Chapter Twenty-Four
Tara blinked her eyes open against the glare of the sun poking into her cottage through the living room window. A small face with wide eyes stared at her.
“Why did you sleep on the couch?” Royce hugged his stuffed cow to his chest.
“I forgot to go to bed.” She extended her arms and legs for a full-body stretch. Her sleeping muscles protested against the movement.
After Kace left, she’d packed. It hadn’t taken as long as she thought it would. After that, she had finished the wine and curled up on the sofa, wanting to forget.
“Let’s have a little breakfast, then get dressed. We’re moving today.” The cold hardwood floor met her bare feet. She’d grab some coffee and a quick shower before loading her boxes into her car. After that, she had no idea where they would go. The unknown should feel like an adventure, but it didn’t. She had wanted to settle down in Backwater and make a new life. Kace had made that idea seem possible with his charm and wit. She had fallen for his family as much as him. She would never get another chance to find all that again. She would forever be the woman alone in this world with no one missing her.
“Why are we moving? What about school and football?”
“You’ll go to school.” She hated lying to him. He would have to go to a different school, and there would be no more football.
She poured cereal into a bowl for Royce.
He climbed onto the stool at the counter and dug in. “I like living here. Did I do something bad? Is that why we have to go again? Like last time.”
Her heart ached. “No, buddy, you didn’t do anything wrong.” She had. “I don’t have my job anymore, so we can’t live here. I’ll find another job soon.”
“Does that mean I can’t see Izzi or Miss Karen again?”
“I’m afraid so.” The coffee filled the house with its rich smell. The caffeine would clear some of the cobwebs from her wine-induced sleepy brain.
“What about Kace? I like him best of all.” A trail of milk ran down his chin.
“I like him best too.”
She went to the window and looked out onto the vast land behind the cottages. The brown grass that would tickle her ankle if she walked through it yawned against the blue sky dotted with large clouds. The Montana sky dragged on forever. The horizon was unreachable. Like being with Kace.
She returned to the kitchen and poured the coffee. Her toes were freezing. She needed socks but stayed put. She would find another small town in another state where she could hide and make it difficult for any lawyer to find her. When she refused to testify again, they might subpoena her, but she would be far away from the Ryker Ranch and wouldn’t bring any more embarrassment on them. They didn’t deserve that. Kace’s image didn’t deserve her past either. She didn’t want to be a distraction for him. He needed to be focused if he was going to race. It was the only way his symptoms subsided. He would win. She knew it in her bones. And he deserved that chance.
She took the empty bowl from Royce. “Okay, go get dressed and brush your teeth.”
He jumped down and ran into his room.
The hot coffee burned her tongue and did nothing to warm her toes. She couldn’t figure out why Mrs. Little had broken out in a rash from the lotion. She had never had that problem before with any client, and she’d been using that lotion for two years now. She’d have to investigate more when she settled into her new place. Wherever that might be.
A knock on the door startled her. She hoped it wasn’t Jett ready to throw her to the street before her twenty-four hours expired. She did wish it was Kace, but after her dramatic exit in her bra, he would be through with her. She had rejected him in so many ways. His pride couldn’t take that kind of beating. She should know.
The knocking persisted. With a dose of mustered confidence, she opened the door. A tall, thin woman with long hair the color of dried grass and eyes that matched the Montana sky stood on her stoop. Her casual dress of black open cardigan and torn jeans could make her anyone. Tara was certain she had never seen this woman, but that didn’t matter. The ranch employed many people, many of whom she hadn’t met.
“Can I help you?” The cool morning air sneaked around this stranger and settled on Tara’s bare toes. She should have grabbed socks.
“You’re Tara Paxton.” It wasn’t a question.
“I think you realize that. Who are you?”
“My name is Jane Stapleton. I’m Drew’s ex-girlfriend, the one he hit.” She brushed her hair away from her oval face. Her silver bracelets slid down her wrist.
The world pitched. Tara gripped the door to keep from falling to the ground. “How did you find me?” She checked over her shoulder to make sure Royce hadn’t returned.
“It wasn’t that hard. My lawyer told me you don’t want to testify against Drew. I was hoping I could talk to you for a few minutes and possibly change your mind.”
“Come inside.” She didn’t want anyone to see Drew’s girlfriend outside her house. There would be too many questions. And if Jett did show up to make sure she left on time, how would she explain this stranger? “I need to check on my son. Excuse me a second.”
She found Royce struggling with his shirt. She smiled and helped him. “Hey, buddy, I need a favor. There’s a woman out there who came to talk to me. Can you stay in here until she goes?”
“You said I should brush my teeth.”
“I know. That can wait a few minutes. Why don’t you play your game?”
“Okay.” He hopped onto his bed and grabbed the controller.
She returned to Jane Stapleton, still standing in the same spot by the door. “Can I get you some coffee?”
“No, thank you.” She adjusted her tote on her shoulder. “Why won’t you testify against him?”
She busied herself with refilling her mug before facing Jane Stapleton. “I can’t.”
“I don’t understand. He can’t hurt you anymore. You’ve divorced him and started over. Do you think he’ll come back?”
“He’s here in Backwater.”
“So you’re afraid of him. You don’t have to be. I can get you protection. I have a fund set up for expenses. A lot of people have donated. Tara, if you get on that stand, we have a chance to send him to jail.”
Did she want to send him to jail? He was the father of her son. He had loved her once, and she had loved him. Was he the kind of person who should spend his life behind bars? But did he deserve to continue to live an easy life while he made other people suffer? “He needs help more than he needs jail.”
“I don’t agree with that,” Jane said.
She gripped the mug with both hands. “Was he ever nice to you?”
“Sure. In the beginning, but then it changed. He can’t be allowed to do that to another woman. That’s why we have to stand together.”
“I don’t understand why you need me. You have the proof you need for your case.”
“I need you because you were married to him. That makes my story more credible. Whether we like it or not, women get blamed in court and the media. I’ll be accused of doing this for money and attention. But his wife coming out against him after you’ve been divorced? You have nothing to gain now. Please, Tara. I know what he stole from you. Don’t let him do that to someone else. I wish someone had warned me.” She lifted the side of her shirt and revealed a scar under her ribs.
“I’m sorry that happened to you.” She had her own scars. “I have my son to think about.” The child who was still alive and had a future. She couldn’t do anything to help the child she’d lost. What would it do to Royce if he knew his father was someone who hurt women? And what would it do to Royce if she hid it from him?
“I only want to make sure the next woman doesn’t end up dead.”
“What did he do to you?”
“He swung a lamp. He was aiming for the wall. I got in the way. He broke three ribs and punctured my lung. My face healed, but he punched me because I made him angry about hitting me with the lamp. When I regained consciousness, I was alone. I called for the ambulance myself.”
“I truly am sorry.” Her brain screamed to do the right thing. Wasn’t that the lesson she should be teaching Royce? Drew had hurt too many people. He couldn’t be allowed to continue to do that.
“Thank you, but he’s the one who should be sorry. I hope you’ll reconsider. Thank you for your time.” Jane slipped out the door like the wind blowing through the forest branches.
Her shaking hands dropped the coffee all over the counter. It ran in hot rivulets down the cabinets and pooled on the floor. Her legs quit their job, and she sank to the ground.
She only had hours to get out of the cottage and no place to go. She had no job. No family and barely any friends. If she went against Drew, how would she and Royce stay safe? Where would they hide? Because this time they would have to hide deep and forever.
She pulled herself up and cleaned the mess. She washed the mug and put it back in the cabinet. The shower would have to wait. The boxes wouldn’t load themselves. She could drive east until they found a town where they could stop. Then she’d head south. No one would find her. She only wished she could say a real goodbye to Kace. But it was too late for that as well.
****
With all the boxes in the car, Tara searched for a piece of paper. She would leave a note for Kace to say goodbye and wish him well in the race. She would tell him her leaving had nothing to do with him. He deserved someone whole, someone who wasn’t pretending to be brave all the time. She should apologize for her flight out of the room last night, but her fingers couldn’t write the words.
Another knock on her front door had her spinning in circles. Had Jane Stapleton come back to show her more scars? She did want to help that woman, but she didn’t have the assurance she thought she had when she left Drew. Nothing she could say would change what had happened. Jane didn’t need her testimony. The scars were proof positive. Tara’s scars had healed.
Everyone would wonder why she hadn’t come out sooner. They would think she was after his money because she had refused alimony. She had taken a one-time payment, and that was all gone now. She didn’t want anyone to know about her financial struggles either.
The knocking continued. Someone called her name. She covered her ears, but the bell began to ring. A woman called from the other side of the door. Jane had returned. Tara hesitated at the door. If she waited long enough, would this woman go away? She didn’t dare look through the curtains and be found. The fear curled its fingers around her neck and blocked the air. She was falling apart.
She closed her eyes and thought of Kace’s hair between her fingers instead. She imagined the touch of his skin under her hands, the way he protected her in bed. Her hand gripped the doorknob.
“Tara, sweetheart, it’s Karen. Please open up. Your car is still in the drive. I know you’re in there. We need to talk.”
The breath left her lungs. Karen Ryker was at the door, not Jane. But what did Karen want? To remind her what a fool she had been to try her lotions on a client when she had been instructed not to? Was she there to tell her to leave her son alone and let him get back to his dream?
She wouldn’t find out standing there, and it wasn’t likely Karen would go away without some effort.
“Hi, Karen. Would you like to come in?” Her house seemed more like a hotel with a revolving door than a cottage in line with the other employee housing.
Karen adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and stepped inside. She was such a petite woman for producing such large men. Her blonde hair and fair skin didn’t seem to run through them at all.
“Is Royce here?” Karen’s gaze searched the room.
“He’s in his room.”
“Good. We need to talk. Jett told me he fired you. You can’t leave,” Karen said.
“I’m very sorry for the inconvenience I caused you and the ranch. I didn’t have an opportunity to say this to Jett, but I would like to pay for the damage I did. You can forward me Mrs. Little’s medical bills.” She had no idea how she would pay for them, but this was her fault.
“Don’t be ridiculous. We have insurance for this kind of thing. Did you pack the coffee? I’m dying for a cup. I’ve been running around this ranch all morning trying to find Jett and knock some sense into him. I haven’t even had my breakfast. If I hadn’t literally tripped over Lockwood, I wouldn’t even know what had happened.” She moved around the kitchen with ease, pouring ground coffee into the machine, pulling the milk from the fridge.
“You tripped over him?”
“I didn’t see him. He had stretched out… Oh, it doesn’t matter.” She waved a hand in the air. “I love my children, believe me, but some days I could strangle each one of them even at their ages.” Karen brought over a mug to her.
“I used my lotions when Jett had asked me not to. I should not have done that.” She took the mug and went to the window. The view eased some of the knots from her shoulders. The space that stretched outside that window gave her lungs some space to expand too.
“Let’s sit.” Karen patted the couch.
“Why are you being so nice to me? I harmed a guest.” She stayed standing because she didn’t understand what was happening. Karen should be furious with her. She expected more of the same kind of yelling Jett had thrown at her, not a woman who wanted to sit and talk over coffee as if this were any other morning catch-up.
“Go on standing if you prefer. The day is beautiful after the rain. The employee cottages have a nicer view than our family house.” She leaned back into the cushions and sipped her coffee. “Ah. I needed that. I have something important you need to hear.”
She braced herself for the inevitable.
“If you want your job, it’s yours. You’re not fired.” Karen arched her brows as she continued to nurse the coffee.
“I don’t understand. Jett said—”
“Never mind what Jett said. He was mad at Kace, and he took his anger out on you. Not because Kace likes you. Because Mrs. Little ripped into him not five minutes after he found out Kace had accepted an offer to sell his portion of the land.”
Karen had said almost the exact thing Kace had. “Does Jett know you’re offering me my job back?”
“Of course. I told him he was out of line. He agreed whether he liked it or not. He was going to come over here himself and apologize, but I wanted to get to you first. I raised my boys to be men, but I forgot to teach them that having a softer side didn’t make them less of a man. Or I could blame it on their father and his gruffy way. John was a man’s man. He worked the land, never asked for help, and saved his sensitive side for under the covers in the dark.”
Kace seemed to be a lot like his father, but she would spare Karen the detail that Kace, too, could be sensitive under the covers. “You did something right. You have a wonderful family.”
“Oh, I wonder if I did anything right most days. The only time I think I might have made one or two good choices is when I see the boys together. They love each other and always stand together. No one can break that bond. That’s why Kace wanting to sell tore Jett in half. Neither one of those stubborn boys could see that. Will you stay on with us? You’re doing a great job. I’d even like to consider incorporating your lotions if you’re interested.” She drank more of her coffee.
The kindness Karen showed her cut her in half. She didn’t deserve it, not after what she’d done to Mrs. Little and what could happen to the ranch if the media found out about her past with Drew. “I don’t think I can.”
“Don’t let Jett scare you off.”
“It’s not Jett.”
“Did you and Kace have words?”
She sat beside Karen. The words she had wanted to put in a note to Kace spilled from her lips. “Mrs. Ryker, I want you to know I think Kace is the most amazing man I have ever met. He’s fearless, which I admire because I am anything but. He’s driven and determined. But he’s funny and sweet. If I could design the perfect man, it would be Kace. But he and I can’t be together anymore. I’m afraid I can’t accept your offer, but thank you.” She fought the tears straining to pour out of her eyes.
Karen put her mug on the coffee table and took her hands. “Tara, sweetheart, I appreciate what you just said about my son. The only thing I want for each of my boys is to be happy, and if they’re going to bring someone into their lives, I want that person to feel about my boys the way you seem to feel about my middle child. But I’m no dummy, honey. What did he do?”
Karen’s directness mixed a laugh into the hurt. The tears won and ran down her face. Her breath hitched with each sob. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried hard enough to fill her nose with snot and make her lungs complain. Karen put her arms around her and held her until she could breathe again.
She told Karen the whole story. Everything from the moment Drew hit her for the first time until the night in the hospital when she had lost the baby. She finished with the earlier visit from Jane Stapleton. By the time she unraveled her sad tale, she had cried an ocean.
She couldn’t explain why she had lost it in that moment. Karen must have thought the worst of her for falling apart that way. “I’m sorry to dump my problems on you. You hardly know me.” And would think she was crazy and in no shape to date her son. Karen would probably tell Kace to stay away from her.
“I think you might’ve needed to unload. Thank you for trusting me with your pain. Can I give a little motherly advice?” Karen went into the bathroom and returned with tissues.
She nodded and sniffled.
“Testify. Tell your story so no other woman will have a story like that to tell.”
“But it will bring a media frenzy down on your ranch if I work here. You have enough problems with the lawsuit. I couldn’t bear to hurt your business.”
“Don’t worry about the ranch. We’ll be fine, but in order for you to have some closure, you need to stand up for yourself and this other woman. You can be brave and scared at the same time, Tara. Most courageous people often are.”
“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
“When I lost my husband, I had five children between the ages of twelve and five. I had a family business to run with employees who counted on me. I was scared to death to have to do it all without John. That wasn’t the plan, but I put on a good face and took care of what needed my attention most. Then when my son died and took his friend with him, I had to be brave even when I was too frightened to get out of bed.”
“I can do that. I can summon the courage.” She would have to try to be as brave as Karen had been. She wanted to be the kind of mother Karen was.
“If you want a life with Kace, and I’m pretty sure you do, you need to tell him what you told me. Now. Don’t wait. He’s leaving this morning for the speedway in Billings.”
“I don’t want to distract him from driving.”
“The timing isn’t great, but if you decide to testify, he can’t find out some other way.”
“Mrs. Ryker—”
“Karen, sweetheart. If you’re going to be involved with Kace, please call me Karen.”
“Karen, I’ve hurt him. I wasn’t honest with him about any of the things I told you. He asked me to tell him, and I didn’t.”
“Tell him now.”
“What if he looks at me differently? I can’t be the witless woman. I’ll die if he looks at me with pity.”
Karen placed a warm hand on her cheek. “My dear, have some faith. He loves you even if he doesn’t know it yet. I see it in his eyes. A mother knows these things. He will want to be your champion. If you feel about him the way you say you do, you’re going to have to trust him. A lifetime love can’t survive unless you breathe trust into it.”
The tears spilled again. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I’m a mess.”
“A few tears never hurt anybody.” Karen patted her leg and handed her a tissue. “Then it’s settled. You’ll stay on as our massage therapist.”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful. And will you testify against that man?”
“I will. It’s the right thing to do.”
“We’ll all stand beside you. Now unpack those boxes in your car, or I can have Lock come around and help you. I hate to run, but I have to check on the riding lessons. Give Royce a big hug for me. And if it’s okay with you, I’d like him to come by and help me bake later today.” Karen stood.
“He would love that. I can take care of the boxes, and Karen, thank you.” They walked to the door together, elbows locked, as if they had been old friends meeting up at the beach for a morning walk along the sand.
“You don’t have to thank me, honey. I’m here if you need anything at all.” Karen opened the door.
Jett stood on the stoop. His baseball cap was on backward. His flannel shirt was unbuttoned and fluttering in the wind. His arms were crossed over his chest. He had the same scowl on his face yesterday.
“Mother, I knew I’d find you here,” he said.
“I want to hear an apology, Jett Lawrence Ryker. This minute.” Karen punctuated her point with her finger in the air.
“I’m sorry.” He removed his cap and twisted it in his hands. He turned his gaze away as if searching for something, then looked at her with fervency. “I shouldn’t have fired you.”
Karen headed off the porch with a firm nod and to the next task demanding her attention. Tara’s heart swelled from the love this woman had for her family. Karen was the kind of mother she had wished for her entire life and maybe had just become lucky enough to borrow.
She turned her gaze back to Jett. “Thank you. I’d like to stay on. I promise not to use my lotions again.” She should tell Jett about Drew, but Kace needed to hear it first.
“Save it. Mrs. Little found me this morning. It wasn’t you. It was the almonds she ate with breakfast yesterday. She had forgotten until her husband reminded her.” He shoved his cap on his head.
“I don’t want to bring you any more trouble. We’ll stick to the products you already use.”
“We can talk about that later. I have to get back to work.” He moved to leave but turned back. “My brother likes you.”
“He did.” Her heart skipped on the memory of Kace’s face as she’d run away from him last night. She had pushed him away so many times he could not possibly continue to like her, as Jett put it.
“So he fucked things up, did he? Was it that damn racing?”
“I’m at fault. Not him.” She wondered if Kace had told Jett about refusing the offer on the land. Kace had to be the one to mend the fence with his brother. She hoped he didn’t wait too long, but she guessed he would be wrapped up in racing, assuming Jett would be waiting for him when he came off the track.
“I hope you can, you know, fix things,” he said and walked away.
She waited until he turned the corner before closing the door. She leaned against the door and smiled. That was a pretty high compliment coming from Jett.
She searched for Jane Stapleton’s lawyer’s number and dialed. When the call went to voicemail, she left a message. “Mrs. Hanson, it’s Tara Haden. I will testify.”
The next call made her hands shake. The voicemail did nothing to ease her nerves. She couldn’t know the reason he hadn’t answered. Was he behind the wheel? Were the concussion symptoms flaring up? Or was he avoiding her?
“Kace, I’m so sorry about last night. Please don’t leave until I speak to you. I’m coming to your place now.”