by Cora Seton
She cut him off. “Is your father still living with you?”
“Yeah. Why? Do you want him to—”
“If he’s there, talk to him, not me. For God’s sake, you two are hopeless.”
When the dial tone buzzed in his ear, Clay frowned and shoved the phone back into his pocket. Nora was biting back a smile. She’d obviously heard.
“Dell’s right over there.” She nodded toward where Dell could still be seen striding across a meadow.
“I’ll be back in a minute. Go ask Harris if you can give him a hand again, all right?”
“Sure. Good luck.”
“I swear it gets more interesting than this,” he told her. “I wanted to show you so many things.”
“You will.”
When he caught up with Dell, his dad waved him away. “I don’t want to hear any more about sheds. Or is there a dog house you’d like me to build now?”
Clay chuckled. “Neither. I want to talk to you about something else. Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”
“What’s that?” Dell finally slowed down. “If this is about getting married and having kids, Jericho filled me in. You’ve got a deadline. Looks like you’ve found yourself a good woman. Just don’t blow it.”
“It’s not that.” Although that was certainly on his mind. “It’s school. I think I might go back for my degree.”
Dell stopped, but he kept his gaze on the horizon, as if studying something Clay couldn’t see. “Isn’t it kinda late for that?”
“I don’t think so.”
“What’ll you study?” His carefully casual tone didn’t fool Clay one bit.
“You remember what you said to me when I was sixteen and I wanted to pursue architecture?”
Dell’s lips thinned into a line. “This one of those ‘poor me, my parents fucked me up’ conversations?”
“No. That’s not my intention at all. You told me there was no money in it. You said school cost too much. You said I needed a skill, not a fancy degree.”
“That’s the way of the world for people like you and me.” Dell kept his head turned away.
“You said that, too. It stuck with me. What kind of people are we, Dad? People who don’t deserve to be happy?”
Dell’s chin lowered a fraction of an inch. “I had a good job and a good wife. I raised a family. Don’t tell me I didn’t do well.”
“I didn’t say anything about doing well. I said happy. You can’t tell me you’re happy right now.” He wasn’t going to give up that easily. He could tell his dad didn’t want to have this conversation, but it was about time they had it out. Dell couldn’t moon around Base Camp forever.
“No, I can’t.” Dell finally turned toward him. “Because my son’s talking nonsense.”
“I’m talking about the future. See, I’m not asking you this time, Dad. I’m telling you. I’m going to go to school. Probably part-time. Maybe I’ll even study online. I don’t know yet. All I know is I’ve always wanted to be an architect, and now I’m going to go for it.”
“Fine. Do whatever the hell you want to. I’m going to take a nap.” Dell headed for his tent while Clay watched him go. Nap? That was a new one.
He had a feeling Dell would be doing a lot more thinking than sleeping.
Maybe that was a good thing.
He returned to work, his mind still buzzing from his conversation with his father, so that he couldn’t even enjoy Nora’s presence. By the time she left to return to the manor, though, he’d settled down a bit and was able to get on with the job.
“It looks great,” Boone said when he stopped by the building site a half-hour later. It was lunch time and the rest of the men had gone to the bunkhouse, but Clay wanted to keep working.
“Want to help me finish up?” They’d let everyone tour the house later in the day, but first he needed to know that Boone approved of it.
“Sure thing. I can’t believe it’s nearly done.”
Clay nodded. “I know.” It felt so good to see his creation take shape in front of him. The tiny house looked just like he’d imagined it would. Better, even. They’d left the locally harvested wood raw so no products would off-gas into the small space. The kitchen was tidy and well-designed, and he felt sure Boone and Riley would like the loft bedroom he’d created for them. A second room at one end of the structure was for Riley’s studio—or possibly a nursery someday. He knew Boone and Riley were trying for a baby. The green roof would take time to grow in, but the rest of the structure was complete, and it blended in seamlessly with its surroundings. Clay couldn’t wait until the hillside was dotted with houses like this one.
“What do we need to do?” Boone asked.
“A couple of touches on the cabinets, and a few other things.”
“Riley’s so excited to see the house.”
Clay nodded. It must have been hard to start a marriage in a tent. He wanted a home to bring Nora to when they married.
If they married.
He decided not to think about that. “Let’s get to it then.”
Chapter Sixteen
‡
“Why are you walking funny?” Nora asked Avery when she returned to the manor at noon. She began to pull food out of the refrigerator for lunch, and wondered if eventually Fulsom and Boone would make them spend all their time at Base Camp. She hoped not. She still enjoyed afternoons alone with her friends—just the girls.
“Had my first riding lesson yesterday,” Avery said. “And another one this morning. They’ve caught up to me.”
“Ugh. That sounds awful.”
“Well, I’m not too happy about the way my legs feel right now, but I love being on horseback, and Walker is a wonderful teacher.”
“Are you riding sidesaddle?” Nora remembered Clay and his father talking about that.
“Nope. I just pull on a pair of pants under my dress, hitch everything else around my waist and go for it. I figured it was a decent compromise.”
“What does Walker think about that?” She supposed if she ever learned to ride that would be a much easier way to accomplish it than sidesaddle.
“What’s that about Walker?” Savannah came in, grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with water. She drained it dry. “Oh, that’s good. I needed that. Harnessing the sun is thirsty work.”
“He’s teaching Avery to ride.”
Savannah lifted an eyebrow. “I bet he is.”
“Shut up,” Avery said good-naturedly. “I wish. He hasn’t so much as touched me except to help me get on the horse.”
“Watch out; before you know it, you’ll be engaged,” Nora said, turning back to the pantry.
“Who’s engaged?” Riley ducked in the doorway.
“No one’s engaged. At least, not yet. A girl can dream,” Avery said.
Nora pulled out some salad fixings and got to work chopping up vegetables. Avery grabbed the salad dressing and began to set the table for four.
“How are things going with you and Boone?” Savannah asked Riley.
“Now that we’re back, he’s pretty stressed out about the show and getting everything done. He’s trying to figure out how to find more women.”
“Boone the matchmaker. Hard to fathom,” Nora said.
“Maybe he’ll turn out to be good at it,” Riley said.
“Are you two working hard at that pregnancy thing?” Savannah asked. “Morning, noon and night, and all that?”
“We’re working at it,” Riley said dryly. A shadow clouded her face. “We really are working at it, but I don’t feel pregnant.”
“It’s only been a few days,” Savannah exclaimed.
“I know. It’s just… there’s so much pressure. I feel like I should be doing something.”
“I think you’re doing what’s called for,” Savannah said with a grin.
“Is the pressure causing a strain between you two?” Avery asked with concern.
Riley leaned against the counter. “No. Not at all. Boone’s pretty happy to keep tr
ying.” She grinned, too. “How about you, Nora? Are you or aren’t you?”
“Pregnant?” Nora paused in the process of filling a pot with water.
“Not pregnant, doing it—with Clay?”
“That’s pretty nosy.”
“You are doing it with him,” Avery exclaimed. “You dog! How on earth are you pulling that off when we’re all in tents?”
“That’s my little secret. Besides, I have no idea where things between us are going.” She peeled a cucumber and began to chop it. “Did you lock the door behind you?” she asked Riley.
“Sorry.” Riley rushed to do so. “The last thing I need is another interview with Renata. She got all up close and personal this morning about my family and the ranch. ‘Do you blame Boone for losing your inheritance?’” She mimicked Renata’s plummy British accent. “Is the front door locked, too?” she asked.
“I think so. We all came in the back,” Nora said. The reminder of their need for caution took away some of her pleasure in their little gathering. She hadn’t thought about her stalker today, though, and that was progress. Spending most of her time in a group meant she felt safe.
“Where do you see things going with Clay?” Savannah asked cautiously.
“If you mean am I going to marry him, I really don’t know,” Nora said.
Riley frowned. “Why not? If you’re getting close, I mean?”
“You know why not. I hate being rushed. I refuse to marry a man I don’t know well. Look what happened to my parents.” She finished chopping the cucumber and reached for a carrot.
Riley bit her lip. “Boone’s going to bring in other women soon, Nora. Don’t wait too long to decide. You know Clay has to marry by July tenth.” Riley turned to the others. “That goes for you, too. Boone’s serious about matching people up.”
A sharp rap on the kitchen door startled them. Avery went to open it, and Win bustled in. Nora was sure she wasn’t the only one relieved by the interruption.
“What’s going on? Are we planning a coup?” she asked when she got inside.
“Not quite,” Nora said. “From the sound of things, the cavalry’s coming to help the other side.”
“Cavalry?” Win looked from one to the other of them for an explanation.
“Boone’s bringing in more women,” Riley told her.
“Competition,” Avery said sourly.
“They’re only competition if you’re in the game.” Win shrugged. “I thought you three said you weren’t interested.”
“It’s more complicated than that,” Riley said tactfully. Win had proved to be much more friendly and fun than she’d seemed when she first got to Westfield, but none of them had quite relaxed enough around her to let her into their confidences.
“No, it’s not,” Win said. “When you see something you want, you go for it. At least, that’s how I like to do things.”
“Has Angus proposed yet?” Avery challenged her.
Nora bit back a smile.
“No, he hasn’t. Because I’ve told him he can’t yet. I want a real, old-fashioned courtship. He’s taking me on a picnic tonight.”
“With his father or without?” Nora asked dryly, mindful of how her picnic with Clay had turned out.
Avery coughed. Win gave Nora a puzzled look. “Without, I expect, since his father passed away last year.”
Nora closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m just…” She didn’t bother to finish the statement. She didn’t know what she was. Annoyed? Discouraged?
Confused?
She didn’t like the idea of more women at Base Camp, especially ones who might want to hook up with Clay. As hesitant as she was to marry him, she didn’t want Clay to marry someone else. Not after the last few days.
“Let’s eat our lunch and get to our projects,” Riley suggested.
“Do you mind if I join you?” Win asked. “Sometimes it’s nice to be with other women.”
“Not at all,” Riley said.
Avery laid another plate on the table. Nora felt a tinge of guilt that they didn’t include Win more in their activities, but it had seemed that all she wanted was to be with Angus. She brought the large bowl of salad to the table and set it in the middle. “Dig in. We’ve got some French bread, too, if anyone needs something more substantial.”
They kept the conversation general, and soon the meal was over. The women cleaned up together and then dispersed, Avery and Savannah to the parlor, Win out the back door to return to Base Camp. Riley came to stand near Nora, who was putting the last of the dishes away. She touched Nora’s sleeve. “You know I’d never judge you for jumping in head-first with Clay, right? I think you two have a real chance at a wonderful marriage. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, Nora. That man is in love with you. If you have to marry fast, maybe it’s better to do that than to always wonder what might have happened if you don’t.”
Nora nodded. “Maybe. He wants to go back to school,” she added.
“Right away?”
Nora shook her head. “After the show’s over, I suppose. I know he wouldn’t do anything to disrupt that.”
“Clay’s a man who wants to make a better future, isn’t he?” Riley mused. “Seems to me you could do worse.”
Chapter Seventeen
‡
As the house neared completion, Clay’s thoughts strayed to his father again. It still burned him that Dell had walked away in anger when he’d told him his plans. He never wanted to end up as bitter or frustrated with his career as his dad was, and it worried him a little what would happen after the houses were built. One part of building a sustainable community was that the members of the community needed ways to bring in an income. The bison herd they would establish would help with that; bison was a luxury meat, and the herd Jake Matheson was partnering with Evan Mortimer to run had already found solid markets. Clay didn’t mind helping with that business, but it didn’t call him the way architecture did. He wanted to bring his flavor of eco-conscious housing to a wider audience. That meant school.
It bothered him now that he’d never made the effort before. Hell, Walker had done just fine when he went for his bachelor’s degree, and he’d come from the same kind of working-class background Clay had. Still, every time Clay had thought about taking the Navy up on the options it offered, Dell’s voice had always echoed through his mind. “That’s not for the likes of us.”
Why did Dell still believe that?
“Did you ever want to go to college?” Clay asked Boone. He passed his friend handles one by one and Boone screwed them into each of the little cabinet doors. He was trying to let Boone do as much as he could to finish off the project. He knew it would mean a lot to Riley to know her husband had worked on some of the final touches.
Boone shook his head. “Not really. You know me—I like to do things, not study them.”
“Yeah.” But some things required a degree.
“You thinking about school?”
Clay nodded. “I won’t screw up anything with Base Camp, but yeah. It’s time.” He held a piece of edging in place while Boone screwed it in.
“I’ll say.”
When Clay looked up in surprise, Boone went on. “I always wondered why you stuck with the SEALs so long. You’re meant to build things. Anyone who knows you can see that.”
Clay positioned another piece of wood. “I think we could all say that. That’s why we’re here, right?”
“I think every life has more than one story to it, but it’s funny how a theme runs through all of them,” Boone said. “We walked through our story about serving our country through our military service. Now we’re in our story about serving our country through demonstrating a sustainable life.”
“That’s fucking poetic, Chief.”
Boone laughed. “Yeah. Shit, time to install a composting toilet or something, before I start writing sonnets.”
“Speaking of composting toilets, want to help me install yours?”
“Hell, yeah.”
; As he and Boone unboxed the toilet and wrestled it into place in the tiny bathroom, he felt like he’d truly accomplished something. In no time at all, this house would be a real home.
“Looks good,” Boone said when they were done.
“Think Riley will be okay with it?”
“She’s been using the ones around camp, and she says she’ll adapt.” He scratched his head. “I wouldn’t say she’s thrilled about it, but she’s being a good sport. I figure I’d better keep her happy in other ways. Some of this sustainability stuff stacks the odds against me, if you know what I mean.”
Clay definitely did. It would be far easier to woo Nora with a house like the manor than with a small, eco-conscious building like this one.
“Nora will come around,” Boone said, as if reading his thoughts.
“I sure hope so.” Clay stood back and nodded. “We’re about done. Want to let Riley see the place?”
“Sure do! I’ll go get her.”
Boone was off in a flash. Clay gathered up their tools and stowed them away, wishing suddenly they’d taken more time to clean up. But the house would speak for itself. Either Riley would love it, or she wouldn’t.
He wondered what Nora’s reaction would be. Fifteen minutes later, he watched with pride as Boone scooped Riley into his arms and carried her carefully across the threshold into their brand-new tiny home.
Just like his original drawings had shown, the home looked like it was growing straight out of the hillside. There hadn’t been enough time for its green roof to sprout, but it would soon, which would only heighten the illusion that it was an organic structure rather than a man-made one. The south-facing exterior wall was an earthy stucco color to absorb sunlight and hold it in colder months. The overhang of the roof and the thick sod on top of it would shelter the structure from the hot days of summer and the bitter cold of winter. Large windows would let in plenty of sunlight, and a gorgeous, hand-hewn door allowed access into the interior.
Inside, the wooden walls and floors gave the house a cabin-like feel. The space was small but built-in shelves and cupboards everywhere provided plenty of storage. Unlike someone living in a typical single family home in suburbia, Boone and Riley didn’t need storage for their own lawnmower, power tools, snow blower and the like. They would share larger tools and machines like that with the community and store them in the barns and outbuildings.