The Rancher's Return

“Exactly what it sounds like. And now I’ve escaped. If he finds me, I’m a dead woman. Especially since I know what he’s done.”

Still not entirely convinced, nonetheless he stepped aside and motioned her into his living room. “Please. Come in.”

As she moved past him, he caught a whiff of her scent, which surprisingly reminded him of vanilla rather than the flowery perfume he remembered.

“Have a seat.” Though he sounded churlish, he didn’t care. Indicating the sofa, he tried not to stare as she sank gracefully onto the leather cushions. She wore a T-shirt and jeans—ordinary clothes that were elevated to an entirely new level by her feminine curves. Her kind of lush, wild beauty would make any red-blooded man break out in a sweat.

And Reed was no exception. The sharp surge of desire he felt when he looked at her was nothing new, though certainly as unwelcome now as it had been before. He’d always had trouble not wanting her, even back then when she’d belonged to his brother. He didn’t understand how this could still be so, especially now when he should despise her.

Noise from the television drew his attention. The football game had gone into overtime. Since he no longer cared, Reed grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.

Deciding to continue standing, he crossed his arms and glared at her, deliberately hostile, feeling it was safer this way. “Explain,” he ordered, when she showed no sign of elaborating.

She sighed and smoothed back her wealth of golden hair with perfectly manicured fingers, although a few wisps defied her hand and continue to frame her perfect, oval face. Her skin glowed, the flawless alabaster of fine porcelain, beauty personified. Eyeing her he wondered exactly as he’d done in the past, how his brother had been able to get a girl as lovely as her.

Of course neither Reed nor Tim had known her beauty concealed the heart of a snake. Best to remember this now, he knew. Steeling himself, he cocked his head while he waited for her to speak.

“May I please have a glass of water?” she asked. “It’s a long drive from Austin. I was afraid to stop more than once.” She looked down. “I wasn’t sure if I was being followed, so I had to take several evasive precautions.”

“Followed?” Shaking his head, he got up, fetched a plastic bottle of spring water from the fridge and handed it to her. “Here you go.”

He waited, trying not to stare while she drank, though the movement of her long slender throat drew his eye. He both hated and acknowledged it, aware he could use this edginess to keep him sharp and on his toes.

When she’d finished drinking, she set the bottle down. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He inclined his head.

“Yes.” She sighed. “Before I begin, you should know I can’t stay long. This is the first place he’ll look. If he finds me, he’ll kill me and whoever I’m with. So you’re putting yourself in danger by even talking to me.”

“A risk I’m willing to take, if what you say is true. Let’s hear it.”

She winced. “It’s a long story.”

“No. Make it short and to the point.” He went so far as to glance at his watch before meeting her gaze again. “If you plan to lie to me, don’t. I’ve had enough BS from you to last more than a lifetime.”

Her amazing eyes widened. “I’ve never lied to you.”

“Really.” He couldn’t resist. “Since you were my only alibi, I’d say the way you managed to disappear rather than show up in court is falsehood enough. I went to prison—innocent—for the death of my own brother. Because you couldn’t take the time to tell the truth.” Again, he felt the sharp, burning ache he always felt when he thought of the way his brother had been gunned down in cold blood.

“It’s not what you think,” she began.

“Be that as it may, Tim’s dead.” He managed to sound normal. “And you aren’t. Now you’re going to tell me what proof you have that Alex Ramirez killed him, and how.”

* * *

Back ramrod straight, Kaitlyn tried to draw on the sense of purpose that had propelled her the entire way to Anniversary. She’d expected hostility, after all.

Still, some tiny, foolish part of her heart had hoped he’d understand. Maybe even be sympathetic, but she could hardly blame him. He’d spent the past three years believing her responsible for what he’d endured. She couldn’t expect him to comprehend how badly she’d suffered herself.

She wasn’t here for sympathy, or to try and repair the broken pieces of a relationship that had been doomed from the start. She’d come to find justice. For not only Tim’s murder and Reed’s incarceration, but for what Alex Ramirez had done to her. He’d ruined three lives, as casually as another man would kill a fly. He deserved to pay.

But would Reed believe her? He’d already made it clear what he thought. Worse, she didn’t even have proof. Just her word against a powerful lieutenant governor.

Raising her head, she saw Reed watched her, his gaze dark and intent. A shiver ghosted over her skin, making goose bumps rise. Prison had changed him some, sharpened the edges of his profile, and deepened the reserve in his eyes. Still, he was easy on the eyes, despite the hardship he’d endured. She’d always thought him beautiful, even back when she and his twin brother, Tim, had been an item. Though Reed and Tim had the same features, the same shock of thick, dark hair, something in the depths of Reed’s hazel eyes had always called to her.

The attraction that had simmered between the two of them had made her feel like a moth circling around a flame.

Finally, unable to resist, she’d given in. And then the one evening of explosive passion they’d shared had been the night Tim had been murdered. She’d spent three years wondering if Reed would always associate her embrace with the brutal death of his brother.

“Well?” he prodded. “If you have something to say, say it.”

“When I left you, still asleep in my bed, I knew what I needed to do. So I scribbled a quick note to you and I went to find Tim.” She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She took a long drink of water, willing her voice to remain steady. “I intended to break it off with him.”

Surprise flashed across his rugged features, but he didn’t comment.

Briefly, she closed her eyes. Even after all this time, the horrible scene still had the power to paralyze her. “I walked in on him and Alex arguing. Of course, I didn’t know who Alex was then.” Her throat felt raw. This might be past history, but the memory of it still hurt.

“Go on,” he urged.

She tried to speak and couldn’t.

“Alex Ramirez and Tim were arguing? And then what?”

“Yes. The instant Tim saw me, he looked afraid. He ordered me to leave, but Alex grabbed me. I knew from the expression on Tim’s face that it wasn’t good, but I didn’t know how bad. Not yet.”

She took a deep, shaky breath, aware what she had to tell him next would be painful. Miserable, she tried to find the right words, then decided just to say it.

“Alex killed him.” The words came out in a hoarse whisper. “He turned around, pulled out a pistol and shot Tim dead. Right there, right in front of me. And when I freaked out, he told me to calm down or he’d kill me, too.”

Reed swore. The dark shadow in his gaze spoke of his contempt for her, of the fact that he disbelieved her story. She told herself that didn’t matter, that it was justified. Just like she’d actually come to believe she deserved to be treated the way Alex had abused her.

“And then Alex tied me up, put me in the trunk of his car, and took me back to his mansion.” Such a simple sentence could not possibly convey the horror of what had happened. That night and for many days and nights after. Years, actually.

“And no one noticed you were gone?” He couldn’t quite hide his disbelief.

“With everything that happened, I think they assumed I fled out of cowardice.”

Silence, while he considered this.

“How’d you escape?” Reed asked. “And when?”

Heaven help her, her lower lip started quivering. She coughed, using her hand to try and cover it up. “Just now. Today. Despite knowing Anniversary is the first place Alex will look, I needed to come to you and try to make things right before I go on the run.”

The skepticism in his eyes made her feel sick. “I shouldn’t have come here. I see that now.”

“Then why did you?” he asked quietly. “Really, why did you?”

She shrugged to mask her pain. “You were the only other person I could think of who would care. The only person beside myself who would give a damn about what Alex had done. Not only to Tim, but to you. And me. With all my heart, I believe he should pay.”