Love Finds You in Valentine, Nebraska

by Irene Brand

  “Southern California is a terrific place,” she said. “When I go back home, you’ll have to come visit me. I would make a good tourist guide.”

  “When, or if?” he asked, with a piercing glance in her direction.

  She quickly glanced toward him. “When, of course! I have my life in California. Even if I keep the ranch, I’ll have to go home.” She thought his face blanched, but he said evenly, “Yes, I can understand that.” Kennedy was tired, and she closed her eyes. She dozed a bit until Derek said, “We’d better go if you’ve rested enough.” The sun was setting when they reached the house. Derek helped her dismount and held her arm until her legs were steady. “Tomorrow morning you’ll have sore places where you’ve never had them before, but that will soon wear off. It would be better if you rode a little every day, but I’m going to be herding cattle until late evening most of the week. You aren’t ready to ride alone.”

  “I’ll be busy, too. The cleaners will be here for quite a while.”

  Derek swung into his saddle. “I’ll take the horses home and bring Wilson back.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Kennedy protested. “He would much rather stay with you.”

  “Maybe, but I want him here at night. I’ll pick him up every morning; he’s a big help rounding up cattle. See you in a bit.” He lifted the reins, nudged his horse in the side with his feet, and rode away. Kennedy went inside and opened the windows so the house would cool. She carried two chairs out on the porch, and when Derek returned, she invited him to sit down. She could tell by his expression that he wanted to stay, but he shook his head.

  “No, I won’t stay. But be sure and call if you need anything.”

  “I’ll try not to be a nuisance until after you finish roundup. Good night.”

  He swung into the saddle and waited. She knew he wouldn’t leave until she’d locked herself in. She took Wilson inside and locked the door and then leaned back against the wood. It had been a good day, but Kennedy felt like crying, and she didn’t know why.

  The next week passed quickly for Kennedy. She spent the first three days walking around the property close to Riverside and looking through more old photo albums and papers that had belonged to her grandfather before the cleaning team came.

  When the cleaners left Riverside, Kennedy couldn’t believe the miracle that had transformed her neglected home into an architectural showplace. Two women and one man had worked the rest of the week. While the women cleaned inside, the man had trimmed the shrubbery, mowed the lawn, and planted flowers in the window boxes on the front porch. He had even found a ladder and cleaned debris from the eaves and spouts as well as replaced several shingles on the gazebo roof.

  The faint scent of pine permeated the interior of the house, and the furniture shone like new. One of the women had spent most of the two days washing linens, curtains, towels, and washcloths. The hardwood floors were waxed and the carpets were cleaned.

  Kennedy had worked alongside the others, concentrating on the kitchen and dining room cupboards. Crystal and china gleamed brightly in the newly waxed cabinets. If there was a speck of dirt or dust in the house, Kennedy couldn’t find it.

  The man she’d hired had found some wooden outdoor furniture in an outbuilding, and it had been washed and placed on the gazebo and the porch area. When she wrote a check for the work, Kennedy added a generous tip, and the workers went on their way smiling, insisting that they were available to work for her at any time.

  As he had predicted, Derek hadn’t been around, and she had missed him. When the cleaners left, Kennedy called the ranch house and June answered.

  “I’ve got a beautiful house now, and I want to share it with somebody. Is Derek still busy? If he isn’t, why don’t the two of you come and take a look at the transformation?”

  “He’s coming in for supper now, but sometimes he goes out again. Hold on. Let me ask him,” June said. Kennedy heard muffled words as June talked to Derek.

  “He still has some work to do tonight, but he says he’ll come early in the morning.”

  “I’ll get up early so he can come when he wants to. But you can visit this evening if you have time. I’m as excited as a kid with a new toy—I just have to show the house to someone.”

  Laughing, June assured her, “I’ll be there as soon as we’ve had supper.”

  Derek didn’t stay long the next morning, for they were driving some of the cattle to summer pasture that day. As the ranch owner, she knew she should be thankful that he was so conscientious in his work, but she had missed seeing him. Kennedy watched wistfully as he drove away. He obviously approved of the changes at Riverside, as June had the night before.

  After her busy life in California, Kennedy wasn’t accustomed to having much free time. Now she had a long day ahead of her and didn’t know what to do with it. When the phone rang while she was making her bed, she answered it eagerly.

  it. When the phone rang while she was making her bed, she answered it eagerly.

  “Kennedy,” a deep voice said, “this is Tony Morgan. I’m going to be visiting out your way this morning. Is it all right if I stop by?”

  “It sure is. What time will you be here?”

  “Midmorning.”

  “Sounds good to me,” she said. “I’m looking forward to talking with you.”

  Tony came two hours later, and Kennedy gave him a tour of the house right away.

  “As you might have guessed,” Tony said, smiling as they ended the tour in the living room, “this is the first time I’ve set foot in this house. A Morgan visiting a Blaine in her ancestral home! What would our ancestors think?”

  Kennedy laughed with him. “It doesn’t matter to me what they think,” she said, “and I have a feeling you feel the same.” Kennedy motioned Tony to a chair, while she sat on a nearby love seat. She pointed to the electric coffee urn and tray of cookies she’d prepared before he arrived.

  “Would you like a cup of coffee? Or I can make tea if you’d prefer that.”

  “Coffee is fine, and I drink it black. I learned to do that in seminary when I was studying for exams. My friend Daniel and I shared an apartment. We spent more money on coffee than we did on food.”

  Kennedy handed a steaming cup to Tony and pushed the tray of cookies toward him. “Help yourself,” she said.

  “So, tell me, Kennedy, how long do you expect to stay in Nebraska? I had assumed this was a visit, but you seem to be settled in for a while.” She explained about her impulsive trip to the Circle Cross and how the land, the people, and especially Riverside had fascinated her. “When I left Los Angeles, I had no intention of staying. In fact, I had no plans at all concerning the ranch.”

  “But it’s rumored that the ranch is going to be sold.”

  “I suppose that’s the real reason I came. Dad’s death was so unexpected that I wasn’t ready to handle his estate. When my attorney received an offer to buy the ranch, I decided I wanted to see the property before it was sold. But after being here a few days, I’m not sure I will sell. This land has been in the Blaine family for a long time.”

  “Does our mutual grandfather know you’re here?” Tony asked with a grim smile.

  “I don’t know.”

  Tony laughed slightly. “As I mentioned yesterday, my grandfather and I don’t see eye to eye.”

  “Mind telling me why?”

  “There’s no secret about it. He’s controlled my father’s life, but I was determined he wouldn’t rule me. It’s still a sore subject to me so I won’t give you all the facts, but he prevented me from marrying the only woman I’ve ever loved.”

  Kennedy could tell by the bitterness in Tony’s eyes that he felt as she did about Gabriel Morgan.

  “Matti Gray and I dated all through high school,” Tony continued, and his eyes seemed clouded with visions of the past. “We were in love and got engaged when we graduated. Grandfather didn’t approve. Matti’s father worked for the Morgans and the Grays were poor. Grandfather thought I could do
better. When I refused to give her up, he apparently took matters into his own hands.”

  Tony put the coffee cup on the table, stood up, and, with clenched fists, walked around the room. “I don’t know what he did to Matti, but while I was away on a camping trip, she left town. She didn’t leave a note for me, her parents wouldn’t tell me where she had gone, and I haven’t heard from her since then. I don’t know what happened, but I’ve never doubted that Gabriel Morgan was responsible for it.”

  “You don’t think he had someone harm her, do you?” Kennedy asked.

  “Oh, she’s alive somewhere. She returned to Valentine when her parents died, but I wasn’t here so I didn’t see her. I’ve considered trying to find her, but I’m angry at her, too, for not contacting me.”

  “But if he was successful in breaking up your relationship with Matti, I’d think he would be happy that he’d gotten his way.”

  “Oh, there’s more. He doesn’t approve of my profession. He expected me to take over the Morgan Corporation when he couldn’t control it any longer. He demanded that I prepare for that when I went to college, but for once, my parents refused to bend to his will. They supported my calling to the ministry. And our grandfather didn’t want me to return to Valentine, either. If I was going to be a preacher, he thought I should try to get a prestigious church in a city. I’ve been back in Valentine for a few months, and he hasn’t sent for me.”

  “I’m sorry, Tony. He never sent for my mother, either. I believe that she would have come home if he’d only asked her.”

  “Although I find it difficult to do, I pray for him daily. He has to be a miserable man to carry these grudges all his life. And all this just because our mutual ancestors loved the same woman and chose to start a feud over it. God willing, I intend for the enmity to stop with this generation. Will you help me?” Kennedy hesitated. “I can’t make that promise yet. I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t feel charitable toward Gabriel Morgan, and I’ll have to get over that feeling before I can help you mend fences.”

  “At least talking to you has helped me. I’m glad you came back to Nebraska, Kennedy.”

  “Me, too,” she agreed, as she walked to the door with him. Before he left, she asked him for directions to Smith Blaine’s office.

  “He was Dad’s manager of the Circle Cross,” she explained, “and I want to see him and find out more about the offer to buy the ranch. I’m going shopping in Valentine this afternoon. I believe that today is when he’s supposed to return from his vacation, so while I’m in town, I wanted to drop by the office to make an appointment to see him.”

  Tony gave her the directions she needed, and she thanked him.

  “Will I see you at church tomorrow?” Tony asked.

  “Yes, I’m planning to be there.”

  She waved to Tony as he drove away, her heart full of pleasure because she was connecting to her relatives. It was the right decision to spend the summer at the Circle Cross.

  Chapter Seven

  Kennedy drove into Valentine soon after Tony left to buy some clothes more suitable to ranch life than the ones she’d brought from California. She had previously had a conference with June about what to buy. Kennedy parked in front of Young’s Western Wear store, which covered a large portion of the city block. Acting on June’s advice as well as the help from the store’s friendly staff, she left the store with a Rodeo King felt hat, a pair of cimarron–brown-and-beige boots, a straw hat from Larry Mahan’s hat collection, two pairs of Cinch jeans, and two Wrangler shirts. Not that she believed all this Western attire would turn her into a cowgirl, but Kennedy figured she wouldn’t be as conspicuous in these clothes as she was in her designer jeans and blouses.

  Tony had told her that Smith Blaine’s office was located on West Third Street not far from City Hall, and she had no trouble finding the office. There was one car in the parking lot, even though it was Saturday, so she wondered if Smith had returned home on schedule. She tried the office door, found it unlocked, and walked into the reception room.

  “I’m Kennedy Blaine,” she said to the secretary. Kennedy looked at the nameplate on the desk. “We’ve talked on the phone several times, Naomi.”

  “Well, of course, Miss Blaine. I recognize your voice. This is a surprise. Mr. Blaine didn’t tell me you were coming.”

  “Is he back from vacation?” Kennedy asked, not inclined to tell the secretary that Smith didn’t know she was in Nebraska.

  “Yes, they returned late last night. I had a message on the answering machine that he’d be in the office this afternoon.”

  “I didn’t expect to see him today, but I want to make an appointment when he has an opening,” Kennedy told her. “I’m sure he’ll be swamped with work that’s piled up while he’s been away.”

  “The office has been closed. I was on vacation, too. I only came in myself because of how much catching up there is to do,” Naomi explained.

  “When will he have time to see me?” Kennedy persisted.

  When Kennedy had talked with Naomi on the phone, she had appeared to be competent and friendly, but she seemed flustered now as she leafed through the appointment book. “Will Monday afternoon at two o’clock be convenient?”

  “Yes. But since Cousin Smith will be here soon, I’ll wait and say hello. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen him.” Kennedy sat on a leather couch and picked up a magazine from the end table. “Don’t let me interfere with your work.”

  Naomi excused herself, went into the adjoining office, and closed the door. Kennedy heard her talking. Was Naomi calling Smith to tell him that she was waiting? Perhaps she had been inconsiderate by just dropping in like this, but why could it matter? She wasn’t expecting to consult with him about the ranch on the spur of the moment.

  Before his secretary returned to her office, the outside door opened and Smith entered the office. He swept Kennedy with a cursory glance and walked by her with a nod. But he stopped suddenly, turned, and stared at her.

  “May I help you?” he asked, as Naomi returned to the office.

  Kennedy stood and, with an apologetic laugh, said, “I know it’s been a few years since we’ve met, but I supposed you would recognize me. I’m Kennedy Blaine.”

  Smith’s face flushed, and he hit his forehead with his palm. “Well, of course you’re Kennedy. I just wasn’t expecting to see you.” He extended his hand. “It’s good to see you. I didn’t know you were coming to Nebraska. How long have you been here?”

  “About two weeks.”

  “That long! I thought you knew I was on vacation.”

  “I did know, but I had taken care of all the estate decisions in California. So I made a sudden decision to come to Nebraska. I’m glad I did.”

  “But where have you been staying? Eleanor and I will want you to stay with us while you’re here. You can move your things to our house today.” He lifted the phone from Naomi’s desk. “I’ll call Eleanor and let her know you’re here.”

  Laughing, Kennedy said, “I’d better tell you what I’ve been doing before you make any arrangements for me.” He replaced the phone and appraised her with a skeptical glance. “Perhaps we’d better talk. Let’s go into my office.”

  “I wouldn’t presume to bother you with my affairs today. Naomi’s made me an appointment for Monday afternoon. I’ll leave now and come back then.”

  “But…”

  “When I arrived in Nebraska, I went directly to the Circle Cross and met the Sterlings. June and Derek welcomed me, and Derek has been showing me around the ranch. I’ve always wanted to see the place where I was born, and when Derek took me to Riverside, I decided to stay in Nebraska for the summer.” Excitement lifted her voice as she continued, “I’ve had the whole house cleaned and the lawns tended, and I’m at home for visitors. I hope you and Eleanor will come to see me.”

  “But what about the offer to buy the ranch?” he asked, and Kennedy didn’t know what to make of the concerned look on his face. “That offer is only good for t
hirty days.”

  “We’ll talk about that during my appointment time,” Kennedy said. “I need to know a lot more about that offer before I make a decision. And I’m not sure that I will sell the Circle Cross.”

  “Well, that’s your choice, and I think you’ll make a big mistake not to accept the offer.” Smith shrugged his shoulders. “But it’s your property.” With a smile, Kennedy said, “That’s true, it is!” And from the expression on his face, she wondered if her cousin had suddenly realized that he was dealing with a client who wasn’t as easygoing as her father had been.

  Back at Riverside, Kennedy hoped that Derek would go to church with them the next day, but he and Sam had gone to a neighboring ranch to pick up a tractor he’d lent to a rancher to help him catch up with his work, and he wouldn’t be back until late on Sunday. It was a long weekend for Kennedy instead. She went to church and had lunch with June as usual and spent the rest of the day sitting in the gazebo thinking of the changes in her life since she’d come to Nebraska.

  Derek’s eyelids popped open, and he wondered what had wakened him until the phone rang again. He realized he was still in the living room, fully clothed. He’d gone to sleep in his chair after he and Sam had unloaded the tractor. Apparently his mother had covered him with a blanket and hadn’t disturbed him. As he reached for the phone, he glanced at his watch and saw that it was two in the morning. He released the footrest and sat up quickly when he saw Kennedy’s number on the ID.

  “Derek,” Kennedy answered his quick hello, “I’m sorry to bother you…”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know, but Wilson is just having a fit and I can’t get him to stop barking.”

  “I don’t know, but Wilson is just having a fit and I can’t get him to stop barking.”

  “I’m leaving right now.”

  He disconnected the phone and rushed to his mother’s room. “Mom, are you awake?”