Chapter Eighteen
Jillian sat at the worktable behind the counter of Tangled Charms. Suzanna was out at the post office, shipping various packages for the online portion of their business before she went to pick up some supplies.
The shop was void of customers, giving Jillian a moment to enjoy the quiet. As she worked on a new piece of jewelry, her mind shifted to the fundraiser. She smiled, thinking of how the wristbands had been a big hit and the necklace already had a number of blind bids. Between the two of them, she’d be able to make a respectable contribution to the cause.
And then she came to a delicate part of the necklace. All of her concentration was focused on connecting these two S-shaped pieces of the necklace. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as the tension mounted. There were small S-shaped curls linked with larger S-shaped curls. The way they were attached gave them the freedom to move. She just had to loop this piece of metal ever so carefully through—
The bell above the door jangled.
Jillian jumped.
Why, oh why, did they have to pick that moment to enter the store? She suppressed a frustrated sigh, set the necklace aside, and stood up to greet the customer. Jillian glanced up and found Beth Wainwright standing just inside the door, looking around at the shop. Immediately, Jillian’s frustration melted away. It was replaced with a big smile.
Jillian rushed out from behind the counter. “Beth, I didn’t know you were in town.”
“I just got here.”
They hugged.
Jillian pulled back. “What brought you home?”
“I didn’t have any Friday classes, so I thought I’d drive home and check out the Bake-Off tomorrow.”
“I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” Jillian recalled the delicious apple pie that Avery had baked all on his own.
“Thank you so much for helping him. I’ve been worried about him since this latest accident. I wish he’d give up the rodeo. He’s not as young as he used to be.”
Jillian suppressed a laugh. Since when did twenty-seven constitute old age? But she supposed to an eighteen-year-old it might seem that way.
“Then you must be so happy that he’s seriously considering purchasing the Crooked S Ranch.”
Beth’s eyes momentarily widened. “Um, yes, I am. How’s that going?”
Jillian didn’t see how it would hurt anything to update Beth since she already knew about Avery’s plans. Jillian was sure he’d give his sister the details later.
“I don’t know much. I just know that the bank won’t give him the loan until he comes up with more cash and he hasn’t had any luck with any sponsor spots. But he hasn’t given up. He’ll find a way to make it work.” Jillian moved to the coffee maker that they’d decided to put in the front of the shop for visitors. She picked up a cup and held it out to Beth. “Would you like some?”
Beth nodded. “Thanks.” She paused as though thinking over what Jillian had just told her. “How much more does he need?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure when you catch up with him he’ll fill you in on the details.”
“He should sell the house.”
That statement had Jillian spilling coffee over the edge of the mug. She reached for a napkin to clean up the small mess.
After Jillian wiped up the drops of coffee, she straightened. “Your brother would never do that. It’s your home. He’s been working very hard to fix it up.”
“I’m serious. He should sell it. Then he could roll that money into the ranch.”
Jillian got the distinct feeling that Beth was totally serious. “But the house doesn’t belong solely to him, does it?”
“Maybe not legally but as far as Jordan and I are concerned, it’s his. I know it’s hard for Avery to accept, but Jordan is making his career in the Air Force. And I have plans that don’t include Marietta. Our home is wherever my brother is. The memories we already have tucked in our hearts. No sale could ever take those away from us.”
Jillian was deeply touched by the love between these siblings. “Sounds like you should be talking to Avery.”
“I would but he never hears me. He still treats me like I’m ten. But I have another idea in mind to show him just what I mean.”
Jillian didn’t like the sounds of that. Beth did have a tendency to act first and think later. Sometimes Jillian wondered if she should be more like Beth instead of cautiously planning out her life, but she also knew that Beth got herself in a lot of messes. Maybe Jillian’s cautious tendencies weren’t so bad after all.
“Do you mind if I ask what you have in mind?”
Beth gave her a broad smile. “I think I have the answer for everyone.” She glanced at the coffee. “Do you mind if I pass on the coffee? There’s someplace I need to be.”
“No problem. If you need anything, I’m here.”
Beth gave her a hug. “You’re already doing enough by helping my brother with the Bake-Off. Thank you so much. Now I’ve got to go.”
And with that Beth disappeared out the door, leaving Jillian to worry about what the young woman had in mind. Her first instinct was to phone Avery and fill him in. But Beth wasn’t a kid anymore. She was grown up and it wasn’t Jillian’s job any longer to fill Avery in on his sister’s activities. Besides, she had a feeling Avery would find out about this mysterious plan soon enough.
*
So his little sister was home.
Avery had yet to see her, but Jillian had called to see if he wanted to cancel tonight’s baking session. At first, he hadn’t understood. He thought Jillian was backing out because she was washing her hands of mentoring him, but then she’d mentioned his sister. Suddenly the pieces began to fall into place.
When he rang Beth’s phone, she didn’t pick up. He assumed she was catching up with friends since she hadn’t been home since the holidays. He had to admit that he found this spontaneous visit highly suspect. What had drawn her home when she was supposed to be wrapped up in her classwork?
He’d just concluded a meeting with Blake where he’d laid out his plans for the ranch. He’d proposed ideas of how they could co-own it. Blake had sounded interested until Avery had mentioned the financial obligations. Blake didn’t waste any time making it perfectly clear he didn’t have access to that kind of money.
Avery’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. Why did everything have to be so difficult?
And then Jillian’s words came back to him: If it was easy, you wouldn’t appreciate it nearly as much.
And to give up on purchasing the Crooked S meant giving up on keeping Jillian in his life as more than his friend. Because the more time they spent together, the harder it became to deny his growing feelings for her.
He knew she deserved more than a cowboy who spent his life on the road going from one rodeo to the next. She deserved someone who would be there for her day in and day out—like she’d been there for his family. He just had to buy the Crooked S. It would make them both happy.
In silence, he drove home. He couldn’t stop thinking that if he tried harder there would be an answer that he’d missed. Or maybe he was just refusing to accept the inevitable.
When he drove up his road, his gaze snagged upon a For Sale sign. He was surprised to find one of his neighbors was moving. Usually he heard about these things before they happened. And then he realized the sign was sitting in his yard.
What in the world is going on?
He didn’t even tap the brakes as he wheeled into the driveway. And that’s when he spotted the cute little car that he’d bought his sister. He sensed she was the root of the problem, but he had no idea what she was up to. Why in the world would Beth want to sell her home?
He hopped out of the truck. A twinge of pain in his knee didn’t slow him down as he hurried up the walk. He swung the front door open. “Beth! Beth, where are you?”
She strolled out of the kitchen with Marshmallow in her arms. “Would you quit yelling? You’re upsetting the cat.”
He glanced at the cat who was squirming to be let loose. Beth bent over and set the cat on the floor. His gaze returned to his sister as he waited for an explanation for the sign in the yard. And then realizing that in his surprise he’d forgotten to pull the sign, he rushed back out the door.
Beth was hot on his heels. “What are you doing?”
Without a word, he strode toward the sign.
“Avery, don’t you dare!” When he yanked the sign from the yard, she said, “Put it back.”
He didn’t care what she said. The sign was going away. If this was some sort of prank, it wasn’t funny. He took the sign and marched over to the garbage can by the side of the garage. Knowing it would never fit into the can, he placed it beside it. He turned to face Beth. “Now, you have some explaining to do.”
She crossed her arms and glared at him. “Not out here, it’s cold.”
They returned to the front porch and found they’d run outside without closing the door. Avery sighed as he followed his sister inside and closed the door. He didn’t bother to mention all of the wasted heat. He had more important matters on his mind.
He drew in a deep breath and blew it out. “Why did you put the For Sale sign in the yard? Is this some sort of joke?”
“Not at all.” Beth still had her arms crossed. “And I’m putting it back.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. This didn’t make any sense. “Why would you want to sell your home? This is where you grew up. It’s where all our memories of Mom and Dad are. How could you do this?”
“I…I’m doing it for you.”
“For me?” If he was confused before, he was even more so now.
She nodded. “Jillian told me—”
“Jillian’s involved in this?” He had been sharing a lot with her lately, but he never thought she would resort to conspiring with his sister.
“She told me about the Crooked S and how you need money to buy it.”
How could Jillian have taken what he’d told her and repeated it to his sister? Was this what Jillian wanted? For him to buy the Crooked S at all costs?
He shook his head. “Jillian was wrong. I’m not buying the ranch. Do you hear me?”
Beth lifted her chin. “You need to let go of the past.”
“And you don’t need to tell me what to do. Remember, I’m the big brother here.”
“Someone has to tell you when you’re making the biggest mistake of your life. Jillian is never going to settle down with a cowboy who is on the rodeo circuit constantly.”
“Who said I was getting serious with Jillian?” He needed to straighten this out with Jillian before there were any more misunderstandings. “I’ll be back. And then we’re going to talk some more.”
As he headed for the door, his sister called out, “And maybe then you’ll listen to reason.”
Avery moved quickly to his truck. He was a man on a mission, as it seemed all of the women in his life had lost their minds. Why in the world would anyone even think of selling his parents’ house?
Jillian’s apartment wasn’t far from his house, which didn’t give him any time to cool down and think out what he was going to say. As Avery pulled in the driveway, he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see the tip of a white tail going around the corner of the apartment. Romeo?
That cat was outside more than he was inside. Avery sighed. He really didn’t want to go chasing after a cat. He had important matters to settle. But he couldn’t just let a house cat run around in the cold.
With a sigh, he set off in pursuit of the ornery feline. “Here, kitty, kitty.”
He wished he had some treats with him. Just the jiggle of the pouch should draw the cat out from whatever hiding spot he was hunkered down in.
Avery glanced around at the shrubbery, not seeing any signs of Romeo. Now where had the cat disappeared to? Avery had searched the entire perimeter of the house when the front door swung open.
“Avery?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” He frowned as he glanced up in time to see a white cat dash into Jillian’s apartment. Wait. That wasn’t Romeo. “It’s Marshmallow.”
Jillian nodded. “Come on in. It’s cold out there.”
He followed Jillian inside, pulling the door closed behind him. He glanced into the living room area and found Marshmallow on the couch next to Romeo. How in the world had that cat known where to find Romeo? Avery was beginning to think that cats had sixth senses or some such thing.
He shook his head and turned back to Jillian—the reason for his visit.
Before he could speak, Jillian said, “It looks like Romeo has been teaching Marshmallow some of his tricks.” She smiled. “Aren’t they cute together?”
He glanced over at the cats who were seated side by side. Maybe in another instance he would have agreed, but right now he wasn’t in the mood for cute. He turned back to Jillian to find her continuing to smile. He wished she’d quit doing that. It was hard to be angry when her face was all lit up and her eyes twinkled.
“Would you stop that?”
Her eyes widened. “Stop what?”
“Smiling like there’s nothing wrong.”
The smile slipped from her lips. “What’s wrong?” And then she glanced back at the cats and the smile returned to her lips. “Oh, you mean Marshmallow running away. Don’t worry. She looks perfectly fine. Maybe we should set up dates for these two so they quit running away from home in order to visit each other.”
“Stop with the cats,” he ground out. “This has nothing to do with them and you know it.”
“Boy, you’re in quite a mood.” She walked into the kitchen. “Would you like a muffin?”
“No. I wouldn’t. I want you to tell me why you talked my sister into selling our home.”
Jillian’s eyes widened. “I…I didn’t. I had no idea.”
He studied her expression, admiring the way she could so easily fake a surprised expression. “Don’t play coy. I already spoke with Beth. She told me the whole story.” Okay, maybe not the whole story as he hadn’t given her a chance, but she’d told him enough. “What were you thinking?”
“Beth did stop by Tangled Charms, but I didn’t tell her to sell the house. I would never do such a thing.” Jillian sent him a tentative smile. “Sit down and I’ll get us some coffee.” She stepped into the kitchen area and retrieved two mugs from the cabinet.
He couldn’t sit down. He was too worked up. There was something he was missing. But what?
And then he recalled his sister’s words. “Beth seems to think if I buy the Crooked S that we’ll get together.”
Jillian’s hand trembled, spilling coffee over the side of the mug. She muttered under her breath as she cleaned up the mess. “I don’t know where she would have gotten that idea.”
His phone buzzed but he ignored it. “Are you sure?”
Any signs of a smile faded from her face as her eyes narrowed in on him. “Avery Wainwright, I don’t know what sort of women you usually run around with, but I have no designs on you. None whatsoever.”
“So you’re saying you weren’t hoping if the family home was sold that you and I…that we’d move into the Crooked S together—”
“No. I didn’t. And I wouldn’t.” She crossed her arms and if looks could kill, he’d be dead on the spot. “You need to take your cat and go. Now.”