Home on the Ranch 47 - Tina Radcliffe

by The Rancher's Reunion LIS

  “Annie did that. She has Rose’s green thumb.”

  Margaret bristled. “Ah, yes, Annie.”

  The silence stretched until Will couldn’t take any more.

  “Let me wash my hands and get us some ice water.” He stood without waiting for an answer.

  Thankfully, Rose was already gone to an outing with Ellen and their bridge group. She’d almost stayed behind, until Annie had convinced her Ryan had everything under control with the horses and she should go as planned.

  He heard the shower upstairs, indicating Annie wasn’t within earshot. Sudsing his hands and rinsing, Will sluiced water over his face and neck, drying off with a wad of paper towels. He downed a quick cup of black coffee before preparing two glasses of ice water and heading outside.

  “Thank you,” Margaret murmured at his offered glass.

  She reached down and opened the leather briefcase at her feet. “I have those advertising contracts for you to sign. I need them as soon as possible so we can get the print ads going and the radio spots.”

  “Okay.” Will said the words slowly. He’d already told Ed that he’d stop by the KidCare offices Tuesday to sign them.

  “I’m also working on a guest appearance for you on one of the Christian talk radio shows.”

  Will winced. He’d have to speak to Ed about that particular idea. He’d agreed to be less resistant to Margaret’s ideas, but thought of a talk show was enough to make him queasy all over.

  Still standing, he wiped his right hand on the back of his Wranglers before taking the pen Margaret offered with the paperwork. That done, he handed everything back. “That all?”

  “Could you sit down, please?”

  “Sure,” he agreed as he fingered the condensation on his glass.

  “When will Annie be leaving?”

  “Never, I hope. This is Annie’s home.”

  “No.” She said the word carefully. “It is not. It’s your home. You’re very generous to keep Rose here, and to allow Annie to stay, but it is, after all, Sullivan Ranch.”

  Will cleared his throat. “What’s your point, Margaret?” he asked, irritation beginning to steal the upper hand.

  “That is my point, Will. Sullivan Ranch is no longer a mom-and-pop operation. You’ve moved past that.”

  “Okay. Great.”

  “What will happen when you get married?”

  “Pardon me, but is that any of your business?”

  “For the sake of this discussion, could you simply answer the question?”

  “I’m not getting married. Period.”

  “You say that with such finality, but things do change. No wife will be eager to share her home with two other women.”

  “That’s moot, since I told you I am not getting married.”

  Margaret stared at him, as though regrouping.

  He took a deep breath and tried to be gentle. “The fact is, Margaret, I don’t understand. What are we talking about here? Our business agreement doesn’t give you a free hand in my personal life.”

  Margaret stood and began to pace the porch. She stopped and frowned, her attention wholly on Will.

  Will met her gaze straight on.

  “Will, you agreed to work with me on the marketing plans for this joint venture. As Ed reminded you, that means expanding your networking.”

  “Okay.”

  “You bowed out of last night’s event.”

  He knew this was the real issue on Margaret’s mind. Knew it as surely as he knew every inch of Sullivan Ranch.

  Will sucked in his breath and prepared himself.

  “You weren’t listening. I said I had plans last night.”

  “Plans with Annie.”

  “You best cut to the chase, Margaret.”

  She turned and faced him. “Will, it’s been six weeks since Annie arrived, and this situation has gotten out of hand. Things have gone from a nagging suspicion to the obvious.”

  “Obvious what?” And if what she was talking about was so obvious, why didn’t he have a clue what she was getting at?

  Ignoring him, she continued her monologue, raising a hand to her cheek in a dramatic gesture. “I didn’t want to believe it, but one of my friends called me last night. She saw you in OK City with Annie. You were holding her hand.”

  This time it was Will who jumped to his feet. He shook his head, thinking he couldn’t have possibly heard her correctly. “You have friends monitoring me or something?”

  “There are serious repercussions if you don’t think this situation through. I am not claiming any impropriety on your part, Will. You are an honorable man. But if I have had these concerns then others will, too.”

  “Are you saying you think…” He narrowed his eyes and stared at Margaret as though he’d never seen her before. For a moment he wished he hadn’t.

  “We have to be held to a standard, or both KidCare and Sullivan Ranch may suffer.”

  His stomach turned, and he couldn’t speak. For the first time in years anger had a hold of him, and the emotion was so powerful, he was unable to utter a word.

  Lord. Help me not to react.

  Forcing calmness, he reached for his glass and downed the water. With great care, he set the glass on the floor fearing he might break the vessel with his bare hands.

  Control. He must get himself under control—for Annie’s sake, for his sake and for the future of Sullivan Ranch.

  Clenching and unclenching his hands, he breathed slowly, eyes focused on the white clapboard of the porch shutters. He’d learned relaxed breathing years ago after researching Huntington’s.

  Emotional instability was not uncommon with progression of the disease. So he’d trained himself to stay in control. The lessons would serve him now.

  Turning, he faced Margaret. He heard his voice, sounding as cold as the ice that had chinked in his water glass a moment before. “I think you’d better leave now. I have chores to finish before tonight’s youth program.”

  Annie staggered back from the door. Legs weak, she leaned against the wall, her heart performing wild palpitations.

  What had she just heard? Margaret’s accusations left her emotions tearing back and forth between shock and grief. Dumbfounded by the woman’s words, Annie remained frozen in the hallway.

  The ranch meant everything to Will. The possibility that she herself could hurt the reputation of Sullivan Ranch and cause Will to lose his dreams nauseated her.

  She closed her eyes for a moment as Will’s follow-up words rang in her head. He would never marry. The pain inflicted by his words was no less stunning now than the first time she’d heard the same words years ago, only affirming how foolish she was.

  There was no way she could face Will without him guessing that she had overheard the entire conversation.

  It had been innocent enough. She’d come downstairs after her shower and heard Margaret’s voice as she walked past the open door. She’d moved forward to close the oak door and keep the cool air-conditioning from escaping through the screen. But, it was the sound of her own name being bandied about in angry tones that had frozen Annie to the spot.

  She almost wished she’d taken longer upstairs.

  Almost.

  Gathering every bit of reserve strength and bitter resolve, she lifted first one leg and then the other, and walked the long path, down the hall to her room at the other end of the house. Closing the door, she turned the lock.

  The midmorning sun streamed in through the window as though nothing was amiss with the day. As though her entire world had not been turned upside down.

  Annie glanced around the comforting surroundings as if for the last time. She ran a loving hand over the quilt, then walked to the window and closed the blinds against the sunshine, cloaking the room in darkness.

  Margaret had one thing right. This wasn’t her home. She wasn’t a child anymore. It was more than time to stop pretending.

  Stripping off her clothes, she slipped on her pajamas. The sheets were cool and welcoming
as she slid beneath the quilt, plumping the pillow under her face. Hot tears slid silently from her eyes, to be caught by linens.

  She was lying to herself and she couldn’t do it any longer.

  Yes, she loved Will.

  She always had and always would.

  The truth was Will did not return her love. She touched her lips with her fingers. Could it be more plain and simple? She was good enough to kiss but not good enough to marry. No matter how many times she tried to see it from another angle, those were the facts.

  It was time to get on with her life. Find a life was more like it.

  Since she’d been back at the ranch many of the issues in her spirit had been settled. She wasn’t her mother. She’d proved that in Kenya. Proved that in the nursery on Sundays and proved it here on the ranch.

  No, she did not have a restless heart. And someday the Lord would provide her with a partner who was her own God’s best.

  For a moment her thoughts turned to Ryan Jones, and she understood the words he’d shared. “Keep walking,” he’d said. “One foot in front of the other. Keep focused on the last stop.”

  Until then, she needed to concentrate on the doors that had opened for her. She had choices. She wouldn’t run through them, as Will accused. No, she would pray and find God’s direction for her life.

  Yes, it seemed everything was falling into place. She could see clearly now. Wiping her eyes, she reached for a tissue from the bedside table.

  Inching over to the edge of the mattress, she stretched her hand past the eyelet skirt and under the bed, rummaging for the packet she’d stuffed beneath weeks ago.

  She pulled the envelope out and shoved it under her pillow. “Lord, direct me,” she prayed.

  The banging on her door had Annie out of the bed and sitting on the floor in a tangle of covers before she could figure out what had happened. Disoriented, she glanced around. The room was bathed in darkness.

  “Hey, Annie, I need your help. Got a sick kid outside,” Will yelled through the heavy oak door.

  “What time is it?” she called.

  “Eight-thirty.”

  “In the morning?”

  “No, at night. Could you hurry up?”

  “Okay, okay. Give me two minutes.”

  She threw on the clothes she’d tossed on the floor hours earlier and pulled her hair back into a haphazard ponytail.

  Jerking open the door, she faced Will, blinking at the bright light of the hallway. “What’s the emergency?” she growled, as she tucked her shirt into her jeans.

  “Morning, Annie Sunshine,” he said. Will leaned against the wall, a black Stetson on his head. He wore new jeans and a black polo shirt with the KidCare emblem on the pocket. “You look like you were run over by a tractor.”

  He might sound cheery, but his bloodshot eyes gave him away. It had been a rough twenty-four hours for both of them.

  “Thank you,” she said through gritted teeth. “Where’d you get the spiffy duds?”

  Will glanced down at himself and turned red. “Margaret’s idea. I look like a mail-order cowboy, don’t I?”

  “I’m sure it grows on you.”

  “Great.” He pushed the hat back an inch. “You were tired, huh?”

  “Exhausted. Now where’s your problem child?”

  “On the front porch. I was afraid to let him in the house, he’s already thrown up all over the campsite. This is actually a doubleheader.”

  “Can you bring me the first-aid kit?” Annie asked, as she moved past Will to the front hall and out the screen door.

  A thin boy of about twelve sat on the wicker settee, resting his head against the house. It was nearly dusk, and the porch light served to emphasize his pallor.

  Across from him on the porch steps sat a pudgy kid of about the same age, who scratched at his legs continually to the point of drawing blood.

  “Hi, I’m Annie. I’m a nurse.”

  The thin child nodded. The other grimaced and kept itching.

  Annie sat down on the settee. “You are…?”

  “Henry.”

  “Mind if I do a quick check and ask you a few questions?”

  He raised his head and nodded.

  “Henry, did you feel okay before you came to the retreat?”

  He nodded affirmative again.

  “Do you have any allergies?”

  “No.”

  The screen door opened and Will handed her the kit along with two pieces of paper. “Medical releases and information.”

  Glancing at the information on the paper, Annie removed the oral thermometer from its container, shook it down and sheathed it in a plastic cover.

  “Under your tongue. No talking until it beeps,” she instructed Henry as she perused his information sheet, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

  She donned a pair of latex gloves she sat down next to the other boy. “You are?”

  “Chad.”

  “Got into a little poison ivy, Chad?”

  “I guess.”

  “How did it happen?”

  Chad shrugged. “I was hiding in the bushes. Minding my own beeswax.”

  “I don’t think Chad is telling you the entire story,” Will interrupted. “The bushes he is talking about are on the other side of the orchard. Way out of bounds.”

  Chad studiously examined the soiled laces on his sneakers. “I was just minding my own beeswax, I tell you.”

  The thermometer beeped.

  “Would you get that, Will?”

  “Normal.”

  “Thanks. And could you grab a couple of old washcloths and put some warm water and soap on them? Chad here needs to wash that oil from the poison ivy off his legs.”

  “Is that gonna make the itch stop?” Chad asked.

  “Probably not. You’re not contagious, but you’re going to have a lousy week until the itching subsides. I think you’ll be more comfortable at home.” She glanced up at Will. “Did you call his parents?”

  “They’re on the way. They were relieved we have a nurse on duty.”

  She took the washcloths from Will and handed them to Chad. “Gently,” she said. “It won’t do any good to remove the skin.”

  Annie stood. “Let me wash my hands before I check out Henry.”

  Will followed her into the kitchen. “Thanks, Annie. I don’t know what I would have done without you here.”

  “Chad’s parents are right. You do need a full-time nurse out here,” she said, as she scrubbed her hands and arms.

  “I’ve got you.”

  She snorted and moved deftly past him, back outside. “You think you’ve got me,” she mumbled. “We’re going to have to negotiate my contract very soon.”

  Will groaned. “Why is it I don’t like the sound of that?”

  She moved past Will outside. “What did you eat tonight?” she addressed Henry.

  “Six hot dogs, four bags of chips and a bunch of marshmallows.”

  Annie looked him up and down wondering where he hid it all. “Anything else?”

  He shook his head.

  “You forgot to mention the earthworm,” Will added.

  “Earthworm?” Annie nearly gagged, as did Henry.

  “The men were trying to gross out the women. Looks like it might have backfired,” Will said.

  “Are you still nauseated?” Annie asked. “Because I know I am just thinking about it.”

  “Not much. Lots better since I threw up.”

  “Well, I think you’re going to live. The worm is probably a goner, though. We’ll need to call your parents and update them. Do you want to stay the rest of the night?”

  “I have to, or the guys will think I’m a…” His voice trailed off.

  “Sure, I know,” Annie said, commiserating. “No more food tonight. I’ll send you back with some ginger ale. You sip on that. Okay?”

  “Henry, come with me,” Will said, nodding toward the house. “We’ll call your folks, make sure they’re okay with you staying.”

&n
bsp; Annie followed them, pulling two cans of ginger ale out of the refrigerator and handing them to the boy. “Sip. Do not gulp. Got it?”

  Henry nodded.

  “And no more you-know-what,” she added.

  “Thanks, Annie,” Will said, handing Henry the phone after talking to his parents.

  “Earthworm?” she repeated with a shudder.

  “Yeah. New one on me, too.”

  Will paced back and forth as a strained silence developed in the kitchen while they waited for Henry to finish his call. Annie bit her lip, irritation consuming her. They’d never had this sort of tension between them before, and she absolutely hated it.

  “Um, Rose got back okay?” she asked, hoping to bring things back to a normal balance.

  “Yeah,” he answered, still not giving her eye contact. “We figured you were sleeping. She did her therapy and went to bed about a half hour ago.”

  “You get any sleep?” Annie couldn’t help but ask.

  “Took a nap. I’m okay.”

  “How’s Okie and the foal?”

  “Doing fine. The vet can’t be here until the morning, so Ryan came back and did a check on them. He asked about you.”

  “Ryan?”

  “Yeah. Told him you were sleeping.”

  Annie nodded, looking everywhere except at Will’s eyes. He took off his cap, slapped it back on and glanced over at Henry. She watched Will watch Henry.

  The moment Henry hung up the phone, Will and the boys climbed into the Jeep. “Going to take Henry back to camp and get Chad’s sleeping bag and stuff. I’ll be right back,” he said.

  Annie said nothing. She fully intended to grab something to eat and hide in her room.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Now would be the obvious time to tell them. Annie passed the tossed salad to Rose and the rolls to Will.

  “Rose, this meal is delicious. You outdid yourself,” Annie said. It never hurt to grease the pan before you got started. Rose herself taught her that. “Were the greens from your garden?”

  “They were. Tomatoes and onions, too. I wouldn’t have had a garden at all this year if you hadn’t stepped in and taken care of things, Annie. Don’t think I don’t appreciate your help.”

  She smiled back, still waiting for the right opening.