The Cowboy Imports a Bride(The Cowboys Of Chance Creek #3) (20 page)

When Rob released her, Morgan made a beeline for Autumn. Taking her sister-in-law into a warm hug, she said, "Don't be sad, I'll be back in a week. I've called Rose and Tracey – they've agreed to fill in for me." She squeezed her, hoping Autumn would somehow know their separation wouldn't be for good. This was why she didn't like practical jokes. Someone always got hurt.

But she hoped the end result would be worth it.

"I'm ready," she told Rob. "Let's go."

* * * * *

Rob was glad to see Morgan relax as they drove to the airport. When Autumn had started to cry, he thought she'd confess their deception right then and there. He knew her sister-in-law's reaction still upset her, but she was able to see the funny side of it all, too.

"Did you see the look on your mother's face when you said we'd get married in Vegas?" Morgan said.

"I thought my dad was going to keel over when I said we planned to have kids the minute we hit California. He's been angling for grandkids for years. Wants to bring them up on the ranch, like he did us."

"Autumn was pretty upset, though," Morgan said, sobering up again.

"I know. I wish she hadn't taken it so hard," Rob said. "I swore I'd never play another practical joke, and here we are pulling off the whopper of our lives."

"They deserve it," Morgan said. "Well, Ethan and Autumn don't. Neither does your Mom, but the rest of them do."

"Got that right."

"You going to be okay back there all by yourself? Think you can keep up appearances?"

"I'll be working like a dog. I won't have time to talk to anyone. How about you? You going to be okay out in California all by yourself?"

"Yep. I've never had this kind of vacation," Morgan said. "Thank God Tara Kramer still lives in the Bay Area, or this trip would cost a fortune. She said she's got her guest room ready for me, and she's dying to spend a day driving around Napa and tasting all the different wines. I only wish you could be there, too."

He felt a pang of loneliness even though they hadn't reached the airport yet. "Someone's got to build Carl's garden." He touched her thigh. "But I'll miss you, too."

Saying good-bye at the airport was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. Only two months ago, they'd played out this same scenario, her catching a flight to Victoria, leaving him behind. This time, though, they were engaged and he knew she'd be coming right back in seven days. It should have made it easier.

It didn't.

"You have to stay in character," she reminded him for the hundredth time. "Even when you think you're alone. If they know we're joking, none of this will work."

"I won't screw this up. I promise." He kissed her again. "Be good."

"Don't forget to feed the kittens."

"I won't."

"Love you."

"Love you, too." He could swear her eyes were shining with tears as she handed her tickets to the stewardess.

He couldn’t wait for this week to be over.

* * * * *

As Morgan hauled her suitcases to Tara's spare room, she wondered again if she was doing the right thing. She looked forward to reconnecting with her old university friend, but she also longed for some time alone to think about her future. Tara planned to take the next few days off, but she would have to go in to work Wednesday through Friday. Rather than fill every minute with sight-seeing, Morgan decided she would use that time to take a long hard look at her life.

She hoped her flight would bring Claire and Jamie to their senses and bring about a reconciliation between everyone she'd left behind at the Cruz ranch. She also hoped it would force the Mathesons to realize how much they'd miss Rob if he really left. She understood Holt's desire to keep his family together, but he had to give his son leeway to pursue his dreams, and he had to see that Rob was his own man now. She hoped he could.

Meanwhile, it was time for her to do some soul-searching of her own. If it didn't work out for them to build a winery on either the Matheson or Cruz ranches, then perhaps it was time to let that particular dream go.

She knew all the costs of starting such a business. She had taken into consideration the number of years it would take for the vines to grow to maturity, and the additional time it would take to create a vintage worth selling. She wasn't sure anymore if it was a dream that made sense.

What did she truly want in life?

A family. A community. A good job. Something extra to give back.

It was the day-to-day things in life – a hand held, a tear wiped away, a hug, a smile – that would fill her heart. Success at work was an additional bonus.

Wasn't it?

For one minute she thought she could make do without a winery of her own.

For one minute.

Then her ambition surged up again and showed her the truth; she'd be miserable if she couldn't pursue her dream.
Please
, she prayed to her family and her friends.
Please find a way to come together again
.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"You can't leave," Claire said, pacing the living room at the bunkhouse. In her elegant work clothes, she looked out of place in the homely room. Probably on her way to or from decorating Carl's new mansion, Rob thought. Jamie, in jeans, t-shirt and cowboy boots looked more at home as he sat on the couch.

"Why not? Isn't that exactly what you wanted? The minute you found out we'd be living here, you lit into Morgan like a pit bull."

Claire reared back, her black bob swinging. "I was pissed, but I didn't mean for this to happen."

"What the hell did you want?" Rob was exhausted, as usual, and Claire made a mighty fine target at the moment. He couldn't believe how much he missed Morgan, and she'd only been gone one day. Claire and Jamie had cornered him when he ducked in for some lunch, and now he couldn't shake them.

"I wanted…answers," she cried. "Dammit, how am I supposed to know how to be a good mother until I figure out what made Mom so bad?"

"Claire," Jamie reached for her. "You'll be a terrific mom."

"How do you know? Maybe poor parenting skills are inherited."

"What the hell does your mom have to do with anything?" Rob said.

Claire turned on her heel and strode out of the room, obviously on the verge of tears. Jamie watched her go, then dropped his head into his hands. "This is my fault," he said. "I want to start a family. I kept pushing on our honeymoon. I kept saying we should…" he waved a hand, "you know."

"Throw away Willy's hat?" Rob finished for him. He and Morgan had done that, and he couldn't wait to try it again.

"Yeah, something like that. Before we got married she was all for having kids, but once we went on the honeymoon, she kept saying she wanted to wait. I couldn't figure out why." He straightened up. "Autumn's already three months pregnant. If we went for it now, our kids would be in the same grade, you know? They'd grow up together. If we wait, they…won't."

Rob stared at him. Did Jamie think he'd be sympathetic about his marital problems when Claire had tried to run them off the ranch? Jamie must have seen his expression because he stood up. "I'm saying it so you'll understand why Claire's upset. She thinks that she'll be as bad a mother as Aria was. She's freaking out."

"So she takes it out on us?" Rob stood also. "I'm sick of playing the scapegoat."

"She's sorry she's been so awful," Jamie said. "I'm sorry, too. I got mad because Claire was mad, and because I want to belong to this ranch all the way. I want to be Ethan's partner, not his hired hand. Can't you understand that?"

Rob let out a long sigh. Sure, he could understand that. Both wanting to call the shots and feeling protective of the woman he loved. He shoved his hands into his pockets and headed for the door.

"You'll change your minds, won't you?" Jamie called after him.

They certainly wanted to, but Jamie was the one apologizing, not Claire, and it was Claire's apology that really mattered. "Look, between Claire and my father, it's too tense for us to settle down here. Morgan and I want a place to belong, too. We'll keep looking until we find it."

* * * * *

"Try this one," Tara said, holding out a glass filled with dark red liquid. Regardless of the sip and spit tradition in the tasting rooms they'd visited so far, Morgan was beginning to feel a comfortable buzz. Swirling the wine in her glass, she breathed in its bouquet of black currant and oak. Another wonderful California Cabernet Sauvignon.

"I'm glad you two came in. Mondays are slow," the man behind the counter said. He was in his late forties, with brown hair shot with grey, and a thickset frame.

"There's always work to do at a winery," Morgan said with a smile.

"Sounds like you know what you're talking about," the man said, cocking his head. "You in the business?"

"Yes. Well, I was. I mean…I'm going to be." She shook her head and tried again. "I just resigned as distillery manager at a Victoria winery. I'm trying to set up my own shop in Montana."

"Montana. Wow, you like a challenge, don't you?" He leaned an elbow on the counter and waved her and Tara onto the stools on the other side.

"I do," Morgan said, nodding and taking a seat. "But I'm running into some problems."

"Can I ask why Montana? There are plenty of wineries looking for help around here. I should know," he added wryly.

"That's where my family is," she said. "Of course, right now they don't seem to be too interested in my plans. That's why I'm here."

"You said you were a distillery manager? Because I happen to be in the market for one of those. I'm Ted Hennessey. I'm the owner here."

"Oh, my goodness. I thought you were a server," Morgan said, taken aback. "You probably thought I was angling for a job."

"I was hoping you were. I mean, if you turn out to be qualified," Ted said. "Want a tour? A real tour – not the watered down one we give to customers. I'll tell you more about the position."

Morgan turned to Tara. "Want to?"

"Sure."

Ted turned out to be the perfect host, answering all of Morgan's most detailed questions about the winery's operations. He plied them with more wines to taste; everything from his oldest vintages to his newest experiments. Morgan loved the way he listened to her opinions and seemed to give weight to the few suggestions she had to make. By the end of the tour she knew that working at Hennessey's would be nothing like her time with Elliot and Duncan.

Ted wrote down the salary he was offering on a slip of paper, folded it and handed it to her. "Take this home and think about it. If you're interested, give me a call. We'll work out all the details."

Morgan and Tara were giggling like a pair of schoolgirls by the time they reached Tara's car.

"Oh, my gosh, if you take the job I'll be able to see you all the time," Tara squealed. "You've got to take it."

Reality hit Morgan squarely in the gut as she climbed into Tara's Subaru. Sure, it was fun to entertain the idea of moving to California to work for a major winery whose owner thought you had something important to contribute, but she already missed Chance Creek and her family.

She missed Rob.

"How much did he offer you?"

Morgan opened the slip of paper and whistled. "A lot," she admitted. Much more than Elliot paid her.

"Won't you even consider it?" Tara asked.

"Of course I will," she said. "And it's nice to have an ace in my pocket if everyone back home doesn't come to their senses."

"Hmmph," Tara said. "In other words, don't hold my breath."

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"Where are you going?" Ethan asked Rob that evening, when they ran into each other outside the Big House.

"Carl's." The last thing Rob wanted was a conversation. He was struggling to keep up his end of the charade. He'd played many a practical joke in his lifetime, but never one that ran for so long. He was so terrified of being caught out he could barely speak these days.

"You're still finishing that job? I thought…" Ethan trailed off.

"You thought I'd quit because we're leaving town?"

"Well, you were doing it to raise money for Morgan's winery, right?"

"I said I'd do the job, so I'm doing it. Doesn't matter why I took it on." Rob climbed into the truck, knowing it wasn't fair to judge Ethan for thinking he might quit in this circumstance. He had a long row to hoe before people took for granted that he was a hard worker, rather than a layabout. He'd made his bed and he was sleeping in it now.

"I'm really sorry about the way things turned out," Ethan said. "I believed in you. I still do."

Rob swallowed. Ethan had been the only one who'd stuck by him through this whole mess. He should say something in return, but somehow he couldn’t force out the words. He didn't want to lie to his friend more than he already had. Ethan turned toward the house.

"I hope you two will change your minds. No matter what Claire and Jamie say, there's always room for you and Morgan on this ranch."

"Thanks, man," Rob said, and started the truck before he spilled the beans.

* * * * *

Morgan clicked through the texts on her cell phone after dinner, dread building with each message. She'd refused to answer any of them since she'd left Montana. Let everyone stew in their own juices for a while.

Then she got to the latest one that Lisa had left, and against her better judgment, opened it to see the whole message.

I know you can't be as heartless as you're acting. You can't take my baby away to California, raise my grandkids so far away, and deprive me of the one chance I have to throw a wedding. Please change your mind!

She opened one of Claire's next.

I swear I'll never ask you about money again. I get it – you don't know where it went, and I should never have blamed you. When Jamie and I went on our honeymoon and talked about having kids right away, it all became too real and I got scared. I don't want to turn out like Mom did. Plz call!