He’d shown up at the crack of dawn to get the animals taken care of because he wanted to do it then leave, to make the point to Soleil that he wasn’t coming around to see her, that he really, genuinely wanted to help.
Okay, maybe there was something a little dishonest there. Because he did want to see her. But this was their baby’s future he was fighting for. He had to do whatever it took to make sure Soleil accepted him as more than some “coparent” who saw his kid on holidays and vacations.
He’d never imagined himself to be the kind of guy who’d enjoy agricultural work, or living on a farm, but he found himself wanting to be here far more than he wanted to be at his mother’s or father’s house right now. That probably had more to do with the people in each location than anything else. And the physical labor allowed him to focus all his energy on something besides brooding over his problems.
Being here gave him a glimpse of a life he might have lived, had he had different parents, a different upbringing and different career aspirations.
He crossed the lawn to the house and stopped on the porch to remove his work boots. Soleil was inside doing something in the kitchen, he could see through the window, and he wanted to say a quick hello before heading to his father’s house.
Also, he’d made an appointment for a tour at a nearby nursing home tomorrow, and he wasn’t sure he could go there alone. Since his mother would never forgive him for even considering the place, he couldn’t ask her to go.
He knocked, and after a few seconds Soleil opened the door.
“Wow, thank you so much,” she said. “You didn’t have to get here to do chores so early.”
“It’s really nice here at dawn, with the mist hanging over the hills. I enjoyed it.”
She smiled. “Yeah, it
Another thing he loved about Soleil-how passionate she was about her farm. It was hard to imagine her living anywhere else. Which certainly made a strong point in favor of her never wanting to join him in a military life.
“Would you like to have some breakfast?”
“Thanks, I’d love to, but I have to get back to my dad.”
“Maybe next time.”
“I was hoping you might do me a favor,” he said.
“Um, sure. What is it?”
“I’m supposed to tour a nursing home tomorrow, and-”
“I’ll go with you,” she said solemnly.
“Thanks. I’ll be here early to tend the animals, and then we’ll leave around ten?”
“Sure.”
West wanted to come up with more to talk about, to stay, linger over breakfast, take her upstairs and make love to her the way he had the day before. He’d hardly been able to sleep last night, he’d been so tormented by memories of her body.
Being with her felt like where he belonged, and the farther he was away from her, the more unsettled he seemed to feel.
But he needed to be at to his dad’s house. His mother was under more strain than she’d been willing to admit, and he didn’t like leaving her alone with his father for long.
“Well,” he said, ending their awkward silence. “I’d better get going.”
They said their goodbyes, and he left. Once at his dad’s, he found his mother looking even more tense than she had the day before.
She was in the front yard, her shirt stained with what looked like orange juice, attempting to wind up the garden hose.
“What’s going on?”
“After your father flung his juice at me over breakfast, he came out here and claimed he needed to wash the car. All he did was spray the cat with the hose.”
“Where is he now?”
“Inside, listening to the damn radio again.”
Ever.
“Mom, why don’t you take a break and let me handle this for a while.”
“I’m fine,” she said, sounding anything but.
“Why did he throw his drink at you?”
“Because I told him we’re divorced.”
West sighed. “Do you think it’s a good thing that you’re here, and he thinks you’re still his wife?”
“What can it hurt?”
“You, for one.”
“I said I’m fine. Now leave it alone, West.”
He took a step back, reeling at her tone. He felt five years old again, being chastised for breaking the Tiffany lamp that she’d inherited from her grandmother.
“Mom, tell me the truth. Why are you putting up with all this?”
West started helping her wind up the garden hose, but she stopped and looked at him, her expression grimmer than ever.
“You’ll understand someday, when you look back over your life and see that you’ve been married to someone most of your adult years.”
“You’re not married to him anymore.”
She sighed and took the wound up hose from him, then carried it to the edge of the house and hung it where it belonged. When she returned, she placed a hand on his arm. “This must be confusing for you, me here with your father.”
“This isn’t about me.”
But maybe it was, a little bit. He couldn’t deny that it felt weird, having his mother and father together again.
“You’re right, it isn’t, and I hope you’ll understand that I feel I need to help your father.”
“He’s getting worse, Mom. Can’t you see that?”
She frowned, and he knew she’d seen it, too. “I can’t let your father be cared for by strangers,” she said, her voice growing unsteady. “And if you were the kind of man your father and I raised you to be, you wouldn’t, either.”
His mother rarely lost her temper, and she insulted people even less frequently. Her words stung him like a slap.
Before he could respond, she turned on her heel and marched into the house.
He stared after her, weighing his options. In the end, he went inside because he had to make sure his father wasn’t hurling things at her or hitting her. And really, he didn’t have anywhere else to go.
THE NEXT DAY, West was relieved to get away from his parents’ weird dynamic and set off to the farm again. He went about the morning chores with even more relish than usual, and when he was done, he had breakfast with Soleil. Then the two of them rode together to the nursing home on the far edge of Promise.
“Are your siblings willing to help at all with your dad’s care?” Soleil asked as they passed the sign for the home.
“Both of my brothers are refusing to deal with the situation. They think things are okay as they are, with Dad chasing away his caregivers. And now that Mom has stepped in, I don’t see how I can convince them that they should be anything but complacent.”
“Does your mom like to being the martyr?”
West had never thought of it that way. There wasn’t any other way to explain her actions now. Loyalty should only go so far.
He turned the car into the nursing home parking lot and found a spot near the door. No, not a nursing home, the sign on the front of the building reminded him. A residential-care facility. Could they make it any more sterile sounding?
He sighed. “This is supposed to be the best place in the area,” he said, sounding even less enthusiastic than he
