“Perfect. We’ll have a bedroom ready for you. Oh, and don’t be afraid of punching the boys if they don’t fall into line for you.”
“I’m not here to be their mom!” Jenn said.
“Nope, you’re not. I’m more interesting in wooing your mom away from your dad than seducing you. But they’re used to a hard hand so don’t be afraid to yell, or threaten, or throw wooden spoons at them if they treat you any way you’d rather not be treated.”
“That’s good to know. I’ll warn my dad.”
Jim chuckled. “Get your mom to call me and we’ll set up a time. I’ll even put on a pot of coffee.”
“She drinks tea,” Jenn said as she stood.
Jim walked her back through the house to the side door. This time Jenn took the time to look around. Everything was warm colours and wood. The kitchen had linoleum floors and marble counters. She stopped to stare.
“It’s not real marble,” he said. “Just very clever concrete.”
“It still looks amazing,” she said.
“It was one of Trish’s favourite rooms in the whole house.” His voice was heavy with affection and sorrow.
She turned away from the kitchen reluctantly and followed him out of the house.
“You’ll meet the rest of the boys when you come this weekend. I’ll make sure they’re home.”
“All right. Thank-you. My mom is right, I think I really do need to get away from the city for a bit.”
“Then we’ll see you this weekend and we’ll make this work, for all of us. And in a year or so you’ll have an education and you can move on to bigger and better things.”
She shook the offered hand. “It’s a deal.”
Chapter 4
The stew was simmering for dinner, there was a pile of meat sandwiches on the table that had required two loaves of bread to make. There was iced tea in the fridge and a pot of coffee on the counter. The dishwasher was humming along behind her. Jenn sat sipping her iced tea and eating her sandwich, made with extra cheese and no mustard, just the way she liked it, reading one of Trish’s cookbooks.
In the first week she’d discovered that as long as it wasn’t burnt or tasted like tar or shit the boys would eat it. Men, she corrected. We’re all adults here, they’re my peers, not my children. She flipped the page and read the description of a delicious looking chicken casserole dish.
The screen door rattled as they came in from the barn. She didn’t look up. They’d all file through the bathroom before coming to the kitchen. Ranch chores were dirty after all.
“Smells good in here,” Jim said.
“That’s dinner,” Jenn said without looking up. “I want to go shopping. I’d like to throw a whole bunch of meals in the freezer.”
“We have a big enough freezer,” Jim said. “But why?”
“Been reading online. Might as well get the kitchen really dirty one day a month and then just pull food out of the freezer and fill out the meal with the fresh stuff. Leaves me time to work in the yard over the summer. And if I’m late coming back from the shopping you can heat up something easy that’s actually healthy.”
“You’re a smart one. Take one of the boys.”
“Take us where?”
Jenn looked up. Andrew had come in and was sitting at the table reaching for a sandwich. Like his brothers he had dirty blonde, almost brown hair. The older two were the spitting image of their father, square-jawed with big brown eyes. Andrew’s face was narrower, his eyes more like almonds. He was studying her with his narrow, dark brown eyes now. “I need to run into town.”
“You take her,” Jim said. “Take her to college and get her set up, then take her grocery shopping. Take the ranch card with you.”
“Sure,” he said smiling broadly at Jenn.
She smiled back as the rest filed in and settled at the table around her. “Iced tea is in the fridge.” She went back to her cookbook and mostly ignored them through the meal.
After lunch she stirred the stew quickly and then followed Andrew out to his car. “You’ve got everything?” he said.
“Yup. It’s a long list though.”
He smiled at her again. “I can’t think of a better way to spend the afternoon,” he said, putting the car in reverse. “What are you interested in studying?”
“I’m not sure yet. Something useful, I guess.”
“But what do you want? I mean, do you like numbers? Kids? Computers?”
“I like computers,” she said. “I did a few computer classes in high school.”
“So take computer sciences, or programming, or something like that.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I probably don’t have enough experience or something to take those.”
“Let’s wait and see what they say at the college. You should take something you’ll be interested in. You’ll be happier.”
“I guess so.” She changed the subject to something that didn’t directly concern her. “So far I haven’t found foods you guys won’t eat.”
“You probably won’t. Unless it’s really weird new-agey crap.”
“Okay, I get it, no gluten-free super-organic, unpronounceable foreign foods.”
“Hey, I like rice and curry and tacos.”
She shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“What do you like?”
“What? You mean food? I like chicken more than beef. I like fresh fruit for breakfast.”
“Food, sure, that’s a good place to start, but I mean like everything. Favorite movies, favorite music, whatever you want to talk about.”
“I don’t really like talking about myself,” she said.
“That’s too bad, I’m interested in hearing about you. Here’s the college.” He pulled into a parking lot and they got out of the car. In front of her was a strip mall with five businesses advertised: a restaurant, a paint store, an antiques shop, a flower shop, and the college.
“This is a pretty small campus,” she said.
“Yeah, well, it’s a satellite office. We take some of the classes here, some at the classrooms or labs in the high school in the evenings, some at the library, some online.”
They went in and the girl behind the desk shot Jenn a less than friendly look before smiling at Andrew. “Hey Andrew, I didn’t know you had a class today.”
“Hey Megan, I don’t. Dad sent me down to get Jenn here registered. She’s a friend of the family and she’s staying with us while she gets on her feet.”
Megan’s smile brightened. “Well, let me get the paperwork and the course listing. I’ll see if Kevin is in.”
“Who’s Kevin?” Jenn asked when they were alone in the small waiting room lobby area.
“He’s the student advisor. He’ll help you pick your courses. Just start filling in your name and stuff.” He dropped his ID on the table. “Here, for the address.”
She jotted the ranch’s address down on the page noting that Andrew was only a month older than she was. Megan came back, still smiling. “Kevin’s in his office, I’ll show you the way.”
Jenn grabbed her purse and followed Megan down the narrow hall to a small office. Kevin was in his thirties and he smiled warmly at her. “I’m Kevin.”
“Jennifer,” she said, shaking his hand and sitting in the empty chair.
“Welcome to our little college, Jennifer. What are you interested in?”
“Computers.”
“Okay.” He took the course listing from her pile of papers and flipped it open. An hour later she was registered with the college and signed up for two introductory distance ed courses. She reappeared in the waiting area feeling overwhelmed and flustered.
“How did it go?” Andrew said.
“I start class in two weeks.”
“Congratulations. We should go out for dinner to celebrate.”
“But the stew …”
“Just call my dad and tell him when it will be ready. Come on, my treat.”
It had been a while since she’d been out to eat and even
longer since someone had treated her to a meal so she smiled and said, “Okay. But I have to do that shopping first.”
“Deal.”
“I’m afraid we only have two classy restaurants in town, the rest are fast food,” Andrew said, leading her into a family diner. “But the food here is good.”
“It’s a chain place,” Jenn said. “I eat here all the time, just not this one.”
“Of course. Sorry. Table for two,” he said.
The waitress nodded. “This way please.”
“So you’ll be ordering chicken?” he said.
“Probably. And you?”
“They have a nice sauce for their ribs.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” They ordered quickly and then Jenn said, “What was it like growing up on a ranch?”
“A lot of hard work, but a lot of adventuring too. Dad says you came to visit us once.”
“You and I were probably two at the time,” Jenn said. “I barely remember it.”
“I’ve seen pictures. You’ll have to show me which naked baby you were.”
“I was not naked!”
“We all were. We got into the mud and we all got filthy. There’s a photo of a half dozen naked muddy toddlers running around the yard.”
“That’s embarrassing. How about I don’t point out which one is me.”
“Come on, I bet you were a cute kid. You’re cute now.”
She blushed. “What are you going to school for?”
“Accounting. James went and got his Ag-degree, he plans to take over the ranch, but he’s poor with numbers so I figure I can do the books once my dad goes old and senile.”
“Sounds boring.”
“You’ll be doing a lot of math too.”
“But it’s math with a purpose.”
The rest of the evening they just talked about school and movies and music. The house was empty when they got back and he unloaded the groceries for her. “I’ll let you put them away where you want them. I should get out to the barn.”
“Okay. Thanks for the nice evening.”
“Anytime,” he said.
Chapter 5
She spent the next two weeks settling into the routine of the ranch. Meals were eaten at roughly the same time every day though usually they didn’t all eat together. As she relaxed she forgot about Austin and being afraid and began to take more notice of Andrew. He was slender and fit with the messy blonde hair that suited the cowboy hat he liked to wear. His shop clothes were old and loose and filthy even after being washed but when he dressed for class he wore fitted cowboy cut jeans and these t-shirts that clung lightly to his chest in a way that made it hard for Jennifer to stop staring at him.
The older boys were ruggedly handsome in their own way but she saw less of them than she did Andrew and they were really too old for her.
Christopher was quieter than the brothers, dark haired with heavy eyebrows that make him look intimidating but the rare smile he gave her made her stomach flutter.
It had been four months since she’d walked out on Austin so maybe it was just her hormones but most evenings she retreated to her room with steamy thoughts of Andrew and Christopher following her. She was beginning to wonder what it would like to kiss one or the other of them and she sometimes found herself staring at the table while her mind wandered somewhere dirty. She’d blush and stare at her plate the rest of the meal.
It was a hot summer evening and they’d just finished grilled pork chops with a loaded salad and baked potatoes. Jim and James had loaded up the truck to deliver a load of hay to a customer, Christopher hadn’t been around for a few days, he was off in the far pasture checking fences, and Michael was in town with friends leaving Jennifer alone in the house with Andrew.
She put the supper dishes in the dishwasher and went outside to weed the gardens as the extreme heat of the day began to fade. Andrew came out with a beer and sat down on the grass next to her.
“You’re working too hard. You should relax, enjoy the evening.”
“I like working in the gardens.”
“I like watching you out here.”
“Andrew, don’t.”
“I’m serious, Jenn, you look like you belong here. Don’t you ever imagine staying here? Don’t you imagine this was your home instead of just where you work?”
“I’d love a place like this but I will never be able to afford it.”
“Oh, there are ways.”
She blushed.
“You blush a lot,” he said. “I wonder what you’re thinking when you blush.”
“Nothing.”
“Jenn, my dad did tell us you were running from an abusive relationship but don’t you think you could give someone else a chance to maybe fall in love with you? You deserve to be loved and cherished.”
“That’s pretty direct for flirting,” she said.
He reached out and touched her cheek. “I’ve been flirting subtly for two months, it’s not getting me anywhere. I’m not asking for commitment, not yet anyways. Can’t we just try it out? Can’t we see a movie, or go out to dinner a few times?”
“And then what?”
“And see where things go from there. Let’s go for a walk and just talk. I’ll show you around the yard a bit more and tell you stories about the ranch.” He stood and offered his hand.
Her heart was pounding. She didn’t want to be ready for this, not yet. She took his hand. “Okay.”
True to his word he walked her around pointing out where they’d built tree forts or had snow ball fights or built jumps for their bikes. They got back to the house as twilight was settling on the yard.
“This was nice,” she said.
“It was,” he said. He reached out and took her hand.
She turned to him. “Andrew …”
“Shh.” He brushed her long dark hair back from her face and traced his fingers down her cheek. “You’re beautiful, Jennifer, and you deserve to be loved.” He bent down and kissed her. Then he stepped back and said, “I have to make sure the water’s shut off for the night. I’ll see you tomorrow Jenn.” She watched him jog across the yard. Her heart was thundering and she had that hot flustered feeling everywhere. She swore softly and went inside.
Chapter 6
Christopher got back the next day and came in for a late lunch while Jennifer was washing the kitchen floor. “Sorry, excuse me, sorry about the floor.”
Jenn laughed. “Don’t worry about the floor. How was your working holiday?”
“Uneventful and peaceful.”
“But you were out there for three days. Where did you sleep?”
“I have a small survival pack that goes on my quad. I just camped out.”
“Really? It rained one night.”
“That’s sweet that you care. Haven’t you ever camped before?”
“No, it wasn’t really my dad’s thing.”
“Did you want to?”
Jenn laughed. “Yeah right. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“Is that why you don’t come out to the stables ever?”
“I don’t know anything about the animals. I’d just be in the way. The left overs are in the fridge, help yourself.”
“Did you want to learn something about the animals?” he said, his head in the fridge.
“I’ve always loved horses. That’s such a girl thing, isn’t it? I’ve just never had the chance to learn to ride or anything.”
“I ride rodeo, one of the perks of working here is that Jim lets me ride his horses in the local events.”
“I’d like to see that sometime.”
“I ride in the evenings, just to practice. Did you want to come out and watch this evening?”
“Sure!”
After her chores Jenn headed out to the corrals behind the barn. Christopher was already working a horse, racing it around three barrels in a looping pattern. Jenn leaned on the fence and watched. Both horse and rider were pure power thundering back and forth. Finally, he brought the horse
to a halt and then walked it over to where she waited.
“That’s amazing. How do you even control it at that speed?”
“Her. This is Marabelle.” He swung down, all cowboy confidence. “Do you want to ride her?”
“I can’t do that!”
“I’m not asking you to race her. Just hop up and I’ll walk her through her cool down. She’s a sweetheart. I think the two of you would get along beautifully.”
“Okay. What do I do?”
He helped her through the fence. “Put your foot here. No your other foot or you’ll be backwards in the saddle. Pull yourself up.”
She reached up, grabbed the saddle, and pulled. He grabbed her waist and lifted.
“Now swing the other leg over her ass and into the other stirrup. Good. You’re up. How does it feel.”
She gripped the saddle horn tight. “Wow. This is amazing.”
“It’s better when she’s moving. Just hold on like that and I’ll walk her slow for you.”
After two laps of the corral he said, “Did you want the reigns?”
“I don’t know what to do!”
“She can’t go anywhere. Here.” He handed the thin strips of leather up to her. “You open up the way you want her to go, so to make her go left hold your left hand out to the side and bring your right arm in close to her neck. That’s it. Now go right.”
“This is silly.”
“No, you’re doing great.”
“Am I?”
“Absolutely.”
“Oh!” Marabelle shook her head and quick-walked to the gate.
Christopher laughed and jogged after her. “I guess she’s done for the day. Come on, I’ll help you down. Leg over and slide down. I’ve got you.”
She found herself breathless and trapped between him and the horse. He was smiling at her. “I’d like to do that again.”
“Whenever you’d like. You’ll be trail riding in no time.”
She stood up on tip-toe and kissed his cheek. “Thanks.” She slipped away from him and headed for the house. Somewhere along the way it occurred to her that in the last two days she had kissed or been kissed by two different men.
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