“I’m donating, all right. Unfortunately it’s not just money. It’s the ranch.”
She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind—which he probably had, at least temporarily. “Donated the ranch? What in blue blazes are you talking about?”
“Actually, it’s only the use of the ranch, our horses, corrals and some meeting space. And only for five days, starting Wednesday.”
“Who borrows a ranch?”
“A group of about thirty women. But don’t start having conniptions. You won’t have to do a thing.”
“Humph. A bunch of strange women taking over the place and no extra work. That’ll never happen.”
“I’ll see that it does,” he promised, though he wasn’t fully convinced of that himself. “The house is not included in the loan.”
“What are all these women training for, some kind of trail ride?”
“Nope. It’s called the Saddle-Up program, or something like that.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Nor had I, but then it involves teenage girls, so it’s outside my realm of expertise. I have enough trouble managing Lizzy.”
“Exactly what do they do with these teenagers?”
“According to Aidan’s persuasive argument, they give inner-city girls from high-poverty areas one month on a real working ranch over the summer. They teach them to ride, work as a team, take responsibility—that sort of thing.”
Edna’s hands flew to her ample hips. “Well, why didn’t you just say that in the first place? Those kids need a summer on a ranch. When does this training start?”
“Officially—Wednesday.”
“This Wednesday? As in two days away?”
“Yes, but like I said. You don’t have to do a thing.” As if there was a chance Edna wouldn’t be in the middle of things.
“You can’t ignore guests,” Edna said. “It’s not the Texas way.”
“Maybe not, but I plan to give it my best shot.” Starting today. “A few of the women are coming out to tour the ranch this afternoon, just to get their bearings before the official training begins. If they show up at the house before I get back, give me a call and I’ll have one of the wranglers hook up with them.”
“You should be here for that,” she said. “You never know. Some of those women might be mighty fine-looking.”
“I’m sure the wranglers will appreciate that. If you need me, call me.”
“You’re not leaving without breakfast, are you? I can whip up some bacon and eggs before you finish your coffee.”
“No need. I’ll grab a bite to eat in town. Best to get on the road now before traffic becomes a pain in the butt. But you can remind my daughter when she finally crawls out of bed that I expect to see her at the dinner table tonight. On time.”
Edna stared at him as if he’d spoken in a foreign language. “Lizzie didn’t spend the night here last night.”
Irritation ground in his gut. “She was here when I went to bed.”
“She left you a note on the foyer table that she was spending the night with her friend Angie.”
“A note telling me—not asking. Another stunt like this and I’m going to take her keys away.”
“Maybe you should just sit down and talk to her first. Take her for a horseback ride and a little teamwork of your own.”
“See you at dinner,” Jake said. He turned and walked away before he said something he’d be sorry for.
Edna thought talking was the answer to every problem that came along, but she had no idea what he’d been through with Lizzie. If her mother was here...
The old pain swelled inside him, followed by a surge of crusty hardness that allowed him to keep functioning. It was the only way he knew.
When he reached the foyer, he picked up his daughter’s note. Angie broke up with her boyfriend tonight. Needs a friend. I’ll spend the night. See ya.
He’d been home. She should have asked him before she left instead of sneaking away. But then if she’d asked, he’d have said no. At sixteen, she was too young to be driving the dark country roads out to Angie’s at night.
If she’d even gone to Angie’s.
The sweet, adorable Lizette he’d known once had to live somewhere inside the stranger she’d become. Somehow he had to find a way to reach her.
Instead he was off to a meeting he could do without.
* * *
CAROLINA MARCHED UP the steps of the capitol building, fighting the growing agitation that she was forced to accept Jake Dalton’s help, mentally debating how she’d handle their initial meeting.
“Slow down,” Mildred said. “I’m out of breath trying to keep up with you.”
“Sorry. I guess I’m still blowing off steam.”
“You are going to be civil to Mr. Dalton, aren’t you?”
“I’ll try. That’s the best I can promise—which is more than he was with me when I called him about paying R.J. a visit.”
“You might have caught him at a bad time. Maybe this is his way of making it up to you.”
“I seriously doubt that. And if it was just a matter of timing, he’s had time to rethink it and contact R.J. Besides, he was the one who made this personal by insinuating I’d done something wrong.”
“If he’s still upset with you, he certainly wouldn’t have volunteered the Silver Spur for the Saddle-Up project.”
“I strongly suspect a little quid pro quo was involved. He probably owed a favor to Aidan Bastrop—or wants one from him.”
“Whatever his reason, I’m glad the training wasn’t canceled,” Mildred said. “Now I just hope I can continue to be part of it.”
Mildred’s voice hinted of angst. Carolina slowed and turned to face her. “Of course you’ll be part of it. You’ve already put in hours and hours of work.”
“I know, but...”
“But what?”
“Thad.”
Carolina’s irritation switched from Jake to Mildred’s abusive ex-husband. “Have you heard from him?”
“Last night, near midnight. He sounded as if he’d been drinking.”
“What
