Montana Homecoming

by Jeannie Watt

“I’ll be there.” Cassie pressed her fingertips to her forehead, trying vainly to ease the building pressure.

  “Good.” For the first time since the conversation started, Rhonda’s voice relaxed. “Thank you.”

  “Is he guilty?” Cassie asked, still having a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that her mentor was an alleged criminal.

  Rhonda hesitated, then said, “Yes. The evidence is overwhelming.”

  * * *

  WHAT HAD SHE just agreed to?

  After slipping out of the house into the damp night, Cassie started walking with no particular destination in mind, glad that the rain had stopped. More was coming, but at least she had a few minutes to herself without being drenched.

  She couldn’t face her family just yet and share the not-so-happy news that she was heading back to Wisconsin—just as she’d done the last time her father had visited.

  But this time she was going back before his visit was over. She would leave her car, fly back to Wisconsin, find out exactly what she was up against, then return for at least a couple of days before her father left.

  She got as far as the tractor, then turned and studied the house where she’d thought she’d be living for the next nine or ten months.

  So much for plans.

  Sighing deeply, she turned to lean against the big rear wheel, not caring what the damp black rubber did to her skirt, which was the same one she’d worn when she and Travis had gone to Tremaine’s.

  Things were a mess, but she knew from experience that when cleaning up a mess, she needed to focus on one task at a time, complete it and move on to the next.

  Doug? An embezzler?

  Well, wasn’t she a great judge of character?

  The district had to be in crisis mode, what with bond levees, orientations, insurance negotiations and classes about to start. And who knew how this was being presented to the parents. There was a huge need for damage control.

  Her first responsibility was her job. She’d help Rhonda put the district back on track and then she’d figure out what to do about her feelings for Travis. If there was anything she could do. It was one thing to give up college classes to figure out her love life, another to give up the career she’d worked so hard for. The career she loved.

  She tipped her head up to study the sliver of moon that showed between the dark clouds, then squeezed her eyes shut. She’d always had strong feelings for the man, but she hadn’t expected to fall in love with him.

  What if they burned hot and bright for a short period of time, only to have the fire go out? Then where would she be? Was she ready to take that kind of a chance?

  She needed more time to decide, and time was the one thing she didn’t have. Rain started to spatter her bare arms and she pushed off the tractor and headed back to the house.

  “What happened to your skirt?” Katie asked as she walked into the kitchen.

  Cassie twisted to look at the back of the skirt and grimaced at the dark smear. “Tractor stain.”

  “What?”

  Cassie pushed her hands through her hair, then fixed her protective younger sister with a look. “There’s a crisis at the district.”

  “What?”

  Katie did not have an understanding expression on her face. “You can’t go back now.”

  “I’m leaving after the wedding, but then I will come back before Dad and Frances leave.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I could use a little moral support right now.” She was serious.

  Katie folded her arms over her chest. “Tell me.”

  So Cassie did, pouring out the story of the embezzlement and how at this critical point, she did need to step back into her old job.

  “I see your point,” Katie said. “But is this ever going to stop?”

  “You have to admit,” Cassie said in a low voice, “this is an honest emergency.”

  “Yes. It is.” She let out a breath, then said, “Do you honestly think you’ll be able to come back for a few days?”

  Cassie considered, then, in the name of honesty, shook her head.

  “Maybe Dad can visit you there.”

  Cassie raised her gaze. “Thank you for understanding.”

  “Not a problem.” Katie jerked her head toward the living room. “You’d better go tell Dad.”

  * * *

  TALKING TO HER father wasn’t exactly easy, but it wasn’t as difficult as she’d thought it would be.

  “I understand,” he said as they sat on the covered deck. The rain kept drizzling down, but it was not particularly cold outside, and the deck was the most private place in which she and her dad could talk.

  “I wish I did,” Cassie said in a sigh. “Doug was a great advocate for both teachers and students. He could walk the thin line. I learned so much from him.”

  “Not accounting, I hope.”

  Cassie gave a choked laugh. “I worked so hard for this, Dad.”

  “You don’t have to convince me.”

  But as she sat staring out across the dark back lawn, she still felt the need to enumerate her reasons for returning to her job. And once tallied, she tallied them again, as if trying to convince herself she was doing the right thing.

  “The district is depending on me. It would take a while to bring someone else up to speed. I’m stepping back into my old position.”

  “You have to go,” her father said. “And I like your idea about Frances and me taking a few days to visit your area of Wisconsin. We can see the country and perhaps visit after you get off work in the evenings.”

  Cassie’s heart swelled. “That would be so excellent. It’s beautiful and there’s a lot to see.” She reached over to pat her dad’s shoulder. “This means a lot to me.”

  “The visit or the job?”

  “Both.”

  “What about Travis?”

  Cassie expected the question since she and Travis hadn’t tried to hide the fact that they were, well, friendly, but it was still hard to answer.

  She cleared her throat. She had never in her life discussed a personal relationship with her father, except for the occasional squabble with her siblings. Now she knew why. It was awkward.

  “I will tell him after the wedding.” She didn’t think she needed to add to the tension of the day by telling him before. The ceremony was less than twenty-fours away. The ridiculously expensive flight she’d booked was thirty-six hours away.

  “Will he understand?”

  “I don’t know.” Her mouth flattened into an expression that felt almost hopeless. “I hope he does. It isn’t like I can force him to.”

  But she’d like to. To her surprise, her dad laughed.

  “The one thing on this planet that you’ve never been able to control in this life has been Travis.”

  “There are a lot of things I can’t control.”

  He smiled at her. “I know that. But you still try, don’t you?”

  “That sounds like a sickness.”

  “It sounds like a child who lost control of her world when her mother died way too young.”

  Cassie closed her eyes as she pressed her lips together. She was aware of the effects of losing her mom young. She knew that she had anxiety issues because of it. But identifying the cause had helped her cope.

  “Do you still want to talk?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Natural defenses would be my best guess.”

  She managed a wry look. “Ever the natural scientist.”

  “Pretty much,” he said with a thoughtful nod. “When I fell for Frances at the vet clinic... What? Six years ago?”

  “Maybe seven.”

  “Yes. When I fell for her, it was very inconvenient. She lived half a planet away and she had a thriving practice there. A state-of-the-art clinic she’d built from the
ground up. If one of us was going to move, it had to be me.”

  “Not an easy choice,” she stated for him. She knew it hadn’t been easy. He’d agonized over it.

  “You guys were grown, but I’d always been within a day’s drive of you. And after losing your mom, you kids were even more important to me. And then there was my mom.” He gave a little laugh. “I leave her alone and look what happens? She elopes with the guy next door.”

  “Not exactly an elopement.” Cassie half turned in her chair, starting to relax for the first time since receiving the news about Doug.

  “No. It was not an easy choice. It felt like an end-of-the-world choice. And it was. One of the worlds I loved was going to end—the one with Frances or the one in Montana.”

  “Did you make the right choice?”

  “I did. But there were sacrifices.” He gave a small shrug. “And ultimately a compromise.” They’d agreed that Frances would sell the clinic ten years after their marriage and move to the States.

  “So, in three years, one of Frances’s worlds ends.”

  “Choices. Sacrifices.”

  They fell silent, then her dad smiled at her. “You probably expect a crescendo ending to this little talk, right? Something that will suddenly make the way clear?”

  “Could you please do that?” Cassie asked in a small voice. He obviously knew, somehow, maybe some kind of dad radar, that she was still agonizing over the decision she’d made.

  Her dad laughed and reached out to rub her shoulder. “I wish, kiddo. But I just thought I’d throw my story out there. And tell you that if you ever need to talk, I may not have all the answers...but I’m as close as a text or call.”

  * * *

  “SADDLE UP BILLY and go for a ride.” Katie spoke from behind Cassie as she stared out the kitchen window after the second call from Rhonda that morning—Rhonda, who didn’t seem to understand that it was Saturday and that Cassie was in the middle of a family event. “There’s nothing more to be done here, and you need to relax.”

  The rain had let up early that morning, and it wasn’t supposed to rain again until that evening, so yes, it was a good time to slip away, sort through a few things.

  “I don’t know.”

  Katie put her hands on Cassie’s shoulders and massaged.

  “You are a tightly wound spring, and I don’t want Grandma to start worrying about you.”

  The bridal party wouldn’t be traveling to the McGuire ranch for several hours and at the moment Frances was playing with Bailey and Kendra, and Rosalie and Gloria were drinking tea and laughing about something.

  Everyone seemed relaxed.

  Except for her.

  Katie glanced at the clock. “You have hours to burn before we start dressing.”

  “You’re saying that I’m driving you crazy and you want me out of the house?” Cassie’s attempt at dry humor came off flat.

  “Maybe a little?” Katie looked past her to where Rosalie and Gloria sat. “I don’t want Grandma to notice that you’re pacing a trail in the dining room tiles.”

  “Sorry. And I’m sorry about the calls, too. I know they’re disruptive.” And in a way necessary. Rhonda needed to bring her up to speed quickly. She’d missed a lot in the past weeks.

  Katie let go of Cassie’s tense shoulders. “You’ll figure this out. I know you will.”

  “You sound confident.” And she wasn’t telling her to not think about her job, which was a step forward.

  Katie seemed to read her thoughts. “I understand more about your job now that you’ve been home. I know you love it in a way that I never loved my job.”

  “Thank you.” She let out a breath, then looked past Katie out the window at the Ambrose Mountain foothills.

  “Billy’s pretty dry. I saw him hugging the barn when I fed Wendell and Lizzie Belle this morning.”

  “If I go now, I’ll have plenty of time to shower and pretty up when I get back.”

  “And hopefully the wind in your hair will help you push a few things out of your mind,” Katie added.

  Cassie met her sister’s gaze. “I’m not looking forward to telling Travis.”

  “I know,” Katie said gently. “All the more reason to have some wind in your hair.”

  * * *

  “SO HERE’S THE THING,” Travis said, trying to ignore the fact that his grandfather was tapping his foot under the table. He had cause, after all. The wedding was only hours away, and Travis and his dad, Dan, were doing their best to keep him occupied. Talking ranch seemed like a good way to do it. “I’d like to offer Rey a job. For real.”

  Will’s foot abruptly stopped tapping. He was careful with money. Generousness in some regards and tightwaddery in others. He gave a big scholarship because his mother had been a dedicated teacher, but he made do with day hands and working overly long hours, instead of hiring permanent help as the Callahan ranch had done decades ago.

  “That might not be a bad idea,” Dan said.

  “Will he stay?” Will asked brusquely.

  It was no secret that Will could be hard on help. His lack of patience in that regard was legendary. Yet the guy had been one of the best rodeo-team coaches around. Will McGuire was a walking contradiction.

  “Why wouldn’t he?” Dan asked. He used both hands to lift his coffee cup, his misshapen joints making it difficult for him to grip the mug. “Dad, now that you’ve got a wife, you should be spending more time with her and less time here. Travis needs help he can depend on.”

  “I’m not ready for a full retirement,” Will grumbled, looking as if he was about to shoot the idea down.

  “The ranch is in good shape,” Dan said. “We can afford the extra pay. It makes sense.”

  Travis leaned back in his chair as his mother came into the room. “Is everyone okay?” she asked brightly, sending a pointed look in Will’s direction.

  “I’m not as nervous as you guys seem to think. I’m just not used to being cooped up for this long. Waiting.”

  “I see your point,” Marge said with a gentle smile. She held up the coffeepot, which was filled with decaf, although Travis was the only one who knew it. He figured the last thing Will needed was something to twang on his taut nerves.

  “We’re good,” Dan said. “We were just discussing hiring help.”

  “Great idea,” Marge said. “Are you good with that, Will?”

  Travis’s mother was one of his grandfather’s favorite people and it was all he could do not to roll his eyes as Will’s expression shifted. Rosalie was the only other person he knew who could make his grandfather go soft.

  “I’m coming around.”

  “It would be good for everyone,” she said, running a hand over her husband’s shoulders as she took a seat in the chair next to his.

  “I don’t know if he’ll take the job,” Travis said.

  “Ask him,” Dan said. “And if he won’t, then I’m sure there are other decent guys out there looking for jobs.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  GREAT. JUST GREAT.

  Cassie picked herself up off the ground and ran a hand over her mud-caked behind. In the distance, Billy disappeared over the rise, heading for home, reins flying. He’d be there before the wedding, but would anyone be at the home ranch to see her return? If the family kept the schedule they’d agreed upon, they should be leaving for the McGuire ranch within the hour. Cassie was to drive herself over after returning from her ride so that they had an extra vehicle if necessary.

  Tears of frustration pricked at her eyes, but she wiped them away with her grimy sleeve. Crying wouldn’t help. Walking would. She took one experimental step, then another. Okay. She was in one piece. The beauty of landing on rain-soaked earth was that it didn’t hurt as much as a gravel road. She knew—she’d experienced both.

  She pushed back her hair and looked around for her h
at, which was lying ten feet away from where she’d fallen. After scooping it up, she slapped it on her head and started walking after her horse. Of all the horses to do her wrong—trustworthy Billy.

  Cassie walked as fast as she could through the misting rain, but there was no getting around the fact that she was a long way from home. A couple of miles on a trotting horse was not the same as a couple of miles trudging on foot.

  Would they delay the wedding for her?

  Probably.

  Would they be concerned when she didn’t show up on time?

  Definitely.

  A choked laugh escaped her lips. Or maybe they’d assume she’d already left for Wisconsin. Rhonda had called three times that morning, and each time Cassie had hung up the phone feeling like she had to get there now to help shoulder the load.

  And she resented it.

  She let out a breath and kicked the tall wet grass in front of her as she walked. Her jeans were getting soaked, her thighs were going numb. The ride had been going so well—right up until good old trustworthy Billy had taken offense at a log jutting out of the tall grass, spun and dumped Cassie on her behind.

  Her fault. She’d been daydreaming and the log did look fearsome at first glance.

  She automatically patted her pocket for her phone, even though she’d purposely left it behind so that Rhonda wouldn’t call and destroy the calm she was trying to develop before the wedding. No, she hadn’t magically tucked it into her jacket at the last minute, as she’d been tempted to do.

  Once again, the tears prickled as she studied the distance between her and...anything.

  And what bugged her most was that she wasn’t the kind who caused weddings to be delayed. She was responsible and punctual and currently miserable in ways she didn’t want to think about.

  But the one thing she didn’t do was to give up. She was going to make it to the wedding...and then she’d finish off a fine day by telling Travis that she was not going to be staying in Montana as planned.

  * * *

  TRAVIS PULLED THE dry-cleaning plastic off his vest and freshly laundered white shirt. Outside, the catering van had just pulled up and the people from Tremaine’s were setting up service. The day had seemed strangely empty without some time with Cassie, but once the wedding was over, they’d have more time together.