Last Chance Rebel

No, guilt might make her feel good about herself. She didn’t believe for one second he felt guilty. Not in any real, contrite sense.

Not that she would care either way. His guilt, his overall contrition, didn’t matter. It never had. It didn’t change a damn thing.

She turned, walking back toward the register, feeling weary down to her bones.

The bell sounded behind her and she turned again, about to let whoever it was know that she was closed. But it wasn’t a customer. It was Alison, carrying two boxes that Rebecca knew would be filled with pie. And following closely behind her was Lane, two bottles of wine in her hand. The door closed behind them and opened again as Cassie walked through also carrying a pastry box.

She had managed to forget entirely. Tonight was the weekly girls’ night, and the Trading Post was hosting this week.

“Hi,” she said, feeling even more tired. She wasn’t sure she had it in her to do the socializing thing tonight. The little group of friends, comprised of the female business owners on Main, had become an important source of companionship in her life over the past few years. But there were some things she had always felt most comfortable dealing with on her own.

Or not dealing with at all as she hid away in her mountain cabin. Whatever. It was her drama, her prerogative.

“Hello,” Cassie said, her voice chipper. “God bless Jake. He’s up to his neck in diapers and is at least pretending to be completely cheerful about it.”

Of the group, Cassie was the only one with a husband and children. The rest of them had become pretty confirmed bachelorettes. But if anyone could entice Rebecca into thinking that maybe a husband and kids wasn’t the worst idea, it was Cassie. She was always disgustingly happy.

“What’s the plan for tonight?” Alison asked, walking to the back of the store and setting her box of pies down by the register. “We are not watching another male stripper movie,” she said, directing this comment at Lane.

“I incurred the entire rental expense for that atrocity,” Lane said.

“But my life, Lane. I want my life back.”

“It was two hours,” Lane said. “Calm down.”

“Two hours when I could have done anything else.”

“And yet, I notice you didn’t get up and leave during the movie,” Lane replied.

“I was waiting for the payoff. I assumed that at some point someone would get naked. Instead, there was so much talking,” Alison groused.

“Well, whatever we decide to do, there are snacks,” Cassie said, lifting the tops of the boxes Alison had brought, and also the box she’d brought, and revealing two different pies and an assortment of pastries.

“Snacks are good,” Rebecca said. “Of course, I haven’t had dinner.”

“This is dinner,” Cassie said, advancing on the pie.

“I need a drink,” Lane said, going back behind the counter and rummaging until she produced the wine glasses that Rebecca kept back there for these occasions. “You, Rebecca?”

“I’ll just make some coffee. I have to drive back home after this, and I don’t think I can stay long enough to wait for the buzz to wear off.”

“Rough day?” This question came from Alison.

“Just tired.” She was a liar. A cagey liar.

Her friends knew about her accident. She found that until she divulged the source of her scars it was just a weird eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the room. But nobody knew who was responsible. In fact, she kept the details as private as possible.

She kept it simple. She had been in a bad car accident when she was eleven, and it had left permanent scarring. The end.

“Are you sure?” Cassie asked, busying herself starting to brew coffee.

“Yes,” she said, “I’m sure. Also, Cassie, you don’t need to make me coffee. That’s what you do all day.”

“I’m well aware of what I do all day, Rebecca. But I don’t want to drink the swill that you call coffee. I’m a connoisseur. An artisan.”

“I’m not going to argue,” Alison said. “Mostly because I just want you to make the coffee.”

“Well, you spent all day making pie. So I suppose I’ll allow it,” Rebecca said.

“Nobody allows me to do anything,” Cassie said. “I’m independent and free. I do what I want.”

“Right,” Lane said. “I imagine if Jake gave you some orders you might take them.”

Cassie wiggled her eyebrows. “Depends on the orders.”

Rebecca always felt a little bit uneasy when the conversation took this kind of turn. Lane and Alison were currently single, but Alison had been married before, and Rebecca couldn’t imagine Lane was as pathetic as she was. Rebecca had no experience with men. And it wasn’t something she ever felt like discussing.

That meant a lot of smiling and nodding was required of her at moments like these.

Right now, she was all out of smile and nod. She just felt depleted. Alison seemed to notice.

“Okay, Rebecca. What’s really going on? You’re being supernaturally quiet.”

“I’m contemplative,” Rebecca said.

“No. You really aren’t,” Lane said.

She let out a long slow breath, using the opportunity to try and think of a very vague way to disclose what had happened today without giving too much away. “I just had kind of an unexpected brush with the past.”

Lane snorted. “There’s small towns for you. Your past is basically your present because nobody ever leaves.”

“Thank God my past left town to keep Sheriff Garrett from breathing down his neck,” Alison said, referencing her hideous ex.

“Not that kind of past.” Though Rebecca thought as soon as she spoke those words that she probably should have let the group think it was an ex.

Alison arched a brow. “Intriguing.”

“No, it isn’t. I... I had an encounter with the man who caused my accident when I was a kid.” There, that wasn’t so bad. She’d said it.

Then she began to reevaluate her “not so bad” assessment. Her three friends were looking at her with very wide eyes.

“He came into the store.”

“You actually know who caused your accident?” Alison asked.

“Yes,” she responded.

All her friends knew was that she had been in a bad accident that had left scars. And of course, that was bad enough. But there was more to it. More that she had never really wanted to talk about with anyone else. And, now was no exception.

“What did you do?” Lane asked.

“I kicked his ass out,” Rebecca responded.

“Did you call Jonathan?” Cassie asked.

“No. And I’m not going to tell him, because the last thing I need is for my older brother to end up in jail because he killed someone. And trust me, if Jonathan had any idea that this guy was back in town, he would get himself locked up for homicide.” Rebecca was only a little bit sure she was exaggerating.

“Do you want me to call Finn? He can come down and hang out by the store. Look menacing or whatever,” Lane said, referencing her friend Finn Donnelly.

Though, she wasn’t entirely sure the cranky rancher would refer to Lane as a friend. Actually, Rebecca wasn’t entirely certain what Lane and Finn’s deal was.

“Thanks for offering the use of Finn without his permission,” Rebecca said. “But I’m fine.”

“What does he...want?” Alison asked. “Did he just want to check in with you? After all these years?”

Rebecca lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. And I really don’t care. As far as I’m concerned he can jump off a bridge. I don’t really want his apologies. Or his pity. Or his anything.” And she certainly didn’t want him to seize control of her building. She didn’t want him to give it to her. She didn’t want him to have his hands on anything that she touched.

“Well, I’m all for holding grudges,” Lane said. “I think it’s healthy. Good for your pores.”

“And, often keeps you safe. Forgiveness is for chumps,” Alison added.

“I would be the first to say that some people are just better off out of your life. Or, off the planet.” Rebecca knew that Cassie was thinking of her ex-husband, the total dud she’d been with before meeting Jake, the love of her life.

“Yes,” Lane said, nodding, taking a sip of wine. “Some people really don’t need forgiveness. And, I imagine the man that left you with permanent physical scars is one of them. He was... He was driving recklessly, wasn’t he?”

He had been. And the ensuing cover-up had meant that he had never been charged. And that no one ever knew. But even if he had been, it would not have solved what happened next. Because that one event was the breakdown of the rest of her life as she’d known it then.

“Yes. I just... It wasn’t really something that I wanted to deal with. I’ve dealt with it, really.”

If dealing with it meant growing yet more bitter by the year, then she most certainly had.

“Well, if he comes back during the workday, you know you can always call me,” Lane said.

“Me too,” said Cassie.

“Obviously, I will also show up with a weapon of some kind,” Alison said.

“I appreciate that. You have no idea how much your willingness to appear with weaponry means to me. But, I think it will be fine.”

“It’s just so desperately random that he showed up,” Lane commented.

It wasn’t quite as random as Lane thought. But, Rebecca didn’t want to get into it. Legally, Rebecca wasn’t allowed to get into it. But then, since none of the payoff money from Nathan West had ever made it into her possession, she wondered if the agreement applied to her. Her mother had taken off with it a long time ago.

The money had never been for her pain and suffering. It had been her mom’s getaway fund.

“I guess assholes who are prone to driving recklessly are also prone to random appearances?” she suggested.

“I guess so,” Alison said, watching her a little bit too closely. Almost as if she sensed there was more to the story. Well, Alison was going to have to keep sensing. Because she was not going to get any more out of her. Alison had a past she didn’t like to talk about. She should understand.

“I don’t want to talk about the asshole anymore. I just want to eat some pie.”

“I respect that.” Lane took a piece of pie out of the box and set it on a paper plate. “Eat your feelings. I bet they’re delicious.”

“Of course her feelings are delicious,” Alison said. “They’re going to be consumed in a vehicle that I baked. And everything I bake is delicious.”

“Hear, hear,” Cassie agreed.

Rebecca was just going to try and put Gage out of her mind. With any luck, he would give up. He had disappeared very effectively for the past seventeen years, and she didn’t really see why he would suddenly be persistent with her now. Hopefully, he had done what he needed to do, and that would be the end of it.

She just wanted to keep sending her checks to the rental company and not dealing directly with Wests.

Yes, not dealing with all of this was definitely her preferred method.

Hopefully, Gage would do the very best thing he actually could do to try and make up for what had happened seventeen years ago. Hopefully, he would leave her alone.

* * *

“WHAT THE HELL are you doing here?”

Gage wasn’t terribly surprised to receive that greeting from his younger brother. He was standing on Colton’s porch, his hands stuffed in his pockets, more or less expecting to be punched in the face.

Surprisingly, Colton made no move to attack him physically. He did not, however, allow him in. That was not surprising.

“I suppose you wouldn’t believe it if I told you I was here to catch up on every Christmas dinner we have ever missed.”

“No. And I would tell you that it’s way too early to be talking about Christmas. We just had Thanksgiving.”

“The stores put the decorations out earlier and earlier every year. Corporate greed I guess.”

Colton looked at him hard. “I don’t suppose you came by to get philosophical about the morality of retail stores.”

He shook his head. “No. I didn’t. But, we do need to discuss the ranch.”

“The ranch that I imagine is one fatted calf short now that you’ve come home?”

Gage examined his younger brother, the lines on his face making his stomach tightened in a strange way. When he had left home Colton had been sixteen. A boy. He hadn’t carried around the burdens of their family, certainly not carved into his skin.

There wasn’t much that made Gage feel like a complete ass these days. But that did it.

“There was no fatted-calf slaughter,” Gage said. “So you can calm down. I’m not the prodigal son. I’m not any kind of son, and we both know that. But I have been looking at all of Dad’s records and I have concerns.”

“Concerns about what?” Colton asked, dragging his hand beneath his chin.

“Dad is broke.”

“What?” Colton lowered his arm, as though he had given up on being gatekeeper between Gage and the house.

“That’s what I’m saying. I’ve been going over all of his assets, all of his debt. He and Mom don’t have any money. What they have is property. Lucky for them they own most of it outright.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. How could they not have money? The equestrian facility is doing well.”

“Yes. But he’s been diverting those funds. It looks to me like it’s probably gambling debts. At best. At worst he’s deeply involved in a very sketchy ring of high-priced hookers.”

Colton shook his head. “Or, he has more bastard children.”

Gage gritted his teeth. “You know about him, do you? I mean, do we know about the same one? I wouldn’t be surprised if the Oregon coastline were littered with secret Wests.”

Colton’s expression went slack. “I only know about the one. Jack Monaghan?”

“Yeah. That’s the one.”

“When did you find out?” Colton crossed his arms across his broad chest, and this time Gage put a little bit of thought to the fact that it was entirely possible his younger brother could take him in a fight. Well, depending on what sort of fight Gage treated him to. He was never going to fight his little brother the way he’d learned to fight on the rodeo circuits, and in the bars. He didn’t want to kill him, after all.

It wasn’t just years that stood between them. It was experience. Colton might have earned some facial lines here in Copper Ridge, but Gage had earned scars all across the country.

“I’ve known.” He could remember clearly being introduced intimately to the shady underworld of their father’s empire. Finding out who the man beneath the façade was. It was clear that his father had taken a similar approach to indoctrinating Colton into his world as he’d taken with Gage. And that made him think a little bit differently about his brother.

“Interesting,” Colton said.

“Why is it interesting? You clearly know.”

“Oh, I found out on accident. We’ve all known about Jack for about a year now.”

Just like that, he found himself reevaluating again. “So Dad didn’t tell you?”

“No.” Colton frowned. “Did he tell you?”

“It was one of the payments I needed to understand. Before I left he was priming me to take over the business. You know that.”

“I don’t see what that has to do with his dirty secrets. He didn’t tell me.”

Gage lifted his shoulder. “Yeah, I imagine he figured he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, seeing as I took off after I found out what a gigantic prick he was, I imagine he figured he wouldn’t let you in on the secret. Losing one heir is a problem. Losing two just starts to look careless.”

“That’s why you took off? Because you found out what a terrible person Dad was?”

It was damn sure close enough. “Yes. I was poised to become king of his trash heap. And it wasn’t what I wanted.”

“And you think it is what I want? Did you think for one second what kind of position it would put me in? Mom?”

“No,” he said. It was honest. When he had taken off he had been eighteen years old, full of self-loathing and anger. All that had mattered was his pain. It had been unique to him, of course. And nothing anyone else could possibly understand. Because he had been eighteen. So, he had been a dick.

“Yeah, I didn’t think you did.” He took a deep breath. “Thanks for not lying about it, though.”

“There’s no point. I didn’t come back here to be the hero of the story. But I did come back here to take care of what I was asked to. Dad’s lawyer contacted me and said that I’m still the person Dad has written down to be the executor in case he was incapacitated.”

Colton shook his head. “I’ve been the one here taking care of things.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t messed up. I’m just telling you how it is.”

“So, now you’re going to step up?”

“Yes.”

“And that’s it? Whether I think you should be here or not?”

Gage pushed his hat back on his head. “Look. Nobody asked you. And I can understand why you’re not happy about it, but that doesn’t change anything. I have some things to take care of here, and I damn sure intend to take care of them.”

“What will that entail? Are you going to deal with Mom’s emotional fallout when she finds out that she’s destitute?” Colton took a step forward. “That’s what I’ve been dealing with. The fact that Mom is always one major incident away from a complete emotional meltdown. And Sierra is pregnant.”

“I know. I mean, I noticed at the hospital.”

“She’s a woman. When you left she was a kid.”

Gage’s face heated. He felt like a fire had started in his chest and spread outward. Anger, pouring through him like molten metal. “I know.”

“Madison... You have no idea what she’s been through. The things they say about her... She could have used you here. I could have.”

“What happened to Madison?”

“She’s going to have to tell you about it. You don’t get to come in and learn all of our secrets right off the bat. We’ve been here. Taking care of Mom, taking care of each other. All you took care of was yourself, Gage. So forgive me if I can’t just accept the fact that you’re here. And that you think you have a right to step in and start handling family business.”

Gage pressed his hand against one of the supports on the deck. “This isn’t about rights. It’s about responsibility.”

“You haven’t cared about responsibility at all in more than a decade. Why are you starting now?”

“Because I was asked to.”

Colton didn’t say anything to that. Instead, he rocked back on his heels, looking toward the inside of the house.

“That woman is your wife?” Gage asked, suddenly realizing that he didn’t know much of anything about his siblings. Beyond Sierra’s very obvious pregnancy.

“Lydia,” Colton said. “And yes. She is.”

“It doesn’t seem right that you’re married. I remember you being sixteen.”

“Hate to break it to you, but time marched on while you were gone.”

Gage suddenly felt hideously old. And a little bit like something that might be found on the bottom of his boot. But then, he imagined that that was Colton’s goal. He couldn’t say he didn’t deserve it.

“Yeah, I guess it did.”

“What exactly are you going to do? About that debt?”

“I’m going to sell off as much as I can. My goal is to preserve the business and the ranch. I assume you’re good with that.”

He could tell Colton was good with it, and more than a little annoyed that he couldn’t disagree. “Yes. I mean, that’s what I would do.”

“I don’t have a sinister agenda, here. All I want to do is what I was asked to. And then, I’ll get right back out of your life.”

“I don’t feel like Mom is going to be very impacted. Unless she goes through and counts all the assets.”

“I guarantee you the only thing she goes through and counts is her pills.”

His brother’s stark words hit him hard. He’d known their mother was fragile. He’d always known. But this...this hurt. “That bad?”

Colton shook his head, his expression suddenly softening. “She does her best. But, Dad was bad enough that you left. I don’t know what you’ve been out doing, but whatever, you had the skills to do it. Can you imagine being stuck with him? There’s nothing else for her.”

Horror streaked down his spine. “He doesn’t... He’s never laid a hand on her, has he?”

“It isn’t like that. But she’s stuck. She’s completely dependent. And he’s... He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. You know that. Everything is justifiable as long as Nathan West is comfortable. We found out about Jack this past year.” Gage had a feeling his mother had known a lot longer than that, but he didn’t see the point in correcting Colton on that score. “We all found out,” Colton continued. “Now her husband, who I think she hates as much as she loves, has had a stroke. And you’re back.”

“She doesn’t know that yet, does she?”

“No,” Colton said. “Stay away until we’re ready to deal with it.”

Gage took a step back. This command from Colton was more convenient than he’d like it to be. The edict to stay away from his mother, from his father, for a while suited him more than he’d like to admit. “You have my word on that.”

If there was one thing he was good at, it was staying away.

CHAPTER THREE

REBECCA WALKED OUT of her bedroom door and onto the deck, wrapping her fingers more tightly around her cup as she stared out at the lake. It was chilly this morning, mist hovering over the water and on her breath.

She shifted her grip on her mug, grabbing hold of the edges of her blanket and wrapping it more tightly around her as she settled into the wicker chair she had placed in just the right spot so that she could watch the sun rising higher over the mountains, illuminating the low-hanging clouds and throwing gold dust onto the lake’s surface.

She had a humble house, but there was nothing humble about the location. Nestled in the middle of the trees, way out of town, it was her own private sanctuary. She didn’t mind the rustic nature of the cabin, anyway. It was perfect for her. After working days in the store, it was important for her to have a retreat. And days off. She had finally graduated to where she could pay a couple of employees, and that meant two days off a week like a human person.

Today, she fully intended to revel in the time off. She could take her kayak out on the lake. She preferred riding to paddling, but since the shop had left her so busy for the past few years, owning a horse had been impractical.

Of course, for the past few years running a shop had not been compatible with having a life of any kind. But, things were getting better. She had leisure time today. And she felt leisurely.

She inhaled deeply, feeling the need to soak her coffee in through every sense. The warmth of the cup on her hands, the smell and the strong, bitter taste that burned all the way down.

The sound of an engine spoiled her solace. She leaned forward, pushing herself into a standing position and trumping down the side steps on her deck, rounding to the front of the house just in time to see a black truck barreling down her driveway.

Usually when someone random drove down to her house, they were just looking for a place to turn around. The road up to the lake was narrow and windy, and if you happened to miss a turnoff, finding a way to make it right was often difficult.

She felt compelled to stand there, and keep an eye on her unexpected guest.

But, the truck didn’t turn around. Instead, it stopped. And the driver killed the engine before getting out and revealing a man she herself would like to kill.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as Gage walked toward her. He was wearing the same thing he’d had on the last time she’d seen him. Cowboy hat, tight black T-shirt and snug, well-worn denim. Again, her eyes fell to the tattoo on his forearm.

Then she forced herself to look at his face. It was grim. His mouth set into a firm line, his dark brows drawn tightly together.

“I wanted to talk to you about the shop,” he said. “And to see about getting a welcome to the neighborhood.”