Leave It to Chance (28 page)

Braden nodded while Sierra straightened to stare at the horse beside them, wiping away the remaining tears with her wrist. “We need to get to a phone, honey. Everyone’s out looking for you.”

Braden reached out and stroked Chance’s neck. “Can we ride him back, Mom?” His voice held the limp defeat of a boy who already knew the answer.

A heartbeat of a pause. Chance turned his head, as if waiting for Sierra’s response. Would she let fear continue to confine her kids? Braden was freezing. They needed to get back soon. She blew out an unsteady breath. “Okay.”

Braden’s head jerked up. “Awesome! Will you ride with me, Mom?” Eagerness tilted his head.

Her legs trembled. Could she do this? Would she trust her Father to keep them safe? “I’ll try, Braden.”

Braden grabbed Chance’s mane and braced himself. Sierra lifted him around the waist and he scrambled until his leg crossed the horse’s bare back. She shone the flashlight around and illuminated a large, malformed boulder sticking out of the grass.

Holding the wet reins, she led Chance to the rock, each nudge of the horse’s hairy lips at her back sending a spark of anxiety up her spine. After two attempts, she managed to climb from the rock onto the wet animal. Chance’s hide quivered beneath her legs, and Sierra reached around Braden to clutch the horse’s mane. A sob escaped from her lungs into a gust of wind.

Braden clucked his tongue and Chance lurched forward. “This is so cool, Mom!”

Sierra’s teeth chattered.

“Mom, you’re squeezing me too tight.”

“Sor-ry.” Sierra closed her eyes and held onto her son.

It took Sierra and Braden a bone-jarring fifteen minutes to ride back to the barn. Sierra slid from Chance’s back on numb legs. Braden looked drained but lighter. She made the first call from the barn to Michael.

Relief sagged in his voice. “Braden’s all right? Can I talk to him?”

Sierra held the phone to her chest and called Braden from Chance’s stall. “Your dad wants to talk to you.”

He looked scared, but he took the phone. “Hello?” He listened quietly for a long time.

Braden’s voice was low, but Sierra caught the words. “I’m sorry too, Dad.” Another long pause. “Okay. I love you, too. Bye.”

Braden handed her the phone. “Dad wants to talk to you.”

“Hello.”

Michael’s voice was quiet. “I did a lot of thinking tonight as I drove around, not knowing if I’d get another chance to tell him I loved him—that I was sorry. Can I come get him, Sierra? Tonight? Right now?”

Her heart clenched. She’d just found Braden. She wanted to rush home and hold him close as he fell asleep. How could Michael ask?

Braden danced next to her, his upturned face hopeful.

“Sure, Michael. It’s one driveway east of where you picked the kids up this afternoon.”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Braden beamed. “Dad wants me and him and Gina to sit down and talk. He said he was sorry about disappointing me so much. And he won’t ever send me to military school.”

Sierra leaned and pulled him close, resting her cheek against his cold, damp face. “Your dad loves you a lot.”

“Mom?” He leaned back, his arms still around her waist, eyes sad but accepting. “Are you still selling Chance?”

She glanced toward the stall where Braden had stabled Chance and smiled. “No, honey, I’m not.”

Sierra sat on the ground next to the barn after Michael had driven away and she’d made the calls to let everyone know Braden was safe. Michael had offered to take her home, but it didn’t feel right to climb in with the three of them. They needed to start their journey together without dragging the past along even a few short miles.

Twin lights turned off the highway and headed up Ross’s drive. She rose and walked toward the house, the headlights sweeping across her as Ross turned toward his carport. The pickup stopped and the driver’s door rocketed open. “Sierra?”

She walked toward him, the steady ding-ding of his open door pricking the silent night. “Hi.”

Ross was next to her in three long steps. He wrapped her close in a tight squeeze. “Braden’s okay?” He released her and looked toward the barn. “Is he in with Chance?”

“He’s good. He’s with his dad.”

Ross walked alongside Sierra to the house. She seemed peaceful and fragile at the same time. He guided her toward his guest bathroom and grabbed a clean shirt and sweatpants for her to put on, then left her alone to go make coffee. When he carried two steaming cups to the family room, he found her tucked into the corner of the couch, her feet under her.

He sat at the other end. “Are Emory and Trevor okay?”

She looked down at her hands. “Yes. Mom just put them to bed.”

He let the silence stretch. She shifted positions and attempted a smile, but it wobbled a bit. He reached for her foot and encased her icy toes with his palms. He rubbed the arch, trying to warm her up. “Are you okay, Sierra?”

She sniffed and brushed a knuckle to her nose. “I just realized some things tonight. Like that God never left me like I thought He did. And Braden’s found his dad.” She nodded to herself. “I think they’re going to be fine.”

“And the tears?”

The words came out softly. “Talking to God tonight, I caught a glimpse of the security of a father’s love. And then seeing Michael finally catch onto what Braden needs?” She smiled through the tears. “It was wonderful. It just made me think about my dad.” Her face crumpled. “I never got to say good-bye.”

He held her to his chest and let her cry.

Chapter 27

Sierra rolled up to Ross’s house and stopped next to his pickup. He leaned against its side, waiting. Braden jumped out of the van first and went up to Ross. The man wrapped an arm around his shoulders, but his eyes stayed on Sierra, a certain expectancy in their depths.

Her face heated from their warmth.

Ross spoke first, “Glad to see you washed all that mud off the van.”

Braden grinned. “Trevor and I did it.”

Sierra smiled. Ross and Kyle had rescued her filthy van from the brushy trail the morning after Braden’s adventure. A few uneven streaks of dirt attested to the helpful wash job. Sierra had never been prouder.

Braden beamed up at Ross, the tie-dyed eye patch that Gina had made looked trendy on his smiling face. “Ross, guess what? My dad and I are going to a Blazer game this weekend, and we got to see a picture of the baby yesterday. It’s a girl. Dad and Gina are going to let us help name her.”

Ross brushed Braden’s hair with his hand. “That’s great, buddy.”

Emory waited patiently beside him. “And Gina’s going to let me baby-sit.” She qualified her statement: “When I’m older.”

Sierra held a package out to Ross.

A pleased smile lit his face. “What’s this?”

The kids clamored closer and Braden said, “Open it.”

Emory grinned at him. “You’re gonna be so surprised.”

“It’s ’cause of Chance.” Trevor stated.

His smile grew puzzled, but he tore the gift paper away from the box, then gently lifted the small pink pot dotted with red flowers from the box. Emory had picked it out. A brown branch with tiny green leaves was planted in rich loam. “What’s this?”

Braden couldn’t contain himself. “The honeysuckle.”

Ross smiled at Sierra. “You didn’t need to get me another one.” But she could tell he was pleased.

“It’s from the heirloom plant.”

He tilted his head.

“From Kansas,” Sierra went on. “Sid helped me get it.”

“You got this all the way from Kansas?
How …?
Lady, my mother is going to love you.” He whooped and caught her up in a big hug. When he stopped spinning her, his eyes sparkled into hers for one long moment, then he planted a kiss on her mouth. Fast, but long enough to leave an impression.

Braden covered his eyes and pretended to gag. Emory giggled.

The kids were soon loaded in the van, but Sierra lingered by her door. “What was with the look when I drove up?”

The confident grin came back.

“What?”

He took her hand and pulled her against his chest. “Isn’t there something you wanted to tell me?”

Sid and the phone call he promised to make to lure Ross home came to mind. Apprehension crept up her spine with little tingles. “Tell you what?”

“Sid told me what you said.”

Her voice grew faint. “What was that?”

He brushed his knuckles under her chin and his thumb stroked her cheek, his eyes fathomless. “How you feel about me.”

The horn honked. “Mom, come on!”

Chapter 28

Sierra called him when she got home, unable to keep the laughter from her voice. “Sid Barrows! You matchmaking hooligan! I can’t believe you told Ross I had feelings for him.”

His chuckle rasped over the phone line. “Did it work?”

“Sid, I never told you any of that.”

“But it’s true.”

She paused a beat. “That’s for him to figure out, not get pushed into it by a meddling old varmint like you.”

His laughter bellowed through the phone. “You’ll be thanking me some day.”

“You’re incorrigible, you know that?” But she could hardly wait to see Ross again.

Wednesday evening Ross rubbed his jaw as he headed toward Sid’s for a man-to-man, the day-old whiskers rasping against his fingers. Maybe his friend
thought
Sierra had feelings for him, but Sid hadn’t seen the shock on Sierra’s face when Ross’d made a fool of himself repeating his friend’s words. She’d jumped in her van and hightailed it away from him, just as fast as she could go.

He climbed into his pickup, exhausted as much from spending the afternoon working at Alex’s as from trying to avoid thoughts of Sierra. His cell phone rang and he snatched it off the dash, hoping it might be her. “Ross here.”

A pause. “Hi, Ross. It’s Dad.”

Ross’s stomach turned over. “Hi, Dad. What’s up?”

“Are you free this evening? I’d like to come over.”

Ross’s chest started to pound. He turned the key in the ignition and glanced toward Sid’s where the living room light glowed. He thought again about his friend’s concern that he’d come between Ross and his dad. “Sure, that would be fine.
I’ll be home in a few minutes.”

“Do you want to clean up first?”

That was the kind of comment that used to send Ross into a slow burn. He assumed his dad was rubbing in how dirty Ross got on the job, contrasting with how he and Craig could go straight from the law office to the finest dining in town. But he let the comment settle. He turned it over and realized he couldn’t find anything to it other than courteousness.

“Yeah, let me take a shower. See you in about thirty?”

Ross swallowed the last bite of his omelet as his dad pulled up. Bachelor dinner, breakfast style. He dumped the plate into the sink and walked barefoot to the front door.

His dad stood on the porch, hands in his pockets, his face pinched and nervous. He nodded once. “Ross.”

Ross stepped back for his dad to enter. He led him into the family room. “I’ve made some changes to the place.”

His dad assessed the room, approval in his gaze. “Looks nice.”

Ross accepted the compliment. “How’s Mom?”

His dad gave the barest grin. “You should know, you talk to her every day.”

“Not quite. I think she just likes calling the old house.”

“No, it’s you she misses, not the house.” A pause, then, “I need to talk to you.”

“Have a seat.” Ross picked the recliner, his dad the couch.

His dad leaned forward, his forearms on his knees. “You’re doing a job for Alex Cranwell.” It wasn’t a question.

Ross felt his back stiffen.
Here it comes
. “Yes, I am.”

“There are some rumors going around town about how he runs his business. Some of my clients are saying he takes advantage of his contractors. I can’t go into detail, but I just wanted you to be careful.”

The words resounded.
“I can’t go into detail.”
His dad cared enough to bend the rules of attorney-client confidentiality to warn him. No wonder the man was nervous. A week ago, Ross would have bit his head off for dampening some of the glory when his dreams were finally in reach.

And yet his dad still came.

Ross leaned forward and clasped his hands loosely. “I’ve been having some trouble getting him to pay on some substantial change orders. He’s promised me a few commercial contracts when this job is done, and I don’t want to mess that up.”

His dad relaxed into the couch, a finger pressing into the armrest. “There’s no guarantee when you’re working with someone like him. Some things just aren’t worth it.”

Ross absorbed the words. If he quit working for Alex, he’d be right back where he started, except for the loss of all the time and money he’d put into the job. But everything his dad said lined up with the nagging voice he’d been ignoring at the back of his mind the past few weeks. Was he really getting ahead by working for Alex? “You’re right, Dad.” He glanced at the clock to the left of his big screen. “The Sonics are playing right now. I can make the popcorn.”

His dad smiled and reached for his cell. “Let me call your mom.”

Ross went to the kitchen and pulled out the old aluminum bowl.

The next morning, Ross called Grainger’s and asked about the receipts he’d never received. They assured him they’d try faxing them again.

He was waiting by the machine when it started cranking out the paperwork. He picked up the first one, then the second. He sorted through the whole batch. Only half the signatures for receipts were from his crew.

Ross headed for his truck.

He roared up the driveway and caught Alex Cranwell as he backed from the garage. Ross parked behind the Mercedes, blocking the way.

Alex leaned out the window with a puzzled look. “Morning, Ross.”

Ross nodded. “How’s Clive Roberts these days?”

Alex smiled, a hard glint in his eye. “Clive’s doing just fine, Ross. He’s breaking ground for me on the Fern Ridge development. Speaking of, I need you to stop by the office and sign those papers.”

“Clive’s stealing from me, and I’d guess you wouldn’t be too surprised to hear about that.”

Alex licked his lips like the wolf he was. “Now, Ross old boy, you’re learning the ropes of working in the big time. I’ll call Clive and tell him that you’ve been generous enough. And we’ll call it square. Don’t forget to come by and sign those papers.”

“I’m done.” Ross started walking back to his pickup.

He heard the click of Alex’s door opening. “You’re making a big mistake, Ross. You won’t get another opportunity like this. I’ll make sure of it. Contractors are a small family, and if one of them starts to smell, no one will touch him.”

Ross whipped around and strode back to the car. “I won’t work for a thief.”

“You’re a little wet behind the ears, boy.”

Ross smiled, then, “You’ll pay me for Grainger’s and for the work on this job.”

“Or what?”

He just stared at the ugly sneer on Alex’s face. “You’ll hear from my attorney.” He tossed one of his dad’s business cards into the gold car.

Ross climbed in his truck and backed it around, feeling lighter with each telephone pole he passed on the way back down the gravel driveway. He didn’t need Alex. He’d build his business the old-fashioned way. Hard work and integrity never gave anyone a sleepless night.

That afternoon Sierra swung into the parking lot at the Shadow Hills Stable. Ross pulled Sid’s dark green pickup and silver horse trailer into a spot near the arena. As she parked, her mom twisted to look over her shoulder to the rear seats. “Now kids, I want you to—”

Sierra interrupted. “Mom, I’ll take care of it.”

“I know you will, honey.” Her mom slid her hands into brown leather gloves. “Emory don’t forget your coat. It’s cold out there.”

Sierra laid a hand on her mom’s arm and waited for eye contact. “I want you to do what you do best, which is loving my kids more than any grandma can. But I’ll be the mom.” She gave her a gentle smile. “Okay?”

Her mom’s expression was one of surprise, but she nodded. “That’s fine, honey.”

Standing up for herself hadn’t been hard at all and it actually felt … wonderful. “Great. Now, kids, grab your coats. We’re going to go watch Braden rock this arena.” She attributed the pounding of her heart to excitement for Braden and not the fact that she was about to see Ross for the first time since their kiss.

Across the lot, Ross unlatched the rear door of Sid’s trailer and swung it wide. Her son climbed inside and the gleaming gray body of Chance soon emerged, Braden at his head. She caught Ross’s glance and waved at him, but he turned away without a trace of acknowledgment to swing the door closed and relatch it.

Had Ross really ignored her? Sierra no longer felt the chill of the air as she walked up to stand beside him. “Hi.”

He barely cut her a glance. “Hi.” Then he moved toward her son. “Hey, Braden do you see your 4-H leader anywhere?”

Braden glanced around. “No, not yet.”

Ross nodded then spoke to him again. “I’m going to help Sid out of the truck.” He disappeared around the other side of the trailer.

Her mom whispered near her shoulder. “Didn’t he like the honeysuckle?”

Sierra nodded slowly, replaying the scene of yesterday’s kiss and then her abrupt exit after Braden started honking the horn. When Ross reemerged, her eyes followed him, broad shoulders encased in a black jacket, helping Sid maneuver his walker toward them. She felt a tiny grin form as the realization hit. He really didn’t know how she felt. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

She’d just have to do something about that.