.
Apparently he still possessed his Noble charm, because Stefanie’s posture went from attack to wary and she returned a soft smile.
Tomorrow, right after the tour, Nick would help Piper move toa nice B and B. Or better yet, fill up her tank and send her back to her cream puffs and tiramisu.
Stefanie’s glare softened. “I’ve got to check on the heifers. Two are due to drop their calves soon. Thanks, Nick.”
Something warm and painfully familiar filled him, and he turned away from his sister before it swept over him. “Follow me,” he said to Piper.
She scanned the two of them before she nodded and climbed back into her vehicle.
He found the keys in the ignition of his father’s pickup and fired it up. Glancing once into the rearview mirror, he watched their new cookie follow in her chick Jeep. More importantly, he saw the look of tenderness that colored Stefanie’s face.
No, Stef, don’t look at me that way. It only made his chest hurt.
The bell above the door of Lolly’s Diner dinged as Maggy closed it behind her. Big John Kincaid sat at the counter, chatting with two locals. A couple of teenagers wearing Custer County letter jackets drank milk shakes at one of the end booths that lined the dining car, and a young mother fed French fries to her toddler at the other.
Apparently she’d hit the four o’clock siesta. “Hey, guys.”
John touched the brow of his hat, while his friends nodded. Lolly stood behind the long Formica counter, dressed in jeans and a Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt, her long blonde hair swept up into a messy bun. She’d never come to grips with the fact that her twenties had left her long ago. Then again, if Maggy had kept the figure Lolly still possessed, she might wear a tight T-shirt and low-cut jeans too.
Would Cole even notice? Sadness brushed through her at thethought, and she forced a smile. “I’d like to put up an ad if that’s okay.”
Maggy had made three ads for a hired man, who could live in their empty bunkhouse and help them run their cattle. She had already posted one at the Red Rooster grocery store and another at the Buffalo.
It felt like a surrender of sorts. A concession to the truth. She could still see Cole staring at her from his kingdom on the recliner, his eyes hard as she drove away.
“Sure, honey.” Lolly gestured with her coffeepot toward the town bulletin board. “Can I get you something?”
Maggy shook her head. She pinned the ad next to one advertising a litter of kittens.
“Looking for a hired man, huh?” Lolly had come up behind her.
Maggy stepped back, emotions knotting her voice. She managed a nod.
Lolly glanced her, her hazel eyes kind. “C’mon, coffee is free today.”
Maggy felt fatigue rush through her as her legs moved toward the counter without command. She slumped onto a stool and peeled off her gloves.
Lolly took down a cup from the shelf behind her. “Heard some wolves howling last night. John said he saw some on his property. Had to chase them off.” She glanced at Big John as if to confirm it.
Maggy cupped her hands around her mug as John grunted. She often wondered what Lolly and John saw in each other. Fifteen years seemed too long to wait for a commitment, but their daily banter might be enough for them. In fact, maybe Lolly and John talked more than Maggy and Cole did.
Was that what their marriage had been reduced to? Occasional grunts of conversation? She couldn’t remember the last time Cole had rolled over to her side of the bed and wrapped his arms around her.
His tenderness today had made her nearly weep with longing. If only he hadn’t been trying to sweet-talk her out of going back to the doctor. If only he could believe that she ached for his embrace, for his presence beside her to help battle away the cloud of fear that closed in more each day. But as always, doubt hung between them like a barbed fence. His fragile health only widened the space.
“Have you seen any sign of wolves, Maggy?” Lolly
Apparently he still possessed his Noble charm, because Stefanie’s posture went from attack to wary and she returned a soft smile.
Tomorrow, right after the tour, Nick would help Piper move toa nice B and B. Or better yet, fill up her tank and send her back to her cream puffs and tiramisu.
Stefanie’s glare softened. “I’ve got to check on the heifers. Two are due to drop their calves soon. Thanks, Nick.”
Something warm and painfully familiar filled him, and he turned away from his sister before it swept over him. “Follow me,” he said to Piper.
She scanned the two of them before she nodded and climbed back into her vehicle.
He found the keys in the ignition of his father’s pickup and fired it up. Glancing once into the rearview mirror, he watched their new cookie follow in her chick Jeep. More importantly, he saw the look of tenderness that colored Stefanie’s face.
No, Stef, don’t look at me that way. It only made his chest hurt.
The bell above the door of Lolly’s Diner dinged as Maggy closed it behind her. Big John Kincaid sat at the counter, chatting with two locals. A couple of teenagers wearing Custer County letter jackets drank milk shakes at one of the end booths that lined the dining car, and a young mother fed French fries to her toddler at the other.
Apparently she’d hit the four o’clock siesta. “Hey, guys.”
John touched the brow of his hat, while his friends nodded. Lolly stood behind the long Formica counter, dressed in jeans and a Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt, her long blonde hair swept up into a messy bun. She’d never come to grips with the fact that her twenties had left her long ago. Then again, if Maggy had kept the figure Lolly still possessed, she might wear a tight T-shirt and low-cut jeans too.
Would Cole even notice? Sadness brushed through her at thethought, and she forced a smile. “I’d like to put up an ad if that’s okay.”
Maggy had made three ads for a hired man, who could live in their empty bunkhouse and help them run their cattle. She had already posted one at the Red Rooster grocery store and another at the Buffalo.
It felt like a surrender of sorts. A concession to the truth. She could still see Cole staring at her from his kingdom on the recliner, his eyes hard as she drove away.
“Sure, honey.” Lolly gestured with her coffeepot toward the town bulletin board. “Can I get you something?”
Maggy shook her head. She pinned the ad next to one advertising a litter of kittens.
“Looking for a hired man, huh?” Lolly had come up behind her.
Maggy stepped back, emotions knotting her voice. She managed a nod.
Lolly glanced her, her hazel eyes kind. “C’mon, coffee is free today.”
Maggy felt fatigue rush through her as her legs moved toward the counter without command. She slumped onto a stool and peeled off her gloves.
Lolly took down a cup from the shelf behind her. “Heard some wolves howling last night. John said he saw some on his property. Had to chase them off.” She glanced at Big John as if to confirm it.
Maggy cupped her hands around her mug as John grunted. She often wondered what Lolly and John saw in each other. Fifteen years seemed too long to wait for a commitment, but their daily banter might be enough for them. In fact, maybe Lolly and John talked more than Maggy and Cole did.
Was that what their marriage had been reduced to? Occasional grunts of conversation? She couldn’t remember the last time Cole had rolled over to her side of the bed and wrapped his arms around her.
His tenderness today had made her nearly weep with longing. If only he hadn’t been trying to sweet-talk her out of going back to the doctor. If only he could believe that she ached for his embrace, for his presence beside her to help battle away the cloud of fear that closed in more each day. But as always, doubt hung between them like a barbed fence. His fragile health only widened the space.
“Have you seen any sign of wolves, Maggy?” Lolly
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