Grace composed herself. "I know now that I should have told you back then."
"Why didn't you tell me after you told your parents? You must have known that I would have married you. I loved you, Grace."
"Mom and Dad wanted me to tell you, but I couldn't ruin your life like that."
"Ruin my life? You've got to be kidding. Didn't you think I would eventually find out I had a child? Or, didn't you want the child? Is that why you were out riding while you were pregnant? You hoped something would happen?"
"No. I was going to have it."
Andy snatched up his jacket and saddlebags. "I'll go saddle the horses and we can be on our way back down the mountain." He slammed the door behind him when he went out.
A short time later, he brought the horses to the front of the cabin and tied them to the railing. He came back inside and not saying a word, checked to make sure the fire was out and all of their trash picked up. He went to the door and stood with it open, waiting for Grace to walk outside. She did so and they both mounted their horses. Andy led the way with Grace following him, and neither uttered a word on the ride back to the ranch.
Once in the barn, Grace jumped off the horse and headed straight to her car. "Grace, wait," he called after her.
She paid no attention to him, got in her car, and left.
Chapter Four
The next evening, Andy walked into the Silver Bullet Saloon with one thing on his mind, and when he saw her, he headed straight to her table.
"Cindy, I need to talk to you." He didn't so much as crack a smile.
Chuck stood. "What's going on, Andy?"
Andy took a deep breath to relax some and looked at Cindy. "Can I sit down? I really need to talk to you."
"Sure. Please, sit. What's going on?" Cindy said.
Both Andy and Chuck sat down.
"Grace told me something, something that happened in high school and I want to know if you knew about it."
"What is it?"
At that moment, Bobby walked up to the table and sat a beer on the table in front of Andy. "I figured you'd order this."
"Thanks, Bobby. I definitely need it."
"Did you all hear about Andy's exciting night last night?" Bobby asked.
"No, what happened?" Chuck asked.
"He and that pretty Grace were stranded on the mountain in last night's storm. I can only imagine what went on in that cabin."
"Thanks for the beer, Bobby. Put it on my tab," Andy said.
Bobby must have understood Andy's meaning because he walked away.
"Andy?" Cindy inquired.
He took off his cowboy hat and placed it on the empty chair at the table. "Grace and I had a late afternoon trail ride and got caught in the storm that hit. We stayed the night in the old Barrett cabin. We were wet. We were cold."
He saw the look on Cindy's face, that look of disappointment.
"I didn't take advantage of her. It was mutual. The next morning, Grace acted different, distant. I kept prodding to find out what was wrong and she finally told me."
"What was it?"
"Cindy, did you know, did Grace ever tell you, that she was pregnant when her and her family moved away from here?"
"What? Pregnant? I had no idea. After she moved away, she never answered any of my letters or emails."
"She told me that her parents didn't even know until they had settled in Colorado Springs. She begged her parents not to notify me because she didn't want to hold me back with a baby."
Chuck put his hand on Andy's shoulder. "That had to be tough to hear."
"Where's the child now?" Cindy asked.
Andy wiped his eyes with his shirtsleeve and sort of chuckled in a weird way. "She lost it when she was thrown from a horse. Karma, eh?"
"Oh Andy, I'm so sorry."
He looked at Cindy. "You remember how lost I was after she left. I loved her and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. We could have had children together, been a family." He took a drink of his beer.
"It sounds like she was only thinking of you and your future by not telling you. She knew at the time what you wanted and it wasn't staying here."
"She still should have told me!"
"Yes, she should have. I just mean that it sounds like she had your best interest at heart."
"Have you tried to call and talk to her since she went back to Denver?" Chuck asked.
"I tried several times, it always goes to voicemail and she hasn't returned my calls."
"Have you thought about how she probably feels?" Cindy asked. "I'm sure she feels responsible for losing the baby. She was so in love with you back then. That baby would have been a part of you that she would have had forever. I'm sure she was devastated."
"If that were true, why was she riding? Why would she have taken chances like that?"
"You know as well as I do that there's nothing wrong with a pregnant woman riding a horse, especially early on in the pregnancy. You've even told me about having pregnant women on some of your trail rides."
He sat silent for a few minutes. "Do you know when she's coming back with her company employees?"
"They're due to check in around noon tomorrow. I think they're chartering a bus for the drive up."
"Thanks." He took one last drink of his beer and stood up.
"Are you going to talk to her?" Cindy asked.
"I don't intend to ever speak to her again." He picked up his hat, threw down some money, and walked out of the bar.
* * * *
By the time Cindy reached the front door of the hotel, the occupants of the bus had received their luggage and were entering the lobby. She directed them to the front desk clerk handling their room assignments, and at the same time was watching for Grace. She finally saw her standing next to three other beautiful women, and made her way out to them.
"Grace, I'm so glad you made it."
"Hi, Cindy." She gave her a hug. "I'd like for you to meet my friends. This is Silvia, Maria, and Lucy. Ladies, this is Cindy, my best friend from high school."
"Oh, I bet you could tell us some juicy stories about how Grace was in high school," the redheaded Lucy said.
"I bet I could too. In fact, I still hear stories about her even today." Cindy looked at Grace and knew by the look on her face that she knew exactly what she was talking about.
"Cindy is in charge of our whole retreat this weekend. Why don't you gals go check in and let me talk to Cindy about a few things. I'll meet you in the lobby."
The three ladies went inside and Grace pulled Cindy to the sidewalk. "Andy told you, didn't he?"
"He found Chuck and I at the bar last night. My gosh, he was devastated."
"You don't think I didn't feel that way too?"
"I'm sorry, Grace. Of course, you did, but you kept this from him, from all of your friends."
"I had my reasons."
"Andy told us."
"Look, it's over and done with. I've moved on and so should he."
"Grace, if you ever need to talk about it, don't hesitate to call me. You can trust that I won't tell anyone anything you say."
Grace let out a sigh. "I appreciate that, Cindy. Thank you." She started inside the hotel.
"But, you need to talk to Andy and square things with him," Cindy called after her.
After dinner that evening, Grace and her friends walked to the Purple Valley Tavern to have a few drinks. As with all bars, the room was crowded and the live band was loud. They found a table and were served drinks.
"Come on, Grace. We want to know more about growing up in a small town," Silvia said.
"It was okay, as long as you didn't mind everyone in town knowing your business," she replied.
"What did you do for fun?” Mari asked. “I swear; I would be so bored until I was old enough to go to a bar."
"It was boring and there was only a few bars in town then. If we wanted beer, we had to find someone who would buy it for us."
"Beer? You drank beer? I can't stand the taste. If I couldn't ha
ve a good white wine, I'd sooner go sober," Lucy added, picking up her wine glass and motioning for the waitress to bring another.
"Tell us about your boyfriend?" Maria teased. "You did have a high school sweetheart, didn't you?"
"Well, yes."
"What did he look like?" Silvia inquired.
"He was just an average guy."
Lucy's drink was served and she took a gulp. "Next question, how old were you when you lost your virginity?"
As Grace opened her mouth, someone behind her spoke. "She was sixteen."
She recognized that voice and turned to find Andy standing behind her.
"What are you doing here?"
"Grace, aren't you going to introduce us?" Lucy said, standing.
"He's not worth an introduction." She turned back to the table.
"I'm Lucy Marlow and you are?" She extended her hand and took his.
"Andy Granger, Grace's high school sweetheart."
"And, apparently the man she lost her virginity to," Lucy said, still holding his hand. "Would you like to join us? We'd love to hear stories about our Grace."
"No, he wouldn't." Grace stared at Andy.
He apparently got the message. "No, I can't. I just wanted to stop by and say hello." He pulled away from Lucy's grasp and walked back to the bar where he joined his buddies.
"Pity," Lucy said, watching him walk away. "Grace, he's hot as hell. Was he that good-looking as a teenager?"
"We parted on bad terms, so I'd just as soon not talk about him."
"We understand," Silvia said.
"Now wait a minute. So, you have no interest in him?" Lucy asked.
"None."
"Then, you wouldn't mind if I went over and talked to him?"
Grace knew that meant Lucy would do everything she could to get him into bed tonight. But, what could she do? She had no claim to him, and, as soon as this weekend was over, she didn't plan on ever seeing him again. "Not at all. Talk to him all you want."
That's all Lucy needed to hear. She jumped up and sauntered over to the bar where Andy sat with his buddies.
"I can't believe you let her do that," Maria said. "You know what she has in mind."
"I have no feelings for him."
"That's not how it looked when you heard his voice behind you just now."
Grace looked over at Andy. Lucy already had her paws on him, rubbing his thigh, and his buddies looked like they were ready to pounce on her if given the chance. As she was turning her attention back to the table, she glanced at the door. "Look, James is here."
"You know he's had a crush on you since you started working at the office. He's been trying to get the courage to ask you out every since your divorce was final," Silvia said.
"I know. I think I'll go buy him a drink." Grace stood from the table and walked over to James.
"Grace, it's nice to see you here."
"I saw you come in and thought you might like to join Silvia, Maria and I for a drink."
"Well, I'd hate to impose."
"Nonsense. It will give me a chance to get to know you better." She took him by the arm and walked him over to the table. "Look who I found, girls."
The ladies and James exchanged greetings and he sat down next to Grace, who scooted her chair closer. They all ordered drinks.
"James, did you know this is Grace's hometown?" Silvia asked.
"No, I thought you were from Colorado Springs."
"I am, but lived here until I graduated from high school."
"She's also an accomplished horsewoman. You should stick close to her on the trail ride tomorrow," Maria suggested.
"Oh, I'm not going on the trail ride. I have to set up for the meeting afterward."
Grace was relieved to hear that. This ruse was for tonight only. She didn't want to carry it any further than this. "That's too bad," she said. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go to the restroom." She stood and headed to the back hallway that had the big green neon restroom sign above it.
When she walked out, she found Andy leaning against the wall, waiting. She started to walk past him.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"What?"
"I thought you'd be at the Silver Bullet. That's why I came here, to avoid you."
"I thought you'd be there and I didn't want to run into you. As you can see, that didn't work out too well."
"We need to talk," he said.
"I said all I had to say yesterday morning."
"That was a pretty big shock for me. You've had all these years to process it, but I haven't. I'd like to talk about it."
"You'll have to talk about it with someone else, but please not with Lucy. I don't want anyone from my office to know."
She turned to leave the hallway, but Andy grabbed her by the arm to stop her. Just as he did that, James entered the hallway.
"What's going on? Take you hand off of her."
"This is none of your business, it's between Grace and I."
"James, it's okay," she said.
"No, I don't think it is."
He grabbed Andy by the arm, causing Andy to let go of Grace, and in one smooth motion nailed James right on his nose. The blow put James on the floor.
The bouncer came running into the hall. "What's going on?"
"Sorry, Tom. It was a reflex action. I'll leave," Andy said.
"That's probably a good idea."
Andy looked back at Grace. Don't leave town until we talk." He walked away slinging his hand trying to shake off the pain.
Grace helped James up from the floor. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He pulled his handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his nose, and found blood. "Maybe I need to go into the restroom for a few minutes."
"That's probably a good idea."
James went into the restroom and Grace walked back to her table to join her friends.
"Is James all right?" Silvia asked.
"He's got a bloody nose, but I think he'll be fine. Where's Lucy?" Grace started looking around the bar.
"After she saw your old boyfriend hit James, she rushed right over to him. She left with him and his friends," Maria explained.
"I think I've had just about all the excitement I can handle tonight. I'm going back to the hotel."
"We'll go with you," Silvia said.
"What about James?" Maria reminded them.
"He's a big boy. He found his way to the bar and he can find his way back to the hotel.”
As the ladies walked back, Grace kept looking around for Andy, hoping that Lucy hadn't pulled him into a dark corner somewhere.
"What happened in that hallway, Grace?" Silvia asked.
"Oh, not much. Andy wanted to talk to me about something and I didn't feel like talking. James walked in just as Andy grabbed my arm to keep me from leaving. Things just went crazy."
"That Andy sure is nice looking. Did he look that good in high school?"
She took a deep breath. "Yeah, he did."
When they reached the hotel, Grace's friends weren't ready to go to their rooms yet. "Let's check out the bar here," Silvia suggested.
"That sounds like a great idea. It's still early. What do you think, Grace?
"Maybe just for a few minutes." She wanted to see if Lucy had dragged Andy to the hotel bar.
They walked in and found a table with several of their other co-workers and sat down. Grace looked around and didn't see Lucy or Andy anywhere.
When the topic of Andy and what had happened at the other bar came up, Grace decided it was time to go to her room. "If you all will excuse me, I'm really tired and would like to get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."
Everyone said goodbye and Grace went to the elevator. She looked around the lobby while she waited, but didn't see Andy.
Up in her room, she sat on the bed and checked her cell phone for calls. She questioned why she was even thinking about him. Angry with herself, she took a shower and went to bed.
* * * *
The first thing on
the schedule for the next morning was a company meeting. She entered the room and got herself a cup of coffee and a bagel. Looking around the room, she spotted her friends and headed toward their table. She saw Lucy talking a mile a minute as she approached, but by the time she reached the table Lucy had stopped.
"Good morning, Grace," Silvia said. All of the ladies exchanged greetings as she sat down.
"How was your night after you left us, Lucy?" Grace asked.
"What? Last night? Well, I, ah, it was okay, I guess."
The look Maria gave to Grace let her know that there was more to Lucy's night than she was letting on. "Really? What did you do after you left us?"
"We did a little bar-hopping."
"I see."
"Look Grace, you said you didn't have any interest in him, so why shouldn't I have a little fun?"
"You can. Have all the fun with him that you want."
Just then, the man at the front of the room called the meeting to order and began his presentation. Just in the nick of time too.
Once they meeting had adjourned, everyone filed out of the room. Grace's friends waited for her in the hallway.
"Where are we supposed to go for the trail ride?" Maria asked.
"It says on our itinerary that we are supposed to meet in the lobby and someone will take us to the horses," Silvia said reading from a sheet of paper.
"This will be fun. The views that we'll see on the ride will be unbelievable," Grace explained.
They went to their rooms to change for the ride and met back in the lobby. They were there for only a few minutes when several cowboys and cowgirls came in and announced they were ready for the Myers Corporation group ride. The rest of the afternoon was spent on the trail.
After the ride, Grace and the other ladies walked back into the lobby of the hotel. On the way to the elevator, Grace heard someone call her name. She turned to see Cindy waving to her from down the hall. "I'll see you girls in the bar tonight?"
"Absolutely," Silvia replied.
The others got onto the elevator and Grace waited for Cindy to reach her.
"I'm so glad I caught you. Would you like to have dinner with me this evening?" Cindy asked.
"I'm supposed to meet the girls later for drinks at the bar, but I have no plans for dinner. I actually was going to just order room service, so yes dinner would be great."
Spring Forward, Fall Back in Love Page 5