A Family For Rose

by Nadia Nichols

  “So that’s when he quit the Grange?”

  “I’m surprised they didn’t tar and feather him on the spot. And that’s the hell of it. No matter what happens, nothing will ever put the town of Bear Paw together again.”

  Shannon shook her head. “You’re wrong. This town has always been about neighbor helping neighbor. Events like tonight are proof of that, and that’s why it’s so important for me to do all I can to help the Hewins. Speaking of which, we better get going. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse, and when the food runs out at a Grange Hall supper, they stop serving.”

  * * *

  THE GRANGE HALL parking lot was full, and a slow-moving line of people had formed at the door. Shannon and Billy joined the queue, exchanged polite nods with others waiting in line, and eventually filed into the hall, ponied up their donations, and filled their plates at the buffet line. Shannon was looking forward to eating good food prepared by good cooks.

  The thick, meaty spaghetti sauce smelled wonderful and there were fresh homemade yeast rolls, several types of salads and, on a separate table, a delectable array of homemade pies. Her mouth was watering as she dropped into a chair and eyed the bounty, and her stomach growled with anticipation. She twined sauce-laden spaghetti around her fork and was lifting it to her mouth when a deep, familiar voice said, “Surprised to see you here, Shannon. Figured your father would’ve advised you not to come, since he’s not a Grange member anymore.”

  Shannon lowered her fork and looked up at Boyd Bannon, who stood on the other side of the table with his wife, Eva. Both held plates of food. Eva was wearing a pained expression. “You’re welcome to sit here with us,” Shannon said, indicating the chairs across from them. “We don’t have anything that’s catching, and if my father’s behind on his Grange dues, I’ll make that right. He’s always supported the Grange, you know that. And this supper’s about raising money for some folks who need it. That’s why we’re here.”

  Talk around the long tables quieted as people listened in on the conversation. Boyd Bannon glanced around at the expectant faces and he grew a little taller, a little more self-righteous. “This wind project’s about the same thing, Shannon. It’s about bringing money to people who really need it. Helping them through hard times. A lot of those hardworking people are in this Grange Hall right now, probably wondering why it is you care so much about the Hewin family and so little about the rest of us.”

  Billy started to rise out of his chair and Shannon put her hand on his arm.

  “Mr. Bannon, you have a right to your opinion, and as a fellow American I defend that right. But there’s a time and a place for everything, and maybe this isn’t the best time or place to discuss this. Right now I want to tell you how much I appreciate the open-handed friendship you’ve extended to my family over the years. Life is short, and good friendships are precious.”

  She hesitated for a moment, struggling to find the words, but when she continued, her voice was steady and clear, and loud enough that every curious ear heard what she had to say.

  “Folks around here’ve always struggled to make ends meet. Living on the edge of dead broke’s a way of life for most. But you found it in your heart to help my family out when we needed it so badly. That’s what makes Bear Paw such a special place. We may disagree on lots of things, we may fight and feud and carry grudges, but when the going gets tough, we pull together and help each other out.

  “That’s why we’re all here, to help a family who just lost a lot. So, Mr. Bannon, and all the rest of you who might think Billy and I don’t belong here tonight, I’m just asking that we set aside our differences and join together in the spirit of community, because I’m looking at a plate of amazing food that’s way better than anything I’ve prepared since taking over cooking duties at my father’s ranch. I may be able to carry a tune, but I sure can’t cook, and right now I’m starving. So let’s eat. We can fight and feud later.”

  The ripple of laughter that spread through the Grange Hall at Shannon’s concluding words dissolved the tension that filled the room. Boyd Bannon gave Shannon a grudging nod and moved with his wife to sit at the next table. Shannon picked up her fork again and cast a sidelong glance at Billy, who was looking back at her with an expression she couldn’t fathom. “What?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing.”

  “No, really. What?”

  “I was just thinking I’d like to buy you a drink at the Dog and Bull after supper.”

  “Really?” Shannon tilted her head to one side and studied him for a moment. “I might just let you, under one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You promise to dance with me just once.”

  “Just once? Is that my limit?”

  “The limit’s completely up to you.”

  “Then I’ll do my best to dance you off your feet.”

  Shannon grinned. “You’re on, cowboy.”

  * * *

  THE DOG AND BULL was packed. Shannon barely had time to have a quick word with the band members about the fund-raiser as they set up their equipment. “Our schedule’s free that afternoon,” said Spencer. “We don’t start playing here until 7 p.m. It’d be great a great honor for us to be your backup band for such a good cause.”

  “If you could announce it tonight so word starts to get out, I’ll put the radio ads together and get them on the air,” Shannon said. “I figured an open-air concert staged around the bandstand outside the Grange Hall would work best. That way the crowd can get as big as it likes. We’ll play for donations and give the proceeds to the Hewin family. Thanks, boys. It is for a good cause, and I really appreciate your help. The Hewins will, too.”

  Shannon joined Billy at the table he’d found toward the back of the room. Her heart jumped as he rose to his feet at her approach. In denim jeans and a plain but clean blue chambray shirt, he wasn’t the fanciest dressed cowboy in the room, but he was the handsomest by far. She sat down as the waitress arrived and plunked two frosty mugs of draft beer, a pitcher of ice water and two glasses in front of them.

  “Looks like my first solo concert’s next Saturday afternoon, and if we don’t get more than half the population of Bear Paw, I’ll be a little disappointed,” Shannon said, filling their water glasses.

  “If you advertise your concert on the radio, you’ll rope in so many they won’t all fit in town. And if they each pony up ten or twenty bucks to hear the best and most beautiful country-and-western singer ever born, you’ll have built the Hewin family a new hay barn and filled it with hay. You’re more famous than you know.”

  “Everyone wants a piece of you when you’re famous,” Shannon said wryly. “It’s who wants you when you aren’t that really matters.”

  Billy raised his beer to her. “Famous or not, you’ll do to ride the river with.”

  Shannon picked up her beer and touched the rim of her mug to his. She gazed into Billy’s eyes and forgot all about being mad at him for riding Khola, because right at this moment she wanted him to kiss her like he’d kissed her all those years ago. She wanted to know if that kiss could possibly live up to its ten-year-old memory, and she had a feeling it would.

  The band finished tuning up their instruments and launched into their first song. Shannon rose to her feet and reached her hand out to Billy. “C’mon, cowboy, you promised me a dance.” When they reached the dance floor and he took her into his arms, Shannon felt like she’d finally come home.

  * * *

  THERE WERE TIMES, after being torn to pieces by that roadside bomb in Iraq, when Billy had wished he’d died with his buddies, because being alive was like living in hell. Now, as he held Shannon McTavish in his arms, he got his first taste of what heaven must be like. He forgot about his bad leg, the hardware in his skull and the long months of rehab before his honorable discharge. He forgot about everything except the fact that he was dancing with the girl of hi
s dreams.

  She started out with her fingers curled around the edge of his belt, one hand lightly resting above each of his hips, keeping a safe distance between them as they felt each other out on the dance floor. The first song had a quick, snappy beat that kept them moving right along. She could dance, all right. She knew all the moves, but then, she would. She was country through and through.

  They moved with the other couples, and their first few dances together were textbook country-and-western. But four songs later, when the band transitioned into a slow number to give the dancers a breather, he drew her into his arms. He bent his head over hers and breathed in the sweetness of her hair, savored the feel of her slender, graceful body moving slowly with his. It had taken him ten years to get to heaven, but now that he was here, he didn’t want the moment to end. When the song was over, she kept her hand in his and pulled him back to their table.

  “I need a break,” she said, draining her glass of ice water before sinking into her chair. “You might be able to outdance me, Billy Mac, and that’s saying something.”

  Billy wanted to tell her how much it meant to him, just being here with her tonight, but couldn’t find the words. He could never find the right words when he needed to. They all ran off into the sunset. “I’ll get us a couple more beers,” he said, picking up their empty mugs and making his way to the crowded bar.

  He groaned inwardly when he recognized Tom Carroll and Holly Duncan sitting at the bar, two fruity mixed drinks in front of them.

  “Billy,” Tom said when he spotted him.

  “Tom,” Billy replied. He nodded to Holly, then said to the bartender, “Two more drafts here, Al.”

  Holly gave him a cool up and down. “I guess you’re a real cowboy, after all.”

  “How’s that?”

  “You can dance the two-step like nobody’s business,” she replied. “Takes a real cowboy to do that.”

  “And here I thought being a cowboy was all about the tough stuff, like riding broncs, mending fences and herding cattle,” Billy said, digging into his jeans pocket for a twenty to hand Al as the other man slid the two drafts onto the bar. “The two-step’s easy.”

  “Maybe you could teach me a thing or two about those easy dance steps of yours,” Holly suggested, stirring her drink with a little red plastic straw. “I’d like to learn more than just the basics.”

  Billy stuffed the change Al gave him into his pocket after leaving a tip.

  “Maybe Tom could help you out. I’m kinda busy right now. Thanks for the beers, Al.”

  “Something you should be aware of,” Tom Carroll said as Billy picked up the two mugs. “The access road to Wolf Butte’s going in on Boyd Bannon’s land. Construction starts on Monday. The transmission line’s being rerouted around the McTavish spread. There’s no stopping this project now, and McTavish’s going to have a front-row seat from his ranch house. Too bad he’s not getting any of the benefits, but that’s his choice. Thought you’d want a heads-up, so you could prepare him.”

  “That’s mighty good of you, Tom.” Billy nodded curtly, turned away from the bar and moved through the crowded room as the heat of anger scorched his blood. If he hadn’t had two beers in hand, he’d have flattened Tom Carroll and probably have spent the rest of the night in jail.

  Shannon gave him a questioning look when he returned to the table. “Something wrong?”

  “Nope.” Billy set the beers down just as the band started gathering on the stage again after their short break. They picked up their instruments and started to play “Any Way the Wind Blows.” Billy looked at Shannon and forgot all about Tom Carroll, Holly Duncan and the Badlands’ poorly chosen song.

  He extended his hand and her smile lit up his world as she reached to take it. She accompanied him back to the dance floor and stepped into his arms. To hell with Tom Carroll and Boyd Bannon. Shannon was the windfall who’d made his life worth living again, and if all he ever had of her was this one night, he wasn’t about to waste a single moment.

  * * *

  IT WAS LATE when they left the Dog and Bull. Shannon was tired yet happy as they left the saloon, and she hadn’t felt happy in a very long time. “Tonight was fun,” she sighed, sinking deeper into the passenger seat as Billy pulled out of the parking lot. She hadn’t even thought about it, how he’d taken the keys from her, opened her car door, helped her in, then taken his place behind the wheel. Now she studied at his profile and said, “You’re a real gentleman, Billy Mac. I’m so tired I can’t see straight, I drank three beers, which is three more than I usually have, and you’re politely making sure I get home safe.”

  “Your father’d fire me if you didn’t,” Billy replied.

  She laughed softly. “You danced me under the table tonight. I had a really good time. Thank you.” She watched the road ahead of them unwind in the headlights. When he turned off the main road and drove beneath the McTavish Ranch sign, Shannon felt a sharp pang and her eyes unexpectedly flooded with tears. “We can never go back, can we?” she said.

  “Everything changes, Shannon.”

  Shannon brushed her wet cheeks with the palms of her hands. “I just wish some things would stay the same. I just wish there was someplace I could go where everything was the way I remembered it. I wish I could see my mother again and share with her all the things I wanted to tell her over the years. She would’ve loved Rose so much. I never had a really close friend, but I could talk to my mother about anything. After she died, I felt so alone. My father and I never had that sort of closeness. I still can’t believe he didn’t say anything about spreading my mother’s ashes on Wolf Butte.”

  “Don’t be too hard on him. You’ve only been back a little while. Takes time to catch up on ten years.”

  They drove on in silence and were passing Billy’s homestead on the Bear Paw when Shannon said, “If I took you up on that offer about the house and the land, what would you do? Where would you live?”

  “I’d bunk in the cook’s cabin until McTavish kicked me out or until I bought another place. The important thing is that you stick around. Your father’s going to need you in the coming months, and not just because his arm’s broke. I ran in to Tom Carroll at the bar tonight and he warned me they’ve rerouted the transmission corridor in order to bypass your father’s land. The road’s going in up on Wolfe Butte, and they’re starting construction on Monday. There’ll be a lot of bulldozing and blasting, and you’ll be be able to watch it all of from your front porch. Your dad’s going to take it pretty hard.”

  “So that’s why you looked so dark when you came back with our beers,” Shannon brooded, connecting the dots. “You think Daddy’ll do anything rash?”

  “You mean, guns-and-bullets stuff? Not while you and Rose are here. He has too much to live for now.”

  Shannon considered this for a few moments and sighed. “Well, home isn’t quite the peaceful sanctuary I thought it would be, that’s for sure. But on the bright side, Rose loves being with her grampy. And I love being with you.”

  * * *

  WHEN THEY PARTED ways at the McTavish house that night, it was an agony for Billy to tip his hat politely and, like the gentleman she thought he was, say, “Thanks for dancing with me tonight, Shannon. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.” He handed her the car keys, turned away and started toward the cook’s cabin.

  “That’s it?” she asked indignantly. He stopped and turned. “That’s it?” she repeated. “Thanks for dancing with me tonight, Shannon? I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning?”

  Before he could respond she closed the distance between them, reached up, pulled his head down and kissed him. It was a kiss like he hadn’t experienced in ten years. The intensity of the first kiss they’d ever shared ignited between them again as they embraced under a blanket of stars. It seemed as if they were the only two humans in the universe, and he forgot all about how f
ar out of his league she was, how he’d vowed to keep his distance, to respect the boundaries between their two worlds. He was a half-breed, she was a country music star. The two didn’t mix. Couldn’t mix...

  He pulled away. “Shannon, we can’t do this.” He caught her hands in his.

  “Yes, we can. I’ve wanted this for ten years. Don’t stop now. Please don’t stop.”

  “You waited ten years, we can wait a little longer. You need to give yourself some time to think things through.”

  “Isn’t ten years enough time to do that? I made mistakes in my past and Travis was the biggest one, but right now I’m trying to figure out my future, and I want you to be a part of it, starting right here and now. I need you to want to be with me, not push me away.”

  “Shannon, I’ve wanted to be with you from the first time I laid eyes on you, waiting for the school bus with your guitar slung over your shoulder,” Billy said. “But back then all you wanted was to make it big in Nashville, not to be the wife of a rancher living a hardscrabble life. I don’t blame you for the choice you made. You were on your way to being a star, and I was a nobody. And the truth is, I still am. You’ve been through a lot and you need to give yourself time to figure out what it is you really want. And I need to know I’m the only man you want to be with, not just a stand-in until something better comes along.”

  He heard her draw a sharp breath, then without another word, she jerked her hands out of his, spun around and disappeared into the night.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  SHANNON SPENT THE night tossing and turning. She woke her daughter so often that Rose began to protest.

  “Momma, you’re kicking me again!”

  She rose before dawn, took a long hot shower while her daughter burrowed beneath the covers and slept. She wiped the steam off the bathroom mirror and stared at the young woman with the dark tangle of wet hair, the grave eyes, the solemn expression.