by Kate Pearce
“Maybe that’s because after I almost died, I promised myself that I wouldn’t waste any more of my life regretting what happened in the past. That I’d allow myself to grieve and then I’d move on.”
His slow smile warmed her heart. “Much easier to say than to actually do.”
“Not for me.” She turned back to the door. “Are you good to go? I’ve got to lock up and get the key back to the church.”
“Sure! I just wanted to check in with you about the wedding next weekend. Daisy’s fine with you coming with me.”
“Great. Dave’s also been invited so we can meet you at the ceremony.” Faith snapped the lights off and locked the door, but Danny was still lingering. “Is there something else?”
“I thought I’d walk you back to your truck.” He shrugged. “Just making sure you’re safe out in the wild streets of Morgantown.”
She glanced around the empty sidewalks. “That’s really sweet of you, but I’m meeting someone at the Red Dragon.”
“I’ll walk you there, and I’ll take the key back.”
“There’s no need.”
“Humor me.”
She sighed and set off down the street, Danny by her side. Even though it was past eight it was still hot and humid. She could feel the heat radiating through the soles of her boots. Eventually, after delivering the key, she paused at the crosswalk on the corner opposite the bright neon lights of the bar.
“I think I’m good from here.”
“You meeting Red?”
“Yes.” She looked up at him.
He smiled and tipped his hat to her, a challenge in his gaze. “Give him my best.”
“I will.”
Faith stepped off the curb and went toward the bar. She might have kissed Danny, but they’d both agreed that had nothing to do with the present, so he had no right to make her feel guilty about anything. So why did she feel guilty? Hadn’t she just airily told him that she never looked back or felt bad about what happened in the past? The problem was that Danny assumed he knew her and that she hadn’t changed, which wasn’t the case.
Except he did know her in ways no one else had ever come close to....
She pushed open the door and immediately saw Red sitting up at the bar joking with Nancy. He wore a green shirt, blue Wranglers, and a white straw cowboy hat and fitted in perfectly with the rest of the clientele. She walked through the crowded tables, noting half the ranchers who’d attended her meeting had decided to stay in town and have a drink together. She smiled and nodded to anyone who called out to her and eventually ended up beside Red, who got off his barstool to smile at her.
“Hey! You made it. Sorry I couldn’t get to the meeting. I had to wait for Beau to get back from Bridgeport with the truck.”
“It’s all good. I just brought everyone up-to-date with the scours outbreak, which you knew about already.” She smiled. “It took a while to answer all the questions.” She looked around the crowded bar. “Has anyone said anything to you?”
“Anything bad? Nope, just a lot of sympathy, actually.” Red pulled out another barstool and patted the seat. “Why don’t you hop up here, and what can I get you to drink?”
“A beer will be fine. Hey, Nancy.” She smiled at the bartender.
“Hey, Faith. You coming to Daisy’s wedding next weekend?”
“Yes, I am.” Faith took the bottle from Nancy and declined a glass. “It will be nice to see everyone gathered in one place.”
“And get the grilling and gossiping over with,” Nancy joked.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Faith said, sighing. “Someone in Morgan Valley really hates my guts.”
“That’ll be Sue Ellen Bryson.” Nancy nodded. “She holds you personally responsible for Danny Miller never asking her out in the last twenty years. And Doug’s not a big fan of yours, either. He was in here last week with his crew complaining about you killing two of his calves.”
Red, who’d been listening intently, frowned and leaned toward Faith as Nancy turned away to serve another customer.
“Doug’s blaming you for what exactly?”
“Some of his cows were on Miller land. Doug refused to come and get them so Jeff Miller called me in to ask whether it would be okay to move them. I said it would. Sue Ellen and Doug decided I was the devil incarnate all over again and threatened to sue me when the calves died.”
“Doug’s not good with his livestock.”
“So I hear. As I’m not allowed on their property I couldn’t say.”
Red swallowed some beer. “He’s a fool.”
“Can’t disagree with that.” Faith grinned at him.
“I gather you and Danny Miller were once an item, then?” Red said casually.
“A long time ago when we were at school, but you know how places like this are—people never forget anything.”
He hesitated. “If you don’t mind me asking. What happened between you?”
Faith shrugged. “I went off to college and Danny stayed here. That’s about it.”
“Rumor has it you ran off with a rodeo star.”
“I wish it had been that exciting.” Faith drank some cold beer. “We just wanted different things and neither of us wanted a long-distance relationship, so that was that.”
“Sounds like Sue Ellen and Doug need to let it go,” Red commented as he signaled to Nancy for two more beers.
“You think?” Faith asked.
“I know what it’s like when the whole town starts gossiping about your family,” Red said. “That’s one of the reasons Beau and I decided to move out here.” He hesitated. “He was having some problems settling down after three tours in Afghanistan.”
Faith considered Red’s usually silent brother anew. “Well, thank him for his service from me, won’t you?”
“I’ll try. He doesn’t really want to talk about it.”
The flash of worry on Red’s normally smiling face made Faith reach across and pat his hand.
“I can only imagine. Sam Morgan runs camps and classes up at their place for kids and wounded vets. I wonder if Beau would talk to someone who’d been through it herself?”
“Maybe.” Red didn’t sound convinced and then he grinned. “Wow, look at us clearing the air on our first date.”
Faith went to answer, and he held up a finger.
“I know it’s not really a date, but a guy can hope.” He studied his beer with unnecessary attention. “I’m going to guess that you’ve got stuff to sort out with Danny Miller before you’re ready for another relationship.”
“Why would you say that?”
“I dunno, just something about the vibe between the two of you. Beau noticed it as well.” He looked up at her, his brown gaze clear. “It’s okay. I can wait.”
“Right now, I’m more worried about sorting the veterinary clinic out and getting it running efficiently than my personal life. It’s going to take time to get it to where I think it should be.” Faith knew she was avoiding the question. “And dragging Dave and the rest of the team into the twenty-first century is a full-time job.”
Red chuckled, displaying his dimples. “I bet.” He gestured toward the diner. “Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, do you want to get something to eat? I’m starving.”
* * *
As Danny drove up toward the Bryson place the next morning his mind kept returning to his conversation with Faith. Was she really that different? Was he hanging on to and judging a completely different image of her from the past and not allowing that she might have changed and grown? He wasn’t the same anymore—the fallout from his teens had changed him considerably, and Faith had almost died. What did that do to a person? Even his dad was rethinking his life after his heart attack.
And then she’d casually let on that she’d married and divorced one of her veterinary partners—like it was no big deal. Danny wasn’t buying that. Whatever she said about how much she’d changed that had to have hurt, especially for someone as competitive as Faith. But maybe she had learned to m
ove past huge obstacles and he just hadn’t.
The fact that she’d continued working alongside her ex and his new love for years afterward indicated that she either had nerves of steel or really had gotten over it.
Danny sighed as he slowed the truck and approached Bryson Ranch. To his surprise the gate was locked, meaning he couldn’t drive in and park alongside the house and barn. He got out into the cloudless menace of the bright sunny sky and shaded his eyes.
“Hello?” he shouted. “Anyone home?”
Just as he was about to get back into his truck to enjoy the miracle of air-conditioning someone came out of the house. He squinted into the sun as he recognized Sue Ellen.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Danny called out. Sue Ellen looked like she’d fallen out of bed on the wrong side. Her skin was pale, and she hardly seemed to have the energy to stand upright.
“What do you want?”
“I just came by to pass on some information from the veterinary clinic.” Danny held up the information sheet Faith had put together about the current scours outbreak and protective measures each ranch could take. “Have you got a minute?”
“We’re both sick. Go away.”
Danny frowned. “Anything I can help you with?”
“No! Go away!” She brought up her hand and Danny took an instinctive step back as he looked down the barrel of a gun. “And tell Faith McDonald where she can stuff her stupid advice.”
Danny held up both his hands. “Take it easy, Sue Ellen, I’m just trying to be neighborly.” He slowly bent down and slid the paper under the locked gate. “I’ll leave this here for you. If you have any questions, I suggest you talk to Dave.”
Sue Ellen brought the gun down to her side as if she could no longer hold it steady. “Get out of here, okay? Leave us alone. We’ll be fine without any charity from you or the rest of the town.”
Danny considered arguing, but from the set of her jaw and his knowledge of her stubborn nature, he knew it would be pointless.
“Okay, I’m going. But if things get bad and you can’t look after the ranch, feel free to pick up the phone.”
Sue Ellen didn’t even bother to answer him and turned around. The slam of the door shutting behind her sounded loud in the silence. Danny frowned. Where were the dogs that usually ran free in the yard? Were they stuck inside or caged up in the barn?
He reminded himself that it was none of his business and got back in the truck, only pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow before he headed back home. Sue Ellen and Doug had always been prickly neighbors, so he wasn’t surprised they’d chosen to barricade themselves in rather than reach out for help, but it still bothered him. It was calving season and if both Brysons were sick, who was taking care of the herd?
He was still pondering the problem when he got home and found his auntie Rae’s car parked up in front of the house. In all the goings-on with Faith, the calves, and the Brysons he’d forgotten his aunt and mother were due to arrive today. He went in through the mudroom taking care to thoroughly wash up and remove his boots before going into the main house. Long before he reached the kitchen, he’d already started to smile at the chattering voices and laughter wafting down the hallway.
“Hey.” He went in and spotted his mother and Daisy making coffee while his dad sat at the table talking to Rae and another red-headed woman.
“Danny!” Auntie Rae stood up and opened her arms. “My little treasure.”
He went willingly into her embrace. After his mother’s departure, Jeff had drafted his sister in to take care of his kids and in many ways, Rae felt more like his mother than Leanne ever would.
“Have you met Ellie?”
He turned to the young woman sitting beside his aunt who smiled shyly up at him. She had their mother’s red hair and a fair sprinkling of freckles on her fair skin.
“Hi?”
He offered her his hand. “It’s good to finally meet you. I’m Danny, your fourth oldest half brother and definitely the best of the bunch.”
She grinned. “Funnily enough that’s just what Kaiden said.”
“He would, but he’s such a liar.” Danny liked her immediately. “He’s definitely the jokester of the family so don’t believe a word he says.” He glanced around the kitchen and lowered his voice. “This must all be a bit overwhelming for you.”
“No, it’s amazing. I’ve been wanting to meet you all since Mom told me that I had a ready-made family in California.” Ellie mock frowned. “She made me finish high school and start college before she decided it was a good idea for me to come out here.”
Danny sat down next to her at the table. “She was probably trying to make sure she could handle being around us again before she dropped you in it.”
“So she said.” Ellie sighed. “Everyone has been really nice.”
Danny glanced uncertainly over at his father, who was smiling benignly at his ex-wife—a sight not often seen. “I guess Mom told you about our dad’s bad temper?”
“She did, but he’s been incredibly sweet to me.” Ellie hesitated. “She told me everything. It must have been really hard to lose your mom like that.”
“We were lucky we had Rae to fill in, but it wasn’t quite the same,” Danny acknowledged possibly for the first time ever. “Rae’s amazing.”
“I met her in New York a few times when she came to visit Mom, but she never told me about Mom’s other family. She’d been sworn to secrecy.”
“But you know now, and here you are, all ready to celebrate a family wedding.”
For the second time, Ellie looked hesitant. “I haven’t met Daisy yet. Do you think she’ll be okay with me being here?”
Danny frowned. “I can’t see why not.”
“Mom said Daisy took her leaving the hardest because she was the youngest, and not to expect her to instantly like me,” Ellie continued. “I get that, I really do, but I am worried that she won’t want me here and I don’t want to upset her before her wedding.”
Danny considered that. “Daisy’s a really good person. If she hadn’t wanted you to come, she would’ve said it straight out.”
“I hope you’re right.” Ellie didn’t look convinced. “Mom said everyone’s coming here for a big family dinner tonight, so I suppose I’ll find out soon enough.”
“Yeah.” Danny stood up. “Which means I’d better go and say hi to Mom and get myself washed up before Adam starts cooking up a storm.”
* * *
Much later, he and Rae decided to unload the dishwasher for the second time before they turned in. Danny was still buzzing from the sight of the whole family around the dining table—something that rarely happened anymore what with Ben and Silver often in LA, Kaiden at the Garcias’, and Adam commuting back and forth to town to be with Lizzie and Roman. He’d sat there and let the roar of conversation—in jokes and catching up on everybody’s news—wash over him. Daisy had welcomed Ellie like a new sister and immediately encouraged her to gang up on her brothers. Whatever Daisy still felt about their mother, she wasn’t the kind of person to let that influence how she would treat her half sister.
“So, what’s up with you?” Rae asked as she stacked the still-warm plates and handed them over to the much taller Danny to put away.
“Nothing much.” Danny took the next pile and placed them neatly beside the first.
“Jeff said Faith McDonald finally came home.”
“Yeah.” Danny shut the cupboard and started sorting the silverware.
“He also said that’s been tough for you.”
“Dad did?” Danny smiled. “I’ve no idea why. Faith and I are cool.”
Rae set down the dishcloth and gave him a skeptical look. “Danny, this is your auntie Rae you’re talking to. I was there when everything happened, remember?”
“Did you know that Dad and the McDonalds deliberately prevented me from staying with Faith when she had the baby?”
“Yes,” she sighed. “I told them they were making a terrible mistake and tha
t you deserved to know what was going on with Faith, and the baby. But you know what Jeff ’s like. He wouldn’t listen to a word I said. The McDonalds were so worried about Faith surviving that I didn’t have the heart to keep going on at them.”
“It’s nice to know someone was on my side back then.” Danny shut the last drawer with something of a bang. “At the time I thought Faith didn’t want anything to do with me. Of course, she thought I blamed her and wanted nothing to do with any of it.”
“I’m sorry, love.” Rae smoothed a hand over his back. “I wish I’d been more forceful. At one point I thought about getting in my car and driving you there myself, but Jeff told me not to interfere.”
“It’s okay. As I said, Faith and I have had a chance to talk things through and work out our misunderstandings. It’s really helped.” Danny smiled as Rae sat down and took the seat next to her. “She said she sent me some photos of Marcus just after he was born. I never got them and never replied to her, so she thought I wasn’t interested.”
“If I’d seen them come in our mail, I would’ve given them to you,” Rae said.
“I gather it was her dad who stopped the letter going out. But as I said, we’re at peace with what happened now, and we’ve forgiven each other.”
Rae’s eyes filled with tears. “I offered to give you and Faith a home here—swore to Jeff that I’d help with the baby, but they wouldn’t let me. The McDonalds wanted Faith to go to college and move on with her life as planned.”
Danny took her hand, aware of emotions he thought he’d finally conquered rising up again. “That was really kind of you.”
“You told me that was what you wanted. A family of your own. I didn’t realize you were actually talking about you and Faith at the time, but I should’ve guessed when I saw the state of you later.” She met his gaze. “Do you remember that?”
“Yeah, I think we were right here in this kitchen talking just like we are now.” Danny swallowed hard. “Maybe I was being stupid, or naïve thinking I could’ve been a father at that point in my life but even then, I figured I couldn’t be worse than Dad.”
Rae squeezed his fingers. “You would’ve been great. You always had the most patience with Daisy. I always thought you’d be the first to get married and start a family.”