Phantom Waltz

by Catherine Anderson

  “Ain’t never been better.” His eyes twinkled as he glanced from her to Ryan. “Looks like he got over his orneries, and you lived through the experience. Knew you would, of course. Just like his daddy, that boy. Strike a match to his temper, and he may tear hell out of everything around you, but when the dust settles, ain’t a hair on your head gonna be mussed.”

  Bethany smiled. “He got a little lippy, but I just slapped him up alongside the head and told him to behave himself.”

  Sly nodded. “Good for you, darlin’. Only way to handle him.”

  Ryan muttered something under his breath and gave the foreman a narrow-eyed look. “You need something, Sly?”

  “Nope.” Sly chuckled and winked at Bethany. “I best stop makin’ eyes at you. Now his jealous is gettin’ up.” He started to leave, then stopped and turned back. “Rafe went to get your daddy, by the way. He said if we was to wait ‘til you pried yourself away, your daddy would be so het up, he’d act like a rabid badger all the way home.”

  Ryan chuckled. “We could’ve sent Mom. She can handle him.”

  Sly winked at Bethany. “You hear that, darlin’? You watch Annie in action. She’ll teach you all you need to know.”

  Bethany laughed. “Is that right?”

  Sly’s weathered, sunbaked face creased in a smile. “Damn straight. Ain’t a man alive with the guts or wherewithal to tangle with Keefe when he’s in a stir. But our Annie will go toe-to-toe with him, one hand tied behind her back.”

  Bethany raised her eyebrows. “Really? And who wins?”

  “Annie,” Sly said with a wry chuckle. “Hands down, no contest. Keefe give up on fightin’ with her some twenty years back. He just shakes his head and lets her go. Most times, she’s right anyhow, so it works out good.”

  Ryan sighed. “Sly, do me a favor and just shut up. Don’t go putting ideas into her head.”

  “I hate to tell you this, son. She was born with ideas in her head. She don’t need me to put ’em there.”

  Sly left then. Ryan gazed after him for a moment, then laughed and gouged the dirt with his boot heel. “Is he ornery, or what?”

  “He’s wonderful,” Bethany said, and she meant it with all her heart.

  When Ryan met her gaze, there was a silent message in his eyes. “You’ll never find a better friend. I was sort of upset with him last night, but I’m glad he was here to talk to you.”

  “He loves you. Do you realize how much?”

  Ryan’s eyes darkened. “He’d lay his life down for me. Never a doubt.”

  “Just you remember that,” she said softly. “If the time ever comes that he needs you to stand up for him, Ryan, just you remember that.”

  A bewildered expression crossed his face. “I guess I will. He’s like a second father to me.” He searched her gaze. “Why do you say that?”

  Bethany smiled and shrugged. “No particular reason.”

  “There is a reason. I know you. Is Sly in some kind of trouble?”

  Bethany wanted so badly to betray Sly’s confidence then. She believed with all her heart that Ryan would understand the old foreman’s feelings for Helen, just as she did, and that he’d fight the whole family on Sly’s behalf if need be. But it wasn’t her place to open that can of worms.

  “Just remember this moment. If ever you doubt him—if ever his honor is called into question—remember this moment and shove your doubts aside. Stand up for him. That’s all I’m saying. He’s earned that, hasn’t he?”

  Ryan gazed at the spot where Sly had last stood. “Damn straight. A thousand times over.”

  Bethany knew then that everything would be all right, that when the moment came, Ryan would stand shoulder to shoulder with Sly and defend him. That was all she needed to know.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Later that morning while Ryan did chores, Bethany drove to town to feed and water Cleo. Before returning to the ranch, she stopped by her parents’ house. It was time to tell them about the unexpected turn her life had taken. If she waited, her folks were bound to hear about her relationship with Ryan from another source, and she felt they deserved more consideration from her.

  Harv Coulter wasn’t exactly supportive when he learned that his paraplegic daughter planned to marry a man she’d known for less than two months.

  “You’re going to what?” he asked when Bethany told him.

  Never more than in that moment had Bethany been able to see the resemblance between her father and Jake. Big, dark, and glowering pretty much described the pair of them.

  She bent her head and fiddled with the gathers in her burgundy skirt, which had been far easier to put on this morning without her dressing sling. She could have asked Ryan to help her dress, of course, and he would have happily obliged her, but her determination to be self-sufficient aside, she’d been afraid such a request might have ended with him putting off his chores again. Every time he touched her intimately, they seemed to gravitate toward the bedroom, which was delightful but not very productive when stock was waiting to be fed. As soon as Ryan got all her equipment moved to his place, she would start dressing the part of a rancher’s wife, she promised herself, wearing those snug jeans and fringed western shirts that he liked so much.

  When she glanced back up, she was smiling and had to jerk her thoughts back to the issue at hand. She fleetingly met her mother’s gaze. Mary Coulter smiled and laid a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Harv, our girl has never been flighty. Hear her out, and remember she’s always shown good judgment.”

  Harv settled a worried gaze on Bethany. “Ryan Kendrick is a scalawag. He flits from woman to woman, never making a commitment. What are you thinking, that you’re going to tame him? Marry him, and you’ll rue the day.”

  “He isn’t like that, Daddy. Maybe he has flitted a little. He’d be the first person to admit that, actually. What else is a man to do when he’s searching for the right person? Jake flits, and you don’t call him a scalawag.”

  Harv tapped the salt shaker on the tabletop. Then he looked helplessly at his wife. “Mary, talk to her.”

  Bethany’s mother looked discomfited. “And say what?”

  “Talk sense to her. Tell her how insane it is to tie up with some”—Harv waved his hand—“scalawag like Ryan Kendrick!”

  “But, Harv,” Mary said softly, “Bethany’s right. If failure to settle down is an indicator, even our Jake is a bit of a scalawag. And so were you. My parents had a fit when I started going out with you. Remember? Daddy said you were no good, that you’d break my heart. You never did.”

  Harv propped his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands. “Holy hell, Mary. That was different, and you know it. I admit, I did a little skirt flipping, but I was looking for you under every single one of them.”

  Mary beamed and fixed a guileless gaze on her daughter. “Has your Ryan been flipping all the wrong skirts, honey?”

  Harv groaned. Bethany swallowed back a horrified laugh. Finally, her mother was actually admitting that conception occurred under skirts instead of in boots. She should record this day in the family Bible. “Yes, Mama,” she managed to say solemnly. She glanced at her father, who was still holding his head. “I don’t know how many skirts Daddy flipped, but Ryan had to flip a number of them before he finally found me.”

  “Holy hell,” Harv whispered again.

  “Now, now.” Mary bent over her husband and whispered something that made his ears turn red. As she straightened, she patted Harv’s hand, then sat down to search Bethany’s gaze. “Does he love you, Bethie? When he looks at you, do you feel like he’d wade through a den of rattlesnakes for you?”

  “Mama, I think he’d lie down and sleep with rattlesnakes for me.”

  Mary nodded and squeezed Bethany’s hands. “He’s the one, then. A woman just knows. Life is riddled with trials. If you know, without a doubt, that he’ll stand fast and protect you from any kind of threat, he’s the right man.”

  Bethany nodded. “He’d die for me
, Mama. He’s so wonderful.”

  Mary’s eyes sparkled. “When are you going to bring him to meet us?”

  “I’ve already met him,” Harv said, forcing out the words between clenched teeth. “He’s a sweet talkin’, good lookin’, spoiled little rich boy who’s been playing fast and loose for so long he’s forgotten the meaning of honor.”

  “That is not true,” Bethany declared. “He is as honorable as any of my brothers!”

  Harv leveled a finger at her nose. “Your brothers would never make promises to a girl they didn’t intend to keep. The day I put your hand in Ryan Kendrick’s, and he says, ‘I do,’ I’ll eat my jock shorts.”

  After speaking to her parents, Bethany went by the store to talk to Jake. Her brother was swamped, trying to wait on customers while he filled out an inventory order. Nevertheless he smiled when he saw her.

  “I was hoping you might spare me a few minutes to chat,” Bethany said with a laugh. “I guess not.”

  Jake held up a finger for her to wait. He finished helping a customer, asked an employee to cover for him, and then walked with Bethany to the elevator. Once upstairs, they went to his office.

  Jake dropped onto a castor chair and propped his boots on the edge of his desk. “It’s been one of those mornings. You never phoned me back, twerp. I was a little worried. It sounded like that bull was inside the house.”

  Bethany smiled. “It was.” She went on to explain about T-bone. “Ryan was pretty upset, but I think I’ve convinced him to see how things go.”

  Jake sighed and frowned. “Can’t blame him for being worried. Bulls can be ornery.”

  “T-bone is an exception. He’s big and clumsy, but he was so gentle with me. We’ll see.”

  Jake glanced at the clock. “So what do you want to talk with me about?”

  Bethany gazed at a snapshot of his horses that he had pinned to the wall. Jake, the horse whisperer. She knew he hoped to one day purchase a ranch, that it wasn’t his plan to run a supply store for the rest of his life. If anyone would understand what she was about to say, Jake would. “I want to talk to you about two things.”

  “You seem upset.”

  “Not upset, exactly. I’m feeling a little guilty about a decision I’ve made. If this will put you in a bind, Jake, please don’t hesitate to tell me. All right?”

  He lowered his feet to the floor and shifted forward on the chair. “Ryan’s asked you to quit the job.”

  “If you need me here to take up the slack, I won’t leave you in the lurch. It’s just—well, Ryan’s fixed it so I can really be a help on the ranch, and the opportunity is …” Her voice trailed away. She’d been about to say it was a dream come true, but that didn’t seem fair. Jake had dreams of his own, but he was here, running the family business instead of pursuing them.

  “The opportunity is too sweet to resist?” Jake finished for her. He sighed and spent a moment straightening some papers on his desk. “I can do some juggling and get by without you. If that’s what you came to ask, consider it done.”

  “I don’t want to be selfish and unfair to you. I’m a member of this family, too.”

  Jake smiled and glanced around the office. “Thank you for that. But the truth is, I’m helping myself as much as I’m helping Dad. When the doctor told him he had to start taking it easy, he was going to sell the store. It’s a going concern, and there are always interested parties. But I asked him to hold off.”

  “You did? I thought you wanted to buy a ranch.”

  “I do.” Jake grinned and tapped a pen on his desk pad. “And I will. But saving for a few more months will get me better set. I have a good down payment tucked away. Now I’m trying to gather up some working capital. Running the store is allowing me to do that. Dad takes out a monthly income. A certain percentage of the profits are automatically set aside to build the business. The rest is mine, just as if I owned the place. How much goes in my pocket depends solely on how hard I’m willing to work. Most months, I’ve done well.”

  Bethany stared at him. “So you asked me to quit my Portland job and move home, knowing you only meant to keep this place a few more months?”

  He chuckled. “Before I ever made the decision to call you, Zeke decided to take over the store after I leave. You have a job here for as long as you want one.” His smile grew tender. “Those first few months, you helped me hold this place together. Things have smoothed out now. I can get by without you.”

  “Oh, Jake, are you sure?”

  “Go live your life, Bethie. Ryan’s offering you the much sweeter deal. When the time comes, I won’t hesitate to follow my dream. Why should you?”

  “I just don’t want to leave if you need me.”

  He tossed down the pen. “Well, I don’t, so pack up and hit the road.”

  “I’m afraid you’re saying that because you think it’s what I want to hear.”

  A suspicious shine came into his eyes. “Eight years ago, I sat beside your bed, night after night. I’d get off work and go directly to the hospital. Remember that?”

  She nodded.

  “I always laughed and talked and pretended everything would be fine,” he said thickly. “You needed me to be strong for you. But lots of times after you fell asleep, I sat there beside your bed and cried like a baby, begging God to give us a miracle. You were only eighteen, and your life had been destroyed.”

  Bethany lowered her gaze to her lap, her chest squeezing with an awful pain. Jake. She hadn’t always been asleep when he had cried.

  “God didn’t see fit to make you walk again, and until now, I was afraid you might never get married and have a normal life. Now, bingo, along comes Ryan Kendrick. He seems to adore you. He’s offering you a life I know you’re going to love. How do you think I feel about that?”

  “Glad?” she whispered.

  He nodded. “So glad, Bethie. You’ve got this wonderful chance to be happy. Really, really happy. Go. Don’t look back. There’s nobody who deserves this more than you.”

  “Oh, Jake … How did I ever get so lucky? Of all the brothers in the world, you’re the best.”

  “Let’s not get any sappier than we have to. What was the second thing you wanted to ask me?”

  Bethany hauled in a cleansing breath. “I was wondering if you’d mind talking to Daddy for me. He’s not at all happy about me marrying—”

  Jake burst out laughing. “This is where I play rotten brother. No way.”

  “But—”

  “No.” Jake pushed up from the chair. “Dad is Ryan’s problem. If he’s half the man I think he is, he’ll go see our father and do his own talking.”

  “That’s just it. I don’t want him to know Daddy’s frothing at the mouth. His family has accepted me with open arms.”

  “And why wouldn’t they? Ryan’s damn lucky to get you.”

  “In your opinion. On the flip side, aren’t I just as lucky to get him?”

  Jake laughed again. “Maybe so, but let Ryan convince Dad of it. My last word, end of subject. I’m not getting in the middle of it.”

  As she drove back to the Rocking K, Bethany tried not to let her father’s reaction spoil her happiness. Ryan. She loved him so very much. Jake had just set her free to go dream chasing. She had every reason to be rejoicing.

  Nevertheless, when she got to the ranch and parked the van, her heart felt heavy. Her dad was the best. He’d been there for her all her life, and it hurt that he wasn’t standing behind her now.

  “What’s wrong?” Ryan asked when he saw her face. “Is Cleo all right?”

  “Cleo’s fine.” Bethany gazed past him at the lake, wishing she didn’t have to tell him this. But if she kept it under her hat, she’d be setting him up for a nasty surprise when he saw her father. “Oh, Ryan. I went by to see my parents.”

  He hunkered down in front of her. “Uh-oh. I hope you didn’t take it upon yourself to tell them I’ve asked you to marry me.”

  “Take it upon myself? They’re my parents. Of course I to
ld them.”

  Ryan shoved his hat back. “Sweetheart, if your dad’s anything at all like mine, he’s pretty old-fashioned.”

  “A little. So what?”

  “Old-fashioned fathers have set ideas about how things like this should be done. I’m supposed to go see your dad and ask him for your hand. That gives him an opportunity to grill me for a while and make me squirm. If I say the right things, he feels good about the situation. If I don’t, he tells me to take a hike.”

  Bethany gulped. “What happens if he tells you to take a hike?”

  Ryan winked at her. “He won’t. I’m a slick talker.”

  “That’s one of the things he doesn’t like about you.”

  He threw back his head and barked with laughter. When his mirth subsided, he assured her, “I can handle him, honey. Don’t worry. All right? He’ll think I’m the greatest thing since the invention of popcorn.”

  After applying for their marriage license that afternoon, Ryan dropped Bethany off at her house. While she packed some clothes, he drove over to see her father. After a two-minute conversation, Ryan stood on the Coulters’ front porch, wondering how in the hell things had gone so wrong.

  The man’s shouts were still ringing in Ryan’s ears as he started toward his truck. A no-account scalawag? Nobody said “no-account scalawag” these days. Damn. The guy was living in the Dark Ages.

  Once in his truck, Ryan envisioned the dejected expression on Bethany’s face when he told her how badly this had gone. He slammed his fist against the steering wheel and glared through the windshield at her parents’ house, thinking he could buy a thousand just like it and still make change. Who the hell did that old codger think he was?

  Ryan nearly started the truck and drove away. But, no, damn it. Instead he climbed back out, slammed the door, and stomped along the walkway to the porch. Up the flipping steps he went, boiling mad. The man was Bethany’s father, and for that reason, Ryan would show him respect. But he wasn’t about to crawl away with his tail tucked between his legs.