Buckled (Trails of Sin 2)

“I told him I was a news reporter and threatened to sell an incriminating story if he didn’t meet with me. He gave me his address, and I packed up what little I had left, bought a cheap car, and drove to Texas.”

“Did you tell him you were Rogan’s wife?”

“No, but he knew. When I arrived, he knew my name and everything about me. Rogan must’ve told him.”

An overwhelming surge of protectiveness ripples through me, and I can’t stop myself from cupping her face and lifting her forehead to mine. “You’re a beautiful, naive woman. You drove across the country by yourself, met with a dangerous man you didn’t know, and not once did you call the cops. I should spank you for that.”

Her cheeks warm beneath my hands. “Let me ask you this. If I stole money from you and disappeared, would you call the cops?”

“No.” I’m so certain I don’t even think about it. “I would hunt you down and punish you.”

“That’s what I did, although the punishment I had in mind isn’t the same as yours.” She sighs. “I was determined to find him, get answers, and drag him through a miserable legal battle. That is, until I met you.”

“Your priorities shifted.” I stroke a thumb across her cheekbone.

“You must think I’m horribly flaky and incompetent.”

“Because you chose to stay with me rather than pursue your deceitful, manipulative thief of a husband?”

She smiles sadly. “I need you to know I didn’t come here to create family drama for Conor. I’m married to her brother, a brother she doesn’t know she has, and I didn’t want her to find out about him from a scorned wife. I guess I wanted her to think the best of him, to know him the way I knew him in the beginning. A tiny part of me still holds onto hope that he got himself into financial trouble and wasn’t involved in the attack on her.”

While her optimism never ceases to amaze me, it’s also tragic. Rogan had it out for Conor and Lorne the moment he discovered the oil on their land. He stole from his wife and hired contract killers with the intent to murder.

“What did my father tell you?” I lean back, watching her expression.

“He said his sons turned on him, and he’s out of the loop. Said he doesn’t know what’s going on with the ranch or my money, but you and Jake know. You know where to find Rogan. He sent me to you with a warning. He said what you’re doing is illegal and I should watch my back.”

“A warning you ignored.”

“You warned me, too.” She lifts a shoulder.

I remember it well. The night I told her I could be a coldblooded psychopath, I said she should run. She didn’t.

If I tell her I killed her husband, she will run.

“Have you met your dad’s girlfriend?” She watches me with suspicion.

“Raina? Yeah, she lived here a few weeks. Why?”

“She’s stunning. And young. I don’t know your dad well enough to make assumptions, but I don’t understand why she’s with him. It’s not just an age thing. He’s an asshole. I mean, he talks down to her and not in an attractive way.”

“What are you saying?”

“I don’t know. Call it woman’s intuition, but I sensed something malignant between them. Like she didn’t want to be there.”

“I felt the same and asked her if she was in trouble. She snapped at me.”

“Okay.” She sighs. “Well, she has my phone number and hasn’t tried to contact me.”

“What? How?”

“On my way out, I told your dad to call me if he had anything else to share. I did it for her benefit. I insisted he write it down, and as he did, I met her eyes and said the numbers. She got the message.”

“She won’t call.”

“I know.” She straightens her spine and meets my gaze with refocused strength. “Where’s Rogan, Jarret?”

Buried at the bottom of the ravine with his truck and phone.

At my silence, she grips my arm. “If my money is soaked up in the ranch, I’ll let it go. And I’m not on a mission to win Rogan back. I just want the divorce, and I… I need a moment with him, to look him in the eyes and tell him I know what he did. I need that closure.” She lowers her hand and steps back. “If you still want me after that, if you can forgive me for deceiving you, I want to stay.” A tear skates down her cheek. “I want to say yes to your proposal.”

Her words annihilate me, and the self-disparaging look in her eyes guts me. She’s asking for forgiveness when none is needed. I’m the one stained in sins. I can’t give her the divorce she wants or the closure she needs. I robbed that from her.