Texas Ranch Justice

by Karen Whiddon

  “This reminds me of an area of Georgia that’s southeast of Atlanta. Newnan. I worked at a small art gallery on the square there.”

  “Art gallery?” Vivian asked. “Is that what you do for a living? My special friend Frank is an artist.”

  “I have a business degree with a minor in the arts,” Scarlett replied. “And yes, I started out working at the small gallery in Newnan to learn. After a couple of years there, I moved to a larger gallery in Atlanta.” She kept to herself the fact that her dream was to someday open her own gallery. “I’m hoping to check out the local art gallery, if there is one.”

  “In Anniversary?” Both Hal and Vivian spoke at once. “There isn’t one.”

  Disappointed, Scarlett nodded. “That’s a shame.”

  “If you want to see art, I can take you over to Frank’s house one of these days,” Vivian offered. “He’s really good.”

  Hal made a face. “That’s a matter of opinion.”

  Vivian ignored him. “You know, Anniversary really could use an art gallery. It’s about time we got a bit of culture around here.”

  No way did she plan to touch that comment with a ten-foot pole. While she’d thought about opening her own art gallery, since she wasn’t even sure she planned on staying in Anniversary, she didn’t want to give Hal false hope. “I’m sure you’ll get one someday. Is there a bookstore?”

  “Now that we do have,” Vivian replied.

  “Good.” Which meant she could get some reading material, and maybe a book on art.

  Finally, they reached the subdivisions Vivian had mentioned. As subdivisions went, these were small, but well-maintained.

  “Next up, Anniversary,” Vivian announced. Her entire posture had relaxed and she seemed much less intimidating than when Scarlett had first met her.

  Sure enough, they rounded a curve in the road and a Dairy Queen came into view. Various other businesses lined both sides of the street.

  “We’re going through downtown to get to Hal’s doctor’s office,” Vivian said. “Would you like me to drop you off in the square? We can meet you at the café for lunch since it’s right there.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Growing excited, Scarlett watched for her first sight of the town square. Though she’d grown up in suburban Atlanta, she harbored a fondness for small towns. She’d loved the two years she’d spent living in Newnan.

  Catching sight of downtown Anniversary, she wasn’t disappointed. With its variety of brick buildings that appeared to have been built in the 1800s and then restored, the lively downtown scene actually reminded her of Newnan.

  Vivian pulled up in front of a coffee shop and parked. “Here you go. The bookstore is a few doors down.”

  “I’ll call you when I’m finished at the doctor’s,” Hal said. “I have to get blood work done too, so it might be a little bit. The café is on the other side of the street, right there on the corner.” He pointed.

  “Perfect.” Scarlett started to get out of the SUV, but then realized she hadn’t given Hal her number. As she read it out loud, she realized Vivian was adding her as a contact also. “Can both of you text me your numbers?” she asked.

  Vivian agreed, promising to help Hal since apparently the older man didn’t text.

  Once they’d settled that, Scarlett set out to explore Anniversary.

  As soon as Vivian and Hal drove off, she decided to grab a cup of coffee inside the coffee shop. Several people eyed her as she entered. Despite the fact that everyone else seemed to be dressed casually, Scarlett was glad she’d taken extra time with her appearance. When she dressed her best, she felt more confident and happier.

  “One medium cappuccino, please.” After giving her order and paying, she stepped over to the side to wait. Whenever anyone looked her way, she smiled at them.

  After getting her drink, she carried her cup outside, planning to sit at one of the numerous tables. She’d barely sat down when another woman approached her. About her same age, the curvy blonde wore her hair in a sleek bob. Instead of jeans, she wore fitted slacks and a stylish blouse. She had stunning designer earrings swinging from her ears, which Scarlett instantly coveted.

  “Excuse me, but did I see you getting out of Vivian and Hal Gardner’s van?”

  “You did.” Still smiling, Scarlett looked up. “I love your earrings.”

  “Thanks. If you don’t mind me asking, how do you know them?”

  Rather than risk opening a huge can of worms—Scarlett knew all too well how quickly gossip could fly in small towns—she simply answered that she was staying with them.

  “Oh.” Without being invited, the other woman pulled out a chair and sat. “I’m Kendra. Maybe you can tell me how Travis is doing?” she asked. “I’ve been hoping to run into him, but he doesn’t come to town all that often.”

  “Travis?” Surprised, Scarlett wasn’t sure how to answer. “I just met him, but he seems okay. Are you and he friends?”

  “Not hardly,” Kendra grimaced. “We were engaged once. I broke it off and moved to Dallas. Now that I’m back, I thought I’d touch base and maybe reconnect.” She grinned. “There is one thing he and I were really good at, if you know what I mean.”

  Jealously mingled with shock as Scarlett struggled to find a response. Her silence didn’t appear to faze Kendra, who leaned forward and touched Scarlett’s arm. “Look, he still has my number, I’m sure. Will you pass along to him that I’m in town, in case he wants to get together?”

  Scarlett nodded, relieved when the other woman thanked her and left. Now that she’d talked to Travis’s ex-fiancée, she felt like she needed to rethink everything she’d decided about Travis.

  Worse, should she mention this to him? To anyone? It sure felt weird, to say the least.

  * * *

  Even though he knew Hal had a doctor’s appointment, Travis stopped by the house around noon. If Scarlett was there, the two of them could have lunch and talk. He really needed to put more of an effort into finding out what exactly made her tick.

  To protect Hal, of course. Not because he wanted to get to know her better or anything.

  But when he got there, the house was empty. Since Scarlett’s car still sat in the drive, that meant she’d gone into town with Vivian and Hal. He would have liked to have been a fly on the wall for that car ride. No doubt Vivian had pestered Scarlett with questions, Hal had protested and the two had gotten into one of their signature brawls.

  Travis, Amber and even Delilah were all used to them. Scarlett, not so much.

  Feeling oddly left out, he made himself a couple of sandwiches and grabbed a Dr Pepper. He ate at the kitchen table, checking his email on his phone. For the last several months, he’d been talking to a couple of new potential buyers for his cattle, hoping to work out a better price per head.

  His phone rang. Frank, his mother’s friend.

  “Hey, Travis.” Though it was early afternoon, the wobble in Frank’s voice made Travis wonder if the older man had already started sipping whiskey. Hopefully that didn’t mean Frank and Vivian were fighting again.

  “What’s up, Frank? I’m just finishing up my lunch and about to get back to work.”

  “Can you settle something for me?” Frank asked.

  “Not if it’s something you and my mother are arguing about. I’m not getting in the middle of that.”

  “No, nothing like that. But Vivian tells me some girl showed up claiming to be Hal’s daughter. Is she for real?”

  Strangely reluctant to say anything negative about Scarlett to anyone else, Travis sighed. “Hal thinks she is. And that’s all that matters.”

  “Is he going to ask her to take a DNA test?” Frank pressed. “I mean, that would seem to be common sense.”

  “I don’t know. That’s really up to him.”

  “Well, maybe you can talk sense into him,” Frank pressed, to T
ravis’s surprise. “He trusts you.”

  “Maybe,” Travis allowed, his tone neutral. “Now I really need to be getting back to work, so...”

  “But you will talk to Hal, right?”

  “What’s it to you, Frank?” Travis let his annoyance show in his voice. “I know my mother didn’t put you up to this, because she wouldn’t hesitate to ask me herself.”

  “She did not. I care about Vivian and since Hal is important to her, he’s important to me too.” Frank took an audible deep breath. “In fact, I’m hurt that you would even ask such a thing. You know that Hal and I get along just fine. If I wasn’t dating your mother, I daresay the two of us would become great friends.”

  Rubbing the back of his neck, Travis murmured what he hoped sounded like assent and managed to end the call.

  The rest of the day passed uneventfully. He took comfort in the familiar routine. And every time Scarlett’s long-lashed emerald eyes and thick black hair entered his mind, he forced himself to think of something else.

  By the time six o’clock had come, he felt good. Pleasantly exhausted and once again in control of his thoughts.

  Back at the barn, he removed his saddle and brushed down his horse. Briefly, he considered stopping by the main house to check on Hal, but decided to head home instead. Since Vivian had taken Hal into town, Travis hoped maybe she’d decided to continue her visit afterward. He really just wanted to grab a beer, heat up a frozen pizza for dinner, put his feet up in his recliner and watch mindless television until it was time to go to bed.

  To his relief, his house was empty. Even Amber and Will had taken off somewhere. Since he had no idea how long this would last, he planned to make the most of it.

  Pizza in the oven, cold beer in hand, he turned on the TV and went into his room to grab a quick shower. Once he’d washed away the day’s dirt, he put on a pair of comfortable sweatpants, a faded old T-shirt and flip-flops before making his way back to the kitchen.

  He’d just finished enjoying his pizza when his phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he stared in disbelief at the caller’s name.

  Kendra Stewart, his former fiancée. Long ago, he should have deleted and blocked her number, but hadn’t as he’d considered it a point of pride to never call her.

  Now she was calling him. The fifty-thousand-dollar question was would he answer?

  Curiosity won and he did. She’d long ago lost the power to hurt him anyway.

  “Hi, Travis,” Kendra sounded determinedly cheerful, which meant she was nervous. “I wasn’t sure you’d pick up the call.”

  “What can I do for you?” he asked, making his voice carefully blank. “I honestly can’t imagine why you’d be calling me after all this time.”

  “I know, right? I can’t believe it’s been two whole years! I spoke to that woman who’s staying with Hal and asked her to pass along a message to you. Did she?”

  “Scarlett?” Puzzled, he scratched his head. “I haven’t seen her today, so no. How did you happen to run into her?”

  “Downtown at the coffee shop. I saw her getting out of Vivian’s van and approached her. She’s very pretty, isn’t she?”

  When he didn’t respond, she gave a little laugh and continued. “Anyway, I’m in town on business and I thought you might want to get together for dinner and catch up.”

  He stared at the television in disbelief. “You thought wrong. I have nothing to talk to you about.”

  Silence. When she spoke again, a note of determination colored her voice. “I want to speak to you about a business opportunity.”

  Instantly suspicious, he waited.

  “You could make a lot of money,” she continued, apparently emboldened by the fact that he didn’t immediately hang up on her.

  “Who do you work for?” he asked, even though he figured he already knew.

  “Let’s talk over a meal first,” she replied. “My treat.”

  “You’re in the oil industry these days?”

  “Umm. Yes. How did you know?” Still overly sweet, she gave a little laugh. “I recently took a job with Wave Oil. Since you and I had a prior...relationship, I thought I might be of assistance in helping make a deal.”

  “Did you?” This time, he didn’t keep the steely anger from his tone. “I would have thought you might have considered this a liability rather than a benefit.”

  “Oh, come on now, Travis,” she purred. “You know we can still be friends, maybe even with certain...benefits. Meet me for dinner. Name the time and the place and I’ll be there. You can’t tell me you haven’t missed me.”

  “Yes, I can. I haven’t missed you. Don’t call me again.” He ended the call.

  Though his throat felt tight, it wasn’t from pain at hearing Kendra’s voice. No, he’d gotten over her a long time ago. The anger filling him was the idea of how low the damn oil company was willing to go to get what they wanted—Hal’s consent to let them drill on his land.

  Again, he had to wonder about Scarlett’s motives. They’d brought in Travis’s former fiancée and he wouldn’t have put it above them to go searching for Maggie Kistler. Once they’d found out she’d died, why not bring in her daughter? It certainly wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, especially now that he’d heard from Kendra.

  Draining the rest of his beer in a couple of swallows, he paced, trying to release his pent-up frustration. Though working out after having a beer and pizza wasn’t optimal, he decided to change into his workout clothes, drive into town and hit the gym anyway. Thirty minutes with weights and time on the treadmill would definitely help him feel a lot better.

  His phone chimed, indicating a text message. One of the guys he played baseball with had seen Scarlett in town and wanted to know her story since he’d heard she was staying with Hal. He referred to her as a “babe” and wanted to know if Travis had any claim on her.

  Before he could even think about answering, he got two more texts, both from different friends, both with similar inquiries. Apparently, Scarlett had caused quite a stir around Anniversary. All the single men who’d seen her had been intrigued. Travis couldn’t actually blame them.

  Right now, he was in no mood to deal with answering the texts, so he decided to ignore them.

  As he drove, he turned the radio to the classic rock station and cranked it up. Singing along to old Aerosmith, AC/DC and The Eagles, he felt his mood lighten with every familiar song.

  When he pulled up in the parking lot of the only gym in town, he realized he’d arrived during peak hour—the time right after everyone got off from their jobs and went to work out. He decided right then and there he wouldn’t stick to one of his usual workout routines, he’d simply grab whatever machine happened to be available.

  He got in his thirty minutes, then spent a few on the treadmill. As he stepped down and made a stop at the water fountain, he became aware of a change in the noise level. As in almost all sound ceased, with the exception of the music they played on a continuous loop.

  Every single person working out near the front door stared at a woman who’d just walked in. Her lithe, toned body on display in tiny shorts and a bright pink sports bra, she appeared oblivious to the attention. Instead, she glanced around the room, clearly trying to locate someone.

  Furious, Travis suspected that someone was him. Kendra Stewart never did anything by half measure.

  The instant her gaze locked on his, she smiled and waved. “Hi, Travis!” Her greeting rang out loud and clear in the unnaturally quiet gym.

  Travis glared at everyone, his expression hopefully plain enough in telling them to mind their own business. One by one, each person resumed their workout. Since most of them knew Travis by name, he figured he’d be the subject of much gossip in the next week.

  He realized there were two ways he could handle Kendra’s unwanted intrusion into his life. He could storm out without saying another
word, which would no doubt give rise to a lot of speculation over whether this meant he still harbored deep feelings for her. Or, he could act surprised and greet her the way anyone else would an old friend with whom they’d lost touch.

  Since the second would also throw Kendra off balance, he decided to go with that.

  “Kendra?” Voice full of surprise, he started toward her. “Long time, no see. How are you? When did you get into town?”

  Only a momentary flash of confusion in her bright blue eyes. She wore a pink-and-black headband, pushing her platinum blond hair away from her face. “Oh my gosh, if it isn’t Travis Gardner? Who would have ever believed I’d run into you here? I’m doing great. How about you?”

  Though he’d bet fifty dollars she’d come to the gym trolling for him, he flashed a completely insincere smile. “I’m doing well.” Checking his watch, he kept the smile going. “Well, it’s been great seeing you, but I’ve got to get going. You take care now.”

  She let him almost make it to the exit before calling out his name. “Wait, Travis?”

  Pretending surprise, he turned, raising a brow in question.

  “Don’t forget, I’ll be at your place at ten tonight. I can’t wait.”

  Damn. Seriously? Now she’d left him no choice but to put her in her place.

  “Kendra, not only do I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I made it perfectly plain when you called me. Just in case you didn’t get it then, I’ll repeat it here, out loud and in front of everyone. I have nothing to discuss with you, especially regarding your oil company employer wanting to drill on my stepfather’s land.”

  That said, he strode out of the gym, furious.

  Chapter 5

  Scarlett had thoroughly enjoyed her time perusing the Anniversary town square. Everyone had seemed friendly, even if a few looked askance at her dress and heels. Scarlett didn’t care. She’d always enjoyed dressing up. Though maybe, she’d thought as she’d stopped in front of a cute little boutique right on the square, it wouldn’t hurt to purchase a few more casual outfits. She could still wear jeans and be fashionable.