Chapter Twelve – Vivianne
Vivianne
I held up the necklace to study it. It had the same verse Nellie had quoted to me, and it was etched onto a horseshoe. It was obvious Nellie’s love of horses, from her giving lessons to how she acted around them.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
I looked up and smiled at the young girl who worked at the store. “It is.”
“I like the quote from the Bible on there, too.”
Nodding, I replied, “I do as well. Someone recently told me this quote, and she also happens to love horses.”
“Sounds like this gift was made just for her.”
“I think you’re right. And she likes silver, because that’s all I’ve seen her wear.”
The girl grinned. “Should I gift wrap it for you?”
“Oh, would you? That would be amazing.”
She chuckled. “I’ll work on this while you keep looking around. That is, if you have more shopping to do?”
“I do, indeed. Thank you so much.”
“My name is Grace. If you need any help, just come get me.”
“Will do,” I replied as I handed her the necklace.
I started looking for something for Lilith. I came across a beautiful silk scarf with pink and white flowers. Plus, it was on sale, which made it even better. Then I glanced around the store, wondering what in the world I could get for Gus and Ladd’s brothers.
“You look a little lost.”
Turning, I smiled at the older woman who looked as if she could be Grace’s mother. I glanced over to the young girl, then back to the woman in front of me. Yep. Grace was a mini version of her.
“Grace is my daughter. I’m the owner, Janet Miller.”
I let out a small laugh. “I figured. I’m Vivianne Pennington.”
Her brows lifted. “As in the Pennington family? Senator Pennington?”
This was one of those moments: I could admit that my father was, indeed, Senator Pennington, or I could maintain the distance from my parents.
“Distant relative.”
She smiled. “I see. Well, what brings you to our sleepy little town?”
“I’m dating Ladd Wilde.”
Her smile grew into a full-on grin. “Oh, everyone adores the Wilde family. They were one of the first families that settled this area. Did you know that?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t.”
“How sweet that Ladd brought you home to meet his family.” She bumped my arm softly. “That must mean things are serious between the two of you, then.”
Shrugging, I looked around the store, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. “I was, um, looking for Christmas gifts for Ladd’s brothers and his father.”
Her eyes brightened. “I’ve got just the thing!”
Taking my arm in hers, she walked us over to the other side of the store. We stopped in front of a display, and she held out her arms as she said, “Ta-da!”
I stared at the display, then back at her. “A CD player?”
“It’s not just a CD player, it’s a portable CD player! What man wouldn’t want one?”
“The Wilde men.”
The sound of Ladd’s voice had me turning to see him standing there, I nearly hugged him. Thank God he’d come when he had.
“Ladd Wilde, it’s so good to see you home.”
He tipped his cowboy hat and gave a sharp, “Mrs. Miller. Good to see you. If you’ll excuse us.”
Turning us away from the woman, Ladd steered me deeper into the store and stopped to look at a chess set.
“A chess set?” I asked.
He grinned. “I was just getting you away from Janet Miller. She owns the store, but her family owns the local newspaper…The River Falls Gazette, and she writes a section of the paper that comes out daily.”
“Like a how-to section or something like that?” I asked, confused as to what she could possibly write about daily.
Ladd glanced over my shoulder and shook his head. “No, it’s called The Daily Dirt. Their tagline says ‘we dig up the dirt so you don’t have to.’”
I sucked in a breath. “A gossip column!”
“Shhh, don’t let her hear you. She tries to pretend she isn’t the writer, but everyone in town knows she is. Was she asking you questions?”
My heart started to pound. “She knew who my father was when I said my last name.”
He frowned. “What did she say?”
“She asked if I was related to him. I told her I was a distant relative, which isn’t exactly a lie. I just hope she doesn’t write that.”
“She probably won’t. She’ll be more interested in the fact that I brought you home to meet my parents. And she’ll cover the Christmas Day event at the ranch because, as much as she likes to gossip, she does have a big heart. She’s one of the largest donors. Well, her family is.”
“Well, that’s nice of her.”
“It’s probably pocket money for her.”
We walked a bit more and pretended to look at things. “She said your family was one of the first to settle this area.”
“More like one of the first families to start ranching. Her family and another family, the Larsons, were the first two families that first settled along the river here. Her great-great-grandfather owned and operated the first general store in this very spot.”
“Really?” I said with a smile. “What wonderful history she must have with this place.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. They own practically the whole town, along with the Larson family.”
I glanced back to see Janet talking to her daughter. “So what can I get for your brothers and father?”
He looked up from something he was holding. “I told you, you don’t have to buy them gifts.”
“I know. And I told you that I want to. I found a necklace for your mother and a scarf for your grandmother. I just need the boys and your dad.”
“They’re easy. Flannel shirts.”
I gave him a blank stare. “Flannel shirts.”
He nodded. “Have you not noticed my father lives in them? And my younger brothers wear them when they’re working the ranch. So do David and I.”
“You want me to give them all flannel shirts. That seems so impersonal.”
He shrugged. “They’d love them.”
“Well, where should I buy them?”
“There’s a store on the next block that’s a small department-type store. They sell men’s, women’s, and children’s clothes.”
“You really think that would be a good gift?”
He winked. “Trust me. If you were to ask my mother, she’d tell you the same thing.”
We walked around the gift shop a bit more, and when I couldn’t find an alternative to flannel shirts, I gave up. By that time, Grace had the necklace and scarf all wrapped.
“Thank you for wrapping them,” I said as I handed her cash.
“Of course. We don’t mind at all.”
She gave me my change, attempting not to look in Ladd’s direction as he studied a nearby display table—and failed. Before she handed me the bag, she asked, “So…you and Ladd are dating?”
I glanced at him and smiled before reaching for my purchases. “We are.”
She held the bag just out of reach. “Do you go to school with him?”
“I do.”
“Is that where you met?”
Nodding, I frowned slightly at all the questions. “It was.”
She pursed her lips…and the friendly girl who had helped me earlier was replaced by one who seemed a bit upset by my presence. “We dated, you know.”
Clearing my throat, I shook my head. “No, I didn’t know.”
She let out a humorless laugh. “Of course he wouldn’t bother telling you. He broke up with me.”
“I’m…sorry to hear that.”
Grace shrugged.
Ladd walked up then and smiled at Grace. “Hey, Grace. How’re you doing?”
Her frown instantly turned to a charming smile. “Hi, Ladd. I’m doing good. How about you?”
Was it my imagination, or did she just push her chest out?
“I can’t complain. I see you’ve met Vivianne. Viv, this is Grace Miller.”
“We’ve met,” Grace clapped back as she flicked me a brief dirty look. My brows shot up.
Clearing my throat, I attempted to act casual. “Well, thanks again, Grace. I really appreciate your help.”
She practically rolled her eyes at me when she replied, “It’s my job.”
Once we were outside, Ladd laughed. “What did you do to piss off Grace?”
I stopped and gaped at him. “Are you serious? She was nice as pie to me until she found out I was your girlfriend.”
His brows drew down. “Why would that matter?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you dated her, then dumped her?”
Ladd’s head reared back. “Dated her? I never dated her.”
It was my turn to be confused. “But she said you guys dated and that you broke up.”
Ladd stared at me, clearly stunned. “I never dated her. Not even a double date, where we were both with other people. I knew she liked me in high school, but we never went out.”
I let out a startled laugh. “Oh my gosh, you have a stalker, Ladd Wilde!”
He tilted his head and gave me an exasperated look. “I do not.”
“You do! She literally told me you guys dated and you broke up with her.”
“Maybe in her make-believe world, but it’s not true. I don’t think I even flirted with her.”
“Oh, so you were a flirt with others though, huh?”
Drawing in a deep breath, he exhaled. “Note to self: don’t ever go into Main Street Gifts.”
I giggled and glanced over my shoulder, only to find Grace watching us through the window. I whipped my head back forward and made the same vow.
Ladd seemed to have a pep in his step, so I assumed the meeting with the realtor went well.
He held the door for me as we stepped into a small department store farther down on Main Street. The place was filled with winter clothing, and there was even one section that had a small supply of skiing clothes.
“So, do you want to tell me why you’re so happy?”
He stopped walking and faced me. “I was hoping I could hold it in until we got back to the ranch, but—I can’t.”
I could feel his excitement seeping into me, and I laughed. “Tell me!”
“Viv, it’s happening. The store is happening.”
My heart felt like it jumped in my chest. “You have a place?”
He was so excited, he was practically vibrating. “I have a place and I have a partner. We’re going to open up the store together.”
Trying not to let out a scream of excitement, I grabbed his hand and dragged him back outside. Once we were on the sidewalk, I glanced around. It wasn’t very crowded, most likely because it was Christmas Eve. We walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, and I took his hands in mine.
“Tell me everything!”
He laughed and shook his head. “I can’t even believe it myself.
So, there’s a guy who owns the old grain mill down the street at Main and Pine.
Remember I told you about the Larsons? His name’s Mitch Larson.
They rebuilt the mill in another location so they could expand, and he has the entire original building up for sale. ”
I bounced in my seat and let out an excited squeal. “Are you going to buy it?”
He shook his head. “It’s better than that, Viv.
Mitch is going to invest as a partner. We’ll do everything fifty-fifty.
He’s going to put up the capital to get the building remodeled, and what I’ve saved will go toward buying half the building.
Viv, this means once I show him my business plan and get all the finer details worked out, we’ll be starting the whole process.
He thinks we could be open by this time next year! ”
I let out the scream I’d been holding in as I jumped up. Ladd followed me. I jumped into his arms. “Ladd! This is amazing! Congratulations!”
He spun me around as people walked by, smiling at us.
When my feet finally hit the ground, I tried to catch my breath. “Everything is happening so much faster than you planned!”
“It is. Mitch coming in as a partner is a total game-changer. He has the capital to back the start-up, and he’s so excited for this.
When he heard my business plan, and what I envisioned for the store, he was totally onboard.
Plus, this gives me a chance to learn from someone who already owns a business—one that’s not ranching.
No shade to my father, but this is beyond what I dreamed. ”
“I’m so happy and excited for you, Ladd.”
He let out a breath and closed his eyes before opening them to look at me. “This is nearly the most perfect Christmas of my life.”
Laughing, I asked, “Nearly perfect?”
With a wink, he replied, “It’s not over yet.” Taking my hand, he said, “Come on. Let’s finish up the shopping before everything closes.”
After we spent the next hour shopping, we found ourselves in Ladd’s truck, the windows down, and ‘Landslide’ playing through the speakers.
My face felt frozen, and Ladd’s nose was as red as Rudolph, but we sang along as loud as we could.
When I looked at him, I couldn’t help but laugh.
What man would do something so crazy like this?
My smile grew as my chest warmed with so much love I could hardly keep it in.
This was turning out to be the best Christmas of my life, and I somehow knew things were going to get better.