by Robin Perini
“Collateral damage would be acceptable, he wrote.”
Jared rubbed his eyes. “Why didn’t I see it?”
“He didn’t want you to. And he wasn’t around enough for you to pick up on the inconsistencies of his behavior. I called a few of the guys he hung out with. They said everyone talked about how the guy was just off enough to make them nervous.”
“How did he find out about me?” Courtney asked.
“When your private investigator began the search for Jared, it clued Derek in. It’s one thing he didn’t lie about. He was actually gifted. Even Zane was impressed. Once he realized through your PI that your father was in financial trouble, his plan took shape. He hacked into the bank and adjusted their records. The bank believed a decision had been made to call in the loans. They believed the notes in the computer. Most people do. Derek manipulated the situation so you’d have to ask Jared for help. Derek hired a thug to kill Botelli because the PI was a loose end he couldn’t risk.”
“Derek set up this elaborate scheme just to get back at me?” Jared’s incredulous voice was tinged with hurt.
“A five-year-long plan to destroy you. He was simply waiting for the right opportunity to hurt you as much has he had been,” Zane said. “Impressive for a crazy guy.”
Léon shot Zane a pointed look. The man shrugged. “What? It’s the truth.”
Courtney had a hard time processing all the information. She’d been a pawn in a revenge plot that had started years ago? She shifted in the bed. Everything they’d been through had been orchestrated by one man searching for revenge.
“One last thing you both need to know,” Léon said. “His plan from the start was to get Courtney and the baby out to that lake to kill them both. He never wanted the money. He blamed his lack of money on losing Alyssa, but he actually wanted to drive you insane. Once you cracked after losing them, he planned to swoop in to take over the ranch.
“He wanted your life.”
A small choked gasp sounded from the doorway. Roscoe swayed. Léon rushed over and propped the old man up.
Jared rose and placed Dylan in Courtney’s arms. He walked over to Roscoe and stared at the foreman. The man’s eyes were bloodshot and he looked ten years older than he had when she’d last spoken to him.
“I didn’t know.” He clutched Jared’s shirt. “I swear. I didn’t know.”
Jared nodded. “Neither of us knew.”
Roscoe stared at his feet. He looked at Courtney, to Dylan and back to Jared. “I... I’m so very sorry.”
He limped out the door. Jared started to follow. Léon held him back. “Leave him be. It takes time when you discover you’ve been betrayed by those closest to you.”
Jared thrust his hand through his hair. “The irony is, if Derek had wanted to run the ranch with me, I’d have let him. I loved him like a brother. What does that say that I couldn’t see what he was. What he’d done.”
“He was a functioning sociopath,” Zane said. “He knew how society would expect him to behave, but the truth is the world revolved around Derek Hines and that’s all he could see. There was nothing you could have done or said. He had no empathy for anyone.”
Jared stretched out his hand to shake Léon’s, then Zane’s. “Thank you. Both of you. Tell Ransom I owe him more than I can ever repay.”
“I’m glad we could help,” Léon said. “I’m glad it turned out well for you all.”
Léon smiled at Courtney and she glanced down at her baby boy. “Thank you for saving his life.”
He gave her a kiss on the cheek before he and Zane headed out.
Jared walked back to Courtney.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly, gently rocking Dylan.
He sat on the edge of her bed. “No. I keep thinking back from the time Derek arrived on the ranch. I did trust him with my life. I would have trusted him with yours. I did trust him with yours, with everyone’s life.”
He met her gaze. “I’m so sorry for everything. For all the pain you went through.” He swallowed. “I know you’re probably ready to get out of Carder and go back to New York.” He looked down at Dylan and placed his hand on the boy’s head. “I... I’ll do whatever you want, but I’d like to be part of his life. If you’ll let me.”
Courtney froze. She hadn’t expected him to kick her out. She’d hoped... She turned her face to the side, away from him.
“Why are you doing this?”
“You have a life in New York. A career. Your father. Why would you want to stay here? It’s just a reminder of how badly everything could have turned out.”
Even as the words echoed from his lips, Courtney’s back tensed. She looked him straight in the eye.
“Is this what you really want?”
“It’s for the best. I’ll talk to Ransom about using the plane to fly you back to New York. We’ll figure out something.”
“Jared. Why?”
“Because it’s the right thing.”
* * *
THE SUN WAS setting on Last Chance Ranch. Jared stood on the porch while Courtney packed. The plane was ready and he would soon say goodbye.
Roscoe guided Velma’s wheelchair from inside. Jared knelt down in front of her. “How are you doing today?”
“Irritated,” she muttered. “Can’t button my clothes, can’t cook. Can’t stand up without getting dizzy.” She gazed at Roscoe. “I’m sorry about Derek.”
“I still can’t believe it,” Roscoe said with a weighed frown.
Velma patted Roscoe’s hand. “He was sick in the head. Something happened to him, Roscoe. It wasn’t your fault. Don’t forget that.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I don’t know if I’ll ever be.”
The wound was fresh and raw and they all felt it. Rain clouds filled the sky to the west. The perfect ending to what would be a horrible day Jared would remember until he was dead and buried in the ground.
“I’m walking over to the east,” Jared said.
He didn’t have to say where he was going. Roscoe and Velma would know. And understand.
Angel Maker snorted as he walked past the bull, but he ignored the stud. He was numb.
A white fence surrounded the small family cemetery. Jared stood in front of the two newest crosses. Alyssa’s and his daughter’s.
“We caught him, honey. God I’m sorry I didn’t see it. I keep thinking back when I introduced you. Why didn’t I see shock or anger on his face? Why didn’t I see how much he hated me?”
He crouched down in front of the grave and pulled a weed.
“I wanted to save you, Alyssa. I wanted us to be a family.” He sighed. “You’d have liked Courtney, though. You two could have talked shopping and shoes for days. I almost lost her, too. I don’t know how she survived, but I know I have to let her go. Even though she told me she loved me, it’s for the best.”
“Do you really believe that?” Courtney’s voice was laced with hurt and sorrow.
Jared rose to his feet and turned to face her. She was alone.
“Where’s Dylan?” he asked.
“With Velma and Roscoe, eating a snickerdoodle.”
“Are you packed?”
She lifted her chin. “No.”
He blinked. “I don’t understand.”
“I’ve been up all night thinking about leaving you. I need to know one thing. Why. Why let us go?”
“I... I—”
“I thought so. You love us, Jared King. Deny it and I’ll walk out of here without looking back. We’ll do the court thing, the visitation rights and move on. You can see Dylan every other Christmas and a couple weeks in the summer.”
He rubbed his face with his hands and led her away from the graveyard. The ranch house and barn loomed in the distance. “This isn’t your kind of place, Courtney. Admit it. Would you have ever come to Carder i
f you hadn’t been desperate?”
“If I’d known you’d lived here, I’d have at least visited.” She frowned at him. “Why are you making all these assumptions? Since when did I deserve to be pushed into a cookie-cutter life because of who my father is or what hotel I like to stay or even where I work, because you know what, Jared. You’re not just a cowboy. I learned that a long time ago. You’re an entrepreneur, you’re a risk taker, and when it comes to me and my son, you’re a hero.”
His mouth gaped.
“So I’ve decided you’ve been in charge for too long,” Courtney said. “I think you could do with a shake-up in your life, Mr. King.”
A flicker of hope ignited in Jared’s belly, but he quickly tamped it down. What was she saying?
“You wouldn’t have chosen to live here.”
“Nope.” Courtney looked around. “Until a few days ago I’d never heard of Carder, Texas. This was never my primary destination. But things change. People change. Do you recognize what you have in this small town?” She stepped closer to him. “When you were in trouble, no one bargained or even questioned whether they would help. They just did. Your men put their lives on the line to guard me and Dylan, two people they didn’t even know.”
She leaned into him. “I only knew one person in my building, and that was Marilyn. Her family won’t accept my call. Even though CTC provided the police with the evidence I wasn’t involved with her death. The rest of the building, except for the doorman, they probably don’t even know my name. I could walk down the street right next to my building and no one would see me, much less know me.
“Look how everyone has rallied around Roscoe, despite what Derek did. You have a gift, and I want Dylan to be cherished the same way the people of this community cherish you. I’ve felt more like part of a family here on this ranch than I have since my mother died.”
With a sigh, she placed her hand on his cheek. “I didn’t know what I was missing without you in my life. Now that I recognize it, I can’t go back to what I was. I’ve changed, Jared. Our son changed my life. And you changed it. I want to stay. Here. With you.”
Jared could barely breathe. His legs shook and he cupped her face. “Are you certain? We lived through hell. Normal won’t be exciting or intriguing.”
“That’s okay. I can do normal. I’d love to do normal.”
Jared felt the ice around his heart—the barrier that had frozen him that horrible night five years ago—melt away.
He gripped her hands in his. “The night I met you, I could barely speak. I needed a shot of tequila to give me the courage to walk up to you. It was the best decision of my life.
“I want you to know that you brought me back to life. I was dead inside until you lit a spark.”
She smiled at him, her heart shining in her face. “Finally.” She gripped his shirt. “And I knew you were different the moment you approached me. I just didn’t understand why you were so much more than anyone I’d ever met.” Courtney pressed herself against him. “I didn’t know what I’d been missing.” She smiled. “Then Dylan came along and he showed me. He and you are the best things that ever happened to me.”
She slipped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest.
Jared sighed in contentment. “I want you to be happy.”
She leaned back. “You’re not responsible for my happiness, Jared. But know this. I can find happy here. With you.”
“You’re going to stay?”
“If I’m asked the right way.”
Jared grinned. “Miss Jamison, will you stay with me on the Last Chance Ranch?”
She pretended to consider the offer. “I could be convinced.”
She lifted her lips to his and his heart sang when he kissed her back. He held out his hand and she threaded her fingers through his. “So, we take this last chance together?” he asked.
“We’ll make it work, Jared. I believe that.”
“And I believe in you,” he said, taking her lips once more. “Always.”
Epilogue
The West Texas sunset flared with a mass of color, orange and pink, purple and blue painting the violet sky. Jared paced the front porch of his house. He couldn’t stop the nerves from twisting his gut.
If he’d learned one thing about Courtney over the last few months, she liked to plan and she didn’t always appreciate surprises.
“What was I thinking?” he muttered under his breath. The entire event had seemed like a good idea at the time.
Now he wasn’t so sure.
He tugged at his shirt collar.
“Are you going to cut and run, my friend?” Léon posed, dropping any pretext of hiding his accent.
“No more hiding,” Jared said. “But I may have made a mistake. Maybe a trip home to New York...”
“Do you love her?” Léon asked.
“More than my life.” More than he’d ever imagined. She deserved something more extravagant.
“Then it’s no mistake. If I’ve learned anything over the last few years, it’s that home isn’t a place. For you, or for her. Besides, didn’t she say she wanted to stay.”
Jared shoved his hands into his pocket. “After she got out of the hospital. She was grateful. She could change her mind. Why wouldn’t she?”
Léon let out a strange word, but even if Jared didn’t understand the language, he knew a curse when he heard one.
The screen door opened and Courtney peeked outside. Her gaze landed on Léon. “Weren’t you heading back to Dallas?” she said.
“Thought I might hang around, see if I can’t find a place to rest my hat for a while,” the man replied, his unique accent melting away, being replaced by a perfect Texas drawl. Léon let very few into the secrets of his life.
He briefly met Jared’s gaze and wandered toward the barn.
“Is he okay?” Courtney asked, slipping into Jared’s embrace and wrapping her arms around him.
“Someday, I hope.”
He swallowed and tightened his embrace. He rested his cheek against her hair and inhaled the fresh scent. Her softness sank into him. He never wanted to be a day without feeling this way.
“He deserves it. He’s lonely, isn’t he?”
Jared pulled away slightly and met her gaze. “You see to the heart of people, don’t you?”
“Not really,” Courtney said. “I have a lot of flaws, Jared.”
“I don’t recognize them. Besides, you saw through me, no matter how much I tried to protect myself from you and Dylan.”
“You were hurting.” She sighed and met his gaze. “Is Roscoe still planning to leave?”
Jared scowled at the barn. “I can’t convince him to stay. Velma’s beside herself. She’s done everything she can, but he blames himself for not seeing how twisted Derek had become.”
Courtney clasped his arm. “You have to stop him. He’s family.”
“Well, I disabled his truck, so we have one more shot.”
Her eyes widened “You didn’t.”
“He’s not leaving without a fight.”
“That’s what I love about you, Jared King. You don’t give up without a fight.” She reached up to kiss him.
Jared closed his eyes and returned her touch. His heart raced. It was time. He held out his hand. “Come with me?”
She placed her hand into his. “Where are we going?”
“A surprise,” he muttered beneath his breath. He led her over to the barn and slid open the door.
“Surprise!”
A cacophony of shouts greeted them. Courtney’s eyes widened with shock. She gripped his hand tight. Her eyes teared up. Her gaze moved across all their family and friends. Blake Redmond and his wife and their children. Ransom and his family, the rest of the CTC operatives. Léon stood in the corner, alone but with a slight smile on his face.
Courtney’s father peered behind Ransom, his face healthy once again and his smile bright. His eyes clear and sober.
“Daddy.” She ran over to him and hugged him tight. “I don’t understand.”
The entire group of men, women and children were grinning. Roscoe held Dylan in his arms and walked over, Velma at his side.
She beamed at both of them. “Welcome to forever, dearie.”
Courtney smiled at her son. “Hey, Jelly Bean.”
“Ma...ma.” He grinned. He turned to Jared. “Da.”
Jared took a deep breath. It was now or never.
He knelt down on one knee in front of Courtney and looked up at her. “Courtney Jamison, I know you never imagined yourself living on a ranch in Texas. But if anyone deserves honorary cowgirl status it’s you. You’re tough, you’re determined, you love our son. I’d be honored if you would be my wife, stay with me and let me prove my love for you every day of our lives.”
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, and flipped it open. The old-fashioned ring rested against the black, simple, the diamond small. Maybe he should have bought her something glitzy.
“It’s beautiful.” Tears rolled down her face. “Perfect, and like nothing I would have ever chosen for myself. You see into my heart like no one ever has.”
She stood there, silent, staring at him. He squirmed under her gaze.
“Courtney?”
She smiled, her eyes bright with joy. “Of course I’ll marry you.”
A loud cheer rang out. Jared stood and slipped the ring on her finger. He couldn’t help himself, he lowered his lips to hers, slowly, gently, tenderly. Trying with actions to show her what he had so much trouble saying in words.
His heart thudded in his chest and he entwined his fingers with her. “If you don’t like the ring—”
“It’s mine now. You’re mine.” She squeezed his hands. “Haven’t you learned by now, I don’t need the trimmings. I’m only interested in your heart, Jared King.”
His heart overflowing, Jared sent a prayer upwards. Courtney’s love had broken the curse of the Last Chance Ranch.
