The Last Goodbye (The Women of Independence) (11 page)

He gave her a tentative smile, and came
forward.

“I promised Mr. Crawford that I’d let
him know when I’ll be out at Silverton, and I don’t see him around. Would you
please tell him that I’ve been delayed, and probably won’t get there until noon?”

He made a note on his clipboard. “Noon.”

“Yes. He’s not too keen about me working
alone out there.” Kevin didn’t need to know all this, but she was still in
shock, and she was babbling.

He looked up sharply. “Is it dangerous
out there?” Something glittered in his eyes.

“Not really,” she said, waving a hand in
front of her face. “He’s just protective.”

He tapped the clipboard with the pen.
“I’ll tell him when I see him, Miss Flynn.”

She drove on, puzzled. When had he
become friendly? She really didn’t understand these people.

* * *

Sean was alone at the breakfast table
when Carmen came down. The producer looked up, smiled, and went back to reading
a report. She could always count on him to be discreet, but she imagined that
her relationship with Jake was old news by now. The fact was, she didn’t care
if everyone knew. The realization was freeing; she poured herself a cup of
coffee and headed for the verandah, leaving Sean in peace to study his reports.
She didn’t look for Jake, having left his room a couple of hours previously.
He’d already left for a business appointment in town.

A light breeze ruffled the surface of
the lake, but only a few wispy clouds marred the perfection of the summer sky.
Grayson would get the lighting he desired.

She checked her watch and noted that she
had an hour and a half before she was due in hair and makeup. Punctuality was
important to her; she didn’t care how others behaved, she was always on time.

Time. She sipped Esperanza’s excellent
coffee and counted the hours. She’d received a call from her agent this
morning; she’d been offered the part, and had two days in which to respond.
Forty-eight hours to make a decision that would affect the rest of her life.

She and Jake had been so busy enjoying
each other’s bodies they hadn’t had time for discussions about the future.
Besides, they’d only known each other a few days... hardly enough time for
declarations of everlasting love.

Or was it? She felt in her heart that
she knew Jake better, and loved him more deeply than any man she’d ever met.
Was that possible? It seemed unlikely, and yet instinct told her...

“Penny for your thoughts.”

“Oh, Sean. I didn’t hear you.” He stood
on the other side of the screen door. She motioned to the chair beside her.
“Come on out, if you have time.”

He eased his tall frame into the rocking
chair. “You looked so serious out here. I wasn’t sure if I should disturb you.”
Keen eyes watched her carefully.

She traced the pattern on the coffee mug
for a moment without really seeing it. “I’m at a bit of a crossroads here.”

He raised his eyebrows. It was one of
the things she liked about him. He may be powerful, but he didn’t feel the need
to impose his will, or to talk all the time. Sort of like Jake.

“I got the call this morning.” She
glanced at him and he nodded his understanding.

“This is the last part to be cast.
They’ve given me two days to accept.”

He watched a hummingbird for a moment as
it hovered by the feeder. “Have you told Jake about the part?” He frowned.
“This is about Jake, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

He continued to rock. “What does your
gut tell you?”

“It’s so full of butterflies, I can’t
tell.” She looked down at her lap, where she’d been twisting the fabric of her
skirt. “I’m afraid, Sean.”

He laughed, but it came out as more of a
bark. “Jesus, Carmen. When it comes to love, we’re all afraid. Don’t you know that
by now?” His smile belied his harsh words. “We’re all afraid,” he repeated
softly. “We’re afraid the other person doesn’t love us as much as we love them,
when what we should be afraid of is how empty our life will be if we don’t grab
onto happiness while we can.” He stopped the movement of the rocking chair and
leaned forward. “Do you want to go through life wondering, Carmen?”

“But Jake hasn’t said anything. You know
what I mean, Sean. We’ve only known each other a couple of days. I can’t expect
him to...” Her words trailed off.

“Can’t expect him to what?” His eyes
flashed. “Come on, own it. What do you want from him?”

“I want to stay, but I want him to ask
me. I want him to tell me he loves me as much as I love him.”

Sean eased back into the chair, a satisfied
smile on his face. “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it? But you’re telling the
wrong person.”

“Do you think so?” Hope erased the doubt
on her face.

He rose. “Even when we were young, I was
never able to figure out what goes on in that bone head of his. But you’re
making yourself crazy playing ‘what ifs’, Carmen.” He smiled down at her.
“You’ll know when the time is right.”

* * *

Nick walked down the driveway as soon as
Danielle pulled up in front of the jobsite. It looked like he wanted to have a word
with her before the homeowners started in on her.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

He looked frustrated. “Yes, but it’s
kind of late to make changes, Dani. They want to add a sunroom. That would
probably double the bill.” He lowered his voice. “Do they have money?”

She waved and smiled at the wife, who
was in the living room, watching them through the window. “I don’t think that
will be a problem, but I can’t give them a price today.”

“Okay, well let’s go and talk to them.”

Alain and Marie Bourget, the newly
retired homeowners, apologized profusely. “...but we saw the lovely sunroom you
built for the Berkshires and we fell in love with it.” The husband and wife
exchanged glances. “We’d like one very similar, and we thought that since the
house is already opened up...”

Danielle nodded, and Nick did the same.
“Show us where you’d like it and we’ll work something out.”

The consultation took longer than she’d
expected, and when the grandfather clock chimed eleven, Danielle looked at her
watch.

“Uh oh. I’m supposed to be out at
Silverton at noon.” She turned to Nick. “Can you carry on here for a few days?
If necessary, we can secure the roof in case it rains, but in the meantime I
have to run.”

“No problem. Talk to you later.”

The homeowners thanked her, and she
assured them that the sunroom would be a valuable addition to their home. A
sunroom had been one of her first real jobs when she set up her business. Had
it really been ten years ago? She’d always been grateful to the Berkshires for
their confidence in her abilities.

She drove off with a smile on her face, lost
in happy memories. Then the memory of what she’d seen this morning came
crashing back. How could Grayson have gone from asking her to come to his ranch
to spending the night with Andrea? Yes, she had turned him down, but she hadn’t
imagined the tenderness, the intensity in his kiss. Or had she?

She took a swallow of coffee from her
thermos cup. It was almost cold, but she scarcely noticed as realization
struck.

She’d been looking at this situation entirely
the wrong way. She should be relieved that she’d discovered his true nature
now... before she did something foolish, like fall farther in love with him.

Love? The word bounced around inside her
head, as elusive and unsettled as her emotions. Was she in love with Grayson
Crawford? In spite of everything that had happened, it was time to be honest,
and unfortunately, the answer was yes. Unfortunate because he’d asked for her
trust.

It was a good thing she hadn’t given it
before she’d learned who he really was.

When the turn-off to Silverton came up,
she was gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles were white. Prying her
hands loose, she flexed her fingers, consciously relaxing. She would get
through these next few days, and Grayson would be gone from her life forever.
She may not be worldly, or have the sophistication of the movie people, but
she’d learned one thing over the years: she couldn’t control the actions of
others... couldn’t control the outcome.

So far in life, she’d lived her own truth,
and she wasn’t about to change now. Easing back on the throttle, she tuned the
radio to her favourite country western station and drove along the narrow,
tree-lined road.

* * *

The ghost town lay silently in the noon
sun. Danielle pulled up in front of the building next to the one where she’d be
working. No sense parking too close and risk getting paint spattered on her
truck.

She got out and stretched, surprised at
how calm she felt. A slight breeze stirred the tops of the Cottonwoods along
the creek, the air perfumed by their scent. Fireweed bloomed everywhere it
could gain a foothold; bright flower spikes adding splashes of colour against
the dark background of old buildings.

She tried to look at the old town
through fresh eyes, to see it as Grayson must have done. Had that really been
only yesterday? So much had happened... it didn’t seem possible.

Most of the buildings set back from the
main street were built with board and batten construction, or in many cases,
logs. She’d never taken the time to examine the construction techniques before,
but she did so now. The log buildings in particular fascinated her. Carefully
selected logs had been trimmed to fit, and skillfully dovetailed on the
corners. Naturally occurring clay, abundant in the area, had been mixed with
sand for chinking; much of it was still intact. Small windows had been set proudly
into thick walls, the glass rippled with imperfections. She touched one
thoughtfully and could only imagine how valuable glass must have been back
then.

“All right,” she said aloud.
“Interesting as it is, this isn’t getting anything done.” She hauled the ladder
from the back of her truck, extended it and placed it against the building.
Whistling a tuneless song, she set up her safety equipment and the necessary paraphernalia
to hold the paint cans and the rollers.

“The set-up is as much work as the
painting,” she observed aloud, checking to see that everything was in place.
“And I’m starting to talk to myself... not a good sign.” She dug into her
pocket for her ear buds, popped them in, and started to paint.

* * *

Jake stopped at the cattle guard and
looked around for the young fellow who’d been acting as security. Personally,
he’d thought that a security check was a bit over the top, but it hadn’t been
his decision to make. When the officious young man didn’t show up after a
moment, he continued through the gate, his mind processing the facts from the
meeting he’d just attended.

Well versed in the markets, Jake rarely
solicited financial advice. But these days, the financial landscape was
changing at the speed of a mouse click, and he wasn’t too proud to listen to
the opinions of the young guns where he banked.

The land crested half way between the
gate and the ‘village’ of temporary buildings. Jake slowed, pulled the Jeep off
the road and looked out over his land... the small portion of it that he could
see, at least. Jake thought he’d kept up to date with property values, but he’d
been surprised by the figures on the report. The value of the land had
increased dramatically, and now comprised half of his net worth. Over the
years, he’d become accustomed to the luxury of not thinking about money. He
worked hard, and knew that the ranch made a healthy profit every year, but the
bottom line interested him very little. He supposed he was an anomaly in the
ranching community, but it was true... he simply didn’t care, because he
couldn’t conceive of doing anything else.

He removed his hat and raked his fingers
through his hair. Was he too set in his ways to consider changing? His body
stirred as he recalled making love to Carmen last night, and he chuckled softly
to himself. Who was he kidding? He was already a different man, rushing back in
the middle of the day in the hopes of spending a few minutes with her.

But neither of them had spoken of what
was in their hearts. A corny sentiment, perhaps, but true. His heart was full
of her... her looks, her mind, her body. He suspected that she felt the same,
but the possibility of the movie part hung between them like the proverbial
sword of Damocles.

He pulled back onto the road and
continued past the village. He hated feeling this way... off balance and
unsure. He needed to get out and work... maybe check on the cattle. Right after
he checked the house.

Sean looked up from his regular spot at
the dining room table, papers stacked in neat piles. He’d always had a tidy
mind, one of the reasons he’d been top in all their classes.

“Shouldn’t you be on the set? They’re
shooting that big scene today, aren’t they?” Jake glanced out to the verandah,
even though he knew Carmen was working.

“No, Grayson has his hands full enough
without me hanging around. Besides, he’s one of the best. He knows what he’s
doing.”