Five minutes later he turned the car into a familiar driveway. The old farmhouse looked much the same, as did the seventy-five-year-old woman who stood on the porch, waving at him to come inside. Tanner waved back and got out of the rental car.
Ruthie Nevelson had lived just out of Crystal Point for over sixty years. A widow for more than a quarter century, she’d been a friend and neighbor when his folks were alive and a much needed friend to him once they were gone. From her front gate, in the distance Tanner could see the rooftop of the home he’d lived in as a young boy. It was still a working sugarcane farm and he breathed in a heavy, nostalgic breath. If his parents had lived he would have taken over the farm and been the fourth generation McCord to do so. Instead, the place had been sold to another neighboring farmer three months after their deaths and Tanner was shipped off to boarding school a couple of weeks later. After that, he spent the holidays with Ruthie. Doug was in the army by then and returned whenever he could. But there were times when Tanner didn’t see his brother for six or more months.
It was Ruthie who showed him kindness and offered comfort and understanding while he grieved the loss of his parents. Not really a grandmother, but as close to one as Tanner had known. It was she who’d pushed him to pursue his talent with horses and arranged the opportunity for him to work with her brother-in-law, a horse breaker and rancher, in South Dakota. After traveling through Europe for a couple of years, Tanner settled in Cedar Creek ten years ago and finally found a place he could call his own.
He locked the car and headed up the path.
“’Bout time you got here,” Ruthie said with a wide grin as he took the narrow steps in two strides and landed on the porch. “I’ve had the coffee ready for half an hour.”
Tanner hugged her close. He hadn’t seen Ruthie for two years and she still looked as vibrant and healthy as she did back then. Her hair was still dyed an impossibly bright red, and she still wore moleskins, her favorite cowboy boots, and moved with that straight-backed confidence he’d recognize anywhere. Ruthie Nevelson was the best person he’d ever known, and he’d missed her like crazy.
“Hello, Ruthie,” he said, smiling broadly. “It’s good to see you, too.”
She set herself back to get a better look at him. “That leg still ailing you?”
He nodded. “A little. The long flight didn’t help. It’ll ease up in a couple of days.”
“Good,” she said and grabbed his arm. “Now, come inside and eat the cake I made for you.”
There had always been something about Ruthie’s cooking that could cheer him up, and she knew it well. He followed her inside the house and down the narrow hall. Two small dogs came scurrying to greet them and bounced around his feet for attention.
“Ignore them,” she said as she dropped her hat on the cluttered counter and pointed to a seat at the table. “They’ll lose interest soon enough.”
“They’re new,” he said and pulled out a chair. “What happened to Bluey?” he asked about her old sheepdog.
“Got sick and died last spring,” she replied. “Inherited these two when Stan Jarvis passed away a few months ago.”
Stan had been Ruthie’s on-again, off-again suitor for over twenty years. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
She shrugged and grabbed two mugs. “Everybody dies,” she said and gave him a wide smile. “Even this old girl will one day.”
“Impossible,” Tanner said with a grin, then more seriously. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You, too.” Ruthie poured coffee and brought the mugs to the table. “I was expecting you yesterday. Where’d you stay last night?”
“Cassie’s,” Tanner said as he sat down and spotted a large frosted cake in the center of the table. He reached out to steal a fingerful of frosting, giving an approving “Mmm” at the delicious flavor.
Ruthie stared at him. “I see.”
“It was late when I got there,” he explained. “And since I wanted to see the baby anyway, she offered—”
“You told her about the house?” Ruthie asked in her usual straight-to-the-point way.
Tanner shrugged. “We discussed things.”
She shook her head. “Messy situation. Typical of that no-good brother of yours.”
Ruthie had never pulled punches when it came to Doug. But Tanner respected her too much to disagree. “I’ll have to sell the place.”
“I thought as much.” Ruthie’s expression narrowed. “It’s not your fault. Some things even you can’t fix.”
Tanner took the mug she offered. “I can try.”
She tutted. “And get your heart broke all over again? I dunno if that makes you a fool or a saint.”
“I’m no saint,” he said with a half grin. “You know that better than anyone.”
“What I know is that you can’t keep cleaning up his chaos,” Ruthie said, her voice harder than usual. “That girl should be told the truth about him.”
The truth about Doug? To the outside world he was charming and likable and there was no doubt he’d been a fine soldier. But he’d had troubles, too. In civilian life he’d been unreliable. The army had sorted him out eventually. But it wasn’t a truth that Cassie needed to know.
“I’ll tell her enough,” he said quietly.
Ruthie looked unconvinced. “And will you tell her that Doug McCord got your eighteen-year-old girlfriend pregnant and then dumped her right before he stole your inheritance?”
No. Tanner had decided. He wouldn’t be telling Cassie anything about the girl who’d cheated on him with his brother and when she’d gotten pregnant how Doug had bailed on his responsibility. Or that his brother had taken the money put in trust for Tanner when he reached twenty-one, and used it to fund his partying and gambling. It had ended badly. For him. For Doug. For everyone. But telling tales wasn’t his style. And it had been twelve years ago. There was no point in rehashing old betrayals.
“Still protecting him?”
Ruthie’s voice got his attention again. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt unnecessarily.”
“Anyone?” Her silvery brows came up. “You mean Cassie Duncan?”
“I mean anyone,” he emphasized.
“She should be told,” Ruthie said, relentless. “Putting him on a pedestal won’t change the truth. You were too quick to forgive and forget.”
I haven’t forgiven.
Not yet. It was why he’d come back. Why he had to make things right for his nephew.
Losing Leah had hurt. Even though their relationship was new and filled with the usual teenage angst, he’d fallen for her quickly. Four months later she’d announced she was pregnant and in love with his brother. But Doug made it clear he didn’t want her or the baby and skipped town, taking Tanner’s inheritance with him. Unable to get past such a betrayal, it was all the motivation Tanner needed to pack his bags and leave Crystal Point. He spent close to two years backpacking in Europe before Doug finally tracked him down and by then Leah and the baby she’d tragically miscarried were a distant memory to his brother. Doug returned some of the money, said he was sorry, and Tanner did his best to believe him. But the experience