Page 35 of Moonlight Over Montana

Susie looked down at her jeans. “Yeah, I need to change. There’s a good amount of droppings on my clothes. This afternoon, I’ll put these back on and finish my chores. Tomorrow, I’ll come down earlier, then shower and get ready for school.”

“Good idea. Now how about I go lay out a fresh pair of jeans and socks and you can pick your own shirt when you come up. It will save a minute or two.”

Before she knew what was happening, Susie threw her arms around Maggie and hugged her tight. “Thanks, Mom. I never thought you’d be this cool about everything.”

It had been a while since her daughter had hugged her with happiness. Maggie had chalked it up to the teen years, but maybe she had needed something more in her life than school, working in the diner, and her friends. When she got back to the ranch, she’d talk with Jed about a horse that would be suitable for barrel racing. It was time to give Susie a bit more leeway with her future, even if the idea of her within one hundred yards of a rodeo as a participant made her break out in a cold sweat. The last thing she needed was for Susie to accidently bump into Cash. He was charming and could sell a saddle to a woman who was allergic to horses.

“Put a wiggle on it and get back to the cabin just as soon as you’ve put your tools away. And I’ll have everything ready for you.”

“Thanks, Mom, and a double thanks for not being mad.”

Maggie cupped her daughter’s cheek and looked into her eyes. Her heart swelled with pride and love for the young woman standing in front of her. “Next time tell me what you’re doing. Don’t just disappear. I was scared half to death.”

A grin appeared on Susie’s face. “Momma, we’re living in the middle of a ranch. Where the heck could I go? Town’s a bazillion miles away and none of my friends are going to get up extra early just to pick me up for school.”

“I’ll remember that and next time I’ll check the barn and then jump to worry.”

Susie pointed to the barn door. “Put a wiggle on it, Momma; time’s a-wastin’ and you don’t want me to be late for school.”

With a laugh, Maggie left the barn and as promised would set out clean clothes and even have the bathroom ready for a quick shower. Susie was wearing the scent of Eu de Nahla.

After dropping Susie at school, Maggie swung by the diner—well, the big empty plot of land where the diner used to stand. She noticed a couple of guys walking around the site with Tasha Melnick. Hurrying from where she parked across the street, she zipped her jacket closed up to her neck. The air had quite a nip in it, and she wouldn’t be surprised if the first snow wasn’t right around the corner. What would that do to construction? A heavy storm could grind it to a standstill until spring and that would be devastating to her bottom line.

Tasha held up a hand and waved her over to a makeshift desk area. It was really two sawhorses and a piece of plywood, but as Maggie drew closer, she could see the pages were blueprints.

“Morning,” she said to no one in particular. She was surprised to see Jesse, the foreman for the ranch project, looking over the prints.

“Maggie, I’m glad you’re here.” Tasha waved her closer to the group. “I’d like to introduce you to Jesse Ryan. He’s agreed to oversee the project and today the crew is coming to set the forms for the foundation and the concrete company is coming tomorrow morning.”

Jesse grinned at her. “Hi, Maggie.”

“Hey, how can you be here and at the ranch?”

His grin broadened. “Annie wants your diner to get up and running as soon as possible so she insisted I work for you. I’ll oversee the ranch project, but I left Margo, who is amazing at finish work, in charge since we’re down to finish work.” If he noticed her lips thin, he was wise not to mention it. “The concrete will take a little longer to cure in this weather even with accelerators added, but I’m going to set up a temporary office out in back so the guys have a place to get warm and get supplies on order to keep the project moving along. I’ll also bring in temporary containers for storage. I can promise there won’t be any time wasted since we want to get the frame up and enclosed as quickly as possible. If we can beat the first big storm, the interior work will take the most time, but you should be able to reopen early spring.”

“Oh,” was all she could think to say. Logically, rebuilding took time, but she hadn’t ever really thought about how long it would take even if they projected completion date was May. Realizing the silence was cloaked around her, she looked up at the workers, Tasha, and Jesse. “What do you need from me to get things going?”

Tasha smiled. “That’s the easy part. You step back and let these folks get to work.”

Nodding, she said, “What time are you going to get started in the morning?” Her mind was already turning with how to get hot coffee and snacks for them to eat. After all, the one thing she could do was keep them supplied with muffins, cookies, and plenty of coffee.

“We’ll start at seven and quit around three, depending on what we’re working on. But feel free to stop by anytime. Just check in with me.”

Maggie frowned. She couldn’t believe she’d have to get permission to be at her own building.

“It’s for safety reasons only, Maggie. I’m going to assume you’ve never been on an active construction site, and if you’re not familiar with what’s going on, it can be dangerous.”

Glancing at Tasha, who was nodding in agreement, she said, “How about I text you when I’m headed over and we’ll plan to meet at the trailer?”

“Sounds like a plan. Now, if you ladies don’t mind, I’m going to get this crew rolling.” He walked away and a sharp whistle broke the air. Maggie guessed that was his way of getting things rolling. She focused her attention on Tasha.

“I can’t thank you enough for working so fast on my project.”

Tasha withdrew a pair of wool gloves from her jacket and pulled them on. “I love doing this kind of stuff and to be honest, I hate that this happened to you. Women business owners need to stick together and help each other when we can.” Her smile widened. “Besides, I happen to love your waffles.”

“You’ve been to the diner?”

“Every time I go out to the ranch, I’ve stopped in and tried several items, but your waffles are just like my nana’s.”

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