Chapter Five #4
She flicked on a light and looked at the photos that went back more than a century.
She could pick out a young Mike with his bride, and then photos of him and his wife with their two sons.
There were photos of the boys growing up.
An image of the two boys competing at the fair with ribbons held in both hands and two steers behind them made her smile.
Lainey paused in front of a photo of Jason standing with a lovely dark-haired woman who wore a lacy wedding gown.
They looked at each other with such tenderness and love, it made her heart ache for Jason and all he’d lost. His wife looked like she’d been a caring, sweet person—someone Lainey would have enjoyed meeting.
She perused a few photos of Jason and Judy with their children. The youngest daughter, Megan, looked more like Shaun than Lisa. They all appeared so happy. So loved.
The next photo was of Shaun’s graduation, and then Lisa’s wedding, and a photo of Lisa and Tyler holding Dani as a baby.
A creaking floorboard startled Lainey, and she spun around, bumping into a solid chest. Hands grabbed her upper arms to steady her, and she looked up, shocked to see Jason staring at her.
Before her heart began to pound, she realized it wasn’t Jason at all.
Lainey took a step back, then another. This man was shorter and broader than Jason, and his eyes were hazel. He had a scar that ran from the left corner of his mouth to his chin, and he didn’t hold himself with the same ease and confidence as Jason.
“You’re Galen,” Lainey said, extending her hand. “I’m Lainey. Pops, I mean Mike, invited me to stay in the guest room last night.”
“He was in bed when I got home, but I did see the van outside. You’re Jase’s friend.” Galen gave her a friendly smile and shook her hand. “Will you be able to stay long?”
“No. I plan to head out this morning for Boise, but I wanted to leave the guest room ready for more company when I go. That bed is so comfortable.”
“Lisa picked it out. She and Brylee redid the room after Lisa and Tyler moved to town. When Tyler was deployed, and Lisa lived with us, it was their bedroom. Before that, it was the room Jason and his wife shared, and prior to that, it was my grandparents’ room.
Pops has a room down the hall from the kitchen. ”
Lainey glanced into the hallway. “Do we need to be quiet?” she whispered to Galen.
He laughed. “You could send a herd of elephants or a marching band through his room, and he wouldn’t hear a thing until he put his hearing aids in.”
“Good to know.” Lainey followed Galen into the kitchen. “May I help with breakfast?”
“Sure. You any good at peeling potatoes?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m good, but I can get the job done.”
Galen nodded approvingly. “Great. You do that, and I’ll start on the rest.”
By the time Mike wandered into the kitchen, looking spry for someone his age, Galen pulled a pan of banana bread out of the upper oven built into the wall, while bacon sizzled on a baking sheet in the lower oven.
Lainey stood at the stove, stirring fried potatoes and keeping an eye on the scrambled eggs. Orange juice was already on the table, and coffee lent its aroma to the mouthwatering scents filling the kitchen as it percolated in an electric pot near the stove.
“Do you always eat such a hearty breakfast?” Lainey asked, eager to dive into the fried potatoes and bacon, two things she rarely allowed herself to enjoy.
She’d realized ten years ago if she didn’t cut out, or at least cut back, on the things she most enjoyed eating, she’d weigh four hundred pounds by the time she turned sixty.
The unexpected changes that had happened in her body during the last decade continued to both annoy and frustrate her, but aging had been kinder to her than to other people she knew who were her age.
She could run if she wanted or needed to.
Her joints didn’t creak and groan too loudly in the mornings.
She was able to travel with ease, and could do pretty much whatever she wanted, so she wouldn’t complain, even if she could do without the deepening wrinkles, hot flashes, and extra weight she carried in places she’d rather not think about.
“I thought a good breakfast was in order this morning,” Galen said, giving his father a smirk that looked almost smug. “It’s not every day a friend of Jason’s comes to visit.”
“It’s a dandy day, indeed,” Mike said, taking mugs out of a cabinet by the sink and setting them by the coffee.
“I think the eggs and potatoes are ready,” Lainey said, lifting the skillet of eggs and scooping them into the bowl Galen had left on the counter beside her, while he removed the potatoes from the heat, then set the skillet on a potholder right on the table.
A table, she realized, that was set for four.
If she’d known Galen and Mike better, she might have questioned who was joining them for breakfast. Probably Tyler. She knew he worked at the ranch every day, but it didn’t make sense he’d eat breakfast there instead of with Lisa and Dani.
From what she’d observed last night, both Tyler and Dani hovered around Lisa, as though they thought without constant supervision something terrible might befall her. It was sweet and endearing, even if it had to be frustrating for Lisa.
Memories better left untouched started to flood Lainey’s thoughts, so she shoved them back into the far, dark corner of her mind where she kept them, and then carried the eggs over to the table.
“I’ll pour the coffee,” Mike said, as the rumble of a vehicle and the crunch of tires on gravel carried inside the open kitchen window.
“He’s cutting it close,” Galen said as he placed the butter dish on the table.
The air of anticipation in the kitchen wasn’t lost on her as she took the mug of coffee Mike held out to her. Apparently, the guest joining them for breakfast was someone both Mike and Galen were looking forward to seeing.
She heard the back door open and shut, followed by the sound of jingling spurs as boots were removed and thudded to the floor. Next, she heard water running in the sink, accompanied by the sounds of a person washing up for the meal.
“You’re right on time,” Galen called when the water shut off.
“I thought I was gonna be late,” said a voice Lainey had become familiar with from their chats each evening. A voice she was certain she’d recognize anywhere.
What on earth was Jason doing at the ranch?
As far as she knew, he was heading out to another rodeo today.
He’d gotten back to Twin Falls late Sunday evening and would be gone the rest of the week to a destination she hadn’t paid any attention to when he’d mentioned it, but now realized it might have been good to know where he was heading.
The moment Jason stepped into the kitchen, Lainey’s heart began to race, and her palms grew damp. She hadn’t seen him in weeks, and she drank in the sight of him. He looked tired, but handsome, with his tanned face breaking into a wide smile when his gaze landed on her.
“Morning, Gypsy,” he said, walking over to her and placing his hand on her shoulder, then kissing her cheek. He’d started calling her Gypsy the other day, since she lived such a nomadic life, with no roots to tie her down, and no place to call home except her van.
She drew in a breath laden with the scents of leather, sunshine, horses, and that tantalizing masculine fragrance that was uniquely Jason Price.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as he took a step back from her, although his hand slid down from her shoulder to linger at the small of her back. Lainey felt fiery tingles trail right along with his fingers.
Jason grinned. “It seems every person I’m related to, and a few I’m not, either called or texted yesterday to let me know you were here.
I practically begged Pops to talk you into spending the night.
” He offered Mike an appreciative nod. “I rousted Shaun out of bed at three this morning so we could get here in time for breakfast. I left him and the trailer at his place and drove his pickup over.”
“I’m so glad you came,” Lainey said, meaning every word. It was one thing to text Jason or talk to him each day, but getting to see him in person reminded her of all the reasons he had taken up such a prominent position in her thoughts. “Do you have to get on the road soon?”
“It will take us about six hours to get to the rodeo venue in Washington, so we’ll need to leave no later than one. Think we can convince you to hang around for lunch?”
Lainey smiled. “Not much arm-twisting would be required.”
The hand Jason had rested on her back moved over to her arm, and his fingers trailed lightly over the skin of her forearm. “Would you please stay for lunch?”
“I would love to.” Lainey was surprised she could speak at all with her breath attempting to hitch in her throat and her brain firing all sorts of warnings that Jason was dangerous to her plans to remain free and unfettered.
When she was around him, a little voice relentlessly whispered “home” in her head and heart.
But that was crazy, wasn’t it? She barely knew the man.
Daily texts, nightly calls, and the few days they’d spent together didn’t qualify as dating.
Or did it? She’d long ago given up on keeping tabs on the modern rules of couples.
Not that she cared about rules anyway. She cared about people, especially the one smiling at her with such warmth in his intriguing eyes.
“Let’s eat before this fine meal gets cold,” Mike said as he pulled out his chair at the table.
Jason seated Lainey, then sat down and asked a blessing on the meal. When he added his thanks for the opportunity to have Lainey there with them, she felt tears sting her eyes and burn her throat. Mercy, but the man was making her an emotional mess, and it was barely past seven.