by Lucie Ulrich
A frown creased Micah’s forehead. “Since when?”
Carl pointed to the dining area. “Out there you pay. I have employees who depend on their wages and tips. Back here you’re my guest.” He cleared the table. “Now get out of here before I change my mind.”
“Yes, sir.” He reached out a hand and tugged Sky from her chair.
She liked the calloused feel of his working-man’s hand. With her hand in his and their eyes on each other, they left the kitchen, walked through the dining area, and nearly collided with Morgan Richardson.
Morgan jumped back and, with exaggerated flair, threw a hand to her chest. “Micah! I was hoping to run into you, but not literally.” She giggled like a school girl.
Sky fought to keep her breakfast down. She had no doubt Morgan would tell him of their meeting. Now it would appear Sky hadn’t intended to tell him at all.
Micah froze in place, his eyes fixed straight ahead. “Morgan?”
“Well don’t look so surprised. Sky did tell you I was in town, didn’t she?”
Sky could hear the blood pumping through her veins with each beat of her heart. She glanced around and practically every person in the place was looking their way. How on earth was she going to make Micah understand?
Micah never looked at her, didn’t speak to her, either. He didn’t need to. The twitch in his jaw said it all. He cleared his throat. “Sky’s been stuck in town since the storm hit, and we haven’t had a lot of time to talk.”
His defense of her actions overwhelmed Sky. Maybe he wasn’t as angry as she thought.
“I understand,” Morgan said. “Our power went out for nearly two days. Everything pretty much came to a standstill.” She fidgeted with her purse. “Tell you what, as soon as things get back to normal again, I’ll have the two of you over for dinner.”
“We have to go.” Micah gripped Sky’s elbow and moved her toward the door.
Morgan put a hand on his arm as they walked by her. “You didn’t wait long, Micah.”
Micah never stopped moving. “You didn’t give me any reason to.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Micah pushed the diner’s door open and waited for Sky to step past him. She looked into his face. His jaw muscle continued to twitch. So much for thinking he wasn’t angry.
She hoped the walk to his truck would help cool him down. He opened the door, as always, and waited until she slid in before slamming it shut. She tossed her packages by her feet and waited for him to settle in behind the wheel. “I know you’re upset.”
“Upset?” He spun his head in her direction. “You knew, Sky, and you didn’t tell me.” He cranked the motor and pulled away from the curb.
Her stomach tightened. “If it helps, I planned to tell you after breakfast.”
“It doesn’t. I was totally blindsided in there. You’re my friend, and friends are supposed to be honest with each other, especially about something like this. You should have warned me.” He reached over and turned on the radio.
Sky turned it off. She wasn’t about to let him shut her out. “Okay, you’re right. But what would you have done differently if you’d known?”
“Not looked like a complete idiot, for one.”
“That’s not what I mean.” She twisted her hands in her lap and fought with herself over asking the next question. “Would you have gone to see Morgan while I was in town? Or at least attempted to contact her?”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
He dug in the center console for his sunglasses. “Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I go see her?”
She could give him a hundred reasons, but settled for the two most obvious. “Because you loved her, and if things had worked out differently, you’d be married to her and not me.”
“Well, things didn’t work out differently, did they? It is what it is, Sky, so let’s just muddle through as best we can.” He turned the radio on again, and this time she let it play.
She closed her eyes and leaned against the headrest. The morning sun warmed her face but did nothing to ease the ache in her heart. Micah had called her his friend, not his wife, and he was all set to muddle through the next two years. Neither of those things left her with a lot of hope, and when he took the road back to the ranch instead of Missoula for their planned day out, she turned her head toward the side window and let him stew.
The moment Micah parked his truck next to the house, Sky gathered her packages and slid out. “Thanks for coming to get me.” She didn’t wait for a response before hurrying into the house.
Annie stood in the mud room with a basket of dirty laundry in her hands. “What are you doing back so soon?”
Sky set her parcels on top of the freezer and counted off with her fingers.
“Let’s see. Morgan’s back. I didn’t tell Micah. He’s upset.” She retrieved her packages. “That about covers it.”
“I see.” Annie’s brows rose in that let’s-talk-about-it way.
Sky held out a hand. “Don’t bother telling me I should have said something, ‘cause I already figured that out. In fact, nothing personal, but I don’t think I can stand any more advice at the moment. As soon as I take these things upstairs, I’m going for a walk.”
“Leave them on the freezer. I’ll take them next time I go.”
“You sure?”
Annie smiled, but her eyes held a bit of sadness. “I know a thing or two about making wrong decisions.” She nodded toward the door. “Go clear your head. We’ll talk later.”
“Thanks, Annie.”
Once outside, Sky didn’t have a clue where to go. The deep snow wouldn’t allow her to get far. Fortunately, someone had used a snow blower to clear a path around the house and toward the barns and stables. She didn’t want to visit the horses, so she followed the path that led to the old log cabin. Micah had told her about the pond behind the cabin, and this seemed like as good a time as any to check it out.
With a gloved hand, she swept away the powdery snow from a section of the wooden bench that surrounded a large oak. It was gray and weathered, but sturdy.
She leaned against the tree, pulled her feet up, and clasped her hands around her knees. The sun danced off the snow and ice, making her wish she’d thought to bring a pair of sunglasses. Instead, she closed her eyes and breathed in, hoping the frigid air would freeze away her stupid brain cells while leaving the smart ones intact.
She ran through what she might have done differently and what Micah’s reaction might have been. In the end, no matter how many scenarios she came up with, her stupid brain cells would have won. There was just no good way to tell the man she loved that the woman he’d loved for so long was back in town.
“A little cold to be sunbathing, don’t you think?”
Sky’s eyes flew open. She sat straight up and dropped her feet to the ground. “You scared the fire out of me, Noah. How about warning a body next time?”
He laughed. “Sorry, but I didn’t expect you to be snoozing in thirty degree temperatures.”
“I wasn’t snoozing. I was thinking.” She pulled her feet back up and rested her chin on top of her knees.
“Mind if I sit for a while?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “It’s more your property than mine.”
Noah dusted off the spot next to her and sat. “I take it your day didn’t go as planned.”
“Brilliant observation, O Wise One.” She let out a long breath. “Sorry, I’m afraid I’m not in a much of a sociable mood at the moment.”
“Don’t worry about it. We all have our bad days.” He leaned back. “So, is my brother as miserable as you are?”
Turning her head slightly in his direction, she caught him grinning. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” She shook her head. “The two of you are pitiful.”
“Yeah, we are. But if we’re lucky, and God is who I hope he is, we’ll come out of this better people.”
She shifted her head to look him full on. “You believe in God?”
“I do, and I’ll thank you not to look so shocked.” He ran a finger from the top of her forehead to the bridge of her nose. “There. Your eyebrows look much better when they aren’t at the top of your head.
She pushed his hand away and hoped he’d think the heat in her cheeks, which were now obviously red, was mistaken for the cold and not embarrassment. “Guess I just never pictured you and God on speaking terms.”
“Until recently, we weren’t.”
“What changed?”
Noah turned up the collar of his wool coat, stuck his hands in his pockets, and kicked the snow at his feet. He looked more like a shy teenager than the confident man-about-town she’d first met. “When you go from top to bottom as quickly as I did, you start to see things in a different light.”
“Is that why you drink?” She covered her mouth with a hand. “I can’t believe I just said that. I’m so sorry. I should just get out of here before I completely shove my foot down my throat.” She stood to leave.
He tugged her back down. “Don’t apologize. I’m not usually a heavy drinker, but I was feeling pretty low that afternoon. I’d been hoping for a reprieve where my job was concerned, but a call an hour before Micah showed up confirmed my worst fears. What can I say? I threw a one-man pity party.”
His admission and sheepish grin touched Sky’s heart. Having recently thrown a pity party of her own, she understood him far better than he likely realized. She also realized that sitting here wouldn’t resolve the issues between her and Micah. “Thanks for the chat, but I should probably go find your brother.” She stood again. “Think we could talk again sometime?”
“You know where I live.”
Sky lifted a hand and waved before retracing her steps toward the front of the cabin. She was glad to have spent a few minutes with Noah. The more she was around him, the more she liked him. If only Micah felt the same way.
She had no idea where to find Micah but figured the stables might be a good place to start. Doug walked out as she entered.
He tipped his hat, never making eye contact. “Ma’am.”
“Hey, Doug. I’m looking for Micah. Have you seen him?”
“Last stall on the right.” He was gone before she could thank him.
The last thing she expected was to find Micah sitting on the ground with a lap filled with puppies. She stopped and stared while he gently placed all but one into the large wooden box next to him. The guy was a puzzle, angry one moment, cuddling puppies the next. She took a tentative step forward. “Mind if I join you?”
He looked up. “Are you sure you want to?”
“I like dogs.”
He huffed out a small laugh and motioned with his head. “Come meet Molly and her brood.” He set the final pup in the box.
Feeling the need to be as quiet as possible she tiptoed across the stall and sat on the opposite side of the box from Micah. Seven balls of fur fought their way to the only food supply they knew. “They’re adorable. Can I hold one?” She stuck her hand in the box but pulled it out quickly. “Will the mother bite me if I do?”
“Not likely. This is Molly’s fourth litter. She’s used to people handling her pups.”
“What kind of dogs are they?”
“Border collies.”
Sky picked up a black pup with a white chest, white front paws, and white-tipped ears. She hugged it to herself. “This one is so little.”
“He’s the runt. Not one we’ll be able to sell.”
“Why not?”
Micah took the pup from her and held him out for her to get a good look. He had a missing back paw. “He’ll be able to get around, but he’ll never make a good cattle dog.” He placed the animal back in her arms.
“What’ll happen to him?” Sky cradled the squirming dog under her chin.
“We’ll find a good home for him.”
“Why can’t he stay here?”
“We only keep dogs we can use, and only when we need another — which we don’t at the moment.” He stood and brushed off his jeans.
Sky placed the puppy back in the box, reluctant to let it go. She accepted Micah’s outstretched hand and allowed him to pull her up then glanced back at the pup who had stolen her heart. She’d come back soon, but right now, she and Micah had more pressing matters to deal with. “We need to talk about this morning.”
He kept hold of her hand while they headed for the exit. “I was about to come and look for you.” They passed three stalls before he spoke again. “I’m sorry for coming on so strong. Guess I let the shock of seeing Morgan sway me into saying things I shouldn’t have. It wasn’t until I put myself in your place that I realized the tough spot you were in. You deserved better than I gave.”
For as much as she appreciated his apology, the events of the last week troubled her. “Is it always going to be like this, Micah?”
He stopped and faced her. “Like what?”
“Like I do something you don’t like and you yell at me before giving me a chance to explain?” She leaned against a support beam and looked around to make sure nobody was around. “I don’t know what to expect from you now that I’m living here. I suppose it would be different if our marriage were real, but—”
He put a finger to her lips. “Real or not, I have no right to treat you the way I have. Not with all you’re doing for me.” He pulled her into a hug. “I promise to try harder. Can’t guarantee I won’t mess things up again, but I’ll do my best not to let my issues with Morgan or my brother affect the way I treat you.”
Sky worked at not reading anything into the hug. They were two friends straightening out a misunderstanding, but that didn’t stop her from savoring his warmth and the smell of fresh hay and puppy. “Thank you.”
He kissed her cheek and released her, his eyes to the ground. “There’s one more thing I need to apologize for.”
A foreboding chill crept up her spine. “Okay.”
“You were right.”
“About?”
“I probably would have contacted Morgan.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Micah removed his hat and raked his fingers through his hair. Sky rounded the corner of the stable and disappeared from sight. She hadn’t said a word after his admission, simply nodded and walked off.
He placed the hat back on his head. “You’re a dope, Micah.”
“I think confused might be more to the point.” Noah sauntered into the barn, breathing onto his bare fingers. He gave them a quick rub before sticking his hands in his pockets. “I didn’t set out to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help overhearing the last part of your conversation.”
Micah grabbed a shovel from the floor and hung it next to a pitchfork on the wall. “You could have walked away.” He stepped out into the frigid air.
“True.” Noah followed him. “But I have to admit I was curious to see what Sky’s reaction would be.”
His brother’s intrusion knotted Micah’s insides. Sky’s reaction was none of Noah’s concern. Micah stopped and spun around, but anger at himself kept him from blowing things out of proportion. “Now you know. So, if you’ll excuse me, I need to see how much barbed wire we have left.”
Noah grabbed Micah’s arm from behind and pulled him to a stop.
Micah yanked his arm free. “What do you want, Noah?”
“To talk. You’ve been doing your best to ignore me since I got here, and I’m tired of it.”
Like I care, Micah wanted to say. Though in truth, he did care. It hurt to think of all the time they’d lost. Yet every time he tried to put the past behind him and forget that horrible night, the memories came back with a vengeance. He could still feel the scratch of the hay bale he’d hidden behind, the smell of the horses, and sound of the wind howling outside. The thundering of feet when Noah found him. Tightness clawed at Micah’s chest. “I have work to do.” He headed toward the storage shed.
“Leave it to the hands. Please.”
Micah stopped but didn’t turn around.
“Come on, Micah. It’s not like you didn’t plan the time off anyway.”
Memories of himself as a boy left his thoughts and were replaced by the sad face of the woman who’d walked away from him a few minutes ago. He blew out a frustrated breath. His day was going from bad to worse. What was one more confrontation? “I could use a cup of coffee.”
Once in the kitchen, Micah filled two mugs from the never-depleted coffee maker. Annie was nowhere in sight. He placed the mugs on the table and sat opposite his brother. After a long, slow swallow he leaned back in his chair. “So talk.”
Noah wrapped his hands around the green ceramic mug and lifted it to his lips. He blew across the top of the black liquid before taking a sip. “Now that we’re actually sitting here, I’m not sure where to begin.” He took another swallow and set the mug down, his eyes lowered.
Part of Micah wanted to reach out and ease Noah’s discomfort, but the little boy in the barn had yet to forgive him — if forgiveness was even possible. He took a sip of coffee, but it soured his stomach. He slid the mug away and kept his voice even. “In that case, I might as well get to the fencing.”
“You need to mend fences all right, but not the kind you’re thinking of.” Noah locked eyes with him. “Despite the circumstances that brought us all together, you have a wife now, a woman who cares deeply for you. And whether you meant to or not, you hurt her today.”
Micah clenched his fists. This wasn’t the conversation he’d expected, nor was it one he wanted to engage in. He pushed away from the table and stood. “Sky has nothing to do with what happened between you and me.”
“What happened between you and me is something we should have gotten over a long time ago.”
Micah leaned forward and pressed his hands on the table. Blood rushed to his face and tension spread across his shoulders. “You blamed a seven-year-old kid for his parents’ death. Just how easy do you think that is to get over?” He straightened. “And let’s not forget the three years you barely spoke to me. Oh, and just when I thought things were starting to get back to normal, you bailed on me.”
“I left you a note, explaining why I couldn’t stay.”