JENNY FELT CONFLICTED as she walked into the inn. She was a step closer to a good story. Visiting several equine programs, as well as a psychologist involved in the programs, would be a gold mine for her.
But she was feeling so many other emotions. The story alone didn’t account for the quickening of her heart. She still felt the warmth of Travis’s hand on her. It was as if her body had suddenly sprung back to life.
Some inner voice told her a trip with Travis was a bad idea. But then again, a long car trip would expose warts. Maybe they would end up hating each other, and she would still have a story. He would probably be dominating. His way or the highway.
Or not.
He didn’t appear to be dominating, but he was an army officer. A Ranger. Accustomed to being in charge and obeyed...
Susan still sat behind the check-in desk.
“You’re working late,” Jenny observed, relieved that her musings had been interrupted.
“Just some paperwork,” Susan said. “We have a group here this weekend for a fiftieth wedding anniversary party. I’m making sure everything, including the banquet tomorrow night, goes well. The couple lives here, and, along with local friends, their children and great-grandchildren are coming back to celebrate. Some have already checked in and are in the dining room. Others will be here tomorrow.”
“That sounds like fun.” Fifty years? And still married?
“It will be. The Cutlers are good people. Lived here all their lives. Their children all left town after college, but they’ll be here for the party with their families. I want it to go well.” Susan looked at her more closely. “You have a glow about you. Covenant Falls must suit you.”
A glow? She didn’t glow, except maybe sometimes when she got a good story. It couldn’t be for any other reason. “I think I’ll be leaving Sunday for a few days. Then I’ll be back at the end of the week.”
“Just let me know,” Susan said. “I’ll have plenty of rooms next week. I should warn you, though, it’ll probably be noisy tomorrow night. The dining room is totally booked, but you can order from the menu for room service. Best trout around.”
“I’ll remember that. Is there any place to buy clothes in town?”
“The General Store has some. Not a bad selection for a small town. Need a ride over there tomorrow?”
“I’ll walk,” Jenny said. “After a huge dinner tonight, I need the exercise.”
She went to her room and took a long shower to wash Travis out of her mind. Especially that slow half smile that hid what he was really thinking. But then her mind wandered to the patient way he coached Nick.
Even if her father had a son, she couldn’t imagine him ever taking time to play ball with him.
Darn, but she’d liked Travis when he drove her to Covenant Falls. Now she really liked him. More than liked him. Admit it. His touch had left a painful craving deep inside, one she’d never felt before. Sure, she’d felt passion and need before, but never any that ran this deep and strong.
It’s just been two days.
Feeling suddenly uncertain, she called her sister. Lenore was usually up late. In the past few months, they had become friends. Her only friend stateside. She had been on the move too much to establish any long-lasting relationships.
“Hi,” she said when Lenore answered. “I just came back from dinner.”
“With anyone interesting?” Lenore asked.
“A married couple and their son. How’s my niece doing?”
“She misses you. She’s been looking up everything she can find about Covenant Falls.”
“Tell her I’ll bring her down when she has a school break. Lots of history here. She’ll love it. I’m not so sure you would. The only place to buy clothes is a general store.”
“Are you saying I’m shallow?” Lenore asked, a sharp edge to her tone.
A year ago, Jenny would have gotten defensive at that tone. Now she said mildly, “Nope, you just like to dress well as opposed to my jeans and fatigues.”
“With your figure, you would look good in a burlap bag if there are such things now.”
“I have no shape, Lenore,” Jenny corrected her.
“Better than too much of one,” Lenore said, and Jenny heard sadness in her voice. Had weight been one of the problems with Lenore’s marriage? Not that Lenore was overweight, but she had gained a few pounds since the time she was a high school cheerleader. Jenny thought she looked just right. But Lenore’s ex-husband liked perfect, or at least his idea of perfect. Jerk.
“If I keep eating as much as I have in the past two days, I’m going to swell up like a blimp,” Jenny said. “The food is good. Great, in fact.”
“Maybe I’ll come with Charlie after all,” Lenore said.
“I’d like that. We’ll plan on it.”
After they said goodbye, Jenny wondered if Lenore would like Covenant Falls for more than a day or two. She would love the waterfall. Who wouldn’t with its perpetual rainbow? Maybe a place like Covenant Falls was exactly what Lenore needed.
Jenny stayed up late to continue researching equine therapy programs. She guessed at which ones Travis planned to visit and picked out several that particularly interested her.
She thought about Jubal. She wanted to meet the ex-SEAL in any event. She knew his history. It was all over the newspapers when he returned from the dead. She wondered how he was adjusting to the peaceful life of a rancher.
She made a mental list of things to do tomorrow. She had to get Angus Monroe’s journal back to Andy, go shopping for clothes, have the riding lesson at Eve’s and take a trip to Jubal Pierce’s ranch.
If Travis convinced Jubal to let her go with him. If he really tried.
She glanced at the clock. It was eleven now, and she was tired. She hadn’t had much sleep last night, and tomorrow would be a busy day. The sharp pain in her shoulder had reduced to a throb, but the anti-inflammatory should help further. It was important that she appeared well tomorrow.
She had to get some sleep if she wanted to be sharp tomorrow, and she needed to be that. She might have a lot of persuading left to do.
She closed her eyes, willing sleep to come and trying to banish warm hazel eyes from her mind.
* * *
JOSH AND JUBAL had both sworn to the benefits of swimming in the lake. Travis hadn’t been so sure.
Jubal was a former SEAL. Frigid water swimming was something he did, even liked, according to Josh. It was included in Ranger training, but not to the extent of what the SEALs did. To Travis, it had been the worst part of training. Why swim in icy water if you didn’t have to? Pain for pain’s sake did not appeal to him.
Still, a little pain right now might knock some sense into him.
He didn’t have a suit with him, but he cut the legs off a pair of jeans. He certainly didn’t want to be arrested for indecent exposure, even if he doubted anyone would see him at this time of night. Still...he was the guest of the mayor’s husband.
He selected the newest pair of jeans rather than the oldest. The oldest were more comfortable. He found a pair of scissors and hacked off the legs, wondering as he did so whether he’d lost his mind in even thinking about taking Jenny with him next week.
Seven days of temptation, and it would be temptation.
But the look in her eyes when she told him about the bombing made it impossible for him to say no. He hadn’t experienced the worst effects of PTSD, although there was the occasional nightmare. But he’d seen enough in rehab to know how it ravaged lives. He had no doubt that she had it.
It was eleven. The temperature was around seventy degrees, with a cooling breeze.
He walked to the lake and plunged in.
He froze at first, but then his body grew accustomed to it, and his strokes warmed his body. His bad foot didn’t matter. His missing fingers were inconsequential. He concentrated on each stroke, reached halfway and turned back.
When Travis got to shore, he toweled off, understanding now why Josh and Jubal recommended the swim. He had some measure of control back. Travis moved as quickly as he could back to the cabin as the breeze strengthened. He would call Josh and Jubal in the morning about Jenny’s request. He would express no opinion on it except, maybe, a lack of enthusiasm.
* * *
JENNY WOKE WITH a jerk. She panicked for a moment, uncertain as to where she was. Then, slowly, everything came into focus, and she remembered. Covenant Falls was a safe place, probably the most peaceful she’d ever visited. She looked at the clock. It was a few minutes past six.
She tested her arm. It was still a little sore, but far better than the night before. She pulled on her jeans and a clean T-shirt, ran a brush through her hair, brushed her teeth and grabbed her laptop before leaving the room.
As promised, hot coffee and pastries were available in the lobby. Jenny picked up a mug and filled it. Black coffee was her lifeblood, and she took an appreciative sip. Then she looked around. The room was empty, except for an older woman behind the desk.
She walked over to her. “Am I the first up?” she asked.
“Yes. That means you get first choice of the pastries. They were baked last night. I recommend the cinnamon rolls,” the woman said. “I’m Mary Reid, assistant manager.”
“I’m happy to see that Susan isn’t here twenty-four hours.”
“She has been at times.”
Jenny grabbed one of the rolls. How could an inn feel so much like a home? Or was it just warmer than her own home had been? The employees seemed to adopt their visitors rather than just serve them. Several tables and chairs had been placed in the lobby, and she took a seat.
She opened up her laptop. News was her drug. She usually kept a television on an all-news station as well as trolling the internet several times a day. She was often doing something else at the same time, such as shoulder exercises, reading or writing. But she always kept one eye on the news.
Not since she arrived in Covenant Falls, though. It was weird. Out of character. And yet, she didn’t care. It was like being in some kind of Neverland for the hard-driving realist she’d been these past few years.
She finished her coffee and refilled the mug. Then she tasted the cinnamon roll and thought she’d died and gone to heaven. She thanked Mary and took the coffee and another pastry to her room to watch the news. Time to get back to normal.
She was anxious. Would Jubal, whom she’d never met, veto her inclusion on the trip? Would she have a chance to plead her case? Or would Travis veto it himself when he rethought it?
She finished the cinnamon roll and then did her shoulder exercises while watching the news. Her shoulder ached more than usual, but at least she could use it.
She was pretty sure she could still ride a horse.
Her phone rang.
“Hope I didn’t wake you,” Eve said.
“No. I’m an early riser.”
“I suspected as much. Plans have changed. Instead of a ride at my house, how about taking it at Jubal’s ranch today? If that’s okay with you, I’ll pick you up at eleven and drive you there.”
Jenny was stunned and then elated. In addition to needing his approval for the trip, Jubal Pierce would make a great story subject. “Sounds good,” she said, trying to contain her excitement, although a small voice inside said it was a test.
“Wear jeans,” Eve said. “And some kind of boots or laced shoes if you have them.”
“Can do,” Jenny replied.
“Great. See you at eleven.” Eve hung up.
Then Jenny called her mother to say she might be on the road for a while. Before her injury, she’d gone months without contacting her family. But during her stay at her parents’ house, she’d noticed how hard her mother had tried to connect with her.
“Why don’t you come back?” her mother said. “I miss you. It was so nice having you here for a while.”
Maybe for her mother, not so much her father. In the weeks she’d spent there, he’d been gone ninety percent of the time and had little time for her when he was present—except to tell her she’d brought her wounds on herself. “I have to get back to work,” Jenny said.
“We can give you money if that’s the problem,” her mother said.
“I’m fine,” Jenny said. “My shoulder is better, and I’m working on several stories.”
“Well...if you’re sure...” Her voice trailed off.
“I am, but thanks for offering.”
“You’re my youngest. If you need anything...”
She heard the ache of loneliness in her mother’s voice, and it ripped into her heart. “I know,” she said softly. “And I’ll be back to see you in a few weeks.” Maybe, she thought, she’d been selfish not to notice her mother’s unhappiness. Was it new? Or had it been there twelve years ago when she finished college and took off on her own? She’d felt so alienated then, after years of criticism from her father and little or no support from her mother. She hung up the phone and glanced at the clock. It was nearly nine thirty. She went out to the lobby.
Susan was back at the desk. “Good morning.”
“I’m off to the General Store. Can I get riding boots there?”
“You certainly can.”
“Is it just a general store or is it named General Store?”
“The latter,” Susan said with a smile.
Jenny had noticed the store earlier and knew how to get there. It was a cool morning, with wispy clouds floating through a deep blue sky. It was going to be a good day. She sauntered rather than walking briskly. She wasn’t in a hurry, and it was a sheer pleasure to smell the scent of pine and look up at the mountains. She noted everything around her. The houses in this neighborhood were modest but well-tended. Grass was mowed, house exteriors painted.
She passed a drug store, a clinic and Maude’s, which looked full. She thought about going into the restaurant, but she was still full of cinnamon rolls. She passed up the temptation and found the General Store.
Inside, she wandered to the clothing racks in the back and selected a wash-and-wear red skirt and a white short-sleeved blouse, along with a red sweater for chilly nights.
A woman approached her. “I’m Heather. Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for some footwear. I have a horseback riding lesson today, and all I have is a pair of sandals and some canvas sneakers.”
“Where are you going?” Heather asked.
“Jubal Pierce’s ranch.”
“Ah...you must be the reporter.”
She tried to figure out how the clerk knew. “I’m a reporter,” she said good-naturedly. “I don’t know if I’m the reporter.”
Heather grinned. “You must be. Word is a reporter is in town. No mention of two. News travels fast around here. But let’s solve your problem. You really need boots, especially if you keep on riding.”
Now that was an interesting assumption. “I don’t know if I will,” she said, “but I’d like to look at them.” If she was going to be walking around ranches, she would need something tougher than the footwear she’d brought with her. She was certainly familiar with boots. She’d often worn army surplus boots in the Mideast.
Heather led her over to a sizable shoe and boot area. Jenny was impressed at the variety.
Heather asked her size, and then she selected three different styles of boots. “I would suggest paddock boots rather than tall riding boots. They’re less expensive, more versatile and a lot easier to put on because they zip up.”
Jenny eyed an elegant pair of riding boots, tall with supple leather and an engraved Western pattern, but realized immediately that buying them would be foolish. In addition to being awkward to carry, she might be wearing them only once. They were also three-times more expensive than the paddock boots.
She had to watch her money. She had savings, but she knew how fast they could run out. It was essential to sell some stories, both for income and to keep her name out there.
“I’ll take the paddock boots,” she said after trying them on.
“A good decision since you’re just beginning,” Heather said. “Both Luke and Jubal are good instructors. My daughter is going to them. They have adjoining ranches, you know. Jubal teaches beginning riders and Luke teaches advanced ones.”
“Is Luke a veteran, too?” she asked.
“Yup, Vietnam. We have loads of veterans, one going back as far as World War II. He’s in his ’90s.”
Before long, Jenny was going to have to expand her mental file cabinet. Possible stories were crowding inside.
“Luke’s wife also teaches and is a well-known barrel racing coach,” Heather continued. “She’s won several barrel racing championships.”
Jenny couldn’t wait to get back to the inn and jot down notes on her iPad. She finished shopping and left the store with the boots plus some additional clothes she might need on a road trip, including a nice skirt and blouse along with an additional pair of jeans and a checkered shirt for riding. She still had some time before Eve was to pick her up. She only hoped she wouldn’t make a complete fool of herself and fall off the horse. Or was Jubal Pierce waiting for an excuse to say no?
She saw the veterinarian office and remembered from last night that the vet had gone on a search-and-rescue mission. She wondered how it turned out.
When she tried the door, it opened. A bell rang, and a pretty young girl came from the back.
“Is the veterinarian in?”
“Stephanie?”
Jenny nodded, noting how the girl didn’t include the title Doctor or Stephanie’s last name. Everyone in Covenant Falls seemed amazingly casual with titles.
“Yes.”
“She didn’t get back until early this morning. She’s sleeping. I’m Beth Malloy, her vet tech. Can I help you?”
“No, thanks. I was passing and thought I’d like to meet her. I’ve heard a lot about Dr. Phillips. Did the search go well?”
“Yes. They found the woman alive. She took a wrong turn in the mountains, ran out of gas and started walking. She’d wandered way off the road. She should have stayed with the car. It’s usually easier to locate. I’ll tell Stephanie you came by.”
Jenny thanked her and headed back to the inn. She changed into a clean pair of jeans, the new shirt and the new boots. She reached the inn’s entrance just as Eve drove up.
“Hi,” Jenny said as she got into the car.
Eve nodded with approval as she surveyed her clothes.
“Heather helped me,” Jenny explained. “She recommended the boots.”
“She has an unerring instinct with customers,” Eve said. “She and her husband own the store. He does the business part. She selects the inventory.”
“And they’re still married?” Jenny exclaimed.
“Oh, yes, they adore each other.”
Damn, what was it about Covenant Falls that kept turning all her beliefs on their head?
She changed the subject. “Tell me about Jubal Pierce.”
“Doesn’t talk much, but he’s a good instructor. He’s great with kids. Not so sure about reporters,” Eve added with a grin. “But he just got engaged to the town doctor, so he might be more mellow.”
A challenge? Well, she liked challenges. They were what drove her—always had and probably always would. She would be darned if she allowed her injury or PTSD to stop her.