Chapter 13: Chapter Twelve

Everything was going well. Swimmingly. Perfect. The sky was bluer, and the fall colors were coming in, and everything felt crisp and wonderful and enchanting.

Yep, as much as Ella hated to admit it, she was becoming one of those women who felt eternally happy. Only she didn’t hate it at all. Ty made her happy.

Things felt like they couldn’t get any better. The doctor gave her the all-clear to return to her waitressing job starting next week with the promise that she could take her brace off in a couple more weeks; she was still holding the lead in Montana for the barrel racing standings with only one more rodeo left in the season; and, best of all, Ty Hartman was interested in her.

Granted he hadn’t stayed the night at her place yet, but he had explained to her that per the requirements of his father’s will, he could only be away from the ranch for a limited number of days in order to inherit it during their one-year probation. If either of the brothers stayed away for longer than a month, they would all lose it.

While she understood, there were nights that she wondered what Ty was doing, and a rise of panic would take over. Each time, she’d remind herself they were taking it slow, and just because Ty wasn’t staying with her didn’t mean he was using her like Jeff. He was over every morning to feed and every afternoon when he was done with work for the day.

For now it was enough.

Which was why she chalked it up to a moment of insanity on Friday morning when she called her father to tell him that Ty was working on Red using pressure point therapy.

“You hired Ty Hartman to do what now?” her father, Jared, asked, his voice a notch louder than before, the disbelief weaving in every word.

“He’s working on Red’s therapy as she recovers. There’s a therapy he’d recommended, and it’s supposed to help Red recover at a quicker rate,” she explained patiently.

Her dad snorted. “Sounds like new-fangled bullshit to me. Is it actually working, or is he just saying it works?”

Ella rolled her eyes. “Of course it’s working. I’m not going to pay for something that isn’t successful, and Ty hasn’t mentioned any setbacks.”

“Because a setback would be bad for him and his business. I guarantee there’s something in it for him. Have you asked him?” Jared demanded.

Despite insisting that Ty was doing it for her benefit, and her horse’s benefit, her dad flat out refused to accept it.

“You can’t trust those Hartmans,” he kept repeating.

She gave up after a few minutes. Her dad had clearly hit the point that he wasn’t going to listen, even if she took the time to explain why Beau had called in the favor all those years ago. And she definitely didn’t bother telling him that she and Ty were seeing each other. She would save that for another day.

With her dad’s words ringing in her ears, she hung up the phone, and chewed her lip. It bothered her that her dad was so against Ty. He didn’t deserve her father’s opinion of him, just like he hadn’t deserved her original perception of him. She knew Ty wasn’t using her and Red. If he had anything to gain by working with Red, he would have been up-front about it. Either way, she wasn’t going to let one bad conversation with her father ruin her day. Especially when she was looking forward to today’s therapy session with Red followed by dinner with Ty and his family.

Later that afternoon, she hummed to herself as she pulled on jeans and a blue plaid button-down. And because she wanted to look nice for Ty, she wove her hair into a French braid and put on a little makeup.

She was looking forward to the therapy session with Red. Based on the timeline Ty had given her a few weeks ago, Red would be just about ready to start strengthening exercises soon, which meant that she’d be back in the saddle before she knew it. She couldn’t wait.

Yes, things were looking up.

Hopping into her truck, she headed into town, waving at people she recognized along the way. Funny how something as simple as waving felt awkward, but she was determined to keep putting herself out there. Ty made it look so easy, and she was determined to get comfortable with it.

At first, people looked a little surprised when she waved. Which only made her realize how closed off she had been, but after they waved back, she always felt a little better. A little happier.

As she pulled into downtown, Ella heard an old country favorite playing on the radio. Raising the volume, she sang along softly as she enjoyed the views of her hometown.

Downtown Garnet Valley always felt romantic in the fall. The two-story wood-framed and brick buildings lining the streets against the backdrop of rugged purplish mountains reaching for the pastel-blue sky always looked so cozy against the leaves turning fall colors.

Ella parked in front of a narrow brick building with a white door, lacy curtains, and a wood sign reading “Cowboy Cakes and Cookies” in script font. There was no way she could go to dinner at the Rocking H empty-handed, and a desert from Stephanie Hernandez’s bakery was the way to go.

The red and yellow leaves crunched under her shoes as she made a beeline for the door.

Which would be better? An apple pie or Steph’s famous chocolate cake?

Deep in her mental debate, Ella reached for the door handle, when the door swung open.

She leapt out of the way just in time to prevent the door from nailing her in the nose.

“Watch it.” The words held a note of condescension, and if the flash of blond hair wasn’t a dead giveaway, Ella would have known just by the voice alone.

“Sorry.” Ella held the door open, though why she was bothering with niceties when Lindsey would have never gone out of her way to help her in return was beyond her.

Part of her considered releasing the door and heading back to her truck, but after her time with Ty, Ella knew she was above that. She could be the bigger person.

Lindsey froze in the doorway, pink box in hand, as she looked Ella over. As usual, the other woman was dressed to the nines. White jeans, white blouse, gray cardigan, and pink scarf. It was a beautiful outfit, and as usual, Ella felt underdressed compared to Lindsey.

The warm air of the bakery wafted out, carrying with it the smell of coffee and sugary baked goods; however, Lindsey showed no sign of moving. In fact, she looked like she wanted to say something.

“Excuse me,” Ella said before Lindsey could slip a word in. The last thing she wanted was to ruin her good mood with a snide comment from Lindsey. Ella pasted on a smile, hoping it would force friendliness into her voice. “You’re blocking the door.”

Lindsey’s face turned a delicate shade of pink and her eyes dropped. “You’re off crutches.”

“Mmm hmm.” She tried to ease past the other woman, but Lindsey remained firmly planted in place.

“You know,” Lindsey’s voice was smooth as silk, “I have one more rodeo to get ahead of you for Finals.”

And there was the snide comment. Ella rolled her eyes but stopped herself from biting back.

The look on the blond woman’s face was throwing her off. Lindsey looked…uncertain. Which was something Ella had never seen before.

And that was why Ella swallowed her retort, and instead said, “Good for you, Lindsey. Good luck and all that. Break a leg. Or don’t. I can’t recommend crutches.”

“I—” Lindsey started, but Ella leapt in.

“I’m not dealing with any snide or backhanded comments. I don’t know what you have to be jealous of right now, but I don’t have time to listen to it.” Then, slipping past Lindsey, Ella stepped into the bakery, letting the delicious scent waft around her.

Ella expected Lindsey to follow her in and give her what-for, but the sound of footsteps never followed.

Daring a quick glance behind her, Ella was caught off guard by Lindsey’s wide eyes. So wide, they looked too large in her narrow face. Before Ella could ask what was wrong, the other woman turned and left.

Wrapping an arm over her stomach, Ella watched her go. An uneasy feeling pricked through her as an uncomfortable thought rushed to the front of her mind. Had she misread Lindsey like she had misread Ty?

No. She shook her head. Lindsey, out of all the people in town, was the last person she had misread. Granted that whole thing with Jeff hadn’t helped. Lindsey had blamed her for Jeff’s indiscretion, though Ella tried to explain she was innocent in it. The other woman became nastier with each attempt to clear the air until Ella gave up.

“Hey,” Steph greeted her, pulling Ella out of her reverie. “Ignore Lindsey. She hasn’t been quite the same since she and Jeff broke up. What can I get you?”

Ella could feel heat rising in her face. Amazing Jeff had managed to keep his cheating under wraps, which was a rare feat for a town this small. Something told her it was because both he and Lindsey didn’t want that bit of information getting out.

Guilt seeped through her. While she didn’t like Lindsey, she hadn’t meant to hurt the other woman.

Steph cleared her throat, giving Ella a quizzical look.

“I’m going to the Rocking H for dinner. I thought I’d bring dessert,” Ella explained.

The wide smile on Steph’s face lit up the whole room. “Ah, so the rumors are true. Lucky for you, I happen to know that Ty loves the cherry cheesecake. Trust me, bring this, and the man will be a puddle at your feet.”

Ty carefully set out the supplies on the bed of his pickup in preparation to start with ice therapy on Red followed by the pressure point therapy.

He eyed Red’s bandaged leg, praying that a miracle would happen, and the leg would be further along in recovery. As it was, while Red was healing well, and faster than he would expect had he followed a typical recovery routine, the mare was still taking longer than he had promised Ella or Jace. And if Ella didn’t go to the NFR, there was no way that she was going to talk up this new technique. Hell, she could cut him off at the knees if she was convinced it did nothing for Red.

Ty tapped his thumb against the bed of the truck. He had to break the news to Ella today, but he had to convince her that the process was working. Red’s injury was more severe than originally anticipated, and the fact she was this far along in her recovery alone was impressive.

A shadow moved over his supplies, and Ty looked up to see his brother standing next to him, hands on hips.

“Hey,” Jace said, nodding toward the stuff on the truck bed. “Getting ready to do the therapy?”

Ty shifted from one foot to the other. “Yep. Ella should arrive any minute.”

His brother tucked his thumbs into his front pockets, the stance resembling one he recognized from Colton and his father, as he looked out over the beautiful fields that surrounded him. Jace looked like he belonged. He wore a new pair of Levi’s he must have picked up on his last trip to Bozeman, and the gloves tucked in his back pocket were well worn.

“Look,” Jace said, breaking the silence. “I’ll talk to Colton about this as well, but I think it would be a good idea to get the property assessed.”

Jace may as well have snuck up and struck him from behind.

Stunned, Ty could only stare, his jaw slack.

“I’m sorry, what?” he finally managed.

Jace toed a rock. “I thought it would be good information to have in case the whole make-the-ranch-profitable thing doesn’t work out. I don’t want to be stuck with a money sink. We have another feverish months to get this sorted, but that information would help us make a good decision in the end.”

“A good decision in the end?” Ty repeated, his voice low and edged with frustration.

“Right,” Jace said, as though Ty fully understood.

And while Ty recognized the rationale behind what Jace was saying, the emotional side of him refused to accept it. Despite all he and Colton had done trying to get Jace involved, to see the ranch as his, and his brothers as family, Jace still refused to acknowledge his family or his legacy.

It was complete and utter bullshit. And Ty was sick of it.

“What the hell are you talking about? We’re looking at starting a herd.” Ty motioned toward the herd of horses. “I have an opportunity to expand my vet practice.” He indicated Red. “The ranch will be profitable.”

“The point isn’t whether or not I’m selling or if we can make the ranch profitable. The point is to figure out the land valuation so that we can have an idea what it would cost for me to sell,” Jace said. His blue cap with the local feed store logo was pulled low, so Ty couldn’t see his eyes.

More than anything, Ty wanted to smack that stupid cap off his brother’s stubborn head.

“It’s business,” Jace added, as if that explanation made everything better. As if Jace wasn’t talking about leaving behind his family or trying to sell a third of the land that Ty had spent years breaking himself over so they had a legacy they could be proud of.

“Screw business,” Ty snapped. He grabbed his hat and threw it in the bed of the truck. “This isn’t about business. This is about family. If you leave here, you’re abandoning the only brothers you have.” His voice choked on the last words. “You’re selling the land to spite an asshole who isn’t alive anymore. It’s a waste of time.”

Jace squared his shoulders and shoved his hat back. “I’m not abandoning anyone. Our father abandoned me. This has nothing to do with you, and you’re making it about you. Our agreement was that if you can make this ranch profitable, then I won’t sell my share.”

Ty laughed, the sound bitter and harsh to his ears. “It’s not like we can snap our fingers and the ranch will suddenly be profitable. This will take years. If I buy you out, I can’t establish my practice here. All this work with Red will come to nothing as I’ll have to rebuild my savings. You are making me choose between my practice and my ranch.”

Of course he would pick the ranch. His entire life was tied up in the land. He could never leave it.

“What is your plan? To sell the ranch and never return?” Ty demanded. That bothered him. Damn it, it bothered him.

Jace didn’t answer. He averted his eyes and motioned to the sorrel mare. “What about Red? I thought you were using the horse and Ella to help launch your practice and get more clients.”

“That’s my plan, damn it.” He ran his hand over his face. “The problem is that the horse is taking her sweet time to heal, and she won’t be recovered in time for the Finals. The injury was more severe than I had anticipated.”

Jace’s face grew serious. “It’s taking longer than expected? Does Ella know?”

“No.” Ty glared at his brother, but the reminder that he needed to tell Ella, and soon, eased some of the fight from him. “I haven’t told her yet. I know it will upset her, and I haven’t quite figured out how to break it to her. So, for now, can you keep this under your hat?”

“Or what?” The velvety voice was tinged with annoyance.

Oh shit.

Jace’s eyes widened as he looked over Ty’s shoulder at the woman behind him.

Ty’s frustration at his brother morphed into alarm. His brain began to run through excuses—why he hadn’t told her earlier, that this wasn’t just for him, he was doing this for Ella, for his brothers, for his ranch. Once he explained, Ella would understand.

Right?

The warning in the back of his head said otherwise as he slowly turned and came face-to-face with Ella.

Her green eyes were bright, her cheeks tinged red, and her brows drew sharply together.

She looked downright furious.

Ella wanted to cry. She clenched her jaw, determined not to cry, and her biceps ached as she clamped her arms over her chest.

Her dad was right.

And she had been so incredibly wrong.

Her body felt tense and rigid, like she was preparing herself for an attack. Or protecting herself from the pain she knew was coming.

“Ella—” Ty stepped closer.

She stepped back, shaking her head vigorously as she maintained the distance between them. She didn’t want him near her, and she didn’t want to hear his lies or excuses. Once again, she let herself be fooled by a handsome cowboy, and she had fallen for it with eyes wide open.

“Don’t even start,” she hissed. “I heard you. You were using Red and me for your own gain. How could you hide from me that Red wasn’t recovering on time?”

She was shaking. From anger or hurt, she didn’t know, but it was better than crying. The crying she would save for later, when she was alone in her shower and no one else could hear.

“I wanted to tell you about Red.” Ty ran his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide, as though pleading with her to understand. “I just couldn’t find the right time.”

“Oh, so you thought it would be better to just get me into bed while I thought you were helping us? Maybe after a couple months, you’d break the news to me, and we’d part ways?” She spat the words out like barbs.

“It wasn’t like that. I was planning—”

“To what?” she interrupted, too furious to wait for whatever lame reason he managed to pull out of the air. “To tell me right before I took off for the Final? Or were you waiting to see how far you could take this for your own personal gain?”

She was shouting at this point. Ty braced himself against her words, his hands held out, as though he were fighting her off.

Dropping her arms to her sides, she clenched her fists, feeling tense and dangerous.

“Ella, honey—” he started.

Oh, they were not going there.

“Don’t you ‘honey’ me. I’ve been through this before, and I’m not going to be placated by some stupid term of endearment. I’m not your ‘honey.’ I’m not your anything.”

Ty’s face grew red. “I’m not trying to placate you.”

His voice took on that soothing tone she used to find calming, but now it only pissed her off more.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face. “I want to be honest with you. Yes, I had hoped I could use Red’s recovery to help expand my practice, but that’s not why I was sleeping with you.”

Ella cringed. “Right. That was just a bonus, right?”

“No! Not at all. You—” He motioned with his hands, as though trying to find the words. “Ella, I—I’ve been in love with you for years.”

The words seemed to rip from him, as though they were a secret he’d been harboring, and he still wasn’t ready to let go of it.

Time seemed to stop, as the scene burned into her brain.

She took in Ty’s earnest face, his pleading eyes, the hope that lingered in his gaze.

He may as well have sucker punched her.

Her body caved inward, curling in on itself like paper under a flame, crumpling on the spot. She wrapped her arms around herself, but it was too late.

The punch had landed.

How could he?

If she had meant anything to him, even the tiny little sliver of a bit, he wouldn’t have gone that far.

“Don’t you dare say that,” she whispered. The words felt like sandpaper against her throat.

He reached for her, his expression desperate, but she yanked herself back. She couldn’t let him touch her. If she did, she would cave.

“Don’t.” She looked away, unable to handle the hurt on his face any longer. Her body wanted to arch toward him, to find comfort, to yield to his touch. But she deserved more. More than what Ty was offering her. She needed to cut the emotional ties now and put everything on a professional level, and nothing more.

She cleared her throat. “You can use Red and me as a case to help build your clientele. I’m sure the pressure point therapy is helping with her recovery, and you deserve to reap all the benefits of your work.” Ty flinched, but she forced herself to keep going. “But let’s not pretend there is more to our relationship than that. You are my vet. I am your client. That’s all we have.”

It hurt to even get those words out.

Ty was shaking his head vigorously. “That’s not true, and you know it. You’re scared. You’re trying to find a reason not to commit.”

“Funny coming from a guy who can’t answer calls from his mom or admit to his brother that he wants him to stick around.” Ella gritted her teeth. She was done with this. Turning on her heal, she started back to her truck. “I’m going home. I’ll call tomorrow to figure out what to do with Red.”

For now she needed to get off this damn ranch.

Tomorrow she would feel more sane. Tonight, she’d have the evening to fall apart. She could mourn the loss of Ty and the loss of the NFR. In the morning, she’d pull her broken pieces back together and figure out the best course of action for her horse.

“Please let me explain,” Ty tried once more. His voice sounded as broken as she felt.

Steeling herself against the tears battering against her eyes, she yanked her truck door open and swung into the driver’s seat. The stupid pink pastry box was sitting on the passenger seat in the shade.

She had even bought that damn cheesecake for him.

Grabbing the box from the seat, she shoved it into his hands.

“Here, I brought this for dinner tonight. Steph said it was your favorite.”

Ty fumbled the box, nearly dropping it before quickly recovering it.

“Ella…” Something in his voice stopped her from slamming the door in his face. The edge of fear, the hint of panic, and something else.

Her fingers froze on the ignition, and she bit her trembling lips. “I can’t, Ty. Not right now.”

She hurt too much. Even saying his name felt like a slash to an open wound.

“I can explain.” He gripped the edge of her door, as though he could keep her there until she listened.

“Did you, or did you not, plan to use Red and me to expand your practice?” she asked, her voice hollow, as she stared straight ahead.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ty nod.

“And did you hide that from me?”

“I didn’t—”

“But did you?”

He let out a frustrated growl. “Fine, Ella, believe what you want. Try to make yourself the victim here. I love you, damn it. I’ve loved you for years, but I can’t save you from yourself. Let yourself be lonely, I don’t care. Whatever this thing is between us, it’s over.”

Tears were welling up in her eyes, and if she didn’t leave soon, she’d have a breakdown right there in front of Ty.

“No,” she said her heart cracking. “It never really started.”