Dream Chaser (26 page)

Suzanna
sighed as she surveyed
what was left of her garden. A single tomato hung precariously from one vine, and two green pepper plants were all that remained on their own stalks.
She propped one up and uncovered a half-grown squash with a hoof print in the middle of it. “My poor garden,” she lamented.

Jonathan laughed. “One of the risks of gardening on a cattle ranch,” he chuckled, after
dismounting
. “I’m sorry.”
One hand
stroked her back.

Suzanna
edg
ed away
from him
when she saw Penelope staring
at them. “
It wasn’t your fault.
The
cows have
n’t
come this close to the cabin
in ages
.”

“If it’s any comfort, Nate has to use more than a few flimsy bean poles to keep them out of his vegetables. If it weren’t so late in their growing season, I’d have him replace your poles with stronger ones.”

“No need,” she sighed. “They were about done anyway, except for the squashes.” She handed Kevin the three green peppers starting to ripen to red and the lone tomato
still on the vine
.

Jonathan turned to
Suzanna.
“I’d like to have the three of you for dinner tomorrow night,
unless you have something else planned.
”

“How nice! What time would you like us there? Can I bring anything?”

“Seven
is good. If you bring something,
Nate may take it the wrong way. J
ust yourselves, a good appetite, and Sam. Rex could use the exercise.” He turned,
mounted
his horse, and followed the trail the cows had made around the trees.

A golden cloud of la
te-afternoon dust preceded the J
eep as it pulled up in front of the ranch house.

“Come on in, Kevin,” Jonathan welcomed him. “Your mother said you wanted to talk with me about my consulting business.”

“Yes.” Kevin hesi
tated, before plunging on. “And
I wanted to ask if you knew people I might talk to in International Relations. I want to work at an Embassy, and Mom said you have friends in that line of work—from what you do in international trade.”

“I do. My colleague
knows people at several of our embassies.
From when he was at
Georgetown working on
his
doctorate
.”

Kevin looked around the office. “Mom said you went to school on the St. Paul campus. Probably when my dad was going to law school.”

Jonathan closed his laptop. “W
hat do you want to know about International Relations?”

“Well, I’m
starting my senior year in Political Science,
and I
was thinking maybe I could
get on
as an intern at an Embassy office or Cons
ulate next summer
before I go to grad school.
I
f
your friend knows of any openings, and what I have to do to be considered.”

“I’ll see what I can do.
Why don’t you write down how Jamie can contact you? I’ll email him and
the
two of you can take it from there.”
He was silent for a moment as he looked at the earnest young man
, his dark eyes so alert, as he scanned the room
. “You remind me a lot of your mother.”

Kevin smiled. “Lots of people say I look like her.”

Jonathan grinned. “That’s true. I was thinking more how you both seem eager to learn
, gain new experiences, have an adventure.”
Like when she came out here by herself and convinced me to rent her the cabin.

“She’
s always said we learn more when we try new things than if we stick with what we already know
.”
Kevin
met his eyes. “My mom said you’re a great person
.”

Jonathan
played with a pencil on his desk
. “I think she’s pretty
neat
, too.
” After a beat, he asked, “Is she
think
ing
of
go
ing
home
with you
?”

“She hasn’t said.”
Kevin
looked down at his hands before meeting Jonathan’s eyes. “She likes it here…
a lot.
And she has
her hands full with
Penny
, mostly because
my sister
brings her troubles with her.” He sat back
in the chair
near Jonathan’s desk. “
It’s a good thing
Mom has a long fuse, and when she blows, it’s usually over pretty fast. Not
exactly
like my Dad.” He frowned and bit his lip. “I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

“I’m sure you were simply stating a fact.” Jonathan
reached for the paper Kevin handed him
.
“What else did you want to ask me
? A big part of my trade work is solving problems.” The two men talked for several minutes.

Jonathan
rose
and p
laced
a hand on Kevin’s shoulder.
“
You know how to reach me if other questions come to you
.” Together, they walked out to Suzanna’s Jeep.

“I will. You want us here for dinner at seven, right?”

He nodded. “See you then.”

The table was set with sparkling crystal and china
when Suzanna returned with Kevin and Penny
.

“Nate, those
beautiful
flowers in
the centerpiece. W
here did you get them?” Suzanna asked as they entered the room. She wore a simple skirt and blouse, its color heightening her tan. Penny had chosen a black dress with capped sleeves, whose skirt swirled when she walked.

With their hair nearly the same length, Jonathan imagined
they might be taken for sisters, t
he only difference
being their hair color and facial expressions. Dark-haired
Suzanna was smiling and interested in Nate’s handiwork. Penny’s face was serious and expressed her cooler, more appraising mood.
She’s probably
trying to figure out my net worth
.

Jonathan
turned
his attention
to Suzanna
as
Nate
replied,
“Curly’s wife,
Rachel
, has a garden. Her green thumb does the rest.”

“They’
re beautiful.
I’d like
to
talk with her about them
.”

The conversation waxed and waned between the courses Nate served. When Jonathan raised his glass for a toast, he
acknowledg
ed Kevin and
Penny
before
his eyes linger
ed
on S
uzanna. “To my guests. It’s
a pleas
ure to have you here.” They clin
ked their glasses
together
.

After dinner, Suzanna asked Nate to take her to
Rachel
’s garden, and Kevin went out to talk with Grady in the near paddock, where he was brushing down a horse.

Penny
was looking at one of the many photographs taken of the ranch in different seasons
when Jonathan approached her
. “I hope you
’ve
enjoyed your
stay
here, Penelope.”

“Most of the time.” Then she turned to
face him, her voice cool.
“You’re after my mother.
Don’t deny it. I know you
are
.”

The
bluntness
of her
words
surprised him. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t be coy, Jonathan.
I know you want her. You
can
hardly
take your eyes off her.
”

H
is eyes narrowed for a moment before he forced himself to stay calm, but one eyebrow rose as he replied,
“I always pay attention to my guests
, so I’ll
know when to pass the vegetables.”
A
self-appointed
p
rotector of her mother’s virtue?
Would Chrissie have been like this if I’d been interested in someone?

“You know that’s not what you were doing.” Penny’s voice rose. “You’re in love with her. I know it and you know it. And it hasn’t been t
hat long since my father died.”

He
kept
his voice
studiedly neutral when what he wanted to do was shake some sense into Penny.
“The death
of a spouse is always difficult
. Are you saying I shouldn’t admire how your mother has put
her life back together since…it
changed so much?”
You never helped her.

“
You’ve taken advantage, after all she’s been through. O
ut here all by herself.
Alone. With no one to take care of her, protect her, like Daddy did, or me.
”

He shook his head. “Your
mother
doesn’t need protecting. She’
s been through a lot, but I rather doubt her be
ing here has added to her grief.”

He
took a seat and gestured for Penny
to sit down
, his voice assuming a more caring tone. “W
hat would your father think of her taking off on her own and having a bit of personal
time,
just for herself?”

Penelope refused his offer to sit
and stared
out the window rather than return his
gaze. “He never would have allowed it. She did go on the cruise we insisted on,
but she’s
probably
told you I was against
everything else she…well, everything she did after Daddy died
.”

She paused and seemed to catch her breath. “You have a piano.”

Jonathan inclined his head slightly. “Do you play?”

“I took lessons for a while. Kev did, too, before he stayed with the trumpet—so he could be in the band.”

“Your mother plays.” Jonathan stated, remembering.

“How do you know that?” Penny’s voice took on a strident quality as she moved away from him. “Let me guess. You asked her to play. And I’ll bet she jumped at the chance,” her voice bitter.

Jonathan stared back at her. “Why do you say that?”

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” The muscle in her jaw seemed to tighten as if she was biting back words.

He couldn’t help himself. “Let me guess. She loves to play, but not everyone in your family appreciated that.”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she turned abruptly and headed for the door.

Had Chelsea stayed, would she and Christine have butted heads this way?
He
rose
out
of his chair and gently turned
Penny
around to face him
, detecting surprise in her eyes
. “I
believe
you owe
your mother
an apology for being so hard on her
. She’s an adult and has a right to make her own decisions
.”

She shook his hands off her shoulders and
back
ed away from him. “What gives you the right to
tell me that
? I’m not your daughter.”

“That’s right, you’re not.
But Suzanna is your mother, and
she
deserves
your respect—as well as your love.” He blocked her way as she moved toward the door
and
lowered his voice
as his anger built again, not taking his eyes off her as she tried to move around him
. “I have some advice for you, young lady.”

Penny gave a little gasp but stood her ground.

Jonathan continued. “Your mother told me what you do, where you work. It’s a great company.
You have a
wonderful
opportunit
y to make something of yourself,
in business
and in life. But if you insist on
stepping
on
everyone else in order to get
ahead, you will surely live to regret it.” He heard the little catch in her
throat
when she backed
away from him
.