“Yes, well, it was a heck of a step forward in our relationship, but he became even more angry and screamed at me, day in and day out. And then,” she sighed, looking into the quiet bedroom, “because of the stroke, he needed more help than I could give him. I drove him to the nursing home and never regretted it. I wasn’t ever going to allow him to hit me again.”
“The stroke got him out of your life in a sense.” Reese snorted. “Maybe it was a good thing in disguise.”
Shay gave him a guilty look. “I can never say this to anyone else but you, Reese. Really, I was relieved that he’d had a stroke and needed twenty-four-hour medical attention. It was my excuse to get him off the Bar C. Because I was getting ready to leave the ranch once and for all. I wasn’t going to stay here and continue to get abused by Ray even though the ranch was dying. I no longer loved him. He’d beat it out of me over time. He’d killed Mom with his rages, his alcoholism. He was still drinking like a fish when I got home from the military. He had a friend buying him liquor.” She rubbed her arm and frowned. “I wasn’t going to take it anymore.”
“And then you put him in the nursing home and you decided to stay to try to save the Bar C.”
Wiping her eyes, she nodded. “Yes. The ranch is coming back to life a little at a time.”
“Listen,” he told her, holding her unsteady gaze, “you’ve worked miracles here not only for the ranch but for all of us vets. You should be proud of what you’re doing, Shay.”
“The only fly in the ointment is Ray.” She shuddered. “I can’t even think of him as my father anymore. All he ever did was make me fearful of him. I must have spent half my childhood either in the pastures, the barns or my bedroom, hiding from him. Trying to stay out of his way.”
Kissing her wrinkled brow, Reese said, “You’re so brave, so brave . . .”
Shay snuggled into his arms, resting her cheek against his broad shoulder. “I don’t feel brave right now. I’ve let Kira down. I owe her a huge apology. I should have told her and I didn’t. I was too ashamed . . .”
“Look, we can fix this,” Reese urged her, kissing her temple. “We need to pull ourselves together, look at this and get Garret and Kira back over here to discuss strategy.”
She moved her hand across his chest. “You’re right. But I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to go over there and cook for him. I-I just don’t have anything left inside me to protect myself from his black moods, his anger.”
“No one is asking you to do that,” Reese rasped, giving her a hug meant to buoy her.
“And I don’t want to put Kira back in the line of fire either.”
“Let’s talk this out with them. You’re close to Garret and I want to hear what he has to say, what he recommends. Kira will have input, too. They’re trustworthy people. We’ll figure this out with them. All right?”
She reached up and kissed his recently shaved jaw. “Yes. But first I need to apologize to Kira. She walked into Ray’s lair not realizing what he could do to her.”
Reese nodded. “Garret told me the other day she was jumpy about being fired. She was worried if she didn’t do a good enough job for Ray, we’d let her go.”
Stricken, Shay sat up. “We wouldn’t do that! She’s bringing in decent money through her translation skills. Why would she ever think that?”
He gave his wife a tender look. “Because she was fired from five other jobs in a row, that’s why. And that’s probably why she wasn’t going to report Ray’s mental and emotional abuse to us. She was going to take it, just gut through it.”
“That’s awful,” Shay muttered, rubbing her face wearily. “Kira shouldn’t take anything from Ray. Not a thing.”
He rose and kissed the top of her head. “Do you feel like tackling this now? I’ll round up Kira and Garret.”
“No, but I will,” Shay said grimly, standing. “It’s my responsibility to fix it.”
“We will,” Reese promised, sliding his arm around her shoulders, drawing her against him, holding her tightly for a moment.
* * *
Kira kept her cold, damp fingers in her lap as Reese and Shay settled down on the opposite side of the trestle table in their warm, cozy kitchen. She found solace with Garret at her side. She saw the devastation in Shay’s wan face and her bleak-looking blue eyes. Her heart went out to her because she was clearly shaken. Kira wished she could do something about it. Reese was the strong, quiet one, his eyes speaking eloquently of the emotions he was experiencing.
“I need to apologize to you, Kira,” Shay said in a low, trembling voice. “Ray used to beat my mother before she died. When she went, he started taking his anger out on me. I-I didn’t tell you that he’d been physically abusive toward me and I should have. I didn’t protect you. I can’t tell you how awful I feel about not doing that. It was the coward’s way out.”
Kira winced. “It’s okay, Shay. I understand.”
“No, it’s not okay. I left you vulnerable to him.” Her mouth tightened and she held Kira’s gaze. “This is about me, not you. You did nothing wrong. And I take full responsibility for it. I hope you can forgive me someday.”
Reaching out across the table, Kira gripped Shay’s tightly clasped hands. “You’re already forgiven. Don’t worry about it. Okay?” and she released her hands.
Shay gave her a miserable look. “I hope you’ll stay with us, Kira. I don’t want you to leave. You’re a good, hardworking person, honest and caring. This is all my fault, not yours.”
Reese added, “Kira, we want you to stay. We need your input as to what happened over there with Ray. You were there. Tell us, please?”
Girding herself, Kira gave Garret a quick glance. He nodded his head but remained silent. Relief flowed through her as she realized they weren’t going to fire her. Taking a deep breath, she told them everything. Shay looked absolutely devastated by the time she finished. Reese was tense, his face growing hard. These were military people. They knew how to put their emotions aside to think through a problem. Kira felt Garret’s hand come to rest on her shoulder, a silent signal that sent a wave of reassurance through her.
“I think this is bigger than you two realize,” Garret said, finally breaking his silence. He slid a glance toward Kira. “Didn’t Ray tell you one time that he was going to take back the Bar C when he got better?”
Shay gasped.
Reese scowled.
Kira’s eyes widened. “Oh, God, I forgot all about that!” She turned to the owners. “Yes, yes, he did say that to me one time. I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you about it.”
“There’s a lot that happened to you over there,” Shay said, “so don’t beat yourself up on forgetting some of the details.”
Reese pinned Kira with a dark look. “Ray said that? Those exact words?”
“Yes, he did.”
Reese gave his wife a searching look. “He told you he wanted to come home because he missed the place. He lied.”
“Right. He never told me he was coming back to take the ranch back,” she admitted, her voice thin with disbelief.
“Could he?” Garret demanded of them.
Reese sighed. “Technically? The ranch was originally from Shay’s mother’s side of the family. Her mom left it to Shay with a provision that reads that Ray is in charge as long as he is physically capable. If he’s incapacitated, the ranch legally belongs to Shay. But if he gets well? I don’t know. There’s no provision in the will for that possibility. It’s a legal no-man’s-land.”
Garret leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table. “I think Ray’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Shay. I think he’s going to get better to the point where he’ll hire a lawyer and then contest the will to take back the reins and ownership of the ranch. It’s clear to me he wants the Bar C back and he’s willing to fight for it in court and take it away from Shay.”
The table went silent. Kira saw the pain in Shay’s eyes at his statement. Reese looked grim, his eyes flashing with concern at the possibility.
“And I took his money, which was roughly a hundred and fifty thousand dollars, out of the ranch account and put it into a savings account for him,” Reese added. “I was protecting the nest egg he’d saved so he could continue to pay for his nursing home stay in case the ranch defaulted by missing a monthly payment.”
Shay reached out, her hand falling over Reese’s forearm. “You couldn’t know. You were protecting him in case I couldn’t keep this place solvent. If Ray’s money hadn’t been pulled out of the bank account, he might not have been able to pay for the nursing home where he was staying. He could have been dumped out on the street.”
“Yeah,” Garret said, “like we vets were after the military released us from the hospital and our military service.”
Kira rubbed her brow. “This is complicated.”
Reese sat back, moving his shoulders. “Ray is going to physical therapy three days a week. He’s getting stronger.”
“But he’s had a stroke,” Garret pointed out. He looked at Shay. “Has the stroke affected him mentally?”
“Sure. He’s a lot more emotional. Angrier, more often. He’s almost out of control sometimes.”
“What about his mental capacity?” Reese pushed.
Shay shrugged. “He’s forgetful. He mixes things up. I don’t know whether he’s lying and he knows what he’s saying or not. He repeats a lot of things from the past, and when he does, it’s usually a different twist on what really happened.”
Garret slid a glance at Reese. “It may well be that your ace in the hole is his deteriorated mental capacity. If he takes this to court thinking he can get the ranch back with the money you helped him save because he’s physically able once more, it’s his mind that could make a judge not allow him to become owner again.”
“God, this is a nightmare,” Shay whispered, disbelief in her tone.
Reese reached out, placing his arm around her shoulders for a moment. “Would Ray do this? Take us to court?”
Shay nodded miserably. “Every time I go over to see him, he regales me with stories from the past about the ranch, how much he loves it, how much he misses it. I think he would do it. God, I hope I’m wrong.” She gave Reese a distressed look. “We don’t have the kind of money to fight a court battle.”
“I know that. But let’s just take this a step at a time.”
“Yes,” Garret growled, unhappy. “Shay, you need to keep a log or journal of your father’s daily mental status. If this goes to court you’re going to need conversations and proof of his mental incapacity.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “This keeps building into a worse nightmare scenario. I feel like we’re fighting so hard to get the ranch on its feet, but every time we go one step forward, we get knocked back down on our knees.”
“It’s the nature of the beast,” Garret soothed. “But one thing’s in our favor: We’ve all been in the military. We’ve all seen combat. We know what it takes to hold the line and fight back and fight smart.”
“That’s all good,” Reese agreed, “but we need to deal with what’s going on right now with Ray.” He looked at Kira. “I don’t want to put you back over there under the circumstances.”
Kira shook her head. “Listen, if he’s really gunning to take the ranch away from you, I think I’m in the perfect position with him. Don’t you? He talks and raves all the time when I come over to make his meals. I can start recording what he’s saying, keeping a daily log of it. And if it does come to a lawsuit, I’ll be a witness.” She gave Garret a hopeful look, but he was scowling. So was Reese.
“Look,” Reese said, “it’s clear that I need to go over there and tell Ray he can no longer behave as he has toward you, Kira. Whether you go back there to care for him or not is another thing we have to determine.”
Kira leaned forward. “I think it’s fine that you talk to him. Give him boundaries, things he can’t do to me or Shay or anyone here at the ranch. But he does chatter a lot when I go over to make him meals. If he’s really plotting to take back the ranch, I’m the perfect foil. I have a very good memory. I’m a translator, and I don’t forget very much of what’s said to me. When I leave his house, I can go over to ours and write down the conversations. I can type them up and give them to you to keep, just in case.”
“Reese, I’m going over with you,” Garret growled. “I think Ray needs to understand we’re not going to allow him to abuse anyone. At any time. And I think you need to tell him if he does, you and Shay will remove him from the ranch. He can go back to the nursing home or wherever else he wants to go.”
Shay’s eyes widened and she looked from Garret to Reese. “He’s liable to explode over that.”
“So what?” Garret bit out. “What’s he going to do? Have another stroke that finishes him off?” Giving Shay an apologetic look, he added, “Sorry, Shay, but I’m really protective of Kira. She shouldn’t be going over there at all. He’s a mean, miserable bastard who has always taken out his rage on others. That has to stop. Now. Forever. And if we don’t give Ray really strong, restrictive boundaries, he’ll push through them, as usual. He’s got to know that whatever Reese tells him is the law, and he’ll act on it. Immediately.”
Crestfallen, Shay nodded. “You’re right, Garret. I wish . . . I wish he weren’t my father. I have no love for him, but I’m his daughter. There are days when I feel so torn that I don’t know what to do.”
“Let me continue to make his meals,” Kira pleaded. “So long as he stops his abuse, I can handle the situation. I can be your eyes and ears should it ever come to a court battle.” She gave Reese a pleading look. “Please let me continue over there?” She saw the hesitation in his eyes.
“Are you sure, Kira?” Garret gave her a worried look.
“I’m positive. If you guys go over there and tell Ray he has to change, I can handle the rest.” She saw Garret’s green-and-gold eyes go dark with concern. “You don’t have a choice in this. Ray is going to get a little stronger every week. I truly think he’s going to get to the point where he can ride a horse and do some of the work around here. He’s only forty-nine years old.”
“Could it be that we’re wrong?” Shay asked softly. “Maybe he’s not trying to take the ranch back.”
Reese gave his wife a gentle look. “You know him better than us. What do you think?”
Garret spoke up. “Shay, I’ve been around your old man for over a year now. Given what you’ve shared with me as a friend about him, I think he’s serious. He’s on a mission to jerk this ranch out from under your feet. Don’t try and idealize him; it will only set you up for a fall, in my opinion.”
Kira felt her heart thud with pain for Shay. She looked devastated and utterly exhausted. “It’s okay, Shay. If I’m over there as a spy of sorts, recording the conversations we have, it’s intel we could use should you ever need it.”
“Garret, you’re right about Ray.” Shay shook her head and gave them an apologetic look. “He’s always been a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And he might have had a stroke, but it didn’t change that side of him. He’s always been protective of this ranch. Always bragged how it’s a family treasure and he’s done such a good job of keeping it going.” Her mouth twisted. “Which we know is a lie because he’s an alcoholic and he let the ranch slide into the position it’s in now.”
“He’s still drinking, Shay,” Garret added gently. “I can’t prove it yet, but I know he’s drinking. I know you don’t want to hear it, but you’ve got to take off your rose-colored glasses about your father. My old man, Cal, is an alcoholic. I grew up with the bastard. And Ray was made from the same mold. I’d bet my right arm that he’s getting alcohol from someone.”
“Then,” Reese said, “we need to prove it. It’s just that much more ammunition for our side if this goes to court.” He gave his wife a warm look. “I’m sorry, Shay, but your father has a lifelong history of drinking. We need everything we can discover about him.”
“I know,” she whispered brokenly. “Garret’s
right. We need to find out for sure.”
“I’ll do that,” Kira told them quietly. “Once we get Ray to agree to stop the abuse, I can do the footwork on this. I go in and make his bed, clean up his room and do the washing. He wouldn’t think anything of me opening and closing dresser drawers or his clothes closet. If he’s drinking, he’s hiding it. But I can start actively looking for the bottles.”
“And when you find them,” Garret said, “take cell phone photos of them. Make sure the photos are date-stamped, too. You can start watching how much he’s drinking because the bottle is going to show it. You take photos and leave the bottles where you find them. It’s that simple.”
“That’s a good idea,” Reese agreed. “You okay with doing all this black ops stuff, Kira?”
She smiled a little. “Just like old times, isn’t it? Only it’s not Afghanistan, it’s here.”
Garret gently moved his hand across her bunched shoulders. “You were a good operator over there. You know how to conduct a search. Ray doesn’t respect women anyway, and he’s sure as hell not going to suspect you’re looking for his stash. He’ll think you’re too stupid to find it. Let him think that. It works in our favor.”
Distressed, Shay said, “He told me he stopped drinking after he had the stroke.”
Garret gave her a sad nod. “Take it from me, Shay: If an alcoholic or, for that matter, anyone hooked on any kind of drug, doesn’t want to stop, he won’t. My old man is still drinking like a loon.”
She opened her hands. “But his doctors all have said that if he keeps drinking, he’s going to shorten his life by twenty years.”
“It doesn’t impact them that way,” Garret told her grimly. “Ray is going to continue to drink. There’s nothing you can do about it. No one can. I’m sorry, Shay. I know how much this hurts you. I know you wanted the best for him. But he controls and makes his own decisions about his life.”
Reese sighed. “Yeah. For sure. Okay,” he said, looking at his watch, “Garret, you and I need to have that talk with Ray. I don’t want Kira going back over there to make his lunch without him knowing we aren’t putting up with his abusiveness anymore.”
Wind River Cowboy Page 15
