Forever Family (River's End Ranch Book 26)

  Baker’s Bob

  Book Sixteen in River’s End Ranch

  Kirsten Osbourne

  Cover art by Erin Dameron-Hill

  Copyright 2017 Kirsten Osbourne

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

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  After thirty-five years of peaceful marriage, Bobbi and Wilber Weston have come to a crossroads. They each want something different, and neither is willing to give in to the other. Bobbi loves her children and grandbabies more than she’d ever imagined, and she doesn’t think asking for a change in the plans she’d made with Wilber many years ago should be a difficult thing.

  Wilber has been waiting his entire life to get the monkey off his back so he can travel, but now his wife has other plans for their future. He doesn’t understand why they can’t continue with their goals as they were doing before the children married and procreated. Will the two of them be able to make a compromise that will please them both? Or will their marriage end up being just another ugly statistic?

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  Chapter One

  Bobbi Weston glared at her husband of almost thirty-five years. “I know we agreed to keep traveling the country in our RV, but do you realize I have three grandbabies here with more on the way? How can I leave my precious babies?”

  Wilber shook his head. “We’ve done our time with children and on the ranch. I love it here as much as you do, but I don’t want the kids to think they can come running to us every time there’s a little problem with the ranch. We raised six kids. We can be grandparents a couple of weekends a year.”

  She sighed. “I thought I could live with that plan, but I really can’t. I need to be with them. I want them to know me.” How could he not understand how much those grandbabies meant to her?

  “After thirty-four years of raising children, don’t you think we deserve a break?”

  “Of course we do, but we’ve taken one. We’ve been gone for over a year. Now that we’re back, I want to stay. I want to be with my grandchildren. The twins are so precious, and they’re getting excited when they see me now. How can you possibly want to leave?”

  “How can you not? This is what we’ve been working for our entire lives!”

  Bobbi sighed. “I know that’s what we said, but that was before the grandbabies.”

  Wilber shook his head, walking toward the door of the cabin. “I’ve got a quick meeting with Pastor Kevin. We’ll stay through the vow renewal at the end of the month, but then I’m done. I need my freedom.”

  After the door closed behind her husband, Bobbi sank into a chair, wondering why she’d married the man in the first place. He was bossy, annoying, and absolutely impossible.

  Even as the thought crossed her mind, she thought of her first moments on the ranch. This place was in her blood as much as it was in his.

  She’d been only eighteen and already on her own. After her father had killed her mother in a fit of jealous rage when she was eight, she’d bounced from foster home to foster home. Immediately after her high school graduation, she’d packed the few clothes she had into her backpack and started walking with no destination in mind. She’d worked a couple of short-term jobs, taken a few buses from place to place, and she’d been ready for adventure.

  The first thing she’d done after getting to the ranch was go to lunch at Kelsey’s Kafé, grinning at the alliteration caused by the creative spelling. She sat down for lunch and counted the money she had left, which was less than five dollars. Frowning down at the menu, she chose a bowl of soup and a glass of water. Hopefully she’d have a job before she needed to eat again. She could sleep in the woods, since it was summertime, but food was necessary for life.

  A woman in her late forties stopped at her table. “What can I get for you today?”

  “Soup of the day and a glass of water, please.”

  The woman frowned at her. “You’re too skinny as it is. You need to eat a real meal.” She called back toward the kitchen. “Get me today’s special and a bowl of soup!”

  Bobbi’s jaw dropped. “I can’t afford that.” What kind of waitress wouldn’t let her have what she wanted to eat, anyway?

  “It’s on the house. If you’re that worried about it, you can wash some dishes this afternoon.”

  “I’ll wash dishes, then.” Bobbi wasn’t about to take handouts from anyone. Her last foster mother had made it clear that she was a burden, and they’d only taken her in because of the money the state paid them for her. She wasn’t going to be a burden on anyone else for as long as she lived.

  “Suit yourself.” The older woman walked away, coming back a minute later with a big bowl of soup and a basket of crackers. “Get started on that.” She stood and watched as Bobbi ate her first bite, nodding with satisfaction.

  Bobbi decided to ignore her. She obviously thought she was in charge of the place…but if she was, she wouldn’t be waiting tables, would she? She pulled a book out of her backpack and opened to the page she’d bookmarked—with a real bookmark. She’d had a friend who had thought dog-earing the pages was just as good as a bookmark, but she’d been very wrong.

  The woman stood and watched her eat and read for a minute, and then she’d slid into the booth across from her. “I’m Kelsey Weston.”

  “As in Kelsey from Kelsey’s Kafé?” Maybe the woman was acting as if she owned the place because she did.

  “The very one. Where are you headed?”

  Bobbi shrugged. “I really don’t know.” She didn’t offer more information, because she’d found that no matter how curious people were, they didn’t want to hear her story about leaving the foster home. And no one wanted to hear that her father had killed her mother. Who would?

  “Would you consider staying on here for a little while? I can give you a small room in the ranch house, and you can help out here.”

  Bobbi swallowed another bite of the tomato soup. It was delicious. “What would you want me to do?”

  “Dishes. Bus tables.” Kelsey watched her carefully, obviously sizing her up.

  Bobbi nodded. “I can do that.”

  “I’ll show you to your room after you wash dishes this afternoon, then. Minimum wage, but you get one meal a day here in the diner, and you have a room to stay in as long as you’re working here.”

  “Sounds fair.” Bobbi had no idea why the woman wanted her to work there, but she needed the job. Badly.

  Another woman stopped at the table. “You hire her yet?” the woman asked. She seemed about the same age as Kelsey Weston.

  “Yes, Jaclyn, I hired her. She’s going to wash dishes and bus tables. Are you happy now?”

  Jaclyn shrugged. “The fairies say she’s the one.” The woman turned and walked away, leaving Bobbi staring after her.

  “Who was that?” Bobbi asked.

  Kelsey sighed. “That’s my best friend, Jaclyn Hardy. She’s in charge of the RV park.”

  “She seems a bit…odd.” Bobbi smiled as she realized the second part of what Kelsey Weston had said. “You have an RV park here on the ranch? I’ve always wanted to have an RV so I could travel around the country.”

  Kelsey smiled. “My son, Wilber, says the same thing. He’s not at all pleased
that he’s in charge of this ranch until his children are old enough to take over.”

  “How old are his children?” Bobbi asked, wondering about the people who she’d be working for.

  “Oh, he isn’t even married yet. That might be the problem.” Kelsey stood up and brushed off her apron. “I didn’t catch your name.”

  Bobbi knew she hadn’t thrown it, but since the woman would be her employer, she probably should. “I’m Bobbi Jackson.”

  “Welcome to River’s End Ranch, Bobbi. Not everyone who comes here finds what they’re looking for, but I have a feeling you will.” Kelsey turned and walked away, leaving Bobbi staring after her.

  What an odd person. Bobbi turned her attention back to her book and her soup. At least the food was good.

  Bobbi shook her head, walking to the window of the cabin. There was no use in dwelling on the past. She loved the ranch and everything about it, just as much as she’d loved it when she first arrived all those years ago. Kelsey Weston had been the best mother-in-law a woman could ask for, but Jaclyn had been her real mentor. Maybe it was time to pay the old woman a visit.

  *****

  When Bobbi unlatched Jaclyn’s gate and stepped into her yard, she wasn’t at all surprised that Jaclyn stepped out onto her front porch. “The fairies told me you were coming. Do you realize you were my first match? There was something about you that made the fairies start talking to me.”

  Bobbi felt her lips curve up. She’d seen Jaclyn several times since she and Wilber had come back to the ranch, but she hadn’t visited her. “How many bunnies do you have this week?”

  “Twenty-four. Got them all fixed, though, so hopefully there won’t be a lot more of them.” Jaclyn held her door wide open. “Come in. I made tea and snickerdoodles. You still like snickerdoodles, don’t you?”

  Bobbi smiled, feeling a sense of déjà vu. She’d been here so many times over the years to visit her mother-in-law’s closest friend. After Kelsey’s death, she’d kept Bobbi going. “Of course, I still like snickerdoodles. Who doesn’t?”

  Jaclyn cackled softly. “Get in this house!”

  Bobbi stepped inside, pushing a bunny out of her way as she sat down. “I see you’ve matched up all of my children, and you’ve got years to go before you start on my grandbabies.”

  “There are guests and ranch employees. Now that I have the fairies on my side, no match is too difficult.” Jaclyn poured tea for the two of them, and Bobbi took a cup. “Now, tell me what’s really on your mind. You’re not really thinking of leaving Wilber, are you?”

  If anyone else had asked her that, Bobbi would have been shocked, but Jaclyn had always seemed to have the ability to read her mind. She claimed it was the fairies, of course, but Bobbi wasn’t so sure. “Leaving him? I don’t know. We’ve been married for almost twice as long as I was alone. What would I do without him?”

  “Live here with your grandbabies.” Jaclyn put her teacup down with a clatter. “Bobbi, Wilber is the man who you’re destined to be with. If you don’t stay married to him, you’re going to be unhappy. The fairies say you need to work things out.”

  Bobbi frowned. “That’s just the thing. I don’t know if we can work this one out. He never understood that I was attracted to his family as much as I was to him. Having a big family—and being loved—it was so important to me. It still is. He wants me to leave my grandbabies, and I just don’t think I can do that.”

  Jaclyn studied her for a moment. “Surely two grown adults who have been together for almost thirty-five years can make compromises. Don’t you think?”

  “You want me to compromise on my grandchildren? Do you know what you’re asking?”

  “Your children have been like grandchildren to me. I can’t imagine any of them going anywhere. Since Kelsey died, I’ve been lonelier, and your children have kept me going. When you left, it was like losing my own daughter, so yes, I do know what I’m asking.” Jaclyn leaned forward and took Bobbi’s hand in a firm grip. “I also know you and Wilber are meant to be together. Nothing should keep you apart.”

  Bobbi frowned. She knew that Jaclyn had lost her only love many years before. “And you’re sure the fairies are never wrong?” Bobbi didn’t believe in the fairies…exactly. She did believe in Jaclyn, though.

  “They didn’t start talking to me until right before you arrived on the ranch, you know. You were the catalyst. You have to know how much it means to me that the two of you work things out. I guess you could come here and talk to me with him…like a marriage counselor!”

  Bobbi blanched at the very idea. “I think we’ll be fine without going to those extremes.”

  “I’m willing if you need me.”

  “I really appreciate it.” Bobbi got to her feet before she found herself consenting to something no sane human being would ever agree to. “I’m going to head over to Kelsi’s. I want to play with my grandbabies. Willow and Tori need grandma kisses to grow, you know.”

  Jaclyn waved her away. “Just remember the offer stands!”

  Bobbi said a silent prayer she would never be that desperate. She’d rather stick a fork in her own eye than go to Jaclyn for counseling. Maybe Pastor Kevin could help, though… With a wave, she headed out the door. As she walked, she thought back again to her first day on the ranch. She spent the afternoon washing dishes as she’d promised, but after the café closed, she walked with Mrs. Weston over to the main ranch house. “My family lives here, but we have a room you can use,” the older woman explained.

  “You want me to live with your family?” Bobbi had asked, her eyes wide. “Are you sure?”

  “Are you a drug addict or a mass murderer? Will you rob us blind?”

  “Well, no…but my father murdered someone.”

  Mrs. Weston stopped walking for a moment, looking Bobbi up and down. “I don’t believe the sins of the fathers should be taken out on the child. Do you?”

  “Well, no. But they have been.”

  “How so?”

  Bobbi sighed, wondering just how much she should reveal to this woman. Her entire life people had looked at her oddly because they knew the truth about her. Finally, she decided she shouldn’t hide it. This woman was being kind enough to offer her a job and a place to stay. She owed it to her. “My father killed my mother in a drunken fit when I was eight. He went to jail, and I’ve spent my life in foster homes. I left the day I graduated.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “Only about a month.”

  Mrs. Weston frowned. “You’ve been on your own for a month? Where have you lived?”

  Bobbi shrugged. “Here and there. I have worked for long enough to travel. I want to see all the states. I’d never left Oklahoma before, and now I’ve been to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Idaho.” She looked around her at the mountains and the beautiful land. “I think Idaho is the most beautiful of them all.”

  “It’s also the coldest. You need to be settled before winter, my young nomadic friend.” Mrs. Weston wrapped her arm around Bobbi’s shoulders and began walking toward the house again.

  “You don’t want me to leave?”

  Mrs. Weston laughed. “Of course, I don’t. My friend, Jaclyn, says that you’re meant to be here.”

  “The crazy woman who said something about fairies at lunchtime?”

  “That very one. She’s been a true friend to me. She would have married my brother, but he died in the line of duty. He was a police officer.”

  Bobbi frowned. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s been a very long time, my dear.” Mrs. Weston shook her head. “I declare that the rest of the evening is for talking about happy things. Nothing negative.”

  “That sounds good to me.”

  “While you settle into your room, I will make a feast. My husband and son work many hours and they’re famished when they finally arrive home at the end of a long day.”

  “What do they do?” Bobbi asked. Although she’d grown up in Oklahoma, she knew nothing about ranchi
ng. She’d spent her entire life in a small city.

  Kelsey Weston smiled. “Why, they run the ranch, of course. I have three other sons as well, but they’re married and no longer live on the ranch. I thought my children would run the place together someday, but it doesn’t seem to be happening.”

  “And what do you do?”

  “The café is mine. I’ve always wanted to have my own place, and I opened it after the children were grown. That’s why I can just hire you without talking to anyone. It’s completely my domain, even though it’s on the ranch.” Mrs. Weston stopped in front of a large ranch house. “I raised my children here. Don’t you think this is a beautiful place to raise children?”

  Bobbi nodded uncertainly. She had no idea what a good place to raise children would be. “I believe it would be.”

  Mrs. Weston led Bobbi to a room around the corner and opened the door. “This is our guest room. I hope you’ll enjoy staying here.” Then she was gone.

  Bobbi bit her lip, looking around the pink-flowered room. It wasn’t exactly what she’d have chosen for herself, but it wasn’t awful. And it was a free room. She couldn’t forget that. She’d slept outside too many nights since leaving Oklahoma. Tonight, she’d sleep in a soft bed under a roof. She couldn’t let herself complain about that.

  *****

  After napping for an hour, Bobbi felt a lot better. She was still exhausted from the long bus ride up from Salt Lake City, but she was determined not to let it show. She was starting a new life here at the ranch, and she was going to be happy.

  A knock at her door startled her, but she hurried over and opened it wide. On the other side stood a man in his mid-twenties. He had dark hair and the most piercing ice blue eyes she’d ever seen. She felt like she could drown in them. “May I help you?”

  The man seemed just as startled to see her as she was to see him. She didn’t know how that was possible though, because he’d obviously been sent to fetch her. Surely someone had told him who she was. “Hi. I’m Wilber. My mother told me to bring you to dinner.”