Mackenzie smiled faintly and shook her head. “That doesn’t sound promising.”
It didn’t, and he knew that, but there was more to it. She might be the new one around town, but she’d be something different to him—something he wasn’t willing to say aloud.
“Just don’t let it bother you.” That advice didn’t cover any of the things he wanted to say, and he heard the empty-sounding promise they encompassed. He glanced at his watch. He’d be late if he wasn’t careful. And he didn’t know how to articulate this yet. He’d have to think on it, maybe sleep on it. The words would come eventually.
Why was it when he had the most to say, he had the fewest words?
“Now get out of my truck, and go shopping.” He tossed her a grin, hoping to show her that there were no hard feelings.
“You’re not coming?”
“I’ve got an errand to run,” he said. “I’ll call you when I’m done and I’ll pick you up.”
Mackenzie met his gaze, but her expression was undecipherable. She was feeling something, but she wouldn’t let him see it.
“All right,” she said. “I’ll see you in a while.”
She pushed open the door and jumped down, then slammed it shut behind her and headed toward the front door of Ranch and Feed. She didn’t look back, and he realized that she’d fit in better around here than she was giving herself credit for. The new one or not, she’d make a place for herself. She was determined and she looked good in a pair of cowboy boots. He smiled at this thought, then put the truck in Reverse.
Here’s hoping that Andy didn’t follow through with his threat to sell all that pasture to the highest bidder, or else he wouldn’t be around to see it.
* * *
IF CHET THOUGHT that fitting into this town was like fitting into a family, Mackenzie would have more trouble than she’d anticipated. The Granger family appeared happy and attractive. Chet and his brother were tall and good-looking, Andy’s six-foot-one frame dwarfed by Chet’s six-foot-five. Their father had been the grizzled rancher, but even he’d managed to make a pair of boots look better for his feet being in them. All but a couple of Chet’s aunts were slim and their smiles were always spontaneous and bright. From the outside, the Grangers were picture-perfect, and they stood strong and united. This all sounded good—so good that it might seem like a family a woman would enjoy being a part of—but it wasn’t great if you were an outsider looking in. The Grangers were loyal to each other, and in her experience, there wasn’t a lot of room for anyone else in that family circle. They looked after family first. If Hope was like the Granger clan, she’d be out in the cold.
As Mackenzie stepped inside the store, she nodded to a man stacking up sacks of fertilizer on a pallet. He looked to be in his midsixties, his hair a tufted salt-and-pepper gray. He moved aside as she went by, and she could feel his eyes following her in idle interest. The store was lit by fluorescent lights, and an old-fashioned country tune jangled in the background.
“Are you Helen’s granddaughter?” he asked.
Mackenzie turned back. “Yes. Mackenzie Vaughn.”
“Harold Wright. Nice to meet you.” He held out a callused hand and they shook. “I’m sorry about your grandmother. She’ll be missed.”
“Thanks.” She pressed her lips together in acknowledgment. “Did you know her well?”
“Who didn’t?” Harold cleared his throat. “She was a mainstay around here.”
Another man came into the store, and Harold was diverted. She took the chance to turn down the first aisle, which sported plastic bags of ear tags, some bottles and nipples for calves, and a few different devices she didn’t readily recognize.
The bell above the door jingled, and she noticed two women come inside. When they glanced at her, she put her attention into the next aisle, which held different-sized flat-backed buckets that could hang against a fence.
I should have paid more attention when I visited Granny, she mentally chastised herself. Frankly, she was a little too impressed with a supply store to feel confident in her abilities back at the ranch. At least she knew where to come when she needed anything. Chet had been right about this place, and perhaps it was better that she explore it alone. She’d need to be self-sufficient, since she was certain Chet wouldn’t always be this available for her needs. He had his own ranch to run, and she wasn’t about to take advantage of his kindness, either. His babysitting would come to an end.
One of the women came down the aisle where Mackenzie was browsing. She was in her forties with a short curly hairstyle that had a few strands of silver. She grabbed a couple of buckets and smiled at Mack.
“Hi there.”
“Hi.”
They moved past each other without any further conversation, but Mackenzie had the distinct impression she was being sized up, not that she blamed anyone. Obviously, she was the new one, as Chet had pointed out, and she’d be a curiosity. The two women met up in the next aisle, and Mackenzie left them there, moving on to the aisle past them.
“Did you know that Andy Granger’s back?” the first woman said to her companion, their voices filtering over to where Mack stood.
“Is he? For good?”
“No, apparently, he’s just cooling his heels after a tiff with his fiancée. That wedding is off.”
“Ah.” The woman laughed knowingly. “That’s Andy for you.”
“So if you wanted another chance at him...” her friend teased. They laughed and the other woman’s response mustn’t have been verbal, because the topic seemed to die away. Clearly, these women didn’t know that she was associated with the Granger family; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so comfortable gossiping within earshot, and she felt a niggle of anger at their casual discussion of Andy’s life. He certainly wouldn’t have been the first person to have relationship difficulties, but it sounded as if he’d dated one of the women. There was a lot she didn’t know about him.
Mackenzie surveyed the shelves of large bottles. There was antiseptic, iodine, peroxide...except the bottles were the size of milk jugs, and a deworming medication suggested these were meant for animals, not people.
The women’s conversation turned to Ida for a little while, and they sounded equally unsympathetic about Ida’s situation as they did about Andy’s. Of course, Mack had never met Ida, but Chet had a good opinion of her, and that made Mack inclined to like her...a far sight more than she liked these two women at the moment.
“So who says they’re splitting up?” the first woman asked. “You can’t always take that as gospel truth.”
“Georgina’s cousin.” This seemed to be enough for the other woman but meant absolutely nothing to Mackenzie. How on earth had gossip spread this quickly?
“I feel a little bad for him,” one said.
“Don’t. Did you know that he’s trying to get other families to sell their land to that developer?”
“The moron with the neon cowboy boots?” the other clarified.
“That’s the one. Well, I’ve heard that if he can get other families to sell, too, they’ll give him a cut. So if a little unhappiness comes his way, it’s karma, if you ask me.”
Mackenzie raised an eyebrow at that. Andy wasn’t just thinking of selling... He was actively helping the developers find sales? She moved out of the aisle and stopped to look at an arrangement of salt blocks at the end.
She went to the front of the store to grab a handcart, and when she came back, the women were moving on to the next aisle, their arms full of merchandise already.
“I don’t think that’s true,” Mackenzie said, and both women froze, looking at her in surprise.
“Sorry, sweetie?” the one with the short hair crooned.
“You’re talking about Andy Granger,” Mackenzie said. “And what you said isn’t true.”
“I have my sources,” she replied and turned her back, and for a moment Mackenzie considered letting it go, but she was irritated already. She had started working with Chet, who’d never thoug
ht she was country enough, had inherited a ranch she didn’t know how to run and had just been informed that Hope would accept her as easily as a family would—loaded words coming from a Granger—and she had no more patience.
“I know Andy,” she said curtly. “He might have his faults, but he’s a good guy.”
“Crummy boyfriend, though,” the other woman quipped.
“How is that your business?” Mackenzie retorted.
If these women had heard the deep sadness and longing in his voice when he talked to his ex-fiancée on the phone, they wouldn’t have been able to judge him so harshly. Andy might have been irresponsible and disinterested in a ranching life, but that didn’t make him the devil, either.
“And if you think that Andy is colluding with some big developer, you’re nuts. He was born and raised here. Give him some credit for having a soul.”
“Okay... Sorry.” The women both squirmed in discomfort. “We didn’t realize...”
She didn’t have to finish the sentence, and they sidled away to the front counter to pay. Mackenzie had no desire to go stand behind them, so she stomped down another aisle until they’d paid up and left. Then she approached the counter with her purchase.
“You’re an awful lot like Helen,” Harold said, a small smile twitching at one side of his mouth while he jabbed at the aged cash register with one finger.
“Sorry about that.” She smiled at him. “I know Andy, is all.”
“Me, too,” Harold replied, and by his tone, she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. “But you stand by your friends, and your granny would be proud of that.”
Her friends. Yes, the Grangers, for all their complicated history, were her friends, and she felt a certain amount of responsibility for Andy’s reputation. Would they do the same for her? That was hard to tell, but at the very least, she’d be able to live with herself, and that was what mattered most.
After paying for her purchases, Mackenzie looked at her watch. It felt strange to be here in Hope without Granny around. It was lonelier, emptier. If Granny were here, she’d probably walk through the fabric shop with her, looking for material to make a quilt. But Granny wasn’t here, and Mack didn’t quilt. She had time to kill, and seeing as she was in town, she might as well make the most of it. Beauty’s Ice Cream popped into her mind and she knew exactly what she needed right now—a double-scoop chocolate cone. It wouldn’t solve anything, but it would be comforting all the same.
* * *
CHET HEAVED A sigh and pushed open the bank door, stepping back outside into the sunlight. The meeting hadn’t gone well. The Grangers were well respected around these parts, but even they couldn’t convince the bank to lend them twice what the land was worth.
He had a feeling that his brother was serious about selling, too, and Chet’s options were shrinking. Irritation ate at him, and he stalked off toward his truck but paused when he saw Mackenzie ambling down the sidewalk toward him, a half-eaten ice-cream cone in one hand and a plastic bag in the other.
Great. Now he’d have that audience he hated so much, and he couldn’t blame anyone for it but himself.
“Hi,” Mackenzie said as she walked up. “I thought this was your truck.”
“Yeah. Ready to go?”
He voice came out gruffer than he wanted it to, but he couldn’t help it. He’d been hoping for more from this meeting—maybe a solution of some sort that he hadn’t thought of yet—but these developers had more power than the townsfolk combined. They came with money, and people around here weren’t wealthy.
Chet opened the door for her and gave her a hand up. Then he went around to the driver’s side, his mind still whirring.
“I overheard a rumor or two in there,” she said after they were both buckled up. She took another bite of ice cream as he put the truck into gear.
“Yeah? What kind of rumor?”
“That Andy is working with the developers to get people around here to sell.”
“What?” Anger rose up inside him. “Andy wouldn’t do that. Sell his own land? Maybe. But he’d never work with them. Who said this?”
“That’s what I told them, and I don’t know who they are. Two women in the store.”
“Huh.” Chet let out a grunt. Gossip was a given in a place this size, but it was still aggravating. “Anything else I should know about?”
“Oh, just talking about Andy and Ida being over.” She shrugged. “Nothing to worry about.”
At least that part was true, and as much as he wanted to fix things between his brother and Ida, he knew that he couldn’t. A couple had to make it or break it on their own. Still, a small part of him wondered if Andy hadn’t come back to see if Chet could help in that regard. Andy would never admit to that, though, even if it were true.
They pulled out onto the highway again. It ran alongside a railway track, and a train paced them, the rusted freight cars stretching out ahead of them in a straight line.
“Are you okay?” she asked after a moment.
“Yeah, fine. Why?”
“You don’t seem fine.” Her voice was gentle, and when he glanced over, he saw her looking at him, those blue eyes filled with concern. It had been a long time since a woman had cared about his feelings, and he found himself softening in spite of himself.
“I got turned down for a loan,” he said after a moment. “At least, one big enough to match the developers.”
“Oh, Chet...” Mackenzie slid a soft hand over his forearm. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah.”
He didn’t know what else to say. That was the crux of it all—he needed money to buy his brother out, and the bank wouldn’t comply. He was being backed into a corner and he stood to lose the land he loved.
“You’ll figure something out,” she said after a moment of silence.
“Sure hope so,” he replied. “You know, this land was always a source of conflict. My dad used to tell me the stories about it. I never thought it would do this to me and Andy, though.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” She shot him a wan smile. “I inherited the land my father was supposed to get. He used to talk about what he’d do with the money when he finally sold the ranch, and then my grandmother died and left it to me. So I get it. When it comes down to an inheritance, things get dicey.”
“What about the rest of the family?” Chet asked. “Are they mad, too?”
“Not thrilled. I have cousins, aunts and uncles. A lot of people were cut out for me to get this chance.”
She understood better than he’d thought, and somehow that was comforting. This land could inspire the strongest of emotions in people—from love and devotion to jealousy and resentment. Someone always lost in the inheritance gamble. Someone always walked away with less than they’d hoped; with Mack’s family, maybe nothing at all. But he could tell that her grandmother’s ranch was more than just property for her.
“At least you got the whole ranch,” he said.
“At what cost, though?” she murmured. “My dad and I haven’t been close...not since the affair and all that. And now it’s worse. Granny was pretty mad at Dad for what he did to Mom and me, and I think he can feel her disapproval from the grave. I can understand why your father gave you both half the land. He was probably trying to preserve something for you.”
“I do know why he did it,” Chet agreed quietly. “My dad always wanted Andy and me to be closer than we were. But we were so different. Even Dad had trouble really understanding Andy too well. It was a mess long before he ever died.”
“And things with my dad were a mess long before Granny died,” Mackenzie said. She was silent for a moment, and he thought that she’d finished with the topic when she added, her tone low, “At least Granny thought I was good enough for this land.”
“Of course you’re good enough.” Chet cast her a puzzled glance. She’d already proven that she was up for the challenge. She’d thrown herself into the work and never complained once—more than Chet had expected. Obviously,
Helen had known her granddaughter could handle it.
“You say that now,” she replied, and there was something sharp in her voice despite her soft tone.
“What are you talking about?”
“Look, Andy told me that when he and I were dating, you were against us from the first.”
Chet looked over at her, confused. Against her? He’d been for her. He’d done his best to convince Andy that Mack was worth it—much as he was doing now with Ida. “He told you that?”
“He told me that you were the one who talked him into breaking up with me.”
“It wasn’t exactly like that,” he said. In fact, it was downright wrong. Chet had sat his brother down and told him point-blank to choose between Mack and the other girl. He’d given him a guilt trip about fidelity and being honorable. It wasn’t his fault that Andy had chosen the wrong girl.
“Then what was it like?”
They were nearing the side road that led to their ranches, and he slowed for the turn, his gaze locked on the road while his mind spun. A grassy trench lined each side of the highway, and the small green sign announced the side road with an innocuous number. Familiar fields stretched out beyond them—one side the Grangers’ land and the other side hers.
He couldn’t tell her what had really happened. Helen had made him promise to keep his mouth shut, and she’d had good reason for that. Mack already had issues enough with her father without adding a cheating ex-boyfriend into the mix.
Once they were on the gravel road, the sweet scent of fields flowing in the open windows, he said, “You were too good for him.”
“So you broke us up because you thought I was so superior?” she asked incredulously. “And Ida’s just mediocre enough to keep around?”
“Broke you up?” he retorted. “I told you it wasn’t like that.”
“Andy said if it weren’t for you, he’d have seen a future between us,” she said. “He was very clear about that. So while you say you didn’t, I’m pretty sure you factored in.”
He hadn’t broken them up, but how was he supposed to prove that? His brother had lied to her, apparently, and she was blaming him for all of it. He hadn’t seen this one coming.
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