Epilogue
Jessie and Gray stood outside the front door of the ranch in Miles City where she’d spent her youth. A mixture of emotions overcame her. Things looked exactly the same as they did when she left all those years ago.
The ranch spread out across hundreds of acres of land. It was the largest in the area, and the most well-known. The main house was surrounded by a wooden fence to keep the cattle out.
Her childhood home stood before her, which should have brought her happiness, but instead dread had settled in the pit of her stomach. The two-story wooden building was kept in pristine condition by the workers her father employed. They made sure to repair any chipped wood or creaky steps before her father could notice. The wraparound porch held a few rocking chairs out front, and the whole picture looked serene and calm. The memories she had of the stillness and the quietness of the servants told another story. The home held many painful memories, but she had come to put an end to her father chasing after her, so she could finally be free.
Gray’s hand captured her own as she stared reluctantly up at her childhood home. Some of the dread she felt melted away at his touch, and as she glanced into his eyes, what she saw there provided the courage she needed to step forward.
When she got to the front door, a housemaid she didn’t recognize opened it. Her father had never been able to keep workers long, especially in the house, due to his temper. Even though he paid well above what others in the area did, people were quick to leave when he caught a mistake and screamed at them—or worse, when he threw things at them. Few worked long under those conditions, but he didn’t care because people were expendable to him.
The housemaid was young and wore a simple cotton dress that was so long it touched the floor where she stood. An apron covered in flour protected the front of her dress.
When Jessie explained to the servant who she was, a small flicker of recognition filtered across her face, and Jessie’s stomach clenched tight. An unfamiliar housemaid who knew who she was after all these years couldn’t be a good thing.
The housemaid led her to her father’s study, and they paused by the door. Jessie took deep breaths to calm her racing heart.
The last time she’d stood in front of his door, she was a scared girl who did anything she could to avoid confrontation with her father. Now, she stood in front of his door determined to show him that he couldn’t bully her any longer. With Gray at her side, and thanks to everything she’d been through over the last eight years, she knew she could handle whatever he might attempt.
“Are you ready for this?” Gray asked her in a gentle tone, his eyes roaming over her face in search of answers. He was nervous too. Not because he was afraid of her father, but because he was nervous for her to face him.
She swallowed hard, lifted her chin, and squared her shoulders, meeting his gaze with a confidence she didn’t quite feel. “As I’ll ever be,” she said. “I need to do this part alone.”
She needed to break free of her father’s grasp on her own. She didn’t want Gray to be in any more danger than he already was, just by being there with her.
He bowed his head and gestured for her to walk in the door that separated her from her father. “I’ll be right here if you need me.” His reassurance sent warmth through her body and brought an extra measure of calm to her nerves.
Taking another deep breath, she didn’t bother knocking and opened the door to see her father sitting behind a sturdy wooden desk. He hadn’t changed much in the past eight years. His hair was peppered with more gray than before, and he had put on some weight, but other than that he was exactly how she had left him.
His office was void of any decorations. Empty, just like his heart.
His office did have one bookcase that was full of unread books. The desk was littered with papers dealing with the running of the ranch. The bare room reflected his serious nature. He’d always taken the utmost care with his business, which was what made it one of the leading ranches in the West.
When he saw her, he shot her a penetrating look before slowly standing up behind his desk. Even after all these years, he still hated her. Instead of fear filling her like it used to, a calm indifference enveloped her.
“Father,” she said coolly.
He gritted his teeth so hard that she could audibly hear the sound. She grimaced.
This wasn’t going to be easy.
“Jessie.” His voice was clipped, attempting to mask the anger she knew he felt. He’d hated her for as long as she could remember, and her escape had been a blow to his ego. One he wouldn’t let her get away from easily.
“I’ll make this quick.” She walked to his desk, her hand lingering over her pistol attached to her waistband of her pants, a silent threat that he better not try anything. She didn’t want to be on this ranch any longer than she needed to be. “There’s no point in small talk—we both know neither of us wants to catch up.”
His eyes flicked to her gun, and his face tightened. “You’re right.” She didn’t fail to catch the note of anger in his voice. “We will make this quick. Either you marry Zachary James, or I’ll kill you right now. You’re stupid for coming home, but thank you for making it easier on me.” His voice held an eerie calm. He poured himself a glass of whiskey.
She shook her head, raising an eyebrow as she watched him. He used to intimidate her with his size and strength. But looking at him now, he seemed like a frail old man. He still held some of the strength he had from the past, still well-muscled from working the ranch. Yet his movements were slower, more calculated than they had been.
“I’m not marrying Zachary, Father. In fact, I’m already married to the man right outside this door.” Speaking about Gray brought her more courage. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “I’ve come to tell you to leave me alone. Or it’s your life that will end.”
“We can get that annulled,” he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. He raised the whiskey glass to his lips, drawing a long drink.
“Why?” She ripped out the words impatiently. “Why, after all this time, have you not let this go?”
He threw the whiskey glass past her and it hit the wall, shattering it into a million pieces. She held strong, refusing to flinch at his scare tactics. He had done this many times when she was younger, but now she refused to show him she was scared.
Her heart thundered in her chest, but she kept her face calm.
He stormed toward her, and she pulled her gun free from its holster, pointing it at him. She knew better than to let him near her.
He stopped a few feet from her, and the vein in his forehead throbbed from his rage.
“You bitch,” he spat. “You’ve always been a useless piece of shit, and you’ll do what I say, or I’ll fucking kill you.”
She squeezed the butt of the gun firmly as she gritted her teeth.
The door to her father’s study opened, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Gray cautiously walking in to protect her if needed.
Her father’s eyes snapped to Gray and filled with white-hot anger. His nostrils flared and his attention returned to her, dismissing Gray.
“You’ve been promised to Zachary ever since you were young,” he snarled. “Once you’re married, I’ll get more of his land and be able to expand my business. He’s also going to forgive my debts to him. You owe this to the family.”
So there it was. He had promised her to Zachary so he could get more land for his business. She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of that before. Zachary had land right next to theirs, and he’d always had a creepy fascination with her, even when she was younger. Her father got the land, Zachary got her.
She pasted a smile of nonchalance on her face, like his words didn’t send daggers to her heart. After all these years, she couldn’t understand why he still had the power to hurt her.
“We’ll pay your debts.” Gray’s voice broke the tension that had formed in the room. “And in exchange, you’ll leave her alone and never speak to her again.”
Her father’s head snapped to Gray, as if he’d forgotten someone else was in the room. Her father looked Gray up and down in stern evaluation. He shook his head, a glare fixed on Gray.
“No,” he said, his attention returning to Jessie. “Your marriage will be annulled, and you’ll marry Zachary, or I’ll have you both killed. This isn’t just about my debts anymore. I deserve the land that was promised to me.”
She shook her head and returned his glare. “You act like this is an option. We’ve said our piece. If you come for us, you’ll regret it.”
She lowered her gun and turned to leave, nodding to Gray to show they were done.
They made it out into the hallway and were about to descend the stairs when she heard a primal scream as her father lunged at her from his office doorway. The thought occurred to her that he had intentionally waited to come after her until she was by the stairs so he could push her down them and kill her.
Paralyzed by surprise, she stared at him open-mouthed as he leapt at her. The sound of the bullet broke her from her stupor. Gray had shot her father in the shoulder, and he howled in pain.
He kept charging toward her, undaunted by the bullet. She stepped aside. He fell down the steps and landed at the bottom with a sickening thud.
The weeks that followed were a blur. Her father had died that day. He had broken his neck in the fall after he tried to kill her.
Since she was his only living relative and she had a husband, she had inherited his ranch. When the lawyer had broken the news to her, she had almost passed out from surprise.
She’d gotten everything she wanted. She had her freedom. She had Gray. She no longer had to worry about someone finding her and ruining her life.
She stood on the porch of her childhood home, looking out at the ranch as the sun set. She thought about the last several months and how much her life had changed.
The sound of the crickets chirping and the distant lowing of the cattle were all she heard.
Gray came up wrapped his arms around her, surrounding her in his warmth. She leaned into his strength, happy and content that he was there. He kissed the crook of her neck, and she shivered with pleasure.
“I know I should be sad he’s dead,” she said, breaking the silence. “But all I feel is relief.” She’d whispered it to him, like it was shameful to voice her thoughts.
He hugged her tighter, squeezing her comfortingly. “He was never a father to you,” he reminded her. “I don’t think you should have to feel sadness over a man who tried to kill you.”
She turned to face him and stared into his eyes as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Good,” she said. Her heart was heavy, but it wasn’t sadness she felt. It was hard to name the feelings passing through her, but sadness wasn’t one of them. Maybe regret. But also happiness.
Putting her father out of her thoughts, she smiled up at Gray. “So, what are we going to do now that we own this ranch?” She laughed at the thought. She had always wanted her own ranch, and not have to worry about her father finding her. Now she had it all.
He grinned back mischievously and backed her into the home. “I can think of one thing.”
He picked her up, and she squealed in delight. As he carried her to their room to make love, her heart was full and happy.