Chapter Two
Chance
There is a short flash of anger in my heart when Mia chases me away, but I don’t show it. If I lash out at her now, I’ll only make things worse. I’m sure she’ll apologize later and that she only said all of that out of self-defense. To be fair, I get it. Her ex showed up at her doorstep without any warning and demanded she hand over her daughter.
Any person would be wary and upset after something like that. I decide I’ll give her some time to cool down, think of a way that I can help her. She might shoot that down as well, but at least she’ll know that I’m trying.
I step out of the lodge and back into the sun, taking a deep breath from the light breeze that plays across my face. I decide that Ma won’t be of much help in this situation. It’s better if I take my time, get some work done, and see if Mia’s in a better mood after her shift.
Luckily, Brian’s car is gone. At least he realized that I was serious about my threats. Making my way up to the barn, I glance back a few times, foolishly hoping that Mia will follow me and tell me she’d like to talk after all.
She doesn’t. By the time I reach the stables, I already want to turn back and tell her that everything will be all right. That I’ll sort this whole mess out and she’ll never have anything to worry about again. Of course, I don’t do any of that. Instead, I head right for Constantine’s stall, where the stallion is already loudly complaining about the lack of feed in his trough.
“Sorry, boy,” I say to him as I start looking for his bucket. “I know I’m late. I had a bit of a situation down at the lodge.”
Constantine seems to notice that something’s off with me. He throws his head up and blows air through his nostrils. Almost like he’s trying to empathize with my plight. Shaking my head, I laugh, allowing his antics to dampen the tension that I’m feeling.
I should be spending more time training with him, now that the cutting competition is coming up. Instead, I’ve been hovering around the lodge like a lovesick puppy, and Constantine is right to feel neglected.
“Here, old friend,” I say soothingly as I unlatch the stall door and head in to feed him. “You won’t starve on my watch.”
Flicking his tail, Constantine steps forward, almost placing a massive hoof right on my foot. I swear under my breath as I get out of the way, and I could swear that he’s laughing at me. Patting him on the flank, I scoot past to leave the stall. Perhaps it’s a good afternoon to take a ride and clear my head before I try to talk to Mia again.
Whatever her ex did, it must have been bad if she’s been running from him for all of Ellie’s life.
When I get back from my afternoon ride, I head up to the main house for lunch. Ma’s outside, home for a break from her own work, talking to one of the gate guards, Nick. Good; that means I don’t have to go seek him out myself.
“There you are!” Ma says as she spots me sauntering toward them. “Honestly, where have you been? Did you hear what happened?”
Of course the ranch has its fair share of gossip lovers. It’s likely that at least one of them heard at least some of the arguments down at the lodge. On the other hand, perhaps Ma’s talking about something entirely different. I shrug and watch her reaction, waiting for confirmation.
“Some man showed up trying to kidnap Ellie!” Ma shrieks, and I raise an eyebrow without really meaning to. Seems like the gossipers have gotten a few things wrong.
“Yeah, all right, I was down there, and that’s not entirely true,” I say, emphasizing ‘entirely’ as much as I can. “'Course, it doesn’t really matter. I’m sure Nick will be happy to keep the man off the ranch from here on.”
Nick leans forward on his right leg with a serious nod. “I apologize that he was able to enter at all.”
“Just don’t let it happen again.” Ma shakes her head, clearly exasperated with the whole situation. “Shouldn’t we call the police, too? I mean, a kidnapping! Can you believe that? Here? It’ll make me afraid to sleep with the door ajar at night.”
“Ma.” I click my tongue in return, ascending the creaky porch steps to put both of my hands on her shoulders, gently yet firmly. “Will you listen for once? It wasn’t technically a kidnapping, and I’m not sure the police would help. That was Ellie’s father.”
Shocked, Ma throws her hands over her mouth. It’s clear she’s not sure whose side she should be on. Even Nick is looking at me with curious apprehension, a far cry from his usual look of incredulity.
“I don’t know much else.” I’m lying, but I don’t think that everyone and their mother needs to hear the whole story. “But you keep that man off this ranch while I see what I can do to sort things out.”
“Yessir.” Nick salutes me before he walks away, only pausing once or twice to throw curious glances back over his shoulder.
“I assume you have a plan for dealing with this.” Ma steps back from me, crossing her arms with a stern expression on her face. “You’re not going to let her do it on her own, right?”
I have been thinking about that for most of the day. I know that Mia told me to mind my own business, but it doesn’t seem fair that she has to struggle when she has a support system now.
“Thought I could talk to Herman,” I answer, and Ma quickly relaxes. “He’s probably going to know a lot more about this kind of thing.”
“You better get moving then.” She hurries toward the house as she speaks, and I follow so that I can keep hearing her. “I’ll get you a lunch. Make sure he knows everything that happened. Sue that man until he can barely breathe.”
I almost laugh, wanting to tell her to calm down, but I don’t. Ma usually takes a while to process things before she starts thinking rationally. Right now, she’s a round little ball of anger, and Brian should be grateful that she wasn’t the one at the lodge earlier.
“Probably should call him first,” I point out, but Ma’s not really listening. She scurries through the narrow hallway to the kitchen, grabbing utensils as she goes.
I dial Herman’s number while I wait for her, hoping that the lawyer will have an opening for me somewhere. It goes straight to voicemail, so I leave him a message.
“He’s not answering, Ma,” I call out, already knowing what her answer will be.
“Won’t turn you away if you show up,” she yells back through the noises of her preparing food. “Just go. No time to waste.”
Once Ma is satisfied that she’s gotten together enough food, she shoves the overfull lunchbox into my arms and starts herding me out of the house. She’s clearly in a serious hurry to solve this problem, even if Mia has no idea that’s what we’re doing.
I feel slightly guilty, going behind her back, and decide that I’ll go down to the lodge to at least give her a head’s up. I’m worried that she’ll turn the help down again and yell at me for even considering it, but that’s not going to stop me.
She’s probably used to having to do everything alone, but at some point, she’ll have to realize that she no longer needs to. The time right now is probably nearing the end of her shift, but I’m almost sure she’ll still be working. Unless the incident has made her take the rest of the day off.
When I step into reception, Mia is standing behind the desk, pale, but with determination in her eyes as she works through what seems to be a pile of admin.
“Why are you here?” she asks instantly when she spots me with one upward glance. “I told you that I didn’t want to talk about it. None of your business.”
“You don’t have to.” I take a step closer tentatively, hoping I can at least share my intentions before I’m chased out again. “I understand.”
“Is that so?” Mia raises an eyebrow this time, pausing her work to shake her head at me. “I bet up you grew up on this ranch, with your mommy and your daddy and your perfect little family. There’s no way you have any idea what is going on in my life.”
Her words sting, more than she probably realizes, but I’m not going to let it get to me. She’s still upset, and I understand that. She’s been the only one protecting herself all these years. It’s obviously going to take some work to get beyond those walls.
“Okay,” I breathe, stepping back toward the exit. “I’ll leave you alone, but you know where I am if you want to talk.”
She doesn’t say anything as I leave. I decide that I’ll give her space, but that I’ll go to see Herman anyway. At least that way I’ll know what to do if she does eventually talk to me, or if Brian wants to escalate this whole thing.
I’ve already grabbed the keys to my truck. It’s parked in front of the main house, covered in weeks-old dust that almost makes it look brown instead of gray. The door has a strange squeak when I pull it open, but I’ve never gotten it checked or deemed fixing it necessary. This old thing has carried me for years and never let me down.
The drive into town is just long enough for me to get my thoughts together. By the time I pull into the near-empty parking lot in front of the flat square building where Herman’s offices are, I’m pretty sure I know exactly what I want to say. Walking up to the wide glass door with the lawyer’s name and number printed in gold lettering, I take a deep breath. Inside, nobody seems to be waiting. I’m lucky it’s a slow day in the legal world.
Natalie, the young receptionist who grew up a few blocks down from here, looks up and gives me a bright smile as I approach.
“Chance Woods!” she says as if I’m back from a long journey around the world. “What brings you to these parts?”
“Trouble on the ranch,” I answer with a shrug, glancing past her at Herman’s office door. “He busy?”
“Been a quiet week.” Natalie smiles. “I’m sure he won’t mind the company.”
I nod as I open the office door and walk in. Herman is peering down at the papers in front of him, his too-small glasses perched precariously on the end of his crooked nose. When he looks up, I’m almost certain they’ll fall off, but they surprisingly stay right where they are.
“Ain’t this a surprise,” he says, getting up to shake my hand. His skin is worn like he works in the fields, despite his relatively young age and the fact that he spends most of his days cooped up in this office.
I sit down in the plush leather chair on the other side of Herman’s giant, ancient desk. Sitting behind that thing must make him feel far more important than he truly is. He leans back in his executive seat, tapping the tips of his fingers together.
“You in trouble?” Herman asks, his narrow eyes surveying me as if the answer lies somewhere on my person. “Or you bailing someone else out?”
“It’s complicated.” I shift my weight uncomfortably. I had a whole speech planned, and now I’m not sure where to start. “We’ve got a new receptionist.”
“Paternity test?” Herman seems to immediately assume the worst, but the question makes me sigh.
“Not exactly.” I follow up my answer by explaining the rest of the situation. Herman sits quietly, his fingertips together throughout, frowning whenever appropriate. I know I’m leaving out a lot of information, too, but hopefully, that won’t be too much of a problem. Finally, when I’m finished, Herman nods slowly and leans back farther, lowering his arms to the sides of his chair. He’s silent for several long moments, making me wonder if there really is nothing to be done about this situation.
“This might not be an easy fight,” he starts, finally moving forward, his elbows on his desk. “He might want to take her to court over it. Depending on the truth, the outcome could be undesirable. Much more than that, I can’t do anything unless she asks for help. If she does, I’ll take the case. If not, it sounds like it might not be any of your business.”
I tighten my jaw. He’s right, but it still rubs me the wrong way. After our talk, I head back to the ranch in a far more sour mood than that morning. I will have to speak to Mia, even if she’s angry with me. Perhaps if she realizes that she actually can build a support system, that she can get help, she’ll understand.
Once I arrive, I go down to the lodge. She’s no longer at the reception, so I head for her room. Two knocks, then another. Finally, Mia opens the door. Immediately, she crosses her arms and glares at me. Even like this, she’s beautiful, with those three frown lines on her forehead and the slight pull of her lips.
“You really don’t know when to let up, do you?” she asks, shaking her head and tapping one small foot on the ground. “Is there a problem at the lodge, or have you decided you’re not done bothering me?”
“No, I— ”
I don’t get the opportunity to explain myself. Mia shakes her head almost woefully.
“Then what is it? Why do you insist on being a part of this when you know you have nothing to do with it?”
“Would you listen, just for a minute?” I try my best to sound calm and reasonable. “Look, I get that you’ve always had to deal with stuff on your own, but you don’t have to anymore. I’ve spoken to my lawyer, an d— ”
“I didn’t ask you to,” Mia cuts me off, her face quickly turning red. “I don’t need to be saved, and I’m not a charity project. I don’t need your help. My personal business is just tha t— mine. You need to leave, right now. Don’t bother to come talk to me again.”
She slams the door in my face, leaving me standing in a pool of surprise.