“So you’re not serious about him?”
“Mike? Totally not… He’s on his way to Alaska, as we speak… New job.”
“… What do you think Craig thought?”
“After meeting Sharon and doing some soul-searching, I came to the conclusion that Craig might be in love with me. But it’s all so confusing.”
“What is? Take another sip.” Janie took a big gulp.
“After the dance rescue, Diane wanted to ask Craig out and I just fell apart… Literally. We were at the Naples Bar and I walked outside to throw up.”
Meg smiled – Now she was getting the picture.
“You think that Craig and Diane might get together?”
“Yesss….” Janie started to tear up.
“Sweetie, why are you crying?”
“I don’t want to see them together. Would Craig do that just to get back at me?”
“Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know…” Tears actually started falling down Janie’s cheeks and Meg thought she had now seen it all now – Big, strong Janie succumbing to love… She fished a tissue out of her purse and handed it to her.
“Here… Wipe your eyes and blow. Let me tell you something.”
“Okay…” Janie blew her nose.
“… Diane was being sneaky – You do know that, don’t you?”
“No.”
“She just said that about wanting to ask Craig out to push you in the right direction. A direction you can’t seem to head into by yourself.”
“What direction?”
“Janie, don’t you see?” She shook her head.
“Take another sip. You’re going to need it.” Puzzled, Janie took a big gulp of her Irish coffee and looked back at her.
“Sweetie, it’s as plain as the nose on your lovely face.”
“What is?”
“That you’re in love with Craig… Can’t you see it because everybody else can.”
“…Um…”
“And what’s more, you’re right – he’s in love with you too. He probably has been for some time now.”
“…Ah…”
“You two sure have dragged this out much longer than you should have. But there it is…” Janie looked at her for a solid minute in silence. She was listening to her heart. Her eyes widened in surprise.
“You’re right, Meg. I am in love with Craig… I love him so much… sometimes I can’t think straight… “ She thought briefly. “That’s probably why it about killed me to think that he’d be with someone else.” Another layer peeled back. Meg nodded.
“And now you know why he was so upset when he saw you with Mike Church. He felt the same way…”
“Oh, no…”
Meg smiled at her.
“Carter thinks that Craig’s been in love with you for a very long time. He saw it in Craig’s eyes at our engagement party at the ranch and told me so later.”
“Wow… So… What happens now?”
“Sweetie, that’s up to you and Craig.” Janie sat back and rubbed her eyes.
“I don’t have a clue, Meg.”
“Wait until you see him again and see what he does. You two are smart people, hopefully,” she smiled, “and I know you can figure this out.” Janie laughed.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. I just won’t know how to act around him.”
“Trust me, something will happen.” Meg laughed. “Come on. We need to catch that last cable car and go home. Have we solved all your problems now?”
“Almost… Thanks, sis…” They stood to give each other hugs. Their check came and Meg picked it up. They walked out of the bar to light rain. Janie looked up at the darkening sky, closed her eyes and let the rain fall on her face... It tingled and she was almost giddy.
“I feel pretty good…”
“Wonderful... Let’s go home.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Craig was going crazy… It was Monday and he had exactly four days to get those accounts ready for Sandy and Bill to take on their Las Vegas trip. He knew the lawyers, who helped manage the Johnson Family Trust, would need every i dotted and t crossed, and the figures damn well had to be accurate. He’d had too many distractions with Janie and the archery competition. And since she blew town like a bat out of hell, he had trouble keeping two thoughts going consistently. Why had she left so suddenly? We were getting along fine again. And why hadn’t she called?
He also knew that Mike Church had left for good. He had mixed feelings about that – Mike was a nice enough guy, but he had moved in on Janie. Craig finally recognized that was something he just couldn’t take. Therefore, adios and good luck, Mike Church.
Nothing was going right at the office either. He buzzed his secretary.
“Marcia?”
“Yes, Mr. Ferguson.”
“That incredibly slow IT guy finally fixed my computer, but now my printer is acting up. It keeps reading, ‘Put in toner,’ but I did that already yesterday.” Marcia could hear some despair in his voice.
“Want me to take a look at it, before we call him again?”
“Please.” Marcia came in and started messing with the printer. Craig went over to pour another cup of coffee. “Shit… Oh, sorry, Marcia.” She looked over at him.
“What’s wrong now?”
“I think the coffee pot just went on the fritz… What’s wrong with all my machines today?” And every day, Marcia thought.
“I’ll take a look at it when I’m done with your printer.” She thought she’d add electronic and appliance repair to her job description.
The office phone rang and Marcia walked over to pick it up. “Ferguson Accounting… Oh, hi… So glad you called… Yes, he’s here. Please take him. He’s a grumpy bear today who came out of his cave too soon.”
Craig looked over at her and his mouth dropped. “Who are you speaking to?” She handed him the phone.
“Colt…” He shrugged at her and smiled.
“Hi. Yes, lunch would be great… It’s a real disaster up here today and Marcia’s sick of me… Okay… I’ll meet you there in fifteen. Bye.” He hung up the phone.
“I’m going to lunch, Marcia. That should make you happy for an hour at least.”
“Thank God for that. Maybe I can get some work done while you’re gone.”
The printer cartridges dropped some ink on her hands. “Great… Now I’m covered in printer ink.”
He grabbed his suit jacket and headed out the door. “Oh, and Marcia…”
“Yes, Mr. Ferguson?”
“There’s a nice Christmas bonus coming your way for putting up with me.”
She smiled at him. “Richly deserved…”
He smiled back. “Yes, ma’am…” And left.
Colt was waiting for him at the corner coffee shop. Naples wasn’t that big a town and basically consisted of a few corners period. Craig’s office downtown was close to his house and that’s all that mattered to him. He walked in as Colt was getting a cup of coffee from the waitress.
“That’s what I couldn’t get at my office today.” He sat down across from him.
“What?” Craig pointed at his cup of coffee. “Why not?
“… crappy coffee pot broke down.” Colt laughed.
“You getting all the accounts ready to go?” Craig blew out a breath.
“Yeah, but I’ll be working late all this week. I’m not going to have time to breathe until Thursday, when they leave.”
“No archery practice this week then?”
The waitress came up, poured Craig a cup, and asked if they were ready to order.
“Sure, I’ll have the usual hamburger, Sue,” said Craig.
“Make that two,” added Colt. Craig fixed his coffee – Colt knew he was stalling. “So… no practice, I take it?”
“No, I’m not going to get over there. Janie’s not in town anyway and I guess I’m as ready as I’m going to be.”
“For the tournament or for Janie?” Craig looked over at him.
/>
“Both and neither…”
“Damn it, Craig… Be a man – Tell her how you feel.” He could see Craig squirming in his seat.
“… Um.”
“She’s just back from Meg’s and had a nice time, I understand.”
“Oh?”
The waitress arrived with their food. That was fast – but then again, they always ordered the same thing and Ben, the cook, probably saw them come in. They both took time adding ketchup and salt. Craig took a big bite, Colt presumed, so he wouldn’t have to respond to him. He took a big bite of his hamburger as well. They chewed in silence for a while, until Colt swallowed.
“Meggie said they had quite a nice talk.”
“What source gave you this information?”
“Meg called Grandma Jeanne who called my wife. You know, the usual family sources. Jeanne probably called Lily too.” He took another bite.
“What did they talk about?”
“… Things.”
“What kind of things?”
“Female things…” Colt was enjoying this. Craig took another bite and swallowed too quickly. He started to choke and sputter.
“Need me to do the Heimlich Maneuver?” Craig shook his head while reaching for his water. He finally stopped coughing.
“Christ, Colt. Are you going to tell me anything, or don’t you know anything to tell?” Craig was getting annoyed.
“All that I’m allowed to say is that Janie drove up to Meggie’s when she was pretty upset about some things in her life. She came back to town feeling much better, like something had been resolved.”
“But you’re not allowed to tell me anything specific?”
“No.”
“Does any of this have to do with Mike Church?” Craig started to eat his fries.
“I understand he was mentioned, but he wasn’t the main focus.”
Craig’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. “I can’t believe we’re even having this ridiculous conversation. You’re speaking all these words and telling me exactly zero.”
Colt stifled a laugh. He knew enough to put the guy out of his misery, but knew that was Janie’s job. And he had told him before that a man would wait a long time for her. Boy, had he been right…
Craig went back to his office after lunch as grumpy as when he’d left. Marcia could tell the second he came back through the door. Great, she thought. The bear is back. At least she got the printer working. He went back to work and was still at it when she left for home that evening.
“Need anything before I go?” He waved at her.
“No, thanks. You go on home, Marcia. One of us should enjoy the evening.” She laughed at him.
“Night then…”
“…Night.” And he worked on steadily until very late in the evening. It was much easier to be super busy than thoughtful. He didn’t want to think about that weird conversation with Colt, because it got him nowhere. Colt was right about one thing though. -- Craig needed to talk to Janie. He needed to see her and be with her. He needed to touch her hair and skin, and know that everything was going to be all right. He needed her, period… And Craig knew that for sure.
####
Once she was back in town, Janie headed for the ranch. She couldn’t quite face Diane just yet and she wasn’t sure what to say to Craig. At this time, in her moment of real uncertainly, Janie wanted to talk to her mother. Lily had a commanding sense of just what was going on with her children, but the good sense not to pry – too much… Since Janie would be on duty at night this week, she drove home from San Francisco on Monday morning. That gave her time to poke along, think, and think some more. It was unknown territory she was in and she didn’t mean California…
Parking in the front driveway, she went in the front door and yelled for anyone. No one called back, so she went through the house to the back yard, where she found Sandy and Lily out by the side corrals. Sandy was saddling his horse. She was glad to see them.
“Hey…” Janie waved as she walked back to them.
“Hey yourself, stranger,” her dad called back. Lily smiled at her. When Janie was close enough, Lily gave her a big hug.
“… Missed you, sweetie. How was the visit with Meg?” Sometimes, thought Janie, it was nice to go where things were not so complicated. Her parents’ ranch was one of those places.
“We had a good time. Carter was great, as always… God, does that guy have any flaws?” Sandy laughed.
“Actually, we all do… Hate to be the first one to tell you.” She grinned at her dad. She looked around.
“What’s going on?”
“Your dad’s trying to decide when to have the roundup this year. It’s spring and most of the calves have been born, so he and Jason are thinking it over.”
“Jason… How is our illustrious foreman? I haven’t seen him or Amy in a while.”
“They’re good. Everyone’s fine.” She lowered her voice. “You heard about Joey and Anna, didn’t you?”
“Not the final outcome. Is he leaving for New Mexico?”
“Oh, he left yesterday. Anna didn’t go with him.” Janie was surprised.
“… Why not? I thought they were serious about one another.”
“So did we all, except for Joey, apparently. He must have some Miles in him after all.” Sandy turned around.
“Discussing Joey? I think he did her wrong. If he had asked me, I would have told him to do the right thing.” Lily glanced at him.
“The right thing for you might not be the right thing for Joey.” He shrugged.
“… Maybe…Still seems like he handled it wrong.” He turned to Janie.
“You know Bill and I are leaving for Vegas on Thursday, right?”
“Sure.”
“When are you and Craig flying down?” Lily kicked him softly in the leg. He looked at her puzzled. “What? Did I say something wrong?”
Janie laughed. “It’s okay, Mom. I get that all the time and from everyone.”
She turned to her dad. “I believe we’re coming down on Friday. And Dad…”
“Yeah?”
“Please don’t ask me anything more about Craig until I get it figured out. Trust me… You and Mom will be the first people to know. All right?”
He stood up straight and looked at his lovely daughter. She was so much like him physically, but had Lily’s temperament. Janie had always been her own person and needed to figure things out for herself. She had made mistakes that way, but her decisions were hers alone. And she sure took her sweet time making some of those decisions. This apparently was one of those times. Still, he admired her for it…
“All right, sweetie. Let me know.” Then he turned to Lily. “I’ve got to go see Jason about the calving and the roundup. See you later, sweetheart.” He kissed her, got on his horse and then dipped his cowboy hat at them.
“Ladies…” And he galloped off to meet up with his foreman.
Janie and Lily watched him go. “Cowboys…” They both sighed and then Lily looked at her.
“How about Scottish accountants who occasionally act like cowboys?”
“Mom…” Lily laughed and put her arm around her.
“Come on, Janie. Let’s head for the house and a beer. Maybe you’ll tell me your troubles and maybe you won’t. At least we can enjoy a beer together. How’s that?” Janie grinned broadly at her lovely mother.
“Perfect…” They walked back to the ranch house together.
Lily and Janie had talked all around the subject for a while now. Janie told her about her trip to see Meg, Carter and cute little Sofia. She had compared Sofia with Colt’s three children and Jesse’s two. And she had posed the question: Are ranch children wilder than city children? They laughed about that, while trading opinions. She also needed to get the tee shirts over to the kids, before she forgot and left them all in the back seat of her car. They were sitting comfortably on one of the huge sofas in the family room drinking a couple of beers.
They discussed the archery comp
etition, which finally brought Craig into the subject at hand. It was hard not to mention his name now, although Janie tried.
“Honey, you’re squirming and you can’t sit still. Will you please tell me what’s bothering you?” Pause. “Are you going to bail on the tournament?”
“No, definitely not. I’m going to go,” Lily looked hard at her, “and with… “
“Craig… His name is Craig.”
“I know his name, Mom.”
“Then why won’t you say it?”
“…Ah…”
“And Diane called…”
“Diane? What did she say?” Janie was confused.
“She was worried about you just rushing off like that and wanted to know if you were all right. She hinted that she might have been the reason you left. And you didn’t call anyone while you were gone.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Nothing. I didn’t know. I don’t know now. Janie…”
“Yes…”
“Tell me what Diane did or said to make you tear out of town with little forewarning. Craig called me concerned, since you wouldn’t return his calls.”
“I turned off my phone and took those days to get my head back on right. It was tilted all out of whack… Meg helped me put it back on straight.” She smiled at Lily.
She blew out a breath. “Whew… That’s good news, only what are you talking about? Tell me…” Janie laughed. Apparently, all the women in her family said that.
So she started the same story she had told Meg. Beginning with her failed matchmaking attempt with Diane and Ethan, she continued all the way through Sharon, Mike Church, Diane again and back to Craig. When she mentioned Mike, Lily interrupted her.
“You know he left, right?”
“Yes, he called me before leaving town. I liked him…”
“Craig called me then too. He was afraid you’d left town with Mike.”
“Wow… Really?”
“Talk about ‘out of whack’…” Lily thought a minute. “The dance seemed to be a real turning point in all this.”
“Right. Craig rescued Diane from Ethan’s snub, which made me happy, until it backfired on me. When Diane said she had feelings for Craig and that she was going to ask him out, I panicked, puked and beat it out of here.”
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