by Alexa Davis
“Pete was real grateful to be able to see that she wasn’t getting worse, even by the online doctors’ articles,” Hugh piped up, lifting a tumbler of juice in a toast to Jackson.
“Good job, Jackson,” I said to him. He nodded and smirked at me with a mouthful of food. Verica chuckled and I rolled my eyes.
“Did you look at her yet, Doc?” Hugh asked. I glanced up expecting to see Dr. Pallace, but surprised that he’d be back so early. To my eternal consternation, Hannah, Patty, the men, even Verica and Daniel were all looking at me.
“’Scuse me?” I choked, trying to swallow and talk at the same time.
“Do you think Dancer is okay?” Hugh repeated. I shot Daniel a look, and he beamed back at me and motioned for me to answer.
“Well, considering I’m not an actual doctor yet…” I cleared my throat and continued carefully. “As far as I could tell, with the limitations of my level of expertise, which is not expert at all, Dancer seemed to be doing remarkably well, especially since she was bitten twice and wasn’t treated as immediately as would have been preferred.” I glanced around at the nodding heads of the men and Daniel’s proud grin.
“Well, men, the chores won’t do themselves, and breakfast is getting cold. Eat up and roll out,” Hannah commanded the hands before she disappeared back into the kitchen. Daniel read the roster and the guys shoveled food into their gaping maws and shuffled off. Suddenly, Jackson, Verica, Daniel, and Patty were the only occupants of the table.
Verica glanced from me to Daniel and back again, surreptitiously sneaking peeks at my unadorned hand in between. Daniel sighed and stared me down, and I slid my hand under the table to change the subject. Of course, Jackson had missed the interaction and dove right in, per his usual fashion.
“Hey, Daniel, did you punk out or what?” he asked, ignoring my glare.
“I did not, as a matter of fact, but we thought we’d hold off on announcements, considering the state of things right now. Let’s make sure Dancer is okay first, Bud.” Daniel averted calamity calmly and deftly steered the conversation back to the most important matter at hand, and saved me from a manufactured explanation.
By the time the sun was over the trees, the four of us had found our way back to the stables and met Dr. Pallace, who as it turned out, had indeed made the drive in the dark to check on our Pretty Dancer before he needed to be at his clinic. He was very upbeat and positive in his prognosis, and even happier when Patty brought out a steaming to-go cup of her amazing coffee, swirling with thick, fresh cream. He cautioned us to keep Dancer still and feed her carefully for the next day, limiting her food intake and watching her fluids, and promised to be back the next day, with the hope of removing her restrictions.
Pete sniffled a little, but managed to avoid unmanly tears as he hung on every word the doctor spoke. He clasped the man on the arm and held on, silently speaking volumes of gratitude, a sentiment echoed by all of us as we stood around Pretty Dancer with bowed heads and clasped hands.
I watched Verica gaze in awe and remembered when I had felt the same response to the family that was Lago Colina. It seemed now that it was a decade ago that I had first realized how special and different the ranch was than the rest of the world. How loyal and committed to the traditions of the family the Hargraves were. My fingers spread over my shirt directly above the scars that marked my loss and worthlessness as a woman and a wife.
I didn’t want to be the one who broke the cycle of strong sons to protect and serve the land that the Hargraves had stewardship over. I bit my lip and focused on breathing normally and not letting my face show my feelings, but I felt Daniel’s gaze like a flame between my shoulders. Without looking up, I felt him move closer behind me and rested my back against his chest. His hands were on my hips as he cleared his throat and asked for the floor.
Immediately, all murmurs and chatter ceased and even the doctor faced him and waited, a bemused look on his face.
“I know we’re all gladder than we can say that due to the quick thinking and actions of our own Rachel Martinez and Pete Call, Pretty Dancer is looking at a full recovery.” The men raised their hands in quiet salute, as not to disturb Dancer or frighten her. “At this time, I’m proud and grateful for the opportunity to tell you all in one place that I’ve talked Rachel into being a permanent member of our family.”
I held my breath and waited for the criticism of our choice. Instead, I found myself in the center of a crush of men, all trying to hug me, or shake Daniel’s hand, without raising the ire of Dr. Pallace or the heartrate of our equine patient.
Dr. Pallace congratulated us and gently suggested that we take the celebration outside to let his patient rest. I tried to escape, but Daniel held my hand and beamed at the congratulations from his friends and employees.
“I’m so glad for you both!” Hannah broke in through the steady hum of chatter from the men. “I suppose this means I can stop pestering Daniel for grandbabies until we’ve planned the wedding!”
I stiffened, but tried to keep my face blank, tugging at Daniel’s hand as I tried to free myself from his grip. He instantly broke in and tried to change the subject, but his mother frowned, and spoke up again, saying that she had waited quite long enough, and reminding her son that he’d be thirty before he knew it, and he shouldn’t wait too much longer.
I knew if I spoke, I would say something I wouldn’t be able to take back. Instead, I yanked my hand away from Daniel and rushed to my quarters, hot tears stinging my face with the realization that a barren woman would not be welcomed into this family, no matter how noble their traditions.
Chapter Twenty
Daniel
I didn’t know whether to chase after Rachel, or stay behind and try to put out the fire. In the end, I chose to give my best girl some space, and took my mother aside to explain exactly how far down her throat her cowboy boot was.
“How could I have known?” her voice trembled, and her eyes shone wet with tears. “That poor little darling. How is that evil man not in prison for what he did to her?” True to form, my mother made the switch from guilt to problem solving. “I hope his own visit to the hospital has taught him a lesson,” she huffed. I didn’t chastise her or blame her, just waited for her to work through it. “I have to make it up to her.” She finally sighed. “I can’t let her think I care more about grandchildren that don’t even exist than I do about her, who as far as I am concerned, is family already.”
“I know, Mom,” I reassured her as she hugged me, her gray hair resting under my chin. “Rachel wants to put off the engagement until she proves that she has something of value to give, in place of grandchildren. It’s a hard time for her.” My mother looked out over toward Rachel’s quarters, where a light had come on in the bedroom window. “Let me go talk to her first, okay?” I requested.
“Please don’t let her stay mad at me without coming to talk to me. I couldn’t stand it if she felt we don’t love her.” I hugged her so hard I lifted her off the ground. “Put me down, Daniel McClintock Hargrave!” she admonished. I laughed and set her down lightly. She teetered a little as she regained her balance.
“I’m going to go cheer up my future wife, then we’ll talk about everything else that’s going on,” I promised her. “Which reminds me, Tuck’s bringing his girl by to meet Verica. Seems she’s a bit of a hero among the animal rights activists, a real Joan of Arc, you know?” My mother seemed impressed.
“I didn’t know Tucker had a girl. Glad you warned me before I said something else stupid,” she said with a sigh. I shook my head, not sure what to say, and tipped my hat before making the trek to Rachel’s quarters at a quick step. Her door was locked when I got there, so I knocked and waited for a minute before tromping through the garden bed under her bedroom window. I knocked on the glass and a moment later, the curtain pulled aside and I was staring into her blotchy, surprised face.
“What the Sam hill are you doing?” she exclaimed as I stood in the azaleas, hoping my mother didn’t
catch me.
“You locked me out. Considering I’m not your husband, it seemed ungentlemanly of me to kick the door in just yet.”
“Go around, I’ll let you in.” She disappeared from view and by the time I made it back to the door, she was standing just inside the doorway, frowning. I stepped in and removed my hat. Holding it in my hands and crushing the rim as I relayed my mother’s embarrassment and guilt about making a big deal out of unnecessary things.
“I told you, your family is about tradition, and part of that tradition is sons.”
“Hang tradition. We’ll adopt a son if it’s so important to you,” I barked. Poor Skipper jumped and ran out of the room as we raised our voices. “I’m sure there is a little boy out there just waiting to be adopted and to learn to be a cowboy. Did you even consider that?”
“Did I consider telling a man I’ve known for mere weeks that his only chance at being a father was to raise someone else’s offspring? No, I can honestly say that did not occur to me,” she snapped.
My hands balled into fists as I tried to control the curses that wanted to escape my mouth, but when she flinched, my frustration instantly gave way to guilt. I thrust my hands away from my body and opened them in surrender.
“For future reference,” I blurted out, “I don’t even know if I ever wanted to have kids. So, just imagine my mother is your mother and love her while also ignoring her if what she’s saying counters what you want.”
Rachel snorted and a smile appeared on her face. I held out my arms and stood waiting for her to either come to me or walk away. “I can’t force you. But, I’ll make sure you don’t do any shit shoveling, if that’s really all that stands between you and the symbol of my love for you.”
She stumbled into my arms, and I held her while she cried. When she was worn down to dry heaves and hiccups, I pushed her away and handed her my handkerchief to wipe her eyes.
“I have to deal with some people before we get married,” Rachel announced through her sniffles. “I’m willing to bet you do to.” I didn’t respond, but she didn’t need me to anyway. The ways my past had snuck up on her and hurt her was my responsibility, and I had promised not to let her down. The last thing I needed was that stupid woman showing up at our wedding to pull her “mean-girl” act.
“I don’t suppose you’d sneak away and take a ride with me, Doc?” I teased. I wasn’t sure she knew what it meant that the guys had renamed her. In a year, she’d have no choice but to let it stick, but Pete and his boys weren’t going to wait that long. They’d seen her in action too many times, and she had their loyalty to the end.
“I think now that Dancer’s safe, we can sneak away. Hell, it’d be easier to get away with than sitting in here for an hour and being seen coming out,” I chuckled.
“I don’t know. I was just getting used to the looks of envy,” I boasted, wiggling my eyebrows at her as she scoffed. My phone went off, playing my favorite song, “Friends in Low Places,” and I caught a look from her before I picked up.
“Daniel, we’re all wrapped up down here, see you in a couple hours.” Tuck’s voice came through the phone tinny, as though he was about to pass through a tunnel.
“No problem, Tuck. We were just about to take a quick ride to refresh. We have a ton to tell you when you get here.” He made a noncommittal sound on the other end before responding.
“Yeah, we definitely need to talk,” he agreed. He hung up without saying goodbye, an annoying habit I still hadn’t got used to. Rachel tied back her long curls and slid her hat down low on her forehead, probably to hide the cried out eyes from anyone we passed. We collected Kaiser and Peacemaker amidst yet another sweep of the stables, a practice I was sure would become a part of the daily routine for the next months, or even years, until the ranch had collectively moved on from the near-tragedy.
The sun was filtered through a smattering of soft, white clouds as we rode, and along with the light breeze that dipped and rustled through the trees, made the late morning temperature as perfect as a summer day could be. I let Rachel take the lead, and she rode us back to the spot on the bank of the lake where she’d first stumbled on Kaiser and I. She let Peacemaker play in the shallow water’s edge and I followed suit with Kaiser, who bucked and splashed until even the gentle Peacemaker kicked out and whinnied.
I brought Kaiser in on a shorter lead while Rachel calmed Peacemaker, and we walked along the shoreline while we walked our mounts instead of riding. For a few minutes, we strolled without speaking, enjoying the magpies and crows arguing among the trees.
“Do you think you could go with me to see Jason in the hospital?” she finally asked, breaking the silence. I rubbed the stubble on my jaw, wishing I’d taken the time to shave, even though I realized there were more important matters that I’d been attending to.
“I could go with you. I’m not sure I could stay silent,” I admitted. Rachel’s chuckle was her only response for an eternity while she thought.
“I just want to make sure your family doesn’t end up with their attention,” she warned. “They are like spoiled children, incapable of understanding or caring what consequences are for the people around them.” She bit her lip and tugged her hat down further over her forehead.
“People like them have always existed and will always be there,” I cautioned. “Darlin’, you can’t live your life worrying about what they’ll say or do. Your past is behind you, and that piece of dirt may have changed your future, but you still get to decide what that is.” She paused and looked up at me.
“You’re right,” she stated simply. “I don’t know if I’ll always be able to keep that in mind, but he didn’t take anything I can’t get around. Hell, look at me, top of my class, an intern on the most prestigious ranch in the state of Texas, wearing a rock the size of Gibraltar, and it still manages to be classy.” She took a breath as I laughed. “So what do we do when I have to go back to school? Do you want me to quit?” Her voice wavered. I knew that we’d finally gotten to the question she’d had on her mind.
The day before, I’d have quipped about how I’d let the new jockey keep me company while she was gone, but as she asked, I realized that she was asking me if she needed to choose between herself and us. I took off my hat and brushed it against my leg as I thought.
“I don’t want you to be gone for a year, and weekends won’t work for us for long,” I mused as I lifted her onto a large flat rock to sit while Peacemaker nuzzled her shoulder looking for treats. “How much do you think you would really have left, if all your husbandry, snakebite rescues, sheep shearing, vaccinating, grain testing, and herd inventory work went into your thesis?” I asked. She shrugged and dug some sugar out of her pocket for her nosy mount.
“You mean, could I test out of some credits?” I nodded, excited.
“Christmas would be a wonderful time for a wedding here on the ranch, if your classes were done,” I suggested. My grin nearly split my face as Rachel’s eyes lit up.
“We can really do this,” she gasped. “I just spent the entire summer in school, and really didn’t think about it. I have to go through my journals and make some sense of it all. This isn’t just us trying to legitimize ourselves; we’re really getting married, and we have just enough time to plan a wedding for Christmas, if we keep it small.
“Fat chance, darlin’.” I shook my head. “I would suggest we simply tell our mothers today at supper and let them handle it. Unless you’ve dreamed of your perfect wedding all your life and…” My voice trailed off at the peal of laughter that erupted from her so suddenly, she almost fell off her perch.
“No, I have not actually thought about a real wedding in my life until right this moment. And because of that, I’m glad I wasn’t wearing my beautiful ring. It would’ve sullied it for me.” She took the necklace she was wearing out of her shirt and there, dangling and winking in the sunlight as it swung in a gentle pendulum motion, was her ring. I helped her retrieve it from the necklace and slid it onto her finger, smiling
at her as she stared happily at it for a moment before sliding her riding gloves back on.
“We should get back. Everyone will be arriving shortly for Verica’s first ride on Texas Tango,” I reminded her. She glanced at her watch and then used the rock she’d been sitting on to boost herself onto Peacemaker. I slipped a few sugar cubes out of her saddlebag and let Kaiser nose them out of the palm of my hand before swinging up onto his back. We made a race of the ride home, and despite Kaiser’s bulk and obstinacy, we jumped the gate a bare second before Rachel and Peacemaker easily cleared the metal rail.
“Don’t smirk too much; that will be the last race you ever win,” she warned me as I strutted from the stable to the mounting block. She sidled past me and jumped down from Peacemaker feather-light, leaving old Hugh to rub her down and give both horses grain.
Rachel pointed to the dust of gravel in the distance growing as visitors started to arrive. She tugged her riding gloves off and looked down at her pink diamond again.
“A Christmas wedding, hmmm?” she asked as we chose our seats on the veranda to await the arrival of what seemed to remain of our combined social circles. “I really can’t imagine what more I could possibly ask for than to give myself to you and you to me for Christmas.” She sighed, holding my hand across the small space between the white wicker chairs.
“I’d prefer making you mine tomorrow, but I agree, Christmas will do nicely. Of course, if Edith really forces you to stay there beyond that, we can just put Jackson in charge and I will come to you.” She squeezed my hand and sighed.
“It won’t come to that, lover,” she assured me. “In this particular scenario, you actually DO get to have your cake and eat it too.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Rachel
By the time Daniel and I had finished our ride together, it seemed as though the stars had all fallen into place. My life had actually started to feel like the pieces of me that I’d worked so hard to gather when I’d fallen apart were present and accounted for. I hoped that it meant we could enjoy some peace as we planned our mothers’ dream wedding. God knew I didn’t care about it as much as either of them, as long as Daniel was standing there when I made my walk down the aisle.