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“Joy doesn’t have to worry,” Chance said. “She knows how I feel about her. I was thinking about you. All you and Travis have been doing these past years is working hard and making lots of money. Aren’t you a millionaire yet?”
Cade glanced away. “A million doesn’t seem to be enough these days, bro,” he said. After all, Abby had come from money and chosen to marry into an affluent family, instead of marrying him.
“Took me a lot of years to learn that the right woman doesn’t care,” Chance said. “Not if she loves you.”
“That’s the key, Chance, but it never hurts to have the advantage of wealth.”
“I noticed you had your eyes on a certain woman.”
Cade looked at his boots. “Aren’t I a little old for you to be checking up on me?”
“Just habit, I guess. It’s hard not to watch over your younger brothers.” Chance grinned and pushed his hat back, allowing his hair to fall across his forehead. “Can you believe how much Travis has changed?”
Cade shook his head. “Seems like he was just a skinny college student not that long ago. Now he has his own business.” Travis and Chance looked more like brothers, Cade thought, the same sandy hair and light eyes like their mother. Cade had had the misfortune to inherit his daddy’s dark looks.
“Travis seems to be here, but not here,” Chance said, sobering. “There’s something bothering him.”
Cade smiled. “Yeah, probably trying to figure out how to spend all his money.”
Chance shook his head. “I think it’s more. He hasn’t said more than two words since coming home. And that cell phone of his is attached to his ear. Tomorrow I’m going to get it and bury the thing. That way he’ll be guaranteed a vacation.”
Both brothers laughed.
“Abby looked good tonight,” Chance said.
Cade knew his brother was fishing. Chance was the only one who knew about his past relationship with Abby Moreau. “History. It’s best left there. Besides, I’ll be gone in a few days.”
“You have to go back that soon, huh?”
“I have clients who depend on me.” That wasn’t completely true. As a financial adviser, he could handle just about anything by phone or e-mail, but he didn’t belong here anymore.
“You know, she divorced that jerk.”
Cade didn’t have to ask who Chance was talking about. “I’m not interested. She told me once that she didn’t want me.”
“Everyone makes mistakes, Cade. I think Abby’s daddy was more interested in hooking his daughter up with Garson than she was.”
“She had a choice.”
“Well, whatever, she’s had to pay a heavy price. I hear Joel was pretty free with his fists.”
Cade’s head jerked up. “You mean he hit her?”
“I’m not positive, but I heard stories, and I saw Abby one time with bruises on her face. She told me she fell.”
Anger seethed through Cade. How could a man strike a woman? He thought back to earlier, how Abby had trembled when he touched her. Now he understood her son’s reaction. Cade closed his eyes, trying to block out the pain. The pain he’d felt every day since she left him. But what kind of pain had Abby suffered?
“Tell Hank I’m going for a ride,” he said. “I need to clear my head.”
Chance patted him on the back. “Just remember I’m here if you need me.”
Cade saddled up Gus, a big bay gelding. Chance had told him the horse would get him back to the barn if they got lost. Once on the open range, with the bright moonlight to guide the way, Cade gave Gus free rein and let him fly.
Twenty minutes later Cade reined in the animal at the edge of a rise, then wandered to a grove of trees by the creek. He climbed off and led Gus to the water’s edge for a well-deserved drink. Cade sat down and looked out over the valley. Mustang Valley.
A place he and his brothers had come to a lot. Hank had told them stories about the wild horses who took refuge here because of the water and grazing land. Mostly because Hank didn’t chase them off as a nuisance. Some people had labeled the Randell boys the same way. Like their cattle-rustling father who’d been sent off to prison, they were no good. Branded with the stigma of those circumstances and with their mother deceased, they had no one willing to take them in—until Hank Barrett.
It had taken Cade some time, but he’d finally realized how good Hank was to them. How he made the Randell brothers think they were worth something. That if you worked hard, people would see it. Cade had worked hard in school, then college. But he’d wanted to leave San Angelo, where the Randell name held too many bad memories. But he hadn’t planned to go alone.
Abigail Moreau, the daughter of one of the richest men in the area, loved him. Cade’s gaze went to the oak tree and the memory of their last day together came flooding back…
It had been a June afternoon, perfect for a ride to the valley. Cade had spread a blanket on the ground for them to sit on. He was nervous as he dug into his pocket, trying to find the small diamond he’d worked for months to buy. It wasn’t a large stone, but it was all he could afford for now.
He looked at Abby and couldn’t believe she loved him. She was so beautiful with her long red hair, tied back with a blue ribbon. He held up the ring, and her eyes grew bright with excitement.
“I love you, Abby. I want us to get married so you can go with me to Chicago. I know I don’t have much now, just my college degree, but with my new job, I’ll be able to take care of you. I know it’s not what you’re used to, but someday…”
“Oh, Cade.” Abby blinked back the tears. “I love you, not what you have. Oh, yes, I’ll be your wife.”
Cade slipped the ring on, and she threw herself into his arms. He kissed her, then kissed her again, and soon they were lying on the blanket. He raised his head, trying to catch his breath. “I guess we better slow down.”
Her gaze searched his face. “I don’t want to stop, Cade. I want you to make love to me.”
His heart jumped into his throat. “But, Abby, you said you wanted to wait…”
“I’m going to be your wife, Cade. I want to show you how much I love you…”
Cade shook his head to erase the memory. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t erase Abby’s lie. She hadn’t loved him. The next day his ring came back with a note, saying they were too young for marriage.
Cade got up and walked along the creek and thought back to the naive kid he’d been when he hadn’t believed Abby’s note and had gone to her house. It hadn’t been until she told him to his face that he finally believed her. The clincher came a month later, when she married Joel Garson.
Cade picked up a flat rock and tossed it into the water. The last seven-plus years he’d worked day and night, driven because he hadn’t been good enough for Abby Moreau. And now he had a successful career. Guess he could thank her for that. He was wealthy enough to buy and sell people like the Moreaus and Garsons. But none of that mattered, because what he really wanted he couldn’t have. Abby. And it was too late, because he could never forgive her.
When Abby got home from the party, it was after eleven. By the time she got Brandon to bed, she was exhausted. But in the lonely silence of her old bedroom, sleep eluded her.
Abby went downstairs. Since her father’s death, only she and Brandon lived in the big ranch house. It was almost eerie, with so many empty rooms. She stepped into her father’s study, Tom Moreau’s private domain, and flicked on the lights, then walked past the cinnamon-colored leather sofa and matching chair. The large mahogany desk sat facing French doors that opened onto a large flagstone patio adorned with white wrought-iron furniture. An olympic-size pool and an ornate fountain took up most of the yard, and multi-colored flowers and a boxwood hedge surrounded the property. Nothing had been too good for Tom Moreau. He had loved the lifestyle. Too bad he hadn’t been able to pay for it.
Abby glanced over her shoulder at the pile of unpaid bills on the desk. In the past months she’d been trying to think of a way to pay off the debts. But with her limited financial knowledge, she hadn’t come up with a single idea. She needed a professional, which she couldn’t afford. But she also couldn’t afford not to hire one. It was either that or she’d have to sell the ranch, her last resort. The Moreau ranch was Brandon’s legacy. Since the divorce, Abby knew this was all her son would have. And she’d do almost anything to keep her boy from losing it. She’d already used most of her divorce settlement paying the inheritance tax, then some more on the enormous debt, but it had hardly made a dent.
Joel wasn’t about to help her, either. Besides, she didn’t plan on taking anything else from her ex-husband. As it was, Joel practically made her beg for her monthly check. She guessed that it took the place of working her over with his fists.
Abby shivered and moved away from the window, hugging herself. Closing her eyes, she’d tried to erase the ugly memory of her marriage. A marriage her father had coerced her into.
Instead, she thought back to the day she’d gone to Mustang Valley, the day Cade had asked her to marry him. She’d accepted quickly, unable to believe they were finally going to be together. They wouldn’t have to hide any longer.
But Tom Moreau hated the Randells, ever since Cade’s daddy had rustled his cattle. Abby knew he would fight her on the marriage, but never realized how far he’d go until that day.
Abby had arrived in the study with her new engagement ring. Her father was sitting behind his desk as usual. She was nearly twenty-two, and the man still frightened her. Well, she wasn’t going to let her father control her life any longer. She wanted a life with Cade, and she was going to have it.
Her father stood. “You were with Randell.”
Abby bit back a gasp. “I have a right to see whomever I please.”
“I think not,” he said. “You’re a Moreau, and certain things are expected of you. You stay away from that trash.”
“Cade isn’t trash. He’s a college graduate and has a good job in Chicago.”
“Fine. Then he’ll be out of here.”
Abby grew braver. “And I’m going with him.”
Her father looked her over and grinned. “I don’t think so. I have plans for you.”
“But I love Cade. We’re getting married.”
Tom sat on the edge of the desk. He looked calm, but Abby saw the anger in his eyes. “You know there’s been more rustling going on in the area. I’ve lost several head myself. Two of the hands told me they saw someone who fits Cade Randell’s description on the property.”
Dread rushed over her. “It wasn’t Cade.”
“It’s my word against a Randell. Who do you think people will believe?”
“That’s not fair, you know Cade didn’t do anything wrong.”
“He did everything wrong when he touched Moreau property.”
Abby flinched at the words. Was that all she was to him—his property? “Then I’ll say he was with me. You won’t be able to do anything. I’m of age. I can go away with Cade if I want.”
She saw her father’s jaw clench, then he drew a breath as if trying to gather his control. “You best not argue, girl.”
Abby began to shake. “Daddy, please. I love Cade.”
“If you love him, then you’ll let him go. It’s the only way he’ll stay out of jail. Don’t cross me, girl. Tomorrow you’ll tell him you’ve made a mistake. Then I’m sending you off to Europe with the Garsons. Their son, Joel, asked about you.” Her father smiled. “Now, there’s a fine young man from a good family.”
“I don’t want to go out with Joel,” she argued.
“I wasn’t giving you a choice. That is, if you really care about Randell.”
Abby knew she’d lost. “Okay, I’ll go. But you have to promise me you’ll leave Cade alone.”
He glared at her, as if to say how dare she question him. Finally he nodded. “Send the ring back by messenger, I don’t want you seeing Randell again.”
For days Abby had ached to go to Cade and tell him the truth. But she knew her father would carry out his threats. The following week Abby was sent off to Europe with the Garsons. A month later when she returned home, her circumstances had changed. She was desperate to talk to Cade. But when she’d called him in Chicago, he didn’t want to talk to her. He said their break up was for the best. They were too young to know about love. Brokenhearted, Abby had let herself be talked into marrying Joel.
Abby wiped the tears from her face. All these years, she’d never stopped loving Cade Randell. But there had never been a chance for them, not then, and certainly not now.
Not after he discovered her lies. Not after he discovered he had a son.
Chapter Two
The next morning Cade woke up groggy. He told himself it had been the excitement of the party, of returning home after all these years. He was staying in his old room. Things hadn’t changed much, maybe a fresh coat of paint. The truth was, it had been Abby that robbed him of sleep.
By the time he showered and went downstairs, the family was already in the bright yellow kitchen eating breakfast. Hank sat at the head of the large trestle table, Cade’s brothers, Chance and Travis, in the same places they had occupied years ago.
“Good morning.” Cade took his seat.
“Well, it’s about time you showed your face,” Ella said, giving him a stern look, but her hazel eyes were smiling. The gray-haired woman was still housekeeper at the Circle B.
“Love you, too, Ella,” Cade teased. He took a swallow of coffee from the mug she put in front of him. He sighed, waiting for the caffeine to kick in.
“Gotta get you accustomed to ranch life again,” Hank said.
“In Chicago I’m usually up early because of the stock market.”
“Must be Ella’s cooking you’re trying to avoid,” Hank teased.
“Stop it, old man,” Ella said. “Joy’s been teaching me.”
Cade chuckled, recalling that the Circle B’s housekeeper had never been famous for her cooking. If she didn’t burn the food, it was a good day. “As long as I don’t have to eat my own cooking, it tastes good to me.” He winked at Ella. “It was just a late night.”
“Yeah, quite a party,” Travis said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He quickly looked away to check the pager attached to his belt, then pulled out a cellular phone. He began punching the buttons as he got up from the table and walked into the pantry.
Cade watched his younger brother. There were only a few years’ difference in their ages, but Travis had been in college when he’d left. Now, eight years later, his kid brother was nearly as big he was. And he ran his own company in Houston. Something to do with computer security. Funny, he didn’t really know much about the business his brother had started. It must have been doing well. Travis’s nice clothes and the Rolex on his wrist left little doubt. He had even brought Hank expensive gifts.
So it seemed all three of the Randells had made their way in the world. Too bad their worlds had to be so far apart.
“How was your ride last night?” Chance asked from across the table.
“Good,” Cade said. “And there was plenty of moonlight to find my way back.”
“Wish I’d known,” Hank mumbled. “I would have gone with you. There were way too many people here to suit me. All that fuss over a silly birthday.”
Ella set a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him. “If you’d left, Hank Barrett, I’d have skinned you alive.”
“So would I.”
They turned as Joy Randell walked into the kitchen, carrying her two-month-old daughter, Katie. The petite blonde crossed to Chance and gave him a lingering kiss, then handed him the baby. “She’s been fed and changed.”
“Hi, princess,” Chance crooned to the child, and was rewarded with a smile.
Cade watched the loving exchange with envy. He was still amazed at their story. How Chance had met the widowed Joy Spencer in the abandoned barn of a neighbor. She’d been in labor, and he’d ended up delivering her baby. Not two weeks later, Chance had married her to keep the child from her in-laws. “Who would have thought it? My brother a family man.”
Chance cocked an eyebrow at him. “Don’t knock it, Cade. These two ladies are the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“I didn’t get a bad deal, either,” Joy said as she sat down next to her husband, her bright blue eyes full of love.
Cade had thought that way once, too. His attention turned back to Abby and how beautiful she’d looked last night. She could still make his pulse race. But he knew better than to pursue it. She’d made a fool out of him once, and he wasn’t going to play that game again. No, he’d stay away from Abby Garson.
Travis returned to the table, his expression even more troubled than before. “I need to get back to Houston. There’s a problem…with one of our accounts.”
