CHAPTER 52
Victoria
I crush my laptop and notes hard against my chest, as if the pressure can keep a lid on the sobs about to escape my body. I hear my shoes crunch in the gravel as I make my way to Jamie’s. No one walks behind me.
Good.
My memory flashes back to the first time I came up this road, in Cal’s Jeep. I’d just heard the word “Dad” escape his lips as he greets Jamie, and I was so enraged that I lost my balance. Cal had let me ramble on about my plans for Sulfur Springs, like the idiot I am.
I shake my head now, still embarrassed by that memory. Callum MacLaine bested me, right from the start.
I also remember how—despite my anger and cursing and the awkwardness of my unannounced arrival—Jamie greeted me with warmth and kindness. And a smile. The man’s smile can melt ice. I admit the ice in my veins melted a bit that day.
I’m relieved to see lights on inside his house. I know he’s an early riser and that Phyllis is awake long before any sane person should be, so I make my way up the steps to the front door. I knock softly.
“Well, hello!” Phyllis greets me with a grin and a hug. “Good morning. Come on in. Can I get you some coffee?”
“Sure. Thanks.” I realize I left my coffee cup on Cal’s kitchen counter. My brain isn’t firing on all cylinders this morning. My belly churns. I don’t look forward to this. It’s going to be tough on Jamie, but I focus on what I’m here to do.
Get justice for the MacLaines.
Expose those who’ve betrayed their trust.
And in turn, make sure my dad gets what he deserves. If my suspicions are true, he’s deserved it for a very long time.
“Look who’s here!” Phyllis calls out to the living room. Two white-haired heads pop up from the wing-backed chairs. It’s Jamie and Arlo.
Oh, holy shit.
They were in the middle of a huddle. I can only pray it wasn’t anything to do with me or the files. Jamie walks toward me, a huge smile on his face. I catch how Arlo’s eyes narrow. I see a flash of something in his expression. Is it fear?
My first goal is to keep my mouth shut around Arlo. In case we haven’t found everything, I don’t want him to destroy evidence.
“What brings you here so early?” Jamie hugs me and pats my back. “Are you okay, darlin’? Have you been crying?”
“What? No! Of course not!” I try my best to smile. “I’ve just… well… Cal and I have had an argument.”
“I knew it!” Arlo shuffles toward me, chuckling to himself. He’s frail and elderly, but that doesn’t make him any less of a criminal.
“Cal stopped by the other night, all riled up about something. A very unhappy man. I figured there might be trouble in paradise.”
I focus on not responding. Paradise? Cal confided in this crook? And how is it any of his business in the first place?
Jamie frowns at me, puzzled and concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay? Is there anything I can do to help?”
This man is being stolen from, lied to, and extorted, and yet he’s worried about me—the woman who came here to force him into a deal he didn’t want.
Phyllis saves me by delivering my coffee and placing it on the end table near the chairs. Arlo excuses himself, saying he needs to get back to the office. When he passes by my side, I reflexively press my laptop closer.
“Come on. Sit down.” Jamie rests his palm on the middle of my back and urges me forward. I take a seat.
“I’m making breakfast,” Phyllis proclaims. “How do you like your eggs?”
“Scrambled?” I don’t sound all that sure of myself. I know damn well I won’t be able to eat a thing.
“Country ham, steak, or bacon?” she asks.
I blink at her, emotions flooding my brain. My fingers feel numb. I open my mouth, and nothing but a pitiful squeak comes out.
“I’ve just made a whole stack of flapjacks, so I’ll plate a few of those for you. I got some fresh blueberries too. That’ll do the trick.” Phyllis disappears into the kitchen again.
Jamie reaches over and takes my hand in his. “He loves you, you know.”
I’m stunned. “Whaa—?”
“You’ve got him roped and tied, and he’s a better man for it. Never thought I’d live to see the day, but the moment you set foot on this ranch, I knew. That’s why I closed up the house and sent you to stay with him.”
“But…” I stare at him, letting his words sink in. “There were no termites?”
“There haven’t been termites in this house for twenty years!” Phyllis calls out from the kitchen. “He just wanted to play matchmaker.”
This isn’t what I expect to hear. It isn’t what I want to discuss. Not at all. I need to refocus. “Jamie, there’s something extremely serious—”
“I remember how it was for me. I met Stella at the Sweetbriar Rodeo the summer she was sixteen. I fell for her the second I saw her tear it up in the ring and take home the junior barrel racing belt buckle.”
“Okay.” I need to redirect the conversation, but I don’t want to be rude. “Jamie—”
“She was so pretty, those blue eyes all serious and focused, all her long brown hair shooting out from under her hat. That girl could fly, let me tell you. And over the next few years, I learned that Stella Richards was as smart and strong as she was beautiful. She was the one for me. Nobody else would do.”
I nod, hoping he’s done.
“We had a rocky start, though.” Jamie looks out the picture window to the ranch and smiles sadly to himself. “Stella was a firecracker, and it took a lot of ups and downs before we found our balance.”
“Rocky start don’t even begin to cover it,” Phyllis yells. “I was there. I saw it. She almost called off the wedding!”
“I loved her with everything I am,” Jamie continues.
“When she died, it left a scar on the heart of every one of my boys, but especially Cal. He took it the hardest.” Jamie turns his attention to me, as if to make sure I was following along.
“She left him with a terrible sense of duty, though, telling him he was responsible for our well-being. He never got over that.”
Oh. Explains a lot.
“I tell you all this, Victoria, because I know Cal isn’t the easiest person to deal with.
He’s a lot like his mother. She was one hell of a skeptical woman, always looking for the rot at the bottom of the apple barrel.
It saved us more than once, let me tell you.
But what I’m saying is it took her a long time to trust me. ”
“Must be genetic.”
I don’t realize I’ve spoken the words out loud until both Phyllis and Jamie laugh. Phyllis walks in, wiping her hands on her apron. “Come on. Let’s eat.”
I manage to finish two pancakes, some fruit, and a few bites of the scrambled eggs.
My full belly has a calming effect on me, as does the pleasant company.
I hear a few more stories, and before I realize what’s happening, Phyllis asks Jamie to give us some time alone.
I lean forward to see into the other room, making sure my laptop is where I left it.
This isn’t good. I’ve been here an hour and I’ve told Jamie exactly zero of what he needs to know. I can’t let this opportunity pass me by. I have no idea what else is going on in the background.
Phyllis returns, a dessert plate with a huge serving of coffee cake in her hand. “You look awful nervous for so early in the morning, Victoria.” She sets the plate and a fork in front of me and takes a seat on the opposite side of the table. I grab that fork and go to town.
“I don’t usually eat sugar,” I mumble, collecting crumbs from my chin.
“You don’t say? Must be a special occasion this morning.”
I nod, shoveling in another bite. “It’s only when I’m super stressed out. Like when someone’s in the hospital or my heart is broken or somebody’s headed to prison for fraud and embezzlement. You know, stuff like that.”
Phyllis laughs. “Sounds like the plot of one of my daytime soaps. Anyway, listen, honey. Don’t give up on him.”
I drop my fork and wipe my mouth with the napkin.
“All the MacLaine men are headstrong, and Cal has always been the most stubborn of the bunch. But I’ve watched that boy’s hard outer shell collapse when he’s with you. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him laugh the way he does when you’re with him.”
“It’s gotten really ugly, Phyllis. We’ve both said some truly awful things. Words that can’t be taken back.”
“Don’t matter, darlin’. Anything can be repaired if you want it enough.”
“But—”
She puts her hand on mine. “Do not let Callum push you away.”
As I help her clear the dishes and clean up the kitchen, I decide to broach a new subject. “Phyllis, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
I grab a dishtowel and start drying the skillet. “I’ve met most everyone here at Yosemite Ranch, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to Arlo much. What’s his story?”
“Well, his daddy worked here, back when Jamie’s daddy was alive. Arlo went off to college and worked at the bank in Carson City for a bit but took over when his father passed away.”
“When was that?”
“Oh, that was way, way back. Jamie was just a boy.”
“So he’s like family.”
“No, honey.” Phyllis turns to me. “He is family.”
Finally, all the dishes are done. I hug Phyllis and thank her for everything and go off to find Jamie. He’s sitting in his chair, reading the Sweetbriar Daily Dust Devil, which is more a pamphlet than a newspaper.
“Jamie. We need to talk.” I open my laptop and pull out a printed copy of the falsified contract. I reach out to hand it to him.
And suddenly, it sounds like a hurricane is about to hit the house.