Page 89 of Van Cort
We explore around the ranch for an hour or so before we head back. The woman from the house comes down shortly after and brings some food and drinks on a tray while we wait. She tells us she’s James Jr.’s wife and they moved back from California two years ago when James Sr. had a fall.
“We never left,” she says. “I fell in love with the place, and I think my husband always felt like he was in the wrong place in California. He spends all day out on the ranch now. I’ve never seen him happier.” She laughs. “It’s something about the air here. Anyway,I’ll leave you to eat. Come on up if you need anything.”
We sit at the old table behind the workshop and eat a simple homemade meal of caribou and homegrown vegetables. I rest my chin in my hand as River talks about all sorts of things I’ve never really contemplated. Things she’d like to do, places she’d like to visit. She asks me how often I’ve travelled, where I’ve been.
“I haven’t that much.”
She finishes her last bite of food. “No? Why not?”
“Busy.”
“Good lord, Everett. There’s busy, and then there’s having a life. You can’t spend it all in nice restaurants and offices.”
“Why not?”
“It’s boring.” I reach for the bottle of wine and top her up.
“You’re calling me boring?”
“No. I don’t think I’d ever call you boring. But, well, there’s a world out there and you don’t want to see it?”
“I don’t need to see it. I’m quite happy looking at you. That’s enough of a view.” Her hand hovers the wine glass halfway to her mouth.
“Wow. You should be careful. Talk like that will do something to a girl. You’ll get me thinking all kinds of things.”
I lean back and pick up my own wine. “Good. Think them.” I stare at her, wholly invested in the thoughts she’s suggesting she’s thinking about, because she is enough of a view for me, but for one missing piece she’s yet to understand.
“Ma’am?” She looks sideways, breaking our gaze with each other, as James sticks his head out from the workroom. “You want to come and check on the progress. Choose a chain?”
“Yes. I’d love to.” She looks back at me and stands from the bench, keeping our eyes locked as she starts walking away, and eventually shakes her head and smiles as she disappears with him.
I take the time to sit in contemplation on my own rather than follow them inside. She’s right. This place is astonishing. Endless miles of nothing but wilderness and rugged scenery surround them here, as if there’s nothing that could interfere with it. I only came here once when I was young. Charles brought me, just me, for some reason. I must have been around twelve. I know that because West was bruised when I got back,and he never was again after that. It was the last time I left him alone, the last time he took a beating that I could take for him.
I’m not surprised old James Devlin remembers me. Genes, I suppose. And there’s no denying both West and I look like our father would have done in his younger years. A little softer around the eyes maybe, and the green must have come from our mother, but every harsh feature, the cut of the jawline, even the way our frame is built – it’s all him. It’s there every time I look in the mirror, and the only thing that makes it even slightly bearable is the way my mind seems to show me West on occasion rather than a fucking monster.
The beauty of this place fades with every next thought that enters my head, and as the afternoon sun begins to drop, the darkness I’m so used to seeps into my bones again without her near to counter it. I lull in it, unable, or unwilling, to pull myself from the memories and confusion.
“Everett?” I blink and look up, turning my gaze to see her. She smiles and holds her hand out. “Come look. Mr Devlin is amazing.” I smile a little and get up, attempting to shake off all the crap I just let back into my own fucking head. She stops me from entering the door as I get there, reaching up on her tiptoes so she can drop a light kiss on my lips. “You’re amazing, too. Just so you know. This has been an amazing day. Few days, actually. Just… I don’t know what I’m trying to say, but thank you.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
BEFORE
LARA – AGE SEVENTEEN
Lara’s exhaustion had grown to epic proportions in the run-up to applying to stay with the boys.
The boys were Van Corts, and so were destined to go to Harvard, like everyone else in their family.She, on the other hand, had no such destiny. In fact, she had little to no desire or means to go to such a prestigious college. But, just like anything else in his way, that wasn’t a problem for Rhett.
Extra study sessions and cutting out music lessons with Mrs Avery so that her academic studies would improve were justsome of the changes he oversaw so she’d be ready to take her SATs. He pushed her too hard.
She knew why. They all did. It didn’t help the looming fear that it wouldn’t be enough, though.
Lara often dreamed that everything would stay as it was. That they would freeze in time so they could stay together without anything to come between them. But time stopped for no one and had grown demanding.
Rhett didn’t struggle with the extra workload. He was always the smart one, his spot all but guaranteed even if it wasn’t quite a done deal. However, Lara’s place would need to be earned through hard work. She didn’t have any athletic qualities, nor did she play varsity sports to give her the opportunity of a scholarship, but she did want to follow them both.
Sometimes she wondered if there was anything she wouldn’t do for them.
