HellKat (16 page)

“He was kinda scrawny if you ask me.” Hank said, with a chuckle.

“You just be quiet over there, you old coot, or I’ll get some pictures of you out,” Claire said, with a wink at her husband.

The tender expression on Claire’s face, the softness in her voice as she told the stories behind the pictures mesmerized Kat. She didn’t even hear the words being spoken, because she was too busy soaking in the warmth, the smiles, the laughs, the love these two people so clearly had for one another, and for Tucker. She couldn’t imagine her mother and father behaving this way, let alone fawning over old pictures of her. A feeling of emptiness grew inside her, gnawed at her, hungry to be filled ... with this.

An uproar of laughter yanked Kat from her sober thoughts, refocused her on the present.

“You put me on that sorrel on purpose,” Tucker said, with a chuckle and a finger pointed in Hank’s direction.

“Well, now, you needed to be knocked down a notch or two as I recall. And Red Baron was the right horse for the job.” Hank swallowed some iced tea, his eyes crinkling in a smile above the glass rim. “I hear you know how to handle yourself on a horse, Kat.”

She nodded. “I took riding lessons as a girl and loved it.” She glanced to Tucker, wondering what all he’d told them about her, and her family. “Tucker gave me a quick tour of the barns and stables before we came here for lunch. The horses are gorgeous. I can’t wait to saddle up.”

Claire patted Kat’s knee. “There really is no better way to roam this ranch than by horseback. The property is beautiful. You’ll love it.”

“I already do,” Kat said, softly, her eyes flicking to Tucker.

****

After lunch they’d moved the fun to one of the corrals on the ranch. Kat stood outside the enclosure along with Hank while Tucker talked to some people on the other side of the paddock. A bus full of giggling, excited children unloaded nearby, and the kids lined up to wait for their turns on the horses.

“Claire woulda loved to stay longer, Kat. She planned this girls’ trip with Becca quite a while back. Those two have known each other since they were knee high.”

“It’s really fine, Hank. I’ve known my best friend forever, so I get it.” Hank smiled and nodded. “I’ll be here for a while, so we’ll have plenty of opportunities to spend time together.”

Hank’s bushy mustache spread across his tanned, weather-worn face, a face cracked like polished leather and sprinkled over with silver stubble. “She’d really like that, Kat. I know she would. We both would. Anybody who can make our Tucker smile is somebody we wanna get to know better.” He must’ve read her thoughts about his use of
our
Tucker. “Claire and I couldn’t have kids of our own. When John brought Tucker here, he put me in charge of showin’ him the ropes around the ranch. He wanted that boy to know how to do everything. Didn’t want him turnin’ out soft and privileged like his other two.”

Hank watched the children of various ages mounting the horses. Tucker still conversed with a group of people, all the while ruffling the curly blond hair of a little boy beaming adoringly up at him.

As if he’d gone back in time, Hank recounted his and Claire’s
adoption
of Tucker. “He was one angry boy back then; understandably so. His brother and sister never accepted him. Treated him like dirt under their shoes, and that was on good days. And John, well …” Hank’s eyes skipped off to the mountains. He hooked one boot on a bottom rung, rested his arms on the top beam, and released a loud breath. “He was a hard man to like. Let’s just leave it at that.

“So, Tucker ended up spendin’ most of his days with me. Claire would fix us lunch and then he’d eat dinner with us a lot too.” He paused in reflection. “We sure loved havin’ him around. I think we needed him as much as he needed us.” Kat inched closer to Hank, riveted by the story. “He was a strong boy who grew into an even stronger man. Good thing too. He’s had to shoulder a lot over the years.”

He looked pointedly at Kat. “He felt real bad about lyin’ to you the first time you two met. You should know that. You should also know Claire and I didn’t cut him any slack. What he did was wrong. We told him so, but we understood why he did it.”

Kat stiffened, stunned. “He told you about that?”

“Oh yeah. As soon as he got back home.” Hank pivoted to face her, his boot scraping across the parched dirt. “You see, girls always went after his brother, Cameron. Diamond is a big name around here. The company employs most of the people for miles around. Cameron was the heir apparent to the family fortune, so he got a lot of attention. You can’t even imagine the shock waves around this community after John died when they found out he’d handed the keys to his business to an outsider.” Hank shook his head, sadly. “Tucker has never been fully accepted around here.

“The newspapers here went diggin’ and ran terrible stories about his parents in Houston who gave him up for money. Reporters harped on the fact he’d worked on this ranch like a hired hand rather than a
member
of the Diamond family, how he’d never changed his last name, openly fought with Cameron, and at best had only ever had a lukewarm relationship with John.” He paused, seemed to wait for the recognition to register in her eyes. “You’ve probably guessed who planted the rumors, pushed those stories along and fanned the flames.”

Hank’s attention dipped to the ground. “And then there were the hateful claims he’d had somethin’ to do with John’s death. The man had liver cancer. Never told anybody. Can you believe that?
Nobody
.” Hank lifted his Stetson, plowed his hand through his thick salt-and-pepper hair, and then settled the hat back in its proper place.

“John’s doctor and an autopsy put those awful rumors to rest. Then the gossip mongers, led by Cameron, went a different direction and decided Tucker must’ve coerced John into changing his will before he died. The lawyers were the only winners when that shameless nonsense was finally put to rest.” Hank shook his head indignantly and pulled a toothpick from his shirt pocket, chewing angrily on the splinter of wood for a few seconds.

A knowing smile curved Kat’s lips.

“I know he comes across as easygoin’, but don’t let him fool you, Kat. He doesn’t trust easily, and for good reason. People who paid him no mind before suddenly came after him because of what he could do for them—his brothers from Texas just to name two. Then there were the women who wanted the lifestyle he could give them.” Hank watched her, clearly choosing his next words carefully. “He liked bein’ anonymous in that big city of yours. Liked the idea of you not knowin’ who he was. He just wanted you to like
him
, the good stuff, before you knew the bad.”

“Everybody wants that, Hank. Trust me; there are plenty of reasons for him to send me packing back to New York. I’m far from perfect.” Her expression turned wry. “I’m too driven, and I don’t play well with others. It’s only a matter of time before he figures it all out.”

Hank’s head cocked, eyes narrowed in contemplation as his tongue rolled the toothpick from side to side across his lips. “Is that how you see yourself? Or is it just what jealous people have said about you?”

Kat laughed out loud and then wagged her finger at him. “Oh, Hank Fields, I knew I liked you right from the start.”

“Well, the feelin’s mutual, and I know for a fact Tucker doesn’t see you that way. He’s gone on and on about how smart and independent you are. How you don’t let him get away with anything. And you make him laugh too. He definitely needs more of that.”

Kat searched for Tucker, landed on him as he lifted the blond, curly-headed boy she’d seen him with earlier onto a horse. “You said this group comes out here a couple of times a month?” Her focus never left Tucker and the little boy.

“Yeah, they sure do, sometimes more. Tucker donates the hands and the horses. It’s for a good cause and all. Most of the kids are challenged in some way. Bein’ around the horses seems to help ’em.”

Kat watched as Tucker carefully led the horse with the giggling boy on top before he passed off the reins to a ranch hand. She wondered—no, she
worried
—if she was good enough for him. Something she’d never questioned about herself before now, and the doubt shook her otherwise steely self-confidence.

When she spoke next, it was with solemn admiration for Tucker and rebuke for herself. “He really is a good man. A better person than I am, I think. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own life, my own business, I’ve missed things going on right around me, missed opportunities to make a difference, to do something good.”

Before Hank could respond, Tucker had reached the fence, easily climbing over to drop down next to her. He pulled her into a snug embrace and whispered in her ear. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

The emotion in his voice made her heart ache with the growing need to mend his.

She squeezed him tighter. “There’s no place else I’d rather be.”

Kat surveyed Tucker’s home office arranged with leather furnishings and dark stained wood. The space, like the rest of his home, lacked any personal touches such as family photos, trophies, or memorabilia. She understood why, even better than before. Hank had filled in the missing piece yesterday: the personal toll. Oh, Tucker had told her most of what Hank had, but Tucker had glossed it over, had recounted the history as if it’d happened to someone else. His retelling had lacked the strife and deep emotional cost to him. Hank’s version had not.

Tucker sat behind a large hand-carved desk he’d purchased at an estate auction. His eyes flitted across an LED display as he tapped away on backlit keys. He and Kat had been comparing notes on their JAMESCO research. She closed the lid on her laptop and set it in front of her on his desk.

“Looks like you found everything online I did and then some. You work fast,” Tucker said, reclining in his seat and rocking leisurely in the squawking chair.

“I’m motivated,” Kat said. “I’m sure there’s more, but I’m going to need to hire someone to find the truth.” She eyed him suspiciously as his grin grew wider. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“I knew you were smart.” He reached down and opened a drawer, pulling out a thick file that he dropped in front of her. “Your brothers run a helluva PR campaign, but I read between the lines. Apparently, you did too.”

Tucker rested his arms on the desktop and leaned forward. “Since JAMESCO is privately owned, they aren’t required to disclose much of anything to anybody, as you well know.” Kat hauled the file off the desk and onto her lap, sifting through the papers. “For a price, you can pay anybody to do almost anything.” He raised his hand to quell her scornful expression and the objections about to shoot from her mouth. “I didn’t do anything illegal, Kat. There are services out there that provide more in-depth information about privately held companies. And it’s all on the up and up. It’s still not full disclosure by any means, but it’s a helluva lot more than what I could get on my own.”

“Why? Why would you spend time and money researching my family?”

The well-used leather chair squeaked in protest as Tucker’s bulk pushed up and out of it. He moved around the desk to stand in front of Kat. Then he angled back against the oak behemoth, stretched his legs, and crossed his booted feet. He appeared to be choosing his words.

Understanding lit Kat’s eyes. “Oh, I get it. You wanted to know if I was like them, if I could do these things.” She tipped the folder toward him. Tucker’s stare dropped to the floor, then swung back to her. “If you’d thought I was involved, you never would’ve come back to New York, never would’ve ended up on my doorstep. Right?”

His hands hooked on the edge of the desktop and gripped it tight, the muscles in his arms flexing. “Oh, make no mistake, Kathryn James. I was comin’ back to New York—come hell or high water. The night on those steps, the first night we ever spent together, it was all destiny. There was no stoppin’ any of it.”

The palpable sentiment in his voice caused her skin to tingle as if his rough hands had skimmed across her bare flesh. Her eyes darted away from the raw need in his before those blue devils pulled her under.

“So why then?”

He pointed to the file she now guarded against her chest. “I always do my homework, Kat. I like to know what I’m up against. And I was pretty sure there’d be pushback from your family, given my situation and our differences.”

“You wanted ammunition.”

He nodded. “I’m a realist. I’d rather face things as they are, confront them head-on.” He rounded his hand over her shoulder. “I’ll get outta your hair, give you time to read through the file.”

When he reached the doorway, he stopped and braced himself. Without turning around, he spoke words meant to one day unlock her heart. “You know, Kat, loving someone doesn’t mean you give up your control. It just means you love them enough to share it, that’s all.”

Kat gasped at his ability to strip her shield and expose her. A declaration out of context—a surprise attack aimed at a direct hit. No matter how carefully she guarded herself, Tucker always found a way past her defenses. She couldn’t hide from him.

How did he do that?

Then the revelation struck her. She already knew the answer; it was the reason she found herself sitting in Montana. She’d wasted time pushing it away, not ready to admit it.

Until now.

When she glanced over her shoulder to confess the words she’d never spoken to another man, the wind left her sails. He was already gone.

And so was the moment.

****

Her stomach rolled with the unease of disillusionment. How could she be related to these people? How could they be so dissimilar, with ethics so divergent from hers?

She closed the file and shoved it away. After reading through the reports and doing more research online, she had a good idea of the double-dealing being perpetrated. Her own knowledge and experience of the business world helped her connect dots others might miss. No solid proof, no smoking gun, just loose threads, and a gut feeling pushing her forward, telling her she couldn’t let this go. A lifetime of bucking the James clan had also honed Kat’s intuitions and had taught her not to ignore the prickly warning now skittering along her spine.

She picked up her cell phone and scrolled through the contacts. Given the late hour on the East Coast, he would probably answer without even looking at the caller ID. She could catch him off guard.

She listened, impatient, and almost ended the call before his thick, groggy voice answered. His annoyance at being pulled from his sleep traveled across the airwaves.

Kat spoke with cool calm. “I know what you’re doing. The only question is does our father?” The sound of bedding ripping back and a door closing told her he wanted privacy.

“You have your own little business to run. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stick to what you know instead of what you
think
you know.”

His condescending tone irritated the hell out of her.

“What I know, Parker, is you’re a snake in the grass. You’ve got everybody but me fooled. That’s why you’ve never liked me. I’ve always seen you for exactly what you are. You never would’ve gotten away with the shit you’ve pulled at JAMESCO if I’d been there to—”

“Well, you’re not. So keep your nose out of it.”

“Too late. I’m involved now.” He yawned in her ear. “You’ve got a shell game going, don’t you? You buy a company, run JAMESCO’s losses through it, then dismantle it, sell it for parts and move on—after you deposit money to fat bank accounts—offshore, no doubt. I’ll bet sometimes you don’t even bother buying a company. You just create one on paper, don’t you?” Parker didn’t respond. “In the meantime, you don’t give a shit about quality control, safety standards, or environmental protocols. Basically, you lack a fucking conscience, you bastard.” She swiveled the leather chair around and looked up at the starry night sky. “I’m sure it would only take some basic forensic accounting to prove everything I just said. Are you up for that, Parker?”

“Fuck you!”

His normally ripple-free façade had cracked. Parker James did not lose his cool. That alone told her everything she needed to know. She’d hit the mark. Her conclusions, intuitions, and suspicions were now confirmed.

“It’s selfish on my part, I know, but the thing I’m having the most trouble with right now is how you could do this to our father, to our grandfather. They both worked so hard to build a respectable company. Why, Parker? You already had so much. Why would you feel the need to do any of this? Are you bored and this is just some sick game you’ve been playing to pass the time?”

He didn’t answer right away. But when he did, the brother she’d known her entire life spoke. The man who’d always watched her, waited for those times when he could whisper his hate-filled words.

“For a Phi Beta Kappa, you’re not very smart, so I will enlighten you.” He paused. “Think twice before you bite the hand that can, and will, smack you down where you belong. Where you have
always
belonged.” His contempt punched through the phone.

A chill darted up her back and ran her blood cold. She stared at her laptop screen and the news blurbs still open on it: two high-level JAMESCO executives dead in less than two years. Accident? Suicide? Foul play? Questions seemed to hang in the air, but the follow up on the stories seemed unusually scant. The timing of the deaths and the activities she suspected Parker involved in had raised red flags, and the hair on the back of her neck. Had the execs threatened Parker’s charade? Or had they wanted a cut? Was her brother even capable of the scenario playing out in her head ...?

“Are you threatening me, Parker? Certainly you wouldn’t threaten your own sister, would you?” His deafening silence cooled her blood even further. “Is our father still the majority shareholder?”

No response.

“You’re living in a glass house, Parker. And I’m more than happy to throw the first rock.”

She ended the call and tossed her phone on the desk, considered her options. Charlie and Parker would no doubt make this a messy, protracted fight. And the lack of communication from Kyle left her uncertain as to his loyalties on this. She’d dig her heels in as soon as she got back home. In the meantime, she’d have to force her outrage aside and deal with this matter rationally, treat it like a business. But she’d need help too. Fortunately, she knew just the person to contact in New York.

Kat could already imagine the smug look on Dan Walsh’s face.