One More Last Chance

by Cathleen Armstrong

  “Don’t I deserve some fun once in a while? I was barely more than a baby myself when Olivia came.” Kaitlyn started into her old self-pitying rant, but Chris cut her off.

  “Save it, Kaitlyn. I’ve heard it all before. You need to grow up. Olivia deserves better.”

  “She’s got you.” Chris thought he may have heard tears in Kaitlyn’s voice, but he couldn’t tell. The line had gone dead.

  Muttering a curse, Chris immediately called her back, but it went straight to voice mail. Of course Kaitlyn would turn off her phone as soon as she hung up. Rage coursed through him, and his hands shook with his desire to put a fist through something. He drew back his arm to throw his phone as far into the desert as he could get it but wound up jamming it back in his pocket instead. The phone was his only link, however tenuous, to his irresponsible, immature, unreliable sister. He took a deep breath, held it as long as he could, and slowly let it hiss through his teeth. Kaitlyn had been smart to turn off her phone. He needed to cool off before he talked to anyone.

  The back door opened and Juanita stuck her head out. “Everything okay?”

  Chris nodded without looking at her.

  “Chris, what happened? Your sister’s not hurt, is she?” It was Juanita’s firm and often stated belief that anyone who got near a motorcycle was bound to end up in traction, or worse.

  “Nope. She’s doing great.” Chris jumped to his feet and headed off the step into the desert behind the diner. “I’m going for a walk. Back in a while.”

  At least an hour had passed before Chris walked back up the steps and into the kitchen. And honestly? If it hadn’t been for the fact that Olivia would be back and Juanita would be wanting to go home, he’d probably still be heading for that mountain in the distance.

  He’d made another attempt to reach Kaitlyn but was not surprised to find the call still going straight to voice mail. A call to his mom in Arizona had been more successful, even if she was about to walk into a meeting and couldn’t give him more than a few minutes.

  “I can’t say I’m surprised,” his mom had said, “but I am so mad I could spit nails. I give, give, give to that girl and she just takes, takes, takes. She sold the car I gave her, quit the job I got her, and now I’m stuck with cleaning up her mess here. And what am I supposed to do with that cat? I just don’t have time for this.”

  When Chris got the conversation back around to Olivia, his mom didn’t see the problem. In fact, as far as she was concerned, things couldn’t have worked out better for Olivia.

  Carlos looked up from scrubbing his stove when Chris walked in, and even though he didn’t say anything, Chris could tell from his expression that Juanita had poured out her concerns. He supposed it was too much to hope that the diner had been empty at the time.

  “Well, here’s your uncle Chris! We were starting to get worried.” Juanita really did look more relieved at his return than annoyed at his absence, which surprised him. Maybe he had been gone a little longer than he should have been.

  Olivia, on her stool at the counter, looked worried, and Chris forced a smile for her sake and tried to tousle her hair. “Sorry, kiddo. I got out there in the desert and lost track of the time. Have a good time today?”

  Olivia leaned away from him and shrugged. Clearly, he was still not in her good graces. “You were gone a long time.”

  “Well, I’m back now.” He turned to Juanita. “Sorry to have kept you. I know you need to get home. See you tomorrow.”

  Juanita seemed in no hurry to leave. Something was obviously amiss, maybe even gravely so, and as she often said, offering help and advice to a friend in need always took precedence in her life. “Are you sure everything’s okay? I’ve already called Russ to tell him I might be late.”

  “No, everything is fine.” Chris made his voice calm and easy and hoped his smiled matched it. “Really. You can go on home, although I do appreciate you staying with Olivia till I got back.”

  Juanita waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, don’t mention it. We knew you’d be back when you were ready.” She waited another moment, but when it became clear that Chris had said all he was going to say, she edged toward the front door. “Well, if you need anything, anything at all, you call me now, you hear?”

  “Will do.”

  Juanita finally had nothing to do but leave. Chris watched through the front window as she walked to her car. Her brisk pace and the slam she gave the car door told him she was not a bit happy with his evasiveness. Well, too bad about that.

  “So, Liverhead, what’s wrong? Are you mad at me for not being here when you got here, or is something else going on?” Chris took the stool next to Olivia’s.

  “No, I’m not mad at you.” She was busy dragging her straw through a puddle of lemonade on the counter and making squiggles.

  “Then what’s up?”

  She was quiet for another long moment and then looked up. He was pretty sure that if it were any other seven-year-old, there’d be tears. “It’s just that this was probably the last day I was going to get to ride Belle, and Sarah was going to take me on a trail ride, and then this guy shows up and starts bothering us.”

  “A guy?” Chris frowned. “What guy? Did Sarah know him?”

  “Yeah. I think he was her boyfriend. They’re going to go on a date or something tonight.”

  “Oh.” Somehow, it hadn’t occurred to him that Sarah might already be seeing someone. “Well, it couldn’t have been too much of a bother. Did you go on your trail ride?”

  “Yes, but he came too, and he kept trying to make Sarah talk to him instead of me, and we didn’t ride very long, and I probably won’t ever get to see Belle again, and she won’t even know where I am.” She looked up at him and her chin jerked a time or two, but there were still no tears.

  Chris lifted her onto his knee and stroked her hair. “Ah, Liverhead, this has been a rotten day all around, hasn’t it?”

  She sniffed. “Not all rotten. I did get to ride Belle for a little while.”

  He leaned back so he could look in her face. “You know what we should do? Let’s go up to San Ramon and get a pizza. What do you say?”

  “Cool. I like pizza. I used to get it all the time at home.”

  “I’ll bet.” Chris set Olivia on the floor and stood up. She ran out the front door ahead of him, and Chris called a good-night to Carlos and followed her to the Jeep. He still had no idea how he was going to tell Olivia that her mom wasn’t coming to get her, but he was pretty sure there wasn’t enough pizza in San Ramon to make it all right.

  Chris was just getting into his Jeep when Brandon and Sarah drove by. She waved, but he must not have seen her.

  “Who’s that?” Brandon checked his rearview mirror to see who had her attention.

  “That’s Chris Reed, Olivia’s uncle. He owns the Dip ’n’ Dine now.”

  “Big guy. I wouldn’t want to tangle with him. Know him well?”

  Sarah shrugged. “Not really. We’ve talked a few times. Why?”

  “Because that was either the most disagreeable kid I’ve ever met, or she just hated me at first sight. I could see it if she thought I was moving in on her uncle’s territory.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. It was you and you alone that she loathed.”

  “Wow. Harsh. Was it something I said?”

  “I think it was more like something you did. What made you turn up at the ranch, anyway? I thought you were picking me up at my place.”

  “What can I say? I couldn’t wait.” He grinned as he reached across the console for her hand. “I got into town a few hours early and got your grandma to tell me where you were.”

  “And look how popular it made you. You might want to call next time.”

  “Oh, come on, Sarah. Lighten up a little. I thought we had fun this afternoon. I’m sorry if what’s-her-name didn’t like it, but I’m leaving for Chicago in three days, and I wanted to spend as much time with you as I could. So sue me.”

  Sarah took a deep breath and looked o
ut her side window. The summer sun was beginning to slide behind the hills, and the sky was turning every shade of pink and coral. The evening was far too beautiful to waste by being mad, and besides, she had forgotten how nice her hand felt in his.

  “So, tell me.” Brandon interrupted her thoughts. “Is Uncle Fry Cook going to give me any competition when I’m gone?”

  Sarah slipped her hand from his. “Don’t be a jerk, Brandon. Chris owns the Dip ’n’ Dine, and from what I hear he’s an amazing chef. And it’s way too soon for you to be talking about competition, anyway.”

  Maybe it was the chill in her voice, or her pulling her hand away, but Brandon seemed to realize he had some damage to control.

  “You’re right. That was a dumb thing to say. And I’m sorry.” He kept his eyes on the road but reached for her hand again. “I’m sure he’s a great guy. Maybe I can even meet him next time I’m in town. Only, it’s too bad about his niece, though. I wouldn’t wish her on anybody.”

  “Don’t be mean.” Sarah’s laugh was light, and again she left her hand in his. “Olivia is attitude in tennis shoes, but I don’t think she’s had an easy time of it. And face it, you did turn up where you weren’t invited.”

  “If I agree that both Chris and Olivia are terrific people and I was wrong to take shots, can we just leave them behind in Last Chance? This is the last evening I’m going to get to spend with you for I don’t know how long. I don’t want to spend it talking about people who aren’t even important to us.”

  Sarah, who had lowered the visor against the setting sun, took a look in its mirror and then turned around to look over her shoulder.

  “It’s fine with me if we don’t talk about the Reeds, but we’re not leaving them behind in Last Chance. They’re right behind us.”

  “You’re kidding me.” Brandon checked his rearview mirror. “Are they following us?”

  “Of course not. If I had to guess, I’d say they were just going to San Ramon. Why would they be following us?”

  “I don’t know. That kid was awful mad at me, and her uncle is awful big. Maybe she took out a contract on me.”

  Sarah laughed. The silliness, the ability to make her laugh was what she found so attractive about Brandon in the first place. When was it supplanted by his need to control? And how could she bring that sense of humor back?

  “I’m not taking any chances.” He pressed hard on the accelerator, and Sarah watched Chris’s Jeep fall farther and farther behind until they went around a curve and she lost sight of it for good. An unexpected sense of loss surprised Sarah. She loved the time she spent with Olivia, but she also had to admit that she had begun to look forward to seeing Chris when she picked Olivia up at the diner and dropped her off after their rides. And she didn’t like seeing either of them disappear in the distance.

  14

  Olivia’s dark cloud seemed to lift a bit on the way to San Ramon. Chris glanced at her in his rearview mirror as she gazed out the side window singing some nameless tune to herself. She seemed content and at peace, and it killed him that he was going to have to shatter both.

  “So, Livvy. Have you thought about what kind of pizza you want?” He raised his voice a bit so she could hear him in the backseat.

  “Well, I don’t like pineapple, and I don’t like mushrooms, and I don’t like olives, and I don’t like peppers.”

  “What do you like?”

  “Pepperoni and cheese.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yep. Are we almost there?”

  “We are.” Chris pulled into the parking lot, parked his Jeep, and turned off the engine. “Let’s go eat.”

  Even after they had settled into their booth and ordered a pepperoni pizza, Chris couldn’t think of a way to tell Olivia that her mom wouldn’t be coming to get her as planned.

  “Sorry your day didn’t work out like you hoped it would. I know you were really looking forward to it.”

  Olivia just shrugged without looking up from the straw she was sipping from.

  “Maybe you’ll get to see Belle again after all.” If there was any consolation in the news Chris was going to have to break, he was desperate to offer it.

  “Nope.” Olivia leaned back and shoved her nearly empty glass away. “Sarah said she had to spend all her time getting ready for school now, and Mom’ll be coming for me. This was my last chance. And it got ruined.”

  The pizza arrived and Chris slid a piece onto the plate in front of Olivia. “Really? Ruined? I know it didn’t go the way you planned, but you still spent the day riding Belle, didn’t you?”

  Olivia, picking her way around the hot pizza, just nodded.

  “And on the trail too. Not in the arena. It doesn’t sound all that ruined to me.”

  Olivia gave him a glare that would wither plants and, having given up on the hot cheese, picked a piece of pepperoni off the top. If she had declared her day a disaster, she clearly was in no mood for a pep talk intended to convince her otherwise. Chris gave up and turned his attention to his own plate. This was not going well.

  Finally, with only one piece of pizza left on the pan, Chris knew he couldn’t put off the news any longer. He slid his plate away and sat back.

  “Your mom called today while you were gone.”

  Olivia looked up. “Is she coming to get me?”

  “Well, that’s the thing, Livvy. She will come back, I know you can count on that. But she won’t be here as soon as she thought she would. So what do you think about starting school right here in Last Chance?”

  Olivia just looked at him, and Chris felt a twisting ache take hold in the middle of his chest. He hadn’t known what to expect when he told her that her mom wasn’t coming back. He had been braced for anger, questions, maybe tears, but the return of that hard little nothing-can-get-me expression just sucker punched him.

  “So, I was thinking.” Chris picked up the check and slid out of the booth. Dinner was definitely over. “What if I took a few days off before school starts and we went to the Grand Canyon? I’ll bet Miss Juanita and Carlos can hold the fort just fine.”

  “That’s okay.” He could almost see the wall that was going back up around her heart, and he wondered again that someone as small as she was could make him feel so inept and helpless.

  After she was buckled into the backseat, he leaned in and waited for her to look at him. Her gaze fastened on his shirt button. “Olivia, I want you to listen to me. This is important. I’m so sorry that your mom won’t be here this week to get you. But I want you to understand that the reason I’m sorry is because it makes you sad, and I hate it when you’re sad. I’m not one bit sorry that you’re staying longer with me, though. I love having you live at my house, and I know the two of us will do just fine.”

  He waited for her to say something, but when nothing came, he used his thumb to wipe the single tear that had found its way to her cheek. “I love you, Livvy. Don’t you ever forget that.”

  He started to back out, but she threw her arms around his neck and held on. And even after the muscles in his back and neck started to complain, he stood there in a bent-double crouch gently stroking her back until she was ready to let go.

  The stars had come out and a cool night wind swept the flagstone patio outside the restaurant where Brandon had taken Sarah. The umbrellas that shaded tables at noon were closed and tightly bound against any gust that might catch them and lift them over the low stone railing and into the gorge below.

  “How did you find this place? I’ve lived around here all my life and didn’t know it was here.” Sarah sat on the low wall and looked across the valley. Off in the distance the lights of a small town flickered against the darkness.

  “Oh, I have my ways.” Brandon tried to sound mysterious, but Sarah had known him too long.

  “Seriously.”

  He shrugged. “Internet research, what else? Actually, it hasn’t been here all that long—the restaurant, that is. It used to be a ranch house. I think the whole ranch is going to
be developed into a retirement community.”

  Sarah wished he hadn’t said that. More change. Visions of bulldozers and cul-de-sacs and golf courses thrust the gentle night aside. She took a deep breath. Nope. She wasn’t going to let an uncertain future spoil the here and now.

  “Let’s take a walk before we head back.” She held out her hand, and Brandon tugged her to her feet.

  Brandon kept her hand, and as they walked down the road, Sarah had to admit to herself that her hand felt right in his. After all, that was where it had been for most of their college years. When they reached the end of the road and turned to head back to the car, Brandon put both hands on her shoulders and looked down into her face. She knew he was going to kiss her and stepped back. This was not taking it slow, as he had promised. But before she could say a word, he bent over her and lightly, almost imperceptibly, brushed her lips with his.

  “Something to remember me by.” He smiled down at her and took her hand again.

  They walked back to the car without saying anything else, and even the drive back to Last Chance was quiet. Sarah was glad Brandon was leaving for Chicago in the morning. That kiss, more than anything Brandon could have done, had turned her thoughts upside down.

  Over her protest, he insisted on walking her to her front door, but he didn’t try to kiss her again. And when she didn’t invite him in, he accepted it without a word.

  “Thanks.” Sarah smiled up at him. “I really enjoyed tonight.”

  “You sound surprised.”

  “Well, I didn’t know what to expect. But this was fun. I’d do it again—most of it, anyway.” The corner of his mouth and one eyebrow tipped up, and Sarah changed the subject. “When do you leave tomorrow?”

  “I’ll hit the road before dawn. I want to get to Oklahoma City tomorrow and then on into Chicago the next night.”

  “Wow. Those are some long days.”

  He shrugged. “I’ll take the scenic route next time. I’m anxious to get there and get started.”

  “Drive safe.” Sarah put her hand on his arm. “Be sure to stop when you get tired. And let me know when you get there safely.”