Page 69 of A Cowboy's Trust
“No. I’m going to reward myself.”
Which, in the end, was the same thing.
Tansy crawled out of bed the next morning slightly achy in all the right spots and slipped into the kitchen with more enthusiasm than she had imagined possible. Not having to cook for Jake’s ex three times a day was definitely a point on the plus side.
In fact, she didn’t see anything of Melissa for three days. Hopefulness rose that the woman was actually taking advantage of the gift she’d been given and trying to be as little trouble as possible.
In the meantime, Jeffrey showed up at the house on a regular basis in the company of one of the Skye brothers. By the third time he arrived, he and Tansy had fallen into a sweet rhythm. She couldn’t always stop what she was doing, but she had plenty of experience getting others, old and young, to help in the kitchen.
Helen wandered into the kitchen early on Friday morning. She glanced around before heading to the counter where Tansy was piling muffins on a tray. “Can I help?”
“Be my guest.” Tansy stepped away and switched to cracking eggs into a bowl.
Quiet settled for a couple of minutes then Helen cleared her throat. “I don’t want to make trouble for anyone, but something happened, and I think I need to tell you.”
Tansy paused and turned all her attention on the older woman. “You okay?”
“Yes, but my wallet is missing two twenties.” Helen said it softly then met Tansy’s gaze straight on. “I’m certain of it. But if May took the cash, I don’t want to make a fuss. She needs it more than me. I thought you should know, though.”
“I’m sorry, Helen. If you want to put anything away, we do have a safe.”
“It’s fine, really,” Helen insisted. “I’ll be gone next week to my daughter’s. I’ll keep things close until then.” She eyed Tansy hard. “And don’t you dare offer to give me money out of your own wallet, you hear?”
Tansy offered her a hug instead. “I’ll talk to the guys. How about we arrange for a drawer with a private lock for every one of our guests in the future?”
“Good idea. Now, we should get back to work or breakfast will be late.”
There was always something new to learn around High Water, Tansy decided as she scrubbed dishes after breakfast and got working on the food needed for the next day’s retreat.
The spring was slow for bookings for the retreat house side of things, but Tansy didn’t mind. Not with the added stress of having Melissa around. But tomorrow they would have the local Girl Scout and Brownie pack in for activities from nine to five, and she wanted to get as much ready ahead of time as possible so her Saturday wasn’t so rushed.
Around nine thirty, the door opened and Jake’s firm voice echoed in a happy greeting. “Hello to the house.”
Jeffrey came rushing in. “Tansy,” he called excitedly.
“Hold up, cowpoke. Shoes off at the door,” Jake reminded him.
Jeffrey dropped to the floor, ripped his shoes off his feet, and all but threw them toward the wall. Dumping his coat on top, he rushed to join Tansy. “We making cookies today?”
“Cookies and, even better, veggie trays.” Tansy announced it as if she’d just promised him endless candy.
The little guy looked at her with suspicion before shrugging and heading to the stepstool that had migrated into the kitchen. He dragged it to the counter and climbed on top, thumping his hands on the countertop.
“Melissa has a couple of interviews in Calgary,” Jake informed her. “I already lined up to help Declan this morning, but Aiden and I can take care of the Jeffster this afternoon in case Melissa isn’t back until late.”
Tansy offered a wooden spoon to Jeffrey which he excitedly banged on the outside of the enormous cookie dough bowl. “Not a problem. I’m headed to my sister’s tonight at four o’clock, though. I promised to take care of my nieces and nephew while Ivy and Walker go to some school event. I’ll have the meal for High Water ready in crockpots for everyone to serve themselves—chili, buns, salad.”
“Want some company babysitting?” Jake asked.
She waggled her brows at him. “You’re a sucker for punishment. Of course you can come. You’ll make Carter’s evening.”
“I have an ulterior motive,” he assured her solemnly. “For supper, you’re making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, yes?”
Tansy laughed. “It’s the number one request when I go over to babysit.” She glanced down at Jeffrey. “You know what, why don’t we bring him along? It’d be good for him to have playtime with other kids.”
Jake considered for a moment. “As long as you don’t think Ivy and Walker would mind. Melissa will be okay with it.”
Tansy worked hard to keep a smile on her face. It had only been three days, and she was already hyperaware that the amount of attention Melissa gave her son was nowhere near what Tansy considered sufficient.
