Ford: 7 Brides for 7 Soldiers

by Samantha Chase

  “Oh no,” she said sadly, interrupting him.

  “What?”

  “You’re talking about the home’s value, so that must mean…”

  He nodded. They hadn’t talked about his conversation with his parents but…he supposed they were now. “My folks believe that the house is too much for Grams and that she shouldn’t be living alone. So once she’s done with rehab, they’re going to move her into either a nursing home or an assisted-living facility.”

  “Oh, Ford! That will kill her!”

  And all he could do was nod again. “I know.”

  Callie was quiet for a moment. “There isn’t either of those facilities here in Eagle’s Ridge. Margaret’s going to hate being far away from everyone and everything.” She paused. “And your parents don’t want to keep the house? Maybe they could move into it?”

  Ford burst out laughing, and then instantly sobered. “That is never going to happen. Trust me. My parents enjoy living in the heart of town, and all of the conveniences that go along with it. To be honest, I can’t believe that they haven’t moved away to a bigger city. There’s no way they’d ever move out here to the ranch. My whole life, all I’ve heard them say is how isolated it is. My dad hated it when he was growing up.”

  “Well that’s just sad. This place is just…it’s magnificent! When I used to come here with my mom and help her clean, I used to imagine what it would be like to have a house just like it someday.”

  “Really? You liked the ranch?”

  She nodded. “I loved it!” Taking a few steps away from him, Callie began to talk excitedly about all the things she loved about the house. “You have to understand, the house I grew up in? It was small. Not as small as the guest cottage, but small. When we used to come here and I’d see how big the kitchen was and how there was more than one bathroom?” She sighed dreamily. “It was practically a mansion to me.”

  He chuckled softly. “It’s hardly that.”

  “I realize that now, but back then, that’s how it felt. And even now it’s still the house that I measure all other houses against.”

  “Seriously?”

  He knew exactly what she meant, because that’s how it always felt for him too. Weird that she’d have the same reaction to the place, but he wasn’t going to think about that right now.

  “Anyway, there were several places to rent in town but they were a little out of my budget, so when your grandmother offered me the cottage, I jumped at it. I felt like I was finally getting to live a little of my dream.” Then she gasped.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “If the house goes up for sale, then the cottage will too.”

  “That is how it usually works.”

  The look on her face was so sad—bordering on devastation—and Ford pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “It’s not going to happen for a while. I still have a couple of weeks’ worth of work and then it’s the holidays so…I’m sure there’ll be time to work things out.”

  That didn’t seem to make her feel any better.

  “I should probably start looking for places now,” she said sadly.

  “You could buy the ranch?” he suggested—and was taken aback when she started to laugh. Hard. “What’s so funny about that?”

  “Ford, I’m a single elementary school teacher who’s renting a tiny house to save money. How on earth would I afford the ranch and the massive piece of property it’s sitting on?”

  He hadn’t thought of that. If it were up to him, he’d simply work up an affordable price for her and sell it to her, but there was no way his real estate shark parents would go for something like that.

  Her expression was sad again, and he knew he had to distract her a bit.

  “Listen, the guys are finishing up inside—at least I hope they are. How about we have dinner later?”

  The smile she gave him was weak and not nearly as bright as the ones he always looked forward to, but at least it was a smile. “That would be nice,” she said. “But I do have some errands to run so would it be all right if it was a bit later—like sometime after seven?”

  “That sounds perfect. I have some things to take care of too.” And when he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her, he made sure he poured everything he had into it. When they broke apart, he smiled sexily at her. “Or we can just skip dinner and go right to dessert.”

  Callie laughed softly and stepped out of his arms. “Not a chance. I have some beef stew simmering in the Crock-Pot that I’ve been looking forward to all day.”

  Damn. That did sound good.

  “How about this,” she said as she sidled up to him again. “I’ll take care of dinner and then…you can have whatever you want for dessert. How does that sound?”

  It sounded like he was an incredibly lucky man.

  “Sweetheart, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

  * * *

  “Are you ready for the Christmas pageant?”

  Callie smiled at Margaret. After her conversation with Ford, she’d felt an overwhelming need to go and see her friend. Although she had no intention of bringing up the subject of the ranch going up for sale herself, she hoped if Margaret wanted to talk about it that she could be of some comfort to her.

  “That was one of the first things I implemented when I started the school so many years ago—a Christmas pageant,” Margaret explained. “It was a wonderful way to get everyone involved and have them work together while celebrating the holidays.” She sighed wistfully. “I used to love watching all of the students up on stage together. Back then it was only a handful of them but they were of every age and grade. To think about how much the town has grown since then and how different those pageants are now…”

  “It was always one of my favorite things to participate in,” Callie said, hoping to lighten the mood. “I was sad when I moved up to the middle school and they didn’t do it. So I’m having fun with it this year.”

  “And do you have everything you need? The music? The stage decorations?”

  “I think so,” she replied. “Although getting my little group of five-year-olds to follow instructions is a little like herding cats.”

  Margaret laughed. “Oh, I remember those days. Back when I first started teaching, I taught the little ones. Then I realized that I liked watching them grow so much that I moved up with them,” she explained. “So over the course of the first ten years or so of my teaching career, I taught almost every grade.” She paused. “There is nothing as rewarding as helping a child learn, and for them to love it.”

  Callie nodded. “I love the wonder on their little faces when they master something. And the smiles and the hugs…it’s better than I ever thought it would be.”

  “It’s a hard job,” Margaret commented. “I don’t think people appreciate just how hard a teacher works. Especially with the younger grades. Everyone thinks it’s playtime and snack time.”

  “I hear that a lot and it frustrates me to no end!”

  “Promise me you’ll take lots of pictures at the pageant and show them to me. I always loved those little productions.”

  “I promise,” Callie said, taking one of Margaret’s hands in hers.

  “So tell me about the house. Are you enjoying it? Is it warm enough for you?”

  There was no point in sharing with her the work Ford had done and add to her worries, so she said, “It’s perfect. Oh, I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love that little place!”

  “It always reminded me of a dollhouse,” Margaret said wistfully. “I think I always envisioned us having granddaughters, and having them go out there to play and decorate it and maybe even have tea parties in it. But that just wasn’t meant to be.”

  Callie gently squeezed her hand. “Well, you and I will have to have a tea party out there when you’re better. How does that sound?”

  Rather than answer her question, Margaret asked one of her own. “Have you been able to see any of the work Ford is doing on the ranch? He’s been taking pictur
es and showing them to me when he comes to visit, but that’s mostly been of the exterior. I’m curious about what he’s doing on the inside.”

  “Well…”

  “It’s okay, Callie. I know you’re busy and it’s probably a mess over there. I just hate not being able to oversee the work. Every room in that house I designed myself, and my wonderful Ben built it for me to my exact specifications. There isn’t one thing in my home that Ben and I didn’t choose together.” She let out a weary sigh. “I know it needed the work, and I’m glad Ford’s the one doing it. Ben would be so proud.”

  Callie’s heart broke a little for her. “Let me ask you this—if you were home now, what would you like to see done to the house?”

  And right before her eyes, Margaret’s face transformed to one of pure joy at the thought. “Oh, I would make it feel bright again. I always loved how much natural light came through the windows, and I would take down all of the heavy window treatments and leave them bare. I’d paint all of the walls in a soft color palette—Ben had a thing for different shades of brown, and I always agreed to it because he let me pick out everything else, but I would love to see a soft gray on the walls or pale blues.”

  “That sounds lovely.”

  “And crisp white trim,” Margaret added, as she sat up a little straighter in the hospital bed. “And the kitchen…oh, the kitchen. I always loved hosting the holidays there and having room to cook and bake for everyone. But I see a lot of home improvement shows on TV, and I think I would love one of those big islands in the middle of the kitchen with those fancy granite countertops.” Her smile grew. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

  Swallowing hard, she nodded. How could she be getting this emotional over a house?

  “What about you, Callie? What do you think would look good in the house? Am I missing anything?”

  Laughing softly, Callie sat back in her chair and thought about it. Or at least pretended to, because she’d imagined living in that house for most of her life.

  “Well, I love the idea about the island in the kitchen, but then I’d add one of those big six-burner stoves. You know the ones that look like they belong in a restaurant?”

  Margaret nodded.

  “It would need to be stainless steel, and then I’d need a big refrigerator and maybe even a second oven built into the wall, along with a microwave. I’ve seen those combos and always wanted them.”

  “You’d be able to put out a big family meal with all those cooking options.”

  She nodded. “That I would!”

  “What else? What would you do with the other rooms?”

  Callie started to speak and then stopped herself. This was getting silly. It wasn’t her house and none of this was going to happen, so what was the point?

  “What do you think Ford is going to do with the other rooms?” she asked instead.

  “Why don’t we ask him?” Margaret said, and then motioned toward the door. Callie’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of him standing there. To his credit, he smiled at her like he would anyone, and then put all of his attention on his grandmother.

  “Hey, Grams,” he said as he walked in and placed a bouquet of flowers on the table next to the bed. “How are you feeling today?”

  “Well, I was feeling a little blue, but then Callie showed up and we’ve been talking about school and Christmas pageants, and then we were discussing all of the wonderful things we’d do with the ranch.”

  His dark eyes went a little wide when he looked at her. “Really? You were talking about the ranch?” And there was a hint of accusation in his tone. Callie was about to explain herself, but Margaret intervened.

  “Oh relax, Ford. I was sharing with Callie some of the things I always wanted to change. I loved your grandfather more than anything but we didn’t always agree on the decorating.”

  That seemed to mildly appease him.

  “Besides, I wanted the input of someone young,” Margaret said primly. “I enjoy knowing what the younger generation finds appealing in homes these days.” Then she looked at Callie. “I believe you were just going to tell me what you would do with the other rooms.”

  This time it was Callie’s eyes that went wide, and when she looked over at Ford, he was grinning.

  “Oh…um,” she cleared her throat, “I really don’t know.”

  “What would you do with the bedrooms?” Margaret asked. “I always wished we had something a little more feminine, but Ben wouldn’t hear of it.”

  Both Ford and Callie grinned at her comment.

  “I’m sure Gramps didn’t want to sleep in a florally room, Grams,” Ford reasoned. “You can’t fault him for that.”

  “I don’t think feminine necessarily means flowers,” Callie countered. “Personally, I think making the entire second floor the master suite would be fantastic. You already have two bedrooms, a bathroom and a bonus room up there, but with the walls reconfigured, it could be spectacular.”

  “That doesn’t make it feminine,” Ford said.

  She gave him a side glare before going on. “You make one of those smaller bedrooms the new master bathroom with all the bells and whistles—a massive shower, a big soaker tub, a dual vanity…that’s every woman’s dream.”

  “Oh, that does sound wonderful,” Margaret said.

  “Then you open up the space to make one large bedroom, big enough for a king-size bed and a sitting area and maybe even a fireplace…”

  “How romantic,” Margaret sighed.

  “And a big walk-in closet,” Callie added. “You use that color palette we talked about, Margaret, and a beautiful duvet cover and maybe even a skylight? Oh, it would be magnificent.”

  Margaret looked at Ford with excitement. “Oh, Ford! Can you do that? Can you make that happen?”

  “Um—”

  “Margaret,” Callie quickly interrupted, “that’s just me being silly. You don’t need something like that. I’m sure with a fresh coat of paint and maybe some new bedding, we can make your bedroom feel just as fabulous.”

  But Margaret waved her off. “Callie, we both know that all of the work on the ranch is going to benefit some other family. I hate it, and it breaks my heart, but…that’s the reality.”

  Ford gave Callie an annoyed look before focusing on his grandmother again. “Grams, you don’t know that.”

  She gave him a patient smile. “Ford, no one lives forever. And I always knew this day would come. Although, if I’m being honest, I imagined I’d be carried out feet-first rather than having to endure the pain of packing myself up and going to one of those nursing homes so far away from here.”

  “I’m sure they’re not bad,” Ford offered.

  “Nonsense. They are,” Margaret said with a bit of snap in her voice. “I wouldn’t mind so much if there was one here in Eagle’s Ridge, but…there’s not. For all of the building up this town has done, there’s still so many things that are needed here. My generation could use a little attention, you know.”

  “Grams—”

  But she waved him off too. “It is what it is, and I don’t have to like it,” she said defiantly. Then she looked at Callie, who was beating herself up for encouraging this conversation. As if reading her mind, she said, “I’m a big girl, and I’m entitled to know about the decisions being made about me—and I’m also entitled to share that I don’t like them.”

  “No one’s saying you can’t—” Ford began, but Margaret cut him off again.

  “For a few minutes, it was nice to pretend that I had a say in my home. In my life.” She paused, and her voice shook a little when she spoke up again. “Ford, you know how much I love the ranch. It’s been my home for sixty years. But I’m smart enough to know that I can’t live by my own.”

  “O-kay,” he replied slowly.

  “I guess I was in denial for too long, and now look where I am.”

  “Margaret, you’re lucky that tree didn’t do more damage or that it didn’t hurt you more than it did.”

  But she s
hook her head. “I don’t know what I was thinking, going out that front door like that.” She shrugged and gave both of them a sad smile. “Sometimes I forget my own limitations. At least, that’s what everyone keeps telling me.”

  Ford sat on the corner of the bed and took Margaret’s hands in his. “Tell me what to do, Grams. Tell me what it is that you want and I swear I’ll make it happen,” he said almost desperately. “You want to stay in the house? I’ll hire someone to live with you. You want me to gut the whole thing and modify it all so it’s easier for you to get around? I’ll do it! Just…I hate seeing you like this!”

  Callie felt tears burning her eyes, and had to fight the urge to sob at the scene unfolding in front of her.

  “You are one of the greatest joys of my life, Ford,” Margaret said softly, reaching up to cup her grandson’s cheek. “The fact that you’re here, and you’re the one working on the house means more to me then you’ll ever know.”

  He nodded. “But…?”

  Margaret shook her head. “I would never put any additional pressure on you. That’s not my place. I’ve never lied to you about what I wanted for you, but I respect your need to live your life on your own terms. This new phase of my life…well…that all goes with the territory. I’m not saying you’re responsible for what’s going on, but I want you to know that I understand and that I’m going to be okay.”

  Now she was confused. Callie already knew about Ford not wanting to live in Eagle’s Ridge, but what did that have to do with Margaret and her current situation?

  She was about to comment when an orderly came in with Margaret’s dinner, followed by Hildie Fontana and a couple of other older ladies that Callie recognized from around town.

  “Do you want us to stay?” Ford asked as he stood up to make room for her dinner tray.

  But Margaret smiled and turned her attention to greeting her friends. “I’m sure you have things to do, and I think I’m going to catch up with the girls for a little while.” She looked at Ford and Callie. “Thank you for coming to visit me and remember to bring pictures the next time!”