Chapter Twenty Six
Tara bounced up and down as Riley showed her three different present ideas. Rachel offered to go into town and pick it up when she purchased one from her and Matthew.
“Can we afford this?” Tara asked, staring at the screen.
“Yeah. We can use some of the emergency funds. I’m thinking about talking to Amy about her farm stand business. I’m not saying we’re staying permanently, just a little longer,” Riley said tentatively.
“Oh, Riley,” Tara exclaimed. “Please think about it. I love it here.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. We still have bumps in our plan. There’s still a biker gang out there, and Dad. I don’t think he’ll magically disappear. I’m surprised he hasn’t tried to see us again.”
“Yeah, me, too,” Tara said, shutting the computer and turning toward Riley. “It worries me.”
“Dad’s my problem. He’s nothing for you to stress out about,” she assured her sister.
“Where’s Garrett? He’s gone every morning lately. I feel like I don’t see him anymore until dinnertime,” Tara said, biting her nails.
“Stop it,” she chastised. “He’s doing something with Julio and Matthew. I guess they start at the crack of dawn.”
“Do you like him?” Tara asked, watching Riley intently.
“Of course, he’s a nice man,” she insisted.
Tara nudged her. “Come on, you can tell me. I like him. He’s good to you.”
“I like him,” she admitted. “Rachel’s picking me up in twenty minutes. Pick a present,” she said, changing the subject.
“I like the makeup organizer with the brushes,” Tara informed her. “I’m packing my bag. I wish we had extra money for a pair of those short pajamas. Mine stink.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll be able to work again soon,” she reminded her. “Then we can do a bit of shopping.”
“I wish you’d let me get a job and help. Kara earns money from the farm stand,” Tara told her. “Have fun with Rachel. Tonight, can’t get here soon enough,” she said, heading to her room.
Riley smiled, thinking the same thing. She put her boots on and stuffed the money into them. Waiting on the front porch, she started down the steps as Rachel pulled into the driveway. “Thanks for picking me up,” Riley said as she closed her door.
“You’re welcome. I’ve pulled out several scandalous outfits for you to try on,” Rachel said as she drove toward her house. “What did Tara pick as her present. I’ll pick it up as soon as we’re done.”
“She wants the makeup organizer. While you’re there, can you pick up a new pair of pajamas for Tara? You know, one of those short sets?” Riley asked, pulling the money from her boot.
“I know you’re low on funds. Why don’t you let me cover it and you pay me once you’re working?” Rachel suggested. “I trust you.”
“I prefer to pay you now. It’s not wise to borrow money from friends,” Riley said firmly.
“How do you feel about trucks?” Rachel asked, glancing her way. “You can’t keep having us take you back and forth between our houses. Matthew will let me use his. He’s using one of the extra trucks and mainly the horses while they’re moving the cows.”
“Are you sure? It costs more money than I make in ten years,” Riley said, thinking about the freedom of traveling around the ranch on her own.
Rachel rolled her eyes. “No. It’s why I asked you,” she said sarcastically.
“Gosh, you’re such a bitch sometimes,” Riley said, laughing.
“I know, right?” Rachel joined her as they pulled into the garage. “Let’s go get you dressed up.”
Two hours later, Riley stood in front of the mirror staring at the blue baby doll nightie. It came with a thong, but Riley refused to wear a piece of dental floss between her cheeks, despite Rachel’s insistence.
“You’re stunning,” Rebecca complimented her. “Garrett will lose his mind when he sees you.”
Delaney nodded. “You’re gonna rock his world. Remember, you don’t have to do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing.”
“Right,” Riley nodded, biting her lip.
“Do you remember how I showed you how to put on the lipstick?” Rachel questioned her.
“Yeah,” she said nervously. “Light the candles, turn on the music, and position myself on the bed,” she repeated.
“Lipstick before getting onto the bed. You want him focused on your mouth,” Rachel reminded her again.
“Right. Candles, music, lipstick, and bed,” she chanted, glancing over at Rebecca.
“You got this,” Rebecca encouraged. “Don’t get caught up in all the mechanics of it, have fun. Rachel has this down to a science and can have Matthew panting like a dog in no time. Some of us take a little more time.”
Rachel frowned. “I’ll have you know he’s usually not panting.
Matthew fumes when the credit card bill comes in and I’ve forgotten to tell him what I spent.
Sometimes, it might be because I threw his white dress shirts in with my reds to save time.
He doesn’t like it when I cuss him out in front of the cowboys.
He has some weird obsession with wanting them not to think of me as a bitch.
They already know it and I wear it loud and proud. ”
Delaney laughed and shook her head. “You should’ve seen her and Matthew when Rachel first arrived. The woman drove him mad. At one point, I thought he’d go bald from pulling his hair out.”
“We disagreed a few times,” Rachel admitted. “At least he doesn’t peer at me like Julio does Rebecca. The man has it bad. They’re sappy sweet together. Do you ever fight?”
“All couples argue. What’s important is learning to talk things out and to forgive your partner. Relationships require work. It’s not always about the honeymoon phase,” Rebecca said quietly. “If you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way.”
“We haven’t fought, although Garrett sometimes gets bossy.
It’s usually because he’s trying to protect me, but it grates on my nerves.
If I can run a ranch at sixteen and raise my sister, I don’t need a man to tell me I’m doing too much,” Riley said, as she turned in the mirror.
“Do you think it should come down a little longer? My ass is showing.”
“Trust me,” Rachel assured her. “He’ll be happy to see it.”
Rebecca rose and walked over to the mirror and took Riley by the shoulders.
“Sometimes, a man can act bossy as a way to prove his power over a woman. That’s never okay.
Other times, you have men who stay in protective alpha mode because it kills them to see you hurt. Make sure you know the difference.”
“Garrett does it because he cares,” she assured Rebecca.
“Don’t get the wrong impression of him. I know I have control issues, especially concerning Tara.
Letting her go this evening went way out of my comfort zone.
Knowing you’ll be there and the fact they will have two hands watching the house makes me feel better.
It feels like I can let down my hair a bit and relax without worrying. ”
Rachel handed her the truck keys. “Tara will be mad if you make her late. Go home and give her the new pajamas, take a bath, and get ready.”
Riley clutched the keys to her chest and closed the door to change.
It felt like her and Tara’s luck changed in Embers, and they found family among friends.
Rachel, Delaney, and Rebecca gave her sisterly advice in a world she never learned to navigate.
Tara got to act like a normal teen, including raging outbursts.
This eased her mind after the last couple of years of seeing her sister’s terrified face every time someone knocked on their door.
Riley bade the ladies goodbye and drove home with a new sense of belonging and a healthier outlook on their future.