Slow Ride Home (The Grady Legacy) (2 page)
Read Slow Ride Home (The Grady Legacy) Online
Authors: Leah Braemel
Acknowledgments
Heartfelt thanks go out to Tabatha Scott and Kayla W., my two fantastic street team leaders who cheered me on and offered numerous suggestions when I needed them; to fellow authors Donna Meier and Sean Munger for straightening out the legalities threatening Bull’s Hollow (any mistakes are mine); and heaping helpings of love to my hubby for the numerous nights he slipped into my office and handed me dinner while I was hidden away in my office trying to meet my deadlines. And to editors Angela James and Rhonda Helms, and the folks at Carina Press, for their faith in me.
Contents
Chapter One
If someone had told Allie O’Keefe fifteen years ago that she’d set even one toe on Bull’s Hollow Ranch again, she’d have cussed them out. After she’d decked them. Which explained why Allie jammed her foot on the brake when she reached the ranch’s wrought-iron gate. Or maybe she stopped because of the man talking to a group of ranch hands in front of the ranch’s trailer office. It wasn’t just his weathered brown Stetson that stood out from the standard baseball caps the others wore. After a casual glance in her direction, he resumed talking.
Even from this far away she could tell who he was—Ben Grady, the first man she’d ever loved. Just as he had back in high school, he still managed to set butterflies fluttering in her stomach, although right now they felt more like boulders tumbling in a spin dryer.
Ben Grady was the quintessential cowboy, from the way he stood with his thumbs hooked through a belt loop, leaving his fingers to drum on the worn leather of his chaps, right down to his dust-covered boots. He could step back in the 1800s and live in the Wild West with no problems. The only thing missing was the six-shooter at his hip.
He hasn’t seen you yet.
You could still turn around.
Plead with her boss once again to have someone else assigned to the case. Although all her previous attempts had earned her was a “suck it up, buttercup” comment from her boss.
Two of his men strutted over to ATVs parked neatly in a row by the bar while the other took the reins of the bay horse. Finally freed of whatever responsibility had been keeping his attention, Ben faced her.
One look at that straight nose and angular jaw and bam, her body softened.
Not good
,
not good
,
not good
, she repeated.
You’re not eighteen years old anymore.
And
you
didn’t do anything wrong.
Right. She could do this.
Taking a shaky breath, she parked her car beside the mud-crusted white pickup, its dual rear wheels dwarfing her small sedan. Tucking her case beneath her arm, she picked her way across the gravel-strewn yard. She really shouldn’t have worn her heels today, but her pride wanted to show off that she’d traded in her work boots for kick-ass stilettos that stopped traffic. Her not-so-subtle
see what you missed out on
statement. Which would be lost if she twisted her ankle.
His gaze locked on her, Ben leaned against the stair railing in his oh-so-casual way. When they’d dated, she’d loved how he’d stop to watch her approach. Now she felt like a gazelle being stalked by a lion. No, not such a proud animal. The Gradys were scavengers. Vultures, ready to pick the flesh from the bones of anyone who got in their way.
He’d filled out from the rangy teenager she’d known. He’d always been strong, but his muscles were more defined, the light cotton shirt tight across his chest and wide shoulders. His biceps bulged as he gripped the stair railing, hinting at the strength to lift and haul both hay bales and stray calves.
Ben tipped his hat up with one finger and shot her a lazy grin that melted her a little inside. His gaze swept down her body, blazing a path even hotter than the sun, then returned to meet hers. The lines at the corners of his sky-blue eyes gave him a distinguished air.
“You’re early. I wasn’t expecting you for another half hour.”
His voice still had the low roughness that had driven her crazy, especially when they were lying skin-to-skin. Damn it, she’d gotten over him, so why was the ache in her chest back? She took a deep breath but the anguish didn’t ease.
Clutching her case tight under her arm, she stopped in front of him and shielded her eyes from the morning sun. “Hello, Ben.”
His eyes widened in shock. “Allie? What are you doing here?”
Her breath rushed out at the realization he hadn’t recognized her. If there’d been even a hint of friendliness to his voice, she might not have snapped, “I’m here to save your ass.”
The heat that had filled his expression just moments ago chilled. “You work for Stars and Stripes?”
“Bingo. I’m your claims investigator.” Had she changed that much in fifteen years? She handed him her card. “So let’s go inside where it’s cooler and get this over with.”
Without glancing at the card, he gestured toward the trailer. “After you.”
The moment she passed him, he touched his palm to the small of her back, not pushing her exactly but urging her up the two plank stairs. An electric thrill raced beneath her skin, the heat of his hand sending a tingling sensation right down to the bone.
Enough!
Get over yourself.
He’s a Grady
,
remember?
Anger flared through her, replacing the pity party threatening to engulf her.
Nothing had changed since the last day she’d been in the small farm office. Not the old beige metal file cabinet with the dent in the bottom drawer like someone had kicked it. Or the faded fake wood paneling, or even the bare bulb in the overhead light fixture. Only Old Man Grady sitting behind his big wooden desk, scaring the daylights out of her, was missing. She’d been called to the principal’s office a few times in her school years, but facing Ben’s grandfather, staring at her from beneath his bushy gray eyebrows, discussing what had happened that horrible afternoon, had felt ten times worse. Mainly because her father had been standing there, equally judging.
He’s the past.
He has no power over your future.
Another deep breath, of cooler air this time thanks to the air conditioner rattling overhead.
She sat in the single wooden chair opposite the desk, using the seconds for Ben to take his place to compose herself. Once he was seated, she flattened her hands on the briefcase in her lap and met his gaze. “So I suppose I should officially introduce myself. I’m the claims investigator for Stars and Stripes Title Guaranty and will be handling your case.”
Ben folded his arms across his chest, the blond hair on his forearms gold in the sun slanting through the window. “Considering what happened between our families, you realize I’ll be asking for someone else to be assigned. Someone who won’t be biased against my family.”
“I have already informed my superior of our
history
and she’s decided that since I know you’ll expect me to be biased, I’ll work that much harder to prove your case. But since we both anticipated your objection, she’s attending this meeting too. She should be arriving any moment.”
Damn that huge freaking truck that had cut in between them on the interstate. For all she knew Kathy had missed the cut-off. Or worse had gotten lost. Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing—it might give her a reason to get out of here and find her. Rescuing her boss would look good on her next yearly report. In the meantime, she had to play nice with the enemy.
Her eye caught on a photo that someone had pinned to the corkboard. Ben and his brother Jake stood grinning on either side of their father and mother, a Happy Anniversary banner hanging behind them. Some of her ire faded. Her father might choose not to see her, but he was still alive. Ben and his brother had suffered the ultimate loss eight months ago when Ed Grady had been T-boned by an eighteen-wheeler.
“I was sorry to hear about your father,” she said softly. Both Ed and Cissy Grady had always been pleasant to her. After
the incident
she wondered if Ben’s grandfather George had acted on his own or if they had approved the decision to kick her and her father off Bull’s Hollow. “How’s your mother doing?”
Ben took off his hat and ran his fingers along the rim. “She’s having a tough time dealin’ with it.” He cleared his throat and met her gaze, grief filling his eyes. “It wasn’t like he’d been sick and we had any warning to give us time to prepare.”
Having time, watching her mother get weaker every day and seeing her in pain hadn’t made losing her any easier. She cleared her throat against the old loss. “Give Cissy my condolences will you?” Ben’s mother had been one of the few Gradys who had liked her hanging around with Ben. “Will Jake be joining us today?”
“No. Since Pop died, he’s left the business side of the ranch to me.” A hint of frustration crept into his voice. Obviously sharing responsibility with his brother wasn’t going as well as he’d hoped. “Logan should be here shortly though—he wants to sit in on the meeting.”
Oh shit. She’d expected to have to face Jake again, but never figured on having to face Ben’s best friend again. “Why does he need to be here?”
“Lo’s my lawyer.” Pride filled his voice. “When he heard someone from SSTG was coming out to discuss the claim, he wanted to be here.”
“Lo made it through law school? That’s...great.” Wasn’t it bad enough that she had to face Ben today, but that his best friend and possible co-conspirator would be here too? Torture.
You’re a lawyer too.
There’s no reason to go on the defensive.
“Right.” She pulled her tablet out of its case and flipped to the document she’d started, the routine helping her focus. “So, while we’re waiting for them, why don’t you tell me what’s going on? Get me up to speed.”
“All I know is the bank manager hauled me into his office two days ago telling me that she was
upset
to learn that half of Bull’s Hollow had been sold considering the spread had been used as collateral for some loans they hold. That she could have called some of the notes immediately but she was giving me the benefit of getting things in order before they went to such drastic measures.” He rolled his eyes. “I told her it was bullshit. That neither Jake nor I had sold one damned inch only to be shown some paper that some yahoo filed with the registry office.”
“A Memorandum of Land Sale,” Allie supplied.
“Whatever it’s called, it’s a fraud. Since your company holds our title insurance, Logan recommended we file a claim and let you guys handle it.”
“So here I am. Handling it. Saving your family’s ass even though your family kicked me off your ranch.”
* * *
The flash of pain in Allie’s eyes had Ben snapping his mouth shut. Animosity rippled off her like heat off asphalt in July, though why she blamed him for her father being a thief, he had no idea.
He heaved a breath and forced himself to concentrate on how to handle the situation. Unfortunately the breath he sucked in contained a hint of perfume. Allie’s perfume. An intimate and mysterious scent. Not the drug store stuff he’d bought her as a birthday present on their third date. From the subtlety of the new scent, more expensive.
After years and countless discussions with his mother and Logan, Ben finally accepted he hadn’t been in love with Allie, what he’d felt for her had only been lust. The type all teenage boys felt around a teenage girl, especially one as vibrant and fearless as Allie. Not that it had felt like “just lust” at the time. Nor from the way he’d felt his world had crashed and burned without Allie there. But as Logan repeatedly pointed out, she couldn’t have been in love with him either. If she had, the last afternoon they’d spent together never would have happened.
She’d grown from a pretty girl into a beautiful woman. The auburn curls she used to pull into a ponytail were now swept into a fancy ’do. Gone were the blue jeans with the rhinestones on the pockets, the heavy bling on her wrists and neck. An elegant silver necklace replaced the multiple beaded ones she used to favor, sparkling over a white cotton blouse, set off by a red linen jacket. A straight navy skirt completed an outfit that wouldn’t be out of place in a fancy-schmancy boardroom.
More than just her clothes had changed about her. While she was every bit as striking, her vibrancy had diminished, like someone had installed a dimmer switch and cranked it down low. Of course, it might be blamed on returning to the place where her father had been caught stealing. Maybe everyone was right, and she’d helped him and was now feeling guilty.
He glanced at her business card, blinked and read it again.
A.
J.
O’Keefe
,
Claims Investigator
O’Keefe? She’d been Allison Jane Daniels when they’d dated. He glanced down at her left hand. Her previously ragged short nails were now long and a glittery dark red. There was no sign of a ring, not even a tan line. “What’s with the name change?”
“I got married,” she said flatly. “And since you checked for the ring, I got divorced. Eighteen months ago.”
Her lips pressed into a straight line. Lips that were usually full, lush. Delicious. Her hazel eyes, with their gold streaks that usually flashed with merriment, now hinted at suspicion.
Yeah
,
that’s not helping you stay focused
,
Grady.
“Sorry to hear it.” What else could he say? The guy was a jerk for letting Allie escape? Because she’d just throw it right back in his face. He pinned her card onto the corkboard above his desk. “So how’d you end up in the insurance industry? Last I remember you were planning on being a vet.” On going to A&M. With him.
“Plans changed. Thanks to your grandfather kicking me off the ranch two days before we graduated, I lost my scholarship.”
Shit. “I’m sorry you got caught in the crossfire. You weren’t to blame.” Or did the lady protest too much? Had she been using their relationship to distract him from her father’s thefts?
“Damned straight I wasn’t to blame. Or at least not just me. You and Logan were just as much partners in that crime as I was.”
What the fuck was she talking about? Through the window he saw Logan’s car pull up beside Allie’s. Thank God. Maybe he could make sense out of whatever bee was in Allie’s bonnet. “Lo’s here.”
He dashed outside and was beside Logan’s Mercedes before he realized he’d made the decision to move.
The moment Logan opened his door, Ben lowered his voice so she couldn’t hear. “Hey, you’ll never guess who just showed up.”
“A. J. O’Keefe. AKA Allison Jane Daniels.” Logan said, letting his gaze drift past Ben to where Allie stood in the office doorway. “Wow, she looks great.”
