Chapter Thirteen
D arby pulled up in Emma’s driveway and turned off the key. The faint ticking of the cooling engine was loud in the silence of the cabin.
“Well?”
Emma bit down on her lip to keep her amusement to herself. This was fun. “Well what?”
The soft leather of the car seat creaked under Darby’s wet behind as she turned to glare at Emma. “Who is it? Why didn’t you tell me right away?”
The giggle she’d been holding on to slipped free, filling the car’s interior. She faced Darby, grinning widely. “You should see your face! It’s priceless. That’s why. It was too much fun seeing you like this.”
Darby’s mouth worked, but nothing came out. She huffed and closed her eyes. “Fine.”
Emma tapped Darby on her arm, her humour tamping down a notch. “I was only playing with you. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
Darby cracked an eye and glared at her. “Really? Well, I do.”
Emma opened the door and paused before stepping out. “That’s a shame. I was hoping you’d help me eat the custard Danish I got at the bakery this morning while I tell you all about it. Looks like I’ll have to eat them all by myself.”
She got out and climbed her front steps, only to hear the car door open and close behind her. She held back a smile as Darby spoke.
“It’d better be an apple-custard Danish.”
*
A caramel-coloured nose pressed against the back screen door when Emma walked into the kitchen. How had he gotten out? She was sure she’d shut the door to his small barn before she left. An involuntary smile widened her mouth as she hurried over to open it and let him into the kitchen.
“Hello, baby.”
She kneeled down and reached out a hand to stroke the top of Ralph’s head as he bounced to the side, excited to see her. Ralph jumped forward and butted his blunt head into her arm, grabbed the sleeve of Gabe’s borrowed shirt in his mouth and tugged. Her laughter filled the kitchen, drowning out the sound of Darby’s feet on the floorboards.
“Looks like he’s settled in fine.”
Emma patted his soft, downy head and glanced over her shoulder at Darby. “He’s just so damned cute.” She scrubbed behind the calf’s ear. “I’m not so hot on the poop factor though. For a little fellow, he sure can make a mess.”
Darby’s warm smile proved her earlier gripe was forgotten. “I hope you aren’t keeping him in the house. That’s just asking for trouble.”
Emma shook her head. “No, but he does come in every now and then, just for a pat. He follows me everywhere. I keep the doors shut, so he can only go in the hall and in here.”
Darby’s soft chuckle said it all. “You are so spoiling that animal. You do realise it’s an animal, right? One that’s going to grow much bigger than you?”
Emma grinned up at her friend. “But he’s so little now. He won’t be big for ages, and he’s so lonely out there by himself.”
“Hmm.” Darby’s amused expression soured. “Where’s that Danish? You owe me.”
Emma stood and moved over to the sink, washing the baby-cow smell from her hands. “Over there in the pantry.”
She grabbed a couple of plates and moved over to the table to wait for Darby.
Darby flopped into the chair opposite Emma and cut into the pastry. A large chunk fell off onto the tabletop between them. Darby speared it with the knife and popped it into her mouth. A raised eyebrow told Emma it was time.
“Oh all right! Steal all my fun, why don’t you?” Emma groused playfully.
Darby pointed the knife at her. “I won’t be held responsible for what I’ll do to you if you don’t hurry up and spit it out.”
Emma gave in, knowing that if she didn’t soon, Darby might make good on her threat. “I have a date.”
Darby laid the knife back down on the table beside her plate. “This I know. Can we get to the point?”
“Before I tell you, you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone who it is. Please.”
A sigh of epic proportions blew out of Darby’s mouth. “Fine. I promise.”
Emma sat back in her chair to watch the widescreen version of Darby’s reaction. “Pete.”
Frown lines creased Darby’s forehead as she thought hard. “Pete who? Pete Duncan?”
Emma had no idea who Pete Duncan was. She shook her head, thoroughly amused. “No, Pete Hammond.”
“Hammond?”
Emma could almost see the cogs turning in Darby’s head.
“ Old Pete? As in, eighty-six years old, Old Pete?”
Laughter spurted from Emma’s lips at the stunned expression on Darby’s face. She nodded. “Yep. Pete.”
Darby sat back in her chair, total disbelief etched into her features. “How… Why? I-I don’t…”
Emma lifted one shoulder, the open neckline of Gabe’s shirt sliding down her arm. She shrugged it back into place as she answered.
“Because he asked me. No one else has. You know, I would’ve thought these guys would have a little more nous. They make a list to wager who dates a girl—you’d think one of them would actually ask me out.”
Darby’s laughter joined hers, and the strain of trying to hold back sent tears rolling down her friend’s cheeks. “Oh boy. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when you walk in with Pete. Can you imagine?”
Emma picked up her pastry and took a bite, her eyes almost rolling back in her head with the explosion of flavours. Mary Jameson was certainly a talent when it came to baking. A flake of pastry fell from the corner of Emma’s mouth. She picked it up on the pad of one finger and popped the crumb in with the rest of her mouthful.
“Pete said his odds are a little high—the profits should make for a very nice meal.”
A wicked glint reflected off Darby’s eyes. “You are plain evil, you know that?”
Emma shrugged, beaming at her. “It wasn’t my idea. Pete thought it all up. He’s on that stupid list, so why the hell not?”
Darby sat back in the chair and wagged a finger at her. “Ryan is going to be heartbroken. He was positive you would go out with him when he asked you.”
Emma snorted, then laughed when Ralph jumped and bounced, twisting to the side and jigging around the table.
“Sorry, buddy. I’m sure he’ll get over it. He’s just in it for the thrill of the chase. He doesn’t want to go out with me. At least, not how I’m thinking.”
A wistful twist tilted Darby’s full lips.
Well, now. Emma looked at her more closely. Darby glanced away, her cheeks staining a faint pink as she played with her mug.
So. Darby’s thing for Ryan is stronger than I thought. Emma wondered if either Ryan or Gabe had picked up on that.
“You’d be surprised. Oh sure, there is that, the whole I got her, boys! thing. But I do think he likes you, and not just for a romp in bed.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m not interested in him. He’s nice, but not my type.”
Ralph laid his head on Darby’s lap and was rewarded with her absently scratching his ears. “Who is your type? I know it’s not Old Pete.” At the wry look Emma sent her, Darby continued. “If it’s not Ryan, that only leaves about a dozen young guys around town. Gabe’s one of them. Or do you have one stashed somewhere we don’t know about?”
Emma shook her head. She looked away when the silence after her statement went on too long. “No. There’s no one. Gabe’s just a friend, like we agreed.” She plucked at the loose shirt he’d lent her. “See? This proves it. He helped me today and gave me his own shirt so I wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of all the others.”
Darby popped the last of her pastry into her mouth and chewed, a thoughtful look gracing her features.
“Hmm. You are becoming friends, I’ll give you that much. But do you really think he helped you and gave you the shirt only because of friendship? To save you from embarrassment? Or, did he do it so no one else could get a look at what he’d just seen, because he liked it and wanted to keep that image for himself?”
Emma’s mouth fell open. “Darby! I don’t need the other guys to embarrass me. I do a fine job of it by myself. Gabe was just being nice,” she affirmed.
She needed to think that, because it was the only way to keep her own attraction to Gabe under wraps. An attraction she didn’t want, or need.
She’d heard it from Gabe’s own mouth that he felt the same way. She wasn’t stupid enough to fall for a guy who didn’t want her. Or at least didn’t want to act upon any attraction he might feel. She’d been down that road before and didn’t like the scenery. As long as she remembered that and kept focused on being friends with Gabe, she’d be fine. She wouldn’t fall for him. Didn’t want to. That’s not why she’d moved to Kurrajong Crossing.
“You’re forgetting he’s my twin brother, Emma. I know how his mind works. He doesn’t look at the other girls in town the way he looks at you. He tries to hide it, but it’s there.”
Emma waved her hand at her friend. She didn’t want to listen to this. It would only make things harder, and Emma didn’t need harder. She’d moved to the other side of the country to get away from problems, from people who placed responsibility on her. People who laid blame and pointed fingers.
Emma shook her head to dislodge those thoughts. It wouldn’t do any good. It wouldn’t change things. She had a new life now. One without blame, without pressure and without the hatred she’d felt increasing by the day. Losing a child was hard enough without people condemning you, people who should’ve been there to support and comfort you in your grief. Her ex-in-laws had a lot to answer for.
Emma rubbed unconsciously at her side. Her scar ached terribly at times, more so when she thought about her ex-family.
A new beginning had been needed, one with new friends.
She looked down at the loving eyes of Ralph staring up at her. A new beginning with a newborn baby calf, of all things.
“I think the looks go in both directions, don’t they?”
Darby’s quiet question brought Emma’s gaze back to hers. Emma licked her lips and frowned, trying to find a way to answer.
Emma could see Darby was itching to add her own insight, but Darby held her tongue, something that must have taken a lot of self-restraint on her part. From what Emma already knew of her, Darby wasn’t used to censoring her thoughts or words.
Darby’s shoulders slumped, resignation winding across her face. “Fine. I’ll drop it. I don’t necessarily agree with you, but I really like you and I don’t want to ruin our friendship before we get started.”
Guilt, shame, relief and not a small amount of thanks rushed through Emma at Darby’s words. She reached over the table and grabbed hold of her hands.
“Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me. Especially after… I like you too. Your family has been so kind to me.”
The slight narrowing of Darby’s eyes told Emma that she had caught Emma’s slip, but Darby sent Emma a small smile and squeezed her hands. Emma still couldn’t talk about her loss. Not yet. Not until she knew Darby better.
“So. When and where is this marvel taking place? Please tell me it’s somewhere I can see the looks on people’s faces?”
Emma’s grin returned. “You bet. Friday night at the Spotted Cow. Just don’t tell anyone you know who it is.”
“Maximum impact, huh?” Amusement laced Darby’s voice. She scratched at her ear, nodding. “I can’t wait to see their faces. Tell me, what did we ever do for fun in this town before you showed up?”