Showdown

by Amy Elizabeth

  Alec remained where he was for a moment, trying to determine if he was hurt. He moved his left leg first–the leg that had been trapped beneath the horse–and gave a sigh of relief when there was no pain. Then he pushed himself to a sitting position and grimaced when he felt the impact of the fall radiating through his shoulder. Nothing felt broken, but he’d be feeling the aftereffects for weeks to come.

  Shadow dropped his nose to Alec’s boot, as if apologizing for the accident. Alec rose to his feet and gathered the reins, giving the horse a pat before he inspected his legs for injury. To his relief, Shadow seemed fine.

  A fall like that could have been a lot worse for both of them.

  Alec straightened the saddle and placed his foot in the stirrup, sucking in a shaky breath as he mounted. In all honesty, he should have known better. As frazzled as he felt today, he shouldn’t have been riding a three-year old horse in the first place.

  “It’s alright,” he assured the colt. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  *

  “You have that look again.”

  Rebecca turned to her sister-in-law. “What look?”

  “That lonely neglected look you had before we went to Vegas.”

  She gave a little shrug and turned her gaze back to the fitting room. She and Allison were at the bridal boutique for Liz’s final dress fitting, and she was doing her best to be enthusiastic. No matter how hard she tried, though, she couldn’t get her mind off home.

  “We were just hoping to hear something by today, that’s all,” she explained. “Alec’s been a wreck this week. He hasn’t slept and he’s barely said two words to me or Tommy. I haven’t seen him like this since right after Walter died.”

  “So help him get his mind off everything.”

  “How?”

  Allison shimmied her shoulders, making Rebecca laugh. “Somehow I don’t think he’s in the mood right now.”

  “So put him in the mood,” her friend replied, scooting closer to lower her voice. “Seriously, Bec. When’s the last time you got all dolled up, lit a few candles, put on some music–”

  “Believe me, Alli, he’s not wired like that.”

  Allison shot her a pointed look. “All men are wired like that. Even your wonderful but annoyingly depressing husband.”

  Rebecca sighed. “Can we please just focus on Liz today?”

  As if on cue, the curtains to the fitting room rustled. Liz emerged in a fitted ivory gown that swept to the floor and highlighted the curves of her petite frame. The dress was adorned in lace and tiny shimmery beads that perfectly matched the cathedral-length veil cascading from her hair.

  “Well?” she asked.

  Allison immediately clapped and jumped to her feet, but Rebecca remained where she was. Liz looked beautiful–no doubt about it–although Rebecca couldn’t help but notice the eternal, almost naïve optimism on her face. All young brides looked that way, she supposed; after all, she’d once been in Liz’s shoes, too.

  No one tells you that it isn’t always this easy, she wanted to say. No one tells you that binding your life to another person means you have to love and accept everything about them. Even the things that hurt.

  Rebecca couldn’t say that to her, though. Instead she forced a smile and strode over to her friends. “You look gorgeous,” she assured Liz. “Tommy will be speechless.”

  Liz was meeting Tommy for dinner downtown, so after the fitting the girls said goodbye and went their separate ways. Rebecca was almost to her truck when her sister-in-law snaked an arm through hers.

  “Oh, no,” Allison said, pulling her to a stop. “I’m not through with you yet.”

  “Alli, I’m tired. I just want to go home and–”

  “And what? Curl up in bed and hug your pillow and pretend it’s Alec?”

  Her silence was all the answer Allison needed. “You’re in a rut, Bec,” she added gently. “And we’re going to get you out of it.”

  Rebecca was powerless to object as her friend led her back into the bridal boutique. “First things first,” Allison said. “We need to get you something fun to wear tonight. When’s the last time you wore lingerie?”

  “On our honeymoon.”

  Allison’s chin dropped. “As in…almost three years ago?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And what did you wear? The little white number I bought you?”

  She nodded.

  “Well, we can definitely top that,” Allison declared, already weaving her way through the racks. “What about this?”

  Rebecca’s eyes widened when her friend held out a bold red corset inlaid with black lace and a satin sash. “Wow. That’s pretty.”

  Allison raised a brow. “Flowers are pretty, Bec. This,” she said, reaching for the matching thong, “is hot. Five-alarm hot. You put this on with those heels you wore in Vegas, and I guarantee your husband will not be thinking about the damn ranch tonight.”

  She selected a garter belt and a pair of thigh-high stockings and pushed the entire ensemble into Rebecca’s arms. “Go try these on.”

  “Right now?”

  “Yes, right now. How else can I give you my approval?”

  In spite of herself, Rebecca managed to laugh as she shrugged off her clothes and squeezed into the lingerie. Then she peeked through the curtain, making sure no one else was around, before she hesitantly opened the curtain of the fitting room.

  “Well?”

  Allison smirked. “It’s perfect.”

  After making her purchases, Rebecca allowed herself to be dragged across the street to the salon. “We need to make my friend look drop-dead gorgeous,” Allison told the stylist. “Cut, color, highlights, the whole she-bang.”

  Rebecca gawked at her sister-in-law. “Alli, I can’t sit here for the next two hours. I have to go home and make dinner…”

  If Allison heard her, she ignored her. She spun in a dramatic circle and handed her credit card to the receptionist. “Don’t let her pay for a thing. This is my treat,” she said, shooting Rebecca a pointed look. “I want details.”

  Allison disappeared out the door, taking her boundless energy with her. In a daze, Rebecca turned back to the stylist, who looked equally amused.

  “Is she always like that?” the stylist asked.

  Rebecca laughed. “You have no idea.”

  Chapter 22

  Before they were halfway back to the barn, Alec’s injured shoulder was on fire. He’d tried to ignore the sensation for the remainder of their ride, but now his fingertips were numb. Even the gentle, rhythmic motion of Shadow’s gait made him grimace with every stride.

  Tommy was sweeping the aisle when Alec led the colt into the barn. “You okay?” he asked.

  Alec started to shrug and winced again when the pain shot up his neck. “We took a tumble in the snow. We’re both alright, though.”

  Tommy didn’t look any more convinced than Alec sounded, but he graciously changed the subject. “They just delivered the rest of the barbed wire, so we can finish those fences whenever you’re up to it.”

  “We might as well get it done before the wedding,” Alec replied as he unfastened the cinch. “You and Liz have plans tomorrow?”

  “Nah, just dinner tonight. We can head out first thing in the morning if you want.”

  The last thing Alec felt like doing was installing fencing, but he figured he could use the distraction. “See you at five,” he said, already turning for the tack room.

  All was quiet when he entered the farmhouse a few minutes later. He stepped out of his boots and hung his coat on the rack before he strode down the hallway into the office. He froze in the doorway, though, when he saw that the light on the answering machine was blinking.

  He stared at it for a long moment before he crossed the room and ever so slowly reached for the Play button.

  “Hi, Alec. This is Bonnie. I was hoping to catch you before the weekend, because I just heard back from Peter and his associates.” A brief pause. “They’re going to pass.”

/>   Alec’s stomach dropped.

  “He said it was a really tough call. He loved everything about the property except how far it is from town. He just feels that it’s a little too isolated for the type of clientele they cater to…”

  The message continued, but Alec wasn’t listening anymore. He collapsed in his chair and dropped his head onto the desk, wondering how this day could possibly get any worse. Soon he felt the walls closing in around him, squeezing every last ounce of breath from his lungs.

  Feeling like he might actually suffocate, he pushed himself to his feet and bolted outside.

  He pulled his truck onto the highway and drove to the Snake River Overlook, a popular stopping point for tourists heading up to Yellowstone Park. It was probably the most photographed spot in all of Teton County, where the river made a dramatic S-curve beneath the mountains. A family of four stood at the overlook, pointing to the distant peaks while the mother snapped photographs of the setting sun.

  Alec studied them for a moment before he stepped out of his vehicle and strode to the opposite end of the overlook. It must be nice, he thought, to be free and able to take your family on vacation.

  It was such a simple thing, really, but it was something that Alec had never experienced. The longest he and Rebecca had ever been away from the ranch was two nights. Even their honeymoon had only lasted two nights.

  Was it wrong of him to want to simplify their lives? Was it wrong of him to want a smaller home and a smaller business so he could devote more time to his family?

  For months now he’d been analyzing his motives for putting the ranch on the market, and that was the conclusion he’d reached. All he wanted was a simple life. That wasn’t a bad thing, was it? There wasn’t anything wrong with that, was there?

  So why did it feel like it was never going to happen?

  *

  By the time Rebecca left the salon, she was starting to feel excited. The stylist had given her a whole new look, adding coppery highlights to her hair and styling it in loose, tousled curls that bounced against her shoulders. As she examined her reflection in the mirror, she couldn’t help but smile back at herself.

  Allison was right, she realized. The truth was that Rebecca had never tried to create an intimate atmosphere at home. It wasn’t really an option with Walter and Lucy in the house, but now that it was just her and Alec, there was no reason that she couldn’t set the tone for a romantic evening.

  She’d already decided that she was going to light the fireplace and open a bottle of wine when she arrived home. Then she’d slip on her little backless dress–Alec’s favorite–and prepare dinner in that. She knew that he had a lot on his mind right now, but surely he’d be able to take the hint and cast his cares aside for the night.

  Butterflies swarmed in her stomach as she climbed into her truck and glanced at her purchases from the bridal boutique. After dinner, once they’d had a few glasses of wine, Rebecca would slip upstairs and change into her new lingerie. She could almost envision Alec’s face lighting up when he saw her wearing it. She could almost feel his arms enveloping her waist, pulling her close for a long, slow kiss.

  It wouldn’t end there, though. Not tonight.

  To Rebecca’s surprise, Alec’s truck was gone when she pulled into the driveway. Then she realized that was perfect; she’d be able to sneak her shopping bags upstairs and change into her dress without him noticing.

  A surge of adrenaline coursed through her veins as she gathered her things and headed inside, stashing the bags under the bed. Then she took a quick shower and reached into the closet, grinning as she pulled the dress from its hanger. She stepped into a pair of lace stockings, too, then her black heels. Finally she spritzed on some perfume and inspected her reflection one final time before she glided down the stairs.

  Rebecca turned on the fireplace and sifted through the wine cabinet before selecting a bottle of Pinot Noir. She poured herself a generous glass; then she popped her favorite CD into the stereo to provide some background music. Just as she was pulling the steaks and asparagus from the fridge, she saw the glow of headlights coming up the driveway.

  Alec was home.

  Her stomach fluttered at the sound of the front door opening and closing. She turned her head and peeked around the corner to see her husband in the foyer, hanging his hat and coat on the rack. Then his eyes drifted into the kitchen, and when he saw her he stopped dead in his tracks.

  “Wow. Look at you.”

  Rebecca beamed, trying to appear nonchalant as she turned back to the cutting board. A moment later Alec stepped up behind her, and a slow smile crept across her lips as he turned her around to face him.

  “You got your hair done.”

  She nodded. “Do you like it?”

  “I do,” he replied, smoothing his fingers through the curls. “What’s the occasion?”

  She gave a little shrug. “Does there have to be one?”

  Alec mirrored her grin. “No. There doesn’t.” He glanced at the groceries on the counter. “Can I do anything to help?”

  “No, I’ve got it,” she said, nodding towards the breakfast table. “I poured you a glass of wine.”

  “Thanks. I need it.”

  Rebecca watched from the corner of her eye as he lifted the glass and took several long sips. “How was your day?” she asked. “Did you go into town?”

  “No. I took a drive down to the overlook to watch the sunset. Needed to clear my head, you know?” He paused to drain the rest of the wine. “Shadow lost his footing in the snow today. Came down right on top of me.”

  Rebecca’s eyes widened. “Are you okay?”

  “I landed on my shoulder. It’s been hurting like hell ever since.” He shrugged and met her gaze. “And that was actually the best part of the day.”

  All of a sudden, she knew exactly what he was going to say. “You talked to Bonnie?”

  He nodded. “They decided to pass.”

  She grimaced. “Oh, Alec,” she said, immediately wiping her hands and walking over to him. “I’m so sorry.”

  Alec dropped his head onto her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t get my hopes up,” he said softly. “But I did. I should’ve known better.”

  Rebecca’s hopes had been up, too–not because she wanted the ranch to sell but because she wanted her husband to stop agonizing over it. “It’s only been on the market for a couple of months,” she said, pulling back to look at him. “There’ll be other buyers.”

  Alec looked less than convinced. He gave her a quick, distracted kiss on the forehead before he reached for the wine bottle. “I’m not going to be very good company tonight,” he said as he topped up his glass. “You look so nice. Why don’t you head into town and do something fun with the girls?”

  Rebecca frowned as he tossed the empty bottle into the trash can. I didn’t do all of this for the girls, she wanted to say. I did it for you.

  How could she say that to him, though? Obviously he didn’t even remember that she’d just spent the afternoon with Liz and Allison. It was silly to get upset over it; not after he’d had such an awful day.

  Still, she couldn’t help but feel a crushing blow of disappointment.

  It figures, she thought, turning to place their uncooked dinner back in the fridge. The one day I got my own hopes up turned out to be the worst day I could have chosen.

  Alec retreated into the living room and didn’t as much as glance up at her when she entered the foyer. Rebecca pulled on her coat and waited a solid thirty seconds for some sort of acknowledgement. At the very least, she expected him to tell her to drive safely or have a good time.

  But there was nothing. Alec sat on the couch and stared blankly at the fireplace…like she wasn’t even there.

  The night air stung her cheeks as she opened the front door, but she hardly noticed. Her bare legs sank through the snow as she made her way to her truck, but she didn’t feel that, either. By the time she started the engin
e and backed down the driveway, hot tears of frustration were burning in her eyes.

  She only made it as far as the lodge before she started to cry.

  Chapter 23

  The sound of a passing truck pulled Tommy from a heavy sleep. He struggled to alertness and studied his surroundings, only to realize that he was at Liz’s apartment.

  They’d come back here after dinner to watch a movie and must have fallen asleep instead. Groggily he reached for the remote, pressing a series of buttons until the television powered off. Then he lifted his arm to inspect his watch and groaned when he saw the time.

  “What’s the matter?” Liz mumbled against his chest.

  Tommy kissed the top of her head. “It’s almost midnight. I have to get going.”

  She lifted her face. “You’re not staying?”

  “I can’t. Me and Alec are putting up fences first thing tomorrow.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” she said, yawning as she pushed herself upright. “Do you think it’ll take all day?”

  “Probably. But I can head over here as soon as we’re done.”

  Liz gave a sleepy smile and touched her lips to his. “Talked me into it.”

  Tommy was only half-awake himself as he stumbled out to his truck. Of the many reasons he was looking forward to getting married, no longer having to commute between Liz’s place and his was at the top of the list. He started the engine and turned on the stereo, cranking the volume to ensure he would stay awake during the long journey home.

  Yep, he decided as tiny snow flurries began hitting his windshield. I won’t miss this drive one bit.

  By the time he pulled into the ranch, his eyelids were starting to droop. As he neared his cabin, though, he saw tire tracks in the snow and spotted Rebecca’s truck parked just behind the lodge.