“Camilla, that’s crazy,” Noah told her. “He loved you more than anything.”
“Yes, it took a long time, plus a doctor’s care, for me to finally realize the truth and come to my senses. But by then the harm had already been done.”
Noah gripped his coffee cup as strange emotions suddenly surged inside him. This wasn’t the way he’d expected Camilla to sound or behave. He’d not imagined her being apologetic or grieving.
“If you don’t mind my asking,” Bella spoke up, “did you ever talk to your husband about Noah? Explain what really happened?”
Sighing heavily, Camilla placed her cup on a nearby table, then folded her hands in her lap. As Noah waited for her answer, he noticed she was still wearing her wedding rings.
“Yes. But not until recently. For years I tried to find the courage to confess the truth to him. I recognized it was wrong to let him keep thinking Noah had betrayed him. Ward had loved Noah like a son. I believed if he ever found out I’d deliberately torn them apart, he would never forgive me. But once I accepted the fact that he didn’t have long to live, I couldn’t hold it inside any longer. About three weeks ago, I told him the whole sordid story.”
Noah and Bella exchanged pointed looks.
Noah instinctively reached for Bella’s hand. “How did he react?”
Camilla dabbed a tissue beneath her eyes and though Noah would have liked to think she was shedding crocodile tears, he recognized they were real.
“Naturally he was devastated. He was ashamed of the way he’d treated you. And mercifully he forgave me. Thank God he understood that the woman I was then wasn’t the same woman he’d been married to for all these years.” She rose from the armchair and began to walk restlessly around the room. “After that, he hired a private investigator to locate you. He wanted to see you—to ask for your forgiveness. We’d just discovered you were working on the J Bar S and I was in the process of contacting you when Ward suddenly took a turn for the worse and died.”
“Too late,” Noah muttered regretfully.
Camilla paused in the middle of the room, her rueful gaze passing from Noah to Bella, then back to him. “Yes. Too late. I was a coward. I should have confessed to him years before. Instead I lived with the lies. It hasn’t been easy.”
A few weeks ago, Noah would have been consumed with anger for this woman. The urge to jump to his feet and choke her would’ve been his first instinct. But he was feeling none of that and the realization stunned him. Why wasn’t he angry? Where were all those bitter emotions he’d been harboring for all these years? It didn’t make sense.
Once you face this woman, I believe you can look past all the wrong. You’ll be able to see the future and maybe then you can see me sharing it with you.
He turned his gaze on Bella as her words whispered through his jumbled thoughts. Oh God, how had she known? How had she guessed that revisiting a nightmare would actually jolt him awake?
Bella’s fingers tightened around his. “Noah? Are you okay?” she asked softly.
“I’m fine. Really,” he assured her and he couldn’t have meant it more. He inclined his head to Camilla, who was now standing on the opposite side of the room, staring sadly out the window. “I need to say some things to her.”
Smiling gently, she nodded. “I’ll wait here.”
Rising from the couch, Noah went to stand next to the other woman. She looked around at him, her expression one of fatal acceptance.
“Camilla, you need to quit torturing yourself. You’re not the only one who’s been a coward all these years. I’ve been a bigger one. I should’ve found the guts to come back to Verde Canyon and face Ward again. Instead, I thought running away was the answer. I was wrong. We’ve both been wrong. I think it’s time we let our mistakes go. Don’t you?”
The anguish on Camilla’s face slowly dissolved and a hopeful smile replaced it. “Thank you, Noah. Coming from you—well, it’s the best medicine I could ever get. And now I’d like for you and Ms. Sundell to meet someone. He’s waiting in the study with something to tell you.”
Expecting Camilla was going to introduce them to the ranch manager, Noah collected Bella from the couch and the two of them followed her down a long tiled hallway until they reached a pair of closed wooden doors.
Noah had been in this very room many times. He and Ward had often talked over the business dealings of the ranch within these same walls. Now as the three of them stepped into the quiet space, he spotted a gray-haired man in a charcoal-colored suit sitting behind a large mahogany desk.
As soon as the elderly gentleman spotted their entrance, he politely rose to his feet.
“This is Harrison Grimes,” Camilla quickly introduced. “He’s been our family lawyer for several years.”
With his arm wrapped tightly against the back of Bella’s waist, Noah stepped forward.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Grimes,” Noah said, then gestured to Bella. “This is Bella Sundell. She’s also a family lawyer.”
“Oh!” Camilla exclaimed, then studied the both of them with confusion. “I thought she—Ms. Sundell came as your—friend. Did you think you were going to need a lawyer?”
Noah shook his head, then cast Bella a pointed look. “No. Bella is here because I—wanted her to be with me. Because we—we’re together.”
Camilla smiled with relief. “That’s good,” she said, then turned her attention to the lawyer. “So why don’t you explain to them what’s going on, Harrison.”
“Certainly,” he said, then tapped a legal document lying on the center of the desk. “Camilla has asked me to be here this morning so that I can answer any questions you might have concerning Ward’s will.”
“Will. What does Ward’s will have to do with me?” Noah questioned.
The lawyer arched an inquisitive brow at Camilla. “You haven’t told him yet?”
The woman shook her head. “No. I thought you could do a better job of it.”
Harrison Grimes pointed to a pair of wing-back chairs sitting at an angle to the desk. “Perhaps you two better sit down.”
“Yes,” Camilla quickly added. “I’m sorry. With everything going on, I’ve forgotten my manners. Please sit.”
Once Bella and Noah had made themselves comfortable, the lawyer eased down into the desk chair, then leveled a benevolent look on Noah.
“No matter how I say it, this is probably going to come as quite a shock,” the lawyer said. “So I won’t beat around the bush. You see, before Ward died, he instructed me to change his will in order to make sure that Verde Canyon and all of its holdings would go to you.”
Noah was so stunned he was certain the breath had been knocked out of him. Shaking his head, he squinted at the lawyer. “Me? You’re saying the Verde is mine?”
“That’s right. The land, the house and other buildings, along with all the cattle and horses. Basically everything is yours now.” He picked up the legal document and handed it to Bella. “Since you’re a lawyer, Ms. Sundell, you might want to look through this. I’m sure you can explain anything Mr. Crawford doesn’t understand.”
Completely dazed, Noah shook his head once again. “I don’t need legal explanations. I just—why did Ward do this? The illness must have affected his sanity!”
“I assure you that Ward had all his mental faculties before he died. This was his last wish. That you become the sole owner of Verde Canyon Ranch.”
Bella appeared to be just as stunned as Noah and she looked inquiringly at Camilla. “What about you, Mrs. Stevens? Surely you can’t be happy about this?”
Camilla merely smiled. “I couldn’t be happier. If our child had lived, the ranch certainly would have gone to him or her. As it is, Noah is the closest thing Ward had to a son. He truly wanted to make up for the past. Plus, he died with the assurance that the ranch would remain in capable hands.”
“And if you’re thinking that Camilla has been left out in the cold, don’t,” the lawyer interjected. “Over the years Ward made some excellent
investments. Camilla is getting more than enough to make sure her future is financially secure.”
“But this is your home, Camilla,” Noah pointed out. “What—”
“Don’t worry,” she said with a wry little laugh. “I’ll be moving out next week. I’m going to live near my parents down in southern California.”
She glanced at the dainty gold watch on her wrist. “Now if you two won’t mind, I need to be going or I’ll be late for church services. Please make yourself at home and look around all you want. I’m sure there’s plenty you’ll want to look over and talk about. If you need anything, Harrison will be here, as well as Lolita.”
*
A few minutes later, after Camilla had departed, Bella and Noah walked across the backyard until they reached the split-rail fence. From where they stood in the hot sun, they could see the working ranch yard in the distance. Dust was boiling up from a network of cattle pens and the faint yips and yells from a group of cowboys could be heard on the desert wind. Nearby, the hills were covered with patches of cacti, creosote and blooming yucca.
Bella took in the beautiful sight and tried to imagine what Noah was thinking and feeling at this moment. He’d just become a rich man and she could only wonder what this might do to their fragile relationship.
“I thought coming down here and meeting with Camilla would be good for you,” Bella said thoughtfully. “But I never imagined anything like this was going to happen.”
He lifted his hat from his head and raked a hand through the black waves. “It’s still hard for me to take in, Bella. I thought Ward hated me. To think he’s given me everything he worked for—I feel pretty damned humble right now. Not to mention feeling like a bastard,” he tacked on, his voice gruff.
She frowned at him. “I don’t understand.”
He tugged the hat back onto his head. “All these years I’ve been simmering with resentment. Like a bulldog I hung on to the fact that I’d been wronged. I should’ve forgiven Camilla and Ward a long time ago.” His arm slipped around her shoulders and drew her to his side. “That chip you talked about on my shoulder—I wore it like a badge. I’ve been such a fool!”
“All of that is over now,” she said gently. “Truly over.”
He made a sweeping gesture with his arm. “What am I going to do with all of this, Bella?”
She glanced up at him, her heart pounding with uncertainty. “You’re going to keep it, of course. Verde Canyon is your ranch now—the place you call home.”
With his hands on her shoulders, he pulled her around so that she was facing him.
“Home is where you are, Bella. It’s taken me a long time to realize that. And as much as I love Verde Canyon, I love you even more. I want you to be my wife. But I can’t ask you to make your home here with me.”
I love you even more.
His words poured into her heart, healing every ache, and pushing out the last vestige of loneliness.
Resting her palms against his chest, she tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “Why can’t you ask me?”
His eyes widened. “Why? Because it wouldn’t be right. You have your own beautiful home on the J Bar S.”
“And it’s empty without you in it.”
“You have your law practice in Carson City.”
“I can practice law anywhere,” she reasoned.
His head swung back and forth as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re very close to your brother and his family. You wouldn’t want to live far away from them.”
“Jett and Sassy are building their own lives together,” she pointed out. “It’s time I quit being just a sister and an aunt. I want to be a wife and a mother. Besides, whenever we get the urge to see them, we can always fly up for visits.”
His arms formed a tight circle around her. “You make it all sound so easy.”
“Loving you is very easy, my darling.”
Bending his head, he brought his lips next to hers. “Today I’ve become a very rich man, Bella. Not because I inherited the Verde, but because I have you and your love. I hope you’ll always remember that.”
Happiness glowed in her eyes as she smiled up at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll never let you forget it.”
Chuckling, he covered her mouth with a long, tender kiss that melted her bones even more than the hot Arizona sun.
When he finally lifted his head, she grabbed his hand and urged him toward an opening in the fence. “Come on, I want you to show me around the ranch. I need to pick out a perfect spot to pasture Mary Mae and Casper. Are there any canyons around here I can ride down?”
Laughing now, Noah slipped his arm around the back of her waist and urged her toward the ranch yard. “A few. But from now on I’ll be riding right beside you.”
Her heart brimming with happiness, she laughed along with him. “I’m going to hold you to that promise.”
Epilogue
Six months later, on a cool November afternoon, Bella had just gotten home from a short shopping trip and was putting away the last of her grocery purchases when Noah entered the kitchen and announced he had a surprise to show her.
Now, as he led her into a big barn where most of the hay for Verde Canyon was stored, she looked curiously around the cavernous interior. “Noah, if you’ve bought me a piece of jewelry and hidden it somewhere in all this hay, you’re going to have to dig it out,” she warned teasingly. “And I could’ve told you I’d rather have a pair of cowboy boots than a diamond.”
He laughed, something he did quite often these days. Bella had come to love the sound just as much as she loved her new home in the Arizona desert. With ranch hands that liked and respected him and a cow/calf operation that continued to produce, she could safely say that Noah was happily living out his dream of managing Verde Canyon.
After that memorable day they’d learned Noah had inherited the Verde, they’d flown back to Nevada. A few days later, they’d been married in the same small church Bella and Jett had attended since their childhood. Sassy had helped her find a beautiful dress in champagne-colored lace and Peta had taken over the task of decorating the church with candles and flowers. With only family and a few close friends in attendance it had been a simple, yet beautiful ceremony.
Jett and Sassy had been totally shocked by the news of Ward’s will. Although they were extremely happy for both Noah and Bella, it was obvious Jett hated to see his new brother-in-law leave his position on the J Bar S. And he was especially emotional to see his sister move away.
Not about to leave Jett shorthanded, Noah had hung on as foreman for three more weeks in order to give Jett time to find a man to replace him. Bella had used that length of time to pack her belongings for shipping and close all her cases at the law office. As for her house, she’d turned it over to Jett to use however he chose.
With so much to do regarding the move to Arizona, Bella and Noah had forgone a honeymoon. But their lives had quickly settled into a comfortable groove and since then Noah kept offering to take Bella on a short trip to some exotic island. But as far as she was concerned, spending each day with her husband was a honeymoon for her.
As for Bella practicing law, a couple of months ago, she’d opened a little office in Tombstone in a building that had originally been used for a saloon. So far her work was sporadic, but it kept her busy for three days a week and that was more than enough to keep her content.
“Christmas is only a month away. If you’re good, Santa might bring you a new pair of boots.”
Noah’s reminder pulled her away from her pleasant thoughts and she shot him an impish grin. “Hmm. If that’s the case, these next few weeks I’ll try to be on my best behavior.”
“Yeah, I know what you consider good behavior,” he said with a hungry growl, then pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Like taking me to bed in th
e middle of the day.”
Her lips tilted provocatively against his. “A cowboy needs a little rest now and then.”
He kissed her one more time, then took her by the hand and led her over to a deep crevice in the hay.
“Take a look in there.”
Bella did as he instructed and immediately let out a delighted yelp. A gray momma cat was curled around three little yellow fur balls. “Baby kittens! How precious! When did this happen?”
“Yesterday afternoon, I saw mother cat still looking like she’d swallowed a watermelon crossing the ranch yard, heading this way. But I didn’t hear the faint meows until this morning.”
Tapping a thoughtful finger against her chin, she asked sagely, “So do I need to ask who the father is?”
Chuckling, Noah pointed to the top of the haystack where a big yellow tom sat preening his fur.
“Jack!” Bella called up to the cat. “You naughty guy!”
“Yep, Jack has a family now,” Noah said. “I think we can safely say he’s made himself a permanent home on the Verde.”
She gave her husband a shrewd smile. “I hope you look as proud as Jack does whenever our baby is born.”
An odd look came over his features, then suddenly a wondrous light filled his eyes. “Bella—are you—does this mean what I’m thinking?”
Her heart overflowing with love, she stepped into the circle of his arms. “It means we’re going to have a baby. The doctor is predicting it will arrive sometime in mid-May.”
“Doctor? You’ve already been to see a doctor?” he asked, excitement filling his voice.
“I saw him this morning—that’s why I drove in to Tucson.”
“And you told me you were going grocery shopping for Thanksgiving dinner!” He scolded. “Sneaky! Sneaky!”
Her grin was completely guilty. “I wanted to surprise you. I did go grocery shopping. After I made a stop at the health clinic.” Her hands reached up and cradled his face. “Are you happy?”
Her Rugged Rancher Page 18
