by Kate Pearce
Rae looked over at Daisy. “What about you, sweetheart?”
Daisy crossed her arms over her chest. “I agree with Adam. I don’t need to see her.”
They all turned to look at their father, who sat at the head of the table staring off into space.
“Jeff?” Rae asked. “What do you think?”
He shrugged. “If she wants to come, I’m not going to stop her.”
Daisy’s mouth fell open. “Dad, you’ve never had a kind word to say about her since she up and left us all. Why would you let her come here now?”
“As I told you the other day, I wasn’t blameless.” Her dad paused. “Perhaps Leanne isn’t the only one in this family who needs closure.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Did you find out how much the Cortez family want for their ranch?” Jackson asked Cauy.
They’d been working with the Morgans, moving the horses out all morning, and had finally retired for a late lunch after the last trailer load disappeared down the road. The ranch already felt empty, and Jackson missed the row of friendly faces in the barn.
“What?” Cauy looked up from his contemplation of the hastily reheated burrito on his plate.
It occurred to Jackson that Cauy had been even quieter than usual all morning.
“You said you were going to find out how much the Cortez Ranch was going for,” Jackson reminded him.
“Oh, yeah, that.” Cauy grabbed a piece of kitchen roll and wrapped it around the leaking burrito. “I didn’t bother in the end.”
“Okay.” Jackson took a bite and hastily breathed out. “Jeez, that’s hot.” He chugged half his water. “Not spicy, just damn overheated.” He chewed his food and then contemplated his brother again.
“Is everything okay, Cauy?”
“Yeah.”
Despite the positive response, Cauy didn’t sound very sure as he ate, his distant gaze directed out the window.
“Did you speak to that coin guy yet?” Cauy suddenly asked.
“No, I forgot. Why are you asking?” Jackson eyed his brother curiously at the abrupt change of subject. “I did leave him a message a couple of weeks ago, but he hasn’t returned my call.”
“I wonder where he lives?” Cauy mused. “Maybe it would be better to just take the coins over and pay him a surprise visit.”
“What’s the sudden rush?” Jackson asked. “Don’t you have enough money?”
“You can never have enough money, bro.” Cauy gave up on his burrito.
“Says the man who was telling me last week that he could live on love alone,” Jackson muttered.
“I could, but luckily I don’t have to.” Cauy finally smiled at him. “What are you going to do for the rest of the day?”
“I thought I’d muck out the empty stalls and give them a hosing down.”
“Great idea.” Cauy nodded. “I’ve got to go into town.”
“I’m meeting BB at the Red Dragon this evening.” Jackson took another more cautious bite of the burrito. “I don’t think I’ll be that late back.”
“You’re not going to see Daisy?”
“I don’t see her every day, bro.” Jackson eyed his brother. “We’re not like you and Rachel.”
“Rachel’s been away all week in Sacramento,” Cauy pointed out. “She’s coming back this weekend.”
“If that’s a hint, I’ll try to keep out of the house over the weekend.” Jackson winked at his brother. “I wouldn’t want to embarrass Rachel.”
He rose from the table and tossed the rapidly congealing remnants of his burrito in the trash. “If you can find out where the coin guy lives, I’m happy to go see him with you.”
“I’ll ask January Morgan. She’s the one who put me on to him.” Cauy gave up on his own meal. He handed over his plate to Jackson, who dumped the food and put the plate in the dishwasher.
“How did it go with the Gardins?” Jackson was fairly sure something was still bothering his brother, but he wasn’t sure what angle to take. Cauy could never be described as chatty.
“Good.” Cauy nodded. “They’re a really nice couple. It’s a shame Mark wouldn’t let Mom and me visit with them when I was growing up.”
“Sounds just like him.” Jackson shrugged. “He never wanted anyone to be happy.” He rinsed his hands. “I’d better get a move on or I’ll never get the barn cleaned out.”
* * *
Daisy looked cautiously around the Red Dragon, but there was no sign of Jackson, so she walked through and took the booth at the farthest end of the space, well away from the bar. Nancy had to work and had asked if Daisy and Yvonne could meet her at the bar while she took her break.
It was midweek, and the bar was never as busy then as it was on the weekends. Daisy tried to gather her thoughts as she waited for her friends. What did she actually want to do about Jackson? She liked him. She really liked him. And then there was the other matter of the reappearance of her mother . . .
“Hey!” Yvonne slid into the opposite side of the booth and sat down. She’d tied her long black hair back in a ponytail and wore her favorite navy-striped T-shirt and skinny jeans. Her enormous engagement ring sparkled under the lights. “How’s my favorite girl?”
“Don’t let Nancy hear you call me that or she’ll be jealous.” Daisy smiled at her friend.
“I can have more than one favorite, you know.” Yvonne checked the menu. “How could I possibly pick one of you? Are we going to eat or just drink?”
“Both, I think,” Daisy said. “My Auntie Rae is holding down the fort tonight, so she told me to take as long as I needed.”
“I love your Auntie Rae.” Yvonne sighed. “She always looks so chic.”
“Which coming from you is a huge compliment.” Daisy took a look at the menu. “I’m going to have the fried chicken. What about you?”
“A salad. I’ve been cooking with chocolate all day.” Yvonne gathered the menus and stood up. “I’ll put the order in at the bar, get our drinks, and see if Nancy is able to join us yet.”
Nancy arrived with the food order, and for a while they just ate before Daisy got another round of beers, and they had time to talk.
“So what’s up?” Nancy stole one of Daisy’s fries. “And why is your Auntie Rae here when it isn’t Christmas?”
“Guess what happened?” Daisy asked.
Yvonne and Nancy looked at her expectantly.
“My mom wants to visit the ranch.”
Nancy blinked at her. “Your mom? She hasn’t been around for over twenty years.”
“I know. After she walked out and divorced Dad, we didn’t hear a thing from her.”
“And she suddenly wants to visit?” Nancy frowned. “What the hell?”
“I didn’t even realize your mother was alive, Daisy,” Yvonne said. “I’ve been here for years and this is the first time I’ve ever heard her mentioned.”
“My dad wouldn’t talk about her, and we weren’t encouraged to mention her name,” Daisy said. “It was an acrimonious divorce and we’ve heard nothing from her since. Not a Christmas card or a birthday card, just complete silence.”
She’d been seven when it had finally dawned on her that her mother didn’t care about her enough to even send her a birthday card. She’d foolishly hoped there would be something in the mail for her. She’d even seen a big pink letter once, but her father had assured her it wasn’t addressed to her. That was when she’d taken the scrapbook she’d made of pictures of her mom and previous birthday cards and thrown it on the fire.
“That’s really tough.” Yvonne reached over and patted Daisy’s hand. “How old were you when she left?”
“About five.” Daisy grimaced. “Auntie Rae came to live with us almost immediately, so I never lacked a mother.”
“Did your aunt deliver the message from your mother?” Nancy asked.
Daisy nodded. “Apparently, Leanne contacted her and wanted to know if it was possible to visit the ranch and see everyone. Rae wanted to check with Dad before
she replied.”
“Makes sense.” Nancy nodded. “And I assume your dad told her no?”
“That’s the weird thing.” Daisy paused. “He was okay about it, and so were Kaiden, Danny, Ben, and Evan. Only Adam and I weren’t happy about the idea.”
“Figures Adam wouldn’t go for it. He’s very black-and-white about everything,” Nancy mused. “But why don’t you want to see her?”
“Why would I?” Daisy gazed at her friends. “She walked out when I was five, never gave a damn about me for over twenty years, and now I’m suddenly supposed to be okay with that?”
“Maybe it would be good for your family to have closure on this?” Yvonne suggested gently.
“That’s apparently what Leanne said.” Daisy took a slug of beer. “I keep wondering what she means.”
“Well, the best way to find out is to see the woman.” Nancy put down her fork and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “What’s the worst thing that can happen?”
Daisy stared at her friends. They could obviously see she was upset about the idea, but both of them seemed to think a meeting would be beneficial. Was she the one being obstinate about nothing? If so, why did her stomach cramp up at even the thought of seeing the woman who’d given birth to her and then walked out without a care? She’d idolized her mother, had loved every minute she’d spent with her, only to be left behind and forgotten.
“Why does she get to be the one who comes back?” Daisy demanded. “Why can’t she just stay put wherever she is and not bother us?”
“I don’t know, Daisy.” Yvonne held her gaze, her eyes full of sympathy. “And you won’t know unless you get the opportunity to see her.”
Daisy crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t have to like her or anything, do I?”
“Of course you don’t,” Nancy agreed. “In fact, you could use it as an opportunity to tell her how you really feel.”
“I suppose I could. The thing is—I don’t know how I feel.” Daisy imagined the scene and shuddered. “Or maybe I should just think about my dad. He wants to see her for whatever reason, and I should respect that.”
Both her friends nodded and Nancy finished her beer. “When is she coming?”
“I don’t know. Rae’s going to reach out to her and find a good date.” Daisy finished her second beer and decided to slow down. “Can we talk about Jackson now?”
Nancy had already half-risen, but she sank back down again.
“There’s more?”
“Don’t worry if you have to get back.” Daisy waved her onward. “It will keep.”
“Like I’d walk away when you’re dissing on your fake boyfriend,” Nancy joked. “Has he fake dumped you?”
“I’ve been awful to him. I think he’s getting close to giving up on me,” Daisy confessed.
“Which is okay, isn’t it?” Nancy reminded her. “You said you didn’t want him getting hurt. If he’s the one who chooses to end it, he won’t feel so bad.”
“I’m not sure I want him to end it,” Daisy blurted out.
“I . . . like him a lot.”
Aware that both her friends were staring hard at her, she kept her gaze on the table.
“Okay,” Yvonne finally spoke. “So tell him to stay.” Daisy rolled her eyes. “You make everything sound so easy.”
“Only because it is, and that sometimes you overcomplicate things,” Yvonne pointed out.
“I’m . . . scared,” Daisy said.
“That he’ll reject you?” Yvonne sounded incredibly gentle. “I don’t think he will. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
“So you think I should just be brave?” Daisy finally raised her gaze to Yvonne’s. “And tell him how I feel?”
“Yes, I do.” Nancy nodded as well. “Just go for it.”
“Okay.” Daisy blew out a breath. “Then I’ll talk to him.”
“I’ve got to get back to work.” Nancy gathered the plates. “Let me know how it goes, and if you need me to kick his ass.” She winked at Daisy and turned toward the bar. “And hey, he just walked in with BB Morgan. Talk about perfect timing.”
“Jackson did?” Daisy resisted the urge to turn around and take a peek herself. “I can’t interrupt him now.”
“Then why don’t you hang out here with Yvonne for a while and catch him on his way out?” Nancy suggested. “I’ll let you know when BB leaves.”
* * *
Jackson went to the bar where Jay Williams was talking to Nancy and ordered a couple of beers for him and BB. He took them back to the table and handed one to his companion.
“Thanks.” BB took a long swallow. “Getting all those horses into the new barn was exhausting, and made much worse by my stupid older brother and his algorithms.”
“His what?” Jackson placed his beer on the table.
“Chase worked out a specific way to place the horses in the barn and Roy was having none of it. They argued about every damned horse, and I was the one who kept having to move them around.” BB finished his beer.
“Can I get you another one?” Jackson offered.
“Nah. I’ll let this one settle first. I don’t want to be drunk in charge of this meeting.” BB grinned at Jackson. “Two of my old marine buddies are passing through town tonight, so I asked them to come along to discuss the survival course idea. They’ve both worked on something similar on a ranch in Utah.”
“Sounds good.” Jackson took another sip of beer as Jay Williams joined them. He was way quieter than BB, but twice as dangerous.
“I’ve been doing some research myself, BB. I think we’ve got the perfect setup here in Morgan Valley to try out a variety of exercises, depending on the terrain, the weather, and the level of experience of the participants,” Jackson said.
“Yeah? Good for you.” BB nodded. “I occasionally run a class about basic horsemanship at the marine base near Bridgeport that ties in nicely with the overall theme.”
“Why do the marines need that?” Jackson asked.
“For when they go into places like Afghanistan where trucks and tanks won’t do the job.” BB shrugged. “Riding in can be the only option, and it’s much safer if you have the basics before you end up in a situation where you have to get the hell out of Dodge and a mule is your only form of transportation.”
“I hear you.” Jackson nodded, even though he’d never had to deal with the risks of conflict on the ground.
“Hey, guys.” Samantha Kelly, HW Morgan’s fiancée, who’d been invalided out of the army after she’d lost her foot in an explosion, came up behind Jay and took him in a headlock. “Getting a bit slow, big guy? Married life deadening those lethal reflexes?”
“Nah.” Jay grunted as she squeezed him hard. “I heard you coming a mile up the road.”
Sam looked down ruefully at her cowboy boots. “That’s the problem with literally having a lead foot.”
The bar door opened, and three guys Jackson didn’t recognize came in. Jay tensed, his sharp gaze assessing the threat of the obviously military men.
“Are these your friends, BB?” Jay murmured.
“Two of them are. I don’t know the third.” BB stood and beckoned the guys over. “Hey. It’s good of you to come.”
Jay and Jackson rose as well. Two of the guys were smiling at BB, but the third was too busy sizing up the bar, his cold eyes everywhere.
“Thanks for stopping by, Pasco and José.” BB clapped the two guys on the shoulder. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Mayer,” Pasco said without much enthusiasm. “I’ve been working with him this last month on a security detail.”
BB shook hands with the guys, and so did Jay, Sam, and Jackson.
“Good to meet you all,” Jackson said as they sat down.
“What would you like to drink?”
When he returned from the bar with five frosted bottles of beer in his fingers, BB was already holding forth on his idea. José and Pasco were also chipping in as Jay listened intently.
Mayer glan
ced at the beer as Jackson set it down. “Hey, would you mind getting me a double whiskey to go with that?”
“Sure.” Jackson turned back to the bar.
“Put it on my tab,” Jay called out to him.
“Thanks.”
Jackson got the double whiskey and delivered it to Mayer, who downed it in one swallow. On closer inspection, Jackson noticed Mayer’s hands were shaking, and his flushed skin betrayed the lines of a heavy drinker. Having lived with an alcoholic, Jackson’s opinion of Mayer didn’t improve. Not that he blamed any retired serviceman for coping with the horrors of war however they could, but Mayer was obviously pushing the limit.
They talked for a while about the different kind of survival courses, what worked in a civilian setting and what didn’t. Pasco was very knowledgeable, and so was José, whereas Mayer just liked the sound of his own voice.
“Yeah, lady, but—” Mayer cut in on Sam for the third time, and she leaned in toward him, her hands planted on the table.
“Will you just let me finish a sentence, dude?”
Mayer smirked at her. “Well, actually no, seeing as you don’t seem to understand the topic.”
“I’m retired military police; I sure as hell understand the topic.” Sam raised her voice sufficiently to make Jay put a restraining hand on her arm.
“She’s right.” Jay spoke up for the first time. “Lay off her and listen. You might learn something.”
Mayer shrugged and rose to his feet. “If she’s going to talk, I’ll get another whiskey.”
He went off toward the bar, unaware that behind him, Sam had risen from her chair and was being physically held back by Jay.
“Settle down, Sam. He’s not worth your time,” BB said, and then turned to Pasco. “Where the hell did you find him?”
“He hitched a ride from us.” Pasco grimaced. “I don’t like him, but I couldn’t leave him sitting out in the truck all night in case he got it into his head to take off.”
“He’d better keep a civil tongue in his head or I’ll let Sam loose on him,” Jay warned as she growled.
Sam continued to glare at Mayer, who was drinking way faster than everyone else as they continued their discussion. Jackson talked as much as everyone, and felt his excitement growing. If he could help BB with the course, it would give him an extra purpose in Morgan Valley, and a new stream of income so he could eventually purchase his own ranch.
