Amber Lynn walked into the kitchen and stood at the sink, where a window looked out on the plains that stretched from the back of the park to the distant highway and on to faraway mountains. A bird feeder, empty now, hung on a pole, and a cunning little park bench sat under a cluster of aspen trees.
“It’s not really in the trailer park, is it? It’s right on the edge.” Amber Lynn turned. “Could I rent it, Molly? I’m going to get a job at Daddy’s bank. It was Cade’s idea. I could stay with him until I get my first paycheck—I think it would be about two weeks, right? He probably won’t mind.” She smiled a catlike, scheming smile. “Well, he will, but I can talk him into it.”
“If you want to stay here, there are rules, and number one is that you can’t stay with Cade,” Molly said. “But I could give you the first two weeks rent free. How’s that?”
Amber’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Go get your stuff,” Molly said. “I’ll help you get settled and show you how everything works.”
“Why are you doing this?” Amber Lynn scanned Molly’s face. “I know you don’t like me.”
“I don’t have anything against you,” Molly said. “I just don’t like the things you do—using nice men like Cade. But it sounds like you’re ready to change all that.”
“I think I am.” Amber Lynn looked down, biting her lower lip. “Cade’s done so much for me. Nobody ever thinks I can do anything, but he’s so sure I can handle this job, even be a boss. I don’t know how I’ll ever pay him back for believing in me.”
“I do.” Molly smiled. “You can move in here, take that job, do your best, and prove he’s right.” She smiled. “There’s just one thing you need to do for me.”
Amber Lynn looked panicked. “Do I have to mow the yard?”
“No.”
“Good. Because I’ve seen Daddy’s lawn boy do that, and it looks really hard.”
“This’ll be harder, but if you want to live here and build a life and a career of your own, you’re going to have to put the past behind you, along with all the trouble you’ve caused.” She lifted a hand, palm out, to stop Amber Lynn’s protests. “Oh, I know you didn’t mean to ruin Cade’s chance with Jess. But you need to fix that.”
“You know I didn’t mean to?”
Molly nodded.
“Most people would think I did that on purpose, especially since—well, I have to admit I’m jealous of Jess. But going back to Cade’s place made me realize he’s not what I want. I care about him, though. I want him to be happy.”
“You take a couple days to get started at the bank. I’ll see to it Jess comes in some day, and you can explain why she should forgive that man. You know he loves her, right? So tell her. Tell her everything.”
Amber Lynn frowned. “I don’t know what to say.”
Molly set her fists on her hips. “Figure it out, then. I don’t think you’ll be a success at the bank or anywhere until you take care of it. This is a small town, hon, and everybody respects and admires Cade Walker.”
“I know.” Amber Lynn sounded irritated. “That’s why I wanted him in the first place. But I’m done with him now, I swear. I’m going to concentrate on myself, like you said.” Her tone turned wistful. “And live here.”
“So if Jess happens to come to the bank…”
Amber Lynn sighed. “I’ll tell her I wasn’t sleeping with Cade. That he helped me and encouraged me and wouldn’t even look at me when I tried to flirt with him. All he thinks about is her. It’s always been that way.”
“Good,” Molly said. “You tell her that.”
Amber Lynn swallowed, hard. “And then people will like me, right? Because if nobody comes to my line at the bank, I’ll just die.”
Molly resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “It’ll be fine. Now where’s your suitcase? Let’s get you settled in.”
“Oh. I, um, left it at Cade’s.” She hung her head. “I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. I left it there so I could go back. But I don’t want to go back now, I swear. I’ll just go pick it up, and then I’ll come right here.”
“I’ve got a better idea.” Molly took out her cell phone and jabbed a few buttons. “Cade?” she said. “I’m at my old place with Amber Lynn. That’s right, at Springtime Acres. We need her suitcase here. She’s ready to move in.” She gave Amber Lynn a quick smile. “That’s okay. We’ll wait.”
Molly spent almost an hour showing Amber Lynn how to maintain the trailer before Cade arrived to wrestle an enormous pink suitcase up the concrete steps. Amber Lynn raced to the door to meet him. Molly thought the girl would grab her own suitcase in the spirit of her new independence, but instead, she grabbed Cade before he could even get through the door.
“Cade, I’m so excited. Have you seen this place?” She gave his cheek a lip-smacking kiss before he could move away. “It’s going to be mine, and it’s all because of you.”
“Okay.” Shaking her off, he maneuvered the suitcase into the front door while Molly shot Amber Lynn a quelling glare. Looking past the girl, she spotted a red car stopped at the intersection just beyond the trailer. Was that…?
“Sorry,” Amber Lynn said. “I forgot I’m not supposed to do that.”
Molly watched as the car burned rubber, taking the turn out of the trailer park at top speed. There was no mistaking that little red sports car and no doubt who was driving it.
Jess.
Molly loved helping people, and she was good at it. She’d gotten Jess to come home. She’d gotten her together with Cade, at least for a while, and now she’d maneuvered Amber Lynn out of his house.
But life was full of complications, and it seemed like everything she did just made things worse.
Chapter 28
The waiting room for families of surgery patients was right next to a set of double doors. Doctors punched through them, moving with the urgency of spawning salmon, and the doors flapped out a rapid beat that slowed, then stopped. Jess hoped that wasn’t a metaphor for what was going on with her father’s heart.
She was exhausted. She’d spent the weekend’s daylight hours cleaning up the yard and the nights cleaning house and making repairs. Then she’d had too much coffee this morning, so every time a doctor or nurse passed, she had to restrain herself from leaping to her feet and attacking them.
How’s my dad? Is he okay? Let him be okay. Make him okay, okay?
But the doctors rushed past, leaving her perched on the edge of a vinyl chair like a nervous bird. Finally, she curled up and pretended to read an issue of Cosmo so ancient, it had an article on flirting with your boss.
Across the room, Molly sat primly, ankles crossed, hands neatly folded in her lap. She seemed to be looking out the window, but Jess doubted she even noticed the leafy sycamores shading the parking lot.
Just a few days ago, Jess would have been sitting beside Molly, clinging to her hand, taking comfort in her loving presence. But while she still believed in her stepmother’s love for her dad, she wasn’t sure she could trust Molly with her heart after all. The image of Amber Lynn and Cade embracing on the steps of her stepmother’s old trailer was burned into her mind.
Oddly, she wasn’t mad. Just sad. Molly had a heart made of mush. She’d help anyone, even Amber Lynn—but that didn’t make it less of a betrayal. There was only one person Jess could trust, and that person was on a cold table beyond those double doors with his chest sliced open.
The doors thumped as a masked doctor hurried through, whipping off a pair of half-glasses like a Hollywood actor in a cheap hospital drama. Jess knew from Molly’s quick intake of breath this was Heck’s doctor.
“Is he all right?” Molly stood and smoothed her hair. “Can we see him?”
The doctor nodded sharply. “He’s just coming out of the anesthesia. Might be a little confused.”
Molly and Jess followed him through t
he swinging doors and down a hall lined with closed doors. Finally, the doctor turned and opened one, and there he was, Heck Bailey himself, lying frighteningly still on a gurney. His face was pale, and his hair was sticking up all over in the baby-bird hairdo that normally made Jess smile. Now, it just gave her heart a hard twist.
“Dad,” she breathed.
“Heck,” Molly whispered.
“Wha?” Heck lifted his head from the pillow, glanced around the room, and frowned. “That goldarned doctor better get a move on. I’m not here to lie around.” Fretfully, he squirmed, letting the blanket slide to the floor. “And I’d rather be naked than wear this cotton-pickin’ nightie.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Molly picked up the blanket and covered him. “Your operation’s all done.”
“Done?” He scowled. “They didn’t do a damn thing. Some stranger was in here, told me to count backward. Guess he thought I was senile or something, but I showed him.” Suddenly thoughtful, he stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t think I got much past 97, though. Felt kinda funny. Maybe I’ve got that Old-Timer’s disease.”
“Alzheimer’s.” Jess smiled. Her dad was back. Next he’d start going on about vagina people again.
A nurse bustled in and fussed with the machines surrounding the gurney. “How are you, Mr. Bailey?” she said. “That clockwork ticker’s really something, hmmm?”
He glanced over, looking annoyed, then softened when the nurse turned and smiled. She was a little blond with poufy hair, soft and cuddlesome as the ducklings that decorated her scrubs. She patted his chest.
“Ow.” He glanced down, surprised.
“Sorry,” she said. “Did that hurt? I was just making sure you really had surgery. You look so young and handsome, I can’t believe you got a pacemaker.”
As she left the room, Heck’s eyes followed her the way a puppy dog follows its mama, at least until Molly cleared her throat. Then his gaze skittered toward Jess—like a puppy running and hiding under the bed.
“Jess, honey.” He propped himself up on his elbows. “I need to talk to you.”
“Okay.” Jess grinned. Her dad was totally stoned. “What did you need to say?”
“It’s not what I need to say. It’s what you need to do.” He paused for dramatic effect, eyes fixed on hers. “You need to call that boss of yours and tell him you quit. Hell, invite him to your wedding. He’ll understand once he sees you two together.”
She laughed, but it came out crazily high-pitched. “What wedding?”
“The one you should’ve had years ago,” he said. “To Cade.”
Molly winced. “Honey, I don’t think we need to talk about this now.”
“We shoulda talked about it a long time ago.” He collapsed back onto his pillow. “She needs to marry Cade so the two of ’em can take over the ranch. You and me’ll go live in Cade’s place, Molls, like we talked about. Then everybody’ll be happy.”
“Everybody but me,” Jess said. “And Cade, probably. Considering he’s still carrying on with Amber Lynn.”
“Aw, no, he’s not.” Heck shook his head. “And anyways, think how nice it’ll be. The ranch’ll still be in the family, Molly and I’ll live right next door, and you and Cade’ll have beautiful babies.” His words were soft around the edges, his eyes clouded with the effects of the anesthesia. “Wouldn’t Molly make a wonderful grandma?”
Jess knew the drugs were forcing her dad to dump the contents of his brain into her lap unedited. While it irked her that he wanted to marry her off mostly so he and his new wife could be happy and enjoy the privileges of grandparenthood, she’d known for a long time that was at the top of his list.
Little Cades and Jesses danced in her head again, but they faded quickly, eclipsed by the memory of Cade and Amber Lynn embracing at the trailer. Turning away, she covered her mouth with one hand, squeezed her eyes shut, and waited out the pain.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” she finally blurted out and fled.
Molly found her in the hallway a few minutes later.
“I’m sorry, hon. He doesn’t know what he’s saying, and I can almost guarantee he won’t remember when he wakes up.”
“I know.” Jess stared down at her red Keds, bright against the shiny white linoleum. “It wasn’t what I wanted to talk about, that’s all. I need to go. I’m—I’m pretty tired.”
“But we need to talk,” Molly said. “I need to explain…”
Pushing off from the wall, Jess shoved her hands in her pockets and hurried down the hall, following the red arrows on the EXIT signs. She didn’t mean to be rude, but she couldn’t bear to talk to Molly right now. She just wished somebody would put up some signs that would tell her how to exit from the mess she’d made of her life.
Chapter 29
The nurses were obsessed with what they called Heck’s “vitals.” They woke him at inconvenient intervals, fussed over him with wires and tubes, then left him to commune with the dark until he managed to fall asleep—just before they woke him again.
But they let him sleep in the mornings, and he woke one late afternoon feeling better. The cobwebs cluttering his mind were gone, along with the weakness that had plagued him for so long. Though he was moving slowly and his chest felt oddly pinched, he managed to dress, shave, and pack the few items Molly had brought to the hospital.
The pacemaker was working. His breath came a little hard, and the incision in his chest tugged and stung, but he was well enough to walk all the way down the hall and back. Well enough, he decided, to go home.
When Molly’s cheerful face appeared in the doorway, his spirits lifted even higher. The two of them rarely fought, and though she’d seemed nothing but worried for the past few days, he’d been afraid his harsh comments about their plan might have changed their relationship or even destroyed it. He also had a vague recollection of saying something embarrassing to his daughter. He might be in some trouble there.
Molly smiled her familiar smile and clasped her hands before her like a little girl thrilled by a new doll.
“Look at you! Up and dressed.” She dithered around the room, straightening pictures and shuffling flower bouquets. “You look like your old self.”
“I am my old self. And that self’s got things to do.”
“Like what?”
“Like first of all, it needs to tell you I’m sorry for being a butt.”
“Aw, Heck.” She sat down on the side of the bed and took his hand. “I know you’re frustrated. It’s bound to get to you sometimes, being stuck in here.”
“Well, I won’t be frustrated anymore.” He gave her a gentle push, and she rose from the bed. “It’s time for a jailbreak. We’re getting out of here, woman!”
She drew back, eyes wide. “You can’t.”
“Oh yes, I can.” He pushed himself up to a sitting position, swung his feet to the floor, and paused to catch his breath, casual-like, as if he’d simply chosen to sit for a spell. “I can go home and talk to Cade man to man and make sure we get those two together so I don’t end up living at Twilight’s End.” He sighed. “I know I told you I’d live anywhere with you, and I meant that. But I’ve got one last chance to save the Diamond Jack, and I aim to take it.”
“Oh, honey. I’m working on that. There’s been a bit of a—well, a bump in the road with those two, but they’ll get over it.” He sensed some concern hiding under her smile and wondered if the outlook wasn’t quite as sunny as he’d thought. “You don’t need to worry about anything but getting well.”
“Darlin’, I still own and operate the Diamond Jack Ranch.” He knew he was being cantankerous again, but he couldn’t help it. “I’m responsible for what happens there, and that includes my daughter’s happiness. I aim to make darn sure she figures out where she belongs. Whatever happened between her and Cade, you’re right—it’s a bump in the road, and they’ll get over it.�
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Hoisting himself to his feet, he opened the narrow closet and found his Carhartt barn jacket. A puff of dust and horsehair rose as he shrugged it on, masking the sickly antiseptic smell of the hospital.
“Come on, woman.” He waved his arm and felt a pang in his chest, but it was the kind that told him he was alive, with a ticker that ticked just fine. “I’ve had enough of this place. These lights, that smell—it’s making me sicker than I started out.”
Molly stepped in close and patted his chest. “I do believe you’re right. It’s time to go home.” She gave him a little shove. “Let’s call the doctor and tell him so he can send medications home with you and instructions.”
“Don’t boss me, woman.” Heck gave her a tough-guy squint. “He can send ’em later.”
They stood nose to nose, trying to be mad, but both were stifling laughter.
“You’re either with me or against me, Molls. Which’ll it be?”
Molly sighed. “Honey, I’ve told you, it’s not that easy. You can’t tell Jess what to do, and what happened—well, it was a big bump. She might not get over it.”
“Sure she will.” He sounded more confident than he felt, but he believed in positive thinking. “I’m about to lose all I worked for because of some lovers’ spat. If you think I’m staying here and lettin’ that happen, you’re wrong.” He reached for her hand. “With me or against me?”
Molly took his hand and squeezed.
“I’m with you all the way, Heck Bailey.”
He looked down at her small, soft hand in his calloused paw and marveled that he’d found this woman. She’d made him happy beyond his wildest dreams—but those dreams weren’t over yet.
They had work to do.
* * *
Jess went home and started cleaning the barn. She wasn’t happy to discover the manure shovel was missing, but mostly, she managed to find contentment in hard work. She had some blessings to count, after all. Her dad was getting better, he had Molly to keep him company, and she was filling her mind with something other than Cade. Sure, that something was horse hooey, but even poop was an improvement over painful memories.
Cowboy Summer Page 18
