The Second Chance Bride (Country Brides & Cowboy Boots) Page 4

  “Dad certainly isn’t over it.”

  “Your dad felt responsible,” Lily said.

  “I know,” Savannah murmured. “I’ve tried to tell him it wasn’t his fault, but he cuts me off and refuses to talk about it.”

  “Everything changed on that day, and your father was never the same. None of us are.” Lily gave Savannah a sympathetic look. “I know Kelly tries to help, and I do, too. But no one could ever take your mom’s place. She embodied everything about life that’s good, and your dad adored her.”

  “He’s hard to be around,” Savannah said. “I’m glad he mostly leaves me be.”

  Lily sighed. “I’ve suggested counseling, but he won’t hear of it. I’ve tried to talk to him about your mom, but he shuts me down in a hurry.”

  Savannah was glad for Lily’s words. It softened some of the rawness around her own exchanges with her father.

  Lily wiped away a tear. “Oh, now, look what I’ve done. I’ve made myself cry.” She patted Savannah’s arm.

  “Don’t worry, Lily,” Savannah said. “I still cry sometimes, too.”

  Lily reached over and squeezed Savannah’s hand. “You dear girl,” she whispered. “Keith and I see your strength and resilience in all of this. I know you try hard to reach your dad.”

  Savannah sighed. “It’s the main reason I’ve stayed home.”

  Lily nodded. “You’ve sacrificed a lot for your family, Vannie. But there may come a time when you have to live for yourself.”

  Reaching for an embrace, Savannah breathed in the scent of love that surrounded Lily, allowing it to soothe all her rough edges that still poked at her since her mother’s death.

  Savannah pulled away from Lily as she heard Chantelle rummaging in the fridge. “Mom!” Chantelle yelled. “Where are the overnight oats? I’m starving!”

  Lily sighed and gave Savannah a merry look. “They’re in there. Keep looking.”

  “Oh! Got it. Thanks.”

  A couple of minutes later, Chantelle opened the screen door and plopped in the chair next to Savannah. The girl was long and lean with straight blonde hair colored by the spring sun and deeply tanned, shapely legs. Dressed in cut-offs and a t-shirt, she looked as sweet as a summer morning. “So, what do you think of our newest neighbor?” Chantelle dug her spoon into the oats. “Isn’t he something?”

  Shelby, carrying a glass of ice water, came and sat next to her mom. “He sure is going to make this summer more interesting.”

  “No kidding,” Chantelle agreed.

  “Now, girls,” Lily chided. “It’s really Amy and Steve who are our neighbors. Alex is just here for a little while. And Chantelle, you’re engaged to be married. Perhaps you might consider inviting Mason for our Friday night gatherings.”

  Savannah risked a glance to Chantelle’s left hand and noticed the engagement ring was still missing.

  “Oh, Mom! He’s the doc in charge of the ER. It’s not likely he’s going to get that night off.” She grinned. “Besides, you only quit looking when you’re dead, right? It doesn’t hurt to look.” Chantelle arched her eyebrows and gave her mother a coy look.

  Savannah watched a hardness creep into Shelby’s face, while Lily pursed her lips.

  Although Shelby was just as pretty as Chantelle, her beauty wasn’t as flashy. She stood a bit shorter, and her thick, shiny dark auburn hair was mixed with red highlights that were visible only in the sun. She pulled the strands into a rough pony tail, showing off her tanned cheekbones and green eyes framed in long brown lashes. Both girls were twenty-two, the same age as Marissa and three years younger than Savannah.

  Savannah had no misgivings about being the most plain. Marissa took after their mother but appeared more delicate and petite. Savannah looked more like her father with dark brown everything, except skin, which was creamy with some rose to her cheeks. She rarely wore makeup and chose sunscreen as her moisturizer.

  Savannah focused on Chantelle. “Why don’t you tell me about your wedding plans?”

  Chantelle leaned forward and put her elbows on the table. “We’ve just started looking at venues, and we’re leaning toward an outdoor wedding at Aspen Glen, or we might do it right here at home. We haven’t decided all of that yet. But one thing I know for sure: we want the wedding of the century, and it’ll take at least a year to plan.”

  Savannah noticed Shelby was still out-of-sorts, but Lily had loosened a bit as she chided her daughter in fun. “And who’s going to pay for all of that?”

  Chantelle flashed her mother a grin. “You and Daddy, of course.”

  Lily gave Savannah another look of merriment.

  “Oh, now, don’t be like that,” Chantelle said. “I know there’s nothing you like more than planning a party. And this is going to be one great big party.”

  Lily laughed as she squeezed Chantelle’s hand.

  A mixture of gladness and loss churned within Savannah. She was happy for Chantelle and the fact that life moved on after loss, but she missed her own mother. Anne Foss would never plan another family party, much less a wedding that would never happen.

  With each aging year, Savannah gave up pieces of the dream of ever finding a man who could love her. She was damaged by loss in a way that tore at her innocent beliefs in happily ever after, and her one chance at changing all of that packed its bags when Alex Steele left Foss Ranch and Mission Canyon.

  Mixing with that grief was a deep love for Lily and her girls. It allowed her to remember that love and family were infinite, offering her a small flowering of peace in an otherwise barren landscape.

  Chapter 7

  Alex stood in the large opening of the Amy’s barn and looked inside. The smell of dust, old leather, hay, and long-gone horses greeted him, making him smile. Even though he was sorry his sister didn’t choose to live in Texas, he understood why she bought this property. Three-hundred acres of rich ranch land covered in grass, creeks, and pine was a tempting prospect.

  The barn was in better shape than the house, with oversized, airy stalls for sixteen horses. A corner stall with hot and cold water was dedicated to bathing horses. Crossties, where two horses could be saddled, were on each side of a large covered arena that separated the horse stalls with eight on each side.

  At the entrance stood a large and airy feed room, and on the other side of the feed room, away from the horse stalls, stood several smaller feeding pens for orphaned calves. The thought made Alex think of Savannah, but he hurriedly pushed it away.

  With some new mats and shavings for the stalls and some general cleaning, the barn would be ready.

  This is where Alex wanted to start, allowing Steve and Amy to bring their three horses—Biggs, Janu, and Socks—from the boarding stable. But Amy insisted the house was the first priority.

  Referring to the barn, where the horses were currently stabled, Amy said, “The horses are living in better conditions than we are at this moment, and this way we don’t have to take time away from our work at the house to care for them. I don’t expect the house to be perfect by autumn, but I do want to be able to live in it without feeling like I’m on a camping trip.”

  Alex understood Amy’s race with the weather. Winter could be brutal in Colorado, and she needed to have a snug place to call her own, even if the work continued. It was what encouraged Alex to ask Amy to consider having his best friend, Ben, come to help with remodel. Ben flipped homes for a living. His expertise and drive would allow for an easier schedule while still accomplishing more than just the three of them could at any speed. This meant less stress in spite of the quicker pace, and more rest for everyone. Amy readily agreed, wondering why she hadn’t thought of the idea.

  Turning from the barn, Alex walked into the back of the house, where the kitchen stood. Four years of emptiness had left the place in deplorable condition with flaking linoleum, useless appliances, and a rusted sink.

  Still, the house had good bones, and the demolition was going well. Just days ago, the three of them, wearing masks, ripped
out cabinets, countertops, old appliances, and endless strips of linoleum that refused to come up in one piece.

  The rest of the house was also in the beginning state of recovery with ratty carpet pulled up to reveal original wood floors that needed to be sanded and re-stained. Peeling wallpaper was still being removed from the bathrooms, and Steve and Alex tore down a wall between two small bedrooms to make a larger guest room. The same was done in the master to expand the master bath and create a large walk-in closet where no closet existed.

  Today, demolition continued with wallpaper removal and the beginning of the restoration project on the living room fireplace. For Alex, the removal of wallpaper was the most tedious of tasks, but he preferred it to working on the fireplace mantel. That was a job for Amy.

  Alex and Steve removed the wooden mantel that surrounded the fireplace and placed it on the lawn, so Amy could work outside with the chemicals that were needed to strip years and layers of old paint. Her attention to detail would serve her as she painstakingly worked around the many intricacies of carved wood.

  So far, everything was on schedule, but with all they had planned for this old house, Alex expected the remodeling to take about nine months. Amy wasn’t as optimistic. She thought it would be a little over a year before the house was ready for their first guests.

  Standing in the kitchen, Alex furrowed his brow as he began studying the windows above the sink and their surrounding sill. He didn’t hear Amy come in from the other room.

  “You’re thinking of windows, aren’t you?” Her breathing mask was down around her neck, and she held a bristled brush and a scraping knife.

  “Yep. I’m wondering what we’re going to find on these sills under all this paint. I’m betting we’ll have to replace them.”

  Amy sighed. “It’s something I planned for, so new vinyl windows are in the budget.”

  Alex turned toward his sister with a questioning look. “What are you thinking about? Are you concerned about the fireplace mantel?”

  Amy shook her head. “No. It’s sitting in paint stripper right now. I think it’s going to be fine. I was just thinking about the dinner at the Thomases the other night. I didn’t tell you that Lily offered to board our horses until we get the barn ready. We’ll have to pay for feed, of course. But she graciously offered to keep them.”

  “That was nice of her. Did you take her up on the offer?”

  “Yeah, I did. She seemed genuine, and it’ll save us close to fifteen-hundred dollars a month. That’s money that can go into the house. If at any time she changes her mind, we can take them back to the barn where they’re currently being boarded.”

  “When do you want to pick them up?”

  “Well, since you need to pick up Ben at the airport in a couple of days, I was hoping we could make it tomorrow. Are you free?”

  “I’m at your service, and your wish is my command,” Alex said.

  Amy laughed. “That’s what I like to hear.” She grew serious. “I’ll go ahead and arrange everything. What time do you want to make the transport?”

  “Oh, why don’t we say around four o’clock. If that’ll work for the Thomases, it would allow me to get a good day of work in here before I need to take care of the horses.”

  Amy kissed Alex lightly on the cheek. “That’d be wonderful. You can take Janu and Socks in the one trailer, and I’ll follow later with Biggs.” Amy dialed Lily’s number, and Alex listened while she made the arrangements. After she hung up, she turned to face her brother.

  “I’m curious to know your thoughts about dinner the other night.”

  Alex was hoping he wouldn’t have to talk about that.

  Amy came and stood beside him, looking out the window. “Do you always have girls flocking around you?”

  Alex grinned. “You mean to tell me you just noticed?”

  Amy lightly punched him in the shoulder. “Well, I am fifteen years older than you, so it’s not like I was still in the house when you were dating. My memories of you have more to do with diaper changes, babysitting, and learning to walk.”

  Alex gave his sister a warning look. “Don’t think you can hold that over me after all these years.”

  Amy laughed. “Oh, I’m sure I could come up with blackmail material. I still have that photo of you buck naked, except for the cowboy hat and boots Mom bought you for your birthday.”

  “Ouch!”

  “Just a little reminder,” Amy teased. Then, she changed the subject. “In all seriousness, though, do women always hang on you like they did the other night?”

  Alex tried to keep the mood light. “I’m a magnet. What can I say?”

  Amy looked heavenward before growing serious once again. “Are you interested in any of these young women?”

  The very thing Alex hoped to avoid. “Oh, I don’t know. They all seemed like sweet girls. But they appear to be a close bunch, and I wouldn’t want to come between any of them.”

  “Ahhh. Did you know Chantelle is engaged?”

  A wave of shock passed through Alex. “No.” He thought hard. “I don’t remember seeing a ring on her finger. Did I miss that?”

  “I don’t think she was wearing it, but her mother told me while we were eating dessert.” Amy continued, “The other two young women are available, though.”

  Alex said nothing.

  “And then there’s the young woman who didn’t spend any time in your company.”

  “Yeah, and her father isn’t exactly the nicest man in the neighborhood. Or maybe you didn’t notice how he turned up his nose when you started talking about restoring this place.”

  “I noticed.”

  “Doesn’t it bother you how he behaves? He acts as if he’s the only one who has any rights around here. As if he’s got some secret password you need to know in order to live within a hundred-mile radius. He’s the owner of the great Foss Ranch—supplying beef to thousands of grocery stores in the west. Big deal. My pecans travel the world.”

  Amy laughed.

  Alex gave her a withering look.

  “You worked for him, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, and he wasn’t any nicer back then.”

  “He’s suffered a terrible loss, you know. Lily told me. Her name was Anne.”

  Alex looked down at the chipped and graying floorboards of the kitchen. “I know.” He was familiar with this story, but from Savannah’s point-of-view. Her pain was so profound, it was almost palpable. She shared with him the emptiness left in her heart after her mother died, and how she believed she lost both parents on that day, for the man she knew as her father simply dried up like a scorched leaf in the fire of loss.

  Any continued, “Do you know her? The young woman who didn’t seem to have much to say?”

  “Savannah.” The name rolled on Alex’s tongue like sweet cream.

  Amy studied her brother. “She’s probably the gem in the midst of all the stones. I guess she does the books for Foss Ranch. Lily said she could run that ranch single-handed.”

  “She’s the accountant?”

  “Yes. Does that surprise you?”

  “A little. I never pictured her stuck inside an office. She has a great love for nature, and she took care of all the milking calves. When I last knew her, she wanted to be an arborist.”

  “An accountant who loves trees,” Amy mused. She continued to probe. “It sounds as if you knew her quite well.”

  Alex said nothing.

  Amy continued, slowly. “According to Lily, she’s single.”

  A sense of relief washed through Alex, but he didn’t trust himself to speak, so he remained quiet.

  Amy went on. “I know our meeting was brief, but she seemed like a dear young woman. I thought maybe we could have her over for dinner one night when we get the house presentable. Maybe we could try some of our recipes on her before we open the inn.”

  Alex laughed. “Well, I won’t put it on my calendar, since that day is not in the foreseeable future.”

  Amy cocked h
er head to one side. “You never know.” She threw him a glance over her shoulder as she walked away.

  Chapter 8

  Savannah studied the numbers on the screen, trying to find the reason why her columns didn’t match. Her head was swimming as she looked over each receipt given her by the foreman and matched them to the amount she entered into the computer. Finally, she found the mistake from a simple slip of her fingers. Her phone rang just as she made the correction.

  Glancing at the screen, Savannah immediately recognized Elle Taylor’s number. Delightful memories of her childhood friend danced into her mind. “Elle? How are you?”

  “Vannie! I’m so glad I caught you. I’m really good. How about yourself?”

  “I’m fine. It’s good to hear your voice. Are you in town visiting family?”

  “Well, I am with family, but I’m not just visiting. I’ve moved back home. City life in Albuquerque didn’t suit me, so I’m back in Mission Canyon for good. I’m living with my folks until I can get my own place. I just started a new job at Canyon Works as a river guide. I’ll be taking kayaking groups out on the water.”

  “Congratulations! I’m so happy you’re home.”

  “Me too, and I was hoping we could get together soon. I’ve missed you!”

  “I’d love to see you! It’s been too long.”

  The two lifetime friends talked over dates and settled on a time they could meet for a late lunch at the Adobe Grill.

  Savannah ended the call as she remembered all the happy memories she and Elle shared. The girls were inseparable through high school and were often in each other’s homes. A renewal of that bond would be a great summer bonus.

  Turning back to the computer, she fixed the earlier mistake and saved the document when Marissa walked into the office.

  “Hey, Marissa, what’s up?”

  “It’s a beautiful day. I was hoping you could take off early, and we could go for a ride.”

  Savannah liked the idea of taking the horses out, and Marissa was right. It was a lovely afternoon. She was pleased Marissa asked.