Page 21 of The Wife
Ellie
September (Or as I came to know it… The month Carol came to town and ruined everything.)
You knowhow stuff can just happen to you one day? You’re going along with your life, and everything is fine if not great, but you’re still moving. One foot in front of the other.
My scales were constantly set to five and five. Nothing was either good or bad, they just were.
Jake and I were mostly doing okay. There was tension yes, but there wasn’t anger. At least not on my part. I don’t think on his part either.
Then one day I was pulling the truck into the portico next to the house and I noticed a strange car in the driveway. I made my way into the house, but it was empty. Out to the barn, but it too was empty. That was strange. Not that it was empty. Jake could be off anywhere doing anything, but if someone had come for a visit where would they go?
I wandered out from the barn down to the pen, and that’s when I saw them. Jake and a woman were standing on the fence, and Jake was pointing out various different calves.
She was young, thin, and blonde. Super blonde. His preferred type. And she appeared to be laughing at everything Jake said.
Jake was not that funny.
I put away the feeling in my chest and did the grown-up thing. I headed out to meet them. When they saw me they both hopped down off the fence. She was wearing dark skintight jeans that wouldn’t last a day working a ranch, these adorable cowboy boots, and some cool light coat I would have no idea where to even think about buying.
I hated her immediately.
“Hey, Ellie, we were just talking about you.”
Were they?
“Ellie, this is Carol. She’s a travel vet staying with her family in town for a while. Carol, this is Ellie.”
“His wife.” Okay. I know I said that too loudly. Then I tried to cover it up with a stupid joke. “Yep, the old ball and chain.”
“Hi Ellie.” Carol stretched out her hand, and so I had to take it. Shake it. Let it go. “I didn’t think you guys werereallymarried.”
“We’re not,” I said quickly. Too quickly. “That’s just my little joke.”
“Yeah, it’s hysterical,” Jake said.
“I heard…” Carol said, “that Jake married you after your dad died to save you from having to go to a foster home.”
Yep. That was the story. Good old Jake.
“Which is very cool you would do that,” she told Jake. A soft smile playing around her lips.
Wow. This was happening. Actual flirting was happening in front of me.
“So what brings you out to Long Valley?” I asked.
Did you hear in town there was a married but not really married hot guy out here and decide to give it a shot?
I, of course, did not ask her that question.
“Oh, I was at the Simmons ranch down in Colorado and heard about what Jake was doing with his different breeding techniques. I knew I was going to be in town and I couldn’t help myself. I’m sort of a geek about that kind of stuff.”
I nodded. Don Simmons was rancher in Colorado that Jake emailed frequently as the two men were both enthusiasts when it came to cow breeding.
“Don gave me his information and I emailed Jake to see if it was okay that I stop by to check out his operation.”
“I told you about this,” Jake said to me.
He told me about this? He told me Carol, the hot vet, was coming to the ranch to flirt with my husband?
