by Tanya Hanson
Pike didn’t say a real word, just a rustling sound deep in his throat. Somehow she took it as approval, so she went on, “Everyone was good to me, but I…I just couldn’t stand their pity. I decided to move on. I…” She choked up. “As soon as I save up some money here, I’ll be leaving.”
“Leaving? Where?” His fingers slid almost naturally to her elbow. “Why?”
“Some place away from here. I always wanted to get out of Jackson County.”
“Kenn didn’t. I guess you reckoned Tony was your way out.”
She nodded. “I consider him just a bad little detour as I find my way.” Holding back tears, she gazed bravely at Pike.
“Then why didn’t you leave Jackson County after college? Get a teaching job someplace else?”
“Scared, I guess.” She gave a rueful little laugh. “And Dad gave me that car and Freckles. But the wanderlust came on me right away.”
“This time, you sure you’re not just running away?”
The way his lips moved around the words let her think, for a brief second, that he cared, that he wanted her to stay. Her heart thumped in a way it never had. But then she saw clear on his face, in his eyes, the same look of grave concern he’d given Elway. The look of a healer who wanted to do what he could to grant peace and healing to something beyond hope.
Not a man who cared about a woman and wanted her to stay.
“I’m not running away,” she insisted, then nodded an unfriendly good-bye. “I’m finding my way.”
She could feel his gaze on her back as she tromped back to Freckles.
4
After tending Outlaw back at the ranch, Pike hustled inside the house to grab a cup of coffee and dress for work. The whole ride home he’d wondered if he should have gone after Daisy.
Thinking about those bottomless eyes and those shoulders widening bravely as she stomped off started his heart stumbling around his chest even now.
But nope. She was the enemy. The last word seemed to settle his roiling emotions.
On the stairs, he ran into his sister Kelley, and yesterday’s conversation with Hooper came back to rattle him. She tried to breeze past him.
“Hold up, cowgirl,” he ordered.
With a groan, Kelley paused on the landing and stared up at him with a frown. She sure looked the part in red calico shirt, denim vest and Western hat pushed back to show eyes normally bright and friendly.
“You sound mighty unfriendly, big brother.” Her gaze hardened. “Make it quick. The guests are arriving.”
“Why am I the last to know you might quit as chuck cook?” Pike knew full well the hardness in his voice was due to Daisy, not Kelley, but he didn’t find the need to explain.
Kelley shut her eyes and groused something under her breath.
“How’s that, little sister?” His fingers gripped the stair rail. Why had today gotten so much more complicated than yesterday?
“I’m not exactly quitting.” Kelley said through tight lips. “And you had enough things on your plate yesterday. Your first day. Elway.”
He banged the stair rail with the heel of his hand. “Spare me the clichés, Kel. I’m a professional. I don’t like it. But putting sick animals down is what I have to do sometimes. And I handle it just fine.”
“I know. He’s a grand dog, and it’s a shame. But you’re right. I do need to talk to you about my plans.”
“About time,” he grumbled. “Let’s just get it said now.”
“I guess I could spare a minute. Meet me in Pa’s office.”
Well, it was Ma and Hooper’s office now, but Pike nodded, dashed into a pale yellow Oxford shirt and blue tie, and exchanged his boots for crisp black Chuck Taylors—better for a long day on his feet. Downstairs, Kelley waited in Pa’s old leather chair, two cups of coffee steaming on the end table next to her. Pike sank onto the sofa upholstered in a Navajo print.
“I’m not quitting the wagon trains, Pike. I just might need some help now and again.”
“How ‘now’ and how ‘again’?” He lifted the steaming cup to his mouth. The black liquid was strong and too hot to drink, really, but he braved a sip so he didn’t say something he’d regret.
She blushed beneath her suntan. “You know how great Magic Grill Restaurant has been to me. Letting me just work one day a week in the summer. Adding up all my vacation and sick and personal days so I can spend my time on the wagon train tours. I love being chuck cook. You can’t ever doubt that. The wagon train tours are a dream come true for all of us. But…”
“But what?”
“The Grill is changing owners. I can’t count on the newcomers being as understanding as the Baisches. And I’ve longed for my own place.”
“First I heard about that.”
“Well, Pike, I have a feeling there’s a lot about me you don’t know.” She pursed her lips and looked away from him. “I’ve talked this over with Ma, and she understands how the Lord performs His wonders in our lives. The Baisches told me about a little place in Sunset Hills that’s for sale, cheap, and I honestly think the Lord is leading me there.”
She eyed him bravely and paused for a drink from her own cup. “I am terrified, to be honest. My life in Denver has worked out perfect, with me getting to be here too. Then I realized it was a window opening after a door closing. I want to give my own restaurant a try. I’ve even got my name picked out. Vegeterra. Vegetarian and vegan lunches and breakfasts, and Saturday afternoon tea. And don’t shake your head at me.” She waggled an index finger at him as if he were a naughty little boy. “I’ve got money saved, and I’ve applied for a business loan. I’m not asking anybody for anything.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Of course it’s the point. You’re acting like my father. Like this somehow has something to do with you.”
Pike’s cheeks warmed. Daisy had accused him of something like that, too. “Well, it kind of does,” he managed after another long slurp of coffee he didn’t really want. Normally he infused his with a ton of sugar and cream, and Kelley had served it to him black as a moonless midnight. “We’ve got a summer booked full of wagon train tours, and an authentic chuck cook is part of our attraction. And…” Feeling fatherly, he raised his eyebrows and saved the best for last. “…we’ve got repeat visitors who look forward to your food.”
She breathed out so hard she wiggled the ends of her braids that lay across her chest. “Well, I’ve got all my recipes cataloged in a computer file. And some things I always make up beforehand, like my barbeque sauce, jams, and graham flatbread.”
Panic began to simmer. She sounded like she really was leaving, and leaving things in such control he couldn’t criticize. “So what’s next?”
“I’ll be here for the foreseeable future, Pike. And I can’t deny some of this decision is breaking my heart. But Sunset Hills isn’t even an hour away. It’s not like I’m going to the moon.” She blew him a sisterly kiss. “I know there’s nothing like the sun peeking over the mountains, and Hearts Crossing wearing its first splatter of snow. Nothing like the baby calves and foals. But…this is something I have to at least try. At this point in my life, I don’t have a husband or kids to upheave. Can you try to understand?”
No. He couldn’t, because Hearts Crossing filled his every need. But her troubled gaze touched him, and he recognized that she needed his assurance and support. “Sure.” He didn’t finish with the sentence he wanted to. Things around here won’t be the same.
“Thing is…” Kelley said slowly as though a thought had suddenly come to her. However, he knew different. Nothing about her plans had been impulsive. She’d done her homework and considered every angle. “I think I might be able to find a part-time chuck cook. Maybe alternate tours with her.”
“Yeah?” He prodded her along, needing to get to work, to deal with animals who never argued back. He half-rose from the couch. Sounded like she was thinking things through, at least.
“You don’t Facebook, do you?” she tossed at him o
ut of nowhere, using the term like a verb.
He felt his forehead crunch in confusion. “No. I don’t have time for any of that fiddle-faddle. Why?” Kelley knew full well that nature and animals filled his cells to the brim. For Pike, hugging a computer was an unthinkable waste of time. Their brother Bragg, both ranch hand and CPA, got paid well to take care of Pike’s business accounts so he didn’t have to.
“Well, Mountain Cove High has a Facebook page, and I’m a friend.” She waved him silent before he could ask. “I commented a couple days ago about maybe starting up my own restaurant. Somebody else commented, asking if I were leaving the wagon trains. And this morning, somebody else piped in, wondering how to apply for my job.”
He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand heated up nicely from the coffee cup. Still, defeat and disappointment wracked him. “Qualified?”
“Yes. A certificate in culinary arts.”
He shrugged. “Experienced?”
Her cheeks poufed before she blew out. “Not exactly but somewhat. And of course I’d train her.”
“Nothing much I can say then,” he admitted. “Hiring is always up to Ma and Hoop as they see fit. I’m sure they’ll take your approval to heart.” Setting down his half-full cup, he stood up. “Small town. Anybody I know?”
Kelley turned bright red, and alarm goosed his skin. Something was coming at him that he reckoned he wasn’t ready for.
“At the hoedown, I hated her,” Kelley said slowly, making each word count. “I all but cussed her out when she slandered Kenn and made a fool of herself. Then Ma reminded me she’s a child of God. That touched my heart.” She looked straight at him. “Ma always sees the good in folks. Then you were so gentle and kind, helping me get her to the guest bunkhouse. She’s been through so much. We need to give her a chance, Pike.”
Daisy Densmore? Remembering those moments, he shoved the recollection back into a miasma of resentment. Cold streamed down his back like the bucket of water Hoop and Kenn as kids had balanced on a lintel to nail him when he opened the door. He fought for words.
“You can’t possibly mean Daisy Densmore. Kelley, have you lost your mind?”
“Pike, she needs us.” Kelley ran to his side and held onto his arm for dear life. “She sent me a private message, too. I, well, I answered back. Then she told me. You can’t believe what Tony put her through.”
“I don’t believe this.” He grabbed a handful of hair at the top of his scalp. “Don’t you remember what she put Kenn through?”
“He’s got Christy now—”
“Doesn’t matter. He’s not going to go along with this.”
“But you just said it’s up to Ma and Hoop and my approval.”
“Listen, little sister. Kenn’s the one who’d be with her on the tours. For whole days and nights. Think how uncomfortable he’d be.”
She shook her head so hard her hat sat crooked on it. “I’ve got good instincts about this. She needs us, Pike, and that’s that.”
****
On the drive home to Hearts Crossing after work, Pike’s headache returned with a vengeance. Hopefully Ma had handy some of that motor oil she called coffee. A big dose of caffeine just might unconstrict the capillaries in his brain.
He parked his Silverado by the barn, watching wranglers corral their horses and practice roping skills. A wave of longing swept over him, and he grunted. It was only two weeks.
“How you doing?” His brother Scott loped over. In Hoop’s absence, he was acting ranch foreman. He wrangled as need be, taught Cowboy College and helped with the wagon trains, ran the ranch’s online store, and maintained their website. “Going OK at the animal hospital?”
Pike’s headache eased as he chuckled. “Yep. Today was pretty stress-free, thank the Lord.” He pushed away thoughts of Elway. “Shot clinic, all morning. Routine check-ups since. Monthly B-12 and Adequan shots for the Chaplins’ Golden.”
He couldn’t help a smile at mention of Bryce, a sweet arthritic Golden Retriever named for the Utah natural wonder. Himself christened Zebulon Pike Martin, Pike had a natural affinity for anything named after something special.
“Well, wagons got off all right. Won’t be long before you can join ’em. Good of you to help Doc out.”
Pike shrugged. “That’s what friends do. My vet assistant can handle the minor large animal complaints that might come up. I’ll deal with any emergencies if they happen. As for you…Maybe you’ll get to make some rip-snortin’ decision while Hoop’s gone.” With a snort, he punched Scott’s shoulder.
“Like that’ll happen.” Scott chuckled. “Hey, you still on for Singles Bible Study tonight? I know it means you gotta trek back to town, so I reckoned I’d drive.”
Pike hesitated, his head pounding as he considered what to do. Normally he liked going, but there was always the possibility Daisy would be there. Personally he couldn’t imagine her showing her face, not because of Tony, but because of her rant at the hoedown. But….he sighed. She was fairly shameless, and well, it’s just what most of Mountain Cove’s singletons did on a Tuesday night.
Pastor Hale, even though he was probably sixty, ran a terrific young singles program. His strong 35-year marriage to Joanne gave him plenty of examples of what to do—and not—during serious relationships, whether platonic, business, or romantic. The group studied appropriate Scriptures and had fun, too.
“I dunno.” He wavered. “I’m pretty beat.”
“Well, let me know. I’ll check back later.”
As Pike stomped up the porch steps, he breathed out a puff of relief. At least that madwoman Kelley was gone for the next five days. He’d have it out with Ma against the foolish idea of hiring Daisy long before the wagon train returned on Saturday. And it occurred to him pretty strong as he tossed his hat on the bent willow tree in the entry way. It likely was time for him to start building his own place on the ranch, look around for somebody special. He was heading toward thirty-two. Why, Kenn had found the love of his life on a recent wagon train tour.
He headed through the dining room toward the kitchen for some coffee and all but swallowed his tongue at the sight of Karen Densmore, along with Ma, at the massive table strewn with craft gew-gaws and downright junk. He hadn’t seen any visitors’ cars in the parking area under the boxelder trees. He groaned inside. Last thing he wanted to clutter his aching head with right now were reminders of Elway…
And Daisy.
He nodded a polite hello. If the pup had worsened, he’d already know. As for Daisy, the less time spent thinking on her, the better.
“Howdy, son.” His big-boned, big-hearted ma pointed to a dainty china pot at his request for coffee. “I usually do the music, but Pastor Hale asked me and Karen to take over as craft directors for the vacation Bible school this year. First two weeks in August. What do you think?”
Happy memories of long ago summer days full of Bible stories and little art projects flooded his mind. “Well, can’t say I have much expertise,” he said with a grin. “Other than the toothpick cross I made for Pa once.”
“Still got it,” Ma announced proudly. “I hang it up each Ash Wednesday until Easter Monday.” She elbowed Mrs. Densmore. “We got that on the agenda, of course. And we’re gonna get the congregation to save up plastic bottles. Make terrariums out of ’em.”
She held up a soda bottle that had been sliced in half and inverted somehow, with dirt, pebbles, and a tiny plant in the bottom. It looked pretty good, actually. “And baby food jars for snow globes.” Ma shook a tiny jar with liquid and glitter inside. There was something—a little plastic animal?—stuck inside.
“Show him the hobnail ‘milk glass’ vases.” Mrs. Densmore crowed and demonstrated for him. “Folks’ll save up pickle and salsa jars. Kids will glue on split peas in the design of their choice. Then we’ll spray paint ’em white.”
“Not to mention these lovely white roses for them. Made by scrunching up coffee filters.” Ma held out an impressive bouquet with green pipe cleaner stems. “
What do you think?”
Pike didn’t really know but reckoned if he’d been pa to a tot who brought any of the projects home, he’d be pleased as punch. “I’d be right proud to display those in my home,” he told them as their faces split into wide smiles.
“Good day, son?” Ma asked as she poured him a cup of coffee. It was dark as sin and would likely taste like mud. “Sit for a spell.”
Uncertain, he took great care with the sugar bowl. Ma liked playing hostess, true, but he wondered if something might be forthcoming, about Daisy taking on some cooking responsibilities. Indeed, Karen Densmore smiled at him, color high on her cheekbones.
However, after he caved, planning to sit with them for five minutes or less, all Ma did was show him the ease it took creating one of the white roses.
“Vacation Bible school enrolls kids of all ages,” Mrs. Densmore explained. “We need projects that the older ones can do easily, then help the tiny ones.”
“Good job, ladies. Pastor Hale is bound to be pleased,” he told them, meaning it, then decided to test the water and insert Kelley’s name without sounding awkward. “I’m afraid saving up baby food jars it a bit beyond me at present, but I’ll get Kelley to start saving pickle jars.”
The women laughed at his little joke, neither of them speaking of Kelley possibly needing a replacement. He breathed easier for a second, took his time nibbling one of Ma’s oatmeal-raisin cookies, unwinding the tension that had noosed him all day. His headache eased, and for no apparent reason, he wondered how Daisy had spent hers. It didn’t mean he cared or worried, but truth to tell, he didn’t exactly know why she’d popped into his mind.
Then he heard it. The growl of her Mustang coming up the drive from the main road. That was it. Somehow the sound had reached his ears before he realized it. Eyes closed, he chided his thumping heart.
“Oh dearie, is it time already?” Mrs. Densmore moaned as she started to clear away the craft mess, glancing at Pike. “My car’s in the shop. Daisy dropped me off before her errands. I can’t believe she’s already back to get me. I had such a lovely time.”