“I heard Nova open the back door, and it made me recall a book I wanted to order,” he said.
Cat saw right through that ruse. She turned to go back inside. “I see. I’m sorry I interrupted you.”
“I was just telling Nova what a fine meal you made,” Garner said. He rubbed his belly. “Salmon like that do not swim in this state.”
“It does smell delicious.”
Cat was forced to pause and acknowledge the compliment with eye contact. Her ire rose at Garner’s bald-faced bridge building.
“Thank you,” she said. “You’re very kind. I’m sorry it’s gone, or I’d invite you in.”
A terrible idea came to Cat just then, while Nova was standing there at the threshold, suggesting that she’d gladly eat Cat’s food while she turned up her nose at Cat’s medical savvy. To be born to a woman so cold and aloof, so uncaring of others’ feelings, could only be a tragedy. What did Nova think—that books were all a child needed to thrive?
Cat would show her what savvy was.
“Wait. I just remembered.” She turned to the table where she’d placed the two bags of rolls. “Garner, you wouldn’t mind if I gave her one of your bags, would you?” She smiled at him.
“Oh, Nova, these are a treat.” Garner reached out for the bag Cat had picked up. “You have never tasted homemade rye like this.”
“Please, take it,” Cat said, “I insist.”
Nova’s face was stone, but slowly she reached out and took the gift.
“I dare you to eat just one,” Garner said. “I ate four of them myself tonight.”
“Thank you. That’s very kind. I’ll call you when your book comes in, Mr. Remke.”
“Thanks, dear.”
Nova descended, her footsteps lighter than whispering feathers. She didn’t promise to eat the rolls, but Cat figured a small-town bookseller sure wasn’t going to throw away free, nutritious, homemade food. And when she ate enough, she’d come running to Cat for consolation and restoration for sure.
23
Beth funneled the pain of her mother’s expulsion into making a focused plan that did not include giving power of attorney to anyone. With the burial of her father behind her, she went to her room to change and then paced at her window.
She was grateful that Lorena was out.
Beth quickly ruled out the option to stay on the Blazing B and go along with her mother’s plan. She was legally outmuscled, and once done, developing this land would be an irreversible choice.
If her father would send her to find Garner Remke, it meant that Garner Remke could be found. And it didn’t really matter that Rose had symbolically buried the man. Her husband’s wishes should count for something.
With her bedroom door locked to dissuade Lorena from entering unannounced, Beth packed a small backpack that wouldn’t draw attention if anyone saw her driving off with it. A change of clothes, money, her laptop and cell phone, a map that showed the location of Burnt Rock, a Swiss army knife.
It would have been nice to have a full week to prepare for a weekend away from home that might turn into a winter away. Instead, she stuck with her original intention to leave in the dark hours of Sunday morning, as if she were going to work as usual. But she wouldn’t go to the feed-and-tack. Instead she would stop in Del Norte for some food and other necessities before heading west.
It took her all of five minutes to pack. After that, the evening hours stretched ahead of her. She stayed in her room, studying the map. The San Luis Valley resembled the portrait silhouette of a wolf looking westward, as if its attention had been captured by some scurrying rabbit in Utah that wasn’t worth a chase. Tomorrow she would drive into the mountains via the wolf’s snout. Already she sensed its inhospitable snarl.
She missed Herriot.
She got on her laptop and Googled “Garner Remke Burnt Rock” and found a folksy, unsophisticated website devoted to medicinal herbs. Garner’s Garden. It had a Burnt Rock post office box number that matched the one on her mother’s wedding card, but the website was last updated two years ago. The phone number published there directed her call to a recorded message that said they were open for orders Monday through Friday. If she left a message a customer service representative would be happy to return her call.
“This is Beth Borzoi. I’m trying to reach Garner Remke. It’s an urgent family matter. Please call me back as soon as you