Kittie made a face. “Yeah, I know. You piss her off a lot, but I’m pretty sure she thinks you’re hot, too. Someday I hope I have boobs like hers.”
He winced. Keeping his promise to let Kittie grow up was going to be brutal. Mariah had better marry him and help, or he’d never survive.
“Okay,” he said. “Let me explain my plan.”
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING Mariah discovered the ancient fax machine in the office wasn’t printing properly. It had always been a cranky piece of equipment, and after an hour tinkering with the blasted thing, she decided to make a run into Billings to an office supply store.
You’re making excuses, her conscience argued. You just don’t want to see Jacob.
True enough.
The fax printouts were readable...barely, and the machine would likely start working again out of sheer contrariness the minute she left for Billings. But excuse or not, she was tired of relying on a piece of equipment that seemed to have a mind of its own.
The trip took longer than expected because Reggie had given her a list at the last minute, figuring if she was going anyway, he might as well get the things he needed rather than waiting for the regular supply run.
On the return drive, Mariah forced herself to think about Jacob. She still couldn’t see how it could work if they got together, but was she simply afraid to love the way her parents had loved...afraid to be hurt? It was possible.
Instead of going directly to the U-2, she headed for Buckeye. Grams was tending the Buckeye Medical clinic for a few days while Aunt Lettie recovered from a sprained ankle. Maybe she was available for a chat.
“Hi, Nan. Is my grandmother available?” Mariah asked when she walked into the clinic.
The nurse nodded. “She’s in her office. Go on in.”
Grams looked concerned when she saw Mariah. “I thought you would have gotten home hours ago. Is something wrong?”
“No, I just need to talk.”
They stepped into the courtyard at the side of the clinic and Mariah saw the garden her aunt had created in the small space. It was lovely, with plants tucked into every corner, trailing over a high brick wall, and fragrant with herbs and flowers. It resembled something that should surround a Victorian cottage.
“What is it, dear?” Grams gently prompted.
Mariah paced across the flagstones. “Jacob O’Donnell and I...we’ve sort of gotten involved.”
Her grandmother sighed. “I suspected something was going on.”
“Jacob isn’t why I broke up with Luke,” Mariah quickly assured her. “We happened afterward. And it’s so stupid anyway. Nothing could ever work out between us—we’re too different.” Yet even as she said the words, she didn’t know if she believed them or wanted to be convinced otherwise.
“True. You’re a woman and he’s a man. Fortunately the parts fit together well.”
“Grams, this isn’t funny,” Mariah said darkly.
Elizabeth smiled, despite her granddaughter’s ill humor. “I wasn’t trying to be funny...not really. Men and women are different, and I don’t mean simple biology. We think differently.”
“Jacob and I are poles apart in every way. He’s silk dress shirts and luxury cars, I’m jeans and horses. It wasn’t that way for Mom and Dad—they were both from ranching families and had amazing communication. That’s the kind of marriage I’ve always wanted, and now I’m in love with a guy who thinks the U-2 is primitive. What would Mom and Dad think?” As the question left her mouth, Mariah stirred restlessly, realizing she felt some of Reid’s reluctance to mention her parents to the rest of family. It would be so much easier now if they hadn’t guarded their tongues and dealt with the loss in silence.
Her grandmother lifted an eyebrow. “Your parents would have loved Jacob because you love him. As for the rest...have you forgotten that I didn’t grow up on a ranch? Your grandfather and I were from different worlds when we fell in love.”
The reminder brought Mariah up short. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“You should. We had our rough patches, but we’ve had a wonderful marriage. Has Jacob proposed?”
Mariah recalled the discussion at the creek. “No. He said something about the possibility of having a future together, but that could mean anything. I told him to go to Seattle and see how he feels once he’s there for a while, but maybe I should talk to him more before he goes.”
Grams leaned over and picked a sprig of spearmint without looking at her. “He’s not at the ranch. It seems he took your advice. Jacob flew to Washington this morning—drove to the airport not long after you left.”
The rolling sensation in Mariah’s stomach made her grab one of the patio chairs to steady herself.
“He...did?”
“Yes, he mentioned an urgent situation with his company and said he would return soon. Caitlin loves it here so much I suggested he let her stay with us, but he took her with him.”
Damn it, Jacob, Mariah cursed silently.
At least if he’d allowed Caitlin to remain in Montana, she could be self-righteously upset that he let someone else care for his child, but he had done the responsible thing and taken her home. Which was probably best since Mariah doubted she’d ever see him again.
She swallowed shakily. “I guess that’s that—it’s up to him now. I’d better go. I’ve got a new fax machine to unpack and a dozen other things to do.”
Mariah left despite Grams urging her to stay. She needed to digest the fact that she might never see Jacob or Caitlin again.
* * *
THE NEXT TWO DAYS went by with excruciating slowness, and Mariah had plenty of time to think. It wasn’t only Jacob she missed—it was Caitlin, too, with her changeable teenage moods and funny ways. Blue moped in the corral, missing Caitlin as well, and Mariah held off assigning him to a new visitor. She had a wrangler exercise him, along with Jacob’s horse, and their tent remained unoccupied.
What kind of life was it without Jacob and Caitlin? Was a place more important than what she could have with them? They had become her family as much as Reid and her grandparents and Aunt Lettie.
Yet a future with Jacob meant no children of her own. She would have to accept that. It was incredible enough that he was considering a relationship in view of the pain he’d suffered in the past. It would be hard for her, but wasn’t Jacob worth the sacrifice? And Caitlin was a terrific kid who already seemed like a daughter.
On the third morning after Jacob’s departure, she glanced at her family around the breakfast table and summoned her resolve. “I’m in love with Jacob O’Donnell,” she announced. “Grams knows, but I thought the rest of you should, too. Mostly because, however unlikely, he might come back.”
Reid stared with an appalled expression. “He’s a guest, sis. You’re the one who told me never to hook up with a guest.”
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t the brightest thing I’ve ever done. If we don’t see Jacob again, you can gloat for a month. That’s when the statute of limitations runs out and you get stuffed in a gopher hole. Besides, you’ve grown quite fond of Caitlin yourself and have been in a sour mood since she left, so I wouldn’t gloat too much.”
Reid’s ears turned red and he shut up.
“What will you do if Jacob returns?” Granddad asked quietly. He didn’t seem surprised, and she guessed Grams had told him.
“Most likely faint in shock,” Mariah replied drily.
“After that?”
“I’m not sure.... Discuss ways to make a relationship work. The thing is, those ways would impact the whole family. Jacob hasn’t proposed and I don’t know if he will, but I wanted you to know and start thinking what it might mean.”
“You don’t have to stay for me, sis,” Reid said.
“We’ll manage,” Grams and Granddad clai
med in unison.
“You would have moved if you’d married Luke,” Reid added.
“Next door, not to Seattle,” Mariah muttered.
She stirred her bowl of oatmeal and wondered how they’d really feel if she ended up in Washington State for part of the year. The thought of being away from the ranch made her sick...but so did living without Jacob and Caitlin—two days without them and she was miserable.
“Actually, I have an announcement of my own,” Granddad said. “Jacob phoned last night.”
Mariah tensed. “He didn’t want to speak to me?”
“It was late and we just had a brief conversation—he was on his way to a conference call with Japan or something. He and Caitlin are flying in today and he wants to meet with all of us—I suggested four o’clock, here at the house.”
Her head reeled, both with the news that Jacob was returning and the fact that he was working at night again. Did he think those ridiculous hours were all right now that he’d learned Caitlin’s problems were rooted in worries over her health?
She pressed her lips together. When Jacob showed up, they were going to have a discussion before they did anything else.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
MARIAH STAYED NEAR the barns all day, keeping an eye on the guest parking lot. An SUV finally showed up, but it wasn’t the Mercedes or other luxury sedan she’d expected Jacob to rent.
Then the door opened and Caitlin jumped out.
“Mariah,” she shrieked, racing forward to give her a hug. “I missed you. Do you see our new car? Dad bought it and had it waiting for us in Billings. You didn’t let anyone have Blue, did you?”
“No, he’s in the corral.”
Caitlin was already dashing off in search of her horse, and Mariah focused on Jacob. Unlike the first day he’d come to the U-2, he was wearing jeans and cowboy boots and looked so good it turned her inside out.
“I missed you, too,” he murmured in a low voice.
He swept her close and kissed her as if he’d been gone for a year. Though she was annoyed, the tension in her body eased as passion replaced more confused emotions.
Jacob lifted his head and smiled lazily. “Now, explain that pissed-off face you greeted me with.”
“Granddad said you had a conference call last night with Japan. I thought you were going to stop working so much and spend more time with Caitlin.”
“Ah.” He kissed her again. “It was a special circumstance. You see, I was telling my overseas divisions that they would have to learn to be more independent because I was moving to Montana...where my future wife lives.”
Mariah’s head reeled. “You aren’t serious.”
* * *
JACOB BRUSHED A STRAND of hair from Mariah’s forehead. He didn’t blame her for having trouble believing him.
“Completely serious. Mariah, I know you’ve grown up seeing ranch visitors want to change their lives based on a wonderful few days, then go home and realize it was just a nice dream. But I’m sure some of them did follow through. I knew the only way to convince you I’m serious was to put things in motion, so I went to Seattle and began making the arrangements needed to move here.”
All at once Mariah’s jaw dropped. “Wait a minute. Did you just propose? I mean, that part about your wife, it almost sounded like a proposal.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Caught that, did you? Yes, I’m proposing. I got to Seattle, and it was cold and gray and colorless without you. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.”
“I thought you’d expect me to move there.”
“Good Lord, that’s the last thing I would ask. You can’t leave Montana. You have the other ranchers to consider—they count on the U-2. What I have in mind is running my company from Montana with occasional trips to Seattle.”
“But you said you couldn’t wait to get to the city as a kid,” Mariah argued.
Jacob sighed philosophically. He’d known it would be tough persuading her. “That’s true, but maybe if you’d lived in my hometown when I was growing up, I wouldn’t have been so determined to get out. Anyhow, I think a slower pace is the right way to start a marriage, don’t you? I even asked your grandfather’s permission. Do you know what he told me?”
“That a woman doesn’t belong to anyone and to ask me yourself,” Mariah answered promptly.
He grinned. “How did you know?”
“It’s a philosophy he learned from his father. My great-grandfather used to say a woman wasn’t a piece of property to be given away. He was quite adamant on the subject.”
“You know, I like the Westons more every day.”
The comment obviously pleased Mariah, but her expression grew more solemn. “Jacob, a slower pace is one thing, but it can’t be entirely my way.”
“You’re right, it will take compromises from everyone. That’s why I want to meet with your family. For one thing, there’ll have to be changes at the ranch. Reid and your grandparents won’t like it—hell, you’ll hate it.”
“You’re still not a rancher,” she said.
He kissed the corner of her mouth. “I could be, with your help. What a great new challenge...becoming a rancher and learning how to be a good neighbor. I thrive on challenges. I’ll limit the time I spend on my company, giving my top management more authority to act independently, but you’ll have to share the ranch and not keep everything to yourself.”
Jacob couldn’t tell what Mariah was thinking, and it hadn’t escaped his notice that she hadn’t actually said she’d marry him. He was pretty sure she would, but wanted to hear it for himself
He glanced at his watch and saw it was nearly four o’clock. “Let’s find Caitlin and go up to the house. I’m sure everyone is going to have a lot of questions.”
* * *
JACOB BEGAN THE “MEETING” with the Westons by declaring that he’d proposed to Mariah—though she hadn’t given him an answer yet—and that he hoped to move to Montana and run his business long-distance.
“For that to work out, changes would be needed at the U-2. I’m not talking about turning the ranch into a technology zone, but to start, I’d need to build an airfield and put in a better communication system. This is a family ranch, so you would all have to be willing. As an alternative, I could build a home for us that isn’t on the U-2, but if Mariah agrees to marry me, I know she’d prefer living here. At least for a while.”
Mariah’s grandparents, brother and her aunt Lettie watched him in silence. They were nice people, but he was on trial and he couldn’t fault them for being cautious.
“So would you like Caitlin and me to step out while you discuss this?”
“You can stay. We’ve run cattle on this land for over a century, but it isn’t a historic site. It’s a ranch,” Benjamin Weston said. “We’ve always made changes to meet new needs, and we’ll continue to do so.”
The others nodded slowly.
“You wouldn’t want to tear down the house or anything and put up a new one, would you?” It was Reid who’d posed the question, though everyone in the room was probably wondering the same. Including Caitlin. His daughter loved the old ranch house and was dearly hoping it would become her home.
“No, I’d try to make any changes as unobtrusive as possible. Someday Mariah and I might want a place of our own, but we can cross that bridge when we get to it. I’ve purchased several pieces of property adjacent to the U-2 and will keep acquiring more, so we’ll have options.”
Mariah leaned forward. “You’ve bought land? You just pointed out that I haven’t said yes, Jacob.”
“Yeah, but Caitlin and I are moving to Montana whether you say yes or not. Though I’m not giving up until you’re my wife, however long it takes.”
Her lips twitched. “I see.”
“I don’t have any objectio
ns.” Lettie Weston spoke up. Mariah’s aunt was a beautiful woman¸ with her mother’s eyes and sun-streaked, reddish brown hair.
“Neither do I,” said Elizabeth.
“Same here.” Benjamin looked at his grandson. “Reid, what do you think?”
“We do whatever we have to do. I don’t want Mariah to leave the ranch.”
“Then we’ve made up our minds,” Elizabeth said firmly. “Now go on and convince my granddaughter to marry you, Jacob. Caitlin is a wonderful girl, but she needs brothers and sisters to boss around.”
“Grams,” Mariah said warningly, “don’t push about great-grandchildren. Jacob doesn’t...uh...want—”
“I’ll do my best, Dr. Weston,” Jacob interrupted. “Mariah, let’s find a private place to talk.”
* * *
“I’M SORRY,” MARIAH SAID as they walked toward the swimming hole by silent accord.
“Sorry?”
“For Grams and the grandchildren routine.”
Jacob shrugged, seeming unconcerned. “It’s natural. I take it your aunt didn’t marry and have kids herself?”
“Aunt Lettie met someone when she was in medical school. They fell in love, but he wasn’t interested in a career in Montana. She chose Buckeye. That’s all I know, though there was probably more to the story.”
The late-afternoon sun was warm and Mariah welcomed the cool shade in the bend of the creek.
“Let’s get down to business. How much convincing do you need?” Jacob slid an arm around her waist. “I meant everything I said. We can even discuss babies...who I’m hoping will skip their teenage years.”
“You don’t have to say that.”
“Even if I mean it?” He tugged a strand of her hair. “Come on, marry me. I love you so much...need you so much.”
Mariah made an exasperated sound. “You know perfectly well that I’m going to marry you. I’m absurdly crazy about you and Caitlin, and I decided yesterday that—”
Her words were smothered in a kiss spiced with both laughter and passion.
“Thank God,” Jacob gasped when he came up for air. “I was prepared to wait forever, but I’d rather not. By the way, I don’t believe in long engagements. How does a September wedding sound?”
The Ranch Solution Page 28