“Don’t say anything to your father,” Anne said.
“Why not?” Elly couldn’t prevent the bitterness that coated her question. She felt as if it was oozing out of her pores.
Anne looked back over her shoulder. “This is something your father and I have to handle.”
The knowledge of what was going on at the homestead right at that moment weighed on Elly. She didn’t like keeping anything from her mom. Being the only girl, she and her mom had always been close. Close enough that she could well imagine what it must have been like to find out her husband had not only had an affair but had fathered a child with another woman, a child who was the brother of her daughter’s best friend. No wonder she was sitting at the kitchen table alone, crying. Living next to a lie did that to a person.
God, she didn’t want to talk about this anymore. Didn’t even want to think about it.
“Do you need any help?”
Anne shook her head. “Honestly, if you don’t mind, I think I’d like to be alone.”
The words would have hurt if Elly didn’t know this was how her mom always dealt with major upsets. She baked and wanted to be alone with her own thoughts until she sorted through things.
“Okay,” Elly said, but it took her several moments to force herself to her feet and walk out of the kitchen. She paused at the doorway and looked back at her mother. “I love you, Mom.”
Anne met her gaze and gave her a sad smile. “I love you too, honey. Now, go ride or something. Days are ticking away until Denver.”
Even amidst all the turmoil in her own life, Anne was able to think about her children and what was important to them. It’s what made her such a wonderful mother.
Someone who should have never been betrayed.
Elly trudged toward the front door then outside. She stood on the edge of the front porch and let her gaze run over the miles of Cody land in all directions. This ranch was as much a part of her as the blood pumping through her body. If her father’s mistake had endangered that, she’d never forgive him.
She tried to shake away the doubts, wanted desperately for this entire situation to not be true. Not because she disliked Mark. No, that was Jesse’s department. But she ached for her father to have never done what he had.
Maybe everyone was wrong. Even if her dad had an affair, that didn’t mean Mark was his son. After all, Tomas Hansen had raised Mark as his own. Wouldn’t he have known otherwise? Maybe Jesse was right in his demand for proof.
Or maybe the knowledge that Mark wasn’t his son was what had driven Tomas to drink.
Unbidden, memories of Abigail Hansen looking at her in an odd way rose to the surface. At first Elly had thought she’d imagined it. Later she’d attributed it to the onset of Abigail’s Alzheimer’s disease. Never had she suspected what might have truly been running through Abigail’s head—that her son was a Cody, too, that he deserved the wealth and privilege as much as Elly and her brothers. Not the hard life he’d had with Tomas Hansen as a father.
She stepped off the porch and returned to the golf cart. The sound of her mother’s pain echoed in her head as she drove back down the road toward the main area of the ranch. As she approached the homested, she noticed Will coming out of the house and heading for his Yukon. Quick and irrational anger exploded within her at his involvement. She just wanted all of this to go away, to have never seen the light of day. But here Will was digging for a truth and consequences she didn’t think she wanted to know.
How could she look at Will and not think about what had brought him back into her life? He’d be tainted, and she wanted him to remain untouched by the ugliness of the situation. Maybe she could convince Jesse to hire another attorney so she could look at Will without thinking about her father in Abigail Hansen’s arms.
Of course, that was assuming that she’d have the opportunity and a reason to look at Will if he wasn’t working for her brother.
Despite everything, she found she wanted that very much.
ELLY SAW DAWN MAKE ITS stealthy way onto the Cottonwood for the beginning of another day. She sat on the porch, a thick quilt wrapped around her and a steaming mug of coffee in her hand. A night of tossing and turning made her feel like something found on the bottom of a boot, but she’d given up sleeping an hour before daybreak.
She’d dragged herself out of bed and did her Web site and blog work for the day, checked the tour schedule and sent some e-mails regarding the upcoming Last Chance Trail Ride. The Cottonwood Ranch hosted the event for the locals each year before the heavy snows blanketed the mountains and valleys around Markton.
Movement at the edge of the fog still clinging to the ground caught her attention. When Jesse came into view astride Sundae, it surprised her. She’d thought he was still in bed and had envied him for it.
She could tell when he noticed her because he hesitated, pulling back on Sundae’s reins, probably without thinking. But he started moving again after only the span of a breath.
“You couldn’t sleep, either, huh?” she said when he came close enough to hear her.
“I’ve had better nights.” He dismounted in a sliding motion that made her think it had been a great many nights since her brother had slept well.
“Was it something Will said?”
“Please, not this early.”
“I have a right to know, Jess.”
He sighed and rested one hand against Sundae’s saddle horn as if he needed the horse’s presence to keep him upright. “Nothing new.”
Elly thought of what her mother had said about J.W., believing he was Mark’s father. She wondered if Jesse had any inkling, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him.
“You two sure talked a long time for there to be nothing new.”
“Give it a rest, okay. I just want five damn minutes where I don’t have to think about this.” He palmed Sundae’s reins and headed toward the barn.
Didn’t she want the same thing? To not think about the fact that Mark Hansen might be her half brother. Was that even possible?
Her quiet morning shattered, she headed into the house for a shower and a breakfast she suspected she wouldn’t even taste.
Later, when she ran into Paco in the barn and learned he was headed into town for a load of feed, she offered to go instead. She had to get away from the ranch for a while.
When she arrived at the Feed and Grain with her order in hand, however, she wished she’d stayed at home. One look at Janie’s drawn face and she feared the cause. A painful lump formed in Elly’s throat, and for the first time in her life she didn’t want to walk the final steps toward her best friend.
But she did. And the closer she got, the more she could see that Janie looked as if she was trying hard to hide her sadness. Just going through the motions to get through the day.
“Elly,” Janie said when she spotted her. So much distance in that word.
“Hey.”
“You need something?”
Elly bit her lip to keep it from trembling as she handed over the list of supplies she’d come to pick up.
Janie looked it over and nodded. “We should have all of this in stock.” She started to walk away.
“Janie?”
The girl who’d been her closest confidante for as long as she could remember stopped but didn’t make eye contact.
“I don’t know what to say,” Elly said, wishing the right words to make everything okay would magically land on her tongue.
Janie met her eyes then. “You know?”
“I found out a few days ago.”
“But you knew the last time I talked to you.” Elly nodded.
Janie let her breath out in a long exhale. “So no more secrets.”
“Secrets?” There was something odd about what Janie had said. “When did Mark tell you?”
Janie refused to make eye contact. “He didn’t.”
Elly glanced around to see if any of the other customers were near enough to hear their conversation. “My father?”
/> Janie swallowed visibly, like she was trying to work a grapefruit down her throat. “I’ve known for a while, before Mark.”
Elly’s breath caught in her chest. “How long?”
“Since Dad was sick.”
Before Elly could question her further, Janie choked out, “I can’t talk about this now,” then turned and gave Elly’s list to Leslie Pearsoll, who was just stepping out of his office.
“Take care of Elly. I’ve got to help Collum McKinney find a new pair of boots.”
If Elly stood where she was any longer, she was going to cry and make a fool out of herself.
“Elly?” Leslie said, sounding worried.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes to get my load.” She spun on her boot heel and hurried out of the store. Once outside, she realized there was nowhere to hide to get her emotions under control, to wrap her mind around the fact that Janie had known about the affair, about Mark, for months. How had she acted like nothing was wrong? And why the change in her behavior now? Was the news going to be made public? Elly’s stomach rolled at the thought.
She spotted the Sagebrush Diner across the street and stalked toward it, pushed her way through the front door and up to the counter.
“Hey, Elly,” Martha Pickens said from her post behind the cash register.
Elly just nodded and ordered a monster, one of the diner’s signature six-inch diameter sweet rolls, and a large black coffee. She paid, offered a perfunctory thanks and retraced her steps outside.
She nearly plowed into Will as she barreled through the door into a world that was blanketed with too much sunshine for her mood.
Will gripped her upper arms to steady her. “Hey. I thought I saw you go in a minute ago.” He must have seen her expression because his changed to one of concern. “You okay?”
“No, I’m not, as a matter of fact,” she snapped.
Will glanced around then steered her away from the restaurant entrance to the side of the building that wasn’t lined with windows through which everyone in town could see her implode.
“I don’t think you want to do this here.”
“I don’t want to do this at all. I want it to go the hell away.”
Will held her hands lightly in his. “What happened?”
His voice sounded so gentle, so understanding that she had to swallow the lump that was increasing in size by the second.
She told him about the encounter at the Feed and Grain, about what she feared it meant.
“You don’t know what it means yet,” he said.
“Nothing good.” She sighed. “I feel like I’m losing everything.”
“You’re not losing Janie. Things may be strained between you two for a while, but you’ll work it out.”
She looked him fully in the face for the first time since she’d nearly bowled him over. Was she seeing more than concern in those gorgeous eyes of his?
No. She couldn’t handle this, not now. She pulled her hands away and crossed her arms, causing her paper bag full of sweet roll to crumple. She turned away from him. “I need to go. I’ve got a load of feed to take home.”
She thought he might try to stop her, but he didn’t. Despite her being the one who walked away, her heart broke a little more. She blinked several times. God, nothing made sense anymore.
She made it to the truck, called out for the feed to be put on the Cottonwood’s account. The truck’s back tires spit gravel as she sped from the parking lot.
She’d driven the road between Markton and the ranch so many times that it allowed her to travel on autopilot. She didn’t even think about where she was until she noticed the pull off that overlooked the ranch. After skidding to a halt on the side of the road, she let her gaze wander over all the undulations and colors of the land. Cody land.
Maybe Mark Hansen’s land.
Her father’s betrayal, Janie’s secrets and her own yo-yoing feelings about Will all collided inside her and caused a sob to break free only to be followed by several more. The stunning view before her grew blurry as she finally allowed herself to cry. She slammed the heels of her hands against the steering wheel, letting the anger and hurt come out any way it could find an exit.
After a few minutes of indulging her self-pity, she dried her tears on the sleeve of her jacket and stared out across the valley below. She would not lose this land or her family, no matter what happened. She was a Cody. She’d fight for it if she had to.
Something didn’t feel quite right about her train of thought, and she sat in the silence of the surrounding mountains trying to figure out why.
Because Mark had never struck her as the type to make a money grab, no matter how much he struggled. Of course, she’d never wanted for anything because of a lack of money, so how could she know how someone in that situation would truly think? When he’d found out about his true parentage, had he looked at the Cody wealth and felt only resentment? Like he’d been robbed of what was rightfully his? In a way, did he feel like her—like part of her life had been a lie?
She wondered why he and Janie hadn’t said anything after they found out? How had the truth finally been acknowledged by both Mark and Elly’s father? And what had Janie meant by knowing before Mark?
Elly closed her eyes and massaged her temples. The combination of crying, too little sleep and too many questions bombarding her brain was giving her an unbearable headache.
Deciding to push it all as far away as possible and focus on work, she put the truck in gear and headed for home. Thinking about the situation wasn’t going to change anything.
The deed was already done.
Chapter Six
Will finished going over the financial documents for Cottonwood Enterprises so he’d have a firm grasp on what was at stake if Mark Hansen was indeed J. W. Cody’s biological son. He’d known the Codys were wealthy, but he hadn’t realized to what extent. No wonder Elly and her brothers had their own plane and often flew to rodeos instead of spending days on the road. They didn’t have to.
But sometimes they did. And they didn’t mind getting their hands dirty either, as evidenced the day before when he’d bumped into Elly while she was in town picking up a load of feed. She could have had Slim, Big Ben, Paco or any number of employees perform that task, but she’d done it herself.
He sat back in his chair and stared at the phone on his desk. How many times had he almost picked it up to call her? She was upset, and he wanted to shield her from everything that was causing her pain. But he couldn’t do that, could he? Not when he was involved in the situation that was causing her pain, that would keep reminding her of what her father had done.
It wasn’t a good idea to get any more involved with Elly Cody.
Delia walked into his office and deposited a roast beef sandwich on his desk. “You look like you could use a nap.”
“Not a bad idea,” he said.
She plopped down in the chair across from him and pulled a large order of onion rings from the paper bag she held. The hot, greasy smell made his mouth water.
“So, you going on the trail ride this weekend?” she asked then took a bite of her first onion ring.
“What trail ride?”
“The Last Chance over on the Cottonwood. I figured you’d heard about it since you’ve been over there some.”
The Last Chance Trail Ride. How many times had he wanted to go on that as he’d been growing up? He couldn’t then, but those obstacles no longer stood in his way. He didn’t even need an invitation. It was open to anyone who owned or could borrow a horse, an event to bring together the community before winter started throwing punches.
Hadn’t he just told himself to leave Elly be, that it was best for everyone involved?
“Don’t have a horse.”
“Hello, you’re in Wyoming. I think we can find you one.”
Will smiled at Delia’s eye rolling. “Ya think?”
“My cousin Jay has a stable between here and Markton. I’ll hook you up.”
W
ill thought about refusing, about staying away from the trail ride and Elly. But he wasn’t that type of person anymore—the type who avoided things that could end up causing him pain. The plain truth was he wanted to see her, and this was the perfect opportunity. He wasn’t going to let this situation with her father throw up roadblocks. If she didn’t like him the way he did her, that was one thing. He’d deal. But something that was out of either of their control? That was a stupid reason to steer clear of each other. “Sounds good.”
“I’ll give him a call and see what he’s got available.” Delia took her onion rings and headed back out to her desk.
Will imagined what Elly’s face would look like when she saw him astride a horse. No more allergic, nerdy Billy the Kid. He was a man who wanted a woman, and damn if he wasn’t going to figure out how to let her know it.
Delia paused in her exit and spun back toward him. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Someone named Kate Sturgeon called first thing this morning. She didn’t want to leave a message, but she said she’d call back.”
“Okay.” Will deliberately didn’t meet Delia’s eyes, didn’t want her seeing more than he cared to reveal.
Kate was beautiful, smart, fun, and she was going to be a talented attorney. She’d make someone a great girlfriend. She just couldn’t be his anymore.
SCATTERED SNOW FLURRIES drifted through the cold air as Elly maneuvered Jasmine among the dozens of people and horses congregated along the edge of the Greybull River. She’d had a good morning workout with Pepper, who was enjoying a well-earned rest. Plus, this close to Denver and hopefully the Finals, she didn’t want to risk her getting injured out on the uneven, frosty ground.
“Looks like a good turnout,” said Maryanne, Dusty’s fiancée, as she eased up alongside Elly on Snowball. Even after a few months on the ranch, Maryanne still wasn’t comfortable on horses. The old mare was even a stretch.
Elly: Cowgirl Bride Page 6
