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Raleigh

Raleigh sat behind his desk, calling his personal assistant for the tenth time that morning, only to once again have it go to voice mail.

It wasn’t unusual for her to run late on Mondays, but it was almost ten o'clock and he’d neither seen nor heard anything from her.

She’d probably given up on him completely.

After they’d been attacked two months ago, she’d needed him and he’d let her down.

He liked Gabi.

A lot.

Hell, he probably loved her or he’d have fired her years ago.

She’d test the patience of a saint.

And though he put on a good front, he was no saint.

He’d thought he was a good Daddy, but the past few months had made him doubt the validity of that belief.

Gabi had needed him to protect her and defend her from the General and the Warriors MC.

But he’d failed completely, and everything she’d gone through as a result of that failure was his fault.

How could he comfort her for something he had caused?

Law had left him in charge of Lovie, and he’d put himself in charge of Gabi.

But when the test had come and he had the opportunity to prove his worth, he’d gotten jumped from behind, beaten to a bloody pulp, and thrown in an alley with the trash.

That wasn’t the kind of Daddy Gabi needed.

If he loved her, he should want the best for her.

He did want the best for her.

He was just no longer certain that person was him.

As much as he wanted it to be.

So, he’d pulled back and in doing so he’d hurt her even more.

He saw the rejection in her eyes.

And it was a blow to the chest that he was the one who’d put it there.

The rattling of the front door caught his attention.

Finally.

It was about time she decided to do her job.

He might no longer qualify as a good Daddy, but he could damn sure be a good boss.

Storming down the hall, he entered the break room guns blazing.

“You listen to me, little girl.

When I pay you to be here at a certain time, I expect you to be here.

Even on a Monday.”

The squeal that met his ears didn’t sound like a sound his Gabi would make.

Lovie stood inside the break room with her hand to her chest.

And the incredibly large, Nordic-looking man by her side was definitely Law.

“Raleigh, man.

What the fuck? Who the hell are you screaming at, because it’s scaring my Little girl here.

You want to take it down a few notches?”

“Yes, of course.

Lovie, I’m so sorry.

I thought you were Gabi.

Do you have any idea why she’s running so late today? I’ve tried to call her, but she’s not answering her phone.

I’m starting to get worried.”

Lovie’s eyes rounded.

She glanced at Law, who shrugged.

“You need to tell him.”

Why did he feel like the only one who missed the memo? “Tell him what? I mean, me.

Tell me what?”

“Oh, um… well, actually, I thought you knew.”

He continued to stare at her blankly because he didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.

She took in his gaze and nodded.

“Right.

Um, I ran into Gabi Friday afternoon at Books-N-Brews.

She was talking to Vivi when I got there.

She didn’t look good at all.

I don’t think she’s been sleeping well. She’d been crying. She said she had off this week and that you knew about it. She’s gone to some ranch, I think. I don’t know much about it. But like I said, she’d been talking to Vivi. You may want to call her.”

As Lovie spoke, the phone rang.

His caller ID showed it was Books-N-Brews.

“Hold on, this is Vivi now.

Thanks, Lovie.”

Taking the call, he walked back to his office.

“Raleigh Steven speaking.

Can I help you?”

“Oh, Raleigh? Thank goodness.

I’m so glad you answered your phone.

I just received a call from a man.

He had some questions about our Gabi that I thought you’d be much better at answering.

I just wanted to let you know to expect his call.”

“Did he say what it was about?”

If Gabi had applied for a job somewhere else, he wasn’t sure what he’d do.

“No, not that I could follow.

That’s why I told him to call you.”

“All right, Vivi.

If I hear from him, I’ll do my best to answer his questions.

Thanks for the heads up.”

“Of course, dear.

But before you go, I have something I want you to think about.”

Raleigh bit back the curt answer, fighting to escape.

None of the things he was going through were Vivi’s fault.

She’d been nothing but kind to him since he’d moved to Darling ten years before.

“All right.

What do you want me to think about?”

“We all have pivotal, defining moments that shift the direction of our lives.

You are about to have just such a moment thrust upon you.

You have everything in you that you need to make the right choices, as long as you don’t let the past muddy the water.”

What the hell was she talking about? “I’m not following you, Vivi.

What do you mean?”

“I mean, you are under the misconception that what happened to you two months ago was your pivotal moment.

You are treating it like it defined you in some way.

I’m trying to tell you that wasn’t your pivotal moment.

That was something that happened to you, not a decision you made on your own.

The moment in front of you will be a moment you control.

That will be your pivotal moment.”

He knew there was merit and wisdom in there somewhere.

But his calendar was messed up, and he hadn’t even had a cup of coffee yet because he’d driven his personal assistant away.

“Thank you for sharing that with me, Vivi.

You’ve given me a lot to think about.

I’ll watch out for that call.

I’ve got to run.”

He hung up the phone.

Hopefully, she’d been saying goodbye.

As he sat at his desk, Lovie came in with a piping hot cup of coffee.

“Lovie, you’re a godsend.

I need to—”

His phone ringing again interrupted him.

He saw it was from an unknown number, but given Vivi’s call, he decided to answer.

“Raleigh Stevens, speaking.

Can I help you?”

“Mr.

Stevens, or would you rather I call you Esquire Stevens?”

“Why don’t you call me Raleigh.

Can I help you?”

“I hope so, Raleigh.

My name is Derek Hawkins, and I own a resort called Rawhide Ranch.

We have a guest staying with us this week named Gabrielle Schwindler.

I find myself in need of checking her references.”

Raleigh’s heart sank.

That was it then.

Gabi was trying to get a job somewhere else.

“Did you hear me, Raleigh? I said I just spoke with the person she put down as a reference.

That person felt it might be more productive to speak with you.”

“Gabi has worked for me for the past four years.”

Had it really been four years? It seemed like only yesterday.

“She started as my receptionist and has worked her way up to being my personal assistant.

She’s done an excellent job.”

A bit of a stretch, but it was the least he could do since he’d caused her to uproot her life and leave the only town she’d ever called home.

A long sigh came from the other end of the call.

“That’s what I was afraid of.

Well, thank you for your time.

That was all I needed.”

“Wait a minute.

I said she did a great job.

You sound like I gave you bad news.

I’m confused.”

“As am I.

I’ve never had this problem come up with a guest before.

You see, when Gabi filled out her application, she stated she was a lawyer.”

“Of course, she did.”

Raleigh fought the urge to bang his head on his desk.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt.

Please, go on.”

“Well, since her arrival, she has represented herself as a lawyer to my staff and other guests and has stirred up a bit of trouble.”

“Did she organize a strike? She did that recently and won all the women a later bedtime.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

“Something like that, yes.

I don’t know what the legal codes are in Tennessee, but here in Montana, it is against the law to do that.

I was willing to extend her some grace if she was indeed a lawyer in Tennessee, but since she isn’t, my hands are tied.”

Good lord.

How many times had he told her to stop telling people she was a lawyer? The people in Darling just went along with it because they liked her.

How could she possibly think strangers in Montana would do the same?

“Derek.

If I could take a minute of your time, I’d like to share a few things with you, if I may, concerning Gabi.”

Derek didn’t stop him, so he told the man everything.

Everything about Darling.

Everything about Gabi.

What had happened.

How he’d failed her.

And how, more than anything, he wanted to make it right.

“You don’t know me, but if I could ask for a favor? I’d like to handle this personally.

I’ll fill out whatever paperwork is necessary, and I can be there in six hours by plane.”

Another long pause.

“What you’re asking is very unusual.

I’m very protective of the people who live and visit the ranch.

But I like Gabi, actually.

She reminds me a little of my Sadie.

So, here’s what I’m willing to do.

If you fill out all the paperwork, and all your references check out, I’ll confine her to her room for the rest of today and tonight. When you arrive, I’ll meet with you in person, listen to your plan, and give you my answer then. I’ll warn you now, you may be wasting your time. I’m not saying I’ll agree to your plan, but I do agree to listen.”

“I understand.

I respect the care you take in screening the people you allow on your ranch.

If you send me the paperwork, I’ll fill it out immediately.

I’ll take the first available flight and be there as soon as I can.

And it won’t be a wasted trip.

If you decide to press charges, she’ll need a good lawyer, and unlike Gabi, I can practice law in Montana.”

“It’s settled then.

I think I’m looking forward to meeting you, Esquire Raleigh Stevens.”

“The feeling is mutual, Derek.

I’ll be there soon.”

He disconnected the call and went to find Lovie.

He’d need her help cancelling appointments and filling in for a few days where she could.

Then he had to pack and plan.

His fax machine buzzed, and the paperwork Derek had spoken of came through.

When the pages had all been printed, he looked them over.

There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

He should be able to fill out the paperwork easily enough.

It looked like he was headed to Rawhide Ranch.