Natalie stood again and walked around the table. Placing a tentative hand on Jana’s shoulder, she said, “Jana, I’m so sorry for what I did years ago. Please forgive me. And you have to know that I told Dad he needs to bury the hatchet. The past is behind us, and… him threatening you about Prosperity Ranch is also wrong. I also told Dad that your relationship with Knox is no one else’s business. You’re grown adults and can make your own decisions.”
Jana saw the sincerity in her sister’s eyes. “You said that to Dad?”
“I did.”
Jana rose and hugged her sister. “Thank you.” Then she drew away, feeling the trembling start in her limbs. “I broke up with Knox this morning.”
“I’m sorry about this mess,” Natalie said.
“I’m sorry, too,” Jana said. More than she could probably comprehend right now.
“You should call Knox.” Natalie squeezed her shoulder and offered a small smile. “Tell him it was all a misunderstanding.”
“It’s not that easy. There are other things that make this complicated beyond our fathers.” Jana sighed. “Besides, I don’t trust Dad. I’m not doing anything until I know that Dad is sticking to his word about canceling the grant request.”
“Oh, he’s going to stick to his word,” Natalie declared.
Jana raised her brows. “How can you be sure?”
Natalie smiled. “I’m not a lawyer for nothing. I know the ins and outs of Dad’s business dealings, and let’s just say that I can also influence things one way or another.” She stepped away and picked up her phone from the table. “Now, let’s call him and let him know we’ve talked. No more secrecy or under-the-table deals.”
Jana puffed out a breath. “Maybe we should talk to him in person. I want this all laid to rest once and for all. I don’t want him blowing me off by saying he has another call coming in.”
Natalie raised her brows like she was impressed. “Good idea. Let’s go.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now,” Natalie said. “I already cleared my schedule this morning, and we can be at their place in thirty minutes.”
Moments later, Jana found herself in Natalie’s BMW, heading to their parents. More texts had come in. Another one from Knox: Holt wants to talk to you, too. He followed up with a heart emoji that Jana might have stared at for too long.
A number she didn’t recognize: This is Holt, please call me as soon as you can.
Barb: Hey, where are you, hon? Stopped by this morning with muffins and coffee, but your car’s gone.
Barb: Patsy and I are going to the movies tonight. Wanna come?
Barb: Helloooo?
Jana sighed.
“What’s up?” Natalie asked.
Jana glanced over at her sister. This casual conversation wasn’t them, and Jana wasn’t used to confiding in her sister for anything. “Both Knox and Holt are texting me, wanting me to call them.”
Natalie didn’t say anything for a moment. “You can call if you want. Dad doesn’t know we’re coming, anyway.”
“I don’t know what to say to either of them,” Jana said. “I mean, Holt is probably going to tell me that the grant doesn’t matter. But it does. And I can’t make promises about Dad’s actions until they happen, even if you’re guaranteeing it.”
Natalie nodded. “All right. Call Holt back when we’re done meeting with Dad. But are you sure you want to leave Knox hanging?”
“You really want me to call him right now?” Jana asked. “According to Dad, he’s the reason behind all of this in the first place.”
Natalie reached over and rested her hand on Jana’s arm. “I wish I’d come to you first. I’ll regret that the rest of my life.” She paused. “Call Knox back.”
Jana closed her eyes. “He can wait.” But her heart was telling her something different than her mind.
And as the moments passed, her heart only pounded harder. When Natalie pulled up to their parents’ place, Jana said, “I’ll join you in a minute.”
“Okay.” Natalie climbed out of the car.
Jana pressed send on Knox’s contact. She didn’t know what she would say, but she wanted to hear his voice.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said when he answered.
Tears sprung to her eyes at the sound of his voice. “Hi.” She cleared her throat because her voice had gone tight. “I’m with Natalie, and we’re walking into my parents’ house in a second.”
“What’s going on?” Knox asked, his tone gentle.
“A lot,” Jana said. “I have to go, but I didn’t want you to think I dropped off the planet.”
She could hear Knox’s smile in his voice when he said, “Thanks for calling. Holt and I have a backup plan, so don’t worry about giving in to your dad for any reason.”
Jana closed her eyes. She wasn’t surprised Knox would have a backup plan. Her heart soared with affection for this man who had unexpectedly returned to her life again. She didn’t know what the next hour would bring, let alone the next week. “I need to go,” Jana said.
“Okay,” he replied, but neither of them hung up.
Finally, Jana said, “I’ll call you as soon as I can, but I don’t want you guys making drastic plans. It’s not fair… And I’m going to set this right.” Before Knox could reply, she hung up. She didn’t want her sister and parents having a conversation about all of this without her.
Climbing out of the car, she walked to the front door of her parents’ place, her heart weighted down. Who knew that a single event in her youth could throw so much of her world off-kilter?
She didn’t knock, and walked in to find Natalie standing at the front window, her arms folded. Her parents were sitting on opposite ends of the couch. It was clear her mom had been crying, and her dad looked worn out. His faded red hair was cropped short, and his normally shaved face had a few days’ growth.
Her mother was immaculately put together, like usual. She was waif thin and clasped her manicured hands together.
“Jana,” her mom immediately said. “How could you disrupt everything like this?”
“Hi, Mom.” Jana continued into the room and took her place in the overstuffed leather chair. She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, and focused on her dad’s hazel eyes that were nearly the same color as her own. “I’m here to talk to Dad, so I’d appreciate no interruptions.”
She was sure her mom would only parrot what her dad would say, anyway.
Her dad’s jaw was already set, and Jana wondered what Natalie had told him so far.
“Catch me up, Natalie,” she said.
Natalie nodded. “I was just telling Dad that the things he’s done to undermine Prosperity Ranch could be deemed libel. In other words, he could technically be sued if Mayor Prosper was so inclined.”
Knox sat on Jana’s porch steps in the early afternoon. The heat was beginning to sizzle, but a nearby tree gave him plenty of shade. He’d wait here until Jana showed up. He knew that canceling his next rodeo event was the right thing to do, but the loss of money would be painful. He was saving every penny he could, and this cancellation would set him back more. But it couldn’t be helped. He was determined to speak to Jana in person.
She’d called him a few hours ago to tell him about how she and Natalie had confronted their father. A lot of stuff had come to light. Ugly stuff. Things that had gone on for years with Knox none the wiser.
Holt hadn’t known about it, either.
This morning, Prosperity Ranch had been Knox’s first stop in Prosper, where he sat his parents and Holt down at the kitchen table. He told them everything. From the false pregnancy test, to the rumors, to Mr. Harris finding out and threatening Rex.
Knox hated that he always seemed to be the son delivering bad news to his parents and bringing angst to the family. He’d thought his black sheep days were over, but apparently not, and now, those days were still crippling the family.
“Why didn’t you tell us all this had gone on with Jana?” his mother asked.
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“I was not in a great place back then,” Knox said. “And being a teenager, I guess I thought I could fight through it all on my own.”
His mother drew in a shaky breath. “Was this why you were so insistent on marrying Macie, even though you really didn’t know each other?”
Knox couldn’t look at Holt right now, and he hoped this conversation wouldn’t go any farther than this table, because he didn’t need another wrench in his and Macie’s relationship.
“I don’t know, Mom,” Knox said in a quiet voice. “I would hope that without the situation with Jana, I would have stepped up to the plate with Macie. Which I did, and in the end, failed.”
No one spoke for a moment. This was Knox’s burden, would always be. And he’d been living with it, chipping away the weight over time, but it wouldn’t ever truly be gone.
“All we can do now is move forward, son,” his dad said. “We can’t change the past, but with the truth out in the open, we can create a better future.”
Knox rubbed at his stinging eyes and nodded.
His dad told everyone at the table about the night that Judd Harris confronted him. It was painful for Knox to hear, and painful to know that his dad had been fighting silent battles for him for so long.
Which led to a question from Knox. “Did you prevent Mrs. Harris from opening another general store in town?”
Rex had folded his hands atop the table, and said, “It’s complicated.”
“It’s a yes or no answer. You just said we need the truth out in the open.”
His dad rubbed the back of his neck.
“Rex,” Knox’s mom said. “We need the full truth here, or we won’t know what we’re dealing with.”
“Mom’s right,” Holt said with a sigh. “We’re all adults here, Dad. Spill it.”
“I voted it down,” Rex said in a reluctant tone, “but to be fair, so did the majority. Even if I’d changed my vote, the request would have been denied. Prosper wants to stay a small town—you know that, son.”
“I do know that,” Knox said. “I also know the mayor’s vote is likely to sway others on the town council to vote likewise.”
Rex couldn’t deny that. “From what you’ve told us, we’re more than even. In fact, Harris is way ahead of me in the cheap shots.”
Holt jumped in. “This goes way past the cheap shots, Dad. We’re talking about our livelihood—which affects the whole family.”
Rex blew out a breath. “You’re right,” he murmured.
“So, this is what’s going to happen,” Knox said. Everyone focused on him. “We’re going to bury the hatchet completely. Call it even on both sides.”
By the stunned look on everyone’s faces, he knew he’d shocked his family. So be it.
Holt spoke first. “Are you crazy? It would take me a while to calculate the numbers, but I figure we’ve lost thousands because of Harris.”
“Believe me, I want to fight back more than anything,” Knox said. “You know me, I’m not the type of person to back away from a fight, no matter who gets hurt in the process. But I’ve thought about this from all angles… and I’ve also thought about what we really want our future as a family to look like.”
So, they were still stunned.
Knox swallowed against the nerves climbing his throat. “Jana assured me that the grant application will be canceled today, so this at least gives us a reprieve from that. But we all know Prosper is a small town, and the equestrian world is even smaller.”
His parents both nodded. Holt just frowned.
“What are you proposing?” his mother asked.
“We need to extend an olive branch,” Knox said. “I haven’t talked to Jana about this, but I want to speak to Judd Harris in person. This all started with me.”
Holt rubbed his jaw. “It takes two to tango.”
“Jana is probably one of the sweetest women in the world, and I… I am far from that. So, let’s call it for what it is. I created this, and I need to fix it.”
“With a conversation?” his dad said.
“That’s where it’s going to start,” Knox said.
“What about the plans we talked about?” Holt asked.
Yes, he and Holt had come up with a few things to get the ranch into the black, hopefully for good. One of the options they discussed was creating a fishing retreat and offering access to their river property. Another was to hold kids’ exclusive rodeo events and training. A final option would be to rent out the barn for weddings and other events that seemed to be trending with the younger generation.
“Those are still on the table,” Knox said. “I haven’t talked to Jana about them yet, but I think we should explore all of the options.”
Holt’s blue eyes remained on Knox. “You’re serious about her, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation in his answer, but he also knew that his feelings for Jana might not be able to override her reservations.
He felt his parents’ gazes on him, too, and Knox released a breath. “You might as well all know that I am serious about Jana. There are quite a few complications that you’ve all been a witness to. But I want her to be a part of my future—if she’ll have me.”
His mother covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes filling with tears. “Oh, Knox,” she whispered.
His dad gave a firm nod. “Despite Jana’s father’s antics, I’d be right proud if things worked out with you and that young lady.”
Their support meant the world to him, because the path ahead was rocky.
Now, he still waited on Jana’s porch for her to show up. When he heard a car approaching, he didn’t lift his head immediately, since there had been more than one false alarm during his wait.
Then his heart rate notched up, and he knew it was her. He lifted his head to see her SUV stop in the driveway. He was standing by the time she got out.
Jana stepped out of the SUV. She wore leggings and an oversized button-down shirt. Her hair was down, tumbled about her shoulders, like she’d tossed and turned as much as he had last night. No makeup or jewelry.
Knox had never seen her look more beautiful.
He leaned against the porch railing, not wanting to approach her without knowing what was going on in her mind. Jana grabbed a traveling bag out of her back seat, then walked slowly toward him, her gaze scanning his face. She said nothing, and he couldn’t find any words, either.
When she neared, he straightened. In her eyes he saw… something that took his breath away.
Jana dropped the bag and stepped into his arms. She wrapped her arms about his waist and buried her face against his chest. Knox pulled her close and pressed a kiss against her hair. Whatever happened from here on out didn’t matter, he decided, as long as he had Jana in his life.
He moved a hand in slow circles on her back, and she only nestled closer. Knox didn’t want to ever repeat the conversation they’d had that morning when Jana had called things off. The fact that she was now in his arms gave him hope that he’d never had before. She’d stood up to her father, and Knox was going to make everything else right.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Jana murmured against his chest.
“Where else would I be?”
“On the way to Austin.” She lifted her head to meet his gaze. “Don’t you have another rodeo tonight?”
“I do.”
Her brows furrowed. “What are you doing here? You need to get there.”
Knox lifted a hand and ran his thumb along her jaw. “I’m where I want to be. With you. We have things to talk about.”
Jana bit her lip. “I don’t know if I have any answers about us, if that’s what you’re referring to.”
He nodded, then moved his hand behind her neck and into her hair. “I don’t want answers. I just want a chance, sweetheart.”
Jana’s hazel eyes welled with tears.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered, because his own throat was tight. “I have a lot of plans, and one of them will stick
.”
“Knox…”
“I’m serious,” he said. “Can you hear me out?”
She exhaled and ran her hands up his chest. Touching was good. Touching was promising and meant she wasn’t about to tell him to leave. When her hands reached his shoulders, she said, “Okay.”
“Okay?”
She nodded, biting that lip again. He inched closer, and when she ran her fingers into his hair, he pressed his mouth lightly against hers.
The kiss was slow, but it wasn’t a goodbye, it was something new. Like a seed planted in the spring, eager to grow into something stronger and more beautiful. Knox pulled her close again. Every part of his soul felt connected to Jana, and it was a heady sensation.
Jana sighed against him, then drew away. Tilting her head, she said, “Are you sure about all of this, Knox? I mean, I’m just a small-town girl, and you’ve got fans all over the nation. What if you get bored?”
“All that stuff out there isn’t real,” he said. “The bull-riding is real, sure, but not the relationships. Those people don’t know who I am inside. You do.”
The smallest smile appeared. “I do.”
“And I’m hoping you believe me when I say all that stuff I went through is behind me,” he said. “Way behind me. I wish I’d never gone through any of it, but since it led me back to you, I’m grateful.”
Jana’s fingers slid along his neck, then down his chest, sending a path of goose bumps across his skin. “Come on inside,” she said.
She moved to grab her bag, but Knox said, “I’ve got it.”
Her smile went straight to his heart. “Why, thank you, Mr. Bull-Rider.”
He winked. “Anytime, sweetheart.”
Hand in hand, they walked into her house. They headed into the kitchen, where Jana poured two glasses of water, then sat at the table.
Knox pulled his chair out and sat across from her; even though he’d rather be closer, this distance was good for what they had to talk about. “I need your parents’ address,” he said. “I aim to visit your dad and see if we can’t get some of this stuff put behind us.”
Jana’s brows shot up. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Knox. I mean, he’s canceling the grant request, but…”
Not Over You (Prosperity Ranch Book 3) Page 13
