by Tanya Hanson
She raised her chin confidently, and her brother grinned back at her. He’d just jumpstarted her maturity with advice about not wasting another minute with Dutton. As for Ezra, Chelsea realized she couldn’t waste another minute more.
“Speaking of waiting to tell someone something, there’s a horse. Ezra. I wonder if I can bring him home.” She explained from beginning to end, keeping her voice from shaking. Her empty bank account. Her need for a job. “I’ll be going to see him this weekend.”
Hooper’s face bore a trace of sadness before he broke into a smile. “I’m kinda hurt you didn’t bring this all to me from the start. Kinda like you are with Dutton’s news. Right?”
She nodded. “Point taken.”
“Any of God’s creatures who can fit into life at Hearts Crossing are welcome. Surely you know that.”
“I do. And I’m ashamed I kept him secret and didn’t trust you, the family. I guess I kept thinking of all the times years ago. Saint Chelsea rolling over on the duck egg and making a mess. Spending a whole day getting ready for the junior prom and forgetting the baby squirrel. I wanted to do something good and finish what I started.”
Hooper obviously tried to hold back laughter as he recalled her early mishaps, but his hand was gentle on her face. “You have done something good. You finished your degree with honors. You’ve got a great career ahead.”
Heart beat funny for a second when she recalled the job rejection letter. But that was yesterday. Tomorrow...Then she remembered her earlier misgivings, about Hooper’s staunch beliefs in an animal’s dignity. In a blessed end to suffering.
“But..the six-legged calf! She was already on her feet!”
“Chelsea, there were internal deformities you couldn’t see. She was already dying. Putting her down was humane. Now, if this Ezra can return to health, why, I’m all for it. I give you my word.”
Chelsea threw herself into his arms. “Oh, Hooper. Can you ever forgive me for not trusting you enough?”
His lips pursed like he was thinking hard. “Maybe.”
“I don’t want handouts, Hoop. Ezra is expensive. I’ll do my part. And so far I don’t have much money. Make that any. I didn’t get the job at IFI. “ Her gaze fell to the ground. “My internship salary’s gone for Ezra and student loan payments.”
Hooper rested his chin in the palm of his hand, elbow resting on his knee. “Well, I was going to sit you down when we got back to the ranch. Seems you need some good news right now. I’ve been talking it over with Bob Hake. Maybe starting a small wind farm where our ranches meet. We could use you.”
Chelsea’s breath hitched. “What? A wind farm? I can’t believe it.” Stunned, she wove her fingers together.
“Yep. The acres are on leeward slopes, so thermal updrafts are rare. Meaning large birds who like to soar aren’t usually found there.”
Her heart hammered. Another answered prayer today might make her explode. “We’ll still need some kind of bird detection system.” The professionalism in her emotion-charged voice amazed her.
Hooper nodded, pleased. “I know that. Radar detection of birds, too, which will slow down the turbine blades. So what do you think?”
“I’m so excited I can hardly stand it, it’s so great. So cutting edge. But is it feasible? I mean, money-wise?”
“Well, we’d likely need some federal grant money for start up. And some investors. You wouldn’t happen to know a business-minded person who could write grant proposals, or strategize finding investment funds?”
Chelsea leaned back in such glee the doubletree all but imprisoned her. “I can’t believe it, Hooper. Yes, yes I do. And I do believe, yes, yes he will.”
“Bob and I thought you might want to take on the job of operations manager. And the big-gun research will be on you. The environment is your field of expertise. But Bob and I do know there is proximity to existing power lines and good access to land we share.”
“Then those are obstacles we won’t have.” Peace laved her, but she punched Hooper’s arm anyway. “I’ve been home a week. You didn’t think to mention this to me sooner?”
“Timing is everything.” He grinned.
Her mind started to work out both kinks and possibilities. “OK. I know the closer we are to those existing lines, we’ll have less expense connecting our turbines to the power grid. But it’s still expensive.”
“That it is.” Hoop touched his brim. “Hence the possibility of investors.”
“And we’d need agreements with local utilities and power brokers to buy the electricity we generate.”
“You can handle all that. Find buyers. Check out permits and get approval from local, state and fed environmental agencies.”
Chelsea all but choked on her enthusiasm. Maybe she hadn’t gotten the job at the institute, but she had plenty of people there to contact, folks in the know. God had led her there for a reason. “I’ll look into zoning ordinances, building codes, and consumer protections. Any access roads we might need. Thanks, Hoop.”
“Thing is, we don’t have a lot of start-up capital for salaries.” He tried to look straight-faced but she saw the burgeoning grin.
She read him well, too, and sniffed. “OK, so you can’t pay me what I’m worth. Well, last I heard, I still have a bedroom at home. And Ezra’s board and rehab can make up for any shortfalls.” She laughed in honest glee before getting serious. “Do you think Pike will help with Ezra’s therapy? I’ll still need to get him to Doc Harlan from time to time.”
“Well, Pike’s bound to feel hurt you didn’t trust him either. But I can speak for our brother. He’ll make room for an animal worth saving. And you know…” Hoop’s eyes were brighter than ever. “It’s easy and quite cost effective to bring in a modular cabin. Big enough for two. On the acres Pa and Ma gave each of us. When the time is right.”
She hugged him.
He hugged back, hard. “Just saying.”
Hopping to her feet, Chelsea bent down to give Hooper’s whisker-fuzzed cheek a quick kiss. “Thanks, Hoop. You don’t know how much all this means.”
“Bet I do.” His chuckle followed her across camp to find Dutton. Even in the midst of the kids casting rods, parents tranquil in hammocks, and teens no longer sullen, she reached him easily. Those invisible stretchy cords, of course. With another group of kids, he was once again trying to rope the portable practice dummy, Brisket.
“Dutton.” So not to discomfit him further, she reached for his hand with a caress. “Can we talk for a minute? When you have time?”
His eyes brightened. “I’ve got time now. Kids? I’ll be back in a while. Y’all can practice,” he directed cowboy style, tossing a rope. “Y’all know what to do with the spoke and the hondo.”
“Dutton’s got a girlfriend,” the kids sing-songed as Chelsea led Dutton to a shady clump of mountain-mahogany. A downed log made a good bench, and the shrubs, a fine privacy screen. They sat down, not touching.
“I’m sorry I walked away. Even though it was my idea back then, it killed me.” Chelsea spoke first, without hesitation, looking him straight on. “I love you, Dutton. I’m not going to lose what we’re building just because…we share a difference of opinion. I trust you to be responsible. That’s all I can ask.”
“It’s what you can expect, Chels.” He turned to gather her close. “Thank God for that new cell tower. I called my grandfather right after you left. I don’t want the land to be drilled. Whether you believe me or not.”
“Why wouldn’t I believe you?”
“Because I didn’t tell you right off. I guess I just wanted to have some calm first, you know. And some fun.” He kissed the top of her head. “Before the storm.”
She held him tight. “I’m sorry I walked away. I shouldn’t have, but I was so hurt. Disappointed, I guess, you didn’t tell me sooner. And I shouldn’t have been. You are doing this for the grandfather who is like a father to you. You’re doing this because you love him. And I can relate. All I know is, I don’t want us to lose eac
h other again.”
“I do need a livelihood,” he said, slow. “I’m thinking, if I sold the land, I could likely help out Gramps some and have myself a nice little nest egg. You know. For future events.”
“Like what?” A warm shiver coursed through her.
“Too soon to tell, but I might be taking on a wife someday.” He blinked playfully, but she knew him well, heard the seriousness underlying his tone.
“There’s no too soon to tell about it, Dutton. Just like Brisket.” Both heads turned to watch the kids strangling the dummy. “You’ve got me roped. For now and forever. Dutton, how do you feel about windfarms?”
Epilogue
Fifteen months later
“This family’s the size of a college graduating class,” teased Dutton as he pointed at the photographer’s proof displayed on the laptop screen. “When we ordered a family picture for the wedding album, well, I didn’t expect this.”
“Of course you did.” Chelsea curled tighter against him on the sofa in the tiny front room of their new house on her acres at Hearts Crossing Ranch. “You’ve known how it is with Ma ever since you met me in Brighton. Any kind of connection makes somebody family. Everybody’s in-laws, every outlaw, every ‘ex’, every cast-off, gets invited to everything. That’s just her way.”
Lovingly, she hovered her finger over Hooper’s face, smiling yet tinged with grief. An event coordinator, Mallie had had enough time to lay down initial plans for the wedding before her brain tumor accelerated. The Lord had called her home one year ago, quite peacefully, in the arms of her husband.
Dutton’s warm breath comforted Chelsea, as did the face where he laid his finger. His best man in a western tux. Gramps.
“It’s so amazing, Gramps being named Joe, too,” she murmured. “He sure has turned out to be a great guy.” Chelsea touched the tip of her finger across Dutton’s.
“Because he turned to God.” Dutton smiled. “Wish he’d done so years ago. Then again.” He kissed Chelsea, quick, but she tingled. “Wish I had too.”
“It’s all good now. God is good. Gramps finding investors for us...your mom, sober for over a year. Even still, I just can’t believe…” Chelsea’s voice turned winsome. “I just can’t believe it’s all over. Something you look forward to since you’re five years old and stick Grim-Gram’s doily on your head. Then you grow up. A whole year of planning. Poof. Over and done.”
“Five years old? C’mon.” Dutton performed a manly snort, something she’d long been used to with five brothers. “I didn’t give it more than five minutes.”
And he hadn’t. Preferring a quick ceremony with just a handful of family, he’d lovingly given in to her demands for something equally downhome and enormous. Mallie’s legacy.
Even with a pre-autumn snowfall the night before, the wedding at Posy’s Grove had gone without a hitch. Thankfully, September was fickle, and warm mountain wind had melted the white stuff into a reasonable amount of mud well before the first wagonload of guests had made the trek.
“I wish you hadn’t nixed Ezra, though, or Buddy.” Dutton’s full gorgeous bottom lip stuck out in a real pout. He pointed to a miniscule blank spot amongst the people. “They could be right there.”
Chelsea snuggled deeper against him. “It’s a great picture anyway. And Ezra gets his fill of photo ops.” Indeed he did, and was scheduled for an appearance at next month’s Harvest Festival in Wayland in support of disabled kids. “And he did great at the Dornfeld Amputee Foundation convention while we were on our honeymoon.”
“Aw, honeymoon. Can’t believe that’s over, too.” Dutton semi-grumbled again. They’d gone back to Brighton. “Now it’s back to the real world. Work.”
Chelsea nodded, her enthusiasm real. “I’m ready. I can’t believe we’re actually breaking ground on the turbines October first. If the weather holds.” She breathed a sigh of relief and sent up a prayer thanking God for strength. The last year had been challenging. Wedding planning. Losing Mallie. Pulling permits for the wind farm, planning access roads and garnering investors for the 150-megawatt project. In between, she’d spent long hours working with Ezra’s rehabilitation and starting up a non-profit foundation for disabled kids called “Ezra’s Riders.”
And Dutton, with the help of Rachel’s developer husband Brayton, had gotten their modular bungalow set down and ready, with native landscaping designed by Kenn’s wife, Christy. With his degree and hard work, Dutton had earned the position as Chief Financial Officer for Double H Wind-Tech Corporation, after selling his land to John Baxter for a fair price.
“I can’t believe John isn’t in the picture.” Dutton teased, as if reading her thoughts.
“All right.” She pursed her lips like a schoolmarm. “I know he made your brown eyes green once or twice during that wagon train. But he’ll always be a good friend to us both. Everything’s turned out so well for everybody.”
Almost too good to be true. Everything. Everybody. After Dutton set the laptop down, he gathered her against his heart. She melted against him, wishing she could stay forever. Blessings covered her like a warm quilt.
“We better get going,” Dutton said finally, “although being in your arms is pretty awesome. But nobody better mess with your ma and Saturday night supper.”
“I’m so glad we got to stay at Hearts Crossing, Dutton. God has led us so well, provided so much,” Chelsea said.
“That He has. I can’t believe all the years I thought I could do it on my own.”
“No looking back. He’s at your side now.” She closed her eyes in a brisk but fervent prayer, then stole a searing kiss. “And so am I.”
“Cross your heart?”
“Cross my heart.”
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