THE waiting was the worst. It rarely meant good news. Jed pressed against the stall, his hands balling into fists.
“She going to make it?” he asked the vet bluntly.
Jed’s clothes were caked with dirt and grime, but he only focused on Elliot’s answer. There were few things Jed dreaded more than a sick animal.
“The worst has passed, and she’s no longer critical. We need to be careful of colic over the next week. I’ll drop by again to recheck her for that.”
Relieved, Jed scuffed the side of his boot on the ground and simply nodded. The weariness he’d been carrying began to ease. He took off his hat and pushed away the hair plastered to his forehead. The barn was hot as hell. “How’s the little guy doing?”
The newborn colt blinked rapidly at him, as if he understood. The colt had attempted to stand, shifting its neck, head, and feet, but had failed the first try. He made it to a wobbly upright position on the second.
Elliot gave him the thumbs-up, and with the crisis over, Jed walked Elliot to his pickup.
“That thing is a filthy dirty mess. You should clean your truck.”
“I was a little too busy saving your horse.”
Jed shook his head. “Bull. It’s a damn mess every time I see you.” Then he stuck out a hand. “But… er… thank you.”
Elliot laughed and bid him goodbye.
Jed massaged the hard knot in his left shoulder. If only he didn’t hurt all over, he might enjoy the quiet moment of victory. They hadn’t lost Sage, his sorrel mare, or her foal to a hard birth. Jed had owned many horses over the years, but none of them had Sage’s heart. Her colt was sure to be something.
After stripping down to his underwear in the mudroom, Jed hurried to take a lukewarm shower. He dressed in worn flannel and a pair of light blue jeans and then went into his small kitchen to make breakfast. Cooking relaxed him. He liked the process of bringing ingredients together. Some people had church or a library; Jed had his kitchen. He decided to make something easy today—just fried eggs and hash browns. Simple, but good. He couldn’t resist adding a few fresh herbs from his garden. He crumbled them over the top, admiring the color it gave his dish. Sure, nobody shared his meals with him, but he could still make it pretty, couldn’t he? Scraping a chair closer to the table, Jed set about eating. Unlike cooking, eating gave him little pleasure. Shoveling the food into his mouth, Jed quickly finished his breakfast. His mind had gone empty; it was enough to be relieved about the colt.
A low whine got his attention as Hagrid poked his nose at Jed’s thigh. The old mutt had been snoozing in Jed’s bed while he had been out in the barn. Hagrid liked to sprawl out in the middle of the mattress, lying on his back with his paws in the air in a dead-man pose.
“What’s up, boy? Want some of my breakfast? I’m not surprised the smell of my eggs woke you. Sorry to tell you, I ate ’em.”
Hagrid tilted his head, considering. He was probably wondering why Jed hadn’t fed him closer to their usual schedule.
Jed had found Hagrid in the woods on a cold October day a few years ago. Mud coating his fur, his ribs sticking out from hunger, his sudden appearance had stopped Jed short. Hagrid was fierce-looking, not a dog to approach without hesitation, but then Jed had met Hagrid’s eyes. So kind. So impossibly sad. He’d taken Hagrid home and never regretted it. Who knew what Hagrid had suffered during those early years? Jed gave him the life he deserved, and in return, Jed had a best friend. Hell, in some ways, his dog was his only friend. It was an isolated life on the ranch, except for Elliot and the few hired men that Jed could afford to keep in the bunkhouse during peak season. With his mom and sister gone from Diamond Creek, Jed rattled around the main house.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let your lazy ass starve.” He went to his pantry and opened a new bag of dog chow. “See? Beef flavor. And I have some bacon in the fridge.”
At the word bacon, Hagrid’s eyes glistened. Well, at least he had one fan of his cooking, after all.
Before more time got away from him, Jed went to face more aggravation—his bills. He was a creature of habit. He needed sleep, but it wasn’t even noon, and just because he’d spent hours in the barn did not mean he got a day off. Not when he had more work to do, more problems to fix. With a yawn, Jed tried to make the best of it, turning on his radio before putting a pillow on the back of his office chair.
“Pop music,” Jed said with disgust and turned the station to some old-fashioned country. It must have been his cleaning lady’s daughter who changed the station. Since eleven-year-old Hayley was too young to stay at home alone, Jed was fine with Amy bringing her along, but he would have to ask Hayley to stop switching his radio station to Top 40 and his television to VH1. Or at least put it back when she was done.
Despite the pillow, his shoulder still ached as he sat at his desk. Not that it was anything new. He usually ached somewhere; that was ranch life.
After hours of slogging through the numbers and having a long-term customer not return his call, Jed could feel his patience slipping. He hated number crunching. It helped to pause and gaze at the pictures of his horses on the wall. He had all of them there—dating back from his brief rodeo days all the way to Sage—to remind him why he did the more boring, responsible tasks. How anyone could fail to appreciate the magnificent horses was beyond Jed’s understanding. Like his father. How could Buddy see them run and not feel something deep inside? Jed never tired of the horses’ power and grace. Wanting to sell off some acres of the property on the south side, Jed had a plan to use the proceeds to get more top-quality broodmares like Sage. But he had a problem—the land wasn’t his to sell. Not technically. It was Buddy’s land.
“Speak of the devil,” Jed said, his mouth twisting, seeing the number on his phone. He thought about not answering. Whatever Buddy wanted, it wouldn’t be good. Buddy never did anything without a motive. What a terrible thought to have about his own father, but it was true.
With his stomach souring, he straightened in his chair, his body tense. “Hello?”
“’Lo, son.”
“Buddy,” he said coolly. Jed always called him by his first name. Nothing else. Buddy didn’t deserve the title of dad. “What do you want?”
“Just calling to see how things are going. Talked to Melanie the other day. I spoke to the littlest one too. Emily?”
“Emma.”
“Yeah, what a doll! I really want to have her visit Los Angeles. I told her I could take her to Universal Studios. She’d like that, right?”
“Sure. And nothing else is new, Buddy?” Jed prompted. The favor, whatever the hell Buddy wanted, was coming, so Jed might as well speed it along. He reckoned Buddy had deeper motive for this call. It wasn’t as if Buddy actually cared.
“Well… since you asked. I got a client. You met him when you were younger. Remy Sean? The pop star? Everybody knows Remy.” Buddy chortled. “Anyhow, let’s just say he’s gotten into a bit of a jam and needs a place to lay low, someplace quiet. I can’t say the particulars.”
Remy Sean—he probably got into drugs or trashed a hotel or something. Jed kept silent, let the old man talk. His eyes fell on the books. He could demand his dad pay him some money for hosting the star, or even better, Jed could try and buy his father out, finally. The ranch had been in Buddy’s family for generations. But while Jed loved every inch of the brown and rugged land, Buddy had quickly traded it for the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.
“I’d pay, of course, for your hands and stable manager to take a quick vacation—anything to make certain he has privacy while he’s there.”
Jed didn’t bother to tell his father he’d let his longtime stable manager go and taken over the job himself. He didn’t owe Buddy any information about the ranch the man had always carelessly neglected. All Jed had ever wanted was to do the job his home required.
“I would be willing to give you anything you want,” Buddy interrupted Jed’s thoughts, as if he’d read his mind.
Forget it. It still wasn’t worth it. At a younger age, he’d begged Buddy to sell, but for some screwed-up reason, Buddy always put him off. Jed didn’t want to help Buddy. As for Remy Sean, Jed didn’t know much about him, except that Remy was “the one.” If Buddy had never discovered Remy Sean, maybe he would have returned to the ranch.
Jed’s jaw tightened. “He can’t stay here. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
“Jeez, you’re a hard son of a bitch,” Buddy replied. “When did you become this angry a person? The boy I remember was so good and sweet. Remember that one time you and me went to town for pizza and you only wanted pineapple and I got them to—”
“Look, I gotta go. Talk to you soon.”
Jed ended the call. How dare Buddy try and reminisce with him? Not when Buddy deserted their family. The hell with him. Dealing with Buddy always made Jed a little crazy. Buddy came and went, while Jed had been the one holding his mother and sister together. He just wanted Buddy out of his way.
He stared down at his hands. Rancher’s hands. They were larger than most, palms callused. Jed’s nails were short and square, and the skin of one index finger puckered with an old scar from a wire fence. Like the rest of him, nothing was soft or refined. He wasn’t the kind of man his father wanted to be. Buddy liked nice, fancy things. He kept his hands manicured and tender.
John “Buddy” Riley was charming and everybody’s best friend, until he wasn’t. Jed had learned the hard way not to trust his father’s words and to build a barrier around his heart. Sometimes he wondered if he’d done too good a job protecting himself. He rarely let anybody in.
Thinking of the chaos and damage Buddy always left, Jed dialed Melanie to warn her.
His sister’s cheerful hello filled the speaker. He quickly told her the situation.
“Let Buddy find another person to do his bidding. I don’t owe him a thing. And watch out that he doesn’t call you next.”
“Me?” Melanie’s rich laughter rang out. “Where would I put Remy Sean? In my bathtub? The girls take up every inch of space in our apartment. And I wish you’d let go of some of the old anger. The only person hurt by carrying it is you.”
“I’m not hurt. Don’t worry.”
“Okay, sure. You have everything under control. Like always. And I know how much you hate when I fuss over you.”
That was true enough. Jed figured he could handle his own life.
“Listen, Jed, um, did Mom talk to you about my wedding?” Mel asked in a hesitant voice.
“Mom? No. What about the wedding? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, not exactly. Don’t freak out on me, Jed, especially after the fight you just had with Buddy, but…. Mom’s okay with it, and I really want….”
“What?”
“Buddy to walk me down the aisle,” Melanie said in a fast breath. “You know I was only a dumb teenager at my first wedding when I eloped in Vegas. But this time with Gabe, I hope to do it right. The girls are so excited, and we’re going all-out on a traditional ceremony at the ranch. Buddy’s already promised to come, and I thought—I want—he’s our dad, Jed. I want him to walk me. Please, please don’t be mad. I know. You deserve to walk me more than he does, but he’s coming, and I think he’ll come through. It’s my wedding, for goodness sake. What could he do instead?”
Jed could think of a million answers. Buddy was all about Buddy, which made the possibilities endless, but the note of pure hope in Melanie’s voice stopped Jed’s objections.
During her wild high school days, she didn’t listen to anybody, much less a too-serious younger brother. She drank. Smoked. Looked for love from guys who treated her like pure crap. Melanie’s worst mistake was marrying one of them. Getting divorced a few years later finally made her change. Still, it was hard for a long time. With two young daughters and no college degree, Melanie was a young single mother, bringing home a small paycheck. Jed did what he could, financially and emotionally, but at the end of the day, Melanie deserved the credit.
“I need to chance this with Buddy. If I get hurt, then I get hurt. I’m a big girl. As much as you want to, you can’t keep me in Bubble Wrap.”
“I don’t try to do that.”
“Don’t you? Just focus on the wedding and not Dad. The girls and I adore you, and you’re a big part of my day. Please understand.”
“Mom doesn’t care if Buddy comes to the wedding? Comes here to the ranch? Walks you down the aisle?” Jed persisted, trying a new tactic. Maybe their mom would be able to talk some sense into Melanie.
“She says if it makes me happy, then it’s okay with her. She’s into karma these days and figures the universe will do enough to him.”
Their mom hated to look at anything unpleasant; she always had. Despite Jed being younger than Melanie, he was the person Mom confided in whenever things went wrong. Jed was the fixer of the family. Being a good brother and son had made him the man of the house at a young age.
“Plus, she’s happy with her life. She’s bringing Bob. You could bring a date too.”
“Not interested.”
“Oh, come on. There are so many guys who’d love to date you.”
“Because Diamond Creek is so overrun with options?”
“You can leave town once in a while, dummy. Or join a dating site,” Melanie chided.
“A dating site? Hell no.”
“Nobody’s forcing you to never leave the ranch. It’s just that… you’re so alone out there.”
“I like the ranch and being alone here. Don’t manage me. All right? You got enough on your plate… with Buddy walking you down the aisle.”
“Then you understand? Thank you, Jed! I know you have issues with him and for good reasons, but I just want to marry in a traditional ceremony with my family—my whole family—there. The girls will be so excited!”
“How are the girls? Are they warming up to Gabe being their stepdad?”
“Yes, they really do like him now, once they accepted us. And the girls are great. Well, Emma failed a spelling test. She took that pretty hard. You know how she can be. Her own worst enemy when she doesn’t do well.”
“Poor kid.” Jed frowned. His niece was extremely smart, not that he was biased or anything. But Emma had been diagnosed two years ago with dyslexia. That was the main reason Melanie moved to a city, so Emma could get better programs that specialized in learning issues.
“She went into the bathroom in tears over it. And Hope felt bad for her. She tried to cook macaroni and cheese, Em’s favorite, to cheer her. It ended up all goopy and sticking to my best pot, and we all went out to Cheesecake Factory instead….”
“Aw, I miss them.”
“They miss you. They ask for Uncle Jed all the time. Uncle Jed this, Uncle Jed that—you fall between Santa and summer break in their book of beloved things.”
“I’ve no idea why.”
“Really? Maybe because you play with them like crazy when you have them?”
“Only because I have to.” But he smiled a soft, secret smile. Jed took his nieces for two weeks every summer to give Melanie a break. His nieces always made him happy inside, and he wasn’t a man who smiled easily.
“If I didn’t entertain them,” Jed told her, “they’d whine of boredom.”
“Right, they whine too much.”
“More than my horses.”
Melanie chuckled. “You bitch and complain, yet you ask for them every summer.”
As usual, Jed spent the next ten minutes listening to his sister chatter away. Melanie didn’t mind that Jed wasn’t a person for small talk.
No way in hell he’d risk Buddy crushing his sister on her special day. He and Melanie had been rushing to each other’s side since they were kids. It was what they did. Now that Melanie was finally in a good place in her life, Jed wanted to keep it that way.
As soon as he ended the call with his sister, Jed dialed Buddy’s number.
“Jed? Hello?” Buddy answered his phone. “I didn’t expect to hear from you again today.”
“I’ll do it,” Jed said. “Host the pop star here at the ranch. With some conditions.”
“What?” Buddy said cautiously.
Jed leaned forward on his desk. “How much do you care about Remy Sean? Your number one client? It’s gotta be a lot.”
More than you ever cared for Melanie. Or me.
“Whatever you’re about to ask of me,” Buddy said, “just remember half the land is mine. Split between me and your mom. I was asking to be nice. But I can have whoever the hell I want there.”
“And I can call the newspapers and go on Instagram.” Not that Jed actually knew jack shit about Instagram, except for the name, but Hayley or his nieces could help him.
There was silence, and then Buddy groaned. “What do you want?”
“I want you to sign over the land to me. I’ll pay you for it, every damn bit, but I want it.”
“I figured as much.” Buddy hesitated only a minute. “Done.”
“That’s not all. I want you to say yes when Melanie calls and asks you to walk her down the aisle.”
“When she does what? She’s gonna ask me to walk her down the aisle? That’s great! Of course, I’ll be there to—”
“And keep your promise,” Jed interrupted Buddy’s gushing. “You’re good at the first part—saying yes. You suck, Buddy, at keeping your word. I want it in writing. That you’ll attend and walk her down that aisle no matter what else is going on with Remy Sean or any other fucking client. You’ll show up.”
“You trust me that little?”
“I know you that well.”
“I would’ve done it anyhow.”
“Then it’s no big deal to make it an official agreement.”
“It makes me sad, son, that you have to ask.”
Jed steeled his heart. Buddy, like all good con artists, was great at manipulating emotions. His word was nothing. Jed wanted it in writing.
WHEN he ended the phone call, Jed absently glanced around the room, but the feeling of victory refused to come. Hagrid lay quietly at Jed’s feet, face resting on his paws. His dog filled up the empty space, thank God.
Not that Jed needed anybody else.
He was just fine.
Crap. He never even asked when Remy Sean was arriving. For all he knew, the pop star might show up on his doorstep tonight. Jed stood and hurried to get the keys to his aging truck. At least his truck was cleaner than Elliot’s, if a little beat-up on the outside. He’d have to go to town, buy some food. What did a famous star eat, anyway?
“I’m only concerned because if he starves, my deal is off,” Jed told Hagrid. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not going shopping to be nice.”
Hagrid barked sharply in reply.
“Stop woofing, pal, if you want a rawhide.”
Hagrid went silent and trotted after Jed as he gathered his things. He checked his fridge for food and composed a quick shopping list.
Jed barely recalled Remy. His mind scrambled to recollect the summer they’d met, but all he came up with was a skinny blond boy who knew jack shit about the ranch and who turned out to be the great talent that took Buddy far away. Not that he’d blamed Remy. Well, not much.
Town was a long ride down the mountain on a pretty bumpy road. As he drove, Jed decided he would stock up on good meat, locally brewed beers, some shrimp, garlic bread, Doritos, and chocolate cake. He had no idea what the hell Remy ate, but those were Jed’s favorites, and he might need extra comfort if he had to put up with some pop princess for a month.
“Maybe I’ll call him that. Princess.” He laughed, then realized Hagrid was at home and he was talking to himself.