Kate ended up telling her about her new relationship with Thad that day, and it was obvious how happy she was. Scarlett thought it sounded perfect for her. Gemma confessed that she was terrified her career was in the tank and might never recover, although Scarlett thought that was unlikely and Gemma’s sisters agreed with her. She was a major star, and they all thought it was just a lull, a bad patch that she’d get through. At the end of lunch, Caroline blurted out that she and Peter were taking a break for the summer because she’d discovered his affair. Scarlett turned to her and told her not to come to any rapid conclusions, not to listen to other people’s advice, and follow her heart. They had seventeen years invested in their marriage, and two children, no one knew their marriage as they did. The twenty-three-year-old was lightweight compared to that, and probably wouldn’t last.
“But how would I ever trust him again?” Caroline asked with tears in her eyes.
“You won’t at first, and maybe not even for a long time. Love will get you through it, if you genuinely love each other. We’re all human, and sometimes we make terrible mistakes. What’s important is that you learn from them. I don’t know your husband, whether he’s a good man or not. If he isn’t, you’ll have to have the courage to get away from him before he takes you down. If he is, it might be worth staying with him and giving him another chance. You’ll know what you need to do. Some time to yourself now will do you good.” Caroline felt peaceful. It struck a chord with her. She thought Peter was a good man and a good husband and father, even if he was cold and pompous sometimes, but underneath it all, they loved each other, or they had. What she needed to know now was if he still loved her, and if she could forgive him. She didn’t know the answer to that yet.
She was quiet on the drive back to the ranch and turned to her sisters with a serene look on her face.
“I like having a mother. She’s nice. I really missed that growing up. Dad was always telling us what to do. He never listened. She doesn’t do that. I wish we’d found her a long time ago. He really cheated us of that.” She didn’t look angry, just sad.
“I wish we had too,” Gemma said with a smile. “She reminds me of Kate a lot. She doesn’t go off half-cocked like me and react, or hide like you. She’s strong and quiet and sensible, like Kate.” They all smiled and Kate was touched by the compliment.
It had been a nice visit. It had been every time. She brought something new and important to their lives. They would never get back the years they had lost, but she had come back at just the right time, for all three of them. They needed her now, maybe more than they ever had.
* * *
—
Juliette left on her trip to France the day before their annual summer picnic. She was sorry to miss it, but she was meeting her brother, and she admitted to Kate that the picnic would be too hard for her this year without Jimmy. She had been very brave about continuing her life there without him, and Kate dropped in on her frequently, but she seemed lonely and sad. He hadn’t been gone long, so she hadn’t had time to adjust, but her life on the ranch was empty without him. She had done the books diligently until she left, and all three girls came to say goodbye and hugged her.
“We’re going to miss you,” Kate said gently. “See you at the end of August.” Juliette shed a few tears when she left and Thad drove her to the airport. She was flying to L.A. to make her connection to Paris, where she was going to stay with her brother for a few days, and then they were driving to Bordeaux and visiting friends there. And after that, they’d go to the house in the Camargue. It was going to be a nice trip for her.
* * *
—
After Juliette left, they had their huge annual picnic for all the ranch hands and employees, their families and neighboring ranchers. Two hundred people came for great food, delicious barbecue, and a