Page 43 of River Legacy (Powder River #5)

W hen the hotel suite door opened, Wendell couldn’t help but stare.

Charlotte Stafford had always been a beautiful woman.

The years hadn’t diminished that beauty.

Time had only accentuated it. She wore cowboy attire—jeans, a Western shirt and boots—but on her, it was all very feminine and sexy as hell.

But what had appealed to him the first time he met her was the spirit of fire that burned bright in her. She was the kind of woman who didn’t love easily, but once she did she loved with all of her heart. She was the kind of woman every man dreamed of.

Unfortunately, she’d always been in love with Holden McKenna over on Powder River. He’d never been there until recently. Now he owned her ranch, so he wasn’t expecting a warm welcome.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” he asked.

She studied him with those beautiful green eyes of hers, her expression giving nothing away. She could invite him in—or pull a gun and shoot him. With Charlotte, one never knew.

“Wendell,” she said as if she’d been expecting him. “Thank you again for letting CJ be buried on Stafford Ranch.”

“It was such a small thing to ask, especially given how everything went down.” He studied her for a moment.

“It’s been a while, but I can say you haven’t changed a bit?

” He saw something in those green eyes that assured him she definitely hadn’t changed, and he should be very careful. “I thought we should talk.”

She stepped aside to let him enter. “I’d ask what you were doing here, but I heard you’re now in possession of my ranch.”

“I heard you’d left town and turned the ranch over to your sons. I thought maybe you’d lost interest in it since I also heard you’re engaged to Holden McKenna.” He cocked a brow at her. “Congratulations.”

“You’re supposed to say Best wishes to the bride.”

He chuckled. “In your case, I think congratulations is more in order.”

She gave him a small smile. “All that aside, what are you doing here? You got everything you wanted.”

Wendell considered her. “You’re wrong about that. But that isn’t why I’m here. I wanted to discuss my daughter and your son Ryder.”

“I guess I’d better make us a drink,” she said and headed over to the bar. “Have a seat. You still drink bourbon neat, don’t you?”

“You remembered.” He heard her chuckle and suspected she remembered that one weekend down in Dallas all those years ago.

She had been in town to buy a bull. Their paths had crossed.

He knew he’d caught her at a vulnerable time, and he hadn’t told her that he was married.

After that weekend, she’d gone back to Montana, making it clear she wanted nothing to do with him—especially after a confrontation with his wife.

“Are you sure there is anything to discuss?” she asked now as she handed him his drink and took a seat on the couch next to him. “Ryder is homeless. We all are, thanks to you.”

“That’s what I want to talk to you about.” He took a sip of his drink. Charlotte had a way of looking at him that made him think she could see right to his tarnished soul. “I regret the way it happened. I was sorry to hear about your son CJ.”

She nodded. “Me too. But if it hadn’t been you who bought my family ranch, it would have been someone else. CJ chose his path.” Her gaze questioned why he’d chosen his.

“I suppose that Holden told you he tried to buy the ranch back for you?” He saw her surprise.

“I told him it wasn’t for sale. Later, when I heard that you found most of the money I paid CJ for the place, I thought that you’d contact me.

” She still said nothing as if determined to wait him out.

“You’re not helping me out here,” he said with an edgy chuckle.

He was never nervous when it came to business.

But he usually didn’t deal with hardened women like Charlotte Stafford.

He finished his drink and put down his glass on the coffee table.

“Here’s the thing. I wanted to see you. That’s why I’d hoped you would call.

” He raised both hands. “I know you’re engaged, and Holden is the man you’ve always loved.

I just wanted to see you. I’m going to give the ranch to Ryder and Victoria. ”

She actually looked surprised. He watched her take a sip of her drink before she spoke. “You’re assuming they’re getting married and that way you still have a connection to the ranch?”

He laughed. “This probably won’t surprise you, but neither of them want anything to do with me. Victoria’s in love with your son, and I think he might feel the same. I had planned to drill for methane on the property, but changed my mind. Once I sign it over to them, I’m hands-off.”

Charlotte nodded. “You’re doing this for your daughter. She’s still mad at you. The things we do for our children... But you’ll lose a lot of money and not on just what you gave CJ. It sounds like an expensive way to get her to talk to you again.”

“I just want her to be happy. Will my giving the ranch to Victoria and Ryder be a problem for your other children?”

She shook her head. “Like me, they are more interested in having the ranch in the family. If this works, will it mean we’re going to be seeing more of you in Montana?”

He chuckled at that. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“Not for me. There’s a good chance you and I will be sharing grandchildren. ”

He groaned. “I’m too young for grandchildren.”

“Holden and I just had our first. I highly recommend it.”

Wen couldn’t help smiling at her. “Does Holden know about you and me?”

“He does, but that isn’t why he has a problem with you,” she said.

“The way I got the ranch.” He nodded.

“Don’t worry. I can see the McKenna and the Stafford ranches as one large ranch in the future. Brand and Birdie, I believe, have their own plans, but will eventually come back to the Powder River and home. At least I hope so. I would love for us all to be one big family.”

Wendell couldn’t imagine it. He’d only had Victoria. After his wife died, he’d thrown himself into making more money. Now he had a chance to be part of this large, boisterous and growing family.

“That sounds wonderful,” he told Charlotte.

R yder was still reeling from the explosion days later.

He couldn’t believe how close he had come to losing Vicky.

They’d had to stay in Billings for a few days to answer questions first from airport security, then the cops and finally the FBI.

In the middle of all of it, the last thing he’d expected was the call from his mother about CJ.

“I’m afraid we lost CJ,” she said.

His first thought was that his brother had taken off on the lam. “We lost him a long time ago.”

“He’s dead.”

“Dead?” Ryder hadn’t expected that. He felt surprise but no shock. His brother had been heading for a violent end for a long time. And from his mother’s tone of voice he didn’t even consider he’d been in an accident. “Who killed him?”

“Treyton McKenna. Apparently, they quarreled, and they ended up shooting each other,” she said.

He heard something in her voice. “Are you all right?”

“I’m sorry it had to end this way for him, but I’ll be okay.”

She was taking this much better than he would have suspected.

“We’re going to have a funeral tomorrow, family only. I’m burying him on the ranch.”

“It’s not our ranch anymore.”

“I’m aware of that,” she said. “I got permission from Wendell.” He didn’t say what he was thinking, remembering what Vicky had told him about their parents possibly having an affair years ago.

“I hope you’ll be there, Ryder. Treyton’s funeral will be first, then CJ’s.

Both families will be attending, only family. ”

He almost laughed. For years he’d wished that the rivalry between the families would end.

Now they were coming together for funerals for their eldest sons.

“I’m still in Billings but planning to head back this morning.

” He wanted to ask what the rush was on getting CJ buried but realized he didn’t really care.

Neither he nor his siblings had ever been close to CJ.

If anything, they’d avoided him for years because he’d always been so awful with them.

He’d disconnected, still shaken from everything that had been going on, and turned to see Vicky watching him. They’d been staying at the Northern Hotel. But now they would be returning to Powder Crossing for not one but two funerals.

With their twenty-four hours up, Wendell Forester would be taking over the ranch. Ryder wasn’t even sure he and his family would be able to get on the ranch to pack up their personal belongings. Now his mother was having a funeral for CJ on the ranch?

“That was my mother,” he told Vicky. “CJ’s been killed.

The funeral is tomorrow on the ranch.” She lifted a brow.

“Apparently, your father gave her permission. I think it’s my mother’s way of getting back at CJ in death since he blackmailed her out of the ranch and then sold it.

Now he’ll be stuck there six feet under. There is so much irony there.”

“I’m sorry about CJ,” she said, stepping to him.

He took her in his arms just as he had every night since the explosion aboard the plane.

They’d held each other, both no doubt lost in the horror of everything that had happened.

Claude had been so determined to take his boss’s jet back to Dallas, and now he was dead along with JJ Gibson.

Thankfully, no one else had been onboard, Ryder had thought again and again.

In a matter of minutes, Vicky and her father could have both been on that plane.

“We need to leave for the ranch. Holden left a message that he has room for us at the McKenna Ranch,” he said.

She nodded. “That’s good, because my father called. He’s staying at the hotel in Powder Crossing. He wants to see me. He sounds really upset.”

Ryder wanted nothing to do with Wendell Forester right now or ever. But he was her father. “You should go meet him. I’m sure he’s as upset as we are.”