InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (60 page)

            “He told us
that the land was worth much more than we were asking, and insisted on paying a
fair price. That in itself was a blessing; at least we’d be able to get another
place and pay the hospital bills. But then, he told us who he was. He said that
he’d like to build a house further back on the property, but that he wouldn’t
be living there full time because of his job. He needed caretakers, he told us,
and offered to let us stay in our home in exchange for looking after the place
when he was away, and for some light cleaning and cooking duties. Dylan said he
wanted to keep the ranch operational, and planned to not only rebuy the horses
we were forced to sell, but to get a couple more. Then he told us about his
charity, and said he had some ideas for developing camps for sick and
underprivileged kids in addition to the dude ranch experiences we were already
offering.” Her eyes teared up as she recalled the memory.

            “So Denny’s
actually ‘Big D.’”

            “Depends on
the day, I reckon. They rib each other about that a lot, arguing about whether
it should represent ‘big’ in size or reputation. Guess I don’t have to tell you
which one’s which,” she giggled. “In the beginning, though, Denny was thrilled
that the ranch would keep its name, even if a new ‘D’ was the real namesake.
Denny’s a tough guy; a cowboy in the real sense of the word; but I tell you
when Dylan made that offer, he completely broke down in tears. He’d kind of
given up on his therapy at the time, and was still walking with a cane. He
believed that he’d never ride again; never work with the horses he’d come to
love like his own children. We didn’t even need a minute to think about
it—there was something about Dylan that made us feel completely comfortable
with him right away, you know? We agreed on the spot. Denny’s depression was
lifted, and he worked on getting back into shape, ditching his cane within a
month.

            “Then Dylan
surprised us yet again. About a month later there was all kinds of heavy
equipment rolling in to start construction on his house. He said he felt bad
about all the noise and disruption, and sent us away on a two-week cruise.
Denny and I didn’t want to accept, but he insisted—we hadn’t been on a vacation
in years, and it was the most amazing time. When we got home, Dylan had taken
the liberty of having this amazing porch added on to the house, and had added
on to the barn, as well. Denny’s horses were back, and it was like a dream, you
know? That man saved us, he did, and we’re forever indebted to him. Over the
years, he’s become like one of our own; we love him like a son. We’re so glad
that he found someone to share his life with, and I want you to know that we’ll
consider you family, too.”

            Tia wasn’t at
all surprised by Dylan’s generosity; but it always touched her heart when she
was reminded of how humble he was. “I appreciate that so much, Alicia; it’ll be
so nice to have a friend when Dylan’s away. I was a teacher up until a few
months ago, and I’d love to get involved in the programs that bring kids to the
ranch. I don’t know a whole lot about horses, but I’m definitely anxious to
learn.”

            “Oh, Denny
would love to teach you!”

            “You know, I
was actually a bit worried about moving here to a new place, out in the
country, where I didn’t know anyone; especially knowing that the place was
secluded and that Dylan would be gone a lot of the time. I just feel so much
better about that part of it, knowing that you guys are here.”

            Alicia took
her hand and smiled. “I’m so glad,” she said.

            The boys came
out onto the porch with beers in their hands, and each went to kiss their
ladies on the cheek before sitting in one of the rockers. The sun was just
dipping below the mountains, turning them incredible shades of purple and
orange. They rocked for a while in comfortable silence, and just as the last
crescent of the sun disappeared behind the Rockies, Dylan took Tia’s hand.
“Welcome to your new life,” he whispered.

            “I’m going to
love it here,” she answered.

*****

            By Wednesday
Tia started to worry. She wasn’t totally freaked out that she hadn’t heard back
from Lexi over the weekend; and frankly, she was so busy getting acclimated to
the house and the land, getting to know Denny, Alicia, the horses, and the
dogs, that she didn’t have a whole lot of time to think about it. She was
constantly snapping pictures and taking video; sending them in texts and emails
to a long string of people, and hadn’t particularly noticed that Lexi was the
only one who never responded. When she figured it out and called Lexi’s office
only to be told she no longer worked there, she got a sick feeling in the pit
of her stomach and called her mother to ask her to check in on Lexi.  When her
mom reported that Lexi’s car was in the parking lot but no one answered the
door, Tia felt like she had no choice. She asked her mother to call the police
to do a wellness check on her.

            She knew Lexi
was still depressed when she left, and she felt a pang of guilt for leaving her
alone.  Lex was always the strong one; the one who couldn’t be tamed; the one
Tia looked to for support time and time again over the years. Normally, she
didn’t let anything get her down—she laughed at adversity and faced life
head-on. Tia knew all too well how it felt to sink into that dark pit of
self-pity, that place where no one and nothing could touch you, but she never
would have imagined that Lexi had a hole that deep. The Lexi she knew was the
one who took her keys to Ryan’s Mustang and hung her engagement ring on the
carabineer while he was working out with his mistress; the one who insisted
they go on with their celebration plans after she’d discovered his infidelity.

            All Lexi had
to do was return a phone call and say she was OK. Instead, Tia was a thousand
miles away and suddenly conjuring up images of a lifeless body lying on the
floor of her apartment.

            “OK, the
police are here now,” her mom said, and Tia hung on the line listening to her
give the story to the officers. Why hadn’t she thought to leave Lexi’s key with
her mom?  The flutter of a second thought roiled in her stomach but at least
this way, if Lexi was sick, they’d be able to help her right away. She heard
the sharp knock and the bellow of the cop’s voice as he pounded on Lexi’s door.
“Police, ma’am, open the door, please.” He pounded twice more, and Tia heard
the jingle of something metallic. “Are you sure she’s in there? We may have to
break the lock if she…” then Tia heard the familiar squeak of Lexi’s door as it
swung open.

            “What the hell
is going on?” she heard Lexi’s shocked and groggy voice, and her shoulders
slumped in relief. “Mrs. Hastings?”

            “Oh Lexi,
thank God you’re OK.”

            “Is everything
alright, Miss?” a policeman said.

            Now Lexi just
sounded agitated. “Of course everything’s alright. What is all this?”

            “Oh honey,
Tia’s been trying to call you for days, and you weren’t answering. I came by to
check on you and saw your car, but you didn’t come to the door, and she got
worried and asked me to call.”

            “Wait a
minute,” another male voice said. “Would that be Tia Hastings, Dylan Miller’s
fiancée? I thought I recognize you—you were on
After Dark
a while back
,
right?”

            “Oh God,” Lexi
groaned, “does it never end?”

            “Thanks so
much, officers,” Tia heard her mom say, “I’ll take it from here.” She came back
on the line and said, “I guess you probably heard. She’s fine, but she looks
like she’s been on a three-day bender. Let me help her get cleaned up, and I’ll
call you back.”

            “Tell her to
call me,” Tia answered. “She may be fine right now, but I’m not so sure she
will be when I get a hold of her.”

            It was almost
45 minutes before Lexi’s number popped up on her screen. “What the hell was
that? You don’t call back for days, don’t answer your phone or your door until
the police show up?”

            “What the hell
was
that
,” Lexi replied snidely, “that you didn’t notice for four
freaking days?”

            Tia felt like
she’d been slapped. Lexi was right; she should have realized it right away, and
been more diligent about getting someone to check in on her sooner. She mentally
kicked herself for being so selfish; she’d been so caught up in seeing Dylan,
exploring her new home, getting to know Denny and Alicia and the animals; that
she’d let Lexi’s problems slip to the back of her mind. “You’re absolutely
right,” she said softly, “and I’m so sorry. It was really shitty of me, and I
feel horrible.”

            “You should
feel horrible,” Lexi bellowed, and then softened her voice. “Oh, damn it,” she
said, “it was shitty of me, too. I really thought at first that I’d be able to
pick myself up, brush myself off, and get on with it, but it’s all hitting me
harder than I thought it would. I’m sitting here like a zombie, drinking way
too much wine, eating nothing, and shutting out the world.” She paused and took
a deep breath. “How did you ever get through it? How did you learn to smile
again? It hurts so much…”

            “Oh, sweetie,
I’m so sorry. I wish I could tell you that it’ll be alright tomorrow, but it
takes time. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth.”

            “It sucks,”
she sobbed. “I lost my job.”

            “I heard. I
called the office. How in the world did that happen?”

            “Long story,
but basically, I finally had it out with Candy, and Bryce took her side, of
course. Helps that she’s sleeping with him, I’m sure.” She left out the part
about the previous meetings with her boss when they’d discussed the
distractions her new status brought to the firm; the phone calls from
non-clients, people who set up meetings just so they could narrow their
connection to a celebrity down a few degrees, calls from media types hoping to
get a comment about the celebrity love triangle; things had been bad for a
couple months, and she had to admit that she was having a hard time keeping her
head in the game.

            “But he just
fired you on the spot? He can’t do that! Doesn’t there have to be a process, or
something? You can probably fight it.”

            “Yeah, I
could; but considering Bryce’s wife heard the whole thing and is going to shut
him down—her father owns the building—there won’t be a firm for much longer. She’s
making sure I get a decent severance package, and I’ve got all the money I had
saved up for the wedding and the honeymoon…so I’m OK for a while. Believe it or
not, I actually did do some soul searching over the past few days, and decided
that I could use a change; maybe it’s a chance to start over.”

            “It still
sucks. Why didn’t you answer when my mom came by?”

            “Honestly? I
was kind of passed out—I didn’t even hear the door.” 

            “Oh honey,”
Tia said, feeling the guilt punch her in the gut.

            “I’m better.
Really. I’m sorry I had you worried. I did see the pictures—the place looks
amazing. I can’t wait to hear all about it. It’s great to hear your voice, but
you should get back to Dylan and enjoy the rest of your vacation.”

            “Are you sure
you’re OK?” 

            “I’m sure.”

            “And you won’t
ignore my calls?”

            “Cross my
heart.”

            “I was really
worried, Lex. I love you, you know.”

            “You too.” She
cut the connection.    

            Dylan wasn’t
happy about her leaving early, but he was understanding. He even offered to come
with her, but she declined. “She’s kind of hating men right now; she just needs
to have someone to vent to. Trust me, it wouldn’t be any fun.”

            She said her
goodbyes to Alicia and Denny, and nuzzled with the dogs and horses in turn,
promising them that she’d be back soon to stay. She left with very little; much
of what she’d brought with her had found a place in her new home.

            “Oh, God, are
you serious?” Lexi moaned when Tia opened the door to her apartment and walked
in with Chinese carry-out bags hanging from her arms. “What are you doing here,
Tia?”

            “I had to come
and make sure you were really OK,” she answered, “plus, I felt really guilty
for leaving you when you needed me.”

            “Damn it, all
I needed was a few days to wallow in self-pity and cry myself out. I didn’t
mean for you to miss out on your trip….now
I
feel guilty.”

            “Well then, we
can feel guilty together.” She looked Lexi up and down and nodded. “You look
better. You’re clean, at least.”

            “Yeah, nothing
like the police showing up at your door when you’re at your absolute worst and
then having them recognizing you as someone they saw on TV to put things in
perspective.” She lifted her nose in the air and gave an appreciative sniff.
“Do I smell pot stickers?”