Florentine worked her way to the exit of the plane and hurried down the jetway with the hope of finding a familiar face waiting for her. She wasn’t sure which family member had come to pick her up, but right now, she’d take any one of them. A smiling face and a big ol’ McDougal hug would do wonders to forget the last couple of months of being away from everyone she loved.
After exiting the terminal, she stopped and searched the area. The almost vacant commuter terminal should make it easy for her family member to find her if Cole stopped standing in her way. A squeal came from her left. She dropped her bag and launched herself into Chantilly’s embrace. She squeezed her twin sister tight to her chest. A lump the size of Montana clogged her throat, and she blinked moisture out of her eyes.
“I’ve missed you so much.” She let Chantilly rock her from side to side, gritting against the pain the movement caused her.
Chantilly pulled back and held Florentine out in front of her. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.” She changed her pained sob into laughter. “How is everyone? Is Margot ready for the wedding? Did she get all the tables and chairs? I hope she remembered to get Momma’s linens from the attic.”
“Holy sugar! You’re lying to me.” Chantilly wiped Florentine’s cheek with the back of her hand. “The only time you start stuttering and getting emotional is when you’re hiding something or telling me a bald-faced lie. What happened?”
“I told you. I’m fine. I’ve been away too long. I’m excited to finally be back, even if it’s only for a short stay.” She moved over to pick up her bag, and Cole beat her to it. “I want to hear about Jack and Craig. Has Craig arrived yet?”
“Not yet. He’ll be here for the wedding.” Chantilly glanced between Florentine and Cole.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Grady. I’m Cole Reardon.” He pulled Sarah closer. “This is my daughter, Sarah.”
Sarah tucked her chin to her chest, and stepped closer to her dad’s leg. “Hi.”
“Nice to meet you both.” Chantilly smiled and turned to Florentine. “Now explain why it sounds like you’ve got something to tell me.”
“Um. Well, you see...”
Chantilly’s gaze never wavered. “In this lifetime, Sis.”
“It’s the darnedest thing.” Florentine forced out a laugh. “Cole recently bought out Turner Grain. You remember, Mr. Bormin, the previous owner, right? I brought him to the ranch to talk to Daddy about buying our feed from his company. Well, I was telling Cole how happy you and Jack were with the quality of grain. One thing led to another, and I invited him over to take a look at the ranch...and meet you. He was nice enough to fly me home on his private plane.”
Chantilly frowned. “Spill it.”
“There’s nothing else to say,” she said.
Cole cleared his throat. “You won’t even know we’re there. The last thing I want to do is interrupt any wedding plans. My main concern is getting Florentine home and—”
“See?” Florentine shrugged. “No big deal.”
“You know the McDougal ranch welcomes everyone.” Chantilly lifted her chin and smiled. “We can set you up in the foreman’s cabin.”
“They’re not staying.” Florentine rolled her eyes. Her headache came back full force. “They’ll only be here for an hour. Two at tops. Let’s get outta here. I’m anxious to see everyone.”
“Daddy? Those ladies look the same.” Sarah tilted her head and stared up at Florentine, pointing her finger. “That’s Florentine, ‘cause her hair is still messy like it was this morning.”
Florentine squeezed her eyes shut and counted to five, hoping Chantilly hadn’t heard.
Chantilly threw a gotcha-and-there’s-no-way-out-of-your-lie-now look at Florentine. “Oh, really? You saw her before she brushed her hair?”
Florentine squatted in front of Sarah. “Yes, she did, Chantilly. Sarah is a primo tangle wrangler. She helped me with my hair this morning when Cole picked me up to take us to the airport.”
The less everyone knew, the better. No one knew how her sisters could sniff out deception faster than a heeler on an Angus.
Sarah giggled. “You were cranky.”
“I was, but not anymore, smarty pants.” Florentine crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue.
She stood back up, and the room swam. Cole put his arm around her back. She blinked and stilled while her stomach pitched. She needed to sit down, or she’d get sick in front of everyone.
Chantilly picked up Florentine’s bag, and held out her hand to Sarah. “Why don’t I show you where I parked the Suburban? We can let your dad and Florentine talk by themselves so they can get their stories straight. Maybe Florentine will come up with a good reason why I shouldn’t make her sleep in the barn.”
“With the horses?” Sarah looked up at Chantilly.
Chantilly laughed. “You’re right. The horses don’t deserve to put up with her. Maybe my other sister, Margot, will let Florentine sleep with Harley.”
“Who’s Harley?”
Chantilly leaned down and whispered loud enough to reach Florentine. “A really big pig.”
Sarah giggled and skipped off with Chantilly.
Florentine knew Chantilly hid her irritation behind her sweet demeanor. It would take a lot of convincing to keep her sister’s nose out of her business. Cole’s presence complicated everything. She only wished she felt up to par to tangle with them all.
“Are you okay?” Cole placed his hand on the back of her neck and gave her a few soft squeezes. “You’re pale and don’t look so good.”
“I’ll be fine.” Florentine placed her hand on her stomach. “I probably should’ve had some food before we left. My stomach is a little upset.”
“I’ll make you something when we get to your home.” He dropped his hand. “Chantilly mentioned there’s a cabin we could stay in?”
“God, Cole. You’re not going to make me something to eat.” She shook her head, and then regretted the movement. “You’re not staying. We had an agreement.”
“Yes, we did.” He motioned her to walk. “You didn’t live up to your end of the handshake. You lied to your sister. I can’t leave you in their care if you’re going to hide your injuries from them.”
“Oh, come on.” She stopped. “I really don’t need this now.”
“Let me out of the contract.”
“Never.”
“Then lead the way, Miss McDougal. It’s time to get you home.”
“Dumbass,” she muttered.
“I heard that.”
“Good,” she said. She walked in silence to the revolving doors. “We’d better hurry before Chantilly drives away without us, and we end up hitchhiking to the ranch.”
“Are you serious?” His mouth hardened. “Should I be concerned that my daughter is with her?”
Cole had some serious over-parenting issues going on, and she couldn’t understand why he remained so cautious with Sarah. “Relax. Sarah’s fine. My family isn’t cruel. They’re more likely to spoil your daughter rotten. You really need to chill.”
Two seconds later, he took his turn through the revolving door, stepped out beside her, and rifled through his bag. She waited for him a few feet away. He was getting on her last nerve.
“Here.” He passed her a package of crackers. “Munch on those. They’ll help your nausea.” Once she took them from him, he pulled out a juice box. “Drink this, too.”
“Are you kidding me?” She snorted. “You wouldn’t happen to have a nap mat in there, so I can rest before we get home?”
He frowned, and a fleeting look if irritation gave way to forced patience. “No, but you can lean against me in the car if you want to sleep.”
All of Florentine’s muscles constricted at the same time. She realized he was attempting to help her in his own way, and she gave up. Maybe she was being stupid for thinking he planned to come along only to make her life more difficult. He seemed to care about her comfort.
“Come on. Let’s go.” She took the box of juice and tried hard to fight the grin. He was totally in dad mode.
She approved of his choice of snacks. She also had to admit food would help. On the circuit, no one put themselves out to help her, mostly because she preferred it that way. If even Reggie made her do for herself, she’d never look weak to her competitors.
But Cole surprised her. She’d left her family at seventeen years old to ride the amateur rodeo and liked her independence. Earlier on in her career, she’d learned to tough it out and keep her whining to herself. If she confessed to her family how hard living on her own could be sometimes, they would’ve dragged her back.
Confessing to her family about her injuries? Nope. Wasn’t going to happen this week. She was fine, headache and sore muscles aside, and she saw no need to get everyone riled up right before the wedding.
Besides, her sisters would do whatever was in their power to keep her home, and there was nothing for her in Pike. If she didn’t have bull riding, she’d be working the ranch, serving beer at Valenciennes’ Place, or answering phones at the Double M Veterinary clinic. She’d be bored within a week.
She sipped the juice and scanned the small lot for Chantilly. The two-toned blue Suburban with the McDougal Ranch logo on back was easy to spot. She led Cole to the parking space and opened the package he gave her. The salty cracker hit the spot, so she took another one out and popped it in her mouth.
“Thanks again.” She held up the snack. “Putting some food in my stomach is helping.”
He grinned, and she couldn’t help smiling back. His little quirks were charming when he stopped bugging her about dropping the contract. Another time and place, and she would’ve had fun driving him crazy.
“What are you thinking?” He kept watching her.
She laughed. “You wouldn’t want to know.”
“It’s nice to see you smile. Being home is good medicine.” He stopped at the back of the truck and threw the bags inside. “I know this is hard on both of us, and it might seem like I’m bullying you—”
“You are.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Not another word. I don’t want my sister knowing what’s going on.”
“Too late,” Chantilly said.
She glared at Cole before turning around to find Chantilly standing behind her. “What’s too late?”
Chantilly reached out to poke along Florentine’s arms and ribs, and leaned over to prod her legs. Florentine pulled on Chantilly’s shirt to get her to stop. She wasn’t the one who deserved her sister’s anger. It was Cole’s fault. If he'd let her come home alone, this wouldn’t be happening.
“Stop.” Florentine blew out her breath. “Just stop inspecting me. I swear, I’m fine. A few bruises—that you’re not helping—that’s all. Now quit it!”
“The heck I will.” Chantilly sidestepped her way in front of Cole and poked him in the chest. “What’s wrong with my sister, and so help me if you lie to me, you won’t be alive to see tomorrow.”
Her game plan was over.
“I took a tumble in the arena.” She leaned against the car.
Cole frowned. “She got bucked off and kicked in the shoulder.”
“It happens.” She rubbed her forehead. “Chantilly can see that I’m fine.”
“She also has a concussion. That’s why she’s irritable,” Cole crossed his arms. “The doctor wants her to take it easy for two weeks.”
“Ten days. Don’t exaggerate because you want out of the contract.” She slapped Chantilly’s hand away when she tried to touch the back of her head. “You’ve gotta promise me, you won’t tell the others. Margot deserves to have a carefree wedding, and she won’t if she’s worried about me. Swear to me as my twin, you won’t tell our sisters.”
Chantilly narrowed her eyes. “Florentine Lace, you’re hurt. They’d want to know.”
“Swear it, Sis. Please,” she whispered.
“I don’t like this, and when the others find out—and they will eventually—they will string us up.” Chantilly shook her head. “I hate when you do this to me. I’ll keep it secret, but Cole is going to stay and make sure you take care of yourself...whatever you did to yourself this time.”
Florentine left Cole and Chantilly to duke out the details themselves, and climbed in the back of the car. Family drama was not what she wanted to deal with on top of a killer headache. Sarah smiled at her, and she sighed.
“Want some?” She held out her bag of crackers. “They’re good.”
Through the shelter of the car, the muffled voices came in snatches. Enough that Florentine could get the gist of the conversation. She leaned her head back on the seat. There was no use worrying about keeping the extent of her injuries from Chantilly any longer. Cole never left out a single detail.
“Florentine?” Sarah patted her arm. “Do you think my dad is going to let me watch the fireworks at your ranch?”
Florentine lifted her head and stared at Sarah. The only way Sarah would know about the McDougal’s Fourth of July celebration was if Chantilly already invited her to stay at the ranch in the fifteen minutes since they landed. Couple that with Chantilly wrangling Cole into taking care of her, and there was no doubt that the Reardons were staying at the ranch.
She groaned but turned her displeasure into a smile for Sarah’s sake. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask your dad. But it looks like you’ll be sticking around for the party.”
“Cool!”
Florentine glanced behind her. By the back window, Chantilly stood with hands on her hips, and she had Cole backed against the Suburban, lecturing him on the basics of using a telephone. Florentine sank down in the seat. Cole should’ve let her handle her family by herself.
“Are there any kids at your ranch to play with?” Sarah asked.
She snorted. “Sure. I have four sisters. They’re like big kids. You’ll like Margot, she’s a veterinarian. She’s always packing around some animal and caring for it. Bisette sings. She’ll probably teach you a new song. Val’s having a baby, so watch out for her. She’s all googly-eyed over kids. She’ll probably ask you lots of questions. And Chantilly, well, you just met her.”
“And there’s you. That’s five kids.” Sarah squirmed. “I wish I had lots of sisters.”
The front door opened, and Chantilly slid into the driver’s seat, casting a dirty look at her in the rearview mirror. Florentine glared back. She wouldn’t be bullied the way her sister manhandled Cole.
He opened the door and slid into his seat, casting Florentine a glance. “Guess what, Sarah? We’ll be staying the week with the McDougals.”
“Awesome!” Sarah smiled at Florentine and raised her hand in the air.
The few crackers she ate sat heavy in her stomach. The situation was out of her hands. She lifted her drink and tapped it against Sarah’s hand in a high five. “Cheers, Sarah. Welcome to Pike, Montana.” Otherwise known for the next week as my personal hell.