She scooted a form across the counter toward them. “You guys might need this.”
Austin smiled down at the marriage license. He kissed Sonya one more time, then grabbed the form and the copy of the property deed and mineral rights.
“You’re taking that with you?” The surprise and shock in Sonya’s voice only made him smile more.
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“You never know when you’ll need it.”
Darla’s smile filled her whole face. “That’s ten dollars for the copies.”
Austin pulled two fives from his pocket, which left him with two bucks, and slapped them on the counter.
He took Sonya’s hand and headed for the door. He held it open for her. She slipped past him with a shy smile and a sideways glance. Yeah, he’d flustered her, but he also had her attention. He’d let her know with one move what he wanted.
And it was coming, because no way in hell he’d let her go. Ever.
Yes, he’d take back the sapphire mine and his family’s legacy, but he didn’t need it. He already had a gold mine, and Sonya’s love was worth more than anything on earth.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Austin parked outside his father’s house. The truck that followed them continued down the road and pulled into the driveway that led to the stables. Austin assumed the man who’d confronted Sonya had been following her everywhere, including here, where this would all finally end. His father had to know they’d gone to the bank and the courthouse again.
It didn’t matter. Austin had come to talk terms.
He stared at the home he’d grown up in, where he’d felt safe and protected. He’d had a good childhood with the usual ups and downs. His mother took care of him. His father gave him a job and taught him responsibility. Neither of them taught him how to pick himself up after losing everything.
His father hadn’t just kicked him off this land and out of his job, he’d gone out of his way to ruin him. Probably hoping Austin moved away and never came back.
He’d used Kelly to humiliate him and tried to steal his child.
All in the hopes of keeping Austin from discovering the truth.
And now Austin held the power and would have the money to do anything he wanted.
Part of him wanted to go back to the way things used to be when he and his father worked together. His father might have been an ass a lot of the time, but he’d never been this cruel.
But they couldn’t go back. Not now. Too much happened to drive a wedge between them.
The family bond had stretched so tight, this would surely snap it.
He wanted to find a way to settle this matter amicably. But that wasn’t his father’s way.
His veneer had cracked, revealing the prosperous businessman and upstanding pillar of the community was really rotten to the core.
He called out the faults and misdeeds of others only because he wanted them to believe he was a good and decent man, but he wasn’t. The finger he pointed at others left three pointed right back at himself.
Sonya’s hand settled on his thigh. The warmth that always hit him when she touched him spread through his system, calming and exciting him all at once. “If you’re not ready to do this, turn around and let’s go home.”
He wondered if she meant that the ranch had become her home, too. That she wasn’t going to take that job and instead stay with him. But this wasn’t the time to dive into those conversations. The gnawing need to know her decision grew more insistent with each passing day.
“I was just thinking about how I saw this place growing up and what it means to me now.”
“Have you changed your mind?”
“No.” He refused to let his father get away with robbing him blind. Austin wanted what was owed to him. He wanted to be financially secure. He never wanted to wake up again wondering if he’d have enough money for food and if the only thing he owned would be taken from him.
He wanted to pay Roxy back for taking a chance on him.
He wanted to carry on his family legacy and provide for his wife and children. He didn’t need the whole damn thing. He just wanted enough to give his family a good life.
And yeah, that started with taking care of Sonya and taking those steps toward a life he wanted more each day.
He hoped she did, too.
Sonya took his hand. “I’m with you no matter what you decide to do.”
For the first time, he turned his gaze from the home he’d known to the one that really mattered. Her. “I want to give you everything.”
She leaned in close and held his gaze. “You give me everything that matters.”
All those intangible things he’d been stripped of when his father turned his back and Kelly walked out.
Sonya would never leave him. She loved him.
“I can’t tell you what it means to me that for you, I’m enough.”
Sonya kissed the back of his hand. “You’re more than just enough, Austin. You’re my everything.”
Austin didn’t think. He went with his heart. “Right this minute, I barely have enough money in my account to pay my bills and take you to a nice dinner. All I can offer you is a promise that you and I will have a good life together. We haven’t known each other long, but I know that for sure. I don’t have a ring, but I want you to be my wife.”
Sonya pressed her fingertips to her mouth. Her other hand squeezed his and held tight. Her eyes glassed over and filled with a mixture of joy and disbelief. “Austin.”
“You like numbers. As I see it, you and me, we add up to forever. Don’t think about all the details. Don’t list the pros and cons. For once, go with your heart, knowing I want to be your husband more than I want anything else on this earth because you’re my everything. I want to be your everything for the rest of my life. I’m yours, Sonya. Be mine. Marry me.”
She dropped her fingers from her lips and cupped the side of his face. Her head tilted and one tear rolled down her soft cheek.
He held his breath and leaned into her palm and waited for that one word that would change his whole life.
“Yes.” Sonya nodded, confirming he’d heard her right. “I will marry you.”
Something shifted inside him. A piece of his broken battered heart moved into place, made it whole, and unlocked a wealth of love he didn’t know he was capable of feeling. It ran deep and true and felt like the most raw and honest thing he’d ever experienced.
He’d taken the marriage license on impulse. Its presence sitting on the office desk kept popping into his head. He had it. Should he use it? Was it too soon? How long should he wait? Was this right, or was he just holding on to Sonya because he didn’t want to lose one more good thing in his life?
Those worries all fell away.
This moment felt right. The elation and love that swept through him when she said yes solidified just how much he needed, wanted, and loved her. Her promise and commitment eased him in a way that went deep into his soul. He needed someone, her, to be honest and true.
She didn’t want anything from him. She’d said yes with only his promise that he’d get back what belonged to him. Didn’t matter to her. She’d given him an opening to turn his back on the coming fight and they’d live on the ranch they were building together and make the best of it.
He meant more to her than what he had now or in the future.
And that gave him the will to fight. For her. For them. For their future.
He hooked his hand around her head and drew her in for a long deep kiss. He took his time, letting her feel the difference in him. He hoped she understood all he didn’t say because he didn’t have the words to express how he felt in this moment.
Austin kissed her three more times, his excitement and exuberance spilling out. “All I want to do is take you home.”
“But first, you need to do this.” She finished his thought.
“I need to resolve this, so it doesn’t spill into the life we’ll have going forward.”
“When I’m with you, that’s all I want to do.” He kissed her again, this time quick because he didn’t want to spend a second longer than he had to here with his father when he could be alone with Sonya at home.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Austin met Sonya at the front of the truck and took her hand. He paused before walking up the path. “You know I’ll get you a ring and do the whole down-on-one-knee proposal you deserve, right?”
“I liked the spontaneous, from-the-heart proposal, but I look forward to you on bended knee.” Her flirtatious smile lit up his heart.
“I’ll be on my knees in front of you later tonight.”
Her eyes darkened with desire. “Let’s go.” She tugged his hand to pull him back to the truck. Kidding, she came right back to him and kissed him.
He’d like nothing better than to take that spark in her eyes and turn it into a fire with them wrapped around each other all night, but he had unfinished business.
They walked to the porch and stood together, fingers linked. He knocked and waited for his father to answer the door. Sonya squeezed his hand to let him know she was right there beside him.
They both took a breath when the door creaked open and his father stood before them scowling. “What do you want?”
“Five minutes of your time.” The less-than-warm welcome didn’t faze him.
“Why would you bring her here?”
That tone and dismissive attitude pissed him off. “Get used to her. She’s going to be your daughter-in-law whether you like it or not.”
Kelly stood behind and to the left of his father. She gasped and locked eyes with Austin. Though they’d talked about getting married, he’d never actually asked her. Now he knew why. He didn’t love her the way he loved Sonya.
He’d let Kelly walk away.
He’d asked Sonya to marry him because he couldn’t live without her.
His father turned and pinned Kelly with a sharp glare. Kelly recovered quickly, placing her hand on her stomach and mumbling out, “Congratulations.”
“It’s one bad decision after the next.” The disapproving glare had become his father’s default when it came to Austin.
He didn’t need his father’s approval or even false well-wishes.
Asking Sonya to marry him had been the best decision Austin ever made. He’d never been this happy in his life.
And he wouldn’t let his father ruin it.
Sonya hadn’t done anything wrong or hurtful.
His father couldn’t say the same.
Walter stepped aside and let them in. Austin didn’t let go of Sonya. He led her to his father’s office and let her take the seat in front of Walter’s desk. He preferred to stand for this.
Walter went around the desk, sat, and leaned back like he had nothing to worry about and all the time in the world. “What’s this about?”
“All your dirty deeds,” Austin replied.
“That’s her forte, I’m sure.” His father challenged Sonya with one raised eyebrow.
Sonya didn’t give the comeback Walter deserved. Instead she settled back, looking bored.
Kelly took the seat beside Sonya. “Walter, stop. She’s not like that and you know it.”
His dad didn’t like being challenged by anyone, but especially the woman in his life. “This is family business. Wait upstairs for me.”
Kelly sat back, linked her fingers over her belly, and settled in much like Sonya had done. “I’m your fiancée.” She moved her fingers, playing with her ring. “I think that makes me family enough. I’ll stay.”
Walter eyed Sonya’s fingers entwined with Austin’s. “You can’t even afford to buy her a ring.”
“I’ll make sure she gets everything her heart desires.”
The eye roll annoyed Austin even more. “You’re living off your best friend’s girlfriend’s ill-gotten money.”
“I own the mineral rights on your property. My money paid for that land. Who’s living off who?”
Everything about his father took on an air of intensity that filled the room. “So that’s what this is about. You think you’re owed something. Well, I’m not giving you a dime. I built the company. I dug every gem out of the ground.”
“And all of them belong to me.” Austin took a breath and tried to keep things civil. “I’ve turned over all the proof I’ve gathered from the bank statements, deeds, and mineral rights records to my lawyer, who will take them before a judge first thing tomorrow morning.”
Thankfully, Roxy knew a sympathetic judge willing to hear his case immediately. The last thing he wanted to do was give his father a chance to . . . God knows what he’d do now that Austin had the upper hand.
Walter leaned over the desk. “You’re coming after me and everything I worked for?”
“I’m taking back what’s mine, so I can provide for me and my family.”
His father grinned, but not in a nice way, and shook his head. “Family? So that’s why you’re marrying her.”
One side of Sonya’s mouth drew back. “I’m not pregnant.”
“I’m marrying her because I love her and want to build a life with her, and yes, our children when we’re lucky enough to have them.” Austin focused on Kelly. “He only wanted the child so he could try to bypass me, but the documents are clear. Every single sapphire he pulled out of the ground, all the money he got from them, it’s mine.”
“Yours?” Walter slammed his hand down on the desk. “You didn’t put your blood and sweat into building that company. You weren’t there when nothing came out of the ground and the money ran out. You didn’t sacrifice and worry how you were going to get by.”
“No. But I can relate to having nothing and wishing you had the money to change your life. The difference is, you stole it and lied about it.”
Walter pointed at him. “I used that money to give you a good life, and this is how you thank me for putting a roof over your head, educating you, and caring for you all these years. You want your hundred and fifty grand, fine, I’ll give it to you, but you’re not taking everything I earned. Blue Mining is mine. It’s my legacy.”
“What good is a legacy when you have no one to leave it to?” Austin shot back.
“I do. Kelly is pregnant with my baby.” His father’s predatory and triumphant smile didn’t convey an ounce of joy that he was to be a father again. Instead, it showed how much his father wanted to win at any cost. Even a child he didn’t know how to love and wanted to use as a means to an end.
Kelly gasped. “How did you know?”
“We’ve been working on this for months. You think I don’t know your schedule. You’re late, sweetheart, which leads me to the obvious conclusion.”
The endearment sounded anything but sweet. It came out as an accusation Austin didn’t quite get.
“I don’t know why you’ve kept it to yourself. Doesn’t matter. That baby is mine and he’ll inherit the Hubbard fortune.” His dad pinned him with a disgusted glare. “You were always more your mother’s son than mine. You want the Jones legacy. Keep your land, build your ranch, and leave me and mine the hell alone.”
Sonya reached over and placed her hand on Kelly’s arm. “Congratulations. Austin told me how much you wanted to be a mother.”
Kelly’s face drained of all color. “Thank you. Yes. I can’t wait to hold my baby in my arms.”
The way she said “my baby” wasn’t lost on Austin or his father.
“Our child will want for nothing.”
“The baby changes nothing,” Austin reminded his father, though he didn’t seem to want to hear it. “The mineral rights are mine. They only get split if my mother had another child, not you. The only thing you have to leave Kelly’s baby”—that pissed his father off—“is the land Granddad originally gave you and Mom. The land you bought with my money will come back to me when the judge sees things my way. Who knows, maybe my sister or brother will want to be a
rancher. This place made a good profit when I was running it. You keep it going, he or she will have a good honest life.”
His father shifted to the edge of his seat. “You are out of your mind if you think I’m not going to do everything in my power to stop you.”
“You can try, but you put the mineral rights in my name. You bought the land with my money. Legally, I can claim it all. But I’m willing to make you a deal. We’ll split the business seventy-thirty. In favor of me, but your share is more than you would have gotten by simply running the business. It’s a generous deal. You should take it.”
“You can shove it up your ass if you think I’ll take anything less than the whole damn thing. I am willing to pay you a million dollars to go away before this gets ugly.”
“You’ve already had your thug follow Sonya everywhere she goes and knock her around.” He squeezed her hand to remind himself she was really okay.
“I had nothing to do with that.” More lies. His father didn’t know how to do anything else anymore.
“Right. We know the guy works for you. You’ve called her names and threatened her and me numerous times. This has gotten ugly enough. Bow out gracefully. Don’t force me to be like you and take it all away just because I can.”
“You were always weak. Just like you coming here to warn me what’s in store. You won’t beat me because you don’t have what it takes. You want something, you take it. That’s how people succeed in this life. That’s how I took everything from you and how I’ll hold on to it.”
Austin shook his head and found that the only emotion he had left for his father was pity. “Maybe one day you’ll figure out winning isn’t everything. Not when you’re alone with your regrets that you spent more time stepping on people than being a friend, husband, and a father.” Austin turned to Kelly. “Get out while you can.”
His father slammed his hand down on the desk. “Get out! Take that bitch with you. Don’t ever step foot on my land again.”
“Tomorrow I’ll be saying the same thing to you about the Blue Mining land.” Austin pulled Sonya up out of the chair and walked out of his father’s office and his childhood home for what felt like the last time.
Restless Rancher Page 22