8
“Hey Roger. What brings you out this way?” I greet and shake hands with our family attorney as he gets out of his car in front of the 6AB.
“Hi Aiden, is your dad around? I need to meet with him and yourself if at all possible.”
“Sure, let’s go in the house. He’ll be in there somewhere.”
I lead him into my parents’ living room and holler for Dad to come join us. Once he does, we all sit down and Roger gets down to business. I can’t help but wonder what in the world he has to talk to us about.
“As you both know, I am the attorney for both the Blake and Doone families. Now that Gene has passed away, I’m trying to get all the ducks in a row for Ella Mae. As I am sure you are aware AJ, Gene had been investing in 6AB Breeds, your horse breeding program, and has a sizable portion of said company. He had asked that the ownership be passed onto Karlie and Jonathan once he was no longer able to be a part of it. Normally the wife receives the ownership, but this is something Gene specifically put in the will. After he had the first stroke, he made sure that all of his I’s were crossed and T’s were crossed.”
“Ok, wait. You are saying that Karlie is now part owner of 6AB Breeds? And Jonathan?”
Yes son, Gene wanted to be a part of the place he has worked for around forty years. He’s been a big part of the program from the beginning so I didn’t have a problem in it when he asked me about being an owner also. We talked before we started the whole program and he has been the one that has run most of it anyway.”
“Why didn’t I know this? We have been doing the breeding program for almost ten years and I had no idea he was anything more than the head foreman here on the 6AB.”
“Does it really matter Aiden? I didn’t think you would object with it being Gene and all.”
“No, of course not. I am just a little shocked. This is coming from left field.”
“Aiden, your Dad and Gene thought that until they knew it was going to work, they kept it out of the public records, but once it was a success it was the least of their worries to change.”
“That sounds reasonable. Do Ella Mae and Karlie know about this?”
Ella Mae does yes. Karlie, I am not sure about. I do know that Jonathan knows. Do you know AJ if Karlie knows about her new ownership?”
No, Gene didn’t want Karlie to know about it. He didn’t want her to feel obligated to come back to Colvin. She may think differently about it now. But I would be willing to buy out Gene’s portion, well Karlie and Jonathan’s portion, if that is what they decide to do. I know how much she doesn’t want to live here and with Jonathan being in the military it may be what they decide.”
“I would buy their portion in a heartbeat Dad. I guess one of us should go talk to her. Have you talked to her or Ella Mae about any of this yet?”
“No, I came to you first to see where your head was with all of this. I wanted to know if you were willing to buy them out if it came to that. I will give her that option. I am meeting them tomorrow and will get them up to speed. “
“Thanks for the heads up. Dad, do you want me to talk to Karlie or do you want to? She might receive it a little better from you than me.”
“Ya, I will go talk to her right now. Been meaning to check on them today anyway. Not sure how long Karlie is going to be in town now with Ella Mae being alone.”
“Don’t look at me, I don’t have a clue.”
“Well then, I will talk to you after I meet with the ladies tomorrow. Have a good day gentlemen.”
“You too. Thanks again for stopping by.”
Well that was very strange. I haven’t known this whole time that Gene was a business partner. I was the one who came up with the breeding program idea. Crazy. I still can’t believe he didn’t tell Karlie about it. I guess she wouldn’t want to be tied down to Colvin, so why would he? Wait, they started this a couple eyars before we graduated from high school. Gene knew back then that Karlie would leave and not come back. Wish she did. Wish I would have known.
***
Knock Knock
“AJ, what a nice surprise. Please come in. Mom is in the living room looking at old photo albums. She has been doing that a lot since the funeral. I hope she gets better soon; I will feel so guilty going back to LA if she doesn’t.”
“Can we sit in the kitchen then? I need to discuss something with you, it doesn’t concern her.”
“Um, sure. Would you like something to drink?”
“I’m good thanks.”
“What’s up? Everyone ok?”
“Everyone and everything is fine. Karlie, your Dad and I are partners in 6AB Breeds. Did you know that?”
“No, how long has he been?”
“Since the start. I take it you didn’t know anything?”
“No, but it sounds great though. So now Mom will get the ownership right? She will love having another excuse to visit the ranch and Amelia.”
“No, Roger Yasser came by the ranch to talk to me earlier today because of the ownership change. Your Dad named you and your brother as the ones to inherit not your Mom. He knew she had her bakery and wouldn’t want anything to do with the horses. Do you know if and when Jonathan will be home?”
“No, haven’t heard a word. Wow. I am a little shocked here. I had no idea this whole time Dad owned part of the program. You started it before I was out of high school. Does Aiden know? I’m surprised he didn’t tell me either.”
“No, he didn’t know until today either. We would like to offer you the option of buying your portion out if you don’t want to continue on with it yourself. It takes extensive amounts of time and your Dad always took care of it. I will hire someone obviously not, but if you and Jonathan want to take it over, that is perfectly fine too.”
“I don’t know anything about breeding horses and I haven’t a clue what Jonathan’s plans are. I have my studio in LA too. I’ll let you know as soon as I talk to him. I was afraid you were going to tell me something terrible.”
“Is Aiden’s being around going to have any influence on your decision?”
“No, why would it?”
“Your Dad and I always thought you two would get married and keep the 6AB and Blake name going. But, you left and we weren’t sure what happened between you two. Then when you didn’t come back all these years, we were afraid you being around each other would cause issues.”
“Nah, we’re adults. It’s okay. I’m sure he is over me leaving by now anyways. I haven’t seen him since the funeral and I doubt that I will again before I go back to LA.”
“Well, no hurry. Nothing is changing out there that needs your immediate answer. It will just be you that gets the checks now. I will make sure we get your address to the attorney and he can set it all up for you.”
“Thanks AJ. I will let you know as soon as I know something. Take care.”
“Bye sweetheart. Come by and visit anytime. Do tell us goodbye this time.” He winks and walks out the door which makes me smile. That is something that hasn’t been easy this past week.
“I’ll try. Give my best to the family. Bye.”
Holy cow. I am part owner of the breeding program at 6AB. Wow. How did I not know this all these years? Poor Dad, I bet he didn’t tell me because he thought I wouldn’t want to be here. I guess he was right; I left and didn’t come back until recently. What a terrible daughter I am. Wonder if Jonathan knows about this? What do I do about it now? I wish he would call me.
***
Dad has been gone now for six days and it just doesn’t seem real. My heart aches more than I ever thought possible after laying my father to rest in that lonely cemetery.
Today is the start of a new life without the most loving and wonderful man I have ever known. Such a void in my life now.
There is only one place that I know where I can still feel his presence. At the creek where we went fishing and took pictures. Mom has her neighbor Cecelia here helping her so I sneak off for some alone time.
I swing by the li
quor store first and get some champagne. A couple bottles should do. No glasses. This isn’t a special occasion. Maybe the champagne will numb the aching inside or at least I will pass out and get more sleep than I have in days.
At the 6AB Ranch I take the well-known road that winds to the creek. There is a new gate where there never has been before. That’s weird. I guess I’ll climb over the gate. Walking will be good. I should have worn different shoes and not this dress. I take off the shoes and throw them in my car and proceed to climb over as best I can in this tight dress. If I were in any other shape I would care how ridiculous I must look to someone passing by, but right now I don’t care at all. Not like anyone will see me clear out here.
After finally clearing that darn fence I start to see the road as I remember it. It winds around this way to the left and then oh wow it looks exactly the same as it did when I was young. I feel as though I could be watching a movie with all the memories that are shooting through my head. I haven’t even had any alcohol yet.
At the creek’s edge I sit where Dad and I always did on those hot summer days. The longer I stare at the water’s edge, the more my heart hurts and the harder it is to breathe. The more tears that fall I realize that I don’t know how to say goodbye. Goodbye to the greatest man I have ever known. Goodbye to the man who taught me to ride a bike, ride a horse, and most importantly to use a camera.
As I sit drinking my champagne I realize that I am on the second bottle and it makes me giggle. I have never drank this much, ever. But I have never been this upset or lost.
“Daddy, this was our special place and I will never forget it.” I say between hiccups. “You were the best man I have ever met and I will miss you dearly every single day of the rest of my life. Thank you for all you have done for me. I will see you again one day and I will be so happy when that day comes.”
“One of the best men you ever met.” I hear from the other side of the creek. That deep familiar voice should startle me but it doesn’t. It actually comforts me a little. It alleviates a bit of the ache inside as I hear it.
“Who says one of them? Who could be the other?” I say with a smile knowing his meaning.
“Can I come across and join you?” Aiden asks.
“Of course. It is your family’s land. I’m the intruder.”
“Actually, this is a part of my ranch. I bought a portion of it seven years ago.” He says with a proud sound in his voice. “But you are always welcome here and never an intruder.”
“This place feels the same but will never be the same. I can’t believe he is gone.” I drop my head into my hands and finally let the emotion out not feeling ashamed at all.
“I’m so sorry Karlie. He was a great man. Jonathan didn’t make it back from Iraq I see. That’s a shame.” He says and sits down next to me on the creek bank while putting his arm around my shoulders. His touch makes me relax a little.
“They were to get a message to him but as far as we know he hasn’t gotten it yet.”
“He’ll come back and it will get easier for you.” He says softly as I lean into his side letting memories from our childhood overwhelm my senses. Sitting here exactly like this and talking about the future but at the same time I didn’t know it was a future without
Aiden takes the bottle from my hand and inspects its label. He takes a big swig and dramatically spits it back out before saying, “Yuck, why are you drinking champagne?”
“Best I could find at the Triple E Liquor in town.”
“Your tastes sure have changed. But all of you has changed.” He says looking at me in the moonlight with eyes shining like the stars above.
“Been awhile Aiden. You, yourself, have changed. Look at you. All grown up and a ranch owner.” I say trying not to look at his strong arms or chest. How can being this close to him affect me so strongly after all these years?
“Yep. Been over eight years. Eight long years.”
“And now you’re getting engaged. Congratulations.” I choke out turning my head to hide the emotion written on my face.
“That’s not set in stone. Not sure if I want that.” He says unsure of the whole situation.
“That’s not what Tracey thinks. You were just picking out rings with her not long ago Aiden.”
“She wanted to look, I was simply pacifying her to get her off my back about it. She wants it, but I’m not sure. What about you? Things used to seem so simple back when we were kids. We used to be such a good team. Before you left and never came back.”
“I couldn’t come back Aiden. Being around you was going to be too hard. I didn’t have a choice but to leave.”
“Karlie you left me, remember? You were ashamed of what we did. I thought it was the best night of my life and went to tell you just that the next morning but you left early for LA.” He declares turning me back to face him with a stern look on his face.
“I wasn’t ashamed Aiden; you were the one who regretted it. You looked so pained on the drive back to my house and I loved you so much. I left as soon as I could to save you the shame.”
“No Karlie, I was so in love with you it hurt. I knew you were leaving and I wasn’t sure if I would ever see you again.” He says reaching for my hand. ”Looks like we both thought wrong. Now eight years have gone by and a lot of wasted time.”
I hiccup and stand up to leave, but my legs are like noodles from all the alcohol I’ve drank. I fall but Aiden catches me just like he did that night we were out here and made love. This feeling of his arms wrapped around me is what I have been looking and waiting for. For eight years. I can’t have Dad’s arms around me anymore, but Aiden’s are the next best thing.
“You can’t drive Karlie; you can stay at my house. There is plenty of room.” He says before he can change his mind and stands us both up.
“You really loved me?” I ask between hiccups as I let him help me to the vehicle. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“Same reason you didn’t tell me. I was afraid you wouldn’t feel the same and our friendship would get all weird.” I hear him say before passing out.
***
Karlie is asleep by the time we make it the short distance to the house. I pull the pickup into the garage and walk around to her side to wake her up. She still can’t hold her alcohol. That makes me smile knowing she hasn’t changed too much from the Karlie Mae I knew growing up.
She loved me too. How could I not have known that? We could have been married this whole time and have a house full of kids. She looks so peaceful and so beautiful. As I lift her out of the pickup seat I fight my own guilt and emotions about our talk earlier. She thought I was ashamed. I thought she was ashamed. What a mess.
I walk to the guest room to put Karlie into the bed but I realize it isn’t made up. So, I take her to my bedroom. She can sleep in here and I will make up the guest room. I walk through the door of my bedroom and realize I have never had Karlie in my bedroom. Having Karlie in my bed was one of the biggest dreams I had growing up and now it’s happening. But I can’t touch her like that. I can’t love her like that. But I do love her.
As I lay her down she reaches for me and calls out my name in her sleep. I can’t help but let my heart do as she asks. I used to do exactly this when we were kids and she was upset about something. We both know she is beyond upset tonight and this is probably not a good idea. An idea I can’t put out of my mind.
So, I lay down with her vowing to stay only until she goes back to a deep sleep. But as I lay down beside Karlie I can’t help but feel at home and at peace.
She curls herself into me and I am struck with how real and good this feels. I, myself, have had a long day and can’t keep my eyes open. Before long we are both asleep. Together in each other’s arms.
***
“What is going on here?” I hear a woman scream from somewhere in the room.
As I come to, I realize that I am still lying in my bed but Karlie is in my arms and we are intertwined like a pretzel. My heart registers the fact tha
t we stayed close and comfortable all night like this. But then my head clears and reminds me that this wasn’t what was supposed to happen.
And now Tracey is standing at the end of the bed very upset. Oh boy. I scramble out of bed as quick as I can trying not to wake Karlie up. She needs her rest and will need the extra sleep when the hangover starts from all that nasty champagne she drank.
“Tracey, it’s not what it looks like. Karlie was upset and drinking so I brought her back here to sleep it off and I guess I fell asleep too.” I say as quickly as I can trying to usher her out of the room and away from Karlie. “We have never been anything more than good friends.” I know that was a lie, but what other choice did I have in this situation?
“I don’t know what else to say Aiden. I come back from being out of town to find my boyfriend in bed with another woman. I thought you loved me!” I put my arms around her and pull her body against mine. She doesn’t deserve this. It’s not her fault I am so darn confused.
“I’m so sorry Tracey; it will never happen again I promise we are just friends.” I say and kiss her reluctant lips. And just as I do that I hear footsteps in the kitchen.
***
Pulling myself out of bed, I realize that I am still at Aiden’s and need to get out of here. I only vaguely remember our conversation last night but it’s not something I want to delve into right now. My head is killing me. I make my way towards voices and can see it’s Aiden and Tracey having a bit of an argument as I enter the room.
Just a friend huh? Wow so that is how he feels about me. Yes, I should have known. He is going to marry her and have the life we were meant to have. Have the children we were supposed to have.
“Um, can I get a ride to my car? I left it by the gate on the creek road.” I ask quietly hoping not to start another fight and unable to look at Aiden knowing he would be able to read my face and know what I was thinking.
“I will take you. I have errands to run in town anyway. Bye Aiden. Talk to you later.” Tracey says as she plants a whopper of a kiss on his lips. All for my benefit I am sure. She can have him. She is what he wants anyways.
Down to the Creek- Book 1 of the Colvin Series Page 6