A few cars rolled through town, their windows down and music blaring from CD players. There was no radio reception out here. Allie stood beside Rick and Betsy on the sidewalk as the few pedestrians walked around them. The Siderses were smiling with triumph.
Allie wanted to hurt them.
All the plans, the excitement of the last few days, blew away like tumbleweeds. She’d tried so hard not to let this happen. The last thing Betsy needed was to be in the middle of this turmoil. She’d made such progress the last month, and Allie couldn’t bear to see it slip away.
“We’d like to take Betsy to dinner,” Erika said. “Is there any place to eat in this one-horse town?”
“The drugstore has milk shakes and hamburgers,” Rick said. “And there’s a small café. But we can’t let you take Betsy. To tell you the truth, I’m not convinced you wouldn’t just get her in the car and keep driving.”
Erika’s fair skin lit with pink. “Please. What do you think we are?” She held up her hand. “Don’t answer that. It’s obvious.” She turned her gaze on Allie. “Surely you won’t deny us the opportunity to spend some time with Betsy.”
Allie had never wanted to deny them the right to see their granddaughter. Betsy was all they had left of Jon, but their actions had altered the situation. “I can’t let you take her. But you can join us for supper at the ranch.”
Erika’s brown eyes, so like Jon’s, softened as they studied Allie’s face. “That will do. Can I bring anything? And what hotel should we stay in?”
“There isn’t a hotel in the area,” Rick said.
Erika’s face clouded. “Where is the nearest?”
“Twenty miles.” Rick jabbed his finger to the north. “That way.”
Allie’s conscience was beginning to bother her. They’d come all this way to fight for Betsy. No child could get too much love. She’d do the best she could to be friendly and encouraging. Maybe they could resolve this out of court.
“You don’t need to bring anything,” she told Erika.
Hugh took his wife’s arm. “We’ll go see about that hotel.”
His tone had softened too. Now that the urgency of the moment had passed, everyone seemed to be taking a step back and thinking about their reactions. Allie took heart. Maybe they could find their way through this amicably.
Once Jon’s parents got in their car and drove away, Rick said, “Our first counseling meeting is in a few minutes. You up for it?”
Not really. Allie just nodded. She felt too upset to deal with anything else, but Rick had gone to all the trouble to set this up, and he was trying so hard.
“Grady lives just down the street by the church. We can walk.” Rick hefted Betsy to his shoulders.
Allie followed him down the street. The day had turned warm, at least ninety even though it was late March. Rick turned up the walk of a two-story stone house that had vines growing up the sides. A welcome wreath decorated the cheery red door, and a scarecrow made out of the same vines stood beside the entrance.
The scent of honeysuckle wafted their way from somewhere. Rick pressed the doorbell, and a pretty blond with uncontrollable curls opened the door.
“Rick! I’ve missed you.” She patted him on the arm and looked up at Betsy on Rick’s shoulders. “You must be Betsy. I’ve got a little girl about your age. Her name is Courtney. She’s been looking forward to playing with you.”
“Allie, this is Dolly O’Sullivan,” Rick said.
Dolly turned her bright smile on Allie, then hugged her. “Don’t stand on the doorstep. I’ve been dying to meet the woman who managed to snatch Rick from the open market. I’m usually in the church nursery and don’t always get to meet the visitors.” She stood aside to allow them to enter.
A little girl with fiery red hair and big hazel eyes stood in the hallway. Her gaze went to Betsy, and she smiled. Betsy smiled back as Rick set her on the floor.
“Say hello, Courtney,” Dolly said.
“Hi,” Courtney said. “I made a fort in my room. You want to see it?”
Betsy nodded, and Courtney took her hand. The two girls went down the hall. Allie stared after them. Betsy hadn’t had a friend her own age to play with in ages. Could that make a difference?
She realized with a start that Dolly had been speaking to her. “I’m sorry?”
“I wondered if you’d like some coffee or tea?”
“Tea would be great.”
“Iced or hot?”
“Iced today. Can I help you fix it?”
“No, no, come on into the living room.” Dolly led the way to a large living room with overstuffed furniture.
Watercolors decorated the walls, and baskets of flowers were on every table, along with small wooden handcrafts. Some held eucalyptus, and the entrancing scent filled the room. The tables were all distressed wood, washed in white. A very country-looking place, warm and inviting.
Allie sank onto a sofa that threatened to swallow her. “This is lovely. I love the pictures.”
“She painted them,” a man said, stepping into the room through a swinging door that had small handprints painted on the white surface. “She’s always dabbling in something.” He beamed proudly at his wife, then approached Allie with his hand out. “Hello, Allie. It’s good to see you again.”
Allie shook his hand. “You did a good job with the mare. I think she’s going to make it.” The guy exuded confidence. With his help, maybe their marriage would make it too. “And I enjoyed the message last week.”
“Thanks. It’s good to have you in church.” He shook Rick’s hand and slapped him on the shoulder. “Cowboy, how could you get married behind my back? You surprised me, bucko.” He settled into a recliner. “We can talk in here as easy as my office. It’s probably more comfortable.”
Rick’s bulk sank onto the sofa beside Allie, and the depression rolled her toward him. He put his arm around her shoulders. The warmth of his body soaked into her like sunshine. It felt good to be cared for. She could get used to it.
Grady folded his arms. “We’ve got a lot to discuss. You two are basically strangers, isn’t that right?”
Allie nodded, though Rick felt anything but a stranger now. His presence had quickly grown to be a comfort and a thrill at the same time.
“There are all sorts of potential landmines ahead,” Grady said. “You need to work out how you’ll handle things like conflicts over money, childrearing, housekeeping, even watching TV.” He grinned and nodded at Rick. “In case you haven’t realized it yet, Cowboy here is a sports nut. He’d watch any sport on TV until he turned into a turnip.”
“I’ve noticed,” she said.
Rick grinned. “Hey, she’s got her quirks too. I just have to figure out what they are.”
“I’ve got a form for you to fill out. We’ll start with that. I want you to list your likes and dislikes, your pet peeves, your faults. There are also some questions for you to answer about how you were raised. We’ll identify the trouble spots and talk them out over the next few weeks.”
Allie thought she might actually enjoy it until she saw Rick exchange a long look with Grady. She knew so little about her new husband, but it looked like there might be something in his past he didn’t want her to know. If it had to do with the scars on his back, she felt only sympathy.
It was all going to come out. Rick knew he didn’t have a snowball’s chance of keeping it from her. And even if he could, he knew he shouldn’t if he wanted the marriage to work. Still, anticipating having to tell her, he wanted to stop at the Long Branch and get a tall cold one.
Some days he got tired of fighting the desire to drink. He could give in, let the liquor numb the pain and guilt that gnawed at him every day of his life. God had forgiven him, but he couldn’t forgive himself, and the whiskey helped him forget it.
He shoved the thoughts away, refusing to entertain them. Staying sober meant keeping his thoughts positive.
Allie didn’t have much to say as they started for home. He pointed the truck to the hills between town and the ranch. The truck felt a little sluggish, and he made a mental note to give it a tune-up. It was overdue.
Spring this year had been lush so far. Cactus and wildflowers bloomed along the roadside as far as he could see. The tension eased from his shoulders. He took his right hand off the wheel and stretched it across the seat, his arm brushing the top of Betsy’s head, letting his fingers tangle in Allie’s hair.
She turned and smiled at him. Then it happened.
The truck lurched to the right, and he saw the front right wheel go rolling off into the ditch. The screech of metal on pavement nearly deafened him. The vehicle careened toward the embankment, and as he fought the wheel, jamming on the brakes to no avail, he heard Allie scream.
The truck tilted to the right, and he prayed that it wouldn’t roll. Allie’s door would be crushed in. The wheel bucked and jerked in his hands like a wild bull. The scenery rushed past, but he managed to keep the truck on the road as he sent a shout up to God for help.
Dead Gulch Curve was just up ahead. The road tilted to the right, and the vehicle with it. Rick wrenched the truck to the left, then saw an SUV coming toward him in the opposite lane. He veered back to the right, and the vehicle roared toward the ditch.
A large boulder jutted out from the rock face into the drop-off. He wasn’t going to be able to miss it.
“Hang on!”With his foot buried in the brake pedal, he aimed for a glancing blow. From the corner of his eye, he saw sparks fly up from the right front end.
The truck slammed into the boulder in what seemed like slow motion. Allie flung out her arm to protect Betsy, and Rick’s right arm did the same. Their hands locked across the little girl as the cab crumpled like a candy wrapper and folded in accordion style.
The three of them rocked forward, and he heard Allie’s head strike the glass, a sickening sound that made him tighten his fingers on hers. The silence after the wild ride was eerie. The only sound was the engine ticking as it cooled. Then the horn began to blare in a nightmarish, never-ending alarm.
“Allie? You okay?” Rick’s gaze touched Betsy, who was sobbing and touching her mother’s arm, trying to shake her. His attention moved on to his wife. His gut clenched when he saw the bright splash of blood on the window, and the way it had shattered to a star.
Her eyes were closed, and blood ran down her face from a cut on her forehead. “Allie?” He reached over Betsy and touched her face. Her eyes still didn’t open.
Digging out his cell phone, he dialed 9-1-1, but even as he reported the accident, he knew he’d have to help her now. It would take an ambulance forever to get here.
The SUV in the opposite lane had stopped as well, and a man leaped out and jogged over to Rick’s truck. “You okay?”
“My wife is hurt,” Rick said through his shattered window. He was trying not to panic and wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
“I’m a physician’s assistant. Let me take a look at her.” The man went around to the other side of the truck and tugged on the door. “It’s stuck. I’ll have to come in from your side.” The man moved back to Rick’s door and opened it with Rick’s help.
Rick unfastened Betsy’s seat belt and pulled her out with him. The other driver crawled inside the truck, and Rick began to pray.