“Rides like a dream,” Mom hollered over the rush of air that washed over us.
Bright sun highlighted the creases in her face making it all too clear that time stops for no one. I wondered what it was like to be married to one person for fifty years. I’d never know.
I lifted my nose to the sun and closed my eyes. The heavenly aroma of spring in Michigan grew stronger and sweeter with the lilac blooms and tulip blossoms. When I opened my eyes, the lake twinkled before me. The past few days of weather had been perfect. Speckles of heaven danced across the water’s surface like fairy lights. Mom slowed and stopped at the corner. A solemn grin crossed her lips as she smiled at me.
“This was always your happy place, but happy places can change, my dear.”
The corner of her mouth curled upward. She put on her blinker and we cruised Lakeshore. She pointed to the glove box. “Open it.”
I clicked the latch and a silk scarf spilled out.
“It’s for you,” she said, glancing over.
I fingered the smooth orange and blue paisley design that reminded me of my favorite dress when I was in fifth grade. I adjusted the mirror and tied it around my head like a fat headband, the tail ends caressed my neck as they fluttered in the wind. I adjusted the scarf as I inspected myself in the side mirror. Perfect. Just like the movies. “I love it.”
“I knew you would, but do you love it more than my last gift?” She cackled with pride.
I raised an eyebrow and peered back at Bones who was biting at the wind that blew in his face. “I’m not sure,” I said. “My life would be pretty dull without that beast.”
Bones leaned forward and stuck his face between the seats. He nibbled at my elbow. I patted his thick head.
Mom smiled and let out a gleeful, “Woo-hoo!”
Chapter 26
When Mom and I got back from our drive, Chloe was sitting on the front porch reading a book.
Mom beeped the horn. “Yoo-hoo, over here,” she called as her new convertible rolled up the driveway.
Bones barked, and Chloe’s jaw dropped. She ran to greet us.
“Holy, moly, Gladiola. Wow-wee, hot stuff.” Chloe’s eyes bugged out of her head. “How’d you get Maggie to put that thing on her head?” she asked. “Fancy.”
“See, Mom, she thinks I’m a stick in the mud.”
“You’re not a stick in the mud, but sometimes you’re pretty serious. It’s good to let loose once in a while,” Mom advised with a scornful look, her eyes dancing with her own agenda.
I glanced at myself in the mirror. Maybe she was right. I’d have to try and let go a little more often. Mistakes happen. Lessons are learned, but all roads led home.
“Can I try on your cat glasses, Glad?” Chloe asked.
“Sure, darlin’,” she said, taking them off. “Do you think the black frame is too much?”
Chloe put the sunglasses on then craned her neck to see herself in the mirror on the door next to Mom. “No, they’re perfect.”
I opened the door and got out.
Bones waited for me to tilt the seat forward before hopping out and running to Chloe, who tickled his belly as he rolled in the grass.
“Mom, do you want to stay for dinner?”
“I was counting on it. I don’t care what we have.”
“Where’s your sitter?” I asked Chloe.
“She’s doing dishes. She told me I wouldn’t have to help if I read a book. So I chose that.”
“Good girl,” I said, strolling up to the house. “When’s your dad getting home?”
“Not sure, he said something about a surprise for me and career day. I sure hope it’s my mom so I can show that Hilary Barnyard a thing or two.”
“I wouldn’t get my heart set on that,” I advised.
Mom crinkled her nose. “Hilary Barnyard?”
“You know, Glad, that mean girl I punched. I call her Barnyard on account…she stinks. She doesn’t really stink, but she’s as bad as the smell of cow poop.”
“Oh, I see,” Mom said. “I do recall this conversation.”
“I sure hope my dad doesn’t think that he can trick me into taking him to career day,” she moaned. “He keeps talking about it. Not that he’s boring or anything, he just an ordinary doctor.”
“Oh, I see,” my mom repeated.
I narrowed my eyes in her direction. She knew something I didn’t. She was holding out.
“What do you know?” I asked, sauntering up the stairs behind her so Chloe couldn’t hear.
She put her hand up. “I know nothing.”
“Not buying it, sister. What do you know?” I prodded.
“Nothing,” she responded without acknowledging my poke.
I peered over my shoulder and called to Chloe, “Hey, can you please get the leash and run Bones around the block?”
“Sure, let me tell Patty where I’m going,” she answered.
Mom eyes filled with excitement, her laugh lines prominent.
“Have it your way. I don’t want to know,” I grumbled.
“I don’t think I can keep it a secret anymore. John is flying his dad in for career day. Bet none of those kids have a rancher in the family,” Mom rambled. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
“How did you get privy to such information?” I asked, holding the door open for her.
“I called John. Chloe was all bent out of shape over this whole thing and I thought for sure there would be someone who would come for her. It just took a little convincing.”
“So now you and John are in cahoots. What else did you discuss?” I asked, following her to the kitchen hoping like hell they didn’t talk about me, but my instincts told me otherwise.
“Nothing.” She turned on her heel and cut me off short. “Nothing.”
I set my sunglasses on the counter then headed for the fridge. Assessing the contents, I shut the door. “Again, what else did you two talk about?” I asked, meeting Mom’s stare.
She cracked a thin devious smile. “Let’s just say that I’m easy to talk to.” She shrugged. “What can I say?”
I inspected my hair for split ends as I debated on how much to trim off.
Chloe’s voice echoed through the house, and Mom and I headed for the porch.
“This is not over,” I told her.
“Maybe it is.” She batted her eyes and fluffed her hair.
“You are so annoying.”
“That’s funny, earlier I was super cool,” she reminded me.
“People can be lots of things, Glad.” I leaned against the counter reluctant to tell her how lucky I was to have her in my life.
“I know. That’s my point.”
“Maybe we should check out what’s going on out there.”
The screen door creaked as I opened it. Bones was running in circles around Chloe’s feet. There was a tall rugged man approaching her. She ran to him and leaped. Her legs wrapped around his middle as he caught her midair. John stood behind them with a sheepish grin on his face.
“Grandpa,” Chloe crooned. “What are you doing here? You hate the city,” she rambled. “Look, Maggie, it’s my grandpa.”
Mom gave a little clap and giggled. She shot John a look of glee. “I’m so happy it worked out. And to think I had a hand in the whole thing.”
I glanced sideways at her as she swatted me. “You have a hand in most things. When don’t you get your way?”
She smirked.
“I wish I had your secret powers,” I said, flexing my muscles in jest.
“You do, my dear, you just don’t know it yet.”
I shook my head at her mumbo-jumbo. “You are something else.”
John motioned for us to join them. I headed down the stairs trying not to stare. John’s dad sure was tall, broad, and handsome. He had a glint in his green eyes like John and Chloe.
“I like your cowboy hat.” Chloe ran her finger around the edge then down his jaw line and across his cheek. “Your cheeks tickle.” She giggled as s
he inspected the lines at the corners of his eyes.
“Long time, no see, short stuff,” he growled, setting Chloe down.
“Grandpa, this is Bones.” Chloe rubbed his hindquarters. “He belongs to Maggie. That’s Maggie.”
I stepped forward when Chloe pointed to me as if I were in a lineup. “Hi there, nice to meet you. This is my mom, Glad.”
“Welcome,” Mom said, shaking his hand.
“Hi there.” Chloe’s grandfather nodded.
I watched the interaction between my mom and John’s dad. His grin morphed into a stern welcome. He glanced back to me. The shimmer in his eyes serious.
Trying to cover my uneasiness, I smiled. John stepped forward sensing the edge. What could I have possibly done? I hadn’t even met the man. He was much bigger than life. The only cowboy in Grosse Pointe was the one on the cover of a paperback novel at our local Barnes and Noble. And none of those images came close to mirroring Chloe’s grandfather.
Chloe picked herself up off the ground then dusted off the seat of her pants. She squinted and shaded her eyes with a tilt of her head. “Grandpa, you are way taller than I remember. I can barely see you from down here.”
“That’s if you even remember,” John chimed in. “It’s been a while.”
John’s grin narrowed and his eyes held an untold story. Frozen in the moment, focused on my own silent investigation, I watched. Mom could converse with anybody. Me, I needed a little room for reaction before saying much.
Winston McIntyre reached out to his granddaughter. She fell into his arms and he scooped her up with one smooth motion like he’d been doing it all his life. “You are the spitting image of your daddy.”
John shrugged. I knew he was thinking she wished she had some of her mother’s beauty. I smiled at their exchange.
“So,” Winston said, his voice deep like a Montana canyon, “your daddy tells me you have something special coming up at school. Do you have a rancher on the schedule?”
Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck. His cowboy hat fell to the ground as she nuzzled against him. John and I both reached for the hat at the same time. Our eyes met. He gave me a wink as we brought the hat up together. John brushed it off.
“Put the hat on, Dad,” Chloe begged.
John put the Stetson on with a mighty grin. I couldn’t figure out if he was a doctor, a motorcyclist, or a cowboy. He fit all three. Now that was the guy I saw on the cover of my Harlequin. My belly flopped around like I was thirteen and Shaun Cassidy just entered the room. I hoped no one noticed my moment of swooning for the guy next door, but in my mind we were both still picking up that hat together staring each other down, trying to read the future.
Winston nodded with approval. “Looks good, son. Pretty soon you’ll be able to wear your own everyday all day.”
John’s eyes met his dad’s. It was the same expression he wore in the black-and-white photo of him riding with his dad that Chloe showed me. His pride, his enjoyment right there in the open. This wasn’t some black-and-white photo. This was his life, a dream that called him home. And I couldn’t be the one standing in his way.
“So tell me about this career day,” Winston said. “What do you have in store for me?”
John stepped closer, his forearm grazed mine. While I was lost in the moment of casual skin-on-skin contact, he was lost in the moment being shared by Chloe and his dad, Winston Ludlow McIntyre. I didn’t move, I relished the innocence between us until he glanced over in my direction, his eyes bright, his intention clear with another story, a story that included me.
“It’s a day that you come to school,” Chloe said. “I have to make a poster with facts about your job. Ranching is a job, isn’t it?”
“Oh yes, darlin’, it’s a job and a hard one if you’re doing it right,” Winston answered.
“Good, I thought so. Anyway, the kids come through the gym and I introduce you to them and they ask questions. Wait, did you bring any pictures with you?” Chloe asked, slowing her speech.
“Hm. Afraid not, but I bet your dad has some pictures of the place.”
“We can try and get some photos online, I have lots of cow photos, not exactly from his ranch, but we can pretend,” I suggested.
Winston shot me a look. “You don’t look much like a cow lover.”
I grinned. “Just a hobby.”
“She has tons of pictures, Grandpa. Cows everywhere. Maggie is a cow lady.”
“If you say so, darlin’. When is this all gonna go down?”
“In two days,” Chloe answered.
“Perfect, my saddle and gear should be arriving tomorrow.”
“What?” Chloe’s voice cracked. “Will there be a horse and a cow?”
“Um, no, but there will be plenty for your friends to look at. I’m not a social kind of guy, but for you I could tell a story or two.”
Chloe smiled, her adult teeth, more prominent with each passing day, her hair bounced off her shoulders like Brook’s as she fawned over her grandfather.
Chapter 27
Stopping in front of the mirror, I leaned closer to examine my skin, then left the house anxious to see Chloe’s project. I stood on the front stoop of her house and rang the bell.
Chloe answered the door. “Come on in,” she said. “This is nice having you visit. Seems like I’m always at your house.”
“You are,” I said with a wry smile.
“Well, anyway, come on in.”
Chloe led me into the dining room. The table was covered with western riding gear and a tri-fold poster. My heart skipped a beat. This was a bigger story than I thought.
“Wow, this is something.” I caressed the embossed saddle, its rich, worn leather soft with history.
Chloe knelt in a chair and rested her belly on the table, her eyes glued to the photos of her dad when he was a youngster working with his dad.
I smiled. “So are you ready for tomorrow?”
“I think so. I got some butterflies in my stomach though.”
“I think that’s pretty normal,” I picked up her report and read the first few sentences. “Did your dad help you write this report?”
“A little. Mostly Grandpa. His whole name is Winston Ludlow McIntyre.” She beamed with pride.
It was sweet the way she articulated her grandfather’s name, but I liked the way it rolled off John’s tongue better. Strong and proud. “It’s pretty amazing that he flew all the way here for your career day.”
Chloe scrunched up her nose. “He’s got other business with Dad. He’s not just here for that.”
“Oh,” I said, letting my fingers flit across the saddle wondering about Winston’s life, his wife, and life in Montana. “Well, I’m glad he’s here for you,” I said. “I like how the leather smells.”
“Me, too,” John said, joining us at the table. “Hi, Maggie.”
“Hey,” I said, smiling. “Chloe was just sharing her project. The pictures are fabulous.”
“I like the saddle,” Chloe said with a glint of adventure in her eyes. “I can see myself riding a horse and roping doggies, as Grandpa says. Still not sure why they call the cows, doggies, though.”
John smirked. “Did you tell Maggie what your granddad brought you?”
Chloe leaned across the table resting her chin on her fists. “Oh yeah, my grandpa’s not the only one with a cool hat.” She popped out of the chair and skipped off.
“You’re really going to go, aren’t you?” I stared into John’s green eyes.
“Yeah, it’s something I have to do.”
I sighed, but couldn’t blame him even if it made my heart ache. “I know.” There were things I had to do, too.
“My offer still stands.” He held my hand. “I know you can’t see yourself there and I know you have to do what’s right for you, but please consider it.”
John was killing me. I couldn’t believe he was the same guy I met almost a year ago in my backyard who chastised me for his daughter’s behavior. “Whe
n does the sign go up?” My mind pondered his invitation to join him and I couldn’t believe I was turning him down.
“June fifteenth. Chloe’s last day of school,” he answered.
“It’ll be here before you know it.” I fiddled with the horn on the saddle. “I can’t believe this school year is almost over. It’s been a rough one and next year will be even tougher with the additional requirements not to mention another pay cut.”
“Another cut?” John asked.
“Yeah, it’s the sign of the times, I guess. Things will be tight, but let’s not talk about that.”
John’s stare softened. “You deserve so much more. It’s a shame, the kids will be the biggest losers.”
“I know.” My heart beat faster. John understood the ramifications.
Chloe trotted back into the room wearing a cowboy hat. Her long dishwater-blond locks flowed out from beneath the brim. “Do you like?”
“I like.” I winked at her. “Glad will like it, too.”
John smiled.
“Can I have a snack? My work is all done.” Chloe announced the accomplishment as she pranced around her poster with Vanna White gestures and a gleaming toothy smile.
“Sure,” he said. “Clean up whatever you get out.”
Chloe tipped her hat then skedaddled.
“You’re doing a great job with her,” I said.
John rubbed his chin. “I gotta tell you, ever since we moved here and she’s met you, it’s been much easier.”
Chills ran down my spine. We were connected in more ways than just Chloe. “I’m not sure about that. We’ve had our rough patches,” I reminded him.
John chuckled. “Yeah, she wouldn’t have made it this long without you. She’s really bonded with you.”
My mind flashed back to the evening when I first met John. His gruff scowl and prickly demeanor put me on edge. How things had changed! I chuckled. “Chloe’s one tough cookie.”
“And so are you,” he added.
John crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the chair. I raised an eyebrow in his direction.
“You have no idea how powerful you are, Maggie Abernathy.”
“Not sure what you mean. I’m just the lady next door with a crazy dog and open cupboards.”
Maggie's Fork in the Road (Montana Bound Series Book 2) Page 18
