She clawed the ground as if to say, “Thank you.”
Four weeks had passed since Mindy left Cooper’s Hawk. She’d called him and told him she was heading back to California to take care of business. She didn’t say whether she would come back or not, and he didn’t ask. He’d wanted to, but he couldn’t forgive her.
Jane and her boyfriend Jonesy had visited one weekend and they spent it getting to know each other. Although things were a little awkward at first, by the end of Sunday they’d made a lot of headway in becoming friends. Creed even had a “dad-to-boyfriend” conversation with Jonesy. He made it clear to the young man that he’d better respect his daughter.
Rusty had stopped to speak to Creed one afternoon, and he could see the man was a little uncomfortable. Rusty had apologized for the past. Creed had forgiven him.
“Dad?”
He looked up to find Livvy standing alongside the fence to the arena. “Is everything okay?”
“I want to speak to you.” She waved him over.
Crossing the grass, he climbed over the top rail of the fence and dropped his boots down on the other side. Just as he’d promised he was spending more time at home and getting Livvy more involved in the chores at the farm, and at Sage Ranch. Since Mindy had left, Isabella had taken over helping Livvy with figure skating, but because she needed more, she gave Creed a number to call to set up lessons a few counties over. Livvy had been upset that Mindy was no longer teaching her, but she wanted to continue to skate.
He pulled off his gloves and pushed them into his back pocket. “What’s up?”
“I spoke to Jane this morning.”
“Great. I’m glad you two are talking every day.”
“We talked about Mindy.”
He swallowed hard, feeling an ache at the back of his skull. “I’m sure you two will have some discussions about her.” He scratched his temple with his thumb.
“Jane said they are coming back to visit with Rusty this weekend.”
Looking out into the distance, Creed saw nothing through his hurt and obstinacy. He didn’t like feeling this way, but the betrayal had taken up residence inside him and he didn’t know how to let it go. “Okay.”
“Don’t you care?”
“I care.” He leaned into the fence. “I’ll always care for Mindy but it’s hard for you to understand what’s going on. Sometimes a person is meant to care for someone from afar.”
Livvy lifted herself to sit on the top rail. Her new cowgirl boots were scuffed and dirty. That was a great thing. She’d been doing her chores every day, without him asking. “Why? You two are crazy for each other, Dad. It’s about time you stopped being obstinate.”
“That’s a new word.”
“I read it in a book.”
“Glad you’re reading. And helping out more around here.”
“I like working on the land, with the horses and goats. I especially like Hope.”
“They’ll grow on you fast.” He liked seeing her smile.
“So, why are you so stubborn?”
“Have you looked at yourself lately?” He laughed. “It’s in the Hawke genes.”
She shrugged. “We’re tough and stubborn. That’s not a bad thing, unless you let something go when you shouldn’t.”
“Honey, although I’m flattered that you care for my wellbeing and relationship status, I assure you I’m okay.”
“You say that, but I know better. Everyone wants love. I miss Mindy. I know you do too!”
Lying wouldn’t help the situation. “I do,” he said quietly.
“Thought so. So Jane and I have an idea.”
“You do?” He couldn’t wait to hear what they’d brewed up.
“Marry Mindy.”
He blinked. “Let’s say for theories sake that I still wanted to marry her, that doesn’t mean she’d say yes. Livvy, she left. She wants to stay in California.”
“She’s in California because she can’t be near you. That’s what Jane said.”
“There’s a lot more to the story.”
“Because she didn’t tell you about Jane? Dad, sometimes I think you can’t see the way things really are. She did try to tell you. Mom took the letter and you married her. Anyway, you love Mindy. Are you going to be stupid and wait another nineteen years?”
“You’re not supposed to call your dad stupid. My goodness, girl. I don’t think you’re going to let up on this, are you?”
“Nope. Not until you listen. You were going to ask her to marry you, weren’t you?”
“Yes,” the answer came on the tail end of a sigh.
“And the only thing that changed is that we have Jane now. Right?”
How she said “we have Jane” made his heart fill with emotion. She was right. This wasn’t a negative experience. He had another daughter and his heart expanded. A man could never have too much love—and he loved Mindy. Even after everything they’d been through. “So tell me about this plan you and Jane have manufactured.”
“Well, since you’ve asked…”
~~~~~
“Honey, why do we have to go down to the barn? I’d like to get back on the road before dark,” Mindy complained. She and Jane had taken a flight, rented a car and drove the few hours to Sage Ranch. The second she crossed the town limits into Cooper’s Hawk she felt a sad heaviness. She didn’t want to see Creed. Although she missed him—she loved him—she would only be overwhelmed with pain. He’d made his choice. He couldn’t forgive her for the secret. Mindy would do everything she could from afar to encourage Jane to continue building a relationship with both Creed and Livvy.
But as far as ever fulfilling a dream with Creed, that was dead and gone…
“I told you. Jonesy and I wanted to
