He made it sound so innocent—the fact that he’d turned everyone against her. For the entire time she would live here, she was going to get nothing but the cold shoulder. And eggs would keep collecting in her fridge.
“I’ve just made my first business decision,” she said. “I’m selling some chickens.” She pushed her cart toward the checkout counter without further commentary.
Chapter Nine
The next Friday after Dewayne finished his work, he stopped by the house to talk to Kate about equipment. “The alfalfa is nearly ready to be cut. You’ll need to buy or borrow a baler. I could probably find a decent used one for ten thousand or so.”
It seemed odd that her grandpa wouldn’t have bought that sort of equipment already. “What did my grandfather do last time he needed to bale alfalfa?”
“The Wyles did it. That was part of the arrangement for letting them pump water from Cal’s wells.”
No mention of that had been made in the will. “Grandpa had a contract with them?” Kate asked hopefully, even though she already suspected they didn’t. Her grandfather wouldn’t have asked his friends to sign anything.
Dewayne shook his head. “Just a gentleman’s agreement.”
One the Wyles wouldn’t have to honor now. Kate let out a grunt. How could her grandfather have been so short-sighted? If she had to buy expensive equipment, she wouldn’t be able to turn a profit. But perhaps she didn’t need to purchase anything. The will hadn’t specified that people couldn’t loan equipment to her. It had only stated no one could give her equipment.
When Landon had first come to the house, he’d offered to help her. Maybe he would feel obligated to loan her equipment since he was using Coyote Glen’s water. She shouldn’t be too proud to ask.
“I could search for a used baler,” Dewayne reiterated. “Might be able to get a good deal on one if we agree to buy it as is.”
Meaning it could break down the minute after they bought it. Kate looked out across the pasture to the field of alfalfa. Her gaze wandered in the direction of the Wyle Away. “Let me talk to Landon first.”
Of course, this was easier said than done. During their last conversation, she accused him of turning the town against her. That wasn’t the best segue into asking for favors. Still, she shouldn’t burn through her grandfather’s savings the first month she was on the ranch.
Borrowing the Wyles’ baler would take a little strategy. Or at least bribery. She called her mother and asked for her grandmother’s secret cheesecake recipe, something her grandmother had guarded fervently. She’d only given it to her mother on the condition she would never share it with anyone outside of the family. Grandmother wanted to be the only one in town who could whip something as light and fluffy as her version of cherries jubilee. If Kate remembered right, the Wyle brothers were fans of the dessert.
She made two—one for the brothers and one for herself. If she was going to go eat humble pie, she was going to chase it down with a lot of cheesecake.
It was nearly seven o’clock when she drove to the Wyle Away and nervously called from the gate intercom.
A man’s voice answered. Probably Jaxon. “Howdy. What can I do for you?”
“I come bearing cheesecake. And asking favors.”
“Your grandmother’s recipe?”
“Yes.”
The gate swung open without further questioning. Bless Jaxon’s sweet tooth.
Kate drove through the gate, and a few minutes later climbed the stairs to the Wyles’ wraparound porch. Theirs was a sprawling, white two-story home with large picture windows that looked out over the land. Rustic meets modern. She’d liked the home as a child and now admired it as an interior designer. Great scale and proportion. It flowed with the land and made the distant mountains seem like a charming backdrop.
Jaxon opened the front door before she even rang. “Come on inside. Anyone with that cheesecake is more than welcome to ask favors.” He wore a button-down red shirt and a pair of jeans that had never seen the inside of a corral. His dark wavy hair was even combed into obedience.
Kate stepped inside and handed Jaxon the plate. “Is Landon here?” She could hear the faint sounds of a TV from somewhere upstairs.
“Nope. He’s out on a date.”
A date. Oh. She shouldn’t have been surprised. It was Friday, and a man as handsome as Landon could have his pick of women. But after the way he’d flirted while he bandaged her hands and agreed to go out to dinner—all just four days ago—she’d thought he was interested in her. Apparently not.
Maybe he was a player. Or just playing her. He might have seen she was attracted to him and figured he could soften her up if he acted like he reciprocated.
She tried to keep her smile from wavering. “I should have called before coming. I forget that other people have social lives.” She took in Jaxon’s clothes again. “Are you going out too?”
“Yeah. One of my high school buddies is having a bachelor party in Bisbee.” Jaxon headed across the foyer toward the kitchen and motioned for her to follow him. “Don’t tell Landon, by the way. He’s convinced any party of Carter Puglisi’s will consist of drunkenness and a high chance of police intervention.”
“Your secret is safe with me.” She’d been inside the Wyles’ house before. Back when she was a child, Mr. and Mrs. Wyle occasionally invited her family over for barbeques. The place hadn’t changed since then. In fact, she was pretty sure the same black leather couches, much more beat up now, sat in the family room. Small square brown tiles spread over the floor. If they’d ever been in style, it had been a few decades ago.
The tall wood ceilings were beautiful, though, and the family room’s picture window was stunning. Updating the place wouldn’t be hard. Perhaps Kate wasn’t coming as empty-handed as she feared.
Jaxon opened the fridge to put in the cheesecake, then reconsidered and placed it on the counter. “This looks too good to wait for. I’m having a slice now.” He reached into the cupboard for a plate. “So, what’s this cheesecake-worthy favor you’re about to ask?”
“I’m afraid I need to offer more than cheesecake. Dewayne tells me that you baled my grandfather’s alfalfa. I won’t ask you to do that, but if you’d let me borrow your baler, I’ll lend you my services as an interior decorator. Your family room could be amazing with a new floor, a lighter shade of paint, and a few other changes.”
Jaxon sliced a piece of cheesecake and put it on the plate. “You’re saying you don’t appreciate our motif of scattered cowboy boots? I always thought the look was cutting edge modern art.”
“New light fixtures, window treatments, and artwork would work wonders.”
Jaxon took a bite of cheesecake and shut his eyes. “Mmm. This is just as good as I remember. Where did you find the recipe? I asked Cal for it, and he looked through every cookbook your grandmother had. He never found it.”
Knowing her grandmother, she’d probably hidden it under her mattress. “My mother had a copy.”
Jaxon took another bite. “You don’t have to redecorate our house. You’re welcome to use the baler.” He winked. “And when I say you, I actually mean Dewayne since he knows how to drive it.”
Jaxon was being so gracious. Kate felt the worry drain from her chest. “Thanks.”
“Of course, if you want to make us more cheesecake, I wouldn’t turn that down.”
“More cheesecake it is then.”
“And throw in the recipe too. I don’t want to risk you dying in some freak cattle stampede.”
“That would be bad,” she agreed.
Jaxon’s phone chimed. He pulled it from his pocket, read the text, and cursed. “Looks like I’m not going out after all. My babysitter just canceled.” He scowled and slid the phone back into his pocket. “That’s the problem with being a single parent. Your entire social life depends upon the whims of teenage girls.”
“I can watch Audrey for you,” Kate offered. Why not? She wasn’t doing anything else. And how hard could one chi
ld be?
Jaxon perked up, his dark mood immediately lifting. “Seriously? You’d do that?”
“Of course. Go and have fun.” She looked around for signs of the little girl. “Where is she?”
“Upstairs watching TV.” He took a few steps toward the stairs, called, “Audrey!” then returned to Kate. He rubbed his chin, suddenly hesitant. “Are you sure about this? Do you have any experience with children?”
“When I was in high school, I used to watch kids all of the time, and I was my parents’ built-in babysitter.” It was sweet to see Jaxon as a father—worried about whether Kate was competent enough to take care of a six-year-old. “Audrey and I will have some quality girl time while you’re with your friends. Just try and stay out of prison.”
Jaxon chuckled. “All right.” He glanced at the clock. It was seven-fifteen. “If Landon comes back before I do, don’t tell him I’m with Carter.”
“Where should I say you are?”
“Out on a date.” Jaxon finished off his cheesecake and set his plate in the sink. “You’ve forgotten the woman’s name, but you met her and she seemed respectable. Those are the sort of women he approves of.”
Was that the sort of woman Landon dated? Ever since Jaxon had mentioned Landon was out, she’d pictured him with a blonde rodeo queen in cowboy boots and a halter top. Kate pushed away the image. “Why not tell him you’re out with a clingy brunette and let him wonder.”
“He already wonders, better make her respectable.”
Audrey trotted down the stairs and flounced into the kitchen. She wore pink cowboy boots, and her long brown hair flapped behind her in two braids.
Jaxon whisked the girl into his arms. “Miss Benton is going to watch you tonight, and you’re lucky you ate your dinner because she brought cheesecake.”
“What’s cheesecake?” Audrey asked.
Kate opened the cupboard and took out a plate. “Most cheesecake is just a regular dessert. This cheesecake is what fairies serve when they have tea with royalty.”
Audrey slid from her father’s arms. “Then we’d better have it now, or Uncle Preston will eat it all when he comes home from his friend’s.”
Jaxon retrieved the cheesecake from the fridge. “Good point.”
While Jaxon dished out the dessert, he gave Kate instructions about Audrey’s bedtime routine. Then he gave her his phone number and pointed out a list of emergency numbers taped to the inside of a cabinet. “Call me if you need anything,” he said, “and feel free to make yourself at home.”
He kissed Audrey goodbye and headed to the door, calling another, “Thanks!” over his shoulder.
Audrey finished her cheesecake, proclaimed that fairies had better cherries than real people, and said, “Let’s play princess and evil queen.”
“All right.” Kate carried the dirty dishes to the sink. “What does the evil queen do to the princess?”
Audrey blinked her large blue eyes. “Depends. Sometimes she locks her in a tower, sometimes she gives her a poisoned apple, and sometimes she sends her into a deep, deep sleep.”
Kate drummed her fingers together and attempted an evil sounding cackle. “Very well, my dear. Would you like a lovely red apple? Or if there’s not an apple around, a lovely…” She opened one of the cupboards and scanned the food there. “Handful of fishy crackers?”
Audrey tilted her chin, making her braids swing. “I’m not the princess. You are.”
Kate straightened. “I’m the one who gets locked in a tower, poisoned, and put into a deep sleep? Is that how you treat all of your babysitters?”
“Yep,” Audrey said cheerfully.
“Ah, now I know who the emergency numbers are for.”
“Being an evil queen is better because they get to tell princesses what to do.”
The girl did have a point.
Despite Audrey’s villainous ambitions, she was only mildly bossy as she ordered Kate to turn thread into gold on an overturned wheelbarrow in the backyard. Everything went smoothly until an hour and a half later, when Audrey was getting ready for bed. Then she complained of a stomachache. This was most likely because when she changed into her pajamas, she insisted on spinning in circles to transform into a disguise. A good disguise evidently took so much twirling you fell onto the floor several times in the process.
Kate chose a book from Audrey’s shelf and pulled back the blanket on her bed. “Lay still while I read you a story. That will help settle your tummy.”
Audrey plopped down on the edge of her bed. “I still feel dizzy.”
Kate kneeled in front of her and put her hand on forehead. No fever. “If you don’t feel better after the story, I’ll call your daddy and ask what he—”
Without warning, Audrey leaned forward and threw up. Not a little. Her dinner, the cheesecake, and apparently everything she’d drunk that day spewed onto Kate’s shirt, jeans, and the bed. Kate stifled a gasp, took hold of Audrey, and rushed the girl to the bathroom in case more spewing was imminent.
Audrey sat on the tile floor, her arms wrapped around her knees, while Kate breathed through her mouth and used a washcloth to brush the bigger chunks of vomit from her shirt into the toilet. This didn’t make her much cleaner. Even parts of her hair were wet.
Audrey scooted away from the toilet. “I think my throw up is all done.”
“Good. I’m glad your tummy is feeling better.” Kate had to fight her own gag reflex. Characters who spun around to transform into disguises should definitely be banned from children’s shows.
Audrey frowned. “My mouth tastes gross. I’ve got gunk on my jammies.”
Kate washed off her hands and handed Audrey her toothbrush. “I’ll bring you clean pajamas.”
What she really wanted to do was peel off her own drenched clothes. The smell of vomit surrounded her, permeating everything. But she couldn’t very well drive to her house to get cleaned up with a nauseous child in tow.
As Kate changed Audrey’s bedding, she called Jaxon. He picked up after a couple of rings. “If you’re calling to check on me, I’m still not in prison.”
“Glad to hear that. I just wanted to tell you that Audrey threw up.”
“What? Is she okay?”
“Yes.” Kate laid a new blanket on the bed, careful not to let it brush against her soiled clothes. “She was spinning around. I think it was too much for her stomach.”
“I’ll come home.”
“You don’t need to. She’s fine, really.” Jaxon probably didn’t get many nights out. Kate hated to ruin this one. “I wouldn’t have even called, but vomit seems like it’s on the list of things babysitters should report.”
“Then I might stay a while longer.” He lowered his voice. “I don’t know. I hate to admit it, but Landon was right about this party. Not that I was ever here to say that.”
“Someone has to see that the groom stays out of police custody. That can be your wedding gift.”
Jaxon laughed. “I was planning on a toaster, but we’ll see.”
After Kate hung up, she put Audrey to bed again. This time, she placed a large bowl nearby in case nausea decided on an encore.
The little girl settled onto her pillow, all blue-eyed innocence. “Sorry for throwing up on you.” She scrunched her nose. “You smell really bad.”
“Yes, Evil Queen. You’ll have to add vomit showers to your ways of tormenting princesses.”
Audrey giggled, a sign she really was feeling better. “When I get dirty, Daddy makes me take a bath before I’m allowed to touch the furniture.” She nodded like it was a hardship she didn’t like enduring. “It’s the rules.”
Kate surveyed her wet clothes. This was beyond the scope of dabbing herself with a washcloth. “Maybe I should take a quick shower.”
Bisbee was a twenty-minute drive away from the Wyle Away, so even if Jaxon decided to come home, she had a while before he showed up. And he probably wouldn’t leave the party until later anyway. She could throw her clothes in the Wyles’ washing ma
chine and find something to wear until they were done.
“I’ll be fast.” Kate moved to the door. “If you need anything, yell really loud.”
“Daddy always lets me watch Happily Never After when I’m sick in bed.”
The show might not be the best influence, seeing as Audrey wanted to pursue a career as a villain, but at that point, Kate wasn’t going to argue. She accessed the program on her phone, gave it to Audrey, and headed to the bathroom.
Undressing and getting into someone else’s shower felt odd. Specifically a shower that Landon Wyle had probably used. He’d grown up in this house. This might have been his bathroom once.
She tried not to imagine him here taking a shower…water glistening on his broad shoulders… his head titled back, eyes shut. Honestly, what was wrong with her? There were a dozen reasons why things would never work out between her and Landon.
She turned the water hotter and hurriedly washed her hair. Who cared if Landon was gorgeous? And hardworking. And had a drawl that made you want to hang on his words. Right now, he was out with another woman. A woman who probably didn’t know he offered kissing therapy to his neighbors. He was clearly a player.
So it was a good thing Kate had learned what sort of guy Landon was early on.
She got out of the shower, wrapped a towel around her, and peeked into Audrey’s room. The phone lay on the little girl’s chest, the show still playing. Audrey’s eyes were shut. She was either asleep or close to it.
Kate carried her soiled clothes down the hallway to the laundry room. It was on the second floor, a convenience she appreciated right now, as she would have felt even more awkward walking around downstairs in front of the picture windows wearing only a towel.
After the washing machine was chugging along, she looked in the dryer for something to wear. The load was mostly shirts and boxers, which would have to do. She pulled out a light blue oxford and wondered who it belonged to. The color was the same shade as Landon’s eyes. He’d look good in it.
The Cowboy and the Girl Next Door: (A Clean, Enemies to Lovers Romance) Wyle Away Ranch Book 1 Page 9