Wishing for the Rancher’s Love (High Country Ranch #5)

Chapter 2

2

“I don’t like that you left Clementine in the store alone,” Dad said from his spot at the long, elegant table across from Grady.

Grady had been waiting for the admonition during the entire meal, knowing his dad wouldn’t let him get away with leaving Clementine to lock up on her own. He finished swallowing a last bite before responding. “Clementine insisted on having the key.”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want you to leave her alone there.” Dad had discarded his suit coat and bow tie but still wore his navy vest with his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His dark brown hair was cut short and fashionably styled, and his beard was also neatly groomed. Without any wrinkles or any gray hair, Dad always looked younger than his age, as though he were thirty instead of forty-five.

Grady pushed around a last bite of stew with his spoon, the clinking loud in the dining room, which was too formal, too quiet, and too elegant for bachelors like them.

The room was still fancy the way Mom had decorated it, with cheerful yellow wallpaper and white lace everywhere—the tablecloth, the curtains, the doilies on the sideboard, and the rug beneath the table. Even the dishes they ate off were white with a scalloped edge that resembled lace.

In contrast, their meal had been anything but fancy. It never was anymore. Tonight had been canned stew. In fact, most nights their fare consisted of something from a can that only required warming up on the stove.

It was a far cry from the elaborate home-baked meals Mom used to make. The thought didn’t bring the sharp grief that it used to. Now it only brought a sense of nostalgia. And a sense of sadness for his dad.

“I’m sorry.” Grady placed his spoon on the pretty plate.

Dad took a sip of his coffee and then paused with the cup suspended above the matching white saucer. His eyes, although kind, held disapproval. “Clementine lives with us now, son, and we need to look after her.”

Grady pushed down his irritation and answered calmly. “She’s not living with us. She’s renting the room—”

“Close enough.” Dad gingerly set the cup down, the liquid likely lukewarm now, if not entirely cold.

Grady wasn’t sure why Dad persisted in drinking from the white scalloped cups that never kept the coffee hot more than a minute. The cup was also so small that a man could only take two sips before draining it dry.

Of course, Mom had always used the fine china for after-dinner coffee to go along with one of her delicious pastries. But it had been three years since they’d had the pleasure of eating anything she’d made. Even so, dad continued to use the delicate cups for after-dinner coffee.

Grady studied his dad’s large hands circling the porcelain. It was past time for his dad to let go of all the customs and habits he’d kept with Mom. He needed to move on. That was becoming more obvious with every passing day.

Grady cleared his throat, wanting to say as much, but as usual, the words stuck in his chest.

“Clementine is more than just a boarder, Grady.” Dad rubbed his thumb around the rim of the cup. “She’s like family.”

“I understand.” Or at least, Grady tried to understand. But he never really had understood why Clementine had become part of his family, especially since she’d had such a large and loving family of her own—her pa, ma, four brothers, and her twin sister—when he’d only had his dad and mom and no siblings.

Yes, her pa had passed away early in the year, and her ma had followed not long after him. But Clementine had grown up with more family than most and had always been close to them. She didn’t need his family too.

But just like his thoughts about their outdated supper habits, he kept his opinions about Clementine to himself—or at least, mostly so.

“I just wish she’d come over and join us for a meal.” Dad lifted his cup and took another sip.

Grady’s muscles were starting to tense with the longing to make his way over to Mill Pond, where the fellows would be waiting for him to start a game of hockey. But having gone out the past couple of evenings, he didn’t want to leave Dad alone for the third night in a row. The dark winter nights were long and lonely, and his dad liked his company, maybe even relied on it.

Not that Grady didn’t enjoy sitting in front of the warm stove and playing backgammon or checkers or cards. He appreciated their easy camaraderie, the stories Dad told, the laughter they shared, and the deep discussions they sometimes had.

But when the ice froze over, Grady loved being out on it. He always had.

“I’ve invited Clementine almost every night.” Dad sighed as he placed his cup down with a gentle clink. “And she always tells me she doesn’t want to be a bother.”

Grady almost snorted. Clementine didn’t care if she bothered him. In fact, she seemed to make it her life’s mission to bother him.

“Maybe if you told her you’d like her to come for supper...” Dad said tentatively.

Grady shook his head. He loved his dad and would do just about anything for him. But he had to draw the line somewhere, and that somewhere was with Clementine. “She’s busy most evenings making candy.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. She’ll get too wrapped up in her work and won’t leave time for fun.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Grady couldn’t keep the edge from his tone. “She leaves time for fun when she wants to.” She’d walked over to Mill Pond the past two nights. The first evening, she’d watched the hockey game, but last night she’d spent the entire time flirting with several fellows.

He’d tried to ignore her and focus on the game, but wherever Clementine Oakley went, she was hard to miss. Not only was she always the most beautiful woman in the crowd, but she was the most outgoing and vivacious, laughing and talking and joking with everyone. And the guys all loved her and were drawn to her like children eager to get their grubby hands on a piece of sweet candy.

He wished she’d stay away from the games, from the skating, and from the fellows. But Clementine thrived on attention.

“Maybe you can go over and see if she’d like to join us for cards?” Dad’s brow lifted above his brown eyes—eyes so much like Grady’s.

Pressure swelled inside Grady. He wanted to be a good son—the best son he could be. He’d tried to step in and take Mom’s place, tried to keep Dad occupied and busy. But there were days—and nights—when he felt as though he was failing to be all that his dad needed, like the past couple of nights. And again tonight.

“I was planning to get in a game of hockey.” Grady tossed out the words as nonchalantly as possible.

“Oh.”

Did that one word hint at disappointment, or was Grady imagining it? “But I can skip—”

“No, no. You go on.” His dad waved a hand. “We’ll finish that game of checkers when you get back.”

Grady hesitated. “You’re sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.” His dad’s voice contained forced cheer.

Grady didn’t move from his chair. He needed to cancel his plans for the evening and spend the time with Dad. That’s what he needed to do.

He rolled one of his shoulders, stiff from the bruise he’d gotten the previous night. “On second thought, I think I’ll skip the hockey. I’m sore—”

“No.” The one word was sharp—sharper than usual. Dad picked up the white cup and drained it. As he set it down, he shifted it gently one way and then the other. Then he reached up and began to undo the top button of his shirt, stretching his neck as he did so.

Uh-oh. Whenever Dad loosened his shirt, that meant he had something important to say—usually something unpleasant, something Grady wouldn’t like.

“Grady, I’ve been thinking...” And those were the words Dad always used when he started with that something important and unpleasant.

Grady swallowed the trepidation.

“I’m thinking,” his dad said again, tugging at his shirt collar as though it was attempting to strangle him, “that I’d like to propose a challenge, a contest of sorts between us.”

Grady sat up straighter. “Challenge? Contest?”

“I’m not getting any younger and neither are you.” His dad made the announcement as if the news should come as a surprise to Grady.

But Grady had felt older this year as he’d joined the fellows for hockey, especially because he was one of the oldest of the group now. Most of the others his age had moved on or gotten married.

Dad met his gaze head-on. “My challenge is that you find true love by Christmas. And if you do, I’ll loan you the money for the building next door so you can start the hardware store you’ve been talking about.”

Grady’s pulse slowed as he tried to make sense of his dad’s words. His dad was a savvy entrepreneur and had investments all throughout Breckenridge, more property and businesses than most people knew about—several house rentals, a boarding house, other business buildings he rented along Main Street and some of the side streets. He also had substantial amounts of property and businesses over in Georgetown, where they’d first lived when moving to Colorado.

After watching his dad buy up land and expand his investments, Grady wanted to do the same. So when the pharmacist who owned the drug store next to the general store had started constructing a new place on Ridge Street, Grady had offered to buy the old building. With a surge of new miners coming into the area, Grady figured the town could use a hardware store that sold items builders and miners alike needed.

After having to purchase two new carriages over the past year, Grady had fallen short of what the pharmacist was asking for the old building. But being a friendly fellow, he’d given Grady until Christmas to come up with the funds. After that, he planned to find another buyer. And Grady knew who that buyer would be. Dad.

Grady shook his head, the determination to make his own way rising up within him. “You know I don’t want charity—”

“It’s not charity.” His dad’s voice turned hard. “It’s a loan. You’ll have to pay me back with interest.”

His dad knew he’d already tried to get the bank to give him a loan, but they hadn’t been willing since he hadn’t proven himself yet with the livery.

“So you’ll give me the loan”—Grady couldn’t keep his own voice from turning hard—“but only with a bribe attached to it.”

“Not a bribe. A challenge.”

Grady shrugged. “It sounds like a bribe.”

“Look at it as an incentive.” His dad’s eyes had narrowed in that shrewd way he had about him—a shrewdness that had helped him become a very wealthy man.

“I don’t need any incentives.”

“Then you’ll lose out on the building.”

Grady crossed his arms and held his dad’s gaze. “I’m not rushing love just so I can get a loan from you.”

“I don’t want you to rush. All I want you to do is make an effort.”

Maybe the challenge wasn’t so crazy after all. Maybe it was even reasonable. Christmas was still at least six weeks away. That was plenty of time to make an effort to get to know a young woman in the area and start a serious courtship. Even though there weren’t hordes of eligible women to choose from, surely he could find one he was attracted to.

But doing so would mean leaving Dad behind more evenings. Marriage would make the situation worse. Then who would Dad have? He’d be alone, sipping cold coffee from his white china cup by himself every supper.

Grady shook his head, but before he could protest, his dad tugged on his collar again, and this time his neck was turning red. “Guess what I’m trying to say is that maybe I need to make an effort too.”

Grady opened his mouth to respond but then quickly closed it. What was his dad saying? That he needed to find a woman?

“Your mom...” he started, then stopped and cleared his throat. “Before she died, she made me promise I’d get remarried.”

“Sounds like something Mom would want.” Even if she had struggled with melancholy, she’d always had a beautiful and kind soul. Of course she’d have wanted her husband to find happiness again.

“She didn’t want me to be alone.”

Grady had never considered the possibility of his dad getting remarried, but it made sense. After all, his dad was still young and had needs. Not that Grady wanted to think about those needs, but still...

Dad’s neck was still red, and now Grady knew why.

“I didn’t want to promise your mom anything,” Dad continued. “I thought I’d be just fine alone.”

“But you’re not?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” he said hastily. “But what I’m realizing is that I’m holding you back. You’re not going out and finding love and making a life for yourself because you’re worried about being here for me.”

“I want to be here for you.”

“I know you do, son.” His dad’s brow furrowed above sad eyes. “But I can’t let you make that sacrifice for me—”

“It’s not a sacrifice.”

“Grady, listen. I need to move on. And so the challenge is as much for me as for you.”

Move on. Hadn’t Grady been thinking that very thing just a short while ago? Not necessarily that his dad needed to move on to a new wife. But what if doing so would help him release Mom and all the memories? What if doing so would bring him happiness and companionship?

Maybe this would be good for both of them. In fact, Grady suspected his mom wouldn’t have pushed his dad for the promise unless she’d been certain he would be happy with another woman in his life.

If Mom had believed it, then Grady had to believe it too. In fact, in seeing the loneliness in his dad tonight, he knew it was true. His dad needed to get married again.

Grady sat back in his chair and let his muscles relax. “So, what’s your part of the challenge?”

His dad eased out a tight breath. “If you find love first, you get the loan to buy the building. If I find love first, then I get to play matchmaker for you.”

Immediately, Grady sat forward and shook his head. “No way. You’ll pick Clementine.”

Dad’s brows shot up. “How do you know?”

“Because I’m not an idiot. I know you’re already playing matchmaker with me and her and have been for a while.”

“I love Clementine, and I know you do too.”

“No, I don’t. We can’t stand each other.”

Dad didn’t say anything, which meant he was sticking by what he’d said.

“That’s not fair.” Grady didn’t care if his voice was slightly whiny.

“Go ahead and find someone else you care about even half as much as her.” Dad’s lips quirked into the beginning of a grin. “You know you won’t.”

“Sure I will.”

“I’d like to see it.”

“You will.”

“Then we’re agreed on the terms of the contest?” His dad stuck out a hand.

Grady hesitated. He wasn’t planning to end up with Clementine. He’d rather marry a pecking hen than her. All the more incentive to win the contest. Not only would he get the building and be able to start up a hardware store, but he’d also get to choose his own bride.

He reached for his dad’s hand and shook. “Guess that means I’ll need to fall in love soon.”

His dad squeezed hard, then released him, his grin breaking free. “Good luck.”

Grady couldn’t hold back a grin of his own. “Good luck to you too.”