“Mama!” Mia yelled over the top of the music on the radio.
Addy realized the truck was veering right toward a hay bale and quickly got it under control. She did her best to keep her eyes on the field in front of her, but every few minutes she stole a fast glance at Jesse. Why did he have to be so damned sexy?
When no more bales could be loaded onto the trailer, the kids hopped into the bed of the truck. Just as she started driving toward the barn, Jesse opened the passenger door and slid into the wide bench seat beside her. He twisted the cap off a bottle of water, handed it to her, and then did the same with a second one and turned it up for several long gulps.
“Thank you, but the hay haulers are supposed to be back there together.” She took a sip and set the bottle between her knees.
“I’m too old to sit back there,” Jesse said. “I don’t want those kids to hear me groaning after only two hours of hard work.”
“You are getting pretty damn old,” she said.
“Hey, now!” Jesse raised an eyebrow. “If I’m remembering right, you are four days older than I am.”
A strand of kinky brown hair had escaped her ponytail and was hanging in front of her oversized sunglasses. She tucked it behind her ear and kept her eyes on the rutted lane back to the barn. “You’ve been out on a twenty-year adventure filled with danger, and that makes you look”—she lowered her sunglasses and glanced at him—“about five years older than me.”
You are flirting. Her grandmother’s voice was loud and clear in her head.
Am not, she argued. I’m just being a friend to Jesse like I used to be.
“I missed you, Addy. Why didn’t we keep in touch?” he asked.
“You had your dreams to follow that involved getting away from this ranch,” she answered. “I had mine, and they went in separate directions. Our paths just separated, Jesse.”
“And yet, here we are right back where we started,” he said.
“Yep, hauling hay like we did when we were kids,” she agreed as she backed the trailer into the barn. “Guess it’s tougher than we thought to get away from our roots.”
“Ever wonder where we’d be if we had stayed in Honey Grove?” he asked.
Just every single day, she thought. “There’s no use in thinking about what happened in the past. Those days are gone.”
“What about the future?” he asked as he opened the truck door.
“No use in worrying about that either. We just have today, and right now the important thing is that we get this hay stacked so these boys can collect their paychecks and knock off work by noon,” she told him.
“I’d forgotten it was Saturday,” he said with a grin. “You going to the Wild Horse tonight?”
“Those days are in the past, too,” she told him.
“Still got your fake ID?” he asked.
“Of course I do.” She didn’t tell him that she had an old cigar box with everything they had ever shared through their eighteen years as best friends and neighbors.
“Me, too,” he said.
* * *
Mia had already formed a hay-tossing brigade and had several bales stacked when Jesse got out of the truck and back to the trailer. “We’ve got this if you want to go on to the house and visit with Poppa.”
“Reckon I’d best stick around and earn my keep.” Jesse stepped in front of the line and caught the next bale that she threw over the side of the trailer.
Mia shrugged and shot him a dirty look. “Suit yourself.”
“You got a problem with me, boss?” he asked.
She cut her eyes over to the other side of the barn where her mother was gathering up bottles of water for everyone. “Not if you stay away from my mama. I teased her about flirting with you, but she doesn’t need a boyfriend at her age.” She bent down and whispered for his ears only.
“I’ll be living right here on the ranch. How do you propose I stay away from your mother?” he asked.
“Find a way,” Mia whispered. Then she yelled: “You guys need to hustle. I’m not paying overtime, and you don’t get a check until these bales are stacked.”
“Tough boss, aren’t you?” Jesse asked.
“Tougher daughter,” she shot back at him.
Addy brought over the water and a stack of envelopes. “Looks like you guys are going to be done by noon for sure.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said the tall, lanky blond kid named Pete.
“What are you boys going to do tonight?” Jesse asked.
“We’re going to score some beer, take it to the creek, and build a bonfire,” he answered. “Hey, Mia, you want to go with us? I’ll pick you up at seven. You can bring a six-pack of your favorite beer.”
“Not tonight,” Mia said.
“Well, you know where we’ll be,” he said. “And Ricky will be there, if that changes your mind.”
“Ricky?” Jesse asked. “Boyfriend?”
“That would be none of your business,” Mia answered.
It didn’t take a brain surgeon to know that Mia wasn’t happy about Jesse being back on Sunflower Ranch. Maybe she was jealous of his relationship with Sonny and thought he was there to usurp whatever authority she thought she had. Or maybe she had felt the vibes between him and her mother, and she didn’t want to share Addy.
Jesse had just thrown the last bale onto the stack when he caught a movement in his peripheral vision. He whipped around to see Grady coming into the barn. The doctor was wearing light blue scrubs and white shoes and didn’t have a drop of sweat on him.
“Hey, I thought y’all shut down this business at noon on Saturday,” he yelled.
“We’re almost done.” Mia jumped down off the wagon and ran over to him. “I’d hug you, but I’m a mess, and I still have to sweep the trailer and truck.”
“I’ll take care of that,” Jesse offered.
Mia turned slightly and said, “It’s my job, so I’ll take care of it. You’re finished for the day, Jesse. Go on to the house.”
Jesse downed half a bottle of water. “Not me, boss. I’m going to help Henry fix a fence that’s down.” He brushed against Addy’s shoulder when he passed by her. “See you around. Is your best friend Grady coming for supper as well as Henry?”
“Nope. He has to be at the hospital on Saturday night, but he has Sunday dinner with us,” she answered as she handed the boys their checks.
“Afternoon, Grady.” Jesse nodded as he untied his shirt and slipped his arms into it on his way out of the barn.
“Jesse.” Grady nodded back. I’m her best friend, not Grady, Jesse thought.
But that was yesterday, the voice in his head reminded him. Jesse could feel Mia’s cold stare on his back all the way out to his truck. He’d love to know what he’d done to get under her skin so badly. She hadn’t been particularly warm that morning at breakfast, but at least she hadn’t sent him go-to-hell looks or practically told him to drop graveyard dead.
Tex came out of nowhere and jumped into the vehicle as soon as Jesse opened the door. The dog sat down in the passenger’s seat, barked once, and then stared out the front window as if telling Jesse to get on with the program.
“Well, at least you’re glad I’m home,” Jesse said as he got behind the wheel, rolled up the windows, and turned the A/C on high. “Grady is treating me like he’s afraid I’ll take Addy away from him. Mia is acting like I’m Lucifer come up from the pits of hell. And Addy…I don’t know if she’s got room for another guy friend in her life or not. And why is he here again on the same day anyway?”
Tex stuck his nose right against the vent and wagged his tail.
“Or maybe you just want some cool air and don’t give a damn who you ride with,” Jesse said. “You got any idea why Mia is acting so harsh?”
Tex licked him on the hand and whipped around to the side window to watch a rabbit bounding across the pasture.
“Maybe tomorrow I won’t let her be boss if she’s going to treat me like something she stepped in out in the past
ure,” Jesse chuckled. “Whatever her problem is, she can get over it, old boy”—he reached over and scratched the dog’s ears—“because I’m here to stay. I probably should never have left. Dad needs me now, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Tex barked once in agreement.
“I’ve had enough traveling in dry desert places and wondering if I would ever get home to see green grass again. I’m ready to settle down and maybe even give the folks some of those grandbabies they seem to want.” Jesse braked and parked in front of the tool shed.
Tex sat still when he opened the truck door.
“Are you planning on going with me to fix that fence or not?” Jesse asked.
He could have sworn that the dog nodded his head. “Well, then sit tight. I’ll be right back with what we need.”
He tossed the tools and supplies in the back of the truck, along with an extra set of gloves. The one thing he forgot was water, so he was almighty glad that the little chore only took an hour. The way the sun was beating down on him, he could feel dehydration setting in by the time he’d finished the job and got back to the barn.
Tex bounded out over the top of Jesse’s legs the second that the truck stopped, and the dog set up a howl as he chased a rabbit into a mesquite thicket not far from the barn. Jesse didn’t stop to watch the race but rather headed straight on into the tack room and went to the refrigerator for a bottle of water.
Mia came out of the tiny bathroom and propped her hands on her hips. “I’ll take care of this. You can call it a day.”
“I don’t need any help, Mia. I want to work the rest of the day in here. I need to reacquaint myself with where everything is. Tomorrow, I’m going to make sure my old four-wheeler and my dirt bike are completely in running order. I want to know if I’ve got all the tools I need or if I need to make a trip over to Bonham,” Jesse said.
“Don’t tell me what to do.” Her green eyes flashed anger.
“All right then, I’ll make a suggestion. You said that you needed to do some computer work in the office when we were eating breakfast. Maybe you could do that, and let me have some time out here,” Jesse said.
“I’m nineteen years old, and I’ve worked on this place more in the past few years than you have. Hell, I’ve worked on a ranch more than you have since you left this one.” Mia glared at him.
“Yes, you have, but I’ve got about twenty years of life experience that you don’t have, and I had eighteen years of ranch work under my belt before I left here, so you can shed your pissy attitude. It would break Mama and Daddy’s heart to know that the two of us couldn’t work together, so let’s start all over and try to get along.” Jesse pulled a wooden box out from under the worktable.
“Hmphh,” Mia all but snorted. “Don’t test me.”
“Same back at you.” Jesse started to reach out and brush a spider from her hair but kept his hands to himself.
She inhaled so deeply that she almost busted the buttons off her shirt, and then let it out in a whoosh. “I don’t like you.”
“That’s plain as a snout on a hog’s nose. I don’t have any idea why, but you can get over it,” he chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” she demanded.
“Your mother could get on a soap box pretty quick when she was your age. She had that same fire in her eyes, and the same attitude,” Jesse said.
“Don’t you bring Mama into this,” Mia said. “This is between us.”
“I think maybe you’ve got a burr under your saddle because of something else going on in your life. You blushed when Pete mentioned Ricky. Who are those boys anyway?” Jesse asked.
“That’s my business and not a bit of yours. I saw the way Mama was lookin’ at you. I know you were friends, but you left her behind, so leave her alone now. She and Grady are good friends. She doesn’t need another guy friend.” Mia glared at him.
“You don’t even know me. I’d hoped we could get along with each other. The folks have sung your praises every time I’ve talked to them. Why have you taken such a dislike to me when we’ve just met?” Jesse asked.
“Integrity,” Mia answered, then stomped across the room and slammed the door behind her.
* * *
Addy’s hair was still damp from her shower when she checked Sonny’s vital signs and wrote down her findings on his chart. With the new trial medicine, Grady insisted that Sonny’s blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature be recorded twice a day. Bless his heart, he’d stopped by that morning for a second time just to see if she was all right. He’d said he could feel the tension at the breakfast table, and he wanted to know if she needed to talk. She had assured him that she was fine, and he’d given her a friendly hug and gone on his way.
“I’m glad Jesse is home,” Sonny said. “I’d like for all three of my boys to come back to Honey Grove, but to have Jesse is special. He’ll always be our first.”
“Seems like just yesterday that we adopted him,” Pearl sighed.
“Hopefully, he’ll take some of the worry about this place off you,” Addy said as she put her stethoscope back into her little tote bag, “and I agree about time slipping by. Seems like only yesterday that Jesse and I graduated from high school, and he left to go to the Air Force. It’s like time stood still, and he’s only been gone a few hours.”
“That’s the way of it when really good friends get together again,” Sonny said. “Doesn’t matter if it’s two years or two months. True friendship don’t know time or distance.”
“I guess that’s right about me and Jesse. The heart doesn’t know about time and years, does it?” Addy agreed.
“No, it doesn’t,” Pearl said.
Mia came into the kitchen in a whirlwind. Her long, brown hair was twisted up on top of her head in a messy bun that was still a little damp from her shower. “What can I do to help?”
“Set the table and then get the butter and strawberry jam out of the fridge,” Pearl said. “Jesse is going to be starving. He took a biscuit with him this morning, and that’s all he’s had all day. He’s always loved hot rolls with my jam on them.”
“I suppose he’s going to want to go over the books, too?” Mia asked.
Addy could tell from her daughter’s tone that the idea wasn’t setting too well with her. “And why wouldn’t he? He needs to see what’s going on here on Sunflower.”
“Forget I said anything.” Mia took down five plates. “But don’t expect me to show him the ropes.”
“Six plates,” Sonny said. “Henry will be eating with us, too.”
“What’s got you all in a tizzy today?” Pearl asked.
“I’m fine,” Mia said.
“Missin’ your friends at school?” Sonny asked.
“Not one bit,” Mia answered. “We only need five plates. I’m going to go into town and grab a burger with some of the kids I haven’t seen yet this summer.”
Addy got her by the arm and marched her out of the kitchen, across the formal dining room and into the living room. “I don’t know what you’re angry about, but I won’t tolerate your attitude. Pearl and Sonny have been too damn good to you for you to blow off supper tonight.”
“I don’t like Jesse,” Mia said.
“That’s too bad, because as of this morning, he’s your boss. Sonny is turning over the whole operation to him in a few months. Henry is retiring, and Jesse will be the new overseer and foreman of this place. So suck it up, get your butt back in there, and put a smile on your face,” Addy said.
“You’re treating me like a child.”
“Act like an adult, and I will treat you like one.” Addy pointed toward the door.
Mia pasted a fake smile on her face. Addy followed her into the kitchen and took down another plate. “You can get the silverware and Jesse’s strawberry jam out of the fridge.”
“Did I hear my name?” Jesse’s silhouette blocked the light coming through the door into the kitchen. His dark hair had been combed back. He filled out a fresh pair of creased jeans just right, an
d he had polished his boots. His plaid, pearl snap shirt stretched across his broad chest like the thing had been tailored to fit him. Addy’s pulse jacked up a few notches, and her breath caught in her chest.
“Yes, son. Come on in here and get washed up. “I made that freezer strawberry jam just for you.” Pearl took a step to the side and hugged him. “I know how you like it on your hot rolls.”
“You’re going to spoil me, Mama, and I’ll love it.” Jesse kissed her on the top of her gray hair and then sniffed the air. “Is that one of your famous pot roasts I smell?”
Pearl grabbed two pot holders and took the roast from the oven. “Got to feed you good so you won’t get a wandering notion again.”
“Never happen, Mama.” Jesse grinned. “I’m right back where I should’ve been all along.”
Chapter Five
Jesse turned away from his mother to find three sets of eyes staring at him. His father looked downright happy. Addy had questions in hers, and Mia was shooting daggers at him.
Henry rapped on the back door and came into the kitchen without waiting for someone to invite him inside. “Smells good in here, and can you believe what the cats have drug in?” He crossed the room and wrapped Jesse up in his arms in a fierce bear hug. “Boy, I’m glad you finally came home. These old bones of mine are getting tired of long days of fencing and hay and pulling baby calves. They’re ready to go to the cool mountains of Colorado and fish all day.”
Jesse patted him on the back and took a step to the side. “It’s sure good to see you again, Henry! Dad told me that you’re retiring at the end of the year, but you sure you don’t want to stick around ’til spring? In the wintertime up in that part of the country, you’ll be more likely to catch forty winks than a fish anyway.”
Henry hung his cowboy hat on the rack beside the door. “It’s right good to see you, too, son. We’re all gettin’ older by the day on this place. I’ll miss all y’all, too, but my sister left me a cabin in the mountains, and it seems like an omen. Sonny tells me that you’ll be taking over before long. Soon as you’re ready, I’ll be willin’ to step down. Don’t want to rush you. You need to get comfortable with everything.” He headed for the table, where Sonny was sitting. “You just tell me when the time seems right to you, and I don’t care if I catch a fish or them forty winks, it’ll be good to rest my weary bones and not have to deal with teenage boys anymore.”
Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch Page 4
