Winning Over the Rancher, page 10
Was that why he had buried himself in work? So he could do something useful and feel like it mattered?
“You don’t seem thrilled,” Cade said. He frowned. “I thought you would be happy. You do want to do it, right?” He sounded worried, as if he already saw her backing out of her offer.
“Look, Cade!” Stacey ran in. “It’s a giant cucumber. We can slice it up for lunch. And there is more.”
Gina followed with a basket holding more cucumbers, red peppers and tomatoes. “We could make a big salad,” she suggested.
“Or have veggies with dip,” Ann said. “Lily can show you how to make a tomato basket.”
“What’s that?” Gina asked pointing at the wood slice on the table.
“The new logo,” Lily said. “For the ranch. Cade made it.”
“Lily gave me the drawing to work from. It was no big deal. I got a bit dirty on the roof. I’d better go change.” And he left the room.
Lily said quickly, “It’s not like I bossed him into it. I didn’t even know he could make things like that.”
“Oh, Cade is full of surprises,” Gina said. She stood at the sink. “Are we going to wash these, girls?”
The girls cheered and drew up their stools so they could reach high enough to help prepare the vegetables.
* * *
CADE PULLED OFF his boots and threw them on the floor with a thud. “Of all the infuriating people in the world,” he muttered to himself, “Lily Roberts must be the worst. One moment she wants me to do something. Show an interest in her logo, make sure it’s something very special. The next, once I’ve done it, it should have been something else. It should have been, apparently, because she wasn’t happy when I said she can do her project and benefit everyone. She can go bigger and she’s not jumping for joy. I’ll never understand her.”
He dressed in a fresh shirt and jeans, threw the others in the basket in the bathroom. It stood beside the basin and he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. There was a look of frustration in his eyes because he just didn’t get her.
At all.
He sighed and leaned on the basin giving himself a long, hard look. “You may not understand her. But you have to stop rubbing her the wrong way. She can help. Not just you, the entire town. She has to get this project up and running, you understand? You can deal with her. Just listen to her ideas, lend a hand. You need not judge her, personally, or her background, or her brother.”
Cade clenched the basin. He had struggled with his questions before, but now that Lily was here, they’d become unbearable. She must know all of it. Why Barry had done the things he had, taking irresponsible risks. Why Gina had changed so much and felt too good for her own family, never visiting them anymore. Why the closeness they used to share had been broken and it had felt like he had lost his little sister...
He closed his eyes. There is no point in asking, he told himself. It all happened. Gina is in debt. Barry will never come back. You can’t change it, only accept it. Stop thinking about it. It’s over. Focus on the here and now. Helping Gina, solving the debts.
A knock on the door and his mother called. “Cade? Are you in there? We are going to eat some vegetables with dip now. Early lunch and then we can all go on with our work. You joining in?”
“Sure. Just washing up.”
Her footfalls faded and he looked at his mirror image again. A determined man who knew what he wanted and usually got it. Logical that the whole frustrating situation with Gina and the debts got to him. He hadn’t been able to prevent it and even now, with the remaining debts and the storm damage, it was questionable whether he’d be able to solve it soon. But he had to try.
He splashed water into his face and toweled dry. Then he gave himself one last look.
You can do it.
Just be professional about it.
* * *
LILY PRETENDED TO be fully focused on making the tomato baskets when Cade came back in. She cut the top part off the tomatoes, scooped the inside out leaving a hollow basket that could be filled with finely ground red pepper and cream cheese or other fillings. Finally she created a C shape from the top part to make a handle.
“Creative,” Cade observed.
His aftershave swirled around her, a spicy scent with hints of vanilla. He carried a plate with cucumber slices to the table and offered to help peel the eggs his mother had boiled. The girls were mixing the dip from yogurt, mayonnaise and fresh herbs.
“Does the garden bring in enough to be self-sufficient?” Lily asked Mrs. Williams.
“In summer we often have too much and share with neighbors. Or we turn fruit into preserves. In that cupboard there are some delicious strawberry and blackberry jams from last year.”
“Great.” Lily carried her plate with the tomato baskets to the table. “I thought I could snap some photos this afternoon of life on the ranch. So we could put out a few jars of preserves on a checkered tea towel or something? And I want to do a shoot with the animals.”
“Can we be in it too?” Stacey asked.
“If your mother thinks it’s okay.”
“Just our hands petting a guinea pig,” Ann said. “Not our faces.”
Gina nodded at Cade. “See? They know how to keep their privacy protected.”
Mrs. Williams sliced the bread while Cade peeled the eggs. Then they all sat down to eat. The wood slice with the logo was still on the table. Mrs. Williams said, “It reminds me of the woodwork demonstration your father used to do.”
“Oh yes, when we were little,” Gina said. “He sat in a booth and people told him what they wanted him to engrave on their wood slice. Names, dates, a special symbol. They watched as he created it. It was a huge success.” She frowned. “Wasn’t it at some fair or other?”
“Apple Fest,” Mrs. Williams said. “It was an annual event presenting the region’s produce, with music and crafts. It used to be quite big. There was a couple organizing it. The Cloverdales. They knew everyone and got them involved. When Mrs. Cloverdale died, her husband didn’t feel like continuing anymore and it sort of...got forgotten. You often see that with people’s pet projects. It’s one person or two pulling all the weight and when they can’t any longer, it just ends. I wish it hadn’t. It was good fun.”
“And an excellent way to showcase what the region has to offer.” Cade looked at Lily. “You said last night you’d need something to connect your marketing effort with. Something that is already here. A tradition or a local custom.”
“Or a past event we can breathe new life into.” Lily stared at him. “That sounds brilliant. I assume...” She looked at Mrs. Williams. “That there are photos of past occasions?”
“Sure,” Mrs. Williams said, as she got up and went to the cupboard along the far wall. She opened the lowest door and looked in. She rummaged for a few moments and then came back to the table with a large leather-bound photo album. “They should be in here.” She opened the album and leafed through it. “Oh yes. Here’s your father doing the wood carving.” She passed the album to Cade who glanced at it and smiled. He shoved the album to Lily. “That is typically Dad. The blue overalls and then the tools all cluttered around him.”
Lily looked at the man who was an older version of Cade. He sat in a booth at a table littered with tools and wood slivers and worked with a focused expression on two entwined hearts while a young couple stood waiting for him to finish. It was a perfect little scene that could go straight into a country magazine.
“There are more photos of Apple Fest in there,” Mrs. Williams said. “You have a look. Go ahead.”
Lily turned the page and discovered shots of booths with preserves and ciders. Kids receiving prizes for the pig or calf they cared for. And then a shot of the Williams family: Mr. Williams with his arm wrapped around his wife, Gina a teen in jeans shorts, a younger girl with a straw hat and Cade with a pretty young woman who leaned into him with a confident smile. Shelby? They looked like one big happy family.
Her finger hovered over Cade’s then girlfriend, but descended gingerly on the straw hat atop the younger girl as she asked, “Is that April, Gina?”
Gina nodded and Mrs. Williams said, “Funny...back then I could have sworn she loved country life and would always live in this area. But then the travel bug caught her and...” She hesitated a moment and swallowed. “These days we don’t see her much.”
Lily felt a prick of guilt that her careless request for the album stirred up these emotions. It was as if the awareness of all the loved ones that weren’t here anymore hung heavy in the air. Not just April who was alive and well, absent by choice, but also those who had been snatched away: Cade’s father, Barry...
Gina said, “I guess you can use some old photos to show how it used to be. And then we can see if we can do something like it. It was always in October when the full harvest was completed. It was prepared months in advance and I think we should get something up and running sooner to uh...use the momentum you talked about earlier?”
“And raise money to help people rebuild,” Mrs. Williams added. Focusing on something practical seemed to distract her from her emotions. “How can we do that with such little time?”
“Well, we need a location,” Lily said. “And booths. Items to sell. If there aren’t any apples yet...”
“Early varieties can be harvested soon,” Cade said, “so we would have some apples. And it wasn’t about produce alone. Also about crafts and performances. We can still have those and use them for fundraising.”
Lily looked around the table and saw enthusiastic faces at the idea their town tradition could be revived. This was what she had aimed for: to engage them in something they already cared about. It had to come from the heart.
“Okay. Activities. Musicians. Artisans.” Lily looked at Cade. “I guess you have contacts enough. Ask around if people would be game for something like that. A day of celebrations about what this area stands for. To raise money to help with the storm damage. Everyone who can contribute somehow should send us an email to say what they can do. And we need to pick a date. Not too far away but not like this week either because people are still cleaning up around their homes.”
“How about in three weeks’ time on a Saturday?” Cade said. He pulled up his phone and checked the calendar on it. “Second Saturday in August?”
“Perfect,” Lily said. “We need a basic schedule ASAP and then we can print some posters and put them in stores and at gas stations, places where people pass through. I’ll then make the first At Home on the Ranch newsletter about the revival of Apple Fest. Just a small version this year, in August, but it could become a new annual tradition in October from here on. If you want to.”
“Then we’d need a new organizing committee,” Gina said. “After Mrs. Cloverdale died, no one was game for it. Why would it be any different now?” She leaned her elbows on the table and gave Cade a worried look. “I mean, as long as you do all the work and they can share in the raised money, people will be enthusiastic. But to get it up and running for real, in the long run...”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Lily said. Her head was suddenly full of ideas and she was excited to get going. She grabbed her phone and started to make some notes.
Mrs. Williams shook her head. “Look at that. Family lunch and you’re both on your phones typing away.”
“Just emailing a few friends,” Cade said. “To see if the date is workable.”
Lily said, “I’ll make a list of things we need. The bare essentials.”
Mrs. Williams grimaced at Gina, but her eyes were twinkling. Apple Fest was about to be revived.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“SO WHERE ARE we going?” Lily asked Cade as he steered his SUV down a dirt road.
“You’ll see. Just a few more minutes.”
Lily rolled her eyes, but was secretly also a little excited. He had told her he had a surprise for her and had refused to say any more. Ever since they had thought of reviving Apple Fest, there had been pings on his phone indicating incoming emails and messages and she could now see firsthand that he really knew everyone around here.
The positive responses and offers to help weren’t just because of the great idea or the noble cause, but also because people liked Cade and wanted to lend him a hand when he asked. He was good at what he did and that gave him confidence. She wanted to feel that too, do her job and see results, have projects to be proud of. She wanted to prove to her boss who had taken her on without a bachelor’s degree or working experience that she needn’t regret that. There were colleagues who doubted her skills and who were skeptical about whether she deserved a permanent position. She had to show them that she did.
“There it is.” Cade pointed ahead to a ranch house painted in deep red with black accents. “That’s my best friend Wayne’s place. He grows wheat and corn, has horses and breeds cattle dogs. Rosie comes from one of his litters.” He parked the SUV beside a large barn. As he turned the engine off, Lily heard a loud noise. As if someone was cutting down trees with a chainsaw. “What is that?” she asked.
Cade grinned. “That is the surprise.” He jumped out of the car and quickly rounded it to open her door for her.
Lily stepped out and looked around her. The place didn’t have cheerful hanging baskets or a cute sitting arrangement on the porch. It looked sparse, practical rather than cozy. “I bet your friend is a bachelor. I don’t see a female touch around here.”
“Right, but don’t mention it. It’s his touchy point.” Cade winked at her. She didn’t know if he was serious or not, but she didn’t intend to make a faux pas and annoy his best friend.
They went in the direction of the sound. Rounding the barn they came to an open area with a large tree stump. A tree had previously stood there, but it had broken off. A tall dark-haired man was working the stump with a chain saw. But he wasn’t cutting it up. He was carefully shaping it.
Lily’s mouth almost fell open when she saw what he was doing. How every movement with the seemingly crude chainsaw chiseled away carefully at the wood, giving more detail to the animal that was springing from it. A deer or goat-like creature it seemed.
The man noticed them and turned the chain saw off. He came over and reached out a hand. “Hello there. You must be Lily. Cade told me you had come over to help out after the storm. You’re Gina’s sister-in-law, right?”
“Right. Pleased to meet you. What are you making?” She nodded in the direction of the stump.
“A mountain goat on a rock. The tree broke during the storm. It was too bad because it had stood there for over fifty years. But things like that happen. I thought I’d make a nice memorial out of the stump. And I also have plans for the tree itself.” He looked at Cade. “Are you going to tell her or shall I do it?”
Cade gestured for Lily to come closer to the wood creation. “I asked Wayne,” he said, “to come to the Apple Fest and create animals out of pieces of wood. People can watch his demonstration and then at the end of the day we can auction off the wood sculptures for the good cause.”
“That sounds brilliant.”
“There’s more. He is also donating the tree that fell to the festivities. We will cut it into slices and I will engrave them like I did for the ranch logo. People can buy a slice with their names on it, dates that are important to them... Like Dad did at Apple Fest earlier. I can’t claim to be as good as he was but...”
“People will be happy to see the old tradition revived,” Wayne said. “You should also ask Mr. Konrad to carve wooden spoons.”
“Ma called him and he agreed to come and bring already-made pieces plus demonstrate his skills on the spot.”
“Good. So we have a lot of wood crafting lined up.” Wayne rubbed his forehead. “Can I get you a quick drink? It’s hot and it sounds like you’ve been busy.”
Cade nodded. “Sure, something cold would be nice.”
Wayne nodded and went inside the house. Lily walked around the tree trunk. “It’s amazing how large a tree gets in fifty years.”
“In the woods you can see trees that are hundreds of years old. Dad used to take us when we were little to find the biggest trees. Tallest or with the largest trunk diameter. We used to stand around them and then try to touch each other’s hands. Form a family circle.”
“That’s nice.” Lily smiled as she touched the wood with a finger.
“Did you ever do such things with your mom or dad?”
Lily shook her head. “Not really. My parents put a lot of hours into the pizzeria. It was open seven days a week, so we couldn’t get away a lot. They did take us on a big vacation in the summer but... Dad would still be in touch with the person who took over at the restaurant for him. He couldn’t let go really.”
“But if they were working that much, how was that for you? Were you home alone much?”
“Yeah, most of the time when we came home from school there was no one there. We got ourselves a drink and snack and we did homework or watched TV. Or we went to friends’ places. It was a lot more fun there.”
Cade gave her a thoughtful look. “I can’t imagine that. My parents were always around. I mean they worked here on the ranch, so when we came home from school, there was always someone there. Or they were easy to find. Just go into the orchard and we could talk to them. We could always bring friends and play in the barn or in the hayloft. I’ve always imagined raising my own kids that way. Making them feel like home is the best place you can be.”
“It’s not like I disliked being at home. It was just that...it would have been nice if they had more time for us. They worked hard to provide for us, ensure we had the best of everything.”
