Christmas at Colts Creek

by Delores Fossen

  A single word of profanity mixed with his grunt response. “Why would your father do this?”

  “Because he was a callous SOB who thrived on chaos.”

  The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Just because Abe was uncaring, it didn’t mean she had to be. In fact, she’d built her life around being the opposite of the man who’d fathered her. Kind, helpful, do the right thing, yada yada. Those were her personal mottos—minus the yada yada—and it riled her to the bone that Abe could bring out the worst in her.

  Janessa took a breath and gave herself a quick attitude adjustment. “He said he was sick, dying. So maybe he had some kind of brain tumor or some other ailment that messed with his mind.”

  Kyle stayed quiet a moment. “Okay, so obviously you’re doing some juggling there, but I need to remind you of one more ball you have in the air. A huge one. Teagan Cutler.”

  No, she didn’t need to be reminded of that, and this particular ball would result in a baby. One that Janessa had agreed to foster while the adoptive mother was finishing up an overseas tour in the military. Of course, Janessa had made that agreement before Abe’s death.

  “Teagan’s baby isn’t due for another two months,” Janessa said. “If necessary, I’ll come up with an alternative plan before then.” And she was afraid she’d need plenty of alternatives if Abe’s own plan went through.

  She could try to fight the terms of the will, which meant hiring a lawyer. Strange, since this was exactly the kind of fight that Sophia loved to take on. Her mother was a champion of fighting big, rich people who were trying to screw over those who weren’t big and rich. Janessa suspected Sophia had become a lawyer because of her bitter custody fights with Abe, so she might be able to lure her mother here by offering her the chance to battle Abe once again. It could work.

  But it was just as likely to result in another if and when hell freezes over response.

  Janessa ended the call, immediately tried again to reach her mother, but she only got Sophia’s voice mail. She didn’t leave a message, though, because a nurse carrying a boot cast stepped in. According to her name tag, which was outlined with blinking, grinning pumpkins, she was Becky Parkman, probably a cousin, and the pitying smile she gave Janessa was either for the toe or because she’d already heard about Abe’s will.

  “Well, the toe’s definitely broken,” the nurse said, already stooping down to fit the boot cast on Janessa’s foot. “It’ll be painful for a few days. You can take over-the-counter meds for that or use the script Dr. Michaels wrote for you.”

  “How long will I have to wear the boot?” Janessa asked.

  “You don’t have to wear it at all.” She tipped her head to Janessa’s heels that were on the floor. “But since you can’t get back in those for a while, the boot will protect your foot until you can get shoes that won’t press against the toe. Even though your feet will get cold, sandals will work best or you can cut out the toe of a sneaker.”

  Janessa didn’t have any sandals or sneakers with her. She’d brought an overnight bag, one that she’d hastily thrown together, but it only had a change of clothes and some makeup. However, her lack of proper foot attire was a problem she’d put on the back burner. At least she’d thought to bring a jacket because the sweater she’d worn to the funeral was soaked.

  The nurse pulled the script and a small packet of ibuprofen from her pocket, and then she poured Janessa a glass of water. Janessa downed the two pills and hoped they kicked in long enough for the real meds. She’d get the script filled as soon as she finished up her meeting with Asher.

  Janessa thanked the nurse who kindly refrained from asking her anything about Abe, and she made her way out of the exam room and into the waiting area.

  Where she immediately spotted Brody.

  He was in one of the dozen or so seats and was frowning at his phone. The frown stayed in place when he looked up at her. Great. She hoped he wasn’t there to deliver another fresh level-of-hell news. Maybe Asher had discovered new stipulations, ones that did indeed include panty-sniffing poltergeists and no internet. Perhaps some flying monkeys to round things out.

  Janessa tried not to limp too much as she made her way toward him. Tried not to drool, either. Yes, drool. Even now, Brody’s hotness was able to penetrate the pain and her sour mood.

  “I saw your car in the parking lot,” he volunteered, standing and putting his phone away. “So did some other people who texted me and insisted I check on you.” He looked down at the boot cast. “Broken?”

  She nodded.

  “In pain?” he added.

  Janessa nodded at that, too. She usually preferred to keep things like that to herself, but he’d no doubt already seen the answer on her face. She was pretty sure she was grimacing.

  “I was about to go to Asher’s,” she said. Then she could take her grimaces and go...well, she didn’t know where. It didn’t feel right being at the ranch, but maybe she could find a hotel room.

  When she glanced up at Brody, she realized that he still had his attention on the boot, and his jaw muscles were stirring against each other. “Asher’s office is in the center of town nearly a half mile from here. Can you drive with that boot on?”

  Probably not, but Janessa didn’t plan on walking there. She’d drive barefoot if she had to. “I’ll take it slow,” she muttered. “And thanks for checking on me.”

  He huffed, and she wished she could interpret that sound as well as she did Kyle’s grunts. However, she suspected that Brody didn’t want her thanks and that he hadn’t actually wanted to check on her. Right now, she had to be the last person in Texas that he wanted to see.

  “I’ll drive you,” he snarled, and she thought it might have been the most unwelcoming offer she’d had. Still, that didn’t stop her from limping out with him. She didn’t especially want the ride, either, but it would give her a chance to talk to him.

  The rain had stopped, and the sun had actually popped out, leaving everything chilly but humid at the same time. He led her to his truck, which was parked right next to her car, and helped her up onto the seat. Which meant he touched her.

  Which meant she noticed the touching.

  With all the craziness going on in her life, she didn’t know why her body had decided it wanted to have another round of sex with this man. She so didn’t have time to lust after someone who clearly wanted her off his turf and out of his life.

  “By the way, I’ve tried to get in contact with my mother, but she’s not answering her phone,” Janessa said as soon as they were out of the parking lot. “I know I keep bringing this up, but have you thought of any reason why Abe would have done this?”

  “No. He hasn’t mentioned your mother, or you, in years.”

  That didn’t sting. Okay, it did a little. It always would. It wasn’t any fun having a father who’d never shown any interest whatsoever in her. Well, no interest until he was on death’s door.

  “Since he asked you to come and was going to try to lure you here with that funding agreement,” Brody continued a moment later, “maybe Abe wanted to make amends with you and your mom.”

  Fat chance of that happening because she knew of the venom her mother had for Abe. That was probably in part due to their nasty custody battle and divorce. But it might have started before that.

  She thought of the DNA test Brody had told her about. Maybe Abe thought Sophia had cheated on him and had given her walking papers. That could explain why Abe was so hostile with the custody challenges. However, it didn’t explain what was going on now. Or what had gone on in the week before Abe’s death to make him send her the letter.

  “Any recommendations for a lawyer I can hire to challenge Abe’s will?” she asked. “Someone not in Asher’s firm.”

  “Asher wouldn’t have written a will that could be easily challenged,” Brody stated. “But there’s an attorney on Main Street. C
urt Dayton. The Daytons are the other blue blood family in Last Ride.”

  He hadn’t said it with any bitterness, and Brody hadn’t spelled out that the top blue blood family was the Parkmans. She didn’t know the dynamics here, but if there was any “snooty” rivalry going on, Janessa could maybe use it to convince this Curt Dayton to take on the mighty Abe Parkman.

  “Curt’s office is there.” Brody pointed it out as he turned onto Main Street.

  She spotted the shingle outside the yellow Victorian that had obviously once been someone’s home. Now, it appeared to be an office building.

  Janessa studied the rest of Main Street as Brody drove. It was exactly as she remembered it from her previous visit. Well, except instead of Fourth of July flags and red, white and blue banners on and around the streetlights and storefronts, there were now pumpkins, turkeys and fall leaves. Quaint shops with names like Once Upon a Time, Petal Pushers and For Heaven’s Cake. Antique Victorian lampposts dotted the cobblestone sidewalks, and she imagined how the street would look all decorated for Christmas.

  Despite Abe never ever rolling out the welcome mat for her, she’d always thought Last Ride was beautiful, and in a way, it had felt a little like home. Probably some kind of genetic memory since the Parkmans had lived here for over one hundred and thirty years.

  Janessa looked up when Brody hit the brakes, and she saw the sandy-haired teenage boy with his thumb lifted in a cocky hitchhiker’s pose. But it wasn’t the pose that quickly caught her attention. Nope. The attention getter was the grim reaper costume, complete with scythe.

  Cursing under his breath, Brody pulled into the parking space right in front of the teen, and he lowered Janessa’s window.

  “Why aren’t you in school, and why are you dressed like that?” Brody demanded in a tone that made Janessa very curious about who this was. There wasn’t a resemblance between them, but it was possible this was his son.

  The boy grinned, causing twin dimples to flash on his pretty face. “Because I’m skipping to do drugs and do some grim reaping.”

  Brody huffed. “Why aren’t you in school, and why are you dressed like that?” he repeated, and this time his tone told Janessa that he knew the boy was joking.

  “All right, not drugs. Nachos and a milkshake,” the boy amended. “I’ve got this on because it was wear-a-Halloween-costume-to-school day. As for why I’m here, I was excused early because I got exempt from taking a test. I decided to head over to O’Riley’s, grab something to eat and then hang out with friends.”

  “Does Mom know where you are?” Brody asked.

  Mom? Not your mom but Mom. So, this was Brody’s brother? Janessa hadn’t caught even a whiff of gossip about that from Margo’s and Velma Sue’s letters.

  The boy rolled his hazel eyes. “No, but I’ll text her while I’m at O’Riley’s.” He tipped his head to Janessa. “Is she the one who’s going to boot you off the ranch?”

  “Janessa, this is Rowan, my brother,” Brody snarled before she could even try to come up with an answer to that.

  The boy grinned again. “In case you’re wondering, I’m adopted so that explains the eighteen-year age difference between us. There’s not really a reason why Brody thinks he has the right to boss me around.” He said it with some teasing humor, but the humor faded when his eyes met hers. “Are you really planning on giving my brother the boot?”

  Janessa definitely didn’t want to do that but she wasn’t sure she could stop it. She settled for a heavy sigh and a, “To be determined.”

  “Text Mom,” Brody repeated to Rowan. He was scowling when he hit the button to raise Janessa’s window and drove off.

  “He’s fifteen?” she asked after doing the math.

  Brody nodded. “And just old enough to get into trouble and still too young to realize just how much Mom worries about that possible trouble.”

  Janessa did more math. “Your mother adopted Rowan after you graduated from high school?”

  “About a year after. She’s a pediatric nurse practitioner, and she left Last Ride for a while a few months after I finished high school.” He paused. “Things were tough for her, and she had to get away.”

  She heard the change in his voice. Something that let her know things had been tough for him, too.

  “My mother started working as a traveling nurse,” Brody went on. “That’s how she crossed paths with Rowan when he was just a baby. She got him out of a bad family situation and ended up adopting him. Before that, she’d fostered a teenager about the same age as me. And she’s fostered two more since getting Rowan. My mom tends to get involved in her work,” he added in a mumble. However, there was affection in his tone, too.

  “I understand being overly involved,” Janessa admitted. “One of the girls at Bright Hope asked me to foster her baby when she’s born until her older sister finishes up a tour of duty.”

  “That’s a lot to take on,” Brody remarked.

  She shrugged. “I’ve already done it twice for two other girls while they were sorting out some things in their lives, but that was only for a couple of days. This would be for a couple of months.”

  “The mother can’t take care of the baby on her own?” he asked as he parked in front of the law office.

  “She doesn’t want to get attached to the baby. It happens,” Janessa added. “She’s barely eighteen and knows she’s not ready to be a parent. Her sister apparently wants children a lot so this is the plan they worked out.”

  Janessa had worked on it as well by vetting Teagan’s sister to make sure she would be an acceptable parent. Everything had checked out.

  Brody got out and made it to her side of the truck before she could step down. Good thing, too, because it was obvious the pain meds still had a long way to go before the throbbing stopped.

  “Thanks,” she said. “I don’t want to take up any more of your time. I can get an Uber or some other service from here to take me to Curt Dayton’s office and then back to my car.” Something she should have thought of when they were at the hospital, especially since it was obvious Brody didn’t care for being around her. “Is there anything like an Uber driver in Last Ride?”

  “A few.” He checked his watch. “This time of day, it’ll be Mary Alice Wilkins who’ll have her twin toddlers and a minivan. You going to Colts Creek?”

  “To be determined,” she repeated.

  When Brody gave her a nod, Janessa thanked him and limped inside the law office. A dark-haired woman seated behind a desk immediately greeted her by name, so obviously she’d been expecting her, and she ushered Janessa into Asher’s office. It was just as impressive, and rich, as she’d figured it would be.

  Asher didn’t ask her about her limp, maybe because he’d seen her fit of temper when she’d kicked Abe’s headstone and knew the reason for it.

  “Thanks for coming in.” He motioned for her to take one of the bulky leather chairs next to his desk. “I’m afraid I don’t have long because I have a personal commitment, but if you want to call me tomorrow, I’ll be able to address any questions you have.”

  He picked up some papers from his desk, crossed to her and handed her the first page. “As I said on the phone, this is just to acknowledge that I’ve informed you of Abe’s stipulations when it comes to his ranch and other assets. I need you to sign it.”

  Janessa didn’t take the pen that Asher offered, but instead she read through the document. There it was, all in black-and-white, and it didn’t have an out that she’d hoped for. She’d thought that maybe the clock on her twenty-four-hour deadline wouldn’t start until she’d signed it, but it had started with Abe’s graveside service. So, a few hours had already ticked away.

  “This is a summary of the assets,” Asher said, handing her more papers. Not a single page this time but rather six. “The ranch alone is appraised at over twenty million, but as you can see, Abe had other investmen
ts.”

  He did indeed. As she thumbed through it, she saw the mutual fund accounts, land and even part ownership in several real-estate businesses in San Antonio. Janessa wondered what would happen to those businesses if they were forced to buy out Abe’s shares. So many lives could be affected.

  She kept scanning, her gaze passing over each account until the gazing came to a screeching halt when she saw Bright Hope House listed. It was the primary beneficiary in the foundation Asher had told her about. The one that Abe had set up if she abided by the impossible conditions he’d demanded in his will. Bright Hope didn’t need his money, she assured herself, and she resented that he’d tried to use the funding to try to get her to bend the proverbial knee.

  That resentment rolled into a big hot ball in the pit of her stomach. Just as he’d done to her when she was seventeen, Abe set up these asinine rules and now a lot of people were going to get hurt.

  A hurt that she probably couldn’t fix.

  Damn it, but she would try. She’d limp her way to Curt Dayton’s office as soon as she was done here. Challenging the will might not put a stop to Abe’s meanness, but she could maybe tie the will up in court long enough to come up with another plan.

  Janessa stood, snatched the pen from Asher and putting the documents on his desk, she signed her name so hard that it tore a little hole in the paper. She tossed the pen on his desk and headed for the door.

  Fighting tears, anger and pain, she went outside to use her app for the driver, but before she could do that, her phone rang in her hand. It felt like a too-late hollow victory when she saw her mother’s name on the screen.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Sophia demanded the moment Janessa answered.

  Surprised by the question, it took Janessa a moment to respond. “I tried to tell you about Abe’s will, but you didn’t take my calls.”

  “No, not about the damn will. The baby. Kyle called me and told me.”

  Janessa backed up a mental step. “What exactly did Kyle tell you?”