The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch - Maisey Yates Page 0,45

handle it without involving charges or the system at all.”

“But you brought me in,” Emmett said.

“I did,” Pansy said. “Because you have to face up to what you did. And I can’t control whether or not the consequences are more severe than either of us would like. I just have to do the right thing. And so do you.”

He snorted. “Why?”

She felt like she was standing on the edge of something. A moment that was given to her by her father’s memory. Where maybe she could change Emmett, the way her dad had changed her.

“Because it matters,” she said, her dad’s face swimming through her mind. She could hear his voice echoing inside of her as she spoke those words. “Because the world can take everything from you, Emmett. Your money, your status, your home. Your job. Your family. But there are a few things in your soul that the world can’t have unless you give it up. Your hope. Your faith. Your integrity. That’s the measure of a person. Those things that can’t be taken and how hard you hold on to them. You’ve made mistakes, but it takes integrity to come and own up to them.”

Emmett looked down, his arms folded, his legs out in front of him. It would be easy to take offense to the posture. Assume it meant he wasn’t listening. But Pansy had a feeling he was, and that was why he found it hard to meet her eyes.

The door to the station opened again, and Carl came in. When he met Emmett, he shook his hand, then he sat down in the chair next to him and started to have a talk with him. About the kind of work he could use help with.

The way that he talked to the kid made Pansy proud of the community. That a man who had been wronged the way Carl had been would treat this kid, a stranger, with such kindness and forgiveness.

She was glad that he had come first, because she knew that this was not going to be the scenario with Barbara. Barbara was difficult on a good day, but she had worked herself up into a lather over this. She was one of those people.

Barbara was on the City Council because she was organized. Detail oriented. Because she understood the way that things worked and was often the most capable person to set them in motion.

She was lonely, and Pansy felt some sympathy for her personal life.

But Barbara also didn’t know when to stop pushing for things. Didn’t know there were times she should sheathe the unerring verbal knife she had the power to wield. Didn’t know that sometimes it was best not to cut someone to pieces with your tongue, just because you could. She had no moderation. She was Barbara, all the time.

When Carl left, he shook Emmett’s hand. They sat and waited, and then Barbara blustered into the police station. “This is the hoodlum that stole my wallet?” Barbara gave a sidelong glance to West. “He has something to do with you?”

“My half brother,” West said.

“I might have known that. You’re Hank Dalton’s son, aren’t you? I’ve heard about you. The one who was in prison. Seems like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Pansy bit back uncharitable commentary on apples and trees. It wasn’t fair to throw her son’s situation in her face, but honestly, it was like the woman didn’t hear the words that came out of her mouth.

“Well, he’s my brother,” West said slowly. “So technically I’m not the tree. But we might be the same kind of apple.”

Barbara was not amused by West’s commentary, but Pansy thought if Barbara didn’t want comments she shouldn’t make quite so many statements.

“As you can see,” Pansy said, her voice measured, “Emmett is a kid. He made a mistake, but he has your wallet, and most of the money that was taken.”

Pansy slid the wallet and the money toward Barbara. She grabbed them, and looked fiercely through the wallet, and then counted the money. “There was $500 in the wallet.”

“I know,” Pansy said. “And Emmett will need to make it up to you.”

“He doesn’t need to be out on the streets,” Barbara said. “He needs to be in prison.”

“He isn’t going to be out on the streets, and honestly even if you press charges he’s not going to go to prison,” Pansy said. “Not realistically. But what you are going to do is tie up the court system and