Love on the Buchanan Ranch (A Romance Story) (2 page)

After everyone else had gone that evening, Emma stayed behind to help Stacey clean up.

“Are you really okay, Mama?” she asked before she left for her own little apartment across town. “I don’t mind staying here with you for a few more days until you’re ready to be alone.”

Stacey hugged her sweet girl. She had come so close, so many times to telling her what a tyrant her stepfather had been behind closed doors, but had never done it. She couldn’t bear for Stacey to lose that light she held in her eyes for him…whether he deserved it or not. Holding her back by the shoulders now she looked into Emma’s beautiful, innocent eyes and said, “I promise I’ll be okay. I’ll call you if I need anything. You do the same, okay?”

Emma’s eyes were filled with tears, but she nodded her head and agreed.

Stacey had leaned against the heavy wood door as she closed it behind her Emma, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief that this day were finally over. She turned off the lights in each room as she made her way upstairs to her bedroom. As she stood in front of the bathroom mirror removing her makeup, she told herself that the first thing she needed to do after the estate was settled, was to sell this mausoleum of a house. She had tried to tell Edward it was too big when they had bought it. It had five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, a formal dining room, living room, kitchen, game room and an office. Edward had bought the house anyways, without her approval, telling her that a man in his position in the community needed to live as such.

Stacey slipped on her nightgown and after brushing her teeth and hair she lay down in the huge king sized bed. She let herself smile then…without guilt. It was her first step towards her new life, and in believing that despite what she had been told for the past twelve years, she deserved to be happy.

Stacey hurried into the attorney’s office the next Wednesday morning. She had spent the week since Edward’s burial mostly returning phone calls and emails from family and friends who wanted to make sure she was okay. She had boxed up much of the leftover food and taken some to Emma and the rest to Abuela. On the morning the will was to be read she had gotten up early, showered, had her coffee and breakfast, and was still left with plenty of time to read the paper…or so she thought.

As she sat down in the soft patio chair on the big wrap-around porch and opened her paper, a car drove into the driveway. Stacey put the paper aside, and watched with curiosity as a young woman, dressed in a very short skirt and heels, exited the driver’s side door. Stacey stood up to greet her as she came up the walk.

“Hello,” Stacey said, growing increasingly curious as to whom the young woman was.

“Hi,” the girl said, twirling a piece of her long blonde hair around her index finger as she did so, “Are you Mrs. Sanchez?”

“Yes,” Stacey said, “and you are?”

“Can I sit down?” the girl asked, placing a hand across her abdomen as she said so.

“Of course,” Stacey said and gestured towards the patio chair next to the one she had been sitting in. Stacey took a seat as well and said, “Are you okay? Do you need some help?”

The girl only shook her head, and then taking a deep breath she said, “My name is Victoria. I worked for your husband…for a while. I was a receptionist in his office. I was sorry to hear of your loss. I only just found out…. Oh dear! I don’t know how to say this, so I am just going to blurt it out…I’m pregnant with Edward’s baby!”

Stacey had just been about to take a sip of her coffee. She choked on it and spit it back into the cup instead.

She stood up abruptly, and then felt bad when she saw the girl flinch and sink back into her chair. She covered her abdomen again with her arm, and this time Stacey recognized it as a protective gesture.

“It’s okay,” Stacey told her in as gentle a tone as she could muster, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

When the girl looked back at her she had tears in her eyes, “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. Your husband just died, and here is some bimbo telling you that he’s been cheating on you. I’m sorry, I just didn’t know what else to do. Edward was paying my bills…I don’t have a job…”

Stacey sat back down and took the girls hand in hers. It didn’t surprise her that Edward was cheating on her. She had suspected it for some time now. Selfishly, she had just allowed it to go on, thankful that he was pawing all over some other woman rather than her when he was in the mood. What did surprise her was the pregnancy. Edward hadn’t allowed her to use birth control, although she had tried a few times. She’d had hell to pay when Edward had found out, so she finally just resigned herself to the fact that she would probably end up pregnant. When she didn’t, she had just assumed that there was a problem with Edward.

“Are you sure you’re pregnant? You’ve seen a doctor?” Stacey asked her.

“Yes, I’m sure. Edward took me to a gynecologist friend of his. He was so angry with me. He told me that I was a worthless, home-wrecking whore.” she teared up again.

Stacey sighed, “Listen, Victoria. Edward was a mean-spirited man who had no respect for women. He spoke to me the same way, often. It was his responsibility to remain faithful to me. He broke his vows. You may have made some poor decisions, but that never gave him the right to speak to you that way.”

This sent the girl into full-blown sobs. Stacey sat silently and let her get it out, and when she could finally speak she said, “I thought you would be so mad. I expected you to slap me or cuss me out, or something. It almost feels worse that you’re being so nice.”

Stacey laughed, “Trust me, there is someone I want to slap and cuss out, but he went and died before I got the chance.”

Victoria laughed at that as well. Stacey eventually calmed the girl down enough to send her on her way. She promised that she would help her, and that she’d call as soon as the probate hearing was over.

That left her here, now, rushing through the heavy glass doors of Grunwald, Grunwald and Dow, Edwards trusted attorneys.

She entered the room where the will was being read just as they were ready to begin. Nodding at Mr. Grunwald she muttered a quick apology and took a seat at the long oak table between Abuela and Emma.

“Okay then, we all seem to be here,” Grunwald said in his thick, attorney voice. He looked around the table. Seated there were Stacey, Abuela, Edward’s Uncle Xavier, his cousin Luis, Emma, and his business partner, Sal.

“I need to start by telling you all that after a careful combing through of Edward’s assets this past week, I am afraid you may be in for somewhat of a shock.”

Stacey sat up straighter in her chair,
I guess one more today won’t matter,
she told herself.

“Edward left a very detailed will. The problem is, the will was written over five years ago. Since then, his financial situation has substantially changed.”

“Changed how?” Xavier asked warily.

“Edward, I’m afraid, made some very poor investments over the years. Plain and simple, there is not much left of what he had willed to you all.”

Stacey felt the room spin a bit, and she visualized her dreams growing wings and flying out of the big, glass windows that surrounded them. She looked at Sal. He was the only one that didn’t appear shocked by the news.

“Sal, what about the business? He was making money, right? Where was it going?”

Sal looked sick as he cleared his throat and said, “We’re bankrupt, Stacey. We were about to file when Edward died. I’m afraid it may be what caused his heart attack, the stress of it all.”

Emma looked at Stacey and said, “Mom, you didn’t know about any of this?”

“No, honey. Edward handled the finances. He didn’t discuss them with me.” Stacey said this with an abruptness that she hadn’t meant to direct at Emma. It was just all she could do to hold herself together.

Luscious Grunwald gave them a moment of silence and then he went on, “There is a small trust fund that was left intact for you, Emma. Edward had borrowed against it once a few years ago, but built it back up to around twenty thousand again by the time he passed. Abuela, the house you live in is yours. Edward made sure that was paid off long ago. Unfortunately, the monthly allowance that Edward had intended for you probably won’t be possible when all is said and done. Xavier, Luis, Edward left you both with his gun collection, and his classic corvette and mustang. They are all clear of debt.” He paused there, and finally, making reluctant eye contact with Stacey he said,

“I’m afraid my news for you is not good, Stacey. The home was in Edward’s name alone, so the IRS will probably put a lien against it for the back taxes he owed. There is very little cash in either his business or personal accounts, and he had cashed out his life insurance policy just weeks before his death, to pay off a debt that he refused to discuss with me. I got the feeling it was to pay off a gambling debt or something like it he seemed very distressed. I’m so sorry, Stacey. I feel truly awful for you.”

Stacey sat silent, in a mild state of shock. She could feel Emma’s hand on hers, and she could hear the whispers of the others at the table, but she felt like she was floating above it all, a bystander, rather than a participant. She finally snapped back to reality and squeezed Emma’s hand. Standing up she bent to kiss Abuela on the cheek, and then Emma, and as she excused herself from the room, she thanked Mr. Grunwald for his time.

Stacey ran across the busy road in front of the office and walked down the street on the other side towards the park. She could hear her phone ringing incessantly, but didn’t bother to take it out and see whom it was. She walked at a brisk pace, inwardly cursing Edward for the position he had left her in, and cursing herself once more for allowing it. When she reached the park, she sat down on a bench and watched the children playing on the playground. She thought about how lucky they were to be so carefree. She hadn’t really had that feeling for more than a minute or two at a time since she was seventeen years old. As she sat there, it seemed as if time were standing still. She tried to pull herself out of her funk and make some decisions about what she was going to do with her life, but wallowing in her self-pity was all that she could seem to manage.

After sitting for a while, she allowed her thoughts to drift back to those early days when she and Edward were falling in love. She had so many questions for herself about how she had allowed things to come to this, why she had given up her own dreams and ambitions for such a cruel man. She realized the place to start was not blaming Emma for falling in love with Edward, but instead, to blame herself. She remembered the first time she and Edward had made love, and she knew in her heart that if she put all else aside, that was the night which had really sealed the deal.

Edward was taking her out to dinner to a very fancy restaurant that she had never been to before. Emma had gone to a sleepover with her friend that night, so Stacey had more time than usual to get ready. She had stood in front of her closet after she had gotten out of the bath and stared at the clothes inside, willing something beautiful to appear. The sound of her doorbell startled her, and pulling her robe shut tight around her, she went to answer it. It was a deliveryman. He asked her to sign for the long box he held, and when she said she hadn’t ordered anything, he had only shrugged and said, “Maybe it’s a gift.”

Stacey closed the door behind the man and began ripping open the package, curious to see what was inside. When she had at last gotten it open, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Inside, wrapped in soft tissue paper was the most gorgeous cocktail dress she had ever seen.
Wow! Maybe I have a fairy godmother after all…
she thought. Then, spying a small card in the box she took it out and read it aloud to herself,

“My dearest, Stacey…I know accepting gifts is difficult for you, but please, accept this one for my sake. I saw this dress and pictured you in it…It’s the only thought I’ve been able to have since.

Regards,

Edward.”

Stacey smiled and pulled out the dress. It was a soft, cornflower blue. Edward had told her once when she had worn a sweater that color, that he had never seen her look so beautiful. She checked the size and was in awe of the fact, but not surprised, that he had gotten the size exactly right. By the time Edward had arrived at her door, she felt like Cinderella, ready for the ball.