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“Well, my dear, they can now. Bill just got off the phone with the bank manager in Willow Valley. We have paid off your loans and we had them deposit another hundred thousand into your bank account. So, you should be good to do the repairs that are needed. I know Ella would be happy to know that the house and barn are going to be getting the repairs that are needed.”
I didn’t know what to say. Tears clouded my vision as the weight of what she’d just said hit me. “Paula, I…I can’t accept that. That’s a lot of money.”
“It is. Bill and I talked it over. We sold the cottage on the lake. Now. I called because I wanted to confirm with you the dates we will come by for the holidays.”
My heart sank. They’d sold their cottage. I swallowed hard.
“Now tell me, what dates?” Paula asked again.
They had come every single year when Ella and I had been married. After her death, they came to spend Christmas with me, so I wouldn’t be alone. It had given me some comfort, and I knew it gave them some as well, but the truth was I needed to move on. It was time, but Bill and Paula only ever wanted to focus on the fact that she was gone.
“What dates are you looking at, Paula?” I said, patting the cloth, soaking up the coffee.
“We thought we would come in December this year, the fourteenth? Thought we’d spend some time with you closer to Christmas. That way, you aren’t alone, and you don’t need to reflect on the fact that she died alone.”
Anger boiled inside of me. She’d called with a wonderful gift and then had to ruin it with her guilt inducing words. Every time we spoke, she had to get that in there somehow. It shouldn’t even hurt me anymore, but it did.
“So, we will see you then.”
“Sounds good. I’ve got to be going. Got to get back to work. Taking some cattle down to the auction in Cedar Landing today,” I said, my jaw tight with irritation.
“Drive safe, and we will see you in a couple of months. We are looking forward to seeing what you do with the house and barn.”
“Sounds good. See you then,” I said, hanging up the phone.
* * *
I pulled back into Willow Valley shortly after five. It had been a long drive out to Cedar Landing where I’d unloaded the cattle and left them at the auction house. Once I was finished, I drove back home. I did a lot of thinking on that drive. Mainly about what Ella’s parents had done for me. This would change many things for me. Not only would I be able to get the repairs done on both the house and barn before winter, but I’d be able to hire some more help and invest in some more cattle.
The other thing that weighed on my mind was Bill and Paula. I doubted if they would ever get over the fact Ella was gone. It seemed they both lived each and every day in a stage of mourning, not letting themselves focus on the present. In some ways, that made me worry because it felt as if they thought I too should never get over her. It made me worry about what would happen when I did, and I started dating again. What about if I got married again?
I tried to focus and calm my mind as I pulled onto the street that went out to my place. As I drove down the stone road, I realized that tonight I wanted something to take my mind off things. I didn’t want to go home to a quiet house to focus on the fact that Ella’s parents would be here in December. It had taken me all this time to accept the fact that she was gone and to be okay with what had happened. I knew that once they were here, we’d rehash everything that had happened all over again. Doing so would open up the old wounds, the ones where I blamed myself for not being there when it had happened. I’d regretted ever saying that to them, because I felt they too had been looking for someone to blame. So, I took my trailer back to the ranch, unhooked it, and then took off out to Gabe’s—or Cadence’s, now.
I pulled up in front of the house and climbed out of the truck. I could see the living room lights on and made my way to the front porch. I was just about to step onto the first step when a movement out by the barn caught my eye. I glanced over to see Cadence leading her horse, Ember, back to the paddock. For the first time since she’d been back, she finally had a look of peace on her face as she dealt with her horse. I walked up a way, leaned against the fence post, and watched from a distance.
Watching her tend to her horse was attractive to me. It was something Ella never did, work with the animals. In fact, I could count on one hand how many times she’d set foot inside the cattle barn. Cadence had grown up on a farm and had always been actively helping with animals.
“You know, if you’re going to stand there and watch, you could come down here and give a girl a hand,” she called out.
I chuckled to myself and made my way toward the paddock. “Well, I certainly wouldn’t want to step on your toes. After all, you are completely capable,” I said, resting my arms on the fence.
“That may be, however, she bucked me off on the ride.”
One minute, I was leaning up against the fence, the next, I was right beside her, taking the saddle from her hands, placing it down on the ground. “Are you all right? Did you break anything?” I questioned, immediately putting my hands on her body, feeling around and watching for any sign of wincing or pain on her face.
“I’m fine, Connor. Just knocked the wind out of me, I guess. There was a bear off in the distance. I saw the bear first and was watching it instead of paying attention to Ember. I just didn’t expect it.”
“Yeah, but I mean, you are sure you’re okay? A fall off a horse isn’t something to take lightly. Did you hit your head?” I asked, bringing my hand to the back of her head.
She met my eyes and placed her hands on my chest. “I’m sure. Like I said, just had the wind knocked out of me.”
“Where was this bear?” I asked, looking off in the direction she used to ride.
“Um, out in the far, far field.”
“Close to here or not?”
Cadence shook her head, then looked down to where my hands were resting on her arms then up at me. “What are you doing out here this time of night?”
