He knocked once, then let himself in to find Travis and Seth at the table, digging into steaks.
He glanced around. “Is Mandy upstairs?”
Seth shook his head. “You didn’t talk to her before she left?”
“Left?”
Mandy sure hadn’t said anything to Caleb about leaving.
“For Helena,” said Travis. “I thought you must have gone with her, taken your jet.”
Caleb walked farther into the room, his hands going to his hips. “She didn’t say anything to me.”
Seth glanced at his watch. “She said she’d call us when she landed at the airport. You hungry?”
No, Caleb wasn’t hungry.
Mandy was gone. She’d left after their fight. What did that mean? Was she going to pull the same stunt as Reed and disappear when things didn’t go her way?
What the hell was the matter with her?
He struggled to keep the anger from his voice. “Did she say where she was going in Helena?”
“Nope,” said Travis, obviously unconcerned. Sure, now he didn’t worry about his sister.
“Do you have any business interests there, suppliers?” Caleb pressed.
“Nothing,” said Seth.
“She did have a college friend who was from there,” Travis offered. “I don’t know her name or anything.”
“But it was a woman?”
Seth gave him a confused look.
Travis scoffed out an amused laugh.
Caleb headed for the door. “If you hear anything, send me a text.”
“Will do,” said Travis.
“Where you going?” Seth called out behind him.
“Helena,” Caleb answered. “Let me know if you hear from Mandy.”
“What on earth is going—” Seth’s voice abruptly disappeared as Caleb shut the front door.
Caleb stomped his way back to the SUV. It seemed impossible that Mandy had a sudden desire to visit an old friend. Unless the old friend was in trouble. But, if that was the case, she should have told him. He could have lent her his jet to get to Helena.
Unless it was Mandy going to see her old friend for solace. Could she be that angry with him? She’d said yes to Rio. That was a good sign, right?
He started the vehicle and pulled it into gear, wheeling through the roundabout and back out the driveway. He reached for his phone and dialed her cell with his thumb.
He got voice mail, and didn’t really care to leave a message.
By the time he hit the main road, his confusion had turned to anger. No matter what her reason for leaving, the least she could have done was call him, or send him a text if she was too mad for a civil conversation. She’d let her brothers know where she was headed. Well, at least the rudimentary details. A motel name would have been nice.
Coming up on the highway, he dialed the pilot. It would be late before he got to Lyndon, but the airport was equipped for after-dark takeoffs, and they could land in Helena on instruments.
Having managed to get a flight from Lyndon to Denver last night, then a flight into Helena this morning, Mandy had camped out in the restaurant of the Bearberry Inn for over two hours. It was three in the afternoon, but there was still no sign of Reed.
The front desk had refused to give out his room number, and she didn’t want to call him, for fear he’d refuse to see her. She’d chosen a table in a back corner where she could watch both the restaurant and the front desk across the lobby without being easily seen.
She figured her last hope was to get him to come back to Lyndon Valley right away. If she did it quickly, there was a chance Caleb would still be there. If not, she was certain he’d finish packing and leave for Sao Paulo, sale or no sale. But if she could make it in time, Caleb, the stubborn fool, would be forced to have a conversation with his brother.
Just as Mandy was ordering her third cup of coffee, her patience was rewarded. She caught a glimpse of Reed’s profile, his tall, sturdy frame, striding across the lobby toward the bank of elevators. Quickly canceling her order, she tossed some money on the table and jumped up, grabbing her shoulder bag and slinging it over her blazer.
She trotted out of the restaurant, determined to catch him. A few feet away, she called out his name.
He turned and stared at her in obvious shock.
“Mandy?” He glanced around the expansive lobby. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for you.” She immediately hugged him, and he hugged her back. But her joy at finding him turned almost instantly to frustration. Drawing back, she socked him in the shoulder. “What is the matter with you?”
“Me? I’m not the one who appeared out of nowhere.”
“Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”
A couple of guests gave them curious glances as they walked past, causing Reed to take Mandy’s arm and lead her toward a glass door that led to the hotel courtyard.
“Why would you worry?” he asked. “What are you doing in Helena? How on earth did you know I was here?”
They made it outside to the relative privacy of an interior courtyard with a table-dotted patio, a manicured, green lawn, towering trees and colorful, raised brick gardens.
“I didn’t know if you’d been kidnapped, shanghaied, injured, arrested or mugged.”
“Kidnapped? You’ve got to be kidding me. Like somebody’s going to hold me for ransom.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I’m fine. Nobody’s going to mug me, Mandy. At night, on the darkened streets? I’m the guy people are afraid of.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t call me.”
“I can’t believe you were worried.”
“Why didn’t you at least send me a text?”
“Because I didn’t want anyone to know where I was.”
She jabbed her thumb against her chest, voice going up. “I’m not anyone.”
“You’d have told your brothers.”
“I would not.”
He gave her a look of disbelief.
Okay, maybe she would have, if they’d asked. She wasn’t the world’s best liar.
He glanced around the courtyard. “Do you want to sit down?”
“Sure,” she agreed, taking a deep breath. She’d found him. Whatever else happened, at least she’d found him.
He guided her to one of the small tables, pulling out her chair before taking the seat across from her. “You shouldn’t have come.”
Okay. Now was the time to tread carefully. She had to make Reed want to come back to the ranch and be willing to speak to Caleb. Otherwise, she’d never get him to budge.
She struggled with where to start.
“Mandy?” he prompted.
“Why Helena?” she asked, giving him a smile, intending to ease her way in, telling herself to relax and act as though everything was normal.
“Besides the fishing? It’s good ranch country, Mandy. I’ve had a job offer here.”
“Of course you’ve had a job offer. You could probably have a thousand job offers if you wanted them.”
He allowed himself a smile. “You’re such an optimist.”
“I am,” she agreed. “And I have faith in you. You’re an amazing person, Reed, a phenomenal person—”
“You know, don’t you?”
She played dumb. “Know what?”
“About the will.” He waited.
“Fine,” she conceded. “I know about the will.”
“How?”
She straightened in her chair, leaning over the round metal-framed, glass-topped table. “Can I start by saying I understand that you’re upset.”
“You can if you want. But that doesn’t tell me anything. And it only puts off whatever it is you’re dancing around here.”
“It was a mistake to leave, Reed.”
He scoffed out a laugh.
“You don’t understand what’s going—”
“How do you know about the will?”
“I want you to
come back.”
“You do, do you?”
“I do.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking.”
She reached across the table for his big hand. “I know exactly what I’m asking. If you’ll just—”
“How did you find out about the will, Mandy?”
She closed her eyes for a brief second. “Fine. Caleb told me.”
Reed gave a snort of derision, pulling his hand back. “Didn’t take him long.”
“Didn’t take me long at all,” came another deep, masculine voice.
Mandy’s heart all but stopped.
She turned her head. “Caleb,” she breathed.
“Was this stunt part of some grand plan?” he asked her, not even acknowledging his brother.
Reed came to his feet.
“I found Reed,” she stated the unnecessary. “That’s what I wanted to tell you—”
“You hoped I’d follow you?” Caleb demanded.
She was confused by his statement. “Follow—”
He gave a cold laugh. “Of course you knew I’d follow you. How could I not follow you?”
“What?” she couldn’t help asking, giving a small shake of her head. If she’d wanted him to follow her, she’d have told him where she was going.
“That’s what this was all about, all along.” His blue gaze crackled into hers. “You realized you couldn’t get me to talk to him by being honest.”
What? No. Wait a minute.
Reed stepped forward. “Nobody invited you to join us.”
Mandy whirled her gaze. “Reed, no. Let him explain.”
Caleb sized up his brother. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
Reed’s voice was stone cold. “Somebody stole my ranch.”
“You didn’t stay to defend it.”
“Right. Like I’m going to hang around under those circumstances.”
“You hung in there with Wilton.”
Reed clenched his jaw down tight, and the edges of his mouth turned white. “Shut up.”
“I don’t think I will.”
Mandy was starting to panic. She stepped between the two angry men. “Reed. Listen to me. He’s giving it back. Caleb’s giving you back the ranch.”
“I’m selling the ranch,” Caleb countered.
She ignored him and continued talking to Reed, her words spilling out fast. “That’s how I found out about the will. Caleb came to Colorado to give it back to you.”
“It doesn’t matter,” said Reed.
“How can it not matter?” she practically wailed.
“I don’t want it,” he spat.
“That’s ridiculous,” said Mandy. Her gaze took in both of them. “Come on, you two, quit being such—”
“You heard him,” said Caleb.
She rounded on Caleb. “Of course he wants it back.”
“Are you reading his mind?”
“I’m using logic and reason.” Her expression of frustration took in both of them. “Something that seems to be in ridiculously short supply in this conversation.”
Caleb angled his body toward Mandy, arms still by his sides, hands curled into fists. “You heard him. He said no.”
“He’ll change his mind.”
“No, he won’t.” Caleb’s gaze flicked to Reed. “He’s as stubborn as a mule.”
“At least I don’t cut and run,” Reed returned.
Caleb glared at his brother. “Back off.”
“That’s your specialty,” said Reed. “And it’s exactly what you’re doing right now.”
“I’m getting rid of an albatross that’s been around our necks our entire lives.”
“Around your neck?” Reed countered, squaring his shoulders, voice getting louder. “Your neck.”
Caleb ignored the outburst. “I’ll send you a check.”
“Don’t bother.”
Mandy’s stomach had turned to churning concrete. “Please, don’t fight.”
“Quit it,” Caleb told her.
“Don’t you yell at Mandy.” Reed inched closer to his brother, shoulders squared, eyes hard as flints.
For a horrible moment, she thought they might come to blows.
“I’m not yelling at Mandy.” When Caleb glanced back down at her, his expression had softened. “I’m not angry with you, Mandy. I swear I’m not. But you have your answer. He doesn’t want the ranch.”
“He does,” she put in weakly.
“Are you ready to go home now?” Caleb asked.
Mandy shook her head. “I’m not going home. I just got here. Reed and I haven’t even had a chance to—”
Caleb’s voice went dark again, suspicion clouding his eyes. “To what?”
For a second, she thought she must have misunderstood. But his expression was transparent as usual. He actually thought there was something between her and Reed.
Mandy threw up her hands. “You can’t possibly think that.”
After all they’d been through? Could Caleb honestly think that? He’d asked her three times, and she’d told him over and over that they were just friends.
“So, you’re staying here with him?” Caleb pressed.
She mustered her courage. Fine. If he wanted to think that, let him think that. “Yes, I am. I’m staying here with Reed.”
Caleb’s voice went quiet. “Is that what this was all about?”
She didn’t understand the question.
“All along? Your plan was to make me like you, worm your way in until I can’t—”
“Are you kidding me?” she all but shouted.
Did he seriously think she’d sleep with him to get him to stay? To not sell the ranch? Had he gone stark, raving mad?
He stared at her for a long minute. “Then, prove it. Prove you were being honest about your feelings all along.”
What was he asking?
“Him or me, Mandy. What’s it going to be?”
She froze.
Caleb couldn’t ask this of her. She wasn’t leaving Reed. If she did, Reed would disappear, and this time they wouldn’t find him.
“So, it’s him.” Caleb’s voice was completely devoid of emotion.
She hated his expression, hated his tone, hated that he was putting her in this impossible position. Under these circumstances, there was only one answer.
“Yes,” she ground out. “It’s him.”
Caleb was silent, the breeze wafting, birds chirping in the trees, faint traffic noise from the other side of the building.
Finally, he gave her a curt nod, turned abruptly and stomped back into the hotel lobby.
She and Reed said nothing, simply staring at each other.
“I didn’t mean for it to go this way,” Mandy offered in a small voice, trying desperately not to picture Caleb getting in a cab or maybe a rental car in front of the hotel, making his way back to the airport, flying to Lyndon, packing up the ranch, maybe meeting with another buyer and never seeing her again.
Reed sat back down at the table, his expression implacable. “Did you honestly think putting yourself in the middle would help?”
Her chest tightened, and her throat started to close. “I…” She was at a loss for words. She’d thought it would help. She’d hoped it would help.
“Mandy, all you did was give us something more to fight about.” Reed’s words pierced her heart.
“I didn’t mean…” She’d thought it would work. She’d honestly thought once they saw each other, they’d realize they were still brothers, that they still loved each other, and they’d reconcile.
But now she was in the middle, and Caleb was furious with her. He thought there was actually a chance that she was romantically interested in Reed. And he was gone. Likely gone for good.
Her voice began to shake. “I was only trying to help.”
Reed nodded, and his fingers drummed on the glass top of the table. “I know. You can’t help being you.”
She drew back in confusion.
His expression eas
ed. “We should get you a cape and a mask, Mandy. Swooping in, solving the problems of the world.”
“I’m not…” But then Abigail’s words came back to haunt her. Was this what she’d tried to warn Mandy about? Was Mandy substituting Reed for her own family? Had she become way too invested in Reed and Caleb’s relationship?
Had she made a colossal mistake that was going to hurt them all?
Reed’s dark eyes watched her closely while she struggled to bring her emotions back under control.
“Mandy?” he asked softly, a sad, ghost of a smile growing on his face. “How long have you been in love with Caleb?”
Mandy’s stomach dove into a freefall. “What?” she rasped. “I didn’t… I’m not… It isn’t…” She could feel her face heat to flaming.
Reed cocked his head and waited.
She couldn’t explain.
She wouldn’t explain.
She didn’t have to explain.
“I only slept with him,” she blurted out.
Reed’s lips formed a silent whistle. “And you just forced him to walk away and leave you with me? Oh, Mandy.”
“I’m not in love with him,” she managed. Falling in love with Caleb would be the most foolish move in the world. “It was a fling, a lark. It was nothing.”
Reed reached across the table and took her hand in his. It was big, strong, callused. “You shouldn’t have come here.”
“I know that now,” she admitted. She should have listened to her big sister. She should have minded her own business. Maybe if she had, Reed and Caleb would have found their way back without her.
“Go to the airport,” Reed advised. “Go to Caleb right now.”
But Mandy vigorously shook her head.
It was far too late for her to go to Caleb. And it wasn’t what Reed thought. Caleb never offered her anything more than a plan for a fling in Rio. And even that was over now. She was pushing Caleb right out of her heart. Forever.
Twelve
Caleb’s jet took off from the Sao Paulo airport, heading northwest into clear skies. The past two days had been an exercise in frustration, but with Danielle’s help, he’d defeated the Brazilian banking system’s red tape, and they were ready to start shipping raw materials next week.
A Cowboy Comes Home Page 16
