by Rhea Regale
Summer froze. She shot Katie a startled glance and was met with a similarly shocked expression. The letter mentioned a bastard.
“My God,” Summer whispered. The cold laughter that filled the room drew her attention back to Ms. Harris. The woman continued to laugh madly, her face turning a rosy pink. Katie’s fingers dug into Summer’s arm.
“Summer, what’s she sayin’? She ain’t sayin’ that—”
“That’s exactly what I’m sayin’, girl. Wise up, will ya? Stop your damn blubberin’, you goddamn baby. Why’d you think I never let you get involved where those Ryders were? Why’d you think I never let you go to the ranch with your friends?” Ms. Harris hiccupped as her laughter subsided. All the sarcastic humor vanished in a split second. A cold, evil woman replaced her. The gun came level with Summer’s head. “Go ‘head, smart, sexy Summer. Cute, classy Summer. Say it. I know you’ve gotta brain. I see you’ve figured it out.”
Summer shook. Ms. Harris released another shot, this one hitting the wall just over Summer’s head. She squeezed her eyes shut, closing out the crazed woman long enough to get her bearings. She didn’t stand a chance against Ms. Harris if Carter didn’t figure out where she was. The woman would stop at nothing to get her money, using her daughter to do so.
“Say it!” Ms. Harris shouted.
Summer’s jerked open her eyes and stared up at the woman standing halfway across the room. “You had Mr. Ryder’s baby. Katie’s pa. Carter’s half sister.”
“That wasn’t so hard to put together, was it?” Ms. Harris asked. She leaned to her right and flashed Katie a mean smile. “So your pa was Carter’s pa, and he didn’t give a shit ‘bout you ‘cause he had his perfect little family while we struggled to survive.”
“Momma, please. Put the gun away,” Katie begged. She sidled up to Summer’s side and folded her hands under her chin. “Please. This ain’t about Summer. It ain’t about Carter. They had nothin’ to do with what Mr. Ryder did.”
“You dense girl. You still don’t get it. Carter’s back, which means I ain’t gettin’ no money for you. He don’t need to give me money. I can’t blackmail him like I did your pa. He’s claimin’ his millions in assets and we’ll be left with nothin’.” Ms. Harris lifted her brows. “I sent you to work with Summer so I knew if Carter ever showed his face here again. I knew if that man cared anythin’ for the twit that he’d be payin’ her a visit, and that’s what he did. See, Carter ain’t like his pa. He’s got a heart, but heart ain’t gonna be payin’ my bills.”
“I’ve been working since I was fifteen. I’ve been payin’ my own way since I was seventeen. I don’t get a dime from you. You keep your liquor stocked. That’s where all the money goes. Your shop’s been hurtin’ for as long as I can remember,” Katie said. Summer pinned her with a warning glance.
“She’s holdin’ the gun, Katie. And she ain’t in her right mind,” Summer said quietly. Katie’s gaze shifted between Summer and her momma. Her lips curled between her teeth and fear flashed in her eyes. She sank into herself, her shoulders hunching slightly.
“You can be an ungrateful bitch, Katrina. I’m your momma and you’d best show me respect.”
Summer’s hopes skyrocketed at the sound of tires crunching over gravel, dirt, and ice. Ms. Harris’s attention flew to the window. Summer’s phone lit up with a text that she couldn’t read from where she stood. Ms. Harris saw it too and snatched up the phone. A cruel smile curled her wrinkled lips.
“Braden says you’re gonna be okay,” Ms. Harris said. She dropped the phone again and snickered. “How sweet.” She walked to the window and smashed out one of the glass panels. “You boys better keep your distance! I’ll kill her!”
There was a deep, muffled response. Summer eyed the bedroom door, judging the distance, weighing the chances she could get Katie and herself out without being shot.
“Huh-uh. Don’t be stupid,” Ms. Harris said. Summer looked up and found that menacing steel barrel staring her between the eyes. “I really don’t want to hurt you, but if Carter ain’t gonna give me what I want, then I’ll make sure he suffers for his decision. After all, he took away my means of livin’ in a very similar manner.”
* * * *
Carter snapped out of his thoughts of war when Rylan gripped his arm and tried to pull him back. Carter shook his off, wiping the new sweat from his forehead. He held Rylan’s Glock up to the ceiling, blinking away the flash visions of overtaking an enemy in a compound overseas.
“I’ll lead,” Rylan said quietly.
“Like hell. That’s my woman in there,” Carter growled in a hushed tone. Rylan made to brush by him. Carter placed himself between his cousin and the hallway where the shots came from.
“This ain’t a negotiation, Carter. My jurisdiction, not your battlefield.” Rylan grabbed his biceps and forced him to the side. “This is affectin’ you. I can’t have you losin’ it.”
Rylan continued down the hall. Carter fell in step beside him, the echoes of an unfamiliar voice ordering Summer to call him.
“Let me lead, Ry. I need to lead.”
Rylan looked back at him, frustration etched in his all-business, no-shit expression. Carter suppressed the boiling anxiety, putting on his best face. Control. He needed to get control over the situation, not leave it in his cousin’s hands. He couldn’t lose Summer. It would kill him.
The stern expression on Rylan’s face cracked after a long moment of scrutinizing Carter. He licked his lips and let out a short breath. From the open door at the end of the hall, Summer’s shaken voice filtered out of the room in a mock dialogue that sounded like a one-way conversation with Carter.
Rylan nodded once. “You know rules of engagement. Do anythin’ outside of what this situation calls for and I’ll personally punish you.”
Carter took the lead with stealth steps along the side of the hallway. He stepped slowly, testing his weight on each floorboard to avoid giving their approach away. A long shadow spread over the dark hallway. Carter’s heart rate doubled, that anxiety pressing against the seams of his will to keep it down. Summer needs me. Katie needs me. Can’t lose it.
“Turn that thing back on. I’ll talk to him.” The strange voice left a chill slithering around his spine. He took a slow breath, steadying his nerves. The split-second images of him leading his men into a bomber’s house overseas tripped him up. Rylan nudged him with his elbow.
“Carter?”
“I’m fine,” Carter whispered, swallowing against the dryness that suddenly coated his mouth. He shouldered away a new line of sweat and shut out every thought of his time in the service. Don’t think about it. Not now.
He sidled along the wall, the doorway mere feet away. The sound of movement, of soft sobs, met him, cinching around his lungs. He took another step closer, separating the sounds, trying to place each person in the room. Summer, Katie, and Ms. Harris. The shadow along the floor stretching into the hallway provided little help. He couldn’t make out any definition of who it belonged to.
“You sneaky lil’ whore,” Ms. Harris growled.
The gun shot off. A piercing scream filled the house, his head. The searing burn in his arm disappeared. His momma stared at him, eyes wide open, jaw slack. His world slowed, stopped, for that brief moment when he saw the blood soaking through his momma’s white shirt. Her lips moved slightly, a silent “Love you, baby,” before the light dimmed in her eyes. Carter caught her, dropping to the floor with her in his arms, her blood staining his skin, his clothes. That bullet was for me. When he finally looked up at his father, his fury unleashed…
“Katie!” Ms. Harris screeched.
Carter pinpointed the voice, and in one quick, natural motion he rolled off the wall and dropped to his knee in the doorway. Everything outside his train of vision was gray, hazy, as he aimed the Glock on his target and pulled the trigger.
* * * *
“Angel?” Carter asked from the doorway, his gun trained on Ms. Harris’s fallen frame. Summer tore her stunne
d gaze away from the red splotch that erupted over the woman’s belly. Rylan shoved past him with Braden and two more officers. Braden dropped next to Summer and pulled her into his arms. She crumbled, her entire body shaking, tears streaming down her cheeks, each breath a desperate gasp.
Carter dropped down next to her, his eyes and hands doing a quick scan to make sure she wasn’t hurt. His attention shifted to Katie. He worked quickly to tie her arm above the wound while Rylan laid Ms. Harris onto her back.
“Summer, baby, are you okay?” Braden asked. Summer nodded, unable to speak. Carter looked at her, holding her eyes long enough to assure her everything would be fine. He scooped Katie into his arms and climbed to his feet.
Two paramedics burst into the room. One went to Ms. Harris, one came to Katie.
Carter jutted his chin to Rylan. “Help them. We’ve got her. Ry, meet you at Westfield.”
“Go,” Rylan said, shifting around the fallen woman to allow the paramedics access.
“Angel, you okay?” Carter asked.
“Think so.” Summer used Braden to pull herself to her feet, but when she started to walk, her knees threatened to give out. Braden lifted her up and dropped a gentle kiss to her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. “Bray, we found out everythin’.”
“So did we,” Braden said, following Carter out of the house. She turned her head and looked up at him. “Found out Ms. Harris was blackmailin’ Carter’s pa ‘cause she got pregnant while they were havin’ an affair. Katie’s Carter’s sister.”
Katie wailed. “Carter, I–I’m sorry. I don’t want—”
“Hush. I’m not worried about anything but getting you fixed up. We’ll figure things out afterward,” Carter said. He looked back at Summer and gave her a small smile. “And you, my sweetheart, have some explaining to do, such as why you lied to me about what you found.”
“Oh boy,” she muttered. Braden laughed and let her to her feet when she kicked one leg out of his cradle hold. “I’m in trouble.”
“It’s a good kinda trouble, baby,” Braden promised, holding her around the waist as they approached Rylan’s cruiser. “Fun trouble.”
“Much better than bad trouble.” Summer gasped when Braden tightened his arm around her and turned her into him. He lifted her chin with his finger and kissed her. The soft, sensual sweeps of his tongue easily wiped out the horror that she had just faced, leaving her reeling in the promises of pleasure and happiness until he pulled back. Summer pressed her clean palm to his rough cheek and smiled up at him. “You can bring me trouble any day, ‘cause I love the trouble you two put me in.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Two weeks later
Traditions never died in Ryder, and Summer couldn’t embrace Christmas tradition tight enough. Colt’s house smelled like holiday sweetness and spice, the aromas floating up from the exquisitely decorated dining room table. Lexi broke away from Travis and Brent long enough to come over to her.
“I love the floral arrangements you made for the party,” she praised, clinking her eggnog cup with Summer’s. “Everyone’s talking about them and the food and the new family addition.”
Summer pinpointed Katie standing beside Carter as they spoke with Colt. “She’s a sweet girl, and Carter’s taken her under his wing like the perfect big brother.”
“She’s seems overwhelmed, though I don’t blame her.” Lexi laughed then sipped her nog. A light blush touched her cheeks. “It’s my first time, too, and it’s different from anything New York ever offered me.”
Summer squeezed Lexi’s shoulder. “You’re right where you belong. This is country livin’. Ryder livin’. Family is valued above all else, and you’re part of the family.”
Braden joined them and greeted Lexi with a gracious hug and kiss to her cheek. “Merry Christmas, Alexis. Your boys keepin’ outta trouble?”
“Never,” Lexi said. Summer laughed and shook her head.
“Neither are mine,” she said, nudging Braden in the ribs. “And I haven’t seen Mandy around in over an hour, which means those boys’ve got her in a bit of trouble. Willin’ to bet on it.”
“What do you wanna bet, baby?” Braden asked, staking his claim in the game. Summer’s lips curled into a sensual grin.
“How ‘bout you makin’ breakfast tomorrow mornin’,” Summer said. To Lexi, “He makes a killer omelet and home fries. Might put Martin to shame.”
“And if I win, I’m claimin’ the reins in bed tonight,” Braden said with a wink before melting into the crowd. Summer let out a slow breath, her cheeks on fire. Lexi’s eyes narrowed.
“They don’t have filters, do they?” Lexi asked. Summer rubbed her forehead in hopes of rubbing the red off her skin. She shook her head.
“Nope.”
“Travis and Brent are the same way. I’m still adjusting to it.”
“Lexi, there ain’t no adjusting to Ryders. It’s a matter of lovin’ them with all you’ve got and ridin’ life alongside them. They are an honorable family. You will never need to worry for your safety, your wellbeing, or your livelihood. The only thing you’ll need to worry about is your sanity in the bedroom.” Summer caught Carter’s eyes when he glanced over, and her lips instinctively curled into a smile as her heart fluttered. “After all, they’re the infamous Casanova cowboys, and those boys definitely earned their title.”
* * * *
Carter shared a small smile with Summer from across the room. She looked amazing this evening, all decked out in her little black dress and heels, her hair a mass of fat, honey-brown curls and her eyes aglow with love. He would never be able to thank God enough for giving him a second chance, despite the troubles that hung on his shoulders upon his return to Ryder. Summer was nothing less than his angel.
Thank you Henry, for making me promise.
Braden caught his attention from the living room, huddled close to Brent and Travis. The three were laughing over something Travis was saying. Braden’s smile definitely lit up the room, and his heart. His handsome lover granted him a second chance too, and he would never do either of them wrong. Where most people were lucky to have one love, he was given two.
Katie finished talking about her mother, who was spending Christmas locked up in county for attempted murder, among other charges, and awaiting trial. Katie’s bullet wound was on the fast track to healing. She complained of aches in her arm every now and then, but otherwise, she coped like any Ryder would—head held high and nothing able to get her down.
Carter slipped his hands in his pockets and looked down at the sweet young woman who was dished her mother’s deepest secret amongst bullets and threats. He knew first-hand how hard living with a drunkard was, and his first promise to the girl was to give her everything their parents kept from her, everything she should have had from birth. After all, she was a Ryder.
Colt sipped mulled wine, his usually bright-green eyes shadowed. When he shifted his weight, Carter caught a faint hint of a wince. His cousin had taken a rough kick to the ribs upon dismount, fracturing three on his last ride that brought him home the all-around buckle and a nice purse, but without the woman he confided to Carter he had hoped to build a life with.
Unfortunately, with clearing his name, he lost his love, and that pain could be seen if anyone looked hard enough.
“Once the ground thaws, we’ll see about gettin’ you a place built on some land,” Colt said, smiling through his pain. Katie bounced on her toes, but her excitement quickly died out.
“I don’t know much about farmin’ and cattle raisin’ and all the stuff you Ryders do. Momma never taught me that. I’m probably better off in an apartment,” she confessed. Carter shouldered her playfully. Her doe eyes turned up to him. “Seriously.”
“It’s in your blood, girl. You’ll learn it fast, when you’re not helping Summer at the shop. Summer’s gonna learn the ropes, too. She got a taste a few years back. We’re gonna get the land prepared for a good season, but it’s going
to take some hard work. Five years of neglect is a long stretch.”
“I’ll help.” Katie’s eyes glittered like a small child. “Really. Teach me everythin’ you know.”
“You’re family, Katie, no matter the circumstances surroundin’ it. Family sticks together. That’s how this town thrives,” Colt said. He held Carter’s gaze, the weight of his words bearing down on him. “That’s how we thrive.”
“That’s the truth,” Carter agreed. He cast Summer another glance. Colt clapped his shoulder and nodded toward her.
“Go ahead. We’ll make sure Katie’s well taken care of. No Ryder spends Christmas Eve alone. But tomorrow, we’re gonna have those snowmobile races like we used to. This is the first time in years we’ve all been together for the holidays.”
“You’re not in good shape to race.”
“Be sure to wear your shield, cuz, or you’ll be eatin’ my snow.”
Colt winked and draped his arm slowly around Katie’s shoulders, the motion obviously discomforting. Carter detoured to the living room, where Braden flashed him a smile that warmed his heart on this icy winter night. Travis tugged him into the small circle and Brent offered his hand. He had taken a liking to his cousin’s lover from the start, sensing a kinship in the city man turned country cowboy. He fit right in with the rest of the family, as did their woman.
“Colt’s been hurtin’ since his filly fled Vegas,” Travis said. “She claimed her prize and left without as much as good-bye. We were tryin’ to figure out a way to get her up here. She lives in Texas.”
“Cuz, if things are meant to work out between Colt and his woman, they will. Anytime we’ve stuck our noses in business that wasn’t ours, we fucked shit up more than it was to begin with. Hearts aren’t meant to be messed up by outsiders. Let them work out their troubles,” Carter said.