At Wolf Ranch (23 page)

Chapter 27

E
lla wanted to scream. Gabe refused to speak to her about leaving for New York.
Damn man.
Instead, he spent the entire morning in the stables with the horses. Understandable; they needed to be fed, their stalls cleaned, but he didn’t have to find any and every excuse not to come back to the house.

After a quiet breakfast, he called Sam at the FBI to go over what they found yesterday, and how it all tied together and led to Lela’s murder. Ella took the phone to go over the rest with Sam, and Gabe walked out the door.

Well, ignoring the situation wasn’t getting them anywhere. She tapped her fingers on the table with impatience. Her uncle would pay, but she couldn’t let his comeuppance happen at the expense of her relationship with Gabe. She couldn’t leave so much unsaid between them.

The front door creaked open.
Finally
, Gabe came to talk to her. She rose from the table and turned and came face-to-face with Travis. His lips pulled back in a feral smile, and his eyes narrowed. He rushed her, his determined strides clearing the distance between them in seconds, arms outstretched to grab her. She screamed and tried to back away, but he caught her by the arm and spun her around. Her back slammed into his chest and his hand clamped over her mouth, practically blocking her nose too.

With his arm banded around her stomach, he dragged her out the front door. She tried to kick him and struggled to get free. Her muffled screams barely made any sound. Frantic, she swept her gaze over the yard and barn for any sign of Gabe, but she didn’t see him. She tried to bite Travis’s hand, but he only pressed harder, hurting her face and jaw.

“Stop fighting me, you uppity bitch. Who the hell do you think you are, ruining me. I found out who you are from the men your uncle sent to find you. I’m taking you to the sheriff and collecting that reward your uncle put up for you.”

She planted her feet, trying to keep him from getting her to his truck. She twisted her sprained ankle, fighting to get free of his punishing grasp, and yelped in pain. Her breath sawed in and out from the small gap between his hand and her nostrils. Pissed off, she screamed again, hoping Gabe heard her.

Travis jerked behind her, pulling her off balance. He let loose, and she fell to the ground and twisted around, ready to defend herself. No need. Gabe punched Travis right in the nose, breaking it with a sickening crack. Travis ended up on his ass in the snow and bellowed out an obscenity.

Gabe grabbed him by his coat, lifted him off his feet, and slammed him into the side of the truck. “Don’t you ever fucking touch her again.”

All hell broke loose, four cars pulled into the driveway, two of them with red and blue flashing lights swirling. A man who looked very much like a younger version of Gabe jumped out of an old Ford truck and came running. Gabe’s brother Dane.

An older man slid from another beat-up truck with “Crystal Creek Veterinary” on the door. The vet she’d hired to check on the cattle at Travis’s place. The officers were right behind Dane, but she reached Gabe first.

Gabe flipped Travis around to face the truck and wrenched his arm up behind his back, his hand pressed between his shoulder blades.

“You’re going to break my arm.”

“I’ll kill you if you ever lay a hand on her again.”

“Gabe, honey, let him go. The cops are here.”

He didn’t let up his hold, but glanced over at her. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Let him go.” She limped forward to touch her hand to his shoulder and reassure him.

His eyes scanned down her body and narrowed on her hurt ankle. He turned back to Travis. “You bastard, you hurt her.”

The rage that came over Gabe’s face stunned her. He let go of Travis’s arm and hauled back his big fist to punch him in the ribs, but Dane rushed in, grabbed Gabe by the arm, and hauled him away from Travis.

“Hold on now, bro, let the cops take care of him.”

“I’m going to fucking kill him.”

Dane pushed against Gabe’s chest, holding him off. Not an easy task. Gabe really wanted to kill Travis, who leaned against his truck, holding his bleeding nose and wailing about cows and stupid women.

“That fucking reward is mine,” Travis yelled. “Don’t even think about taking it for yourself. I saw her first.”

Gabe went ballistic, pushing against Dane’s hold. “You say one fucking word about who she is and I’ll kill you.”

Ella shook her head and pushed herself between Gabe and Dane. Grabbing hold of Gabe’s coat, she shook him to get his attention. “Listen to me. Stop.”

Gabe finally took his gaze from Travis and stared down at her. He dropped to one knee and reached for her leg, massaging her calf and checking her ankle with a soft squeeze. “Are you okay?”

She put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. “I’m fine.”

“You’re limping again.”

“I jarred my ankle and hip when I stumbled.”

“You going to introduce me, or what?” Dane asked from behind them.

Gabe held her leg and leaned his head against her belly and let out a heavy sigh.

“I’m okay,” she repeated, because he obviously needed to hear it.

Gabe stood and pulled her to his side. “What are you doing here?” he asked his brother.

“She contacted me two days ago and told me to bring your cattle. She hired me to bring her cattle to her ranch.”

Gabe stared down at her. “You did?”

“Did you think I forgot about them?”

“No. It’s just . . .”

“Everything. I know. But I did not forget what that asshole did to me, or the fact those animals were not being cared for properly. I told you I just needed to make a couple of phone calls to make it all right.

“I called Dane, and then I had the vet set up the men and trucks to move the cattle off Travis’s ranch this morning. The sheriff was supposed to arrest Travis.”

The vet, Dr. Potts, stepped up next to her and offered his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Wolf.” She shook it. “Travis was already headed in this direction when we arrived. The sheriff’s men arrived moments later, and we followed Travis here, though not in time to stop him from pushing you, and Gabe from tearing a strip off his sorry hide. I only wish we’d been a few minutes longer so Gabe could finish the job after the way Travis has neglected and mistreated those animals.”

“What the hell is going on?” Gabe asked.

“I’ve tried to talk to you all morning, but you shut me out.” Tears welled in her eyes.

“Sweetheart, I’m sorry.” Gabe tried to step toward her, but the officer stepped in, took his hands, and handcuffed him.

“What the hell,” Gabe said, his voice tinged with suppressed anger.

“You can’t go around punching people—even if they deserve it,” the officer added under his breath. “Let’s go. We’ll take this down to the station and sort out who instigated the fight. Travis is bellowing about pressing charges for assault.”

Travis kicked and bucked in the backseat of the other car, cussing and carrying on, his shackled hands holding a wad of bandages to his bloodied nose. “The reward is mine,” he wailed.

The officer turned to her. “Meet me down at the station. I’ll need your statement. I spoke with Special Agent Sam Turner earlier this morning. He assured me you are headed back to New York to meet with authorities in connection to your sister’s murder and that you had nothing to do with it.”

“I’m leaving as soon as I clean up this mess with Travis and Gabe.”

Satisfied, the officer walked Gabe to his car and helped him into the backseat.

Strong hands clamped onto her shoulders and squeezed her tense muscles. Dane stood behind her, staring at Gabe from over her head. “I’ll go get him.”

“You take care of that.” She pointed to the massive semitrucks driving past Gabe’s house, headed up to her ranch. Gabe stared at the trucks going by, hauling her sick cattle. She didn’t know how many trips it would take to move them all, but she’d have them safe and in her pastures soon. They’d be well fed and tended to properly thanks to Dr. Potts’s help, and the men she’d hired to help Gabe. Now, all she had to do was convince Gabe to take over her ranch the way he’d planned, but on a much larger scale. “I’ll handle Gabe. And Travis.”

“Go get ’em, honey.”

She shook her head. “You’re a lot like your brother.”

“He’s not going to be happy you kept him in the dark about this.”

“I wanted to surprise him.”

“We live a simple life. Surprises like this don’t happen every day.”

The sheriff’s vehicles pulled out of the driveway. She never stopped looking at Gabe until the cars disappeared out of sight.

Dr. Potts walked back to his truck. “I’ll follow them on down the road and make sure they get settled.”

Dane remained behind her. “Now what?”

“I finish what I started.”

“So, back to New York?”

“For now.”

“What about Gabe?”

“What about him?”

“The way I heard it from Blake, Gabe is in love with you.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Yes, you do.”

She turned to face him and stared up at his dark eyes, so close to the familiar ones she’d grown used to giving her that same penetrating look.

“I have something I need to do. Because of that, Gabe and I have left talk of the future for later.”

“Is that why you did this, because you want a future with him?”

“I set him up at the ranch because it’s his dream, and I understand that. My father had a dream and worked to build his legacy, and it was taken from him far too soon. I won’t let that happen to Gabe. He wanted it. He’ll have it. I told him I’d make it right, and I will.”

“So, not the spoiled rich girl you try so hard to get people to believe you are.”

“I don’t really care what people think.”

“No. But you care what he thinks.”

“Gabe knows who I am.”

“Maybe he does. I bet you terrify him.”

“Why is that?”

“Because he’s probably thinking what I’m thinking. You won’t last one year out here before you’re begging to go back to the city to shop, order take-out, catch a movie, eat at a fancy restaurant, anything to be away from here and the isolation that is a part of life living on a ranch.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t know me, or what I want.”

“Just let him down easy, that’s all I ask.”

“I would never do anything to hurt Gabe. He saved my life.” In so many ways he’d saved her. From that deserted road. From the life she thought she had to live to meet everyone’s expectations. From herself for going along with everything and never once taking a second to discover what she really wanted and why she hung on to pieces of the life she’d had with her family on the ranch. She loved her horses, going to the country music bar, staying home over going out. Would she miss her life in the city? Probably, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t go back once in a while, because what she’d really miss was her friends. But she’d keep in touch through email, texts, and phone calls.

“I hope you mean that. I’d hate to see yet another woman make him a promise she doesn’t mean.”

“Not going to happen. Now, please, take care of the ranch and let me take care of Gabe.”

“When will you both be back?”

“I’m not sure. Gabe will want to return as soon as possible. It might take me a bit longer.”

Dane frowned and gave her an exactly-what-I-thought look.

“I have employees and responsibilities.” That didn’t seem to appease Dane, who continued to frown at her. “As much as I want to be with Gabe, it’s a massive undertaking to run an entire company, but I owe it to my sister.”

“Gabe will help you.”

“It isn’t for Gabe to do. He’ll have his work here. The work he loves in the place he wants to be with his family. I can’t ask him to leave all that for me.”

“What if you’re what he wants?”

“He might say that, and even believe it, but I know he’ll never be happy anywhere but here.”

“The choices you face aren’t fair or easy. I’m sorry about that, but I’m looking out for my brother.”

“That makes two of us. I know him, Dane. I can’t change who he is. I don’t want to.”

Dane gave her a hug and stepped back. “Blake was right. You’re nothing like that woman in the pictures and on the TV. I hope you two figure this out. You’re not what I expected, but you might be perfect for him.”

“Blake said something very similar.”

“We’re brothers, and obviously brilliant.” Dane shrugged and headed for his truck. “I’ll take care of Gabe’s place and yours until you get back. Don’t forget, Mom wants to have you over for dinner. She told me to remind you.”

Ella shook her head, turned, and went into the house to get the keys to Gabe’s truck, his cell phone, and her purse. She made a quick call to the new lawyers she hired right after she spoke to Sam this morning, telling them to meet her at the sheriff’s office in Crystal Creek. Who knew she’d have to use them so soon? She packed up all the papers and files she had strewn everywhere, tucked them and her laptop back into her tote, and carried them out to the truck. She went into the bedroom and packed all her clothes. She rummaged through Gabe’s closet, finding a suitcase and packing him enough clothes for a week.

She loaded everything into the backseat of the truck and turned the key. The engine hummed, but she didn’t back out of the drive. She sat staring at the house, wondering if everything would ever be like it was last night with Gabe when he made love to her. She hoped it would be for both their sakes.

Instead of turning right out of the drive, she went left, up the road to her ranch. The trucks unloaded the cattle into the pastureland on the east side of the property. Dane saw her coming and waved for her to stop.

“Where you goin’, honey? Town’s the other way.”

She laughed and shook her head. “I need to get something from the house.”

“Need help?”

“No, I’ve got it covered. How’s everything going here?”

“Travis should be shot.”

“Yeah, well, short of that I’ve got two lawyers ready to put him in his place.”

“Go get ’em, honey. I’ll see you at dinner at Mom’s.”

With that, Dane went back to directing cattle traffic with the men up on horseback, driving the cattle further along into the pastures.