by Barbara Gee
“I should,” Callie said with a watery laugh. “The four of us have been looking for them long enough.”
“Exactly. If you have the right man, that one in a million man, you can be happy anywhere.”
Callie smiled. That seemed to be the consensus. “Yeah, Grandpa told me the same thing, if you can believe that. It just hurts to let go.”
“Don’t think about the letting go part. Think of the reaching for the stars part. In this case, a hockey star,” Brit said with a giggle.
That made Callie laugh. “Thanks, Brit. I can always count on you to tell it like you see it.”
“Always, girl.” Brit laughed. “And I’m gonna tell it like I see it to Kim and Rose just as soon as we hang up. They’re going to freak.”
“In a good way, I hope,” Callie said. “Just keep it between yourselves for now though, okay? I mean, you can tell your families and stuff, but I’d rather it not hit social media.”
“Ugh, I should have known you’d want to hide out,” Brit said, pretending to be exasperated. “Vince had to choose the one girl who abhors getting any attention. If it were me, I’d be lapping it up like a kitty with milk.”
“I am who I am,” Callie said unapologetically. “Hey, I’d better get going. I don’t want to be away too long.”
“Okay. Hope to see you Tuesday morning at the Full Heart.”
“That’s the plan, subject to Jeremiah’s agreeing to a home health nurse.”
“Keep me posted, and have a good day with your man. Oh gosh, that sounds so strange, Callie. Good, but strange. Bye. Talk to you soon.”
Callie smiled and hung up, blowing out a long, relieved breath. At least that was done. It had gone better than she expected, and she was grateful to Brit for taking care of informing Kim and Rose. They’d both know within minutes, of that Callie had no doubt.
Oh man. She leaned her forehead against the steering wheel. Now it really was official.
***
In New Orleans:
Everything was going according to plan. An opportunity had arisen to speed up the time table to reach his ultimate goal, and naturally Elliot was all over it. He and Craig O’Riley had spent many hours over the last few days hashing through the plan, and over the last six hours they’d gone back over everything one more time, ironing out the final details. It was going to work, Elliot was confident of that, but he was also exhausted and glad they were done.
He stood up, ready to walk Craig to the door. The man had to be as tired as he was.
Yet Craig remained seated.
Elliot looked at him, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What? The plan is golden—no stone unturned and all that. So why are you sitting there like we have more to discuss?”
“Because we do. There is a stone unturned, and you know exactly which one it is.”
Elliot stilled, sensing immediately where this was going.
“It’s time, El,” Craig stated. “It’s time to take care of this once and for all. No more stop-gaps.”
Elliot shook his head, frustrated. “We’ve been over this, Craig. I don’t see the need. She obviously has no idea, and if anyone else did, it would’ve come out long before now.”
“The need is there, buddy. Now more than ever.” When Elliot opened his mouth to argue, Craig held up a warning hand. “No, El. Don’t give me the same old argument. You need to think about this. Think about it carefully. We’re so close—so freaking close. Is it worth the risk? Even if the risk is small, is it worth losing everything because you don’t want to go back and finish what you left undone?
Elliot immediately felt his hackles rising. He didn’t appreciate being reminded once again of his failure—the one he’d thought was fixed a long time ago. He paced to the window, his jaw clenched. “There’s risk either way,” he ground out.
Craig’s black eyes went flat. “Agreed, but I’m telling you, Elliot, doing nothing is asking for trouble. One little thing could ruin us. Like those DNA tests that are everywhere nowadays. If she ever does one and realizes she’s not who she thinks she is, she’ll start digging. And it won’t take long for her to trace Tabby right back here.”
Elliot stayed silent. He wanted to argue, but deep down he knew Craig was right. If he was honest, he’d always known he was right.
The other man stood. “Think about it, but not too long. I’m willing to do it myself and I’ve got some time week after next. I just need you to agree and tell me how you want it done.”
He was halfway to the door before Elliot stopped him.
“Okay,” he said sharply, still angry but resigned. “You’re right, okay?” He met the man’s black eyes defiantly, daring him to gloat.
Craig remained silent and expressionless, and Elliot approved of the deference. He walked slowly over to his desk and opened the bottom drawer on the right side, digging into a file way in the back and bringing out a credit card. It was a card only he and Craig knew about, and it couldn’t be easily traced to either of them.
He stared at it for a moment, remembering the other times it had been used. All of them had been necessary, and this was another of those times. It was just another business decision. That’s how he had to look at it.
He held out the card, his hand steady and his voice matter-of-fact. “I guess it’s time for you to start planning another trip to cowboy country.”
CHAPTER 21
“I’m glad you’re here, and Callie’s gone.” Jeremiah made the announcement as soon as Callie drove out the lane. He looked over at Vince, slowly rocking his chair, a creak sounding on every backward push. “It’s time for you and I to have a little talk.”
Vince wasn’t surprised to hear that, as he’d figured there was a good chance Jeremiah would take advantage of Callie’s absence. He put an arm along the back of the porch swing.
“You sure about this?” he asked.
The older man settled deeper into his chair, folding his hands across his stomach. “Nope.” He was silent for almost a minute, then he reached into his pocket. “I have something I want to give you,” he said, then grimaced and shook his head. “Actually that’s not true. I don’t want to give it to you at all. I hate that I have it, and I hate everything it stands for.”
Vince kept his voice even as he asked the ten-thousand-dollar question. “If it’s caused you so much grief, why not just get rid of it? Why give it to me?”
Jeremiah slid his hand out of his pocket, holding something in his fist, resting it on his knee to steady the slight shaking.
“I’m giving it to you because I can’t bring myself to give it to Callie. I simply can’t do it. But the thing is, I’ve finally decided it’s not right to keep it from her, either. I wish I could, but no matter how I go around and around with myself about it, and believe me, I’ve been doing that for a long, long time, I know I can’t keep it from her. She deserves to know, and then it’s up to her what to do about it.”
Vince wasn’t entirely comfortable with the way this was going. “So, you’ve been keeping something from her almost a year, something that’s going to be upsetting to her, and now you want me to be the one to tell her?”
Jeremiah nodded, a stubborn set to his jaw. “Not only that, I want you to wait until after I’m gone. I don’t want my last days with her to be strained because of this. I couldn’t handle that. Call me selfish, but I won’t do it.”
Vince rubbed the back of his neck, not liking this new complication. “I don’t know how I feel about this, Jeremiah. I’ve told you before, I hate to start off my relationship with Callie by hiding something important from her.”
“If it makes any difference, you won’t know exactly what you’re hiding from her, not until it’s time to tell her.”
Vince chuckled without humor. “Well that clears things up.”
Jeremiah held out his hand and opened it. “I’m giving you a key. Not the information itself, just this key.”
There was a small silver key in his palm, and Vince stared at it warily. “S
afety deposit box?”
“Yep.”
“How about you tell me the rules?”
Jeremiah reached further and wiggled his hand, waiting for Vince to take the key. “For now, all you need to do is keep this in a safe place. After I’m gone, my lawyer will give you instructions on what to do with it.”
“Why can’t you give it directly to Callie, with the same stipulation?”
“I don’t want her to wonder and worry about it. It’ll drive her crazy, and she has enough on her shoulders.”
“So why not just give the key to your attorney and have him or her give it to Callie, along with the instructions, at the same time?”
Jeremiah rocked for a moment before he answered. “Before you entered the picture, that’s probably what I’d have chosen to do. Now I’ve decided I want you with her. I don’t want you to just give her the key either—I want you to stay by her side the whole time. Go to the bank with her and help her work through what she’s going to find. You need to be with her, because I can’t be.”
Vince fingered the key. Jeremiah was acting like his secret was going to devastate Callie, but if that was true, why didn’t the man take it to his grave?
“Is it so bad she’s going to need me by her side?” he asked carefully.
Jeremiah let out a long sigh. “At first, yeah. Could be once the shock fades though, Callie won’t think it’s bad at all. That’s one of the reasons I’ve decided to pass the information on to her. Because there’s a chance it might be something that makes her life better, not worse.”
“I’m not sure I could be any more confused right now,” Vince said, frustrated. “First you act like it’s going to crush her, then you say it could be a good thing.”
“Exactly,” Jeremiah said, jabbing a finger toward Vince. “That’s exactly the problem. It could be either one, and that’s why I’ve had so much trouble figuring out what to do. If I knew for sure it was going to be crushing, I would’ve never put what I found into that safety deposit box. I’d have burned it. But like I said, there’s a chance it might turn out okay. Not for me, but for her. That’s why I’ve decided I don’t have the right to keep it from her, much as I’d like to.”
Vince hated knowing Callie might suffer once she learned Jeremiah’s secret, but he had to trust that the man knew what he was doing. Knew what was ultimately best for the granddaughter he loved.
Jeremiah looked at him apologetically. “I know I’m being mysterious, and I know I’m asking a lot.”
Vince held up the key. “I really do hate the idea of having this and not telling Callie.”
Jeremiah looked at him, his blue eyes pleading. “Trust me, Vince. It’s for the best. I’ve been fighting it for a year, but this is what’s best for Callie.”
Vince saw the sincerity in the man’s eyes, and he knew he really had no choice. He had to help him. And Callie.
He nodded slowly. “I’ll trust you, Jeremiah,” he said, “and I’d want to be with her anyway. I’ll go to the bank with her, and whatever else she needs.”
“I appreciate that, son. You showing up here was an answer to my prayers. It eases my mind considerably.”
Vince raised his brows and gave the man a wry smile. “Would you be so agreeable to me dating your granddaughter if you didn’t want something from me?”
Jeremiah gave his trademark cackling laugh. “I might’ve made you work a little harder for the privilege. I never expected the man who’d finally turn Callie’s head to be a city-boy hockey player, but I reckon you’ll do.”
“Thanks for that high praise,” Vince said with a chuckle. He could tell the conversation had been draining for Jeremiah, and he was ready to lighten the mood. “So….now that you’ve made your decision and I have the key, do you feel up to a Gator ride out to the barn? We’ve probably got another hour before Callie gets back with some food.”
Jeremiah looked surprised, then hopeful. “You wouldn’t mind hauling me out there? I thought maybe I’d ask Callie later.”
“Of course I don’t mind. We need to take advantage of the times you’re feeling good, and you might lose your energy later on.”
“All right then. Go get the Gator and pull it right up to the steps here. Might as well get goin’.”
***
Callie saw the Gator out at the barn when she drove in the lane, and when she found the house completely empty, she knew it meant Jeremiah was feeling good enough to visit the horses. She quickly put away her groceries and stuck the chicken and mashed potatoes she’d picked up in the oven to keep warm. Then she walked out to the barn, eager to see both men.
She heard their voices when she walked in and realized they were back at the riding ring, not at the stalls as she’d expected. Walking that direction, she heard Jeremiah give a hearty laugh, and her heart squeezed. It had been a few days since she heard that. She rounded a corner and stopped when she saw them, putting a hand to her mouth as her eyes filled instantly with tears.
The men didn’t see her, so she just stood and watched. Somehow, Jeremiah had gotten up on his beloved Apollo and was walking him slowly around the ring. Vince was right beside them, his hand protectively on the back of the saddle. Callie could see by the set of his shoulders and his unwavering gaze that he was alert and ready for anything, but Apollo was walking calmly, seeming to understand he needed to keep things slow and leisurely.
Callie glanced around the ring, trying to figure out how Jeremiah had gotten up on the tall horse. She saw a bale of straw on the ground by the tack area, and figured that had something to do with it.
She switched her attention back to the men and the horse, her heart so full it ached. Jeremiah had an almost ethereal smile on his face, and he sat the horse like the expert he was, never mind his weakened, diminished state. He was telling Vince about the horses he’d trained, the ones who’d been champions in the shows, sought after by cattle ranchers all over North Dakota and beyond.
Vince was asking questions and making comments, allowing the other man to relive happier times as his frail body moved with the horse. After watching them circle the ring twice, Callie stepped out into the ring as they came toward her, gratified and moved when they both broke into happy smiles at the sight of her. How had she gotten so lucky?
“Hey, Callie-girl. What ya think of this?” Jeremiah asked, beaming proudly.
“I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever seen, Grandpa,” she said, relieved that her voice didn’t give away her strong emotions. “How long has it been since you’ve ridden?”
“Pretty near three months, I’d say. Once I got to feelin’ so bad, I just decided my ridin’ days were done. Still are, except for this once, I suspect.”
“Soak it in, Jeremiah,” Vince said. “We can go around this ring as many times as you want.”
Callie walked up on the opposite side of the horse and raised her arm so she could put her hand over Vince’s on the saddle. He turned his hand palm up and clasped hers as they exchanged a smile.
“How’d you get up, Grandpa? The straw bale?”
“Ha, even that wasn’t enough. It got me so I could get a foot in the stirrup, but I didn’t have enough strength to hoist myself up. I’m afraid ole Vince here had to man-handle me a little. Playin’ hockey evidently makes for lots of muscles. He hoisted me up like I was a just a little tyke.”
Callie wanted to wrap her arms around Vince and hug all those muscles. Hard. What he’d done for Jeremiah was pretty much the sweetest thing ever.
She settled for squeezing his hand.
Later. I’ll get that hug in later.
***
Right after the ride they ate lunch, and then Jeremiah had been on his way to his recliner for a nap when one of his old friends, Sheldon, showed up for a visit. Callie had fully expected Jeremiah to send Sheldon away after no more than a rudimentary chat, because that’s what he’d been doing for months. Friends stopped in, Jeremiah spoke with them for only a few minutes, then he pleaded tiredness and sent th
em on their way.
Today, though, he’d sat and talked with Sheldon for almost an hour, even though it was right over his nap time. After that, Jeremiah had slept for three hours straight. Callie and Vince had gone for a long ride of their own, then when they got back to the house, he’d spied the bag of apples she’d brought home from the store sitting on the counter, and wondered whether her great-grandma had any top-secret recipes for apple pie, or some other apple dessert.
Callie told him if he helped peel and slice the apples, she’d introduce him to Great-Grandma’s apple crisp. What she didn’t tell him was that she’d already planned to make it, hence the apple purchase. He gamely chopped away at the apples, doing three to her seven. Callie teased him about being a lot better with a hockey stick than a paring knife, and he promised to get her on the ice sometime soon so she could get her own dose of humiliation.
That had prompted an impulsive comment by Callie about her trophy room upstairs, which Vince of course insisted on seeing. So, while the apple crisp baked, they’d gone quietly up to the spare bedroom that Jeremiah had made into something of a shrine to his beloved granddaughter. Every horse show trophy she’d ever won was displayed on shelves he’d built himself, along with her softball and volleyball awards, medals and trophies, and all her academic achievement certificates were hung on the wall. There was a scrapbook of newspaper articles about her, and many photos of her growing up years.
Vince loved every part of the room, and insisted on looking at every page of the scrapbook. He scrutinized each photo and told her he’d never seen a cuter kid.
She’d finally convinced him there was nothing more to see, but when they walked down the hall past her bedroom, he’d stopped and pulled her inside, looking around curiously.
“Really, Callie? Pink? I wouldn’t have guessed that.”
“It was a very brief phase,” she said with a laugh. “Grandpa surprised me with it when I was around twelve. I’ve been wanting to repaint it for about ten years now, but it seems like there’s always something else that needs to be done worse.” She looked around the room, attempting to see it from his eyes. “Notice only the walls are pink. I’ve changed out the pink gingham curtains and bedding. And thank goodness for hardwood floors, or he’d have probably given me pink carpet, too.”
