Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

LANDON

L andon watched the horizon bleed with the first light of dawn, a sliver of gold cutting through the indigo sky as he and Dakota set out for Cimarron Mesa. The air was chilly, raising tiny goosebumps on his arms despite the warmth radiating from Dakota nestled close beside him in the truck's cab. She was a mystery wrapped in the enigma of her own past, and each mile they covered peeled back another layer she had kept hidden.

The road stretched before them like a sinuous snake, coiling through the stark landscape that transitioned from the rugged terrain of Copper Canyon to the rolling hills of the next state over. Landon pressed his foot against the accelerator, a sense of urgency propelling the pickup truck as much as the engine beneath its hood. Dakota sat beside him, her profile etched with determination against the passing blur of the countryside.

"Are you ready for whatever we find there?" Landon asked, his voice tinged with the gravelly timbre of concern.

Dakota's gaze was fixed on the road ahead, the sunrise casting her profile in a warm glow that made her eyes seem to hold untold secrets. She turned toward him, and in their depths, he saw a storm raging—a tempest of fear and defiance. "As ready as I can be," she replied, her lips set in a firm line.

"All right," Landon said, breaking the quiet. "How does he still have control over your inheritance even after you two split?" The question had been gnawing at him since they left Copper Canyon, the need for answers as relentless as the pull he felt towards her.

Dakota’s hands fidgeted in her lap. "He's not just my ex-fiancé; he's the executor of my grandfather's will. According to the terms, he maintains full control until I turn thirty... under the first full moon." Her voice held a lilt of mockery, as if she were reciting a line from some arcane ritual.

"Which gives him power over you for how much longer?" Landon asked, following her gaze to the vibrant scenery that passed by.

"Three months," she replied, turning to face him. Her eyes, those sapphire pools reflecting a lifetime of secrets, met his with an intensity that spoke volumes. "Three months until I can claim what's mine."

Landon considered this, his mind's eye painting a picture of her ex—an opportunist, no doubt. "I bet he's not looking forward to that day." His words were casual, but they carried the weight of an implied threat.

"Of course not," Dakota confessed. The proximity to her sent a jolt through Landon's veins. "He's a man who likes to hold the reins too tightly. When I found out about his dalliances and began to pull away, he showed his true colors."

The air between them crackled with the tension of a gathering storm. Landon could almost see the shackles around her, invisible chains forged by a man who wanted to keep her bound to him. "He wanted to make sure you knew you couldn't leave," Landon deduced, the protective growl in his tone belying the calm he tried to maintain.

"Exactly." Dakota's lips curved into a wry smile, but her eyes shimmered with a pain she couldn't fully hide. "He made it clear he wouldn't let go without a fight."

"Good thing I'm not afraid of a fight," Landon said, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. He was close enough to feel the warmth of her breath against his skin.

"Neither am I," Dakota whispered back, her resolve wrapping around her like armor. As her gaze held his, Landon saw a flicker of the vulnerability she worked so hard to shield. “I ran once, but I won’t do that again.”

Landon stretched his hand out across the console “No, you won’t. You were alone then, you aren’t now. Remember that.”

Without another word, Landon picked up his phone and dialed his family's attorney, the connection crackling like the distant echo of thunder. He kept one hand on the wheel, the other clutching the device as though it were a lifeline.

"Carl, it's Landon Savage," he said when the call connected. "I need you to look into something for me."

"Of course, Landon," came the steady reply from Carl, a voice that had been part of the Savage family's advisory arsenal for years.

"It's about removing an executor from an estate. There's some... complications with Dakota's inheritance." Landon's grip tightened on the phone as he glanced at Dakota, whose fingers now curled into the fabric of her jeans.

"I see," Carl answered, the sound of shuffling papers accompanying his words. "I'll start the process straight away. Could be tricky, but we'll find a way."

"Thanks, Carl," Landon said, the corners of his lips twitching upward. He ended the call and dropped the phone back into the console, his gaze lingering on Dakota.

They drove in silence until they crossed the state line, the sun starting to dip low on the horizon, painting the sky in hues of crimson and gold. The beauty of it was almost mocking, too serene for the storm they were heading into.

"Tell me again how you managed to get as far as you did," Landon murmured, breaking the quiet that had settled between them like a heavy blanket.

Dakota shifted in her seat, her gaze fixed on the disappearing daylight. "I took the bus as far as I could with what little I had," she began, her voice soft yet clear. "After that, I walked. When my feet couldn't carry me anymore, I'd find a truck or a trailer and hide away, making sure to get off before anyone noticed."

Landon's awe at her resilience was evident; it seeped into the space around them, mingling with the shadows that crept across the dashboard. "You're incredible, you know that?" he said, the words slipping out like a caress against her strength.

A small smile danced on Dakota's lips, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I did what I had to do."

He sensed the tension in her voice, a tremor of anxiety that mirrored his own trepidation. There was a silent understanding that passed between them, a connection that smoldered with unvoiced promises.

They drove in silence for a while, the landscape gradually shifting from open plains to the rugged outlines of distant mesas. Landon's thoughts lingered on Dakota's last revelation—the estate held by her grandfather’s lawyer, who was also her ex-fiancé. The thought soured in his mouth like overripe fruit.

"Does he know we're coming?" Landon finally broke the silence, glancing at her.

"I doubt it. It’s not like I called him. I didn’t want to give him a heads-up," Dakota murmured, her voice betraying her nerves. "But he has a way of finding things out. In retrospect, I can see that he’s sneaky, always lurking around where you don’t expect him. He’s like a shadow you can't shake off."

The subtle quiver in her tone sent a surge of protectiveness coursing through Landon's veins. He reached over, his hand brushing against hers, their fingers tangling together—a silent vow that he was there for her, no matter what ghosts awaited them at Cimarron Mesa.

"Whatever happens, we'll face it together," he said firmly, squeezing her hand. The look she gave him then was one of gratitude mixed with something deeper, an ember of desire that neither of them could deny.

As they approached the town, the familiar landmarks of Dakota's previous life came into view, each one whispering tales of a world Landon had yet to fully comprehend. The air grew heavy with the undercurrents of old secrets.

"Being here again..." Dakota said softly, her voice trailing off as if she were grappling with memories long buried. The estate loomed ahead, grandiose and imposing, its iron gates standing like silent sentinels guarding the threshold to Dakota's past and their uncertain future.

Landon pulled the truck up the winding driveway, gravel crunching beneath the tires, as the grandeur of Dakota Westwood's ancestral home loomed before them. The sprawling estate, with its imposing stone facade and ivy-clad walls, stood like a silent sentinel guarding forgotten secrets. The setting sun cast a golden hue over the grounds, shadows stretching long and dark across the manicured lawns.

"Wow," he murmured, unable to contain his awe. The Savage family ranch was expansive, but this... this was something else entirely.

Dakota sat beside him, her slender hands clasped tightly in her lap, the knuckles whitening from the grip. Her profile was etched with a resolve that belied the nervous energy vibrating off her. He could feel the tension radiating from her body, though she sat perfectly still, gazing at her once-abandoned kingdom.

"Remember, this is your home," Landon reminded her, his voice a steady anchor in the storm of emotions swirling around them. "Ready?"

Dakota nodded, her certainty returning like the sun chasing away the shadows of doubt. They parked near the front door. She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling with the courage she summoned.

"Let's do this," she said, her voice barely louder than the rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze.

As they stepped out of the truck, the sensual tension and anticipation between them was almost palpable. Dakota drew a deep breath as if bracing herself against an unseen storm. He followed her lead, walking up the steps to the front door with a sense of reverence. This wasn't just a return; it was a reclaiming.

At the threshold, Dakota hesitated. Her hand hovered in the air, poised to knock, but stalled by an invisible weight. Landon leaned in closer, his presence a silent pillar of support. "You don't need to knock, Dakota. Remember, this is your house."

"Right," she said, her voice steady but laced with a vulnerability that tugged at something primal within him. "My house."

Her fingers found the key she'd kept hidden away for so long, the metal glinting in the dying light. She inserted it into the lock with a decisive click. The sound echoed through him, stirring embers of anticipation and igniting a flame of protectiveness. As she turned the knob and pushed the door open, Landon knew they were crossing more than just a physical threshold—they were stepping into a world where the past and present would collide with an intensity that could either forge their bond stronger or shatter it completely.

The door swung inward, revealing the opulent foyer bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun streaming through the stained-glass windows. Dust motes danced in the air, swirling around them as if awakened from a long slumber by their intrusion. The scent of aged wood and long-forgotten perfume lingered, a testament to the life that once filled these halls.

Taking Dakota's hand, Landon felt her pulse racing against his skin. There was no turning back now. They had entered her legacy, a place where love and danger were intertwined, where every shadow might hold a secret, and where each step forward was a dance with destiny.

The cool air of the grand foyer wrapped around Landon like an unwelcome embrace as he stepped into the cavernous space of Dakota's ancestral home. A shiver raced up his spine, but it wasn't from the chill. It was the electric charge that seemed to bounce between them, a current intensified by everything surrounding them.

As Dakota closed the door behind them, the soft click reverberated through the silence, sealing them in with the echoes of the past. He watched her, the way the dim light played across the contours of her face, casting shadows that hinted at the turmoil beneath her poised exterior.

In the opulent shadows of the Westwood estate, with the ghosts of the past watching, Landon understood that they would unravel the secrets, the tangle of lies and the betrayal that Dakota had run from. But nothing—not a conniving ex, nor any secrets her grandfather knew about her heritage—would keep them from claiming their destiny.