She’d always found it suspect Vernon had argued with the judge against passing a sentence of hanging and instead fought for prison time for her father. She had no idea why. Perhaps her mother’s death had caused him to have a change of heart, to realize the vendetta he carried on against Pa no longer mattered.
Maybe if she appealed to him, she could convince him to let bygones be bygones. She needed this. She would never have a husband or children. She’d forfeited her rights to that when she gave herself to Hunter. Besides, idleness did not suit her. It gave her too much time to think of all the things she wanted but would never have.
She mustered up her determination. Her father hadn’t raised a quitter. He’d raised a fighter. If he hadn’t been afraid of Vernon Donovan, she wouldn’t be either. “What do I have to do to convince the town council to let me buy this building and open my business?”
“Rachel tells me we’re expecting a guest after church on Sunday.”
Hunter arched an eyebrow but said nothing. He’d come to know Caleb Beckett as a man of few words, and when he had something to say, he said it in his own time without need of prompting.
They sat in silent camaraderie, legs outstretched and chairs tipped back against the exterior wall of his office enjoying the fresh air and hot coffee. He shrugged farther down into the collar of his sheepskin coat to keep the cold from biting at his skin. It was a quiet time of the day and Hunter was pleased to share the company of a man who didn’t try to change that. It allowed him time to drink his coffee and enjoy the view as the morning sun burned the horizon orange and painted the mountain peaks in broad strokes where they thrust their jagged edges into the sky. God help him, he loved this place. How could he blame Meredith for longing to come back when he was determined to never leave?
And how did he go more than five minutes without her entering into every thought he had?
Caleb continued after a time. “Seems my wife has decided to renew an old acquaintance.”
“You don’t say?”
“Likely you know her.” Caleb took a swig of the steaming liquid then peered down into the mug’s contents. “Good coffee.”
Hunter shook his head. No one had ever described his coffee as anything close to good. “You’ve been eating too much of your wife’s cooking if you think this constitutes good. And I assume you’re referring to Meredith Connolly.”
Caleb gave a quiet chuckle. “We try to avoid Rachel’s cooking as much as possible. And yes, I do mean Miss Connolly.”
“Guess it’s good she’s renewing old friendships.”
“Has she renewed yours?”
Hunter glanced at Caleb and wondered how much of the story Rachel had imparted to him. He and Rachel went way back, growing up together as children. She knew his relationship with Meredith had ended badly but he’d kept the particulars to himself.
“We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.”
“Mmm.” Caleb took another sip of coffee. “Well, I’m supposed to invite you to supper just the same.”
“Rachel trying to play matchmaker?” If she was, he should probably tell her she had a better chance of scaling the mountains in the middle of a snowstorm and reaching the highest peak.
“Maybe. Either way, you’re supposed to say yes, then I’m supposed to tell you I can’t make it into town to pick her up, and so you’re to do the gentlemanly thing and bring her out to the ranch yourself.” Caleb glanced over and grinned. A rare event. “You can arrive by noon.”
“And if I say no?”
“Don’t believe Rachel stipulated that as an option.”
Hunter rubbed his forehead, dislodging his hat a bit. “Fine. We’ll be there. Guess I’ve got to keep an eye on her anyway.”
“That a fact? She prone to accidents or something?” his friend asked.
“Not so near as I can tell.”
“Guess there’s more to that story than you’re telling.”
Hunter rested his coffee mug on his thigh and let the warmth seep through his denims to help ward off the morning chill. He debated telling Caleb, but he sure could use another perspective.
“Things just aren’t adding up,” he admitted with a weary sigh. He leaned forward and let the legs of his chair touch down on the raised porch. “Before Abbott Connolly was sent to the prison in Laramie, he made me promise to do whatever I had to in order to get Meredith out of town. He had an older sister in Boston willing to take her in. Claimed it was for her own safety, but I couldn’t get him to budge when it came to telling me why. Either way, I kept up my end of the bargain.”