Branded

by Candace Havens

  “True,” Grandpa said. “But I would like to hear Callie’s new plan for school.”

  “Maybe we could have the first course, and then you can give her the third degree.” She patted his hand.

  “I just want the girl to know we will support her dreams, but all dreams need a plan.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “I have one,” I said. “I’ve been doing the required course work all summer, kind of without realizing that’s what I was doing.”

  “What do you mean?” Grandpa asked.

  There was a sigh beside me, and I glanced over to see Bethany savoring the soup with her eyes closed.

  As if she could feel me staring, she opened her eyes. “What? This soup is so good. Like magic for my head,” she said.

  “One of my old hangover cures,” Grandma said. “Tomato bisque with garlic. Cures what ails you.”

  Would it mend a broken heart?

  What was it Grandpa had asked? “Oh, uh, so I’ve been reading a lot this summer. I’d looked up some of the literature courses in the writing program and the books were interesting, so I thought I’d read them. That’s what I was talking about. I, uh, also finished the finance course I failed. I think I did okay. The teacher didn’t seem to have it out for us like my other one did. He didn’t like teaching undergrads. And Cole helped a lot. He made sense of the numbers for me.”

  I’d been staring down at my soup, wondering how I could make it through dinner without eating anything, so it took a minute for me to realize what I’d said.

  I glanced up to find my grandma watching me.

  “That boy’s got a great head on his shoulders,” Grandpa said in between bites of soup. “Never seen such a keen mind—smarter than I ever hope to be. He’s got everything for the ranch in the computer, has all the books up to date, and has automated the billing. He even has the vaccinations and everything on a timeline. He’s a wonder that kid. Been thinking about bringing him into the corporation. He’s just the kind of young mind we need to keep everything going forward.”

  Oh my God, and I’d almost ruined all of that for Cole. A job at my grandpa’s company would be life changing for Cole and Addy.

  “Yep, he’s pretty smart,” I said. “And great with numbers.”

  Grandma’s gaze hadn’t left me, so I focused once again on my soup and forced myself to take a spoonful. It was good. Actually, it was great.

  “That’s the kind of young man you should be dating, not those country club babies who have never worked a day in their lives,” Grandpa said. He pointed toward the ceiling with his soupspoon.

  I choked on the soup. Bethany patted me on the back.

  “Are you all right dear?” Grandma was giving me the strangest look.

  I nodded, not trusting my voice.

  “Damn fine kid. Well, a little wild with the women from what I hear. But weren’t we all at some point? Thank God he found you last night. We’d have been worried sick if we’d woken up and not known where you were. Yep, we need more of his kind in the world. And you could do worse.”

  He did not just say that. Cole was the kind of guy they wanted me to date? Cole. Not James.

  “He is a very nice young man,” Grandma said. She sipped her soup but kept her gaze on me. They had to know.

  Holy shit, life was all kinds of screwed up.

  I had to talk to him. But would he even care? It wasn’t like he’d ever wanted anything serious. In fact, he’d said I was smart to walk away when I did. And if we did date and then broke up, that might affect his job somehow. How could I be so excited for him and still feel soul-crushed inside?

  “So, back to your plan.” Grandpa wasn’t going to let it go.

  The soup was cleared away, and the salads brought in. I poked at mine while I tried to think. “I’m going to email my faculty advisor tonight to see if we can get some of my classes changed over from business to English and creative writing. It may be too late to get into the program this year, but maybe I can take some of the classes.”

  “I could make a call,” he said.

  I smiled. “No, I’ve got this. But thank you. If I’m going to make this work, I have to do it on my own.”

  “And why didn’t you tell us you wanted to be a writer?” Grandma asked.

  I put my fork down. “Like I told you before, I thought you’d be disappointed. I mean, making it as a writer is like saying you want to be an actor or something. It’s tough. That’s why I’m going to continue taking some business classes so I have something to fall back on. I’m just going to switch and make writing my major and business my minor.”

  “You sure?” Grandma asked. “You don’t have to take the business courses if there’s something else you’d rather study.”

  “I’m sure. I figure even if I do make it as a writer, I’m going to need to understand how to run my own business. So the classes I take will be geared more toward that. Though, I may leave the accounting and finance to someone else. And I’m a pretty good editor, so I thought maybe I could start an editing business once I finish school. That would help support me while I’m trying to make it as a writer.” I was talking out of my hat because all of this was just coming to me. But as I said the words, I believed them and became more passionate about them.

  These were dreams I’d talked about with Cole. I wished he could be at this dinner, listening to my grandparents. Or if he could just know how much they thought of him and respected him.

  I wouldn’t do anything to damage that.

  “Well, I’d say that’s a good start,” Grandma said. The entrees had been brought in, and I stared at my chicken. “Bethany, dear, how are your mother and father?”

  Bethany held up her end of the conversation, but I lost track as my thoughts moved back to Cole.

  More than anything, I wanted to text him to talk about the irony. But this was still best for both of us. I had to figure out what I really wanted. Away from him. Away from all of this.

  Even if it hurt like hell.

  Chapter Eighteen

  About a half hour after picking Callie’s grandfather up at the hangar where they’d parked the jet, I pulled into the auction arena. Part of me was excited to show him the horses we were going to buy, but seeing Callie’s grandfather just brought it all home. It had been twenty-four hours since I’d last seen her, and it only made me want her all the more. Dammit. Shorty had been right. I had it bad.

  I love her.

  “You coming?” Mr. Llewellyn asked. I’d been sitting there staring out the window like a dumbass.

  Most ridiculous thing ever. Neither one of us was at a place in our lives when something like this should be happening. She was busy with school, and I had responsibilities that would keep me in Texas. It would never work. It was stupid to even think about it. But my fucking heart wouldn’t let it go.

  I was no good for her. She was all sunshine and light, and I just wasn’t.

  Mr. Llewellyn clapped his hands together. “Cole, I can’t wait to see these horses you’ve been talking about. It’s going to be a good day, boys, a damn good day.”

  I’d had a few too many beers the night before, so I could have done with less clapping. But I smiled. The old man was a good guy, and I wouldn’t disappoint him.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Me and Shorty followed him into the arena and took our seats in the box with his name on it. It took everything I had to focus on the auction, to explain how the breeding stock would strengthen the line of appaloosas already stabled at the ranch. At the end of the day, we went home with three of the finest horses money could buy, and a prized bull that had gone for top dollar but would be worth every penny come stud time.

  After settling up and figuring out transport, we were walking out of the arena and Mr. Llewellyn’s phone rang. “I’ll meet you two at the truck.”

  He motioned us away, but I heard, “So you think she’s running away from something?”

  I glanced back to find Mr. Llewellyn watching me. Shit. What was th
at about? Was it Callie? Surely she hadn’t taken off without letting them know where she was going. I was tempted to take out my phone and call her, but she’d made it clear. She wasn’t my problem anymore.

  “Shorty, I’m going to need you to drop me and Cole at the airfield. An emergency has come up, and I need to get home. Cole, you’re coming with me. I’ve got something I need to talk to you about.”

  “Yes, sir.” Shit. What was going on? “But shouldn’t I stay here and help Shorty with the transport? We’re going to need an extra trailer for the bull.”

  “Guerrero and Hank are meeting us at the airport. My wife, being the brilliant woman she is, flew them up on a commercial flight a few hours ago. She’s been trying to get in touch. Damn phones weren’t working in the arena. But when I didn’t answer, she took matters in her own hands. They’ll ride back with Shorty.”

  “Is everything all right? Did something happen…at the ranch?” I cleared my throat. She had to be okay. Mr. Llewellyn didn’t seem worried, just in a rush to get back.

  “It’ll be fine. But we need to get back fast.”

  An hour later, we were on the private jet. I’d never seen anything like it. All cream leather and dark woods. There was a bedroom in the back and a full bathroom. I sat across from Mr. Llewellyn at a table, my leg shaking with a bad case of nerves. I was wondering what all this was about. Why would they need me to come back so fast? Oh hell, unless it was Addy or Uncle Charlie.

  “Is my family all right?”

  He glanced up from the papers he’d been looking at. “What? Oh, yes. Sorry. Everyone is fine.” Then he went back to looking at the papers.

  I’d only flown a couple of times, and those flights had been short ones from Houston to Amarillo, and the planes I’d been on were nothing like this.

  “We’ll be taking off in five. You need to buckle up,” one of the pilots said as he came out of the cockpit. We both buckled up.

  “Son, there’s something I need to discuss with you.” Mr. Llewellyn’s eyebrows drew together.

  Crap. This couldn’t be good.

  “The work you’ve been doing around the ranch, the initiative you’ve shown, and well, it’s admirable.” He paused.

  “Thank you,” I said. But I wasn’t sure where he was going with this. All I’d done was simplify some things and written some computer programs to help automate and organize the system. I’d done it all in the hopes of making my uncle’s transition back to foreman as easy as possible.

  “I’d like you to come work for me,” he said.

  “I thought I was working for you.” I didn’t mean to sound like an idiot, but I was confused.

  “At my company,” he said. “You’ve shown yourself to be quite the asset, and I’d like to bring you in. Maybe in the IT department, where you could help bring us up to speed. I’ve been talking to my management team, and it seems we’re due an upgrade. I think you’d be perfect for the job. It’s a lot of numbers and research and figuring out what systems would be best for everything that we do. I have my hand in a lot of pies, or a lot of irons in the fire, as it were,” he said.

  He was offering me a job at his company. A dream job. Holy shit. The kind of job where I could afford to take care of Addy, and I wouldn’t have to rely on my uncle’s help.

  “That’s kind of you.”

  “Nothing kind about it. I have a plan. One where I someday see you taking over the reins.”

  Cole coughed. He couldn’t help it. “Excuse me?”

  “You remind me of myself, only you’re a hell of a lot smarter. But you think fast on your feet, and you have an innate sense of what’s needed and how to make it happen. I’m not sure you understand how rare you are.”

  That might have been the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me.

  And damn if this wasn’t something I wanted more than anything.

  Something niggled at the back of my brain, and as hard as I tried to push it away, I couldn’t.

  “Sir, thank you. I’m not going to lie, that’s pretty much the greatest opportunity I’ve ever had.”

  He frowned. “I hear a but coming.”

  “Well, there’s something I need to tell you, and it might change the way you think about me. And I’ll understand if you want to throw me off the plane without a parachute.”

  Mr. Llewellyn leaned back and crossed his arms. “Is that so?”

  I nodded. “This isn’t easy for me. And all I ask is that you don’t take your anger out on my sister or my uncle. I’m hoping you’ll let me finish up the job until he comes back full-time, but I’ll also understand if you feel differently.”

  “Maybe you better just get on with it.”

  My throat was seriously dry. As in, the desert hadn’t had water for days dry. Best just to get it out there. “I’m in love with your granddaughter.”

  …

  “It’s now safe to bring out your portable electronics,” the flight attendant said. I pulled my laptop out of the side pocket where I’d stored it. Bethany and I had found first-class seats to London, and then we were taking a short flight from Heathrow to Paris. I had to get away. I couldn’t be around the ranch where everything reminded me of Cole.

  Grandma had been shocked when I’d showed up downstairs at breakfast with my bags packed, but it was for the best. It wasn’t like all of this wasn’t planned. I was just leaving at my regularly scheduled time.

  Searching through email, I found what I was looking for, but part of me was afraid to open it. What if they’d said no? I’d already convinced myself I could try again for the writing program next year.

  I blew out a breath and clicked. They’d accepted my application. Attached was the information on my course load, and the classes they’d registered me in for fall.

  I closed my eyes, but tears still fell to my cheeks. I’d done it.

  “You got in the creative writing program?” Bethany leaned across the aisle from her pod. She already had it lying out into a bed. I didn’t blame her. By the time we’d arrived in Newark, we’d taken two flights, and it was almost ten at night before the plane took off for the next leg to London. Time. I needed to clear my head and focus. I couldn’t do that at the ranch.

  My heart still hurt at Addy’s good-bye. “You’re like the big sister I never knew I wanted,” she’d said and then sobbed.

  “You’re like the little sister I never knew could be so cool,” I’d answered back, squeezing her tightly. “I promise to bring you back something fun.”

  She’d brightened at that. “Cole’s going to be sad he missed you. I know you guys like to give each other a hard time, but I think he really liked hanging out with you.”

  I’d squeezed her tightly again, so she couldn’t see the tears in my eyes. “You tell him I said bye and then hug him hard for me. I gotta run.” I’d been all kinds of choked up. That happened when you left your heart behind.

  But it was necessary. I’d gone as fast as and far as possible. There was no way I would get in the way of Cole and the opportunity of a lifetime.

  “I did,” I said to Bethany. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “Good thing you’ve been studying, or we’d be spending all of our time in the hotel room.”

  “True that. Though, I will have to write a few essays, but I promise to only do that at night.”

  “After lots of wine,” she said.

  I wasn’t so sure about that. I was done with alcohol. “How about I watch you drink the wine, and I’ll make sure we get home safe.”

  Bethany rolled her eyes. “We’re supposed to be having fun. Promise me you’re not going to go all mom on me.”

  I laughed. “Promise. If you let me study, at least a little, I promise to party hard with you until it’s time to come back.”

  We high-fived. Pretending to be excited was exhausting, and I yawned.

  “Do you want to talk about him? It might help.”

  “What?”

  “Cole, the guy you’re in love with but
shoved away for his own good.”

  My jaw fell open. How had she known?

  “Um, not stupid. I saw the way he looked at you when he was leaving your room the other day. And, yes, I eavesdropped. He’s got it bad. And you feel the same way. But you didn’t seem to want your grandparents to know, so you kept it hush hush.”

  “I can’t talk about it,” I said. “I want to, but I can’t.” I wouldn’t break our contract. Even though it was null and void. I’d never risk anyone ever finding out.

  Bethany gave me a sad smile. “I don’t know what that’s all about, but I’m here for you. Your grandparents love him. I don’t understand what the big deal is, unless you think he’s not good enough.”

  “Hey, watch it. He’s way better than someone like me deserves.”

  “Oh, really?” She winked at me. “So what’s the big deal?”

  “If, and I mean if, we dated and things went south, that might not be so great for him. And this is his dream, being a part of a big corporation, making a difference somewhere. He’s so smart. I mean, like, you look at him and you think cowboy, but his brain works differently than the rest of us. And he’s had such a hard life. I just—I have so much respect for him, and I won’t get in his way.”

  “But you’re in love with him. Does he even know?”

  “I think he does, but he gets it. This isn’t the right time for either one of us. My feelings don’t matter,” I said. “None of it matters, only that he and Addy are protected.”

  She leaned forward. “Protected from who? Did someone blackmail you?”

  Jesus, this had gotten out of hand. “Why would you say that?”

  “Someone did. Who? We are so going to take them down.”

  I sighed. “Bethany, we aren’t taking anyone down. Please, I’m begging. Let it go. I’m moving on. He’s moving on. Everyone is moving on. Okay?”

  She scrunched up her nose. “Uh-huh. Sure. Everyone is moving on.”

  “I’m really tired, and it looks like the other passengers are passing out for the night.”

  “Fine. But for the record, you’re an idiot to let someone that hot go without a fight. And since when did Miss Callie Llewellyn back down from a challenge, Miss Perfect?”