Chapter Thirteen
Travis gave Trip a puzzled smile as he handed him a beer. “Are you sure you want another already?” He glanced over to where Ty was working the grill. “If you’re going to have a couple, you should eat as well.”
“I don’t need to worry about it today—I can have as many as I like, since I’m not driving.”
“You’re not? Oh! You mean Shelley’s driving?”
“Yep.”
Trav looked around for Shelley and smiled when he saw her sitting with Retta, Laney, and Janey.
“Retta thinks the world of her, you know.”
“I do know; you tell me often enough.”
Trav slapped his back. “That’s because I like her, too, and I want you to know it. I’d say she’s good for you.”
Trip nodded. He liked to think that Shelley would be good for him—and that he could be good for her. But there was no point in even thinking about it if she was going to leave town in a few short weeks.
Travis seemed to know what he was thinking, as he so often did. “She still not made her mind up about staying?”
“I don’t know.”
“You haven’t asked?”
“No. We said we were going to play it by ear until her lease is up. She promised me that she won’t leave me in the lurch at the practice, so I reckon that if she decides she wants to leave, she’ll tell me that it’s time to start looking for her replacement.”
Trav glanced over at the women again. Retta turned and smiled at him. Shelley followed her gaze, and the look she gave Trip hit him right in the chest. She looked happy—happy to be here at the MacFarland place with everyone. Happy to see that he was watching her—not like Katrina, who used to accuse him of being jealous when he checked on her from across the room.
It was just one more reminder that, whereas with Katrina he’d felt like he couldn’t win no matter what he did, with Shelley he felt like he couldn’t lose… if only she’d stay.
“Hey Trip, it’s good to see you.” Ford greeted him as he came out of the house. “How are things? Oh, and before I forget, how’s Brody? I need to call him back—he was asking about riding over to the auction in Billings with me.”
“He’d appreciate the call, I know that. I trust him absolutely, but he likes to double check his thinking before he buys new stock, and we all know that I’m no use to him there.”
Ford smiled. “You’re needed for more important matters. I’m happy to talk to him, not that he needs my advice.”
“No, but I’m glad he has you to talk to,” said Trip.
“It goes both ways,” said Ford. “I like having someone who knows the business as well as I do, who I can check in with now and then.” He turned to Travis. “How’s it going, Trav?”
Travis grinned. “Everything’s peachy in my world. I don’t mind telling you that I’m feeling relieved that nothing’s changed at my place after Ty opened the restaurant. I was concerned that maybe we’d have people driving around the property lost and looking for it.”
Ford laughed. “I think you’re safe there. The restaurant’s the first building you come to when you turn off the road—not even the tourists could miss it.”
Travis shrugged. “I wasn’t sure about that—I wouldn’t trust some of them to find their own ass. I had one of them ask me where the gas station was the other day—and we were standing in the parking lot at the grocery store—you know, right next to the gas station!”
Trip had to laugh. He’d gotten used to the tourists over the years and didn’t mind them. Travis had only moved back home recently and had yet to come to terms with how much things had changed in the valley since he lived here as a kid.
“Here comes your buddy.”
Trip turned, not understanding what Travis meant, but it turned out he was speaking to Ford, not to him.
Little Ashton was running across the yard toward them, and as he got closer he called, “Uncle Ford, Uncle Ford!”
Travis winked at him as they watched Ford turn to greet the little guy with a huge smile on his face. When Ashton reached him and held his arms up in the air, Ford didn’t miss a beat as he caught him and swung him up to sit on his shoulders. Ashton grabbed Ford’s hat so that he didn’t knock it off and placed it on top of the one he was wearing himself—which Trip noticed was exactly the same style and color as Ford’s.
“Sorry I took ages. Mom made me clean my room before I was allowed to come find you. Will you still take me to see the calves?”
“It’s not a problem, bud. You know you have to help your mom and do whatever she asks you to. And besides, I didn’t even notice you were late. I was catching up with Trav and Trip.”
“Hi, Uncle Travis.” Ashton looked a little warier as he turned to Trip. “Can I call you Uncle Trip? Nessa says that we’re all like family around here, so she calls everyone Uncle and Auntie. But you’re the doctor. Am I supposed to call you Doctor Trip?”
Trip smiled; he was pleased that Ashton even wanted to call him Uncle. Neither of them had enjoyed Ashton’s recent visit to the clinic. Tanner had brought him in after he’d gashed his leg on some rusty barbed wire in the old storage shed—where he wasn’t supposed to be exploring.
“I’d like it a lot if you want to call me Uncle, and I think we’d both be happier to forget about the doctor thing, wouldn’t we?”
Ashton gave him a small smile. “Yeah. We don’t need to talk about that—especially when Mom’s around. She still gets mad at me.”
Travis laughed. “What’s the story?”
Trip mimicked zipping his lips shut and winked at Ashton. He wasn’t about to share when Ashton had just asked him not to talk about it.
Ashton laughed. “It’s okay, Uncle Trip—Uncle Trav’s cool, we can tell him. See, I was in the old storage shed and I cut myself. Dad took me to Uncle Trip for a booster shot.” His little eyebrows drew together. “Tetanus, right?”
“That’s right,” Trip confirmed.
“And stitches, too,” added Ashton. “Seven of them.” He tugged at the leg of his jeans, and Ford reached up to grasp the kid’s waist so that he didn’t fall. Trip noted that although Ashton was wary of him , he trusted Ford absolutely to keep him safe.
When it became clear after a few more tugs that his jeans weren’t going to cooperate and allow him to show off his scar, Ashton straightened up and shrugged. “It’s a really cool scar.”
Travis chuckled. “Yeah, Uncle Trip’s pretty handy with a needle and thread. He’s stitched me up a few times over the years as well.”
Ashton swung his head to look at him. “Did it hurt?”
Travis winked at the kid. “Like a bitch!”
Trip threw his head back and laughed, not knowing if he was more amused by the guilty look on Trav’s face or the gleeful one on Ashton’s.
“Right?” Ashton nodded emphatically. “He said it wouldn’t hurt, but he lied! And when he did the shot, he held my arm and said it would just be a little sting—that was not a little sting.” He gave Trip an accusing look as he added that last part, before turning back to Travis with a grin. “That hurt like a bitch!”
They all laughed, but even as he was still smiling, Ford reached up and tapped Ashton’s arm. “Watch your language, bud. It’s okay to joke around with the guys, but don’t get in the habit of it, okay? You ready to come check on the calves with me?”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Ashton grinned at Trip and Travis. “Don’t worry, I won’t drop you in it, but I figured if you could say it in front of me, I’m okay to say it in front of you.”
Trip shook his head with a smile as they watched Ford walk away with Ashton riding on his shoulders. He and Trav chuckled when the kid flapped his legs and called, “Giddy-up!” and Ford broke into a jog as he headed toward the barn.
“Never thought I’d see Ford grinning like that over a kid,” Travis said.
“Me neither. To be fair, though, he seems to have come around more and more these last few years. Ashton taking to him the way he has just tipped the scales.”
“Yeah. Whatever brought it on, it’s good to see him happy.”
“You think something else might be the reason he’s opening up?”
“Not so much something as someone .”
Trip frowned. “Who? I haven’t heard a thing about him having a girl in the last few years—and you know how gossip works around here. If he were seeing someone—hell, even if he’d just spent the night with someone—we’d all hear about it.”
“Yeah, I didn’t say he was seeing her—just that there’s something there between them.”
“Who? You’re going to have to fill me in. And how do you know? I’ve been back here in the valley for years and I have no idea—meanwhile you haven’t been back long and you’re already clued in.”
Travis chuckled. “Nah. It’s not from being back here. I’m talking about Amelia.”
Trip frowned. “Amelia? The girl who works with Cash and Mav? The comms expert?”
“Yeah, although she’s more than just a comms expert. She’s like one of those tech geniuses. There’s no system she can’t get into and no one she can’t trace.”
“Right. But how does Ford even know her?”
“You don’t remember? She’s Sierra’s friend. She was with Sierra when she had that trouble with her ex—the time he ran them off the road.”
“Oh! I remember now. I treated them both afterward. Sierra was battered and bruised, and her ex had almost asphyxiated her.” He shuddered at the memory of the finger-shaped bruises around Sierra’s neck. “And I treated Amelia for a knife wound—luckily, it was relatively superficial. He held the knife to her throat and he broke her nose when he punched her.”
“Yeah. She wasn’t happy about that.”
“Who would be?”
Travis chuckled. “No one, but Amelia made the most of the situation and used it as an excuse to get a nose job. Had the cosmetic surgeon fix the scar on her neck at the same time.”
“She told me she planned to do that. I still don’t know how she ended up working with you guys, though.”
“I don’t either, you’d have to ask Cash. He offered to fly her to any surgeon she wanted and to cover the cost. By the time she’d recovered, he’d hired her. She’s not exactly an employee; she still takes on jobs of her own. I think she contracts with a couple of the agencies. I know she helped the guys in Summer Lake a while back when the Russian mob came after one of their women.”
Trip raised his eyebrows. “The Russian mob in Summer Lake?”
Travis laughed. “Yep, although they followed her there from Chicago. But yeah, Callahan lives down there now, and Dalton. I think Dalton was in the middle of that whole deal, and he—or maybe Cal—had worked with Amelia before.”
“Well, that explains a lot about Amelia. But it still doesn’t tell me anything about her and Ford.”
“They took a shine to each other when she was here visiting Sierra—before the ex showed up. I don’t know much more than that myself. Well, I do know that Cash is still taking his role as the family fixer seriously, and now that the rest of them are all married or engaged, he’s got his sights set on Ford.”
Trip nodded slowly. “That sounds about right for him. There’s been bad blood between them for years—but if Cash thinks there’s a chance Ford could finally have the life he deserves... nothing’s going to stop him from helping him get there.”
“Have you talked to him lately? Told him about you and Shelley? I reckon he feels the same way about you, you know.”
Trip smiled. “I haven’t checked in with him or Mav in a while. What do you hear? Are they planning to visit anytime soon? Have they said anything about moving their operation here to the valley? I know Cash would love to, and even though Mav plays it close to his chest, I think he’d consider coming back.”
Travis blew out a sigh. “I talked to Cash a couple days ago. He’s itching to come visit, but he didn’t know when he could make it happen. Mav’s away on a job, so …”
“He is? I thought he stuck at home base these days—he gives Cash a hard time for still liking to play superhero and going himself instead of sending the team.”
“Yeah, but I think Mav’s getting so damn frustrated—he needs to just admit it and come home.”
“Is he giving you a hard time about Libby moving her horses to your place?”
“Not about the horses, no. But with Eli arriving, Mav’s not happy that Libby’s going to be working with more vets.”
Trip shook his head. “If she moves on with someone else, he’ll have no one but himself to blame.”
“And he knows it. But he’s so damn stubborn...” Travis took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair before putting it back on. “There’s nothing we can do for them, but we can quit standing around gossiping like a pair of old ladies and get on with enjoying the day.”
He jerked his chin to where Shelley and Retta were sitting. Retta’s daughter, Callie, had joined them, and Retta was holding baby Levi.
Trip watched Shelley with interest. She seemed to be eyeing the little guy warily rather than cooing over him the way Retta and Janey were.
Travis laughed. “Looks like Shelley’s in the same camp as Laney—not big on kids, is she?”
Trip shrugged. It didn’t feel great that he didn’t even know the answer to that question. Of course, he knew that she didn’t have kids, but beyond that… he didn’t know her as well as he wanted to, and he had no idea how much time he had left to change that.
~ ~ ~
Laney met Shelley’s gaze as the others oohed and awed over Levi. He was cute—Shelley could see that—but she just wasn’t one of those women who went gaga over a baby. She never had been. From the way Laney smirked at her, she’d guess that Laney was the same way.
Laney confirmed that when she said quietly, “Don’t get me wrong, he’s sweet and I love him to pieces, but I’ll be more comfortable when I can have a conversation with him and teach him to rope.”
Shelley laughed. “I know what you mean—I’m the same way. Not that I’d be able to teach him to rope or do much of anything that’d be useful around here.”
“Maybe not anything that’d be useful on a ranch, but I bet you could teach him lots of useful stuff. You’re a lawyer, aren’t you? What kind of law?”
“I used to be a private wealth lawyer.”
Laney made a face. “You mean helping rich folks avoid taxes?”
Shelley had to laugh. “No. I worked mostly on estates and trusts, but I did a lot of succession planning and fiduciary litigation.”
Laney laughed. “In words of two syllables or less, please?”
“Controversies related to trust management.” Shelley smiled. “I know there were more than two syllables there, but I also know you’re a smart lady—you’re just not familiar with the terms.”
“Right. So, you helped rich people pass on their estates? Figure out who they wanted to leave them to and how to make sure the heirs got what was left to them?”
“Pretty much.”
“Was there lots of drama with people feeling like they were entitled to what their parents had earned? Oh! Did you have families fighting with the gold-digging wives of old men?”
Shelley had to laugh. “I did have one case like that. The old man in question had anticipated all the drama, though, and I helped him set up a trust that took care of the family and the wife in a way that ensured none of them were left out in the cold—and none of them got as much as they wanted. He actually made sure that the housekeeper who’d worked for the family for over thirty years got more than anyone else—he had his priorities straight, and he knew who truly cared about him.”
She smiled at the memory. She’d had a lot of respect for Franklin Moss and had enjoyed helping him plan his legacy—and seeing the looks on the faces of his beneficiaries after he died.
“That sounds so cool. But how come you’re working as Trip’s receptionist? Are you going to set up your own firm now that you’ve moved here?”
Shelley glanced over at Trip. He was standing talking with Travis, and she loved seeing him so relaxed and happy.
“You guys are together, right?” Laney asked.
Shelley tucked her hair behind her ear, wondering how best to answer. She skipped the last question and went with, “I actually quit my career when I left Pennsylvania a few years ago. I was done—burned out. My marriage ended at the same time and I… well, I just kind of hit the road, and I’ve been wandering ever since.”
“Yeah, but all that’s behind you now, isn’t it? You live here now. Are you going to get back to working or…” Laney laughed. “Sorry—maybe you’re happy working as Trip’s receptionist. There’s nothing wrong with it if you are. It’s just… you don’t strike me as the receptionist type. But…”
“You’re right. I’m not. But I don’t know what else to do.” She looked up. Retta and Callie and the others were getting to their feet, taking Levi inside to change his diaper, apparently. She felt more comfortable explaining herself to just Laney than to all of them.
Laney gave her a puzzled look. “Is everything okay with you?”
She blew out a sigh. “It is. I’m fine. I just… okay, I’m going to dump it on you because you asked. When I came to Montana, I thought it was just another stop on my travels. But I’ve gotten used to it—I like it here.” She smiled. “I like the people—obviously, I like Trip. But…”
“But what?” Laney asked with a frown.
“I don’t know if I’m staying. Trip and I are exploring things, but… I have to be out of the house I’m renting in a couple of weeks. That would be the logical point to wrap things up and move on.”
Laney was still frowning. “Are you saying you’re not that into Trip?”
“No, I’m not. I’m into him in a big way,” she added with a smile. “But… if I were to stay, that would be changing my whole life for a man. I’m not sure that I…”
Laney finally smiled. “I get that. I wouldn’t want to do that either. But you’re wrong. You’re not just changing your whole life for a man—and Trip is an amazing man. But he’s not the only thing you have going on here. You’re close with all the ladies, aren’t you? You’ve made friends—friends who care about you a lot, from what I hear. And you don’t know us—the whole MacFarland clan—that well yet, but you will soon enough. And we’re not all bad. And come on, are you telling me you can think of anywhere else as beautiful as this that you could live?”
Shelley laughed. “No, I will admit that I do love it here.”
“And you already survived a winter, so we know you’re not going to regret it and wimp out when the snow flies.”
“True.”
“So, what else is there to think about? You should stay.”
Shelley met her gaze. “I love that you’re trying to talk me into it, but I have to ask—why?”
“Fair question. Like I said, we don’t know each other that well yet, but I think we’re going to get along. I like you so far, and I’d like to get to know you better. But it’s not really about me.” Laney scanned the yard and stopped when she spotted Trip, who was now standing by the grill talking to Ty, who was flipping burgers. “It’s about him. Trip’s a great guy. He had a pretty decent life before you came along, but he’s all by himself. And he had a pretty miserable life when he was married, by all accounts. If anyone deserves to have a great life and to be truly happy, it’s Trip. And I’ve got to tell you—he seems truly happy with you.”
Shelley looked over at him again. He took a slug of his beer and then threw back his head and laughed.
“And the way you just smiled as you watched him?” said Laney. “That does it—I have to say it. He’s in love with you. And the way you lit up when you saw him laugh, I’d say you feel the same way—even if you don’t know it yet.”
Shelley swallowed. Hard. In love? That was…
Laney grinned at her. “And now I’ll zip it. But please stay. And if the receptionist job is part of what’s putting you off, you should consider going back to your old work. I bet there’s a need for it around here. I mean, look at us. There are eight of us and one big ranch. I have no idea what the old bastard set up in his will—sorry, when I say that, I mean the man who fathered us—but you can bet he used a lawyer to make sure he screws us over however he can.”
Shelley didn’t know what to say to that, but Laney carried on regardless.
“I mean, even Trip. He’s got that big old ranch and no immediate family to leave it to. There are some big money folks in this valley these days. I bet you could find all the work you’d ever want.”
Shelley nodded slowly. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to go back to work. But then, if she were to work for herself and only take on the clients she wanted to work with—and only a few of them at a time—that would be an entirely different proposition from what she used to do, working for a firm where billable hours were everything.
“Food for thought, huh?” Laney asked with a grin. “I’ll go and grab us another beer while you chew on it.”
“No more beer for me—I’m driving so that Trip can have a couple with the guys.”
Laney’s grin widened. “I knew I liked you. Soda or juice? And when I come back, you can give me your number. I’ll give you a call next time we’re all going to Chico—you should come. And do you ride? Or do you want me to teach you?”
Shelley grinned right back at her. If she was honest, she’d felt a little intimidated by the feisty cowgirl the first time she met her, and the way Laney was going out of her way to make her feel welcome here meant even more because of it.
“I rode a little as a kid—I loved it—and I intended to learn while I was here, but I haven’t made the time.”
“Well, now that you’re staying, you’ll have plenty of time—and I’ll be happy to teach you.”