The Reluctant Rancher~Badlands (Contemporary Western Romantic Suspense) (22 page)

I think
maybe I grew up.

He took a fast shower and wrapped a towel around his hips before he went down to check the pantry. Nothing fresh, but he discovered a container of frozen orange juice and thawed it under warm water while the coffee brewed. He found an unopened sleeve of graham crackers, shaking his head over the meager offering. He arranged it on a tray and carried it upstairs to
surprise Jenna.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

She opened her eyes, stretched and rolled toward him. “Coffee?”

“Yeah, not much in the larder, but something to keep you alive.”
He set the tray on the bed beside her and poured coffee into a cup. “I mean, you can’t live on love.”

She managed a grin and reached for the cup. “I guess not.”

“Today is the reading of the will. Just a formality, but I have to be there.”

She sipped the liquid and sighed. “Do you want me to wait here for you?”

“I would appreciate it if you would accompany me to the lawyer’s office.”

She struggled to sit up without spilling the coffee and still keep the sheet wrapped around her. “I didn’t know if you would want me to be there…you know, to hear your private information.”

He reached to take the cup from her hand. “Jenna, I don’t have any secrets from you.”

A tight little smile touched her lips and her brows rose as she gazed at him.
“Really? Well, what was all that crap last night with your dear old friends?” She arranged a pillow behind her back and took the cup out of his hand.

“Last night? What do you mean?”

“Oh, come on. Why did you dress me up and parade me in front of those very odd people. I was definitely from another planet.” She took a dainty sip of coffee. “Or maybe, I’m from a different planet from you.”

He gazed at her, feeling confused. “I’m sorry if you think I had you on parade. I am very proud of you, but I didn’t mean to make you feel awkward.” He
reached out to stroke her hair.

“You can’t deny you dressed me up like a Christmas tree
…with the ‘significant earrings’ and your mother’s ring. Even the dress made me look like I just stepped off the red carpet.”

He took a deep breath and blew it out. “Jenna, the last thing I meant to do was embarrass you. I kidnapped you, with no time to pack, so of course I wanted to buy you something for the occasion.”

“But you know, there’s nothing in my closet at home that would have been appropriate for the occasion. The earrings alone cost more than many months of my income.”

He felt his jaw tighten. “What does that have to do with anything? I wanted to buy you a present. I wanted it to be something you’d like and would be memorable.”

She reached for a graham cracker and bit into it with a crunch.

“You don’t like the earrings? We can take them back and get something you do like.” He picked up one of the earrings that had been placed on the nightstand beside his mother’s ring the night before. He dangled it in front of her.

Large green eyes lifted to gaze at him. “Of course I like them. The earrings are gorgeous.” She pressed her lips together as though searching for the right words.

“Just spit it out, honey. What did I do wrong?” He put the earring beside its mate.

She shrugged. “You didn’t do anything wrong, E.J. You were just being you. But, you don’t have to buy me presents.”

“How about if I want to buy you presents?”

She reached out a hand toward him, stroked his wrist with one finger. “I just want you to love me.” Her voice was almost a whisper and he could hear the tears close at hand.

He sat the tray on the floor and took the cup from her hand. Climbing onto the bed beside her, he lifted her chin
and gently kissed her lips. “Jenna, honey, if you don’t know how much I love you, then I’m an idiot.”

Her lips trembled. “You’re not an idiot. I’m just so…different from what you’re used to.”

“You’re what I want…what I need. I’ll be that old fart, rocking on the porch beside you, still in love with you after a lifetime together.”

Her brow furrowed. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Forever, Jenna. I want you forever.”

She pushed him away. “I don’t understand. What kind of game were you playing last night?”

“Game? Well, I admit I enjoyed showing you off to my old friends, but I wasn’t playing any games.”

“You introduced me to them as your fiancée. What was that, if not a game?”

“Sorry,” he kissed her cheek. “I got a little ahead of myself.” He reached for the diamond ring on the nightstand. “This was my mother’s engagement ring. She left it to me and I’m giving it to the woman I want to spend my life with.” He reached for her hand and slid the ring onto her finger. “Will you, Jenna Lewis, be my wife? Will you marry me and live with me forever and ever?”

Tears spangled her eyelashes, though she tried to blink them away. “Oh, E.J., that’s so sweet. But where will we live? You know I’m not cut out for this city life.”

“Jenna, we’ll figure it out. I have business here, so I’ll have to be here sometimes and I hope you’ll be with me.” He kissed her nose. “And we’ll be in Langston, so don’t worry about it.”

She nodded and pressed
her cheek against his shoulder.

He stroked her hair. “So, is that a yes? Will you marry me?”

“Well, of course I’ll marry you. I’m in love with you, dammit!”

He squeezed her tight. “Good to know.”

~*~

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Cami lay awake most of the night. She was terrified of the outcome of her rash confession. It hadn’t occurred to her that she might be prosecuted for failing to reveal her knowledge of Eldon Kincaid’s previous crimes.

She didn’t want to awaken Breck with her tossing and turning
, so she slipped out of bed and tiptoed down to the kitchen. She made a cup of chamomile tea and sat at the table in the kitchen to sip it.

This had always been her favorite room in her great-aunt Silky’s house. She loved the homey look of it. The apple print on the curtains had come from a catalog to match Aunt Silky’s pricey red Kitchen Aid mixer. Other touches of red stood out ag
ainst the gray tile countertop.

Tonight, she drew no comfort from her surroundings. The thought preyed on her mind of how much she would miss this place if she went to jail. How much she would miss her husband if she could only see him during visiting hours.

She stifled a shiver and drained the cup.

“Cami, what are you doing up?” Breck stood in the doorway, looking big and dependable. “You need your rest.”

She nodded. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Not a pro
blem. Please come back to bed.”

She rose and rinsed her cup. When she went to the doorway, Breck gathered her in an embrace. “I know you’re worried. I am too.”

“Oh, Breck. I’m so sorry I got into this mess. I know it will reflect on you if I’m prosecuted. And it will end my medical practice.”

He placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’ve been thinking
. We might be wise to meet this problem head-on.”

She drew back to gaze up at him. “I don’t understand.”

“I thought we might drive over to Canyon. It’s the county seat for Randall County. We could meet with the county attorney face-to-face. Let him see that you’re a pillar of the community and had no idea you were withholding vital information.”

A clutch of fear grabbed her stomach. She wished she could say she’d had no idea she was doing something wrong. It felt wrong at the time. But, she’d wanted so badly for Eldon to be
punished for his crime and could see no way for him to be prosecuted other than a full confession. “Is that a good idea?”

He kissed her temple. “It’s much better than to sit here and worry about it. If he’s going after you, I want to know up front so I can prepare an adequate defense. Trust me.”

Terror gripped Cami’s throat and she couldn’t breathe. She gulped in air and blurted out, “I do trust you, Breck. With my life.”

~*~

“This is getting to be a habit.” Frank closed the passenger door of the pickup and rounded to the driver’s side. He climbed in and started the engine before going through the gears and propelling the vehicle forward.

Sara Beth felt her cheeks flaming. “Oh, Frank. I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to be such a bother.”

He grinned at her. “You’re not a bother. I meant, this is getting to be a regular thing. I don’t mind at all.”

Sara Beth adjusted the lightweight blanket covering her daughter, secured in her car seat between them. “Are you certain, because it sure feels like I’m taking advantage?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Miss Cami seemed a little upset this morning when she asked me to drive you into town. Like she had something on her mind.”

Sara Beth pursed her lips, not feeling at ease with the situation. “Well, how about if I pay for your gas, at least?”

“Sara Beth, this is one of the ranch trucks. We have an account and all the gasoline gets paid out of the one account.”

“Well, it just doesn’t seem right that I would be
getting all these free rides.”

“Seems right to me.
I’m sure the Ryans wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s like a family. We help each other out all the time. I’ve been working here since I was sixteen. I started in the summers baling hay and helping out with the herd. Then, when I graduated, Miss Silky hired me on full time and I’m twenty-six now. It’s like I’ve grown up here.”

“That’s nice, Frank. It’s a real blessing to have a family you can depend on.”

There was a long silence, and then he cleared his throat. “It doesn’t sound like you got much support from your family.”

“Well, I suppose not. I was the only child and Mama had such a hard time giving birth to me, the doctor said she shouldn’t try for any more. That hit Papa pretty hard, me being a girl and all, ‘
cause he sure did want a son to carry on his name.”

A muscle in Frank’s jaw twitched. “I would think they would be real proud of you and your baby girl. Aren’t they just crazy about her?”

Sara Beth felt tears rush to her eyes. She blinked to keep them from running down her cheeks and embarrassing her even more. “Not so much. My mama got real sick and died a few years back. Papa always blamed me for that. When I went off with Nick, he told me it was good riddance.”

Frank’s face looked like a thunderstorm. “That’s just not right. Your parents are supposed to love you, no matter what.”

She drew a deep breath and eased it out. “Sometimes it just doesn’t seem to work out that way.”

When they arrived in town, Frank carried Cami Lynn inside and pulled a small piece of paper out of his shirt pocket. “This is a list of the ISPs that service our area. I wrote down their eight-hundred numbers so you can call them and compare prices.”

“Oh, thank you, Frank. That was nice of you to spend your time helping me.” She smiled and reached for the paper, her hand brushing against his. She felt a surprising tingle of energy. Not what she’d expected.

“Think nothing of it,” he said, gazing down at her. “You just pick the one you want and make arrangements with them and I’ll try to hook you up when I come pick you up
this afternoon.”

Her mouth felt dry, but she managed to stammer, “That would be very kind of you.”

He smiled and touched the brim of his hat. “Not a problem. See you later.” He strode to the door, leaving her to stare at his broad-shouldered form as he departed.

“Oh my
!”

~*~

The reading of the will was handled relatively quickly in the offices of his family’s attorneys. This group of old men had handled all the legal affairs of the Kincaid family for as long as E.J. could remember. He seemed to recall his mother saying this particular firm had represented her family for generations before that.

Clarence
Armbruster, III, Esquire, opened the sealed packet with liver-spotted hands that shook with a palsy-like tremor. He spread the papers before him and unfolded the will.

E.J. glanced at Jenna and squeezed her hand.
This should be simple. I don’t need to be nervous.
He expelled a breath and she turned to give him a little smile. How could such a small gesture mean so much to him? He pressed a kiss onto the back of her hand.

Mr.
Armbruster cleared his throat and settled his bifocals on the bridge of his nose. He read the instrument in a dry, somewhat wheezy voice, but enunciated clearly. He rattled off a list of holdings even E.J. wasn’t aware of. There were partnerships and investments and a couple of off-shore accounts. The upshot was, all the Kincaid properties and holdings were now the assets of one E.J. Kincaid.

“And one more thing,”
Armbruster said. He extended a sealed envelope toward E.J. “It was your father’s wish that you be given this envelope on the occasion of the reading of his will.”