Chapter 9
“What the hell?”Tanner stared at the text on his phone in disbelief, even as rage began to build in his chest.
“What is it?” Brody took a swig of orange juice. “Don’t tell me it’s the Town Council wanting something dropped off in ten minutes. Idiots.”
Tanner looked up from his phone. “Worse.” He tried to bring the words together but fury was quickly taking over.
“Hey, watch the pancakes. You’re going to burn them.”
Quickly, he turned his attention back to his cooking and flipped the flapjacks. “You better take over.” He walked away from the stovetop, grabbing his open water bottle and hat as he strode outside.
He didn’t even know why he was outside. He wanted to yell at the top of his lungs. He’d been duped. Just when it seemed things were finally going his way, she yanked the rug out from under him, or rather the ranch.
The front door closing behind him had him turning. Belatedly, he realized he’d been watching for Amanda to arrive.
“Tanner, what gives? I’ve never seen you like this.”
“She screwed me.” He lifted his hat and wiped the fast-appearing sweat from his anger off his forehead with his sleeve.
Brody gave him a sly smile. “Well, yeah. I know that much.”
He clenched his fists. “No, not that way. She told her father about the dude ranch.” He held up his phone. “Bill Hayden lodged a complaint against the rezoning.”
“What? He can’t do that. He’s not on the council.”
“It turns out anyone can lodge a complaint, and since, and I quote, ‘Mr. Hayden is such a respected member of the community, they need to take his concerns seriously’.” He spat.
“Flippin A.” Brody rubbed the back of his neck, his demeanor completely changed. “You think Amanda told him?”
He stared at his brother like he’d lost his senses. “No. I think a magic fairy came by and heard us talking about it and then flew straight to Bill Hayden to whisper it in his ear. Of course she told him.”
Brody held up both hands. “Okay, okay. I get it. But why? I thought she liked you. I know she likes Dad.” His brother crossed his arms over his chest like he’d just made a strong point.
Was Brody really so na?ve? “You better get a better sixth sense if you want to be a ranger. Don’t you see? She was biding her time until she had good information for her father.”
Brody’s eyes rounded, but instead of nodding, he cocked his head. “I don’t know. She seemed pretty sincere.”
His disgust at himself for not seeing it couldn’t be any worse than what his father could heap on him. He was in charge. He knew who she was. And he let his twenty-year guard down. His fury at himself tightened his throat, making it hard to speak. “This is going to kill Dad.”
Though his voice was raspy, Brody heard him clearly. “Shit.”
“Exactly.” He stood there staring at his youngest brother, so pissed he couldn’t even move. She’d actually slept with him. Pretended she liked him. No wonder he hadn’t said the L-word. His gut had held him back. Somewhere in his messed-up mind, he’d known…expected this.
“Standing out here isn’t going to change anything. Did the Town Council say what we needed to do next?”
At Brody’s question, he blinked. “What?”
Brody turned his hands up and to the side. “Did they tell us what we should do about the complaint, or are we supposed to just sit on our hands and await our fate?”
“I don’t know.” He looked at his phone again. “It says they’re going to send an expert out here to investigate the potential environmental impact.”
Brody’s brows drew together. “Didn’t Dad already have someone do something like that?”
Did he? There had been so many papers. He hadn’t focused on any he didn’t need last time he’d emailed them. And when they’d had him come in, the questions were more about the numbers of people and building plans, which he’d studied ahead of time. “I’m not sure. If it was in the paperwork, they’d have it already, so why would they have to send someone out?”
“I think I’ll ask Dad. He would know and since he can talk now, and thanks to Amanda, he can answer.” Brody gave a short nod before turning on his heel and heading back inside.
Tanner turned back toward the driveway to find the dust cloud he’d been expecting traveling his way. Brody’s parting words bothered him on many levels. First, it sounded as if his brother still wouldn’t accept the obvious, that Amanda had betrayed them. Second, his dad was sure to ask why they needed to know about the environmental impact. He hoped his brother kept the reason to himself. The last thing they needed right now was for his father to have a heart attack on top of his stroke.
As he watched the dust cloud, he was surprised to see the sedan Amanda had first driven to the ranch. What happened to her father’s truck? As she pulled into the yard, he felt her choice of vehicle was fitting as a way to end her job at Rocky Road Ranch. No doubt she’d come to tell him she was done working there. That fit perfectly with what he had in mind.
But instead of her stepping out in a tight red suit and high heels, she bounded out in her scrubs and sneakers. “Hey, cowboy.” She smiled before bending over to grab her ever-present satchel. When she straightened, she strode forward as if she expected to kiss him.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why’d you do it?”
She halted a few paces away. “Do what? Oh, you mean drive my car over your crazy rocky road? It was my only choice. We definitely need to talk.”
“So talk.”
She lost her smile and studied him. “I thought I had a bad night, but something tells me yours was worse. What’s up?”
“I think you know.”
She frowned. “No, I don’t think I do, unless you heard from my dad.”
“You could say that. He’s challenged the rezoning.”
“What? How could he know about that?”
He stared at her, watching her facial expression as she went from frowning to her eyes rounding. Her hand came to her chest. “You think I told him?”
He dropped his arms. “You can forget the act. I know you told him and that your whole purpose for being here was to find out anything you could that would allow your father to wipe out our operation here. My only question is, does he want the land for himself or is he going with that natural preserve bullshit?”
She wagged her finger at him. “Oh, no. Don’t you try to pin this on me. I never said anything to my father about your dude ranch. He probably found out the same way he found out about me working here. Rory Lester saw me exiting Black Spur road. I’m sure someone from the Town Council told my father. Probably even asked for his opinion.”
“Sure they did.”
“You don’t believe me.” Her eyes widened once again. “You actually think I’ve been busting my butt trying to get your father to the best possible state he can be in, so I could get information for my father? You think I would have you hire the best people there were, even pull in a few favors, so your dad would see if he can improve?” Suddenly, her whole body stiffened. “You think I slept with you just to find out your plans, so I could give them to my father?”
He didn’t say anything, careful not to show the holes of doubt she was ripping into his conclusion.
“You do! You son of a bitch! How dare you!” Her gaze was fierce as she scowled at him. “I expected better from you, Tanner. No wonder you can’t keep a woman for more than a couple months.” She waved her hand at him. “You’re pathetic. Don’t even know a good thing when you have it. What was I thinking to fall for you?” She readjusted her satchel on her shoulder and started toward the front door. “I’m going to work.”
He didn’t have time to digest what she said. All he knew was she needed to leave. He stepped in front of her. “No, you’re not. You already got what you wanted from us. You can get the hell off my ranch.”
She shook her head, her breathing coming fast now. “Oh, no. You are not keeping me from my job. I have had it with men dismissing my career. I’m going to finish helping Jeremiah even if it kills you. Besides, last I heard, this is his ranch and he will want me to stay.” She gave him a triumphant smile. “So take that, cowboy.”
The last word was said with such derision that he had to keep himself from stepping backward. What the hell was wrong with being a cowboy?
Amanda brushed by him and pulled open the door to find Brody about to exit. “Oh, hi Amanda. Dad said he has something to show you.”
“Thanks.” She headed in even as his brother strode out.
“We’re in luck. Dad says they already did an environmental impact plan. Guess Hayden is barking up the wrong tree.” Brody smiled as if that settled everything.
“Not necessarily. Hayden could convince the council that the risk is too great. I better grab the paperwork and stick it under their nose to remind them a professional has already assessed the issue. And you better get back in the house and watch the other Hayden.”
Brody shook his head. “Why? We still have the cameras and it’s not like we have any other secrets.”
His brother was right. Amanda already knew they were on the verge of losing the ranch, and without the rezoning would have to sell. So Bill Hayden knew it as well, though no one else did, at least not yet. Sure, those in town knew about his dad’s stroke. Hell, they even knew Brody had been anxious to do anything but ranching since he graduated high school.
“Besides big brother, you aren’t going anywhere for a while. You should be getting a text any minute, and I have to get to the south gate. One of the bulls rammed it and broke a hinge. I’m heading out there right now to help Waylon. At the moment, he’s the only thing keeping the herd from escaping.” Brody strode toward the stable. “See you out there.”
“You go, but I have to head this off at the pass with the Town Council.” His phone vibrated and he opened the text. “Hell!” Quickly, he texted back. On my way. Following his brother’s path, he glanced once more at the house before entering the stable. Why did everything go to shit at the same time? Why couldn’t there be shit once a day instead of an avalanche. He was going to be buried in it soon.
Striding toward Fury, he heard the hooves of Chaos as Brody headed out for the south gate. Saddling his horse, he mounted and headed toward the birthing pen. His stomach was so tight he felt like vomiting. How could he have believed Amanda? What was it about her actions that had him falling for her?
Maybe it was how kind and caring she was toward his father. Of course, that would help her get information. But then again, Dad had just started to speak a couple days ago. Maybe that was just how she was in her job. She had seen the plans the day he was frantic to respond to the Town Council’s email. But he was the one who told her the whole idea just two days ago. She’d been a lot more excited by it than he was. Because she couldn’t wait to tell her father?
He shook his head even as he slowed Fury near the birthing enclosure. It hadn’t been that kind of excitement. She not only thought it a great idea, but seemed to want to be a part of it. Would Hayden close them down so his daughter could run a dude ranch?
Dismounting, he tied Fury’s reins to the fence. Amanda’s voice floated in his head. Well, if they vote in favor, I will be the first to invest. Her enthusiasm seemed real. Then again, so had Dad’s and Bill Hayden’s friendship. Could she have been so excited she didn’t realize her father would sabotage them? She said she had no idea what the feud was about.
If he was wrong, he may have completely blown a good thing. A very good thing.
“Tanner, over here.”
At Layne’s call, he focused on the issue at hand. Striding to the end of the tarped area, he could already see the problem, or rather part of the problem. The tarp was down along with a metal post. “What happened?”
The man who was at least six years older than him raised his brows. “What do you think happened? Your girlfriend pulled a fast one on us.”
How’d his ranch hand know about Amanda and him and what she did? News didn’t travel that fast. “What are you talking about?”
Layne pointed to the mess. “Lulabelle did that and now she won’t come out. We can’t even get in to see if her calf is okay.”
Lulabell. Hell, he should have known. At least he knew what to do with her. “She’s protecting it. Something must have spooked her. Send Nash to the south gate to help down there and get Brody over here to ride around the whole area with you. Check for tracks, mountain lion, coyote, even burro.” He started for the tarp to find a way in.
“Sure. I can do that. But who will save you from her if I go?”
He halted and looked over his shoulder to see Layne grinning, his bushy mustache twitching. “Wiseass.”
The man broke into laughter.
He ignored him, walking around the tarp. He had to hand it to the heifer, she knew how to protect her young. There was no way in with the metal post holding down the end of the tarp. Pulling out his pocket knife, he poked a hole in the tarp.
He got a warning moo for his effort. Quickly, he slit the material far enough to squeeze inside. Sure enough, Lulabelle had her calf backed against the corner, standing ready to protect her.
He knew it the moment she recognized it was him. She gave a loud snort then slowly walked forward.
Usually, her affection irritated him, but he understood. She’d been afraid for her calf and in her eyes, he’d protect her. “You okay, Belle?”
She stopped in front of him, and he could see her trembling.
He wrapped his arms around her. “You’re a good girl. You did good.”
She pressed her head against him, and he held her until she relaxed. At least he could do something right. “Shall we check on your little one?”
Lulabelle didn’t move, so he slowly released her and gave her a reassuring pat. “Mind if I take a look?”
She looked at him with adoring brown eyes, and he grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
He strolled over to where the calf lay. The little one was the spitting image of her mother. Crouching down, he gave the calf a pat. It was none the worse for wear. Probably didn’t even know what upset its mom.
About to get up, he was pushed from behind, and he almost fell on the calf. Rolling to the side he looked up at Lulabell. “Hey. I was just checking.”
Lulabelle stuck out her tongue, but he managed to get his arm in front of his face as slobber coated his sleeve. Scrambling up, he grabbed his hat and gave her another pat. “Obviously, you’re feeling better. Don’t worry. We’re going to find out what spooked you and take care of it. You stay in here while we look.”
He started back toward the split in the tarp. They really needed to get the roof back on. Was that something a tourist visiting the ranch would want to help with? Shaking his head, he opened the split as Lulabell mooed a goodbye.
“I’ll be back.” He ducked out. Now to find the culprit. Lulabelle was the best watch dog. Even now, the other heifers seemed clueless of any threat, but after four years with that cow, he knew she was right.
His phone vibrated and he read the text from Layne. Found the culprit. It’s a dog. He’s nothing but skin and bones. Was probably abandoned. You want us to put him down?
That was probably the humane thing to do. He typed yes.
Another text from Brody came in. I’m keeping her!
He erased the word and retyped. No. Bring her to the house. Pocketing his phone, he started for Fury when another text came through. Stopping, he pulled the phone out again.
Then we’re going to need your help.
Great. Dropping his phone back in his pocket, he stepped out of the gate. Now what did Brody get them into?
Amanda stifled her hurt with anger. But it only lasted until she got inside. Leaving her satchel on the island, she headed for the bathroom, the tears already starting. She closed the door and leaned against it, letting them fall. Crossing her arms over her chest, she squeezed. Her heart hurt. How could he think she would tell her father, especially after all she’d shared with him about her rehab? How could he think she could make love with him and not mean it? Worse was that she loved him, and he obviously wasn’t worth it.
That thought stopped her pity party. The man was blind. She’d been right on the mark when she accused him of not being able to have a relationship. It really was all about him after all.
Yet even as she tried to convince herself of that, she wasn’t stupid. She could see how it looked. Her father had wasted no time in seeing what he could do to prevent her from working at Rocky Road. He probably would have just gone to her company, but since he’d never paid attention to what company she worked for, he decided to go after the Dunns.
Maybe it was time to confess to Jeremiah who she was. He deserved to know, now that he was improving. Moving to the mirror, she washed and dried her face. She would explain who she was and why she was here and if Jeremiah wanted her to leave, she would. It wasn’t like Tanner wanted her around anymore. Though to be fair, he’d never wanted her to begin with. What a stupid feud.
Exiting the bathroom, she walked into the kitchen to hear Isaac telling Jeremiah he looked dapper.
That the man still dressed for her was a small consolation for the moment. Preparing herself, she forced a smile and walked into the den. “Where’s my handsomest client?”
Jeremiah grinned. “I’m yer ony cyent.”
She chuckled despite herself. “Well, there is that.”
Isaac moved away. “I’ll be washing his sheets and reading.” He held up his phone.
She nodded. Isaac was studying to be a nurse, so he took advantage of his down hours.
Once the man left the room, she sat across the table from Jeremiah. “How did breakfast go?”
“Ate it by mysef.”
She purposefully studied his shirt. “It looks like you didn’t drip anything either. Is it getting easier?”
He shrugged, both shoulders raising equally.
She started with his vocal exercises, but shortly into them she couldn’t wait any longer. “Good. I’m very pleased with your recent progress. In fact, so much so that I have decided you need to know something important.”
Jeremiah raised his eyebrows and both were equal, which was a definite improvement.
Tanner was going to be pissed at her, but since he already was, she had nothing to lose. “My full name is Amanda Hayden Davis. I’m Bill Hayden’s daughter.”
The older man grinned. “I know.”
“What? How?” She sat back against the chair in shock. “Have you known since I first came?”
He shook his head. “After Dr. Navarro.”
That didn’t sound like something the doctor would talk about. “She told you?”
“She said she knew you fer years. Said you grew up here.” He gave her a sly smile, one side lifting more than the other but on purpose this time. “That and yer face.”
She wasn’t sure what to make of it all. “But you didn’t send me away. You didn’t tell Tanner.”
His gaze, which had been on her, drifted away to that gone-gaze he used to have so often. “Yer kind, dike yer father before he turned mean.”
Her father had turned mean? “What about you? Did you turn mean, too?”
He didn’t answer right away, but finally he moved his gaze back to her and simply nodded.
It was a lot to take in. She wanted to ask about the feud, but had promised herself if she ever needed to know, she would ask her father. “So you’re okay if I stay and continue your therapies?”
“Yes.”
“Even if Tanner doesn’t want me to?” She leaned forward, worried Jeremiah would do whatever Tanner instructed. She really wanted to follow through and get the older man to the best he could be.
Jeremiah frowned. “What does Tanner have a stick up his ass about now?”
That was the longest sentence he’d spoken and the most correct. “Me.” She interlinked her fingers and set them on the table in front of her. “It’s kind of a long story. But as long as you want me to stay, I will.”
Jeremiah lifted his hand and laid it over both of hers. “I want to know.”
The older man’s gaze was steady as he looked at her. He really did want to know. “Okay.”
For the next hour, she told Jeremiah how Tanner fought her at first but listened because of how much he cared. She told Jeremiah about helping with the birthing and moving the cattle, and of course, the snake. She even told him how excited she’d been about the dude ranch concept and that Tanner was trying really hard to make it happen.
Then she explained about what her father must have done. “I promise you, Jeremiah. I would never tell my father. This is too important for Rocky Road. It’s too important to Tanner. Not that I care what he wants anymore.”
The older man sat back and shook his head, causing her heart to shrink. “Mandy, my son is an idgit. Idit.” He worked his jaw. “Id-i-ot.”
Her relief caused her eyes to tear up.
“You dove him and he’s…stubbern.”
She smiled, but her throat wouldn’t let any words past as she fought her tears.
“We fix this. Promise.” He held up his hand as he pledged his help.
She took a steadying breath. “Thank you. Even if it can’t be fixed. Knowing that you believe me and understand, means so much.”
“If I were better, I’d whup his butt.”
She chuckled at the sentiment. “I’m sure you would.”
At the front door opening, she looked at the clock. It was still a little early for Tanner to get his father’s lunch. She’d probably make herself scarce for that.
“Jeremiah! Where is he? Amanda!”
At the sound of her father’s voice, she froze. What was he doing here? She rose and walked around the table. She made it to Jeremiah’s side just as he moved his wheelchair to face the archway.
Her father stepped in and halted. “You!” He pointed at Jeremiah. “There will be no rezoning. I’ll stop it. Are you trying to make a laughing stock of our town? What are you thinking? No, don’t tell me. You’re thinking only of yourself.”
“Dad, this rezoning could put Four Peaks on the map. It’s brilliant.”
Her father’s face turned red. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
And there it was. What her father truly thought of her.
“Jeremiah, if you don’t pull that rezoning request, I’ll bury this ranch.”
That was enough. “Dad, stop. Jeremiah can’t talk well yet. You’re taking unfair advantage.”
“Then he can listen for once.” Her father turned back to Jeremiah, his hands moving with every word. “You pull that damn rezoning request today. The last thing this town needs is a bunch of city folk trashing the place. It won’t just destroy our town but your ranch. Is that what you want?”
She stepped forward. Did her father not see Jeremiah was getting agitated. “Dad, calm down. Jeremiah is just doing what he needs to do to keep his ranch afloat. It’s not about hurting the town. They could even do Town Nights in the off season so the locals could enjoy the venue.”
Her father’s head jerked toward her. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I leave you a note that only loyal children live in my house and here you are defending the Dunns? The Dunns! You’re a traitor, betraying your own blood, for what? Some job?”
A long low grunt came from Jeremiah. “You asshoe.”
She looked behind her to see Jeremiah trying to stand, but his knees buckled and missing his wheelchair, he went down.
“Jeremiah!” She crouched next to him. “Are you okay?”
The sound of the front door slamming closed had her looking up just as Tanner appeared in the archway. “What the hell is going on here?” His gaze swept the room. “Dad!” He brushed past her father and crouched next to Jeremiah. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
He slowly lifted Jeremiah onto his wheelchair. Once he had him settled, he finally looked up and saw her father.
The fury in Tanner’s eyes made her breath catch.
“You! Get the hell out of our house.” His gaze touched upon her for a moment before snarling. “And take your offspring with you.”
She had to explain. “Tanner, everything is fine. Your dad was actually―”
“I SAID GET OUT!”
His voice was so loud, she covered her ears.
“If you’re not gone in three seconds, I’ll help you leave.”
She’d never seen Tanner so furious. Afraid her now silent dad would end up on the wrong side of Tanner’s fists, she grabbed her father’s arm. “Come on, Dad. It’s time for you to go.”
Thankfully, as she tugged, he followed. They had just reached her father’s car when Tanner came out of the house, a shotgun in his hands. “Your three seconds are up!”
Before she knew what her father was about, he shoved her in the back seat. Then jumping in, he started the car and slammed on the gas, spinning them around and down the drive faster than was smart.
After two horrendous bumps that had her hitting her head on the ceiling despite her seatbelt, her father finally slowed down to navigate the rocky drive. With the ride bearable, her upset spilled over. “What were you thinking?”
There was no answer for a long while. “I was thinking of Four Peaks.”
“No, you weren’t. You were pissed I was working at the Rocky Road and wanted to do whatever you could to make me stop.”
He ignored her. “They want to make it a damn dude ranch.”
“Well, what else can they do? You blocked them from expanding with the conservation land.”
“That’s important or people like your ex would have built apartments and developments there.”
He had to be kidding. “Not if the Dunns were using it for ranching, which they would have eventually. Did you even ask if they wanted it first?”
Her father didn’t answer, which made her suspicious. “Dad, did you ask them if they wanted to buy it?”
“They had an offer in on it, but if they bought it, they could still sell it to developers. Now everyone can use it.”
Her chest tightened at what a blow that must have been to Tanner’s family. “Did you do that to be popular with the voters or to hurt the Dunns?”
She sucked in her breath when he didn’t answer. He’d obviously done it for both reasons. “You doomed them then. They’re too small to compete with other ranches now. It’s your fault they have to become a dude ranch. You should be cheering. You got what you wanted.”
They finally turned onto Black Spur Road and headed for town. How was she going to explain this mess to LaReina? She was supposed to be working today, and now her car with all her clothes was sitting back at Rocky Road.
“They can always expand to the east. The Harpers own that and haven’t used it in years. I bet they’d sell. They would be getting up there in years now.”
At her father’s return to their conversation, she could tell he was attempting to mitigate his own guilt. If he expected her to agree, he was dead wrong. She’d never been so disappointed with him in her life. “They can’t. They’ve tried, but the Harpers won’t sell. And before you suggest it, the small ranch in Cave Creek owned by the Fords has all the local business for people wanting their own beef raised and slaughtered, so no, the Dunn’s can’t do that either.”
Her father remained silent.
Good. She hoped he was thinking about his actions. All her life she’d accepted his decisions, thinking him infallible. Even when her own mother tried to turn her against her father, she’d resisted, having figured out that her mother’s values were not her own. She was daddy’s girl. But she wasn’t anymore. Now she had the full picture, and it didn’t shine a favorable light on her father.
Not only that, but he’d ruined her chance for a decent man for a change and put her in a bad place with her employer. It was time to find out why.
“Dad, why did this stupid feud start in the first place? Please don’t tell me it was your grandfather’s doing.” The thought that her life had been screwed up by some long-lost ancestor would be too much to take.
“No, it wasn’t. It was me and Jeremiah.”
From the way everyone in town acted, she’d actually thought it was older than one generation, though counting her brothers, it could be considered two generations. “What happened? Did he beat you up in third grade? Did you loosen his saddle so he lost a horse race in high school?”
“Actually, we were best friends in high school.”
That revelation shocked her. She wished she could see his face. Unbuckling the seatbelt, she moved to the center of the back seat so she could watch him in the rearview mirror. “You were?”
“Yes. We did everything together. All our pranks were played on other unsuspecting classmates.” Her father’s lips quirked up at the memories.
“So what happened?”
“I always blamed it on life, but deep down I guess I was jealous. He got the life I wanted.”
That made no sense. “Jeremiah lost his son, lost his wife, had a stroke, and is running a failing cattle operation, while you are a respected state legislator with a thriving cattle business. How could you be jealous?”
He pulled the car into the driveway where three other trucks were parked. Turning off the engine, he got out.
Quickly, she scrambled out of the back seat. “Dad. How could you be jealous?” She followed him into the house, where he dropped his keys and finally turned to face her.
“At the time, in high school, we were dating twins. Jeremiah and I decided we would both ask our twin to marry us. Jeremiah’s twin said yes, even though he asked her during a moonlit hayride.” He snorted. “I took my twin to the nicest steak place in the county. Then we went to the carnival that was in town. In the middle of the Tunnel of Love, I popped the question.”
As her father paused, she could tell the ending wasn’t good.
“She said ‘no’. She was going to college. I told her I would wait for her, but she still said ‘no’.”
For the first time in the last twenty-four hours, she felt somewhat sorry for her father. She’d never known that he had proposed to someone before her mother. “That had to have been difficult.”
He shrugged and moved into the living room to stand by the Riverstone fireplace. “I was young, but I was hurt and jealous when Jeremiah asked me to be his best man. I made an excuse and was out of town that day.”
She moved to the Italian leather couch and sat. “So you basically ended your friendship.”
He shook his head. “It was never anything official. Jeremiah had a new wife, and though he’d invite me to dinner or events, I always turned him down. Then I met your mother, who thought I could do no wrong and could be anything I wished to be. She was exactly what I needed at the time. So when I heard that Jeremiah had made an offer on the property to the west, I complained to your mother about how he would now have a bigger ranch than we did.”
“Wait, did Mom know about your past with Jeremiah?”
Her father walked across the room and stared out the slider, his hands clasped behind his back. “Not everything, but enough to consider him my greatest competition, even if he had no interest in being anyone but a cattle rancher. She’s the one who suggested the conservation idea. Of course, once that went through, it was an easy step onto the Town Council and soon to the state legislature. Her dreams became mine, because mine hadn’t worked. Hers I could accomplish, until she wanted me to run for congress.”
She knew the rest. Her mother wanted to be the wife of a federal politician and when her father didn’t want to leave the state, preferring to help his neighbors, she divorced him. “So why have you continued to be angry with the Dunns?”
He turned and faced her, but the light from outside kept his face in shadow. “There were many small incidents over the years. Our sons fighting. One of us having the best prize cattle while the other didn’t, etc.”
She’d heard enough to know the whole feud was stupid. She rose, unable to sit still any longer, the frustration over the origin too much to accept. “And now your sons and Jeremiah’s sons have kept it going. I guess it’s a good thing I married Claude instead of a Dunn.” What would her father think if he knew how she felt?
She set her hands on her hips. “When is it going to stop? You saw Jeremiah. He can’t walk and his speech is just starting to return. Will it stop when you’re too old to walk or when your grandchildren are too old to walk? How many more people are going to get hurt? Or does stopping the dude ranch and driving the Dunns out make you the winner? Isn’t the fact they’re struggling enough for you?”
“Honestly Mandy, I didn’t know they were struggling. I didn’t even know Jeremiah was in such bad shape.”
She threw her hands up. “Really? Everyone in town knows he had a stroke. What did you expect, that he had a stroke one day and picked himself up by his bootstraps and got back on his horse the next?”
Her father grimaced, maybe seeing himself in the light for the first time. “I didn’t actually think about the results. It’s not like I’m in the medical field.”
She stared at him, her mouth open. Really? Crossing her arms, she scowled. “How many times have I told you about my patients in the last three months? How many times have I talked about the struggles people have? Dammit Dad, how could you forget what I went through!”
He stepped to her and grasped her by the shoulders. “I wanted to forget. That was the worst time in my life.”
She rolled her eyes. “It was no walk in the park for me either.”
He dropped his hands. “I know. I know. I…I just blocked it out. When you talk about your work, it reminds me of that time and I think of something else.” He set his hand to his chest. “It hurts when I think of you like you were. I almost lost you.”
“I know, but you have to accept what happened and embrace the fact that I made it through, so you can have sympathy for others. Jeremiah didn’t even want to live. He has a long road to recovery. Did it make you happy to see him that way?”
“No.” He shook his head vigorously. “When he fell, it reminded me of you. It reminded me of who he’d been when he was my friend. I wouldn’t wish that condition on my worst enemy.”
Cocking her head, she studied her father. “And is Jeremiah your worst enemy?”
“No. I am.”