AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I called Aspen on my way up to the Ranch to see if there was any way she could help out at soccer practice tonight. I knew Fridays at the bank were busy, but I was desperate and wanted my girls to be ready for the game tomorrow. I’d heard from Aspen via Chloe that the practice earlier in the week run by Gwendolyn was more like a fashion tutorial and they all went home with a set of fake eyelashes and bright ruby-red lips. No telling what they would get tonight if some sanity didn’t show up. Padding for their training bras?
Thankfully, Aspen said she could make it work. I owed her big time. At least it was something I didn’t have to worry about.
The mountains and the valley that were usually such a comfort to me no longer brought me the peace I had been longing for ever since my mother had died. The flood of tourists strolling through our postcard worthy Main Street were just another reminder of how things were changing, and I didn’t like it. I was happy for my sisters that it meant good business for them, but I missed the days when there were only two stoplights and you never had to stop at them because rarely was anyone coming from the other direction. Now there were five lights and you always had to stop because pedestrians were everywhere. Today it wasn’t a bad thing. I wasn’t looking forward to going to the Ranch. My stomach was tied in knots over it.
When I drove onto the property it didn’t take me long to spot where all the trouble was brewing. There was a good-sized group gathered near the barn. Dad was the most prominent figure among them due to his height and the poise he was naturally blessed with that said he was in charge. His awful wife was glued to him, as her usual. These women that lean. Morgan, the accused, was standing next to his dad, Ray, who was shaking his head while taking a protective stance. Surprisingly, my sisters were there, but unfortunately, I wasn’t surprised that they were standing too close to Ashton. That gave me an uneasy feeling, but not as uneasy as when I realized Sawyer was there standing back from the fray. Back behind people I didn’t recognize. Why was he there?
As soon as I parked my Jeep, Frankie ran up to me, her long, gray hair whipping behind her. She was a woman on a mission.
She wasn’t the only one.
As soon as Josephine caught wind that I was there, she made a mad dash toward me.
“Emma,” Frankie said in a rush. “You have to listen to me, I saw Ashton coming out of the cabin of the couple who has been robbed. He seems to be a frequent visitor for a lot of—”
“Did you call Emma out here to tell lies to her too?” Josephine sneered at me with such disdain while her dark eyes judged my appearance.
I got it—I was winning no beauty contests in my filthy jeans and long-sleeved cotton shirt with hair that was caked in grime from crawling around the caster all day. Believe me, it wasn’t my dream to be here like this.
Frankie turned on a dime to face Josephine. “Don’t you dare call me a liar. What you’re doing to Ray’s boy isn’t right. Come to think of it, what you’ve done to this family and place isn’t right.”
Rage filled Josephine’s unnaturally taut face. “Dane!” she shrieked.
In a herd, the group near the barn moved the scene to the parking area where I was.
Sawyer’s and my eyes met. He looked confused, in his shirt and tie looking as if he had come from work, as to why he was there. That was a good question. Who called him?
Next, I turned my focus on Dad, who looked as exhausted as I was both physically and emotionally. His lined face was haggard, and he walked as if he had to force each step.
An irate Ray and a scared Morgan who was all of nineteen joined Frankie and me as if we were forming teams. Then and there I knew this wasn’t going to end well. Mom had always said don’t draw dividing lines with those you love.
A couple I didn’t know walked up and the woman of the pair gave me the same look Josephine did. Sue me for having a job.
“Who is this?” the snotty princess with an uppity nose asked.
Oddly, several people answered. Dad said, “This is my oldest daughter.”
But Ray, Morgan, and Frankie all said in unison, “She’s the Lady of Carrington Ranch.”
That filled me with such sweet pride to be called by my mother’s title, but oh, that did not go over well with Stepmommy Dearest. Her nostrils flared while she gave each of them withering glances.
