“Hi,” he echoed. Smooth, Jeremy, real smooth. “Is it okay if I take him out for a bit?”
He watched her nibble on her bottom lip, debating. “His room needs to be cleaned first. Then he can go.
“Did you hear that buddy? You get your room cleaned while Uncle Jase and I talk, then I’ll come get you. Can you do that?”
“You betcha!”
“Go to your room and get started. I’ll be right up to help you,” Lanie instructed Cody.
Their son ran to accomplish his task. Lanie stuck her hands in the rear pockets of her dark denim jeans and rocked on her heels. “So, you decided.”
“Are you still okay with it?” he asked, detecting the uncertainty she was emitting.
“I thought I was. I mean, I will be,” she stammered, avoiding eye contact.
Extending his arm, he placed a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t have to do this,” he offered in a low whisper, but even as he said it, the idea of not seeing Cody on a regular basis left a lump in his throat. He was changing, and he liked to think it was for the better.
“Yes, you do. It’s what’s best.” Her shoulder trembled under his hand.
“Say the word and I’ll leave. We can make visitations plans for Cody. I don’t want to cause you more pain.” His voice lowered further and came out almost breathless.
“Ahhem.” A loud, purposeful cough interrupted their conversation, and Jeremy jerked his hand away from Lanie.
Looking up, he saw an angry Jase, standing with a man he didn’t recognize with a neutral look over his features. Too neutral.
“Clay, what are you doing here?” Lanie asked, her voice wavering.
So this was the new boyfriend. Unfounded jealousy reared its ugly head, coiling his muscles into tight knots.
“Bowling with Cody?” As his eyes darted between Jeremy and Lanie, Clay didn’t look too pleased that she couldn’t remember.
“Oh no. I thought we said tomorrow?”
“No, definitely today. Saturday,” Clay said evenly.
“Jeremy’s taking Cody for ice cream in a little bit. I guess we can still go after.”
“Let’s go,” Jase snarled, interrupting the conversation between his sister and Clay, glaring and shooting daggers with his eyes at Jeremy.
Lanie gave an almost imperceptible nod, telling him to go without further words. She had other problems to sort out, but Jeremy couldn’t help wondering how her conversation with Clay would end.
“I’ll be up for Cody when we’re done.” Turning on a heel, he followed a stomping Jase outside to a small utility golf cart.
Taking a seat on the right, he remained silent, knowing Jase wouldn’t listen to anything he had to say. There was still too much anger between them. The short trip to the cabin was made in complete silence. Animosity radiated from both men, waiting for the standoff to end. Jase pulled up to a cabin, a quaint building nestled behind a clearing of white bark pines.
“Is this it?” Jeremy asked, hoping to break the ice.
Turning, Jase looked at him with fire in his eyes. “The rest of my family may have lost their senses, but I haven’t. I don’t like you, and I can’t forget the tears my sister cried when you broke her heart. If it was up to me, you’d never set foot on this property.”
Jeremy sighed. He was weary of being reminded about his mistakes. His own conscience reminded him of his failures every single day of his life. “But it’s not up to you. Your father and Lanie asked me here, and I intend to be a part of my son’s life whether you like it or not.”
“So you can abandon him again?”
“This isn’t your fight, Jase. It’s between Lanie, Cody and me.”
“And they’re my family. I’ll be damned if I stand by and watch you hurt them again.”
“That’s not going to happen. I’ll never be perfect, but I want to be Cody’s dad. I’m done walking away.”
“And Lanie?” Jase asked, his features taut.
“What about her?”
“Stay away from her.” His meaning was clear. Lanie was hands off.
Except that ship had long since sailed, rendering Jase’s edict pointless. Some things didn’t get a second chance. “I’m here to do a job and build a relationship with my son. That’s it.”
“This is the cabin. It’s small and there’s no cable or satellite. If you need to use the internet, you can go to the main lodge. Go look inside if you want.”
If for no other reason than to escape his acrimonious former brother-in-law, Jeremy took the keys from Jase, slipped out from the cart and went inside. Several boxes were scattered here and there. It was cozy, much more primitive than his own house, but he found it to be sufficient for just himself. He’d only be here a year tops; just until he figured out where to go from here. J.T. was going to keep an eye on his place for him during his time at Whispering Winds. He looked around; there wasn’t much to it. When he walked in, a small kitchen was to his right, the living room on the left. Down the hallway was a tiny bathroom and then a single bedroom. No furniture was left in the house. If he remembered correctly, there was a small furniture store in Bumblton. Later, he’d stop and pick out a few basic pieces. There wasn’t much more to look at it. He left his new home, pulling the door closed.
With a final swipe, Lanie finished dusting the ceiling fan and climbed down from the stepstool. She’d only been in the cabin for a month, but she had her doubts the fan had been cleaned by the prior tenant. After living in the lodge with her parents for a few years after the divorce, she’d decided last month that it was time to be on her own again. Cody and she had moved into a vacant cabin on Whispering Winds, not too far from the hub of the ranch.
The log home had three bedrooms, hers being the largest with just enough room for a queen bed and dresser. Cody occupied the second bedroom and was thrilled when she’d surprised him with an old west themed room. She’d even special ordered a bed made to look like an old Conestoga wagon. His entire room had been a splurge, but her bank account could handle the occasional extravagance for her son. Jeremy hadn’t been much on spending time with Cody, but he’d always been prompt with paying his child support, plus some. The third room had a small corner partitioned off as a home office and the rest was a playroom for Cody
A rapping beat on the door drew her attention from cleaning. A welcome diversion since she’d been at it since dropping Cody off at the bus stop. She dropped the feather duster into the basket with the other cleaning supplies, wiped her hands against her dirtied jeans and went to answer the door. Opening the door she inwardly groaned when she saw Jeremy. He’d been living at Whispering Winds for a little over a week now and she’d barely seen him, other than dropping Cody off at his cabin for a few hours several nights. This was the first time he’d stopped by her place and she lamented the fact she looked so rough. Not that she cared what he thought of her appearance, she just didn’t want anyone to see her looking like such a mess.
“Everything okay?” she asked. The middle of the day was an odd time to go visiting.
“Everything’s fine. There was some downtime and I wanted to run an idea by you.” Standing on her porch, leaning against the rail, he looked like the consummate cowboy with his hat tipped slightly down and a black t-shirt with sleeves tight against his biceps. She didn’t look lower for fear of where it might take her thoughts.
“Come in.” She waved him in, offering a seat at the small rectangular table made of natural pine. “I made some lemonade this morning. Want some?”
“That’d be nice.” He removed his hat, setting it beside him on the table.
Opening the door to the stark white refrigerator, she silently bemoaned the small appliance. She’d gotten too used to the state-of-the-art one her parents owned in their wing of the lodge and the one in the Whispering Winds’ industrial kitchen. It was a small sacrifice, she reminded herself. After she’d filled two glasses she took them to the table and sat down.
“How’s it going with the new job?” Small ta
lk should be safe enough conversation.
“Pretty boring still. Your dad’s been filling me in on the ranch specific policies and procedures. That and going over past breeding and sales records. I’ll be much happier when I can get back to working on a horse.”
“Have the doctor’s given you any timeline?” she asked with genuine interest. Her heart still ached for him losing a dream. Getting him on a horse would at least bring some of the life back to him.
“The leg’s healing at a much slower rate than they’d like. Another month and they said I can try if it’s a tame horse and no bareback riding.”
“Not too much longer then.” Even to her it sounded like an empty platitude.
“If I wanted to badly enough, I could probably manage now, but for once in my life I’m listening to people when they’re wiser than I am.” He gave her a self-deprecating smile.
“Gee, that’s a first,” she teased.
“Yeah. Anyway, I want to ask a favor. What would you think of me taking Cody tonight since it’s not a school night?”
“How late do you plan on keeping him?”
“Overnight. I thought I’d have Cook make some pizza for us and we could have a guys’ night. I’ll even help him with his homework before we get started. Then, tomorrow morning, I wanted to take him fishing.”
Lanie swallowed. An entire night with Cody gone? It had been over four months since he’d been away from her overnight, except with her parents. A lonely night, alone in the cabin, didn’t sound appealing, but she couldn’t very well say no on her account. “Okay.”
“What time does his bus come?”
“Three forty-five, but I try to get up there at three-thirty.”
“I’ll pick him up and surprise him.”
She gulped. That meant she wouldn’t see Cody at all. This is what she wanted, she reminded herself. Jeremy was making a real effort.
He must have seen her hesitation. Leaning forward, his forearms rested on the table. “Let me do this. I’ve had him entire weekends before.”
“Where will he sleep?”
“On the sofa. I bought one with a fold out bed.”
“Stay put and I’ll pack a bag for him. Watch him when he brushes his teeth because he sometimes forgets to get the back ones. And don’t let him have milk right before bed; it gives him bad dreams. If he’s thirsty, he can have water.”
“We’ll be fine.” Jeremy chuckled, giving her an amused look.
“I know,” she admitted then escaped to Cody’s bedroom.
From his closet, she pulled out a canvas duffle bag embroidered with Cody’s favorite superhero. Opening the top dresser drawer, she pulled out a pair of pajamas with dinosaurs printed on the fabric, then a change of clothes from the other drawer. She set the bag on the bed before returning to the closet for a sweatshirt; the mornings and evenings were starting to have a biting chill. Finally, she stuffed his special pillow in the bag and zipped it. One more thing. She ducked into the bathroom to grab Cody’s toothbrush and added it to the bag.
Jeremy was standing when she returned to the kitchen; she noticed he’d placed his empty glass in the sink. “I see you’ve learned to pack lighter?” His eyes twinkled with merriment.
She shrugged nonchalantly but smiled. “I’m close enough you can stop by if I forgot something.” The first time she’d left Cody with Jeremy for an overnight stay, she’d dropped off two suitcases full of multiple changes of clothes, an entire first aid kit, toys and his entire sheet and blanket set.
Jeremy took the bag from her extended hand. “I’ll text you when he’s off the bus and will have him call you to say goodnight.”
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.” This new thoughtful side of Jeremy was pleasant, she had to concede. Too pleasant.
When he was out the door, Lanie was hit with an abrupt case of restlessness. She no longer felt like cleaning, but didn’t know what she felt like doing. A walk would at least rid her of nervous energy. The basket of cleaning supplies still sat in the middle of the living room. She put them away and slipped on a pair of shoes.
Her walk led her to the main lodge where she found Allie in her office. “Hi,” she greeted her sister-in-law. “Do you have any plans for tonight?”
“I’ll be here. Jase and I were going to have a date, but an hour ago a couple called asking if we were accepting guests. They won’t be here until eight, so guess where I’m spending my evening.”
“That stinks.”
“They’re paying a premium rate and are staying through Tuesday, so I can’t complain. Anything helps right now.”
“True. Why don’t you still go on your date? I can stay here and get them checked in and situated.”
“Seriously?”
“Jeremy is taking Cody for the night and I wasn’t looking forward to a night alone in the cabin. This works out perfectly.”
Allie came around from the desk and gave her a big hug. “You’re the best! The call came in right after I sent Lexie home early so she could get to Laramie and her brother before dark, or she would have filled in.”
“Not a problem at all. Is everything ready for them?”
“Their room is ready and their welcome packet is almost done. I just need to pull some maps out of the filing cabinet.”
“Hiking or horse-trails?” Lanie asked.
“Not sure, so I’m adding both. My guess is that it was a last minute decision so they hadn’t thought too much about what they’ll do while they’re here.”
“What time do you want me here?”
“Is six asking too much? You never know how early, or late, they’ll arrive.”
“That’s fine.”
“I’d bring a book so you don’t get bored. For once, everything’s all caught up. Jase and I owe you one.”
“I’m not doing this for Jase.” Lanie immediately tensed at her brother’s name.
“He’ll come around. Give him some time.”
“I thought he’d come to terms with it, or at least stop giving me the cold shoulder. He’s being ridiculous.” Jase had been skillfully avoiding her since the day Jeremy came to Whispering Winds, accepting the job.
“He doesn’t want to see you hurt,” Allie said, caught in an argument between her husband and good friend.
“It’s not his business. Good grief, he’s acting like Jeremy and I are going to jump into bed together.” Lanie didn’t miss the short intake of breath and subsequent biting of her lowering lip from Allie. “What? Don’t tell me he really thinks I’d be that stupid.”
Avoiding eye contact, Allie looked down, examining her nails.
“Allie,” Lanie practically hissed. “Tell me the truth.”
“He saw you in the hallway with Jeremy, with his hand on your shoulder.”
Frustrated, Lanie blew out a long breath before she exploded. “And?”
“And he said there was a current between you and Jeremy. He could sense it from several feet away.”
“That’s ridiculous.” She had half a mind to hunt her brother down and give him a firm tongue lashing. Clay certainly hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort and he’d been there also.
“Is it?” Allie looked at her with a keen understanding.
Plopping down in a spare chair, Lanie raked her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know. Yes, there’s a chemistry between Jeremy and I; I can’t deny that. It’s always been there and probably always will if years of cheating didn’t kill it, but that doesn’t mean I’d ever act on it. That part of our lives is in the past and that’s where it’s staying. However, because of Cody, he’ll always be in my life. I can’t just block him out of it.”
“Just be careful, okay?” Allie warned.
“Didn’t you hear what I just said?”
“I heard you loud and clear, but I also know what I’ve seen. You’re not immune to Jeremy. I’ve seen you watch him from afar.”
Lanie’s cheeks burned. “He’s a good looking man.” She tried to play it off, unsuccessfully.
“When you were married to Jeremy, I didn’t know him too well, but I do know he’s changed. He’s lost that arrogant swagger, the attitude he thought made him invincible. There’s a humbleness to him that never used to be there. And even with his limp he’s a damn fine specimen of masculinity. I’m just saying, all that could be an intoxicating combination for two people with an electric charge already between them.”
“Nothing is going to happen. That I can promise. Besides, I’m with Clay now and as happy as I can be.”
“So be it, but don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine. Everyone just needs to let it be and allow Jeremy and I get on with our lives. I’ll see you at six.” She left without giving Allie a chance to say another word, feeling more restless than she had before taking a walk.
By the time six o’clock rolled around, she still wasn’t in a better mood. She grabbed a book she’d been meaning to read and headed toward the main lodge. Allie stood behind the counter, the welcome packet in hand.
With a hesitant expression, Allie handed over the folder. “It’s all ready for the Mackey’s.”
Lanie took it without a word, not trusting herself to speak. So many conflicted thoughts were running through her head.
“I’m sorry if I upset your earlier,” Allie apologized, her lips curved downward in a frown.
“I know you think you’re trying to help, but the best thing anyone can do is to stay out of it. Jeremy is here to help Whispering Winds and restore his relationship with Cody. That’s where the focus needs to be, not on some imaginary reunion between him and me. If I’m civil with him, it’s because Cody needs to see his parents getting along, nothing more.”
“You’re a sister to me, even if I wasn’t married to your brother.” The single sentence from Allie communicated all that needed to be said.
“Go on and have fun tonight.” Lanie waved her from the room, giving a weak smile as a peace offering.
“If anything comes up, I’ll have my cell.”
Taking a seat in Allie’s office, Lanie flipped on the security camera, which would alert her to any arrivals. After several false starts, she gave up trying to read her novel. Instead, she deliberated on what to do about Jeremy. A rather absurd question, because what could she do? She couldn’t deny she was attracted to him still. That would be an outright lie. And she agreed with Allie; Jeremy had changed for the better, but that didn’t erase the past. Getting back together was not an option whatsoever.
When the Glitter Fades (Cowboys of Whispering Winds) Page 5