Monroe, Melody Snow - Leather and Lace [The Callens 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (18 page)

“Not that I’m aware of, but I only learned about the thefts because the number of cattle reported went down.” Her mind spun. Had the stealing been going on longer than she’d realized? “Other than needing money, why would he do this to me? I truly thought he liked and respected me.”

Wade leaned back in his chair. “He does. That’s why it makes perfect sense. I should have seen it earlier.”

“You’re the one who’s not making sense.”

“I don’t know what they call it, but it’s the
I want to be a hero to win the girl
syndrome.”

“Huh?” Now wasn’t the time for him to be funny.

“Do you remember the first time Jake found out we were staying at your house after you got shot?”

“He got mad.”

“Yes. How would Will have responded if he’d come and learned we were going to protect you?”

She didn’t have to think twice. “He would have been happy that he didn’t have to send someone out to keep watch.”

“Yes. Don’t you see? Jake was jealous of us.”

She glanced between all three men whose gaze was focused on her. “I believe that’s true, especially when I think about everything he’s said since I got injured. But you’re basically accusing him of paying someone to steal my cattle so he could capture them and be the hero?”

“Precisely,” Wade said. “When you didn’t let him take care of you after you got shot, he set a fire in the barn. He wanted to put it out then rush in and tell you how he saved all the horses.”

Oh, shit.
“But the smoke got to him before he could save anything.”

“Right.”

The pattern fit. “That’s why when I got shot, he told me he was sorry. It was like that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“No one could have known you’d be coming down Harper’s Lane so late at night.”

“It was my dad’s birthday party and we stayed up to celebrate.”

The pieces fell into place. Maybe that was why nothing like this had ever happened to a man’s ranch.

Wade leaned forward. “When the fire starting backfired, he had the rustlers steal your cattle again. Only this time, he tried to stop them. For him, it was time to be the hero.”

But he failed. She looked up at Will. “Jake is at my ranch now.”

“We’re bringing him in for questioning.”

Her head spun. “I need to use the bathroom.” She got up and rushed down the hallway. She managed not to throw up, but her stomach wanted to heave. She splashed water on her face, which somewhat helped calm her.

What had she done wrong? She never showed any interest in Jake. If she had, would he have acted differently? It was too late now to second-guess herself.

She walked back to Will’s office, trying to pull herself together. Wade and Heath were shaking the sheriff’s hand.

Will looked upset that he’d had to deliver such bad news. “I’m very sorry. I’ll let you know if we have to charge Jake. If he did hire the men to steal the cattle, he’ll be responsible for your shooting, too.”

Could this get any worse?

The ride home was solemn. She was now one man short. Chad was young, but she trusted him to lead the other men. If she ever had to start again, she’d only hire women. In fact, she should consider starting again. If only she could figure out how to run a ranch with no cattle.

Even though the threat to her life and her ranch was gone, the men tried to convince her to stay the day.

She wasn’t in the mood. “I really need to regroup. I’m sorry.”

“We understand. Let us know if we can do anything.” Heath gave her a comforting hug good-bye.

Wade brought out her suitcases. “Don’t be a stranger.” He winked, which brought out a smile.

Once they dropped her off at her place, she was more determined than ever to win.

* * * *

It was close to a month before Jake and the two rustlers were brought to trial. As sick as it made her feel, she wanted to watch the proceedings. Maybe Jake would provide some sense of closure for her. The trial had already started when Heath slipped next to her.

“What are you doing here?” She welcomed having him here, because the tension that filled the air caused her stomach to roil.

“Making sure you’re okay.”

That was sweet. Both he and Wade had been so supportive during this whole Jake affair. They’d even offered to help her interview other hands to replace the vacated position, but she’d had to decline when it came to the actual interview. No worker would respect her if they thought the Watson brothers were really in charge. She had gone to them for advice about her options for winter grazing. At least these two never lectured her, unlike her dad who suggested she sell the place and move back home after someone leaked the truth about what happened.

Only Wade and Heath seemed to really understand that her life was all about being outside and riding the range.

The defense attorney was interrogating Jake on the stand. He kept looking her way, but she found it hard to make eye contact. Jake had already pled guilty to hiring the men to steal the cattle, but he never said anything about using guns, and swore up and down that he never told them to shoot anyone.

“Mr. Hansen. Why did you hire these men?”

She held her breath. Heath took her hand in his.

“Because I wanted to prove to Samantha Callen that she needed a man by her side. I wanted that man to be me.”

Her breath whooshed out. Wade was right. Jake wanted to be a hero, but to do that he needed to set up something to save—her ranch.

She’d had enough. “Let’s go.”

The courts would provide the proper judgment. She’d liked Jake, just not in the way he wanted.

As they walked out, the chill in the air took her by surprise. “It almost feels like it’s going to snow.”

“Could be.”

They’d driven separately, which was too bad, as she was in the mood to spend time with Heath.

He walked her to her car. “Wade and I would like you to come over for dinner tonight. We want to talk to you about something.”

“What about?” The three of them had been brainstorming a lot of ideas about how to improve the running of her ranch.

“You’ll have to wait and see. Oh, and wear a dress.” He grinned.

“A dress?” She hadn’t worn once since she became a ranch owner. “Is this about the ranch?” If so, why did they expect her to dress up?

“Six o’clock. Be there.” He kissed her quickly and strode off.

That was a bizarre conversation but one that intrigued her. She hopped in her car and took off, running a bunch of different scenarios through her head.

She wasn’t in the mood to do much after the sickening trial. The men were up to something, and she didn’t want to disappoint them. She had two hours before meeting the men, so she stopped off at her parents’ ranch to look through her wardrobe and pick up her makeup case. She used to love dressing up, but the whole ranch experience had suppressed those desires.

Once she got back home, she washed her hair and actually put on makeup for the first time in forever. Wouldn’t they be surprised?

Promptly at six, she arrived at their front door. Instead of entering like she often did, she rang the bell and waited for them to answer. Both Wade and Heath ushered her in.

“You look radiant,” Heath said. He greeted her with a kiss.

“Beautiful,” Wade responded.

This time she accepted the compliment. They had a fire going in the fireplace, and the warmth helped calm her. The trial had done more damage than she wanted to admit. She needed to be with them tonight. Heath disappeared and came back with a glass of wine for her.

“So what’s going on?” She’d thought of many things but discarded them all. “Did the sheriff call with the trial results?” The prosecutor hadn’t even presented his case yet when she and Heath had left.

“No.” Wade led her over to the sofa. He sat on one side of her, Heath on the other. “We’ve been thinking about making a change.”

Her heart nearly stopped. Change often wasn’t a good thing. “What kind of change?” She prayed they weren’t considering leaving
Intrigue
.

Heath and Wade slid a hip off the sofa and faced her. Wade handed her a blue velvet box. She took the box with a shaky hand. This couldn’t possibly be what she hoped it might be.

“Open it,” Heath urged.

She gasped. Inside was a large diamond ring. There was one stone in the middle, bordered by two smaller ones on the side. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Try it on,” Wade said.

She slipped the ring on her finger and held out her hand for inspection. Its glistening gems seemed to complete her. “Does this mean what I think it means?” She was ecstatic but concerned at the same time.

“It means Heath and I want to marry you.”

“Uh-oh. Does that mean you want me to give up my ranch?” Would they want to combine the two properties? Would they let her be a part of the decision-making process?

“No. We’d never ask that. We know it’s in your blood.”

The air in her lungs whooshed out. “Then what?”

“Why do you think there’s a catch?”

“Because you looked to the side for a moment. I know you. It means there’s something you’re not telling me.”

Wade glanced at Heath who nodded. “Here’s the thing. When you’re in
ranch
mode, you never want to be seen kissing us in public. We’d like that behavior to stop. If we want to kiss you and show the world that we love you, then so be it. We know that you used to love dressing like a woman. Like the way you are tonight. We want you to embrace the real you.”

“I gave that up when I bought the ranch.” Tingles bombarded her body. “You do know I love you both very much.”

“We know you do. You show it every time you make love to us. It’s when you’re talking to your men that you seem afraid to show your feminine side.”

She wasn’t quite sure she understood. “You want me to wear makeup all the time?”

“No. You’re beautiful the way you are, but we want you to show everyone who you really are on the inside.”

She was shocked. “I’m not that bad, am I?” She had to think about what they were really saying. “My ranch hands and suppliers won’t take orders from a woman, so I have to try my damnedest to act like one of them.”

“We don’t buy that. There has to be something you can do to earn their respect besides acting super tough.”

“I’ve tried. What do you suggest?”

They both watched her for a bit, never breaking eye contact. “Change the rules of the game,” Wade said. “Do something different. Think of something outside the box. Bottom line is that we don’t want to marry a man. We want to marry the woman that’s inside of you waiting to come out. Understand that we’ll help in any way we can.”

“If I’m such a man, why were you ever attracted to me in the first place?”

“Because we see past that tough fa
ç
ade. We see the woman on the inside, and you’re beautiful, wonderful, and loving. We want that person to shine through all the time. We want you to be proud of loving us, not ashamed.”