“He was here? I don’t remember that either.” Rue pressed a hand to her forehead. “I’m . . . I’m getting worse, aren’t I?”
“I don’t know, Mom. You might be, but I need to talk to the doctor to know for sure.” Kerry reached out and took her mother’s other hand. “You know what? I’ve been thinking that I’d like to move back home. Would that be all right with you?”
Rue’s eyes widened. “Of course, but that’s not what you really want. You love having your own place.”
“I love being with you more.” Kerry gave Rue’s hand a squeeze. “And I think it’s time that you didn’t live alone anymore.”
Rue nodded. “I know. I’ve known it for a while. I just didn’t want it to be true. I don’t want someone to have to take care of me . . . like I’m a baby . . .”
Kerry held tight to her mother’s hand while she cried. She wouldn’t give in to tears herself—she wanted to, but it always made her mother so upset when she cried, and she needed to stay strong just long enough to get somewhere private. Then she’d cry her eyes out. She knew how much her mother loved her independence.
“It’ll be all right, Mom,” Kerry said when the tears had passed. “And think of all the rent money I’ll save—we’ll put it in the bank and save it for a special vacation we can take together.”
“All right,” Rue said, but she didn’t sound very enthusiastic.
After Kerry had helped her mother into the bathroom and brushed her hair, she called Dr. Burdick’s office. She was patched right through.
“She was definitely agitated and confused last night,” Dr. Burdick confirmed. “She believed you were dead, and nothing I said would change her mind.”
“She seems fine this morning,” Kerry told him. “I asked her if she’d mind if I moved back home, and she’s fine with it, although she hates the idea of someone having to take care of her all the time.” A thought struck her. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do about work.”
“Some of my patients’ caregivers work from home,” Dr. Burdick said. “You might see if that’s an option for you.”
Kerry thought about her responsibilities, most of which were carried out online anyway—sending copy, approving photographs, designing layouts. “That might work,” she said slowly. “I’ll talk to my boss about it.”
“In the meantime, keep me updated. I have your mother scheduled for an appointment on Thursday. I’d like to run some tests and see about the status of her condition, but call me if something comes up before then.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Kerry hung up and went into the kitchen to see that Andie had made a late breakfast and had served Rue up a stack of pancakes. “You’re the best,” she said as she joined them at the table.
“What did the doctor say?” Rue asked.
“He said that he’s glad you’re feeling better this morning.” She didn’t want to worry her mother any more than she already had.
“That’s nice.” Rue tucked in to her bacon, seeming content to change the subject, and Kerry exhaled with relief. Her mother hated tests, and the longer they could go without talking about them, the better.
She looked around the table, at the normalcy of it, and smiled. Just for this moment, everything was as it should be. She’d hang on to this and remember it when things fell apart again later. It was only a matter of time.
Chapter Ten
Jamal left Jaclyn’s house feeling sure of what he should do, but then he began to second-guess himself. It was easy to feel confident when he was full of cookies, but as he began to think over all the logistics of leaving, it seemed like a far-fetched idea, and he wasn’t sure he should do it—or even could do it.
But after another sleepless night rehashing every minute he’d spent with Kerry and wishing it had ended differently, he knew he couldn’t let it go. She wasn’t like the other guests who came and went and faded from memory—she was a part of him now, living and breathing inside him, and he had to tell her that even though their time together had been so short, it had been meaningful. From there, who knew if it would grow—but he couldn’t pretend that it had been anything less than it was.
The next morning, he headed over to Wade’s office as soon as he knew his boss would be in and asked for a few days off. Wade seemed surprised—Jamal had never asked for time off—but he readily agreed.
“I owe you several days, actually,” Wade said. “Are you sure you don’t want more?”
“I think three’s enough for now, but thanks.”
Wade nodded. “Does this have anything to do with that pretty young woman I saw helping you fix the goat pen?”
“It might.”
Wade grinned. “The magic of the ranch strikes again. You know, I sometimes wonder if we shouldn’t work that into our advertising—‘More couples matched here than at any other dude ranch in Idaho.’”
“I don’t know. Have you asked the other dude ranches how many matches they’ve made? Is this a true statement?”
“It’s got to be, don’t you think?” Wade reached across the desk and shook Jamal’s hand. “Enjoy your time off. See you when you get back. Any ideas for who should step in while you’re gone?”
“Pastor Kevin has helped me out with the animals on several occasions. He knows what to do.”
Wade laughed. “Poor Kevin, always getting roped into helping us out. Yeah, he’s a good choice. I’ll talk to him—you get busy packing.”
“Will do. Thanks, Wade.”
The next step was taking care of the cat families. Jamal loaded all the cats back up into their box and drove them back out to Jess’s clinic. “I’m sorry,” he told them. “You’ve been dragged back and forth more than is good for you, but trust me, she’ll see to your every need.”
“You know I will,” Jess said. “Oh, Mama looks so much better already.”
“Thanks to you.” Jamal gave her a nod. “Okay, wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” Jess replied. “Although I’m not sure you’ll need it. I think the two of you have some of that destiny thing going on.”
“That’s what I hope to find out.” Jamal waved as he drove away from the clinic, knowing the cats were in good hands, but still a little worried. He would be until Mama was off all her medications and feeding her kittens again. He couldn’t help the way he became involved with his animals—they were like a second family to him.
Once that errand was done, he drove to his apartment and threw some clothes in a backpack. Was he really doing this? Was he really just jumping on an airplane and flying to California and telling this woman who was still practically a stranger how he felt about her? Was it enough of a grand romantic gesture? Was it too much of one? He wasn’t the first person on the ranch to go chasing after someone who had left, but he hadn’t imagined he’d ever be included on that list. It seemed a little over the top and melodramatic, and yet, here he was.
He had texted Andie for the address, which she gave him without a lot of commentary. That was weird. Andie was one of the most talkative people he knew. He chalked it up to being busy—she was likely still helping Kerry, and that would be time-consuming. He had to wonder, though. With the way girls liked to tell each other everything, had Kerry told Andie what a mess he’d made of everything, and did Andie hate him now too? That would really stink.
He watched out the airplane window as the ground passed beneath him. The passenger next to him was squeezed in just a little tight, and he was trying to ignore that. He supposed that couldn’t really be helped, as the third person on their aisle was also squeezed in tight. They were all likely to pop out of their seats like a Jack in the Box if they hit enough turbulence.
As the plane descended, Jamal’s nerves struck again. It was so tempting to stay in the airport, find a return flight, and pretend he’d never made the attempt, but he’d know. Worse than that, Kerry would know. She’d know he hadn’t tried to set things right, and that’s not something he could live with. So he braced himself, got in line
for a taxi, and asked the driver to take him to the address he’d scribbled on the back of a gum wrapper.
Then he sat back and closed his eyes. It was up to her now, and that was the scariest part.
***
Jamal’s heart thumped almost painfully as he knocked on the door. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so nervous.
When the door opened, it was Andie on the other side, and she squealed and threw her arms around him. “You really came! I can’t believe it—you really came!”
“Did you think I’d tease about something like that?” He returned her hug. “How are you?”
“I’m just about perfect now that you’re here. Come in.” She held the door open wider, and he entered.
“Where’s Kerry?” he asked, dropping his backpack by the umbrella tree.
“I’ll go get her.” Andie practically danced off, and Jamal smiled. She really hadn’t changed a bit.
Kerry came down the hallway holding a folded T-shirt in her hands. She stopped dead when she saw Jamal, and she couldn’t seem to speak.
“Hi, Kerry,” he said after clearing his throat. “I know you’re probably surprised to see me here.” That wasn’t the smoothest thing he could have said, but he forged on. “I couldn’t leave things the way they were. The fact is, I’m crazy about you. Absolutely crazy, which is crazy in and of itself because we only met the other day. But I can’t just let you walk out of my life without you knowing how much these few days have meant to me. You’ve touched my heart and changed my soul, and that’s what I came here to tell you.”
She blinked a few times. “You came all this way to tell me that?”
“Yes, I did. And now, if you want me to leave, I will, but at least you know the truth.” He wished she’d react in some way—he was getting a stomachache wondering how she felt.
“On the mountain, when we kissed, why did you push me away like you did?”
He pulled in a deep breath. That was a moment he’d relived over and over again, wanting to change it. “I pushed you away because I had realized how much you were coming to mean to me, but I realized it wasn’t possible. You have your whole life set up here, and you’d never want to leave.” Then more words tumbled out of his mouth, and he was shocked to hear them. “But now I realize, I’m willing to move here to be with you if that turns out to be what we both want.”
“What? But you don’t want to live in a big city.”
“The most important thing to me is the chance to be with you. If this is meant to be, if this turns into something that can last forever, I’ll live wherever you are.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Kerry clutched the T-shirt she was holding a little tighter. “I didn’t dream you’d ever say that.”
Just then, an older woman toddled up behind Kerry and nudged her in the back. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Why are you blocking the hall like this?” Then she peered around Kerry’s shoulder. “Oh. We have company. Why didn’t anyone say so?”
“Mom, this is Jamal,” Kerry said. “The man I told you about from the ranch. Andie’s friend.”
“Oh, well, this is awkward,” the woman replied. “How can we go see him if he’s here?”
Jamal turned to Kerry. “You’re . . . you’re coming to see me?”
Kerry shifted from one foot to the other. “I left in such a hurry that I never got my massage, and I still have a little over a week of vacation time planned, and Mom was really curious to see the ranch, so we thought we’d come back together. And maybe talk to you while we were there.” She held up the T-shirt. “We’re packing right now.”
Jamal grinned. “And what did you want to talk to me about?”
Kerry seemed embarrassed. “About how I didn’t want you to walk out of my life without you knowing how much this last week has meant to me.”
“That sounds like a pretty good conversation to have.” He reached out a hand to the older woman. “Hi there. I’m Jamal.”
“And I’m Rue. My goodness, you’re just as good-looking as Kerry said you were.”
Jamal looked at Kerry. “You told your mother how good-looking I am?”
She seemed flustered. “I was trying to convince her to come to the ranch with me. I was pulling out all the stops.”
Andie reappeared from the back of the house and took Rue’s arm. “Let me help you finish packing, Rue,” she said.
“Oh, good idea,” Rue replied. “I think we need to leave these two alone.”
Jamal held in his laughter until Rue was out of earshot. “I like her already,” he said. “Is her wrist bothering her much?”
“It doesn’t seem to be,” Kerry answered. “Thank you for being concerned.”
Jamal took a step closer. “Of course. Now, about that conversation.”
“Conversation?”
“Yes, the one where you were going to tell me all sorts of wonderful things about how you feel about me.”
“Oh, that one. Um, yes. I really like you, and I think we’d be foolish if we didn’t see where this could possibly go.”
“I agree. In fact, it’s almost like I said it myself a few minutes ago.” He reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand, then brought her closer for a kiss. This time, he didn’t pull away, but held her close when the kiss had ended. Just as he thought—she fit in his arms perfectly.
Chapter Eleven
“I can’t believe our time here is almost over,” Kerry said, threading her arm through Jamal’s as they walked through the trees. Her mother was visiting with Jaclyn, and Kerry was loving every minute of time she got to spend alone with Jamal. It was like their slate had been wiped clean and all their misunderstandings had been swept away, and they’d been able to see each other for who they really were at the core.
“I’m so glad you came back. Not just you, but your mother, too,” Jamal replied. “She’s really taken to this place, hasn’t she?”
“Yeah, she has. She even told me last night that she could see herself living here. Isn’t that funny? All this time, I thought she’d be reluctant to leave her house, but she’s the one making suggestions about moving.”
“Do you think she’d remember making that suggestion? Would she be all right with moving?”
“Oh, I have no way of knowing. Her situation is so unpredictable, I can’t say.”
“I’m asking because there’s something else on my mind.” He turned to face her and took her two hands in his. “I know we have so much more to sort out, so many things to talk about, but there’s one thing I know for sure, and that’s this—I want to marry you. It doesn’t have to be this minute—I’d like to make sure we have everything squared away first and that your mother is happy wherever she is—but I’d like to make it official. You’re the woman I want to marry, and I’m not going to change my mind in a week or a month or however long it takes to figure things out. Will you, Kerry? Will you marry me?”
Her breath caught in her throat, and she couldn’t speak for a moment. “You know it will be complicated,” she said at last. “I have very little power to predict our futures—I don’t know what to promise you.”
“Promise me that at some point down the road, whether it’s here or in California, we’ll join our lives together and you’ll be my wife,” Jamal said. “I’m still willing to move.”
“And I might be able to arrange working from home,” Kerry added. “It means so much to me that you’re willing to make such a huge sacrifice, I should be willing to do the same.” She paused. “You understand that no matter what happens, my mother is part of the deal.”
Jamal squeezed her hands. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Then I think it has to be a yes.” She took a step forward and kissed him. “Thank you for loving me despite all my flaws and failings.”
“Well, if you’re willing to make such a huge sacrifice, I should too,” he teased her, using her own words, and she laughed.
“I have a feeling we’re going to be one very hap
py family,” she said.
“I have every intention of making it so. For all of us,” Jamal replied.
Epilogue
Kerry stepped onto her front porch and took a deep breath of fresh Idaho air. It almost seemed like a fairy tale, how everything had worked out. Her boss had agreed to let her telecommute as long as she’d come in every three months for a face-to-face meeting, and that was certainly doable. When she’d told her mother about Jamal’s proposal, Rue had been so happy, she’d burst into tears and started naming her new grandchildren, even though the first wouldn’t be born for at least nine months and more than likely much longer than that. They’d been able to find a buyer for the house, and with Andie’s help, all Rue’s most precious things had been relocated to the small house they’d found in Riston, just a few miles from River’s End Ranch.
Jamal came outside behind her and nuzzled her neck. “Morning, Mrs. Jenkins. How are you this morning?”
“I’m absolutely wonderful. How about you?”
“Well, I’ve been better, I have to admit.”
“What’s the matter?” She turned to face him, worried. He’d been working so hard lately—well, he always worked hard. That was just how he was.
“I got a text from Wade a minute ago saying that someone saw Billy heading for the diner.”
“What? No!”
“Yeah. So I’d better be on my way.” He bent down and gave her a kiss. “See you tonight.”
She laughed. “Have fun getting your goat.”
“You know, that doesn’t get any funnier no matter how many times you say it.”
“I do know, but that’s not going to stop me.” She laughed again as she closed the door. “What do you say, Vixen?” she said to the kitten nestled in the crook of her elbow. “Should we go make breakfast? Pancakes, my mom’s favorite?”
Vixen gave a little meow, and Kerry grinned. She’d never imagined that she’d be able to have it all—a career, a way to take care of her mother, and a wonderful man to share it with. But it was true, and she even had a cat, too. Life was so, so good.
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