Page 76 of A Cowboy's Trust
That seem to be how things continued over the next couple of days. Everyone at High Water took turns caring for Jeffrey while Melissa took off during the days, supposedly working on plans for her future. Then half the time she showed up and expected Tansy to feed her.
In the middle of the afternoon on Tansy’s day off, when she’d headed out with Rose and Fern for some springtime activity at Red Boot ranch, Jake offered to keep an eye on Jeffrey.
They’d spent the morning taking care of the animals in the shelter, and the instant they came into the house, Jeffrey crawled onto the couch and fell asleep.
Jake pulled out his journal, but his heart wasn’t in it. There was a real sense of something out of kilter. No matter how much he tried to balance his to-do lists, no matter how he tried to be spontaneous, nothing seemed to fix it.
The door opened, and Jake glanced up. He expected one of the girls, but it was Melissa.
She smiled as if pleased to discover him. “Just the man I hoped to see.”
She pulled out a chair, and Jake was suddenly reminded of Tansy’s warning that they should never be alone with Melissa. Unless he wanted to run screaming from the room, there seemed no way to stop it. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Do you have a date for heading out on your own? You need to start thinking about that.”
Melissa shook her head. “I’m trying, Jake. And I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’ve been there for me. You’ve been a lifesaver, just like I knew you would.” She laid a hand on his arm.
He pushed back from the table, freeing himself and folding his arms over his chest. “Glad we’ve been able to help, but there is a limit.”
“I suppose.” Melissa stared at him for a minute then over at where Jeffrey was sleeping on the couch. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to leave him here. He seems so comfy, I’d hate to wake him.”
Then she was gone, out the door, leaving confusion in her wake.
It felt as if the whole house was under some kind of a spell. Even as the spring weather warmed and the snow melted away, there was none of the happy optimism that usually accompanied the changing of the seasons. Jake felt tired to the soles of his feet.
Tansy seemed distracted as well. The impulsive, vibrant woman he couldn’t keep his eyes off had a dull fog over her bright veneer.
Enough already. When the final day of May arrived and they were all dragging their collective feet, Jake had enough.
Time for another moment of spontaneity.
He swooped into the house at four thirty, eyed the food on the counter, and calculated his chances of succeeding. “If I bring in a pinch-hitter, can I convince you to play hooky with me?”
Tansy turned from the counter, drying her hands on a towel. “Since the only people who expect me to feed them are somehow related to you or in your employ, I will abandon everything right now, pinch-hitter or no.”
Jake turned back toward the door. “Come in. She said yes.”
An instant later, Sydney was through the door and tossing her things over the arm of the couch. “Hey, chica. Unless you’re doing something veryooh, la la,I’m here to take over.”
Tansy snickered. “Perfect. I hope you brought your knife—there’s a ham to carve.”
“Delightful. It always makes Aiden slightly green when I sharpen my blades.” Sydney winked at Jake.
“Doesn’t do much for the rest of us guys either,” he admitted before turning to Tansy. “Don’t dress up. Jeans, runners, warm enough coat for outside.”
“Give me five minutes,” Tansy offered.
Which meant seven minutes later they were on the road.
Tansy leaned back in the middle seat and closed her eyes. “God, you don’t know how much I need this.”
“Even without a clue to what we’re doing?” Jake teased.
“I’m not in the house,” Tansy returned. She snorted. “Maybe it’s spring fever. I know that cabin fever is a real thing in the middle of winter, but is there something that makes your brain go into tangles in the spring?”
“I doubt it’s the time of year,” Jake offered quietly. “I think it’s Melissa. Having her and Jeffrey around… It’s messing with all of us.”
They sat in silence for a minute before Tansy nodded. “Yeah. It’s not getting any easier, that’s for sure.”
While he agreed, that’s not what tonight was about. “Time for a distraction. You’re not cooking, and we’re not in the house. And ifanyonetries to do anything stupid tonight, Sydney’s there to take care of them. Enough said?”
