She joined him sitting in the stands for the last few competitors, leaning up against him as they laughed and cheered. She managed to hang on to third place until the last competitor knocked her to fourth, just out of the money.
Caleb gave her a conciliatory hug, telling her he was sorry.
But she shrugged philosophically. “Easy come, easy go.”
“I’ll spring for a corn dog if it’ll make you feel better,” he offered.
She turned up her nose. “What corn dog? I’m holding out for Rio.”
He pretended to ponder for a moment. “I suppose I could do both.”
“Truly?” She blinked ingenuously up at him.
“Yes,” he told her sincerely. He realized in that moment he’d give her anything she wanted.
“You’re a gentleman, Caleb Terrell,” she cooed, threading her arm through his.
“And, dust notwithstanding—” he pretended to wipe a smudge off her cheek “—you, Mandy Jacobs, are a lady.”
Her face was scrubbed clean of makeup today, and her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, but in the sunshine she looked just as beautiful as she had last night. He had trouble tearing his gaze away from her.
Her attention went to the ring. She cheered and gave a shrill whistle as the barrel-race winners received their awards in the middle of the arena.
“You just whistled.” He laughed.
“Bet the girls back in Chicago don’t do that.”
“They don’t eat corn dogs, either.”
“Poor things. They don’t know what they’re missing.”
The team roping had started. Caleb couldn’t help but admire the talent of the cowboys and the rapt attention of well-bred horses. A few of the steers escaped, but most were swiftly roped and released by the cowboys.
“Here we go.” Mandy leaned forward as her brothers lined up in the box. The steer was released, and the men sprang to action, horses hooves thundering, ropes spinning around their heads. Travis took the head, turned the spotted steer, and Seth quickly followed-up with the heels.
The horses stilled, and the flag waved. Their time was five point three seconds, causing Mandy to shout and punch a fist in the air. The time had put them in first place. They released their ropes and tipped their hats to the crowd, acknowledging the cheers.
They shook hands as they rode out of the arena, and Seth playfully knocked off Travis’s hat. One of the clowns retrieved it for him, and the two disappeared from sight around the end of the fence.
Caleb felt another hitch in his chest. His reaction was silly. Even if he did meet his brother after all these years, it wasn’t as if they’d be doing any team roping. Caleb was way too far out of practice. Besides, he was too old to come off a horse.
“Are you hungry?” Mandy asked.
“You don’t seriously want a corn dog.”
“I was thinking a funnel cake. Sprinkled with sugar, please.”
“How on earth do you stay so slim?” Most of the women he knew in Chicago survived on leaf lettuce and bok choy.
“Exercise and clean living,” she answered.
“So, you’re serious?”
“I never joke about funnel cake.”
Caleb shook his head in amazement, coming to his feet. “One funnel cake, coming up. You going to eat the whole thing, or will you share?”
“With you, I guess I could share.”
He gave her a wink and made his way down the worn wooden benches, meeting Travis and Seth at the bottom.
“Nice.” He nodded, shaking each of their hands in congratulations. He checked the board to find them still on top with six competitors left. “Looks like you might finish in the money.”
“Seven-hundred and fifty bucks,” Travis confirmed with a sharp nod. “That’ll pay for the trip.”
“I’m going on a funnel-cake run. Anyone interested?”
“Gads, no,” said Seth. “I don’t know how Mandy eats those things.”
“She’s got a sweet tooth,” said Travis. His level gaze stayed on Caleb for a couple of beats.
Caleb raised his brows. If Travis had something to say, he might as well spit it out.
Seth glanced between the two men.
“You heard anything from Reed?” Travis asked, surprising Caleb.
The question triggered emotions that were close to the surface today, and it took him a second to recover. He shook his head. “Not a word.”
“He still takes first in the steer wrestling every year,” said Travis.
Caleb nodded his acknowledgment but didn’t answer.
But Travis wasn’t finished yet. “Mandy thinks you should talk to him before you sell the ranch.”
The announcer’s voice became more animated over the loudspeaker as the next team of ropers left the box, stirring up a cloud of dust.
“Mandy thinks a lot of things,” said Caleb.
“I’m not sure she’s wrong on this.”
“Well, I can’t talk to him if he’s not here.” Caleb made to leave.
“You can hold off on the sale,” said Travis.
“You’re selling?” asked Seth, an obvious note of incredulity in his voice. “Why on earth would you do that?”
“Yes,” Caleb answered shortly, pivoting in the dust and starting to walk away.
“Whoa,” Seth caught up to him, but Travis, at least, had the good grace to stay behind. “What gives?”
“What gives is that I’m not explaining myself to you and Travis in the middle of a rodeo crowd.”
“Fair enough.” Seth nodded easily, keeping pace. “But what about Reed? He get a say in this?”
“Reed left town, no forwarding address, no phone number.”
“But how can you sell it without him?” Seth paused. “You know, I honestly thought he’d inherit the whole thing.”
Caleb altered his course to angle toward the concession stands. “Well, he didn’t. I did.”
“Not the whole thing.”
“Yes, the whole thing.”
“But—”
“Haven’t a clue,” Caleb preempted the obvious question.
Seth’s tone turned thoughtful. “And that’s why Reed disappeared.”
“I would think so.” They came to the lineup and joined the end.
“Are you getting a funnel cake?” Caleb asked Seth.
“Just keeping you company.”
“Not necessary.”
But Seth didn’t leave. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke up again. “Do you need the money?”
Caleb laughed darkly at that suggestion. “The money’s Reed’s. It’s going to sit in a bank account until he shows his face.”
“And the rush is?”
“Has it occurred to you that this is none of your business?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then, go away.”
“Has it occurred to you that I’m your friend?”
Caleb couldn’t form an answer to that one. He liked and respected Seth, but he was beginning to feel as if he was surrounded by kind, well-meaning, meddlers, pushing him in a direction he didn’t want to go.
“Seriously, Caleb. This is a huge decision.”
“It’s already listed.”
“Unlist it.”
“I don’t want it,” Caleb barked. “I don’t need it. And Reed’s better off without it.” He glared at Seth, while the festival swirled around them, midway rides jangling, children shrieking and the rodeo announcements blaring in the distance.
After a long minute, Seth gave a curt nod of acquiescence. And Caleb turned to the teenager in the paper hat and placed his order.
Eleven
The trip to Lyndon and the rodeo day over and done with, Mandy and the local vet were working their way through a list of minor injuries and ailments in the ranch’s horses. Midafternoon, they were inside the barn looking at a quarter-horse colt who’d been limping on and off for about a week. The colt’s left fetlock felt warm, and Mandy was worried about infection.
Mandy smoothly rose from the colt’s leg and turned to find Robby, one of the young hands, waiting.
“There’s someone on the office phone for you,” he told her quietly. “Danielle something? She’s pretty insistent.”
“I’ll take it,” Mandy agreed, optimism rising within her. “Can you give Dr. Peters a hand while I’m gone, Robby?” She dusted her hands off on her jeans and moved from the stall to the main barn aisle.
The young man set aside his manure fork and took Mandy’s place in the stall.
Anticipation tightened Mandy’s stomach as she paced her way quickly to the small office that sat just inside the main door of the barn.
She closed the door behind her for privacy and picked up the phone. “Danielle?”
“Mandy?”
“It’s me.” Mandy forced herself to sit down on the leather chair with wheels, telling herself to stay calm. “You have news?”
“I do. Enrico found Reed.”
Mandy’s spirit soured. “Yes!” They’d found him. They’d finally found him. “Thank you.”
“Right now, he’s staying at a hotel in Helena.”
“Really?” That information surprised Mandy. “Reed is in Montana?” She’d assumed he was at least still in Colorado.
“The Bearberry Inn. He’s been there a couple of days, but there’s no way of knowing how long he’ll stay.”
“Don’t worry. I’m leaving right away.” Mandy hopped up from the chair, cataloging exactly what she’d have to do to get to the airport, get to Helena and find Reed. When she did, she was cornering him and demanding to know what the heck he thought he was doing.
Okay, maybe she wouldn’t demand. Maybe she’d just ask him. But, first, maybe she’d just hug him. After the past few weeks like he’d had, the man was going to need a hug.
“Call me when you get there,” said Danielle. “And please, please convince him to come home. Whatever it takes.”
“I will,” Mandy promised.
“If we can wrap this up by Wednesday, my life gets a whole lot easier.”
“Uh, okay.” Two days. “I’ll do my best.” Mandy signed off.
As she headed across the yard, toward the house, she remembered the Brazilian deadline was looming. That was obviously the rush. Danielle was going to do everything in her power to get Caleb to Sao Paulo in time to deal with the banking regulators.
That meant there was every chance he’d be gone before Mandy got back. As soon as Reed agreed to return, she’d have to call Danielle. Danielle would obviously call Caleb, and Caleb would have no reason to stay in Colorado, especially if his business depended on him getting to Brazil.
That meant the two brothers might not even see each other. They might not get a chance to talk. And once the crisis was over, things could easily go back to the status quo, Reed here, Caleb there, still estranged from each other.
Mandy trotted up the stairs, across the porch and into the ranch house foyer. Maybe keeping Danielle’s search a secret from Caleb had been the wrong idea. Taking Caleb with her to Helena made much more sense. If he’d come, he’d have to talk to Reed. That would break the ice. And he’d still have time to make it to Brazil. And, afterward, maybe he’d come back.
She pulled off her boots in the front foyer and headed for the second floor, intending to have a quick shower and pack an overnight case.
She warmed to her modified plan. Reed was sure to be happy with Caleb’s honor and generosity. The two brothers could talk in Helena, resolve things and then… Well, the plan got a little fuzzy after that, but at least it was a start.
She stripped of her shirt, peeled off her jeans, discarded her underwear and stepped into a hot shower.
She hadn’t talked to Caleb since they’d returned from Lyndon last night after the rodeo. Seth and Travis had finished in second place, and after a celebratory beer and a round of burgers, she and Caleb had driven back together.
He’d been unusually quiet on the drive, but had kissed her good-night, and he’d told her he was going to miss her overnight. Nothing wrong with that. Everything was fine between them. She could safely broach the subject of Reed.
Perhaps she could do it between kisses. That would be manipulating the situation. But it was for a good cause.
Then again, that was probably a bad idea. She’d go with a straight-up outline of the facts. Caleb liked facts, and the facts were on her side in this.
She dressed, blow-dried her hair, put on a touch of makeup, a pair of clean jeans, a striped T-shirt and a navy blazer. Then she tossed a few clothes into the overnight bag, left a note to her brothers, saying she’d call them when she got to Helena, and jumped into a pickup truck.
The ride to the Terrell ranch took its usual twenty minutes, but it felt much longer. She pulled up to the house, took a very deep, bracing breath and set out to reason with Caleb.
When she knocked, he called out a huffed “come in.”
“Caleb?” she called back as the door opened. She could hear scraping sounds coming from the living room.
She followed the noise, rounding the corner from the foyer to find him surrounded by cardboard packing boxes, a tape dispenser in his hand, as he sealed one of them up.
“What are you doing?” Her tone came out sharper than she’d intended.
“Packing.” He voiced the obvious.
“But, why?” What had happened? Had she missed something? Had he already sold the ranch?
“Mostly, because it’s not going to pack itself,” he answered.
“But I thought—”
“Can you hand me another box?”
Mandy was too stunned to move. She felt sick to her stomach.
“Did you sell?” she managed on a harsh whisper.
“Not yet.”
She put out a hand to brace herself against the back of the sofa, all but staggering in relief. There was still time.
“A box?” he asked again.
“Sure.” She picked up a flattened box from a pile beside her feet and handed it over. She met his gaze. “And, if we find Reed?”
His jaw tensed. “Seriously, Mandy. I’m not having that conversation all over again.”
She swallowed against her dry throat. “But, if we did find him. Like, right away. Would you be willing—”
He smacked the box on the coffee table in the middle of the room, startling her. The thread of anger in his voice was crystal clear. “What is with you people? This isn’t a Jacobs family decision. It’s my decision.”
His tone set her back. “But—”
“No.” He jabbed his finger in her direction. “No, Mandy. I am packing. I am selling. I am going to Brazil and then back to Chicago. And I’m not changing my mind. You won’t change it. Seth won’t change it. And neither will Travis.”
So much for gentle. So much for reasonable. “You’re a stubborn fool.”
“You’re not the first one to notice.”
She came around the end of the pile of boxes, staring straight into his eyes, lowering her voice. “You step over this cliff, Caleb, and we can’t come back.”
He went still for a very long moment, staring levelly back. “We, as in you and me?”
“As in your brother, your family, your heritage.”
“I can live with that.” It was obvious he was serious, completely serious. There was no way she’d get him to Helena.
Though she told herself it was a much less significant matter, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from asking. “What about me and you?”
His expression didn’t change. He leaned in and gave her a fleeting kiss. It wasn’t exactly a cold kiss, but it didn’t invite anything further. “Me and you are still going to Rio.”
She tried not to let his words hurt her, but they did. So her voice was laced with sarcasm when she answered. “Is that an ‘I’ll call you sometime, babe’?”
&nb
sp; “That’s not what I said.”
She bit her tongue. He was right. He’d been up front and honest all along the way. All he’d ever offered was Rio and New York City. If it wasn’t enough for her, she should have spoken up a long time ago.
She knew she couldn’t change Caleb. But she could still help Reed. Pretending everything was fine, she stretched up and kissed Caleb on the cheek. “Rio sounds good. I gotta go. The vet’s working with the horses today, and he’s, well, they’ll need me down there.”
“Sure,” Caleb agreed, flipping the box over to reinforce the bottom with a strip of tape. “See you later.”
“Later,” she echoed, turning to leave.
Caleb worked for about an hour, reassuring himself he was doing exactly the right thing. He couldn’t stay here. He growing frighteningly attached to Mandy, and it got worse every day.
But every time he turned around in this house, there was another picture, another memento, another annoying memory trigger, like the woodsy scent of the throw blanket his mother had knit for the back of the sofa.
It had taken a long time for Chicago to feel like home, and he wasn’t about to lose that. Not for the sake of his family’s land, and not to be near Mandy for a few more days.
Mandy. He blew out a breath. He hadn’t wanted to fight with her. But she had to understand. There was no hope that he’d erase his childhood, nor would he ever come to terms with it. The best he could hope for was to leave it far, far behind. So he didn’t have to think about it every day of his life.
Still, he shouldn’t have taken it out on her.
She was entitled to her opinion. And she held that particular opinion only because she was a compassionate, generous, caring person. She couldn’t stand to see anyone hurt or upset, and that included Reed. And what did she get from Caleb for her trouble? Anger and the cold shoulder.
He needed to apologize.
Silently acknowledging he’d been a jerk, he deserted the packing job and headed for his SUV. He rammed it into Drive and peeled out.
Down the ranch roadway, he took the corners fast, his back tires breaking loose on the gravel ranch road. Then he sped along the main valley road to the arched gateway to the Jacobses’ ranch. It was five minutes up the driveway, and then he was pulling up front of the house.
A Cowboy Comes Home Page 15