Chapter 9
9
K ade walked into the barn two seconds after Chloe and the boys entered from the opposite direction. He smiled ear to ear. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”
“Unca Kade,” Grayson said, still working out some of the details of language. It was adorable, and although she didn’t talk “baby” to him, she didn’t correct him either. She wasn’t in a hurry for him to grow up. Time would take care of that. There was no need to push.
Kade dropped down and opened his arms. Grayson’s smile could turn the worst day upside down. He didn’t run to his uncle but picked up the pace. Miguel followed.
They walked the boys to the stalls and picked them up to let them pet the horses.
“You’re going to hear about something that happened last night, but you need to see that I’m just fine,” Chloe said to her brother.
“What happened?” Kade immediately asked.
She filled him in. “Trav is in the house now having a conversation with Beau.”
“Is he a suspect?” Kade asked as a muscle in his jaw clenched.
“Not that I know of,” she said. “I’m sure Trav is just trying to get a read on our newest sibling, considering he would have something to gain if I was no longer in the picture.”
“Why come after you?”
“Good question,” she admitted. “Beau must realize the two of us are close and have the most influence over the others.”
Kade laughed. “Considering stubbornness is one of the strongest Sturgess traits, I’d say Beau has a lot to learn about this family if he thinks we run the show.”
“True,” she agreed.
“Plus, we’ve never made a decision that affects everyone that we didn’t hold a family meeting for first,” he said.
She thought about Conrad being the quiet one. Was he the most introspective? Did he agree with them or just go with the flow so as not to create conflict? “Conrad called me after he heard about what happened.”
“I should’ve been there,” Kade said. “Both times.”
“You have a family now,” she pointed out. “And, besides, you can’t watch over me twenty-four-seven. Not to mention the fact that I’m a grown woman who is capable of—”
“Cut your brother some slack,” he said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“You’ve always felt responsible for us, haven’t you?” Having a child had opened her eyes to just how selfless one needed to be in order to do the job well. How much of Kade’s life had he given up to look after her and the others?
“Someone needed to,” he said.
“Have I ever properly thanked you?”
“No need,” he said without hesitation. “You would have done the same.”
“I didn’t, though,” she said. “But you did, and that’s why we turned out to be half-decent humans.”
“You couldn’t have turned out any other way,” Kade countered. “You’re a good person, Chloe. You deserve a helluva lot better than the hand you were dealt.”
“So do you, Kade.”
He laughed. “I’ll take your word for it. Okay, sis?”
“It’d be the first time you listened to me,” she teased. They were quiet for a couple of beats. “How’s Bree, by the way?”
“She’s good,” he said with a genuine smile. “Better than good.”
“And that little angel?”
“I didn’t know how vulnerable I could feel until I held her in my arms,” he said. “The feeling is surreal, considering I never thought I wanted kids in the first place.”
“You always said that, but I knew you’d make the most amazing father if you ever gave parenting a chance,” Chloe said.
“What made you so sure?”
“Because you were always there for me,” she supplied. “And, at the end of the day, kids need unconditional love and someone to have their back.” She needed to remind herself of the fact every time she got down on her own parenting mistakes. She loved Grayson and would do anything to keep him safe and protected. Was that enough?
She hoped so.
“When did you get so smart?” Kade teased.
“I’ll let you know if that ever happens,” she shot back. “Plus, you shouldn’t worry about me. Trav is staying with me while Grayson, Miguel, and Annmarie camp out here at the ranch. I’m putting them up in the big house.”
“That’s brave,” Kade said. “I’m not sure I like the three of them in the house alone with Beau.”
“They’re not heirs, except for Grayson, but you’d have to go through me first,” she said. “Plus, Conrad moved in. He called me to say he thinks we should consider taking over the ranch and running it ourselves.”
Kade stood there, silent, for a long moment. “I’ll consider it on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“We change the operation to a rescue and give the place a new name,” he said. He’d clearly been giving the subject some thought.
“I’m guessing you have a name in mind.”
“What do you think about Rescue Ridge?” he asked.
Chloe thought about it for a long moment. She smiled. “I love it.”
“We need to run it by the others, of course.”
“I wonder how Beau will react,” she said. “He seemed intent on keeping Beaumont’s legacy alive.”
“I resent having to care what he thinks,” Kade said. “Maybe it’s best if we don’t say changing the operation and name was my idea. Beau and I didn’t get off on the best footing, and he might shoot down the idea out of spite.”
“True,” she agreed. “My first impression of him wasn’t great either. But what do we really know about the man? He might not be as bad as we think.”
Kade issued a sharp sigh. “I know that I rattled his chain. It’s hard looking in the face of someone who looks just like Beaumont.”
“Spitting image,” she agreed.
“It’s probably not fair to judge Beau based on his looks, but trust is hard to come by for any Sturgess.”
“Except Conrad,” she said. “He seems to have taken to Beau.” Neither said Conrad might be falling into a trap with their half-sibling. If Beau was half as intelligent and conniving as Beaumont, they were in for a ride.
“One way or another, time will tell about Beau,” Kade said. “What do we know about the other side of his family?”
“Nothing,” Chloe pointed out.
“Maybe it’s time to invite his mother over for Sunday supper,” Kade said.
“We always talked about starting a tradition with Sunday barbecues.”
Kade nodded. “Might be a good time to get to know more about our half-sibling and his family.”
“There’s a chance his intentions are pure, right?”
“I suppose,” Kade said.
“And we would be real jerks not to give the man a chance at least, right?”
“I’ve been avoiding the reality that he’s not going away anytime soon,” Kade said. “I was going to bring up a proposal to the family to buy him out so we could get rid of him.”
“What stopped you?”
“The fact that he might actually be serious about getting to know his family,” Kade said. “As much as I don’t trust the man as far as I can throw him right now, I do realize what a jerk it would make me to shut him out without giving him a fair chance.”
“Those are all fair points,” she agreed.
“Plus, the best way to figure out his true intentions is to bring him into the fold, as much as it pains me to say that.” Kade set Miguel down. “Doesn’t mean I trust Beau. It just means I’m willing to give him a chance to prove he’s not here to cause trouble.”
“Do you think there are others out there?” she asked.
“If there are, they’ll be showing up any day now,” he said. “A picture of us at Beaumont’s funeral has garnered a lot of media attention recently.”
“I didn’t realize someone was there taking pictures,” she said.
“Graveside,” Kade said. “Vultures.”
“That’s gross.”
“Some people will cross any line to make a quick buck,” he said with disgust. “And it won’t take long for other predators to come out, given Beaumont’s reputation.”
“It’s weird to think we might have a sister out there that we never knew about,” Chloe said. She’d always been the only girl in the family. It was very much linked to her identity.
Kade stood still for a long moment. “Be careful out there. Okay?”
He was saying more heirs could make her a bigger target.
“You, too,” she said, grateful Trav would stay with her for a few days. Knowing Blake was coming to town had thrown her off balance on top of recent events.
“Why not stay here with everyone?” Kade asked.
“Because I’m the target.” Those words caused ice to drip down her spine. Being away from her son was the best way to keep him safe. There was no way she would bring the person stalking her to her family’s doorstep.
“Even more reason to stick around,” Kade argued.
“You have a family to consider now, Kade. And the person had access to my drink at work. Wouldn’t they drop rat poisoning in there and be done with it if they wanted to kill me?” She blew out a breath. Her chest squeezed. There was no way to know what the person who’d drugged her had intended. After her recent experience, she wouldn’t take any chances with Grayson being caught in the crossfire.
“I should be protecting you,” he said, shaking his head. Her brother had lost his best friend along with a military career in one fell swoop. The dark circles cradling his eyes had to do with still being in mourning.
Wasn’t life crazy like that? A mix of the highest highs and the lowest lows, hitting all at once as a bizarre balance technique. It had been the same, albeit to a lesser degree, when she’d discovered she was pregnant. The baby news had come at one of the lowest points of her life, a ray of sunlight in a wicked hail storm.
“You are protecting me,” she said, patting his shoulder, “by being here at the ranch. By looking after the family here. By protecting everyone I love.” Except the one coming home with me.
This wasn’t the time to dissect the rogue thought that had her thinking she could fall for Trav.
Kade’s nod was reluctant.
“This will all blow over soon, and life will return to normal.” She wanted—no needed— to pay Blake a visit while he was in town. Should she contact Craig first? She’d blocked and deleted both of their numbers from her cell, vowing never to look back once she’d walked out the door.
“And if it doesn’t get back to normal?” he asked.
“It has to.” She meant those words, too. No way did she intend to live afraid. Plus, she had Trav. “Having someone in law enforcement stay with me should deter any criminals from trying anything else. They’ll move on to a less risky target.”
“You do realize that when you say something with authority, it’s a warning flag that you’re freaking out,” Kade said, arching an eyebrow.
Chloe laughed. What he said was true because she was overselling. She wanted to believe those words. “Sounds about right. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let my guard down.”
“You better not,” he said. “Aurora needs her aunt.”
This time, Chloe’s smile was genuine. A new baby breathed new life into the family. And that was something to hold onto in difficult times.
“I’m already planning sleepovers with lots of pink,” she said. “It’ll be a nice change from blocks and trucks.” Having a girl in the family was going to be nice. “Until then, you take care of that wife and newborn of yours.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She half expected her brother to salute.
“I better go find Trav,” she said. “He probably needs to rest, and I definitely need to catch up on multiple days of lost sleep.”
“Do you have cameras on the trailer?” he asked. “You can pick up one of those doorbell devices at any major home supply store.”
“I’ll swing by and pick one up on the way home,” she said.
Kade reached for his wallet. Before he could open it, she held up a hand to stop him from pulling out money.
“You’ve already given me enough, Kade. I can’t take any more from you.”
He stopped and eyed her. He was assessing whether or not he could change her mind. “Fine,” he conceded, tucking his wallet in his back pocket.
“We’re going to be fine,” she said to him.
Being with Trav did more than stir emotion in her chest. It gave her the courage to believe things might turn out okay in every aspect of her life. Was it false hope?
The temptation to tell Kade that Grayson’s father was most likely in town if not on his way, was real. Should she?
Another time.
After a quick hug, Chloe walked away to find Trav so they could head out.
Stepping into the family home set her on edge.
Lo and behold, she found her son and Miguel playing happily on the living room floor with Beau, of all people. The sound of her son’s laughter, along with Miguel’s, almost made her want to trust Beau.
From the corner of the room, Nita smiled and waved. Nita Hodges had worked for Beaumont Sturgess as his housekeeper for the better part of forty years. Nita had aged with grace. She kept her long, graying hair in a loose bun at the crown of her head. She had a long, stately nose with a bump on the bridge.
Nita would keep an eye on the boys, and she included Beau in that statement.
Rather than disturb everyone, Chloe backpedaled a few steps to remain unseen. And then she turned so fast she bumped into a solid wall chest in the hallway.