Chapter Nine
Savannah smiled as the women left the shop, then collapsed on the stool behind the counter.
“Maggie, thank you for helping Grady with the dollhouse. I was so surprised.” She glanced at Maggie to see her shaking her head.
“I was sure he was going to get caught the other day. He just made it to his truck with it when you came back. I’m sorry I fibbed to you, but he made me promise, and I sure didn’t want to ruin the surprise.”
“I appreciate it. I cried when I saw it. I’ll tell you why one day soon.”
“Okay.” When the door opened and more people came in, Maggie sighed and looked at Savannah. “Please tell me why I wanted this job again,” Maggie said with a grin.
“I have never been so busy. Is there something going on today we don’t know about?”
“I don’t know, but when I picked up coffee this morning, Celine looked like she was being run ragged like us.”
“Maybe there are more tourists this year.”
“I thought May was bad, but this is just the beginning of June and we’re running low on things.”
Savannah sighed. “I know. I’m going to have to either order more things or find an estate sale.”
“Oh, I bet they’re fun.”
“They can be, unless the people are asking outrageous prices. I went to one last year and there was the most gorgeous grandfather clock. It was over a hundred years old, but they were asking way too much for it.” Savannah sighed. “I was so disappointed but I came back here and looked online and found one for a quarter of what they wanted. It sold in a day.”
“I love grandfather clocks. My father-in-law has one that’s old. I think he told me he bought it for his wife fifty years ago. It still chimes. It’s just so pretty.”
“You visit him a good bit, don’t you?”
“I try to get out there to see him, at least once a month. Sometimes we go riding together. He’s the one who taught me how to ride.” Maggie tilted her head. “Do you ride?”
“Oh, hell no.”
Maggie laughed. “It’s fun.”
“I’m not sure falling off a horse is fun.”
“I remember the day I was meeting Fred in the barn for my first lesson and Rafe was there. I told him I was so afraid of being thrown. The man laughed and said, if you haven’t been thrown, you haven’t ridden.” Maggie shook her head. “Really boosted my confidence,” she said with sarcasm.
Savannah shuddered. “I cannot imagine how hard that ground is from up there.”
“It’s not soft, I’ll tell you that.”
“You’ve been thrown?” Savannah asked in a shocked voice.
“Yep. The first time I got on a horse, he bucked and off I went. Damn it hurt. I had to lay there for a few minutes to catch my breath. I looked up and Rafe was standing over me. He told me to take my time and let him know when I thought I could get up. After a few minutes, I nodded. He put his hand out and helped me get to my feet. I started to shake my head about getting back on, but he said I couldn’t give up that soon. I gave him a dirty look.” She laughed. “I told him it hurt. He just grinned and said, it won’t be the last time either.”
“That is not encouraging at all.” Savannah laughed.
“He said he’d been thrown so many times, he lost count. Fred said horses can be unpredictable so you have to be alert. I love it now though. I wish I could get Rafe to go riding with me.”
“You are talking horses, right?” Savannah grinned.
“Either or,” Maggie said with a laugh.
The door opened again, and the women looked at each other, sighed, then laughed again. They both got up to help the group of customers entering the store.
Monday morning, Savannah unlocked the door and entered the shop. She turned the closed sign over to open, then made her way to the back room to put her purse in the filing cabinet. After unlocking it, she stuck her purse in it, then headed back to the front just as Maggie entered the shop.
“Good morning, Maggie,” Savannah said.
“Good morning, Vanna.” Maggie walked to the back room to put her purse in the filing cabinet, then locked it. She returned to the front of the shop. “Did you have a good weekend?”
Savannah smiled. “I did. I spent it with Grady.”
“Ah, I see.” Maggie grinned.
“I love being with him.”
“I’m surprised you can walk.”
Savannah burst out laughing. “Me too.”
They laughed then Maggie dusted the showroom and the back room where the dollhouses were.
An hour later, they were busy with customers. Savannah was so happy that it was that time of the year. She loved being busy. Most days.
As she rang up an order for a customer, the door opened, and she looked over and the blood drained from her face as she saw Kirk enter the store.
“Ma’am?”
Savannah looked at the customer, then back to Kirk.
“Vanna? Are you alright?” Maggie asked her in a whisper.
“Oh, uh, yes. I’m sorry.” She handed the customer her change and the woman left.
“Vanna?”
“I’m alright.” Savannah walked around the counter and headed straight to Kirk. “What are you doing here?”
“Can we talk?”
“No.” She turned to go back behind the counter when he grabbed her arm but let go when Maggie stepped up beside her.
“Get your hand off her.”
“This is none of your business.”
“Vanna, do you want him here?”
“No.”
Maggie looked at Kirk. “Then it is my business. Get the hell out of here.”
As Savannah stared at him, the door opened and Grady entered. He smiled at Savannah, but the smile left his face when he saw the look on her face.
“Savannah?”
“Grady…” her voice caught.
He looked at Kirk. “Who are you?”
“I don’t see where that concerns you.”
“It does if you’re upsetting Savannah.”
“Vanna, I just want to talk to you.”
“You have nothing to say that I want to hear, Kirk.”
Grady’s eyebrows shot up. “Kirk?”
“That’s right. Who are you?”
“The man who’s going to show you the door. Get out.” Grady stepped closer to him. “Now.”
“I’ll be in touch, Vanna.”
“Just leave, Kirk.” Savannah put her arms around Grady’s waist, and he pulled her close to him.
Kirk clenched his jaw but walked out the door. Savannah’s knees buckled but Grady held her up, then led her to the office and to the sofa where she sat down.
“I don’t know why he’s here.”
“What did he say?”
“Just that he wanted to talk to me.”
“You don’t need to talk to him for any reason.”
“I don’t want to.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why he’s here,” she repeated.
“It doesn’t matter why he’s here. You’re not going to talk to him.”
“I won’t.” She looked at him. “Why are you here?”
“I wanted to see if you wanted to get lunch together.”
“I’ve lost my appetite.”
“I’m sure. Alright, baby. If you’re sure you’re okay, I’m going to head back to the ranch then. Call me if he shows up again. I’d love to kick his ass.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you came in. Maggie was ready to punch him.” She smiled.
“Good for Maggie.” He stood up. “I’ll talk to you later.” He leaned down and kissed her lips.
“Okay.”
Grady left the room. Savannah heard him talking to Maggie then the door opened and closed. Savannah couldn’t stop shaking. Why had Kirk come here? How did he even know where she was?
She took her phone from her pocket and called her mother.
“Hi, honey,” her mother said.
“Mom, did you tell Kirk where I was?”
“No, I’d never do that. Why?”
“He was here.”
Her mother gasped. “Why?”
“He said he wanted to talk to me.”
“I hope you told him to go to hell.”
Savannah smiled. “No, but he left after Grady showed up.”
“Just when are we going to meet Grady? If he ran Kirk off, I like him already.”
Savannah had told her mother about Grady, and she was glad her daughter was finally happy again.
“I’ll have to ask him, but he told Kirk to leave. He did but not before he told me he’d be in touch.”
“You be careful. He could follow you home. I’d like to know what he’s up to.”
“I’ll watch out for him when I leave. I just don’t know how he found me.”
“Honey, you can find just about anyone on the internet nowadays.”
“That’s true. Maybe I should hear what he has to say.”
“No. He made himself clear how he felt years ago.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Okay. I just wanted to check with you. I love you. Tell Daddy I love him too.”
“I will. We love you too. Bring Grady to Yuma soon. Bye for now.” Her mother hung up.
“Vanna? Are you alright?” Maggie asked from the doorway.
“No, but I will be.” She got up, walked to Maggie and hugged her. “Thank you so much for standing up for me.”
“I hate a man who thinks he can bully a woman. Let’s get back to work. Maybe we’ll get so busy, you’ll forget about him coming by.” Maggie grinned. “I wanted Grady to kick his ass.”
Savannah laughed. “He wanted to.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
“You know, the other day when I walked to the coffee shop, I swore someone was watching me, but there were so many tourists, I thought I was imagining things. Now, I wonder if he was here then.” She shook her head. “I have no idea what he thinks we have to talk about.”
They got back to work, and the day passed quickly. When it was time to leave, Savannah and Maggie walked out together. Savannah kept checking her rearview mirror, but didn’t see Kirk. She hoped he left, but she seriously doubted it.
She couldn’t understand why he was here and that she’d be interested in anything he had to say. They’d parted years ago, and she was glad now that they did, or she would have never met Grady, and she couldn’t imagine him not being in her life.
But Savannah knew she had to make it clear she didn’t want Kirk around. Maybe then, he’d leave. She hoped.
****
As Grady drove home, he was still pissed about Savannah’s ex showing up. Just what the hell did he want? Did he want her back? Grady hoped not, but he also thought there was no way she’d take that piece of shit back.
He slammed his hand against the steering wheel then swore when it hurt. He shook his hand to relieve the pain. Damn it. He wanted to know what her ex wanted.
“He wants her, I’d bet,” Grady said aloud.
He stopped his truck by the barn, hopped out, and strode along the aisle. With no destination in mind, he entered his office and sat behind his desk, drumming his fingers on it.
Clenching his jaw, he picked up a cup and threw it against the wall across the room, watching it shatter.
The door opened and Maverick quickly stepped in.
“Are you alright?”
“Am I alright? No, I’m fucking pissed.” Grady shot to his feet, making his chair roll back and hit the wall.
“Why?”
“Savannah’s ex is in town.”
“What for?”
“That’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question. The son of a bitch blamed her for the death of their son and now he just shows up.”
“Wait. Death of their son?”
Grady huffed, pulled the chair back up and sat down.
“Their son died of SIDS at four months, and that bastard blamed her. He filed for divorce the day after the funeral. It devastated her.”
“I’m sure it did. How in the hell could he blame her? I don’t know much about it, but I do know SIDS occurs more than people realize.”
“It was bad enough that she had to go through that, but for that jackass to blame her was uncalled for. Now he’s here, and wants to talk to her. Over my dead body.”
“Did she tell you he was here?”
“No. I happened to stop in her store to ask her to lunch and he was there. When I found out who he was, I wanted to kick the hell out of him.”
“I would too. So, what is she going to do?”
“She said she wasn’t going to talk to him, but I don’t trust the son of a bitch. He’s up to something.”
“Could be. Hey, I’ve got to check the men in the west pasture, so if you need me, let me know.”
“I will.”
“Just calm down, Grady. If Vanna isn’t interested in talking to him, then you have nothing to worry about.”
“Yeah, right.” Grady nodded.
At the end of the day, he drove home and made himself a sandwich for dinner because he was too tired to cook something, even it was only in the microwave
He sat in the recliner and watched TV. It didn’t matter what was on, he just wanted some background noise and to possibly keep his mind off Savannah and her ex.
“Shit,” he muttered. Nothing was going to stop him from thinking about it.
He wanted to call her, but he’d wait for a while. He hoped she wasn’t anywhere near that prick.
****
A knock at the door interrupted Savannah’s evening. When she saw Kirk on her doorstep, she nearly slammed the door shut.
“Vanna, please let me in. I just want to talk. And then I’ll leave, I promise.”
She sighed, opened the door wider, and he strode inside, but she stood with her arms tightly folded across her chest.
Kirk sat down on the sofa, and she couldn’t help but compare him to Grady. He never would have taken a seat before she did. She looked at Kirk intently while he scanned her townhouse.
“You have a nice place here.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m getting married.”
Savannah dropped her arms in surprise. “And? Why did you feel the need to come all the way here to tell me that? I honestly don’t care.”
“Common courtesy.”
“Okay. You told me. Now you can leave.”
“You don’t even care that I’m getting married.”
“Why would I? You divorced me, remember?”
Kirk stood up and moved toward her, causing her to instinctively step back.
“Vanna…”
“That’s close enough. You said what you came to say, so now you can leave.”
“Vanna, I am so sorry for how I treated you.”
“Okay. Now go.”
“I will always love you, Vanna.” He reached for her hand, but she pulled away. “I know it wasn’t your fault and I’m sorry for blaming you.”
“Fine. Now can you please leave?”
“Look, I had to find you and let you know.”
Savannah shook her head. “I don’t know why you think I’d even want to know.”
“I just thought—”
“No! I don’t care what you thought. Please go.”
“Who was that man today?”
“That is none of your business.”
“Is that what you want? Some... cowboy?”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Yes. Yes, I do. And let me tell you, he is some cowboy.”
“You like a man who gets dirty now?”
Savannah burst out laughing. “Depends on what you mean by dirty.”
“I can’t believe you,” Kirk snapped.
“Let me tell you something. That man does more work in the mornings before you get your ass out of bed. Yes, he does get dirty because he works ! He’s not sitting behind a desk in a suit and tie.”
“You used to love me in a suit and tie.”
“Times have changed.”
“I just thought it would be nicer to tell you in person than for you to hear it from someone.”
“Who in the hell would I hear it from? I don’t keep in touch with your friends or family.”
“Since when did you start swearing? Oh, I know. When you started sleeping with that cowboy.”
“Though it’s none of your business, I always swore. You just never paid attention, and as far as sleeping with that cowboy, not much sleeping goes on.” She tilted her head. “Does your fiancée even know you’re here?”
“No. I told her it was a business trip.”
“Lying to her already. Good Lord, Kirk.”
“I knew she wouldn’t be happy, but to be honest, I wanted to see you one more time.”
“If you had just called, I would have told you the same thing I’m telling you now. You did not need to come here. It’s been three years, and you destroyed any love I had for you when you put all the blame on me. I had to go to therapy because of you, Kirk, and our baby. It took me a long time to accept that it wasn’t my fault. There was nothing I could have done differently, yet you made me feel worthless. Good luck with your marriage. Please leave.”
“How about we go to dinner and discuss—”
“No! There is nothing to discuss. I don’t want anything to do with you and that is your fault.” The words were sharp and laced with bitterness, a reflection of the pain in Savanna’s heart.
“Vanna—”
“Get the fuck out of my house ,” she shouted, her voice trembling with emotion.
“You can stand there and tell me you don’t care that I’m getting married again?”
“Listen. I do not care that you are getting married again. Now, leave.”
“Alright. I’ll go… for now. But I’ll be sticking around for a while.” He opened the door and after looking at her one last time, he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
Savannah leaned against the door, her tears flowing down her cheeks. Her heart felt heavy with the weight of their broken relationship and what had caused it. She jumped when her phone buzzed from her pocket, breaking into her thoughts. Wiping away her tears, she looked at it to see Grady’s number and blew out her breath before answering.
“Hi,” she said, trying to sound composed.
“Hey. Are you alright?” His concern was evident in his tone.
“I’m not sure yet. Kirk was just here—”
“You didn’t talk to him, did you?”
“Yes. I was afraid he’d make a scene, so I let him inside. I had no desire to listen to him, but after I did, I made him leave.”
“Savannah, I cannot believe you let him into your home. What did he want?”
“He told me he was getting married—”
“So?”
“I told him I didn’t care—”
“He couldn’t have called?”
“Grady, one man has already pissed me off today, don’t make it two,” she snapped.
His sigh came across the line. “I’m sorry. So, he just wanted to tell you he was getting married?”
“Yes, and apologize for blaming me for our son’s death. He suggested we go to dinner.” When he didn’t say anything, she thought he’d hung up. “Grady?”
“Yeah, I’m here. What did you tell him?”
“What did I tell him? Seriously? You shouldn’t have to ask.”
“Damn it, I don’t want to argue with you. I just don’t trust him.”
“Do you think I do?” she said through clenched teeth.
“Do you still have feelings for him?”
“No. He killed that, and I told him so, and that is another question you shouldn’t have to ask,” Vanna’s voice held a firm conviction, though her heart still ached with the memories of their past and the way Kirk had hurt her. She didn’t care one iota about that man. He had killed any feelings she had for him.
“I think it’s best I go for now,” Grady said.
“I totally agree.” She hung up, then tossed her phone onto the sofa.