The Last Good Cowboy

by Kate Pearce

  There was no getting away from what had happened. Like Avery said, he was just going to have to deal.

  By the time Ry had saddled up the other two horses, Roy emerged from the house and made his leisurely way over to the barn.

  “Good job, Ry. Let’s go.”

  Ry mounted and held Dolittle in check until Roy was ready. He risked one casual question before they set off.

  “Is HW still around?”

  “Nope. Chase had him flown back to Vegas. He’s supposed to be training out there.”

  “Okay.” Ry looked straight ahead. “Is Dad going to help out with the fences today?”

  “He might. It depends on BB and Maria’s schedule. You know how he likes to be a good grandpa.” Roy glanced at him. “Chase is home, BB is too, and Ruth’s gonna have to be faced at some point.”

  Ry sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

  “Can’t hide forever, son.”

  “Got it.” Ry shortened his reins. “But maybe just for the rest of the day, okay?”

  * * *

  “Avery, we have to talk about this.”

  Marley came and sat on the corner of Avery’s desk, blocking her escape unless she wanted to get really physical and karate-kick her sister out of the way.

  “There’s nothing to talk about. We’ll both apply for the job and the best applicant will win.”

  “But I need this job. Why can’t you understand that?”

  “Marley, you have a degree, you can work anywhere in the world. Why on earth are you so fixated on getting a job on a ranch in the middle of nowhere? The place might not even succeed, and then where will you be?”

  “But I want to stay here.”

  “Then work at the hotel.” Avery patted her sister’s hand. “If I had your qualifications I’d be applying for jobs in Hawaii, New York, and London . . .”

  “You have experience, Ave. That counts for a lot more than a stupid degree. And it doesn’t make sense. How can you get a degree rather than work, and then be told you have to have experience?”

  “I know it’s frustrating, but if you work here for a year or so you can then move on with that experience, and with your degree. Wasn’t that the plan all along?”

  “But Mom and Dad don’t like me working here.”

  God, was Marley’s lip actually trembling? Her sister really wasn’t used to not getting what she wanted or not being the most successful member of the family. Avery tried again.

  “They just need time to get used to all your excellent and necessary adjustments. You’ve got to remember that they’ve been doing things the way they like for twenty-five years.”

  “Which is why you fit in here so well. You don’t like change either.”

  “I—” Avery considered that remark. “That’s not true, Marley. I just haven’t had much choice in the matter.”

  Marley sucked in a breath. “You chose to stay here. Once you’d gotten over your accident you could’ve left. You didn’t, and now, just because I did those things, you want to make it difficult for me.”

  “If it was any other job for any other local family or business, I’d be more than happy to step down, but this is at Morgan Ranch. I’m the one who set up the office there, and I’m the one who is supposed to be taking that job.”

  Marley folded her arms across her chest. “What happens if you and Ry break up, and you still have to see him every day?”

  “We’re both mature people. If we break up, we’ll be polite about it.”

  Actually, if Ry Morgan broke up with her she’d kill him, which meant she wouldn’t have to worry about work or her family because she’d be locked up on death row.

  “It’s not healthy for a relationship to be twenty-four seven, Avery.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, like Mom and Dad’s? They seem to have done okay.”

  “But I want that job.” Avery half expected her sister to stamp her feet and have a tantrum. “Couldn’t you just—let me have it for a year, and then take it over when I move on?”

  “No, Marley, I could not.” She met her sister’s pleading gaze. “Look, if Chase wants to hire you, fair and square? Then that’s fine by me, but let him make the decision, okay? Don’t let this come between us.”

  Marley slid off the desk. “He’s going to choose me. I’m better qualified.”

  “And that’s okay.”

  Marley headed for the door and then slowed to look over her shoulder. “If he doesn’t pick me, how are you going to feel knowing you only got the job because of Ry?”

  “That’s not fair,” Avery snapped. “How about I get the job because I’m the one who just spent the last month setting everything up? How about the fact that I get on with everyone up there?”

  Marley gaped at her. “You’re shouting at me. You never shout.”

  “Because I want you to drop it, okay? Maybe I’m sick and tired of always having to be the nice sister, the one who has no ambition. I have ambition, Marley. I was on course to become one of the best barrel racers in the country!”

  She was standing and her knees were shaking as she focused in on her sister. Her parents appeared at the open door, Tucker behind them.

  “Everything okay, girls?” Dad said brightly.

  Avery glared at him. “Yes—as long as I let Marley get what she wants, as usual.”

  “Now who’s being unfair!” Marley cried. “After your accident you stopped wanting to succeed, you gave up! Nobody made you.”

  “Apart from the fact that I was physically disabled? Of course it changed me, but I’ve got to get past it.”

  “And taking my job in my field is the way you’re going to proceed?”

  “It’s my field, too!” Avery was really yelling now. “I’ve worked at this place since I was a kid—paid and unpaid! I know more about how to run a hotel than you do in your little finger!”

  Marley gasped and ran out of the office, her hand over her mouth.

  “That wasn’t a very nice thing to say, Avery,” Dad admonished her, and Mom nodded. “She—”

  Avery interrupted him. “She needs to understand that she can’t have everything she wants. And you two need to stop pushing her to apply for my damn job just because you want to get rid of her.”

  “There’s no need to curse, dear,” Mom murmured.

  Avery sat down with a thump as her parents departed, no doubt to comfort poor widdle Marley. She wasn’t sure where all her anger had come from—hadn’t even realized she’d been holding it in there for years.

  The door closed with a soft click, and Tucker took up the perch on the corner of her desk that Marley had recently vacated.

  She ignored him and opened her laptop. “I suppose you think I should apologize to her as well.”

  “No. I think she needs to understand that everything won’t automatically fall into her lap.”

  “Really?” She looked up. “I was beginning to think it was just me.”

  “Of course she does have her reasons for being like that. It was hard for her after your accident. Mom and Dad had very little time for anything apart from taking care of you, and she was pretty much ignored.”

  “Great. Now you’re laying on the guilt.”

  “I’m just trying to say that maybe this family needs a shake-up—for our parents to see you’ve changed, and maybe to wonder why Marley, who’s achieved everything she ever dreamed of, decided to come home and wants to stay put.”

  “I asked her about that, but she didn’t answer the question. Do you think something happened at college?”

  Tucker shrugged. “I don’t know, but with her degree she could find a job anywhere in the world, and she didn’t.”

  “Now I have sprinkles of guilt on my guilt.” Avery groaned. “I suppose I should try and find out what’s going on.”

  “She’ll tell you when she’s ready. Remember, you don’t have to fix everyone.” Tucker vacated his perch. “And, by the way, I think you’ll do a fantastic job up at the ranch.”

  She blew h
im a kiss. “Always the diplomat. I bet you’ll be saying exactly the same thing to Marley in a few minutes.”

  “I doubt it. She needs more experience dealing with people.” He shuddered. “She tends to order the guests and staff around, and no one likes that.”

  “She’s young. She’ll work it out.”

  Tucker left and Avery stopped pretending to check her email. God, why had she gotten so cross over something so minor? Or maybe it wasn’t a small thing after all. Was she finally coming out of her shell and wanting more? She’d stayed in the same job for years. Even her room was the same as when she’d been a teenager. Had she gotten stuck somewhere?

  Ry and Marley’s return to Morgantown had made her think about what she wanted, and how little she’d done with her life since the accident. She shouldn’t be shouting at either of them.

  She should be thanking them.

  * * *

  Ruth glanced up from her cookbook as Ry entered the kitchen.

  “You took your time.”

  He took a deep breath. “Yeah. About that—”

  She pointed at a chair and he obediently sat down. Taking off her reading glasses, she came around the table and grabbed his chin, angling his head to study his jaw.

  “Not broken?”

  “Nope. Just sore.”

  “Good.” She released her grip, reminding him of how she used to take hold of him by the ear when he was a kid.

  “HW went back to Las Vegas.”

  “Roy told me.”

  “He told me to tell you he’s sorry he hit you.”

  “Okay.”

  She held his gaze. “But I’m not sorry he did. There was some truth in what he said, wasn’t there?”

  “Yeah.” She held his gaze, hers calm but expectant, until he felt obliged to keep going. “I suppose at some level I did resent him.”

  “And?”

  “And what? Despite what he said, I didn’t spend my whole time with him grumbling and complaining. We had our disagreements just like any brothers, but we stuck together. We had each other’s backs.”

  “I’m sure he knows that.”

  “Didn’t sound like it.”

  “Ry, your twin is under a lot of pressure at the moment, what with the finals and your mom reappearing, and the TV show . . .”

  “I know. I’ll call him and apologize, okay?”

  “Now you sound like a teenager.” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Ry.”

  “Because I’m acting like a teen? Don’t be, you’re right.”

  She cupped his bruised jaw. “For not seeing what was happening when you and HW were just kids.”

  “As I said, we survived, and there’s nothing we can do about it now.” He placed his hand over hers. “You gave me so much when I was a kid. I don’t ever want you to feel guilty about a thing.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “You’re a good boy, Rowdy Yates Morgan.”

  “Don’t cry, okay? I can’t handle that.” He tried to smile. It occurred to him that this was why he hadn’t wanted to come home. Not that he’d be upset, but that everyone else would. “I prefer it when you get mad and tell me off.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll do something fairly soon to earn my wrath.”

  “I can guarantee it.” He kissed her lined cheek. “Any food needing to be eaten?”

  She swatted him lightly on the head. “Dinner’s in half an hour. Come back then.”

  Ry went up the stairs smiling to himself, only to pause when he found Billy waiting for him outside his bedroom door. With a sigh, he went in and left the door open behind him.

  “Come on in, Dad. Let me have it.”

  Billy sat on the bed. Ry walked over to the window and parked himself on the edge of his desk as his dad started speaking.

  “Your mom did make only one birthday cake. She said it was for both of you, but somehow she’d made it in HW’s favorite color, flavor, and theme, and your name had somehow gotten smudged and fallen off the top of the frosting. It wasn’t until I confronted her about it that I really understood how hard she was coming down on you.” He shook his head. “I was . . . horrified. You were identical twins. There was no way in hell one of you was supposedly superior to the other.”

  Ry didn’t say anything, but he nodded for his father to go on.

  “I think it was at that point I realized she was seriously ill and needed help. I didn’t get a chance to put any plan into action before she became violent and ended up running away.” He looked up at Ry. “I know saying sorry doesn’t change anything, but I’m saying it anyway.”

  “There’s no need.”

  “Sure there is. We let you down, son.”

  He shrugged. What else could he do? There was no way he was going to discuss what had happened. At least everyone now knew why he was reluctant to make contact with his mom, and no one was blaming him, which was something of a relief.

  Billy stood up. “If you want to talk about anything, you know where I am.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Hell, don’t thank me for being a crap parent.”

  “You always did your best. Even back then I kind of knew you were the only one who believed there was something seriously wrong with Mom. I knew that if things got really bad I could always come to you.”

  Billy nodded once and then left. Thankfully without crying, but Ry sensed it had been close. He took a deep, shuddering breath and checked the time. Only his two brothers to deal with now, and neither of them were the emotional type. Compared to his dad and his grandmother, they were going to be a piece of cake.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “I didn’t expect to get two applications for the event coordinator job.” Chase sipped his coffee and frowned at his laptop screen.

  Ruth smacked his shoulder as she put a jug of cream on the table. “And I don’t expect you to be using your computer at the breakfast table. Where are your manners? I know I taught you better.”

  “Sorry, Ruth.” Chase closed the lid.

  Ry looked up from his bowl of oatmeal. “I thought you were offering the job to Avery.”

  “So did I. But I left it up to Ruth to ring the Hayes family.”

  “I called them.” Ruth added the cream to her coffee. “Just like you asked me to.”

  “So why have both Avery and her sister applied for the same job?”

  “Marley applied?” Ry asked.

  “Yeah, she’s actually better qualified than Avery, to be honest.” Chase frowned. “Do you think this is Avery’s way of suggesting she doesn’t want the job?”

  “By getting her sister to apply for it? Why would she do that?”

  Even as he asked the question, Ry knew exactly why. She’d either think she wasn’t good enough, or assume Marley would be better. Marley might even have insisted on being given the opportunity.

  “What do you want me to do?” Chase looked at him. “On paper Marley has all the right things going for her, but Avery’s already set everything up, and she works really well with all of us.”

  “It’s not my decision, Chase. You need to do what you think is right. I don’t want Avery thinking I influenced you.”

  “Maybe she’s going to dump you, Ry, so she doesn’t want to be up here anymore,” BB suggested. “That could be super awkward.”

  Ry made an impolite gesture with his finger that he hoped Ruth couldn’t see. “I don’t think that’s it.”

  BB regarded him over his coffee mug. “You like her, don’t you?”

  “I always did.”

  “Hey, that’s right. You were sweet on her all the way through school—until she went and kissed HW at the prom.”

  “While he was pretending to be me.”

  BB winced. “Ouch. Sometimes I can see why he drives you nuts.” He looked around the table. “Speaking of HW. Has anyone heard from him?”

  “Nope.” Chase surreptitiously checked his phone. January was away visiting her mom, and he was constantly texting her. “I know he arrived
in one piece, because my pilot let me know when he exited the plane in Vegas.”

  “He’s still coming back for the wedding, isn’t he?” Ruth asked.

  “If Ry’s okay with it.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be? It’s your wedding. You can invite anyone you like.” Ry stared at his oldest brother. “HW’s an ass, but he’s still part of this family.”

  “True.” Chase looked at BB and Billy. “If being an ass ruled you out, there would be no one sitting at this table.”

  Ruth gave him a look. “Speak for yourself.”

  “Point taken. You are above reproach. I was talking about the guys.” Chase’s gaze dropped to his cell again, and he started to read.

  Ry was just about to get up and put his bowl in the dishwasher when Chase cleared his throat.

  “I’ve had a message to call my security firm. It’s probably got something to do with Mom.” He fixed Ry with his piercing blue stare. “Do you want us to pursue this, Ry?”

  “You mean finding Mom?”

  “Yeah. We talked it over last night and we wanted you to have the final say. Even HW agreed that was the right thing to do.”

  Ry sat down again and contemplated his joined hands. Part of him wanted to tell Chase to stop, but was that what he really wanted?

  “Can I think about it?”

  “Sure—as long as you don’t take too long.” Chase made a face. “Time is money, and in this case I’m being screwed by the hour by the investigators.”

  Ry stood and pushed in his chair. “Then I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”

  “By lunchtime would be good.”

  “Will do.” Ry checked he had the keys to his truck, and went out. He was supposed to be meeting Roy up at Morgansville to complete the last section of fencing and the final gate. Instead he took out his cell and texted Avery.

  Are you around?

  I’m working a double shift. What’s up?