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Lilly’s defenses shot up. “Because they’re disabled?”
“Because they’d be neither guests nor employees. I’m not sure they’d be covered by our insurance in the case of a mishap.”
“Oh. Of course.” Insurance wasn’t an obstacle Lilly had considered, and she chided herself for her shortsightedness. “I understand. You have to do what’s best for the ranch.”
“I’ll call our agent later today. Check with him on how the policy reads.”
The wheels in Lilly’s mind turned. “What if our insurance covered the clients while they were on the ranch?”
“Does it?”
“I’ll find out. If not, maybe Dave could have a special rider added.”
Jake drummed his fingers on the desktop. “Even if I end up agreeing to your proposition, I’ll still need to take it to the family for their approval.”
Here was an obstacle Lilly had considered. Jake managed Bear Creek Ranch but it was owned equally by eight members of the Tucker family, including him.
“I’d be happy to meet with them,” she said, hope filling the void left by her earlier disappointment.
“Let’s wait a bit. That may not be necessary.”
She sat back in her chair, unaware that she’d inched forward.
“Your clients would also have to keep a reasonable distance from the guests. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but they might make some people uncomfortable, and I have to put our guests’ interests first.”
Was Jake one of those “uncomfortable” people? Lilly compressed her lips and paused before replying. She encountered this discomfort on a regular basis. And not just at work.
It had started with her ex-husband, immediately following their son Evan’s birth. She’d also seen it in the expressions of countless friends and relatives who had visited during the two months little Evan resided in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. Then later when they brought him home, still hooked to machines and monitors. The discomfort prevailed even at Evan’s funeral seven months later.
Differences and abnormalities, Lilly had sadly learned, weren’t always tolerated. All she could do was try to show people that special needs individuals were frequently affectionate and charming.
“That won’t be a problem,” she told Jake. “The people we choose to bring will be closely supervised at all times. At least one staff member for every two to three adults.”
“That should be acceptable.”
“Good.” She made a mental note to contact the college regarding more student volunteers.
“I’ll let you know what the family says.” Jake rose.
Lilly did likewise. “Do you know when that might be?” She started to mention the Malcovitches impending house sale, then bit her tongue. Another reminder of Jake’s ex-wife’s engagement wouldn’t advance her cause. “We need to find a place for the mule this week.”
“Saturday’s the earliest I can get everyone together. If you’re stuck, you can board the mule here temporarily.”
“Really?” She couldn’t help smiling. His offer was both unexpected and generous. “Thank you, Jake.”
He came around the desk toward her, a spark of interest lighting his eyes. “It was nice seeing you again, Lilly.”
As they walked toward his office door, his fingers came to rest lightly on her elbow. The gesture was courteous. Not the least bit sexual. Yet, she was instantly struck with an image of that same hand roaming her body and bringing her intense pleasure.
Oh, no. She didn’t need this now. Not when she’d finally resigned herself to their breakup.
“I’ll call you in a day or two about our insurance policy.” She casually sidestepped him, the movement dislodging his hand.
“Take care, Lilly.”
Was that concern she heard in his voice? Did he regret the ruthless manner in which he’d informed her they were through? A more plausible explanation was that she’d only heard what she wanted to.
But then, there was that look on his face….
“You, too, Jake.” She left his office before she could jump to a wrong conclusion, barely acknowledging the young woman seated at the workstation behind the front desk.
Lilly’s thigh-hugging skirt hampered her hasty retreat across the lobby. She slowed before she tumbled down the porch steps. From now on, she vowed, whatever happened between her and Jake Tucker would be strictly business. Forget all those looks and touches and vocal inflections. She wasn’t going to endanger a valuable program for the center. Nor was she risking her heart on the basis of a few misread signals.
BUTTONING HIS flannel-lined denim jacket, Jake headed out the main lodge and along the uneven stone walkway leading to the parking lot. A gust of wind swept past him, sending a small pile of leaves and pine needles dancing across the hard-packed dirt.
He held the crown of his cowboy hat, dropped his chin and walked directly into the chilly breeze. Fall came quickly to this part of the state and stayed only briefly before winter descended. Within the last few weeks, the temperature had dropped twenty degrees. By next month, frost would cover the ground each morning. Soon after that, snow.
Bear Creek Ranch was always booked solid during the holiday season, which stretched from late October through the first week of January. Nestled in a valley at the base of the Mazatzal Mountains, it was surrounded by dense ponderosa pines and sprawling oak trees. Bear Creek, from which the ranch derived its name, ran crystal clear and icy cold three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Fishermen, both professional and amateur, flocked from all over the southwest to test their skill at landing record-breaking trout.
Jake had lived on the ranch his whole life—until two years ago when he’d walked in on his then-wife with another man. Given the choice, he’d have sought counseling and attempted to repair his and Ellen’s deteriorating marriage, for the sake of their three daughters if nothing else. Ellen, on the other hand, had wanted out and promptly divorced him.
Because he wanted his daughters to grow up in the same home he had, enjoy the same country lifestyle, remain near the close-knit Tucker family, Jake had let Ellen keep their house on the ranch until their youngest child graduated from high school. He’d purchased a vacant lot a few miles up the road. There, he’d built a lovely—and terribly empty—house on a hill with a stunning view no one appreciated.
Never once did Jake dream Ellen would bring another man into his home to sleep in his bed, eat at his table, live with his daughters. The very idea of it made him sick. And angry. That anger had prompted him to invite Lilly on a date.
Seeing her for the first time since he’d botched their breakup, watching the brave front she put on, had reminded him of the genuine liking he’d had for her and still did. He’d been a jerk for treating her so poorly—but not, he reasoned, for letting her go.
As difficult as their breakup had been for both of them, it was for the best. Jake had jumped the gun with Lilly, something he’d realized when she’d begun to pressure him for more of a commitment. His daughters were having trouble coping with their mother’s upcoming marriage and the prospect of a stepfather. A new woman in Jake’s life would’ve added to those troubles, and his daughters came first with him. He’d chosen wisely, he felt, to call it quits with Lilly before too many people were hurt or, as in her case, hurt worse.
Climbing into his pickup truck, he took the main road through the ranch to the riding stables. He pulled up beside a split-wood fence his grandfather had built fifty years ago and parked.
“Howdy, Jake.” Gary Forrester, the ranch’s manager of guest amenities, came out from the barn to greet him. He carried a metal toolbox in one hand. In the other, he jangled a set of keys to one of the ATVs the hands regularly used to get around the property.
“Hey, Gary. You off somewhere?”
“The number-three pump went on the fritz this morning. I’m on my way up the hill to see if I can talk sweetly to it.” The older man had a real knack with finicky pieces of machinery, coaxing them to work when they were beyond repair. Hired thirty-plus years ago by Jake’s grandfather, he’d become a permanent fixture on the place.
“I won’t keep you long, I promise.” Jake ambled toward the holding corral where a dozen horses milled quietly in the warm noontime sun. The other dozen or so were out carrying guests on one of the many scenic trails winding through the nearby mountains.
“I can spare a minute.” Gary set the keys and toolbox on the ATV’s wide seat and joined Jake at the corral. “What’s on your mind?”
“Any chance we have room for another animal?”
“Sure. You found one?”
“Not exactly.” Jake rested his forearms on the piped railing. “This one would be a boarder.”
“Hmm.” Gary raised his weathered brows. “That’s a new one. Didn’t think we were in the boarding business.”
“We’re not. The Horizon Adult Day Care Center has come by a mule and is looking for a place to keep it.” Jake didn’t need to elaborate. Gary was familiar with the center. It was located in the same small shopping plaza as the antique store co-owned by his wife and Jake’s aunt. “An old, lame mule, so I’m told.”
Gary pushed his cowboy hat back and scratched the top of his head. “What in the tarnation are they doing with a mule?”
“The Malcovitches donated it.” The reminder of Ellen’s fiancé triggered another surge of anger in Jake. He quickly suppressed it.
“Why?”
He summarized Lilly’s plan to use the mule as a teaching tool and positive influence on the center’s clients. “I haven’t decided anything yet. There are some insurance issues to resolve. And I wanted to bounce the idea off you, seeing as the work the clients do will fall under your domain.”
“Are them people up to the task? Cleaning out pens doesn’t take much know-how, but it’s physically demanding, and they gotta be able to follow directions.”
“Ms. Russo seems to think they are.” Jake’s voice involuntarily warmed when he spoke Lilly’s name.
Did Gary notice? Jake wasn’t sure how much the employees knew about his former relationship with Lilly or what conclusions they’d jumped to. Bear Creek Ranch was a small community, and as much as the family tried to minimize it, people gossiped.
“What about the guests?” Gary asked.
“Obviously, nothing the center does here can interfere in the slightest with the ranch’s operation.”
Gary nodded. The guests—their comfort and enjoyment—were his top priority. “We might want to put the mule in by himself for a while. Just to be on the safe side. Some horses take unkindly to long ears.”
“I don’t think he should be allowed on any trails, either, until we determine just how lame he is. Make sure he’s ridden only in the round pen for now.”
“Sounds like you’ve already decided.”
“No. But I will take Ms. Russo’s proposal to the family.”
Gary’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “That ought to be interesting.”
Jake didn’t dispute his statement. The Tuckers were close but they didn’t always agree on what was best for the ranch—and each other. Gary knew that better than anyone. Thirty years of working and living side by side with his employers had given him an inside track. Their relationship had recently become further entwined when Gary’s daughter had married Jake’s former brother-in-law.
“We’re meeting on Saturday,” Jake said. Pushing away from the railing, he turned toward his truck, mentally composing his argument to the family in favor of Lilly’s plan. Tax deduction and goodwill aside, it was the right thing to do. The Tuckers had a longstanding history of giving back to the community.
“I’ll have Little José ready one of the stalls,” Gary said.
“No rush.”
Jake’s words were wasted on his manager. The stall would be fit for a Kentucky Derby winner by quitting time today.
“Not that my opinion counts, but I think helping the center is a good idea.” Gary had fallen into step beside Jake. Midway between the ATV and Jake’s truck, they paused to finish their conversation. “Ms. Russo is a fine lady with a heart of gold. She works her tail off for them folks.”
“Yes, she does.”
Was that a subtle reprimand in Gary’s tone or was guilt coloring Jake’s perception? Probably a little of both.
“Lord knows some of them need a fighter on their side. It’ll be my pleasure having her around.”
Jake’s, too. More than he would’ve guessed and for reasons in no way connected to the center, its clients or an old, lame mule about to find a new home on the ranch if he had any say in the matter.
He cautioned himself to tread carefully. The reasons he’d broken off with Lilly in the first place hadn’t changed. If anything, they’d intensified. As his ex-wife’s wedding approached, his daughters were becoming more sullen and starting to act out, especially his oldest, Briana. Asking them to accept yet another change, in this case Lilly, wasn’t fair and would only make the situation worse.
Lilly had the right idea: keep things on a professional level, for everyone’s sake.
But after seeing her today, Jake knew it wouldn’t be easy.
Chapter Two
Lilly bent over the compact porcelain sink and turned the right faucet on full blast. Forming a cup with her hands, she splashed cold water on her face. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that her efforts fell short of the desired effect. Her complexion remained as pale as when she’d woken up that morning.
With a flick of her wrist, she shut off the water, snatched a coarse paper towel from the dispenser and blotted her face dry. When she was done, she reached into her purse and removed a small bottle of antacid tablets, popping two in her mouth. She doubted they’d cure what ailed her.
Since last Thursday when she’d met with Jake, her stomach had been in a chronic state of queasiness. Despite her best efforts, her plan for the center still hadn’t come together. And at the rate things were progressing, it might never.
Keeping her word to Jake, she’d contacted the Horizon day care’s owners over the weekend, and Dave had assured her the insurance was adequate to cover clients and staff while they were visiting the ranch. Yesterday afternoon, the appropriate documentation was faxed to Jake’s office. His assistant had verified its receipt but volunteered no additional information in response to Lilly’s probing, other than to inform her that Jake would be in touch.
Lilly’s anxiety had increased when the Malcovitches called a short while ago to tell her that if she didn’t have the mule picked up by tomorrow, they were giving him to someone else. She immediately placed another phone call to Jake and received the same cryptic message from his assistant. Lilly’s nerves couldn’t take much more.
Popping a third antacid tablet, she returned the bottle to her purse and silently chided herself for letting Jake’s failure to call back upset her to the point of making her ill. He’d said he’d be in touch and he would. Jake was nothing if not dependable. All she had to do was wait.
Giving her wispy bangs a quick finger-combing, she spun on her heels, opened the bathroom door and was immediately halted in midstep. Mrs. O’Conner was right outside and standing behind her wheelchair was Georgina, the center’s head caregiver.
“Sorry.” Georgina backed up Mrs. O’Connor’s wheelchair to let Lilly pass. “She says she has to go. Now.” Georgina rolled her eyes.
Lilly understood. Mrs. O’Connor “had to go” five or six times a day, whether she truly needed to or not.
“How are you doing today, my dear?” Lilly stooped to Mrs. O’Connor’s level and laid a hand on her frail arm. “You seem sad.”
Mrs. O’Connor raised watery eyes to Lilly. “My cat’s missing.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“She’s been gone three days now.” Mrs. O’Connor sniffed sorrowfully. “Such a good kitty.”
Lilly straightened but not before giving the older woman a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sure she’ll return soon.”
“I hope so.”
According to Mrs. O’Connor’s daughter, the cat had expired of old age more than a year earlier. There were days Mrs. O’Connor remembered and days she didn’t. The Horizon staff had been asked by her daughter to play along whenever the cat was mentioned.
The O’Connors were typical of the center’s clients. Caring for elderly and emotionally or physically challenged adults wasn’t always easy. Families needed breaks to run errands, attend to personal business, go to dinner or one of a thousand other things most people took for granted. If family members worked outside the home, those breaks were even more important. The Horizon Adult Day Care Center helped by providing quality care in an attractive facility and at an affordable price.
After the death of her son, Evan, and the divorce that followed, Lilly had reevaluated her priorities and decided on a change in careers. The satisfaction she derived from earning a fat paycheck and driving a nice car waned in comparison to making a difference in people’s lives. At first, she’d contemplated working with children but that would have been too difficult. When she heard about the administrative position at the Horizon Center, she knew she’d found what she was looking for. Accepting the position, she left her job at Mayo Clinic Arizona and moved from Phoenix to the considerably smaller town of Payson.
There’d been times during her thirty-two years when Lilly was happier, but never had she felt more valued or appreciated.
“Do you need any help?” she asked Georgina.
“I think we can manage.” Maneuvering Mrs. O’Connor’s wheelchair to clear the bathroom doorway, Georgina set about her task with the cheery smile that made her such an asset to the center.
