Margaret rose as they entered, her eyes widening for a moment as she took in the four couples.
“Here you are,” she said, recovering quickly, smiling and gesturing them forward. “Hannah, these are my children and their partners — Chase and Raine, Luke and Rachel and Jessie and Zach. And this is Trey Harper and Lori Ashworth.”
Trey didn’t remember Hannah Rimes and wasn’t sure if he’d met her before. She was a tall, spare woman with gray hair, dressed in a tailored blue suit with navy low-heeled pumps. She sat stiffly erect in the upholstered chair, her spine at least three inches from the cushioned back, her hands folded in her lap. She didn’t seem nervous, he thought, but her chin and expression held resolve. Her nod of response to Margaret’s introductions was abrupt and determined.
“Please, sit down everyone,” Margaret urged. “Hannah has something she wants to discuss with you.”
Lori took a seat on the sofa next to Jessie but Trey didn’t sit, choosing instead to stand behind her.
The older woman looked directly at Trey. “The sheriff tells me that my sons, Carl and Bobby, are accused of attacking you and stealing your car.”
“That’s my understanding,” he said evenly, wondering where this was going.
“I’m not saying they didn’t do it,” she said, her gaze unwavering and focused. “And I’m not saying they did. I want to make that clear.”
“Okay,” he replied when it became obvious she waited for his confirmation.
“The sheriff tells me if my boys come home, they’ll be arrested and tried for assault and probably kidnapping and if they’re convicted, they’ll do time.” She glanced at Chase. He didn’t respond, his face looked carved in granite. “Like any mother, I want my sons home. But I don’t want them sent to prison.”
“I’m not sure what I can do about that,” Trey said when she paused to study him.
“You’re the only one who can change things. At least, that’s what the sheriff said.” She looked from him to Chase once more, before returning to fix Trey with a level gaze. “I figure it’s unlikely you’ll help my boys, not after what they did to you. But I have information I think you might want and I’m willing to trade it for my sons’ freedom.”
Trey heard Lori stifle a quiet gasp. His eyes held Hannah’s. “What is it?”
“Before I tell you, will you agree to talk to the sheriff about not bringing charges against Carl and Bobby?”
“Not until I know what you’ve got,” he responded. “All I can promise you is that if it’s good enough, I’ll see what I can do. If it isn’t, then they’re on their own.”
Her mouth compressed in a thin line as she considered him. “Very well,” she said crisply. “For several years, and up until this afternoon, I was Harlan Kerrigan’s housekeeper.” She ignored the collective hiss of indrawn breaths and continued.
“My boys went to work for Harlan not quite a year ago. At first I was grateful to him for taking them on. They’d been involved in a few scrapes with the law and if he hadn’t hired them, they would have had to leave Wolf Creek to find work. Things went well for a while, but then I learned Harlan had my boys doing stuff besides ranching, things I didn’t approve of.
“That’s when I started eavesdropping on his telephone conversations whenever I could. I wanted ammunition to force him to assign my boys honest work. And that’s how I found out about the woman who’s been blackmailing him.”
“He was being blackmailed?” Jessie asked, eyebrows winging upward. “How do you know?”
“I overheard him on the phone. It wasn’t her he was talking to, it was her sister. The woman was sick and the sister wanted him to send money for the doctors’ bills. But Harlan refused, saying he’d given her a fortune over the last fifteen years. Then a month later, the sister called back, and this time I managed to pick up the other phone. She told Harlan the woman had died and she was going to make him pay for not helping when she’d asked. They argued about it for several minutes before the woman got hysterical and said she’d turn the pictures over to the McClouds. Harlan laughed and told her that if she wanted to tangle with that family, go ahead. He said Chase was dangerous and she’d be sorry, not him. She screamed at him and said in that case she’d hand them over to the Harpers instead and hung up.”
“This is all very interesting, but I’m not sure it’s worth asking the sheriff to drop battery charges,” Trey told her.
“This isn’t what I want to trade — it’s complicated and I needed to tell you what led up to my boys stealing —” she caught herself “— allegedly stealing your car.”
Trey nodded, and she continued.
“Carl called me a few days ago and told me Harlan thought the woman had sent you photographs and asked him and Bobby to watch you. When you left town one night, they followed. He didn’t tell me what happened next, but I’ve heard that’s the night you went missing.”
“So far,” Trey said evenly, anger swelling at the confirmation that Harlan was involved in his assault, “all you’ve given me are more reasons for your sons to go to jail.”
“I know. I’m telling you this to make you understand that Harlan was behind the attack on you. Which leads me to the relevant point. I think you and you —” her eyes flicked to Chase “— might be more interested in seeing Harlan go to prison.”
“We are.” Chase’s voice was remote, his face unreadable.
“Good.” She nodded, one abrupt movement of her head. “Before I married the boys’ father and moved to Wolf Creek, I worked as an assistant to an accountant in Havre. I kept books for Harlan while I was his housekeeper. He asked me to keep two sets while Marcus was alive, one for Kerrigan Holdings, and another that were his personal records. I’m not trained as a CPA, but it was clear to me there was something odd about the documents.”
Trey and Lori exchanged glances. Her eyes were wide with growing comprehension. He suspected his own held triumph.
“Are you willing to testify in a court of law about what you know?” Jessie asked.
“Are you willing to help my boys stay out of jail, Mr. Harper?” Though her voice was crisp, Hannah’s hands were clasped tightly together, her spare body stiff with apprehension.
“If we can prove Harlan coerced them,” he said. “He’ll deny it, of course, and I don’t know if your word against his will convince a judge and jury, but it’s worth a shot.”
Hannah leaned forward and picked up her purse, tucked next to her feet. “It’s not my word against his.” She opened the bag and pulled out a thick file. “I made a copy of the records while I was working as Harlan’s bookkeeper.”
“Oh. My. God,” Rachel breathed, her words loud in the stunned silence.
“Mrs. Rimes.” Trey crossed the room and planted a kiss on the startled woman’s cheek. “I’ll talk to the sheriff and do what I can to make sure your sons come home. But you’d better tell them to stay out of my sight till this scar fades and my headaches are gone,” he added.
“I will.” Hannah’s composure wavered, her eyes suddenly damp.
“Does Harlan know you have that file?” Chase asked her.
“I don’t think so. I certainly didn’t tell him. I’m concerned about going back to the house, though. I’ve asked him several times how he was planning to help Carl and Bobby but he was always evasive. I asked him again at lunch today, and he was irritable, told me there wasn’t anything he could do and that the boys would have to stay in Belize until things calmed down in Wolf Creek.” She looked at Margaret. “That’s when I decided to come here. I left Harlan a message on his answering machine, telling him I was quitting. I didn’t pack anything — I didn’t want him to know I wasn’t going back. I just tucked the file in my purse and drove down the highway like I was heading to town, just as I always do on my day off. I don’t feel safe going back there, though. I hate to think what he might do if he finds out I talked to you.”
“Good call,” Trey said. “For sure you should keep away from Harlan. In fact, we’ll wo
rk out protection and a safe place for you to lay low until he and Lonnie are both in custody.”
“She can sleep here tonight,” Margaret interrupted. “And if Harlan should be foolish enough to come and find you, my husband would be more than pleased to greet him with a shotgun.”
“Chase and I will stay, too,” Luke said. “Just in case Dad needs any help.”
Hannah’s posture eased. “Thank you,” she said with obvious gratitude.
“In the meantime, I’ll take the file.” Trey held out his hand and she gave it to him without hesitation. “What made you decide to make a copy of the books?” he asked, curious.
“I knew there was something fishy about the receipts he gave me,” she said. “And I didn’t feel he was trustworthy. If there were allegations of misdeeds down the road, I wanted to be able to prove I wasn’t involved.”
“Smart move,” Chase commented.
“I’ll take Hannah upstairs to her room,” Margaret said, “and leave you all to whatever comes next.”
They murmured good-night as Margaret took the older woman’s arm. When they disappeared through the doorway, Lori stood up and moved toward Trey.
“She’s nothing like I imagined the mother of two criminals to be,” she commented. “In fact, she reminded me of my third grade schoolteacher, a very proper, law-abiding woman.”
“I vaguely remember hearing gossip about Hannah and her husband,” Rachel explained. “Evidently, he was as rough as she is refined. Unfortunately, the boys seem to take after their father instead of their mother.”
“Can you really keep her sons from going to jail, Trey?” Lori asked.
“I’m not sure. Can I, Jessie?”
“As the victim of the assault, the court will take into account your recommendations.” Jessie shrugged. “But it’s really up to the judge.”
“Then I hope, for Hannah’s sake, that he cuts them some slack. Her sons might not deserve it, but Hannah does.”
“I agree.”
“Let’s take a look at Hannah’s file.”
“Think we can make sense out of it?” Luke said.
“Between an attorney and three business owners, all of whom keep their own books, I hope the answer is yes,” Trey said. “But if not, I bet Anne Davis will help us.”
“I’ll call her.” Jessie picked up the phone. “Might as well have as much input as we can get.”
Five days later, armed with a search warrant, the sheriff’s department descended on Harlan Kerrigan’s ranch headquarters. They drilled open the safe and took the contents — accounting records and a staggering amount of cash — into custody. At the same time, the police arrested Harlan at his estate in Helena and much to everyone’s surprise, also nabbed Lonnie. He had ten thousand dollars in his wallet, together with a one-way ticket to Brazil.
The McCloud clan gathered at Raine and Trey’s restaurant, pushing together several tables in the back to accommodate the group.
John brought champagne. “Margaret ordered this,” he announced, handing the case to their waiter. “We’ll need glasses for everyone, son, and keep opening bottles until they’re all empty.”
“Yes, sir.”
Champagne flutes were passed around the table and John raised his. “Here’s to a new era in Wolf Creek. Harlan’s power is broken, he’ll never again threaten our family or the peace of this town.” He grinned and looked at Zach Kerrigan, his mother, Judith, and sister, Rachel. “And here’s to the rest of the Kerrigans, who are living proof that they’re not all bad. And who, thank God, ended the feud between our families in the best way possible — by marrying McClouds.”
Luke whistled, a loud piercing sound that had Rachel wincing.
“And here’s to justice,” John continued. “It’s been a long time coming.”
“Hear, hear.” Chase touched his flute to his father’s and then tipped it up and drained it.
Raine leaned across and kissed his cheek.
“I think we should toast the newly engaged couple.” Margaret beamed at Raine and Chase.
Chase planted his lips on his fiancée’s. When he finally let her go, the table burst into cheers.
“Congratulations, you two.” Trey smiled at his sister’s flushed cheeks.
“Here’s our food,” Jessie said, stealing her husband’s champagne when Zach turned away to answer a question from her brother Luke.
The rowdy group quieted only slightly as they ate. After dessert, they went next door to the saloon to continue the celebration, taking the remaining champagne with them.
Lori took turns dancing with the McClouds and Zach, and finally settled into Trey’s arms. They moved slowly around the floor without speaking.
“I suppose I’ll be going home tomorrow,” she finally said, her face tucked against his throat.
He stiffened. “Why?”
“Now that Lonnie’s in custody, Mom and I are safe in Granger. And I need to get back to work,” she explained. “Ralph’s probably tearing his hair out, trying to manage both the restaurant and the bar.”
“Do you want to leave?”
She wasn’t sure how to answer that. Did he want her to leave? He’d never said he loved her, never asked her to stay with him here in Wolf Creek. He’d told her he wanted to keep her out of danger, that he felt responsible for causing Lonnie’s intrusion in their lives, but that wasn’t the same as loving her. The sex was amazing, at least for her. But still, he’d never said the words she’d waited to hear.
“I think it’s time,” she said finally.
“The hell it is,” he muttered.
He took her hand and led her off the floor, tugging her through a side door and up the back stairs to his apartment.
“Trey, what are you…?”
He didn’t turn on the lights. Instead he backed her against the wall and kissed her. She went under in a heady rush. She couldn’t think while his mouth was on hers, wicked and clever, making her blood heat and her bones melt.
When he lifted his head at last, she was breathless, barely able to focus.
“I don’t want you to go back to Granger,” he told her.
“I have to. Who’ll run the business?”
“Let Ralph do it.”
“He can’t — he’s a great chef but keeping books and managing employees drives him crazy. Besides, he and Mom would kill each other in less than a month.”
“Then let Kari take over. She and Mason make a great team and they’re both smart and ambitious. It’s a win-win situation.”
“Trey, why are you doing this? You know I can’t stay here.”
“Why not? Is it the apartment? I’ll buy you a house. If I can’t find one like your home in Granger, I’ll build it for you. And you can duplicate the gardens — I know you love flowers.”
She laughed, touched. “I do love flowers, Trey, and it’s sweet of you to notice. But you can’t buy me a house — I have to go back.”
“Why?” His voice deepened, husky with restraint. “I know it’s too soon for you to forgive me, Lori, but I meant what I said. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you for lying when I pretended to be Troy Jones. Tell me how to convince you.”
“I believe at first you felt you had no choice — but after a while, I thought you should have trusted me and told me the truth.”
“You’re right.” His voice was tinged with disgust. “I didn’t tell you because I was a selfish bastard.”
She felt her eyes widen with shock. “That’s pretty harsh,” she began.
“No,” he interrupted. “It’s not — I had other reasons, good reasons, for not telling you. But they don’t matter, not in the long run. There’s no excuse for my not being straight with you. It was wrong. I screwed up and I’m sorry.”
She stared at him. “When I called and told you Lonnie had wrecked our house, you came immediately.”
“Of course I did.”
She thought about the other things he’d done for her, like fixing her dishwasher on his day off,
helping Ralph in the kitchen without being paid, listening to Risa’s chatter. Did she really not trust him? “That’s not a selfish act.”
“Thanks for the kind words, but I wanted you and couldn’t bear for you to stop seeing me. That was the real reason behind not admitting I wasn’t the real Troy Jones.”
“You wanted to keep seeing me?” she said faintly.
“Of course.” He leaned into her, brushing soft kisses over her throat, the arch of her cheekbones and the corners of her mouth. “I knew you’d kick me to the curb if you discovered I was lying. You’re not the kind of woman to put up with some guy blowing smoke — you’re too smart. The truth is,” he said starkly, “I didn’t want to lose you. But it’s happening anyway. You’re going back to Granger.” He rested his forehead against hers. “How the hell am I going to court you when you’re all those miles away?” he whispered. “Am I going to have to move to Granger till I convince you to change your mind?”
“You’d move to Granger?” she said in disbelief.
“If I have to. I’d much rather you stayed here.”
“I can’t just move into your apartment and live with you,” she said.
“So we’ll fly to Vegas and get married tomorrow. We could be back in a few days.”
Stunned, she stared at him. He clearly wasn’t conscious of dropping a bombshell because he kept exploring her face with his lips, his hair brushing her cheek as he nipped the lobe of her ear, then licked it soothingly.
“Mmhh. Wait…” She caught his head in her hands and tugged him away from her. “I can’t think when you’re doing that.”
He smiled, a sensual curve of his mouth that made her tremble.
“Stop it.” She tried to sound stern and failed miserably. “What do you mean we could get married tomorrow?”
“I mean it’s a short flight to Vegas. I thought you’d want a big wedding like the one Raine’s planning, but if Vegas works for you, we can be there in a few hours.”
“Are you asking me to marry you?” she said bluntly, exasperated.
“Of course I am. I did.” He frowned at her. She glared back. “I asked you to stay in Wolf Creek — so I could court you, we could get engaged, then get married, have kids, grow old together and sit in rocking chairs,” he said, carefully enunciating the words. “What part of that didn’t you understand?”
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