idiot.” Cole jumped up and down flailing his arms, mocking Tess.
“Colburn Joseph Langtry!” Kay threatened. “Put a cork in your pistol.”
“Oh—” Tess giggled. “You’re in trouble.”
“Tessa May Dalton,” Maggie howled. “How old are you? Two?”
“Ha-ha!” Cole shouted.
Kay snapped a towel at him, hitting his elbow with a resounding thwack. He held his arm like a wounded child while Tess did her best not to burst out laughing. Nope, life in Ramblewood hadn’t changed. At least Cole’s antics eased the tension in a potentially strained greeting.
Maggie rushed over and gave her daughter a body-engulfing hug, then held Tess at arm’s length to get a better look. Pleased, she drew her in for another clinch.
“We weren’t expecting you until tonight,” Maggie squealed. “You should have called.”
“I took the chance of waiting on standby and got an earlier flight,” Tess said. “I hate flying later in the day. It’s a waste of valuable hours.”
She turned to Cole’s mother, who was standing next to her son. “Hello, Kay. How are you?”
Maggie released her daughter as Kay enveloped Tess in a warm embrace.
“Were your ears burning?” Kay asked. “We were talking about you this very minute. My, it sure has been a long time.”
Tess knew a subtle reprimand when she heard one. “I’m so sorry for your loss and I sincerely apologize for not being here.”
“I’m sure you had your reasons, dear.” Kay was polite, but the underlying criticism was clear. “When you’re settled, I need your expertise.”
“Mom,” Cole warned. “What are you up to?”
“Go make yourself useful and check the humidistat in the wine cellar,” Kay said. “It felt too damp down there this morning.”
Cole’s booted feet stomped loudly out of the room. What was his issue? Tess wondered. Maggie wet her fingertip and tried to smooth Tess’s hair from her face.
“Eww, Mom, stop! I’m aware it looks bad.” Before the day was through, Tess needed to do something with her hair. Once her mom started in with the spit styling, she knew she was long overdue for a trim.
“It’s nice to see you and Cole made some progress with this mysterious rift between you two,” Kay said, once Cole was out of earshot.
“Rift? There’s no rift.” Tess wasn’t surprised to hear Kay didn’t know why she and Cole were no longer together. How did a son explain to his mother that his libido had ruined a relationship? “What do you need my expertise on?”
“I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to marketing a hippotherapy facility. Since you’re here, I’d like to hire you to get us headed in the right direction and really showcase Dance of Hope.”
“But I thought that was on hold. Mom told me Shane and Chase are blocking the project from going further.”
“Eh!” Kay dismissed the thought. “They’ll come to their senses soon enough. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
“I’m not sure I can help.” Working so close to Cole would completely negate the peace and relaxation she’d anticipated for this trip. “I’ll be here for a few short weeks, and then I’m heading home.”
“Tess, outside.” Annoyance registered on Maggie’s face.
“Uh, okay, I—”
“Tessa May!”
Use of her full name twice in one day meant her mom was serious even though Tess wasn’t sure what she’d done wrong.
“Kay is offering you a paying job and you’re second-guessing her?” Maggie chastised her daughter on the porch. “After the crap you pulled this summer, you owe this to her.”
“What?” Tess didn’t believe her ears. “I have other things going on, Mom.”
“And what are they, Miss Big Shot? You don’t even have a job.”
Tess spun around, “Yes, and thanks for bringing that to all of Ramblewood’s attention. I also hear everyone knows Tim ditched me.”
“Oh, dear.” Maggie furrowed her brow. “I told people the truth. What’s the big deal?”
“Mom, it’s none of their business.” Tess wouldn’t allow her mother to twist the situation. Truth or not, no one needed the details of what was going on in her life. “Second, I can get a job in New York in a heartbeat. What’s the harm in my taking a little break to regroup?”
Maggie reached for her daughter’s hand and held it in her own. Tess noticed the deep laugh lines in her mother’s face, but there was no laughter there now. She watched her mother anxiously push a strand of chestnut hair out of her eyes as she attempted a smile, looking thinner than she had in recent memory.
“Kay is putting aside whatever this...this thing is between you and Cole and offering you an olive branch for not making it to Joe’s funeral. The least you can do is take it. You’ve put a major strain on your father and my relationship with the Langtrys and you need to set things right.”
If anyone knew how to shame Tess into doing something, it was Maggie. Tess couldn’t blame her mother for being upset when Tess hadn’t exactly been the greatest friend to the family that had treated her like one of their own all her life.
* * *
“YOU DID WHAT?” Cole was blown away by his mother’s revelation after Tess and Maggie left. “How could you hire Tess without consulting with me?”
“Now you know how it feels.” Shane stormed through the kitchen door. “You’re such a pro at doing things yourself, I guess you came by it honestly.”
“Shane, don’t—”
“Don’t what, Cole?” Shane shrugged. “Stand up for my share in Bridle Dance?”
“Stand up all you want but don’t talk about Mom like that.” Cole sat at the table next to Kay. “Why did you bring Tess into this?”
“We need her.” Kay folded her hands around Cole’s. “Look at the corporate websites she’s created. She’s good at what she does and she knows this family. No one can put the personal touches on our marketing campaign like she can.”
“Chase and I won’t agree to this.” Shane strode across the room. “You’re setting yourself up for a big disappointment and then everyone will blame me. Why are you doing this, Mom?”
“Because I’m hoping, by the grace of God, you boys will honor your father’s wishes. This was his dream.”
“A waste of a dream if you ask me.” Shane removed a white porcelain mug off the shagbark hickory cup holder he’d made in Cub Scouts. “Of course,
