by Naomi Niles
This was the way I wanted to end my time here at Hutchinson Ranch. This was the masterpiece befitting of how peaceful it was to live here, and one I would be pleased to give to Margie when I said my final goodbye to her.
I shut my sketch book and noticed for the first time how low the sun had gotten in the sky. My stomach rumbled and I reached for my bag, leaning against the log beside me. I'd eaten the bag of cookies long before, and my water bottle was nearly empty. I figured I’d better eat one of the apples from the tree before heading back home to the ranch.
It would be dark by the time I got there, so it looked liked I would have to stay one more night and go home to Chicago in the morning.
My mother would be disappointed – or maybe she wouldn't. It was hard to tell with Jillian if she cared about me at all, or even liked me. When I'd texted her that morning saying that I would be getting a late start, it had taken her hours to text me back. When she did, all she had to say was, "Don't hurry back."
Having finished my apple, I tossed the core in the shrubs for the animals to eat and started packing my art supplies back into my bag. Whiskey whinnied beside me.
"Ready to go home?" I asked her, and she nudged my hand with her nose. Smiling, I pet her there and said "Me, too."
It startled to me realized I meant the ranch and not Chicago. I felt more like a stranger in the place I should call home, and more at home in the place I didn't belong. Sighing heavily, I wished there was a way to change my fate, but it was already too late.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Colton
"The cattle are finally settling down," Brett said to me with a sigh of relief. "Last night's fire sure had upset them, but I think they're going to be okay now."
"Last night's fire upset us all," I joked, but all Brett could muster was a wry smile. Normally he was first to laugh, but right now he was too exhausted. We all were.
It had been one hell of a long night. Even after the firefighters had left in the early hours of the morning, I couldn't sleep. I kept tossing and turning in bed, worried that the flames might start up again.
When my mind finally settled from that, all I could hear were Bethany's words of anger echoing back at me over and over. How could she think I would sabotage her artwork by committing arson? The barn was destroyed, and the fire could have easily spread to burn down the entire ranch if it hadn't been caught in time. It was true that I would do almost anything to get Bethany to stay, but I sure as hell wouldn't destroy everything I held dear to do it.
Finally, I gave up trying to sleep and got out of bed. The sun was up, and there was a lot of work to do. Fire Marshal Pete Renner was performing an investigation to determine the cause of the fire. The horses needed to be moved back to the stable, fed, watered, and soothed from their anxiety.
The cattle were highly agitated, and I had to cancel my plans to take them to the slaughterhouse. It would take a while for the toxins caused by fear to work their way out of their systems, and the last thing I wanted to do was sell beef whose flavor was tainted. It would ruin my reputation with my buyers for years.
A reporter from the Riverbend Gazette came out to do a story on the fire, which took up a lot of my time. Once word got out, neighbors were stopping by to make sure we were all right and to deliver casseroles. What was it that made people think a casserole could cure any tragedy?
It was late in the afternoon before I finally had a chance to get back to the barn where Travis and Pete had been working all day.
"It was definitely arson," Pete said grimly. "Look at this."
He led me into the center of the pile of ash that used to be my barn and pointed out the tell-tale signs of evidence dictating how the fire had started from a single point and grown to engulf the old wooden structure filled with hay.
"I understand the ranch has been struggling financially this past year." Pete didn't pull any punches. "Did you start this fire as a means of cashing in on an insurance policy?"
"No." I was adamant. "This is my home. I would never burn it down. Besides, the sheriff is conducting an investigation of cattle rustling. If we can get the missing cattle back, that will take care of our debt."
"The sheriff that is also your brother?"
"Yes, but he runs a clean investigation, and don't you doubt it. He suspects that the reason the ranch is losing money is because someone is steeling cattle."
"I heard two men were arrested for that." Pete nodded.
"Yes, well, there's reason to believe there is still a thief on the property," I stated. Travis showed his surprise.
"Why didn't you tell us?" He was pissed off at me now.
Squaring off to my middle brother, I said, "Because if we're going to flush him out, he needs to think everything is fine. If you were running around acting all suspicious, chances are he'd run and we'd never get our cattle back."
Pete cut in the middle of us and said, "It's possible whoever stole your cattle started the fire, or they could be completely unrelated. Tell me, do you recognize this?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out plastic bag with a lighter inside. It was unique, with a bird etched into the metal case.
"Yeah, I recognize that," I said.
"Me, too. One of the employees was lighting cigarettes with it out in the field one day." Travis' eyes lit up.
"Yeah, but who was it? I can't remember." My head was throbbing from stress and lack of sleep, and I just couldn't focus.
"Who smokes?" Travis asked, trying to be logical about it.
"Everybody." I clenched my hands into fists and longed to punch something, I was so frustrated. "All the guys who work on this ranch, except for us Hutchinson brothers, all smoke cigarettes."
"Well, one of them had that lighter. When you remember who it was, call me immediately." Pete handed me his card. "Chances are when we find the owner of that lighter, you've found your arsonist – and maybe even your cattle rustler."'
"Thank you." I shook Pete's hand and watched as he and Travis left to share their findings with Will down at the Sheriff's office and file a report.
I went to tell Brett he could call it a day, and caught of glimpse of him walking off hand in hand with Emma Fields. They made a sweet couple and she was good for him; I just hoped he didn't blow it with her like I seemed to have done with Bethany.
I realized for the first time that I hadn't seen her all day. Things had been so crazy all day I'd been too busy to pay her any attention. In fact, they'd been that way for the past couple of days. No wonder she felt like I didn't pay enough attention to her and was just using her for a plaything.
In a way, she was right: I didn't treat her like she deserved. I had been taking for granted that she would just be there for me without my having to put any effort into the relationship. Even though I hadn't burned down her paintings, Bethany was right: I had wronged her, and she deserved better. Now I just had to find her to tell her.
Her car was still parked in front of the house so I knew she hadn't left yet, but where was she? I checked all the usual places, but in the end, she was nowhere to be found.
"Looking for someone?" Mama asked with a knowing smile when I finally gave up and returned to the kitchen in defeat.
"No. Just checking around the ranch to make sure everything is okay," I lied, knowing full well that I could never put anything past her.
"I see. Your brothers already ate dinner while you were walking around. I was just packing up the leftovers into this picnic basket."
"That's an odd thing to do."
"No more odd than walking around in circles for no reason," she pointed out.
"Okay, I was looking for Bethany," I confessed.
"I
thought as much. She sure seemed pretty upset with you. I would have thought you'd be avoiding her."
"I was at first, but I realize now that's exactly what she was mad about to begin with. I put everything else in my life above her: the business dealings for the ranch, my brothers, everything. She was always last on my list of priorities; it was no wonder she wanted to leave.
“Then, the night she tells me she's going home, mysteriously the barn catches on fire with all her hard work inside. I can see why she'd think maybe I had something to do with it; but I've got to convince her of the truth."
"And what exactly is that?" Mama asked.
"That I took her for granted because she feels like as much a part of me as my hand or my foot. It's like we're already one, and I didn't think I needed to tell her how much I cared for her because to me it seemed obvious.
“But I realize now that I need to tell her every day just how much I love her. I would never destroy her paintings because they're a part of her, and I value her more than anything.
“It's true I do want her to stay. The moment she stood up and said she was leaving, I should have begged her to stay – and that's what I'm going to do right now, if I can just find where she's gone."
Mama didn't say a word. She just smiled at me as she handed me the large picnic basket.
"What's this for?" I asked.
"She took Whiskey on the path leading down to the river. I convinced her to stay one more day and make me a sketch. She's going to be hungry and thirsty after being gone all day, so there's food and wine in the basket. There's a blanket, too, in case she's cold."
"Mama, I thought you said people should mind their own business and not interfere in matters of the heart."
"I'm not interfering. I just packed the leftovers from dinner; that's all."
I wrapped her into my arms and hugged her tight. "Thanks, Mama."
Chapter Twenty-Three
Bethany
"Stay still, or I can't get on," I cried out, as once again Whiskey stepped away, just as I tried to swing my leg up from the stirrup over her saddle.
"This had been much easier in the stable where I had a step ladder. Out here, it's nearly impossible," I complained as I tried once more to mount the horse and failed yet again.
Whiskey whinnied at me and it sounded almost like laughter. Then, suddenly, there was a sound of breaking branches coming from nearby and the animal’s ears and head perked up in alert.
"Who's there?" I cried out, near panic. I picked up a branch from the ground, ready to swing at whatever wild animal was about to spring from the trees and attack me. I was surprised when a familiar face appeared instead.
"Colton! You scared the crap out of me!" I cried out happily as he stepped through the shrubs leading a mare by the reigns. I flung myself into his arms and hugged him tight with joy as the mare whinnied with surprise.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Are you all right?" He squeezed me to his hard chest, and it felt good to be held by his strong arms.
"Yes. I'm fine. I would have been back already if I could only mount this horse," I said with a giggle. I remembered I was supposed to be mad at him, and I pushed hard against his chest, forcing him back away from me. "Wait a minute: no! No, I'm not fine. I'm mad. Really mad, at you."
Colton looked surprised by my sudden change of emotion, but now that I remembered how angry I was at him, I let all my rage explode at him.
"You tricked me into loving you, used me for nightly romps in the barn, and then thought you could treat me like I didn't exist. Then, when I got fed up with being used and then ignored and decided to leave, you got revenge on my by burning down the barn where we made love and destroyed my paintings in the process.
“You thought you could make me stay so you could use me longer, but it won't work. I'm on to you. You're a liar. You're a jerk. You're a monster!"
I was yelling at him and beating his chest with my fists. Suddenly, he caught my tiny fist in his large hands and pulled me to him. With is face close to mine, he said in a gruff whisper, "I'm in love with you."
Before I could object, Colton took my mouth in a fiery kiss. His urgent tongue forced my lips apart, and I succumbed to the power of his passion, opening my mouth to his and allowing him to devour me. His strong hands wrapped in my hair, and I felt my body turn to liquid, leaning against him as I clung to his torso with my hands to keep from swooning as we kissed repeatedly.
I could feel his hard muscles through the fabric of his shirt, and I hungered to feel them with my bare hands. I ripped off his shirt and ran my hands over his abs, up to his pectorals. He groaned with pleasure as my fingers found his nipples and grazed them with my nails.
Now it was his turn. He pulled my shirt off over my head, and I was glad I had put on my lacy bra. He buried his face in my cleavage, kissing my bared flesh with hungry lips.
Then slowly, he peeled down the straps, unhooked the clasp, and removed my bra completely. My nipples puckered in the cool night air, and I moaned aloud as Colton put his hot mouth upon them, licking and sucking my taut nubs while I ran my fingernails through his sandy brown hair and sighed with pleasure.
"I want you so bad," he groaned as he stripped off my jeans.
"Take me now," I panted, stepping out of my panties. I was now naked in the forest, bathed only in moonlight.
He whipped a blanket out of his saddlebag and laid it down on the ground beneath the apple tree. Our two horses had wandered down the path a bit, leaving us alone with our intimacy. I lay down in the center of the blanket and watched as Colton stripped off his jeans and boots to lay beside me, naked.
He took me quickly, entering my wet folds with an urgency more intense than before. I cried out with pleasure, my gasps echoing through the forest, and making the birds take flight.
"I needed that," I sighed with satisfaction when the quickie was done.
"I'm not finished yet," Colton whispered as he kissed his way down my body, lingering at my breasts to kiss circles around my nipples. "I want you to know for sure just how much I love and appreciate you. I don't ever want you to doubt how much you mean to me ever again."
He kissed his way down my stomach and parted my thighs. He brought his mouth to my most intimate folds with expert workings of his lips and tongue. I gasped with surprise at the intensity of pleasure he made me feel and clutched at the blanket beneath me as he brought me climax with his wonderful mouth.
Then, when I thought I'd experienced the most pleasure possible, he entered me again with his newly hard organ and we made love again.
As a tangled jumble of limbs, with his mouth on my neck, and my legs wrapped around his waist, I felt him preparing to climax. My body spasmed, my back arched, I threw back my head and cried out with ecstasy as pure euphoria enveloped me. We orgasmed as one, alone in the forest with the night breeze blowing through the branches of the apple tree above us. It was the most incredible, beautiful moment of my life, and when we were done, I was breathless.
"That was amazing," I sighed when I finally regained my ability to speak. Propping myself up on one elbow, I gazed down at Colton and said teasingly, "This was all part of your tricky little plan, wasn't it?"
"I'm not that clever. It was part of Mama's plan, though." He grinned. Then he took down a picnic basket from the back of his saddle and set in on the blanket. Inside was a bottle of wine and containers filled with Margie's delicious cooking.
Colton found two plastic wine glasses in the bottom of the basket and filled them with chilled merlot while I picked up one of Margie's hors d'oeuvres with my fingers and popped it in my mouth. It was pure heaven, and I couldn't help but sigh as I swallowed it. Colton chuckled his deep laugh as he handed me a plate piled high with my favorite foods.
"Thank you, but this doesn't change how angry I am at you."
"I know. You have every right to be mad at me for the way I treated you. I should have communicated better," he said with genuine humility.
"I should have let you know every day how much I love you and made sure you knew how important you are to me. I was busy, I had a lot going on with the ranch, but I should have talked to you and let you know why I was so busy, so you wouldn't think it was because I didn't care."
"Nice try, but that's not the reason I hate you," I said to him. "Yes, you hurt my feelings by ignoring me, but you crossed a line when you burned my paintings in that barn fire. I can never forgive you for that."
"That wasn't me," he said. I listened as he told me everything he knew about the investigation, how he'd found a lighter belonging to one of the employees, and how it might be the same person who's been stealing their cattle.
"So, when we find the man who owns the lighter, William will arrest him for arson and destruction of property. It won't get your paintings back, but at least it will be justice for the crime."
"I can't believe I blamed you." I felt terrible for the way I'd treated him. "Can you forgive me?"
"Only if you agree to stay," he teased.
"I'll stay till the end of the week. I promised your mother I'd stay here and create five paintings for her, and it doesn't feel right skipping out on her early and leaving her with nothing but some sketches."
"That's good. I'm glad you're staying; but I don't mean until the end of the job – I mean forever."
"What are you saying?" My heart skipped in my chest. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? If so, it was the answer to my dreams, but that didn't mean it could become a reality.
"Stay with me, Bethany, here on the ranch. I love you, and I don't want to ever lose you."
His offer was everything I'd ever wanted since the moment I'd first laid eyes on him just one short month ago. I thought about it carefully, but the answer was obvious.
