Tiny blessings, p.18
Tiny Blessings, page 18
“I still don’t understand why she wouldn’t have called you first.”
He held her gaze. “It’s pretty obvious to me. What’s that saying? ‘It’s better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.’ Because she wasn’t getting any permission from me.”
He pulled Charlie up from her chair. “Come here and kiss me before I go back to work.”
She leaned in and touched her lips to his, teasing. She never failed to drive him crazy.
“Please don’t work too hard.” He rested his hand on her stomach. “And leave the painting for someone else.”
“It’s perfectly safe, Jace. But I will take it easy, I promise. Same goes for you.” She poked him in the arm. “I know it’s difficult, but please don’t work yourself up about Mary Ann. Whatever happens, we’ll work through it as a family.”
He nodded but wasn’t so sure it was that easy. Mary Ann had the power to rock the hard-won balance he’d managed to maintain these last few years. And his gut told him she was about to shake the ground out from under him.
Chapter Three
Charlie finished up the last of her painting and left the hutch out to dry. The temperature was in the high seventies and the sun was showing off today, not always the case in spring in the Foothills. May and June could be gloomy. They’d had a cold and wet winter, so the warm weather was a welcome change.
She cleaned up in the bathroom and peed for the dozenth time that day, one of the not-so-fringe benefits of pregnancy. But she was counting her blessings that she’d made it to her third trimester. The first two times she hadn’t been that lucky.
That was why she was cutting herself plenty of slack these days, including not pushing herself too hard at Refind, even though she and Aubrey were on the precipice of real success. And she was letting herself give in to her constant cravings for sweets.
Today she had a yen for ice cream and headed over to the Dalton Market. Angie had just signed on to carry a local creamery’s gelato, and it was to die for. She rationalized that she’d burn off the calories by walking, even though the store was only on the other side of Dry Creek Village, not more than six minutes away.
When she first came here three years ago the village was nothing more than an open cattle field and a kernel of an idea to save the ranch. Now, with the hard work of four Dalton families, it was a burgeoning agritourism destination/shopping center. And it was as pretty as it was utilitarian. A mixture of old, converted barns and new buildings made to look original. Meandering trails. Picnic tables along Dry Creek. And adorable, old-timey kiosks, selling everything from Jimmy Ray and Laney’s popular sarsaparilla to a local woodworker’s signs.
The truth was that the village was keeping the ranch afloat as much as the men liked to believe it was their beef business. In good years the cattle certainly helped supplement their income. Still, it was too inconsistent to rely on.
But after a long, hard push, the village was bursting with business. She liked to think that she, Aubrey, Angie, and Gina were key in its success.
And now, with everything going so well, there was this . . . Mary Ann. Charlie hoped Jace was right and Mary Ann would move on. But her intuition told her it was unlikely. As a soon-to-be mother, she couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting to reclaim a relationship with their children. Then again, she couldn’t imagine leaving them in the first place.
The Dalton Market was crowded, even for a weekday. It was a popular stopover for folks traveling between the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Dry Creek Village had a slew of electric charging stations. So, while motorists waited for their cars to charge, they shopped. Or ate.
Thanks to Angie’s marketing genius, Dalton Market included a deli counter with sandwiches and salads and premade picnic baskets to eat creek side here on the property. For the full-fledged Dalton beef experience—also the pricier one—they could eat at Gina’s steak house.
“Hey there,” Angie called from the top of a rolling library ladder. She was stocking one of the top shelves with boxes of Gina’s organic cake mixes. They flew out of the store faster than a bullet train. Gina’s popularity as a FoodFlicks Network star came in handy.
“Jace was just here buying cookies for the boys.”
“Did he tell you?”
Angie scrambled down and joined Charlie by the ice cream counter. “Did he tell me what?”
It was clear he hadn’t mentioned Mary Ann to Angie, which signaled to Charlie that he wasn’t ready for his family to know about her yet. Not before the boys. “Oh, about Travis’s poison oak.”
“He said the doctor prescribed steroids.”
“Yep. Poor guy. His first week home from school, can you believe it?”
“It’s all over the place. Tuff washes Buddy with that anti-itch stuff every time the dog goes out to do his business. You want some?” She pointed to the gelato.
“You read my mind. It’s sooo good.”
“Right?” Angie slipped behind the counter. “Cone or cup?”
“Cup, please.”
Angie filled a cup with two generous scoops and Charlie didn’t even try to stop her.
“Let’s eat outside.” Angie served herself a cup and led the way to the only vacant picnic table.
“Wow, it’s bustling today. Anything going on?”
“A beautiful spring Thursday. I suspect people are cutting out of work early to take advantage of it and head up to Tahoe or the American River. Things busy at Refind?”
“Not like this.” Charlie nudged her head at a group of six going inside the market. “But business is good. Really good.” She smiled.
Angie leaned in closer to Charlie. “Did you hear about Mitch?” Mitch was Aubrey’s ex-fiancé, Jace’s ex-best friend, and, according to everything Charlie had heard, a world-class jerk.
“He’s getting married,” Angie continued. “He actually had the nerve to come into Tuff’s shop and order three leather engraved flasks for his groomsmen.”
“You’re kidding.” Charlie laughed because it did take gall given that the Daltons had shunned him. “I have so many questions. First, who’s he marrying? The poor, deluded woman. Second, does Aubrey know? And third, did Tuff take the order?”
“Some girl from Sacramento. Tuff said she came into the shop with Mitch and seemed nice enough. Someone should probably warn her to run. No, Aubrey doesn’t know because this just happened yesterday and you’re the first person I’m seeing except for Jace. And he wouldn’t find the humor in it the way we would. And hell no, Tuff didn’t take the order.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he didn’t have time, which, honestly, he doesn’t.”
“I wonder where they’re having the wedding and whether Jill Tucker knows.” Jill was the woman Mitch was cheating with when Aubrey left him.
“Don’t know about Jill,” Angie said. “And Mitch said something to Tuff about having the wedding at his house.”
“Seriously? What else did Tuff find out?”
“We’re talking about Tuff here. Gossip gives him hives.”
Charlie laughed because it was true. Tuff was good as gold, but he sucked at gossip. “Well, I guess Mitch will be able to show off the miniman-sion. He’ll probably invite the whole town.”
“Everyone but us.” Angie snorted. “Maybe he’ll ask Gina to cater it.”
“As if Gina would lower herself. But it would be great if we could talk her into it just so we could hear all about it.”
“I’ve got that covered.”
Charlie gave Angie a quizzical look.
“Tiffany. You can be sure the grand dame of Dry Creek will get an invitation. And let me tell you, that girl can dish.”
“Oh boy, can she.” Charlie finished the rest of her gelato, scraping the bottom of the cup for the last drop. “I need to get home to check on Travis.” It took her two tries to get to her feet, she was so top heavy now. “Thanks for the ice cream and the gossip. Can I tell Aubrey about Mitch?”
“Please do. See you on Sunday.”
“Or maybe tomorrow.” It was their inside joke because all of them lived a stone’s throw away from one another and, with the exception of Jace, Cash, and Sawyer, worked in the village.
Charlie walked home. It was only fifteen minutes away on the south side of the ranch and too beautiful a day to waste.
She followed the creek to the house, taking a tree-lined path. Sunshine filtered through the canopy of branches, dappling the trail in the most magnificent light. The wild irises had bloomed, painting the shoreline in vivid stripes of yellow and purple. Soon, the snow from the mountains would melt and the crystal-clear water would cascade off the rock formation at their favorite swimming hole. In the summers they’d cool off from the hot sun by standing under the icy waterfall for as long as they could take the cold, then swim until their skin wrinkled.
Dry Creek Ranch was the most beautiful place she’d ever lived and she counted every day here as a blessing.
Sherpa and Benson met her on the last leg of her hike, their tails wagging madly, then escorted her to the front porch, where they plopped down in the shade for a rest.
She found Travis in the kitchen, eating leftover lasagna from the night before. The kid was a bottomless pit. She put the milk carton away in the refrigerator and started in on a small pile of dirty dishes in the sink.
Charlie loved this kitchen, with its enormous picture windows and sweeping views. The marble countertops, industrial-sized appliances, and large center island was a dream for their big family dinners. But what made the room all the more breathtaking was the tall, open-beam ceilings and the enormous, handcrafted, deer-antler chandeliers that hung from the iron trusses.
It looked like something you’d see in Wyoming and nothing like the densely spaced rows of painted ladies in San Francisco, where she had lived before moving here.
“Feeling better?” she asked Travis, who, judging by his appetite, was better off than when she’d left him a few hours ago.
“A little bit. At least the itching has stopped.”
“That’s half the battle, right?”
“It still throbs.”
Charlie suspected his rash hurt plenty bad for him to complain. The Dalton men were cowboys through and through and subscribed to the notion of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
She kissed him on the forehead. “I know. But as soon as you take a couple more doses of the medication, you’ll feel a lot better.”
“I was thinking of meeting up with a few friends tonight. But I look like a freak.”
If Travis was worried about how he looked, “friends” was code for a girl. He’d had a girlfriend before leaving for Cal Poly, but they’d broken up, deciding they should both focus on school. Which she and Jace had fully supported.
“You don’t look like a freak.” She ruffled his hair, which needed a good trimming. “You look like you have poison oak. Why don’t you invite them here?”
“How’s that going to make me look better?”
He had a point.
“Better lighting.”
“Ha ha, very funny.”
“You can hang out on the porch or in the backyard. That way, God forbid, you won’t have to be near us. And if you start to feel uncomfortable, you can turn in for the night. And remember what the doctor said. Don’t mix alcohol with your medication.”
“I won’t,” he said. “Maybe we’ll hang out at the creek.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. You can take some of the folding chairs from the garage and I could pack you some snacks.”
He laughed.
“What?”
“Maybe some Lunchables in my old Star Wars lunchbox.” He hugged her. “I’m good, no worries.”
“You may be a big, bad college student now, but you’ll always be my little brat.”
The phone rang, startling both of them. It was the landline, an old cordless that hung on the wall that no one used anymore. The only reason it was still connected was because Jace wanted it in case a cell tower went down in an earthquake or a wildfire. Charlie couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard it ring, if ever.
She got to the phone before Travis did. “Hello.”
There was someone on the other end. She could hear him or her breathing. Not heavy breathing like an obscene phone call, just soft intakes of air.
“Hello. Can I help you?”
No response, but the person was still there. Charlie heard background noise. Maybe traffic, but it was hard to tell.
“I’m going to hang up unless you say something,” she said.
Still nothing, so she clicked off.
“What was that about?” Travis had retaken his spot at the center island and was looking at her expectantly.
“Either a wrong number or a prank call,” she said, but she was sure it was neither.
Chapter Four
Jace got to work early Friday morning to make up for the time he’d lost the previous day. He wasn’t in the office ten minutes when he got called out on a disturbing the peace. Ordinarily, he’d send one of his deputies. But he knew both parties involved. One of them used to be his best friend and the other one still was.
“Be nice,” Annabeth warned him on his way out.
“I always am.”
She let out a snort.
“I heard that.”
It took him less than five minutes to get to Brett’s workshop, a double-sized metal garage a few miles out of town. In the driveway sat Mitch’s tricked-out, jacked-up pickup truck, the kind that made a man look like he was trying to compensate for his shortcomings.
Jace took a few seconds to collect himself. He wanted to be professional, but Mitch brought the mean out in him. Four years ago his former best friend did something unforgivable to Brett and spread a nasty rumor about Jace to cover it up. It had nearly cost Jace’s reelection bid for sheriff, but the toll on Brett was worse. Much worse.
The moment Jace hopped out of his duty vehicle he could hear shouting coming from Brett’s workshop. No wonder someone had called the cops. He crossed the gravel driveway and pulled open the door to find Brett pinning Mitch against the wall with his wheelchair. They were so busy going at it, neither of them noticed Jace.
He let out a shrill whistle, startling both men into silence. “We’ve gotten three calls complaining about you two. What the hell is wrong with you!? You’re grown men, for God’s sake.”
Mitch at least had the decency to look contrite. Brett not so much.
“Back up, Brett.”
Brett put his chair in reverse but continued to stare daggers at Mitch.
“What’s going on here?” Jace looked from Brett to Mitch. “Brett?”
“Why don’t you ask him?”
Jace turned his gaze on Mitch. “Start talking.”
“I came here to ask him”—Mitch bobbed his head at Brett—“to be the best man at my wedding and the sumbitch threw a goddamn cabinet door at me.”
Jace didn’t know what surprised him more, that Mitch had asked Brett to be his best man or that Brett, a usually peaceful guy, had thrown a cabinet door at Mitch. That’s when he noticed Mitch’s arm was bleeding.
“You,” he pointed at Brett, “stay over there. And you, over there. If I come back and find you at it again, I’ll arrest you both.” He went to his vehicle to get a first-aid kit.
When he returned both men were in their respective corners, glaring at each other. Jace threw Mitch the kit. He’d be damned before he doctored Mitch’s arm. Let him do it himself.
“Now let me get this straight. Brett threw a cabinet door at you because you asked him to be your best man.” Jace had heard through the grapevine that Mitch was getting married, but he was pretty sure there was more to this story. Like, for example, Brett hated Mitch’s guts, so why the hell would Mitch ask him to be his best man?
“That’s right,” Mitch said. “The damn thing is made out of MDF, weighs a ton. He could’ve killed me.”
“You look alive and well to me.” Jace turned to Brett. “Is what he’s saying true?”
“Nope, my cabinets doors are made from one-hundred percent walnut.”
Jace rolled his eyes. “Brett, did you or did you not throw a cabinet door at Mitch?”
“I did.”
“Was it in self-defense?” He was trying to throw Brett a lifeline here.
“It was not. Let’s stop pussyfooting around here. We all know why I threw a cabinet door at Mitch. I should’ve done it four years ago when he was sleeping with my wife. But I’d say now is as good a time as any. What kind of home-wrecking douchebag comes waltzing in here and asks me to stand up for him at his marriage when he destroyed mine?”
Jace thought it was a legitimate question. Unfortunately, as the law, he couldn’t take sides.
“Mitch, do you want to press charges?” He didn’t want to have to haul Brett in, but he would if he had to.
Mitch was thinking about it. Jace knew that because Mitch rarely thought about anything. And when he did he had a tell. His left eye would twitch, like it was doing now.
“No,” Mitch finally said. “I want him to be my best man.”
Brett spun around in his chair. “Can you believe this guy? Get him out of here, Jace. Get him out of here before I throw more than a cabinet door at him.”
“Let’s go, Mitch.” Jace walked him to his truck. “What the hell were you thinking, man?”
“I was thinking this has gone on long enough. Look, I made some mistakes, some really bad mistakes, but Cheryl has made me a better person. A better man.”
Jace presumed Cheryl was the bride-to-be. Whoever she was, she ought to run as fast as her legs would carry her as far away from Mitch as she could go.
“Brett made it crystal clear that he’s not ready to forgive and forget, so it would be best if you didn’t show up here anymore.”
“You too, Jace.”
“Come again?” Brett didn’t have a problem with Jace. He could come here as often and as much as he liked.
“This has gone on too long. The three of us used to be thick as thieves. And now look at us.”
“Mitch, have you lost your ever-loving mind?” Jace shook his head, wondering if Mitch had indeed suffered brain damage. “Your best friend in there went to war, got blown up by an IED, and you welcomed him back by screwing his wife while you were engaged to Aubrey. Then what did you do? When Aubrey found out and dumped you, you exacted your revenge by telling everyone that she and I were the ones having an affair. And if that wasn’t bad enough, you plotted to steal Brett’s wife’s family’s cattle ranch, so you could develop it. Can you now understand why Brett might not want to be your best man?” Jace slapped the side of his own head because he couldn’t believe he even had to spell it out.
