Hidden Treasure

by Melody Anne

  “I hope we get a table. It seems everyone comes to town for lunch on really hot days,” Brielle said, more cheery than she’d been all day. Though the only air conditioning in her old Ford was the 2-60 kind, where the wind ripped through the cab with the two windows down while the truck was traveling at sixty miles per hour, she still felt refreshed. She’d bet her trust fund that he’d never had such an uncomfortable ride in his whole life. Payback was swell.

  “Business is clearly hopping,” Richard said as they stepped through the doors and she took in the crowd of chattering people.

  Sure enough, there wasn’t a single table left. Damn. There was no other restaurant in town, so they’d have to go to the market and pick up sandwich stuff, maybe have a picnic at the town park. But it could be worse. The park was actually quite simple and beautiful, with a pretty water fountain, a jungle gym for kids, and a few picnic tables. It was always peaceful, and the breeze wouldn’t make it so bad to eat outside if they found a little shade.

  As they started to leave, a voice stopped them. “Brielle, come join us.”

  Turning back around, Brielle saw the three women she’d met in the clothing store not long after she’d arrived in town. They were sitting at an oversized booth and all gesturing for her to come over.

  Oh no. What if they brought up that embarrassing incident with Colt in the store dressing room, and her father caught on? That was all she needed. But it would be more than rude if she didn’t at least go over and say hello.

  Taking her dad’s arm, she led him to the table where three sets of clear eyes looked them both over. She prayed she’d get their names right. “Dad, I met these nice women when I was still pretty new in town. I’d like to introduce Bethel, Eileen, and Maggie. Ladies, this is my father, Richard Storm.”

  When the women beamed in acknowledgment, Brielle let out a sigh of relief. If she’d butchered their names, they surely would have said something.

  “Please join us for lunch,” Bethel said, and she scooted over to make room.

  “Oh, we couldn’t do that,” Brielle replied. “We’re going to grab something from the market.”

  “Nonsense. You don’t want to miss out on Pamela’s lunch special,” Eileen told them while scooting in on the opposite side of the table. There was now plenty of room for Brielle and her father to join them, and if she said no again, her manners would be considered seriously lacking.

  “We’d love to join three lovely ladies,” Richard said, and he took the seat next to Bethel.

  Brielle was shocked when she saw the woman’s cheeks turn pink. Gosh. Was flirting in the air? Brielle just plopped onto the seat next to Eileen.

  “I’m so sorry we haven’t gotten back out to see you sooner, Brielle,” Bethel told her. “We were planning on coming out last week and bringing you pie, but one of the ladies at church got sick, and we ended up taking care of her dogs.”

  “You don’t have to bring me anything,” Brielle replied.

  “Well, of course we do, darling,” Eileen said. “You’re a single lady up in that big old ranch house all alone. We have to take care of you.”

  And now Maggie spoke. “Yes, and I want you to come over for our midsummer celebration next week. I always plan on sending out formal invites, but no one really needs them. They already know we put on a great picnic and show by our lake.”

  “I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Brielle said, shifting in her seat and more than grateful when the waitress came up and told her and her father about the special. She ordered it without much thought since she was concentrating so hard on what the women were chatting to her father about.

  “Try the sweet tea. It’s fabulous,” Eileen said. Brielle and her father complied, and Eileen was right. It was just about the most perfect drink possible on a hot day.

  “How is Colt doing?” Bethel asked with a sly look pointed Brielle’s way.

  Her father stopped mid-sip and looked at her. “Who’s Colt?” He looked more curious than accusing, but Brielle was sure the red suffusing her cheeks didn’t help her look less guilty.

  “He’s one of the ranch hands,” she told her father before turning to Bethel. “He’s fine. All the workers are great.” She really hoped the woman took the hint she was sending.

  “From the rumors I’ve heard, he’s more than just a ranch hand,” Bethel said, and Brielle hung her head. The woman obviously didn’t know how to read body language. Dammit. Brielle was practically screaming at her to quit speaking.

  “Tony called this morning and said that Colt was teaching you a lot about how to run the ranch. Last night, he said the two of you were working real hard and closely examining the back wall of the barn,” Bethel said with innocent eyes.

  Brielle sat there mortified for a moment before speaking. “Yes. Colt has been very helpful,” she said quietly.

  “Yes, and it seems that Peggy really enjoyed it when the two of you went shopping in her store. Of course, he was up close and personal with helping you select the right items…in the changing room,” Eileen added, making Brielle’s already colorful cheeks heat to the brightest scarlet.

  “I didn’t know what to buy,” Brielle explained, hoping her father bought it.

  Were these women trying to mortify her for the rest of her life, or did they really just get off on vicarious pleasure? She didn’t know, but she did know for sure that she lost her appetite and wanted nothing more than to leave the diner as quickly as possible.

  “Sounds like Colt is quite…useful,” her father said.

  She looked over at him, but couldn’t tell what he was thinking. There was no way the dressing-room comment could have gone over his head, but maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t put two and two together.

  That’s what she would choose to believe, if only for the sake of her own sanity. But from there, the conversation only got worse. How could the three women have found out about those things? It was as if they were spies or something. Maybe they had cameras set up on her property.

  By the time she and her father left the diner, she was ready to find a sinkhole and throw herself in. When they climbed back in the truck, Richard didn’t say anything until about halfway home.

  “I want to meet this…Colt.” That was all he said, but the tone of his voice filled her with dread. Ready or not, relationship or not, Colt was about to get the talk…

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  HER FATHER’S CELL phone was ringing, but the man was nowhere to be found. She would almost bet he was down in the horse arena exchanging wild tales with Tony again. Her dad had been there an entire week!

  Yes, it had been good for her and her dad, and she believed they had a better understanding of each other, but it had been an entire week that she’d been all alone in her bed, the sheets unusually cold, her pillow too hard, and sleep elusive.

  She’d slept alone her entire life, but after a couple of weeks with Colt next to her, she was now finding it impossible to have a decent night’s rest without him. This was absurd. She didn’t need Colt. It was just sex, she told herself. And now she knew how amazing sex could be, she missed the hell out of it.

  To top it all off, her father had kept her so busy most of the time by asking questions and having her show him all the plans she’d made for the ranch, on and on, that she hadn’t managed to sneak off and find Colt anywhere. She knew her favorite ranch hand was a busy man, but she was just so used to seeing him every day, and every night.

  The visit had been good, but she was ready for her father to leave. It didn’t help that he seemed to be bonding with her foreman. If her dad got too attached to the old fellow and decided never to leave, that would end her sex life forever.

  No. She was a grown woman. If her father didn’t go away soon, she was going to say to hell with it, march Colt right into the house and lead him into her bedroom, slamming the door behind them both. Yeah, somehow she knew she wasn’t brave enough for that. It was so bad, though, that she’d even searched the Internet, trying to find out whether
sexual frustration could cause permanent damage.

  Nope. So far, she hadn’t found a valid medical reason why she had to have sex. She did learn, however, that making love burned a lot of calories. If she suddenly became fat, she could so blame her father for preventing her from getting enough exercise.

  When her father’s cell phone rang for the third time, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She picked it up, hit the button, and answered.

  “Is Richard Storm available?”

  “He’s out of the house right now. Can I take a message?” Brielle looked around for pen and paper as she used her shoulder to hold the phone to her ear.

  “Are you one of his emergency contacts?”

  The woman sounded so efficient, Brielle was wondering whether she should salute. “Um…I don’t know. I’m his daughter, Brielle Storm.” What could this be about?

  “One moment, please.” The woman placed her on hold, and Brielle seriously considered hanging up. She wasn’t her father’s secretary.

  When the woman came back on the line a few moments later, Brielle wouldn’t know for quite some time whether she was happier she’d waited or if she wished she had just hung up.

  “Yes, Ms. Storm, I do have you listed as a contact. Your father’s newest test results have come in, and there’s some conflicting information in them. Dr. Sorenson would like to have him come back in right away for a few more tests. Would this coming Friday work?”

  “Wait. What test results?”

  “For the prostate cancer.”

  The woman spoke as if Brielle knew all about it. Cancer? This had to be a mistake. Her father hadn’t said anything about cancer. She wanted to shout into the phone, demand answers. But right then her father walked through the doorway, a smile on his face.

  Brielle looked at him, really looked at him for the first time since she didn’t know when. Yes, he seemed to have lost weight, but that was a good thing, right? There didn’t seem to be any other signs of cancer. No hair loss, no… Wait. She knew nothing of cancer, didn’t know what the signs were.

  The smile fell from Richard’s eyes when he noticed that Brielle was holding his phone. Her eyes must have looked wild.

  “Who is it, Peaches?”

  Brielle couldn’t speak, so she just handed her father his phone, barely managed to move over to the kitchen table, and dropped down into a chair.

  She heard her father speaking into the phone, but it sounded more as if his voice were coming through a tunnel. Prostate cancer. That was bad, right? Didn’t that take a lot of lives? Of course, all cancer was bad — it killed people every single day. But why hadn’t he told them that he had cancer? Then the past year and several months slammed into her with the force of a sledgehammer.

  He’d been so sad that day in his house when he said he needed them to make a difference in their lives. He’d spoken of changing before it was too late. When Brielle looked up, with tears filling her eyes, she found her father sitting next to her, his phone put away and a resigned look on his face.

  She knew.

  “You have cancer.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Brielle—”

  She cut him off before he could lie to her. “Don’t!” she screamed, her voice coming back full force. “Why would you do this to us? Why would you make us care if you’re planning on leaving us?”

  “That’s not what I’ve been trying to do.”

  Brielle wasn’t listening. “You’re going to leave us, aren’t you?” When he was silent, she leapt to her feet. “Just like Mom. You’re going to leave and never come back. You left us alone for years! For years, Dad! And then you bring us all together, and you make us care again! You did all of this just so you could rip our family apart permanently!”

  It was easier to feel betrayed than to deal with the ache, the certainty that he was going to abandon her. She couldn’t bear it. Last year, she might have been able to — she’d never know — but now, now she’d never get through this. Now that he’d thrown down this challenge, now that he’d began the process of removing the wall around her heart. Now she’d really suffer!

  “How dare you, Father?”

  Tears streamed down her face, but she swiped them away angrily. She wanted to hold on to the fury; she needed to hold on to it. She couldn’t let the pain in.

  “Brielle. I’m trying not to leave you,” he said, approaching slowly, as if she were a frightened animal.

  “Don’t touch me! Don’t you even think of touching me!” If he touched her, she’d surely break.

  His own eyes filled with tears, but he kept coming closer.

  “Brielle. I’m so sorry you had to find out like this. I didn’t want to tell you, because it doesn’t change what I want for you and your brothers.”

  He seemed to be pleading with her to understand, but how could she understand? She’d lost one parent, and now she was going to lose the other. It was too soon. Way too soon.

  “No! You lied to me, to all of us.” Wanting nothing more than to run and hide, Brielle looked wildly to her left and then right. She felt trapped.

  Knowing she was about to bolt, Richard breached the gap between them and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry, Brielle. I’m so sorry.” He kept repeating that as he held on to her. She struggled against him for a little while, then gave up, collapsing into his arms as sobs ripped from her chest.

  “Don’t go, Daddy. Please don’t go,” she cried when she was able to speak again. She’d just gotten him back, just begun to let go of her anger. He couldn’t leave now.

  “I’m doing my best not to, Peaches. I really am.”

  She didn’t know how long she clung to him, hoping that if she just held on tight, he wouldn’t be able to leave, but eventually she had no more tears left.

  When she was finally calm enough to listen, Richard explained about his cancer, told her that the first doctor had said there was nothing more they could do, but that he wasn’t giving up, that he was still hopeful for a solution.

  He’d been seeing a new doctor, one who wasn’t as pessimistic as the last. That’s what the call had been about, his last labs. He had to get back and get tested again. Brielle didn’t want to let him go, but after spending the afternoon with her, he assured her that he would keep her updated. He promised he wouldn’t ever leave her in the dark again.

  The last promise he made her give before he left to catch his jet back to Seattle was to let him tell her brothers in his own time. It wasn’t something easy for her to accept, but she understood.

  Brielle prayed it wasn’t the last time she would see her father — not now. Not when she was just beginning to feel as if she had a father again.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  SHE WAS CURLED up on her sofa, clutching a cup of tea that had long since gone cold. Not that she noticed. Her father had called to tell her he’d made it home to Seattle, and to say one more time that he would keep her posted on his medical condition.

  They’d spoken for an hour on the phone, and he’d even managed to make her smile a time or two, but the moment they’d hung up, the pain was back. He’d made her promise to keep working the ranch, to keep living each beautiful day. He’d assured her that he would be fine, that this was just another bump in the road, one that they’d one day laugh about.

  She didn’t see that ever happening, but what she couldn’t change in this world, what she had no control over, was not something she should allow to have such force over her emotions.

  So shouldn’t she continue to do her best to succeed, to give him something to be proud of her for? Of course she should. Brielle assured herself that was exactly what she would continue doing — starting back up tomorrow. For tonight she needed to brood, to sit in the dark of her living room and drink her tea.

  “Brielle?”

  Her head snapped up. A shadow had appeared in the doorway to her living room, but it wasn’t fear that had her heart racing; it was that Colt was standing there. Though she couldn’t see his face, she knew
that silhouette, knew that voice, knew the feeling she had the moment he was in the room.

  “I’m here,” she said, a shiver running through her. She’d wanted to telephone him, to ask him to come to her, but suddenly everything about her life seemed so unsure. She didn’t know whether she had the right to call him, because she didn’t know what the two of them were to each other.

  “Why are you sitting in the dark?”

  “I…” She stopped as she realized how shaky her voice was.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” He was instantly at her side, sitting down on the couch and carefully removing the cold tea from her hand before pulling her onto his lap, just where she needed to be.

  “My dad,” she said with a sigh. There were no more tears left. In the last few months, Brielle had cried more than enough times to make up for the fact that she hadn’t cried in twelve years.

  She wouldn’t cry again. “It’s my dad. He has cancer.” It was almost surreal to say those words out loud. She hadn’t been able to tell her brothers, because of her promise to her father, but she had to speak about it, had to voice what she was feeling, and she was thankful Colt was there to listen.

  “Oh, Brielle. That’s terrible. May I ask what kind?”

  “It’s prostate cancer. He said there’s a new treatment, and that’s why he left today. He told me that the doctors are doing their best to fix it, but he doesn’t want my brothers to know yet. He didn’t want me to know. I answered his phone…”

  “I’m sorry, Brielle.”

  She was relieved when Colt didn’t try to offer her more than that, didn’t try to make her unfounded promises that her father would be okay.

  “I can’t think about it anymore, Colt. I just can’t. It’s all I’ve been thinking about all day, and I’m so worn out. Please tell me something, anything to make me stop thinking about it.”

  Just sitting there in his arms took some of the burden away, just knowing he was there with her, that his hands were caressing her back, that his head was resting against hers. Just having him here with her meant she didn’t have to be alone. That was so much better than sitting in the dark with a cold cup of tea.