With about an hour of sleep the previous night, Beth threw herself into work Friday, determined to let go of thoughts about Bill Sampson or Lang Dillon. Thinking about Bill made her heart ache with loss and emptiness. Thinking about Lang brought fear and confusion at what she would feel next week when he pulled out of town. What had happened to her quiet, predictable world?
At one, she told Ruthie she was closing the office door and taking a nap. “Otherwise, I’ll never be able to cope with the onslaught of all the Morgans tonight.”
“I hear you, sis. I’m going to be harvesting and weeding the herb gardens all afternoon, so I’ll ward people off if I see anyone headed your way.”
Beth gave her sister a weary smile. “Thanks, partner.”
Kyle Morgan’s flight from Boston arrived in Tucson just before noon, and his mother picked him up, immediately peppering him with questions about school and his future. He was midway through Veterinary School in Montana and was thinking ahead to residencies and maybe a transfer for his final years. His mother, of course, was always begging him to come south, but truth be told, he had grown fond of the Boston during his undergraduate years and was thinking of moving back east. He had friends along the coast and he loved the beaches and the craggy beauty of the Vermont and New Hampshire mountains. What the mountain ranges lacked in height and breadth in comparison to the west, they made up for in verdant forests, pristine trails, and the Appalachian Mountain Club huts, where he had worked as crew one summer.
Kyle, Sam, and Ben Morgan looked almost like triplets with their dark hair and brown eyes. Kyle was the shortest of the three. Ben and Sam were both six-four, but Sam, the architect, had the build of the long-distance runner he was, while Kyle and Ben were broad-shouldered and all lean muscle.
“So, what’s new around the ranch?” he asked as they headed down the Gila, about ten miles from home.
“Same old, same old. Harley and Ben are organizing a ten-day pack trip for a group of executives from Houston. I believe it’s a team-building adventure for them, but we know how those sometimes turn out. The farm’s growing every day. Your sisters and Raoul do an incredible job there. Dad and I are making final plans for our trip. I can’t believe it’s coming up in less than two weeks.”
“How’s he feeling?”
“Terrific, never better. He’s been able to relax with Ben back, which helps. I’m hoping to lure Robbie home soon. Why waste his talents in Sedona when he could be here, leading wilderness adventures for us?”
There’s something to be said for escape, Kyle thought, but he smiled at his mother. “How’re Ben, Maggie, and Emma liking their new house?”
“Wait till you see it. It’s gorgeous. Have you talked to your brother recently?”
“No, why?”
“Well, he has some news, but I won’t spoil it. Let him tell you.”
Pregnant, Kyle guessed, but he did not press her. “How’s my girl, Emma?”
“Thriving. Wait’ll you see her. Only has a slight limp, and she’s grown so much. It’s the only worry I have about the trip. I’ll miss my granddaughter terribly, but I don’t know what your father’s going to do. He’ll probably insist we cut the trip short. He’s crazy about Emma, spends part of every day with her.”
“Can’t wait to see her. Is big brother gonna take over all Dad’s schmoozing duties at the Lodge?”
“Some, but believe it or not, he’s grooming Ruthie for some of it. She’s bored in the evenings and likes talking with people. Bought some cute cocktail dresses, too.”
“Oh, boy, the tourists don’t know what they’re in for.”
“Hush, now, and don’t you go teasing her about it. She’s excited and needs a project.”
“No progress with her and Harley?”
“Oh, please, that man wouldn’t know how to woo a chicken! He’s the most exasperating person. Too handsome for his own good.”
“How’re Beth and Bill? Any wedding bells yet?”
“Oh, dear, I thought your dad or Ben would have called you. Horrible situation.” Leonora turned her Escalade into the ranch driveway.
“What’s the matter?”
“Well, it turns out that Bill Sampson is a bit of a cad. Beth discovered him with another woman, poor dear. In their bed, no less. She’s devastated, of course.”
“And he’s still alive?”
“That will not help the situation, darlin’. Your father and brother have already threatened to kill him. Harley, too, I believe.”
“Good. It can be a joint effort.”
“No, it cannot! Oh, look who’s on the porch. Sam! I didn’t expect him until late this afternoon. Oh, dear, he probably doesn’t know about poor Beth, either. And here’s your father, too.”
Ben Senior drove in and parked the truck beside her. Leonora and Kyle alighted. He grabbed his bags and greeted Sam and their father. Carmela had set a tray of iced tea, glasses, and a plate of cookies out on the front porch table, so Kyle threw his bags in the house, and they all chatted happily, catching up on life and the news about Beth.
Ben Senior grinned from ear to ear, always happiest when his family was together. As he sipped his tea, he wondered if the trip was a good idea. Maybe we should postpone to be here for Bethie? He was already missing Emma, and they weren’t leaving until next month. He loved listening to the banter of his boys as their mother endeavored to rein them in. When the subject came round to the fate they had planned for Bill, he finally spoke. “I’m hoping Lang Dillon might just take her mind off that Sampson fella. Never good enough for her, anyway.”
“Lang Dillon?” Sam stared at his father. “What does he have to do with it?”
“Nothing,” his mother said, voice emphatic. “They’re just friends.”
“Friends or not, they’ve seen a bit of each other,” Ben Senior said. “Good thing, too. She needs distracting.”
“Has he moved back to the Valley?”
“No, he leaves next week,” Leonora said. “Which is why we are not making more of this.”
Unsatisfied, Sam turned to his father, who shrugged. Ben Senior knew better than to contradict his Nora, especially right before a family dinner.
As Sam resolved to ask his older brother and Maggie about the situation, he gazed down the drive, spying his two sisters in Beth’s truck.