He’d wait it out as long as he could. But with the bills piling up on the counter next to his kitchen sink, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep around a horse that didn’t carry its weight. Still, she was a beautiful thing. He’d hate to have to get rid of her.
“Looks like a horse destined to the glue factory if you ask me,” said a gruff voice behind him.
Henry turned to see three men leaning on the fence to his corral. They all wore jeans, flannel shirts, and ball caps. The one who had spoken was Ricky Tripe, the eldest of the three at forty-five years old. He had a wicked scar that ran the length of his jaw and was chewing on a piece of grass. Next to him were the Iris brothers, Parker and Wellington. They were each in their mid-thirties, with arms as thick as tree trunks. They flashed him a smirk when he nodded his chin in greeting.
“Nah, Fera’s just got to get the kinks worked out before she’ll submit,” Henry said, taking off his trusty old red baseball cap and running a hand over his short cropped brown hair. He put the ball cap back on and crossed his arms, his blue eyes narrowing at his visitors. “Now, how may I help you, gentlemen?”
“We’ve been sent to collect,” Ricky answered, resting a dusty boot on the lowest rung of the fence. “My old man wants his money back. All of it. You’ve been falling behind on the payments.”
Henry’s stomach clenched. The money he’d taken out last year to pay off some debt had been a desperate move. Everyone had warned him to avoid the Tripes and their dirty loan shark operation. Still, he’d been desperate. His mother’s illness had left them with a massive amount of medical debt. The bank had been threatening to take the ranch – their only home. What else could he have done?
He took a step toward them. “The payment’s only three days past due. I’ll get paid for a shipment of cattle next week. Can’t he cut me a little slack?”
Ricky shook his head. “You’ve been making a habit of paying late. Pa don’t trust you to follow through on your word.”
Henry clenched his teeth. Even if he had nothing else left in this world, a man still had his word. He’d never given anyone reason to doubt his word before, unlike the men standing before him. His hands clenched tightly into fists and he took another step closer.
“I promised I’d pay back your father and I will,” he said, his cheeks burning hot.
Amusement danced in Ricky’s eyes as he took in Henry’s defensive pose. “Well, I hope for your sake that you’re right, because I’d hate to have to break that pretty face of yours.”
Fury burst in Henry’s gut. No one threatened him, not on his own property. He took a step forward, but froze when he heard the front porch door swing open.
“Is there a problem, boys?”
Rita Brandt stood tall on the wrap-around porch of their foursquare style home with a shawl drawn over her frail shoulders. Her long red hair flowed behind her in the slight morning breeze. Henry had often heard from people in town that his mother had been a beauty back in her day. The years had been hard on her, but she was just as striking today with her steel-blue eyes and the proud lift of her chin.
“No ma’am.” Ricky nodded his head toward her. “We was just leaving.”
“Good.” Rita’s jaw tightened. “Say hi to your mother for me, Ricky Tripe.”
“Of course.” He slapped the Iris brothers on the shoulders. “Come on, boys. We’ll be back.” With a piercing glare in Henry’s direction, he spat out the piece of grass. “You get one more month to make the payment in full, Brandt. My father doesn’t run a charity. Pay up, or else.”
Henry watched them pile into their shiny F-350 pick-up and speed down the drive, all the while panic eating at his stomach. How was he supposed to find seventy grand in a month? The only way he could get his hand on that kind of money was to sell off his family’s ranch.
But he couldn’t do that. This ranch was a part of his soul. His father had taught him how to ride in this very corral. The minute he sold this place, his father’s memory would be like a whisper on the wind. Gone – never to return. He couldn’t do that to his mother.
“Mom, get yourself back inside,” Henry said, hopping over the fence and trotting up the porch steps to take her arm.
She wobbled slightly, holding onto his hand for balance. “I’m fine, Henry. Walking ten steps outside isn’t going to break me.”
He smiled and shook his head. “Maybe so, but the doctors said to take it easy. Chemo wiped your system. You’ve got to rest a bit longer before you go on chasing rough riders from our property.”
Rita frowned and gave her son a look. “Is this about the loan you took out?”
He turned his head away from her and stared down at the wooden floorboards of the porch. “You weren’t supposed to know about that.”
“I’m your mother,” Rita said with a chuckle. “I will always know when you’re up to something. Is it bad? How much do we owe?”
Henry shook his head. His mother might have gotten the all-clear from the doctors on her latest scan, but she was still recovering from treatment. She didn’t need this kind of burden on her shoulders.
“It’s going to be fine, Mom.” Henry pulled her toward the door. “I’ve got it all handled. I promise.”
“Alright, but don’t you go messing with those Iris boys,” she said, her voice weakening. “I’ve heard they’re quite the fighters. Made a mess of Patrick’s bar a few times. Don’t want to tangle with them.”
“I won’t.” He gave her arm a comforting squeeze. “Now, get yourself back into your favorite chair and make yourself comfortable.”
With a sigh, she tugged at her hair. “I suppose I don’t need this anymore.” The wig came off, revealing a smooth scalp. She smiled and shrugged. “Can’t blame an old woman for her vanity.”
Henry laughed and regarded his mother warmly. “I don’t think anyone would call you old. And I think after what you’ve been through, you’re allowed to be a little vain.”
She chuckled and squeezed his hand.
Just then, a little white car came zooming down the gravel road adjacent to their property. They watched it turn into their neighbor’s drive and pull all the way up to the house. The noise of a door opening and shutting was carried to them on the breeze.
“You’d better tell whoever that is that old man Earl Pedersen isn’t at home,” Rita said, squeezing her son’s hand one last time. “Take a ride over there, will you, son?”
“Sure.”
“And check on the mail, while you’re at it. I told Earl we’d pick it up every day. You know how he is.”
Henry waited for her mother to walk back into the house before he went to get his trusty old quarter horse, Rico. They’d been together for the past twenty-plus years, since Henry first learned to ride on his father’s lap. Rico was as steady as they came. A sleek brown coat with black stockings, he was a beauty. He deserved to retire soon to a warm pasture with lots of grass for grazing.
“Let’s go, boy.” Henry nudged Rico along with the heels of his boots.
The old horse picked up the pace, eventually settling into a smooth canter across the three acres that separated the Pedersen property from their neighbors. Henry guided him up the drive and next to a white Buick parked in Earl’s yard. He could see the figure of a young blonde woman sitting in the driver’s seat, her door open. She was fiddling with a cell phone and speaking loudly into the speaker.
“Excuse me, miss, but you’re not going find old man Pedersen around here,” he said, pulling Rico to a halt. He swung his leg over the saddle and dropped to the ground. “He’s still in the hospital, but I expect he’ll be home again soon.”
The woman looked up from her phone, her green eyes wide. She had an oval face, porcelain skin, and a pretty pink pout. Her shoulder-length bleach blonde hair had been pulled up into a high ponytail, with a few strands left down to frame her face. Henry took one look at her and felt his heart drop into his stomach. His jaw fell open and he had to remind himself to continue breathing.
“Elena?” He hadn’t said that name in almost seven years, and yet, the sound of it still made his pulse quicken. Earl Pedersen’s daughter was standing in his driveway, as real as the tall buffalo grasses waving in the wind behind her. “Is that really you?”
The last time he’d seen Elena Pedersen, she’d definitely had long brown hair. She’d also worn a lot less make-up then. But the woman who’d run away with his heart when they were only eighteen-years-old was just as beautiful as ever. It almost hurt to look at her.
“Henry?” Elena stood from the car, her eyes never leaving his face. She stood just over five foot tall, even in her pink strappy heels. She swallowed and blinked hard. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drop in like this. I guess I should’ve called...”
He shook his head. If she was here to apologize, it was far too late. Seven years too late.
The little town of Newton, Kansas had somehow managed to survive without her.
And the man who’d fallen in love with her was long gone.
Chapter Two
Elena
Elena Pedersen never thought she’d return to the land of dusty acres, cattle, and one-horse towns. But here she was, back in her hometown of Newton in western Kansas. Chicago felt like a million miles away. It might as well have been. This was like stepping onto an entirely different continent.
And seeing Henry Brandt standing in front of her was like sinking back into another century.
“Why are you here, Elena?” Henry asked, cocking his head to one side and fixing her with his dark blue eyes.
His jeans were worn and his red flannel shirt torn on one shoulder. Time had broadened his shoulders and turned the wiry figure of a teenager into the muscular, hardened body of a man in his mid-twenties. He still had the same strong, clean-shaven jawline, a shapely nose, and kind eyes. But it was those boyish dimples that made her heart pound in remembrance.
“I’m here to see my grandpa,” she said, taking a timid step toward him. “I thought he’d be home.”
She fiddled with the lacy bottom hem of her blouse, wishing all the while that Henry wasn’t looking at her with those knowing eyes of his. Once upon a time he’d known her better than anyone in the world. Could he tell that the last seven years had changed her? That the secret she now carried was one that would alter her life forever?
It was safe to say that she wasn’t the same girl he’d once loved.
“Earl’s in the hospital,” Henry said in a low voice. He patted the side of his horse and frowned at its saddle. “He had a bit of a scare at his last appointment. The doctors made him stay for a few days.”
The shock of seeing Henry again was washed away by sudden panic. Her grandfather had never mentioned being ill. Of course, it had been months since they’d last spoken. She hadn’t even called to let him know she was on her way home.
Guilt rained hard on her head. If she’d been a better granddaughter, she would’ve kept tabs on that hard-headed old man. Especially after her grandma passed away unexpectedly three years ago. She hadn’t even come home for the funeral. Grief and shame had kept her away from home.
She steadied herself against the car and shook her head. “Why is he in the hospital? What’s going on?”
Henry tilted his head to one side, confusion clouding his eyes. “Didn’t Earl call you? He told Mom that he’d contact you a while ago.”
She fought against the impatience whirling inside her. “No, he didn’t. What’s going on, Henry? If you know something, you have to tell me.”
He shook his head and held up two callused hands in surrender. His horse nickered behind him. “All I can tell you is you’ll find him at the hospital. Earl can fill you in from there.”
She bit her bottom lip, knowing that was all she was going to get out of him. He was just as stubborn as the cowboy she’d remembered. She’d known him since they were toddlers, back when her mother had abandoned her on her grandparents’ front porch. They’d grown up together – just a few hundred feet apart.
“Fine,” she said forcefully.
Henry shrugged his shoulders. “Fine,” he repeated.
They stared at each other for a long moment. There was so much that Elena wanted to say to him. She’d written down pages and pages of letters to him over the years. Letters that had never been sent. Explanations for why she’d left him so suddenly and without a word. Apologies for never returning. But rambling explanations wouldn’t bring back the love in Henry’s eyes. And by the disinterested way he was looking at her, that ship had long since sailed.
“Did you want a ride?” he asked finally, licking his bottom lip and squinting in her direction. “I’m headed into town in a minute. I could give you a lift.”
She considered for a moment what it would be like riding in Henry Brandt’s truck once again – music blaring, windows open, wind whipping in their faces. The very notion made her heart strain with fond memories.
“Henry, I’m not so sure-”
“Elena? Are you still there?”
Elena looked down at her phone sitting on the ground. She’d been halfway through a conversation with her best friend back in Chicago when Henry had startled her. Snatching it from the gravel drive, she held it up to her mouth. “Allegra, I’m still here.”
She looked up at Henry. He was studying the ground, throwing her occasional glances out of the corner of his eye. Her heart ached at the sight. He wouldn’t even make eye contact with her anymore. That’s how far their friendship had sunk. It was best not to make either of them relive old times.
“I’ve got to take this,” she said, pointing to the phone. “And thank you for the offer, but I think I’m gonna drive myself to the hospital. It was nice seeing you again, Henry.”
He pressed his lips together in a firm line and spared her one last glance before he hopped back into his saddle. Elena sat back in the driver’s seat of her car and allowed herself to watch him trot through the grassy field. There had been a time when she would’ve been in a saddle right next to him. Two horses, racing against the evening sun as it set on the horizon. But it had been years since she’d sat in a saddle. Chicago wasn’t exactly the best place to find a horse.
She heard her name coming from the phone’s speaker again and Elena shook her head, bringing herself back to reality.
“Who was that?” Allegra asked in an annoyingly demanding tone. She smacked her lips into the speaker. “He sounded sexy over the phone. Please tell me he’s sexy.”
Allegra was an artist scraping by as she attended the Chicago School for the Arts. They’d met at Elena’s old job making donuts at a shop downtown and had stayed friends ever since.
Elena pressed the palm of her hand into her forehead and shook her head. “That was Henry Brandt. He’s my Grandpa’s neighbor.”
Allegra hummed her disapproval. “You didn’t answer the question, missy. Now, I’m just going to have to assume he’s one of those hot cowboys you see in all the movies. Giddy-up, cowgirl.”
Elena didn’t argue with her friend. Henry was definitely the type of man you could find gracing the front of an old Western romance novel. Put a ten-gallon hat on his head and a pair of spurs on his boots, and women would be drooling after him. He probably already had a woman waiting for him. Maybe even a wife – although she hadn’t spotted a wedding ring. But that was beside the point and not worth discussing with her nosy friend.
“No one’s home.” She threw the rental car into reverse and backed down the drive to the gravel road. “Henry said Grandpa’s in the hospital. I have to go see him.”
Allegra’s voice immediately softened. “Is he alright?”
“Not sure.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek, concern slipping into her voice. “I mean, he has to be. My grandpa is as tough as nails. He’s a rock. There’s no one stronger. I just hope he’s okay with letting me stay with him while he’s recuperating.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before you hopped on a jet?” Allegra moaned over the phone, her voic
e low. “You could’ve come stay with me.”
“And do what?” Elena shook her bleached blond hair and tucked a strand behind her ear. “Raise this child in your studio apartment? Are you a fan of waking up at all hours to the sound of a baby screaming? Because that’s what would’ve happened.”
She peered through the windshield of her rented Buick as she turned back onto the blacktop road and ran a protective hand over her slightly protruding lower belly. It was truly a miracle child growing inside of her. Although only twenty-five years old, the doctors had warned her it would be near impossible for her to ever have a child of her own. And yet, just a few months ago, that little test from the drug store had boldly proclaimed the opposite.
Henry hadn’t seemed to notice. Of course, the loose clothing she liked to wear nowadays did a great job of hiding her secret. She just wasn’t ready to announce it to the world. Most of all, her grandfather could not find out. He’d kicked out her mother when she was a teenager for getting pregnant. Elena could only imagine how he’d react to finding out how she’d fallen into the same path. He’d be furious. She shouldn’t take that chance.
Allegra groaned. “Fine. But why do you have to go back to that place? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say a good thing about it. What’s so important about Newton, Kansas?”
“What’s important about Newton, Kansas is that I have family there,” she answered, running her hand over the steering wheel. “My grandma left me a small inheritance when she passed a few years ago. I’ll stay just long enough to collect it and then I can finally get back on my feet. Besides, it’s not like the father’s in the picture anymore.”
There was silence on the line. For a moment, Elena was afraid she’d lost Allegra to the spotty cell phone reception plaguing the flat plains around her. But then, her friend sighed.
“Jason hasn’t changed his mind?”
“Not at all.” Elena swallowed down the bitter taste in her mouth. “His exact words were I didn’t sign up for this. Asked me to take care of it or move out. So, here I am.”
Faking Ever After with the Bodyguard: A Sweet Fake Romance Page 15
