The Cherry Blossoms (20 page)

Her grandfather, dressed for bed, sat at the small table where he took his breakfast each morning.  “Danny, come sit with me.”

Danny slowly walked to the table, dreading what she was about to hear.  “Danny, you look like you’re approaching the hanging gallows.  Get over here.”

She eased her body into the chair, and waited for him to speak.  “First, I need to tell you that I love you with a love, so vast that it spans the universe.  I will always be grateful for the great times that we’ve shared.”  Tears started running down her face. “Second, all my probate material is in the folder in the top drawer of my desk in the den.  My attorney can walk you through anything that you need.”  He took her hand in his, and then continued.  “In my will, I have given Betty one million dollars.  She’s gonna fight you that it’s too much money, but I’m putting my trust in you to make sure she takes it.  Betty’s always been a loyal friend.  If she wants to keep working, I would ask you to let her work.  When she can’t work anymore, please make this her home for as long as she chooses to live here.  Please give strong consideration to keeping on all the ranch hands.  Last, now that I’ve met and spoken with Michal, I think that he’s a buffoon and hope that you steer clear of him.”  

Danny laughed, “That’s a promise I can keep.”

“Come give this old man a hug and kiss good night.”

When she hugged him, she whispered into his ear, “Grandpa, thank you for being my grandpa.”  He patted her on the back and when she stepped away, she saw tears in his eyes.

Danny had forgotten that she’d told Michal that she would spare him a few moments to speak.  She held back her tears as she went down the staircase to the living room.  He was nowhere to be found, so she trudged back up the stairs to her bedroom.

Chapter Seven

Franktown, Colorado

Danny tossed and turned in her bed for over an hour.  Just as she drifted off to sleep, she heard someone tapping on the door.  Assuming it was Michal, she pulled the blanket over her head, as a small child would to keep the closet monsters at bay.  Secure in her blanket castle, she heard the tapping start again.  This time; however, it sounded louder and more insistent.  If she shouted to tell him to go away, she’d end up waking her grandfather.  Danny heard soft footsteps walk away from the door.

Pleased that Michal took the hint, she rolled onto her side, to get some sleep.  When she heard the sound of a key in her door, Danny jumped out of bed.  She tucked her fingers into fists.  She spread her feet to shoulder width, lowered her center of gravity and felt ready to defend her body against whom ever came through the door.  Breaking into her bedroom was bit much even for Michal.

She saw the door open just a crack.  She shifted her weight on the balls of her feet.  The room was dark, so she had the element of surprise on her side.  She stopped breathing, so that he wouldn’t be able to find her in the dark. 

The room was suddenly ablaze with light.  The bright light caused her eyes to squint.  Danny couldn’t focus her eyes to find her assailant. She started throwing punches into the air in front of her hoping to hear a thud when she connected a punch to her attacker’s gut.  She heard someone exhale.  She held her breath, brought her fists to her chest, and pivoted her body to find her center of gravity, so that when she located where the intruder had exhaled, she’d be ready.

She heard Garrett chuckle, “Danny, what the hell are you doing?”

Standing in her bed lingerie, she told him, “I thought Michal was trying to get into my bedroom.  Tell me why the hell you unlocked my door with a key, when you were the very person who told me to lock it?”

In a serious voice, “Nana sent me to collect you.”

Still standing with her fists in front of her, she started to weep, “It’s Grandpa, isn’t it?”

“Yes it is.”

When Danny headed toward the door, Garrett stopped her, “What the fuck are you doing?”

“I think you have time to put on something, like a bathrobe.   You probably have enough time to pull on some clothes.  While that thing you’re wearing is sexy, I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to show up in your grandfather’s bedroom wearing it.”

Danny looked down at her lingerie; she was standing half-naked in front of her grandfather’s foreman.   “I’ll dress and meet you in his bedroom.”

“No can do.  I was given strict orders to bring you to his bedside.”   With a shit ass grin on his face, he leaned his shoulder against the door frame.

“You are such an asshole.”  Danny grabbed her jeans and a flannel shirt.  She held them in front of her body as she rushed into the bathroom to change.

Dressed, she pushed past him and ran down the hall to her grandfather’s bedroom.  The room was washed in a soft yellow light from the one lamp on his bed table.  Nana was on the far side of the bed holding Matt’s hand.  She quietly told him, “Danny’s here.”  Danny knelt on the floor beside his bed and took his free hand.  “I’m here, Grandpa.”

His eyes were closed, but a small smile appeared on his lips.  He tried to say something, but his voice was too soft to hear.  Without letting go of his hand, Danny stood.  She then leaned over his still body, so that she could hear him whisper to her, “Danny McPherson, it’s time for you to take on your role as the McPherson Ranch owner.  Do me proud child.  I’ll be watching over you, so that you are never alone.”

With that said, his hand went limp in hers.  Danny lay across his chest crying.  “No, don’t go just yet.  Please don’t go.”

Garrett put his arms around her and lifted her to stand.  Her body was trembling as her waves of sobbing washed tears onto his shirt.  He held her tightly to his chest while talking softly in her ear. “Danny, it’s going to be okay.  He died peacefully.  He just drifted away.  Matt loved you so much.  Even in death, he’ll always be there for you.”

When her chest stopped heaving the sobs of tears onto his shirt, he released her and looked to Nana.  Nana came around the bed to wrap her arms around Danny.  They stood together crying until there were no more tears to shed.  They continued to cling to one another until their emotions were spent.  They stepped back to face each other
as Nana told her, “I don’t think Matt loved anyone more than he loved you.  I’ll give you a few minutes alone with him, while I put coffee on for the ranch hands that will be coming in soon.  Garrett’s called the funeral home to come collect him, so someone should arrive shortly.”

When Nana left, Danny sat on the side of her grandfather’s bed to talk with him.  “Grandpa, while I will miss you; I made you a promise that I intend to keep.  You gave so much to me and I will regret for the rest of my life that I never thanked you as much as I should have.  You filled my heart with treasured memories.”  Tears ran down her face.  “I promise to do my best to live up to your expectations for me.”

She didn’t see that Garrett had entered the room, until he excused himself, “Danny, the funeral home attendants are here.  Do you need a little more time?”

“Thank you for offering, but no, I don’t.  Can you please let me get into the kitchen, before they take him away?”

Nana was sitting alone drinking a cup of coffee when Danny walked into the kitchen.  She told Danny, “It’s still much too early to wake the staff.  I needed something to do, so I made a pot of coffee.”

Danny poured a cup of coffee and sat across the table from her Nana.  The two women who Matt had treasured the most, sat quietly, listening for the front door to close as the attendants took him to the funeral home.

“Matt picked out the suit he wants to be buried in.  I’ll have Garrett drive it over later today.  Someone needs to do his eulogy and write up an obituary for the paper.”

Danny stared into her cup of coffee.  “I don’t think that I can do that.”

“Yes, you can.”

“I wouldn’t know what to write or say.  Can you do it?”

Nana reached across the table and took Danny’s hand into hers.  “I wish I could do this for you, but I can’t.  If you speak from your heart, you won’t go wrong.”

When Garrett entered the kitchen, he nodded to Betty, indicating that Matt McPherson’s body had been taken away.

“Danny, I need you to go upstairs, take a shower and return to the kitchen, so that Garrett, you and I will be here to tell the ranch hands.”

Standing in the shower, Danny let the sound of running water drown out the sound of her sobs.  While she’d known she’d been called home for her grandfather’s demise, it was shocking to her that he was gone forever.  She chided herself that she should have flown home more often; she should have insisted that he join her for a vacation in Paris.  He knew she was taking over the ranch out of obligation and that thought felt horribly selfish as the hot water ran down her shivering body.

She turned off the shower and stood in the stall to think about his request.  In those short minutes, she told her weary mind that she had made a promise to the man she loved with every part of her soul; and that she had every intention of keeping that promise.  After drying the tears from her face along with the shower water from her body, she chose a pair of black wool slacks and a white silk blouse to wear today.

Garrett was waiting at the foot of the staircase.  He held out his elbow for her to take.  She smiled, “Thank you”, and allowed him to escort her into the kitchen.

The ranch hands held their hats in their hands and it appeared to Danny that every single one of them focused on the floor as they shuffled their boots.  Garrett stood beside her, and his presence gave her the strength to speak.

“Matt McPherson passed away during the night.  I promised him that I would take on the responsibilities of running the ranch.  My Grandpa told me how proud he was of everyone who works for the McPherson Ranch.   He has bequeathed each of you a ten thousand dollar trust.  He asked that if you wish to remain employed here, you may do so for as long as you choose.  I think that it’s extremely important that you understand that I don’t know diddle about ranching, so I’m counting on all of you to correct me when I’m wrong.” 

Not knowing what else to say, she looked up at Garrett for some guidance.  “Matt’s been taken to the funeral home; however, once he’s been embalmed, they’ll bring him back to the ranch.  We’ll hold a viewing in the living room this evening and tomorrow evening as well.  The service and interment will take place the following morning.  Matt was born on this ranch, so he asked that we bury him in the family plot.  If anyone’s up for it I’ll need some help moving furniture away from the area where his casket will sit.”

Randy stepped forward, “This is probably not the right time for me to say this, but we still got ourselves a ranch to run.  Garrett, take as many men as you think you need, but the rest of them will need to work with me.”

“I’ll only need two, three at the most.”

Three men stepped forward to volunteer to help Garrett.  He nodded to them.  When Michal turned to leave, he asked Daniella if he could please speak with her.

She stood staring at him as if he were a stranger in her home.  He asked again, “Please say something, even if it is to tell me that you want me to leave.”

“Michal, I’ll give you five minutes and not a minute more.  Let’s go out onto the front porch.”

He followed her as if he were a small puppy in training.  Once on the porch, she turned to face him, “You have just five minutes, so don’t waste them.”

“Daniella, I know that what I did was wrong.  There is nothing that I can ever do to make it up to you.  It is also likely that you will never forgive my indiscretions, and I understand that.  While I came here to beg for your forgiveness, I know now that you did not warrant my awful behavior.  In the few days that I have worked on the ranch, I am a new man.  In Paris, I was, as you Americans say, king of the hill, when in fact, here on the ranch, I am a peon.  I was put to the test when I worked alongside your ranch hands.  That test showed me that I can work hard physically and enjoy that hard work.  The ranch hands work together to make sure this ranch comes alive, while in Paris, I work doing what?  Editing a fashion magazine is nothing compared to helping disabled children.”

“Why did you lie to my grandfather about supporting children’s educational programs?”

“Those were not lies.  I have supported them for years.  I have the paperwork to prove to you my contributions.”

“I’m not certain why you are choosing to tell me this now, but your five minutes are up.”

“I’m trying to tell you rather poorly, that I would like to make a worthy contribution to the ranch.”

“As I said, your five minutes are up.  We’ll speak again if you are serious about making a contribution to our endeavors.”

She watched him walk away as she called Paris to let Grant know that her grandfather had passed over to the other side.  He recognized her caller ID, so he knew it was Daniella.

“Daniella, je suis tellement heureux d'entendre votre voix.  Tu nous as manqué beaucoup.”

“Grant, I can’t express in words, how much I miss you.  Is everyone okay?”

“La véritable question est, vous êtes d'accord ?”

“My grandfather died during the night.  For two evenings, we will have viewings here at the house, and then on Friday, we will hold a service.  We’ll inter him here on the ranch in the family plot.”