Page 53 of A Cowboy's Claim
Edison had made it to the ranch before her, and he stood beside Kevin, eyes sparkling as they chatted quietly. Kevin had his back to the barn, arms folded over his chest as his gaze stayed fixed on Edison’s face.
She wasn’t about to interrupt that conversation, although her curiosity was at an all-time high. They were a cute couple in some ways, but Edison was so bouncy compared to the far more stoic counselor of High Water.
“Sydney. Come give us a hand.” Tamara waved her over
Sydney joined the cluster of sisters by the firepit. She knew them all, but it was interesting to consider how the connections in the community twisted together.
Tamara was Sasha’s stepmom. Julia was Petra’s sister-in-law. The oldest sister, Karen, was married to a man Sydney had treated her first year in Heart Falls. And Lisa was married to the local veterinarian, a regular visitor to High Water. “Look at you having a family reunion. What can I help with?”
Lisa grinned, somehow balancing the baby on her hip in spite of her massive baby bump. “We’re working on our bingo card. We need a photographer.”
“Sure.” Sydney held out her hand for the phone then took a few steps back, following their instructions as she snapped a picture. Three of them held shovels with small chunks of charred log while Lisa dangled little Mason to the side and pointed at his belly. “No idea what you’re up to.”
“It’s for the ‘Make a pictorial representation of your name’ box.” Karen rested her hand on a smaller belly than Lisa’s. “That make more sense?”
Sydney considered for a moment then laughed. “The baby’s belly thing threw me for a minute, but that’s not what you’re pointing at. Coal-man?”
“Yes,” Lisa shot a fist into the air. “We rock.”
“Ha. That’s great.”
“Thanks for your help.” Tamara took the phone back from Sydney. She tilted her head toward the artists’ studio. “I saw you’d arrived. Come on up and let’s grab something to eat. We haven’t had a chance to visit for a while.”
In the end, Sydney landed in a chair beside Tamara, a plate balanced on her knee as they chatted easily.
“Jinx says that you’ve had a busy summer,” Tamara said.
It was hard to fight a grin. “Is that what she says?”
“When she’s around the family,” Tamara said earnestly. “When she’s chatting with Sasha? The story gets a little juicier.”
“Really?” Sydney didn’t think that Jinx was the type to share stories. Like the fact she’d caught Sydney and Declan fooling around.
Tamara’s lips twitched. “I didn’t mean to overhear the conversation, but sometimes teenagers forget adults exist.” Her expression softened. “I’ve been getting to know Petra, and I’ve known Tansy for what feels like forever. I’m probably guilty of thinking you and I are better friends than we are just because of how much they talk about you and how much they clearly love you. So, forgive me if I’m overstepping, but… What’s up between you and Declan?”
Dammit. If people in town thought they were an item, this was going to end poorly. Rumours could ruin everything.
The longer she was silent, trying to figure out what to say, the more Tamara’s expression fell.
“Sydney? Is something wrong?” The sincerity in the other woman’s voice just about broke the dam.
“It’s…complicated,” Sydney finally said, watching the ebb and flow of laughter and conversation all around them. “I think he’s a fine man.”
“But still complicated,” Tamara said thoughtfully. “Okay. I can understand that.” A small snort escaped her. “In case you never heard this particular bit of gossip, I came to Silver Stone as the nanny. Ended up marrying my boss.”
“Complications of a different sort, but yeah. I can see that would’ve taken some juggling.”
Tamara nodded. “Juggling. Mistakes. A whole lot of frustration. But I’m glad neither of us gave up.”
Sydney blinked.
“Because again—yes, I’m overstepping—but I’ve seen you two. Maybe it’s because I was a nurse, and I still have the tendency to be a little too snoopy, but there’s something between you. More than casual interest.”
Denying it seemed wrong. Admitting it, dangerous.
Sydney stayed silent.
Tamara glanced across to where her husband Caleb stood chatting with the Skye brothers. “I’ll drop the topic now, but say this first. I’ve got your back. You need anything, you ask. And if you don’t know what you need, we can talk about that. But for now we should grab a drink, and I want to go and annoy my husband for a while.”
