Читать книгу Wedding at Cardwell Ranch - B.J. Daniels, B.J. Daniels - Страница 11

Chapter Three

“Want to see the building for Montana’s first Texas Boys Barbecue?” Tag asked after they’d dropped Jackson and Ford’s luggage off at the small cabin on the side of the mountain and gone down to meet cousin Dana and her brood.

Dana Cardwell Savage was just as Tag had described her. Adorable and sweet and delighted that everyone was coming for the wedding.

“How is your cabin?” she asked after introducing him to her children with husband, Marshal Hud Savage. Hank was the spitting image of his father, Dana said, and six now. Mary was five and looked just like her mom. Then there were the twins, Angus and Brick, just a year and a half old with the same dark hair and eyes as all the Cardwells.

“The cabin is great,” Jackson said as Ford instantly bonded with his second cousins. “Thank you so much for letting me stay there.”

“Family is why we had them built,” Dana said. “My Texas cousins will always have a place to stay when you visit. Or until you find a place to live in Montana when you realize you want to live up here,” she added with a wink. “Isn’t that right, Tag?”

“I would love to visit, but I’m never leaving Texas,” Jackson said.

“Never say never,” Tag commented under his breath. “I was just about to take him down to see the restaurant location.”

Ford took off with the other kids into a room full of toys and didn’t even look back as his father left. Jackson almost felt as if he were losing his son to Montana and the Cardwell clan.

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait until everyone gets here?” he asked as they left.

“Hayes and Laramie are flying in tomorrow. I was hoping you would pick them up at the airport. Austin is apparently on a case tying up some loose ends.” He shrugged. Of the five of them, Austin was the loner. He was dedicated to his job and being tied up on a case was nothing new. “Anyway, it’s your opinion I want. You’re better at this than all three of them put together.”

“So you haven’t heard from Austin on the deal,” Jackson guessed.

Tag shook his head. “You know how he is. He’ll go along with whatever everyone else says. Come on,” he said with a laugh when Jackson groaned. “I really do want your opinion.”

“Honest opinion?” Jackson asked.

“Of course.”

Jackson glanced around as they drove out of the ranch and down the highway to the turnoff to Big Sky. Being the youngest, he didn’t remember anything about Montana. He’d been a baby when his mother had packed up her five sons and taken them to Texas.

Big Sky looked more like a wide spot in the road rather than a town. There were clusters of buildings broken only by sagebrush or golf greens.

“This is the lower Meadow Village,” Tag told him. “There is also the Mountain Village higher up the mountain where the ski resort is. You really have to see this place in the winter. It’s crazy busy around the holidays. There are a lot of second homes here so the residents fly in and spend a few weeks generally in the summer and the holidays. More and more people, though, are starting to live here year-round. There is opportunity here, Jackson.”

Jackson wanted to tell his brother that he didn’t need to sell him. He’d go along with whatever the others decided. In fact, he’d already spoken to Hayes about it. Once Hayes got on board, it was clear to Jackson that this was probably a done deal. The holdout, if there was one, would be Austin and only because he wouldn’t be available to sign off on the deal. Even Laramie sounded as if he thought the restaurant was a good idea.

“Where does Harlan live?” Jackson asked as they drove past mansions, condos and some tiny old cabins that must have been there before anyone even dreamed of a Big Sky. He had only a vague recollection of his father from those few times Harlan had visited Texas when he was growing up.

“He lives in one of those cabins back there, the older ones. We can stop by his place if you like. More than likely he and Uncle Angus are down at the Corral Bar. It’s their favorite watering hole. Maybe we could have a beer with them later.”

“I’m sure I’ll see him soon enough.” Harlan was a stranger who hadn’t even made Jackson’s wedding, not that the marriage had lasted long, anyway. But he felt no tie to the man who’d fathered him and doubted he ever would. It was only when he thought about Ford that he had regrets. It would have been nice for Ford to have a grandfather. His ex-wife’s family had no interest in Ford. So the only family his son had in Texas was Jackson’s mother, Rosalee Cardwell and his brother Laramie. Tag had already moved to Montana and Hayes would be moving here soon.

“I’m getting to know Dad,” Tag said. “He’s pretty remarkable.”

“Tell me about your wedding planner,” Jackson said, changing the subject then regretting the topic he’d picked when his brother grinned over at him. “I’m just curious about her.” He hadn’t told anyone about the cat or the terrified woman he’d found in the barn earlier. Her reaction seemed over the top given it had only been a cat. Though it had been a black one. Maybe she was superstitious.

“Allie’s great. Dana suggested her. That’s our Dana, always trying to help those in need. Allie lost her husband eight months ago. Terrible thing. He was hunting in the mountains and apparently killed by a grizzly bear.”

“Apparently?”

“They never found his body. They think the bear dragged the body off somewhere. Won’t be the first time remains have turned up years later in the mountains—if they turn up at all. They found his backpack and enough blood that he can be declared legally dead but I guess the insurance company has been dragging its feet.”

Jackson thought of Allie and her little girl, Nat. “How horrible for them.”

“Yeah, she’s been having a hard time both emotionally and financially according to Dana, who suggested her for our wedding planner because of it. But Lily loves Allie and, of course, Natalie. That little girl is so darned bright.”

“Yeah, Ford is definitely taken with her.” But his thoughts were on Allie and her reaction to the cat flying out of that box of wedding decorations. It must have scared her half out of her wits in the emotional state she was in. “That was nice of Dana to hire her.”

“Allie worked as a wedding planner before she married Nick Taylor. Dana offered Allie and Nat one of the new guest ranch cabins where we’re staying. But I guess she thinks it would be better for Natalie to stay in their own home.”

“Where do Allie and her daughter live now?”

“An old cabin down by the river. I’ll show you on the way back.” Tag swung into a small complex and turned off the engine. “Welcome to the site of the next Texas Boys Barbecue joint.”

* * *

“I THOUGHT YOU had a job,” Mildred said to Allie over the sound of brass horns playing cantina music at the Mexican café.

“They allow lunch breaks,” she said. “But I really need to get back.” She excused herself to go to the ladies’ room.

Mildred turned to Natalie, leaned down and pinched her cheek. “How is my sweetie today? Grandma misses you. When are you coming to my house?”

In the restroom, Allie splashed cold water on her face and tried to calm down. How much had they heard?

Enough that they had been looking at her strangely. Or was that all in her mind, as well? But if they heard Belinda trying to get her to see a psychic so she could reach Nick on the other side... Allie could well imagine what they would think.

She hurried, not wanting to leave Natalie with her grandmother for long. She hated it, but Mildred seemed to nag the child all the time about not spending enough time with her.

Leaving the restroom, she saw that Sarah and her mother hadn’t taken a seat. Instead, they were standing at the takeout counter. There was no avoiding talking to them again.

“I couldn’t help but overhear your...friend suggesting you see a...psychic?” Mother Taylor said, leaving no doubt that they had been listening. “Surely she meant a psychiatrist, which indicates that you are still having those hallucinations.” She quirked an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

“Belinda was only joking. I’m feeling much better, thank you.”

Mildred’s expression said she wasn’t buying a minute of it. “Sarah, I left my sweater in the car.”

“I’ll get it, Mother.” Sarah turned and headed for their vehicle parked out front.

“How is this...job of yours going?” Mildred asked. “I’ve never understood what wedding planners do.”

Allie had actually told her once, listing about fifty things she did but Mildred clearly hadn’t been listening.

“I’ll have to tell you sometime,” she said now. “But I need to get back to it. Come on, Natalie.”

“You should let me have her for the rest of the day,” Mildred said. “In fact, she can spend the night at my house.”

“I’m sorry, but Natalie is getting horseback riding lessons this afternoon,” Allie lied. “She’s having a wonderful time with Dana’s children.”

“Well, she can still—”

“Not only that, I also prefer to have Nat with me right now. It’s hard enough without Nick.” Another lie followed by the biggest truth of all, “I need my daughter right now.”

Mildred looked surprised. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you mention my Nicky in months.” She seemed about to cry. Sarah returned with her sweater, slipping it around her shoulders without even a thank-you from Mildred.

Nearby, Belinda was finishing up their bill.

“I really should get back to work.” Allie tried to step past her mother-in-law, but the older woman grabbed her arm. “I worry that you are ill-equipped to take care of yourself, let alone a child. I need Natalie more than you do. I—”

Allie jerked her arm free. “Natalie would be heartbroken if she was late to her horseback riding lesson.” She hurried to her daughter, picked up her purse off the table and, taking Nat’s hand, left the restaurant, trying hard not to run.

She told herself to calm down. Any sign of her being upset and her in-laws would view it as her being unable to take care of Nat. But all she wanted was to get away and as quickly as possible.

But as she and Nat reached her van and she dug in her purse for her keys, she realized they weren’t there. Her heart began to pound. Since Nick’s death, she was constantly losing her keys, her purse, her sunglasses...her mind.

“Forgetfulness is very common after a traumatic event,” the doctor had told her when she’d gotten an appointment at her in-laws’ insistence.

“It scares me. I try to remind myself where I put things so this doesn’t happen, but when I go back to get whatever it was...I’m always so positive that’s where I left it. Instead, I find it in some...strange place I could never imagine.”

The doctor had chuckled and pulled out his prescription pad. “How are you sleeping?” He didn’t even wait for her to answer. “I think once you start sleeping through the night, you’re going to find that these instances of forgetfulness will go away.”

The pills had only made it worse, though, she thought now as she frantically searched for her van keys. She could feel Nat watching her, looking worried. Sometimes it felt as if her five-year-old was taking care of her instead of the other way around.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Mama just misplaced her keys. I’m sure they’re in here....”

“Looking for these?” The young waitress from the café came out the door, holding up her keys.

“Where did you find them?” Allie asked, thinking they must have fallen out of her purse at the table and ended up on the floor. That could happen to anyone.

“In the bathroom sink.”

Allie stared at her.

“You must have dropped them while you were washing your hands,” the young woman said with a shrug as she handed them over.

As if that was likely. She hadn’t even taken her purse to the restroom, had she? But she had it now and she couldn’t remember. She’d been so upset to see Sarah and Mildred.

“Nat, what was Grandmother saying to you in the restaurant?”

“She wanted me to go to her house but I told her I couldn’t. I’m going horseback riding when we get to the ranch,” Nat announced. “Dana is taking me and the other kids.” Her lower lip came out for a moment. “Grandma said she was really sad I wasn’t going with her.”

“Yes,” Allie said as, with trembling fingers, she opened the van door. Tears stung her eyes. “But today is a happy day so we aren’t going to be sad, right? There are lots of other days that you can spend with your grandmother.” Nat brightened as she strapped her into her seat.

Just a few more minutes and she and Nat would be out of here. But as she started the van, she looked up to find Mother Taylor watching her from beside Sarah’s pearl-white SUV. It was clear from her expression that she’d witnessed the lost-key episode.

From the front steps of the restaurant, Belinda waved then made the universal sign to telephone.

Allie knew Belinda didn’t mean call her. Reaching in her pocket, she half expected the psychic’s business card to be missing. But it was still there, she realized with sagging relief. As crazy as the idea of reaching Nick beyond the grave was, she’d do anything to make this stop.

* * *

WHEN ALLIE AND her daughter returned, Jackson was watching her from inside his cousin’s two-story ranch house.

“She lost her husband some months back,” Dana said, joining him at the window.

“I wasn’t—”

“He went up into the mountains during hunting season,” she continued, ignoring his attempt to deny he’d been wondering about Allie. “They found his backpack and his rifle and grizzly tracks.”

“Tag mentioned it.” Tag had pointed out Allie’s small, old cabin by the river on their way back to the ranch. It looked as if it needed work. Hadn’t Tag mentioned that her husband was in construction? “Tag said they never found her husband’s body.”

Dana shook her head. “But Nick’s backpack was shredded and his rifle was half-buried in the dirt with grizzly tracks all around it. When he didn’t show up after a few days and they had no luck finding him...”

“His remains will probably turn up someday,” Hud said as he came in from the kitchen. Dana’s husband, Hud, was the marshal in the canyon—just as his father had been before him. “About thirty years ago now, a hiker found a human skeleton of a man. He still hasn’t been identified so who knows how long he’d been out there in the mountains.”

“That must make it even harder for her,” Jackson said.

“It was one reason I was so glad when she decided to take the job as wedding planner.”

He watched Allie reappear to get a box out of the van. She seemed nervous, even upset. He wondered if something had happened at lunch. Now at least he understood why she had overreacted with the black cat.

Hud kissed his wife, saying he had to get back to work, leaving Dana and Jackson alone.

“Our fathers are setting up their equipment on the bandstand in the barn,” Dana said. “Have you seen Harlan yet?”

“No,” Jackson admitted. “Guess there is no time like the present, huh?”

Jackson hadn’t seen his father in several years, and even then Harlan hadn’t seemed to know how to act around him—or his other sons, for that matter. As they entered the barn, Tag joining them, he saw his father and uncle standing on the makeshift stage, guitars in their hands, and was surprised when he remembered a song his father had once sung to him.

He didn’t know how old he’d been at the time, but he recalled Harlan coming into his bedroom one night in Texas and playing a song on his guitar for him. He remembered being touched by the music and his father’s voice.

On stage, the two brothers began playing their guitars in earnest. His father began singing. It was the voice Jackson remembered and it was like being transported back to his childhood. It rattled him more than he wanted to admit. He’d thought he and his father had no connection. But just hearing Harlan sing made him realize that he’d been lying to himself about not only the lack of connection, but also his need for it.

Harlan suddenly broke off at the sight of his sons. He stared through the dim barn for a moment, then put down his guitar to bound off the stage and come toward Jackson. He seemed young and very handsome, belying his age, Jackson thought. A man in his prime.

“Jackson,” he said, holding out his hand. His father’s hand was large and strong, the skin dry, callused and warm. “Glad you made it. So where are the rest of your brothers?”

“They’re supposed to fly in tomorrow. At least Laramie and Hayes are,” Tag said. “Austin... Well, he said he would do his best to make it. He’s tied up on a case, but I’m sure you know how that goes.” At Christmas, Tag had found out what their father did besides drink beer and play guitar—and shared that amazing news with them. Both Harlan and his brother Angus had worked undercover as government agents and still might, even though they were reportedly retired.

“Duty calls sometimes,” Harlan agreed. “I’m glad I’m retired.”

“Until the next time someone gets into trouble and needs help,” Tag said.

Harlan merely smiled in answer.

Jackson was glad to see that his brother and their father could joke. Tag, being the oldest, remembered the years living in Montana and their father more than his brothers.

“The old man isn’t so bad,” Tag had told them after his visit at Christmas. “He’s starting to grow on me.”

Jackson had laughed, but he’d been a little jealous. He would love for his son to have a grandfather. He couldn’t imagine, though, how Harlan could be a part of his only grandson’s life, even if he wanted to. Texas and Montana were just too far apart. And Harlan probably had no interest, anyway.

“Where’s that bride-to-be?” Uncle Angus asked Tag as he hopped off the stage and came toward them.

“Last minute preparations for the wedding,” Tag said. “You can’t believe the lists she’s made. It’s the mathematician in her. She’s so much more organized than I am. Which reminds me, Jackson and I have to drive down to Bozeman to pick up the rings.”

“It took a wedding to get you Cardwell boys to Montana, I see.” Uncle Angus threw an arm around Jackson. “So how are you liking it up here? I saw that boy of yours. Dana’s got him riding horses already. You’re going to have one devil of a time getting him to go back to Texas after this.”

Didn’t Jackson know it. He’d hardly seen his son all day. Even now Ford had been too busy to give Jackson more than a quick wave from the corral where he’d been with the kids and the hired man, Walker.

“Ford is going to sleep like a baby tonight after all this fresh air, sunshine and high altitude,” Jackson said. “He’s not the only one,” he added with a laugh.

“It’s good for him,” Harlan said. “I was talking to him earlier. He’s taken with that little girl.”

“Like father like son,” Tag said under his breath as Allie came in from the back of the barn.

Jackson saw her expression. “I think I’d better go check on my son,” he said as he walked toward Allie. He didn’t have time to think about what he was about to do. He moved to her, taking her arm and leading her back out of the barn. “What’s wrong?”

For a moment she looked as if she were going to deny anything was. But then tears filled her eyes. He walked her around the far side of the barn. He could hear Dana out by the corral instructing the kids in horseback riding lessons. Inside the barn, his father and uncle struck up another tune.

“It’s nothing, really,” she said and brushed at her tears. “I’ve been so forgetful lately. I didn’t remember that the band would be setting up this afternoon.”

He saw that she held a date book in her trembling hand.

“It wasn’t written down in your date book?”

She glanced at her book. “It was but for some reason I marked it out.”

“No big deal, right?”

“It’s just that I don’t remember doing it.”

He could see that she was still upset and wondered if there wasn’t something more going on. He reminded himself that Allie had lost her husband only months ago. Who knew what kind of emotional roller coaster that had left her on.

“You need to cut yourself more slack,” he said. “We all forget things.”

She nodded, but he could see she was still worried. No, not worried, scared. He thought of the black cat and had a feeling it hadn’t been her first scare like that.

“I feel like such a fool,” she said.

Instinctively, he put his arm around her. “Give yourself time. It’s going to be all right.”

She looked so forlorn that taking her in his arms seemed not only the natural thing to do at that moment, but the only thing to do under the circumstances. At first she felt board-stiff in his arms, then after a moment she seemed to melt into him. She buried her face into his chest as if he were an anchor in a fierce storm.

Suddenly, she broke the embrace and stepped back. He followed her gaze to one of the cabins on the mountainside behind him and the man standing there.

“Who is that?” he asked, instantly put off by the scowling man.

“My brother-in-law, Drew. He’s doing some repairs on the ranch. He and Nick owned a construction company together. They built the guest cabins.”

The man’s scowl had turned into a cold stare. Jackson saw Allie’s reaction. “We weren’t doing anything wrong.”

She shook her head as the man headed down the mountainside to his pickup parked in the pines. “He’s just very protective.” Allie looked as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders again.

Jackson watched her brother-in-law slowly drive out of the ranch. Allie wasn’t the only one the man was glaring at.

“I need to get back inside,” she said and turned away.

He wanted to go after her. He also wanted to put his fist into her brother-in-law’s face. Protective my butt, he thought. He wanted to tell Allie to ignore all of it. Wanted... Hell, that was just it. He didn’t know what he wanted at the moment. Even if he did, he couldn’t have it. He warned himself to stay away from Allie Taylor. Far away. He was only here for the wedding. While he felt for the woman, he couldn’t help her.

“There you are,” Tag said as he came up behind them. “Ready to go with me to Bozeman to get the rings?”

Jackson glanced toward the barn door Allie was stepping through. “Ready.”