Betting on Texas (17 page)

“Jonathan?” Miranda flicked on the kitchen light.

She grabbed a cast-iron skillet from the countertop as she
opened the door.

“Whoa, now.” Jonathan eyed the skillet in her hand. “I know
you’re mad and I have some explaining to do, but please, Miranda, put down the
pan.”

“It’s a skillet,
Jon.
Folks in
these parts cook with iron skillets instead of frying pans. But you wouldn’t
know anything about skillets, not being from these parts and all. Oh, wait a
minute. You would know, wouldn’t you?”

“Miranda—” Jonathan released her grip on the skillet and placed
it outside on the porch, safely out of her reach “—we need to talk.”

Miranda laughed so hard she started coughing. “Now you want to
talk? Are you kidding me? You’re damn right we’re going to talk.”

“May I?” Jonathan pointed to one of the kitchen chairs. Miranda
nodded. He loosened his tie and sat at the table. Hands clasped before him, he
took a breath and slowly exhaled as he looked around the room. The bags under
his eyes silently spoke of his many sleepless nights. Miranda didn’t think they
were due to any pending court cases. He never let work get the best of him. This
was personal.

“I didn’t stumble upon Double Trouble,” he began.

“But you sure got yourself in a whole heap of it,” Miranda
interrupted.

“I guess I deserve that.” Jonathan stood and walked toward the
dining room. “You did an amazing job on the place. I heard you kept the Carter
tradition and hosted the Fourth of July picnic.”

“Pretty familiar with that particular picnic, aren’t you?”
Miranda sat rigid at the table. Arms folded across her chest.

Jonathan turned to face her and leaned against the archway.

“Yes, I know everyone in this town, give or take a few of the
children.”

“And you kept this from me because...?”

“Because I was asked to.” Jonathan gazed at the floor. “Joe
arranged all this.”

“Joe? Jesse’s father, Joe?” Miranda’s eyes widened.

“The big man himself.” He crossed one leg in front of the other
and rocked back on his heels. “Joe wanted Jesse to come home to Bridle Dance.
Having someone outbid his son was the only way it would happen.”

“But it didn’t happen!” Miranda raised her voice. “Up until a
few days ago, he was heading to Abilene. And how was this plan of yours supposed
to work?”

“No one ever figured Jesse would leave town.” Jonathan jammed
his hands in his pockets. “Jesse loves it here—”

“Yes, he does. And you tore what he loved away from him. Rather
you had me do it! If you had left well enough alone, Jesse would own Double
Trouble. His father would have had to accept it and maybe they would have made
peace by now. Instead, you got right into the heart of a family matter and
fouled the whole thing up. Jesse and his dad never resolved anything. How could
you do something so careless?”

“He contacted me, not the other way around. He made me an offer
I couldn’t refuse. But things didn’t exactly go as planned.”

“You mean Joe paid you to do this?” Miranda questioned.

“You know how much I want to open my own practice. Joe said he
could make that possible.” Jonathan said. “But when Jesse started to fall for
you, we thought things would turn around and he would at least stay in town for
you.”

“What are you saying?” Miranda’s hands flew in the air. “You
had people reporting back to you about us?”

“I didn’t.” Jonathan held his hands up in front of him. “Joe
did, yes. Only to the family.”

“Was I bait?”

“What? No, Miranda, no.” Jonathan reached out toward her
shoulders, only to have her pull away. “You were never really part of the
equation. Just a mutual beneficial means to an end. This house was a fresh start
for you. This was your dream. You needed this. You buying this house was the
only role you played. It ended there. Jesse was supposed to go home. End of
story.”

“Only it wasn’t the end,” Miranda hissed. “A man died. A family
stayed at war because you had to play God.”

“This wasn’t my idea!” Jonathan shouted.

“You didn’t have to agree to it!”

“And if I didn’t, someone else would.” Jonathan raised his
chin. “Whoever bought this place could have thrown Jesse off the land in under a
second. This place could have been torn down or sold off piece by piece. Then
everything would be gone. I did you both a favor.”

“Favor?” Miranda crossed the room in a few short strides and
stood inches from Jonathan’s face. “I took everything from the man I love. Now
his father is dead without either one of them ever making peace. This could have
all been avoided.”

Miranda slowly stepped away from Jonathan. “Leave.”

“Miranda—”

“I said leave.”

Jonathan took a deep breath as he lowered his gaze. He squared
his shoulders, inhaled sharply and walked toward the door. With her back to him,
he said, “You’ll understand all of this someday. Until then, I’m sorry.”

Miranda shuddered as the door closed. Her new life tossed
upside down just as her old life was. Nothing felt real anymore. How could she
ever tell Jesse his father arranged for him to lose the ranch?

Chapter Thirteen

By sunrise, Miranda had a headache the size of Texas.
When Mable came through the kitchen door, Miranda was already at the table with
a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water.

“Oh, my, you look like you have a touch of the green apple
nasties.” Mable felt Miranda’s forehead with the back of her hand. “You feel
warm. You need to take to the bed and rest, child. You’re running yourself
ragged.”

Miranda pushed the kitchen chair back. “No, what I need is to
get my butt in gear around here. I have a ranch with lots of expenses and no
income. And I need to figure out how to keep us afloat.”

“Morning.” The screen door bounced against the door frame
causing Miranda to wince. “What happened to you?”

Mable and Aaron stood before her. Her two best friends—and
their financial futures depended on her. She could easily sell off what little
livestock she had and eliminate the need for either of them. It would be a means
to an end. A month ago, that was an option. Her life would be free of
complications or responsibilities. Now she couldn’t imagine life without
them.

“This ranch needs to turn a profit. I can’t rely on Jesse to
pull us through anymore. This means we will probably lose the cutting horses. I
have some ideas I want to run by the two of you.”

They brainstormed over coffee. While everyone had some great
ideas, the one person’s opinion she valued most was missing. Jesse had his own
family and problems to deal with. As far as she was concerned, their bet was
over. No one lost. No one won. The circumstances had changed. She didn’t expect
Jesse to choose Double Trouble over his own family’s ranch—they needed him more
than she did. Guilt may rule his heart at the moment, but he was a family man
through and through. He belonged on Bridle Dance.

She didn’t know how Jesse would feel after he learned the truth
about his father’s and Jonathan’s machinations, but she knew she had to tell
him. She missed the brash cowboy who challenged her at every turn. She missed
the feel of his arms around her and his lips on hers. He could tick her off at
every turn, and then make her feel desired with a single glance.

In a month, she felt closer to the people she met in Ramblewood
than she ever did to anyone in Washington D.C. Except for Jonathan and Ethan.
Both men betrayed her. Ethan’s true colors shined through when her mother died,
and nearly blinded her when she won the lottery.

Jonathan’s duplicity was so unexpected. He was the brother she
never had. To think he was part of such an elaborate scheme was almost
unfathomable to her. If he hadn’t admitted it to her last night, she never would
have believed it. Now he was one more player in the game of life.

If someone had told Miranda a few months ago that her daily
activities would involve taking care of livestock, she would have declared them
insane. In all honesty, she reveled in it. At the end of the day, she’d
accomplished something tangible. She never had that experience in retail. Some
days were a little trying but when evening set in and she looked out over her
ranch, she felt good about herself.

Miranda worked with Aaron in the stalls before he rode out to
check the cattle. The scent of hay and horse didn’t help her headache. Miranda
jammed the shovel into the pile of pellet bedding and tossed it into General
Lee’s stall. The horse stood cross-tied to the archway.

Miranda ran her hand up and down the horse’s muzzle as she fed
him some carrots she brought with her. He snorted softly in her hand as he
eagerly chewed his treat. General Lee stomped his foot and pushed her
shoulder.

“What is it? More carrot?”

General Lee kicked at the ground and tried to shake his head
from side to side. “All right, let’s turn you out for a while.”

Miranda untied the horse and led him from the barn. Her breath
escaped her quickly causing her to hang on to the corral gate as she closed it.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes tight. Pushing her
shoulders back, she inhaled deeply.

Breathe in, breathe out. Come on, Miranda,
stay focused.

It was midmorning and the heat was already oppressive. She
stripped down to her tank top and tied her work shirt around her waist. Bracing
herself along the corral fence, she made her way to the stables.

“You’re as stubborn as he is,” Aaron said from one of the
stalls. “Take a break before you fall down. Go inside the house and cool off.
You’re more work for me if I have to keep my eye on you every two seconds.”

Miranda shook her head. “I’m okay. It’s just hotter than I
expected today, that’s all. I’m not used to this heat.”

Aaron handed Miranda a bottle of water. “Hydrate.”

“Thanks.” Miranda took a sip. “Don’t get Mable all in a lather,
either. I’m fine. And whatever you do, don’t bother Jesse with any of this
nonsense.”

Aaron rubbed his neck. He took his hat from his head and shook
it in her direction. “Only if you promise me not to overdo it.”

“I promise.”

There was no need to worry either one of them. She had a little
summer cold and she would get over it soon enough.

Aaron kept his literal word. He called Vicki instead.

Midafternoon, Vicki phoned to see how she was feeling.

“Aaron has a big mouth you know.”

“He cares about you, kiddo. Now tell me what’s really going on.
Did you ever get ahold of Jon?”

“More like he got ahold of me in the middle of the night.”

Vicki clicked her tongue throughout the story. “I’d hate to be
in your shoes when you tell Jesse. But none of this really surprises me. This is
classic Joe, to the end.”

“He’s done this before?” Miranda’s jaw dropped.

“Not to this extent, but he was a family man, Miranda. He was
willing to do pretty much anything to bring his family together.”

At Vicki’s urging, Miranda made an appointment with Dr. Shelia
Lindstrom the following day for a checkup. She gave her a clean bill of health
except for the cold she had. Her temperature was slightly elevated and her
throat was on the sore side. Her only recommendations were rest and for her to
drink plenty of fluids.

By the time evening rolled around, she was exhausted. Mable
left a plate of roast chicken, vegetables and corn bread in the fridge before
she headed out to her weekly bridge game. Miranda picked at the food before
returning the plate to the fridge. There was a note from Aaron on the table
letting her know he had finished early and went out to meet Kiley at Slater’s
Mill.

Miranda climbed the stairs to shower before she headed over to
Bridle Dance to see Jesse.

The sound of thunder echoed through the house. Rain started to
fall as she closed the windows. Through the dining room window, Miranda saw the
stable doors were wide-open. She jerked on her boots and ran outside. By the
time she reached the stables, she was soaked through.

She ran around to the side of the stable and closed each of the
stalls’ outer doors. Inside she checked to make sure the horses were still calm.
General Lee paced his stall, visibly irritated. She tried to rub his muzzle as
he walked by, but he wouldn’t stop long enough to let her soothe him.

Montana circled and kicked General Lee’s adjoining stall wall.
General Lee pinned his ears back against his head at the sound of Montana’s
antics. Miranda entered the stall and saw the source of Montana’s fear. A snake
slithered across the floor a few feet in front of them. Her pulse quickened. The
snake coiled in defense. Montana pushed against Miranda. The mare’s eyes wide
and focused on the snake. She didn’t have time to halter the horse. She grabbed
the horse by the mane and started to move her into a different stall. Halfway
through the stall door, Montana reared, knocking Miranda to the ground.

* * *

J
ESSE
LISTENED
TO
THE
RAIN
FALL
against the metal roof of the house. He knew
Aaron was taking care of the ranch, but he wanted to check on things for
himself.

It had been days since he’d been home.
Home.
There wasn’t a fraction of doubt left inside him. Double
Trouble was his home and Miranda belonged there with him. There were a million
reasons why he should stay on his family’s ranch. Only one why he shouldn’t. The
one reason was all he needed.

He called the ranch before he left but didn’t get an answer. He
tried Aaron’s cell phone next, only to reach his voice mail instead. His stomach
tightened as he pushed the truck through the driving rain.

“What the—” Jesse slammed on the brakes and skidded sideways to
a halt. A horse froze at the sight of his headlights, and then bolted past the
front of the truck.

“Montana!” Jesse shouted as he opened the truck door. The horse
tried to run through a row of shrubs on the side of the road but was unable to
clear them. Thunder rang through the air and the horse reared. Another truck
pulled up behind him while Jesse grabbed a rope from the bed of his. Jesse waved
his arms to get Aaron’s attention.

Aaron bolted from the truck when he saw the horse.

“Rope her!” They needed to bring Montana down before she harmed
herself. Lightning flashed in the sky, spooking the horse again. The men braced
themselves for the sound of thunder. “I can’t get close enough to her. I’ll rope
her first and then you.”

Jesse threw the lasso as Montana ran by. Missing her, he
signaled to Aaron as he quickly recoiled his rope. After a few unsuccessful
tries, Jesse threw again and roped the mare. He tightened his grip as Montana
fought the restraint and the rope cut into his bare hands.

“Aaron, now!”

Aaron threw the second rope over the horse and managed to bring
Montana under some semblance of control.

“How did she get out here?” Jesse yelled at Aaron.

“She was in her stall when I left,” Aaron said.

“What do you mean when you left?” Jesse shouted. “Miranda can’t
handle this place alone!”

“I wasn’t gone long. I finished up and met Kiley at Slater’s
for a bite to eat. When it started to rain, I headed back to shut down the
stables. The storm came up too fast.”

“It doesn’t explain how she got out here,” Jesse said, looking
around. “Where’s Miranda?”

“She wasn’t home when I left. She called and said she would be
gone most of the day. She’s probably there now. What are we going to do here?
It’s too far to walk her back in this rain.”

“Do you think you can control her while I get the trailer?”
Jesse said.

“Yeah,” Aaron replied. “As long as you get back here fast.”

Jesse jumped in his truck and sped down the road toward the
ranch. Aaron must have left the stall door unlatched. It was the only way
Montana could have broken loose.

Miranda’s truck was beside the house. He backed his rig up to
the first horse trailer. As he stepped out to hitch it up, he looked at he
stables.

“Miranda!” The stable doors were open and he could see Miranda
on the floor in the center.

“Jesse,” she said as she struggled to stand. “Montana escaped.
I am so sorry.”

“Aaron has her.” Jesse guided Miranda to a hay bale. “Are you
all right? Do you hurt anywhere? I’m calling an ambulance.”

“Slow down, cowboy,” Miranda said, attempting a smile. “I’m
fine but I feel like I was shot out of a cannon and missed the net.”

“If Aaron had been at the ranch like he was supposed to be,
none of this would have happened.”

“It wasn’t his fault,” Miranda said. “He went out to dinner
with Kiley. He’s entitled to have a life, Jesse. What are you doing here,
anyway?”

Before Jesse could tell her his decision to be with her, Aaron
rode Montana bareback through the stable entrance. After Aaron closed Montana’s
stall door, Jesse charged him, grabbing his shirt and slamming him into the
doors.

“What the hell were you thinking leaving Miranda here by
herself?” Jesse growled, inches from Aaron’s face. “I trusted you to take care
of her.”

Miranda tried to reason with the two men, but neither one would
loosen his hold on his nemesis.

“Jessup Thomas Langtry, you unhand Aaron right this instant.”
Jesse turned to see Mable standing in the center of the stable holding an
umbrella as if she was about to club the two of them. Jesse immediately released
his grip, but didn’t back away.

“Now you get over there and keep your hands to yourself. Come
with me, child.” Mable motioned to Miranda. “Let’s get you inside and into some
clean clothes.”

Mable wrapped one arm around Miranda and popped open the
umbrella with the other and led her out of the stables.

* * *

T
HE
FOLLOWING
MORNING
Mable gave Miranda explicit
instructions for her to stay off her feet and rest. Mable threatened to take
drastic measures if she even heard the patter of Miranda’s feet on the floor.
The threat of no more home-cooked meals kept her in bed. She couldn’t imagine
life without Mable’s cooking. She couldn’t imagine life without Mable, for that
matter.

Jesse knocked and poked his head in the door. She sat up in bed
thumbing through a magazine while Scarlett and Rhett played with her toes
through the bed covers.

Jesse bent over, kissed Miranda on the forehead as he produced
a bouquet of wildflowers from behind him.

She inhaled their fragrant scent. “Mmm. My favorites.” Rhett
climbed over Scarlett to see Miranda’s present.

Jesse laughed and cradled the puppy, rubbing his pink
belly.

“I would have liked to have done this more proper,” Jesse said,
returning the puppy to the bed, “but, I’m never going to know when the right
time is.”

Miranda tilted her head sideways as he lowered his gaze.

“I know I’m not perfect,” Jesse said and Miranda snickered when
he looked up at her. “And I know I can be stubborn.”