Heidi?
May had approached. I meant what I said, the other woman told her. About us working it out. I know Glen wasnt trying to hurt me. He wanted to help a friend.
Heidi wondered if she had it in her to be as generous, were their situations reversed.
I appreciate that. Hes not a bad man. A little impulsive sometimes.
May smiled, her dark eyes bright with humor. Sometimes an excellent quality.
As long as you dont need a lawyer at the end of the day.
Exactly.
May was a pretty woman with lines around her eyes. She was about Heidis height, rounder and with quality clothes that flattered her curves. Heidi tugged at the sleeves of the only nice dress she owned. A sedate knee-length, three-quarter-sleeved navy knit that could be worn to business meetings or a funeral with equal ease. Shed found it in a thrift store in Albuquerque about five years ago, along with matching conservative pumps.
Well set up a meeting, May said, pulling out her cell phone. Let me get your number and Ill be in touch.
* * *
THAT WAS NICE, MAY SAID as Rafe escorted her to her hotel room.
Nice? Theyd spent the morning in front of a judge, whod put their case on hold indefinitely. They were in limbo, neither winning nor losing. Rafe had been chastised for not reading a contract, which had been humiliating. All he wanted was to get out of Fools Gold and never come back. Nothing good ever happened here.
He opened his mothers suite door and followed her inside. As much as he wanted to drive back to San Francisco that second, he couldnt. Not until he knew her plans.
You know nothing has been resolved, he told his mother.
She set down her purse on the table by the front door and led the way into the bright, well-decorated living room.
I know, and Im fine with that. I thought the judge was very fair. I have so many plans for the ranch.
You dont own the ranch. Not yet.
But the judge said I can make improvements if Heidi agrees.
Wouldnt it be better to wait until this is settled? We could go back to
Im not leaving. His mother sat on the sofa, her spine straight, her expression defiant. This is where we were happy as a family. You saw the state of the house and the land. I want to fix it. Even if I dont get to keep the ranch, I want to leave a part of myself there. I want it to be better for what Ive done.
He dropped into the club chair on the other side of the large coffee table and held in a groan. Which means what?
Determination softened as her gaze seemed to shift to something beyond him.
I want to make a home here. Oh, Rafe, we had so many wonderful years here in Fools Gold. I know money was tight and we didnt always have the newest of everything, but we were a family.
He ignored the fact that his memories of the past and hers had very little in common. Buying the ranch isnt going to give you a do-over, Mom. Your children arent going to be small again.
I know, but Ive been dreaming about the Castle Ranch since we had to leave, all those years ago. She shifted her gaze to him and tears filled her eyes. I know things were difficult for you here. I let you take care of me and of everyone else. You were just a little boy and you never got a chance to be a child.
I was fine. You were a great parent.
I hope so, but Im not blind to my faults. You worried for me and about me. Maybe thats why you cant be happy today.
He thought longingly of a good legal battle with another corporation, or winning a contract against impossible odds. All things he enjoyed. Nearly anything would be better than talking about his feelings with his mother.
Im plenty happy.
No, youre not. All you do is work. You dont have anyone in your life.
I have lots of people.
Not someone special. You need to fall in love.
Ive been in love. It wasnt all it was cracked up to be.
Hed made what seemed like the intelligent choicefallen for a young woman who should have been perfect. Shed been pretty, smart, caring and supportive. Hed been more interested in her than in anyone hed ever met, and had been able to imagine growing old with her. If that wasnt love, then
what was?
Their brief, two-year marriage had ended when shed suggested a divorce, and hed felt little more than a vague sense of dissatisfaction and failure.
You werent in love, his mother told him. Love is powerful. Love sweeps you away. You were never swept away.
Fine. But Im going to find someone now. So Im happy.
May wrinkled her nose. Youre going to a matchmaker, Rafe. Who does that? What does this Nina person know about you, anyway? When the time is right, youll find the one. Just like I found your father.
Mom, he began.
No. You have to listen. Im right about this. You need to find someone who youre willing to risk it all for.
As if that was going to happen. Ill find the right woman, he promised. Well get married and have children.
If he hadnt been so set on having kids, he would have never considered marrying again. But he was conventional enough to want a traditional family. Mother and father. Hed been unable to get it right himself, so he was hiring a professional. For him, hiring a matchmaker was no different than hiring a good travel agent or successful sales rep. When he wasnt the best at something, he found someone who was. Nina had a nearly perfect track record.