When the Glitter Fades (Cowboys of Whispering Winds)

by Renee Peterson

  Guiltily, she remembered Clay. Now there was a man who was dependable and sturdy; a man she could count on anytime. Averting her gaze, she backed out of her parking spot and sped down the road. The sooner she got to Clay, the better.

  Several hours later, the town of Bumblton came into view. Instead of passing through and going home to get ready for her date, Lanie went straight to the hardware store. Constructed from brick, the building hailed from the beginning days of Bumblton over a hundred years ago and its unpretentious appearance was in stark contrast to its rich history. Over the years, it had worn many hats; but for the last thirty years, it has been home to Holme’s Hardware.

  She flipped down the mirror on her car’s sun-visor and pulled a brush from her purse, running it through her locks. After applying a fresh coat of sheer lip color, she hopped out and walked toward the entrance. Inside, the hardware store was a man’s playground of tools, paint and everything needed for home repair and maintenance. A smorgasbord of masculine scents assaulted her nose; metal, mulch, rubber and more. It was a comforting sense, a throwback to simpler times when her dad would bring her along on his Saturday morning trips to town.

  “Hi, Aaron. Is Clay around?” she asked the teenaged boy who was hired for weekend help.

  “He’s in the office, leaving closing notes for Hank; it’s his first night closing the store.”

  “Thanks. How’s senior year going?”

  “Okay for the first week. My AP classes are going to be a killer, but Mr. Clay said it’s cool if I bring my books to study during downtime.” Aaron unloaded the contents of a cart, lining cans of spray paint neatly on a shelf.

  “You’re a smart kid. I’m sure you’ll do fine,” she told him, wishing the best for him. He was a good kid who worked hard and still kept good grades, destined to go places.

  “Thanks, Ms. Lanie.”

  Leaving Aaron to finish his tasks, Lanie walked behind the rear counter where the cash register was and went through the door leading to the office. Her eyes darted around, confirming only she and Clay were in the room. Absorbed in notes, he hadn’t noticed she walked in, allowing her a moment to privately observe him. He was handsome, albeit in a different way than Jeremy. His blonde hair was cut short to his scalp and his jade eyes always shone with sincerity. Almost twenty years out of high school, he still maintained his quarterback’s build. From what she’d heard, he’d been quite the star back then, marrying the prom queen the year after they graduated. The marriage hadn’t lasted but several years, and beyond saying it ‘just didn’t work out,’ Clay never made much mention of it. Fair enough, since she didn’t talk much about her marriage to Jeremy. There she went again with thoughts of him. Enough was enough.

  “Hi there,” he said, looking up and smiling when he saw her. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

  “I thought I’d surprise you.”

  Coming to her, he closed the office door then pulled her to him. He nibbled on her earlobe, sending small shivers of delight through her. “These are the surprises I like,” he murmured, moving his lips downward.

  “Mmm,” she uttered in agreement. This was what she needed. All thoughts of her ex-husband fled away with the onslaught of Clay’s warm, spicy kisses.

  “Hey boss, I think…oh shoot. I’m sorry,” a voice interrupted.

  Lanie jumped back, embarrassed to be caught making out with her boyfriend in his place of employment, even if he is the owner. She ducked her head, hiding her burning face.

  “I’ll be right out, Hank,” Clay told his manager.

  Hank left, closing the door back behind him. Lanie took one look at Clay, then burst into laughter. Mortified as she was, there was still an element of humor to the situation.

  “Sorry,” Clay offered sheepishly.

  “How much longer until you can leave?”

  “Give me ten minutes to go over the notes with Hank. Mind if I run home to change before we go out?”

  “That’s fine. We can leave my car here and leave straight from your house to save a trip, if you’d like.”

  “Are you hungry? We can grab dinner before the movie?”

  “Maybe after. Jeremy and I had a late lunch earlier.”

  “As in ex-husband Jeremy?” Clay looked at her with a quizzical expression.

  “I told you that this morning,” she reminded him, mildly put-off he was making an issue of it.

  “You mentioned he might be coming to work at Whispering Winds, not that you were going to meet him.”

  “I was the logical choice to talk to him,” she defended.

  “Sure,” Clay came back with, his tone full of sarcasm.

  “Look, it was strictly business, nothing more.” Yes it was, her conscience screamed.

  “I know it wasn’t.” Clay’s features relaxed. “Sorry, it just threw me for a loop. I would have thought your dad or Jase would have went, all things considered.”

  Lanie couldn’t respond directly, afraid she’d give herself away. “I’ll wait for you outside.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then left, keeping her stare straight ahead as to not make eye contact with Hank. It might take a while to live down that scene.

  Taking advantage of the time alone while not driving, she called home to check on Cody.

  “He’s fine,” her mom confirmed. “Jase and Allie took him over to their house for a few hours. Allie mentioned setting up a scavenger hunt for him outside.”

  “Cody will love that. Clay’s getting off work early so I came to town and he and I are going to catch a movie, maybe dinner too, and then I’ll be home.”

  “Take your time, sweetheart. How was the meeting with Jeremy?”

  “Okay, I guess.” Lanie answered vaguely.

  “Do you think he’ll come here?” her mom asked, anticipation filling her voice.

  Quiet for a minute, she mentally replayed her conversation with Jeremy. “He’s a broken man, mom. I don’t know. At first he outright refused, but by the time we finished lunch, he seemed more receptive.”

  Even through the phone, she could see her mom’s eyebrows raise. “You had lunch with him?”

  “He was hungry and wanted to eat, and we still had more to discuss.” Was it just her or did her voice sound shaky?

  “Hmm. Do you really think you’ll be okay with him here, if he decides to come?”

  Blowing out an exasperated breath, more toward herself than her mother, she tried to form a generic response, because to be honest, she didn’t know. “It’ll be for the best.”

  “Hmm.” Apparently, her mother’s vocabulary was limited this evening.

  “Clay’s walking out. Have to go. Love you.” She hurriedly disconnected the call, grateful that, for the second time today, Clay had rescued her from an uncomfortable moment.

  Excruciating pain planted itself in Jeremy’s leg. Driving to Whispering Winds alone wasn’t the best idea, but he’d be damned if he had someone drive him. With extreme care, he swung his legs out of his truck, grinding his teeth the entire time. How much longer until he felt whole again? Would he ever? No one was expecting him, at least not in definite terms. Hell, he hadn’t even been sure until he pulled through the opened gate that he’d accept the offer.

  The landscape was familiar. He’d spent a good amount of time here with Lanie while they were dating and in the first years of their marriage. It was a breathtaking plot of land, especially when the forested acres were reached. Funny, looking back, he’d never minded that Lanie wanted to spend so much time here instead of his family’s place. He’d forgotten how peaceful the atmosphere was at Whispering Winds.

  He walked into the impressive two-story lodge, much grander than anything the Travers’ Ranch had boasted. Then again, Travers’ Ranch had never been open to guests. Inside, a tall blonde stood at the welcome desk. Glancing up, her eyes lit with recognition, but she didn’t make any comments alluding to knowing who he was. At least it wasn’t Allie, who he’d been expecting. He hadn’t seen her in years, but now that she was m
arried to Jase, and good friends with Lanie, he’d doubt she’d give him a welcome reception. It wasn’t even that he wanted to be welcomed; he just wanted to slide in and talk to Lanie’s dad, without all the whispers.

  “Can I help you, sir?” asked with a professional tone, yet her eyes revealed an overzealous curiosity.

  “Is Mr. Callahan around?”

  “Jase or Everett?”

  “Everett.”

  “You might be in luck. He passed through a few minutes ago ,about to ride out and check the trails, but you can probably catch up to him if you hurry. The stables are…”

  “I know where they are,” he interrupted, not to be rude, but he didn’t want to miss out talking to Everett before he left. Walking as fast as his limp allowed, he went to the stables. Mr. Callahan hadn’t yet begun to saddle a horse. “The girl at the desk said I could find you in here.”

  Everett’s head jerked back in obvious surprise. A vein in the man’s neck twitched, but he plastered on a smile, one which Jeremy could see straight through. “This is a surprise. When I hadn’t heard from you, I assumed you weren’t interested.”

  “No, sir. I just needed time to ensure this was a wise decision.” He stood fully erect, not favoring any leg regardless of the pain.

  “I’m still not sure it is, but, the fact is, we need help and you’re qualified; more than anyone else we’d be able to find.” Mr. Callahan’s appraising stare found him lacking as a man, it didn’t take a genius to know that; yet, there was a begrudging level of respect for the skill Jeremy could bring.

  “I understand.” All too well, he understood. Either he the world’s biggest fool and wishful thinker, or Lanie was right. Her words had stuck with him long after she’d left that day, several weeks ago. She believed in him, as a dad, even after all the crap he’d pulled. He may have lost faith in himself, but if Lanie hadn’t lost hers, then maybe all hope hadn’t been lost. Maybe there was hope for Cody and him to form a relationship. All he knew was he wanted to try, and coming to Whispering Winds would be a start.

  “Let’s get the elephant out of the way, here and now.” Everett Callahan stared at him through dark and steely eyes. “I’ve never been one to beat around the bush, so here it is. You treated my daughter like yesterday’s leftovers. You chose to ignore the greatest responsibility and privilege a man can be given. As it stands, my opinion of you as a man isn’t high.”

  Jeremy tried not to wince under the man’s harsh speech. “It’s not too high for me either,” he told Lanie’s dad honestly, maintaining his rigid posture. “I’ve made mistakes and a lot of them. Maybe I don’t deserve a second chance to be in Cody’s life, but it appears life is giving me one. I intend to do better this time.”

  A very small, an inkling really, measure of respect appeared in Everett’s eyes. “Good to hear. A son needs his father. I don’t know how in detail Lanie went, but the ranch needs someone with your background to bring us solidly in the black again. For the time being, I can put aside personal feelings and appreciate your coming here. But know this; my family comes first. Anything, anyone, who hurts them gets automatic walking papers.”

  “Understood.”The not-so-veiled threat couldn’t be more obvious.

  “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk.” Mr. Callahan’s entire countenance changed from aggrieved father to driven businessman. “We both know you didn’t take this job for the money, which means you have a higher motivation. I hope we can use that to build things up around here. Let’s go to my office and have you fill out the necessary paperwork, and I’ll tell you what I have planned.”

  “Lead the way,” Jeremy said with strained amiableness. To an extent, he was relieved the air was cleared. Like ripping off a bandage, it was best to get it done and over with it.

  Several people were scattered between the stables and the main lodge, and Jeremy wasn’t oblivious to the stares. It could have been because he was, or had been, a rodeo star or because they knew he was Lanie’s worthless ex; he didn’t know which was true. Hiding his limp as much as possible, he followed Everett into the house and down a hall to his office.

  “Have a seat,” Everett said, waving his hand to a chair by the desk.

  Sinking into the soft cowhide, Jeremy stretched out his bad leg.

  “Rough deal, huh?”

  Jeremy looked up to see an unexpected hint of empathy reflecting off the older man’s expression. “Could have been much worse.”

  Everett pulled some papers from a filing cabinet, attached them to a clipboard and picked a pen out from the cup on his desk. “Fill all of these out so you’re legal. When do you plan on starting?” He took a seat in his chair behind the desk, a camelback style constructed of buffalo leather and antique brass nail heads accenting the frontal curves.

  “October first. I have some prior commitments to wrap up beforehand.” Jeremy looked down at the papers, doing a quick scan of them before beginning to fill out the blanks.

  “Hmm. Alan is leaving us on the thirtieth; I was hoping the two of you could spend a few days together before that.”

  “If he’s free next weekend I can come down for Saturday and Sunday.”

  Everett nodded his approval. “I’ll ask him and get back to you.”

  “Hey dad, I thought you should…” Jase entered the room, stopping midsentence when he saw Jeremy, his face turning to a scowl.

  Some things never change, Jeremy thought. “Good to see you again,” Jeremy greeted, trying to take the high road.

  “Wish the feeling was mutual,” Jase muttered under his breath.

  So that’s how it was going to be; he wasn’t surprised.

  “Sit down, Son. When Jeremy’s done filling out the paperwork, you can show him where he’ll be staying.”

  Jase followed his father’s instructions, the glower deepening.

  Son and former son-in-law both looked incredulously at Everett. “I was planning on renting out a place in town,” Jeremy said.

  “Nonsense. We’re paying you little enough as it is; no sense paying for something elsewhere. Jase’s old cabin is empty; just sitting and collecting dust.”

  One look toward Jase told Jeremy what he thought of the idea. “Allie and I still have some things there,” he protested.

  “Then get it out. You have until the first,” Everett responded, not giving in to his son.

  Jase looked like he wanted to say more, but remained silent.

  Silently, Jeremy agreed with Jase on this; considering the animosity between them, taking over his old place wouldn’t help bridge the gap at all. However, Everett was the boss and he didn’t want to cause more strain. “I’m sure I can find it on my own if you point the way.”

  “No. The tension between both of you is thick enough to cut with a knife. Have a talk, work it out and find a way to leave the past in the past.” Everett gave his son a pointed look. “You’ll be working together often and there’s a lot riding on this. Whispering Winds can’t afford to have the two of you at odds.”

  “I’ll be in the game room when you’re ready,” Jase said, standing to leave.

  An hour later, Jeremy’s hand was cramped from all the paperwork, everything from government forms to liability releases. A long time had passed since he’d had to use his penmanship for much more than giving an autograph. He left the room feeling excited and optimistic. Once Everett had gone into details about what Jeremy would be doing, the anticipation built. The thrill of training a horse, from the time he was a foal to the time he sold, was exhilarating and never failed to incite a fulfilling sense of accomplishment.

  Man, he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed working with horses since Travers’ Ranch shut down. Even during his rodeo days, he’d continued helping his dad for the sheer fun of it; that is, until he’d won the championship and got too big for his britches. Lanie had known how much it meant to him and when it came time to build their house, they’d chosen a property a few minutes’ drive from the ranch’s border. Of course, he’d n
ever stopped to consider she might want to live closer to her home. In fact, he’d always thought he’d done her a favor by building her a dream house, never asking where she wanted to live. Funny how perceptions changed over time.

  “Daddy!” An innocent voice called from down the hallway.

  Looking up, he saw Cody running toward him. With a few stiff steps, Jeremy met him halfway, and his son wrapped his small arms around his legs in a childish embrace. Suffering the pain for the child’s affection, Jeremy stood there, reaching down and tousling Cody hair. If his legs had allowed it, he would have stooped down and returned the hug. Unfortunately, he’d been stubborn and insisted on going without a crutch again, paying the price now.

  “Hi buddy, how are you?”

  “Good. How come you’re here?”

  “I am going to be working here for a while.”

  “So, I’ll get to see you more?” Cody asked earnestly.

  The hopefulness is his voice tore at Jeremy. How could he have shunned this sweet child since the accident? “Yes. In a few weeks I’ll be here all the time.”

  “Yahoo!” Cody shouted, eliciting a chuckle from his dad.

  “In fact, your Uncle Jase is about to show me where I’ll be living.”

  “Can I come with you?”

  “Not this time. Uncle Jase and I have some things to talk about.” At Cody’s crestfallen face, he knew he had to make it up somehow. “I think I still owe you some ice cream. If it’s okay with your mom, maybe you and I can go out for some when I am done.”

  “Really?”

  Lanie rounded the corner. “There you are Cody. Did you finish cleaning your room?”

  Ignoring the question, Cody steamed ahead with his own thoughts. “Mommy, Mommy; Daddy’s here. He said if it’s okay with you, he’ll take me out for ice cream.”

  It was then Lanie realized he was standing there. “Hi,” she said shyly, causing curiosity to fill Jeremy. Even at their worst, most uncomfortable moments, Lanie had never been coy toward him.