Steady in Love by S. R. Marshall (free e books to read .TXT) 📕

Chapter One

It had been five years, five very long and prosperous years, since Jared Richards had set foot in Oak Ridge Colorado. He had packed his bags the day his high school sweetheart decided not to marry him and left town never looking back. He kept in touch with his little sister Charlie and through her the rest of the family, but he had never thought he would come back here until three nights ago when he had gotten the call. His father had passed away and the funeral was this weekend – Saturday, tomorrow.
Jared starred down the dusty blacktop that led into Oak Ridge. He had no desire to be here, and every instinct was telling him to turn the wheel and go back to where he had come from. He had the distinct feeling that if he entered Oak Ridge he was never going to leave it again. Jared sighed and leaned forward to turn his rig back on. He had made a promise to his babysitter and whatever else he was, he wasn’t a liar. He pulled back out onto the road and drove through town expertly avoiding the curious glances the towns people were sending his way. Soon enough he was on the other side of town and headed out on the county road that led to Oak Ridge Ranch – home.
Jared grimaced as he turned down the old dirt drive that led to the ranch house. It was clear that the old man had let things slip the last few years of his life. The road was full of pot holes that need to filled and Jared bounced around in the truck as he tried to avoid the worst of them. He noticed other things too. The fences were falling apart in certain places, the fields that were usually full of cattle were empty and the sign that proudly declared this land as belonging to the Richards was hardly readable.
The idea that the ranch was falling apart was disturbing and a flash of guilt stirred in Jared for not having come home sooner. Jared beat down the feeling, there had been nothing to come home too. His father had made it painfully clear that he wasn’t needed on the ranch and the love of his life hadn’t wanted him either. His siblings were all that he had and they had all gone their separate ways after high school. His brother Logan wouldn’t even speak to him. His sister Cassie occasionally sent an email his way about how her and her little girl were doing. Christine had never left town and had stayed to help their father. Charlie was the only one he really talked to. She was in New York going to school and discovering what she wanted to do and waiting tables.
Jared pulled his truck off to the side of the yard in front of the house and shut off the engine. He took a moment before getting out of the truck. He hadn’t talked to his sister Chris in five years because he was always afraid that his old man would answer the phone. Jared reached into the back of the truck and gripped the bag of clothes he had packed lifting it out of the bed just as the front door opened on the house.
“Jared!” Chris shouted and ran down the porch steps.
Jared whipped around and dropped his back just in time to catch his younger sister in his arms. He hugged her tightly having missed her company the most. “How are you Chrissy?” he asked setting her down on the ground and looking her in the eye.
She looked away from him and down at her boots. “I’m alright I guess. It was just sort of sudden you know.” She looked around then at the yard, the house, the barn and Jared could tell that there was more she wanted to say. Her gaze came back to his and she met Jared’s eyes with a huge smile on her face. “You’re here now, so I guess I’m better than alright,” she said. Chris gripped his hand and leaned over to pick up his bag.
“I got that Chris,” Jared said taking the bag from her hand and allowing her to lead him into the house.
“I’m making your favorite, steak and potatoes.” Jared watched her buzz off to the kitchen to get started on the meal. “You get your old room if you haven’t already figured that out yet,” she said over her shoulder before disappearing.
Jared glanced around the house then and noticed more signs that his father had let things go. The house had at one time been one of the grandest in Oak Ridge, one that carried a lot of history with it. There were item’s from the first Richards family that were still displayed thoughout the house, but now that Jared looked he noticed some items were missing. His mother’s piano was no longer sitting by the window, his grandfather’s medals from World War 1 no longer hung on the hall wall , and there were other momento’s that were no longer in the house.
Jared moved to the back of the house where his room was and dropped his bag inside before heading to the kitchen. Chris was at the sink peeling potatoes and she didn’t notice him come in. “Chris?”
Her body stiffened as she stopped peeling. “You noticed?”
“What happened Chrissy?” Jared asked her softly.
Her head slumped and her hand reached up to cover her eyes her shoulders shaking slightly and Jared knew his little sister was crying. “I tried. I tried so hard to keep him from selling things. I managed to hide some of it away, but everything else he sold. He drove this ranch into the ground Jared. The banks going to foreclose in two weeks if I don’t come up with the money they need.”
Jared walked over and took his little sister into his arms. Chris was the backbone of the family. She was what had kept us all together after our mother died, silently taking her place because someone had to take over her chores. Chris had been the one to make sure we had food to eat, to make sure that we got to all of our activities when we need to, and she made sure that we did our homework insisting that we all go to college. Craig Richards hadn’t been anywhere but breaking his back on the ranch and then drinking the night away with his pales in town or at one of their houses gambling away the months savings. Chris had dropped out of school just so that she could go to work and provide us with food.
“He was so much worse in the last few years Jared. I’ve been working overtime at the restaurant in town just so that I could try and keep up with the bills,” she said wiping at her eyes. “But then he started losing his cattle and he had to lay off the workers just to make ends meet.”
“Chris, why didn’t you come to me?” I pulled her away from me so that I could look her in the eye. I could see the signs of wear and tear that existed around the house reflected in her face. There were dark circles under her eyes and they were no longer sparkling with life like they once had but dull and full of sadness. Her cheeks were hollow and he could feel the lack of muscle beneath her clothing. His little sister was more bone than anything else.
“He wouldn’t let me. I tried getting help from Cassie, but he snapped Jared,” she said almost as if she was ashamed.
“Did he hit you?” I asked suspiciously.
Chris shook her head. “He just became very violent. He would through things around the room, there were times when I thought he would though.” Her confession stirred an anger inside of Jared and he wished his father was still alive so that he could kill him himself for simply scaring his sister. Guilt stirred inside of him again. He should have been here, protecting her from their father. Instead he had been out playing with the city life and getting a degree.
“Don’t worry Chris, I’ll go to the bank first thing Monday morning and figure something out.” Jared thought over his finances thinking that if the bank would allow him to make several large payments he should be able to keep the ranch.
“Our history’s here Jared. Five generations of Richards lived here. We can’t lose this place,” she said adamantly. Of everyone in the family Chris had been the only one who had cared at all that there was history here. She had loved the fact that our family tree had such deep roots and it would hurt her most if this place was sold to a stranger.
“Chris I’ll figure something out,” Jared assured her.
“It’s your house Jared, if you want to sell it I’ll understand,” she said her gaze not quite meeting his. Jared stared at her, surprised by her comment. “Oh for heaven’s sake Jared you and dad might have had your differences but he was still a man of tradition. You were the first born so you get the ranch.”
“I’ll keep the ranch Chris,” he reassured her. He would have to figure something out, someone have to run the ranch so that he could run his business and maybe Chris would want to stay on at the ranch and take care of it.
Her gaze softened. “Thank you.” Chris turned back to peeling the potatoes.
“Is everyone coming home for the funeral?” he asked her.
“I convinced Charlie to stay in New York, she has exams to take that she would have a difficult time making up. Logan is driving up from Denver for the service he’s not staying. Cassie won’t come. She says she won’t pay her respects to a man who never gave a damn about her,” she explained.
Jared sighed having expected as much. “I guess I’ll go on out to the barn and see if I can’t start fixing it up.” Jared turned and left the house his head filled with thoughts from his sister.