Texas Rose Forever (Texas Rose Ranch #1) (28 page)

She stood as his phone buzzed, and walked to the door.

“This is only the outline.” He called after her.

“I know. I wrote the last one; this time you’re on your own.” She stepped out into the afternoon sunshine and smiled. She was rid of Phillip. It had cost her the publishing rights to her book, which made her a little sick to her stomach, but she loved Cinco and had saved his home.

Now that she saw Phillip for who he really was—a spineless asshole—she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he wouldn’t come after Cinco’s
family. He wanted to stay on top for as long as he could, and now that she had leverage, he’d back off.

Without the weight of Phillip holding her down, she was ready to take the next step in her life. She wanted to marry Cinco and have some babies. It was quick, but it was right. They were meant to be together.

Someday soon—after she worked up the nerve—she’d shock the hell out of him by doing the asking. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face.

Cinco stood outside of the Java Ranch and stared at the cozy scene unfolding before him. From across the street, he’d seen CanDee walk in, so he’d jaywalked to have coffee with her, but she’d sat across from Phillip.

Right now, the man’s hand was covering hers and he was smiling up at her.

Cinco waited for her to jump up and storm out, but she just sat there. His heart twisted in his chest. She didn’t seem to be angry or surprised to find her ex. In fact, it looked like they had a date.

This didn’t make sense. She loved Cinco, but she had a date with her ex? She didn’t like Phillip and was scared of him. Only she didn’t look scared right now.

That niggling sensation in the pit of his stomach that he’d ignored reared its ugly head. This situation had shades of Naomi. She’d met with plenty of men behind his back. But CanDee wasn’t Naomi and she wouldn’t do that. Only she was meeting with Phillip and she certainly
hadn’t mentioned it to Cinco. There were tons of reasons that she could be
meeting with her ex, but off the top of his head, he couldn’t think of one.

His gaze stayed on CanDee. She leaned closer to Phillip and said something that made him smile.

Cinco could actually feel his heart break. He couldn’t watch anymore. He turned around, walked across the street, got into his truck, and started the engine. He pulled into traffic and someone slammed on their brakes and honked their horn at him. He could have cared less.

CanDee was meeting Phillip of her own free will. Why would she do that? He turned onto Highway 87 and headed home. Were they getting back together? His heart screamed no, but his head couldn’t deny what he’d seen.

She loved Cinco, she’d told him so . . . but then, why meet her ex?

It was likely something innocent, he reasoned with himself. Maybe some unfinished business? If this man really had cost her everything, then why meet with him? Especially after she’d been so rattled by seeing him at Cranky’s.

And why hadn’t she mentioned her meeting with him? Cinco would have been happy to go with her. Hell, they’d spent the morning and some of the afternoon together. Now that he thought about it, she must have left right after he did.

None of this made sense. There was probably a perfectly good explanation for this and he needed to let her explain. That was it—he wouldn’t pass judgment until he’d heard her side of the story. He hit the phone button on the control panel, pulled up his recent call history, touched her number, and hit call.

Her phone went straight to voicemail. So she’d turned her phone off. Why would she do that?

He wanted this to be something innocent. More than anything, he wanted that to be the case, but things weren’t adding up.

Through the car’s speakers, his phone rang. He checked the number. It was CanDee. See, here she was calling to explain.

He hit answer. “Hello.”

Relief flooded his system.

“Hi there. I saw that you called. Sorry, I was on the phone.” She sounded so happy.

Okay, it was possible that she’d taken a call while she was meeting with Phillip, or maybe she’d left him and then had taken a call. It could happen.

“No problem. Where are you?” He could turn around and meet her for coffee. True, she’d already had coffee, but he could meet her for more coffee and then she could tell him in person why she was meeting her ex.

“I’m on my way to the library in Fredericksburg and then I need something from Walmart. Need anything?” She sounded overly bright and cheerful. Naomi did that when she was lying.

All of the air went out of his lungs. “No, I’m good, thanks.”

CanDee was lying. Rage tinted with heartache pounded through his system. He couldn’t stand the lying. Not again . . . not with CanDee. She knew how important honesty was to him.

“Okay, well, I’m almost there. I need to go. I love you.”

“Goodbye.” He pressed end.

If she lied about meeting Phillip, was she lying about having feelings for him? Once a liar, always a liar. At least, that had been his experience. But CanDee should have the chance to explain her side of the story. He wasn’t passing judgment until he’d heard her side.

CHAPTER 28

Two days later when she still hadn’t mentioned her meeting with Phillip, Cinco knew that she was hiding something. He cut another piece of steak, brought it to his mouth, and chewed. Dinner, just like lunch, had been heavy with silence.

Waiting for her to confess was killing him. Yesterday, he’d picked a fight with her over something that he couldn’t even remember. The makeup sex had been fantastic, but then again, that had never been their problem.

CanDee liked to use sex as a way to avoid talking about serious things. Just when he’d thought he’d gotten her to open up, she was keeping something from him.

He couldn’t take it anymore. “Why did you lie to me about being at the library when you were really meeting with Phillip?”

Her mouth fell open. Thank God she’d just finished swallowing or macerated steak would have fallen out. “I’m sorry.”

She’d been caught in a lie and she knew it. Naomi had always started by apologizing. At first it had worked, but after a while, he’d been able to see it for what it was worth . . . a hollow word that meant nothing.

Slowly, CanDee picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth. She looked up and caught his eye. She wasn’t a coward, he’d give her that. “I agreed to give him my novel.”

If she’d slapped him, he couldn’t have been more stunned. “Why?”

She rubbed the muscles at the back of her neck. “It’s complicated.”

“Since you think I’m an idiot, uncomplicate it for me.” He wasn’t shouting, but he was using his outside voice.

She sat back and crossed her arms. “Don’t take that tone with me. No one’s pushing me around again . . . ever.”

Following her lead, he slowly wiped his mouth and gathered himself. “I’m trying to rein in my temper, but when you lie to me, it pisses me off. You know that honesty is my deal breaker.”

“Really? Honesty? And you’ve been completely honest with me?” Her condescending tone was making it hard to keep calm. “How about the lawsuit you filed against Phillip in my name?”

It was his turn for his mouth to fall open. He stared at her. Okay, so he hadn’t remembered to tell her. That was different than intentionally lying. “Is that what you were discussing at your intimate little coffee date the other day?”

She took two deep, frustrated breaths. “No, as a matter of fact, I was negotiating his leaving me the hell alone forever. I bought him off with my manuscript, but I now have leverage against him, so it will be the last thing he takes from me.” She tossed her napkin on the table. “I need for you to drop the lawsuit. I’m giving him the rights to the books.”

He was missing something because he hadn’t figured her for a coward. “Why?”

“So he’ll leave us alone.” She dropped her gaze. Again with the lies.

“Stop lying.” Was she intentionally trying to hurt him?

She closed her eyes and sucked on the inside of her cheek like she was gathering herself. When she opened her eyes, they were hazy with tears.

Immediately, he felt like an ass, and then he wanted to kick himself for feeling like an ass. Naomi had used tears to control him.

CanDee swiped at them. “I found some things out about the Texas Rose—Phillip must have overheard me talking about them with Lefty.”

Women. They were frustrating as hell. He folded his hands in his lap and refused to go to her. He wanted the truth, damn it, and he’d have it. He was done begging for forgiveness for things he hadn’t done. “What are you talking about?”

With the back of her hand, she wiped more tears away. At least she didn’t make a big production out of them like Naomi had. “Phillip overheard Lefty and me talking about your grandfather, Tres. The man who survived the fire wasn’t your biological grandfather, it was Loco Hernandez, a ranch hand. After the fire, the ranch should have gone to Deuce’s biological son, Elijah Rose Slattery.”

“What?” Something clicked in his brain. “That’s why they paid off the Slatterys.” He stared at her, trying to make sense of everything. “As a child, I remember overhearing an argument between my grandfather and my father. It’s the one and only time I’ve ever heard my father cuss. He said something like ‘Damn it, Dad. You don’t always have to do the right thing. You didn’t do anything wrong.
’
”

Her eyes narrowed. “So, I gave that bastard my book for nothing?”

The pieces were beginning to fall into place. He was out of the chair and kneeling in front of her. “Phillip blackmailed you . . . didn’t he?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “I lied about where I was because I thought I was saving the family ranch. If I’d told you I’d met with Phillip, you would’ve wanted to know why. Since I didn’t think you knew about your grandfather, I didn’t tell you. It turns out that it was all for nothing.”

Cinco wanted to kick his own ass. He hadn’t seen a little cozy coffee date, he’d seen the woman he loved and who loved him bargain with the only thing she had left because she thought he might lose his home.

“I am such an ass.” He wanted to touch her, to hold her . . . but he didn’t feel like he had the right.

“And I’m an idiot, so we make a good pair.” She just sat there and didn’t reach for him.

Had he screwed things up so badly that things would never be the same again?

“Can you forgive me for not trusting you?” He should have trusted her. She wasn’t Naomi and had never given him any reason to believe that she was anything like his ex. “I’m so sorry.”

It seemed like too little, but hopefully it wasn’t too late.

“Can you forgive me for not trusting you enough to mention what I’d found out about the ranch? I fell in love with you and your family and I couldn’t stand the thought of being the person who took the Texas Rose from you.” Her hands remained on the arms of the chair. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for . . . let’s just agree on honesty from now on.” He sat back on his heels. “Will . . .” His voice cracked. He cleared his throat. “Will you let me touch you?”

With her right index finger, she reached out and pressed it lightly into his kneecap.

“Touched you first.” She grinned. “I love you.”

This was it. This was the moment. His father had told him that he would know and this was it.

“Wait, stay right there.” He practically jumped up and ran to the pantry. Where the hell was the damn oatmeal box? He moved bottles, canisters, and boxes of things out of the way until he found that red, white, and blue cylinder of dry oats. “Got it.”

“God, I hope you’re looking for the chocolate syrup so we can have some crazy makeup sex right here on the kitchen floor. Since it hasn’t been mopped since I’ve been here, I call top,” she said from the kitchen table.

He hauled the oats to the kitchen island, ripped the top off, and upended the oats into a mountain on the granite.

“I can’t imagine what you plan on doing with those, but I’m willing to give you some creative license just as long as it doesn’t involve me eating them. I mean, I guess I can choke some down in, say, an oatmeal cookie, but other than that, whatever oat fantasy you have may not come true.” She leaned forward to get a better look at what he was doing. She stood.

“Sit.” Cinco pointed to her chair. “I’ll be right with you.”

He sifted through the oats until he found the plastic sandwich bag that held the most precious thing he owned. He shook the oats off and pulled the bag open. Inside was the ring that he hoped CanDee would accept.

He hooked the ring around his left pinky finger and tossed the bag on the island. With the ring behind his back, he knelt in front of CanDee.

“What are you doing?” She tried to look over his shoulder. “What’s behind your back?”

“Nothing. Just wait and see.” It occurred to him that he should be nervous, but he wasn’t. This not only felt right, but it felt like he was finally starting the life he was meant to have. He looked her straight in the eyes. “I know this isn’t the most romantic place, but it feels right. Will you marry—”

“Wait a minute.” She slid down from the chair and knelt in front of him. Her eyes were huge. “Are you proposing to me?”

Nerves just about swallowed him whole. “I was thinking about it.”

“Well, stop.” She was completely serious. “I’d decided a couple of days ago that I wanted to propose to you. You can’t propose to me first.”

“Yes, I can.” He actually wondered if someone could die from happiness. “Do you have a ring for me?”

“No.” She tried to look over his shoulder again. “Do you?”

He grinned as he brought the wide, heavy gold band around from behind his back. “I do.”

He held it out for her. “CanDee McCain, will you marry me?”

She stared down at the ring. “It was Edith’s, wasn’t it?”

She’d made the connection before he’d gotten a chance to tell her. “Yes. Mel had it made for her.”

He held it up so she could read the inscription. “
Forever.
”

She mouthed the word and the tears started up again. She nodded.

“So?” He needed to hear her say yes.

She launched herself at him as her head bobbled up and down. “Yes, damn it. I’ll marry you. But for the record, I thought of it first.”

“Not true. I knew you were the one for me when you climbed on my back in the lookout tower.” A lifetime wouldn’t be enough with CanDee, but forever sounded just right.

“Isn’t that when you discovered my thong underwear?” She held her finger out for him to slide on the ring.

“That had nothing to do with it. Your choice of undergarments was just icing on the cake.” He slid the heavy gold band on her left index finger. “I figure we can take a trip to San Antonio to pick out your engagement ring.”

Edith’s ring was way too big.

“It’s huge.” She closed her fingers to keep the ring on. “Edith had enormous fingers.”

“We can have it sized down for you.” His father was right. He’d remember this moment for the rest of his life.

“So you keep your valuables in dry food. Good to know.” She grinned. “If a bracelet falls out of the macaroni and cheese, I call dibs.”

“I love you.” He kissed a tear rolling down her cheek.

“I loved you first.” She cupped his face and brought it to hers.

“I love you forever.” He kissed her tenderly on the mouth.

A cool breeze wafted across his cheek and he could swear he smelled roses. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say that Edith had just given them her blessing.