Page 29 of Unforgettable Cowboy
Hayes let out a low whistle.“If he taught her, then yes, I imagine she can rope.But Pinto had some issues.”
“Her family’s a little messed up.”
Hayes waited for Bailey to close the gate and remount before gesturing toward the house, a half mile away.“There’s no smoke rolling out the windows.That’s a good sign.”
Bailey gave a small laugh.“Indeed.”
“I’ll have to check in before we go, you know.”They’d agreed to work a half day so that Hayes could go to town and return to the ranch before Estelle’s first shift was over.
They rode the rest of the way to the ranch in silence.Bailey did her best to stay in the here and now, to not fight a battle that had not yet occurred, but Hayes had touched on a point that she herself had brought up and dismissed several times over the past few days.
If Jenna didn’t move the mare after the rodeo, then Bailey had a problem.She couldn’t continue to count on the kindness of the Matthews family to hide Dakota Sunshine, and she couldn’t head out to her rodeos and gear shows when she was responsible for the mare.
Jenna will come through.
She hoped.
*
The house wasquiet when Hayes came into the mudroom.The battle of the bands was over, and he couldn’t help but wonder who’d finally tired of turning up their device to drown out the other.He wasn’t going to ask.
Estelle was at the sink, doing a final wipe.The enamel sparkled as did the window over the kitchen table.
“Hi.”He was half afraid to ask but dove in anyway.“How’d it go?”
“The morning went well.”Estelle spoke in a briskly neutral voice.She wrung out the sponge she’d just rinsed and placed in on the drainboard.“He’s asleep.”
That might explain the stillness in the house.
“Jess, the young man who’s coming to help, called and will be here a little early this evening.”
“All right.”
“And if you don’t need anything, I’m going to take a break in the sunshine.”
“You’ve been busy,” Hayes pointed out.
“It’s going to take a bit to put the house back in order, but so far, so good,” she allowed.
Hayes couldn’t remember it ever being “in order” to begin with, but that was life with three boys and a rancher.“I’m going to town, but I’ll be back before you leave.”
She gave a nod.“That will be fine.He seems to be able to get back and forth when he needs to.”
Hayes took that to mean that she hadn’t had to engage her knowledge of physics to get Wade in and out of his chair when he needed to take care of personal matters.
“I’ll eat in the sunshine while he’s asleep.”Estelle gathered her sweater and the insulated tote bag, which probably held her lunch, and then let herself out of the house.
Hayes got a quick drink of water and was about to follow her out of the house when Wade called in a low voice, “Is she gone?”
Hayes reversed course and walked into the living room where Wade was sitting upright in his recliner.
“She is.”Hayes narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.“Were you faking sleep?”
Wade’s jaw shifted sideways.“It was the only way I could get her to turn down her music.”As opposed to him turning down the TV.
“I’m buying you headphones today.”
“That would be nice,” he agreed.
