“I’m Just A Hired Girl,” She Sobbed — But The Rancher’s Children Begged Her Not To Leave
Chapter 10
The line went dead.
Samuel remained frozen.
Mara took the phone from his hand.
“Did he say his name?”
“No.”
“Then how do we know—”
“He knew about the birth certificate.”
Samuel’s voice broke.
“Someone is watching this house.”
They left before sunrise.
Mara sat in the passenger seat.
Samuel drove.
The children stayed with Mrs. Dawson, the elderly neighbor who had cared for them since Claire died.
For the first time in years, Samuel left the ranch without knowing whether he would return.
The address led them to a modest property surrounded by pine trees.
A young man was repairing a fence.
He looked up.
Samuel stopped the truck.
The young man froze.
He had gray eyes.
The same gray eyes as Samuel.
Mara watched Samuel’s face.
He couldn’t speak.
The young man walked toward them.
“You’re Samuel Reed.”
Samuel nodded.
“You’re Lucas.”
The young man swallowed.
“Yes.”
Neither moved.
Then Lucas said:
“I wondered when you’d come.”
Samuel’s voice trembled.
“Who told you about me?”
“My mother.”
“She’s alive?”
Lucas shook his head.
“She died when I was twelve.”
Samuel closed his eyes.
“Who raised you?”
“Your mother.”
Mara felt the cold move through her.
“My mother?” Samuel whispered.
Lucas nodded.
“She came to see me every month.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
“Because she said you weren’t ready.”
Samuel almost laughed.
“Ready for what?”
Lucas looked at Mara.
Then back at him.
“For the truth about my mother.”
“Claire?”
Lucas shook his head.
“Your mother.”
Samuel stared.
Lucas walked inside the house.
He returned with a small wooden box.
“She left this for you.”
Samuel opened it.
Inside was a ring.
Claire’s wedding ring.
Mara looked at it.
“Why did your mother have this?”
Lucas shook his head.
“She didn’t.”
He pointed to the inside of the box.
A note was taped underneath.
Samuel read it.
Sam, I lied because I loved you. But the woman who destroyed your family is still alive.
Samuel’s breathing stopped.
Mara looked at Lucas.
“Who?”
Lucas didn’t answer.
Instead, he handed Mara a photograph.
It showed Claire standing with a woman.
The woman wasn’t Samuel’s mother.
It was someone else.
Mara recognized her immediately.
“Walter Haines’s mother.”
Lucas nodded.
“She and my grandmother worked together.”
Samuel stared at the photograph.
“What did they do?”
Lucas lowered his eyes.
“They stole ranches.”
“Whose?”
“Anyone whose land had debt.”
Mara understood.
“Your mother was part of it.”
Lucas nodded.
“And Caleb?”
“He helped them.”
Samuel looked sick.
“Then why is Caleb trying to take my ranch?”
Lucas stared at him.
“Because he thinks the ranch belongs to him.”
“Why?”
“Because your father promised it to him.”
Samuel shook his head.
“My father left it to me.”
Lucas looked at Mara.
“No.”
He reached into the box.
There was another document.
“This is the original will.”
Samuel unfolded it.
His hands began to shake.
At the bottom was his father’s signature.
But beneath it was a clause Samuel had never seen.
The ranch shall remain with the child who proves himself willing to protect the family, not the one who merely inherits its name.
Samuel stared.
“Where did you get this?”
Lucas answered quietly.
“My mother gave it to me.”
“Who is your mother?”
Lucas looked at him.
“Claire wasn’t my mother.”
Silence.
Samuel’s eyes widened.
Lucas whispered:
“The woman who raised me was your mother’s sister.”
Mara felt the world tilt.
Then someone outside shouted.
A gunshot shattered the window.
