The Secret Truth at Dare Ranch (18 page)

He
shook his head. "I'm not suggesting you whip the horse, Lexie. Just give
her a light tap on the hind quarters. It won't hurt her just surprise her a
little that's all because she won't be expecting it."

Again
he held out the crop. Reluctantly, she took the crop. The leather covered whip
felt hard and cold in her hand. The memory of Mason whipping a horse with a
riding crop flickered through her mind.

She'd
tried to stop him but all she'd gotten for her trouble was a shove and a brisk
command to 'Git in the house, girl, if you're gonna whine like a baby.' 

Lexie
prodded the mare back onto the sandy track of the ring. First, she signaled her
into a trot.

"Go
ahead, give her a little tap," Harlen called from the center of the ring.

Guilt
over what she was about to do settled in her chest. Her palms grew damp and
sweat beaded her brow. Lexie gently rapped the end of the crop against the
mare's hind quarters. Her body lurched slightly forward in response. Once
again, Lexie flicked the crop on her hind quarters. The mare leaped toward a
gallop.

She
checked the mare's lead and satisfaction bloomed that she had finally taken her
left lead. Wind whipped past Lexie's face, warming her skin and cooling her
guilt. Lexie smiled and tugged on the reins bringing the mare to a halt. She
leaned forward in the saddle and rubbed the mare's sweaty neck, all the while murmuring
soft words of praise and apology for using the crop.

After
a few turns around the ring, to cool out the mare, Lexie climbed down and
patted her on the neck.

"Told
you it would work," Harlen said smiling at her.

Lexie
returned the smile and led the mare toward the barn. There was definitely a
difference between Mason's use of the crop through force and intimidation and
her gentle touch of surprise. "Yeah, thanks. Doesn't mean I like it but I
must admit it did work. Why are you here, Harlan?" she said over her
shoulder.

She
strolled to the middle of the alleyway, slid off the bridle and replaced it with
a halter. "I know I'm really late again on my loan payment, but I was
hoping you'd give me another extension."

There
were two lead lines attached to rings embedded in the walls of the alley way. She
clipped the end of the lead lines onto the mare's halter and removed the
saddle.

"Not
this time, Lexie," he stated with quiet emphasis. "I'm sorry."

She
halted in mid-stroke as she rubbed a soft towel over the mare's damp coat. A
chill covered her skin from head to toe. Tense silence enveloped the barn while
anxiety formed a hard knot in her stomach.
He couldn't mean that.
 

Lexie
turned her head and looked at him. Regret flitted over his features. She'd
never begged before but at this point she was ready to do anything--
anything
to save the ranch. "The Dare family has been doing business with the
First Bank of Chimney Rock for as long as I can remember. I hope you'll take
that into consideration before you give me your final answer.” Harlen glanced
down at his boots and pursed his lips but remained silent. "You know how
much this ranch means to me, Harlen."

He
removed his hat and pressed the pads of his fingers against the crown. He moved
his finger tips back and forth as if molding the folds of the Stetson. His gaze
flicked to her face then back to the hat he held in his hands. "I know how
much business your family has given us through the years. And I appreciate it, I
really do," he stated in his best banker voice.

He
lifted his head and stared at her with a solemn expression blanketing his face.
"You must understand, Lexie this has nothing to do with friendship and
everything to do with business."

She
dropped the towel into the grooming tools box and picked up a dandy brush. No
kidding. Friendship flew the coop when money stepped up to the plate.

Harlen
cleared his throat. "The board isn't as lenient as it has been in years
past. They're tightening the purse strings.” He shrugged. "Giving
customers extentions on overdue loans has caused the bank to lose money. They
feel we have to put a stop to it once and for all."

She
could feel the ranch slipping through her fingers.
Oh, God, what am I going
to do? How can I stop him?
A mixture of anger and fear shivered down her
spine.

Lexie
whisked the brush over the mare's neck and withers as he mind whirled trying
desperate to latch on to a solution to her terrible problem. But there was none
to be found. He only option was to try and convince him to give her more time. "I
understand but this ranch is all Dani and I have left.” She stopped brushing
the horse and turned toward Harlen. "I'd like to come down to the bank in
person and talk to the board. I'm sure when I explain my situation they'll
understand.” She was grasping at straws and she knew it.

Harlen
shook his head and his brow furrowed. "I spoke to the board on your behalf
and tried to sway them, but they were adamant," he stated regretfully.

He
pulled something from his inside coat pocket and handed it to her.

Lexie
stared at the legal size envelope.
Go ahead and take it. It's only your life.

She
didn't have to open the envelope to know what lay inside. Anger overcame her
fear at least for the moment. Lexie grasped Harlen's arm and led him outside
the barn. She didn't want to raise her voice in front of the horses because it
upset them. When they had cleared the barn, Lexie stopped and pulled Harlen up
short. "That was damned sneaky of you, Harlen, to show up so affable and
ready to help me with the mare; when all along you planned to serve me with
foreclosure papers.” She raised her arms out to her sides then let them drop. "How
could you?"

An
indignant expression washed over Harlen's face. He straightened his shoulders
and plopped the Stetson back on his head. "I'm sorry, Lexie. I truly am,"
he stated firmly. "But I'm just doing my job.” With those last words, he
turned tail and headed for his car.

With
a stiff gait as if pain racked her body, Lexie walked back into the barn. Everything
seemed magnified all of a sudden; the wind dancing through the alleyway, the
smell of horses and hay and the beams of sunlight that filtered into the barn. She
slumped to a hay bale and squeezed her eyes tightly shut for a moment.
This
can't be happening.

 Lexie
opened her eyes and exhaled a deep breath. She stared at the envelope. Her
heart tripped. This was a moment she wouldn't soon forget. With nervous fingers
and shaking hands, she withdrew the papers. The mare shifted her weight to
three legs and relaxed the fourth. She closed her eyes to rest as if all were
right in the world.

Only
nothing was right. The world--
her world
had suddenly been turned on its
ear. Lexie gazed at the papers and read. The words blurred as tears filled her
eyes. It was official. The bank had called in its loan. A hard lump slid into
her throat. She had thirty days to vacate the property before it went on the
auction block.

She
couldn’t believe it. After all the hard work and the sacrifices, she had
reached the end of the road. What the hell was she going to do now?

# # #

When
Mitch arrived for dinner later that evening Dani met him at the door. She took
his hand and wrapped her small fingers around his before motioning for him to
lean down. "Mommy's sad," Dani whispered next to his ear.

Mitch
lifted her hand and kissed the back of her fingers. "What's she sad
about?" he asked.

Dani
gazed up at him with soulful green eyes. "The bank prezdent brought her
some papers. We gots to move.” Her lower lip trembled. "Mama says the bank
wants money. I thought the bank had bunches of money already.” A tear dibbled
down Dani's cheek. "Can you fix it, Daddy?"

The
soft plea from his daughter's lips nearly undid him. His chest filled with a
sharp, squeezing hurt. Damn it, he wanted to fix it. If for no other reason
than to put a smile back on Dani's face. He wanted to pay off the debt the
ranch owed and hand the deed to Lexie. But he couldn't. Even if he had the
money in his own bank account...he couldn't.

He
should feel elated that it was finally over. All he had to do was go to the
bank and make the deal. But he didn't feel happy, he felt lousy in fact. Seeing
Dani upset tore at his conscience. He was the big bad wolf that had been
scratching at the door, not the bank. And what about Lexie? She must be
devastated.

Mitch
squatted down beside Dani and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pad of
his thumb. "Don't cry, little butterfly. I don't know if I can fix things
or not, but I'm going to try. Do you know where those papers are?” 

"Dani,
is that your daddy at the door?" Lexie called from the kitchen.

"Yes,
Mom. We'll be there in a minute," she yelled back.

Dani
tugged on his hand and led him into the study. Mitch found the papers lying on
the desk and read them. He'd won and Lexie had lost. But he hadn't really won
because if he went ahead with his plans he might lose Lexie and Dani forever. What
would he do for the rest of his life without them?

They
had just finished dinner when Dani's face lit up. "I'll be right back.” She
scrambled up from the table and Mitch listened to her feet pound up the stairs.

Lexie
popped up from the table and carted dishes to the sink. Mitch watched her
scrape the plates and then rinse them. She'd tried to hide her emotions from
him all evening. He hadn't mentioned that he knew she'd lost the ranch because
he felt she would be embarrassed and humiliated that she wasn't able to hold on
to everything. He wanted her to tell him herself.

Dani
strolled back into the kitchen clutching a piggy bank to her chest with a big
grin on her face. She walked to Lexie's side and held the bank out to her. "I've
got money, Mama. Here," she said, "you take it."

A
rush of pride rose in Mitch's chest. What a daughter they had made. He watched
tears build in Lexie's eyes and a smile tremble over her mouth. She handed the
bank back to Dani. "Thank you, sweetheart," she said with her voice
breaking, "But that's your money. We'll have enough after the auction. Remember
I told you about it.”

Lexie
pulled Dani close and sucked in a ragged breath. "Don't worry, baby,"
she said smoothing a hand over her hair. "Everything will be okay."

Mitch
watched Lexie struggle to hold back her tears. He wished she would come to him
for comfort. Why couldn't she see that what he offered was the best for
everyone?

Lexie
licked her lips and said, "Go ahead up stairs, pumpkin. I'll be up in the
few minutes to help you with your bath."

After
Dani left the kitchen, Lexie rose from the floor and leaned against the sink. She
clutched the edges with her hands for a moment before she turned and looked at
him. Misery shone in her eyes. "In case you were wondering, the bank
served foreclosure papers today," she said in a low, shaky voice. "Now
you can make the deal.” She exhaled. "But I'm okay with it.” She pressed
her lips together briefly as her skin flushed. "Really. It's not such a
big deal after all.” Her voice rose in a high, fragile tone as she struggled to
be brave in the face of disaster. He wanted to hold her, soothe her, tell her
he would make everything okay. But he couldn't.

"I
was thinking of quitting anyway," she finished on a ragged whisper. She forced
a smile and tucked some hair behind her ear. "If it's okay, I'd like to be
alone for a while."

Before
she could brush past him, Mitch rose from his chair and stepped in her path.

She
stared at the floor for a few seconds then lifted her chin. "Please,
Mitch...let me go."

He
cupped her cheek. Her skin felt warm and soft beneath his fingers. Mitch felt
her tremble at his touch and her anguish seared him. "No. You don't have
to pretend to be brave with me, Lexie.”

She
pressed her lips together, swallowed and stared at him. Her blue eyes glistened
with tears but she blinked them back. She looked so defeated he couldn't stand
to see that expression of sadness in her eyes a moment longer.

He
pulled her close. She resisted at first, holding her body rigidly in his arms
but he refused to let her go. After a while, her hands clutched at his shirt
and her muscles tensed.   "You never quit, Lexie. At anything.”

Mitch
drew back so he could look in her eyes. They brimmed with despair. "I finally
figured out why you want to keep this ranch...and it has nothing to do with Parker.”
Her gaze shifted away, but he cupped her chin bringing her upturned face toward
his. "It has to do with your old man lying up there on the hill."

Her
lips parted and a shuddering breath sighed out as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Her fingers fluttered to her face and brushed them away but more took their
place. She dropped her chin. Mitch grasped her hands and held them between his
own. "Look at me, Lexie."

Slowly,
she lifted her head until her eyes met his. "You're still a little girl
inside who desperately wants to please her father...even after he's dead."