Coming Home

by Shirlee Busbee

  Chapter

  11

  There was a second of silence and then the room erupted into a babble of gasps, exclamations, and questions. Sloan raised a quieting hand.

  “OK, OK, everybody, pipe down.” When the noise subsided, he said, “I told Shelly and Nick and Maria that there were going to be a ton of questions.” He smiled crookedly. “You can't just toss out that sort of information and not have a lot of questions. But we decided early on that there was no reason for the public” he flashed a hard look around the room…“and that includes you, to know all the details. What you need to know right now is that Nick is Shelly's brother…we have proof of it. Shelly is publicly acknowledging that Nick Rios is her brother. And before you ask, no, Nick isn't going to change his name to Granger.” He grinned at Nick. “As he said from the beginning, he's been a Rios too long to change. What he was always after was simply the truth. That it turned out to be more than any of us expected is just one of life's little surprises. And yes, Shelly is splitting the Granger estate with him. And no, he didn't ask for it and has been arguing with his sister not to do just that. But stubbornness runs in the family and Shelly is determined that he should have what is morally his.” His gaze swept the room again. “As for the secrecy all these years, I think that's self-explanatory. Now as for what you tell anyone else, that's your business…and we want you to tell everybody. That's the point of this. We wanted to get the truth out, but we didn't”… Sloan's mouth twisted slightly…“want to take out a full page ad in the newspaper. We figured if people we trusted knew the truth and they treated it as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, that we might brush through this with little more than a few weeks of rampant curiosity on the part of the valley inhabitants.”

  Sitting on the arm of the couch, Jeb scratched his chin. “So just how do you expect us to handle this? Are we all just supposed to march into town tomorrow and start shooting our mouths off?”

  “Not exactly,” Sloan replied with a glimmer of a smile. “I figured you'd probably tell Mingo, your sister and your dad first. Then they'll mention it to someone else and so on. Shelly and I will tell my folks—and Cleo. They were supposed to be here tonight, but for various reasons they couldn't make it. They'll be told tomorrow, or just as soon as we can arrange it.”

  A chuckle rippled through the group. “Once itreaches Cleo,” murmured Roxanne, “it'll be all over town.”

  My point exactly,” Sloan drawled. “We want it all over town, but the truth, not gossip and innuendo, even though there will be a lot of that anyway, no matter what we do.”

  There was a collective nodding of heads. “Sounds like a plan to me,” said Ross, rising elegantly to his feet and walking over to where Nick and Shelly stood. He reached out and offered his hand to Nick. “Since your sister is married to my brother, I think that makes us in-laws of sorts. Welcome to the family.” “And to ours,” said Roman, following Ross's lead and clapping Nick on the back. “I should warn you,” he said with a smile, “that you might find being a member of this family a bit overwhelming … and that a family can be a curse, as well as a blessing.” With that leopardlike grace of his he turned to Maria who had said little. “And Madame Maria, as Nick's mother, may I welcome you also to the family.” He smiled whimsically down at her. “Since we are related, dare I call you Cousin Maria?”

  Maria looked uncomfortable, but she nodded. “Yes, I would like that.” Her eyes dropped. “Thank you for being so kind.” Her voice was thick and it was clear she was on the verge of tears.

  Roman frowned, started to say something, but Shelly nudged him and shook her head. “Later,” she mouthed to him.

  Acey, who had stood on the sidelines observing everything, ambled up with that rolling gait of his that bespoke a lifelong horseman and thumbs hooked into the waist of his new, knife-edged creased Levi's, grinned at Nick. “Does this mean,” he demanded with a glint in his eyes, “that I have to call you Mr now?”

  Nick smiled at the old man. “Would you?” “Hell, no,” replied Acey with relish. “But considering my age you could call me Mr. Babbitt.”

  Nick laughed. “And would you answer?” “Course not. You know I don't hold with all them fancy manners.” Grinning from ear to ear, Acey pumped Nick's hand enthusiastically. “Congratulations, son. I'm damned happy for you. This is something that should have happened a long time ago.” He cast a chiding eye in Maria's direction. “And would have if certain people didn't have such a misplaced sense of loyalty.”

  Her voice wounded, Maria protested, “I promised. Josh promised. We swore to Senor Granger that we would never tell.” She glanced unhappily across to Shelly. “You understand?”

  Aware of the curious eyes, Shelly smiled gently and put her arm around the other woman, deftly maneuvering her away from the crowd. “Yes, I understand. Don't worry about it,” she said when she felt certain they would not be overheard.

  Her head half-hidden against Shelly's breast, Maria murmured, “I'm so ashamed. Everyone will be looking at me, thinking that I was Senor Granger's woman.” She raised tear-filled eyes. “I was not. There was only that one time, I swear to you.”

  Sloan walked over and positioning himself so that Maria was hidden from the rest of the room, he said, “We believe you. We knew there would be talk, but you said that you wanted no more secrets. There's going to be gossip and a ton of speculation, but it'll pass. It's a brave thing you're doing for your son—remember that. You keep that chin of yours up. We're behind you. You don't have to face this alone.”

  Maria took a deep breath and stepped away from Shelly's comforting embrace. “I know what you say is true, it is just that it is going to be hard to pretend I don't see the looks or hear the whispers.” Her mouth drooped and her hands twisted together. “I knew it would be hard, I just hadn't realized how hard, how naked and exposed I would feel.” She smiled weakly.“And this is in front of people of who are sympathetic—how is it going to feel when I face those who have ugly hearts and minds?”

  Roxanne met Jeb's eyes. Both of them thinking the same thing. Gossip was going to run rampant, with Maria's relationship with Shelly's father getting the juiciest play. As the news spread—and it would—like wildfire—the valley would be electrified. Very few people would have the nerve to ask Maria about the situation, but it was certainly going to be the topic of conversation and speculation all through the valley for weeks to come and they all knew that it would never entirely go away. Someone would always bring it up. Nick would come into his share of it, too, but since he was the innocent product, except for the spiteful and mean-spirited, there would be few slurs cast his way. Not so for his mother. Nor so for Shelly's father or even her mother—there would be people who would wonder if Catherine Granger had known the truth, if she had condoned the situation or been completely ignorant of it.

  Shelly hugged Maria closer, wishing there had been an easier way to handle this. Since her parents were both dead, she hadn't worried about what the gossips would say about them. She might not like it, but they were beyond being hurt by busy tongues. Maria's case was different. They had discussed it at length and had tried to find a way to avoid Maria being thrown to the wolves. Beyond extending their protection and the protection of their family and friends, Sloan and Shelly just hadn't seen any other way to protect her. They had considered keeping Nick's parentage secret—Nick's own suggestion. All he'd ever wanted to know was the truth. He didn't care who else knew—and he wasn't keen on people speculating about his mother. Shelly and Sloan would have respected his wishes and kept it private if Maria hadn't insisted that there be no more secrets. Though she had tried desperately to keep the vow she had sworn all those years ago, it was a relief to finally admit the truth. She had denied her son the name of his father all his life and had watched him suffer because of it. She had suffered, too, her heart bleeding every time Nick had begged her to tell him and she had pushed him away. “It was shameful what happened between Senor Granger and me, but Nick has nothing to be as
hamed of. The sin was Senor Granger's and mine. If we continue to keep it a secret to protect me, then we are still punishing Nick.” She had smiled tremulously at Shelly across the oak table in the kitchen in what had been Josh's house. “I should face up to the past.” She had glanced at her son, her face full of love. “He should be known as Senor Granger's son. After all these years and all the lies, he deserves it. It is his right.”

  Once Maria had given the go-ahead, they'd had to come up with a way to make the announcement. Shelly and Nick had both thought that New Year's Eve was an excellent time. “A new beginning,” Shelly had said. “Off with old and on with the new,” Nick had added. And so it had come about. There was no going back now.

  After the first storm of astonishment died down, Sloan, aided by Roman and Acey, tactfully turned the conversation toward a less personal topic, and though eaten up with curiosity, everyone politely followed their lead. Roman launched into an explanation of the southern custom of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day; Jeb told a story about Mingo waking up with a skunk in his sleeping bag, and Acey reminisced about some of the early cattle gatherings on the Granger ranch and the awkwardness passed. Several people were yawning and beginning to think of bed when the stories gradually wound down and it was almost as if Shelly's big announcement had never taken place. Almost.

  Before departing for their various beds, despite Shelly's protests, everyone had pitched in and helped clean up. Since paper plates and napkins had been the order of the day and all the cooking had been done ahead of time, it didn't take very long. Twenty minutes later, the house was quiet, Sloan having gone with the men to get things set up in the barn and most of the women busy making their beds in Shelly's studio.

  Roxanne had stayed to help Shelly wrap and put away the last of the leftovers. They worked amiably in the kitchen together for several seconds, until Roxanne couldn't stand it anymore and asked, “Weren't you shocked?”

  For a second Shelly looked blank. “Oh, you mean about Nick?” When Roxanne nodded, she said, “Maybe. But at first I was just so happy to find out that I had a brother that I didn't even think about what it really meant. By the time I did think about it, I didn't care.” She laughed. “Finding out that Nick Rios is my half brother is one of the best things that's ever happened to me. And as for the circumstances—it happened a long time ago. My dad's dead. My mom's dead. And Josh is dead. Maria was the only one left alive who knew the facts. If it weren't for DNA we might not have ever known.” She shook her head, a sad smile curving her generous mouth. “Poor Josh. Dad wasn't fair about that—letting Josh take the blame and swearing him to silence.”

  Roxanne raised a brow. “I'd say that Josh wasn't the only one he wasn't fair to—what about your mom? And Nick? And Maria?”

  Shelly made a face. “Them, too. He acted badly, no denying it—it was a terrible thing and he comes out of it looking tawdry and spineless—which he wasn't … not really. Except for this one mistake, he lived a pretty honorable life. And Maria … I don't really blame Maria for what happened—don't forget she'd only been in this country nine, ten years—she didn't even speak English fluently then—she was young and naive.”

  Roxanne snorted. At Shelly's look, she added hastily, “OK, I'm sorry. I know she practically raised you and that you're fond of her, but the fact remains she did sleep with your dad.” “Did you know that as a young woman her mother worked for a wealthy patron in Mexico?”

  Roxanne shook her head, wondering where this was going.

  “Hmmm, well, she did—before she was married. It seems that some old ways die hard and, remember, we're talking Mexico and over fifty years ago. In those days work at the hacienda was greatly desired—it was that or in the fields. Everyone considered it an honor to work in the hacienda. When Maria's mother was hired, her own mother took her aside and explained that it was understood that sooner or later El Patron might seek out her bed. Like many Mexicans, her family was very poor, desperate—they needed every peso Maria’s mother earned. She was told that if she wanted to keep her job, that she would submit to whatever El Patron demanded and keep her mouth shut. So the did.” She turned to state hard at Roxanne. “When Maria began working for us, she was told something similar by her mother.”

  Roxanne’s moth fell open. “You mean her mother told her that your dad would hit on her and that she had to put up with it?”

  “Something like that. Maria didn’t really believe her—after all, this was America, not Mexico, and her memories of Mexico were vague. She thought her mother was being old and silly. Señor Granger, she told her mother, was nice to her, he would never ask her to sleep with him.” Shelly made a face “And it probably never would have happened if my folks hadn’t had some problems—which isn’t an excuse, but I suppose you call it an extenuationg circumstance. I was too little to remember it, but my folks separated for a while and Mom and I went away for four or five months and lived in Ukiah. Anyway, Maria says one night Dad came home half swacked and found her in the kitchen in her nightgown—she’d gotten up for a glass of milk... ” She wrinkled her nose with distaste. “Anyway, they did the deed and that was that, until Maria turned up pregnant.”

  “One time?” Roxanne asked sarcastically.

  “According to Maria...and I believe her. Maybe I’m trying to make excuses for my dad, her. Maybe I just don’t really want to believe that my dad was a tomcatting bastard. Knowing everyone involved, I have trouble believing he was the kind of guy to be diddling the Mexican housekeeper or that Maria was some sort of vamp seducing the master of the house. Don’t forget how young and naïve she was.” A wistful expression crossed Shelly’s face. “Dad always seemed a stand-up kind of guy. I think he slipped one time, for whatever reasons, and bitterly regretted it. And begging Josh to take the blame, wrong as it was seemed the only way to save his marriage. I mean I don’t agree with it, but I can’t let this color all of my memories of my dad. Maria said he adorned Mom and that he would have done anything to prevent a divorce. She swears, except for that one time, that he never touched her again. The very next morning, she says, he apologized and begged her to forgive him. According to her, he was horrified at what had happened.”

  “I dunno, Shelly, it sounds pretty thin to me.”

  Shelly nodded. “Probably. I’m not going to argue with you about that. But unless something else pops up, and I doubt it will, I’m going to believe Maria.” She sent Roxanne a steady look. “And if we’re going to remain friends, I would advise you to do the same.”

  Roxanne grimaced. “OK, OK, I’ll back off and fall in line.” She grinned at Shelly. “After all, what are families for?”

  “Thanks you. I was hoping you’d agree.”

  “Well, hey, it's pretty clear it's either that or you'll make certain that I disappear never to be seen again.”

  Shelly grinned. “Maybe not that drastic, but close.”

  Roxanne returned her grin, and having put the last of the leftovers in the refrigerator, she asked, “You want a glass of wine? I think I'd like one. It was a great party, but I always think the best part is after everyone has left and you can just relax and reflect.”

  It was cozy and intimate in the small kitchen, the snowfall closing them in, blocking out any sound, and Shelly agreed—she was waiting for Sloan to return from the barn and was glad of the company.

  Shelly poured Roxanne a glass of wine and opted for a glass of milk for herself. “No wine for me. I'm in training to get pregnant, remember?” she said as she sat down across the table from her.

  Roxanne hesitated, then took the plunge. “How's that project coming anyway?”

  Shelly's face clouded. “No luck yet, if that's what you want to know.”

  “Hey, you've only been married for six months. It's no big deal. I had a friend who was married for three years before she got pregnant.”

  “I'll be thirty-eight in three years,” Shelly said hollowly. “I don't have three years to wait.”

  Her words slammed into R
oxanne. Having a family, a baby, wasn't something she had ever worried about—it was something she'd take care of in the future—when she found the right man and was ready to settle down, but it dawned on her that she was thirty-eight with nary a papa prospect in sight. The thought that time might run out for her had never crossed her mind. She made a face. She'd been too busy being Roxanne, romping through life as if there were no tomorrow. Well, tomorrow had just walked up and slapped her in the face. While having a baby still wasn't high on her list of accomplishments, she suddenly understood the anguish and worry in Shelly's voice.

  She fiddled with her wineglass. “I think you're putting too much on yourself,” she finally said. “You've had so much to deal with in the last eight, nine months. Josh's death. Coming back here. Starting up Granger Cattle Company. Sloan. Marriage. Nick.” She grinned at her. “Meeting my folks. All of that is bound to have been stressful. Maybe you're not giving yourself enough time.”

  Shelly sighed. “You sound like your brother. That's what Sloan says. He says that I'm impatient and that I'm pushing too hard.” She took a sip of her milk. “Maybe I am. It's just that every month when my period comes, I want to die. I feel so useless, so, so barren. You don't know what it's like.” Her voice wavered. “I feel like a failure, as a woman, and a wife, and worse, like I'm failing Sloan.”

  “Whoa. Stop right there. Why do you feel it's your fault? Sloan could be shooting blanks, you know.”

  Shelly gave a watery laugh. “That's exactly what he says.”

  “Well?”

  Her eyes on her half-empty glass, Shelly admitted, “He's made arrangements for us to see a fertility expert in Santa Rosa next week. Says first thing we need to do is run some tests and make certain that there is nothing wrong with either one of us. Then we'll know what we're dealing with and can take the next step.”

  “Gee, I never knew I had such a smart brother.” She smiled at Shelly. “Normally, just on principle, I would tell you to ignore anything he says, but this is one time he's hit the nail on the head.”