Love and Hope

by Kayla Perrin

  Of course she’d had a mad crush on him back in high school. But he couldn’t have known that. She’d been so careful not to let him see how she felt, since what guy would ever pick a nerdy girl like her over the glamorous Kelli-Jo?

  Louise seemed on edge, too, jumping up from her chair every minute or so to get something she’d forgotten.

  First, it was to buy coffees to-go from the Morning Mug.

  Then it was to get the camera she’d left charging in the backroom all night long.

  Finally, she settled in while Shelby sold stemmed carnations from two galvanized steel buckets. It was a lovely tradition in Sheep River for people to give out flowers to their favorite person, or animal, in the parade.

  Just before the official parade began, town council members, dressed as clowns, began walking the parade route, tossing handfuls of candies into the crowd. The treats were meant for the kids, but when a flurry of butterscotches came sailing toward Shelby, she called out her thanks, and managed to snag a few for her and Louise, before a couple of young boys swooped in for the rest.

  After the clowns came two bugle players, and then the guest of honor, none other than Blake Timber, riding a regal black gelding that Shelby figured must have come from Calhoun Ranch.

  A gleam flashed in Louise’s eyes. “My, he looks handsome, doesn’t he?”

  Any grandmother would be expected to say as much.

  But in Louise’s case, no maternal bias was required.

  Blake was magnificent, clad in form-fitting dark jeans and a white shirt with dark detailing that emphasized the muscles of his chest and arms.

  And the way he sat on that horse. For someone like Shelby who’d grown up around animals, it was wonderful to see when a rider and his horse were truly connected like Blake and this gelding.

  Blake was smiling and waving at the crowd. But as he drew closer, Shelby noticed lines of tension around his eyes, hinting at fatigue and worry. As soon as he spotted them, however, his smile broadened. He tipped his hat to his grandmother, and gave Shelby a wink.

  The smile that bloomed on the older woman’s face in response was lovelier than any flower.

  “Oh, I wish my Jennifer was here to see this.”

  Louise didn’t often mention her daughter, who’d been killed in a car crash along with her husband Timothy, when Blake was just eight years old.

  Shelby gave Louise a one-armed hug. “Jennifer would be grateful to you for doing so well by her son.”

  “He was a good kid. There were some tough times, though, especially in the beginning when we were both grieving.”

  “What about Jennifer’s father? Was he in the picture back then?” This was someone else Louise didn’t talk about often. Shelby didn’t even know if Louise was widowed, or divorced.

  “Jennifer’s father was never in the picture. Period.”

  “Oh.” Shelby didn’t know what to say. She’d had no idea Louise had been a single mother to Blake’s mom. Which meant she’d raised a daughter and a grandson both, entirely on her own. It couldn’t have been easy. Yet she’d never heard Louise complain about her lot. Not once.

  Louise touched Shelby’s arm, bringing her focus back to the parade, and the riders following behind Blake.

  “I didn’t know the event chair participated in the parade,” Louise said.

  “Normally they don’t.” Yet here was Kelli-Jo gliding by on a breathtaking white Arabian, outfitted with purple and gold-studded tack that matched Kelli-Jo’s belt, necklace and cowboy boots. Her reddish-blonde hair hung in waves on either side of her shoulders, and judging from her beaming smile she was having the time of her life.

  Riding beside Kelli-Jo was her six-year-old son, Sam. He was decked out like a genuine, miniature cowboy and looked tickled pink to be a part of the official proceedings.

  Shelby glanced at Louise to see if she gave little Sam an extra-long look. She didn’t seem to.

  Kelli-Jo’s wedding to Harvey Calhoun and her pregnancy had both happened within months of Blake leaving town. Shelby had done the math. She wondered if Louise had, too. Yet Louise didn’t seem to have considered the possibility Sam Calhoun could be Blake’s son.

  It certainly wasn’t a question Shelby would feel right asking.

  But she couldn’t stop wondering.

  “Kelli-Jo sure looks pleased with herself.” Louise’s mouth puckered as if she’d tasted something sour.

  “She always did love being the center of attention. I guess she doesn’t mind playing second fiddle to Blake today. I wonder what her husband thinks about all this.”

  “Harvey’s on a business trip,” Louise said. “At least, that’s what Blake told me this morning while we were having breakfast.”

  “Oh?”

  Louise nodded. “Kelli-Jo actually invited Blake to stay on the ranch with her. Can you believe it? Her poor husband. Not that he needs to worry about Blake. My grandson would never get involved with a married woman.”

  Shelby gave a vague murmur of ascent. Obviously, Louise either hadn’t heard, or didn’t believe, the rumors going around about Blake. That he was quite the ladies’ man. That he’d gotten into more than one bar fight with an angry boyfriend—and sometimes a husband—over just that fact.

  *

  When the opening ceremony for the rodeo was finally over, Blake breathed a sigh of relief. He figured he had an hour and a half before he’d need to prepare for his bronc riding event, and he wanted to spend that time visiting with his grandmother.

  He’d stayed up late last night searching online for information on ovarian cancer. He’d gone to reputable sites and what he’d learned had filled him with fear.

  The Ovarian Cancer Canada site described it as the deadliest of women’s cancer.

  Other sites referred to it as the silent killer, because it was often discovered too late to be curable.

  It drove him crazy that his grandmother hadn’t thought she should “bother” him with her news. Time was of the essence. You didn’t mess around with cancer.

  Earlier, he’d seen her take a seat in the bleachers with two of her friends from the Horticultural Society. But before he could seek her out, Kelli-Jo caught up to him.

  “There you are!” She put her hand on his arm, tightening her fingers just enough to make it awkward for him to move away.

  When she’d mentioned she’d be keeping him busy every minute of the weekend, he’d thought she was exaggerating. But apparently not.

  “I figured if we were done here, I’d spend some time with Grams—”

  “Eventually, sure. But the mutton-busting event is up next and Sam’s registered. Would you be a doll and help him in the chute?”

  That was usually a father’s job, but since Harvey was away, Blake felt he had to oblige. He followed Kelli-Jo to the chutes, where Sam was clutching the edges of his cowboy hat. A ranch hand was trying to convince him to exchange it for a helmet.

  Kelli-Jo’s son was the spitting image of her. Reddish hair, green eyes, fine-featured. Blake had met him earlier, when they’d been prepping for the parade. Sam was a good rider for one so young. And he had to have lots of grit to agree to participate in the mutton-busting event. Most kids lasted only a few seconds on the backs of the wooly creatures before tumbling to the cushy dirt and sawdust on the arena floor.

  “Hey there, Sam. Ready for your event?”

  “Yeah. But will you tell Mr. Hank I don’t need that helmet. Real cowboys don’t wear helmets, do they Blake?”

  “A lot of them do, Sam. And if I was smart, I would be one of them.”

  “You better put that helmet on,” Kelli-Jo insisted. “Or you’ll be sitting this one out. You know the rules.”

  Sam jabbed the toe of his boot into the ground, sending up a puff of dirt. But after this small show of temper, he reluctantly handed over his cowboy hat and accepted the helmet.

  “Now, have you thought about your strategy?” Blake asked him.

  “What’s that?”

  “In your
case it’s don’t fall off the sheep.” Blake winked. “Think you can handle that?”

  Sam jutted out his chin. “Yes, sir.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Blake tested the straps on the helmet, then nodded at Hank to bring out the sheep.

  Blake crouched to Sam’s eye-level. “You done this before?”

  Sam shook his head.

  “Okay. Two things. One is to hang tight onto the wool. It won’t hurt the sheep, I promise.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Course you can. Here’s the other thing. Try to get your boots up in the pocket. It’s sort of like a pouch where the sheep’s leg attaches to her body. You can stick your feet in it and that’ll help you keep your balance.”

  Sam nodded solemnly. “Feet in the pocket. Got it.”

  “Okay, cowboy, I think you’re set.” They waited for two kids to go first, and then it was Sam’s turn. Blake helped him settle on the sheep, while Hank did his best to hold the animal still.

  When both men let go, the sheep was off, dashing toward the other two ewes who, job finished, had gathered at the far end of the arena and were looking on with mild boredom.

  “Hang-on, Sam!” Kelli-Jo called out, along with the rest of the crowd.

  Sam did his mother proud, staying on the ewe even when his body began sliding off to one side. Only when the six-second timer sounded did he release his hold and plunge to the ground.

  Everyone cheered, and Sam sprang to his feet, beaming with pride.

  “Wish Dad could have seen me!”

  “Don’t worry,” Kelli-Jo held up her phone. “I got it all on video.”

  She handed him the phone so he could check it out, then moved closer to Blake, once more taking hold of his arm.

  “Thanks. You were great with Sam.”

  “It was my pleasure, K-J.” And it had been, her son was a plucky kid. “Now I really have to go talk to my Grams for a bit.”

  “But I was hoping you could meet Derek Burrows. His hardware store is one of our main sponsors.”

  “I will. Later.” Blake slipped free of her grasp, not giving her a chance to put up any more roadblocks. He bought a frosty lemonade from the concession stand, then went to find his grandma.

  She had a cowboy hat over her scarf today and was sitting with a couple of her friends, women he’d known since he was a kid.

  He’d been expecting—actually hoping—Shelby to be with her, too, but she wasn’t.

  He scanned the crowd and finally spotted her.

  Damn!

  She sure was something with her honey blonde hair and that fresh, natural smile of hers. For a moment it seemed she was looking his way, but he couldn’t tell for sure because she was wearing sunglasses. Then she tossed back her hair and laughed, and he realized she was chatting with the cowboy seated next to her.

  He squinted, trying to identify the guy.

  “Blake! We’re over here!” his grandmother called, waving her arm.

  Tamping down his annoyance, Blake returned the wave and resumed walking. But he couldn’t forget what he’d seen. Last night, Shelby had claimed she didn’t have a boyfriend. So who was that dude glued to her side?

  “Hey there Alice. Brenda.” He smiled at Grams’ friends, asking about their husbands, children and grandchildren. Just as the calf roping was about to begin, he settled on the bench seat his grandmother had saved for him and handed her the lemonade.

  She gave him a quick hug. “You looked great in the parade.”

  He shrugged. “I couldn’t care less about that …” He turned to her, and despite her twinkling smile he could see the fatigue etched on her face. “Grams, I know you have confidence in your Calgary doctors, but we need to get a second opinion. I contacted the Mayo Clinic yesterday. We can get in two weeks from now.”

  Her smile slipped away. “I appreciate the thought. But it isn’t necessary.” She sipped the lemonade. “Oh, this is really good,” she said, clearly trying to change the subject. “Weren’t the kids cute in the mutton-busting event? I remember when you were that age. You were so determined to last out the six seconds.”

  “If you’re worried about the money for the Mayo Clinic, don’t. I can afford it.”

  “It isn’t the money. Though I’d hate to waste it. Truly, I’m already getting the best care possible.”

  He’d expected her to be stubborn, but so was he, and he wasn’t backing down on this. It was too important. “I did some reading last night. This is a pretty serious form of cancer.”

  “I am aware of that. But—”

  “Please, Grams. If you won’t do it for yourself do it for me.” He really thought she would cave when he added the bit about doing it for him. But she surprised him.

  “I told you I’m fine, and I am. I don’t have the energy to travel to another country and go through all that testing again with a bunch of strange doctors. I like the oncologist I have here. I trust her.”

  “I’m sure she’s a terrific doctor. But why not be safe and get a second opinion?”

  Grams shook her head. “I refuse to discuss this any further.”

  “Just—”

  She didn’t let him get another word out this time. “I love you, Blake. But if you don’t let me enjoy this rodeo in peace, I’m going to have to ask you to sit somewhere else.”

  Chapter 4

  Reluctantly, Blake dropped the subject and tried to focus on enjoying the rodeo with his grandmother. But he couldn’t.

  Why was she being so pig-headed? She said it wasn’t about the money, but it probably was. How could he convince her she was worth every penny it would cost?

  Maybe he should just go ahead and book the appointment and the travel arrangements anyway. Surely she wouldn’t say no if he actually had it all set up.

  Once the novice bareback event was announced, he excused himself. “My event is coming up. It was nice to see you again Alice and Brenda. Grams, we’ll catch up later at the dance?”

  “I’ll be heading home after your event, Blake. What with the parade and the rodeo, it’s been a long day.”

  He felt guilty for not realizing she needed to rest. “Maybe you should go home now if you’re feeling tired.”

  “And miss my grandson’s event?” She waved a hand dismissively. “That’s not going to happen.”

  He grinned. “I’ll try to give you a good show, Grams.”

  But he didn’t.

  It happened sometimes that a cowboy drew a bucking bronc that was a bit of a dud. Since marks were earned fifty percent on a cowboy’s ride, and fifty percent on the challenge given to him by the horse, a cowboy didn’t have much chance of a decent score if the horse didn’t perform.

  Blake didn’t even have that excuse.

  His mount, a lively chestnut mare named Whip-It-Up, did her bit.

  He just didn’t do his.

  His focus was off. His thoughts kept circling from his grandmother’s health, to that cowboy who’d been chatting up Shelby.

  The horn sounded too fast—caught him off guard.

  While he’d managed to hang on for the requisite eight seconds, he didn’t get his spurs up enough, and his form was off, too.

  He was lucky to earn the seventy-two percent the judges gave him. From the polite smattering of applause, the crowd thought he was lucky, too. Kelli-Jo frowned at him from the sidelines.

  She sure wasn’t getting her money’s worth from him today.

  And at that moment he didn’t care. Some things were more important than the rodeo. Until today he’d never thought he would feel this way. But he did.

  As he exited the ring, K-J’s voice rang out over the crowd. “Blake!” He didn’t stop to answer. All he wanted was to slip out to his truck, so he could grab a shower and have a few moments to himself before the dance.

  But then he noticed Shelby walking a bit ahead of him, a key fob dangling from one finger. Her lean, lanky frame looked sexy in a pair of snug, faded jeans. A cream-colored lacy top only enhanced her sweet appeal
.

  “Coming to the dance, tonight?” he asked.

  She paused, glancing over her shoulder. “Of course. Twigs & Sprigs is supplying the flowers.”

  He caught up to her, his eyes taking in the glossy shine of her lips, and a delicate, silver chain at her neck with a lucky horse-shoe. Low key and lovely. She’d been that way in high school too, steering clear of the trend to overdo make-up, piercings, and wild hair colors like lots of the other girls.

  “I’m sure Kelli-Jo has my dance card filled with various sponsors and town officials. But if your boyfriend can spare you, will you save me a two-step?”

  “What boyfriend?”

  “That cowboy cozied up next to you in the stands.”

  She laughed. “You mean Cody? I never caught his last name. I just met him today. Did you notice Kayla sitting on my other side? That’s who I was sitting with.”

  He hadn’t noticed Kayla. But he recognized the name. “The flute player from high school?”

  “None other. She teaches music at the high school now.” Shelby hesitated, then added, “You seemed distracted during your ride today.”

  “My head wasn’t in it. I’m pretty upset with Grams. I’d like her to get a second opinion at one of the top hospitals in the States, but she refuses to go.”

  Shelby stopped by the white Ford pick-up he’d seen parked at her place yesterday. She looked at him and sighed.

  “What’s the sigh for? Why is it so crazy that I want my grandmother to get a second opinion?”

  “You aren’t crazy to want that. But it’s her health. Her decision.”

  “It’s not like I can’t afford it. That’s the thing.”

  “No, Blake. That’s not the thing. Look, I have to go feed my critters before the dance. I’ll see you later.” She climbed into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and then rolled down the window.

  “By the way, you were good with Sam today. It was nice of you to help him.”

  Then she drove off and he just stood there, watching. She’d only travelled a few hundred yards when she had to pause and wait for one of the wild big-horn sheep for which the town had been named, to cross the road.