Chapter Five #5
Breakfast was delicious, and the conversation lively as both Galen and Mike told stories about Jason in his younger years that had Lainey laughing so hard, she had tears rolling down her cheeks at one point.
“It’s not that funny,” Jason groused as he helped himself to a third piece of banana bread.
“Yeah, it is,” Lainey said, wiping her cheeks on her napkin before she returned to her meal.
Once they finished eating and Jason and Lainey helped Galen clean up the kitchen, Mike suggested Jason take the side-by-side and show Lainey around the ranch.
“Great idea, Pops. We’ll be back in time to help with lunch.” Jason tugged on a pair of dusty boots and settled an old John Deere ball cap on his head.
Lainey followed him outside, where he took her hand in his, raised it to his mouth, and kissed the back of her fingers.
“Hi,” he said, giving her a smile full of charm.
“Hi, yourself. You could have told me last night you planned to get up in the middle of the night and drive all the way here.”
Jason shrugged as they walked toward an equipment shed. “Could have, but where’s the fun in that? Galen promised to keep you busy with breakfast until I got here.”
Lainey looked up at him. “So, Mike and Galen don’t usually have such a big breakfast?”
“Dad’s idea of breakfast is coffee, toast, and a bowl of cereal. If he’s feeling extravagant, he might slice a banana into his cornflakes.”
“That is pretty extravagant,” she said, grinning at Jason.
They got into a side-by-side that was covered in mud, although the seats were clean, and spent the next two hours exploring the ranch.
Jason took her to a house on a hillside with an incredible view of the valley. No flowers grew around it, and the place needed a good spring washing, but the roof looked fairly new, and the paint couldn’t have been more than a year or two old on the siding.
“Who lives here?” Lainey asked.
“Nobody. Not anymore, I mean.” Jason sighed.
“Mom and Dad built this house when they got married and lived here until Mom died. Dad moved to the main house then because we all needed to be together and found comfort in keeping each other close. We maintain the house, but no one lives here. Occasionally, if we have too much company to keep them all at the main house, they stay here. Want to see inside?”
“I’d love to, but only if it doesn’t stir up sad memories for you.”
“No. The memories I have here are all good. When Galen and I would come home from school, the house always smelled like cookies and whatever was cooking for dinner. My mom was a housewife first, and a rancher second. She made me and Galen both learn how to cook, and do laundry, and take care of a house, while Pops taught us all about cattle, horses, and ranching. Judy never seemed to mind that I could do a little cooking or cleaning when necessary.”
“I’m sure she appreciated the help,” Lainey said, walking inside when Jason used a key from the keychain he had in his pocket to unlock the door.
The one-story ranch-style home looked small from the front, but she quickly concluded the house stretched back on the hilltop with several rooms. The front door opened into an entry hallway.
To the left of it was an office that might have doubled as a library with bookshelves full of books and antique treasures.
To the right of the entry was a large living room with a great view of the valley out the bank of windows that faced east. It would be a spectacular place to watch the sun rise.
A doorway in the living room opened into a dining room that held a large table and eight chairs, along with a built-in hutch full of a matching set of Noritake china which Lainey was sure was from the 1960s. She loved the silver-edged plates with a soft pink rose pattern.
“Were those your mother’s dishes?”
“Yep. Lisa didn’t want them, and Brylee has her grandma’s china.
We decided to just leave the things the girls didn’t want here for now.
We have a cleaning crew come in and deep clean twice a year, and any necessary repairs are made then.
Someone will want to live in the house someday, so it’s important to us to keep it in good shape.
Galen and Pops come up here on the first Sunday of each month to check things out. ”
“That’s smart,” Lainey said, walking from the dining room through a wide doorway into a large kitchen with a breakfast nook complete with deep bay windows.
She checked out a mudroom with a large utility sink and hooks for hats and coats beneath a wide shelf by the back door.
The rest of the house included three bedrooms that shared one bathroom, and a master suite with a private bath and a large walk-in closet. At the back of the house was a family room that would catch the evening light. Double doors opened to a patio.
Lainey had no idea where it came from, but she could envision sitting there with Jason, watching the last golden light of a sunset fade into the horizon.
“I love the house, Jason, and the views. It seems like there is something wonderful to look at from every window.”
“I always thought so. I loved living here as a kid. Of course, I spent plenty of time at the main house with my grandparents when I was little, but this was always home. By the time Judy and I wed, though, my grandparents were getting older, and we moved into the main house to be there to help take care of them. After they passed, Pops told us to stay there, so we did. There are all kinds of memories, both hard and sweet, tied to the main house.”
Lainey knew about hard memories, but rather than say anything, she gave Jason a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head, as though it was a familiar gesture in which they both took comfort.
Regardless of her head telling her to run for her van, leave, and not look back, it was as though her heart sighed with contentment and once again whispered, “home.”
Jason kissed Lainey’s temple, then stepped back.
“I reckon we’d better head back or Pops will insist Galen come looking for us.
” They went back inside the house, and Lainey took her time walking through each room, feeling the joy the house had once held inside its walls.
She could picture Jason and Galen teasing each other, running in the back door, with their mother reminding them to remove their muddy boots.
She could see Mike at the desk in the office, going over ranch accounts, and his wife in the living room, reading a magazine with her feet up at the end of the day.
When Jason opened the front door, Lainey patted the entry wall before she stepped outside. “It was nice to meet you, house.”
Jason gave her a surprised look as he closed the door and locked it. “You feel it, too, don’t you?”
“Feel it?” she asked, feigning confusion even though she knew exactly what he meant.
“The love? The laughter? The years of joy that are held inside the walls.”
Lainey nodded and wrapped her hand around Jason’s arm as they strolled along the walk. “I did. I’m so glad you had such a solid, wonderful childhood, Jason. Not everyone is so blessed.”
“I know, and I’m grateful I had the parents I had, and got to grow up here on the ranch. We had hard times and struggles, but for the most part, there was joy and gratitude and love.”
“It’s wonderful you always had love surrounding you, Jason.
” Lainey was truly glad he’d had a good childhood and had married a woman who loved him.
She knew she should keep quiet, but she needed to hear from him why he’d spent so many years alone.
“Would you mind telling me what happened to Judy, your mom, and your daughter?”
Jason stared at her for the length of several heartbeats, then slowly nodded as they walked at the pace of racing snails back to the side-by-side.
“Judy, Mom, and Megan, my youngest child, ventured to Boise on a shopping trip. They were killed in a three-car pile-up on the freeway. It was just one of those things that happen that you can’t predict or see coming.
Lisa was seventeen at the time, and Shaun was fifteen.
I’m grateful they’d stayed here, or I might have lost them all.
As it was, I buried my heart when I laid Judy to rest. Yet, I’ve recently discovered there’s still something thumping around here.
” He placed a hand to his chest and gave her a tender smile.
“I’m so sorry for your losses, Jason. I …” Lainey felt tears burning the backs of her eyes, and her throat felt thick. “Thank you for telling me.”
“Of course, Lainey. It’s not a secret. It happened a long time ago, and I’ve recently realized it is time to let go of the past and step into the future.”
Lainey wasn’t sure what he thought his future might include, but the way his eyes lingered on her face made her heart skip a beat.
“Come on,” he said, giving her a hand into the side-by-side. Jason stopped to show her a pasture full of horses and another with grazing cattle before they made their way back to the house.
Galen was in the kitchen, defrosting ground beef in the microwave, while Mike peeled boiled eggs.
“Want me to warm up the grill?” Jason asked as he took a step toward the doorway.
“That’d be great. Thanks.” Galen took a large bowl of ground beef out of the microwave when it beeped and began adding spices and a package of ground sausage.
Lainey washed her hands, then looked around the kitchen. “Put me to work. What can I do to help?”
Two hours later, Lainey swung Caitlyn up in her arms as she played tag with her and Carter in the yard after they’d eaten grilled hamburgers, deviled eggs, and a green salad Brylee had brought over, along with a warm berry crisp.
Lainey’s heart swelled so full it felt like it might overflow when Caitlyn threw her little arms around her neck and gave her a tight hug, then kissed her cheek. The child didn’t say much, but her big blue eyes conveyed her feelings quite clearly.
“You are just a sweetheart, Caitlyn,” Lainey said, then spun in a circle, making the child laugh.
“You are a natural with kids, Lainey,” Jason observed from beside her.
Caitlyn’s smile widened, and she held her hands out to Jason. “Hi, Papa!”
“Hi, honey. Are you having fun with Lainey?”
“Yep! She’s fun and nice. She smells good.”
Jason leaned toward Lainey and took an exaggerated sniff, then rolled his eyes like he’d just smelled the best thing on earth. “She sure does smell good.”
“Let’s play!” Caitlyn said, squirming to get down before she raced after her brother, who was giggling as the two ranch dogs barked and chased him. The toddler ran to catch up to Carter, leaving Lainey standing close to Jason.
He settled a hand around Lainey’s shoulders, and she leaned into him, feeling like this was the place she’d always been meant to find.
“Home,” her heart whispered again.
She would have told it to hush if it would have listened.
Instead, she smiled at Jason, knowing he and Shaun needed to leave. “Time for you to get on the road?”
He nodded. “Much as I’d rather stay here with you, we need to get going.
Please, Lainey, think about staying here this week.
Pops and Galen would be happy to have you, and it would give you a chance to get to know Brylee, Lisa, Tyler, and the kids better.
No pressure, but if you would like to stay, Galen and Pops both said to be sure you knew you’re welcome.
If you’d rather not stay with two old bachelors, you’d be welcome at Brylee’s place, or Lisa would happily have you stay there.
You could even stay in Mom and Pops’ old house if you prefer. ”
Yes! That one! Lainey wanted to shout. She would have happily moved into the house on the hill that she’d loved at first sight, but it seemed wrong to be there and encroach on the family memories that nearly flowed out the door.
She hadn’t arrived at the ranch with any intention of staying longer than the time it took to say hello and meet the people Jason thought of with such respect and admiration.
Then, they’d talked her into spending the night.
Now, they’d done a grand job of convincing her to stay until Shaun and Jason passed through on their way back to Twin Falls Saturday night.
However, Lainey didn’t want to be an imposition on anyone.
“I don’t want to be a burden to Galen and your dad, Jason. They have enough going on without me in the way.”
Jason looked at her like she’d just spoken in tongues.
“You wouldn’t be a burden, or imposition, or anything else you’ve convinced yourself of.
Truth is, if you hung around the house with Pops, it would be a help to Galen.
Although he tries to act like he’s still capable of doing everything he did ten years ago, Pops is slowing down.
Lately, Galen has been coming in every few hours to check on him to make sure he’s drinking enough water and stuff like that.
Not to say that you’d have to sit in the house and twiddle your thumbs listening to Pops tell the same stories over and over, but knowing you were around would give a gift of time and reassurance to my brother. ”
“Well, that makes it really hard for me to refuse, Jason Price, and you know it.”
He smirked. “I hoped it might tilt your decision in my favor. Honestly, everyone just wants to get to know you better, me included. If you’re here when I get back Saturday night, we’d have Sunday and Monday together before I have to hit the road again on Tuesday.”
“Okay. I’ll stay, but I fully intend to pull my weight and not just be an unwanted guest.”
“You just get it through that pretty head of yours, you’ll always be wanted at the Circle P Ranch, and by me.”
Lainey felt tears burning up her throat and stinging her eyes again, rendering her incapable of speech.
Rather than attempting to find her voice, she leaned her head against Jason’s shoulder, wondering if this was what it would be like to belong with a man who was so different from any she’d ever known.
“Home,” was the only answer she heard echoing in her head.