The ranch interested him. It was something he wouldn’t have considered buying. It was managed by Mr and Mrs Bates, the couple who had worked for Helena for over twenty years. Cain learned that Helena had not been back to the ranch for over ten years. It had been faithfully maintained by the Bates for all that time.
The main house had four bedrooms. There was a twelve-bedroom guesthouse, and a six-bay garage with two apartments above used as staff quarters. A barn had been converted into two houses, one of which the Bates lived in, the other used for paying guests. There were sixty acres of fenced pasture and thirty-two horses, two thousand acres of grazing land, twelve hundred head of cattle and twelve thousand acres of timberland. The accounts showed the ranch was very popular with guests and made a healthy profit.
Cain decided to visit his new ranch. When he got there he was amazed at how beautiful it was. The houses were surrounded by woods, and there were three small streams that ran across the pastures. The views of the mountains took his breath away. He was greeted by Mr Bates, who then introduced him to Mrs Bates and their five ranch hands. Bryce was the longest serving ranch hand and he had been there five years. Cody had been there two years and Jim, Norman, and Frank hadn’t been there a year yet. They were short-staffed and trying to hire a couple more ranch hands.
Cain assured Mr Bates that there would be no changes to the way he ran the ranch. There may be a change of ownership soon, but he would stipulate that Mr Bates was in charge as far as the day-to-day running of the ranch was concerned.
It was coming up to Mia’s birthday. Should he send her a gift? He decided a gift would be acceptable, that way she would know he had not forgotten her. He would give Mia the ranch. The woods reminded him so much of her, and it would be perfect. He could imagine her spending hours exploring this place.
***
Peter had made plans to take Mia out for dinner, just a nice quiet dinner for two as Mia hated making a fuss about anything. Jess planned a small surprise party.
On the morning of her birthday, as Mia was putting on the gold necklace from her mom and the wristwatch from Grandpa, there was a knock at the door.
“Can you sign for this?” the courier said.
It was a parcel addressed to her. Mia opened it; there were lots of papers in it and a letter.
Happy birthday, Mia
This place belonged to a very dear friend of mine and it reminded me so much of you.
I hope you will accept this gift and be very happy there. Please allow Mr and Mrs Bates to continue to run the ranch. He will teach you all you will need to know to be able to run the place yourself one day.
Thank you for wearing the pendant. You do not know how much that means to me.
Cain
Mia stood there, mouth open. What the hell was he thinking? This must be a joke, but one thing she knew for sure was that Cain did not joke. “He’s given me a ranch,” she said out loud without thinking.
“What was that, honey?” Jess turned to see her daughter standing open-mouthed.
Mia handed Jess the letter. “This has got to be a joke?” Jess now resembled Mia with her mouth wide open.
“I don’t think Cain jokes, Mom.”
Jess spread all the paperwork and deeds out on the table. “This is worth a fortune! Oh, my God, it comes with staff. Why would he give this to you?”
“I don’t think he has anyone else in his life.”
“That may be, but he hardly knows you. According to this, it makes around one hundred and twenty thousand dollars a year profit, that’s just profit after all the staff and bills have been paid.”
“Mom, I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know what to think about this.”
“You need to get in touch with this man, see what he’s playing at. I know we have a lot to be grateful to him for but this is unbelievable.”
That was exactly what Mia was planning to do. She went to see Angel and pinned a letter to the cross she had put on the grave. She told Angel that she still missed her and would be back tomorrow. She knew Cain was about, she could sense him there. Why doesn’t he speak to me? Oh, yeah, I told him I never wanted to see him again.
Cain watched Mia leave then opened her letter.
Cain
I need to see you. I will be here every night at six thirty.
I’m sorry I told you I never wanted to see you again. I was upset and I did not mean it.
I have missed you.
Mia
Cain smiled as he read the letter. She had missed him.
***
Mia had a lovely meal with Peter. It was at her favorite restaurant in their town; the food was good, the staff friendly, and prices reasonable. He gave her a silver charm bracelet to put the small angel pendant on. That pendant had belonged to her much-loved pet.
“Oh, Peter, this is wonderful. Just what I needed.”
When they went back to the house, Mia pretended to be surprised at the party—Jess was never good at hiding things. By midnight most people had gone, and as Mia was seeing Peter and his brother Greg out, she spotted the black Audi across the street. Mia hugged the boys and thanked them for coming, and as they drove away she walked over to the car.
“Hello, Mia.”
“Hello, Cain. What are you doing out here this late?”
“Parties can get out of hand, you know. And I wanted to see you enjoying yourself.” He smiled at her. Just the sound of her voice was enough to let him know he was alive.
“It’s very late, and I would rather not have my mother come out looking for me. Will you be at the woods tomorrow?”
“I will be there at six thirty.” He slowly drove away, chuckling. He could not stop the smile that crept across his face.
Mia grinned as she watched the car disappear. Boy, had she missed him, and he seemed to look more gorgeous now than she remembered. Was that even possible?
The next day dragged. Would it ever be six o’clock so she could lock up and leave to meet him? At six twenty-five she arrived at Angel’s grave. He was standing there smiling at her. She wanted to run over and throw her arms around him, but instead she just stood there looking nervous and feeling like an idiot.
“Hello, Mia.”
At the sound of his voice she thought her legs would give way. What is happening to me? She sat down on the upturned tree she would normally sit on to talk to Angel, before her legs turned completely to jelly. “I’m so glad you came.”
“Did you enjoy your birthday?”
“Yes, thanks. But I can’t accept your gift. I mean—a ranch? I’ve got college to think about and I don’t know anything about ranches and guesthouses. It’s too much.” She couldn’t look at him as she refused his gift. “Couldn’t you have just sent a bunch of flowers?” She knew a simple bunch of flowers would never enter his head as a respectful gift.
Cain closed his eyes. Had he gone too far, was it too much? After what he had put her through, she deserved the ranch and more. “Please, do not refuse it just yet. Visit the ranch first. I can assure you, once you see the place you will fall in love with it.”
“I haven’t seen or heard from you in such a long time, and then out of the blue you give me a ranch worth God knows how much. I mean it’s—overwhelming.”
“I am sorry, but you told me you never wanted to see me again. The last thing I wanted to do was upset you. And I couldn’t take the chance that you would send me away again.”
“I didn’t mean it, truly. I’m sorry.”
Cain smiled. She did not know how much those few words meant to him, even more when she spoke them than reading it in a letter. “You were very convincing at the time.”
“I was upset and scared, but I really have missed you.”
“I have missed you, too. More than you can imagine.”
Mia’s phone began to ring. “That will be Mom. She still worries if I’m late home. I have to answer it.” He nodded and smiled. “Hi, Mom. Yes, I’m on my way. I’ll be home in ten minutes. Bye.”
“Please think about the ranch. Can I meet you tomorrow? Maybe we could go for lunch and discuss it?”
“I usually just shut the shop for an hour and have my lunch there.”
“Would it be okay for me to join you at the shop?”
“I guess so. One o’clock?”
“Thank you. I will drive you home.”
“I can walk.” She saw the hurt in his eyes. He always looked hurt when she refused any offer he made. “To be honest, I would prefer to walk home. I need to think.”
“Until tomorrow then.” He smiled at her.
Cain watched Mia leave the woods, rejoicing in the fact that she had missed him and did not appear to be mad at him any more. Maybe he was completely forgiven and she did not think of him as a monster. Maybe that was a little too much to hope for but he would try to make things better between them. He never wanted to hear her tell him to go away again.
***
The following day, Mia watched nervously as the clock slowly reached twelve fifty-five. The door of the shop opened and Cain stood there with a warm welcoming smile on his face. He was wearing slim-hipped dark blue jeans and a pale yellow short-sleeved shirt that seemed to emphasize his eyes and muscular arms. He looked the same as he did when she was a child, like he should be a movie star. She began to feel uncomfortable with the way she had dressed.
She had overslept that morning because she had lain awake most of the night thinking about him. She’d only had time for a quick coat of mascara and her hair was pulled back into an up-do. She looked down at her clothes and almost snorted. Well, what can you say about old jeans and a top stained because one of the birds had pooped on it? Her nice white blouse had been a bad idea.
“Hi.” Her cheeks turned red as she spoke to him.
“Hello, Mia.” He warmed as he watched her blush. She put the closed sign on the door, and then walked to the back of the shop. He joined her.
“This is a nice place for you to work.”
“Yeah, it is, and I enjoy it.” Great small talk, as if I’m not nervous enough, what's it going to be next? The weather?
“Have you thought about the ranch?”
That’s more like the Cain I remember. “I haven’t been able to do anything else. I couldn’t sleep.”
“Why don’t you visit the ranch before you make your mind up?” Please say yes. I want to take you to see it. It is one of the most spectacular places I have ever seen. He should have added all that.
“I don’t know, Cain. It’s still a bit too much to take in.”
“I would like to take you there. It is truly an amazing place.” He was hoping against all hope that she would agree.
“Go with you?” She never expected that and a spark of excitement ran through her.
“Yes, I would like to take you there for a few days. I could introduce you to everyone. Wouldn’t you like to meet them? They are good people.”
“I’m not sure.” Mia was confused again. He was just back in her life and to go away with him? What did she really know about him? He was not normal, of that she was sure, but was he a danger to her?
“Please allow me to do this for you. You do not have to make a decision right away. If you prefer, you may go alone.”
Mia was quiet for a moment while she thought about it all. Should she go see the ranch? It couldn’t hurt, surely? She could still refuse it, and she would get to spend some time with him, get to know more about him. “I think I would like to visit the ranch with you.” She looked sheepish as she said this and she blushed again.
“When would you like to go?” Once she sees the place she will not be able to refuse it.
“I could try and get a few days off work next week. I have some vacation time due. Would you be able to go then?” This time she had opened her mouth before her brain had engaged.
“We could leave Sunday morning.”
“Sunday would be good if I can get the Monday and Tuesday off.”
“I will make the arrangements.” Cain gave Mia his cell phone number and asked her a question that had been playing on his mind. “What will your boyfriend think about you leaving town with a strange man?”
“What boyfriend?” she laughed. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“I thought the police officer…. Well, it’s none of my business.” Cain felt hugely relieved that he had not imagined it the previous night; the young couple did not appear to be as intimate as they were a few months ago.
“We’re just friends, good friends. Peter has been a rock, after all that happened. He was great.” Why do I feel odd mentioning Peter to him? It’s nothing to do with him anyway. At this thought she frowned.
Cain smiled at her. She will not regret her decision no matter what she is thinking. “I will wait for your call.”
Then he was gone.
Mia suddenly started feeling very nervous. What have I just done? I have agreed to go away with a madman. What about Mom, what is she going to say about this? “Shit!”
Cain laughed as he heard her curse.
Mia was nervous about calling Cain the next morning but she finally plucked up enough courage. She told him how she had arranged a few days off work, but she had to be back at work at nine a.m. Thursday. If they left Sunday, she would need to return home on Wednesday.
He was delighted; he could not believe that his Mia, his angel, had agreed to this. He would gain her trust back with these few days they would have together. He called her back when he had booked them on the first flight out on Sunday morning, the eight thirty-five to Oregon. He said he would pick her up at six forty-five for the drive to the airport. Mia insisted on meeting him at the airport, telling him very firmly she would drive herself there. She’d told Jess she was going to visit the ranch and would be leaving Sunday morning.
“You haven’t given me a lot of notice to make arrangements, Mia. I can’t just take time off whenever I want.”
Mia looked at her mother. “I’m sorry, Mom, but I want to go alone.” Best to leave Cain out of this for now.
Jess wasn’t happy, but what could she do? Her daughter was nineteen. “You have to promise to call me every day.” Mia agreed. “And what about this Cain? Have you spoken to him about this? Why he has given you a ranch?”
“I will, Mom. I just need to see the place, and then I can make my mind up about what I’m going to do.” Crap! This is going to end up a mess, maybe I will hate it and then it will be so much easier to tell him I don’t want it.
Chapter 30
Mia arrived at the airport to find Cain waiting by the entrance. He looked as stunning as ever. He wore olive green loose-fitting cargo pants and a firm-fitting gray T-shirt. She was glad she hadn’t made too much of an effort and had decided to wear jeans and a T-shirt; she would have felt overdressed if she had gone with a dress and high heels. At least today her hair and makeup were perfect. Well, as perfect as she could do by herself. She walked up to Cain and he took her hand.
“You look lovely. I am so pleased you came.” His hand felt cool, though it was already quite warm this morning.
“Are you cold?” she asked.
Cain smiled at her. “No, I’m okay, thank you. Are you ready?”
Mia nodded and they went to check-in for the flight.
When the plane landed Cain had a car already waiting for the one-hour drive to the ranch. After he had been driving for about fifteen minutes he asked Mia if she were all right. She was very quiet.
“Yeah, just nervous, I guess.” She really could not think of anything to say to him, to ask him, yet last night she had been unable to sleep with the dozens of questions going through her mind.
“There is nothing to be nervous about, I can assure you. If you wish to go back home, I can turn the car around and get you on the next flight.” He really hoped she would say no.
“No, no. I don’t want to go back. I just need to calm myself and get this over with. No, I’ll be fine, honestly.”
Cain smiled at her. “How did
your mother take the news that you were coming here with me?”
Mia looked down at her lap. “I didn’t tell her you would be here.”
Cain chuckled. “Oh, I see.”
“I thought it best. I wasn’t sure how she would take it.”
“Tell me about your plans. Where do you plan on going to college this time?” His face was full of concern as he remembered the last time she had left home to go to college. This time, he would buy her a place of her own, so she did not have to share with anyone who could potentially put her in danger. He would have to come up with a plan; she would not accept it if he did not go about it the right way, of that he was sure.
“I’ve applied for three different places, but I haven’t received any confirmation to say I’ve been accepted by any of them. To be honest, Cain, I’m not sure if I’m ready to go back.”
He did not want to add that he agreed with her or that he thought she should wait, and give it more time. This would only upset her.
They continued with small talk until Mia gasped. “Wow! This place is gorgeous!” They were passing the lake with the crisp snow-topped mountains in the background.
“This could be your view every day, you know. The property line starts around the next bend.” He knew exactly how she felt, the same as he had when he first set eyes on the view.
Mia sat open-mouthed as they drove up to the woods that surrounded the houses.
Mr and Mrs Bates met them as they got out of the car. Mrs Bates had a smile that made her eyes light up and Mr Bates had a rugged but kind face. Mia liked them immediately. She appreciated their simple clothes and honest welcome. They made her feel at ease.
Before going in to the enormous ranch house, they paused to watch a group of people pass by on horseback. A young man waved and Cain waved back.
“That’s Bryce,” he said to Mia. “He’s staff, and he’s escorting visitors who stay in the guest house. They’re off on a trek, probably just around the lake if it’s their first day here.”
“I see all seven of them are giving it a try,” Mr Bates said, before adding, “Some more confidently than others.”