Derek studied him. “You look like hell,” he said.
Tyler ran a hand through his hair self-consciously. “I haven’t been sleeping well since coming back home. I didn’t realize it showed.”
“Trust me, it shows.” Derek helped himself to the sweet-and-sour chicken and then grabbed a spring roll to add to his plate. “So what gives? Problems at work?”
“No.” Tyler cradled his drink glass with his hands. “Work is fine.”
Derek speared a piece of chicken with his fork and popped it into his mouth. He chewed and continued to look at Tyler. He took a sip of the scotch and set the glass back down. “Are you worried about that crazy chick having a get-out-of-jail-free card?”
“No, nothing like that,” Tyler replied. He stared down into his drink glass. “I just didn’t know it would be like this...you know...without Greta.”
Derek stared at him. “She’s why you aren’t sleeping?”
Tyler gave a curt nod of his head. “I’ve tried to put her out of my mind, but I can’t. I miss her smile. Her laughter echoes in my brain. I feel sick to my stomach with the need to just see her. I spend all of my time wondering what she’s doing, how she’s feeling and if she’s okay.”
He looked down in his drink, embarrassed by his display of emotions.
“Man, you’ve got it bad,” Derek said. “What did she do? Kick you to the curb?”
Tyler glanced at Derek and shook his head. “She told me she couldn’t be with me anymore because she’s in love with me.”
Derek frowned. “Bro, you aren’t making any sense. Did you tell her you are in love with her?”
“No, I...” Tyler stopped talking and stared at Derek. “Is what I’m feeling love? This sickness in my heart, the hollow ache that I have without her?”
“Sure sounds like love to me,” Derek replied and ate another piece of chicken.
Tyler took a large gulp from his drink. Love. Each and every moment he’d shared with Greta flashed through his brain. Love.
He’d been such a fool, waiting for some sort of sign from heaven when all the time the signs had been right there in his heart. He was helplessly, hopelessly in love with Greta Colton.
“Derek, you’re a genius,” Tyler exclaimed.
“Huh?” Derek grabbed another spring roll and ate it in three quick bites. “The real question is now that you know what’s going on, what do you intend to do about it?”
“First thing in the morning I’m going to get my woman,” Tyler said. He frowned as a niggle of new anxiety twisted his stomach.
What if she wouldn’t have him now? What if after three days of his absence she’d realized that she really wasn’t in love with him at all?
Derek left after consuming most of the Chinese food and three drinks. That night Tyler tossed and turned, eager for dawn to break so he could be on the road to Tulsa.
The minute the eastern sky began to lighten, he was up and dressed and in his car headed for the Colton ranch. He now recognized the depth of his love for Greta burning in his heart. It was tempered only by the possibility that she’d mistaken gratitude and friendship for love and had now sorted out her true feelings for him.
The miles couldn’t clip off fast enough to suit him, and more than once he had to consciously pull his foot off the accelerator to drive at a safer pace.
He’d like to be at the Coltons’ place before breakfast. He couldn’t wait to proclaim his love for her and prayed that he was headed for a new future with the woman he loved by his side.
When he turned into the impressive gates that led up to the Colton home, his nerves were on edge like never before. He was both giddy and a little sick to his stomach.
Instead of heading up the stairs to the front door, he walked around to the side door and slipped through the mudroom and into the kitchen.
Edith stood at the oven with her back to him. “How’s my favorite housekeeper?” he asked.
She whirled around, a spatula in her hand. Her eyes narrowed and she raised the cooking implement as if she’d like to whack it over his head. “What are you doing back here?” she asked.
“I forgot something when I left.”
“A spare sock? A tube of toothpaste?” Her voice dripped with disdain.
“No, Edith. Nothing like that.” He drew a deep breath. “I forgot to take the woman I love with me.” He walked over to Edith, picked her up in his arms and twirled her around. “I’m in love with Gret
a and I can’t live another day without her.” He laughed with a newfound freedom and set Edith back down on the floor.
“It’s about time you came to your senses,” Edith said, her eyes twinkling with happiness.
“Where is she? I need to see her now.”
Edith poked a silver hair that had sprung loose back into her tight bun. “She’s out in her barn. She’s been out there for the last three days, cleaning and moving hay bales and keeping herself busy.”
“Thanks,” he said. “And, Edith, your French toast really is better than my mom’s.” He didn’t wait for a response, but hurried back out the door and into the early-morning sunshine.
* * *
Greta lifted a bale of hay and stacked it on top of another one. She had spent the past three days rearranging the hay to make certain there were no dark corners that weren’t filled with the bales.
She knew Alice wasn’t a threat anymore. She understood that she was perfectly safe now, but the efforts in the barn were a panacea for her broken heart.
Work had always centered her—at least, that was what she’d always believed, but as she moved hay bales and polished leather and did a thorough cleaning of all her equipment, she felt no more centered than she had the morning she’d awoken to Tyler’s absence.
She missed him desperately. She tried to hide it when she was inside the house with other members of her family, but here in the barn she allowed her heartbreak full rein to ache.
She finally stopped to take a break and plucked a piece of hay from her hair. Her jeans were dusty and her jacket had taken on the appearance of a porcupine, with hay sticking out helter-skelter.
Sitting on a hay bale, she couldn’t help but think about Tyler. Had it all been just a stupid game to him? Had his kisses really meant nothing?
She’d half expected him to call and attempt to get her back on the ranch and working with Sugar, which she knew deep in her heart would lead to her sharing his bed.
Even though she would have told him no, she might have been persuaded in spite of herself. The fact that no calls had come from him only deepened the hurt. She’d told him she loved him and he’d walked away so easily.
She’d never forget the stunned look on his face after she’d bared her heart and then the way he’d stumbled out of her room to get away from her. Not a word. He hadn’t uttered a single word as he’d left.
As always, thoughts of him formed tears that she swallowed hard to control. She wasn’t a crybaby and what was done was done. With a renewed burst of energy, she stood up and began moving hay bales once again.
“Hello, Greta.”
She froze, her back to the entrance of the barn. Was she now suffering some sort of auditory hallucinations? She’d certainly envisioned him in her mind often enough since the day he had left.
She finally turned around and there he stood in all his glory. Clad in jeans and a blue shirt and a black leather coat, he looked sexy and handsome and her heart broke just a little bit more. “What are you doing here?”
He sat down on a nearby bale and gestured for her to do the same. She remained standing. “A funny thing happened on the way to my future,” he said. She remained quiet, staring at him as if he were a ghost. “I saw a woman working with a horse and I fell in lust with her. Then craziness set in and I found myself spending almost all of my time with her, living with her family and experiencing feelings I’d never felt before.”
Was he going where she thought he might be going with this? She didn’t want to entertain a modicum of hope. She couldn’t stand another fall.
He patted the hay next to him. “I sat on one of these on the day we were searching for you, and when we couldn’t find you, I cried for the first time since my parents’ funeral. I cried because I couldn’t imagine a world without you in it. I couldn’t imagine my life without you.”
The hope she’d fought so hard against minutes before seeped into her heart. Still she said nothing. He had taken her easily before. If he still wanted her, then he was going to have to work for her.
“I’ve never been in love before,” he continued, his gorgeous blue eyes holding her gaze intently. “I knew I loved your company. I knew I loved everything about you. Then I went home and spent three long days and nights without you. There wasn’t a minute that passed that I wasn’t thinking about you, wanting just to talk to you, to see that smile of yours that melts my heart.”
He stood and took two steps toward her. “Greta, it wasn’t until last night that I realized everything that I felt for you was love. I’m so in love with you and I don’t want to leave here again without you by my side. I need you, Greta. I need you in my life forever.”
She trembled as tears of happiness moistened her eyes. “You really mean it? You have to be sure, Tyler.”
He took two more steps and stood just in front of her, his familiar scent surrounding her, his gaze filled with tenderness and love. “I’m sure, Greta. I’ve never been so certain of anything in my life. I want to marry you. I want to have children with you. You’re the love of my life and I can’t go back home without you.”
“Why aren’t you kissing me now?” she asked.
With a burst of laughter he gathered her into his arms. He took a finger and gently swept a strand of her hair back from her face. “Does this mean you’ll come home with me?”
“Yes. I can’t imagine being anyplace else but with you.” She barely got the sentence out of her mouth before his lips took hers in a kiss that seared her body with fire and touched her soul with love.
When the kiss finally ended, she stepped back from him and ran toward the front of the barn. “Where are you going?” he asked as he ran after her.
“To pack. Now that I know where my future is, I’m ready to get to it.”
“Run faster,” he called from behind her.
She laughed as her heart sang with the song of his love.
* * *
Golden Oaks Psychiatric Center was located on the outskirts of Tulsa. It was a three-story brick building with many windows and all of them covered with thick black steel bars. It was a facility for the criminally insane.
Tyler parked in a space in the lot, shut off the engine and then turned to look at her. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Positive,” Greta replied.
It was the second week in December and Alice had been remanded to the psychiatric hospital until she was deemed sane enough to stand trial.
The past couple of weeks at Tyler’s house had been magical. Not only had she made so much progress with Sugar that she was now able to brush her and had introduced her to a variety of riding equipment, but her relationship with Tyler had only deepened.
When she’d heard from her brother Ryan that Alice was here, she’d taken a couple of days to come to the decision she wanted to see Alice one last time.
They got out of the car, and as they walked to the front entrance of the building, Tyler grabbed her hand and gave it a firm squeeze.
She had always been a strong woman, but Tyler’s support, his love, had only enhanced her strength. She didn’t expect this visit to be particularly pleasant, but it would stamp a final closure in her mind and she needed that in order to fully embrace her future.
A security guard opened the door for them and Tyler was instructed to sit in a small waiting room while Greta was taken to a room to meet with Alice.
The room was like an interrogation room in a police station. There was a long table with a chair at each end and a security camera in one corner of the ceiling.
“Don’t try to make any physical contact with the patient. Don’t take anything from her or pass her anything,” a male nurse instructed her. “The door will remain open and I’ll be just outside if you need me.”
He disappeared, and while she waited, Greta filled her head with thoughts of her wedding, which was to take place in less than a week, two days before Christmas.
It had been Tyler’s idea to get married so quickly, althou
gh she certainly hadn’t protested. They both knew it was right, that their hearts were entwined together in a way that would last forever.
She sat up straighter in the wooden chair as the nurse escorted Alice into the room. “Well, look who’s here,” Alice said as she flung herself into the chair on the opposite side of the table from Greta. Her ankles were shackled, as were her wrists in front of her.
“If it isn’t the twin sister who stole my life,” she said.
“Hello, Alice,” Greta said calmly. “I just wanted to see how you were doing.”
“How do you think I’m doing?” Alice’s eyes narrowed. “I should be sitting where you are. I should be wearing those nice clothes you have on. I should be luxuriating in your life.”
“Are you being treated well here?” Greta asked in an effort to keep things positive. Although it was difficult to think positive as she looked at Alice, whose hair hung in oily strands and who was clad in a set of bright orange cotton scrub-like clothes.
“Treated well? They feed me and I’ve got a bed, and when I get upset, they give me a shot that knocks me out.” Her voice was as calm as Greta’s. “Things could be worse, but things could have been so much better. Why couldn’t you have just died? Maybe then Big J would have come back and taken me.”
“You can’t dwell on what might have been,” Greta replied. “It was just a matter of fate, Alice. Neither of us had a say in what happened.”
“Screw fate,” Alice yelled and slammed her palms down on the table. “I could have had it all if your boyfriend hadn’t been so smart and you had just died in that box. My whole life would have changed. I’d be you. I want to be you.” Her voice rose with each word until she was screaming.
The nurse stepped into the room. “Alice, calm yourself or we’ll have to calm you.”
“I don’t want to be calm,” Alice screamed. “I want her dead. There should have only been one of us and it should have been me. It should have been me!” Sheer madness shone from her eyes as she leaped up on the table and crawled toward Greta. Greta jumped out of her chair and backed up.
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