Authors: Jennifer Ryan
Gillian took Bell’s hand and pulled her around the sofa to the boxes on the coffee table. “You are not going to believe some of these shoes.” Gillian flipped open several box lids. Ella, Gillian, and Bell got lost talking about all the purchases and oohing and aahing over the shoes. At one point, Bell caught Dane’s eye and smiled. He and his brothers stood across the foyer by the dining room, talking in low tones. Probably about Rowdy and how they were going to keep her safe. She felt the target on her back, but she didn’t worry too much. Not with the men looking out for her. Not with Dane looking out for her. She’d never had anyone care about her well-being and her happiness.
“Try these on.” Gillian held up a pair of dark brown riding-style boots.
They’d definitely complement her outfit. Bell slid on a pair of socks, pushed her feet inside the boots, and zipped them up the side. She rocked back and forth in them, admiring the leather strap that went across her ankle with the silver heart and star studs across it.
“These are so comfortable and cute. I love them.”
“We tried to mix the practical with what you’d need for work. Anytime you want to go shopping for more to fill out what we’ve got here, just give Gillian and me a call and we’ll go with you,” Ella said, smiling, like they did this all the time.
“I’d love that. I’d also like to take you two to lunch or out for dinner and drinks to thank you for doing this.”
“Oh, we had a blast.” Gillian touched her shoulder. Such a simple gesture of friendship, but it meant so much. Bell might have lost all her possessions, but what really mattered in her life was standing in this room. Her friends and Dane. She hoped one day they’d be family.
“We need to go,” Dane said, pulling her from her thoughts. “Nice boots.”
She stared down at them, then up at him. “I love them.”
“They suit you. Ella and Gillian know your chic style.”
“Yes, we do.” Ella and Gillian both walked into Dane’s arms and hugged him close.
“You think I’m chic?” she asked.
“Yes,” they all said in unison.
He wrapped his arms around both of his sisters and pecked each of them on the head. “Thank you for making her smile. And saving me from taking her shopping.” That cocky grin slipped when both Ella and Gillian nudged him in the ribs for being ornery. Just like real sisters. Like family.
She’d never had that either. Not really. Here she was a part of this. Included, not shunned and pushed aside and out of sight. Here, they took her into the fold and included her. They went out of their way to help her. She didn’t know if her heart could take such overwhelming joy.
“We’ll see you at Wolf Ranch for Thanksgiving,” Gabe said, pulling his wife out of Dane’s arms and against his side.
Blake took Gillian into his arms and stared down at her. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. Really good. I have all this energy today.”
“The second trimester is easier. Your hormones have leveled off,” Bell explained.
“Bell, grab your new jacket, or at least that heavy sweater. We need to go to your place. Gabe said the fire inspector and the coroner were already there sifting through the debris.”
Bell picked up the thick sweater, pulled off the tag, and put it on. She took Dane’s outstretched hand, and they followed everyone out to the trucks. She hugged everyone goodbye, thanking them all for their condolences and the shopping spree.
She settled in the truck beside Dane and leaned against his side. He waited for his brothers to pull out before they followed.
“You ready for this, sweetheart?”
“With you beside me, I can face anything.” She meant those words. He gave her strength and courage, because if she stumbled, he’d catch her.
D
ane and Bell stood beside the truck while the investigators worked. With each layer they peeled off the pile of rubble in the kitchen section of the house, the closer they came to discovering Bell’s grandmother’s body. The tone and speed of the investigators changed about a half hour after Dane and Bell arrived. Everyone stood back and stared at the center of where they’d been digging.
Bell turned into his chest and hid her face. Her hands fisted in his shirt. He held her close but stared off into the distance while they lifted the body and zipped it into the body bag. The coroner rolled the gurney to the waiting van and loaded it inside the back. He came to them with solemn eyes.
“Dr. Bell, I am so sorry for your loss.”
Bell let go of Dane and turned in his arms. He held her shoulders, offering her his support and silent understanding.
“Thank you for coming so early this morning. I couldn’t stand to leave her out here any longer.”
“I understand, but the hot spots kept flaring during the night. The site wasn’t safe to remove her body. I spoke with Dr. Warwick last night. He should be here shortly.”
“Here? He’s coming here?”
“Yes. He wanted to ensure we recovered Mrs. Warwick and to take a look at the house and land. I understand he’s meeting someone else here, too.”
Bell turned in Dane’s arms and grabbed his shirt. “We have to go. Now.”
“Okay, but the Kendricks just drove in. Let’s say hi and find out why they’re here.”
“Ah, sweet thing, I am so sorry for your loss, but good riddance to that devil woman. Here, hold on to this.” Sammy handed Dane the wood box he’d been holding and pulled Bell into his arms for a hug. Bell held on tight to the old coot.
Dane caught Rory’s nod for him to join him and his brothers a few feet away.
“What’s up?”
“Colt and I are headed to your place,” Ford said, standing next to his truck and talking under his breath so Bell didn’t overhear. “Where do you want your new chicken coop?”
Rory slapped Dane on the shoulder and pointed to the back of Ford’s truck. Sure enough, stacks of wood, chicken wire, a bag of feed, and two crates of chickens sat in the back. “Granddad wanted to do something for her to make your place feel like home. She took good care of her chickens. It’s a shame the way they died.”
“That’s real nice of you guys. I’ve actually got a small fenced-in area just to the right of the toolshed by the stables.”
“Sounds good. We’re on it. Probably have most of it done by the time you get back,” Colt said, climbing into the truck. Ford followed, and they pulled out of the drive.
“Dane, we have to go. Now.” The fear and anxiety in Bell’s voice alerted him to danger. This time it wasn’t Rowdy but her father and sister’s arrival, along with Tony, who was driving the truck.
“I need you to stay,” Sammy pleaded, holding Bell by the shoulders. “You need to face your past. He needs to account for what he’s done.”
“He doesn’t want to see me.”
“He has no choice. Hiding from his mistakes doesn’t erase them.”
“That’s exactly right. All I am to him is a mistake.”
“No. His mistake was turning his back on you. Now he’ll answer for it. Your grandfather made sure of it. For you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will.”
Katherine reached them first. Bell hugged her sister as she always did. Katherine held her tight, longer than usual. Bell gave into the comfort and held on to her sister.
Katherine released her. “Bell, I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so worried about you. I wish we’d returned from delivering a bull to Tony’s friend’s place earlier last night.”
By the time Bell called Katherine last night, they were still an hour away. Bell didn’t mind they missed the fire and the aftermath with the police and fire inspector. Katherine didn’t need that kind of stress in her condition.
“I’m okay. Still a little shocked and numb.”
“Of course you are. I can’t believe Grandmother is gone.”
Bell didn’t have any words. Instead, she stared at her father, who was talking to the coroner and signing some papers.
“He’s taking care of the funeral arrangements. We’ll have a church service in town, then a gathering at my house. Please say you’ll come,” Katherine pleaded. “This could be a chance to mend the family.”
Bell didn’t answer but studied her father. Light brown hair, almost blonde, swept across his brow, while the back was shorter. His eyes were the same hazel brown as her sister’s. She saw the resemblance to her grandmother in his coloring, the shape of his eyes, nose, and mouth. At five-nine, he wasn’t that tall for a man. Funny, she thought he’d be bigger.
He glanced her way but didn’t smile. His face remained passive. His hands disappeared into his black slacks pockets. His crisp white tailored shirt looked as starched as his features.
Dr. Warwick walked toward Bell. Dane stood at her back, one big hand on her hip, silently letting her know she had his support. She leaned into him.
“You got this, sweetheart. You don’t need him,” Dane whispered close to her ear.
“Bell.” Dr. Warwick glanced at Dane behind her and down at his brace. “I heard you’ve become quite the surgeon. You’re making a name for yourself here. You should consider working in one of the larger, more prestigious hospitals in a big city. You’d do better both financially and professionally. The last thing you want to do is get stuck in a small town wasting your exceptional intellect and talent.”
The man hadn’t seen her since she was a baby, then he shows up and gives her career advice. Bell didn’t quite know what to say, but acting like the last twenty-six years of her life hadn’t been steeped in his betrayal and neglect wasn’t okay with her. She deserved something more than his turning up his nose at her working in Bozeman and Crystal Creek. She deserved an explanation. A damn I’m sorry.
“My father did that,” he went on. “Sunk his roots here and never flourished. You look so much like him. It’s surprising really. DNA is a tricky thing. When you were born, and I saw your coloring, I accused your mother of trying to trick me. Well, the tests came back that she didn’t. Still, I hadn’t thought much that you looked like my father at the time. Seeing you now, the resemblance is definitely there.”
Surprised he didn’t know when to shut up, and that he’d compare her to his father, she said, “My memories of him are vague. He died when I was very young.”
“That’s right. I missed his funeral. I attended a symposium in Amsterdam, I believe. I was the guest speaker, so, you know, I couldn’t get out of it.”
No, he chose the limelight over his father’s funeral. Clearly, he’d left this place and his family behind. Katherine only moved back after she met and married Tony. His family lived here, and Katherine had thought it an adventure to move from her lavish home in California to a ranch in Montana, close to her family roots. Life here wasn’t quite as easy as she’d had it there. Snow in the winter, the distance from town, the isolation those two things created. Not the social life Katherine grew up taking for granted.
“Yes, well, Katherine said you’d see to Grandmother’s funeral arrangements.”
“And the property. Katherine and Tony will get the land to build onto their cattle business.”
Bell’s gut went sour. So easily he decided what would happen without asking her. Without even a discussion about what should happen to the home and land she’d spent her whole life on, while Katherine had only stepped foot on it a handful of times.
“What about me? Where will I go?”
“Katherine indicated you were staying with your boyfriend at the Bowden place.”
“That is Dane’s home. This is mine. You know, the place you sent me without a second thought. The place I was raised by a woman who hated every breath I took. The place I lived as the shame of this family and paid for your sins. The place I was hidden away from the world. Out of sight. Out of mind. This is my home. Not yours. Not hers.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, but you have no say in the matter. My mother put a roof over your head and cared for you, but the property belongs to the Warwick family. It will remain in my hands now, and in your sister’s when I pass.”
“I am a part of this family whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.”
“I won’t change my mind on this matter. You’ll have to make other living arrangements. As there is nothing left here for you to take with you, this should be a simple matter of finding suitable lodging and replacing the items you’ve lost in the fire.”
All very matter-of-fact and logical. Not a single sentiment or emotion. Nothing. Just the facts. What he said went.
“So that’s it? The place burns to the ground, and I’m just supposed to leave and fend for myself?” Yes, she would live with Dane. He knew that, but that didn’t mean Bell deserved to be told to get off the land she’d been raised on her whole life.
“It’s not as if you don’t have means and options,” her father said. “Really, Bell, you’re a doctor. You make a good income and can afford to buy what you need.”
“Just because I can buy what I need doesn’t excuse the fact you’re kicking me off the land that has been my home my entire life.” She glared at her father. “If this land belongs to the family, then it belongs to me, too.”
Katherine touched Bell’s shoulder to show Bell her support as she spoke to their father. “Dad, Tony and I don’t need all this land. We’ve got our place.”
“You may not need it now, but over time Tony will expand his operation. You’ll have the wealth and status that come with owning a big business. Bell will not get this land. It’s for you, sweetheart.”
Bell let loose some of the rage roiling inside her gut. “Tossing me away again like some unwanted piece of trash. I’m not irrelevant. I’m not invisible. You can’t just dismiss me because I’m inconvenient and interfere with what you want.” She stared down her father. “Even if you didn’t want to acknowledge me as your daughter and be a part of my life, couldn’t you have come here and split the property between us. Couldn’t you have given me that much?”
“I’ve made my decision.”
“Possession is nine-tenths of the law, they say. I lived in that house practically my whole life. I know this land inside and out. You haven’t stepped foot on it in nearly twenty-seven years. More, probably. I’ll take you to court.”
“You’ll only delay the inevitable,” her father snapped. “It’s a waste of time and money.”
“Yes, it is,” Sammy interrupted, taking the wood box from Dane and handing it to Bell. “No one needs to go to court. All you have to do, sweet thing, is look inside that box. You will have all the answers you need.”
“Mr. Kendrick, you have no say in this matter,” Dr. Warwick said.
“I don’t. But my very good friend entrusted that box to me on his deathbed. I have kept it safe and delivered it into Bell’s hands as promised.” Sammy held Bell by the shoulders and told her, “Your grandfather instructed me to give you that box after your grandmother passed. I promised. I delivered.” He tapped his index finger on top of the box. “This is what you deserve. What is rightfully yours.”
Bell placed the box in Dane’s hands. She opened the lid and pulled out the silver-framed photograph on top. The tears welled in her eyes and spilled over. She traced her finger over the glass and her grandfather’s smiling face. Four years old, she sat on his lap in a chair on the porch, a book in her hand, smiling up at her grandfather with such love and delight on her face. She wished she remembered this captured moment and held on to the joy she saw on her tiny face.
She turned the picture so Dane could see.
“Damn, sweetheart, you look just like him.”
“He had dark hair and blue eyes,” she whispered, the tears cascading down her cheeks. “Grandmother filled the house with so many things, I haven’t seen a picture of him in years. The picture of him in my mind is so vague now. But look, there he is.”
“She hid the pictures and her grief with all that stuff,” Dane guessed.
Sammy touched her shoulder. “He got such a kick out of hearing you read to him. You liked
The Count of Monte Cristo
and
The Three Musketeers
.”
That made her smile. “I still love them. I read them at least once a year.”
Bell put the photograph back in the box and pulled out the large envelope with her name on it. She slit the opening with her index finger and pulled out the handwritten note and documents. She held the letter so Dane could read it with her.
My dearest Bell,
You are the light of my life. I have enjoyed every moment I have gotten to spend with you. I wish we could have shared many more. I wish I was there to see you grow and reach your full potential. I know you will do great things. You will be a woman with heart and smarts. You have exceptional strength, intellect, instincts, imagination, and kindness. Never let a few people who look at you through eyes fogged with their past and judgments, instead of with an open and loving heart, stop you from knowing inside that you are an incredible person. I hope you find peace and love and laughter. Those are the gifts you brought into my life.
I could have been and done more, but I loved my simple life on the ranch. Being there made me happy every day of my life, but never so much as when you came into my life and shared it with me. Do what makes you happy. Be whatever it is that makes you happy, but know that you will always have a home.
What they denied you, I give to you in total, because it is mine to give, not theirs to take away.
I love you, my sweet baby girl. I hope that brings you comfort when you need it, because your love filled me up. Find someone whose love fills you up and hold on to them forever. I held on to you as long as I could.
With all my love, I leave you my heart.
Your grandfather,
Thomas Warwick
“You are loved, Bell,” Dane said. “You always were. You will always be.”
“I wish I remembered him better. My memories float in and out so fast, I can’t really remember what they are or what they mean.”