Cowboy Summer

by Joanne Kennedy

  “He’s the most famous quarter horse trainer in the country. Cade’s going to work with him, learn all his techniques. He’ll be famous, Molly.” She sat up and brushed her tears away as best she could. “You wait. We’ll see him on TV, in magazines.”

  “That’s good, honey, but he can do that later. You need to get things worked out between the two of you first.”

  Jess shook her head, hard. “No. This is his chance. I love him, Molls, but I’ve been so selfish. I have to let him go.” She sniffed. “I’m no good for him. I always asked for too much. Like he should be perfect, agree with everything I do. When really, how could I expect him to trust me? He doesn’t trust anyone. He’s been hurt so many times. His dad. His mom. Amber Lynn. And me.”

  Molly thought that was probably true, but it didn’t seem wise to say so. Jess collapsed for a moment, sobs shaking her shoulders, but quickly took a deep breath and wiped her eyes.

  “I learned a lot about myself today, I’ll tell you that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like that Amber Lynn’s a better person than I am. She understands him. I just think of myself.”

  “That’s not true.” Molly looked up at the blue sky that arched over them and thanked God and all the universe for bringing her this child. Jess might be a grown woman and a difficult one at that, but for now, she was Molly’s little girl. Stroking the pretty blond curls, Molly felt her heart swell until it felt too big to hold.

  She’d solve this problem for Jess. She would.

  She had to.

  “Jess, you know all that now. Tell him you’re sorry. Tell him you’ll change.”

  “But I can’t.” Jess sniffed and slumped her shoulders. “I’m such a bitch, I still can’t get over it. Why does he think I did that stuff?” Jess’s face was so earnest, it hurt to look at her. “How could he think I’d mess with the porch? Someone could have been hurt. Or the well. You and Dad could have gotten poisoned. I’d never do that.”

  “I know, honey. I know it wasn’t you.”

  “Amber Lynn even admitted she did it. But it doesn’t matter now.”

  “Amber Lynn admitted it?”

  Jess nodded.

  Molly stared off across the field as the world spun off-kilter. She’d only wanted to save her husband’s life and to help Jess find her way back to Cade, back to the life she loved. She’d had the best intentions, but she’d made one hell of a mess. And it was time to come clean.

  “Honey, we need to talk,” she said. “Let me go get your father.”

  “Don’t tell Dad. He’ll just worry.”

  “There are things he needs to know. You, too.” Molly took both the girl’s hands in her own. “I think I can help, okay? You have to trust me. Just this once.”

  Because you’ll probably never trust me again, once I tell you what I did.

  “I trust you.” Jess sniffed. “I just don’t want Dad to see me cry.”

  “Then I guess you’d better get hold of yourself.” Molly reached up and patted her cheek. “Go clean up, okay? Meet us on the back porch when you’re done. We can straighten this out, trust me.”

  Trust me. Trust me. The words rang in Molly’s mind like a bad joke while Jess slouched off to the powder room, meek as a newborn lamb.

  Heck, ensconced in his usual chair on the back porch, looked up from his paper and grinned as Molly entered.

  “What’s up, darlin’?” The surgery had done him good, and she paused to admire the glow in his cheeks, the light that had returned to his eyes.

  “We need to have a talk,” she said.

  The healthy color faded fast. “You’re not leaving me, are you?”

  She smacked his arm. “Of course not, silly. You know better than that.”

  “Thought I did,” he said. “But when a woman says she needs to talk…”

  “It’s not about us. Well, not really. It’s about Jess and Cade and the plan.” She took a deep breath. “It’s time to tell Jess what we’ve done.”

  His forehead creased. “You kiddin’? I never want her to know how we fooled her. And there’s no reason for her to know.”

  “Oh yes, there is.” Molly sat beside him and took his hands in hers. “Because there was more to the plan than you knew. And I need to tell you both all about it.” She looked down at their joined hands. “By the time I’m done, you might leave me.”

  “Good lord, woman.” He snorted. “You kill somebody?”

  “No. I just took things way too far.”

  “So you’ve been sneaking around and manipulatin’ folks again? What am I gonna do with you?”

  His smile was fond, his manner kind, but Molly wondered how he’d feel once he heard the whole truth. Looking around at the homey porch, with her craft table in one corner and Heck’s easy chair in another, she wanted to cry herself. But she had some truths she needed to own, so this was no time for tears.

  Those would come later, after Heck and Jess chased her off the place. Because although she knew the deep-down goodness of her adopted family, she doubted they’d tolerate the things she’d done, the lies she’d told. The way she’d hurt them both—and Cade most of all.

  * * *

  Heck watched his baby girl step onto the porch, looking more like her childhood self than she had in years. Her face was pink and fresh, as if she’d washed off all her sophistication with clean, cold water. He wished she knew how beautiful she was, even when she didn’t try.

  “How’s my girl?” He stood and gave her a loud smacking kiss on the cheek.

  “Okay, Daddy.” She gave him a smile so shaky, it nearly broke his heart, and he noticed her eyes were puffy. “Well, sort of. Not so good, really.”

  “Well, me and your mom are here to help.”

  For once, Jess didn’t correct him when he called Molly her mom. He’d been ready to make that argument, because Molly was more of a mother to her than Dot Bailey had ever been, and it was time Jess learned that blood only went so far. Look at that Arabian horse of Cade’s if you wanted proof. The animal was pure hoity-toity breeding, but put him in the corral with a bunch of cow ponies, and you had yourself a cutting horse.

  Jess was the same. Put the girl in the country, and the country filled up the girl.

  But when Dot Bailey left, she’d taken Jess’s heart with her—the clear, golden heart of a cowgirl. In its place, she’d left a hollow shell dead set on striving for the finer things in life—the things that cost money. Stuff. Money. Prestige—whatever that was. His ex-wife had damn near destroyed the girl, but Molly had helped coax his cowgirl back to life, and whatever happened, that was a good thing.

  “Molly says she’s got something to say,” he told Jess. “Guess you and me are going to listen.”

  He could tell Jess about the plan, of course. It might have been Molly’s idea, but he’d signed on with more enthusiasm than he liked to admit. Getting Jess home, by fair means or foul, had seemed like a fine idea. And getting her together with Cade had seemed even better. It was what he wanted, and just like with Griff, he hadn’t thought about Jess’s plans.

  “Me first,” Jess said. “I have something to say.”

  “But…” Molly was leaning forward with her hands clasped as if in prayer. She was biting her lower lip so hard, its berry-pink hue had turned to white, and her face was drained of color.

  “But nothing.” Jess set her hand gently on Molly’s arm, softening her words. “Me first.”

  “All right.”

  “Okay.” Jess swiped at her thighs as if brushing off crumbs. “I just want to apologize to both of you.”

  “Oh no.” Molly sounded genuinely dismayed. “You don’t need to do that. In fact, once you hear what I have to say…”

  “Nothing you say could change my mind,” Jess interrupted. “Dad, you were right when you told me I wasn’t giving Molly a fair chanc
e. I fell for that ‘evil stepmother’ crap hook, line, and sinker, and I couldn’t possibly have been more wrong.” Smiling, she reached across the table and took Molly’s hand. “You’re a better mother than my mom ever was, and I love you, okay? I think you’re the best person I know, and I hope you’ll accept my apology for being such a brat.”

  Heck’s heart soared, but then he saw Molly’s smile tremble and break.

  “Oh, Jess, I think you’re saying that way too soon.” She swallowed something—a lump in her throat, maybe even a sob. “You need to hear what I have to say. What I did. You’ll probably change your mind.”

  Chapter 51

  Heck watched Molly blink back tears.

  “I lied,” she said.

  “Oh, come on.” Heck turned to Jess. “What Molls is trying to say is that I lied. Me.” He grinned like he was proud of himself. “She might have suggested the plan, but I executed it. See, when I told you I wanted to sell the ranch, we weren’t planning any such thing—not for real. I just wanted to get you home, and we figured losing the ranch would put a burr under your butt.”

  He glanced over at Molly, hoping she’d pick up the conversation, but she was staring down at the tabletop as if she could read her fortune in the wood grain, so he continued.

  “See, your stepmother and I, we thought you and Cade belonged together.” He held up a hand to stop her protests before they could start. “Now, I know that’s not how it’s necessarily worked out, but we thought the boy ought to have a chance.”

  Jess glanced from him to Molly. “So you weren’t planning to sell? But…”

  “Not at the start, we weren’t,” he said. “But then I had that blasted heart attack, and you and Cade weren’t getting along, so it seemed like it was the best thing for everyone after all.”

  “Oh no.” Jess looked stunned. “So if Cade and I had worked it out…”

  “We never wanted you to do anything but what feels right to you.” He sighed. “Just goes to show, you shouldn’t mess in other folks’ business. The world turns as it turns, and a man can’t change the course it takes.”

  He knew old ranchers were supposed to be full of homespun philosophy, and he was proud of that bit. Maybe he ought to write it down.

  “I’m just sorry it didn’t work,” Jess said. “I made a lot of mistakes. I don’t know, maybe leaving in the first place was a mistake. I got everything I wanted in my professional life, but there was always something missing. I didn’t know how precious this life was until I lost it. Same with Cade.”

  This conversation was about to turn into one of those sob fests women were so fond of, where everybody wept and said how much they loved each other. He hated that stuff, so he shoved his chair back and stood.

  “Well, I’m glad we had this little talk. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

  “Stay right there.” Molly hauled him back into his chair with a grip like an iron claw. “There’s more.”

  “Dang.” He sat.

  “It was mostly my idea,” she told Jess. “Your dad had his first heart attack and didn’t see how we could keep the ranch. But I thought if you and Cade could get together, you two could run it, and Heck and I could stay here. I planned out your life to fix my own, without even asking, and then, instead of suggesting it to you, I manipulated you.” She sighed. “It sounds like I was being selfish, but I swear to you, I was only trying to make your father happy, and I thought it would make you happier, too.”

  “But the good news is, it all worked out,” Heck said. “End of story. We’re moving to Happy Snappy Acres, and you and Cade—well, what are you and Cade doing, hon?”

  “Nothing,” Jess said grimly. “Not together, anyway. He’s leaving, Dad. He doesn’t trust me. He thinks I did all that stuff, to the gazebo and the porch and the well.”

  “So, didn’t you?”

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t see how anybody else could’ve done it.”

  “Dad, I did not.” Jess leaned across the table, her face flushed. “It was Amber Lynn Lyle. She confessed.”

  Holy moly, if the girl wasn’t careful, her hair would light on fire.

  Molly stood. “I have more to say.”

  Heck, sensing something momentous about to come, took her hand. He and Molly had faced a lot of trouble in the past few months, and he’d learned that they could deal with anything if they confronted it together.

  But as he started to stand with her, Molly slipped her hand from his and pressed him back into his chair.

  “No, Heck. This is all me.” She took a deep breath. “I know I shouldn’t have messed with your love life, honey. I know I was being manipulative and sneaky. But I wanted what I wanted, for you and for your dad. I wanted it bad, and I was blinded by it.”

  Heck squinted up at her. With the overhead light beaming over her head like a halo, she looked beautiful and sorrowful and hurt. He reached over and squeezed her hand, and she seemed to draw strength from it, closing her eyes and drawing in a deep breath before she spoke again.

  “I know you didn’t do those things. It wasn’t Amber Lynn, either. It was me.”

  Heck’s mouth dropped open. He knew he should shut it—it was that time of late summer when the flies were drowsy from the cool nights and tended to bumble into you when you least expected it—but he didn’t seem to be capable of movement.

  “You?” Jess looked dang near as stunned as Heck felt. He was probably a little safer from the flies now that her mouth hung open, too. Gave ’em another option.

  “Yes, me.” Molly’s eyes were shining with tears, but she stood tall. “I was sure if you and Cade just had more time, you’d come to your senses, so I tried to hold off the sale.” She sighed, seeming to deflate as she slumped back into her chair. “I know it was none of my business. But I love that boy so much, and honey, I love you even more—more than you can imagine. I never meant to hurt you.”

  “I know that,” Jess murmured.

  “So you did all that stuff?” Heck gaped. “The porch swing? The calf in the gazebo?”

  Heck pictured her sneaking around, causing mayhem, and couldn’t help chuckling. His wife was spunky, that was for sure. As the chuckle rose into a full-on laugh, Molly glared.

  “This is serious,” she said. “When those awful people came to buy the place, I knew I should be glad, but they were terrible.” She swiped away a tear and turned to Jess. “I never meant to hurt you. I just untwisted that bolt on the porch swing a tiny little bit. I had no idea it would take the whole porch down.” She looked into her lap, flushed with shame. “And I tried to get that woman to sit in it. I thought she deserved it, after how she made Cade’s horse rear, but it was wrong. I can’t believe how mean I was, and then it was you who got hurt, Jess. I never felt so bad in my life.”

  “Aw, she’s fine, aren’t you, hon?” Heck smacked his chest. “Bailey blood. We’re tough.”

  “Yeah.” Jess slumped in her chair. “Cade thinks I’m tough, too.”

  Heck didn’t see what was wrong with that, but he knew better than to say so. Words and women together brought him nothing but trouble.

  “So it was you who stole my manure shovel, right?” Jess asked. “To scoop up that road-killed raccoon?”

  “Yes, that poor thing. I saw him on my way home from the hospital and knew he might come in handy. Then, when the Swammetts wanted to see the furnace, I went around the back way and slid him underneath.”

  “But how’d you get Hermy in the gazebo?” Jess asked. “That calf hollers if you touch him.”

  Heck wondered about that, too. He couldn’t see his wife carrying the bull calf across the yard. Plus, like Jess said, the calf was always bawling for more milk.

  “I just got him a bottle and dragged him over there with it. He was too busy drinking to be loud.”

  “Damn.” Jess looked up from the table, a
faint light in her eyes. “You’ll be a rancher yet.”

  “I don’t know about that.” Molly flushed. “What kind of rancher would put fish sticks in the well?”

  Heck burst out with a loud guffaw. “Fish sticks?”

  Molly turned to Jess. “I told Cade he should get you over to his place. That way, no one would drink the fish-stick water until the test came back. I thought they’d thaw slowly, you know, and take a while to, well, ferment.” She sighed. “I didn’t expect an offer on the place so soon. I was so desperate to slow things down, and when they asked for the well test, I thought—now there’s an idea.”

  Jess sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. A series of opposing expressions crossed her face in quick succession, ranging from anger to amusement. To Heck’s great relief, amusement won the fight. She tossed her head back and laughed, clapping her hands.

  “I can’t believe it,” she said. “It never even occurred to us it could be you. We ruled you out, every time, without even thinking about it.” She gave Molly a sharp glance. “You’re not the sweet innocent you seem to be.”

  Molly hung her head.

  “Hey, don’t worry,” Jess said. “I might not approve of your methods, but I like that you tried so hard to keep the ranch for my dad.”

  “It wasn’t all for him,” Molly confessed. “Once you came, I started to love the place, too, looking at it through your eyes. So I was trying to save it for my own sake, too. And yours.” Sitting cautiously on the edge of her chair, she took Heck’s hand. “But I almost ruined everything, and now you’re on the outs with Cade, all because of me.”

  “It’s not because of you,” Jess said. “It’s because of me. It wasn’t enough for me that he loves me or that he doesn’t care if I do stuff like that. I wanted him to trust me, believe everything I say. One hundred percent. And I wouldn’t bend.” She sighed. “To be honest, it still bothers me. I told him over and over it wasn’t me.”

  “Hell, I even thought it was you,” Heck said. “Didn’t seem like it could be anybody else. ’Course, I didn’t know I’d married a criminal mastermind.” Molly winced, but he squeezed her hand. “Just joking, hon.”