Love Without End (26 page)

It was time to give Tara her surprise. Chet and Kimberly decided it would be the day before their first guests arrived at
Ultimate Adventures
. After that, no one would have time for themselves for a good long spell.

Chet stood in the doorway to the guesthouse office, his shoulder leaning against the jamb. Kimberly sat at the desk and read to him off the computer screen. “That means we’ll have guests at the ranch at least twenty days in August.” She
looked up and met his gaze. “Do you think we should close reservations for the month?”

It was difficult to care about business when she looked so pretty in that green blouse. It was the same shade of green as her eyes. Her time in the sun with the horse had brought out a smattering of freckles across her nose too. Adorable.

“Chet.”

“Sorry. What did you ask?”

“Come over here and look at the budget and this balance sheet, boss man. If my calculations are right, the Leonard ranch is going to turn a nice profit. And this is even with the great discounts you’re giving during the first month in business
and
after you pay the chef’s salary.”

Okay, that managed to get his full attention. He pushed off the doorjamb and went to stand beside her chair. He looked at the printouts on the desk, then picked up one sheet of paper to look at it more closely. “Really?” He glanced at Kimberly. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve been over it a half-dozen times. I’m as sure as I can be.”

“Just from renting out that old line shack and pampering folks with a few well-cooked meals and some super comfortable beds?”

She grinned at him. “Yes. Just from that. And it looks like the glamping website has brought additional traffic to the Leonard Quarter Horse website too. A noticeable increase. That’s what Allison Kavanagh said in an e-mail I got earlier today. That’s got to be a good sign, don’t you think?”

One more reason he loved Kimberly. Because she cared about what happened on this ranch. Maybe he should—

The sound of a truck engine starting up in the barnyard interrupted the direction of his thoughts. A good thing for now. He wanted to give Tara her surprise first. Then he wanted to ride with Kimberly up to the plateau that overlooked the valley. He wanted her to see this land he loved, though not as much as he loved her.

“Let’s see what Tara’s up to,” he said, offering his hand.

Kimberly’s smile faltered a little. Then she drew herself up with resolve. She placed her fingers in the palm of his hand, a look of trust in her eyes. It made Chet feel like he could do anything.

K
IMBERLY
’
S HEART THUMPED HARD AS SHE RODE
Sunset toward the barn door. From outside, she heard Tara and the boys laughing over something, but the laughter stopped abruptly as Kimberly emerged into the light on horseback. The look of surprise on Tara’s face was priceless.

“Mom?”

Kimberly grinned. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?” She reined in, stopping the mare.

“When? How?”

“Sam and Pete kept you busy while Chet and Anna worked with me.” She stepped down from the saddle, pleased that she did so without clinging to the saddle horn as if her life depended upon it. “We wanted to surprise you.”

Tara hurried over and gave her mom a big hug. “I never had a clue. I never would’ve thought you’d even try. This is so cool. It’s so cool. We’ll be able to go riding together. It’s gonna be so much fun. What made you decide to try?”

“You, silly.” She brushed Tara’s nose with the pad of her thumb. “I wouldn’t have succeeded without all the encouragement I got.”

Tara almost hurled herself at Chet, giving him the same bear hug she’d given her mother. “Thanks, Mr. Leonard. Thanks so much.”

Chet’s expression was comical. He didn’t know what to do with this overt display of affection. Anna got a hug next. Thankfully Tara didn’t knock the older woman off her feet with her enthusiasm.

The ring of the telephone intruded.

“I’ll get it, Dad,” Sam said, then jogged toward the house.

“You knew about this and didn’t say a word?” Tara said to Pete.

He grinned, and she punched him in the arm.

Chet moved to stand beside Kimberly. Her heart quickened at his nearness. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome. Listen, I was hoping maybe the two of us could—”

“Hey, Mrs. Welch!” Sam called from the house. “The phone’s for you. It’s on the Adventures line.”

“I’ll get it in the guesthouse.” Kimberly handed the mare’s reins to Chet. “Did you decide to take more reservations in August or not?”

“Whatever you think best. I trust you to make the right decision.”

Those words meant more to her than she could express. She touched his forearm and smiled. Then she hurried toward the cottage. When she reached the office, she sank onto the chair and forced herself to take a few deep, slow breaths. She
didn’t want to sound winded when she answered the call. Finally she picked up the handset. “Mrs. Welch speaking.”

“Kimberly!”

She didn’t recognize the woman’s voice, didn’t know how the person had known her first name.

“It’s Irena Wainright.”

Dread filled Kimberly. Was Irena calling to cancel their reservation?
Please don’t let that be the reason
.

“I know I’m going to see you tomorrow, but I couldn’t wait to tell you something.”

Her pulse began to regulate itself again. “Oh? What’s that, Irena?”

Kimberly and Irena had been friendly acquaintances, years ago. Not close, like their daughters, but casual friends whose lives were similar in many ways. Occasionally their social circles had crossed. They’d worked on a few of the same charities. They’d shopped in some of the same upscale boutiques. But after Kimberly’s life had begun to unravel, she hadn’t seen anything of Irena. Why would she? Their worlds had suddenly moved far apart.

“Kimberly, I’m sure you remember that Jeffrey sits on a number of nonprofit boards. Including the board of directors of the Wildwood Center. Well, today they had to dismiss the managing director, and I thought of you the instant he told me. You have a degree in the performing arts as I recall. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, but that was a long time ago. I never actually used it. I got married and then Tara came along. I’m afraid my degree is pretty worthless.” She’d learned that after Ellis died and she started submitting applications anywhere and everywhere.

“Listen, there’s no point having a husband on the board of directors if I can’t use his influence to help a friend. Jeffrey knows you, and he thinks you’d do great at this job. He says it’s yours if you want it. I know you could do it.”

“I don’t know, Irena. Managing director? I’ve never—”

“Don’t say you aren’t capable. You created the
Leonard Ranch Ultimate Adventures
from scratch from what Tara told Patty. It’s obvious you have a head for business, and you have the degree the Wildwood Center requires, whether you’ve ever used it or not.”

Kimberly felt dizzy.

“Promise to think about it. The salary is good. High five figures to start. I know you’d love the work. So think about it.”

“Yes. I’ll think about it. Of course.”

“I’ll bring along all of the details when we come tomorrow. See you then.”

“Thanks, Irena.” She swallowed to relieve the sudden dryness in her throat. “See you tomorrow.” Kimberly ended the call and put the handset in its cradle. As she withdrew her hand, she noticed it was shaking.

A chance to go back to Seattle. A real chance. It was what she’d wanted and hoped for all these months. She should be excited, joyous, ready to go pack her bags.

Only she wasn’t, and she had to wonder,
What do I want and hope for now?

C
HET KNEW SOMETHING HAD CHANGED THE MOMENT
he saw Kimberly’s face. She looked stunned . . . uncertain . . .
perhaps lost. He strode over to where she stood outside the cottage’s front door. “Is something wrong?”

She shook her head.

“Who was on the phone?”

“Mrs. Wainright.” Her eyes widened. “She called to tell me about a management position with a prestigious theater company in Seattle. A job her husband says is mine if I want it.”

Chet’s stomach dropped. “You studied theater in college, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but I never did anything with my degree. I’ve submitted I don’t know how many résumés over the last few years for positions like this one and never even got an interview.”

“What did you tell her?”

“I promised to think about it.” She brushed some stray wisps of hair off her face. “She’ll bring all of the information with her when they come tomorrow.”

He’d lost his heart to Kimberly, and now she was going to leave, go home to Seattle where she’d always wanted to be. How could she not? This was what she’d told him she wanted from almost the first time they’d met.

And Kimberly had seen enough of his financial information to know ranching had more lows than highs, plenty of times when the future would seem unsure. She’d seen that everyone had to pitch in to help with chores, that there was always more to be done than hours in the day to do it. She’d seen enough to know this way of life was a day-to-day commitment to the land and the livestock as well as to one another. It wasn’t glamorous. It was dirty boots and dusty jeans and sick animals and early mornings and late nights. It was a valuable horse dying unexpectedly. It was a barn
burning to the ground. It was hard winters and summers plagued by drought. How could he ask her to embrace that kind of life when she’d made it clear from the beginning she wanted something different?

“That’s great,” he finally said. “Really.” He looked away, back toward his family and her daughter and the mare Kimberly had been riding such a short time ago.

“It is, isn’t it?” she replied softly.

“Yeah. Really great.” He glanced at her again. “Listen, I remembered something I need to do in town. I . . . I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

He didn’t wait for her to answer. He strode to his pickup, hopped into the cab, started the engine, and drove away. He may as well have been driving away from his future.

Thirty-three

K
IMBERLY DIDN
’
T SLEEP THAT NIGHT
. E
VERY TIME
she closed her eyes, she saw Chet walking away from her with that long stride she’d come to love. It had hurt, his leaving like that, but it wasn’t as if she couldn’t guess why. He figured she was leaving Kings Meadow, and he wasn’t about to ask her to stay. And that’s what hurt the most.

Please, God. Make him ask me to stay
.

Chet had never actually said the words, “I love you,” but he’d seemed to say it without words in a dozen different ways. The concert. The hot springs. The riding lessons. The kisses. The dancing on the Fourth. The work they’d done together on
Ultimate Adventures
. All of it had brought them closer to each other.

Around six o’clock in the morning, still unable to sleep, she arrived at another conclusion: She didn’t want to leave Kings Meadow. Not for any job. Not for a big salary. Not for a return to the big city. Not because she’d fallen in love
with Chet—and she most definitely loved him, despite all her attempts not to. No, it was because she’d found a new kind of life here. A good life. A contented life. She’d found a new family, too, although she couldn’t claim them as hers. Not yet. But she wanted to claim them. If only Chet would ask her to.

Several hours later, Kimberly and Tara arrived at the ranch. Wearing jeans, boots, cotton top, and a cowboy hat, Kimberly hoped she didn’t look as tired and frayed as she felt. Anna was alone when they got there. Chet and the boys were all up at Cabin #1, putting fresh linens on the beds, checking supplies, and making sure the large canvas tent was secure should a strong wind blow through. The ranch hands had separated the “dude stock” into a paddock and were now busy cleaning saddles and tack. Two used golf carts, purchased the previous week, sat in readiness for the use of the guests.

“What can we do, Anna?” Kimberly asked.

“Not a blessed thing. Everything for tonight’s barbecue is ready and in the coolers. The grill’s in the back of one of the pickups. Chet took brochures for all the different excursions that are available up with him to the cabin. You know the Wainrights already signed up for white-water rafting on Tuesday and gold panning on Wednesday. That leaves them several days still to fill, if they choose.”

“They might want to relax in the hammock or go riding.”

“That’s what I’d do,” Anna said with a smile.

Kimberly glanced in the direction of Cabin #1. Should she go up there to see Chet or should she wait until he returned?

“Mom,” Tara said, “I think I’ll brush the horses so they’ll look their best when Patty gets here.”

“Okay.”

Tara hurried toward the barn.

Kimberly drew a quick breath. “I guess I’ll see to a few things in the office.”

Before Kimberly could head for the guesthouse, Anna asked, “Did you and Chet have a quarrel?”

“No.” It was the truth—they hadn’t quarreled—but still it seemed a lie.

“Something happened.” Anna’s eyes narrowed as she studied Kimberly. “He’s been in a strange mood ever since yesterday, and you look like you’ve been dragged through a knothole.”

Kimberly would have loved to bare her soul, but it didn’t feel right to talk about her feelings with anyone before she talked about them with Chet. Only, what if he didn’t feel the same way? What if he never meant to propose as she’d begun to believe he might? Maybe she’d been wrong about him. Maybe he’d wanted a girlfriend and not a wife. Once burned, twice shy. And if he didn’t love her, if he couldn’t love her, wouldn’t it be better if she relocated to Seattle, far from the memories of another broken heart?

“My dear,” Anna said. “Would you do me a favor while you’re in the office?”

“Of course. What is it?”

“Pray about whatever is troubling you.”

Sudden emotion overcame her. Before she could burst into tears, Kimberly nodded and hurried away.

“Pray about whatever is troubling you.”