“Johnny’s living for it,” she whispered.

  “I think he’ll enjoy it. On Saturday morning, I’ll be running you and the Harrises to the airport in the van. With the children leaving at the same time, it should make things easier all the way around. I expect I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Carson started for the door, but saw movement in his peripheral vision. “Don’t come any closer.” Not ever again.

  He left the cabin, suppressing a cough until he got outside. When it subsided, he climbed in the Jeep without looking back. En route to Jackson, he phoned Ross and told him he was going into town in case anyone needed him.

  “You sound like hell.”

  “That’s where I am.”

  “If you want company, I’ll tell Buck I’m joining you.”

  “Thanks, Ross, but I’m not fit to be around anyone.”

  “Tracy’s still leaving on Saturday?”

  “Yup.”

  “Sorry, bud.”

  “I’ll live, unfortunately.”

  Carson hung up and continued driving to Jackson where he headed for the Aspen Cemetery. The small resting place was closed at sunset, but that didn’t stop him. He pulled off the road and hopped a fence. His parents and grandparents were buried in the same plot up on the hillside near some evergreens. This was the first time he’d been here since the funeral.

  The moon had come up and illuminated the double headstones. In a few strides he reached them and hunkered down to read the names and dates. Beloved Son and Daughter was inscribed on his parents’ granite stone. It had been here for twenty-eight years. How many times had Carson come to this sacred place as a youth to talk to them?

  For his grandparents, he’d had the words inscribed, Our Last Ride Will Be to Heaven. Carson had heard his grandfather say it often enough while he was alive. He could hear him saying it now and wept.

  Finally, blinking back the tears, his gaze fell on the grassy spot next to it. One day it would be Carson’s own grave. When someone buried him here, there’d only be a single headstone. That would be the end of the Lundgren line.

  “Sorry, Grandpa. I finally met that woman you were asking me about. But like everything else important that happened in my life, I got there too late. Marriage isn’t in my destiny. But I swear I’ll take care of the ranch so you’re not disappointed in me.”

  If the guys were still in business with him when the end came, he had no doubt they’d be married with families. He’d deed them the title and their families could carry on the Lundgren legacy. They been brought together at a low ebb in their lives and had formed an unbreakable bond.

  But if it turned out they wanted and needed to go back to their former lives after this experiment was over, he’d will the property to the Chappuis family. Maurice had been like a surrogate uncle to him. Jean-Paul had been his best friend in his early days. Carson couldn’t think of anyone he’d want more to inherit. No family had ever worked harder to carve out a life here. Either way, the ranch would be in the best of hands.

  Having made his peace, he returned to the ranch. Two more days and she’d be gone. He would have to play the congenial host to Johnny without the boy knowing Carson’s pain. The whole point of inviting their family here in the first place was to bring a little happiness into their lives. To that end he was still fully committed.

  Chapter Nine

  “I found one!”

  From her perch on a hay bale, Tracy heard Sam’s shout of delight. The calf with the blue eyes had been discovered.

  Carson praised everyone for looking, but Sam was proclaimed the winner. In a few minutes Johnny came running through the herd to the truck. He’d recovered from his stomach upset but was now afflicted with another problem. When she pulled him into the truck bed, he was fighting tears.

  “What’s wrong, honey?” As if she didn’t know.

  “I wanted to find it.”

  “I know, but so did Rachel.”

  “Carson’s going to give him a pair of chaps.”

  “Think how happy it will make him.”

  “But I wanted to be the one so he’d be proud of me.” He broke down and flung himself at her.

  With that last remark, her heart ached for him. “He’s always proud of you. You know what I think? You’re a little tired after being sick yesterday.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Then hurry and dry your eyes because everyone’s coming. You don’t want anyone to see how you feel. Why don’t you go over to the basket and get us both some water?”

  “Okay,” he muttered.

  The kids came running over to the truck. Carson lifted them inside. She saw him glance at Johnny with concern, then his gaze swerved to her. It was the first time all morning he’d actually looked at her. When they’d arrived at the pasture, she’d already decided to stay put in the truck so she wouldn’t have to interact with Carson any more than she had to.

  When he’d left her cabin last night, she’d known he’d be keeping his distance until they left Wyoming, but this new estrangement was killing her.

  Afraid he knew it, she gave Sam a hug. “Congratulations! You must have sharp eyes!”

  “Yeah.” He smiled. “I couldn’t believe it.”

  “I wish I found it first,” Rachel lamented.

  Tracy nodded. “We all know how you feel. Better luck next time.” She turned to Johnny. “Why don’t you hand everyone a drink while you’re at it, honey? You’ve all worked hard in this hot sun.”

  He passed the drinks around, but his face was devoid of animation.

  Carson closed the tailgate. “If everyone’s in, we’ll head back to the ranch for lunch.”

  He walked around to the front, draining his water bottle. Once he’d emptied it he called out, “Catch, Johnny!” and tossed it into the back of the truck before climbing into the cab.

  By some miracle her son nabbed it, causing a smile to spread on his face.

  On the way back, Tracy chatted with the children about the coming sleepover. Soda was allowed, but no candy. What movie did they want to watch? What board games did they want her to choose from the game room? To her relief, Johnny started to settle down and be his friendlier self. Knowing Rachel had lost out, too, helped a little.

  When Carson let them out of the back of the truck after they’d arrived in front of the ranch house, Tracy moved right with the kids and jumped down from the end before Carson could reach for her. It was a bittersweet relief to hurry inside with them, knowing he’d disappear for a while.

  The kids had the routine down pat. Bathroom first, to wash their hands. As they emerged into the foyer a few minutes later, Tracy heard a familiar female voice call out, “Giovanni! Look at you in those cowboy clothes!”

  Her mind reeled.

  No-o.

  It couldn’t be.

  But it was. No one else called him by their pet name for him.

  “Grandma?”

  “Yes! Grandma and Papa. Come and give us a hug. We’ve missed you so much!”

  Tracy was so unprepared for this, she almost fainted. Johnny sounded equally shocked, but he ran to them. His grandmother kissed him several times, and then his grandfather picked him up and hugged him hard. Both of them were attractive and had dark hair with some silver showing. Sylvia was even wearing a pantsuit, something she rarely did.

  It was painful for Tracy to watch the interaction, because conflicting emotions were swamping her. To see them here so removed from their world...

  She didn’t know what all had gone on to bring them to Wyoming when her vacation wasn’t over yet, but she had a strong inkling.

  Between Johnny’s conversation with them on the phone the other day, and her conversation with Natalie, her in-laws were curious enough to get on a plane and come. It was totally unlike them.

  She felt the other kids’ eyes on her, needing an explanation. “Children? I’d like you to meet Johnny’s grandparents from Ohio, Sylvia and Vincent Baretta. Dad and Mom? Please meet Rachel and Sam Harris from Florida. We’ve all become friends while we’ve been staying here.”

  “Oh, it’s so nice to meet Johnny’s friends,” her mother-in-law said, patting their cheeks.

  Her father-in-law still held Johnny while he reached for Tracy and kissed her. “After our talk with Giovanni the other morning, we decided to surprise you.”

  “You certainly did that.” She still couldn’t believe they’d come.

  “Hi!” Monica had just appeared in the foyer with Ralph. “What’s all the excitement?”

  “These are my grandparents!” Johnny announced. “They came to see me ride Goldie!”

  Okay. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together.

  “Do you like my cowboy hat and boots? Carson took us to the store to get them.”

  Sylvia clapped her hands. “You look wonderful! Who’s Carson?”

  “He owns this whole ranch, Grandma. He rides bulls in the rodeo and is king of the cowboys!” Johnny’s eyes shone like stars.

  Tracy needed to do something quick. “Mom and Dad Baretta? Please meet Monica and Ralph Harris.” They walked over and shook hands.

  Monica smiled. “What a thrill for you, Johnny!”

  “Yeah. Wait till I tell Carson! Let’s hurry and eat. I’ll take you over to the corral after lunch. He takes us riding every day! This morning he drove us to the pasture!”

  “And guess what?” Rachel looked at her parents. “Sam found the blue-eyed calf.”

  “Yes, and Carson’s going to give me a brand new pair of chaps to take home for winning.”

  “Good for you.” Ralph patted his son on the back.

  “We don’t want to go home,” Sam told his parents. “Carson told us about all these neat hikes we can go on in the Tetons. We just barely got here.”

  “I don’t want to go home, either.” Johnny took up the mantra. “Carson said the ponies will miss us. We can’t leave them, Mom!”

  Tracy heard her mother-in-law give the nervous little laugh she sometimes made when she didn’t quite know what was going on. Johnny’s grandfather lowered him to the floor. Still reeling, she said, “Why don’t we go in the dining room for lunch, and then we can talk.”

  The room was fairly crowded. Tracy found two tables close together. While the Harrises took one of them, she guided her in-laws to the other. Johnny sat down between his grandparents, talking a mile a minute. Carson this and Carson that.

  After their waitress took the orders, Tracy was finally able to ask a few questions. “When did you get here?”

  Vincent had been quiet most of the time. “We flew into Salt Lake from Cleveland, then caught a flight to Jackson last evening and stayed at a motel. Today we rented a car and drove over here to surprise you.”

  “Well, it’s wonderful to see you.” Her voice trembled. It really was, but she was still incredulous.

  “These mountains are overpowering!” Sylvia exclaimed. “It’s beautiful here, but I can tell we’re in a much higher altitude.”

  “I love it here!” Johnny blurted. “It’s my favorite place in the whole world.”

  Tracy saw a look of surprise in her in-laws’ eyes. She had an idea they, too, were in shock over the change in their formerly withdrawn grandson. Suddenly Johnny jumped up from the table.

  “Hey, Carson—” He ran over to the tall cowboy in the black Stetson and plaid shirt walking toward them and hugged him around the waist. “My grandma and grandpa came to see me. Will you take us all riding?”

  “Sure I will,” Tracy heard him say as if it were the most normal thing in the world that her in-laws had shown up unannounced and uninvited.

  Johnny made the introductions. Vincent stood up to shake Carson’s hand. “It was a great thing you and your fellow marines did, inviting Tracy and Giovanni here, Mr. Lundgren. Thank you for honoring our son this way. We’re very grateful to you for showing our grandson such a good time.”

  “We certainly are,” Sylvia chimed in.

  “The honor has been all ours, Mr. and Mrs. Baretta. I’d be happy to introduce you to my business partners, but they’re both out with other guests at the moment. It pleases me to tell you that Johnny has turned into quite a horseman already.” He coughed. “I’ll be over at the corral when you want to see him ride.”

  “We’ll be right over after we eat.”

  “Please feel free to use all the facilities while you’re here.”

  “That’s very generous of you. Sylvia and I are staying in Jackson. We decided we’d join our family and take them to Yellowstone Park before we fly back home together. It will be a new adventure for all of us.”

  A gasp escaped Tracy’s throat, causing Carson to glance at her briefly, but she couldn’t read anything in those blue slits. Johnny hurried over to Tracy. He put his lips against her ear. “I don’t want to go to Yellowstone.”

  “We’ll talk about this later,” she murmured. “Sit down and eat your lunch.”

  Carson tipped his hat, and then stopped at the Harrises’ table to talk to them for a minute before he left the dining room in a few long, swift strides. Tracy’s heart dropped to her feet. A subdued Johnny sat down, but he only played with his hamburger.

  Sylvia patted his hand. “We got a suite with another room so you can stay with us tonight.”

  “We can’t, Grandma. We’re having a sleepover at our cabin with Rachel and Sam.” This time Tracy saw definite hurt in Sylvia’s eyes. Vincent’s face had closed up.

  “I’m afraid I promised Monica and Ralph,” Tracy explained.

  “They babysat me while Mom and Carson went out to dinner.” Johnny was a veritable encyclopedia of information, but every word that came out of his mouth caused his grandparents grief.

  “Well then, we’ll have to do it on Friday night.”

  “But Carson’s taking us to the rodeo!”

  Tracy needed to put a stop to this, but didn’t know how. “When are you flying back?”

  “Tuesday,” Vincent informed her. “If you call the airline, you can change your flight so we can all fly home together.”

  Johnny slumped down in his seat. “I don’t want to go home.”

  Though she couldn’t condone his behavior, she understood it. “Mom and Dad?” They looked hurt and confused. “If you’ll excuse us, we’ll meet you at the corral. Drive your car over to the barn. You can’t miss it and we’ll be waiting for you. Come on, Johnny.”

  He bolted out of his chair without giving his grandparents a kiss and ran over to the other kids. It wounded her for their sake, but the damage was done now. Soon the three children preceded Tracy out of the dining room. She needed a talk with her son, but this wasn’t the time.

  Tracy saw Carson’s Jeep outside the barn before they reached the corral. Bert had already saddled the ponies. Carson came out leading Annie and Blueberry.

  Tracy stood at the fence. While the children waited for Bert to help them mount, she watched Carson help Johnny. The play of male muscles in his arms and across his back held her mesmerized.

  She heard the sound of a car and turned in time to see her in-laws get out and walk over to her. “You’re in for a treat,” she promised them. “We’ve done a lot of riding.”

  “Watch me!” Johnny called out to his grandparents.

  All three children rode well, but Johnny stole the show as he walked Goldie around the corral like an old hand. She saw the pride in her in-laws’ eyes. “You look wonderful!” they both called out to him. Vincent had tears in his eyes.

  Johnny’s face was beaming. “She’s my pony.”

  “She’s beautiful,” Sylvia cried.

  “Come on and ride, Grandpa. Carson’s going to take us down to the Snake River and back.”

  “Why don’t you go?” Tracy urged him. “You can ride the horse I’ve been riding. Sylvia and I will stay here until you get back.” This would be a good time to feel out her mother-in-law over their unexpected arrival.

  Johnny’s invitation must have put Vincent in a better mood because he said, “I think I will.”

  “What about you, Sylvia? Maybe you’d like to ride, too?”

  “Not me. You go ahead, Vincent. Tracy and I will have a good visit while you’re gone.”

  It sounded like Sylvia wanted to talk to Tracy in private. They’d had a definite agenda in coming out here. Vincent was curious about the man who’d caused this change in his grandson. This would give him a chance to get a feel for him. They’d probably talk about the war and the circumstances leading up to Tony’s death.

  As for Carson, a picture was worth more than a thousands words of explanation from her. During the ride with Vincent, he’d come to know and understand better the dynamics that made up the Baretta family. He’d already learned a lot from their surprise visit.

  The two men spoke for a minute before Vincent climbed in the saddle. He’d ridden horses in parades with the other firefighters and looked good up there. He always did, especially when he had to dress in his formal uniform. She realized Tony would have looked a lot like him if he’d had the opportunity to live a full life.

  Oddly enough, that sharp pain at the remembrance of her husband was missing. The only pain she was feeling right now was a deep, soul-wrenching kind of pain as she watched the king of the cowboys mount his horse with effortless grace. From beneath the brim of his hat, he shot Tracy a piercing glance. “We’ll be gone a couple of hours. I’ll bring everyone back in the Jeep.”

  She took a deep breath. “We’ll be waiting.”

  On that note he nodded and led everyone out of the corral, away from her.

  This is what you wanted, Tracy, so why the anguish? Except that it wasn’t what she wanted. She’d been looking forward to the ride this afternoon with each breath she took. Every second with Carson was precious until they had to leave.