Chapter Eleven
Bryar woke to an empty bed. She pushed herself up, blinking against the bright morning light streaming in through the open window across the room. Pulling the blanket around her, she shivered against the cool air on her heated skin.
A knock sounded on the door, disturbing her cocoon.
“Are you going to get that, Puma?” she called out.
No response.
A second knock came.
Slipping out of bed, she hurried downstairs and peeked through the window, her breath catching.
Crystal stood on the porch.
What was she doing here?
She steadied her hand on the doorknob, pausing briefly to consider whether she wanted to see her sister-in-law. What could they possibly discuss?
“I know you’re there, Bryar. I saw you,” Crystal said through the door.
With a sigh, Bryar opened the door and confronted her. “What are you doing here?”
“Obviously, I came to see you,” she replied with a frown. “I tried calling, but your phone is on Do Not Disturb.”
“And you didn’t take the hint?”
Her frown deepened. “I’m here to offer a peace treaty.”
Bryar felt a mix of anger and understanding toward Crystal. She wanted to turn her away, but she realized Crystal had been caught in a difficult situation. It wasn’t easy to say no to Rory, and at that time, Crystal hadn’t yet married Lane. “You might as well come in. It’s freezing out.”
With a stiff nod, Crystal entered, quickly scanning the living room before turning to Bryar. “Thank you for letting me in.”
“How did you know I was here?” She needed coffee—even bad coffee would do. She motioned for Crystal to follow.
“I took an educated guess,” Crystal said to Bryar’s back.
She filled the coffee pot, hit the power, and leaned her hip against the counter. “What do you want to say?”
“First, I don’t want you to be angry with me.”
“It’s a little too late for that. I understand Daddy makes it hard to say no, but you and I have been friends for years. Long before Lane came into the picture. You betrayed me. That’s not an easy pill to swallow.”
After lowering her gaze to the floor, Crystal looked back up, her expression twisted. “You’re right. I have wanted to tell you, but hell would have broken loose if I did. I was hoping…”
“That I’d never find out?”
She nodded. “Yes. I didn’t think Puma would ever come back. You were adamant that you two were over.”
“You made a choice that wasn’t yours to make. Puma and I were—are married. He’s my husband. We had a child together, and we lost our son together. Puma wasn’t just a one-night stand. We share history. During those years, I thought he had left without saying goodbye. Without any word. I was angry, hurt, betrayed.”
“I’m sorry. I really am. I made the wrong choice.” She wrung her hands. “There’s something else.”
“What now?”
“Why would Reno come to the house looking for you?” Concern creased the corners of Crystal’s eyes.
The name made Bryar’s heart drop into her feet. “At the house?” With Crystal's nod, Bryar sighed. “Did he say what he wanted?” Of course Bryar knew what the bully wanted, but would he drag Crystal into the mess? Whether Bryar wanted to admit it, Crystal was in the center of the situation.
“He asked to see you. I didn’t tell him anything except that you weren’t home. But he seemed adamant about seeing you. What’s going on, Bry? Does this have anything to do with Lane?”
The coffee maker beeped, and after pouring herself a large mug of black coffee—needing the strong stuff—she tossed her thoughts around in her head. Telling Crystal what Reno demanded could be dangerous, but not telling her could be the same. Grappling with what was right, she decided that she needed Crystal’s help.
“Have a seat,” Bryar told Crystal. It was time to be transparent.
Once they were seated and Bryar had a couple of sips of coffee to think more clearly, she blurted everything to her sister-in-law—from Reno’s demands to Lane possibly hiding the stolen money. When she finished, Crystal sat silently, absorbing everything she was told.
“Lane wouldn’t do that. I know my husband. Yes, he did wrong, but he’s not a thief.”
Bryar hesitated before she said, “We need to speak to Lane. I need his word that he didn’t take the money, and if he did, we need it back so I can give it to Reno. If I don’t, we’re all in danger. And Lane isn’t safe behind bars.”
For a fleeting second, Bryar thought Crystal would cry, but she pulled her emotions together and tilted her chin. “I know you and my parents think Lane married me for my money. When my parents stopped helping me because I married him, I didn’t care, nor did your brother. We loved—love—each other. Even though he’s in prison, I still want to be with him. I worry every day about his safety.”
Bryar offered a sincere. “I know you two love each other. We need to get him home safely. So, we need to work together. That starts with asking him about the money.”
“How do we speak to him if he won’t see any of us?” Crystal asked.
“Great question.” It was too early to be so worried. Bryar’s brain hurt.
“I’ll try to talk to him.” She hesitated. “He called me a few weeks ago, so maybe he’s softening up. Seeing that we needed each other.”
Bryar abruptly looked up. “You spoke with Lane? What did he say? Why didn’t you tell me?” A bit of her anger resurfaced. There were too many secrets in the family.
“He asked me not to. I promised. He wanted to check on Rory.”
“Did he explain why he didn’t respond to my attempts to reach him? Why has he decided not to see me or any of us?”
“I asked, and he said it was too hard being inside and not seeing his family. He wants to focus on getting out early. Other than that, he didn’t say much else.”
Although it hurt, Bryar understood his point. She also believed her brother felt humiliated by what he had done to himself and his family. “Do you think he would be willing to talk to you? In person?”
“It’s worth a try, right?”
What other choice did they have? “We have to give it a shot.”
Crystal extended her arm over the table, grasping Bryar's hand. “I’m truly sorry. I know you may never forgive me, but I hope this helps.” She pulled an unopened envelope from her jacket pocket.
“Is that what I think it is?” Bryar asked, gazing at the wrinkled envelope.
“The letter from Puma,” Crystal said, sliding it across the table.
Bryar stared until she finally picked up the envelope and laid it in her lap. “You’ve had it all this time?”
She shook her head. “No, but I knew where Rory had hidden it in the bar office. I was there when he did. He probably forgot where he had placed it after all these years.”
“Did Lane know about the letter?”
Crystal leaned back in the chair. “He did. I eventually told him after we started seeing each other. He and your father have big protective sides. They don’t realize how smothering they can be.”
“I won’t
tolerate these actions any longer. They’ll either accept my choices or I will never be around them.”
The letter eased Bryar’s betrayal somewhat, although it came too late—or was it?
“I should go, Bry. Let me know when you want to visit Lane. I’ll do anything I can.”
After walking her sister-in-law to the door, Bryar hugged Crystal tightly. “Thank you.”
Crystal pulled away, wiping a single tear from her cheek. “The house won’t be the same without you, but I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t return. You deserve to be happy. I’m not on Rory’s side, and I think Lane felt bad that his father had been so against your relationship with Puma over the years. Lane was a child when all that happened. He had no clue what was right or wrong. I think you and Puma deserve a second chance.”
Once she left, Bryar started to read the letter when a knock came on the door.
“Okay, what did you forget—” The last of Bryar’s words got stuck in her throat.
Reno was standing on the porch. The heavy man, who wore a black trench coat and thick sunglasses, stunned her into silence. “Come now, sweetheart. What sort of greeting is that for an old friend?” He whipped off his sunglasses.
“What are you doing here? You’re on private property,” she said through clenched teeth.
“I’m here to see the owner. Is he around?”
“No, he’s not, but I’m guessing whatever you have to say, he has no desire to hear the lies you’re spinning.” She wanted to slap Reno’s cheek and wipe away his smirk.
“Why don’t you let him be the judge of that, dear?” he said a little too cheerfully.
“I have nothing to say to you,” came the growled response behind Reno.
Bryar craned her neck to see past the bulky man and felt relief when she spotted Puma. His hands were clenched at his sides, and his expression resembled a warrior facing an enemy.
*****
“Not even willing to hear what I have to say?” Reno seemed surprised.
“Not particularly.” Puma stepped around the man to stand beside Bryar, placing his hand on her back to send a silent message to Reno.
“That’s unfortunate. I could have my attorney resolve this minor misunderstanding, but I’ve always appreciated the idea of friendly neighbors.”
“Being a resident of Shades Cove doesn’t really make us neighbors.” Puma wanted to throttle the man just for having the audacity to walk onto Storm Pass uninvited.
“Oh? I guess you haven’t heard yet. I bought the farm next door.” The satisfaction in Reno’s expression told a story.
“I didn’t know that the place was up for sale.” Puma shook his head.
“The right price makes everything up for sale. Ain’t that right, Bryar?” Reno narrowed his gaze on her.
“Go to hell!” she spat out.
“I’ve been there. I survived.” He winked.
Puma’s protective side came to the surface. He stepped in front of Bryar, standing within inches of Reno. “Watch yourself. You’re walking a narrow path.”
“How did this all spiral out of control? It’s just a misunderstanding we can resolve,” Reno said with a sly grin.
“The only misunderstanding between us is that you came here.” Puma took a step back, ready to end the conversation.
“You’ll want to hear what I came to say, especially since that new barn you built encroaches on my land.”
Puma slanted his gaze. “What did you just say?”
“Unfortunately for you and your beautiful ranch, the surveyor discovered some rather distressing news. It turns out that the property line has been incorrect all these years. That probably didn’t mean anything to the old owner, but business is business to a man like me. Land is land.”
“Then ask your surveyor to redo his work. He’s mistaken.”
“I have the paperwork right here,” Reno said as he revealed a folded yellow envelope. “I had my lawyer document all the details and put them in layman’s terms. You’ll see that I’m being very generous.”
“Take your letter and get off my property before I toss you off,” Puma said in a low huff.
“No worries. I’ll be on my way. But I’ll leave this right here.” Reno placed the envelope on the rocking chair. “I’m sure we’ll be talking soon. Good day, Puma. Pretty lady.” He smiled at Bryar.
Puma waited for the man to return to his truck and drive away before he grabbed the envelope, closed the door, and faced Bryar. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. He has a skill of making my skin crawl.”
“I saw his truck come up the lane. I came as fast as I could get here.” He hated that Bryar had to face Reno alone, even for less than a minute.
“He certainly does love drumming up trouble, doesn’t he?”
“He’s brave because he’s rich. Take that away, and nothing would be left but snakeskin and rotten flesh.”
“It appears we both got unexpected mail today.” She held up the envelope that Crystal had brought her.
“Is that the letter I wrote you?”
She nodded. “It is. I started to read it, but then Reno showed up. Crystal brought it when she dropped by this morning.”
Puma scraped his fingers down his jaw. “I can’t believe she kept it all these years.”
“I’ll share what she and I discussed, but first, you should find out what trouble Reno is causing now.”
Opening the flap, Puma took out the formal documents. He skimmed each one, his jaw getting tighter with each sentence. “He’s saying that the property line is off by four hundred feet, in his favor. He’s included the surveyor’s paperwork.”
“We can’t believe anything that Reno says or touches. You need an attorney to review those documents to ensure they are legitimate.”
“I agree, but if he’s telling the truth, that would mean the new barn and several outbuildings are straddling both properties. I knew the bastard was sneaky, but this is insane. How the hell did he talk Hamilton into selling his land that has been in his family for generations?”
Bryar wrapped her arms over her waist. “Just like Reno said, he made an offer that Frank Hamilton couldn’t afford to reject. Things have been difficult, and he’s struggled to keep his business.”
Puma refolded the paperwork. “I’ll drop these off to an attorney tomorrow first thing.”
“Great. You can do that on our way.”
“On our way where?” he asked.
“To the prison to speak to Lane. Crystal has agreed to speak to him to ask questions about Reno’s money.”
“Do you think he’ll see her?”
“It’s a gamble, but it’s worth a shot.”
He cupped her cheek, his eyes drawn to the letter he’d written her. “Are you going to read that now?”
There was hesitation in her features. “I will, but…”
“But what?”
“It’s like finding an ancient treasure chest. I want to open the lid and discover what’s inside, but it’s also opening a door to the past. I’m both excited and nervous. I think, more importantly, we need to discuss my conversation with Crystal.”
He understood. He kissed her forehead and took her hand. “The letter isn’t going anywhere. And we probably should discuss that you snore.”
“I snore?” she asked in a squeaked voice.
“Yes, you do. It’s cute, however, the drooling on my arm I could have done without.”
She looked at his profile. “Are you serious?”
He broke out into laughter. “I am serious, but even drooling, you’re sexy.”
She playfully pinched him on the arm. “Well, you do some things in your sleep too.”
“What are those things?”
“I’m not telling you,” she said flippantly. “Now about Crystal…”