Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
MATTHEW
P ounding rain starts as I load the last few dishes. Tandy is peeking out the back door.
“It’s really coming down.” I ease up behind her, stopping short of touching her.
She glances back over her shoulder. “I’m going to watch from the patio.”
“It’s covered, I hope.” I follow her out.
An eye roll is her response, which makes me laugh.
“Admit it. You think I’m funny.” I nudge her, then lean on the post beside her.
She whips around to look at me and ends up bumping into me. This throws her off balance, and she grabs my arm to maintain her footing. “I admit nothing.”
I rest a hand on her shoulder. “Thanks for letting me stay. It’s starting to hail now.”
“Who have you told?”
“About the hail? Just you. About staying over at your place? No one. I was doing the dishes. I mean, Colt knows, but why would he tell anyone?”
She gives a frustrated huff. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“About working with you? Zach knows, which means Haley knows.”
“And that means Cami knows, and there is no way she hasn’t told Joji. I’m surprised the ranch ladies haven’t shown up to interrogate me.” The wind blows, and she shudders, then leans back against me. “Maybe I should just invite them to lunch and update them on our business arrangement.”
“You probably should. We wouldn’t want any rumors flying around town.”
She lets loose a sharp laugh, drowning out the spattering rain. “I have a young man sleeping in one room, and you sleeping in the other. There will be rumors, I think. But I guess that depends on who spots y’all’s trucks. And I don’t know why I’m bothering to ask who you’ve told because Hank and Nacha have probably noticed your truck over here. You’ve been here a lot lately.”
“Didn’t know I was supposed to keep us a secret.”
Her muscles tighten, and she stills. “There is no us , Matthew. That ship sailed a long time ago.”
“I meant us as in busin-US. That kind of us.” I’ve barely gotten the words out when the hairs on my arm stand up. Knowing what’s coming, I wrap an arm around Tandy and tug her toward the door, far from the edge of the porch.
A booming clap of thunder rattles the house just as a flash of lightning brightens the entire sky for a split second.
Tandy jumps and leans into me.
So I tighten my hold on her. “Inside is probably safer.”
She nods against my chest. “I liked it better when it was just rain.” After stepping away, she looks back. “Let me grab my laptop out of your room, and I’ll be out of your hair. The linens on the bed are clean, and there are—oh no!”
I survey the porch, trying to ascertain the problem. “What?”
“Colt’s clean sheets are still in the dryer. That poor man.” She rushes inside.
“Tandy.” I catch up with her as she reaches the dryer. “He grabbed them. When you went back to your room earlier, he came into the kitchen and asked. And since there were warm clothes on the couch and the dryer was going when I arrived, I figured that’s where we’d find his sheets.”
She props her fists on her hips. “You let him put his own sheets on the bed?”
“He’s a full-on adult. I think he can handle it.”
Shaking her head, she wanders down the hall and into the room where I’ll be sleeping.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I’m ignored while she crawls around on her hands and knees, unplugging the power cable. But when she starts to get up, I offer my hand.
Surprisingly, she accepts my help. “I’m not used to having company, and I hate having stuff go wrong.”
“Nothing went wrong.” I squeeze her hand, a little surprised she didn’t immediately let go. “Want to talk about it?”
She perches on the edge of the bed, cradling the laptop to her chest. “You lived with a houseful of kids, and now I’m sure your place is always full of grandkids and great-grandkids. I never had that. When I found out Colt was paying so much for that motel, I jumped at the chance to have him here and feel needed. But I’m not very needed if he’s having to do everything himself.” She blows out a breath. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”
“Because we’re friends. At least I hope that’s the reason.”
Her smile is small but vulnerable. “I’ve missed you too, Matthew. Or maybe I miss the younger me.”
“For the record, I have two grandkids. You’ve met them both. My daughter decided early that she wanted her life to be child-free, and my boys only had one each. And the great-grandkids aren’t over all that often. My house isn’t very child-proof.” I sit beside her. “I don’t think Colt is here because he needs you. I think he appreciates you. And he might feel like you need looking after even though he says that’s not the case.”
“Weakness is not a virtue.”
“But vulnerability is.” I reach over and pull one of her books off the shelf. “Did you really name the villains after me?”
“Only sometimes. The one the most people hate is in book one. He’s the ex who told the main character that she looks better with clothes on.” Tandy lifts her eyebrows, daring me to argue.
“I never said that. Didn’t even think it.”
“The books are purely fiction, Matthew.” She stands and walks to the door. “Holler if you need anything.”
She walks out of the room, and I’m left with a heap of guilt.
When she ignored my calls and letters so many years ago, I figured I’d made her mad. I had no idea how deeply I’d hurt her. I guess having the villain named after me is deserved.
I’m up with the sunrise, so I dress, figuring I’ll have time to grab donuts before everyone else wakes up. But when I step into the hall, voices echo from the kitchen, and the smell of bacon wafts my direction.
Someone’s cooking breakfast.
Wearing a brightly colored floral-print apron, Tandy motions to the table as I enter the kitchen. “Have a seat. Pancakes, syrup, and bacon are on the table. And I’ll make your eggs to order. How do you want them?”
“Morning.” Colt nods as he shoves a bite of pancake in his mouth.
Tandy must’ve been up extra early to have everything ready.
“Scrambled is good. This looks amazing. Did you get any sleep?”
“Enough.” She sets a mug of coffee next to my plate. “Eggs are coming right up.”
Colt is downing food like he hasn’t eaten in weeks, and I sort of miss the days when I could eat like that. He’s clearly happy to be here.
After his third plate of pancakes, at least by my count, he stands and gives Tandy a hug. “Best breakfast I’ve had in ages, Miss Tandy. Thank you. I’m going to head out to the ranch and get some work done, but I’ll be back later tonight.”
She reaches into her apron pocket. “Let me give you a key. Come and go as you please. Help yourself to whatever is in the kitchen, okay?”
“Yes. ma’am.” Whistling, he grabs his hat and strolls to the front door.
I take another sip of coffee, enjoying the smile on Tandy’s face. “Seems to me, he needed that breakfast.”
Tandy bumps her foot against mine. “Don’t tease me. Need more coffee?”
“I’m good. Can I help clean up?”
Shaking her head, she starts clearing the table. “Nope. I’ve got it. You have work to do. On my ranch. Now shoo.”
The twinkle in her eye reminds me of the much younger Tandy I loved so much. “I’m going.”
Hank, Tandy’s neighbor, walks out his front door as I reach my truck. “You’re out and about early this morning.”
“Yep.” I tip my hat and slide behind the wheel.
I’m swinging by my house for a change of clothes before going to the ranch, but thanks to family connections and the way news travels, I’ll probably be getting a call from Zach about the time I get to Matchmaker Ranch. I’m too old to fuel the rumor mill, but admittedly, it’s entertaining.
I want to tell Tandy that cleaning the kitchen and watching the storm with her made me feel content in ways I haven’t been in a long time, but that level of honesty will have to wait until she’s ready to hear it. And she isn’t.
But hopefully, with time, that will change.
As I turn into the ranch, Zach calls.
I answer on speaker and laugh before saying, “Let me guess. Hank told Nacha who told Haley who mentioned to you that I stayed the night at Tandy’s.”
Silence fills the line for nearly a full second. “Um, I called to see if you wanted to come to dinner tonight. Haley hasn’t said anything to me about…” A door closes in the background. “You stayed at Tandy’s? Do you want to tell me what’s going on? Weeks ago, y’all weren’t speaking to each other and now you’re spending the night. If I’d acted that way?—”
“I’d love to come to dinner. Mind if I bring Tandy? I think she’d enjoy watching the kiddos run around. And let me be clear about something. Tandy and I are not an item or whatever you kids are calling it these days. She was kind enough to let me crash in her office so that I didn’t have to drive in the storm. But if—and possibly when—there is something romantic sparking between me and Tandy, I’m not inclined to ask anyone’s permission.”
“That’s fair. And I wasn’t implying you needed permission. Least of all, mine.”
Getting him to drop the topic was easier than I anticipated. “And if I recall, Haley stayed at your place?—”
“Granddad, you don’t have to tell me anything about Tandy. And you really don’t have to dredge up my past.” Zach chuckles. “As long as she treats you well, I have no complaints about who you are friends with. And I’ll tell Haley that you’re bringing a friend with you to dinner. We were thinking six thirty.”
“That works. And you should probably tell Haley who the friend is. I’ll call Tandy when I hang up.” I end the call and click Tandy’s name, then wind my way through the ranch to the barn.
“What’s up, Matthew?”
“Haley and Zach invited me to dinner, and you’re invited too.” I round the corner and shout a word that would’ve gotten my kids a lecture.
Colt is dangling from the roof of the barn. And there is a dog next to the overturned ladder, barking up a storm.
“I gotta go. I’ll call you back.”
“Do not hang up!” Tandy sounds panicked. “What’s wrong?”
Without bothering to end the call, I jump out of the truck and race toward Colt. “When did you get a dog?”
“Thank God you showed up. I was just about to risk dropping to the ground. The mutt is a stray. He seemed friendly, but now I’m wondering if he’s trying to kill me.”
I stand the ladder back up, and as Colt gets his feet steady in the top rung, the dog tries to climb up. Now I know how Colt ended up like that.
“Easy there, rock head, you gotta let the man climb down.” I tug the dog away from the ladder and get my face licked for my trouble. “You just want attention, don’t you? Where do you belong?”
Colt sighs as he steps on solid ground, then pats the dog’s head. “I’ll ask around, but it’s possible someone dumped him, which is sad.”
“Why were you up there?” I nod to the roof.
“Checking for hail damage. I was about to climb down when the ladder fell over.”
“Let’s get this fella some food, and—” I remember that Tandy is still wondering what happened. “Dang it. I need to talk to Tandy.” I run back to the truck.
Colt shouts, “Don’t tell Tandy. She’ll just worry.”
“A little too late for that, I think.” I settle into the driver’s seat.
“A little too late for what?” Tandy is nearly screaming. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” The road noise in the background makes it clear that she’s in her truck.
Since it’s at least a twenty-five-minute drive from her place to here, she’s speeding. “Slow down, woman. Colt isn’t hurt. No one is.”
She unleashes her frustration on me.
I sort of deserve it for leaving her hanging. But better her than Colt in this case. “If you’re done, I will explain. A stray dog knocked over a ladder, but I pulled up just in time and saved the day.”
“You tell Colt that I don’t want him on a ladder unless there is someone else around. I mean it.”
“I’ll tell him. You can turn around and go home if you want. Everything here is fine.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Drive safe.” Now I have the pleasure of telling Colt that Tandy will be perpetually worried about him. And that he’ll get to hear that from her in twenty minutes.