Beth woke feeling disoriented, expecting to find herself in her own bed at the condo, not in her brother’s old bedroom. When she occasionally spent the night at the ranch, she usually slept on the couch in the farm office. She realized that it had been at least six years since she had slept at the big house.
It was a pleasant, peaceful room. Even though the cowboys of their youth still galloped across the faded wallpaper, their mother had a wonderful eye for color and worked hard to make sure her guests were comfortable. Beth pulled back the quilt and rose, grateful that her cell phone was broken. As if on cue, the silly thing rang. It was still sitting in the corner, where she had thrown it. The plastic protector was off, battery half out, and the thing was actually ringing!
She padded over and saw “Bill” on the cracked display window. She considered flushing it down the toilet, but picked it up and came back to sit on the side of the bed. “Hello?”
“Oh, Beth, thank God. I’ve been so worried.”
“You didn’t look worried the last time I saw you.”
“Please, let me explain.”
“No, I don’t want to hear it, Bill. How could you? You brought Skyler to our home. ”
“Listen, sweetheart. Please let me explain. I want to see you. It’s not what you think.”
“Please don’t call me that ever again. I don’t want to see you. I’m staying at the ranch until I decide where I want to live.”
“Beth, please come home so we can talk.”
“That is no longer my home. Do you think I could ever sleep in that bed after what I saw yesterday?”
“Oh, God, Beth, I’m so sorry. I would never choose to hurt you. Not in a million years.”
“I’ve gotta go.”
“No, wait!”
“Bill, I’m hanging up now. Please don’t keep calling. My cell phone’s in pieces and I’m not sure how long it’ll work. Calling the house phone won’t do you any good, either, since you’re not the most popular person in this house right now.”
“Oh, God. Does your whole family know?”
“Not yet. Just Mom, Dad, Ruthie, and Ben and Maggie, but they’ll all know after this weekend when they come for the Dillons’ party.”
“They must hate me. I guess I’m no longer invited to that party.”
When had Bill become so narcissistic? she wondered. Already he had made it all about him. “Bill, I really can’t talk about this now. In a few weeks, when I’ve figured things out, I’ll be in touch.”
“A few weeks? Beth, please, I need to talk now! To make things right!”
“Things will never be right.”
“Please, Beth!”
“I’m late. I’ve gotta go.”
“Where are you going? Work?”
“Where I go is no longer your business. Goodbye, Bill.” She hung up the phone.
She found her sister just finishing breakfast. “Hey, Ruthie, are you sure about my taking the morning off? Isn’t gonna drive you crazy after yesterday?”
“Absolutely not. Take the whole day if you want. We’re fine.”
“No, I’ve got a rep coming in at one, from San Diego Markets. I’ll try to get there by noon. Lang is stopping by sometime for a tour, too.”
“Oh, boy! I hope he comes this morning while you’re gone.”
“Around two, I believe.”
“What’s the fun in that? When you’re around, he only has eyes for you.”
“No, he doesn’t. He’s just being friendly. Probably feels sorry for me.”
“Baloney.”
Beth laughed, swatting her sister. “See you later.”