Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The Ranch
“Oh!” Jane exclaimed as she stood in the doorway of Hadley’s and my bathroom. “Sorry! I didn’t know you were in here. I didn’t want to wake Connor, so I thought I’d use this bathroom. And with Bowman gone . . .”
I had a toothbrush shoved in the side of my mouth. My eyes were bleary from my middle of the night chat with Muddy and overall lack of sleep.
“S’okay.” I spat in the sink and rinsed my mouth out. “I’m finished.” I turned to leave the bathroom.
“Salem, wait,” Jane said. “Can we talk?”
“Don’t you have to . . .” I gestured to the toilet.
She smiled, making her even more attractive. I understood why my father was smitten.
“Yeah. I do. But can we find a time to—to talk?”
“Talk,” I repeated.
“Yeah. We didn’t get a chance to talk yesterday about”—she paused—“me staying here.”
“You’re not going away. Are you?”
It wasn’t an accusation, but a question that came from a deep-seated place of childhood trauma after losing my mother.
But it wasn’t just about me. My father had lost his wife.
And now he was in bed, recovering from brain surgery, and the last thing I wanted for him was a fair-weathered woman that would run when things got hard.
Her smile slid off her face. “No, Salem. I’m not going away.”
We stared at one another for a long moment. Something passed between us. Some sort of understanding.
“Do you want to get lunch?” I asked.
Her smile appeared again, like sunshine after the rain. “Love to. You mind if we go somewhere that’s not in town?”
“There’s a decent bistro in Silver Springs. Does that work?”
“That’s perfect.”
Nodding, I turned and left the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I changed into jeans and a loose shirt, and then poked my head into my dad’s room. He was asleep with Jane’s cat curled up on the bed next to him.
I had no desire to wake him, so I quietly closed the door. I had a few hours to kill before lunch with Jane so I went to Hadley and Declan’s cabin, but Hadley wasn’t there. I texted her, but when she didn’t reply right away, I got into the side-by-side and drove out to the build site.
The crew was walking around a level lot with freshly packed dirt and wooden stakes with brightly colored rope outlining what would soon be a home. John and two of his sons were in a conversation when I pulled up and parked.
“Hey, Salem!” Harlan called out, jogging over to me the moment I got out of the side-by-side.
“Hi, Harlan.”
“You remembered my name. I’m flattered,” he teased.
Not even his bright smile or willingness to flirt made my heart lift, but I forced a smile that I hoped didn’t show how defeated I really was.
“How are things?” I asked.
“Good. Moving along. We staked the house out and now we’re finalizing orientation and checking for water drainage issues before we go further. If everything checks out, tomorrow we’ll begin digging the foundation, and in a few days, we’ll begin setting rebar and pouring concrete.”
“Exciting,” I murmured.
“Yeah. So hey, I was wondering—you know the town . . .”
“Uh huh.”
“Would you want to show me around?”
“Oh. Harlan, look—”
“Say no more.” He grinned. “Just thought I’d ask.”
“Have you seen my sister?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “She’s having tea with my mom in the doublewide.”
The door to the doublewide opened and Tempest hopped down the steps as Hadley stood in the doorway.
“What are you doing out here?” Hadley asked.
“Looking for you,” I said. “Morning, Stella.”
“Hi, Salem,” Harlan’s mother greeted. “Can I get you a cup of tea?”
“No thanks, I’m good.” I looked at Hadley. “Can we talk?”
“Sure, you want to drive me back?”
“Tea with Stella . . . are you two friends?” I asked after I parked in front of the cabin.
She opened the side-by-side door and Tempest immediately jumped down. “Her daughter lives in Waco and she misses her. Plus, she’s surrounded by testosterone day in and day out.”
“Ah.” I nodded and climbed out.
She peered at me as we walked toward the porch. “You disappeared yesterday.”
I nodded.
“And then Bowman left.”
I took a deep breath. “Yeah, I heard. Any idea where he went?”
“He told Declan he was going for a motorcycle ride and would be back in a bit. No idea how long a bit is. He told Declan he just needed to clear his head.”
“I see.”
We both sat down on the porch steps next to one another.
“Are you okay?” Hadley asked.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” she said.
“How do I look?” I asked in exasperation.
“Tired.”
“Thanks,” I muttered.
“Just being honest.”
“I didn’t sleep well last night,” I admitted. “I’m having lunch with Jane today.”
“No way.”
“Way.”
Her brows rose. “Are you going to be nice?”
“Yes, I’m going to be nice. I asked her to lunch.”
“And what are you two going to talk about?”
“I don’t know. I suppose I’m gonna try to get to know her.”
“And maybe apologize?”
“For . . .”
“Salem!”
I smiled. “You’re so easy to rile. I’m making amends. You think she’ll stick around?”
“Yes. She loves Dad.”
“Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I got that message loud and clear.”
“You could’ve texted me this. You didn’t have to track me down to tell me you were having lunch with Jane.”
“I know.” I sighed. “But I couldn’t sit still and I just needed to . . .”
Hadley touched my arm and smiled. “I understand.”
My shoulders softened. “Of course you do. You always understand. Thanks, Hads.”
I sat across the cafe table and peered at Jane who was currently sipping on her iced tea, looking anywhere but at me.
The restaurant was quiet and we were tucked into a corner table with some measure of privacy. We’d already given our order so there was no chance of interruption.
“What are your intentions with my father?” I asked.
She blinked and set her iced tea down. “Getting right to the meat of it, huh?”
“Yep. No point in beating around the bush.”
“Fair,” she said. Her gaze dropped to her lap and she fiddled with her napkin before looking at me again. “You know, they warned me about you.”
“Muddy and Hadley?”
“And your father,” she said.
“What did he say?”
“That you’d have a problem with him dating.”
“That makes me sound like a child.”
“You’re acting like one,” she said slowly.
I blew out a huff of air. “Yeah. I know. And I explode all over everyone and everything. It’s why they call me Mount St. Salem.”
She nodded. “I know what it’s like to have someone come into your world and shake everything up.”
“You do?”
“Yes. My dad passed away when I was seven. My mom remarried when I was eleven. Boy, I did not make it easy on my stepfather.” She smiled. “But he stuck it out and I’m so glad I have him in my life.”
“Eleven and twenty-three are not the same,” I said.
“No, they’re not.” She leaned forward. “I’m trying to let you off the hook, Salem. This is a lot to process—and I know being home is . . . challenging for you.”
I sighed. “He told you.”
“Of course he told me. We’re in love, Salem.”
Guilt swamped me.
Sitting with Jane across the table made me realize that I’d been judging my father because he was my father. But he was a person with real feelings and a life to live, and it was his first time living, too.
“He and I butt heads a lot,” I admitted.
“You’re both stubborn.”
“Hey!”
“It’s true.” She grinned. “You asked what my intentions are with your dad. Well, I know it won’t be a quick recovery. And I don’t expect it to happen overnight, but . . . I’m here, Salem. For the long haul.”
The tension in my chest eased.
“Marriage? Kids?” I pressed.
She blinked. “No one’s ever asked me that before.”
“No?”
“No.”
“I’m stubborn—and blunt,” I said. “And even though it’s early in your relationship, I bet you already know, don’t you?”
She leaned back in her chair and studied me. “I’m thirty years old. I’ve been married once already. We’re still good friends despite being a rotten romantic match. But something happens when you find the person you can’t live without. And that thing happened with your father.”
“I see.”
“I love him, Salem,” she said. “And I hope, in time, you and I can be . . . friends.”
“Friends.”
“I’m not looking to replace anyone.”
But if she married my father and they had children, I’d have half-siblings. And my dad would have a whole new family.
Nothing stayed the same.
And the fact was, I didn’t want it to stay the same. I didn’t want to be Salem the Stubborn, Salem the Grudge Holder.
I wanted to move on. I wanted to be happy. I wanted my dad to be happy.
“You’ve been understanding,” I said. “And far too gracious. If I’d been in your shoes, I would’ve slugged me a long time ago.”
She laughed lightly and grasped her iced tea. “Apology accepted.”