The day rolled along even though Bella didn’t put much gusto into it. At least not until she visited the classrooms to talk and play with the kids. But when she returned to her desk, she fell into the same thoughts, missing Hudson and wondering if he was actually considering the job offer. Knowing she could only make herself crazy, she forced herself to stop. Her life certainly didn’t revolve around his, and his would never revolve around hers. At least not with any permanence.
Could an affair assuage some of what she felt for Hudson? Or was it already too late for that? He could even be gone before Christmas.
In an effort to get her mind off him, she returned to her year-end report. She didn’t pick her head up until one of the moms, the one who had threatened to take her son to another day care center if she saw evidence of a sniffle, entered Just Us Kids to pick up Jimmy. Marla Tillotson never seemed to be happy. Bella had glimpsed a smile on her face once in a while when she was with her son, but not often. Bella had also noticed that Marla stirred up gossip with the other moms. She managed a new laundromat that had opened up recently, so she was in contact with many town residents. When she heard news, she spread it around.
As Marla approached the desk, Bella pulled out the clipboard with the sign-out sheets. She handed it to her with a smile and asked politely, “Is it getting any colder out there?”
“Cold enough to trade leather boots for fur-lined ones,” Marla said. Her gaze went to Hudson’s office. “So Mr. Jones took the whole day off?” she asked. “I noticed he wasn’t here this morning either.”
Bella wouldn’t gossip, but she would be honest. “Mr. Jones took a personal day today.”
Marla gave her a wicked smile. “I’ll say it was personal.”
Bella couldn’t keep her eyebrows from arching up. “Excuse me?” she asked, knowing she shouldn’t pursue it, yet interested in most anything about Hudson.
“I stopped in at the Ace in the Hole for takeout for lunch. He was there with a very beautiful redhead. They seemed to know each other well, at least from the way he was patting her hand. They didn’t seem in any hurry to eat and were enjoying glasses of wine.”
Bella felt as if she’d been stabbed. Hudson had taken off today for a date? A long lunch with afternoon delight afterward?
Should she be surprised?
With Hudson’s charming nature, he’d been in Rust Creek Falls long enough to make friendships, to meet lots of women. She turned back to Marla. “Mr. Jones’s business is his alone,” she said, her voice devoid of inflection. “Go ahead back to Jimmy’s classroom. I’m sure he’ll be ready to leave.”
Marla gave Bella an odd look, then a little shrug. She went down the hall to her son’s classroom.
Bella was not going to give another thought to Hudson Jones.
Not one more thought.
* * *
When Hudson came to work the next morning, he looked somber as he gave Bella a nod then went to his office. He didn’t say good-morning. He didn’t ask how the day had gone yesterday. In essence, he was quieter than she’d ever seen him, and he stayed that way.
Was it because of the kisses they’d shared that she now felt piqued that he was ignoring her? Was it because of their argument? The possibility he’d be leaving?
As the day progressed, and he stayed in his office on his computer, she imagined exactly what he’d been doing yesterday. Maybe he was so quiet because he’d had a marvelous afternoon and evening in bed with the redhead. Maybe the redhead had turned his head. Maybe...
Maybe too many things. She was tired of her mind running in circles or supposition playing havoc with her thoughts. Maybe they should just get everything out on the table and then worry about digesting it.
The afternoon seemed tediously slow as she thought about what she could say, what she could ask. Eventually she signed out the last parent and child, and she watched all the teachers leave.
That left her and Hudson. Now was the time.
He was still at his computer, studying the screen as if it held the answers to the universe, when she marched into his office.
He swiveled away from the monitor and gave his attention to her. “Are you leaving?”
“In a minute. First I have something to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you ignore me all day? Because I’d like to know whether you’re keeping your commitment to Just Us Kids or not.”
“I didn’t ignore you today.”
“I don’t know what you’d call it. You hardly said two words.”
“I have a lot on my mind. My mood had nothing to do with you.”
For some reason that conclusion annoyed her more than anything else. It seemed she was becoming of no importance to him. Or was it that he had become too important to her?
Because she wasn’t used to caring for a man, because she had too many thoughts spinning around in her head, she blurted out, “Oh, I understand it had nothing to do with me. That’s probably because you must have had a spectacular time yesterday with the redhead.”
After his brows arched and he leaned back in his desk chair, she realized Hudson looked totally surprised at her outburst. Meeting her gaze directly, he said, “Lunch with that redhead was all about business. Period.”
Bella felt a red flush begin at her neck and start to creep up into her cheeks. She felt like an absolute fool, and she couldn’t stand here and face Hudson another second. In one continuous motion she left his office, grabbed her coat that she’d laid over her desk chair, as well as her purse from the bottom drawer, and made for the door.
By that time, Hudson was standing in the doorway to his office. “Bella—”
But she couldn’t look at him right now. She couldn’t talk to him reasonably, not after she’d acted like a foolish teenager, the foolish teenager she’d once been. She rushed out of the day care center and into her car, then pulled away in a burst of speed.
* * *
Hudson had two reactions to Bella’s sudden departure. The first—he was worried about her. But the second... Was that jealousy he’d detected? If she was jealous, did that mean she cared about him a bit?
He could go after her, but he expected she needed time to calm down, time to realize they were going to have to talk about this eventually. As he walked through the rooms, closing up the place, he realized he’d been wrong when he’d said his mood today had had nothing to do with her. It had actually had a lot to do with her. Yes, their argument. But more than that, everything else that was on his mind, too.
The woman Guy had sent to meet with him was basically his ranch manager; she took care of the books, scheduling, vet appointments, and kept all running smoothly. She had been a looker, that was true. And in the past, Hudson had wanted to look.
This time he didn’t.
He hadn’t cared at all what she looked like. But he’d listened to what she’d said, and that had caused him more turmoil. He tried to decide whether he should stay or leave Rust Creek Falls. Point one, did Just Us Kids still need him? The day care center was back on track now, the client base saved, rumors put to rest, the scare of another epidemic almost resolved. Was there a need for him to stay?
He’d told Walker he’d stay until the book project was completed. No, it hadn’t been a hard-and-fast promise, but he did always keep his word. Besides, he’d found he actually liked living in Rust Creek Falls, especially at Clive’s ranch. But there was one more reason compelling him to stay. And her name was Bella.
* * *
Bella drove home, her face still flushed from her encounter with Hudson and her own stupidity. She usually filtered what came out of her mouth. What had happened?
At the ranch house, she jumped out of her car and practically ran inside. This ranch had become a safe haven. But as she stepped over the threshold, she realized it might be
safe, but it was noisy, too.
The babies were squalling for their dinner, and Jamie just shook his head. “Paige couldn’t come tonight, so I said I could handle them on my own.”
She could see that he was trying to, but more than anything, she could see how exhausted her brother was. Slipping out of her coat, she hurried to help him feed the triplets. With two of them catching spills, wiping sticky hands and playing airplane games, they soon had the babies fed. Bathing, however, took a little longer.
By the time they’d settled all three in their cribs and returned downstairs, Jamie looked at Bella with a weak smile. “You didn’t get anything to eat.”
“I’m not hungry,” she said honestly, still remembering what had happened with Hudson. How was she going to live that down?
Her brother’s shoulders slumped a bit as he picked up dirty dishes from the table and took them to the sink. She could tell he was practically dead on his feet, and she knew he needed more than a good night’s sleep. He needed a break.
She pulled out a kitchen chair and pointed to it. “Sit.”
“I have to clean up the kitchen,” he reminded her.
“No, you don’t. I’ll do it. I want to talk to you.”
“That sounds ominous,” he said as he sat in the chair, obviously too fatigued to argue with her.
“You have to take a break from everything or you’re going to collapse.” When he started to protest, she held up her hand. “I’m going to ask for Monday off. I want you to call a motel in Kalispell and leave tomorrow morning for a few days. I want you to get some rest while I take charge of the babies and the schedule and the ranch chores.”
“You can’t do it on your own.”
“You’re going to have to trust me, Jamie. The baby chain will help with the triplets, and if I need help with the chores I can call our neighbor’s son.” When he began to protest again, she cut him off. “You’re not going to be any good to the triplets or the ranch if you fall over from exhaustion or get sick. You probably haven’t had a solid night’s sleep since they were born.”
“Since they came home,” he admitted. “I think I hear them, and I wake up to check, or I worry that I’m not going to hear them.”
“Or one of them cries,” Bella added. “Believe me, I understand. That’s why you have to do this. You have to depend on me as I’ve always depended on you.”
“What about you?” he asked.
“I’ve actually had breaks—like that afternoon I went riding.” Like the afternoon she’d slept on Hudson’s couch. “I even get a break at work,” she added.
“Around all those kids?”
“I don’t have direct responsibility for them—the teachers do. I can take my lunch break without worrying or take a walk.”
Or stop in Hudson’s office to talk to him, she thought. But that wasn’t going to happen again.
Jamie got quiet. He actually seemed to be considering her offer. Finally he looked at her and said, “I’ll only do this if the neighbor boy can come over and help you with the chores.”
“Call him and the motel. Any motel you want.”
“Just something with a bed would be good,” he admitted.
“I’ll call Hudson and ask him about Monday.” She hoped she’d just get his voice mail.
But that, of course, didn’t happen. He answered his cell on the second ring. But before he could say anything, she launched into an explanation.
After a moment’s hesitation, Hudson assured her, “No problem. Take the day off. I can cover for you.”
“Great,” she said, ready to hang up.
“Bella, about this afternoon...”
“I really have to go, Hudson. I think I hear one of the triplets. I’ll see you Tuesday.”
And before he could say more, she ended the call.
Was it the cowardly way out? Possibly, but she was also buying time. Maybe in a couple of days he’d forget about her outburst. Simply put, it might not have been that important to him. If it wasn’t, she was off the hook.
If it was...she’d deal with Hudson on Tuesday.
Chapter Nine
Hudson knew the longer a misunderstanding went unattended, the more mucked up life could get. That’s why he decided to visit Bella on Sunday. He knew a phone call wouldn’t do it. If she was taking care of the triplets with Jamie gone, she’d be too busy to focus on a call. Besides, this explanation required face-to-face time. He had a feeling she didn’t believe him about his lunch with the redhead being purely business.
Considering the fact she thought he was the love-’em-and-leave-’em type, it was very possible. Love them and leave them. Yep, that’s what he’d done in the past. It was easier than getting involved and getting hurt. He’d always made that clear at the outset with whomever he dated. But Bella?
She seemed to turn his world and his perceptions of it upside down.
When he arrived at Jamie’s house and stood on the porch outside the door, he still wasn’t sure what he was going to say. He did realize, however, that there wasn’t another vehicle in the driveway. That was odd since the baby chain always helped on weekends as well as during the week. Hudson was aware of the sound of squalling babies from inside. Two of them, if he could make out the sounds. He rang the doorbell and heard Bella’s voice.
“Oh my gosh, Paige, I’m so glad you could make it after all.”
Then she opened the door and saw Hudson.
The baby in Bella’s arms was squirming and squiggling and obviously wanted to be let down. He was squalling as loud as his little lungs would allow.
“Which one is this?” Hudson yelled above the din.
Though obviously surprised at his presence, Bella answered reflexively, “Henry.”
More crying came from inside the living room. Looking past Bella, Hudson could see a baby dressed all in pink, so he supposed it was Katie, wailing with the best of them. She was seated in a play saucer, but that definitely wasn’t occupying her.
He reached out and said, “Give me Henry. You go take care of Katie.”
Bella didn’t seem sure she wanted to give up the little boy, so Hudson took matters into his own hands. He reached for Henry with a big smile. “Come on, fella. You and I have to talk.”
The baby reached his arms out to Hudson, and Hudson took him, raising the baby’s face to his own. “You’ll get ahead in life better if you don’t scream so much. Come on, let’s figure out what’s wrong.”
Hudson walked Henry into the living room and saw the third triplet, Jared, sitting in a playpen playing with blocks. The only cooperative one in the bunch.
Henry had obviously been surprised by Hudson lifting him and talking to him. His cries subsided into hiccups until Hudson settled him into the crook of his arm. Then Henry started all over again.
Puzzled, Hudson jiggled him a bit. “What? Wet diaper? Hungry? Bored? You’ll have to tell me.”
Henry stopped crying as if he was considering it, and Hudson stuck his finger into the boy’s diaper. “He’s wet,” he called to Bella. “Where are the diapers?”
Bella motioned to a changing table on the other side of the room, and Hudson went that way. He’d learned a thing or two working at the day care center. There, one had to be a man of all trades, so to speak. He not only learned how to change diapers, but also how to give belly rubs and tickle toes. Anything to get a baby to do what you wanted him to do.
Grabbing hold of a rubber ducky on the changing table, he laid Henry down and handed it to him. “You play with this while we take care of business.”
By this time Bella had taken Katie out of the play saucer. The little girl had stopped crying as soon as Bella lifted her into her arms.
Now that Henry was concentrating on the rubber ducky, and Katie was quiet, Bella asked Hudson, “What are
you doing here?”
“We need to talk.” He unsnapped Henry’s jeans and took off the wet diaper. “But more important, why don’t you have any help today?”
“Fallon caught a flu bug she didn’t want to give to the babies. Paige and the others couldn’t cover because of church functions or holiday gatherings. Paige said she’d get here as soon as she could.”
Hudson fumbled a bit with the dry diaper. He wasn’t as adept at it as Bella or the teachers and aides at the day care center. The sticky tab caught on his thumb, bent over and stuck to itself. But somehow he managed to diaper Henry, even if it was a little lopsided.
“I was going to give them a snack,” Bella said. “Maybe we can talk if we can get them all eating a cookie at the same time.”
“Sounds good,” Hudson agreed, snapping Henry’s jeans and pulling down his little shirt. When he hefted Henry into his arms, the little boy gave him what Hudson thought was a smile. Hudson felt as if he’d accomplished something big.
After he carried Henry into the kitchen and settled him into a high chair, Bella did the same with Katie. Then she hurried back into the living room to gather up Jared. Soon the triplets were gnawing on cookies.
Bella turned to him. “Would you like something to drink? Soda, milk, juice?”
“Milk would be fine. I’m still a growing boy.”
Bella shook her head and gave him a small smile as she went to the refrigerator, poured two glasses of milk and set them on the table.
Hudson was thinking about the best way to start when she plunged in first. “I’m sorry I reacted as I did on Friday. I had no right.”
Hudson decided to ignore her remark about her rights. Instead, he said, “Tell me why you reacted as you did.”
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