The Divine Creek Ranch Collection, Volume 1 [Book 1 - Divine Grace, Book 2 - Her Gentle Giant, Book 3 - Heavenly Angel] (Siren Everlasting Collection)

by Heather Rainier

  Drowsily he said, “Mama sad?”

  Joaquin kissed the top of his head and whispered, “Yeah, but she’ll be better. You sleep, and then we’ll go see her.”

  “‘Kay,” Michael murmured around a yawn.

  Joaquin caressed Michael’s head, and they both eventually drifted off.

  A little while later, Joaquin rose from the bed. After tucking a snoring Michael in under the covers, he locked up the room securely and took a quick shower to revive himself. When Michael woke up, Joaquin ran a warm bath for him. It helped Joaquin to have Michael to take care of, and he wondered how Teresa was faring. Allowing Michael to play with the bubbles for a minute, he retrieved the five-thousand-dollar check from his other shirt pocket and placed it carefully in his wallet.

  After dressing Michael in jeans and a shirt, Joaquin helped him into his pint-sized barn jacket. Michael popped his cowboy hat on his head, just like he saw his daddies do, and he held Joaquin’s hand as they left the hotel room. Joaquin drove them to a taqueria that had a drive-thru window and ordered breakfast tacos and orange juice for everybody.

  “So, Granny is sick?”

  “Yeah, son. She’s real sick.”

  “She gonna go be with Jesus?”

  “Maybe so. What do you think about that?”

  “Okay, I guess. I don’t really know her, but if she’s Mommy’s Mommy, then I’m gonna be sad. I heard Mommy crying last night. I think I might cry, too. Mommies are special,” Michael said softly, then sighed heavily, his breath hitching a little.

  Joaquin looked at his son sitting in his car seat, his little hands resting on his knees, and felt the lump in his throat double in size. “Your mommy could probably use a hug when we get there.”

  “I’ll give her lots,” Michael responded. Joaquin noticed that Michael’s little eyebrows were drawn together with a little crease between. He silently wiped a tear from his chubby little cheek. Seeing that brave display caused a painful hitch in Joaquin’s chest, and he wiped a tear from his own cheek. Michael hadn’t had enough time with his grandmother.

  They drove to the nursing home and located Teresa and Angel in the room her parents shared. Angel sat talking quietly with Teresa’s father on one side of the bed. Teresa sat on the other side with her head on her mother’s pillow, brushing her fingertips over her mother’s brow. Teresa crooned to her as they entered then sat up and went to Joaquin and Michael. Michael hugged her and kissed her forehead then got down and went to Angel and Mr. Palacios, who seemed so happy to see him. Joaquin held her securely in his arms, and she shook and sobbed softly as the men looked on in concern.

  He pressed a kiss to her brow and said, “Tell me what the doctor said.”

  “Her organs have begun to shut down,” Teresa whispered in a trembling voice. “She’s not expected to last the morning. I’ve been listening to her, and I can tell her breathing has begun to slow down. Thank you for getting me here in time.”

  “Sugar, we’d do anything we can for you. Has she regained consciousness?”

  “No, they don’t expect her to. At least I got to see her one last time at the wedding.” She rested her head against his chest and held on to him. He would have given her his strength if that was possible. Joaquin couldn’t fix this, but he could help her as she faced the inevitable parting.

  “Want me to let Grace and the others know?”

  She nodded. “Yes, would you? Call Grace, and she’ll know what to do.”

  “Sure thing, sugar.”

  * * * *

  Teresa tried to eat but lost her appetite after a few bites. Even though she was sure the taco was delicious, it felt like sawdust in her mouth. She returned to the bed and stayed by her mother’s side the rest of the morning.

  Mr. Palacios sat holding his wife’s hand and humming to her as she slowly faded from the world. The nurses came to check on her several times, and near mid-morning, one of them nodded at Teresa, the glimmer of tears in the nurse’s eyes.

  The nurse stayed and turned off the alarm on the monitors when it sounded as Mrs. Palacios’s respirations decelerated. Teresa’s father ignored them and kept singing to his wife until her heart ceased to beat and her chest no longer rose in shallow breaths.

  Teresa couldn’t control the trembling in her limbs and turned her face toward her mother’s pillow and allowed a long, quavering sob to spill from her throat. She was vaguely aware of gentle hands in her hair and around her torso. Teresa heard murmuring in her ear, the press of lips on her hair. Allowing her to cuddle against her mother as long as she wanted to, they never lost contact with her, grounding her and letting her know they were there. Her heart was shattered in her loss but held together by the love that surrounded her.

  Eventually she sat up, having had the time with her mother that she needed. With a painful ache in her chest, she turned to her men. Michael was perched on Angel’s forearm, and all three of them gazed at her with soulful eyes. She was so grateful that she had them. Her father still sat at the bedside, his fingers drifting through the silver hair at his wife’s temple. Tears streamed down his weathered cheeks, but his face was peaceful.

  Her father had been awake all night and was exhausted, so they left him at the nursing home after he promised to lie down and take a nap. They met with the mortuary director to plan the funeral. Teresa asked Joaquin to call Grace back to let everyone know.

  Teresa felt like she was walking through a dream. Part of her was rejoicing because her mother no longer suffered in the muddled world that Alzheimer’s had relegated her to. She was glad her father would no longer need to answer the same questions over and over again, though he swore it never bothered him all that much. Teresa was relieved that her father seemed to accept her mother’s death so easily and wondered if he thought he would follow her soon. She hoped not. Memories kept coming to her, and it made her feel like she had an anvil on her chest.

  Once the choices were made and the paperwork signed, the four of them left the funeral home and returned to the nursing home. Delores met them in the hallway. After hugging her while they both cried, Teresa introduced Delores to Angel and Joaquin.

  Grace, Jack, Ethan, and Rachel arrived later in the afternoon. The men spoke quietly to each other for a few minutes while Grace and Rachel visited with Teresa.

  Teresa had always envisioned herself going through this process when her parents passed away on her own, with no one to hold her hand or help her make decisions. Now the exact opposite of that was true. Everywhere she turned, there was someone to help with Michael, commiserate with her, or offer a shoulder to cry on. There were surreal moments where Teresa felt almost euphoric for all the support she received, in a way.

  Then it would hit her that she’d only seen her mother once in the last three and a half years and that there would be no more opportunities. Teresa felt she and Michael had been robbed of those opportunities by Ranulfo and his horrid parents. At other times, she would worry because she had no doubt that they would show up at the visitation or the memorial service. No burial was to take place.

  Her parents had decided they wanted to be buried together and so whichever of them died first would be cremated and their ashes stored in an urn. When the remaining spouse passed away, the urn would be placed in the arms of the spouse and they could be buried together.

  Her father had already seen to the sale and dispersal of their house and worldly goods at an auction. He’d given Teresa the key to a storage unit packed full of all the things her parents had thought she might like to have. With nothing else to do, they went out to the storage facility and loaded a moving van Angel contracted to deliver all the items to the ranch.

  Teresa was happy to discover heirloom linens, a set of china that had belonged to her grandmother, and many other keepsakes. There were also several pieces of valuable antique furniture.

  Teresa helped her father pack the few belongings he had at the nursing home. Her father would be returning to Divine with them. Mr. Palacios had nay-sayed the off
er when Teresa suggested one of the rooms in the new house would be specially earmarked for him. He insisted on moving into a room at the new assisted living facility in Divine.

  Her father clasped her hands in his wrinkled ones. “A young family needs their privacy. I should know. Your grandmother lived with us for five years after your grandfather died. We were still newlyweds. She snored, loudly. It was criminal. I’ll be happy knowing that you’ll be able visit me. Plus, I could use a little time to myself to just ‘be’.”

  The following day, Adam, Juliana, Rosemary, Charity, Eli, Eleazar, Marco, Ricardo, Maria, Luka, and Matthias all arrived. Ash agreed to stay behind to run the ranch but sent his condolences with Juliana and Adam.

  Teresa was filled with dread as the hour for the visitation drew near. As there was no burial or funeral procession to plan for, people would come and go as they wished for the visitation then return for the memorial service in the morning.

  Michael perched on either Joaquin’s or Angel’s arm as visitors arrived. Teresa was miserable standing around being sociable with people when she secretly wanted them all to go away. Juliana provided a nice buffer at times since she, too, was from Tillman, making small talk beside her with some of the visitors. A few good friends of her parents and old classmates of hers showed up, and she realized she was glad that she had agreed to have a visitation time.

  Teresa would retreat at times to Joaquin and Angel, needing a few private moments here and there, when the crowd got thick around her. She noted with consternation that her habit of keeping her eyes downcast seemed to be re-emerging in the presence of all these acquaintances from the past. Noting her unease, Angel and Joaquin flanked her, allowing Eli to handle Michael, keeping him well away from most of the strangers.

  Folded in the pocket of Eli’s slacks was a photocopy bearing the images from photos Delores had given to Angel of the Ferraro family. Eli scanned the crowd vigilantly, knowing that he and Rachel would retire to a private room with Michael if any of the three of them made an appearance.

  Allen, who was now the county sheriff, showed up early in the evening and greeted her, hugged Juliana, and then shook hands with both Angel and Joaquin. Teresa wondered if they’d already met, the way that they comfortably entered into conversation with each other.

  Teresa felt so much more comfortable with Angel and Joaquin at her side, though she detested introducing Angel as her husband then having to relegate Joaquin to the status of brother-in-law. She grimaced at one point as she caught Grace’s eye after having to give the inaccurate introduction. Grace shrugged philosophically and gestured with a wave of her hand back and forth between the two of them, meaning that she knew how Teresa felt.

  Teresa noticed Allen scanning the crowd then he suddenly turned to Angel and Joaquin and nodded. She turned to find Eli in the rear of the room and saw that he’d gotten the message and was already making an exit with Rachel. She knew their silent communications meant that the Ferraros had entered the room. Anyone observing might have assumed that the tall, handsome couple were exiting the room with their own dark-headed son.

  * * * *

  Angel leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Would you like to take a break in the private room with the others?” Feeling as protective as he was, that would have been what he preferred, but he wanted her to have the choice.

  Teresa looked up at him with determination in her eyes. “No, Angel. I’m not running from them anymore. I allowed their ugliness to run me out of my hometown. I’m standing my ground right here with you all beside me. I want to say my piece.”

  Angel gazed at her warmly. “We’re not going anywhere, beautiful. Isn’t that right, Joaquin?”

  “We’re right by your side the whole way, sugar,” Joaquin murmured in her ear. His brother placed a comforting, but platonic, hand on her shoulder.

  Jack murmured in agreement, “We’re all here for you, Teresa.” She looked over her shoulder and smiled up at Jack and seemed encouraged that all of the men were standing directly behind her, even his fathers. “Teresa, you say the word or give a look and we close ranks,” Jack added, with nods of affirmation from all of them.

  “I love you all so much. You’re truly men of worth,” she said as she looked at each of them. Joaquin, Jack, Adam, Ethan, Allen, his fathers, Eleazar, Ricardo, Marco, and even Ace Webster was there with him in the midst of the group backing her.

  Angel stood at her side, next to Joaquin, and stroked her back comfortingly. He heard her sigh deeply, and she seemed to be mentally preparing for the confrontation. He glanced at the older couple that cut a swath through the room as they approached. The crowd watched curiously, and many whispered amongst themselves. Angel noted the older couple’s superior air as they approached. Glancing at his brother, he knew by the look in Joaquin’s eyes that he itched to be the one to speak to the couple as much as Angel did.

  Angel noticed that the sheriff’s features were coldly neutral as Ace spoke quietly to him, a large envelope in his hand. Ace had an uncanny ability to dig up information on people that they would have preferred stayed hidden.

  Dressed in garments that could not have been purchased at any of the local stores, Mrs. Ferraro looked chic in her black pantsuit. Mr. Ferraro was dressed immaculately from the collar of his white dress shirt to the soles of his dress shoes. The predatory gleam in their eyes, however, spoiled the solicitous, mournful look they were evidently going for.

  In this setting, they must have expected Teresa would behave in a congenial manner. Angel suppressed the urge to speak up right then as the couple scanned their group, obviously looking for a child around the age of three.

  Not on your fucking life.

  Mr. Ferraro spoke first. “We are so saddened by your loss, my dear. How painful it must be for you to have lost her after abandoning her three years ago.” He shook his head sadly. “Now there’s no way to get that time back. What a shame you did not accept our generous offer then.” His tone implied that she must have come to her senses and planned to take them up on it now.

  Only Teresa’s statement that she wanted to have her say kept Angel from throttling the man for his cruel words. That and the fact there was a lawman standing three feet away.

  “The offer still stands, my dear,” Mrs. Ferraro assured Teresa in a condescending tone. Her accented, cultured voice sent chills up and down Angel’s spine.

  “What offer was that, Mrs. Ferraro?” Teresa asked. Angel noted that Allen leaned forward slightly in his peripheral vision.

  Mr. Ferraro replied craftily, “You know of which offer we speak.” Mrs. Ferraro’s eyes scanned the vicinity again.

  “No. I’m afraid I don’t remember. My memory needs refreshing. They’re curious, as well,” she added, gesturing to Angel and the others. Go, kitten.

  “We merely offered you a way to make your life easier. The needs of a toddler must be exhausting for you as a single mother,” Mrs. Ferraro said, emphasizing the word “single” as though it were some distasteful, socially damaging condition. Angel heard Joaquin exhale through his nose angrily.

  Teresa nodded. “Yes, a toddler does make a lot of demands, which I’ve weathered quite well since my departure from Tillman. But as a happily married woman,” she said, gesturing with a loving caress to Angel and clutching at Joaquin’s hand at the small of her back, “I can assure you that all my child’s needs are well met.” Dropping all pretense of not remembering the offer of which they spoke, she added, “I have no need of the shameful cash offer you made to buy my child from me. I would never give my child up to you for any amount of money.”

  Mrs. Ferraro tsked haughtily. “We would have reimbursed you handsomely for your…’pain and suffering’ as it were.” Mrs. Ferraro emphasized the words pain and suffering as though she doubted Teresa experienced either, going so far as to use air quotes around the words. “For the inconvenience of birthing the baby, we’d have paid your expenses. You could have moved forward with your life unscathed,” Mrs. Ferraro said carefully
, aware that the sheriff was listening.

  Teresa’s fingers intertwined with his and squeezed gently. Her fingers were cool, but her voice was steady and calm as she spoke. “I did move forward with my life, but there is no way you could ever repay me for the pain and suffering that monster you bore inflicted on me. The child I boreresembles none of you in either looks, personality, or behavior. My child is the image of his stepfather’s name, an angel and a pleasure to have in our lives. I would fight you with the very last breath in my body if you ever come near my child.”

  “My dear, we had no idea you would be so…maternal,” Mrs. Ferraro replied disdainfully. “We merely sought to provide a proper upbringing for our grandson, provided that he’s actually ours, of course, rather than relegating the young innocent to a substandard future.”

  Angel could feel the anger radiating from the men who surrounded her, not just from Joaquin. Teresa’s hand had tremored slightly when Mrs. Ferraro intimated that Michael might not be Ranulfo’s son. Teresa blushed at her insinuation, but she answered the woman confidently. His respect for Teresa skyrocketed.

  “I can assure you that I was not entertaining any other boyfriends while your son assaulted me,” Teresa responded quietly but clearly. This was a revelation to Angel’s fathers, and he clearly heard a growling sound come from his father, Eleazar, who stood behind Teresa. “And as far as providing a proper upbringing, I believe my husband and I are more capable of providing that than you. Thank you for reminding me that you had made a cash offer to buy my child from me still stands, but I must decline.”

  Allen spoke up then, acting in his official capacity as Sheriff. “Mr. and Mrs. Ferraro, I need to speak with you privately. Mr. Webster here has some information he’d like to share with you and me. This way, please,” he said, gesturing to the front entrance through the curious crowd. His words and tone gave them no options as they arrogantly moved through the crowd.

  The men all looked at Teresa with pride shining in their eyes. Even Allen looked back at her and grinned, giving her a thumbs-up as he escorted the Ferraros out. Teresa turned back to thank the men standing around her, so she missed the look of love and regret on Allen’s face, although Angel saw it. Allen didn’t try to hide it but instead nodded at him. Angel hoped he never knew the regret of letting down the woman he adored. It looked painful, judging by Allen’s eyes. He nodded back before turning to her and giving her a hug and a tender kiss. She sighed like the world’s weight had fallen off her shoulders.