12. Uninvited
Uninvited
Drake
The figure steps out of the shadows, the beam of my flashlight catching the faint gleam of their jacket. My grip tightens on the handle of my knife as I take a step forward, keeping Samantha close behind me.
“Stop right there,” I say, my voice low and sharp.
The person freezes, raising their hands slowly. “Easy now,” they say, their voice gruff and familiar.
Recognition clicks. The shape of the man’s face, the way he carries himself—it’s Jack Reed, a former ranch hand who left under less-than-amicable circumstances years ago.
“What are you doing on my property, Jack?” I demand, my flashlight trained on him.
Jack shifts uneasily, his hands still raised. “I wasn’t here to steal anything,” he says quickly. “Just… needed to see something.”
“You’ve got two seconds to start explaining,” I growl, stepping closer.
Samantha stays quiet, steady behind me. Jack glances between us, hesitating.
“I heard rumors,” he says finally, his voice edged with defensiveness. “About your dad. About the ranch.”
“Rumors about what?” I snap.
Jack exhales sharply. “Look, it’s not what you think. I got wind of some talk in town—people saying your old man kept something valuable hidden out here. Figured I’d… check it out for myself.”
I stare at him, anger simmering beneath my skin. “So you were snooping around my property in the middle of the night because of rumors?”
Jack hesitates, his gaze darting to Samantha. “Not just rumors. There’s more to it. Your dad and I… we didn’t part on the best terms, you know that. But this isn’t about stealing. It’s about what’s mine.”
“What’s yours?” I echo, disbelief coloring my tone.
Jack lowers his hands, his expression hardening. “Your dad owed me, Drake. You might not know the details, but he promised me something—something he never delivered.”
I feel Samantha’s hand brush my arm, a silent reminder to stay calm. “What exactly do you think my father owed you?” I ask, my voice tight.
Jack shifts uncomfortably. “A piece of the land. We had an agreement, but he backed out at the last minute. Left me with nothing.”
“My dad never mentioned any deal like that.”
“Of course he didn’t,” Jack scoffs. “Your old man was a lot of things, but honest wasn’t always one of them.”
My temper flares, but Samantha steps forward, cutting through the tension. “Even if that’s true, sneaking around the ranch in the middle of the night isn’t the way to handle it,” she says firmly.
Jack’s gaze flicks to her, and for a moment, he looks almost embarrassed. “Maybe not,” he admits. “But I had to see for myself. Had to know if it was still here.”
“If what was still here?” I demand.
Jack hesitates, his eyes narrowing. “You don’t know, do you?”
Silence stretches, heavy with unspoken tension. Jack shakes his head, a bitter laugh escaping him. “Figures. Your dad kept a lot of secrets, Drake. Guess you’re just now finding that out.”
I take a step closer, patience wearing thin. “You’re going to tell me everything you know. Right now.”
Jack looks at me, his jaw tight. “Fine,” he says. “But not out here.”
We lead Jack back to the barn, keeping a close eye on him the entire way. Samantha stays at my side, steady as ever, as we step into the dimly lit space.
Jack leans against a stall, arms crossed. “Your dad and I worked together for years. Back when the ranch was struggling, he promised me a share of the profits if things turned around. Said it was the least he could do for all the extra work I put in.”
“And?” I prompt.
“And nothing,” Jack says bitterly. “He turned things around, sure, but when I brought up our agreement, he shut me down. Said the ranch couldn’t afford to lose any land. Told me to take it or leave it.”
“So you left,” I say flatly.
“Yes I did,” Jack replies. “But I never forgot that promise. And when I heard people talking about hidden plans and valuables… well, I figured I’d take a look.”
Samantha steps forward. “And what did you find?”
Jack shakes his head. “Nothing. Yet.”
“Because there’s nothing here,” I snap. “My dad didn’t hide anything, Jack. He was trying to protect this ranch, not make deals behind my back.”
Jack looks at me, unreadable. “Maybe you believe that. But I’m not so sure.”
The tension in the barn is suffocating.
Finally, I step back, exhaling sharply. “You need to leave,” I say, my voice cold.
Jack hesitates, his gaze flicking to Samantha. “This isn’t over,” he says finally. “If I find proof, I’m coming back.”
“You won’t find anything,” I reply. “Because there’s nothing to find.”
Jack Reed’s parting words linger, settling into my mind like a splinter I can’t dig out.
Behind me, Samantha is quiet, arms wrapped around herself. I know that look. She’s thinking, piecing things together the same way I am.
“You’re quiet,” she finally says.
I exhale, forcing my shoulders to relax. “I’m trying to figure out how much of that was the truth and how much was just Jack being a miserable old bastard.”
She presses her lips together. “Whatever his reasons, we can’t ignore what he said. If even part of it is true, this goes deeper than we realized.”
I nod, hating the idea of digging into something that could shake the foundation of everything I know about my father. “We’ll look into it,” I say, voice hard. “But I’m not letting a man like Jack Reed make me question everything. Not when this ranch, Emmy, and you are on the line.”
Samantha’s breath catches slightly, but she doesn’t push me on it. She just nods. “Then let’s find out the truth.”
The next morning, we’re elbow-deep in paperwork.
Samantha and I set up camp in the living room, dragging out every old ledger, contract, and document my father kept. The house smells of aged paper and dust, the air thick with concentration.
“Your dad was meticulous,” Samantha notes, flipping through an old ledger. “Look at this—he kept receipts from years ago.”
“He had to,” I reply, rubbing a hand over my jaw. “Back when the ranch was struggling, every penny mattered. He probably kept everything in case someone ever came knocking.”
Samantha sets the receipts aside and reaches for another file. “Do you think Jack’s issue is just about land? Or could this be about something else—money, debts?”
I shake my head. “Jack was never the type to care about paper trails. If he thought my dad owed him something, he’d come looking for something tangible.”
We work in silence for a while, the only sound the rustling of papers and the occasional scrape of a chair. And then—
“This looks different,” Samantha says, pulling out a thick, yellowed envelope.
I take it from her, my heart thudding. Carefully, I slide out the contents—a stack of aged documents and a handwritten note from my father.
To whoever finds this:These papers are tied to a deal I wish I’d never made. I kept them because I couldn’t risk destroying them—they’re my proof if things ever go south. If you’re reading this, be careful. What’s in here could cause more harm than good.
I look up at Samantha, the weight of the words settling between us.
“Well,” she murmurs, “looks like Jack wasn’t lying about everything.”
The documents tell a story I wasn’t prepared for.
A contract with Merrit Holdings - a company I don’t recognize. A loan taken out in desperate times. And at the bottom, a clause about a lien on a portion of the ranch’s land.
“This must have been when things were at their worst,” I murmur. “He must’ve taken out a loan to save the ranch.”
“But it looks like he paid it off,” Samantha points out, running her finger along a notation at the bottom of the page.
“Yeah,” I say, frowning. “But there’s more.”
I flip to another sheet - a partnership agreement between Merrit Holdings and Jack Reed.
Samantha sucks in a breath. “They were working together?”
I set my jaw. “Looks like it.”
If Jack thought he had a stake in the ranch because of this, it explains his bitterness. But it doesn’t explain why someone would be sneaking onto my property, looking for something.
“What in the world did my dad get tangled up in?” I mutter.
Before we can confront Jack, Samantha hesitates.
“There’s something else I need to tell you,” she says, shifting her weight slightly.
The serious edge in her voice makes my gut tighten. “What is it?”
“The phone calls I’ve been getting,” she says, exhaling sharply. “They’re not just my old boss trying to drag me back. She’s threatening me, Drake. Saying if I don’t take the fall for her mistake, she’ll make things worse for me.”
Rage builds inside me, slow and deadly. “What does she mean by ‘worse’?”
“She didn’t spell it out,” Samantha admits. “But she knows things - personal things - that she could use against me. And now, with everything happening here, I can’t shake the feeling that it’s all connected.”
I step closer, gripping her shoulders, needing her to hear me. “We’ll deal with her. You don’t owe that woman anything, and she sure don't have the right to threaten you.”
Her eyes lock onto mine, a mix of fear and determination. “I don’t want to bring more trouble here.”
“You’ve already brought nothing but good,” I say firmly. “And we’ll stop her. Together.”
We find Jack at his usual place - the local bar.
The air inside is stale, the lighting dim. Jack looks up as we enter, his face twisting into a scowl.
“What now?” he grumbles.
I drop the papers onto the table in front of him. “You want to talk about my dad? Let’s talk.”
His eyes flick over the documents, his jaw tightening. “Where’d you get these?”
“Doesn’t matter,” I say. “What matters is you weren’t just a ranch hand. You had a deal with Merrit Holdings. And now you’re acting like you were the one betrayed?”
Jack leans back in his chair, unreadable. “I didn’t lie about everything,” he finally says. “Your dad made promises he didn’t keep.”
“He didn’t keep them because you went behind his back,” I snap. “You tried to cut him out, Jack. You lost. Don’t act like you’re the victim.”
Jack’s eyes flash with something I can’t quite read. He shoves back his chair, tossing a few bills on the bar. “You don’t know the half of it,” he mutters. “And you’ll regret digging this deep.”
We watch him leave, his warning lingering.
By the time we get back to the ranch, something feels off.
Tom meets us near the barn, arms crossed. “Saw a car near the gate earlier,” he says. “Didn’t recognize it. It was gone before I got a good look.”
Drake and I exchange a glance. Unease coils in my chest.
That night, the headlights of another car slash through the darkness.
Drake and I step outside, his flashlight cutting a path through the shadows.
A figure stands at the gate, backlit by the glow of their own headlights.
My stomach turns to ice.
“Oh No,” I whisper, my pulse hammering.
Drake glances at me. “Samantha, who is that?”
The figure steps closer, their face illuminated in the beam of the flashlight.
The breath leaves my lungs.
“Samantha,” they say, their voice low and full of warning. “We need to talk.”
The past I thought I left behind has just walked through the gate.
And I have no idea what happens next.