Page 50 of Perfect Scandal
I’ll explain later. I’m headed home to pack a bag. Mind if I crash at your place tonight?
I glance at the clock and frown.Babe, it’s already after six.She wouldn’t get here until at least two. And she wants to come to my place instead of the main house? That’s brave.
Like I said, bad day. I need you.
Well, hell. How is a guy supposed to argue with that?I’ll leave the door unlocked. Text when you leave and check in when you stop for gas, okay?
Will do. See you soon. xo
Running a hand around the back of my neck, I stare at my phone for a second. Whatever went down must be real bad if she wants to come all the way to Montana at the last minute. My girl is tough as nails. The world could be on fire around her, and she’d be standing in the middle of it all, determined to fight.
Hoping to turn her bad day around, I put the truck in drive and head to my cabin to clean up. I toss the sheets into the washing machine and do the dishes so I don’t have to worry about them when I get back from dinner.
By the time I get to the main house forty-five minutes later, Charlotte is already cleaning up.
“I was starting to think you weren’t coming,” the older woman says over her shoulder as she wipes down the counter.
“Sorry about that, Char.” I take off my hat in apology and hang it on the hook by the door. “Had a couple things to take care of at the cabin.”
“That’s okay, honey. Ben and Cooper already ate, but don’t worry—I saved the best part of the pot roast for you.” She winks, grabs a plate, and goes to the baking dish still sitting on top of the stove.
“I appreciate that.” Chuckling, I take a seat at the table. She doesn’t normally serve us, but on occasion, when it’s just the two of us, she dotes on me like a mother. And I let her, because I kinda like it, too.
“How was your day?” she asks as she spoons a generous helping of beef, potatoes, and carrots onto the plate. “Anything stand out?”
Just that I’m going to see Tessa in a few hours, but I can’t tell her that. “Not really. Was a decent day, I guess. None of the herd ran off and got lost, so that’s always a plus. How about you?”
“Oh, my day was wonderful. I went into Mason Creek for lunch with some friends, hence the reason you boys had cold sandwiches for lunch. Anyway, the girls and I met at Wren’s and then grabbed a cup of coffee from Java Jitters before we ended up in the town square, talking about old times.”
“That sounds nice. Especially since the weather’s cooling down and it’s starting to feel like fall out there.”
“Exactly.” She beams as she sets the plate in front of me, her bright blue eyes always so full of light. She reminds me of my Aunt Terry in a lot of ways, but especially in that perpetual sunshine. “The fall festival is coming up, and we had a good laugh, remembering when Terry used to organize it.”
Speak of the devil. “I remember that, too. She got a little crazy this time of year because of that festival.”
Charlotte laughs softly as she takes a seat across the table. “She did, but in the best way. She loved that festival almost as much as she loved you.”
I hold back a chuckle as I chew and swallow a bite. “Eh, I think we were probably tied.”
The housekeeper relaxes back in the chair. “No way. She adored that festival, but you… you were her pride and joy. I’ll never forget the day she found out you were coming to live with her. Obviously, the circumstances were heartbreaking, but I’m not sure I’d ever seen her happier.”
“She was pretty amazing.” Even when I’d been an angry shithead of a kid, she’d been a champ. She rarely yelled, choosing instead to take some time before she’d sit me down and talk to me. And she would always hug me afterward. Even if she’d grounded me for a month, she would hug me tight and tell me she loved me.
“You were the son she could never have on her own, and I think she loved you more because of that.”
An old, familiar pressure blooms in my chest, and I set my fork down.
“I’m going to say something that you probably don’t want to hear, but Terry was one of my best friends, and if she were still here, she’d have already told you.” Charlotte reaches across the table and takes my hand. “You’ve been too hard on yourself, Dean. Especially since Terry and Hank passed.”
Hank, my first boss at the Magnolia Blue, died a couple of years after my aunt, and where she’d been like a mother, he’d been like a father. He took me on at the ranch when I was seventeen and full of more attitude than ambition. In a matter of months, he had me working harder than I ever did and loving every second of it, too.
“I know you wanted to buy the ranch, and it broke your heart when you couldn’t make that happen. It made the chip you’ve always had on your shoulder a little bigger, too, especially when the McMurrays took over.”
Yep, and there’s no point denying it. I told Hank time and time again that I’d keep this ranch going after he was gone. When I couldn’t come up with the down payment, I felt like I’d let him down. That disappointment turned to a grudge, particularly against Holden.
But then I got to know him, and we’re a lot more alike than we are different. We both have a tremendous amount of respect for the herd and the land, and his work ethic parallels mine, even when he’s on the road riding bulls.
“I don’t begrudge the McMurrays anymore, Char. The only issue I have now is with myself.” I still wish I could have carried on Hank’s legacy in a bigger role.
