Samantha’s Cowboy (14 page)

What a joke.
Her life would never be normal. She’d always be a liability to anyone close to her.

Tears dripped off her dirty chin and dropped on Luke’s hat.

Wade will forgive you.

The tears leaked faster. Yes, Wade would forgive her, because he was a kind, generous man. He wouldn’t just give her one more chance; he’d give her a thousand until her screwups caused a disaster that didn’t have today’s happy ending.

For Luke’s sake, Sam had to say goodbye to Wade.

Two weeks. Fourteen days. Three hundred and thirty-six hours of pure torture. Wade prayed he hadn’t made a mistake avoiding Samantha all this time, while he mapped out the future—a future he hoped she’d share with him.

He merged his BMW onto the highway that would lead to the old Peterson homestead—or Last Chance Ranch as Samantha called it. He glanced in the rearview mirror and cringed at the bags beneath his eyes. Nights of restless sleep and dreams of Samantha telling him to take a hike once she learned of her missing trust fund had taken a toll on him.

Today he intended to make up for his absence. He patted the bump in his trouser pocket—an engagement ring. He’d been tempted to phone Samantha daily—just to hear her voice—but he’d wanted to work out several business details before he dropped to one knee.

Carmen had been his first hurdle. Wade had intended to tell his ex-wife the truth about Luke’s mishap at the ranch, but his son had beat him to the punch and lied. After much debate Wade had decided to go along with
his son’s version of events—Luke had fallen from the top rail of the paddock fence and had landed on his arm.

If Luke had told the truth, Carmen would have forbidden the boy to visit Samantha’s ranch. Wade refused to allow his ex-wife to deny their son activities that made him happy—hanging around Samantha and Millicent, and taking care of Blue. Even if Samantha rejected Wade’s marriage proposal, he’d suck up his pride and continue to bring Luke to the ranch for riding lessons.

The second hurdle had been his uncle Charles. Wade had informed his uncle that he planned to tell Samantha the truth about her missing funds—only after he’d cleaned out his office and put in his two weeks’ notice. Wade had leveled another blow when he’d mentioned Wade’s clients would be leaving the firm with him. Charles had been furious, calling Wade an ungrateful bastard. His uncle’s reaction and hateful words saddened Wade more than they upset him, freeing the way to leave the company and begin his own investment firm guilt free.

Wade exited the highway and turned onto the gravel road leading to the single-wide trailer. He noted that improvements to the property had ground to a halt since Luke’s mishap at the wildcat well. Not that Wade was surprised—Samantha hadn’t phoned him asking for more money and when he’d contacted Barney regarding new supply orders the feed store owner claimed Samantha hadn’t been in touch with him.

Whisper and an unfamiliar horse grazed in the paddock, but Blue was nowhere in sight when Wade parked his car next to Samantha’s truck. He spotted Millicent in her rocker beneath the peach tree. He
snatched the gift bag off the passenger seat and called to the old woman. “Morning, Millicent.”

“How’s Luke’s arm healin’?”

“Fine. The red-and-black cast was a hit at school.” He held out the bag to her.

“Watcha got there?”

“A gift for you.”

She rummaged through the bag. “More chew ’n coffee.”

No word of thanks, not even a smile. Wade doubted he’d ever figure out women. He motioned to the trailer. “Samantha around?”

“Yep.”

When Millicent didn’t elaborate, he prodded, “Where is she?”

“Took Blue out to the fishin’ pond.” Millicent’s wrinkly face puckered like a rotting potato. “That gal’s hurtin’ real bad.”

His chest tightened with worry. “Did she injure herself?”

The question earned him a
whomp
on his thigh.

“Ouch.” He rubbed the sore spot. “What did you do that for?”

“’Cause yer a dunderhead.”

Dunderhead?

“She’s hurtin’ here.” Millicent patted her heart. “She’s afraid ya ain’t gonna forgive her fer lettin’ Luke wander off.”

“I told her it wasn’t her fault.”

Hadn’t he? Wade couldn’t remember what he’d said that afternoon. He’d been more concerned with getting Luke to the hospital to have his arm X-rayed.

“The gal’s blamin’ herself. Ya gotta fix things between ya.” Done talking, Millicent gathered her gifts and retreated to her shanty.

Wade hopped into the Beamer and followed the dirt path to the pond. By the time he arrived at the natural spring he swore the car’s suspension had been ruined. Samantha gave no indication she’d heard the car. Sitting with her back to Wade, she hugged her knees to her chest and stared into space while Blue grazed nearby.

Where was the strong, determined woman who’d marched into his office demanding her money? Had only mere weeks passed since Samantha Cartwright had blown into his world with the force of an Oklahoma dust storm?

Wade hiked to her spot, pausing a few feet away. He considered a greeting, but they were beyond “Hello’s” and “How are you’s.” He settled on “I’ve missed you.”

Her shoulders rose once, then fell before she rolled to her feet and faced him. The dark smudges beneath her eyes confirmed that she’d been sleeping about as well as he had lately. She inched backward, padding the distance between them.

Don’t shut me out. Not when I believe in my heart you’re the perfect woman for me.

A breeze kicked up, blowing her hair across her face. She brushed the strands from her eyes—warm pools of brown that he’d drowned in when they’d made love. Finally her gaze landed on his face and his gut clenched at her bleak stare. She opened her mouth to speak, and he feared a “Dear Wade” speech coming his way.

“Wait,” he interrupted. “Before you say anything…” If he confessed his love for her first, then she’d believe
he was angling for forgiveness when he explained that Dawson Investments had gambled away her trust fund. But if he told her about the missing money first she’d become angry and bitter and refuse to listen to anything more he had to say.

Hell.
He was screwed either way.

“No matter how I put this—”

“Then don’t, Wade.” Samantha knew this time would come. She’d thought she’d be prepared. But there was nothing she could do or say to protect her heart from being broken. Everything inside her yearned for a future with Wade—a chance at their very own fairy-tale life.

She studied Wade’s face, committing his features to memory. A strong jaw. Compelling brown eyes that reeled her in with the promise of forgiveness. Another piece of her heart chipped away when he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. When had those stupid black-rimmed specs become so dear?

“There’s something I need to tell you.” He shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

She steeled herself against the blow she knew was coming, but was unable to dodge. “Go on.”

“The real reason I’ve encouraged you to make repairs to the property one project at a time isn’t because I believed it was a better way to manage your money.” For the first time since he’d arrived at the pond, Wade didn’t make eye contact with her. “My uncle invested your trust fund in a real estate scheme that never panned out.”

This didn’t sound like an I-never-want-to-see-you-again speech. Confused, she asked, “What are you saying?”

“You’re broke, Samantha.”

“Broke?” The idea was ludicrous. She was worth millions. “Did you know this before I showed up at your office requesting my money?”

“No. I only found out that afternoon when I accessed your account on the computer.”

Her stomach soured. “Why didn’t you say something then?”

“At first I’d believed the missing funds had to be caused by a computer glitch. I called in the company’s software guru to look into it. After reviewing the computer data he confirmed that the money in your account had been withdrawn but he was unable to locate a tracking number that would tell us where the money went or who took it.”

Blinking back tears, she said, “Why didn’t you tell me the truth then?” Had the time they spent together meant anything to Wade? Or had he only wanted to keep her distracted while he’d searched for her money?

“I should have been truthful then, but I hadn’t been able to get in touch with my uncle.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I had hoped to prevent the fiasco from damaging Dawson Investments’ reputation and I didn’t want this setback to derail the promotion I was up for.”

“Why did you need to tell your uncle first?” Wade was in charge of her money not Charles Dawson.

“My uncle was caught on the security tape entering the company offices on July fourth—the day your money was removed from the account.”

A gasp worked its way up her throat and exploded from her mouth. “Your uncle stole my money?”

“He used your money to make a bad investment.”

Samantha was speechless. It wasn’t the shock that Charles Dawson had drained her trust fund dry but the hurt that Wade had tried to protect his uncle and his own interests rather than tell her the truth.

You’re one to talk. You’ve been keeping truths from Wade, as well.

Yes, but…

But nothing. Wade’s secret didn’t almost cost a little boy his life.

“I’m not proud of myself for misleading you, Samantha.”

All this time she’d believed Wade had wanted to be with her because he cared about her not because he’d needed more time to investigate her missing money. Forcing the pain aside she asked, “Where did the money come from for the ranch renovations?”

“I’ve been using my own cash to finance the repairs and improvements.”

How noble.

“By the time I discovered the truth about my uncle’s involvement in an investment scheme—”

“What scheme?”

“He invested your money in a real estate deal that went belly-up.”

Oh, boy.
She wouldn’t want to be in Dawson’s shoes when her father heard the news.

“According to my uncle it’s too late to recoup your losses. He’s searching for another investor and if he’s able to acquire additional funds, then there’s a chance in the end that you’ll make a small fortune from this deal.”

She couldn’t care less if the real estate deal panned out or not. “So digging the well, making calls to sup
pliers on my behalf and paying the tab at Barney’s was to protect you and Dawson Investments?”

“In the beginning, yes,” he admitted. “I was in a state of panic and my motives were selfish.”

The truth of the matter was that Samantha had been her own worst enemy. She’d gone along with Wade’s recommendations because she hadn’t been able to trust her memory. The tears she’d held at bay spilled down her cheeks and she swiped angrily at the wetness.

She’d second-guessed herself with every step she’d taken to get the rescue ranch off the ground. Worried and wondered if she was doing the right thing all the while believing Wade had dug that blasted well because he’d wished to please her. More upset with herself than Wade, she lashed out. “You took advantage of me.”

“Samantha, I—”

“Stop.” Deep down she believed Wade had her best interests at heart. She couldn’t blame him for wanting a chance to recover her money. Hadn’t she felt the same when she’d bought the Peterson homestead without informing her father, hoping to whip it into shape before she broke the news? “Leave, Wade.” When he opened his mouth to protest, she whispered, “Please.”

His gaze narrowed and Sam held her breath, wondering if he’d ignore her request. Then he surprised her by closing the gap between them, taking her face in his hands and kissing the daylights out of her.

Shocked by his boldness, Sam froze, her traitorous lips playing along with Wade’s.

“You and I aren’t finished, Samantha.” The pad of his thumb wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Not by a long shot.”

He drove off, leaving her alone and aching for the impossible—their own happy-ever-after.

“T
HANK YOU FOR SEEING ME TODAY
.” Wade stepped into Dominick’s downtown Tulsa office. A week had passed since he’d broken the news to Samantha about her trust fund and she’d told him to get lost. He’d returned to his office that day intending to inform her father about her financial losses but the oil baron had been out of town and his secretary hadn’t been able to schedule a meeting with Dominick until today.

He’d anticipated a call from Dominick but when none came, Wade assumed Samantha hadn’t told her father about the lost millions.

“How’s your boy?” Dominick asked.

“Luke’s doing great. His broken arm vaulted him to rock-star status among his peers.”

Dominick chuckled. “Leave it to kids to turn a near tragedy into an act of heroism.” He motioned to the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d rather stand.”

“In the event you need a quick exit?” One side of Dominick’s dark mustache lifted.

“Something like that.” Wade shut the office door, then strolled to the bank of windows overlooking the city. He shoved a hand into his trouser pocket and fingered the engagement ring he’d carried around with him each day. “I’ve already broken the news to Samantha.”

“What news?”

Just as he suspected…“I had a hunch Samantha hadn’t shared the details with you.” Wade braced himself. “What I’m about to disclose will make you madder than hell.”

“I’m listening.” Dominick set his pen on the desk blotter.

“When Samantha showed up at Dawson Investments on her birthday requesting access to her trust fund, I discovered her account had been wiped clean.” To clarify, he added, “The balance was zero.” Wade was so damned embarrassed he’d been caught with his shorts down.

Dominick remained silent although his dark eyes glinted. Wade appreciated the man’s generosity in allowing him to explain before he raged.

“I suspected a computer glitch. When that assumption proved incorrect, I confronted my uncle.” After coming to terms with his uncle’s actions, a part of Wade still hungered for the man’s recognition and that pissed him off. He acknowledged that letting go of his deep-seated desire for his uncle’s approval would take effort on his part. Today’s meeting with Dominick was a step in the right direction.

“My uncle invested Samantha’s trust fund in a scheme to buy—”

“Son of a bitch.” Dominick slammed his fist on his desk. “Charles bought that damned island off the coast of Dubai, didn’t he?”

Surprised, Wade asked, “Who told you about the Dubai project?”

“Your uncle urged me to buy in and I refused.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “I gave Dawson Investments Samantha’s trust fund as a favor to Charles because we went to college together and this is how he repays me?”