“He’s managed to help me keep that promise and I am so very grateful. I am also incredibly hurt and angry with my father. Don’t know when or if I’ll get over that.”
“You know Carter, most people don’t know what they want when they’re young, and even if they do, the pressure to change, to fit in, is so subtle and comes from all directions that most of us don’t follow our dreams. I knew a kid once that loved rocks, collected them like crazy, and talked about them all the time. It was annoying and of course us kids thought he was nuts, and gave him a hard time about it, too. But not his parents. They held up his collection with pride, showed it off, listened to him as he went on and on about the rocks. Now he works in geology, started his own firm, is doing well for himself, and he’s happy—and still in love with rocks.”
“Bet he was white. They seem free to follow their hearts, however off-beat.”
“Nope. He was from Mexico. There are more of us out there than you think.”
“His parents must have been from a future generation sent back to raise him.”
“I know, right?” he said, laughing. “What about Courtney? Do you trust her?” he asked, changing the subject.
“I’m going to call my attorney, get in touch with the firm that worked with my great-grandfather, the one that holds the oil and gas proceeds in trust. I don’t know. This is all so new. I could use the help with the place, getting it back in order. It would be easier to have a partner. What do you think?”
“Whatever you do, don’t rush into anything. Take it slow. I think talking to the attorney is a good idea. I’d ask why they never contacted you regarding the sale. When are you going to meet with your family?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Two weeks. That’s Courtney’s suggestion. My father asked her to put together a plan to review in the next two weeks. God, it’s another confrontation and I hate confrontation,” she said.
“Don’t think about it. You have lots to do before then,” he said.
“You’re a nice guy, you know that?” she said, rolling over to her side. “I feel like I have a friend, a true one. Thanks,” she said. It was true, she valued his opinion and talking to him was so easy.
“You do, and you’re welcome.”
“How is the wife search going? Am I in the way? Will I be in the way?” she asked.
“Nope. You’re fine. I haven’t had that much time to look anyway. Taking a break from searching, actually.”
“Good, ‘cause I want to do this some more with you,” she said, leaning in to kiss him.
“Do what?”
“This,” she said, smiling as she kissed her way down past his waist. She heard him catch his breath before he moaned her name.
She looked up and caught his eye. She smiled. “Want me to stop?” she asked, smiling her wicked smile.
“Hell no,” he said, and caught his breath again as Carter went back to work. He couldn’t, didn’t think for a while, but just held on to her head, and moaned and groaned out his pleasure. Much later, she scooted out of bed and stood up.
“Gotta get up. Lots to do today,” she said, lifting her hands above her head. “For the first time in a very long time, I’m both excited and hopeful,” she said, smiling down at him. And it was true. She walked away, wiggled her butt, laughing at him over her shoulder as she made way inside his bathroom. He heard the shower start up.
He’d watched her from bed, smiled at her playfulness, and at the way she’d made him feel. He’d had a blast last night, dancing with her, all fun and ease. They came back here, and he’d made love to her like a man lost in the desert, one who’d been without water and she his first drink.
She wasn’t going to leave, and that was a relief. He felt a loosening in his chest. Who was this woman that managed to obliterate his list, made it seem silly, like something that only a fool would come up with? She in her way, had made him rethink everything, and she wasn’t leaving. What did that mean for him?
And was that race thing an issue? He didn’t think so. Maybe it was just her family’s desire, but he needed to be sure, before he… before he what? Before he asked her to marry him. Again.
He was turning into his father and how sad was that? Rafael thought he’d never fall, was finally at a place he never dreamed he would be—wanting to marry a woman simply because he loved her. His dad loved his mom beyond reason and until now, he hadn’t wanted to be that man—the one who’d put his needs at the tail end of all things. His parents’ relationship, the source of all his conflict regarding love inspired marriages.
When you fall… it seemed like you lost a part of yourself. Could he stand himself if he turned into his dad, his male pride gone, never to return?
#
Nineteen
Monday
“Hey,” Carter said into the phone the following day. It was her uncle/dad. She didn’t know how to refer to him anymore, so she’d settled on uncle/dad.
“I wanted to make sure that Courtney had arrived, that you two were getting along all right. I told her I thought that you and she could take a few weeks to develop a plan, a time line of how long it would take to have the place ready to sell.”
Courtney wouldn’t be back at the ranch until the end of the week, but she wasn’t going to share that fact with her dad.
“Yes, she told me, and that works. We’ll have something together for you by then.”
“That’s sound great, Carter. I am so proud of you for taking this sale and making it work. You don’t know how much I appreciate it. I’m sure your sisters appreciate it, too. You’ll be able to put Bentley behind you, and move your life in the direction you want.”
“Have you always been in charge of the finances for the family?” She asked evenly, or as even as she could knowing all that she knew now.
“That’s a strange question. Of course I have. I was the only one left living to do so.”
“So you are familiar with the will and all things having to do with the ranch?”
“Where are you going with this, Carter? Of course. I was the executor of the estate,” he said.
“I see. Okay then. When Courtney and I come up to visit, we would actually like to meet with the entire family. How about we drive up on a Sunday for dinner, say, in two weeks, and we can show everyone the business plan then.”
“That’s not necessary. I can come out there,” he said.
“It will be easier this way,” she said.
“If you’re sure then,” he said.
“Let us know which house for dinner and we’ll be there,” she said, hanging up.
#
Saturday
It was Saturday and they were meeting today to discuss where to start. Carter spent the prior week meeting with attorneys. She’d met with the firm that represented her family, and one she’d selected for herself. Both confirmed her half-sister’s bombshell. They’d even known about her birth, and gave her a letter from her great-grandfather, explaining it all. She cried while reading it, because he added his wish for her to follow in his footsteps.
The family’s attorney had been surprised that she hadn’t known, and wanted to speak to her dad, but she asked him not to; not until she had an opportunity to consider her options further. She was not going to sell the property and made that clear.
She and Courtney had communicated by telephone since their initial meeting, each agreeing to think over what they would do if the ranch was theirs alone; to spend some time dreaming. They were meeting today to compare dreams and maybe between the two of them, a plan and a future could be carved out for the ranch.
Carter sat on the back porch early in the morning. She’d watched Rafael –the egg and poultry delivery man—leave in his truck. He’d recently purchased some kind of refrigerated truck. She shook her head and chuckled at that.
She moved her legs from the railing and stood up, watching her new half-sister drive up.
“Hey,” Carter greeted her as she reached the porch.
“Hope you
’re ready, because I am. Been up since five this morning, too impatient to sleep,” she said, walking to join Carter on the couch.
“Me, too. Inside or out?” Carter asked.
“Out,” Courtney said. “I thought we could talk first before we started bringing out the paper work.”
“Sure.”
“I met with the attorneys for the family and I found an attorney for myself, and met with him, too. I felt like I needed to. Nothing against you. But we just met last week,” Carter said.
“I understand. That was smart and I’m glad that you did your homework,” Courtney said.
“So, where do you see yourself as it relates to the ranch?” Carter asked.
“I’m going to be straight with you, so don’t take this the wrong way, okay?” Courtney said. Carter nodded.
“I took your dad’s offer to act as the property manager as a way to get inside and find a way to hurt this family, the family that left my father to find his own way. I didn’t know. I don’t have much love for your father. Up until now, this has been mostly a revenge thing for me. I wanted to be a thorn in the side of your father and your sisters… and you.”
“That was just my hurt talking. I would like to make this ranch work. Deep down it’s been a dream of mine to farm, to own land. Now that I’m here I’m reminded of all the stories I’d heard from my father—your father now—about what this place meant to him and your great-grandfather. Their legacy should be preserved, made into something they would be proud of.”
They sat there for a while, thinking that over. Carter propped her legs back up on the rail, staring off in the distance while Courtney quietly watched her.
“So you want to…?”
“Be a partner,” Courtney said.
“I want that, too. I want horses in the stable, not the small stable, but the larger, almost rotten-to-the-core one. I want to make this place into something to be proud of, too,” she said, turning to face Courtney. “I don’t want it to be about revenge.”
“I can’t help the way I feel,” Courtney said.
“I know. I feel it, too, the need for revenge,” she said.
“So what do you think? Can we do this?” Courtney asked.
“I think so. I want to try.”
“Okay, before we get too far, I’m thinking about a bed and breakfast, maybe even a restaurant. I love to cook—fresh vegetables and organic meats—so I’d like to have a farm, a large plot to grow vegetables, somewhere people could come and work in the garden, gathering eggs. You get the picture. We could be one of those agri-tourism places. The kind families come to spend the weekend, or for a vacation in the country,” Courtney said.
“I was thinking bed-and-breakfast too, hiring a cook, a restaurant, for dinner out, but since you like to cook, maybe we won’t need to hire one. I want horses—to train, to board, to rescue, to use for trail rides—for companies and families who come here for meetings and entertainment,” Carter said, smiling.
“Okay, we can work with that. We can both agree on the bed-and-breakfast idea. You take the horses, I’ll take the farming and the cooking,” she said.
“I should introduce you to my neighbor, Rafael. He could help you get started with the farming part.”
“Okay Carter. It’s business with me, and I mean all the way—partnership agreements, everying in writing, business proposals and business plan, budgets, long and short. Are you okay with that?”
“I’m an accountant, so that should help us as well.”
“I’m so excited!” Courtney said.
“Me, too. Want some coffee?” Carter asked.
“I’m a tea person.”
“Come inside. I’ll fix you right up,” Carter said, smiling. “You know what? There are two women I’d like you to meet. They make great tea, too,” she said, standing up. “Neighbors of mine—ours.”
“Do you want to drive or shall I?” Courtney said.
“We can walk, but let me warn you about our crazy neighbor,” she said.
#
Sunday afternoon
The house phone was ringing again. Carter knew who it was, the only person that called on it.
“Hi Madison,” she said.
“Hi Carter. How are you?”
“Fine.”
“You know I don’t beat around the bush, so I’ll get right to the point. I’m sorry about what happened again. We are alike. I wanted our father’s approval, too, more than anything. I played a part in not making you feel welcome, and I’m sorry for that,” she said, waiting a few beats. Carter could hear her take a deep breath. “You were in there too, Miss Independent. You didn’t like us. It was you and those horses. It was all you ever talked about, something we couldn’t compete with. I’m telling you this to say that we can change, our relationship can change if we want it to. Okay, you don’t want to talk about it. I understand,” she said, interpreting Carter’s continued silence as a refusal to discuss the matter.
“What’s the new property manager like?”
“She fine, very professional. Dad will be pleased,” Carter said. “I can’t stop calling him that,” she said.
“He’s been your dad for a long time. He asked me to call you about dinner. We are going to have it at their home.”
“Okay.”
“See ya.”
“Madison,” Carter said before she could hang up. “Are you and dad pretty close about the ranch? Has he talked to you about any of the details of the will? You know, what happens after everyone died?”
“No, he’s pretty closed-mouthed about that stuff,” she said, an answer maybe to a question that had been plaguing Carter since she’d found out about the will.
“Why?”
“Just curious,” Carter said.
“Okay. Talk to you soon,” Madison said.
“Bye,” Carter said.
#
Saturday
Rafael waved to Carter later on that day. She was with another woman, and they were both headed in the direction of the barn. He wondered if that was her half-sister. He hadn’t gone over there purposefully this week, didn’t want to interrupt. He missed seeing her, though, and talking to her. He wasn’t sure what to do now. He loved her. That he knew. She liked him, liked making love with him, but was there anything other than affection for him on her part?
He hadn’t a clue. He did know that he needed her to love him, no way around it, and he needed her to love him as much as he loved her. He wanted more than a meeting of his list with her. Perhaps the list would have worked with someone other than her; someone he hadn’t lost his heart to. He wanted two fools in love—he and her together.
So, what to do now? How did he go about getting her to fall in love with him? He knew you couldn’t make someone love you. They either did or didn’t.
#
Sunday
Today marked the end of the two weeks since Carter and Courtney’s initial meeting. It had been a life-altering event and there was no going back. She and Courtney had started planning for a B&B in earnest.
They spent most of their time talking and catching up on lost history—both personal and family history. Courtney cooked while Carter ate, and there was more talk, more getting to know each other. They’d spent time both in- and outside, taking stock of the land and the building.
It was overwhelming, this planning. They were going to have to make choices, especially where to start first, because there was no way they could tackle the list of projects they had agreed upon all at once, or even within the first few years. Today was the start of putting it all on paper, followed by a prioritizing session.
Carter stood on the back porch now, waiting for Courtney to come downstairs, while also keeping her eye out for Rafael. He’d become firmly planted in her mind, a staple of her existence. She hadn’t seen much of him this week. He was giving her space to adjust, probably. She missed seeing him though.
She’d given way too much thought to their time spent together—the night spent in tow
n with him, dancing and then later on waking up in his bed—her favorite memory.
He was something, the way he moved on the dance floor, all smooth and commanding, and the way he moved within her, all smooth and commanding also, and his support of her, same smooth and commanding. There was also the time spent in barns, sitting next to the horses, him listening to her. Too many good memories to choose from.
She was falling in love. There was no other way to put it. And it was real this time, even though she had thought what she felt for Bentley was love, too. But what she’d felt for Bentley seemed like ages ago. She could look back at her break-up attempt with less hurt now. She needed to, no, she would apologize to Bentley and his wife. It was wrong what she’d done.
Maybe Rafael’s list wasn’t such a bad thing, her mind returning to a place where it lived most days, in the land of Rafael. So, he didn’t want to marry for love. Fine. She knew marriages that had started out with less.
She checked her watch. It was near ten, and he was due to be home from his trip into town, not that she was looking for him. When you fall… it made the difficulties of life more bearable.
Well, lucky her, she thought, as his truck pulled into view. She stood, up and headed in his direction, as if being pulled by some imaginary string. Drawing them closer together.
He was getting out of his truck. He turned and looked in her direction, saw her and waved. She hoped that the smile on his face was meant for her. Why was she going over there? To be near him? What do you want? she asked herself. She wanted him to love her, to not want any other woman but her, to recognize that his list wouldn’t give him what he sought; that only she would be able to do that. That was the answer to her question. She met him at her fence.
“Egg delivery?” she asked.
“Just getting back,” he said, his eyes moving around her face. She leaned in to kiss him.
“So, busy today?”
“Yes. Courtney and I are going to start putting things on paper,” she said.
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