Chapter 30
Magnolia
The next morning, I’m the one who sleeps in. I was just glad that when I fell asleep in the pickup the night before, that I woke up before Nash and Max came out to the pickup.
I must have gotten cold and cuddled under the coat on the seat beside me. I should have felt rested after that catnap, but we drove back to the ranch and I proceeded to sleep like the dead until late this morning.
By the time I walk out of my room, Nash is nowhere to be found. His bedroom door is open, so I know he’s not in there, and there’s no sign of him besides half of a coffeepot of lukewarm coffee. He must’ve left early this morning.
I slept better last night, or maybe it was pure exhaustion that took over, because I tossed and turned for the first couple of hours and then fell into a deep sleep.
It’s just as well that Nash isn’t here this morning.
I feel like I made a fool of myself last night, pressing him, trying to get him to admit to something he doesn’t feel.
I want him to feel something for me—the same thing I feel for him—but he’s still hung up on a recent breakup.
How can I expect him to want to declare anything to me?
I’d like to curl up on the kitchen floor in a puddle of embarrassment, but I need coffee before I do that.
I grab the creamer out of the fridge and pour some into the cup.
When Nash went to get fresh air last night, he left and loaded up on some groceries from the store. Luckily, he got some coffee creamer and some bagels.
There’s a scraping sound, and then the front door opens. I can’t quite see it from this angle in the kitchen, so I grab a kitchen knife and walk to the hallway.
A woman I’ve never seen before walks in. She stops abruptly and stares at me with alarm.
I glance down at the large knife in my hand.
“Who are you?” I ask.
“Who are you?” she asks me.
It’s safe to say that we’re both startled, and we didn’t expect the other one here.
“I’m Magnolia.”
The woman visibly relaxes. “I am Natalie, Nash’s mom.”
I quickly lower the knife to my side, acutely aware that I’m still wearing my pajamas. It’s close to nine in the morning, and I’m holding a butcher knife, which was pointed at her. Not exactly a good first impression.
“I was just cutting a bagel.” I try to downplay the fact that I had the knife angled in her direction when she rounded the corner.
She smiles and walks into the kitchen. “I’m sorry I frightened you. I didn’t know anyone was here. Nash told me to just come in when I got here.”
“Oh. Well, I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was coming, and it scared me when I heard the door open. I think Nash and Max are doing more cattle somewhere.”
I don’t even know what that means, really—doing cattle. Is that what they call it? Probably not, but it’s the best thing I could come up with to describe where they went.
“What do you have planned today?” Natalie asks.
I kind of like that she skipped over small talk and is now acting like we tell each other plans for the day.
“I’m supposed to go talk to a man named Henry and look at a site that could be converted into a distillery.”
Natalie walks over to the fridge, grabbing the coffee creamer. “Do you mind if I steal some of your coffee? There aren’t many coffee shops between here and my home.”
“Go for it. I’ll make a fresh pot too.” I take the last of the coffee out of the coffeepot for her and set about refilling it. “I had planned on going into town, but I don’t know if I have a car to drive.”
Natalie shakes her head. “Oh, that’s no problem. I can drive you into town if you don’t have a rig. It’s not a big deal.”
“You just got here. You’re probably ready to relax or—”
She cuts me off. “Actually, I need to go into Pine Ridge today anyway. I came here specifically for that, so if you don’t mind tagging along with me on my errands, I’ll show you around town.”
She offers me a smile, and it puts me at ease. This is the woman who turned down a ridiculous amount of money to be with the man she loved. I’m pretty sure I can trust her.
“I would really appreciate that. Thank you. I remember Nash saying that you live over in Fort Rock.”
“I do, but I’m actually in the process of looking for a place in Pine Ridge.”
“Really?” I’m surprised.
“Yeah. I’m going to eventually end up here, and I’d like to live close to my son again. If that means moving to Pine Ridge, then I’ll do it.”
“I just found out that he lives here,” I admit.
She chuckles softly. “He’s not the greatest communicator.”
“Well, there’s not really a reason he would communicate with me.”
She looks at me, eyebrows raised. “There isn’t? Because I heard that you’re pretending to be his fiancée.”
I don’t know why, but it feels more embarrassing that his mom knows this. I was hoping to play it off that we were acquaintances and that he was doing me a favor, bringing me out here, because, really, that is closer to the truth.
“It was more necessity, and eventually, that’ll be over too.” There’s a sad tone in my voice that I can’t quite hide, and Natalie looks at me with sharp eyes.
“So, you two aren’t dating at all?” she asks in surprise.
“He’s still a little hung up on the last bad situation.”
Natalie sits down on a barstool across the island from me. “I can’t believe he hasn’t asked you out yet.”
“Why would you say that?” I ask, moving my coffee cup in circles on the counter, the liquid sloshing as I try to figure out how to respond to that.
“Because I’ve heard him talk about you, and whether he admits it to himself or not, I know he’s interested in you.”
“I think maybe he could be interested in me if there wasn’t so much going on.”
“Do you mean with Alexander?” Natalie asks.
“Yes, and no. I guess part of it is with his ex-fiancée, feeling like he can’t trust himself, and then the other part is, there’s so much going on with the extended family that he feels like he needs to sort that out before he can think about himself.”
Natalie frowns at that. “I wish he hadn’t been pulled into that mess. But I have pretty strong feelings where that family’s concerned.”
“Nash told me—” I pause, not sure if I should say he told me about Alexander trying to pay her. I clear my throat. “Nash told me about you and his dad. He also said Alexander tried to pay you to leave him.”
“Yes, he did. I don’t have a warm relationship with him, even to this day, but I will say that he has changed over the years.
I think he’s come to realize there are more important things.
He did apologize to me sincerely. When Nash was eight years old, he decided he wanted to be a part of our lives, however it looked, and he did come back into our lives with zero expectations—only wanting to be with us, to spend time with his son, and to get to know Nash.
While I will never be his biggest fan, I can appreciate someone who is willing to change. ”
“And you don’t blame him for Nash being wrapped up in the family drama right now?”
“No. I think it was years of Alexander’s obsession with money, which was passed down to his daughter and some of his nieces and nephews.
It’s been a toxic love of money and family, and now that he has a closer relationship with Nash, he’s relying on him to be the voice of reason in a family full of money-grabbers. ”
I debate if I should say anything to her about her son…but I know Nash is close with her. “He’s seemed happier out here. He’s been smiling a lot more.”
“Ranching is a simpler lifestyle. It’s hard but fulfilling. And I know he loves it. I’d like to see him come back to it.”
“And what about you?”
“Like I said, I’m planning on moving here to Pine Ridge. My brother will manage the ranch, and I’ll be here, close to my son.” Natalie smiles and continues, “There are two houses for sale in town. Do you want to come look with me?”
“Of course! I’d like a better look around Pine Ridge. I might end up here someday anyway.”
“Well, come on, then!”
She jumps up and refills her coffee cup before leading the way out to her SUV. She drives all the way down the bumpy drive with that open coffee cup without spilling a drop. It’s impressive, to say the least. Our conversation centers on the scenery until we reach Pine Ridge.
“So, you’d be willing to come out to Pine Ridge?” Natalie asks as we pull into the parking lot in front of the building that could potentially be my new business.
“Do you mean move here?” I ask.
“Yes. It’s not often someone would move to a town where they don’t know anybody.”
“Well, I know Max and Zane and now Bliss,” I say quietly.
She looks at me with a soft smile. “I’m not trying to talk you out of it. I’m just curious, I guess, on why you would be interested in moving here.”
I could come up with some quick answer, but I like this lady, and I’d rather get her opinion on it, coming from someone who lives in a small town and is moving to another small town.
“I wish that I had a really good answer for that, but I don’t think I do.
I thought I would be married and have a family of my own by now, and that just hasn’t happened, and I feel like I’ve been living my life in limbo.
I’ve always wanted to enjoy the rest of my life.
I’m ready to settle down. I guess I need to move on with my life and stop waiting for Mr. Perfect to show up because I’m holding my own hopes and dreams on pause.
I think I’ve bought into a true-love story a little too hard.
And it might make me the most basic person ever, but I want to run a bakery, find love, and have a family.
It’s the most embarrassing cliché, I know. ”
“It is absolutely not embarrassing,” Natalie says sharply.
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting those things.
I can say for a fact that finding love and having a family are some of the best things you can do in life.
I had a husband I loved more than anything, and I have a son who is the center of my world.
We live in a world where people tell others what they should do with their lives because they’re not happy with their own. ”
She pauses to catch her breath, then continues, “But if you can learn to ignore those voices…you’ll find that there is so much joy in the life meant for you.”
“Do you normally try to make people cry so early in the morning?” I ask as I swipe at my misting eyes.
She laughs with me. “You are a person, too, and I think that in pursuing things you love and enjoy, you will end up finding someone you can spend your happily ever after with. And if you enjoy small towns, then Pine Ridge is a great place for you. And I don’t know about Mr. Perfect, but I know Nash likes you a lot, Magnolia. ”
That brings a sad smile to my face. I tell her, “He might, but I don’t think that’s enough for him. I’ve made mistakes in the past, waiting for people to decide what they want, and I’ve made decisions based on that as well, and I don’t want to do that anymore.”
Natalie nods emphatically. “I think you’re on to something, and I hope this building works out for you. Besides, if it works out to start your bakery, distillery, or whichever it is here, you’ll also know me in town,” she says, smiling.
“Thank you. I like knowing I’ll have another friend here.” It’s unfortunate that I’m falling in love with her only son.