Chapter 18
Rory
The Win
Two weeks. Fourteen days of obsessively checking my phone.
Nothing. There was no mention of the kidnapping or anything else that had happened in Cypress Cliffs.
No talk about the fake water survey, or the kidnapping of the newcomer in town.
I had yet to check my phone since I woke up, but I would soon.
I reached for Rafe’s T-shirt and headed for the bathroom.
There was something I needed to do before I was ready to go downstairs.
Getting everything ready, I took care of business and then brushed my teeth and washed my face while I waited.
I even flossed to kill more time while I waited for the results.
I leaned my ass against the counter and stared at the stick. As soon as it confirmed what I already knew, I left it on the counter and headed back into the room.
The voices downstairs indicated how late I was.
Allie and Calvin were already there. It was the third Sunday since the Crush and the third time the four of us were meeting for Sunday morning breakfast. Allie would get the bread from Mr. Henderson.
Rafe got the eggs from the chickens once he finished the morning chores.
I slipped into a pair of sweat pants and a thick sweater before I made my way downstairs.
Rafe stood at the stove, shirtless with an apron, while Calvin cut the fruit, and Allie picked at the blueberries Calvin kept aside for her.
“No one woke me.”
I pouted at Rafe but Allie was the one to answer me. “Because we all know better than to wake you on a weekend morning.”
“Rude.” But true. “What do I need to do?”
Rafe pointed the spatula at my usual chair. “Sit your sexy ass down.” He walked to the coffee machine and poured me a cup before adding creamer and pushing both the mug and the sugar in my direction. “Calvin has news.”
I tried not to make it obvious I was not drinking it.
“Oh.” My heart skipped a beat as I imagined what he had to tell us. I had news as well, but wondered for a moment if I should share it with Rafe alone before the rest of the world. “Has it got to do with my brother?”
“Somewhat, yes.” Calvin cut the last of the fruit and sat across from me at the table.
“Rumor has it Vance Steiner is out of a job. The Crush did what it was supposed to. With Rafe’s abundance of water, it forced another survey, and the investors who hadn’t already pulled out, did so when the study came back saying there was no viable aquifer. ”
“And,” Rafe said as he flipped pancakes.
“The land went up for sale late yesterday. And as soon as the alert popped up on your phone, I called Joel Pederson.” He smiled over at me.
“And when Calvin and I came in from town this morning we saw the realtor pulling out the “For Sale” sign. Which means.”
Allie hopped up and down on the spot. “The land has been sold.”
The four of us whooped and cheered, and the noise echoed around the kitchen.
I scanned the kitchen for my phone and Allie handed it to me. “It was on the charger.”
I checked through all the alerts. I couldn’t stop my brother from taking over small town America, but I could keep an eye on him.
While it was unlikely The Argent Group would be back in Cypress Cliffs anytime soon, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
And I wanted to be prepared when it did happen.
“Anything else? I mean if Vance is what you thought, then getting him away from my brother is a good thing. Right.” I remembered Calvin’s words the night they rescued me. And the last thing I wanted was for my brother to corrupt a man because he was weak.
“Right. But I’ll let Allie tell you the other news.” He could barely contain the smile spreading across his handsome face.
Allie buzzed with excitement. “So uhm, I took a test yesterday. And I’m pregnant.”
I jumped out of my seat and ran over to hug her. “Congratulations, sweetie. I am so excited for you.” I stepped away from her and hugged Calvin. “You’re going to make such great parents.”
“I came off the pill the week before the wedding and here we are three weeks later.”
“Uhm Grouchy, there is something I need you to see before I share some news of my own.” I took the spatula from him. “Its on the bathroom counter upstairs.”
Allie’s eyes widened and I had no doubt she already suspected. Rafe raised a brow, but did as I asked.
While we waited for him I emptied the scrambled egg mixture into a frying pan. It didn’t take him long to find what I had left for him.
The loudest whoop left the top of the stairs. “Yes! Motherfucker. I am going to be a dad.”
Allie smiled at me. “For real?”
“I took the test just before I came downstairs.” I said with tears streaming down my face. “I wanted to tell Rafe first, but then I also wanted us to celebrate together. We are going to be pregnant together.”
Rafe came jogging down the stairs, his eyes wide as came into the kitchen. “Are you allowed to have coffee?”
“Grouchy, unless you want to use your hand for the next nine months, you will be flexible on the coffee. But I actually haven’t had any.”
I had no intention of overdoing anything, but did intend to do the research. I wasn’t a big drinker anyway, so it wasn’t like I would miss the alcohol. But I was a little disappointed I wouldn’t get to taste Sterling wine for a good while.
And then I caught Allie’s eyes. All her husband’s hard work and she wouldn’t get to enjoy it.
She must’ve sensed what I was thinking because as soon as her eye caught mine she burst into tears. “I’m not going to get to taste this year's vintage. Maybe not even next year, depending on how long I nurse for.”
I wrapped my arms around her and let her cry on my shoulder for a few moments as Calvin looked on helplessly. “Baby, it will be fine. Our baby is more important than the wine.”
Of course, his words only made her cry even more. I handed her over to her husband and turned to Rafe. “Let’s eat.”
Breakfast passed by in a blur. When we had breakfast that first morning after the kidnapping, Mrs. Powers had joined us.
She told us to have Sunday Morning Mimosas for as long as we could because once we started giving her grandbabies, we’d have to pause.
And yes, she had included me in the discussion.
I was a stranger to her, but she knew I was displaced and she pulled me into her fold.
The next week Allie and I had both forgotten about the mimosas as we discussed what the kids at her school had worn for Halloween.
She worked at the local high school and the outfits ranged from sexy nurse, to more cutesy ones like the PowerPuff girls.
So mimosas would need to wait.
My phone rang and I frowned when the caller’s name appeared on my screen. Before it could ring a second time, I answered. “Mr. Pederson?”
“Hello, Rory.” His voice sounded more upbeat than the last time we spoke. “I told you to call me Joel.”
I put the phone on speaker and rested it on the kitchen table. “Joel, then. How are you?”
“Well, well.” He paused for a second, then continued. “I wanted to share the news with you. My offer has been accepted for the Argent Property. Well, I suppose now it will be called the Pederson property. At least, until my son decides what he intends to call it.”
My eyes met with each person in the room before I spoke. “Your son?”
“Yes, Mark thinks the land is perfect for a boutique style resort. He thinks another hotel chain will ruin the landscape. Especially when I told him I didn’t want to piss off the locals.”
He laughed at his own statement and I couldn’t help but chuckle with him. “No, I learned that the hard way, too. The locals stick together here.”
“I was hoping you would say that.” Joel’s turned serious. “Argent is aiming to become a serious player in the industry. I need to know I am sending my son to a place where the locals will have his back.”
Rafe stepped up to the phone. “Joel. You made sure we didn’t have to deal with the Argent Group. At least, not for a long time. You have no idea how grateful we are. Mark will be treated as a local as soon as he steps foot into town. And we will definitely have his back.”
What Rafe was not saying was the sale had saved his ranch and my life.
Well, technically the little life inside me saved my life.
But I was never going to have a baby purely to save my inheritance.
I don’t know what made my father put a clause like that in the will, but I was almost certain it was done under duress.
Once we said our goodbyes to Joel, the eggs were ready.
And for the third week in a row, the four of us had breakfast together.
And nearly every week after that. Each week, the four of us sat down together, the knot in my stomach grew smaller and smaller.
It became a tradition which always involved the four of us.
It survived six children, from teething ring to wedding ring, and everything in between.
Calvin became my brother, like Allie became a sister to both Rafe and me.
And as our families grew, our businesses grew.
Even in the bad years, we knew we could rely on one another.
I took heart that Tex was keeping an eye on my sisters.
And if they ran into trouble he had an army of men and women he could rely on.
We learned when to play it safe and when to take the risk.
And through it all the Argent Group never returned.
Not until we were ready to take the fight to them.