Читать книгу Texas Forever - Janet Dailey - Страница 10

CHAPTER FOUR

IT WAS MIDAFTERNOON ON FRIDAY WHEN A WHITE TOYOTA CAMRY with rental plates swung into the yard and pulled up below the porch. Rose had been waiting, watching through the front window. She’d kept in contact with Will over the years, but she and Beau had long since lost touch. What would he be like now—the sweet but fiercely independent young boy she remembered so well?

As the Camry came to a stop, she burst through the front door, crossed the porch, and raced down the steps. The sound of light, eager footsteps told her that Erin was close behind her. But Will had remained inside the house.

The driver’s side door opened. The man who stepped out, dressed in jeans and sneakers, was tall, with a lean runner’s build, light brown hair, and finely drawn features. Only when he smiled did Rose catch a glimpse of the young boy she remembered.

“Rose! I can’t believe it.” He opened his arms and twirled her off her feet as if she were a little girl, then set her down. “I was hoping you’d be here.”

“There was no way I wouldn’t have come,” Rose said. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“And Erin!” He caught her as she flung herself into his arms, then eased her away so he could look at her. “My stars, girl, where did the time go? You’re a grown woman!”

“I’ve missed you,” Erin said. “All of you.”

A pretty, dark-haired woman, visibly pregnant, was helping a child out of the backseat. “Rose, this is my wife, Natalie, and our daughter, April,” Beau said. “Natalie, I’ve told you about the lady who saved my life, and Will’s, when we got kidnapped by the drug cartel. Here she is, in person.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rose.” Natalie gave Rose her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you. I wish we had more time to get acquainted, but our flight is leaving early Sunday morning.”

“Why so soon?” Rose asked, although she suspected the reason. It was as she’d been made to understand—Beau and Will were barely on speaking terms.

“We’ve both got work commitments,” Beau said. “The DEA could only spare me for a couple of days, and Natalie has her veterinary practice.”

“But you’ll miss the burial,” Erin said. “We’ll be taking Jasper’s body to his old home in the Hill Country. If we leave Saturday, after the funeral, it’ll be dark when we get there, so we’ll need to take him the next morning—that’ll be Sunday.”

“I wish I’d known that,” Beau said. “But it’s too late to change our plans now. We’ve already booked our flight.”

“Well then,” Rose said, putting on a cheerful smile. “We’ll just have to make the most of the time we have, won’t we?”

Will had come out on the porch. He waited there, unsmiling, as Beau and his family climbed the steps, followed by Rose and by Erin with one of the suitcases. Tension, as heavy as water, seemed to thicken the air as the two brothers stood face to face. Then Will held out his hand and spoke.

“We’ve come together to mourn an old friend. Let’s not dishonor his memory with our differences.”

“Agreed.” Beau accepted the handshake.

“I figured you’d be hungry,” Will said. “We’ll be eating in an hour. That’ll give you time to rest and freshen up. Erin, will you show our guests to their rooms?”

Our guests? Will’s words struck Rose as odd. How could Beau be called a guest when he’d grown up in this house?

Rose was tired of second-guessing. When Beau and his family had gone to their rooms, and Erin hadn’t returned, she walked into the den, where Will was pouring himself a shot of Jack Daniel’s. “Can I get you a glass, Rose? It’s good stuff. Takes the edge off whatever’s troubling you.”

She shook her head. “I’ve found it doesn’t help much,” she said, “especially since what’s troubling me is you.”

He emptied the shot glass and poured another, his silence inviting her to explain.

“The most vivid memory I have of you and Beau,” she said, “is the two of you running away from those drug dealers, to your dad. I see your hand, hanging on to your little brother’s, so tightly, as if nothing in the world could make you let go.”

“That was a long time ago,” Will said.

“Erin told me that you’d bought out Beau’s share of the ranch,” Rose said. “But what happened between the two of you, Will? I need to understand.”

Will exhaled. “I guess I owe you that much. But you won’t be surprised.” He took another sip of whiskey. “Beau never really wanted to take responsibility for his share of the ranch. Oh, he’d come home on and off. He’d make a show of trying to work the ranch with me. But being number two never set well with him. He likes that fancy government job, and the DC lifestyle. I think his wife likes it, too, especially things like having their little girl in that snooty private school.”

Will put the glass down on the bar and walked to the window, gazing out at a dust devil whirling across the yard. “Whole damned ranch is blowing away,” he muttered.

“So how long ago did Beau leave?” Rose asked.

“Three years. We had a blowup that ended everything. He announced that he had an offer to take his old job back at a higher level and salary. I told him it wasn’t fair for him to own half the ranch while I did all the work to run it. He pretty much told me that I could take the ranch and go to hell. He wanted nothing more to do with it, or me.

“As things got even nastier, it became clear that the only way to settle things was for me to get a loan and buy out his share. I didn’t want to do it, Rose. I knew it would be a hardship, and that it would put the ranch at risk. But Beau wouldn’t back down. When he signed over the deed and I handed him that big check, I told him I wouldn’t care if I never saw him again. And I didn’t see him—until today.”

“I take it you called him about Jasper.”

Will nodded. “It was hard. I almost asked Erin to do it. But I figured that would be the coward’s way out. And I knew he loved Jasper. We all did.”

“At least the ranch is all yours,” Rose said.

“Only if I can hang on to it. When I took out that mortgage, the ranch was in good shape. We’d had plenty of rain, plenty of graze, and beef prices were up. Even then it wasn’t easy to come up with the payments on the loan. But now . . .” Will’s shoulders sagged. “We haven’t had a decent rain in a year. The whole damn county is blowing away. And with everybody selling off their cattle early, the prices are down.”

Will stared out the window for the space of a long breath. “The way things are going, I won’t have enough cash to pay the bank this fall.”

“Beau’s got money. Can’t he help you out?” Rose asked.

Will shook his head. “The money he got for the ranch is tied up in his house and in the clinic he built for his wife’s practice. Even if I thought he might help, I’d rather cut off my arm than ask him. That would mean reneging on the deal we made, something I’ve never done in my life.”

“What about Erin? Does she know?”

“Not yet,” Will said. “I’m still waiting for the right time to tell her. She needs to be prepared, but it’ll break her heart. Chances are, unless some miracle happens, we’re going to lose the Rimrock.”

* * *

Jasper had never been a churchgoing man. But with a crowd expected and no way to hold a funeral outdoors in the dust and heat, the local community church was the only option.

Erin, in the blue dress she’d bought for her high school graduation, sat in the front pew between Will and Beau. She could sense the cold resentment flowing between the brothers, making her feel like some sort of safety barricade, placed there to protect them from sniping at each other.

Her mother’s funeral was painfully fresh in her mind, as it would surely be in Will’s. Erin remembered the service in the same church, the spring bluebonnets on her mother’s casket. She remembered sitting exactly where she was sitting now, clasping her father’s hand until her knuckles ached. Beau and his family had been in Europe at the time, so they hadn’t been here. In Will’s book, Beau’s absence had been just one more strike against his brother.

Beau’s wife and daughter filled out the pew on his right. April, a sweet, sunny six-year-old, looked like a miniature of her dark-haired mother. She sat with her hands folded in her lap like the little lady she was. Rose occupied the spot on Will’s left, with Sky, his wife Lauren, and their three lively youngsters taking up the pew behind them.

The rest of the seats were filled with friends, neighbors, and cowhands who had worked with Jasper. Glancing back, Erin caught sight of Kyle, sitting with his mother. She forced herself to put him out of her mind. Today wasn’t about him or their relationship. Today was about honoring the end of a life.

Jasper’s casket, a plain pine box adorned with an arrangement of wildflowers, golden chamisa, and sage, spoke of the man who lay inside—honest, brave, wise, funny, and kind to the bone. The pallbearers—Will, Beau, Sky, and three long-time ranch hands—had carried the casket into the church. Now it sat on its stand in front of Erin, so close that she could have reached out and touched it. Jasper had always been there for her, to offer support and unconditional love. It was still sinking in that the man who’d been a vital part of her whole life was gone.

Now, with so many decisions to make and challenges to face, she needed his salty wisdom. What would he say to her about Kyle if he were here? What would he advise her about getting married? But she would never know the answer to those questions. She would never hear Jasper’s voice again.

* * *

The service was mercifully short. When it was over, Rose walked with Will and Erin to the car for the drive back to the Rimrock. There, a feast of donated casseroles, salads, breads, and desserts would be laid out on the buffet table in the great room for folks who’d come to pay their respects to Jasper’s ranch family.

As she waited for Will to climb into the car, she watched people coming out of the church to their vehicles. Not far away, Sky Fletcher was loading his attractive family into their SUV. Rose had yet to be introduced to Sky, but she’d recognized him on sight. Half Comanche and half Bull Tyler, with sharp cheekbones and riveting blue eyes, the foreman of the Rimrock was unmistakable. His wife was, as Will had described her, a stunning woman. Tall and willowy, with cinnamon hair and a model’s elegant carriage, she was busy strapping her three young children into the backseat of the vehicle. It was hard to believe she was Garn Prescott’s daughter. Maybe they would get a chance to talk at the house.

As Will drove out of the parking lot and swung the car onto the main road out of town, Rose settled back against the seat.

Tomorrow she would make the long, sad drive with Will, Erin, and Sky to the church cemetery in the Hill Country. By the time they arrived, with the casket lovingly cushioned in the bed of Will’s truck, the sexton would have dug the grave in the spot Jasper had reserved for himself when he’d buried his sweetheart so many years ago. By the time they got back to the Rimrock, it would be dark.

And then what? Rose asked herself. She hadn’t booked a return flight to Wyoming because she hadn’t known how long she would be staying here. She still didn’t know. But something told her it might be a while. She still had the issue of her neglected property to resolve. But there was more.

Sitting with her in the cab of the truck were two people she’d come to care about—a troubled man and a young woman on the cusp of adult life. Both of them were grieving. Both of them were facing loss. Maybe she needed to be here for them, to lend her support and pass on what little wisdom she’d gained over the years.

Maybe this was where Jasper, her oldest and dearest friend, would have wanted her to be.

* * *

Erin had offered to help Carmen with the buffet. As the guests streamed into the great room, she busied herself filling the glass pitchers with iced sweet tea, making sure the casseroles and salads had serving utensils, and checking the supply of paper plates, cups, and napkins.

Kyle and his mother had arrived together. There was no sign of Kyle’s father. Not that Erin cared, since she’d never liked the man. Hunter Cardwell struck her as bossy and self-important, and he treated his poor wife as if he owned her.

If she married Kyle, the Cardwells would be her in-laws, she reminded herself. But right now she had other things on her mind. Ignoring Kyle’s attempt to catch her eye, she hurried back to the kitchen.

After the first rush of guests, the traffic around the buffet table had slowed. For now, everything appeared to be under control. After telling Carmen she’d return to help clean up, Erin wandered back into the great room.

She could see Will standing next to the tall river-stone fireplace, greeting the guests who came by. Kyle and his mother were talking to him now. Vivian Cardwell was clasping Will’s big hand between her palms. Her eyes gazed up at him almost tearfully as she offered her condolences. Kyle was shifting restlessly, looking around the room, probably for her, Erin thought. But after his caveman behavior, she wasn’t ready to be with him again—not until she was sure he’d learned his lesson.

“Need a break?” The voice at her shoulder was Beau’s.

Erin had been hoping to talk with her uncle while he was here. Grateful for the chance, she gave him a conspiratorial nod. “Out the back,” she said.

Like two schoolchildren playing hooky, they cut through the kitchen, slipped out the back door, and headed across the graveled yard to the horse pastures. Beau had always been Erin’s favorite relative. She was happy just to be with him. But she also had some serious issues to bring up.

The sun was blazing hot. Erin tugged away the ribbon that tied back her hair, letting the light breeze cool the sweat-dampened roots. Beau had taken off his jacket and slung it over his arm.

“Congratulations on the new little one,” she said. “Boy or girl?”

“It’s a boy. We just found out. But this trip has worn Natalie out. I talked her into lying down with April for a bit. With luck they’ll both get in a nice nap.” His eyes followed the flight of a circling hawk. “I never got a chance to tell you how sorry I was about your mother. Tori and I were best friends growing up. And then I couldn’t even make it to her funeral.”

“It all happened so fast,” Erin said. “I understood why you couldn’t come, but I can’t say that Dad did.”

“That’s just one more thing he’ll hold against me. But I’m worried about Will, Erin. He doesn’t look good.”

“I’m worried about him, too,” Erin said. “Losing Mom almost killed him. And now Jasper. He’s reeling under the weight of it all. To make matters worse, he blames himself for Jasper’s death.”

“That doesn’t make sense. The old man was ninety-three. He probably had a stroke or heart attack and ran that ATV into a wash. At least that’s what I heard. You could say that he shouldn’t have been out there alone in the first place, but nobody ever told Jasper what he couldn’t do.”

“Maybe so. But Dad’s beating himself up because he didn’t check on Jasper the night before and send out a search party right away.” Erin brushed a lock of windblown hair out of her eyes. “The sheriff took a quick look and ruled Jasper’s death an accident. But I’m not satisfied with that. What if somebody killed him, Beau?”

“Crazier things have happened on this ranch.”

“After the burial’s done, I plan to do some investigating on my own. I owe it to Dad—and to Jasper—to find out what really happened.”

“If I were going to be here longer, I’d help you,” Beau said. “As it is, feel free to call me about what you find out. At least I might be able to give you some suggestions.”

“Thanks, I was hoping you’d say that.”

They were passing the windmill when the sharp ring of metal on metal reached their ears. Beau gave Erin a questioning look.

“That’s the farrier Dad hired. He claims the work will pay for itself in time saved by the cowboys and in the condition of the horses. I argued against the expense, and I still have my doubts. But at least the man—Maddox is his name—seems to know what he’s doing. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

The largest pen was covered at one end by an open shed. In its shade, Luke Maddox was shoeing a brown and white gelding with Appaloosa markings. More horses drowsed nearby as Luke, with his back to the fence, shaped a shoe on the anvil he’d set up. Even in the shade, the heat was oppressive. Luke had tossed aside his shirt. Perspiration gleamed like bronze on his muscular torso. As he raised his hammer, a picture from her school days flashed through Erin’s memory—the Roman god Vulcan standing over his forge, virile and powerful. Vulcan in blue jeans she titled the image in her mind. Luke would probably laugh at her if he knew what she was thinking.

What would it be like, hearing him laugh?

Luke’s attention had been focused on the horseshoe he was shaping. As Erin and Beau came to the fence, he glanced up. A questioning look flashed in his eyes. He straightened, lowering the hammer to his side. What the hell are you doing here? his expression seemed to say.

“Luke, I’d like you to meet my uncle, Beau Tyler,” Erin said, making the introductions. “Beau, I’ve already told you about Luke Maddox.”

Beau extended a hand over the fence. Luke held up a work-stained hand and shook his head. “You won’t want to shake hands with me, Mr. Tyler. Not unless you want to smell like horse. I never knew Will had a brother.”

“I live in DC. I only came for the funeral,” Beau said.

“DC? You’re a government man?”

“That’s right. DEA.” Beau’s gaze shifted to the horseshoe on the anvil. “I’ve never seen a farrier work. You don’t use a forge?”

Luke shook his head. “Cold shoeing’s a lot more common these days. These steel shoes can be bought to size and hammered into the exact shape the horse needs. I have a forge, but I only use it for custom work. On a scorcher like today, that suits me fine.” He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “You’re welcome to watch. I don’t mind questions as long as I can talk and work at the same time.”

“There’s plenty of food in the house,” Erin said. “Could we bring you a plate?”

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine.” He inspected the shoe. Then he moved to the horse’s side, lifted one front foot and braced it against the leather apron. Positioning the shoe, he hammered two small nails into the outer rim of the hoof, checked again, then hammered two more. The horse stood calmly, in complete trust of this powerful, gentle man.

“I could watch you all day,” Beau said. “But I’d better get back and make sure my wife isn’t looking for me. Nice to meet you, Maddox.”

Luke was snubbing off the nail points where they came up through the hoof. He looked up with a murmured acknowledgment as Beau and Erin turned away.

“Not exactly a warm, fuzzy sort, is he?” Beau said when they were out of Luke’s hearing. “How much do you know about the man? Where’d he come from?”

“I have no idea,” Erin said. “Dad found him on another ranch and hired him to come here. The only thing I’ve heard him talk about is work.” Except for when he told me not to come around him without a blasted chaperone.

“As Jasper would say, the man plays his cards close to his vest.”

“Yes, that’s what Jasper would say.” Erin fought back her welling emotion. “Oh, Beau, we’re going to miss him so much. The ranch won’t be the same without him.”

“I know,” Beau said. “And looking around at the drought, I can tell this is a tough time for the Rimrock. I never meant to put Will in such a bind. I thought we were making a fair deal when I asked him to buy me out.”

“We’d have been all right if the weather and the market hadn’t changed.”

Beau sighed. “Will won’t even talk to me about the ranch troubles. I feel bad for the bind I’ve put him in. I’d even be willing to help out with some cash if he’d ask me.”

“He won’t ask,” Erin said. “He’s got the Bull Tyler pride.”

They were nearing the house. Beau stopped short of the back door. “There’s one person you haven’t told me about,” he said.

“Who’s that?” Erin asked.

“It’s you. I see you looking after everyone and everything around here. But who’s looking after Erin Tyler?”

“I’m nineteen. I don’t need looking after.”

“Not even by yourself? You’re pretty and smart and have your whole life ahead of you. You could be having fun, maybe going to college or seeing the world.”

“I could. But how could I leave my dad alone to manage the ranch, especially now? This is where I need to be—where I want to be. It’s my home.”

“But what about your personal life? Surely you’ll want to get married and have a family.”

She gave him a frown. “I do have a boyfriend. He’s even proposed.”

“Did you say yes?” Beau asked.

“I said it was too soon.”

“Do you love him, Erin?”

The question shook her. “I’m not even sure I know what love is.”

“Well, make sure you do before you say yes.”

“I’m not a fool,” Erin said.

“No, but you’re young and you have a lot to learn. Don’t be in a hurry. Call me if you want to talk.”

Erin didn’t answer. They had reached the back door. Through the screen, she could see people in the kitchen, putting paper plates in the trash. She’d been glad for the chance to talk with Beau. But she couldn’t help feeling a vague sense of disloyalty to her father. Beau had invited her to call him. But it wasn’t going to happen. Not if it might distress Will.

As she helped herself to leftovers on the buffet table, she looked around for Kyle and his mother. They were nowhere to be seen. A glance out the front window confirmed that their car was gone.

Kyle was probably sore at her for avoiding him after the funeral. Never mind. She’d make it up to him later, after they’d both had some time to cool down.

Do you love him, Erin?

Beau’s question lingered in her mind. She’d replied that she didn’t even know what love was. But that wasn’t quite true. Love was what she’d observed between her mother and father, between Sky and Lauren, between Beau and Natalie—and what she’d heard in Jasper’s voice when he’d spoken of his beloved Sally. She had secondhand knowledge of what love was. But as far as she could tell, she’d never experienced it, not even when Kyle was kissing her.

She wanted a husband and family in the future. But what if something was missing in her? What would she do if love never happened?