Heart's Desire (25 page)

Nathan didn't blame Justin for feeling the way he did, for immediately turning against him and believing the worst. Nathan had kept secrets from him about his family. Finding out the person you were trusting with your financial information was from a family of criminals, then to see that man kissing your sister, Justin had been blindsided.

Justin had seen the trail of broken hearts Nathan left behind in college. Nathan had scoffed at the tabloids over the years when they featured him with another famous actress or model he'd left behind. But, coupled with his relentless pursuit of success and the money that followed, a legacy from his father and grandfather, not telling Justin had sealed his fate. Why would Justin want that for his sister? No one would.

Nathan was going to fix this. He was leaving this crap behind, and he was going to remedy this situation with Justin, once and for all.

“A
BOUT DAMN TIME
you're back. You were supposed to meet me in New York.”

Nathan looked up as he entered his apartment to find his father pouring himself a drink from Nathan's supply of twenty-five-year-old Scotch. “What are you doing here?”

“Now, is that any way to greet your father? You sound disappointed.” Nathan watched as he swallowed the drink. His father looked haggard, older than he had the last time he'd seen him. But he supposed a criminal trial had that effect, especially when you were losing. “Are you finished playing cowboys? I need you here to work your magic on a few campaign contributors and help deposit the funds into the proper accounts.”

His father ambled toward the couch, putting a finger into the knot of his tie and working it down as Nathan dropped his keys into an antique bowl beside the door.

“Had me followed again? I'd have thought you'd be using every dime on your defense.” He slid his hands into his pockets and turned to face his father. “I already told you I'm not having any part of this. I'm sorry you made some bad decisions. I'm not getting involved.” Nathan took a step toward his father, narrowing his eyes as the man took a step backward.

“Shut up! Anyone could be listening. They could have this place wired.”

Nathan simply glared at his father, waiting for him to reveal his motive for lying in wait in Nathan's apartment. His father's dark brown eyes grew cold and he narrowed them at Nathan. “I thought you got my point when I told you to stay away from that family. I warned you what would happen if you didn't.”

“What are you going to do? Threaten to disown me again? Cut me off? I'm not a kid anymore. I've got more money behind me to protect them than you do to ruin them, and they have far less to lose than you do. If you go after them, who knows what information might fall into the Feds' hands. There are doctored books, bank routing numbers, and so many contributors who would love to hear how you cheated them. I'm sure the prosecutor would just love for your son to change his mind and testify against you.” Nathan turned his back on his father and carried his bag into his bedroom. “Look, I'm tired. I've just landed from my third flight in three days. I don't have the energy to deal with you tonight.”

His father followed him. “What's gotten into you? You never minded my business decisions when I was putting you through college or while you were a struggling intern.” He jerked at Nathan's arm.

Nathan shook his head, feeling sick to his stomach. “You disgust me. The people you've crushed to get to the top, the lives you've ruined just to stay there . . . I'm glad I got away from you before you dragged me down, too.”

“That's right, Mr. High and Mighty. You've never had any underhanded dealings on your way to the top of the ladder, have you?” Nathan's father stabbed a finger at his chest.

Nathan crossed his arms, letting his father take his best shot. He wasn't going to let the man threaten him any longer. He wasn't always proud of his choices, but at least he could say he stayed on the right side of the law, even if it was a fine tightrope at times.

“I've never crushed people along the way. I would never slander a family just because they didn't serve a purpose for me.”

“This is about that damn cowgirl whore and her brother again?” His father laughed. “You can't possibly be serious about her.”

Nathan cleared the space between them in only two strides, grasping his father by the front of his shirt. “If I ever hear you talk about Jessie again, or her family, you're going to wish a criminal trial was the least of your worries.”

His father tried to brush Nathan's hands away, looking surprised when he didn't let go. “You won't do anything. Besides, you wouldn't want to see anything happen to that nice ranch or anyone on it.”

Nathan loosened his hands, letting his father stumble backward to catch his balance. “I wouldn't advise you to test me, Father. I think we both know that you will come out on the losing end of this battle. I promise you that.”

At that, his father did something Nathan had never seen him do before—he gave up.

“You
have
to help me. I can't go to prison, Nathan. I'll be ruined.” His eyes were wild, desperate and pathetic, as he searched the room like a trapped animal looking for an escape.

Nathan turned away from his father, squaring his shoulders for the verbal assault he expected, but he was too worn out to care any longer. “You're already ruined. You destroyed your reputation and the family name. You've thrown it all away.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It's over, and you lost. You got caught. Pay the two million in fines and serve your time. They'll probably only give you probation anyway.”

“I'll lose my job. You're really going to let your mother and sister suffer, too? I didn't raise you to be a selfish bastard.”

“Are you kidding? You were the best teacher I could have had.” Nathan gave him a sardonic laugh. “As far as Mother and Katrina are concerned, I'll take care of both of them. Now, get out.” He pointed toward the door. “Don't come back again, because I won't be here.”

“But, where—”

“Gone.” Nathan opened the front door of his apartment. “Good luck with your trial, Father. You're going to need it.”

J
ESSIE LED
J
ET
into the corral. Today would be his first ride since arriving on the ranch and, as long as everything went well, a major milestone they'd achieve together. Thanks to Moose, who was now ever-vigilant and present, she'd finally stopped crying herself to sleep, phone in hand, wanting desperately to hear Nathan's voice. And Jet was learning to trust people again, due in large part to the extra time and attention she'd shown him this past week while trying to keep her mind off Nathan. She glanced down at the dog trotting quietly beside her. She hadn't expected him to stay after her talk with Julia in the barn, but after thirty minutes of tears, when her sister rose to leave, Moose refused to lift his head from her lap. Julia informed her he was doing exactly what he was trained to do as a therapy dog—heal pain and distress—and insisted he stay.

Jessie had to admit she loved having him around, especially after everyone went home in the evenings, leaving her in the large, abnormally quiet house alone. She'd begun sleeping in one of the guest rooms, unable to even think about going near her room or shower without tears threatening. Her heart may have scabbed over, but in some ways, she was afraid that this time she would never completely heal. There would always be a scar from Nathan Kerrington, and it was painfully ugly.

“Stay, Moose,” she commanded the dog, giving him the signal her sister taught her. Moose lay to the right side of the gate while she walked through but never took his golden eyes off her as she walked Jet to the middle of the corral.

“Don't you dare make me look stupid, Jet.” She muttered the warning to the horse under her breath. His ears flicked back, listening to her voice. “You know I'm not going to hurt you.”

She put one foot into the stirrup, holding the reins with her left hand, and stood, letting the horse feel her weight. He raised his head slightly, and she felt his muscles bunch, but he relaxed as he turned toward her. “Good boy,” she murmured. “This is going to be so easy for you.”

Jessie swung her leg over Jet's back and lowered herself into the saddle slowly. His rear instantly curled under him and she continued to soothe him with her words, watching his ears twist back and forth as he decided whether to put his trust in the person he'd come to know or fall back on his past experiences of abuse and betrayal.

She ran her fingers over his neck, coaxing him, all the while, inwardly pleading with him to believe in her, to trust her and know she cared about him too much to hurt him. She wanted him to feel the truth through her caress on his neck and the tone of her voice as she spoke. She needed him to remember that, while other humans had treated him badly and done unforgivable things, she wasn't like them. His body began to relax under her, and he started to lower his head, moving forward into a walk.

She let him find his own way around the corral, barely directing him, but wanting to cheer for the progress he made. The simple fact was that he'd chosen to put his faith in her.

Why couldn't you do the same with Nathan?

Jessie froze in the saddle, and Jet immediately tensed beneath her. “Easy boy,” she murmured.

Nathan had gentled her the same way she had the scared animal. And, just like Jet, she believed she had her reasons to distrust him. But, instead having faith in Nathan, she'd run again, regardless of the fact that he'd given her every reason to believe in him. She'd rejected Nathan and the knowledge crushed her. She was an idiot. She'd thrown everything they'd shared away because of an accusation. She should have known better.

“I guess you're smarter than I am, boy.”

She had to make it right, somehow.

N
ATHAN SHIFTED IN
his Wranglers and boots in the white pickup he'd rented, intently watching the entrance the bank. He should have listened to his gut when it told him Brendon was trouble. From their first meeting, Nathan hadn't trusted him. Watching him walk into the bank now confirmed his suspicions.

Sliding out of the driver's seat, he followed Brendon into the bank, watching as the other man sat down at a desk and waited for an account manager. Nathan walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Morning, Brendon. What brings you here?”

Brendon spun and rose to his feet. “What are you doing here? I thought you left.”

“I did.” Nathan settled into the chair next to Brendon and let a smile curve his lips. “And now I'm back.” He leaned back in the chair as if preparing for a long visit. “You know, it's odd that we should show up here at the same time.”

Brendon sat back down, one brow raised in question. “I think it's
odd
to see you here at all, City Boy. What happened? People didn't buy your bullshit urban cowboy act, so you had to come back here to try to look important? Sorry, we don't have enough money around here for your kind of white-collar criminal.”

Nathan's smile widened slowly as he met Brendon's anxious gaze. The accountant wasn't nearly as confident as he wanted Nathan to believe he was. Nathan could almost smell the fear seeping from his pores.

“You know, it's funny you, of all people, should mention white-collar criminals.” He slid a hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone and a business card, shifting his eyes from the card back to Brendon's face. “Contrary to what you told Justin, my name is clear and my record is clean as a whistle, but thanks to my father's case, I've been in close contact with federal investigators.”

“So?”

“They were pretty cooperative when I asked them to look into what appeared to be someone embezzling from Heart Fire Ranch.”

He watched Brendon's face redden as he shifted in his chair. The man refrained from commenting, but Nathan saw his fingers grip the arms.

“When they contacted the local authorities and suggested we set up a sting, I was more than willing to do whatever I could, as well as provide any resources I had to protect Jessie.”

He punched a button on his phone and played back a recording of Brendon on the phone with Nathan's secretary while she pretended to be a bank representative. Brendon paled, his mouth falling open, as he heard the woman inform him there was trouble with the Heart Fire Industries account and that she needed the account holder to come in to correct the error.

“Which brings us back to this bank and your business here.” Since the meeting with Brendon and Trevor, Nathan had suspected the accountant of routing money from Jessie's ranch into his own hands. He was the only one with the ability to hide the crime without creating suspicion. Nathan pressed several buttons on his phone, dialing the number on the card but not putting the call through just yet.

“You think I'm the one taking money from Heart Fire.” Nathan noticed it wasn't a question or a denial of culpability. “You're wrong.”

“Am I?” Nathan leaned forward in his seat. “The account holder is told to come solve and issue with Heart Fire Industries, and here you are. That account is now nearly emptied out. But, of course, you already knew that, didn't you?”

“What?” This time, Brendon paled. “No, there's nearly fifty thousand in that account.”

“Not anymore.”

Brendon was on his feet, flagging down an account representative, dragging the disgruntled employee back to the desk. “I need you to look up this account.” The bank employee eyed Nathan who remained rooted to his spot, phone still in his hand. “Now! What in the hell are you waiting for, you imbecile? Do it now!”

Either Brendon was a tremendous actor or he had no idea the account had been emptied. Nathan didn't think he was faking his frantic state.

“Sit down, Brendon,” Nathan ordered. “The man will do his job better without you screaming in his face.” He sent the call and put the phone to his ear. “We need some assistance at First National.”

“Who are you calling? The police?” Brendon's eyes shot toward the front doors as if contemplating his escape.

“I don't think so,” Nathan said into the phone, ignoring Brendon's questions. “Let's find out what's going on before we call in the troops.”

“You don't understand.” Brendon ran a hand through his hair. “I . . . he said . . . ”

“Who said?” Brendon had his attention now. There was no doubt Brendon had set up the account and the money transfers that had nearly sent Jessie into bankruptcy, but his reaction to this news made it clear there was someone else involved.

“Sir, this account had a final withdrawal yesterday and is showing a zero balance. There are also no pending deposits, per your request. Now,” he said, glaring at the two men at his desk, “if you don't mind, I was helping a customer.”

Nathan nodded and saw two officers enter the building. Brendon had buried his head in his hands, muttering, as Nathan rose and motioned for the officers. “Brendon, you might want to call your father, or a good defense attorney.”

“What? No!” He jumped up from the chair. “Wait, it wasn't me!” The officers reached for Brendon's arms, twisting them behind him roughly as they clipped a set of handcuffs over his wrists.

“Brendon Gray, you have the right to remain silent.”

Nathan walked toward the front door, wanting to feel satisfaction now that Brendon was in custody. But hearing that almost fifty thousand dollars had been stolen from Jessie made his heart sink. The chance of them ever seeing that money again was slim. He'd failed her after all. He was too late.

“H
EY
, J
ESS
! I heard some interesting news today in town.” Bailey breezed into the office, eyes alight with mischief, and plopped into the chair in front of Jessie's desk as Moose trotted up and dropped his head in her lap for attention.

She barely looked up from the computer and the pile of receipts and invoices that seemed to never end. She really needed to spend some time figuring out this computer program. Nathan could've helped—

Stop!
she warned herself. Thoughts of Nathan only led to tears.

“I don't need to hear gossip, Bailey. Don't we get enough of it in this town without you spreading it?”

“You don't even want to know when it's about Heart Fire?”

Bailey had her full attention now. “What about the ranch?”

The last thing she needed was people talking about her. She was in the black for the first time in over six months, thanks to Nathan. Enough that she'd been able to convince Jennifer to let her hire Mitch and Clint full time. She didn't want to risk anything driving them away, especially small town gossip.

“Brendon Gray was arrested.”

Jessie's eyes widened in surprise, and she dropped her pen. “What?”

“Thought you didn't want to know,” Bailey teased, laughing.

“This isn't funny, Bailey. What was he arrested for?”

“Embezzling.” A knot began to tighten in Jessie's belly, fear gripping her, coiling around her chest as she waited for Bailey to go on. “From what I hear, Nathan nailed his ass to the wall right there in the bank.”

Her heart dropped to her toes. Nathan? He was here? When had he arrived? Why hadn't he come to the ranch?

“Once they started questioning him, he started singing like a bird. Keeps insisting he was set up.”

“Wait, go back to the beginning. Nathan is here, and Brendon's been embezzling money? From us?”

“Yes, yes, and apparently.” Bailey slapped her hands against her knees and stood up. “Justin canceled his afternoon appointments and closed up the clinic to head into town to meet with Uncle Trevor. He wants to see what all of this is about and what sort of ramifications it might have.”

“Where's Julia? We need to get into town.”

Bailey shrugged. “She's not home, so she probably took the dogs out on some training exercise. Do you want me to drive?”

“No, stay and wait for Julia. Then you two meet us in town. I've got to find Justin.” Jessie hurried into the kitchen and snatched her keys and purse from the counter. “Tell Mitch and Clint to just finish working the two mares, and I'll be back later.”

“Jess!” Bailey chased her down the front steps of the porch. “You realize what this means, right?”

She nodded. “Justin was wrong.”

Bailey's smiled spread even wider. “It also means Nathan kept his promise to you.”

“We'll see.”

A
LL HELL WAS
breaking loose in the small sheriff station when Jessie finally made her way inside. Two deputies tried to calm Uncle Trevor as he threatened everyone within a five-foot radius with slander and libel lawsuits if any rumors left the building. He should have known it was already spreading through the entire town. Several people had stopped Jessie on her way inside to ask if she'd heard. She could see Brendon holed up in the sheriff's office with his head in his hands, while Nathan leaned against a doorway as Uncle Trevor continued his barrage.

“Jessie, thank goodness you're finally here! Will you please explain to Deputy Dip-shit over here that Brendon has been acting in your family's best interest and that you weren't taken advantage of. This man,” he said, flinging his hand in Nathan's direction, “seems to think Brendon has been stealing money from the ranch. I think with his background, Officer, you should be checking his credentials and handcuffing him in that office instead.”

She'd never seen her uncle so worked up. He was always in control and never lost his cool; however, right now, he looked ready to pull his salt and pepper hair from his head.

“Sir, please relax. Your client needs you right now, and if you can't settle down, I think you need to recuse yourself from this case,” the deputy said.

Nathan looked hard as steel, his eyes barely registering any tenderness as they took in her presence. “That would probably be best anyway, Gray. Seems like this might be a conflict of interest.”

Uncle Trevor shot daggers at him, lunging toward the doorway, only stopping when the deputy wrapped an arm around his chest and forcibly pulled him away. “That's it! Into this room.” The deputy pushed her uncle into one of the other smaller offices as Justin came running into the office, pushing his way past her, freezing when he saw Nathan.

“What in the
hell,
Nathan?” Justin spun to face her. “Please, tell me you're not a part of this.”

“I just got here. I don't even know what's going on.” She turned back to Nathan. “What
is
going on?” Jessie looked from one man to the next, waiting for someone, anyone, to provide some sort of answer.

Nathan pushed himself from the doorframe and ambled toward them. Jessie clenched her jaw.

Was he seriously going to strut toward her like he had nothing to prove? Like some sort of superhero who'd just rescued the damsel in distress? She might be itching to throw her arms around him, to feel him under her hands, but she wasn't about to tolerate this macho bullshit from him any more than she would from her brother.

“Does this look like an Old West shoot out? Spit it out already, Maverick. I don't have all day.”

The corner of his lips curled into a grin and that damn dimple sunk into his cheek. “I've missed you, Jess.”

Her heart might have done several flips in her chest at his words and the way her name slid from his lips. Not to mention the way the green in his eyes seemed to skim over her from head to toe, heating every inch of her along the way, but he didn't need to know any of that. She folded her arms and cocked her hip to the side, waiting for him to answer.

“You had our accountant arrested for embezzlement?” Justin's voice was strained, and Jessie could tell he was aching for a fight.

“Brendon is CFO, and the only person with access to the Heart Fire Industries account, the only person who could touch that money. He was the only person able to access funds from each one of you, and now, the Heart Fire Industries account is empty. If he diverted those funds, Justin, that's embezzlement, whether you trust me or not.”

Jessie noticed Nathan wasn't quite able to keep the hurt from his eyes at the thought of Justin not having faith in him. She looked at her brother. He was torn, and she could understand why. He'd known Brendon since they were kids, but what else was it going to take to convince him Brendon had lied?

“Is this about Jessie?”

And again, it was none of his business
who
she dated. She turned to her brother and shoved a hand against his chest, knocking him back a few steps.

“About me? Why would anything be about me? It's always about you and Julia or the ranch. Nothing is ever about what I want.” She pushed against his chest again. “What goes on between me and Nathan is none of your business. I don't remember asking for your permission, Justin. Whether you realize it or not, I'm an adult woman who makes her own choices. The way Mom and Dad taught me.”

Justin looked down at her and grabbed her wrist gently. “Jess, you don't know what you want or need.” His sweet, mocking tone made her feel like a child, and she was done with him treating her like she needed his help.

“Don't ‘Jess' me. I didn't ask you to take Dad's place. I love you, but that's something you can't do.” She jerked her wrist away from him, angry tears filling her eyes. “Why can't you see I don't need your protection?”

“Because you do,” Nathan moved closer to where she stood.

“You have no right to be involved in this discussion at all.” She turned on him. “You lied.”