SUNDAY MORNING, PETE TOOK ANNA INTO TOWN. Sam stayed at the ranch with his dad for moral support. With a backhoe, it didn’t take long to finish the unpleasant task of burying Shiloh’s Thunder. Chet and Sam were back at the house before the rest of the family returned from church.
After washing up, Chet poured himself a cup of coffee while Sam made himself a ham sandwich. Then they both sat at the table. For a short while, there were no sounds in the kitchen other than the soft tick of the wall clock, the crunch of lettuce as Sam ate his sandwich, and an occasional slurp of coffee. Before long Chet’s thoughts turned again to Kimberly and the increasing attraction he felt for her. Common sense fled. He wanted to be with her, and it no longer mattered to him that her intention was to leave Kings Meadow.
Suddenly, Sam said, “You need to ask her out, Dad.”
“What?” He looked up, startled.
“You need to ask Mrs. Welch out on a date.”
“Because you like her.” Sam’s tone implied his father was rowing a boat with only one oar in the water.
“Not sure liking her is enough, Son.”
“Maybe not. But it’s a good place to start.”
Chet shook his head. “I tried dating again. Remember? It didn’t work out.”
“Come on, Dad. That wasn’t the same thing. You were still hoping Mom would come back to us, even after the divorce was final. But she didn’t come back and she’s never going to. She’s gone for good. Now you’re ready to move on, to start over. It isn’t wrong for you to want to find somebody to love you.”
It was a bit strange, being lectured about dating and marriage and love by his son. Chet took another sip of coffee before replying, “Things are different at my age than yours.”
“Yeah, you’re right. They are different. You’re smarter. You understand more ’cause you’ve lived longer.”
If Chet was smarter, if he understood more, would his marriage have failed? Would Marsha still have abandoned him and their sons, turned her back on God, walked away and not even bothered to send birthday cards or make the occasional phone call?
“Pete and I talked about it last night, Dad. We think you oughta ask Mrs. Welch out. We like her too.”
Oh, great! Not just a lecture. His teenage sons were plotting behind his back, as well. Pushing him in a direction he wasn’t sure he wanted to go.
But that wasn’t true. He did want to go in that direction. He’d admitted that to himself only moments ago.
“Ask her, Dad. The worst that can happen is she’ll turn you down.”
No, there was something worse than that. She could say yes. He could lose his heart to her. And then she could leave, go back to Seattle or some other big city, like she’d said she wanted. Could he recover if he fell in love with Kimberly and then she left Kings Meadow? If he was determined to date, wouldn’t it be better to ask someone who wanted to stay in this valley?
Except he didn’t want to try to find another woman. He wanted Kimberly in his life.
“I’ll think about it,” he said after a lengthy silence. “Now, let’s drop it.”
Sam grinned as he took his sandwich in both hands. “Sure thing, Dad.”
“HEY, KIMMIE,” JANET CALLED FROM THE LIVING room. “Come look at this.”
Seated on a chaise longue in the shade of the patio, Kimberly set aside the book she’d been reading and rose to her feet. “Coming.” She slid the screen door aside and entered the house.
“This is so cool.”
“What is?”
“This glamping stuff.” Janet looked up from her computer. “Your daughter is a genius to have thought of it.”
Kimberly grabbed a chair and drew it up to the small desk next to Janet’s chair. She leaned forward slightly as Janet pointed to different photographs on the screen. She remembered the excitement around the Leonards’ dinner table last night. Then she remembered something else, something that had happened later, that moment when she’d seen something in Chet’s eyes. Something she hadn’t seen in a man’s eyes for several years—desire. And her response? She remembered her response too. The flutter in her belly. The breathless anticipation. What would have happened if the vet hadn’t arrived? Would Chet have kissed her? She’d wanted him to—and the wanting frightened her.
“Look at this adorable cabin,” Janet said. “It makes me think of something you might see in the Swiss Alps.”
Kimberly suddenly felt irritable. “And when were you last in the Swiss Alps?”
Her friend leaned back in the chair and turned her full attention in Kimberly’s direction. “You’re as prickly as a porcupine.”
“Sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Janet released a sound of disbelief, half laugh, half snort.
“What was that for?”
“Kimmie, you might not know what’s wrong with you, but I do. You have feelings for a certain cowboy, and you’re scared spitless. I get it. You loved Ellis, but he kept things from you and left you in a mess when he died. He hurt and disappointed you. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let yourself fall in love again and be loved in return.”
Kimberly felt her face flame as her annoyance grew. She shot up from the chair and stormed to the patio, the chaise longue, and her book. How could Janet have said that to her?
The trouble with living with a best friend was that said best friend didn’t always respect a person’s private space. Janet followed Kimberly outside and sat on the edge of a matching chaise longue. Her gaze was gentle, which Kimberly found even more irritating. “Stop running away from life.”
“I do no such thing.”
“Spare me, girlfriend. You do too. May I remind you that it was Ellis who died. Not you.”
Kimberly sucked in a breath. “Janet!”
“Okay, that was harsh. But it’s also the truth.” Her friend pointed a finger at her. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe God sent you to Kings Meadow so you could meet Chet Leonard?”
“Well, if that’s what God wanted, He could have found an easier way to do it than taking away everything I owned and leaving us alone and destitute. Couldn’t He?”
“Maybe easy wasn’t what you needed.”
Kimberly hadn’t been this angry in a long, long while. Or this hurt.
In one swift movement, her friend shifted from her chaise longue to the edge of Kimberly’s. Janet’s expression softened, as did her voice. “Kimmie, you’re my dearest friend in all the world.” She took hold of Kimberly’s hand. “All I want is for you to be happy. You know that. But I feel like I need to shake some sense into you. Remember that line from Auntie Mame when Mame says, ‘Live! Life’s a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!’ That’s what I want to say to you. Live! Stop being so afraid of getting hurt again or being disappointed again. Take a chance. You might discover something wonderful.”
Inside the house, the telephone rang.
“Think about it.” Janet stood and went inside.
Think about it? The anger drained out of Kimberly, leaving an ache in her chest. Tears welled over and streaked her cheeks.
“The phone’s for you, Kimmie,” Janet said from the doorway.
Kimberly swiped at the tears and sniffed.
“It’s Chet Leonard.”
She felt her stomach flutter. Most poor suckers are starving to death.
“Shall I tell him to call back later?”
“No.” Kimberly sniffed again. “No, I’ll talk to him.”