will, I will.”
Melanie caught his eye. “I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
Russ spoke to Ryan. “Get us a table if you can.”
“We will, Dad. Come on, CJ.” He bounded off through the crowd, headed for the Rib Shack. CJ followed, kind of shuffling along. Watching them go, Connor actually found himself envying Russ his happy, upbeat son.
Russ was watching the boys, too. “Job’s still open,” he said in that cryptic way he had.
The job in question was for CJ. Russ and Melanie had offered to hire him part-time for the summer, to work at Melanie’s guest ranch, the Hopping H. Russ thought a few hours a day mucking out stables or doing dishes in the ranch house would be good for him.
When Russ had made the initial offer, Connor had turned him down flat. The McFarlane offspring did not do dishes or clean up horse manure. Plus, at that point, Connor had still nurtured the fond hope that CJ might spend his summer catching up on his schoolwork. Just weeks before, the boy had almost been booted out of his expensive New York boarding school due to his suddenly plummeting grades.
However, in the eleven days they’d been in Thunder Canyon, Connor had not seen his son so much as pick up a book. CJ rode his skateboard around town, disappearing for hours at a time, worrying Connor half out of his mind. When he wasn’t vanishing into thin air, he sat in his room and played video games.
Connor had started to wonder if he should reconsider Russ’s job offer. He asked ruefully, “Mind if I think it over a little?”
Russ and Melanie shared a glance. And Russ answered in a neutral tone. “Take your time. The job will be there if you want him to have it.”
A big hand clapped Connor on the back. “Glad you came. Good to see you.”
He turned and greeted Caleb Douglas and his wife, Adele. Silver-haired with cool green eyes, Caleb had suffered poor health in recent years. He still had a booming voice and a hearty manner, but Connor could see the weariness in his face, the deep lines around his eyes. He was half owner of the resort, which meant he would feel duty-bound to show up for big events like this one.
But his heart wasn’t in it anymore. And times were tougher than they had been. Caleb could be convinced to sell. And Connor’s extensive research into the matter had led him to believe that Caleb’s silent partner would go along with whatever Caleb decided.
Yeah, Caleb would sell. Hopefully, before the summer was out.
And for a very reasonable price.
Caleb made small talk for a minute or two, then stepped in close to Connor while Adele chatted up Melanie and Russ.
The older man spoke low so only Connor could hear.
“Come on out to the ranch again. We’ll … talk some more.”
“I’d like that.” Connor smiled.
“Excellent—but next week’s no good. Adele’s dragging me to Hawaii.” Caleb grunted. “Lately Adele’s got some idea that we should travel more. But how about a week from Monday? Dinner, seven-thirty?”
“I’ll be there, thanks.”
A minute or two later, Caleb and his wife moved on.
Next, Grant Clifton appeared with his pretty wife, Stephanie, and a Clifton cousin, Beauregard, who was known as Bo.
Bo was good-looking and talkative, a rancher by trade—and a salesman by nature. “I think we need some fresh ideas in this old town. And that’s why I’m running for mayor.”
Grant laughed. “Come on, Bo. Against Arthur?”
“Arthur Swinton is a staunch conservative,” Melanie explained for Connor’s benefit.
Russ said, “Been in town politics for years.”
Grant added, “Arthur’s on the city council and he’s running for mayor. It’s pretty much a given he’s going to win.”
Bo laughed. “Nothing’s a given, cousin.”
Russ suggested dryly, “Don’t forget death and taxes.”
“You’re right,” agreed Bo. “And for the sales tax we pay around here, we should get more for our money.” Bo went on to explain in detail all the projects he planned to fight for when he won the election.
When Grant and Stephanie finally dragged Bo away, Melanie suggested they start moving in the general direction of the Rib Shack. Connor turned for the wide arch that led through to the restaurant and almost ran into the woman standing behind him.
Slim, with short, wispy, strawberry-blond hair, the woman wore a snug summer dress splashed with vivid pink flowers. He couldn’t see her face. She was turned the other way.
“Tori, hey,” said Melanie, who apparently knew her.
The woman turned to smile at his sister. But the smile faded when she saw him. She gazed up at him warily, through big, bright hazel eyes.
He stifled a groan of embarrassment as he remembered where he’d seen her before.
Chapter Two
Connor felt like a jerk.
Probably because he’d behaved like one the other day.
“Hello,” the woman named Tori said coolly.
Jones, he thought, scouring his brain for the information CJ had reluctantly given up when Connor had grilled him after he got the kid home on Thursday. Her name was Tori Jones and she taught English at the high school. “How are you?” he asked, for lack of anything more original to say.
“Just fine, thank you.” And then, finally, she did smile—over his shoulder, at Melanie. “Hey.” She even smiled at Russ. And she had that teenage girl with her, the one CJ liked, whose name was Jerilyn.
The girl said, “Hi, Mr. McFarlane.”
He cleared his throat. “Uh. Hi, Jerilyn.”
“Is, um, CJ here, too?” Her pretty face was open, guileless. And heartbreakingly hopeful.
His sister said, “Ah. So you’ve met my big brother?”
“Yes, we have,” Tori Jones said sweetly. “Just the other day, as a matter of fact.”
Connor told the dark-haired girl, “CJ’s in the restaurant, with Ryan.”
And Melanie said, “Why don’t you two join us? We were just going in to eat.”
Jerilyn turned her hopeful gaze on the English teacher.
After a moment, Tori nodded. “Sure. Why not?”
So they all went together, easing their way through the crowd toward the packed Rib Shack.
As
