“The locals haven’t whispered a word about Big E. It’s strange.”
“All the latest gossip came from Ms. Beverly and she can hardly hear when you shout into her good ear. I really doubt Big E would’ve confided in her. She also has a habit of mixing up family trees so she might’ve been talking about anyone.”
“I think the town is in the dark as much as we are.” Ethan guided her around a city grate in the sidewalk. “But Big E’s life is that ranch. He has to come back eventually.”
But Ethan wouldn’t. She could hear that in the silence that dropped between them. “Surely Big E wouldn’t abandon his grandsons. You and your brothers are his family.”
“He’ll come back for the Blackwell Ranch.” Ethan’s voice was tight as if he held his breath against some deep pain. “He always told us that if we tended the land, it would give back more than we could imagine. The land is and will always be more reliable than people.”
“Do you believe that?”
“I believe the land always comes first with my grandfather. Always.”
But Ethan wanted to sell the Blackwell Ranch. Sell the land. Did he believe his grandfather loved the land more than his family? He was wrong, of course. She’d seen the pride and love in Big E when he’d talked about his grandsons at the store. “Do you think Big E will go along with the changes at the guesthouse? He never struck me as a fancy soap, high-thread count kind of guy.”
“Big E is a dive-in-the-river-and-bathe kind of guy.” Ethan and Grace followed the family with the stroller into the bed-and-bath store. The family moved into the children’s section, while Ethan veered off into the bathroom aisle, pulling Grace with him. “If there’s profit from the changes, Big E won’t complain.”
“He won’t thank you for helping out and making improvements?” Grace asked.
“That’s never been Big E’s style.” Ethan examined various shower curtains. “He’s never been big on hugs, or showing a lot of public affection. That stuff makes a person weak, he said.”
Grace touched her stomach. Little boys needed hugs and cuddles as much as little girls. All children needed praise, especially children who’d lost both parents unexpectedly and had their world turned upside down.
Ethan tossed a beach-themed washcloth at her. “Stop with the pity. Big E raised us as he was raised. We’re better prepared for whatever life throws our way.”
Perhaps, but she doubted an arm around a shoulder here, or a word of encouragement there, would’ve made the boys any less prepared for life. How prepared was Ethan to be a father? She wasn’t sure. Maybe he didn’t want to talk about the baby because he feared he wouldn’t be a good dad. She’d have to assure him otherwise.
They’d put off the discussion far too long.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
GRACE OPENED HER EYES, ready to apologize for sleeping during the entire drive back to Falcon Creek. But the large animal, which looked like it had gotten stuck in a cotton factory, racing between the barns and then out in front of Ethan’s truck disrupted her making amends. “Was that a llama?”
Ethan took off his sunglasses and scanned the pastures. “Looked like it.”
“When did you get a llama?” Grace caught sight of the giant fluff ball and shouted, “There it goes!”
“I had no idea we were getting a llama.” Ethan slowed the truck on the long driveway. “It wasn’t here when I left this morning.”
“There it is again, but it wasn’t that brown. That’s definitely a llama too, but not the same one.” Grace pointed at the little girl with braids, bright rain boots and an even brighter smile, running and laughing after Katie. “And that looks like one of Jon’s girls.”
Ethan jammed his truck into Park and opened the door. “That is Gen, and there’s Abby, carrying the piglet.”
Grace scrambled out of the truck after Ethan.
Katie rounded a corner, holding a goat. “Nice to see you came back finally.” Katie handed Ethan the goat. “Now you can catch the llamas and find someplace to put the pair.”
Ethan set the goat down. It bleated and scrambled after Katie’s dog. “What happened?”
Katie scowled. “That goat won’t leave Hip’s side. But that’s the least of our problems.”
Matching squeals pierced the air as Gen and Abby raced to reach their uncle first. Ethan lifted both girls in his arms and squeezed until more laughter erupted.
Grace’s mouth dropped open. Big E may have withheld the cuddles, but not Ethan. He seemed more alive with the twins in his arms.
“The llamas arrived and spooked the pigs and donkeys.” Katie threw her hands up and chased after Hip and Billy. “The goats raced around the pen while Billy smashed through every fence he could find.”
Ethan bounced the twins, pretended to drop them and earned more laughter. Along with a chorus of do that again. “The pens weren’t finished.”
“I know that now.” Katie tried to shoo the goat away from Hip.
Ethan set his nieces down and strode after Katie. “No one mentioned llamas. They need non-climbing fencing over five feet.”
Katie gave up on the goat and confronted Ethan. “While you were shopping, I accepted delivery of the llama pair. Surprise.”
“We’re running out of suitable places to house the zoo,” Ethan said.
“That’s why you need to work, not shop,” Katie shot back.
“Let’s get the animals calmed and then we can decide what to do about the pens. Uh, Katie...” Grace stepped forward, but resisted putting her hand on Katie’s arm. There was a green goo oozing down from her shoulder. “What is all over you?”
Ethan smiled. “Llama guts.” He teased Katie like the sibling she almost was. “What did you do to the llama? They don’t usually spit on people.”
“Nothing.” Katie grimaced at her shirt. “I just tried to guide the stubborn beast into the pen.”
“You touched its neck, didn’t you?” Ethan shook his head as if he was a mentor disappointed in his apprentice. “Touching its neck can make a llama want to fight. You need to let a llama smell you and your breath first.”
Next to Ethan, Abby copied Ethan’s stance with her arms crossed over her chest and her head shaking in time with her uncle’s.
Grace grimaced, vowing to herself to never get that close to a llama. Ethan and little Abby could befriend the llamas together all they liked.
“Yes, well, I’m not a llama whisperer.” Katie shook her shirt, trying to flick the green goo onto the ground. “I prefer one-thousand-pound thoroughbreds.”
A hammering like a mallet against metal echoed into the evening air. Grace searched the fields. “Is that another escapee?”
“That’s Jon.” Katie called Hip to her side and waited while Billy caught up to them. “I put out an SOS to Jon before the entire zoo escaped.”
Abby tugged on Grace’s hand. “I caught one piglet, but let it go when you guys got here.”
“You did very well,” Grace said. “Should we see how we can help now?”
Abby nodded. “Maybe we can catch more piglets.”
The group walked toward the petting zoo, Billy and Hip in the lead. Trout barked a welcome. Lydia released the fence pole she’d been holding for Jon and came over to greet them. “Didn’t expect our dinnertime to be this exhausting. It’s good to have more hands.”
Katie glanced at Grace. “Speaking of dinner, Grace, your mom dropped off a pot roast with a bag of potatoes, carrots and detailed directions.”
Grace’s stomach dropped. She wasn’t the best cook when she wasn’t pregnant. She looked at Ethan, longing for an exit strategy.
“Lydia, would you mind handling the pot roast?” Ethan touched Grace’s shoulder. “I need Grace’s help with Butterscotch.”
Lydia glanced between them, her gaze jumping back and forth as if she wanted to ask more. “That de
pends. Do we get to join you for dinner?”
“There’s enough in there to feed the whole guest lodge, if it was full.” Katie pinched her dirty flannel shirt away from her body.
“My mom doesn’t know how to cook for less than a dozen,” Grace offered.
Jon walked up and set his arm around Lydia’s waist and grinned. “Then it’s dinner at the Blackwell Ranch tonight. Seems fair for the inconvenience of chasing down petting zoo runaways.”
Lydia clapped her hands together. “Give me an hour to get everything prepared.”
Katie pinched another section of her wet shirt away from her body. “That gives me time to shower, change and burn this top.”
“Jon and I will work on the pens,” Ethan said. “Grace, can you handle Butterscotch?”
She wouldn’t let the concern in his voice soften her. “With my assistants, I can.” Grace grabbed Gen’s hand and then Abby’s. “How about it, ladies? Can you help with Butterscotch?”
Gen nodded, clearly excited to be with the horse.
Abby looked at Ethan. “Uncle, can I help you?”
Ethan lowered on one knee to be face-to-face with his niece. “I have a special favor to ask you. There are two friends in my cabin who are a little scared to be here. Can you check on them for me? Coconut is the rabbit and Pixie is the hedgehog. They might need some water and food. Pixie likes to walk in her wheel at night. Can you make sure the wheel is working for her?”
Abby nodded and clutched her uncle’s shoulders, leaning in close. Her expression was serious, her voice matter-of-fact. “Uncle, they also need love. Coconut and Pixie need to know they’re loved, then they won’t be scared anymore.”
“They definitely need love.” Ethan set his forehead against Abby’s before wrapping the little girl up into another bear hug. He reached for Gen next. His gaze was grateful when he looked up at Grace.
Grace led the girls away to Butterscotch’s stall and swiped at her eye. She’d explain something got stuck in her eye if asked. The truth: the bond between Ethan and his nieces touched her heart. He made Big E out to be cold and distant, yet Ethan was anything but with Abby and Gen. Certainly he’d be the same with his own child, wouldn’t he?
After order was restored at the petting zoo and Katie took leftover containers to her cabin, Grace helped Lydia dry dishes and clean up the kitchen. Ethan and Jon had suggested a game of Go Fish while the girls waited for the brownies to come out of the oven.
Dishwasher loaded, and the rest of the pot roast stashed in the refrigerator, Grace dried her hands and watched the lively card game happening in the living room. Lydia stepped up beside Grace and handed her a mug of homemade cocoa. “They’re fun to watch together.”
Grace smiled and stared at the whipped cream swirl dissolving in her hot chocolate, but the image of Ethan with his nieces failed to dissolve from her mind.
Ethan lifted Gen up with a peal of delighted laughter and plopped her down on the other side of him on the sofa. Gen giggled and rolled across the cushion.
Jon waved Lydia and Grace over. Lydia picked up the tray of hot chocolate mugs and marshmallows. “I think the Blackwell boys have a lot of their parents’ goodness imprinted inside them. They just need someone to remind them of it every now and then.”
Lydia was that someone for Jon. Finished with handing out the mugs of hot chocolate, Lydia squeezed into the recliner beside Jon. His arm circled her waist, her head settled on his shoulder.
Did Grace want that too? She couldn’t watch Ethan adore their child like he adored his nieces and not want some of that same affection for herself. Grace set her mug on the coffee table and touched Ethan’s shoulder. “I should get going. I promised Pops that I’d bring him bear claws and pecan muffins from Maple Bear Bakery in the morning.”
Ethan grinned at her and shuffled the cards like he was a professional card player. “Are you sure we can’t entice you to play one round?”
If she played one round, she might want to stay for another. And another. Then she might simply just want to stay. But this hadn’t ever been about staying. This was supposed to be about her building her own life with her own child.
Ethan scooted over on the sofa and patted the cushion. “I’ll give you a thermos with hot chocolate to warm you up for the drive home after you lose.”
“What if I win?” Did she dare play for more than bragging rights? It was a simple game of Go Fish, it wasn’t about relationships. Still, as she stood there, looking at Ethan, something in her chest said she wanted to be Ethan’s first choice. His one true love.
This had to be her first and last dinner with the Blackwell family. A few hours with the adorable twins and surrounded by Jon and Lydia’s love made Grace wish for the impossible.
Ethan grabbed her hand and tugged her onto the sofa beside him. “I’ll pick up pastries for Pops in the morning, if I lose.”
Grace sank into the couch beside Ethan. That errand would bring Ethan to the store early in the morning. She wouldn’t need to make up a reason to see him. She should leave. Escape now. Before she did something unforgivable like giving Ethan her heart.
Ethan nudged her shoulder but failed to nudge any sense back into her thoughts. She told him, “You have a deal. Who goes first?”
* * *
SARAH ASHLEY KNOCKED ONCE, then walked into Grace’s bedroom. “How goes Operation Rescue Blackwell?”
“What’s your angle, Sarah Ashley?” Grace glanced up from her laptop. “You’re helping Ethan save the Blackwell Ranch. What do you want in exchange?”
Sarah Ashley sat on the end of Grace’s bed. “Why can’t I want my little sister to be happy?”
Her sister believed if she was happy then everyone around her should be happy too. Sarah Ashley’s happiness should be enough for everyone. Grace closed her laptop. “Well, I’m happy. So you’ve gotten what you wanted.”
Sarah Ashley circled her palm in front of Grace’s face. “This isn’t the picture of happiness.”
“I’m tired. We spent the entire day scouring the stores for your very specific list of items.” Scoured how many stores for the perfect soap dish or shower curtain for each themed room. Passed how many strollers with doting parents. So many that Grace wondered if it was family day in Billings. With every passing stroller, she’d wanted to grab Ethan and yell: I want that too. Then add in a softer voice: But only if you do.
Grace added, “The Blackwell Ranch doesn’t have extra money in its budget for all that stuff by the way.” From the little Ethan had admitted, his personal finances didn’t have any extra room either.
Sarah Ashley waved her hand. “It won’t be a total loss. Everything will get used by the guests.”
“The guests that haven’t booked at the ranch yet,” Grace countered.
“My friends will come through.” Sarah Ashley braided her hair like they were kids again and going to stay up all night, whispering secrets to each other. “That’s all you did today? Shop for the ranch.”
They’d also raced through children’s sections. Or avoided the baby departments completely. She wasn’t talking about that with her sister. “I added another client to my business.”
Sarah Ashley’s eyebrows pulled together. “You really only ever think about work, don’t you?”
Not recently. Thoughts of Ethan, babies and ever-afters infiltrated her workday quite often. Grace pushed up her glasses as if her lenses reflected her common sense. She should’ve cleaned the lenses earlier; common sense would have told her to leave the Blackwells a lot sooner.
“There’s also nothing wrong with enjoying life.” Sarah Ashley scooted closer to her.
“Is that what you’re doing?” Grace asked. “Enjoying life?”
Sarah Ashley shrugged. “I’m still learning what I want from my life.”
“So am I,” Grace said. She feared what she wanted. What she could nev
er have.
“You already have it figured out. You’ve always been a detailed planner,” Sarah Ashley said. “You’re just too scared to take what you want.”
Grace sat back and looked at her sister. “Not everyone is you.”
“That’s a blessing.” Sarah Ashley laughed. “I like standing out too much.”
And Grace never had. But she’d stand out soon enough in town. Then she’d have to stand up against the rumors and gossip. Pregnant and unmarried in Falcon Creek. If only Ethan would stay. “How do you do it?”
“What?” Her sister stopped braiding.
“Take what you want and not care about the consequences?”
“It isn’t that I don’t care about the fallout.” Sarah Ashley finished the braid and coiled her thick hair around her head like a professional hairstylist. “I just care about myself more.”
“That’s rather selfish,” Grace said.
Sarah Ashley grinned, grabbed a heart-shaped throw pillow and tossed it at Grace. “You always were too tenderhearted.”
And her sister was always too confident. Grace hugged the pillow. “Kindness isn’t a flaw.”
“Not to you,” Sarah Ashley said. “But we’ve always been different.”
“Is that another flaw of mine?” Grace asked.
“It’s fact.” Sarah Ashley stretched her legs out across the bed. “Here’s the thing. I wouldn’t have wasted an entire day alone with Ethan shopping for inconsequential things.”
“You gave him that list with instructions.”
Sarah Ashley crossed her arms over her chest, disapproval etched in her frown and voice like a censuring teacher’s. “I gave you time alone with Ethan.”
“Why?” Why would her sister do that? Ethan was her ex-boyfriend. Grace hadn’t been truthful with Sarah Ashley.
“Like I said before, I want you to be happy.” Sincerity from her sister. A sense of genuine caring. Grace was stunned.
“With your ex-boyfriend?” Grace eyed her sister. “The one who can’t love me.”
The Rancher's Rescue Page 17
