brothers, who loved working with children because of their own abusive childhoods.
China was tickled silly to see Ms. Marilee and Mr. Vanderbilt seated on the grass lakeside, sharing a meal from provided box lunches. The lady was smiling brightly, and a lot. The two appeared pretty close in age. Could this be a love connection? Instead of intruding upon what appeared to be a personal discussion, China claimed a patch of grass a few feet away from the elderly couple.
The vans would return to the ranch once lunch was over. At two o’clock China had scheduled a horseback riding lesson. Zaire was the instructor. She feared making a fool of herself since she was intimidated by the big but beautiful beasts. For her, since the death of her father, conquering all her fears was important. She didn’t want to live out life fearful of anything.
Walking over to China, Zaire dropped down on the grassy knoll. Positive she reeked of raw fish, China felt uncomfortable having him in such close proximity. She had used sanitizing wipes to take care of her hands, but she still felt self-conscious.
Zaire grinned. “Congratulations! Not only did you land the largest fish, you caught the most. Five fish is a pretty good haul for someone who hasn’t fished in a long time. Your two rainbow trout are beauties.”
China giggled. “Who would’ve ever thought it? I regret not coming here to the ranch with Dad. He invited me numerous times, but I always had work. So far, it’s been a fun adventure. I’m sorry I missed out on the memories we could’ve made. But I’ve definitely earned bragging rights on the number of fish I caught. I bet your mother and aunts are good at fishing.”
“You got that right! They love to fish. Mom cleans all the catches, freezing what she doesn’t cook up right away. As for your dad, he has a lot to be proud of.”
“Thank you. Speaking of dads, yours seems pretty proud of his three guys. He’s lively, too, with his silky-smooth moves. Your parents dance well together. I guess rhythm and harmony are what happens when you’ve been married a long time.”
Looking right into China’s face, Zaire shrugged. “I guess five years is a long time to be married, especially by today’s standards.”
China appeared totally perplexed. “Five years? I don’t think I understand.”
“Morgan Cobb is our stepfather, a good friend of our own father. At first, we didn’t like him because he knew Dad was abusing his family. None of us understood why he’d hang out with an evil man like Macon if he wasn’t the same kind of man.”
China’s eyes softened. “Birds of a feather don’t always flock together, Zaire.”
Agreeing with her, he nodded. “You’re right. That’s the same thing Hailey told Zurich when he first voiced his negative feelings about Morgan to her.”
Briefly, China touched Zaire’s hand. “God puts people together for all sorts of reasons. I believe He does it so we can learn something we need from them. Everyone who comes into our lives is there for a specific reason, a season or perhaps a lifetime.”
“I believe in that. When we learned Mom planned to marry Cobb, it made us stone crazy. That was a real difficult time for my brothers and me.”
Fighting an urge to reach up and caress his smooth, handsome face, China smiled instead. “It obviously turned out okay. You all seem to get along so well.”
“We do. After Zurich confronted Mom about her desire to marry Morgan, we found out he was nothing like our father. She told my brother that Morgan had kept food on our table and clothes on our backs when our alcoholic father regularly drank up his paycheck. Cobb also paid for our tuition and dorm fees at Buckley Academy.”
China’s starry gaze fell upon Zaire. “Buckley Academy! Now that’s one prep school I’ve heard a lot of great things about.” She thought back on what she’d witnessed with Bernice and Morgan. “They seem extremely good together. Is he accepted now?”
“We love and deeply respect Morgan. We’ve grown close to him. He’s more than a father to us. He’s a friend. The man treats Mom like the queen she is. Who can find fault with that? Speaking of reasons and seasons, what do you hope to learn from your experiences on the ranch? And has your seasonal or lifetime partner arrived yet?”
China’s eyes suddenly grew moist. “My reason for being here is twofold. I came here to scatter my father’s ashes over the land. He was a Texan and he loved this ranch. I’ve been going nonstop since my father died a few weeks ago. I am worn out and desperately need rest and relaxation. As for a lifetime partner, he’s still out there wandering around somewhere.”
“I’m sorry about your father. You have my deepest sympathy. If he loved this ranch, maybe I knew him. I’ve met most, if not all of our guests. What’s his name?”
Sniffling, China wiped her nose with a napkin. “Brody Braxton.”
In racking his brain, Zaire recognized the name but he couldn’t put a face to it. Looking closely at China, he tried to see if she reminded him of anyone. “If it’s not too hard on you, please tell me a little about your dad.”
China’s heart overflowed with sweet memories of her dad. “Brody was a wonderful father. He raised me alone, meeting my every need.”
She cut it off there. No one needed to know her dark, personal despairs.
“He loved to horseback ride and he lived to conquer the ranch’s mechanical bull. Unfortunately, he was dominated by it.”
“Most men are. Now Mom and my aunts give that bucking mechanism pure hell. The ladies practice riding it a lot, timing each other to chart the length of time they stay on during each ride.”
China roared with laughter. “I can actually imagine them riding the bull. They’re a feisty bunch of women.”
“Getting back to your dad, I believe I may’ve met him. Do you have a picture of him?”
China dug into her tote and pulled out her wallet. Flipping to the picture compartment, she came up with her favorite one of Brody by himself. “This is Dad,” she said, handing the billfold to Zaire. “Does he look familiar?”
Zaire’s eyes flared with instant recognition. “We’ve had a lot of interaction over the years. My brothers and I simply referred to him as Mr. B. He was an amazing storyteller, weaving some of the best yarns we’ve ever heard.”
China was thrilled to know Zaire clearly remembered Brody.
“I remember Mr. B. so well. He loved to help out around here. You’re right about his love for this place. He even talked about moving back to Texas after retirement to build a house on the several acres he owned. Are you selling his land?”
“I’ve thought of it but haven’t made a final decision. I don’t know what else I can do. I’m a city-loving girl from L.A. I can’t begin to imagine Texas as my home.”
“Life around here is a far cry from city living. I worked in the city for years but was constantly drawn back to my roots. I retired soon after I came up with a viable business plan to build on the vast acreage we own. I like peace and quiet. Our starry nights are unrivaled.”
“I can see why you’d feel that way. Serenity is a perk of being way out here. I’ve never felt this
