Page 87 of A Rancher's Vow
Her friend offered a cheeky grin. “A wild variety of volunteers who know and love you, and who aren’t otherwise ineligible to be here. Which means not Ginny, since she’s an easter egg about to pop, and not my sisters, who are MIA in Ireland. But that leaves a lot of us. One second.”
She walked a few steps then opened a door, stepping into a bright room. She lifted the phone and twisted in a slow circle. She stood in the middle of Charity’s apartment, and one by one, friends from Heart Falls appeared. Tamara was there, plus two of her sisters, Julia and Lisa. Hannah Ford, the fire chief’s wife, was working in the kitchen area with Yvette, one of the local veterinarians.
Even Madison Zhao was there.
When she spotted Fern and the phone, she hurried forward, clipboard in hand.
“Hey, Tee. Don’t worry, since I can already hear you complaining that the preggo is working and you’re not—I’m coordination, not grunt labour.” She winked then whispered conspiratorially, “Helping here is letting the family set up the new baby’s room with the surprise stuff they bought that they think I don’t know about.” When Charity smiled, Madison flipped her a thumbs-up. “We’ve got this under control. Everything clothing-like that needs washing is getting taken care of then will be brought to Silver Stone. Household stuff will be cleaned and kept here.”
It was too much. “But…”
The phone flipped in an instant to where the ladies were now gathered in one group, all waving at Charity.
“We love you. Don’t worry about a thing,” Tamara’s youngest sister, Julia, called.
“And you get to say thank you at the family girls’ night out on Tuesday. That’s your job,” Tamara shook a finger at the screen, “to saythank you.Nothing else.Let us be here for you. Got it?”
Charity was on the edge of tears again for an entirely different reason. “Got it.”
Fern flipped the phone again. The spinning screen sent Charity’s brain whirling.
“We love you,” Fern declared.
“I love you too, but flip me again like that, and I will find a way to get revenge.” Charity shook her head, lowering her voice. “It’s too much, Fern.”
Her friend also lowered her voice. “It’s not too much, because we do love you. Plus, dealing with this is something we can do easier than you can because there’s a layer of separation. We’re mad and upset on your behalf, but it doesn’t hit the same way it would if you were here dealing with it. Let us take care of you, please?”
“When you put it that way, there’s not much I can do,” Charity complained.
Fern perked right up. “Nope.”
Charity considered, then another worry slithered in. “Okay, let’s pretend I’m able to accept this enormous gift without getting teary. Why are they bringing my clean clothes to Silver Stone? Just put them back in my apartment.”
Her friend’s stern face was back in an instant. “Not until we catch who did this. Nope, Dustin is right. Your safety comes first. You’ll be staying at Silver Stone until we know the vandal is not going to be an issue.” Fern shook her head when Charity would have protested. “You weren’t here, so we’re dealing with a mess. That’s an inconvenience, nothing else. What if you had been home? What if things had escalated?”
“I hadn’t thought about that.” Charity sucked for air. “Okay, my peaceful Zen just took a hit.”
“Don’t panic too hard, because youweren’there, and you won’t be here until it is safe. Dustin said it needed to happen, Caleb agreed, and Tamara is fully onboard.”
“Go, Stones.” The response was instantaneous and real.
Fern walked somewhere new, the background changing to dark and then daylight bright. When she spoke, it was gentler and pure Fern. “They care about you.”
“I know. They’ve been so giving. I feel like a burden.”
“Tee, you do realize the only reason we’re cleaning up a mess is because you stepped in to help Dustin. Yes? The vandalism is a direct result of you being associated with him.” Fern crooked her finger as if trying to make Charity move in closer. “You did the girlfriend thing to be there for him because you care about him. Admit it.”
One deep breath later, Charity nodded. “Yes.”
“Yes. So the fact they care— Wait,reboot. The fact thatDustincares about you shouldn’t seem like such a strange impossibility.”
“He doesn’t…” Charity stalled out, suddenly aware she was about to utter a lie. “He told me he liked me.”
Fern made a face. “Gee,really?”
“Get lost,” Charity mumbled.
“Can’t. I know Heart Falls like the back of my hand.” She held up her left arm—the one with the prosthesis—then frowned. She wore a hook attachment instead of a hand. “You know what I mean.”
