9
TANNER WANTED TO swear when Jules pulled away. The last person he expected to see standing outside the barn aisle was his father. Dammit to hell, he hadn’t even heard the barn door open. Or seen the first hints of pink dawn creeping in through the windows.
The night had passed by with Jules.
“What the hell are you doing down here? Shouldn’t you be resting?” Before Tanner had left for Jules’s place the night before, Doc Clayton said he intended to stay the night to keep an eye on the old man. The nitroglycerin pill had done its job and steadied his heart rate, which should have helped him get some rest.
“I came down to check on my foal and my vet.” The possessive note didn’t escape Tanner’s notice. “Not to find my son kissing the help.” Great. The older his father got, the uglier he became.
“The foal’s doing great, and Jules did a fantastic job on the delivery.” He wouldn’t address the other issue, not when Jules stood there red-faced and clearly uncomfortable. The sound of her mental brakes being applied was almost audible. Tanner could only imagine the wheels turning in her head, resetting all the reasons why getting involved with him was a bad idea. Exhibit number one, his rancorous father glaring at both of them.
“Everything went well,” Jules said, the uneven quaver in her voice cutting Tanner. Uncomfortable didn’t begin to describe her body language. She eased away from him. “Missy’s fine, and I see the placenta’s passed. The foal is nursing. Sweet little filly. We’ll need to clean the bedding.” Each sentence came out in a staccato rhythm: very short and sharp.
“Jules, it’s okay, the Colonel’s just a little cranky. He’ll apologize later when he’s more himself.” Tanner said the last bit with a side glance at his dad. The Colonel was many things, but he never heard him be truly rude and vicious to a lady, not in the tone he’d used since he arrived.
The Colonel looked past him to Jules, his expression far from friendly. “His father can speak for himself, Dr. Heller. Thank you for looking after the mare. You should probably go get some rest.” After a moment’s pause, the Colonel glanced at her midsection pointedly and added, “And clean yourself up.”
Her tank top had ridden up, exposing her bare midriff. With a jerk, Jules tucked her shirt into her shorts. “Yes, sir. I’ll be back later to check in on them.”
She was already gathering her things together. When she stole a look toward him, Tanner felt his heart twist. He wanted to reach out to her but he had a feeling she’d reject the gesture, particularly with his dad standing there scowling at both of them. So instead, he faced off with his father, determined to draw all the fire away from her. No need to stress the mare. Tanner waited a beat until Julia closed her med kit before he took the items and carried them with her to the barn door.
“Thanks for dinner, and for the company,” she said in a quiet voice. “I’ll talk to you later.” Taking the bag and her overalls from him, she practically fled.
He should’ve walked her to her vehicle and seen her off with another kiss, maybe even a promise for another attempt at dinner. As it was, he stood there clenching his fist, doing his damnedest not to return to his father and punch him in the face.
As soon as he heard the sound of her engine fading as she pulled away, he stalked back to where his father stood outside Missy’s stall.
“I understand you’re not feeling well, and I respect that this is your ranch. What I don’t respect is how you just spoke to her. You had no right, and you owe her an apology.” Every battle needed a clear objective if an officer wanted to take the field. In this case, his father had been unforgivably rude to Jules.
“I’ll speak to the veterinarian however I feel is appropriate,” the Colonel said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “What are you doing down here distracting her from her work and behaving like some randy teenager trying to seduce her in the barn?”
Did he actually just say seduce? “Yes, I happen to be very attracted to her! She’s a good-looking woman who’s extremely intelligent. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Yes,” his tone brooked zero arguments. “I absolutely have a problem with you toying with the affections of people who work for me, and distracting them from their tasks.” Of course his father did. But after the episode the night before, Tanner was determined to have a more civil conversation with his father—at least until his health was out of the woods.
Doing a mental count to ten, he put his temper on lockdown. “Why don’t you tell me what the problem is? And then maybe we can sort it out between us without involving her.” He’d worked very hard to get into Jules’s good graces; he would not allow his father’s behavior or prejudices to cost him that.
“I already stated my objections. She’s a distraction for you, number one. Number two, I don’t need you distracting her.” Both reasons might’ve worked if Tanner had been in high school, but he was a grown man and Jules was set in her profession.
“I’m pretty sure that’s not all.” He took his time breaking down the table they’d used, verifying their picnic dinner remnants were packed away. Better to keep his hands on more creative tasks. Then he headed for the feed room, with his father following. He was down there already—he might as well go ahead and check the feed chart and get the mares all fed. He also wanted to make sure Missy had plenty of fresh water. Busy work? Certainly. But it still needed to be done.
“Taking advantage of the help leads to a bad reputation, and it also leads to mistakes. Young Dr. Heller is a decent woman, from a good family. But she is still new, and working to earn the trust of the valley. She is not always firm in her manner or in how things are done.” What century did his father live in? No wonder Jules had her rules if his father represented the view of the local ranchers. “As for you, you should be working on getting your commission reinstated and returning where you belong.”
His father laid it out as though it were common knowledge. He also seemed to be enjoying himself, and though Tanner didn’t care for the uncharitable thought, he couldn’t mistake his father’s authoritative voice or how much power it seemed to hold today versus the previous evening when he’d been so waxy pale.
“It’s the twenty-first century, not the nineteenth,” Tanner responded to his father’s retort. “Being seen kissing a man is not going to ruin her reputation, not to mention the fact that we weren’t exactly in public—we were in the mare barn. That being said, she’s also a grown-ass woman, Colonel. And I’m a grown man. She’s not involved with anyone.” He tried to wrestle the leash back on his temper, but it frayed with every charge of the Colonel’s he refuted. “And I’m not involved with anyone either. We’re free agents. No one will be hurt if we’re seeing each other. As for going back to the Marines, I’m retired now. End of story.”
“It’s the worst decision you could make.” Uncertain of whether his father was discussing Jules or the Marines, Tanner chose not to respond. Not finished, his father continued. “You’re not ready for that kind of a commitment; you have things you still need to do.” His father followed Tanner as he fed each of the mares and checked their water, going so far as to correct him on feed amounts and water levels. There was supervision, and then there was micromanagement. The Colonel was guilty of the latter.
“I can make some calls, we can get you reinstated, and you’ll be back on base within the month. You can resume your fast track. I’m sure you’re due for a promotion—you made captain two years ago.”
Admittedly, his father’s knowledge of when he received his promotion impressed him.
“First,” Tanner replied, softening his tone and his attitude. He needed to inform his father, not scold him. “It was my career, not yours. I made the decisions, I earned the promotions, I did the work, and when it was time—I retired. It’s done, Colonel. I’m good. I’ve accepted it. You know as well as I do they can reactivate me anytime they need me in the next three years. If they do, then I’ll serve as I swore to do. Until then, I’m here at the Round Top. Home.”
“You aren’t done; you left because you were under some foolish, misguided need to come take care of me. You weren’t finished—if you hadn’t gotten that call, would you have come home?”
No. But Tanner chose to keep that to himself. “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what scenario you want to challenge my decision on.” Tanner suddenly understood his grandfather on a level he’d never managed before. “Life isn’t about what could have been or what may be, it’s about what is. We are where we are. I’m home now.”
“And my answer remains that you should go back. I’ll sell this ranch before I have you give up your career to come here because you think I can’t take care of things and you feel sorry for me.”
Every effort Tanner was making to keep from losing his temper threatened to fail. If the Colonel kept pushing him the way he was going, they would end up in another fight, which could result in his having another heart attack.
Taking a deep breath, Tanner raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. Challenging his father only got him so far. No matter how irritating his behavior, at the end of the day, the Colonel was still his father. “How about I make you a deal? Would that work for you?”
Suspicion marred his father’s features. “What kind of a deal?”
“Here’s the deal. I need to learn how to run this ranch, and you’re obviously the expert. It’s better to learn from someone who’s already done it than to try to figure it out after they’re gone.” Which, at the rate his father was going, was going to be sooner rather than later, but he didn’t add that. “You’re the best teacher because you’re the experienced teacher. See one. Do one. Teach one. You saw it run, now you’re running it, and it’s time for you to teach me how to run it.” Maybe if he made it all about his father rather than him, the Colonel would get it.
“That’s your reason for the deal? What are the terms?” So far, he hadn’t dismissed it completely.
“Technically, I’m on terminal leave. If by day twenty-nine you continue to do well and your health improves, and Doc Clayton signs off on your recovery, we’ll discuss then whether I want to return to the Marines.” He chose his wording very carefully. “Until then, I’m here, working on the ranch, and learning the ropes. Deal?”
In his heart of hearts he knew the Colonel wouldn’t make it the full twenty-nine days without having another episode. He’d already had so many clustered together. Clearly, the discord between him and his father played a contributing factor. The chances of future arguments remained high, as did the chances for more stress.
“I’m fine now. Why do we have to wait twenty-nine days? Why waste your leave?”
“Because it’s my choice,” said Tanner, then, inspired by something he’d been discussing with Jules, he added, “And I spent more time overseas than stateside in the last few years, much less home on the ranch. It’s been far too long since I was here.”
Hopefully his father couldn’t argue that point. As it was, the Colonel seemed to consider it. They both returned to the stall where Missy stood with her foal nursing away happily. Missy looked exhausted, head hung low, but she raised her head briefly at their arrival. Her ears flicked toward Tanner, then she bobbed her head down again as though she were going back to sleep.
“Ranching isn’t a hobby,” his father said slowly. “It takes full-time commitment, and to more than just the animals. You have to give it to the people, to the land, and to the business.”
“So I’ll be a sponge; just teach me.” Was it enough? Would it get his father off his back about returning to the corps and let them focus on something he knew and could pass along?
Of course the question of whether Tanner would survive the experience still hung out there, but he’d survived worse. Maybe.
“I’ll think about it. For now, I need to go to town to pick up more boards for Mateo. He is busily fixing fences, and we don’t have enough lumber on the property.”
As tired and exhausted as Tanner felt, more worn-out from arguing with the Colonel than staying awake all night, he saw an opportunity and he took it. “Well then, why don’t I join you? Two Wilks should be better than one.”
His father hesitated a long moment before he finally said, “Agreed. Two should be better than one, although only one is necessary. We can go together. I’ll even let you drive.” The Colonel sounded almost magnanimous. “As to the subject of Dr. Heller, I’m serious when I say we don’t date the help. It’s better to keep a healthy distance.”
Tanner would concede to him about the ranch; he would give in on the subject of considering returning to the Marines, but as far as Jules was concerned, his father was off base and out of line. Still, he didn’t argue the point. It was better to just nod his head, smile, and do whatever the hell he wanted to anyway.
In this case, whatever the hell he wanted anyway involved Jules.