The Cowboy Imports a Bride(The Cowboys Of Chance Creek #3) (21 page)

There were several voice messages, too. When she brought up the first one, someone cleared his throat on the other end of the line. Then a gruff, masculine voice she didn't recognize at first said, "A winery's still the stupidest idea I ever heard, but I'll agree to it if that's what it takes to ransom my grandkids from that knee-jerk liberal excuse for a state. I don't want them to join the leftist commie legions trying to destroy this nation…" There was a scuffle and Lisa's voice in the background. "Don’t you talk to my daughter-in-law that way, Holt!" A dial-tone rang in her ear. Morgan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The next message was from Rob. "I miss you," he said, and her entire body cried out with the desire to be in his embrace. "I think our plan might be working. Hang in there, okay? You wouldn't believe how much progress I'm making on Carl's garden since I can't stand being at home without you there. I'll talk to you soon."

She couldn't stand being without him, either. Couldn’t wait to talk to him, and even more so, couldn't wait to share his bed. As much fun as she was having visiting Tara and exploring California, the week was crawling by. At the end of it, would the people she'd left behind be able to forge a better understanding?

Or was Napa Valley going to be her new home in truth? She dialed Rob's number.

* * * * *

"You what?" Rob leaned against a metal rake in Carl's garden, and held his phone up to his ear. He'd been smoothing down the pathways between his newly finished raised beds to prepare them for the paving stones. He'd figured it was safe to talk to Claire out here in the middle of the night. No one else was around, that was for sure.

"I got a job offer," Morgan said.

"I thought you were sightseeing out there."

"Yeah, well, one of the wineries we visited wants to hire me."

"You said no, didn't you?"

"I told them I'd think about it, actually."

He gazed around the empty garden in disbelief. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"Because I can't live there if everyone's going to hate me for following my dreams. I actually thought about giving it all up, did you know that? I came out here determined to talk myself out of wanting a winery, but you know what? I do want one, and I'm not ashamed of that. The way I figure it, I get one shot at this life. If I give everything up now, I'm going to resent that later, and that doesn't help anyone."

"What about me?" Rob said.

"I want to be with you," she said, her voice softening. "I haven't changed my mind about that. All I'm saying is that you and I have to come first in all of this. We can't put your father or my sister ahead of us. I will give everything I have to help you reach your dreams, too. Don't you know that?"

"Yeah, I know it," he said after a pause. "So, we're really going to do this? Head out to California and start all over if that's what it takes?"

"I don't want that any more than you do," Morgan said softly. "But now we know we can if we have to."

Headlights scraped Carl's driveway and Rob straightened up. "Someone's coming. I've got to go."

"Talk to you tomorrow," Morgan said and clicked off the line.

Rob shoved the phone in his pocket as a familiar truck pulled to a stop and his father climbed out. Reluctantly, he met Holt halfway.

"Dad."

"You ready to come to your senses yet?" Holt rasped.

Anger swept through him, and Rob fought to keep control. This was the man who was screwing everything up between him and the woman he loved. What right did Holt have to keep throwing a monkey wrench in their plans? He'd thought when he agreed to buy the land from Ethan instead of getting it from his father, he'd finally know peace and security. It fried him that his position was as precarious as it had ever been and his father kept trying to make it even worse. "No. I'm not. In fact, I'm ready to go stark, raving mad."

"What the hell does that mean?" Holt puffed up his chest in anger, but Rob suddenly realized they weren't seeing eye to eye. He was looking down at his father. What the heck was wrong with the man? Why was he all hunched up like that?

Probably a bid for sympathy, Rob decided. Well, forget it. He was done with sympathy or any other weak emotion that kept him from getting what he wanted.

"It means that I don't like your definition of sanity. You think you should get to keep calling the shots for the rest of my life. I think you've proved you're not capable of running the show."

"You think you are?" Holt said. "When have you ever run anything? Except your mouth."

For crying out loud. Rob waved to the garden they were standing next to. Sure, it wasn't anywhere near finished, but the walls were up and so were the permanent raised beds. The plumbing for the fountain was in and the pathways all laid out. Another week like this one and it would be beautiful. How could his father look at this and still belittle him? "When have I ever run anything? Take a look around you, Dad."

Holt did and sneered. "You're building a garden. Very nice. When you're done playing in the dirt like a little child, how about you join the men in your family at the ranch you stand to inherit? Or is that too hard for a sissy like you?"

"You really take the cake, old man," Rob said. "You're blind to everything except your precious ranch. You can't stand it that I'm making my own way, can you? You can't stand losing control of anything, because you're afraid if you do someone will figure out you're not half the man you pretend to be."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Holt said.

"I'm talking about the fact that you can't read, which means the truth is, Mom's the one running the Double-Bar-K. She does the paperwork, she orders the feed and pays the taxes. She types of bills of sale, and keeps track of breeding stock. She handles just about everything that makes money on this ranch. And you're not even man enough to fess up about it, let alone to admit that maybe one of your sons wants to do something different. Or is your real fear that if I follow my dreams I might prove myself to be smarter than you? Oh wait – I am smarter than you; I know how to read…"

Holt quivered with rage and his face in the moonlight was a mottled purple. "Don't you dare talk to me like that. I'll…"

"What, Dad? Whip me within an inch of my life? Or will you turn me over to Ned, so he can do it?"

"He never beat…"

"For God's sake," Rob snarled. "Sure he did. Or can you not read faces, either? How many black eyes did I have as a kid before I learned to beat him back?"

"So you learned to fight," Holt said. "What man doesn't? If you can't make your point with words, sometimes you have to do it with your fists. I didn't raise any pansies."

Rob stared at him in disbelief. "No, you didn't raise any pansies, Pop. But you know what? I've just realized I don't want you anywhere near my kids. Morgan was right. We'll be better off in California."

"Ah, go on with you," Holt rasped. "That's a lie and you know it. Don't you think I can spot one of your jokes a mile away? I've seen enough of them."

"Well, you've seen the last of them, Dad. It's no joke. Morgan's got a job, and I'm joining her in California the minute I finish working for Carl." He'd said these exact same words before as a joke, but this time he meant them. He was done with his father, done with Chance Creek, done with everyone who'd ever worked to hold him back.

Holt fixed him with an angry stare, but Rob met his gaze and let the truth of his words speak through his eyes. His father must have realized all the jokes were truly over, because a change came over him. He stiffened, opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.

Then he fell to his knees.

"Dad?" Rob bent forward as his father clapped a hand to his arm. His face contorted and he struggled to breathe. Rob dove to catch him before he went limp. "Dad!" All Holt's weight resting against him, he yanked the phone from his pocket and dialed 911. "Hello? Send an ambulance. My father's had a heart attack."

* * * * *

When Morgan couldn't ignore the vibration of her cell phone anymore, she asked Tara to pause the chick flick they were watching and picked it up.

"Oh, my God," she said as she read the frantic texts from Rob, Ethan, Autumn and Claire. "Rob's father is in the hospital. It looks like he had a heart attack."

The concern on Tara's face echoed her own. Morgan thought fast. "I'm going to call the airline and see if I can get a flight first thing tomorrow. I'm sorry, but I've got to go home."

Late the following day she found Rob in the waiting room of the Chance Creek hospital. He looked haggard, his clothes so rumpled, she wondered if he'd spent the night here.

"How's Holt doing?" she asked as she sat beside him and wrapped an arm around his back. She drank in his familiar scent and closed her eyes. They'd been apart much too long.

"He's in stable condition. It wasn't his heart after all; the doctors think he had some kind of panic attack. But it turns out my Dad found out about a month ago he needs open heart surgery. It's already scheduled for next week. He's got three blocked arteries and he never even told me."

She could see how much that hurt Rob. "I'm so sorry," she said. "Wait a minute," she thought fast. "He knew he needed open heart surgery before he offered 200 acres to the first one of you guys to get married? Do you think that's why he did it?"

"Yeah, I do. He's scared." She felt his muscles tighten under her hands. "He's trying to act like he's not, but I know him. I've never seen him like this before. A panic attack, for heaven's sake."

Morgan stroked his back. "He's going to be okay, Rob. You have to believe that."

Rob nodded, tension tightening his jaw. "Morgan, I’m sorry. I can't go to California. Not when my dad…"

"I don't want to go to California," Morgan said. "I want to live here, you know that. I just don't want everyone to be mad at me."

"Jamie's not mad at us anymore; he's been practically begging me to stay. Claire still wants to know what your mother did with all that money, but she knows you did nothing wrong." He sat back. "I learned something about my dad and Ned, too."

"Really? What?" She snuggled in by his side, her heart melting when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She touched his thigh. She liked the feel of his muscles; the strength of him.

"Neither of them can read. Can you credit that?"

She stilled. "That's why your Dad was so down on school and report cards?"

"A combination of fear I'd figure out what he was hiding, and that I'd show up Ned, who was hiding something, too."

"And that's why Ned picked on you so much."

Rob sighed. "I guess I'm supposed to forgive him for all that now, but I don't feel like it much."

"I don't blame you." She thought for a moment. "Maybe you don't have to forgive him so much as understand him a little better."

"Yeah." Rob grunted. "Guess I could do that."

Lisa appeared in the waiting room and her whole face brightened when she saw Morgan. "I'm so glad you came back, honey. You aren't taking that awful job in California, are you?" She crossed the room and hugged her tight.

"We were just talking about that," Morgan said.

"Well, why don't you both come in to see Holt and we'll talk about it together." Lisa tugged them both to a stand and led the way back down a maze of halls to a small, private room.

Morgan lagged behind Lisa and Rob when they entered the room, afraid to see the man who seemed to hate her so much. When they moved aside, and she got a glimpse of him, however, she was saddened to see him looking so frail beneath the bedclothes.

"You're back," he said, his gaze fixing on her.

Morgan stiffened, ready for another fight.

"Good," he said after a long pause. "California's no place to raise kids. Come here."

She advanced slowly until she was near enough to his bed for him to reach out and take her hand.

"I'm a stubborn old man who likes to get his way, but I know when I'm beat. My son wants to make a life with you, and in the end all I want is to see him happy. You think you can make him happy?"

"Dad," Rob said, moving closer. Holt waved him away.

"I'm sure going to try," Morgan said, taking Rob's hand with her free one.

"And you think you can grow grapes in Montana? Start this…winery business?"

"I think so. Others have done it."

"You'll put the Matheson name on it? None of this women's lib crap, keeping your own?"

"Holt!" Lisa warned. "She'll call it whatever she pleases."

"The Matheson name will go on the winery," Morgan promised with a smile. "It's a good name. Practically sells itself."

"You can have 300 acres near the river," Holt said, giving her hand a squeeze and letting it go. "In the northwest corner."

"You mean 200 acres, right, Dad?" Rob said, slipping an arm around Morgan's waist.

"I mean 300. I may be stuck in this hospital bed, but I haven't gone senile," Holt said. "Now get on with you. My program's on." He reached for the television remote as they turned to leave the room. "By the way," he added. He raised his voice and spoke distinctly. "Got you!"

Morgan stopped in her tracks. Rob spun around. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

"That wasn't no panic attack," Holt said. "That's what's known in the business as damn good acting."

"Dad," Rob said. "Come on, we both know that was real."

"What, you're the only one who can play a joke in this family?"

Morgan put her hand on his arm before Rob argued any further. Holt was trying to save face, anyone could see that. She gave his sleeve a little tug. "You got us good, Dad," she said.

Holt stiffened, then turned toward her. "What'd you call me?"

Morgan couldn't find her voice. Had she put her foot it in it again? "Dad," she said again, unsteadily.

Holt stared at the wall behind her head, his jaw working. "I like that," he said, and nodded once.

She figured they'd better leave while they were ahead. "Rest up," she said.

"See you later, Dad," Rob said.

Out in the corridor, he pulled her into a tight hug. "You're a genius."