by Debra Holt
“Morning, Tom. Could you show one of my men which section you plan to restring next?”
“Sure thing.” He didn’t need a second invitation to leave the pair alone.
Chance waited until the man cleared earshot before he turned to look at Josie, moving his horse to stand close beside hers, their legs almost touching in their respective stirrups.
“Looks like we’re back to normal.” His sarcasm-edged remark wasn’t lost on her. “As I said in an earlier conversation, you can push me away all you want, but I’m not going anywhere. You and Tom can’t hope to get all the fence repaired before the next front hits. Adding a few of my crew can get it done in half the time. That frees up your men to do other things that need their attention. Don’t worry…Tom gives the orders, and my men will follow.”
“Why, Chance? All the times you send your crew along to help us out over here? Is it because you think, like everyone else, that I can’t handle things on my own, or is it because you think you still have some misguided notion of atoning?”
“First of all, I don’t think you can’t handle it. You know better. You’re more capable than most men I could name. As for atoning? For what?” By his expression, it was evident he was in the dark in regard to where her remark came from.
“For your father.”
“What in the world does my father have to do with repairing your fence line?”
“My father asked for help from your father when the bulls your father had just purchased ran through our north pasture fence. Your father refused. That’s why my father had to stay out in hundred-degree heat half the day, trying to fix it himself. That’s where the men found him after he had suffered the stroke that killed him. I just think, sometimes, all this helpfulness on your part is some sort of way to make up for not helping back then. And, if that is the case, I can tell you that you can stop right now. That time is over and done with.”
Sheer disbelief showed in Chance’s gaze. He took his time responding. He appeared to be making an attempt to choose the best words, while holding back his own frustration. “I know you’re still in the throes of grief over your mother, and I’m trying to keep that in mind. I’ve also tried to call you numerous times, and you refuse to answer me. Now I’m trying to do the neighborly thing and help with the downed fences, and all you can do is throw some ridiculous accusation from what my father did years ago in my face? I swear Josie, my patience is almost at the end of its tether.” He took a deep breath then before he continued, and it was evident he used a great deal of self-control at the moment.
“Our fathers were lifelong neighbors, Josie. The day your father asked for help, mine said he would gladly give it, but the cowhands had to finish up with the repair of the wellhead first. Water for animals in a heat wave comes before a fence repair. Your father was impatient, a trait you inherited from him. What happened was no one’s fault, Josie. What is this really about?”
Part of her brain registered his words and their validity. He was right about the wellhead and everything else. What he said about her being impatient only made matters worse, along with the fact that he was right, and she was tired of admitting that truth. Downed fences were part and parcel of maintaining a ranch. If she couldn’t take care of something as basic as that, what did that say about her ability to keep the ranch? She was failing…failing everyone and everything. That realization made her response sharper than it should have been. “We don’t need your help. When we do need something, I will ask for it.”
The look in his eyes should have warned her to back off. She waited too late to move.
“You need something all right. I can’t decide if your father should have tanned your hide more when you were growing up or you just need a strong man to rein you in now.”
Her mouth opened and then clamped shut. His words surprised her to the point of shock. So she didn’t move. “I don’t need either.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” His hand snaked around her neck, bringing her toward him and holding her steady as his head immediately followed, his lips landing on hers as fast and white hot as a branding iron on a calf at roundup, and just as searing. Josie felt it through every fiber in her body, to the very tips of her toes in the stirrups. Just as her mind registered that fact, his lips left hers, his hand returning to the saddle horn.
Not a word was spoken. Chance gathered his reins into his gloved hands and turned the horse around, heading it away from the work crew, and away from Josie, at a fast clip. But not as fast as Josie’s world had just turned upside down.
Chapter Six
“It’s been a while since I was last out here. I’d forgotten how far you can see once you get beyond the mesas and ridges.” Phillip Banks was the senior partner of Banks and Banks, Attorneys at Law. He was close to retiring and letting Banks Junior take over the practice, but he had handled the legal affairs for Ben and Dianne Monroe since before Josie was born. He was always a kind man and not one to put on airs. He often shunned the suits of the courtroom for a pair of jeans, boots, and a white shirt with a bolo tie. Such was his attire at the moment, along with the heavy parka he had just shed after coming in from the cold afternoon. “That wind cuts right through you, too.”
“Nothing to stop it between here and the Arctic Circle.” Josie nodded in reply. “That’s what my dad always said.”
“Your dad was usually right.”
“I have some fresh hot coffee in the kitchen. Have a seat in the living room and I’ll bring you a cup.”
“Nonsense. The kitchen table is the place to drink coffee on a day like today. And it’s the best place to conduct business, too.”
He followed her into the bright, homey room with its myriad of cabinets and aroma of coffee and freshly baked muffins. Josie placed the muffins a little closer to his spot at the table.
“Are those banana nut?”
“Of course. I remember my mother always sending a basket of them to your office at Christmas. Mine aren’t quite up to her level, but I think they’re edible.”
The lawyer chose one and took a bite, and he closed his eyes in obvious enjoyment, as he chewed slowly, savoring the experience. The sound of a truck pulling up outside, the slam of a door, and then purposeful strides of boots across the porch alerted them to the arrival of a third party. The front door opened and then shut, and before Josie could clear the chair, Chance strode into the room, removing his hat and placing it on the hook by the cabinet.
“Sorry, I’m late. I got held up by a phone call I had to take from a potential horse buyer. Have I missed anything?” He drew out a chair across from Josie and slid into it, an affable smile on his face as he addressed the pair.
Josie was speechless for a moment, trying to wrap her head around a reason he should even be there to begin with, much the less the easy familiarity he used when entering her house without a knock or an invitation.
“You’re just in time. We haven’t started,” Phillip answered. “Josie got me sidetracked with one of these delicious muffins. Have one.” He pushed the plate toward Chance, who didn’t hesitate in taking one. “You’d probably like some coffee to go with that, too.”
Josie realized the older man was looking in her direction. She was expected to be the hostess for this new addition. She hadn’t seen Chance since their explosive kiss three days before and she didn’t care if she ever saw him again. He had taken their whole relationship and turned it upside down. Now, he was seated in her kitchen as if he had every right to be there. She kept as pleasant a smile on her face as possible as she rose, poured another cup of coffee, and returned to put it in front of the man. She didn’t meet his eyes as she did so.
“I had no idea that Chance was invited to be here for this,” Josie spoke, resuming her seat, her gaze on the attorney.
“Of course he has to be here. Your mother named him executor of the estate. Didn’t you know?”
*
Didn’t you know? The words kept repeating in her brain even as she listened to
the beginning of his reading of the will. How could she know? Her mother had never said a word to her about the terms of her will. Of course, Josie had to admit she had never wanted to discuss it with her. In her mind, the death of her mother was years and years away. That hadn’t been the case.
Her mother had known for the last two years that her heart was not functioning as it should. She kept the news to herself and maintained her regular appointments and took the prescribed medications. All without Josie being the wiser. That was how the woman had wanted it. The doctors and Phillip Banks all confirmed that point. She hadn’t wanted her daughter to worry about her on top of running the ranch. Whenever Josie would ask about a doctor’s visit, there was always a pat answer available…allergies, lingering colds, coughing fits, fatigue. The list went on.
In addition to that news, the fact she had appointed Chance Braxton as the executor of her estate was a shock. Josie had always assumed Mr. Banks would be the person in charge of carrying out her mother’s wishes. Not their next-door neighbor. Not Chance.
Although, she should have guessed there might be such a possibility. Her mother and father always had a soft spot for the man. She had grown up hearing her father sing his praises almost daily. There wasn’t a finer rancher to be found…and any man would be proud to call him son. And that highlighted the inevitable truth…she would never be the son her father had wanted. Of course, he had adored her, and never let on that she was ever a disappointment, but she wasn’t stupid. And then Chance had come along, and her father…and her mother…had welcomed him into their little world, and he had not hesitated. He was perfect in their eyes.
Their opinion might be quite different if they knew about the kiss he had forced upon her. Sure. They would have ordered wedding invitations immediately, once their celebrating died down.
Only now, they weren’t here. She was. And she faced the biggest decision of her life. The ranch was in bad shape financially. She had managed to barely make ends meet the last year, but the bank had always been willing to work with her. That is, until now, when an unfeeling conglomerate had replaced the hometown bankers who knew her and her family and cared about helping people in the community. She needed to talk to the attorney about all that, but not with Chance, the outsider, present. That hope of doing so was fast fading.
“I know this has come as a shock to you, Josie, on top of everything else that has transpired over the last couple of weeks in your life.” Phillip’s words brought her back around to the present situation. “I’ve laid out the basics for you. You inherited the ranch and all the problems with it. There’s something else we need to discuss and that’s the financial situation of the ranch. It’s never easy reducing something you care about to cold, hard numbers on a balance sheet, but it’s reality. The ranch has been in financial decline for a number of years.”
She forestalled the man from continuing. “I don’t think we need to bore Mr. Braxton with these details. He can read a report on his own. I think he can leave, and we can discuss these matters between you and I.”
Chance met her gaze with his own steady blue one, arms folded across his broad chest. “I’m not bored. This is business, and I’m well aware of what Phillip is about to discuss. Your father and I already discussed some of these issues before he died. Your mother and I also had a talk about them a few months back. So I suggest we let Phillip state what he needs to say, and then you and I can discuss it.”
Josie sat in stunned silence. How dare he sit there so cool and composed and stating what they should do? And the fact that her parents had discussed their private business with him only added fuel to the simmering fire. Anger mixed with a bitter pain of betrayal that her parents would do such a thing and not let her know about it. “Fine. Guess everyone knows everything about my business anyway, apparently.” She sat back in her chair, trying to hang on to whatever shred of dignity she could find and wait to face whatever was coming.
Phillip shot a swift glance over at Chance, and then he turned his attention to the notes in front of him, clearing his throat. “The ranch went into the red about five years ago. The bank issued two loans, one of which went into default prior to your father’s death. They would not consider extending the note as it was, but your parents were able to establish alternate financing. The second note became due and, as you know, the drought and drop in cattle prices and all, put a lot of good ranchers out of business the last couple of years. Anyway, this ranch has been kept afloat by these two notes administered through Mr. Peerman at the bank. The bank sent you a letter a couple of weeks ago, I believe, based on the copy they sent to me recently.”
“I am well aware that the bank wants this ranch. I plan to go in and speak with this Mr. Peerman on Monday and try to get them to give me an extension. I’ve been working over some figures, that I think they need to look at, that I’ve forecasted for the spring calves.” Josie spoke up and tried to sound like a businesswoman with a solid plan. But she had to admit, it sounded hopeless even to her own ears. Banking conglomerates didn’t care about small ranchers like herself. Panic flitted through her stomach, but she wouldn’t dare allow it to show to the two men seated at the table with her.
“Well, Mr. Peerman really has very little to say about the loans. It isn’t…” Phillip responded, but was cut short when Chance broke in.
“The bank didn’t issue the loans…that is to say, the bank isn’t the lienholder on the ranch, Josie. The bank wouldn’t underwrite the loans to your dad. I did that. The bank simply is acting on behalf of the lender of the funds…which would be Braxton Ranches Incorporated.”
Josie sat stunned at the news. All along, she had blamed strangers sitting at a long, polished boardroom table in a distant city making their decisions. But all along, the enemy had been coming and going on her own land each day. Chance Braxton had always wanted their land, and here was proof of it! Her parents had played right into his hands. She stood.
“Get out. Get out of my house right now.” She shot the words directly at the silent cowboy, her hands clenched in fists at her side.
“Josie, I think…” Phillip’s words didn’t get far.
“I am not angry at you, Mr. Banks, so please take no offense at this, but I really need to be left alone right now.” Her words went to the attorney, but her eyes still blazed steel-colored fire directed at Chance.
The two men stood. The attorney gathered his papers and his jacket, while Chance solemnly eyed Josie, sliding the hat onto his head, but not bothering to put on his coat.
“Stop by my office this week, Josie, if you have any questions. I’m sure there’s more that you and Chance will need to discuss together. If you need anything, please call me.”
She accepted the hug from the older man and watched him head to his Lincoln in the driveway. She did not look at Chance as he stepped around her, but the moment he cleared the doorway, she shut the door firmly behind him. Only then did anger mix with pain and with a sense of betrayal which brought tears down her cheeks.
She felt betrayed, but by whom? By her parents who never once told her about the loans really being from Chance, or betrayal by the attorney for holding the secret from her? Or by Chance…who she had once trusted with her most secret confidences and dreams and who showed he only wanted to increase his own land at her family’s expense? So much for trust.
Wiping the moisture from her cheeks with a swift swipe of her fingers, she moved to stand in front of the fireplace…seeking warmth to comfort somehow. The front door opened, and Josie turned swiftly to see Chance walk back into the living room. She thought he had left right behind Phillip. Evidently not. She crossed her arms over her chest and stood glaring at him.
“You don’t own this ranch yet. A closed door means keep out unless you’re invited inside.”
“We needed to talk in private…and the sooner, the better.” He laid his jacket on the back of the couch and placed his Stetson on top of it. Her words had no apparent effect on him. Chance walked to stand not far
from her, warming his hands in front of the fireplace.
“I don’t think so,” she bit the words out.
Chance swung his dark gaze to focus on her, and she clasped her arms tighter, as if she needed to bolster a shield against him. “Okay, Josie. You’ve had a lot thrown at you in a short time. However, there isn’t the luxury of time to sort things out and think things through. If you don’t want to talk, at least you can listen.”
She turned away to face the fire. She would have preferred to run upstairs to her room and slam the door and not come out again until he had disappeared down a dark hole, but since that wasn’t going to happen, she needed to let him talk and get it over with.
He took her silence as agreement.
“Your mother asked me to be the executor that night at the hospital. I gave her my word to ease her mind. Phillip and I discussed it, and it was easier to agree with her at the time. In the true legal sense, it wouldn’t be right for me to hold that position and be involved financially, as I am in the disposition of this ranch. I’ve asked Phillip to act in my behalf. I want everything to be as open as possible between us.”
Josie looked over at him. “Open and honest? Are you serious? You knew all along that, sooner or later, this day would come, and you would have everything you wanted. You had more than enough time and opportunity to mention these details to me, yet you never did. Not until Phillip Banks made you own up to it today. You’re just like the others, who think I’m some weak female who hasn’t got any business trying to hold on to this ranch.”
Chance’s voice held a strange tone to it as he looked down at her. “This isn’t quite the day I envisioned, Josie. I didn’t want to ever stand here with you thinking I’m the devil wanting to take away all you love and have worked so hard to hold on to. I made those loans because I respected your parents and what they were trying to do. I also didn’t want to have to watch what the worry and stress was doing to you. There’s nothing you could have done any differently, Josie. You’ve done your best to keep this place running. Time and Mother Nature dealt you blows that would defeat anyone.”
