by Ashlee Price
She kind of smiled at him with a sad look on her face. “I know you don’t want to do that Marcel.”
“But I would rather only come here on the weekends, then not have this place to come home to at all.”
There was agreement from Scott and Paul. They were the three that were always at the ranch. I came when I could, but I felt the same way about it. I couldn’t think of a time when I couldn’t come to the ranch and ride my horse or even muck out the stalls. I didn’t want to think of a time when it was no longer what happened. I needed the ranch just as much as Marcel did. It was all of our memories here and I wanted to keep the tradition going. Marcel in particular, with his wife pregnant, wanted to raise another generation there at the ranch. Why couldn’t she see that?
“I have to agree with Marcel mom. I can start doing the books here. Never really cared for my job anyways. That will shore up some of the time that he has to spend in the city.”
She was getting upset in a way. It was not going how she had planned and then the front screen door bang shut and I was happy to see Marcus there. There was no way that he was going to let it stand and once that was known, there was no way she could sell. I hated the very idea of strong-arming my own mother. It made me pause and wonder if it was the wrong move. There was something else there and I just didn’t know what it was.
“Marcus. Glad to see you here.” Elna stood up and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek. She asked about Caston like we were not just having the same discussion that we had before.
When Marcus sat down and felt the tension in the room, he wanted to know what was going on. I was sick of even talking about it, so I figured I would put it out there. My brothers were always less inclined to go against mother for some reason. I had always figured it was because of them being men, but I was not so inclined to feel the same way about it. What she wanted to do was wrong and it seemed to come out of nowhere. I looked over at Billy and groaned inwardly that he had to be there for all of the family drama. He must be one of us for mom to even have the discussion with him there.
“So why is everyone looking like they are ready to fight?”
“Mom is trying to talk us into selling the business and the ranch.”
Marcus’ head snapped around to look at Elna. He felt the way the rest of us did and it was clear that he hadn’t known about it either.
“What? You have got to be joking? Right?”
“No son. I think it is time to move on and let everyone else find their own path. You have gotten into drilling and aren’t even part of the business anymore. Your other brother is in South America and Lord only knows when he will be back on whatever adventure he is on. It’s time.”
Marcus was like the rest of us, not buying it. “If you need cash mom, just sell some stock. I am sure many of us here will absorb the cost to keep it out of the hands of someone else.”
She seemed surprised by the answer that he came up with almost immediately. If I was honest, I hadn’t seen that coming either. It was a perfect solution, but she didn’t seem relieved to have that off of her shoulders. “No, that won’t work.” Elna was adamant. “This is not the way it is supposed to go. I am your mother and I want to sell. We have to sell.”
“Why do we have to sell?”
The question came from Paul and he looked at her suspiciously. I too, was starting to think that there was much more there than I had previously thought. Why would we have to move? It didn’t make sense. She had enough money and there was enough of an opposition that she should just let it go. There was something amiss with it all and I didn’t think I was the only one that felt that way.
Elna paused and then I could see her pulling herself in. Her face changed, covering up the emotions and she just said that it had to be that way. I wanted to ask more questions, but she was making it clear that she didn’t want to have the discussion.
No one else said anything while everyone picked at the food on their plate. Our mother was an excellent cook and roast was almost everyone’s favorite, but no one was feeling very hungry at that moment. “Let’s just talk about this tomorrow. I want all of you to think about it. Really think about if this is where you want to be.”
I couldn’t help but say what I think everyone at the table was thinking. “I don’t have to think about it. There are enough votes at this table to oppose you. You were the one that made us go public, so now we hold the majority. You and Braxton do not carry enough, even if you could get him to agree.”
“He is already on board Gemma and you are my family. You should be behind me, not standing in my way.”
Chapter 7 – Elna
I was hurt in a way that my own daughter threatened to take the company hostage. She would do it too. I could see it in her eyes. Gemma always reminded me so much of myself and in that moment it was no different. I didn’t know if I was proud or furious. In honesty it was a little of both.
After dinner, no one felt much like talking and the damper in the air was so different than the jubilation everyone had felt at the hospital yesterday. I went to bed that night feeling like the worst mother in the world. I wish I could tell them why I wanted to sell their childhood home. I really didn’t have a choice, but I knew that it was going to be hard for them to understand. If I was truthful with myself, I didn’t understand why it had to be that way either, but I knew that there were very little choices in life sometimes. Now that I knew the truth.
I didn’t want to burden them with what I knew. I knew that they wouldn’t take it well, as I hadn’t. But there was too much at stake and with almost all of my children at home, I was thankful for that. The fact that one of my sons was out of the country was actually a good thing for once. Nothing could happen to him if he just stayed away long enough for me to figure it out.
If I had been able to just sell without their say, I already would have. But the thing was that my smart daughter pointed out, a mathematical impossibility. I did have Braxton’s okay to sell, he was actually the one that pushed the sale to begin with. I was more than happy to stay at the company and the ranch the rest of my life. It had always been what me and my late husband had thought was going to happen. I just didn’t know that it was going be the way it had turned out.
I had hoped that the kids would just go with it. I was their mother after all, but apparently I had raised them to have their own mind and they weren’t going for it.
Tossing and turning all night, I had nightmares about what was going to happen if I didn’t get them to agree. I knew in my heart what was going to happen and I wouldn’t even bear the thought. I didn’t want anything to happen to my family. They were all I had left and nothing else really mattered.
***
“So?”
I sighed inwardly and swallowed hard. I had been dreading the call for some time, but I knew that it was going to come. He wanted results. Braxton wasn’t a patient man and the things he would do to get what he wanted were not hard to imagine. He would have his way, one way or another and I knew that I wasn’t going to like the way he chose. He was not going to be happy with my lack of progress.
“It didn’t go so well. I told you that they were going to resist it.”
“Well that is why I sent their mother to break the news to them. That was the whole point of this exercise. I could have come up with results already. Do I need to go to my way of doing things Elna? You know I am very good at making people see things my way.”
I blanched and looked away. He was in my office again and though I had done my best while I was at home, the children had banded together and the sale was not going to happen with their blessing. I couldn’t tell him that though. It would be the end of it.
“I just need more time Braxton, that’s all. It’s a lot for them. All of their memories of their father are there.”
“Is it worth them dying for it?”
Braxton was always like that. Even when he had first convinced my late husband to go into business together with him, Braxton had always b
een very pushy of his ideas. He was supposed to be a silent partner, but he had been pulling the strings all along. I know now that there was no way that I was going to be able to work things out with him. Braxton was the type to get his way. He had a lot of unsavory types that worked for him, but he was the type that didn’t mind getting his hands dirty. He enjoyed the dirt work and there was no way that I was going to let my family get dragged into all of that. There had to be another way and no matter what was happening at home, I had to keep them from it. That was all that I knew for sure.
“Stop saying that. Don’t you think you have done enough to me and my family? I don’t need to be constantly reminded of what you are capable of. I know what kind of monster you are.”
He tsked me and I wanted to hit him. As his hands moved up to my face, I pulled away. There had been a time, before I had known the truth and seen him for who he really was, that I would have melted in his arms. I had loved him at a time when I was most vulnerable, but now his very touch made me nauseated. I no longer loved him, but hated him with every fiber of my being. What he had done to me was enough to hate him for the rest of my life.
Pulling my head back to break the contact of his hand on my face, he made this low chuckling sound in the back of his throat that was almost as bad as his hand on me. He didn’t seem to be bothered by my move, but actually further amused that he was making me so uncomfortable.
“Then stop treating me like I am your husband. I will not take your sharp tongue Elna, so you need to make better choices in the way that you talk to me.”
I nodded my head and I hated the fact that I knew there was fear in my eyes. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. I knew that it wasn’t supposed to be like that and all I felt for him was numbness and fear. Nothing good was going to come from this all.
“I will do the best I can Braxton. Please stop threatening the kids. They are all I have left. You made sure of that.”
“Then remember what I can do. I will not hesitate with the children. You have to remember that your husband was my best friend and if I will do that to him, imagine what I will do to those I care nothing about. You don’t think.”
“Just give me some more time. I will go back down there this weekend and try again.”
He shook his head and I could tell that he wanted to touch me. He had a look of desire in his eyes and I couldn’t believe that he could look that way in a time like this. How could he be thinking about sex at the same time he was threatening to kill my kids? And it was all for what, a few extra dollars?
“That’s not going to be good enough, though if you do me a favor, maybe I will return it, but I am not going to make any promises.”
I knew there was no half ground with him and even if there was a chance that I could get more time, there was no way that I could be nice to him in the way that he was wanting. I could never be with him or look at him in that way again. Why couldn’t he see that?
“No favors. Just give me a couple of days, please.”
“No, you have until tomorrow evening at this time to make them see your way. If not, well you know what is going to happen.” His hand came out as I backed away from him and he pulled me close to him, my body flinging against his hard chest. “And don’t act like you have a choice Elna. If I wanted you bad enough, I would just take it.”
His mouth came down on mine and what had once given me such pleasure, now made me feel repulsed and there was nothing I could do about it. He was too strong and too ruthless. Braxton always got his way.
Chapter 8 – Gemma
I couldn’t believe mom and it seemed even stranger that after all that had happened, she was more worried about what everyone else thought, than her own kids. She had apparently already talked to Braxton about selling, though I wondered if he had thought of it first. But if that were the case, mom wouldn’t have been so adamant about it I don’t think.
“I am sorry you had to hear all of that, Billy. I guess you just got slammed right into the middle of all of that the other night.”
He shrugged. “I never really had any family, so it is interesting to me. But I have never seen your brother so upset before. Are you sure everything is alright with Elna? She didn’t seem herself at the end there. I would have never thought that she would want to sell the business. She has always seemed so happy when me and Marcus would visit her in the city.”
I nodded, it was exactly how I felt, but all of us were just left there with our mouths open and wondering what had just happened. It was not like my mother at all and I had to think that there was something else going on, something else amiss in all of it.
“So when do you go back out on the platform?”
“I got another week actually. I was only going to take a week off, but I figured that the weather has been so nice and the days so interesting, that I was think of staying another week. You don’t mind do you?”
I didn’t mind. He had been a nice companion to have around and though I figured that he would be put off with the family drama, it didn’t seem to bother him in the least bit. Billy had even been helping me with some of the chores around the ranch. I had decided to go ahead and do what I had said I would do at the table. I quit my job the next day and it had afforded us all the time in the world to get to know each other.
Marcus had been pushing me towards him and even with everything going on at the ranch and Leanna, he still had time to play matchmaker, though he wasn’t very discreet about it. He kept leaving us alone, like today when we were off on a slow ride on the horses. It was getting later and the sun was starting to go down on the right side of us.
“Of course I don’t mind if you stay. I think I would rather take some more time off as well. I just quit my job and I feel like I should do something before I start work at the ranch. Is Marcus staying off for another week too?”
He shook his head that he was and that made me feel a little more relief. It meant that I would have more time with all of my brothers except one and Marcus had always been my favorite. “So what are your plans for your week off?”
“I am not really sure, but I know that I want you to be part of it.”
I felt myself blushing. He was always saying sweet things like that and I could tell that his silvered tongue was hard to ignore. Billy knew the right things to say and though we hadn’t kissed or even really touched in a way that was inappropriate and sexual, I wanted him to. He was holding back I figured because of Marcus, but Marcus had made it clear to me in his comments that he thought that we would be perfect together.
“Well I am just here at the ranch now. I have to go home eventually to get some spare clothes. I haven’t been home in days and I can’t wear Leanna’s clothes anymore.”
He looked over at me and I could feel too much of my flesh revealed. The light skirt that I was wearing was high on my thigh and I could tell that his attention was there. “Do you want to come over for a while and have some lunch or something while I change?”
“I kind of like what you are wearing.”
I sighed. “I bet, but I am tired of being afraid to move. She is a lot shorter than me, so I am sure that it fits a lot better on her.”
His dark green eyes darkened even further to a jade color and he didn’t have to say anything, I already knew what was on his mind. It was most likely the same thing on my mind. “I doubt that very seriously.”
“Me, look at you. You have become a proper cowboy since you came to stay here. I think the ranch might be rubbing off on you.”
He nodded his head. “I don’t think that it is the ranch that affects me so much.”
“Than what pray tell, is affecting you?”
Billy stopped his horse and pulled it back around so that he was instead looking at me. “You are the one that has changed my thinking.”
“And what thinking is that?”
“That I don’t want to go back on the platform. It all just seems so lonely now. I like the way things are here. You have all your family together and it
is all so warm and inviting. You are warm and inviting Gemma.”
He leaned in suddenly close and I closed my eyes as I felt his lips brush ever so softly against mine. The horses didn’t like to be so close together though and mine pulled away, leaving my lips still moist from his tongue, but he was gone so suddenly and then the moment was broken. I turned to go back to the ranch with Billy following behind. I knew that he wanted to finish what we had started as much as I did.
***
We got back to the ranch around the time the sun was at the highest point in the sky. It had been a good ride, but my body was still buzzing over the kiss. It had only been for a few moments, but there was nothing that could be done. Two of my brothers were in the house when I got back in and I waved hello, wondering a little guiltily if they knew what I was just doing with Billy. He followed me to my room where I picked up a few things and then we had both agreed to have lunch at my place. Anticipation was high in my mind that something more was going to happen, but I didn’t want to say anything out loud to jinx it.
“You know, we could just stay at your place this evening too.”
“What did you want to do?”
As soon as I asked the question, I knew I couldn’t take it back. There was something about the way he looked at me that made me shiver inside. “Hey, sis!”
I sighed to myself. It didn’t seem like us doing anything else was going to be in the agenda. There was something holding us back from doing what was wanted and I was trying hard not to see it as a sign. “What Marcus?”
He looked from me to Billy and had this smile on his face that I wanted to slap off. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt something.”
“You’re not.”
“Then go.” I looked over at Billy who had said something at the same time, though his request was far different. I tried to ignore the looks I was getting. “What’s up Marcus?”
“Mom is going to be back home this evening and wants us all to come to the ranch for dinner. I just wanted to make sure that you were here as well.”
