by Vivian Arend
“Alex bought our drinks?” Hanna looked confused.
“It was in my Advent calendar dating gift chest,” Yvette said before turning to Brooke. “Can we please come up with some shorter code name for whatever this is I’m doing with Alex?”
“That begs the question. What are you doing with him?” Rose waggled her brows, and a snicker rose from the gathered group.
Yvette’s cheeks flushed. “No comment.”
Tansy grabbed a glass and poured it full of the sangria, settling on the couch. “Ignore the fact that Rose and Alex dated for a while. Because it’s totally ignorable.”
“We just went dancing a bunch of times. Really. There wasn’t anything more,” Rose insisted. “He’s a nice guy, but there were no sparks.”
“Do you even have a spark detector?” Tansy teased.
“Shut. Up,” Rose said, turning back to Yvette. “Just in case I didn’t make it clear, I think he’s a great guy, and I’m really happy that you two are a couple. He deserves somebody nice.”
Brooke had poured herself a glass of lemonade and settled on the couch beside Tansy. “Only in a small town would we need to have this kind of conversation.”
“Dating pools. So damn shallow,” Tansy complained.
The newcomer at the table for this girls’ night out glanced around the room as if putting names with faces. Sydney Jeremiah grabbed her wineglass and held it toward the lemonade. “I will take the alcohol-free choice, not because I’m breeding, but because I’m on shift early tomorrow. Dealing with sick people with cranky attitudes is something that’s much better while not hungover.”
“I’m glad you could join us,” Brooke said sincerely. “When Yvette suggested you, it made total sense.”
“Yes, because we need to keep replacing all the ladies who can’t join us because they’re up to their eyeballs in kids.”
“Hey. I’m still here,” Hanna said.
“So am I,” Madison added, although she didn’t move from the easy chair where she’d settled, hand resting on the swell of her belly.
Yvette eyed Brooke and then the others in attendance. “Oh, we know that the Heart Falls girls’ night out gatherings are always open to alumni. We’re pleased there are new distractions occupying their time. The revolving door means we all get plenty of time to visit when it works out.”
“Except I’m a lifetime attendee,” Tansy insisted. “I will be the last woman standing. Solo, that is.”
Hanna snickered, the sound somewhat out of place from the quiet woman’s typical response. She glanced at Sydney. “Tansy has not yet learned the rule that it’s dangerous to poke fate.”
“Hey, I have my own home, I have my own business, and I like to cook more than I like to eat out. One of my best friends is a mechanic. I have no need for a man.” Tansy wrinkled her nose. “Okay, except for one thing. But I can borrow guys for short periods of time for that when necessary.”
Her sister Rose gasped before smacking her lightly. “Tansy.”
“What?” Tansy pulled on a confused and innocent expression before rolling her eyes. “Not for sex. Jeez. I meant for dancing. You have such a dirty mind.”
The laughter continued as the girls all settled into positions around Tansy and Rose’s living space. The small apartment over Buns and Roses was snug and comfortable, and Yvette made herself let go at least temporarily of the discomfort she’d been carrying since her discovery of the ring that morning.
She still wasn’t sure what to do, but since there were still ten days to Christmas, it wasn’t a problem she needed solved right now.
When she caught Rose examining her, Yvette offered a wink. She’d known the dark-haired beauty had gone out with Alex before, and she’d always wondered what had happened. It was good to hear there were no lingering feelings. Yvette liked spending time with the ladies, including Rose. She didn’t want to give up any of her friends.
On her right, Sydney stretched her legs out. “This is cozy,” she said quietly to Yvette.
“They’re a good group. It’s always nice to have downtime with people who want the best for you.”
Sydney dipped her chin. “I need more of that in my life. Looking forward to a little less work and a little more enjoying time with friends.”
“You can afford to do that, even while starting up your own clinic?”
“It’ll take some schedule juggling and being firm with myself about not taking on too much. But, yes, I think it’s time.” Sydney examined Yvette. “Besides, the dating pool is shallow, so there’s no way I can actually get my feet wet if I spend all my time working.”
“True.” It seemed to Yvette that had to be the only reason Sydney wasn’t already all tied up by someone special. The woman was beautiful, smart, and cocky as hell. She oozed confidence. “So, looking for love?”
Sydney snickered. “Not so much looking as no longer avoiding. What I need is for someone to fall into my lap kind of like you and Alex. I can’t believe that the two of you have been officially going out for less than a month.”
Fourteen days. Yvette’s brain ping-ponged between how good the time with Alex had been and the discovery of that damn ring. “We annoyed each other for at least two years first.”
It seemed to be the safest thing to discuss.
There was no ring—push it away. Don’t think about it right now.
Fortunately, Sydney was contemplating her drink rather than watching Yvette fidget. “I mean it. The two of you fit together as if you’ve been dating for ages. And it’s not like those people who gush over how everything is always so wonderful between them and their partner. You guys are real. Like, there’s momentary tensions, but there’s also this neat connection. As if you could have a shouting match but still be solid at the end of it.”
Yvette stared dumbfounded for a minute before finding her voice. “Well, that’s a very nice compliment.”
“I don’t hand out bullshit,” Sydney said dryly. “Take it or leave it, that’s what I see.”
Their conversation was interrupted by Tansy clinking a fork on the edge of a pile of plates. She placed them onto the table then hurried back with an amazing-smelling chocolate cake.
“Food. Now I need to tell you what I wanted to tell you at the start.” She mock glared at Rose. “I’m pretty sure you’re the one who distracted me.
“I’m sure even if I weren’t, you’d find some way to blame me,” Rose said with the long-suffering ease of a sister.
“Anyway.” Tansy served up an enormous piece of cake to Yvette. “I was driving by the animal shelter, and there was this truck parked off to the side. The next thing I hear, Sonora has discovered three cows inside the arena.”
“Not your typical rescue animal,” Brooke offered sagely.
“One hundred percent true.” Tansy raised her glass in the air.
Yvette was confused. “So, who dropped them off?”
Tansy wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know.”
“But you saw someone parked there.”
“I did. A white truck.”
Brooke and Yvette exchanged exasperated glances before turning back to Tansy. “Really? You didn’t recognize the vehicle?”
“God, you guys, you’ve got the wrong woman. Yvette can tell who’s driving toward her by recognizing the shade and shape of their headlights. Brooke knows the rumble of everyone’s engine. Whereas Tansy recognizes her own vehicle by hitting the alarm on her key ring and following the sound.” Rose ducked away before Tansy could hit her. “The truth hurts, sis.”
“You’re no better,” Tansy retorted.
Rose straightened. “I drive a blue 2016 Hyundai.”
Tansy made a rude noise. “You memorized that right before coming in. What’s your license number?”
“Guys.” Yvette leaned back in her chair, laughing at them. “Back to the point—a white truck doesn’t narrow it down very much. Not in rural Alberta.”
Madison made a noise, and the entire room instantly pivoted their at
tention to her.
She glared at all of them. “Stop that.”
“Stop what?” Brooke asked cheerfully. “You need something, darlin’?”
“I hate you,” Madison grumbled before extending a hand. “Hoist me up. I need the bathroom, and this evil chair of Tansy’s is trying to swallow me whole.”
“It is rather soft and people-swallowing,” Tansy admitted. She and Brooke both helped Madison find her feet. “I’ll set up a different chair for once you’re back.”
Madison grinned. “Good. Make it one close to another plate of chocolate cake, and I’ll name the baby after you.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Tansy warned.
“It’s really good cake,” Madison said cheerfully. “I’m sure Ryan would understand.”
The rest of the evening was sweet and comfortable, and the time spent with her girlfriends filled a place inside Yvette that desperately needed it.
Holiday music played in the background, and every now and then, one or another of them would start singing along and then the group would join in, belting out the words together. Happy songs, sad ones.
Rose pulled Yvette to her feet when “Please Come Home for Christmas” came on. A deep, rumbling version that set the group laughing as Rose reached for the low notes instead of shifting to a higher key.
But it was the Carrie Underwood and John Legend version of “Hallelujah” that set Yvette’s heart whirling. So much meaning, so much fierce joy and yearning in the words. Especially when harmonized by the group of women surrounding her.
Let the lonely know their worth.
Yvette’s loneliness was fading. The friends in this room, the companionship of good co-workers.
Alex’s company.
She still might not know what to do about the ring she’d found, but there were other parts of knowing her worth that she needed to claim. She needed to find joy in the changes.
She fell asleep that night dreaming she sang with a choir of angels, a familiar male voice beside her, and no sorrow or unhappiness could possibly touch her.
The next day, Yvette was sitting in her truck, grabbing some lunch, as a text came in.
* * *
Alex: Morning, sweetheart
Yvette: Nearly afternoon. Had a busy day?
Alex: Out of cell phone range and headed there again. Wanted to know how your day was going.
* * *
She considered, focusing on the good bits she’d been dreaming about and not the fact she’d found a ring the previous day.
Ignoring that seemed the smartest thing for now.
* * *
Yvette: three emergencies at the clinic and a horse out at Greenfields. But all turned out well.
Alex: of course. They had you taking care of them.
* * *
He was too sweet. Yvette put through a call.
“Hey,” he answered with a smile in his voice. “I’ve got maybe five minutes before I lose reception. Tucker’s driving.”
“No problem. Just wanted to say thank you for the sangria. The girls appreciated it.”
“Glad it was good.” He lowered his voice. “I miss you.”
It had been only a couple days since they’d been together, but she had to admit the truth. “I miss you too.”
“Tell me something fun,” he ordered.
“There were rescue cows at Sonora’s. Someone else says they found three extra rabbits in their hutch this morning. And Meyer’s had extra chickens.”
“Huh.” He paused. “We had goats dumped on us at Silver Stone. I went looking. I think they’re Creighton’s animals.”
“That’s what I thought, too.”
“Yvette? Bad news. I went up to his place after we found the goats. Didn’t see Creighton, but Hunter passed away.”
“Oh.” Sadness hit, but she took a deep breath and pushed past it. “He wasn’t in any pain. I figured it would happen eventually. I hope Creighton’s all right.”
“Me too,” Alex said. “Hey, need to run, but if you want, I can take you up to Creighton’s tomorrow or the next day. Just to check things out. Let me know.”
“Okay. I’ll think about it.”
“Later, sweetheart.”
He was gone before she answered.
She leaned back and considered. The call with Alex? Totally sweet.
The situation with Creighton and the animals? Wildly curious. What was going on?
Minding her own business didn’t seem right. Not at all. Which meant the next chance she got to visit a certain elderly farmer, she was going to take it.
That chance came only a few hours later when she finished her workday early.
She hoped one cranky farmer was prepared to spill his secrets.
11
They hadn’t had any fresh snow in the past week, but the temperatures had stayed cold enough that the muddy ruts in the road up to Creighton’s had frozen rock solid. Yvette’s truck vibrated as she drove the worst washboard she’d experienced in a long time.
Still, her curiosity was high enough that something needed to be done. While Alex had offered to go with her, she didn’t want to wait. She figured she had the excuse of coming for an uninvited visit as Creighton’s veterinarian.
The fact that Hunter was gone made her sad, but the dog had been old. Maybe with a little extra TLC, he could’ve lived on until the spring, maybe through the summer. But there were no guarantees about that, and she definitely didn’t want Creighton thinking she was upset at him.
Ranching was full of choices, and sometimes what seemed wrong to a person made more sense after a little conversation. That talk time is what she wanted to offer the man.
She parked next to his old beater, curiosity making her steal a peek into the truck bed. Stray bits of straw were not so much of a clue as a simple fact of life in the country.
The farm dogs appeared briefly before returning to wherever they were hiding from the cold as she made her way to the little cabin. She knocked, then stuck her gloved hands under her armpits to keep warm.
Creighton pulled the door open all of an inch before glaring at her with one eye. “What?”
“Can I come in?”
“Why?”
Yvette raised a brow. “If you want to ask where, when, and who, just to make sure you’ve covered the entire W-five, let me in so you’re not heating the entire outdoors.”
He grumbled but stepped back. Yvette paused inside the door, closing it firmly behind her. She kept her booted feet on the welcome mat while he wandered to the side counter of the neat little kitchen area.
“Looks as if your foot is better.”
“Yeah.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his shoulders sagging like a deflating balloon. He turned, tilting his head toward the table. “You may as well sit a spell.”
Yvette used the bootjack, lining up her boots neatly beside the door before joining him at the table.
He put down a cup of tar-black coffee in a ceramic mug. Thankfully, the offering was followed by a bowl of sugar and rich farm cream—the kind thick enough to stand a spoon in. Yvette sat in the silence and served herself generously from both.
She took a cautious sip. Flavour burst over her tongue, and she gasped.
A very unexpected chuckle drifted across the table. She snapped her gaze up barely in time to catch his brief smile.
“I like simple things.” He picked up his own cup and eyed the surface as he gave it a swirl. “Never had much use for fancy doodads, and I raise what I eat. But damn if I didn’t go and ruin my taste buds once getting coffee good enough to make the angels sing. Only thing worse than no coffee is bad coffee.”
Yvette couldn’t stop making noises of approval—although, no way was she telling Tansy that Buns and Roses was no longer the coffee spot in town. “You want to teach me how you made this?”
“You don’t have family ’round here.” The statement rebounded fast and sharp, his gaze tightening as if she’d never asked him a q
uestion. As if the peaceful moment was erased.
Yvette would have been in her rights to tell him to mind his own business, but when he stretched out his legs and took another appreciative sip, she paused.
No reason to not answer. It wasn’t a secret. “My parents are in Regina. My siblings and their partners and kids as well. My grandparents are here in Heart Falls.”
He grunted. “Running wild for a bit before you go home to be with the rest of them?”
She snorted. “Hardly. Just because they live there, that’s no reason for me to as well. I like Heart Falls. I like the area and the people. My job.” Yvette arched one brow deliberately as she stared right back at him. “Sometimes I even like the people I visit.”
He drank deeper, eyeing her over the top of his mug, but didn’t say anything.
She didn’t try to fill the silence. Instead, she looked around the house and admired the workmanship. Admired the bits of nature scattered everywhere.
The room was quiet, but the silence didn’t feel oppressive. It felt as if there was someone else sitting there, speaking into the calmness. Yvette finished her coffee and settled the cup on the table.
All good things had to come to an end, and she figured the peace was one of them. She opened her mouth to ask him about Hunter. About the other animals.
Before she could say a thing, Creighton rose to his feet and gestured to the door. “You need to go,” he growled.
Of course, now he chose to get cranky again. “I wanted to talk first.”
“Not now.” His words rose in volume, and he shook his head. “I’m busy. Don’t you fuss.”
He left the room.
Marched right into his bedroom and shut the door, leaving her alone in his living room with the fire crackling in the stove and the clock on the wall ticking into the stillness.
Well, that was singularly unhelpful.
She was all the way back in Heart Falls before her phone rang. “Hey, you.”
Alex’s deep, husky tone streamed into her ear and stroked her libido. “Hey. I know this is last minute, but you want company tonight?”
