For far too long the Jarretts had placed Brock on a pedestal because he was a good man with a big heart. But in a way, their dad had failed them most of all. He had put so many things—admirable things—ahead of his family. From Wade’s attention-seeking youth, which had led him down a bad path, arguably resulting in his death, to Rhett’s constant struggle with rejection and to Shannon’s obvious emotional pain, which had driven her to a man like Cord, it didn’t take a genius to see how much Brock’s lack of attention had cost their family. Happily married, Boone seemed to be the only one to have escaped a measure of dysfunction, but then again, maybe Boone just hid it better.
Rhett would stay and make the ranch a success. If the lawyer could find a loophole in the will, he would be able to show his family that they—not any program or charity—came first. Rhett would figure out the balance between caring for them and helping people in need, because he was starting to think it was possible to do both. It had to be.
He would prove Shannon wrong on another point too. He would be there when Cord Anders broke her heart. He was willing to weather years of her barbs and pained words if that was what he had to do to prove to her that he was no longer the man who walked away.
* * *
Even though the path was well illuminated by a flood lamp hanging near the barns, Macy could have walked the path from her bungalow to the big house with her eyes closed. The door to the Jarretts’ house had been open to her since she was a baby and it had become her favorite place when they warmly welcomed her after her mother’s sudden death. Macy had only been eighteen and would have been left utterly alone in the world if the Jarretts hadn’t ushered her into their fold.
If they hadn’t made her a part of their family.
At one time, she had believed she might really become a Jarrett. Until the bottom fell out and she tasted bitter reality about her friendship with Rhett. Friends, only ever friends.
For so many years, their home had been her home...except she hadn’t set foot inside since Rhett had been back. It was his domain now and she had not wanted to encroach.
Cassidy had texted Macy twice during the day, reminding her about the planned movie night in the big house. Why had she agreed to go in the first place? Sure, it would be nice to spend time with Shannon, Cassidy and, if she was feeling up to it, Mrs. Jarrett, but there were things she could be handling in the office. More work to get done.
A dog’s bark made her jump. With a small yelp, Macy whirled around. When she squinted, she could make out Rhett and Kodiak walking up from the lake. And was that...she squinted more...Romeo the miniature donkey with them?
Rhett’s posture changed the second he caught sight of her, but he relaxed his shoulders a moment later. “Out for a stroll in your pajamas?” he hollered since they were still a ways away, his voice warm.
Macy glanced down, mortified. Her pajama pants were covered with brightly colored T. rexes trying to hug each other but not being able to because of their short arms, and she wore a shirt with big letters that read Surely Not Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting. Summoning her dignity, Macy trudged through the bluebonnets toward him. At least she wasn’t wearing her cow slippers.
“Nice shirt.” Rhett handed her Romeo’s lead rope. “Where are you headed?”
Macy jerked her thumb to point over her shoulder toward the Jarretts’ house. “Girls night. We’re watching Cary Grant.”
“Ah, yes. Now that you mention it, I seem to recall Cassidy telling me I wasn’t allowed in my own living room tonight.” His eyes narrowed. “Are those dinosaurs on your pants or are they llamas?”
“No more clothing comments unless you want me to turn this around and make fun of you.” She fell into step beside Rhett as they headed in the direction of the nearby barn where Romeo and the miniature horse, Sheep, spent their nights.
Rhett made a show of pretending offense. He glanced down as if taking in his own boots, jeans and button-down. “All right, do your worst. What do you have to say about this?”
Macy stopped and looked at Rhett. The man was all cowboy—broad shouldered, tough muscled, with a shadow of end-of-the-day stubble dusting his chin. She fought the sudden itch to touch his jaw. To run her finger along the planes of his face, back into the hair that curled out from under his hat. His bright blue eyes drew her in and Macy’s gaze went to his lips. She sucked in a sharp breath and took a step back.
Even in friendship they had never been forward with each other. Plenty of high fives and backslaps sprinkled with the occasional hugs, but other than the one time he had carried her after the snakebite, there had never been a touch that held meaning beyond “Well done” or “Good to see you.”
Well, besides that one kiss.
“I, ah, I can’t.” Suddenly nervous, she swallowed hard. “You always look, um, really...attractive.” Heat flared on her neck and her cheeks.
Attractive. She’d really just said that.
Out loud.
Rhett’s laugh was warm. “Attractive, huh? Why do I get the sense you’re buttering me up to ask a favor or something? Go on,” he joked. “What do you want?”
You. Just you. Even though you’re the most stubborn, exasperating man I’ve ever met. It’s always been you. It will only ever be you.
Romeo butted his head into her back, shoving her closer to Rhett. Rhett dropped a hand onto her shoulder, ensuring the small donkey wouldn’t be able to push Macy again. However, Rhett kept his hold even after Romeo started munching at a patch of clover.
Macy tipped her head to meet Rhett’s eyes. She licked her lips. “Come on, you have to know by now how handsome you are.”
Instead of answering, Rhett cocked his head and studied her.
He was so close and for the first time since returning to the ranch, something about him was different. It felt as if his heart wasn’t entirely locked up tonight. She imagined it as a door only slightly ajar, but maybe she could wedge a foot in. Maybe she could make some progress with him. Maybe she could win her friend back.
Kodiak shoved her way in between them. She sat directly on the tips of Rhett’s boots and stared up at Macy, her muzzle inches away from Macy’s thigh.
Macy groaned. “I get the feeling your dog doesn’t like me much.”
Rhett’s gaze drifted over Macy’s features, lingering on her mouth. A shy smile lighted his face, causing the skin around his eyes to crinkle. “She’s, ah, jealous.”
“Of me?” Macy gripped Romeo’s lead line a little harder than necessary. “I can’t imagine why.”
Rhett’s smile widened. “Really?”
A part of Macy wanted to press Rhett to clarify, but a bigger part of her brain screamed a warning. It couldn’t be what she hoped. Rhett could never care about her in the same way she cared about him. If he had, their kiss would have gone far differently.
Why did you do that? Why did you do that?
Macy needed to steer the conversation to safer waters for both of their sakes. Rhett was her boss, he had emphatically told her he didn’t want to be friends again, and she still wasn’t sure if he was on board with saving all the foster programs long-term.
Further talk in this direction would only end with her hurt again.
Macy’s thumb instinctively found the scar on her finger.
Rhett sighed, clearly disappointed that she hadn’t continued their conversation. But she couldn’t go down that road with him. She refused to press him about why Kodiak would be jealous of her. Any chance Rhett and her could have had at a relationship ended three years ago. Besides, Rhett had just started to warm up to her again—to smile and joke with her like the old days. She wouldn’t let anything harm the chance to mend their friendship. Not even her desire for answers and closure about what might have been.
She had to change the topic and head up to the house. Macy pivoted to face the barn. “Sheep’s probably missing Romeo.”
Rhett’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Right.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Let’s put him to bed then.”
With Kodiak on his heels, Rhett fell into step next to Macy. His ever-present shadow made Macy remember something else she had been meaning to discuss with him.
“I looked up Straight Arrow Retrievers,” Macy said with all the casualness she could muster. “Why didn’t you tell us about all the awards you won? You trained Benny—that dog went to big award shows as a presenter.”
Rhett unlatched the barn door and held it open as she led Romeo inside. He took his time catching up. “Would any of it have mattered?” His voice was quiet, almost a whisper.
By the time he came up behind her, Macy had ushered Romeo into his stall. She spun around, finding Rhett closer than she had thought he would be. “Of course it matters. Your accomplishments are worth celebrating. You can’t give it up.”
“I don’t see how I can keep training dogs with everything else I have going on.”
“I’ve watched you out there in the field with them.” She poked his chest. “You’re happy. Really happy when you’re working dogs. I don’t want you to lose that.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t want to talk about this right now. Other things—” his gaze dipped to her mouth “—but not this.”
“Then what do you want to talk about?” The second the question passed her lips she wished she hadn’t voiced it. She should have said good-night and gone on her way, but his eyes were pleading with her and looking away was near impossible.
He eased the lead line from Macy’s grasp, his eyes never leaving hers. “Why didn’t you return my calls?”
Unwelcome nerves jangled through her. “You honestly want to have this conversation?” What if they ruined all the headway they had made? Of all the things for him to want to discuss. “Because last time I brought it up you seemed pretty opposed to it.”
He stepped back and looped the lead line back on a peg with some other equipment. “I left you so many messages.” His back was to her. His shoulders rose on a shaky breath. “For so long you just ignored them—ignored me. I still can’t wrap my head around what happened.”
“I was embarrassed, Rhett.” She threw out her arms. “What did you expect me to do after that?”
Rhett finally turned around. “I wanted you to talk with me.” His voice was even. “Friends do that. They talk through things. Do you know how much I missed you the last few years?”
Friends.
And there it was: Confirmation. Friends. Just friends. All he would ever consider her. Why she should have walked away ten minutes ago. Why she had to end this conversation before she was forced to admit to her feelings.
“I wasn’t going to take the job,” she said, but it sounded lame even to her own ears.
A wrinkle formed between his eyes. “This has nothing to do with the job offer.” He took a half step in her direction. “Are you honestly going to keep pretending you don’t know what I’m getting at?”
Macy crossed her arms over her chest. “You didn’t call me back either. You know, the path goes both ways.”
He took off his hat and ran a shaky hand through his hair. “You called once, Macy. Once. Five months later.”
Kodiak raised her head and whimpered.
Rhett looked at Kodiak, back at Macy, away again. “I shouldn’t have raised my voice. I’m sorry, I’m just dealing with a lot here.”
“Like what?”
“Shannon hates me.” His voice trembled. “She hates me, Mace.” He shook his head when she opened her mouth. “And you? Whenever I think...” He backed away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. There’s so much on my mind tonight. Forget all this for me.”
He was gone before she could say anything else. Between what seemed like flirtation at the beginning of their interaction to the bombshell about Shannon and his obvious hurt, it was hard to wade through what she should think and feel about it all. She was relieved he hadn’t pressed talking about their kiss more. Their friendship was just starting to feel comfortable again and a long talk about why he would never think of her romantically would only make her pull away. As much as she wished it was otherwise, they needed to go on as if the kiss had never happened.
She could be his friend again.
Just friends.
It would be enough.
It would have to be enough.
Macy stood in the barn’s doorway long after she lost sight of him.
Chapter Seven
When Macy stretched, her spine answered with a series of little popping noises. Sleeping on the floor as a twenty-eight-year-old was a significantly different experience than all the times she had done so at sleepovers as a teenager. Her joints wouldn’t thank her.
After her conversation with Rhett, Macy had gone ahead with her planned movie night with the other girls. If only because she’d known Cassidy was bound to show up at her house and drag her, kicking and screaming, to the Jarrett house if Macy had dared to text to cancel. Even still she had been tempted.
Thankfully, Rhett was safely tucked away upstairs when she arrived and stayed that way the rest of the evening while Cassidy, Shannon, Piper and Macy watched movies and consumed a shocking amount of popcorn and chocolate. As usual, Piper was asleep within the first ten minutes of the first movie. Somewhere between watching To Catch a Thief and Macy’s favorite Cary Grant movie, Charade, they all decided to turn the marathon into a sleepover and added Houseboat to the lineup.
A wall of windows on one side of the room showed a pink-and-gold wash of sunrise cresting over the hills. Cassidy and Piper were still snoozing together on the large couch, but Shannon’s spot in the recliner was empty. Had she gone upstairs to her own room at some point or had she snuck out to meet with Cord? Shannon had been present last night but not engaged.
Rhett and his sister had to have had words yesterday because it wasn’t like Rhett to throw around the word hate. A sick feeling swam through Macy. She had considered pulling Shannon aside many times throughout the last few weeks, but the time had never felt right. She needed to be a better friend to Shannon in the future.
Keep Shannon safe, Lord. Help her see how much You love her. Help us get through to her. And whatever’s going on between her and Rhett—please heal their hurt. She was about to end her plea but then added, Could You help me with Rhett too? I’m not sure what’s going on. I’m not even sure what’s happening in my own life anymore.
Macy had plugged her phone in to charge on the kitchen counter before she had fallen asleep. With all the emails she had sent out recently regarding the foster programs, she liked to check for responses first thing each morning. After getting home from Scoops and Sons, she had sent a message to Clint Oakfield. Was it silly to hope he would respond?
She rose only to spot Mrs. Jarrett peacefully sitting at the head of the dining-room table. The woman looked over at her and smiled serenely. Macy was once again struck by how cruel Alzheimer’s was. From the outside, Rhett’s mom appeared the same as ever.
It was a shock to see her up and about before her nurse arrived. How long had she been there? Mrs. Jarrett hadn’t been well enough to join them last night. But here she was, hands folded over her open Bible, bright and early in the morning, smiling at Macy as if she had been waiting for her. The woman had a way of looking regal, even in her brown robe with her white hair slightly mussed with sleep. Macy crossed into the kitchen, socks padding over the hardwood floor. “Can I get something for you?”
Mrs. Jarrett touched the spot to her right. “Just come and sit with me, dear.”
Macy filled two cups with water and brought them to the table. “How are you doing this morning?”
A glass jar on the table held a fragrant bouquet of Texas sage, orange jubilee and gold lantana. Cassidy had told Macy that Rhett picked a new bouquet of flowers at the
ranch for his mother every couple of days.
Mrs. Jarrett fanned her fingers over the thin pages of her open Bible. “If you’re asking if today is a good day or a bad day for my mind—today I remember. I know myself.”
Swallowing hard, Macy glanced toward the staircase and wondered if she should rouse Rhett or Shannon. She knew they would appreciate some time with their mother during a lucid moment. Macy bit her lip. Another part of her wondered if she should broach the topic of Rhett’s adoption with Mrs. Jarrett. Every time Macy sat at her desk and looked at the photo of Brock at the opening of Camp Firefly she fought the urge to go into Rhett’s office and confess what she knew. Rhett deserved to know the truth about his parentage, but she couldn’t break her promise to Brock.
No matter how often she wanted to.
Rhett’s mom gazed toward the stairs. “They’re both already gone for the day. Rhett left very early. More so than usual. It makes a person wonder why.” Mrs. Jarrett trained her focus on Macy. “When will you two give in and get married already?”
Macy choked on the sip of water she had just taken. She covered her mouth.
Unfazed, Rhett’s mom continued, “My thickheaded boy may not realize it, but he’s loved you his whole life. Still does. I think more now than ever. Some people love each other for a season or while it’s convenient, but you two share the growing kind of love—it keeps getting bigger and deeper.”
Macy considered acting as if she had no clue what Mrs. Jarrett was talking about, but why? The Jarrett matriarch was lucid, but lately these were rare moments. Macy had always cherished the woman’s wisdom and perspective. She wouldn’t forsake an opportunity to speak with the lady who had become her second mom.
She filled her lungs with air, let it out. “I’m pretty sure my feelings are no secret, but Rhett never went down that road. I always figured if it was meant to be, it would happen.” She shrugged, trying to pretend the admission didn’t sting. “So I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
“‘If it’s meant to be’?” Mrs. Jarrett snorted and batted her hand in the air. “What hogwash. Love is work. Hard work. It’s late-night tears and fights and forgiving and choosing a person even on their worst days. I’ve never known such pain as the pain of love. ‘Meant to be,’” she grumbled again, as if the words offended her. “Anyone who treats it so carelessly has never truly known it.”
The Rancher's Legacy Page 9
