“Thanks,” Samantha said, appearing beside Mel.
“Sure.” Mel realized she’d just been standing there, staring. Patting the horse’s neck was a poor cover-up, but she did it anyway. “No problem.”
“This is the first time I’ve ever competed when my parents weren’t here to watch me.” Samantha’s voice broke.
“I’m sure they’d like to be here.” And would be if they knew about it.
Without asking, Mel took the paper entrant number and motioned for Samantha to turn around. She pinned the square, with the Mustang Valley Feed and Supply Depot name and logo printed in bold letters, to Samantha’s back, thinking again how often she’d done the same for Ronnie.
When she finished, Samantha suddenly threw herself at Mel, practically knocking her off balance. While not ready to call her “sister,” Mel returned the hug with genuine emotion. Without her parents there, Samantha was obviously in need of a friend.
“I’ll be rooting for you from the stands,” Mel said, extracting herself.
“Can I go to work with you on Monday?”
“We’ll see.”
“Frankie’s off that day. She won’t need me to babysit.”
Not for the first time, Mel considered Samantha helping her more as her pregnancy advanced. She’d wait and see, however. Samantha might patch things up with her parents and leave Mustang Valley.
“I’ll see you after the event.” She patted Samantha’s shoulder. “Good luck.”
Samantha’s group was the last to go and included those individuals competing on a professional level. The first group, comprised ages twelve and under, was always popular with the crowd. The youngsters might be small in size and less experienced, but they were incredibly daring and talented.
Stopping at the refreshment stand for a cold soda, Mel wandered toward the bleachers. She’d spotted her dad and Dolores earlier and went in search of them again.
Zigzagging through the crowd, she almost ran smack into Aaron. He’d left the group of ranchers and retrieved Kaylee from her grandmother. The pair stood before her, Aaron as startled to see Mel as she was to see him.
“Hi.” She fumbled with her hands. “You’re here.”
He simply grinned.
“What’s so funny?”
“I’m just happy to see you.”
Was he? Then why hadn’t he asked her out again? He’d had plenty of opportunities.
“How’s the investigation coming?”
“Nothing good yet.” He shifted Kaylee to his other side. The little girl wore a neon pink cap and purple shorts and looked absolutely adorable. “But the evening’s young.”
A truck with the feed store logo on the side drove past them, its loud engine momentarily preventing conversation. Neighboring businesses were often recruited to sponsor community events, and the feed store could always be counted on to pay for an advertising banner as well as participant numbers.
Once the truck had passed, Mel said, “Well, um, take care,” certain she sounded awkward and confused.
“Do you mind?” Aaron abruptly thrust Kaylee at her. “Guillermo’s here, and I’d like to talk to him.”
Mel gasped, automatically holding out her arms to accept the little girl. “Wait!”
Too late. Aaron was gone, jogging off toward the man Mel recognized as a grain rep who worked the area. She understood Aaron’s haste. The man got around and sold to most of the ranches in Mustang Valley. He also had a tendency to swear a blue streak. Not the sort of language appropriate for a three-year-old, and Aaron probably hadn’t wanted Kaylee to hear that.
Of course, she started to cry.
“Hey, there,” Mel said, bouncing Kaylee. “You remember me? I’m Paige and Sienna’s aunt.”
That earned her a wary stare. Okay, Kaylee wasn’t a baby. Maybe Mel was better off entertaining her rather than rocking her. It wasn’t as if she lacked experience with preschoolers.
Which reminded her, where were Frankie and Mel’s nieces? Just when Mel needed them most, as a playmate for Kaylee, they were MIA.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go look at some of the pretty horses.”
She set Kaylee down, and together they walked over to the arena fence. Mel wanted to stick close by should Aaron come looking for them. Some of the competitors were warming up in the arena, walking, trotting or slow loping their horses to loosen muscles and acclimate them to the commotion.
“See the white horse over there?” Mel received another stare from Kaylee and sighed. “I don’t blame you.” She took Kaylee’s hand. “I would be unhappy if my dad left me with a stranger.”
Not that Mel was exactly a stranger. She was intimately acquainted with Kaylee’s father and carrying the girl’s baby brother or sister.
What a sobering thought. Mel glanced down, studying the girl. Under different circumstances, she might have been Kaylee’s stepmom. They were certainly going to be better acquainted in the future. However Mel and Aaron worked out the custody agreement, their child would eventually be spending time at his house with him and Kaylee.
Also with Nancy, Kaylee’s grandmother. An even more sobering thought.
“I like the tan horse with the white stockings. See?” Mel pointed.
Kaylee actually looked.
“He reminds me of the baby horse I’m taking care of. He’s really cute. Like you.”
At last, Kaylee responded with a tentative smile.
“Maybe your dad will bring you out to see the baby horse. I could ask him.”
The little girl nodded.
Success! Mel felt a rush of pleasure. She wanted to be on good terms with Aaron’s daughter.
For whatever reason, the thought brought a lump to her throat. She blamed pregnancy hormones. It also might have to do with Kaylee and Mel being kindred spirits—they both had or would have a surprise half sibling. Both their families had suffered a great loss with the death of a loved one. And, for the moment, they’d both been abandoned by Aaron.
All right, abandoned was too strong a word. Aaron was returning for Kaylee any minute. And he hadn’t exactly abandoned Mel, either. Rather, he’d been taking some necessary alone time this past week to sort things out. At least, she wanted to believe that was his reason for not suggesting a second date.
Drat. Tears? Really? She wiped angrily at her eyes.
“Are you sad?” Kaylee asked.
“No, no.” She patted the girl’s head, oddly soothed by the soft texture of her silky curls. “I’m fine.”
“What are you doing with her!”
At the brusque question, Mel and Kaylee both turned. Nancy stood there, holding two drinks and a box of popcorn.
“Gramma!” Kaylee hurried to Nancy, arms outstretched. “I’m thirsty.”
“Where’s Aaron?” Bristling, Nancy handed Kaylee a juice box.
“He’s over there talking to the grain rep.” Mel refused to be intimidated. “He asked me to watch Kaylee.”
“Why didn’t he wait for me?”
“He was in a hurry.”
Kaylee didn’t appear to notice the tension or didn’t care. She was busy emptying her juice box as fast as possible.
“Gramma, look at the horse.” The one with the white stockings happened to be trotting by them, delighting Kaylee. “I want to go riding.”
“You can’t today, darling.”
Everything about Nancy changed when she addressed her granddaughter. Her voice, her expression, her manner, all softened around the edges. Mel was almost convinced that between her obvious love for Kaylee and Dolores being her friend, Nancy had a nice side. But, as the saying goes, she spoke too soon.
“I need to talk to you.” Nancy’s glance, tender a moment ago, cooled. “As long as you’re here. And if you don’t mind.”
Mel breathed deeply to calm he nerves. She
’d never been alone with Nancy before. They’d conversed only once, briefly at her dad’s birthday party when Dolores introduced them and before Samantha’s big scene.
“Um, sure. About anything in particular?” Mel shifted, praying Nancy had a sick pet and wanted free medical advice. She knew better, however. This had to do with Aaron.
“I’ve enjoyed playing Bunko with your stepmother and her friends.”
They moved toward the fence, following Kaylee who wanted a closer look at the horses.
“Dolores’s group is a great bunch of ladies.”
“They are. They’ve made me feel welcome.” Nancy rested a fond hand on the top of Kaylee’s head.
Mel had been doing the same thing a few minutes ago. Didn’t mean she felt a connection to the other woman. If anything, the opposite was true. Mel wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to warm up to Nancy. She would try, though. For Aaron’s sake and their baby’s.
“I admit,” Nancy continued, “it was hard when we first moved here.”
“I can imagine.”
“Robin had passed just six months earlier.”
“I’m very sorry for your loss.” Mel wasn’t sure what else to say or where this conversation was going. Nancy didn’t keep her waiting.
“She and Aaron were so much in love. And I’m not simply saying that because Robin...because they didn’t get to spend their entire lives together. They were happy. Ecstatic, really. A bright, beautiful future ahead of them.” She paused. “No one expected Robin to get sick.”
Mel did sympathize. “It was like that when my mom died. One day, she was there. The next day, she wasn’t.”
Nancy considered Mel’s remark, her hand still resting on Kaylee’s head. “Yes. Very tragic. You would understand. Loving someone so very much, then losing them. Each of us handles grief differently, and we don’t always act in our best interests or that of others.”
Mel immediately thought of her father and his involvement with Carrie Anne.
“Aaron’s duty lies with Kaylee,” Nancy said. “She’s the most important person in his life. He will never let Robin down or dishonor her memory by doing something he’d regret. It’s what I respect and admire the most about him. What everyone does.” She narrowed her gaze at Mel. “As I’m sure you do, too.”
Nancy clearly knew, or at least suspected, that Mel and Aaron were involved. And she was issuing a not-so-subtle warning for Mel to stay away.
She should be annoyed, possibly offended, only she wasn’t.
Nothing like having someone hold up a mirror to your face. Mel could suddenly see herself through Nancy’s eyes and didn’t like the person staring back at her. Reasonably, rationally, she could argue that Aaron was free to date. That wouldn’t alleviate Nancy’s pain or make what Mel and Aaron were doing right.
“My family’s waiting for me,” she said, excusing herself. “Bye, Kaylee.” She waved. “See you soon.”
Nancy wore a satisfied smile. “Nice talking to you.”
A minute later, and out of Nancy’s eyesight, Mel stopped, her heart racing. With trembling fingers, she pulled out her cell phone and texted Aaron, letting him know Kaylee was with her grandmother.
After he responded, she texted back that she wanted to get together later that week when they were both free. She didn’t add they simply could not continue in this limbo state any longer. She’d save that discussion for when they met.
Chapter Ten
The crowd broke into applause as the rider finished her run, crossing in front of the electronic timer at a full gallop. The young woman, close to Samantha in age, slowed her horse to a trot, then to a walk. Circling to the left, she listened for her results to be announced. The spectators quieted, also listening.
“Sixteen-point-five.”
Frowning, the young woman turned her horse toward the exit gate and rode through.
“She cut that last barrel too wide,” Frankie said. “Lost a good half a second on her time. She’s in fourth place.”
Half a second? Mel shook her head. Hard to believe the first four places were separated by tenths of a second. That was true, however, with a lot of sports. One had only to watch the Olympics.
“We aren’t even halfway through the class.” Mel fanned herself with the paper number an earlier competitor from the junior class had left behind and wished she’d worn a hat with a wider brim.
Samantha was one of the last competitors to go, which could be to her advantage. She’d have the opportunity to study the other riders and possibly modify her strategy.
“Dad and Dolores still down there?” Mel switched the paper number to her other hand, using it as a shield against the blinding glare of the setting sun. Last she’d seen her parents, they were with Samantha and Ronnie, offering help and moral support and most likely getting in the way.
“Grandpa said he would buy us ice cream.” Paige bounced up and down in the bleachers, enjoying the noise it made. Other nearby people, not so much.
“He will.” Frankie rested a hand on her daughter’s knee, silently encouraging her to stop.
“I’m bored,” Sienna complained, also getting a pat from her mother.
The twin girls sat, one on each side of Frankie, with Mel beside Sienna. They were growing increasingly restless and tired of hearing their mother say, “Be good.” They wanted to play with their friend Kaylee, but the little girl’s grandmother had vetoed that idea with an “It’s not safe,” even though Frankie had volunteered to supervise. Mel supposed she was the real reason behind Nancy’s refusal.
She caught a glimpse of grandmother and granddaughter from the corner of her eye, then risked a longer look. They were seated a few rows down and over from Mel, close enough for Kaylee to see her young friends, but too far to interact. During one of those times Kaylee had snuck a peek, Mel summoned the courage to wave. She’d received a tiny wave in return, just enough to make her smile.
The next instant, Nancy had glanced backward, and Mel quickly lowered her hand. It had been a stupid idea to begin with. She might win over Kaylee eventually, but Nancy was another story.
While Frankie attempted to entertain the twins with one of the emergency toys she always stashed in her purse, Mel scanned the crowd for Aaron. He’d been busy chatting up as many people as possible. Mel knew this because she’d been keeping tabs on him. He’d apparently been keeping tabs on her, as well. More than once, their gazes had connected.
“Thanks for helping with Samantha,” Frankie said. “It means a lot to her.”
Mel abandoned her efforts to locate Aaron. “To be honest, I didn’t do it for Samantha. I did it for you.”
“Yeah, I know. She still appreciates it. As do I.”
The girls were enthralled by a handheld game and not paying attention to the grown-ups.
“What changed your mind?” Frankie asked. “You never told me.”
“Nothing. I simply reconsidered.”
“Ha, ha, ha.”
“It wasn’t a joke.”
“Come on,” Frankie insisted. “Something’s been bothering you lately.”
“A half sister we had no idea existed showing up out of the blue isn’t enough to bother me?”
“Since before then. You’ve been preoccupied for the last month or two.”
If anyone would understand Mel’s situation besides Dolores, it was her older sister. She’d given birth to and raised twin girls without ever telling their father and slaved at the café in order to give them a decent home. All without any help. Other than the lottery money, that was, and every cent of her share had gone into the purchase of her house.
She was the definition of independent single mother. Mel could learn a lot from her. And Frankie would appreciate Mel’s uncertainty regarding Aaron’s feelings for her, having been through a similar situation with her ex-boyfriend.
“I.
..um...” Mel struggled. “Have some news.”
“What? Tell me.”
“Okay. Relax. This isn’t easy.” She checked on the girls, who had switched places in order to sit together and play. “I’m...” She gestured with her hand, showing a rounded belly.
Frankie’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “No kidding! You’re—”
“Shh.” Mel’s glance cut to the girls and the couple on the other side who were clients of Ronnie’s. “I’ve only told three people so far. Well, two. Dolores sort of figured it out.”
“The father is one of those people, I hope.”
“Yeah,” she reluctantly admitted.
“Who is he? And when did you start dating? Is he from out of town?” She gasped. “Did you meet at that seminar?”
“No. He’s, ah—”
“I can’t believe you were flirting with Aaron the other day, and you’re pregnant with another man’s baby.”
Frankie was one of the smartest people Mel had ever met. Yet, she certainly wasn’t using all of her brain cells today. Mel sighed expansively.
“I was flirting with the father.”
“Aaron! Seriously?”
“Not so loud.”
“Holy cow. This is unbelievable.” Frankie took a moment to assimilate the news. “What are you going to do?” she finally asked in a half whisper.
“I only recently found out. We’re still in the figuring-out phase. Plus, he hasn’t told Nancy yet. Though, she suspects we’ve been seeing each other and isn’t happy. She gave me a less than subtle stay-away warning earlier.”
“Here?”
“Right before the barrel racing started.”
“Ooh. Not cool.” Frankie helped the girls figure out the next step to the game. “What did you do?”
“Nothing much. Let her talk. I truly understand where she’s coming from. Aaron told me from the start he wasn’t ready for a committed relationship, and neither am I.”
“Uh, excuse me, Mel. You’re having a...” She mimicked Mel’s big belly gesture. “That’s a commitment. A big one. He needs to step up. Financially, if anything.”
Mel must have misunderstood her sister. “I’m surprised to hear you say that. You didn’t tell—” She caught herself before mentioning Spence’s name. “You-know-who.”
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