High Country Homecoming Page 12

  Betty tapped the side of her glass to still the twins’ chatter. “Now, everyone remember—Easter is this Sunday. So make sure you are all set the night before.” She looked at the girls with a stern expression, though her eyes were twinkling and she barely managed to hold back a smile. “That means no lost shoes, no dress changes at the last minute. And no stomping in mud puddles on the way to the car. That goes for Devlin and Jess, as well. We don’t want to be late.”

  The twins giggled. “They don’t have dresses, Grandma,” they said in unison.

  “They did love mud puddles when they were your age, though. And they were forever losing their good church shoes.”

  Grinning, Abby leaned close to Chloe as she passed a platter of orange rolls. “I wasn’t here then, but apparently it was quite a zoo. I hear that one Sunday, they made it just in time for the final hymn.”

  “I wasn’t here when they were that young, but I believe it.” Chloe passed the cinnamon rolls, wishing she could polish off an entire roll drenched in thick caramel. But even her most conservative guess on the carb content landed it far beyond anything she could try to adjust for at this meal.

  Life was definitely unfair.

  “What is Tate doing these days?” she asked as she took a serving spoon of the mixed fruit and passed the bowl to her left. The youngest of the Langford brothers had been the most playful of the three, an endless tease with a wicked sense of humor, at least until their sister’s death. “Is he still in Montana?”

  Jess shook his head. “We don’t see him much. He follows the rodeo circuit, year after year. He only shows up when he breaks something and comes home to heal up for a while.”

  Betty harrumphed. “That foolish boy needs to find the right woman and settle down before he does something to himself that the docs can’t fix.”

  Apparently Tate was a touchy subject.

  “So, how was your trip?” Chloe asked to no one in particular.

  Abby smiled. “The girls enjoyed every minute at Disneyland, of course. We had two full days there, and the crowds weren’t very heavy.”

  “We went on the It’s a Small World ride three times,” Jess said grimly. “The girls loved it, but that song has been running through my head ever since.”

  “You’re a good man, Jess. They’ll always remember going on that ride with you,” Betty said with a twinkle in her eye. She took a sip of her coffee. “After Disneyland, Abby checked out some colleges. I had no idea that a person could get a degree without setting foot on a campus.”

  Abby nodded. “I knew about earning undergrad degrees that way, but I’ve been surprised at all the options for the graduate level—even PhDs, and from highly regarded programs. I need something that will let me stay at the ranch as much as possible.”

  She looked over at Jess and the twins, her eyes filled with so much love that it made Chloe’s own heart ache. Those relationships were all still so new, yet in Abby’s expression Chloe could see such depth of caring, such commitment to a solid future. The twins might have had a rough beginning, but now they were so blessed.

  What would it be like to have parents who cherished you and put you first in their lives—even some of the time? She would never know.

  She shook off her thoughts and tried to focus on the conversation.

  “...so I researched my options for a distance-learning degree months ago,” Abby continued. “And I’ve already applied to the three I liked best. But it really helped to talk face-to-face with counselors and some graduate faculty during our trip. Now I know for sure which one I prefer.”

  “That’s wonderful, Abby.” Chloe eyed the breakfast casserole, made a rough calculation of the carbohydrate content and put a scoop on her plate. “So, you’ll be able to finish it all online?”

  “Mostly—plus some week-long seminars on campus during the school year. One of them is actually coming up in May.”

  “When will you know about your acceptance?”

  “Any day. And since the program allows a flexible structure instead of strict semesters, I could possibly get registered in time for that seminar. I hope.”

  “We also looked at some stallion prospects while we were in California.” Betty looked at Jess. “I thought they were all beautiful, but you’re a lot more discerning than I am. Have you made a decision?”

  He lifted another caramel roll from the pan in front of him and put it on his plate. “Probably the sorrel in Sacramento, if we can agree on a price.”

  Abby gave the twins a pointed glance, then looked at Chloe and shook her head slightly, clearly wanting to avoid any conversation involving the visit with the girls’ mother.

  “So,” she said brightly, deftly changing the topic. “I would love to hear about what you’ve been doing since leaving here. You were what—around eleven?”

  Chloe shifted uneasily in her chair and took a slow sip of coffee as she sorted through what she could share and what was better left unsaid.

  “Nothing much to tell, really. Dad and I moved on to his next ranch job. My mom suddenly showed up and took me to live with her in Omaha, then later we moved to Minnesota. I finished grad school at the end of fall semester. A pretty ordinary life, really.”

  Abby leaned forward, her interest piqued. “What was your major?”

  “A bachelor’s in English, and an MFA in creative writing.”

  “Wow. That’s wonderful. I’ve heard that some of those programs involve finishing a publishable book of some kind as a final thesis project. Did you have to do that?”

  “Publishable and actually being published are two different things, but yes. I finished mine, though by the time I was halfway through, I’d realized that adult literary fiction wasn’t what I wanted to pursue. I started to change my focus to young-adult fiction, but then...well, things changed. I lost my job when the company went under.”

  Betty stirred some sugar into her coffee. “When you called about coming to Montana, you mentioned a job in Kansas City. You didn’t sound very happy about it, though. Have you found something else?”

  All of the adults were now looking at Chloe, their expressions curious. They would be even more so if she told them why she’d left the Twin Cities. But that wasn’t going to happen.

  She cleared her throat. “No, I haven’t looked. I’ll work for my sister and brother-in-law for a year or so, then reconsider. But I’ll still be working on my writing during my free hours, so it’s all good.”

  Though good was a relative term. Her father’s tarnished past would pale in comparison to what had happened to her in Minneapolis, even if it had been entirely unfair. But once she had a good reference on her resume, for a reasonable amount of employment, she could start over somewhere else.

  At the other end of the table, she saw Devlin looking at her, his brow furrowed. A little chill crawled down her spine.

  She could tell that he was thinking too hard about what she’d just said. Maybe guessing that there was much more to the story. What if he googled her name? Would he believe the newspaper articles, or would he believe her?

  She looked down at her plate and started to pray.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Friday dawned clear and bright, with the promise of a beautiful day ahead. A day to get a lot done, Chloe promised herself as she settled in front of her laptop on the breakfast bar and got to work.

  The twins had gone back to school this morning, so there were no sounds of children playing and dogs barking floating up the trail; no little visitors around to appear at her door with hopeful expressions and hands outstretched for a cookie or two.

  But now, with perfect solitude in the middle of thousands of acres of cattle range and government land, where the only sounds were horses whinnying, cattle bawling and bird calls echoing through the pines, she couldn’t concentrate.

  She’d been bouncing back and forth between the internet news
and the Word document she was supposed to be working on.

  And it was all Devlin’s fault. Not that he knew it.

  Since the rest of the family had returned home, she couldn’t stop thinking about the strangely wistful expression on his heart-stoppingly handsome face during breakfast on Thursday morning, when he’d reassured Bella that her milk spill had been perfectly okay. Then later, when he’d playfully teased the twins about renaming their vagabond pony Rascal, and their puppy The Bulldozer, and told them about the pony’s daring escape.

  When he was with them, it was almost as if all of the darkness in his life peeled away, revealing a glimpse of the man he might have been if not for his cruel father. His sister’s death. Going to war.

  Was he thinking about the kids he’d never had? His future and the family he could have had with Gina? She wouldn’t pry. It wasn’t her business. But he’d almost seemed melancholy, and that touched her heart.

  He must have been through so much in the military, and then during his recovery afterward. He certainly deserved happiness now.

  Lost in thought, she didn’t register the knock on her screen door until she caught sight of someone—a dark silhouette—looming in the doorway.

  Panic seized her heart as she launched off the barstool and sent it flying, barely catching herself with the edge of the counter. A stack of papers fluttered to the floor.

  “Oh, my word—I’m so sorry,” Abby exclaimed through the screen door. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you all right?”

  Shaken, with her heart still thundering against her ribs, Chloe straightened, her hand still tightened in a death grip on the edge of the counter. “You must think I’m crazy. Sorry—please come in.”

  Abby came inside and rested a hand on Chloe’s arm. “Can I make you a cup of coffee?”

  “There’s fresh coffee in the pot and I’ve got a warm blueberry coffee cake on the counter, if you’d like some.”

  Abby served herself some coffee cake and poured a cup of coffee, then stood at the counter and took a bite. “Mmm. I’m quickly learning to never, ever turn down anything from your kitchen, Chloe.” She savored another bite. “Have you thought of opening a bakery?”

  Chloe managed a small smile. “No, but thanks for the thought.”

  Abby looked up from her blueberry coffee cake. “My goodness, girl. You are seriously pale. Are you all right?” Her eyes widened. “You didn’t...um...have any trouble with Devlin while we were gone, did you? If he scared you in any way—”

  Startled, Chloe raised her hands palm out and shook her head. “No. Not at all.”

  Abby still looked dubious. “I’d never met him until he showed up at ranch Sunday before last. But Jess said he was pretty wild when he was younger, and he still seems to have quite a...well, an attitude. Half the time he won’t even answer me.”

  Chloe bit back a sharp retort. Poor Devlin. How often was he completely misunderstood like this?

  “He won’t want to admit it to you, but in addition to his visible scars, he’s deaf on the right side and impaired on the left. He seems to hear deeper male voices better. And his right eye has some permanent damage, as well,” Chloe said. “You need to talk louder and be sure he can read your lips, and then he does pretty well.”

  Abby frowned. “Couldn’t he have some sort of surgery? Or use hearing aids?”

  “That’s what I thought. But his hearing isn’t good even with his hearing aids. They don’t seem to help that much, and apparently his hearing is likely to fade altogether over time.”

  “Oh. That poor, poor man,” Abby said faintly. “I didn’t realize.”

  “I didn’t either, at first. I thought he was being arrogant and ignoring me. Once I realized the truth, I practically had to force him to admit it. Then I started badgering him about finding newer and better procedures, better hearing aids, or even letting me work with him on American Sign Language. But...well, he hasn’t been very receptive. Yet.”

  “You know how to sign? I’ve always wished I knew how.”

  “I know a little, and apparently Dev learned some while at the VA hospital. But he’s resistant to learning more, which is very shortsighted if you ask me. But there are lots of great videos on YouTube, so I’ve started studying up on it anyway. If he won’t work with me, at least I can give him a list of good links.”

  “What a great idea.” Abby seemed to be regarding her with new respect.

  “You know, I’ll just be here for a few months, but he’ll be your brother-in-law forever. It might be a good idea for you to start learning, too. We could even practice together, if you’d like.”

  “Absolutely!” Abby’s gaze settled on Chloe’s laptop, and she started toward the door. “But I’d better leave and let you get back to work. I’ve taken too much of your time already.”

  “Abby—just one thing. You asked if I had any trouble with Devlin while all of you were gone, and I just want to make sure I was clear. He was a perfect gentleman. And in fact he saved my life.”

  Abby smiled. “Well, that’s good. Sounds like you got along well, then.”

  “No, not so well. Yet he really did save my life. I might not be alive if not for him. That’s why I was so jumpy when you arrived. An unexpected sound, suddenly seeing someone I wasn’t expecting—it terrifies me all over again. I want you to know that he’s a real hero in civilian life, not just as an ex-Marine.”

  Abby’s mouth dropped open. “What on earth happened?”

  Chloe reiterated her encounter with the Dooley brothers.

  “They’re back in prison because of their parole violations, and they’ll go to trial for this latest crime. But just the thought of them scares me still,” she admitted. “I’ve had some nightmares.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Abby shuddered. “I don’t blame you a bit.”

  “I did nothing to encourage their attention. It was completely random. Yet...I keep feeling like I could have avoided the whole situation. Like I should have done something.”

  “But you did. You disabled one with pepper spray and avoided capture by the other one. I think you were incredibly brave. I can’t even imagine how terrifying it was.”

  “Not brave. Scared...and so relieved when I saw Devlin coming. Has anything like that ever happened to you?”

  Abby bit her lower lip. “The closest I ever came was last year, when a hired hand made a crude pass toward me and wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Remember when I mentioned Grandma Betty and her rifle? She held him at bay, and then Jess and a deputy showed up almost right away. It wasn’t nearly as frightening as what you experienced, yet I had nightmares about what might have happened if Betty hadn’t been there. But it does get better—I can promise you that.”

  * * *

  Devlin rode Trouble up to Chloe’s kitchen window on Saturday morning and knocked lightly on the frame. “Hey, Chloe, can you come outside for a minute? I have something for you. Jess’s orders.”

  Through the window he could see her sitting at her laptop, frowning at the screen, her fingers drumming on the breakfast bar. She startled and straightened abruptly, turned to the window, then visibly relaxed.

  “What do you need?” she asked as she pushed the screen door open. Her eyes widened when he urged his buckskin forward and held up the reins of a second horse he’d saddled and led up the trail. “Who’s this?”

  “Bart. Jess figures both you and his horse need to get away from the home place for a while and enjoy some fresh air.”

  “Really,” she said dryly. “His horse needs fresh air? I think I’ve seen that one out in the pasture. Every single day.”

  “New vistas, then. Jess is rotating a herd of cattle into one of the Cavanaugh pastures tomorrow, so I’m going up to ride the fence. Want to leave that computer for a while and ride along?”

  “Hmm. Sit in the cabin or go riding? Hard decision.”


  “It’s three hundred acres of pretty country, and you won’t go hungry.” He patted his offside saddlebag. “Betty insisted on sending enough lunch for six cowhands.”

  “And coffee?”

  “She covered that, too.”

  She grinned up at him. “Give me five minutes.”

  She was outside in three, wearing jeans, boots and a faded maroon University of Minnesota sweatshirt. With her ponytail pulled through the back of her black baseball cap, she looked so young and happy that he was glad he’d listened to Jess and saddled an extra horse.

  They rode at an easy clip down the gravel road in companionable silence, the warm April sun and crisp mountain air feeling like a gentle balm to his soul. Here, the world of the Middle East, all of that tension and danger, seemed like it was a million miles away.

  Chloe turned her head toward him with an expectant look, and he wondered if he’d missed hearing her say something over the steady clip-clop of the horses’ hooves.

  “I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed this,” she said, raising her voice. “Thanks for inviting me to come along.”

  “Until Jess came back, I was mostly tied down with chores and training the two-year-olds in the arena. I’m glad to be out here.” He gave Trouble a pat on the neck. “I think this ride outdoors will do this colt good, too.”

  “He’s sure nice. Is he an outside training horse or one of the Langfords’?”

  “Langford bred. He’ll be going to a sale in Denver the end of May, though if I was going to stick around, I just might want to keep him.”

  “So you aren’t going to stay here?” She glanced at him in surprise. “I thought after you were here a while...”

  He shook his head. “Montana holds few good memories for me, as you probably know.”

  “But with your dad gone...”

  “I won’t ever move back here for good.” He stopped his horse, dismounted and opened a wire gate along the side of the road.