The Stolen Suitor (21 page)

How had she not seen it? Or maybe she had and just thought she was imagining things. Now that the truth was in front of her, it was plain that Eric took after John in a lot of ways. Or since Eric was older, maybe it was the other way around. It wasn’t just in the lines of his body or the way he went about his work—so very much like John. It was there in the set of his jaw, in his very presence.

No wonder Janie had taken to Eric so quickly.

No wonder I did
, she thought.

“What does this mean, Pops?” she managed.

“Well, now…. You know that when John and you married up, I settled my property amongst my children. John got the ranch, and Laura and Sally will split everythin’ else, accordin’ to my will. But Laura and Sally had no interest in ranchin’. Eric, here, does. And Eric… he’s
my son
.”

Eric’s forearms were on the table, his large hands cupped around his coffee mug. Billy reached over and laid a hand on Eric’s arm. Eric gave the old man a look that held gratitude and longing and discomfort in equal measure.

And the look on
Billy’s
face, dear Lord! Trix knew right then she had lost. Billy had sometimes been hard on John, but John had practically been his world. And now—Billy had another son.

Billy had another heir.

Billy was right. Eric did have it in him to be a rancher, maybe a good one. And she’d given him the opportunity to prove that and paid him for the privilege.

She was a certified fool.

She felt pain clog her chest in a way it hadn’t done since John’s death. “And Janie is
your granddaughter
. Are you just gonna cast her out now that you have a family stud horse again? Is that is, Pops?”

Billy looked shocked. “Trix, no! No! That’s not what this is about a’tall!”

“I would never do anythin’ to hurt you or Janie,” Eric added, his face worried.

“Then what? What is it?” Trix’s voice was shaking.

Billy sighed. “That’s why I called this family meetin’. I’m hopin’ we can work somethin’ out that’ll be right for everyone. I was thinkin’ about giving Eric that back two hundred acres on t’other side of the river. Since you and John sold off the cattle, you don’t really need it. And we can put in a decent access road and bridge, make it a separate property.” Billy’s voice got a note of excitement. “I’ll help Eric get a little house built up, maybe start back up the Big Basin cattle operation. But listen to me goin’ on! That’s entirely up to Eric. I should let him speak for himself.”

Billy was practically glowing, and Trix could see it all plain as day. Billy would have his son back—or
a
son. He’d be thrilled to see Eric ranching cattle. He’d be driving down that “access road” to the back two hundred acres three times a day. Right past Trix and Janie.

And why should that feel so bad? She should be happy for Billy. And for Eric. And though she did use those back acres to grow hay for the horses, she supposed she could buy that same hay readily enough. It wasn’t like what Billy was suggesting would seriously hurt her operation.

But Big Basin—all of it—was John’s birthright. And thus, Janie’s, and hers, as John’s wife.

Worse still, Eric had used her. He’d used her to get to Billy somehow, played her. And, goddamn it, despite resisting him, she’d
wanted
, hadn’t she? She’d wanted Eric to be for real, for the way he made her feel to be real. And even Janie had gotten attached to him, goddamn it.

Eric Crassen had broken her heart—again.

TRIX
left Billy’s house before she could give in to her tears and frustration. Logically, she knew she wasn’t handling this well, but in the moment, all she felt was betrayed.

“Trix, wait!” Eric called out to her before she reached her car.

She got in anyway, but he was there, holding the door open and keeping her from closing it.

“Hey! I’m sorry you feel sideswiped by this. I didn’t know either until four days ago.”

Trix huffed a sound of pure disbelief.

“I didn’t!” Eric insisted.

“Oh, come on! You asked me for a job because you wanted to get your foot in the door at Big Basin. Admit it!”

Eric started to say something, then stopped, looking guilty.

That was all the confirmation Trix needed. “Let go of the door.”

“Trix, please. I… I have property now. I can make something of myself. And maybe we can ranch together. Don’t you see? It’s not up to Billy now, but you and me.”

“You and me?” Trix laughed bitterly. “Is that how it is? Now you’re co-owner of Big Basin with me? On par with
me
? I don’t think so, Eric Crassen! Just leave me alone! And by the way, you might have fooled the old man, but you don’t fool me. You’re fired!”

His face fell along with his hand, and Trix yanked the door shut. She started the car and reversed out of the driveway, refusing to give Eric even one more look.

CHRIS
was at the register when Trix stormed into the Merc. He knew immediately something was wrong. Her face was pale and streaked with dried tears, and her lips were pursed to a bloodless hue.

He was ringing up Mr. Montago’s large weekly order, and they both stopped to watch Trix as she came up to him.

“What happened?” Chris demanded.
Please, God, don’t let it be Janie
.

Trix gave a half-crazed grin. “You and me are goin’ to Vegas. Right now!”

“What?”

“You heard me! Are you ready? I called my mom on the way over here, and she can keep Janie for a few days. Let’s just go to the airport, and we’ll figure it all out when we get there.”

Chris couldn’t make any sense of what Trix was going on about, though the word “Vegas” did bring certain things to mind. What on earth?

“Can you hang on, Mr. Montago?” Chris asked. “I’ll send Minola right up.”

“Sure thing. And congratulations!” Mr. Montage seemed to be catching on better than Chris was.

Chris took Trix’s elbow and ushered her down the aisle to the back. He told Minola to go out front, took Trix into his dad’s office, and closed the door. “All right. Now what’s goin’ on?”

Trix was smiling, but it seemed frighteningly manic. “I want to get married! Now. You and me, Chris. What don’t you understand?”

“Well…
why now
, for one thing? What happened?”

Trix huffed, crossed her arms, and began to pace in the small room. “Somethin’ happened all right. Did you know Eric Crassen is John’s
brother
?”

“What?”

“Well, half-brother, I guess. Eric’s mother and Billy dated years ago. Apparently she never told him ’til recently that Eric was
his.
Convenient, huh?”

Chris tried to wrap his head around it. “What about Jeremy?”

“Who?” Trix stopped pacing and frowned at him.

“Jeremy Crassen, Eric’s younger brother.”

Trix shrugged. “I don’t know about him. I assume he’s not related to us since Billy and Eric’s mother broke up before Eric was born. Did you hear what I said, Chris? Eric is John’s
half-brother
! And now Billy wants to give him half the ranch!”

“Huh.” Chris wondered if Jeremy just found out too and how he’d taken it. He remembered Mabe saying she had something to tell Jeremy and Eric. Was that it? Or had Jeremy known this all along? And… why did that seem important?

“Eric used me!” Trix continued, pacing again. “He’s been all great and helpful around the ranch, and now Billy thinks he has a ‘cowboy son’ back, and is givin’ away a big chunk of my home.
Janie’s
home!”

Obviously Trix was upset, but Chris wasn’t sure how to feel about it. His opinion of Eric had softened between seeing his focus in riding class, and, well, caring for Jeremy. Chris knew Jeremy and Eric had both had a hard time after their father—or stepfather, in Eric’s case—was put away. Would it be a bad thing if a good man like Billy Stubben were to take an interest in that family? Set Eric up with a future? Maybe that would free up Jeremy to go to college and—

“—and I fell for it! You wouldn’t believe the way he tried to charm me, Chris.”

“What do you mean?”

“Eric! He pretended that he really liked me! He… he tried to… get fresh! Don’t you care about that at all?”

Chris did feel a stir of anger at that. “Are you saying Eric took advantage of you?” he asked pointedly.

Trix expelled an exasperated breath. “Not
exactly
. I mean, he didn’t—I didn’t—Oooh! Forget it! This isn’t about Eric Crassen!”

“It isn’t?”

“No! I want us to get married!” Trix threw herself into Chris’s arms, holding him around the waist. He put his arms around her easily. “You said you wanted us to get married at some point. So why not now?”

Chris’s stomach did a sick little jiggle. “And
you
said you weren’t ready.”

“Well, now I am,” Trix said firmly.

“But… why? I mean… is us being married going to affect what Billy does with the ranch somehow?”

Trix’s pulled back to look at him. “No. Billy will give Eric those two hundred acres no matter what I do.”

“Are you going to lose the house?”

“No. He’s giving Eric those back acres, the ones across the river. I’ll keep the house and the stable and all that, so I can still run my business.”

Chris struggled to understand, he really did. But a deep-rooted fear of this whole sudden-marriage thing was preventing him from being very objective. “Okay. Then why are you freaking out? And why are you so set on going to Vegas right now?”

Trix pushed away, clearly annoyed with him. “Do you want to marry me, Chris Ramsey, or not? Because you said you did!”

It was the moment of truth, and Chris knew it. It was time to shit or get off the pot. And maybe he’d understood that time was coming, but he hadn’t thought it would be so soon. He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen with Jeremy. He was crazy about that boy, but did they have a future?

Then he pictured Jeremy’s face when Chris had to tell him it was over—that he and Trix had eloped, that he was a married man. He pictured sleeping with Trix when he wanted Jeremy. He pictured Jeremy hurt, maybe a scar over his heart changing his level of openness and trust for all time.

But mostly, Chris was a selfish bastard. He couldn’t give Jeremy up, even if they only had a little time left.

He forced himself to meet Trix’s gaze. “No.”

Trix frowned at him, not understanding.

He took a deep breath. He’d been thinking about this a lot lately. “Listen. When John died… I think I went a little crazy. He was my best friend,
my age
. You know? It made me feel like… there’s so little time. That I had to settle down
right now
. And you know I do love you and Janie, and I wanted to take care of you, for John’s sake.”

“I never asked anyone to take care of me,” Trix said, crossing her arms again defensively.

“I know. You’re strong and capable, Trix. Everyone knows that. But I also know how badly
you
were hurt by John’s death. You never would have thought about marrying me otherwise.”

“That’s not true!”

Chris shook his head helplessly. “Yes, it is. I’m gay, Trix. Yes, I’ve been with some women, but it was never as strong for me as being with a man. And I thought I was okay with that, okay with us having a marriage based in friendship and maybe raising kids. But… that’s not right. I’m not even thirty yet. There’s still a chance for me to have it all, and you too. You deserve to have it all, Trixie Sticks, not a man who can’t worship you the way you deserve. I want to be there for you and Janie. I will be. Just… not as a husband.”

It hurt to say it, hurt to admit it. And a part of Chris whispered that he was making a mistake, giving up something good and worthwhile—the chance to have his own children, a good friend as a wife, a beautiful home like Big Basin. It wasn’t an easy choice, but it was the only one he could make. A stone was lifted off his heart.

Unfortunately, it clearly hurt Trix to hear it. Her face crumpled. Chris would do anything not to have caused her any more pain.

“Fine,” Trix said. “If that’s the way you want it.”

“Trix….”

“I’m not mad, Chris. But right now… I just need to get out of here.”

Chris walked Trix to the front door and watched until she got into her Wrangler and drove away.

WHEN
Trix got back to the ranch, she was still upset. And she knew she had no one to blame but herself.

What had she been thinking, going into the Merc like a desperate ninny and asking Chris to get on a plane to Vegas? As if she could prove that
someone
wanted her. As if she could convince herself that she’d never felt anything for that lying Eric Crassen.

And Chris had turned her down. Poor Chris. She’d hardly even seen him the past few weeks, her head full of Eric instead. And she and Chris had never really… consummated any commitment. Part of her had always known she and Chris Ramsey joined in holy matrimony was… off, like trying to make a sandwich with mustard and chocolate sauce. But Chris was right: John’s death had left her damaged. She’d wanted to do what was easy and safe, for Janie too.

Now that the heat of the moment was over, all she could think was, thank God he’d turned her down.

Janie had been quiet since Trix picked her up at her folks, sitting in her car seat in the back, clutching a big red apple her grandma had given her and looking out the window. But as soon as they pulled into the driveway at the ranch, she demanded to be let out of her car seat—loudly.

“My Goodness, Janie. Such a fuss!” Trix said as she unsnapped Janie’s safety belt and lifted her out. “What are you in such a hurry about, huh?”

Janie held up the apple. “This is for Eric.”

Before Trix could say anything, Janie took off toward the stable.

Trix closed her eyes and sighed. Goddamn it. She followed her daughter, thinking about what a pain it was going to be to replace Eric. She’d have to put up a notice in town again. And probably run through a streak of washouts before she found another reliable worker.