Beau
“Ooh, omelets. Can I get in on one?” I said as I walked into the kitchen. My mom was standing next to the stove, flipping an omelet. She looked back at me with a warm smile.
“Sure, but this one is for Olivia. I’ll make you one after.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re welcome, dear. The usual?”
“Yep. Cheese, bacon, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms.”
“What, nothing else?” She grinned.
“Very funny. I’ll put the bread in the toaster. Does Olivia want any?”
“She does,” she said. “She should be back in a moment. She went to change, and Lucy went to tell her something, I guess.”
“Okay.” I turned to Arya and Eloise, who were eating at the kitchen table. “Morning. How are you ladies today?”
“Fine, thank you,” Arya said with a small smile. “Also, Beau, I just wanted to apologize once again. Your family has been—”
“Stop.” I held my hand up. “Don’t even apologize. It’s not your fault, and you were desperate. Eloise is a beautiful girl, and she deserves to know her dad. If I was her dad, I would want to know about her.”
“Where is my daddy?” Eloise asked.
Arya’s eyes widened. “I’m not sure, Eloise,” she said softly.
“Where’s my mommy, Auntie Arya? When is she coming back?” Arya looked pained. My mom hurried over to the table.
“Hey, Eloise, I have a secret surprise for you.”
“Oh?” she said. “What’s that?”
“I was thinking that we could go into town and we could buy you a doll and maybe a dollhouse and—”
“Oh, no.” Araya shook her head. “You really shouldn’t. She doesn’t need it, and I don’t know that I could afford that right now. I’m sorry.”
“It’s on me,” my mom said. “Don’t even think about it.”
“But I’m not sure where we’d put a dollhouse.”
My mom sat down in the chair next to them and grabbed Araya’s hands. “I hope you know that my husband and I and all our sons and everyone in the home would like for you to stay until you figure everything out. You and Eloise are more than welcome here.”
“I really couldn’t stay.” She paused. I could see tears welling in her eyes. “Thank you so much for the offer, but you don’t even know me. Oh, I feel horrible. I shouldn’t have stayed.”
“I didn’t mean to say it to make you feel bad. I’m sure Beau here can find some work for you on the ranch so you don’t feel like you’re taking advantage of us, which of course we wouldn’t think anyway.”
Arya looked at me hopefully. “Oh, is there some work that I could do? I’d love to earn my keep. I just need to be able to get back on my feet again and get Eloise into a kindergarten program—”
“Of course.” I nodded. “We’ll find something for you. We have plenty of jobs here on the ranch.” I beamed at my mom. She was such a warm, welcoming, and loving person, and I knew I was lucky to have been raised by her. Then my stomach growled and everyone laughed, even Eloise. “I guess I’m hungry.”
“I guess you are.” My mom nodded. “Well, I’ll be making your omelet in just a little bit.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
At that moment, Olivia walked into the kitchen with Lucy. Her hair was freshly washed, but the sad look on her face concerned me.
“You okay?” I said.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you.” She smiled at me and then looked around the kitchen. “Oh, the omelet looks absolutely wonderful, Amelia. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. Beau was just about to make some toast too.”
“Thank you.”
“No worries,” I said. “Would you like white, sourdough, whole wheat, or a bagel?”
“Wow. I feel like I’m in a restaurant. So many options.”
“My mom does a lot of shopping.” I laughed. “She keeps Costco in business.”
“No, I don’t, Beau. You’re starting to sound like your father.”
“Well, it’s true,” I said.
“I think I’ll just have whole wheat, please,” Olivia answered.
“Sounds good. And you’re sure you only want one slice?”
“Yeah. Just one will do, thank you.” Olivia grabbed the plate that my mom handed her and walked over and sat at the table. I put the bread into the toaster and waited.
“Arya,” my mom asked, “do you mind looking after this omelet for me for just a few minutes? I need to talk to Beau about something.”
“Oh, of course. I’d love to.” Arya jumped up from the table and went to the stove.
“Can we go to the study, Beau?” Mom was smiling, but her eyes looked more serious than normal.
“Of course,” I said and nodded. We left the kitchen and headed to the study. Mom closed the door behind her and took my hand.
“We should sit for this.”
“What’s going on, Mom?”
“I’m going to tell you something.” She sighed as we sat down on the small couch that was in the room.
“Mom, you’re scaring me.”
“It’s about your father and me. Well, we—”
“Oh my God. You’re not getting a divorce, Mom. You can’t get a divorce. You’re in love.”
“No.” She frowned. “Why would you think we’re getting a divorce?”
“I don’t know. When parents come to you talking like this, well, it’s normally about a divorce.”
“We’re not getting divorced, Beau. Don’t worry. But your father told you that we’re going to Seattle, right?”
“Yeah, but what for? He wouldn’t tell me why.”
“He doesn’t want you to know. He doesn’t want any of you boys to know, but I think you should. You’re the oldest and I’m going to need your support.”
“Mom, what’s going on?” The hairs on the back of my neck prickled as a sense of uneasiness swept over me.
Tears started flowing down Mom’s cheeks, and she wiped them away quickly. “We’re going to a hospital in Seattle. You cannot tell anyone. Your dad doesn’t want anyone to know. You understand?” Her voice cracked as she spoke.
I nodded gravely.
“Your dad needs a stent in his heart. He has heart issues.” She broke down crying. I pulled her into my arms and just let her sob. We sat there for what must have been ten minutes, with her just crying while I rubbed her back.
I could tell her heart was breaking, and I knew this was probably the first time she’d allowed herself to cry. She was strong, and I was sure she hadn’t wanted my dad to see how anxious she was.
She finally pulled back and looked at me. She held my face in her hands and gazed at me. “Oh, Beau, you are such a support to me and your father. You are such a good son. I mean, all of you boys are, but you have really taken on the responsibility of Horseshoe Ranch, and I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Mom. And of course, I will always be here for you and for Dad. And also the ranch and every single worker.” My voice cracked as I stared at her. “How dangerous is the surgery? Is Dad going to die?”
“It’s a pretty commonplace procedure,” she said quietly, “but there are always risks. Your dad’s left ventricle—” She sobbed again. “I’m sorry. It’s hard for me to talk about this, but his heart isn’t in the best shape, and they’re going to do everything they can to help.”
“Does he need a heart transplant?”
“No.” She shook her head. “But he does have to watch what he eats now, and he needs to ensure he exercises. There’s also a possibility that he has diabetes. Oh, Beau, I’m just so frightened. He’s my life.”
“I know, Mom.” I rubbed the back of her hair. “But he’ll be okay. He’s Dad. He’s Ranger Hamilton.”
She sniffed a little. “I can still remember the first time I met him, you know. I fell in love with him at first sight.”
“And he’s still here. He’s not going anywhere.”
She squeezed my hands. “You’re a good boy, and I didn’t want to worry you, but it’s a serious procedure, and in case something doesn’t go right, I needed you to know. Please don’t tell your brothers. They’ll only worry and that will upset your father.”
“I won’t tell anyone, Mom. I promise.”
“Thank you, son. Now, we better get back to the kitchen. I’m sure Arya’s finished your omelet, and it’ll be getting cold.”
“I don’t care about my omelet.”
“But you still have to eat your breakfast. Remember, no one can know.”
“I know.” I sighed, and we stood up and walked toward the door.
“Olivia’s a nice woman,” Mom murmured. “Did you have fun riding this morning? Did she enjoy the horses?”
“She was a natural.” I smiled, glad to change the subject. “It was like she’d been riding for years.”
“You like her, don’t you?”
“She’s nice.” I shrugged. “I’m not really sure what you mean.”
“It’s okay.” She patted my shoulder. “Your father was that way in the beginning, and so was Austin.”
“What are you talking about? This isn’t the same as you and Dad or even Austin and Lucy. This is a very different situation, believe me.”
“Of course it is, Beau.” She laughed. “Well, let’s get back to the kitchen, and then you and Olivia are going onto the property, right?”
“Yeah. She’s going to give me some ideas for the cabins we’re planning on building.”
“That will be nice,” she said. “And you’re doing a good thing, you know, helping her like that.”
“How am I helping her?”
“With her career goals,” she said with a soft smile. “She wants to be an interior decorator, right?”
“Yeah, but she’s talented. That’s why I’m having her help. She obviously knows how to design and decorate. She presents herself well. She dresses nicely. She—”
“Son”—she smiled—“you don’t have to explain to me. I trust you, and I trust Olivia. She’s a very astute and kind woman.” She nodded to herself. “She’s a good girl. I like her a lot.”
“Well, thanks, Mom. That’s good to know. I’ll be sure to pass on the word to Olivia.”
“If she’s Lucy’s best friend,” Mom added, “she has to be a good one, right?”
“I guess so.” As we entered the kitchen again, Olivia looked up at me and then over at my mother. There was a curious expression on her face, but I just nodded at her before heading toward Arya at the stove.
“Your omelet.” She gave me a warm smile. “It might be a little lukewarm, but I covered it so that it didn’t get cold.”
“No worries,” I said. “I appreciate it.”
“And I’ve got the toast on the table,” Olivia spoke up. “I made whole wheat for you as well. I hope that’s okay.”
“Sounds good to me.” I grabbed the plate and went and sat at the table opposite Olivia. “I hope you’re not feeling too sore from the ride,” I said, giving her a small wink, and she blushed.
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“Ready to go and check out the area near the river later?”
“Yeah, I am.” She lowered her voice and leaned forward. “Is everything okay?”
Mom was right. Olivia was very astute, and I could see the care and concern in her eyes.
“Everything’s fine,” I said brusquely. There was a weird feeling between us, like we’d known each other for years. We were comfortable, and she almost felt like my partner in the way that she asked me those questions. But she wasn’t, and I couldn’t allow her to think that, either.
I focused on my parents. I was going to have to be strong now. I was going to have to hold it together. The responsibility was piling on top of my shoulders. I was devastated at what my mom had told me, but I couldn’t break down. I had to be the strong one for her.
But what if my dad died? What if I never got to see him again? What if I never got to throw a football with him again? What if we never went fishing again? What if this was it? I couldn’t stand to think about it, but I had to be strong—for myself, for the family, and for Horseshoe Ranch. The only one that I could depend on was myself, because that’s all I had. Everything rested on my shoulders. I had to be hard as rock. And if that’s what I had to be, then that’s what I would be.
“You know, I think I’m going to take this to the living room,” I said, standing up with my plate. “I need to do some work, and I don’t need any distractions right now.” I left the room without looking at anyone directly.
I had to be away from Olivia. I just couldn’t be around her. I couldn’t look into her big, beautiful brown eyes. I couldn’t stare at her body, lusting over her, not now. Not in this situation. Not when there was so much I needed to do.