Description
Jared Walker
I’ll be the first to admit that mending a broken heart is like trying to glue together shattered glass—tricky and often messy. Trust me, I’ve got the scars to prove it. My ex-wife was the master of emotional demolition.
Strangely enough, the divorce itself didn’t faze me. Not a single tear was shed. But when she decided to take my son away and drop the bombshell that he wasn’t mine, that’s when the emotional dam burst. Anyone who’s ever cared about someone knows that blood doesn’t make family. Love does. So when my ex offered custody for cash, I didn’t hesitate. Now I’m living in Coyote Ridge, running Walker Demolition, and soaking up every precious moment with my son. For the first time in ages, I’m content. I might go so far as to say happy, even.
Apparently, that’s not enough for my cousin Travis, who ropes me into organizing the family reunion. The one he wants done on a moment’s notice. Now I’ve got to collaborate with one of the owners of Dead Heat Ranch, Hope Lambert, a cowgirl who’s as stunning as she is cautious.
Fortunately, Hope has the same aversion to love that I do. But we soon learn that when you swear off matters of the heart and give in to chemistry, things can heat up faster than a Texas summer.
Turns out, giving in to lust is easy. It’s resisting the urge to fall head over heels that’s the real challenge.
Two and a half years ago
Jared Walker
“Where are you going?” Sable screamed, her voice grating on my last nerve.
“I’m done. Fuckin’ done, Sable,” I informed my soon-to-be ex-wife. And that couldn’t come soon enough.
The second my boss fired me, telling me that he could no longer deal with my crazed wife stopping by unannounced every day, trying to start a fight, I decided I’d had enough. The guy wasn’t wrong to fire me. Hell, I’d been putting up with Sable’s bullshit far longer than I should have. She was jealous and spiteful and fucking selfish. Yes, that’s what she was.
Damn it.
Everything was just so fucked up. I wasn’t sure how things had gone to shit so quickly, but they definitely had. The woman I’d married had shed her skin not two weeks into our marriage, demanding that she be taken care of. The second that ring was on her finger and the marriage license was signed, Sable had changed from the easygoing, somewhat kindhearted woman to an ex-employee at the makeup counter at Macy’s to a fucking diva who wanted me to make her breakfast in bed on the weekend.
No doubt about it, I’d been blinded by … what? What the hell had I seen in her? Even now, three years later, I had no clue what I’d been drawn to other than her smoking-hot body and her Hoover-worthy mouth. Oh, and she’d given me attention—batting her eyelashes and offering her relentless come-hither stare—something I’d been missing. Or thought I had anyway. In hindsight, the lack of attention from the opposite sex had been self-imposed. I had just turned thirty when we met, and I’d been going through the motions, trying to figure out where my life was headed and how I wanted it to go. Marriage had certainly been an idea I was looking forward to, should I find the right woman.
Enter Sable Hillman, with her perfectly applied lipstick and fancy hair. She’d clearly walked into my life at the right time. Or the wrong time, depending on how you looked at it.
I was definitely an idiot.
Sable didn’t want to work, but she didn’t want to stay home, either. She thought we belonged to the country club elite or some shit. I could see how she’d come to that conclusion. My parents were well off, and they’d set their children up accordingly. I had money—mostly family money—but I’d also been working since the day I turned sixteen. I hadn’t had a rough life, by any means, but my father had instilled in me the need to make a good living. Damn good thing my father had demanded I have a prenuptial agreement. I hadn’t thought it necessary, but at the last minute, I caved. For a second, I’d thought Sable was going to back out. I should’ve known better. The woman was more than willing to spend every penny I had while we were married. She didn’t need to wait until afterward.
“Fuck you, Jared.”
“No,” I turned to her. “Fuck. You. And every asshole who’s had the displeasure of fuckin’ you over the last three fuckin’ years.”
Three years I’d been dealing with this shit. If it weren’t for the fact Sable had gotten pregnant, I would’ve been long gone. Only I’d stayed because of my son. Derrick was the highlight of every single day. I went to work every morning, and when I came home, Sable generally went out while I enjoyed the peace and quiet and time I got to spend with my boy. It was the perfect routine, and since it got her out of my hair, I never complained.
“I want joint custody,” I informed her as I went to the closet and began tossing my clothes out. I was packing my shit and moving out. I had no choice. I would go stay in my parents’ guesthouse until the divorce was final. It would allow me to be close enough to Derrick so I could see me every other weekend and every Wednesday.
“Ha!” Sable sneered. “Like that’s ever gonna happen.”
Goddamn, that was going to hurt. I hated the idea of being away from Derrick for that long. I’d been hoping Sable would be level-headed about this, letting me spend time with my boy whenever I wanted. I should’ve known better.
I cast an angry glare over my shoulder. “I’ll fight you for full custody if that’s what you want.”
“Go ahead and try it,” she snapped. “Considering he’s not your kid, I’m not sure that’ll work out real well for you.”
I spun around so fast Sable had to take a step back.
“What did you say?” The impact of her words caused my hands to shake, and there was a red haze clouding my vision, anger and… Damn, it felt a hell of a lot like fear clouded my mind.
Sable always said nasty shit to me. It seemed she got off on putting me down. Normally, I didn’t rise to the bait, but this… I hoped like hell she was lying.
“You heard me. You think you’re all high and mighty. Derrick isn’t yours. You’re not his father. So fuck you, Jared. You don’t get shit out of this deal.”
I had to sit down or my legs were going to give out. I managed to back up to the bed and drop down onto the mattress, staring at the woman I had vowed to love forever, a woman I no longer even liked.
“I want a paternity test,” I insisted. That would prove that Derrick was mine. He had to be.
Sable rolled her eyes. “I’m marrying him.”
I tried to process her words, but they didn’t make sense.
“Derrick’s father. He’s been begging me to leave you. I should’ve done it before now. And yes, you’ll get your paternity test. I’ll prove to you that he ain’t yours.”
She should’ve left before now? She wasn’t the one leaving; I was.
“You’ll have nothing,” she spat.
I held back my retort, not sure what I could say. The woman had managed to single-handedly rip my heart right out of my chest and grind it into dust.
Derrick isn’t yours.
The fact that my marriage had disintegrated … I could get over.
Losing Derrick… That was a wound that would never heal.
Six months later
“Despite the fact that the paternity test states you are not the father,” Edna Holloway—the expensive lawyer I’d hired—clarified, “Sable is willing to give you full custody.”
I waited for her to continue. I was waiting for the “but.” There was always a “but.”
“However, in exchange, she wants twenty-five thousand dollars.”
“Done,” I said instantly.
“Jared, you should spend some time thinking about this,” Edna said kindly.
“Don’t need to. My name’s on his birth certificate. He’s my son. Find out where I need to wire the money.”
Edna pulled a sheet of paper from the pile she’d brought with her. “I think we need to ask that she give up her parental rights. That will protect you going forward. She has already made it clear that she doesn’t want Derrick.”
And by made it clear, I knew that Edna was referring to the fact that Sable had flat-out told me that she didn’t have time for Derrick in her life. The man she’d claimed was Derrick’s father had insisted on a paternity test, also. The results stated he was not the father. Which meant Sable had lied once again. The new man—some rich, older guy—in her life didn’t want kids, which meant Derrick had suddenly become expendable in her eyes.
“I agree,” I told her. “Do what you need to do, and tell Sable I want this done immediately. While we’re waitin’ for the legal system to putter along and do their thing, I want him livin’ with me. In Coyote Ridge.”
Since I had moved to the small town where most of my extended family lived, in an attempt to put some distance between myself and Sable, I had started to build a life for myself. Although I wouldn’t be close to my parents, I wasn’t too far away. And I had a great job. Being in Coyote Ridge would also lessen the chance of me running into Sable again.
She nodded, jotting down notes before removing her reading glasses and depositing them into her purse. “I’ll keep you apprised of the proceedings. I’ll ask that Sable relinquish custody to you today.” She glanced at her watch. “Why don’t I try for four o’clock. Will you still be in town?”
“Of course,” I said, my heart pounding. “Anything for Derrick.”
Little did my lawyer know, but I would’ve given ten times that much to get my son back. Granted, there was absolutely no reason to let Sable know that. The manipulative bitch would only ask for more.
