Heart of Texas Volume One Read online

  Slowly Richard set Savannah away from him and faced his brother.

  “Grady,” she said in warning. Despite his faults, Richard was their brother and the least they could do was hear him out. “Give him a chance to explain.”

  Richard looked from brother to sister. He advanced slowly toward Grady, then paused. “I don’t blame you, Grady. You have every right to be angry.”

  “You’ve got that straight.”

  “What I did was despicable.” Richard stretched out his arm to Savannah as if he needed her to stand with him. She stepped to his side, wanting to right the past and thrust all the ugliness behind them. They were a family, and if they couldn’t forgive one another, then they’d be hypocrites to sit in church every Sunday. The Good Book was full of the power of forgiveness. Only this wasn’t what Grady wanted to hear. Not now. Not yet. He demanded his pound of flesh first, and while Savannah understood his anger, she wanted him to give Richard the opportunity to set things straight.

  “Despicable is only one in a long list of words that come to mind when I think of you.” Grady’s face was hard and unyielding. He’d braced his feet apart in a way that said it would take the strength of ten men to budge him from that porch. Nothing Richard could say would change his mind. Savannah had bumped against that pride of his often enough to know. Unless something drastic happened, Grady wouldn’t let Richard set foot in the home where he was born and raised.

  Her younger brother hung his head in shame. “I don’t blame you for hating me.”

  “Oh, Richard, you don’t know how difficult it was for us,” Savannah said, despite her determination to hold her tongue.

  Richard’s face crumpled with regret. “I’m so sorry. I was young and stupid, and then once I owned up to what I’d done…I couldn’t face you and Grady. I was too ashamed.”

  “You stole that money from your own flesh and blood!” Grady spit out.

  “I was crazy with grief,” Richard pleaded, sounding the same way he had as a child when he knew he’d done something wrong. “I didn’t think. All I knew was that Mom and Dad were gone.”

  “And Dad had stored away a hunk of cash,” Grady said.

  Richard gestured weakly. “I was never cut out to be a cowboy, even you have to admit that,” he said and glanced up at Grady for confirmation. “I could read the writing on the wall. With Dad gone you’d expect me to help around the place, and it just wasn’t in me. Still isn’t. Cows and me never saw eye to eye. You said it more than once yourself.” He gave a crooked half smile, enticing Grady to agree with him.

  Grady remained cold and silent, his eyes as hard as flint.

  “I know it was wrong to take that money. A thousand times since, I’ve cursed myself for being so stupid, so greedy.”

  “You should have phoned,” Savannah chastised. “You could have let us know where you were. Grady and I were worried sick.” She looked to her brother to continue, to explain what they’d endured because of Richard.

  Once again Grady’s cool silence was answer enough.

  “I thought about coming home,” Richard said in a small pleading voice. “You don’t know how many times I’ve thought of it. You’re right, Savannah,” he said, rushing his words. “I should’ve called. I know that now, but I was afraid of what you’d say. I didn’t have the courage to face you.”

  “What happened to the money?” Grady threw the question at his brother with a vengeance.

  “The money,” Richard repeated, and the sigh that followed said it all.

  “You blew it,” Grady said with disgust.

  “I put it up as capital in a business venture. My plan,” he said, glancing desperately at Savannah and then Grady, “was to triple it and share the profits with you two. I thought if I did that, you’d forgive me and let me come home. Then we could go on the way we always have. But—” he paused and looked away “—the venture went sour.”

  “In other words you lost everything.”

  Richard nodded slowly. “The investment wasn’t as solid as I was led to believe. It was a bitter lesson. But you have to understand,” he added, motioning toward Grady, “I was desperate to come home.” His voice shook as though the memory was as painful to him as it was to Savannah and Grady. “By this time I missed you both so much I would have done anything to find a way home.”

  “You could have written,” Savannah said. “Even if you weren’t ready to talk to us.…” For months she’d prayed for a letter, a phone call, anything that would explain what had happened. She’d refused to give up hope, refused to believe Richard would steal from them and then just disappear. After six months she stopped making excuses, and when they hadn’t heard from him after a year, his name was dropped from their conversations.

  “I wanted to write,” Richard said, leaping on her words. “I tried. As God is my witness, I tried, but I was never good with words. How could I possibly explain everything in a letter?”

  Grady snickered loudly. “Seems to me you’re about as slick with words as a snake-oil salesman.”

  A flash of pain appeared in Richard’s eyes. “You really hate me, don’t you, Grady?”

  “How could we hate you?” Savannah answered in Grady’s stead, fearing his response. “You’re our brother.”

  At her words Richard rallied somewhat and gazed around the yard. “You’ve obviously done all right by yourselves. The ranch looks great.”

  “No thanks to you.”

  “Think about it, Grady,” Richard challenged. “What good would I have been to you if I’d stuck around? As far as I’m concerned, cows smell bad, have a negative disposition and are always needing something done to them. If I’d stayed, I wouldn’t have been any help. Okay, I admit taking the money was pretty underhand, but all I really did was lay claim to part of my inheritance a little early.”

  “We almost lost the ranch,” Savannah felt obliged to tell him. Surely he must have realized that? “Richard, I don’t think you have a clue how hard it’s been for Grady and me,” she said.

  “I’m sorry,” he repeated with what sounded like genuine regret. “How many times do I need to say it?”

  “Sorry?” Grady said the word as though it were the foulest obscenity.

  Richard ignored the outburst. “I’ll admit that what I did was rotten, but would it really have been such a bad thing if you’d been forced to sell the land?”

  “What do you mean?” Savannah asked, certain she wasn’t hearing him correctly. This land had been in the Weston family for generations. Their ancestors had settled here, worked the land, raised cattle. Generations of Westons had been buried here in a small cemetery plot overlooking the main pasture. This land was their heritage, their birthright. Their future. That Richard could suggest selling it revealed how little he understood or appreciated the legacy.

  “These days everyone knows it’s not a good idea to eat a lot of red meat,” he explained when it became apparent that his words had upset her. “The beef industry’s been declining steadily for some time, or so I hear. Actually I’m surprised you’ve held on to the old place this long.”

  Savannah’s heart sank. It seemed impossible that Richard shared the same blood that flowed through Grady’s veins and hers. But he was her brother and she refused to turn her back on him, despite his shortcomings. Despite his betrayal.

  “You think because you say you’re sorry it makes everything right?” Grady asked, his voice shaking with such rage Savannah feared he was near exploding. “Do you honestly believe you can walk back into our lives as if you’d done nothing wrong? I’m here to tell you it’s not going to happen.”

  Confused and uncertain, Richard looked to his sister for support. “But I’m willing to do whatever’s necessary to make it up to you.”

  “Give me back six years of constant hard work,” Grady shouted. “Days that stretched fifteen hours without rest. Days in which I did the work of two men. Back-breaking work. Can you do that, little brother?”

  Richard stood still and sile
nt.

  “For six long years I fought off the wolf at the door. For six years I dealt with grief and stress and worry so bad I couldn’t sleep.” He climbed down the steps, one step for each statement. Anger seethed below the surface unlike anything she’d ever seen in Grady. Not the explosive kind common with him, but the deep bitter anger that gnawed at a man’s soul.

  “I can’t change the past,” Richard muttered, his shoulders hunched, “but I’d hoped we could put all this behind us and start fresh.”

  “Not on your life,” Grady said. He stood face-to-face with Richard now, glaring at him. “You haven’t shown any true regret. Not once have you asked Savannah and me to forgive you. As far as I’m concerned, you got your inheritance, and you wasted it. Now get off our land.”

  “You want me to leave?” Richard sounded incredulous. He looked at Savannah but she turned away. “You’re my family!” he cried. “The only family I’ve got. You don’t mean this. Okay, okay, you’re right, I should have asked you to forgive me. I meant to—that was the real reason I returned. Like I said, I want to make it up to both of you.”

  Savannah wavered, ambivalent.

  “You should have thought of that sooner,” Grady replied, his voice clipped.

  She’d hoped they could resolve their differences and make Richard a part of their lives again, but Grady was right. Richard hadn’t revealed any sincere sorrow for the agony he’d caused them. But then he’d always been weak and easily influenced. Nevertheless he was their brother; it came down to that. If for no other reason than to honor the memory of their parents, she wanted there to be no ill will between them.

  “You’re serious?” Richard’s face clouded with disbelief. “You want me off the ranch?”

  “I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

  Brother stared down brother.

  “I…I’m without a job. I was working at…at a sales job, and they downsized. I don’t have anywhere to go. I left instructions for the check from my severance package to be mailed here.” He glanced hopefully at Savannah and then at Grady.

  Savannah silently pleaded with Grady, but he refused to look in her direction. It was hell staying quiet, especially when Richard begged for her help.

  “You, too, Savannah?” he whispered in the hurt voice that tugged at her heart. “Do you want me to leave, too?”

  Savannah was in torment, not knowing how to respond. Of course she wanted him to stay, wanted their lives to return to the way they’d been before. But she didn’t know if that was possible.

  “I’m ruined,” he whispered brokenly. “The money’s gone. I lost my job and I have no savings. All I could think about was getting back to you and Grady. Making things right again.”

  Tears filled her eyes and she bit her lip, trapped as she was between the strong wills of her two brothers.

  Not waiting for her reply, Richard leaned down and reached for his suitcase. Apparently he was weaker than they realized because he staggered, but caught himself in time to keep from collapsing.

  Savannah could hold her tongue no longer. “Grady, please! He’s about to faint. One night,” she begged, sliding her arm around Richard’s waist. “Let him stay one night.”

  For a moment she didn’t think Grady would relent. “All right,” he gave in, his reluctance clear, “but he sleeps in the bunkhouse. First thing in the morning he’s out of here. Understand?”

  “Thank you, brother,” Richard said softly. “You won’t be sorry, I promise you that. I’ll find a way to make it up to you and Savannah. I didn’t know, didn’t realize… I’ll do whatever you want if you’ll just let me stay. You’re the only family I’ve got.”

  LAREDO HADN’T MEANT TO LISTEN in on the scene outside the house. But he’d been in the garden at the time, and it had been impossible to ignore. He wasn’t sure what had finally occurred between Savannah and her two brothers, but the three had apparently come to some kind of understanding. He didn’t see Savannah again until dinnertime, and when he entered the house, she was all aflutter. He smelled biscuits baking, their aroma more enticing to him than the world’s most expensive perfume. An apple pie cooled on the kitchen counter beside a standing rib roast, recently taken from the oven.

  When she saw him, her beautiful face brightened with a shy smile of welcome. “Richard’s here.”

  “So I understand.” Laredo had tried to put the events of the early afternoon behind him and had hoped she had, as well. Kissing her had been a mistake, one he regretted. His weakness for her complicated an already difficult situation.

  The last thing he wanted was to let her believe in something that could never be. His property—three hundred acres in Oklahoma—was waiting for him. That and his horse. They were all he had. And they were almost nothing compared to the Westons’ huge spread. Compared to what Savannah had now. It would be cruel to mislead her into thinking she could be part of his future. But if the kissing continued, it’d be as hard for him to walk away as it would be for her to let him go.

  “He hasn’t eaten in two days,” she said, explaining the frenzy of cooking that had taken place that afternoon. “I baked his favorites just the way Mom would have.”

  “How’s Grady dealing with this?”

  A sadness came over her and some of the excitement drained from her voice. “Not very well, unfortunately. He won’t let Richard stay more than the night. He’s forcing him to sleep in the bunkhouse. Richard said he was willing to work for his keep, and I think if I reason with him, Grady might let him stay on until his severance check arrives. I’m hoping he will, but it’s hard to tell with Grady.”

  “Savannah!” Footsteps echoed as Richard Weston bounded down the stairs from the upstairs bedroom and burst into the kitchen. “I found my old guitar.” He slid the strap over his shoulder and ran the pick over the tight strings, laughing with childish delight.

  “I couldn’t make myself throw away your things,” Savannah admitted.

  Walking about in his stocking feet, Richard circled the kitchen playing a mellow country hit Laredo recognized from the early nineties. A song of Reba’s, if memory served him.

  The family resemblance was strong, Laredo noticed. Richard was a younger, slimmer, blonder version of Grady, good-looking and suave. Apparently he’d inherited a double portion of charm, as well. He serenaded his sister, causing Savannah to blush unmercifully. Laredo knew he should leave, but he found himself enjoying the scene.

  When Richard finished the song, he set the guitar aside and glanced in Laredo’s direction, his eyes questioning.

  Savannah’s gaze followed her brother’s. “This is Laredo Smith,” she said. She reached for Laredo’s hand, tucking it in both of hers. “He works for me.”

  “Really, Savannah,” Richard joked. “I never suspected my older sister would have her own boy-toy.” He laughed then as if he found the comment hilarious.

  Any goodwill Laredo had felt toward the other man vanished with the ugly suggestiveness of his remark. Savannah’s face turned a deep shade of scarlet, and it was all Laredo could do to keep his mouth shut.

  “It’s n-not that way with us,” she stammered.

  “Whatever you say, big sister,” Richard responded. “Hey, when’s dinner? I could eat the entire roast myself.” He gripped Savannah by the shoulder and noisily kissed her cheek. “I can’t tell you how good it is to be home. I’ve missed you, Savannah, almost as much as I’ve missed your melt-in-the-mouth buttermilk biscuits.”

  “I need to be getting back,” Laredo said, eager to check on Roanie. “I just stopped by to tell you I won’t be here for dinner.”

  “You won’t?” Savannah’s eyes pleaded with him, and he realized she’d been counting on his support. She appeared to have forgotten that Grady had no particular fondness for him, either. He wished he could help her, but feared he’d do her cause more harm than good.

  “Wiley invited me to play poker with him and his friends tonight,” he explained to justify his absence. “The game’s over at the
Double Z bunkhouse.”

  She forgave him with a brave smile. “Have fun.”

  “Will everything be all right here?” He watched Richard walk past Rocket and give the old dog a vicious shove with his foot. His anger flared again, but he said nothing.

  “Everything’s going to be just fine,” Richard answered on her behalf. “Grady can be downright stubborn at times, but he’ll come around. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure big brother doesn’t hassle her.” He placed his arm around his sister’s shoulders and squeezed hard. Savannah winced and Laredo battled the urge to grab the man by the shirtfront and jerk him away.

  ALTHOUGH LAREDO DIDN’T SEE Savannah again that evening, it didn’t mean she wasn’t on his mind. He worried about her dinner with her brothers, which burdened his concentration to the point that he lost at poker. Twenty bucks was more than he could afford to throw away in a poker game. By the end of the evening he regretted accepting Wiley’s invitation.

  He and Wiley returned to find Richard in the bunkhouse, sitting on the edge of his bed, strumming his guitar and singing drunkenly at the top of his lungs. Wiley snorted in contempt and headed immediately for his small room. Richard didn’t seem to notice. He interrupted his song every so often to reach for a whiskey bottle and gulp down a swig. He held it up in silent invitation when he saw Laredo.

  “Care to join me?” he asked. “I broke into Grady’s private stock. By the time he misses it, we’ll both be long gone.” He laughed as if stealing liquor from his brother was some kind of triumph.

  “No, thanks,” Laredo muttered in disgust.

  “I should’ve been a country singer,” Richard announced at the end of a barely recognizable Garth Brooks tune. Not that his singing voice was all that unpleasant, but the words were badly slurred.

  “I’ve got talent, you know?” He lifted the bottle to his mouth, gulped down another swallow and threw back his head. “Ahh.” He gave an exaggerated shudder. “Powerful stuff. My big brother only buys the best.” He set the guitar down on the floor, holding it carelessly by the neck.