Chemistry Lessons

by Rebecca H Jamison

  “I have more good news too,” Rosie said in her loudest voice. She gripped her hands, hoping Grandpa would agree that it was good news. “I happened to sit next to a banker from El Paso on my flight home. We struck up a conversation about the ranch, and he convinced me to fill out a loan application on the plane. I didn’t think anything of it because I was sure I wouldn’t qualify. But he called me this morning.” She couldn’t keep the excitement from her voice. “I’m pre-approved for a mortgage. It looks like I can buy the ranch after all, and, once everything goes through, you’ll have the money you need to hire help at home.”

  Destry hugged her, kissing the top of her head. “Awesome!”

  “Oh, that’s so sweet,” one of the old women cooed.

  “Did he give you a good interest rate?” Grandpa asked.

  “See for yourselves.” Rosie took the paperwork from her purse and handed it to Destry. “He said he was surprised I hadn’t qualified last time.”

  Destry paged through the stack of papers. “It looks great to me,” he half-shouted to Grandpa and passed the papers over. “I wonder why the bank in Lone Spur wouldn’t give her a loan.”

  Grandpa took the papers and blew out his breath. He gestured for them to come closer. “Let’s move to that table over there,” he said, pointing to a far corner.

  Destry released the brakes on the chair and pushed Grandpa across the room. Once they were out of everyone else’s hearing, Grandpa spoke again. “Has it ever occurred to you, Rosie, that every one of the people who works at the Lone Spur Bank is a Moore?”

  His words hit her like a blast of winter wind. “Why didn’t you mention this before, Grandpa?”

  He shrugged. “It just occurred to me.”

  All that time she thought she needed to depend on Tanner to buy the ranch for her, and it was all because the Moores were playing their ridiculous games.

  “I thought the police covered up the fact that Janessa had too much to drink before the crash,” Destry said. “And Rosie kept her mouth shut about it until a couple months ago. Why would the Moores keep her from getting a loan if she’d kept quiet for them?”

  Rosie didn’t wait for Grandpa to explain. It had suddenly become clear to her. “I might not have talked about it to most people, but I told all the first responders exactly what happened, and I told the insurance company when they called me for a report. Janessa’s had to face a few consequences because of what I’ve said, and the Moores could be holding a grudge against me for it.”

  Destry’s forehead creased, and he shook his head. “I wonder what my lawyer would say about the people at the bank lying to you. I’ll look into it.”

  Grandpa reached for Rosie’s hand. “We don’t know for sure that they denied your loan out of spite. The important thing is that you two will finally have everything you want. I’ll talk to Jeff and make sure he cooperates with you.” He placed Rosie’s hand in Destry’s. “I couldn’t be happier . . . unless you could get me out of here.”

  Chapter 36

  Eight Months Later

  Thanks to another irresponsible pet owner, Rosie was late getting started on her irrigation. How could anyone think a domestic bunny would survive out in the desert in July? At least the poor creature was lucky enough to find its way to Jade’s front porch.

  She lifted the tiny, white rabbit out of the cardboard box on her passenger seat and carried it to the barn, wondering if the old rabbit hutch was still usable. It looked fine, except the door had fallen off its hinges. She stuck the rabbit inside, gave it some hay, filled its water bottle, and wedged the door back into place. Later, after she irrigated, she would fix the hinges.

  That’s when she heard the neigh of a horse, which was strange, because she didn’t have any horses on the ranch. Poking her head out of the barn, she looked around and then shrugged. Maybe she had imagined it. She pulled on her muddy boots and headed off in the direction of her fields. She had passed the hay barn when she saw Destry’s two mares tied to the fence, and they were both saddled.

  Destry was there too, walking toward her from the other side of the vegetable garden. Had he forgotten today was her day to irrigate?

  Then she noticed that the vegetable garden was already muddy.

  “I hope you don’t mind. I’m teaching my guests to irrigate the hard way,” he called out. His treatment center had been open for a month now, and last she heard, he had ten visitors.

  “You mean you’re making your guests water for me?” She was about to give him a lesson about being a good host when he pulled her in for a kiss. It wasn’t a routine peck but a long-lasting, spine-tingling smooch that sent her heart racing.

  “They told me they wanted to experience some hardcore ranching,” he explained.

  She laughed, keeping her arms around him. “Really?” She rested her head against his chest and gazed across the field to see four men bending over the irrigation ditch. “I really appreciate their help. I was worried I wouldn’t get it done.”

  He ran his hand over her ponytail. “Let me guess—you had to rescue another animal.”

  He knew her too well. “Someone abandoned a rabbit out by Jade’s place, so I had to drive out there to pick it up, and then spend another hour reassuring Jade that I wouldn’t be upset if she started seeing Tanner.”

  “I guess it’s about time you two had that conversation.” He tilted his head toward the two horses. “What do you say we go for a ride?”

  She studied the mares. It was tempting. She still hadn’t gotten a chance to ride either one. But a quick glance at her watch proved there wasn’t time. “I wish I could, but Grandpa’s caregiver gets off in fifteen minutes. And I have to feed the animals and—”

  “—Grandpa and I have already taken care of that,” Destry interrupted. “He’s going to teach my guests how to do your chores.”

  “But they’re already irrigating—”

  “What better way to learn about ranch life than from a real cowboy?” Destry took her hand and led her toward the horses.

  Rosie could imagine how much Grandpa would enjoy bossing a bunch of Easterners around, but she could also imagine how hard it would be for Grandpa not to act like his younger self. “Did he promise to use his cane when he’s outside?”

  “That was part of the deal.” Destry said, almost as if he had expected her to ask. He untied the smaller horse’s reins from the fence. “Are you ready to ride?”

  Rosie considered for a moment. It sounded like Destry had taken care of everything. She really could take the night off. She grinned. “Let’s go.”

  They rode down the lane side by side, and Rosie’s mind slowed to the rhythmic trot of the horse’s hooves on the dirt road. This was her home—she owned the land beside them. She owned the field of alfalfa growing green and the cows grazing in the grass. But home had become more than the land, more than the wispy clouds that stretched above them, and more than the mountains in the distance. It was having Destry beside her, telling her about the crazy things StainMaster dug up today.

  It took an hour to get to the river by the scenic route, but the minutes passed in the easy, carefree way they always did when she was with Destry. Sometimes they talked. Other times they were silent. Rosie felt no pressure to say the right things or defend her position.

  Eventually, they dismounted and made their way to the river. Destry offered her a water bottle while the horses grazed in the tall grass.

  “I brought the slingshot,” he said, pulling it from a saddlebag. “You want to shoot some pebbles?”

  She remembered the first time she had slung rocks across the river and how her worries had disappeared along with the pebbles. Most of those problems were in the past now, but it would be fun to use the slingshot again.

  They found a flat place along the bank and Destry handed her the slingshot. “I’ve still got some rocks from the last time,” he said, his voice soft and deep. “You concentrate on shooting.”

  He placed a rounded stone in her hand. She enclose
d it in the leather sling, stretched the tubing, and shot. “This one’s to celebrate that you found two decent horses that won’t buck you off.” They watched as it landed with a splash in the river.

  He gave her another and this time he stood behind her with his arms on either side, reaching to adjust her hand in front of her face. “Don’t forget to aim.”

  “Do you remember the first time we did this?” she asked, turning to him instead of shooting the rock. “I was so in love, even then, that I could have stayed there all day.”

  He kissed her. “And I thought you were just into shooting.”

  “That’s what I told myself,” she confessed. “I was still in denial about how much I liked you.” She turned, aimed, and shot the rock halfway across the river. “That one was for you knowing the irrigation schedule.”

  He handed her another pebble. “See if you can get it to the other side.”

  “This one’s for Allan deciding to go to college.” Remembering what she had learned last time, she tilted the slingshot higher. When she released her grip, the pebble landed three quarters of the way across.

  The sun glowed bright orange against the horizon now, and its rays bounced pink off the clouds. He kept handing her pebbles, but she couldn’t seem to shoot any of them far enough to reach the other bank. “I think the river’s higher now than it was last time. Maybe if I tried a bigger rock.”

  “Here,” he said, “try this one.” He placed the rock in her hand, only it wasn’t a dusty, gray stone. It was a ring with a golden stone, like they had talked about so many months before.

  Destry dropped to his knee, and Rosie gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. “I once told you I thought you had a golden touch with your animals and with Grandpa. I still believe that everything about you is pure gold—and that you have a shimmering beauty.” He paused to nod at her while she shook her head, smiling. “What I haven’t told you was that you have a golden touch with me, too. Because of you, I’m living the life I was meant to lead. I’m making a difference for people. The only way life could be any better is if you were always here at my side. Will you marry me, Rosie?”

  “Of course!” She slipped the ring onto her finger and reached for his hand, pulling him up from his knee.

  The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. Then she kissed him, hoping to communicate the rush of feelings that coursed through her. He wasn’t the type of man she had imagined marrying. He was so much better.

  To the Reader

  Dear Reader,

  You are the reason I write. Thank you for reading this book. I had so much fun creating this story, and I hope you enjoyed your read. If you liked the book, would you please consider leaving a review on Amazon.com? It helps get the word out to others.

  Thanks again!

  Rebecca

  Acknowledgments

  So many people helped bring this book to life. I’d like to thank Renae Mackley, Janice Sperry, and Melissa Cunningham, who read and re-read every bit of this story and helped me improve it.

  My family has been so patient with my little fantasy trips to Lone Spur. My husband Eric helped me brainstorm ideas and edited the manuscript. (It’s so nice to be married to a professional editor.) Meanwhile, my children only complained a little about the time I spent writing.

  Thanks also go to my extended family members, some of whom are no longer with us. The story about the coyote in chapter two is modeled on a similar story told my paternal grandfather. My maternal grandparents’ ranch served as the inspiration for much of the rest of the story. I spent many summer days playing in the hay barn and swimming in the irrigation ditch there. I will always be grateful for the legacy of hard work and respect for nature that my grandparents have left me.

  Above all, I want to thank my Heavenly Father, who sends me my best ideas.

  About the Author

  Rebecca H. Jamison has lived on a live volcano, excavated the bones of a prehistoric mammal, and won first prize at a rigged chili cook-off. She wrote novels just for fun until she made a New Year’s resolution in 2011 to submit a manuscript to publishers. Her first published works are Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale, Emma: A Latter-day Tale, and Sense and Sensibility: A Latter-day Tale. If you would like to find out about her future publications, please sign up for her newsletter.

  Rebecca grew up in Virginia. She attended Brigham Young University, where she earned a BA and MA in English. In between college and graduate school, she served a mission to Portugal and the Cape Verde islands. Her job titles have included special education teacher’s aide, technical writer, English teacher, and stay-at-home mom.

  Rebecca enjoys running, dancing, reading, and watching detective shows. She lives with her husband and children in Utah.

  You can learn more about her at www.rebeccahjamison.com.