Finally Home (13 page)

“
I’m not running from anything...I’m here to visit. Remember, you invited me.”

“
And we’re glad you’re here. But it isn’t like you to make decisions on impulse. You called us from the airport and told us you were coming to Florida and that you were hopping on the next flight out of Dallas. What happened after we talked on the phone the other day?”

“
I just needed to get away,” she left the sofa and walked to the bay window overlooking a garden of colorful flowers in the condominium courtyard.

“
Why don’t you just tell him, honey? Tell him you love him.”

“
It’s not that simple,” Amanda rubbed her temples. “We’re too different...the way we want to live is too different.”

“
He still wants to sell Moonlight Ranch? No changes there?”

“
He doesn’t want any part of it...and I want it so badly!”

“
Have you ever thought about why the ranch is so important to you, honey? Are you sure you couldn’t be happy somewhere else...as long as you had Noah in your life?”

“
I couldn’t bear thinking of that ranch in Mr. Ellinger’s hands, grandma. If it was sold to someone that would continue its tradition...I may think twice...but Noah is set on selling to horrible Mr. Ellinger who will tear it down!”

“
The man rubs you the wrong way, huh?”

“
He’s awful. Makes me cringe every time I see him.”

“
Then shouldn’t you be back at the ranch fighting for it?”

“
Grandma, right now I don’t know what I should be doing.”

“
Why don’t I make us some hot tea.”

Amanda followed her to the small open kitchen. “That sounds wonderful.”

As Grandma Kate filled a silver teakettle with water, Amanda noticed a tattered box beneath the kitchen table. “That box has my name on it.”

“
Found that box when we moved. You can have it, if you want, dear.”

“
What’s in it?”

Grandma Kate placed the teakettle on the stove. “Open it up and take a look, sweetie.”

Removing the box lid, Amanda peeked inside. “The book about horses that you and grandpa gave me the first year I stayed the summer at Moonlight Ranch. I always wondered what happened to that. And here’s the dress you sewed for my doll, and....”

Grandma Kate glanced at her granddaughter. “What is it? What’d ya find?”

“
The old cloth doll my dad gave me before the divorce.”

“
I remember that poor doll. You took it everywhere!”

A small tear escaped Amanda’s eye. “I always felt like dad was with me when I had this doll in my hands.”

The doll was missing most of its brown yarn hair and an arm was torn off, but it still stirred up memories. Memories of her father and how she had always pretended he went with her wherever she carried the doll.

“
I won’t speak bad of your father, since my daughter was just as much to blame for the trouble in their marriage, but at least he could have kept in touch with you.”

“
Oh, well, can’t change the past,” Amanda shrugged and laid the doll aside. Her eyes moved to a drawing in the box. And when she held it in her hands, she trembled.

Noah had drawn a picture of the ranch. Blue skies, lots of green trees, and the main house in the distance. And he had, in detail, drawn two people riding horses. “One of them is me...the other is Noah...and we’re holding hands,” she whispered aloud.

“
What a nice picture,” Grandma Kate hovered over Amanda and set two cups of tea on the table.

“
Noah drew it. I think he was sixteen...I was twelve.”

“
I don’t remember ever seeing that drawing.”

“
I can’t believe that I don’t remember it either.”

“
I can see that it means something to you, honey.”

“
Yes, Grandma. I’m...trying...to catch my breath.”

“
Noah was always a very artistic boy.”

“
And he still is artistic. You should see the furniture he makes. Unbelievable.”

“
Noah? Makes furniture?”

Amanda nodded but didn’t take her eyes off the drawing. Noah cared. Even back then...he cared for her. The drawing was proof of it. A boy of sixteen wouldn’t draw a picture with so much emotion if he didn’t have feelings. Or was she reading more into the picture than she should? Seeing something in a childhood drawing that wasn’t really there?

“
Hon, what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

“
I have to go back to Texas. I’m sorry, Grandma, but this is going to be a short visit.”

********

Amanda dropped her suitcases in the arched entry of the ranch house. Her eyes traveled up the curved staircase, then darted to her right and narrowed on the dining room. Two coffee cups sat on the end of the table. Moving to the spacious room, she gazed into the coffee cups. Both were still steaming with rich brown liquid. Maria never allowed dirty dishes to sit. “Maria?”

When Maria didn’t answer, she frowned, then entered the kitchen. No Maria. Twirling around, Amanda left the kitchen and slowly walked through the dining room. Stopping at her suitcases, she wondered where the drinkers of the coffee were. “Hmmmm, this is a little mysterious.”

Oh, well, she would see Noah soon enough. And when she did, she would tell him she loved him. No holding back. Strange, how her strength had been renewed by a simple drawing. And how something Noah had sketched long ago, could provide her with so much ammunition! He had to admit his feelings for the ranch now! And maybe...she hoped....his feelings for her?

When she opened the door to the guest bedroom, Webster jumped at her feet. “Oh my goodness! Did you miss me, Web?”

The dog licked her face when she kneeled on the floor. “Looks like Maria’s been taking good care of you. Your dog bowls are full of food and water.”

Amanda laughed as Webster trotted off toward the bowl of kibble, almost sliding across the room in his haste to get to it.

After unpacking, she turned on her laptop and checked email. “Ten new messages,” she opened the one from her current client, who was checking the status on his web page.

She replied quickly, apologizing for the delay and promising to finish the web page by tomorrow evening. Feeling tired, she shut down the computer and decided to check the other messages later. Yawning, she fell back onto the bed. But a sound from downstairs forced her upright.

Someone was down there. Jumping off the bed, she left the bedroom and walked down the hallway. She stopped at the top of the stairs when she heard voices in the dining room. Her stomach twisted into knots. Noah...and Mr. Ellinger.

Crawling down the top four steps, she hid herself in the darkness of the stairway and eavesdropped on their conversation.

“
Forcing me to look at that mess of a house was not called for, West,” Mr. Ellinger growled. “If that’s the only reason you wanted me to come by, I’m leaving.”

“
I wanted you to see that house because I thought that maybe you’d feel at least an ounce of guilt and would admit to what you did,” Noah shouted.

“
That’s absurd. You can’t prove that I had anything to do with it!”

“
But we both know you did. Just as you had a hand in the barn fire.”

“
Such accusations sound very much like that young woman’s influence on you.”

“
Leave Amanda out of this,” Noah demanded.

“
She’s ruined everything.”

“
You’re the one that’s ruined everything, Ellinger. And
that’s
why I called you out here. I want you to tear up that contract I signed.”

“
What? Are you insane?”

“
There’s no way you’re gonna get your hands on this ranch. It means too much to Amanda.”

“
You’re out of your mind, West! You can’t back out of that contract. When I lent you all that money so you could start your business, you agreed to sell me the ranch! Even if your father was still alive, the ranch was supposed to be mine by the end of this year, remember?”

“
Did you really think I would’ve swindled my father out of this ranch? I’m not like you.”

“
You could have been, if your mother would’ve married me,” Mr. Ellinger’s voice was full of bitter animosity.

At this point of the conversation, Amanda felt light-headed and tried to keep herself from fainting. She wanted to run to Noah and wrap her arms around him...and thank him.

Noah’s deep laugh brought her back to the continuing discussion. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“
Listen to me and listen good, boy. Don’t cross me. I want this ranch and will get it with or without your help.”

“
Well you can’t try from jail. And that’s where you’re going when I tell the police that you vandalized Amanda’s house. Plus, I don’t think barn burning is looked too kindly upon, either.”

“
Y-you are willing to t-throw away your furniture business? Because that’s what you’ll be doing. You default on the contract...I get your business...then I’ll sell it to the highest bidder!”

“
Ellinger, if you sell my business to the highest bidder, that’s great. At least it won’t be in
your
dirty hands.”

A few moments of silence passed, then a door slammed. Amanda attempted to walk but her knees buckled. Her mind was spinning with the conversation she just heard. And spinning from the realization that Noah had just sacrificed something that meant the world to him...for her. Finding her voice, she called his name.

When he approached the foot of the stairs, her heart jumped in her chest. She floated down the staircase. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

His eyes were wide with surprise. “Amanda, what are you doing here?”

“
I decided to come back early,” she stood only inches from him now, could touch him if she wanted.

He moved a few steps away from her, struggling with his speech. “Early? You were barely gone for a day.”

Her smile faded. This was not how she thought he’d react. Why wasn’t he happy to see her? Instead he seemed irritated with her. Hands planted on her hips, she frowned at him. “Good thing I came back when I did or I would’ve missed your selfless act.”

He closed his eyes. “You heard my talk with Ellinger?”

“
Noah, I still can’t believe what you did. The furniture...that means everything to you,” she approached him.

“
But the ranch means even more to you,” his voice was soft as he finally looked at her. His eyes moved over her face.

“
Why can’t we have both?”

“
I don’t want the ranch, Amanda. It’s yours to enjoy or to do with as you wish.”

“
What are you saying?”

He slid his hands over her shoulders and under her hair, caressing the back of her neck. “I can’t be happy here. Don’t you understand? I feel suffocated...like I did when I was a kid.”

“
I know you could be happy if you tried. I could make you happy.”

He sighed, then pulled away from her. “But I would make you unhappy....”

Frustrated, she grabbed his arm and turned him toward her. “You’re not even willing to try? I thought you cared.”

He wanted to scream that he did. That he cared so much about her, it scared him. But he knew that would make it harder for him to leave. “I do...care...but I also need to make furniture...to prove to myself that I can make it on my own. My father never believed that.”

“
I understand how you feel, Noah. But you don’t have to prove anything.”

“
Yes, I do. That’s why I’m moving back to Dallas. Someone I know there owns a furniture factory...I can easily get a job with him.”

“
No, please,” she shook her head.

“
I’m staying until New Year’s,” he cleared his throat.

“
How could I ever let myself fall for you, Noah West?” she backed away from him. “I knew from the beginning that you would hurt me.”

“
And I knew from the beginning that I wouldn’t be able to resist you,” he took one large step, then circled his arms around her. His lips crushed onto her mouth.

“
Stop,” she pressed her hands against his taut stomach. Covering her mouth with her hand, she ran to the stairs.

“
Loving the ranch comes with a price, Amanda. You’ll soon see that,” Noah yelled after her.

“
And loving you doesn’t?” She waited for his answer but he only stared at her with blazing eyes.

Pivoting on her heel, she walked back up the stairs, ignoring the slam of the front door as Noah left the house.

CHAPTER ~ SEVEN

Amanda stopped typing. Stretching her arms above her head, she yawned. She had been working non-stop since she’d returned to Moonlight Ranch yesterday. Her previous client had been so pleased with the web page she designed for him, he recommended her to two of his business associates. She hoped she could complete both projects before Christmas, which was only two weeks away. Only two weeks away...she thought...her first Christmas at the ranch. With Noah?

Would he spend Christmas at the ranch? Or would it be too hard for him to face the holiday without Thomas? Frowning, Amanda shut down her laptop and closed it. Setting it aside, she slid her hands over the granite desktop and paced around the bedroom.