“And you went to Stone but none of the rest of us?” Mulaney asked.
Granddaddy and I exchanged a look. They didn’t know what we’d done to save the ranch the first time.
“I didn’t want to worry the rest of you,” he said by way of explanation.
“I only found out by accident,” Grandmama said. “From now on, nobody touches the mail but me.” She pointed a finger at everyone around the table.
“If any of y’all paid attention to the news, you’d know Stone’s been all over it for threatening Randall Hedley,” Mitch said.
Everyone looked at me. “I didn’t threaten him,” I defended. “Not really.”
“Is that why all those vultures were here?” Mama asked, a line creasing her brow.
“Yeah. I’m sorry about that. I thought I could talk some sense into Hedley. Instead, I lost my cool.” I drummed my fingers on the table.
Dad patted me on the back. “Happens to the best of us.”
“What about the hearing?” Granddaddy zeroed in on Zegas.
“Based on the evidence, I’ve thrown out the case. I came to deliver the news in person.” The judge wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“Daniel had the idea to run forensics on that bullshit napkin.” Zegas glanced toward my friend, who remained stoic. “Turns out the ink and paper are from the sixties.”
“When did old man Hedley give you that thing?” I asked.
“Oh, somewhere around 1967, I believe.” Granddaddy scratched at his temple. “He did a damn good job of making it look old, but I wasn’t buying it back then any more than I do now. Thank the Lord I kept it.”
“That doesn’t fix the eminent domain issue. All it proves is the Hedleys never had a claim to this property,” Mitch said.
“We discovered a link between Randall and the Vice President of Acquisitions for the power company. There’s a little quid pro quo going on. Texas Power would acquire the land, then they’d scrap the project and sell it to Hedley for a song. Meanwhile, the VP gets a kickback.” Zegas clasped his hands on the table, a smug smile on his face.
“I’ve turned over the evidence to the district attorney,” the judge said. “Unbelievable those two would be stupid enough to email each other about their scheme.”
“What about the prairie chickens?” I asked.
“Since you can’t keep up with your phone, by the time we decided to pursue that avenue, the forensics were due back on the napkin. I decided to wait.” My lawyer rapped his knuckles. “Doesn’t matter if they’re here or not.”
“We’re not losing the ranch?” Leona fidgeted in her chair.
This was exactly why we’d wanted to settle this ourselves. The worry on my niece’s face was enough to make me want to punch something.
“No, honey. Nobody’s going anywhere.” Granddaddy winked at her.
“I’d appreciate it if the next time something important happens, you two don’t keep it from the rest of us,” Mama said.
“Price knows better now.” I shivered at my Grandmama’s tone. “My darlin’ boy does too.”
“Yes ma’am,” I said.
“He pulls stuff like this and he’s still your darling boy?” Mulaney huffed.
“And you’re my darlin’ girl.”
“What about me?” Mitch protested.
Grandmama pinched his cheek. “You’re my darlin’ angel.”
Mitch grinned. “Can’t top that.” Juliana elbowed him in the side. “What, honey? You know you can’t.”
I stood and extended my hand to Zegas. “Appreciate it.”
We shook.
“My work is done here,” he said, getting up from the table.
“Hold up a minute. I may need both of you.” I inclined my head toward him and the judge. “Can all of y’all stay in the house for two seconds? I need some privacy in the backyard.”
“Ruby, did you get it locked down for him?” Mulaney said, lifting her chin at me.
“Am I breathing?” she fired back.
“I mean it,” I said as I backed out the door. “No interruptions.”
I laughed to myself as the screen door slammed behind me. It was good to be home.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Muriella
My brother and I were silent as we walked. The wind blew, and I shivered when we stepped inside Ruby’s warm house. I returned to the kitchen, which was always the room where I felt most comfortable in any house. I sat in the chair I’d just vacated, and Carlos occupied the one where Ruby had sat.
“Stone’s pulling out all the stops, isn’t he?” I said, though I wasn’t displeased.
“I hope you don’t mind. I was going to let you contact me in your own time, but when Stone called, I wanted to come.” His English was smooth as he spoke with very little accent. I appreciated that he recognized how difficult it was for me to use our native language, that he understood it took me back to places I couldn’t be.
“I’m glad you did.” It still troubled me Carlos so closely resembled our father. He was difficult to look at, and it was a struggle for me to meet his eyes.
“I worried so often that I’d made a mistake when I put you on the ship. I didn’t know if it was a death sentence or your ticket to freedom.” He looked up toward the ceiling. “I never pray except for you and Mama, but I see my prayers were answered. You managed to find a family that loves you, and I couldn’t have chosen any better people for you to be with.”
“I don’t blame you,” I said softly.
“Camil—I’m sorry. It’s hard to get used to your new name.” He tried again. “Muriella. I didn’t know what was going on with Papa at first. I was so selfish, consumed with my grief for Mama. It was my fault she died. I was the one who wanted to go to the market that day, and then when the men came, I couldn’t protect her. That was hard for me to live with. I turned to the wrong things for comfort, thinking if I could just keep something going up my nose, eventually the pain would stop.”
Carlos was as haunted by ghosts of the past as I was. After Mama died, he’d been scarce, but I never knew where he was off to. I’d assumed he was working for our father. I hated he’d turned to our family’s source of income for comfort, though I wasn’t any help to him back then. It had been a struggle dealing with my own hell.
“I got angry with a friend of mine while playing poker, I can’t even remember why now. Maybe I thought he was cheating at cards. I was out of my mind most of the time back then.” He looked away as if he hated that part of himself. “I returned home when I wasn’t supposed to. He came down the stairs with his pants hanging open.” Carlos cleared his throat and mine closed up, the image as vivid in my mind as if I’d seen it. I had, only from a different point of view.
He drew in a deep breath and balled his fist on the table. “I waited in the living room until I was certain he was in the kitchen, not wanting to hear an earful from him while he was as drunk as I was.”
My insides churned when he stopped again. I knew what was coming. “When I got upstairs, the door to his room was open. You were lying there naked, curled up in a ball, and then I knew.” He closed his eyes and shuddered, the memory still vivid and horrific. “I was paralyzed by what I’d seen. I didn’t want to believe it, and I guess I hoped it was just the one time and that would be the end of it. But as time went on, I saw what he was doing to you, what life had become for you, and I knew I had to do something. I hadn’t been able to save Mama, but I could try to save you. It took me a while to figure out what to do. I couldn’t see any option other than getting you out of there. He was too powerful. Anywhere I hid you, he would have found you. The greatest risk would have been trying to keep you close. When I discovered the ship bound for America, I chose it, hoping you could find a better life.”
My eyes shone with tears as I learned his side of the story. I’d always felt if he’d known what our father was doing to me, he would have stopped it. I could see how difficult trying to decide what was best for me had been on him.
“I forgot to pack a flashlight,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I was in a rush, and I was terrified of getting caught. I found it sitting on my dresser after I’d already secured you on the boat. It kept me up at night, worrying that you were scared in the dark. I’m so sorry.”
I stood and went to him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. He leaned his head into my chest, and I held him, both of us silently crying.
“It’s okay. I’m okay,” I promised.
He looked up at me with watery eyes. “Can I hug you, Muriella?”
My throat constricted. I nodded. He stood and hugged me tightly, as if he’d been waiting a long time for our reunion. We held each other until our tears stopped. Relief swept through me that I had my brother back. I’d missed him.
I touched his cheek, hoping to wipe away some of the guilt he bore for things that weren’t his fault. “It’s worked out for the best. I’m where I’m supposed to be.”
“Then why are you leaving?” The question was pointed, sharp like an arrow striking me in the heart.
“How do you know that?”
He just looked at me. “I’d like an answer to my question.”
I decided to tell him the truth.
“Because I’m going to kill him. If I don’t, he’ll hunt down the people I love.” The confession to my brother was more than I’d given the rest of my family, but I realized that of all people, he had a right to know.
“You don’t need to worry about him.”
“How can I stop?” It wasn’t just a switch I could turn off, especially now that he knew my whereabouts.
“The injuries he sustained while trying to kidnap you were too severe for him to keep his legs and one arm. He lost a few fingers on the hand he did keep. He’s not going anywhere.” Carlos spoke evenly with zero emotion, and I hated my father even more for forcing him to become callous to certain parts of his life.
“I didn’t cause all of that.”
“No, you didn’t.”
Understanding and relief filled me with the knowledge my father was somewhere suffering. Until I remembered just how powerful he was. “He has to know you’re here. He’ll send someone after us,” I protested, panic beginning to rise.
“Right now, with the drugs I’ve pumped into his system, he doesn’t even know he’s in this world. But when I let him back in, he’ll know exactly what it feels like to be helpless.” I shivered at the ice in my brother’s words. “Justice can never be served, but before I send him to an eternity in hell, he’s going to live one here on Earth.”
“Carlos…” I couldn’t find the words to argue. However wrong it might have been, I wanted my father to suffer, but not at the risk of my brother’s soul.
“My conscience will never be clear. If I don’t avenge what he’s done, I can’t live with myself. I’m already struggling with letting him stay alive this long.”
“Don’t be like him. I know there are things you have to do, but you can live a different life.” I hated the thought of him resigned to a life of crime and destruction.
“I intend to. The Calderóns are almost out of the drug trade. I’ve methodically destroyed that business, and the only reason Papa is still breathing is because I wanted him to see his precious empire implode. It’s done. You’re safe. So stop trying to throw away the family you have. If you do, he wins, and putting you on that ship was for naught.”
“I don’t want him to win,” I whispered.
“Only you have the power to make sure he doesn’t.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Stone
When Muriella and Carlos trekked across the yard, I shot up from my position on the back porch steps and met them halfway, assessing for any sign of how the conversation had gone.
“Thank you again for having me,” Carlos said, extending his hand.
“Glad you could make it. Why don’t you go inside, get something to eat. We’ll follow you in a few minutes.” I shook her brother’s hand.
Carlos gave her a meaningful look before he took off inside the house.
“Let’s take a walk.”
I linked our hands before she could agree or disagree, her feet moving right along next to me when I set off. It was getting late in the afternoon; the wind was still brisk with a few clouds overhead. This place was peaceful, the air clean as I dragged it through my lungs.
I didn’t speak until we were under the tree where Grandmama and Granddaddy had gotten married. I pulled her into my arms.
“I love you.” I needed to say it to her, make sure she understood. “Nothing will ever change that. I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to.” Her eyes shone. “These last few weeks with you have been the best of my life. I always considered myself a pretty happy guy, but I didn’t know a damn thing. You’ve opened up parts of me I didn’t know were there. Shown me what pure joy is.
“Whether you want me or not, I’m yours. I always will be. Letting you walk away from me is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Selfishly, I want it to be as hard on you as it is for me. That’s why I brought you here, hoping I could make you stay, show you what you’re giving up. But as much as I want to keep you, I can’t do it if that’s not what you want.” My grip on her tightened.
She swallowed hard. “Stone…”
“Let me ask you one thing before you take off.” My stomach knotted as I got down on one knee. “Muriella, you are the reason I was put on this earth. I don’t make decisions without being certain, and I’ve never been more sure of anything than my feelings for you.” I paused. “Will you marry me?”
She froze, and my heart drummed as I waited for a response. This was it. The last-second Hail Mary. My life hung in the balance as we stared at one another.
“Yes.”
Surprise had me blinking up at her before a grin spread across my face. I kept hold of her with one hand and dug in my pocket with the other. I slipped an antique diamond ring on her left hand. “This was my great-grandmother’s on the Jacobs side. One day my grandparents’ wedding bands will go to our son. We’ve been passing rings down for a hundred years.”
“It’s beautiful. Perfect.” She looked down at the ring and then looked at me in wonder as she pulled me to my feet. “I wasn’t leaving. Well, I was, but not just to go to an aimless destination.” She took in a deep breath. “I was going to kill my father. End this. You deserve more than a woman capable of killing. I wasn’t sure if I’d survive anyway or what I would be like if I did. And if I’d told you of my plans, you’d have never let me go.”
I brushed the hair back from her forehead, proud she’d admitted the truth. “I thought about killing him too, so many times it scared me. And you’re damn right, there’s no way I’d have let you go on your own. You deserve vengeance any way you want it, but I can’t stand the thought of him ever being near you again.”
She let out a long breath and gave me a little smile. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I thought you should know, in case you wanted to change your mind.”
“Not a chance I’ll ever change my mind. Ready to do this?”
“Do what?”
“Get married. Right now.”
She searched my face, trying to understand what I’d said. “What? Now? But—but I don’t have a ring for you.”
“Don’t need one. I’ve got my great-grandfather’s. Like I said, we pass the sets down.” I produced two rings, one a worn gold band that looked like it had seen a lifetime’s worth of love, the other a circle of diamonds, the metal aged, the stones flawless.
“I’m honored to have your great-grandmother’s ring. I only hope I can live up to it.” She admired the jewelry with a soft smile.
“You already have. She was an amazing lady, tough as nails but as loving as they come. You remind me a lot of her. I’ll show you her picture later.”
“I’d like that very much. But how are we going to get married? Who’s going to perform the ceremony?”
“Zegas turned up with a judge.”
/> “Your lawyer’s here?” Her eyebrows jumped in surprise.
“Came to deliver the news in person. The judge is throwing out the eminent domain case. Randall Hedley may be in a hornet’s nest of trouble.” I couldn’t resist sounding happy about that last part.
“So the ranch? Your family gets to keep it?” The hope in her voice told me all I needed to know about her feelings when it came to this land. She was as invested in it as the rest of us.
“We do.”
She threw her arms around my neck, and I twirled her around. “That’s wonderful news. I’m so relieved.”
“I don’t know what I would’ve done without you to talk to about it. Thanks.”
Her eyes narrowed. “If you try to keep things like that from me…”
“I’ve learned my lesson,” I promised. “They’re pretty upset with me and Granddaddy about it, but I think they’ll get over it.”
“Perhaps a wedding will distract them?”
I grinned. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.” I brushed her cheek with my thumb. “My granddaddy asked Pastor Adams to come over for coffee and pie. Nobody turns down pie made by Ruby Jacobs. I didn’t know the judge was gonna be here, so if you’d rather have the preacher do the ceremony.”
“You planned a wedding for our third date?”
“I hoped.” I fingered the pearls in her ears. “Everything’s taken care of. Here’s your something old. These are Grandmama’s.” I touched the gold hearts around her neck. “Here’s your something new.”
“This is Vivian’s,” she protested.
“No, darlin’. It’s yours. Both of our hearts hooked together. Inseparable.”
“I—Thank you,” she whispered.
“Something blue? Hmm, got any ideas?”
“The flowers.” She attempted to look stern, failing miserably. “You had this all worked out. You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
Three Dates (Paths To Love Book 2) Page 29
