AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“This is not your fault.” The blame rested solely on her shoulders. “We spent the night up in the high meadow until we knew Legacy was reunited with the herd and we got back late this morning.” She should’ve been watching her phone just in case the girls needed her.
“You really broke into the Klines’ garage?” Her brother kept his voice down. “What the hell were you thinking, Tess?”
“I got a little carried away.”Ugh.Her head hurt almost as bad as her heart right now. “I didn’t mean to cause any damage. And I didn’t mean for Silas to get involved.”
“Silas can handle himself,” her brother insisted.
“He’ll be fine,” Kyra added. Then she tugged on Aiden’s arm. “I’m sure everything’ll work out, but you’d better head over there right now to see if you can help.”
Tess caught her brother’s arm as he walked away. “I love him.” She did. Somewhere in the heartbreak and restoration that had taken place in the last two years, she’d fallen in love with Silas and she needed Aiden to know. “He said things could never work out between us. And maybe he’s right. You saw what happened with Morgan and Willow in there.” Talk about an unmitigated disaster. Maybe she should raise the white flag and give up…
“Any man who is willing to go to jail for you clearly loves you too,” her brother said. “Maybe it’ll be difficult for the girls at first, but the journey would be worth the work.”
“Yes.” Tess threw her arms around her brother’s neck. “Thank you.” That was exactly what she needed to hear right now. “Now go.” She waved him away. “Make sure Natalie doesn’t really arrest him. I can come down to the station to talk to her after I settle things with the girls.”
“You got it.” Aiden grinned at her. “I do have plenty of recon experience. I’ll break him out of there if I have to.”
“Don’t get him into any more trouble,” she told him sternly. After a wave at Kyra, Tess slipped back inside the house. Morgan and Willow sat side by side on the couch watching a television show.
Tess picked up the remote and clicked the TV off. “We need to chat, girls.” She wedged herself between them and put her arms around her babies—who weren’t really babies anymore. “I love you both so much,” she started. “You two are the most important part of my life. And that will never change, no matter what.” She would remind them that as often as she had to so they would always believe.
“We love you too, Mommy.” Willow got up on her knees and kissed Tess’s cheek. “Are you sure you’re not going away?”
“I’m sure.” Natalie had mentioned that the infractions were misdemeanors. So, when she took responsibility, she wouldn’t have to serve jail time. She’d most likely end up with community service and a hefty fine. Which she deserved.
“Why’d you break into Callie’s garage?” By all appearances, Morgan hadn’t forgiven her yet.
Tess released a weary sigh. She wanted to protect her daughters from everything ugly in the world, but she also wanted them to understand fighting for a cause. “What I did was wrong. I shouldn’t have tried to break in. I was only trying to look in the window to see what they had parked inside.” She explained to the girls about how the people who shot Legacy were driving a white UTV. “I think maybe that UTV belongs to the Klines.”
“That’s really scary.” Willow crawled into her lap. “I didn’t know Legacy got shot. Are the bad guys going to shoot us?”
“No, honey.” She cradled Willow in her arms. “We’re safe. But I want the horses to be safe too.”
“The Klines shot at the horses?” Morgan’s mouth twisted in anger. “Why would they do that? Why would anyone shoot at animals?”
“We don’t have any evidence yet. So, I can’t say they were involved for sure.” But seeing that UTV in the picture had been a mighty big coincidence. “Sometimes people do things we don’t understand.”
She still couldn’t figure out why Brad had acted so interested in protecting the horses when he might have the UTV at his house. Was it his father’s? Maybe. He could’ve been trying to protect his dad when he didn’t say anything at the meeting. There were still so many unanswered questions. “But when someone is mistreating any living thing, it’s important to hold them accountable. I didn’t go about this the right way. I should’ve let the police handle things.” She couldn’t have her girls thinking they could ever justify breaking the law. “It was all a mistake and I’m very sorry for what happened.” Especially since Silas was now dealing with the consequences of something she’d done.
“Why did Silas tell the police he broke in if he didn’t do it?” Morgan asked.
“He wanted to protect me.” That was Silas. The protector. “Because he cares for me very much. And he cares about you girls too.” He may not have thought he knew how to be a father, but he knew how to protect and defend and sacrifice and love. “Silas is very important to me,” Tess went on, with tears heating her eyes. “He has always been there for the three of us when we needed anything.” Often behind the scenes, taking care of things around the ranch, doing the grunt work he never got any credit for.
“It was really nice of him to get arrested for you,” Willow murmured.
“Yes. It was.” Though Natalie likely wouldn’t officially arrest him when she clearly knew the truth about what had happened. “He might not make the best pancakes. And he might not have any kids of his own or know how to do everything the way your dad did. But I really believe he would do anything for us. And I know it might take time, but I’d like him to become a more important part of our lives.”
She had to hope that they could make a space for him in their little family, that they could give him the kind of love and acceptance he’d been denied for most of his life.
“I’m sorry I yelled at him.” Morgan looked down at her hands. “I thought I wanted you to get married again, but seeing you with Silas made me sad. I wish Dad were still here, that’s all. I miss him so much. I wish he wasn’t gone.”
“He’s still here.” Tess pressed a kiss to the top of her daughter’s head. “Your dad will always be here. In you.” She brushed her fingers over Morgan’s cheek. “And in you.” She feathered Willow’s wispy curls. “And in me. Because he’s forever in our hearts. And that won’t change. Even if we let ourselves love someone else.”
Silas kicked back in the chair across from Natalie’s desk with his hands behind his head.
Maybe he should be worried about the scowl currently gracing the chief’s face, but right now, he couldn’t bring himself to care. All that mattered was that Tess didn’t have to be the one sitting in this chair. He might not be able to do much for her, Morgan, and Willow, but he could take the punishment off of her and make her life easier.
“Let’s go over this again.” Natalie delivered the words with an irritated edge. “You drove to the woods near the Klines’ property and walked across the pasture before breaking a window and entering the garage.”
