“All the movie stars are wearing my jewelry because I give it away to them,” Lucy said, staring down at the dirt.
“Is something wrong?” Mia asked, worried by this cloud on her sister’s face.
“Wrong?” Lucy laughed and then shook her head. “It’s just not what I thought it would be. The designs…everyone loves the designs.”
“Of course they do,” Mia said. “They’re gorgeous.”
“I’m just having trouble with the business part of it.” Lucy shrugged. “It’s a steep learning curve.”
“You’ll figure it out,” Mia said.
“I always do, don’t I?”
Lucy propped one of her old cowboy boots, which somehow managed to look stylish rather than serviceable, on the bottom rail of the fence and whistled.
Blue came walking over like a lovesick cowboy.
“You haven’t lost your touch,” Mia said.
“With males of all species?” Lucy asked, her eyes twinkling.
“With horses,” Mia said. “Remember when Dad took you to that roundup?”
Lucy smiled and nodded, her eyes far away. “Mom about lost it.”
“Well, you were four. But you wouldn’t let him leave without you. And I can’t blame Mom, those mustang roundups were dangerous.”
“Not with Daddy,” Lucy said, scratching Blue’s nose. “Daddy made everything safe.”
Mia nodded in agreement. A truth they’d taken for granted until he died and their whole world became decidedly unsafe.
“I could never figure out why Victoria thought Mama and Walter had some kind of relationship,” Lucy said, shaking her head. “Why in the world would she go after that old drunk when Daddy was around?”
Mia bristled at the name-calling, but she didn’t say anything. Growing up, Lucy had never liked Walter. Not that Mia had, either, but taking care of the man for the last five years had given her some insight into why Walter did what he did.
Shame and grief could turn a man inside out with pain.
“Mom didn’t and wouldn’t. Victoria was crazy,” Mia said.
“You can say that again. You know, Mia,” Lucy said, leading her back toward the house and the bed that waited. “I think it’s a good thing that your marriage with Jack is coming to an end.”
“You do, do you?”
“You deserve better.”
“Like what Mom and Dad had?”
Lucy stopped and turned Mia to face her. “What’s wrong with being on your own?” Lucy asked. “There’s strength in that.”
“And loneliness.”
“You think Mom wasn’t lonely?” Lucy asked. “Dad worked long hours and Mom had nothing to do but wait for him. Raise his children and keep his meals warm.”
“This isn’t going to turn into some kind of feminist diatribe, is it?”
“No. Well, maybe. I’m just saying, marriage can be lonely, too.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Mia snapped. Hadn’t she lived the loneliest marriage for the last five years?
“I know I don’t,” Lucy said, wrapping her arm around Mia. Lucy took after their father, and Lucy was a good half a foot taller. “But before you go back to bed to nurse your broken heart, remember that even good marriages are unequal. And as happy as Mom was being married, Mom is loving her freedom. She’s very happy living the bachelor life.”
As far as pep talks went, it was pretty awful, but Mia appreciated the effort. She hugged her sister tight, wishing she could absorb some of Lucy’s strength and fire. Something to keep her going when everyone left her again. “You’re not taking Mom out clubbing, are you?”
“She’s taking me out. The woman dances until she drops.”
“You’re very funny.”
“Yes, I am,” Lucy said. Mia allowed herself to be pushed back into motion, thinking all the while that she knew her sister was right. Marriages could be unequal and lonely, but she remembered her parents’ relationship as a good one. The kind she wanted for herself.
And if things had been different with Jack, maybe she would have gotten it.
I could still get it, she thought. If Jack stayed, if I let him stay. If I took the risk he keeps yammering on about…I could have a real marriage. A real husband. I could have the man I love loving me back.
But the risk, the risk was just too much.
“Mia?” Lucy asked, stopping to look Mia in the eyes. “You okay?”
“My head hurts,” Mia said, and it wasn’t a lie.
But her heart hurt more.
Mia was keeping Jack way past arm’s length. He’d barely had a glimpse of her in the past three days. He blamed Lucy. The woman was worse than a guard dog. She was a freaking chastity belt.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Lucy had asked around midnight last night when Jack scratched at Mia’s door looking for a second alone with his wife.
“You’re sleeping with her now?” Jack asked. “Isn’t this a little extreme, even for you?”
Lucy narrowed her eyes and stepped out into the hallway. “Haven’t you done enough, Jack?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I haven’t. Because I am trying to keep her.”
“Keep her?” Lucy arched a dark eyebrow. “Like she’s a pet?” She tried to shut the door and Jack got a hand in to hold it open.