Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
TANDY
W hen I made plans for the girls’ night, Matthew and I were only friends. There was no question and no gray area. But twenty-four hours have elapsed, and I can’t truthfully say we are just friends.
When I watched him toppling toward the sidewalk, my insides twisted. This companionship we’ve been sharing fills not just the quiet hours when I’m usually alone but it’s filling my heart. And I’m trying not to panic about that.
But I like it too much to run, and since I’m focused on creating the ranch and he’s a big part of it, I can’t get away from him. And I don’t want to.
What in the world am I going to say to the ladies?
I knock on Mindy’s kitchen door. She has a perfectly functional front door, but we typically enter through the kitchen because it’s closer to the driveway and more convenient. “Hello!”
Lilith dances her eyebrows. “We’re all waiting to hear updates.”
“Let’s see. You know that I’m no longer ignoring Matthew. He’s coordinating all the building on Matchmaker Ranch. And because we’re working together, we’ve spent a lot of time together. Usually talking about business.” That’s not completely true, but we do talk about the ranch a whole lot. “Does that answer all the questions?”
Joji shakes her head. “Not even close. What did he do to convince you to talk to him? You never even told us that.”
I pat my bum. “Lots and lots of chocolate. He knows my weakness for all things sweet.”
Mindy sets a charcuterie board on the table. “Matthew seems pretty sweet. Is he part of the weakness?”
“No.” My answer is a bit too abrupt, and I know the ladies won’t miss that, but I don’t backpedal. “But I’m not going to find anyone better to build my house and all the other structures I want on the ranch.” I pat Stephanie’s arm. “I took Blake’s suggestion.”
She hands me a plate. “Good. I’m happy you and Matthew are getting to spend time together. Between you and me, I think he gets lonely out there on his little ranch. Blake goes over to play chess with him from time to time, but I’m glad he has you.”
Ava leans forward. “I also heard that your handyman is staying with you. If he ever needs a hot meal, he’s always welcome at the ranch.”
I laugh. Ava would feed the whole world if she could. “I’ll keep that in mind. But so far, he seems to like what I’m making. They poured the foundation on his place this morning. I am so excited. This dream is starting to feel attainable. Like it could be real.”
Ava wraps me in a hug. “We are so excited for you. And think of all the lonely people out there who will find love because of you. They just don’t know it yet.”
Lilith pours us all wine, then lifts her glass. “To dreams and happily-ever-afters.”
That’s something I’ll happily drink to.
I wave her off when she starts to pour me a refill. “That’s plenty for me.” If I’d planned better, I would’ve arranged for a ride home. But it’s out of the way for all these ladies.
Beau’s face shows up on Lilith’s screen, and she slips out. “Be right back.”
The poker game must not be going his way if he’s stopping to call Lilith. Hopefully, Matthew is winning tonight.
Lilith returns a few minutes later and sets her phone down. “Matthew said he’d take you home if you want another glass. No pressure.”
Rolling my eyes as the other ladies laugh, I hold out my glass. “Fill her up.”
By the end of the night, I’ve admitted to these ladies that I like having Matthew around as if it wasn’t already obvious to all of them. They’re all supportive. They don’t tease—even though after all the meddling I’ve done, I kind of deserve that—but they encourage me and cheer on my friendship. Granted, they all grinned when they used that word.
I love these ladies.
The husbands show up, and Matthew is with them. He lingers at the door and winks when I glance his way.
So I saunter over. “Thanks for offering to drive.”
“My pleasure. How many glasses did you have?” He lifts an eyebrow, that delicious sparkle in his green eyes.
I shake my head. “Not enough to say more than I intend.”
His chuckle turns my insides gooey, and I feel young again. Maybe that’s why I like Matthew. He’s a reminder of my youth, that long-ago span of life I miss, but only a little. Because all the ladies that say life starts at forty are onto something.
The next few weeks fly by, and not once does Matthew mention kissing me, which I’m thankful for. Until I’m not.
But I’m not going to bring it up.
But it’s not like I don’t have the opportunity because Matthew and I now spend a lot of time together, either at my house or on the ranch.
Colt’s house is finished in record time, which I want to think is helped by the breakfast tacos I take out there whenever a crew is onsite. And nearly every day, Matthew and I meet at the ranch early and walk. At first, he came to my place to walk, but there was no sense in him doing all that driving. The ranch is closer to his place, so I insisted we start meeting there.
I look forward to our morning walks. We talk about projects on the ranch, small-town gossip.
What we don’t talk about is our past. The night in the bedroom is rarely mentioned. I haven’t offered details about my life away from here. For the most part, we focus on the here and now. It’s probably for the best.
Matthew kicks a rock out of the path. “Colt’s place should be finished soon.”
“I figured. From the outside, it looks done. Everything okay?”
He nods. “Today is Catherine’s birthday. Tonight, I’m going over to David and Patsy’s. Not sure if you know them. Those are Eli’s parents.”
“I haven’t met them. Raised a great kid, though.” I fold my arms, fighting the urge to take Matthew’s hand. But since he’s thinking about Catherine, I feel like I shouldn’t touch him. “I’m sorry, Matthew.”
“She was never big on birthdays, but I’d always gather a handful of whatever wildflowers I could find and give them to her.” He points to patches of color near the path. “She’d love this field.”
I stay quiet, letting him talk.
“After dinner, if you don’t mind, I might stop in for a cup of tea.”
“I’d like that.” I give up resisting and take his hand.
We’re quiet for the next few minutes, then I venture into new territory for us. “Tell me about her.”
Matthew smiles. “You would’ve liked her, I think. She had more patience than any other person I’ve known. She had to in order to put up with me.” He pinches his lips and squeezes my hand. “She made our house feel like a home. I’m proud of my kids, but the credit is all hers.”
“I bet she’d say the same things about you.”
His eyes are misty as he chuckles. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“I’m happy you found your happily-ever-after. And I’m sorry it ended too soon.”
Head bobbing, he stares ahead. “I’ll always miss her.” He stops and puts his arms around me. “But I’m thankful we reconnected. You’ve chased away the lonely that I thought would be part of my life until my last breath. When I accepted that job from Blake, I just wanted us to talk. I hated that you were mad at me. What we have now is more than I expected. And I’m happy. I love our morning walks, having tea on the porch in the evenings. The companionship. And if you’d like to come with me to dinner, I’d be open to that.”
“Not tonight. You spend the evening with your family. But I’ll put the kettle on when you come over.”
Hand in hand, we continue down the path. I have fallen victim to the slippery slope, and it’s hard to be mad about it.
I like how things are. Mostly.
The next morning, Matthew hands me a breakfast taco when I slide out of the truck. “Morning, sunshine. I made us a quick breakfast.”
“Thank you.” I reach into my truck and grab two travel mugs. “And I brought us coffee.”
“Perfect.” He drops his tailgate so that we have a place to sit.
I’m less than graceful when I climb up, but eventually, I sit on the edge of the tailgate, and my feet dangle. “It’s warming up. The mornings no longer have that chill.”
“Sadly.” He unwraps his taco. “Hopefully it isn’t a scorching summer like last year.”
“Agreed.” I bite into my taco.
“When I asked if you’d become a therapist, you wrote down a vague answer. Care to expand on that?”
Surprised by the question, I choke on my bite of taco.
He taps my back. “Now I’m even more intrigued.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t heard already. I never made a secret of it, and the way news travels around here, I figured you’d already heard that I worked as a sex therapist.”
He slaps a hand over his mouth just in time to keep bits of taco from flying out.
“It’s not that funny.”
“It is to me. I felt horrid, thinking you were so crushed by what happened that you never moved on. And I’m laughing at how wrong I was.” He bumps my shoulder. “I’m glad you found a fulfilling career. You were probably great with that.”
“I was. Many happy couples left my office. And I did move on. I haven’t spent fifty years pining for you, but I couldn’t bring myself to marry any of the men who got down on one knee. They weren’t like you.” I’ve probably said too much, but after his bout of vulnerability yesterday, I’m risking a bit of honesty.
He wads up his trash and holds his hand out for mine. “Ready to walk?”
“Yep. Thanks for the taco. It was good.”
As we make our way down the path, the chatty Matthew who showed up this morning has been replaced by a brooding version.
Since we started walking, he’s barely said a word.
“What’s up, Matthew? The last time you went this long without talking was when you had laryngitis in high school.” I rub his arm. “Is this because of what I said?”
“Have you talked to Dallas?” He clasps my hand but keeps his gaze on the trail ahead.
“Why are you changing the subject?”
His laugh relieves a bit of my stress. It’s clear that his wheels are turning, and I’d rather talk about whatever’s on his mind than worry about it.
“I’m curious if Dallas is going to take the job. They just started framing the foreman’s house. And while it will be a little bit before it’s finished, you might consider bringing Dallas on board soon. At least ask him.”
I stop walking and squeeze Matthew’s hand. “I’ll call him. Now tell me what’s wrong.”
“Honestly, nothing.” He glances at our intertwined hands and smiles. “I need to cancel dinner on Saturday. The guys and I have a gig.” Without letting go of my hand, he uses the other to play his pretend fiddle. “You can come if you want.”
The golden rays of the morning sun bathe the trees in a warm glow, and this feels like a moment I’d write in one of my books. “I wouldn’t miss it. If everything is perfect, why are you quiet?”
He steps closer and tucks our joined hands behind his back. “Because…” He sucks in a deep breath.
“Spit it, Matthew. What is it you need to say?”
“I hated when you wouldn’t speak to me. Then I felt guilty when I understood why.”
“You’ve already apologized. I’m not mad at you.”
That delicious twinkle dances in his eyes. “I know. And I’m thankful for that. Mornings are something I look forward to now. Seeing you. Talking with you.”
“But?” It’s obvious there’s one coming. And I’m bracing for what he’s going to say.
He leans closer. “It’s getting harder not to?—”
I tug on his shirt.
Chuckling, he touches his lips to mine, and I let my eyes slip closed as I melt into his kiss.
This man. It’s been half a century since the last time we did this, but my heart remembers like it was yesterday. And he’s not the only man I’ve kissed. But no one else on earth feels like Matthew.
He breaks the kiss and looks down at me. “I don’t want you to pull away. You said that you’d never?—”
I inch up and kiss him again.
He lets go of my hand and hugs me tight when I make it abundantly clear that I’m happy he’s no longer fighting the urge. I’ve wanted this for a while now, but I didn’t think it could feel like this.
My bliss is interrupted by thoughts of all the ways this could go south, and I push on his chest. It isn’t even because of the promise I made myself never to fall for Matthew again. “We shouldn’t. We’re working together.”
He keeps me close and grins. “First of all, I am not technically working. I’m volunteering.”
“I have offered to pay you multiple times.”
“But then I’d be working for you, which would make things complicated.”
I give a dramatic eye roll and try not to laugh. “You said first of all. Do you have any other reasons you think this is okay?”
“We’re adults, Tandy. Shoot, my grandkids are all adults. We’re old. And the most important reason I want us to give this a try is because… I like you. A lot. I want us to hold hands when we walk. Like those cute old couples in commercials. I want to kiss you when I greet you and when I say goodnight because it makes me happy. You make me happy.”
I toy with one of the pearl buttons on his shirt. “I like you too, Matthew. For an old guy, you’re incredibly charming. And I did say never, but it just so happens that I have a Matthew-shaped soft spot.”
He kisses my hand, and we start walking again, hand in hand.
When we arrive at the barn—still holding hands—Colt flashes a crooked grin, then pretends not to notice. He’s probably glad he’s moving into his own place this weekend.
I’ll miss having him around the house, but I won’t complain about sharing my evenings alone with Matthew.
Maybe it’s not too late for an old bird like me to enjoy a little romance.
Sometime in the middle of the night, it occurs to me that Colt has nothing in the way of furniture for his new house. Why didn’t I realize this weeks ago? I feel responsible for making sure he has what he needs. He hasn’t talked about family much. He’s mentioned his mom, but she’s far away.
And while he’s here and working for me, I intend to look after him. Maybe even find him a sweetheart.
I try to sleep a bit more, but my thoughts are on what he’ll need for the new place. The sun isn’t yet up when I roll out of bed.
I’ll make Colt breakfast and let him know that I’ve got his furniture covered. After getting out eggs and everything else I need to whip up a batch of pancakes, I text Matthew.
Me: I’m not going to the ranch this morning, so no walk for me today.
I hit send and then decide to invite him to breakfast. He likely won’t see it for a bit yet because normal people are sleeping, but he might see it before he eats.
Before I start typing, he replies.
Matthew: Are you canceling because of yesterday?
Me: No. I want to shop for Colt’s house. But I’m making pancakes if you want to come for breakfast.
Matthew: Pancakes sound great. I’ll see you soon.
Humming, I make more pancakes than the three of us can eat at one meal. I’ll pack some for Colt to have at his place.
When he trudges into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes, I set a plate on the table. “I felt like cooking. And after breakfast, I’ll get basic pieces for your house. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier.”
“You don’t have to do that. I have an air mattress.”
I slide bacon onto his plate, then add a stack of pancakes. “Nonsense. If you have a particular style or color, just tell me.”
He points out toward the living room. “I’d prefer that it not be animal print, like the one you have. No offense.”
I laugh. “You don’t like my loud couch? I’ll have to tell Joji. I bought it from her. It is a bit hideous, but in a delicious sort of way. I’ve grown attached to it.”
“Hideous is right.”
Keys jingle, and the front door opens. Maybe it’s weird for my contractor to have keys to my house, but I’m okay with it. Happy even.
“Morning, y’all.” Matthew saunters into the kitchen. “Did Colt save any for me?”
“Howdy. There are a couple left.” Colt laughs and points to the heaps stacked on the platter. “She went a bit overboard.”
Matthew hovers near a chair, stroking the cats as I add food to his plate. Chip and Dale weave between his legs, purring. The little beggars hope that he’ll give them treats.
They know who to make nice with. Matthew pulls the canister off the top of the fridge and gives them each a treat. There’s a reason this old cowboy has stolen my heart.
After setting the food in his spot, I inch up and give him a quick peck. “Good morning.”
His gaze speaks volumes, and the twinkle is extra vibrant today.
Before sitting down, he pulls out my chair. “You need to eat before tackling your shopping list.”
“Right.” I get my plate and sit beside him. “Eat up. There’s plenty.”
After breakfast, Matthew stays to help me clean, but as soon as Colt leaves, it becomes clear that cleaning isn’t the only reason Matthew stuck around.
He slides his hands around my waist. “When I saw your text this morning, I thought you were reversing course and pulling away. I’m really glad that’s not the case.”
I touch his cheek. “I haven’t changed my mind. This feels too right to be spooked. Even for me. I admit that I had my moment of panic and tried to use working together as an excuse, but I like you. I like this.”
“I’m glad. And it does feel right. Maybe on Saturday, we should let the cat out of the bag. Unless you want to keep this between us for now.”
“I kissed you in front of Colt. I’m not keeping us a secret, Matthew.”
He grins and whispers, “Us. I like the sound of that.” He drops a kiss on my neck. “I should get to the ranch.”
“I’ll make dinner or pick it up if shopping takes forever. But I’ll be in touch.”
He brushes his lips on mine. “Have a good day.”
By late afternoon, I have been to numerous stores, and I swear if anyone else coughs in my direction, I’m going to spit at them. Don’t cough at people. It’s rude. My life is way too busy to handle being sick right now.
Tomorrow, there will be a lot of deliveries to the ranch, but I wasn’t about to load furniture in my truck by myself.
I choose two sheet sets that will fit the mattress I purchased, then toss a squishy animal pillow into the cart. Even grown-up boys want to cuddle something soft. And I think Colt will like it. At least I hope so. Maybe I should have gotten Matthew’s advice. He has sons and grandsons. I’m just guessing.
Overall, today has been successful. And my back seat is packed with purchases when I pull into my driveway. Since I spent so much time shopping, I won’t have time to cook, so barbecue will have to do.
And maybe after dinner when Matthew and I sit on the porch, I’ll have a cup of chamomile tea. I’ve missed it.