says that Palmer will push her out of business.”
“And he will.”
Curtis put down his fork. What made everyone so certain? “Palmer isn’t the devil. Maybe he just wants a real estate investment. That isn’t unheard of.”
Betty shrugged. “She’s a better vet.”
“Is she?” Curtis had never seen Barrie in her professional capacity until today, and while he’d been impressed by her competence, he couldn’t judge much. Back when they’d been married, she’d wanted to go to school, but that hadn’t happened yet. Her life—everything she’d built for herself—had come together after he’d left town. It was slightly intimidating. She’d become a talented vet, and he’d become...too old to bull ride.
“Palmer has more experience, obviously,” Betty said, “but she’s got better instincts. Working together, they were a great team. On her own, Barrie has more potential. Palmer has already peaked in his career. She’s still climbing.”
“So you think he’s threatened,” Curtis concluded.
“If he’s smart, he is.”
An unbidden wave of pride rose up inside him. Barrie had always wanted to be a vet, and she’d not only achieved her dream, she was better than the established vet here in town, too. He’d always felt proud of Barrie when they were together. She was smarter than he was, in the book sense, at least. That had been frustrating when they’d argued, though. When she got mad, she got articulate. When he got mad, it all just balled up and he went out to ride until it untangled. Even their fighting hadn’t been compatible.
“So she’s doing well, then,” he said.
“Besides her mother passing away last winter,” his aunt said. “I told you about the funeral, right?”
“Yeah.” He sobered. Gwyneth Jones had never been his biggest fan, but she’d been a good woman, and he’d been sad to hear about her passing. This was a hard year for Barrie, and he hated to contribute to her difficulties, but he didn’t have a whole lot of choice.
“She’s done really well in her practice,” Betty went on. “She’s still single, though.”
“So are you,” he quipped. “We aren’t still judging people’s worth by their marital status, are we?”
“Of course not,” Betty said. “It’s not like I’m one to talk. But I’m more of the saintly single type,” she replied with a small smile. “It suits me.”
Curtis chuckled. “And Barrie isn’t?”
“She’s more like you,” Betty said, reaching past Curtis for a dinner roll. “Damaged.”
“Ouch.” Was that really how Betty saw him?
“You don’t count on me for flattery,” she replied, taking a bite. “You count on me for honesty.”
“Fine.” That was true. Betty had always been a rock in that sense. “So, we both know why I’m a wreck. Why is she?”
“In my humble opinion? It’s because of you.”
Curtis’s humor evaporated as his aunt’s words landed. “What do you mean?”
“She never did bounce back, dear.”
Barrie had always been tough, beautiful and definitely desired by the other guys in town. He’d tormented himself for years thinking about the cowboys who would have gladly moved in to fill the void he left behind. Over the last decade, he hadn’t called his aunt terribly often. When he did, and when he’d asked about Barrie, there was normally a boyfriend in the mix somewhere.
“I know she dated,” he countered. “You told me that much.”
“Oh, she dated,” Betty said with a nod. “She’s always been a beautiful girl. But she never did get anywhere near marriage again.”
Neither had he, for that matter. As a bull rider, women had come to him, and he hadn’t had to put a whole lot of effort into it. But he hadn’t gotten serious. He told himself it was because he’d been married before, and he wasn’t the romantic type anymore. Marriage was a whole lot harder than he’d anticipated. He’d done everything he could think of to make Barrie happy, and he still hadn’t been enough for her. He wasn’t a glutton for punishment, but he’d never imagined that she had ended up just as jaded as he had.
“I have to tell you, Curtis,” his aunt went on, “the gossip has been vicious about Barrie.”
“She isn’t the first person to have a child outside wedlock in this town,” he pointed out.
“No, she isn’t,” Betty confirmed. “But she won’t say who the father is, and people’s imaginations can come up with a whole lot more scandal than is probably the case.”
“Like what?” he asked.
“Some suggest she’s had an affair with a married guy around town. I know one woman who has an itemized list on why she’s confident that the mayor is the father. Others say she’s given up on finding love and went to a sperm clinic—” Betty paused. “Does it even matter? My point is that this isn’t an easy time for Barrie. And maybe you could...consider all of that.”
“When selling the building, you mean,” he clarified.
“Yes.”
“Aunty,” he said slowly. “If I’m going to buy that stud farm, then I’m on a timeline. I need to liquidate and come up with my half of the down payment by Christmas Eve, or the deal is off. I feel for Barrie—losing her mom, all of it—but we’ve been researching this business venture for two years now, and this sale is not only an excellent price, but it would be a future away from bull riding. This is no whim—it’s a plan.”
“I know that,” his aunt replied.
“So you can see that I don’t have a lot of options here,” he said. “Barrie has her practice. She’s built a life for herself. It’s been tough—I can see that—but she’s got a life put together. I have to do the same thing.”
Betty sighed. “I know. I just... Be as kind as possible, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”
But what his aunt expected of him, he had no idea. None of this was his fault. If he didn’t invest in something soon, he wouldn’t be able to provide for anyone, let alone himself. If he didn’t sort out his own life, no one else was going to do it for him.
Except providing for someone else hadn’t even entered his mind until this moment...and along with the thought was an image of pregnant Barrie. He pushed it back—Barrie wasn’t his to worry about anymore. Besides, while she’d lost her mom, she had the whole town of Hope to back her up. The locals might enjoy some salacious gossip, but when it came right down to it, they took care of their own. He ate his last bite and rose to his feet.
“I’ve got more cattle to check on,” he said. “Thanks for dinner. Delicious as always.”
“Thanks for helping out,”
