The Kincaid Bride

by Jackie Merritt

  Today’s meeting was drawing to a close when an intercom line rang. Melanie just happened to be closest to the phone and she pushed the speaker button. “Yes?”

  “Is Melanie Kincaid in there?” the receptionist asked.

  “This is Melanie,” she said as her co-workers left the conference room.

  “You have a call on line eight, Melanie. It’s your grandfather, Garrett Kincaid.”

  Melanie stiffened and gaped at the phone. Her heart began pounding because not once in her entire life had her grandfather ever phoned her. Even the news of her father’s death had been delivered to her through Sue Ellen.

  “Thank you, Janice,” she finally got out. “I’ll take the call in my office.”

  Hurrying out of the room, she then thought about saying hello to her grandfather sounding as though she’d just run a mile, so she forced herself to slow down. Entering her office, she put down the notebooks she’d had with her at the meeting and reached for the phone. Then, at the very last second, it occurred to her that this unusual phone call probably had an ominous purpose. Something had happened to Collin, and this time Garrett was telling her first!

  Panicked, she put the phone to her ear and said, “Granddad, what’s wrong?”

  “Melanie?”

  “Yes! Is Collin all right? Are you?”

  “I’ve frightened you, and I apologize. Nothing is wrong, Melanie. I merely wanted to talk to you.”

  Melanie was flabbergasted. Slowly, she sank onto her desk chair. “You…you wanted to talk to me?”

  “Yes, honey. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking in the past month or so, and I haven’t been much of a grandfather to you. Melanie, would you consider visiting the ranch?”

  “Uh…yes…of course…but…” She was so confused she couldn’t think straight.

  After all this time, her grandfather was inviting her to the ranch? How many times had she wished on the first evening star for a call like this one? It never came from Garrett, nor from her dad. Collin phoned every so often, but even he hadn’t said, “Hey, sis, why don’t you pack your jeans and boots and fly to Montana for a visit?”

  “I’ve taken you by surprise, haven’t I?” Garrett said. “You know, Collin told me some time back that you’ve become quite a horsewoman. I just happen to have several new fillies that need breaking. How would you like the job?”

  “Uh, Granddad, I have a job.”

  “Well, sure you do, but couldn’t you take some time off and come to Montana for a few weeks? Melanie, I know this call is long overdue. I’ve neglected you and I regret it more than I can say. But it’s not too late to make amends, is it?”

  Nervously twisting a lock of her long blond hair around her forefinger, Melanie battled tears as she listened to her grandfather’s voice. “No, Granddad, it’s not too late,” she said in a voice thick with emotion. “I have plenty of vacation time coming, but I’ll have to talk to the powers-that-be about taking it on short notice. May I call you back after I find out if it’s all right?”

  “Call anytime, honey. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

  Melanie was almost too overcome by emotion to even speak. “Goodbye, Granddad.”

  “Bye, honey.”

  After hanging up, Melanie covered her face with her hands and realized that she was trembling from head to toe. Why hadn’t her dad ever called and invited her to visit? She had never felt close to her dad or grandfather and she’d felt so cheated at her father’s funeral. Her mother was right. Always, in the back of her mind, had been the thought that someday she would get to know her dad, and then, without warning six months ago, there was no chance at all of that ever happening.

  My Lord, the same thing could happen with Granddad!

  Lowering her hands, she dried her eyes with a tissue and blew her nose. Someway, no matter how, she was going to convince Harry and anyone else who might object that she had to use her accumulated vacation time right away. The company certainly would not collapse without her for a few weeks, although Harry might. He would try to stop her, she knew. But she wasn’t going to let him. Not in this matter.

  Rising, she squared her shoulders and strode from her office to the personnel office. It was the place to start when employees wanted to discuss their annual vacations.

  After the call to Melanie, Garrett swiveled his chair around so he could look out the window. It was a joy to see the trees leafing out, as it was every spring. But this spring was not the same as so many others. This spring, he was without his son, and however much heartache Larry had caused him through the years, Garrett missed him.

  Sighing heavily, Garrett turned around to face the desk again. The stack of mail that Eli had mentioned caught his eye, and he picked it up and thumbed through it. He stopped at one envelope and put the others down. After slitting it open with his pocketknife, Garrett slid out one sheet of paper. It was a letter from the attorney in Elk Springs that he’d hired to help him settle Larry’s estate.

  Dear Garrett

  I have arranged with the Elk Springs Bank for you to open Larry’s safety-deposit box. A bank officer will act as witness, so just go to the bank at your convenience.

  Sincerely,

  John Wheaton

  Garrett had thought it strange to find the key to a safety-deposit box in Larry’s bureau. He couldn’t imagine what Larry might have felt was so valuable that it should be kept in a fireproof bank vault.

  He would drive to Elk Springs tomorrow, he decided. There couldn’t be much of anything in that box, but it would be one more painful chore he would be able to put behind him.

  Melanie called her mother that evening before phoning her grandfather. “Mom, I’m going to Montana for three weeks,” she said excitedly.

  “You are?” Clearly, Sue Ellen was astonished. “How did that happen?”

  Melanie gave a little hiccup of a laugh. “You’re going to find this as hard to believe as I did, but Granddad called me at work today and invited me to the ranch for a visit. He said something about breaking a couple of fillies for him, but I think he was using that as bait to get me to go. Mom, I really believe he wants to see me.”

  Sue Ellen sighed. “Melanie, I can guess what Garrett’s invitation means to you, but I don’t want you hurt any more than you’ve been already.”

  “I know, Mom,” Melanie said quietly. “I also know that you are still blaming yourself for Dad’s negligence in remembering that he even had a daughter, and I wish you would stop it.”

  “I took you away.”

  “And I would do the same if I were married to a man who drank, gambled and had absolutely no sense of fidelity. It’s not your fault that Dad forgot all about me the second I was out of sight, and if Collin hadn’t gone back to the ranch every summer as a youngster, then moved there permanently later on, Dad would have forgotten him, too.”

  “That’s probably true,” Sue Ellen said sadly. “Sometimes I remember how funny Larry could be. He was very popular, you know. And in high school he was a top athlete and so handsome. I’ve told you everything about our romance, Melanie, and you know I was very much in love when we married. I…I guess he still occupies a place in my heart and probably always will.”

  “I figured that out when you went with me to his funeral, Mom,” Melanie said softly. “We can’t help whom we love, can we?”

  “Please don’t misunderstand, Melanie. I love Steven very much. It’s just…different from what I felt for your father.”

  “I know, Mom. Getting back to my vacation, I have a flight reservation for Saturday morning.”

  “And you’re very excited about it.”

  “Yes, I am. I welcome the chance to get to know Granddad before he dies, too.”

  “Oh, honey.”

  “I’m sounding terribly morose, and that’s not what I’m feeling. For one thing, I’m looking forward to spending time with Collin.”

  “That is going to be very special, Melanie.”

  “It is, isn’t it? Mom, I’m thril
led about the whole trip. I have a feeling that wonderful things are going to come out of it. Collin, Granddad, the ranch, Montana…it’s like a dream come true. I do wish Dad were still alive, but I’m not going to mope around and feel bad while I’m there. And I’ll do a lot of riding and exploring and…oh, it’s going to be such fun. I can hardly wait.”

  “I wonder what prompted Garrett to think of you after all these years.”

  “Maybe seeing me at the funeral?”

  “Possibly. Yes, that makes sense. Call me before you leave on Saturday so we can say goodbye, okay?”

  Melanie agreed, broke the connection, then dialed her grandfather’s number. “Granddad? It’s me. I’ll be arriving in Missoula at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon.”

  Garrett felt choked up. “I’ll be at the airport to meet your plane.”

  After some small talk about the weather and what clothes she should bring with her, Melanie said, “See you on Saturday, Granddad.”

  “Yes, honey. See you then.” Garrett put down the phone and wiped his eyes. Seemed to him that he got teary-eyed awfully easy these days. “Must be getting old,” he mumbled though he really didn’t believe it. There were times when he felt his age, but not often. He was fortunate to have good health, and at seventy-two he could still turn the head of many a woman.

  Not that he cared, or even noticed. He always had a lot more important things on his mind than some silly flirtation. He’d seen too much of that foolishness from Larry, and Collin had been right today when he’d said that Larry hadn’t inherited his wandering eye from Garrett.

  Truth was, and it pained Garrett to admit it, that Larry had been more like Garrett’s cousin, Jeremiah, who’d been a womanizer from the get-go. Jeremiah was dead, too, murdered by Lexine Baxter, who had also murdered her husband, Dugin, Jeremiah’s son. Actually, Lexine had just about wiped out that side of the family, and she was now in prison, hopefully for the rest of her life.

  Jeremiah’s branch of the family and Garrett’s side had been estranged for many years because of a tragic feud. Garrett had tried to reach out to Jeremiah before his death, but Garrett had received a cool reception. Strangely enough, Jeremiah’s other son, Wayne, was a decent sort, and Garrett and Wayne were finally getting to know each other. They both thought it was time to mend the family rift, and Garrett acknowledged Wayne’s good sense gratefully as he climbed the stairs to retire for the night.

  But recalling Jeremiah, even briefly, had started Garrett thinking about the Kincaid family’s past, and instead of falling asleep, he lay in bed and pondered it all. The split in the family had begun with Zeke and Bart Kincaid. Zeke had been the elder son of Caleb Kincaid, and after their father’s death, Zeke had driven his younger brother off their Whitehorn, Montana, ranch with the help of shifty lawyers and a shotgun. Zeke soon had the deed for the ranch and paid his brother a mere pittance for his share. Bart had been a much gentler soul than his older brother, and rather than enter into a battle that could have ended in bloodshed, he left Whitehorn and settled in western Montana, near the small town of Elk Springs. After marrying and building up his own ranch, Bart tried to make amends with Zeke, but Zeke refused a reconciliation, and the two branches of the Kincaids remained divided. Zeke and his wife, Amanda, had one son—Jeremiah—and three daughters. Bart and his Beatrice had Garrett, Arthur and Louise. Garrett thought it terribly sad that those two closely related families had never gotten to know each other.

  And one other thing struck Garrett as sad; Jeremiah had not only fathered Wayne and Dugin with his wife, Julia, but he had been a notorious philanderer and had also fathered numerous illegitimate children. In fact, the six-year-old child who now owned the ranch that Zeke had cheated Bart out of so many years ago was Jeremiah’s illegitimate daughter, Jennifer “Jenny” McCallum.

  It was all so complicated and difficult to keep straight that Garrett shut his eyes and sought sleep. His final, drowsy thoughts had to do with Larry and the fact that although Larry might have been a womanizer like Jeremiah, at least he hadn’t brought a bunch of illegitimate children into the world. Thank the good Lord for that, Garrett thought.

  Two

  “Collin, I’m going to Elk Springs this morning to open your dad’s safety-deposit box. John Wheaton finally obtained legal permission, and I’d like to get it done right away. You’re welcome to come along if you want.”

  Garrett and Collin were outside, leaning on a corral fence and watching Eli working with a young, unbroken horse. After assigning the men various jobs for the day, Eli had decided to get started with the new fillies Garrett had recently purchased. This one was a pretty gray mare, but she was frisky and sassy, ignoring Eli and then kicking up her heels and running whenever he tried to approach her.

  And “Sassy” was what Eli began calling her. “Come on, Sassy,” he said softly. “No one’s going to hurt you. Let’s be friends.”

  Collin thought Garrett’s invitation over for a few moments. He knew his grandfather. If Garrett had not wanted him to go to the bank with him, he would simply have gone off by himself. Although Collin didn’t believe that it contained anything of importance or value, maybe Garrett felt that Larry’s only son should be there when that safety-deposit box was opened.

  “Sure, I’ll go with you,” Collin said.

  Garrett looked at his watch. “Might as well get going. Eli, we’ll see you later,” he called as they walked to Garrett’s blue pickup truck and got in.

  Eli was used to Collin and Garrett’s camaraderie, but he still felt a little tug of envy when they walked off together. His family circumstances were so vastly different from the Kincaids’. Even Larry, who’d been just plain useless as far as work went, had enjoyed his father’s affection. Of course, Larry had been easy to like, shiftless or not. A charming rogue with countless funny stories and an amazing way with the ladies. A gambler, too, and a hard drinker. Odd when Garrett was as straitlaced as they came. Collin, now, was a lot more like his grandfather than his father, which could be the reason he and Garrett got along so well.

  Again Eli’s thoughts went to his own family. No one in Montana knew his history because he never talked about himself. He couldn’t. It was just too painful.

  Eli had somehow always lived in the shadow of his beloved younger brother, Carson, but he’d never resented it a bit. Carson had been fun-loving, charismatic and careless, quite the opposite of Eli, with his quiet personality and way of doing things. But the two had been the best of friends, and the great tragedy of Eli’s life was Carson’s death in a canoeing accident. Eli blamed himself—he’d been there and should have been able to save Carson—and so did his parents. Eli hadn’t been able to stand Baltimore or law school after Carson’s death and he’d simply vanished and ended up in Elk Springs, Montana, purely by chance. No one in Baltimore knew where he was and no one in Montana knew who he was. In his anonymity, he could almost forget.

  But every so often, he’d feel the pinch of loneliness such as he’d just experienced while watching Garrett and Collin going off together. No one knew about those painfully private moments, either, and no one ever would. Eli was a man of few words, and while he believed the Kincaids and the ranch hands respected and maybe even liked him, it wouldn’t matter if they didn’t. Except for Garrett, of course. Eli was fond of his job and wanted to keep it. If for some reason Garrett decided not to like him, Eli knew he’d be let go.

  But Garrett was a fair man, and Eli believed that as long as he did his job, he would be working right where he was. It was all he wanted from life anymore—a good job, a roof over his head and three square meals a day. The rest of it—the wealth and affluence he’d grown up with, for instance—didn’t mean a hill of beans when compared to what he’d had with Carson. Eli was sure he would never get over his brother’s death, and to this day he had a terrible fear of water.

  Pulling himself from the past, Eli held out his hand to the gray mare and purred, “Come on, Sassy. Let yourself go, sweetheart. Let yourself like me.”
/>
  During the drive to Elk Springs, Garrett mentioned Eli. “He just might be the best foreman I’ve ever had, Collin.”

  “Funny how he never talks about himself, though,” Collin said. “I’m sure he’s educated just by the way he expresses himself when he does say something. But I mentioned college one day, and Eli suddenly had something he had to do.”

  “Well, he’s loyal, tough and trustworthy, and he’s a hard worker. That’s all I need to know.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s enough,” Collin murmured, though he still thought it kind of strange that Eli had worked on the ranch for a good four years—three as an ordinary cowpoke and one as foreman—and not one single person really knew the man.

  In Elk Springs, Garrett drove directly to the bank and parked on the street. When he and Collin walked into the bank, the manager, Owen Palmer, immediately came out of his cubicle and shook hands with both men.

  “How are you, Garrett?”

  “Fine, Owen. We’re here to take a look at Larry’s safety-deposit box.”

  “I’ve been expecting you. Come along. We’ll get the box and take it into the conference room.” Owen led them through the lobby to the vault. “Do you have Larry’s key?”

  “Yes, right here. Do you want it now?” Garrett suddenly didn’t want to do this and he wondered why a reasonably simple chore should cause icy dread to crawl up and down his spine. Why did Larry have a safety-deposit box in the first place? He never saved a dime that I know of, he never owned property, and even the vehicles he drove belonged to the ranch. He’d had no deeds or titles to protect, so why had he rented a safety-deposit box at all?

  “Later, Garrett, when we go into the vault. I need your signature on a few items first.”

  That took a few minutes, and Garrett kept growing more tense. He really had believed that he’d known his son through and through, for Larry had never tried to keep his preferred activities a secret. Not that Garrett knew names and intimate details of Larry’s extravagant love life or much about his circle of gambling and drinking buddies, but Garrett had little doubt that had he asked, Larry would have told him.