by SJ McCoy
“Oh, Cass…”
“It’s all right, Gina…”
“Yeah, but Cassidy…”
“I’m going to hang up on you, sweetie, before I start to blub, okay? I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
She hit the end call button. And swiped at the pathetic tears.
Shane’s hand came down on her shoulder and gently turned her around to face him. “It’s okay. You don’t need to cry about it…”
For some reason that just caught her wrong. “What do you know, Shane? You might not have to worry about something like that. It’s easy for you, you have this big loving family. You’re always there for each other—always have been, always will be. You can’t understand what that picture means to me. I’ve never had the kind of family life you have. Call me pathetic, but that picture was special. Don’t tell me not to worry about it.” She regretted her outburst as soon as she’d finished.
Shane looked taken aback.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
He smiled and hugged her to his chest, stroking her hair away from her face. He tucked his fingers under her chin and made her look up into his eyes. “Have you finished?”
She nodded.
“Good. Can I explain what I meant?”
She nodded again, but wished he wouldn’t.
“Okay, I told you, you don’t need to worry about it, not because I’m some big unfeeling thug, like you seem to think, but because that picture wasn’t in the gallery.”
“It wasn’t? Where is it?”
“It’s at our house.”
“Why?”
“Because much as you think I don’t understand, I really do try to. I was thinking about the wedding and how it’s all about our family, and I felt bad, because I know your family life hasn’t been like that. I know you treasure that picture, and I wanted to get it all framed up for you—for a wedding gift—so that you might feel like getting married brings me into your family too, not just brings you into mine.”
She stared up into his eyes and let the tears roll down her cheeks. They didn’t feel so pathetic now.
“What? Are you going to bitch me out some more?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not going to apologize though.”
He grinned. “I know that much.”
She smiled. “I love you, asshole.”
He laughed. “Thanks. I love you more.”
Chapter Fifteen
Gina sipped her coffee and met her dad’s gaze. “How’re you really feeling, love?”
“Tired, emotional, wrung out.” She smiled. “But you show me a woman who’s just had her place of work burned down by a crazy man who wouldn’t feel that way. And that’s before you consider that she’s pregnant and supposed to be getting married in less than a month.”
He smiled back. “When you put it like that, I guess you do have a lot on your plate, huh?”
“Yeah. I’m fine though, and I am grateful that you came to stay down here. I know you’d rather be at home.”
“I would, but I ain’t stupid either. When Preston came and sat outside the house like that, he really put the wind up me. I don’t mind telling you.” He looked at her stomach, which as yet was stubbornly refusing to show any sign of a baby bump. “When you told me your news, you gave me something to look forward to—something to live for. And when you’ve got something to live for, it makes the thought of dying way too scary, even for a tough old bastard like me.”
Gina hated thinking of her dad being scared—even while she was glad that he’d been scared enough to come stay at Remington Ranch. “Hopefully they’ll pick him up soon and all this will be over with. We can all get on with living our lives again.”
Her dad nodded. “Is there anything left of him for the police to bring in?”
“What do you mean?”
His eyes twinkled. “Chance don’t talk much does he?”
“There’s an understatement.”
“Yeah, well I’m not the only one staying here because he’s scared of Guy. I bumped into Anna this morning.”
Gina raised an eyebrow. “You did?”
He actually looked embarrassed. Wow!
“Yeah.” His voice was gruff. “She’s a good woman. I see her in town sometimes.” He shot Gina a sideways look. “Anyways, she was telling me a bit about what went on.”
Gina immediately forgot about her dad’s possible interest in Anna. She was more interested in what she might have said. “And what did she tell you?”
He tapped the side of his nose. “That I mustn’t tell a soul.”
“Come on! You can’t hint and then not tell me. It was pretty obvious that Chance had fought with him.”
Her dad nodded. “Sounded like he was pretty banged up, too.”
“He was. He still is.”
“And you really think Chance would be the one to come off worse?”
Gina shook her head. She couldn’t see Guy getting the better of Chance in a fight.
“Me neither. So can you imagine how Guy came out of it?”
“Not well. But where is he? And why can’t the police find him? And what do you think he’s going to do next? Chance seems to think the threat has gone now, but…” She hated to say it, but she couldn’t see Guy stopping until he was good and dead—and she couldn’t see Chance…no she couldn’t even let her mind go near that thought.
“Guy left his place under his own steam that night, Gina girl. Don’t go thinking what I think you’re thinking.”
“I’m not!”
He shook his head. “I won’t lie, it crossed my mind too. All I know is that I talked to Anna and I’m much more relaxed about the whole deal now.”
“Good, and since I know you’re not going to tell me whatever she told you, I guess I’ll just have to trust that things are going to be okay.”
He nodded. “It’s all we can do, love.”
Gina smiled as a thought struck her. “So how well do you know Anna?”
He shrugged.
“But you like her?”
She was amazed to see a hint of pink touch her dad’s cheeks. “She’s a good woman and she’s had a rough ride of it.”
“Would you like to bring her to the wedding?”
His head shot up and he met her gaze. “That wouldn’t be right!”
“Why not?”
“It’s your wedding, Gina. Your mom should be there.”
She reached across the table and took hold of his hand. “And she will be. She’ll be there in as much as she’s there in everything we ever do. But she isn’t here anymore, Dad. She’d want you to be happy, as much as she’d want me to be happy. If this Anna is someone special, then I’d like you to bring her. Please?”
She almost wished she hadn’t said anything as she watched the struggle on his face. He was trying not to cry and trying not to smile all at the same time. He nodded and squeezed her hand. That was answer enough.
“How are the arrangements coming for the big day anyway? Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Do you want to help me pick out the flowers?”
His brows came down. “I do not!”
She laughed. “I know, silly. Oh! There is something.”
“What’s that, then?”
“You know the old carriage? Is it still usable?”
“It could be. With some work.”
“How would you feel about getting it done up? The boys are going to ride down, we thought that’d be nice. And at first we thought us girls should ride in too from the other side of the house, but Corinne wasn’t too confident about it.”
He shook his head. “No. A girl shouldn’t be riding on her wedding day.”
Gina bit her tongue. She didn’t need to argue her independence or equality with him over something she’d already decided she wasn’t going to do anyway.
He winked at her and waited.
She held up a hand. “I’m not saying a word, since I don’t plan to do it. You should just consider yourself lucky that Co
rinne didn’t want to ride. There’d be no telling me no if I wanted to do it.”
“And don’t I know it. I’m glad at least that Corinne is a lady.”
Gina huffed.
“I’m pulling your leg, love. You know damned well I love that you’re such an obstinate little bugger. You’re just like your momma. I married her because I loved her for it even if she did drive me crazy. It’s the same with you.”
“I love you, Dad.”
“I know. So you want me to shine up the old carriage for you?”
She nodded. As far as he was concerned he’d already told her that he loved her. She couldn’t expect to hear those three words all strung together.
“Yes, please.”
“Do you want me to drive it?”
She grinned. “If you wouldn’t mind.”
That was the whole point of asking. She knew he’d love to, but neither of them were going to admit that.
“I suppose I could. I mean I’m going to have to walk down with you anyways, right? I might as well drive you and the other girls in.”
“That’d be wonderful, Dad. Thank you.”
He nodded and finished his coffee and stood up. “I’d better get a move on. I can’t sit chatting with you all day.”
Gina stood and hugged him. “Yeah, me neither. I’ve got a business to start putting back together.”
Her dad turned to watch a big red Tundra go by. “Looks like your partner’s here. I’ll get going.”
Cassidy and Shane jumped out of the truck. Cassidy grinned and waved when she spotted Al.
“Hey, Mister. What are you up to?”
Gina loved the way he smiled at her. He always lit up around Cassidy. For all he grumbled about stubborn independent women, he obviously had a soft spot for them.
“Well, now I thought I was going to be enjoying my vacation at Mr. Fancy-pants’ guest ranch here. But this one,” he jerked his head toward Gina, “she just set me to work.”
“She did?” Cassidy bounded up the steps to the cottage and hugged him. “Don’t let her work you too hard, will you. She’s a slave driver that daughter of yours.”
Shane grinned at Gina. “Yeah, it’s all you, right, G? She isn’t driven in the least?”
Cassidy stuck her tongue out at him. “There’s nothing wrong with being driven, nothing wrong with having goals, and nothing wrong with working your ass off to achieve them. Isn’t that right, Al?”
He nodded. “Nothing wrong with any of that at all.” He winked at Shane. “As long as you don’t let it get in the way of loving your man.”
Shane nodded vigorously. “Take note, both of you. Al’s a wise old soul.”
“Oh, he is.” Cassidy gave him another hug. “And I know he’s right. I love you so much that I will not let my work get in the way. I’ll let you go and do whatever it is you do these days, and I’ll just hang here with Gina.”
Shane looked at Al. “How did that backfire on me?”
Al laughed. “Because you got yourself a smart one there, son. Come on, let’s get out of here and leave them to it.”
“Okay. What are you up to today?”
“She’s set me to work for the wedding.”
Shane and Cassidy looked at Gina inquiringly. She smiled. “The carriage.”
“Awesome!” Cassidy was in great spirits this morning.
Shane raised an eyebrow at Al. “The old one?”
“Yep. She’s told me I have to fix it up and shine it up. Have it all ready for four brides in just a couple of weeks. She’s a real slave driver.”
“Where is it?” asked Shane.
“Don’t worry, it wasn’t in the barn. It was in the lean-to round back of the cattle shed.”
“Let’s go get it and bring it down here.”
“And how in hell’s name do you reckon we’re going to do that, son?”
“We’ll figure it out.” Shane looked at Gina and she felt bad. It hadn’t occurred to her that asking her dad to fix up the carriage meant asking him to go back up to his place to work on it.
“I was thinking you could use the big trailer,” she said. It’d be a pain to transport the thing down here, but she didn’t want her dad going back up there to work by himself.
Shane nodded. “Yeah. We can. Come on, Al. Let’s go do this.”
Al grinned, seemingly happy to go along with anything at this point. “See you ladies later,” he called as he trotted down the steps after Shane.
“He’s awesome,” said Cassidy when they’d gone.
Gina nodded. “He’s a grumpy old bear when he wants to be.”
“Yeah, but he doesn’t want to be anymore. He’s just a teddy-bear now.”
Gina laughed. “I wouldn’t let him hear you say that.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think the thought of being a granddaddy has really softened him up.”
Gina knew it had. “What about you?” she asked. “Is your dad coming to the wedding? Have you figured out your invitations yet?”
“Yeah. I talked to him the other day. He and number four are coming.”
Gina raised an eyebrow. “Wife number four?”
Cassidy nodded. “Yup. This one’s two years older than me.” She shrugged. “I don’t get it. I mean, I can see it from his point of view. He wants a beautiful young thing on his arm. But what does she get out of it? It’d be like me marrying your dad or Dave.” She shuddered. “They’re both wonderful people, but come on! Can you imagine lying in bed next to them?”
Gina shuddered, too. “I can’t. But everyone’s different.”
“Maybe, but I can’t believe there’s a woman under thirty-five on this earth who would rather lie down at night next to my dad than they would next to Shane or Mason.”
Gina laughed. “You’ve got a point there. Have you even met her?”
Cassidy nodded. “Briefly. When they got married. She seems nice enough. Not like number three. That one was a real bitch.”
Gina couldn’t imagine her dad having remarried after her mom died. Especially not to someone her own age. She smiled. “Dad’s been talking to Anna.”
Cassidy’s eyebrows shot up. “Now that is an elder-affair I would approve of!”
Gina burst out laughing. “An elder-affair?”
“Yup. Much as we don’t like to think about it, the oldies can and do still have love lives of their own, you know.”
“Oh, I do know. They’re no different from us, they’re just a few years farther down the road. They’re not a different species, you know.”
Cassidy made a face. “I can see that now. The way Dave and Monique are together has opened my eyes to the fact that older people aren’t that much different from us.”
“Of course they’re not! They’re exactly the same as we are, they’ve just been around a bit longer.”
“I’m starting to see that.” Cassidy blew out a sigh. “It’s weird, but I keep thinking about how Shane and I will be in thirty years’ time. I keep hoping that we might be like Dave and Monique. They’re pretty special people, aren’t they?”
“They’re the best. Dave’s Mr. Montana through and through. He grew up here, his family’s been here for generations. Monique gave up everything to stay here with him. She came from money herself, you know.”
Cassidy nodded. “Shane told me their story. It’s so inspiring.”
“It is, they’re an example I hope Mason and I can follow, too.”
Cassidy stared out at the mountains, lost in thought.
“Penny for them?” asked Gina.
“I’m just thinking about it all, you know? The big wedding. The big family. The future stretching ahead of all of us. I used to wonder what life was like for solid families. Now I’m going to be part of one. It amazes me. I don’t just get Shane. I get you and Summer and Corinne and little Ruby. Plus all the brothers. I get Dave and Monique and even your dad and Autumn and Carly and James. It’s like stepping into this whole new world. For all I like to kick ass in the world and show every
one what I can do, I guess I’ve always felt like an outsider. I don’t know what it’s going to be like to be an insider.”
Gina was stunned. “I had no clue you felt that way.”
Cassidy grinned. “Of course you didn’t. It smacks of weakness, doesn’t it, and I’m not into showing weakness. I don’t feel weak…”
Gina laughed. “Good, because you’re not, in any sense.”
“I know, but I’ve always missed out on that sense of belonging.” She smiled. “It’s great to know I can make it through life on my own, I don’t need anyone. But Shane, being with Shane has made me see how much richer life can be when you let people in, when you belong.”
“You found what you didn’t know you needed.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly it.” Cassidy smiled. “And you my friend, found what your heart knew you needed, even though you’d tried to deny it for all those years.”
Gina sighed. “I did. I never stopped loving Mason.”
“And you still managed to get engaged to Liam. Were you out of your mind?”
“I think I must have been, in some ways at least. I was trying to live a different life. Be a different person. But you know…”
Cassidy watched her carefully as she waited for her to continue.
When she finally did speak again Gina felt relieved to finally admit it. “I’m glad I lived that time.”
Cassidy cocked her head to one side. “Really?”
“Yeah. It’s hard to admit. I spent all those years away from here. I’ve spent most of the time since I came back wishing that I’d never left. But if I hadn’t, if Mason and I had carried on the way we were, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I wouldn’t have gotten to know me, wouldn’t have gone out and discovered that I could make my own way in the world.”
“I can see that. Would you ever tell Mason that, though? Do you think he’d see it?”
Gina thought about that and nodded slowly. “He’d need some time to wrap his head around it.” She smiled. “He can be a bit stubborn. He never wanted to leave here, never would. It frustrates him when people talk about going out to make their way in the world. He thinks we should all be able to do everything we need to right here. But that’s because he can. He’s so secure in himself, that he doesn’t need to go out and prove himself against or compete with the rest of the world.”
