20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

WRANGLER

Nora

I sat in a rocking chair on Reid’s front porch, a light breeze blowing at the silk of my skirt, looking out at a green lawn, a neat, attractive, flagstone path that led to another house in the distance (Greer’s), and a lot of land on the horizon.

I did this as the sun set.

Never in my life, not even to Jamie (unless under torture, I sensed I wouldn’t be good under torture) would I admit that I found beauty in the stark scrub, multitudinous cacti and dusty mountains of Arizona.

And the same could be said for this watercolor Texas sunset, with the rolling plain that stretched to the skyline having become the entire world before me, in the distance, cattle grazing lazily.

The door opened, and I looked that way, thinking it would be Jamie seeking some peace (much like why I was out on that porch) after he shared all he had to share with his family.

Including his paternity.

It wasn’t.

It was Reid coming out.

When we arrived, she changed into a shirt that had embroidery across the shoulders and a pair of Wranglers.

Something else I would only admit under torture: There was a small part of me that wanted to own one of those embroidered shirts.

She came to sit in the rocking chair beside me.

“If you want time alone…” I trailed off on my offer.

“Grieved that sumabitch years ago,” she replied and started rocking. She finished on a mumble, “Shitty way to go, though.”

No denying, it had been a shitty way to go.

“How’s Greer taking it?” I asked.

Reid blew out a long breath, before she answered, “I can say I’m glad you all came down, Patricia showed, and Jamie had a lot of big news to take her mind off things. She wasn’t close to her dad, but he was the only one she had.”

Poor Greer.

“Indeed,” I murmured.

Civilities over, she launched in.

“I know Jamie thinks he’s got things under control, and it isn’t like he doesn’t know this, but I’m gonna tell you. AJ seems like a snake, but he’s a cat. Sneaky. Lethal. And he’s got nine lives.”

Before I could say anything, her hazel gaze pinpointed on me.

“And yes, I’d put money down AJ put Jeff up to that arson shit, because Jeff would do anything for his dad. I also think AJ was genuinely hurting today. Jeff was the only kid who hadn’t turned his back on him. Now he’s very alone, because that woman with him doesn’t have her heart in it, and AJ isn’t dumb enough about women to think she does. But I also think he’s gutted Jeff bit it in that fire, and not because it might make things iffy about him collecting the insurance.”

Oh dear.

“Might make things iffy?” I asked.

She shrugged. “If AJ left any trail that fiasco was his idea, sure. His insurance companies are set to lose a shedload on that payout. They’re gonna be poking around to find anything that might let them off that hook. And the police are all over it. Jeff has been a pain in their ass for a long time, and AJ’s attitude about his kid being able to do whatever he wants on their patch or any other hasn’t been their favorite thing. Word I heard, they’re turning over every flake of ash on that ranch. So AJ better have covered his ass.”

Interesting.

“Another thing, Nora,” Reid went on. “I know Morgan Rawlins. Known him for years. He’s a good man. His sons are good guys. But my sense is, Jamie doesn’t think Morgan knows about him, when I can tell you, he does.”

My heart skipped a painful beat.

She kept talking.

“It isn’t that he told me. It’s that I already knew, or at least I suspected. I knew Morgan was foreman at Oakbilly, Jamie’s the spitting image of him, and Jamie looks a whole lot more like Boone and Cassidy than anything close to Andy or Jeff. And we both know, even if it wasn’t his doing, Jamie hasn’t stayed out of the spotlight. Boone and Cass might have missed it, because they wouldn’t be looking for it, but Morgan’s also quick as a whip, so I can guarantee he didn’t.”

Oh dear again.

Reid wasn’t done. “Since you’re here, and he’s got both his kids with him, I’d lean on Jamie to head out to Morgan’s place. If you want, I’ll act as go between so Morgan and Belle have a heads up.”

“We’re all leaving tomorrow.”

“I’d suggest you stay an extra day.”

“I’ll speak to him.”

“That’s good.”

“I’m very sorry for you and Greer, Reid,” I said quietly.

She stared at me hard, then she said, “Leave it to Jamie to find a fancy, rich, city girl with a heart of gold.”

I leaned toward her and whispered conspiratorially, “Don’t tell anyone.”

She grinned. “Woman, if you think you’re pulling wool over anyone’s eyes, I’m sorry to inform you, you aren’t.”

I shrugged.

She kept grinning.

And we rocked in the cool Texas breeze watching the sun set.

I was dying to get Jamie to myself in order to talk to him about what Reid had told me.

I was also dying to get his take on Paloma and AJ’s differing responses to Jamie’s mention of those two hundred thousand dollars.

But I would be foiled in both of these, at least for a while, because Patricia had left Reid’s early so she could change her hotel to ours, and at Jamie’s request, I’d texted her to let her know we were arriving, so she could meet us at the bar.

I was also taking a backseat to Dru, who was leaning into her father and holding his hand as we walked into the lobby of our hotel in Dallas after returning from Reid’s, because Dru was new to this information about Jamie’s origins, not to mention, much of the larger story about AJ.

Dru needed to see to her dad.

And I needed to let her see to her dad.

Last, Jamie wanted more time with his sister, and what I had to say could wait so he could have what he wanted.

Therefore, I was walking arm and arm with Judge when we entered the hotel, Rix on my other side, when Rix muttered, “Well, fuck and shit.”

I looked to him to see his gaze aimed across the lobby and his expression was stricken.

But before I could turn that way, Judge said urgently, “ Dad .”

My attention shot to where Judge was looking, and my stomach dropped to my feet.

Because…

Damn .

Reid was not wrong.

Jamie looked very like the tall, straight, broad-shouldered, handsome man who had just a hint of silver threading his dark hair, even if I knew he was in his 70s.

Jamie stopped dead, and Judge, Rix and I all hurried to his side.

There, we all stared at Morgan Rawlins.

But Morgan Rawlins only stared at Jamie.

A jolt scorched through my body when I heard, “See I don’t have to make the introductions. Thought this would be fun. And hot damn, I was right.”

We were so focused on Rawlins, we didn’t see AJ hovering behind him until he stepped out of the taller man’s shadow.

Judge moved, so Rix moved, and he did this to prevent Judge from doing what Judge was intent on doing.

Laying hands on his not-grandfather.

“Judge, please don’t,” Dru begged, hanging tight to her father.

“I got some kick left in me, boy, so let him loose,” AJ said to Rix.

Truly?

God, this pathetic, little man was also delusional.

“Not worth it, Judge,” Jamie said by way of a command.

Judge stopped pushing against Rix’s hold but fixated on his not-grandfather.

I got close to Jamie’s other side just as AJ turned his attention to him.

“Told you, boy, all your life.” AJ’s gaze shifted to me, he sneered, and then he concluded, “Women are nothin’ but whores.”

I heard Rix and Judge scuffling again, but I had to pay attention to catching hold of Jamie’s forearm in both of my hands so he wouldn’t act on that slur against his mother, which AJ had also used to slur me.

But Jamie didn’t move, nor did he speak.

He just regarded his not-father.

“Got nuthin’ to say about that saint you thought was your mama steppin’ out on her man?” AJ jeered.

“You know,” Patricia entered the conversation, coming around at our sides. “This is what women get that men don’t. Maybe it’s because you all try to make us feel irrelevant. Not that we take that on, just that we aren’t driven, at the end of our lives, to do pathetic shit to convince ourselves we still are. We just put our feet up and bake bread or take cruises or whatever strikes our fancy and enjoy it. I’ve been home barely a day, and it literally exhausts me, Pop, watching you work so hard to stay relevant.”

“Never knew when to stop runnin’ your fuckin’ mouth,” AJ bit at her.

“And that was a real problem for you, since you’re one of those who don’t think women are relevant, so anything coming out of my mouth was just an annoyance to you,” she retorted. “Probably hurt, too, when you paid attention and realized I wasn’t scared of you, I didn’t respect you, and I was embarrassed of you to boot.”

“Keep runnin’ your mouth, Pat,” AJ ground out his threat.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Patricia drawled.

“Patty,” Jamie grunted.

She looked to him, then seemed to become aware of the situation, so she looked to Morgan Rawlins.

And at this point, Morgan Rawlins made an approach.

So at this point, Dru pressed closer to her dad, I did the same, and Judge and Rix flanked us.

Like AJ wasn’t there, Morgan passed him and stopped a few feet in front of Jamie.

“I knew before he told me,” he said, his gravelly voice deep and attractive. “You should know that.”

“I knew before I saw you, you should know that,” Jamie replied.

“Didn’t reach out because I didn’t know if it would cause you problems,” Morgan continued.

“I didn’t reach out because of the same.”

“My wife knows about you. She knows about Cordelia too.”

Cordelia, as a reminder, was Jamie’s mother’s name.

“Your boys?” Jamie asked if Morgan’s sons knew they had a half-brother.

The man lifted his hand and scratched the back of his neck before answering, “Well, see, that’s a little tougher.”

“I understand,” Jamie said quietly, and Morgan narrowed his gaze on him.

“It isn’t that I’m not proud of you,” he stated.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” AJ groused.

“You still here, old man?” Patricia bit.

“Patty,” Jamie whispered.

She fell silent.

Morgan was so focused on his son, it was like this byplay didn’t happen.

“Moment I saw your picture in the paper, when you ran in that touchdown to win regionals in the last five seconds your freshman year, I knew,” Morgan said. He shook his head sadly. “Back then, I shoulda?—”

Jamie cut him off. “If you did, she would have suffered, and we both know it.”

Morgan drew a visibly rough breath into his nose.

“Was she happy in the end?” he asked.

“She was free,” Jamie answered.

My eyes started stinging when I saw the wet in Morgan’s.

And I whimpered out loud when Morgan asked, his voice no longer gravelly, but croaky, “Can I hug you, son?”

It was Dru who whimpered when Jamie stepped out of our hold and into his father’s.

Judge wrapped his arms around Dru.

Rix curved his arm around my shoulders.

And Jamie hugged his dad.

I was pacing the suite, my phone to my ear.

“I knew we should have gone with you,” Mika declared.

“It happened in the lobby, dearest. I don’t think Jamie needed a larger audience when he went through that,” I replied.

“I’m talking about supporting you ,” she retorted.

I so loved my dear friend.

“I can so totally believe AJ is not Jamie’s sire,” she remarked.

I’d had the time to fill her in on a great deal.

And it was, indeed, very believable, and not only because it was true.

“So, he’s…what? Catching up with him now?” Mika inquired.

“I left him in the bar with Morgan, Judge and Dru,” I confirmed.

“Jamie was down with you leaving?”

“I think Jamie sensed that Morgan doesn’t need Jamie’s entire posse breathing down his neck at this juncture. His grandkids, yes. His woman and sister, not as much.”

“Posse?” she teased at my use of a word I didn’t think I’d ever used my entire life.

“I’m in Texas. When in Rome…” I trailed off.

She laughed then said, “You know what I love most about this?”

I knew what I loved most about it.

The fact that Jamie, right now, was sitting down with his real father, drinking bourbon with him.

“What?” I asked.

“That AJ thought this was a big play, that he’d fuck with Jamie’s head, and kick Jamie’s real dad where it hurts, but they ended it hugging.”

Yes, that was a good part too.

“I think we’re going to be longer here in Texas,” I noted.

“Or you’ll go back,” she said.

“Yes,” I agreed.

“And how was Paloma at the funeral?”

I stopped pacing, sat in an armchair and crossed my legs. “I didn’t have a chance to tell you. Before we left New York, Rhys Vaughan left us a package.”

“Really?” she asked, not hiding she was intrigued.

Ah, yes.

The mysterious Rhys Vaughan perked up everyone’s attention.

“Really,” I replied. “And in it was information to show that Paloma, through some shell companies, paid Chester Lynch two hundred thousand dollars.”

She asked the same question I did. “Where did she get that kind of money?”

“Would you like me to guess?” I offered.

“Please do.”

“Jamie told me there was quite a bit of value at that ranch. So I think she got it by pawning AJ’s valuables, likely things he wouldn’t notice missing. Because Jamie went fishing by mentioning it at the funeral, and it was obvious AJ knew nothing about it, but Paloma’s face grew deathly pale.”

“Well, that’s interesting,” she remarked.

“It was a long ride back from Reid and Greer’s, so I had time to think, and what I think is that you don’t poke the bear that’s mauling you. AJ has so much on his plate simply to keep his head above water, he isn’t considering messing with Jamie, even if he threatened to do it. The man is all bluster. And I certainly don’t think, if he could get his hands on nearly a quarter of a million dollars, he’d give it to the likes of Lynch.”

“He sure showed up with a wallop in an effort to fuck with Jamie this evening,” Mika pointed out.

“That didn’t cost him any money.”

“Right. That makes sense,” she mumbled. “So that’s all Paloma in a bid to fuck with you?”

“Perhaps.”

“Therefore, what we have is maybe AJ accidentally killing his son in an insurance fraud scam that also ended with the tragic deaths of four magnificent horses. And Paloma manipulating Roland and Chester Lynch for the sole purpose of screwing with your happiness because you made her persona non grata at a couple of Prada stores.”

“I also made sure she was struck off every list for every event that’s of any consequence in New York City, which is her preferred hunting ground.”

“Oh yeah, and there’s that.”

There was that, and that was at the heart of it.

I didn’t regret it. She was trying to harm Tom for falling in love with Mika. If a lover moves on, you take it like a woman.

But it had certainly made things inconvenient.

I had no idea when Jamie would arrive in our room. I’d left them down there nearly an hour ago. But I had one more thing to bring up with Mika, so I needed to do it fast.

“Have you noticed anything…mm… curious between Dru and Sully?”

“You mean that they’re totally in love with each other and for reasons unknown aren’t acting on it?”

I sat blinking at my fabulous shoe.

“In love?” I forced out.

“Totally. Tom and I have discussed it, and we think Sully believes Dru needs to get some life under her belt before he goes there. They met when she was still quite young, and so was Sully. Or he doesn’t want to go there at all just in case it doesn’t work out and it makes things awkward for the rest of us. I like to think it’s the first, even if that’s foolish, and risky, because Dru might find someone else in the meantime.”

I thought about Sully, and suggested, “It could be he’s waiting so he can have time to deal with his own issues.”

“What issues?”

“I don’t know. But it always struck me as odd, in getting to know him, and how close he is with his father, his brother, and how quickly that family melded when Duncan and Genny got together. You’d think Chloe, Matt and Sasha were his blood, and he’s known them since he was born, when he’s known them what? Perhaps four or five years?”

“This is true,” Mika mumbled.

“So why did he get a job far away from all that when he graduated? Gage didn’t. He went right to work with Judge, doing something that doesn’t even use his degree. And Sully told us today that the firm in New York that has been trying to recruit him for ages just upped their offer. And he’s seriously considering taking it. Which leads me to believe he’s escaping something, and that something isn’t in our posse .”

I paused to listen to her chuckle.

Then I finished, “Because half that posse is in New York. He’s escaping something else, my dear. Did he have a bad break with a girlfriend?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Hmm,” I hummed.

“Should we make subtle queries to investigate?” she asked.

“Dearest, what a silly question. Of course we should,” I drawled.

I listened to her laugh again.

We didn’t talk much longer before we hung up, and I sat there, upending my phone on my knee, wondering if I should go down and check on Jamie, and I did this until the door opened.

I set my phone aside, took my feet and turned to Jamie.

He looked emotionally worn out.

So I used my feet to take me to Jamie.

He wrapped his arms around me, and I did the same to him.

“How did it go?” I whispered.

“It was a lot,” he replied.

“I can imagine. Do you want to talk about it, or do you want some time away from it?”

He shook his head, guided us both to the couch, and brought us both down, pulling me into his arms again so I was twisted to him and resting my chest against his.

“He’s headed home, and he’s going to talk to his wife. They’re going to figure out how to share about me with their boys. He asked me to give it some time just in case it didn’t fly very well with them.” When he saw my expression change, he went on hurriedly, “Not that he thinks they’re going to pitch fits. But you have to agree, you reach your forties, and your dad tells you that you have an older half-brother, and he’s me, they might need some time.”

Yes, I had to agree to that.

“All right, darling,” I murmured.

“Once that’s done, we’ll come back. So will Judge and Dru, though Dru might be difficult because she got the gig with Ashe. But that tour won’t be running for a while, so hopefully they won’t take that much time to get used to the idea of me.”

“Hopefully.”

“He was more worried about what was happening between AJ and me. It wasn’t lost on him that AJ hit him up for the meet to do something spiteful and mean. He just refused to waste the opportunity presented him where he could meet me.”

My God.

I loved that .

“I’m glad he didn’t waste the opportunity,” I said softly.

He gave me a squeeze. “Me too.”

“This brings to mind that obviously, AJ knew who fathered you.”

Jamie jutted up his chin. “Once I started to grow up, you have to admit, sweetheart, unless he was half-blind, it’d be hard to miss it.”

Yes, seeing Morgan Rawlins live and in person, I had to admit that.

Jamie continued. “I’d seen pictures of my real father. Once I learned of him, I made certain of it. I simply thought AJ’s pride blinded him to what was obvious.”

“Why do you think he kept it a secret?” I asked.

“You don’t play your ace until you know it’s going to land precisely as you want it,” Jamie answered. “Or hope you do. I’ve spent the last hour getting to know my dad, it felt good watching him with Judge and Dru. Judge has never had the opportunity to be close to his grandparents, not any of them, but now all of them are dead. And both Lindy’s parents died before she did. Chet’s parents were like Chet, so for Dru’s sake, and frankly, for her safety, Lindy and I cut them out. It’s wonderful they might have a chance to have a good man in their lives. But in the time I spent downstairs, I also had time to think, and AJ’s always been hard on me. He’s always been callous with me. So it isn’t a surprise he knew I wasn’t his, and even if I had no control over it, he found his ways to take that out on me.”

I had nothing to say to that, no magic words to take that history away and give him, and his mother, something different.

Thus, the only thing I could do was stroke his jaw.

This I did.

His gaze grew sorrowful, and he whispered, “She would have loved me meeting him.”

“Yes, she would.”

“She would have been devastated about how Jeff died.”

My poor, sweet Jamie.

“Yes, she would.”

“She would have been ecstatic that Patty came home.”

I smiled a shaky smile. “It would have been a rollercoaster day for Cordelia.”

“Yes.”

“As it was for you.”

“Mm.”

“Your sister is a firecracker,” I noted.

The sorrow shifted from his eyes and humor lit them. “Always was.”

“Any chance we can talk her into going back to New York with us?”

“She’s taking this opportunity to visit some friends here she hasn’t seen in a while. But when you were on Reid’s porch, I asked her, and she said she had to take time off with short notice, so she can’t. But she also said she’d be back.”

“You don’t talk much about her.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Not much to say. She escaped dysfunction to live the simple life. She has a farm. Her husband is a farmer. She works in town at the post office. He had kids from a previous relationship, she never wanted her own, but she loves them. They grow wheat and barley. They all like each other and get along. And they vacation in Bali, Fiji and Thailand.”

“So she has it made.”

His arms got even tighter. “She’s not the only one.”

She absolutely wasn’t.

I pushed up to kiss him softly.

Jamie angled his head to kiss me soundly.

When he broke it, there was yet another kind of light in his eyes.

“Let’s go to bed,” he murmured.

It was time to end a difficult day that had started all wrong, ended all right, and keep that last part going.

So that was what we did.

But I knew how much of a toll the day had taken on my Jamie.

Because, for the first time, he let me be on top.