Chapter Five
T he ambulance arrived after an agonizing twenty minutes, and he followed them to the hospital in his truck. He should have known. He should have seen this coming. Ray hadn’t been eating well or even trying for that matter. He should have seen how weak he was getting and forced him to see a doctor. But his father didn’t want any part of doctors. Or hospitals. Or getting well. He was determined not to fight whatever was happening to him. He’d given up.
There were a hundred tests and reams of questions for Cooper; many of which he didn’t have the answers to. It was a miserable feeling to know so little of your own father’s life, having been separated for as long as they had been. The attending doctor seemed to recognize Ray but said nothing. For that, Cooper felt grateful.
But he felt helpless watching them work without being able to help. The antiseptic smell of the hospital reminded him of the last time he was here, when his mother died. He’d been very young. It had been late at night and his father had scooped him out of bed and rushed him to the hospital. There had been a car accident. He saw her once. But only long enough to kiss her hand goodbye. The shock of seeing her that way pretty much erased his memory of that night for a long time. But the smell of this place brought that night back, like a pounding heartbeat behind his eyes.
“He’s awake,” Dr. Rigby, the attending ER doc said when he emerged from the curtained-off room. “But we need to keep him overnight. His electrolytes are all out of balance and his numbers are all skewed. He doesn’t want to talk about the cancer, but we can’t not consider that in our treatment. I’m going to work on him a bit more, see if I can elicit some more information. He’s going to be here overnight. Maybe—probably—for more than one night. I’ve given him a sedative and some palliative care for his pain. He’ll be asleep again soon. Do you want to see him first?”
Cooper nodded. But he was too late. His father was already asleep when he got in the room. For a long time, he just stood by his bedside and watched his chest rise and fall.
“This isn’t enough,” he whispered to the old man. “Not nearly enough time. I’m not ready for you to go, Dad. Do you hear me? I’m not letting you go this easy. We—you and I—are going to work this out. We’re gonna get through this.”
Maybe he imagined that his father squeezed his hand. But he tightened his fingers around his father’s for a long squeeze.
In the hallway, after, he dialed the Hard Eight, hoping Liam would answer. Instead, Shay did.
“Is Liam around?” he asked her.
“Just me. Everyone is outside doing chores.”
The sound of her voice made him suddenly aware of his heartbeat in his ears. “Can you give Liam a message for me?”
“Sure,” she said.
“I can’t make it in tomorrow. Maybe not for the next few days.”
“What? Are you okay?” She sounded worried now.
“I’m fine. It’s... personal. I just need—”
A code blue sounded over the intercom and, all around him, the sound of orderlies, nurses and doctors rushing down the hallway jerked his pulse again. He followed them halfway, until he saw them go into someone else’s curtained-off area. It wasn’t his father.
“Cooper, where are you?” Shay asked. “Are you at the hospital? Are you sick?”
“No. It’s not—Listen, just tell Liam—I’ve got to go.”
“Wait. Do you need someone to come? Cooper? I’m coming. I’ll be right there.”
“Please. Don’t,” he warned.
No one knew about his father yet. He hadn’t told anyone he’d come home. He wasn’t sure why. He’d wanted to give him time. Both of them time.
But she’d already hung up.
Cooper cussed, rubbing his forehead. It was one thing to hire him on, eight years past the whole scandal that had taken his family down. It very well might be something else entirely if they knew his father was fresh out of prison and living back in Marietta. With Cooper. Maybe they’d fire him. He needed that job. But how could he keep any of this a secret now?
Fifteen minutes later, Shay appeared at the entrance of emergency, scanning the waiting room for him. When she met his eyes, she exhaled, as if she’d been holding her breath.
He got to his feet as she approached him, thinking how glad he was to see a familiar face. Not just any familiar face. Hers.
“Cooper—” she said, stopping in front of him. “You’re okay.”
Was he? He wasn’t sure.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “What are you doing here?”
“You shouldn’t have come,” he said. “But I’m... grateful that you did.”
She nodded, waiting for him to tell her.
He tipped his chin in the direction of the ER beds. “It’s my father.”
Shock registered on her face. “Your father? But... isn’t he in—”
“He was released a week ago.” To her shocked expression, he explained, “I didn’t mention it because I didn’t want to stir up any trouble at the ranch or here in town. He did his time. That’s over now. But he’s sick. Very sick apparently.”
“Oh. Cooper. I... I’m really sorry.”
Cooper stared at his hands. “It’s cancer. But he doesn’t want to treat it. He refuses to see a doctor. Well—” He gestured around them. “He doesn’t have a choice now. But I think prison just... broke him.”
Shay reached for his hand and her fingers warmed his. “I-I’m so sorry. And you’ve been working so hard on the ranch. I can’t imagine that it’s been easy for you, taking care of him and trying to manage his care, too.”
When she released his hand, he tucked his arms against his chest. “Look, I know you and others around here have big feelings about my father, but I need the job, Shay.”
“I know. That’s not what I’m saying. Of course, you have the job. What are the doctors saying?”
“A day, maybe two here. Then, I’ll take him home. But he’s... he’s not taking care of himself. Not really eating well.”
“That’s bad. He shouldn’t be alone.”
“I know. But...”
She took a deep breath. “Then, bring him to the ranch. With us. You can use the apartment attached to the barn. Our old ranch manager, Holland Meeks, lived there forever. It’s not The Ritz, but it’s nice. There’s a kitchenette. A bedroom. He can be there where we can keep an eye on him during the day and you can stay there, too. For as long as you need. Make sure he eats and doesn’t fall.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t ask. I offered.”
Now he looked her in the eye. “But why? You didn’t even want me at the ranch, much less my father—”
“I know. I admit I was a little nervous about it,” she said, blushing. “But I’ve watched you work hard with Liam. He thinks you’re great. And Ryan can’t stop talking about you. How you are with the horses. So... apparently... every now and then I’m”—she leaned forward and whispered the next word—“ wrong. ”
“That was hard, huh?”
“You have no idea.” Shay bit back her grin. “So, it’s settled then. In a couple of days, you’ll bring him out to stay at the ranch. And he’ll eat. I mean, have you seen our vegetable garden? There’s bound to be something he likes there. I’ll tell Liam you’ll be out for a couple of days until then.”
He blinked up at her. “I know you didn’t want me working on the Hard Eight, because of our history.”
“That has nothing to do with you. And a girl can change her mind, can’t she?”
His throat felt like it had closed up on him. “Your family. Will they be okay with this? Having my father at your place?”
“Look at me. Do you think they’ll argue with this face? Now, about tonight. I can stay here with you for a while, or—”
“No. I got this. You go.”
“Are you going to stay here awhile, or do you need a ride home? Can I give you a lift?”
“I’m gonna wait until he gets a room, but I’ve got my truck. Thanks, Shay.”
“Sure.”
“No, I mean thank you. Really.” The smile she sent him seemed to crack some icy, frozen thing inside him.
“Okay, then. See you in a couple of days.”
Cooper watched her stride out the ER doors and disappear into the night, but it felt more like a force of nature had just exited the building. She was something. But then, she always had been. He wasn’t sure how to react to kindness like that anymore. He simply had no choice but to accept it.
He was still trying to get over her touching him the way she had. Taking his hand. Just a kneejerk kindness, he guessed. But he wished that touch had lingered just another minute.
Hell. There were times when even a grown-ass man needed a touch. A hug. Anything to beat off the damned loneliness.
He was reminded of his conversation with Trey Reyes about his wife and how he’d somehow changed his mind about being alone. How and when had he decided that he deserved that in his life?
Standing beside her just now reminded Cooper of how many times, as a teenager, when everything still seemed possible, he’d dreamed about being with her. She’d been so out of his league then, popular and beautiful, and him being the resident scholastic nerd she’d never looked at twice. But that summer after he went away to college, he’d dared to imagine—just for a moment—that she might turn his way. He’d gotten into Harvard; he’d finally grown into his body, and he’d lost the baby fat after spending a year building muscle in the gym.
But that summer, it wouldn’t be him. Instead, it was some rich, summer tourist kid that she’d set her sights on. Cooper remembered hearing that her twin brother Will had been against her seeing that guy. But he’d had to leave early to go to college and maybe that was partly why she got a little wild. All the campfire parties down by the river and rubbing shoulders with that boy’s wealthy family vacationing in town for the summer. And even from a mile away, Cooper could see that guy wasn’t worthy of her.
And then she was pregnant, and that boy was long gone.
From what he could see, Shay had raised Ryan alone. The fact she’d never married made no sense to him. There must have been a dozen guys from their class alone who would have married her. But here she was, still single, living with her mother and her son, worrying about him, sitting alone in a hospital waiting room. Making him feel... hopeful.
*
“Cooper Lane’s father? Staying here?” Sarah Hardesty paled and turned quickly away from Shay, staring out her living room window after Shay had explained what had happened the night before at the hospital.
Shay watched her, confused. Her mom was the most generous, inclusive person she knew, and it had been, after all, Sarah who had encouraged Shay to give Cooper Lane a chance in the first place. But this news hit her differently. A stranger—an ill, ex-con stranger at that—staying at your ranch, needing who knew what? Maybe she was thinking about Shay’s father who died suddenly only three years ago in that very barn where they would be staying. Maybe it was all too much? Shay should have considered all that before she offered.
“It will probably only be for a little while, while he recovers. I just felt like Cooper needed a little help and this was the best option, if we want to keep Cooper working with Liam,” Shay said. “Was I... was I wrong to offer?”
When Sarah turned back to her, there were tears in her eyes. “No. You weren’t wrong. We’ll do our best to make him feel welcome.”
“ Mom. What are you not telling me? Obviously, you have feelings about this.”
She swiped at her cheeks. “No. It’s nothing.”
“Seriously?”
Instead of answering, she reached for a hamper full of towels she had taken from the dryer and began to fold them.
“If you want me to rescind the offer I—”
“No. No, I don’t. For heaven’s sake. You’re reading too much into this. I’m just a little emotional today. I’m just... thinking about—oh, I don’t really know what I’m thinking about, but it has nothing to do with Ray.”
Ray? Not Mr. Lane or Cooper’s ex-con father? Shay tried to remember if her mother had even known Cooper’s dad back before everything went wrong. She couldn’t recall a connection. Unless it had been through her brother, Will, and the many sports teams he’d been on. She recalled Ray Lane had coached some of the park football teams when Will was young. “I promise it won’t mean more work for you. I got us into this. I’ll help out if he needs anything.”
Sarah sighed and patted her hand. “They’ll be needing some fresh sheets and bedding out there. Some food in the fridge. I’ve been wanting to clean that place up a bit for a while now. Here’s a good excuse.”
“That’s the exact opposite to what I meant when I said—”
“I need a distraction today anyway. This is a good thing. When did you say he’s coming?”
“A day. Maybe two?”
“You did the right thing, darling. I can always count on you for that.”
Sarah picked up the armful of towels and left Shay standing alone with her thoughts. Something was going on with her mom, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what.
There were a million things to worry about that didn’t include Ray Lane or Cooper. But she couldn’t stop thinking about him, sitting alone in the hospital waiting room. She should have guessed that it was his father who had brought Cooper back to Marietta. Why else would he have come? Certainly, he’d been unfairly targeted after his father’s conviction and had no love loss for this place. And yet... here he was. He surely could have taken his father back to Texas with him if he’d wanted. Sold the ranch. Used the money to buy something for them elsewhere after his father’s release. But he came here instead.
She had heard somewhere that Ray had never confessed to his crimes. Never, even to be eligible for parole. So, he’d served out his entire term claiming innocence. But now, he was apparently dying, and simply giving up? Accepting that fate without a fight? Why, after so many years of incarceration, fighting for the truth, would he simply give up now?
All those questions were none of her business. And she was determined not to pry. Her offer to help was a simple one and she had no intention of getting involved in their family issues beyond doing what she could to lessen Cooper’s burden. In a strictly platonic way.
But the memory of taking his hand in hers in the waiting room wouldn’t quit her. As inconvenient as it was disturbing, the memory niggled at her—as usual. God, why couldn’t she let things go? There was no going back to change it. She’d done it. She just hoped he didn’t read anything into that touch. That was the last thing she wanted. Right?
Definitely.
Absolutely.
Not really at all.
Cooper had settled his father—his recalcitrant father—into the cozy apartment attached to the small barn this morning. Shay had been there to greet them, as had Sarah and Liam. That the family was on board with Shay’s plan for keeping Ray there as he healed was a comfort, not only to her, but apparently, to Cooper as well. Ray was the lone dissenter, clearly not wanting to be a burden to anyone. He’d fought hard against the idea, but in the end, surrendered to Cooper’s decision.
Shay didn’t miss the look on his father’s face though when he’d first seen Sarah. The sight of her seemed to take years off his face in an instant.
“Mrs. Hardesty,” he’d said, touching the brim of his ever-present hat.
Whatever her mother was thinking, she masked her feelings well. “Ray.” It seemed almost intentional that she used his first name and not his last.
“It’s been a while,” he said.
“Yes,” Sarah said. “Yes, it has. I hope you’re feeling better. Cooper said you were in the hospital.”
“I told him I’d be fine at home, but he strong-armed me over here. A man doesn’t want to admit he needs help. But I—we—thank you for having us. We won’t overstay our welcome.”
“Nonsense. The apartment comes with the job. We offered it to Cooper already, so one more person there is no problem at all. And we’re glad Cooper won’t have to worry, you bein’ so far away.”
Ray looked simply embarrassed by the whole thing.
“It’ll save me the long drive back home at night,” Cooper said. “It’s a win-win for both of us.”
It was easy to see where Cooper had gotten his looks. Ray Lane was still a handsome man, and Shay guessed he was only in his late fifties, like her mom. The silver at his hairline edged his once dark hair, but his eyes reminded her of Cooper’s—a mossy green, limned with near black.
The last few years had taken their toll on him. The deep crevices in his cheeks which might have been dimples once had been deeply carved by the trouble the last decade had brought him. He looked tired more than anything. Except when his eyes met her mom’s.
“I hope you’ll be comfortable here,” Sarah told him. “I put fresh linens on the bed and there’s a fold-out sofa for you, Cooper, with extra linens. There’s some food in the fridge. If you need anything, I left my cell number on the counter. Just call up to the house.”
“Appreciate that,” Cooper said.
“I won’t be making any more work for you,” Ray said. “Don’t trouble yourself.”
“It’s no trouble at all, Ray.” She looked flustered and flushed to Shay, but that seemed to have nothing to do with the early September heat. Sarah scrubbed her palms against her worn denims. “I’ll stop by later to make sure you’re all settled. If that’s all right.”
Ray nodded, finally meeting her eye after avoiding it for most of the conversation.
The two of them held each other’s gaze for a good ten seconds with some indefinable something going on before Sarah nodded and Ray and Cooper walked back to his new digs and closed the door. Shay definitely got the vibe that there was more going on between these two than met the eye. Literally.
“You didn’t mention that you knew Ray Lane,” Shay said after they’d gone back to the apartment.
“Didn’t I? We didn’t know each other well,” she said, still staring at the closed door. “Just acquaintances. But it was a long time ago.”
Sarah wandered back to the main house then, leaving Shay and Liam staring after her.
“What is up with that?” Liam asked.
“I was going to ask you the same question.”
“Huh. Probably just our imagination that they seemed—”
“Right. No question. Just Mom being... Mom.”
As Sarah walked into the house, Liam and Shay exchanged knowing looks.
“ Riii-ght ,” they both agreed and went their separate ways.
*
It was late afternoon when Sarah knocked on the door to the apartment where Ray and Cooper were staying. Cooper was off working with Liam and everyone else had gone to town. When Ray answered, and saw her standing there, his hard fa?ade crumbled.
“Sarah.”
“Hello, Ray. May I come in?”
He opened the door wider and let her in. They stood in awkward silence for a long moment before Ray gestured for her to sit on the comfy sofa near the electric fireplace.
They both spoke at once.
“You look—”
“You’re—”
“Sarah, I—”
Finally, Sarah took the lead. “I wanted to just say thank you for not saying anything about—”
“Us?” he finished.
“Yes,” she said. “About us, before we had the chance to talk.”
Ray rubbed his forehead. “Nothing really to tell, is there?”
The look she gave him belied that. But no one knew that better than him. “We never got the chance to talk after you were... arrested.”
“It was better that way,” he said. He didn’t really want to dig all this up again. There was no call to bring Sarah into this.
“Better for who?” she said. “I tried to visit you up there. Several times. I lied to Tom about where I was going. But they said you wouldn’t see me.”
“It needed to be over. We needed to be over. You had your family to think of. Nothing ever really happened, did it? Between us, I mean.”
Sarah stood and filled a teakettle with water and put it on to boil, her back turned to him so he wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes. “Except it did in a way that changed everything. In my heart, that is. I... I loved you, Ray.” He said nothing and she turned back to him. “Did you love me? Or did I just dream all that up? Because sometimes, I’ve convinced myself of that.”
Once upon a time , was how it felt—what had happened between them. It had all begun innocently enough, as a friendship. They’d known each other, tangentially, for years, since before he’d lost his wife a decade before. For a while, they’d attended the same church, but Ray had stopped going altogether after he’d lost Cooper’s mother. But one season of Will’s football when Ray had assistant coached had caught Sarah at a time when her relationship with Tom was particularly bad, or more accurately nonexistent. Tom was distracted with the ranch business and, worse, angry all the time. About what, she didn’t know.
But Ray was kind and funny and all the things she wished Tom could have been, but never would be. They’d run into each other in town, accidentally at first, then on purpose for coffee, or lunch, or sometimes for a long drive into the country where they’d talk about all the things she could never talk about with Tom. Her feelings. Her dreams. Her needs. And his, too.
And yes, they’d kissed. They’d nearly done more, but Sarah wouldn’t until she’d ended things with Tom. She planned on leaving him because the kids were all grown, and it was finally her time. But then, suddenly, it was all over, with Ray being accused and convicted of a crime she knew he couldn’t have—wouldn’t have—committed. That was the end of her dream. Her hope. In the tumultuous and confusing time afterward, she hadn’t the nerve to leave Tom, who, years afterward, admitted he knew about them. She still wondered why she hadn’t the courage to go.
“You know I did love you,” Ray answered finally. “But it wasn’t meant to be.”
She turned to him. “Why didn’t you fight the charges? Fight for us?”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter—”
“To me it does. Can you explain it to me? Why would you just let them railroad you like that?”
“Evan,” Ray corrected, staring at his hands. “Evan Clulagher set me up. Laid it out carefully to frame me. Laundered money through my accounts and then disappeared it. Then he disappeared. There was only me left to take the fall for his crimes. My only crime was not paying closer attention. Trusting him.”
Sarah fisted her hands. “You’ll never convince me he didn’t stage his own death. You and I both know he’s off somewhere, living high on all that money he stole.”
“Or he’s dead.”
She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. “If there is any justice in the world. Evan didn’t do all that cattle rustling alone. He had partners who went to prison, too. They could have cleared you.”
Ray shrugged and stood as the teakettle began to whistle. He took it off the burner and set it aside. “Let it go, Sarah. It’s over.”
It wasn’t over and both of them knew it.
She exhaled sharply and poured hot water into two cups from the cupboard, trying to make her hands stop shaking. “You still drink tea?”
“Not for a long time. Prison’s more a coffee kind of place.”
She made tea anyway and handed him a cup. “You aren’t well. And I hear you’re not getting treatment.”
His cheeks flushed with color. “That’s my decision.”
“To die? Without even giving us a chance?”
That brought his gaze up to hers. “That chance has passed.”
“Has it?”
“I’m an ex-con now, Sarah. A pariah. I’m not the man I used to be. Your children, kind as they are, don’t want me here. The town doesn’t want me.”
“Since when do you care what everyone thinks about—”
“Since my old life disappeared and I am unrecognizable. Even to myself.”
“ I know you,” she said, taking his hand. “ I know your heart. I know you were innocent of what they said you did. But you have a chance now to start again. And you can’t just give that up. I’m asking you not to give that up.”
He took his hand away. “Is that why you’re here? To talk me into treatment?”
“No. Yes. Partly,” she admitted. “But, Ray, you know why I’m here.”
“I appreciate you letting us stay here. But what’s past is past. Done is done. Some things are meant to be, and some things aren’t. You and me? No, Sarah. I’m not that man anymore.”
She set her tea down carefully. “Ray, I don’t claim to even know what you went through these last eight years. It must have been terrible. And it had to change you. I know that. And I also know it will be hard to risk coming back to your life. No one thinks it won’t be. But if you won’t do it for me, then do it for Cooper. He needs you.”
“He’s a grown man.”
“Who loves you and wants you to stay.”
Ray scowled down at his tea and refused to meet her eye.
She stood to go. “You may think you can just disappear, Ray. Fade away and no one will notice. But you’re wrong about that. So, don’t get too comfortable being a ghost on my ranch. Because I see you. We all see you. You’re still alive, and you’re finally free. That alone is something to fight for.”
That was when Cooper burst through the door and stopped dead at the sight of her and his father obviously having words.
“Uh,” he said, his gaze seesawing between them. “Oh. I-I forgot my, uh—Hi, Sarah.”
Tight lipped, his father looked away.
“Oh, hello, Cooper,” Sarah said.
“I’m sorry,” Cooper said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt—”
“No, I was just leaving,” she said with an even smile. “Bye, Cooper. Ray?” Then, she walked out and let the door snick quietly in its frame.
Cooper turned to his father. “Everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine.”
“Looked like you two were in the middle of something. You look... upset.”
“Nope. What’d you forget?”
He could deny it all he wanted, but Cooper sensed something had happened between them. “My digital protractor. I left it in my bag.” He glanced at the two cups of tea still steaming beside each other. “Why did Sarah stop by?”
“It’s her ranch. She can go wherever she wants.”
“Just that you look a little... flustered about it.”
“Flustered? I’m not flustered. And do I get any privacy around here without you asking a hundred questions?”
“Okay, McCrabby.” Cooper knew surrender was his only option. “Might as well drink that tea, since she went to all the trouble of makin’ it for you.”
Ray gave Coop the side-eye. “How do you know I didn’t make it for her?”
“Just a hunch. But next time, maybe you should.”
Ray took a sip of tea and winced at the heat. “Next time, maybe I will.”
*
Another busy week passed on the ranch with building projects, cattle moving, and finally, a quick trip to the Marietta rodeo for all of them. That was a time to connect with friends they hadn’t seen in a while and to just let loose for the finals night and watch the show. There were incredible bull rides, calf-roping, barrel racing, and more. The horses and bulls were every bit the extreme athletes the riders were and fun to watch. Mostly, the animals kept the upper hand, which—when they weighed that much in pure muscle and strength—is as it should be.
Cooper noticed that Ryan seemed more interested in a pretty, dark-haired girl from his school than in the show. And Cooper didn’t miss the looks she was giving Ryan either.
Somewhere around ten that night, he spotted them sharing cotton candy near the stables, deep in conversation about a particular horse. Cooper marveled at how fast a transition kids made from being just kids to being interested in each other. At fourteen, Ryan was already not a little kid anymore, but moving into that next stage. Precursor, he supposed, to the one where your heart either got broken or you found yourself at last.
Cooper wasn’t quite sure where he himself landed on that spectrum. Perhaps he’d find his answer right here in Marietta. That, or he’d be done with this place for good.
Shay chose a seat next to him in the bleachers and seemed to enjoy herself, cheering the athletes on. Once or twice she even grabbed his arm in alarm when a bull pulled some dangerous stunt with a rider. He tried not to feel encouraged by her unsolicited squeezes that night, but he was happy to be her touchstone whenever she needed him.
Will and Izzy came to dinner a few nights later and, over dessert, the conversation turned to the wedding that everyone was expecting to happen sometime during the Christmas holidays. As the women discussed colors and catering, Will, Ryan, and Liam zoned out over fantasy football picks. Which was actually fine with Izzy.
She was the one pushing back on any formal ceremony, considering her sketchy history with weddings. Only last summer, she’d endured a humiliating wedding debacle, from which Will had rescued her, driving her in his limo from Texas to Seattle, with a rather life-changing pit stop at the Hard Eight. Turned out, they were meant to be. Now, wild horses couldn’t pull those two apart and Shay was happy for them. Izzy had become like a sister to them all and Shay already loved her like one.
With long blond hair and dark violet eyes, Izzy couldn’t be more the antithesis of her moneyed background. She was down-to-earth, funny, and had a laugh that was contagious. She fit right in here, like now, jumping in to wash the dinner dishes and catching Shay up on their recent visit to Seattle.
“Literally, this gigantic salmon missed my face by mere inches as these two fish mongers tossed it back and forth up at Pike Place Market,” she said, laughing, handing Shay a rinsed plate. “And while Will yanked me out of the way because I wasn’t paying any attention, I’m pretty sure those two would never have hit me. They’re like jugglers—only with slimy fish!”
Shay laughed. “And did you buy it? The fish?”
“Me? Cook on vacation? That would be sacrilege, really. No. But we did have fun talking to the juggler brothers after. One of them held a PhD in medieval history and used to teach at Oxford, and the other one was a former Special Forces Marine. But they were happy as clams with their work there. Just goes to show you. You can’t judge a book by its cover. And the market itself had all kinds of cute stuff and we found a few fun décor pieces for the glamping tents there.
“And later that day, we ate at a cute little place on Bell Harbor with fresh oysters and unbelievable seafood that melted us into little puddles of incandescent joy. And it made us want to live near the ocean.”
Shay looked up, stricken.
“But only for a minute,” Izzy quickly assured her. “And really just for the fresh oysters. We missed this place terribly, even with all the fabulous shopping there and seeing my friend, Carrie, and her three babies, who were adorable. The Pacific Northwest is gorgeous with all the trees and the water, but nothing really compares to Montana.”
“Even with the long winters?” Shay asked, knowing that winters here were especially hard on newbies.
“Even so. I mean, it’s just an excuse to cuddle in front of the fire, right?”
Shay sighed. “Sadly, Ryan is not into cuddling anymore. Fourteen, you know?”
“Welp. I guess that just means you’ll have to find another cuddling partner.” She glanced out the window at Cooper in the pens. “What about him?”
Shay found herself blushing, unable to stop it. “What about him?”
Izzy shrugged. “Liam says he’s a good guy. And you have to admit he’s hot.” At Shay’s sideways look, she added. “What? I’m taken, but I’m not dead. And you do realize that I have two almost sisters-in-law who are in dire need of cuddle partners.”
Izzy ducked, laughing as Shay splashed five fingers full of soapy water at her. “I’ve managed to make it this far on my own, and I’m certainly not in dire need of any man.” She slid a stack of dry plates into the cupboard.
“Okay. Maybe not dire need,” Izzy agreed. “Maybe I was overstating. What I meant was, it would be nice, and what’s wrong with him?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Do you two have history?”
“No,” she said quickly. “Not really. Though I’ve known him forever. It’s just not a good idea. He works for us now and besides, there’s his father...”
“I heard about that, too. So, you lump Cooper in with all that business with his dad?”
“No.” Maybe. “Of course not. It’s just that I’m not looking to get involved with anyone right now. Especially someone as complicated as Cooper.”
“I wasn’t looking last summer, either. Especially after what my ex, Theo, did. I was technically, and in every other way, finished with relationships. But then...” She sighed. “There was Will. I was lucky, I guess. But some part of luck is being present. In the moment. Not worrying about yesterday or tomorrow. At least, I think so.”
“I’m a single mom. I have to worry about those things.”
Izzy clucked her tongue. “Listen to me, giving you advice. You’re my role model for the best mom. Because, as you may have heard, my own mom wouldn’t win any awards in that department. And I’m just kind of figuring out how all the rest of this works. So, just ignore me.”
“Hey,” Shay said. “I’ll never ignore you. I may not take your advice, but I’ll never ignore you. Because I think you’re wise beyond your years, Izzy. And Will couldn’t have made a better choice in you. This whole thing with Cooper and his father... it’s tricky. But it’s mostly me being stuck worrying about other people’s opinions, trying to get this guest ranch going, and also me being totally out of practice with men. I thought I knew who he was, but every day, he strips away another piece I was wrong about, tosses it aside. Now I’m really not sure who he is.”
Izzy winked and handed her another plate to dry. “Finding out can be half the fun.”