Bring On The Night

In shock, Jonah had stared at the lawyer. Her announcement was a moment cast in his memory forever. He could still remember how his surroundings had become unforgettable—the beautiful blond lawyer’s oak desk, her gold pen and pencil set, her slender hands holding papers as she read, the tall clock quietly ticking, the faint scent of roses in a crystal vase on a polished wooden table. Every sight, sound and smell had been etched in memory in that instant when his world changed entirely….

While the attorney had continued reading, Jonah had glanced at Michael Remington and Boone Devlin, two of his closest buddies from past days in Special Forces. Five years ago, the three of them, along with another Special Forces friend, Colin Garrick, deceased, had rescued John Frates when he had been held hostage in Colombia. Because of that rescue the three survivors of the mission were now inheriting fortunes. Mike Remington looked as shocked as Jonah felt, but then Mike’s inheritance had been an incredible surprise: John Frates’s town house in Stallion Pass, Texas, a million and a third dollars—and John’s baby daughter.

Boone had seemed equally shocked by his bequest of a nationally famous quarter horse ranch. Jonah had been faintly relieved that he hadn’t received a baby, although he had been plenty shocked to be willed a cattle ranch plus the money. He recalled thinking how ironic at this point in his life to inherit such a thing. Had the inheritance come six or seven years ago, he would have been able to save his marriage.

Unbidden, memories of his ex-wife, Kate, had crept into his thoughts. He had loved her then, and her loss still hurt today. Kate’s image floated into his consciousness: silky chestnut hair, enormous hazel eyes, thick dark lashes. An ache in his chest brought him back to reality, and he forced the memories away.

His job in Special Forces had caused the divorce. If he had had a ranch and a fortune, how different life might have been! He closed his mind to that course of thinking. What-ifs could ruin your life.

A cattle ranch and over a million dollars…His family would be ecstatic for him. Jonah thought about his present job—working around the world, putting out oil well fires. A ranch would give him an opportunity to settle in one place. On the other hand, he would be more isolated than ever.

The amount of money was staggering. He was well paid in his job, but this was wealth beyond anything he had ever dreamed of.

The minute the lawyer, Savannah Clay, finished reading the will, she looked at them with her big blue eyes. “You each will receive a copy of the document. Do any of you have questions?”

Silence was heavy in the room and the attorney had arched her brows. “No questions?”

“I’m not sure I believe this is happening,” Jonah stated quietly.

“It’s already happened,” Savannah replied in a well-modulated, no-nonsense voice. “John Frates felt strongly about what he wanted to do with his fortune.”

Again the silence was broken only by the ticking of the tall clock in her office. Once more she asked, “None of you has a question?”

“Yes,” Jonah said. “If I choose not to keep the ranch, can I sell it?”

“There are papers to sign, but yes, once this inheritance is legally yours, you are free to do with it as you choose.”

Jonah nodded. “If we sell, we get the money, plus the million and a third that each of us inherited?”

“That’s correct,” she replied firmly. “That’s only a portion of the Frates fortune. For the rest of their lives, his in-laws, Dina Frates’s parents who are in rehab, will be provided for. There is a foundation, trusts, other bequests to charities. But the three of you got his personal things and part of the Frateses’ estate. He intended Colin Garrick to have a share as well, but upon Colin’s demise, he changed the will and that money was divided, which is why each of you got a million and a third. He rounded up the total to make it equal.”

“How soon do we have to see about all this?” Jonah asked. “I’m supposed to leave for Russia next Sunday.”

“There’s no hurry. The ranch has an excellent foreman and manager. John Frates was just there part of the time and had nothing to do with running the place.”

“So we’re free to sell these inheritances?” Boone repeated.

“Yes,” Savannah Clay answered. While she talked to him, Jonah looked at Mike, who was silent and white as snow. His friend kept raking his fingers through his wavy black hair, an uncustomary gesture.

Jonah had seen Mike shot and he had seen Mike in critical, life-threatening situations. Remington was a cool, quick thinker, able to move and act swiftly, tough as well as brave, but at the reading of the will he had seemed on the verge of fainting.

“Are you all right?” Jonah whispered as the others talked.

Mike swiveled his head and gave Jonah a glassy-eyed stare. “Yes,” he murmured, but Jonah wasn’t convinced. Mike was not his usual take-charge self. Yet Jonah knew that inheriting a baby would be a shock far greater than inheriting ranches, as he and Boone had.

“Any questions, Colonel Remington?” the attorney asked.

“Yes, but I’ll wait until the others are through so I don’t take up their time,” Mike replied.

Even though they protested, Mike did wait, and finally Jonah and Boone signed papers, got their copies of the will and left the lawyer’s office.

“What a day this has been,” Boone remarked as they stepped into the sunshine. “When I flew in here, I thought the three of us would have a reunion and that would be it.”

“Yeah. Life takes strange turns,” Jonah replied. “Nobody knows that any better than the three of us do. I wish Colin were here to claim his inheritance.” Both men were silent until they reached black cars parked side by side. Then they stopped and faced each other. Boone had his hands on his hips, his tan sport coat pushed open. “See you back at the hotel. I’m going to swim, and then let’s have happy hour and celebrate our inheritance,” he said with a grin.

“Sounds fine with me. I’m still in shock,” Jonah replied as he shed his navy suit coat and pulled off his navy tie.

“I think all three of us are in shock, but Mike’s been hit the hardest. And I don’t blame him. Thank goodness he’s the one with the baby,” Boone said, unlocking his car door and tossing his sport coat on the seat.

“Yeah, I guess.” Jonah felt an aching twist deep inside.

“Man, you’re still hung up about your ex? Get over her,” Boone said, turning back to frown at Jonah. “You can marry again and have a passel of kids.”

“Boone, have you ever been in love, even once? I mean really in love?” Jonah asked, mildly annoyed by his friend’s remarks.

“Hell, no, not like you were. And I’m not going to be, either. No marriage chains for me. Lighten up.” With a flash of white teeth, Boone Devlin grinned. “The world has lots of beautiful, exciting women. You need to get out and about and forget her.”

“Sure,” Jonah answered dismissively, remembering what a playboy Boone was.

“And don’t bury yourself on a ranch, although there’s small danger of that. You’ll sell your inheritance as fast as I intend to sell mine.”

“Maybe not. I’m going to think about it and look the place over.”

“What do you know about cattle ranching?”

“I told you that my grandfather had a ranch, and I spent every summer there when I was growing up,” Jonah replied.

“You move to a ranch and you’ll be a hermit,” Boon warned, jiggling his car keys in his hand.

“As if I socialize a lot out in the oil field.”

Boone laughed and opened the door of his car. “See you at the hotel.” Each climbed into his rental car and drove out of the lot.

Jonah shoved those April memories aside and smiled at the clerk behind the rental counter. Moments later, he strode out of the San Antonio airport into bright sunshine on a cool, early June morning. After quitting his job and selling the home he owned in Midland, Texas, he was back in San Antonio to look at his inheritance for the second time.

He wanted to work the ranch, and from the time he’d made his decision, his eagerness to make the move had grown.

In the space of time between his first trip to San Antonio and this one, another shock had transpired. Savannah Clay, the lawyer who had read John Frates’s will to them, had married Mike Remington—a marriage of convenience to give Frates’s baby girl a mother and father. Jonah was surprised, and wondered how happy Mike was with the arrangement.

As Jonah neared the gates to the ranch, however, he forgot about Mike Remington. Green fields spread endlessly to the horizon. Stands of oaks gave shade to the hills, which were bright with patches of wildflowers. All land he owned…Then Jonah spotted two spirals of gray smoke rising against the deep blue sky, and he wondered what was burning.

As he drove along, watching the plumes of smoke darken and expand, Jonah had a gut feeling that something was wrong. The ranch hands could be burning off a field, but he didn’t think so.

Clamping his teeth together, he pressed the accelerator, speeding along until he reached the turn to the ranch house, then bouncing over the cattle guard. The ominous black smoke increased and he gunned the engine, skidding on gravel along the drive.

In the distance he heard sirens that only confirmed his suspicions. Another few seconds of driving and he saw bright orange tongues of flame spiraling in the sky. He caught up with a pickup truck speeding ahead of him.

Then, at another turn, the ranch house, barn and outbuildings came into view. Trees burned in two areas while flames shot up one wall of the barn, Jonah saw, but the roof hadn’t yet caught and men were pouring water on the blaze. Men fought the three blazes.