“So he had other guys working for him?” Marshall paced up and down the hall, the horses watching him as he passed.
“Jarrett had a complex web of people working for him, stealing information, paying bribes, and embezzling over three million dollars from the ranch by siphoning funds for bogus fertilizer and supply purchases. And yes, murdering people so he never had to get his hands dirty. He’s named some of them, but there are some he is still protecting.”
“Wow, I had no idea.”
“You’ve taken on the responsibility for a lot of what has been going on lately, and I’m here to say it stops now. Marshall, you’ve devoted the last decade to running the ranch, and I’m so proud of you. No matter what we uncover, you have to remember that Jarrett had some bad characters sabotaging you and trying to discredit you in order to have his son gain control of the ranch. As far as we’ve learned, Lachlan had no role in this. He’s devastated. It’ll be up to you if you can still work with him. I canmake alternate plans for Lachlan if it is too much. I’m hoping the two of you can continue working together and take strides to heal our family.”
A sob jumped in his throat at the words. “I’ll try, Grandpa. I know Lachlan is ashamed, and he has a lot to process after all this. We both have to work on not taking on the guilt of everything that happened.”
“You can’t blame yourself any more than I do for not noticing what was happening right under my nose. You make our family proud, and I hope you’ll stay at the ranch, even after everything that has happened. You wouldn’t be blamed if you wanted to leave now, knowing the extent of everything Jarrett has done. The choice is yours entirely.”
Marshall leaned his head against the wall of Vinny’s pen, letting his grandfather’s words sink in. The warm snuffing sound of his horse’s breath against his ear was comforting and Marshall leaned to caress Vinny’s nose.
Leave the ranch?
How could he ever?
“Thanks for saying that, Grandpa, but I can’t think of a better place to heal than Rosebud Ranch.”
“I understand, Marshall,” Clarence said, his voice thick with emotion. “I’m glad you feel that way. Just let me know if there’s anything you need to help you through this. We’re all here for you.”
Releasing Vinny, Marshall rubbed his chin as he considered. He had everything he ever wanted here, well, almost everything.
Clearing his throat, he decided to shoot his shot. “There is one thing I would like to ask for…”
CHAPTER 57
“It looks sad when it’s empty.” Colette walked through her bare apartment, checking each corner for any remaining items she may have forgotten to pack. They loaded a truck for donations that had been taken away, and she filled her car with her clothing, sentimental items and books.
“It looked sad filled with your stuff too.” Simone snorted. “I’m happy to see the last of this place. You’re seriously upgrading, babe.” Her friend placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, tilting her head to lean it against Colette’s.
A sigh lifted her chest as she faced the reality of the leap she was about to take. This city mouse was about to become a country mouse. Though some things would change, she would be close enough to Calgary to return whenever she had the need for that comforting grit, lively action, trendy neighborhoods and restaurants.
“I can always come visit, right? You’ve got a free bedroom,” Colette noted, switching off the lights in the rooms she had inspected.
“If she doesn’t, I do,” Cameron said from the kitchen. “Sleeping at Simone and Roger’s might get old quick.”
“Who knows how long we’ll be at the condo. We might have more space one day,” Simone shouted from the entrance where she was stacking the final boxes. “We’re cat parents, and Roger really wants to buy a bigger place for Regina George.”
Colette gave a soft laugh. “Yes, that cat needs to be more spoiled than she already is.”
“Nothing is too good for her, according to Roger,” Simone said, closing the box Cameron was filling with Colette’s treasured collection of coffee mugs.
“Let’s load up the car, then grab some lunch,” Colette suggested. “Marshall is getting impatient for me to get to the ranch.” A smile tugged at her lips as excitement bubbled up in her chest. After a month of recovery and appointments, she had settled up her old life in Calgary and was moving back to the ranch. Permanently.
The last vestiges of sadness evaporated quickly, replaced with the anticipation of finally finding the place where she belonged.
The ranch was calling to her.
Her heart was leading her home.
Heedlessly throwing the car door open, Colette ran as fast as she could. The month had been too long.
“Don’t run, you’ll hurt yourself,” Marshall scolded as he wrapped his arms around her, swallowing her up in his warm embrace. Hank barked happily next to them, his tail wagging violently with unbridled joy.
“I’m fine. I barely feel any pain,” Colette said with an eye roll. Pulling back from his hug, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. With a soft sigh, she absorbed every ounce of sweetness, erasingthe loneliness of living apart. Her recovery had taken longer than expected, but she was almost back to normal. There was a tightness around the area of the scar, something that would take time to become more comfortable. It had taken everything in her to stay away this long, but Marshall had forced her to make sure she was fully healed. He had come for visits every weekend, but it was not enough. She would never get enough of this man.
“So, should we unpack the car now?” Colette suggested, walking back to close the door of her small hatchback.
