Regret at Roosevelt Ranch Read online

  To Rob’s credit, he regained himself faster than Henry.

  “Holy shit.” Then a deep breath rattled through the airwaves. “Okay, I’ll get on the horn and see who’s closest so they can meet the plane and make sure she’s safe. How long until you guys are there?”

  “Depending on how fast I drive,” Justin replied, “hour and a half?”

  “Me, too,” Rob said. “Drive fast. I’ll clear your way.”

  He hung up, and Henry turned to Justin.

  “Do you think Rex—” He cut off the question, not wanting to voice the possibility that Bella might not actually be on the plane.

  “No,” Justin said quietly. “She’s there.”

  And then he floored it, making the drive in less time than Henry could have imagined, but it was still the longest hour and a half of his life.

  Finally, finally, they pulled into the private airfield parking lot. A jet was parked there, the only large plane amongst the single engines. Its doors were open, the stairs extended.

  Henry waited just long enough for Justin to put the car into park before popping his door and sprinting up the stairs.

  He didn’t breathe until he saw her.

  Curled up on a leather couch, blanket pulled up to her chin.

  “She’s just sleeping. Couldn’t hold out any longer.”

  Henry turned and saw Justin’s twin standing near the cockpit. Officer Harting stood next to him. He hadn’t registered them, hadn’t seen anything aside from Bella.

  “Is she—”

  “She’s okay. Just exhausted. We didn’t have the easiest time getting out of Italy.”

  Henry nodded, figuring that was enough for now.

  Later, they would have the whole story.

  Right now, he was taking her home.

  He crossed over to Bella, scooped her up into his arms, and carried her down the stairs. Justin was there, opening the back door, helping him maneuver her inside. A few minutes later, they were on the road again.

  Rob flew past them in a cruiser, and a few seconds later Justin’s phone rang.

  He answered with the volume low, though Bella hadn’t stirred.

  “You got her?”

  “Yes,” Justin said. “I can’t take her back to my house. Henry’s?”

  “Yup. I’ll get a car there. I’m going to speak to Rex and then I’ll head to Henry’s place.”

  “Should I make some calls?”

  Henry had managed to get a seat belt around Bella’s waist and still hold her, cradling her against the bumps, but he was following the conversation, still understood what Justin was alluding to.

  Kelly’s husband had spent many years in the military, and he knew some very powerful folks in private security.

  Henry was all-in for whatever they could do to ensure Bella’s safety. He’d sell the diner, move out of state, change his name, find a way to finance bodyguards—

  Anything, so long as she never had to go through this again.

  Anything so he didn’t have to spend another sleepless night petrified that she was hurting and scared . . . or worse.

  Rob cleared his throat. “Will they stop that asshole from coming after her again?”

  “They have ways of making sure that doesn’t happen again.”

  “Then probably,” Rob said. “But wait until I talk to Rex first. This is way the fuck out my jurisdiction, but I want to make sure we have all the information we need to keep Bella safe.” A pause. “Once that’s done, I’ll call my contact at the FBI, and he can advise the department from there.”

  “Henry?” Justin asked.

  He nodded, eyes locked on Bella, memorizing every detail, promising himself he would never take another moment with her for granted.

  “He’s with us,” Justin translated for him to Rob and then hung up.

  They’d driven another fifteen minutes, the sun firmly behind the hills, the sky an ever-deepening navy, when Bella finally stirred.

  Her head rolled from side to side, she stretched, and then went ramrod straight.

  She jerked, eyes flashing open, mouth parting as though to scream.

  Then she saw Henry.

  And burst into tears.

  Huge gasping sobs that absolutely broke his heart. “It’s okay,” he told her, repeating the words over and over again. “You’re safe now. I’m here.”

  Her arms wrapped around his neck and she crawled into his lap, tears soaking into his shirt. “I thought—” Her breath caught. “I thought—” But she couldn’t finish the sentence.

  “I know,” he murmured. “I know, sweetheart. You’re home now. You’re safe.” He whispered the mantra over and over again, until finally her spine softened, her breathing slowed.

  Finally she nodded, as though hearing the words for the first time and burrowed into him.

  “Sleep now,” he said. “I’ve got you.”

  Later that night, Bella woke with a start, lurching against him, panicked for long, heartbreaking moments until his voice finally penetrated.

  Henry held it together until she fell back to sleep, the terror of the last few days clearly taking its toll on her. He slipped out of bed and moved quietly into the bathroom.

  There he opened the medicine cabinet, pulled out the little black box hidden on the top shelf.

  Above Bella’s sight. So she couldn’t stumble on it.

  Henry had bought it five years before.

  Had planned on giving it to her then, had intended to give it to her only a few days ago.

  And now?

  Henry shoved it back on the shelf.

  How could he?

  He stared at himself in the mirror, wondering all over again why he’d left Bella alone.

  He should have known.

  Yet, how could he have known?

  But dammit, he fucking hadn’t protected her five years ago, and he hadn’t protected her now. He was fucking useless and—

  The door slid open on a quiet squeak, Bella’s eyes peering at him through the gap.

  She hesitated, and he put out a hand. “Come here, sweetheart.”

  Then she was in his arms. The guilt abated, for the moment, anyway, because the relief that they’d somehow found their way back to each other was so great.

  “Every time I close my eyes, I keep thinking of them. I keep worrying they’ll—”

  She clamped her mouth closed, biting back the rest of her words.

  Henry cupped her cheek and tilted her head back so he could see her face. Dark circles still ringed the skin beneath her eyes, and she was very pale. But she was alive and in his arms. That was enough for now.

  “I know, baby. But it was traumatic. You have to give yourself time to heal.”

  They’d talked to Rex, now knew that it wasn’t just Sergio who’d kidnapped Bella, that her father had an equal, or worse, hand in it.

  “I don’t want time to heal!” she snapped, pushing out of his embrace and pacing away. “I’m so tired of my father trying to ruin my life. I’m so tired of being a pawn that he doesn’t want and yet can’t let go. He absolutely despises me, but because I chose to leave, he had to punish me.”

  He watched her stride across the bathroom, back and forth, back and forth. The fire in her eyes, the first sign he’d seen since her return, settled the gaping wound in his heart.

  Oh, it was still there, would probably never completely go away, same as the wound from his dad, but the guilt and worry weren’t so all-encompassing.

  He could finally breathe, could focus on being what Bella needed.

  “I know.”

  “He hates me.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why he wants to control me. Why can't he just let me go? Forget I existed.”

  “Men like him can never let it go, not when they feel like they’ve been bested.”

  She swallowed hard. “I know. That’s why I’m so worried about Rex. He took a huge risk in helping me. I don’t even know how many people he paid off—officials, security guards.”

&
nbsp; “Rex will be okay,” he assured her. “He can afford to hire security.”

  “But—”

  “And there’s also the fact that Justin’s friends visited your father and Sergio.”

  Bella frowned. “Why would it matter if Justin’s friends visited?”

  “Because he has some friends in very high places. Friends that can make you disappear without a trace, but also friends that can make your father’s business prospects dry up.” Henry shrugged. “Justin just told me they found evidence of your father participating in some unsavory, and decidedly illegal activities. If he or Sergio or one of their lackeys gets within even a hundred miles of you, that information will be passed along to the proper authorities.”

  “Oh.”

  He smiled for what felt like the first time in a century. “Yeah, oh.”

  “And we’ll keep some security around for a while. Install a system here and at the diner, have some guys keep watch on the house until you’re comfortable.”

  Bella laced her fingers with his. “So, if you’ve done all that, then why are you in here beating yourself up?”

  Henry froze. “I’m—”

  “Don’t deny it.” She tugged him into the bedroom and over to the bed. “I know you, love. I know you’re beating yourself up because you have some notion that you should have protected me.”

  He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have—”

  “Don’t.” She lay down, coaxed him to cuddle up next to her. “Don’t say you shouldn’t have helped Tilly. I love this town. I love the way everyone looks after one another.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “Hold me while I sleep?”

  “Always.”

  Her voice, when it came a few minutes later, was gentle. “I know you’re going to feel guilty for a long time. Because you’re a good man and because you care about me, but you need to come to terms with the fact that this wasn’t your fault.”

  “I—”

  “No,” she said, firmer now. “No. You don’t get to shoulder this. My father and Sergio were at fault. Not you.”

  “Sweetheart—”

  She sat up then glared down at him. “Do you blame me for being kidnapped?”

  “Fuck no,” he growled.

  “Then you can’t blame yourself, either.”

  He opened his mouth, found it covered with her hand.

  “I know it will take you time to believe it, so I’m going to be patient.” One half of her mouth curved. “For the moment.”

  He touched her cheek. “I love you.”

  A full smile now. “And I love you, but you want to be here for me? I need you to be present, not sneaking off to mentally berate yourself. I need us to live the future I dreamed of for five years.” She turned her head, pressed a kiss to his palm. “I need the diner and a bakery. I need you in my bed every night. I need babies and puppies. And I”—she pressed her mouth to his—“need you.”

  “You have me.” A kiss to her forehead, each cheek, her nose. “Forever.”

  “I can deal with that.”

  And then as they drifted off to sleep, the sound of their laughter echoing in the air around them, Henry thought that he might just be able to give her that ring after all.

  Twenty-Two

  Bella

  She’d finally completed a wedding cake.

  Or nearly, she thought, adding one last flower to the grouping of red and white blooms cascading down the side of the cake.

  “That’s beautiful,” Melissa said.

  Bella bumped her shoulder against her friend’s. “I think you’re just glad that I didn’t get out of making the cake this time.”

  Melissa’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, definitely. Kidnapping as a way to get out of commitments, totally solid plan.”

  “Takes one to know one.”

  They fist-bumped and giggled.

  It was a relief to be able to laugh with someone about what happened, but also to be able to talk with someone who knew what it was like to go through something so traumatic. Melissa had passed along the name of the therapist she’d spoken to after her own harrowing abduction, a much-appreciated gesture.

  Bella knew she would need to eventually talk with someone, but she wanted a little more time to get her legs back under her.

  Only six weeks had passed since Rex delivered her safely back to Darlington and while she still had the occasional nightmare, they were coming less frequently. It also helped that Justin’s friends delivered weekly reports on her father and Sergio’s whereabouts. Not the healthiest thing ever, but she took a lot of comfort in knowing where they were . . . though in reality, she didn’t give a damn where they were, so long as that was far, far away from her.

  More importantly, she’d seen Henry relax over the last weeks, going from not being able to stand having her out of his sight, to leaving her alone for hours at a time.

  Like today.

  Though, she was surrounded by people.

  And he’d texted a half-dozen times.

  Still, it was progress and she was just happy Henry had managed to put the majority of his guilt behind him.

  She’d officially moved her stuff out of the apartment and into his house and was looking for a commercial space to open the bakery, but for now, she continued to take shifts at the diner when she could.

  Because the majority of the time was spent filling its cold cases with baked goods that the people of Darlington snatched up in rapid succession.

  They’d even written an article in the local newspaper accusing her of making everyone in town fat.

  Outwardly, she suggested a 5K to raise money for P.E. programs at the local elementary, middle, and high schools, but internally she’d been thrilled to have her very own news story in the Darlington Gazette.

  Finally, she’d made it.

  But, celebrity status or not, it was time to get this cake out to the venue.

  “Ready?” she asked, nudging one more flower into the arrangement. Melissa was going to help her carry it from the small kitchen where she’d put on the finishing touches, out to the cake table in the pavilion.

  And it was going to be filmed for the show.

  Bella sent up a mental prayer. Please let her not ruin another wedding cake.

  “Ready,” Melissa chirped, grabbing the other side of the stand. They lifted on three and carefully navigated the space, not breathing until it was safely on the table.

  Bella stepped back, wiped her forehead on a towel. “Damn. I did good.”

  Melissa snorted, but she was smiling. “Hell, yes, you did.” A beat. “You now know this will never end, right? You’ll be baking Darlington’s wedding cakes for all eternity.”

  Bella grinned over at her. “I can live with that.”

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see another text from Henry.

  Melissa rolled her eyes. “That man needs to chill.”

  Bella hardly heard her because the text wasn’t checking up on her. Instead, it said:

  Our place. Sunset?

  She grinned.

  I’ll be there.

  Another buzz.

  Will you bring me cake?

  But before she could type out a response, he had her bursting out into laughter at a GIF he sent of a puppy with a surprisingly innocent face surrounded by the evidence of his decidedly not innocent playtime with a roll of toilet paper.

  Funny you ask because I might have made an extra pan.

  Her cell vibrated.

  I’ll bring the forks.

  “Okay,” Melissa said, “I take it back. The man is good. Too good.”

  Bella happened to agree and loved him all the more for it. “I think I’m going to take off. Can you—?”

  Melissa made a shooing movement. “Get out of here before you miss the sunset.”

  Bella grinned and waved, stopping only to pick up the smaller cake she’d made for Henry. Then she drove to his spot and carri
ed it up to where he waited at the top of the hill, two forks in hand.

  She knew what it cost him to not hover, to give her the space to go about her life without a babysitter when part of him was still always on edge about her safety.

  “How’d you get here?” She’d only just gotten her license and had borrowed his car to drop off the cake.

  He slid an arm around her waist. “Justin,” he said and nudged her down to their rock. She was shocked to see he’d gone through the trouble of laying out a blanket and basket. There was even a candle in the center. “Not the most practical place for a picnic,” he told her, pulling the cake from her hands and setting it on top before lifting her up. “But I couldn’t resist.”

  Practical or not, it was both beautiful and sweet.

  “Please, tell me there’s Cobb salad in that basket.”

  Henry smirked. “We need something to counter all the sugar you keep forcing me to eat.”

  A snort. “Forcing. Ha.” But she’d already opened the basket and was digging out a container of her favorite salad. “Oh, thank you. I’m starving.” She scooped up a giant bite, shoved it in her mouth—

  He lifted a hand. “Wait—”

  Crunch.

  She winced. He winced.

  “I was going to . . .”

  Bella lifted a napkin to her mouth, deposited the object that had nearly cracked her tooth inside of it.

  “I figured you’d see it in the slice of egg.”

  She stared down at the ring, a simple band with a diamond in its center. “I didn’t,” she whispered.

  “Bella.” Her eyes met his. “I wished for this five years ago. And I know it’s fast and so much has happened in so short a time now. But what I’ve learned from my dad, from you, from us is that we have to grab on to our chances for happiness with two hands.” He swallowed. “Will you marry me? It doesn’t have to be today or even this year but—”

  “Shut up.” Bella laughed at the expression on his face as she wiped the ring clean. “I love you. Of course, I’ll marry you. Today, tomorrow, or next year. I just want a life with you, Henry Miller, however we end up making it work.” A beat. “Now, put this damned ring on my finger and kiss me.”