Perfect Family (37 page)

Jessie met her angry eyes. “Perhaps not,” she said levelly, “but apparently Hall Clements wanted to preserve the ranch, too, or he never would have made that provision.”

Cullen went over to his wife and put his hands on her shoulders, but she angrily shook out of them, rose, and stalked away.

“Just think about it,” Cullen pleaded. “And give Roy Smith a chance to make another offer.”

She wanted to say yes, to equivocate, but she knew she wouldn't change her decision. “It wouldn't change my mind,” she said. “I would still vote no.”

“That's your right,” Marc said smoothly. “You don't owe us anything.”

Something about that statement didn't strike her right, but she ignored it. “I think I'd better let Ben out.”

Seven pairs of eyes went down to Ben, who seemed to notice. He retreated behind her legs.

Sarah spoke for the first time. “We'll have a buffet ready in just a few moments.”

“I need a drink,” Jessie heard Marc say as she went out the door.

She closed it quietly behind her. Ben went running over to Ross's house. She should have realized that he would. His truck was parked in front, so he'd arrived sometime in the past hour.

“Ben,” she called. She didn't think she was ready for another encounter with Ross Macleod. She knew he would be pleased with her decision, but that wasn't why she'd made it. Her father had come alive for her in the past weeks, strangely more so than when he
was
alive. Now he was a man with dreams and passions, not one drained by life and drink. And she knew to the depths of her soul exactly what he would want her to do.

Ben returned reluctantly, went about his business, then started once more for Ross's home.

She wanted to follow. She wanted to tell him that the ranch would continue as it had for nearly one hundred years.

But she couldn't do it. She still felt too raw. Too uncertain of his feelings, his motives. Everyone's motives. She felt that what she'd done had been right for her, for her father. And she would receive small payments over the years from profits of the ranch, though it certainly wouldn't be millions of dollars. It was far more than she'd ever expected.

She did feel good about her decision, and it had nothing to do with Sarah or Ross. It had all to do with her. And now, she knew, it was time to go home. Then perhaps she could find the answer to the final mystery. And cope with the fact that she would probably never know exactly what happened that day fifty years ago that tore apart a family.

She lingered for a moment, hoping perhaps that Ross would come out. But he might well be out riding. He often did in the evening, she was told. She wanted to be with him, astride a horse and watching the sun recede behind a mountain. How could she feel that way if she thought he might have struck her? Because part of her knew it couldn't be true?

Then who?

She returned to the house before she lost her resolve. Rosa was laying out food on the table, and she was reminded how hungry she was. No one had left after her announcement, and with the exception of Samantha, everyone was cordial. Elizabeth grabbed a plate and sat next to her. “That was gutsy,” she whispered in approval.

“How do you feel about it?” she asked.

“I have mixed feelings,” Elizabeth said. “I spent a lot more time here than my brother and I love it. But Andy never comes. I told him I would agree if he really wanted it,” she added with a sigh. “It would mean I could travel, but deep down I would always miss the Sunset.”

Jessie nodded, more sure than ever that she'd made the right decision.

An hour later, everyone who didn't live at the Sunset left. They all gave her a kiss, and none indicated any resentment over what she had decided, but she also had the feeling that they had not given up yet.

Finally, Marc and Samantha also left, heading for a party at a local home. “A political party,” Marc said. Halden went to bed, leaving Jessie alone with Sarah.

They went out on the patio in back and settled down in chairs. A part moon and a million stars lit the spectacular rock formations. “It's beautiful,” she said.

“Thank you,” Sarah said softly.

“There's no need. I think it's what my father would have wanted.”

“He would,” Sarah said. “I imagine he's smiling now.”

“I hope so.”

“Would you think about staying?” Sarah asked. “Becoming a part of the ranch? I've been doing a lot of the bookkeeping, but my … eyes and concentration aren't what they used to be. And you belong here.”

Ben stirred next to her. Perhaps he sensed her sudden excitement. Living here in such raw rugged beauty. Riding every day. Working with Ross. It was an incredibly appealing thought. Too appealing.

Everything she owned was in Atlanta. Her life was in Atlanta and in the Olde Book Shoppe. The Sunset was a rather unsettling fantasy, something still not quite real. Just as Ross wasn't quite real. She had never attracted anyone like him before, someone who exuded confidence and competence and pure masculine sensuality. She knew it couldn't last.

You belong here
.

But she didn't. Not really. She still felt a stranger with most of them, and she still knew that someone had struck her in the dark. Like a coward.

That was why, she suddenly realized, she couldn't believe Ross was involved. He wasn't a coward. Someone else then. But who?

“Did you look for the letter?” she asked Sarah.

“Yes,” she said. “It wasn't where I thought it should be.”

“You didn't find it then?”

“No,” Sarah said slowly. “But I don't think you would find anything helpful. The only reason it was kept is because Halden has a horror of throwing anything away. So did our father. I haven't seen it myself in forty years.”

“And it was from Heath?”

“Yes,” she said reluctantly.

“What exactly did it say?”

“That he considered the money a loan, that the bonds that had purchased him a share in the business would be worth far more than what he had taken.”

“And he didn't say what he did with them?”

She was obviously reluctant even to remember, though Jessie sensed that the content of the letter was engraved in her mind. “Sarah?”

“He said he'd buried them, that he would send us directions in the primer when the company became successful.”

“Why a primer?”

She shrugged. “Maybe it was part of the promise, his commitment. He knew how important those primers were to the family.”

“Why doesn't everyone believe it was destroyed in the fire?”

“I think they do,” Sarah said. “But it's the stuff of legend. Buried treasure. Every kid in the family has been out there trying to find it. They just can't seem to give up hope.”

Jessie pondered that. “Marc and Cullen,” she finally said. “They seem close.”

“They are, always have been. Up until lately, though, they disagreed on the ranch. Cullen never cared about it. Marc, perhaps because he lived here so long, wanted to keep it. It was just lately that Cullen persuaded him to sell. The offer was a very high one, and Marc is having problems raising money for his campaign. He's convinced he can win with the right financing.”

Jessie absorbed all the information. Had Marc mentioned the letter to Cullen? But then Cullen wasn't at the ranch last night.

Sarah broke into her thoughts. “You didn't answer my question about staying here.”

But Jessie couldn't let her suspicions go. “Someone was in the attic last night,” she said. “Someone who didn't want me to find that letter.” It was the best answer she could give. She didn't feel safe here. There was something … at work that she didn't understand.

Sarah didn't try to contradict her. “Will you at least come back often?”

“I
will
do that,” she said. Then she voiced the other decision she'd made today. “I'll be going home the day after tomorrow.”

A moment passed. Jessie sensed the regret in her aunt. She was still hiding something. Or protecting someone.

“I had better go up to bed,” Jessie said.

“How's your head?”

“It aches a little. Other than that, I'm fine.”

“Would you like to go up to the cliffs?” Sarah said.

Her hesitation prompted Sarah to add, “I would be riding anyway, Jessie. I was riding this morning. Like I said, I'll ride until the day I die. And,” she added with a mischievous expression, “it would be much safer if I rode with someone.”

“Ouch,” Jessie said. Sarah knew exactly how to manipulate her. Just as Ross had charged. Still, she surrendered because she wanted to explore more of this country before she left. “Will you take me to some places where my father used to go?”

“I would like that,” Sarah said quietly. “Thank you, Jessie. Thank you for being your father's daughter.”

Jessie rose, and Ben lazily got to his feet. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight. “I'll see you in the morning.” She didn't wait for Sarah to go inside with her. Instead, she stopped in the kitchen, got a glass of water, and went upstairs. She looked at the stairs up to the attic, and shuddered. No more such expeditions for her. She suspected that the letter, if it had been there, was now long gone. But why? Particularly when so many seemed to know the contents.

Once in her room, she settled down with a book, knowing she wouldn't sleep after today's nap. Unable to concentrate, she went to the window. The lights were on in Ross's house. After several moments, she saw Sarah coming out of Ross's house.

So Sarah had told him about her vote. He had no need to charm her now, or court her. And in two days she would be back home. Jessie's magnificent adventure would end.

twenty-two

Jessie woke up just before dawn. She glanced at the clock. Six
A
.
M
. She thought about burrowing back within the bed.

But her movements had roused Ben, who was sleeping beside the bed, and he jumped up on her, his body wriggling in eager anticipation of a trip outside.
Just as well
. She could see another sunrise.

She dressed hurriedly in a pair of jeans and sweater, ran a comb through her hair, and applied just a touch of lipstick. Then she went down the steps at a jog, Ben trailing behind her. She felt far better than she'd thought she would and looked forward to the ride ahead. Decisions had been made, and she felt as if she'd finished at least one chapter of the book that was becoming her life. Now a cup of coffee and a view of the sunrise were exactly what she needed.

But as she headed for the kitchen, she nearly ran down Sarah. Her aunt was wearing riding clothes and looked healthier than she had anytime in the past several days. Jessie wondered whether it was because she knew she could live on in the house, or whether she was just having a good day.

Sarah's face brightened and Jessie's heart contracted. She was just beginning to realize how much she had come to care for Sarah, manipulation or not.

“I'll fix breakfast for us,” her aunt said. “Marc and Samantha didn't get in until late and probably won't be up for a while. Halden is having breakfast in his room.”

“He's all right, isn't he?”

“Oh yes, but he just wants toast in the morning and he likes to eat and read the paper in his room.”

They went into the kitchen and the aroma of coffee was lovely. “What would you like?” Sarah asked. “Rosa isn't here yet, but I can whip up something.”

“Anything.”

“Fresh fruit and an omelet? Mine aren't as good as Rosa's but …”

“Sounds marvelous.” It sounded better than marvelous, in fact. The ache in her head had almost disappeared, and she found herself unexpectedly hungry. “I'll have to call Alex and make an appointment to sign those papers of his,” she said. “I want to leave tomorrow.”

“Have you made your reservation?”

“It was open-ended. I'll check on that later, too.”

“I can ask Alex to come over here.”

“Thanks, but I think I would rather go to his office.”

Sarah nodded. “We'll go to the cliffs this morning, and you'll have all afternoon. I'll ask Halden to call Alex and make the appointment. In the meantime, why don't you go out and tell Ross we'll take Carefree and Daisy?”

“Will he be up?”

“Ross? As sure as the sun rises. This is midmorning for him.”

Jessie wasn't at all sure that she wanted to see Ross this morning.
Liar
. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him. She wished it were that simple. It was herself she feared. She turned insensible when he was around.

“Go, Jessie,” Sarah said.

Jessie went, Ben romping beside her.

The barn door was open. Jessie told herself to control her roaring hormones.

She heard a soft nicker and went down to the end of the barn. Ross was talking softly to one of his charges as he poured oats into a feed bucket. She saw him run a hand fondly along the neck of the horse. It was a horse she didn't know yet, but he nudged Ross with his handsome head.

Ross turned, obviously sensing her presence. “Jess,” he said in a cool voice.

His hair was still damp from a shower, his shirtsleeves rolled up. He was wearing the usual well-worn jeans. She'd never seen anyone look quite as … lethally attractive in them. But the coolness in his voice made her take a step back.

“Ross?”

His expression didn't mellow. “Congratulations, I heard that you're officially an owner now.”

She was baffled. “That sounds as if you don't approve.”

“I don't approve or disapprove.” His voice remained cool. She wondered whether Sarah had told him of her decision. “It's none of my business.”

“I voted against the sale,” she said.

“I heard.”

“Isn't that what you wanted?”