Now Jolie sat down next to her, unbuttoning her white lab coat. She, too, wore a Sunday dress underneath. Her long hair, with its tendency to curl, was strawberry blond, her eyes a striking shade of blue.
“You know, as long as I’m at work, I could take care of a dislocated finger or two,” Jolie said in a deadpan voice. Cassie glared at her. It seemed she was doing a lot of glaring today.
“Very funny. I’m glad Gwen saw fit to share the whole humiliating episode with you.”
“Oh, I’m up on everything,” said Jolie. “Thea gave me a call this morning and told me about the kiss. So, just how serious is it with you and this Andrew?”
Cassie raised her head. “I only met him yesterday, for goodness’ sake—”
“Fast work,” Jolie said approvingly. “Maybe he’s the one…”
The problem was, Jolie as well as Thea had recently found happiness in love. Ever since Thea had married Rafe, last Valentine’s Day, and Jolie had walked down the aisle with Matt Dawson in June, the two sisters seemed to think Cassie should do the same.
Granted, Matt and Jolie’s ceremony had been a small, private affair, attended only by family and a few close friends. Their father’s ill health and their kid brother’s troubles had precluded a larger celebration. Jolie had insisted on that and for once, all three Maxwell sisters had agreed. But even so, Jolie had made a lovely, radiant bride. Thea had been equally lovely—and equally radiant at her wedding in February. Now the two of them kept hinting that Cassie needed to find a bridegroom of her own.
“Jolie,” Cassie tried again, “you forget that I’ve already been married once. I’m not looking to do it again.”
Jolie gave a dismissive wave. “Jeff doesn’t count by anybody’s calculation. You need to find the real thing.”
“I don’t believe in ‘the real thing,’” Cassie said. “Don’t forget—I married Jeff to rebel against Dad…etcetera, etcetera. I’ve never been one for romance.”
“Nonsense,” Jolie said inelegantly. “Sure, part of you wanted to thumb your nose at Dad. But you really were in love with Mr. Jeff Warren, aka His Royal Blondeness. I remember—you thought he was the most wonderful man in the world. So…you made a mistake. So…you try again. And this time you do it right. Who knows, this Andrew guy could be the one.”
“I’m not trying anything again. And I certainly didn’t come here to talk to you about Andrew…or love…or…”
“Relax,” Jolie said, propping her feet on the windowsill and settling back more comfortably in her chair. “Don’t get in a tiz. What did you want to talk about?”
Cassie stared out the window. She knew the sights of Main Street so well she could have cataloged them in her sleep. Grizzly’s Diner across the way, with the beauty parlor right next to it. Dillon’s Feed and Tack down the way, no doubt advertising another special on bran mash. The Lone Wolf and the Silver Spur…all too familiar, all making her feel claustrophobic. She just wanted to get in her car and floor the gas pedal back to Billings. But for Zak’s sake…
“I guess I want to ask your advice,” she said grudgingly.
“Don’t overwhelm me with your enthusiasm,” remarked Jolie. “But maybe I’d better make a record of this. Cassie Warren, actually wanting her big sister’s advice. Who would’ve thought. All those years you complained I just wanted to boss you around…”
“Are you finished?” Cassie asked with exaggerated patience.
Jolie gave a conciliatory grin. “You always take things too seriously—that’s why you’re fun to tease. But I’ll stop. Just tell me the problem.”
Cassie tapped her nails on the sill in a restless rhythm. “Dad’s at it again. Wanting me and Zak to move to the ranch house, and live with him. He thinks it’s the best thing for Zak. And maybe he’s right. Maybe Zak needs more stability than I can give him on my own. I can just picture what Zak is doing right now. Tagging along after his grandfather, or having Beth make a fuss over him. It’s exactly what he needs.”
Jolie was all seriousness now. “What do you need, Cassie?”
She closed her eyes for a moment, seeking clarity. But none came to her. “I don’t know…I just don’t know! Jeff racked up so many debts before our divorce, I’m lucky I walked away with the clothes on my back. After that, I promised myself I’d give Zak a home—a real home. Living in Hannah’s guest house, I’ve been able to start saving for a down payment. I’ve done pretty well, I think—”
“I’m not the one you have to convince,” said Jolie. “You’re still trying to prove something to Dad.”
Cassie gazed out the window again. “If I move back home, he’ll just take over my life. That’s his way. Always has been.”
“You know,” said Jolie, “Thea’s the one you should be talking to about this. Before Rafe came along she spent all those years at the ranch, trying to carve out some independence for herself at the same time. Ask her how she did it. Maybe that’ll help you with the decision.”
Cassie didn’t say anything at first. Thirteen years ago, she’d eagerly left the ranch to attend college in Bozeman. Jolie, too, had left home for college. Thea, on the other hand, had stayed at Walking Stones. She’d always insisted that she loved ranching, and that she couldn’t imagine any other type of work. But staying home had put her in an unenviable position between their father and their kid brother. Thea had pitted herself against Robert Senior’s formidable will, and at the same time she’d tried to be a surrogate mother as well as sister to Robert Junior. She would’ve been totally justified for harboring any resentments against Cassie and Jolie for leaving her to deal with the two difficult Maxwell men. These days she never complained, but still…
“Talk to Thea,” Jolie repeated.
“I can’t,” Cassie burst out. “I just…I just feel guilty about all the time I’ve spent away. And I’m sure deep down she must still resent me for it.”
“So you think she won’t give you an unbiased opinion,” Jolie said astutely. “You think she’ll tell you to come back so you can put your time in with Dad, too.”
“She’d have every right to ask that,” Cassie said.
Jolie straightened. “Listen, Cassie. I’ve had my own share of guilt for leaving Thea here to be family caretaker. And maybe that’s part of the reason I came back to Montana. I wanted to make it up to her somehow. But she made a choice to stay—and it was the right choice for her. You just have to decide if it’s right for you. I can’t give you the answer, and, in the end, I suppose Thea can’t, either.”
That left Cassie right back where she’d started. Confused. Uncertain. Wanting with all her heart to do what was right for her son. But feeling that something inside her would die if she lost the independence she’d struggled so hard to attain.
Jolie glanced at her watch and stood up. “We’re gonna be late for church. We’d better get moving.”
“Oh, no. I’m not up to going to church in Paradise today—”
Jolie gave another grin. “Did you just listen to yourself?”
“Okay, okay, very funny. But you know how I feel about this. When the Maxwells show up at First Methodist, they’re on display. And right