Travis Comes Home

His mistake made him feel like a heel. He grimaced, remembering the cruel things he’d accused her of. He’d tried to chase her off the ranch out of vengeance. He was damn lucky that she hadn’t been seriously hurt.

“Look, we’ve all been judged at one time or the other.” Hell, he didn’t want to think about how his situation was affecting the family. “If your pictures are good, then Abby and Cade will hire you.”

“If I don’t get that job, I’ll need to find something. What about my car?” she asked.

“Your car is fine,” he lied. “I’ll handle it myself.”

“I have insurance, but the deductible…”

He raised a hand. “I said, I’d handle it.” He headed for the door, then paused. “Now finish that dinner and get some sleep. If you need anything just holler. My room is right next door.” Before she could protest, he walked out. But he knew he hadn’t heard the last from Josie Gutierrez. To his surprise, he was looking forward to the next time.

After dinner, Travis went out to the backyard patio. The evening was still warm as he took a seat at the table to enjoy some peace and quiet—something that had escaped him since he’d been home. But maybe Ms. Gutierrez’s crashing into their lives would draw attention away from him. Ella sure was crazy about having another person to care for. But how long was their house guest going to be around? The doctor wanted to recheck her ankle in five days. She couldn’t leave before then. Not without her car. He’d had it towed to a body shop, praying that the battered vehicle wasn’t going to be totaled. He knew that Josie was traveling with limited funds. She’d hadn’t minced words when she told him she needed a job.

Earlier, he realized that Josie wasn’t as tough as she tried to make people think. He could see the fear in her eyes. She was pregnant. And alone. He shook his head. How could a man not want his own child?

Travis tensed. He knew firsthand not all people were cut out to be parents. His mother, Dana Barnes-Randell, was great, as much as he could remember of her. But not his daddy, that was for sure. Hell, Jack Randell couldn’t stay out of trouble long enough to take care of his boys. The man hadn’t thought twice about what was going to happen to three sons when he got sent to prison. Chance, Cade and Travis had been lucky, though. Hank Barrett had come along and taken them in. For twenty years the widowed rancher had been the only father that they’d known, or claimed.

Travis leaned forward in the chair and rubbed his hand over his face. He hated like hell that his trouble had brought scandal to the Randell name once again. Over the years, he and his brothers had worked hard to erase the stigma attached to it. His father had brought shame to the Randell name and now so had Travis.

Chance had become one of the top quarter horse breeders and trainers in Texas. Cade had gone to Chicago and made his name in the financial world, before coming home to marry his college sweetheart and to claim his son.

And the youngest brother of the family, Travis had gone to college and worked in the computer field. Then a few years ago he’d started his own business. Last year Private Access was on its way to being one of the premiere computer companies in the country. Once Travis had his software patented, there wasn’t going to be any stopping him. He was going to the top. He had even found the woman of his dreams and planned to be married.

Life couldn’t have been any sweeter, until one day a month ago when it all came crashing down. It had been bad enough that his fiancée, Lisa Kyles, had been carrying on with his partner, Byron Neeley. But more was going on. Suddenly his clients were beginning to complain about security leaks. It had taken Travis a few weeks of searching, but he’d finally found the problem. For a price, Byron had allowed a competitor access to highly confidential files. It had to be his partner, because he was the only other person with the ability to break into the system.

By then Travis had to involve the police, and his files were confiscated. Even worse and more humiliating, the press got ahold of the story. Travis had been hounded for weeks. He was ruined, and Byron and Lisa were nowhere to be found. Knowing he couldn’t handle things on his own, he’d turned to his family. But was it such a good idea to drag his problems home?

Hearing voices, Travis looked up to find Hank and his brothers coming to join him.

“That was a great dinner Joy cooked,” Hank stated.

“Beef stew is one of my favorites,” Chance agreed and rubbed his flat stomach. “I think I’ve put on weight since we’ve been married.”

“I wasn’t going to mention it….” Cade teased and Chance playfully punched him in the arm. “Hey, I’m only telling the truth.”

“Like you aren’t as happy as a dog with a bone.”

The two brothers shared a smile.

“Well, as far as I’m concerned,” Hank began, “I’m grateful to Joy and Abby for sweetening your dispositions. You weren’t fit to live with before.”

“Well, the right woman will do that,” Cade said.

Travis glanced away. Both his brothers had gotten married this past summer. Although he was happy that Chance found Joy and Cade found Abby, it was difficult to be around all their wedded bliss.

“You didn’t eat much, Trav,” Chance observed.

“I guess I just wasn’t hungry. But tell Joy I liked her stew.”

Chance smiled. “I’ll be sure to do that. What’s on your mind, bro? Anything we can help with?”

He released a sigh. “Yeah, turn my life back about six months. And make me a whole lot smarter about choosing a business partner…and a woman.”

Cade pulled his chair closer. “I would if I could, but we can’t, Trav. But maybe we can help fix it.”

Travis raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“I know a private investigator who might be able to dig up some answers,” Cade continued.

Travis shook his head. “No, the two people with the answers are long gone. Byron and Lisa are probably out of the country by now, along with a lot of money.”

“Doesn’t hurt to try,” Chance said. “Not if you want to clear your name. Not to mention fight those lawsuits.”

Travis shot out of the chair. This was a nightmare. Private Access had been his life. It had taken off. With his know-how, and Byron’s marketing skills, they were going to take the computer world by storm. Now everything was gone. He could never recover that momentum.

“I have nothing left, Cade,” Travis said. “They took all the assets, ruined my credibility. You can’t run a security business without people’s trust.”

“But it wasn’t you that sold out,” Hank said. “It was Neeley, and he has to be held responsible. Go after him, son. This guy Cade knows is the best. If anyone can find them, Alex Rucker can. He specializes in computer technology fraud.”

Travis hated not being in control. It was just like when he was a kid, and his older brother got him out of messes. Well, he wasn’t a kid anymore. And he did still have a little pride left.

“Look, I appreciate y’all wanting to help. But if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to do it myself.”

Both his brothers nodded as if they understood. “You think I could have this Rucker’s number?”

Chance pulled out his card from his pocket and gave it to Travis. “Had a feeling you’d want to handle it yourself.” He got a smile. “Don’t worry about the cost, this guy works for a percentage of the recovery.”

Travis studied the card. That gave him some encouragement. But he had little hope of getting back what he really wanted, his reputation. “Thanks, I’ll let you know what happens.”

Hank spoke up. “We’re here for you, Travis. Just don’t lose the sense of who you are and what you’ve worked to become. Your name is important. All you boys struggled hard to overcome what your daddy did. I know you don’t take this lightly, Travis, and we’re just glad you’ve come home to let your family help you out. We will stand by you no matter what.”

Travis swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked around the table to see his brothers nod in agreement. God, he’d missed this. “Thank you.”

“You’re doing the right thing, Trav,” Cade said.

He nodded. “Yeah, I know. It’s just that I feel lost. I’ve worked twelve-hour days for so long…and now nothing. I feel so useless.”

“Oh, are you going to be sorry you said that,” Chance said. “We’ve been letting you take it easy these past weeks. We have plenty to keep you busy, especially since we’re trying to open Mustang Valley Guest Ranch by spring.”

“Hey, I’m not a rancher.”

“You used to be,” Cade said. “And believe me, it will all come back to you when you’re in the saddle for a few hours.” When Travis tried to speak, Cade raised his hand. “I think I remember a kid brother who could ride us both into the ground. So don’t give us any sob stories.” Cade grew serious. “Really Trav, we need you. And the Circle B is one-third yours now, and not just the ranching part. If we’re going to be ready for the retreat opening by April, we need someone to computerize the entire operation and design a Web page to help promote business.”

Travis felt his mood lifting. Maybe this could be a new beginning. At least it was a start. His thoughts went to the woman asleep upstairs in the guest room. Someone else needed a start, too. What was Josie going to do if she didn’t get this job? How was she going to take care of her child?

“Before I build a Web page, I’ll need some pictures of the valley. Have you had any other offers to do the brochure?”

By the half-hidden smiles on his brothers’ faces, he knew they weren’t buying his innocent question. Cade spoke up. “Abby likes Josie’s photos. But I was hoping to get a look at the pictures she took of the valley.”