After the Sunset (16 page)

“I just think that there’s a lot of bad blood between you and him, and I think it would go a long way to making peace.”

“And why do I care about that?”

“Because we’re talking about your family.”

“Lemme understand. You want me to just give the man my share of thousands of acres of land just because you think it would be a nice gesture?”

“I think it would be an olive branch.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Rand—”

“After what he just did to me? Are you kidding?”

“I just want you to think about it.”

“I’m thinking about a lot of things, Stef, but I’m not ready to do anything with that land right this second, all right?”

That was fair. “All right.”

“Okay, so my cousin Zach is gonna sell his ranch.” He exhaled deeply.

“Really.”

“Yeah, he’s done. He’s not sure what he wants to do, but he’s tired of ranching, and from seeing his men this weekend, they’re tired of being there with him. I offered a few of them jobs, and two of them are taking me up on it.”

“And the others?”

“The others don’t wanna work for a gay man.”

“I’m sorry, Rand.”

He grunted. “It’s their loss, Stef. It’s a privilege to work on the Red Diamond. I won’t ever beg anyone to take my hand.”

His pride made me smile. I loved the confidence in the man’s voice.

“Except for you, that is,” he laughed softly. “You, I will beg.”

“It’s not necessary.”

“No?”

“No.”

“Okay then, Stef, please come home.”

“Not yet.”

“See, it ain’t workin’ not to beg.”

“I have things to do first.”

“Like what?”

“Like getting you to give the grazing rights to Rayland.”

“We just put that conversation to bed.”

“Let’s wake it up.”

“So you’re saying if I agree to give the grazing rights to my uncle right now, you would come home?”

It was my one card to play.

“Yes.”

“Done,” he said without pause.

“Great,” I sighed. “So I’ll meet you on the White Ash, and you can give Rayland the grazing rights.”

“Oh fuck no!”

“Oh fuck no, what?”

“Oh fuck no, you are not going out to the White Ash!”

I smiled into the phone. “Why don’t you meet me there?”

“Stef.” His voice lowered in warning.

“Or wait for me at home.”

“Stef.”

“I need you to see Rayland.”

“Why?”

It was not my place to say. “I just do, and Glenn needs our help.”

“Glenn? Since when do you care about Glenn?”

“Because your family should be together, Rand, not apart,” I told him. “The grazing rights will smooth the way with Rayland, and Glenn likes me so—”

“Likes you?”

“Yeah, we’re friends.”

“You and my cousin are friends?”

“Yeah.”

“Since when?”

Since the hospital two times, but I didn’t want to say that, so I went with the other. “He saved me from Gil Landry.”

Beats of time passed. “I’m sorry?”

“You know, Glenn really wants to start a restaurant, and I want to help him with that, and I really think he needs a friend, and he held my hand so tight today at the hospital that I think—”

“Held your hand?”

“Glenn is on the verge of either taking a left turn to greatness or making a right into mediocrity and loneliness.”

“That’s very dramatic.”

I was still hopped up on pain medication. “He could be just like you if we help him.”

“Like me?”

“Yeah. Happy. You’re happy, aren’t you?”

Silence.

“Aren’t you?”

“Not right this second,” he groused at me.

Just thinking about him scowling on the other end made me smile.

“Yes, Stef, I’m happy,” he admitted grudgingly.

“Well then, come pick me up at the White Ash, okay?”

He was silent and so was I.

“You talked to my mother, didn’t you?”

It was lucky that I was still holding on to the corral fence. “Yes.”

He made a noise of understanding, and suddenly the light came on for me as well.

“Your dad,” I sighed.

“Of course,” he said irritably. “James Holloway never backed down from anything, least of all the truth. He told me a long time ago that Rayland was my biological father.”

I coughed. “Your mother doesn’t know, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. Rayland doesn’t know I know either.”

Longest damn weekend of my life.

“Who told you?”

“I figured it out and then made your mother tell me.”

“How did you figure it out when no one else can?”

“Because I really look at you, and I will notice anyone else who looks like you,” I told him. “I always thought of you and Charlotte as having the exact same color eyes, but even Charlotte’s are darker than yours. She’s got that violet color, and Glenn’s are cobalt, but yours are all your own except for—”

“Rayland.”

“Yeah.”

“And so, were you gonna say something to me?”

“You know I was. How could I not?”

“Even though it wasn’t your secret to tell?”

“There can’t be anything between us, Rand, or we won’t make it.”

“I agree, and so you know, that means something to me. The fact that you would take my side before anyone else, that you would tell me even if you thought I wouldn’t believe you—that’s a big deal, Stef.”

“But I had no doubt that you would believe me.”

“What? You think I would take your word over anyone else’s, even my mother’s?”

“Of course,” I said matter-of-factly. I had been worried about how hurt Rand would be. It never even crossed my mind to think that I would need to convince him that I was telling the truth. “I know you trust me.”

He took a long breath. “I wanna see you real bad.”

The ache in his voice twisted me up inside. “Rand, let’s just get everything out in the open, all right? Come to the ranch, talk to Rayland, talk to Glenn. Let’s have a good old-fashioned knock-down, drag-out fight. Bring Tyler, bring Zach. I’ll call Charlotte. It’s time. Secrets have a way of festering. Aren’t you sick of it?”

“I don’t think on it much, but I would like my mother to know that I know. It might let her sleep better, and Charlotte should know that I’m only half her brother.”

“I doubt it will change anything.”

“We’ll see.”

He sounded sad, and it hurt to hear, but I knew that Charlotte loved him, and I knew, too, that nothing would ever change that.

“Call your mother, will you?”

“Yessir, I will.”

“And then come to the ranch and talk to Rayland.”

“All right.”

“And pick me up while you’re at it.”

“Anything else while you’re barking out orders?”

“No, that’s it,” I sighed happily.

“So,” he said softly. “Why did Glenn have to save you from Gil Landry?”

Amazing. After everything, all the talking we’d done, all the revelations of the past few minutes, the man had still retained that tiny piece of information.

“Who cares?”

“Oh, I fuckin’ care.” His voice lowered ominously. “What happened?”

“It’s no big deal. Gil Landry took a swing at me, and Glenn stopped him from doing anything more than put me on the ground.”

There was no sound at all, like he wasn’t even breathing.

“Rand?”

He coughed. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You heard me,” I chuckled. “My buddy Gil really wants you to marry his sister.”

“I see.”

“So, when are you coming to Rayland’s ranch?”

“When are you leaving?”

“At some horrible hour of the morning,” I groaned. “Jesus, Rand, four is not a time decent people wake up.”

“It’s the time ranchers get up,” he assured me, and he was trying to sound playful, but his tone was stilted and cold.

“Rand?”

“Just let it be, all right? I’ll see you at the ranch tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me too, baby.” His voice rumbled, and my heart leaped in my chest.

“I really enjoyed the rodeo, you know.”

“Next time we’ll go together.”

“It’s a deal,” I sighed, but my leg throbbed, and so I winced without even meaning to.

“What hurts?” he asked gently.

“Nothing.”

He chuckled, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a really shitty liar.”

“Really? I think it’s more the opposite actually.”

“Then maybe it’s just me.”

“Could be.” I smiled into my phone.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

I cleared my throat. “I’m fine. Just got a little banged up today.”

“When? I watched the video with the bull on the website, and it didn’t look like you got hurt.”

This was news. “The rodeo has a website?”

“Yeah, it’s what Pierce sent me the link for. They put highlights from the rodeo up to get people to come next year, you know?”

“That makes sense.”

“I’m on the website right now.”

The warning buzzer went off in my head. “Well, shouldn’t you—”

“Stef.”

“Yes?”

“There seems to be a…. How did you get hurt, Stef?”

I coughed. “What are you looking at?”

“I’m waiting for something with your name on it to load.”

“It’s probably more of me auctioning off bachelors.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You should watch Everett and Chris doing the team roping. It was really some—”

“What is this?” he asked, talking to himself.

“Rand.”

“Man, this is taking forever.”

There was no getting around it. “Rand, you know that every rancher has to compete in the rodeo, right? I mean actually compete himself or herself to secure the grazing rights?”

“Sure,” he told me.

I waited because my beautiful, sexy cowboy would work it out in a minute.

“What’re you… wait.”

I braced for an explosion.

“Oh, fuck,” he breathed out.

“I’m fine.”

“Whah… Stef—what’d you do?”

I took a breath. “I can’t ride a bull like you, and after I got back from the hospital with Glenn, the only event left was the saddle bronc.”

There was a catch of breath but nothing else.

“Rand?” I said after a minute because a slow feeling of dread was starting to sink into me.

“No.” He sounded like he was going to throw up. “What is—no.”

“Don’t watch anything.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’ll just upset you, and I’m fine,” I told him. “I just broke my leg.”

He sucked in his breath.

“And just the lower part of my leg. It’s no big deal.”

The phone was muffled, and I was pretty sure that the man I loved was in all possibility, coughing up a lung. When he hung up, I was confident that it was to spare me the sounds of him retching. I took the opportunity to continue my limp toward the trailer. I sighed deeply when it was in sight. My phone went off, and I saw Rand’s number pop back up on the display.

“You all right?”

“No.” He sounded sick and mad at the same time.

“I’m all in one piece.”

“Looks like a lot of people took video of you.”

“Because I’m pretty,” I teased him.

“Stef—”

“Did you watch one yet?”

“Not yet… it’s still loading.”

Which meant the file was huge either because it was really long or in really high definition. Either way, I did not want him seeing it. “Don’t watch it.”

“Why not?”

“Because you got sick just think—”

“Here it is,” he said.

“Are you home? Where are you?”

“I’m at Zach’s. The guests are gone, and I’m in his study. I’m gonna leave in the morn…. I’m… I’m… oh my God.” He exhaled.

“But you should see me. I’m fine. You’re talking to me. You can tell from my voice that I’m fine.”

He was quiet. I couldn’t even hear him breathing, or not breathing.

“Rand?”

“Wait.”

“Rand, just—”

“I said wait!”

He sounded really bad, and it was heart-wrenching to hear him so worried about me. I was quiet for long minutes.

Finally, he cleared his throat. “Do you have a concussion?”

“I—”

“It’s a simple question, Stef. Do you or do you not have a concussion?”

“What even makes you ask that question?”

“Because of how hard you hit the dirt.”

“Oh.”

“Stef.”

“Yeah, I have a slight concussion.”

“And you broke your leg?”

“Just my fibula, the small bone, not the big one,” I told him.

“I know what a fibula is.”

“Okay,” I said because he was scaring me with how calm he sounded.

“You know, concussions are tricky. Somebody’s supposed to either keep you awake or watch you all night long. You got someone there to do that?”

“No, Rand, I—”

“Is there someone there I don’t know about who’s fixin’ to take care of you like I could take care of you?”

His voice was rising.

“No, Rand, you—”

“And you’re planning to go to the White Ash tomorrow?”

“Yes,” I said, not even sounding like me.

“So since you and Glenn are so close now, may—”

“There’s no way you’re jealous of your cousin,” I told him.

“No?”

“Knock it off,” I told him. “My head hurts, and you’re screwing with me. It’s not nice.”

He sucked in his breath. “Okay, here’s what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna leave for the airport right now, and you are gonna stay right there and wait for me. Do you understand?”

“I can’t. The rodeo’s over, Rand. I can’t stay here. The guys need to get back to the ranch, and I made a promise to Rayland and Glenn to get out to White Ash. I won’t break my promise after I spent the weekend getting both of them to trust me. I—”

“You can wait for me. No one will throw you out of that trailer. No one’s expected to leave until noon tomorrow.”

“People are leaving already.”

“Not the people who brought stock and horses, Stef. None of the ranchers or their men are leaving until tomorrow.”

“Glenn and Rayland are leaving at like—”

“You’re not. You’re staying right there and waiting for me.”

“Rand—”

“Stefan Joss! Do you understand?” he shouted.

“I want to see the White—”

“You don’t, Stef, not really. I know you. You wanna come home. What you want is for me to sign over the grazing rights. What you want is for me to clear things up with Rayland and my mother, and you want me to find out from Glenn how serious he is about the damn restaurant.”