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“The first person who walked into my room was Chase. He shooed the nurse out, said he wanted to talk to me alone. He looked devastated—I could understand that. He’d just lost his daughter, and his son was at fault.
“I told him how sorry I was about Mia. Then, since I hadn’t heard, I asked how Jeff was. ‘Fine except for a few bruises,’ he said. ‘That’s what I want to talk to you about. You were found lying on the driver’s side of the car. Jeff told the police you were driving.’
“‘That’s a lie!’ I almost jumped off the bed. ‘Jeff wouldn’t let me drive!’
“‘I know,’ he said. ‘And I know it’s a lie. Jeff had a bruise where the inside door handle on the driver’s side hit his left hip, a perfect match. He was the only one conscious after the accident. I’m guessing he got scared about being blamed and moved you around to the other side of the car. I made sure he had a cover story for that bruise. But I’ve got a proposition for you. Don’t stop me till you’ve heard it.’
“So I sat back and listened,” Brock said. “And what he offered me was so unreal that I thought I might be hallucinating.
“‘My wife just lost her child,’ he said. ‘It would kill her to know that Jeff was responsible—especially if he had to go to prison, which he likely would. And Jeff is my only son—he’s got a great life all mapped out. He’s been accepted by two Ivy League colleges, wants to be a lawyer. None of this would be possible for an ex-convict.’
“I was beginning to get his drift,” Brock said. “But even when I heard the words, I could scarcely believe them. ‘I’m offering you a hundred thousand dollars to take the blame for the accident and Mia’s death,’ he said. ‘Plead guilty to the charges, serve your sentence, and the money will be waiting for you when you get out.’
“The answer came to me in a flash. ‘I’ll do it on one condition,’ I told him. ‘I want the money now—in cash.’ ”
Tess was staring at him. “So you took it.”
“I took it. It was my only chance to get ahead. Before my trial I put the money in a safe deposit box. Then I pled guilty and served my sentence. Prison was no picnic, as you can imagine. But I kept to myself and learned to be tough with bullies. In my spare time, I studied investing. I devoured every book and magazine I could get my hands on. I lived in the library, even took an online business course. The prison encouraged that sort of thing—I was lucky. When my sentence was up, I changed my name, took that money, and started investing. Between what I’d learned and a natural talent that surprised even me, I started making good money. It took time, and frugal living, but after about ten years, I finally had what I needed to retire and buy the ranch.”
Tess had drawn away from him. “That’s incredible. But I can’t believe that what you did was legal.”
Brock took a deep breath before answering.
“I won’t try to whitewash what I did, Tess. Lying to the court was the worst of it, even though the statute of limitations is up now. But I thought I was helping Jeff’s family—at least that’s what I told myself at the time. And, of course, I was helping myself, too.”
She’d gone cold. He could tell by her stony expression. Honor and integrity were woven into the fabric of Tess’s being. She would never understand how a young man, desperate for the chance to better himself, could have done what he did.
“I need to stretch my legs.” She pushed to her feet and jammed her sunglasses back into place. “Don’t worry, I won’t be long.”
“Be careful,” Brock called as she vanished around the plane. It was a needless warning. Tess had grown up in this country. She knew all about cholla spines, fire ants, and rattlesnakes. But maybe not enough about men like him, who were accustomed to taking what they wanted.
With a muttered curse, he gazed at the brutal sky. He couldn’t change his past or the kind of man he’d become—not even for Tess. If she couldn’t accept him, he was out of luck. And that was too bad, because of all the women he’d known, Tess Champion was the one he wanted to keep.
* * *
Tess stood still, gazing up at the sky, wishing for a miracle—a plane that would see the wreck, or better yet, a helicopter that would pick her up and take her to the hospital. For all she knew, Lexie could have had the baby by now. Everything could be fine. Or something could have gone wrong, and her family might be facing a tragedy. She had never felt more helpless in her life.
A collared lizard scampered across her boot. She watched it dart into a clump of brittlebush, out of the hot sun. It was time she returned to Brock—to hear the rest of his story and fight the urge to sympathize. He didn’t deserve her sympathy for what he’d done. But what she couldn’t help wanting to give him was deeper than sympathy.
She recalled sitting next to him, the emotion in his voice as he ripped open his past. She’d fought the impulse to take his hand and lay her head on his shoulder. Brock Tolman wasn’t a very good man. But the way he’d revealed himself to her—raw and real—had touched her in a surprising way.
For years, she’d kept Mitch’s photo on her nightstand, telling herself that no one could compare to him. He’d been her only love, and she would never find anyone to take his place. Then Brock had stormed into her life—brash, forceful, and infuriating, yet surprisingly tender. He had touched buried responses that were more than just physical, making her feel alive in ways she’d all but forgotten.
Heaven help her, was she falling in love with him?
But that wasn’t going to happen. She was a sensible woman. And falling for a man like Brock would be the most foolish mistake of her life.
She would hear the rest of his story and take it as a cautionary tale—a reminder of what kind of man she was dealing with and what he was capable of. Then she would act in the best interests of her family and her ranch.
* * *
She walked back around the plane, sat down beside Brock, and took a few careful sips from the water bottle he handed her. They both knew better than to drink too much. They could be stranded here for longer than they’d hoped.
“See anything?” He stretched his legs to the edge of the blanket.
“Not in the sky. At least the buzzards aren’t circling us yet. But to take up where we left off, I have one question. Do the attacks on your property and your life have anything to do with the story you just told me?”
“I believe they have everything to do with it.”
