Page 100 of Impossible Love

“What? No! Of course not!” I try my best to smile. “I’ve just… well… Cal and I have had an argument.”

“I knew it!” Arlo shuffles toward me, chuckling to himself. He’s frail and elderly, but that doesn’t make him any less of a criminal.

“Cal stopped by the other night, all riled up about something. A very unhappy man. I figured there might be trouble in paradise.”

I focus on not responding. Paradise? Cal confided in this crook? And how is it any of his business in the first place?

Jamie frowns at me, puzzled and concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay? Is there anything I can do to help?”

This man is being stolen from, lied to, and extorted, and yet he’s worried about me—the woman who came here to force him into a deal he didn’t want.

Phyllis saves me by delivering my coffee and placing it on the end table near the chairs. Arlo excuses himself, saying he needs to get back to the office. When he passes by my side, I reflexively press my laptop closer.

“Come on. Sit down.” Jamie rests his palm on the middle of my back and urges me forward. I take a seat.

“I’m making breakfast,” Phyllis proclaims. “How do you like your eggs?”

“Scrambled?” I don’t sound all that sure of myself. I know damn well I won’t be able to eat a thing.

“Country ham, steak, or bacon?” she asks.

I blink at her, emotions flooding my brain. My fingers feel numb. I open my mouth, and nothing but a pitiful squeak comes out.

“I’ve just made a whole stack of flapjacks, so I’ll plate a few of those for you. I got some fresh blueberries too. That’ll do the trick.” Phyllis disappears into the kitchen again.

Jamie reaches over and takes my hand in his. “He loves you, you know.”

I’m stunned. “Whaa—?”

“You’ve got him roped and tied, and he’s a better man for it. Never thought I’d live to see the day, but the moment you set foot on this ranch, I knew. That’s why I closed up the house and sent you to stay with him.”

“But…” I stare at him, letting his words sink in. “There were no termites?”

“There haven’t been termites in this house for twenty years!” Phyllis calls out from the kitchen. “He just wanted to play matchmaker.”

This isn’t what I expect to hear. It isn’t what I want to discuss. Not at all. I need to refocus. “Jamie, there’s something extremely serious—”

“I remember how it was for me. I met Stella at the Sweetbriar Rodeo the summer she was sixteen. I fell for her the second I saw her tear it up in the ring and take home the junior barrel racing belt buckle.”

“Okay.” I need to redirect the conversation, but I don’t want to be rude. “Jamie—”

“She was so pretty, those blue eyes all serious and focused, all her long brown hair shooting out from under her hat. That girl could fly, let me tell you. And over the next few years, I learned that Stella Richards was as smart and strong as she was beautiful. She was the one for me. Nobody else would do.”

I nod, hoping he’s done.

“We had a rocky start, though.” Jamie looks out the picture window to the ranch and smiles sadly to himself. “Stella was a firecracker, and it took a lot of ups and downs before we found our balance.”

“Rocky start don’t even begin to cover it,” Phyllis yells. “I was there. I saw it. She almost called off the wedding!”

“I loved her with everything I am,” Jamie continues. “When she died, it left a scar on the heart of every one of my boys, but especially Cal. He took it the hardest.” Jamie turns his attention to me, as if to make sure I was following along. “She left him with a terrible sense of duty, though, telling him he was responsible for our well-being. He never got over that.”

Oh. Explains a lot.

“I tell you all this, Victoria, because I know Cal isn’t the easiest person to deal with. He’s a lot like his mother. She was one hell of a skeptical woman, always looking for the rot at the bottom of the apple barrel. It saved us more than once, let me tell you. But what I’m saying is it took her a long time to trust me.”

“Must be genetic.”

I don’t realize I’ve spoken the words out loud until both Phyllis and Jamie laugh. Phyllis walks in, wiping her hands on her apron. “Come on. Let’s eat.”

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