“I never said he can’t love you. Only that he won’t,” she said.
Can’t. Won’t. What did it matter? The result would be the same. Grace would be left with a broken heart and a one-sided love. Grace hugged the pillow tighter. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
“That’s your problem, little sister,” Sarah Ashley said. “You don’t talk.”
“What are we doing right now?” Grace asked. “Sounds a lot like a conversation.”
“This right here won’t ever get you what you want.” Sarah Ashley waved her hands between them. “This is just a diversion.”
“From what?”
“From taking what you want and not caring about the consequences.” Sarah Ashley’s eyes widened with the challenge.
Grace stuttered. She’d even skipped out on saying goodbye to Ethan the morning after. She was a coward. Even now. So she hedged, “We’ve established that I’m not you.”
“Maybe you should try to be me.” Sarah Ashley stood and stared at Grace. “Maybe if you tried, you’d find something better than you imagined.”
Or maybe she’d find heartache and pain. “No offense, but you’re living at home after three months of marriage. Is this everything you imagined?”
“Not exactly, but it will be.” Sarah Ashley smiled, the wide, confident stretch of her lips that dared anyone around her to challenge her, and walked out of the room.
Grace punched the stuffing in the heart-shaped pillow back into place. How many times had she bit her tongue today? Not out of fear that Ethan would say no to staying with her in Falcon Creek. But more from fear that Ethan would say yes out of a deep sense of duty. Obligation. Responsibility. He’d stay in Falcon Creek and pretend for the baby. Because of the baby. When she wanted him to stay for her. Because of her.
Grace wasn’t anyone’s fairy tale, she reminded herself. But she could be Ethan’s friend and financial advisor. Right. That’s where she excelled. The friend zone. She’d let her sister keep on taking what she wanted and Grace would continue to be herself.
* * *
SARAH ASHLEY CLOSED her sister’s bedroom door, checked her parents’ empty bedroom and went downstairs. She smiled at her father asleep in his favorite recliner and covered him with one of Grandma Brewster’s handmade quilts. She followed the light streaming from beneath the study door and found her mom hunched over the coffee table scattered with puzzle pieces. The dogs were sprawled out around her feet.
Her mom pointed at the puzzle box. “This one has over three thousand pieces. Your father insists it’ll take me longer than a week to finish. If you help me, I’ll win.”
No one in the Gardner family could ever seem to resist a challenge. “Isn’t that cheating?”
“Only if you tell.” Her mom patted the sofa cushion next to her.
“Grace is better at puzzles,” Sarah Ashley said. But she was better at love. “You should ask her to help.”
“Where is she?”
“In bed.”
Her mom frowned. “Then you didn’t find out about her day.”
Sarah Ashley tiptoed around the dogs and sat next to her mom on the sofa. “There’s nothing to find out. They spent the day shopping for the ranch.” She held her sister’s confidence about starting her own business. She’d let Grace share that news with their parents when the time was right.
Her mother held up a puzzle piece and stared at Sarah Ashley. “That can’t be all.”
Sarah Ashley snapped an edge piece into place and grinned. “They’re going to need more of a push.”
“Or a hard shove.” Her mother turned back to the puzzle, but from the way she worried her bottom lip, Sarah Ashley knew her thoughts were centered on how best to help her middle daughter.
Sarah Ashley agreed and settled in to build the puzzle with her mom and her sister’s love life.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ETHAN KNOCKED ON the front door to the Gardner family home. He’d already dropped off oven-hot pastries from Maple Bear Bakery and freshly brewed coffee for Pops. While visiting he’d cleared both Lucky and Sunshine to return home with Gordy that afternoon. Pops had told Ethan between bites of pecan cinnamon muffin and chess moves that Alice and Frank always rode to the store together every morning around 8:30 a.m. Ethan had checked his watch, made one more chess move and rushed to the Gardner house.
He should’ve run his idea by Grace, but there hadn’t been time. As it was he’d come up with the idea when he’d searched the stainless steel refrigerator for breakfast that morning and decided leftover pot roast was his best option.
Alice Gardner opened the door and smiled. “Ethan, this is a surprise. Are you here for Grace?”
“No, I came to see you.” But I wouldn’t object if Grace happened to be here as well. He hadn’t seen Grace since last night when she’d won three games of Go Fish. He’d sent her home with a thermos of hot chocolate anyway, and another almost-kiss.
“Come on back to the kitchen.” Alice opened the door wider and waved him inside. “I’m putting together our lunches while Frank savors his first and only cup of coffee.”
Frank Gardner sat at the square kitchen table and greeted Ethan with a lift of his coffee mug. The words Best Dad Ever were engraved on the large mug. “Only thing I’m allowed to put sugar in these days is my coffee.”
“Don’t listen to him, Ethan.” Alice tapped her husband’s shoulder on her way to the kitchen island. Two Tupperware bowls were already filled with lettuce and a variety of garden vegetables. “It’s not that bad. Frank still gets the occasional cookie and ice cream.”
“Without real cream and sugar, it’s only frozen ice. No matter what you want to call it, that isn’t ice cream.” Frank shook his head and frowned into his mug as if he couldn’t figure out where his taste buds had gone. “Eat now, Ethan, before the doctors take away all your joy.”
Alice cut up a carrot and tossed a large chunk on the table in front of Frank. “That’s to dip in your coffee.”
Frank waved the carrot at Ethan. “This is your future, Ethan. Eat all the good stuff while you can.”
“I apologize, Ethan. Frank is feeling rather dramatic this morning.” Alice chopped a zucchini with the precision of a seasoned chef. “He’s always liked farm vegetables and fruits.”
“And apple pie. Raspberry pie. Blueberry cobbler. Haven’t seen any of those on the dinner table in so long I’ve forgotten the taste.” Frank crunched down hard on the carrot.
Ethan accepted the coffee Alice handed him in a plain, sturdy white ceramic mug. He was glad because he wasn’t certain he’d have been able to drink out of a Best Dad Ever mug. He wasn’t a father yet and already he felt as if he’d failed his child.
He was certain the Gardners wouldn’t consider him the best of anything once he left town to start his new career without Grace. But if Grace left with him, the Gardners would most likely resent him even more. They’d lose a daughter and their first grandchild. He was not venturing into that particular conversation with the Gardners without Grace beside him. “Alice, I don’t know which I like more, your homemade desserts or fabulous dinners?”
“We’ve debated that over the years,” Frank said. Alice sat next to him at the kitchen table. Frank leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Never did decide what she’s best at. Maybe we should have another cook-off. Dinner versus dessert.”
Alice laughed, shaking her head before returning Frank’s kiss with one of her own. “Nice try.”
If Ethan considered marriage, he’d want to be married like the Gardners, who still shared a special kind of affection. He’d want the same kind of unconditional support that only grew stronger just like the Gardners. Had he not spent so much time around the Gardners, he wouldn’t have known long-lasting marriages like theirs existed. Although he liked to imagine his parents’ marriage would’ve lasted. The Gardners trusted each ot
her with their hearts. But Ethan wasn’t convinced he could ever do that. He’d seen the deep, emotional pain Jon suffered when he separated from his first wife, and the mockery his grandfather made of marriage. The result was he doubted he’d ever have a happy marriage. Good thing marriage advice wasn’t the help he required from Alice right now.
“I have an offer for you, Alice.” Ethan bet Alice could make a frozen dinner taste good and he banked on her obvious love of cooking now. “It’s not for a cook-off as it’d require lunch, dinner and desserts for a week. The only debate would be the menu, but you’d have full control.”
Alice set her elbows on the table and leaned forward. Interest was there in her cheerful gaze. “What are you asking?”
“I’m hoping you’ll agree to cook for the Zigler family of thirty that arrives at the Blackwell Ranch at the end of next week.”
Alice looked at Frank and then at Ethan. Surprise shifted across her face. “You want me to cook for the guests at the ranch?”
Ethan nodded. “You’re one of the best in town.”
“Big E and Zoe preferred to cater.” Frank rubbed his chin. “Always saw the trucks from the city heading out to the ranch.”
“I’d like to make the experience more personal,” Ethan said, using another one of Sarah Ashley’s suggestions. Besides, he couldn’t afford the highly rated personal chef experience the city promised. He paused and drew a deep breath. These days it seemed everything in his life came back to money and his lack of it. “I’d like to tell you that was my only motive. But the other issue is money. Blackwell can pay for the food, but we can’t pay for your time.”
Frank nodded and glanced at his wife. “Have to respect his honesty.”
Ethan choked on his sip of coffee. If he were truly honest, he’d tell her parents that he was having a baby with Grace. Their own daughter. The one he hoped was upstairs getting ready for work after sleeping in as he’d completed her morning tasks with Pops for her. He’d been glad to lose at Go Fish last night to give Grace the reprieve she’d never take on her own. “But I have a barter in mind.”
“Let’s hear it.” Again Alice leaned forward.
Her smile reminded him of Grace’s: welcoming, kind, authentic. “I’ll give you free vet exams for all your animals.” The Gardners had four rescue cats and three rescue dogs and if his suspicions were correct, Mrs. Gardner would take in more animals if they needed homes.
Alice brightened and smiled. “Ethan, I’m sure you and I can work out something. Now what did you have in mind for the menu?”
Ethan skipped his gaze to Frank, silently pleading for inspiration. He’d lived on chicken noodle soup and takeout for far too many years. “I’m assuming pizza every night wouldn’t be acceptable.”
Frank laughed and picked out an apple from the hand-carved wooden fruit bowl in the center of the table. “Not if you want future guests at the ranch.”
“My culinary skills don’t extend beyond cereal, grilled cheese and chicken soup.” He could also list which fast-food places delivered the quickest and who had the best deals back in Denver. But none of that helped the guest ranch in Falcon Creek.
Alice propped her chin on her hand and studied him. “What about Katie? Does she have any cooking experience?”
“Katie likes food. That is, she likes to eat all kinds.” Ethan and Katie had been fighting over Alice’s leftovers every day. Which was why he’d hid the pot roast behind the carton of expired milk and the wilted broccoli this morning. With luck, Katie wouldn’t touch the stale milk and the pot roast would be waiting for his lunch. “If Katie can cook gourmet style, I haven’t tasted it.”
“You want me to create the whole menu then?” Delight lightened Alice’s voice and rushed across her face.
“Desperately. I can do the shopping if you make me a list.” He’d proven yesterday with Grace that he excelled at checking items off lists. And if Katie ever stopped adding to his fix-it list, he might complete that one too.
“You’ll also help with some prep,” Alice added.
Ethan leaned away from the table and scratched his chin. He hadn’t helped anyone in the kitchen in years. Not since his mother had passed away. When his mom had been alive, he’d often been too busy running outside with his brothers to ask if she needed him. He should’ve asked more often. “I’m not sure you want me in the kitchen.”
“I most certainly do want you there.” Alice stood up and grabbed a notepad and pencil from the island.
“Where do you want Ethan?” Grace asked. She stood in the doorway behind him, but made no move to come into the kitchen.
Ethan cataloged Grace from her tilted bun to her slightly pale cheeks, to the way her gaze darted from one person to the other without landing for more than a few seconds on anyone. She looked like she needed a nap, more soup and a long hug. He wasn’t sure in which order. Surely, she knew he wouldn’t tell her parents about the baby without talking to her first.
Her mother filled a mug with hot water from a teapot on the stove and smiled at Grace. “In the kitchen.”
Grace’s gaze continued to hop around the room. Ethan cleared his throat, pulling her attention to him. “Your mom has graciously agreed to create the menu and cook for the Zigler family arriving at the ranch next week.” Ethan pulled out the chair beside him and motioned for Grace to sit. She looked like she wanted to collapse and that would only raise questions neither of them wanted to answer. “She seems to think I’d be helpful in the kitchen with her.”
“He will be.” Alice set a mug and peppermint tea bag in front of Grace. “But we can settle those details later. There’s something we need to settle right now.” Alice paused, looked at Ethan and then Grace, as if to ensure she had their full attention. Seeming satisfied, she continued, her voice mild yet slightly curious, as if she wanted to know what they’d put on their Christmas wish list. “Your father and I would like to know what you two are doing about the baby.”
Grace spit her tea back into her mug.
Ethan rubbed Grace’s back and blurted out the only answer that came to him. “Grace refused to marry me.”
“Rightly so.” Frank handed Grace a napkin from the holder and frowned. “I don’t recall anyone asking for my blessing. Seems that’s the first thing that should’ve happened.”
“There are a lot of things that should’ve happened first.” Alice pushed her chair back and took Frank’s hand. “But we can’t dwell on all that now. It’s not productive.”
“How did you know?” Grace whispered.
“I was at your sister’s wedding too.” Alice glanced at Ethan before tilting her head at Grace. “I also had three daughters so I know a little something about what pregnancy looks like.”
Grace set her elbow on the table and cradled her forehead in her palm. “We were going to tell you.”
Ethan nodded as if that would prove he and Grace were a united front on all things baby-related. The truth was much more complicated. Or perhaps they’d made it complicated by avoiding the topic altogether.
“I don’t doubt that you would’ve told us eventually.” Alice stretched out the last word as if she didn’t quite believe her daughter.
“Your mom isn’t the most patient when it’s something this important.” Frank draped his arm around Alice’s shoulders.
They were the united front. The ones forcing Grace and Ethan to confront the situation.
“So what are your plans?” Alice asked.
“I have a doctor’s appointment late next week,” Grace said, talking into her teacup.
“I’m driving her,” Ethan put in. Grace glanced at him. Ethan shrugged, although it was more of a quick tensing of his shoulders. What did she want him to say? Neither one of them were offering up engaging conversation exactly.
Alice looked at Frank, her expression bewildered, as if she struggled to figure out why everyone wasn’
t on the same page. “It’s great you have the next few days planned. What about the rest of the baby’s life?”
“We haven’t gotten that far yet,” Grace said.
“We’re taking it one day at a time,” Ethan added and then cringed.
“That would be fine if this was a conversation about when to start a diet,” Frank said. “But you’re both having a child. A child that’s going to be totally reliant on the parents to have it together.”
Weren’t parents supposed to make their kids feel better? Grace looked ill, her skin pale and tinged with green. Ethan swallowed, battling down his own queasiness. “I intend to be there for the baby and Grace.”
“You were man enough to start this, I’d expect you’ll be man enough to be there through the rest of it.” Frank’s gaze locked on Ethan. His tone was direct, his voice uncompromising. “Children are a lifetime commitment.”
What kind of man did Frank expect Ethan to be? The kind that stayed in town with an empty bank account and nothing to give his child. Or the kind that left town to build a career that would allow him to one day pay for his child’s college.
Grace straightened beside Ethan, no longer withering into her chair like a teenager who’d broken curfew again. “I’m starting my own accounting business.”
Ethan straightened beside her, absorbing Grace’s confidence for himself.
“Do you think now is the best time with the baby coming?” Alice asked.
“I’ve been building up my client list the last few weeks.” Grace smiled at Ethan. “Ethan has been helping me.”
“It’s just that is a lot to take on with a newborn.” Alice clenched her hands together on the table.
Grace reached over and covered her mom’s hands. “I won’t abandon Brewster’s.”
“The store will be fine.” Alice pulled away and sat back as if offended. “Our concern is you, Grace. Even you can only handle so much. That’s not a criticism.”
Grace touched his arm; her fingers were cold and stiff, unlike her pleasant tone. “I’ve been looking at potential office spaces already.”
The Rancher's Rescue Page 18
