Tempestuous Taurus Page 24

  “Are you okay?” Jules said in a quiet voice behind her.

  Tara sniffed and turned to smile at her. “I’m just … “ She swallowed hard. “How could I have turned my back on all of this? These people are so— they and you are my family.”

  Jules pulled a wad of Kleenex from her pocket and handed them to Tara.

  “I wasn’t planning on staying in Hardship,” Tara said. “I thought it wasn’t my home, but when I look out there . . . I know this is the right place for me. This is home.”

  “Oh, oh, look who just arrived,” Jules said. “I’m out of here.”

  Chapter 69

  Randall. What in the world? Still sporting the thin moustache, his tall, thin body in a dark suit, she couldn’t read the expression on his face as he approached. He had on a white shirt under the jacket, and a maroon tie. Hardly the kind of attire most people would wear to a Texas barbecue.

  “This is a surprise,” Tara said.

  “I – I know, I wasn’t invited, and I wouldn’t blame you if you had me thrown out, but first, I want to apologize.” He looked around, his hands clenched together. “Is there someplace we can talk privately?”

  Tara raised an eyebrow. “Okay. Sure, come on,” she said, the reluctance clear in her tone. She led him to the office and hesitated before she closed the door.

  “Is this going to take long? I have guests.”

  “I know, and I apologize, but I’ll be quick. Do you think we could sit?”

  She stared at him for a few seconds. He looked a little pale, and he was still wringing his hands. “Go ahead.” She indicated the new sofa with a pattern of pink hibiscus flowers scattered among dark green leaves. She wedged herself into the wheeled office chair and pursed her lips. This better be good.

  “I—First, I want to apologize. I— There’s no easy way of saying this.” He rubbed his neck and pulled at the tie, and grimaced. “I took money from Miss Lacey and the Center.” His voice broke a little, and she almost thought he was about to cry. He sucked in a deep breath and continued. “It was wrong. I knew it was wrong but my father, he had cancer.”

  Now he was crying. He dragged a handkerchief from his pants pocket and dabbed at his eyes. Tara looked away to give him a moment to compose himself, wondering what was coming next.

  Randall sniffed and blew out air. “I’m sorry. He—he ran out of medical benefits. He needed specialized treatment. I couldn’t just let him die.” His voice broke again and he blew his nose.

  Tara was silent for a few moments, trying to gather her thoughts. “Why in the world didn’t you ask Lacey? She probably would have lent the money to you.”

  “Well, the Center was going through a financial slump, so I don’t think she would have enough.”

  “So you took it.”

  “I took it. And I am so sorry.” He dabbed at his eyes again, stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket, and went back to wringing his hands.

  “Sorry doesn’t help the Center or the people who rely on it. You had a job to do and you knew you were needed here. You could have at least stayed on and helped. How much?” she said. “How much did you take?”

  “It—ended up being one hundred thirty-five thousand. I’m so sorry.” He looked down at his hands.

  Tara felt her eyes widening. “Jeez, Randall. What were you thinking? We need that money.”

  “I know it. And my father would have thanked you if he could, but he passed last month.” He stopped and took a few deep breaths. “But he had six extra months of quality life. He went into remission.”

  Were those more tears in his eyes? She just couldn’t bring herself to empathize when he had stolen so much from Aunt Lacey and the Taurus Center. “I’m sorry for your loss, but it was so wrong of you. So wrong.”

  “You can press charges if you want, Ms. Tara, but,” he said and held her gaze for a few seconds. Then he dug into his suit pocket and brought out an envelope. “This is for you. Every penny, plus interest. It’s all there. My father had a good life insurance policy.”

  Tara didn’t know what to say. A huge lump had formed in her throat. She opened the envelope and stared at the check, made out to the Taurus Center.

  Chapter 70

  When everyone had eaten, and Jules and Christy were bringing desserts out, Merrick stood up and banged a spoon on a glass. “Hey everyone, listen up,” he said. “I know Tara has a lot to tell you, but first, Jared wants to say something. Christy, Jules, you’ll want to hear this.”

  Jared stood up and cleared his throat. He dug in his pocket, pulled something out, and went down on one knee in front of Tara.

  Tears streamed down her face when he held up the ring and said the words. “Will you be my wife? That is, if you don’t mind marrying an ex-con.”

  Tara pulled a Kleenex out of her pocket and blew her nose. “I can hardly speak,” she croaked. “This is so—such a surprise.” She felt all the eyes watching her, but could only see Jared in front of her, waiting for an answer.

  “Yes, of course.”

  He stood up and slid the ring onto her finger, pulled her toward him, and then kissed her for a long time. She heard cheers but they faded into the distance and Jared’s mouth on hers was all she could feel.

  “Dessert’s up,” Jules broke into the moment.

  When everyone had a bowl of something sweet and delicious in front of them, Tara stood up. “I guess you all want to know what’s going on with the Taurus Center. So much has happened in the last few months it’s hard to know where to start.” She paused for a short time and looked around at the faces of the people around her. She fingered the Kleenex in her pocket, hoping she wouldn’t need it, and took a long slow breath. These were people she loved.

  “First, the monster who murdered my parents and set Jared up has been arrested.” She forced the tears away. “And you’ve all seen the Hardship Weekly, so you know he’s most likely going to get the death sentence, which he deserves. Sadly, he has mental health issues stemming from rejection, and maybe he will plead insanity, but there was nothing insane about his plan to take me and my family down. His only motive, it seems, was revenge for being rejected, and he planned long and hard.

  “He was also the reason why our horses acted so strangely.” She stared at El Junior. “It’s hard to believe someone would put children in danger the way he did, but he fed them some sort of locoweed and that made them wild for a short time. Thankfully no one was badly hurt, but we lost a very sweet pony.” She met Doc Grainger’s eye and he winked at her.

  “Mrs. Pocket, it turned out, is Roderick’s mother. You’ve all seen the story on TV about how she had never wanted anyone in the town to know about her secret affair with Doctor Johnson. In case you missed that part, he was married, and she was a teenager, and he paid for her to leave town and give birth elsewhere and give her baby up for adoption. With the resources available on the internet, they were able to find one another, and she did what most mothers would likely do—protected her son. She’ll serve some time in prison. Lou and Skunk are going to press charges against her. Merrick over there”—she pointed—“has purchased the boarding house and it will still continue to operate, and I am thrilled that he is settling here in Hardship—the best-kept secret in Texas.”

  She smiled at the cries of, “Yeah. Damn right. It is the best.”

  Kaitlyn crawled onto Mel’s lap and snuggled into her chest, and Tara felt the emotion well up. She cleared her throat. “The Taurus Center will continue to operate, with me and Jared at the helm, and we have plans to make it better than ever. To be completely honest with you, I didn’t want it, and when I first came here, I planned to find a manager or sell it. But as time passed and I met all of you wonderful people, I realized this is my home and I will always be here.”

  Tara looked at Kaitlyn. “Another little bit of news for anyone
who hasn’t read the Hardship newspaper, Kaitlyn started talking, and she still has a long way to go, but Jules and Christy think she’ll be chatting away in a few months’ time.”

  Kaitlyn stared up at Tara.

  “My brother, Cory and his wife, Mel, have been wanting a little girl for some time and they’re going to adopt her and give her a forever home as soon as all the red tape has been cut through.”

  Everyone smiled and murmured. “I also want to thank everyone,” Jared said, “for believing in me. I know it can’t have been easy for anyone to change their views about me after I was convicted, but you are all true friends. I’m expecting a payout for restitution for wrongful imprisonment and the money will go into plans for expansion of the Center and I’d also like to do something for the Hardship community. Not sure what it will be yet, but I want every resident to benefit, so think on it and let me know what ideas you guys can come up with.. Thank you.”

  Everyone applauded. Jared followed Tara into the kitchen and they slipped into the dining room, which was deserted. He took her in his arms and pulled her into him, and kissed her hard and deep for a long time.

  “I can’t wait for us to be alone,” she said when they broke away.

  He kissed her again and she could feel him tremble. “Me either, but right now, we’d best mingle with the guests.”

  Also from Soul Mate Publishing and Trish Jackson:

  The Zodiac Series

  CAPRICORN’S CRAVINGS

  Riley Shaughnessy has the perfect life. Her veterinary practice is thriving, and she loves living in the small town in the Colorado mountains, where no one knows the shocking secret of her past. She loves to gallop her palomino mare across the vast expanse of public land bordering the town, and after a long period of self-denial, she has even committed to a date with handsome horse wrangler, Randy Hansen.

  But now, she knows her assistant, Jamie, would never willingly abandon her child, so why has she disappeared?

  Something dark and sinister is taking place, and it all started on the day hunky Powell Stewart, with the piercing blue eyes, came into her life in a strange and unexpected way.

  Her inner voice tells her to stay as far away from him as she can, but his magnetism drags her toward him and she cannot find the power to resist.

  Available now on Amazon: CAPRICORN’S CRAVINGS

  ACQUARIUS ADDICTION

  Why did hunky Andre Rossouw come into Arlette's life on the same day her doctor told her she was about to die?

  Attractive FBI Psychic Arlette Xylander displays all the character traits of her star sign, Aquarius, being feisty, eccentric, freedom-loving, flirtatious, rebellious and unpredictable. She may be only five feet tall, but she epitomizes the old adage that dynamite comes in small packages.

  Her emotions rage between denial, anger and tears when her doctor tells her she is suffering from a rare terminal disease. When hunky Andre Rossouw asks her to help find his sister who has been missing for four years, Arlette makes two decisions. To beat the disease and find a cure, and to have wild and passionate sex with him.

  Then she finds out he has a fiancée.

  Arlette's country home on the banks of Bayou LeGue was left to her by her mysterious aunt Lucie, whom she never met, and whom her dysfunctional parents have never been willing to discuss. She often wakes in the dark hours of the night to hear ghostly voices downstairs, and wishes she could find out who they are and what they want.

  A mysterious letter arrives from her aunt, hinting at a secret in the house, and her friend Reay agrees to research her home's recorded archives, while Arlette plans to dig into her family history. She starts by visiting her aunt's grave, where she finds a mysterious woman wearing a hooded cloak, who leaves in a hurry. Arlette's instincts tell her the woman holds the answers to all her questions, but how can she find her?

  Available now on Amazon: ACQUARIUS ADDICTION

  VIRGO’S VICE

  An unexpected romance amid a reality show gone shockingly wrong.

  Camera operator Lexie King has a good reason to work out of her comfort zone in Allan Dockery's new survival-style reality show in Africa. She is determined to overcome her PTSD and make something of herself, but she has no way of knowing he would be there. The monster who’d caused her distress.

  Now all she wants is to get away—as far away as possible. But how? They're stranded one stop past nowhere in Africa.

  Available now on Amazon: VIRGO’S VICE

  When traumatic events start to happen, she draws comfort from Jake, the producer's chocolate lab, and cowboy contestant Billy Murphy, who makes her laugh at the darkest of times, and heats up more than her heart with his touch . . .

  SCORPIO’S STING

  ICE Agent Neelie Nelson and Drew McBain have a habit of meeting in strange circumstances.

  Targeted by la Serpeinte de Coral Cartel and the most powerful and ruthless drug kingpin in Mexico, Drew reels from heartbreak after catastrophic heartbreak. The desire for revenge festers while he fights to rebuild his life and protect what is his.

  Neelie has never been able to forgive her deceased husband for his unmitigated betrayal, and for his lack of forethought that has put her and everyone she cares for in mortal danger.

  Anger, fear, and a mutual passion for revenge fan the flames of their smoldering desire and then a desperate situation forces them to act against the cartel. But how can they match its power?

  Available now on Amazon: SCORPIO’S STING