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He popped the last bite of cake into his mouth. “Trish had some interesting stuff to say. Shocking, really. She told me why she lied about being pregnant.”
“I thought she lied because she wanted you all for herself.”
“That's what she told me. But tonight, when she called, she gave me the details. You are not going to like what she had to say.”
Beth sighed. “What, Simon? What did she say?”
“She told me Jared paid her to make sure our wedding didn't happen.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Don't you get it?” Simon looked at her as if she were clueless. “Jared was on to us. He knew we were getting married to take away his inheritance, so he made sure it wouldn't happen.”
Beth shook her head. “That doesn't make any sense. Jared doesn't care about the ranch.”
Never had and never would.
“That's what I thought.” Wide-eyed, Simon appeared sincere. “But this is exactly the kind of thing my father would have done. I guess Jared takes after the old man more than we realized. Who would have thought?”
For a moment, doubts seized her from all directions. The idea of Jared paying Trish to stop the wedding just so he could keep the ranch put a lump in her throat and tied her stomach in knots. She couldn't deal with that kind of betrayal. Her confidence would take a nosedive that she might not be able to recover from.
Then she remembered his letters. Thanks to his written thoughts, sweet monologues that had unlocked the true Jared, she knew him as well as she knew herself. He wasn't a manipulative guy, and he wasn't a liar. Jared hated the ranch. There was no way that he would go to such lengths to keep it.
Besides, he had offered it to her. No strings attached. She remembered him saying once that all she had to do was ask, and it was hers. He simply did not want it. End of story.
Jared was not a manipulative con artist, but Simon lived to deceive. If he wanted something—and he wanted the ranch—he would do anything to get it. He rarely seemed to consider the consequences of his actions.
Leaving her warm milk untouched, she headed for her bedroom. Over her shoulder she said, “Tell Trish not to call me. I'm not interested in hearing from her.”
“I know it's upsetting.” He followed her into the entryway. “You have always loved Jared, and you put him high up on a pedestal. He was bound to fall sooner or later.”
She walked up the stairs with clenched fists. It took all of her strength not to fly back down the steps and hit him. He was such a liar. How could she ever think of him as a friend?
She went to her room and grabbed her cell phone. Jared needed to know his brother was trying to come between them. She hesitated with her finger on his name. One push and she'd hear his soothing voice.
After about five minutes of arguing with herself, she put the phone away. He hadn't spoken to her in over a week. She didn't want to be the first to call. If he wanted to talk to her, he would. Maybe he was just too busy for a conversation, even a quick one.
∞∞∞
Beth felt Jared's presence before she saw him. Standing outside of two attached paddocks, she and a few of the men were watching to see how a certain mare reacted to their finest stallion. They were looking for signs that she would be willing to breed with him. Sometimes a mare wasn't interested, and they didn't want to put the stallion in there with her unless they were sure she would be okay. This stallion had a particularly bad temper… kind of like Jared.
Her first glimpse of Jared's return came after she felt his presence. She turned in the direction of the road, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight with one hand. He was walking her way. His purposeful stride warned her that he was angry, but she had no idea why he would be upset with her.
She gestured to the men to continue on without her. “Back in a minute.”
She ran to Jared, wanting to jump into his arms and welcome him home. His tight facial features kept her feet on the ground. She stopped before she got too close. The urge to reach out, to touch him, was almost too strong to resist. She clasped her hands behind her back to keep them from misbehaving.
“Why did I have to learn about Simon from Delta?” he demanded. “Why didn't you tell me?”
Some of the men were within earshot, so she started walking to the house. He had no choice but to follow. “Do we have to do this out here?” she asked. “Let's talk in private.”
“Why? I'm sure the men know more about what's going on here than I do.”
She went on the defensive, feeling under attack. “Maybe I would have told you about him if you ever bothered to call me.”
“Phones work both ways. You could have called me.”
“Why would I do that when you were obviously too busy to pick up your phone? Before you left, you told me you would talk to me on the commute to and from the hospital every single day. You called twice. That's it. Twice.”
