When You Fall... (34 page)

“Hi,” he said, watching her approach him. She was a beautiful woman, favored her sister.

“What is Dry Goods?” she asked, coming to stop in front of him outside the door, looking up at the sign advertising Miller Lite.

“It’s a bar. The owner thinks he has a superb sense of humor.”

“I see,” she said, giving him the once-over. “Want to buy the new woman in town a drink?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said. He followed her in, and they both walked over to the bar and placed their orders.

“So, how it’s going?” he asked.

“Fine. Just trying to settle in, and learn all that I can learn about B&B management and farming. Luckily I have you to help now,” she said.

“I’ve been thinking about you,” he said, handing a coke off to her.

“You have?” She said, all smiles.

“Yes, and I have a proposition for you.”

“I’m all ears,” she said and sat back, drinking her Coke and listened to Rafael.

Tuesday

“Have you seen Rafael’s vegetable operation?” Courtney asked Carter. They were seated at the table in the kitchen, finishing up some paperwork over breakfast. They were headed over to Rafe’s to take a tour of his farm.

Courtney had gone over to Rafael’s house last night and had come back full of ideas and praise for all things Rafael. She’d been here less than a week and knew more about Rafael’s operations than Carter had ever thought to ask. It was a little hard to stomach.

Courtney had been invited to tour his farm and had somehow wrangled Carter into going along—it was their destination this morning.

Carter hadn’t seen much of his farm beyond the few times she’d gone over there, she’d been more focused on the things he could do to her. Kind of one-sided, her friendship had been, now that she’d been forced to give it more thought.

He’d always helped her out, from the beginning, checking in on her regularly, loaning her equipment, dispatching friends to help her, too. He turned out to be a great guy and friend.

Courtney and Carter knocked on Rafael’s door later that morning. He opened it and stood there looking at them, a welcoming smile on his handsome face. It never ceased to make her insides shimmer, with that lock of hair that was always over his eye—it was a lazy kind of sexy. He did that on purpose, she’d bet, to give off that just-been-laid air. He smiled at them both, or so she thought. Who could tell, really? She was pretty, but her sister was a lot to take in.

“You ladies ready?” he asked, guiding them through his kitchen and out the back door. Courtney was at his back, closer than Carter thought necessary, but whatever. Carter brought up the rear.

“I have a small garden out here. I’ve been teaching myself to cook,” Rafael said, as they made their way past it.

“Courtney is a great cook,” Carter chirped.

“You are? That’s good. I was hoping I’d have a wife by now to cook for us, but I haven’t been that fortunate. So, I decided to teach myself.”

“I love cooking. My mother started teaching me when I was in elementary school. We—my dad and uncle—used to have these family dinners every night,” she said.

“That’s great,” Rafe said, smiling. Carter looked away.

They were near the chicken’s home. Carter looked on, watching Courtney as she stood beside Rafe, all up-close, an enraptured look on her face as she laughed with him at his mini egg-gathering demonstration.

She squealed a little, making Rafael laugh. She might as well not even be here. What a nice couple they would make, Carter thought again. Her chest felt tight.

“Carter, you want to try?” Rafe asked.

“Nope. I’m good here,” she said.

The rest of the afternoon progressed like it had started, with Rafael and Courtney alone in their farming world, and Carter trailing behind. They toured his barn, his goats paddock, his fields. He and Courtney spent what felt like an hour talking irrigation. If there was a more boring subject, Carter would have liked to have known what it was. She’d listened and acted interested, all the while her insides churning with the realization that Courtney would make an ideal mate for Rafael.

First and foremost, they both wanted to farm. They both loved the land, and even went to the same college to study agriculture. Both were beautiful people. Both tall. Rafael’s Latin brown skin to Courtney’s soft honey-brown. A kid between them would be impossible to pass up. Carter tried to think of other things, anything that would made her stomach less queasy.

An hour later, they thankfully reached the end of the tour. Carter’s mind was tired, and her heart sore. She didn’t want him with Courtney. She didn’t want him with anyone other than her. What could she do now?

They were back standing at the front of Rafe’s home, the tour now complete.

“Carter and Courtney, I’d like to introduce you to my right-hand man, Enrique,” Rafe said, his hand on Enrique’s shoulder. Enrique was older than Rafe, like he could have been Rafe’s father.

“He has been with me since we started. His house is toward the back of the farm,” Rafe said.

“Nice meeting you,” Carter and Courtney said. Carter sighed, her eyes on Enrique. Another man enamored with her sister’s beauty.

“We’d better get back,” Carter said, after the introductions were complete.

“Thanks for the tour,” Courtney said, and moved over to hug Rafael, which he didn’t seem to mind. He held her a second longer than was necessary, Carter thought. Since when had she become the keeper of time?

“See you later,” she said, heading toward her own home. Courtney stayed behind.

#

“You think she suspects?” Rafe asked as he stood next to Courtney watching Carter’s retreating figure.

“No, she’s too busy being envious, although she works hard to hide it,” Courtney said, smiling.

“Thanks for agreeing to this. I was starting to feel desperate until you showed up,” he said.

“You owe me. I’d better catch up to her. I’ve got more singing of your praises to do,” she said, smiling at him.

He grinned.

“Anytime now,” Courtney said, grinning, ”she’ll be begging to be added to your list of possible contestants.”

“I hope you’re right,” he said, serious now.

“Don’t worry,” Courtney said, and left, running to meet Carter. She caught up with her a few minutes later at the back door.

Carter had no idea as to the cause of her sister’s delay. She hadn’t looked back.

#

Friday

“So, you’re all ready for tomorrow?” Rafe asked, stepping into Carter’s barn. It was Friday night. He’d known she’d be out here, talking to her horses. Her end-of-the-day habit as she prepared her horses for the night. She was leaving for Austin tomorrow.

“I am. Going up early in the morning. Courtney is, too. We’re both going to clean out our apartments. It’s still hard to believe that I’ll be living out here. That I… I mean
we
can turn this into a place we’ve both dreamed of. It’s funny that we both have a love for the place—different, but the same.”

“It is,” he said.

“Farmer’s market tomorrow morning for you?” she asked.

“Yep. I should be finished working by three. I could stop by if you need help or just want company.”

“What a good friend you’ve turned out to be,” she said. She stood there and looked at him, and then walked over and placed a kiss on his lips. She’d felt weird… a little needy around him ever since Courtney’s arrival.

His hand went to her waist and he held her there while he turned her initial kiss into something more.

“Thanks,” she said.

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m going to meet my girlfriends after I’m done packing. We’re going to have dinner and play catch-up.”

“They are in for a huge shock,” he said.

“Don’t I know it? Courtney and I plan to meet with the family on Sunday at dinner.”

“It may not be as bad as you think,” he said.

“I don’t know what to expect. I vacillate between hurt and anger. I only hope I can control my emotions and keep it together. Maybe some new cool me will appear before Sunday dinner.”

“You’ll do fine. Don’t take their comments personally.”

“How can I not?”

“They weren’t going to leave you out. Hell, given your father’s track record, they might not even know. You were going to get the same amount in proceeds from the sale. Take that into account,” he said.

She made a face. “I’ll try,” she said and hugged him, resting her head on his chest. “I’ll be back here Monday night.”

“I’ll watch your place for you, check on your horses.”

“See, Rafe, the nice guy,” she said, moving her body closer into his. “I feel so clingy now, like I need to be held.”

“It is normal to want support.”

“Do you need support?” she asked.

“Of course. Everyone does,” he said.

“Don’t get married,” she said.

He chuckled.

“Have you found anyone lately?” she asked, fishing.

“No, not really,” he said.

“Not really, huh? We’re just sex, huh?” she said.

“We’re friends more than we are sex. You didn’t want a marriage or a Mr. Bentley. I thought I was your Mr. Bentley-Now. Plus remember, I’m Latino. Both of those make you unavailable to me, right?” he said.

“Your being Latino doesn’t bother me. It was more my folks than me; my dad, but his opinion doesn’t count anymore.”

“Good to know,” he said.

She leaned in to kiss him again. “I don’t want to talk anymore,” she said.

“Me neither,” he said, taking her lips in a scorching kiss.

He looked around the barn. “What is it with us and stalls and barns? What happened to beds?” he said, leaning back in for another kiss.

She reached for his belt buckle, followed by the button and then his zipper. She moved her hand inside his pants. She could feel him and she could also feel the way his body responded to her touch, all coiled and unleashed energy. He moaned into her mouth, gripped her hand and moved it up and down.

“Carter,” he said, pulling his lips from hers again, searching around for what she wasn’t sure. “Do you mind it being here again?” he said.

“Not at all,” she said and smiled.

#

Saturday

She was back at her apartment for the last time, packing up all of her belongings. She would be meeting the movers on Monday. Courtney was at her place, getting ready to move, too. Tomorrow was the big Sunday surprise dinner to be held at her father’s home. She had worked through some of her hurt, but she was still angry and leaning toward vengeful. She hoped she could get past it at some point. Maybe it would help to know why her father had kept so much from her. But then maybe not.

She was looking forward to seeing her girlfriends. She was proud of herself for not asking their opinions about any of her recent decisions; a surprising first for her. Usually all her life choices were vetted though a string of people—her girls mainly, her sisters if she was feeling them, her parents—everyone but the one person that counted. Herself. What did she want? What did her gut, her instincts tell her? She’d learned earlier that following that instinct had put her at odds with people that she valued, so she’d tuned it out, traded it in for other viewpoints and opinions. How dumb that was.

Carter looked around at the boxes stacked everywhere, proof of a hard day’s work. Her cell rang.

“Hey,” Carter said.

“How’s it going? You all done?” Courtney asked.

“Mostly. Waiting for my friends to show up. Remember the ones I told you about? What about you?”

“I’m good. The moving company is here now and loading up, and my mom came over to help. Most of my stuff is going back to her house. She’s going to be my storage unit. Any doubts?” Courtney asked.

“None,” Carter said, smiling. “You?”

“Are you kidding? I am getting a chance to do something I’ve wanted to do all my life.”

“Me, too. It’s scary though, isn’t it?” Carter asked.

“Yeah, but in a good way. Ever feel like that this was your path? That’s okay, I’m turning philosophical here, but yes, it’s scary. In a good way.”

“I hear ya. That’s my doorbell. I’ll meet you here in the morning, right? We’ll drive over together,” she said.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world sis. See you soon,” Courtney said, hanging up.

Carter went to the door, her smile widening at her three friends who stood outside.

“You look good girl!” Frankie said, smiling. Sandra and Gwen stood next to her, all smiles, too. Carter started to cry.

“Hey, what’s with the tears?” Gwen said, grabbing Carter in a one-armed hug.

She swiped at her eyes. “I’m glad to see you all. It feels like it’s been forever,” she said, turning and walking back into her apartment.

“And whose fault is that?” Sandra asked.

“Wow. Where are you going?” Frankie asked.

“Let’s sit at the table. I ordered pizza, and there is wine in the fridge,” she said, heading for the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Frankie asked again, after they’d settled around the table with food and wine in front of them.

“To live at the ranch. Permanently,” Carter said, laughing at their expressions as she brought them up to date on everything, the major changes in her life. They sat for a while in stunned silence.

“How could your father have done such a thing?” Gwen asked.

“Wow,” Frankie said, shaking her head.

“So you and Courtney are going over tomorrow to bring God down from the mountain,” Sandra said.

“What do you know of this Courtney?” Gwen asked.

“I checked her out. Met with the family’s attorney. And I hired my own attorney as well. As far as the ranch, everything will be in writing and so far, we want the same things. I don’t think she’s faking, and that is my instinct talking. I’m going to follow it, too. At least the decisions I make going forward will be my own, my screw ups to correct or live with.”

“I can’t believe this,” Sandra said.

“Believe what?” Carter asked.

“Our little Carter is growing up,” she said. Were those tears in her eyes?

“I can’t believe it either. It’s going to take me a while to get used to it,” Gwen said.

“I know ranching is the right choice for you. It used to be all you talked about in school. Then you stopped talking about it altogether. I know how much you love horses,” Frankie said.