Worth the Price

by Delilah Hunt

  “You hear that?” His brows were creased in concentration.

  Danika listened closely. The heavy trampling of a horse’s hooves thundering toward them resonated in her ears. Despite the darkness of the night, she was able to recognize the rider, Clint who came to an abrupt stop in front of them.

  “Bran,” he panted. “You gotta come quick.”

  She darted a look between both men. Brandon’s jaw was set in a firm line. Danika glanced downward to see his fists clenched at his sides as if he already knew what Clint’s harried visit entailed.

  “Spit it out.”

  Before Clint turned to Brandon, she caught the oddest glance, something akin to a look of sympathy from the foreman. Dread seized her by the throat, causing her to inch closer to him. Please don’t let anything have happened to my dad.

  “I just came from the pastures. Didn’t even have to do a head count to know. The fence was ripped open.”

  “Brandon?” She gripped his arm, understanding slowly dawning on her.

  “Did you see who it was?” he asked, paying no attention to her.

  “No. But the camera was running.”

  Her heart hammered. She had thought the cattle rustling was a one-time thing, some jerks out to make a fast buck. “What can I do?” She tugged on Brandon’s sleeve since he seemed to have forgotten she was standing beside him.

  Finally, he acknowledged her. “You will do nothing. I’m sending you back to the house with Clint.”

  “I want to go with you.”

  “No!”

  Her eyes widened, wounded by the sharpness of his tone. Was he angry with her? Did he blame her for bringing him out here when he could have been over at the pasture monitoring the cattle?

  She opened her mouth to ask him the very question at the same moment his thumb grazed her cheek. The harsh line was no longer chiseled into his jaw. “I’ll be able to think better when I know you’re safe at home. Trust me on this, Danika. Clint will take you back to the house. No arguments.”

  Danika curled her fist but kept silent. She was being immature, that was all. Of course Brandon was frustrated. She was too. The ranch was her home and she too felt violated.

  “You think it’ll be all right?” She watched the shadowy figure of her husband ride off into the night.

  The older man sighed. “Ain’t that a question I wish I had the answer. I sure hope Bran knows what he’s doing.”

  Worth the Price

  The next day, Brandon sat around his desk with Austin Hart standing beside him, both watching the security footage that played on his computer screen. On each occasion of replaying and zeroing in on the particular image, the sickening truth was there to see and also within his grasp. It always remained the same. He glanced down at the worn piece of paper on his desk. The same piece of paper he had witnessed moments ago landing on the grass, going unnoticed by the thieves who had ripped through his barbed wire fencing without a second thought.

  He clicked out of the security program, unwilling to stomach it for another second. This was the fourth time he’d viewed it since returning home from the pasture last night, to find Danika fast asleep on the sofa with another book dangling from her hand. He knew she had stayed up waiting for him. Quietly, he’d scooped her up and laid her in bed then returned to his office, where he’d spent the better hours of the night seething in his anger at Prescott‌—‌his father-in-law.

  Brandon rubbed his temple and turned from the computer. His stomach roiled at the thought of familial connection with the land developer.

  “We have to report this to the Association,” Austin said.

  Association? He’d rather march over to Prescott’s house and slam his fist into the older man’s face. He wouldn’t even bother to ask about the whereabouts of the cattle since they were nothing but a memory of a sumptuous steak purchased by some unwitting, law-abiding person.

  “I want back every red cent that bastard stole from me,” he growled. “Prescott deserves to rot in jail for the rest of his miserable life.”

  “Everyone knows by now Frank’s business is six feet under and buried. Whatever money he made from your cattle, is probably in the pockets of his creditors.”

  Fury stormed a path through his veins. “If Prescott was smart enough he’d have that money saved and tucked under his mattress. He doesn’t have a single bill to worry about since I paid them all a few months back.”

  Austin’s mouth fell to the floor. “Of all the things I’ve heard this has to take the bullet. What the hell would possess you to take over his debt?”

  Brandon jammed a hand inside his pocket. He’d already said too much. Carefully, he chose his next words. “As revolting as it is, he’s my father-in-law. I didn’t want my wife upset, having to see him living out on the streets.”

  “You’re bullshitting me,” Austin fired back. “And not just about paying off Prescott’s bills out of the goodness of your heart. I don’t buy it for a split second that you and Danika were embroiled in a secret relationship and it led to your quickie marriage.”

  He narrowed his brows, unsure where exactly Austin wanted to take the discussion. “My marriage is real, Hart.”

  “Never said it wasn’t. What I’m not buying is that you two were a hot item in love. Seems like a bit of a coincidence that you got hitched right about the time word started to get around that Prescott was about to lose everything. Now you’re telling me you cleared up his debt. That doesn’t make sense. Did you and Danika have some sort of agreement?”

  Brandon gritted his teeth. He should have known his friend would see past his delicate wording. “Say one word,” he warned. “One word about this to anyone…”

  “Cattleman’s honor. I’ll take it to the grave.”

  Without going into explicit details, Brandon filled him in on the exchange of money for Danika’s agreeing to marry him.

  “Bet that’s the best deal you’ve made in a decade huh?”

  “Best deal I ever made,” he admitted. Or so he’d thought. There was no denying he wanted Danika to belong to him. What he didn’t want was the trouble that came with her having Frank Prescott as a father.

  “Having second thoughts?” Austin eyed him with a hawk-like precision. “You’re not wondering if she’s involved are you?”

  “No,” Brandon replied, in a tone that left no room for argument. “She’s not helping Prescott. I’d stake my life on it. My wife is nothing like that weasel.”

  Austin issued him a look of skepticism but said nothing. “It may sound hard to believe, but I don’t regret marrying her. I did what was necessary to make her give me a chance. Seeing Danika hurt because of this is the last thing I’d ever wish for, but there’s no way I can let Prescott off the hook.” He observed his friend for a few seconds. “You ever feel that way about a woman before, like you’d go insane if you lost her?”

  “Never,” came the swift reply. “There’s not a single woman in this world I’d ever allow to have that much control over me. Doesn’t seem worth the effort.”

  Brandon sighed. He suspected his friend was lying from the way his stance became defensive. Not that it made a difference. Men like Hart would never have anything to worry about when it came down to women. He did. With the only one that would ever matter to him. “I’m not going to lose my wife over this.”

  Danika hesitated at the top of the staircase. This morning she’d awoken in bed to find the space beside her cold, empty and bereft of her husband. The lack of wrinkles on the sheet led her to conclude he’d spent the entire night outside at the pastures. The assumption prevailed until she had ventured downstairs into the kitchen. Brandon had been standing next to the counter finishing off a cup of coffee. His head lifted and for the barest moment, Danika swore she had seen a flash of anger and irritation register like shards of ice in his blue eyes. Yet just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. A second later, he’d called out a greeting to her and beckoned her to his side. Feeling foolish, she’d then chided herself fo
r imagining he could ever look at her with anything but affection.

  When she had wrapped her arm around his waist and inquired what happened, Brandon admitted the thieves had gotten away with ten head of cattle. She didn’t know what to say above the guilt that was eating away at her because Brandon had used so much of his money to pay off her father’s debt. Regardless of the fact they had struck a deal.

  And now…now she stood at the top of the staircase wondering if the same thought had taken root inside her husband’s head. If he held it against her. Her lips pursed with a pang of regret. She should have insisted to him the money was no longer important to her and that she’d search for a different means of helping her father. But she hadn’t. How was he to believe her love was true when she had accepted monetary compensation for the wonderful privilege of being his wife?

  Voices could be heard from within Brandon’s office. Immediately she recognized the other male voice to be Austin’s, although she hadn’t noticed his car outside. He must have ridden over with Brandon from the pasture. Intending to leave the men alone to their discussion, she hesitated at the mention of her father’s name.

  “What are you going to do if she takes Frank’s side in this?”

  Why were they discussing her father? Side with him on what? More confused than ever, all thoughts of leaving vanished as Danika listened to Brandon’s response.

  “She and Prescott aren’t on speaking terms. For the first time, I’m actually seeing the merit in that twist of fate.”

  Her brows furrowed before it dawned on her she hadn’t told Brandon of her meeting with her dad and that he’d decided to accept their relationship. Or try to accept it, as a start. But still, it didn’t explain why Brandon would exhibit happiness in what he knew had caused her so much anguish? It made no sense.

  She leaned her head to the door, desperate to learn key piece of information she was obviously missing.

  “Yeah,” Brandon continued, “but she has to have some remaining loyalty to him. It’s not as simple as only being accused of masterminding cattle theft. I don’t know anyone who would have sympathy for a man who’s not above stealing cattle from his own son-in-law.”

  Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Danika was surprised she was able to hear the low, dramatic whistle Austin exhaled above the rush of blood bellowing in her ears. Cattle thief. They were accusing her father of stealing her own husband’s steers.

  “Can you imagine how that’s going to blow over when everyone finds out?”

  “That’s not my problem,” Brandon answered. “Or Danika’s. Prescott made his bed now he has to lie in it. Danika has no say in this. I want him to pay. Way more than I ever had to.”

  White-hot anger sizzled through her. She pushed open the door. Eyes, identical in their shock greeted hers.

  “You’re accusing my father of taking your cattle?”

  His jaws clenched. “You were eavesdropping?”

  “That’s beside the point. Cattle theft, stealing in general is a serious crime. People go to prison for less than that, Brandon.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m hoping for.”

  She gaped at him. Was this really Brandon speaking? She looked over at Austin to see if he agreed with her husband’s logic. Austin quickly looked away and glanced at his watch. “I’ll talk to you later, Sharpe.” A curt jerk of his head and he was gone.

  Danika drew in a loud breath. She waited until she heard Austin’s footsteps descend the staircase. “Why would my father steal from you? Seriously, Brandon, he’s not that type of person. Yes, he’s fallen on hard times, but not for a minute do I believe he would resort to theft.”

  “This isn’t a spur of the moment conclusion. I tried to give your father the benefit of the doubt.” He inhaled a deep sigh of his own. “I can’t do that anymore, Cailín.”

  “Why? What happened last night to convince you my father is a criminal, is the one responsible?”

  “What happened?” His eyes darkened with contempt. “Can you give me one good reason for what one of the bastards who drove off with my steers, would be doing with a credit card receipt from Prescott?”

  “That’s not true.”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  Danika stiffened. “I don’t care what you say. My father is not a thief. He’s never stolen a dime in his entire life. I know that. Whatever he is, shrewd, stubborn, bossy, he doesn’t take what doesn’t belong to him. Trust me.”

  Brushing past her, Brandon strode to his computer and tapped the keyboard. One click of the mouse and a black and white image was streaming across the monitor.

  “What is that?” she snapped, glaring at the screen.

  “That is my proof. What I need to put Prescott in his place.”

  “That’s not my father. And what does any of this foolishness have to do with a receipt?”

  “Just watch.”

  As if she could do anything but watch. Eyes trained on the images on the monitor, Danika glanced at him through the corner of her eyes. He was watching her like a hawk. She ignored him and focused her attention on the two men, both clad in ordinary jeans and sweaters. Their faces however, were concealed by cloth masks. As the seconds sped by on the camera, she watched in astonishment as one of the men reached into a bag and retrieved a pair of pliers, handing it off it to his accomplice who promptly began to cut through the barbed wire fencing. What she hadn’t failed to miss was the piece of paper resting in the grass beside a booted foot.

  “Still quick to defend your da?”

  Danika gulped. “I don’t see what my dad has to do with this. Neither of those men were my father. That much I can tell and how do you even know the paper that fell has anything to do with him. It could be garbage. The camera wasn’t close enough to…”

  “This is how I know.” He shoved the receipt in her face. “Take a good look.”

  She skimmed the receipt and felt her heart slam against her chest as if it would tear right out. Brandon was right. The receipt was from a purchase made on her father’s credit card at a local hardware store. Two pairs of pliers. She clutched the edge of his desk.

  “Please, Brandon. Don’t rush to judgment. I haven’t. If the situation was reversed and someone accused you, I’d give you the benefit of the doubt. I swear it. This is my father we’re talking about. I have to do the same for him.”

  He chuckled. The sound was crude, yet not nearly as rough as the look on his scarred face. A sliver of fear jolted through her. “Your old man is desperate. And I know all about desperation. We both know he’s nowhere close to getting back on his feet. But hear this, what Prescott isn’t going to do is get wealthy off my land.” He shot her a scathing look. “And don’t discount for a minute that I don’t intend for him to pay me back the cost for every single one of my bulls he and his goons made off with.”

  She grabbed his hand. “Let me talk to him first, Brandon. Don’t go to the authorities. Not yet. At least let me talk to him.”

  His eyes flashed violently. “So you can warn him?”

  “Warn him?” Her blood pressure tripled. “First of all, I know my father is innocent. There has to be some other explanation and I’d like to get to the bottom of this before the situation gets crazier than it already is.”

  Brandon eased into his chair and blew out a long breath. “I should have known better than to think anything involving that lowlife would blow over easy.”

  “Anything?” Her mouth became dry. Perhaps he meant to say anyone. Her. “You’re angry with me, aren’t you? If I hadn’t come to you that day, chances are we would never have become involved. You wouldn’t have to deal with my father or hand over money to someone you think stole from you. In other words, you wouldn’t have to deal with being married to me‌—‌Frank Prescott’s spawn. Is that how you see me after everything that’s happened?”

  “You’re my wife,” he said, shifting his gaze to look out the window.

  Her heart sank. The least she had anticipated was a f
ervent denial. The memory of yesterday evening crashed into her with vivid starkness. Her, urging Brandon to rest beside her on the blanket before telling him about the pregnancy. She hadn’t imagined his reluctance and more than likely, she hadn’t imagined the arctic glint in his eyes this morning as he’d stood in the kitchen. Brandon blamed her.

  “How long have you been holding this inside you?” She closed her eyes against the hurt. “I mean, how long have you been upset with me? Weeks, Brandon? While I’ve been dancing around like a fool, believing everything was perfect between us.”

  “I’m not angry with you.”

  Hand on her hip, Danika fired back. “I’d believe you if you were actually looking at my face and not outside at the damn ranch.”

  He straightened in his chair. “Don’t make this about you and me.”

  “How can I not? You can barely even look at me and now we have a baby to think about. I have to be worried.” Especially since I don’t know if you love me.

  “It doesn’t matter what your father has to say for himself. I’m not letting this go.”

  “What about what I have to say?”

  “You don’t get a say in this.”

  Danika nodded. So he planned to go ahead and have her father arrested. She drew in a ragged breath and took a step forward then back. What was the point? Her husband was too invested in his anger and need for revenge. She had no desire to waste her time pleading to deaf ears. “I’m going to see my father.” She sent him a lengthy stare. “Should I return here afterward?”

  He let out an expletive and threw his hand up in the air. “For God’s sake. What sort of a man would I be to tell my pregnant wife to leave?”

  “Is that what’s keeping us together? Because I told you I’m pregnant?”

  His eyes abandoned hers. “I have to get back to work.”

  She watched as he stormed out of his office, leaving her behind, question unanswered.

  Worth the Price

  Danika knew her father would not be at his downtown office. The last time she’d driven by the building, there was a “Space for Rent” sign attached to one of the glass windows and the interior was devoid of all furnishings. He wasn’t at the house either. With a heavy heart she sighed, knowing without a doubt, where her search would lead. It was always the same, ever since childhood. Whenever she found it difficult to get a hold of him, Danika knew her father had gone to the cemetery to visit with her mother. It was his place of solace.