The Doc's Holiday Homecoming
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Virginia McCullough
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CHAPTER ONE
DESPITE THE URGE to climb back into his truck and drive away, Jeff Stanhope kept his feet planted on the dusty ground and stared across the acre of front yard at the house he’d grown up in. Memories of his childhood and teenage years crept out of their hiding places as he watched more than a dozen men and women and a couple of children gathered around picnic tables and the grill. The Stanhope ranch had once been a magnet for friends and neighbors to come together for a barbecue on many a weekend afternoon. Picking out the people he recognized wasn’t much of a challenge. Almost everyone had played some part in his past.
At the moment, only one person really mattered. Jeff smiled as Heather stepped away from a cluster of women. Then she crossed her arms over her chest and stared. At him.
The sight of his kid sister both lifted his heart and quieted the anxiety needling his gut all day, and yesterday, and countless days before that. He waved and nearly laughed out loud in relief when Heather began to saunter his way. Her deep frown and narrowed eyes didn’t matter. That fierce look of disapproval was temporary. She wouldn’t stay mad at him forever.
“That’s your sister, huh?” Carson asked.
Jeff pivoted to the fourteen-year-old who stood a few feet behind him and off to the side. “Yep, that’s Heather. Follow me, Carson.” He pointed to the dog. “Keep an eye on Winnie.”
“Uh, are you sure you want me with you? She’s kinda eyeing you, and not in a good way,” Carson said. “Seems she’s having a party and we’re crashing it.”
Jeff offered a sheepish smile to Carson. “What can I say? You were right. You told me I should call first. Too late now.” Jeff picked up his pace and opened his arms as he approached Heather. He had no doubt she would step right into them.
Not quite.
His sister stopped a few feet short of him. “A heads-up would have been nice,” she said. “It’s called an RSVP.” She planted her hands on her hips. “Maybe send a text, the way most people living in this century would.” She glanced at Carson, and that’s when the smile Jeff remembered transformed her face. When she extended her hand to the boy, he shook it, a little awkwardly and with his fair skin turning pink. “It’s good to meet you, Carson. I—we—are glad you’re here.”
“I guess you’re having a barbecue,” Carson said.
“What’s going on?” Jeff asked.
“We’re celebrating,” Heather said flatly, shaking her head. Finally, she curled up a corner of her mouth in a lopsided smile, not warm and welcoming like the one she offered Carson, but it was a start. “We’re celebrating my wedding, you dolt. We had a lovely ceremony here last week. It’s not as if you didn’t know Matt and I were getting married.”
“C’mon, Heather,” Jeff said. “Last week, we were still clearing out the apartment and donating the furniture, not to mention loading the truck and getting ready to hit the road. You didn’t give us much lead time.” Why would she? He’d ignored most of her texts and emails since leaving town. He hadn’t ignored the one about the wedding, though. News of her marriage had come as a shock. She’d never mentioned any guy, let alone this Mathis—Matt—Burton before. How did she expect him to react when he found out her husband-to-be was the guy who’d bought their ranch? A ranch the Stanhopes had established and run through the best and worst of times for almost five generations until a foreclosure changed everything.
Jeff tried to push those facts aside, at least until he and Heather had a good long talk.
“Anyway, you have made it to our party—late.” Heather’s grimace showed her impatience. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but apparently changed her mind because she shifted her gaze from him and again focused on Carson. “Why don’t you come with me, Carson? I’ll introduce you to our family and some of our best friends.” She cocked her head toward the crowd. “We’re celebrating another wildly happy occasion, the arrival of my friends Olivia Donoghue and her daughter, Jillian. They’ve moved here, too, and just arrived.”
“I told Carson about them,” Jeff interjected, “so he knows who they are.” Heather could be furious with him for a good long while, and that would be a small price to pay for all his mistakes. As long as she kept smiling at Carson and making him feel welcome, Jeff’s heart would turn to mush and he’d be grateful to Heather forever. Later, he’d figure out how to mend fences. He hadn’t seen her since he’d run away from Adelaide Creek almost five years ago. Jeff had talked to her only a handful of times in those years. That lapse was on him, though. Not one bit of it was her fault.
“This is Winnie,” Carson said. The brown-and-white dog with floppy ears and an endearing face raised her head at the sound of her name. “I bet you wonder what’s happening around here, don’t you, Win?” He turned to Heather. “She’s a mix of a lot of things, probably basset hound because of her long ears, but my mom thought she had some terrier in her, too.” The teenager paused and jabbed his thumb at Jeff. “He helped us pick her out at the shelter.”
“That was a couple of years ago,” Jeff explained, but immediately realized it wasn’t necessary to add anything. Carson had it covered. When it came to Winnie he had no trouble talking. Could be that Carson and Winnie would do all the ice breaking for Jeff.
Carson Moore, who’d turned fourteen mere days before they left Seattle, was the catalyst for Jeff’s decision to come back home to Adelaide Creek. He’d weighed other options, but not for long. Now that his life had changed in a big way the strong pull back to his roots made the choice an easy one, at least as far as major life-altering actions went. Once he’d made up his mind he was quick to get the move underway. Maybe it was the whirlwind of the past weeks, but now Jeff needed a minute to get his bearings.
Along with memories of barbecues and parties, unpleasant reminders surfaced of the last time he’d made the trip up this same long road to the ranch, driving this very truck. On that day, Jeff had left the motor running while he raced to the barn and gathered the hand tools he’d left behind. He ignored the new owner’s attempt to be cordial and have a conversation extending beyond a quick hello. Angry and bitter over losing the sheep ranch he’d been raised on—and the only way of life he knew—Jeff had gone beyond ordinary rudeness to open hostility. He’d packed what he’d wanted and sped away, tires screeching.
Since he prided himself on his ability to control his emotions, he’d had to live with that embarrassing moment and other regrets about how he behaved. Besides, his anger hadn’t solved any problems. His rude departure left him feeling that he’d dishonored his parents and the many generations of Stanhopes that came before him. This time, though, he intended to make peace with Matt Burton, the man he’d treated poorly that day. Whether it suited him or not, the Burtons, all of them, were his family now.
“Winnie is quite a beauty,” Heather said, leaning over to pet the dog. “Welcome to our ranch, Miss Winnie. Let’s introduce you to everyone.” She grinned. “Come on, Carson.”
The boy and Winnie followed Heather, leaving Jeff to adjust to his surroundings. The only thing that had changed since he’d left was almost everything. For starters, he wasn’t the same bitter man who’d gone away. He still labeled himself a loner, but time had smoothed his rougher edges. He couldn’t afford to aim anger and resentment at anyone, not now that he had Carson to take care of.
Carson already towered over Heather, not much more than five feet and a couple of inches tall. She pointed this way and that to indicate the landmarks of the ranch, the barn and the stables behind it and the corral and field where the horses hung out. She gestured into the distance where sheep dotted the pasture, patchy now in the fall. Jeff was itching to get himself a horse to ride. He’d get one for Carson, too, when the boy finally caught a touch of horse fever.
Some changes he observed were for the better. The old frame house he’d said goodbye to had once accumulated a long list of needed repairs and updates. From what he could see in front of him, quite a few items on that list had been scratched off, starting with the coat of white paint on the house that left it standing pretty and proud. Heather and Matt had also put pumpkins on the steps to a new wraparound porch, and pots of deep red and golden mums sat on the railing. It was a warm day, and heavy cloud cover had blocked the earlier bright sunlight, but the colors surrounding him were typical signs of mid-October.
Some things were the same, as they should be. For one thing, his sister’s curious light brown eyes and smile reminded him of the sunny girl she’d been. As a teenager, she’d been a good student and not a bad catcher on the softball team, but she’d been truly serious about only two things. First, riding her horse and pal, Velvet, and second, doing well in nursing school. Today, celebrating her new life, Jeff could see no trace of the brokenhearted woman who’d departed Adelaide Creek at the same time he had. She’d headed for points east for the first of a series of temporary nursing assignments, while he pointed his truck west.
Even before they’d gone their separate ways years ago, he’d struggled to think of her as more than the little girl he’d taught to ride horses as well as take good care of them. Now here she was, all grown up, married and stepmom to a set of twins. Not that he understood how any of that happened. Not yet, anyway. Call him suspicious, but how could his sister fall for Matt Burton? But here she was, living in the same house on the same ranch she’d grown up on.
As they got deeper into the yard, Jeff saw a guy around his own age serving up hot dogs and burgers. Jeff immediately recognized him as Burton. Matt was chatting with Heather’s best friend, Bethany, and her parents, Jen and Dan Hoover. Those three were fixtures in his childhood. He’d never have imagined being so happy to see them.
Heather turned her head and beamed at him as she pointed to two little kids zipping across the yard. “See what being a maid of honor at Bethany’s wedding led to? I married the best man and those little cuties are my new seven-year-old twins.” Heather stopped walking and lightly put her hand on Carson’s arm to hold him back. “The redheaded girl chasing them is Jillian. She’s eleven. This time last year, she was my patient, but now she’s a special friend.”
Carson pointed back to Jeff. “He, well, he sort of told me the story of how she’d been sick. But she’s well now, right?”
“I’m glad Jeff explained her situation. Yes, her cancer—leukemia—is in remission.” Heather waved to a woman who was watching them from her seat at the bottom of what appeared to Jeff to be a pyramid made of crates. “That’s Jillian’s mom, my friend Olivia Donoghue.”
“A doctor,” Carson said.
Jeff picked up Carson’s eager tone. Heather’s expression showed some surprise, but she confirmed that Olivia was indeed a radiologist. Later, Jeff would fill in more details about Carson’s injuries, especially about his multifractured ankle, mostly healed now. He still had some tough physical therapy ahead, though. The same was true for the deep slash running the length of his arm below his elbow, ending along the outside of his hand. Those two injuries were the trauma to his body, wounds the doctors and physical therapists assured Carson would heal in time. The emotional fallout was still ongoing. And not limited to Carson, Jeff admitted. The memories of the accident that mangled Carson’s arm and ankle and had killed Karen, the boy’s mom, still had the power to keep Jeff up at night. Maybe they always would.
“How about I introduce you to the kids, Carson?” Heather asked. “They’re younger, but they’re your family now.” She paused and put her hand on his arm. “These relationships can get a little complicated. Believe me, Matt and I understand that.”
Carson acknowledged Heather’s words with a subtle nod and followed her.
Heather gave Jeff’s shoulder a playful shove. “Go introduce yourself. Matt is eager to...well, to really meet you for the first time. So is Olivia.” Her smile faded a little. “They’re getting tired of hearing me talk about my big, bad older brother. Now they finally get to see you in the flesh.”
“Will do.” Jeff noted that she kept up her cool distance from him, but none of that bled over to Carson. Heather led the boy to the pyramid of crates where the kids had gathered. It pained Jeff to see the injured teen trying so hard to walk as if nothing was wrong with his ankle. He’d gone from the wheelchair to a walker and then a cane in record time, even while deep in emotional shock. Only in the last couple of weeks had Carson regained the mental energy to grasp that despite the seriousness of the injuries, physically he’d been fortunate and escaped permanent damage. The long-sleeved hoodie he wore today hid most of the scar on his arm and hand. Healing couldn’t come fast enough for Carson, who was determined to start practicing dunks and jump shots at the first opportunity.
Getting Carson on the back of a horse was going to be trickier, but understandable, considering the kid came from busy Seattle streets. He’d grown up playing on concrete sidewalks and in neighborhood parks. Not a barn or a pasture in sight. Because of that, Carson didn’t view horses as creatures with a special mystique. He didn’t link them to adventure and freedom, not the way Jeff—and Heather—always had and probably always would. On that point, he and Carson weren’t on the same page or even reading from the same book.
After Carson made it clear he had no interest in horses, Jeff left the topic alone so far, but one day soon he’d nudge Carson and remind him that Seattle was the past. His immediate future was in this Wyoming town, Adelaide Creek, with its population of fewer than five hundred. The best way to explore the rocky ledges and hills and the grassy basins where the sheep grazed was on the back of a horse. Jeff knew that truth from experience that ran so deep he felt it in his bones.
For a couple of flashing seconds, Jeff longed to be alone in the stable instead of meandering toward the grill where his new brother-in-law was flipping burgers and turning hot dogs. How was it a grown man, thirty-six years old, could feel so awkward and self-conscious and out of place, as if he didn’t really belong where he was born? Carson, the fish out of water, seemed more at ease than Jeff himself.
Carson already had his phone out and was recording a video of the kids playing. He was using his stiff right hand and the sleeve of his oversize sweatshirt had slid down his arm, exposing the scar, the visible reminder of his losses. As much as Jeff wanted to know what went through the boy’s mind when he confronted this permanent scar, Jeff didn’t ask outright. He didn’t want Carson to feel pressured to come up with answers to tough questions, but did his aching ankle or the red slash on his arm trigger memories of the crash?
As he watched Carson interact with the kids, it struck him that the boy’s all-is-right-with-the-world smile was missing from the scene. He used to amuse his mom by making silly faces, but for now those attempts to be funny had disappeared with most of the familiar routines, people and places in Carson’s life. It hadn’t taken much to make Karen laugh at her son’s antics. More important than that, she never missed a chance to let her son know he was the best thing that ever happened to her.
Jeff had known Carson before his voice changed and he’d begun to fill out and grow into the high school athlete he aspired to be. Jeff also had been amused by the sharp, lively kid. The reminiscing made Jeff forget about meeting Matt and instead, he kept his eyes on Carson and Heather. He could hope to see the lightness in Carson make a comeback, but Jeff wouldn’t fool himself, either. The boy’s happy childhood had come to an abrupt—and cruel—end.
“It’s not often I get to be a guest at such a special party.” The voice came from a woman approaching Jeff from the side. “Your sister is pretty special.”
“Yes, Olivia Donoghue, she is,” Jeff replied, deliberately using her full name. Her reputation preceded her, but he was thrown by how strikingly beautiful she was. If he’d been wearing a hat he’d have touched the brim and lowered his chin in the manner of a true Western gentleman. “I hear this is a welcome party for you and your little girl.”
Olivia grinned. “I know. How fun is that? Celebrating a wedding and welcoming Jillian and me to Adelaide Creek.”
He’d never quite understood the notion of a melodic voice. Now he did, and it knocked him off-kilter. So did the woman who produced the melody with her words. She was a few inches taller than Heather, and Olivia’s shoulder-length hair was more red than brown. The cotton jacket she wore exactly matched her blue-gray eyes.
“I don’t suppose we need a formal introduction, Mr. Jeff Stanhope.” Her already faint smile disappeared when she added, “Although I only know you as the perpetually long-lost brother of my good friend. You’ll have to fill in the rest.”
Nothing timid about Olivia. It was his turn to come up with a response, a little challenging now that her musical voice had hit a flat note.
“Well, I’m here now.” Jeff gestured toward the clusters of people. “I’m guessing you’ve met some of these folks during your vacation here this summer.” He smiled. “See? I heard about your visit that morphed into pulling up stakes in Minnesota and moving here. I’m not completely out of the loop.” He paused. “At least not lately.”
“Oh, no need to defend yourself. I shouldn’t be snarky,” Olivia said. “It’s just that your sister lived in my house while she helped me take care of my daughter through her long treatment. We got to be good friends, so I know how disappointed she was that you didn’t stay in touch. She was hurt...big-time.” Olivia’s eyes opened wide and she put her hand over her mouth. She closed her big eyes for a second before opening them again. “Oops...talk about nervy. And none of my business.”
“No, it sure isn’t.” He did hesitate to let his irritation come through in his voice. “But I’ll grant you this, Olivia, I can’t say you lied.”
“I had no call—”
Jeff raised his hand, palm out, to stop her from explaining. “When I figure out why I cut myself off from everything and everyone I ever cared about, I’ll let you in on it.”
Olivia had made an unforgettable first impression, but he knew her by reputation, too. To use the basketball lingo Carson tossed into conversations, Heather’s close friend started out with a couple of points already on the board. Jeff admired a woman willing to upend her whole life and move to Adelaide Creek, after only a two-week visit. He knew from Heather’s emails, the ones he’d mostly left unanswered, that Olivia and her daughter had endured a difficult, life-threatening time.
“Uh, how about if I get out of your business and introduce you to my favorite person?” Olivia’s distinctive voice was back. “Jillian is eleven and loves horses. She’s already at home here in Adelaide Creek.”
Jeff glanced at Matt in the distance, still talking to a group of people around the grill. He’d meet his new brother-in-law soon enough. Jeff swept his arm ahead. “Lead the way, Olivia. While we’re there, I also need to make my own introductions. As of last week, I’m Nick and Lucy’s uncle.”
Jillian sat between the twins on the bottom level of the pyramid perch, which was off to the side of the house and driveway. Carson stood a little apart with his injured foot resting on the edge of one of the crate risers. Phone in hand, he was leaning forward and talking to the younger kids while Winnie sniffed the little kids’ shoes. Based on his body language, the way he nodded along with the kids as they talked, Carson was probably asking questions about the pyramid. The boy’s gaze followed where the kids were pointing, and he appeared to be completely focused on the pair of younger children. A pleasant sense of satisfaction rippled through Jeff. After arriving only minutes ago, Carson looked the part of an older cousin interacting with little kids eager to soak up his attention.
“This must be pretty exciting for Lucy and Nick,” Jeff said. “They have a new mom and Carson is their cousin now. By choice, I suppose we could say.”
“The best kind of relatives,” Olivia said dryly. “The ones we get to choose.”
“I’d agree with you on that, but for the fact Carson’s mom died.” Jeff thought it best to remind her of the most important part of the boy’s story, since at least at the moment it dominated everything. “What I mean is the boy doesn’t have any family now, except for those of us who choose him.” There was Carson’s grandma, Karen’s mom, but she was in an assisted living facility and too frail to take on a teenager, no matter how much she loved him. Carson promised to stay in touch with her through texts and videos to let her know how he was doing in his new home. That was a promise Jeff intended to help the boy keep. Carson had already texted photos and video of the scenery on their drive from Seattle to Adelaide Creek.
“From what Heather tells me, you decided to make him your family. True?” Olivia gave him an expectant look.
He didn’t have time to explain how and why that had happened, because the twins rushed toward him, putting their kid brakes on at the last minute or they’d have barreled into him. Jillian followed, but Carson lagged behind with Winnie and another dog.
“Did you know you’re our uncle now?” Nick asked, pointing to Jeff. “Uncle Matt is our uncle, too, but he does the same stuff as dads do.”
Jeff tapped his temple. “Let me think. Heather is my sister. And you two are now her kids. Whaddya know? You’re right. That makes me your uncle Jeff.” He grinned at both kids. “And I’d be proud if you called me that.”
“So, that means Carson is our new cousin.” Lucy’s face lit up. “Wow, we have a much bigger family now. It grew a lot in a week...seven days.”
Olivia laughed. “It’s a little hard to keep track of, huh?”
Not to the kids, Jeff thought. It was all part of their changing lives.
“Heather said we have lots of friends, too,” Nick said. “We have Olivia and Jillian. And now Winnie.”
Winnie was busy sniffing the other dog, who tolerated the interest without returning it.
“What’s your dog’s name?” Jeff asked.
“Scrambler,” Nick said. “See? He likes Winnie already.”
“He started out life as our gram’s dog,” Lucy explained. “Now he belongs to everybody. He follows us everywhere.”
Jeff nodded to the redhead. “And you must be Jillian. I’ve heard lots of good things about you.”
“Heather told me you really love horses,” Jillian declared as she got to her feet.
Her wide-eyed expression reminded Jeff of Heather when the subject of horses came up. “I’ll bet you do, too, huh. I can see you have that special I-love-horses sparkle in your eyes.” Jeff said. He glanced at Carson, but if the boy heard Jillian, he wasn’t letting on. Instead, he’d backed up and turned his attention to the two dogs. He’d also taken his foot off the riser, but was resting his weight on his good ankle, using his injured one only for balance. He’d have been more comfortable with his cane to lean on, but he’d made the choice to leave it in the truck. Jeff couldn’t convince him to bring it along.
“I love, love, love horses.” Jillian raised herself up on her tiptoes and crossed her hands over her heart. It seemed she had more to say, but stopped when her mom more or less interrupted and gestured toward the pyramid.
“Matt built that contraption,” she said. “He and his mom, Stacey, dubbed it the Twins Topper. It looked kind of dangerous to me at first,” Olivia said, talking fast and way too loud. “Nothing more than a pile of flimsy crates attached to each other, but I inspected it and saw that Matt had driven the stakes deep into the ground and all the connections holding the crates together are strong.” She stopped to take a breath. “So, it’s much sturdier than it seems.”
“Can’t say I was worried,” Jeff said, puzzled by the way Olivia abruptly interrupted Jillian and changed the direction of the conversation. Maybe Jillian wanted to extol the world of horses, but Olivia sure didn’t. “But then, being raised on a ranch kind of increases the chances to get banged up some.”
“I was thinking of Carson as well as Jillian,” Olivia said, formal and cool. “Heather mentioned that he’s recovering from a couple of serious injuries, so I assume you don’t want him climbing about on crates. Obviously, I had to check it out before I’d let Jillian on it.”
“I suppose so, but Carson’s older—and healing fast. He’s pretty much testing himself and figuring out how much he can do.” He conceded nothing, but he kept a pleasant tone. He knew next to nothing about Matt, but based on Heather’s description Jeff was certain his new brother-in-law wouldn’t put the twins at risk. “After what your little girl has been through, you probably have your own feelings about that.”
Olivia nodded and then hurried away from his side and closer to Jillian and the twins. Man, he was trying to be reasonable, but Olivia was all over the place, warm and friendly one second, cool and standoffish the next. She’d made a couple of things clear, though, including her unsolicited bad opinion of him.
TALK ABOUT A first impression gone wrong. Please, give her the previous five minutes back and Olivia would start over and do much, much better. As she watched Jeff walk away, she resolved that from now on she’d watch her tongue when it came to his relationship with Heather. As was only right, she’d leave that to the two of them. At the same time, she might have known Jillian would plunge right into a conversation with Jeff about horses. In her daughter’s mind, Heather’s legendary horse-loving brother was a kindred spirit. Maybe it was inevitable that Jillian end up a girl devoted to horses and riding, but not when her body was still recovering from the effects of chemotherapy. Even if the assault to her body wasn’t obvious to the untrained eye, Olivia had absorbed almost too much information about what chemo could do to a child.
Then there was Jeff himself. Olivia had seen photos and even his mother’s paintings of him done over a period of years. No way had those images prepared Olivia for the real guy. They hadn’t done him justice, not even close. He had a presence about him that went beyond his thick dark hair and deep-set eyes that brought to mind luscious dark chocolate. With his wide shoulders and muscular arms, he had a body sculpted by the physical work of ranching or more recently, crewing on trawlers and freighters.
Olivia had expected him to be more as Heather described him, still hardened and bitter about losing his family’s legacy, this very ranch. If those old feelings were still a part of Jeff, he wasn’t showing them at the moment. At least not today, and not with Carson nearby. Whatever. It wasn’t her job to analyze any of this. His feelings about this ranch and his former home were completely irrelevant. She had formed an opinion that would guide all her dealings with the man. No matter how friendly, even charming Jeff Stanhope might be, he was a runner. A man who ran away from anything that smacked of responsibility. Like her dad. And Jillian’s father. She didn’t need a third runner messing up her life.
On the other hand, she had to accept other realities. No matter why Jeff had all but broken his ties with Heather in the past, today he was an important connection for Olivia and Jillian here in Adelaide Creek. Her new home of the heart, Olivia had whispered when she’d made the unexpectedly—and blissfully easy—decision to leave her hospital job in Minnesota and build a new life here in Wyoming with Jillian. Whether she took to Jeff or not, he was Heather’s brother and civility was in order.
Until August, when she and Jillian visited Heather for a vacation, the notion of a true home-of-the-heart had seemed ridiculous—at least for her. Then, she’d driven into Heather’s hometown for the first time and everything changed. Maybe it was the canopy of cottonwoods that greeted her coming into town. Or it could have been the diner or the combination grocery store–gift shop that were the heart of Merchant Street, the social and business center of Adelaide Creek.
Olivia had warm feelings about most everywhere she’d ever lived, but this was the only time in her life she’d fallen deeply in love with a place—and it made her believe life could be magical again. Exactly two months from the day Olivia decided to make the move, she and Jillian again drove their packed-to-the-gills car past the Welcome To Adelaide Creek sign on the road into town. Jillian clapped and yelled, “Yay! We’re here in our new town.” Olivia couldn’t have expressed it any better herself.
Their two-week visit hadn’t been perfect, not with the scorching summer heat wave to contend with. It might have deterred other people, but not her, or Jillian. Today’s October air was a gift filled with its own special scents of the ranch mixed with roasting corn and burgers on the grill. In contrast to the earlier light, heavier clouds darkened the sky and rolled toward the ranch. If those clouds kept coming and emptied, Heather and Matt would be thrilled. Party or no party, they were desperate for rain.
Watching the four kids play with the two dogs, Olivia thought about the way all the pieces of her move had fallen into place. Within days of coming back from her visit to Heather, Olivia decided to take on the challenge of pulling up stakes again, but this time to claim her true home. Even with Jillian in remission, Olivia was painfully aware that no guarantees existed, so why not take her chances?
She sold her house in Red Wing only a couple of days after listing it with an agent. Then, in the course of researching possible openings for an experienced radiologist, she’d come across articles about a shake-up in how radiology, and most medical services, was delivered in the largest health care network in Adams County, geographically large with a small population. When those changes led to a new position for a diagnostic radiologist based in the hospital in Landrum, Olivia jumped on it and an offer came fast.
The only loose end had been a place to live. That problem had been solved when Heather and Matt decided to go to the courthouse and get married without fanfare and throw this party later. That left Heather’s cozy converted bunkhouse available for her and Jillian to settle into only yesterday as their first-stop home.
Observing her surroundings now, watching Jillian with the other children, Olivia felt as if the stars approved of her decision, too, and lined up to give her a path to her new home. Being rooted in science, she usually didn’t think about the hand of fate or any such thing, but maybe she believed in it now, at least a little bit.
She was still deep in thought when Matt and Jeff approached. Seeing Matt, Jillian raced over to him. She nervously laced her fingers together and held them against her chest. “Uh, Matt, would it be okay if I went to the corral to see the horses? I won’t touch them or anything. I just want to see them up close.” She spoke fast as if that was a sure way to get to a yes.
“Let’s slow it down, Jillian.” Olivia could see the end of the corral, but no horses.
As if reading her mind, Jillian said, “Lucy said the horses are behind the stables, so you can’t see them from here.”
“Of course, it’s okay,” Matt said, grinning. “Most of our horses welcome some human company.”
“If you don’t mind, Jillian, I’d enjoy tagging along with you,” Jeff said. “I haven’t had a chance to say hello yet, either. Heather’s mentioned a horse named Pebbles she’s fond of. I’d like to get a look at her.”
So much for her words about taking it slow. They blew away on the wind.
“C’mon, Mom,” Jillian said as she ran ahead.
“Okay, okay.”
“Hey, Carson, do you want to come with us?” Jeff said, passing the teenager where he was watching the twins playing with the dogs.
“Where are you going?” Nick shouted.
“Just to visit the horses,” Matt said.
Predictably, the twins immediately hurried off the pyramid and joined Jillian. Carson stayed behind.
“Nah, you go on. I’m good. Hungry, actually. I’ll go grab a burger.” Carson spoke while already in motion toward the grill, where Heather had taken Matt’s place.
“Carson will never be far from a friendly face around here,” Olivia said, falling into line.
Jeff smiled brightly, as if he appreciated her words. “That’s what I count on to make this huge change easier for him.”
Jillian and the twins were already on the lower bar of the corral fence and some horses were ambling over. Olivia lightly caught Jeff’s arm to stop his forward progress. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d just as soon no one hype the joys of horseback riding to Jillian—at least not yet.”
“With my sister around—and Matt—that might be hard to accomplish,” Jeff said, his tone blunt and objective. “They ride all the time. Matt buys and leases horses. It’s part of day-to-day life around here.”
“I get that,” Olivia said through clenched jaws. “I’m not that dense. Jillian will learn to ride one day. But she needs a little more recovery time before that happens.”
Jeff raised his hands defensively. “Okay, Olivia. I get your point, but she can be relaxed around horses and enjoy their company without being encouraged to ride them.”
That stopped her, sort of. But unlike Heather, Jeff couldn’t know what Jillian had been through. “You can’t see it, Jeff, and Jillian doesn’t feel it, but her body is weakened from the chemotherapy.” She wrapped her hands around the back of her neck to release some of the tension in her neck. These conversations about what Jillian was ready for had a way of making Olivia stressed, even brittle. She sighed and added, “Those chemicals saved her, but remission from leukemia doesn’t come without paying a heavy price.”
Jeff’s eyes showed concern. “That’s probably a conversation you should have with Matt and Heather. I can only imagine what you’ve been through.” He offered a troubled smile. “Whether I’m happy with it or not, I don’t even own any horses yet. That step is still in the future.”
Maybe that was true, but Olivia couldn’t seem to leave well enough alone. “But Jillian has heard Heather talk about how you taught her to ride and she painted a vivid picture of the pair of you practically living on your horses.” Olivia sighed.
Jeff didn’t offer a response but watched her with anticipation.
Apparently, it was up to her to bring the conversation to a cordial end. “Speaking of painting pictures, one of your mother’s oil paintings of you and Heather on your horses is hanging in the bunkhouse. Jillian loves that painting, and when she hears your name, she thinks horses. I guess that’s why I’m going on and on to you.” That and whatever else it was about the man that made her nervous and kept her talking way too much.
Jeff smiled. “Well, what Heather says is true. We rode when we herded sheep, and we rode for the joy of it. It was like breathing. But how you handle Jillian and her desire to ride is entirely up to you.”
Olivia heard Jeff’s matter-of-fact tone and snickered. She put her hand to her forehead. “Wow, listen to me. I can talk about Jillian being obsessed with horses, but I’m the one who can’t let it go.” She filled her lungs with air and exhaled. “I’m sorry. I’m going to stop bringing this up.”
Jeff scanned the area around them, as if wanting to be sure no one could hear him. “I haven’t shared my plans for the lodge with anyone yet, not even Heather. But right now I’m certain I won’t be ready to teach anyone to ride, adults or kids, anytime soon. You’ve got my word on that. If I end up teaching at all, it will be next summer at the earliest.” Jeff grinned. “That’s our secret.”
“Okay, then, no one will hear about your plan from me.” She made an X over her heart. “I promise.”
Jeff glanced over her shoulder. “That sky is getting darker still—and fast.” She turned and he pointed beyond the corral and the pasture to see massive charcoal clouds moving in quickly and sweeping away the lighter clouds. Large, heavy raindrops suddenly plunked down on their skin. “This isn’t ordinary rain, Olivia.”
Olivia spotted Matt on the other side of the corral where several horses grazed in the pasture. He shouted something over his shoulder, but she couldn’t hear him.
“Matt probably wants to bring the horses in,” Jeff said, breaking into a fast run. By the time Olivia reached him, Jeff had hustled all three kids off the fence and into the barn with Scrambler. He was on his way out to the corral to help Matt move the horses.
Olivia went from a fast walk to a jog, but then stopped to glance behind her. Heather and the other guests were ferrying food from the yard to the house. With Winnie dancing at his feet, Carson was helping Stacey yank the cloths off the tables before they blew away. It took only a minute or two to transform the yard from festive to forlorn.
Olivia considered heading for the house to lend a hand, but Jillian was already in the barn. Besides, Carson was now coming her way with the dog at his side. He was hobbling a little as he tried to speed up.
“Why don’t you go into the house, Carson?”
“No, I need to get to the barn, or the stable. That’s where Jeff is.” His dark blue eyes communicated urgency, but something else as well.
“Okay, let’s hurry,” she said, realizing that Carson’s need to find shelter with Jeff was stronger than a desire to be warm and dry in the house with the others. Olivia joined the teenager and the two made it to the stable right before a booming crack of thunder. A bolt of lightning quickly followed and lit up everything outside and inside.
Joining the kids at the open end of the building, Olivia drew them farther inside. Along with the younger kids, she stayed back from the wide doors and out of the way as Matt and Jeff led the horses into their stalls. Then the two men ran back outside to where a couple of straggler horses stood close together in the wooden shelter in the pasture. Winnie stayed almost glued to Carson, but Scrambler started barking at the two men and had to be coaxed deeper inside.
More thunder rumbled and rapid lightning illuminated the space around the buildings. Jillian was laughing along with the twins, who were jumping around in excitement over the storm and the whoosh of the wind. Even when a limb from a cottonwood between the house and the barn crashed to the ground, the three younger kids showed no fear. Lightning and thunder were continuous now, with almost no break between the strikes in the sky and the deafening roars.
Olivia glanced at Carson, old enough to know this was a no-joke storm. Subdued, he leaned against the doorjamb, almost frozen in place. But then he pulled out his phone. When Olivia followed the angle of his arm and his gaze, she realized he was recording every step Jeff took as he secured the horses. The rain poured down fast and hard, already rapidly creating ponds and streams in the ground around the buildings. Jeff’s hair was plastered down and rain dripped off his face. His clothes were soaked through.
With the kids staying close to her, Olivia wanted to shout out to Carson to reassure him that everything was under control and would be fine. But she knew no such thing. Carson lowered his phone and stopped recording, but he never took his gaze off Jeff. Wanting him to move back from the doors, Olivia called his name. When he turned around, his eyes were filled with fear.
