Читать книгу Montana Wrangler - Charlotte Carter - Страница 10

Chapter Two

Paige pushed back her chair. “I’d better go after him.”

“No, I’ll go.” Jay stood, yanking Bryan’s chair upright again. His brows and mouth drew into a disapproving scowl. “You and Henry need to talk.” Grabbing his hat on the way, Jay went out the back door. The screen slammed behind him.

She exhaled. Someone really needed to fix that door.

Turning to her grandfather, Paige shook her head. “Why on earth did Krissy want me to raise her son? She and I have never been close. I hardly know Bryan, or even his likes and dislikes. It seems to me you should be Bryan’s guardian. You and Grandma took care of him from the time he was born.” More so than Krissy ever had, Paige suspected.

“Me and Krissy talked a lot about what to do if something happened to her. Since your folks were gone, we are the only blood relatives around.”

Paige had been stunned when her parents had sold the hardware store and moved to Arizona. Competition from big-box stores had finally driven them out of business. It turned out that decision, followed by a high-speed car crash, had been a fatal one.

“Thing is, I’m getting old,” Grandpa continued. “I don’t have many years left. We both figured I might not be around long enough to see the boy through to being a man.”

Her heart lurched. “Are you ill?”

“No, child, not that I know about anyway. And the truth is, Krissy loved you more than you might’ve realized.” He took her hand, and she felt him tremble.

“I love...loved Krissy, too, Grandpa. We’re sisters.” An ache rose in her chest. “But I didn’t really know her. How could I? We haven’t lived under the same roof for more than a dozen years.”

“I know this isn’t something you expected. ’Course, Krissy didn’t exactly expect to die young either, I don’t suppose. But she was clear about her wishes. I told her she ought to talk to you. See if raising her boy the rest of the way would be all right with you.”

“That would have at least given me some warning.” Talk about being blindsided. This was as bad as a thousand good ol’ boys in funny hats showing up at the hotel registration desk for a Shriners’ convention that wasn’t on her calendar.

If Krissy had asked, Paige would have told her right off that she wasn’t prepared to be any child’s parent. Certainly not a boy on the cusp of adolescence.

“I reckon she was afraid you’d say no,” Grandpa said.

“I would have, Grandpa.” That admission brought the heat of guilt to her cheeks. What kind of a rotten aunt did that make her? “What do I know about raising a boy? A boy who’s about to be a teenager? I can’t even imagine how I’d manage. And he sure wasn’t keen on the idea. You saw that.”

He sipped his coffee, then took a bite of a chocolate-chip cookie. “He’ll adjust to the idea, given enough time.”

“The way he acted, we’ll both be old and decrepit before he’s thrilled with the idea of me being his guardian. I’m practically a stranger to him.” Granted, she should have tried harder to get to know him. But given her life, her goals, she’d have to make huge adjustments in order to do a decent job of raising him. And Bryan would have to leave everything and everyone who was familiar to him. What in the world had Krissy been thinking?

“In those papers I gave you, there’s a letter from Krissy. There’s probably no law that says you have to take on the boy. But maybe there’s something in there that’ll make you change your mind.”

Paige sincerely doubted it. But could she actually walk away from her responsibility to Bryan, her only nephew, however ill-advised Krissy’s wishes might be?

* * *

Finding Bryan right where he’d expected, Jay leaned over the railing of Bright Star’s stall. A palomino gelding with a blaze on his forehead, the horse had been Bryan’s personal mount and his responsibility since the boy’s ninth birthday.

Archie, a border collie mix that hung around the stable, rested her nose on Bryan’s thigh as though she sensed the boy’s distress and wanted to help. Oddly enough, when the dog had shown up a year or so ago, Bryan had started calling her Archie before he realized the dog was a girl. The name had stuck.

“You okay?” Jay asked.

Bryan lifted his head, his eyes red rimmed. He wiped his nose with his forearm. “What’s all this stuff about her being my guardian?”

Jay wondered about that, too. Paige Barclay seemed the least likely person he knew to take on a half-grown kid. She hadn’t looked too happy about the idea, either. Which couldn’t have made Bryan feel any better.

“Guess your mom wanted to be sure you had somebody to look after you.”

“Not Aunt Paige!” He tossed aside a bit of straw he’d been chewing. “She’s weird. She dresses prissy and doesn’t even know how to ride a horse.”

Jay wouldn’t call the way Paige dressed prissy. More like citified and fancier than folks around Bear Lake dressed, that was for sure, but nice. Appealing to a man’s eye.

“Lots of people don’t know how to ride,” Jay said. Krissy had made a few snide comments about Paige’s disinterest in horses. So why had she chosen her sister to be her son’s guardian? A kid who lived and breathed horses? Made no sense.

“Why can’t Grandpa be my guardian?” Bryan scratched Archie between her ears and got a lick of thanks in return.

“Your mom must’ve had her reasons.” Jay couldn’t figure out what they were. But then, he’d never figured out what Krissy was all about, either. “Maybe she thought Henry was too old.”

“I know what we can do.” The boy pushed Archie away and jumped to his feet. “You can take care of me. You’re not too old.”

Jay did a double take. His heart pounded in his ears. Him? The boy’s guardian? Would that make sense?

“I’m not a blood relative, Bryan.”

“What difference does that make? You like me, don’t you?”

The boy’s agitation and raised voice caused Bright Star to shift away from him. Bryan patted the horse’s rump to reassure him.

“Yeah, I like you fine. But it’s your mom’s decision, not mine.”

“Don’t I get a say? I mean, isn’t there somebody I can tell that I don’t want prissy ol’ Aunt Paige? They can’t make me go off with her, can they?”

“I don’t know, son.” Jay had no idea what the law was about guardianship, but it did seem like Bryan was old enough to speak his mind to a judge or somebody like that. “Tell you what, there’s no reason to panic. Your aunt looked as surprised as you were about your mom’s request. Let’s give it some time, see how everything shakes out.”

“I can tell you one thing.” Bryan stuck out his chin like a prizefighter challenging his opponent. “For sure I’m not moving to Seattle, if that’s what she or anybody else decides. I’m staying right here with you and Grandpa and Bright Star.”

Jay wasn’t sure Bryan would have a choice, but he sympathized with the kid’s situation. The boy’s life was bound to change after his mother had tried to jump a gully that was too wide for the horse to make. She should’ve known better.

Even if Paige wasn’t scared spitless of horses, he sensed she wouldn’t ever do something that foolhardy.

* * *

A tear dropped on the letter Krissy had written to Paige. She’d brought the envelope with the letter to the room which had once been Grandma Lisbeth’s sewing room. Now it served as a guest room with a narrow daybed.

Her fingers shook as she reread portions of Krissy’s final message.

“I always wanted to be like you,” Krissy had written in her swirling, overly dramatic handwriting.

You were so perfect, never getting into trouble like I did. Even when I tried to be good, I messed up. Like the time I dumped all the nails in one bin at the store because I thought that would look neater.

I thought Mom and Dad would love me more if I did something good for a change like you did all the time.

Paige pressed her lips together and her chin trembled as she remembered how furious their father had been. Poor Krissy hadn’t realized nails came in different sizes and were separated for a reason. Neither their mother nor father had given Krissy credit for trying.

Paige had done as usual and made herself invisible in the back room. Why in the world hadn’t she helped Krissy?

Because you were a coward! You didn’t want your parents to be angry with you.

Finally, as time passed, Paige had realized that Krissy had stopped trying.

Paige sniffed and wiped away her tears. “I’m so sorry, Krissy,” she whispered. “I should’ve helped you. I should’ve been a better sister.”

Blinking, Paige continued reading the letter.

I know I used to drive you crazy by following you around. But I wanted to see how you did it, how you never seemed to get into trouble.

That’s what I want for Bryan. I haven’t been a real good mom, but I love my son more than I can ever say.

It just seems like I always want to see what’s around the next bend in the trail, thinking maybe I’ll find the answer I’m looking for somewhere out there. Fact is, I’ve never figured out what the right question is.

If you’re reading this, it means I took a wrong trail and now Bryan really needs you. He needs your stability, the way you have your head on straight, your ambition and your goodness.

I couldn’t give him those things. I don’t know how. But you can. Please, Paige, take care of my son for me. I love him more than anything in the world.

I love you, too.

I know Mom and Dad would want you to do this.

Kristine

Paige gulped down a whole bucket of guilt.

Mom and Dad would want you to do this.

She blew her nose and wiped her eyes. She slipped the letter back into the envelope, which also contained a copy of Krissy’s handwritten will, Bryan’s birth certificate and a record of his vaccinations up to three years ago.

She’d failed her sister. Like their parents, she’d ignored Krissy’s efforts to fit in, to be loved despite the fact she sometimes messed up.

Leaving the envelope on the daybed, she stepped outside onto the side porch from the sewing room.

Her grandfather owned sixty or seventy acres of land, most of it undeveloped. Paige had only explored a small portion as a child.

In the late afternoon rays of sunlight, the new needles on the pine and fir trees glistened bright green. Aspen trees down by the lake, which had shed their leaves for the winter, with the arrival of spring shimmered iridescent flashes of green in the light breeze. Not far away, Paige could hear Moccasin Creek flowing with snowmelt from the mountains that rose above Bear Lake.

Springtime was a wonderful time to be alive and a lousy time to die.

Tears sprang to her eyes again, and her vision blurred. “Why didn’t you tell me all this when you were alive?”

Paige would have tried harder to get to know Krissy. Understand her.

A painful laugh broke from her throat. What a joke! Krissy had recently celebrated her twenty-seventh birthday. Paige had had all that time to help her little sister and she’d done squat.

Now she had a second chance. With Bryan. If he’d let her try.

* * *

It was nearly dark and Grandpa was sleeping in his recliner when Bryan finally came in the house. He marched right past Paige, who was sitting on the couch reading, and went to his room. He slammed the door.

Patience, Paige. The youngster was facing a big change in his life. Little wonder he was upset.

Grandpa mumbled something and went right back to sleep.

Sighing, Paige got up and walked down the hall. She knocked softly on Bryan’s door. “It’s me. Can I come in?”

“Go away!”

“I think we ought to talk, Bryan. This is all new to me, too.”

Her plea was met with silence.

“Could I at least give you a hug? I know you miss your mother.” She’d hugged Bryan when she had arrived yesterday, but his response had felt more perfunctory than loving. Understandable given the situation and the fact that she hadn’t seen him in months.

She heard what sounded like a boot dropping to the floor in Bryan’s room. A moment later, the other boot followed the first.

“Your mother loved you very much,” she said to the closed door. “When she picked me to be your guardian, she thought it was the right thing to do.” Paige intended to follow her sister’s wishes as best she could. “Please, it won’t hurt to talk, will it? I’m sure we can work things out together.” That, at least, was her prayer.

The knotty-pine door remained firmly closed, the boy’s displeasure radiating through the wooden barrier without the need for words.

Paige hated confrontations. She had since she’d been a child. Although she’d learned how to deal with difficult situations in her position at the hotel, she didn’t think now was the time to push her luck. She’d let Bryan sleep tonight. Hopefully he’d be better able to listen and understand the situation in the morning.

Returning to the living room, she stood looking at her grandfather. There were definite signs of aging. He didn’t move as fast as he used to and she’d noticed he’d become breathless walking into the church for the funeral service. She feared the difficulty was more than the stress of losing his granddaughter.

Maybe Krissy had been right not to rely on their grandfather to see Bryan into adulthood. As much as Grandpa loved the boy, and Bryan loved him, the court might not even accept Grandpa as a viable candidate for guardian.

Too restless to read, and with no interest in checking what might be on the television, Paige decided to step outside for a breath of air and clear her head.

She retrieved her jacket from the sewing room and went out onto the front porch.

The spring air had a snap to it. She stepped off the porch and wrapped her arms around herself. The stars in the darkening sky twinkled in the clear air, a view rarely seen in Seattle. As she watched, more and more stars began to appear, each one filling its special place in the heavens.

Where was her special place? She’d dreamed of living in European capitals, caught up in their history and culture. In college she’d taken both French and German to help her achieve her goal. For the past three years, she’d used her vacation time to visit Elite Hotel properties overseas, immersing herself in the ambience, making contacts, planning her future.

In the course of one day, her future had taken a sharp turn and now included the welfare of a twelve-year-old boy.

* * *

As he headed to the barn for his last check on the horses for the night, Jay spotted Paige gazing at the stars. Cast in the faint rays of starlight, she looked vulnerable. Not the corporate executive who had shown up for her sister’s funeral yesterday. More approachable. More appealing and not so standoffish.

Even though he knew it wasn’t wise to test how welcoming she might be, he strolled toward her.

“How about a nickel for your thoughts?” he asked.

She started then glanced in his direction. “Is it part of your Native American thing to be able to sneak up on people?”

“Nope. My Scottish ancestors used to slip into English castles and make off with barrels of whiskey without making a sound.”

The trill of her soft laughter tickled down Jay’s spine. He hadn’t responded to a woman’s voice so strongly for a very long time.

“I gather they were well motivated,” she said.

“According to the stories my great-grandfather told, fooling the British was a mark of honor in the old days.”

She nodded before looking up at the sky again.

“So have you decided what to do about Bryan?” he asked.

“Krissy wanted me to be his guardian. I owe her that and more. I have to respect my sister’s last wish.”

Jay balled his hands into fists. That might have been Krissy’s wish, but it sure wasn’t Bryan’s. “You’re going to move him to Seattle?”

“That’s where I live. Where my job is.”

“Just curious, but how many horses do you own there in Seattle?”

“None, thank goodness! I live in a condo.”

He pictured shoulder-to-shoulder apartments with no room to breathe, and he shuddered as much for himself as for the boy. “So there’s a stable nearby where Bryan can board his horse?”

“Not that I know of. But Bryan won’t need a horse in Seattle.”

Jay moved a little closer and lowered his voice in frustration. “Miss Barclay, horses are that boy’s life. He lives and breathes for the chance to ride the trails in the mountains. Spot a bear. Or a mountain lion. Being able to see to a horizon that’s farther away than the building across the street.”

She straightened her shoulders. “The city has all kinds of advantages he doesn’t have here. He’ll be able to go to museums, art galleries, hear a symphony orchestra. He can learn to sail on the Sound. Play any sport he likes. It’s a wonderful place to live.”

His jaw was going to crack, he was biting down so hard not to tell Miss Barclay exactly what he thought of that kind of life for Bryan. “You don’t know a thing about raising a boy, do you?”

She backed up a step. “No, but I’m perfectly capable of learning.”

Pacing away from her, Jay struggled to keep calm. Krissy might have been reckless, but her sister was downright stubborn.

He circled back to her and got inside her personal space. “You’re going to take Bryan away from all that he knows and loves and stick him in some condo with neighbors close enough to hear them brush their teeth?” Jay couldn’t imagine any worse way to live, cooped up inside a building where he couldn’t smell the sweet scent of spring or the biting cold of a real winter.

Not budging an inch, she planted her fists on her hips, showing more spunk than Jay thought she had. If she were a couple inches taller, she’d be right in his face. In this case, that would be a bad thing. He might just kiss her, and wouldn’t that fry her beans?

“I know there will be adjustments we’ll both have to make, but that’s what Krissy wanted.”

“And precisely what adjustments are you going make? Take weekends off so you can be home with Bryan?” He was guessing. He didn’t know what her schedule was but he figured working at a hotel she had to work some crazy shifts.

Hooking her hand around the back of her neck, she hesitated. “I can’t do that. I’m the conference manager for the hotel. Most of the conferences are scheduled for—”

“Fine. Then Bryan’ll stay home alone. He’s old enough. Of course, he won’t know anyone except you. Hope you’ve got a lot of video games for him to play.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “All right, I haven’t worked out all the details yet. I just found out today—”

His jaw muscle twitched. “How big is your condo, Miss Barclay?”

“Will you stop calling me Miss Barclay?” she snapped. “My name is Paige, and I’m dealing with this guardian business the best I can.”

“Okay, Paige.” He shouldn’t be pressing her, but the thought of her dragging Bryan off to Seattle really stuck in his craw. “You didn’t answer my question about your condo.”

“It’s small, all right?”

“How small?” he demanded.

“One bedroom plus a home office,” she admitted grudgingly. “It will do until I can sell and buy a bigger one.”

“That ought to be cozy.” He snatched off his old work hat and speared his fingers through his hair. She seemed to honestly believe she could take on the responsibility for a twelve-year-old, move him hundreds of miles away from the only home he’d known and everything would work itself out. Not likely!

“It’s getting late.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the house. “I think I’ll go back inside. Good night.”

“Wait!” He didn’t want to stop sparring with her. Challenging her to think things through. He hadn’t yet convinced her taking on parental responsibilities for Bryan wasn’t such an easy thing to do. “When are you planning to leave?”

“Early Monday morning. I have to be at work Tuesday.” She took a few steps toward the porch.

“You’re taking Bryan with you?”

“I, um, I suppose so. I might not be able to get time off to come back.”

That was crazy. Jay had to stop her. “No, you can’t do that. You’re not officially his guardian until a court says so.”

She cocked her head. “I have Krissy’s letter. That gives me the authority—”

“He only has two more weeks of school before summer vacation. You can’t pull him out now. That would break his heart.”

“I can’t stay here for two more weeks. My boss would have a fit.” Her voice tightened. “We’ve got a big medical conference scheduled for next weekend.”

“If your boss is the right kind of guy, he’ll understand. Besides, two weeks will give Bryan time to get to know you and you to get to know him.” The lowered slope of her shoulders suggested he was finally getting through to her.

Hat in hand, he approached her slowly. “I understand you cared about your sister. And you care about Bryan, too. Give the boy a chance to know you, and yourself time to work out whatever steps you have to take to be his official legal guardian.”

She held his gaze in the starlight for a long moment as though she wanted to say something important. Instead, her jaw tightened. “I’ll think about it.” Whirling, she hurried up the steps and into the house.

Jay jammed his hat on his head. He wasn’t anything to Bryan except his friend. Grandpa Henry should be fighting on the boy’s side. Not going along with Krissy’s cockamamy idea of letting Paige raise her son.

So why was the idea of the boy moving away bugging him so much?

He thought of the son he’d lost, the tiny baby who had never drawn his first breath. The boy he’d dreamed of having. He’d planned to teach him how to ride. How to raise the best-bred quarter horses in the West. To live and work on the ranch he’d sold after Annie and the baby had died.

He’d wanted to teach his son to track animals through the woods. To hunt and fish.

But he’d never had the chance.

He scrubbed his face with his hand, remembering all of his dreams that had never come to pass. He hadn’t been able to bear the thought of remaining on the ranch after he’d lost Annie. Not with all the memories that haunted him.

Bryan wasn’t his own flesh and blood. But there were times, he admitted, when the kid looked at him with such—was it hero worship? Or could it be love? Despite himself, Jay had relished those moments.

However well-meaning Paige might be, he didn’t want her to take Bryan away.

And he had no idea how to stop her.