by Linda Warren
“Why not?” He was genuinely puzzled and that eased the anger inside her.
“Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of walking down the aisle on my dad’s arm in a white dress. My sisters and I used to play ‘bride.’ We’d walk down the hall with a pillowcase over our heads holding some fake flowers of our mom’s. Sometimes Bubba played dad. I want to get married in the church.”
He frowned. “Anamarie, I’m not into big weddings.”
“It would be just my family and your family.”
“I don’t have a family.”
“Excuse me. Who are the Rebels?”
“They’re my employers.”
He was putting up walls and she had to go at this another way. “Where do you spend your holidays?”
“At Miss Kate’s and on Christmas morning I go to Egan’s first and then to Miss Kate’s.”
“Really? I don’t know many people who go to their employers’ house on Christmas.”
“They’re good to me, but we’re not blood.”
“And that matters to you? Because I don’t see it mattering to the Rebels.” Why was it so hard for him to admit that he was a part of the Rebel family? The walls he had built around himself were getting thicker and she didn’t know if she could get through to make him understand how much she loved him and how much the Rebels loved him.
She sat on the coffee table again, giving him a few minutes. As the clock ticked away, he said nothing. She finally asked, “What are you going to do about Dusty?”
“I can’t let him go into foster care.”
“Then do something about it.”
After a moment, he said, “Okay, I guess we’ll do the wedding thing you want.” His voice held a tinge of resentment that didn’t sit well with her.
She got up from the coffee table. “I’m going to pack my things, but I won’t leave until the morning. I want to say goodbye to Dusty.”
“What? Wait?” As she walked by his chair, he caught her hand. “What are you talking about?”
“I don’t want to feel as if I’m forcing you into marriage. It has to be something you want, too, and clearly you don’t.”
“I’m just trying to get this right.”
“Well, you got it wrong.” She took a deep breath. “Rico, when a man proposes to a woman, she wants to hear more than we should get married. I need more if I’m going to spend my life with you. And you seem very hesitant to offer that.”
“What do you mean? You know I love you. I’ve been crazy about you for years.”
The magic words would have been wonderful if he hadn’t tacked on you know.
She placed her hand over her heart. “I love you, Rico, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
He got to his feet, still holding her hand. “The only person I’ve ever loved is my great-grandmother and it’s hard for me to recognize those emotions after everything that has happened to me. But I know that I love you. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone in my whole life. Will you marry me and help me make a home for Dusty?”
“Yes,” she replied through shining tears.
He cupped her face in his hands. The calluses felt like cashmere. He kissed her then in a slow drugging kiss and then rested his forehead against hers. “Remember you told Dusty that when he receives a gift he should say thank you and accept it. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to accept Darlene’s gift and we’re going to raise Dusty as our child.”
“Okay.” She was in full agreement.
“When I was in Wyatt’s office listening to Darlene, I kept wondering why I wasn’t excited. I didn’t want to let Dusty go, but I was so conflicted about my time and your participation. But as you were walking away, it hit me. I want to keep Dusty because I want him to be the child you can never have. I want him to be our child.”
“Oh, Rico.”
He held her as if she was the most precious thing in his life. She now understood him better than anyone. Somewhere inside him was a little boy who felt unloved and unwanted and he was never going to open himself up to that kind of pain again. But he had. He’d taken the risk and shared his feelings and she would love him to the day she died and beyond.
CHAPTER TEN
THE NEXT TWO weeks passed by quickly. Darlene signed away her parental rights and Rico went before a judge seven days later and he became legal guardian of Dusty. The judge suggested that he adopt Dusty to prevent problems down the road. He then went to see Gabe Garrison, Miss Kate’s younger brother, who was a lawyer in Horseshoe, to start adoption proceedings. Rico told Gabe that he and Anamarie were getting married and he wanted her name on the adoption papers, too.
They told the Rebels and everyone was excited for them. But no way was he going to the Wiznowski house. Ana didn’t push him and she told her parents on her own. And as he had expected Miss Doris said she didn’t approve of the marriage. Ana seemed to be fine with that and she was busy making plans for the wedding. There was one problem. They couldn’t get the church until the first Saturday in September. Ana still wanted a church wedding so they would wait until September. In the meantime, they settled into family life.
School let out and hay season was in full swing. He didn’t have much time for Dusty, but Ana always kept him up until Rico could get home. That bothered Rico. He needed to spend more time with Dusty, but he couldn’t let the Rebels down.
The first Monday in June, Falcon surprised them. “Everyone sit down. I want to talk to y’all.”
Everyone took seats and Rico leaned against the doorjamb.
“We’re all getting older and we all have families that we neglect during hay season. I want to change that up a bit. Eden helped me and we’ve come up with a program that I think is going to work. It’s on my laptop.”
Eden was Falcon’s daughter and she was in vet school at Texas A&M.
Falcon turned his laptop around so everyone could see. “This is how it works. Everyone will work three days from sunup to sundown, then they’ll have three regular days and one day off.”
“You’ve already typed in our names,” Phoenix pointed out.
“Yes, son,” Miss Kate answered, “but you’re free to switch days with your brothers if you need to.”
“No, I think this is great.”
“Elias, Quincy and Jude have babies coming,” Falcon commented. “I know everyone will pitch in to help during that time.” He patted a stack of papers. “Here’s a copy for everyone.”
Rico thought this was the best thing that could have happened. Now he would have more time with Dusty.
“I have Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from sunup to sundown. Who’s working with me?” Elias asked.
“I am,” Rico replied.
“Wow, Falcon, you do know what you’re doing.”
Rico seconded that and he couldn’t wait to get home to tell Ana.
* * *
ON FRIDAY RICO had a regular day and he was home by five o’clock. As always Dusty was at the front door. When he reached the barn, he would text Ana to let her know he was coming. He swung Dusty up and gave him a hug and then Dusty ran to his room.
Rico walked around the counter and took Ana into his arms. This was the best part of his day. After a sweet kiss, he asked, “What’s Dusty doing in his room?”
“Counting his money.”
“Can he count?”
“Money, no.” She kissed his cheek. “Just be prepared for something.”
Dusty charged back into the room and held out his hand with four quarters in it. “Is that enough money to buy boots? I want boots like yours.”
Rico squatted in front of him. “I think that’s just about the right amount.”
“Oh, boy.” Dusty carefully handed each quarter to Rico. “When can we get them?”
“I have tomorrow off and we’ll go and buy new boots.
”
“Oh, boy! Did you hear, Ana?”
He turned his head to look at her and saw tears in her eyes. He’d gotten the marriage proposal thing all wrong, but he’d gotten it wrong with the right woman. He couldn’t imagine coming home and not finding her here. She’d become a part of him in a short period of time. Dusty ran to the living room and he stood and took her into his arms again.
“He’s just so precious,” she mumbled into his shoulder.
He stroked her hair. “And so are you.”
He never imagined he would have a family. He just thought he would always be the hired hand on Rebel Ranch. After his troubled past, that was okay with him. But things had changed and now he had his own family. And soon he would have to start looking for a home because above everything else he wanted them to have their own home.
On Saturday they got up late and went to buy boots for Dusty. He was one excited little boy, especially since Rico bought him a hat, too. He wanted to sleep in the boots so they let him. After he fell asleep, Ana took them off and placed them on the floor beside his bed.
* * *
SUNDAY WAS A long day without Rico. It was one of his full days and they wouldn’t see him until about nine or ten o’clock that night. Ana had bought a couple of bridal magazines and Dusty was trying to help her pick out a dress. He fell asleep in her arms and she held him tight. Through the years she had wondered what it would feel like to hold her own child and it was unlike anything she had ever envisioned. Even though Dusty wasn’t biologically hers, he was her child in every other way.
* * *
LIFE WAS BETTER than Rico could ever remember. Falcon’s schedule worked out great for everyone. The more time he spent with Ana and Dusty the more he knew he had it all—a wonderful woman and a happy kid.
Ana was busy with wedding plans, making the deal for the cake shop and entertaining Dusty. Every day was a new adventure with her.
By the end of June the heat became a factor with hay hauling, but the guys were used to it. Near the end of one of his regular days, Falcon gave him a list of errands to run. He left the hayfield about three thirty and he hoped to be home by five. With his truck loaded down with supplies, he headed home.
The McGregor place was across the road from Rebel Ranch. The entrance was directly across from where Rico had to turn on to Rebel Road. Mr. McGregor was in his nineties and Rico noticed him standing by his mailbox in pajamas and a T-shirt. Mr. McGregor was a tall thin man with a balding head and it was too hot for him to be out this time of day. Rico supposed he was getting his mail.
He turned on to Rebel Road but something made him look back. Taking a second look, he realized the man was holding onto the mailbox. Rico turned around and went back and pulled into the bar ditch next to the mailbox. Cars whizzed by and he was afraid Mr. McGregor was going to get hit.
He got out and ran to the man. “Mr. McGregor, do you need any help?”
“No, I don’t need any help.” His knuckles were white from his grip on the box.
A Mexican lady in scrubs came from the house pushing a wheelchair. She was out of breath when she reached them. “I’ve been looking for him everywhere. Mr. McGregor, you know you’re not supposed to go to the mailbox. Your grandson takes care of that.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Mr. McGregor growled at her.
Clearly there was a problem here and Rico just wanted to go home. “Let me help you into the chair, Mr. McGregor.”
“I don’t need anybody’s help.” His voice was rough and angry.
“Then sit in the chair.”
“I’m trying to find my sea legs.”
The old man was being difficult and probably rightly so. Old age was a bitter pill to swallow and being a strong man he probably had never needed help in his whole life.
“I’ll help you,” Rico told him. “Just hold on to me.”
But the old man couldn’t move and his body trembled from weakness. Rico did the only thing he could. He lifted the man into his arms and placed him in the chair.
“Take me to the house,” Mr. McGregor ordered. “I don’t want her touching me.”
“He’s like this all the time,” the woman muttered.
Rico had no choice but to roll the man to the house. It was an old house, probably built in the 1800s and Rico admired it every time he drove by. With its long veranda and white columns, it was a showplace of days gone by.
“There’s a ramp at the back of the house,” the woman told him.
He rolled the man through a screened-in back porch and into the house. “My bedroom is down the hall to the right.” The old man waved a hand at the woman. “Go back to watching TV like you always do.”
Rico felt he had to say something. “Mr. McGregor, you’re being very rude to someone who takes care of you.”
“Ah, my grandson hired her. I can take care of myself. My son want to put me in a home and sell this property. I’ve lived here my whole life, as have my ancestors, and I’m not going anywhere. But that fancy gal who has her hooks in my son calls the shots.”
If Mr. McGregor was in his nineties, that meant his son had to be somewhere in his seventies and fancy gal probably wasn’t too fancy anymore, either. The old man was just mad at the world and life and what it could do to a person.
“I’ll help you into bed,” Rico said. He really had to get home.
“Hand me that walker. I can get in bed by myself.”
Rico found the walker against the wall and placed it in front of him. It took Mr. McGregor a moment but he got to his feet and shuffled to the bed and sat on it. He peered at Jericho through his round wire-rim glasses.
“Who are you?”
“Jericho Johnson.”
“Yeah, you’re that mysterious guy who works on Rebel Ranch.”
“That’s me.”
The old man looked him up and down. “You’re a big strong fella.”
“That comes from throwing eighty-pound bales of hay onto a trailer.”
“Yeah, I used to do that. I used to do a lot of things. Now I’m just waiting for the good Lord to call me home so I can be with my wife again.” The man lay down and pulled the covers over him. “You have any kids, Mr. Johnson?”
“I have a son,” he replied. It was the first time he’d said the words out loud and it made his situation that much more real. He had a son.
“Love him while you can because when he grows up, he’ll grow away from you or meet some fancy gal who puts all kinds of nonsense in his head. You’ll never get your son back.”
On that note, Mr. McGregor went to sleep. The Mexican lady hovered in the doorway and he walked over to her. “I know he’s difficult, just hang in there.”
“Thanks for your help,” she called as he walked out the door.
Outside, he took a moment to look around. An old wood barn stood not far from the house. The tin roof had rusted away in spots. The adjoining corral was also wood and needed work. Several of the boards had fallen off and others had rotted away. In the distance was a smaller barn. Most likely used for hay. The pasture hadn’t been mowed in years and it grew wild with weeds. The rolling hills nestled under towering oak trees. There wasn’t a fence in the distance or to the side of him. Mr. McGregor owned a lot of land.
He’d talk to Falcon tomorrow about Mr. McGregor. If his grandson was going to sell, he wanted to be the first to make an offer. This could be his and Ana’s home—their very own home.
* * *
LATER THAT NIGHT, after Dusty was in bed, he told Ana about the McGregor property.
“The McGregor place?” One eyebrow lifted sharply as she settled onto the sofa with a cup of coffee.
“Yeah. I know it’s old, but I can fix it up any way you want. I just don’t know how much land goes with the place. It might be out of my price range.”
“Horseshoe is high-tech
now and I can look it up on the Horseshoe website tomorrow. We have a new tax assessor and she has updated everything. I looked the shop up and it gave me the tax value and information I needed. We can do the same for the McGregor place.”
“Let’s do it now.” Their future was together and he wanted to get it started as soon as possible. He wanted the place for Ana and Dusty—a place where Dusty could grow up and call home.
She made to get up and then sat down again. “I can look it up on my phone.” Leaning over, she grabbed her phone from the coffee table. Her thumbs went to work. “I’ll use McGregor as a keyword and it should bring it up.” After a moment, she said. “Okay, here it is. Oh.”
“What?”
She handed him her phone and he glanced at the acreage. As he’d thought, Mr. McGregor owned a lot of land. A sinking feeling crashed into his stomach. All his hopes of buying that house and land were gone. He would never be able to afford it.
“We’ll find another house,” Ana tried to reassure him. “We have lots of time and the bunkhouse is fine for what we need right now.”
He had his heart set on the house and now he had to let go like he had to do so many times in his life. One thing he was never letting go of was Ana.
* * *
THE NEXT DAY Rico had another regular workday. As they filed out of the office to go do their jobs, Falcon said, “Rico, can I talk to you for a moment?”
He had no idea what Falcon wanted, but he stayed as he was asked to do.
“I got a call early this morning from Mr. McGregor.”
Mr. McGregor?
“Obviously you helped him yesterday and he’s very grateful for that.”
He told Falcon about the mailbox incident. “He’s just a very old and angry man.”
“Yeah, everybody knows that and no one can get along with him.”