Her Hidden Legacy Read online

  He sat on the bench next to her. “I can understand that. I spent my whole life going to church, but God didn’t become a real person to me until I realized just how hard life is without Him.”

  She stared at him for a moment. “How does He make it easier? It’s not like He does anything for you. He can’t watch all those kids for you.”

  “True,” he said. “But He did bring some amazing people into my life who can help. But it’s more than just that. When I feel most alone, I know that He’s there. I can talk to Him. And I don’t feel so alone anymore.”

  Hunter looked over at her. “But maybe you don’t feel that way ever, so you don’t need it.”

  “I feel that way a lot,” she said. “It just never occurred to me that God could help with something like that.”

  He took a deep breath. Talking about this kind of stuff was never his strong suit. But hopefully, with a quick prayer to God for assistance, he would find the right words.

  “You seem kind of sad since we started talking about the tragedy. I don’t want to pry, so if you don’t want to talk about it with me, you could tell God what’s in your heart.”

  RaeLynn nodded slowly. “I guess I could do that,” she said. “And thank you for recognizing that I’m dealing with something I need to keep private.”

  She sat on the grass and closed her eyes. Maybe it was intrusive of him, but he watched her face for a moment, noticing that she appeared to be deep in prayer. When a tear rolled down her cheek, he stepped away, hoping to give her some privacy.

  He said his own prayer that God would help her deal with whatever she was going through, but as he stole one last look at her, he also asked God to help him with these feelings he was having for her. He liked RaeLynn. Found her attractive in so many ways. But there were way too many reasons why a relationship with her wouldn’t work.

  * * *

  Coming here wasn’t supposed to have affected her this way. RaeLynn hadn’t expected to feel such a connection to this place. She didn’t know why she’d gone and asked about the people whose bodies had never been found. Her mother had told her about it, and how it was one more reason not to trust the people on the Double R. In her mother’s version of the story, the Double R hadn’t done anything for the families of the victims, and the flood had just been an excuse to create the lake that had ended up diverting the water from the smaller ranches and put them out of business.

  She looked out over the lake. Her mom had told her that the Double R had driven their family out of business when they’d created the lake. It had been a shady deal, but because the Double R had fancy lawyers, small ranches like her grandfather’s had gone under.

  RaeLynn had done some research, and over the years there had been a few challenges to the Double R’s water rights, but the Double R had always won. As a journalist, she knew there were multiple sides to every story, and only after hearing all of them did you approach something close to the truth.

  So what was the truth about the Double R?

  RaeLynn had to write something positive and encouraging because that was the mission of her magazine. But for her own peace of mind, understanding the dark secrets hidden there was important.

  RaeLynn’s mother had been disowned by her family for marrying RaeLynn’s father, Cinco. When Cinco died, RaeLynn’s mother had been left on her own to figure out what do with a baby on the way. Even though RaeLynn didn’t fully agree with the choices her mother had made, she wasn’t sure she could have done any better.

  She glanced at the memorial stones. Her mother had told her that the Double R didn’t care about their people. But these well-tended markers, some fifty years later, said the opposite.

  She took a deep breath. God, I don’t know if what Hunter says about the Double R is true. I know he has a bias. But I have one, too, and I’m just trying to figure out the truth.

  Saying the words, even just in her head, did make her feel slightly better. But it wasn’t like there were any answers, either. Hopefully, her time here would give her some clarity. She’d been prepared to write a positive article about her enemy, but what did it mean when the person you thought was your enemy seemed like a good guy?

  She wiped the tears from her eyes. She wasn’t usually an emotional person, and she certainly didn’t get emotional over a story. She’d always prided herself on her objectivity.

  Hunter handed her a bandanna. “Sorry, it’s nothing fancy, but it’ll do the trick.”

  She looked down at it, and while it was a simple gesture, the thoughtfulness behind it touched her heart. Sure, he’d probably do the same for anyone else, but she wasn’t used to someone being so thoughtful. And she certainly wasn’t used to getting attached to the subject of a story so quickly. Yes, she’d liked many of the people she’d done stories on. But this was different. If so much weren’t riding on her doing a good job with this one, RaeLynn would be tempted to walk away or, at the very least, assign this to someone else.

  “Thank you,” she said. “You must think it’s strange I’m getting all teared up over people I didn’t even know.” She wanted to apologize for being unprofessional, but the sincerity on Hunter’s face made her realize he’d probably be insulted.

  Hunter shrugged. “It’s not for me to judge. You feel what you feel.”

  Though she absolutely believed that was true, it was strange hearing it from someone else. Maybe it was silly of her, but the acceptance she found in his small kindness was more than she’d felt in a long time. The tenderness on Hunter’s face made her realize that he actually cared. And while she was used to small-town hospitality, this felt more like friendship.

  Maybe that was the stupidest emotion of them all. RaeLynn didn’t make friends with her subjects. She barely had friends beyond casual acquaintances. She’d always been so busy helping her family and working hard to make a life for herself that she’d never had the time or the energy. Plus, people got offended when you had to cancel plans with them because your sister dropped off her kid for you to watch again.

  Even though Hunter had respectfully stepped away, she still felt like she owed him something in return. A piece of herself, since he’d let her in.

  “My mom grew up on a ranch,” she said.

  Explaining to him how different this experience was from what she’d been expecting would be a good place to start, but she also wasn’t going to tell him everything.

  “The way she made it sound...” RaeLynn continued. “She said the big ranchers were all about profit, and they didn’t care about the people. She spoke of ranch life with such bitterness that I’ve never had a very positive view of ranching.”

  “We’re family,” Hunter said. “I know that doesn’t always mean much to people these days, but we take care of our own. Always have, always will.”

  She wanted to ask why they hadn’t taken care of her mom or her. But she knew the answer already. Her mom had made the decision to leave. She hadn’t wanted RaeLynn to grow up in such a controlling environment. But so far, RaeLynn hadn’t seen that kind of attitude. Then again, she’d just gotten here, and everyone was being on their best behavior.

  She stood and brushed the dirt off her jeans. “I can see why everyone loves it here so much,” she said.

  “Would you like to walk farther down the trail, or have you had enough for today?” he asked.

  Again, she was touched by his kindness and thoughtfulness toward her. Hunter had a way of making her feel like he cared about her.

  “I would like to see the lake up close,” she said. “I understand there’s great fishing.”

  “You fish?”

  RaeLynn laughed at the surprised note in his voice. “I don’t look the type?”

  Hunter laughed with her. “That was probably a dumb thing for me to say. You seem to be good at so many things, so it’s unbelievable there’s one more to add to the list. I mean that in a good way.”<
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  It was kind of cute how he seemed embarrassed at complimenting her.

  RaeLynn smiled at him. “I do like to fish. I haven’t done it since I was a kid, but I really enjoyed it. I’ve often wished for the opportunity to do so again, but life gets busy, and I’d need all the equipment.”

  He took his hat off, running his fingers through his hair, and then set it back on his head. “I know all about that,” he said. “I love to fish, but it seems like every time I take Lynzee out, work interrupts.”

  “What keeps you so busy at the ranch?” she said.

  Hunter grinned. “What doesn’t keep me busy? Everyone has their jobs, and I check to make sure everything is running smoothly, and when it’s not, I step in and make sure the job gets done right.”

  The intensity on his face made her smile. “You sound like there’s a bit of a control freak in you,” she said.

  “I guess I do. I think it’s because I know the importance of safety and doing things right. I’m responsible for the welfare of our animals but also of the people on this ranch. I take that responsibility very seriously. If mistakes are made, people could get hurt or even die.”

  She didn’t doubt it. Knowing he paid such attention to everyone’s safety made her feel just a little bit better.

  They continued down the trail, and it felt good to be out in nature. She could see the appeal of living in a place like this. She liked how her work allowed her to help support small towns and their communities. She got to see the beauty many people missed and hopefully share the value of that beauty with others.

  As they reached the lake, RaeLynn saw an older man fishing off the dock.

  When they were within range, Hunter said, “Ricky! Look who I brought.”

  Oh no. No. Just no. She was not ready for this. She’d thought she’d gotten to the point where she was open to the idea of getting to know Ricky. But she was not ready to come face-to-face with him in reality.

  Hunter seemed to sense her hesitation. “It’s okay. He doesn’t bite. Ricky gets along with everyone. Just a few minutes of conversation and you’ll feel like you’ve known him forever.”

  As they got closer, RaeLynn tried to do some quick breathing exercises to calm her nerves. She’d once interviewed the governor of Colorado and hadn’t been this nervous. What if he was everything her mother had warned her he was? And what if, like so much of what she’d experienced on the ranch, he wasn’t like she expected?

  As Ricky walked toward her, he looked like any other old-timer she’d encountered in other small towns in Colorado. He had the look of a man who’d lived a long life and had tales that would make a great book someday.

  There was a light and warmth in his eyes, and as much as she hated to admit it, he was the kind of man she would usually want to sit and talk to for hours. People like him always had the best stories. But the one she wanted to know the most was why he’d driven her parents away. And why he had made her mother so scared after her father had died.

  “It’s such a pleasure to meet you,” Ricky said. “I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to last night, but with all the commotion with Sadie’s kids, we were shorthanded, and I needed to pitch in.”

  He glanced over at Hunter. “And don’t you be giving me any of your nonsense about it. As long as there’s still air in my lungs, I can still pull my own weight on my ranch.”

  Her mom had said that Ricky was one of the hardest-working men she’d ever known. And this proved it. Clearly, her mom hadn’t been wrong about everything.

  “I appreciate it,” Hunter said. “It looks like Pretty Little Lady is about to foal.”

  Ricky grinned. “I just checked on her before I came out here.” He looked over at RaeLynn. “Have you ever seen a baby horse being born?”

  RaeLynn nodded. “I have. I got to do an article on High Meadow Farms, and I just happened to be there when one of their foals was born. It’s a beautiful sight. I can see why you enjoy being part of it.”

  Ricky grinned. “I made a big investment in the horses, so I like to make sure everything is taken care of.”

  One more thing that sounded a lot like the Ricky her mother had told her about. The way Hunter and Ricky grinned at each other, RaeLynn was pretty sure they were both cut from the same cloth. She’d observed some places where Hunter liked to have control, and she could understand why. But what she couldn’t understand was why Ricky had been so controlling of her parents.

  “Now, tell me what you all saw today,” Ricky said, looking from Hunter to RaeLynn.

  “We just got back from seeing the memorial for the people who died in the flood,” RaeLynn said.

  Ricky scowled over at Hunter and then turned his attention back to RaeLynn. “I don’t want that made into a circus. Good men died that day, and I don’t want to profit off it.”

  There was more of that compassion RaeLynn hadn’t thought Ricky had.

  “I won’t include it,” she promised. “I thought it was nice that you had made such a good memorial for them.”

  Ricky took off his hat and held it in his hands. “I only wish I could’ve done more. We did our best to do right by all the families, but it always feels like it’s not enough. What price can you put on a man’s life?”

  In her mother’s version of the story, people had been cheated badly. But the sadness and remorse on Ricky’s face spoke of a man who would never cheat others. Her mother had told her to be wary of Ricky because he was good at manipulating people. In all the interviews she’d done, RaeLynn had met a lot of manipulators. Ricky seemed sincere.

  Was she failing to be objective, or was it possible that her mother hadn’t been objective?

  She smiled at Ricky. “I imagine you do have some regrets after all your years ranching, but it sounds like you’ve tried to do the right thing.”

  He looked down at the hat he hadn’t put back on. “I have more than my share, and they’re all my own fault. My biggest regret was fighting with my son, Cinco, and not supporting his rodeo dreams. I was worried he’d be hurt or killed by some bull, and I was right. It’s not the ‘I told you so’ I ever wanted to have to say.”

  He looked up at her with sad eyes that spoke of great tragedy. He couldn’t possibly know who she was. Her mother had made sure of it, and RaeLynn wasn’t going to put her DNA information out in one of those genealogy websites, like Ricky’s other grandchildren had done.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” she said.

  Ricky shook his head. “I don’t want your sympathy. But I would like you to put something in that magazine of yours showing my apology for what happened with my son. Cinco’s wife disappeared while expecting a baby, and I don’t know anything about that baby. Or how they fared in life. I pray every day that they’re okay.”

  RaeLynn’s chest squeezed so tightly that she wasn’t sure she could breathe. She’d heard about Ricky’s search for her, but she’d always figured it was some kind of publicity thing. But hearing him and his longing did something funny to her heart.

  “I understand you’ve found other children fathered by Cinco,” she said. “It sounds like you have a very full family life. Surely they bring you joy?”

  Ricky set his hat back on his head and gestured toward the dock. “Come fish with me for a bit. I think better when I’m doing something.”

  She couldn’t say no. She’d just told Hunter about her longing to go fishing again. The weird thing was, as much as she didn’t want to interact with this man, she thought about all the times growing up that she’d been envious of her friends fishing with their grandfathers.

  So this was it. She was going fishing with hers. He didn’t know who she was, and she wasn’t sure she wanted him to. She wasn’t sure her heart would be able to take the conflicting emotions if she spent so much time with him.

  “You want me to give you some privacy?” Hunter asked.

  No
. She couldn’t be alone with this man. Not with these feelings jumbled up inside her. What if she couldn’t take it anymore and confessed everything?

  RaeLynn looked over at him. “Please stay. We were just talking about how much we both wished we could fish more. Plus, I love the interaction between the two of you. It will help me with my article.”

  The smile Hunter gave her was probably just supposed to make her feel better about the situation. But the content expression on his face told her that inviting him to stay might have been yet another mistake.

  Now her heart was in danger not just from one man but two.

  Chapter Four

  The news coming out of the courthouse on Monday wasn’t good. At least not for Sadie. While Hunter had expected to have to take care of the children for an extended period of time, this had only solidified how long that might be. Sadie would be in jail until her trial, which wouldn’t be for at least another month. Because she was a repeat offender, the DA was going to make sure she spent a lot of time in jail.

  “Hunter,” Eleanor said, standing before him, “you have to be reasonable. You’re not equipped for foster care, and you and I both know this isn’t going to be a short-term deal. The DA is pushing for the maximum sentence, and given her record, she’s going to get it. She’ll be in jail a few months, and when she gets out, she’ll have to get a job, create a home, and prove that she’s capable of raising these children. We’re not looking at a couple of weeks, not even a couple of months. It’ll likely be at least a year. Are you really able to make that kind of commitment?”

  A year. Eleanor was right. He’d thought it would be a few weeks and, depending on what her sentence was, maybe months. As much as he wanted to believe otherwise, it wasn’t unreasonable to think she would need even more time to get on her feet, especially with the way social services had been looking at her already.

  But this was family. That meant he was going to be there for them.