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  No More Games

  A Town Without Pity Series

  Sandy Appleyard

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  ISBN 978-1-989427-37-8

  ISBN 978-1-989427-38-5

  Copyright © 2021 Sandy Appleyard

  All rights reserved.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  No More Pain

  Keep In Touch

  Also by Sandy

  You Can Make a Difference

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Laura

  Hands riddled with cuts and scrapes, knees covered in bruises, hair that’s been overdue for a wash for days, I look in my rearview mirror, barely recognizing myself. My wedding band, covered in scratches, sits on my left ring finger. What it is about a hunk of metal, I don’t know. But whatever it is, just a glance at it keeps me going. Keeps me believing that I can do it. Even though the mate to my ring is sitting in my jewelry box at the ranch, collecting dust for the last two years, I’m adamant to wear it.

  Eyes so bloodshot I can barely see through them, I surprise myself as I drive through the small town called Huttonville, where I’ve lived all my life, ordering feed for the horses, wood for the troughs, and I mull through the rest of town, trying to remember what it looks like. It’s been weeks since I’ve left the ranch. God, I love it there. It’s home. It was home to all the Kelsey kids and my beloved late parents, until twelve years ago, when I married Quentin.

  As I pull up to my house at Kelsey Ranch, after running errands all afternoon, I see several familiar cars lining the driveway. It seems that my entire family is here to greet me. I’m so tired, I don’t think I have the strength to even put on a pot of tea for them. At least they can help me bring all the stuff in. Will, my favorite brother, comes to the driver’s side door to meet me. With hair and eye color that matches my own, it always makes me smile how much he looks like me. Until today, when I look like a used dishrag. I’m so grateful that he’s here. My arms are so tired I struggle to open the door.

  “Will.” I say warmly, feeling a lump in my throat. I’ve been on the verge of breaking for weeks now, but nobody suspects.

  “Laura, hey,” he grins. “Let me give you a hand.”

  Bless him.

  We take all the stuff out of the trunk and bring it up to the house. My brothers all lend a hand putting things away. They’ve all been such a great help. Which is why it’s so hard. As I put away the last item, Will offers to put a kettle on for some tea.

  “I’d love it.” I say.

  “Go sit on the porch.” He indicates with his chin. “I’ll bring it out. Carson’s out there.”

  Venturing out onto the porch, it is a veritable cesspool of siblings. “Why, I don’t think you’ve all been here together in a while.” I observe, taking the seat that Clint is offering me. “You guys all consult with one another?” I giggle. “I don’t believe I’ve been able to pull off having you all under my roof, unless it’s for a birthday party.”

  Clint gives me a tight smile.

  “How’s school?” I ask him.

  “Just one more semester after this one, then I write my medical exam for my official licence.”

  “You excited? Glad it’s finally over?”

  He shrugs, frowning. “A little. Being a doctor means I won’t ever be finished schooling, though, Laura. You know that.”

  “Oh yes, medical conferences, courses, I know. It’ll keep you busy.”

  “Not as busy as you.” Carson says, giving me a back rub.

  “I’ll be even busier once the knew horse comes.” I state. “And then I’m having Lisa design a new stable for me.”

  Clint and Carson exchange a look as Will brings me my tea. “Nobody else having one?” I ask.

  Nobody answers. I take a sip and realize how quiet they’re all being. Usually, it’s digs and laughter and open discussions on a variety of different topics. Not tonight. You could hear a pin drop out here on my front porch. “Geez…cat got all your tongues?”

  Clint takes a seat beside me. Will is on the other side. Clint places his arm on my shoulder. “Laura, we came here to talk to you, love.”

  “Oh?” My interest is piqued.

  “We think it’s time for you to hire some help.” Will says.

  “Really? This mean that you all are too busy now to help your sister out?” I try but fail to hide the coldness from my voice. Looking around, I see that none of them are giving me eye contact. “Sorry. That’s not fair.” My tone drops a level. “I couldn’t ask for a better family. You all have helped me so much, I’m very grateful.” It’s true. Will is starting his own business, yet he’s over here daily helping me. Same with Clint, who is finishing his medical degree, and Carson, who is on his way to becoming a teacher. And my other two brothers, Owen and Connor, who are both in varying degrees of their careers. Everyone has a life, and yet they all come by almost daily.

  “It’s not that, Laura.” Carson says. “We’re worried about you is all.”

  “Worried?” I bark, flabbergasted. “Why are you worried?”

  Will rises, raking a hand through his hair. He’s angry. “Because you look like hell, Laura. You’re going to kill yourself looking after this place alone. Even with our help.”

  “Well…I…” I stammer.

  Clint intervenes. His voice is firm. “It’s been two years, Laura.”

  “You keeping count?”

  “Don’t make me say it.” Will warns.

  I look up at my favorite brother…not based on this moment, of course. “Yes, I know that my husband has been gone for two years, Will. I’m well aware of it.”

  “Even when Quentin was alive, Laura.” Carson interjects. “This place was getting to be too much. The barn was falling apart, you only had the one horse there for a while, and then you got another.”

  “And I’m getting another one, too, as a matter of fact.” I blurt, irritated.

  “See?” Owen says. “This is exactly our point.” He says pointedly. “You’re sinking, Laura. Admit it. Even with our help, you’re sinking. And we can’t always be here each and every day. You need to hire people. Two years ago you should have done this.”

  “And how am I supposed to trust said people on my ranch?” I point out. “You’ve heard all the stories from over at Steely Pines.” I raise a hand in the air, flailing it about, illustrating my point. “Horses getting stolen, hands stealing money or feed, and selling it, and let’s not forget that I’m the only female ranch owner in all of damn Huttonville. Everyone knows it. They’ll come out of the dang woodwork if they know a woman’s hiring help. I’m a sitting duck, boys, and you know it.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Connor says. “Everyone knows you don’t mess with a Kelsey.”

  “Yeah, a Kelsey boy, that is.” I state. “And let’s not forget about the fact that I’m not a Kelsey anymore.”

  “That don’t make a difference. You’re of Kelsey blood, Laura.” Clint says, pointing out how weak my last point is. I know it, but I’m pulling at every string here. I’m being ganged up on by my five brothers, and I’m feeling defeated.

  I ignore his point. “And where am I going to house these said hands, huh? I won’t have anyone living under my roof.” Most ranch hands live on site. Much of the work is done in the early morning hours and goes on until late at night, seven days a week, usually. Help would have to come from out of town, too, seeing as in Huttonville, it’s slim pickin’s.

  “Lisa can design a guesthouse and/or quarters for the help. I’ve already spoken with her.” Clint says.

  “Oh, you have, have you?” I seethe, feeling the rug being pulled out from under me.

  “She’s looking for the business, anyhow, Laura. It’d be helping her, too.” Clint adds.

  That’s true, too. My sister-in-law and best friend, Lisa, is a freelance photographer and a home designer, doing jobs both part-time, and she’s already expressed her challenges at finding work. She’s thinking about branching out into Dallas if things don’t improve quickly.

  “I don’t…I don’t know about this. I really don’t feel comfortable having strangers working and living under my roof. Even if they have separate quarters.”

  “Laura, it needs to be done. And it’s going to be done.” Clint says firmly. “You’re going to run yourself into the grave, just like daddy did, if you don’t.”

  “That’s not fair.” I whisper.

  “Isn’t it?” Will says, somewhat loudly. Out of all my brothers, he’s the one who wears his emotions on his shirtsleeves the most. “Dang it, Laura, we didn’t want to do this, but you aren’t leaving us much choice.”

  I look up at Will, wondering what it is he’s getting at.

  “Laura, if you don’t hire help, we’re taking the ranch away from you, before you kill yourself.”

  I scoff. “And just where in hell do you get off issuing me threats like that? And how in hell do you think you’re going to take my ranch away from me?”

  Clint takes my hand in his. For the first time since mama an
d daddy died, I see the rims of his eyelids turn pink with unshed tears. “Laura, we all love you, sweetie. But this ranch was left to the family. All of us. It wasn’t just left to you. We just figured with us all getting on with school and work, and you and Quentin getting married and keeping the ranch up, we never brought it up. And you know that we’d never threaten you unless it was for your own good.”

  Seeing Clint’s emotion that raw stirs something inside me. This man loves me more than life itself. Even though Will is my favorite, Clint comes real close. He’s everything to me, especially since Quentin died. I try to respond with something that contradicts what I’m feeling inside, trying to be the tough big sister that I’ve always been to all these boys, but my heart won’t let me. My beloved brother is holding back tears, making the sentiment contagious.

  Gasping, I lean in and hold him tight. Burying my head in his neck, he holds me close. His voice cracks when he says. “We’d never take anything from you unless it was necessary, love.” And I know it. “But you’re our only sister, and you’re the best out of all of us. It’d be a shame to lose you young like how we lost daddy.”

  I feel Will’s hand stroke my back, and Carson’s fingers comb through my hair. Even Owen is rubbing my arm on the opposite side. And Connor is down on one knee, staring at me. “We’re going to look after you, Laura. We’ll make sure no one takes advantage. You have our word on that.”

  How did I get so lucky? I’m a fool. Here I am, all this time, thinking that none of my brothers sensed that I was hanging on by a thread…and they could see right through me…the whole damn time it seems. I was just too damn stubborn to give in. “Alright. I’ll hire some help.” I relent, sniffling. “But if I don’t like him, he’s gone.”

  “In a heartbeat.” Clint agrees. “We know how you’ve got a sixth sense for people, Laura.”

  “And don’t worry, neither. Folks out in Dallas and Fort Worth are nice people.” Carson says. “You may even find someone right here in Huttonville.”

  “Well, it’ll have to be someone local until the quarters are built.” I say. “I’m not having no stranger living with me alone in the house.”

  “I’ll stay with you, Laura.” Clint offers. “It’s no mind.”

  “I’ll stay, too.” Will says. “This way there’s no chance of anyone trying to pull anything.”

  “I’ll place an ad in the paper first thing in the morning.” I say.

  “If you want, I can stay, too.” Connor offers. “I mean, I’ve got to run the riding lessons, anyhow.” Connor has been my chief riding instructor, but he’s also got a penchant for flying. I swear once Connor can get his head on straight in life, he’s destined to be a pilot.

  As I clear the tears from under my eyes with my thumb, I hear a car pull up to the mouth of the driveway. “You expecting company?” Clint asks.

  “No. I don’t recognize the car.” I comment, rising, trying to straighten myself out. Normally, I’d throw on a pair of sunglasses to hide my tears, but it’s after sunset, and it would be too obvious.

  “You want me to take care of it?” Will offers.

  “No, it’s fine.” I say, walking off the porch.

  The small sedan pulls up, and a woman gets out of the car. A small child pokes his head out from the back window. “Howdy,” she says, with a twang. “Sorry to bother you, but do you still offer riding lessons?”

  “Yes, we do, as a matter of fact.” I answer. “Are you looking to enroll your son?”

  The lady has long, gorgeous black hair, all straight down her back. Long, real eyelashes sweep across her cheeks. Large, green eyes peeking out from under them. She’s wearing a pair of blue jeans, a plaid, red flannel shirt, and suede cowboy boots. This girl looks like she belongs on the cover of a magazine she’s so gorgeous. I’m a shlep compared to her. “Oh, this is Dylan, my nephew. I’m looking after him for a few weeks while his parents are on vacation.”

  “Oh, that’s very kind of you.” I compliment, waving at Dylan. “Are you in town?”

  “No, we’re in from Dallas. All the other ranchers were booked up on such short notice. We thought we’d come to Huttonville; my brother-in-law works here sometimes when he’s on the road. He says it’s beautiful, and he’s right.”

  “Well, thank you. We like it.” I smile. “We have bookings available for the next two weeks, so it’s your lucky day.”

  Clint comes up to us and smiles. “Oh, this is my brother, Clint. In fact, all the boys up on the porch are my brothers.” I chuckle. “There are a lot of us.”

  “I see.” She smiles, shaking Clint’s proffered hand.

  “Lovely to meet you…” he trails off, giving her a chance to introduce herself.

  “Oh, gosh, my apologies.” She covers her mouth with her hand shyly. “I’m Cassie. Cassie Michaels.”

  “Well, this is lovely.” I say, watching Clint maintain the grasp on Cassie’s hand. “Why don’t I get Clint here to grab you a brochure from inside?” I suggest, but Clint doesn’t take the bait. He still has his hand in Cassie’s. I bump into his arm, trying for nonchalant. “Clint? Go grab a brochure, please.”

  “I got one!” Connor calls from the porch, making me want to smack him when he gets closer. “Here you go.” He says, handing Cassie the brochure. Clint lets her hand go finally.

  “Thank you.” She says to Connor, but Clint interrupts.

  “We can accommodate outside of that schedule, too.” He smiles, nearly invading her personal space.

  Elbowing him, I stand next to her. “You can choose whichever time slot you’d like. But, as my brother said, if you need a different time, we can manage.”

  Connor raises his hand. “I run most of the lessons.”

  “I…I can do some, too.” Clint sputters. He hasn’t done a riding lesson since Connor broke his leg two years ago, and that was only because Owen was down with the flu.

  I give him a look. “Don’t you have school? You know…medical school?” I say louder than necessary, but he takes it as I’m highlighting his intelligence, not that I’m pointing out that he’s unavailable, and has more important things to do other than teach someone’s nephew how to ride a horse.

  “You’re in medical school?” Cassie says, lifting her head.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Clint says proudly. Connor gives him the same look I gave him a moment ago.

  She smiles. “Well, I’ll have a look over this. How much notice do you need?”

  “We have spaces available all week. You can call anytime.” I answer.

  She takes a step back. “Okay. I’ll call later tonight or first thing tomorrow, once Dylan here has made up his mind.”

  “Sounds good. It was nice to meet you.” I say, giving her another handshake. Clint is about to do the same, when I step in front of him, pretending to wave at Dylan. The boy waves back.

  She steps into her car and drives off. I round on Clint. “Just what in hell were you doing?”

  “What?” he says, like I’m being ridiculous.

  “You all but climbed into that woman’s lap.”

  “She’s hot.” Connor comments, which receives a look from Clint.

  “Yes, she is very attractive.” I agree flatly. “But she’s also a potential customer.” I look at Clint again. “And just what do you plan on doing? Dropping class for the next two weeks so you can ogle this woman?”

  Clint lowers his head. “No.”

  “That poor woman couldn’t get out of here faster.” I add. “You embarrassed her…and yourself.”

  “I’m sorry, Laura.” He apologizes heartedly. “I don’t know what came over me.”

  “Hormones. That’s what.” I point out. “Now put them back in your pocket where they belong and get your head on straight, cowboy.” I nudge him with my shoulder, lightening the mood.

  “I’m not in medical school.” Connor says. “Can I date her?”

  I smack him. “Not if she becomes a customer, you can’t. You know the rules.”

  “Yeah, where’s this rule book you keep bringing up, huh?” Connor argues. “I don’t see anywhere where it says we can’t ask a beautiful woman out.” He looks at Clint. “Clint’s in love again.” He says flatly. The other three boys chuckle, shaking their heads.

  Clint’s cheeks turn pink.