True Love Cowboy

by Jennifer Ryan

  “I think you mean he used you.” That’s what she’d meant before about him trying to buy her company. Which was not what he’d been trying to do. At all.

  He wished it would stop coming up though, because it kept coming between them. And that’s the last thing he wanted.

  “Yes,” she agreed.

  Drake hooked his arm over Adria’s shoulders. “Well then, it’s a good thing we have surveillance at all the shops.”

  Jon wished that were enough. “He manages the store. If he brought in contaminated lettuce and made up the salad kits with it, he’d have been smart enough to turn off the system.”

  “Which is why there is a secondary system that kicks in whenever someone other than Trinity or Adria shuts off the cameras.”

  Trinity grinned. “Paranoia pays off,” she said to her big brother.

  Jon got it. Drake had some issues a while back. Adria’s sister had been killed in one of their stores. He understood why Drake would take extra precautions with his wife and sister. “So you think we have a recording of him doing this?”

  “I guarantee we do,” Drake confirmed.

  Jon thought of something else. “But there were cases of people getting sick from the Bozeman store as well.”

  Adria supplied that answer. “We had two early morning employees out sick, so the Billings store sent over some of their salad kits so the Bozeman team could focus on the hot food counter offerings for that day.”

  Jon thought that all made sense and everything tied back to Nathan. They still needed to prove it. But the state bureau and FDA would want to be sure. “We’ll still need to test the hydroponic greens both in the store and at the source to be sure. We’ll also want to test anything left over from Lettuce Harvest and at their farm to rule them out. Then the FDA and authorities can build their case against Nathan and Bountiful Foods if they can connect them to the sabotage.”

  “Let’s go find out.” Trinity turned to go back down the hall.

  He took her arm and stopped her. “Where are you going?”

  “With Adria and Drake to check the recordings and contact the police.”

  Jon, along with Tate, Drake, and Adria, said, “No.”

  Her brow furrowed again. “But I can help.”

  “The doctor said you need to rest. No bright lights. Only an hour of screen time and no stress.”

  “But . . .” Her lips scrunched into a disgruntled pout.

  “You have a concussion, and your brain was bleeding inside your cracked skull not even a full day ago. No.” He took her by the shoulders. “I couldn’t stop what happened with Steph. Let me take care of this for you and make sure Nathan doesn’t do anything else to ruin your business.”

  Drake stepped close. “I only brought Adria over to see that you’re okay. I’m taking her home, then Jon and I will check the recordings and move forward with whatever needs to happen next with the FDA and authorities. We’ll take care of it, Trinity. Right now, you and Adria need to take care of yourselves.”

  “But I can do this.”

  “Of course you can,” Jon assured her. “You put all the pieces together. You figured out what is really going on here. I won’t let Nathan tarnish the company reputation, tank your sales to devalue the company, buy it cheap, and slap an Under New Management sign on it to bring customers back.”

  As manager of the Billings store, Nathan knew a lot about their finances and that opening the two new stores had stretched them thin. A big recall and loss of customer confidence could sink them fast.

  That’s what initially made Jon come up with his ideas to help Trinity and Adria expand and not put everything at risk. But that didn’t matter now. Stopping Nathan and restoring customers’ faith in Almost Homemade took precedence.

  Jon brushed his hand up her arm. “Let us clean up the mess and get Almost Homemade back up and running the way you want it. Right now, your health is more important than anything.”

  Adria moved closer. “I know it sucks. It’s our baby. But Drake and Jon will bring Nathan down.”

  “Fine.” Her stomach rumbled, reminding Jon she hadn’t eaten in a good long time.

  “You need some food and rest. I’ll call and update you as often as I can, but I’m betting we get the proof and Nathan is arrested in no time.”

  Tate walked out of the kitchen with a huge plate of lasagna and garlic bread.

  Trinity held her hands out for it, eager to dig in, judging by the way her eyes devoured the food on the plate. “At least you brought one of my favorites.”

  “You probably made it. I took it out of my freezer.” Tate handed over a fork.

  Jon slipped his hand around the side of her neck and stared into her eyes. “Please rest.”

  She narrowed her gaze as she looked at him. “If I have to.”

  “You do.” He nodded toward the sofa. “Maybe you can get Emmy to open up and talk. I’m worried about her. And you. But we’ll talk when I get back.”

  She fisted her hand in his shirt. “I’m sorry I said you cheated. You wouldn’t do that.”

  “Never. But I understand you were having trouble finding the right words.”

  “Still.” Her frown deepened. “I don’t like feeling confused about us.”

  “I love you. Try to hold on to and remember that.”

  She leaned in and pressed her forehead to his chin. He rubbed his hands up and down her back, trying to soothe her.

  “I’ll keep in touch, Trinity.” Adria brushed her hand over Trinity’s hair.

  She looked up. “You’re supposed to be on bed rest.”

  “I’m going.” She took Drake’s hand and let him lead her to the door.

  Drake glanced back over his shoulder. “I’ll meet you at the store in town. We can view the footage from all the stores on the computer system there.”

  “Okay.” He turned back to Trinity after they left. “Thank God I don’t have to drive all the way into Billings. I’m too tired for that.”

  Trinity brushed her fingers under one of his eyes. “How long has it been since you slept?”

  “Two days,” Tate said from his spot on the sofa next to Emmy, where they sat transfixed by the cartoon.

  “Go eat your food, sweetheart. Drink some water, too. You’ve got to be dehydrated after sleeping so long.”

  “I’ll take care of me if you promise to take care of you when you get home.”

  “All I want to do is spend time with you, so I can really take it in that you’re okay and you’re here with me.”

  “Then go do my thing, so we can do our thing when you get back.”

  He kissed her softly. “I love you.” He wanted her to hear it, to believe it, so she wouldn’t be confused anymore.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Trinity finished her meal and downed two glasses of water. She felt better. But she didn’t like the way Emmy stared at the TV, not speaking, not looking at her or Tate. The little one was never this quiet.

  Trinity left the dining table and sat on the sofa at Emmy’s feet. “Hey, sweetheart, do you want to play a game?”

  Emmy stared at the TV, unresponsive.

  “We could do one of the puzzles in your room or have a tea party.” She wasn’t up for much, but to engage the little girl, she’d do just about anything right now.

  “No.”

  She’d take the one word and call it a victory for now, but she wanted more. Emmy needed to talk about whatever was going on in her head. “I’m feeling a little better today.” She held up her hands and wiggled her sore fingers. She needed to trim and file the broken, jagged nails. Her broken fingers hurt, but not too bad. “Are you feeling better?”

  “No.”

  Okay. Good. An honest answer. “I had a bad dream right before I woke up. It made me feel scared and a little confused. How are you feeling?”

  “Sad.” A tear rolled down her cheek and dripped onto Emmy’s favorite stuffed bunny.

  Trinity’s heart ached. “Why are you sad?”

&n
bsp; Emmy peeked up at her from behind Bunny’s head. “What happened to the kitties?”

  Trinity gasped. “Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry we forgot about Puff, Dot, and Razzle.”

  “Puff and Dot are hers. Puff scratches me all the time. Dot won’t let me pet her. But Razzle is mine. She sleeps with me.” Emmy’s lips trembled. “I hate her.”

  Trinity knew she meant her mother, not her beloved Razzle.

  Well, she got Emmy talking. And she could do something about the cats. But she didn’t know what to do about Emmy hating her mom. That feeling was real and justified after all Steph had done.

  “Tate,” she called, wondering where he went.

  Surprisingly, he came from down the hallway. “Yeah. You okay? You need something?”

  “It seems in all the drama that happened we forgot about Steph’s cats.”

  “Razzle is mine.” Emmy gave her a stern look.

  “Um, yes. Razzle has two friends. Puff and Dot. Can you find out what happened to the cats? Are they still at Steph’s place? Did a neighbor take them? Maybe Jon can pick them up on his way home?”

  Tate pulled his phone from his back pocket. “On it.”

  Trinity stared at him. “What are you doing back there?”

  “Looking into something. Let me find out about the cats, then you and I need to talk.”

  “Okay.” She had no idea about what, but when something got Tate’s attention, he held on to it like a dog with a bone.

  “There we go, Emmy. Tate will make some calls and see if we can get the kitties.” She had no idea if Jon even wanted them here, but if it made Emmy happy, he probably wouldn’t care.

  Emmy finally stopped hiding behind Bunny and sat up next to her. “What if no one fed them?”

  “I’m sure someone thought about the cats before they locked up your mom’s place. The police are very helpful. They wouldn’t leave the cats alone in there with no one to care for them.” She hoped that was true.

  Steph hadn’t been very cooperative. They’d had their hands full with her, their investigation, and making sure she and Emmy got the medical care they needed.

  Trinity put her arm around Emmy’s shoulders and drew her into her side even though it cost her. “Is there anything else you want to talk about now that we’re looking into the cats?”

  Emmy hesitated, hugged Bunny close, then looked up at her. “Will I get to live with Daddy all the time now?”

  “Yes.” No matter what happened with Steph, however the charges against her played out, Jon would never allow Emmy to go back and live with Steph. It would be a travesty if the court didn’t side with Jon now.

  “Are you going to stay here with us?”

  “Trinity,” Tate called, and waved for her to join him in the kitchen.

  “I’ll be right back.” She hated not answering the little girl, but Tate stood just outside the kitchen staring her down, imploring her to hurry up with his intense gaze.

  It took her a second to get up off the couch and be sure she had her balance, but once she made it to the kitchen, Tate took her arm and frowned.

  “So the cat situation is tricky. I called Jon. He had no clue what happened with the cats and gave me the manager’s number at the apartment complex.”

  Trinity rolled her eyes and wished she hadn’t. It sent her brain and vision into a tailspin. She closed her eyes for a moment, then refocused on Tate.

  “You good?”

  “Yeah. Fine. My head,” she said by way of explanation. “So the manager has the cats?”

  “No. He knew that an older woman in the building had recently lost her dog, so he asked her if she’d like to take the homeless cats.”

  “Okay, can we talk to her and get them back?”

  “Well, here’s the thing. She took two. The gray-and-white and the black one.”

  “Puff and Dot.”

  “The orange one went to a single mom, who has a little boy.”

  “Crap. That’s Razzle. Emmy’s favorite.”

  “I have the number for both tenants, but it sounded like Emmy really only wanted her cat back. I mean, the older lady lives alone. She’ll probably spoil those two cats rotten.”

  Trinity agreed, but if Emmy really wanted all of them back, she needed to try. “Call the single mom. Tell her that Emmy really loves her kitty and wants her back and because of the circumstances the other night, Razzle was rehomed without us knowing. See if the mom is willing to give the cat back. If we can make that happen, then maybe Puff and Dot can stay at their new home. But if Emmy wants them, too, we can always call the lady tomorrow and work that out.”

  “Okay, give me a few minutes. I’ll see if I can get in touch with her.”

  “Thanks, Tate. My brain just isn’t functioning on all cylinders today.”

  “I got this.”

  While Tate went back down the hall to make the phone call, she rummaged through Jon’s kitchen, taking inventory of what he had on hand. Cooking always relaxed her, and she thought maybe she and Emmy could make something together. That would get both of them out of their heads and stop them from obsessing over what happened.

  Unlike Steph’s place, Jon kept the refrigerator stocked with Emmy’s favorite fruits and veggies. She took out a package of chicken thighs from the freezer to cook for dinner later. In the pantry, she found a box of rotini. She could make some Parmesan butter noodles to go with the chicken. Emmy would love that. She smiled at the sweets Jon kept on hand to bribe Emmy and reward her for being good. Next to the jar of mini chocolate bars she left in his pantry sat a bag of miniature peanut butter cups and a bag of gummy worms. Behind them were two boxes of vanilla cake mix, three tubs of chocolate frosting, and three boxes of brownies.

  She grabbed one of the brownie mixes.

  Tate caught her before she called Emmy into the kitchen. “Okay. Single mom, Savannah, agreed to return Razzle, even though her son fell in love with her. She felt bad for Emmy. Liz is off work in thirty minutes at the spa. She’ll swing by the apartment complex. I told the manager Liz is pregnant and can’t be around the cat litter box. He said he’d go over to Steph’s, clean it out, find the food, the cat cage, and have everything ready for Liz to pick up when she gets there.”

  “We owe him a nice thank-you and something for his trouble.”

  “I’m sure Jon can take care of it when he deals with Steph’s place. Liz will get the cat from Savannah and bring it here.”

  “Thank you. I think this will make a huge difference to Emmy.”

  “I’m supposed to bring the horses over tomorrow. Maybe I should postpone with everything you two have going on.”

  “No. Bring them. It’s another distraction for Emmy. She’ll love it.”

  “Okay. Then that leaves you.”

  “Me?” She had no idea what he was talking about.

  “You accused Jon of cheating on you.”

  She shook her head, setting off another round of dizziness, and silently scolded herself for not being more careful. “That’s not what I meant. My brain . . . I have trouble finding the right word sometimes.”

  “You’re doing well now.”

  “I slept a long time. My brain got the rest it needed, but I can tell the longer I’m up and doing things, the slower I start to feel.”

  “Then maybe I should hold off telling you what I found.”

  She gave him a dirty look. “Well, now you can’t, can you?”

  “Yeah, your mind is sharp enough to hear what I have to say. Come with me.”

  She followed Tate down the hall to the office Jon redecorated. “We shouldn’t be in here. This is Jon’s place. We should respect his privacy.”

  Tate ignored her. “Do you love him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you want to make a life with him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you believe him when he said he never wanted Almost Homemade, he just wanted you?”

  “Yes.”

  Tate picked up a bound set of papers. “This i
s the proposal Jon was telling you about. I found it and this folder”—he tapped the file on the desk with his index finger—“in the trash, just like he said.”

  “Okay. He told the truth. I didn’t think otherwise.”

  “But he never told you what he proposed.” Tate waved the business proposal.

  “No. We never got a chance to discuss it.”

  “I’m no businessman, but even I can see the genius in this plan. You know what else I see in these papers?”

  “What?”

  “That he really, truly means it when he says he wants you more than anything else.”

  Her eyes glassed over. “I know that, Tate.” Her heart burst to overflowing with how much she loved Jon.

  “Then you should accept both of these proposals.”

  She looked at them, but her vision still had floaters and stars and it was so hard to focus on the printed pages. “I can’t read them right now. My eyes . . .”

  “That’s why I read them for you. I’ll start with the business proposal. He didn’t want to buy Almost Homemade. He wanted to expand it with you. He proposes giving AH an influx of cash to open new stores and sell your products at grocery stores. Some he owns. A couple he plans to buy, including the one right here in town. You will be partners. You and Adria own Almost Homemade. He owns the groceries and markets.”

  “Really?”

  “You know your business. He knows his. The money he loans you will be repaid over time with a modest interest rate. If you pay it off early, your profits will soar way beyond what you’re making now.”

  “We’d be working together.” She liked that.

  “He would oversee the business side of things, leaving you and Adria to focus on what you really love—cooking amazing meals for your customers. You’d of course have a say in all business decisions, but he’d take the lead on the expansion.”