Alec laughed at his six-year old logic. “Something like that.”
Elliot smiled as he stood, sending him a look that clearly said, Thanks for playing along. “I’m guessing you’d like to look at the barns now?” Alec added.
He gave a discreet nod. “We’d love that.”
*
Rebecca was leading the last two horses in from the riding lesson when she spotted the white transport van in the parking lot. With a frown, she placed the horses in their stalls and started down the aisle. When she reached the far end, she stopped in her tracks, startled to see her husband kneeling beside two boys in wheelchairs.
He stood just then, and he and the family started making their way towards her. Alec caught her eye and gave a warm smile, which she couldn’t help but mirror.
One look at his expression told her that he’d been just as surprised.
“Good timing,” he said, gesturing towards the family. “Bec, this is Elliot Birch and his wife Claire, and their boys Caleb and Micah. Everyone, this is my wife, Rebecca.”
She greeted the Birches with hellos and handshakes and couldn’t help but notice the way the boys’ eyes lit up when Pumpkin’s face appeared over the nearest stall door.
“Mom, look!” Caleb said. “That horse has a blue eye.”
“I thought only Paints could have blue eyes,” Micah added.
“Not if their stripe is wide enough,” his brother corrected him. “And besides, that horse is a Paint. Look at the splotches on her neck.”
The boys fell into an animated debate about horse breeds as Alec and Elliot pushed them down the aisle towards Onyx’s stall. Rebecca watched them go before she turned to Claire, whose smile was just as bright.
“They obviously love horses.”
“It’s the only thing we can get them to agree on,” Claire replied.
Rebecca was silent for a moment. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s–”
“Spina bifida,” she said, as if she were used to being asked.
“So they’ll be in wheelchairs for the rest of their lives.”
Claire nodded. “You’re familiar with the disease?”
“Somewhat. I’m a psychology major, but I took several classes in early childhood development.”
“Oh, you’d fit right in with Helen, the woman who runs their riding program. She’s a psychologist, too.”
Rebecca didn’t tell her that she wasn’t a psychologist yet, because something else caught her attention. “Riding program?”
“Yes. It’s marvelous, actually. The academy has programs for everything from spinal cord injuries to behavioral problems to autism. We’ve had the boys taking lessons there since they were three. It does wonders for their psyche. And their coordination.”
Rebecca had heard of such places, but she’d never met anyone who actually used them. “How fascinating,” she said, turning her gaze back to the boys. “What part of New England are you from?”
Soon the two were lost in conversation, discussing everything from Claire’s historical bed-and-breakfast to Rebecca’s plans after grad school. Eventually she and Alec led the Birches up to the farmhouse and through a tour of each room. Rebecca could tell that Elliot and Claire were excited about the property, but Alec’s enthusiasm was even more evident.
Even though he’d promised he wouldn’t, it was obvious that he was getting his hopes up.
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” she offered.
Elliot smiled and shook his head. “Thank you, but no. We’ve taken more than enough of your time for the day.”
Rebecca felt like she was saying goodbye to new friends as they walked the Birches to the parking lot. Once Claire and the boys were safely in the transport van, Elliot turned to Alec and shook his hand.
“Thank you so much for everything,” he said, shaking Rebecca’s hand, as well. “We’ll be in touch soon.”
And then, just like that, they were gone.
*
Alec lay awake that night, staring at the wooden beams of the ceiling. It had been months since he’d suffered a sleepless night, but tonight it was impossible to silence his mind. He turned over the events of the day–every word, every look, every smile from Elliot and his family–and he couldn’t help but wonder what all of it meant.
Rebecca let out a quiet sigh and turned to face him. “Can’t sleep, either?”
He shook his head and opened his arm, wordlessly inviting her closer. She snuggled against him and pressed her lips to his cheek before she rested her head on his chest.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
It was his turn to sigh. “I’m thinking that I want them to make an offer,” he admitted. “And I’m also thinking that if they don’t, I’m going to pull the ranch off the market.”
“What?” She propped herself up to look at him. “Why?”
“Because now I understand exactly what I want. For years, I felt so trapped here. I felt like I was in a prison cell and I was desperate to break out. I would’ve sold this land to anyone who came along, no matter what they wanted to do with it. They could’ve built a row of skyscrapers here for all I cared. I just wanted out.”
He turned to face her. “But I don’t feel that way anymore. It’s not that I don’t want to move on and build a life elsewhere, because I do. But I don’t want to sell this place to some cold businessman like Peter who only cares about the profit he can make. If I am going to sell, I want it to go to someone like Elliot, someone who will take care of it and appreciate its history. And we’re not going to get many buyers like that.”
He paused and drew in a deep breath. “So this is it, Bec. If they don’t make an offer, I’m fully prepared to stay here.”
Rebecca searched his eyes. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Alec nodded without hesitation. “I’m sure.”
*
Rebecca finally managed to fall asleep, but her sleep was fitful at best. When Alec pushed himself out of bed at five she got up with him, figuring that anything was better than laying here fretting over their future.
They made their way to the barn to help Jake and Holly with morning feed; then they tacked Star and Shadow and headed for the pine grove. She and Alec didn’t say much, but she knew they were feeling the same anxiety.
When they arrived back at the barn, they replaced the horses in their stalls and walked hand-in-hand up to the farmhouse, where Rebecca made a breakfast that neither of them ate. Alec pushed the food around on his plate while Rebecca scraped hers into Dakota’s bowl.
The farmhouse was so silent that they both jumped when the telephone rang. Alec dove for it in record speed, bolting across the kitchen like he had a jet engine on his back.
“Hello? Oh, hi Jake…”
Rebecca released a deep breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding.
“Yeah, that’s fine,” Alec was saying. “Go ahead and do a poultice and I’ll come down in a bit…yeah…okay.”
She frowned as he hung up the phone. “Who needs a poultice?”
“Patches. Jake thinks he’s got an abscess starting in his right front hoof.”
“Oh.”
He sighed and leaned back against the countertop. “You know the craziest part? They might not even call today. It might be days or even weeks before we hear anything.”
For once, Rebecca was as apprehensive as her husband was. “I know,” she admitted, turning her gaze to the window. “Let’s hope it’s not.”
They shared an array of mindless tasks that day–laundry, payroll, cleaning the kitchen–anything and everything to distract them from the fact that the phone wasn’t ringing. By late afternoon, Rebecca realized that they still hadn’t eaten anything, so she opened the fridge and sifted through its contents. Just as she was pulling out lunchmeat to make sandwiches, the telephone rang.
From the office down the hall, she heard Alec answer the call. “Hello?” A brief pause. “Hi, Bonnie. How are you?”
The r
oom began spiraling around her. Her knees weakened so fast that she had to clutch the countertop to keep herself upright. This is it, she realized. This one phone call was going to determine the course of the rest of their lives.
When she’d regained her equilibrium, she sucked in a deep breath and started down the hallway. Alec sat at his desk with the phone to his ear. His eyes flickered briefly to Rebecca as she entered the doorway, but his face revealed nothing.
“Right,” he finally said. “Yes, I understand…thanks.”
Rebecca wanted to ask him what Bonnie said, but she was too terrified to speak. Alec hung up the phone and sat still for a minute before he lifted his face and met her gaze.
“She just got a call from Elliot.”
Her heart hammered faster, if that was possible. “And…?”
“And…he’s meeting our asking price.”
She stared back at him unblinking. “He made an offer?”
“Just now,” Alec said, looking as dazed as she felt. “They want to buy the horses, too.”
“All of them?”
He nodded. “They want to continue to operate as a guest ranch, so they’ll need them.”
A vivid image of Caleb and Micah in the barn yesterday flashed through Rebecca’s mind. She could only imagine the expressions on their faces when they learned that the ranch was going to be their new home.
She clutched the edge of the desk and slowly sank into her chair, forcing herself to say something. “So…are you going to sell?”
Alec didn’t respond right away. He studied her face for a minute before he reached for her hand and pressed it to his lips. “It’s your call.”
Rebecca pulled her hand from his grasp and immediately reached for the phone, hitting the automatic redial button. Alec was visibly holding his breath as she placed the phone to her ear and waited for Bonnie to answer.
“Alpine Realty.”
“Hi, Bonnie. This is Rebecca Westin.”
“Well, hello, Rebecca,” Bonnie greeted. “I assume your husband told you the news?”
“He did. And I’m calling to tell you that we have an answer for you.”
“I’m listening.”
She held Alec’s gaze as she spoke. “Tell Elliot that we accept his offer.”
Rebecca hung up the phone, startled to see tears spilling from her husband’s eyes. “Alec,” she cried, racing to his side. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
He nodded and opened his arms, gathering her in a crushing embrace. She could feel him trembling as he dropped his head onto her shoulder and drew in a ragged breath.
“I would’ve stayed,” he whispered. “I would’ve stayed here for you.”
“I know,” she replied, tightening her arms around him. “But I couldn’t let you.”
Chapter 42
When everything was said and done, the Birches would officially take over ownership of the Flying W on the first of January. That gave Alec and Rebecca a little over five months to get their own affairs in order and find a new place to call home.
Rebecca’s family was understandably saddened when they broke the news to them. “Where are you going to go?” Allison asked. “Do you think you’ll stay in Wyoming?”
“We’re not sure yet,” Rebecca answered. “We’ll see what happens once we start looking.”
“But you’re getting another ranch, right?” Jeff said.
Alec nodded. “Not a guest ranch, though. Ideally we’d like something small that the two of us can handle, maybe fifteen or twenty acres. That way we’re free to pursue any other opportunities that come along.”
Jeff turned to his sister. “And you’re really okay with that?”
Rebecca smiled. “I really am.”
As the summer wound to a close, Alec couldn’t help but think of what was happening this time last year. Before he knew it, it was September thirtieth–a year to the day since his father died.
One evening after dinner, he and Rebecca walked hand-in-hand into the aspen grove, listening to the golden leaves shiver high above their heads.
“Do you want some privacy?” Rebecca asked.
Alec shook his head. “Stay with me.”
She laced her fingers through his. “Always.”
They reached the family plot and stood in reflective silence, staring at the name of the beloved man who’d brought them together. “Well, Pop, this is it,” Alec said. “It may not have turned out the way either of us planned, but I’m finally free to finish what you started. I’d like to hope that you’d be proud of me.”
Rebecca leaned her head on his shoulder. “You know he would be.”
They shared a soft kiss and turned their gaze to the mountains, watching the peaks fade in the lavender twilight. “There’s something I haven’t told you yet,” Alec confessed.
She looked up at him. “What is it?”
He pointed to the area where the river valley turned south. “See over there, just past the pines?”
“Yeah.”
“From there to here and here to the highway is a triangle of about fifty acres. And it’s still ours.”
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“I had Bonnie make an amendment to the sale agreement,” he explained. “I had her set aside these fifty acres, including the family cemetery, and donate them to the Jackson Hole Land Trust. They’re going to call it the Westin Plot.”
He smiled at her astonished expression. “The land can never be developed for commercial use,” he added. “It’s going to be maintained and preserved by the Trust, but it will always belong to our family.”
“Always?”
Alec gave a solemn nod. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll end up back here someday. Or maybe we won’t. Either way, the land will be here, for us or our kids or their kids. My father and I talked about it before he died, and I know it’s what he would have wanted.”
He could see tears shining in her eyes as she turned to look at their land. “It’s perfect, Alec. I can’t even begin to explain how much that means to me.”
Alec didn’t trust his voice, so he simply nodded and pulled her close. Someday, when he found the right words, he would tell her that he understood exactly how she felt. He would also tell her that it was only because of her unwavering love and faith in him that he’d finally laid to rest all the ghosts from his past.
As he followed her gaze across the golden plains, he finally understood why this land had captured the minds and hearts of everyone who’d ever called it home.
Epilogue
Tommy
The months following Tommy’s departure from Wyoming were the darkest months of his life. He drove aimlessly for days after he left Jackson before he landed at a remote campground in southern Utah. It was a hundred miles from nowhere and it had a small corral for Joaquin, so he ended up staying for the entire summer.
Much like the first time he’d been down and out, Tommy slept in his truck and existed on an inglorious diet of canned food and cheap beer. By the end of the summer he’d lost thirty pounds and grown a full beard, but he didn’t care.
The only creature he had to impress was Joaquin, and the horse didn’t seem to mind his shaggy appearance one bit.
As the leaves started to turn, though, Tommy finally faced the fact that he couldn’t avoid reality forever. He knew that Alec would give him a stellar recommendation, but he didn’t feel up to managing another ranch. Besides, wherever he went, it wouldn’t be the Flying W.
The day he checked out of the campground, he drove to Albuquerque for a much-needed haircut and the biggest dinner he could find. Then, not knowing what else to do, he continued south until he reached El Paso–the starting point of the western rodeo circuit. A few forms later, his PRCA membership was updated and he and Joaquin were officially welcomed onto the tour.
And the tour, it turned out, was the perfect place for him to be. In a strange way, it almost felt like coming home.
Country music had long hailed rodeo as the Mecca for br
okenhearted cowboys, but there was a certain amount of truth to the cliché. Everyone he met, it seemed, had lost wives or lovers–or both–and thrown his heart and soul into rodeo instead. There wasn’t a day that passed that Tommy didn’t think of Rebecca or Liz, so he figured…why not?
Maybe the physical and mental grind of touring the circuit would dull his heartache, too.
Only two weekends in, Joaquin stumbled during a steer wrestling competition and sprained a tendon in his foreleg. The injury wasn’t severe, but it was enough to sideline him for a couple of months. While his horse was on the mend, Tommy entered the only other event he was qualified to do.
He hadn’t sat a bull since he was eighteen years old, but at the rodeo in Amarillo he walked away with a winning score of eighty-three on a bull named Terminator. He figured it was just a fluke, but the following weekend in Oklahoma City he topped his own score and again finished in first place.
With a renewed sense of determination, Tommy spent the next year touring the country and entering bull riding competitions. By the time the World Championships rolled around in Las Vegas, he was ranked third in the nation. He didn’t care about the glory and the fame like the other guys he rode with; he was just trying to make a living.
So at the end of the weekend, no one was more surprised than Tommy when he became the new bull riding world champion.
After a whirlwind of interviews and sponsorship offers, Tommy traveled to Texas to visit his mother and stepfather. He spent a month with them, giving himself and Joaquin a break from the road, before he set out to defend his title.
This year, for a change of scenery, he decided to join the eastern circuit. Joaquin had recovered beautifully from his tendon injury, so in addition to bull riding Tommy also entered steer wrestling and tie-down roping competitions. They excelled in both events, and once again Tommy found his name soaring to the top of the rankings.
It seemed like any other weekend when he arrived for the rodeo in Memphis, Tennessee. He parked his truck and registered for his events before he pulled Joaquin from the trailer and made his way into the stadium.
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