Hunter found himself staring at his brother, unable to reconcile this man with the lawman he’d once been.
As if reading his mind, Logan let out a long-suffering sigh. “Look, Hunter, I know what you’re thinking. But I’m not here to lecture you, or judge. Despite the mistakes you’ve made in the past, I know what kind of man you are.”
It was Hunter’s turn to arch a brow. Again, he thought, this was not the brother he remembered.
“I sat in the courtroom during your trial,” Logan continued. “I listened to all the testimony and...” He trailed off, shrugged.
“And?” he prompted.
“The judge shouldn’t have sentenced you to two years in the state prison.” Breaking eye contact, Logan moved to the window and looked out, his shoulders tense. “If it were up to me you wouldn’t have served any time.”
Stunned, Hunter rocked back on his heels. His brother, the former U.S. marshal, the man who always followed the rules, was giving him a pass for killing another man?
There was too much bad blood between them for Hunter to remain silent on the matter. “If I remember correctly, you were the one who told me I should turn myself in to the authorities and face the consequences of what I’d done.”
Still looking out the window, Logan ran a hand over his face, drew in a long pull of air. “I thought you would get a fair trial. Then, once you were set free, you’d be able to start fresh, without having to look over your shoulder anymore.”
A nice sentiment. But there were some mistakes a man could never outrun, mistakes others would never let him forget. The Lord forgave sin, Hunter knew that, believed it, but He didn’t always take away the consequence of the sin.
Clearing his throat, Logan swung around and faced him head-on, his eyes full of regret. “I never thought you’d have to go to prison, Hunter, certainly not for two years.”
All this time, he’d thought his brother had wanted him to suffer for his actions. Had he been wrong?
“I owe you, more than I can ever repay in this lifetime.” Logan pulled in another harsh breath. “You saved Megan’s life that night.”
“Let’s not rewrite history. I had one motive when I entered Mattie’s suite of rooms, and that was to confront the man who’d killed my wife in cold blood. I had no idea Kincaid had tried to attack Megan only moments before. When I arrived, I found him on the floor, near the hearth. Your wife had knocked him out cold.” He smiled at the memory. “She’d moved behind one of the false walls, so I didn’t see her at first and I certainly didn’t go in there to help her.”
“The result was the same. Megan is alive because you took out Kincaid.” Gratitude filled Logan’s gaze. “Let’s jump to the end, shall we? You had no choice but to kill the man.”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
“I’ve faced men like him, men with pure evil in their hearts.” Logan clenched his hands into angry fists, as if picturing Kincaid attacking Megan. “He wasn’t going down without a fight.”
True. Hunter had known it was kill or be killed as soon as he’d looked into the outlaw’s soulless eyes. He’d given Kincaid a chance to collect himself and face him like a man.
They’d fought hard. The battle as ugly as Hunter had ever endured. He’d ultimately prevailed, by God’s grace alone.
“I still killed a man,” he said, a reminder for them both.
“In self-defense,” Logan corrected. “I never doubted that, and despite what the jury decided, you shouldn’t, either.”
His brother’s unwavering confidence in him made Hunter rethink the events of that evening, this time from Logan’s perspective. If Kincaid had been sadistic enough to engage in a fight to the death with a man his own size, the outlaw wouldn’t have hesitated hurting a petite woman like Megan.
Hunter had taken away that opportunity, the one good thing that had come out of that night.
“Now that we’ve covered the past,” Logan said, moving away from the window. “Let’s focus on the present. Since you won’t offer up the information freely, I see I’m going to have to ask straight-out. Why did you go to Mattie’s last night?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got time.” Proving his point, Logan pulled out the straight-backed chair tucked under a small writing desk. He turned it around, straddled the seat and then folded his arms over the top.
Unable to remain immobile under his brother’s watchful gaze, Hunter paced the room. The movement helped him put his thoughts in order.
He swallowed. He’d kept so much from his family, too much, mostly out of pride. That ended today, now. He started by disclosing the nature of his rocky marriage to Maria.
Logan interrupted him almost immediately. “You got married that soon after leaving home?”
“I was young and determined to have my own way. I was lonely, too.” He could admit that now, could accept what he’d refused to see at the time. “That kind of bone-deep sense of isolation can make a man do stupid things, especially a young man just off the ranch with too much kid left in him.”
But he hadn’t just been young. He’d been selfish, prideful and determined to deny his Christian upbringing, all because he’d craved freedom. Or what he’d thought was freedom. He’d set out to live life on his own terms. No rules. Whatever felt good was good.
He hadn’t found freedom, but rather his own form of slavery, a self-made prison of unholy desire.
“Go on, Hunter.” Logan’s voice was patient as he wound his wrist in the air. “Continue with your story.”
Hunter did, pacing as he spoke, his steps slowing when he came to the part about Maria hiding his own child from him, his precious, beautiful Sarah.
“Maria didn’t tell you she’d borne you a child?” Logan sounded outraged. He also sounded like a...brother.
Had that always been there, the loyal, unwavering support?
Hunter made another pass through the room. “I can’t say I blame her. By then I’d fallen in with a pretty rough crowd.”
“I remember.”
Yes, Logan would remember. They’d met once during that time, the night of Maria’s funeral. He’d been half crazed with guilt, wondering if he’d tried harder to make Maria happy maybe she would have stayed with him.
Maybe she would still be alive today.
And Sarah would have both a mother and a father.
She can still have that, with you and Annabeth.
The thought brought a wave of peace, and a sense of rightness settled over him. He needed Annabeth in his life, as much as he needed Sarah.
He loved them both, for very different reasons. He loved Sarah as a father to his daughter. And he loved Annabeth as—
“What happened to the child?”
Hunter swallowed the complicated emotions warring inside his head. He needed to focus on this conversation, but he couldn’t quite make the leap back now that his thoughts had turned to Annabeth. Had he just told himself he loved her?
Of course he loved her. She was Sarah’s aunt.
Sarah. Right, he was telling Logan about his daughter.
“Sarah is living at Charity House.” His lips lifted and Hunter allowed the smile to spread across his face. “At least Maria got that right.”
Rising from the chair, Logan made a sound deep in his throat. “Did you say your daughter’s name is Sarah?”
“That’s right.” Hunter could see Logan’s mind working, perhaps sorting through the Charity House children, trying to figure out which one was Hunter’s. “She just turned nine years old a few weeks ago. She has Maria’s dark hair, her same coloring and my—”
“Eyes. She has your eyes. Hunter, I know Sarah. I know your daughter. I’ve met her on several occasions when we’ve visited Charity House.”
“How often do you go to Charity House?”
“Not as much as Megan. She still has a strong connection with Laney and Marc. For all intents and purposes, they were her parents. She teaches art classes a few times a year. Sarah i
s one of her favorite pupils.” Wonder lit Logan’s gaze as he closed the distance between them and clapped him on the back. “She’s a sweet girl, smart, inherently kind. The sort of person any man would be proud to call his daughter.”
Didn’t he know it? “Thanks to Laney and Marc Dupree.”
“They certainly had a big part in it.” Logan stepped back and angled his head. “This explains why Sarah always seemed familiar to me.”
“She’s my child, Logan.” Hunter let the joy he felt sound in his voice. “I have a daughter.”
“And I have a new niece.” Logan slapped him on the back again, a gesture reminiscent of their father at his most supportive. “The folks are going to be beside themselves with happiness over another grandchild.”
For one, brief moment the past fell away and they felt like brothers again. Just as quickly, the moment vanished and the awkwardness returned.
Time. They would need time to find renewed peace between them, to grow comfortable around one another. But Hunter had genuine hope they would eventually forge a strong relationship.
“What are your plans now?”
“I’m coming home.”
“Praise the Lord.” Logan threw his hands in the air. “You realize this is answer to all our prayers.”
“Mine, too.”
They grinned at each other, and another layer of hostility fell away.
“Speaking of home.” Logan dug in his pocket, pulled out an official-looking document. “The folks told me to give you this when I found you.”
Wary again, Hunter took the paper, lowered his head and read. Halfway down the page, his eyes started to burn. “It’s a land deed. In my name.”
“That’s right. Two thousand acres just off the east range. There’s a small, furnished cabin already on the property.”
“I’m familiar with the place.” He’d holed up there a few years back, right after he’d killed Kincaid. He’d still been grieving Jane’s death, not sure what to do next. His past had caught up to him, in a single, horrific night, and he hadn’t known where to turn.
Home had seemed the place to go, but even then he’d made mistakes. He’d known Logan was looking for Kincaid’s murderer, so Hunter had decided to give him what he wanted. On his terms. He’d used Logan’s wife as bait, drawing out his brother for a final showdown, thinking that would relieve the haunting pain in his heart, as if Logan was the cause.
He’d been dreadfully wrong. And now he waited for his brother to remind him of that meeting, waited for the words of censure.
Logan said nothing.
Which was for the best. Hunter needed to be the one to cross this particular chasm first. “Logan, about the last time we met. I want to apologize for knocking you out cold. I—”
“It’s in the past.”
No, it was still between them and always would be if they didn’t clear the air. “Let me have my say.”
“All right.” Logan lowered to the chair again, looking slightly uncomfortable.
“I should have listened to you that day.” Hunter paused, then pressed on. “I wasn’t in the right frame of mind at the time, but that’s no excuse. I could have saved everyone a lot of heartache if I’d turned myself in back then. I have much to atone for.”
“You finished?”
“No. Logan, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the years of animosity between us, for considering you my enemy, for...everything.”
“Hunter, you’re my brother.” Logan rose but didn’t move away from the chair. “I forgave you a long time ago.”
“You shouldn’t be this easy on me.” Hunter swallowed, feeling more and more like the prodigal son than ever before, and just as undeserving of grace. “You should demand I make amends.”
Logan shook his head. “I’m not that much of a hypocrite. I have my share of sins to answer for, too. Sins against you.”
Hunter felt his eyes widen. “What did you ever do to me?”
“I didn’t ask you to come home. I judged you unfairly and withheld mercy when you needed it most. Can you forgive me?”
“I...” Hunter blinked in amazement, then answered from his heart. “Yes.”
Logan smiled. “To prove there’s no hard feelings, Megan and I have a gift for you.”
“Your forgiveness is all I need.”
“Nevertheless, we want to give you two hundred head of cattle from our herd.”
The land from his parents, cattle from his brother, it was enough to start his own ranch. Hunter didn’t deserve these gifts. His family was showing him what grace really looked like, offering mercy without question, or demand of payment.
He was humbled beyond measure, ready to go home and rebuild all the relationships he’d lost.
The fact that Logan was the one to bestow his family’s gifts mattered most of all.
For years, Hunter had thought his brother would be a stumbling block to his return home. Instead, he’d become a staunch ally.
Hunter thought of his other ally, Annabeth. “Sarah and I won’t be the only ones coming home. Her aunt will be joining us.”
Logan didn’t pretend to misunderstand who Hunter meant. “You’re bringing Annabeth to the Flying M?”
“She’s sacrificed everything to become a part of Sarah’s life. I won’t tear them apart.”
And with their marriage Annabeth would forever be in Sarah’s life, no matter what happened to Hunter. Although he didn’t like the idea of her sacrificing her own future in the bargain, he couldn’t let her go, either.
And not just for Sarah’s sake, but for his own. The truth hit him at last, staggering in its impact. Hunter wanted Annabeth in his life, now and forever. He loved her, as a man loved a woman.
As you once loved Jane?
No. His feelings for Annabeth were different, because she was different, yet equally powerful. Perhaps he’d been too hasty in suggesting a marriage in name only.
Perhaps he could still convince her they had something special, something lasting, something worth fighting for.
“Have you thought this all the way to the end?” Logan asked. “There won’t be any problem bringing Annabeth home with you and Sarah, as long as the three of you live in the main house with the rest of the family. But what happens if you move into the cabin? Annabeth’s reputation—”
“You misunderstand. Annabeth isn’t coming to the Flying M solely as Sarah’s aunt. She’s coming as my wife.”
Logan’s mouth dropped open. “Your wife?”
Wife. He chewed on the word silently in his head with a surge of joy in his heart. For the first time since Jane died, Hunter’s chest didn’t ache with every breath he took. His gut didn’t feel so hollow.
When had he started to let her go? He knew the answer. The moment he’d pulled Annabeth into his arms and kissed her.
It was time to finish the work he’d begun in prison, time to let go of his past and embrace the future. He had to trust God was in control of his life and stop looking over his shoulder, expecting the worst.
“I’m going to make Annabeth my wife,” he confirmed, then added with more force, “as soon as possible.”
“I...see.” From the knowing look in his brother’s eyes, Hunter figured Logan saw the situation accurately.
Now came the hard part.
Annabeth might have agreed to marry him, but now he had to convince her that doing so was a good idea for herself, as well as for Sarah. Words wouldn’t be enough. Hunter needed to make a grand gesture, one that would persuade her to become a permanent part of his life. Not solely as Sarah’s aunt, but as his wife, in every sense of the word.
He would settle for nothing less.
Chapter Nineteen
A half hour before school let out for the day, Laney entered Annabeth’s classroom. “I’d like a private word with you.”
Hand poised over the chalkboard, she studied her friend perched in the doorway. “Now?”
Laney nodded.
“But I’m conducting a lesson on algebraic e
quations.”
“Riveting, no doubt.” Laney smiled. “But I assure you this won’t take long.”
“All right.” Annabeth set down the piece of chalk in her hand, her mind racing over several possibilities for this unprecedented visit. Had gossip of her connection to Mattie reached Charity House? Even if that was the case, Laney already knew Mattie was Annabeth’s mother.
“Review your notes,” Annabeth said to the class. “I’ll be right back.”
Before walking out the door, she dropped a warning glance over the room. A few of the boys shifted guiltily in their seats. The rest of the class pretended grave interest in their math books. Pretend being the operative word.
Only Molly Taylor Scott, who loved math even more than Annabeth, seemed genuinely upset by Laney’s interruption.
Shaking her head, Annabeth joined her friend outside. With the sun swallowed up by a band of dark, ominous clouds, the temperature had dropped at least twenty degrees since the morning. The smell of snow hung in the air.
Wrapping her arms tightly around her, Annabeth hunched her shoulders against the cold. A sudden, sharp gust of wind whipped a strand of her hair from its pins. Though she loved the rugged landscape, days like these, when the temperature dropped unexpectedly, reminded Annabeth that living in Colorado came at a cost.
Once they rounded the building and were out of the wind, Laney pulled to a stop. Never one to waste time, she got straight to the point.
“Hunter told me to give you this.” She presented a handwritten message scribbled on a piece of paper in bold, masculine strokes.
Stomach quivering, Annabeth stared at the paper in Laney’s hand, then looked over at the main house. “Hunter’s here?”
“Not anymore. He only stopped by long enough to leave this message for you.” Laney pushed the paper into her hand. “He was quite insistent I bring it to you immediately.”
Annabeth lowered her gaze and read the words scrawled on the paper. Meet me at Bennett, Bennett and Brand Law Firm at four o’clock this afternoon.
Confused, she flipped over the paper, looking for something...more, an explanation for the summons at least. Maybe a word of affection. A quick term of endearment.
Renee Ryan Page 20