Chapter One
“You were sleeping with the enemy.”
Justice Rose swallowed the sip of cosmopolitan down the wrong pipe. Once she wrangled control over the sputtering and coughing attack, she exclaimed, “What are you talking about?” She delicately wiped her mouth with the napkin from her lap.
Freedom didn’t even flinch. “Kent Downs. Ring a bell, sis?”
Justice scanned the restaurant before leaning over her endive salad. “H-how?”
“How did I find out?” Freedom’s reserve slipped as her eyebrow arched. “He told me, and that’s not the worst thing. He has photos of you at his house.”
As her stomach churned, Justice drained the rest of her drink and signaled to the server to bring another. “I have carried the weight of this around for months. I was hoping it would all just fade away.” She hated that her voice sounded like a whippoorwill, but for months, she’d kept Kent and their affair a secret. Now that the cat was out of the bag and she had someone to talk to, she felt like she’d been freed from a barbed wire fence. That is until she saw the disappointment in her sister’s expression.
“Men like Kent don’t fade away until they get what they want. Has he used the photos against you? To keep you in his clutches?”
Justice shook her head. Relief started to show in Freedom’s expression. “No. At least he hasn’t voiced anything of the sort. Why did he show you the photos?” She wrung the napkin in her hands, imagining it was Kent’s neck. He’d brought her nothing but turmoil since she called off their arrangement.
“He wanted me to stay quiet about my suspicions that he participated in poisoning Midnight and Requiem.” Sadness crawled across Freedom’s features. The horses being poisoned had been traumatizing for her. She’d lost Midnight, and Requiem had lost his ability to be used as a breeder. “Why did you fall in with the likes of him? You know that he’s a snake, Justice.”
Pausing while the server brought her another Cosmo, she finally said, “Yes, I’d heard the stories, but I thought—”
“That he’s different?” Freedom rubbed her temples. “Isn’t that a mistake we always make? Believing that someone isn’t who they portray themselves as?”
“I did smarten up.”
“Before or after the pictures?” Freedom snapped, then sighed. “I love you, but involving yourself with men like Kent is only asking for problems.”
“The affair has been over for months,” Justice stated firmly. “This is a moot conversation.” Shame cascaded through her, which was why she didn’t tell anyone. Justice had jumped off a cliff right into the devil’s arms. But Kent hadn’t been the devil at first. He’d been exciting and genuine, and they would stay up for hours drinking wine and talking. He’d made her smile and laugh, something she would have never expected from a man considered wicked. She couldn’t say that she’d loved him, but she’d been infatuated.
Until he ghosted her.
He refused to take her calls, didn’t answer her messages, and turned her away when she showed up to speak to him. So, she’d walked away, washing her hands of the entire situation.
Out of nowhere, he called her on her birthday, telling her how much he missed her and wanted to see her. She got caught up in those feelings again, only for him to push her away a few months later because his work took priority.
She realized she had to take her life back at that point.
“Talk to me, honey. What happened?” Freedom said softly, making it easier for Justice to open up.
“I learned my lesson and swore I’d never see him again. He wasn’t always evil, Free. I saw parts of him that no one else saw.” Justice reminded herself not to return to those old ways of defending a man who didn’t deserve her riding to his defense. She’d given him her trust, and he’d betrayed her.
“The devil can be impressive at times, but I understand. I do.”
Justice heard the words, but the truth remained in Freedom’s eyes. She didn’t understand. Not really. “Daddy doesn’t know, does he?”
“No. He’d keel over.”
Justice chewed on a piece of cucumber thoughtfully. “He’d never forgive me if he knew.”
“You know he would, but it’d take some time,” Freedom answered honestly.
Her life had been a whirlwind, from unforeseen events on the ranch to Daddy demanding that the sisters marry to still be in his will and dealing with the threat of Kent revealing the truth about their affair. “Do you think Kent was behind the horses being poisoned?” Justice asked, pushing away her full plate because she was no longer hungry.
“I do. He wanted Requiem. Enough to almost kill him to teach me a lesson. Men like Kent aren’t used to being told no, as I’m sure you’re fully aware. And they’re not used to not getting their way. That worries me for you.” Concern marked Freedom’s expression.
Justice’s attention moved to a couple sitting at a nearby table. They seemed so happy, so in love. Maybe that was what she wanted. To find someone who loved her and invested in her. Kent had not invested. Those thoughts whirred through her head. “I need to be free of Kent's threat. I never would have gotten involved with him had I known…”
“Had you known what?”
With a shake of her head, Justice returned her gaze to Freedom. There were things she didn’t need to know. “Just how underhanded he is.”
“Right, but don’t go near him, Justice. Keep distance between you and Kent. Any consideration you give him will backfire.”
“Do you think he’ll pull me back into his web? I’m over him.” It seemed so foreign to her that she once cared for him.
Freedom reached over and took Justice’s hand. “I know you are over him but seeing him will only fuel the fire. Promise me you won’t seek him out.”
"I promise," she said, but Justice knew confronting the man who had disrupted her life and family was inevitable. Without facing him, she might linger in uncertainty for weeks, months, and even years until he stopped pursuing Sagebrush Rose Ranch. He’d always denied wanting the ranch, even when they were together, he’d masked the truth with his lies. He had denied many things. Like being faithful and caring for her. How had she missed all the signs? All the red flags? She felt foolish and angry that she’d trusted him. She believed that people had him wrong when she’d been wrong all along.
And by him showing the photos of her in his home, in his bed, proved that he didn’t care about anyone but himself.
“Are you going to tell the family?” Justice asked.
“It’s not my place to tell them. I’ve always believed that releasing harmful secrets means they no longer have a hold over you, but this is your decision.”
“But what if some secrets are more harmful exposed?”
Freedom pulled her hand back and shrugged. “You’ll know in time.”
Later, wrapped up in her emotions and sitting in her car in the parking lot after Freedom had pulled away, Justice debated her next step. She didn’t want her life to become consumed with secrets. She either continued her life with a dark cloud looming overhead or confronted the man with too much control over her present and future. She wanted to move on from that time of her life with Kent.
Her father and his ridiculous demands also had her head spinning.
Unlike her sisters, Justice had always admired those marrying and having children. No, she didn’t like Daddy forcing her to marry, but the idea of marriage didn’t leave a bitter taste on her tongue. Of course, revealing her feelings to her sisters would probably cause laughter among the cynical brood. While other girls dreamed of a charming prince and happily ever after, Justice and her sisters imagined large bank accounts, closets full of designer clothing, and success. It was interesting when every single one of the Roses loved getting their hands dirty and had a weakness for cowboys—rough and rugged cowboys.
Justice had always landed on her feet. Growing up with four strong, independent sisters, she’d always had to find a way to “stick” out—or be her own person. While she loved riding horses and working on the ranch, she also had a passion for art. Her taste for classical paintings was what bonded her to Kent. He was an art collector and had taken her to numerous art auction houses nationwide. He also had made one of the bedrooms at his house into a studio where she could paint. She’d found it so endearing that he’d supported her passion for creativity.
All during her adulthood, she’d prided herself on keeping things together. Lately, though, she knew less about how to land on her feet and be true to herself and more about swimming in shark-infested waters.
On one side was Daddy and his matrimonial demands, and on the other was Kent waving his dick flag.
Maybe she should consider marrying so that when, or if, Daddy found out about her indiscretions with Kent Sam would go easy on her.
It was a long shot.
Marriage didn’t scare her. Finding the right man, though, did worry her. She stared through her window watching the same young couple she saw inside head across the parking lot, holding hands and laughing. Justice didn’t realize she was crying until her cheeks ached.
How had she willingly made such a mess of everything?
Not just a mess but a life-altering mess.
Kent could destroy her family, or at least give it a good try. She’d basically handed over the magical wand for him to wreak havoc on her relationship with her sisters and father.
If her affair with Kent was made public, Sam would disown her. She wouldn’t have to get married because he’d never include her in his will, no matter what changes she made. Since his heart attack, his life had been fragile. Especially lately, he seemed more tired and distant. She loved and admired him, and knowing she and her mischievous sisters had contributed to his every silver hair and wrinkle since they were brought into the world upset her.
She’d much rather marry than have her secret exposed.
She hated feeling uncomfortable and out of control. Though she wanted to get married and find her partner, her life was chaotic. How could she ask a man to marry her just to please her father?
Which was a big reason she needed to take out the trash.
She blinked back the grittiness in her eyes.
Kent needed to go away.
He showed her what he wanted to see, and just like any paint job, the true color eventually bled through.
If he could use her past against her, she could use a few morsels of juicy truths about him that she’d kept to herself.
Kent Downs wasn’t the only one who could play dirty.