Chapter Eight
Leah let out a sigh, drawing Peyton’s attention from where she had already cleaned up every baking item she had used that day. All the goods were sealed and ready for the main shop.
These moments were always peaceful. She loved when everything was baked, the equipment was clean and put away, and all she had to do was serve customers.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m just thinking about Hank and Lucy. They are so in love and I know he comes in and offers you a proposal and so does his wife, but when you see them together, they are so in love.” She let out another sigh. “I mean, that kind of love is precious, right?”
“I think it is, yeah.”
“Man, I would love to have something like that. Kind of like what you’ve got with Shae.”
Peyton paused and turned to Leah. “I don’t have anything with Shae.
” She then wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
No one had outright asked her what her deal was with Shae.
Most people assumed they were dating, and for a little while, she could pretend that was exactly what they were doing. Dating. Only, they were not dating.
Her sister had legs because of her. Lily-May was no longer around, also because of her. It was messed up, but she dealt with it. What sucked was the fact she didn’t care. Her sister did nothing but cause her so much trouble.
Leah snorted. “Yeah, you don’t have anything with Shae, and the clouds aren’t white in the freaking blue sky. Please, I have eyes, and I know there is something going on with you and him.”
“We’re ... friends.”
“That man is in love with you,” Leah said.
Now, she was frozen to the spot.
Leah turned to look behind her. “Seriously? You cannot see it?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. We’re friends.” It felt like a lie to even say that.
Leah shook her head. “You’re not friends. Okay, you might be putting him in the friend zone, but he is not putting you in any kind of zone. That man is one hundred percent in love with you, and trust me, he has been for a long time.”
They stopped talking to each other as a customer walked in. It was Mrs. Reynolds. She was a much older woman, but she always came through at Halloween with a large decorated cupcake order.
“I’ve got them in the back,” Peyton said.
She got Mrs. Reynolds to park around the back, where she then placed the order for over a hundred cupcakes.
Peyton was aware that the trick-or-treaters absolutely loved going to her house. Not only did she have the entire yard decorated and terrifying, she gave out candy as well as cupcakes.
“The same order tomorrow?” she asked.
“You got it. I’ve already had a lot of trick-or-treaters this year.” Mrs. Reynolds never minded the kids starting early. She had a feeling Mrs. Reynolds’s house was the only one they went to.
Going back into the shop, she saw Leah was busy serving customers. Peyton took a quick inventory check and restocked the front display cases..
She couldn’t help but think about Shae back at the ranch with all the ranchers.
She’d already recognized the Marino badge from several workers down the street, going to the diner for lunch.
Peyton wondered what it would be like to wake up on that ranch and get straight to work.
To start cooking and baking for lunchtime and then for dinner.
It was strange how she felt that yearning deep inside herself. Thinking about working on the ranch was not a good idea. She and Shae were not long-term.
Then, she couldn’t quite help putting her hand on her stomach and wondering if there might be something else. Was she pregnant? They had not been careful. They had had sex so many times, in so many different ways, and she loved every one of them.
She took a deep breath, then Leah turned to look at her.
“So, we were talking about Shae and the fact he is in love with you and has been for a long time.”
This made her laugh and she felt her cheeks start to heat. “I think you have confused me with someone else.”
“Well, I am a keen observer, and I know Shae had been coming out here, and sometimes he’d park his truck close to the shop, maybe even across the road, and he’d sit and watch you.”
“He would?”
Leah nodded.
“Yeah, and I know for a fact he got people to order for him, and I know that because I was one of them.” She shrugged. “He always looks at you. Always. No other woman stands a chance.”
“I, uh, I don’t know what to say.”
“And you are aware of him,” Leah said. “You can hide it all you want, but each time he is here, he makes you blush and you always gravitate to him. And, you always nibble your lip, kind of like you just can’t help it.”
“Okay, I think that is enough talk for today.”
Leah laughed. “It’s something I would love to have one day.” She sighed. “It would be so magical. I would love to have a man just look at me, fall in love with me, and just ... want me.”
The truth was, Peyton wanted that too.
For the first time since her parents had passed, she looked around the shop, and it felt .
.. like a trap. She loved her parents, but what she had inherited from them had been nothing short of a nightmare.
Constant debt. The fear of the townsfolk or tourists no longer interested in what she had to offer was a constant fear that never went away.
It was why she was always working on something new.
Trying to make things seasonal so customers wanted to return. Never a dull moment.
The problem was, Shae was right. She was exhausted all the damn time. Waking up early, getting into work, drinking her coffee while working, and not taking a moment, it was tiring. She loved this place and hated it.
And today, she couldn’t stop thinking about that damn ranch, and helping Shae and the other men.
Did she love Shae? Both her head and heart said yes and no. She did love him. What was not to love? He was a good man, and yes, he had a bad reputation and he did some bad stuff, but who cared? He was a good man to her.
She took a deep breath, and for the rest of the day, she couldn’t help but feel a little torn.
It was hard, and then she was happy for it to be the end of the day.
Leah took the last of the baked goods with her to the elderly home, and Peyton went to Shae who was waiting for her.
The moment she climbed into the truck, she looked at him and saw him shivering.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little cold.”
This was not just a little cold. She reached out and touched the back of her hand to his forehead.
“You’re burning up.”
“It’s fine. It happens every year.”
“No, you’re not driving me home. Get out of the truck. I’m driving.”
“You can drive?”
“Of course I can drive. I learned at school, and I drove my car until it was too costly to keep and I sold it to pay some bills.” She climbed out of the truck and rounded to his driver’s side. “Out, mister. You are too sick to drive.”
“I have been working the ranch all day.”
“Yeah, and you probably shouldn’t have done that.” She let out a frustrated growl. “In you go.”
She helped him around to the passenger side, and then climbed behind the wheel. Turning over the ignition, she felt the beauty fire up, and then she pulled out.
Okay, it had been a long time since she had driven, and she had to get used to the feel of the car. The clutch, the brakes, and the smoothness of the wheel. He drove a damn good truck.
She already knew the way to his ranch, and the drive was long—a good thirty minutes—but she got there. Shae leaned over and typed in his gate code which allowed them onto the ranch.
She got to the main driveway, found his spot, and parked the car. Climbing out, she helped Shae inside, and knew until he was better, she was going to take care of him.
****
“You don’t need to take care of me,” he said, shaking all over. “I’ll be fine in a couple of hours. You need to get to your shop.”
“My shop is closed for today. I’ve already called Leah, and she is coming by to help me.
I’m going to take care of the orders from here, and I’ve already left messages for those that needed them.
I’ve got everything organized so I can keep an eye on you.
All you need to do is tell me how to handle your ranchers, and we’re all set. ”
“My ranchers know what they need to do. They’ve already got their job descriptions.”
“Excellent. So that means you can sit back and relax today. Now, I’m going to make you some toast, because I don’t know if you remember, but last night you threw up. So, dry toast, and we’ll see how you handle that, and then we’ll take it from there.”
Peyton didn’t wait for his answer. For today, she was the boss. He was laid on the sofa, and she had put the television on. The front doorbell rang, and it was the strangest sound to him, because he didn’t recall anyone ringing that bell in a long time.
“That must be Leah. I’ll be right back.” She handed him the remote, and he listened as the two women started to talk, so it must have been Leah.
“Hey, boss,” Leah said, coming into the sitting room.
“Hey,” he said, not at all interested in making small talk.
“Is there anything you want me to do?”
“Just ... make sure everything runs smoothly, and be there for Peyton.”
“Will do. I hope you feel better soon.”
And he was left alone once again.
He didn’t want to be sitting in his damn living room, but the truth was, the moment he got to his feet, his head started to spin.
It was not a good feeling to have. He had vomited last night, and he lifted the blanket over himself.
At least once a year, he fell sick, usually around this time, and more often than not, he doped himself up on some medicine and got to work. He never took time off.
However, with Peyton, she was bossing him around. She kept coming into the sitting room, changing the movie whenever he asked her. Not that he was paying attention to any of the movies because he was more interested in his woman than anyone else.
Leah kept coming to him as well, letting him know what was happening. They had Mrs. Reynolds stopping by for her order of cupcakes that Peyton was able to fulfill. Peyton was dealing with a couple more orders that had been made in advance, including a few birthday cakes and an anniversary cake.
Much to his surprise, Peyton also arranged to make lunch for the workers, and she got everything set up outside. When she came to see him and offer him more dry toast, she sat down on the coffee table in front of him.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
Without a word from him, she put the back of her palm against his head. “You’re not as warm.”
“You’re spoiling my workers,” he said. “I can hear their appreciation from all the way in here.”
Peyton laughed. “Yeah, they appreciate the fact that they don’t have to go out to lunch. I did warn them this was a one-off. That the moment you feel better, I will be back at the bakery and will not be able to cook for them. I think they’ll enjoy it while they can.”
“You know, you didn’t have to cook for them, and you could have gone to the bakery. I can handle this,” he said.
“Yeah, you can handle it and probably make yourself sicker, and I’m not going to allow that to happen. Stop being a stubborn ass, and let me take care of you.” She got to her feet.
He looked up at her, and before she left, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to the cheek. “Rest,” she said. “You need it.”
And with that, she left the living room, after putting on a brand-new movie for him to watch, which he didn’t pay any attention to.
By the end of the day, he had randomly slept, only waking up when Leah or Peyton came to check on him.
He didn’t like feeling so weak, but this sickness bug had seriously knocked it right out of him, and he was not impressed by feeling this way.
He wanted to throw up, but instead just dealt with it, as there was not much else he could do.
Leah came in to say goodbye, and then Peyton came in, carrying a bowl.
“I’ve got you some chicken soup,” she said.
This made him pause. “What kind of chicken soup?”
“The kind your mom labeled, ‘Shae’s favorite’ in her recipe book.” She stopped a few feet from him. “I hope that’s okay. I found her recipe book, and I also baked a batch of those cookies you mentioned.”
He looked at her. “You did?”
“Yeah.”
He pushed the blanket off his body, and then got to his feet.
With the rest, he was starting to feel a little better.
Making his way into the kitchen, he saw them on cooling racks—the large chocolate-chip-cinnamon cookies—and he moved toward them, then inhaled their sweet, spicy scent. They smelled amazing.
“Wow,” he said.
It had felt like a lifetime since he last had one of his mother’s cookies. Picking one up, he knew he should wait to have these until after his soup, but he needed to try one. Taking a bite, he melted on the spot. They were exactly as he remembered. Sweet and perfect. His mouth watered for more.
“They are amazing.” He went to her, and Peyton held the soup tightly as he wrapped his arms around her. “You are amazing.”
“Your mother has well-written instructions.”
Shae also knew his mother would often say there was a key ingredient that went into making them. Something not a lot of people had, and he looked at her and just knew. His mother always said that when she made them, she did so with lots of love in her heart.
Did Peyton love him? He knew it was fucked up to even think that, but his dad had tried to make the cookies, and yes, there had been love, but it wasn’t the same.
“Thank you,” he said. He stroked her cheek. “This means a lot to me.”
She offered him a smile. “I’m glad. Now, sit your butt down and I will feed you this soup.”
He couldn’t help but laugh, but he went and sat his butt on the sofa, and Peyton started to feed him the chicken soup. Once again, it was perfect. She was an amazing cook, and he knew he had gotten lucky by having her.
Shae had to avoid looking down at her stomach to see for signs of swelling or if she was pregnant.
He wanted her to be pregnant. Shae didn’t want to give her a choice in leaving him.
He wanted to be her husband, the man she turned to in her time of need.
Above all else, he wanted her to love him, and that was a scary feeling.
When it came to this woman, there was so much he wanted from her.
Letting her go was not an option.