When the Glitter Fades (Cowboys of Whispering Winds) (17 page)

“I guess that would make sense. Did you have anything else you wanted to get done before we cut out?”

“No, I’m about to leave as it is. My appointment was rescheduled for this afternoon so I need to back to the house and change first.”

“Eek!  I’m so excited for you.  Will you stop by and show me the sonogram when you get back?”

“Yes ma’am. It’s starting to feel real.”

“Just be glad you haven’t had morning sickness yet.”

“For which I’m grateful,” Allie said, slipping her arms through her coat’s sleeves. “Are you going to be home all afternoon or should I call before coming over?”

“I’ll be home, other than picking up Cody.”

“I’ll call just to be sure.”

“Have fun. I can’t wait to see Baby Callahan.”

Back at her house, Lanie felt restless. She couldn’t shake the melancholy the crept in when she thought that Jeremy and she didn’t have any mementos.  It seemed silly, but it bothered her.  Maybe it was time to pull out the box of photos, remember their good times. She hadn’t looked at them in years, since before they divorced, when she found out he had cheated. 

Hidden in her closet, in a dark corner, the box had only been touched during packing and unpacking. She removed the shoeboxes sitting on top and set them on the floor.  Reaching back up, she took hold of the box and brought it down. Her hand brushed the dust off the top lid and she carried the box to her bed.  Sitting cross-legged, she began sorting through the albums and envelopes.

An eight by eight album was on top, containing photos of their wedding. She flipped the book open to the first page. The first photo of Jeremy and she as husband and wife stared back at her. Taken with the golden rays of an afternoon sun behind them, Jeremy stood proudly, with his hands on her waist.  He wore his best jeans and a white dress shirt, refusing to wear a tux. 

“It’s not us, Ladybug,” he’d said. “I want our wedding to reflect us and who we are.”

She’d caved, not caring what he wore, just that they were getting married. The only thing she’d insisted was that he remove his hat for that picture.  Even now, she had to admit she’d been a beautiful bride.  In keeping with Jeremy’s casual attire, she wore a simple white crocheted, linen-lined sundress. It was summer and the white fabric against her tanned skin gave her a radiant glow. Or maybe it was that of a newlywed.  Regardless, the picture highlighted a striking couple. 

Passing over the rest of the album, she set it aside and pulled out an envelope containing pictures developed at the drugstore. Their trip to Vegas when Jeremy won his first championship. The smiles on their faces showed no hint of the heartache to come. She took her time looking at each photo. They might not have a tinsel tree to remind them of something, but they did have memories.

“Taking a trip down memory lane?” Jeremy observed, walking into the room.

“Something like that.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, massaging her shoulders.

“It’s really silly.”

“Talk to me, Ladybug. Something obviously has you down.”

She told him about earlier, about the tinsel tree and Allie’s refusal to throw it away based on sentimental value. “We don’t have any mementos. Five years of marriage and all we have from that time is a box full of photos.”

Clearing a space on the bed Jeremy took a seat beside her. With a tender touch, he cupped her cheek. “We have the greatest keepsake, Lanie. His name is Cody.”

“That’s true,” she whispered, touched by his words.

“Tinsel trees don’t make or break relationships, sweetheart.”

“I know. It’s just that I feel like we somehow cheated ourselves then, like we were too busy to savor any moments.”

“There’s something I want to show you, but it’s at Jase’s old cabin. Wait here and I’ll be right back.”

His lips caressed hers before he left, leaving a deposit of pleasant tingles.

Lanie packed up the pictures, feeling marginally better. Jeremy was right. Cody was the best thing that came from their marriage.  She didn’t need a tangible reminder that they’d been happy and had shared love.

Thirty minutes later, Jeremy returned from the other cabin, his hands empty.

“What did you want to show me?” she asked, looking around to see if he’d set it somewhere on his way in.

He reached into the pocket of his denim jacket and pulled out something white and crinkly. “This.” Extending his hand, he held out an object.

Taking it from him, she realized it was a napkin. An old, dingy one at that.

“Open it,” he directed, his voice husky and his eyes darkening with emotion.

Unfolding the paper napkin, she saw her name written in her own handwriting, right above her phone number from years ago. In the center was a printed logo of the bar in which they met. “You saved this?” Tears clouded her vision.

“Right after you left that night, I told the bartender I was going to marry you. When you left, I came across it again, forgetting I had saved it. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away after all those years. Now I know why.”

“This means more than you’ll ever know.” She threw her arms around him. “I love you.”

He answered with his own declaration of love, an earnest kiss full of passion, love and hope. Breaking the kiss, his hand remained cradling the rear of her head, their foreheads resting against each other. Lanie felt weightless as his warm breath mingled with hers. Her hand rested against his chest, the beat of his heart matching her own. Any lingering thread of doubt she’d had about their future was cut away. There was only one man she could ever love and she was standing in his arms.

A certified check lay inside of a folder containing all the signed and documented papers leasing what was once Travers’ Ranch to the Helping Hands Rescue. Jeremy sat in his idling truck, rubbing the back of his neck. After spending hours on the phone with his lawyer last week, making sure all details were covered to protect his assets, and the debacle of an appointment today, his muscles were tense and hurting.

The meeting hadn’t gone without a hitch. Problem one arose when the first round of papers were being signed and he’d noticed Seth’s secretary had placed the wrong dates on the first three pages.  A twenty minute delay later, all pages had the correct dates on them.  But it wasn’t over yet.  In his eagerness to complete the deal, Seth forgot to tell the representatives of Helping Hands the funds were to be delivered via a certified check. Fortunately, their banking was done at a financial institution several buildings down from the realtor’s office, but it had cost another thirty minutes.

Just when he thought he’d finally be getting out of Seth’s office, there was a loud boom, followed by black particles of dust and ash blowing out from the ceiling air vent.  The conference table, lease agreement, and all attending parties were splattered with dirt and grime. And wouldn’t luck have it, he’d chosen to wear a white button down shirt that morning. He’d brushed the dirt off the best he could, but his shirt was a lost cause. He’d have to wear his coat anywhere else he went.

The entire morning had been a comedy of errors.  Hopefully the afternoon would proceed in a smoother fashion.  He still had to get back to Bumblton, stop at the bank where he’d opened up a local account, cash the check then go to the tax office and hope no one saw him. If tomorrow wasn’t the day before Thanksgiving he’d wait a day, but he’d learned in small towns, businesses often closed up early the day before holidays.

Popping a Chris Ledoux CD into the player, he decided the headache was worth the outcome, even if it meant putting on hold his desire to restore Travers’ Ranch to what it once had been. His gut was telling him that wasn’t that path he should take anyway, that his future was at Whispering Winds, extending past the year he’d planned. By Christmas he would have his answer.

Hopefully, the drive back to Bumblton was a good indicator that his day was turning around.  No traffic or accidents on the interstates, the back roads were free of excessively slow, and reckless, drivers. Time was of the essence; all the setbacks this morning had put him on a severe time crunch. He made it to the bank, cashed the check and was back in his truck with twenty minutes to spare until the tax office closed. Yesterday, he’d called ahead to verify there would be no problem with him making the payment. 

Fifteen minutes to go as he walked through the front doors and there were three people ahead of him. Abiding by the sign asking patrons to remove all headgear, he took off his Stetson, holding it in his free hand.

“Jeremy?”

He turned to see Jase standing behind him and swore under his breath.

“What are you doing here?” Jase asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Taking care of some business. You?”

One eyebrow arched high. “Making the first payment on the taxes. Since when do you own any land in this county?”

“I don’t,” he answered neutrally, a headache forming to match the pain in his neck and shoulders.

“Next,” the teller called. 

He stepped forward, fighting the urge to look behind and see that Jase waited behind the red line.  “I need to make a payment.  The account information is on the check.” 

The cashier took his check, typed some numbers into the dinosaur of a computer then handed him a receipt from the printer. “You’re paid in full. Happy Thanksgiving.”

“You too.” He turned to leave, nodding to Jase, as if he wasn’t about to be busted.

A gust of wind swept through, blowing the receipt from his unsuspecting grasp. Dammit, catching a break was not in his stars today. Capturing the floating paper, he folded it and stuck it in his pocket.

“Hey, Jeremy. Wait up,” Jase called from across the parking lot, exiting the building.

Reluctantly he paused, letting Jase catch up to him.

“Seems I didn’t need to make that payment after all. The kindly teller informed me the sum total of back taxes had just been paid by the gentleman before me.” Jase stared him down waiting for answers.

“Good. Take the money and buy Allie a nice Christmas present,” he gibed.

“This isn’t a joke. It wasn’t your place.”

The stress from the day sent him over the edge. “And why not? Because I’m not family? I’m just the worthless ex-husband who cheated on your sister? Well, guess what, I’m not going anywhere this time. I love your sister and plan to marry her again; this time forever. You may as well get used to it. I’m done walking eggshells around you just to keep peace.”

Taken aback, Jase put his hands up in surrender. “That’s not what I meant.  I was only trying to say it wasn’t your responsibility to bail us out. I thought you didn’t have the cash?”

Calming down, Jeremy could see Jase spoke the truth. “I didn’t; I found a way to get it.”

“You didn’t have to do it.”

“I know.”

“On behalf of everyone at Whispering Winds, I want you to know we appreciate the gesture.”

Jeremy shook his head. “I don’t want anyone to know.”

“It’s bound to come out somehow. Everyone will want to know who saved the ranch from being split.”

“They won’t find out from me. I’d like your word they won’t find out from you either.”

“You have it then.”  Jase watched him, appraised him.  “You’re a good man. I’m glad to see my sister happy again.”  He extended an arm to shake hands.

Trying to ignore how much Jase’s approval meant, Jeremy accepted the hand and shook it, a truce formed. 

“It’s not my business so you don’t have to tell me, but how the hell did you come up with that much money on short notice?” Jase asked.

“Remember around the time Lanie and I got together, there was a big story about Royston Oil and the horse rescue?”

“Yeah. Lanie was pretty livid that they’d killed all those horses. We all were, but her especially.”

“Trust me, I know. I’d just entered into a sponsorship with Royston and Lanie had it out for me the night we met.  Anyway, the horse rescue regrouped and had reached out this summer wanting to lease my dad’s ranch.”

“I thought your dad lost the ranch?”

Dammit, he’d said too much without realizing it until too late.  He gave Jase the short story of how the ranch ownership returned to him, coming back to how he got the money. “I wasn’t interested then. Between the accident and wanting to get the ranch back to its former self, I wasn’t in a place to lease it out. When Lanie asked me for money, I knew I had to help if I could. She’s never asked for anything. On a limb, I called their realtor and here we are.”

Jase blew out a long breath. “I underestimated you big time,” he admitted honestly.  “What are your plans when your year at Whispering Winds is up if you can’t return to bull-riding and the ranch is leased out.”

“Still up in the air.” Meaning Lanie and he still hadn’t discussed it. “Probably stick around, pay you back for being a pain in my ass the last two months.” 

Jase smirked. “Guess I deserved that one.”

“I can’t really blame you. If the situation was reversed, I’d probably have been worse.”

“Did you eat yet? Allie’s craving chicken salad from the diner; I’m on strict orders to bring some home.  I can pick up extra if you want to bring Cody and Lanie over.”