“Knock, knock,” Max said as she came into the room with Hal. Max hugged Jane. “How’re you holding up?”
“I’m okay, but Earl is ready to jump out of this bed.” Jane squeezed Earl’s arm.
“I’m sure he is.” Max leaned down and kissed Earl’s cheek. “You’re ready to break out of this joint, Earl? Nothing can hold you down.” Earl wasn’t used to a sedentary lifestyle. He had retired from his agricultural engineering job a few years earlier. He’d been running the family ranch while working full-time, which meant that he now worked one job instead of two.
“Nice to see you, Max. I’m ready to get out of here, but Benji’s keeping me for another day of observation. I’m waiting for them to take this damn pacemaker off of me so I can walk around. And by that I mean hightail it out of here. I swear he’s just keeping me here to piss me off,” Earl grumbled.
“Which is probably why he’s keeping it on,” Max said.
Earl grumbled something indiscernible in response. His eyes brightened when he greeted Hal. “Hal, nice of you to come by again,” Earl said.
“Someone had to see if you were still faking all this crap,” Hal kidded.
“Hey, at least I know how to have a real heart attack.” A few years earlier Hal had suffered a case of broken heart syndrome, the symptoms of which mimic those of a heart attack. It was well before he and Earl had gotten over their feud, but it had become the brunt of a few running jokes, and Jade could tell that Hal took no offense to her father’s comment.
“None of that broken heart syndrome shit for me. That’s for sissies.” Earl let out a deep laugh, then abruptly silenced. He flattened his hand against his chest and groaned.
Jane’s eye went wide. “Earl? What is it? Jade, get Ben.”
Jade was already heading for the door when her father’s gruff command stopped her.
“I’m fine. Stay put, Jade.”
“Dad?”
“It’s normal for me to have a little chest pain. Didn’t you two listen to anything that boy told us? Now get back in here and settle down, darlin’.” Earl narrowed his eyes at Hal. A silent kinship passed between the two men.
“Eh, leave the old man alone,” Hal said. “He knows what’s going on in his own body.”
“But he doesn’t always respect it,” Jade said. “I’m going to grab a cup of coffee and give you some privacy. Would anyone like some?”
“I’ll come with you,” Max offered. “Jane, would you like to come with us?”
Earl patted his wife’s hand. “Please go, Janie. You’ve been here all day. Go enjoy a hen party.”
“Dad!” Jade was relieved to see the tension in his face disappear and a smile curve his lips. “Come on, Mom.” Jade linked arms with Max and her mother, and they headed down to the cafeteria just like that. A chain of strength.
“Before I forget, Max, can you give Mom your recipes for heart-healthy cooking?” Jade asked.
Max raised her brows. “You mean my secrets? Absolutely.”
“Thank you, Max. If Earl knew I was making substitutions, he’d complain before he even tasted the food.”
“Hal, too. Shh. Don’t tell Treat, but I do it with him, too.” Max and Jane laughed.
Jane put an arm around Jade. “How are you really holding up, baby girl?”
Jade sighed. “Okay, I guess. I just hope Ben is right and Dad will be okay. Even if he can’t walk me down the aisle.”
“Oh, he will walk you down that aisle, Jade. He dreamed of that day long before you ever did, and you know your father. He’s a stubborn man.”
Jade stepped into the elevator behind Max and her mother.
“So you don’t think I’m doing the wrong thing by not postponing the wedding?”
The elevator doors opened, and they walked toward the cafeteria.
“I don’t know, Jade. Your father thinks you shouldn’t postpone it, so who are we to argue?” Her mother smiled, but Jade could see that she was as conflicted as Jade was.
“Rex isn’t happy about not postponing.”
“But he loves you so much, Jade. He’ll do what you want to do,” Max said. “I swear I’ve never seen such a brawny man soften when he talks about a woman the way Rex does when he talks about you.”
“Except when Treat talks about you—or any of his brothers talk about their significant others,” Jade reminded her.
“Maybe, but Treat’s demeanor is gentler to start with. Rex is like this big brooding hulk, except when it comes to you, he’s like a big teddy bear. Like Hal.”
Jade’s eyes welled with tears, and she stepped to the side of the hall. “God, I hate this. I’m sorry. I’m so emotional right now.”
Jane put her arm around her. “It’s okay, honey. We’re all emotional right now. You’ll feel better when your father’s at home and out of that awful hospital gown. It makes him look fragile.”
“Maybe,” Jade said. “I’m sorry, Mom. I should be strong for you, and here I am as weepy as can be.”
“It’s okay, honey. We all cope differently, and you have a lot on your plate right now.” She smiled, and it softened the worry lines on her forehead.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Max asked.
Jade’s phone rang, and she dug it out of her pocket. “It’s Riley. Hold on a sec.” She held the phone up to her ear. “Hi, Ri.”
“Hey, how are you today?”
“Okay. Mom and Max are here at the hospital. Hal’s in with Dad, so we’re going down to the cafeteria.”
“Josh and I get in tomorrow. I’ll come straight over.”
“I’m okay, really. It’s just that everything feels like it’s happening at once. I haven’t found the necklace yet, and I’m afraid to leave Dad to go look for it.”
“I know you’ll find it,” Riley said. “Those things have a way of popping up in the weirdest places.”
“I hope you’re right. Despite what Rex says, I don’t know if he’d ever forgive me if it were lost forever.”
REX PICKED UP feed, fixed a stall in the barn, and finished his afternoon chores at the ranch. Then he called the caterer, photographer, and the florist. Everything seemed in order for Sunday. Rex wasn’t worried about the aspects of the wedding coming together, but he was worried about Jade. And he was worried about Earl and Hope. Not to mention that he wasn’t sure he wanted to get married without his whole family there, which meant that if Dane and Lacy couldn’t make it, he had another issue to consider. But every time he thought about pushing Jade to postpone the wedding, the hope in her eyes stopped him cold.
He’d received a text from Savannah confirming that she and her husband, Jack Remington, were arriving late tonight. He called his youngest brother, Hugh, to make sure he was still coming into town. With Earl, Hope, and Lacy falling ill, he was beginning to wonder if Jade had been right that losing the necklace was an omen. Was it? Should he push Jade harder to postpone the wedding?
Hugh answered on the second ring. “Hey, big brother.”
“How’s it hanging?” Rex smiled, because he knew what Hugh’s response would be. Hugh was a successful race-car driver, and he’d been a smart-ass since the day he learned to speak. He had been a major player before meeting and marrying Brianna Heart, a single mother. Hugh had fallen head over heels for her and her daughter, Layla. Hugh had adopted Layla, and last year Brianna gave birth to their son, Christian.
“Longer than yours.” Hugh laughed. “Getting prewedding jitters yet?”
“Who are you kidding? I’d run down that aisle to marry Jade, but her father’s in the hospital, so things are a little up in the air.”
“Aw, man. I’m sorry. I had no idea. I’ve been out of touch for the last two days. We’ve been on the road, coming back from my race down in Florida.”
“I heard you won. Congrats.”
“Don’t I always?” Hugh smirked. “But seriously, how is Earl? How’s Jade holding up? She’s a daddy’s girl at heart, even though she puts up a strong front.”
&nb
sp; “Yeah, she is. She’s worried. Ben said Earl should be released from the hospital on Saturday, but Jade and Earl won’t let me postpone the wedding.”
He paced the yard, thinking about Jade. Damn it, he’d forgotten to look for the necklace.
“And we can’t find her Dance of Two Lovers necklace, so she’s stressed about that, too. Hope’s not doing well, and Jade’s convinced that her father and Hope are somehow tied to losing the necklace. That it’s some kind of sign.”
“Shit, Rex. Sounds like all hell’s breaking loose down there. We’re arriving tomorrow morning. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“Thanks, Hugh. Have you talked to Dane?”
“Yeah. I heard Lacy’s sick.”
“I know. I wish Jade would let me postpone the damn wedding.”
“Relax. Don’t make any decisions yet. See how things pan out tomorrow. What’s the worst that can happen? We’ll all spend a weekend together and you’ll still be single,” Hugh taunted.
“That would totally suck. You get that, right?”
“Hey, look who you’re talking to. I would have married Brianna two days after meeting her if I could have. I don’t know how you lasted four years without marrying Jade.”
Hugh offered to fly in tonight instead of tomorrow, but Rex told him it wasn’t necessary. They talked about Hope and their father, and after they ended the call, Rex wanted to hear Jade’s voice and make sure she was okay. She answered on the second ring.
“Hi,” Jade answered.
“Hey, babe. How’s your dad?”
“He’s arguing with Ben at the moment. I think he’s feeling better.”
Rex let out a relieved sigh. “Thank goodness. And how are you and your mom doing?”
“Mom’s good. She’s much better now that Dad’s feistier, and I’m okay, I guess. I hate seeing him in the hospital, but at least it looks like he’ll be okay for the wedding.”
Rex closed his eyes for a beat, hearing his father’s words sail through his mind. There are times in every father’s life when he has to step in and do the thinking for his children. “Your father really wants this to happen.”
“I know. Please don’t ask me again to postpone the wedding. I’m sick of being questioned.”
“What am I supposed to do, Jade? Sit back and pretend that this is all okay? That I’m excited to talk to the florist and photographer while your father’s lying in the hospital and Hope is getting sicker by the minute?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I wish someone did.” Rex looked up at the sound of tires on gravel. Damn it. He hadn’t called her to argue. He wanted to drive straight to the hospital, take Jade in his arms, and smooth all this shit over—but there was no time for that now. “I’ve got to go. Ross just showed up.”
He pushed to his feet to greet his cousin. Ross was one of Hal’s sister Catherine’s children. He had five siblings, and they had been raised by their single mother after their father had taken off with another woman.
Ross stepped from his truck with a leather medical bag in his hand. “Sorry I’m late, Rex. It was a busy day.”
“That’s all right. I’m glad you could make it.” He embraced his tall, dark cousin. Ross was more reserved than his rambunctious siblings and reminded Rex of his brother Josh, also the most reserved of their family.
“Let’s take a look at old Hope.” Ross headed toward the barn. “My mother talked to Uncle Hal last night and said Earl’s in the hospital. How’s Jade holding up?”
“She’s doing okay.”
“I assume you’re delaying the wedding?”
Rex shook his head as they walked into the barn. “Earl and Jade won’t hear of it.”
“Well, then, Earl’s prognosis must be good.” Ross stepped into the stall with Hope. “How’s it going, girl?”
When Hope didn’t lift her head to greet him, as she normally did, Ross said, “She’s definitely not herself, is she? Has she been eating?”
“On and off, but definitely not like she usually does.”
“Has anything else changed? Exercise patterns? Do you still ride her daily?”
“Actually, no. I stopped riding her about two weeks ago. She’s getting old, and I was worried about wearing her out.” Rex thought back to when he’d made the decision. His father had fought him on it. He’d wanted Rex to continue taking their morning rides, at least on Sundays, which was the one day of the week Rex had never missed riding Hope.
“Did Hope’s behavior change at all then?” Ross took Hope’s temperature, listened to her breathing and to her gut sounds. He checked her teeth and gums and did a skin-pinch test, checking for dehydration.
“I can’t remember her seeming so sullen, but then again, things were pretty busy around that same time. Jade and I were running around getting final wedding details situated, and…” Rex took off his hat and scrubbed his hand down his face. “I don’t know. I wasn’t paying close enough attention.” And I hate myself for it.
“Don’t beat yourself up over it.” Ross checked Hope’s pulse and her joints and eyes while Rex paced.
“Is Jade still doing massage on Hope? I asked Elisabeth, but she said Jade’s been so busy with the wedding that she wasn’t sure.” Ross’s fiancée, Elisabeth, referred clients to Jade and vice versa. When Elisabeth had moved to Trusty to take over her aunt’s pie-making business, she had also opened a pet-pampering business, and Jade had helped her get her business off the ground.
“She’s been a little overwhelmed these last few weeks, too.”
Ross stroked Hope’s jaw. “Horses are a lot like people, as you know. And I can’t find a darn thing wrong with Hope. I think there’s a good chance she’s depressed. You’ve changed the riding schedule she’s had for years, and if Jade has changed her massage schedule, too, well, Hope might just be feeling lonely.”
“Depressed? Well, I’ll be damned. My father said she wanted me and Jade to work through this wedding stuff.” He let out a low laugh. “I was almost starting to believe him.” Depressed. Rex felt guilty as hell. He loved Hope with the same vehemence as the rest of his family did, and to think that he’d caused her pain by changing her schedule cut him to his core.
“You should consider taking her out on a ride and having Jade do some massage, and see if you notice any behavioral changes. If not, I’ll come back out, but her vitals are good, and she doesn’t show any signs of discomfort. Don’t let her age be your guide to her exercise. Every horse is different. I know you know that, and I know you take particular care with Hope because of your mom. But don’t forget that some horses can be ridden right up until they’re almost ready to leave us.”
“I didn’t make the decision lightly. I thought I was protecting her from injury.”
“Most ranchers do.” Ross patted his shoulder. “You’ve had a lot on your plate, Rex. Just love her up like you always have, and see if that does the trick. If she does well, then just be sure someone rides her while you and Jade are on your honeymoon.”
“We’re not taking one right away.” Rex shrugged. “Neither of us is aching to get off the ranch. Treat and Pierce both offered us a free stay at a resort of our choice, but there’s no place calling to us at the moment.” Pierce was Ross’s eldest brother, and he owned several casinos and resorts.
“I understand that. Elisabeth and I are the same way.”
“Thanks for coming out, Ross.”
“You’ll let me know if the wedding is postponed?” Ross headed for his truck.
“Yeah, of course. I’m relieved that you didn’t find something terribly wrong with Hope. Not that depression is minor, but you know. It’s better than finding out I have to tell Dad she’s on her way out.”
Ross set his bag in the truck. “When that day comes, it’ll be Hal we’re monitoring for depression.”
“When that day comes, I think you’ll be monitoring more than just one Braden.”
Chapter Six
“MOM, GO HOME and get some rest. I’l
l stay with Dad.” Jade had been trying to convince her mother to go home for the past two hours. It was late and Jade was cranky. Seeing her mother hovering over her father made her even edgier. Friends had been in and out, visiting her father all day, and every countertop in his room was covered with vases and get-well cards. She didn’t mind answering questions about her father, but she was tired of answering questions about her wedding. She didn’t even know if she was doing the right thing by having the wedding on Sunday. She hoped she was, and her father seemed determined that she and Rex get married. Jade did her best to be accommodating, but she was also stressed over Hope, and despite what Rex had said that morning, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d really screwed up by losing the necklace. While her father was visiting with friends, she’d called every client she’d visited over the past two weeks, but no one had found it.
She felt like she was dog-paddling in the middle of the sea and wished someone would throw her a life raft with all the answers on it. They’d unhooked her father’s pacemaker and were monitoring him through tomorrow afternoon, and then, finally, he’d go home. Ben had assured her multiple times that all indications were good for her father to be released tomorrow. Her father had already taken a short walk down the hall. He’d seemed fine afterward, and Ben was pleased with his progress. That had to mean something.
Jade wanted to go home and make up for the way her call had ended with Rex, but she didn’t want to leave her father’s side until a few hours had passed so she knew he was really out of the woods without the pacemaker. Her father wasn’t much of a talker, and with her mother going in and out of her zombielike state, Jade had way too much quiet time to sit and stew over the last few days and her impending wedding. The hospital smelled sterile, which she hadn’t really noticed the day before. She’d been too upset to notice much of anything, but now the smell was an annoying reminder of her father’s heart attack. But if her father had to be there, she felt compelled to be there, too.
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