Chapter Fourteen
DOC AWOKE TO Sadie licking his cheek, Pickles lying across his legs, and Mighty sprawled against his other side. “Mornin’, Sade.” He kissed her snout and reached for his phone. Mighty gave him the side eye, like he had a hell of a nerve moving when he was so comfortable.
As Doc leaned back against his pillow, Mighty and Sadie settled in, and he opened to the pictures and video Juliette had sent last night. He’d spent half the night looking at them, which had made him even angrier at the bastard who had forced them apart.
He scrolled through the pictures and watched the video a few times, grinning at Lucas’s little-boy voice and Juliette’s and Lucas’s sweet faces. He’d missed so damn much. He thumbed out a text.
Doc: GM darlin. I woke up with three beasts and not the woman I want in my bed. WYWH.
Juliette: I wish I was there too. Three beasts? Sounds kinky.
He took a selfie with the dogs, and Mighty crawled up to his pillow as he sent the text. Doc ruffled his fur. “Claiming your spot?” Mighty licked him as a heart-eyed emoji popped up on his phone. Grinning, he glanced at the selfie. His hair was a mess, and he looked tired, but he was shirtless, wearing only boxer briefs and his lazy dogs.
Doc: You’re into my beasts?
An eye-rolling emoji popped up.
Juliette: Why do you look so hot in the morning when I look like death warmed over?
Doc: Not possible. Send me a pic.
A picture popped up of Juliette flashing a cheeky smile, holding up a coffee cup. Her hair was messy and tangled, her eyes were sleepy, and she looked painfully beautiful.
Doc: You look good enough to eat .
He added a devil emoji.
He watched the three dancing dots, as if she were typing, but they disappeared. “Shit.” He’d known he was pushing it, but he also knew they were there in their hearts, and she wanted the same thing. His phone vibrated as another text rolled in.
Juliette: I wish I could meet you at the end of the road and go to our old cabin.
If he had his way, his cabin would be their cabin.
DOC WAS IN his office at the end of the day reviewing the latest scans for two of their rescue horses when his cell phone rang, and Reggie Steele’s name appeared on the screen. He wasn’t expecting to hear from him so soon. “Hey, Reggie. How’s it going?”
“Not bad. I’ve got an update, but before I get into it, how are things with you? How’d Lucas take the news?”
“Not great, but that’s to be expected.”
“I’d imagine so. Hopefully he’ll come around and realize how lucky he is to have you as a father. And Juliette? How is she holding up?”
“She’s hanging in there.” She’d texted about an hour ago to say she’d heard back from the therapist and had set up an appointment to speak with her while Lucas was at school next week.
“I’m sorry you all are going through this,” Reggie said. “I can only imagine how stressful it is. Let me make your day a little better. I have on good authority that Adkin has been under investigation for corrupt activity for the past two years as part of a broader federal investigation.”
“No shit? I haven’t heard anything about that.”
“You wouldn’t. None of it is public knowledge. This is big, Doc. My source tells me it involves more than a dozen people. Adkin is being investigated for using his political influence to gain kickbacks from companies seeking to work with the state, for mail fraud, money laundering, extortion, bribery. The list goes on.”
“I knew that asshole was dirty. If they’ve got all that on him, what’s the holdup? Why aren’t they arresting him?” Doc pushed to his feet and paced.
“They need more proof. You know how lawyers are. If they don’t have a slam dunk, they’ll be tied up in court for years—or worse, the case will be thrown out. I’m sure the Feds have every base covered, but I put out some feelers with my political connections to see what I can dig up.”
“Great. Keep me in the loop. Did you get any info on the housekeeper?”
“Yes. Ana Barbosa has worked for the Adkin family for twenty-four years, since she was nineteen. She was married when she started working there and went through a contentious divorce a few years later. She has a thirteen-year-old son, a younger brother who’s been in and out of jail, and a sister who lives out of the country with her mother, who she sends money to every month.”
“Who’s the kid’s father?”
“This is where it gets interesting. There’s no father listed on the birth certificate, but after the divorce, she took out a restraining order against the ex, and it was handled by Adkin’s attorney, Wilson Chambers. Curiously enough, the ex was severely beaten shortly thereafter. Sound familiar?”
“Son of a bitch.” Doc rubbed a knot in the back of his neck. “You think Adkin is the father of her child?”
“That’s my guess. After the restraining order was put into place, she moved into a high-end community and started receiving large sums of money from an aunt overseas. But it turns out there is no aunt. The money’s coming from one of Adkin’s shell companies. He buried it well. The guy’s got a network of shell companies in other countries, each with several intermediary entities. The shell companies act as shareholders to each other, making tracking the true ownership nearly impossible.”
“How’d you get this info?”
“You know I can’t tell you that, and what I’ve told you has to stay between us.”
“I’ve got to tell Juliette.”
“That’s a given. I trust she’ll keep it quiet. I’m going to email you a report outlining all of this. One more thing about the housekeeper. She has Tuesdays and Sundays off, and from what I can tell from her financial records, she has brunch at the same café every Tuesday in Boulder.”
“You think she meets Adkin there?”
“I didn’t have enough time to figure that out yet. But give me a week or two—”
“Thanks, but I’m not waiting a week or two. I want to get this bastard. I’ll go see for myself. Is the address in the report? I want the housekeeper’s home address, too.”
“It’s all in there, but as I said, this guy’s connections run deep and dirty. If you go in there half-cocked looking for trouble, you’re liable to find a hell of a lot more than you’re counting on.”
“Then you have no idea how much I’m counting on. One more thing. Do you have dates on the brother’s jail time?”
“Yeah. It’s all in the report.”
“Thanks, Reg. I’ll let you know what goes down.”
After ending the call, Doc paced, formulating a plan as he tried to figure out how to break the news to Juliette. It was one thing to know her father had lied to her and to hear that he had done other bad things. But it was a whole other ball game to be given proof. He texted her.
Doc: Hey darlin. Got a minute to talk?
Juliette: Not really. I’m on my way out the door with Lucas to take him to riding practice.
Doc: I have information about your father.
Juliette: Can you meet me at the Waller ranch?
Doc: I’ll be there as soon as I can.
JULIETTE STOOD BY the entrance of the indoor riding ring anxiously awaiting Seeley’s arrival as she watched Lucas on the other side of the arena. The mention of her father always raised her hackles, especially after learning the extent of what he’d done. She was as nervous about what Seeley had to say as she was excited to see him.
Talking with him last night about how to handle things with Lucas and sharing parts of their lives with him after all these years had reminded her of how right things had been when they were together. They’d always been able to talk about anything and everything, and their insane chemistry had added an intensity like no other. It was all of that, the way he considered her and Lucas first, and all the little things she’d never found with anyone else that had her wanting more.
Like the way Seeley had pushed her to follow her dreams, not the dreams her parents had outlined for her, and the way he’d looked after her. She remembered sitting at the creek with him the night she’d told him how controlling her father was. She’d broken down in tears when she’d shared the truth about her mother and how empty she’d felt without her parents’ love. Seeley had held her while she’d cried, and said, Some people aren’t built to be parents, but that doesn’t mean their children aren’t worthy of love. You are worthy of more love than this world knows how to give, and I’ll never stop trying to give it to you.
His words had filled those empty places, and she hated her father for stealing that from her.
But she wasn’t going to let her father ruin things now. She pushed those thoughts away and watched Lucas. She loved seeing him with his friends, doing what he enjoyed.
A little while later, she sensed Seeley approaching before she felt his hand touch her back as he leaned in close and said, “I came here to talk about something important. How am I supposed to concentrate with you in those sexy shorts and cowgirl boots?” sending her heart into a wild flurry.
It had been a long time since she’d heard anything like that. She smiled at the mischievous glint in his eyes. His dark T-shirt hugged his broad chest, his hair curling out from beneath his cowboy hat. They’d been so focused on everything with Lucas, she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed Seeley’s playfulness until now. “Way to make a girl’s day.”
“Seeing you makes my day.” He kissed her cheek, then lifted his chin in Lucas’s direction. “How’s he doing?”
“Surprisingly well. I was worried that the stress might affect his new friendships and be too distracting for him to ride. You know how dangerous distractions can be.”
“Absolutely. I wondered about that, too.”
“When I mentioned skipping practice, he got pissed. He was not going to miss it, and look at him. He’s like a different kid here. He’s smiling, talking with the other kids in his group, and listening to his coach.”
“This is his outlet. It’s good that he has one.” Seeley arched a brow. “Being here brings back memories of you watching me ride…and other things.”
“You mean like Buck banging on your truck window when we were making out?”
He cocked a grin. “Those were some good times.”
“Maybe even the best,” she admitted. “When I brought Lucas here to meet Buck, I prayed Buck wouldn’t remember that particular incident.”
“And did he?”
“I don’t think so. If he did, he didn’t mention it.”
“You got lucky.” Seeley slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “I’d ask if you want to get luckier, but…” He kissed her temple and whispered, “I already know the answer.”
Yes, please.
Just as reality hit with a worry about Lucas seeing them that close, Seeley’s arm fell away, as if he’d read her mind, and she mourned the loss of his touch. But she’d always enjoyed giving him a hard time, so she said, “You think you know the answer, huh? Care to fill me in?”
He set a seductive gaze on her that had her heart tripping up. “We both know you want me to take you against this railing, but now’s not the time.”
“Is that what you think? Guess you’re still as cocky as you used to be after all.”
He glanced across the ring at the kids heading to the bull pen, and stepped closer to her, putting his hand on her hip, out of view from anyone else. Those dark eyes held her captive as he slipped his thumb under the edge of her shirt, brushing it lightly along her skin, sending shivers of heat rippling through her. “I haven’t forgotten your tells, darlin’.”
“I don’t have tells.” She totally did, but he couldn’t possibly remember them.
“You’re probably right.” He lifted his other hand and brushed his fingertip over the corner of her mouth. “This twitch is definitely not a tell.”
“Nope.” Holy cow. You remembered .
“And the way you wrinkle your nose when you’re lying?”
“I had an itch.” She could barely keep a straight face.
“Makes sense.” He put his hand on her hip and squeezed, sending prickles of anticipation racing through her. How did he still have that effect on her? “I guess the toe of your right boot hitting the dirt and that wiggling ankle aren’t tells, either.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s just a habit.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “Guess I’ll have to learn all your new tells.” He lowered his voice. “FYI. I do my best research naked.”
The image of him naked popped into her head, and her eyes bloomed wide. She pressed her lips together, blinking rapidly to try to clear the lust from her brain. He chuckled and turned back to the riding ring.
She swatted his arm. “That was not fair.”
“I was just being honest. Would you rather I lied?”
“Yes.”
He looked down as her toe hit the dirt and her ankle began wiggling, and they both laughed.
She bumped him with her shoulder. “Do you really have something to talk to me about, or did you just come here to get me flustered?”
“I do need to talk to you, but I have missed that gorgeous smile.”
How could something so simple make her feel so good? “In that case, you’re forgiven.”
“Do you want to talk here?”
The other parents were sitting by the bull pen, giving them a modicum of privacy, and they had a few minutes before the kids started riding. “Sure. That way we won’t miss Lucas’s ride.”
“I reached out to my buddy Reggie Steele. He’s a PI. I asked him to look into the situation for us. What I’m about to tell you might be hard to hear, and it needs to stay between us. You can’t talk it over with Jade or anyone else.”
“Okay.” She crossed her arms, needing a barrier between herself and any talk of her father. “What did he find out?”
“It seems the FBI has quietly been investigating your father for two years for a slew of corrupt activities from kickbacks to money laundering and bribery. They just need more proof before they can take him down for it.”
“That’s not hard to hear. I always knew he was dirty, and knowing what he did to his own daughter, I wouldn’t put anything past him. Did you ask Reggie to track down Ana? She’s the one I want to talk to.”
“Yes. She’s still working for your family.”
“Of course she is. It’s a cushy job.”
“I think it might be more than that. She’s got a thirteen-year-old son, and it looks like your father might be her son’s father, too.”
“ What? No way. She never liked him. She used to talk about him behind his back, and she hated the way he treated me. She’s the one who suggested I write you letters because he had all the phone lines tapped.”
“I could be wrong, but there’s no father listed on the birth certificate. Did you know she was married when she started working for your family?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Why?” There was a commotion by the bull pen, and she saw one of the girls putting on safety gear.
“A few years after she started working for your family, she got a divorce, and she had to get a restraining order against her ex, which Josh’s father handled for her.”
“Okay. That doesn’t mean anything. Mr. Chambers helped other people my father knew.”
“I assumed as much, but her ex was severely beaten shortly after it was filed, which reeks in similarity to what happened to me. There were no suspects, and there was no investigation into the beating.”
“ Really? That does sound similar, but I never saw any hint of an affair between my father and Ana. He didn’t pay much attention to the staff. At least not that I saw.”
“Do you think you would have noticed?”
She thought about it for a minute. “Maybe not. Between school and friends before that summer, I wasn’t home all that much, and when I was, I spent most of the time in my room, and I definitely wasn’t looking for anything like that. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to be close to him.”
“Neither can I, but there are more indications that something is or was going on between them. Your father bought Ana a house in a high-end community, and he sends her large sums of money every month. The money trail is buried in offshore companies, so it appears it’s coming from her aunt overseas. Only she doesn’t have an aunt overseas.”
“Yes, she does. She told me she has an aunt who lives with her mother in Brazil.”
“Reggie couldn’t find a trace of an aunt. Ana’s sister lives with her mother, and the money isn’t coming from that sister, darlin’. In fact, Ana sends her mother money every month.”
“Are you sure? Maybe Reggie missed something.”
“He’s been doing this for years, and he’s too thorough to miss anything. But I figured we could take a ride out to Boulder and talk to Ana ourselves. She has Tuesdays off, and she goes to the same café for brunch every week. That said, if it’s too difficult for you, I can do it on my own.”
“It’s not too difficult. I want to talk to her, and if it’s true, then I need to hear it for myself. No offense to your friend, but she was like an older sister to me. She was my confidante and the only person I trusted in that house. I told her everything from the time I was eight years old.”
His brows knitted. “Jule, she came to see you right before your father dragged you off the ranch. Did you tell her about us?”
She thought about that afternoon and how Ana had commented about how cute Seeley was and how close they seemed. She even said he looked at Juliette like she was special.
“I did confide in her,” she remembered. “But she seemed genuinely happy for me, and she swore she wouldn’t tell my father. Could my intuition have been that far off? It can’t be possible that every adult who was in my life back then was that conniving.”
Seeley put his hand on her back, compassion shimmering in his eyes. “Unfortunately, I think we’ve learned not to take anyone who was involved in this situation at face value.”
She felt sick at the idea of Ana breaching her trust like that, but she refused to let that nightmare suck the life out of her like it did back then. She drew her shoulders back and said, “What time can you go Tuesday?”
“Reggie said she’s at the café by eleven every week. I think we should get there a little early and stake it out. See if she meets your father.”
“Okay. Lucas takes the bus to school, but I should let him know if we’re leaving earlier than he does. What time are you thinking? Seven?”
“That works. I think we should be honest with Lucas and tell him where we’re going. We don’t have to give him details about what we suspect, but he needs to know that we’re doing everything we can to get to the bottom of this.”
“I agree, and I appreciate you taking him into consideration.”
“He’s on my mind twenty-four-seven, just like his incredibly sexy mother is.”
It had been so long since either of them had been a priority in anyone else’s life, her throat thickened with emotion.
“Do you think he’ll mind if I stick around and watch him practice?”
“I don’t know, but if I’ve learned one thing about teenagers, it’s that they don’t always know what’s best, and I’d like you to stay and watch our son scare the life out of me.”
“Our son,” he said low and filled with emotion. His fingers curled around her waist, tugging her against his side. “Do you know how much I want to kiss you right now?”
“Probably half as much as I want you to.”
“Good answer.”
Why does every little thing you do reel me in? “Seeley, what are we doing? We’re supposed to be going slow and getting to know each other again.”
“We’ve always sucked at slow.” His lips curved up in a devastating smile. “Besides, this is slow for us. If we weren’t going slow, I’d’ve hauled your fine ass into my truck by now and reminded you exactly how much you like that we suck at slow.”
“You…” She shook her head. “Don’t say another word.”
He laughed.
With that sinful thought in her head, she turned her attention to Lucas’s practice, trying not to let herself get carried away.
When it came to her and Seeley, she sucked at that, too.
They cheered on the other kids, and Seeley made comments about their form and how well they did. When it was Lucas’s turn, Seeley hollered, “Show that bull who’s boss!”
As always happened when her son climbed onto a bull, her heart raced and she prayed he wouldn’t get hurt. The bull charged out of the chute, and she tried to focus on Lucas and not the emotions stacking up inside her as Seeley cheered him on with pride in his eyes.
“Attaboy! He’s got a hell of a grip. Look at him.” Lucas was right-handed, and the bull was bucking left. “He’s fucking phenomenal.”
“Like you were—” The bull bucked Lucas off, and she gasped.
Seeley white-knuckled the metal rail in front of them like he was stopping himself from leaping over it, his jaw clenched tight, eyes locked on their boy. Lucas popped to his feet, and Seeley’s breath rushed from his lungs as Lucas ran out of the ring.
“Damn.” Seeley put his hand over his heart. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“What?” She knew what she felt every time Lucas climbed on a bull, but since Seeley had ridden, too, she wondered what he was going to say.
“Stone-cold fear. He’s an excellent rider, but man .” He took off his cowboy hat and raked a hand through his hair, breathing deeply as he settled it back on his head. “Now I know why my mother used to say she lost a year of her life every time I climbed on a bull.”
“At least they wear helmets and face guards now. It’s hard to believe I could watch you out there when I was sixteen and not be scared for your life. I thought you were the coolest guy around.”
“Well, darlin’, you weren’t wrong.”
She laughed. “You definitely haven’t lost that cockiness.”
“Maybe you bring it out in me.” He leaned in like he was going to kiss her but stopped short. “ Shit. Sorry.”
She couldn’t help but love that, too.
As they watched the rest of the practice, Seeley had the same white-knuckled reaction each time Lucas was thrown off. It made her feel a little better knowing she wasn’t alone in that fear. When practice ended, they made their way over to the group. Lucas was busy talking with the other kids.
Buck, a barrel-chested Black man and the best bull-riding coach around, headed their way, his gaze moving curiously between Juliette and Seeley. “Well, if this isn’t just like old times. Good to see you, Doc.” Buck shook Seeley’s hand.
“Nice to see you, too, Buck,” Seeley said.
Juliette saw Lucas walking their way, his smile replaced with a tight jaw. She hoped she hadn’t made the wrong decision by letting Seeley stay.
“They looked good out there,” Seeley said. “You’ve got a good group of riders on your hands.”
“They’re getting better every day,” Buck said.
Lucas joined them, eyeing Seeley. “What’re you doing here?”
“ Lucas ,” Juliette chided.
Buck arched a brow.
“I came to talk with your mother and decided to stay to watch you ride,” Seeley explained. “You’re a hell of a rider.”
Lucas didn’t respond.
“That’s a high compliment coming from this guy.” Buck clapped a hand on Seeley’s shoulder.
Lucas scoffed.
“You might want to check that attitude, young man,” Buck said. “Doc was one of my best riders back in the day.”
Lucas eyed Seeley with new curiosity. “You rode bulls?”
“That’s right,” Seeley said.
“He didn’t just ride,” Buck said. “Doc was the junior world champion four years in a row, and hit it again at eighteen.”
“Seriously?” Lucas asked incredulously. “Do you still ride?”
“Nope.” Seeley shook his head. “I’m a horse guy these days.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to catch up with a few parents,” Buck said. “Good seeing you, Doc, Juliette. Lucas, excellent practice. See you next time.”
As Buck walked away, Lucas said, “Why’d you quit bull riding?”
Seeley glanced briefly at Juliette before responding. “Remember when I told you I couldn’t see straight when your mother was torn from my life?”
“Yeah…?” Confusion riddled his brow.
“You know there’s no room for distractions when you’re on the back of a bull. You can put two and two together.”
“And you just gave it up?” Lucas asked incredulously. “Just like that, because of a girl?”
“ Lucas ,” Juliette cautioned.
“It’s a’right, Jule.” Seeley’s gaze never left Lucas. “There was no just like that . I had been riding bulls since I was eight years old. I lived and breathed for it. But I knew my limits, and I didn’t want my parents watching me get gored because my concentration was shot.”
Lucas swallowed hard, empathy rising in his eyes. “Did you miss it?”
“Yeah, I did. But not as much as I missed your mom.”
That seemed to give Lucas a moment’s pause, but then he mumbled, “ Whatever ,” and turned his attention to Juliette. “Robert’s having some kids from school over tomorrow night. Can I go?”
“Are his parents going to be home?”
“ Yes ,” Lucas said exasperatedly.
“If we get the work around the property done in time and you don’t give me too much attitude, then sure.”
“We have all day Sunday to get it done,” he complained.
“They’re calling for rain, remember?” Juliette reminded him.
“I can give you guys a hand,” Seeley offered. “We can knock out whatever work you need done quicker if there are three of us.”
There was a lot to be done, and she could use all the help she could get. But she didn’t want to push Lucas. “Lucas, how would you feel about that?”
Lucas’s face was so serious as he eyed Seeley, she was sure he was going to say no way. “ Whatever . It’s your house.”
“Does that mean you’re okay with me helping?” Seeley asked.
“I guess. If it’ll get it done quicker,” Lucas said.
A smile tugged at Seeley’s lips. “Smart man.”
Juliette stifled the urge to do a happy dance. It wasn’t an open door, but it was a fissure in her wounded son’s armor, and she knew Seeley would treat it with care.