Disarming the Rancher Page 13

  “No. And I don’t see a reason to,” Brax said. “Him and Mom had thirty-six years to come clean.”

  “I would want to know what happened and why,” Corbin said. He’d always been the quiet, serious one in the family, nose in a book during most of high school. Which didn’t mean he was a slouch on the football field. Friday night lights was important in Texas and all the Firebrand boys had played on the team. All had been damn good too. All had been scouted by one college coach or another at some point. Most had declined the offers.

  Football and family might be close to a Texan’s heart but so was cattle ranching. Corbin had gone to the University of Texas at Austin for academics, not sports. Which was also the reason he handled most of the numbers.

  When Brax thought about it, he probably should have Corbin look at Raleigh’s books.

  “I know I speak for the others who aren’t home yet when I say this news changes nothing,” Adam piped up.

  “It changes everything,” Brax said before adding, “to me.”

  Adam turned to face Brax, issuing a challenge with his eyes. “Do you think Prudence is less of a mother to Angel because of biology?”

  “Did I say that?” Brax’s response came quickly but there was a moment of hesitation after when he realized the similarities.

  “Didn’t you?” Adam asked, the hurt in his eyes stabbed Brax in the chest.

  “Hell, I didn’t mean that and we both know it,” Brax stated, leaving no room for doubt.

  “This situation is complicated, but I don’t see a difference in how any one of us feels about you,” Adam said, some of the tension had eased.

  “Tell that to Kellan and the other side of the family. Once news gets out, they’ll have a field day,” Brax said.

  “And we’ll put them in their places,” Eric responded. His hands fisted at his sides. That was one of the certainties about being a Firebrand. His brothers always had his back.

  He couldn’t help but wonder who had Raleigh’s.

  This wasn’t the time to be worried about her. Not after that bomb had been dropped on him about his own family. The annoying voice returned pointing out that she felt like family…his family.

  The notion was insanity in its purest form.

  “I appreciate each and every one of you,” Brax stated. “I mean it. In my heart where it counts, you guys are my flesh and blood.”

  “Same,” the word was spoken in unison.

  “It’s not our place to tell the others, so we’ll leave that to you,” Adam said. “The only reason we know is the state we saw Mom in. We couldn’t let her walk away without telling us what was wrong.” Adam put his hands in the air, palms up, in the surrender position. “I’m not defending her, by the way. I’m sure her and Dad had reasons that are between you and them,” he stated. “We stand behind and with you no matter how much we love our mom.”

  Brax held back the biting comment they should all check to see if their birth certificates had been tampered with. Their show of solidarity touched him in a place down deep. “I appreciate you guys.”

  “We love you, man,” came another chorus.

  “Love you.” Brax walked over to the trio and embraced them in a bear hug. But his mind kept wandering to the way he’d treated Raleigh. Had he been unfair?

  Raleigh figured it was time to rally the troops. She knew when she’d worn out her welcome and the time had come to move on. She closed down the computer in the Marshall’s office and then headed upstairs to pack. There wasn’t a whole lot in her suitcase so it wouldn’t take long.

  She fished her cell phone out of her back pocket and debated making the call for a band meeting. She could easily put a message in the group text.

  A question nagged her. Would leaving put them in danger? Could they slip out of town and under the radar again? Staying in one place could end up making them more vulnerable.

  She checked the time on her phone. Shouldn’t Wade be here by now?

  The text she decided to send was to her business manager. No response came.

  And then Hardy poked his head inside her bedroom door. “Raleigh, there’s been a break-in at your grandmother’s place.”

  “Nana’s?” she asked before realizing she didn’t mean to say that out loud.

  “I just got off the phone with the local sheriff. He’s at the scene,” he said.

  Could this day get any worse?

  “Did he say how bad it was?” she asked, imagining the farmhouse in total destruction.

  “It’s probably just overzealous fans in search of memorabilia,” he stated. He was trying to make her feel better but the thought of losing her nana’s belongings threatened to pull her under. The house, the furniture, the knick-knacks were all she had left of the woman who’d saved her, cared for her, loved her. Raleigh wouldn’t be half the person she was today without Nana’s influence.

  “I have to get over there and see for myself,” she said as panic squeezed her chest.

  “Not a good idea.” He shook his head and gave her a stern look.

  Of course, he was right even though it frustrated her to no end.

  “They’re bringing a bomb-sniffing dog over from two towns over,” he informed. “The place might not be cleared for a while.”

  Raleigh plopped down on the floor. She picked at the carpet fibers, wondering when this had become her life. She needed to think because…

  She gasped.

  Wade?

  Was he in some kind of financial trouble? Syphoning money from the band to cover bad investments of his own or a gambling problem, and now someone was coming to collect? Had he gotten involved with the wrong people?

  There was no way this could be a coincidence. Could it?

  “Have you spoken to Wade today?” she asked.

  “I was just about to give you an update on him.” Hardy bit hard on his back teeth. “He’s been picked up for questioning.”

  “Oh. Where?” She thought he was on his way to the ranch. It would make sense why he was so late.

  “At the border, heading into Mexico,” Hardy informed.

  So, her world really was crashing around her. And now she’d lost Brax too. She was certain of it after the way he’d looked at her in the barn. Had she done the right thing by not telling him the minute she knew? She’d believed so at the time.

  Now, everything just hurt.

  16

  Brax stood outside Raleigh’s closed door. He brought his hand up to knock. Then put it back down again.

  Every instinct he had told him to barge inside and apologize for being a jerk. Would she even want to talk to him at this point?

  Jerk was probably too nice a word for how he’d acted in the heat of the moment. To make matters worse, he’d heard about her grandmother’s place being ransacked and could only imagine how much that ripped her heart from her chest.

  He picked up his fist and tapped on the door.

  “Who is it?” Her voice was steady. Was she covering?

  “Brax.”

  “Go away,” she said, still steady.

  He expected and deserved that.

  “Or, how about I come in and apologize? Either that or I can stand here in the hallway and shout it out,” he said.

  The door fired open, but she blocked the entrance with her frame.

  “Say you’re sorry and get it over with,” she demanded, all steadiness gone now. There was nothing but fire in those emerald eyes, fire and betrayal.

  “I am. Sorry, that is. And I realize how much of a jerk I was earlier. I don’t want to drive a wedge in our friendship over my family situation.” Situation wasn’t nearly strong enough a word for what he was going through but he wasn’t one for dramatics.

  “You were a jerk, Brax.” She shot him a hurtful look that nearly brought him to his knees. “But, right now, I have bigger problems than losing a friend.”

  The word, friend, didn’t seem quite right to describe his feelings toward her. But this didn’t seem like the time to hunt for a better noun.

  “I’d like to help,” he said. “And I hate what happened to your grandmother’s place. I know how much that home and the belongings inside mean to you.”

  He wasn’t trying to manipulate his way into her room by saying the right words. This was truth as he saw it, plain and simple. But those seemed to resonate.

  She spun around until her back was flat against the door, and then she sank down until she sat on her bottom. Her gaze unfocused like she was searching inside herself for a memory.

  “I miss her so much,” she said, looking like she was struggling to keep it together. Seeing the fiery redhead at her breaking point was a face punch.

  “I know,” he reassured.

  “The thought of losing what little I have left of her is kicking my behind, Brax.” She didn’t look over at him.

  There was nothing he could say to make her feel better on that front. All he could do was be there for her. He’d had his world turned upside-down too.

  At least he had his brothers. She needed a friend.

  He sat down beside her.

  “I know,” he repeated.

  “It’s not a fan. I don’t care what Hardy believes,” she said.

  He noticed her suitcase out on the bed, looking like she was packing up.

  “I was told Sheriff Lawler was bringing in a bomb sniffer. He doesn’t believe it’s a fan either if that makes you feel any better.” Brax overhead a couple of bandmates talking on his way in to find Raleigh.

  “Did you know my business manager is being hauled in for questioning? They caught him at the border, as in heading to Mexico.” She folded her arms and stared at the ceiling. “How do we pick up the pieces now?”

  “When I was little and the world felt like it was crumbling, my
mother used to remind me that there’s a season for everything. I live it every day here at the cattle ranch, and yet I still forget,” he said, remembering how wonderful a mother he’d had in Lucia Firebrand. She’d always put her children’s needs first and he was no exception. “She’d tell me winter means spring is near.”

  “I remember her telling me the same thing when I came home for Nana’s funeral.” She leaned forward, hugging her knees into her chest. “It actually helped a lot.”

  “There were plenty of times her saying has come to mind over the years,” he admitted, thinking about the countless times his mother had comforted him or intervened on his behalf with his father—a father Brax wanted to strangle at present, which was exactly the reason to avoid to man. Not that Brax needed a reason. The two rarely saw each other while working the ranch, save for calving season. Even so, there were plenty of hands around for Brodie Firebrand to make scarce. In the past week, Brax could count the number of times his father had grunted a hello at him…one. He’d be offended but his father treated everyone the same. Brax wasn’t sure why his mother put up with the man all these years but she had to have her reasons. But this wasn’t why he was sitting here next to Raleigh.

  “Since the whole bombing incident, life has been surreal. You know?” She glanced over at him and his heart ached for her.

  “I can only imagine what that must feel like,” he said, wishing there was something more he could do. He’d never felt so helpless in his life and it wasn’t a feeling he cared to repeat anytime soon.

  “It’s just starting to sink in that someone is seriously trying to hurt me and the guys,” she said. “I know I didn’t do anything personally to make someone angry enough to blow us up.”

  “What about Wade? We already know he was cooking the books,” he said. “It’s possible he believes he was about to get caught.”

  “And that meant he wanted to erase me and the band so he could…what…keep all the money for himself?” She shook her head. “You think you know someone and then something like this happens.”

  “People show you the side they want you to see.” Despite considering himself a good judge of character, folk slipped through the cracks sometimes. It didn’t happen very often but was always a gut punch when it did.

  “I knew he was bad. That’s the most frustrating part,” she said. “At least at his job. We were just always so busy and things seemed to be humming along. We always made payroll, so no red flags came up.”

  “You didn’t realize he was capable of criminal acts and attempted murder,” he clarified.

  “No. Nothing like that. I shouldn’t have taken Sharon for her word. The thing is, I trusted her. She talked me into giving him a chance.” She quickly added, “And I know she would never have asked me to take him on if she thought he was capable of anything like this.”

  “Let’s hope he is the man law enforcement is looking for. He’s in custody and it’s only a matter of time before he talks,” Brax stated.

  “If he does.” She seemed to have her doubts.

  “A non-career criminal should crack under the pressure of an interview with skilled law enforcement.” As much as Brax didn’t want Raleigh to walk out the door, she needed this nightmare to end. “I’ve seen Sheriff Lawler in action. He’s one of the best.”

  “I hope so. We need to make music. We need to get out on the road again and finish our tour.” She visibly shuttered at the last part.

  “Why tour?” He couldn’t help but ask.

  “For our fans and because we made commitments that none of us take lightly,” she said, and he could see her defenses rising.

  “Do you want to get back on the road?” he asked.

  “That’s not the question.” She rubbed her arms. “We have a responsibility to our fans.”

  Brax noted the fact she used the word, we. Had she buried her own desires in life behind the band’s success? Was there anything left for her?

  A board creaked in the hallway. The sound of footsteps coming toward them set off a wave of panic in Raleigh. What now? More bad news?

  Raleigh stood up with help from Brax. She planted her feet, readying herself for whatever might come next.

  It was Buck and he held a dish towel up to his nose. Blood soaked the rag.

  “What happened?” Raleigh immediately moved toward him. Or, more importantly, what had Kenny done now?

  Brax must have been thinking the same because his hands fisted at his sides and she noticed his back teeth clenched as a jaw muscle ticked.

  “Had a disagreement with Jake,” Buck said.

  “You mean Kenny?” she asked for clarification.

  “No. Jake.” Buck stopped and checked the rag. His nose was busted up. “Look at that. The bleeding is better.”

  “Let’s go downstairs and get you some ice first,” she said.

  “I wanted to be the one to come tell you what he said,” Buck stated as they all moved down the hallway.

  She nodded.

  “His exact words were, ‘Y’all will get what you have coming.’” Buck stopped the second Raleigh put her hand on his arm.

  “It’s an indirect threat,” she said, looking to Brax for confirmation. Jake? Never in a million years would she believe Jake was capable of a bomb threat, or any threat to be honest.

  “I don’t know if he was talking out of his backside because he was angry or if he means it and has plans to follow through,” Buck said. “Considering what’s been going on, I didn’t think it was my place to take a chance.”

  “Where is he now?” Brax ground out, his jaw muscle ticking again.

  “He shoved me and took off running,” Buck admitted, and it looked like it pained him to do so.

  “I’m sorry this happened,” Raleigh said. A shot of adrenaline coursed through her veins.

  “Wasn’t your fault. I underestimated him. That’s on me.” Buck compressed his lips and shook his head. “It’s not a mistake I’ll make again.”

  “Remind me about his background.” Raleigh knew when she hired Jake that he came from a troubled background.

  They reached the bottom of the stairs and to a quiet kitchen. She went to work fixing an ice bag for Buck with ice cubes from the freezer and a baggie supplied by Brax. She had to admit that the two of them worked together like a well-oiled machine.

  “He suffered physical abuse from his mother’s many boyfriends before the age of ten years old. The state took him away from his home and he was moved around in foster care. The reports came in that he was a good kid but didn’t ‘bond’ with any of the parents or family members in any of his new homes. He never made it more than six months before his mother would clean up her act and the state would send him back to her,” Buck stated. “If you ask me, she did more harm than good.”

  “Sounds like a terrible life.” She remembered bits and pieces of the story from when Buck first came to the band and asked if they’d be willing to take a chance on the kid.

  “I just thought if he was part of something bigger…if he had a real family like what we have with each other, and a job to give him a way to make a future that he’d be okay.” Buck hung his head and his shoulders slumped forward.

  “Not many people would go out on a limb like that for someone they barely knew,” Brax stated. His tone held the kind of reverence and respect normally reserved for elders or a member of clergy.

  “Maybe I should have seen it coming.” Buck sounded resigned to blaming himself. “I’ve put everyone here at risk.”

  Raleigh knew all about blame. She’d been carrying that burden for many years. Maybe it was time for a change.

  “You did a good thing in trying to help him,” she defended. “You have an amazing heart, Buck. You couldn’t have known it would turn out like this.”

  “The guys were too hard on him,” he said, compressing his lips. “I should have stepped in sooner and it wouldn’t have come to this.”

  “You don’t know that. Jake is a disturbed young man if he set that bomb. I liked him too,” she said, realizing he would have access to the stage prior to a concert. He had a pass to get him past security. “I thought he was doing a great job.”

  Buck nodded.

  “He took off, right?” Brax interjected.

  “Yes,” Buck said.

  “Are his belongings still upstairs?” Brax asked.