by Raeann Blake
“You sound just like Clay. That man would live beside a campfire if he could. I’d better go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay. I’ll tell Clay as soon as he comes in. See ya’,” Hailey said and put the phone down then slowly rose and took her cup back to the kitchen.
As she poured a cup she glanced at Isobell and said, “That was Kathy. I’m sure I will, but if I happen not to see him when he gets back, she wants him to call her on her cell.”
“Really? Huh,” Isobell said quietly.
“Is that odd?” Hailey asked as she leaned back against the counter and took a sip of coffee.
“A little, yeah. Not that she called. That she wants him to call her back. She normally just says that she’ll call him later. I hope nothing’s wrong.”
“She didn’t sound like it. She was pretty upbeat and said she was running errands so he’d have to call her cell.”
“It’ll be lunch time soon. Can I fix you something?” Isobell asked. She was growing increasingly worried about both Hailey and Clay. And she was pretty sure that Hailey needed somebody to talk to, but she didn’t quite know how to approach her. She had not had an opportunity to talk to Laine yet, but based on what had been said earlier she must have had some kind of run-in with one of the other women.
Hailey frowned for a second then smiled slightly. “No, I don’t think so. I know…three squares. But I’m honestly not hungry. Now if we were out on the trail, I wouldn’t turn you down. I think that’s from never really knowing that you’ll get a chance to eat again later. Isobell, what do you do for fun?”
“Well…I read a lot. I go to the movies. Concerts. Go out dancing occasionally. But my favorite thing is to just go down to Bozeman and walk down Main Street. Wander in and out of the stores. Buy something if I see something I want, just browse if I don’t.”
“What kind of stores?” Hailey asked.
“You haven’t been downtown? There’s a little bit of everything down there. But the galleries and art shops are the most interesting. I love going down there. Montana is overflowing with talented artists of all types. I love to wander in and out of the shops. Paintings and sculptures. All types of mediums. You’ll find some of the most interesting and fascinating pieces of artwork right downtown,” Isobell said.
“Really? I didn’t know that. I’d love to go with you sometime. Sculptures. Is that where Clay got all of the bronze sculptures he has?”
Isobell nodded immediately. “It is. There are several places that specialize in what’s called ‘cowboy art’. Scenes straight out of a cowboy way of life. He loves them. I’ve never seen him go downtown without coming home with another one. He just can’t seem to get off that street without buying one.”
“I’d really like to go. Would you mind if I go with you the first time we’re both free?”
“I’d love for you to go with me. We should make a day of it. There are several great places to get a little something to eat and relax when your feet get tired. Oh…I know. There’s this fabulous little coffee place. Coffee, espresso, tea, they’ve got it all. A good variety of food. A little merchandise. And music. There’s music every night. You’ll love it.”
Hailey smiled widely and shoved away from the counter as she started back to the door. “You already had me, but when you said ‘coffee house’…how can I resist?”
“We’ll figure out a day and do that. I’ll bet you can’t go down there without finding something that you just cannot come home without.”
Hailey shook her head and said, “No more betting for me. I just lost twenty dollars yesterday. That’s my limit for the week.”
She had just reached her door when the front door opened and she turned back. “Hey. I didn’t hear you guys ride in.”
“We haven’t been back long. Everything going okay?” Clay asked quietly. He still had so much on his mind. Everything that Laine had told him about what Lynn said was there. But so were all the words of advice he’d given him as well.
“Everything’s fine. Oh, Kathy called. She wants you to call her back and she said to call her cell because she’s running errands.”
She saw him nod as he started across the room then stop and look back at her with a frown. “She said to call her back? Did she sound okay?”
“Yeah, she sounded fine. We talked for a few minutes and then she said she had to go but she wanted you to call her.”
“Huh. Okay, thanks,” he said as he pulled his own cell phone off his belt and scrolled through the numbers then dialed. Hailey turned to go back to her office and had just settled behind the desk when he appeared in the doorway and then settled in the chair when Kathy answered.
“Kat? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I wanted to ask you a question. The other night, when you asked us to come out and stay for a while and bring the kids…did you mean that? Is it a good time?”
Clay sat straight up in the chair and leveled a gaze at Hailey. “Are you kidding? It’s a great time. Yes, I meant it. You’ll do it?”
“Now we can’t stay long, Clay. Just one night and we can’t come tonight. Tomorrow night? Gage has a couple of days off and all I’ve heard from the boys since we were there was that they wanted to go to Uncle Clay’s. We thought we’d come out and spend the night and let you spend some time with them.”
“Oh, Kat. Absolutely. I can’t wait. Are you sure can’t come tonight?” Clay asked as the smile spread across his face.
“We can’t, little brother. We have something for the fire department tonight. Gage has to be there. We’ll come out tomorrow.”
“Okay. Maybe I can wait that long. Kat…oh, man. Thanks. Food. Do the boys like anything in particular? How about Gage? Anything he likes or doesn’t like?”
Hailey could hear Kathy laugh before she answered him. “No, Clay. We eat normal food just like everybody else. Whatever you’ve got will be fine. Oh. And you might as well know, they’re gonna ride you about camping out. Evidently one of you said something when they were out there. That’s what I’m doing now. Buying sleeping bags.”
Clay burst out laughing and said, “Well, alright. That’s perfect. I hope it doesn’t rain. But if it does then we’ll just have to camp out on the porch. Kat, I can’t wait. I can take them riding, can’t I? I’ll be really careful. I won’t let anything happen to them.”
“Of course you can take them riding. Just because I don’t ride doesn’t mean they can’t like it. They waver back and forth every week. One week they’re going to be firemen and the next they’re going to be cowboys like Uncle Clay.”
Clay swallowed hard and dropped his eyes so Hailey wouldn’t see them water a little. “Really? That’s…I don’t know what to say to that. It makes me feel good. That’s a good thing, right?” he asked hoarsely.
“It’s a very good thing. I’m next in line at the checkout, sugar. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. We’ll be waitin’ for you. Bye, sis,” he said then slowly closed the phone. It was several minutes before he finally lifted his head to find Hailey watching.
“They’re coming out to spend the night. Tomorrow. And the boys wanna camp out. She’s buying sleeping bags for them. Man,” he said huskily.
“That’s wonderful, Clay. Would you like a suggestion?”
“Sure,” he said as he looked back up at her.
“Warn Isobell. She might want to plan something special for the meals.”
Clay smiled and rose slowly. “You’re right. And I think…”
When he stopped talking and frowned for a few seconds, she waited until the frown disappeared and a small smile appeared in its place.
“Do you have the information you need on those UPS’s?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Let’s go to town. We can go by and pick those up and then I’m goin’ by the western store and I’m gonna get those boys some cowboy hats,” he said with the smile widening.
Hailey chuckled and said, “Okay. You go talk to Isobell. I’ll
get a couple of checks. Since you’ll be there and can write a check, there’s no need to use up what’s in petty cash.”
“I’ll be right back. I’ll meet you outside. I’ll go talk to Isobell and I wanna go tell Laine what’s going on, too. Besides, he might wanna go with us…just to watch,” he said then chuckled when she shook her head but grinned back at him.
* * *
“Uh-oh. Ma’am, just hold on. Let me get the manager,” the young boy said when he turned around and saw Hailey standing behind him.
Clay and Laine both started laughing. Laine was the closest so he got the elbow in the ribs as Hailey shot them both a warning look.
“I take it that was the same kid you saw the last time you were in here?” Laine said quietly.
Hailey nodded and kept a serious expression on her face as the manager approached them.
“Hello, Ms. Lambert. What can we do for you today?” the manager asked as he approached her.
“I’d like four UPS’s. These two models here. Three of these and one of this one,” she said as she handed him the two sheets of paper she had in her hand.
Clay and Laine both fought grins when the man sighed and then looked at the papers. When he suddenly smiled and looked up at Hailey in surprise they waited to see what he would say.
“I believe it’s my lucky day. Come with me,” he said as he turned and led them down several aisles then stopped and pointed at a sign over a large stack of boxes.
“We’re overstocked. We have both of these models at one-third off the normal price. I believe that comes in under what you would get them for on the Internet. Is that satisfactory?” he asked.
Hailey grinned broadly at him and nodded. “It’s very satisfactory. So much so that I’d like to talk to you about your off-site backup services. I know you offer that through one of your subsidiaries. Don’t get too excited. I’m not ready for us to sign a contract for that just yet, but I’d like more information than what they provide on your web site. Can you tell me about that?”
The manager chuckled as he picked up the four boxes she needed and started for the front. “I can, but I have someone who can give you more information than you ever wanted to know. Chuck? Come over here and answer Ms. Lambert’s questions while I ring up her purchase.”
Clay and Laine both roared when Hailey turned and came face to face with that same sixteen-year-old kid again.
“Finally. Something I can help you with,” the boy said with a wide grin and Hailey couldn’t help laughing, too.
As they walked back to the truck Laine nudged Clay’s arm and said, “Seeing her face when she turned around and saw that kid was worth missing out on getting to see her browbeat the manager into giving her a good price.”
“I particularly enjoyed the way her eyes sort of glassed over after he’d been talkin’ about fifteen minutes. I figure that’s about what mine look like when she starts rattlin’ off stuff first thing in the morning before I’ve had my coffee,” Clay teased and they both laughed when she stopped and turned around to face them with her hands on her hips.
“My eyes did not glass over. I was just concentrating on what he said,” she said evenly then paused before she added the rest. “I had to. I didn’t understand half of it.”
Both men burst out laughing when she finally grinned and Laine shifted the sack he was carrying under his arm and threw the other one around her shoulder as she turned and they started walking again.
“You lasted longer than I did. He lost me after the first sentence.”
They had moved on to the western store and Hailey was looking over the leather vests while Clay and Laine were trying to decide on hats for the boys. She pulled one off the rack and tried it on then turned when she heard the voice behind her.
“That looks very nice on you. Hello, Ms. Lambert. How are you?”
“Hello. It’s Isaac right? Hailey,” she said as she turned to face him.
“It is Isaac. I was sorry to hear you wouldn’t be coming in anymore. I was looking forward to getting a chance to talk to you again,” he said as he propped a hand against the rack and watched her slip the vest off and put it back on the hanger.
“Evidently your father was not pleased either. Did you know he’s rude? He called the ranch and when Clay gave the phone to me, he hung on me,” she said innocently then smiled when Isaac burst out laughing.
“That sounds like him. I can promise you that nobody that I’ve ever heard of has ever accused him of being pleased about anything.”
Hailey chuckled and said, “Well that’s good to know. I thought it was just me.”
“Oh, absolutely not. His attitude is pretty much the same all the time…bad. You should have to work with him. I try to stay really busy,” Isaac said with a wide smile.
Hailey laughed and looked up at him. “You poor man. I’m sorry. That’s really bad for me to say. It’s okay if you criticize your father. Not so good for me.”
“Well I figure anybody who’s had a run-in with him earns that right. I do wish you were still buying at the store though. I didn’t really get a chance to talk to you that day. You’re new in Bozeman aren’t you?”
“I am. I’d only been here a few days when I got the job at Clay’s place.”
“Where are you from?”
“New Mexico.”
“Long way from home. Have you had a chance to see Bozeman? I could give you the nickel tour sometime if you’d like.”
Hailey dropped her eyes then looked back up at him suspiciously. “Isaac, I’m going to say something, and it could very well offend you. If it does, then I apologize. Did your father put you up to this? Did he ask you to try to get me back in the store by offering to show me the town?”
Isaac smiled and shook his head. “It doesn’t offend me. In fact I started not to ask you because I was afraid you’d think that. My father controls a good part of my life. He does not control my personal life. I do what I have to do inside that store. Outside those doors, I don’t do his bidding. I asked you because I’d like to get to know you. Nothing more.”
Hailey looked down then back up at him again then cut a quick glance to Clay. He had stopped talking and was watching them steadily. She quickly looked back at Isaac and said, “Then I apologize. I think you’re very nice, Isaac. But could I not make that decision right now? I have a lot going on at the ranch and I’m not quite ready to start any kind of…”
“Social life?” he asked when she trailed off.
Hailey nodded slightly and said, “Yes.”
Isaac nodded and said, “That’s okay, Hailey. I’ll be around if you change your mind. When you’re ready, let me know. I’ve lived here all my life. There’s a lot to see, and a lot to enjoy. I’d like to show it to you when you’re free. Just give me a call some time. You can call me at the store.”
“Oh I’m sure your daddy would like that,” she said with a slight grin.
Isaac laughed and said, “Well, he doesn’t have to know. Besides, if he answers the phone then you could hang up on him.”
Hailey burst out laughing and nodded. “Now that I’d like. Thanks for the offer. Maybe I’ll take you up on that sometime. I’d better get back. I think they’re about done. See you.”
“I hope so,” Isaac said then shot her a wide smile as he pushed away from the rack and started towards the front.
Hailey turned to find Clay with ice-blue eyes leveled at her in a steady gaze. She held his eyes as she walked towards him, but he turned away without speaking when she reached him.
“What did he want?” Laine asked quietly.
Hailey looked up at him then back to Clay. When he still didn’t turn to face her she shifted her eyes back to Laine’s. “A date.”
Clay’s head turned just long enough to shoot her a hard gaze as he snorted in disgust and walked away from them.
“Are you going?” Laine asked quietly.
“I told him I didn’t really have time right now,” she said as she shook her head.
> “But if you had time…”
“It was a nice way to turn him down, Laine. I’m not interested in dating right now.”
“I’m getting these. Let’s go,” Clay said harshly as he held up another hat that matched the one Laine was holding.
Chapter Eighteen
Clay had not said much on the way back. One and two word answers to any questions, nothing more. That granite line was back on his jaw. And it was still there as she worked on getting the new devices hooked up and working. She had glanced up at him several times and watched as he looked away each time. The longer it went on the more her own temper went up.