Return to Ransom
Regina Carlysle
Delight, Texas, Book 3
Lynn Halstead returns to Delight, Texas, with one objective in mind—finding a little revenge for a past trauma. Instead of dishing out a hefty dose of payback, however, she comes face-to-face with the one man she’s never been able to forget. But this time she gets to touch.
Ransom Dobbs lives a life of responsibility and regret. That’s what a man does, after all. The big, tough rancher is thrown for a loop by a sweet blast from his past. Lynn burns him with every look and every touch, but can she banish the ghost that torments him? Time and a whole lot of smoldering sex can grant this cowboy the happiness he craves, but only if he’s brave enough to risk his heart.
A Romantica® Western erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Return to Ransom
Regina Carlysle
Chapter One
Sometimes old memories had a way of shattering a person.
Fuck or walk.
Fifteen years later, the words still had the ability to bring Lynn Halstead to her knees and send her reeling back in time to the day when, as a senior at Delight High School, she’d thought finally, finally, she was gaining just a tiny bit of acceptance in this small Texas town.
Even now she recalled the scent of Dusty Granger’s old pickup. A trio of pink carnations tied to her wrist with delicate satin ribbon had sent their fragrance through the air, filling the space between her and her prom date. That he’d asked her to the event, in and of itself, had been a shock. Lord knew she’d never been social or remotely popular. Instead, Lynn was the sort of girl who hovered on the edges of life. Fitting in had been a dream she’d yet to achieve.
So it was with a little thrill in her heart that she’d opened the front door of her unremarkable little house, waved cheerfully to her smiling mother and left for a night that would haunt her.
But she was no longer an insecure girl of eighteen.
Now a grown woman, Lynn was educated, cultured, a far cry from the frumpy, shy, insecure girl who’d lived here years ago. She knew full well the hurt she still carried with her had taunted her into returning to this small town. Delight nestled like a jewel in the heart of the Texas Hill Country and, though it was lovely, she’d vowed years ago never to return. Yet here she was, checked into the Lazy Aces Motel and in a few short hours would face the demons of her past. She sat up on the lumpy motel bed to swipe ruthlessly at the tears on her cheeks. Damn it! She should never have come. Had she been in her right mind, rather than compelled by emotion, she would have tossed the invitation to her class reunion straight into the trash where it belonged.
Instead, here she was, determined to face down that old memory as if she were an Old West gunslinger. Banish it. Obliterate it. Even now, every recollection of that night burned through her brain, jabbing at her confidence at the most inopportune times, and she was sick of it. Once she’d faced her demons, Lynn had every intention of hopping into her car and heading back to Dallas for good. There was nothing here for her anymore.
Resolved to face the evening ahead with a bravado she certainly didn’t feel, she showered and dressed for the first event of the reunion. Slipping into a patterned black-and-white dress with tiny capped sleeves and a portrait neckline, she studied her reflection in a mirror that badly needed resilvering. Not bad. The dress fit her curvy body to perfection and the cut of the neckline emphasized the full shape of her breasts. Once she’d slipped into a pair of new slingback pumps and run nervous fingers through her hair, she was ready to step into the lion’s den. Hell, who was she kidding? It was doubtful that anyone would even remember her. How pathetic was that? Determined to stop worrying so much and just get the whole thing behind her, she stepped into the air of a hotter-than-hell night and headed out into the unknown.
Gravel crunched beneath the wheels of her compact car when she pulled into the parking lot of the Electric Armadillo. After finding a spot amid the sea of Cowboy Cadillacs, she checked her lipstick, snatched her bag from the passenger seat and got out. Butterflies danced in her belly. A group of cowboys swaggered through the front door, sending raucous country music blasting into the night. Lynn dragged a deep breath into her lungs. Her gaze locked on to the whimsical neon boot-wearing armadillo hanging over the club’s entrance. That was new. Cute. Odd that she’d lived in Delight for eighteen years of her life and had never stepped foot in The Dillo.
Guess there was a first time for everything.
If she had to guess, just about every soul who hailed from Delight was here tonight. She opened the door but before she could step inside, she crashed into a petite brunette whom she recognized at once.
“Oops. Excuse me.”
Harley June Baker’s eyes rounded and a huge smile lit her face. “Oh my gosh! Lynn Halstead!” Her old classmate wrapped Lynn in a warm hug. Though they hadn’t been close friends, Harley had always been sweet. “Or should I say Doctor Halstead?”
Surprise rushed through her that people around here might know what she’d done with her life. That she had been a nobody in Delight was an understatement. Why would anyone have tried to keep up with the goings-on in her life? Still, she smiled and shook her head. “Nope, just Lynn is fine with me.”
“It’s great to see you. I heard you were living in Dallas these days.”
“I am, yes. And I read in a magazine that you are one of the top western boot designers in the country and working for a premier boot maker in Houston.”
Harley laughed. “Ancient history regarding Houston, but the boot-designer thing is true enough. I’ve opened shop right here in Delight.”
“You’ve really accomplished a lot, Harley. Congrats!” Lynn glanced at her surroundings, absorbing the blast of country music and the fresh scent of the Texas Hill Country. Nostalgia whipped through her, taking her back in time as she looked at Harley again. “It feels weird to be back in Delight after all these years.”
Harley rolled her eyes and grinned. “Some things never change and Delight is one of them. You’ll figure that out soon enough. Hope you’ll be here for all the fun stuff.”
“I plan to be,” Lynn said. “Meet and greet tonight, the banquet, picnic at the Dobbs’ ranch.”
“Did I hear someone say my name?” A tall, lanky, utterly gorgeous cowboy moved into view behind Harley. Cooper Dobbs. He wrapped an arm around Harley and tugged her possessively to his side. Tipping the brim of his black Stetson, he smiled. “Hi, Lynn. Good to see you again.”
“Well, hi, Cooper.” The middle Dobbs brother was one tall, cool drink of water and, if anything, he’d only gotten yummier over the years.
“See you’ve bumped into my wife.” His smile widened into a grin.
“Your wife?” Cooper and Harley had been crazy about each other back in the old days so Lynne wasn’t too surprised by this development. “When?”
“A few weeks ago,” Harley said, leaning closer to Coop. “And T’s engaged to Melanie Honeycutt.”
The last Lynn had heard, Mel worked as the Delight High School girls’ basketball coach and T was a stuntman in the movies. Heywood T. Dobbs, called T by everyone who knew him, was the youngest of the trio of brothers. Just seeing Cooper again and hearing of T sent Lynn’s mind reeling back in time to the one man she’d never been able to forget.
Ransom.
The oldest, biggest, most badass Dobbs brother was the hero of every dream she’d ever had and featured prominently in memories of her past. A little ache sank into her heart and suddenly thoughts of the bad things from years ago became overshadowed by thoughts of Ransom.
Was he here?
If she were to be totally honest with herself, her wild thoughts of facing down Dusty Granger were almost always overshadowed by memo
ries of Ransom, the man who’d saved her that night. He’d been no more than twenty-three but even then, he’d seemed so much older. Maybe his mature, quiet demeanor had a lot to do with the fact he had his hands full not only running a ranch but in raising his younger brothers.
He was the settled Dobbs brother and already a serious, no-nonsense man who hadn’t hesitated in helping out the emotionally devastated young woman she’d been on that long-ago night.
She eyed the happy couple, her heart pounding, and hoped her nerves didn’t show. “How about Ransom? Is he still around?”
The smile died from Cooper’s face. “Guess you heard about Cassie? His wife?”
“It was a terrible thing. Yes, Cassie was always nice to me when I saw her in town and I liked her. The accident was so tragic.”
Cooper nodded. “That’s a fact.”
“I still subscribe to the Delight Register and remember reading about it. It was so sad and awful.” What could she say in the face of such tragedy? Ransom and Cassie Farmer had been sweethearts who’d married just a few years after graduation and she’d died far too young. “How is he?”
Cooper went quiet so Harley added her thoughts. “Her death changed him. It’s been a long time since she died but Ran has had a hard time moving on.”
“He hasn’t remarried?”
Cooper grunted. “Hell no. We can barely get the man to leave the ranch. Still can’t believe he came to The Dillo tonight.”
He was here, only a few steps away. Lynn’s hand tightened on the strap of her purse. Her heart thumped hard as expectation blasted through her and she now realized that facing down Dusty Granger meant nothing.
Zero.
Would Ran even remember her? It was doubtful but at this exact moment, nothing meant more than seeing him again. He was her hero. He always would be.
* * * * *
Crowds had never suited Ransom Dobbs and that was a fact.
Bellied up to the big bar that ran the length of The Electric Armadillo, he ordered another beer from the bartender and watched the rowdy crowd raise a little hell on this hot summer night. Unsure what had possessed him to come tonight, he narrowed his eyes over the group gathered for the high school reunion and considered making his escape. Since the graduating classes in Delight, Texas, never pulled in high numbers, folks around here had pretty much agreed years ago they’d simply have a reunion every few years and invite the whole town. Nobody put up much of a fuss about it except for the occasional cranky-ass and, of course, every town had a few of those.
“Here ya go, Ran. Put this on your tab?”
Ransom caught his beer as it slid across the aged mahogany bar and dug in his pocket for a five-dollar bill. “No thanks, Tim,” he said, handing over the cash. “I’ll be heading out here in a bit.”
Tim Acres grinned. “Gettin’ too crazy in here for ya, old-timer?”
“Old-timer, huh? Guess you’re figuring I won’t be needing you for the branding at the Double D bright and early tomorrow morning?” Ran was just kidding the young cowboy who moonlighted at the bar for extra money, and wanted to kick his own ass when the grin slid from the guy’s face. “Hey, what is it with everybody around here that I can’t tell a joke?”
Acres shook his head. “Sorry, Ran,” he mumbled. “Just not used to it.”
Ransom shoved his change into the front pocket of his jeans, grabbed the beer and nodded. “See you come mornin’.”
“Yessir.”
Determined to hang out for a while before heading back to the ranch, Ran eyed the packed room then threaded his way through the crowd on his way to find an empty table. Old-timer, huh? Since when was thirty-eight considered old? Gave a man pause, for sure, but he figured plenty of folks around here saw him that way. His being in The Dillo tonight was a rarity but he’d let a couple of ladies sweet-talk him into showing up. At the moment those two ornery women were on the dance floor with his younger brothers Cooper and T doing a little two-steppin’ to a Lady Antebellum song. Giving up on finding an empty chair, Ransom propped one shoulder against a pillar near the edge of the dance floor and took it all in.
Harley and Cooper looked mighty fine together.
Ran took a sip of his beer and watched them move seamlessly across the floor. Harley laughed and Coop grinned back at her. Seemed they were made for each other. They’d been married out at the ranch a few weeks ago and had just returned from a long honeymoon in the Bahamas looking happy and ready to take on the world. Cooper planted a long, lingering kiss on Harley’s smiling lips and before the song was even over, he ushered her from the dance floor. Ransom watched them go and figured they were heading home already. It looked to him as if the honeymoon wasn’t over by a long shot.
He returned his gaze to the dancers and spotted T. His youngest brother was scootin’ a boot with Melanie Honeycutt. Damn, that was one tall, tall woman. Neon beer signs hanging on the walls splashed their color over Mel’s ginger hair, making her sure enough easy to spot. T spun her out with a flourish then dipped her deep before kissing her in front of God and everybody. He’d arrived back in town not all that long ago and had done a mighty fine job of sweeping the high school girls’ basketball coach off her feet. They were engaged now and T was living with her in town.
Ransom had always hoped that when Cooper and T married, they’d all live together at the ranch their folks had built many years ago but it looked as though that wasn’t going to happen. The cold, empty place around his heart squeezed up tight and he tried his best to ignore it. Things didn’t always work out like a man thought they would and that was a fact. No use crying about it as if he were a little girl. Right now it looked to him as though his life was spreading out before him like a vast empty desert full of nothing but work and more work. Sure enough, the good things in life that he’d once hoped for had turned out to be nothing but a dream that had not a hell’s chance of coming true. He had the land. He had memories. That had to be enough.
Grimacing at the dour turn of his thoughts, he finished off his beer and turned away, intending to head on home when a cheery voice cut through the blare of music. “Ran! Rannnnsom Dobbs! Hold up there, boy!”
Ran spotted Thelma Raymond immediately. It would be impossible to miss her. Delight’s very own chatterbox, all five-feet-nothin’ of her was so damn shiny she rivaled the neon lights in the honky-tonk. Tonight she wore a crimson satin western-style shirt complete with white swinging fringe. Little boots hung suspended from chains at her ears and her normally football helmet-shaped hairstyle was mostly covered by a white cowboy hat that looked so damn new he figured there had to be a price tag on it somewhere.
“Hey there, Miz Raymond.” Ran tipped the brim of his Stetson and waited for it. Sure enough, she wrapped her pudgy arms around him and gave him a squeeze. Thelma was a hugger, dispensing them with staggering frequency, but folks didn’t mind that much. Finally she stepped back, scowled at him and tapped the toes of her bright-red boots.
“Now why aren’t you out on the dance floor with some pretty sweet thing, young man?”
Young man.
Well now, that was some better.
“You were already dancin’ with that tall, lanky fella, ma’am. Looked to me like the prettiest lady in the room was already taken.” Thelma giggled as he’d known she would. “I thought you two just might wear a hole in that dance floor.”
“Well, my mister sure loves to dance.” She leaned in close to whisper conspiratorially. “He headed off to the little cowboys’ room. He’ll be back in a minute.”
She’d said it as though it were a naughty secret. Ransom laughed.
Thelma blinked at him. “You weren’t planning to leave, were you, Ran?”
“I was thinking about it. Me and crowds don’t mix.”
She shook her head sadly. “Don’t I know it? But if you ask me, you could use some socializing with folks. I worry about you out there on the ranch all by yourself.” As usual, Thelma didn’t stay on one topic for long. “Did you see who’s
here? Over by the pool tables? Dusty Granger. He just got out of jail. Again.” She shook her head. “I feel so sorry for his mama and daddy. They’re good people. Bet they’re so sad about the way that boy turned out.”
Ransom tensed and sent his gaze toward an alcove across the room. Sure enough, Dusty Granger stood there, holding a pool cue and looking as if he had not a care in the world. Ran’s knuckles burned. Granger was no damn good. Any man who’d mistreat a woman wasn’t worth spit and Ransom had plenty of evidence of Dusty’s bad character. The years hadn’t been kind to the man and no doubt his time spent in Texas correctional facilities had contributed to that.
The memory of a singular spring night burned deep.
Ransom was heading off to Cassie’s house to pick her up to grab a bite to eat when his headlights caught the figure of a lone woman limping down the dark country road. Her long, pale-blue dress dragged the ground and she clutched a paper bag in one hand and her shoes in the other.
Ransom pulled up close, his truck idling near the side of the road. “Ma’am? Need some help?”
The young woman turned her head and in the dashboard light the pain in her dark eyes was palpable. “Lynn? Lynn Halstead? Is that you? What the hell are you doing out here?”
“Um.”
He caught the glimmer of tears as they washed across her eyes and he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Talk to me.”
She limped close then leaned against the door, her gaze chasing away, her embarrassment so damn obvious. Ran barely knew her. She was a quiet girl. Kind of awkward, a bit plump, but she had this pretty thick blonde hair that was at the moment pulled back from her oval face. She wore thick glasses but it was impossible not to notice how pretty her dark eyes were behind the lenses. Now they were so damn sad it made his heart hurt, but anger mixed with that emotion. Someone had hurt her, mistreated her. Reaching across the cab of the truck, he pushed open the door. “Get in.”
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