Chapter Seventeen
A knock on her bedroom door the next morning intruded into Kayla’s trip down memory lane as she lay there thinking of the years she’d spent in this house. Her entire childhood. All she wanted was to be left alone, but apparently that wasn’t going to happen.
“I know you’re in there, Kayla. Answer the door.” She knew from experience her mom wouldn’t go away until she answered.
Resigned to the intrusion, she opened the door. “What’s up?”
“Dylan’s here and wants to talk to you.”
“No. There’s nothing for us to say.” Her mother’s jaw dropped open in shock. Kayla couldn’t blame her for the confusion. She didn’t know the truth.
“Kayla Lynn, you march down those stairs and be nice. He’s done a lot for our family, and whatever he’s got to say, I think you should hear him out.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling at a snail’s pace. “Fine.” Only it wasn’t fine. It would never be fine again. There was no way she would ever consider moving home if Dylan owned the property. Stole the property is more like it.
Kayla followed her mother down the stairs as if she were being led to the guillotine.
Her dad and Dylan were on the porch talking in voices low enough she couldn’t hear what was being discussed.
Hands on her hips, she faced Dylan. “I’ve been duly summoned. What is it you want?”
They might force her to talk to him, but they couldn’t force her to be civil. The promise she’d made to her father had been before she knew the truth.
“I’m sorry. Can we take a walk and pick up the conversation where we left off last night?”
“What conversation? The one with me, or the one with my father?”
Dylan’s jaw clenched. She didn’t miss the quick glance he sent her dad.
“You heard us discussing the property?”
“Your property. Tell it like it is. You’re a low-down, conniving jerk who somehow managed to convince my father to sell the family farm. I heard every word. Make no mistake, I plan to find a loophole or something to prove you cheated my father. He would have never sold the property willingly.”
With each word, she’d stepped closer and closer until only inches separated them and she could use her finger to poke him in the chest to emphasize her point.
Dylan grabbed her hands and pulled her hard against his body to hold her still. “You’re wrong. You were wrong about me before, and you’re wrong about me now. I love you. Everything I’ve done has been because I love you. But I’m done. I can’t do this anymore.”
“You love the property,” she said, but the words rang hollow.
Was it possible he was telling the truth? She wanted to believe him, but how could she? She’d been wrong before. Did she owe it to him to listen? No. Not this time.
Dylan looked at her father. “Show her the damn contract.”
“I can’t. We agreed. It could change the outcome,” Lou said.
“It will change the outcome if you don’t,” Dylan said quietly.
Her father shrugged. “I suppose.”
She was missing something in the exchange between the two men.
“And don’t worry about my brother, Kayla. He’s my responsibility, and I’ve got him covered. Thanks for your help.” He turned to walk away.
Not again. A sense of déjà vu hit her, her heartbeat an echo of the emptiness she’d felt once before.
But this time he wasn’t walking away, not without getting a piece of her mind. “That’s it?” Kayla called after him.
He paused and turned back to face her.
“What do you want from me?” he asked.
The resignation in his voice caught her off guard, but it wasn’t enough to stop the words from pouring out. “You tell me you love me, and then walk away. Again? How is this any different than the last time?”
“Last time, I set you free to find your dreams, hoping they would lead you back to me. This time, I’m setting you free because you’ve found your dreams, and they don’t include me.”
“Says who?” she asked.
“Says you and your dream of being a small-animal vet in the city. Says you and your accusations about my motives in buying your father’s land. Coming home for Sophia’s wedding hasn’t changed a thing.” Dylan tipped his hat and turned to leave.
His words gave her pause, but it didn’t change the fact he owned her family home. Something her father would never have allowed without good reason. She looked at each of her parents, who hadn’t said a word. Her mother’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. Her father’s expression was unreadable, but the stiff set of his shoulders said volumes. Dylan kept walking toward the barn where his horse stood tethered.
“Everything he’s done has been for you. Trust him, Kayla. And if you don’t trust him, trust me,” her father said.
“What’s in the contract that’s so important?” Her father was still defending Dylan, giving her cause to wonder why he wasn’t upset about the sale. Her dad suddenly smiled, as if coming to a decision.
“Nothing important that can’t be fixed. It all depends on you.”
“What?”
“You used to love him. Your mother and I knew it back then. The question is, do you still love him?”
She closed her eyes, the question sending her into a tailspin. Her heart had always known the answer, and no matter how hard she’d tried to lock away her feelings, the key had always been in Dylan’s possession. It’s why she’d stayed away.
But everything had changed now. He hadn’t slept with Becky, and they didn’t have a son together. He’d walked away to give her a life, not destroy it. And she’d told him about the baby, and he still claimed to love her. No recriminations. No anger. No blame.
It all came down to trust, because otherwise, the choice was easy. She liked the city, and she liked the country, but she loved the cowboy walking out of her life.
“I do.” The words squeaked out. She always did. Always would.
Her father let out a huge sigh of relief, his smile genuine.
Dylan had mounted his horse and ridden away without a backward glance.
“Then I reckon I ought to tell you about the Kayla clause.”
Nothing could have prepared her for the explanation, but by the time her dad was finished, Kayla understood everything. If she came home of her own free will and decided to stay, the farm was hers for the bargain price Dylan paid her father. He stood to lose everything he’d put into saving the ranch and the farm if she moved home and reclaimed the homestead. And there was only one reason he would have done it.
Love.
And she’d let him walk away. He’d proven his love in a way far greater than she could ever imagine, and in return she’d stomped on his heart because she hadn’t trusted him. Both men had been equally determined to let her make her own way in the world, determined to put her happiness first, all the while hoping her journey would lead her back to Riverbend and her home.
“Thanks for telling me, Dad.”
“What are you going to do about Dylan?” he asked.
It wouldn’t be easy, but she had to find a way to prove her love and her trust.
“I’m not going to run away from a second chance with the first and only man I’ve ever loved. I just need a few days to work out the details for a lifetime.”
…
Hard work the past two days was the only thing that gave Dylan relief from the heartache ripping him in two. Heartache over Kayla and heartache over the baby. Her news had been like a bomb going off, destroying everything he believed about the choices he’d made five years ago. And nothing could turn back the hands of time to undo the damage he’d done.
Dylan had laid his heart on the line, not quite the way he’d planned, but it had all been pointless. It had been a gamble, and he’d lost. She’d believed the worst about him years ago, and obviously, nothing had changed. But then again, she had every right to hate him.
Years of hope had been wiped out in the space of one conversation.
He hadn’t heard a thing from anyone at the Anderson place. It was a good thing Derek had gone back to school, because he couldn’t take twenty-four-seven of the kid asking about Kayla and why she’d left.
Patches barked from the front room, alerting Dylan he had a visitor. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but it wouldn’t surprise him if Derek had gotten into trouble at school based on his attitude at home the past couple of days.
He swung the door open after the first knock.
“Hey, Lou. What’s up? Is everything okay?” It wasn’t often Lou showed up on his doorstep in the middle of the day.
“Kayla asked me to deliver this note.”
“What’s it for?” he asked, relieved she was okay.
“Not my place to open it or ask. But I can tell you this, save yourself the hassle and just open the letter and do what it says. If there’s one thing I know for certain, son, you pay attention when the women folk talk. It’s a whole lot easier.”
Lou raised his hand in farewell and was gone.
Dylan unfolded the note.
Meet me at the tree house at three p.m.
A little over an hour. Even without Lou’s expert advice, Dylan would be there. Wild horses wouldn’t keep him away.
At three o’clock sharp, Dylan arrived at the tree house. Underneath the big oak, Kayla stood waiting, as beautiful as ever. His heart beat in a staccato rhythm, thumping harder in his chest with each step that closed the distance between them.
“Hey. Thanks for coming.” A gentle smile teased at the corners of her mouth.
“What can I do for you?” he asked. It wouldn’t take much for him to break down and kiss her even though it was the last thing she would have wanted from him. She’d made her point quite clear. But it didn’t stop a man from wanting what he couldn’t have.
“I wanted to tell you I’m moving home.” The words he’d waited forever to hear.
He should have known. What he hadn’t counted on was the reality of what it would mean, having to face her day after day but not being with her.
“I guess that means your dad told you about the Kayla clause in the contract. Welcome back. I’m sure your mom and dad are very happy.”
“I haven’t told them yet. I wanted to work out some issues first.”
“What about your schooling and the partnership?” Mundane conversation between two people when, at least for him, things were anything but mundane.
“I’m going to apprentice with Doc for my clinic hours, and the university is letting me take the last two classes online. I’ve already called the other partners in the clinic to rescind my acceptance of their offer.” She brushed her windblown hair off her face.
“I see. Sounds like you have it all worked out.” Everything he could have hoped for, except the part where he didn’t get the girl.
A rumble sounded from close by. Dylan caught sight of storms clouds moving toward them at a rapid pace. He stepped out from under the tree for a better view. “Looks like rain. You better be getting in the house, and I better be getting back on home. And thanks for letting me know.”
Kayla moved to stand next to him instead of heading for the house.
“There’s one other thing. I saw an attorney this morning.” It explained the envelope she was holding.
“You aren’t wasting any time reclaiming what’s yours.” It all came down to the water rights. If she owned the land, they were hers to do with as she pleased.
He eyed the storm clouds bearing down upon them. They needed the rain desperately, and this storm looked like it was going to deliver.
She handed him the envelope with a pen. “I need you to sign this.”
“Is this about the herd? I’ll have them moved within the week.” Dylan pulled the paper out of the envelope and glanced at the attorney’s logo across the top and the subject line. Re: Purchase Contract between Dylan Hunter and Lou Anderson. Section V. 1. Kayla Clause.
He trusted old man Smith since he was the attorney who drew up the original contract, and he trusted Kayla even more. She was the one who had a problem with trust.
Dylan scrawled his signature across the line marked with an X and handed the document back to her.
“I’m not sure moving the herd is in our best interests at this time.”
He couldn’t have heard her right. “What do you mean? What will you do with the farm?”
“I don’t own a farm.” She looked up at him, her blue eyes piercing him with their intensity. “I’m not here to be a farmer. Or a rancher. I’m a veterinarian.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Do you ever read papers before you sign them?” Her hint of a smile had turned into a full-blown grin.
Always. Except where she was concerned. He glanced down at the copy of the document he held in his hand and started to read. A cancellation notice. They’d cancelled the Kayla clause. The farm was still his.
This wasn’t what he’d expected. What had she done? The contingency plan he and Lou had ironed out to save the farm for Kayla in the event she chose to return was history. He owned it all outright.
“Why would you do this?” he asked.
“The same reason you would agree to such a ridiculous clause when you bought the farm in the first place.”
He knew why he’d done it. Dylan was afraid to believe she meant the same thing.
“Why did you?” Her soft voice touched a chord, calling for the truth.
“All I ever wanted was you.” He’d sworn not to go this road again, but he wouldn’t lie, even if she stomped on his heart again.
“And if that didn’t work out?”
“I don’t know. Switch to raising organic cattle and back to having water hauled in, I reckon.” He shrugged.
“You said you love me. Did you mean it?” she asked.
“Yes. But—”
“Good, because I’d like to apply for the position of rancher’s wife.”
Her shocking words wrapped around his heart and squeezed.
“I wasn’t aware I was hiring. Besides, it’s not the life you wanted. Not to mention the little matter of trust. Without trust, a relationship is empty.”
“I do trust you. The document you’re holding proves it. I’m giving you everything because I believe in you, and I believe in us.”
She was putting everything on the line. For him.
“I’m sorry about what I said. I didn’t mean any of it. I was angry no one bothered to tell me about the contract or that you owned the land. It was easier to make you the bad guy, but it doesn’t make it right. I don’t hate it here. I thought I did. But being back home has shown me things I didn’t understand, because I never came home long enough to see what was right in front of my face.”
Dylan fought against the wave of hope threatening to break free. “Like what?”
“Like, home is where the heart is. And mine is here with you. It’s always been here. Not in the city. Not at the farm, but with you. You and Derek. I love you.”
She stepped in close, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled his head down, searing him with a kiss much like the ones he dreamt about for years. One hot enough to start a fire if it weren’t for the rain beginning to fall.
Rain. They both stopped and looked up with awe.
Light at first, until the bottom dropped out. Then it began to pelt their upturned faces, drowning them with the glorious and welcome drops from heaven. The leaves on the oak tree rustled in the wind, the big, heavy limbs groaning in protest.
Kayla stepped back and swirled around, her hands held high. She laughed as the torrential downpour fell, soaking them.
“I’ve waited forever to hear you say those words.” He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, and then went back to her lips. She’d been completely honest with him, and it was time to return the favor. After they got out of the rain.
“Let’s go up.” He pointed to the tree house. Back to where it all started between the two of them. Back to when he first knew he loved her.
Kayla grinned and made her way up the ladder. Dylan followed her protectively, admiring the view all the way to the top.
Once inside, he took her in his arms for another soul-satisfying kiss before he stepped back. She deserved the whole truth.
“When I walked away five years ago, it was partly to let you chase your dreams, but there was another reason. I didn’t want you to become like my mother. I watched how the ranch destroyed her, but I’ve learned a few things along the way, too. My dad wasn’t one to trust others to help him get a job done, always working from sunup to sundown. He was never here for my mother. He was as much to blame as she was for the way things worked out. I’m sorry I let their choices interfere with our future. With what we had between us. Most of all because it kept me from being there for you when you needed me the most. I don’t deserve your forgiveness or your love, but if you give me both, I’ll spend a lifetime proving to you it’s the right decision.”
“I already know it’s the right decision.”
His heart felt so full he thought it would burst. “I promise you I won’t be like my father. I’m going to promote Leroy to foreman, so I can have more time with you and Derek. Like a real family. Are you sure you ready for this?”
“Yes, it doesn’t get any better, because we’ll be together. My cowboys are all I need. The city was a poor substitute for what I needed most. You.”
Dylan dropped to one knee. “Well then, Kayla Lynn Anderson, I’d like to offer you the job of rancher’s wife. Your duties will be to love me for all the days of your life.”
“And what do I get as payment?”
“My love, for all the days of my life.”
“Sounds reasonable.”
Dylan stood, pulling her into his embrace. Kayla was back in his arms, this time forever.