His door opened. “What’s all the shouting about?”
She jabbed her finger in his direction, madder than she’d ever been at him. “You know good and well why I’m fired up! You hired Gibbs? Are you out of your mind?”
His face remained unmoved. “Settle down. And don’t forget whom you’re talking to. You may be over thirty, but I’m still your father.” He lifted his chin slightly. “You may not acknowledge your limits, but anyone with a mind can see you are working yourself to death. Add that cockamamie guest ranch idea, and you’re—” He stopped midsentence and quickly wheeled over to the large picture window overlooking the Teton range.
He pointed. “See those jagged mountains?”
Charlie Grace folded her arms across her chest and remained silent.
“Well, sister—those peaks were formed from rockslides. Rockslides that occurred when the underlying earth could no longer take the pressure of the ice that had formed and was beginning to melt. The understructure simply gave way…changed the whole damn landscape, often taking trees and a few animals with it.”
He wheeled to face her and locked his gaze with her own. “You are setting Teton Trails up for the same. Worse? You could go down with it. Last night wasn’t the first all-nighter in your office. You may claim you have everything handled, but I see the worry etched on your face.”
“What, pray tell, does that have to do with hiring my ex-husband? Do you think having him around here every day is going to help? And, just so you know, I was in town placing an ad for a ranch hand. I told you that.”
This time her father remained silent. When he finally spoke, his voice was firm. “Gibbs Nichols knows this ranch. I trust him like a son. He’s a good man.”
“A good man who engaged in extracurricular activities with multiple women in this town and beyond.” She lifted her left hand. “There’s a good reason there’s no longer a ring on that finger.”
If that man in the wheelchair dared to roll his eyes like he had on so many prior occasions when the subject of her divorce came up, she swore she would march over and punch him…invalid or not.
He opened his mouth. “Charlie Grace, we’re talking business. You need to take the emotion out of this.”
She clenched her fists, restraining her earlier thought of pummeling him. “You want me to put my emotions in the cupboard and slam the door shut, just like Mom did? Well, I’m not Mom. And Gibbs is not working here!”
The back door opened, and Gibbs strode in with Jewel. He wore tight jeans, a leather jacket, and had his aviator sunglasses tucked on top of his highly moussed reddish-brown hair like some celebrity. “Hey, did I just hear my name?”
Before she could open her mouth to respond, Jewel pulled her hand from his and ran for Charlie Grace. “Mom? Did you hear the good news? Daddy is going to work here at the ranch again. We’ll get to see him every day. Every—single—day. Not just when it’s my turn at his house.” She quickly looked between the two of them, beaming. “God answered my prayers.”
Charlie Grace groaned inside. She could barely breathe, immediately recognizing defeat.
She bit at the inside of her cheek for a moment, then huffed. “Okay…okay! But this is only temporary.” She looked at Gibbs, then back at her dad. “And I mean it.”
8
Charlie Grace checked her phone for the time as she walked towards the Rustic Pine. It was Friday evening, and despite all that she had on her shoulders right now, she was anxious to set it all aside for a few hours and focus on something else. Maybe even have some fun.
Luke Cunningham, her former high school friend, tipped his cowboy hat and smiled as they passed on the sidewalk.
“Hey, Luke,” she said. “How’s life treating you?”
He responded with a grin. “Better than a lick and a promise.” His smile widened, deepening his dimples. “You?”
She assured him she was doing fine, as well.
He granted her a pleased nod. “Well, you take care.” He headed down the boardwalk whistling.
Charlie Grace pushed open the door to the bar and was immediately greeted with the familiar scent of wood smoke and grilling hamburgers. The bar was dimly lit and crowded. She looked around, scanning the room for her friends. It didn’t take long to spot them waving at her from their corner table.
“Hey, Charlie Grace!” Capri greeted as she approached.
“Well, you look downright stressed,” Lila noted as she brought a long-neck beer bottle to her lips.
Charlie Grace slid into the waiting empty chair. “I have no business being here, not when Teton Trails opens in less than two days.” She placed her purse at her feet under the varnished wooden table. “Have you guys been waiting long?”
“Depends on how you define long?” Reva smiled as she pointed to her watch.
Charlie Grace took in the familiar surroundings, walls adorned with western-themed paintings and photographs of cowboys and horses. A Garth Brooks song played from the old-fashioned jukebox against the wall.
