Page 41 of Taken, Not Spurred (Lone Star Burn 1)
“No wonder I can’t remember hiring you.” The realization of how detached he’d become from his own life was frightening. “I don’t know why you stayed, but I’m glad you did.”
David looked away, then said, “Get your overly happy ass out of the barn and find Melanie. She deserves to meet this new you.”
Tony smiled, imagining the look on Mel’s face when he did. She’ll probably think I’m on drugs, too, but it doesn’t matter.
Dean had warned him to “wake up” if he didn’t want to die alone like their father would.
I’m awake, and I’m not wasting any more time.
I am going to make things right.
Now where is my favorite angry housekeeper? If she knows where Sarah is, I may have to hug her, too.
Later that night, Tony, David, Melanie, Jace, and the ranch hands stood in the kitchen of the main house. The men had devoured the country-fried chicken and had moved along to the more serious matter of dessert. Plates in hand, they packed away pieces of Texas sheet cake.
The initial feeling of euphoria that had followed his conversation with Kimberly’s father had passed, leaving Tony with the reality of what he would have to do to piece his life back together. He cleared his throat. “I wanted everyone here tonight so I wouldn’t have to say this twice. I intend to make some changes around here.”
The room fell silent, a general apprehension growing as he took a moment to choose his words. Even David looked concerned. “David has done a damn good job running this place, but I’ll be more involved from today forward. I’ll be hosting an expo for the Dolan Children’s Fund sometime in the near future. The coverage will likely be national. Things will change when we open ourselves to the public. I’ve been there. The press runs with whatever you say, so keep your mouths shut. Learn the game, and you might be able to spin these events into a career for yourselves. I don’t mind saying that I want y’all working on this with me. David’s not going anywhere. Y’all, however, need to understand what has changed. I’m going to try real hard to keep my temper to myself, but from this day forward if I fire anyone—there is no way back.”
David looked on and nodded with approval.
“Now get out of here while I’m still in a good mood.”
The ranch hands hastily put their dishes in the sink and retreated.
Melanie shook her head at his behavior and Tony shrugged, a hint of a smile pulling at one side of his mouth. “I couldn’t let them think I’m getting soft.”
David chuckled. “There is very little risk of that, but it’s good for them to know that you’ll be watching them, too. They respect your skill with the horses, and now they’ll respect you as their boss.”
“They won’t be happy at first,” Melanie said, “but they’ll adjust. I’m sure the idea of working on something public like you said will be a real motivator for them, too.”
“Things are going to change quickly,” Tony said, then pinned Melanie and David with a look. “Which one of you is going to tell me where Sarah is?”
Melanie looked to David for confirmation that she should. He nodded. “She’s staying with my family in Telson. It’s a couple of hours from here.”
Tony checked the clock on the wall and was surprised at how late it was. “I suppose I’ll go collect her in the morning.”
Throwing her hands up for emphasis, Melanie said, “She’s been sitting there for weeks stewing about how it’s over between the two of you. Do you really think you can just go there and pack her up like she’s a horse and bring her home?”
No? Because I’m a jackass?
Yes? Because I love her?
“She loves me,” Tony said.
Melanie put a hand on one hip and said, “That’s not going to stop her from throwing something at your head if you don’t do this right.”
Remembering how beautiful his little blonde angel looked with her cheeks flushed and her breasts heaving with anger, Tony said, “I don’t mind a little temper in a woman.”
Melanie covered her eyes and groaned. “David, don’t let him ruin what could be his only chance to bring her back. I really like Sarah.”
David held up both hands and said, “What makes me the relationship expert?”
Forgotten during the postdinner meeting, Jace grabbed Tony’s hand and said, “You should listen to my mama. She knows everything.”
Melanie ruffled her son’s hair. “You tell ’em, Jace.”
David said, “My mother always said that God made kids cute when they were little so parents could cling to those memories when they turned into teenagers.”
“As long as he doesn’t turn out like the two of you, I’ll be happy,” Melanie quipped.
Tony looked down at his young adviser and said, “Jace, could you go check on the barn with David? I need a moment alone with your mother.”
Jace hesitated, not letting go of Tony’s hand until he clarified something. “You mad at her?”
Shaking his head, Tony said, “Not at all.” He smiled down at Jace. “Besides, in a scrap, I’m pretty sure she’d win.”
David said, “Come on, Jace. Let’s go see how our pregnant mare is doing. She’s looking ready to foal. Maybe tonight. You can name the new one if you’re there.” With one last look at Tony and Melanie, Jace agreed and followed David out the door.
When they were gone, Tony took out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Melanie. She opened it, gasped, and tried to hand it back to him. “I can’t accept this.”
“The property sits on the edge of mine. You can keep it or sell it, but I want you to have it. Jace deserves a place he can call his own and so do you. I spent a lot of time thinking over the past few weeks. This ranch has been my sanctuary and my curse—so well insulated from the world that I didn’t have to face what had driven me here. I think it’s been the same for you. It’s not going to be like that once we start dealing with the public again. There’ll be no place to hide. I’m hoping you see this as an opportunity, but if you don’t, you can take the money from that house and buy a place more private.”
Clasping her hands in front of her, Melanie said, “Are you firing me?”
“Damn, I’m not good at this, am I? I’m trying to tell you that you and Jace have a home, no matter what changes around here.”
Eyes glistening with emotion, Melanie hugged the paper to her stomach and said, “You’re a good man, Tony Carlton, and I was wrong. You don’t need my advice. You just go get Sarah. You’ll have no trouble talking her into forgiving you.”
“I was hoping to keep the actual talking to a minimum,” Tony said w
ith a straight face, then winked.
Melanie laughed softly, then her expression turned serious and she said, “Just tell her how you feel, Tony, and you can’t go wrong.”
I will.
This time I will.
Sitting at a small wooden desk in the living room of her temporary apartment on Melanie’s parents’ ranch in Telson, Sarah wrote the two most satisfying words across an entire page of her notebook:
The End.
She’d written not only one but two short books. No, they weren’t perfect. They needed revisions, but she’d done it. She’d created a world of characters she felt others would enjoy.
They say write what you know, so I did.
Tempted (in Texas)
Torn (in Telson)
By Breshall Haas
Sure, Texas isn’t as specific as Telson, but it sounds a whole lot better than Mussed in Mavis. Or Fucked at Fort . . . See, that doesn’t even work.
Tempted was a powerful title that described the incredible journey she’d been on. A better version of it, anyway. No midnight nervous-fart-releasing laps around a cabin.
And Torn. Well, any writer will tell you that the worst of what you endure can inspire the best fiction.
Book three will have to wait until I find my own hero. Or at least until I think of another title that starts with a T besides Tragic.
She thought back to her first impression of Tony, and the title for the last book in her trilogy came to her: Taken. In the cabin and for a short time following their return from it, she’d glimpsed what it would be like to belong to Tony. In the end, he just wasn’t where she was—and knowing how painful it was to be held hostage by the past made Sarah feel more sympathetic than angry toward Tony. He would have loved her if he’d been capable of it.
This is not the end of my story. I will have a happy ending because I’m determined to.
Thank you, Tony.
I may never have found my voice if I hadn’t found you first. She smiled as she remembered how they’d met. Or you found me. Whatever.
