Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Charlie finished up the last of her painting and left the hutch out to dry. The temperature was in the high seventies and the sun was showing off today, not always the case in spring in the Foothills. May and June could be gloomy. They’d had a cold and wet winter, so the warm weather was a welcome change.

She cleaned up in the bathroom and peed for the dozenth time that day, one of the not-so-fringe benefits of pregnancy. But she was counting her blessings that she’d made it to her third trimester. The first two times she hadn’t been that lucky.

That was why she was cutting herself plenty of slack these days, including not pushing herself too hard at Refind, even though she and Aubrey were on the precipice of real success. And she was letting herself give in to her constant cravings for sweets.

Today she had a yen for ice cream and headed over to the Dalton Market. Angie had just signed on to carry a local creamery’s gelato, and it was to die for. She rationalized that she’d burn off the calories by walking, even though the store was only on the other side of Dry Creek Village, not more than six minutes away.

When she first came here three years ago the village was nothing more than an open cattle field and a kernel of an idea to save the ranch. Now, with the hard work of four Dalton families, it was a burgeoning agritourism destination/shopping center. And it was as pretty as it was utilitarian. A mixture of old, converted barns and new buildings made to look original. Meandering trails. Picnic tables along Dry Creek. And adorable, old-timey kiosks, selling everything from Jimmy Ray and Laney’s popular sarsaparilla to a local woodworker’s signs.

The truth was that the village was keeping the ranch afloat as much as the men liked to believe it was their beef business. In good years the cattle certainly helped supplement their income. Still, it was too inconsistent to rely on.

But after a long, hard push, the village was bursting with business. She liked to think that she, Aubrey, Angie, and Gina were key in its success.

And now, with everything going so well, there was this . . . Mary Ann. Charlie hoped Jace was right and Mary Ann would move on. But her intuition told her it was unlikely. As a soon-to-be mother, she couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting to reclaim a relationship with their children. Then again, she couldn’t imagine leaving them in the first place.

The Dalton Market was crowded, even for a weekday. It was a popular stopover for folks traveling between the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Dry Creek Village had a slew of electric charging stations. So, while motorists waited for their cars to charge, they shopped. Or ate.

Thanks to Angie’s marketing genius, Dalton Market included a deli counter with sandwiches and salads and premade picnic baskets to eat creek side here on the property. For the full-fledged Dalton beef experience—also the pricier one—they could eat at Gina’s steak house.

“Hey there,” Angie called from the top of a rolling library ladder. She was stocking one of the top shelves with boxes of Gina’s organic cake mixes. They flew out of the store faster than a bullet train. Gina’s popularity as a FoodFlicks Network star came in handy.

“Jace was just here buying cookies for the boys.”

“Did he tell you?”

Angie scrambled down and joined Charlie by the ice cream counter. “Did he tell me what?”

It was clear he hadn’t mentioned Mary Ann to Angie, which signaled to Charlie that he wasn’t ready for his family to know about her yet. Not before the boys. “Oh, about Travis’s poison oak.”

“He said the doctor prescribed steroids.”

“Yep. Poor guy. His first week home from school, can you believe it?”

“It’s all over the place. Tuff washes Buddy with that anti-itch stuff every time the dog goes out to do his business. You want some?” She pointed to the gelato.

“You read my mind. It’s sooo good.”

“Right?” Angie slipped behind the counter. “Cone or cup?”

“Cup, please.”

Angie filled a cup with two generous scoops and Charlie didn’t even try to stop her.

“Let’s eat outside.” Angie served herself a cup and led the way to the only vacant picnic table.

“Wow, it’s bustling today. Anything going on?”

“A beautiful spring Thursday. I suspect people are cutting out of work early to take advantage of it and head up to Tahoe or the American River. Things busy at Refind?”

“Not like this.” Charlie nudged her head at a group of six going inside the market. “But business is good. Really good.” She smiled.

Angie leaned in closer to Charlie. “Did you hear about Mitch?” Mitch was Aubrey’s ex-fiancé, Jace’s ex-best friend, and, according to everything Charlie had heard, a world-class jerk.

“He’s getting married,” Angie continued. “He actually had the nerve to come into Tuff’s shop and order three leather engraved flasks for his groomsmen.”

“You’re kidding.” Charlie laughed because it did take gall given that the Daltons had shunned him. “I have so many questions. First, who’s he marrying? The poor, deluded woman. Second, does Aubrey know? And third, did Tuff take the order?”

“Some girl from Sacramento. Tuff said she came into the shop with Mitch and seemed nice enough. Someone should probably warn her to run. No, Aubrey doesn’t know because this just happened yesterday and you’re the first person I’m seeing except for Jace. And he wouldn’t find the humor in it the way we would. And hell no, Tuff didn’t take the order.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he didn’t have time, which, honestly, he doesn’t.”

“I wonder where they’re having the wedding and whether Jill Tucker knows.” Jill was the woman Mitch was cheating with when Aubrey left him.

“Don’t know about Jill,” Angie said. “And Mitch said something to Tuff about having the wedding at his house.”

“Seriously? What else did Tuff find out?”

“We’re talking about Tuff here. Gossip gives him hives.”

Charlie laughed because it was true. Tuff was good as gold, but he sucked at gossip. “Well, I guess Mitch will be able to show off the miniman-sion. He’ll probably invite the whole town.”

“Everyone but us.” Angie snorted. “Maybe he’ll ask Gina to cater it.”

“As if Gina would lower herself. But it would be great if we could talk her into it just so we could hear all about it.”

“I’ve got that covered.”

Charlie gave Angie a quizzical look.

“Tiffany. You can be sure the grand dame of Dry Creek will get an invitation. And let me tell you, that girl can dish.”

“Oh boy, can she.” Charlie finished the rest of her gelato, scraping the bottom of the cup for the last drop. “I need to get home to check on Travis.” It took her two tries to get to her feet, she was so top heavy now. “Thanks for the ice cream and the gossip. Can I tell Aubrey about Mitch?”

“Please do. See you on Sunday.”

“Or maybe tomorrow.” It was their inside joke because all of them lived a stone’s throw away from one another and, with the exception of Jace, Cash, and Sawyer, worked in the village.

Charlie walked home. It was only fifteen minutes away on the south side of the ranch and too beautiful a day to waste.

She followed the creek to the house, taking a tree-lined path. Sunshine filtered through the canopy of branches, dappling the trail in the most magnificent light. The wild irises had bloomed, painting the shoreline in vivid stripes of yellow and purple. Soon, the snow from the mountains would melt and the crystal-clear water would cascade off the rock formation at their favorite swimming hole. In the summers they’d cool off from the hot sun by standing under the icy waterfall for as long as they could take the cold, then swim until their skin wrinkled.

Dry Creek Ranch was the most beautiful place she’d ever lived and she counted every day here as a blessing.

Sherpa and Benson met her on the last leg of her hike, their tails wagging madly, then escorted her to the front porch, where they plopped down in the shade for a rest.

She found Travis in the kitchen, eating leftover lasagna from the night before. The kid was a bottomless pit. She put the milk carton away in the refrigerator and started in on a small pile of dirty dishes in the sink.

Charlie loved this kitchen, with its enormous picture windows and sweeping views. The marble countertops, industrial-sized appliances, and large center island was a dream for their big family dinners. But what made the room all the more breathtaking was the tall, open-beam ceilings and the enormous, handcrafted, deer-antler chandeliers that hung from the iron trusses.

It looked like something you’d see in Wyoming and nothing like the densely spaced rows of painted ladies in San Francisco, where she had lived before moving here.

“Feeling better?” she asked Travis, who, judging by his appetite, was better off than when she’d left him a few hours ago.

“A little bit. At least the itching has stopped.”

“That’s half the battle, right?”

“It still throbs.”

Charlie suspected his rash hurt plenty bad for him to complain. The Dalton men were cowboys through and through and subscribed to the notion of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

She kissed him on the forehead. “I know. But as soon as you take a couple more doses of the medication, you’ll feel a lot better.”

“I was thinking of meeting up with a few friends tonight. But I look like a freak.”

If Travis was worried about how he looked, “friends” was code for a girl. He’d had a girlfriend before leaving for Cal Poly, but they’d broken up, deciding they should both focus on school. Which she and Jace had fully supported.

“You don’t look like a freak.” She ruffled his hair, which needed a good trimming. “You look like you have poison oak. Why don’t you invite them here?”

“How’s that going to make me look better?”

He had a point.

“Better lighting.”

“Ha ha, very funny.”

“You can hang out on the porch or in the backyard. That way, God forbid, you won’t have to be near us. And if you start to feel uncomfortable, you can turn in for the night. And remember what the doctor said. Don’t mix alcohol with your medication.”

“I won’t,” he said. “Maybe we’ll hang out at the creek.”

“That’s a wonderful idea. You can take some of the folding chairs from the garage and I could pack you some snacks.”

He laughed.

“What?”

“Maybe some Lunchables in my old Star Wars lunchbox.” He hugged her. “I’m good, no worries.”

“You may be a big, bad college student now, but you’ll always be my little brat.”

The phone rang, startling both of them. It was the landline, an old cordless that hung on the wall that no one used anymore. The only reason it was still connected was because Jace wanted it in case a cell tower went down in an earthquake or a wildfire. Charlie couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard it ring, if ever.

She got to the phone before Travis did. “Hello.”

There was someone on the other end. She could hear him or her breathing. Not heavy breathing like an obscene phone call, just soft intakes of air.

“Hello. Can I help you?”

No response, but the person was still there. Charlie heard background noise. Maybe traffic, but it was hard to tell.

“I’m going to hang up unless you say something,” she said.

Still nothing, so she clicked off.

“What was that about?” Travis had retaken his spot at the center island and was looking at her expectantly.

“Either a wrong number or a prank call,” she said, but she was sure it was neither.