Taking Charge

by Ruth Cardello

  Wyatt rubbed his chin and made a face. “Son, you’re looking at this like a business deal, but my guess is that getting this land has become personal to York. He had everything he wanted before you came into the picture. He had Lucy, he had her land, and he had everyone so scared of him, they forgot they didn’t have to be. You took all that away from him. Since you’ve been here, he’s not as welcome in town as he used to be. People are starting to stand up to him. I hear rumblings of an investigation over some of the land sales. Families are saying they sold under duress, and they’re talking to lawyers about suing York to get their land back.”

  “Good.”

  “Maybe, but that’ll take a while to prove, and the law can be slow. Meanwhile, there’s a powerful man who feels like he’s under attack, and he blames you for his misfortune. This ain’t over yet.” He kicked off the dirt from the back of one of his boots by banging it on the step. “My son and grandbabies leave tomorrow for Dallas. I gave them what money I could. They’re renting out a house in the suburbs, and I suggested my wife go with them to set it up.”

  David snapped his head around to face Wyatt. “You think it’ll get that bad?”

  Wyatt pressed his lips together for a moment, then said, “When I see a tornado on the horizon, I send my family wherever they’ll be safe. I don’t care what I have to say to get them there. You need to get Lucy out of this town, David. I tried to talk to her about leaving, but she won’t go. I don’t know if we can protect her from what’s coming. If you’ve got one more lie left in you, son, I’d use it now.”

  Wyatt stood, dusted off his jeans, and left without saying another word. David sat and continued to think long past when the sun went down. By morning, he knew what he had to do, and he hoped if Lucy ever found out, she’d forgive him.

  Chapter Twenty

  After a sleepless night, Lucy forced herself to shower and dress. She made herself breakfast, but didn’t eat it. While pouring her coffee, she spilled some and burned her hand. It wasn’t bad, but as she ran cold water over her hand, she shed a tear and tried to tell herself it was from the pain of the burn. But it wasn’t.

  She’d spent the night asking herself the same questions again and again. Am I a fool for wanting to believe in a man who admits he lies to me? When will I learn that the only one I can trust is myself?

  Wyatt thinks I should leave town. He says it’s not safe for me here.

  In all my life, I have never doubted a word Wyatt has said, but isn’t being too trusting my problem? For all I know, Wyatt and David are plotting together on how they can take my ranch.

  Lucy shut off the water, turned around to rest against the sink, and stared blindly down at the rose-colored skin of her burn. I feel paranoid.

  But is it paranoia when people are actually confessing to misleading you?

  Lucy took out the list of properties Ted had purchased. He’d been systematically buying up one specific area. Why? Lucy had searched online last night for all the land that had sold in the area in the last few years. If he was interested in increasing his grazing area, he’d missed prime opportunities to the south of him. Ted thinks something is here, maybe underground.

  Does David know?

  Wyatt?

  If so, why won’t they tell me?

  What kind of relationship could she have with David if he had no problem hiding something like that from her? Lucy thought about how kind David had been. How often he’d stepped forward to help her.

  Ted had been just as kind when he thought it would gain him access to her land. He’d also helped her out financially when she’d needed it. In fact, Ted had gone further. He’d offered to marry her, claimed he loved her.

  In comparison, David was lagging behind . . . if Lucy took good sex with David out of the equation. Flashes of the two of them passionately entangled on her bed surged to mind, but Lucy stomped them back.

  She turned to pick up her coffee cup, but missed and sent it crashing to the floor. Coffee flew in all directions, along with pieces of the cup that had smashed on impact. Lucy looked down at the mess with the same twisting emotion she felt about her relationship with David.

  I knew it was too good to be true. No man is that kind, that attentive, while being that hot. This is what women get for reading too many fairy tales when they’re young. We’re all waiting for our prince to come and save us. But the joke is on us because those stories were written to keep us gullible, to make us think we need a man to be happy. And we fall for it. We believe what men tell us, like lambs heading off to slaughter.

  Lucy went to her office window and pushed back the curtain. David was near the barn, talking to his men. With a self-deprecating laugh, she let the curtain drop. I am back where I started. I took back my ranch only to hand it over to someone else. Sure, David’s men were nicer than Ted’s had been. And, yes, being with David had felt like heaven while it had lasted. In that way, he didn’t compare with Ted at all, but had any of that been real?

  Their attraction for each other couldn’t be faked, but David could have used it to his advantage. And the feeling that they had also become friends? That can be faked.

  Lucy thought about how fragile Michelle’s marriage had turned out to be. All it took to collapse was for Michelle to want something for herself.

  All it took for David and me to end was asking if he was lying to me.

  How do you forgive the kind of selfishness Ron shows Michelle?

  How do I believe anything David says now that I know he’ll break a promise and not even feel bad about it?

  Lucy looked at the boxes around her office and covered her face with a hand. She couldn’t imagine wanting to ever try another one of the toys. How could she without thinking about David? Without picturing how they would have read over the instructions, laughed over the possibilities, and explored them together?

  What if I’m wrong and David is a good man whose only mistake is trying to help a stubborn fool of a woman? What if being angry with him is the greatest mistake I’ve made since coming home? I’ve never been happier than I’ve been with David.

  What if he’s the one I should be growing old with and I’ve thrown it away without having the sense to fight for it?

  Lucy closed her eyes. Maybe a woman standing in a room full of sex toys has no right to pray for anything, but if anyone is listening, I need some guidance. Some sign. Please. I don’t know what to do.

  Lucy’s phone rang, and she jumped. She fumbled to answer it and almost started laughing when she saw the caller ID. It wasn’t God or her parents, it was just Sarah.

  “Lucy, do you have a minute?”

  “Sure,” Lucy said while sitting down at her desk. “What’s up?”

  “How are you?”

  Lucy laughed without humor. “Honestly? I’m a mess again. Or still. So really, nothing new to share here. How are you?”

  Sarah cleared her throat. “I know you have your business that takes up a lot of your time, but you do most of it on the computer, right?”

  “All of it,” Lucy answered. Now that I’m not test-driving anything.

  “I need to ask a favor of you. It’s a big one.”

  Lucy clenched her phone and sat forward. “Anything.”

  “My OB/GYN said I need to stay off my feet for a little while. She said I should stay as calm as possible. Tony wants to hire someone to be in the house with me while he works, but I don’t want that. I don’t need someone to clean; I just need someone to be with me for a little bit until we get past this rough patch.”

  “Oh, Sarah, I don’t know if I’m a good choice, especially if you need someone to keep you calm. I’m a human train wreck.”

  Sarah made a sad sound. “I know things are complicated there right now, but I need you. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”

  Lucy felt horrible. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help Sarah; it was that she hated the idea of bringing her negative state of mind into Sarah’s home. However, Sarah sounded desperate. I should
suck it up and be there for my friend.

  Her chest fluttered as a thought came to her. Maybe that’s my answer. I need to stop worrying about myself and take care of someone who has always been there for me.

  “Sarah, I can be there by tonight if you need me to.”

  Sarah let out a relieved breath. “I do.”

  Still gripping the phone tightly, Lucy said, “I’m sorry I hesitated. It had nothing to do with how much I care. I’ve let myself get all tangled up in my head, and I didn’t want to lay that weight on you.”

  “We’re like family, Lucy. Your problems aren’t something you need to hide from me. Friends, at least the ones you’re meant to have in your life, want the good and the bad. Let me be there for you while you come and be here for me.”

  Lucy wiped away a happy tear. A part of her kept expecting to lose Sarah as she’d lost her parents and her brother. Sarah kept proving her wrong, and she loved her more for it. “I love you, Sarah. I’ll look into flights when I hang up.”

  “I love you, too, and your flight is already waiting for you at the airport. I asked Charles to send a plane for you. Prepare yourself; it’ll be flashy.”

  “You didn’t have to.”

  Sarah laughed. “What’s the fun of having a super-rich brother if I can’t enjoy the perks now and then? He was happy to lend it. He and Melanie said they were sorry they’d missed your visit. They said they might come by while you’re here.”

  “I’d love to see them.” Lucy stood and squared her shoulders. “Okay, I’m off to pack. I’ll see you this afternoon, I guess.”

  After hanging up, Lucy went back to the window of her office. David was no longer outside. She didn’t know what to say to him before she left or what his response would be. Would he beg her to stay? Would he ask to come with her? Or, worst case, would he be happy she was leaving?

  He didn’t even attempt to apologize last night. Is that it? He’s done? We’re done?

  Stop. Sarah needs me. First, pack.

  Her stomach did a nervous, nauseated flip.

  Then, David.

  David watched Wyatt carry Lucy’s bag to her truck and knew the moment of reckoning had come. A part of him wanted to confess everything and beg her to forgive him until she welcomed him back into her bedroom and her life. He didn’t judge himself for that weakness. Any man watching the woman he loved walk away from him would have felt the same. He wouldn’t give in to that weakness, though. If he told Lucy the truth, she would stay. She wouldn’t believe the real danger she was in. Or she’d want to face it head-on, and he couldn’t risk her getting hurt—even if it meant he might lose her over that decision.

  One certain way to not win back the heart of a woman who was angry because you lied to her was to lie to her again, and this time pull her friends into it. When he’d called Sarah and Tony that morning, he started by explaining the situation to them, then he asked them to come up with a story that would lure Lucy away to stay with them. Sarah had been opposed to the idea. Her suggestion had been to all sit down with Lucy and explain the situation to her.

  David had asked, “What if it’s not enough to get her to leave? We’ve already faced attempted arson. What’s next? Wyatt sent his family away because he fears for their safety. If you can think of a better way to get Lucy to go there and stay, share it.”

  “If she’s already angry with you for lying to her, this will only upset her more,” Sarah had said unhappily.

  “If it keeps her safe, I don’t care.”

  It was only then that Tony had spoken up. “If it were you, Sarah, I would do whatever it took to protect you. Even if I knew you’d hate me for it.”

  “I would do the same for you.” Sarah sighed. “But I’m a terrible liar.”

  Tony then said, “Although I love that about you, this time you need to be a good one.”

  “What would I even say?”

  “Keep it simple,” David suggested.

  Before hanging up, Sarah said, “I hate to mention the baby. I don’t want to jinx anything, but I can’t imagine what else would be enough to get her here.”

  Tony cut in a moment later. “If it’s as bad as you say, why stay there?”

  David said, “I have to stay. This isn’t just about Lucy. There’s a whole town that has been terrorized by one man who thought a little money gave him the right to do whatever he wanted. Right now, York’s anger is directed at me. If I leave, he wins. I can’t walk away and let him choose another target.”

  “If you stay, you could get yourself killed.”

  “I’m counting on York being angrier than he is smart. All he has to do is come for me, and I’ll make him regret every last thing he’s done to this town.”

  “I’ll be there by tomorrow night,” Tony said harshly.

  Sarah’s voice rose with emotion. “No. Please.”

  Tony said something to his wife out of earshot, then said, “I won’t be heading down alone. I’ll talk to Dean and some of the men here. Charles might even have ideas on how to take York down. That bastard might rule his town, but he’s about to get an ass-kicking—Fort Mavis–style.”

  It would have been funny, if the situation hadn’t been so dire.

  Sarah proved to be a better liar than she’d thought, because Lucy had called Wyatt a short time later and asked him to drive her to the airport. Now she was standing beside her truck, looking as if she were telling Wyatt she’d be right back.

  David’s heart began to pound wildly when Lucy looked up and met his eyes while walking toward him. He walked out of the barn to meet her halfway.

  She stopped a few feet from him, and it was all he could do not to close the distance between them and kiss her until all of this faded away. He held his ground instead. “Wyatt said you’re going to stay with Sarah and Tony for a while.”

  Lucy clasped her hands in front of her so hard, her knuckles were white. “I am. Sarah asked me to, and it’s probably a good idea for you and me to have some time away from each other.”

  Her words ripped at David’s core. He didn’t want that at all, but it was what he knew had to happen. “Tell her I said hello.”

  A range of emotions passed over Lucy’s face—shock, disappointment, disbelief. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

  Keep it simple. “I’ll watch over everything here.”

  Lucy blinked a few times quickly. “When I come back, you should look for another place to train your horses.”

  “If that’s what you want.”

  Her eyes welled up with tears. “That’s all you have to say?”

  He wanted to tell her he loved her. He wanted to explain that he wasn’t leaving her as she feared, but actually doing this to ensure they had a future together. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but what then? No, this was the only way. He arched an eyebrow as if to say, What else is there?

  Lucy spun on her heel and stormed to the passenger side of her truck. If the force she used to slam the door behind her after she climbed in was anything to go by, she was wishing him bodily harm. He told himself that was a good thing, at least for now. The angrier she was with him, the easier it would be to keep her away from the ranch.

  Ron surprised David by coming to stand beside him. “Where’s Lucy going?”

  David considered not telling him, but the thing about giving a person a chance to prove themselves was it had to be all or nothing. “To stay with friends until things calm down around here.”

  “Good idea.”

  David glanced at Ron’s profile, then turned back to watch Lucy’s truck pull away. “If York comes looking for trouble, will it be hard for you to choose a side?”

  Ron was quiet a moment. “I called Michelle today and told her what I almost done yesterday. She started crying. She told me she didn’t want me around her or the babies.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Normally, something like that would have sent me to the nearest bar. My wife and kids aren’t at a bar, though. I can�
��t drink my way back to them. I told her I’ll never work for York again, and that I took a job here. We’ve got six months before the new baby comes, and I asked her to take that much time to make up her mind. I’m taking her out to dinner on Thursday. It might sound silly to take your own wife on a date, but I want to start over with her.” His voice constricted with emotion. “I don’t actually care much how it sounds. All I care is that she said yes.” Ron cleared his throat. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to see how you work with a horse who has tried to kill people. I’m thinking there might be something I can learn there.”

  David nodded and turned to walk with Ron toward Tia’s paddock. He told himself he was in the right place, doing what needed to be done.

  Life was all about making choices, though.

  He hoped lying to Lucy had been the right one.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Three days later, Lucy was helping Sarah clean up the breakfast plates. She kept telling Sarah to let her do everything, but Sarah refused to sit still. Lucy had worried at first, but Sarah looked healthy and maybe moving around was good for her condition.

  Whatever that condition was. Sarah hadn’t been specific.

  Sarah seemed edgy, and that had Lucy concerned. Lucy was keeping up with e-mails at night, but for now she was devoting her days to keeping Sarah happy and relaxed. “There’s a new movie playing in town. Looks like a good one. Would you like to go to a matinee?”

  Sarah closed the dishwasher door. “I’d rather lie down.”

  “Are you feeling okay? Should I call Tony?”

  Sarah placed her hand over her stomach. “I’m fine. Just missing him, I guess.”

  Lucy walked over and gave Sarah a hug. She wanted to say she knew exactly how it felt to miss someone, but at least Sarah was missing someone who loved her and who would return. Lucy hadn’t gotten over how eager David had seemed to see her go. “He’ll be back before you know it. He’s training a horse in—what town did you say?”

  Sarah tensed. “In Van Horn, I think.”

  “I thought you said Sanderson.”