by S Doyle
Ugh. That word. The sun’ll come out…
“Ellie! There you are. Oh my god, I’m so sorry. What can Jake and I do? We have to do something!”
It was Janet. She was loud and she was making me stand up to hug her. Then she was bawling and I was patting her on the back to make her feel better. Totally intense Janet.
“I mean what’s going to happen to you?” she cried.
That was actually pretty funny, because she was loud enough that almost the whole house heard her. All these people who were all thinking the same thing but no one would actually say it. Hell, I was thinking it but wouldn’t even come close to letting myself say it out loud.
Not Janet. She just let it rip. The one-million-dollar question. What was going to happen to Orphan Ellie Mason?
“Janet, I didn’t know you were here,” Jake said, coming up behind her.
Seeing them next to each other, I kind of saw what he saw in her. Objectively, Jake was hot. Tall, built in the way a man gets from working a ranch. Short dark brown hair, hazel eyes. Square jaw. It wasn’t something I thought about much because he was… well, Jake. However, there was no getting around the fact he was pretty much the biggest catch in Riverbend.
He and Janet made sense. She was pretty with long blond hair, a nice round body without being chunky. Sweet and nice. I shouldn’t have been so hard on her. Only now she was sobbing hard and it was not a good look for her. I could actually see little bubbles of snot in her nose.
She turned to him and hugged him. He patted her on the back too, and I think I saw her rub her nose on his dress shirt.
Gross.
“Why don’t you go help in the kitchen,” he told her when she came up for air.
“Okay. I can go help with dishes and stuff,” she said.
“That’s a good idea.”
And so totally sexist. His girlfriend was freaking out and his answer was to send her to the kitchen? Normally I would have taken the opportunity to point this out to him. I feel like as a new generation of women, it’s our duty to educate men every chance we get, but because I wanted her to go away I kept my mouth shut.
Sorry Gloria Steinem, I’ll get him next time.
She left and everyone got back to the business of eating beef stroganoff and three layer bean dip and not saying the thing they were all thinking.
WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME?
“I don’t want to wait,” I told Jake as soon as it was the two of us.
“What do you mean?”
“I want to talk to Howard. Tonight. I don’t want to wait.”
“Ellie…”
“No. I know you’re going to say I need more time. But the thing that’s going to happen me after all of this, time isn’t going to change that. I need to know now. The sooner I know my options, the better.”
I looked at him then. I needed him to see I was serious. As I said before, I’m a pretty nice person who gets along with everyone. Very easygoing about most things. Until I wanted something hard. When something really counted and I really wanted it, I got stubborn.
My dad had said this was a good thing. He’d said I had grit, and for a person to get what they wanted out of life they needed grit.
I’d told him he watched too many John Wayne movies.
All I knew was in that moment I wanted to know what was going to happen to me. Only Howard had those answers.
“I’ll go find him,” I told Jake. “But we should probably both talk to him together.”
Because it wasn’t just my life. It was Jake’s too.
Our life.
“He’s in the dining room with Mrs. Nash. I think we should wait until everyone leaves first, but I’ll ask him if he can stay after.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
Jake stared at me hard but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Maybe trying to see if I was strong enough to handle whatever Howard said. I had no clue. How do you know if you can handle anything until you have to… handle it?
It was three more agonizing hours of tears, whispers, sorrys and hugs. I was like a hugging machine. Which is weird for me, because outside of animals I’m not really a touchy feely kind of girl. I found this out when I was going steady with Mick last year, because he always wanted to hold hands.
He had this thing where he would show up at my class as the period let out and walk me to my next one, which was sweet but he had to hold my hand the whole time. This meant I had my backpack on my right shoulder and my books in my right arm so my left hand was free for holding. Mick was a right-hand hand holder. Anyway I always felt overloaded on my right side.
Mick and I didn’t last very long.
When the last guest left, it was me, Jake, and Howard. I called him Howard like I used to call Jake’s dad Ernie. Because they were part of the family. Like Ernie, Howard had grown up with my dad. They had been a posse for a long time. Howard had tried to save Ernie too, only he stopped trying long before my father gave up.
I don’t know if Jake resented him for that or not.
We made our way to my dad’s study. It was a typical man cave, with a lot of brown leather and a big old cherry wood desk. There was a bar in the corner and Howard helped himself.
“Make mine a double,” I said, and Howard turned to glare at me disapprovingly. “What? I’m kidding.”
I sat on the couch and Jake sat next to me. Not close, but close enough I knew he was ready to act in case of emergency. If he needed to hold me or catch me if I fainted.
Not that I had ever fainted in my life, but who knew what was coming next. I guess I felt slightly lightheaded.
Although thinking about it, that was actually kind of sexist of me. I mean, his whole life was possibly about to be upturned too. What if Jake fainted?
“I just want you to know, I’ll catch if you faint,” I told him.
“Ellie, this is serious,” he replied as if I had been making a joke.
Right. He was probably too heavy for me to catch.
“Okay,” Howard started. “Let’s cover the basics. Obviously the ranch and all its property goes to you, Ellie. The will is very straightforward. There is a provision to continue leasing the Talley property until such time that Jake can afford to buy it back. To that end, Sam bequeathed you twenty thousand dollars, Jake.”
Jake let out a whoosh of breath.
“Is that good?”
I mean, I knew what the ranch was worth generally. Which was weird. We weren’t rich people. We certainly didn’t live like it. However, the ranch itself if we were going to sell it would be listed for about two million dollars. That was the thing about ranches though. You only got that money if you sold it. No one I knew would ever choose to give up land for money.
Jake was nodding. “It’s a lot. Especially in cash. Your dad knows… knew… how much I had saved already. That plus the twenty thousand and I can put a down payment on my land.”
Then why did he sound so weird? Tight or angry. It was hard to tell. I only knew that the muscle in his cheek was twitching and his hands were locked together.
“Now we need to talk about what happens with you, Ellie,” Howard said.
Yep. The part about me. That’s what I wanted to hear. Not that I wasn’t happy for Jake. Being able to get his land back was huge. But you know…
WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME?
“There is your aunt in Florida…”
“Not going to happen,” I said quickly.
“Ellie,” Jake said softly, “let Howard finish.”
“Okay. He can finish but I’m not going to Florida.”
Howard sighed. “I don’t think it’s an option anyway. I’ve been working on this problem since your father passed. After your mother passed away he made Ernie your legal guardian, but he never updated the will after Ernie died. I blame myself for not pressing him to fix that... but that’s spilt milk. Anyway I managed to track your aunt down, but she’s currently in a rehab facility. She also has a criminal record for possession
of drugs.”
Right. Not going to the druggie. “That means I can stay here?”
Sure it might be scary and yes I would have to lock the doors. But as long as Jake stayed nearby in the bunk house then I would be fine.
Except Howard was shaking his head. “You can’t. You’re a minor and legally you have to have guardianship. In the absence of any family there is a foster family in Paradise…”
“Paradise!” Yep, still not letting Howard finish. “Foster family! No way. Paradise is like a three-hour drive. How would I get to school and back? And I would have to stay with some strange family? Definitely not happening.”
“I know this frightening for you, Ellie,” Howard said calmly.
“Why can’t Sheriff Barling… you know, forget about me? I mean, we’re talking about a year and a few months. What is the freaking big deal?”
“It’s the law. He can’t ignore it. Everyone in town knows your situation.”
“Then fine. I’ll stay with my friends. I’ll bounce around between them until they get sick of me.”
Again with the head shake. “That’s not sustainable. Not for over a year. Also those families would have to be cleared by the State Child Protective Agency as foster parents.”
“Couldn’t Jake do that?”
“Jake is not eligible. As a single man, he would not be qualified to be your guardian.”
This time Jake had his hand on my knee to steady me. Except I had already crossed my arms over my chest and shut up. I started running through the scenarios as fast as I could. I needed to run away. I needed to take all the cash we had in the bank and run away for a year and four months. Jake could run the ranch while I was gone and then once I was eighteen I could come back and take over.
“The foster family really is the best option, and as you said it’s only a year and a few months.”
I shook my head. Remember that stubborn part about me? When something counted. “I’m not going to Paradise.”
“Ellie…” Jake started.
“I’m not. I’ll leave Riverbend. Everyone can think what they want, but I’m not living with some strange family. I need to know how much cash my father has.”
“Ellie, you’re not running away.” See, that’s how close Jake and I were. He totally got where I was going with that. Except it wasn’t his call.
“Jake, no offense, but you have no say in this. You got your out. You’ve got your money, you can buy your land. You’re cool. But this is my life and I’m telling you I’m not going to live with some strange family.”
“There is another option…” Howard started, then stopped.
I wanted to hit Howard in that moment. All this time there was another option and he was only now getting to it? What kind of monster… and why was he looking at Jake like that?
“You’ve been researching this too, haven’t you?” Howard asked him.
Jake nodded. “As soon as you told me there was no legal guardian in the will.”
“Okay. Time out. Holy shit, what is happening right now?” I was screeching. I knew I was screeching and it did not sound good. But this was my fucking life!
Howard leaned forward in his chair. “There is a provision in the Montana State Constitution that says with parental approval a sixteen-year old-can apply for a marriage certificate.”
My first thought was eww. I don’t know why, but my mind immediately went to one of those religious communes where the creepy old guys have all these young child brides.
“Now, you obviously don’t have parental approval, but I think I can petition the judge to waive that in this case.”
“What? Wait. You’re going to marry me?”
Super gross. Howard was the same age as my father and plus there was his wife. Mirry would not be happy.
“No,” Jake said. “I would.”
Okay less gross, but still weird. “No way.”
“In name only,” Jake said. “Obviously. We get married. You get to stay here. When you turn eighteen we get divorced.”
“Let me get this straight,” I said, turning back to Howard. “The state won’t approve him as my guardian, but it’s okay if he’s my husband?”
“Legally, yes.”
“That’s jacked up.”
Howard huffed out a laugh. “I agree. But it is the law. What do you think, Jake?”
“I think there isn’t a thing in this world I wouldn’t do for Sam Mason and Ellie too for that matter.”
I leaned back against the couch. Only this time more in shock. “You would do that?”
“I would.”
“What about Janet?”
“I would explain the situation. We’re only talking a year and four months.”
Married. To Jake. Only not really married married. Basically it accomplished what I wanted. I got to stay in my house, stay in my school. There would be some legal document that said we were married, which would make it all okay. And he was right, it was just a year and four months. If he wanted to propose to Janet tomorrow, they would probably be engaged for at least a year anyway.
“What about your land though? You wouldn’t be able to work both this ranch and your own.”
“That can wait too. The leasing rights mean no one else can swoop in and buy it out from under me. Another year of saving at my current salary and I’ll have more to work with to get it going again. I’ve been patient this long. I can wait another year.”
“And four months.”
He smiled at me. “And four months.”
There was only one thing left to do.
“Jake Talley, will you marry me?”
Because it was the twenty-first century and a girl could ask the guy if she wanted to.
Three
Jake
This wasn’t going to be fun. I knew it going in, but as soon as I opened the door to the diner I felt dread settle in my stomach. Janet and I had lunch here every Sunday. It was our standing “date.”
Not that it was much of a date, but the diner was the only place in town to get food unless you counted the hot dogs at the gas station.
She never complained, though.
Sometimes I would think about taking Janet somewhere nice. A place with cloth napkins and candles, but between her schedule and mine there never seemed to be the time.
She hinted at getting away and taking a real vacation, but that would cut into my savings, and my savings was everything. Except when I said the word savings she would get this shy smile and I could guess what she was thinking. That part of what I was saving for was a ring.
I had thought about it. Taking a chunk of money and buying a nice diamond ring. But every time I did the math in my head, a ring cost me at least a year in getting my land back.
That was unacceptable.
My land was everything, and now because of Sam Mason I was closer than ever.
Which meant no matter how bad this was going to suck with Janet, I wasn’t not going to do it.
Janet was already in our booth. Third one on the right. She heard the bell ring overhead when I opened the door and lifted her head in anticipation. She smiled like she always did when she saw me.
She had a menu in front of her, but I never understood the point. It wasn’t as if we both didn’t know every item on the menu and everything Frank would make for us that wasn’t.
Still, every time she needed to see the menu, and she would change her mind at least three times before Kathy came over to take our order.
I took off my coat, hung it on the hook on the side of the booth, and sat down across from her.
“What?” she asked me straight out.
This was why I was not a very good poker player. I was going to start with some small talk and work my way up to the news, but she saw it on my face.
“We need to talk about something.”
“I can see that.”
“You know about Ellie’s situation…”
“How is she?”
She was strong. More settled now tha
t she knew her future. But it still hadn’t hit her. The reality of what had happened. That her dad was gone. Forever. She was still in that numb period where your brain understands what has happened but the rest of you still wasn’t buying.
I knew because it was how I felt when Ernie had died.
“She’s okay.”
“What’s going to happen to her? You told me her father hadn’t updated the guardianship from Ernie. That’s really irresponsible of him. Especially as a single parent.”
I didn’t have anything to say in Sam’s defense other than taking the time to update your will when you’re dealing with your friend’s death, helping his son, raising your daughter, and running a ranch… stuff like that falls through the cracks. Besides, no one thinks they are going to die.
“That’s what we need to talk about. In Montana a sixteen-year-old can actually apply for a marriage certificate. With parental approval, but Howard thinks he can get that waived.”
“A marriage certificate? What does that get her?”
I gave her a moment to figure it out. Easier than having to say I was going to marry Ellie Mason.
Her mouth opened as it dawned her. “You. You’re going to marry Ellie so she can stay on the ranch.”
“It’s either that or a foster family in Paradise.” Which in my mind had never been an option. I agreed with Ellie. She was my family. My only family now, and I wasn’t about to send her away. The fact that I had to make it legal through marriage was semantics. Still, it helped to point out how extreme the other option would have been for Ellie.
Janet sat back in the booth. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say.”
“There is nothing to say. Nothing is going to change between us. This is a legal situation to protect Ellie. Nothing more.”
“It’s marriage, Jake. Marriage. Which means if you’re married to her, you can’t be married to… anyone else.”