When You Fall... (36 page)

“So tell me, what are you and your sister working on now?” Ernie asked, turning the conversation to other topics.

#

Carter stood outside of Rafe’s door later on that evening. Why had she come over here? To be near him? To tell him that she wanted to be in the running for a wife? She met most of the criteria on his list. But as much as she wanted to, she wasn’t going to do that. She was tired of him and Courtney, though.

She wanted to be held. That was more like it. She was feeling lonely and wanted to say hello, to talk to him without Courtney around, stealing his attention.

The front door opened, and an older woman stood there. She was beautiful, and had to be Rafael’s mother. She was the female version of him. Same jet-black wavy hair. Hers fell to the middle of her back. Beautiful figure, too, the kind Carter had grown up around—all curves, hips and butts.

“Hello, I’m Carter, Rafe’s neighbor,” she said.

“I’m his mother. We dropped by to see him. He doesn’t come to see us as much as he should. I worry,” she said.

“Is he here?” Carter asked.

“Out with the chickens,” she said, shaking her head. “Come in, come in,” stepping aside so Carter could enter.

“I can’t believe my son is a farmer,” she said. “Have a seat. I was cleaning up. He’s a good housekeeper, but he doesn’t have a woman’s touch, you know?” she said, shaking her head. “So you live next door to my son,” she said, “Sit, sit. I can take a minute to talk, to get to know his friends. Are you hungry?”

“No, thank you,” Carter said.

“So tell me, Carter? What do you do for a living?”

“My sister and I are working at turning our family’s ranch into a bed-and-breakfast. I would like to raise and train horses. My cousin wants to farm.”

“Oh, another farmer like my son. And you want to work with horses?”

“Yes.”

“How long have you known my son? Are either of you married?” she asked.

“No, neither of us is.”

“Why not?” she said.

“Haven’t found the right man.”

“What is this, ‘the right man?’ You with your right man, and Rafe with any woman will do. It must be the youth and all these choices that make the young come up with all these ideas, to be a farmer and to work with horses. You have parents?”

“Yes,” Carter said, trying to keep from laughing.

“Your parents wanted you to work with horses?”

“No. I’m actually an accountant,” Carter said.

“An accountant. That’s good,” she said, smiling. “You aren’t an accountant anymore?”

“No, I am still an accountant. I’m using it to help with the ranch.”

“I see. All that accountant training down the drain. Just like my son, who wanted to be a farmer. Who wants to be a farmer? We come to America for a better life, and what does Rafael want to do? Work in the fields. Does that make sense to you?”

“It doesn’t have to make sense to her, it just has to make sense to me,” Rafe said, appearing from the back of the house. He came to stand behind his mother’s chair.

“You are here to interrogate my friends?” he asked, giving Carter a wink. His mother stood up beside him.

“Have you eaten?” she asked, moving his hair from his face. He smiled, and looked over at Carter, who grinned.

“I’m hungry. And if you want to cook, I’ll eat,” he said.

“Good. Carter, would you like something, too?” she asked.

“Sure. She would love to stay and eat with us,” Rafe said, answering for her. He winked at Carter again. In light of how she had been feeling lately about him and Courtney, she was pleased to be invited.

#

Rafael entered his home, back from seeing Carter to her car. His mother was in the kitchen, cleaning up the dinner dishes.

“So, you’re serious about this one?” his dad asked from his seat on the couch.

Rafael looked in the kitchen; a quick glance to make sure his mother was occupied.

“I am,” he said, his eyes again darting toward the kitchen. His mother was busy working.

“Marriage?”

“Maybe.”

“What maybe?” his father asked. Rafael sat down next to him and took a deep breath.

“I don’t want to love someone who doesn’t love me. One who is not nice to me,” he said, trying to convey his answer without having to say his mother’s name out loud.

“I love your father,” his mother said from the kitchen. What was with his mother and her hearing?

“Look, I never said you didn’t. But sometimes it’s hard to tell. You don’t thank him when he does you a favor. You’re short with him most of the time, order him around, and he loves you. I can see it. I don’t want that.”

“Then don’t have it. You don’t know what goes on between a man and his wife. And don’t judge what goes between your parents mijo. You don’t know, just like I don’t know what will go on between the woman you marry, and that’s the way it should be. You two will be a team, and then a family. Keep all the others out and that means keeping you out of mine. I’m going for a walk. You stay and talk some sense into your son’s head,” she said, pointing to his father before she stalked out the front door.

He was dumbfounded and turned to face his dad.

“I know how it looks. I know what you think. I’ve heard you. Why do I put up with her? Would you believe that she’s the one that has been putting up with me all these years? It’s a long story and a very personal one that I don’t care to discuss with you. But she is there for me, and has been, and I’ve given her reason not to be. She loves this family, me included. We’ve had our moments, as you will, but you have to decide to make it work. Don’t quit at the first sign of trouble. It’s a give and take—sometimes you take more and sometimes it will be her doing most of the taking.

“The way she talks to you sometimes,” Rafael said.

“It’s not your business son, just as what you and Carter will have will be between the two of you. I’m not talking physically hurting her, that’s a different thing all together, but when you start letting others into your relationship, based on what they see from the outside—not taking into account what love can do for each of you—then you’ll be in trouble. I love your mother and she loves me. We’ll work out whatever is between us. Don’t use me as an excuse to keep your heart to yourself. You’ll miss out on so much if you do.”

“I don’t know,” Rafael said.

“Yeah, you do. It takes courage to love. It’s a lot like firefighting.”

“What?”

“They’re always running into buildings, not knowing what they’ll find. It’s the same way with marriage, same with love, but you do it anyway. Courage, my son. I’d better go check on your mother. I don’t want your goats to eat her.”

“I’ll help you find her,” he said. Rafael opened the front door. His mother sat on the top step of his porch.

“Are you ready to leave?” his dad asked her.

“I am. I like your Carter, Rafael. I’ll like whoever you bring home as long as you’re happy and
married.
I’m happy,” she said, standing up from her spot on the top step.

“Thanks.”

“Let’s go. It will be dark soon, and your father doesn’t see like he used to,” she said. His dad chuckled at that.

#

Wednesday

“If Madison calls me one more time, I’m going to scream,” Carter said, picking up the house phone.

“Please stop calling me,” she said into the phone. Carter glanced over at Courtney, who shrugged. No sympathy from that front.

“Carter, listen. I’m calm now. I promise not to scream at you. But I need you to listen to me. Carter? Really listen. I wouldn’t call if this wasn’t important. It is vital that you help us. I’ve tried, Stuart has tried searching for other sources of funding for his business, but you don’t know what this economy is like. Yes, it was wrong of our father not to tell you. Are you listening, Carter?” she asked.

“I am. I don’t know that I will help you, though.” Carter said.

“That’s fine. Can you promise to think about it? Promise me that. I know you can give us money if you wanted to. I’ve read the will, too. Please promise me that you’ll think about it. I’ll leave you alone. I’ll stop calling, but please think about it, Carter. I can call you this Saturday or you can call me. That will give you at least a week. Please.”

“Okay, I will,” Carter said, hanging up the phone. She looked over at Courtney, who shrugged her shoulders again.

“No sympathy. At all?” Carter asked.

“Not an ounce,” Courtney said.

#

Thursday

Carter hadn’t seen Courtney since this morning. She’d just gotten out of the shower and was standing in the kitchen eating one of Courtney’s muffins. Her sister was a great cook and baker. Rafael was taking most of his meals over here now and that annoyed her like you wouldn’t believe. She was so in love and didn’t have a clue what she should do. Rafael hadn’t helped, either. He didn’t seem to want to meet her in the barn anymore, or anywhere else for that matter. He’d walked her to her car after dinner with his parents and he hadn’t even tried to kiss her.

Courtney was up earlier than usual, and that was saying something, because she was an early riser, too. Talk about energy. She had enough for the both of them.

Carter placed her coffee cup in the sink and headed over to the barn. Her spirits were lighter this morning, the result of having had dinner with Rafael and his mother and father, even without the kiss.

She pulled up short at the sight of Rafe and Courtney in the golf cart heading toward her now, back from who knew where. Courtney’s hair was flying behind her in the breeze. She was clad in her usual attire of a tight t-shirt and even tighter jeans. The professional look she’d worn at their first meeting was long gone.

“I like to be comfortable and you never know when your potential husband will stop by. You always want to have your assets displayed to their best advantage,” she’d told Carter, explaining her switch from professional attire to tight everything.

The golf cart stopped when it reached her.

“Done mucking out the barn?” Courtney said, with a smile.

“Just getting started, actually,” she said, glancing at Rafe. He was full of smiles, too.

“I’m taking Rafe out to see my potential orchard. Found three peach trees, and thought I could add more. It will take time. We’ve got nothing but time, right? I could develop the perfect peach pie,” she said, all the while looking at Rafe, like he’d make the greatest peach pie.

“Oh, that’s good,” Carter said, trying to pull out a smile.

“We’ll be back in a few,” Courtney said, before hitting the gas and off they went.

She heard Courtney’s laugh, saw Rafe’s hand at her sister’s back. It didn’t mean anything, she thought. Her good mood was replaced by glum again.

#

“You have to talk to her,” Madison said. She was at her parents’ home. “You started this. I can’t believe you would do something so vile as to allow the property to be sold without telling her. You know how much she loved that place,” Madison said, looking at her dad, the one man she had thought she could count on.

“Have you spoken to Carter?” Gloria asked.

“Yes, but she won’t help us. And we need help. Stuart has gotten us so deeply into debt,” she said. She wanted to cry, but really, she was done with crying. Men.

“We could help.”

“It wouldn’t be enough. We need more. We need the proceeds from the sale desperately. We are considering bankruptcy,” Madison said.

“Since when?”

“Since about three months ago.”

“Is it that bad?” Gloria asked, and moved to sit closer to Madison.

“It is. Stuart has more property than he can stand, and those properties have loans attached to them. He’d hoped to turn them quickly, but he hasn’t been able to. Stuart says the proceeds would go a long way to putting us back on solid ground.” She started crying.

“Oh baby,” Gloria said, her arms around Madison as she looked over at her husband.

#

“How did the orchard trip go?” Carter asked later on that evening.

“Fine. Rafe agrees with me. Thinks I should add more trees, maybe next spring. It will take a while before they are producing fruit. He thinks I should go on and plant them now. The sooner they are in the ground, the sooner I can try my hand at peach preserves, pies, tarts, and muffins. You name it, chances are I can cook or bake it.”

“You and Rafe work well together,” Carter said.

“We do, don’t we?” Courtney said.

“You know, he has a list of requirements for a wife.”

“I know. He told me, and luckily I have all those. And then some,” she said and gave Carter a wink.

Carter was quiet.

#

Friday evening

Carter and Courtney were in the kitchen, home to their new office, hunched over Carter’s computer, inputting estimates for expected and unexpected costs of remodeling the house. They both looked out the window as a car approached. It was her dad’s Mercedes sedan now, parking next to her car.

“It’s my dad and Gloria,” Carter said, saving her work before closing her computer. “More push to get me to change my mind I bet,” she said, standing up and moving to the back door to meet them.

“Are you ready?” Courtney asked, following Carter to the back door.

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, opening the door. “Hello Gloria. Hello Carl,” she said, in her most professional voice. She wasn’t going to show her hurt. She would treat them like any other people one had to do business with.

“You both remember Courtney,” Carter said, stepping aside, so they could enter.

“Yes, hello,” they both said in unison.

“Would you like something to drink?” Courtney asked.

“No thank you,” Gloria said.

“So what can I… we do for you?” Courtney asked, her tone not anywhere near as hospitable as it had been at Carter’s parents’ home.

Her father turned to Carter. “You are hurting your sisters with your behavior. Madison told me that she’s called you and pleaded with you for help. And that you won’t listen.”

“So. What do you expect her to do?” Courtney asked, distaste in her tone.

“Your sisters need financial help. Don’t make it hard on them. Don’t use this as a way to get back at me. I deserve your anger, but not them,” he said, reaching for Gloria’s hand. “There is money enough for the ranch and for you to help your sisters,” he said.