Last Chance Texas, page 24
He walked over to the window and stared outside. This would be the last April he’d spend at the farm. The real estate agent had gotten two separate offers on the farm, excluding Kelsey’s land, of course. The offer had been far less than he’d hoped, but with Kelsey closing the deal with the trucking company, he’d better act before the property was completely worthless.
As years went, this one pretty much sucked. He’d never dreamed that he’d need to sell everything in order to finance Maura’s education. And above all, he’d never figured that Kelsey would claim the land and then turn around and sell it.
Kicking off one of his boots, he flung it across the kitchen floor. And then he began playing the “what if” game. What if he’d been upfront with Kelsey in the first place and given her the land she was entitled to? What if he’d not come unglued when she talked about being artificially inseminated? And finally, what if he’d told the woman how he really felt about her? But he hadn’t done any of those things.
He walked over to the corner where the boot had landed and retrieved it. Examining the shiny sole of the Justin, he reminisced about the first night he’d worn them. Memories of holding Kelsey in his arms raced through him as he recalled how the two of them had danced to the Texas Two Step. Although the dance floor had been jammed with people, it’d seemed as though he and Kelsey were the only ones in the room.
Did she ever think about that night?
As he pulled his boot back on over his sock, Nathan exhaled sharply. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Staring at the list of phone numbers, he contemplated giving her a call just to hear the sound of her voice.
Shaking his head he turned the phone off. He wouldn’t call her. Not now. Probably not ever. They were from different worlds.
You don’t stand a chance. Quit thinking about her and get on with your life.
~ ~ ~
When Kelsey walked out the front door to get the mail, the postman greeted her. “Morning, Kelsey. Looks like you’ve got a package.” He held up a thick, manila envelope. “Wow, from some place called Alpine. That’s clear over in West Texas, isn’t it?”
“Thanks, Craig. Yes, it’s near the Big Bend area. I took a trip there awhile back. Wonder who it’s from.”
She removed it from his hand and carried it inside the apartment. When she saw the return address, she was surprised to find it was from Irene Randall.
Sliding her index finger across the top, Kelsey tore it open. An array of pictures fell out. Two of them had trees and butterflies drawn in magic markers. At the bottom of the pictures was Jessica’s name in all caps. Tommy had sent one too. It was of a large, red vehicle with flashing lights. She suspected it was the ambulance that had taken his grandfather to the hospital. And Jessica’s drawings were included as well, one picture of a ballerina.
A rush of emotion swept over her. She had a whole world back in Alpine. She’d thought forgetting about them would prove easy, but the children’s pictures were a reminder of the happy time she’d spent there.
There were notes from each child, and Kelsey’s heart swelled with love as she read them. Tommy talked about Nathan playing football with him.
She’d saved Jessica’s for last. The printing was perfect; she could read every word. The little girl went into great detail about the chores she did around the house to help Nathan out. He’d given her an allowance, and it was obvious from the tone of the letter the money gave her an enormous sense of pride. When she mentioned saving some of it for her grandmother, Kelsey had to stop reading for a second as she brushed away several tears.
Nathan was doing all the right things. The children were thriving under his care.
She was just about to throw the envelope away when she saw a sticky note attached. Holding the note up, she read it slowly.
Warren is doing well. Praise the Lord. And the kids, well, they ask about you all the time. We all miss you, Nathan, in particular. But you didn’t hear that from me. And if you tell him I said that, I’ll just deny it. Take care now. You are missed; more than you know.
God Bless,
Irene.
~ ~ ~
Meredith tossed the glossy brochure on the kitchen table of Kelsey’s apartment. Turning to Kelsey, she asked, “Does this look adventuresome enough for you?”
“Who’s looking for adventure?” After Kelsey made the remark, Mere laughed.
“You are. If you keep going to that shrink long enough, pretty soon you’ll be your old self again.”
Glancing about her apartment, she realized there was an element of truth to Mere’s remark. The leave of absence from her job had been a wise decision. She’d totally redecorated her apartment in jewel tones, and the ambience lifted her spirits considerably.
Her parents had dropped off the rocking chair she’d always admired, along with the picture of her as a little girl-the one of her and the pony. But it was bittersweet because whenever she stared at it, her mind drifted back to Alpine. She’d told Nathan about that pony just before they’d gone horseback riding. Just before she began falling for the Marlboro Man.
“You look a million miles away,” Meredith said, as she reached for the brochure and began inspecting it.
Grabbing the knitting she’d set down, Kelsey frantically began working on the afghan she’d started knitting for her mother. But Meredith had no intention of letting her off the hook. “You’re thinking about Nathan again, aren’t you?”
“What?”
“Come on, Kels. That’s the look that tells me you’re still thinking about him. You’re not very good at hiding your feelings, you know. You never were.” When Kelsey ignored the remark, Meredith continued talking. “You’ve made some real progress, Kelsey, but–”
“Don’t, Mere. I know what you’re going to say.”
“Call him. Give him a call under the guise of asking about the kids.”
“I don’t need an excuse, Meredith. I just don’t have anything to say.”
“Jake told Rachel that Nathan asks about you all the time. Give the guy a break and call him.”
“Between working and taking care of the kids, I doubt he has time to yak on the phone.” Kelsey plunged the yarn into a hole, the needles clicking loudly as she worked.
“I don’t know who’s more stubborn, you or Nathan. I swear if the two of you ever had kids, they’d be half donkey.” Meredith chuckled after she made the remark and quickly pointed toward the brochures she’d brought over. “It’s time for a road trip.”
“Looks intriguing. Where to?” Kelsey glanced briefly at the brochure and then continued knitting.
“It’s a ropes course. It’s supposed to help people get in touch with themselves.”
Kelsey rolled her eyes at Meredith, thinking about a scene in a movie where Kathy Bates has a roomful of women holding mirrors, trying to get in touch with themselves; in a different sort of way, of course.
“Besides, the ropes course would help get us more physically fit.” Meredith’s eyes widened as she said it, and Kelsey burst out laughing.
She stared over at Meredith who stood across the room in her five inch Steve Madden’s with that perfect hair. The girl wouldn’t last a day in the great outdoors.
“Getting in touch with yourself, eh. Like that cliché’ hasn’t been overused. What exactly does that mean, anyway?”
Meredith stuck out her tongue before both women burst out laughing.
“I see you’ve got that warped sense of humor back, Kels. I’m serious about this. I think it’d be good for the three of us to make another road trip. It’s been awhile.”
Kelsey breathed a sigh of relief when Meredith didn’t mention the last road trip the ladies had taken. The one to Alpine. It’d been six weeks since she’d seen Nathan, and she wondered if he ever thought of her.
“What in the world is that?” Meredith pointed toward the guest bedroom in Kelsey’s apartment.
Damn.
In her haste to answer the door, Kelsey had completely forgotten to close what once had been Emily’s nursery.
“You left the door open, Kelsey.” Meredith’s tone was one of reverence as she continued looking over at the door, half ajar. She stood on her tiptoes and peeked into the room. “Is that an easel?”
Kelsey nodded, knowing that not only would Meredith approve of the fact she’d begun painting again but would probably realize Kelsey had finally started to let go of the past. As best she could, given the circumstances.
“Can I see what you’re working on?”
“Since you won’t get a moment’s rest until you do, I guess I may as well fess up.” Kelsey quickly led her friend to the guest room and pushed the door open all the way so that Meredith could view her artwork.
Meredith’s eyes widened as she studied the picture. Her eyes darted from Kelsey to the picture several times as she eyed it curiously. Meredith was all smiles now as she moved about, trying to view the portrait from different angles. Finally, she spoke. “God, Kelsey. This is amazing. Has Nathan seen it?”
“No, of course not.” Kelsey stepped closer to the piece and examined it much the way she suspected Meredith would. She’d captured the coral and golden hues of the sun perfectly, just the way it’d looked the day Nathan took her riding.
“This was the day Nathan brought you out to his place, wasn’t it?” When Meredith didn’t go into more detail, Kelsey breathed a sigh of relief. Not only was it the day she and Nathan had gone riding, but the very same day he’d made love to her.
“Yes.” She felt her throat go dry now and couldn’t think of what to add to the conversation.
“You’ve captured Nathan in such a cool way. Here he is, sitting on a horse with the sunset directly behind him. It’s hard to separate the man from the land, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I suppose it is.”
Meredith’s remark served as a grim reminder that before long, part of this expansive, great outdoors would become a trucking hub, with noisy machinery she didn’t want to think about.
“Kind of looks like those cigarette commercials we used to watch, you know, the Marlboro man. That’s what Nathan reminds me of.” Meredith wasn’t the first person to say that, but all this talk about him was causing Kelsey discomfort. Mere apparently sensed it because the next thing out of her mouth was even more disconcerting. “At some point you’re going to have to deal with your feelings about him.”
“You sound like my shrink. How about I write you a check for three hundred bucks, and we call it even.”
“Joke all you want, but you know I’m right. You’ve obviously spent a whole lot more time thinking about him than you’re letting on.”
Kelsey reached over for the brochure and began pouring over it, hoping Meredith would stop talking about Nathan.
“Let’s go have a cup of tea. You know, this ropes course actually sounds like fun. I’d give anything to watch Rachel swing through the trees on a zip line.”
Both girls laughed, and Kelsey realized that once again, she’d managed to joke her way out of a serious discussion about Nathan Wainwright.
~ ~ ~
Two weeks later on a sunny day in May, Rachel stared over at the pile of metal equipment for the ropes course, wondering what had possessed her to accompany Kelsey and Meredith on this ridiculous excursion. The drive to Palestine, Texas had been scenic, the sea of pine trees sprinkled throughout the highway. That part she liked. But their instructor, Robbie, promised to make this an unforgettable weekend and had already begun rattling off a litany of rules.
So much for taking time to smell the roses.
Rachel studied both the other women, wondering if there was one among them that could pull this thing off. Apparently, corporations doled out big bucks for their employees to spend a day or two in the woods, dressed up like models from an L. L. Bean catalog, being pushed to and beyond their physical limits.
Of course, between the three of them, only Kelsey was actually dressed for success for this tree hugging event. She wore a dark green pair of cargo pants with enough pockets in them to hold a week’s worth of groceries. Secretly, Rachel hoped there was a flask in there somewhere.
Meredith, the event’s coordinator of this little shindig sported a tight pair of Liz Claiborne jeans with enough bling on the back of them to light up an entire city. As always, her hair looked perfect. Wonder how long that’d last.
The three women stood quietly, watching Instructor Robbie demonstrate how to use the harnesses. He’d barely gotten started with the mini lecture, when Kelsey began firing questions at him. “Who puts the harnesses together? Are you sure they’re fastened securely?”
“Well, several of us on the site do,” he replied, tossing Kelsey a quizzical look.
“They’re experienced then, I gather. I assume they’ve had years of practice. Has one of the harnesses ever come undone?”
Geez, Kelsey. Give it a rest already.
“No, we’ve never had that happen.” Robbie looked as though that was all he had to say on the matter, but suddenly his face lit up, as though he’d had a light bulb moment. “The whole point of this experience, Kelsey, is trust. We all work together as a team and in the final analysis much of our success is based on trust. If you intend to get optimum experience from this, you’ll simply have to put aside your reservations and rely on your friends. And my staff members, of course, since they’re the ones who check the harnesses for safety.”
He chuckled at his own remark, but Kelsey didn’t crack a smile.
Meredith pulled out a compact from the back pocket of her new designer jeans and began powdering her nose.
“This isn’t the prom, Mere. Put that darn thing away.”
Robbie lined the three of them up and began running them through the drill. It was obvious he’d done this hundreds of times since he answered their many questions before they even had a chance to ask.
The first obstacle was an enormous wooden platform which looked to be about forty feet high. Rachel stared up at it, marveling at how strong a person’s legs would have to be in order to reach the top.
“Okay, ladies, the first part of the stockade is pretty much a no-brainer. But once you get past the first challenge, you’ll need to dig your feet into the metal pegs and climb for all you’re worth. You’ll notice the rungs are placed far apart. That’s part of the challenge.
“Bet some jock spent sleepless nights thinking about how to torture people who aren’t in good, physical shape.” Meredith had already begun complaining, and Rachel suspected it wouldn’t be long before they all began whining.
“Remember, Meredith. This was your idea.” Rachel never was one to resist laying blame.
“Well, who wants to go first?” Had Robbie sounded any more enthusiastic, Rachel would’ve slipped that harness around his neck and pulled for all she was worth.
“Rachel, let’s have you go first.” Robbie pointed toward the rope, motioning her to begin the climb.
As she glanced over at Meredith who’d begun searching her pockets for a piece of gum and Kelsey, standing wide-eyed, as though uncertain she could do this, Rachel grabbed the rope and began ascending her way up.
Rachel started the ascent, and soon began gasping for breath. The incline was steep now. She’d always had strong leg muscles, but this took some serious upper body strength. And from all the C’s she’d gotten in gym class, this wasn’t exactly her fortè.
Leaning back, she tried to will her legs to stop shaking. They throbbed so violently she wondered how she’d ever make it to the top. “I don’t think I can do this.” Her arms shook as she clung to the rope for dear life, trying desperately to find a foothold.
“Don’t look down, Rachel. Just keep going. You’re doing great.” Kelsey had turned into a freaking cheerleader now, egging her on.
“Man, my legs feel like rubber. I don’t know about this.”
“Oh, Rachel. Give me a break.” It was Meredith, chiding her, laughing as she continued. “My gosh, you should have legs of steel by now.”
“Why would that be?” She was gasping, but still had to ask the question.
“All these months of wrapping them around Jake’s back. They should be strong as hell.”
“Shit.” Rachel yelled so loudly she nearly lost her footing as she looked about the campsite, wondering who else heard the comment. Fortunately, Robbie had moved away and busied himself securing someone’s harness.
Rachel dangled precariously mid-air, trying desperately to hang on to the rope that was getting away from her. When it slipped out of her hand, a string of obscenities that would shock the entire naval academy came spilling out.
“Grab the rope, Rachel. Come on, you’re almost there.” Kelsey continued cheering her on, jumping up and down as she waved her arms.
Taking a deep breath, Rachel made one final swing for the rope and caught it. She continued making her way to the top but cussed Meredith out the entire time for talking her into this.
Twenty minutes later, all three women had made it to the top. Now, all they had to do was stand on the forty-foot platform, grab the rope to the zip line, and sail through the air faster than lightning. Well, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration.
“I’ll go first again since you’re all such cowards.” Rachel’s confidence was at an all-time high now as she reached for the rope. “I’ll show you how it’s done. Hope you’re not scared of heights.”
