Jared's Texas Homecoming

by Patricia Thayer

  Dana wanted to ask him about what, but it was none of her business. Jared Trager was not her concern anymore. “Sure, he should be in the bunkhouse.” She started for the house. The last thing she wanted was to see Jared again.

  Jared found he didn’t want to leave the Lazy S. A sadness came over him as he said goodbye to Bert. The foreman was obviously confused over the turn of events, but didn’t ask questions. Jared let Bert know where to reach him in town and gave him his cell phone number.

  Angry for making a mess of everything, Jared knew that Dana wasn’t going to be able to handle things on her own. But, dammit, she was too stubborn to let anyone help. There was nothing he could do; she’d kicked him out on his rear end.

  Jared picked up his toolbox and walked out of the barn where he found Chance Randell standing beside his Jeep. Great, this was all he needed.

  “Look, I’m leaving so there’s no need to run me off.”

  “I’m not here to chase you anywhere,” Chance said, then glanced away. “In fact, I may have acted a little hasty the other night.”

  Jared went to the back of the Jeep and opened the hatch. He tossed in his bag, then his tools. “Doesn’t matter. It was a mistake coming here. I don’t know what I expected to find.”

  Chance pushed his hat back on his head. “Maybe a little friendlier greeting. We didn’t exactly give you a Texas welcome. It’s just that when our father’s name is mentioned, it brings back some bad memories. The guy was a real piece of work. So you might not want to discover that he’s your father, anyway.”

  “You’re probably right.” Jared started toward the driver’s side door. He didn’t want to deal with this. No more rejection today.

  “If you’re still interested in knowing the truth, I’ve arranged for a DNA test for you and me tomorrow morning at ten o’clock.” He handed Jared a card with the lab’s name and address. “Hope to see you there.” Then he turned and walked off.

  Jared stood quietly. Why would the Randells want to know if he was their father’s bastard son? He shook his head and was opening the Jeep’s door when he heard his name called out. Something tightened around his heart when he saw Evan running from the house. Damn. How was he going to say goodbye to the boy?

  “Jared, don’t go,” the child cried. He was running so fast, he tripped and tumbled to the ground. He climbed to his feet and kept coming. Jared met him under a tree. “Don’t leave,” Evan cried again.

  Jared caught the boy in his arms and for the first time in a long time wished he could call a place home.

  “I have to, Evan. You know I have a job in Las Vegas.”

  The child swiped at his tears. “But I want you to stay here. Please. I’ll be good.”

  Jared felt like a coldhearted bastard. “It’s not you, Evan. Sometimes we can’t do what we want.” Jared looked up and noticed Dana heading toward them. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to forget you. We can write each other letters.”

  The boy sobbed into Jared’s chest. “I don’t know how to read or print very good.”

  “Okay, then I’ll write you, and your mother can read the letters to you. And soon you’ll learn how to write in school.” He gripped Evan by his arms and made the boy look at him. “Now, I’ll be going into town for a few days, but I promise I’ll come by and see you again.” He looked up to find that Dana was standing a few feet away. He could tell she wasn’t happy about his plans. Too bad. He wasn’t going to let the kid down. He knew how rotten that felt.

  “Evan,” Dana called to her son. “Why don’t you go back into the house now?”

  The boy glowered at his mother. “You’re mean! Why are you making Jared leave?”

  “Evan, that’s no way to speak to your mother,” Jared said, not surprised at the child’s disappointment.

  The boy hung his head. “Sorry…”

  “Tell that to your mother.”

  Evan glanced at Dana and repeated the word. Then the boy shot off toward the house.

  Jared didn’t miss the hurt look on Dana’s face. “Don’t take it so hard. He’ll forget about me soon.”

  “If you hadn’t come here…”

  “Look, I know I messed up,” he began. “I should have told you about the trust Marsh set up for Evan.” Jared went to the back of the Jeep, took out a folder from his bag and handed it to her. “I should have delivered this that first day. Inside, there’s the name of the lawyer you should contact.”

  “Thanks,” Dana said, and pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket. “Here’s the wages I owe you for two weeks’ work.”

  Jared shook his head. “No, I don’t want your money.”

  Dana’s chin came up. “I don’t take charity, Jared.” She pushed the check at him.

  Angry, Jared snatched the piece of paper from her fingers, then proceeded to tear it up. “Think of it as a gift for Evan. After all, he is my nephew.”

  “Too bad you couldn’t be honest about that.”

  “I’m sorry for that, too. But don’t punish the boy for my mistake. Let me write to him.”

  “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

  “Like it wasn’t a good idea to tell him about his father,” Jared accused.

  “Evan’s too young to understand.”

  “Then why has he been asking me so many questions?” He stepped closer and he saw Dana’s eyes widen. He inhaled her intoxicating scent, reminding him of the kisses they’d shared. His body sprang to life and he quickly backed away. “At least don’t lie to him, Dana. He’ll come to hate you for it. Evan deserves to know the truth about Marsh, if not now, then sometime soon. If only to help him understand who he is.”

  Jared turned and walked to the vehicle, wishing with all his heart that he could stay.

  After Jared got a motel room in San Angelo, he called the body shop to check the progress on his truck. The manager said the repairs would take a few more days. Great. He was stuck in town. Since he had to stay anyway, he might as well go through with the DNA test tomorrow. He’d come all this way to Texas, why not find out for sure if he was a Hastings or a Randell? Even if, in his heart, he knew the truth.

  When Jared phoned Chance to tell him he’d be at the lab in the morning, he was surprised to get an invitation to come out to his ranch. Jared thought about not accepting, but curiosity got the best of him. Besides, what else did he have to do but sit around the motel room, or hang out at one of the local bars and think about Dana Shayne?

  Jared followed Chance’s directions to the Randell Family Horse Ranch. He turned off the highway onto the gravel road that led him through a wrought-iron archway, then to a big two-story, yellow-and-white Victorian house. The lawn, despite the drought, was a rich green with colorful flowers edging the large wraparound porch and brick walkway. Two big dogs, a chocolate and a blond Lab came running toward him, then stopped and sat down at his feet, waiting to be petted. Finishing the playful exchange with the dogs, he looked up as Joy Randell and a little girl walked out onto the porch.

  She greeted him as he came up the walk. “Hello, Jared. This is our daughter, Katie.”

  The small child with light blond curls turned shyly and buried her head in her mother’s skirt as he came closer.

  “Hi, Katie,” he said. “I know a friend of yours. Evan.”

  The girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at him. “Eban plays with Katie. And I play with his cars.”

  Jared smiled. “And I bet that’s fun.” He turned his attention to Joy. “Thank you for inviting me.”

  She smiled, too. “You’re welcome.”

  He stepped up on what was obviously a new porch floor. The tongue-and-groove oak had been left natural, with only a high gloss polyurethane coating used to protect the finish. It was a first-class job. Most of the railing had been replaced and painted a snowy white to match the house trim. Several plants hung from above, adding color to the inviting porch.

  “You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Randell.”

  She laughed. “Y
ou should have seen it when I inherited it. Made Dana’s place look like a showcase. Chance did a lot of the work himself. And please, call me Joy.”

  “Well, Joy, he knew what he was doing.”

  “That’s right, you’re a carpenter by trade.”

  He nodded as he examined the structure. “I normally work on new construction, but it’s got to be satisfying to restore a place like this.”

  “I’m glad we took the time. And believe me, it’s taken nearly three years to get to this point. There’s still so much to do. It would be nice if Chance had help.” Those big blue eyes lit up. “You wouldn’t want to do some side work, would you?”

  “I’m not staying that long.”

  “Oh, I thought…” She smiled again. “You know, Chance is in the mare’s barn. If you want, you can go down there. I’m sure he’d love to show you around.”

  “I’d like that.” Jared followed Joy’s direction to the new white barn. It was cool inside and quiet, except for the sound of a deep baritone voice. Curious, Jared followed the soft, almost seductive tone to a stall where he found Chance talking sweetly to a very pregnant mare.

  He was surprised at the gentleness the big man showed to the animal. Chance’s love for this horse was evident in his voice and touch. “Does your wife know you talk to other women like this?”

  Chance continued to stroke the mare’s oversize stomach. “She doesn’t care as long as the foal this lady produces comes out healthy and maybe even is worth some money.” He glanced up. “Jared, meet Glory Girl.”

  Jared stepped closer to the railing and rubbed the horse’s face. The chestnut with the white star on her forehead was a beauty. And friendly. She nuzzled closer.

  “Well, hello beautiful,” he crooned as Chance looked on. “When is she due?”

  “Sometime next week. She’s delivering late in the season, but her foals are well worth it.” He came out of the stall and closed the gate behind him. They started to walk away and the mare let him know her irritation with a loud whinny.

  Jared looked around the structure. All the stalls were freshly painted and clean. Several horses came to their gates, wanting attention.

  “This is quite a place here,” Jared said. “How many horses do you have?”

  “Ten that I own. And another dozen that are in different stages of training. I’m alone right now, but I have two trainers and three groomers who work during the day.”

  “Impressive.”

  “It’s a lot of work, too,” Chance admitted. “Especially now since our expansion with the guest ranch and campground. Joy’s pregnant, too.”

  “Congratulations.” It seemed to Jared that the man had everything.

  Chance smiled as he puffed out his chest. “We’re both pretty happy about it.”

  Jared couldn’t figure Chance out. Why would he care about finding out if they were related?

  He looked at Jared. “Thanks for coming tonight. I have to apologize again for my behavior when you came by Hank’s the other evening. After I talked it over with Cade and Travis, we all decided we’d like to find out if you’re kin to us. Besides, you had no control over who your parents were, any more than we did. Believe me, Jack Randell is no prize.”

  “Do you have any idea where he is now?”

  Chance shook his head. “Nor do I want to know. The last time Jack contacted any of us was about ten years ago when he got out of prison. He wanted money. I said no, and we never heard from him again.” He shrugged.

  “It doesn’t matter. As far as my brothers and I are concerned, Hank is our father. He was the one who raised us.” Chance made a snorting sound. “Jack was just the sperm donor. Hank always said, you don’t have to be blood to be family.”

  Jared knew Graham Hastings hadn’t believed that. The man despised him. “Look, I want you to know that if it turns out that we’re related…I don’t want anything. I just need to know who I am.”

  Chance drew a breath and released it slowly. “That’s good, because around here, we earn our place. I do have a concern, though. Dana Shayne. I don’t want her hurt. Are you planning to hang around?”

  Jared didn’t like the third degree, but he understood it. “I have a job in Las Vegas, but I also have a commitment to my dead brother. Evan is my nephew.” That was all Jared said, knowing any more of the story would have to come from her.

  Chance shook his head. “I’m surprised Dana didn’t run you off with a shotgun.” The tone of his voice turned threatening. “I’ll do worse if I find out you hurt her or her boy.”

  “I haven’t done anything but try to help her. I know now it was wrong not to be honest with her when I first arrived, but it’s not an easy thing to bring up in conversation. But Evan is my nephew and I want to make sure everything is okay with him. Since I discovered the trouble Dana is having keeping the ranch, I feel I need to hang around to make sure she and Evan will be all right.”

  “Dana won’t like that,” Chance admitted. “We’ve tried to help her many times. Sure, we’d like to have the land along Mustang Valley, but not to buy her out completely. She can’t run the place on her own. And Bert… He’s too old to handle much more.”

  “If the bank takes it over, where would she go? What would she do?”

  Chance shrugged. “Joy asked Dana to take over managing the campground for the summer, but it’s not enough to pay off the balloon payment that’s due.”

  Jared didn’t want to think about Dana and Evan losing the ranch. The Lazy S was their home. All the money in Evan’s trust was tied up tightly, specifying it was only to be used for the boy’s support and education.

  Jared had the money in his trust, but he couldn’t claim it until he was thirty-five…or married.

  “What if Dana had a partner? Could she make a go of it if she increased the size of her herd and had a few more ranch hands to help run the place? Could she make a decent living?”

  “That’s a question I can’t answer. Several ranchers have lost out, but then others have found ways to make it work. I breed and train horses. The Randells have also gone into the tourist business. Nothing is impossible if you’re willing to work at it. Why? You planning to go into cattle ranching?”

  “It’s a possibility. A good possibility.”

  Chance laughed, then sobered. “You’re serious.”

  “Just don’t say anything to Dana yet. I think I may have a way to help her, but I need to make some calls. If it all works out, then Dana can have her dream and Evan can have his legacy.”

  The next morning, Jared accomplished a lot. He called his lawyer, went to the bank and had a DNA blood test, all before noon.

  Right now he needed to talk to Dana. They had to discuss the future before he could move forward. He pulled up in the driveway and got out of the Jeep just as Dana walked out the back door. His heart jolted at the sight of her dressed in snug-fitting jeans and a white blouse that showed off her perfect curves. Her copper hair was pulled back and braided down her back.

  She came toward him. “What do you want, Trager?”

  “I need to talk to you, Dana.”

  “We said everything we needed to say.” She began to walk away.

  “I think you need to listen to what I have to say. It’s about the ranch.”

  She swung around. “What could we possibly have to discuss…and about my ranch?”

  “I want to help you save the Lazy S.”

  “I can do that without you.”

  “You can’t make the payment that’s due in six weeks.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “How did you know about that?”

  “It wasn’t hard to find out.”

  “Get off my land.”

  “Not until you listen to me. I want to help. You can’t lose everything just because of your dislike for me. Think about Evan. I want him to have the Lazy S, too. Just give me ten minutes to explain.”

  She glared at him. “Why should I? You’ve done nothing but lie since you’ve come here.”

  “Be
cause what I have to say just might save your and Evan’s home.”

  “You’ve got ten minutes. That’s it.” She turned and marched up the steps and he followed.

  Inside, she took him into the office, a dark paneled room with worn carpet that hadn’t been replaced in years. Dana sat behind the desk. “All right, the clock has started.”

  No pressure at all, he thought. “It’s no secret that you’ve had a few bad years because of the drought and you’ve had to sell off a lot of your herd before it was time. Now you’re behind in your payments to the bank and the balloon is coming due. And the sale from your remaining herd isn’t going to be enough.” He studied her for a moment. “I have a solution for both of us.”

  Dana stared at him. “Well, don’t stop now just when it’s getting interesting.”

  “I’ve also talked to Mr. Janny, the lawyer in charge of Evan’s trust fund. Although the fund Marsh set up is a considerable amount, Evan won’t receive the bulk of the money until he’s twenty-one. There will be monthly checks coming to you for his support, but Mr. Janny isn’t going to give you any money toward the ranch.”

  “I couldn’t use any of Evan’s money. I want him to have that for college.”

  Jared nodded. “Not even to save the Lazy S for him to inherit one day?”

  She swallowed hard. “That’s a big risk. If I lose it, then he’ll end up with nothing. At least if I sell the Mustang Valley section to the Randells, I can keep part of the ranch.”

  “What if I told you that I have the money you need? That I want to be your partner?”

  “You’ve got to be crazy. Why would you want to get into the cattle business?”

  “Because Evan is my nephew and I want to make sure he’s taken care of.” And because he hated seeing the pain in Dana’s eyes. “I have money from a trust fund of my own.”

  “And you want to give me some of it.” She shook her head as if she didn’t believe any of it. “What’s in this for you?”

  He hesitated. This was the tricky part. “The trust is sizable. I had planned to use part of the money to buy the construction company where I work in Las Vegas. But there is a stipulation in the will…and that’s where I need your help.”