Jenny (6 page)

"Hello, Louie," Evelyn said as she came to join
them.

"It's good to see you again, ma'am."

`Evelyn' will do just fine," she said with a gentle
smile.

"Yes, ma'am," he told her. "I've got the buckboard
tied up right out front. You go ahead out while I get
your bags. I'll meet you there."

Jenny and Evelyn made their way to the front of
the station to wait for him.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Evelyn
asked Jenny as they stood by the buckboard.

"I wish there was something that would help, but
I know there isn't. It's just so hard-with Papa not being here, and I keep remembering..."

"Remembering what, dear?"

"My last day in town. I know how badly I disappointed Papa. He did so want me to marry Cole."

"Do you think you'll see Cole again? Is he still in
the area?"

"From the few times Papa mentioned him when he
came East to visit, I think Cole's doing fine on the
Branding Iron. I doubt if I'll see him again, though,
and I really don't want to." She had not had any contact with him since that fateful day so long ago and
didn't relish the thought of a reunion with him.

Her aunt nodded. "I understand. Things are difficult
enough as it is."

Louie rejoined them then and loaded their luggage
in the back of the buckboard. He helped them in and
then climbed up, too, and took the reins. They moved
off through the streets of town, heading for the Lazy
S - heading for home.

The trip to the ranch was long, but Jenny didn't
notice. She was too enthralled by the beauty of her
surroundings, and she found herself wondering how
she could have stayed away so long.

"I didn't realize how much I missed home," Jenny
said, her heart swelling with the absolute magnificence of the mountains.

"I wondered why you didn't come back sooner,"
Louie remarked. "And so did your father."

She cringed inwardly at his words. "I guess I
needed to see more of the world, so I could better appreciate what I had. I'm just sorry it took this to
make me realize it."

"Don't feel guilty. We can never know what's going to happen in life. Your father wanted only your
happiness. You meant the world to him," Evelyn offered. "He loved you, and you loved him."

"Louie..." Jenny was suddenly very serious.

The foreman glanced at her, hearing the change in
her voice and wondering at it.

"What happened that day? How did Papa die? I
know you said it was a riding accident, but he was
such a good rider.... It just doesn't make sense that
he'd be thrown and"

"No, it doesn't make much sense, horseman that he
was, but when his mount came back to the house
without him, me and the boys went out looking for
him right away. We figured we'd find him walking
back and probably cussing and spitting mad. We
thought we'd get a good laugh out of it. We were all
set to give him a bad time...." He paused as he remembered that terrible day.

"Where did you find him?"

"It took us a while, but we finally found him near
the creek in the high pasture."

Jenny shivered at the thought of her beloved father
dying that way all alone with no one to help him.
"It's good that you were able to find him at all."

"We buried him with your mother," he offered, not
really wanting to talk about it, but knowing that she
needed to know all that had happened.

"Thank you, Louie. I don't know what I would
have done without you."

They fell silent, each lost deep in thought.

Jenny was dreading returning to the empty house
and seeing the last and final proof of her father's
death his grave.

Evelyn was wondering what her niece was going
to do now that she was owner of the ranch. Jenny
loved living in the East. No doubt she would sell the
Lazy S as quickly as possible, so they could return to
the lives they'd been leading before Paul's deadly accident.

Louie was worried about what was going to happen
when Jenny discovered that Cole was running the
ranch-with her father's blessing. Their past history
was going to make any kind of relationship between
them difficult, to say the least. He just hoped they
could work things out, so the ranch didn't suffer. Lord
knows, things had been rough enough on the Lazy S
lately. They didn't need any more trouble.

It was late in the day as Cole Randall sat at the desk
in Paul's study staring down at the ledger open before
him. He glanced up at the mantel clock again, noting
with irritation that only ten minutes had passed since
the last time he'd checked. Louie was due back with
Jenny at any time now-if she'd made it into town
on the train today.

Cole was tense, not relishing the upcoming reunion. It was difficult enough knowing that he was go ing to have to deal with Jenny that very day, but over
the last several hours as he'd started reviewing the
ranch's finances, he'd come to realize just how bad
things had gotten there. He'd known that times had
been hard for Paul; he just hadn't known how hard.

"They're coming!"

The sound of Frances's call interrupted Cole's
thoughts. He swore silently as he slammed the ledger
shut. There would be time for dealing with the figures
later. Right now he had something more serious to
attend to.

Jenny was there

Cole shoved himself away from the desk and stood
up to make his way toward the front of the house.

As the buckboard topped the low rise and the twostory ranch house and outbuildings came into view in
the valley below them, Jenny's heart was filled with
joy. If only her father had been there waiting for her,
the moment would have been perfect, but, tragically,
he wasn't. She remained quiet as they crossed the
remaining distance and drew to a stop before the
house.

"You're here," Frances cried as she came hurrying
out of the house and down the front porch steps, her
arms flung wide.

Jenny climbed down from the buckboard and was
immediately enveloped in Frances's loving embrace.
Jenny returned her hug warmly. "I've missed you,
Frances."

"We've missed you, too, little girl," Frances said
lovingly, hugging her all the more tightly to her heart.
"You've been gone too long-much too long." When
at last she freed Jenny from her embrace, she still
grasped her hand tightly. "I think I may just hold on
to you forever and never let you go again."

"I think I may just let you," Jenny replied, and was
embraced one last quick time.

"Hello, Miss Evelyn," Frances greeted the other
woman. "Louie and the boys can take care of your
things. You both come on inside now with me, and
we'll get you settled in." She kept a protective arm
around Jenny's waist, drawing her toward the porch
stairs.

Jenny stopped and glanced off toward the small
grove of trees in the distance.

"No - I don't want to go inside yet." she said to
Frances. "I have to go see my father--"

Frances understood. "Louie told you we buried him
with your mother?"

"Yes," she said softly, sadness revealed in her eyes
as she looked over at her aunt. "I'll be back in a little
while. You go on inside."

Evelyn and Frances watched in silence as Jenny
made her way toward the small family grave site.

As Jenny drew near the burial plot, she could see the
freshly turned earth and the marker that were the final
proof of her father's passing. A sob tore from her
throat as she stood over the grave, and she finally
gave in to the devastating sorrow that she'd held at
bay for so long.

There could be no hiding from the truth any longer.
Jenny dropped to her knees, her hands clutched before her. Her keening was heart-wrenching as she
faced the truth and told her father good-bye.

"Cole?" Evelyn blurted out as she stepped inside the
house and came face to face with him in the hallway.
He was as tall and handsome as ever, and her surprise
at finding him there was immense. She could just
imagine how shocked Jenny was going to be when she found out that Cole was waiting for her.

"Hello, Evelyn," he said. Then looking past her
down the hallway, he asked, "Didn't Jenny come with
you?"

"Yes... yes, she's here," she answered, feeling as
if she were babbling.

"Jenny went out to the grave," Frances explained
as she followed Evelyn indoors. She knew that Cole
had been waiting all afternoon for Jenny's arrival.
"I'm sure she'll be in in a little while."

"It's good to see you again, Evelyn. I just wish it
were under better circumstances. I'm sorry about
Paul."

"Thank you," she answered, still confused by his
presence but appreciating his sentiment.

"I'll be in the study if you should need me,
Frances."

He retreated to Paul's study and went to look out
the window. In the distance he could see the small
cemetery and could make out Jenny kneeling beside
her father's grave. He allowed himself to feel sorry
for her, but only for a moment; then he banished any
gentle feeling toward her. It was all well and good
that she'd shown up now, but where had she been
during the long, lonely months when Paul had been
here alone missing her?

There was no room in Cole's heart for any tender
emotion where Jenny was concerned. She would get
precious little sympathy from him. She had chosen to
leave the ranch and stay away all this time. Only her father's death had drawn her back. Cole fully expected her to sell out to him immediately, so she
could return quickly to the life she obviously loved
so much back East. He would be glad to see her go.
Cole turned away in disgust from the window, not
looking forward to the reunion to come.

Jenny slowly got to her feet and wiped the tears from
her eyes.

It was true.

Her father was dead. She would never see him
again-never hug him again-never have the chance
to tell him she loved him again

She drew a sobbing, ragged breath and struggled
to pull herself together. It wouldn't be easy. She had
loved her father dearly and would miss him always.

With a heavy heart, Jenny looked around her. She
stared out across the valley and then let her gaze sweep
across the beauty of the mountains. This was her home.
She'd enjoyed her time in Philadelphia. She'd excelled
in school and had traveled extensively, even taking a
grand tour with a group from the academy, but now she
realized that this was where she belonged. Her heart,
her life, was here on the Lazy S.

In that moment, she made her decision. No matter
what Aunt Evelyn wanted her to do, she wasn't going
back.

Jenny gave a determined lift of her chin as she
made her way toward the house.

She was home.

She was staying.

The house looked warm and welcoming, quiet and
peaceful. There was no one around outside. Louie had
already carried all their bags indoors and driven the
buckboard off to the stable.

Jenny's heart ached as she climbed the porch steps
and let herself in. She could hear the sound of voices
coming from the back of the house and started down
the hall. A sense of warmth and love surrounded her,
embracing her.

Home...How could she have stayed away so
long?

And then Cole stepped out of the study into the
hallway, blocking her way.

Jenny gasped and took a step back, startled.
"Cole!"

"Hello, Jenny."

His voice was deep and mellow, and a shiver of
awareness ran down her spine. She blinked, staring
up at him, momentarily speechless.

Of all the things Jenny had imagined happening to
her upon her return home, finding Cole in her father's
study had not been one of them. He was taller than
she remembered, and his shoulders seemed broader.
He was as handsome as ever with his dark hair and
dark eyes, and there was an aura of power, maturity,
and control about him now. His was a commanding
presence, and he seemed to fill the entire hallway. She
took an unconscious step backward.

"I'm sorry about your father," he said quietly. "He
was a good man."

"Yes... yes, he was," she stammered, finally managing to pull herself together enough to speak. She
couldn't imagine what he was doing in her house.

"How was your trip?" Cole asked.

He found himself staring down at Jenny and was
irritated by the realization that she had matured into
a stunning woman. Her hair was smoothed back into
a bun at the nape of her neck in a style that on another
woman would have been severe. On Jenny, though,
it gave her a regal look, emphasizing the classic
beauty of her features. She wore a sedate traveling
gown, but even so clad, there was no disguising the
feminine grace of her figure.

Something deep and elemental stirred within Cole,
but he fiercely denied it.

He harshly reminded himself that this was Jenny
the woman who had left him standing at the altar
the woman who'd left him open to public ridicule.