Ray was whistling when he drove onto his ranch, the sun shining, the sky brilliantly blue, puffy clouds extra puffy. The house, three stories of home, gray-white with green shutters—Grace’s and Lucy’s choice—opened its arms and welcomed him.
Dr. Anna’s truck with shoeing trailer was parked between office and house, but he didn’t see her around. Ray, hungry now, strolled inside and to the kitchen, ready to fix himself a big sandwich before he started packing up to stay at Drew’s.
The house was quiet, peaceful—until Ray heard the long groan drifting from upstairs.
He peered up the staircase in alarm, wondering if Kyle had fallen and hurt himself, but then he halted, mirth rising as he recognized exactly what he was hearing. Kyle’s gruff voice sounded from his room high under the eaves, blending with female answering cries.
Ray stifled laughter. Finally. He crept back to the kitchen, shutting the door to muffle the noises. He’d make a sandwich and take it to the office. He needed to explain to Margaret that he was moving to Drew’s for a while, and she’d have to contact him there.
Everything had gone quiet by the time he’d taken out lunch meat and mustard and other stuff and started building a giant sandwich. Footsteps sounded on the stairs. The door burst open behind him, and Anna’s and Kyle’s secret laughter sputtered to a halt.
“Ray,” Kyle said in shock when Ray turned around. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here.” Ray transferred his gaze to Anna, noting a smear of what looked like chocolate on her cheek. “I take it you’re done upstairs? Good, because I want to have lunch.”
Anna flushed until she was brick-colored, and Ray took pity on her and looked away.
“Don’t worry, I’m outta here,” Anna said rapidly. “Have an office to get back to.”
“Better swing home and wash up,” Ray said as he continued with his sandwich. “So no one thinks you were mud wrestling.”
“Fuck you, Ray,” Kyle growled.
Ray looked around in surprise at Kyle’s vehemence. “I’m not trying to be an asshole. Just save her some embarrassment.”
“No, he’s right,” Anna said. “Everyone’s already talking enough. See you, Kyle.”
She charged out the back door, the windows rattling from the door’s slam, and strode determinedly to her truck.
Ray motioned after her with his water bottle. “Better walk her out, or she might never come back.”
Kyle glared at him, snarled Shit, and raced out after Anna.
Ray watched as Kyle caught up to her, their momentary awkwardness dissolving. Kyle touched Anna’s cheek, and Ray returned to making his sandwich, glad for them, and for himself.
Later, Ray packed up a bag and a box and returned to the B&B, every movement feeling effortless. When he rolled onto the dirt lot in front of the garage, he found Karen Marvin’s BMW already parked there.
Hoping she’d come with good news about the grant, Ray left the bag and box in the truck and hurried up the stairs. No need to broadcast to Karen that he was moving in.
Karen sat on a barstool, her long legs crossed. Drew stood in the middle of the room, more anger in her eyes than Ray had ever seen.
“Drew.” Ray moved to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “You all right, baby?”
“No.” Drew’s voice was hard, but she didn’t pull away or look embarrassed at the endearment. “I’m not all right. And neither is my brother-in-law. He’s trying to take everything away from me.”
Chapter Twelve
Drew spun away from Ray, who stood like a sturdy pillar, and blinked to keep the tears back.
“Tell me what happened,” Ray growled at Karen.
Karen faced him, her cool eyes filled with anger. “Her dickhead brother-in-law—do you mind if I call him a dickhead, Drew? Her dickhead brother-in-law called AGCT and tried to get us to drop the grant. I don’t know a) how he knew about it, and b) why he thought I’d listen to him.”
“Drop it? Why?”
Karen shrugged. “Said Drew was incompetent and more likely to abscond with the funding than use it for the B&B.”
“What’d you tell him?” Ray’s face set in a scowl.
“I thanked him for his call and said I’d take his opinion into consideration. Which I have. Don’t worry, Drew, I consider his opinion utter bullshit.”
Drew relaxed a fraction. “Why should you? You don’t know me. He could be right.”
“Please, honey. This isn’t my first rodeo. Or my second, or my third. He doesn’t understand that one) I do my research thoroughly and two) this is a small town.” Karen liked to put things into neat categories. “I’m not a faceless woman behind a desk perusing your paperwork. I meet people, talk to them. Know where they live, know their kids, and who they date.” She finished with a pointed look at Ray.
“Drew’s a good risk,” Ray said. “You have my word on that.”
“I know.” Karen flashed irritation. “I didn’t come over to say I’d turned down the grant on the word of an asshole. I came to warn her. This guy sounds like trouble.”
“He is.” Drew sank to the sofa, her legs too shaky to let her stand. “He blames me for my husband’s death, thinks I can’t take care of Erica, and did not want me to move to Riverbend and save the B&B. He hired a lawyer to try to prevent me taking Erica out of the state, but since I’m her legal guardian and Jules isn’t—not even close—he couldn’t make it fly.”
Karen studied her in puzzlement. “Why would he want to block you fixing up the B&B? If you do, you get the rest of the money. You could take care of Erica just fine then, and if this Jules dickhead is sweet to you, you might share some of that payout.”
“I don’t know.” Drew heaved a sigh. “I made those same points to him when we argued about it. Jules told me I was incompetent at everything and might as well quit before I start.” She balled her fists. “He is one of the reasons I made the decision to come here. I wanted to take up the challenge, show him he was wrong.”
Ray came to her. Regardless of Karen sitting on the barstool watching every move, he sat next to Drew and put his arm around her.
“And you will show him,” he said, his voice rumbling. “I swear that. I’m helping you, Karen is helping—we all are.”
That was true. Since Drew had arrived in Riverbend, she’d been mostly embraced. She’d believed she’d be shunned as an outsider, but people had been friendly and interested from the start.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “But Jules worries me. He has powerful friends. He tried very hard to take Erica away from me after Philip died, saying I’d never be able to raise her on my own.”
“Obviously, you won that fight,” Karen pointed out. “And you’ll win this one.” She frowned, her perfect face crinkling the slightest bit. “What I don’t understand is how he knew. At AGCT, we don’t announce who we’re funding until we hand over the check.”
“Erica.” Drew knew this in her heart. “She talks to Jules all the time. He’s nice to her, and she likes him—she doesn’t understand what a snake he can be. She’ll find out sooner or later, but I’m trying not to take away everyone in her life.”
“Commendable,” Karen said. “But I think it’s time to cut that tie. You were trying to give her a father figure, probably out of guilt. Women love guilt, don’t we? Which is why I gave it up a long time ago. But now Erica has Ray to be her father figure, so you can tell her the truth about Uncle Jules.”
Karen’s blunt statements hit Drew like blows, though she agreed with every single one.
She turned to see what Ray thought about being called Erica’s new father figure, but he was nodding slowly. “You sure don’t need a guy like that in your life.”
“Definitely not.” Karen continued arranging Drew’s world for her. “When I was young, I was very pretty, so of course all the men lined up to go to bed with me—and then tell me what to do with my life afterward, in detail. Because of course I’d never be able to think for myself. After I split wit
h my second husband, I decided I’d had enough of men bullying me. I went all out for my career, and had men on the side for fun. Works a dream, I have to tell you.”
Drew flushed, but Ray didn’t look embarrassed at Karen’s frankness.
“Don’t worry about your brother-in-law,” he said to Drew. “There’s nothing he can do legally. Right?” he asked Karen.
“He can’t block the grant,” Karen answered. “That is entirely the purview of AGCT Enterprises. The Campbells like you, Drew, and already adore Erica, so no problem there. Jules shouldn’t be able to block your grandfather’s trust or its stipulations either. That’s your side of the family, not his.”
“He’s been a pain in my ass since the day I married Philip,” Drew said, old anger stirring. “I was never good enough for his baby brother.”
“Family.” Karen made a dismissive gesture then hopped off the stool and straightened her skirt. “I ditched mine and have been much happier since. Not that you have to worry about Ray’s family. Grace loves you already, and Kyle is reasonable about everything but Dr. Anna.” She brightened. “Did I tell you I saw them at Chez Orleans? Making googly eyes at each other. It was so cute.”
She beamed them a big smile then said goodbye and let herself out. Drew walked with her to the stairs, thanking her.
“No problem, honey. You needed to know. But don’t worry too much and enjoy yourself.” She glanced pointedly back at Ray, winked at Drew, then marched briskly down the stairs, her good deed done. In a moment, Drew heard the purr of her car as she started the engine.
Drew returned to the apartment, wandering to the window to watch her drive away. “I’m sorry about that.”
“What for?” Ray came up behind her, his arms going around her. “Not your fault. Karen’s right about letting go of guilt. It messes you up—trust me, I’ve had my share.”
“Sorry to drag you into my problems,” Drew clarified. “Sorry my husband’s brother is such an asshole, and that Karen assumes you’re fine with solving all my issues.”
Ray kissed her cheek, his breath warm. “Karen isn’t wrong.” He huffed a laugh. “She’s full of shit, though. She says she’s done with family, but she’s made Riverbend her family. She’s as gossipy and interfering as anyone around. She’ll be just like Mrs. Kaye when she’s older.”
Drew had to smile at that. “Think she’ll still be dating young cowboys then?”
“Who knows? Though I think she’s getting tired of Deke and looking to move on. She wasn’t happy with him the other night.”
Drew turned in his arms, liking his solidness behind her. Her smile faded. “Jules won’t give up. He’s been badgering me for years.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Ray kissed her, sending fires through her blood. “We’ll deal with him. And you will fix this place up and show him what you can do.”
When Ray said it, she believed it.
She also wanted to keep kissing him, so she rose on tiptoes and pressed a slow burning kiss to his mouth.
Erica had begged to stay longer at the Campbells earlier this morning, and Drew had agreed. Which meant she and Ray were alone in the cozy apartment, and the bed waited in a pool of sunshine.
Lucy Malory let her car idle on the last hill above the Malory ranch, her home spreading before her.
Two days ago, she’d stood with her coworkers at a glitzy party in a glitzy hotel ballroom, drinking champagne and waiting for Clyde Gordon, her boss and boyfriend, to make his announcement. The company had done well this year, so maybe he would proclaim huge bonuses for all, more even than last year. Clyde hadn’t told Lucy what the announcement was, so she had no answer for her friends, no matter how much they bugged her.
She recalled exactly how the champagne flute had felt in her hand, the smooth, cold hardness of the glass, made a bit slippery with tiny beads of condensation, the soft sound of the bubbles, the lingering taste of the champagne’s sweetness in her mouth.
Exactly how one strap of her gown had pressed on her shoulder and how one shoe had felt a little tight as Clyde had stepped up on the stage at the end of the ballroom. A young woman Lucy had seen vaguely around the office building in the last week had gone up to stand next to him.
Clyde raised his glass and called out, “Join me in congratulating the future Mrs. Gordon!”
For a split second, Lucy had thought Clyde was talking about her. She remembered her spike of joy and surprise—he’d said nothing to her about this.
She’d nearly started running for the stage, before ice-cold, knifelike realization struck her. He meant he was marrying the beautiful, svelte, and radiant woman beside him. He took the woman’s hand and raised it high.
The crowd had quieted in amazement, then they’d cheered. Amid the tumult, Lucy had fled the room and the hotel, barely able to see.
After a night of pacing in her apartment, alternately crying and cursing, avoiding the phone and texted questions of her friends, Lucy had confronted Clyde in his office, blowing past his PA, who’d tried to keep her out.
The man with sexy blue eyes, who’d given her smoldering smiles and spent weekends in South Padre Island with her drinking margaritas and making love, regarded her now in cold blankness.
Who he married was his business, he said. He and Lucy’d had fun, but …
Lucy, who was no man’s doormat, told him exactly what she thought. Clyde only gazed at her as though bored and said, “Clear out your desk, Luce. You’re done.”
Numb, she’d carefully placed all her personal items from her office into a cardboard file box and marched out as everyone on her floor watched. Security guards waited at the elevator to escort her. When she told them hotly there was no need for that, they only gave her bland stares and accompanied her all the way to her car. They even stood and watched while she started up and drove off—after she relinquished her keycard to the garage.
Not that Lucy would ever dream of setting foot in this building or even driving down the street it lay on ever again.
She went straight to her apartment, which fortunately, she paid for herself, dumped her office trinkets, including the photo of her and Clyde feeding each other oysters at a fancy banquet, and stuffed clothes haphazardly into an overnight bag.
No wonder Clyde had never acted on her hints that she move in with him, since Lucy spent so much time at his house anyway. No wonder, after their last weekend together at a quiet B&B in Marfa, he’d said he’d be preparing hard for end-of-quarter reports and Lucy should stay at her own place for a while. Didn’t want to bore her out of her mind, Clyde had said.
He’d been preparing all right, to marry the daughter of his father’s old business partner and drop the bombshell at the company’s next party.
Lucy, in her anguish, could think of only one place to go. Only one place in the world where she could withdraw and lick her wounds. She’d driven straight from her apartment and through the endless city, out across the state on the I-10, and then down smaller highways to the calm familiarity of Riverbend.
Not until she paused at this hill and saw home waiting for her, beckoning her on, did she balk. Her brothers and sister would want to know why she’d come home and what had happened, and she’d be plunged into humiliation.
She could flee somewhere no one knew her, blow all her money on a month-long cruise to the Caribbean where she could meet another single and have mindless, tequila-soaked sex.
Which had the potential to end in disaster. Besides, the sight of the Malory ranch had loosened all the tightness inside her.
Lucy put her car in gear and rolled down the hill and through the gates. She didn’t want to see anyone, but there was Margaret, heading out of the office on her ruthless surveillance of the ranch.
Margaret halted in surprise when she saw Lucy climb from her car, then her face softened in concern. “Lucy? You all right?”
Good old Margaret, solid, strong, taking no shit. She’d have put Clyde in his place. Lucy wanted to laugh, thinking about it, but if she did, she�
��d probably start bawling.
Lucy pasted on a false smile, her eyes stinging. “Decided to come home for a while. Kyle or Ray around?”
“No, they’re …”
Lucy didn’t wait for her to finish. If Kyle and Ray were out, the house would be refreshingly empty. She hurried toward it, tears flooding as she ran up the porch to her embracing home, the place of her childhood—her dreams, her hopes, her youthful happiness.
She made it to the living room and the sofa before she had to fall on it and give herself over to weeping.
Kyle found her there. Lucy realized, as Kyle held her after she sobbed out the story, how much she loved her brother, and what that love truly meant to her.
At the bar that evening, Ray watched his sister and Kyle stand side-by-side while Lucy faced down the town. He was proud of her, holding her head up and smiling at the curious Riverbenders.
If Ray ever came across that Clyde asshole, he’d grind the man’s face into the nearest wall. Kyle agreed with him. But Lucy had a home here, no questions, no judgment.
So did Drew. Karen and AGCT Enterprises had come through today, three days after Karen’s last visit, Karen stopping by to present Drew a check. Ray had gone into town with Drew to deposit it in her business account, then they’d gone to Fuller’s, placing a huge order for supplies, and also with Jack’s contracting business.
They’d celebrated at home with Erica and more of Grace’s cupcakes. Then Kyle had called Ray about Lucy, and Ray had gone home to help comfort her.
Hal Jenkins, a former bull rider turned rodeo clown, entered from where he’d been hanging out with Jack on the porch. Hal was a slow-speaking, solid man, who’d grown tired of falling off bulls and decided to help bull riders stay safe in the ring instead.
Hal sat down at the end of the bar near Ray, but his gaze was on Lucy. He didn’t try to elbow into the group around her or join the conversation, but Hal watched her. Hmm.
Ray: Riding Hard Page 11