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Jacob's Girl (Red Eagle Ranch Book 4), page 1
Jacob’s Girl
Red Eagle Ranch, Book 4
Alyssa Bailey
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Book Description
Series Description
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Prologue
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Further Reading: Stryker's Girl
For Jerry,
Who knows all about second chances and protecting his own.
Book Description
A love story that stood the test of time, but will it stand the threat of an old flame’s possessive rage?
Jacob Red Eagle loved Sage Appleton, and their young hearts engraved those three words on a tree—a symbol of budding affection that seemed destined to flourish. But as life unfolded, their paths split as Jacob, trying to find his way and deal with his past, ended their romance, going off to college and his future. Thankfully, the act that looked as though it would end their love story only put it on hold. Waiting for fate, determination and danger to draw them back together.
Now, ten years later, the time has come to reignite a flame that never truly burned out. Jacob knows that he still loves Sage and works hard to convince her that they are finally ready to take a leap of faith, embrace the love they cherished in their youthful days, and forge what they hope will be a bright future. However, Sage comes with a past that refuses to let her go.
In an effort to find the life she had envisioned with Jacob, Sage connected with a man who quickly became frightening and abusive. Now she has an ex-boyfriend whose obsession has transformed into a deadly threat. What once may have been harmless stalking has now escalated; Sage’s safety is at stake and everyone she loves. As they rekindle their love, they must also navigate the treacherous waters of a disturbed, violent man, determined that if he can’t have Sage, no one can.
Woe is the man who tries to take what belongs to a Red Eagle because Red Eagles protect what is theirs.
Series Description
“You’ll like your brothers again once they each find their true love. Their women will tame them for you.”
Young adult, steady job, parents in Ireland for a year, sounds like heaven, right? Not to Saoirse Renee, who is bound by a promise to live at home with her four nosy, intrusive brothers. Their need to run her life with hot Irish tempers and immovable Nakota rules, has gotten completely out of control.
Renee, the youngest of five children born to an Irish-emigrant mother and a Nakota Sioux father, often finds reconciling her parents’ worlds with her own challenging. The cultural diversity is, at times, explosive. Like this. Richard Red Eagle expected his sons to watch over their little sister, while his wife, Kayleigh, did damage control with their daughter.
With a little help from providence and some strategic orchestrating, Renee intends to help each of her brothers find their true love. She could smell sweet victory and see her freedom just around the corner. Time to get to work.
First victim on the list? The eldest: Stryker.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living, or dead is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2022 by Alyssa Bailey
NO PART OF THIS WORK may be used, stored, reproduced, or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover Design by Joe Dugdale
Editor: Mary Beth Renn
Manufactured in the United States.
Chapter One
Jacob walked onto his cousin Richard’s ranch and felt his heart pound and his lungs fill with clean air. He spied the tree on which the girlfriend of his youth had carved ‘Sage and Jacob’ inside a heart using his knife. Sage had loved Jacob Red Eagle. She’d told him enough times during high school that he’d finally believed her. But, ultimately, it was their undoing.
As Jacob allowed himself to wander back in his mind’s eye to the years he lived here with his cousins, he remembered them to be the best four years before manhood. As a youth, Jacob knew why he thought Sage caused the sun to rise every morning because she was perfection in his eyes. What he couldn’t understand was how or why she could love him. Jacob came from a family heritage that carried some shame with it. It was a shame that, as a teen, he’d intended to continue to haul regardless of the rest of his family, who said it wasn’t his burden to carry. At the naming ceremony, his father added “Running” to his family name of Red Eagle, which confused Jacob as he grew old enough to understand such things. Even though Running wasn’t on his birth certificate, it was in the tribal records. Jacob Running Red Eagle made no sense. Eagles soared.
“Grandfather, why did my father add to my name?”
Jacob’s grandfather smiled wisely. “To teach you that running is not the way of the Red Eagle, who has pride and doesn’t hang his head in disgrace. Because, my grandson, you are part of an honorable family who holds our head high and soars over the difficulties of this life for ourselves and our people.”
“So why continue to remind me by giving me the name? Am I so senseless that I cannot know it without having it follow me, causing me humiliation?”
“No, it is to remind you of who you are, not of the mistakes of those who have gone before.”
“Why do I feel so responsible for the past? For the errors of my ancestor?”
His grandfather leaned back in his chair. “We accept our mistakes and do better the next time. We own the responsibility for our choices but feel any misdeed deeply. You bear an ancestral past that many have run from, thinking it is their shame, but I tell you it is not. You are trying to carry the burden of others, just as your ancestors have done. It is a waste of life.”
“How do I get rid of this feeling?”
“Accept the truth of my words. This is what I want you to remember. You have a noble name, and the path our family guides you to take, demands that you work hard but hold your head high. The shame is in the past and has no place in your life, so run from it. Embrace your future. Do not spend so much time running from your family’s past that you miss your future.”
“Then why does it feel that others know my history and hold me responsible?”
“That is your interpretation, grandson, no one else’s. You think everyone sees things as you do. They do not. Have pride in where you came from, and others will follow your lead. Learn to look ahead to where you’re going and stand tall when you arrive. Only on that path will you find your happiness.”
As a young boy, Jacob didn’t understand his grandfather’s explanation. Six generations ago, his ancestor was a turncoat, someone who turned in others to save himself when the Indian and white men were fighting. Jacob thought people wouldn’t forget about it in a tribe, community or family. The community knew the Red Eagles as protective and caring people, available for the most demanding jobs. Was his family still trying to make amends, or was it like his grandfather implied and just their way?
As a teen, Jacob still felt the heavy shame of his ancestor despite his family saying it was six generations ago. And it was with this shame that he entered public high school. During that time, he stayed with his father’s cousin, Richard Red Eagle, more than he ever went home. Richard never treated Jacob with less than familial love, while Jacob and his father had difficulty connecting. His cousins were those he strived to be like.
Richard, whom all the kids called Até, father in the Lakota dialect, was a fair man. And even though their family was of the Nakota people, he never corrected them to Adé, the Nakota word for father, as Jacob’s father did. To Richard, it didn’t matter, nor did Richard care that all the boys growing up or spending most of their hours in his home weren’t his sons.
He was a natural teacher and a good parent. He taught Jacob just as he taught his sons: Stryker, Declan, Seamus and Callen, along with Stryker’s best friend, Carter. When the house was full, there were six boys and one daughter, Saoirse Renee. She liked not having to help people pronounce her name, so she went by Renee.
If the boys ever thought Até was unfair, it was when handing out chores to them. Renee didn’t like it either. She wanted to be part of the group, but her father often sent her back if the task was dangerous or overly taxing. Renee met with her father’s wrath enough times as they grew up.
There were two strikes against her for participating in the fun adventures the boys did; she was
the only girl and the youngest child. Renee learned early that if she disobeyed her father, she had better enjoy the transgression because he would assign lots of housework. Renee hated housework. She’d rather muck out stalls any day.
Maybe that was why she and Sage never got along more than treating each other civilly. Até would not have allowed it any other way. When Richard Red Eagle laid down the law, it was rarely disregarded. And Sage bonded with Kayleigh, Richard’s wife. Kayleigh ruled her home and had her say when needed, but was kind and gentle. She enjoyed things to make her home comfortable and organized.
Sage was drawn to many of the things that Kayleigh enjoyed. Her affection grew to love as Sage’s mom was predominately uninterested in mothering her only child. Then when Sage’s mother passed away in a tragic accident, it became even more important to Kayleigh that Sage have a place to share her thoughts and dreams. And to learn how to run her home and be the woman she wanted to be
Jacob often brought Sage, who lived in the next town, home with him so she could have dinner with them and hang out. The teens would sit on the porch after dinner, or Jacob would take Sage home with an escort because Até didn’t want too much temptation. Jacob appreciated the pressure being off of him. Sage, not so much.
Carter, an only child who lived in town and didn’t seem to have much to do at his own home, practically lived at the Red Eagle Ranch. He comfortably hung out with his best friend’s family, who always included Carter in the fun and the chores. Jacob also wondered if Até kept Carter close because the high schooler had a crush on his youngest child. Richard was always a wise man.
He seemed to catch on when Sage began coming around as well and was quick to offer his wisdom. Carter, Stryker and Jacob were in the same year in school. They did similar sports, and like Stryker, Jacob had an eye for the girls but did more avoiding than connecting until Sage.
“Jacob, a man needs to plan out his life and make sure he’s headed in the direction his path leads him. Too early, and you disrupt both your paths. Too late, and you both go in different directions. Decide the path for you, and if Sage is to be part of that road, then she’ll come alongside you when it’s the right time. Take your time and learn about her. If she is to be the most important person in your life, then choosing carefully will not be a mistake.”
He’d taken his mentor at his word, treading carefully with Sage while Richard taught them to be good men, straight talkers and fair dealers. Richard expected hard work and honesty from the boys. He taught them to stand together in adversity and protect the women of the family. The women included Richard’s wife, Kayleigh and Renee, but they all knew Richard meant the women they dated and ultimately married as well. The kids rarely broke the rules out of respect and an understanding that correction would be swift and memorable. As Jacob could attest, painting a barn was no longer fun when the other kids were at the stream.
As Jacob stood today, letting the slow-moving river on the Red Eagle Ranch take his stress away, he looked back on his high school years. From the outside, some thought it was a terrible existence because the Red Eagles were stricter than many parents. Yes, there was hard work but also hard play. Richard Red Eagle allowed his children just enough of everything for a good balance of work, school and free time. Looking back, Jacob knew it was an idyllic and life-changing four years.
They shared a truck until Jacob’s father sent him back to the ranch with the one he’d gotten. It wasn’t new or nearly new, but it was another set of wheels, and in a house of mostly boys, it was a cherished prize. Suddenly, the world seemed to open up. He took the same truck to college.
Stryker walked up behind him and broke into his thoughts, giving him a bear hug, and stepped back to give Declan a chance to greet their cousin.
“Hey, Cob. How are you?” asked Stryker.
Jacob grimaced at the nickname his cousins chose for him. “Can’t complain.” He looked at Declan. “It’s been a long time, and you’ve beefed up for that woman I hear you have hidden away.”
“Shit. Teagan can run circles around me and often does.” Declan’s face softened. “And she’s the best thing to happen to me. Her brother, Wilder, lives in Wyoming. Good man.”
“I’m hearing several of you have women now. You first three, anyway.”
Stryker nodded and grinned broadly. “Yeah, and Carter is dancing around Renee as she dances around him. Those two need to have their knockdown, drag out, and then live happily ever after.”
“Well, you know Renee,” said Jacob. “She has to be the last one standing.”
“Yeah, but I have a feeling that Carter is about done with the whole waiting thing. It’s about to be game on.”
Jacob chuckled. “Hope I’m here to see the world after their dust settles.”
“Me too, man. Hey,” Stryker pointed to what the family called the lover tree. “Remember Sage?”
Jacob hesitated. “Yeah, I definitely remember Sage. You hear what’s she been doing?”
“Honestly, no. But I know she still lives in her hometown. She left and then came back.”
Jacob nodded. “Yeah, that was the last I heard, too. Has Ridgeline grown any?”
Declan laughed. “No much. I imagine, if you wanted to reacquaint yourself with the lay of the land, and all, the feed store would be the first place I’d check out.”
“I might just do that.”
Declan cleared his throat. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but I did hear a bit of gossip, thanks to Renee the other day. Sage was dating a guy not too long ago, and I heard it wasn’t good. Sage put out a restraining order on this guy. And before you ask, I don’t know his name and Renee was adamant that Sage was good. But it was messy for a little while.”
Jacob was on full alert immediately. “She okay? Have you checked?”
“Nope, but she and Renee have buried the hatchet on whatever made them not get along in school, and they are pretty good buddies now. I don’t think Renee would hold back if she thought Sage was in danger.”
Jacob nodded, but didn’t seem relieved. “Think I might just take me a ride over to the feed store. Soon.”
The men stood in companionable silence while looking out over the landscape of Red Eagle land.
Sage. He’d tried to forget Sage, desperately trying to relegate her to his high school sweetheart history, but she wouldn’t stay there. He’d found no female that affected him the way she did. After ten years, he hoped to reacquaint himself with life at the Red Eagle Ranch as he took a breath from his hectic schedule and recharged. Maybe take a ride over to Ridgeline.
Jacob Red Eagle had a degree in ranch management. Then he added hospitality industry management to his schooling when he saw where many of the largest ranches were going for profits. Ranchers found that adding lodges, cabins and recreational activities often brought in more money than cattle. He’d gotten tribal leadership training to advise the council and those running the tribe. Overkill, he knew, and his hours were more than full, but he needed something else.
He needed to reconnect with his closest relatives, take a wife and start a family. He hoped it would be here at the Ranch with Sage.
Jacob had plenty of his own money. He had a lucrative business in consulting, and he found he had a voracious need to gain knowledge. After long hours of counseling in college, he’d risen above his past shame. His future was out of focus even though he no longer ran from past family acts. In some ways, he wanted to return and show his cousins he’d grown into the man Richard Red Eagle had tried to make him. A man of honor.
As his mentor, Richard had encouraged him to grow from the burnt ground. Just like a forest needed a little fire to clear the old growth for new, Jacob needed to learn to substitute that previous dishonor. Jacob had the tribal leadership’s ear, which enabled him to be a spokesman for his tribe. He carried on the Red Eagle tradition to help where he could by engineering improvements for his people and offered management consulting for some of their businesses. He wasn’t a stick around, sit down and stay a-while kind of guy, but when he was there, he was all in and worked hard.
