Chapter 15 - Emmett
Before I could think twice, I hopped in my truck and headed east to Dallas, chasing the sunrise.
After spending the evening with Delilah at the creek yesterday and the way we opened up to each other, I was sick of playing defense.
It was time I did something. She deserved someone who fought for her the way she fought for me—for everyone she cared about.
And even though we weren’t anything more than sex, I wanted to be that person for her.
Two hours later, I was parked outside of Ethan’s massive office building, watching the sea of people filtering in the start their day.
I slipped in with them, feeling out of place in the crowd of suits and ties.
I didn’t even know what Ethan did to earn all this money.
Something with finance or tech, I think.
It didn’t really matter. All that mattered was leaving here with his sponsorship.
I’d chain myself to his desk if I had to.
I walked up to the receptionist's desk, finding a girl who probably wasn’t even Tess’s age typing on her computer. “Good morning,” she chirped when she noticed me approaching. She had wide doe eyes and an eager smile. I wasn’t in the mood for either.
I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Morning. Ethan Carmichael here?”
Her smile wilted a little at my tone. But I wasn’t here to play nice. “Do you have a meeting?”
“Nope. But I need to see him.” I glanced down the hall and saw him sitting at his desk in his corner office on the phone. “Oh, there he is,” I said, pointing in his general direction. I took off before she could say anything else.
“Sir, you can’t just walk in there!” The girl followed after me down the hall, struggling to keep up with my quick strides.
I threw the heavy wooden door open, and Ethan froze. “What the—Josie, what is this?” He looked about how I expected. A soldier parading in a suit, thinking he held the keys to the city because his wallet was thicker than everyone else’s.
“I don’t know! He just came to my desk asking for you and wouldn’t stop when he saw you were back here,” she stammered behind me, borderline hysterical.
I stopped in front of his desk. “You know Delilah Chase?”
He laid his hand over the phone receiver. “You need to set an appointment and come back later. I’m in the middle of a phone call.”
I slammed my finger on the hook switch, ending the call. “Not anymore.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened, his face reddening. “And just who the hell do you think you are?”
“Emmett Hayes, Delilah Chase’s business partner. You know, the woman whose sponsorship you ripped right out from under her?”
His face slackened, and he shifted in his chair. “That was an…unfortunate circumstance, but I explained to Delilah that I couldn’t be involved with someone who had a reputation like hers. My board members discouraged it, given the amount of money I was going to donate.”
He said it as if she were selling drugs to children. Not going to the bar on occasion like any normal thirty-year-old woman would.
I could’ve sworn my blood started boiling that instant.
“You mean, a devoted therapist? Someone who has dedicated her career to helping veterans like you? A selfless woman who has spent countless hours working on Freedom Reins to make it the best program it can be? If that’s the reputation you’re talking about, and not the shit that Sterling and Preston Hollis have fed you, then yeah, that’s the same Delilah I’m talking about. ”
“How-How do you know about them?”
“It doesn’t matter. Just know that whatever they told you, whatever they promised you, is all a lie.
I’m gathering evidence on them as we speak.
” I planted my hands on his desk, leaning in.
“And I know the last thing you need is to get wrapped up in some kind of scandal. Your board members probably wouldn’t like that too much, huh? ”
Ethan arched a brow. “Didn’t think Delilah would send her boyfriend in to do business for her. She seemed like the kind of woman who handled her own affairs.”
The ground felt like it had given out from under me. “I’m not her boyfriend. Like I said, I’m her business partner.”
He chuckled with a knowing look in his eyes. leaning back in his chair. “And just how badly has your being in love with her complicated that?”
I was the one at a loss for words now. “I’m not”—I cleared my throat—“I’m not in love with her. She is a family friend and one of my partners. That’s all.”
That wasn’t all. Not in the slightest.
Ethan just laughed more. “I wasn’t born yesterday. You come in here guns blazing, singing her praises and throwing around accusations, and expect me to believe that you aren’t? The only woman I’d do that for is my wife.”
He was wrong. I didn’t love Delilah. Had feelings, sure.
But not love. “No.” I forced the shake out of my voice.
“I came here because she deserves your sponsorship. You know she does. Her reputation as a therapist is flawless. You told her she was the kind of person you wanted to support, and Freedom Reins was the kind of facility you wanted to back financially.”
“That was true, but things change.”
“You mean you got a better offer.” My upper lip curled in disgust. “I would’ve thought a Colonel of the U.S. Army would have more integrity than that. The ones I served did anyway.”
Recognition flickered in his eyes. “You’re the one she told me about,” he said with a hint of amused understanding.
I blinked quickly. “What?”
“She told me about you. That she went into this line of work because of you.”
“What do you mean?” My voice was unrecognizable, far away and muffled. It felt like my head was underwater.
“She said someone ‘very special’ to her served and struggled with PTSD, and the reason why she focused on veteran rehabilitation was because of you.”
Someone very special. That could’ve meant anything. I couldn’t read into it. I wouldn’t let myself. Not right now.
Ethan’s gaze flicked over me, and he stood, rounding his desk. “You said you’re gathering information on Sterling and Preston?”
“Yes. They have been coming after my family’s ranch for months now.
Decades, if you want to get technical. But they’ve gone to insane lengths to try to take us under.
Fake endangered species claims, poisoning our cattle, zoning lawsuits, harassment, damaged property, whatever they’ve done to get you to change your mind, and we suspect that they’ve sent in someone to pretend to be a ranch hand. ”
His face went as white as a sheet of paper. “I had no idea,” he admitted, breathless. “They offered me a business deal that promised millions. I was going to funnel it all back into veteran support.”
“Well, now you know.”
He straightened quickly. “Tell Delilah that she and Freedom Reins have my support. A million a year for the next five years, and then we’ll revisit.”
“Make it ten,” I demanded. It was only fair for all the heartache he’d caused her these last two weeks.
The corner of his mouth twitched with a smile. “And you think you aren’t in love with her?”
I really wish he’d stop saying that. “Do we have a deal?” I asked through gritted teeth.
He extended his hand. “I’ll have my lawyers draft up the paperwork and send it over by the end of the day.” I nodded once and shook his hand, a little stunned by how easy it had been.
“Sorry for barging in like I did,” I murmured, my chest heating with a hint of embarrassment. It wasn’t like me to make a scene, and yet I’d been doing it a lot lately.
He just laughed, something knowing in it that made me squirm. “Don’t worry about it.”
Leaving Ethan’s office was a blur, the significance of what I’d done finally hitting me once it was over and I was back in my truck in the parking garage. I gripped my steering wheel, resting my forehead on it, catching my breath. “What the hell?”
I just saved Freedom Reins.
But I knew deep down I hadn’t done it for the ranch or even my family. I did it for her. It seemed like most things I did these days were for her.
Fuck, was Ethan right? Did I love her? I knew I had feelings for her, but I didn’t think it was the big one.
Even if I did love her, could I drag her deeper into my shit?
Dump all my baggage on her? While things didn’t feel as bleak lately as they had before, I didn’t know anything about dating or being a partner to someone.
I thought of my parents and how in sync they were.
How nauseating they were with their constant affection.
How Mama said she wasn’t scared of death because Dad was there waiting for her.
Was I even capable of that kind of devotion?
Of opening myself up to that kind of pain?
I remembered with vivid detail just how depressed Mama was when Dad died eight years ago—she couldn’t function.
Could I put someone through that? Could I survive that level of heartbreak?
I didn’t know and thought about it the entire drive back to Wild Creek.
I hadn’t made any kind of headway by the time I rolled down the familiar Main Street.
My foot slammed on my brake pad when I drove past the Bull Pen, sending my truck to a jolting stop.
Rhett was in the back alley, shaking hands with Preston Hollis.
My grip tightened on the wheel. Preston handed Rhett what looked like an envelope of cash.
I got pictures of it all and hauled ass back to the ranch.
I nearly ripped the door to the bunkhouse off its hinges. Men jumped to their feet, glancing warily at one another. “Oh, hey there, boss,” Marcus, one of the older ranch hands, said.
“Where’s Rhett’s bunk?” The words came out like bullets, clipped and dangerous.
Marcus pointed to a bed in the corner. “Back there.” I stormed over there, tossing the mattress off the frame and gathering all his shit. “Somethin’ goin’ on, Emmett?”
“Rhett doesn’t work here anymore,” I seethed, ripping his drawers open and shoving everything into a trash bag. “Prick was feeding information to the Hollises.”