Love Finds You in Valentine, Nebraska Page 14

  Kennedy nodded. “It’s a beautiful setting for a home, isn’t it? Mother was sick a few months before she died, and during that time she talked more about Valentine than she ever had before. She often mentioned the view. It seems she had a happy childhood and loved this house. One of her cherished childhood memories was about the times she and her cousins had sleighing parties.”

  Derek moved on at a crawl, knowing that Kennedy wouldn’t hesitate to tell him if she wanted to stay longer.

  “So now I’ve seen the places where both of my parents were born as well as my own birthplace.” She took a last look at the house before it was lost to view as he picked up speed. “I’ve often wondered how I’d feel when I saw Gabriel Morgan or his home, but I don’t feel anything. I don’t hate him as much as I thought I did. Now that Mother and Dad are both gone, it doesn’t seem to matter. He can’t hurt them anymore, and I’m determined that he won’t hurt me.”

  “I knew you might resent stopping here, but I thought you might as well know where he lives.”

  “I’m surprised I haven’t run into him someplace,” she said.

  “He doesn’t get out much; he rules his domain from his home,” Derek commented. “I don’t see him more than two or three times a year, and that’s when he’s out riding with his housekeeper. I don’t believe he drives anymore.”

  “You think I ought to try to see him, don’t you?”

  “I know you’ll do the right thing,” he answered. “But when I’d give a lot to know what kind of family I had, it seems sad for you and Tony to live in the same town with your grandfather and not have anything to do with him.”

  “It’s his own fault,” Kennedy said tersely.

  Derek chose his words carefully. “Maybe it’s his fault for driving your mother away and for interfering with Tony and Matti. But he’s an old man now, and I figure he’s lonely. I’ll quit meddling in your family affairs now. It’s only that I don’t want you to be sorry later on that you didn’t forgive and forget.” Kennedy turned to look out the window so Derek couldn’t see her eyes. He hoped he hadn’t offended her, but her alienation with Gabriel Morgan concerned him. Besides, he had a feeling that Kennedy wanted to see her grandfather.

  Kennedy stayed in the truck while Derek took care of his business in the grain store. To keep her mind off Derek’s advice, she determinedly thought about their visitors. They were scheduled to arrive about midafternoon tomorrow, and she wondered if the kids were excited or afraid to be coming to the Circle Cross.

  Derek loaded several cartons in the truck bed. When he stepped up into the truck, he didn’t start the engine right away. She raised her eyes to find him watching her.

  “Mad at me?”

  She laid her hand on his arm. “It’ll take more than that to make me mad at you,” she said. “I don’t doubt that you’re right. It bothers me that I can’t forgive him, but I’m not ready to deal with it now.”

  “You know I’ll listen if you ever want to talk about it, but I won’t mention it again.” He turned the key in the ignition. “Let’s go home and settle in for the night.” Otho Steele, the director of the community center, had notified Kennedy that he would telephone her when they were a short distance from Valentine, and she made it a point to be ready by noon. June had provided a sleeping bag for her, and although Kennedy intended to come home to shower and change clothes every morning while the campers had lessons and craft time, she also packed a small overnight bag to take with her.

  The phone rang shortly after two o’clock, and when she answered, a booming voice said, “This is Otho Steele. We’ve just passed Ainsworth, Nebraska, and our GPS indicates that we’re forty miles from Valentine.”

  “That’s probably right,” Kennedy said, laughing slightly. “I grew up in California and have only been in Nebraska a short time, so I’m sure the GPS can direct you better than I can. We’ve put up a large sign to show you where to turn off of Highway 20 to reach Circle Cross land. After you make that turn, you’ll see arrows to guide you to the campsite we’ve prepared for you.”

  “We’ve got a busload of excited kids,” Otho said, and she detected laughter in his voice.

  “Yes, I can hear them in the background. We’re excited, too. I’ll be at the camp with some of the ranch’s cowboys when you arrive to help you settle in.”

  “Wow!” Otho said. “Kids, she says there will be cowboys waiting to greet us!”

  Kennedy heard loud applause, exaggerated whistles, and shouting. “I believe they are excited,” she said. “Call again if you have trouble finding us.”

  Kennedy heard loud applause, exaggerated whistles, and shouting. “I believe they are excited,” she said. “Call again if you have trouble finding us.” She dialed Derek’s number and told him she was leaving Riverside.

  “We’re already on the way,” he said. “Two of the guys are on horseback, hazing horses for the campers, and I’m following in the truck.”

  “The campers are excited because they’re going to see real cowboys. Don’t disappoint them. Make them think you’re tough cowpunchers.”

  “As if I could act any other way! I’ll tell the guys to pretend they’re romantic heroes of the Wild West, too.

  “Don’t overdo that romance part,” she answered. “I might get jealous if the girls get a crush on you.”

  “You have reason to be. After all, these girls, although a bit young, are in my social class. I grew up in the slums, too.” Angrily, she said, “You know I don’t want you to talk like that.”

  “I know, but it’s the truth. Besides, I couldn’t be romantic if I tried. I have to hang up now. I stopped to answer the phone and the remuda is getting ahead of me.” He said good-bye and disconnected the call.

  “Couldn’t be romantic if he tried!” Kennedy said aloud as she hung up the phone. That was the understatement of the year. She was sorry she’d lost her temper with him, though. She knew Derek had a stubborn streak just like she did, so she would have to accept it.

  COMMUNITY OUTREACH CENTER was painted across the side of the gray bus, which had obviously been a yellow school bus at one time. Kids hung out of the windows, waving and yelling as their bus pulled into the campsite.

  A man of average height and probably in his forties stepped out of the bus, and the door closed behind him. Kennedy and Derek stepped forward to greet him.

  “I’m Otho Steele,” he introduced himself. “I wanted to talk to you before I turn them loose.” He extended his hand to Kennedy. “I assume you’re Kennedy Blaine.”

  “Yes,” she said, and touching Derek’s arm, she added, “This is Derek Sterling, the ranch manager, and”—indicating the cowboys, “Al, Sam, and Joel are full-time employees at the ranch. All of us welcome you to the Circle Cross and will do whatever we can to make this a good experience for you.”

  “It was difficult to choose which children to bring,” Otho said. “We had a great many more who wanted to come, but our budget wouldn’t permit us to bring everyone. Of course, this is a pilot project, so we needed to start small.”

  One by one the twelve young people stepped out of the bus, with Otho introducing each member of the multiracial group separately. “We don’t expect you to remember all their names right away—that’s why they’re wearing name tags. Their personalities are as varied as their names, but you’ll soon learn who they are.” The bus driver appeared to be a man in his sixties, and Otho introduced him as Tim Spencer. “Tim is one of our volunteers, and he has nerves of steel or he couldn’t have gotten us here safely with all the noise behind him.”

  A red-haired woman was the last one to leave the bus. She hesitated on the top step and glanced around as if she was looking for someone.

  Kennedy heard Derek’s sharp intake of breath before he muttered, “I don’t believe it!” Kennedy glanced at Derek, who looked as if he’d seen a ghost, and her heart plummeted. A quick and disturbing thought pierced her heart. Was this beautiful woman someone from Derek’s past?

  “An
d this is Matti Gray, the financial secretary at the center,” Otho continued his introductions. “She’s one of the center’s full-time employees and she has tons of work to do, but we had to bring her along at the last minute. Matti isn’t a stranger to Valentine. In fact, she’s the one who suggested the Circle Cross as a possible campsite.”

  Perhaps noting Kennedy’s distress, Derek turned his head and whispered, “Tony’s girlfriend. The one who jilted him.” Matti Gray! Kennedy experienced a flood of relief in knowing that the woman hadn’t been romantically involved with Derek, but at the same time her heart clenched for Tony.

  Kennedy nodded that she understood. Caught off guard by this turn of events, she stared at the beautiful woman. She was too shocked to say anything, but she quickly thanked God that Tony had gone out of town. Matti walked deliberately toward them, and Kennedy sensed desperation in her dark brown eyes.

  “Welcome to the Circle Cross,” Kennedy stammered.

  “I hadn’t intended to be one of the campers,” Matti said in a low, silvery voice, and her lips trembled slightly. “The female volunteer who was scheduled to accompany the campers got sick at the last minute. No one else was available to come on such short notice, and we had to have a woman chaperone. I didn’t want to disappoint the children, and after I’d helped set up the program, I felt I had to come.” Matti turned to Derek. “Shouldn’t I remember you?”

  “Derek Sterling,” he said, extending his hand.

  “Oh, yes,” Matti said, as she shook hands with him. “My life in Valentine is so far in the past that for a moment I couldn’t remember your name.” Derek was spared having to answer when Otho shouted, “Let’s get our gear unloaded. Somebody tell us where to put everything.” Kennedy motioned for Derek to take charge, which he did without hesitation. Matti began detailing duties for the group, and Derek answered questions and made suggestions to Matti when she seemed unsure of what to do. Within a few hours, the whole area had been transformed. Tents were erected and clotheslines strung beside each tent. Boxes of groceries had been carried into the building. Three of the kids helped Tim prepare the evening meal.

  “I’m going to stay at night, so I’ll put my bedroll in the girls’ tent,” Kennedy told Matti. “I grew up in Los Angeles, so this is a new experience for me, but I thought there should be someone local camping with you. One of the men from the ranch will be here all the time, too. Derek thought you needed someone who’s familiar with the country if there’s an emergency of some kind.”

  “We appreciate that, too.”

  Apparently the campers had strict orders regarding their individual duties and behavior, for moving into the tents and preparing and serving supper went like clockwork. No doubt the kids considered it a privilege to attend the camp, and they would be on their best behavior.

  After supper, the campers and staff members started preparing for evening worship and laying wood for a campfire afterward. Derek motioned for Kennedy to come to him, and when she did, he said, “Al is going to stay in the camp all night. I’m going home now to rest before coming back around midnight. I’ll park at the entrance to the driveway, so you won’t see me, but I’ll be here. Don’t be afraid.” She laid her hand on his forearm. “I’m too upset about Tony to worry about myself. Should we let him know that Matti is here? It will be horrible for him to come home and find her without warning.”

  He covered his hand with hers. “I’ve been wondering about that, too. I’ve tried to figure out if I’d want to be warned, if the situation had happened to me.

  When’s he coming home?”

  “As soon as the patient’s children come to be with their parents. Tony will probably be here on Wednesday.”

  “That gives us a couple of days to decide,” he said. He squeezed her fingers.

  “What should I say to Matti?” Kennedy asked quietly.

  “Nothing for a while. Give her a chance to talk to you.”

  “She seems like a nice girl,” Kennedy said.

  “She was when she was in high school, and it wasn’t like her to treat Tony the way she did. They were the sweethearts of our graduating class, and no one could

  “She was when she was in high school, and it wasn’t like her to treat Tony the way she did. They were the sweethearts of our graduating class, and no one could understand why she dumped Tony. I’ll wait until I hear her story before I pass judgment on her.”

  “Wouldn’t it be neat if this camping trip brought them together again?”

  “Let’s hope,” Derek said. “Try to get some rest. But if it’s like any other camp I’ve been to, nobody will sleep—especially the first night.” Derek was right, for the girls seemed determined to stay awake all night. Kennedy didn’t sleep, either, so when the campers’ schedule of Bible study, crafts, and nature lessons began the next morning, she went home and took a nap. After she showered and changed clothes, she returned to the camp at noon.

  Joel had relieved Al as guard for the day, and after lunch he guided the kids to the swimming hole. Matti and Kennedy went along, but they didn’t swim. With the two men from the center and Joel on guard duty at the riverside, Matti and Kennedy sat alone underneath the spreading branches of a giant hackberry tree.

  Silence grew between them until in a quiet voice Matti said, “Do you know about Tony and me?”

  “He’s told me some things. You see, we both share the same grandfather. He blames Gabriel Morgan for what happened.” Matti swallowed a sob. “I was scared to step off the bus yesterday. When I told Otho about the Circle Cross, I didn’t know that Tony had returned to Valentine.

  When I found out, I was careful to keep my name out of any correspondence about this outing. I didn’t intend to come here at all. Does Tony hate me?” she asked directly.

  “I don’t know. We talked about it once for a short time, but your name hasn’t come up since.”

  “Otho arranged this camp through Tony, and I assumed he would be involved in the activities. In fact, Otho planned for him to present some of the worship messages.”

  “Tony intended to be here every day, but he had to go to Omaha to be with a member of his church who’s in the hospital. I haven’t heard from him, but I imagine he’ll be coming home tomorrow.”

  “It would be better if he’d stay away all week.”

  “I don’t think so. Derek and I talked about it last night. Both of us think Tony should be told that you’re here. He’s never forgotten you, and it isn’t fair for him not to know you’ve returned.”

  “I don’t want to hurt him again,” Matti said, tears brimming in her dark brown eyes, “but I just can’t call him.”

  “But you don’t mind if Derek or I do?”

  “I don’t think so,” Matti said hesitantly. “He should have the opportunity to decide if he wants to see me.” Kennedy sensed that Matti still loved Tony, and she felt sorry for her. “There hasn’t been anyone else?” she asked quietly.

  Matti swiped at her tears and she shook her head, apparently unable to speak for the moment. Kennedy took her hand and held it tightly until Matti conquered the emotions she was experiencing.

  “Even if Tony won’t have anything to do with me, it will be worth the heartache just to see these kids having such a good time. All of them come from broken homes, living with only one parent or with grandparents. Most of them are on welfare. The only recreation they have is through the community center, and our finances don’t allow us to do as much as we’d like.”

  As Matti talked about her work at the center, Kennedy sensed the compassion she had for others and found out the scope of the center’s need. She decided that she would talk to Mr. Talbot about donating some money for their work. Her father had always been generous with charitable contributions, and Kennedy wanted to continue his policy.

  “Where did you go when you left Valentine?” Kennedy asked. “Or don’t you want to talk about it?” Tim and Otho were in the water with the kids. Joel lounged not far from the edge of the water, ready to take over if
an emergency occurred, so Kennedy knew she was free to listen to Matti.

  Matti nodded woodenly. “I went to college in Illinois, but I wasn’t content to be living out of Nebraska. I couldn’t come back home, but after I received my degree, I moved to Omaha. I could have gone to work at several places where my salary would have been much higher, but I hadn’t had many advantages when I was a kid, and I wanted to work where I could make life better for other disadvantaged children.”

  “Do you have any relatives in Valentine?” Kennedy asked.

  “Only cousins,” Matti said. “I kept in touch with my parents by telephone until their deaths. I came home for their funerals, but I left soon afterwards.”

  “Have you ever thought of coming here to live?”

  “Valentine is still home, and I have considered it, but now that Tony is living here again, I know I can’t. It would hurt too much to see him often when I still love him. And it will be easier for Tony if he doesn’t have to be reminded of how I treated him.” The campers came trooping out of the water and interrupted them. As they walked back to the campsite, Kennedy considered this strange turn of events, wondering if there was any way she could help reunite Tony and Matti.

  Chapter Twelve

  Derek joined them while they were eating supper. Noticing the lines of fatigue around his eyes, Kennedy wished she could share some of his worries. She took a cup of coffee to him, but when she offered to fill his plate, he held up a hand and said, “Mom had supper ready when I finished work.”

  “Haven’t you slept at all?” she asked.

  He shook his head and rubbed the muscles in the back of his neck. “My truck cab is a mite small for a bedroom, so I didn’t sleep last night. I had intended to take a nap today, but one of the horses was sick, so I stayed with the vet and let Al sleep. It’s only a week—we’ll manage. Any trouble here last night?”

  “Not as far as I know. The girls were so excited that they couldn’t settle down. Their attitudes are good, although Matti says that all of them have terrible family situations.”