by Irene Brand
“I really want to do that,” Kennedy decided. “It would be neat to drive Grandpa’s car. I’ll use it while I’m here, and I can use it other times when I come to Valentine.”
“Then you don’t intend to sell the ranch?” Derek said, with an inquiring lift of his heavy brows.
“Not until I learn more about the Circle Cross.”
The beginning of a smile curved Derek’s lips.
“Does that make you happy?” she asked.
“Of course! And if you stay around here a few weeks, the beauty and mystery of this country will get a hold of you and you’ll never want to leave.” The conversation was progressing into matters that Kennedy wasn’t ready to consider, and she looked away. “I’m just taking a day at a time, Derek—not looking too far into the future.”
She couldn’t determine his thoughts when he said in a resigned voice, “That’s all any of us can do.” They walked around the house toward his truck in silence, with Wilson tagging at their heels. The dog jumped into the truck bed, and in a firm tone, Derek said,
“No!” Pointing toward the house, he added, “Stay here!”
Whining, Wilson jumped to the ground.
“Take him with you,” Kennedy said. “I’m mad at him.”
“What happened?” Derek asked, staring at her in astonishment, as if he thought Wilson could do no wrong.
“I don’t think I’ll tell you,” Kennedy said—but she couldn’t keep her lips from twitching. “You’ll think it’s funny.”
“Try me.”
She quickly related how she’d awakened to find Wilson in bed with her, and before she finished, Derek threw back his head and burst out laughing. His amusement was infectious, and she couldn’t suppress her own bubble of merriment.
“It’s funny now, but I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
“I told you he was a smart dog,” Derek said, and Kennedy decided she wouldn’t even dwell on the meaning of his words. “But I’ll take care of that. I have a short leash for him where you can anchor him to a chair before you go to bed. If you’re determined to stay here, you must have some kind of protection.” Knowing that she would be more comfortable with Wilson’s company, Kennedy didn’t argue.
Chapter Five
After Derek left, Kennedy showered and put on fresh clothes and then dialed her home phone in California. When her housekeeper answered, she said, “Rosita, this is Kennedy, checking in.”
“About time,” Rosita retorted with the freedom of a longtime employee. “Where are you?” When Kennedy told her, Rosita was speechless for a moment, and then she shouted, “In Nebraska!” Kennedy smiled at the housekeeper’s surprise. To Rosita, who had never been outside of California, Nebraska must seem a long way off.
“Yes, and I’ve decided to stay for several weeks. I’d like for you to pack some clothes for me and ship them by UPS. I’ll get together a list of things I want and telephone you in the next day or two. As soon as you send the box to me, you can take time off until I get back—with pay, of course.”
“All right, Miss Kennedy, just let me know. But you take care, now,” Rosita added. “That Nebraska must be a wild place.” Kennedy laughed away her concerns. “Don’t worry about me. I have a handsome cowboy and his dog for protection,” and she hung up after hearing Rosita’s indignant snort.
When she called her father’s lawyer and financial advisor, Elliott Talbot, to explain her absence and location to him, he assured her that he would contact her if anything needed her immediate attention.
“In the meantime, have a nice vacation,” Talbot said. “You’ve been through a lot in the last few months. Enjoy yourself.” The rest of the day passed quickly for Kennedy. June contacted a family of three who were free to help at Riverside. They promised to come next week to clean the house. She left Wilson at the ranch while she went into Valentine to make preparations for her extended stay at the Circle Cross.
Kennedy parked diagonally in front of the First National Bank and entered the lobby, pausing to look at the murals Derek had mentioned the day before. The lavish interior of the bank and mementoes of Nebraska’s past surprised her. She was received graciously by the head teller, especially when Kennedy wrote a sizable check, out of her checking account in California, to open a local account. After she left the bank, she walked several blocks along Main Street in both directions, thrilled to see hundreds of large red hearts painted on the sidewalks.
“No wonder they call Valentine the Heart City,” she murmured aloud.
To finally visit the town she’d heard about all of her life was a bittersweet moment for Kennedy, as she remembered that her mother and father had walked these very same streets. If it hadn’t been for Gabriel Morgan, she might have grown up here among her family rather than living in California all of her life. But the time had come to put the past behind her and look to the future. Nothing could change the past. She had to move on with her life.
She sensed the curious glances of people she met, and she appreciated their casual greetings, realizing that Derek was correct in his assessment of Valentine as a friendly town. She returned to her car and drove to the large IGA grocery store on the outskirts of town to buy groceries and other items she’d need to set up light housekeeping before she returned to Riverside.
Derek had called an auto repair shop, and he came to Riverside when a mechanic drove out with a wrecker to look at her grandfather’s Buick. After the mechanic kicked the tires, peered at the motor, and surveyed the paint, he said, “I can give this car a complete overhaul, put on new tires, and give it a good cleaning inside and out, and you’ll have a better automobile than if you bought a new one.”
“That’s what I’ll do then. What will it cost?” Kennedy asked.
“If you’ll let me do it the way I’d repair the car if it belonged to me, it could cost two or three thousand dollars. That’s just an estimate; I don’t know what parts will need to be replaced until I start working on it.”
Kennedy turned to Derek. “What do you think?”
He looked pleased and a little surprised that she’d asked for his opinion. “It’s a fair price,” he told her. “And you’ll have a car to be proud of.”
“And also one that belonged to my grandfather.” Turning to the mechanic, Kennedy said, “Go ahead and take the car to your garage. How long will it take you to do the repairs?”
“It might take a week or more. I’ll start on it on Monday.”
After he loaded the car onto the tow truck, Kennedy said, “If you have any questions about it, please call Derek. I’ve always taken care of my own cars, but I don’t know anything about this one.” Wondering if she was taking too much for granted, she turned to Derek. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“No, I’m glad to help.”
Derek and Kennedy watched until the wrecker was out of sight, and then she said, “I’ll keep the rental car until the mechanic finishes with Grandfather’s. I don’t have to return the rental yet…so we’ll postpone our trip to Omaha until you’re finished with the roundup.”
“Sounds good. Mom told me to invite you to supper, by the way. And I want to discuss my bookkeeping for the ranch so you can look at everything when you have the time—like when I’m too busy branding your calves to take you horseback riding.” He tugged playfully on her long hair and said with a teasing smile,
“That should keep you out of trouble.”
In spite of the teasing, Kennedy read a different message in his eyes.
Derek took Kennedy to the ranch for supper and afterward into his office to explain the records he kept on the Circle Cross. He gave her his password and insisted that she use the computer for her own personal use as well as to look over the ranch’s operation.
“No matter what decision you make,” he said, “you should know everything about the operation of this ranch. I never work on the computer during the day, so use it whenever you want to.”
“Super. I was considering whether to ask my housekeeper
to send my laptop, but that won’t be necessary now. I always carry a zip drive with all of my files. So when I want to study, I can come here to work.”
Before she went back to Riverside, Kennedy went inside the ranch house and made arrangements with June to go to church with her the next morning. Derek walked her to the car, whereupon she asked, “Where’s my bodyguard?”
“He’s in the back of the truck. I’m going to follow you to the house to make sure you’re settled in.” She didn’t argue with him, and when they arrived at Riverside, a cool breeze was wafting in from the Niobrara River. Kennedy stepped out of the car and looked around. The tall grass blown by a stiff wind looked like waves in the waning light. The sun hovered on the western horizon, and the setting was serene and peaceful.
She sat on the top step of the porch. “It’s too nice to go inside. I’ll stay here for a while.”
“Want company?” Derek asked, a hint of uncertainty in his quiet voice.
“Want company?” Derek asked, a hint of uncertainty in his quiet voice.
She nodded and patted the step beside her. When he joined her, Wilson jumped out of the truck and took his place between them. They sat mostly in silence as night settled around them. The quietness that had seemed so intimidating the previous night now brought peace to Kennedy’s heart.
When they could no longer see the western horizon, Derek got up and unlocked the door. Kennedy followed him inside. He checked the windows and the doors on the first floor to confirm that they were locked and then took a quick tour of the upstairs. He also put the leash on Wilson’s collar and hooked it to a chair in the bedroom.
Looking around, he seemed uneasy as he said, “I don’t know what else to do.”
Not since her mother’s death had Kennedy known anyone who was so concerned about her comfort, and her heart sang with gladness.
“You’ve done enough,” she said softly. “Go on home and don’t worry about me. I’ll call you if I have trouble.” He wouldn’t leave until she locked the door behind him, and, feeling protected, Kennedy entered the house and prepared for bed.
The night passed without incident, and Kennedy felt rested when she woke up. She had pulled the heavy draperies the night before, so the room was in semidarkness but daylight was shining through the transom over the front door and into the hallway. Stretching, she turned onto her side. Wilson lay with his head on his front paws, watching her, just as he had been when she’d turned out the light last night. She wondered if he had kept guard all night long.
She looked at the clock and saw that it was eight. The worship service at June’s church started at ten thirty, so Kennedy got up, put Wilson on the back porch, and filled his bowl from the bag of food Derek had brought. Then she returned to the bedroom to decide what to wear. She preferred casual clothing, and although she owned a few dressy outfits, she hadn’t brought them with her.
Because she hadn’t intended to stay in Nebraska more than a few days, Kennedy had only five outfits, but they were pieces she could mix and match. She could manage until Rosita sent more clothes. She chose a fuchsia shantung silk blouse with three-quarter sleeves and turned-back cuffs, an open collar, and small pearl buttons down the front. Her white-and–black-gingham-check pants were made of linen, so she chose a black jacket to wear with them. She put on silver loop earrings and a silver-plated stretch bracelet featuring embossed Victorian hearts interspersed with beads of sterling-plated metal. She eased her feet into a pair of black sandals.
Before she left the house, she called June to ask if she would be her guest at lunch in Valentine. After protesting that it wasn’t necessary, June agreed.
Derek stepped out of his office when she drove into the yard and came toward the car to open the door for her. Wilson barked a greeting, and after Kennedy exited the car, the dog scrambled across the driver’s seat before running circles around Derek.
“Any trouble last night?” Derek asked.
“Not at all,” she assured him. “I got a good night’s sleep.”
“Which is more than I did,” he said grumpily. “I don’t like for you to be alone.”
“Hardly anyone knows I’m there. What trouble could I possibly have?”
Before he answered, June came out of the house and called to Kennedy. “Let’s go in my car. It’s easier for me to drive than to give you directions.” Noting that June was wearing a dress, Kennedy said, “I don’t have a dress with me. Do all the women wear dresses to church?” June laughed. “Oh no! You’ll see jeans, slacks, shorts, knee pants—most anything during the summer. You look fine—doesn’t she, Derek?” Grinning, he said, “I hadn’t noticed.”
Kennedy ignored his remark. “I’ve already asked June to be my guest at lunch. Will you meet us after the service and eat with us?”
“Yeah, I will,” he said. “Mom has my lunch ready to pop in the microwave, but I won’t pass up a free meal.”
“Derek!” June scolded, although Kennedy was aware by now that almost anything Derek said or did was okay with his mother.
“Where are you going to eat?” he asked.
“I thought Kennedy might like the Cedar Canyon Steak House,” June suggested.
Derek nodded his approval, saying, “I’ll be there at twelve o’clock.”
Kennedy waved to Derek as they got in the car and drove away. “Why won’t he go to church?” June laughed lightly. “Stubbornness, more than anything else!”
“And he had the nerve to accuse me of being stubborn!” Kennedy commented.
“Derek is a Christian, and he went to church with us until he went away to college. He sets a strict standard of conduct for himself, and it bothers him that so many church members don’t live Christlike lives. It irritates him when he goes to worship and sees people who’ve tried to cheat him on a business deal taking an active part in worship. I’ve tried to tell him that he’s not their judge, but I can’t change his mind.”
“I wondered why he didn’t stay when I shared your family devotions.”
“He never participates, but he stays most of the time. I don’t remember what happened that night. He might have heard a disturbance among the animals in the corral and thought a coyote was lurking around. But he’s a good man, Kennedy. He’s never given me any trouble.” Kennedy nodded. “I know. Although I go to church every Sunday,” Kennedy said, “I’ll admit that I’m a little uneasy about going today. What if people shun me like they did my mother? Or do many people know that I’m here?”
“Well, I haven’t been spreading the news,” June said. “I thought that was up to you, so your appearance is going to surprise most of the congregation. But don’t let that bother you. Your cousin Tony Morgan is the pastor, but he’s out of favor with your grandfather, too, so he’ll welcome you. Besides, some of your Blaine relatives and their friends will be in the congregation. You won’t be ignored. I’ll see to that!” she added with determination.
“I should have stayed in California, I guess,” Kennedy said slowly.
“You should not have!” June said, and her eyes blazed with indignation. “You’re a landowner in this county and have as much right here as anyone else. I want you to walk into that church with your head high, your shoulders straight, and a smile on your face!”
“Yes, Mother,” Kennedy said with a mischievous smile.
June’s face flushed, and she looked slightly abashed. “Sorry,” she said. “I don’t have the right to order you around. But for the life of me, I can’t imagine how Gabriel Morgan could hold a grudge for more than twenty years and not want to see his granddaughter. I’d like to give him a piece of my mind!”
“I don’t want to see him, either,” Kennedy said, “but I would like to be introduced to some of my father’s family, if any of them attend your church.” The organ was playing when they climbed the steps and walked into the building. June tugged on Kennedy’s hand and found seats for them about halfway down the aisle on the left hand side of the sanctuary.
Kennedy judged tha
t the building wouldn’t hold more than two hundred people, but it was a peaceful room. The organ prelude continued after June and Kennedy were seated, and Kennedy bowed her head and prayed silently. God, thanks for giving me this opportunity. I’m so confused now. Sometimes I feel that I belong to Nebraska, but the pull of California is strong, too. I’m like a displaced person regardless of where I am. But I’m thankful that no matter what state I’m in, You are there. Take control of my life and lead me.
The service was less formal than the ones Kennedy was accustomed to, but when she stood for the final song and benediction, she felt that she had truly worshiped.
After the benediction, June introduced her to many of the people seated around them, and as they moved toward the door, they were approached by a tall, regal, dark-eyed, brown-haired woman. Kennedy judged her age to be in the midforties.
dark-eyed, brown-haired woman. Kennedy judged her age to be in the midforties.
“Did I understand you to say that your name is Blaine?” the woman inquired.
Before Kennedy answered, June said, “Kennedy, this is Robin Donovan. Her maiden name was Blaine.”
“Oh,” Kennedy said, pleased. “Then we must be cousins.”
“Yes, I believe so, if it was your father who owned the Circle Cross.”
“He did,” Kennedy said, “and the ranch passed to me after his recent death.”
Robin held out her hand, and Kennedy grasped it. “I’m so glad to meet you,” Robin said sincerely. “You and I share the same Blaine grandfather. My father is John Blaine, but he and my stepmother live in Texas now. I’d like to talk with you while you’re here. How long will you be in the area? My husband and I would enjoy having you visit us for dinner.”
“As of now, I intend to stay for several weeks—probably most of the summer,” Kennedy answered. “It will take me a few days to settle into Riverside, but when I do, I’ll call and invite you to visit me.”
