by Rhea Regale
“Summer was snooping around my parent’s bedroom yesterday. She seemed shaken when I caught her. Apparently she found the pictures of you and me that were sent to my father. I’m just wondering if there’s more than what she gave me.” Carter’s eyes narrowed, turning back to his house. “If she lied to me last night to protect me, then I wouldn’t put it by her to lie to me about what she didn’t, or did, find in my house.”
* * * *
Summer handed Ms. Harris a fresh cup of coffee and took a seat across from the woman. Katie was helping a few customers at the front of the store, cheerfully taking their orders or aiding them in choosing from the display of foliage plants. Summer settled in a chair and spread the photographs over the table. Ms. Harris sipped her coffee and looked around the shop.
“I really love what you’ve done here. Got some good talent, you do,” Ms. Harris praised. “Before you know it, you’ll be needin’ a bigger shop.”
“All I’m lookin’ to do to expand is buy a greenhouse and a nice plot of land to grow some of my own flowers,” Summer said, offering the woman a kind smile. The corners of Ms. Harris’s eyes crinkled, her smile hidden by the mug as she drank. For a woman of forty, the years had not been friendly. Shimmering silver strands glittered in her dark hair, which was pulled back from the fine creases of her face. Dark circles drooped under her eyes. Her skin had small brown spots, and the flesh on the backs of her hands appeared leathery. That’s what a bottle’ll do to you. “How long do you think it’ll take you to print up the brochures?”
“I’ll have’em to you by Monday. Ain’t got nothin’ goin’ on this weekend. Ain’t like the store is floodin’ with customers,” Ms. Harris said.
“Martin said he’d be willin’ to add an advertisement on his placemats.”
“He called me yesterday. I have’em on the printer.” Ms. Harris jutted her chin toward her daughter at the front of the store. “How’s my baby doin’? She comes home in the afternoon and can’t stop talkin’ about how she loves workin’ for you. You treat her good, Summer. I owe you my gratitude for takin’ her on when things were gettin’ off the ground. I know how hard it is to start a business from the bottom.”
Summer laughed quietly and cast a quick glance toward Katie. “She’s a real pleasure to have here. Always so eager to learn and help.”
Turning back to the photographs, she pointed to the one with the delicate arch of an orchid stem set against a soothing white backdrop. Her shop and her name appeared in graceful loops within the orchid’s arch and below, a pair of hands cupping a beautiful deep red rose in full blood. Elegance radiated from the image.
“I’m leanin’ toward this one. I think it captures the foundation of my designs the best.”
Ms. Harris leaned forward, a small smile quirking her painted lips. “I had a feelin’ you’d like that one. You’ve always been a classy gal.” The woman snickered. “You’re rubbin’ off on my Katie. Better than those ranch hands gettin’ rowdy down on the farm. Them Ryders ain’t good news.”
Summer bit back the defensive response that crept up to her lips. She nodded once. “They made a name for themselves when they were younger. So, with the photo, you can create the brochures, business cards, and the eight-by-eleven posters for the shops in town? I’ve discussed with many of the owners if they’d be willin’ to support my shop and I’ve received very positive responses.”
“One thin’ about Ryder is that we all help our own,” Ms. Harris said, tapping the side of the mug with a rounded nail. “I’ll also contact Down Country and get them a copy of the picture for their next run on the press. Would you be agreeable to lettin’ me showcase the photo in my shop? It’ll be free advertisement for you and a taste of my work for my customers.”
“I’d be grateful to have the extra exposure,” Summer said, collecting the photos and laying them in a pile. She handed her choice to Ms. Harris. “I thank you greatly for offerin’ to help me out.”
“It ain’t no trouble, Summer, after everythin’ you’ve done for my girl. In business, one person helps another, right?” Ms. Harris said, climbing to her feet. Summer stood and shook Ms. Harris’s bony hand. “I’ll get these to you Monday.”
“I’m lookin’ forward to it.”
Summer followed behind Ms. Harris to the front of the store. The woman paused to give Katie a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then left. Katie rolled her eyes to the ceiling and slipped behind the counter as a customer came up with a planter filled with foliage. Summer fingered through the new orders and picked out two that needed to be filled by the following day. By the time she had her flowers gathered, Katie was waiting for her at her workbench.
“You weren’t too receptive of your momma’s affection,” Summer noted, placing the containers of flowers on her table. Katie quirked her lips and shrugged. “Your momma loves you.”
“Momma may love me, but she ain’t all affection when we’re alone. Things are far different when there ain’t a crowd watchin’.” Katie pulled three stems of carnations from one container and began to pluck the leaves from the bases. A shadow of a frown hovered over her pouty mouth. “It would be nice to have a momma that doesn’t save face to the world for the sake of lookin’ good for business.”
“I don’t think she’s all about business, Katie. Your momma’s a hard worker.”
“Summer, don’t be so damn naïve. My momma’s more than that sweet business woman, and you know it. She’s got steel claws beneath all that kindness. The bottle definitely doesn’t help.”
Summer dropped a hand over Katie’s and brought the younger woman to pause. “Sometimes you’ve gotta make do with what you’ve been handed, but don’t ever stop givin’ thanks for her, because you wouldn’t be here otherwise.” She brought a smile to her lips and rubbed Katie’s hand. “I wouldn’t have the best sidekick if it wasn’t for your momma.”
“You play mediator very well, boss.”
“I’ve had my share of family discrepancies growin’ up and often stepped in the middle to stop them. I couldn’t stand the fights and that’s what brought me to Kansas. College and getting far away from family, but I still keep in touch with them. All the time.”
Summer pulled the flowers she needed for the vase and settled into her pattern of work.
“Have you found anythin’ new out about the pictures from yesterday?” Katie asked, sticking one stem into the vase.
“Actually, I did a little detective work and discovered the original pictures hidden in Mr. Ryder’s bedroom, along with some other interestin’ things.”
“Ooo!” Katie bounced, her eyes widening. She leaned into Summer, bracing her elbows on the table top. “So? What else did you find?”
Summer’s brow pinched. She fixed the flowers in the vase. “I’m not quite sure. It looks like Mr. Ryder was bein’ blackmailed. I found some letters about makin’ payments or some secret was gonna come out.” Summer shrugged. “Mr. Ryder had been writing checks to someone from a separate account and keepin’ everythin’ hidden in a small stowaway space in the closet.”
“Damn,” Katie breathed. “Did you tell Carter?”
Summer sighed and shook her head. “No. I’m not sure how he’ll handle it. He’s still workin’ through things caused by war.”
“Who was Mr. Ryder writin’ those checks out to? And how much?”
“Aren’t you nosey.” Summer laughed and handed the straw ribbon to Katie. The younger woman waggled her brows and tied the ribbon round the vase. Summer straightened up and gathered her containers of flowers. As she headed back to the cooler, she said, “Some company by the name of JHP, LLC. Wonder what trouble the man got himself into.”
A loud crash sent Summer spinning around. She nearly lost the containers of flowers to the door when she stared at Katie’s gaping mouth and wide eyes. Water drenched the table and bench. Glass shimmered over the floor. Flowers lay in the puddles of water and glass around Katie’s feet.
“Katie? What happened?” Summer asked. Slowly, Katie
stepped back, her hands visibly shaking. Her light skin had turned sheet white. Summer put the containers on the floor and hurried over to her. “Katie?”
“W–what was the name again?” she asked.
“JHP.”
Summer had never seen the young woman so shaken, so fearful, and it happened in a split moment. She led Katie to a dry seat and eased her back, taking up the bench space in front of her.
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
“Summer, oh my God.” When Katie’s eyes met Summer, an icy chill coiled around her spine. “I need to show you something.”
“Why don’t you show me after work.”
“No.” Katie’s eyes glittered with the onset of tears. “Now.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“She’s still not answerin’?” Rylan asked. Carter growled, pressing Summer’s number again. He went to voicemail after four rings. Braden pinched his forehead. Rylan raised his hand and snapped his fingers. One of his patrol officers hurried over to the desk. “Get out to Summer’s shop and see if she’s all right. Bring Stew with you.”
“Yes, sir.” The officer snatched his hat off his desk and hit the desk of his partner. “Let’s go.”
“Keep me updated once you get there.”
“’Course, Sheriff.”
Carter smacked the phone on the desk and dropped back in the chair. He raked his fingers through his hair before pointing to the box, and all the papers covering Rylan’s desk. Laying out on the desk between the three of them was every goddamn secret his father kept locked away in a hole in the closet. Blackmail if Carter ever saw it, but with no explanation of why.
“What shit was the man involved in?” Carter barked. Braden picked up a letter and read it over.
“Looks like a woman’s writin’,” Braden said. “I’ve never seen a man write this neat.”
“I have, so it could be either,” Rylan said, snatching up the reconciliation book off the desk and giving it a shake. He straightened up in the seat and glanced over Braden’s head. Carter dug through the remnants in the box, his mind stirring at this newest revelation. His heart thundered against his chest. Thoughts of Summer plagued him. Why the hell would she keep this a secret from him if she came across it yesterday?
To protect you. She’s always protected you from yourself.
He shook his head. His angel, his love, the woman who kept him going in the darkest of times and who restored his sense of self and power to his soul. When he looked up, he caught Braden’s curious gaze. Without Braden to keep his temper under control, he’d be a madman. Together, Braden and Summer gave him a precarious sense of balance that he desperately needed.
“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Braden reassured quietly. He squeezed Carter’s knee, a motion that earned a quirked brow from Rylan before his cousin cleared his throat.
“Martha’s lookin’ up the business to see who it belongs to. That’s our best lead,” Rylan said. “Was there anythin’ else that Summer might’ve found?”
“The pictures,” Carter said, holding his cousin’s gaze unfettered. “The ones with Braden and I.”
Rylan chuckled and shook his head. “I ain’t surprised anymore, Carter. Goin’ to those pictures, though. They’re recent. More recent than the first of these letters. Somethin’ was goin’ on beforehand, and whoever caught you and Bray used that as new fuel. So, the question remains, what was the ol’ man into twenty years ago that he would be willin’ to pay out a grand a month?”
“Seems this person upped their request to almost twenty-five hundred a month two years before those pictures turned up,” Braden said. He pointed to one letter. “And when those pictures came along, it went up again.”
“Someone who knows the wealth of our families,” Carter muttered. He tried calling Summer again and got no answer. “Fuck, what the hell could he have possibly been in on? There isn’t much here or in the neighboring towns that would warrant this type of extortion. This is fucking outrageous.”
“It’s somethin’ serious,” Braden said, sitting back in his chair with a frown.
“That it is,” Martha said, coming up to Rylan’s desk. She dropped a printout on the rest of the papers, her lips pursed for a moment. She tucked a strand of mahogany hair behind her ear and perched a lean hip on the edge of the desk. Carter stood up and braced his fists on the desk. Braden scooted to the edge of his seat. Rylan read over the print out, his eyes narrowing with each second. “Seems like there’s more than just extortion.”
“What is it?” Carter demanded, trying to look over the top of the paper. Rylan scowled and handed the sheet to Carter. He scanned it over quickly, his body tensing until each muscle was drawn so taut, a flick of a finger could have snapped him. His gaze shot up to Martha as she pulled out another sheet of paper from her breast pocket.
“And it keeps gettin’ better boys,” she said, handing the folded paper to Rylan. Braden took the business listing from Carter’s hand and growled.
Rylan shot to his feet and punched the paper to the desk. “Are you serious?” Martha shrugged a shoulder, her expression showing no indifference to her findings. Carter snatched the latest development from under Rylan’s hand and nearly lost it when he read over the legal document. “Katie?”
Carter’s vision pulsed in sync with the thundering beat of his heart. Katie Harris. “That fucking bastard!” He punched the desk, his scabbed knuckles feeling no pain. “That fucking bitch!”
Carter’s phone jingled. He looked at the screen and answered the call by the second ring, forcing the tension from his voice. “Hey angel. Where are you?”
“I think I know who’s behind everything,” Summer said. Through the phone, Carter heard a click. His world came to a screeching halt, his mind reverting back to war. Sweat popped along his hairline. Anxiety mounted at reckless speed. That click. A gun.
“Hang up the phone, Summer,” a new voice said in the background.
“Summer, where are you?” Carter asked. He shoved his chair out of the way and stormed to the door, Braden and Rylan coming at his heels. Rylan slid in front of him, pulling his hat on his head, and burst through the door first. He pointed to his patrol vehicle. “Summer.”
“The phone,” the voice said again. A sharp breath hit the speaker.
“Katie,” she murmured.
The phone went dead.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Summer’s mouth went sandpaper dry. She dropped her phone to the floor beside her feet. Blood rushed through her body, leaving her momentarily light-headed and warm, and not in any way good.
“Momma, what the hell are you doin’?” Katie snapped. Ms. Harris flicked the barrel of the revolver toward her daughter. The woman’s eyes glinted, her face a mask of anger. “Put that damn gun down!”
“You, Katie, know better than to be snoopin’ through my things. I told you your nosey behavior would get you in trouble one day,” Ms. Harris said. Her lip pulled back in an ugly scowl. Summer wrung Katie’s wrist and placed the side of her body between the gun and the younger woman. Ms. Harris’s gaze pierced her. “Don’t be touchin’ my girl. You’re involved with that Ryder. He’s nothin’ more than a disgrace to this town, messin’ around with another man. His damn father was no better.” She snorted. “And here all them townsfolk think you’re classy, walkin’ around in all your pretty clothes with your successful flower shop. They think you’re somethin’ special ‘cause you were a Ryder’s woman. You know what Ryders do? They fuck you and leave you.”
“Momma!” Katie shrieked.
Summer jerked Katie behind her. She wasn’t about to let the poor girl get hurt when her crazy mother was stepping off into insanity. Oh, but she hit that ridge a long time ago, if the negatives and business papers Summer had tucked away in her pocket meant anything. Staring into the barrel of a gun had her heart fluttering madly, her muscles twitching against the tension keeping her from shaking uncontrollably. She was damn right scared, but she wouldn’t show it, especially to Katie
.
“Katie, stay where you are,” Summer snapped quietly, keeping her eyes on Ms. Harris.
“But—”
“No buts this time.”
“You ain’t protectin’ my daughter, Summer. You need to be protectin’ yourself. I’m gonna get what’s mine from Carter. I’m gonna get what’s mine from that dead man Ryder. And I’m gonna use you ‘cause Carter has a thing for you still. And you’re a damn foolish girl to think he ain’t gonna leave you again.” Ms. Harris stepped closer, the barrel of the gun moving up and down her body, pointing at her head, then her belly, then back up to her head. “But it makes things easier for me. Just hope he ain’t skippin’ town as we speak. He’ll come back next time and you’ll be bones.”
“Why are you goin’ after Carter if it was his father who is responsible for leavin’? Why the grudge for so long?” Summer asked, shifting her weight when Katie tried to circle around her. “Carter has nothin’ to do with whatever his father did to you.”
“Carter has everythin’ to do with it now!” Ms. Harris screeched. A shot went off, lodging into the wall to Summer’s right. Katie screamed. A shockwave of tremors racked Summer. She grabbed Katie in her arms and forced her deeper into the room. Ms. Harris lunged toward them. “Stop movin’, Summer. You ain’t gettin’ out of here unless I let you go.”
“Momma, stop this! What’s wrong with you? Hittin’ that damn bottle again? Who cares about Carter’s pa?” Katie whimpered. Summer wiped the tears from Katie’s cheeks. “Leave Summer alone. She ain’t got nothin’ to do with this!”
“You know what it’s been like tryin’ to keep that store goin’ and keep you fed and keep us livin’ since Carter killed his pa? Those pictures weren’t supposed to get the bastard killed. Do you know what I’ve been goin’ through just to survive ‘cause I ain’t gettin’ no money?” Ms. Harris sent another wild shot into the floor at Summer’s feet, squeezing a shriek from Summer’s lips. “You know what it’s like raisin’ a kid alone while your baby’s daddy is happily livin’ his grand ol’ life like she don’t exist?”
