by K. K. Allen
Letting out a breath, I return his smile and walk him out, shutting off the light and closing the office door behind me. We say goodbye, and I stop by my office to lock up before heading to the main house. I’m too worked up to sit at my desk at the moment, so instead, I give in to my growling stomach and join Mama in the kitchen.
“Aww, is that for me?” I tease.
She’s preparing a roast beef sandwich with her lips pursed and her eyes focused like she’s in deep concentration. “No. You should be making me lunch.” She nods to the ingredients still lying on the counter. “Make your own. If you can stay out all night, I’m sure you’re quite capable.” She winks, making me cringe.
Knowing Mama, I’m sure she’s already figured out where I was last night, but I’ve already decided I’m going to keep my mouth shut. I have nothing to be afraid of anymore, but part of me wants to keep things just between Ridge and me for now while we’re getting to know each other again. Maybe that’s silly, considering we hated the secrecy back when we were first together, but it’s been one day, and Ridge and I have a lot of time to make up for.
Smiling, I stand next to her and start to put together a sandwich. “Sometimes I really miss being young.”
Her giggle is infectious. “Me, too, Camila. Me too.”
We finish preparing our lunches and sit down at the round glass table in the dining nook. “Mama…”I need to figure out how to ease into this next, not-so-easy topic. “Do you remember that night?” I swallow. “After prom?”
She sets down her sandwich and closes her eyes, pulling in a deep breath. When she opens them again, I can see every thought in them, from her fear of hearing about what had happened to me, to her anger at my papa for letting his hatred for the Cross family result in my running straight into near-death, to the terror in her voice when she demanded for Gus to check the perimeter fence.
“Of course I remember,” she snaps in a hushed voice. “How could I ever forget? It was the beginning and end of so many things. Must we talk about it?”
“Well, yes, because I just saw a photo of that psychopath, Dave Lachey, with Papa and Thomas.” I shake my head. “I don’t understand. Both of them acted like they didn’t know who Dave was, just that they knew of him. Why would they lie?”
Mama’s face contorts with confusion. “You saw photos? And you’re sure it was Dave?”
“Thomas has a bunch of old hunting photos in his office, and Dave was in them. They were all younger then, but I’ll never forget that face.” I shudder.
She picks up her sandwich again, dismissing me with a shake of her head. “You said they’re old, mija. Perhaps they didn’t remember hunting with Dave. Their circle was very big back then.”
Something about the way Mama has averted her eyes makes my stomach knot as my instincts kicked in. “But Dave was a known poacher, Mama. Why would Papa be hunting with him in the first place? Papa hated men like that.”
She gives one of her heavy sighs that come out whenever she’s frustrated. “Your papa didn’t always hate poachers like that.”
“What?” I ask with a laugh. “Of course he did. He told me all those stories about how poaching disturbs the natural order of things.”
Mama studies me for a second then stands. “I suppose there’s nothing to hide anymore, but I’m going to need wine for this. You?”
“Yes, please,” I say, feeling anxious about whatever she’s going to tell me. Revealing more secrecy and lies, only this time, they aren’t mine.
She grabs a corked bottle of Bell Family Red and pours two glasses, then she sits again and turns her stool to face me. “Your papa was one of them, Camila. Before you were born, before I met your father, and before he acquired the vineyard from his parents, he was part of a group of hunters that poached for the sole purpose of making money to help them purchase land. I am not proud to say that there are plots of property now in your name that came from that money.”
I don’t know when my jaw dropped, but it’s still hanging slack. “Are you sure? You’re honestly telling me that Papa was a poacher? And so was Thomas?”
Mama nods before taking a gulp of wine. Her eyes close as she drinks, and when she pulls the glass away, she looks much more relaxed. “I didn’t realize how good it would feel to tell someone that. Early on in our marriage, he kept things from me, the poaching being one of them.”
“How did you find out?”
Mama smiles. “A friend. My only friend at the time, really. This was before I started volunteering at the country club. She was a sweet woman who worked at the Cross Ranch. We were secret friends, kind of like you and Ridge.”
I laugh at the strange turn in the conversation. “Well, okay. So she knew about the men who were poaching?”
She nods, a dark look filling her expression. “The woman was very upset about it. Said she saw it for herself when she was taking a walk through the woods. Anyway, I confronted Patrick about what she’d told me, and he admitted it right there. That man looked as guilty as sin. I threatened to leave him if he didn’t stop. And I’m the one who ordered for your papa to put up the fence around the perimeter to keep the wildlife out.” She bows her head. “But that damn man cut it.”
I shiver as I process everything. Men hunted on this land long before I was even born, and Dave Lachey was one of them.
“So, then papa stopped poaching. What about everyone else? With him fencing in the land, where did they go?” The questions wouldn’t stop, but I tried to quiet them while I waited for her answers.
“I never asked, but I assumed they all stopped, since the land got taken away. Clearly, I was wrong. I fear poaching was an addiction for Dave more than it was about money.” She furrows her brow and narrows her eyes at me. “What’s going through that head of yours, Camila?”
I let out a sigh. “I wish I knew, but something doesn’t feel right. The way no one tried to figure out why Dave came after me that night, the way they all acted like they didn’t know him when apparently, they all spent quite a bit of time together, and how Thomas managed to take half of the vineyard away from our family the way he did. What’s next? I need to get ahead of this, but I need to understand it all first.”
“Oh, Camila,” she says with a frown. “You’re going to fight this battle until you’re in the grave like your papa. He was always at war with someone because of this place. I wanted different for you. Honestly, you seemed so happy in Napa that part of me hoped you wouldn’t come back.”
“Mama!” I gasp.
She places her hands on my knees. “Look at how obsessed you are with this. You’re going to make yourself sick, worrying about how to beat Thomas Bradshaw. Is it really worth it?”
I chew on my lip, thinking about the last ten years. “Yes. I don’t care if I’m making myself sick or how obsessed I am with making things right.” I shake my head. “I need to listen to my gut. Because something is very wrong in all of this. Papa loved this place too much to give it up so easily, no matter how close he was with the Bradshaws. Someone convinced him to sell. And I’m certain that same person encouraged him to turn around and put that money into the vineyard, leaving Papa with nothing. And before you tell me I’m reading into things, I’m telling you I’m close to something. I’ve pored over those documents. Nothing makes sense.”
Mama swirls her wine, appearing stoic. “I’m not telling you you’re wrong, Camila. I’m telling you that better men have tried to fight that man… and they lost everything.”
I push off the stool, no longer hungry. “Well, then it’s a good thing I’m not a man. I’m a woman. I won’t let Thomas take any more than he already has. And I certainly won’t let him keep what he’s practically stolen beneath all of our noses.”
With that, I take my wine from the counter, carry it all the way back to my office, and slam the door behind me.
Chapter 55
Ridge
“Happy opening day,” comes a chipper voice from outside of the main welcome cabin.
; I look up from the computer, where I’m training a new hire. Camila stumbles in, holding a stack of boxes.
“Whoa!” I say with a laugh as I see them start to wobble. I jog around the counter and relieve the weight by pulling off each box and uncovering her smile, which does something to my insides.
Her cheeks are as dark pink as the sleeveless dress she’s wearing when I lean in to give her a quick kiss to save Lucinda from too much PDA.
Camila has slept over every night. While we’ve made being together no secret, we avoid her villa, mostly because of the Bradshaws but her mama too. Neither of us wants any trouble, especially after everything we’ve already been through. We just want to enjoy this time together, and that’s perfectly fine by me.
“What are you doing with all these packages?”
“They aren’t packages, silly. I brought you wine. At least enough for the next couple weeks for welcome gifts for your guests. ”
The boxes have the Bell Family Vineyard logo. “You didn’t have to do that. I was going to purchase wine from you.”
She waves a hand. “And let the Bradshaws get involved? Sales is their department, and I want to keep you all to myself, thank you very much. Besides, I figure you can point your guests in our direction if they like the wine.”
There she is—my girl with nonstop ideas and energy. Thomas Bradshaw doesn’t stand a chance against her. They’ve continued to work in a thick cloud of tension, while Trip says he’s chipping away at the old man to try to get him to budge. I don’t believe it for a second, seeing as Trip would do anything to get back into Camila’s good graces. She hasn’t said so, but I think she’s doubtful, considering she’s still digging around and reporting back to me.
“I’m going to put one in each of the cabins. Come with me? I’ll show you what to do.” Camila picks up one of the boxes. “Can you get away?” Her eyes dart to Lucinda then back at me with a mischievous grin. By now, I know exactly what that look means.
She’s barely asked the question before I take the box from Camila and call over my shoulder, “Hey, Lucinda, why don’t we break for lunch and meet back here at one?”
The older woman with bright-red hair and a beautiful smile lights up. “You got it, boss.”
With the box under my arm, I tug on Camila’s hand and lead her into the woods, toward the first cabin I ever showed her. Shutting the door behind me, I look over my shoulder to see her already climbing onto the bed. “I thought we were dropping off wine.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Then why are you shutting the door?”
I narrow my eyes playfully then pounce onto the bed, tackling her and planting a kiss. These last few weeks have shown me everything I’ve been missing without ever knowing it. Even during our separation, I’ve only wanted Camila, but I never truly knew what that meant until I got my second chance. I live for making her smile. Without the ranch, without the resort, or without anything at all, I would still be wrapped up in her and be perfectly fine for the rest of my life. I would be home.
Deepening the kiss, I try not to crush her while keeping her close. I can’t stop kissing her when she makes those little moans when I slip my hand under her dress, when she spreads her knees just enough to fit me into that space meant only for me, and definitely when her hands start to roam beneath my shirt and she rakes her nails up my back.
“F-Fuck,” I say, shivering.
An airy laugh escapes her. “I love when you cuss.”
This makes me smile. “Why is that, dirty girl?”
She grins and moves her hips so that she glides across my erection. “Because I know you’re only saying it because you’ve lost control. It’s not every day that Ridge Cross loses control, and I happen to like that I can make him do that.”
“Why are you talking about me like I’m in the other room?” I rock into her center, gasping at how good it feels even though I’m not inside her. “I’m definitely here.”
She bites her lip. “I wish you were closer.”
That’s all she has to say before I strip off my clothes and push up her skirt. My patience is gone, and I flip her around, lift her hips, and pull her onto her knees. I hover near her entrance, running my finger along her slit and feeling her excitement. She’s ready for me, but I’m not so sure I’m ready for her.
Her cheek is flat against the pillow as she looks back at me, waiting with those wide green eyes that captured and sentenced me to a lifetime of unexpected challenges. This is my payback.
I push two fingers into her, trying to hide my groan at the feel of her—soft, wet, and so fucking tight. She gasps as she pushes back against my hand, rocking into me like she could come at any moment.
“Holy shit. That feels so good.”
I slip my fingers out and replace them with my erection, pushing in slowly, inch by inch, as I succumb to the bliss of the beautiful devil beneath me. She molds to me, reminding me that I’ve only been hers and she’s only been mine, and I fill her so completely that there’s nowhere left to go.
Her eyes are closed, her mouth is open, and I drive into her, rolling my hips as curse words pour from my mouth. She’s right. With her, I can’t help it. I lose all control. Her skin feels so soft beneath my digging fingers, and the apricot scent that rises from her skin puts me under the same spell it always does. I can’t get enough of her, and it always yanks at my heart to say goodbye to her when we part.
I slam into her one last time before we both let go. She cries out and grips the comforter while I fill her with every last ounce of my release. Then I lie down beside her and pull her into my arms.
She rests her cheek on my chest, curls her leg around mine, and sighs. “I love how you give me what I need without asking questions.”
“I’m sorry, would any other man deny you that? I highly doubt it.”
She slaps my chest. “I don’t just mean with sex. I mean emotionally. You could tell I needed you in the exact way you gave yourself to me, no questions asked.”
My heart squeezes. “Okay, but… is it okay for me to ask what’s wrong now?” I smile and weave her fingers through mine. “I knew something was wrong when you didn’t try to roll me over and ride me.”
“It was just a hard day. Thomas wants to have a meeting after lunch about adding an entire plot of vines, and I just don’t want to deal with him. On top of that, I’m starting to get really frustrated that Trip hasn’t come through for me yet. That can’t be an easy conversation, and Thomas is more likely to tell his own son to fuck off than listen to any logic, but I haven’t gotten any closer to finding a way out of this mess my papa got me into. Everything Thomas did, while it was definitely manipulative, was all on the up-and-up.”
I squeeze her hand. “It’s only been three weeks. Trip warned you it could take time, and it’s not like the vineyard is going anywhere.”
She groans. “I know, I know. Okay, I’ll be patient.”
I run a hand up and down her thigh. “Good, and don’t give up. Your gut is telling you something, and you should definitely listen.”
I look at the spot on her throat where her necklace now hangs again. “No one’s fessed up to giving that back to you, huh?”
Camila shakes her head, a dark look crossing her eyes. “No. I wish it didn’t still bother me, but it does.” She looks up at the ceiling for a few moments before sighing and sliding her body so that she’s straddling me. “Now for the other reason I’m here,” she says as she slowly drags her wet opening against my length.
My stomach muscles clench. “There’s another reason?”
She nods, and her palms fall to my chest as she moves her hips against me, working me like a Slip ’N Slide between her lips. “I want you to take me on a date.”
I chuckle, despite the fact that she’s got me so hard that I can barely see straight. “We’ve gone on dates, Camila.”
“Dinner, sure.” She leans forward and brushes her lips against mine. “I want you to take me to the rodeo, and I don’t mean right now.” She
grins. “Saturday night. You pick me up. You formally meet my mama. Then you take me to the rodeo, where the entire town will see us. You hold my hand. We’ll eat deep-fried cookie dough, and I’ll pretend to be frightened of the bulls so that I can snuggle up close to you.” Her smile is infectious. “A date.”
I cup Camila’s cheek and press my lips to hers, then suck in a breath before releasing her. “Yes, Wild One. I’ll take you on a date.”
She kisses me back just as she reaches down to slide me into her, then she’s off to the races. Camila is as wild in bed as she is in life, always an intoxicating mixture of reckless and uncontrolled as she tries to break free from whatever reins hold her back.
Well, she’s free now. And it’s like she’s channeled all of that energy into making love, just like how we were always meant to be.
Chapter 56
Camila
When I leave Wild One Ranch, Ridge stops at the main cabin, where Lucinda is already inside, ready to go back to work. I smile and wave one last time at Ridge as I step into my Jeep, realizing for the millionth time how strange it is for me to be driving when there’s a cutaway through the fields and over the bridge.
I haven’t gone near those woods or that bridge since that awful night, and I don’t plan to again, even if I do miss the hilltop. The hilltop was a place where I would dream of my future as vineyard owner. Now that I’m living that, my time is best served here, anyway.
Back at the villa, I walk straight into the casita, irritated again that I’m not the first one here. Three weeks have crawled by and still no word from Trip on the status of ownership, other than the random “I’m still working on him.”
Not good enough! I want to scream, but at least Trip is trying. Meanwhile, I haven’t let up on my hunt for information that may have fallen through the cracks. I’m convinced that evidence exists—something that proves Thomas Bradshaw forced Papa’s hand to get him to sell.