Six Pack Ranch: Books 1-3

by Vivian Arend

  13

  Gabe jotted down a few final ideas before closing his notebook. “That was exactly what I needed to know. Thanks, Allison. I’m glad I spotted your name when I went researching. The government information online was plain enough, but getting to talk to someone actually in the business makes it seem more real. I’m going to have to think a bit how we’ll be able to follow up.”

  His dining mate, an old classmate from high school who now lived and worked in Red Deer, raised her water glass and smiled. “I hope you decide it’s worth your while. There’s a call for quality organic meat, and I’m more than happy to use local growers for the restaurants we service. The demand is definitely higher than the supply.”

  “Your website mentioned that. About wanting to use local suppliers when possible. That’s part of what made me contact you in the first place.” The fact Allison was a beautiful woman who he already had connections with didn’t hurt matters either, but this was business. No way was Gabe willing to mess up something that could be the savior of their financial future for a tumble. No matter how attractive she’d turned out. The years she’d been gone had been good to her. “I like the idea you’re still working in the community, in a new way. I appreciate that.”

  Allison shared a wide smile with him, his compliment obviously making her happy. “Are you staying in Red Deer tonight?” she asked.

  Gabe shook his head. “Back home this afternoon. My brother picked up the slack today, but I can’t be gone too long.”

  “Do you have time for a tour of our shop? There’re a few classes and weekend workshops I have information on that might help. I forgot to bring the brochures along, but if now isn’t good, I can email you the links instead.”

  Someone upstairs liked him. “I have time. Thanks for offering. Thank you for everything.”

  Allison accepted his outstretched hand and shook it firmly. “Always glad to see a familiar face from my hometown, and hey, if this works out, I’ll be in a winning situation as well. If you give me a minute, I’ll meet you at the door and you can follow me over.”

  Gabe rose to his feet and pulled out her chair, caving far enough to allow himself to watch her hips in admiration as he followed her to the front. He took care of the bill and waited for her to return.

  His reflection in the window behind the cash register displayed his enormous foolish grin. He couldn’t help it—the delight filling him at actually having come this far? Man, it felt good.

  He’d come up with an idea, and it wasn’t even a halfcocked idea at that. All the requirements Allison had listed to become a registered organic beef farm were possible on the land his family owned. The idea was radical—a complete departure from the way his father ran the spread, but the end result?

  It might be enough. The attempt would certainly be interesting.

  A familiar laugh carried to his ears, interrupting his mental calculations, and he glanced back into the restaurant. The place was bright with midday sun, and it wasn’t hard to spot the source. Understanding what he saw was more difficult. Helen Meridan leaned forward over one of the tiny tables at the far edge of the room, an older man seated across from her holding her fingers in his.

  Gabe stared, waiting for her to pull back. Waiting for a sign this was a business handshake—like the one he’d just given to Allison that had been all above board and legit.

  He waited, hoping what he suspected wasn’t really happening, because right now it looked an awful lot like his cousin Matt’s steady girlfriend was holding hands with a stranger.

  He wasn’t in the know about everything going on in his cousin’s life, or Helen’s, but he was damn sure she didn’t have a reason to be hours away from Rocky with another man. Especially one old enough to—no, he refused to even conjecture. But when the man raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, Gabe’s mouth turned sour.

  Fuck it.

  He must have spoken the words, must have cussed far louder than he intended. Helen’s head swiveled and her eyes went wide. She turned briefly back to her seatmate and pulled her hand free, rose and made her way over to where Gabe stood, feeling slightly slack-jawed. The man at the table stared after her, a small frown building as if he was shocked at Helen’s rapid departure.

  She brushed past Gabe and pulled him with her to the edge of the hall that led to the bathrooms. By the time she turned to face him, her face was covered by a bright smile.

  “Hey, you. Didn’t expect to see you this far from home.”

  He bet she didn’t. “Helen, what the hell is going on?”

  She bit her lower lip and glanced toward the ceiling. The sick sensation in his stomach grew every second she hesitated.

  He’d seen this woman in a stressful situation before—a stressful sexual situation to be exact. While he didn’t expect having been invited by Matt into her bed for a temporarily ménage gave any lasting privileges, it sure the hell made Gabe more responsible than he would have been otherwise.

  Helen grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled his ear closer to her mouth. “Fine. I didn’t want anyone to know, so you’ve got to keep it a secret. It’s a job interview.”

  For fuck’s sake. “For what? Becoming a call girl?”

  Helen jerked back, shock in her expression. “A call… What are you talking about?”

  “He was kissing you, Helen. I ain’t never had an interview where I kissed anything but ass, figuratively, that one time I really needed some cash.”

  “The kiss? Jesus, Gabe.” She waved him off. “He’s old-fashioned, that’s all. It’s his style. He kissed the waitress’s hand when we were seated. You want to go and give her the third degree as well? Maybe he’s starting a brothel or something.”

  Gabe hesitated for a moment. She glared back, indignation written all over her. Only, he could have sworn a moment ago he’d seen her confused and panicked.

  Helen dragged a hand through her hair. “Look, it’s just an interview, but…I haven’t said anything to Matt yet because I’m not sure anything is going to come of it. Can you keep it quiet for a while? I should know within a couple weeks.”

  Another jolt of unease hit. Keeping that kind of secret didn’t sit well.

  He hadn’t even had time to respond before she smiled and poked him in the chest. “So what are you doing here? You never get this far out of Rocky anymore.”

  With one swoop, his tongue was frozen. Like hell would he mention anything about his ideas for changing his family’s ranch before they were even half-baked. Especially not to Helen, who shared others’ information as rapidly as a flag shook in a brisk wind. His father was going to be hellishly difficult to deal with anyway. A heads-up warning could ruin everything.

  To top off his shitty dilemma, Allison appeared from the ladies’ room and was rapidly approaching behind Helen’s back. Gabe’s mind raced—what could he say to cover his tracks? Helen knew Allison from school as well.

  His luck had run out.

  “I’m on a date.” He was screwed. Please, God, let Allison forgive him. He ducked past Helen and reached for Allison. She frowned slightly but accepted his hand. One tug allowed him to move in close. He planted his mouth by her ear as he wrapped his arms around her in a pseudo-lover’s clutch. “Sorry, I need your help. Play along, please…”

  He twisted them, keeping Allison under his arm. “Babe, you remember Helen?”

  Allison stood at his side, a trifle on the stiff side. Then, glory be, she passed her arm behind his back, around his hip and slipped her fingers into his belt loop. It was as if she melted in, all cozy and soft, and for a split second Gabe was very sad this was only a ploy.

  “Helen. Haven’t seen you in forever.” Allison spoke politely but without much invitation in her tone.

  Helen said hello, her gaze jumping back and forth between them. Then she seemed to lose all interest and shrugged. “Hey, don’t mean to be rude, but I need to get back to the table. Nice to see you, Allison. Gabe…”

  She stared for a second,
an implied finger-to-the-lips there before she turned her back and strolled casually toward the seating area.

  Gabe’s heart rate hovered well above normal, but now he wasn’t sure if it was from dodging a bullet or from the sweet scent of Allison in his arms.

  He released her, and they separated, heading through the door in silence. They were well into the parking lot before she glanced back, then burst out laughing. “Gabriel Coleman, it seems some things never change. What was that all about? You trying to make her jealous or—?”

  “God, no. Exactly the opposite.”

  She laughed harder. “Sorry, but the idea one of the Angel Boy Colemans just used me to avoid a woman makes me a little giddy.”

  Gabe’s cheeks heated. Screw it, she was making him blush. “Hate that bloody nickname with a vengeance—it’s worse than what my Six Pack cousins have to put up with. Look, I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to have to explain what we were doing together. It’s none of her business.”

  “Well, that’s true, and seeing you with a woman on a…date…is probably totally un-newsworthy.”

  He sighed. “That’s one of those ‘damned if I do, damned if I don’t’ statements.”

  Allison’s laugh was downright addictive, and he considered again why he’d never gone out with her when they were in high school. “Yeah, I promise not to make you answer. Forget it, no harm done. Come on, I’ll show you the shop.”

  Gabe waited until she’d gotten into her car before he headed to his truck, marveling how this fact-finding excursion had gotten so complicated. Wondering how crazy it was to be thinking about Allison when he had a life to change a hundred kilometers away from her.

  14

  Beth tossed a few more pillows on the couch and pointed firmly. “Sit.”

  Jaxi opened her mouth to protest then slammed it shut, lowering herself and curling her legs up. “You know, it’s not often I agree to this kind of nonsense.”

  “Nonsense?” Karen Coleman shoved a potato chip into her mouth. “You mean abandoning the guys, ordering a pizza and putting your feet up while you do nothing for an entire evening?”

  Jaxi grinned sheepishly. “I will admit getting pizza brought in is a treat and a half. But it feels weird to leave Blake for the night, if that doesn’t sound all little wimpy girlish. I like spending time with him, even if we are married and all.”

  Karen laughed. “I hope you’re still enjoying his company. You worked hard enough to catch the man.”

  “Damn right, I did.” Jaxi raised her glass of juice. “So, what do you want to gossip about then? Who’s got a hot new beau they want to share about? Although, Beth, you can’t share anything because hearing you talk about Daniel and sex would be way too weird.”

  “So this isn’t a pre-pre-baby shower?” Beth teased.

  Jaxi snorted. “Hell no. I’m only in my first trimester. I hope I’m not really showing for a good long time, because you know it’s going to get impossible when my belly is big enough the Coleman boys remember every second of every day. I won’t be able to move, they’ll try to wrap me so tight in cotton.”

  “You’ll get enough real baby showers from the rest of everyone down the road. Tonight is just a break—anything the pregnant mom-to-be wants.”

  “Pickles and ice cream?” Karen’s sister Tamara poked her head out of the kitchen, pushing the door open with her shoulders and bringing in a tray covered with goodies.

  “Don’t be trite. That’s so stereotypical.” Karen removed a few items from the table and helped balance the load on the way down. “Hmmm, but chocolate chip cookies are good even if you’re not preggers.”

  Beth smiled at the small group of women gathered in Tamara’s apartment. “Sometimes the stereotypes are true, sorry to say. I had cravings with every one of my kids.”

  The conversation took off, and Beth leaned back happily on the couch, diving into the chips and dip and enjoying some female companionship. The knock on the door came far sooner than any of them expected. Beth glanced at her watch in surprise.

  She opened the door to discover Daniel’s red-cheeked smile. “Is it really that time already?”

  “It’s late, and you said you were going to turn into a pumpkin if you didn’t get to bed on schedule.” He slipped into the room and pulled off his toque and gloves. “Ladies. I’m the taxi service for the night. I have to steal away two of your party, if you don’t mind.”

  Karen threw popcorn at him. “Spoilsport.”

  “Saucy thing. Hey, you going to stop by and help clear the ice for the skating party before Christmas or should I tell my dad not to bother?”

  “What? No ice? That would be anti-holiday. That’s like announcing no toboggan party on Boxing Day. You being the Grinch or something?” Tamara handed over a paper bag and Daniel frowned. She grinned. “Leftover pizza. Don’t ever say the Whiskey Creek Colemans don’t take care of you better than you deserve.”

  Jaxi shrugged on her coat and boots, and Beth joined her, bundling against the cold. She turned to give both Karen and Tamara big hugs. “Thanks, girls, that was just what I needed. And anytime you want to come over, you let me know.”

  Daniel led them to his truck, and Beth ended up hip to hip at his side, hot air blowing hard over the three of them as they shared the bench seat. “That was a lot of fun. Thanks for inviting me, Jaxi.”

  Jaxi leaned back, head resting on the window. “Yup, no problem. The girls are sweet, and I love doing stuff with them. Hopefully they’ll be able to stay in the area.”

  “Why would they leave?”

  Daniel answered first. “Tamara’s got her nursing degree and the apartment in town, but Karen and their little sister Lisa are interested in working the land. It isn’t easy to convince their dad that they can deal with doing ‘a man’s job’.” He shrugged, his hands firm on the wheel as he took them back over the slippery roads. “I don’t agree with Uncle George, especially since Karen is one of the best horse women I’ve ever seen. But…tradition.”

  Jaxi’s eyes were closed. “Tradition sucks.”

  “I’m not arguing with you, Jaxi. Just telling how it is.”

  Beth rested her hand on Daniel’s thigh and let his heat warm her fingers. They were all quiet for the rest of the trip, Daniel driving Jaxi right up to the guest cabin. Blake was there immediately, coming from the main house to wrap an arm around her.

  “I’m hitting the sack—this being pregnant is wiping me out. Night, Beth. Daniel, thanks for the ride.”

  They waved her off and Daniel backed up carefully. “You too tired for a short walk? You’re dressed for the weather—I thought we could walk the trail back to the Peter’s house—leave my truck here.”

  Beth smiled. “A walk would clear a few cobwebs before I try to sleep. The babysitter is—”

  “Shoot, I forgot about her.” He changed route and headed down the main drive and around to her front door. “Change of plans. We’ll still go for a walk, but this way I can drive Sandy home, okay?”

  Beth took a deep breath of the cold air, the slight tinge of wood smoke from the fireplaces bouncing on her tongue and making her senses come to life. She tucked her glove-covered hand into the crook of his elbow, and they stepped along the well-packed trail. Her boys didn’t give fresh snow any time to accumulate without racing through and marking it up with toboggans and miniature snowshoes.

  They were nearly halfway around the loop before she realized she hadn’t said a word. “Sorry, I’m not being very good company, am I?”

  Daniel tugged his arm in closer and squeezed her fingers. “Figured you had something on your mind. I don’t need to be filling the air with noise to enjoy your company. But if there’s something you want to talk about, I’m here.”

  Beth stopped to stare over the snow-covered field. The moon shone down, creating a narrow strip of glimmer in the midst of the powdery white. “I had a good time tonight.”

  Daniel stepped behind and wrapped his strong arms around her, tugging her to his body un
til she was surrounded. Protected. “Why does that sound as if you’re trying to convince yourself?”

  “No, I did have fun. Just…made me think all kinds of things. Sort of one thought led to another, and my brain is so full right now I’m not sure if I’m coming or going.”

  He hmmed, but other than that, simply waited.

  She was telling the truth. She’d enjoyed the outing—but it stood in such sharp contrast to what her life had been like before, the comparison hurt. The memories ached.

  “I haven’t had a lot of girlfriends. Getting out for a night alone…rarely happened. I enjoyed myself, and yet the pleasure of it made me sad that I missed time and friendships over the past years.”

  She tried to say it plain and simple. No blame, because there wasn’t a place to put blame anymore.

  Daniel turned her to face him. “I can see that. It’s almost a teeter-totter, or as if you’ve been given something and then had it taken away. You didn’t know how much you’d miss it because you’d never experienced it.”

  Beth sighed. “You’re a wise man, Daniel.”

  He shook his head. “Not really. Just, well, it’s nothing like what you’ve dealt with, but I know…”

  This time when he paused, Beth was the one to touch his chest and get his attention back from where she’d lost him. “What’s going on in your head?”

  He spoke slowly. “I don’t know that it’s the time for that talk. You warm enough?”

  “Tons warm.” She rested her head on his chest and synchronized her breathing with his. “Daniel, am I a terrible person for being a tiny bit jealous that Jaxi’s pregnant?”

  He sucked in a quick gasp. If she hadn’t been touching him so intimately, she probably wouldn’t have noticed. “I don’t think you could do anything that would make you terrible.”

  Beth clung to her inner fears, refusing to voice them. She might have said they were going to open up more, and she was trying. Even the confession she’d just made was hard enough.