Summer Days (21 page)

“I don’t. I’m surprised. I didn’t think about vacation rentals, but sure. Why not?” Now that she’d thought of it, he doubted his mother would be willing to give up the idea. Better to work with her than against her.

May sagged in her chair. “You think I’m a terrible mother.”

“What?”

Tears filled her eyes. “It’s because I am. Do you know what today is?”

It took him a second to figure that out. “You’re not a terrible mother.”

“I haven’t called her. I should. But I never know what to say. She’s so distant, and I know that’s my fault.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“She’s my daughter. We should be close. You and I are close.”

“That’s because you won’t let me escape.”

He’d hoped to make her smile, but instead, the tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks.

He stood and circled the table, then pulled May to her feet and hugged her.

“Call her,” he said. “Wish her happy birthday.”

“Shouldn’t I want to talk to Evangeline? Shouldn’t I miss her? No, that’s wrong. I do miss her, but I’m also confused. Does she hate us? You never talk to her, either.”

“If I do, I’ll yell at her.”

His sister was a disappointment. She’d had so much potential. A brilliant dancer, Evangeline had been accepted to Juilliard and had dropped out her second year. Seven years ago, his business had been growing and he’d plowed every penny back into it. The fifty thousand a year in tuition had been a stretch, but he’d been determined she wouldn’t have to worry about money. So he’d paid it all, and had given her a generous allowance, so she could hang out with her friends and buy whatever it was eighteen-year-old girls needed.

She’d walked away from it and had never said a word as to why. He’d only found out when the school had returned his tuition money, telling him Evangeline was no longer a student there.

“She’s all alone,” May whispered. “It’s her birthday and she’s all alone.”

He held his mother while she cried, and didn’t know what to do to fix the problem. If Shane were here, his brother would probably tell him it was all his fault. Maybe it was. Maybe he expected too much from his family. But, dammit all to hell, Evangeline could have gone all the way. However, like Clay, she’d chosen what was easy. She’d walked away from her dreams, and he couldn’t forgive that.

“You should call her,” he repeated. “You’ll feel better, and she probably will, too.”

She drew back and wiped her face. Her eyes were still sad, though, and she sighed. “We have that in common, you and I. We don’t fight for what’s important to us. Our pride is easily bruised, and when someone walks away, we let them.”

He wasn’t comfortable with the assessment. “I don’t do that.”

“You did with Evangeline and with Clay. Maybe your first wife. I don’t know enough about the details to be sure. One day you’re going to have to stand up and fight for what you want. I am, too. First, I just have to figure out what that is.”

She left the kitchen. Rafe stared after her, not sure what she had meant. He knew how to fight. His business was proof of that. He’d started with nothing and was now worth millions.

But in his gut, he understood his mother didn’t mean anything financial. She was talking about risking his heart. Clay had disappointed him, as had Evangeline, and he’d cut both of them out of his life. He’d been disappointed by love and refused to risk his heart again. He wasn’t a man who forgave easily.

He’d always thought that was a strength, but maybe he’d been wrong.

* * *

H
EIDI
POINTED
TO
THE
CAVE
paintings. Rita held her flashlight high and then burst into laughter.

“They’re wonderful. You did a perfect job. I would be completely fooled.”

Heidi sighed. “Unfortunately, we don’t have to convince you. The experts have already arrived and seen everything. I don’t know how long we can string them along.”

Rita studied her. “You’re not happy about this.”

“I know. I made a mistake. I was having second thoughts, and then I was hurt and mad and said we should do it. It’s like rolling a rock downhill. Once you give it a push, there’s no pulling it back.”

She touched the cool, uneven wall of the cave. “I should have talked to Rafe. I should have tried to work things out. Instead, I’m scamming the whole town. When they find out, they may never forgive me.”

“I think you’re being a little hard on yourself.”

“I was wrong.”

Rita leaned in and kissed Heidi’s forehead. “My sweet girl. You’ve always had character.”

“Not enough, or I would have found another way.”

“Deep breaths. It’s done now, and you simply have to ride out the storm. It might not be as bad as you think.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I usually am. Come on. Show me the rest.”

Heidi led her deeper into the caves. As they turned the corner, they didn’t notice the reporter hovering in the shadows. Nor did they see her hurry out to tell her producer everything she’d just learned.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

R
AFE
STOOD
IN
THE
CENTER
of the kitchen, feeling the surge of anger rising through him. He didn’t look at Heidi—couldn’t look at her. Not after what she’d done. He knew he was too close to saying something he shouldn’t. Something they would both regret.

He’d suspected all along, but to have it come out like this… He was furious and couldn’t completely say why.

“I’m sure if Heidi explained…” May began, but his mother sounded doubtful.

Glen hovered between the two women, as if unsure of where his loyalties lay.

Heidi pressed against the counter, maybe for support, maybe in an attempt to put more room between them. Rafe wasn’t sure and he didn’t care.

The morning news had trumpeted the story of the fake cave paintings in Fool’s Gold. The reporter had personally overheard Heidi confessing all. The reporter had taken great glee in saying Heidi had betrayed them all.

He realized then that was the source of his anger. Not that she’d tried to win, but that she hadn’t trusted him to—

He swore silently. Trusted him to what? Take care of her? He wanted the land for his development. She shouldn’t trust him. But he wanted her to. And that was why he was so pissed.

“You lied to me,” he said at last.

Her chin came up slightly. “Yes. I lied to you. I tried to get the judge to rule in my favor and make sure you couldn’t carry out your plans.”

May sank onto a kitchen chair. “Oh, Heidi. I don’t understand. I thought we were getting along. I thought you liked having me here.”

“I do,” Heidi said, glaring at Rafe. “You’re not the problem. It’s your son. Because I believed the same thing you did, May. That we were coming to terms and working things out. Then I found out Rafe had gone behind my back. He has plans for the land. Plans to build houses for the casino workers.”

Heidi’s voice turned bitter. “Don’t worry. From what I saw, he’s leaving you a few acres for your animals, and you get the house. But the rest of the land will be developed, and Glen and I are to be thrown out.”

Rafe swore under his breath. He had no idea how she’d found out about his idea or what she’d seen.

His mother stared at him. “Rafe? Is that true? You’re building houses and throwing out Heidi? How could you?”

“I haven’t done anything,” he pointed out. “I made up a few drawings.”

Heidi’s mouth twisted. “That’s not all. You made calls and found out about zoning. You contacted the city very quietly.”

“You can’t know that.”

“No, I can’t,” she admitted. “But I know you, and that’s the next logical step. Or am I wrong?”

They were all staring at him. Glen and Heidi were pissed, but his mother was hurt, her dark eyes swimming with tears.

“I had Dante make a few calls,” he admitted. “I haven’t done anything else.”

“What about Heidi?” his mother asked. “You were planning on having her leave? And the goats? Where were they supposed to go?”

A question he couldn’t answer. “Mom, you were cheated from the start. I was only looking out for you.”

“Oh, please,” Heidi said, rolling her eyes. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate having hundreds of homes just a few feet away. Roads cutting through the ranch she loves. Pristine wilderness turned into a parking lot. You didn’t do any of this for her. This is about you and profit and winning.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then what’s it about? Why didn’t you tell any of us that you were planning this? I didn’t know how to stop you, so, yes, I created the cave paintings and planted the artifacts. I was wrong, and I have to tell you, it’s a relief to be caught. I’ll accept the consequences of my actions.” She swallowed. “I was trying to protect my home, to make sure that Glen and I could stay here.”

She turned to May. “I should have come to you. That’s my mistake, and I’m sorry. I was so scared when I found out what Rafe wanted to do. And hurt. You’ve been nothing but gracious and warm since you arrived.” She drew in a breath. “I’m so sorry.”

May’s lower lip trembled. “I understand.” She stared at Rafe. “Why didn’t you say something to me? You had the perfect opportunity to explain
everything when Glen and I talked to you about the vacation homes.”

May glanced at Heidi. “Your grandfather and I were thinking of having small vacation homes built on some of the land. Enough for the carnival workers to winter here. They could be rentals in the summer. You know, for families who want to come to Fool’s Gold.”

A single tear slipped down Heidi’s cheek. “I would have liked that.”

Rafe felt a growing sense of unease. The situation had slipped out of his control, and he wasn’t sure where it was going.

“Heidi still lied,” he pointed out. “She tricked us all.”

“So did you,” his mother snapped. “Rafe, I would never agree to give up the ranch for a housing development. A few acres, maybe. At the far end and closest to the casino. But not much more. And I would never allow you to throw out Heidi and her goats. You took charge, like you always do. You assumed you knew best.”

She rose. “I know some of that is my fault. I depended on you too much when you were little. I made you grow up too quickly. Now you steamroll over everyone.”

He felt the ground shifting as the attention focused on him.

“Wait a minute,” he began.

“No. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

His mother walked out of the kitchen. Glen followed.

Rafe walked to the table and took one of the chairs. “Happy?” he asked as he sat.

“Of course not. This isn’t what I wanted.”

“What did you want?”

“Not to lose my home. I thought about coming to you, trying to reason with you, but…” She shook her head. “You have to win. Always. I can’t believe your mother talked to you about those vacation homes and you didn’t tell her what you had planned.” Her eyes narrowed. “I’ll bet you were figuring out a way to have both. Put in the vacation homes she wanted, and use the extra land to build your development.”

He didn’t have an answer to that, mostly because it was true.

“I see,” she said quietly. “Let me guess. There wasn’t any room for me in the new plan, either.”

He shifted on the chair, feeling guilty and uncomfortable.

“Heidi,” he began.

“No,” she told him. “You can’t talk your way out of this. As far as you’re concerned, I’m someone you slept with. Nothing more. You don’t care about me or what happens to me. You would be very content to toss me out.”

“That’s not true.”

“Okay, prove it. Show me where I fit in your plan. Point out one square inch of this ranch you had left for me.”

He stood. “I don’t have any details,” he hedged.

“You don’t have anything.”

She stared at him for a long time. He waited for her to start yelling, but instead, she was quiet. Her eyes grew sad.

“I was wrong,” she said quietly. “I accept that. I did what I did to protect my home, and while that’s not good enough, at least it’s a reason I can accept without feeling like a jerk. You did what you did for profit. You ignored everyone but yourself. Your mom is right. You force your will on everyone, consequences be damned. The reason you didn’t feel anything when your marriage ended is because you don’t know how to care about anyone but yourself. Using a matchmaker is a really good idea, Rafe. Just make sure Nina explains to your prospective bride that the man she’s marrying was born without a heart.”

* * *

R
AFE
HAD
ALWAYS
THOUGHT
he had a pretty good handle on his world. He understood the rules, the consequences, and he played to win. Sometime in the last two days, he’d completely lost control. Heidi had lied to him and his mother, tricked the town and been outed by a reporter. But instead of anyone standing up and asking what the hell she’d been thinking, he had become the bad guy.

His mother had asked him to move out of the ranch and back to the hotel in town. He hadn’t seen Heidi, Glen wasn’t speaking to him and everywhere he went in Fool’s Gold, he was getting angry stares.

“People really hate you,” Dante said cheerfully, his long legs stretched out in front of him.

They were sitting in the bar at Ronan’s Folly. Rafe had moved back to a suite there, and Dante had joined him to wrap up a few business details. In a couple of days, they would both head to San Francisco. There was no reason to stay in Fool’s Gold. It wasn’t as if anyone wanted him around.

The situation was too pathetic for him to stand, he thought grimly, as he gripped his Scotch.

“It’s an interesting insight into human behavior,” his partner continued. “Technically, Heidi is the one who broke the rules. She deceived everyone. All you did was scratch out a few tentative plans for some houses. Yet she’s forgiven and you’re the devil.”

“Thanks for the recap.”

Dante looked around. “I like it here.”

“You’re a sick guy.”

“Maybe. But there’s a sense of community. Heidi’s the pretty, helpless woman done wrong by the big, bad developer.”

“I didn’t develop shit.”

“But you could have. And your sins would be much greater. I respect the sense of loyalty.”

“I hope you respect the lack of profits. There’s no way we’re going to be able to develop any houses around here.”

“Not on your mother’s land, no. But there might be other places. After all, the casino is still going to need to hire people.”

Rafe shook his head. “No, thanks. I’m done with Fool’s Gold.” His initial instincts had been right. He should never have come back.

“Then I might look around.”

“Help yourself.”

Rafe started to say more, only to be distracted by angry, stomping footsteps approaching. He looked around and spotted Shane headed toward him. His brother didn’t look happy.

“Brace yourself,” Rafe muttered.

He and Dante both stood as Shane came to a stop in front of them.

“You’re back,” Rafe said.

“Obviously.”

“This is Dante Jefferson, my business partner.”

Dante and Shane shook hands.

“Nice to meet you,” Dante said cheerfully.

“Are you as much of a jackass as my brother?” Shane asked.

Dante grinned. “No. Not even close.”

“Good.” Shane turned to Rafe. “What the hell were you thinking?”

Rafe sank back into the overstuffed chair. He understood his brother well enough to know Shane didn’t actually want an answer.

“You knew I wanted to bring my horses here,” Shane continued, taking the chair opposite, his dark eyes bright with fury. “I’ve put a bid on a hundred adjoining acres. I’m breeding horses, Rafe. I can’t have a development pushing up against my land. I’d already talked to Mom about leasing some of her land for grazing. We were going to grow hay, maybe some other crops. Where do you get off trying to destroy all of that?”

“Technically, he didn’t do anything,” Dante pointed out, his tone cheerful. “There were a few drawings, a couple of conversations.”

“You should stay out of this,” Shane told him.

Dante raised both his hands. “I’m just saying.”

“You didn’t tell me about your plans,” Rafe said, surprised Shane and May had decided so much between them.

“I didn’t want to hear why it wouldn’t work.”

Rafe frowned. “I wouldn’t say that. You know what you’re doing when it comes to horses.”

“Gee, thanks. I appreciate the endorsement, but you’ll have to forgive me for not expecting you to be supportive. If I remember correctly, you hounded me about college, even though I had no interest in going. When I was eighteen and took off to work on a ranch, you told me that if I failed, I was on my own. That you didn’t agree with my decision and that you wouldn’t be there for me.”

Rafe winced. “I didn’t mean it that way. I wanted the best for you.”

“You don’t get to decide what that is.”

“You’re right.”

“Too little, too late.” Shane leaned toward him. “You do this all the time, Rafe. You butt in, make pronouncements, demand action. You don’t ask, you decide. You’re not interested in our opinions. I guess you think we’re not bright enough to have figured it out for ourselves.”

“That’s not true.” Rafe was once again left wondering when he’d become the bad guy.

“Sure it is. You haven’t spoken to Clay or Evie in years. That’s not because of them. You think they’re wasting their lives. Sure, you worked hard to support all of us, and we appreciate that. But the price is too high. You expect ownership in return for what you did, and no one wants to give you that.”

Shane rose. “You’re not going to develop the ranch. Mom and Glen’s idea for the vacation homes is great, but there won’t be anything else. No housing development, no retail. Nothing. We’re keeping the rest of it for horses and farming. You got that?”

Rafe nodded.

Shane left.

Rafe leaned back in his chair. “Be grateful you’re an only child.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind having a family member or two.” He sipped on his Scotch. “Now what?”

“Hell if I know. I’m getting out of here in a couple of days. I’ll make sure the construction guys are finishing up the barn, and make sure everything else my mom needs is being handled, then I’m coming back to San Francisco.”

Dante raised his eyebrows. “No one would be surprised if you left her to deal with the construction on her own.”

“I probably should.” But he wouldn’t. Taking care of her and his siblings was too much a part of him. Even if it was a thankless job.

He thought about what Shane had said. That he pushed his own views and decided for others. While his brother had a point, Rafe wanted to protest that he’d done the best he could, raising all three of them, looking after Mom. He’d sacrificed plenty, had struggled to make sure they got to be kids, while he’d worried about their futures.

Now he would do things differently, but at ten or sixteen or twenty, he hadn’t known any better.

He wanted to talk to Heidi. To tell her what Shane had said and listen to her opinion, maybe get her advice. She had a way of seeing both sides of a problem. She would know what he should do next.