Chapter 12 （Rhett）
RHETT
It occurs to me as I rap on the side door leading into the Lilac Meadows kitchen that the clock by which I measure everything has been reset. Every significant moment in time is now marked with a time stamp that either reads before Noah came back or after she left me again.
“Thanks for coming.” Sage ushers me inside with a smile, but I can tell there’s something off about her today.
“It’s not a problem,” I grit out, rubbing a hand over my jaw, eyeing her carefully.
I’m not particularly proud of the tone I used with her this past Sunday.
It’s not her fault that she got caught in the middle of whatever the hell went down with Noah and me.
Beyond my grandmother and brothers, Sage is the closest thing I have to family, and knowing I upset her doesn’t really sit right.
Maybe that’s why I felt it important to swing by the first free moment I had.
“Ready to show me what’s goin’ on with these books?
” I exhale hard, gesturing toward the front of the house where Ridge’s office is located.
“Yeah,” she nods, “but wait—” Lightly touching my arm, she studies me. “How have you been? I know the last few days probably weren’t easy for you. And now that Noah—”
“I’m fine,” I grumble, hating the way her face falls at the sharpness of my retort. “Sorry. I’d just rather not talk about her.”
Her head tips to the side, eyes probing in a way that makes me feel like she’s somehow able to see all my inner turmoil. Hell, maybe I’m doing a shit job of hiding it. Her pained smile is way too knowing.
I run a hand through my hair, trying to unlock my jaw. There’s nothing to say. Not really. “It is what it is, Sage. Are things how I would like them?” Exhaling hard, I pinch my lips together. “No. But Noah made it clear when she came to see me that she’s ready to move on.”
Her brows lift, eyes taking on a misty quality. “She came to see you?”
“Yeah. She swung by on her way to the airport. Said she was seeking closure.”
“And?”
“I gave it to her.”
“But …” Her lips twist.
“She was here to prepare for the big wedding, was she not?” I shouldn’t aim my sarcasm at Sage, but I can’t help feeling a little fucking miffed by how the past weekend went down.
“I know.” She shakes her head, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment before they pop open again. “It just doesn’t seem right. The idea of her with anyone but you.”
My heart clenches hard at her words. “She was very clear with me about what she needed and wanted. I’m not it.
” The truth burns beneath my skin in an unholy rampage.
I let a strangled sigh of exasperation bleed from me, which seems somewhat reasonable.
Finally closing the door on the future I always wanted feels a bit like I’ve been cut wide open, my guts on display.
“Look, can we just focus on the books? I’m all Noah’d out. ”
Sage steps close, resting a hand on my arm. “Yeah. We can. For what it’s worth, though, I wish things could have gone differently. I thought—” Her mouth snaps shut, and she shakes her head. “Sorry. I’ll drop it.”
“Thanks.”
With a quick gesture of her hand, Sage leads the way down the hall.
Inside the ten-by-ten office that I’ve been in so many times before, my eyes wander.
Memories of the surly man who was Sage’s father barrel into me as I take things in.
Knowing what I do about him now, not to mention how we disposed of his body in our goddamn potato field, well, it’s fuckin’ unsettling.
I glance at Sage, impressed that she’s holding her shit together.
Needing a distraction, I study the heavy furniture, the outdated desktop computer, then look over toward the bookshelf where there’s a bottle of Ridge’s favorite whiskey.
My teeth clench. I’m only just not completely hungover, so the idea that I’d like to have a sip to calm my nerves hits me fucking hard. Not today, Satan.
Truthfully, I’d like to walk outta here right the fuck now, but one glimpse at the tightness spread over Sage’s features, and I know I’ll do whatever it takes to erase those fine stress lines from her face and ease her mind. I draw in a breath.
She crosses to where a ledger is laid out on the desk. “Could you review this first? I think you’ll be able to see how I knew Samuel was skimming money. Honestly, I don’t know how my dad missed it. Or maybe he didn’t care enough to call him on it. I have no idea.”
Over the next few minutes, I carefully read through the accounting of Lilac Meadows and its cattle herd.
Ridge was fairly diligent in his bookkeeping.
Purchase dates are noted, along with a summary of new calves born on the ranch.
On the next page, there is a detailed list of when animals were sold off and to whom.
And finally, a record of slaughter dates shows how much beef each beast produced.
Everything is well documented. “There’s no way your dad didn’t know that Samuel had been stealing from him.
But why wouldn’t he have confronted him?
I guess we’ll never know the answer.” The dead don’t talk.
“He must have had something on him. But what?”
I shake my head before glancing up to find Sage’s eyes on me.
On a growl, I grit out, “It must have been something big. We’re talking about thousands upon thousands of dollars here.
” Scanning the numbers again, my lips press together.
“Even though it’s apparent Samuel sold off several head of cattle, that doesn’t explain why the ranch is so far in the red. ”
Sage’s teeth scrape over her bottom lip.
“See? I didn’t think so either. Let me show you something else.
” She sits down at the desk, jiggling the mouse to bring the computer monitor to life.
“Have a look at this bank statement.” My brows furrow as she points to a couple entries.
“I don’t understand what these withdrawals would have been for. ”
I frown, moving closer so I can have a look.
“It’s not adding up.” Sage compares the ledger to the figures on the screen. Exhaling hard, she searches my eyes for answers I definitely don’t have.
“Looks like he was shuffling money into a personal account.” I pause, pointing toward the withdrawals.
“Right.” She nibbles on her lip, and I can practically see gears moving inside her head. “I can’t tell for what, though. He transfers and withdraws the money, over and over. But there’s no record of what he’s doing with it because I haven’t figured out how to access that account yet.”
My brow furrows in concentration. “How far back’s it go?”
She pauses, worry etching itself into her features. “A long time. Years. Like more than four. I did the math, it’s a lot of money.” She wrings her hands. “What am I missing?”
Her words from the other day slam back into me. She sees me as a brother-figure. A protector. I’ve gotta help her figure this out. “Kade had no ideas?”
“He’s been so busy running between the two ranches, I didn’t want to burden him.” She scrubs her hands over her face, frustration leaching from every movement.
“If it’s not on the ledger, it’s gotta be something unrelated to ranch business.”
“But what, though?” Her teeth are clenched as she shifts in the office chair to meet my eyes and throws her hands up. “I’ve been through just about everything.” Her gaze drops to her father’s desk. “The only place I haven’t searched is this damn drawer.”
I glance at the compartment at the top right, eyeing the lock. “No idea where the key is, I take it?”
“If I knew, I’d already be in there, but I haven’t found one.” Rubbing her hands over her face, she shrugs, the plea clear in her eyes. “Will you help me get into it?”
I give a short nod. “’Kay. Do you care if it gets damaged?”
“Gonna be real honest with you, Rhett. I’ve got plans to redecorate and refurnish this office as soon as I can afford it.”
I’d be an idiot not to have noticed how Sage has been struggling with moving past what happened with her father.
“Yeah, I get it.” It’s perfectly natural.
Removing traces of her abuser from this home might bring her some relief.
At the quake of her lips, I tug her to my chest for a hug.
“I’ll get it open for you.” I ease back, chucking the underside of her chin. “Just gotta go get some tools.”
I return five minutes later to an antsy Sage. She grits her teeth. The poor girl is totally on edge. “Just break the fucking thing. I can’t get past the idea that it wouldn’t be locked up tight if it weren’t important.”
“You got it.” Picking up the crowbar, I wedge it at the top of the front panel of the drawer, then wrench it viciously until the splintering of wood cracks through the air. Thirty seconds later, the drawer is in multiple pieces, but the contents are free.
Sage sets everything on the surface of the desk with trembling hands. Together we peer at our findings, which includes a checkbook and a folder. She frowns, flipping through the register. “I don’t know what I was expecting.”
Her anxiety is palpable as I peer over her shoulder, reading through the entries. And then, I spot it. The same amount of money, every month. “It’s this right here. What the fuck is Mountainview?”
“I don’t have a clue.”
There on the front cover of the folder is a logo for Mountainview Retreat. She puffs out a breath and passes it to me.
Flipping it open, I scan over the first document. It appears to be some sort of admission paperwork for Laurel Everett, Sage’s mother. Throat going dry, I glance at Sage. She’s gone pale.
“Look at the date, Rhett”—her voice lowers—“this isn’t so long after she left.” Lip trembling, she shakes her head. “What is this place?”
“Not sure.” Jamming my hand into my pocket, I fish my phone from it. A quick Google search reveals something that floors me. “Oh, fuck.” Sage’s head snaps my way, and her brows furrow as I angle my phone so she can read.
“Is this”—her lips press together—“some sort of mental institution?” She blinks, confusion warring within her gaze.
“I think so.” Cautiously, I set the first page aside, glancing at the second. “This is a psychiatric evaluation. Looks like it was done at your father’s request.”
Beside me, Sage swallows hard before pulling a photograph out of the folder. A startled gasp slips from her lips as she picks it up. “Oh my god.”
Taking it from her, I study the image of the couple. It’s her father … with my mother. With my very pregnant mother. My chest constricts as I stare. “Wait.” Flipping it over, I search for more details, but there’s nothing. “When was this taken?”
Sage’s eyes are wild as she stares up at me. “I don’t know, Rhett.” She exhales hard. “Maybe we should look for an explanation.”
While I stare down at the photo, she reaches for the next document. My eyes track hers as she scans what looks like a handwritten letter. If I thought she was pale before, I was mistaken because now it looks as though she’s seen a ghost. “What is it?”
Lifting her gaze to mine, her mouth opens but nothing comes out. Finally, after several heartbeats she hands it over. “See for yourself.”
Ridge,
I’m trying to get better. They tell me it will do me some good to get my thoughts down on paper. They say you deserve to know everything.
I was on the phone with Jonah when Lucy fell from the cliff at the waterfall.
I heard her screams. Then my baby … my precious baby jumped in after her, and it’s all your whore’s fault.
I kept warning him to stay away from that poisonous family, but he wouldn't listen. Everything that was left of us—destroyed by Alice fucking Rivers and her devil spawn. But that’s the thing.
It’s your fault, too. You just couldn’t keep your dick away from her, could you?
Since high school, I watched you fawn over her, always putting me second.
I’m still so angry. So fucking mad. They found out, you know.
They knew your disgusting secret. And my baby died trying to make sense of your vile betrayal.
None of this would have happened if it weren’t for your bastard child.
Nothing. I lost my son. I wouldn’t have been forced to do what I did if you hadn’t cheated. This is all your fault.
I had to make her pay for what she took from me.
I will never forgive you, and Alice Rivers deserved what she got.
You’re next,
Laurel