Gift of Fortune (22 page)

"But you just got here," Aileen protested. "Why not
spend the night and start fresh in the morning? We have a
guest room. Or at least stay for a meal."

"It's sweet of you to offer, but I better get back. You
know, work and Dad." Linda stood. "Maybe I'll take you
up on your offer some other time. Get to know you. Get
to know my nephew."

"Yes, I'd like that," Quint said.

They walked Linda to the front door and watched her
drive away.

"You have an aunt and a grandfather. A family," Aileen
said to Quint. "How does that feel?"

Quint rubbed his neck. "I don't know. I have to get used
to the idea of a family."

"I'm glad Linda came and told us about Jack."

"You think his background excuses his behavior?" Quint
challenged.

"No, it doesn't excuse it, but it offers some insight into
his character. His mother died when he was small, which
must have seemed like abandonment to him. And then he
was raised by an abusive father who caused him to run
away when he was only fifteen. No wonder Jack wasn't a
warm, loving man. He didn't know how to be."

"You see the best in everyone, don't you?" Quint stroked
her cheek gently.

The way Quint looked at her, his green eyes filled with
warmth and an emotion she couldn't identify but liked,
made her feel light-headed.

"I better get to work," he said.

Aileen sensed that Quint needed to be alone.

"I'll see you tonight. I may be late," he said and hurried
toward the barn.

The remaining weeks passed much as the whole summer
had passed: filled with work. There was much to be said
for having work to fill the days. It precluded prolonged fits
of brooding.

Not that Aileen didn't still brood in unguarded moments,
but her daily schedule didn't allow mammoth indulgences
in self-pity, fruitless speculations, and useless longings.

Although Aileen watched Quint-unobtrusively she
hoped, and with her fervent love for him well hidden-she
saw no change in him toward her. He expressed his appreciation of the meals she cooked for him; he treated her
kindly, considerately. And yet she sometimes caught him
looking at her, his green eyes watchful, waiting. Waiting
for what?

Aileen did see one thing in Quint that was different, one
thing that filled her with a flicker of hope. His attitude
toward his father seemed to change. For weeks the two
photos of Jack she had shown him lay facedown on the
desk in the den he used as his office. Then one day when
she came to dust, she found them lying faceup in the upper
corner of the desk, carefully placed side by side. Quint had
looked at them, had to look at them, every time he sat down
at the desk.

She put them into a frame which she placed on his desk.
Not next to their wedding picture or the photo of him as a
boy, holding his mother's hand, but in the same spot where
they'd been. When Quint left Jack's photos there, Aileen
rejoiced.

If Quint could come to terms with his father's rejection
and let go of all those hostile feelings, wouldn't that put a
crack into the stone wall he'd erected around his heart? And
once that wall was breached, wouldn't he be able to allow
himself to feel freely, to trust, to love?

Aileen prayed daily for that miracle to happen; she
watched for it, eagle-eyed, but the last week of summer
vacation was drawing to an end, and Quint remained silent
and distant.

The next day Aileen decided she had to do something
or go crazy. But what? She brooded a long time until she
remembered that Quint had said he liked his women to take
some initiative. She'd taken the initiative at faculty meetings, in committees, in the classroom. She could take the
initiative in her home, couldn't she?

Aileen thought about what she could do, considered
strategies, discarded them, formulated new ones. Eventually she came up with a plan. It involved a good meal, a
new dress, perfume, and a whole lot of raw nerve and steely
resolve.

She put the plan into action the next morning.

Grocery list in hand, Aileen started walking toward her
car. Suddenly, she saw the green pickup return to the yard.
She opened the car door, but, curious about the visitor, she
didn't get in. Early that morning Quint had left with a
stranger driving. Now he got out, waved to the driver as
he left, and joined Aileen.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Cal McAllister. I met him last week in the feed store.
He wanted to look at our north section."

"Why? We don't have any feed planted up there."

"Cal isn't a feed buyer."

Aileen looked at Quint, waiting for him to explain.

"Cal's an engineer." Quint looked at her steadily. "He's
a petrochemical engineer."

Aileen reeled as if from a blow to the diaphragm. Blindly
she steadied herself against the opened car door. "You had
an oil man look at the range? What else did you have him
do? A survey? What did you promise? What did you sign?"
she asked, afraid of the answer.

"Nothing. Don't get all worked up. I-"

"That's how it starts. They look, then they make you an
offer to drill, and then more and more money until you
can't say no! How could you do this? I've told you how
Mom and I felt about drilling on our land. And once again
you didn't even consult me! My Gosh, I was hoping that
one day you'd care about me the way I care about
you-" Her voice broke.

"Aileen, I-"

She heard Bob call Quint, asking him to look at a foundering horse.

"I'm coming," Quint yelled back.

This was serious, Aileen knew.

"Aileen, the horse could die. I've got to go. We'll talk
about this later. I promise." He sprinted toward the stable.

Aileen ran into the house. She was so upset she couldn't
even cry. She paced the floor. When the phone rang, she
answered it. Anything to distract her.

"I'm so glad you called," Aileen told Dora. "I didn't
realize how much I needed to talk to you."

"What's wrong?"

Aileen told her.

Dora was silent for several seconds after Aileen had
ended her impassioned outpouring. "You object to drilling
for oil on the ranch mostly because your mother did, right?"
Dora asked.

"Yes, but I've also seen what the land looks like after
the oil company gets through with it."

"That was years ago. They're more environmentally
aware now." Sensing Aileen's expression, Dora said,
"You're in no frame of mind to listen to logic, so let me
just tell you something. Will you listen?"

"Yes."

"When you hang up the phone, look in your illustrated
copy of Alice in Wonderland."

"Why?" Aileen asked, puzzled but intrigued.

"There's an envelope in there for you from your mother.
It's a geological survey of the Triangle B. My copy of the
survey is in my safe-deposit box."

Aileen felt the room tilt off center. "Mom had the land
surveyed?"

"When she came back from the Mayo Clinic. She knew
she wasn't going to get well, so when Jack went on one of
his hunting trips, she had the north range surveyed."

"Dad never knew?"

"No. Ruth knew her husband's weaknesses. She was
afraid he would start drilling at the first financial setback.
She wanted this to be your nest egg, your legacy." Dora
paused, letting Aileen take all this in.

"She asked me to keep this a secret until you really
needed help. You were still so young when she died. She
wanted to protect you. She left it up to my judgment when
the right time arrived. I think it has."

There was a long silence on the line.

"Aileen? I wonder if you're really that upset about Quint letting the engineer look at the north range. Isn't there more
to this crisis than that?" Dora asked.

"Maybe there's more," Aileen admitted softly.

"Such as?"

"Such as my being a fool. I let myself fall in love with
Quint, and he doesn't love me." Aileen stopped, trying to
control a flood of tears.

"Has he said he doesn't love you?"

"No, but neither has he said that he does."

Dora sighed impatiently. "Sometimes I forget how young
you still are."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Naturally it's wonderful if the person we love reciprocates the feeling. But think of the alternative. Would you
rather not love Quint?"

Startled, Aileen drew a sharp breath.

"Think about it, Aileen. If you could, would you like to
stop loving him?"

"No." Her answer surprised her. She tried to imagine not
loving Quint. She couldn't.

"You also have to remember that men don't always, or
even often, express their feelings. Hasn't Quint shown you
in what he does daily that he cares about you?"

Aileen considered that. He had. He did. Small things he
did for her. The way he expressed his appreciation for an
ironed shirt. A pie she'd baked. An unexpected smile, a
brief touch of his hand.

"Well?" Dora demanded.

"Maybe you're right."

"I am always right," Dora said, with a smile in her voice.
"Go look for the survey."

"Do you know what it says?"

"Not exactly, but I have a good idea. Call me later."

Aileen said she would. Then she went in search of the book. She found the envelope just where Dora said she
would. She recognized her mother's handwriting. Tears
clouded her eyes. She blinked several times before she
could read the words.

For Aileen Bolton, my beloved daughter, to be opened
in case of a financial emergency.

Aileen traced the words lovingly.

"Aileen?" Quint came to a sudden stop when he saw her
slumped against the hall table. "Are you okay?"

She didn't say anything. She placed the envelope on the
hall table with trembling hands.

"Aileen, I didn't hire the engineer. I would never do that
without talking to you first. As I said, I met him, we talked,
and he asked if he could look at the north section. Apparently that part of the land is nearest to the oil fields north
of here." When she remained silent, Quint placed his hand
on her shoulder. "Aileen, look at me."

She didn't. She held up the envelope.

"What's that?"

"A geological survey Mom had done before she died.
She only told Dora about it."

"Jack never knew?"

"No." Aileen steeled herself to ask, "Do you want out
of this marriage so desperately that you want to drill for
oil?"

"I don't want out of this marriage. What are you talking
about?" he asked, truly perplexed.

"You said that after a couple of years when we're in
better shape financially, we might end the marriage. I
thought maybe you wanted out earlier, and that's why you
were interested in getting the survey done. Even if there
were only a small amount of oil, the money would be
good."

All Quint could do was stare at Aileen. "Are you bring ing this up because you want out?" he asked, his voice
hoarse.

She shook her head vigorously.

Quint felt the awful pressure ease from his chest. When
Aileen handed him the envelope, he asked, "Have you read
it?"

''No."

He tossed the envelope on the hall table.

Aileen looked at him. "Aren't you going to read it?"

"No. I don't want out of this marriage. And I'm not
letting you go either."

"You're not?" she asked, barely able to whisper around
the lump in her throat.

"Nope. You may as well know that you can't get rid of
me that easy." He drew her into his arms for a fierce hug.

He nearly crushed the breath out of her, but Aileen didn't
care. She luxuriated in the touch of his strong arms.

"I know I haven't been as attentive as I should have
been. I've put work first, but that's because I have to prove
myself."

"You don't have to prove yourself to me," she said.

Quint released her. He rubbed his neck.

"Maybe it's me I have to convince that I'm good enough
to...to own half of this ranch." And to be your husband.
"Prove that I'm not like my father."