I Don't Believe in Happily Ever After by L. A. Keller
I've been so busy writing Reunion in the Desert and trying to finish the third book in the Jayne Stanford series that I left this short story hanging. I'm including part Nine with the new installment as a brief review. You can read the entire series in my blog posts or email me for one complete copy.
Happy Trails,
Part 9
“I gave up on happily ever after. Maybe I'm not cut out for
a relationship. Maybe, I just don't like being committed to one person for
longer than two weeks.”
Clare kicked off
her running shoes at the back door of her grandmother, Mae’s house. She winced
when she thought about how much she spent on them but the fabric absorbed
manure like a sponge and there was no way they would ever come clean. She figured
she may as well throw them out, along with all her plans for this weekend. Hours
of chores around the farm had worn her down more than all day client meetings.
Mae hummed a tune
as she prepared their lunch. Clare knew she had been guilt tripped into paying
penance for her bad behavior the day before. She groaned at the memory of Wyatt
tossing her into the back of his pickup truck like a moldy bale of hay. Try as
she might, she didn’t have the energy to be angry at him but she also wasn’t
ready to give up on her mission. One way
or another she would get her granny to see the sense in selling the farm and
moving to the city where Clare could take care of her.
Mae set two plates
on the table with a pitcher of iced tea.
“You did good,
child. With a little more practice you could take over this place someday.”
“Granny that is
the last thing I ever want to do. I have a great life in the city and remember
I’m getting married.”
“Since you brought
it up, I have been wondering about this fiancé of yours. How come he didn’t come
with you? If you plan to be his wife I would think he would want to meet your
family first.”
“Richard just made
partner at the firm so he’s extremely busy. If you come back with me we’ll have
plenty of time for you to get to know him.”
“As you have seen,
it’s extremely busy around here too.
The garden and the animals need tending every day. Wyatt and I have projected
profits for the next quarter so I won’t have a spare minute to gallivant around
the city.”
“About this deal
you have with Wyatt…” Clare was interrupted by a knock at the front door.
“Hello, is anyone
home?” A man’s voice called.
Mae jumped from
the table, sprightlier than Clare had seen her. She hustled to the front of the
house, leaving her cane beside the table. Clare could hear whispers and then
Mae returned escorting a gentleman of advanced years. Despite the temperature,
he wore a brown jacket, polka dot bowtie and khaki pants.
“Clare, this is Professor
Herman Ross. He’s helping me with the business plan for the farm.”
Clare tried to hide
her shocked expression as she stood and shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you Mr.
Ross. I didn’t realize my granny was taking a class.”
“There’s a lot
about me that you don’t know.” Mae snapped. “Would you like to join us for
lunch, Herman?”
Herman tugged at
his tie and fidgeted. He glanced at Clare and shook his head. “I came by to
drop off my comments about your last draft. I’m sorry but I forgot your niece
was coming or I would have called first. We can go over this another time.”
Clare suppressed a
smirk. What professor made house calls to deliver a paper personally? There was
more to this situation than her granny was letting on. A battle of emotions
waged a war inside her. Who was this man to her Granny so soon after her Gramp’s
death? Why didn’t she come to Clare for help with a business plan? The last
question was obvious since Clare made no secret of the fact that she wanted the
farm sold and Mae to move. All the changes happening right under her nose made
her lose her appetite.
“I’m not that hungry
after all.” Clare stood and dumped the rest of her lunch into the trash. She
marched out the back door, letting it slam behind her. She knew who was behind
this. It had to be Wyatt sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong—again.
She stuck her feet
back into her smelly shoes and stomped to the barn. She felt her anger
threatening to turn into tears. Everything was all wrong. This was supposed to
be a happy trip to spend time with her grandmother, the end result being Mae
would gladly pack a bag to move in with her.
Mae would be part of the wedding planning and then they would all live
happily ever after. Thinking about her wedding made her wonder again why
Richard hadn’t returned her calls. A feeling whispered by her but she swatted
it away like a fly.
Clare stood before
the dainty Palomino mare and absentmindedly scratched her ears. She loved the
velvety soft feel of her muzzle as the horse searched her for treats. A deep sigh
escaped her and she felt weeks of tension release. If only life could be this
simple. Why did everything about the farm make her question her choices?
Until she came
here, she had been blissfully content with her life. Everything was on track.
She was engaged to a handsome, successful man. She had friends to enjoy happy
hour cocktails with on Thursday nights. Her apartment was professionally
decorated in neutral tones. In a couple more years she would be a partner at
the advertising firm and then maybe she and Richard would have a baby. Clare
bit her bottom lip. Had she and Richard ever discussed a family? Surely he
would want children.
Clare dug her
phone out of her pocket, checked for missed calls and found none. Richard might
be on the golf course today. He said it was all about making connections on the
course but, she knew he loved the thrill of competition. He loved winning more
than anything. Maybe even more than he professed to love her. Another thought
crept into her mind despite her effort to push it away. She and Richard had
worked together on the projects which ultimately garnered the partnership for
him. He claimed to have shared the credit with their superiors but much of the
ideas were hers. Had he sabotaged her career in order to advance his own? Was
the proposal his way of diverting her attention?
Clare was so deep
in thought, her suspicions making her heart pound in her chest, she didn’t hear
the footsteps behind her until it was too late.
“Well, well. You
don’t seem any worse for wear. I thought you would still be in bed nursing a
hangover.”
Clare jumped and
startled the mare who bolted to the far side of the pen with a snort.
“No thanks to you,
Wyatt McClintock! You tossed me in the back of your pickup truck. Where I come
from that is no way to treat a lady.”
“Where you come
from is right here and a lady wouldn’t have acted the way you have since you’ve
been here. You had Mae worried sick.”
Clare’s face
flashed with heat in the knowledge that his words rang true. Nevertheless, she
didn’t want to admit she had been wrong. She opened her mouth to speak her mind
just as her phone rang.
“Richard, I was
starting to get worried about you.” Clare stepped away from Wyatt. She didn’t
want him to overhear her conversation.
“Sorry darling but
I’ve been tied up with the Alderman project.”
“I thought that
wrapped up a week ago.”
“Oh yes, did I say
Alderman? I meant the Anderson project. It’s new so you wouldn’t know about
it.”
“You’ve put in
some very late nights not to be able to return my calls. I thought one of the
perks of making partner was that the associates could do the legwork for you.”
She tried to sound lighthearted, but it came out whiny.
“You know me,
always a team player.”
Clare suppressed a
snicker. Richard was anything but a team player. “I was hoping you could come
to my gran’s place. You still haven’t met her and she’s asking about you. We’ll
be planning the wedding soon so wouldn’t this be a great opportunity to get to
know what’s left of my family?”
“I’m way too busy
to drop everything to visit a farm in the middle of nowhere.” Clare held the
phone away from her ear as Richard’s voice got louder.
“We should at
least pick a date so I know when the farm should go on the market.”
“I can’t discuss
this now. I have to go. We can talk when you are back.”
Richard hung up
before Clare had a chance to object. She turned to see Wyatt staring at her.
“Trouble in
paradise?” he asked.
Part Ten
“I gave up on happily ever
after. Maybe I'm not cut out for a relationship. Maybe, I just don't like being
committed to one person for longer than two weeks.”
“My fiancé is a
very busy man. Unlike some people, he doesn’t have time to become involved in
other people’s affairs.” Clare pointed a finger at him and slipped her phone into
her back pocket.
He laughed. “Sounds
to me like he doesn’t have time to take care of his own business, let alone
someone else’s. If you were my fiancé you wouldn’t be here by yourself.”
“Lucky for me you’re
not.” Clare stomped down the aisle of the barn and wondered how he managed to
get under her skin.
He followed her. “Hold
up. Why don’t we back up and start over? Despite having different goals, you
and I both want what’s best for Mae.”
Clare sighed.
Maybe there was a way they could work together rather than against each other,
she thought.
“Do you agree that
this farm is too much for Mae to handle on her own?”
“Absolutely. As
you know, or you should remember, there is always more to be done on a farm,
even a small one like this.”
“So, it would be in
her best interest to move in with me.”
He tilted his head
to the side before finally answering her question. “It would be in her best interest
to live with someone. You’re the obvious choice.”
“Good. The first
thing we should probably do is find homes for these animals.”
“Why would we do
that?”
“It will take a
special buyer to want this place as is with the animals. No, it’s much simpler
to sell them and clean everything up.” Clare turned in a circle, her eyes
scanning for what improvements would be necessary.
“Part
of the appeal of this place are the miniature animals. I’ve got a lead on a miniature
Camel and maybe even a Zebra that’s a rescue. That would bring families in by
the dozens. We’ve already discussed expanding the greenhouse and outside gardens
because we can barely keep up with the demand from local restaurants.”
“Wait.
I thought we agreed Mae should live with me.”
“Yes,
we did. I figured you should move back here and help out.”
“Oh
no. That is not part of my plan. I’m getting married. I’m going to be partner
in my firm someday.”
“As
you pointed out, this is your family place.”
“I’m
not going to live here! This place has nothing to offer me.”
“I’m
here.”
Clare
was startled at the sound of her grandmother’s voice. “Granny, I didn’t mean it
like that.”
“Why
do you insist on dragging me away from here? This is my home, my family passed
it down over the generations. This is where I belong and where I’ll be until
the day I die.” Mae’s voice cracked and she leaned against Wyatt.
“It’s
okay Mae. No one is going to make you leave here.” Wyatt patted her shoulder.
Clare
watched as Mae’s shoulders shook with emotion. She bit her lip. Wyatt made
everything harder for her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound the way it
did.” She glared at Wyatt and pulled her grandmother from him. “We’ll work this
out together, just me and you.”
“Clare,
I love you more than anything in the world and I want you to be happy. I admit
these last few years during your grandfather’s illness were difficult. I let everything
go downhill around here.” Mae walked over to an ancient rickety bench and sat
down. “The farm gives me a reason to get up in the morning. Wyatt and I have
worked so hard to make it a success. Herman’s spent hours helping me with the
business plan. Next week I’m meeting with the banker to take this to the next
level.”
“You
don’t have to work this hard. I’ll take care of you. I’m doing well at the firm
and once Richard and I are married we’ll move to a larger apartment. You and I
can go to museums and the theatre. There are so many places to dine and things
to see.”
Mae
stood abruptly. “I’m sorry dear but my decision is final. I’m glad you came all
the way here to spend time with me but if you are determined to try to force me
to sell then you may as well head back to that absent fiancé of yours.”
Clare’s
jaw dropped. She never expected her grandmother to speak to her so severely.
She watched as Mae stormed out of the barn like a mini tornado. Wyatt shrugged
his shoulders and went about checking the water in the animal pens. After a moment’s hesitation, Clare decided to
follow him.
“We
need to get on the same page with my granny.”
He
handed her a bucket. “If you’re going to get in my way then at least help.” He
turned on the hose and filled her bucket. “Pour this one in the pen for the
chickens and bring me the dirty one.”
She
grudgingly took the heavy bucket, staggering on the weight. She expected those hours
in the gym with Richard’s personal trainer would have made hauling a five
gallon water bucket easy but after all her morning chores her arms were wobbly.
She splashed more of it down the front of her jeans than made it to the pen.
When
she entered wire enclosed chicken yard, the rooster decided she was invading his
territory and gave chase. She dropped the bucket and ran as he flew in her
wake.
“I
guess it’s been longer since you were on a farm than I remembered.” Wyatt shooed
the rooster away with a stomp of his cowboy boot. “Why don’t you go paint your
nails or something.”
Clare
gritted her teeth. Nothing made her dig in her heels more than someone telling her
she couldn’t do something. She marched back to the pen and grabbed the empty
bucket and the partially full dirty one. When the rooster came at her the
second time, she tossed the water in his direction causing him to squawk and
run for the protection of the hens.
She
took the hose from his hands and refilled the clean bucket, deliberately
splashing some on his boots.
“Hey
these are my best boots!” He wrestled the hose from her hands and sprayed her
back.
Clare
dropped the bucket and ran out of his reach. “If those are your best boots, I
hate to see your bad ones.” She laughed despite her frustration.
He
jerked the hose enough to hit her full in the face. “Who’s laughing now?”
“Wyatt
McClintock, you’re going to regret that.”
Happy Trails,
Leslie
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