A Father's Stake (10 page)

Grace glanced out the window, watched the traffic, or what passed for traffic in Wolf Creek in the late afternoon. A single car crawled past in the three minutes Mallory was gone.

“Here you go,” Mallory said, handing Grace a steaming mug and motioning to a small pail on the table. “Cream and sugar.” Then she sat back. “So, you’re from L.A.?”

“Yes, I am, or I was.”

“So, you’re staying?”

“I...yes, I am. At least, I need to see if I can do this or not. I’m not sure.”

Mallory nodded. “I know the feeling. My husband passed away a few years back, about six months before Robyn’s accident. Henry and I had the B&B, and I didn’t know if I should keep it or sell it. I finally decided that I’d try to keep it going, and if I couldn’t, I’d let it go.”

“How did that work for you?”

“I’m still taking it a day at a time.” She took a sip of coffee, then put down her mug with a shrug. “It’s simpler that way. Day by day. So far, it’s worked out.”

To hear Mallory put it so simply and so clearly resonated with Grace. “That’s it exactly. I want to make this work, I need to, but I’m not sure I can.”

“If you can’t, then what?”

Grace shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess sell, then move on, but I don’t want to do that. I’ve done that all my life, from rental to rental with my mom, then with my mom and my daughter.”

“You’ve got a child? No one told me that.”

“Lilly is six years old. She’s the most important person in my life. I’m doing this to make a home for her. For all of us.”

“Henry and I wanted to have kids, but we were so busy we didn’t really have the time, then there was no time left.” She segued without a blink of an eye. “Robyn was a teacher at the Rez school, loved kids so much, and Jack loved her more. They wanted kids, they always did, but it never happened. Then she was gone.”

Grace felt her throat tighten, and asked her question again. “They were going to live on the ranch?”

“I don’t know. I never heard Robyn talk about that. All the time I knew them, they lived in the loft over his law offices. With Robyn’s work on the Rez, their place in town made it easier for her to do extra tutoring with the kids.”

Jack had lost everything, she realized, by losing his wife. “I thought...Jack seems to love the ranch.”

“That ranch was always special to the Carson boys growing up. Their grandpa was the center of their universe. He died a year before Robyn passed. Maybe if they’d had kids....” She shrugged. “As I said, it’s been hard for Jack.”

“You know the family well?”

“Oh, sure, and Moses Blackstar, a good friend of mine, well, he’s been close to all three of the Carson brothers since they were really young. He’s probably Jack’s best friend, or maybe it’s a tie between Moses and John, the local chief of police. People around here tend to stay friends for life.” She chuckled. “Mostly because they don’t leave here for very long before they head back.”

“Jack mentioned Moses. Isn’t he the doctor at the hospital?”

Mallory nodded, then looked past Grace and smiled brilliantly. “Oh, hello,” she called out, waving someone over to the table.

Grace turned to see a man approaching them. He was medium height, with short black hair, a sturdy build and dressed in gray slacks, a checked cotton shirt and the ever-present cowboy boots.

“Speaking of Moses,” Mallory said, “here he is.”

He looked down at Mallory with as much pleasure to find her there as she’d shown at seeing him. He touched her shoulder. “Glad I found you,” he said in a deep voice.

“Grace was just saying that Jack’s been talking about you.”

The man looked at her with eyes so dark they seemed black. “Grace? Not
the
Grace Evans?”

“Exactly,” Mallory said.

Grace wasn’t surprised that he knew about her. It seemed anyone who had contact with the Carsons knew about her. She took the hand he extended. “Nice to meet you. Jack told me a bit about your work at the hospital.”

Moses grinned. “Don’t believe anything he said.”

Mallory went to get another mug and Moses pulled a chair over from another table.

“It was all good,” Grace assured him.

“Oh, then he’s absolutely right about everything,” the doctor said. He looked at Mallory, seated beside him. “So, how did you get to know Ms. Evans?”

“I literally ran into her just a bit ago,” Mallory admitted before she took a sip of her coffee. “I thought, since she’s on the old Wolf Ranch, and she’ll be dealing with Jack and the Carsons, she ought to know a bit about them.”

“Such as?”

“About Jack.”

Moses’s face sobered, and Grace could see concern or pain in his midnight eyes. He exhaled, but all he said was, “Oh.”

“I appreciate it.” Grace fingered the warmth of the ceramic mug in front of her. “I had no idea why Jack wanted the ranch so much.”

“It’s not the ranch he really wants,” Moses said, his voice low.

“Then what is it?”

“Maybe a reason to be here, I don’t know. I don’t do psychiatry or that sort of thing. I almost wish I did.” He looked at Mallory and seemed to shake himself slightly, as if he didn’t like the direction his thoughts were going. “I really just came in on the way back from seeing....” His voice trailed off. “A patient,” he said finally. “That elderly lady that’s your guest, she told me you were coming over here. So, I wanted to double check to see if we’re on for tonight?”

“Oh, yes,” Mallory said quickly, and Grace didn’t miss the slight flush in her cheeks, or the lowered lashes.

“Great,” he said, then stood, taking another sip of coffee. “Unfortunately, I don’t have time to finish this.” He smiled at Grace. “Welcome to Wolf Lake. I really do wish you all the luck with that ranch.”

“Thank you,” she said, and meant it.

He looked as if he was going to lean toward Mallory and kiss her, but he just reached over and touched her chin with the tips of his fingers. “See you later,” he said, then left.

Grace looked at Mallory. “So, you’re dating?”

Mallory made a face. “Is it that obvious?”

Grace smiled. “A bit. He seems very nice.”

“He’s terrific. I never thought I’d ever....” She shrugged. “How about you, you’re married?”

“Was,” Grace said, surprised that the old bitterness didn’t find its way into her tone. “He left, and it’s just me and my daughter, and my mother.” She stood. “I need to get some supplies and get back to the ranch. I’ve been gone too long.”

Mallory stood up, too, and waved away Grace’s attempt to pay for their coffees. “I’ll take care of it,” she said, and called over to the teenager. “Aaron, tell Oscar I need coffee, regular grind?”

“Sure, Mallory,” he called back. “I’ll bring it on over in an hour or so, if that’s okay?”

“Just fine,” she said, then turned to Grace. “I enjoyed meeting you like this. Come on by when you’re in town again, and we can visit some more?”

“I’ll do that,” Grace said.

“What is it they say in L.A.? Oh, yes, ‘We’ll do lunch.’”

“I’ve never said that, but I’m sure someone has.” Grace smiled at Mallory as the woman left the store.

She made her way over to the meat counter. Jack’s wife had died. Jack had loved her. Jack wanted the ranch. Maybe he needed it. She felt an ache in her middle thinking about his loss, not sure how she could survive if a husband she loved were to die. Maybe she wouldn’t. She didn’t know, because she had never loved a man like that. Never.

It shocked her that for a single moment, she felt the same twinge of jealousy she’d experienced in the restaurant earlier. It made no sense, but it was very real and almost brought tears to her eyes.

CHAPTER TEN

A
S
G
RACE
GOT
back to the ranch and pulled off the highway onto the dirt drive, she experienced that feeling of homecoming again. She relished it. Slowly, she drove by the stables and stopped her car. But this time it wasn’t to look at the house. Instead she watched Lilly running around, blowing bubbles and laughing as they floated up into the sky.

Her mother sat on the porch step with Parrish, smiling at the little girl. Grace had always hated the way people overused the word awesome, but right then, her world looked awesome. She drove up to the house, and Lilly was at her car door before she could make a move to get out.

“Mama, Mama, hurry!” she cried, grabbing the handle and swinging the door open.

“What is it?” Grace asked, sliding out into the warmth of the day.

“We got a cat!” Lilly jumped up and down and clapped her hands together. “A real, real cat!”

They hadn’t even been on the ranch for a full day, and they already had a horse coming and now a cat. She looked over at Gabriella and Parrish. They both smiled and shrugged.

“It will be a good mouser,” Parrish said. “It’s been hanging around the stables for a week or so, and I haven’t seen one mouse in all that time.”

“Come on,” Lilly said, grabbing Grace’s hand. “Come see Sunny!”

Gabriella nodded. “She’s a ginger cat, really friendly.”

Parrish stood and came toward Grace. “You need a few more at the stables to keep down the vermin population. She’s a mouser, but she’ll be outnumbered sooner or later.”

“We’ll see,” Grace said, then Lilly had her by the hand, tugging her toward the stables.

* * *

J
ACK
GOT
TO
his parents’ ranch later in the day and made arrangements for one of the stable hands to go to Oscar’s to pick up the horse and mattresses for Grace and drive them over to the ranch the next morning. When he saw his father’s truck parked by the house, he headed back to town without seeing his mother.

Maureen was at the office, sorting through a large filing cabinet by her desk. She swiveled her chair around as he came in.

“I have a proposition for you,” she said as he was about to walk past her to his office. “Are you interested?”

Maureen’s eyes looked quizzical behind her rimless glasses. “If it’s about investing in your new business, I told you, I might. I’m thinking about it.” He leaned his hips against the desk. “I’ll be sure to let you know soon.”

She shook his comment off with a wave of her hand. “No, nothing like that. It’s about your Mrs. Evans.”

That got his attention. “What are you thinking?”

“She seems to be in love with the idea of having her own ranch, is that about right?”

“I’d say so.”

“She’s in over her head with it, you believe that?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then help the poor girl.”

That made him frown. “What are you talking about?”

“Look around, find another piece of land that’s set up for a ranch, but a hobby ranch, in a good location, green and well cared for, then push her toward it.”

Her suggestion surprised him, mostly because he’d been thinking the same thing. A smaller, manageable place that he could offer her in trade for the old ranch with some added money to sweeten the pot. But he’d let that idea go. He’d realized in the time he’d spent with her that it wasn’t just any ranch she longed for, it was the one she owned. Despite the pain her father had obviously caused her, the ranch was a gift he’d given her, a tenuous connection that might be all she had from him in this life.

“I thought of that, actually,” he admitted to his assistant.

“And?”

“I doubt it will work, at least, not yet.”

He stood to go into his office, but Maureen wasn’t through. “What, are you giving up on getting the land back?”

“Oh, no,” he said. “That’ll never happen. I’m doing what I can do, for now, and hopefully things will turn around.”

“Now, that’s cryptic,” Maureen said with a growing smile. “Oh, P.S., I saw you with her just after noon, driving west out of town. What’s that all about?”

“Went to Oscar’s to look at a horse he has for sale.”

She shook her head. “So, you’re helping her settle in?”

“No, I’m not. But she didn’t know anything about buying a horse, and I offered to take her out there to look at it.”

She held up her hands. “Okay, okay, that sounds logical, being a Boy Scout.” She frowned up at him. “You
were
a Boy Scout when you were a kid, weren’t you?”

“Not even close,” he muttered and walked to his office.

Before he shut the door behind him, he heard her say, “I should have figured.”

He’d barely settled behind his desk when the door opened and Adam strode in. His uniform was gone, replaced by jeans and a T-shirt. With no preamble, he came to the desk, pressed both hands flat on the polished wood to lean forward and demanded, “Tell me, what in the heck do women want from men?”

Jack tipped his chair back, and clasped his hands behind his head. “Beats me.”

“Great! Just great!” Adam turned and started pacing. “I thought you’d have some ideas.”

“What’s going on?”

Adam was silent as he paced back and forth, then he turned on his heels to approach the desk again. This time he dropped down in one of two chairs used for clients. “I never expected to love someone, I mean, really love someone, in this life. I thought that was all some greeting card sentiment, then Faith came to Wolf Lake, and it was a done deal the first time I saw her.” He ran a hand over his face roughly, then raked at his hair, spiking it. “I love her. Just plain love her.”

Jack braced himself. “You broke up with her?”

Adam’s head shot up. “Oh, no, no, not even close.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Everything. She’s in Chicago and I’m here. This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. Especially not now.”

“Why now? Is it this mess with Dad? Or her dad’s problems?”

He looked blank for a moment, then his dark eyes widened slightly. “No, no, no. It’s just I have to tell you something, but you can’t tell anyone else, and I mean, no one! Not John, not Gage, especially not Maureen. I’m telling you because you never spill anything, even by accident. You’d laugh off torture to keep national secrets.”

“Okay, okay, just tell me.”

“Okay, I—”

Jack stopped him. “First, give me a dollar.”

“What?”

“Give me a dollar,” he said, holding out his hand.

Adam frowned, but dug in his jeans’ pocket and found four quarters. “How’s that?”

Jack reached across the desk to scoop the coins out of his brother’s hand, then sat back. “Okay, now whatever you tell me, I can’t tell anyone else, because you’re now my client.”

Adam barked a laugh at that. “Good old Jack, you always had a way to make things work out.”

For some reason, Grace Evans came to mind. No, he couldn’t always make things work the way they should. He was flying by the seat of his pants with that woman, making it up as he went along, intent on keeping her from reaching that final decision to never sell the old ranch. “No flattery, just tell me what’s wrong?”

Adam hesitated. “Nothing’s wrong, not
wrong
, but....”

“Come on, spit it out,” Jack said.

Adam sat back, resting one booted foot on the opposite knee, and nodded. “Okay. We’re married.”

That brought Jack straight up in the chair. “You’re married?”

“I wasn’t about to leave Faith in Chicago to deal with that mess with her father, it just wasn’t doable.” He sighed. “So, we went to a justice of the peace, got married, and I stayed with her.”

Jack looked at his “baby brother,” and finally grinned from ear to ear. “Wow!”

“Yes, wow!” Adam was grinning too, but sobered quickly. “Now, she’s there and I’m here, and no one can know.”

“Why not? Everyone would be thrilled.” He paused, the memories of his marriage to Robyn as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. The joy, that feeling of completeness. A pain settled in his middle, but it eased when he thought of what Adam had found with Faith. “Mom would absolutely love to have Faith as a daughter-in-law.”

“I know, I know, but she’d also want to be there for the wedding.”

“How are you going to manage that?” he asked. “Time travel back to the past?”

“Another ceremony, one here, at the ranch, small, just family. Her father might be able to get permission to leave the state in another three months, right around Christmas. Faith thought we could pull it off and no one would need to know we’re already married.”

“Devious, but probably not a bad plan,” Jack admitted. “I agree, but I didn’t know how hard it would be for Faith to be in Chicago and me to be here. And when she finally comes out here, how’s that going to work?”

“That’s your problem, bucko,” Jack said with another grin. “You can figure it out.”

“I was hoping Gage would take the heat off of me, now that he and Merry are engaged.”

“I wouldn’t worry. Mom’s preoccupied with other things these days. Lately, I don’t even go to the ranch unless I have to.”

“I know,” Adam said. “I just needed you to listen, I guess. It’s been eating me up inside, not being with Faith every day.” He stood with a shrug.

Jack came around from behind the desk. “Congratulations,” he said and hugged Adam. For a second, he thought about Grace and her saying how jealous she was of him fitting so well into this town, having friends, people who knew him. But right then, he was the one who felt jealous. Adam was married. Adam was totally in love. And Jack was happy for him, but he still couldn’t suppress that twinge of envy.

“Anything I can do for you about the property?” Adam asked.

Jack remembered he hadn’t told anyone about Grace’s response to his offer to purchase the old ranch. He sat back on the edge of the desk and folded his arms on his chest. “She’s not selling....”

“Oh, man,” Adam said. “I am really sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s not final. She wants to try and see if she can make a go of it on the land. If she can’t, I told her my offer’s waiting, and if she can....” He shrugged. “That won’t happen. She won’t be able to do it.”

“How so?”

“You know she’s from L.A., and, as far as I can tell, she’s never even been near a farm or a ranch.”

“So, you’re okay with just sitting back and waiting?”

“No,” he said honestly. “I can’t do that. I’m going to keep close enough to make sure she realizes she’s in over her head sooner rather than later.”

“That’s your plan, to be negative about everything?”

“No, realistic. There’s a huge difference.”

“If you say so. If I can do anything to help, let me know, okay?”

“Sure, but one question?”

“Shoot.”

“Why didn’t you tell Gage about you and Faith being married?”

“Because I figured you’d understand, having been there.” He stopped, heaving a huge sigh. “Boy, I’m sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Hey, no problem.” Jack meant it. People watched what they said around him too much. Life was what it was, and they shouldn’t have to censor themselves for fear of offending him. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and Gage will hurry up and make a big splash of a wedding.”

“Wishful thinking,” Adam said.

Jack stared at the closed door long after his brother had gone. He found himself thinking about Grace again. If things had been different, he would have genuinely hoped she’d make a go of it on his grandpa’s ranch. She was excited, her eyes bright whenever she looked out over the land. He slowly straightened and flexed his shoulders. Tomorrow morning, they’d do the perimeter ride, about a third of it. He’d make it last for at least three or four days, giving him plenty of time to be honest with Grace. He’d lay out the way ranches operated and all the work they required, especially one that needed a full overhaul. Day after tomorrow. He again sat down behind his desk.

He shook his head. When was the last time he’d actually looked forward to something? If he thought about the future, all he’d seen was a void, something he had to fill any way he could. But not now. He looked at the paperwork on the desk and ignored it. Instead, he left as soon as Maureen had closed up the office.

Standing on the walkway, letting people pass him by, he gazed out at the town. Adam was married, Gage was looking forward to his marriage and an instant family when he and Merry adopted Erin, meanwhile, Jack was going to take a ride with Grace Evans. A small step, he told himself. But an important one. And at the end, he’d have the ranch.

* * *

W
HEN
J
ACK
RODE
his horse
up the drive toward the old adobe house, leading a gentle Bay behind him, dawn was just spreading in the east. He didn’t see anyone around. Then the front door opened, and Grace slipped out onto the porch. She was dressed in jeans, a pink tank top and what looked like boots, actual boots on her feet. She waved to him, then headed down the steps. He could see her smile even from a distance.

He stopped by the porch, dismounted, and undid the Bay’s reins from the loop on his saddle. As he turned to Grace, who was right behind him, he thought for a minute that another Grace was coming out of the house. The woman wore jeans, too, with the same slender frame, but her pale hair had as much gray as blonde, and was only long enough to brush her neck. She was about two inches taller than Grace, and he guessed this was most likely her mother.

The woman smiled at him, and Jack noticed her eyes were a silvery-blue, not violet. “Good morning,” he said to the two of them.

“Hi,” Grace said, and lifted her foot. “See, boots. Safe from snakes.”

“Very nice boots.”

Grace put her foot down. “Lilly’s still asleep on the lovely mattress Oscar sent. She’s worn out from never leaving that horse’s side all day yesterday. She would have slept in the stable last night if I had let her.”

“So, she likes Mosi?”

“Absolutely, and thank you so much for getting her over here for me.”

He waved off her thanks. “Not a problem.” He glanced at the other woman. “I take it you’re Grace’s mother?”