FIRST LOVE, SECOND CHANCE

Maribel McCray knew moving back to Horseshoe, Texas, would mean facing Elias Rebel, the cowboy she was forbidden to love in high school. She just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. With her teenage son, Chase, in trouble, she needs Elias’s help. He may be a Rebel, sworn enemy of every McCray, but he’s also Chase’s father.

For the lone bachelor of the Rebel clan, there’s only one way to make up for lost years with his son—become a family for real. But Maribel’s distance runs deeper than the Rebel-McCray feud. Elias won’t settle for a marriage of convenience with the woman he’s falling for again. How can he convince Maribel some second chances are worth taking?

Cast of Characters

Kate Rebel: Matriarch of the Rebel family.

Falcon: The eldest son—the strong one. Reunited with his wife, Leah, and proud father of Eden and John.

Egan: The loner. Married to Rachel Hollister, daughter of the man who put him in jail. Son Justin.

Quincy: The peacemaker. Married to Jenny Walker, his childhood best friend. Daughter Martha Kate.

Elias: The fighter. Falls in love with the daughter of his family’s archenemy.

Paxton: The lover. Found his forever love with Remi Roberts and their adopted daughter, Annie.

Jude: The serious, responsible one. Back together with his first love, Paige Wheeler, and raising their son, Zane.

Phoenix: The youngest Rebel challenges his own family when he falls in love with the enemy—Rosemary McCray. Father of Jake.

Abraham (Abe) Rebel: Paternal grandfather.

Jericho Johnson: Egan’s friend from prison.

Dear Reader,

This is the seventh and last book in the Texas Rebels series. The stories are based on how the Rebel brothers deal with life and love after the death of their father.

Elias is the lone bachelor. Work, women and beer define Elias. He’s known to be tough as rawhide and says he’ll never get married and be tied down like his brothers. He enjoys his freedom. That is, until Maribel McCray returns to Horseshoe, Texas.

Maribel’s down on her luck and striving to put her life back together. She and Elias were attracted to each other in high school, but because of their feuding families they stayed away from each other. When Maribel’s son gets arrested, she asks Elias for help. He tells her she would have to give him a good reason for him to help her. She gives him one he’s not expecting and it turns his world upside down.

This is a story about second chances and things that could’ve been. A lot happens in this book and I hope it keeps you captivated to the big ending. It’s time to say goodbye to the Rebel family and the characters I’ve lived with for three years. It’s kind of sad, but my mind is moving forward to more characters and more books.

Until then, with love and thanks,

Linda

PS: You can email me at Lw1508@aol.com; send me a message on Facebook.com/lindawarrenauthor or on Twitter, @texauthor; write me at PO Box 5182, Bryan, TX 77805; or visit my website at lindawarren.net. Your mail and thoughts are deeply appreciated.

Texas Rebels: Elias

Linda Warren

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Two-time RITA® Award–nominated author LINDA WARREN has written over forty books for Harlequin. A native Texan, she’s a member of Romance Writers of America and the RWA West Houston chapter. Drawing upon her years of growing up on a ranch, she writes about some of her favorite things: Western-style romance, cowboys and country life. She married her high school sweetheart and they live on a lake in central Texas. He fishes and she writes. Works perfect.

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To my editor, Kathleen Scheibling, for her patience, understanding and support during a rough year. Thank you!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Cast of Characters

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Prologue

My name is Kate Rebel. I married John Rebel when I was eighteen years old and then bore him seven sons. We worked the family ranch, which John later inherited. We put everything we had into buying more land so our sons would have a legacy. We didn’t have much, but we had love.

The McCray Ranch borders Rebel Ranch on the east and the McCrays have forever been a thorn in my family’s side. They’ve cut our fences, dammed up creeks to limit our water supply, and shot one of our prize bulls. Ezra McCray threatened to shoot our sons if he caught them jumping his fences again. We tried to keep our boys away, but they are boys—young and wild.

One day Jude and Phoenix, two of our youngest, were out riding together. When John heard shots, he immediately went to find his boys. They lay on the ground, blood oozing from their heads. Ezra McCray was astride a horse twenty yards away with a rifle in his hand. John drew his gun and fired, killing Ezra instantly. Both boys survived with only minor wounds. Since my husband was protecting his children, he didn’t spend even one night in jail. This escalated the feud that still goes on today.

The man I knew as my husband died that day. He couldn’t live with what he’d done, and started to drink heavily. I had to take over the ranch and the raising of our boys. John died ten years later. We’ve all been affected by the tragedy, especially my sons.

They are grown men now and deal in different ways with the pain of losing their father. One day I pray my boys will be able to put this behind them and live healthy, normal lives with women who will love them the way I loved their father.

Chapter One

Elias: the fourth son—the fighter.

The cowboy’s last fight.

If hell froze over, Elias Rebel would be standing right there enjoying the cool breeze. Just about every woman in Horseshoe, Texas, over the age of eighteen and under the age of forty, had said those words to him at one time or another.

Work. Beer. Women. That defined Elias. A lot of people said he was different than his brothers. But he didn’t care what people thought. He was who he was, doing things his way and on his terms.

After a full day of work, Elias was dog tired and headed for Rowdy’s beer joint, his favorite place to unwind. He sat at a table with his booted feet propped on a chair, a cold Bud Light in his hand. With anticipation, he contemplated the bleached blonde in a corner booth. Tight skinny jeans clung to her rounded hips and long legs. A low-cut knit top hugged her breasts and he could see cleavage all the way to Dallas. Yep. Just his type.

There was just one small problem: the Dwayne Johnson–type guy sitting across from her. In jeans, boots, a leather vest and a T-shirt with a pack of cigarettes rolled up in a sleeve, the biker dude had tattoos running up his arms that made his bulging muscles more pronounced. With one blow the guy could probably kill him.

There was nothing Elias liked more than a good fight, especially if the prize was the blonde. But sometimes common sense prevailed, even with Elias.

She glanced his way and smiled. He lifted his beer in response. Things were looking up.

Just then the front door opened and the six o’clock June sunlight bolted into the dark bar like a flash of lightning. It was blinding. Elias blinked and turned his head toward the door. The woman silhouetted there had strawberry blonde hair and he would have known her anywhere. She sashayed her pretty butt to the bar to talk to Bob, the owner of Rowdy’s.

Forgetting the blonde, Elias got to his feet and made his way over to her. “Well, well, if it isn’t the long-lost Maribel McCray.”

“Go away, Elias,” she replied without even looking at him, the way she used to do in high school.

“Oh, she remembers my name and even my voice.”

“Go away, Elias,” she said again, still not looking at him. Her full attention was on Bob.

“Are you sure you haven’t seen him?” she asked Bob.

“No, Maribel. Young boys don’t come in here.”

Digging in the big purse slung over her shoulder, she pulled out a pen. She reached for a napkin and wrote on it, and then pushed it toward Bob. “That’s my number. Please call if you see him.”

“Sure thing, Maribel.” Bob eased the napkin toward himself. “It’s nice to have you back in Horseshoe.”

She turned and walked out without another word. If there was a sexier woman, Elias hadn’t met her. In school, with thick hair hanging down to her hips and a figure that was made for a young boy’s dreams, she had personified hotness. She hadn’t changed, except her hair was shorter and in a ponytail.

“What did she want?” Elias asked.

“She’s looking for her son.”

Elias rested his forearms on the bar, twirling his can of beer. “She has a son. She must’ve gotten married. Wonder where she’s been all these years.”

“I didn’t ask, Elias.”

In high school, Elias had had a big crush on Maribel, but she hadn’t given him the time of day, which was just as well since she was a McCray and he was a Rebel. There was something about attraction, though, that transcended family feuds.

She’d left school mysteriously in April before graduation and everyone had wondered what had happened to her. The rumor was she had gotten pregnant and her dad, Ira McCray, had kicked her out of the house. The other rumor was she’d run off to get married. The rumor mill in Horseshoe was alive and buzzing like bees around a honeypot. A lot of people had felt its sting. Even though Elias didn’t listen to rumors, he knew certain women thrived on them. That’s the way it was in a small town. But soon everyone had forgotten about Maribel McCray. What was she doing back in town?

Then it hit him. Elias’s brother Phoenix had married Rosemary McCray and Rosemary, or Rosie as everyone called her, was having a difficult pregnancy. She was confined to bed until the birth in late August. Maribel must’ve come home to help her sister. Funny, his brother had never mentioned it.

“Why are you so curious?” Bob asked, wiping a spot on the bar. Bob was a former marine, built solid and stout. Over six feet with a growl in his voice, not many patrons dared to question him when they were asked to leave, unless they were drunk as a skunk. “Since Phoenix and Paxton married McCrays, it’s been peaceful here in Horseshoe. I, for one, would like it to stay that way.”

Bob was right. The McCray women had infiltrated the Rebel family and everything was going smoothly. Elias hoped, like everyone in Horseshoe, that the feud was dying. A lot of bitterness and resentment still lingered on the McCray side. His father had shot Ezra McCray years ago in self-defense, and the McCrays had held on to revenge like the devil holds on to a sinner. Time was passing, though, and maybe old wounds were healing.

Bob placed his hands on the bar. “What are you doing in here so early?”

Elias took a swig from the can. “I’ve been up since four getting hay off the field. I came here to relax. Besides, it’s like a nursery at the ranch. Babies and pregnant women everywhere.”

“You’re the lone bachelor, Elias. When are you going to change that?”

Elias chuckled. “Never. I like my freedom.”

“Did I tell you Tammy Jo’s getting married?”

Elias looked at his beer and not at Bob. Tammy Jo was Bob’s only child and she and Elias had been an item for a couple of years, seeing each other when she’d come home from Austin. Bob had never found out. Tammy Jo had wanted to get married and Elias hadn’t, so their fun weekends had stopped. Part of him would miss Tammy Jo and the good times they’d had. But deep down he had known he wasn’t the man for her. He wasn’t sure if he was the man for any woman. Like he’d told Bob, he enjoyed his freedom and didn’t want to be tied down.

“She’s marrying an accountant and he has a good job in Austin. I hope they start having babies soon. My wife and I can’t wait for a grandchild.”

“Congratulations, Bob. You deserve a house full of grandkids.”

The biker couple got up and walked toward the door. The blonde looked back and smiled at Elias.

“That could get you killed,” Bob remarked.

“Ah, I can take him.”

“In your dreams.”

The door opened again and Wyatt Carson, the sheriff, walked in. Wyatt came straight to Elias. “Thought I might find you here.”

It wasn’t a good thing when the sheriff came looking for you. “What’s up?”

“I have a stack of parking tickets on my desk that need to be paid as soon as possible.”

“Wyatt.” Elias sighed. “You’re not going to bring that up again.”

The sheriff tipped back his hat. “It’s against the law to park in the fire zone at the courthouse. Yet you continue to do so despite my warnings and Stuart’s.”

“When was the last time you had a fire at the courthouse?”

“None that I can recall.”

“See? I’m not endangering anyone. The auto-parts store is right across the street and there’s never any parking. I park to the side and run to the store. It takes ten minutes, tops. But Stuart always manages to ticket my truck. Next time I see him I’m gonna put a knot on his head.”

“Then I’d have to arrest you.”

“Come on, Wyatt, what do you want from me?”

“I want you to pay the tickets, but I know you’re stubborn and you’re not going to do that. So I’ve got a better solution.”

“And what would that be?”

“I need someone to do undercover work.”

Elias laughed out loud and slapped the bar with his hand. “I’m not a cop and I don’t want to be one. That’s your job.”

“Okay, Elias, I’m going to give you a choice. Jail or undercover work. Teenage boys are stealing beer around Horseshoe. They’ve hit the grocery store, the convenience store and this place.”

Elias looked at Bob. “You didn’t mention that.”

Bob shrugged. “Wyatt said not to tell anyone because he wants to catch ’em.”

“Have you checked out the Kuntz boys, Wyatt?” If anything was stolen in Horseshoe, Freddie, his brother Scooter and cousin Leonard were always at the top of the list. They lived in a run-down trailer on the outskirts of town. Their mother worked nights in a bar and the boys were left to fend for themselves. Elias had given them rides. Sometimes late at night.

“It’s not them. The school called CPS and they’re checking into their home situation. But the mother always pulls a rabbit out of her hat at the last minute. The sister has now moved in and she’s supposed to be there for the boys at night. CPS has backed off, but I’m keeping a close eye on the boys. I was talking to them when I got the call about the convenience store.”

Elias sighed. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but what do you want me to do?”

“Keep an eye out while you’re in here.”

“Come on, Wyatt, I’m not ratting out kids.”

“They’re stealing. And that’s against the law and I’ve sworn to uphold the law.”

“You’re a stickler for right, aren’t you?”

Wyatt nodded. “Yes, I am. What’s your answer? Jail or undercover work?”

Elias knew he didn’t have much choice, but he would hold out to the last minute. “Exactly what do you want me to do?”

“I want you to watch the door. One of the boys is coming through the front and slipping past the bar to the back. He then opens the back door and lets the other two in and they take the beer and run. You have to stay sober and alert me if you see someone going into the back room. That’s it. I’ll take it from there. All you have to do is call if you see someone.”

“I don’t know.” He hated to turn on kids. He’d once been a wild teenager and beer had always been a temptation.

“Then I’ll have to arrest you. You can sit out your time and do community service. I believe the senior citizen center needs mopping and cleaning. That would be a good job for you.”

“Wyatt, it’s hay season on the ranch and—”

“I’ll sweeten the deal. When you have to go to the auto-parts store, you can park in the sheriff’s area.” He held up a finger. “But just ten minutes, and I’ll alert Stuart not to ticket you.”

Now there was a deal. He held out his hand. “Deal.”

Wyatt shook his hand. “Stay alert tonight and tomorrow. It’s usually Saturday night when they hit. Thanks.”

“Yeah, right.” Elias grimaced.

“Look at it this way,” Bob said. “You’ll be sitting down here instead of in a jail cell.”

Elias spent the evening watching the door and it was as much fun as watching grass grow. The night was slow and nothing was happening so at 10:30 p.m. he went home. He had a full day tomorrow and he needed some sleep. Getting into his truck, he felt a pang of...loneliness. It couldn’t be. He was never lonely, but sometimes lonely crept into his soul without warning.

AT SIX O’CLOCK the next evening, Elias came through the back door dirty and tired, hay stinging him around his collar and down the back of his shirt. He needed a shower and a beer. Grabbing one out of the refrigerator, he took a moment to pop the top.

“Elias?” Grandpa called.

He lived with his grandpa and was the official caretaker of the old man who aggravated him more than anyone. Quincy was Grandpa’s favorite and he’d usually done the caregiving until he got married. After that, somehow the responsibility for Grandpa fell on Elias’s shoulders. He wasn’t the nurturing kind, but he and Grandpa managed to get along.

He walked into the living room. Grandpa sat in his chair with his dog, Mutt, on his lap. Nearing eighty, Grandpa had snow-white hair and a booming voice known to stop his grandsons in their tracks.

“What’s up?”

Grandpa handed him the remote control. “Get the Western channel. I can’t find it.”

Elias took a deep breath. “I wrote it down—” he pointed to the pad on the end table by Grandpa “—right there.”

“Ah, if you don’t want to help me then don’t.” Grandpa tended to be grouchy at times and he liked being pampered.

Elias took the control and flipped it to the Western channel. “Satisfied?”

“Thank you.”

Elias shook his head. One little thing made his grandpa happy. He headed for the bathroom. “Are you going to Quincy’s for supper?” he asked over his shoulder. Quincy still helped with Grandpa, as did his other brothers.

“Yes, I’m waiting on him. He’s gonna pick me up so I don’t have to drive in the dark.”

Quincy lived across the pasture and it wasn’t that far from Grandpa’s house. Grandpa just liked the attention and that was fine. He had to get to Rowdy’s.

* * *

THIRTY MINUTES LATER, he was sitting at a table, watching the door on a Saturday night. It was like blowing up balloons, boring as hell. He looked around at the rustic beer joint where he spent a lot of his time. He never really noticed his surroundings. The joint had been in Horseshoe forever and had been run by several people. Bob had owned it for the past fifteen years. The worn hardwood floors and the jukebox were probably as old as Elias. The songs hadn’t changed in years. Neon beer signs decorated the back of the bar. Red booths lined one wall and had gray duct tape to cover the holes. Above the booths were posters of country music stars who had stopped by. In the back room, there was a pool table. A lot of guys hung out in there.

The place was filling up fast. Dee and Tracy, the waitresses, were working hard to keep up with the beer orders. Someone slipped a quarter in the jukebox and George Strait’s “A Fire I Can’t Put Out” came on. Two couples got up and started dancing. It was Saturday night at Rowdy’s.

Dee stopped by his table. “What are you doing over here by yourself?”

He held up his beer. “Drinking.”

“Want another?”

“Nah, I’m good.” He hadn’t drunk any of the beer. He wanted to be alert like Wyatt had said. The trouble was Wyatt could never tell if Elias was drunk or not. Elias could hold his beer. Everyone knew that. But tonight, for once, he was following the rules. He should write that down on a calendar somewhere.

Couples were still coming in the door and there wasn’t much room for anybody else. Suddenly he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Two couples were standing at the door and there seemed to be someone behind them. Then the figure was gone. Elias got up and went through the swinging half-door of the bar to the back room. Peering around the corner, he saw a guy open the back door. This was it.

He pulled out his phone and called Wyatt. “They’re here.”

“Don’t do anything, Elias. I’m on my way.”

Elias tucked his phone back into his pocket, walked out the front door and made his way around to the back. He crouched in the bushes and watched as three figures carried beer through the wooded area to a vehicle. Elias crept closer. The kids were laughing as they stored the beer in the back of an SUV.

“I slipped in and out and that old coot never saw me,” one bragged.

Another one said, “Now we can par-ty.”

Wyatt had better hurry or the kids were going to be gone. Just then headlights flashed from the right and from the left. Sirens blared as they pulled up to the SUV. Wyatt’s patrol car was in the back and Stuart’s in the front. The car revved up and the kid tried to go around Stuart’s car, but Stuart pulled his car over and blocked him.

Wyatt got out of his car with a megaphone. “Turn off the engine. Turn off the engine. Now!”

In response, the kid revved it up again and tried to go around Stuart’s car without any luck.

“Get out of the car!” Wyatt shouted. “If you don’t get out, I’m going to shoot out the tires. You have thirty seconds.”

No response.

Wyatt pulled his gun from his holster. The driver’s door of the SUV slowly opened and a kid crawled out with a hoodie over his head. Two other kids crawled out from the other side.

“Line up against the car,” Wyatt ordered, still holding the gun in his hand. “Frisk them,” he said to Stuart.

Stuart did as he was told. “No weapons.”

Wyatt shoved his gun into his holster and pulled a flashlight from his car. He shined the light in the first boy’s face. “Brandon Polansky, your parents are going to be proud of you.”

The thing about a small town was everyone knew everyone, and Wyatt knew the people better than most.

Wyatt stepped over to the second boy. “Billy Tom Wentz, this is going to be a shock to your parents and your grandfather.”

Billy Tom hung his head.

Before Wyatt could reach the third boy, he leaped over the hood of the car and bolted for the woods. Elias reached out with one arm and snagged him, wrestling him to the ground. The kid came up fighting with both arms. He was skinny and tall, but he didn’t have much strength. Elias grabbed him by the front of his hoodie and squeezed. The boy continued to beat at Elias with his fist.

“Keep it up and I’ll choke the life out of you. Got it?” His hand tightened even more and the boy gasped for breath and stopped struggling.

Wyatt ran up to them, breathing heavily. “You got him?”

“Yeah. You’re a little out of breath there, Wyatt.”

Wyatt slipped handcuffs on the boy, ignoring Elias, and led him back to the group without another word being said. In the darkness, it was hard to see expressions but Elias knew Wyatt was sending him one of his custom-made cold stares.

Elias trailed behind Wyatt and the kid, eager to see how this turned out. Stuart had handcuffs on the other two boys still standing against the car. Wyatt led the kid back to his spot.

Looking at the boy closely, Wyatt said, “I don’t believe I know you. Are you new in town?”

“None of your business,” the boy spat.

Wyatt tapped his badge with the flashlight. “You see that? That means I’m the sheriff of this county and when you rob places and run from the law, it becomes my business. What’s your name?”

“Get out of my face.”

Elias had had enough of the kid’s mouth. He needed an attitude adjustment. Before he could stop himself, he stepped in front of Wyatt and faced the kid. “You need to learn some manners and respect and if you don’t, I’m going to teach them to you. When the sheriff asks you a question you say, ‘yes, sir’ or ‘no, sir,’ and when he asks you a direct question you answer it. Got it?”

A palpable heat emanated from the boy. And anger.

“You already know that I’m stronger than you, so give it up, kid. It’s time to face the music.”

The boy’s stubborn expression reminded Elias of someone, but he couldn’t place it. Invisible daggers from Wyatt pierced his back, so he stepped aside.

“What’s your name?” Wyatt asked again.

The boy raised his head and stared at Elias. “My name is...Chase...McCray.”

“I know all the McCray boys and you’re not one of them,” Wyatt pointed out.

“I’m not from here nor do I want to be a part of the McCrays. My mom and I moved here two weeks ago.”

“Who’s your mother?”

“Maribel McCray.”

That got Elias’s attention. This was the kid she’d been looking for—a wild teenager out of control.

“Read them their rights and take them to the jail!” Wyatt shouted to Stuart.

“It was all my idea,” Chase said. “Don’t punish them. It’s all on me.”

Wyatt placed his hands on his hips. “A few minutes ago you were willing to run away, leaving your friends holding the bag. Now you’re trying to protect them?”

The kid glanced at Elias again and replied, “Yes...sir.”

“Okay, we’re going to the jail and we’ll discuss this with your parents.”

The boys had nothing to say.

“Call Bubba to tow this car,” Wyatt called after Stuart.

“I’m on it.”

Wyatt pulled off his hat and scratched his head, staring at Elias. “I’m trying to figure out what you’re doing here, but then I know you and sometimes I wonder if you’re ever going to grow up. I don’t manhandle kids, Elias, and that was totally out of line.”

The ruts on Wyatt’s forehead were deep enough to hold molasses. But Wyatt’s ire didn’t faze Elias. He leaned against the patrol car. “Well, my daddy always taught me when you start a job, you finish it. And if I hadn’t been here, that kid would be halfway to Temple by now.”

“I would have caught him, Elias.”

“Yeah, right.”

Wyatt opened the back of the SUV. “Help me put this beer in the back of my car. Their parents will want to see the evidence.”

“You’re good at giving orders.”

“Comes with the job.”

“Uh-huh.”

They stored the beer in Wyatt’s back seat. “Do you know Maribel McCray?”

“Yeah. I went to high school with her. She was always snotty when I tried to talk to her.”

Wyatt closed the back of the SUV. “How did you expect her to be? The Rebel/McCray feud was strong back then.”

“True. She left town without even graduating. I guess she’s finally come home.”

“Do you know where she’s living?”

“Now, Wyatt, the less I know about the McCrays, the better off I am.”

Wyatt opened the driver’s door of his car. “It’s been peaceful lately with the McCrays marrying into the Rebel family. But I have a feeling this kid is going to stir it all up again.”

Elias tapped Wyatt’s badge with his finger. “You’re the sheriff. You can handle it.” With a smile, Elias walked through the woods to Rowdy’s. He went inside and locked the back door. Bob came charging in, wiping his hands on his apron.

“Did Wyatt catch ’em?”

“Yes, he did. They’re on their way to jail.”

“Is it anybody I know?”

Elias told him about the boys.

Bob shook his hand. “What were they thinking?”

“The new kid in town is a bad influence.”

“Maribel’s boy?”

“Yeah. Do you still have her phone number?”

Bob hurried into the bar area and came back with the napkin. Elias slipped it into his pocket, and headed for the jail.

This time Maribel wasn’t going to ignore him.

Chapter Two

Maribel rushed through the sheriff’s door, a total wreck. She hadn’t even bothered to comb her hair, which in hindsight she should have. It had a natural curl and seemed to be everywhere. Taking a deep breath, she tucked it behind her ears.

She’d been looking for Chase all night and had been unable to find him. She’d let him take her car and he’d promised to be home by ten o’clock. When he wasn’t, Phoenix had let her borrow Rosie’s truck. She’d searched all over town to no avail, and then the sheriff had called.

This was so unlike her son. He was a good kid, but she knew he was still angry about the move from Dallas. At seventeen, he thought the world revolved around him. That was her fault. She’d spoiled him. Her world was crumbling around her and she wasn’t sure what to do next. First thing, she had to find a job because they couldn’t continue to live with Rosie and Phoenix. Chase’s disruptive behavior was causing problems and Maribel didn’t want the stress to affect her sister, so she had to find a place for her and Chase. But she had bigger problems now.

She stepped into a small reception area that had a desk and filing cabinets, but no one was there. The hall opened into a big room. Two desks were empty and a deputy sat at another, writing in a folder. To the left, in a separate room, was the sheriff’s office. The nameplate on the open door said Wyatt Carson—Sheriff. He was a nice-looking man, probably in his early forties. She didn’t remember him, but she remembered the Carson family.

With every ounce of courage she had left in her, she walked up to his desk, ignoring Elias, who was sitting in a chair. What was he doing here?

“Where’s my son?” she blurted out.

The sheriff got to his feet and nodded toward a hall and she could see the bars of a jail cell. “He’s in there.”

Her breath caught in her throat, but she quickly straightened her back to regain her composure. Doing so, she realized she hadn’t introduced herself. She held out her hand. “I’m Maribel McCray.”

He shook her hand. “Wyatt Carson.”

“What has he done?” She decided to go with patience and politeness instead of anger.

“He was arrested with two other boys for stealing beer from Rowdy’s and two other places.”

She shook her head. “No, you must have the wrong boy. My kid is—”

“—a good kid,” he finished for her. “I’ve had two other parents tell me the same thing tonight, but I assure you, your son was involved. Actually, he confessed to being the ringleader.”

Her stomach tied into a knot so tight she had trouble speaking. Chase was never in trouble. She licked her dry lips. “May I see him?”

The sheriff picked up a set of keys from his desk. “Sure, but leave your purse here.”

She placed her purse on the desk, fully aware that Elias was watching her every move. It surprised her that he wasn’t saying anything. Elias always had an opinion. She followed the sheriff, continuing to ignore Elias, which was her normal reaction when she saw him. Her shoulders burned from his sharp gaze.

The sheriff unlocked the steel doors and they banged with a chilling sound. Goose bumps popped up on her arms. There were two cots in the room and that was it. Chase lay on one of them. When he saw her, he jumped to his feet, his eyes bracketed with fear. Her heart squeezed at the sight. Where had she gone wrong?

When the sheriff walked away, she sat on the bunk and Chase sat beside her. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

Words rolled around in her head like loose marbles and she couldn’t pull them together to complete a sentence. She’d never been this scared in her whole life, not even when she’d been seventeen and pregnant. An angel had been watching over her and had delivered her into the hands of Mrs. Lavinia Wainwright, otherwise known as Miss Vennie—but she was Nana to her and Chase.

When her dad had discovered she was pregnant, he’d kicked her out of the house. Her mother had wrung her hands and cried, but never lifted a finger to help her. Instead, she’d shoved money into her hand and had told her to go to Mrs. Peabody’s, an elderly lady in town who rented rooms. But Maribel knew she couldn’t stay in Horseshoe, listening to the gossip and the rumors.

Mrs. Peabody had sent her to Dallas to stay with her sister, Miss Vennie. That was the luckiest day of Maribel’s life, except for the day Chase was born. Miss Vennie had a big house in Dallas and she had accepted Maribel with open arms. Maribel had learned about love and trust and family and she’d found a home like she’d never had before.

Miss Vennie had treated Chase as if he were her own son. While Maribel had worked, Miss Vennie had taken care of Chase and Maribel hadn’t needed to worry about him. For years they’d had a good life. Then Miss Vennie had died and Maribel’s whole world had come apart once again. They had to move out of the house because it was mortgaged to the hilt. She’d rented an apartment and everything had been going smoothly until she’d lost her job. She’d been scrambling, looking for work when Rosie had called and she knew then it was time to go home. Now she was wondering if that had been the right decision.

“Mom, aren’t you going to say anything? I know you’re disappointed in me...”

Words suddenly filled her throat. “Yes, I’m very disappointed in you. Where’s my kid? I don’t know this kid who steals beer. My kid sat by Nana’s bedside and read her Bible verses to comfort her in her last days. My kid served food during the holidays at the homeless shelter. That’s my kid.” She looked around the dismal cinder block cell. “I don’t know this kid behind bars.”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I want to go home to Dallas. I don’t like it here.”

“Is that what this is all about? You think you can manipulate me into moving back to Dallas?”

Chase hung his head.

“We can’t go back. There’s nothing left for us there. I couldn’t find a job, which means I have to find work here, and you’re not making it easy for us. I’ll have to use some of the money I saved to get you out of here.”

Chase’s eyes grew round. “You mean the sheriff is thinking of keeping me in here?”

“Yes. Stealing is against the law. I thought my straight-A student son would know that.”

“Mom, I didn’t hurt anybody.”

She was aghast at his attitude. “Is that how you look at it? Well, you did hurt someone. You hurt Bob, the owner of Rowdy’s. That’s how he makes his living, selling beer, and when you stole from him, it cut into his profits.”

“I just want to go home to Dallas and my old school in August. I’m a good football player and no one is going to notice me here in this small town. I won’t get recruited and I won’t get to play in the NFL. That’s been my goal my whole life and now it’s all ruined. How could you bring us here?”

She took a deep breath, trying to think of words that would get through to him. “Young guys with a record don’t get recruited, either.”

“What?”

“I told you stealing is a crime and it will go on your record if I can’t get it removed.”

“Mom, you have to do something.”

“You know, Chase, you’re seventeen years old and it’s time you started acting like it instead of a spoiled little boy.”

“If you get me out of here, I promise to do better. I just...”

“I know. You don’t like it here. But in life you don’t get everything you like. Right now, my main concern is putting food in our mouths and a roof over our heads. That’s what’s important, Chase. We have to move out of Phoenix’s house because of your disruptive behavior. And I wanted to be there for my sister.”

“They don’t like me.”

“Have you given them a chance? Instead of being moody, you could offer to help every now and then. And you could play with Jake.”

Chase frowned. “He’s a baby.”

“So? It’s called helping out and being glad someone took us in.” She got to her feet. “I have to sort this mess out.” She looked at him with his hunched shoulders and that frown etched on his face. It seemed to be permanent. “You know who else would be disappointed to see you in this cell?”

He buried his face in his hands. “Nana,” he mumbled.

“Yes, think about that.” Maribel walked to the steel bars and a deputy opened it for her. With more enthusiasm than she was feeling she went straight to the sheriff’s office. Elias was still sitting in the chair and she ignored him as best as she could.

“What do I have to do to get my son out of jail?”

The sheriff leaned back in his chair. “Miss McCray, I’m not inclined to do that.”

She curled one hand into a fist. “Why not? I didn’t see the other boys in there so you must have let them go. Why is my boy different?”

“When we caught them, your boy ran. The others didn’t.”

What! She tried not to let the shock show on her face but she feared she’d failed. She was at a loss at what to do, but she couldn’t leave her son in jail. There had to be a way.

She bit her lip. “Don’t you usually set bail?”

The sheriff leaned forward. “Usually. Ralph, the bail bondsman, is next door but he’s asleep at home at this hour and I don’t feel obligated to call him. I think a night in jail might help your son realize how serious his actions were.”

“Please.” Begging was not in her nature, but at this point she had no other choice.

“Okay.” He opened a drawer and pulled out a ledger. “I can set bail. I do that a lot, small town and all, and that keeps Ralph from trudging up here in the middle of the night.”

“Thank you.”

“A thousand dollars should guarantee that he doesn’t run and that he’ll be at the hearing on Monday. And it should cover everything they’ve stolen.”

A ball of fear wedged inside her chest. “I can’t afford that. Can’t you just release him into my custody? I’ll make sure he stays in line and I won’t let him have the car anymore.”

“Normally I would do that, but you see, I don’t know you or your son. I could release him into your care and in no time you could be out of state and the other two boys would take the fall for the crime.”

“I wouldn’t do that. My sister is here and I wouldn’t leave her, either.”

“I’m sorry, Miss McCray, but that’s the deal. Your boy has an attitude and a sarcastic mouth. He needs to learn a lesson and he needs to learn it now. That’s just my advice to you.”

He wasn’t going to relent. There was no way she could leave her son in jail. Yes, he deserved it. But she was a mother and a mother always fought for her kid, no matter what. Which meant she would have to do something now she’d sworn she would never do.

There was a saying about paying the piper. She had never quite understood what that meant, but suddenly she did. She would now have to pay for everything that had happened in the last seventeen years and she would have to pay with her pride.

She sucked air into her tight chest and turned to Elias. “Can I see you outside for a minute?” Without waiting for an answer, she walked confidently toward the receptionist’s desk. Behind her she could hear:

“Was she talking to me?” Elias asked.

“I think she was,” the sheriff replied.

She paused long enough to make sure Elias was following her. She went through the door and the warm June breeze kissed the heat of her cheeks. A faint hum of traffic from the interstate broke the early morning silence. Fading moonlight and the ancient streetlights provided illumination. She walked toward one of the old live oak trees that shaded the courthouse, and sat on the bench beneath it.

Words rolled around in her head again and she desperately searched for the right ones to start the conversation. It wouldn’t be easy, but nothing in life for her had been.

Elias sat beside her and she wanted to move away. He was too close for her comfort zone. In high school, they were always looking at each other, but they both knew that’s all they could do. With their feuding families, there was no way they could ever go out on a date or even socialize. That’s just the way it was. But she had always thought he was the most handsome guy in school. Tall and lanky with an attitude that bespoke confidence, he had a daredevil approach to life that had been exciting for a young girl.

Nothing was said for a few seconds. “You wanted to talk, so talk,” he said. “But before you start, I just want you to know I’m not loaning you any money.”

“Elias, I need help, and I’ll pay you back.”

“Do you have a job?”

She forced herself not to fidget. “No, not yet, but I will soon.”

“I’m not in the habit of loaning people money, especially if they don’t have a job. And for the record, Wyatt was right. Your kid needs to learn a lesson.”

“You don’t even know my kid.”

“I think I do. I’m the one who tackled him when he ran off.”

“You did what?”

“He ran, Maribel, from the law, and they will stick him good for that.”

She turned on the seat to face him, not caring how close she was. “You can’t let that happen. His whole future is ahead of him. He made a mistake because he’s upset about the move from Dallas. You see, he’s a good football player and he wants to play in the NFL. He thinks all his dreams have been ruined because he won’t be playing for a big school. Instead, he’ll be playing here in Horseshoe. He’s mad and that’s my fault. I shouldn’t have uprooted him.”

“So the stealing thing was his stupid attempt to get you to move back to Dallas?”

“Yes.”

He rested his forearms on his knees and clasped his hands. “I don’t understand why you’re telling me this or asking me for money. You have family here and I should be the last person you’d ask since you wouldn’t even speak to me earlier at Rowdy’s, just like in high school.”

“Things had to be that way in high school.”

He rubbed his hands together. “I know.”

“I can’t ask my family. None of them have tried to make contact since I’ve been home and I can’t ask Phoenix and Rosie. They have their own problems right now and I don’t want to cause them any extra worry.”

“But why me?”

She kept talking because she didn’t want to answer that question and with luck she wouldn’t have to. “I have an interview with Gladys at the diner and I feel sure she’s going to hire me.”

“For minimum wage?”

“Yes, but it’s a start.”

“What did you do in Dallas?”

“At first, waitress. Then after I got my high school diploma, I attended a junior college and took restaurant management courses. That enabled me to get a better job and I worked my way up the ladder to being a manager of an upscale restaurant. I can start over again and I can pay you so much each week.”

“I could be married, Maribel. Have you ever thought of that? My wife wouldn’t like me throwing my money away, and investing in your kid is like throwing money away.”

“You’re not married,” she stated with confidence.

“How do you know that?”

“Because no one would marry you.”

“Really? Is that the way you talk to a man you’re asking for money from?”

“You’re wild and crazy, Elias, and everyone knows it. There’s not a woman in this town who could tame you.”

“You got that right.”

“Remember that time you brought beer to school and Bubba and another boy got drunk and you tried to jump off the roof as a superhero? Someone told the principal and he came out and told you to get off the roof. You jumped and fell right on him.”

“My shirt wasn’t a very good cape.”

“See, young guys do crazy things and that’s what Chase is doing now. I just need your help to get him out of this so he won’t have a record. Please, Elias.” Begging was getting easier, especially when it concerned her son.

He rested against the back of the bench and stretched out his long legs. “Give me a good reason I should loan you money.”

“I’ll pay you back. Why do I have to give you a reason? Just call it—”

He wagged a finger in her face. “Don’t call it a friend thing because we were never friends.”

“Why do you have to be so...?”

“Crazy?”

“Yes. Why can’t you just help me? Do something good for a change.”

“Give me a reason, Maribel. A very good reason to part with my money.”

They were going around in circles and she was growing weary. He wanted a reason and she could give him a good one, but it would take a slice of her pride just like she’d known in the sheriff’s office. She would have to say the words out loud for the first time in her life. She would have to say them to Elias. There was no other way.

Her stomach cramped tight. “You want a reason? I’ll give you one.”

“Let’s hear it.”

The words stuck in her throat. She swallowed, trying to force them out. But they were trapped in the mind of that seventeen-year-old girl who had run instead of facing the gossip and the rumors and a man she barely knew. Life had come full circle and she had to say the words she should’ve said years ago.

“You’re...his father.”

Chapter Three

Elias laughed so hard it startled the pigeons roosting on the top of the courthouse. “Wow, Maribel, you had to reach deep for that one.”

“It’s true.”

He shook his head. “No way am I that kid’s father. You’re not going to pull that on me.”

“Are you losing your memory, Elias?”

“No, my memory is fine, thank you.”

“Then you’ll remember that evening in February when I had a flat tire and you stopped to help me. It was drizzling rain and it started to sleet and you suggested we get in your truck until it let up. Remember that?”

Every day of my life since.

He shifted uncomfortably on the bench. “One time, Maribel, and we used a condom. So you can stop right now.”

“Condoms don’t work all the time.”

Elias remembered when his brother Phoenix had received the news that he was the father of a two-year-old boy. Phoenix had been surprised because he’d said they’d used a condom, but Jake was very much alive and Phoenix’s. No, no, no, she wasn’t going to pull this on him. No way was that kid his. He would know, wouldn’t he? The doubts circled like buzzards and they began to peck at his brain. He didn’t like that. He was happy with his life and he didn’t need all this drama. She was a McCray and she was yanking his chain. That had to be the explanation. She just wanted him to pay the fine.

“That was in early February and you didn’t leave town until late April. You obviously slept with someone else in the intervening time.”

“Have you really looked at Chase?”

“What?”

“Go look at him, Elias, and come back and tell me he’s not your son. And I won’t say another word.”

She was playing him like a pro but he wasn’t falling for it. “There’s no need for me to look at him.”

“Are you scared?”

“No. He’s not my kid.”

“Then go look at him. If he’s not yours, what are you afraid of?”

He got to his feet, knowing there was only one way to make her stop with all the nonsense. “Okay, and this will be the end of it.”

“Yes.”

As he walked back into the sheriff’s office, the air held a faint moistness from the early morning dew. Where had the night gone? He should be crawling out of bed, getting ready with his brothers for another day of baling and hauling hay. Yet, here he was, stuck in a nightmare.

He and Maribel had always liked each other and that night in February, sitting in his truck, things had gotten out of control. And not just him. They both had experienced something they didn’t want to talk about or admit out loud, so they didn’t. Afterward, they’d decided they would never see or talk to each other again. It was mutual. It was over. And now... There was just no way.

Wyatt noticed him walking toward the cells. “Elias, what are you doing?”

“Just give me a minute.”

“I’m ready to go home and I don’t have time to deal with all this nonsense.”

“Just a minute, Wyatt.”

Elias stopped in front of the cell and Chase jumped up from the cot. “What do you want?”

Elias stared at the kid, the dark hair, the dark eyes and the lean, lanky frame. He took a couple steps backward as the truth hit him like a sucker punch, almost bringing him to his knees. It was like looking in a mirror when he was that age. All that arrogance, all that anger and all that resentment was him back then. It took the strong hand of his father to turn him around and even then Elias had fought him all the way. He saw all that in the eyes of the kid staring back at him. Oh, man!

For some reason he pulled out his phone and took a step toward the cell. He stuck his arm through the bars and snapped a picture of Chase’s face.

“What are you doing? You can’t take a picture of me. That has to be illegal and you need my permission.”

“Give it a rest, kid.”

Wyatt grabbed Elias’s arm and pulled him away. “What are you doing?”

“I’m not sure, but you better stick around because I’m going back outside and I just might kill Maribel McCray.”

“Elias...”

Elias hit the door at full speed and didn’t even pause when Wyatt called again. He went straight to Maribel with fire in his belly. “I could strangle the life right out of you and I still might. How could you keep something like that from me? And don’t say it was because I’m a Rebel. That’s not gonna wash.”

“I tried,” came out low, but he heard it.

“How? And when?”

“I was sick in the mornings and my dad figured out I was pregnant. He demanded to know who the father was. I wouldn’t tell him. If I had, he would have killed you. He took out his belt and beat me with it, insisting that I tell him. When he realized I wasn’t going to, he told me to get out of the house and to never come back. He called me a slut.”

Some of the anger eased from Elias as he started to see the past from her point of view. His parents had never hit them and he couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for a young girl to be hit time and time again.

“I got in my truck and drove away. I paid for the truck myself from working at the bakery so he couldn’t take that away from me. I didn’t know where to go or what to do, but as I was leaving my mom shoved three hundred dollars in my hand and told me to go to Mrs. Peabody’s.”

Elias sat on the bench beside her as she continued to talk. “As I was driving away, I thought I wasn’t the only one who had created this baby and you needed to know you were going to be a father. I went to Rebel Ranch to find you.”

Elias sat up straight. “You went to the ranch?”

“Yes. Your grandfather answered the door and when he saw me he called for your mother. The moment she saw me she demanded to know what I wanted. I told her I wanted to see Elias and she told me I wasn’t seeing her son.” Maribel wiped at her face.

Was she crying? Oh, no. He couldn’t stand it when women cried. He just held his breath and waited for more because he knew there was no way his mother would have turned away a Rebel grandchild.

“She then asked me why I wanted to see you and I had no choice. I had to tell her. I hoped she’d let me see you then, but that hope was short-lived. She said, ‘Get out of my house and if you spread that rumor around Horseshoe, I will have you arrested.’”

“Nah.” Elias shook his head. “You had me up until then. My mom wouldn’t do that. I know that beyond any doubt.”

“I’m not lying, Elias. Ask your grandfather. He was there. He even said, ‘Kate, you need to listen to the girl.’ She told him to shut up and that was it. I ran to my truck and drove straight to Mrs. Peabody’s. I told Mrs. Peabody I had nowhere to go. She said she would find me a place away from Horseshoe. She called her sister in Dallas who said I could stay with her until I got on my feet. I went to the bakery and picked up my paycheck and told Doris I wouldn’t be coming back. I drove away, leaving everything behind—the heartache, the pain and my family.”

Elias rubbed his hands together, trying to believe what she was saying. His mother’s part in this he didn’t believe, just yet. It didn’t ring true for the woman he knew, the mother who always stood up for her children and fought for them. He’d deal with that later. Right now, he was grappling with the fact that he had a child, an out-of-control son.

“I’ll pay you back, Elias. I just can’t let my son stay in jail.”

Elias got to his feet. “I’m not spending one dime to get that kid out of jail.” He headed back to the sheriff’s office with Maribel behind him.

“You don’t mean that!”

She followed him straight into the sheriff’s office. “Elias, please.”

“I need to talk to you, Wyatt.”

“Elias.” Wyatt sighed. “It’s five o’clock in the morning. I’m going home and whatever you want to talk about we can do it on Monday.”

“We have to do it now.”

Wyatt stared right at him. “Why?”

“You asked me for a favor and now I’m asking you for one.”

Wyatt laid down the pen he was holding. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but what favor?”

“I want you to release Chase McCray into my custody without any money changing hands.”

Wyatt gave a chuckle. “I think you’re sleep deprived. I’m not releasing Chase McCray to anyone. He stays in jail.”

“You released the other two boys into the custody of their parents.”

“Yes, because I know them and I know they’ll be in court on Monday morning.”

“You know me, too, don’t you, Wyatt?”

“Too well. And I know once you get something in your mind you never let it go, just like an old hound dog.”

“So you know I’m not stopping until you release him into my custody.”

Wyatt sighed again. “Elias, why is this kid so important to you?”

He took a deep breath and said the words for the first time: “He’s my son.”

“What?” Wyatt frowned and looked from Elias to Maribel. “You mean you and Maribel were a thing in high school?”

“Yes. It happened one time and we both knew that because of our families we couldn’t be together and we never saw each other again. I didn’t know Maribel was pregnant and she told me for the first time tonight. So, are you going to let my kid go or not?”

Wyatt ran his hands through his hair. “Holy cow. This is just what I need. I knew something was going on with this kid and now the Rebel/McCray feud is going to get stirred up all over again.”

“You don’t have to worry about Chase running. I’ll stick to him like butter on a biscuit. I’ll have him at the courthouse on time for the hearing. And you know I always keep my word.”

“I just can’t release someone because you ask me to.”

Elias leaned over and tapped Wyatt’s badge on his khaki shirt. “You’re the sheriff and you can do anything you want. I’ve seen you do it many times and no one has questioned you. The people in this community trust you to make the right decisions.”

Wyatt reached for the keys. “Damn it! I’m going to release him into your custody and if he does one little thing and is not there for the hearing—” Wyatt pointed to the jail cell “—you’ll be sitting in that cell.”

“Got it.” Elias took the keys from Wyatt. “I want to talk to him first.”

“No,” Maribel spoke up. “I’ll tell him. He needs to hear it from me.”

Elias faced the woman who’d just driven an ice pick through his heart. “I will tell him. You had the opportunity for seventeen years and now it’s my turn. He needs to hear this from me—his father.”

“I need to do this,” Maribel insisted.

He shook his head. “Not gonna happen. That kid has an attitude and he’s going to learn respect and manners and he’s going to learn it from me.”

Wyatt coughed.

Elias looked at his friend. “You think I can’t do it?”

“I just want to go home. Whatever you do with your child is your business. But I’ll say one thing for you, Elias. You’ve always shown me respect, even when you were in the wrong.”

“Elias...” Maribel called after him as he walked away to the cell. Chase lay on the cot with his hands behind his head. He slowly sat up when he saw Elias entering the cell.

“What do you want?”

Elias sat on a cot, facing his son and he couldn’t stop staring at him and reliving the memories that churned inside him. That night when he had come upon Maribel fixing a flat, he thought all his prayers had been answered. There had been an electricity between them for some time and he had just wanted to talk to her, away from school, away from their families. She’d accepted his help graciously and then they had scrambled into his truck to get away from the sleet.

Breathing the same air as Maribel had been as intoxicating as any beer he’d ever had. She’d smelled of strawberries, and being young and stupid and besotted he’d thought it was because of her strawberry colored hair. He’d loved being close to her. Her hair had been wet and he’d grabbed an old jacket from the back seat and had helped to rub it dry. When he’d touched her skin, her soft skin, something had happened to both of them and they’d kept on touching each other. One kiss had led to another and before either of them could stop, they were ripping off clothes and getting warm in an old familiar way.

She was the sexiest girl he’d ever touched. He remembered every emotion he had felt that night. It was like a movie in his head and he could bring it up at the oddest of times. Her moans, her smile, her long hair all around him. He remembered it almost every day of his life. And he regretted it almost every day of his life. Now, he was staring at the results of that night. The child they’d created, not in love but in passion. A powerful passion. And after it was gone, the only thing that had remained was the regrets.

“Are you just gonna stare at me, or what?”

“What has your mother told you about your father?”

“What? That’s none of your business.”

“You know we had this talk about manners and respect. Do we need to have it again?”

Chase frowned. “Are you a deputy, or what?”

“Or what.”

“Why do you want to know about my dad?”

“I’m just curious. Your mom is trying to get you out of jail and...”

Chase tried to see around the bars. “Is she talking to the sheriff?”

“Yes, he wants a thousand dollars upfront to make sure you don’t run or leave town.”

“My mom doesn’t have that kind of money.”

“Maybe your dad does.”

“I don’t know who he is. Mom doesn’t talk about him. The only thing she told me was that he was someone in high school, someone she shouldn’t have gotten involved with. He wasn’t ready to be a father and she had to raise me alone. She never told him about me, and that’s okay. We had Nana.”

“Who’s Nana?”

“She’s my grandmother, or the lady who took my mother in when she was pregnant. She became my grandmother and she loved both of us. It hasn’t been the same since she died. After that, we had to move into an apartment. We did okay until Mom’s boss fired her because she wouldn’t sleep with him.”

Maribel had failed to mention that. He could imagine her life must’ve been pretty hard raising the kid alone. He was glad she’d had someone there for her like Nana to help. The guilt was now beating against his head with the force of a two-by-four. He should have known something was wrong when she’d left town without graduating. He should’ve been the one to put it together, but he had been busy doing other things. Maturity hadn’t been his strong suit back then, and some people would say it wasn’t now, either.

Elias decided to let it go for now. Later, he and Maribel would talk about a lot of things. He rested his forearms on his thighs and looked at his son. “You seem to have had a pretty good life. Why are you so angry?”

Chase looked down at the floor. “I don’t like it here. No one wants us here. I want to go back home to Dallas. I play football and I’m hoping scouts will notice me and I can get a scholarship to college because Mom won’t be able to afford to pay for me to go. I want to play in the NFL. All that is ruined now and I’ll never get noticed in this one-horse town. My life is over.”

“So life is all about you. Have you even thought about what it’s like for your mother to come back here and face her family and the guy who is your father?”

“No.” Chase continued to look at the floor.

“Have you ever thought of getting a job to help out?”

His head jerked up. “A job? I don’t know how to do anything except play football.”

“That’s going to change.”

Chase narrowed his eyes. “Says who?”

“Says me. You have to pay for the beer you stole and to do that you have to get a job and make money. A new concept, huh?”

“My mom will pay for it.”

Elias’s shook his head. “No. You will, and I’m going to make sure that you do.”

“You can’t make me do anything. My mom won’t let you.”

The crux of all Chase’s problems—his mother. Elias was going to undo some of that, at least the pampering.

“You’re seventeen years old and it’s time for you to stand up and be a man and take responsibility for what you did.”

“I’m sorry, okay?” There was a note of regret in his voice and it was the first sign that it was getting harder to carry around that big ol’ attitude.

Elias got to his feet. “The sheriff has released you into my custody.”

“What? Why would he do that? I don’t even know you. My mother will not stand for this.”

“Your mother has agreed, so this discussion is over.”

“I’m not going with you. I’d rather stay in jail.”

Elias placed his hands on his hips and stared at this kid that he and Maribel had created. It was time for a dose of reality. For the kid. And for Elias. “That guy from high school who your mom said wasn’t ready for responsibility would have taken full responsibility for you.”

“How do you know that?”

“I’m that guy. I’m your father.”

Chapter Four

“No.” Chase shook his head. “You’re not my father. My mom would’ve told me.”

“She told me for the first time tonight, so I’m in shock just like you. I guess she never wanted either one of us to know.”

Maribel couldn’t stand it any longer. She walked to the open jail door and faced her son. They rarely talked about Chase’s father and she liked it that way. But now her pride was going to take another hit. She had never meant to keep it a secret. It had just happened. Never in a million years had she planned to tell Chase this way.

“Mom, tell him it’s not true. He’s not my father.” Chase was not ready to hear the truth, but he was mature enough to handle it. If he wasn’t, that was her fault.

She stepped closer to Chase and spoke softly. “Elias Rebel is your father. I’m sorry. I should’ve told you more about him, but I didn’t feel it was necessary at the time. I never planned to return to Horseshoe.”

A shattered look came over his face. She’d seen that same look the day Miss Vennie had died. A part of her would hurt the rest of her life for creating this moment—for hurting her son like this.

Chase jerked a thumb toward Elias. “He says the sheriff released me into his custody and I’m now his responsibility.”

Maribel was tired and didn’t want to deal with more drama tonight. “We’ll discuss this later.” She nodded toward the doorway. “Let’s go home.”

Chase followed her without another word. Maribel was very aware that Elias was behind them. She had to make a stand and she had to do it now. Stepping outside in the early morning dawn, she turned to face Elias and all her sins seemed to hit her full force. His stern expression sent a direct message to her heart: he wasn’t going to go quietly out of their lives. Her stomach roiled with anxiety. But maybe he just needed a nudge.

“I really appreciated your help tonight. You went above and beyond what I expected and I’m very grateful my son did not have to spend more time in jail, but I can take it from here. I will make sure he’s at the hearing on Monday and he will be grounded until this is over.”

“Really, Maribel? You think I’m going to slither out of my son’s life with gratitude?”

“I’m not your son!” Chase shouted.

Elias’s lips tightened and she could see it was an effort to control his temper. “This is how it’s going to go,” he stated, his voice clear and unrelenting. “You take the kid back to Phoenix’s and get some rest. I’ll follow you out to Rebel Road and then I have to talk to my mom and my brothers to let them know what has happened.”

She should be thankful he was willing to take responsibility but she didn’t need his help now. All she wanted was for him to disappear out of their lives once again. She had raised Chase all these years and she could continue to do so without his input. She was fighting for her independence and somehow she knew it would be the biggest fight of her life.

“There’s really no need...”

“What are you afraid of, Maribel?” An eyebrow lifted toward his hat. “Are you afraid my mother might tell a different story than you’ve told me?”

“I’m not afraid. I know the truth, but there’s no need to rehash the past. It’s over and we should all move on.”

“Yeah, we’ll see,” he said in a snarky tone that irritated her. She’d had enough for tonight and walked toward Rosie’s truck and got in. Chase followed. Nothing else was said as Elias went to his truck. All the way to Rebel Road she was aware of his truck behind her. He wasn’t letting them out of his sight. When she passed the Rebel Ranch house, he turned into the entrance and Maribel breathed a sigh of relief.

She had to wonder how his meeting with his mother would go. She wasn’t going to take it well. Since Maribel had been living with Phoenix and Rosie, Miss Kate had avoided her, but she couldn’t avoid her son. He would want answers. She’d love to be a fly on that wall. But then again, she’d rather forget the whole thing. She had a permanent reminder, though, who stalked behind her into the house.

“Go to bed,” she said to her son. “We’ll talk when you get up.”

“Mom...”

Phoenix came into the kitchen where they were standing. “You’re home. I have to get to work.”

Chase walked passed Phoenix without saying a word in his usual sullen mood.

“What happened?” Phoenix asked, staring at Chase’s back.

She told him most of what had happened during the night. She didn’t mention Elias, but Phoenix had to know and Rosie did, too.

“He’s out of control, Maribel. You have to do something.”

She took a deep breath. “I know. You’ve never asked me who Chase’s father is and neither has Rosie.”

“I figured that was your business.”

“Yes, well, to get Chase out of jail I had to ask for his father’s help, so this whole town will know by the end of today. I want to tell Rosie and I need your permission to do that.”

“Who’s his father?”

Her throat went dry and she had to swallow to say the words. “Your...brother...Elias.”

“What!”

“It’s true. It was a one-time thing that should never have happened. Chase is a result of that one time. I never told Elias but I had to tell him tonight because I needed his help.”

Phoenix swiped a hand through his hair. “Oh, man. Does my mother know about this?”

“Elias is telling her now.” She didn’t elaborate. She’d let Elias tell them the rest.

Phoenix grabbed his hat from a rack near the door. “Rosie and Jake are still asleep. Do you mind fixing breakfast?”

“No. Can I tell Rosie? I wouldn’t want her to hear it from someone else.”

“Sure.” He walked out the door and Maribel trailed down the hall to the master bedroom. Rosie, with her red hair everywhere, was propped up against the headboard. When she was small, Maribel had called her “Little Red Hen” because of her hair. They’d had an old hen that had had feathers the same color.

“You’re awake.”

“I always wake up when Phoenix kisses me goodbye.”

Maribel sat at the foot of the bed. “You’re absolutely glowing.”

Placing her hand on her protruding stomach, Rosie said, “I can’t lose this baby.”

“You’re won’t because we’re not going to let you. You have about three months to wait and even if the baby comes early, she’ll still be okay.”

“Phoenix and I are happy it’s a girl. We’re going to call her Grace. Gracie for short.”

“And she’ll be beautiful just like her mother.”

Rosie frowned. “Are you just getting home? You had those clothes on yesterday.”

She told her sister about the events of the night and ended by saying, “I had to ask his father for help.”

Rosie leaned forward. “His father!”

She met her sister’s startled eyes. “You’ve never asked me about him.”

“I didn’t want to pry and I knew you would tell me when you were ready.” She paused for a second. “So...who is Chase’s father?”

“Elias.”

“Elias who?”

“Rosie...”

“Oh...you mean...Elias Rebel?”

“Yes.”

Rosie shook her head. “I don’t see how that could have happened. You never went out at night or dated.”

Maribel told her the whole story and Rosie crawled to the foot of the bed and sat by Maribel. “I was so scared and I didn’t know what to do when Miss Kate wouldn’t believe me.”

Rosie hugged her sister. “With everything that was going on at that time I guess it’s understandable that she wouldn’t. But still...it makes me sad.”

“I hope Elias doesn’t get into a big argument with his mom about it.”

“Elias can handle his mother. I don’t think I know anyone stronger than Elias. He’s rough around the edges and as tough as they come.”

“And handsome,” slipped out before Maribel could stop herself.

Rosie picked up on it immediately. “Oh, do you still have feelings for him?”

“Of course not.” The words sounded hollow to her own ears and she decided to be honest with her sister. “I thought I was in love with him. Being a silly teenager, it was clear to me that after we had sex, we’d run away and live happily ever after. That naive teenager woke up quickly. It was just wrong and we both knew it, except for one little thing. I was pregnant.”

Rosie hugged her again. “Oh, Mari, I’m sorry for all that you had to go through.”

Another person called her Mari, but he pronounced it Merry. Sometimes late at night she’d hear his voice in her head and she hated that she couldn’t forget it. That she couldn’t forget him.

Maribel hugged her back. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you when you needed someone.” She brushed Rosie’s hair from her face. “Do you sometimes resent our mother for not helping us?”

“I did for a while, but I know she did the best she could.”

“Every day our mother would say, ‘I love you,’ over and over, but it had no meaning when it counted. When Dad would hit us, she would just cry and wring her hands. Not once did she try to stop him and not once did she take up for us. The day he found out I was pregnant he hit me so hard I fell against the wall. I was afraid I was going to lose the baby. I grabbed my stomach, trying to protect it, and I knew in that moment that I wanted the baby. I guess I’ll always remember Mom standing there with tears in her eyes, wringing her hands and not lifting a finger to help me. I stopped believing in love that day. As I drove away, something inside me died. Later, I knew what it was—my ability to love.”

“Oh, Mari.”

“I would protect Chase with my dying breath if someone was trying to hurt him.”

“Mom gave you money, as she did me. Doesn’t that count for something? She tried to help in her own way. She was just weak and didn’t know what else to do.”

“No, it doesn’t mean a thing. Shoving me off on Mrs. Peabody was not a motherly thing to do, even though it probably saved my life.”

“You can’t say that you don’t feel love. You love Chase. You love me.”

“Yeah, but I’ll never say those words to anyone again. They’re meaningless. That’s the way I feel now and I can’t change it.”

“That’s not healthy.”

“Mama. Mama. Mama,” Jake called as he ran into the room in his pajamas. “I’m hungry.”

Rosie kissed her son. “Aunt Maribel will fix you something.”

“’Kay.”

Maribel took the boy’s hand. “Come on, hotshot. Let’s see what we can find for breakfast.” Jake was almost four and he would be going to school in the fall. Rosie would have her hands full with a child in school and one in her arms. That was Rosie’s life—the one she wanted, filled with all the happiness she deserved. It wasn’t for Maribel. Maybe she was jaded. Or just smart. She would never get hurt again, though.

As she poured milk into a glass, she wondered what was happening at Rebel Ranch.

* * *

ELIAS SAT IN his truck outside his mom’s house, trying to come to grips with everything that had happened during the night. He had a son. He and Maribel had a son. Fast on that thought came one that he had to deal with: Did his mother know? There was just no way she would deny a Rebel grandchild. The only way to find out the truth was to walk into the house and ask her, which would probably be the hardest thing he’d ever had to do besides burying his dad.

Phoenix drove up and ran into the house, not even noticing Elias in his truck.

Showtime, he thought, as he got out and made his way into the house. A ball of dread wedged in his throat. Most people thought that was an alien emotion to him. He felt fear just like everyone else, even though everyone called him tough as leather. Today, he would find out how tough he really was.

Everyone, even Grandpa, was sitting around the big kitchen table eating breakfast. His mom sat at the head of the table and he could see her clearly, making sure everyone had enough food, making sure her sons were well-fed before a long day’s work.

Grandpa noticed him first. “Where have you been? You usually call when you’re gonna stay out all night.”

“Sorry, Grandpa, I didn’t have time.”

“You’ve been out all night and you plan to work today?” Falcon joined the conversation. “I hope you got some sleep along the way.”

“No, I didn’t get a wink.”

“You look strange,” Quincy added. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I spent most of the night in Wyatt’s office.” He wasn’t sure how to start the conversation so he started with the basics.

“Did you get arrested?” his mother asked.

“No. It’s a long story so I’ll try to shorten it as much as I can.” He told them about the stolen beer and the kids and Maribel’s son. “I went to the jail with Wyatt because I wanted to see what was going to happen to the boys. He let Billy Tom and Brandon go with their parents on the condition that they would be there for the hearing on Monday. And since he doesn’t know Maribel, he was going to hold her son until the hearing. Maribel asked for my help and I told her she’d have to give me a good reason to help her keep her son out of jail. She gave me one I wasn’t expecting.” He looked directly at his mother. “She said Chase was my son.”

“What!” echoed around the room.

Grandpa pointed a finger at Elias’s mother. “I told you it was going to bite you in the butt one day.”

“Shut up, Abe.”

All his hopes that Maribel had somehow exaggerated the situation died in that moment. His mother had rejected his child. That left a bitter taste in his mouth. All his life he had looked up to his mother. She was rock solid with family loyalty and love. How could she have done this?

“I guess that answers my next question. Maribel did come here to find me. What did you say to her?”

His mother clamped her lips tight in indignation.

“I’ll tell you what she said.” Grandpa was eager to take up the story. “She said to get out of her house and if Maribel spread that lie around Horseshoe she would call the sheriff.”

His mother got to her feet, her face a mask of fury. “The child is not yours, Elias. She’s playing you. I thought you, of all people, would see that. When she came here with that story, I told her my son would not betray his family. And he didn’t. I know him.”

Betrayal. Was that how she saw it?

His stomach hurt as if someone had tightened barbed wire around it. But he had to face the truth and he had to face his mother.

“I’m sorry if you see it as betrayal. It was two teenagers with raging hormones. It was a one-time thing and we knew it was wrong and we never saw each other again. We used protection but she still got pregnant and I never knew until tonight. I would have known if you had seen fit to tell me.”

“That child is not yours. How many times do I have to tell you?”

Elias pulled out his phone, tapped the screen and walked over and laid Chase’s picture in front of her. She refused to look at it. Falcon picked up the phone and stared at it.

“Oh...”

Quincy took it from him and passed it around the table. “Mom...”

“That is not Elias’s son, Quincy.”

“Mom...”

“Stay out of this, Phoenix.”

“Maybe you need to get a DNA test done,” Falcon suggested.

“I don’t need a DNA test. I know Chase is my son.”

“He is not your son, Elias,” his mother repeated in a steely voice he’d never heard before. And it brought out the anger in him.

“What is it? Is it because he’s my son? Falcon and Leah got pregnant and you and Dad then invited them into the house to live. When Leah left, you helped with the baby. There was no question of DNA. When Jude got Paige pregnant in high school and gave the child up for adoption, you hired an attorney to fight to get him back. There was no question of DNA then either. Phoenix heard he was a father and you wanted to raise the boy. So what is it? Why is my son treated differently?”

His mother carried her plate to the sink. “I’m tired of talking about this. We have work to do and it’s time we all got to it.”

Elias picked up his phone from the table. “That’s it, huh? If my son is not welcome here then I’m not, either. I’m out of here.”

“If you walk out that door, I will disinherit you.”

A powerful silence filled the room.

He turned back to look at the mother he’d loved all his life and he only saw an angry woman determined to stick to her principles of being right when she was wrong. She didn’t want to admit she’d made a mistake in turning away Elias’s child. He couldn’t change that, but he wasn’t going to stand for it, either.

All his life he’d put his blood, sweat and tears into this ranch because one day he would own part of it. Could he walk away from everything he loved? It wasn’t much of a choice. He had a son and he had to stand up for him as well as for himself. As always, though, he had something to say.

“Dad was alive back then. Don’t you think a Rebel/McCray child would have pulled him out of his malaise? It would have helped him to see that life goes on even after tragedy.”

“That boy is not a Rebel.”

His mother was taking a stance and he had to do the same.

“I’m outta here.”

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