“Yeah?”
“I’m standing behind Riley on this, and my gut tells me I’m right, but what if…?” He couldn’t force the words to come. They made him weak, selfish, and saying them out loud again felt akin to disrespecting Riley.
“What if she’s not the woman you believe her to be?” His father cleared his throat. “Son, there’s no easy way around that question, and I can’t tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, but I can tell you what your mother would have said in this very situation.”
“Please.” Josh heard the urgency is in own voice.
“Your mama was a heart-driven woman, but she was the smartest damned woman I ever met. Stubborn, too. Once her heart made a decision, she’d chew on it for a bit, mull over the ins and outs of the sanity of it, and she’d come away with a big smack-eatin’ grin and she’d have her answer. She’d look me in the eye and say, ‘This one just might bite me in the arse, but damn it to hell, my heart cannot survive without it.’ Ask yourself, son. Can your heart live without her? Once you figure that out, you’ll have your answer.”
Josh shook his head. “But Mom’s decisions wouldn’t tank her career.” Josh clenched his fists and he had to force them to relax.
“Don’t you go down that line with me, Josh Braden.” His father’s stern tone caught him off guard. Before Josh could answer, his father continued. “Your mother’s life was every bit as important as yours. Her career was her family, this ranch, me, you, and every one of your siblings. When she made decisions, she had seven other people’s lives relying on it. She held your life in her hands.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I’m just confused. I’ve worked hard to get where I am.”
“Yes, you have, and your mother worked her ass off to get our family to be who we are. You think that was easy? You think it didn’t come with her own understanding that one screwup could turn the Braden name into a laughingstock? Hell, in this small town, one wrong move could shut down a ranch. Josh, I’m not angry at you, but damn it son, gain a bit of perspective. People matter. Family matters. The rest of that bullshit—fame, cars, high-rise apartments—it’ll all mean nothing without a full heart.”
AFTER THE ABRUPTNESS of his father’s words sank in, Josh took one final look at Riley’s desk, then headed into the security room to check on Reggie.
“How’s it going?” Josh asked.
Reggie stopped the video he was watching and leaned his large body back in the chair, crossing his right ankle over his left knee. Then he clasped his hands behind his head. A wide grin spread across his lips.
“Well, if the videos I’ve watched are any indication of what’s to come, I’d say your hunch is right, and we’ll probably come up with something soon.”
“Really? What have you found?” Hope swelled in his chest.
“Not much. Just little things. Body language, the way Claudia watches the others like a hawk.” He shrugged. “Could be that she’s just a nosy woman, but I’ve got a feeling there’s more to it. She’s really focused on Riley. Lookie here.” He rewound the video and pressed play.
Josh watched Claudia eyeing Riley as she walked away, her eyes running up and down the length of Riley’s body. She narrowed her eyes, and a sneer curled her thin lips.
Reggie turned it off again and sat back. “Might be nothing, but I’ve seen women look that way before, and trust me, it’s never a good thing.”
“You must really have a solid grip on people by now, huh?” Josh asked. “What’s your take on Riley?”
“With all due respect, Josh, until we have a definite answer, I think I’ll reserve my right to pass judgment.”
Pass judgment? On Riley? That flash of anger that had surprised Josh over the last few days rose within him again. He crossed his arms to keep it reined in. Did he think Riley was up to no good? Did he see something in her Josh did not?
“Don’t get yourself all riled up,” Reggie said. “She’s your other half at the moment. I don’t want to say anything until I’m certain.”
At the moment? “Okay, fair enough,” Josh said.
“I’d like to work through the evening if you don’t mind, since the holiday’s coming up so fast. I’ve got their passwords to get into their files. You can leave me here if you have plans. Is there a security guard who can lock up?”
Josh scrubbed his face with his hand. “I’ll stick around.”
“Suit yourself. Oh, and your sister said to tell you not even to think about not coming home on Wednesday.” Reggie turned back to the computer.
“Oh, I plan on it, unless this mess explodes in our faces.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
DANE ANSWERED THE phone on the fourth ring, just as Josh was about to hang up.
“Josh! How’s my little brother?” Even though there were five years between them, and as adults, Josh stood eye to eye to his six-foot-three brother, Dane never failed to throw “little” at him as often as he could.
“Hanging in there. How about you? Where are you?” Josh asked.
“Heading home, actually. Making my way to the airport now.”
“Dad said I should check in with you. Anything going on that I should know about?” Josh clicked on his computer and opened his email.
“Dad.” Dane laughed. “How does that old man always know when something’s up? There’s no great shakes happening in my life.”
Josh noted an emptiness in Dane’s response. “You sure? What am I hearing in your voice?"
“Shit, Josh. Nothing, really.” Dane blew out a loud breath. “Nothing like the shit that’s going on in yours, thank God.” He laughed again.
“Great. Take pleasure in my pain. That’s a supportive brother for you.”
“Hell, it makes me realize how lucky I have it. No ties that bind.”
Josh heard another twinge of something…loneliness maybe, in Dane’s voice. “You sure there’s nothing you want to talk about?”
“Not at this juncture, but it’s good to know you’re there. I appreciate it. Anything I can do to ease your situation?” Dane asked. “I feel for Riley. I mean it’s hard enough going from Weston to New York. A whole new world. And the poor thing is attacked by the wolves. You don’t think she did it, do you?”
Josh hated the voice running through his head, I don’t think so, but how can I be sure? “You know Riley. You think she’d ever do something like that? Jeopardize a career she just began?” The words felt wrong tumbling from his lips.
“Or her relationship with the boss?” Dane tossed in.
“Right, there is that.”
“No, I don’t, but we never really know someone until the shit comes up the pipes, right?” Dane said something to someone in the background. “I gotta go. My flight’s boarding. See you at home. Love ya, bro.”
Satisfied that his father’s radar must have been off and Dane was just fine, Josh ended the call and turned to his emails, clicking on one from Peter Stafford.
Josh,
I’m in Switzerland with limited access while I’m with the family. We’ve scheduled a meeting on January 4, and I intend to make it. I’ve got a new venture I’d like to discuss. I’ve reviewed Riley Banks’s portfolio, and you were correct. Her talent is unmatched. Please be sure to include her in our meeting, as agreed. I’d like to get her input on the spring lineup for our girls. I believe you have a winner on your hands.
Best,
Peter
Josh closed his email and pushed away from his desk, wishing Reggie hadn’t left him so conflicted about Riley’s innocence. His father’s words ran through his head. Can your heart live without her? It’ll all mean nothing without a full heart. Damn it. He wants her input on the spring lineup? Josh really needed to get some answers and clear her name.
“MR. B., YOU here?” Mia sailed into his office carrying a cardboard coffee tray in one hand and a paper bag in the other.
Josh reached for the drinks. “You’re supposed to be going home to spend the holidays with your family,” he said, though he was glad to see her. His nerves were coiled like a snake. He needed a distraction.
“So are you,” she said. “I knew you’d be here, so I brought you dinner.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“No, I didn’t, but that’s what the world’s best assistant does. She plans ahead, fixes problems before they occur, and…” She looked up as she set the sandwiches down on his desk. “Oh hell, I don’t know what else, but I didn’t come here to prove how great I am. I came here to make sure you weren’t falling apart. You didn’t answer your phone messages from me, or the text I sent.”
“It’s been a hell of a day,” Josh admitted.
“I bet. How’s Riley holding up?”
“I haven’t spoken—” He remembered that their relationship was front-page news and added, “I haven’t spoken to her since she got to Colorado, but she texted, and she seems to be okay. Rattled.”