by Jeannie Watt
Hating Miranda... He couldn’t help himself, but it didn’t seem to be getting him anywhere, either. The beaver-hat lawyer finally showed up a few days after Shae had left and personally handed Jordan a letter stating that he had to allow access to the lessee and if he did not comply in thirty days, he was liable for financial damages. Jordan stuck the letter back in the envelope and jammed it in his back pocket. The lawyer touched his hat and started walking back toward the gate, where his expensive truck was parked.
What did it cost to have an attorney hand deliver a letter?
Whatever it cost, Miranda apparently thought it was worth it. She was never going to stop.
And neither was he. A sobering thought.
Another week passed and still no word from Shae. Ashley didn’t show up, either, not once, but Jordan figured it was due to some kind of legal maneuvering. He just didn’t know what. Emery had several theories when Jordan called him while on a quick supply run, and all of them involved Jordan eventually losing. Before leaving Missoula, Jordan debated about trying to contact Shae, but abandoned the idea. She’d said that she wasn’t going to force her will on him, and apparently the way she was going to refrain from doing that was by avoiding him. She wanted him to give up the ranch. He wouldn’t do that. Stalemate. They were both stubborn, both certain they were correct.
Except that he was correct.
He drove over the cattle guard and on up to the gate, where he stood back and viewed his handiwork before taking out the key and unlocking the padlock.
The last stand of a desperate man.
Did he want to do this? Keep getting bigger chains and locking bigger gates?
Wasn’t that what he’d done to his life before Shae had forced her way in?
He drove through and locked it back up before admitting to himself that Shae hadn’t forced her way in. That might have been her modus operandi in most cases, but it hadn’t been with him. He’d made the move. He’d allowed her in. And she’d waited for him to do that.
That wasn’t at all like the Shae he’d known back in the day. That Shae had been real, but she was also a front for the Shae who had insecurities and fears just like everyone else.
Together they made for a complex woman, whom he missed.
Who was he kidding? She was a woman he was having one hell of a time living without, but he’d hit rock bottom before and lived to tell the tale. He could do it again.
* * *
SHAE HAD TWO legal pads sitting on her dining room table. On one she wrote pros of taking the job in Miles City and on the other she wrote cons as they occurred to her. At the moment her list was heavy on the pros, but she was still hesitant to pick up the phone and make the call that would separate her from Miranda forever.
The doorbell rang and Shae went to answer, thinking that it was a package she was expecting, but when she swung the door open, her stepsister, Liv, was standing on the stoop.
“What are you doing here?” Shae asked before she could stop herself. Liv never just popped in on her.
“Matt has an appointment with a knee specialist and I’m at loose ends.” Liv’s mouth twisted self-consciously. “And Mom wanted me to check on you. She’s worried.”
Shae looked at her in astonishment. “Why?” she asked, automatically stepping back to let Liv come into the apartment.
“Because you’ve been keeping to yourself and haven’t asked for anything.”
Shae pressed her fingertips to her forehead. “I’m done asking,” she said. “In fact, I plan on paying them back for the wedding.”
“Did you win a lottery?” Liv asked with a hint of amusement in her voice, and after a brief hesitation, Shae allowed herself a smile. Things had never been easy with her and Liv. She’d been jealous of her brainy stepsister when their parents had married, and half-afraid that Liv would steal the affections of her remaining parent. It hadn’t helped that Liv was quiet and shy and Shae lived the high life. Polar opposites, she and Liv, and neither had tried hard to bridge the gap. But they had history and oddly, lately, Shae was thinking of her more as a sister than she ever had before.
“I didn’t say I was going to pay it back soon, but I am paying it back.”
“You’ll have to fight them to do that.”
“I’ve been working out,” Shae said. “You want a beer or something?” Liv never had been a much of a wine drinker.
Liv started to shake her head, then said, “Why not?” She settled on the chair opposite the sofa, taking the beer from Shae as she walked by to sit on the sofa. “I also think that Mom wanted to kind of force us to meet face-to-face.” She gestured with the beer. “Thinking that it was going to be awkward the first time after...you know...”
“I know,” Shae said with feeling.
“I don’t think she wanted to witness the first meeting,” Liv said, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly before she took a small sip of beer.
“So how’s it going, this first meeting?” Shae asked her sister.
“No more awkward than the average evening in our bedroom back in the day.”
Shae laughed and then saluted Liv with her bottle. Liv smiled back and Shae had the odd feeling that a very old barrier had cracked just a bit. “How’s married life?”
“I like it.”
“And I’m really glad I didn’t marry Reed.”
Liv set her bottle down. “Really,” she stated flatly.
“Really,” Shae said. “It would have been a mistake.”
“Reed was a good guy.”
“But I was not good for him.” Liv frowned, her expression one that Shae was rapidly becoming accustomed to as people realized she was looking beyond herself. “It was for the best.” And her beer was disappearing rapidly as she debated whether or not to make a full confession. Yes? No?
Why not? At least Liv wouldn’t feel weird about Shae’s engagement ending at her wedding.
“I know it hasn’t been that long...but I kind of hooked up with someone else. Briefly.”
“Not...” Liv cocked her head and Shae nodded, guessing the direction of her sister’s thoughts. “Jordan Bryan? The guy Mom thinks is going to murder you in your bed?”
“Oh, he’s murder in bed, but in a good way,” Shae muttered.
“Wow,” Liv said, taking a long pull from her beer.
“But...we hit a snag.”
“How so?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Matt has other business in town. Just let me text him and clear us a little time.” She pulled out her phone and Shae went to get two more beers without asking.
Three beers in and Shae was getting the strong feeling that she and Liv should have started drinking together a lot earlier in life.
“So you gave him an ultimatum...” Liv said.
“No, no, no,” Shae replied, waving a hand. “I did not give him an ultimatum. He made his decision and I made mine. I did not ‘Reed’ the guy.”
“I’m proud of you,” Liv said, glancing at her watch when Shae held up an empty bottle. “Better not. Anyway, Jordan chose to stay and fight, and you chose to...”
“Pretty much be miserable, but on my own terms. No one is going to win that fight between him and Miranda. She has more resources, but he won’t back down. When he locked the gate with the logging chain—” A knock interrupted her and Liv got to her feet, frowning.
“Matt’s early.” But when she opened the door it was Mel standing there with her hand raised to knock again.
“Hi, Mel,” Liv said with only a slight slur. “Long time.”
“Want a beer?” Shae called from behind her sister.
“Uh...”
“Come on in, come on in,” Liv said, guiding Mel into the room. “We’re having a war council.”
“Concerning?”
“A logging chain,” Liv said, ambling back to her chair.
Mel caught Shae’s eye and Shae shrugged. “Jordan locked Miranda out of the property by putting a logging chain on the gate.”
“What happened next?” Mel asked, suddenly interested now that a legality was involved.
“I imagine he has received a letter telling him to open the gate or else,” Shae replied. “But I don’t know, because we haven’t spoken in a while.”
“She did not give him an ultimatum,” Liv stated.
“I did not,” Shae agreed.
“Maybe I’ll grab a glass of wine,” Mel said, heading to the kitchen.
“Water for me,” Liv called.
“I’m good,” Shae said.
Mel walked into the kitchen shaking her head.
A few minutes later Matt arrived to pick up Liv. She set her glass of water aside and smiled at him from across the room and again Shae felt a pang of jealousy. But it was good jealousy—the kind that comes from recognizing something worth having. Something she’d like to have but now realized she wasn’t going to get only by wanting it...she was going to have to work for it. If only she knew where to begin.
“Are you sure you don’t want some water?” Mel said after Liv left. “Or maybe black coffee?”
“My head’s already clearing,” Shae said. “It’s just that we got talking and the faster we talked, the quicker the beer flowed.”
“I bet Liv’s head isn’t already clearing.”
Shae made a dismissive gesture. “Liv never was a drinker...but you know? I enjoyed talking to her today.”
“Maybe you could do it again sometime,” Mel said with a smile, settling in the chair Liv had just occupied.
“I think we’re going to.” And she liked the idea. “So how is life without work?”
Mel shook her head. “Different than I thought it was going to be.”
Shae leaned forward, disturbed by her friend’s defeated tone. Mel never gave up. “How so?”
“I just heard from my oldest sister. Her husband has left her, so she’s leaving the ranch, going to school. She says she’s done her time and either Jolie, Dani or I have to take over the place or we need to sell it.”
“I gather that you’re selling.”
“The agreement is such that if the majority wants to sell, we do. The only one that wants to keep the place is Jolie, who is conveniently living in Alaska, so yeah, we’re selling.”
“Why don’t you close down operations?”
“You know how well dead places sell.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m canceling my fall classes and going home to oversee operations until the place sells.”
“You have three sisters. Why does it have to be you?”
“Because I’m the smart one,” Mel said drily. “What’s going on with Jordan?”
She’d known the question was coming, but that didn’t mean she wanted to answer it. “I haven’t seen him lately.”
“Because?” Mel asked with a lift of her eyebrows.
“He can’t let go of this vendetta against Miranda. Maybe I should be there fighting shoulder to shoulder with him—” and frankly she felt guilty that she wasn’t “—but I don’t think anyone can win. I think it’s going to end up destroying him and I don’t want to be party to that.” Shae sighed. “I don’t want to watch the downward spiral.” She gave Mel a searching look. “Is that too self-centered?”
Because she didn’t know when self-preservation ended and self-centeredness began.
“I—” Mel started only to have Shae interrupt.
“Here’s the deal,” she blurted. “I promised myself I wouldn’t try to force Jordan to do what I wanted as I’ve done with every other guy. That I would stand back and let him make his own decisions and live with the consequences, but this just isn’t working for me. I see him beating his head bloody against the wall that is Miranda and I want to pull him back and demand that he stop.”
“Will he?”
“No.”
“Then you’ve done all you can do.”
“Maybe,” Shae said, focusing her attention on her new manicure because she didn’t want to look at Mel, “But, in a way, I did give him an ultimatum. I want him happy and stress free, because if he’s not happy, then it’s hard on me.” She bit her lip. “As always, it’s all about me.”
* * *
JORDAN PUT THE palomino through her paces, then released her into the field. Finally, after more than ten weeks of constant work, she was starting to show signs of settling. A victory. One of many in recent weeks.
So why didn’t he feel more victorious?
Because it could all go to hell at any moment. Even though he no longer had Ashley and her crew invading his space and could work his horses in peace, it was a peace that could rupture at any moment. He felt as though he was living on a steep hill in a house with a crumbling foundation. Eventually something was going to give and then he was in for one hell of a ride.
Something was going to give here, too. He just didn’t know when.
As it turned out, the giving point occurred that afternoon, when Ashley came walking up the drive as he was sitting on the porch cleaning the .22 he’d been using for target practice. When she saw the gun she stopped abruptly. Rolling his eyes, Jordan carefully set the weapon on the porch and walked out to meet her with both hands where she could see them. He didn’t want her having a heart attack or accusing him of assault or anything.
“You’re on my property,” Jordan said.
“Miranda wants to see you.”
“Where is she?”
“She wants you to come to the ranch.”
Jordan simply smirked at her and walked back toward his house with Clyde trotting beside him.
“It would be to your benefit to go.”
Jordan kept walking.
“If you don’t, she’s firing Shae.”
“Shae has a new job.”
“No, she doesn’t.”
Keep walking. He couldn’t. He turned back. Ashley raised her chin. She never appeared comfortable facing off with him, but she did her best.
“I’m not saying anything else,” she said, the quiver in her voice convincing him that she was speaking the truth. “If you want to hear more, meet with Miranda at the ranch.”
* * *
FOR THE THIRD TIME—and he promised himself the last time—Jordan parked behind the Cedar Creek Ranch house and got out of the Subaru. This time he wasn’t going to lose it. This time he’d remain in control.
This time he had nothing to lose, but it sounded as if Shae did.
A new girl was behind the reception desk, a cool blonde who must have been warned about his scars, because her face remained a blank slate when he walked in the door and they made eye contact.
“Miranda is waiting for you upstairs, Mr. Bryan.”
He shook his head. “I’ll meet her out back by my car. I’ll wait for ten minutes, and then I’m leaving.” There was no way he was going back up into her lair.
“But—”
“Ten minutes.” He checked his watch, then walked back out the door. He only had to wait five before Miranda sauntered around the corner of the building and came to stand a few feet in front of him.
“This is all very dramatic,” she said.
“You like drama,” he replied, folding his arms.
“I’ve spoken to my lawyer and they assure me that the gate will be opened. That’s a given. All I have to do is wait.” Jordan shrugged carelessly, his arms still crossed over his chest. “All you’re buying is a few weeks’ time and then I’ll once again have access to the property. And at that point I will do everything in my power to make your life a living hell
.” She smirked up at him. “I’ll do the same for your girlfriend.”
“Ex-girlfriend.”
“Then I guess you won’t care.”
“I’m not going to be manipulated by you.”
She took a step forward, smiling smugly up at him. “So you’re opting for living hell? Have you ever known me to bluff, Jordan? Haven’t you had enough experience with me following through to believe that I don’t bluff?”
“I don’t bluff, either, Miranda.”
“Meaning?”
He took a step closer. “Meaning bring it on.”
“You really don’t care that much about Shae, do you? Were you just screwing her to pass the time?”
“Jealous?” he asked.
Her hand snaked out and slapped him soundly across his scarred cheek, then she took a quick step back, swallowing drily. It was the first time he’d ever seen her lose control. Even when he’d sent her from his bed, she’d been calm and icy, telling him his father would never believe him if he said a word about it.
“I realize that in your current mental state, it might take you some time to make a well-thought-out decision. You have one week. If the gate isn’t opened by that time, I’ll send a bulldozer through it and I’ll fire Shae’s ass. And yes, I know she has a job offer. That won’t last, either.”
She drew a sharp breath in through her nose, then pivoted and stalked around the house.
Jordan leaned back on the hood of the Subaru, idly rubbing his hand across his still stinging cheek. Was this really how he wanted to live the next eight years of his life?
And what about Shae? What had he done to her?
* * *
SHAE HAD PROMISED herself and Wallace that she would put every bit of her focus on her work if she got her old job back, and she was trying, but it was damnably difficult when she couldn’t get Jordan off her mind. For all of her talk about not giving him an ultimatum, she’d forced him to choose and he’d chosen to continue fighting the battle he’d needed to win.
He’d tried to call twice the previous day, but her phone had been off as per her promise to Wallace. By the time she’d gotten his message—a warning that Miranda once again had her in the sights—it was well after 10:00 p.m. and she couldn’t bring herself to drive to the ranch and confront that chain and padlock again to discuss matters.
