On His Ranch by Dinah McLeod

Chapter 17

When Chase awoke the next morning, he immediately realized he’d overslept. The last time he’d done that was the day after he’d been diagnosed with the flu. Shit. Senior’s gonna have my head for this.

Still, he was as quiet as possible as he disentangled himself from Piper who was still sleeping. He even allowed himself a minute to gaze at her. She really did look much younger while she slept. When he realized that the sight of her was stirring him again, he reluctantly turned away.

If I’d gotten up earlier, maybe…

He was full of regret by the time he managed to get dressed and downstairs.

“Mornin’,” his mom greeted him as he blazed through the kitchen. “How about—”

“No time, Ma,” he answered as he shot out the door. He was practically sprinting by the time he found Senior.

“Mornin’.”

“Sorry I’m late, I—”

“I’ma stop you right there, and it’s not just ‘cus you’re out of breath,” his grandfather said, chuckling. “There are some things I don’t need to hear.”

“Sorry,” he said again. “It won’t happen again.” He grabbed a nearby rake and began working on the nearby loose straw.

“You can’t be sure o’ that.”

He kept raking, avoiding the older man’s gaze. “Sure I can.”

“Well, why would you want to?”

Confused, he looked up from his work. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s not a bad thing, havin’ someone to come home to.”

“Sure, but I still intend to put the ranch first. You don’t need to worry about that. Or anything. I—”

“I’m not worried about the ranch, son. You’re the one who keeps makin’ it the be-all-end-all. You can’t live like that.”

Chase’s brow furrowed. “What are you talkin’ about, Senior? That’s how you ran it your whole life.”

Senior chuckled, but it was oddly without humor. “No, son, that’s how I ran it your whole life. By the time you and your ma came to stay, my Pamela was gone.”

“Grandma. Right, I knew that, but—”

“Sure, but you didn’t know what it was like before. The ranch was smaller. I added on a lot because I wanted to keep busy. What’s more, I used to have help.”

Chase did a double take. This was the first time he’d ever heard about it. He couldn’t even imagine other people working at the ranch. “But every time Ma used to suggest—”

“Well, as I said, it had to do with me wantin’ to stay busy, not because we couldn’t use the help.”

He leaned on the rake and considered his grandfather. “So, what are you sayin’? You think I should give up the ranch? This is all I’ve ever wanted, Senior. You know that.”

“Sure it was, once. And if you still want the ranch, well, that’s fine, son. But it doesn’t mean you have to do it all on your own. You can’t, really. Not if you want a family.” The conversation must have been over, because Senior went back to work hefting things in their dump pile for trash-burning day.

Chase let the matter drop as well, turning his attention back to the dirty old straw that he was raking into the pile. But Senior had given him some things to think about. “You know what I think?” he asked as he gazed out at the sky. “I think you’re goin’ soft on me, old man.”

His grandfather chuckled as he pulled a lighter from his pocket. “Your grandma used to call me a romantic, you know.”

He snorted. That was something he had to pretend real hard to see. “Well, how about that?”

“Don’t go spreadin’ it around.”

“Oh, don’t worry. No one would believe it.”

Senior flicked the old-fashioned lighter open and the wick lit at once. He held out a piece of kindling and the flame licked it a moment before it caught fire. “Well, I gotta say, there were moments your mother an’ I weren’t too sure you’d find anyone to your likin’. But this one, Piper—”

Chase would have to wait to hear what his grandfather had been about to say, because at that moment when he tossed the kindling onto the pile of debris there was a loud, ricocheting boom as the pile went up in an instantaneous roaring fire and his grandfather was thrown to the ground.

* * *

Piper was in the middle of a wonderful, delicious dream—one of the ones that feel like they’re happening in real life, which makes them doubly yummy. She would have stayed there all day, but a distant yell made her begin to stir.

“Ma! Ma! Come quick!”

She was up in bed like a shot, hurriedly tossing aside the covers and leaping out. She dressed quickly, ignoring the fact that she only had yesterday’s dress in here and couldn’t find her underwear. She threw open the door and raced down the stairs two at a time.

“What in the world?” she heard Patti say as she approached. “What happened, Chase?”

Piper didn’t hear his answer, and descended the stairs just in time to see their backs as they rounded the corner toward the den. Cursing her short legs, she chased them. When she entered the den, Chase was laying Senior down on the couch while Patti hovered by nervously.

“What happened?” she demanded again, her voice shaking.

“I don’t know, Ma. I mean, there was an explosion, but—”

“An explosion! Chase!”

“It wasn’t anything we did, Ma,” he assured her, stepping to the side. Patti immediately moved to fill the space he left and began unbuttoning the older man’s shirt, trying to assess him. “It was trash burn day. We did everythin’ the way we always do. ‘Course, I wasn’t there as early as I usually am…”

Piper crouched in the corner, unnoticed. She knew she should speak up, but there was something on Chase’s face that stopped her. He was thinking, and she was spellbound as she watched, waiting to see what he’d say.

“Maybe they did somethin’ to the pile while I was… busy. Had to have been.”

Patti glanced up, giving him an imperious glare that Piper knew all too well, albeit from her son. “This has gone too far. You need to figure out how to make it stop. Now.”

What? What is she talking about? What has gone too far? Who are they?

“I’m tryin’ to stop it, Ma. You know that.”

“No, you’re tryin’ to catch ‘em in the act so you can have revenge. If you don’t know who it is, then call the cops!” Her voice rose in a frenzied pitch.

“Ma, you know why I—”

“No!” she hissed. “No, I do not! You keep that to yourself, you and Senior with your cowboy games! I’ve had enough, do you understand? This has got to stop!”

Piper backed out of the room as quietly as she could, her mind whirling. She retraced her steps, moving swift and silently.

I… I thought he was protecting me. That he knew, somehow…

But he was protecting himself. His own secrets.

Having arrived back in the bedroom, she closed the door behind her, her eyes immediately drawn to the cell phone on Chase’s nightstand. The first time she’d seen it, she’d teased him.

“What is that, a flip phone?”

He’d shrugged. “It’s a phone. And it’s only for emergencies, so don’t get any ideas. I don’t want you callin’ about your fortune or some crap like that.”

She’d laughed and made a reach for it, but he’d been quicker. He was always quicker. “Time to step into the twenty-first century, unless you want me to start calling you ‘Grandpa’!” she’d teased.

Which had only made him laugh and lunge for her.

“He said it was for emergencies,” she mused aloud. If this wasn’t that, what was? Before she could change her mind, Piper walked to the phone, snatched it off the nightstand and powered it on.

* * *

“He’s gonna be okay,” Chase said, not sure if he was telling his mom, or looking to her to reassure him.

“He’s goin’ to be fine,” she snapped.

“Aw, Patti, don’t be hard on the boy,” Senior said, his voice sounding fragile.

Chase turned away so his grandfather wouldn’t see the tears that sprang to his eyes. Maybe his mom was right. Maybe it was time… what would he do if he lost his grandfather?

“Um… excuse me?”

Chase pivoted toward the sound of her small, innocent voice. He felt relief coursing through him. Piper. In the excitement, he’d darn near forgotten about her, but he was happy she was here. He wanted to go to her, to squeeze her against him, to inhale the natural sweetness of her skin and give himself just a second to forget this.

He walked toward her, but she crossed her arms across her chest and took a step back.

“Ah… so… I think there are some things we should talk about.”

He glanced over to the couch where his grandfather lay, currently coughing while Ma fussed over him. “Yeah, I guess we do.”

She cleared her throat. “No, Chase. Uh, you don’t understand.”

He had her full attention. His brows shot up. “Okay. What don’t I understand?”

When her green eyes met his, they were large in her solemn face. Her bottom lip was quivering, but when she spoke, her voice was strong. “I… I think there’s something you need to know.”

Piper swallowed hard over the lump in her throat. Patti had left her father’s side to come stand beside her son. She could feel the older woman’s concerned gaze. She knew it was time to come clean, but that didn’t make it any easier. She couldn’t imagine what would happen when she told them. It would change the fondness in Patti’s eyes, and the warmth in Chase’s. Everything would be over. So it was only natural she would want to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

She ducked her head, though it did not stop her from feeling the burn of their collective gazes.

“Piper?”

It was Patti, but she still flinched. She’s going to hate me when she learns I brought danger to her family.

“Piper.” Chase this time, his voice impatient.

“I… I’ve been keeping a secret,” she said, her voice soft.

“What kind of secret?” Chase demanded.

“What happened to Senior…” Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t help but look at him. His eyes were now closed, his face more drawn than she’d ever seen it. Funny. She knew he was older… but he’d never looked old, until now. “I… I think it might be my fault.”

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true,” Patti answered immediately.

Out of the corner of her eye, Piper saw the older woman step toward her, but Chase got there first.

He hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her head up so she had no choice but to meet his eye. She soon wished he hadn’t. Chase’s face was stone, except for his eyes glinting dangerously at her. “How’s that now?”

“I…” She took a deep breath, and tried to answer but her lower lip trembled so hard she lost her nerve.

“Sweetie, whatever it is, you can tell us.”

Piper wanted to run to Patti and have her hug her, like a mother would. To tell her that everything would be okay. Did Chase have any idea how lucky he was to have a woman like that in his life? Probably not. The lucky ones never did.

She looked at Patti, but seeing that matronly, gentle face, eyes full of understanding, made her throat close up and tears fill her eyes. She had to look away.

When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she cringed. It wasn’t the kind touch of a patient woman—it was too firm to be anything but a trap.

“Mom, I need a few moments with Piper.”

“But, son—”

“No, it’s alright,” she interrupted, summoning her courage. “She can stay.” I need her to stay.

Chase was clearly annoyed, his toe drumming a rapid beat against the floor, but he nodded, his jaw clenched. “Out with it then.”

She inhaled sharply, the air stinging her tight throat. “Okay. But you have to understand I didn’t do it on purpose. What I mean is, I didn’t mean for them to follow me here. To you. I mean, I didn’t think—”

“Piper. Start slowly. Look at me.”

Reluctantly, her eyes found his. His voice was still rough, his jaw tight, but his eyes had softened the slightest bit. “I told you some of this,” she began haltingly.

“Okay.”

She shifted her gaze to Patti. Warm, understanding Patti. Maybe if she looked at her she’d be able to get the whole thing out before she broke down bawling. “I got this amazing idea. I was working a dead-end job as a waitress and I knew I didn’t want to do that forever.”

“Makes sense,” Patti said, her tone encouraging.

Piper relaxed the slightest bit and tried to ignore the impatience she could feel wafting off Chase in waves. “You know how when people talk about business, they say you have to bet on yourself?”

“Might be the worst piece of advice you can give to someone wantin’ to own a business,” Chase commented.

Both women turned to him with glares.

“Go on,” Patti encouraged.

Piper took a deep breath and tucked her hair behind her ears just to give her hands something to do. “So I decided to bet on myself, to go all-in. I invested every dime of my savings, which wasn’t much to begin with anyway. I quit my job. I sold my car.” She winced as she said it. “And I bought stuffies—um, stuffed animals,” she amended for Patti’s benefit, “and fabric and little bits of jewelry and… well, you get the idea. I was going to open a store with handmade, personally crafted stuffed animals for…” She dropped her gaze to the floor, blushing. “People my age. Or older.”

“That sounds lovely, dear.”

Piper looked up and it was all she could do to keep herself from wrapping her arms around the older woman’s neck then and there.

“Go on,” Chase said, his voice tight.

“Okay. Well, anyway… I had these big dreams, but I ran out of money.”

“So you looked for another job,” he guessed.

The knots in her belly tightened. This was even harder than she’d thought it would be. “Um, well, actually… I borrowed some money. It was stupid, and I shouldn’t have done it. I know that now. If I could turn back time, I—”

“Slow down,” Chase said, squeezing her shoulder. “Go back a bit. Who did you borrow the money from?”

She cringed. That was the essence of the whole thing, wasn’t it? “Well, see, without a job, or, um, collateral, or… well, anything… there was only one place I could get the money.”

Chase’s jaw tightened once more and there was a muscle on his forehead that was ticking like a time bomb, making her more grateful than ever for Patti’s presence. “Not from a traditional bank, I’d wager.”

“No,” she admitted. “But I thought I’d open the business and pay it all back, and buy another car, and… it just didn’t pan out that way.”

“It takes a lot to open a business,” he drawled.

“Well, I know that now.” She sniffled and the first tear rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away, ashamed.

“So, you still owe these people money.”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“What people? Who are they?”

“Well… I mean, I don’t know exactly.”

Chase let out a frustrated sigh. “What do you mean, you don’t know? How is that even possible?”

“Well…” She drew a line across the floor with the toe of her shoe. “I mean, I never met them. I have a friend, from college? Well, Josh is really more of an acquaintance, actually, we just had the one class together—”

“Piper, the point, please.”

“Okay, okay. One day when the teacher was late we got to talking and I told Josh about my business. I didn’t tell him what it was, just that I had inventory and was out of money. He told me that he could get me the money. A loan.”

Chase shook his head. “That sounds legit.”

She winced. “Look, I know, okay? But there’s nothing I can do about it now.”

“Go on,” he ordered through clenched teeth.

“So, Josh said he knew people. He said I’d have to pay it back, with interest, and that the interest might be a bit on the high side.”

“You don’t say.”

“Hush now,” Patti scolded. “Let her finish.”

“But I took the money. And I finished the inventory I had, but I couldn’t find a space to rent with what I had left.” She took a deep breath, remembering the rest. “And then one day Josh shows up, all of a sudden. He says they want the money, plus the interest, that day. But of course I couldn’t pay. I mean, I gave him what I had, the leftover money? But he told me it wouldn’t be enough and if I didn’t come up with the rest, they’d find me. And… hurt me.” The story finally told, she buried her face in her hands and let the tears she’d been holding in fall.

“How do you know it wasn’t the ‘friend’ himself? Josh, I mean?” Chase asked.

“Because… because the day he came… he had a black eye and his face was all swollen…” She sobbed at the memory. “He told me they would come after me next, that these guys don’t play around.”

“So that’s why you left.”

She looked at him through parted fingers. “No. I got kicked out, like I told you. But… well… it made it impossible not to go to my aunt for help.”

“Except you didn’t,” he pointed out, his tone bland.

“Well… no… but I didn’t think they’d follow me here!”

Chase sighed. “Piper, you can’t borrow money from the mob and then think you can just disappear.”

She shrank back. “I didn’t know it was from the mob at the time!”

“Well, when you figured it out, you shoulda done something.”

“I didn’t have anything I could do!” She dropped her hands and they balled into fists at her sides.

“Sure you coulda, you could have gotten another job, or gone to your aunt sooner, or—”

“Some people don’t have anyone to borrow money from!” she snapped, glaring.

Chase pressed his lips together, his eyes shooting sparks as he glared in his patented young lady, I have had enough look.

“Alright now, let’s all settle down,” Patti, the voice of reason even now, spoke up.

“So… the gunshot… the fire… now Senior… you knew the whole time?”

Piper drew in a shuddering breath, but realizing she couldn’t speak, she nodded.

“Well, how ‘bout that.”

She didn’t look at him, only sniffled miserably. “And… and that’s not all.”

“What else possibly—”

But before he could finish his sentence, they all heard the distant sound of police sirens approaching the ranch.