Page 78 of Second Chance Saloon

She let out a slow exhale, tracing the condensation droplets on her water glass with her thumb. How was Mitch faring in this heat? Everyone but Ali, who was now pregnant, had left yesterday morning to drive cattle into another feeding ground in the southeast part of the ranch. They were meant to come back tonight. Jackie was looking forward to going as well, but Dustin shot her a stern look when he’d seen her carrying her saddle out of the tack room. “Where you think you’re going, angel? Your parents don’t get to see you much, you’re staying,” he said.

She’d huffed, puffed and stomped in protest, not caring that at twenty-one years old, she should be more mature.

Before Mitch settled on Diamond, he dropped a tender kiss on her forehead, leaned in and whispered into her ear: “Kit’s worried about Ali. That’s why Dustin wants you to stay, to keep an eye on her.” He kissed her again, his rough whisper tickling her ear: “I left something on your dresser. Love you. Try not to miss me too much.”

Then, he was gone, and she was restless.

Ali and Kit had moved into the annex next to the main bunkhouse last year, when they officially got together. Ali’s parents weren’t thrilled with their daughter choosing someone seven years her junior. Apparently, they went absolutely nuts when they heard she was pregnant.

Jackie didn’t understand any of it. Why wouldn’t they be happy that their only daughter was healthy, loved and happy? And that they had a baby granddaughter on the way? She wondered how Kit felt about it all, but her rudimentary understanding of sign language didn’t allow her to have a more meaningful conversation with him. Most of what she knew about the situation was from chatting with Ali or what Mitch told her.

She was amazed how fast Mitch had picked up sign language during his first summer working on the ranch. He worked with Kit a lot that year, and managed better than she could’ve imagined. Then, last summer, after their junior year, he came back. Now, Jackie couldn’t imagine a summer at the Brooke’s Plains without him. Mitch was firmly part of the crew, of the family.

Even Mimi couldn’t find fault with him anymore. She took the longest to come round to the idea of Jackie choosing a city boy from Portland. Jackie wasn’t entirely sure why, but Mimi blamed Mitch for Jackie giving up barrel racing in her junior year. Which couldn’t have been more wrong—he was the one who encouraged her to think very carefully about what she wanted to do. But once she threw herself into studying, her heart wasn’t in it anymore. The workload got heavier and heavier with each semester, and then there was all the prep she did for the MCAT and extracurriculars for her medical school application … Barrel racing didn’t fit in with the life that she wanted. She quit while she was still placing high in events, before she became wholly irrelevant. Mimi, who was the one who got her into the barrel racing in the first place, took it to heart.

Now, Jackie was busy planning her life after college from the cozy Austin apartment she shared with Lyla and their friend Amber.

She touched her lip and smiled against her finger, reminiscing about the Saturday when she snuck out with Mitch to stargaze from the bed of his truck. The stars had quickly faded to a distant memory, their hands and mouths consuming each other with insatiable hunger.

She loved her life. She loved Mitch. Everything else would fall into place.

“You lookin’ happy,” Mimi remarked, walking into the kitchen with a stack of envelopes.

Jackie lifted her head, grinning at her. “I am happy.”

Mimi mumbled something under her breath, which sounded suspiciously like “that boy” and “better not get you pregnant”, but Jackie swallowed down a chuckle.

She was twenty-one, in a long-term relationship with a great guy, and her grandmother’s biggest fear was still her getting pregnant. She wondered at what age that would change, if it ever did. She’d been hearing enough about it ever since she started high school. Ali and Kit, though? Mimi was thrilled with their news. The number of little outfits she’d knitted already was getting out of control.

“Anything for me?” she asked instead. Even though she’d been living in the same apartment since the start of second year, all her mail still came to the ranch. She never got round to changing her address and for now, she didn’t see the point. Making a mental note to do it once she moved to start medical school, she stared at Mimi expectantly.

Mimi didn’t seem like she’d heard her. Her gaze burned into a cream sheet and a torn envelope squeezed between her fingers. She blinked, her forehead wrinkles deepening.

Jackie got up from her chair, taking a tentative step toward her. “Mimi?”

Mimi cleared her throat, shoving the letter to the bottom of the stack. “Yes, honey?”

“Who was that letter from?”

“What letter?”

Jackie crossed her arms. “Really, Mimi. You’ve never been a good liar. I’ve seen the letter.”

Mimi swallowed a heavy sigh. “It’s from your biological mother.”

Her heart clunked painfully. She’d never ever heard Mimi use those two words together. In fact, there had never been any discussion about the fact that Sharon wasn’t her biological mother. The entire family knew, of course. But no one had ever brought her up.

“She wrote to you?” Jackie whispered hoarsely.

“She thought it might be better … but she included a separate letter, for you.” Mimi passed her a smaller sealed envelope. “She said she would like you to read it.”

Jackie didn’t even flinch. “No, thank you.”

Mimi reached out to put her hand on Jackie’s shoulder, but Jackie stepped back, out of reach. “Honey …”

“I have no interest in whatever she has to say.” Her voice was steely. “She decided not to be part of my life. There’s nothing she can say that can fix that. I don’t need anything from her.”

“She’s sick,” Mimi said, her eyes wide and pleading. “Just … read what she has to say.”