"More or less. I was more addicted to the sex than I was the coke."
Wow. She glanced at Brett and knitted her eyebrows in confusion when he shifted uneasily in his seat. Charlie leaned over to whisper something in his ear that seemed to stop Brett's fidgeting. She frowned. Something about his reaction to Hudson's story didn't sit right with her. She contemplated quizzing him later, but had a feeling she wouldn't get much out of him.
As with last time, Jason saved his story for last. Hearing about her uncle's incarceration for a second time only darkened her mood further. She couldn't get past her father's cowardice and if she thought it would do her any good, she'd confront him. But it wouldn't do her any good. She envisioned him telling her that the incident had occurred a long time ago when he was young and stupid. Maybe he'd been those things, but in the process of weaseling his way out of trouble, he'd sealed his younger brother's fate.
"Can I speak to you for a moment?"
Alex paused on her way to the stairs and silently cursed herself for allowing her animosity toward Sinclair to show. With a wince, she turned and peered up into her uncle's disapproving eyes.
"I know what you're going to say, Uncle Jason. I have to lose my nasty attitude toward Sinclair. I'm trying, but it's going to take a few days.” Before he could even reply, she rushed on, “There's really bad blood between us, but I won't do anything to jeopardize your ranch. You have to believe me."
Jason held up his hand and let out a laugh. “Whoa, darlin'. Slow down. All I was going to say is that I want you to take it easy tomorrow."
Damn. Why hadn't she waited until he'd said something before opening her big mouth?
"Oh,” she muttered. “You're going to make me explain that sudden burst of information, aren't you?"
That was a stupid question. Her uncle needed to know everything that happened on the ranch—including her past with Sinclair.
"Good guess,” he said while gesturing to the front door.
Alex followed him onto the porch and plunked onto the couch before clasping her hands between her knees. He wasn't about to tell her anything she didn't already know. Her grudge against Sinclair was petty and childish and she knew she needed to let it go, but the problem lay in actually doing it. Everything about the woman rubbed her the wrong way.
"Will you settle for the Reader's Digest version?"
"If that's what you want,” Jason said and sat next to her. “I'm not going to force you to tell me anything, but I will ask you to tell me what I need to know."
She released a long breath. “She and I were in competition for Miss Teen USA a few years ago. In the end, it was my own stupidity that got me disqualified, but she had a hand in it. She brought a couple of bottles of booze into my hotel room and my roommates and I drank it. After that, she turned us in. Since she hadn't drunk any, she got away with the whole nasty trick."
Jason nodded his understanding and kept his gaze fixed on the railing. “I see. Did you tell the officials she was the one to smuggle it in?"
She could still remember pleading with the pageant officials, but Sinclair had made her story more convincing. Just like tonight. Oh how she wished she could call Sinclair's bluff, but what was the use?
"Yes, but she came out smelling like a rose. Since I was underage, they banned me from ever entering the pageant again. Their reasoning was that my behavior did not coincide with the image they were trying to promote.” She turned to face him. “Uncle Jason, she's a horrible woman. She is a lying, manipulative leech."
She felt better having poured her heart out to her uncle, but when she noted the flicker of skepticism in his eyes, her heart sank.
"Do you remember what I told you about passing judgment?"
She wanted to protest, but what was the point? Nothing she said would change the fact Sinclair would be spending the next year at the ranch if her appeal fell through. Frustrated with the whole situation, she pushed herself to her feet and ran both hands through her hair.
"Never mind. I suppose it doesn't really matter. I'll make sure I stay as far away from her as I can."
Jason rose with a groan and stood in front of her. “Will that resolve the issues you two have?” He continued when she frowned, “Ignoring the situation may work for a while, but sooner or later you'll have to face the problem."
Easy for him to say. If she faced Sinclair, she was certain it would end in a catfight.
"Sometimes ignoring the issue is the only option someone has,” she said. “If I wasn't afraid of what would happen to this place, I would confront her right now and say my peace.” She gave a half-hearted laugh. “But I know how it would end. We would argue and I would lose my temper. How would that help? I'd rather ignore her and avoid her as much as I can."
"And let it fester inside you?"
"If need be, yes. If an altercation were to occur, you'd have to report it, right? Whether the state had come to check on you that day or not, you can bet they would be there the next day to hand you foreclosure papers. I don't want that. You've worked too hard to have your land taken away because of my petty hostilities. I'll suck it up for the next six months."
He let out a long breath before rubbing his neck. “You're certainly not making my job any easier, are you?"
She shrugged.
"If it becomes a physical confrontation, I'm going to have to send you away. I don't have a clue as to where since you're not really incarcerated and I don't want you going back to Bangor."
"This is a no-win situation, Uncle Jason."
"So I've noticed. Had I known you were acquainted with this woman, I would have refused her arrival.” He shook his head. “Do what you have to, but don't let it eat at you. You'd be hurting yourself more than you'd be helping me."
All she could do was hope that her resolve was strong enough to see her through.
* * * *
The house was dark when Alex called her sister. It wouldn't be long before she was to meet Brett outside, but she needed to know what was bothering Mindy. She scanned the moonlit living room before lifting the receiver and placing it to her ear. After dialing her sister's cell phone number, she leaned against the kitchen doorframe and chewed her upper lip.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Minnie Mouse."
"Alex! I'm so glad you called me back.” Mindy lowered her voice to almost a whisper, “I really wish you were here right now. World War III has broken out and Morgan is of no help."
What else was new? Morgan was about as dependable as a broken watch. However, she wasn't going to entertain thoughts of her twin at the moment.
"What's the matter? You sound as stressed out as I feel.” She shifted her attention to the front door in time to see it creak open. She narrowed her eyes as the shadow of a figure spread across the wall. Her unease diminished when Brett stepped into view and gingerly shut the door.
Mindy gave a short laugh. “Stressed out? Daddy handed me a deposit slip this morning showing that my trust fund is now nine million dollars. I asked him why but all he said was that you no longer needed it."
He actually did it. I didn't think he had it in him. Just as well. If she were to start over, then she wanted a fresh slate. Uncle Jason was right. It is better this way.
"Not surprising. I told him to give you the money. Did your personal account go up as well?"
"Yes, and Morgan is complaining that all she received was a ‘measly million’ out of your trust fund. Can you believe that?"
"Yes,” Alex replied calmly. “Morgan's a spoiled brat that thinks everything is hers. She's more than welcome to Greg if she wants him. I certainly have no use for him."
"Puh-leez, she doesn't want him,” Mindy grumbled. “He went after her and she was bored."
Again, she wasn't surprised. “Does Dad know? I told him about it, but he thought I was being paranoid.” She managed a pleasant smile for Brett while covering the mouthpiece. “Sorry, I had to call my sister back."
Brett shook his head and held up a hand. “Take yo
ur time, darlin'. I have all night."
Mindy laughed. “Typical. Well if he didn't, he will. Greg came by today and told everyone you threw some sort of temper tantrum and attacked him. Did you really do that?"
He'd told them what? Of all the pathetic excuses Greg could have given...
She tightened her hold on the phone and ground her teeth. “That lying skunk!” She lowered her voice to a growl, “No, I did not. He hit me and the boys taught him a lesson he won't soon forget."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brett stiffen and she motioned for him to sit.
"The boys?"
A fond smile touched her lips at the thought of the five men she had come to think of as family. She wasn't sure what to make of Hudson, but he seemed pleasant enough as well. Perhaps recruiting him to help her in the remodeling would give her a chance to know the new worker better.
"Five of the sweetest nicest men you will ever meet.” She grinned at the bashful expression on Brett's face. “Stubborn too."
He gaped at her. “You have no room to talk, princess."
"He sounds cute,” Mindy giggled.
"I'll leave it that San Eduardo has some mighty fine scenery."
Brett's eyebrows rose and he slowly pushed himself to his feet. Her grin broadened when he approached. With the light trickling in through the window, she could almost make out the faint tint of crimson seeping into his cheeks.
"You're feeding my ego,” he whispered. “You better stop before I start believing you."
Mindy paused and Alex could imagine the spark of amusement on her sister's face. God, she missed her. Morgan may be a major disappointment, but at least she had her younger sister to keep her sane.
"I'm sure you're not talking about the horses, either,” Mindy teased. “I don't want your money, Alex. If I tell Daddy this, he'll give it to Morgan and I don't think either of us wants that."
Wasn't that the truth. Morgan didn't deserve a bit of the money and if Alex had her way, she would take back the million her father had placed in the trust fund.
"I have a use for the money, actually,” she said. “I'm redoing Uncle Jason's house, so I could use the money for supplies. I plan to open a bank account the next time I go into town, so do you think you can send me a bank draft for ten thousand?"
Crash!
Alex whipped her head around to see Brett staring at her in astonishment. Pieces of broken glass surrounded him, but he didn't seem to notice the mess as he blinked.
"You have ten thousand dollars in your bank account?"
"Sort of. My father emptied my account and gave it to Mindy. It's a long story.” To her sister, she said, “I'll probably go into town early next week, so the sooner the better."
Mindy didn't miss a beat. “I'll have it sent overnight delivery tomorrow. You realize it takes longer than six months to remodel an entire house, right?"
"I know."
Her sister paused. “You're not coming back, are you?"
"No,” She imagined the disappointment on Mindy's face and her heart twisted. “I'm not."
"I don't blame you,” she mumbled. “Just make sure you let me know where you're going, okay?"
As soon as she knew, she would be more than happy to tell her sister. It was deciding where to go that was proving to be the problem.
She could hear muffled voices in the background, followed by her sister protesting weakly. The voice was unmistakably male and a sinking feeling made itself at home in Alex's empty belly.
"Alexandra?” Franklin barked into the phone. “I called that ranch nine times since the day you hung up on me. Why are you avoiding me?"
Ten times, she thought as panic set in. She didn't have the energy to listen to her father's criticism and now that Greg had told her family such an outlandish story, she was positive he was going to criticize her further. She glanced at the base of the phone and moved toward it. Why talk to him at all? She could always hang up without replying.
She began to put the receiver on the hook, when she stopped. Sooner or later, you'll have to face the issue. What a fine time for her uncle's words to come back to haunt her. Placing the receiver to her ear, she drew in a shaky breath.
"I wouldn't necessarily say I was avoiding you,” she replied in a small voice.
"What would you call it then? You can't be bothered to return a simple phone call?” That stung, but her father's next comment truly hurt. “What if something had happened to one of your sisters and I couldn't get a hold of you? Don't you think you're being a bit immature?"
Alex winced and walked over to the counter before leaning her weight against it. He was right, of course. She would feel horrible if something had happened and she had chosen to ignore her father's call. The all too familiar feeling of humiliation crept over her, wrapping around her heart like a suffocating blanket.
"Yes, sir.” A stray tear beaded in her eye. God this was embarrassing.
Brett laid his hand on her back and though his fingers couldn't have weighed more than a few ounces, they felt like lead weights.
"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?” She made a quick swipe at her eye, hoping the movement wasn't too obvious.
"Hang up."
Brett's breath tickled the fine hairs on her neck and she fought the urge to do just that. She needed to finish this. Her uncle was right. She needed to face the situation head-on.
There was a small pause before her father replied, “No. As a matter-of-fact, I wanted to discuss what happened between you and Greg yesterday. What possessed you to attack him like that? Do you realize you broke his nose?"
If nothing else, she would set him straight about Greg. The idea of her ex-fiancé lying like that infuriated her.
"First of all, I did not attack him. He slapped me and after that, he had his ass handed to him by the men of this ranch. They broke his nose. Not me.” She drew her shoulders back. “And before you decide to call me a liar, let me put Uncle Jason on the line and he'll tell you the same thing."
"Alexandra, calm yourself."
Fiery ripples of anger replaced the hurt and humiliation she'd been feeling and she turned abruptly before slipping past Brett.
"No!” She stomped her foot for emphasis. “I won't let you make me feel guilty for this. If anyone should feel guilty, it's you. How dare you let your brother take the fall for something you did? And you have the audacity to lecture me about responsibility?"
Brett groaned and maneuvered his way to where she was standing. He reached out his hand for the phone. “Alex, give me the phone. You'll regret it if you don't."
Her lower lip trembled and she shook her head. It was high time she told her father exactly what she thought.
"What do you know about that?"
A sneer curled her lip. “Everything. I know you supplied Uncle Jason with drugs and then denied they were yours when the police stopped him. I also know he served a three-year sentence because of you and while he's working his hind end off to make sure this ranch and the men who tend it are taken care of, you're sitting back making millions off food you've never even tasted."
Oh, she was on a roll now. Adrenaline pumped through her veins at such a high speed she barely felt Brett taking her arms in his hands.
"Alex,” he hissed. “Stop. It's not worth it. Jason let it go a long time ago and so should you."
For as much as she wanted to protest, Brett was right. It wasn't her place to confront her father about his past, but it felt so good to make him feel just a fraction of the guilt she felt when he talked down to her.
"Stop,” Franklin groaned. “Yes, I did that to my brother, but there is more to what happened during that time than what you realize. I apologized for my part and you're going to have to believe me when I say my cowardice saved him a world of grief."
She wanted to argue more, but his cryptic comment defused her anger. What did he mean by saving her uncle a world of grief? Jason spent three years of his life in prison!
"How?” She close
d her eyes. “On second thought, I don't want to know. My point is how can you preach to me about taking responsibility for my actions when you didn't?
"I'm serving a double sentence, I paid you back for the fine and I'm learning to do things for myself. I don't know what else you want from me and to be quite honest, I'm tired of trying to please a man I will never please."
Brett released his hold on her arms and she reopened her eyes to see that his expression had softened. “That's good, princess."
"I'm sorry I led you to think that,” Franklin said. “All I could see was your mother and I couldn't bear the thought of you turning out like her. She never took anything seriously while we were married and I didn't want the same for you girls."
If he didn't want them to be like their mother, then why treat them like her? She had nothing but contempt for her mother and everything she stood for.
"Daddy, look at Morgan,” she said in exasperation. “If there is anyone who needs to learn what responsibility is, it's her."
"Should I send her out there, too?"
"No!"
"Okay, okay.” His tone grew dark, “I believe I need to have a long talk with Greg tomorrow morning. I will not tolerate anyone striking my daughter."
A knot formed in Alex's stomach. “I want you to pretend this never happened. If you confront him, he'll try something with Uncle Jason's ranch."
"He can't touch Jason's land!"
She knew this—now—but that didn't mean something couldn't happen to Steven.
"No, but it was one of the hands who broke Greg's nose and if he decides to press charges, Steve will go back to Houston and I don't want that to happen. He was granted parole the day before and now it's been taken away from him,” she returned and stole a peek at Brett. “Not to mention the other men who were put on lockdown for trying to defend me."
"I see,” Franklin said after a moment. “I can't fault a man for defending a woman's honor, though I'm having a difficult time allowing something like this to pass unscathed."
"Does this mean you won't say anything?"
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