A Father's Stake (6 page)

“Yes, in the morning.” She turned and made her way carefully back to the sandy bed of the dry creek.

Could it all be this simple? She came, she saw, she left, despite what she’d said about not selling? Now that he’d shown her what lay ahead, could he name a figure to buy the ranch and that would be that? He followed her down the path, his turn to focus on her slender hips and the way her hair in its high ponytail swung in time with her strides. Her running shoes were no longer purple and white, but filmed with dirt and silt. Not a country girl by a long shot.

Silence hung between them until they reached the opening in the vegetation. He watched as she looked up at the wooden supports, trying to figure out how she’d get out. He came up behind her. “Here, let me help,” he said as he spanned her waist with his hands and lifted her up to get her footing so she could grab the wooden frame and pull herself out.

When she was through the opening, she turned to look down at him, and he was thankful he was never one to blush. For a moment that feeling of her, light as feather, him lifting her, had startled him. He wasn’t sure why, and with a sharp shake of his head, he didn’t try to understand his reaction. He pulled himself up, and the minute he straightened, Grace strode off across the dry pasture.

She was going back to L.A. tomorrow, so he would have no further chance to build his case for her sale of the land to him. They were halfway back to the house when he finally broke the silence. “Life out here can be tough,” he said. “My grandpa was just tougher.”

“I guess so. You said that ranch was your parents’ land. Where’s yours?” she asked, not breaking stride.

“I help them out sometimes, but I wouldn’t qualify as a rancher right now.”

That caught her attention, and she cast him a long sideways glance. “Right now? That means you will be or want to be in the future?”

Here it was. His chance to tell her he wanted this place, to bring it back to life, and him along with it. But the words stuck in his throat. “The possibility is always there for me,” he generalized.

She kept walking, and by the time they broke out of the trees near the house, he felt the nerves at the back of his neck tightening. She stopped and turned to him. “Thank you so much for the tour and the information,” she said. “I appreciate it all.”

He knew that his last chance to broach the question of selling was right then. Taking a breath, he asked, “If you were to sell this place, how much would you take for it?”

She didn’t move and he knew he’d done it all wrong, but he couldn’t take the question back. In a court room, he could get any information out of a witness. But this woman totally baffled him. “I don’t understand something,” she said, narrowing her lavender eyes.

He didn’t understand anything right then himself, except the fact that he was bumbling around like some first year law student, instead of focusing and getting to the point. “What’s that?”

“I hadn’t even made it out here before Willie G. offered to buy this place. Now you’re asking about buying it. I understand that it used to be in your family, but am I missing something else?” She smiled faintly. “Is there gold here, or oil, or some hidden treasures?”

“Just my life,”
he thought, but shook his head. “I’d like to keep it in our family.” That was true enough, but barely the full truth.

She nodded. “I understand that.”

“There are strong emotional connections for people. With Willie G. it’s the land connection, land he’s been on all his life. With me, it’s the family connection, the history of the Wolf people.” She nodded again. Then he realized something. “You must have some emotional connection because your father gave it to you, no matter how he got it.”

Jack saw her eyes narrow even more before Grace turned from him. “He never came here, did he?” she asked as she started toward the house.

He fell in step with her. “I think he only had it for a few weeks, maybe a month, before he moved it on to you. No one ever saw him around here.”

“He should have seen the place,” he thought he heard her mutter, but couldn’t be sure.

They walked around to the front of the house and Grace went up the porch step, turned and looked down at him. “Thanks again.”

The morning sun was haloing her face, turning her hair the color of pale spun gold. “You never answered me about considering selling.”

She cocked her head slightly to the right, and studied him openly for a long, almost uncomfortable moment. “No, I didn’t, did I?”

He waited, not saying anything else, just waiting for the tiny woman on the step above him to give him some sort of answer.

“I’m not sure,” she finally said. “There are things I need to do first, people to talk to. This isn’t just about me.”

“You’re coming back?” he asked.

“Yes, I’ll be back, but I’m not sure when.”

Jack felt a slight easing in him. She hadn’t made a final decision. That made sense. So, he’d just have to be patient for a bit longer. “Okay,” he said. “Just one thing more?”

“Sure.”

“When you get back, if you’ve decided to sell, will you give me first right of refusal before you go to anyone else, even Willie G.?”

She started to shake her head, and Jack tensed again. “I don’t think I—”

He cut her off before she could say any more. “Whatever you decide, sell or stay, please contact me first. That’s all I’m asking.”

“Okay,” she finally said.

Jack headed for his horse, mounted, then looked back to find Grace in the open doorway of the house, as she had been yesterday when he’d left. Their eyes met, and she lifted a hand in a wave. He answered with a nod, the same way he’d left his grandpa so many times. But this time a slender woman who had the only thing that meant anything to him was there in the doorway. Memories overlapped with reality and he turned his horse and rode off.

CHAPTER SIX

G
RACE
WENT
INTO
the house, crossing the great room to her bedroom to change into shorts and sandals before she went into town. Boots, that’s what she needed. Kitchen supplies, food and maybe some jeans, real jeans, heavy, protective jeans.

Even before Jack had asked her if she’d be back, there was no question that she’d be returning. She hadn’t left yet and she was already anxious about coming back. She’d wanted to just tell him that she and her family would be staying. She wasn’t about to sell this place.

But she’d stopped herself. She’d been here less than two days, not nearly time enough to figure this all out. The move was a huge change for her, and especially for Lilly. She wanted to make the right decisions. Their happiness depended on that. She brushed her hair, put it back in a ponytail, then grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

She saw Parrish by the stables as soon as she stepped onto the porch. When he spotted her, he held up a hand and jogged over to the house, stopping at the bottom step. “Mornin’, ma’am,” he said, touching his straw hat.

“Please, call me Grace,” she said as she put the house key back in her bag. She’d leave the door unlocked. That decision felt so good after living behind three locks for so long.

“Grace, okay, just wondered how it went with Mr. Carson?”

“He showed me a bit of the land, and gave me some information I needed.” She frowned. “I was wondering. What do you know about the windmills on the property?”

He motioned to the west. “One on the west side, one on the southeast section, both used to pump water and run electric fencing.”

“They’re working?”

“They’re off, but they look okay. Just have to get them primed to go, would be my guess.”

She was relieved. “What about the house well?”

“Nice little well, right by the stables. Pumps maybe sixty gallons an hour and has a holding tank on higher land. Lots of water for the house use, and around here.”

Another big relief. “Thank you. I didn’t have any idea about any of that.”

“Why would you? I hear you’re from L.A., and I doubt you had any private wells to worry about there.”

She smiled. “Sure didn’t.” Scanning the area, she asked one last question. “What would you guess this whole place would be worth?”

That brought a slight frown, but when he spoke, Parrish was amiable enough. “Good question. Told you I’m not from around here, so I couldn’t make an educated guess.”

“How would I find out?”

“You planning on selling it?”

“I don’t think so, but....” Jack’s words made her wonder if she would be able to do much more than just live in the house. The land seemed a huge undertaking. Irrigation, planting, livestock. “It’s a huge place.”

“Nah. By ranch standards, it’s just a nice, comfortable piece of ground. Now that place next door, Carson’s, it’s huge. I wouldn’t want to take on that. Just don’t let this place scare you.”

A nice, comfortable piece of ground.
Somehow those words pushed away some of her doubts. “I saw the ranch from a distance and it goes on forever. Jack told me the land goes right up into the foothills to the reservation.”

“Like I said, huge.” He glanced at her bag. “You goin’ somewhere?”

“Into town. I want to find out about a few things, and I need boots, tall boots.”

“Check with Oscar in the General Store. He’s got everything, from food to the boots.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that. Then I want to see if there’s any work I might be able to find in town.”

He studied her. “What do you do now?”

She wished she could say she was an artist, but that wouldn’t be true. “Waitressing.”

“There’s a few places in town, nice restaurants, a few diners. They might need help.”

“Thanks.” She headed down the steps and Parrish moved to one side.

“Have you got your camera?” he called after her.

That stopped her. Turning, she said, “Thanks,” and hurried back up the step and into the house. “Thought you might like some shots to show people when you get back to L.A.” he said as she came out again.

“Absolutely.”

It took all of ten minutes to get to town, not a long trip at all, and not one red Jeep in sight on the way. She parked in front of the General Store, which stood right beside the “one coffee shop” Jack had mentioned. The bed-and-breakfast run by Willie G’s niece was on the other side with a few cars parked in front.

She walked into the coffee shop and ordered a coffee and a breakfast sandwich, then took a table by the front windows that overlooked the main street. There was a rhythm to Wolf Lake, a slow pace that seemed pleasant. A few people were walking the raised sidewalks, and shops were starting to open. A bright red van passed by, Wolf Lake Family Center written on its side and the shadows of kids bouncing on their seats in the windows.

When she’d finished her breakfast, she paid and headed back outside. The town was just getting going for the day.

The General Store had a bit of everything, just as Parrish had said. Quickly she found a pair of dark brown boots with low heels and tooling on the sides in her size. She left them at the counter with the teenager working there, then went to get peanut butter, bread and bottled water. When she got back to the counter, a bald man was waiting for her behind the register.

“Morning,” he said, smiling at her. He motioned to the box with her new boots in it. “These yours?”

She set her supplies on the counter. “Yes, they are.”

“Visiting our little town?” he asked as he rang up her order.

“Yes,” she said.

As he began to bag her things, he asked, “Where you from?”

“California.”

He glanced at her. “Big state. North or South?”

“South, Los Angeles area,” she said.

“Oh, yeah,” he murmured as he totaled her order.

She wasn’t sure if that was a simple, “Oh,” or an “Oh, no, not a crazy Californian.” He told her what the total was, and while she dug in her bag for the money, she asked, “Would you know where the elementary school is?”

“Rez or town?”

“Town.”

“It’s west, one street past Manno’s Garage on the left. You can’t miss the school. It’s right at the end of the block. The new part looks like something out of a carnival and the original school is the same as it has been for fifty years, all bricks and plain. Kindergarten through eighth grade. All my kids and my grandkids have gone there.”

She was used to schools being subdivided into pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, grades one through five, then grades six through eight, up into high school. “Is it a good school?”

“Best around here,” he said as he handed her the change with a chuckle.

She smiled at him. “And the only one, I take it?”

He nodded his bald head. “You got it. Except for the one on the Rez. It’s real small, but good, too. Good setup.”

“How many kids go to the one in town?”

“There’s maybe a hundred and fifty, tops.”

“Thank you.” She picked up the single brown bag with her purchases in it and put it on the box, then lifted both into her arms.

“I’m Oscar—I own the place.”

“Good to meet you. I’m Grace and I appreciate the information about the school.”

“If you’re looking at the school, are you planning on sticking around here?”

“I think I might be, so I wanted to check it out.”

He looked really interested now. “Is that so? Where are you gonna be living?”

“On a ranch farther west,” she said.

“Which one?”

“Wolf Ranch.”

He stared at her, motionless for a moment. “Wolf Ranch?”

“Yes.” She would have headed for the door, but Oscar spoke again.

“I wondered when someone would show up.”

She hesitated. “Excuse me?”

“The way that all happened with the Carsons, losing that place because of the husband. Never did have any respect for the land. He’s a retired banker. You’d think he’d at least have respect for the money that land’s worth. Old Jackson Wolf must be turning in his grave.” He looked stricken. “Years and years it was Wolf land, and now....” He motioned to her. “No offense, Grace, not that you don’t have every right to claim it from what I’ve heard, but Herbert Carson is an idiot. And what he’s done to poor Jack.” He shook his head. “Oh, man, what a real shame that is. Didn’t deserve that kind of low blow.”

She didn’t want to hear this. She really didn’t. The deal was done. She understood that Jack wanted to keep the land in the family, but she didn’t understand why this man looked so bothered that he’d lost it. The store owner was acting as if he was part of the Carson family.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, not sure why she was apologizing to him.

“A lot of people are,” he said ruefully, then smiled at her. “Not your doing, we all know that, it’s just hard to take.”

“I understand,” she said, but really didn’t. She hurried outside, grateful for the fresh air. She had begun to have trouble breathing. Willie G. didn’t want her to have the land, Oscar was upset about it, Jack wanted it and a lot of people in town thought he should.

“Great,” she muttered as she stashed her purchases in the car and drove off. It didn’t matter what people thought. The land was legitimately hers. Once she saw the garage, she turned left at the next street. It was lined with old houses, some restored, some not, a scattering of mobile homes, and a few vacant lots. The street dead-ended right into the parking lot for Wolf Lake Elementary School.

It was just the way Oscar had described it. To the left, a bright red, domed building stood in the center of multiple wings spreading out from it. Each wing looked like a string of giant toy blocks, each in a bright color. The original school building was a fraction of the size of the newer one, and looked as if it was being used for the administration.

She parked and found her way to the central hub and a long walkway bordered by signs with pictures of children on them and words like, “Honor, Trust, Kindness, Integrity, Pride.” By the time she found the main office, she didn’t know what to expect. The interior space was huge, the wings leading off from the hub and a round desk in the middle.

A large woman behind the desk with very short dark hair and a huge smile asked, “May I help you?”

When Grace explained why she was there, the woman excused herself and then came back with a colored brochure.

“All the information you need is in there,” she said. “Our teachers’ profiles, the layout, our budget, our funding, our scores on state testing, and if there’s something you don’t find, please just ask.” She motioned to some nearby couches. “Have a seat and read through it, if you have the time, then we can talk further.”

She’d make the time. Crossing to the closest couch, she dropped down on the soft suede and opened the brochure. Five minutes later she heard a voice she recognized. “Hi, Naomi, just dropping off papers for Rodney.”

She looked up to see Jack Carson at the desk, smiling at the woman she’d spoken to. The hat was gone, and his jeans had been exchanged for dark slacks and an open-necked white shirt. His hair was combed back and looked damp, as if he’d recently taken a shower. She didn’t move, wondering if he’d even glance her way, half wishing he wouldn’t.

The next moment he turned in her direction, dark eyes on her, and smiled.

* * *

T
HE
LAST
THING
Jack had expected was to find Grace Evans in the main office of the elementary school, curled up in the corner of one of the sofas. The morning had been good and bad, and he’d thought the situation would have stayed that way until she came back from L.A. and told him what she’d decided. Now she was there in front of him, slowly standing, a bright brochure in her hands.

He dropped a file on the desk and patted it. “Make sure Rodney gets those, okay, Naomi?” he asked without looking away from Grace.

“Right away, Jack,” the woman said.

He crossed to Grace, and as his eyes skimmed over her, he had to smile. The sandals were back. He wondered, if she stayed here any length of time, how soon those sandals would be relegated to the back of the closet in favor of some decent boots. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I don’t know why you would have,” she said in that soft voice, her lavender eyes holding his gaze.

“So, you’re checking out the school?” he asked, the answer obvious.

“Yes, I am.”

“What do you think?”

“So far, it seems pretty remarkable. The new structures are incredible.”

“My brother Gage designed the addition. The locals worked with him and his crew, the same way the entertainment center is being built. It’s been four years since this was finished, but it still looks great.”

There was an awkward silence, which Grace finally broke. “The windmills are fine and so is the house well.”

He blinked, his mind blank for a moment, then he remembered their talk about the water situation. “How do you know?”

“Parrish, the man helping me—he checked them and said they’re in good working order. The house well is the same, pumping just fine.”

“Good to hear,” he said. She hadn’t wasted any time checking after he’d told her. “So, you’re heading out tomorrow morning?”

“That’s the plan. I need to get back, but Oscar at the store told me that this school is the best ever. I wanted to check it out for my daughter, in case we stay.”

“Of course.” He knew there was a child, but didn’t know she had a girl. And the school was nothing like the older, smaller one he and his brothers had gone to years ago. The old building had only four classrooms. Naomi was back, looking at the two of them, and Grace nodded to her. “I do need to ask you a few things.”

“No problem.”

“I’ll talk to you when you get back?” Jack asked.

“Yes, of course,” she said, standing and passing him to go to the desk.

He headed for the door, glanced back as he left, and saw Grace going around to meet Naomi near the back opening of the circular desk. She moved quickly, determinedly, the way she seemed to do most everything. Then both women went into the corridor that he knew led to the lower grades.