Three Dates (Paths To Love Book 2)

by Grahame Claire

  I shed my clothes and stepped into the shower. What was I gonna do if she ever did give us a chance? I couldn’t take her away from New York. This was her home. She’d never leave Vivian and Daniel. I’d never ask her to.

  I groaned as warm water hit my face.

  There might not even be a ranch to go back to. My stomach soured at the thought. That land was in my blood. Generations of our family had sacrificed to make it what it was. If we lost it, who would I be?

  I pulled on a Jacobs Ranch T-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants. No way could I sit around on the sidelines and do nothing when my family’s livelihood was at stake.

  I stabbed at the numbers on my phone. Paced as it rang six times. Had almost given up when I finally got an answer.

  “Randall. Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “Who is this?”

  “You know damn well who it is.” We’d gone to school together. Won a state championship in football. And all that time he’d lived and breathed this vendetta that had gone on long enough.

  “How kind of you to call and wish me a Happy Thanksgiving, Stone.” The fake politeness made my skin crawl.

  “Cut the bull.”

  “Heard the state’s about to get your land. Have y’all decided where you’re gonna go?”

  I knew the bastard was trying to rile me up. I let him do it anyway.

  “We aren’t going anywhere,” I said through gritted teeth.

  “The great state of Texas says otherwise.” The statement was triumphant, like he knew something I didn’t.

  “Who’d you get to?”

  “I have no idea what you mean,” he said, his voice infused with innocence. “Not everyone has the Jacobs’ power and influence.”

  “You want a taste of just how far it reaches?” I hissed, not bothering to correct him that we were just ordinary folks when it came down to it.

  “I’ve already had it. You still have the land that’s mine.”

  “This has gone on long enough. You’re pissed off over something none of us were even around for and that no one remembers.” I paced in front of the dresser, catching a glimpse of my distressed state. I turned my back on the image.

  “I’m not pissed off. I’m the one finally doing something to get what rightfully belongs to my family. You’ve been living off our mineral rights, making a mint off horses and cattle that belong to us.”

  I nearly crushed the phone with my hand. “My family worked hard for everything we have. That ranch will never be yours.”

  “We’ll just see about that.”

  “What do you want with it anyway? You planning to come back to Burdett?” None of this made any sense. Why the hell was my land so important to him?

  “You make it sound like it’s no big deal. If that’s so, why are you trying so hard to hold onto it?”

  I mashed my lips together and let out a huff of air. “For reasons you’d never understand.”

  “I appreciate you interrupting our Thanksgiving dinner for nothing. If you play nice, then we might be able to work something out.” I was starting to get a sinking feeling that he’d already won.

  “Let this go, Randall.”

  “You give my family what belongs to us. We might sell it back to you. Minus the mineral rights, of course.”

  I pounded the top of the dresser. “You’ve lost your goddamn mind!”

  “And you’re about to lose your goddamn ranch.”

  Three tones sounded in my ear, indicating he’d hung up. I threw the phone against the wall. It splintered and left a dent in the Sheetrock.

  “FUCK!” My shout echoed off the walls.

  “Stone?” Muriella knocked on the door, sounding alarmed. “Is everything okay?”

  I opened it to find her worried face. “I think I made a mistake.”

  She glanced down at the pieces of my phone on the hardwood floor. “What happened?”

  “I called Randall. Thought we could talk it out like men, but I lost my cool as soon as he answered the phone.”

  Her brows pinched. “That’s not like you.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. “I hate sitting around doing nothing while everything goes to hell.”

  She gestured toward the kitchen. “Come eat. We’ll talk it through, and see if we can come up with anything.”

  I nodded, though I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’d lost my appetite.

  While she ate, I mostly picked at my food.

  “I don’t understand how this family went from pursuing your ranch directly to getting the state involved. If they want it, what good is it to them for the state to have it?” She looked at me from behind her glass of wine.

  I propped my chair back on two legs. “Hell if I know. The whole conversation was smoke and innuendo. He sounded smug, that’s for sure.”

  “With good reason, considering the letter your grandfather got from the state.”

  I landed back on all four chair legs with a thud. “He knows something I don’t. His voice…it was like he’s already won.”

  “Let’s think about this logically. We know he’s behind this move by the state, but we don’t know how it’s going to benefit him. If we figure out how he got this going in the first place, we might find some ammunition we can work with.”

  She leaned forward and drummed her fingers on the table. We. Muriella was invested in this fight. That she jumped in with both feet gave me strength.

  “I asked him who he got to. Just any Joe Blow couldn’t get something like this done.”

  “What does he do?”

  I chewed on my lip and dug through the files in my mind. “Last I heard, he was in Austin—”

  “That’s the capital, right?”

  “Yeah.” I rubbed my chin. “I don’t think he works for the government, but I can’t be sure.”

  “Daniel could find out.”

  “He’s on his honeymoon,” I protested, even though her solution was the best.

  “They have to get out of bed some time.” I sprayed tea everywhere. She shrugged. “Well, they do.”

  I mopped up my face and then the table. “I hate to—”

  “He’ll be more upset if you don’t ask him.”

  I knew she was right, so I fired off a text using her phone and got a quick response that he was on it.

  She stood and picked up my plate. “We’ll fight with everything we have,” she promised.

  “Thanks. I’m glad you came back with me. I’d be losing my mind right now.” She grounded me in ways I hadn’t known I needed, was the calm and reason when I couldn’t see it.

  Her phone chimed and we both started.

  Tex Transmission Lines, LLC

  Owner

  Partner of Texas Power

  “What does it say?” Muriella peered over my shoulder.

  “Daniel found out Randall owns a company called Tex Transmission Lines.” She gasped. “They partner with Texas Power, the one who filed for eminent domain against the ranch.”

  Her eyes rounded. “Is that legal?”

  “I intend to find out.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Muriella

  You’re almost there.

  I huddled in my coat as I hustled down the sidewalk toward Paths of Purpose, a sense of relief coming over me when I spotted the entrance. The area was familiar to me, and the subway ride had been relatively quiet for the day after Thanksgiving, yet the back of my neck still prickled with the prospect of being found. It never went away; it was simply more subdued at times.

  I darted my eyes down an alleyway as I passed. He believes you’re dead. But what about the men Daniel knew? They’d had the audacity to enter our home, so it would be nothing for them to approach me on the street.

  Only a few more yards.

  I propped on the trunk of a tree outside of the shelter and inhaled five seconds before releasing for five. These waves of being okay and then not were beginning to take a toll.

  It didn’t help
matters that Stone had been preoccupied this morning before he left for the set. Somewhere over the course of the last week, I’d begun to take on his troubles as my own. Compounded with all these feelings I’d kept buried for years, I was spiraling.

  He was the only person besides Vivian or Daniel to ever spend the night in my apartment. I’d expected it to be weird, and I did have trouble going to sleep knowing he was in the next room, but this morning, I’d found myself a little excited when I heard him rummaging around in the kitchen. All the cabinets were open; the lid to the coffee pot was up. A trail of grounds connected the canister and the appliance. Stone had been squinting at the coffee pot, and his relief had been apparent when I appeared.

  Also, I hadn’t missed the way he took in my silk pajamas, but it didn’t make me uncomfortable. Piece by piece, he chiseled away at my fears. When I let myself go, our time together was natural. Easy. He gave me hope, and that was dangerous.

  I knew what I was capable of and what I wasn’t. At least, I thought I did. But with every minute we spent in one another’s company, it felt like I could do more. Have more. Be more.

  Mrs. Quinn was surrounded by children in the dining room when I stepped inside Paths. Many years ago, before this building existed, when there were only twenty women, I’d discovered the shelter through Father Jude at the church.

  I’d connected with the women from the start, understood them in ways they’d never know. Some of them were brave enough to share their stories. I only wanted to forget mine. Volunteering here was my way of working through the past. It helped to know I wasn’t alone in my struggles.

  “Muriella. Your fans are waiting for their story.” Mrs. Quinn beamed at me.

  I held up a book, and the kids cheered and raced toward the playroom.

  “I was surprised to get your text that you’d be here. Everything go okay with the wedding?”

  This woman was one of the most selfless people I’d ever met. She’d dedicated her life to women and children in need. Everything the shelter had become was due to her guidance and vision, though she’d be the first to admit her dream was that someday there’d be no need for one.

  “It was perfect.” A longing for my family filled me. “Stone had to come back early. There was a mixup with his filming schedule.”

  “I didn’t realize the two of you were together.” She clasped her hands in front of her. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, but I thought you were just friends.”

  “We are,” I said quickly.

  “He’s a good man. Hasn’t let fame go to his head, has he?”

  How did Mrs. Quinn know that? “No.”

  “He sends me a check every month, along with the same note.”

  I stared at her. “He does?”

  “I imagine he wouldn’t be too happy I’m spilling his secret. He insists I keep his name off the list of donors.”

  That sounded like Stone. He did it without wanting credit. “What’s the note say?”

  “‘If it’s not enough, call me.’”

  I tilted my head. “He should know you better than that. You’d never ask for more.”

  Mrs. Quinn’s ability to fundraise was uncanny. She knew the perfect balance of soliciting without pushing her donors past their limits.

  “I did in the middle of the building project when we outgrew our initial plans. Anything is possible with money.” A wry smile turned up her lips.

  “Most anything,” I agreed. Unfortunately, it couldn’t fix me.

  She touched my shoulder. “I didn’t mean—”

  “It helps,” I said, waving my hand in the air. “This is an important part to healing.” She didn’t know about my past, but I imagined she had her suspicions. She’d been around too many women in my shoes not to recognize the signs.

  “Well anyway,” she continued, “I called Stone. He asked how much I needed. Two days later, I had the funds.” Awe was in her voice. “It would have taken me months to raise that kind of money.”

  Wow. I had a rough idea how much Paths took in. A few months worth of donations was in the millions.

  She pointed with her head toward the kids sitting on the floor. “They’re waiting.”

  “Ap-ple juice. Ap-ple juice.”

  I laughed as the children chanted. We’d spent an hour at the park down the street. Instead of it wearing them out, they were even more energized now that we were back indoors.

  “Looks like you could use some help.”

  I dropped the stack of paper cups in my hand. Stone swiped them off the table and pumped them over his head. “Ap-ple juice. Ap-ple juice.”

  They cheered and joined in. He pulled a cup off of the stack, and I poured. We repeated the process until everyone had a glass.

  “We make a good team.” He raised his paper cup, and we clinked.

  “Do me. Do me.” Corey, a sweet seven-year-old whose mother had been beaten within an inch of her life, lifted her cup.

  Stone cleared his throat and the kids settled down. “I’d like to propose a toast.” A few confused faces stared back at him. “To another day at the park tomorrow!” he shouted, touching his glass to Corey’s and then to everyone’s within reach. He didn’t stop until he’d toasted all seventeen of the children.

  My eyes drifted around the table. The kids vied for Stone’s attention. This right here was what I wanted more than anything. A table full of children.

  “Puzzle, Mr. Stone?” Corey blinked her long lashes at him with such hope even I wouldn’t have been able to say no. And then I realized she knew his name.

  “You got it.”

  She jumped to her feet and slipped her hand in his, dragging him toward the playroom. The little girl made something that was so difficult for me look easy. It was a lesson I desperately wanted to learn.

  They all followed Stone, and I cleaned up the empty glasses.

  “He’s good with them.” Mrs. Quinn stacked the abandoned cups before depositing them in the trash.

  “The whole world loves him.” So often I forgot he was a star. It wasn’t so odd Corey knew his name. Stone’s face was everywhere.

  “But they know him.” She pointed toward the playroom.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He comes by any chance he gets. They’re thrilled he’s in New York for a bit.”

  “He comes here?” I asked, dumbly.

  “Here,” she confirmed, her silver hair bobbing when she nodded.

  He didn’t want anyone to know. Not even me. Because he wasn’t trying to coerce me into a relationship. Slowly, but surely, he was doing it anyway.

  An hour later, Stone held my coat open for me as I got ready to head home. I slid my arms inside and hiked my purse onto my shoulder.

  “I gotta go back to the set.” He glanced longingly toward where we’d left the children.

  “Will you be home for supper?”

  He grinned. “I’m supposed to be finished around eightish. Should be home a little after if we don’t run over.” My face flamed. “Want a lift?”

  “I believe I’ll walk.” I hooked a scarf around my neck and pulled my hair out from underneath my coat collar.

  “It’s cold out.” He shrugged on his own jacket.

  I pulled a pair of gloves from my pocket. “I’m prepared.”

  “Can’t blame a guy for trying to hog a little more of your time.” He held the front door of Paths open for me.

  I was surprised to find I was sorry he had to go back to work. With every passing day I moved further away from wanting to avoid him and my feelings toward anticipating when we’d spend time together again.

  As we emerged onto the sidewalk in front of the shelter, Stone’s driver stepped out of the waiting SUV. “Mr. Jacobs, if we’re to make back on time, we need to go soon.”

  “Give us a minute, please,” he said to the driver. Then he turned toward me, stopping short before our bodies pressed together. “I like seeing you with those kids. They adore you.”

  I sucked in a breat
h at our close proximity. “They’re amazing,” I whispered, looking down.

  He waited until my eyes met his. So much unspoken passed between us. He cared about me. It was always there in the way he looked at me. And I wanted to accept it. Wanted him to know how much he meant to me. The words lodged in my throat. He also seemed to want to say something, but he let the opportunity pass.

  “I’ll let you know if I’m going to be late,” he said hoarsely.

  As he climbed in the back of the car and it faded into the distance, I wondered what it was he really wanted to say. And more importantly, was I ready to hear it?

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Stone

  Turn Around

  I snatched the note off Muriella’s front door and did as instructed. Taped to the stairwell door was another one.

  This Way

  An arrow pointed up the stairs. When I reached the landing on Daniel’s floor, I discovered more instructions.

  Keep Going

  And on the door that led to the roof,

  Almost There…

  I pushed on the bar and froze in the doorway as I looked out onto the roof. Lights were strung above the deck. Candles glowed from the center of the table where we’d eaten countless meals. Muriella sat in one of the chairs, a tall gas heater close by.

  I rushed forward, stopping short just before I reached her. “What’s all this?”

  “Don’t get excited. Just lunch with a friend.” She pressed on her toes and hugged my neck.

  I balled my fists at my sides to keep from putting my arms around her.

  “What did I do to deserve that?” I needed to know so I could do it again and again.

  “Better than an awkward side hug?” I nodded, my throat suddenly dry. “You make all that money just for the ranch, huh?” She flashed an I’m onto you look and dropped back into her seat.