by Misty Malone
On the fourth day of her bi-polar attitude, he finally got his first clue as to what the problem was when he asked Cece if she'd seen Chase.
"No, thank God, and I hope I never do. Excuse me." She stormed out of the room, and Pete was pretty sure he heard a few choice words. He hadn't allowed her to talk like that while she was growing up, and she hardly ever said anything like that now. But he did have to smile a little since he knew that whatever her problem was, it somehow involved Chase. He'd had the feeling earlier that they were seeing more of each other than he knew about, which was okay with him. Chase was a nice young man, and Cece needed to get her mind off Tom, though he still didn't know what had happened there. He'd inquired into the subject a few times, but she made it quite clear that she wasn't ready to talk about it, so he hadn't pushed it.
He considered the situation and decided to give her a couple more days to work it out herself. If she were still this hard to live with afterwards, he'd sit her down and try to get her to talk about it. As a last resort, he'd talk to Chase and make sure it was nothing he needed to be too concerned about. If it were a lovers' spat it would work itself out, but if it were something more serious, he'd step in. After all, he only had one child, and she was precious to him.
The next morning at breakfast Pete attempted to help her get her mind off Chase for a little while. "I have to run into town sometime today to get a few supplies. Why don't you ride in with me and we'll stop and have lunch at the diner. We haven't eaten out in a good while."
"Okay, if you want to," Cece answered.
He was glad to see the smile on her face at the prospect. "We'll leave around 11:00 and do our shopping first. Then we can sit back and enjoy a nice relaxed lunch."
"Sounds good to me. I'll be ready," she promised.
He kissed her cheek and went out to work, happy to see her smiling again.
Since she didn't have to worry about fixing lunch, Cece had more time to think. For a couple days now she'd thought about the parts of that afternoon with Chase that she kind of liked - the endearments he'd used, his arms around her, and even the gentle kiss on her head. But then she'd thought back to Tom. She'd had similar warm and fuzzy thoughts about him when they'd first started seeing each other, too. It bothered her that although Chase made her feel good, he'd also hurt and humiliated her.
The more she thought about it, the more the pain and humiliation came to the forefront of her memory and she decided she had to get even. Somehow she would make him pay. She had no idea how she would do it, but she knew she had to.
Pete came in a little before 11:00 and was happy to see his daughter dressed and ready to go. She seemed less anxious, and even smiled. "You seem happy about something, Cece," he said tentatively.
"I am," she confirmed. "I've been upset about something, but I had time to think it through this morning. I've got it worked out; I know how I want to handle it now."
"Good for you," he said sincerely. "I always did say once you know what you're doing, it's almost done. You feel so much better just having made the decision." He hoped the smile on her face bode well for their new neighbor, too, but he was old enough and wise enough to know not to ask. When those two were ready for him to know about their budding relationship, he was sure they'd tell him. Until then he'd let romance and young love take its course.
While they were enjoying lunch their old neighbor, Ralph McDermott, came into the diner. After checking with Cece, Pete invited him to join them. Ralph filled him in on where he was staying and what he was doing. He told them he'd been out to see Chase a few times and offer his help.
"He seems to be doing real well," Ralph told them. "I'm glad to see it."
"I am, too," Pete agreed. "I've been impressed with his knowledge of ranching, and he doesn't seem to shy away from hard work. I think he'll do just fine."
"Yeah, me, too," Ralph said, hoping he sounded convincing. He noticed Cecelia had gotten quiet when they started talking about Chase. Interesting, he thought. Looking at her, he asked, "Have you met Chase yet, Cecelia?"
The look on her face told Ralph a lot. She glanced at her father. "Yes, I've met him on a few occasions. He seems nice enough." When she quickly changed the subject he had to smile. He'd have to have another little chat with Miss Cecelia. They might have more in common than either of them realized.
They finished their lunch and Pete and Cece got up to leave. When she picked her purse up from beside her on the booth her phone slipped out. Ralph was about to stop her, but then changed his mind. After they left he picked up the phone and tucked it into his pocket.
He waited about half an hour to give them time to get home and for Pete to go out to the fields. Then he went to return her phone. When she answered the door, he showed her the phone. "Missing something? It must have fallen out of your purse. I saw it laying in the booth after you left."
"Thank you, Ralph. I didn't even realize I'd lost it yet. Come on in. I just made some fresh lemonade."
Ralph made small talk for a few minutes, then touched on what he'd really come for. "So, Cecelia, you said you've met my nephew."
She momentarily froze, but quickly recovered. "Yes."
He carefully chose his words as he said, "Chase is a good guy, but he can be a bit bossy at times."
"No kidding," she quickly agreed.
That told Ralph what he wanted to know. "You know, that worries me some. Like I said, he's a good guy, but sometimes I think he gets a big head and thinks he knows everything he needs to know. That could be dangerous. Sometimes I think he needs to be brought down a peg or two, for his own good."
Cece tried to hide a smile. "Now that I think about it, I'd have to say I agree with you."
He nodded, casually agreeing with her. After a few moments he asked, "Do you want to help me do that?"
"Do what?"
"Bring him down a peg or two."
She had to try really hard to hide her smile now. She hadn't been able to come up with a plan of her own, but Ralph might be offering her the revenge she'd been hoping for. She appeared to consider his idea for a while. "Well, you're right, he does seem to be a pretty good guy, but he does need to listen to others a little more, doesn't he?"
"Oh, yes, ma'am, he does."
Nodding her head as if reaching a decision, she said, "I think I might be willing to help you. What do you have in mind?"
"Nothing to cause him or anyone else any real damage," he assured her. "He just needs a comeuppance of sorts."
"Keep talking," she said.
He scooted his chair over closer and talked a little quieter, just in case Pete or one of the hands came into the house unexpectedly. She asked a few questions, made a couple suggestions, and half an hour later they had a plan.
In order to do what she had agreed to do, she needed to convince Chase she wasn't upset. She made a pecan pie, which he'd mentioned once was his favorite kind, and went to visit him.
* * * * *
Chase had just settled into his office chair after dinner, ready to tackle some bookkeeping, when the doorbell rang. Making his way to the door, he was surprised and happy to see Cece standing there, holding a pie.
Opening the door, he greeted her with a smile. "Good to see you, Cece. I was afraid you were trying to avoid me."
"I was for a few days," she admitted.
Looking at the pie he asked, "Can I assume you're not as upset as you were?"
"It took a lot of thinking, but I brought another peace offering. Still friends?" she asked.
"Absolutely," he said as he leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I've always considered us friends. I just wasn't sure what you were feeling. I told you I'd listen to anything you wanted to say, but you haven't said anything. I'm still ready to listen."
His words made her pause. They made her feel warm inside and she started second guessing her resolve. But then he said, "You made a mistake that day, but you were spanked for it, and then I forgave you. I hoped you still saw us as friends. I was going to give y
ou another couple days, then I planned on hunting you down so I could be sure you're okay."
That brought back all the bad memories and confirmed her need for revenge. "Well, I wised up and came here before you had to hunt me down." She handed him the pie. "My bribe – I mean, peace offering."
"It looks delicious. I'll cut us each a piece if you'll make some coffee."
"Deal," she agreed quickly. They set to work and were soon enjoying an after dinner snack on his patio.
"Delicious," he said in awe. "I love pecan pie, but I think this may be the best I've ever had. Is pecan pie your specialty, by any chance?"
"No, but this is my mom's recipe, and people have raved about it for years. She knew the recipe by heart, but I have to dig her cookbooks out and find it every time I make it."
"You have to dig her cookbooks out?"
"Yes. I don't have a good place to keep them handy, but I don't want to get rid of them, either, so I keep them in my bedroom. At least I know they're safe there."
"Well, I'm glad you've kept them safe," he said, "because this pie is absolutely delicious. You're a wonderful cook."
"Thank you," she said, blushing a little. After they visited she stood to leave. "So, am I still allowed to trespass onto your ranch?"
He laughed and assured her, "Darlin', you can go anywhere on my ranch you want to go. Just as long as you're not swimming alone."
"Thank you, Chase," she said sincerely. "I've been staying home and thinking a lot lately. Now that I feel better about everything, I feel like going out for a good long ride."
"Sounds like a good idea. Feel free to roam anywhere you want to roam. I just want you to be safe."
* * * * *
The next several days Chase and Cece saw each other occasionally, but didn't get much chance to visit. Chase was still trying to get all his spring work done so he would have more time to spend with her.
He and Ty were having lunch one day, when Ty brought a concern up to his boss. "Chase, have you noticed the heifers we put in the east barn?"
"The ones that should be having their calves in the next few weeks?"
"A couple of them look like they could give birth in the next few days. Have you checked the medicine supply lately? I imagine your grandfather kept a good supply, but I haven't thought to inventory it yet. Have you?"
"Not really. I looked in the office refrigerator shortly after we got here and it was stocked pretty full, but I didn't do an actual inventory. You're right, though; we need to do that before we start having a bunch of cows freshening. Do you have time to do that this afternoon?"
"I'll get one of the men to help me and we'll do a full inventory. With two of us it shouldn't take too long. I didn't want to do it, though, if you'd already done it."
"Thanks for handling it, Ty. Let me know what we have and I'll call the vet and order anything we're short on. Or you can call him and order it yourself. You know what we need."
That evening Ty was waiting for Chase when he got back to the barn. "Come here, Chase, I want to show you something," he said. Chase followed him into the office, where Ty opened the refrigerator. "You have quite a bit of medicine. It's everything you'll need for a good while, and I checked the expiration dates and they're all good."
"Good. I'm glad Grandpa kept medicine on hand like we did at home. It's a lot cheaper and quicker to do a lot of the routine stuff yourself than have a vet come do it."
"I agree," Ty said. "Let the veterinarian take care of the sick animals; we'll do the routine vaccinations and things like that. There's only one problem with your medicine, Chase. Stick your hand inside the refrigerator."
Chase looked at him, eyebrows together, as he reached into the refrigerator. "It doesn't work? It's warm." His shoulders slumped as he said, "We have to throw all that away now. That's going to set us back."
"I called the vet and told him what happened. We went over what we'll need, and he said he'll have his assistant run some out here for us tomorrow morning."
"Oh, good. Thanks for taking care of it. I better get a new refrigerator tonight." He turned to leave, but stopped. He followed the cord from the refrigerator to the outlet, where the cord lay on the ground, not plugged in. "I wonder how long that's been laying on the ground?"
"Good question," Ty agreed. "And I have to wonder why it's laying on the ground." He plugged it in as he said, "Let's see if the refrigerator works."
They went in for supper, and when they came back out afterward the refrigerator seemed to be working fine. "Well, I'm glad it's working," Chase said. "But I wish I knew how it got unplugged. We'll have to check it for the next while and make sure it's okay."
They got their new supply of medicine and checked the refrigerator often over the next several days. It was fine, which was a relief to both men.
Chapter 5
Just as they felt confident that that potential problem was taken care of, Chase went to the furthest field on his ranch, happy to be nearing the end of his planting. As he topped the last knoll, something in the pasture next to the field he was headed for got his attention. He alternated his cattle between that pasture and the next one over. When the cattle had one pasture eaten down he'd transfer them to the other, giving the first one time to regrow. This pasture, which should be empty now, was full – of horses!
He could easily see the horses were top quality and assumed they were some of Pete's. He walked the fence between his pasture and Pete's, and it didn't take long to find the problem. The fence had been cut and pulled apart. He took out his phone and called Pete and Ty.
Pete showed up shortly with one of his hands. "I'm sorry, Chase. I know that causes a problem for you."
"Not your fault, Pete. Don't worry about it," Chase replied.
"We'll get the horses rounded up and back into our pasture," Pete promised, "then help get the fence repaired. I'll pay for the repairs."
"Ty will be here shortly. He's bringing the supplies and one of our hands. It shouldn't take long to get it fixed. Come on, I'll help you with your horses."
Ty and Mack arrived and helped with the horses, as well. Once they were all back in Pete's pasture the men set to work fixing the fence. They were at the far end of both men's ranches, where their lands met with the ranch to the north, owned by Stan Hurley and his wife. Stan and his son, Ben, were working in that section of their ranch and saw the activity. They rode over to be sure everything was okay.
They hadn't met Chase yet, so Pete introduced them, and he and Chase together filled them in on the fence that had been cut. Pete asked, "You haven't by any chance seen anyone around here, have you, Stan?"
"I don't come out this far from the barn as much as I used to, but I haven't seen anything," Stan assured them.
"I haven't seen anyone, either," Ben informed them. "Now that I know what happened I'll keep my eyes open, though."
"Thanks, Ben, I'd appreciate that," Chase said.
Ben welcomed Chase and Ty to the area, and as the three of them were roughly the same age, they visited a few minutes, getting better acquainted. Ben offered, "I was going to say we'd help you with the fence, but it looks like you've got it."
"Yeah, we just need to clean up. Thanks for the offer," Chase said.
"After the planting's done, if you two want to take a night to relax, I'll show you some of the popular places in town," Ben suggested.
"Sounds good. Thanks."
They finished the fence and got back to work. Chase spent the afternoon trying to figure out who would have cut the fence. Since he didn't have any cattle in that pasture the damaged fence hurt him, not Pete. Pete's horses were fine. They were still safely contained in a fence, eating Chase's freshly renewed pasture. He concluded this incident was probably related in some way to the unplugged refrigerator, but who could have done these things, and why?
It was almost midnight when Chase finished planting the last of his corn, but it was done. He dragged himself to the house, and microwaved a plate of food Stella had saved for hi
m. He scarfed that down before showering and going to bed.
The next morning he felt like a new man - a man with every bit of his spring planting done on his ranch. After morning chores and breakfast he headed to his neighbor's. It was time to see if Cecelia would go out with him again.
Pete was outside and saw Chase pull up. He ambled over to his truck and asked, "Any news on the cut fence?"
"Nope, not a thing," Chase answered. "But the good news is nothing else has happened, either."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that at least," Pete agreed. "Something I can do for you?"
"Actually, I came to see Cecelia."
Smiling, Pete asked, "Is this going to put her in a good mood or another sour mood?"
Chase's eyebrows rose. "She's been in a bad mood?"
"Off and on. It depends on the day, or maybe what time of day it is. She may be happy in the morning, angry at lunch, and who knows what by supper. You know anything about that?" Pete was smiling at his young neighbor, teasing him a bit.
"That might be my fault, Pete, and I'm sorry about that. I hope to rectify it here shortly, though, if she'll agree to have dinner with me."
"Well, in that case, get in the house and ask her!" Both men chuckled as Chase headed for the house.
Twenty minutes later Chase found Pete in the barn and said, "Hang in there, Pete. She's having dinner with me tonight."
"Well, thank goodness," Pete said with a grin, but then got a bit more serious. "Now you treat her good, Chase."
"I will, sir," Chase promised.
"I want her in a good mood when you leave."
"That's two of us," Chase said as he turned to leave. He headed for his truck, but stopped at the door to the barn. He looked down at the dirt and saw some footprints that looked familiar. He looked back at Pete, but he was heading out the far door of the barn. Not seeing anyone else around, Chase slipped his phone out and took a quick picture of the footprints in the dirt before getting in his truck and going back home.
