nine
jolene clamped her lips shut as soon as she’d said the words. But now they were out there, and she couldn’t take them back.
Walker stared up at her, his head cocked to the side as if he were trying to understand her, as if she were speaking a foreign language.
“Yes. I said it. I love you. No big deal.” She tugged on his hand. “Now let’s go dance.”
He stood, but instead of following her onto the walk, he pulled her against him, wrapped his arms around her, threaded his hand through her hair, and kissed her deeply, soundly, and with more depth and feeling than she’d ever been kissed by him before. Her toes curled in the ridiculous kitten heels her sisters had insisted she buy. She wanted to lift one foot up like she’d seen in movies when the girl was being kissed by the man of her dreams. She wanted to swoon.
He pulled away, his eyes darkening to a stormy gray. “I love you, too, Jolene. Which is why I don’t want to hurt you.”
Oh, God. He loved her. She melted into the grass, just sank against him, never wanting to move again. “You couldn’t possibly hurt me unless you left me. Now let’s go dance and ignore everyone.”
He didn’t look convinced, but took her hand and they walked toward the main street. Despite the magnitude of the crowd, they managed to find Valerie and Brea and the guys, and grabbed something to eat and drink. When the band started up again after their break, Jolene stood.
“Ready to go kick up your heels?”
Walker arched a brow. “I’m game if you are.”
She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the middle of the crowd, laughing as she realized that he was a damn good dancer. He two-stepped her around the outside of the circle of dancers and then managed to pick up one of the line dances easily enough. Her guy had some serious rhythm, which didn’t surprise her at all considering his rhythm in the bedroom.
And when the band played a slow song, being in Walker’s arms and swaying to the music was her every dream come true. She laid her head on his shoulder and realized her life couldn’t get any more perfect than this moment.
Except Celia Woodman was on the dance floor with some random cowboy and shooting daggers her way. Jolene just smiled at her.
Too bad, honey. This cowboy’s mine, all mine. She tilted her head back and slid her hand behind Walker’s head, pulling his lips to hers for a kiss.
Celia could take that and choke on it. The bitch deserved so much more for the hell she’d put Walker through.
But it wasn’t just Celia staring daggers at Jolene and Walker. Sam Woodman stood at the edge of the crowd, his arms crossed and a murderous expression on his face, all directed at Walker. A few of his buddies stood next to him, all neighboring ranch owners, their gazes riveted on Jolene’s man.
So it appeared Sam Woodman still held a grudge. Unfortunately, Walker seemed to notice it, too.
He looked down at her. “Sorry. I warned you about this.”
“I’m not a sixteen-year-old brainless twit, either. I’m a grown woman who knows exactly what she wants and what she’s doing. I want you, Walker. Ignore them.”
“They could make this hard on you.”
She laughed. “They can’t do anything to me. I’ll see who I want to see. And their evil stares don’t hurt me. They shouldn’t hurt you, either.”
He spun her around until she was dizzy and laughing. “They don’t have any kind of impact on me, honey. But I’ll be damned if I let anyone hurt you.”
“I can take care of myself, Walker. I’ve been doing it a long time. But it’s nice to know you have my back.”
He pulled her against him and whispered in her ear. “I’d do anything to keep you safe, Jolene.”
walker wished he felt at ease about things. sure, he’d talked things over with Jolene, and she understood and believed him. He didn’t know why it had taken him so long to come clean with her. Maybe because he’d handled the whole thing with Celia so badly all those years ago. He should have gone to her father when she’d first started sniffing around, to make it clear he wasn’t trying to climb up the ladder by climbing on Woodman’s daughter. But Walker hadn’t wanted to do anything to jeopardize his job, and he figured telling the boss his young daughter was hitting on him would be handing himself his own termination notice.
In the end he’d gotten fired anyway. He could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had quit, but dammit, he hadn’t wanted some . . . child . . . to bully him out of a job he liked.
And now, years later, his mistakes still haunted him. The Woodmans still haunted him. He didn’t trust Sam Woodman to be content just to glare at him. The man still believed his daughter was innocent and that Walker had been the one to corrupt her. And he never believed Walker had paid for that supposed crime.
Fine with him, as long as Woodman kept his animosity directed at Walker and left Jolene out of it.
Walker searched the beer tent and spotted Jolene crowded around a table with her sisters. Gossiping, no doubt. She was pointing at Celia Woodman, and Valerie and Brea’s eyes widened. Obviously Jolene was filling in her sisters on what Walker had told her, which he didn’t mind at all. There was strength in numbers, and if Celia decided to do something stupid and Walker wasn’t around to protect Jolene, Valerie and Brea would back her up.
“You have a lot of nerve showing your face in this town.”
Walker turned around to face Sam Woodman. Sam was a formidable presence despite being forty years or so older than Walker. He was built like an oak tree, with ruddy skin and salt-and-pepper hair that peeked out of his very expensive Stetson. “Sam.”
“You should have left this state five years ago. I could have had you arrested for statutory rape.”
“I never touched Celia.”
“So you say. My daughter says otherwise.”
“Your daughter lied.”
Sam’s cheeks puffed out. “You think you bested me by getting a job at the Bar M. And now you’ve taken up with young Jolene, no doubt doing the same thing to her that you tried to do to my Celia. You’re trying to grab hold of prime ranch land by seducing Jolene. But I won’t let you do it, Walker. I won’t let you ruin another young girl.”
“Jolene is old enough to make her own choices, and I think you need to mind your own goddamn business, Woodman. Stay out of my life. And leave Jolene alone. That’s the only warning you’re going to get from me.”
Woodman grabbed his arm. “Don’t threaten me, Walker. You get out of this town and get out now, or I’ll make Jolene and all the McMasters pay for hiring you. I wield considerable influence in the cattle industry. And I have enough pull to make it hard for her to do her business around here.”
“Don’t make threats you can’t back up, Woodman. And don’t ever threaten the McMasters family again.”
Walker jerked his arm free and stormed away before he did something stupid like punch Woodman in the face. He took a few deep breaths to calm his anger, then found Jolene and the others, determined to enjoy the rest of the night.
But he was worried. Sam Woodman was right about one thing—he did wield a lot of power in the cattle ranching industry. He could make it difficult for Jolene and the ranch. That’s the one thing Walker had feared the most, and the last thing he wanted to happen. Jolene wasn’t going to suffer because of him.
jolene waited for walker to bring the truck down to the entrance at Main Street since he’d told her he’d parked a long way off. Normally she’d have walked with him, but these damn heels were killing her feet, so she gave in and let him bring the truck around.
Brea, Valerie and the guys had already gone home, and the streets were practically empty. The only people left were the cleanup crews pulling tablecloths off and picking up trash, plus the band, who were loading up their gear in the back of their van.
Jolene grinned that they’d all closed the party down. She’d had a great time, finally able to take Walker out publicly. They’d danced and mingled, and no one at all seemed to care, just as she’d thought.
No one but Sam and Celia Woodman, and Jolene didn’t give a damn what they thought, anyway.
“Young lady, we need to have a talk.”
She turned around. Speak of the devil. “Evening, Sam.”
“Miss Jolene.” He tipped his finger to his hat. “I feel I need to warn you about Walker Morgan.”
She sighed. “Sam, I know all about Walker and Celia. There’s nothing you need to tell me.”
Sam’s chin lifted. “He lied to you. He tried to rape my daughter when she was barely sixteen years old and a virgin.”
Jolene crossed her arms. “If that’s the case, why didn’t you press charges?”
“Celia didn’t want to. A public trial would have damaged her reputation more than his.”
Jolene resisted the snort that wanted to escape. Celia had a reputation all right. A reputation for f*cking every human male with a willing penis, and it had been going on a long damn time, since before Walker. But if Sam was determined to turn a blind eye to the fact that his daughter was a whoring tramp, Jolene wasn’t going to say a word. “Look, Sam, I think you need to let this go.”
“I think you need to smarten up.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It might be. I don’t want Walker Morgan in any county in this state, and I don’t want him thinking he can gain a ranch by sleeping with ranch owners or their daughters. I thought you were smarter.”
“I’m plenty smart enough to know when I have a good man at my side. Walker’s a good man. Let this go, Sam.”
“I will not. You’re the one making the mistake. And if I have to make business . . . difficult . . . for you to get you to see the light, then that’s what I’ll do.”
She’d tried to be nice and conversational with him, but now he was threatening more than the man she loved. He was threatening her way of life. “You don’t want to take me on, Sam. Not like this. You’ll lose.”
Walker pulled up and got out of the truck, came to her side. “Is there a problem?”
Jolene leaned against him. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Think about what I said, Jolene. Good night.” Sam tipped his hat again and walked away.
Jolene pivoted and got into the truck. Walker slid into the other side. She forced her breathing down to normal, but it was difficult when all she wanted to do was rant about what a sanctimonious bastard Sam Woodman was. And so incredibly blind to his daughter’s faults, it was pathetic.
“What was that about?”
“Nothing.”
“Jolene.”
“Oh, fine. He said he could make things difficult for the ranch and for me if I didn’t dump you.”
Walker gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening. “That son of a bitch. I’ll kill him.”
“No, you won’t. And you won’t treat me like I’m some simple-minded idiot who can’t take care of herself. Because you know better.”
He shifted his glance to her for a second, and she read the fury on his face. “I dragged you into this. I told you it was going to get ugly.”
“And I told you that I loved you and I could take it. So you need to quit worrying about me.”
He slid his knuckles across her cheek. “I can’t quit worrying about you. I love you. And I won’t let Sam Woodman hurt your family. Not because of me.”
all that night jolene thought about what walker had said. There was something in the way he’d said those words on the drive back to the ranch that had a sense of foreboding. And he hadn’t come into the house with her, hadn’t stayed with her last night. Jolene tossed and turned, worried about Walker, unable to sleep, finally dragging herself from bed as dawn lifted over the horizon, orange rays slipping through the opening in her drapes. Giving up on sleep, she crept downstairs and turned on the coffeepot.
She’d done nothing but ponder the dilemma of Walker and that a*shole Sam Woodman. The fact that he had threatened her and the ranch was ludicrous. She had just as much power in the community as he did, so his threats were worthless.
“You look like you just lost your best friend.”
“You’re up early, Mason.”
He went over to the coffeepot, pulled down two cups from the cupboard and poured coffee, then grabbed a chair and handed her a cup.
“Want to check the new calves this morning.”
“I’ll get dressed and go with you.”
“Don’t bother. Won’t take me long. So what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She took a couple sips of coffee, hoping it would banish the dark thoughts.
“I’ve known you too long to buy that. Tell me what’s going on. Is it Walker?”
“Indirectly. Sam Woodman.”
“He’s a dick.”
She laughed. “Yeah, he is.”
“What did he do?”
She told him the story of Walker’s past.
“I heard about that.”
“But you hired Walker anyway.”
“I knew Celia was a liar. Some of the guys on the ranch had already been trading stories about her for a couple years. That girl had been a wild child for a long time. So I didn’t believe her story of being innocent and seduced. She was always the aggressor. Walker was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Good for you. I’m glad you hired him.”
“So is that all?”
“No. Woodman isn’t happy about Walker and me. He’s threatening to interfere with the Bar M’s business if I don’t stop seeing Walker.”
Mason smirked and leaned back in the chair. “Is that right? And he thinks he has the power to do that?”
“He seems to think so.”
“He’s wrong. I think I’ll make a visit to some of our friends today, and we’ll put a stop to Woodman’s extortion. I imagine most won’t take kindly to those sorts of threats against you.”
“I was planning on doing that myself, but if you feel the need, be my guest.”
“I’d be more than happy to. The man’s been interfering in all our businesses for way too long, and trying to get himself to the top rung of the local Cattlemen’s Association. I don’t trust him and I’d like to see him taken down a peg.”
“Then go for it. I think he’s a snake, and anyone who tries to take us down is in for a rude awakening.”
“You said it, sister.”
Valerie leaned against the door, her arms folded, anger knitting her brows together despite her half-asleep state. She went to the coffeepot and grabbed a cupful, then pulled up a chair. “I heard some of it as I was coming in. Fill me in on the rest.”
“Me, too,” Brea said with a yawn as she padded into the kitchen and went straight for the coffee. “Someone messing with our baby sister?”
Mason got up and gave a kiss to Valerie. Then he turned to Jolene. “I’ll go get my day started, so I can make those visits we talked about. You fill in your sisters.”
“Okay. And Mason? Thanks.”
He nodded. “That’s what family is all about. We fight the battles together.”
Jolene grinned, warmed to her toes to have the people she loved around her.
Valerie squeezed her hand. “Okay, so what has that a*shole Woodman done now?”
by the next day it was clear that woodman didn’t have a leg to stand on. No one in the ranch community was going to support him other than a couple of his close friends, and they didn’t have the power to wield. Woodman might have one of the bigger ranches in the territory, but the Bar M nearly equaled his in size. Couple that with ten other ranchers and their buying power, and Woodman was outnumbered. He could blow smoke as much as he wanted, but he was on his way out the door.
Mason had also talked to a few hands at neighboring ranches who had amassed some very compromising photographs of one Celia Woodman, all taken with Celia’s knowledge and permission. Mason didn’t want to play that trump card unless it was necessary, but he personally went to talk to Woodman and let him know just what he had in his possession and that if Woodman didn’t back down and shut the hell up, those pictures might start making the rounds. Mason made it clear that Woodman had started this game, but the Bar M family was going to finish it.
Jolene threw her arms around Mason and kissed him on the cheek.
“I don’t care for anyone who thinks blackmail’s an option,” Mason said. “I hated playing that card with the pictures, but you should have seen Woodman’s face. And Celia’s, because she was listening in around the corner.”
Valerie grinned and slid her arm around Mason. “My hero.”
Mason shrugged. “He’s messing with one of my best hands. In fact, I’m going to make him assistant foreman, if I can find him.”
Jolene frowned. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Walker all day yesterday, or yet today. She assumed Mason had kept him busy.
“I thought maybe you had things for him to do.”
Mason shook his head. “Haven’t seen him since the party in town.”
Dread drilled holes in her stomach. “I’ll go check the bunkhouse. Maybe he’s sick.”
She hurried down to the bunkhouse and knocked on the door. The rest of the hands were all at work, so she expected it to be empty. She opened the door and went in search of Walker, hoping she wouldn’t find him slumped unconscious somewhere.
He wasn’t there. All his things were there, but his truck was gone. That dread turned to panic and she ran back to the house.
“He’s gone.”
Mason frowned. “What do you mean he’s gone?”
“I mean he’s gone. His truck isn’t there either.”
“You talking about Walker?”
Jolene pivoted to face Lila. “Yes. Do you know where he is?”
“No, honey, I don’t. But I have an envelope. He left it for you yesterday. It slipped my mind and I forgot to give it to you.”
Jolene took the envelope and tore it open, hurriedly reading Walker’s note.
Jolene,
I’m sorry, but it isn’t going to work this way. Everyone will talk and assume the worst about you because of me. I can’t let that happen.
I love you,
Walker
She stared at the note, tears filling her eyes.
“He left. He just left. He was in such a hurry he didn’t even bother to pack. I can’t believe he did this.”
She crumpled up the note and tossed it in the nearby trash can. “That son of a bitch. After everything we’ve done for him, all we went through. He went yellow belly and snuck out like a scared dog. He couldn’t stick it out for me.”
Valerie put her arm around her. “Honey, I’m sure he loves you.”
Jolene’s gaze shot to her sister’s. “Does he? When you love someone, you endure. Even when things are bad you put up with it, because the good times are worth it. As soon as it got bad, he took off. That’s not love. His words are empty. They mean nothing.”
Valerie squeezed her shoulders, but Jolene shrugged her hands off. “I need to be alone.”
She pushed through the front door and went to the barn, saddled up Paradise and rode her hard, probably harder than she should have, but she wasn’t thinking straight. She only knew she needed the wind in her face and had to get away from everyone who would feel sorry for her.
She’d made such a stupid mistake, had chosen the wrong man. She’d thought Walker was strong, that he would stand by her side through thick and thin, through the worst of it. But as soon as the wind blew rough, he’d crumbled.
He wasn’t the man for her. She was a lousy judge of character.
She knew nothing about love. She’d spent years brazenly going after the wrong man.