A Father's Stake

by Mary Anne Wilson

  “Oh, I guess we should. Sure, if you can.”

  “No problem.”

  She felt her mom come up behind her, and Parrish flashed her a smile. “So, where’s the little one?”

  “Sleeping,” Gabriella said. “We wore her out.”

  “Parrish,” Grace said. “That horse of Oscar’s, it sounds good, but I don’t know.”

  “If you’d like, why don’t you go ask him about it, then go see it. He lives on land south of town, not too far.”

  “I don’t know.”

  Her mother spoke up. “Go now. Then you can figure this out for yourself.”

  “But Lilly needs to eat and—”

  “Since when are you the only cook around here?” her mother teased her.

  “Okay, but I won’t be long.” She looked back at Parrish. “Thanks for finding out about the horse.”

  “No problem.” He looked past her. “Finger okay?”

  Grace turned and noticed a bandage on her mother’s right forefinger. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing, just got a sliver in my finger from the fence, but it’s fine. Mr. Parrish gave me the same treatment as he did Lilly.” She held up the finger. “See?”

  “And she didn’t cry,” the man said, deadpan, then turned and ambled off.

  “I need to go into town to find mattresses for you and Lilly,” Grace said, “and I could check on the horse while I’m there.”

  “Good idea, the mattresses, I mean. What’s a bed without one?”

  “Uncomfortable,” Grace said and they both laughed before Grace hurried to get her bag, and with one last look at a sleeping Lilly, she headed into town. As she drove onto the main street, she resisted the urge to stop at a couple of the shops, but kept going. The day was clear and warm, no clouds in sight, and the town seemed to gleam in the sunshine. She spotted the General Store, then glanced across the street and one down to see a faux wood-fronted, two-story building with a shingle, Law Offices, hanging from the front fascia. The building sat between a real estate office and a rug shop.

  On impulse, she swung left to park by the law offices instead of the general store. Her mother needed a job and she’d been a part-time paralegal on and off. Maybe she could find out if there was any work like that in the area.

  She pushed open the door and stepped into the reception area as a bell sounded above her. She stopped by a large desk in the wood paneled space that fronted three doors in the back wall. There was no sign of anyone, and the only sound was soft music coming from hidden speakers. “Is anyone here?” she called out.

  Footsteps sounded on wooden floors, then the middle of the three doors opened and Jack Carson stepped into the room. He wore an open-necked white shirt, dark slacks and boots and his face was stamped with the same surprise as she knew hers must be.

  * * *

  JACK HAD SPENT most of the day in the office trying to concentrate on a case of disputed water rights and going over one of two applications for a replacement for Maureen. But his ability to concentrate had been close to none, the way it had been since Grace Evans had showed up at the old ranch two weeks ago. He’d been fighting the urge to call her again and now she’d materialized out of nowhere right in his office.

  His breath hitched in his chest as he crossed to the desk. “Welcome back.”

  “Thanks,” she said, glancing at the application he still had in his hand. “I’m sorry if I’m interrupting a meeting with your attorney.”

  She was as small and blonde as he remembered, the blue shirt she wore with jeans and those sandals only emphasizing her delicateness. She looked up him, waiting, and he finally got himself on track.

  “I’m the only attorney in the place, and my assistant has obviously gone on some errand.”

  She looked flustered and shook her head. “Oh, I didn’t know you’re an attorney.”

  “You were looking for one?” he asked, part of him thinking she wanted to get paperwork ready to sell and the other part thinking she wanted to have someone check the papers so she could keep the ranch.

  “No, well, yes. I was just going to ask if there are any openings for a paralegal position here.”

  He knew she was a waitress, so why would she be asking about a paralegal position? “You’re looking for work?” His heart sank at the logical conclusion. She was staying. When he found out from Maureen that she’d given up her lease on her apartment in Los Angeles, he’d thought that was that. She was going to come back and stay. Then he’d decided that she could be giving up the lease and moving to a better place.

  He knew he wasn’t going to stop hoping he could get back his family’s land until she told him for sure that she wasn’t selling. “Just seeing what’s available,” she said.

  He wasn’t a liar, but he wasn’t about to tell her about the position for an assistant in his office that would be open at the end of the month. Instead, he hedged with a partial truth, “The office isn’t running up to speed right now. Maybe in the future.”

  She turned away with a quiet, “Thank you.”

  He didn’t mean to cut her off, to have her leave, but before he had a chance to stop her, she turned back to him.

  “You know, I’m glad I ran into you,” she said. “I really wanted to thank you for telling Parrish about the horse that the man at the General Store wants to sell.”

  Jack was blank for a minute, then remembered his talk with Parrish. “Oh, sure, are you going to try her out?”

  She grimaced. “I’m on my way there, but I don’t know anything about horses.”

  “I grew up with them, had one since I was old enough to walk.” He hesitated a moment. “If you’re on your way there now, I can go with you. I can tell you if she’s good or not.”

  He could almost see her thinking, should she or shouldn’t she, then she nodded. “That would be a huge help.”

  He went around the desk, tossed the application he still held onto the file cabinet by Maureen’s chair, then crossed to where Grace stood. He wanted time with her, ways to make her see how challenging ranch life could be, and that a large chunk of money was much better than a chunk of dusty New Mexico land that meant nothing to her.

  They went out together and crossed the road to the General Store. Once inside, Jack spotted Aaron, Oscar’s nephew, a tall, gangly boy of seventeen. “Is your uncle around?”

  “No, he’s back at the place, got problems with the irrigation, so I get to hold down the fort. You need something I can help you with?”

  “We just wanted to talk to him about Ashee’s horse, the Paint. He said he wanted to sell it and get his granddaughter a cutter for barrels.”

  “He’s out there, if you want to go and see the horse.”

  Jack turned to Grace. “What do you say? Like to drive out there with me, and we can both check out the Paint?”

  “I guess so,” she said without a lot of conviction. She turned to the teenager. “Do you by any chance have mattresses for sale?”

  “No, don’t have any, but I’m sure someone around here could get you one.”

  “I need two, actually.”

  Jack watched the exchange. “None at the house?”

  She looked at him. “Just one, but I need two more.”

  He nodded, then without saying anything else, the two of them headed to his parking spot behind the law office and got in his Jeep. As they drove through town, they passed a huge glass and iron building, the sign announcing Wolf Lake Hospital. The building was as modern as the rest of the town was determinedly quaint.

  On the other side of a huge parking area stood a massive brick building with Wolf Lake Family Center chiseled over the entry portico. Grace had been silent until then, but she finally spoke.

  “For a small town, Wolf Lake has the best amenities I’ve seen in a long time, even in Los Angeles. The school, that Family Center, and the hospital. Are they all flash and show or are they well run, too?”

  “They’re every bit as good as they look,” he said and told her abou
t the Family Center’s work with local kids who were challenged or needy. He found himself telling her about Gage and Merry. “My brother helped design both places, and he and his fiancée are going to adopt a little girl whom Merry’s been helping at the center.”

  As the hospital fell away behind them, he kept talking. “The hospital is really good, too. Exceptional, actually. One of my oldest friends, Moses Blackstar, is the chief of staff, and a terrific doctor. He oversees the twenty-four hour emergency care and a clinic on the Rez as well.”

  Jack stopped himself, wondering how that was going to discourage her from living here permanently. He’d forgotten for a bit that his job wasn’t to sell Wolf Lake to her. He glanced at Grace, but she was staring out the side window. He found himself reaching out to touch her arm and he could tell he startled her. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just wondered if you had any more questions.”

  She finally turned and met his gaze before he looked back to the road that was now cutting through pastureland on both sides. “No, just thinking,” she said softly.

  “I was wondering what you’re thinking about this place, about your ranch and this town? Is it too isolated? Too rough? Too bleak?” He stopped himself. He was being too obvious. He had to keep quiet and let her ask questions, then go from there.

  “Actually, I like both the town and the ranch, I think. I know the ranch needs a lot of work, and it’s a whole different way of life for me, that’s for sure.”

  “Yes, I’d expect it is.”

  He heard her take a deep breath, then let it out softly. Finally, she said, “There is something I need to tell you.”

  Jack flashed her a look, but she was staring at her hands clenched together in her lap. “What is it?” he asked, hoping against hope she’d already figured out that this place wasn’t for her.

  “I need to be honest with you. I should have said something earlier, but was worried if I did that you would withdraw your offer on the ranch permanently.”

  He slowed the truck as the entrance to Oscar’s ranch came into view. “What are you talking about?”

  “I want to give living here, running the ranch a try. I need to, but if I fail, if it all goes wrong, I don’t want to just lose everything.” He stopped by the closed gates and turned to her. The knuckles of her clenched hands were white. “My mother always taught me to have a backup plan.” Those violet eyes met his. “You’re my backup plan.”

  He stared at her, then realized what she was saying. She’d try, and if she failed, she wanted him to bail her out by buying the ranch. “If you mess up, you’ll sell the land to me?”

  “Basically,” she murmured.

  It wasn’t the clean break he’d hoped for, and it wasn’t going to happen tomorrow, but soon, it would happen soon. He knew it. She’d cave sooner or later. A sense of relief seeped into him. Up to now he’d been afraid she would shut the door forever, but she hadn’t. She hadn’t even locked the door, let alone shut it for good.

  She stared at him, then finally said, “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I don’t believe I’ve ever been anyone’s backup plan before.”

  She blinked twice, then managed a slight smile. “You’re not angry?”

  “No, I’m not angry,” he admitted truthfully. As high color tinged her cheeks, he wondered when the last time was that he’d seen a woman blush.

  * * *

  GRACE FELT FOOLISH, unable to keep eye contact with Jack. She’d thought he’d be offended by the truth—that he’d walk away, but he appeared to be fine. She felt her tension ease, and was grateful. The minute she’d seen Jack come into the reception area at the law firm, she’d known she couldn’t lie to him anymore. And she’d expected him to ask her about her decision right then and there. When he hadn’t, she’d decided she had to be honest with him. Just to get it over with. And now she had.

  He wasn’t angry, he wasn’t pouting, and he was actually taking her to see the horse for Lilly. It was amazing. “I’m sorry,” she said softly, just to make very sure he understood she really was.

  “Forget it.” He put down his window and pressed a button in a raised key pad by the Jeep. She heard a squawk of static, then a voice.

  “Who’s there?”

  “Jack Carson for Oscar.”

  “Come on in,” the crackly voice said. “Down at the pump house.”

  Jack drove through the gates as they swung open. The ranch was called Nava Heaven. Three separate drives led from the gates, and Jack took the one to the left. They drove under towering cottonwoods that almost formed an arch overhead. Rounding a curve, the trees thinned, revealing a panorama of grasslands beyond. He kept driving, heading for a corrugated metal building where a tractor sat by open double doors.

  They had barely pulled to a stop by the tractor, when Oscar came out of the building’s shadows. He squinted, rubbed his face with a red kerchief, then headed over to them. Jack got out and Grace followed.

  “Hey, boy,” he said to Jack, then nodded to Grace. “Ma’am. What’re you all doing out this way?”

  “Looking for you,” Jack said. The two men shook hands. “We came out to see that Paint you said you were thinking of selling.”

  Oscar looked back into the metal building. The whining and thudding of a piece of machinery filled the air. “This’ll wait,” he muttered. “Can’t get the darn thing to the bottom thirty.” He tossed the kerchief onto the seat of the tractor, then motioned Grace and Jack to follow him. “I need a break, come on.”

  They made their way back toward the trees, then cut through a passageway made for large vehicles. When they stepped out they were in front of a huge barn with stables on one side.

  “Here she is,” Oscar said, going to one of the corrals where a small white horse with two-toned brown markings calmly nuzzled a hay holder.

  “This is her. Pretty and even-tempered. A good combination, but my granddaughter’s wanting to get into barrels and she’s a rider, period. I thought we should find a new home for Mosi. Not being rode much can break a horse’s heart.”

  The Paint lifted her head, her soft brown eyes on the people coming toward her.

  “She’s got a nice form,” Jack said.

  “Been here since she was a yearling, trained up fine, good ride for a six-or seven-year-old, but not for a pre-teen. No problems. No bad habits.”

  Grace tentatively reached out and touched the silky side of the horse’s muzzle. The animal stood quietly, letting Grace stroke her. “She seems so calm.”

  “She is, Ma’am,” Oscar said. “I told Jack, if you’re interested, she’s yours for a month. A trial, because some horses and kids don’t mix. That’s a fact. Got to make sure things are right between the horse and rider, before you make a commitment.”

  Grace looked at the horse and braced herself. “I heard you’d want about three hundred for her.”

  Oscar came closer, touched the horse on the muzzle and she snuffled softly. “That’ll be fine, or whatever you think she’s worth to you and your kid. I’ll throw in her saddle too. She’s real used to it and it’s comfortable for a little person.”

  “That sounds fine to me.”

  Oscar smiled at her. “Then it’s a deal.”

  Jack stood close behind her. “You’re going to do it?” he asked. “The feed store in town delivers hay and grain, and Parrish has the stable pretty much ready to accommodate her.”

  Grace looked into the soft brown eyes of the horse and nodded. “Okay, you’ve got a deal. A month’s trial.” Then she had a thought. “I don’t have a trailer or anything, and I’m not sure—”

  Oscar cut her off. “No worry. Jack’s got a trailer, a double. That should do it.” He looked past her at Jack. “That work for you?”

  “Sure,” he said.

  “Then it’s settled.”

  Jack surprised her when he asked, “Any idea where she can get two mattresses. I’m guessing they need to be doubles?” He gla
nced at Grace and she nodded.

  “Actually, I have a couple in storage, almost new, real clean.” Oscar looked at her. “I’ll throw them in with the horse.”

  “Thank you,” she said quickly. “Thank you very much.”

  Five minutes later, Grace and Jack were in the Jeep again, pulling away from Oscar’s ranch and back toward town. Grace glanced at Jack. The man was silent, watching the road ahead, and gave no indication what he was thinking.

  “I appreciate all of this,” she said.

  He cast a sidelong look at her, his dark eyes as unreadable as his expression. “It’s a good deal. Oscar won’t do you wrong.”

  “That’s a relief,” she said. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “What is the busiest and best restaurant in town?”

  “The Place fills both criteria,” he said as they got closer to the hospital. “Upscale, good food and it’s a busy place most weekends, with both locals and tourists.”

  It sounded interesting, especially if she did evenings and her mother could find something for the daytime. “What sort of food?”

  “Steaks, and everything that goes with them,” he said.

  “Sounds good.”

  “How about going by there now?” he asked out of the blue.

  She looked at him again. “Excuse me?”

  “I’m hungry and I’d like some company for a very late lunch.” He looked at her as they stopped at the main street. “What do you think? Do you have time for it?”

  Grace didn’t know what to say. For a fleeting moment, she actually thought she’d love to sit in a nice restaurant and talk, but that thought fled as soon as it materialized. Not a good idea, partly because she was refusing to sell Jack the property, but mostly because he was a married man. She glanced at the simple gold band. That wasn’t cool. And she didn’t want to blurt out, “Wouldn’t your wife mind?”

  Instead, she settled for, “You must have places to be, people to see, judges to talk to.”

  He grinned at her, letting the Jeep idle. “No, I don’t. I was ready to leave for the day when you showed up.”