He closed his eyes, but sleep eluded him.
He lay there for three hours, alternating between scrolling through social media on his phone, tossing and turning, and staring at the ceiling.
Tired of flopping around in bed like a fish out of water, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand and punched in the number of someone he hoped could shed some like on this whole mess.
Mary Ellen answered on the second ring. “Hello?”
“It’s Troy. Do you have a minute?”
“It’s awfully late at night for you to be calling me.” She yawned. “Let me guess. Taking a sick day?”
If he’d been in a less stormy mood, he might have laughed. “No. I just wanted to ask you a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Who is that guy I keep seeing with Robyn?”
“You mean Victor? He’s a veterinarian.”
“Oh.” He thought about that for a minute. Maybe she really was doing something work-related when I saw them together the first time. He mentally kicked himself for the way he’d spoken to Robyn earlier. She’d called him out of concern, and he’d snapped at her. How could I have been so mistrustful? I shouldn’t have let my suspicions get the better of me. “He must be new.”
“Technically he hasn’t started yet.” She yawned again. “You don’t think we just let any geek off the street help us deliver calves now, do you?”
“No.”
“I mean, you saw what went down out there. First breech we’ve had in a while. Your average Joe couldn’t have handled that.”
He swallowed, not wanting to think about what he’d seen. “Listen, I get that he’s a vet. The next question is, why is he here?”
“Oh, no. I’m not getting in the middle of this.” A third yawn. “Look, I’m tired. You said you’re not taking a sick day, right? So just come in tomorrow and talk with Robyn about it yourself.”
“I will. Thanks.”
“Thank me by letting me sleep.”
“Good night.”
He set aside the phone and stared up into the darkness, wondering why the ranch would be hiring a new vet when they already had a top-notch one.
What in the world is Robyn up to?
Chapter 15
Wednesday morning, Robyn sat down on the right side of the conference-room table. She’d been up since before dawn, going over what she would say to them, over and over. Even now, her plans were still running through her mind.
Accentuate the positive, downplay the negative.
Remind them you love them.
Validate their feelings.
Across from her, her parents sat, side by side. Thelma, in her favorite blue jogging suit festooned with crystals around the sleeves and neckline, sat quietly flipping through a magazine. Cooper, dressed in his normal uniform for working on the ranch, was far less relaxed. He sat forward in his seat, with one elbow resting on the table, and drummed his fingers there, indicating his impatience. He also hadn’t taken off his hat, which meant he didn’t plan on being here long.
“Robyn, what is this all about? Your mother’s retired, but I still have things to take care of.” Cooper leaned back in his chair, eyeing his daughter expectantly.
“Go on and say what you have to say, before your father’s head explodes,” Thelma remarked, barely looking up from her magazine. “You know how impatient he can be.”
She swallowed the nervous lump sitting in her throat, then drew a deep, calming breath. “Mom, Pop. I’m leaving the ranch.”
Thelma looked up, appearing confused. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m leaving the ranch. I’m taking a job at the wildlife conservatory in San Diego, and—”
Cooper slammed his hand down on the table, his brown eyes blazing. “What?”
She cringed. “Pop, look. I just feel like I need to do this. It’s a dream job. I’d get to work with large animals from all over the world and lead a team that’s making new discoveries and—”
“And what are we supposed to do for the herd?” Cooper steepled his fingers. “We can’t go without a vet, Robyn. Not with the number of animals we have. The local vet in Grandeza can’t handle the herd, plus all the dogs and cats of the townsfolk.”
She offered a pensive smile. “That’s the great part. I already found and hired a replacement.”
“And you didn’t think we’d want to have any say in that process?” Cooper shook his head. “Robyn. I’m surprised at you.”
“There wasn’t time, Pop. I’m due to start my job in San Diego at the beginning of November. And I didn’t want to leave you without a replacement lined up. So I acted as quickly as I could...and quietly, so you wouldn’t be upset.”
Thelma blinked back tears. “You’re leaving so soon?”
Cooper raised his hands, using his fingertips to massage his temples. “Let me see if I have this right. You decided, without saying anything to us, that you are going to leave your job, hire your own replacement and take a job in San Diego, all within the course of a month. Is that right?”
She nodded, sensing it would be better to stay quiet in her response.
Her father released a bitter chuckle. “I always thought I’d leave a legacy here when I was gone. Something for you and your sister to share.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Lacey’s been gone a long time. But apparently, so have you.”
A small sob erupted from Thelma’s mouth at the mention of Lacey’s name.
“That’s not fair, Pop.” She shook her head, the tears collecting in her eyes. “I’m over thirty and I’ve never really lived anywhere else. I stayed way longer than I ever thought I would, partially out of guilt. But it’s not fair for you to bring her into this.”
“Not fair? You hide things from us, you sneak around behind our backs and now you want to tell me what isn’t fair?” He groaned. “This was such an immature thing to do. So deceitful and selfish. If you didn’t work for family, do you think another outfit would tolerate this behavior?”
“Pop, it’s not like that. Sometimes I just feel so stifled, so trapped here. I just need to see what lies beyond the ranch. Can’t you understand?” She bit her lip, hating to say these things, but they’d been bottled up inside for so long. She loved her parents, loved the ranch, but she needed to explore what she wanted, to feel liberated. Shouldn’t they want those things for her, too?
“I guess I could understand that you would want to leave us someday, Robyn.” He stood, turning toward the door. “But like this? I never would have thought it would happen this way.”
Brushing away her tears, Thelma joined her husband. “I can’t believe you would do something like this, Robyn. The dishonesty—we raised you better than that.”
Cooper took Thelma’s hand and swung open the door.
He nearly walked right into someone standing in the hallway.
Robyn’s gaze followed their departure.
Her heart stopped when she saw Troy standing there, his face a mask of pain and confusion.
“So, that’s what’s going on, Robyn? You’re leaving, just like that?”
Oh, no. He must have overheard. Could this get any worse? And she’d tried so hard to do the right thing—hiring her replacement before notifying her parents, telling Troy she was okay with a casual relationship. She’d tried to be decent, and now she felt anything but.
Cooper said gruffly, “Excuse me. Thelma and I are leaving.”
Robyn got up and headed for the hallway, where all the people she cared about were gathered, but were quickly moving away from her.
Mom and Pop aren’t going to listen to me anymore, at least not now. She turned to Troy. “Can you just give me a chance to explain?”
While Cooper and Thelma walked out the door, Troy stood in front of her in the lobby, arms folded over his chest. “I’m listening.”
She glanced around the space. The receptionist was behind her desk, and there were a few staff members hanging out near the café on the other side of the lobby. “Do we have to do this here? Let’s go to my office.” She went in first and held the door open for him to enter behind her.
“Make it quick. I have work to take care of.”
She heard the ire in his voice. I deserve that. “How much did you hear?”
“Not much. I just heard your mother say you were leaving soon, and everything that came after that.”
“Troy, I never meant for any of this to happen. I accepted a job at the San Diego Wildlife Conservatory. It’s a dream job for me, and I applied more than six months ago. I’d given up on it, but then they called. The only catch was the three-week time line.”
His expression remained flat. “I spoke to Mary Ellen. I called her after I left last night, to find out who that man was. She told me he was the vet, but that I’d have to ask you if I wanted to know more.”
She nodded, unsure how she felt about him talking to M.E. to find out who Victor was. She knew he was upset about her leaving, though, so she let that pass.
“Mary Ellen has been a great friend to me through this, but I imagine she’s upset as well.”
“Robyn, you think people are upset because you took a job, but that’s not the problem here. What you’ve done is give people the impression you were committed to them, when all the while you were planning on leaving. That’s not fair.”
She dropped her head. “I know.” His words stung like a hundred tiny paper cuts. But he hadn’t said anything untrue. She knew he was talking about him as much as the ranch.
“I opened my heart to you. I thought you were doing the same. But you weren’t. You were hiding things from me this whole time. I can’t do this, Robyn, no matter how much I...love you.”
She looked up, feeling the tears gather in her eyes. “Troy, please.”
“It’s pretty clear there’s nowhere for this relationship to go now, Robyn. Now I understand why you didn’t want to take things beyond the casual level. It’s just a shame that I’d started thinking of us in more serious terms.”
She cringed, squeezing her eyes shut. “Troy, please...”
“With everything that’s happened, I think it’s better if we just end this now. I can’t invest any more of my heart into this. You said you’d shelter me, Robyn. Yet somehow, I feel like I’ve been left out in the cold.” With a shake of his head, he turned and walked out of her office.
Through watery eyes, she watched him cross the lobby, swing open the glass doors and walk out into the sunshine.
Once he was gone, she fell back in her chair and let the tears fall freely.
* * *
Troy crawled out of bed at an ungodly hour on Thursday to drive Mama Jeannie to the hospital for her procedure. From the moment he helped her into the passenger seat of his SUV, she rested quietly there, in and out of sleep. He kept quiet, so as not to disturb her. She was usually much chattier, but he was somewhat grateful for the reprieve. After a sleepless night, mostly spent trying not to think about Robyn, he wasn’t much for conversation.
The rigmarole of getting Mama J out of the car, into the hospital and properly checked in seemed to wake her up. Once they finally got her into the preop suite, the staff dressed her in a hospital gown and tucked her into a bed to await her trip to the operating room. He took up a seat in the plastic chair next to her bed.
“Troy, tell them to bring me another blanket. I’m freezing in this drafty gown.”
He summoned a nurse and got the blanket, draping it over her small form. “Better?”
She nodded. “Yes. Thank you, sugar.”
He returned to his seat next to her bed.
“Before they take me back there, what’s wrong with you?” She looked at him pointedly. “There’s something weighing on your mind, and it’s not just me.”
He blew out a breath. “Things have blown up between Robyn and me. But I don’t want you to worry about that. You just rest.”
She frowned. “That’s too bad. You going to be okay?”
He nodded. “I’ll be fine. It’s better that I found out now, before things got any more serious.”
“What happened?”
He gave her a brief recap of what had transpired between them.
“That doesn’t sound like her at all. She’s not one to keep secrets, especially from her parents.” She yawned. “I’m sure you’ll figure out what you need to do, Troy.”
His brow hitched in surprise. “You mean you’re not going to tell me what you think I should do?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not. You’ve got good sense, Troy. I trust you to make the right decisions for your own life.” She paused. “And that’s why I have something important to tell you.”
“What is it, Mama J?”
She took a breath. “You have an inheritance.”
He frowned, confused. “What do you mean? Dad left me something else besides his accounts and the bass guitar?”
“No, sugar. This is an inheritance from your grandfather.”
“Grandpa left me something?” This came as news to him since it had been more than a decade since his grandfather’s death. “I’m really confused, so can you explain?”
“Back in the sixties, your grandfather Horace helped a friend build a hotel, up in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It’s called the Heaven’s Edge Resort. Have you heard of it?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t.”
She smiled as if remembering. “Beautiful place. Built to look like an old Spanish fort. Anyway, after the building was done and the place opened up, Horace’s friend lost most of his money in the casinos down in Vegas. In order to get liquid again, he sold his interest in the hotel to us back in ’72. Took most of his savings, but your grandfather bought the place, so he could help his friend get back on his feet.”
“Wow. I can’t believe I’m just now hearing all this.”
“Hush up, there’s more!” She coughed. “Horace tried to groom Johnny for business so he could pass it on to him, but you know your daddy wasn’t trying to be anybody’s innkeeper. He didn’t want anything to do with the place. That’s why he left with Sylvia after they married, and she got pregnant with you.”
“That’s why we lived in North Carolina when I was little? Because Dad was running from an inheritance?”
“He thought to own the place meant being stuck there, bless his heart. He was a wanderer. Couldn’t stand being tied down.” She raised her hand to cover another cough. “Horace held on to the hotel but put it in his will that the place would be deeded to you at his death.”
He stared at her in the silence of the car. “You mean I’ve owned this place for over a decade? Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
“Are you raising your voice at me, Troy Gregory Monroe?”
He straightened. “I’m sorry, Mama J. I don’t mean to disrespect you. I’m just shocked and confused by all this.”
She put a frail hand on his shoulder. “That’s understandable. The reason I never told you is that I know you. You’re so much like Johnny. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to come back to Grandeza. I wanted you to take your time and figure out what you want and where you want to be, on your own terms. I’m part owner, but Horace always wanted it to go to you.”
“Mama J, I...”
“I trust you, Troy.” She was quiet for a moment. “If anything should happen, go to my place and tell Helene to give you my hatbox. All the documents are in there.”
He could see the lines of her face changing before his eyes. “Everything is going to be fine. It’s just a little biopsy.”
She gave him a weak smile. “I know, sugar.”
A moment passed, and he felt a sense of dread rising. But he refused to let her see it. I won’t burden her
with my fears at a time like this.
The nurse returned then. “Mrs. Monroe, we’re going to get your IV started. Dr. Mertz is almost ready for you.”
Troy moved aside to give the nurse space to work. Once the IV was hooked up, the doctor came in to give her a preprocedure speech. Troy remained by his grandmother’s side throughout all of it.
The sedatives started to take effect, and her eyes grew heavy. “I’m so tired, Troy.”
What if I lose her? What if she’s too tired to keep fighting?
He cradled her hand in his own. “It’s okay, Mama J. You just rest, and I’ll see you after it’s done.”
“Okay, sugar.” Her eyes closed briefly, then reopened. “I love you, Troy.”
He leaned over, kissed her forehead. “I love you, too.”
She drifted off to sleep then, and a few minutes later, the medical team came and wheeled her off to the OR.
Gathering her purse and the bag containing her clothes, he followed the yellow line out of preop and made his way to the waiting room.
Mama J trusts me. She did everything she could to leave me free to make my own choices.
Yet Robyn couldn’t trust me enough to share her hopes and dreams with me.
Two women, both of whom had withheld information from him, for different reasons.
The question is, what am I going to do now? A few days ago, he’d been imagining a future with Robyn. Now, he didn’t know what to do. All he knew was that he couldn’t simply turn off the love he felt for her.
He shook his head, not wanting to figure this out now, under the scrutiny of the dozen or so other people occupying the vinyl chairs in the waiting area.
For now, his main concern was Mama Jeannie.
Chapter 16
Thursday, Robyn stayed in bed well past noon.
The last time I stayed in be past ten was when Troy was here.
Then, she’d been sleeping off the effects of his lovemaking. Now, she was trying to hide from the world, and from the pain of losing him and disappointing her parents, all in the same day.
Then Came You ; Written with Love Page 13
