Chapter 5 #2
Buck nodded. “After Tammy let us know this morning that she was leaving, Joaquin came to me and asked if he could talk to you about someone who might be a good replacement for her. I told him I’d let him approach you, which is why I didn’t say anything before.”
“I’m glad he spoke up. I hope this’ll solve a big problem for me.
” Chance paused. “He let me know they have two kids, so I was thinking about letting them stay in that old cottage. It will need a little fixing up, though. Tammy can help supervise a couple of the hands. It definitely needs to be painted. Aired out. Floors scrubbed.”
“Just tell Tammy to let us know what needs to be done. We’ll handle it,” Buck assured him.
He took the reins from Buck and climbed atop Rebel. Joaquin came running toward him.
“You can call anytime, Mr. Chance. They already know I’m happy here.”
“Okay, I’ll head back to the house and do that. Thanks again, Joaquin.”
He went to the stables and handed off Rebel to Hank, the hand who worked with the horses. Returning to the house, he found Tammy in the kitchen, baking cookies. One batch had already come out of the oven and cooled on racks.
Snagging one, he bit into it. “Yum. There’s nothing like a peanut butter cookie. Hey, do you have time to do an interview with me?”
“Sure,” she said. “You’ve already got someone coming by?”
Quickly, he explained Joaquin’s pitch for his cousin and wife to take over the cooking and cleaning. He mentioned how the bunkhouse also needed more cleaning, and Tammy agreed.
“I keep the kitchen sparkling, but I know those boys can be a little lax regarding the rest of the place. Let’s just say that I wait to hit the restroom until I’m back here since their aim is not always the best.”
Chance laughed. “Let me grab my tablet—and another cookie—and then we’ll call them.”
The call went even better than he had expected. Tammy peppered the couple with questions and then told him that she was satisfied with what she’d heard.
“If Tammy is happy, that means my hands will be, too,” Chance told the pair, whose hopeful faces now bore smiles.
He named a salary and explained how they would be allowed to live in a three-bedroom house on the property, not far from the bunkhouse.
“I know you have two kids, and while my hands are respectful, their language is a little salty at times. Besides, this will give your family privacy and time together.”
Zeke said, “We are so grateful, Mr. Chance. This means everything to us. We liked working with Mr. Bart, but there’s no place for us now with him.”
“How soon can you get here?” Chance asked.
“The day after tomorrow,” Maria said. “It will give us time to pack and say goodbye to our family. They have been kind enough to let us stay with them.”
“Sounds good.” He gave them directions to Blackstone Ranch and added, “Tammy will be here for a couple of days to walk you through everything, but then you’ll be on our own.”
They ended the call, and Tammy said, “I can’t believe how fast we solved that problem, Chance. They’ll be here on Wednesday. I’ll stay through Friday. I’ll be in Waco by Saturday.”
She hugged him. “I need to start doing some packing. And I still have a few lists to compose to give to you. First thing, though, is to tackle the cabin.”
“Buck can pull as many men as you need to get it fixed. You’ll need to move quickly, though, especially since I think it needs painting.”
“Then I’ll go see him right now. We can move the furniture out and sweep and mop. I’ll send Hank into town for paint and anything else once I’ve had eyes on the place.”
He glanced at his watch. “I’m going to get cleaned up. I need to go into town for a bit myself.”
“See you later.”
Chance got into the shower, washing the smell of horse from him.
He dabbed on a bit of cologne and then shaved.
He wondered what to wear and then laughed.
Summer knew who he was, a cowboy, through and through.
No need to wear anything different from what he usually did, so he slipped into a fresh flannel shirt and clean jeans before tugging on a nicer pair of boots than those he wore in the field.
He tamed his hair as best he could and grabbed his cowboy hat and jacket, going to his truck. The drive into town only took ten minutes, and he parked on the square, finding a spot only two doors down from Coffee Hour.
When he entered, he waved at Ben, the owner, and said, “I’m meeting someone. We’ll order once she gets here.”
Ben’s brows shot up. Chance had been coming here ever since Ben opened the place.
And he had never met anyone. Much less a woman.
“Sounds good,” Ben replied, going back to polishing the counter, biting back a smile.
Chance glanced around, surprised that Summer wasn’t here.
She’d left him with the impression that she would be working on her novel at Coffee Hour before they met.
He looked at his watch, seeing it was five till two.
Big Jim had always said if you were five minutes early, that was barely on time, and Chance had lived by that his entire life.
He moved to the rear of the coffeehouse and took a seat facing the door so he could see Summer come in. Two o’clock came.
No Summer.
Five after.
Still no Summer.
Disappointment flooded him. He had looked forward to spending some time with her, getting to know the adult Summer Sutherland better. They had chatted a bit this past Christmas, the first time he’d seen her in several years. He’d found her interesting and funny. Maybe she had changed her mind.
Chance decided his time was too valuable to wait around for anyone, and he stood. Just as he did, the door to Coffee Hour opened, and Summer came flying in. She spied him and practically galloped across the room to him, her face flushed, breathing heavily.
“I ran,” she got out. “I couldn’t write here. They wouldn’t leave me alone, so I went to the park and I started writing and I got caught up and then the church bells rang and I was late and I’m sorry, Chance.”
All of that came out in a rush.
Summer looked directly into his eyes. “I was so afraid you wouldn’t wait. That you’d already be gone.” Then she sighed, a radiant smile spreading across her face. “But you did wait. And my heart is still racing. Partly from running.
“And mostly because I was eager to see you.”
Something inside him began to glow. It spread like wildfire through him. Chance stepped to her, resting his hands on her shoulders.
“I will always wait for you, Summer. I’m just glad you’re here now.”