Rivers end boxset volume.., p.92
River's End Boxset Volume 3, page 92
Kate replied, “Reed Ranch? Sure. Why not? It’s about time. Been too many Rydells. Rydell, Rydell, Rydell. Why not some Reeds? Damn, it has a nice ring to it. Reed Ranch.” Kate’s grin split her face.
So did AJ’s.
Eventually, so did Asher’s. Reed Ranch. A cherished dream he now had the authority to realize and promote. A career. A workable ranch. An entirely legitimate enterprise.
Reed Ranch. Could something like that ever really come into fruition? It did have a catchy ring to it. Now if only he could make the many complicated factors come into alignment. Reed Ranch. His own land. It sounded like heaven.
CHAPTER 2
DAISY RYDELL STUDIED HER sister. Violet didn’t blink for a full sixty seconds. Daisy watched them tick by on the clock. Violet didn’t cry or moan or talk. She sat facing forward. Some might assume she was numb. Unfeeling. Still in shock maybe. But Daisy knew her sister was catatonic. She’d been unresponsive for days. Ever since she watched Preston fall to his death on the sandy arena.
But Violet might not have realized how extensive her trauma was.
Allison, their mom, called Daisy the night it happened, relaying the horrifying news to her youngest daughter. She’d held her phone, speechless and stunned as her mom described what happened to Preston. Prior to hearing that, it was just an ordinary Saturday night with the main event being one of their horse performances featuring Violet.
Then Violet was given the unenviable view of watching Preston die.
How could life be so cruel? How could it allow both things to happen at once? Daisy’s reaction was to immediately interrupt her summer quarter at Fordham University. After struggling to commit to a major for the last three years, she was in summer school to try and catch up on the last few classes she needed to start her junior year and her major. She’d taken three years to get to this point, instead of the more usual two. Each change of major required new prerequisite classes, which only made things harder than they needed to be, but finally, she’d decided on a major and was making strides in achieving her degree.
Violet. She might not have needed Daisy in particular but required all of the family’s support and love collectively. Daisy didn’t know what she could contribute, she just knew she had to be there. Rose and her husband, Mateo, who was enrolled in medical school in Rhode Island, and relatively closer to Daisy than the rest of her family, traveled with her home. It helped. Rose was the oldest of the four girls, Daisy the youngest. So having Rose to lean on felt natural. And necessary.
“What do we say to her?” asked Daisy.
Rose squeezed her hand. “Nothing can be rehearsed or planned. We just have to be there. Talk to her. Listen mostly. She knows we can’t fix it for her, but she needs to know we are there all the same.”
Daisy kept repeating that. Thank God for Rose. Just be there. They had to know Violet could feel their combined support and presence, even if they had no answers. Of course, Daisy had zero to offer. Less than Rose or Iris. So, hearing she didn’t have to say anything or try to come up with an answer helped ease her discomfort.
They were sitting through another memorial service in honor of Preston. This one was being held at the church in River’s End. The pastor ended the final prayer. Her dad read something Violet wrote. Tears rolled down all their faces. Everyone except Violet. Again, she was still catatonic.
Finally, the collective “Amen” rippled through the church. Daisy waited for her dad to escort Violet and her mom out, then Rose and Mateo, then Iris and Quinn. She was the last to be escorted in the immediate family. Preston’s family didn’t attend. They’d already buried him in the town where he came from. This memorial was for the people of the valley and ranch who worked and associated with Preston. Some came out of respect and concern for Violet and her family.
Thank God, it was over. Daisy was wilting under the stress of it all. So much grief hung over her family home, it seemed as if a great big, black scarf was wrapped around the house. Even the daylight couldn’t penetrate the interior. Or brighten any of their spirits.
She stepped out into the vestibule as her parents took Violet home. They thankfully didn’t make her suffer through a formal or informal meet and greet. Violet couldn’t have survived it.
Rose took over that end of the protocol. Rose was good at taking charge. Rose and Mateo, Iris and Quinn, and Daisy politely greeted the attendees with handshakes, hugs and condolences. Most were sincere and truly meant it. Several town locals, as well as the friends they knew or grew up with gave personal messages to Daisy and her sisters to pass along to Violet. Cards were collected. A small dessert and coffee bar was set up. It was purposely undersized and un-extravagant for a reception. Exactly per Violet’s request.
Finally, when it ended, Daisy jumped into the back of the SUV Mateo was driving. Her sisters and Quinn were already there.
Rose rested her head on the passenger seat, shutting her eyes as she sighed dramatically. “Oh, my God, that was so awful.”
“It was excruciating. Do you think she’ll be okay?” Iris inquired.
“She will be eventually. But it’ll be a long, slow climb out of a dark hole. The grief she has to endure. Nothing you aren’t familiar with, Iris, but in a different way,” Quinn interjected.
Iris slipped Quinn a loving look. Only Daisy, who sat behind them noticed it. Iris answered out loud, “What happened to me was hard. But losing you? That would have been the one thing I could never come back from.”
“I kept thinking that too,” Rose said quietly without even opening her eyes. She reached out and set her hand on Mateo’s thigh. He gave her a knowing look before flipping his gaze back to the road. “How would I get through this? How is Violet doing it? And then I felt selfish because of the relief that coursed through me, relief that I didn’t have to endure it. Oh, God, Violet… this is just… I still can’t believe it happened.”
Daisy felt the knot of grief and longing make her throat swell. It was so unfair. She stared out the window, thinking of the awful things that happened to Iris. She was brutally raped by a stranger in the mechanic shop one night when she was working. It shattered her trust and faith in life for a long while. It also upset Daisy and her sisters who suffered for Iris. Just as this tragedy did.
The four girls were very different as sisters, and often bickered and competed while growing up. Plenty of fights, shrieking and even hair pulling occurred during their youth and childhoods. A full, crowded house of maturing and very unique girls tended to get pretty vocal sometimes. But whenever things happened that were wrong or unfair, like this—causing grief to any of them—the four pulled together tightly.
“Mel asked us to join Lillian and some of the others down at the beach as a way to kind of decompress. I texted Mom, she said Violet’s in bed. So…”
“Yeah. I can’t think of what to do with myself,” Daisy replied.
Iris glanced back at her with a small smile. “I can’t either.”
“Family, it is,” Rose said as she lifted her head and glanced at Mateo. “Is that okay with you?”
“Whatever you guys need. Of course. That was…”
The right words seemed to elude everyone. No one could find anything appropriate to say. They all let their statements wander off.
“Daisy? Help me pretend this day isn’t what it really is. How is school going?” Iris asked, glancing back at her.
“Fine. Just making my way through Philosophical Logic. It’s a strange way of thinking. I often struggle with it. But if I manage to pass it, I should finally have all the prerequisites for an English major.”
“You’ve decided on your major for sure?” Rose asked. Oh, the restrain she could hear in Rose’s voice. Daisy knew it was killing her not to sound like the Spanish Inquisition. She refrained from doing it on the plane. Once home, however, it must have been more out of respect for their circumstances.
“I’ve decided. I’m going with English. I really think I might want to edit books as a profession. There are a few English majors who graduated from my school and went on to work as editors at one of the biggest publishers in New York City. But if that doesn’t pan out, English also provides a strong basis of strengths for writing, speaking and critical thinking. It provides the basis for many follow up degrees and professions. So while I can’t fully guarantee what I’ll do as a job with it, it’s also applicable in many fields or for advanced training or degrees.”
Rose, her smart, long-sighted and goal-oriented sister who earned a master’s degree in Education ran a successful dyslexia tutoring business, and Daisy saw how hard she physically had to resist responding to that comment. Daisy knew she desperately wanted to turn around and ask, Have you researched how to go about doing that? Are there many employment opportunities for such a career? For how many other fields would that degree be desirable? What is the annual salary? What? What? What?
All the details were important to Rose, and things she had to know before making such a decision. But Daisy didn’t really know any of those things. She just loved to read. Her brain was always editing what she read automatically. The thought of living in New York and working for a big publisher sounded so awesome and exciting, why not go for that?
To avert another Rose question, Daisy asked, “How is school going for you, Mateo?”
Being rather late at finishing high school, Mateo recently earned a bachelor’s degree and was now enrolled in medical school. Mateo was actually a brilliant genius whose education was delayed due to circumstances. Rose saw to it that Mateo had everything he needed to succeed, and even the moon was now at his beck and call.
He flashed a look and a smile at Daisy in the rear-view mirror. She knew that he knew without him telling her, that Daisy was using him to block Rose from any further questions regarding her plans. Questions she couldn’t answer for Rose. But as the stereotypical big sister, Rose would demand the answers. “Oh, I’ve begun the most interesting research…” Mateo rattled off a list of items he must know that Daisy had no clue about. In response to his high-handed spouting, she grabbed a nearby discarded napkin, wadded it up and threw it at her brother-in-law. He gave her a wink and smirk as he shifted left to avoid it. Luckily, they were just pulling into the driveway of the family ranch and in no danger of hitting anyone. They parked in one of the few spots that came with the family homes near the river. The beach trail was accessible from there as well as the waterfront, which included a sandy beach and a deep swimming hole. Farther up the rocky shoreline, the water got shallower all the way to the rapids above them.
After parking, they all piled out when a voice came from behind them. “Daisy? I haven’t had a chance to see you in forever. Of course, this is not like a family reunion and I wish I weren’t seeing you for that reason. But… hey.”
Before she could respond, Lillian Rydell, her cousin once removed, gave her a huge hug. Lillian was currently enrolled in veterinarian school, which kept her away from the ranch most of the time. Daisy squeezed her back and asked, “Where’s Benny?”
Benny was Lillian’s three-year-old son. She gave them a shocking surprise when the ever-responsible Lillian showed up pregnant after a one-night stand, of all things. At the time, Lillian was ashamed since she had no idea how to find her baby’s father and zero details about him.
“He’s with my mom and dad. They all went home. They seemed sorta glad to have him to take their minds off this today.”
“Yeah, I get that. Is Jade with you?”
“Jade’s down there with Silas and Eliana.”
Daisy smiled to herself as she fell into step with her cousin. There was no lack of kids nowadays for company. They were of all ages or at least close enough in age to find peer groups to hang out with. Jade, Lillian’s younger sister by a whole decade, was with Silas, Uncle Joey’s “step-grandson.” Joey and his wife, Hailey, the grandma, raised Silas. (That was another long story.) Their other son, Jacob, married Luna and had two kids, aged seven and five. Jacob’s sister, Brianna, was also a step-cousin to Daisy. She married Finn Alexander and had two kids that were slightly older than Jacob’s.
So many generations occupied the ranch now, and it was growing in every way. Some left, but many stayed. With so many young people now, most of the original generation were growing pretty old, although a few were actually still on the ranch.
“How’s school going for you?” Daisy asked Lillian, falling into conversation. She was studying veterinarian school at Washington State University. How she managed to do that with a baby in tow truly amazed and mystified Daisy, who could barely take care of herself and go to college, and she wasn’t even attempting to earn a doctorate.
“It’s hard, but also invigorating. You?”
Daisy and Lillian wandered down to the beach, exchanging school anecdotes. Finally, they reached the beach. Someone built a fire. A few lanterns provided more lighting. Drinks and snacks were also available. Who knew or cared who brought the refreshments? Daisy snagged a drink. “Better damn reception than they had at the church,” Daisy said before she drank her libation eagerly. “That was excruciating.”
Melanie suddenly appeared and began hugging her. Hearing the last of her and Lillian’s conversation, Melanie agreed, “It sure as fuck was. Hey, Daisy. How is Violet?”
Melanie was a force of nature. Of the city. Of a hurricane. Of everything. She was an artist, as yet, fully uncommitted to anything at all in her life. That included her artistic medium, her sexual preference, and city, country or suburban living. Every time Daisy saw Melanie, which wasn’t often since their schedules rarely caught them at home at the same time, Melanie’s entire life had changed. Everything she did seemed different from the last time. She was an incredibly charismatic, likeable and outspoken woman.
But stagnant or mediocre? Never. Variety was Melanie’s life focus.
“Violet’s catatonic. Honestly, I don’t know how else to describe her.”
“She was so young to fall in love. At first, it made me worry, but in so many other ways, I was envious. To love and lose so much at so young an age…” Melanie shuddered.
“She knew exactly what she wanted. Always. There was never a day Violet doubted herself. Preston was her choice. All the way.”
“He really was. I saw them together. I feel lucky now I visited last Christmas and at least got to know him. Promise me you’ll let me know if I can do anything at all or get you anything you guys might need. Anything.” Daisy knew Melanie was erratic, and maybe slightly eccentric but she had a heart as big as the state.
Melanie looked just like her mother, Erin: small, petite and well-proportioned. But where Erin had pitch-black hair, Melanie had soft, reddish-blond hair that was delicate and fine, yet rich in color. Melanie often changed the color of her hair. Today, she was an ashy-blond. Her styles were all over the place too. Daisy doubted she ever saw her cousin with the same “look” twice. She assumed Melanie was still searching for herself. Daisy couldn’t wait to see what she settled on.
There was more drinking and chit-chat and shared misery. It wasn’t a party. That, everyone was clear about. It was a tragic event. Lots of talk about Violet. Everyone there cared and worried about her, the whole family.
Daisy was sipping her third alcoholic drink and taking a moment alone when her gaze finally landed on him. Her heart started beating harder and faster. Her breath caught in her throat. As it always did.
Asher. Asher Reed.
He was also a family member. Technically, Daisy and Asher shared Uncle Jack Rydell and Aunt Erin along with their cousins, Ben, Charlie and Melanie.
Not once did Daisy feel like family with Asher.
Asher was adopted after showing up at the ranch when he was thirteen. Daisy was only eight years old and thought he was the moon. She idolized him as an older kid and as the years passed, he was around a lot. He joined the rest of “them,” the group that included Rose, Lillian, Iris, Violet, Hunter, and her. She was barely included, being the youngest of the bunch. Only a few years older than Silas Starr and Dominick and Eliana Hayes, Daisy could have been the head of that group.
Dominick and Eliana were Caleb and Josefina Hayes’s kids, and their little group also included their cousins, Roman and Rodrigo, after they were adopted by Pedro and Jordan Hayes-Ruiz. Hunter’s little brother, Landon, was part of this group also.
Daisy preferred to tag along with the older kids, which were her sisters mostly.
And Asher.
Asher never paid any attention to Daisy. Never. Not even now. Or the last time she saw him. When was that? Spring break? Now he was here, on this warm, August night, wearing a white t-shirt over his tall, toned chest. His arms were strong, and his muscles showed. But he wasn’t huge or bulky. Just right. Well-defined muscles with a slim physique. His black hair, deeply tanned, olive skin, and bright green eyes made the entire package work for her.
He lifted his head up and scanned the crowd when he happened to find Daisy staring right at him.
He blinked as if he were surprised to recognize her. Then a slow smile slid over his cheeks that reached up to his eyes. Oh, could anyone do a slow-smile like him? she wondered. She felt certain that nobody could. It was like watching an entire journey crossing his face, ending with a spark and a twinkle in his eyes. He had a smooth, easy-going manner. Charming but quiet. The perfect combination in Daisy’s mind. He could be interesting to talk to and be around, without trying to hog the limelight. His quiet, confident authority further enhanced his allure. At least it did between all of them.
A few years ago, Violet and Asher became close. Violet was only a year older than Daisy, but she shared the horse thing with Asher. They both held a deep love and interest in the horses and talked about them constantly. Becoming an equestrian held no appeal to Daisy. Her interest ended with Asher. Though she was only a year older than Daisy, Violet had her life already mapped out. Her self-reliance and poise made Daisy feel like she was years younger than Violet. She even feared for a short time that Violet and Asher would act on the feelings of warmth and friendship that so easily flowed between them. When Violet came home with Preston, Daisy nearly did a back flip. It meant Violet didn’t feel that way about Asher Reed.
