Renegade Hearts (The Kinnison Legacy Book 3) (6 page)

“And I’ll handle it, thank you. This reminds me, my uncle asked me to run by and take a look at one of the horses. I need to pick up Emilee anyway. Aunt Rebecca insisted on staying to fix supper. Uncle Mike mentioned they’ve been working hard to get a pathway built connecting the cabins to the main house.”

“Yep, I guess they have their first guest arriving soon. Hey, Rein asked me to stop by sometime and check the cabin designed for physically challenged guests. Now’s as good a time as any--would you mind if I rode out there with you? I’ll leave my car here, and you can drop me back off at my car afterwards, if you don’t mind.”

“My uncle mentioned the new guest. An old college buddy, I heard.”

“Yep, his name is Clay Saunders. Clay, Hank, Dalton, and Rein were friends at college, is my understanding.” Sally hefted her large purse over her shoulder and followed Angelique outside. “He’s a wounded warrior, I guess. Middle East conflict. Sounds like he’s had a rough time since he got back.”

“It’s nice that they’re still watching out for each other. And it’s nice that you and Rein stayed friends even after you stopped dating and that he values your opinion.”

“He helped me a lot when we ended up having to remodel dad’s house when his Multiple Sclerosis got worse.”

Angelique looked over the hood of her car at Sally. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you back then.”

They climbed in the car. “I know you would have been if you hadn’t had a lot on your plate at the time.” She shrugged and looked out the window. “There were days that it was hard, but dad always tried to make me feel better, you know? The difficult times made me realize I’m a lot stronger than I thought. And I became a student of just about every aspect of creating handicap accessibility in a single-house dwelling.”

Angelique grabbed Sally’s hand and squeezed it. “I hope you know how lucky you are to have had the parents you had. And I don’t say that to solicit any pity on me. I really mean it. I’m glad for you.”

Her friend studied her. “You had to take care of your mom and were still underage when you moved away. You could have left when things got rough, after your mom passed. But you didn’t. I’m sure there are folks who pity me at almost thirty-two and never been married, because I had to take care of my dad and never really had the time or energy to date.”

“Well, you’re not exactly a spinster, Miss Sally.” Angelique smiled as she started her car. There was so much Sally still didn’t know about her life in Chicago. One day, maybe, she’d be ready to share it. Just now, though, she wanted to keep moving forward and leave her past in the past.

Sally buckled her seat belt. “True, but I have to be content with how things go, either way. I can’t imagine leaving End of the Line. I love my students, the school, when people say hi to each other on the street. I’m just a small-town girl, I guess.”

“I’m grateful that Emilee has had the chance to grow up here, but it’s been hard these days to drag her away from the ranch.”

“Is she getting attached to Gracie?”

They sped along the mountain pass road on the way to the Kinnison’s ranch. “She’s become quite the little mother, but she’s also excited to help my uncle with the horses. She wants to be in the middle of everything.”

“She’s a good kid.” Sally patted her arm. “I can’t believe how mature she was during that accident last winter with the school suburban. I remember that she told Aimee that she could be a brave hero, like her father.”

Angelique’s face flushed and it had nothing to do with the summer temperature. “I’m a little warm, do you mind if I turn on the AC?” The blast of cool air fanned her cheeks and she breathed deeply. Brave? Her daughter was far more courageous than she was. How much longer would she let people believe the lies she’d told? “My aunt and uncle definitely get the credit for the wonderful child that Emilee’s grown to be.” Angelique stared out the window at the fathomless blue sky in front of her. “I haven’t been around for the last four years of Em’s life.”

“You did what you had to do under the circumstances, Angie. You made sure she was safe and then took care of yourself. Losing a husband, trying to raise a child alone would be hard on anyone. Finding the right help, going back to school--it was the right thing for you to do. Now you can move forward with Emilee and the support of your family and friends and create the kind of life you want for you and your daughter. I think that takes amazing courage.”

Angelique offered a weak smile. She wondered if Sally would find her as brave if she knew the whole truth. If the secret she’d kept all these years was revealed, how would the good people of End of the Line feel about her? What might happen to her aunt’s and uncle’s reputations? She straightened, firming her resolve to do whatever she had to in order to take care of her family. He was no longer a part of their lives and she wanted it to stay that way.

Chapter Four

“Mama! Mama!”

Dalton’s head snapped up in reaction to Emilee’s high-pitched squeal. He watched the young girl run hell-bent for her mother as she stepped from the car. He nodded his hello to Sally as she emerged, too, from the vehicle.

Angelique held her arms out to catch Emilee in a bear hug, barely giving him a second glance.

“Mama, guess what? Dalton has promised to take me on a trail ride before school starts if I have a few more riding lessons.”

Angelique’s gaze met his directly. “We’ll have to discuss that a bit more, darling.”

Big surprise. Dalton went back to tamping the fresh ground rock along the side of the new asphalt path they’d put in the last couple of days. Truth was, the little mite had at first gotten on his nerves darting from the house to the barn and back to the corral where she’d sit and watch her grandfather/uncle work with the horses. Now, he found himself chuckling at her antics, amazed by her pure energy.

“Great, I was hoping Sally would stop by. I have a couple of things I want to get her opinion on down at Clay’s cabin.” Rein, who’d been helping finish the path in record time, wiped his brow with a bandana. “I need to get my clipboard up at the house.”

“Go on, I’ll finish up with stuff here. You want me to leave this trench open for Tyler to set wiring for those lampposts?”

“Yeah.” He looked over his shoulder. “I hope we can get those in next week. He and Liberty found some nice ones in a Victorian style that will look good.” Rein waved at Sally. “I’ll be right back.”

Dalton’s gaze drifted to the interaction between mother and daughter as they met up with Rein and disappeared inside the house. He noticed Sally watching him, and ducked his head as she started toward him. He didn’t want to get into the topic of Angelique with her. Since the wedding, where things between them had gone badly, they’d been polite at best when in the same circles. Though it frustrated the hell out of him, Dalton figured maybe it’d get better with time.

“Hey, Dalton.” Sally hooked her thumbs in her jeans. “Angelique came down to check on a horse. You know anything about that?”

“Nope.” Dalton continued to smash down the rock edging. “She’ll need to speak to her uncle about that.”

“Right. You know,” she started slowly, and he rolled his eyes knowing in his gut what was coming, “it wouldn’t kill you to be nice to her.” She shaded her eyes from the sun settling in the western sky.

“Sally.” He slanted a warning glance to her.

She held up her palms. “Okay, okay. You two are eventually going to have to duke this out. Just sayin’.”

Rein had already suggested to him that perhaps his issue with Angelique stemmed from his own abandonment issues and maybe he found fault with her for leaving her daughter with her aunt and uncle. While he couldn’t deny that it bothered him on a certain level, there was far more to the story than Rein knew--a story he’d been trying to put behind him, until seeing Angelique again made it damn near impossible.

“Wow, you guys have really been busy. How far down does this go?” Sally asked.

Glad for any topic that would side step his previous thoughts, he pointed toward the barn. “It leads from the barn here and down about fifty feet or so, where there’s a slight curve leading to the other side of the pen. All total, it’s probably around three to four hundred feet.”

“It’s beautiful. Guests will love it. I thought I heard Rein mention something about lampposts?”

“Technically, those were Liberty’s idea. She thought we needed more light. I’m thinking hanging flowerpots are going to be next.”

Sally nodded. “She’s right. It gets black as pitch out here once you get away from that one utility pole up by the entrance.”

“Guess I never noticed it much.” Dalton tapped at the ground with the flat part of the garden rake.

“Jed sure would be pleased with how this has turned out.” She stuffed her hands in her back pockets. “I can’t hardly believe that Wyatt and Rein are married and now there’s little Gracie. Jed must be smiling down on his legacy tonight.”

“Yep,” he responded, hoping against hope that Sally wouldn’t bring up his bachelor status and Angelique in the same sentence. He had a feeling that Sally had more to do with that unplanned meeting at Dusty’s a few years back than what she let on. Trouble being, how much more did she know about what happened later that night?

“I had a nice lunch with Angelique today. It sounds like she loves her new job. Keeps her busy, I guess--too busy to date, at any rate.”

Dalton glanced at her and a smile curled the side of his mouth. The woman was about as subtle as a rattlesnake. He directed his gaze toward the house, willing his brother to get his butt in gear, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him trotting down the porch steps.

“Hey, we’ve got just enough time to look at that cabinet in the cabin before dinner. We’ll take the cart. What do you think of the new path?” He dropped his arm over Sally’s shoulder.

She smiled. “I was just telling your brother how Jed would be pleased to see what you all have accomplished.”

“Thank you, darlin’, that means a lot coming from you.” He planted a kiss on her temple and squeezed her shoulder. “Listen, we better hurry. Rebecca’s made this beautiful roast and all of the fixings for supper. You know how she hates it when food gets cold.”

“Don’t plan on me for supper. I want to finish this and then I’ve got chores tonight.”

Rein shrugged. “Suit yourself. Maybe we’ll save you some. Hey, but you, Angelique, and half-pint are staying for supper, right?” Rein directed his invitation to Sally.

Sally glanced over her shoulder at Dalton. “That’ll be up to Angelique. I rode in with her.”

Glad for the solitude, Dalton finished his work on the path and strode to the corral butted up against the barn where they kept the rescue horses. Once Michael had proposed the idea of housing the rehabilitated equine until they were adopted, Dalton and his brothers got on board without hesitation. It seemed only natural that a ranch offering second chances to humans would do the same for animals.

He eased through the wooden gate and carefully approached the current love of his life, a dark-eyed Palomino he’d named Beauty. Dalton had been with Michael when they’d gone to pick her up at Mountain Sunrise Ranch. They’d been apprised of Beauty’s story--that she was found on an abandoned farm where none of the other animals had survived. They hadn’t given her much hope of being adopted due to her many health issues, but Dalton fell in love at first sight, buying her on the spot. He’d called her Beauty, as that’s how he saw the determined mare and now her home was at the Kinnison ranch.

“How’s my girl?” he said softly as he pulled an apple from his pocket. Stroking her warm nose, he turned his face upward and breathed in deep the calming scent of pine and hay. No matter what chaos swirled inside his brain, working outdoors and being around the horses gave him peace of mind. He’d come to realize that working with horses was a gift he possessed and by far, it was easier than dealing with humans.

He brushed the back of his hand along Beauty’s face and she nickered softly. He’d learned much from working with Michael these past few weeks. The man rarely seemed conflicted about anything. Michael’s astute sense of calm, his wisdom, was something that Dalton had yet to attain and as of late, the old man’s beautiful niece hadn’t made that goal any easier.

Beauty whinnied softly and nudged his hand as though asking for another treat.

“No more apples,” he answered. “Let’s get you inside. I’ve got a bucket of oats with your name on it, darlin’.”

He heard Sally’s laughter as the cart emerged from the dusky shadows of the path. Leading Beauty out of the corral, he waited as they parked the vehicle under the carport at the side of the barn.

He had to hand it to his brother and Sally. Somehow, they’d managed to remain friends even after a failed attempt at dating. It hadn’t taken either of them long to realize it wasn’t meant to be, and their friendship meant more.

Angelique appeared from the main house. “Hey, you two, Aunt Rebecca was wondering where the rest of her chicks are.” Her smile faded when her eyes met his. “Oh, didn’t see you. You coming up, Dalton?” Angelique asked.

The trio looked at him.

“Maybe later,” he mumbled, hoping to avoid any confrontation.

“After the kind of day you’ve put in, I’d think you could eat a bear. Aunt Rebecca won’t be pleased.”

Dalton sighed. “Well, I guess she’s just going to have to deal with it. I’ve got chores.” He caught Rein’s wide-eyed surprise before he looked away and pretended to dust off his hat.

“Shit,” he heard Rein mutter softly.

Angelique’s gaze held his. “I’ll be up in a minute. You two go on ahead.”

Sally opened her mouth her to speak, but Rein took her elbow and ushered her toward the house.

Angelique waited until they were up the hill before spinning on her heel to face him. “You and I might just as well have this out right now.”

He chuckled, guessing what likely the featured topic would be at tonight’s supper table. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was about damn time they cleared the air. Circumstances being what they were, they were bound to run into each other here on the ranch. Damn, he hated confrontation, unless it was with his fists. “Come on, then.” He crooked his finger and led Beauty into her stable. He took care of filling her trough with oats and looked up to find Angelique standing in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest.

“Well?”

He let out a short laugh, wishing he had a drink. “Whatever you’ve got to say, just get it out.”

“You aren’t going to like it.”

“Figured that.” Yeah, he could be a bit abrasive at times, but what guy wasn’t? Just the same, it wasn’t the first time a woman wasn’t happy with him and he didn’t think it’d be the last.

She blew out a breath and breezed past him, stopping to scratch Beauty’s white spotted nose. “I’d just as soon the whole house didn’t hear us.”

He raised his brows. Not that they weren’t likely already lined up along the front porch railing anyway. “Is this going to get violent?” He smiled, hoping to ease the look of tension in her eyes.

She turned on her heel and walked toward the back of the barn, her boots thumping the hard dirt floor in her stride. She opened the back door and let it slam behind her.

“Oh, hell yeah, this oughta be fun.” Dalton blew out a sigh and followed. Stepping outside, he found her looking at the mountains. Her chin lifted slightly in defiance gave her profile a regal beauty. Hard as he tried to fight it, he swore she grew more beautiful each time he saw her. Memories slithered to the surface, snaking through his brain as he waited for her to notice his presence. Images of thick steam fogging his truck windows on that cold, rainy night, her soft lips bending to whisper that she wanted him, ran through his mind.

“Look.” She swung her gaze to his. He inadvertently took a step back, reacting to her stern tone. “I don’t know how to act around you. You’ve made it perfectly clear on more than one occasion that you regretted what happened. Or maybe you were just too drunk to remember it fully.”

If he’d harbored any doubts that her recollection of that night was different than his, she’d just set the record straight. “I remember,” he replied quietly.

She searched his eyes then shook her head in disbelief. “Whatever. That was a long time ago, right? And I admit, we were both maybe a little buzzed. The thing is, we’ve both moved on. Now I have another life--at least, I’m trying to
make
another life that doesn’t include my past. So, if we could just play nice, I’d appreciate it, okay?” Having said her piece, she started around him.

He caught her arm. “What about Emilee?”

Her gaze snapped to his and pure fear flashed in her eyes. He dropped his hold as though she was on fire. Her expression eased some, but she looked away. He’d heard bits and pieces--mostly rumors—that her marriage hadn’t been stellar, that she’d been in an abusive relationship. “What are we going to do about the promise I made to her about the trail ride?”

Her gaze, softer now, looked up at him, but she held her ground. “We aren’t going to do anything. I’ll need to think about it, like I told her.”

“Fair enough, and while you’re at it, think on this. There may be one or two things about that night I don’t remember too well.” He touched her chin and forced her gaze to his. Those dark eyes bore into his sorry excuse for a soul. He knew he didn’t deserve someone like her, but that didn’t make things any easier in the middle of the night. “I must have said something that hurt you enough to make you detest me like you do.”

She jerked her arm from his grasp. “I don’t detest you, Dalton. I just don’t see any possible future with you. To be honest, I’m not sure I ever did. I admit, I’m as much to blame for what happened that night. It was careless and stupid.”

“It might have been careless, might have been many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them.”

“I’m surprised you felt anything. Figured as much time as you spent at Dusty’s that day…. ” She shook her head and looked away.

That stung, and maybe he deserved it. He could refute it, but it was true--he’d been there most of the afternoon. Still, if darts were being thrown, it wouldn’t be easy to pin her with why she’d given up her daughter for the past four years to be raised by someone else. Maybe there was more to the story, maybe not. He’d known one woman who hadn’t thought one red hot damn about abandoning her children. But that wasn’t what challenged him. It was her disbelief in his memory. Because he’d sure as hell remembered that night--remembered her sighs, the way her hands fisted in his hair as she called out his name. “That’s not at all how I remember it.” He took a step closer, knowing he risked bodily injury. “In fact, I
felt
everything in vivid detail. And so did you, let’s be truthful about that, shall we?”