Chapter Nine
Holly and Poppy were having breakfast together in the kitchen when Maureen came downstairs the next morning. Maureen had a residual headache from yesterday’s crying bout, but she managed a cheerful smile. Somehow, problems did seem more manageable in the morning. And today, she had a game plan.
“Hello,” she said. “Hope you both slept well last night.”
“Morning, Maureen. I certainly did,” Poppy said.
Holly, of course, didn’t reply. Maureen tried not to let it bother her. She went straight to the coffeepot then added her milk and sugar and put the concoction in the microwave.
“I have some business in Missoula this afternoon. Do you want to take the day off school and come with me, Holly? You could have a couple of hours at the main library, then we could maybe do some shopping.”
Holly stiffened. “Why would I want to do that?”
“I got a message from your school yesterday.” Actually she’d received two, including the one about the afternoon class Holly had missed. But she wasn’t bringing that up again now. “Your English teacher is asking parents to support his efforts to teach students how to use libraries for research.”
“I’ve been doing that.”
“Which is great. But there are probably more resources at the Missoula library. Plus, I thought we could stop in at that coffee shop on our way into the city. Remember the one—”
“The Bean Scene. Dad and I always went there on our way to go hiking.”
Holly looked amazed that her mother even knew of the place. But Maureen had been included on a few of those trips, although it was true that in the later years, Rod and Holly had mostly gone alone.
“Yes. I’ve been craving one of their homemade lemon poppy-seed muffins for a long time.” The microwave beeped and Maureen grabbed her coffee. By the time she turned to sit at the table, Poppy’s chair was vacant. Significantly, Holly still sat in hers.
“Dad loved those muffins, too,” Holly mused. “But why today?”
“You don’t have any tests, do you?”
“No…”
“Well, I thought we could use a little break. After…yesterday.” She didn’t go further than that and wasn’t surprised when Holly stood up from the table without saying anything else.
Still, ten minutes later while Maureen was packing papers into her briefcase, Holly came into her room.
“What’ll I do while you’re at the office?”
Maureen tamped down her excitement. “I should be able to finish everything while you’re at the library.”
“I guess it would be better than school.”
“You’ll still be working, Holly. Don’t forget to bring a notebook to copy down your research.”
“Mother. Ever heard of photocopying machines or phone cameras?”
Maureen gripped the handle of her briefcase. “Nevertheless, please make sure you have some paper and a pen.”
Five minutes later they were on the road. Maureen resisted the temptation to pick up her cell phone and place a few calls. They were important, but business could wait the two hours it would take to drive into the heart of the city.
She put on a playlist she’d made last night containing a mixture of songs that she hoped Holly would like and she could endure. She sensed Holly was surprised, but her daughter didn’t mention anything about it.
What is my mother up to now? she was undoubtedly thinking. The truth was, Maureen didn’t know. She was definitely playing this minute by minute. But she had to be doing something right. That Holly had agreed to get in the same vehicle as her after their fight yesterday was a major accomplishment.
As they approached the outskirts of Missoula, Maureen turned the music down. “Listen, Holly. I want to talk about Jake.”
Holly said nothing.
“I’m sorry if it startled you yesterday when he touched my shoulder. We started as business partners but we’ve been playing tennis together and developing a friendship, too. It’s all so new, I can’t say where we’re headed. But if our relationship starts to get serious, I promise I’ll tell you.”
“Whatever.”
The indifference was staged, Maureen told herself. She pushed herself to keep going.
“I know I’ve made mistakes in the past. And I’m sorry for them. You’re the most important thing in the world to me.”
“Except for work, you mean.”
“Believe me I would rather have been having fun with you and your dad than working overtime. At the time I felt I had no choice if I wanted to keep my job. But I’m realizing now that I did have a choice.” And it wasn’t fair to blame Rod for the decisions she had made.
Still nothing from Holly. Maureen snatched a glance at her daughter’s profile. What was she thinking behind that quiet facade?
By the time they’d stopped for muffins and then driven downtown it was eleven. Maureen turned onto East Main Street then dropped Holly off at the main entrance to the library.
“I’ll pick you up in two hours,” she said. “Phone me on my cell if you have any problems.”
“Okay, Mom. Thanks for the ride.”
The car behind her honked. Maureen took off as soon as Holly was safely on the sidewalk. She smiled despite the look of irritation the driver from behind gave her.
Her daughter had thanked her for the ride. It was such a little thing that she couldn’t believe she was so happy. But it was a baby step in the right direction.
*
Jake was up before sunrise, making coffee to take on the drive to the Thunder Bar M.
He wished he had time to go for a run. He needed to clear his head after a restless night spent thinking about Maureen.
But he was helping Dylan and the crew move cattle today.
Later, Dylan wanted his input on some business decisions.
Jake felt bad that he’d been so preoccupied with the upgrades to Grizzly Peaks that he’d neglected the ranch. Dylan shouldn’t have had to ask for his help. Though Patricia had sold out their interest in the Thunder Bar M, Jake still felt responsible for—and loved—the place.
He filled a to-go mug with coffee and slathered peanut butter on a bagel, intending to eat on the run.
As he backed out of his garage he noticed a dog walking in the middle of the street. No owner in sight.
Damn, he didn’t have time for this today.
Jake pulled over and got out of the vehicle. The dog trotted up to greet him. It looked like a small German shepherd mix, with warm golden eyes and one ear that flopped endearingly to the side.
“You’re a friendly fellow.”
The pup nuzzled his hand, then sat and looked expectantly at Jake. Like he wanted a treat or something. Jake broke off a piece of his bagel. It was gone in a flash.
He ran his hand around the dark blue collar, but there were no tags. How the heck was he supposed to find the owner? He didn’t think the dog belonged to any of his neighbors—he would have recognized him if he did.
He couldn’t leave the dog roaming the streets—he might get run over.
“You’re quite the explorer, aren’t you? Want to come with me to a ranch?” Jake opened the door to the back seat, then looked at the dog. That was all the invitation the mutt needed. He leaped into the Expedition and sat contently on the leather seat.
“Okay then.” Jake closed the door then settled back behind the wheel. He’d ask Cathleen or his aunt Rose to phone the local vets and shelters to try to find the dog’s owners. No doubt they’d find him something to eat as well.
Once Jake was on the highway, the dog settled down and fell asleep.
And Jake’s thoughts found their way back to Maureen.
Her emotional meltdown last night had shaken him. Jake had always seen Maureen as strong and confident. Last night she’d allowed him to see her at her most vulnerable. He’d had no idea how bad things had been between her and Rod. As far as he could tell, Rod had been an irresponsible jerk.
And he’d hurt Maureen badly.
Which made Jake look at his relationship with Maureen in a different light. He couldn’t take this casually. Couldn’t just enjoy the flirtation and see where it went. She was too vulnerable. As was Holly.
If he was going to continue to see Maureen he had to be ready to commit. She deserved someone steadfast, loyal and true.
Could he be that man?
Jake honestly didn’t know. He thought about Maureen all the time, and felt incredibly alive when they were together. He’d never dated anyone like her before.
But did he want marriage, family and all that went with that? Was he ready to give up the freedom to do what he wanted with his time? A married man couldn’t spend four months of the year in a backcountry ski lodge. Then come home and be a cowboy for the rest of the year.
Jake rubbed a hand over the stubble on his jaw. If he was going to disappoint Maureen, it should be now at the beginning of their relationship. Not one or two years into it. Or longer.
*
By Maureen’s standards, her day was a success.
She had met with her clients and accomplished several solid hours of work, while Holly had rounded out the research for her project.
After that, they’d fit in shopping at the Southgate Mall.
Holly bought new shoes and a tube of flavored lip gloss, an ultra-sweet watermelon-peach combination.
Maureen had been happy to tag along to whatever store interested her daughter.
Before too long Holly would be driving and going to malls on her own.
She wanted to enjoy these days while she could.
Cathleen met them at the kitchen door when they returned to the B and B around five that evening.
Dressed in her jeans and work boots, she’d obviously just returned from riding her quarter horse, Strawberry.
She oohed and aahed appropriately over Holly’s purchases.
When the young girl escaped to her bedroom, probably to try her new shoes on again and admire herself in the full-length minor, Cathleen pulled Maureen aside.
“Everything okay? Holly seems happy.”
“We managed to spend a day together without arguing.”