The Rose Ring

by Lucie Ulrich

  “Our affairs, you mean.” Noah picked up his bags and headed for the bedroom.

  Micah followed. “My point exactly. If you can’t handle your own affairs, why should I trust you with mine?”

  “Because believe it or not, Micah, I don’t want anything from you.” He hefted his bag onto the bed and unzipped it. “I’ll account for every dime that comes in or goes out. As far as I’m concerned, for the next two years this is my job. I’ll expect a fair salary, but any other money this place generates is yours. When my two years are up, I’ll take my inheritance and be on my way.”

  Micah didn’t have any idea how to respond. His brother’s “speech” sounded legit, but Noah had lied to him before. Too many things occupied Micah’s thoughts at the moment. His brother’s return, his impending marriage, and his lousy attitude — none of which he wanted.

  “Can we just call a truce for now, Micah?”

  “I know you want me to say yes, but I’m not sure I can just yet.” With a half-wave, Micah left the cabin.

  Instead of returning the way he came, he traipsed to the back of the cabin, following a path down to the large pond. The crunch of snow beneath his boots had a familiar and relaxing sound to it. Once at the pond, he leaned against a large oak and stared out at the water. A half dozen Angus hovered close to the bank, while dozens more chomped on what little grass peeked out through the snow. He and the guys would be driving bales of hay out before long. Focusing on the importance of keeping the land in the family helped ease the frustration his brother’s arrival had prompted.

  After a few deep breaths, Micah pushed himself from the tree and worked his way to the stables to check on the horses. He stopped at the fourth stall. “How ya doin’, girl?” He tried to rub his favorite chestnut’s nose, but Ginger whinnied and backed away.

  “Blasted horse ‘bout took my fingers off this morning.” Zeke Duncan ambled over. “That little lady hasn’t been happy since the day we inseminated her. Makes me wonder how she’ll take to the foal when it’s born.”

  “She’ll take to motherhood just fine.” He started to reach out then thought better of it. “It’s the getting there she’s not crazy about. See that she gets some exercise tomorrow. She’s usually calmer in the mornings.”

  “Will do, boss.”

  After checking on the rest of the horses, Micah crossed the yard and entered the white clapboard house through the mud room, kicked off his boots, then hung his hat and coat by the back door. “Smells good, Annie.”

  “How’d it go?” Annie set a lid back on a pot on the stove. She gripped his chin in her strong hand and gave him the once-over. “Don’t see any cuts or bruises. Guess that’s a good sign.”

  He regarded the woman who looked and acted nothing like his mother but loved him like her own. He didn’t know two sisters could possibly be so different. His mother had been gentle and soft-spoken and seldom raised her voice. Annie, on the other hand, barked out orders at will. It irked him that after all she’d done for their family, especially not being a blood relative, Sam hadn’t even mentioned her in his will. No matter, she’d have a home with him for as long as she wanted one.

  “Can’t say throwing a punch or two didn’t cross my mind, but I knew I’d have you to deal with afterward. Self-control seemed the better option.”

  She gave him a quick, tight hug. “I realize all of this is hard for you. I don’t know what your grandfather was thinking when he came up with this idea, but I’m not in total disagreement. It’s time for you and Noah to set your differences aside.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to set my differences aside.” He shoved a kitchen chair, accidentally knocking it to the floor. So much for self-control. “I always did what Dad told me to, then Sam, and even Noah. But Noah hasn’t been around for a lot of years, and I’m ticked off that I’m being forced to live a lie in order to keep the ranch in the family.”

  “Is this how you plan on handling things when Sky moves in?”

  He bent over and picked up the chair. “Of course not. At least I hope not. But let’s face it, Sky shouldn’t even be in the picture.” He sat. “Why did that guy from Kentucky have to come all the way to Montana to look at a horse? If he hadn’t seen how well Morgan handled them he wouldn’t have offered her the job.”

  Annie slid into the chair next to his. “And she wouldn’t have left for bigger and better things.”

  Pain squeezed his heart. “Yeah.”

  “I know her decision hurt you, Micah. But maybe it was God’s way of letting you know she wasn’t the one.”

  “Don’t start, Annie. You never liked Morgan in the first place, so don’t go pawning her decision off as some sort of God thing. She saw a chance for something better and took it.”

  He expected her to bristle, but she didn’t. In fact, she spoke with a slight catch in her voice. “Then she’ll live to regret her decision.” Annie stood and moved to the stove. “Set the table.”

  Subject closed.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The back door flew open and Noah burst in, accompanied by a blast of cold air.

  He removed his coat. “Brrrr! The cabin’s only a few hundred feet away but I’m about frozen.”

  Annie shook her head. “Try wearing a heavier coat next time.” She took it from him and carried it to the mud room. “You’re not in Atlanta anymore.”

  Noah chuckled and gave her a kiss on the cheek when she returned. “I’ll be sure to remember that.”

  “Well, sit down.” She moved to the stove. “I hope you like beef stew as much as you used to.”

  There was something different in Annie’s voice — a lightheartedness Micah hadn’t heard in years. He hated that it bothered him. His aunt’s whole life revolved around this family, and if Noah’s return made her happy, then he shouldn’t begrudge her that joy.

  Annie set a bowl in front of each of them, returned to the stove, and dished some for herself.

  Noah stabbed a large hunk of potato. “When’s the big day, brother?”

  Annie cleared her throat. “Prayer first.” She sat next to Micah.

  “Sorry.” Noah set his fork down and sheepishly bowed his head while Annie offered up a blessing.

  The buzzer on the stove went off. “The biscuits.” She jumped to her feet. “I nearly forgot.”

  Micah almost felt sorry for his brother. If nothing else, they both shared a mistrust for anything of a religious nature. Most meals, he tolerated his aunt’s prayers but had to admit that tonight he got a bit of pleasure out of watching Noah squirm. “Praying is one of the things you’re going to have to deal with if you plan on sharing any meals around here.”

  Noah looked up, his mouth taut. “Did you hear me argue the point?”

  “Just letting you know how things stand.”

  “I have eyes and ears, so I don’t need you telling me how to behave.”

  “Consider it a little payback for all the times you felt the need tell me how to live when we were kids.”

  “Grow up, Micah. I have.”

  Annie set a basket of biscuits down so hard two of them flipped onto the table.

  “That’s enough. If the two of you want to bicker, you can do it outside.” She sat and glared at both of them.

  “Bicker?” Noah looked every bit the innocent. “Who’s bickering?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me, Noah Cooper. You might have become some big city banker, but don’t forget who used to change your diapers.”

  Noah’s cheeks turned pink, but Micah knew better than to laugh. After all, Annie had changed his diapers too.

  “I know there’s bad blood between the two of you,” Annie went on to say, “and I’m not expecting miracles, but just maybe if you both give a little, you might actually discover you’re not all that different.”

  Noah barked out a laugh. “If ever two brothers were different, it’s us.” He held up a hand, cutting off his aunt’s obvious protest. “I’ve already told Micah I’m not here to make trouble, simply t
o do a job. I don’t want to fight, and I’m willing to let the past be the past. If Micah can deal with that, then I think we’ll make out just fine.”

  If I can deal? It took every bit of self-control Micah possessed not to say the words out loud. He refused to let his brother bait him into an argument.

  “I want you to invite Sky for dinner one day this week.”

  Annie’s request pulled Micah back to the present. “I don’t know, Annie—”

  “What’s not to know? She’ll be moving in soon, but don’t you think she might appreciate spending a little time with all of us before then?”

  Noah reached for a biscuit. “If my two cents count, I think it’s a great idea. I’m anxious to get to know my future sister-in-law. After all, if not for her, I might be the one getting married and inheriting what you covet so dearly.”

  Heat seared Micah’s ears. “You know, maybe I do covet the land. But no more than you covet the almighty dollar. At least what I want profits others beside myself. We’re a community around here, and we look out for one another. If a neighbor is in trouble, we all pull together and do what we can to help. How much help does the banking community give out? And I’m not talking about reducing someone’s loan by a whopping quarter percent.”

  Noah leaned back in his chair. “You know what, Micah? You don’t have any idea what I have or haven’t done in the last dozen years.”

  “I may not know what you did all those years, but I sure as heck know what you didn’t do.”

  “Micah?” Annie shot him a warning glance.

  “It’s okay, Annie, Micah is right. I left and didn’t come back. Didn’t have any desire to. But Sam changed all of that.” He faced Micah. “Neither of us asked for this, but we’ve both agreed to it. The way I see it, we can handle it one of two ways: as a team or as enemies. You choose. I’ll end up with what I came for one way or the other.”

  Micah snorted. “And we all know what that is, don’t we?”

  “Well, then, maybe it’s time we started looking beyond the money and focus on family.”

  “So, you’re going to make Elk Flats your permanent home?”

  “I didn’t say that. We don’t have to live in the same town to be a family.”

  “Seems you do.”

  Noah blew out a long breath. “You win, Micah.” He tossed his napkin on the table. “Thanks for the dinner invitation, Annie, but I think I should shove off now. Don’t worry about breakfast. I have some business to take care of in town. I’ll just stop by the diner.” He kissed the top of her head and left the kitchen.

  Annie said nothing until the back door closed. “So much for our first meal together.” She got up and scraped Noah’s uneaten meal into a storage container. “He’s bound to be hungry later.”

  Micah nodded. Annie never could stand for anyone to go hungry.

  After refrigerating the food, she sat and stared at him, her eyes boring into his. “Your brother handed you a white flag, and you just stomped all over it.”

  “You heard him yourself. Once he gets the money he’s outa here.”

  “Then let’s take whatever time we can get and make the best of it. I’ve missed him, and I think deep down you have too.”

  “Whether I’ve missed him or not doesn’t change the fact that he abandoned his family.”

  “Don’t you want to put the past behind you, Micah?”

  “Right now, all I want is to keep the ranch in the family.”

  “Noah is family.”

  Micah pushed the stew around in his bowl. “He was my hero when I was a kid, but I’m not a kid anymore.”

  “I don’t want to keep harping on this, but you need to get it settled that you’re stuck with each other. Why can’t you at least try to be pleasant?”

  “Hmm, isn’t hypocrisy considered a sin?”

  Annie dug her fork into her stew. “Don’t get smart with me, young man.”

  Micah blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”

  “It was, but you aren’t completely wrong.” She picked up the biscuits that had bounced out of the basket and set them on her plate. “I’m asking a lot of you right now, and I don’t want you to pretend to feel something you don’t, but Noah’s your brother. Your only brother. I know the seven years difference in your ages kept you from being close, but I also know how much you looked up to him early on. Maybe it’s time to turn the tables. Show him the man you’ve become despite the hard times and his absence.”

  Micah reached for a biscuit and buttered it. “I don’t have to prove myself to him.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  They remained silent for a while, Micah eating, but not tasting the meal in front of him. It was only two years, he told himself. If he could survive twenty-five years with his grandfather, surely he could manage whatever the next two would bring. “It’s not going to be easy. For any of us.”

  “It’ll only be as hard as you make it.” She cleared the table, shuffling between table, sink, and dishwasher. When she was through, she set a slice of apple pie and cup of coffee in front of him. “Tell me more about Sky.”

  Glad to get off the topic of his brother, Micah dove in. “She’s sweet and kind. I know you’ll like her once the two of you get to know each other. She’s been through some bad times, but you already know that.” He took the cup and held it between his hands, resting his elbows on the table. “Despite the ridiculous situation Sam put us all in, I’m glad that I’ll be able to help her.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “Carl’s been good to her for a lot of years, but I can’t see her working at the diner forever. What I’m offering will give her time to go to school and figure out what she wants to do with the rest of her life.”

  Annie locked eyes with him. “And what if she likes the life you’ve offered her?”

  Micah set his cup down and laughed. “Not a chance. Sky’s not the ranching type. She doesn’t even know how to ride a horse. Nah, she’ll be happy to leave when the time comes.”

  “I’m not talking about ranch life, Micah. I’m talking about married life.”

  Fat girls have crushes too. He shook off the thought. She’d said it was a long time ago. “I already told you it’s not like that between us. I appreciate your concern, but I don’t want you worrying. Let’s just do what needs doing and get through this.” He stood and stretched. “I’m gonna check the stables one last time before heading to bed.”

  Micah left the kitchen, grabbed his jacket, and strolled into the brisk night air. Even after he made sure the horses had plenty of food and water, he waited until Annie turned the kitchen light out before returning to the house. He had no desire to rehash the day’s events.

  Annie had left the light on in the stairwell, so navigating through the living room wasn’t a problem. He stopped in front of the family portrait hanging on the wall halfway up the stairs. The photograph was twenty years old. The colors had faded, but his mother’s smile was as he’d always remembered. Unlike his father, his mom always had a smile on her face. “I know this isn’t what you’d want, Mom, but I don’t have a choice.” He touched two fingers to his mom’s face. “Love you.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Sky left Carl in the kitchen while she headed through the diner to unlock the front door. She welcomed Doc and his son, here for their morning bacon and eggs.

  Doc inhaled deeply then looked at his watch. “Five minutes to seven and I smell bacon frying already.” He pinched Sky’s cheek. “You’re finally starting to rub off on him. I hope he doesn’t revert to his old ways after you leave.”

  A moment of sadness tightened her throat. Leaving Carl and the security he gave her was a huge step, but Sky knew it was the right one and refused to let fear or doubt overtake her. Her life was about to change, and she was going to make the best of it. “I’ll see what I can do.” She pulled out her order pad. “The usual?”

  “You know it.”

  “I’ll bring some coffee right over
.”

  Much to her surprise, Noah Cooper hurried in few minutes later, his collar pulled up around his neck. She shook her head and tried not to laugh. “You need to buy a warmer coat. It’s only going to get colder.”

  He pulled off his gloves. “That’s on the top of my list of things to do today. Right after having a hot cup of coffee and one of Carl’s mean Western omelets.”

  “I need a Western, Carl,” she called over her shoulder. “Sit wherever you like. I’ll bring your coffee right out.” He ambled to the same booth he’d taken the last time. He was either a creature of habit or he liked hiding in corners.

  Sky jotted the order down, stepped behind the counter, and set it on the pass-through ledge.

  “Watch out for that one,” Carl uttered from the kitchen.

  “Hush. He’ll hear you.” She grabbed a pot of coffee. “And you don’t need to worry about me. I’ve got him pretty well pegged. But he seems nice enough. I hope he and Micah can work things out.”

  “I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

  “I wasn’t planning to, but who knows?”

  The bell above the door rang. Sky waved to Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson. The elderly couple slipped into the first booth as Julia waddled toward them.

  With brisk steps, Sky made her way to Doc’s table, righted their mugs, and filled them with the steaming brew. “Your breakfast will be out shortly.” She moved on to Noah’s table and filled his mug as well.

  Noah nodded toward the kitchen area. “You and Carl have a nice chat about me?”

  The guy didn’t miss much. She placed a hand on her hip. “Now, Mr. Cooper, what would make you think such a thing?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Just my suspicious nature, I suppose.” He lifted the mug to his mouth and blew across the top, sending a wave of steam in her direction.

  Despite Carl’s warning, Sky found it hard not to like this guy. “So, why aren’t you devouring one of Annie’s breakfasts this morning? Micah tells me she’s the best cook around.”

  “She is, but Micah and I got into it last night. I figured it best to steer clear this morning.” He took a sip of his coffee.