Chapter 7 #2
“See, that’s not bad?” his husband said, elbowing him in the side. Then he turned his attention forward. “Jim’s not a big people person.” With a wide smile he added, “I am though.”
Jim looked about as thrilled to be here as Allegra had. “Thanks for sharing, Kevin.”
His husband’s smile didn’t dim even a little.
Carter didn’t have the heart to tell them that it was thirty guests, probably at least that number in staff, plus Ma and Pa. “You know, a lot of cowboys aren’t into people much either. They’ll understand if you need to walk away sometimes.”
Jim’s head tilted, one eyebrow going up. “You’ve done this before? I guess it didn’t help, if you’re back.” There was a hopeful note to the words, as if wanting confirmation it was a waste of time.
“Uh, not really. My first time as a guest, but I worked there a long time ago.” He noticed Manual was suddenly more interested in the conversation. His eyes, reflected in the mirror, seemed to be inspecting Carter, maybe wondering if they’d worked together once upon a time.
Jim sighed. “Well, I guess it can’t be a bad place if you’re willing to come back as a guest,” he muttered.
“It’s a fantastic place. Couple stuff aside, because I don’t know much about that, the land is beautiful.
There’s a lot to do if you like being outdoors, and if you don’t…
” He shrugged. People who didn’t like the great outdoors were definitely not going to enjoy being a temporary cowboy, but he wasn’t going to be the one to say it.
The mention of activities caught Allegra’s attention, and she began badgering him for a full description of what they had, which wasn’t that easy. The website had listed some of the activities and there were pictures of others, but things had changed a lot since he’d worked there.
But then, they hadn’t dealt with romantic couples during his time.
They’d been a place for troubled young adults then, and his arrival hadn’t been optional.
Eventually he’d tell his wife the whole story, but for now he just wanted to avoid it.
“Well, they’ve got horses, of course. Lots of animals to pet and feed. There’s a lake.”
“A lake?” She screwed up her face, lips pursed.
“Yep, swimming, fishing, boating … what’s wrong?” He tilted his head as he caught her expression.
“Well, there’ll be … things in it. Won’t there?”
“Things?”
“Animals, fish, bugs.” She said it as if he should just understand the problem. “Things.”
“Um, lakes usually do have those in them, yes.” She was already shaking her head as he confirmed it. “Nothing in it will hurt you. It’s not like Florida, there’s no gaters.”
“I, uh, prefer to do my swimming in a nice clean pool so I can see the bottom,” she said firmly.
Jim chimed in with a muttered, “Amen.”
Carter snorted and shook his head. “You’ll be missing out. There’s nothing like a plunge after a sweaty day of work.” From the looks he got … that didn’t help any. He decided to drop it and tried to think of what other amenities had been listed on the website.
“There’s hiking, and…” He was sure that once they got there and she had a chance to try things, she’d settle down and enjoy herself.
Unfortunately, very little he could mention now would appease the storms that were gathering in her expression.
He scrabbled desperately and then remembered something.
“Oh, I think there’s a sauna and a hot tub too. ”
The look she gave him said that wasn’t enough.
There wasn’t much else he could say. They’d added a lot of romantic, couple-type activities from what he’d seen in the pictures, but he didn’t know enough about them. He turned to the others and tried to strike up a conversation that didn’t involve the ranch.
The small talk died quickly, and the rest of the ride was silent.
At least it wasn’t a long one. Once they got away from airport traffic, a series of turns took them onto the highway and then it was a clear shot for most of the drive.
The private road that led directly to the ranch was paved now, no longer the pitted dirt and gravel he remembered, and when they pulled up in front of the main house, he saw that it too had been upgraded.
A large wraparound porch filled with comfortable seating dominated the house. But the man and woman who stood at the top of the steps … they looked the same. The hair was grayer. The skin more weathered, but everything else was exactly the way he remembered.
He got out of the van, but hesitated next to the open door, as the others brushed past him to get out. He wondered if they would even remember him after … how many years had it been? Twelve, maybe thirteen, he thought. He’d been with Allegra for almost ten and that had come later.
“Carter? Is that you, boy?” The man took off his hat and slapped it against his leg.
“I knew it, Ma! Didn’t I tell you it was him on the registration?
” His mouth broke into a wide smile, flashing teeth that were too white and even to be real, and then he hooted so loudly that his wife smacked him on the arm.
“Pa, for heaven’s sakes.” She shook her head. “Stop your hollering before you scare off the guests.” With that admonishment, she strode down the steps to greet Carter. “It’s so nice to have you home, Carter. We wondered if it was you, or just someone with the same name.”
“Sorry, Ma.” He kissed her cheek, feeling like a teenage boy again. “I guess I should have sent you a message or something.”
Her eyebrows shot straight up and vanished into her hairline. “Or something definitely. It’s been a lot of years with you not calling or writing.” There was a stern tone there, and he ducked his head.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean … time got away from me,” he admitted as the heat rose up his neck. That was only part of the reason, of course, but what else could he say.
“Mphm. Well, I guess it does that to all of us. But enough of this. We can catch up later, for now … I want to meet this bride of yours.” She turned from him and fixed her gaze on his wife.
Allegra turned pink and looked like she’d prefer to be anywhere else. “Um, hello.” She clearly hadn’t been expecting this kind of greeting, and Carter knew he’d hear about it later.
“Aren’t you a pretty little thing,” Ma said, moving toward her with an aggressive stride. Allegra took a step back, looking almost panicked, but then Ma had her in a tight bear hug. “You are so welcome here, dear girl. I am very happy to meet you!”
Allegra melted into the older woman’s arms, which was shocking enough to Carter. His wife wasn’t a huge fan of strangers touching her. “Thank you.” A moment later she added, “I’m glad we came,” and it sounded like she meant it.
That worried him a little.
“This is going to be a wonderful vacation for you. Just you wait,” Ma said as she released his wife, and then headed over to greet the other couple. Pa had finally come down the steps and joined her, but he shot a wink at Carter when no one was looking.
Jim and Kevin looked relieved to get a less intense welcome, and a few minutes later she was pointing everyone inside. “Leave your bags here. They’ll be fine. Brunch is just being served now, so the rest of the guests are all in the dining room.”
She led the way with firm steps and a quick pace that had everyone hurrying to keep up with her, except Pa who was happy to trail along behind. He’d always been the more relaxed of the two.