Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
T he desk a previous employee had left in Weston’s loft wasn’t big enough for sorting Paisley’s folder, which was at least three inches thick. He requisitioned a folding table, and one of the lodge workers delivered it via golf cart. Weston hauled it up the steep steps, set it up, and began arranging papers.
Okay, there were a bunch of music acts. Surely, she’d contracted one of them by now, but which? The event was only three weeks out.
Weston messaged Tate, who forwarded a bunch of emails of correspondence he’d been looped into. That helped.
So, all the music groups could go on a stack over there. The winning group had been the Delgado Brothers from over near Saddle Springs. Hadn’t they performed last year? Weston hadn’t stayed for the live music. Why, when he had no intention of dancing? Just the thought practically gave him hives. He didn’t have the moves, and he didn’t have the woman .
That was then. This was now. Hopefully, Paisley would be back, and he’d ask her to dance with him, but she’d probably be so busy running the entire event that she’d say no.
Except… she liked him. Unless he was the cause of her running.
Weston shook his head. No, he wasn’t going down that track again. She’d gone because her mother was in critical condition. She’d left most of her stuff behind. She’d be back.
And he was going to do his level best to make sure all the pieces for the Fourth of July were in place, if he could possibly help it.
Music had been easy, but how about the other acts? Because there might be more than one of those.
He was going to figure out Paisley’s system if he died trying.
“Mom crashed again.”
Paisley struggled to absorb what Kait was saying. Wasn’t it something like two in the morning? “What do you mean, crashed?”
The bedsprings shifted as Kait perched on the edge of Paisley’s bed. “I bet Earl snuck something in for her.”
Paisley was awake now. “He’s a creep. I can’t believe he’s my father.”
“Yeah. Sorry.” Kait sighed. “He’s no prize.”
“It’s just… what did I do to deserve him?”
Kait huffed a laugh. “I don’t think that’s how it works, kid. Let’s just say Mom did you a favor keeping you apart all these years.”
“Wanting to know ate me alive. Kept me awake at night, until I learned to imagine a sweet man who’d be delighted to have a little girl with pigtails. He’d take me to the zoo and buy me cotton candy and we’d laugh at the monkeys together.”
“Nice dream.”
“It was.” Mom hadn’t been using and abusing back then. That started later, so the dream had seemed viable. A decent man might have been attracted to Mom before the drug cycles had begun. Right? Right.
Oh, look, Paisley the optimist. The kaleidoscope of pretty colors had shattered, and all the vibrant shards lay embedded and dulled with mud, waiting to stab the heel of anyone foolish enough to dance barefoot and fancy-free.
Reality sucked.
She was half tempted to take Earl’s suggestion and order DNA testing. Surely, it would prove they weren’t related… but what if it confirmed Mom’s announcement, instead?
Better not to know.
Better not to have ever asked the question, but that ship had sailed a long, long time ago.
If Paisley was truly the daughter of that repulsive man instead of someone honorable, what else had she fantasized until she believed it?
Did Jesus fit that category, too?
She shied away from the insidious thought. Of course, Jesus was real and loved her. She knew that. He’d saved her and given her new hope. Her life had totally changed. But what if that had been an illusion, too? What if she’d wanted a different life so badly, she’d fabricated it all, like she’d spun all those childhood stories about her daddy?
“We’ll go up first thing in the morning.”
Paisley forced her mind back to her sister’s Phoenix apartment. They’d go where? To the hospital to see their mother, who’d crashed. What did that even mean? “Is she okay?”
“She’s stable again, they said. One of these times, she won’t be so lucky.” Kait’s headshake was barely visible in the faint light from down the hallway. “I envy you sometimes.”
“Me?” Paisley couldn’t keep the incredulity out of her voice. “There’s nothing to be jealous of, trust me.” But wasn’t there? Jesus… if He was real. Weston… if he was.
“You’re so different since you got religion. I can see it in your eyes, in the way you walk, in everything.”
“You can?”
“Yeah.” Kait picked at a slubby bit on the blanket. “I wish I had hope. I wish I believed things could ever be better, but it seems a big leap from where we are right now. That whole thing with Mom, but also my job. You and Amelia are off doing things, and I’m just… stuck.”
“I ran away.”
“I wished I could, but it seemed someone needed to keep an eye on Mom.” Kait snorted. “Fat lot of good that did.”
“I was a coward. You were brave.”
“Funny how I see it just the opposite. You broke free. That took courage. It’s cowardly to stay put like a turtle who refuses to stick their head out of the shell. ”
“Shells are there for a purpose. If turtles are separated from their shells, they die.”
“They do?”
“Yeah.” Turtle shells were only one of the millions of trails Paisley’s brain had taken her down over the years. “Are you sure Mom’s going to be okay until morning? Should we go now?” And hope Earl had exited the building when visitor hours ended.
“They won’t let us in at this time of night.”
“Then why did they phone?”
Kait shrugged. “So, we’d know, I guess.”
“Maybe we should try to get some sleep.” Total lost cause. Kait had woken Paisley from a sound sleep, and drifting back after this conversation wasn’t likely. She’d had just enough ZZZs for her mind to kick into overdrive again. Yay.
“You’re right.” The bedsprings creaked as they released Kait’s weight.
“I might make myself a cup of tea, though.”
“Hmm, chamomile does sound soothing. I’ll put the kettle on.”
That’d be the day Paisley drank an herbal tea when there was caffeine to be had. Earl Grey had never let her down yet, unlike Papa Earl. Grr. She’d never let that sperm supplier taint the name of the Earl she truly loved.
There might be another lesson, but Paisley wasn’t going down that road right now. She threw off the light covers, spent a few minutes in the restroom, then met her sister in the kitchen, where Kait dropped chamomile teabags into two mugs.
“I’ll have Earl Grey, please, if you have any. ”
Kait frowned as she turned. “All that caffeine will keep you awake.”
“Never has yet.”
“Well, okay. If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. I take it strong and black, day or night.”
Kait opened the Earl Grey box and exchanged the teabags. “It’s your life.”
Yeah, it was. A life she’d messed up so many times. She’d wandered the West and taken whatever odd jobs showed up when she needed one. Was it a sign of maturity that she’d worked two winters at the same ski resort and was on her third summer at Sweet River Ranch? Although, she was likely out of a job come Monday morning when they needed someone with boots on the ground in Montana, not sandals on the red rocks of Arizona.
She was a total screw-up.
Earl Grey wasn’t going to keep her from sleeping the rest of the night. That was going to be thanks to the other Earl.
“Good message today.”
That was the same thing Jude said every Sunday. Did he really think Pastor Marshall’s sermons were perfectly on-point every week?
But Weston needed to respond. “Yeah.” The man had been on about Philippians chapter four for several weeks now, starting with the whole ‘rejoice in the Lord’ bit. They were clear through to the thought life.
Jude glanced at Weston as pews emptied around them. “ Thinking about only good things is hard when life is a mess around us.”
Weston managed to choke off a scoff before it slid out. What did Jude have for problems? Didn’t seem like the golden boy had any. He was only a few months away from making his dreams of flying come true. Grandfather had already hinted at buying a plane for the ranch so Jude could take tourists up sightseeing. What had possibly gone wrong in his life?
“You been practicing that lately?” Jude angled his head and studied Weston. “Seems like you have been.”
Had he? “Sort of. I mean, not thinking about these verses, exactly, but knowing how my woulda-coulda-shoulda thoughts can spiral into the pits, yeah, I’ve been trying to remember the good things God has done for me.”
For a few brief hours he’d thought Paisley was one of those gifts. And she still might be. He refused to give up hope just because she wasn’t answering calls or texts. Knowing her, she’d probably forgotten her charger in Montana and hadn’t had a chance to buy a new one.
Keep telling yourself that, Kline. Whatever it takes.
Yep, he was being as positive as he could.
Jude nodded thoughtfully. “Wanna grab lunch at the Golden Grill?”
“Sure.” Mom usually left sandwich fixings and a cauldron of soup for guests looking for Sunday lunch at the resort, something one of the kitchen workers could easily set out and clear away with a minimum of fuss.
They drove over to the town square, where the duck pond and park looked to be a busy place this sunny day. Beyond the park, Jewel Lake gleamed in the sunlight. Jumping out of Jude’s truck, Weston absorbed the beauty. Surely the entire world couldn’t be too nasty if such magnificence existed. He needed to hold the faith and keep trusting God. New thoughts, but ones he needed to cling to.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
He followed Jude into the busy café amid the regular Sunday crowd. The Cavanagh clan crowded around their usual row of pushed-together tables down the center. Emma was amid her brothers.
Weston nodded at Emma, and she grinned back. She was a good kid. Or maybe not a kid. She was in college? He couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter. She was way too young for him. Also, she wasn’t Paisley.
He slid into a booth and peeked at his phone. Still no message from Paisley. Was she okay? Was her mom okay? If he had any idea how to find her in Phoenix, he’d be on the next flight.
The server laid menus on the table. “Hey, cowboy! Long time no see.”
Weston looked up, startled. “Rayna?” He couldn’t help it if his voice sounded a little harsh.
“One and the same! Wow, it took me long enough to track you down to Jewel Lake. Last I heard, you were in Missoula.”
He stared at her. She’d put on a few pounds and colored her hair red, but there was no doubt. But wait, she’d been looking for him? Why ?
Jude cleared his throat. “Rayna. I’d like to say it’s good to see you, but I’d be lying. Why are you here?”
She beamed at Jude. “The Mulligans advertised a need for servers, I applied, and here I am.”
“Oh, how fortuitous.” Sarcasm dripped from Jude’s voice. “Last we heard from you, you’d decided you were too good for my brother and could do better. What happened to California, huh?”
Weston leaned back in the booth as assorted emotions washed over Rayna’s face. He had a suspicion about her apparent change of heart, but would she be blatant enough to admit it?
He hadn’t counted on Jude. “You might have heard that our grandfather bought Sweet River Ranch. Did that have anything to do with rethinking your decision?”
“I, um…” Rayna’s gaze darted to Weston before refocusing on Jude. “Really? That’s great. I know you guys missed the Circle K when your mom had to sell.”
Yeah, Rayna was totally back here because she’d heard Weston had discovered rich relatives. How much tackier could she be?
“It is good to be back on a ranch.” Weston opened his menu and looked at Jude across the top. “Know what you want to order, bro? I’m feeling generous. I’ll buy.”
Jude slid his back to the end of the table. “If that’s the case, sure. I’ll take the 12-ounce steak, medium rare, with a baked potato and salad, please. Extra sour cream.”
Weston managed not to grin. “Sounds good. I’ll have the same.” He laid his menu on Jude’s and leaned toward Rayna. “See if you can get our order into the kitchen before the Cavanaghs, if you don’t mind. I’d hate to wait that long.”
“Um, sure.” She glanced over to the boisterous bunch around the middle tables then back at Weston. “We’ll have to catch up on old times.”
As if.