“Remy said she’s still struggling and needs a little space. It sounds like she’s disappointed that she won’t be able to ride or come back to work for a while.”
Considering that she lived on horseback, it must have been a blow. “Understandable. I sorted through some of the bills and the pending litigation items. Is there anything else that I should be prioritizing?”
Sam scrolled through his phone with one hand and stirred his drink with the other. “There was some issue with one of the stallions, but it looks like they figured it out. Honestly, your best bet is to ask Gus what he needs.”
“Gus?” I didn’t want to know what Gus needed. I didn’t want to be within a six-mile radius of Gus.
“Yeah. Remy appointed him as his temporary replacement effective yesterday.”
It was lucky that I’d declined a drink because I would have spat it all over them. “Gus? That was our best option?” It was like everyone was making a concerted effort to make the ranch hostile territory for me. How was I supposed to work with an interim operations manager who’d spent years badmouthing me to anyone who would listen?
“He’s a good rancher. Maybe if you gave him a chance to show you who he really is, you’d feel differently about him.”
“Maybe Gus needs to respect that I know what I want.”
Beth eyed us both in confusion, her brows pressed into a line.
I sighed. We sure weren’t talking about Gus anymore.
Chapter 17
I waited in the sitting room with Beth and Sam until it became evident that Dad wasn’t planning on emerging anytime soon. I would rather have eaten the decorative pineapples in the kitchen than ask Gus for directions, so I returned to the library to wrap up some additional paperwork that needed doing whether anyone recognized it or not.
That was a distinct advantage of being an attorney. Regardless of whether Dad, Gus, or Sam approved of me contributing to keeping the ranch afloat, I was far cheaper than paying one of the ranch attorneys we kept on retainer. It was also an opportunity to show that I had skills that even Dad couldn’t match.
Still, some of the issues were beyond the scope of my specialty. I interpreted them as best I could and sent notes to Dad about my recommendations. He wouldn’t listen to them, but it would give the rest of the legal team a starting point to understand my thought process.
Whenever I needed to email a vendor or a supplier, I was careful to introduce myself and sign everything as Skyler Wentworth to avoid being confused with Beth. Part of laying the foundation to take over the ranch would be to establish myself as a viable point of contact. Until I knew for sure where my heart would take me, I needed to prepare for any outcome.
Overall, most of the people I got in touch with were pleasant and professional. Some politely insinuated that they felt more comfortable talking with Dad, but that was probably the result of their existing relationship and not because of my gender. Not everyone was as backwards as my father.
Since Beth was home, I didn’t want to be rude and skip dinner. Brian prepared us a lavish spread of spring salads in homemade vinaigrette, shrimp bruschetta, steak, and au gratin potatoes. The side dishes took up half the table. “My compliments to the chef,” I whispered as he walked by.
Brian almost shot back a snarky retort, then seemed to remember himself when he saw Beth. He nodded, his face pressed into forced seriousness. I appreciated that he always tailored his meals, whipping up the most comforting and heaviest meals when he knew we were under strain.
“So,” I ventured, breaking the pronounced silence, “what’s the plan to keep Dad from getting too stressed out?” Knowing that I needed to make peace with Beth eventually, I added, “And I’m sorry for getting him worked up in the hospital. He just wouldn’t stop arguing with me.”
Beth ground so much pepper onto her steak that Brian would have been in physical pain if he hadn’t already gone back downstairs to work on the next course. “I’ll talk to him,” she promised. “I try not to get between you since I’m not your mother.”
It was an oddly thoughtful thing of her to say.
“But this ranch can’t afford to have the family broken apart. It’s complete mayhem with Remy and Crystal out—not that I blame them in the slightest—and your father barely able to keep his eyes open for more than an hour or two.” Beth topped off her glass of zinfandel. “We have to put aside all this pettiness.”
Sam locked eyes with me across the table. “I agree completely.”
I squinted at him, unsure whether it was a jab or not. “Dad trying to rule my life isn’t ‘pettiness.’ If he can get off my back for thirty seconds, he might discover that I’m not a total mindless airhead who’s only good for making babies and doing cross stitch.”
“Oh, he doesn’t think that,” Beth said, huffing.
“Yes, he does.” I didn’t have anything against women who wanted to be homemakers or who enjoyed traditional roles. I just didn’t want to be stuffed into one against my will. “That’s not up for debate, okay? I’m not some heifer he can auction off or prod around.”
Beth wouldn’t let it go. “It’s hard for him to give up control to someone else. Anyone else. He would be the same way with your brothers.”
“No, he wouldn’t. That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time. He would have handed over the ranch to Zane or Daniel without a second thought. The only reason he’s waiting is because I’m single and I need a man.”
“But you can’t deny that you are a woman in a man’s world,” Beth said gently, as though I’d just fallen to Earth from some alien egalitarian society. “They’re going to view you differently. It’s always been that way for us.”
That argument had always infuriated me, as though it was my fault for not accepting the status quo. “I was also in a man’s world when I was a high-powered attorney with an executive suite and over seven hundred employees at my beck and call.”
Maybe I should have prioritized having my father visit after I’d received my latest promotion. I could have shown him my office and let him meet my fleet of secretaries, assistants, and deputies. Instead of describing my competence to him in the abstract, I could have shown him.
“But this isn’t New York,” Beth reasoned. “This is a hands-on industry. A man’s industry. You don’t see a lot of cowgirls.”
I tipped my water glass towards her. “Don’t patronize me. I’m not a child.” Plus, I’d grown up at Black Gold Creek. Who was she to lecture me about ranching?
“I hate to say it, but I kind of agree,” Sam said. “This is Bellfield. I’m not saying that it’s right.”
I shook my head in disappointment that people assumed the world would change without anyone having to stand up for their values. “I’m finished with this conversation.” If they could make me feel awkward, I could do the same.
Beth and Sam were both too polite to excuse themselves, so I made them wait as I ate two pieces of Mississippi mud pie and four macarons. I’d been eating Brian’s cooking my whole life, and at that point, I would scarf down just about anything he set in front of me. There was something about a full belly of good food that could make me immune to even Beth, Sam, and Dad.
“Sorry,” I said, laughing as I got a smear of whipped cream on my cheek. “Did one of you want to tell me that it’s unladylike? I mean, this would be a phenomenal opening to tell me to watch my figure or the boys won’t be able to see my baby-making hips.”
When I was finished making my point, I dropped my silverware loudly on the plate and pushed back from the table. “I’m going to go get my beauty sleep. You know, since that’s the only thing a girl has.”
“Sky, would you wait up?” Sam pleaded, rising after me. “Can we talk?”
I waved him away. “Tomorrow. I need a break from this, from you, and from Bellfield.” Even if I could only escape in my dreams.
My general rage and indignation had lessened somewhat after a truly absurd amount of sleep. In the morning, I took a steaming shower and
chatted with Hailey briefly about my frustrations with Beth, Sam, and Dad. As usual, her advice was perfectly sensible: Maybe you should just punch them all in the face?
While I had time, I also sent messages to Will, Remy, and Crystal hoping that all was well. The latter replied with a picture message of her sitting on the couch with Remy passed out in the armchair beside her. Daddy just went from freaking out and sleeping in the chair at the hospital to freaking out and sleeping in the chair at home.
As much as she pretended to be annoyed by Remy’s hovering, I got the impression that Crystal was relieved to have him with her. It certainly made me feel better knowing that she had someone nearby to help her get around. Are you sure you’re doing okay?
I’m… okay. Not good, but okay. I’m starting therapy at the hospital soon. They have a clinic there.
Let me know if I can help. I wasn’t sure what I could possibly do for her, but I didn’t want her to feel alone. After seeing Bella, the potential consequences were clear.
Will responded noncommittally, stating that he thought Bella was beginning to see the gravity of what she’d attempted to do. He called as I was brushing my hair. I silenced the phone, wincing, unprepared to have that particular conversation until I’d had more time to think.
I hadn’t meant to add stress to Will’s plate when he already had to worry about Bella. But it hadn’t been a conscious decision. These days, I was constantly on the verge of tears or one snide remark away from lashing out at Dad. The tension was a physical weight on my shoulders that throbbed as I tried to sleep, my mind spinning. I don’t know if I can do this, I wrote to Hailey. I’m exhausted. Dad won’t budge. Sam is making everything complicated.
Her advice, as usual, was golden: Yeah, but things weren’t perfect when I started dating Zane. I thought I blew up our whole friendship. I was crying myself to sleep over it. And it all worked out. It just took a while.
Thinking back to the unorthodox start to Hailey’s marriage did make my situation seem a little less bleak. I’d come a long way from the girl I’d been when she started seeing my brother. With a smile, I remembered my fling with Larissa, the way I’d thrown myself into the booze and the partying. It hadn’t made a difference, though. I’d still come back to Will.
Regardless of my annoyance with everyone on the planet who wasn’t Hailey, I was delighted to see Dad already at the table for breakfast. I gave him a sideways hug, careful not to jostle him. “I’m glad you’re home.”
He blew out a breath. “Me too. I was getting sick of that hospital room.”
Beth swept in a moment later in a simple sundress with her hair pinned at the nape of her neck in a simple twist. It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling rejuvenated. “Are you two behaving yourselves?”
“For now,” Dad said.
Sam arrived a minute later and paused in the doorway. “You ready to go?” he asked, fixing me with a pointed stare that told me he was up to something.
“Right. Yes. I am ready to go.”
Dad quirked his head. “You’re not even going to have breakfast?”
“We’re going to have breakfast together in town,” Sam clarified. “Just like old times. A little trip down memory lane and all.”
“Oh.” Dad waved us on. “Have fun.”
“What are you scheming?” I whispered as Sam steered me into the foyer.
Sam hurried me along. “This is part rescue, part ambush. We have to talk eventually, Sky. And I promise that you don’t want to be in that dining room right now.”
He wouldn’t tell me more as we drove to the quaint historic downtown where most of Bellfield went to shop for odds and ends. The buildings were the same shade of orange-red brick, each containing storefronts on the bottom and apartments up top. When we were younger, Sam lived above the florist’s shop with his parents. Since his dad slept at the ranch at least a few times a week, he’d insisted it was more than ample space.
We toured through the general store that mostly catered to tourists and the competing souvenir shop across the street. I might have known the girl behind the counter from high school, but her name escaped me. She was buried in an accounting ledger and I didn’t want to disturb her to ask. “Does she look familiar?”
“I think that’s, uh, Alex Hernandez’s sister.” Sam snapped his fingers. “What’s her name? I’m never going to come up with it. We had physics together.”
That sense of stepping back in time remained with us as we walked into The Pit Stop and waited to be seated. The waiter took us to a booth in the rear of the narrow diner. While he left to get my juice and Sam’s smoothie, I scowled at the strange blue wallpaper. “What happened to the yellow? I liked that.”
“Yellow? It’s always been blue.”
“No way! It always looked sunny and bright.”
We kept bickering about the color, but at least we could agree that the stools at the counter had changed. “Can’t expect them to keep it the same for over thirty years,” Sam admitted. “Especially with that one earthquake wrecking everything.”
“That was awful. I was at work and saw it on the news.”
I cut to the chase after we’d placed our orders and the waiter wouldn’t be back for a while. “Can we drop the act now? It was nice seeing our old haunts, but that doesn’t make everything else go away.” Unbidden, tears flooded my eyes. Was there one thing, one friendship, that Dad couldn’t ruin?
“Why are you upset? What’s wrong?”
The question alone made me want to scream. Everything is wrong! How can you not see that? At that point, it felt like Sam was being deliberately obtuse. With Dad home, there would be no rest or reprieve from the constant barrage of criticisms. He’d keep herding me towards Sam like a reluctant calf. “You know what? This was a mistake.” I grabbed my purse and shuffled along the bench. “I should go.”
“Wait. Please.” Sam stretched his hand across the table. “Don’t shut me out. I’m trying to understand.”
He was so earnest that I moved back towards the wall and folded my hands on the table. “I don’t think you can understand, Sam. You don’t know what it’s like to be discriminated against constantly because of something you can’t change.”
Sam licked his lips. “You know, Sky, I grew up pretty poor. I had to fight for what I have too. No one handed that to me.”
“There’s a difference between fighting to get out of poverty and fighting to be recognized as a person.” I struggled to articulate it without sounding like a whining rich girl. “I’m not saying that I understand what you went through, because I don’t. But I do know that no one in Bellfield ever looked at you and thought you were less. Not the way they do to women or people of color or anyone else who isn’t exactly what they want.”
We broke off and smiled at the waiter as he brought our food. The moment his back was turned, the smiles evaporated. “It’s not my place to challenge your father. All I can do is help where I can. And that’s part of why I wanted us to go out today and get away from prying eyes.”
“Oh?” I prompted.
“Your dad asked to see me really early this morning for coffee. He asked me to do something and I think you have a right to know.” Sam mashed his fried egg with the corner of his toast. “He had me call Gus to put a tracking system in all of the vehicles. It’s supposedly a measure to protect everyone in case something happens like the situation with Crystal.”
“But it’s really to spy on me,” I interjected, not needing him to explain that part.
“Yes. So, if you’re planning on seeing Will Blythe, he’s going to know.”
I resisted the urge to let my forehead drop onto the table in public. “You have got to be kidding me. I’m a grown woman, not a teenager. He’s tracking me? That’s… Don’t you see how toxic that is?”
“I do,” Sam replied hesitantly. “I don’t know what I can do about it, though. I’m not family. Your father brought me here to advise about the ranch, not to get mixed up in personal stuff.”
&
nbsp; I ate a few forkfuls of my meal to give myself time to cool down. I didn’t want to make a scene and end up in the newspaper with some unflattering headline that Dad would weaponize to prove his point. See? Look at how out of control you are when you’re emotional.
“If you cared, you would tell my father that you won’t marry me. Don’t even pretend like you’re not allowed to get involved in family affairs when he wants us to be together. He didn’t drag you all the way here from California to ‘advise him’ on anything except keeping me under a man’s thumb.”
Sam was speechless, which was probably a safe move considering I didn’t want to hear one thing out of his mouth except agreement.
“I love Will. I’ve loved Will since we were teenagers. I’m not saying that to twist the knife. I’m saying that to tell you that I can’t marry you. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.” Sam was an incredible friend, but being around Will again proved that I couldn’t settle. “The piece of it that you probably don’t know is that I’ve been seeing Will all this time.”
Sam flinched. “What’s your end goal? Be with Will and abandon your father and the ranch? How do you see that working out?”
“If my father won’t see me because I’m with Will, then that’s him abandoning me. I’m not going to feel guilty for that.” When he’d told us about his pending marriage to Beth, none of us made a peep about it or questioned how it would affect our inheritance. It wasn’t our business, and my father seemed happy.
But when it came to us, Dad never cared about honoring any boundaries. He felt entitled to our secrets and our personal lives. It was so validating to hear Hailey express some of the same frustrations and know that I wasn’t alone in that.
“And what happens when you realize that you can’t walk away after all? Dump Will and break his heart again?” There was a note of defensiveness there, and I needed to remind myself that Sam had once been friends with him. “Because I know you, Sky. You won’t be able to cut ties with your family or the ranch. You’ll never sell that place.”
The Cowboy's Promise: Love Triangle Billionaire Romance (The Wentworth Cowboy Billionaire Series) Page 15
