No Strings Attached (Last Hope Ranch Book 1)

by Amanda McIntyre

  For the first time Clay understood what Rein was talking about. Though they hadn’t yet had the chance to talk much about the future, he felt sure and strong about what he and Sally felt for each other.

  His cell phone buzzed in his pocket and, digging it out, he saw it was Julie’s number. “Stepping outside to take this,” he said to Rein. “Hey Jules, what’s up?” It had only been a few days since he’d sent the boys back home. “Did one of the boys leave something here? I tried to make sure all their game gear was gathered up.”

  “No, Clay,” her voice sounded grim. “I need your help.” He heard a sniff.

  “Jules, are you okay? Are the boys okay?” He stood searching the tree line that separated Rein’s backyard from the foothills. His instinct prickled.

  “It’s Louis,” she said quietly, almost too calm. “I thought if we had some time alone that we could work things out.”

  A cold dread formed in Clay’s gut. He took a deep breath, needing to ask the unthinkable. “Jules, has he hurt you or the boys?”

  “Never the boys.”

  Shit. “That bastard. Jules, you’ve got to get out of there. The guy needs help. This isn’t normal.”

  “I used to think it was the stress of his work. That eventually as he achieved his goals it would get better, but it seems to have only gotten worse.” There was a pause. “I know I should leave him, Clay. Part of me wants to, but the other part is terrified. I don’t know what to do, where to go.”

  The answer seemed clear. “Jules, I’m going to fly out and help you. Where is Louis now? Is he home?”

  “N-no. He’s away on business. I don’t expect him home until Friday.”

  “Okay, honey, here’s what you do. You call and reserve a truck. I’ll pick it up when I get in. You get your things together. Have the boys help.”

  “They don’t know anything about this, Clay.”

  He thought for a moment how astute his nephews seemed. “Chances are they know things aren’t good, Jules. You need to be straight with them and ask for their help. They can handle it.”

  “Where will we go? We sold the farm in Texas when mom moved. Granddad is gone now.”

  “You’ll come here and stay at the ranch until we figure things out.”

  “That’s kind of you, Clay, but I doubt the Kinnisons had this in mind when they built this place, much less that I could afford it.”

  “It’s exactly why they built it, Jules. Trust me. I’ll take care of things on my end. You get things pulled together on yours. If he comes back, if he tries to stop you, call the police. You understand?”

  There was another pause.

  “Jules?”

  “Yes, I understand,” she said.

  “I know this can’t be easy, but how long have you been dealing with this?”

  “Longer than I should have.”

  “That’s what I thought. I wish you’d come to me sooner.”

  “You had your own issues to contend with, Clay. You didn’t need some whiny sister adding to your troubles while you were trying to get your life back.”

  Clay shook his head. Had he been that self-absorbed? “Jules, you and the boys are all the family I have left. You are my life.”

  Another sniff signaled she was crying.

  “Listen, you need to pull it together right now—for you, for the kids. Understand?”

  “Y-yes.”

  “Good. Call if you need anything. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Thank you, Clay.”

  “Love you, Jules. Be careful.”

  Clay took a deep breath, forcing himself to not imagine wringing the life out of Louis with both hands. He stormed inside. “Rein, that was my sister. Problems at home. She needs my help. Long story short—I’d like to bring her and the boys back to the ranch until we figure out what’s best.”

  Rein frowned. “Not a problem, I’ll talk to Wyatt. Is there something you need me to do?”

  Clay shook his head. “I’m going to go out there and drive them back. It should only take a couple of days.”

  Rein nodded. “Okay, I’ll go down and make sure the two-bedroom cabin is ready for them.”

  “Thanks, man.” Rein stepped forward and gave his friend a brief hug. “As long as I know she and the boys are safe out here, I’m good.”

  “Is Louis home?” Rein asked.

  Clay set to gathering his tools. “Out of town on business until Friday. So, she’s got a good window. She’ll have to pull the boys from school, of course.” He hesitated at the thought.

  “Talk to Sally. She might be able to get them enrolled if necessary to finish out the school year, anyway.”

  “Good idea, thanks.” He drove straight to the little two-story clapboard with the wraparound porch. As he pulled in the gravel drive, he noted the lights glowing warm in the dusky hue of the evening. He saw Sally moving around the kitchen and the rest of that wall around his heart crumbled to ash. He’d lay down his life for her. “You are one lucky bastard,” he said as he turned off the ignition.

  Clay showered as Sally finished the biscuits she’d made to go with the crock-pot stew.

  “Stolen from Betty,” she admitted, stirring the pot and releasing an amazing aroma. “She said even I couldn’t mess this up.”

  They sat at the kitchen island and ate as he explained the situation with his sister.

  “Of course, you need to be there for her. I understand completely. How long do you think it should take?”

  Clay shrugged. “It’s roughly a couple of days’ drive, I suspect. I’m driving a small moving truck. She and the kids can drive the rental, if she’s not comfortable taking the other car. Louis liked to keep things tight. Both cars are registered in his name. The less we have to deal with him, the better.”

  “Miss Ellie might be able to offer her some legal advice,” Sally offered. “Why don’t you use my laptop and book your flight while I clean this up.”

  Clay checked every airline out of Billings. There was nothing available until tomorrow afternoon. He dialed Julie to check on her.

  “Hello?” The pensive sound in her voice twisted Clay’s heart.

  “Jules. There aren’t any flights until tomorrow afternoon. But I’m going to head down to the airport in the morning and see if I can get on stand-by. You doing okay?”

  She sighed. “I think so. This is such a nightmare. I’m sorry to drag you into it.”

  “Ok, I don’t want to hear you say that again.” That part of Julie that once pitied him was one of his anger triggers. He took a deep breath, refocusing his thoughts. “How are the boys?”

  “I told them. They didn’t seem all that surprised.” She chuckled softly. “I don’t think I gave them enough credit for noticing things. They always seem to be glued to their video games.”

  “Different ways of dealing, Jules,” Clay responded.

  “I suppose. They did, however, seem more than okay with the idea of going back to visit their uncle.”

  “I wouldn’t have said this a year ago, but life here in this little town is good.” He looked up and caught Sally’s smile from across the room. “Really good. I’ll let you know when I get a flight.”

  “Thanks, Clay.”

  “Jules, I haven’t done anything yet.”

  “You’ve been there. You’ve been a great uncle, a great brother… thank you, for everything.”

  “That’s why I’m here. See you soon.”

  Later that night as Sally slept peacefully curled in close to him, he thought about what she’d said about being spared from death for a reason. As the sun peeked over the rim of the mountains, Clay kissed Sally as she slept, left her a note by the coffee pot, and headed to Billings.

  Chapter Nine

  “Arrived. Will call you later. Love you.” Sally read the words on her phone as she climbed in her truck after school. The timestamp indicated they’d been sent more than an hour ago. She’d gone down to the ranch, needing to be near the horses and had taken a few minutes to speak to
Michael.

  Spring was on the horizon, though the threat of snow was still a reality until late April, longer in the higher elevations. But the budding of the Serviceberry trees was a sure sign of the seasons change.

  She glanced up and sitting perched in front of her on a fence post was a Great White Owl. Not unusual in the region—the Crow lore believed it was a sign of an impending storm. To the Kinnison’s, the owl’s presence prior to a variety of unusual happenings had become a lore of their own—believing it to be the spirit of Jed Kinnison keeping an eye on his family. She’d heard their stories, even pondered the possibility of its truth, but had never seen the owl herself.

  His bright yellow-gold eyes blinked at her, his gaze unwavering, almost as though he was assessing her. A strange chill washed over her as she started the truck. The owl didn’t flinch. An impending storm?

  Sally glanced at the cloudless sky in the late afternoon, then at her watch. She had enough time to go home and change before meeting for their first girl’s night since Liberty lost the baby. Little Elaina Marie Mackenzie had been laid to rest in a private ceremony a few weeks before in the End of the Line cemetery next to her Grandpa Jed Kinnison.

  Putting the truck into gear, she noted the owl had flown off and, for some reason, Sally released a sigh of relief. Arriving home, she dropped her book bag by the back door and went upstairs to change. She smiled when she walked into the room and noticed one of Clay’s shirts folded neatly over the back of her reading chair. She picked it up and held it to her chest, breathing in his familiar scent. She marveled at how naturally the transition had taken place between them, though she had to give credit to Clay for taking them from their odd partnership to a budding relationship. She considered how, in many ways, she knew little about him, yet in other ways, she felt she’d known him a lifetime. She considered calling him, but decided that he was likely busy helping Julie and would call when he got the chance.

  Thirty minutes later she sat in a booth at the cafe enjoying some new appetizer recipes that Betty had been experimenting with.

  “So, Rein mentioned that Clay had to go to California to help his sister?” Liberty asked, sifting through a plate of Irish nachos made with waffle fries instead of tortilla chips.

  Sally shook her head in response. “I don’t understand what possesses a man to think they can hit a woman or a child and justify it. It makes no sense.”

  Angelique offered a sad smile. “It is a warped and very disturbed mentality. Thankfully, Miss Ellie was there to help me get out of that toxic relationship. Sometimes, you can’t see the danger. You just hope that if you’re good enough, things will change.” Angelique sighed. “It took me almost losing my daughter to make me realize the problem wasn’t me.” She looked at Sally with the eyes of wisdom. “Has she been dealing with this for very long?”

  “Clay didn’t say. But I’d guess long enough. Thankfully, he hasn’t hurt either of the boys.”

  “Well, Clay is doing the right thing by going out there to help her,” Aimee said. “And Wyatt mentioned that he’s driving them back here to stay at the ranch until she decides what to do.”

  Sally nodded. “Clay wants to be able to keep an eye on her and the kids. I’m going to see about getting them enrolled in school, at least for the remainder of the semester. Then we’ll see what happens.”

  “Okay, girls, try these.” Betty set a plate down in front of the four women. “These are little puff pastries I’ve been working on. I’ve got some with a Boston cream filling and some with a buttercream filling. Tell me which you think is best.”

  “Anything for a good cause, Betty.” Angelique popped one in her mouth and licked her fingertips. She rolled her eyes heavenward. “Those are amazing.”

  “Oh, good. Would you all mind tasting my lemon bars?”

  “Maybe we should order supper before we eat more sweet stuff,” Sally suggested.

  “Killjoy.” Angelique made a face and smiled as she tossed another pastry in her mouth. She chewed the sweet concoction and looked at Betty. “So, what’s with all the new recipes, Betty? Not that I mind, clearly, being your guinea pig.”

  Betty leaned in and lowered her voice. “We’ve bought the empty store next door and we’re going to expand.”

  “Hey, that’s wonderful. What are you thinking? More booths? Tables?”

  “The Sunrise Bakery.” She straightened, a grin brightening her face.

  Angelique placed her hand over her heart. “I’m in heaven. Aunt Rebecca is going to love hearing this.”

  Betty winked. “It was actually talking with Rebecca that sealed it for me. She’ll be my head baker. And we’re going to carry local products like jams and jellies, wines from the area.” She looked from woman to woman. “We kept it under wraps until Jerry was back on his feet and the papers were signed.”

  Aimee had a far-off look in her eye. “There used to be a bakery down the block from where we lived. Mom would let my sister and me ride our bikes down there on Saturday morning to get fresh kolaches right out of the oven.” She closed her eyes. “I can still smell that scent. Is that weird?” She glanced up at Betty. “This town could really use a bakery.”

  “We haven’t worked out all the details yet.” She looked at Liberty. “But we were hoping, if you’re ready, and since you did such a nice job with redecorating the café, that maybe you’d consider helping design the bakery as well?”

  Liberty’s face lit up. “It would be my pleasure, Betty. Truly a pleasure. Thank you for thinking of me.”

  “Perfect. I’ll let Jerry know and we can set up a time to visit with you to discuss ideas.” Betty smiled at the women. “I love the lot of you, you know that, right?”

  “We love you, too, Betty,” Sally said. “But I’d love you more if you could whip me up one of your famous gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough… the ones with the thin pear slices and bacon?”

  “Yum, that sounds good, with a cup of tomato bisque?” Angelique added.

  Aimee licked her lips. “That sounds delish. Make that three with soup. And that still leaves room for dessert.”

  “Coming right up, ladies. How about you, Miss Liberty?” Betty asked.

  “Just soup and crackers, please. Then bring on the desserts.” She waggled her fingers.

  After Betty left, Liberty nudged Sally. “So, we’ve all been waiting to hear how your bachelor date with Mr. Saunders went? Pretty good, I’m guessing by the sound of things?”

  They looked at Sally and she felt her cheeks growing warm. “Aw, come on now, you know I’m not the kiss and tell type.”

  Liberty raised her brows. “I see. Kissing was involved. Interesting.” Her dark eyes glittered with mischief and while it was great to see Liberty back to her ornery self, Sally wasn’t sure she appreciated the attention on her. “Rein mentioned that Clay hasn’t stopped smiling for the past three days that they’ve worked together.”

  “I did hear that his truck was seen parked on your street the other morning,” Aimee teased.

  Sally held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, as if you all don’t already know, yes, we are officially ‘seeing’ each other.”

  Liberty grinned. “Apparently seeing a lot of each other from what I hear.”

  “We know you’re seeing each other. Angelique chimed in. “We’re just curious if, you know… you’re happy.”

  “By happy, we mean, does the man rise to the occasion?” Liberty goaded with a wicked smile.

  Sally looked aghast at Aimee. “Do I ask personal questions about your sex lives?”

  Aimee shrugged. “I live under a rock, don’t look at me.”

  Liberty pointed a finger at her. “Under a rock is not how you got pregnant again, my dear. Though hard-as-a rock comes to mind.”

  “You’re wicked,” Aimee responded with a grin. “But I like that about you.” She held up her water glass to toast her sister-in-law.

  Angelique giggled, then gasped, and straightened in her seat. The table fell sil
ent.

  “Are you okay?” Aimee lay her hand on Angelique’s shoulder.

  “The baby kicked.” She blinked. “He kicked.” Her eyes welled.

  Liberty leaned over the table and pressed her hand to Angelique’s belly. “Let me feel.”

  Sally glanced at Aimee and saw she was no better at holding in the tears as they watched Liberty’s fascination.

  Liberty’s eyes widened. A fat tear plopped on her cheek. “I felt him. Is that a foot? That’s amazing. I never got to feel that.” Her chin quivered as she sat back in her seat.

  Sally put her arm around Liberty and hugged her. “You will.”

  “Yeah?” Liberty sniffed and forced a smile.

  “I have no doubt,” Sally said, hugging the woman again. She looked at Aimee, who regarded her with a steady gaze. Sally smiled.

  Her friend blinked and her gaze narrowed. “Sally?”

  Sally swallowed. She’d hoped she could keep her secret to herself until at least she’d had time to go to the doctor for confirmation. Given how she’d been feeling, she’d gone ahead and done an early home kit and discovered the news just after Clay left for California. She hadn’t had the chance to even tell him yet.

  Angelique looked from Aimee to Sally. “What?”

  “You’re pregnant,” Aimee stated quietly, holding Sally’s gaze.

  Liberty let out a yelp and hugged Sally.

  “Ladies, can you tone it down, I’m trying to hear the news.”

  Betty’s reprimand quieted the celebration and all eyes followed hers to the television that hung on the wall behind the counter.

  The national news was showing footage of a standoff between police and a man holding a man, woman, and two children hostage in a Sacramento home. “Police indicate he’s wounded one,” said a reporter. “The man inside, whose name has not been released, has threatened to take the lives of everyone, including himself. One officer tells us that the crisis began about mid-afternoon and about thirty minutes ago, two young boys were released.”