again for helping out,” she said. “If you ever need a steady job with long hours, low pay and lots of work, give me a call.”
“I appreciate that generous offer, but unfortunately I start to rust if I spend more than a couple of hours indoors. See you tonight.”
She watched Riley walk away. That was when she saw James Haggard staring at her through the window. She braced herself to deal with him, but he made no move to enter the shop. He just continued to stare, every muscle in his face stretched taut.
There was no doubt that he meant to intimidate her, to make her shudder in fear and realize that he’d meant what he said.
She’d lain awake for hours last night, considering his threats, trying to decide what her next move should be. She’d told the truth about the money being in a trust fund—it had been at Dani’s insistence. That didn’t mean that as Constance’s father, Haggard couldn’t challenge her decision.
If he was her biological father.
All she needed was a sample of his DNA to prove him wrong. Or prove him right.
If she could somehow get a sample of his DNA, she could have the testing done without his cooperation. But then why wouldn’t he cooperate? He didn’t want Constance. He wanted to basically sell her for a million dollars.
If he wasn’t her biological father, Dani would report him and his rotten scam to the sheriff. If he was... She couldn’t bring herself to go there now.
She was closing at three today, an hour earlier that her usual time to make the sundown wedding without too much of a rush. She’d search paternity testing labs in San Antonio before she left for the Double K Ranch, to get the facts about how to go about the testing.
And then she’d insist Haggard provide a DNA sample. If he refused, that was as good as an admission that he was lying.
No matter what the results, she had to keep Constance out of the hands of James Haggard. If it came down to it, she’d protect her niece from scum like him with her life.
Riley propped a booted foot on a bag of feed. It was the first time he’d managed a few minutes alone with Pierce and their younger brother, Tucker. They’d taken a walk out to the barn to get some privacy.
“So you’re serious about staying on here at the Double K?” Riley asked. “As a hired hand?”
“Not exactly. Esther and I have been talking. She’s willing to sell me the ranch as long as she can keep her house, her gardens and her chickens. I’d never dream of taking those from her anyway. As you know, Grace, Jaci and me are living with her now and it’s working out fine.”
“I just never figured she’d sell the Double K.”
“Frankly, she doesn’t have the resources to keep it going, and to be honest, I’ve never been as happy as I’ve been these past few months. I have some money saved and this seems like the perfect investment.”
“Last time we were together, you said you’d never been happier than being a Navy SEAL,” Riley said.
“That was the truth then and exactly what I needed at that time in my life. But this life is the kind of satisfaction that seeps bone-deep. Not just the ranch, though I sure feel I belong here, but it’s Grace and Jaci and, I don’t know, man. It just feels so right.”
“Don’t you just have temporary custody of your daughter until her mother and new stepfather get back to the States?” Tucker asked.
“Yes, but we’re working on more permanent arrangements. It seems Leslie’s new husband will be working on the project in Cuba longer than expected. We’re talking about joint custody, but with Jaci spending summers and most holidays with her mother and the rest of the time with me and Grace.”
“How does Jaci feel about that?”
“She loves the ranch. Well, mostly she loves horses, but she’s handling the divorce like a trouper. We’re family. She even calls Esther ‘Grandmother’ and Grace ‘Mommy.’”
“And Esther seems to love that,” Tucker said.
“So getting married so soon after meeting Grace doesn’t frighten you at all?” Riley asked.
“Not in the least.”
“You’ve definitely been roped and tied,” Tucker said.
“Except I was the one doing the roping. I was hooked from practically the moment I met Grace. When I thought I was going to lose her to a madman, I knew for certain my life would never be complete without her.”
“I guess that explains the rush to the altar,” Riley said.
“I was ready to marry her the day after she said yes. She was the one who encouraged me to wait until you two could actually coordinate your schedules enough to show up for the ceremony. She’s big on family ties.”
“It all sounds great,” Riley agreed, “but you were madly in love before and look how that worked out.”
“I failed in that marriage,” Pierce admitted. “Leslie and I were like two horses pulling in different directions. There was no way we were going to arrive at the same destination.”
“But you got Jaci out of that marriage,” Tucker said. “She’s a terrific kid, so it wasn’t a total loss.”
“Exactly,” Pierce confirmed.
And Riley should probably leave it at that, but what kind of brother would he be if he didn’t say what he was thinking?
“You haven’t known Grace very long. What happens if you and Grace start pulling in opposite directions? Another divorce? More emotional trauma for Jaci?”
“I get your concerns,” Pierce said. “But I have no doubts about Grace or my love for her. It’s about love, but it’s also about shared experiences and trust and knowing that the other person will always be there for you. Grace and I have that.”
“Then I guess you’re ready for the marriage game.”
“It’s not a game,” Pierce argued.
“Right. It’s your life. If you’re happy, then I couldn’t be happier for you.”
Riley meant that. It was just that settling down to one woman, one ranch, one set of options seemed a lot like sticking a horse in one pasture and never letting it taste the grass on the other side of the fence.
“To change the subject, do you guys remember our first day on the Double K Ranch?” Tucker asked.
“All too well,” Pierce said. “I was scared to open my mouth, afraid Esther and Charlie would kick us out if we did anything to annoy them.”
“Same here,” Riley said. “And if we got rejected by the Kavanaughs, that scary old hag of a social worker would take
