Ready for the Rancher

by Zuri Day

  He didn’t turn around. She set the text message copies on a nearby table. “I’m telling you now because it’s the right thing to do.”

  “You had suspicions this whole time but chose to remain silent, while I pulled out all the stops to catch this thief—more surveillance equipment, ID badges, security clearances, office renovations. All that, and I could have had the answer from you with just one phone call.”

  “He’s my brother, Adam. I had to be sure. Can you forgive me?”

  Adam crossed over to his desk and picked up his cell phone.

  “Wait,” Ryan said, closing the distance between them. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

  “Yes,” he said, slowly meeting her eyes. “Get out.”

  The command was low, raspy. Ryan hoped she’d misunderstood.

  “What?” A whisper, barely pushed past the lump in her throat.

  “You heard me.”

  “Okay, but have you heard me? Can’t you understand how hard this was, the way going against my brother, my family, makes me feel?”

  “Awful, I’m sure, the way I feel now, knowing I’ve spent time with a woman that I cannot trust.”

  Again he walked away from her, putting his massive oak desk between them. He sat down, his cell phone still in hand.

  “Leave, Ryan, before I say something that can’t be taken back. As for your question, in time, I might be able to forgive you. Until then, whenever that is, I don’t want to hear from you again.”

  “You’re angry, but, Adam, you can’t mean that. I’m headed to—”

  “I mean it.” Adam’s eyes blazed. “Do I need to call security or will you leave on your own?”

  Ryan took one step back, then another. She turned, fleeing from his office. Outrunning her thoughts wasn’t as easy. They chased her, taunting, as she hurried down the hallway.

  Were you in on it, too?

  Past the smiling receptionist.

  The gene is not present in you nor your father, father, father...

  To the elevator and through the lobby.

  In time, I might be able to forgive you.

  At the valet stand manned by the perky attendant.

  Are you in contact with your birth parents?

  In her car and a block away was the first time she became cognizant of breathing.

  I don’t want to hear from you.

  Two blocks later the first tear fell. Before long there was a torrent sliding down her cheeks. It matched her flood of emotions—surprise, regret, sadness, disappointment and the merest, almost intangible feeling of joy. How could one of her best days also be one of her worst? She’d found one man, her birth father, but lost Adam Breedlove, the love of her life.

  Twenty-Two

  If you wronged one Breedlove, you wronged them all. So it was no surprise that a few days after Ryan’s visit to Adam’s office, Christian, Nick, Noah and their father had converged on the ranch to support Adam through the crisis. Detective Haynes was there, too, along with Clifford Dixon, the company’s attorney, and Sasha Buchanan, a powerful and successful public relations fixer who’d been brought on board to handle damage control for Breedlove Beef’s image, reputation and bottom line, as well as by association any spillover to CANN International. Owen had pored over extensive video footage and found pictures that pointed to Dennis being the masked man squatting near the boxes by the black truck, including one from a gas station with a clear image of Dennis getting into the truck, sans bandanna. Interestingly enough, though, it was Ryan’s evidence that had given Adam the irrefutable proof needed to place the blame for what happened squarely on her brother. The legal team had acted swiftly and decisively, presenting a host of felony charges set to be filed. Dennis had one choice—cooperate fully or risk a long stint in jail, with his friend Luke likely there to keep him company. Dennis hadn’t liked it, but the evidence was overwhelming. His attorney urged him to work out a deal before the courts got involved.

  “Well, son,” Nicholas asked once arrangements were finalized. “How do you feel?”

  “Hopeful. I think the words coming directly from the culprit’s mouth will help to clear mine and the company name. I’ll know better after meeting with each affected customer face-to-face, to truly feel that I’ve regained their trust.”

  “I’m still concerned about one of the ways you’re doing that, bro,” Noah said. “Refunding 100 percent of all purchases to date, across the board, no questions asked, will cost you into the millions.”

  Typical Noah, Adam thought. Often considered aloof and impersonal, his brother was quiet, introspective, with an A-type personality that kept him focused, determined and single-minded. It’s what made him a perfect team player in the financial arm of CANN International. But Noah could cut a person off as easily as breathing, could detach in a heartbeat. These traits contributed to his shrewd business dealings, but Adam thought it would make Noah a lifetime bachelor.

  “Restoring one’s reputation has no price,” Adam finally told him.

  “What about Ryan?” Christian asked.

  “What about her?” Adam retorted.

  “Come on, bro,” Nick said. “Without those text messages, this thing might have dragged out in court for a very long time.”

  “I’ll talk to Olivia,” Adam said. “Have her send over something from the company.”

  Every Breedlove present gave him the eye before Nicholas spoke. “Whatever that young lady receives doesn’t need to be prepared by your assistant or sent from the company. It needs to come from you.”

  Largely due to the respect Nevada and the food and service industry had for the Nicholas Breedlove, Sr., but also due to Adam’s hard work and Sasha’s top-notch PR, even in the face of some negative national coverage, the damage from the scandal was quickly contained. There was still a good two weeks between Adam and a full night’s sleep, even longer for true peace of mind. But in at least one area of his life, things were turning back around. Adam had taken his daily horseback ride and had just stepped out of a long, hot shower when he heard the knocker. Ryan. He’d thought of her all week. It irked him that she was the first person who came to mind. After quickly slipping into a pair of jeans and pulling on a tee, walking down the hall and looking through the paned glass, he chided himself for feeling disappointed. He’d told Ryan to get out of his life. She’d done exactly as he’d asked.

  He opened the door. “Hey, Mom.”

  “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by,” Victoria said, a smile breaking through the concern on her face. “May I come in?”

  “Of course.” He stepped back so that she could enter, and noticed the ceramic pot she carried. “What’s that?”

  “Food,” she said over her shoulder as she continued to the kitchen. “Which given how low those jeans are riding is clearly needed.”

  “I’m eating,” he sullenly replied, though truth be told he couldn’t remember the last meal.

  Victoria set the pot on the stove, then turned to envelop him in a hug.

  “I’m worried about you,” she whispered as she stepped back and placed a hand on his cheek. “Though I must say, that beard makes you look rather debonair.”

  “Why are you worried?” Adam rounded the counter and slid onto a barstool. “I’m fine.”

  Victoria looked skeptical as she turned on the burner. “Not according to your brothers.”

  “My brothers have big mouths.”

  “And bigger hearts when it comes to their love for you. Christian was right. You haven’t been sleeping. Those dark circles under your eyes are not cute.”

  Adam brushed a hand over his face as he slouched against the chair’s back. “Yeah, trying to save a company, my reputation and the family name left little time for shut-eye.”

  “And little time for Ryan, from what I hear.”

  “Since the rest
of the fam has kept you updated about the goings-on in my life, they had to have told you that Dennis’s wasn’t the only betrayal. That Ryan knew about what was going on and didn’t say a word.”

  “They said she waited until she had proof.” Victoria slowly stirred the creamy chicken and vegetable concoction. “And then passed that on to you.”

  “It was too little too late,” Adam snapped.

  “It was her brother,” Victoria softly replied. “Did you thank her?”

  Surely his mother was joking now. “For what?”

  Victoria reached into the cabinet and pulled down a bowl, her voice gentle as she ladled soup into it.

  “I cannot imagine the agony of knowing two men, being related to one of them and very fond of the other, and having to make the hard choice of doing what’s right, and noble, at great cost to that brother, and no doubt herself.”

  She placed the bowl in front of Adam. “Eat, son. You need your strength.”

  “You’re not going to join me?”

  “No, the soup smells delicious but my appetite seems to have scurried away.” She walked around the counter, gave Adam a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “You’re a thoughtful man, Adam, a good man. I believe Ryan is a good woman. Whether or not you continue seeing her is none of my business. But I have a feeling she’s had a pretty hard week, too, and probably without the type of support that you’ve enjoyed.”

  She squeezed his shoulder and turned to leave. Adam slid off the stool.

  “Oh, no, sit and eat. I’ll see myself out. Love you.”

  Adam watched the proud carriage of his mother until she turned the corner. He listened, heard the door gently shut. He took the spoon and stirred the soup, which indeed smelled delicious. But Victoria’s words settled like a weight in his stomach. He couldn’t eat a thing.

  * * *

  There was magic in Ryan’s hands. Adam felt it all the way to the bone as she pulled and squeezed and worked the tension out of his body. She ran her fingers down the length of his spine before jiggling her bare bottom on his, and demanding he turn over. He did and beheld a goddess—gloriously naked—her breasts pert, nipples hard, hair wild and free.

  She leaned down teasingly, her nipples brushing against his chest as she rained down light kisses. “I’m finished, lover,” she purred. “Feel better?”

  “Infinitely.”

  “Good. Now it’s time for you to make me feel better, too.”

  She rose up then, her legs on each side of him, lovingly grasping his manhood, lining it up with the portal to paradise and sliding oh...so...slowly down.

  Umm.

  “Adam!”

  “Yo, what?”

  “You’re over there snoring like a steam locomotive. You need to head to one of the bedrooms and get some real sleep.”

  Adam straightened and looked around, his mind dazed as he pulled himself from dream to reality. He was on the company plane, halfway through the list of customers to be visited. Instead of Ryan, it was his brother Nick beside him. Life wasn’t fair.

  “I’m good,” he said, yawning, as he looked at his watch. “I’ve got a conference call with Earl soon, and need to prepare for it.”

  “That’s not for another four hours, bro. You can’t keep running on caffeine and conviction. You need real sleep. In a bed. For more than two hours.”

  “You’re right.” Adam motioned to the attendant and requested a double espresso.

  Nick shook his head, tapping away on his satellite phone. “Fool.”

  Adam laughed, shamelessly peering over to view the profile pic on Nick’s screen. “Is that Sasha?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “You’re texting her?”

  “Looks that way, doesn’t it?”

  “Is she back in Vegas?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you seeing her again?”

  “No.”

  Adam peered at his brother. “Liar. I can’t believe it. She dumped you, Nick. How could you let that woman back into your life?”

  “How could you chase Ryan from yours?”

  Adam didn’t have a quick comeback for that.

  “It’s wrong how you’re treating her,” Nick added.

  “There is no treating her one way or another. We broke up.”

  “That’s the problem.”

  “No, the problem was her brother stealing and Ryan remaining quiet about it.”

  “With good reason. She had to be sure. That dude is her brother, man. Family first. You’re tripping.”

  “No, you are, along with the rest of the fam. Ryan isn’t the first woman I’ve stopped dating. If it doesn’t bother me, it shouldn’t bother you.”

  “That’s why we keep bringing it up, Adam. Because the situation is bothering you, man. We all see it, we feel your unhappiness, and know it’s not just about Breedlove Beef.”

  “Ryan was special, I’ll admit that. But like you said, family first. Unfortunately, Dennis is a part of hers. How can there be a future with someone whose brother was stealing right under my nose?”

  “Maybe there isn’t one,” Nick said, closing his eyes as he settled against the cushy seat. “But since you two are no longer dating, I guess we’ll never know.”

  Adam sipped his espresso, bothered by Nick’s uninvited opinions. Had Ryan spoken up sooner, the public scandal could have been avoided. He continued the internal argument but finally admitted the truth in the rebuttals his family presented. He and Ryan had unfinished business. It was time to give her a call.

  Twenty-Three

  Ryan had taken a few days off from her practice to try and recover from the secrets that had rocked her world—that the man she’d known for most of her life as her adopted father was her real dad, and that the brother she’d adored from childhood had stolen from the love of her life. She’d known all along that what she’d had with Adam was temporary, a fantasy. Still, the reality check hurt like hell.

  Ryan’s mother was still not speaking to her but she and her father texted every day. He kept her apprised of what was happening with Dennis, including news of an upcoming press conference that would be covered by local stations. Ryan idly surfed the channels looking for a distraction. But her mind kept returning to what happened a week ago when an innocent call and a firm rejection had changed her life.

  * * *

  Too upset to travel after meeting with Adam, Ryan had returned home and gone to bed, hoping a good night’s rest would make life feel less awful. Sleep eluded her. At three forty-five she gave up trying, packed her car and hit the road. Four hours later she arrived in Bakersfield, shortly after her mother would have left for work. She reached her parents’ home. April’s mother helped to look after her dad and answered the door. Ryan told the kind neighbor that she’d take over watching her father. April’s mother walked out the door. It was just Ryan and Joe now, alone. She walked up the stairs and knocked on the master bedroom door. There was no answer. She peeked in and saw her father, asleep. For a long moment, she stood at the end of the bed staring at him. Seeing his face as though for the first time, and traces of herself in it. He opened his eyes.

  “I’m sorry, baby,” he said, his voice raspy with sleep and emotion. “For years, I wanted to tell you but I gave Ida my word. I had you in my home. She had the secret. That was the deal.”

  Ryan sat on the bed and placed a hand on her father’s arm. “You and Phyllis...”

  “...had an affair. It shouldn’t have happened but I’m not totally sorry because that’s how we got you.”

  Joe talked for the next hour, almost nonstop. About how he, Phyllis, Ida and a group of others all used to be friends. He’d always been attracted to Phyllis but Ryan’s birth mother wasn’t into anything serious. She liked to party, liked adventure. Joe preferred a steady life and wanted a family. He married Ida, but
Phyllis was still in his system. The affair was short, just a few weeks. But it only took one night to make a baby. The affair ended, but a new life had begun.

  “Ida was livid,” Joe continued. “And had every right. It was a betrayal of two friends, worse for me because I was also her husband. I didn’t want to break up my family and did everything that Ida demanded. I cut all contact with Phyllis. Stayed true to my wife. It hurt to know about a child in the world, that I’d never seen, never touched. But I kept my word.”

  “But you found me, in foster care.”

  “That was Ida. The tough exterior she presents covers a heart of gold. As hurt as she was over what happened, she kept up with your whereabouts through mutual friends. Phyllis hurt her back and got hooked on pain pills. You went in the system. It took Ida a while to locate you and, while looking, she became a foster parent. When she found you, we took you in and gave you my name. It was Ida who did that, because a child needs her father. And while I never said anything to her about it, she knew this father needed his child.”

  It was an emotional discussion, one that taxed Joe’s strength. He went to sleep and Ryan went to work on her father, hoping the energy healing provided some comfort or helped his rest. When Ida returned home, one look at Ryan’s face and she knew that Joe had told her.

  “Thank you,” Ryan said simply, then walked to the woman she’d called Mom since being adopted and gave her the biggest hug. Ida stood there and slowly returned the embrace. When the hug ended, there were tears in both of their eyes. They sat at the table and had a long conversation, for Ryan, the best one ever. They cooked and cared for Joe, talked to the doctors, made plans for the transplant. She’d lost Adam but still had her family. The hope that they’d survive this ordeal grew with each passing hour.

  Then Dennis came home. The peace was shattered. He blamed Ryan for everything. Ida took Dennis’s side. Joe was too weak to weigh in. Ryan returned to Las Vegas ready for the surgery, but unsure of everything else.