Taking Their Second Chance

by Brenna Welles

  "I see," she said, forcing her voice to remain steady. "I'll be on my way then." She didn't bother thanking him for any opportunity, like her professionalism demanded. She hadn't done anything wrong that she could see. And she couldn't help but worry over Esther.

  She hoped Jake knew what he was doing.

  Swiping her keys from his hand, Letti turned and blindly walked down the steps toward her car. Shutting herself in, Letti allowed herself to bow her head for just a moment, to gather herself together before she drove home.

  Lord, what have I done?

  She didn't expect an answer. But she sent all her pain up, hoping for comfort. Then she turned on her car and a blast of heat warmed her.

  Somehow, she arrived home. When Dan opened up the front door to their house, she realized she had been sitting in the driveway, her car running for the past however-long.

  Without a word, Dan crossed to the car, opened her door and reached in to turn the ignition. Then he unbuckled her seat-belt, lifted her up out of the car, leaving her purse and coffee thermos behind. He carried her into the house, passed the living room and into the hallway that lead down the length of the house. Kicking open her bedroom door, Dan gently sat her down and stripped her jacket from her trembling shoulders. Taking her jacket, Dan left the room.

  Letti heard him leave the house, heard the slam of her car door, heard him come back in. He must have placed her keys and purse on the side entryway table before walking back into her room with her coffee thermos.

  "Drink," he said, thrusting it at her.

  She took a healthy gulp, grateful for the heat that cascaded down through her.

  "What happened?" Dan said, glowering.

  "Jake fired me," she said. Then began to sob.

  Dan snatched the thermos from her hand before she could drop it, setting it on her nightstand. Then he sat beside her and wrapped her up into his big arms. She would have complained of being smothered in one large shoulder, but she needed to be held tight.

  She knew her brother hated to see her cry. But every time she tried to stop the tears, they came harder. Dan's t-shirt grew damp under her cheeks as she struggled to breathe. Dan rubbed his hands in light circles around her back, remaining still and steady. A rock to her beating waves.

  Finally, the sobs ebbed and Letti pushed herself back up. Embarrassed, she refused to look up at Dan until his finger coaxed her chin up.

  "There's more to this than a lost job, isn't there?" he asked, voice quiet.

  It all came pouring out, as fast as the sobs had. "He kissed me, remember? Then we never really talked about it, but I talked to his mother, who told me Jake needed me. And I realized that I never..." her voice closed on another sob. She tried to slow down. "I never stopped loving him," she finished. Then she shook her head. "I took Esther to see Jake at the rodeo and afterward, he just seemed so happy. So pleased that we were there. He kissed me again. Invited me to dinner so we could talk."

  Dan have a harsh grunt, his hands tightening into fists on his thighs.

  "I don't know what happened between then and this morning. The calves started dropping, you know that. I've been there, doing my job. When he got home yesterday morning, I washed his sheets. Made sure he had breakfast. I don't understand."

  The tears dripped down her face again, though the earnest sobs left her alone for the time being. She suddenly felt so heavy, weighed down by exhaustion.

  "You can't know unless he tells you," Dan said. He shook his head. "You need rest."

  Letti nodded, not even bothering to stand and slip her clothes off before crawling into the center of her bed. Dan reached out and slipped her shoes off, sticking a finger through a small hole that had formed along a seam and sighing. She rolled her eyes.

  "I just lost my job. Can't go get a new pair just yet," she said, curling up onto one side.

  Dan tugged the blanket up and around her. "We'll argue about that when you wake up."

  Letti murmured a soft sound before closing her eyes and letting darkness take her.

  __________

  Letti and Dan did argue about the shoes later that afternoon. Dan had gone out of his way to buy three pairs for her to try on by the time she woke up. At first, she had refused. Then Dan had wrestled her down and forced a shoe on. Breathless and disgruntled, Letti finally agreed to try all of them on. Two pairs fit. Dan took the third pair back.

  Standing at the oven, Letti stirred up the casserole she threw together for lunch. Dan would be home any minute, ready for a heaping plate of food. Since she never got the chance to make him lunch, she figured today would be a good day to make it up to him.

  Dan had been adamant that she take the rest of yesterday and today off from any volunteer work. She had put up a good fight about it, but eventually conceded when Dan told her this would be a good opportunity to find another job instead. So, she did the laundry, slept, and applied for as many jobs as she physically could.

  And prayed.

  Every time she turned around, she remembered how closed off Jake had been, how utterly cold he had been toward her in the end. She still wasn't sure what she had done, but she was ready to rush over to his house, bang on his door until he opened it, and demand an explanation.

  But it wasn't her place. Jake had made his decision. Just like he had all those years ago. Maybe it was really God's will that they remain separated.

  Though that did nothing to ease the ache in her heart.

  So, she prayed, asking God to open a door, just one tiny little door for her.

  The front door opened.

  Wrong door, she thought.

  "Lucy, I'm home!" Dan called in a thick accent.

  "Har har," she called back. "And after I slaved over your lunch."

  "Mmm," he hummed as he entered the kitchen. "Smells good."

  He pulled down two plates as Letti's cell phone rang.

  "Dish up, I'll be right back," she said, grabbing her phone from the counter and heading into the living room.

  "Hello?"

  "Miss Fletcher?" A strong female voice asked. She sounded vaguely familiar.

  "This is she," Letti said. "May I ask who's calling?"

  "Miss Fletcher, hello! I'm glad I caught you. This is Marissa Pratt from OHSU Hospital. Is now a good time to talk?"

  Letti sat down heavily on the couch, her breath leaving her.

  Oregon Health and Science University! It had been months since they had told her the job she had applied for went to another candidate, since they promised to call her should another position open up.

  Now they were finally calling her! Her heart raced, hoping against all hope that they had a job ready to offer her.

  Some door!

  "Miss Fletcher?" Marissa prompted.

  "Yes," Letti nearly gasped, then winced and forced herself to swallow. "Sorry, I'm here. Now is a perfect time."

  "Excellent," Marissa said, her pleasure evident. "We had another CNA position open for us. How quickly can you be down here?"

  Letti frowned in confusion. "For an interview?" she asked.

  "No. To start. I seem to remember you living in Washington, right? Buckley? You would probably need a couple of weeks to pack and move."

  Letti's head spun. Pack? Move? "You're offering me the job already?" she asked, feeling a little slow.

  "Yes," Marissa said, giving a little laugh. "Sorry. Today's been a hectic one. I'm probably not explaining myself well at all. We'd like to offer you the job." Marissa listed off the salary and benefits package, which made Letti's jaw drop. She wouldn't have to fight Dan about new shoes for a long time with that kind of pay. "And, of course, there's the added benefit of working with us while you attended school."

  "Excuse me?" Letti asked.

  "Nursing school. If you wanted to continue your education, that wouldn't be a problem on our end. Sure, you have to go through the application process, but being an employee already, your chances are high at being accepted. We have a comprehensive tuition reimbursement program
, should you choose."

  "Nursing school." Letti shook her head. She needed to get her act together. She was sounding like a complete idiot. "How can I say no," she said.

  "Great!" Letti could hear a few keys typing away on Marissa's end. "When can you start?"

  Letti hesitated. She wanted to pack up and leave as soon as possible. She needed to be out of this town, away from Jake. Away from anything that reminded her of Jake. Which was everything. But she still needed to talk to Dan. And find a place to live.

  "Is Monday too soon?" she asked. Today was Thursday. That gave her three and a half days to pack and find a place to live. One and half business days. She must have lost her mind.

  "Certainly not, if you think you can manage it," Marissa said, surprise evident. "Let me give you the phone number for the owner of some decent apartments nearby. Several of our other nurses live there. Maybe they'll have an opening for you."

  Letti quickly found a pen and scribble the number on the corner of the newspaper Dan had been reading just that morning. Excitement bubbled in her stomach and it was all she could do not to giggle when Marissa wished her luck with the move and hung up. Letti stared at the phone, grinning.

  "What was that all about?" Dan asked, carrying a plate over to her.

  Letti jumped up and squealed, leaping onto the couch and dancing. "I can't believe it! I just can't!"

  "Woah," Dan said, setting her plate down and reaching for her. His brow furrowed. "What's going on?"

  "OHSU! They just called me. I have a job! I start Monday!" She landed on the floor with a thud and danced across the living room and down the hall. Dan followed her.

  "OHSU? Portland? How are you starting a job there on Monday when you live here?" Dan asked.

  "I'm moving!" Letti giggled and waltzed into her bedroom. Heading toward the closet she reached inside and took out her large duffel bag. It would be enough for most of her clothes and a few personal belongings. She wouldn't need much to start with. She could come back up during the next few weekends and pick up anything she forgot.

  "Now wait just a minute," Dan said, his voice a warning. "You can't just pick up and move to Oregon."

  "Dan," Letti said, turning toward him, her face serious. "This is the chance of a lifetime for me. I get to study and work at one of the most prestigious hospitals on the west coast. Not only that, but I'm all but guaranteed acceptance into their nursing program. They have a tuition reimbursement program. Don't you see? This is it!"

  Dan sat on Letti's bed, his shoulders slumped. "I get it, I do," Dan ran a hand through his dirty blond hair, still shorn close in a military cut. He claimed he liked it. Letti wasn't so sure. "I'm just afraid you're rushing into this. What about Jake?"

  Letti's stomach clenched. "Jake has let me know how he feels," she said.

  "I don't think he has," Dan said, narrowing his eyes at her. "I don't want you to run off to Portland just because you're running away from him."

  Letti shifted her gaze from Dan's. He'd nailed one of her biggest motivating factors within minutes. Of course he would. He was her brother, one of the most observant people she knew.

  "That's not entirely it," she hedged. She took a deep breath, wrapped her arms around herself. "Do I want to leave? Yes. But not only because of Jake. Can you blame me for wanting to start over in a different place? Different people? If I don't like it, I'll come home. And my résumé would look the better for it. Really. If I'm going to run away, this is a pretty opportune situation."

  Dan sat in silence, watching her. He inherited that trait from their grandmother, though she would never tell him that. She remembered how he used to complain about that look. Finally, he nodded and stood from her bed.

  "What can I do to help?" he asked.

  Letti grinned and threw her duffel onto the bed. "We need to fight over who's keeping the Dutch oven."

  Dan laughed and shook his head. "Let me call the guys at the jobsite. They should be fine without me for the rest of today and tomorrow."

  As Dan left her room, Letti let herself believe, just for a moment, that things were going to be okay. She had her brother, she had a brand new job.

  Things were looking up.

  CHAPTER NINE

  "Jake!" It was Morris, rushing into the barn as though something had caught fire. He had a wild, determined look in his eyes, one that made Jake question the man's sanity in that moment.

  People always went mad during calving season.

  "What's up, boss?" he said, stopping his brush down of Duke. He had been up most of the night, monitoring the heavies and moving any into the shed as necessary. A quick nap and one of those muffins Mrs. Greene had delivered to the ranch were on his to-do list.

  "I gotta go. I've been meaning to talk to you about this, but how would you feel about being foreman?"

  "Foreman?" Jake blinked, wondering if exhaustion was addling his brain. "Go? Where are you going?"

  At that, Morris barked a half-crazed laugh and clapped Jake on the shoulder as though he had said the funniest thing Morris had ever heard.

  "I'm going to New York. And I want you as my foreman. Oversee things while I'm gone. Hopefully, I won't be gone more than a few days. Then we'll talk." Morris began to stride away before Jake could think of uttering one syllable. "Oh," Morris added, spinning on one heel and walking backwards. "It comes with a raise, of course. Think of this as a probationary period. But I'm pretty sure you're the man for the job. Congratulations."

  And he was gone.

  Jake stood there, mouth opened, wondering if he had just dreamed the whole thing.

  Morris... flying to New York? This must have something to do with that girl he's been acting so crazy about the last few days. The long-lost daughter of Mr. Greene next door. Morris had been giving her horseback riding lessons when he barely had the time for them and making it a point to go over to Greene Pastures to deliver hay, though Paige and Rhett had been at the ranch earlier that same morning.

  Jake shook his head, turning back to the horse. Love made men crazier than calving season ever could.

  Still, a promotion. To foreman. Jake couldn't believe it. He'd only been back a handful of months. The promotion to foreman was a very big step, one he wasn't sure Morris was in his right mind to give him. The first thing he wanted to do was race home and tell his mother about it. Did Morris even mean it?

  Unbidden, the thought of Letti came to mind. He knew she would know what to do, what to think about Morris' offer.

  But he had burned that bridge pretty thoroughly.

  A flash of Letti's tear-welled eyes appeared in Jake's vision. Disgust filled him. Not at her. Never at her. But at himself.

  He had treated her in a way he should never have treated a woman. Especially her. He had been callous. Rude. Even mean. Not allowing her to say goodbye. He didn't know what had taken over him, other than sheer panic.

  He couldn't think around her. And he couldn't think without her.

  When Esther had woken up and been introduced to her new nurse, one of the other candidates he would have picked if Letti hadn't been such an obvious choice, she had glared at the both of them, turned on her heel and went back into her room. She had even slammed the door like a petulant child, though Jake couldn't fault her. If she had her voice, no doubt she would have torn into him like she had whenever his teenage-self had been out past his curfew and worried her.

  It took a little longer to convince the nurse to stay, in spite of his mother's behavior.

  He could only hope both of them would forgive him. One day.

  Jake finished up with Duke and moved all the equipment back into the tack room. It looked like barely controlled chaos. Calving season could make even the most organized places look like a tornado hit it.

  In an effort to distract himself, though he desperately needed some shut-eye, Jake spent the next hour tidying up the tack room. Everybody else was either busy herding or sleeping, and just because Morris had promoted him to foreman, it didn't mean he could
stop pulling his own weight. It only meant he had to work that much harder.

  Try as he might, visions of Letti laughing with his mother in the living room kept assaulting him. The taste of those ridiculous green smoothies. They shouldn't have been as good as they were. And she always had a meal ready for him, no matter the time of night he came home.

  Stop it. She's gone. You did that. Isn't that what you wanted?

  He didn't dare answer himself and instead went inside for that muffin and a nap.

  It seemed like only moments after he shut his eyes and let sleep claim him that he was being shaken awake.