Chapter Fifteen
J illie was happy. From the moment the long limo had pulled up to the front of Tori’s house, and they had stood on the porch to watch its arrival, the child had been treated like royalty. Tori had been informed by Cassie that the limo was Cade’s gift to her. Tori might have known. And she had stepped out like a princess in her purple velvet outfit and a sparkling tiara on her head. Yet another member of her family had succumbed to the smiling cowboy accepting one of Jillie’s special hugs. Seemed she was the only member of the family, besides her other brother, who was on special assignment and couldn’t come for her birthday, who had not given the seal of approval.
“I hope all my friends saw me. They watched when I got picked up after school in a real limo. No one else has even been in one. Wasn’t it a great surprise?” She was gushing and Tori kept on smiling and agreeing. The man had definitely made an impression.
Jillie sat in the guest of honor chair at the head of the table. The food covered the length of it and everyone found room for second helpings. She noted Cade even had a third go at the casserole. She had to smile at that.
Gifts came next. Jillie loved each and every one and had to bestow hugs around the table. Matt just shook his head. “No wonder my daughter is so spoiled with aunts like the pair of you. You have spoilt her since the day she was born.”
“That’s right,” Cassie spoke up. “And you are just jealous because we don’t throw you a party too.”
“We did,” Tori corrected. “We did it twice since he became sheriff and each time he had to be called away and missed his own dinner. So, we gave up.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “But somehow there was always a piece of birthday cake waiting for me in the kitchen cabinet when I finally got back. My big sis would never own up to it, but I know she made sure I was reminded it was my day. Funny how you always managed to do that since we were old enough to realize what a birthday was. Thanks.” And he smiled across at Tori with a lot of love, and she had suddenly remembered she had to do something in the kitchen. She left for a moment.
She dabbed at her eyes, trying not to smear her makeup. The door squeaked open and she knew it was probably Cassie. A Kleenex appeared in front of her. She took it and dabbed a little more.
“Darn that brother of ours, he always manages to remind me that he really is a good guy now and then. He grew up after all.”
“Yes, he did. And he knows that was a lot of your doing.” The voice wasn’t female. She whirled around to find Cade standing there. The look in his eyes made her want to tear up even more. “You raised him to be the man and father he is today. Everyone in that room knows it. You are greatly loved, Victoria Parker. I just don’t think you realize how much sometimes. You have affected people that you probably don’t even realize along the way because that is the woman you are.”
Music began to play loudly. Tori stopped what she was about to say and pocketed the Kleenex. “That is awfully loud and sounds…”
“That would be the second part of my gift. We better get in there.” He took her hand, and she didn’t have time to react as they entered the dining room to find a full group of mariachis serenading the birthday girl who looked to be in absolute heaven.
“You brought mariachis?” She whispered her amazement beside the man.
“Matt mentioned he needed to find a record to play at her party. And I happen to know the leader of the group. They play once a month for the cattlemen’s dinners. He was happy to bring them to serenade Jillie with a couple of songs. Hope you don’t mind?”
She shook her head. She didn’t trust her voice. At that point they broke into ‘Happy Birthday’ and it was amazing. She looked at Jillie and remembered how sad she had been on their shopping day about not having a mother of her own. But she would always know how very much she was surrounded by love, and she had to admit that the man standing behind her made a lot of her special day just that. If he had ulterior motives, she would deal with that later. She could be grateful in the moment. A gentle pressure on his hand from hers and he looked down at her. She mouthed the words ‘thank you’ and he gave her one of those warm smiles that always seemed to go straight to her heart. She turned back to the party.
*
That warm feeling they had shared didn’t last long. Once the party was over and Jillie had retired to the living room to watch one of the videos that Cassie had bought her, the grown-ups gathered in the kitchen to put away the last remnants of the party. She loaded the dishwasher; Cassie cleared the tables and Matt had trash duty. Cade took care of the tall stuff…taking down the decorations and then putting away items that needed to go in high cabinets. He would not think of leaving when the others tried to shoo him away.
“I’m sorry that I won’t be here for Saturday’s party,” Cassie said as she put the lid on a pan of leftovers. “But duty calls and I must go.”
“Funny how the call of duty coincides with the party that was to be outside now being moved in here—and twenty screaming girls and boys running amok is something that you are going to hate to have to miss indeed.” Tori spoke with a tongue-in-cheek overtone.
“Well, I have news for both of you,” Matt said. “You don’t have to worry about rain and having all of them inside with little to do. Our friend Cade has offered a solution, which I gladly accepted.”
Silence fell for a variety of reasons. Most of them seemed centered on the woman standing at the sink, her eyes zeroed on her brother. “Explain.”
Matt realized his mistake too late. He should have waited with his news. Luckily, it seemed that Cade was ready to throw himself on the sword.
“It does look like rain most of the day—in fact, even the night before—so everything will be wet and muddy no matter when the rain comes on Saturday. I have a large show arena that is covered and heated. It has a clean cement flooring in half of it. I have the manpower to transform it to whatever Jillie might want. And if we get the word out to your invited guests tomorrow, then all will know what to expect and where to come. Jillie just needs to tell me if she would like it.”
“Wow, that is amazing,” Cassie began but then became quiet.
“I see. That would certainly be a problem-solver. What does Jillie want?” asked Tori.
Matt stepped to the doorway and called for Jillie to join them. She was there in no time.
“We have a question for you.” Tori stepped in and took over. “In case of rain on Saturday we have two options for you to decide which you would prefer. The first option is that we have the party here in my house like we have done before when it was bad weather. We still were able to decorate and have games and all the food.” She took a breath before continuing, “The second option is that the party would be moved to Mr. Lockwood’s barn and your friends could go to the party there inside where it’s dry also. It’s your decision.”
Jillie did not hesitate. “A barn? How awesome! No one has done that before. And could there be animals around? Real ones? Not stuffed ones? And that means we could run a lot better and make noise and no one would really care. That would be so fun.”
Tori knew she was defeated. Keep smiling.
“Well, it appears that live animals beat out stuffed ones in my house. I hope you know what you’ve just let yourself in for?” And she shot a pointed look in Cade’s direction.
He nodded. “Oh, I think I understand quite well. And I look forward to hosting all of you and Jillie’s friends this coming weekend.”
“Matt will be happy to help of course. Won’t you?” She next fixed her glare on him.
“Right…anything that is needed. We don’t want to be an imposition.”
“I never offer anything that I don’t want to…and it is, after all, about Jillie’s day. And with that decision made, I better get moving and make certain all will be ready for a barn birthday.”
“Thanks again, for my great surprises.” Jillie offered one last hug. Which he returned with a huge smile on his face.
“You are most welcome. See you Saturday.” He didn’t venture a look at his hostess as she had already turned back to her cleaning.
Jillie went back to her television. Cassie made an excuse to start packing. Matt was left. He moved to stand against the counter close to his sister.
“It makes sense, Tori. And it was a great offer. Jillie is over the moon.”
“As she should be,” Tori said, scrubbing a particularly tough bit of dried food on a pan in the sink.
“It’s because of the rain threat that he offered. I should have told you after we were alone. If we had sunshine and blue skies it would be held right here as always. It isn’t a slight in any way. Please don’t take it personally.”
Tori gave up on the scrubbing. She looked at her brother. “I’m glad that Jillie is going to have an awesome party. Her friends will all come…plus some…because who wouldn’t like to be invited to a party of any kind on the famous Lockwood Ranch? It will be fine. I will be fine. Now go get your little girl home to bed. There’s still school tomorrow.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned, back to his old self. They shared a hug, and he was gone to collect his child and give Cassie a goodbye hug. Tori attacked the pan once again with a renewed vengeance.
Thankfully, Cassie made no mention of what had transpired, probably figuring she had said enough already on the subject. They hugged at the garage, and she left, back to her assignment, which always remained not for disclosure. Between her brother, a sheriff, and her sister, a DEA agent, and her other brother, a U.S. Marshal, she had more than enough experience in keeping secrets and not asking questions.
Later that week she dressed for her day and needed to bring in her new cushion from the front porch rocker just in case the rain began before she returned home. Opening the door, she almost stepped on something lying outside the doorway. She bent down and retrieved it.
It was one stem…a huge pink gerbera daisy…one stem only with a pink ribbon tied around its middle and a card attached to it. She read the message. ‘Forgive me? C.’
Well, at least he hadn’t filled her porch with flowers. Just one this time, and it probably meant more than all the others from the office bouquet. He was trying to apologize. He was trying to do better as he promised. And this way, no one would know she had even received anything. It was just between the two of them. Cade Lockwood was a huge problem. Her life had been so simple until she had to push him into listening to her about those blasted springs. Now, she had no idea what to do. But she was afraid a good dose of heartbreak was headed her way. It was something she had guarded against in her life. She had trusted once before, believed in the possibility of a fairy tale. But she had been younger, and it became a learning experience. To keep her focus on what mattered the most: her family. And she had, until she met up with a tough cowboy one day who would shake up her world.
She had worried about running into Cade at some point in town and what she would say to him. But it hadn’t happened. He hadn’t come by the office. He hadn’t left any messages. Three days of silence. Was she supposed to seek him out? He did put a question mark on the card. Meaning he expected her response? Well, it could wait for the party, which was the next day.
The thunder began to roll at midnight. Lightning woke her up at one in the morning and there was little sleep after that. The morning dawned overcast and rain still threatened in the distance. She had heard from Matt that they were at the ranch, and she would not believe what all Cade and his men had done for Jillie. It was up to her to arrive at the ranch gates at a precise time. She would arrive fifteen minutes after the party would begin. Sounded like another big entrance to Tori. The limo was getting a workout.
Jillie had decreed that the outfits of the day were to be ranch/cowboy wear. And that was why Tori had taken her shopping to the ranching store in town and come out with Jillie outfitted from head to toe in jeans, fringed vest, western shirt, cowgirl hat and a pair of pink boots with rhinestones on the toes. Tori shook her head. And they weren’t leaving the store before Jillie had made certain her aunt looked the part. Which basically entailed a new blue western shirt to go with the jeans she had several of in the closet already. And then she bought her first pair of boots…brown ones with no rhinestones. And a brown cowgirl hat that looked surprisingly good on her as decreed by Jillie. She added her own leather vest she often kept in the closet for rodeos and things along those lines when she had to attend as mayor. She was surprised when no limo appeared at the house. She and Jillie set off to Lockwood Ranch in her vehicle. As they approached, there was a difference from her last visit.
Cowboys were showing people where they could park on a freshly laid gravel parking area just inside the gates. When she and Jillie stepped out of the car, a familiar face greeted them. It was Nate, the foreman who had come with a crew that day to fix her gutters. He gave a big smile to them both and a special welcome to the birthday girl. “Are we going to ride on that wagon like others are doing?” Jillie asked with excitement.
“Nope…we are going to let them get ahead of you all. Then we have a special ride for you. Stand right here and don’t turn around…either of you…until I tell you to do so, okay?”
Jillie bobbed her head in excitement. Tori nodded. There was a sound of wagon wheels behind them and horses stomping their feet.
“Okay, ladies, meet your ride.”
They turned and Tori stood in silence taking it in while Jillie was faster to react. “Oh my, Aunt Tori…look…it’s like on television in the westerns. Are we really going to ride in that?”
Nate nodded. “Yes, sirree, you bet. We don’t bring this special stagecoach out for just anyone. That’s why we added the ballons to the back. It’s special just for you. Let’s hop aboard.” He opened the door and picked up Jillie and stood her inside. He offered his hand to Tori as she maneuvered the small step and the carriage of the wagon moved a bit as she stepped inside and took a seat beside her niece. Nate closed the door. “Sorry about those springs in there, ladies. They’re original and not easy to take but you don’t have far to go. Have fun!”
Jillie was glued to the open window, taking all in as the team of four horses turned them to head up the drive about a half-mile distant from where the house would be. But Tori noticed that they were heading off to the left on a smaller road she hadn’t seen before. They were going past where the house was and continued over a little rise and there below was a huge, cavernous barn structure where there was clearly a party waiting. Balloons galore around the double doors that stood open and music from a live country trio was playing and could be heard outside. Dozens of Jillie’s classmates and even teachers and some parents were waiting, the children clapping and cheering. Tori had to fight back the moisture that threatened as the magnitude of happiness coming from her niece’s eyes was so worth it. These would be memories to replace those sad ones when they came along.
Matt waited for the horses to pull the coach up to the sidewalk. Then he opened the door and Jillie fairly jumped into his arms. He moved away to set her on drier ground, and she was engulfed by her friends.
Tori came out more slowly and was glad when a hand appeared from the tall cowboy who had swung down from the seat above to assist her. She looked up and almost did take a nosedive off the step until the man caught her and steadied her descent. Once on solid footing, she took a good look. Cade had been their driver all along and neither of them had noted it, they were so enthralled with the coach’s arrival. He was dressed for the part more so than normal. Leather chaps with fringe and the Lockwood brand down their length, which obviously might have been one of his rodeo staples. Spurs jangled as he moved, and a bright blue bandana was around his neck. He could have been right out of a Remington painting.
“This is far above what was expected. You know that right?”
“Well, ma’am—” even he had his best John Wayne drawl going; it wasn’t half bad “—we cowboys don’t do things just halfway. We do aim to please our ladies.”
Our ladies wasn’t lost on Tori. It sent her pulse rate to high alert.
“And the answer is yes.” She turned and joined Matt and the others as they moved inside the building. There was his answer. She had decided to forgive him. She didn’t look back but concentrated on all the surprises to come.
Cowboys got into the fun along the way, bringing in some live animals for petting. And some of the ranch’s kids also joined in and Jillie took to them right away. There were long tables of finger foods: burgers, sandwiches, cookies, chips, popcorn machines, lemonade, and she just couldn’t believe what all was there for the partygoers to enjoy whether they felt hungry or not. As she stood with some of the parents watching the children enjoying it all, she felt Matt grab her hand and pull her over to where the crowd was filling up the stands in front of some chutes.
“You have to see this,” he said. Chute one opened and out raced like the wind a lamb…more like a teenaged-size lamb with a child on its back. He lasted three seconds before he hit the plowed dirt. He jumped up and ran back to do it again. Three more emptied the chutes and one little boy made it to the eight-second mark.
She saw Cade’s tall form and Matt left her to join him behind the chutes. The next chute was set to go and it looked like Cade was going to stand out front and pull the gate. Matt was doing chute duty. The gate flew open and the lamb shot off. And she stood in disbelief. Jillie was under the pink helmet and protective jacket, and she was yelling up a storm but in a good way and hanging on for dear life. She made it to six seconds and then landed in the dirt. Cade was there to help her get her footing. She turned and waved to the crowd. Then came running to Tori who had made it to the edge of the arena. “Did you see, Aunt Tori? Wasn’t that the best thing ever? I want to go do it again. Keep watching. She headed back to where Matt stood waiting, grinning from ear to ear.
“I ran out of flowers, but Jillie told me you love cotton candy.” Cade approached and held out a fluffy pink one to her. “I figured I might need to apologize again when you saw her come out of the chute.”
She took the candy he offered. “This seems to be a habit of yours. But just so you know, for the next apology, I also love popcorn with lots of butter.” She turned and walked toward a group of Jillie’s friends’ parents. Let him think on that one for a while.
Jillie was in her element the rest of the afternoon. In fact, she even had her first dance with one of the ranch kids who shyly walked up and asked if she wanted to learn to line dance with the rest of them. She was game. She and Matt stood watching from the sideline. She couldn’t swear but she thought she noted a time or two where he turned his head away and might have wiped something from his eye. She smiled. She had done the same thing. Their little Jillie was growing up.
“You’re breaking the rules of the ranch today.” Cade had moved to sit on the bench beside her. It was a quiet spot since most of the action had moved down a bit into the center of the arena.
“I did? What? I’m sorry but…”
“I’m teasing. It’s just that no one can look as sad as you just did on a great day like today. So, I asked myself what can I do to get that smile back? And the answer came to me. Come on…come with me.” He was practically pulling her up from her seat. She went along in order to not draw attention to them. He led her out one door and into a long barn with stalls on each side.
“Where are we going?”
“To see an old friend of yours.” He kept walking. He finally stopped midway, and she saw what he was talking about. She leaned her hands on the open stall door bottom.
“Ladybug! Hello, sweet one. Do you remember me?” The horse obviously did as she moved to stand with her head over the gate, her eyes soft and big as she blew out a soft breath in hello.
Tori remembered she loved to have her nose rubbed and she did just that. The animal nudged her to continue.
“Now you’ll have to stand here all afternoon and do nothing else,” Cade said watching the pair.
“That wouldn’t bother me a bit. You don’t know how lucky you are to be able to do this anytime you want.”
“Well, we do have other things to keep us busy on the ranch besides rubbing a horse’s nose. But if you would like to volunteer for the job, feel free to apply. The owner might just sign you up.”
“You think so?” She grinned in response to his.
“But whatever would Destiny’s River do without their mayor?”
“Haven’t you heard of multitasking? I am very good at it. I can do both.”
“Then you’re hired.”
“Seriously, this is what I pictured growing up before things got crazy and all. I thought about being a vet even. Silly dreams of a kid.”
“Not so silly. And you can come out here and visit Ladybug anytime. And if this cranky old rancher might be around, well he might be willing to take you two out riding.”
She looked at him with silent regard for a couple moments. “It isn’t nice to try to bribe a government official with a horse.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Well, I mean it. You give your name at the gate—you are already on the list—and you can come out here anytime and visit Ladybug. The hands all know this horse belongs to the mayor. So whenever the job gets too much or people make you mad—present company included—let this be your quiet spot away from it all. No strings attached, Tori. You deserve it.”
“Why are you doing this? What is the game?” She might as well lay it on the line.
“What do you mean?”
“Look, we couldn’t stand each other in the beginning. Then we took a business trip. And you actually paid attention and now we’re going to see a lot of people get really good help. That should have been that. But now my whole family is involved with you. We’re having dinners and…” She was fumbling it.
“And I kissed you. That’s what changed. It’s no longer professional. It’s personal. And it is uncharted territory for me. I was never going to let anything, or anyone get too personal. But then an irritating woman came along who didn’t care what my last name was or how many fans I might have. She didn’t have any problem putting me in my place.”
“I’m a novelty to you,” Tori said. “Because I’m different. I’m not all sleek and sophisticated like the women in your usual life. That’s more your speed. And I won’t play games. I’m not made for that. One man one woman…no space for a third or fourth party…or more. And it isn’t fair trying to bribe me with over-the-top things for my niece or knowing what a horse does to me and telling me it’s all mine. It isn’t and it never will be. So, please just let it go.”
She walked away. It was the hardest thing she ever did but it had to be done. Make the cut quick…that is what she’d learned from the days of being tossed around as a child. Somehow, she’d get past all of this and things would be normal again. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day…even the days after that. But it would come. Just no looking back.