Open Skies (14 page)

“Well, you managed to make something of yourself even though he never helped you. Right? From his side, he’d see you as a woman who didn’t need him – who had
never
needed him. Maybe he was afraid that if he tried to come in to your life, you’d tell him to get lost. Reject him, the way that he rejected you. Maybe he even thought that he deserved it.”

“That makes him a coward, then. He should have at least had the guts to give me the choice to let him in or not.”

“I agree with you.”

That surprised her. “You do?”

“Yeah. Totally. He knew where you were, he knew your Mom had died and you were alone. He should have done the right thing and contacted you. I know he regretted not doing it.”

“How do you know?”

Oh, no. I’m not ready to have this conversation with her, not yet.

“Just some things he said about regrets.”

“Oh.”

“You know, Julie, I’m surprised you’re even willing to get to know him a bit. You’re giving him a chance. Most people would say he doesn’t deserve that from you.”

She smiled at him, a real smile that went all the way to her eyes, and his breath caught at her beauty. “Well, I think that everyone deserves a chance to not be an asshole. Even assholes.”

He knew she was talking about him and how he’d been in the beginning, teasing him a bit, and he was surprised to find that he didn’t mind at all. He laughed.
**
List of things I know about my father:

He was an asshole when he was younger; later in life, he knew that

He was a millionaire by the time he was 30

He was broke, homeless and alone by the time he was 32

He started again, and became a success

He regretted not knowing me (?????)
Julie looked down her surprisingly long ‘to do’ list for the day and then glanced at the clock in the corner of her laptop. Ah, yes. Time to make the call to New York.

She’d been looking forward to this all morning, and she picked up the phone with a sense of joy, hoping that Mr. Hawkins was out of his meeting now.

The receptionist put her through to Hawkins promptly and he came on the line, sounding happy to hear from her.

“How are things going, Ms. Everett?”

“Very well, actually, Mr. Hawkins.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And that’s why I’m calling.” She took a deep breath. “I have decided to not sell Open Skies at the end of the six-month mandatory term set by the will. By my father’s will.”

Hawkins was stunned.

“I’m not saying that I’ll stay here forever. But – well, I have nothing in New York, really. No job and no wedding to plan anymore. I have one close friend, and I’m happy to let her stay in my apartment for longer than six months. I’m…I’m happy here, Mr. Hawkins.” She found that she had tears in her eyes. “I’ll stay for a little while longer.”

“Ms. Everett. I think that is a wonderful thing.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I’m so happy to hear that things are going well.”

“Me too.”

“So then. There are a few things that will have to be signed closer to the six-month mandatory term.”

“What things?”

“Just a simple document, stating that the six-month term is over and that you will continue to retain ownership beyond its termination.”

“OK. Do I have to come to New York to sign that?

“Oh, no. I can get the Denver office to prepare it and either courier it to you, or have someone drive it to the ranch. Whatever you prefer.”

“OK. That sounds fine.”

“So, I’ll let Malcolm Ferguson in Denver know your decision, and we can get all the papers ready for the end of January. The six months will be over on – just a moment, let me check the date. Ah, yes. February the tenth.”

“That sounds right.”

“So, we’ll take things from here, ma’am. We’ll be in touch.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hawkins.”

“Thank
you
, Ms. Everett.”

She was just about to hang up when something occurred to her. “Mr. Hawkins?”

“Yes?”

“I wanted to ask you something… I’ve been wanting to ask someone for a while, but I just haven’t ever seemed to find the right moment. In over two months, no good chance has ever arisen, so I just put it off. I also don’t want to upset anyone.”

“What is it?”

She hesitated. “I just – I wanted to know about how my father died. What happened?”

“He died at the ranch, Ms. Everett.”

“At home?”

“Oh, no. He was out riding when he had a heart attack. It was massive, I’m afraid. He died out there in the field. There was no time for the man he was with to get help.”

Julie blinked. “The man he was with?”

“Yes. Dave was out riding with one of his staff members, one of the men who works in the stables. The man called for an ambulance, but it was too late.”

“Do you – do you know who he was out riding with?”

“I’m afraid I don’t remember the man’s name, Ms. Everett.”

“Was it Jake?”

“Jake? Uh – yes. I think that’s right.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Have a nice evening.”

“Goodbye, Ms. Everett. And Happy Thanksgiving for next week.”

“Happy Thanksgiving.”

She hung up the phone, shaken. Jake had been with her father when he died. He’d never said a word about that, not in all the conversations about her father.

“Jake,” Julie whispered.
**
Jake sat alone in the stables, thinking. It was the end of November now, and everyone was away for Thanksgiving. Everyone except him, and Julie and Rob, that is. And Rob would be leaving any minute now.

The hotel would be closed over the holiday weekend. Julie had insisted on it, saying that the staff needed time with their families. Nobody could believe it at first. Four paid days off in a row in the hotel business was like a unicorn – it was one of those things that nobody ever saw. It was so rare as to be practically mythical.

But Julie had been adamant: no reservations; no work; no discussion. Go on and make your plans with your families and see you all after the break.

Mattie had told her that someone had to stay behind to care for the horses, and Rosie and Mike had piped up then, saying they’d be happy to drive in from their homes in Clarity a few times a day to do what had to be done. But Jake had said that he had no intention of going anywhere for Thanksgiving, so he’d be able to do it.

He sat now, drinking whiskey and staring up at the Big House. It was lit up, and he knew that Julie was at home. What was she doing right now? Making dinner, watching TV, having a shower? An image of her breasts, soapy and wet and glistening, popped in to his mind and he almost groaned aloud.

He had come to know her over the past two-and-a-half months, and he found himself more and more curious about her. Everything she did interested him. And, what had caught Jake by surprise, he wanted her to know him. When she was around, he talked. He talked about himself, and about Dave, and about life in general. He just opened up his mouth and he talked.

Mattie and Rosie and Phil had noticed, of course. So had the kids. They had teased him about it a bit, said that when Julie was around, he turned in to a stammering boy with a teenaged crush. They meant no harm by it, he knew, but still. They weren’t wrong.

He heard a door slam and he looked up the road. Rob was packing his car, and he paused, looked down at Jake. Jake stood and saluted Rob with his glass of whiskey. Rob waved back and got in to the car. It started, and he drove off.

Jake took another sip of whiskey. They were alone. Him and Julie. For the next four days.

Jesus Christ. This will be torture.
**
Julie watched from her bedroom upstairs as Rob left. She looked down the road to the stables, saw Jake’s silhouette. Even from this distance, she felt his incredible physical strength and she shivered.

Four days. Four days here with Jake. She had considered going back to New York and spending Thanksgiving with Tammy and her parents, but the thought of flying over the holiday weekend with a storm warning in the forecast was unappealing. Several of her staff had invited her to come to them for the break, but she had politely said no. She really thought they needed family time, and if she were there, it would mix up home and work.

She was surprised that Jake was staying. She had assumed that she’d be here alone most of the time, except when Rosie and Mike came a few times a day to tend to the horses. When she had heard that he was staying, she had felt a combination of relief and tension. Now she just felt the tension.

OK, well. Manny had left her a turkey and lots of vegetables and desserts and bottles of wine. She’d be fine up here in the Big House on her own. This was going to be a hard weekend for her emotionally, she knew, but she’d been through it alone many, many times before. She knew how to distract herself. She’d read and watch movies and sleep in. Look at her beloved mountains and drink coffee and go over the architect’s plans for the new cabins and run through a few interior design ideas. They were going to start work on them in March, and she knew the time would fly. She had lots of details to finalize, and not much time to get through it all.

What she would
not
do was think about Jake down in his private quarters behind the stables, sitting in front of his fireplace in jeans and no shirt. Sleeping down there all alone, his huge body warm and strong in the night. Showering, the hot water running over those arms and that back and that incredible chest.

Oh, God. Four days. This will feel like forever.

**
It wasn’t until the afternoon of the second day that Jake cracked and climbed the steep road up to the Big House and knocked on Julie’s door.

She had watched him coming and had used the five minutes or so to calm herself down.

OK, here he comes. Cool, girl. He probably just wants to say something about one of the horses. Maybe he needs to take a run in to town for something. He’s here. Deep breath.

She opened the door and smiled at him. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“You want to come in for a minute?”

“Yes, please.”

She stepped aside. “Can I get you something to drink? Coffee?”

“Sure. That’d be great.”

Julie busied herself in the kitchen, measuring and pouring water and putting out milk and sugar. Jake watched her the whole time, liking her movements.

“Sit down, Jake. I’ll be right there.”

“OK.”

He went in to the living room and sat on one of the two sofas. He looked around, noticing the changes she’d made to the house: some paintings, some flowers and plants. It was warm and welcoming and felt good to him. He liked it up here, with her.

“Here you go.” Julie was standing in front of him offering him a cup of coffee. “Just black, right?”

“Perfect.” He stood up to accept it and their fingers touched. It felt like a bolt of electricity went straight through him.

She went back to the kitchen to get her own coffee, shaken by even that small, quick touch between them. What
was
it about Jake that made her respond on some deep, primal level? Sure, he was gorgeous – but Steve had been too. Lots of guys had been. But she had just never, ever had this kind of physical reaction to any of them. Jake just pressed some button deep inside of her, one that she didn’t even know that she had.

She was coming back to him now, tucking her legs under her, settling herself on the sofa next to him. Not too close, he was both relieved and disappointed to see.

“So, how’s it going down there?” she asked. “Are you all warm enough?”

“Oh, yeah. The stables and my place are all well-insulated. We’ve all weathered many winters down there, me and the horses.”

“That’s good.”

“I just wanted to check on you, and make sure you’re OK up here.”

“Sure.” She gestured at the dining room table, covered in plans and papers. “As you can see, I have a bit of work to keep me busy.”

“Those the plans for the new cabins?”

“Yep. Plans and budgets and lists of materials and spreadsheets with projected income generated. My head’s about to explode, I think.”

He grinned.

She looked at him. “So. Is it OK if I ask you why you’re still here? Why you haven’t gone home for Thanksgiving? I mean, it may well be none of my business, I know, but I was just wondering.”

“Well, I don’t really have much family to speak of.”

“No?”

“Not really. My Dad’s long gone, and my Mom's remarried. They’ve gone to Florida for the next four months.”

“They’re snowbirds?”

“Yeah, kind of. The man she married owns a travel agency, and he gets amazing discounts on tickets and hotels and stuff. Plus, he can take vacations and write off all the expenses as research.”

“Huh. Nice life.”

“Yeah, not bad.”

She hesitated. “And – and your father?”

Jake sighed. “Not such a great story, to tell you the truth. He wasn’t a good husband or father – he was an alcoholic.”

“Oh, Jake. I’m sorry.”

“It was all over long ago… Mom left him when I was four. He wasn’t abusive at all, but he just didn’t
do
anything more than sit on the sofa and drink and watch TV. Her parents helped her get away. They supported her financially and took me in during the summer holidays so she could keep working. It was tough going, especially at first, but she’s a tough woman.”

“She sounds it.”

“She’s happy now. Ned is a good guy – a great guy, really – and they have a good marriage. She deserves it.”

Julie nodded.

“I have no idea where my Dad is. I used to get cards on my birthday and Christmas, but they stopped when I was about fifteen. Not a word since then.”

“Do you miss having a father?”

“Not really. I mean, not a father like him, who wasn’t interested and didn’t care or contribute. And – and…”

“What is it?”

“Well. Your Dad was a great man, Julie. I never thought of him as my father, but I admired him a lot. He kind of showed me what a good man looked like.” He looked at her. “I know that’s hard for you to believe.”