Chapter Eighteen

This can’t be happening!

Women had used him. Been after his money. But Reese? How could she?

James stared at her, silently willing this to be a mistake, but her face blanched pale, her blue eyes round and her mouth frozen in wordless guilt, telling him this was real. Painfully real.

He tugged at the neck of his shirt, hoping it would relieve the tension banding his chest. The top button popped off and shot across the room, but no one seemed to notice. People were still talking, but he had no idea what they were saying.

Had she been using him this whole time just to get that damn cottage and a good word to National Geographic? Was this a new version of the shit Polly had tried to pull? Bile rose in his throat, but it was nothing compared to the fiery pain of her betrayal.

Did she agree to our summer just to get her hands on the property?

His dad motioned toward the office. “Perhaps we should take this conversation where it’s a bit more private.”

James shook his head, his mind trying to reject the sudden shift in reality. “I need a minute.” He rushed to the front door, slamming it in his wake. By the time he reached the bottom step the door opened behind him.

“James, wait, please,” she called after him.

He ignored her and kept walking. The rapid flip-flapping of her sandals on the sidewalk followed him. He spun to face her, boots grinding on the concrete.

Lips trembling, she blinked rapidly. “I can explain.”

“Reese…” Take a deep breath. Hold it together, dude. “I need you to give me a few minutes.” He reached into his pocket and tossed her the keys to his truck.

Her breath shuddered, but she nodded.

James turned away, unwilling to see the pleading in her eyes, and needing to get away before he said something he could never take back. The pavement under his boots gave him something solid he could pound. A way to burn off the slap of icy shock.

Reese, why? How could you?

Faster he walked, and tighter his jaw clenched, until he rounded the corner onto Finn’s street. He’d let her in. Started trusting her with his heart. He didn’t like being right about the reasons to stay clear of deep relationships. He’d been a stupid, gullible fool. Shock was giving way to anger, and he kept replaying the conversation between her and that bastard.

Was any of it real?

An icy knot dropped into his stomach. I’ll just end it now, before… He groaned and clenched his fists. Who was he trying to kid? It was too late. She’d already issued a permanent scar.

Without even thinking about where to go, he’d walked the four blocks to Finn’s. Good thing he was back in town. He could vent some of this anger to a buddy who would understand. Hopefully, this would give him enough space to think and prevent him from saying something unforgivable.

Why am I worried about her? She sure isn’t worried about me.

How could he have been this blind to what was going on?

“Bad day?” Finn asked from the open doorway of his garage apartment.

“The fucking worst.”

“Come inside. Let’s hear it.”

He followed and proceeded to pace the small living room while his childhood friend sat on the couch silently waiting. “Reese was using me.”

“For sex?”

James made a growling sound in the back of his throat, dropped into the recliner, and rubbed his stinging eyes. “Maybe. I don’t know. I’m not sure of anything to do with Reese Turner. She works for the developer who’s after my ranch. He paid her to send him pictures.”

“No shit?” Finn cocked his head and his brow furrowed. “You’re sure? The way she looks at you, I would’ve sworn she’s crazy about you.”

“Yeah, me, too.” And that’s what made this hurt so much worse. After last night, he’d believed there was something mutual growing between them. Something way beyond the agreement they’d so recently made. But he’d been wrong. “We went to Dad’s office and that scumbag Everett was there. He knew Reese and asked if she’d gotten her paycheck for photos she sent him.” He suddenly recalled her talking about a freelance job that she hadn’t turned in, but she had not said anything about it involving his ranch.

“What did she have to say?”

“I left. I had to get out of there before I did or said something stupid. I needed to be away from her to think.” An ache thrummed sharp in his chest.

Finn used both hands to lift his injured leg onto the coffee table. “Where’s your truck, and where is she?”

“Dad’s office.”

“Talk it out, and then you can go back and see what she has to say.”

…

The confusion in his eyes, the steely pain in his voice, and the loads of disappointment rolling off him in waves had all cut Reese deeply. A horn honked, startling her already speeding heart into overdrive, and the world around her came back into focus. Happy people strolled along in the sunshine. Birds sang, and apparently the world was still spinning. How could people laugh and smile when hers was growing darker by the second? She stepped out of the empty parking spot beside his truck and dropped his keys into her purse.

Her choice to withhold information had caused this. He deserved a minute, and she could use the time to figure out what to say.

It was too hot to sit in the truck, and she was too embarrassed to go back inside and face Duncan MacLachlan. She crossed to a patch of grass and instantly stubbed her toe on a raised brick in the old sidewalk. Gritting her teeth and hopping on one foot, her eyes stung, and a searing ache burned her throat as the first tear fell, followed by more. The tears weren’t for her injury, but it was the excuse she needed to cry.

Checking her toe for blood and finding none, she settled under the shade of a tree. She dug out her cell phone and called Lila, but it went to voicemail. The time difference was too great to call her mom in New Zealand, and there was no one else to call who knew enough about her relationship with James. She glanced skyward and fought the urge to scream.

“Can this day get any worse?” she asked a bird on the branch above her, who promptly pooped on her shoulder.

“Are you kidding me with this literal crap right now?” I shouldn’t have asked that question and tempted fate.

…

The sun was dipping in the sky when James returned to MacLachlan Realty, hot, sweaty, and ready for some answers. His truck was still parked in the same spot, and Reese wasn’t in it. He took the steps two at a time to go inside and get her so they could get back to the ranch and…

What? Have her pack her things and leave? The initial burn of anger melded into a hollow pit in his belly.

She wasn’t in the front rooms, so he hurried past the receptionist straight to the back office and fired open the door.

His father glanced up from his keyboard. “Have a seat, son. We need to talk.”

“Where’s Reese?”

Duncan stared at him, head cocked and one brow raised. “I thought she left with you.”

“No. Did she leave with that bastard developer?”

What if she took him out to the ranch?

“I don’t think so. I watched him get into his car and drive away alone. I don’t know where she is.”

James turned to leave, concern hitting him. Their relationship was done, but he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. Why the hell am I so concerned about her? The answer hit like a flash. Because she’d worked her way into his life. Into his heart. And he cared way more than he ever should’ve allowed.

“Wait, son. I need to talk to you about something.”

He spun around with his hand still on the door. “I hope you’re going to tell me you’ve gotten rid of that guy for good.”

His dad rubbed his face and leaned back in his chair. “I’m thinking about selling my piece of the ranch that borders the Cotter property.”

James stared at him with a gaping mouth, then reclosed the office door. “Excuse me? What the hell are you thinking! Why would you even consider such an idiotic thing?”

Duncan stood and pointed a finger. “Watch it, boy. I’m still your father.”

“Does Grandpa know about this?” Fury and shock were firing back up to boiling.

“Not yet.”

He yanked off his cowboy hat and slapped it against his thigh. “You know he won’t stand for this any more than I will.”

“The Cotters have already agreed to sell, but they need my part. You’ll still have more than enough land for all your cattle and horses. And it’s going to be a high-end resort with an equestrian center.”

“I don’t care if it has a castle for the Queen of England. I don’t want some resort crawling with people. Why are you doing this? Is it for money?” James asked.

“We’re talking big bucks.”

“We already have big bucks.” The outrage in his voice could not be mistaken. “How much could you possibly need?”

Duncan tugged at his tie and ducked his head.

“Are you having money troubles?” James’s jaw ached from grinding his teeth.

“A few bad investments. Nothing I can’t recoup with this deal. I had to use some money from your sister’s college fund.”

“I’m too angry to have this conversation.” He once again rushed from the office, ignoring the wide-eyed stare from Mrs. Tracy. On the front porch he dialed Grandpa.

Gregor picked up on the third ring. “Hello.”

James cut right to the heart of it. “You need to get over to Dad’s office. Right now. Your son needs a swift boot up his ass.”

“Slow down, Jamie. What’s wrong?”

“He’s planning to sell his portion of the ranch to that developer who wants to build a resort,” he hissed through gritted teeth.

Silence hung on the phone line, then Grandpa cleared his throat. “I’m on my way there right now.”

James ended the call, and that’s when he saw Reese sitting under the shade of a tree. She looked up with tear-stained cheeks as he neared, and he clenched his fist against his initial reaction to pull her into his arms. “You okay?”

“Yes.” Her voice quivered, revealing she might not be as okay as she said.

His emotions were all over the map, and now he just wanted answers. “Why were you keeping something like this from me?” His voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

“I’m so, so sorry.” She ducked her head. “I never meant for this to happen.”

“What? Me finding out you came here to spy for that fucking developer?”

“No! That’s not how it is at all.” She put a hand against the tree, stood, and took one step forward. “James, please let me explain and—”

“Wait.” He held up a hand. “Let’s talk about this in the truck.”

Without a word, she climbed in and after several tries, finally got her seat belt buckled. Reese was sweaty and flushed from heat. And visibly trembling.

He flexed his fingers, recognizing his own unsteady hand. Why had he let her into his life and heart to this extent? The growl of the diesel engine was the only sound in the tense silence that lay between them, and they both seemed to be searching for the right words. His gut churned as a headache formed behind his eyes and at the base of his skull.

“I’ve been down this road before. Been lied to and manipulated. My ex only wanted my money and name, and I will not play that game again.” His voice sounded harder than he’d intended, but the hurt riding in on his disappointment was building.

“James, that’s not what I’m doing. Not at all. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you all the details of my freelance job for Mr. Everett. He wanted photos of a bunch of different properties all from the roadside.”

He glanced at her briefly, betrayal still cramping his gut. “Then why’d you give him pictures of my ranch? Was it for the money or him putting in a good word with National Geographic?”

“I really needed the money, but I regretted the job the whole time I was doing it.”

“Were you sent here to spy?”

“No!” Her hands slapped palms down against her thighs. “Absolutely not. From the beginning, before I even ran into you, I had a nagging feeling Mr. Everett wasn’t being completely upfront. Something just didn’t feel right.”

He glanced away from her pleading expression. “Keep talking.”

“I tried to justify what I was doing by telling myself anyone could take property photos from the road, but when it came time to finish the job, I decided I wasn’t going to give him any pictures.” Her weary eyes met his. “Then he got really angry and threatened to ruin my reputation.”

“Seriously?” His hands clenched on the steering wheel. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No. It was over the phone. I knew he’d just get someone else to take photos and follow through on his threat, possibly wrecking my career. I was so upset when I sent the email, I accidentally included a file that contained photos I never ever meant for him to see. I screwed up. In several ways. And I’m so sorry. No excuse is good enough for keeping those things from you.”

The anguish in her voice was like a shot in the chest. He raised a hand from the steering wheel and waved it like he was searching for something invisible. When his brain refused to cooperate, he balled his fingers into a fist on his thigh. “You didn’t come here to help that man get my land?”

“Oh my God, no! Definitely not.”

He wanted to believe her, but past mistakes and experiences were etched painfully onto his heart and mind. And now, his fear of being played for a fool had been tripped by the one woman he’d ever considered allowing himself to love. His excitement to see her again had caused him to plow headlong into a relationship without really thinking things through. And now, he had to make a tough call.

“Reese, I jumped into something with you that I wasn’t prepared for and that’s on me, and I’m sorry. It’s not a good time for me to be dating anyone, not even casually.” He almost laughed at his own words. There was nothing casual about what they’d become.

“I understand,” she said in a forced whisper.

“I’m too…” He sighed heavily, his own voice snagging on the pain. “I’ve got enough to deal with now that I know my dad plans to sell his portion of the ranch.”

She gasped. “Does your grandfather know about this?”

“He does now.”

“Think he’ll be able to stop him?”

“I hope so.” He glanced at the speedometer and eased up on the gas pedal. “Our agreement for you to lease the cottage is…probably not a good idea.” His own words caused an ugly tension in his chest, and she flinched, but he didn’t know what else to do.

Wiping her eyes, she turned away from him to stare out the window.

James fought to control the wide range of emotions battling inside him. Guess you got what you originally wanted, dumbass. There will be no serious relationship with her now.

Her knee bounced rapidly. “I’ll pack my things when we get to the ranch.”

Not allowing himself to look at her for fear he’d change his mind and ask her to stay, he answered, “Okay.” She had to know he could not accept secrets between them. He had to remember his plan to avoid his father’s kind of pain. The rest of the drive was silent, tension sucking all the air from the space between them. He parked in his usual spot beside her van but sat there staring out the windshield.

Reese pressed her teeth hard into her lower lip. “After I finish here, I’ll go over to the cottage and get the rest of my things.” She got out and went into his house. He continued to sit in the truck for a few more minutes before going inside, avoiding her but staying close. When she went out the front door with her last bag, he went to the front windows for one last glimpse of her.

Sampson came around the side of the house and picked up his pace when he saw her but glanced back and slowed to wait for the tiny kitten rushing to keep up. Reese sat on the bottom step and Sampson put his big head on her lap while Stormy climbed her leg. She lifted the kitten, nuzzled her against her cheek, and stroked the dog’s back.

“I’m going to miss you two. I really messed things up big time. For a little while I was Cinderella at the ball, but I not only ran out of time and lost my glass slipper, I’m afraid I’ve smashed it into tiny shards.”

James leaned against the window frame and continued to watch and listen from behind a sheet of glass.

Sampson whimpered one of those long doggie sighs, lay across her feet, and yawned.

“I still intend to find a way to stop the resort and save this area from development.”

She kissed the purring kitten’s head, loosened the tiny claws kneading her shirt, and nestled her across the big hound’s neck. “I wanted to be around to watch you grow, little one. Keep taking care of this baby, Sampson. Do me a favor and take care of James, too. He’s a good man.”

His heart lurched in his chest, but he had to stay strong and not react to emotions without first giving everything a lot of thought.

Reese pulled her feet out from under the dog’s body, collected her bag, and walked to her van with weariness in her steps.

He watched as she drove away, disappearing from his life, and then stood for several minutes with his hands pressed against the glass. No tears had fallen, but the backs of his eyes burned like fire. He feared if he let go of his anger it would turn into a sadness that would bring on very unmanly waterworks. But even knowing that, Reese’s words to the animals had gotten to him, and he’d almost gone out to talk to her, but self-preservation held him back. His heart whispered one thing while his head screamed a warning.

He went outside and watched Stormy sleep against a floppy ear roughly the same size as her whole body. When he’d caught Reese sleeping with the kitten curled on her chest, he’d used his phone’s camera to capture the moment.

Great, now this cat will be a reminder of her.

Grandpa’s truck pulled up, and James stood as the truck door opened. Sampson dislodged Stormy and trotted across the yard to greet their guest.

“Was that Reese I passed in that turquoise van?” He scratched the dog’s head on his way up the walk.

“Yep. She’s gone.”

“Where’s she going?”

He shrugged, then walked into the house and through to the kitchen, hoping to hide the gloom on his face. The clunk of familiar boots followed close behind.

“This have something to do with what happened with your dad?”

“Reese worked for that son of a bitch Everett. We ran into him at Dad’s office, and he blew her cover.” Hands fisted at his sides, he stared out the window above the sink. “She took photos of our ranch and sent them to him for money.”

“I see,” Grandpa said from behind him. “What did Reese have to say about it?”

He resisted picking up and throwing one of the empty glasses in the sink, but that would only make him want to throw another, and then he’d have to deal with the cleanup. And the shame of acting out like a child. “I thought she was against the development, but now I don’t know what to believe. I can’t be sure she won’t lie to me.” More doubt about his rash reaction to end things crept in. He turned to face his grandfather. “Enough about her right now. What did Dad have to say for himself?”

Grandpa shook his head and sighed, the kitchen chair scraping the floor as he pulled it out to sit. “That boy of mine sure gets himself lost sometimes. The second I walked into his office he excused himself to go to the bathroom. When he came out, his eyes were red. He knows what he considered is wrong. So I’m buying the land from him and putting it in your name.”

The whoosh of relief left James momentarily speechless, and he slumped against the counter. “My name?”

“Where Grams and I know it’ll be safe.”

James accepted the needed hug, realizing how much taller he was than the man he’d always looked up to. His chest both filled and loosened. His grandparents’ faith was a welcome, much appreciated gift, and his relief combined with already missing Reese almost brought on the tears he’d been fighting. “You can count on me.”

“I know we can.” Grandpa reached up and ruffled his hair like he was still a kid.

James smoothed it back into place. “I still think we should do something to ensure we can continue to protect the land. Don’t you have an old friend who’s a geologist?”

“Harry. And his brother, Bill, is an archaeologist.”

“Do you think they’d come out and survey to see if there are land features, endangered wildlife, or anything that will block development?”

“I’ll call them. What made you think of that?”

“Reese.” He ground his teeth as he said her name.

“Sounds like she’s against development, too. Why would she put that idea in your head if she’s working for the developer?”

James had no good answer to that question.

“Did you two solve Benjamin’s mystery?”

“No.” James pulled sandwich makings from the refrigerator. “And it’s not really high on my priority list right now.”

Grandpa leaned against the counter and crossed one boot over the other. “Well, it should be.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“I’m telling you everything you need to know at the moment.”

“You’re being as mysterious as your Great-Grandfather Ben.”

Gregor started making his own sandwich. “Call Reese. Let her help you with this.”

After Grandpa left, exhaustion pushed him to his bed. Her scent still lingered on his sheets and the mattress felt uncomfortable.

And empty. Just like his heart.

He’d been determined to keep a certain amount of distance between them. To keep himself from falling in love. But now… Just like eleven years ago, she was gone with things unsettled and unfinished.

Should I follow my head or heart?

Never having a serious relationship suddenly looked like a very lonely road he dreaded traveling.