The calamity Janes (16 page)

For a week after the night in his hotel room, she had difficulty falling asleep. The memories of his touches, of his tenderness, made her restless. The yearning she had hoped to end that night had only intensified. The prospect of going back to Winding River, of seeing him again, both terrified and excited her.

She wasn’t sure what she’d expected when she’d told him the story of Kit’s betrayal. In truth, she hadn’t
given a thought to how he might take it. She had simply responded to the confusion that her hurry to leave his bed had stirred in him. Once the words had begun, they had tumbled out in a rush, leaving her oddly relieved when they were out in the open. Only the Calamity Janes had heard even part of the messy story of her divorce, and she hadn’t given them as much of it as she’d given Ford. She’d managed to keep her family in the dark about most of it, as well. Matt and Wayne would have beaten Kit to a pulp if they’d known the rest.

Ford had said very little, but he had enticed her back to bed, where he had simply held her until her tears had dried. Then he had taken her home, kissed her so thoroughly it had made her knees weak and promised to call the minute he got back to Wyoming.

He had called the next day and again the next night. In fact, he had been phoning regularly, but she hadn’t taken any of the calls. She knew he had hoped that her resolve would waver, but it wouldn’t, so what was the point? She had made her decision. Prolonging the contact wouldn’t be wise for either of them.

But she couldn’t put off going back to Winding River forever. A trial date had been set for Sue Ellen and in the intervening weeks Emma had a dozen different witnesses she needed to depose. She was flipping through her calendar, trying to make a decision about the timing of her trip, when her secretary buzzed.

“It’s Lauren Winters on line two,” she said.

“Thanks, Liza.” Emma grinned as she answered the call. “I thought you were on location for your next movie.”

“I am, but there’s this incredible new technology.
It’s called the cell phone. It even works from the wilds of Vancouver.”

“Okay, very amusing. It’s just that you’re usually so absorbed with work at the start of filming, we never hear from you. What’s up?”

“Just checking in. I hear you’ve been away from Winding River for a few weeks now. Hiding out, are you?”

Emma bristled at the accusation. “Why would you say something like that?”

“I know you, sweetie. Ford Hamilton has you running scared. I picked up on that the minute you skedaddled out of town.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I came back because I had a case going to trial here.”

“If you say so,” Lauren said skeptically. “So, has Ford been to Denver?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact.”

“Thought so. How did that go?”

“He was here for one night. I told him it wouldn’t work and he went back. End of story.”

“He took no for an answer?” Lauren sounded disappointed.

“Actually I didn’t give him much choice.”

“He hasn’t called once?” Lauren asked.

“He’s called,” Emma admitted. “I haven’t taken the calls.”

“Why on earth not?”

“Because it’s pointless.”

“Why is it pointless?”

“He’s there. I’m here. He’s a journalist. I don’t trust journalists. The list of reasons goes on and on.”

“You could be there in Winding River with him,” Lauren suggested. “As for the whole journalist thing,
that has never made any sense to me. I know it has something to do with something Kit did right before the divorce, but you surely can’t blame Ford for that.”

“Trust me, I have good reasons for the way I feel.”

“I’m sure you do, but isn’t it misdirected? Ford never did you any harm. He’s been straight with you from the beginning, hasn’t he?”

“Pretty much,” Emma conceded.

“Then be fair. You wouldn’t expect a jury to convict him of a crime he personally didn’t commit. How can
you?
”

Emma sighed. “It’s not that simple.”

“Yes, sweetie, it is. Go home. Give the man a chance. I have it on good authority that the man is highly respected.”

“What authority?”

“Cassie, Karen—even Gina—have chimed in with their approval. He’s winning us over.”

“Well, bully for him,” Emma grumbled.

“If you won’t give him a chance for your own sake, do it for mine.”

“Why do you care whether I give Ford a chance?”

“Because if you do, you could end up in Winding River. That would make it that much easier to get all the Calamity Janes together whenever I get back there.”

“And how often are you planning to get back? Face it, Lauren, your life’s as jam-packed with work as mine, and yours takes you all over the world.”

“Yes, well, I’ve been thinking about that.”

Emma went still. “Oh?”

“Once I finish this movie, I may go back to Winding River for good.”

“You mean as a home base between movies?”

“I mean permanently, period.”

Emma couldn’t hide her shock. “What? When did you decide this?”

“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Everything that happened at the reunion and since then has convinced me that I really want to be close to the people who matter to me.”

“You’re giving up movies?”

“Yes,” Lauren said without hesitation. “Or maybe I’ll do an occasional one when a fabulous script comes my way. I have to see how I feel. Right now I just know I want my life to be different.”

Emma was stunned. “What aren’t you telling me? You’re not sick, are you?”

“No, just lonely. I wasn’t cut out for this life. It’s not real.”

There was no mistaking the sad, wistful note in Lauren’s voice. “Then by all means, come home,” Emma said readily. “In fact, if you can get away this weekend, fly home. I’ll drive up. We can talk this all out. You can even try to knock some sense into my head where Ford’s concerned.”

Lauren chuckled. “Now there’s an incentive. I’ll be there.”

“I’m not promising you’ll have any luck,” Emma warned.

“Sweetie, I’ve persuaded millions of moviegoers that I can act. Surely I can persuade you to give a handsome, decent man a chance.”

Maybe she could, maybe she couldn’t, but as Emma hung up, she realized that a part of her wanted Lauren’s attempts to succeed.

Emma had been right. Making love with her had been a very bad idea. Because now that he had, Ford knew he could never give her up.

There were a million and one reasons why he should, why he should write the whole thing off as a moment of craziness, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t even deterred by the fact that she was refusing to take his calls. He considered that to be a hopeful sign, actually. She wouldn’t be avoiding him if she wasn’t afraid that he could get to her.

Not that he had any real choice. Without even realizing it was happening, without even guessing it was possible, he’d gone and fallen in love with her. She was the most intelligent woman he’d ever met, and the most passionate, not just in bed, but about the very same ideas that mattered to him. As often as not, they were on opposite sides, but he could live with that. He wondered, though, if she could.

And that was at the very core of their relationship. He felt certain they could overcome the small stuff. Even her career in Denver was manageable. He didn’t have a problem with her staying on there if need be, commuting himself if necessary, but he had a hunch even she might be almost willing to admit that she was ready to move back to Winding River full-time.

He’d picked up on the brittle tension in her that very first night at the class reunion. He’d watched that slowly ease away as she fell into a more comfortable rhythm surrounded by her family and her friends. She had laughed more readily by the time she left. She had watched her daughter without that worried furrow creasing her brow.

Back in Denver the brittleness and the furrowed brow had both returned within days. He’d been appalled by their presence when he’d gone to visit Emma.
Even though she’d been back in what she considered her natural milieu, she’d been frighteningly uptight. Not all of that could be blamed on her uneasiness about their relationship.

He wondered if she was aware of the transformations and their implications. He also wondered how long it was going to be before she stopped running scared, before she admitted that she wasn’t truly happy with her life in Denver and came back to Winding River.

That thought was still very much on his mind when he glanced up from his cup of coffee and saw Cassie regarding him speculatively.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“I should be asking you that,” she said. She glanced around, satisfied herself that the few customers at Stella’s were okay, then slid into the booth opposite him. “Have you heard from Emma?”

“No.”

“Have you tried to reach her?”

“Repeatedly,” he admitted. “She’s not taking my calls.”

Cassie grinned. “Good. In fact, that’s great.”

“I thought so myself. Mind explaining why
you
think it’s good news.”

“Sure. It’s proof that she considers you to be a risk. Emma’s not scared of much, but apparently she’s terrified of you. That’s the way the rest of us had it pegged from the beginning, but she was in such deep denial that we weren’t sure. Now I am.”

Her logic was complicated, but Ford was pretty sure he was following her. “How do I break the impasse?”

“You don’t. You wait. She’ll be back. In fact, Lauren called last night and said she’d managed to lure Emma back here for this weekend. Emma thinks she’s
coming to save Lauren from making some drastic career decision.” Cassie waved that off. “I don’t understand all the particulars of that, but the bottom line is that you’ll get your chance to see her in person. Emma’s not capable of being rude to a person’s face.”

Ford grinned. “So she won’t slam the door on me?”

“No way.”

“Any idea when she’s getting in?”

“I’d guess midday Friday, but check with her mom. I’m sure she’ll know.” Her grin spread. “And if I know Mrs. Clayton, she’ll be more than happy to let you be the welcoming committee. In fact, I imagine she’ll insist on it.”

Ford pictured Emma’s stunned expression when she discovered he was the one assigned to greet her. It was that image that got him through the rest of the week.

E
mma had her bags packed and was about to carry them downstairs when the doorbell chimed.

“I’ll get it,” Caitlyn shouted happily from the front hall. She was so eager to get on the road to see her pony and her grandparents that she had been waiting impatiently at the bottom of the steps for the past half hour pleading with Emma to hurry.

“Uncle Matt!” Caitlyn squealed in a voice that carried up the stairs.

Startled, Emma peered over the railing. Sure enough, there was her brother, unshaven, his hair rumpled, a suitcase in his hand. She hurried down the steps to give him a hug, then took a more thorough survey of his disheveled state. She immediately put her own departure on hold. Something was obviously wrong, and she needed to deal with it before she went anywhere.

“You look like hell,” she observed.

Matt managed a feeble smile. “You sure do know how to give a pep talk, sis.”

“How come you came to see us, Uncle Matt? We were coming to see you,” Caitlyn said, clinging to his hand.

Emma interceded. “Let’s go into the kitchen and fix your uncle some coffee and some breakfast,” she said, then gave him a pointed look as she added, “I’m sure he’ll answer all of our questions then.”

Caitlyn’s face fell. “But, Mama, we got to go. Grandpa’s gonna be waiting.”

“Why don’t you go and call Grandpa and tell him we’re going to be running a little late?” Emma suggested. It would give her a few minutes to try to get to the bottom of her brother’s unexpected arrival, and maybe talking to her grandfather would keep Caitlyn’s disappointment at bay.

When Caitlyn had raced off to make the call, Matt regarded Emma wearily. “Do we have to get into this now? All I want is a little sleep. I drove most of the night. I’m beat.”

“I can see that,” she said. “That means your resistance will be weaker and I’ll be able to get a few straight answers out of you.”

“That’s an unfair tactical advantage.”

She grinned at him. “I know, but if you really didn’t want to talk, you would have avoided me like the plague and gone to a motel.” She took his hand, at least partly so he wouldn’t bolt, and led him into the kitchen. “Sit. I’ll make the coffee. Want some eggs?”

“Sure, why not?” he said, sounding resigned.

“Did you and Martha have another fight?” she asked casually as she scooped coffee into the coffeemaker and turned it on.

“You could say that.”

“About?”

“Actually, she and Mom and Dad ganged up on me. They called it an intervention, whatever the hell that is.”

Emma tried to picture the scene and failed. Since it was obviously a sore point, she resisted the temptation to grin. “About?”

“My future, what else?”

“What was the bottom line?”

“They kicked me out.”

Emma hadn’t been expecting that. The measure was far more drastic than she would have imagined. Obviously they felt Matt was so deeply entrenched in his self-imposed martyrdom that he would continue to ignore anything less. Maybe her own failure to get through to him had been the turning point, convincing them that he would have to be pushed into doing something to change his life.

She nodded. “Okay, then, what are your plans?”

He gave her a long-suffering look. “They kicked me out last night. Do you honestly think I’ve had time to make plans beyond coming here?”

With the coffee brewing, she sat down and gave his work-roughened hand a squeeze. “Whether you want to admit it or not, Matt, I think you’ve been dreaming about this moment for years,” she told him quietly.

He frowned at that. “A dream is not a plan.”

“It’s the beginning of one. What’s yours? If you could do or be anything in the world, what would you choose?”

The question seemed to completely befuddle him. For the longest time, he simply sat there, gazing off
into the distance as if trying to envision a different future from the path he’d been on.

“I think I’ve got a good head for business,” he finally said slowly. Then he added sheepishly, “Dad says the ranch has never been running better, and I’ve made a little money investing.”

The news about the ranch wasn’t unexpected, but Emma was surprised about the investing. “Really? How much?”

“Enough to pay tuition for college, actually. I haven’t said much to Martha about it, because the whole subject of investing in stocks gives her hives. She thinks ranching is unpredictable enough.”

“If you have the money for tuition, why on earth have you been waiting to do this?” Emma asked.

“You know why.”

“Because of Dad,” she guessed.

“My mistake,” he said wryly. “Turns out he’s pretty eager to throw me out.”

“You know that’s not true. You just said he’s told you that the ranch has never been better off, and that the credit for that goes to you. All he wants is for you to be happy doing something you really want to do.” She met Matt’s gaze evenly and saw a faint spark of hope in his eyes, something she realized had been missing for far too long. Her baby brother was long overdue for a chance at the life he wanted.

“It’s not too late to enroll for the fall semester at the University of Colorado in Boulder. You could stay here,” she said impulsively. Even as the words left her mouth, she began to warm to the idea. It had been lonely around here. She had realized just how lonely when she’d been back in Winding River with family underfoot every time she turned around. And since
Ford had been to visit, her life had seemed emptier than ever.

“Bring Martha and the kids,” she added. “There’s plenty of room, and Caitlyn would love having you around.”

“I can’t impose on you like that.”

“You can’t
not
do it,” she said. “Besides, when is it an imposition for a brother to visit his sister?”

“For four years?” he said. “That’s a helluva long visit.”

She grinned. “If you hate living with me, you’ll be motivated to finish in less.”

He regarded her doubtfully. “Emma, are you sure? This is a big step for both of us. You haven’t even had time to think about it.”

“Of course I’m sure. And if you’re not happy here or the commute for classes starts to be a drag, in a few months you can find something closer to school.”

“I have money for tuition, not rent.”

“Then Martha will find a job,” she said, knowing that her sister-in-law would jump at the chance to do something to help her husband find happiness. “She’s offered to do that. And I’ll help out. One of the perks of being a successful lawyer is that I have buckets of money and no time to spend it. I’d be happy to invest a little of it in you, especially if you graduate from college and become some sort of hotshot investment broker and triple my savings for me.”

“That might be a little overly ambitious,” he warned. “The market can be tricky.”

“Then you’ll keep me from making any foolish choices.” She met his gaze. “Stay, Matt, please. Do this for yourself. Do it for Martha and the kids.”

“Do you really think I can?”

He so clearly needed reassurance that Emma resisted the temptation to chastize him for being so hesitant. “I know you can. So does everyone else in the family. You’re the only doubter.”

He drew in a deep breath and met her gaze. “If I can get a degree at my age, then I can surely cook myself a couple of eggs. You and Caitlyn go on and hit the road. I know she’s anxious to get to Winding River. I imagine all you’ve heard about the last few weeks is that pony of hers. She’s on the phone to Dad half a dozen times a week to check on it.”

“I know. I’ve seen the phone bills,” Emma said. “Shall I tell Mom and Dad what you’ve decided?”

He shook his head. “I’ll call. I’ll let them know you’re on your way and that I’m moving to Colorado.” His gaze locked on hers. “They might not be so disappointed, if they thought you were coming back to Winding River to stay.”

“I said I’d share my house with you, not give it to you,” she chided. “I’ll be back in a few days. In fact, I’ll help Martha get things packed up and bring her with me. You concentrate on getting enrolled in school before you chicken out.”

She bent down and gave him a kiss. “You’re going to be great at this,” she assured him.

“I hope you’re right.”

“I’m always right.”

He chuckled. “So you think.”

She started out of the kitchen.

“Hey, sis.”

“What?” she asked, turning back.

“Now that I’ve mustered up the courage to make a dramatic change in my life, maybe it’s time for you to
do the same. I have it on excellent authority that a certain newspaperman cares a lot about you. Mom and Dad and my wife aren’t the only ones who can mastermind an intervention,” he reminded her.

“Don’t press your luck, little brother. I could still put you out on the street.”

“I’d like to see you try.” He leaned back in his chair, his hands linked behind his head in a relaxed pose. “This place is beginning to look mighty comfortable.”

Emma was chuckling as she left the kitchen, but as soon as she reached the front hall, her laughter died. She had the strangest feeling that Matt had been only partially teasing. Her family had already proved in her brother’s case that they weren’t above using extraordinary tactics to accomplish the impossible. She and Ford were certainly that. It might be just the challenge they were looking for, coming off this latest success with Matt.

Too bad, she thought grimly. She was highly motivated, and Ford Hamilton was definitely not in her future…even if she couldn’t seem to get him out of her head.

Emma didn’t like the jolt to her heart when she pulled up in front of her parents’ house a few hours later and spotted Ford lounging in a rocker on the porch. It didn’t help that a smile spread across Caitlyn’s face and she all but broke her neck leaping from the car to race up and throw herself at him.

“I’ve been missing you and missing you,” she said enthusiastically as he scooped her up.

“I’ve missed you, too, munchkin.”

“Talking on the phone’s not nearly as good as seeing you,” Caitlyn said.

Ford’s gaze sought Emma’s. “No, it’s not, but it’s better than nothing,” he said quietly.

Emma felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach. She’d had no idea Ford had been in touch with her daughter. Nor was she sure how she felt about it. Maybe she’d know once she found out why he’d been calling her.

“Caitlyn, why don’t you go and look for your grandfather? I’m sure he’s down at the barn.”

“Actually he and your mom have gone to Laramie for dinner and a movie,” Ford announced.

That was yet another shock. “But Matt called. They knew I was on my way,” she said, feeling increasingly disconcerted and not one bit happy about it.

“That’s why I’m here.”

“They asked you to be here when I arrived?” she asked skeptically.

“Yep. In fact, your mother thought it was a splendid solution.”

“Solution to what? I have a key. I could have let myself in.”

“Yes, but you might have felt neglected. Now that I’m here, there’s no chance of that. I’m taking the two of you out for dinner. Gina’s cooking at Tony’s. She’s promised to make the munchkin’s favorite pizza. Extra cheese and pepperoni.”

Caitlyn planted a loud, smacking kiss on his cheek. “You’re the best.”

Emma wasn’t as easily persuaded of that as her daughter was. In fact, she didn’t like this sneaky scheme of Ford’s one bit. It had his fingerprints all over
it. Her parents would not have thought of it on their own. In the past she had never arrived home to find them gone. In fact, they were most often all too eager to greet her. They usually assembled the entire family as if welcoming the return of the prodigal daughter. Of course, the family was one short with Matt in Denver, but that was beside the point.

“Caitlyn, take your bag inside. I need to speak to Ford before we go into town.”

“But—”

“Go.”

As soon as Caitlyn had gone, Emma whirled on Ford. “What did you do? Bribe them to stay away?”

“Why would I do something like that?” he asked reasonably.

“Because you wouldn’t want them around when I tell you what a low-down, sneaky, conniving man you are.”

“No, I wouldn’t want that,” he agreed. “It wouldn’t speak well of you to say such things when you know they’re not true. I’ve been up-front with you about where I see the two of us heading.”

“That is not what I meant.”

He grinned unrepentantly. “I know.”

“And I want to know why you’ve been talking to my daughter behind my back.”

“It wasn’t behind your back. I called. She answered. We talked. You certainly weren’t eager to take my calls.”

“For good reason.”

“In your opinion.”

“Ford—”

He cut her off. “I hope you’re hungry. I told Gina to make the pizza a large one.”

“I’m not going to dinner with you.”

“Oh?” he said, clearly only mildly disappointed. “What will you tell Caitlyn? She’s really looking forward to this.”

Emma sighed. He had her over a barrel and he knew it. “Okay, you win, but I don’t have to like it.”

“No,” he agreed, then leaned down to give her a totally unsatisfying peck on the cheek. “But I’ll do my best to see that you do.”

Ford was downright pleased with himself at how smoothly it had all gone. Emma had fallen right in with his plans. Okay, not without a protest, but he’d anticipated that. He’d known she wouldn’t deny Caitlyn an outing she had her heart set on.

Contrary to what he’d claimed, he wasn’t above admitting to himself that it was sneaky and low-down, but it had worked. Once in a while extreme measures were called for, even if they were destined to haunt him. Emma was likely to consider it one more black mark against his character. It would probably make her happy that this one she could lay squarely at his feet without being accused that she was unfairly projecting the bad behavior of others onto him.

He also knew she had been floored by the discovery that he and Caitlyn had been in touch. He figured he was going to pay for that later, as well. In fact, he was counting on her having quite a lot to say to him, which would necessitate another, more private meeting. Even as annoyed as she obviously was, she wasn’t likely to blast him publicly or in front of her daughter. She
might not care about his reputation, but she was very concerned with her own.