River's Escape (River's End Series, #2) (21 page)

She stood and came up behind Erin, putting her hand on her shoulder. “I could help you. Just between you and me, and we wouldn’t have to tell anyone else. Ever. Not even Jack.”

Erin grabbed her hand and rested it on her shoulder. “Can I think about it? But you, you have to go to college. I can see it in your eyes. This isn’t where you want to be. You need to do that, Kailynn. Don’t be like me. I always put everything on hold for whatever asshole I was sleeping with. I never did things for myself. I’m trying, this time, not to do that. That’s why I keep erecting all these boundaries with Jack. I need to make sure I don’t lose myself again. I think sex is going to be a big thing for you. Don’t let it ruin what you have planned for your life. You’ll never forgive yourself, or feel complete if you don’t. And I guess I am urging you to do what I literally could never do.”

Kailynn held her breath. The things Erin was saying were the same things she used to think. She nodded. “I’m not sure how to make it happen.”

“Keep trying. Keep figuring it out. I want you to do that and it will all work out.”

“Like everyone around you wants you to master the basic skill you were denied, but now you’re denying yourself?”

She jerked to attention. “Denying myself?” she repeated in a strange voice. “I never thought of it like that.”

“You deserve the opportunity to learn how to read, Erin. If you think I owe it to myself to attend college, then you owe it to yourself to learn how to read.”

“Charlie’s teacher last year offered to try and tutor me.”

“And why didn’t you jump on that?”

“At the time, I didn’t think I would be staying here.”

“And now?” Kailynn arched her eyebrows, making her message clear. “Please tell me you know you’re staying. Jesus, Erin, you own Jack. If you can’t see that, then this is not the
only
subject you’re being stubborn and stupid about.”

“I mostly see it. And feel it. I’m working on it, Lynnie. Just like you’re working on admitting that orgasms are really good things. You’ve had one, right?”

She pushed Erin’s shoulder, teasing. “Yes. I had a couple. Thank you for asking. But you need to decide if you’re staying here, and you need to trust not only Jack, but everyone else here who wants to support you in whatever you decide.”

Erin turned and hugged her. “Fine. I will. But you have to promise me you’ll get the hell out of here. It’s what you need most. As much as I need to be here, you need exactly the opposite. No matter who the guy is.”

“I promise.”

“Good, then so do I,” Erin agreed finally.

They shared a smile and Erin decided she needed to know a lot more details about how Kailynn lost her virginity.

****

A few days later, Kailynn walked into the Rydells’ house at three o’clock to find Ian, Jack, Erin and Shane seated at the kitchen table. She froze, sliding her jacket off.

“Uh, am I interrupting anything?” she kept her gaze firmly fastened on Erin, and mentally thanked heaven that Erin was there.

“No, no. Come in. We’re just talking.”

“We’re just listening to Ian’s suggestion that we sell off our entire fucking legacy and become some kind of freak show.”

“Jesus, Jack, you’re exaggerating things a bit. Calm the fuck down.” Ian was sprawled in the chair and didn’t glance at her. His mouth was set in a grim line.

Kailynn’s mouth dropped open and Erin cringed as she set a hand on Jack’s and squeezed it. He jumped up and leaned his weight on the table. “What would you call it then? I would expect this from Shane, or maybe Joey, but not you, Ian.”

Kailynn stepped gingerly toward the sink to grab the supplies. She had no idea what she just walked in on, but that didn’t diminish her shock. She’d never seen Jack and Ian fighting, or even arguing. Jack fought with Joey, and Shane sometimes, but never with Ian.

“What do you think we’re going to do, Jack? Keep living out here like were all twenty years old forever? Your own son is almost that age now. And what happens when Ben decides he wants to work on the ranch too? I don’t see him leaving. What’s he going to do? Live in his bedroom for the rest of his life?”

Her ears were burning, but her heart leapt with unbridled curiosity. What was going on?

“I don’t want to cut up our ranch like it’s a damn tract house development.”

She stopped dead. Ian wanted to sell the ranch? She didn’t even try to pretend to start work after that statement. “You need to build a house, Jack,” Ian said quietly.

“I have a house. A house that I love. If you want to leave, then leave. Who the fuck is stopping you?” Kailynn cringed. Jack was worked up, and looking like he was ready to shove his fist into Ian’s face. He rarely spoke so loudly either. Erin stood up and tried to soothe him, but for once, Jack didn’t even glance at her. Her face paled, and she glanced at Kailynn with concern and tears brimming in her eyes.

“Yeah, exactly,
your house
. A house
you
love so much that your girl won’t even move into? How long do you expect to keep loving it that way?” Ian snarled.

Jack jerked straight up as if Ian just sprayed water over him. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Ian had a way of talking and using his even voice until it sounded low and intimidating. He rarely, if ever raised his voice. While Jack was thundering and yelling, Ian remained sprawled out with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Erin. I’m talking about Erin. Why do you think she stays in the trailer? Where is she supposed to go, Jack? Into the bedroom you formerly shared with your wife? In your wife’s house? Or share a house with three other men? Why should she move in here? She doesn’t think she has the right, and if you don’t see that, then you are as blind as you sometimes are an ass.”

Jack’s face crumpled. He didn’t argue, but simply turned to Erin with confusion clearly visible in his eyes. “Is that true?”

Erin licked her lips and folded her shoulders over. “I don’t know. I don’t know why I want to stay in the trailer. It just feels better to me.”

“I thought it was because you just needed more time.”

“I do. I guess what Ian’s saying is kind of more accurate than not.” Her eyebrows rose in confusion. “Though I never told him that, and I don’t know how he knew.”

Ian shrugged. “It’s just time that things changed, Jack. You know it. It’s been coming for a few years now. Joey is gone. Shane wants to leave. It’s time to give Shane his freedom. If he wants to take his share of the money from the ranch and do something besides ranching and horses, he has as much right as you and I do to stay here and love it.”

“You can’t divide up the ranch,” Erin interrupted, her eyes huge. “No, Ian. This place is the only home Ben and Charlie know. And all the rest of you. And now… even me. I can’t stand the thought of it.”

Ian rolled his eyes, and Kailynn finally gave up pretending she wasn’t listening. She walked over and stood next to Erin, who was wringing her hands in desperation, and clearly upset. Ian glanced up at Kailynn and she felt the power in his stare, which penetrated right down to her curling toes.

Shane’s gaze swiveled between them all and he finally interjected, “Yeah, I have to agree; I can’t see us dissecting this place. It’s the Rydell River Ranch. I mean, shit, man, I might not want to work with the farm animals, but I sure as hell don’t want to see the ranch destroyed. What would Dad say?”

Kailynn was shocked that Ian would even try to do that. Why? Why would he bring that up?

“I don’t want to break it up. I just want to change it.” He got up and walked to the office that was tucked in a room behind the fireplace and returned with a long tube that looked like construction plans. He spread the plans out on the table and eyes of the entire room were riveted on them.

“I think we should divide up the land a little differently. Not sell it off. Just set up a hundred acres or so down here by the river, which is the best spot for housing sites. Any of us could build there, or our future generations. The ranch, meanwhile, should be run more like a corporation than a family ranch. We run the horses over here, the orchard over there, and of course, Shane’s repair shop for as long as wants to continue doing it.”

They all looked at the plans, nearly falling over each other to see them from one end to the next. It was an architectural rendition that was evidently drawn up by a professional. Jack glared at Ian. “And the house? Mom and Dad’s house? What do you plan to do with that? Level it?”

“No, it stays, of course.”

“Wait. What is this? Holy shit, it’s a resort! You’re trying to turn our home into a fucking resort? The Rydell River Resort? Tell me this is just a big practical joke.”

Ian met Jack’s stink eye with another blank expression and a calm tone. “No, it’s no joke. It’s a way to keep this place in a positive cash flow while giving all of us some freedom. Jesus, Jack, we can’t go on like this forever.”

“What’s wrong with how we are? You’ve been provided for all your life.”

“I never said we weren’t. I just said it’s time to change.”

“What exactly has changed?”

Ian shrugged and threw himself back down on a kitchen chair. “I don’t want to live with you anymore.”

His simple statement was so bold and casual, he might as well have said he didn’t like the dinner choice for that evening.

“Since when?” Jack challenged.

“Since it’s just time. Do you think you’re the only one who intends to get married? Or have a girlfriend? Your own son isn’t too far off from wanting those things. It’s just time to figure something else out, and this is just an idea.”

Jack pushed up off the table and stood there with his legs spread out and his arms over his chest. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

“Well, we could build some cabins down here, just north of the cemetery. Make it all resort-like. And advertise it as an experience of staying on a rustic, working ranch. City people eat up that shit. Look at how much Erin liked it. People would lap up the scenery around here and love our private river access. There’s big money to be made if we just start small and see if we get any takers. If we do, we can decide whether or not to expand.”

“And then what? I offer pony rides to some city assholes just to change their boring lives for a week?”

“No. Of course not. Look at how you welcomed Erin here into our house. Hell no. We’d be out of business in a week.”

“Thank Christ. Then those potential vacationers, that I can’t see us letting stay here, would not have any access to our personal horses.”

“Of course, they’d have access to our horses. That would be the number one draw. Duh.”

Jack threw up his hands. “Okay, I give up. How?”

“Erin. She’d handle that end of it. She’s lovely with everyone. Tell me one person who doesn’t adore her?”

Erin gasped and stepped back, in genuine shock. “Me? You can’t really mean that.”

“Well, I can actually. You know how to handle the horses, and you have a lot nicer disposition than your boyfriend. Don’t you agree?”

“No. I mean. I can’t. I can’t handle the horses and the people… there is no way.”

Jack went quiet. He was looking between Ian and Erin, and Kailynn saw a strange gleam in his eye. The scowl loosened and something wonderful seemed to be dawning on him.

Ian continued, “Look, this would be a huge risk for the family. It’s going to take all of us working hard to pull it off. Who else could do it better?”

“I can’t—”

“You can’t read?” Ian interrupted her. “You don’t need to read to do this. You know how to handle the horses, Erin. And you sure as hell know how to be polite, and kind, and make people feel welcome. You think Jack, me, Shane or Joey could ever manage any of that? We need
you
.”

Erin shook her head. “I don’t know. There’s my job and—”

“Sorry, but we need you more here. Your family needs you, Erin. Do you really intend to turn us down just to make coffee? I mean, I thought you liked the horses. I hoped you, above all, would approve of this idea.”

“I love this idea,” she replied. “But I can’t quit my job and—”

“Admit you live here? Work here? Just like Jack, me, and Shane? Why can’t you do that?”

Jack’s head swiveled between them, and suddenly, he took Erin’s face in his hands. Kailynn stepped back, embarrassed by the intimate spark she saw in Jack’s eyes. “He’s right. You’d be perfect at this.”

She put her hands over his. “What would you do?”

“Train, board, and care for the horses. Same as always. Nothing much changes for Jack.”

“I just feel like I need something that isn’t based on Jack,” she said finally. Her gaze was deliberately avoiding his hurt scowl.

“Great. Because you’d answer to no one. You’d run the horseback riding and make the appointments and decide which trails to take the guests on, according to their experience. It would be all your thing. Maybe AJ and Ben could help out in the summers, but us? None of us would get much involved. You’d be working your ass off… and answering only to yourself.”

“You mean I could quit my job legitimately?”

“Yes, Erin. I mean, we need you to do this full-time. And you should start immediately. Start learning all the trails, and taking different combinations of horses out to see what works best. Practice getting big groups ready to ride together. There would be insurance costs and other business protocols to set up too.”