Chapter Nine #2
“That’s progress, right? Want a glass of iced tea?
” Cathleen offered on her way to the fridge.
“Dylan and I are joining you for dinner tonight but we won’t be eating until later.
Jake and Dylan are finishing up something at the ranch and Poppy’s run into town to buy some cilantro for fajitas.
Really, she should have her own garden. I’ve talked to Dylan about it and he’s promised to dig a patch in the backyard for her when he has time.
Poor guy has been worked off his feet since we moved back to the ranch. ”
“Has he thought of hiring more help?”
“He’s got all the cowboys he needs for now. What he needs is help on a higher level. It’s a big ranch to manage on his own. Jake’s a big help when he’s available, but Grizzly Peaks keeps him pretty busy even off season.”
“But Jake is at the ranch today?” Maureen tried to sound nonchalant. She’d been wondering why he hadn’t called as promised. Maybe he simply hadn’t had the opportunity.
“Sure is. He also brought a stray dog he found wandering in his neighborhood this morning. Rose and I took him to the vet to make sure he’s healthy and to see if he was microchipped, but no luck.”
“Poor dog,” Maureen murmured, but her mind was still on Jake. “Is he coming for dinner, too? Jake, I mean.”
“No idea. Call and invite him if you want. I’m going up to take a shower. If Dylan comes in—” she raised her dark brows suggestively “—tell him where to find me.”
Maureen rolled her eyes. “You two are disgusting, you know that?”
But of course she didn’t find her sister and her new husband disgusting at all.
They were in love and in lust and Maureen had to admit she was just the tiniest bit jealous.
She’d love to have a relationship like theirs.
She hadn’t had it with Rod. And was only beginning to hope she might have it with Jake…
She took a deep breath, then called him. He picked up on the second ring.
“Maureen? How’re you doing?”
Something in his voice, a hint of detachment, gave her pause.
He filled in the space. “Been meaning to call you all day but we’ve been so busy at the ranch.”
“I heard.” She struggled for the correct, light tone. “I also heard about the dog.”
Jake gave a laugh that sounded like a white flag going up on a battlefield. “Lewis has been following me around ever since we came in from the barn.”
“Lewis?”
“Named for the explorer.” He hesitated. “I have to call him something until we find his rightful owner.”
“Lewis and Clark. Yeah, and I get it.”
“So. Um. You’re feeling better today?”
“I am.” This wasn’t a lie. But she’d felt better earlier, before she’d heard his voice. He didn’t sound like himself. Certainly not the man whose shoulder she’d cried yesterday afternoon.
“That’s good. I—oh, hell, this is hard over the phone.” He paused a moment. “How’s Holly?”
“She’s calmed down. She came with me to Missoula today. After the things she said yesterday, I was amazed she would even get in the same car with me.”
“Maybe she regrets her outburst. Kids can find it hard to apologize. Especially to their parents.”
“Yes, that’s true.” She hoped he was right. “Cathleen was wondering if you were coming to the B and B for dinner tonight. With Dylan.”
How badly she wanted him to say yes scared her. His five-second pause felt like five minutes.
“He’s left already. I’ve still got some things to finish up. But I’ll come by for dessert. Around eight. If that’s okay.”
“Sure that’s fine.” Maureen ended the call and sank into a chair. Had her meltdown yesterday sabotaged her growing relationship with Jake?
All signs pointed to yes.
*
After his call with Maureen, Jake reached down to give Lewis a good scratch behind his ears.
Lewis promptly flopped on his back and exposed his belly for rubbing.
Jake was happy to oblige. A dog had such basic, simple needs, and right now Jake appreciated that.
Lewis had been following him around since he and Dylan came in from the barn.
Dylan warned himself not to get too attached.
Maybe tomorrow he’d wake to find “missing dog” posters all over the neighborhood.
“I totally blew my conversation with Maureen,” he told Lewis.
Lewis didn’t judge. He licked Jake’s hand.
“I never should have agreed to drop by for dessert.” He needed more time before he saw Maureen again.
Time to sort out his feelings and what he was capable of giving.
Maureen was a complicated woman with exacting standards, one who’d been disappointed in her first husband and might be even more critical of the second.
And she came with a built-in daughter. Was he up to that responsibility, too? He honestly didn’t know. He liked Holly. Despite her moods, she was a bright kid, and her usually well-disguised vulnerability brought out some latent streak of protectiveness he hadn’t known he possessed.
But did he want to be her dad, responsible for vetting her dating choices, helping her map her future, not to mention all the small day-to-day stuff, which he frankly had no clue about?
It did no good telling himself he was getting ahead of himself. Right from the start his relationship with Maureen had progressed at warp speed. And if he was honest, most of the push had been on his side.
And now that Maureen had trusted him with her deepest and darkest emotions and secrets it was too late to have any feelings about holding back or moving slowly.
And yet, he did.