Falling for the cowboy d.., p.22
Falling for the Cowboy Doc, page 22
“Grant. I’m surprised you called. And even more surprised you’re here now.” His mother motioned to the other side of the booth. “Please. Sit.”
Gran slid into the booth. “I thought we should talk before I head to California.”
“So, you’re going then,” his mother said. Surprise shifted swiftly through her gaze.
Grant nodded. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t go?” Aside from Maggie. The woman he loved. Who’d left town too.
“I just assumed from talking to your grandfather the other night.” Lilian picked up her wine glass and waved her other hand. “Never mind. You know what is right for you.”
Grant ordered a Misty Grove straight bourbon whiskey, one of his favorites from his brother’s distillery, when the waitress arrived. Sipping the whiskey also gave him a sense that his family was with him. He glanced at his mother. “If you haven’t tried Carter’s whiskey, you should. It’s award winning and some of the best out there.”
“I have several bottles at home.” Lilian watched him. “I keep up on the distillery and your brother’s success. All of your successes.”
But always from afar. Grant wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that. Although he imagined he’d be following Maggie’s success from the same kind of distance. But tonight was about finding answers. Getting closure. “Clearly, you’ve been content to keep tabs on us from the outside. Why are you here now?”
“I’m alone, Grant.” His mother went straight to the heart of things too.
Grant appreciated that, despite being frustrated by her revelation.
She added, “I find myself alone with the cold comfort of an illustrious career that is quickly coming to a close.”
“You didn’t have to be alone,” he countered, unable to hide the decades’ old anger and hurt. “You chose that path.” Just as he was choosing his. He shifted in the booth, rolled his shoulders as if that truth no longer fit him quite so well.
“I came back, but you didn’t know.” Lilian sipped her wine, stared into the burgundy liquid, then looked at him. “You must have been around ten years old. I went to a baseball game. You and Ryan were on the same team. Carter was watching the twins. Your grandmother was selling snacks. Your grandfather was in the dugout with the rest of your team. No one noticed me up in the bleachers.”
Grant searched his memory. Tried to place his mother in the metal bleachers and failed. Surely, he would’ve noticed her, if only for the simple fact that she would’ve stood out in her business suit and heels.
“My hair was longer back then, and at the time, I was a poor surgical resident.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile as if she’d read his thoughts. “I wore scrubs a lot in those days and clothes I picked up at the thrift store.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked. “Why sit on the bleachers and leave as if you’d never been there?”
“I didn’t feel like I fit in. Everyone had a place. A role.” She swirled the wine in her glass. “I figure you might know a little something about that.”
Grant leaned back in the bench seat. “Why would I know about that?”
“We are doctors, not cowboys.” She touched her pearl earring. “To truly fit in around here, you need to be a cowboy through and through.”
Grant wasn’t so sure. He hadn’t felt out of place at the farmhouse. The clinic. Or with Maggie. He’d felt connected. Surely, he’d find those connections on the West Coast. Except his mother lived on the East Coast. Alone. And looking at her now, there was a fragile air of loneliness around her. Nothing obvious. There in the faint lines around her eyes. In her uncertain fidgeting as she checked her jewelry as if to make sure all was still as it should be. California seemed to be everything Grant ever wanted, but was it?
“When I came back, I saw how happy you and your brothers were. How genuinely alive my parents were with their grandsons. You’d all settled into this wonderful life without me.” Lilian shrugged. “I didn’t want to disrupt that.”
“We had no choice. You didn’t give us any other,” Grant argued. Same as he hadn’t given Maggie a choice. Grant nudged that aside. “We would’ve made room for you. You were our mom.”
“I couldn’t see how at the time. How I could slot back into your lives without messing up everything you’d built together.” She rotated a gold bracelet into place, then flicked her wrist. “Besides, your Gran Claire was always better at the mom thing than me.”
Grant picked up his whiskey glass. “That’s your excuse for not even trying to make it work? You weren’t cut out to be a mother?”
“Those are the excuses I used to convince myself. To tell myself that I was making the right decision.” Lilian toasted him with her wine glass. “The truth is something much simpler. Stubborn pride. I vowed never to return here. I told your grandparents I was always meant to be more than Three Springs. That my dreams were bigger than this place.”
Grant had promised his Gran Claire he would pursue his best life, even if it meant leaving Three Springs. She’d never wanted him to feel tied down. He’d always wanted out. He’d left for college, more than ready to fly. Then medical school. Yet, when he’d returned this time, tied down wasn’t how he’d felt.
“I kept my word and proved I was right.” There was no pride. No satisfaction in her words. Only disappointment. “Now I’m realizing Three Springs had much more to offer me. And I fear it’s too late.”
Grant took in the lost look shadowing his mother’s face and the regret in her eyes. Grant hadn’t been lost with Maggie. He’d been grounded and felt more like himself than he had in years. Would he look back at his life like his mother with more regret than gratification? “So, what are you saying? You wouldn’t do it all over again. If you had a do-over, you’d give up all your achievements and success for a country life in Three Springs?”
“No.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and shook her head. “I would still want my career. But I would do it all differently.”
“How?” Grant leaned his elbows on the table.
“Easy.” Her smile was genuine. Her gaze insightful. “I would’ve fought harder to have it all.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
LATE MONDAY MORNING, Maggie sat on a metal bench outside Dr. Toro’s SportsMed Clinic and waited for Kelsey to finish her pre-op bloodwork. Sitting inside the clinic had been too distracting. She kept hoping Grant would appear every time an exam room door opened.
Ryan had pulled out of the parking lot fifteen minutes ago with the sisters’ trailer, horses, and Nolan in the passenger seat. Nolan had convinced Maggie that the apartment behind the Feisty Owl was the most suitable place for Kelsey to recover after her surgery. Then Kelsey and Nolan had persuaded Maggie to let Ryan take the horses to the Sloan stables, where they would be safe and well cared for.
Maggie wanted to be in Ryan’s truck, headed to the Sloan farmhouse too. She wasn’t sure if Grant had already left for California, and she’d been afraid to ask Ryan. But showing up unannounced at the farmhouse would only remind Maggie how much she already missed Grant.
And she certainly didn’t need any more reminders. Her city doc who’d accused her of living other’s dreams, who loved her but didn’t want to be loved in return. Her city doc was infuriating. Then he’d stepped up and competed as her partner. To give her the opportunity to secure a sponsorship and reach her goal. He’d held his own in the competition. She’d been impressed. Grateful. Loved him even more. To top it off, the exasperating man up and left. Walked away. Again.
Maggie wanted to kick her doc. And kiss him. She stretched her legs out and stared at her new suede cowboy boots, courtesy of Denim Country. Grant loved her. She loved him. She should be dancing among the clouds in her sky-blue boots. Instead, she was parked on a bench. Alone.
Worse was what Maggie saw in her future. More time alone. But she’d gotten the national sponsorship. Reached their financial goal. Where was all the happy? Surely, she’d earned that.
Kelsey slid onto the bench, set her surgery information folder on her lap, and took Maggie’s hand. “Ready or not, surgery in one week, Mags.”
It was the first time the sisters had been truly alone since the accident. Maggie noted the relief she heard in Kelsey’s words. That soothed her even as she stepped into another hard conversation. “There isn’t going to be another roping competition for you, is there?”
“No.” Kelsey tightened her grip on Maggie’s hand and stared out over the parking lot. “Do you hate me?”
“Of course not.” Maggie hated herself for letting it all get so far out of hand. Hated that they’d gotten to this place where her sister—her best friend—had to ask that. Maggie wrapped her arm around her sister’s waist and set her head on Kelsey’s good shoulder. “Oh, Kels, how did we get here?”
“Rodeo was a thing we could do with Dad. A way to spend time with him.” Kelsey stretched her arm around Maggie’s waist. “It just became our thing. You were hurting after your breakup, and I wanted you to have an adventure. Something to look forward to.”
Maggie grinned. “We’ve certainly had an adventure.”
“Yeah. We have.” Kelsey released Maggie’s hand and touched the bracelet wrapped around her wrist. “Now it feels like roping is the thing we do because no one ever told us it was okay to do other things.”
“What does it look like from here on out, Kels?” Maggie straightened and shifted on the bench to face her sister. “Do those other things you want have to do with Nolan?”
“Yeah.” Affection softened Kelsey’s smile. “But it’s not just about Nolan. I want to have a business with my clothing. A real one. And I want a kitchen window that overlooks a garden, not a highway or a barren campground. Silly, isn’t it?”
“Not so very silly.” Maggie folded her arms in her lap. She’d liked waking up at the Sloan farmhouse. Being a part of things there. Helping where she could. Cleaning the stables. Gardening with Tess. Joining a spontaneous card game after dinner. Even the midnight meetups. She hadn’t known how much such simple things would fulfill her.
“I’m ready, Mags, to park and stay for a while.” Kelsey leaned back and extended her legs as if practicing her new lifestyle. “I want to sit and watch the world go by. Not just spend every day getting by. I want to do all that in Three Springs.”
“I’m really happy for you.” Maggie squeezed her sister’s arm. “You deserve to be happy. To have everything you want.”
Kelsey covered Maggie’s hand. “What about you, Mags? You deserve the same.”
“The rodeo and I aren’t done yet,” Maggie confessed. “I’m going to partner with Vince Harrow and maybe even his cousin. But I really want to compete in breakaway.”
“You never told me.” Kelsey smiled.
“I didn’t want you to think I was giving up on us,” Maggie said. “On our team. I wanted you to know I was invested. That I believed in us.”
“Oh, Mags, you kept me going,” Kelsey said. “Through every injury. Every loss.”
“I still need you, Kels,” Maggie said. “Even if it’s in the stands.”
“I’ll be there. You don’t have to worry about that.” Kelsey tipped her head and eyed Maggie. “There’s someone else you need, Mags.”
Maggie turned away from her sister. Frowned at the sky. “Don’t say it, Kels.”
“I sort of have to.” Her sister’s words were affection filled. “As your big sister, it’s my duty to look after you and your heart.”
“We aren’t like Nolan and you.” Maggie ran her hands over her faded jean shorts. She was denim and dust. Grant was dress slacks and silk. “We don’t want the same things. In the same place. It wasn’t ever going to work long-term. We both knew that.” And if she’d hoped for a different outcome, she’d course corrected over the weekend.
“But you guys are good together,” Kelsey argued. “Everyone could see it.”
“Everyone but Grant,” Maggie countered. “Besides, we both chose our careers over what we might have together.” And one day Maggie would know that was a good choice. But that day wasn’t today. Not when her heart was still bruised. And she wasn’t feeling so good.
“It’s what you do have together,” Kelsey stressed. “There’s no might about how you two feel for each other. Maybe it’s time to let love back in, Mags.”
Maggie kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk. “Grant wasn’t interested in love.”
“Did you tell him you love him?” Kelsey asked.
Maggie frowned and clenched her teeth together.
“Or, better yet, did you show him?” Kelsey rushed on. “Really show him what it means to be loved by you, Mags?”
“What are you saying, Kels?” Maggie asked.
“I’m saying if you love him, then show him that you really are better together. That being together is worth more than any career. Any belt buckle. Any medical award. Convince him that the love you share is worth fighting for.”
Maggie eyed her sister. “How am I supposed to do that? He’s in California.”
“You pack your bags, little sister.” Kelsey smiled at her. “And go get your doc.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
IT WAS AFTER dinner when Grant dismounted from Moonshine and returned the gelding to the stables. He’d been restless after he’d returned from Dr. Toro’s clinic where he’d spent the afternoon going over patient cases and notes with the rodeo doc. Then Ryan had arrived at the ranch with Maggie’s horses and trailer and no Maggie.
Grant had unloaded Lady Dasher and taken the gelding to the pasture as if the horse would answer all Grant’s questions about his cowgirl. Where was she? What was she doing? How was she? Ryan had trailed after Grant as if waiting for Grant to ask him about Maggie. Grant kept quiet. Hearing about Maggie would only make him want to see her. Be with her. So, Grant had saddled Moonshine hoping to exercise away his lingering fascination with his cowgirl.
Grant gave Moonshine an extra rub down and wondered if he’d ever stop thinking about Maggie.
His grandfather appeared outside Moonshine’s stall and rested his arms on the stall gate. “Find what you were looking for?”
“No.” Not even a glimpse of Maggie. Grant brushed the horse. “I was trying to gather my thoughts.”
“Maybe you didn’t ride far enough,” Sam mused. “Your gran used to ride clear to the next county, trying to gather her thoughts.”
Grant paused and looked at his grandfather.
“Sometimes your Gran Claire came back right as rain.” Grandpa Sam touched the silver slide on his bolo tie. His expression thoughtful. “Other times she thundered in here like a storm.”
Grant felt a bit like a storm tonight. Unsettled and unhappy without Maggie. Agitated and annoyed that his feelings seemed to be anything but fleeting. He asked, “What did you do when Gran Claire came in like a storm?”
His grandfather shrugged. “I let it pass, of course.”
“So, this too shall pass.” Grant nodded and continued brushing the horse. He just needed to wait it out. Have a little more patience with himself.
“I let your gran’s sour mood pass,” his grandfather corrected. His words were firm. “But not once did I ever leave your gran. There’s a difference.”
Grant had left Maggie twice now. His mood dipped past surly. It was the only choice. Except his mother’s words at dinner came back to him. I’d fight harder to have it all. Grant hadn’t fought at all. He glanced at his grandfather. “Gran Claire and you worked because you wanted the same things. Shared the same dream.”
“We worked because we had the same values.” Sam watched Grant, his gaze steady and shrewd. “We compromised. We tried to do what was best for us as a couple. But it took work to get to that mindset.”
“But what if we’re just too different,” Grant said.
“Your Gran Claire wasn’t a rancher or a farmer.” His grandpa tossed that out like it was a well-known, unsurprising fact. “Your Gran Claire had dreams outside these county lines. Followed them, too, when we were just newly dating.”
Grant finished brushing the horse, gave the gelding one last pat, and stepped from the stall. He dropped the brush in a bucket and faced his grandpa. “You’re telling me that Gran Claire left Three Springs.”
“She sure did.” His grandpa chuckled and smoothed his beard into place. “Packed up her car one night. Drove to my parents’ place and told me she was heading to the city.”
Grant had never heard this story. Not even a quick reference to it. “Why would she do that?” His gran Claire had only ever talked about her love for the pond. The farmhouse. His grandfather.
“Your gran claimed she had things to prove. Dreams to chase.” One of his grandpa’s white eyebrows arched. “Wings she claimed that needed to be spread beyond this small town.”
Gran Claire had told Grant never to be afraid to spread his wings wide and go after his best life, even if it was outside his hometown. Now he learned she’d done the same. “How long was she gone?”
“A little over a year.” His grandpa touched his watch as if he wanted to bring back that time.
Grant walked along beside his grandfather, trying to keep up. “Did you ever hear from her during that year?”
“Not a peep.” Grandpa Sam stepped into the evening air and grinned at Grant. “Of course, we didn’t have your fancy phones and all the gadgets to get in touch like you do now.”
“But Gran Claire came back,” Grant said.
“I got home one afternoon and found her sitting on the porch. Her suitcase sat beside the rocking chair,” his grandpa explained. “Before I could greet her, she told me: Samuel Corbin Sloan I thought you’d like to know I’m done.” His grandfather chuckled. “I looked at her and asked, ‘Done with what, Claire?’” He smiled. “You know what she said?”
