“I’ll make sure she’s okay, Harry. Thanks for taking care of her.”
“My pleasure. Call me if you need me.” He left without a word to her. Before she could call out to him, her mother answered the phone.
Without preamble, Melissa blurted, “Mom, I have to know how you are. I won’t let you sacrifice yourself just so I can enjoy the holidays. I want to help take care of you. It’s my privilege.”
She had to push her mother to get permission to talk with Caroline. And she had to promise not to tell her father. Melissa couldn’t believe her mom was keeping something this important a secret from her husband. It was another example of her mother’s strength that few people ever saw.
“Thanks, Mom,” she said. “Now tell Caroline it’s okay.” She handed the phone to her cousin.
After speaking to Camille a moment, Caroline hung up the phone. “I wasn’t sure you’d convince her, Melissa, but I’m glad you did.”
“Me, too. Now tell me.”
“Your mother has a tumor on one of her ovaries. Since she’s past childbearing age, we suggested she have a complete hysterectomy.”
Melissa studied Caroline’s face. “What are you not telling me?”
The woman hesitated, and finally said, “I was hoping to impress you with my doctorly manner so you wouldn’t ask questions.”
Melissa said nothing, just continuing to stare at her cousin.
With a sigh, Caroline said, “There’s the possibility of cancer.”
“Then why in hell are you waiting? Won’t it improve her chance of survival the sooner it’s treated?” Melissa demanded.
“Yes, and we explained that to your mom. We also told her it’s possible it’s not cancer. But she refused surgery until after you went back to France. She promised we could operate the moment she put you on a plane back to France.”
Melissa shook her head. Her worry turned to anger. “I’m going to wring her neck just before I march her down here.” Then, realizing what she’d said, she asked, “Can you do the operation here?”
“Yes. Both Jon and I have a lot of experience with this type of surgery. It’s not unusual. And we’ve expanded the clinic since I came back home.”
That was true. Melissa hadn’t stopped to notice before how big and up-to-date the facility was, compared to when she’d lived in Rawhide six years ago. Caroline and their cousin-in-law, Jon Wilson, must have worked day and night to elevate the level of care they could provide right here in Rawhide. If anyone was capable of that, she knew Caroline was.
“You’ve done a hell of a job, Caro,” she said.
“Thanks.” Caroline smiled. “Jon and I can clear our schedules with a day’s notice. I hope you can convince your mother. I had no idea she had such steel inside of her.”
“She doesn’t reveal it unless an issue is important to her. I can’t believe she hasn’t told Dad.”
“You can’t tell him, either,” Caroline warned. “Not unless she agrees.”
Melissa nodded. “I’ll talk to Mom now. I’ll call you and let you know what she says.” She hugged her cousin, grateful for her expertise and support.
As she made her way to the door, Caro called out to her.
“I almost forgot. Harry wanted to know if you would be okay to drive home. It might be nice if you stopped off at his office to tell him you’re okay.”
Melissa wrinkled her nose. “He’ll probably run in the opposite direction.”
Caroline gazed at her in surprise. “He seemed very concerned when he brought you in here. Harry is the sweetest man in town, next to Mike, of course.” She grinned.
“He didn’t look too sweet when he was breaking up the fight in the café.”
“Well, no, he knows when he needs to be sweet, like when he found you sobbing. Not when he’s breaking up a fight.”
Melissa had to admit the logic in Caro’s response. And she acquiesced. “Okay, I’ll stop by and thank Harry. Then I’m going home to fight Mom.”
“I hope you win,” Caroline said, her face suddenly serious.
Melissa left the hospital, wrapping her coat more tightly around her. In one pocket she felt a damp cloth, and pulled out a man’s handkerchief. It must be Harry’s. She had a vague memory of him wiping her cheeks.
She received some curious stares as she walked along the sidewalk in Rawhide, where she’d grown up. It seemed almost no one remembered her, except for her cousins. Thank goodness for them, she thought. It certainly seemed strange to be almost anonymous in a town like Rawhide.
She made a mental note to ask Caro how it felt being away for so long and coming back to town.
Her mother had told her about Caroline’s belief that she couldn’t have children. She hadn’t wanted to come home from Chicago, where she did her internship, because all the Randalls seemed focused on babies. Then she’d met the sheriff and they’d fallen in love and gotten married one Christmas, and now she and Mike Davis had two little boys.
Melissa knew the family thought the world of Mike. But she herself wasn’t ready to settle down. Especially in Rawhide. It was like a company town, and the company was named The Randalls. It seemed at least half the population was kin to her.
Deep in her reverie, she almost walked past the Sheriff’s Office. Stopping, she opened the door and stepped in. There sat Harry Gowan, doing some paperwork. She cleared her throat.
Without lifting his head, Harry said, “You got anything to report, Wayne?”
Blinking in surprise, she said, “There was an hysterical female, but she’s recovered.”
He got to his feet and walked around his desk to where Melissa stood. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. I wanted to thank you for helping me. I was…a little distressed.”
“A little?” he questioned with a smile.
She lifted her chin. “Yes, a little.” Then she remembered she needed to keep him in a good mood so he’d agree to her request. “I, uh, need to ask you something.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“I know I lost my temper and I’m sorry, but…could you not tell my father about our meeting this morning?”
“You mean about opening the door when you shouldn’t have? And shoving the cookies at me and stomping off?”
She gritted her teeth. Did he have to list every offense? “Yes, that’s what I mean.”
“I think I can manage to forget that.” He smiled at her. “The cookies were really good, by the way.”
“I’m glad you liked them,” she said, but she didn’t smile. “I should warn you that my father was matchmaking. You need to be on your guard.”
Harry looked puzzled. “Why would he do that?”
“He wants me to stay here in Rawhide. He’s trying to find someone to marry me.”
Harry grinned and raised his brows. “That shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“If that’s a compliment, thank you, but I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. Dad has chosen you as the prime candidate for my not-so-future husband. You’d better start running in the other direction whenever you see me.”
“Assuming I’m not interested.”
“It doesn’t matter if you are or not,” she told him, her voice firm. “I’m going back to France after Christmas.”
“Oh, yeah? Then I might as well kiss you goodbye,” he said, as if his words were normal, acceptable.
Without any more warning than that, he pulled her into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips like none she’d ever received. When he had her reeling, he abruptly put her away from him.
“Have a nice trip, Melissa Randall.”
She stared at him blankly, unable to figure out what she was supposed to do. Then reality poured in and she glared at him. “I will!”
And she left the Sheriff’s Office the same way she had earlier.
Chapter Three
Harry buried his head in his arms after Melissa Randall left the office. He figured he’d just made a bad mistake. He’d been tempted by her
several times since he’d met her, but he’d merely imagined how it could be between them. Now he knew.
She had the most kissable lips he’d ever tasted. She fit against him perfectly.
Could she be right? Could her father be looking for a husband to keep her at home?
Harry didn’t want that role. Forcing a woman to do something she didn’t want to do was a losing proposition. He’d seen it in his parents. His mother had had hopes of going to Hollywood and being a star. His father had gotten her pregnant and married her, to keep her with him. They’d had a miserable marriage, and he and his sister had suffered.
He thought he’d learned that lesson, but when he finished college he’d almost made the same mistake as his father. The woman he’d been seriously dating had wanted to go to Denver, a big city, and he’d chosen Rawhide. He’d assumed she’d change her mind and come with him. Fortunately for both of them, she’d gone to Denver.
Forced relationships meant someone was sacrificing something that mattered a lot. He suspected whatever Melissa was doing in France—and he didn’t know what that was—it mattered to her a great deal. If she chose to live abroad, then there was no hope for a relationship. He could accept that.
As long as he kept his distance.
“Harry? What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
One of the other deputies had entered.
“No, Wayne, I’m fine. I was just thinking.”
“Where’s the sheriff?”
“He went out to the Miller place, south of town. They think they’ve been having some cattle rustling out there, and he wanted to look around.”
“We haven’t had any cattle rustling in a while. Hope we don’t have it start up again. Is that what you’re worrying about?”
“Uh, yeah. The holidays are a bad time to be hit by rustlers,” Harry said, hoping he sounded believable. Compared to the attraction he felt for Melissa Randall, rustling was a small blip on the radar.
The door opened again and Mike Davis, sheriff of their county and husband to Dr. Caroline Randall Davis, came in.
Harry wondered how difficult it had been for Mike, being attracted to a Randall woman. He’d never really asked him about that.
Before he could do so, Wayne asked about the cattle rustlers. “Did you find anything, Sheriff?”
“Yeah. They were hit pretty hard. It looks like the rustlers pulled up an 18-wheeler, let down a ramp and herded what cattle they could find into the truck, then drove off.”
“That’s going to make them hard to catch,” Harry said.
“Yeah. We need to look at all the ranches along the county road. I’d bet they’ll hit again with the same MO.”
Harry jumped up and walked to the big map on the wall beside the door to the workout facility. “Besides the Miller ranch, there’s the Howser place, the Douglas place, the Windom ranch and the Haney ranch.”
“Write those down, Wayne,” Mike ordered. “Let’s assume the rustlers stick to the south. We need to notify those ranchers to move their cattle away from any pasture alongside the road.”
Mike looked at the schedule of deputies on duty. “Wayne, I’m going to leave you in charge. Harry, I’ll take the first two and you take the second two. Let’s warn them to move their herds before nightfall.”
“Yes, sir.” Harry wanted to ask to swap the Haney place for either of the others, but he wouldn’t do that. The Haney place was Griff Randall’s ranch. He and his son, John, ran the ranch Griff had inherited from his father, Bill Haney. Bill had been married when he and the only Randall daughter, Jake’s and the others’ aunt, had gotten together.
She’d gone to Chicago, pregnant and alone. She’d had Griff and taught him some bitter lessons. When she died, Griff had come back to Rawhide only to bury his mother, prepared to hate the father he’d never known. But he’d found there were two sides to every story, and his mother had lied to him.
Bill Haney had been so grateful to have made peace with his only son, he’d left everything to him. Griff, in turn, had never changed the name of his father’s ranch, though he had kept the name Randall himself.
And, of course, that ranch was where Melissa was.
“There isn’t a problem, is there, Harry?” Mike asked, breaking into his thoughts.
Harry realized he was still standing there, not having moved after being given his orders.
“No, there’s no problem, Mike. I’m on my way.”
At least no problem he was willing to talk about.
“I WANT YOU TO HAVE the surgery at once.” Melissa started talking as soon as she opened the kitchen door and saw Camille sitting at the table. “It’s silly—”
Her mother held up a hand to halt her tirade. “It’s my decision, Melissa.”
Taking a deep breath, she sat opposite her mother at the table and tried calm reasoning. “I know it is, Mom. But your health is too important to play games with.”
“I’d just prefer to wait till after the holidays.” She gave Melissa a weak smile. “I’ve waited six years to have you at the Thanksgiving table with the family.”
Melissa reached across and squeezed her hand. “You can still have that, Mom. But the faster you get this problem dealt with, the faster you’ll recover. You know,” she said seriously, “I want you around to be a grandmother to my children.”
“That’ll be hard to do if you’re living in France.”
“It can’t happen at all if you’re dead,” Melissa snapped. At her mother’s stricken look, she was immediately sorry for her tone. Before she could apologize, he father’s booming voice nearly shook the kitchen.
“What are you talking about?” Griff stood stock-still at the kitchen door.
As much as Melissa ached to tell him, she couldn’t. Only her mother could do that. She looked at Camille. “You’ve got to tell him, Mom.”
Camille just turned away, a stubborn look on her face.
“Tell me what? What does she need to tell me, Melissa?” Griff advanced to the table, concern and apprehension etched into his expression.
“Mom,” Melissa pleaded.
Finally, Camille looked at her husband. “I need some surgery and I want to wait until after the holidays. That’s all.”
“What kind of surgery?”
Melissa said nothing, but kept her gaze pinned on her mother’s face.
“A—a hysterectomy.” Camille turned away again, as if she was ashamed.
Griff sank down in the chair beside his wife. “Why?”
Melissa looked at her dad and nodded encouragingly.
Camille remained turned away. In a whisper, she said, “I have a tumor on my ovary.”
“And a hysterectomy will take care of it?”
She nodded.
“Then why are you going to wait?”
“Thanksgiving is coming and Melissa is here and—”
“Nonsense,” Griff said, cutting her off. “You’re not telling me something.” He put his arms around Camille. “Honey, what is it?”
She turned then and buried her face in his shoulder. Griff held her close, giving her time to pull herself together. Then he nudged her. “Come on, honey, tell me everything.”
Camille sat up slowly. “There’s a possibility I have cancer.”
Her words were brisk, businesslike, but Griff stared at her as if she’d just released a bomb. “What? Then you need to have the surgery at once! Isn’t that true, Melissa?”
“Caroline said the sooner they do the operation, the more likely Mom can recover.”
“But I haven’t finished Christmas shopping, and there’s Thanksgiving dinner,” Camille protested.
“Mom, I—”
Camille speared her with a sharp look. “Don’t tell me it’s for the grandchildren again, Melissa,” she ordered sternly. “I’ve been waiting for them so long I’ve just about given up!”
Griff reached out and took her face in his hands, bringing her attention back to him. “Do it for me, sweetheart. I can’t make it without you. I need y
ou healthy and happy for a long time. Remember, you promised to grow old with me.” He looked into her eyes. “Do it for me. Have the surgery now.”
Camille’s eyes filled with tears and she nodded.
Griff hugged her then, tightly, and as he held her, he told Melissa, “Call Caroline right now.”
She did as her father asked. As Caroline checked her and Jon’s schedules, Melissa kept her eyes on her parents, sitting there at the table in each other’s arms. It was as if her mother was drawing strength from her husband’s embrace. After all these displays of affection, it still amazed Melissa how much they loved each other. She couldn’t help wondering if she’d ever find that kind of love. She’d certainly thought she had, but she hadn’t come close.
Caroline came back on the line. “Melissa, we can do the surgery in the morning if your mom is willing. That way we won’t have to adjust our schedules, because we have nothing planned for Sunday.”
“Really? You don’t mind?”
“No, we think it will be better. However, it’s started snowing and this is supposed to be a big storm. She should come in now and spend the night. That way we’ll have her all prepped for the morning.”
“Okay. That’s what we’ll do. Thanks, Caro.”
She got off the phone and told her parents what her cousin had said.
Her mother looked petrified. “Now? But I was going to try to get more done before—”
Griff cut her off. “That’s great, Melissa. I’m going in with your mother and I’ll spend the night there with her.”
“I’ll go, too.”
“No, child, your mother and I will be together. You come in the morning for the surgery. Okay?”
Melissa leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Okay, Dad.” She knew her father had been hard hit by the news and wanted time with his wife. “But you promise to take good care of her.”
“You know I will. Now, go help her pack a bag, please.”
“Why is it that I have no say in what’s happening to me?” Camille complained.
“Because you never put yourself first, my love. But this time you have to.” He kissed her before he said, “I’m going to go talk to John before we leave.”
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