by Deb Kastner
She tilted her head and flashed him an impish smile, then pushed the balloon back at him. She’d play along, but if he thought he could just brush off what had happened last night without an explanation, he had another think coming.
“Josh, can you start hanging the balloons?” she asked, handing the boy a roll of packing tape. “Anywhere you think looks good, okay? Griff and I will stay here and blow up a few more for you.”
Josh trekked off to follow her instructions. Alexis leaned back into the cushion and crossed her arms, settling her gaze on Griff.
At first he didn’t appear to notice that she wasn’t blowing up a balloon, keeping her full attention on him instead, but eventually he set his balloon aside and faced her.
“What?” he asked warily.
“That was going to be my question to you—as in, what happened last night? I’ve got to be honest with you and admit I didn’t expect you to show up right now.”
“Neither did I.”
So she was right about him having some kind of problem. For some reason she was relieved by that confirmation. “But?”
“But I took Hercules for a ride this morning to clear my head. I guess I figured out what was bothering me, and I knew I eventually needed to seek you out and talk to you. So here I am.”
“Here I am,” she encouraged. If he’d figured out what was bothering him, she definitely wanted to know, and she knew it wasn’t easy for him to come clean with her this way. “Speak to me.”
He fidgeted and combed his fingers through his hair. Josh returned for more balloons and the silence lengthened between them.
“I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong,” she reminded him.
Griff cleared his throat and leaned his forearms on his knees, his look determined. “A lot of—” he hesitated “—bad stuff happened to me before I came here. Viv accidentally said something that set me off. That’s all it was, and I apologize.”
Alexis stood and offered her hand. “Come on. Let’s walk.”
“But your party,” he protested.
“Is perfectly under control. The kids are doing a fine job of decorating, and Vivian can direct them if necessary. We’ve got some time.”
Alexis led Griff away from the house and down the driveway, which would soon be crowded with cars. Halfway down the drive she cut to the side and headed out into the long grass. She could have dropped his hand at that point, and maybe she should have, but she didn’t, and neither did he. There was a measure of comfort in the way his large, warm hand enveloped hers. Breaking physical contact would be like breaking the thin thread of understanding between them.
She waited for him to lead the conversation. She could feel the tension rippling through his muscles and knew how difficult it was for him to be out here with her now.
“Vivian didn’t mean to upset you, you know,” she finally commented when he continued to walk in strained silence.
“I know.” Griff led her to a fallen log and gestured for her to sit. He followed suit and then leaned forward and plucked a tall blade of grass, twisting it into tight knots with his fingers. “Ugh. I’m embarrassed to be talking about this,” he admitted in a gruff whisper. “It’s humiliating.”
“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable,” she responded softly. “You can say anything to me. I promise I won’t judge.”
His gray-blue eyes snapped to hers. “No, I know you won’t.”
Her breath caught in her throat. His eyes were full of a rampage of emotion and Alexis’s heart swelled with compassion and something else she wasn’t quite ready to identify. “I’m ready to listen to whatever you have to say.”
He crooked his leg and turned toward her. “When I came here—to Serendipity, to Redemption Ranch—I was running away from a bad relationship.”
Sympathy washed over her. She could see his heartbreak in his eyes. She could feel it in her own heart. “I’m so sorry. Vivian mentioned that you had recently had your heart broken. I hope it’s okay that she shared that with me.”
“Had my heart broken?” he repeated. “Yeah. I guess that’s how it felt at the time. But now that I have a little distance from what happened, I think mostly Caro just injured my pride. I’ve always been self-sufficient. Maybe too much so.”
Alexis smiled softly. “I can relate.”
“Yes, well, you’re considerably wiser than me. You like to handle your problems yourself, but that doesn’t mean you close yourself off from people. I didn’t have the greatest experiences growing up and I managed to build a pretty solid wall around myself.”
“You see yourself in Devon.”
His breath caught audibly and he released it slowly. “Yes. I do.”
“That explains a lot.”
“But not why I act so out of sorts sometimes. You said I got my heart broken, and that’s partially true. I had my bubble burst, is more like it. You see, I’m a self-made man. Everything I accomplished as an adult I did completely of my own volition, through my own hard work.”
“And with God’s blessing,” she added.
“God? No, I don’t think God ever had much use for me.”
Alexis squeezed his hand. “I disagree. But now is not the time for a sermon. Please continue.”
“I started dabbling in high society in Houston—rubbing elbows with people with money, power and prestige. Ruthless people, for the most part. I thought I wanted to be like them.”
“You wanted to be accepted.” Alexis’s heart was overflowing with emotion. It was all she could do not to burst into tears, but she suspected that a sobbing female was the last thing Griff needed right now. It might even drive him away, and she couldn’t bear to be this close to finally discovering more about who Griff really was to ruin it by her inability to keep her feelings to herself.
“What? No. I don’t care if I’m accepted. I mean—” He paused and his gaze widened. “You may be right,” he acknowledged gravely. “Maybe that was what I was looking for and just didn’t want to admit it. In any case, I was—not happy, but satisfied, pursuing my business interests and making conquests, at least until the day Caro Masterson called me. At first she was just asking advice about a charity she was involved with. But the more we talked, the closer we became. We eventually met in person. I ended up funneling a lot of my own personal money into her charity. It got personal—at least, for me, it did.”
“She didn’t feel the same way?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer to her question.
He snorted in derision. “She wasn’t even a single woman. She was married. And her charity was a scam. As it turned out, she and her husband were embezzling the money and cooking the books.”
“Oh, my.” Alexis’s heart was breaking for him and all he’d endured. No wonder he was cautious of her and of Redemption Ranch. Why wouldn’t he be? He had every right not to trust a charity, or a woman, for that matter.
“What can I say? I’m a chump.”
“No, you’re not. Please don’t call yourself names. Don’t you see? You were targeted. You can’t blame yourself for what happened.”
His lips twisted. “Can’t I? I fell for it hook, line and sinker. And by the time I’d figured out I’d been scammed, Caro and her husband had skipped town.”
“Along with your money.”
He shrugged. “The money doesn’t matter.”
“Of course not. It’s what she did to your heart that counts.”
“My heart?” He shook his head. “I’m not even sure I have a heart. I definitely still struggle with trust, even when it’s been more than earned. Yet the second your sister goes and mentions that she needs help with her spa and that you are having financial problems with your ministry, I go ballistic.”
“Me? She said I needed your help?” No wonder Griff had gone off the deep end. Vivian
and her big mouth. “Where did she come up with that notion? Griff, I’m not asking anything of you. I never even thought about it, I promise you that.”
“Yeah. I know. Once I calmed down, I thought back over the time we’ve spent together here at the ranch and I realized that if you were setting out to con me, you were doing a pretty poor job of it. You never asked me for a thing, and I don’t believe you’ve ever mentioned Vivian’s spa.”
Heat rose to Alexis’s face. “I have to be totally honest with you. She did talk to me about putting a bug in your ear regarding her business, but I promise you she meant no harm by it. I feel terrible that she even brought it up to you, knowing what I know now.”
“Don’t. Anyway, she’s right. I did leave her hanging. She’s my best friend’s girl. I told her I’d help—she had every right to count on me, and yet I didn’t even bother to finish what I started for her. I’m surprised she’s even speaking to me, after the way I bailed on her.”
“Vivian doesn’t hold grudges.”
“No, she certainly doesn’t. But I feel bad even so. I’ll make it right by her,” he vowed. “First thing Monday morning, I’ll make some calls and get her spa properly funded. She has a solid business plan and it won’t take much to get investors interested.”
“Thank you. She may have gone about it the wrong way, but I know she would never purposefully hurt you. Not for the world. You have to understand that her spa is her heart’s desire, what she’s wanted to do ever since she was a little girl.”
“I’ve learned a little something about dreams,” Griff said, “especially after coming here. People should pursue their heart’s desire instead of just trudging along, bowing to the almighty dollar. If opening her spa will make her happy, I’m glad to help her.” He glanced at his watch, then up at Alexis, smiling crookedly. “It’s nearly five o’clock. We ought to get back, don’t you think? I’m sure your guests don’t want to miss congratulating the birthday girl.”
Alexis rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “Don’t remind me. The things I do for my sister.”
Griff stood and reached out both hands to assist Alexis to her feet. “The things you do for everybody.”
* * *
Griff didn’t know what he expected from a small-town birthday party, but one thing was for certain—Alexis and Vivian had lots of friends. The house was so packed that there was barely any elbow room to move. The crowd had overflowed outside, where a couple of local men were busy grilling hot dogs and hamburgers.
He’d lost track of Alexis somewhere along the way. She was busy playing hostess to her dozens of guests. He hadn’t wanted to follow her around like a lost puppy dog, so he’d made his way indoors and had found a wall to hold up.
He didn’t mind being alone and was content to watch the flood of locals chatting away while their children dashed around screeching in delight. His heart felt lighter than it had felt in years. Maybe ever. He hadn’t realized what a heavy burden he’d been carrying around, or that it was as simple as taking advantage of the ear and heart of a compassionate woman to unload that unwelcome encumbrance.
“Hey, Griff, remember me?” The sheriff who’d demonstrated K9 tactics to Alexis’s teens heartily shook Griff’s hand.
“Eli, is it?”
“Yes, sir. What do you think of the birthday bash? Tamer than what you’re used to, I would imagine.”
“Tamer? Try wilder, by a long shot.” Griff laughed. “I’ve never been to a party that had so many kids running around.”
Eli grinned and nodded. “Yep, there is that. Never a dull moment around here. Loud and boisterous. You’d think a small town would be all quiet and peaceful, right?”
Griff chuckled. If he’d known how active and close-knit the Serendipity community was before he’d come, he would have talked himself out of it.
“How is your search for land going? Have you found any good prospects yet? Jo mentioned your plan to settle here.”
“That’s the idea.” Now, more than ever. “But to be honest, I’ve been kind of caught up in all the goings-on here at Redemption Ranch. It’s a busy place. I regret to say I haven’t done much scouting of the area yet.”
Eli chuckled. “Don’t worry. You won’t have to do any of the work. The folks here in town know of your need. Your land will come to you, handed to you on a silver platter. Just you wait and watch.” He slapped Griff on the back. “What do you say we go find Alexis? If I don’t miss my guess, my wife will be right by her side, along with Samantha, of course. The Little Chicks.”
“I’ve heard the story about that nickname.”
“Trust me, they’ve earned it.”
Griff tried to follow Eli out of the crowded house, but every couple of feet he was stopped by another one of the locals. Everyone seemed to know who he was and what he was looking for, real-estate wise. In the short distance from the living room to the front yard, he managed to receive several solid leads on land he planned to follow up on.
After some minutes speaking with his new neighbors, he finally made it outside. Like a magnet, his gaze captured Alexis’s. She was standing between the two grills, serving hamburgers. Eli had called it correctly—Mary and a dark-haired woman Griff assumed was Samantha hovered nearby, chattering like the little chicks they were, even as they helped Alexis serve food to her guests. Griff chuckled. He had to admit they did rather sound like a flock of very cheerful birds.
He started to approach and then stopped suddenly when he spotted a large table set up under an oak tree. The table was laden with enormous piles of prettily wrapped presents with elaborate bows and an assortment of colorful gift bags.
Presents.
He wanted to smack himself upside the head. It was their birthday, for crying out loud. How dim-witted was he? As wrapped up as he’d been in his own problems, it hadn’t even occurred to him to buy Alexis and Vivian gifts. He’d known there would be a party. Parties meant gifts. Some houseguest he was.
At this time of night, especially on a Saturday, the whole town would be locked up as tight as a safe. Most likely, everyone who worked on Main Street was here at the party. It hadn’t taken Griff more than a few days to discover that particular idiosyncrasy of small-town living.
But that fact put him in an impossible position. No twenty-four-hour drugstore on the corner. No shopping mall down the street. No possible way to sneak off and come back bearing gifts.
“You look as if you just swallowed a lemon, son.” Griff hadn’t even realized Jo Spencer had approached him until she followed her words with a playful slap on the biceps. “What’s troubling you, dear?”
Griff lifted his gray cowboy hat and scrubbed his fingers through his hair, shook his head and scoffed. “I’m an idiot, that’s what. Ugh.”
Jo burst into such earsplitting boisterous laughter that a few people turned to look their direction.
“Now, I’m not sayin’ you are, and I’m not sayin’ you ain’t, but why don’t you tell me what happened and let me be the judge. Just what did you do?”
Griff groaned. “It’s not what I did, Jo. It’s what I didn’t do—as in purchase gifts for Alexis and Vivian. I feel terrible.”
“Oh, now, honey, don’t you worry none about those two. As you can see, they’ve already got themselves more gifts than they’re gonna know what to do with. I’m sure they’re just pleased you’re here to help them celebrate their happy day. Good folks is more important than pretty presents. That’s the kind of women they are.”
“I know. That’s exactly it. That’s why I’m so determined to get them something, although at this point it’s going to be belated. They’ve already done so much for me. I can’t even measure it all. I only wish—”
Griff’s breath slammed to a halt in his chest as an idea bucked him right out of the saddle and sent him tumbling to the earth.
“
I can do something for them,” he muttered, more to himself than to Jo, as the lightbulb in his head sparked and flared.
“Well, of course you can, dear.” Jo stared at him intently for a moment and then linked her arm with his. “I see the wheels turning in your head. You’ve got a plan, Griff Haddon. Share and share alike, I always say.”
He wasn’t going to get out of this one anytime soon. May as well play along.
Griff quirked a smile and his eyebrows danced. “I’m not sure I ought to say, seeing as your shirt reads One for You, Two for Me.”
“Oh, you,” Jo said, followed by a shrill cackle. “You don’t have to worry about me takin’ the credit for your ideas.”
The lightbulb in his head flared again, even brighter this time. His pulse hammered as he remembered all the friendly faces he’d met even just today. Everyone seemed ready and willing to help him, a stranger in town. How much more would they respond to the needs of one of their own?
“Actually, Jo, that’s exactly what I want you to do.”
Her face crinkled in confusion. “I’m not sure I’m following, son.”
“I’m looking for investors to back a worthy project.”
A smile burst onto her lips with such ferocity that her whole face beamed like the sun’s rays. “Why, you’re speaking of Redemption Ranch.”
Griff tipped his hat with his thumb and forefinger. “Yes, ma’am. Redemption Ranch.”
“We’re a humble village with modest means. Unfortunately there aren’t many in our community who can afford as big a chunk of change as investing requires, even for so good a cause as this.”
“Maybe not,” Griff agreed. “But a whole lot of folks offering what they can, sharing even a tiny bit of their abundance, adds up the same way one or two deep-pocketed investors would. Don’t you think?”
“I like your math, young man.”
“So you’ll help me, then?” Anticipation and exhilaration coursed through him. “I don’t mind doing the legwork and I’ll definitely be the one to solicit funds, but I’d appreciate any introductions you can offer.”