The Cowboy's Valentine

by Donna Alward

  Lacey got the message loud and clear. If Quinn had been feeling any attraction, he certainly didn’t want to act on it.

  She occasionally sent home dinner with him. Some sliced baked ham and scalloped potatoes, or a dish of chili, or a casserole of lasagna for him to share with Amber. Quinn always protested, and she always answered the same way: she wasn’t going to eat badly just because she was cooking for one. He might as well take the extra because she was going to cook it anyway.

  The fact that he reluctantly agreed told her that he was glad to have the help even if he wouldn’t admit it.

  One sunshine-y day she printed out a few ads and drove into Gibson, hoping to put them up at the supermarket and post office and anywhere else she might find a bulletin board. Truth was, her unemployment checks were covering her expenses so far, but her real problem was having too much time on her hands. She needed something to keep her busy or she was going to eat too many brownies and fancy breads and end up requiring a whole new wardrobe. Taking on odd accounting jobs wasn’t ideal but it was better than nothing. The businesses in Gibson were small, independently owned ones rather than big chains. Surely someone would be in need of some bookkeeping help.

  She pinned up her notice on the community board at the grocery store, the drugstore, at the post office and at the office that housed the Chamber of Commerce. Then she ventured across the street to the library in the hopes of posting one there, which she left with the librarian. At the diner, she grabbed some lunch at the counter and asked if she could leave one there. Before going home, she stopped at the town’s one and only department store, looking for some new dishcloths and some replacement pairs of panty hose just in case she got any more interview calls. She stopped in front of a Valentine’s Day display and smiled a little at the boxes of kids’ cards generally featuring characters from the latest animated movies or TV shows. She picked up one set that was from Amber’s favorite cartoon. Amber would probably have her first school party this year and give cards to all her classmates. On a whim, Lacey put the box in her basket and also snagged a few paper decorations and craft kits.

  She was just adding a small bag of foil-wrapped chocolate hearts when she ran into Kailey Brandt, wheeling a cart full of towels that were on sale, cleaning supplies and a box of file folders.

  “Lacey! Hey there.” Kailey stopped the cart and smiled at Lacey, though Lacey thought she could see some strain around the other woman’s eyes. “What brings you into town?”

  “Oh, this and that,” she replied, suddenly feeling rather awkward that she was still out of work.

  “Paper Valentines?” Kailey grinned. “Amber’s been around some, huh?”

  “Not much. But I saw them and I couldn’t resist. It’s been a long time since I handed out Valentine’s Day cards.”

  Kailey nodded. “If you were like the rest of us around here, you decorated shoeboxes for a mailbox and ate way too many heart-shaped cookies at the class party.”

  They both laughed a little. “Those were the days, right? Far less complicated.”

  “Tell me about it,” Kailey said, her shoulders slumping. “I’m trying to keep the tax stuff straight and I ran out of file folders. I swear to God, I can work with ornery horses all day long, but doing paperwork is like the seventh circle of hell.”

  Lacey’s ears definitely perked up at that, but it seemed presumptuous to offer her services during a friendly, neighborly exchange at the department store. She paused and then cautiously asked, “Have you considered outsourcing it?”

  Kailey nodded. “A few times. I only took over a few years ago after my mom got thrown and hit her head. She does okay most of the time, but she struggles with numbers now and deals with migraines a lot.”

  “I didn’t know. Your poor mom.”

  Kailey smiled. “She manages, and she just does other stuff. But she’s slowed down a lot and Dad doesn’t have the patience for accounting. That leaves me, unless I hire an accountant. The office in town is pretty expensive and I’d have to take the stuff there, you know? It’s more trouble than it’s worth, so I suffer. Usually not in silence.” She laughed at herself a little.

  It would be the perfect situation. “You know I’m an accountant, right?” she asked.

  “Yeah, but I figured you’d be looking for something full-time. We don’t have a huge operation, Lacey. It’s just a few hours here and there, with a little more at tax time.”

  Lacey shrugged. “So? If I can do a few hours for you, and find some other businesses with the same needs...it would at least get me out of the house and doing something other than going crazy.”

  “I can’t imagine wanting to do math rather than be in a barn,” Kailey said. “Let me talk it over with my dad. How much would you charge?”

  Lacey named her hourly rate—a little on the low side, taking into consideration that budgets were probably a little tight in a small ranching community.

  “You’re staying at the house? I’ll give you a call. Because honestly, you’d be doing me a huge favor if I didn’t have to worry about this stuff.”

  “Yep. If I don’t answer, just leave a message and I’ll get back to you.” For the first time in weeks she felt a sliver of hope. Even if she ended up getting a position somewhere on a more permanent basis, she could manage a single client after hours.

  At that moment Kailey’s cell phone rang and she frowned. “Weird. Hardly anyone ever calls me. Most of the time they text.” She dug around in her purse and found the phone. “It’s Carrie. I hope there’s nothing wrong.” She answered it at the same time as Lacey’s phone began to ring.

  A strange feeling crawled through Lacey’s stomach. She looked at her phone and saw Duke’s number on the display. She swallowed as she hit the accept button. She hoped it was nothing with the baby. That would be terrible for them and a little too close to home for her.

  “Duke? What’s wrong?”

  “Thank God I got you. Where are you?”

  “In town, shopping.”

  “Can you stop by the preschool and pick up Amber rather than her going to day care?”

  The crawly feeling intensified. “What’s happened? Is Quinn all right?”

  “He’ll be fine. There was a fire at his place, though. He tried to stop it while he was waiting for the fire department.”

  Gibson was so small that the department was volunteer-based. Response time could be slow...

  “Is he hurt? What about the house?” Dread spiraled through her. Please let him be okay, she thought. And poor Amber. She didn’t need any more upheaval, either...

  “The house will be fine, eventually. Quinn kept it confined to the kitchen area and the department got there in time to knock it down. It’ll need gutting, though. And Quinn...he got a few burns. He’s on his way to the hospital now.”

  She lowered her voice. “How bad, Duke?”

  “Not that bad,” he assured her. “But he needs proper treatment and the burns are going to be tender for a while.”

  She closed her eyes, thinking of Quinn in pain, picturing him trying to fight the fire all on his own. Stupid, brave man.

  “I’ll get Amber. Should I come to the hospital?”

  “No.” Duke’s voice was firm. “I don’t know how much she remembers from when Marie died, but there’s no need to freak her out. Just take her back to the house after school. I think she’s done at noon.”

  Lacey caught Kailey’s worried gaze and knew they were getting the same information.

  “Don’t worry about it, Duke. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Thanks. We’re going to head in to the hospital now.”

  “Then come to supper at the house. I’ll cook for everyone. Amber can help and it’ll be good to keep her busy. She likes helping in the kitchen.”

  “You’re a gem, Lace.”

  Gem
, huh? Truth was, she was more worried than she cared to admit about Quinn and she would benefit from being occupied. “Don’t worry about it. Just text me with updates, okay?”

  “Can do.”

  She hung up at the same time as Kailey and they looked at each other. Lacey wondered if her face looked as worried as Kailey’s.

  “You heard the news,” Kailey said quietly.

  “Yeah. Duke asked if I’d pick Amber up after school. I hope he’s right, that Quinn’s burns are minor.”

  “Me, too. Gosh, that family has been through enough.”

  Lacey remembered what it was like to lose a parent at a young age. And she remembered how frightening it was to think that something might happen to the one left behind. “This might be the perfect day for some Valentine’s Day planning,” Lacey said tightly.

  “I’ve got to head home for a bit, but I offered to help the guys with the chores tonight. That way Duke and Carrie can look after Quinn.”

  Lacey had nearly forgotten what it was like to live in a small town, but the current crisis reminded her. “Listen, I’m going to cook for everyone. You’re welcome to stay too, if you don’t have to rush back home.”

  “Thanks.” Kailey tucked her phone back in her purse. “I’ll play it by ear, see when things get finished.” She reached out and squeezed Lacey’s arm. “Give Amber my love, okay? She’s a sweetie.”

  “I will. See you back at the ranch.”

  Kailey rushed off to pay for her items and Lacey checked her watch. She still had some time before she needed to pick Amber up from school, so she added a few more craft supplies to the cart, and then threw in what she guessed to be the right size pajamas and set of yoga pants with a matching shirt, just in case Amber needed a change of clothes. Once she’d paid for those, she headed to the grocery store and picked up whatever was missing from the pantry for tonight’s supper. There would be at least five of them to eat, six if Kailey was there, so she picked up a large roast and an extra bag of carrots. Fresh green beans were on sale, and she bought whipping cream and a bag of apples. On the way out, she snagged a couple of bottles of red wine. Once her groceries were stowed in the trunk along with her other purchases, she found it was nearly dismissal time and made her way to the school.

  It worked out perfectly. She got there just ahead of the lunch bell. She explained the situation, and the young woman behind the desk said that Carrie had already called—she was on file as the emergency contact for Quinn. It wasn’t until Amber had been paged to come to the office that Lacey realized she had no idea what to say to the little girl. She didn’t want to be the one to tell her that there’d been a fire in her house. Quinn should be the one to do that. Amber was skipping down the hall towards the office. Lacey had to think of something fast.

  “Lacey!” Amber came right up and gave her a hug. “Just a minute. I need to see Miss J.”

  Politely Amber went to the young woman’s desk. “Hi, Miss J.”

  The secretary smiled at Amber. “Miss Duggan is here to take you home today, Amber.”

  “I’m not going to day care?”

  “Not today.”

  Amber looked over at Lacey. “But only Daddy or Carrie is supposed to pick me up from school.”

  Lacey went to a chair and sat down so she was more on Amber’s level. “Carrie already called the office and said it would be okay.”

  “What about Daddy?” Amber’s little face wrinkled with confusion. She was so delightfully innocent.

  “Well, your daddy had to go into town for a while. But I went shopping this morning and I have a surprise in the car for you. We’re going to spend the afternoon together.”

  “We are? Yay! I have to go to my classroom and get my stuff.”

  She turned around and gave Miss J a wave. “Bye, Miss J!”

  While Lacey waited, the secretary got a binder from behind the desk and put it up front for Lacey to sign. “It’s a sign-out log,” she said. “I hope Quinn’s all right.”

  “Duke said he’ll be fine. I’m not sure what to tell Amber, though, so I’m going to hold off for a bit. We’re going to make Valentines today and do some cooking.”

  Amber was back just as the lunch bell rang. “Okay Lacey, let’s go!” she declared, her curls bouncing.

  Once at home, Amber helped carry in the bags, chattering the whole time. “Did you bring my lunch?” she asked. “Daddy left it on the counter this morning. He said he’d go get it and bring it to me but he never did. He musta forgotted.”

  Lacey halted, her hand inside a grocery bag. Was that why Quinn had been home when the fire started? What might have happened if he hadn’t been there? What if they’d lost everything?

  “Lacey? You look funny.”

  She pasted on a smile. “Just thinking. I don’t have your lunch, so let’s make something. What’s your favorite?”

  “Grilled cheese!” Amber jumped up and down while Lacey wondered where she got all her energy. “With pickles!”

  “Grilled cheese it is.” She got Amber set up at the stove, standing on a step stool, armed with a spatula while the sandwiches fried, and Lacey put the groceries away, keeping a keen eye on her little chef. Amber did great, though, and Lacey cut up little dill pickles to go with their sandwiches and before long they were at the table munching. Once the mess was tidied, Lacey got out the Valentine’s Day supplies which sent Amber into fits of rapture. Lacey found a shoebox upstairs in a closet and together they cut a mail slot in the lid and covered it with aluminum foil to make it shiny. After that Amber decorated the outside with red and pink and white foam hearts and stickers that had messages like “Happy Valentine’s Day” and “Be Mine” on them. All in all, Amber was delighted with the result, but when it came to cleaning up the mess she lacked her usual enthusiasm.

  Once the table was cleared of the paper and foil scraps, Lacey put on a few cartoons and Amber went to chill on the sofa. Five minutes later she was asleep.

  Lacey checked her phone. Still no text from Duke.

  She worked around the kitchen as quietly as she could, searing the roast and then putting it in the oven, peeling carrots and stemming the beans. Both were in pots on the stove when she started peeling potatoes, and her phone buzzed on the counter.

  Her hands were damp so she dried them on a towel and reached for the phone. It was a text message, and her heart gave a little skip when she saw that it was from Quinn and not Duke.

  How’s Amber?

  She typed back quickly. Fine. Asleep on the sofa. Are you okay?

  Nothing serious. A few bandages. We should be out of here soon.

  She didn’t even get the reply typed when the next message came.

  What did you tell her?

  Lacey backspaced out what she’d been typing and simply responded, Nothing. Thought she needed to hear it from her daddy.

  A pause. Then another buzz.

  Thank you, Lace.

  Why a simple thank-you made her eyes sting she had no idea. You’re sure you’re okay? she asked.

  You worried about me? And then a winky face. Lacey frowned, feeling disturbingly transparent.

  Amber woke from her nap, and Lacey typed back quickly. Amber’s awake. Going to make dessert. Don’t be late for supper. Huh. He needed to know that nothing had changed where they were concerned. She wasn’t going to get all mushy and weird or let him off easily.

  Except she was. She just wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing it. Who knew what he’d do with that sort of information in his pocket?

  * * *

  LACEY HAD TEXTED CARRIE, requesting that Carrie let her know when they were about a half hour away. When the text came, Lacey and Amber were just taking the apple upside-down cake out of the oven. After that, Lacey turned on the vegetables while Amber set the table. By the time the entourag
e arrived, she’d put the roast to rest and was whisking red wine into the drippings in preparation for thickening it for gravy.

  “Daddy Daddy Daddy!” Before Lacey could intervene, Amber went rushing to the door. There was a beat of silence, then Amber’s shaky voice. “What happened to your hand, Daddy?”

  Duke and Carrie appeared in the kitchen, their faces tired and drawn. “I don’t envy him that conversation,” Carrie said quietly.

  She no sooner had it out of her mouth than Amber started crying. The pitiful sound filtered down the hall and into the kitchen where Lacey was stirring the gravy as if her life depended on it. Hearing Amber cry put a lump in her throat and tears in her eyes. Then the low tones of Quinn’s response hit her square in the gut. How many times had he broken bad news to his little girl? Amber would be fine. Everyone was okay. But Quinn...it weighed heavier on him. It had to. Sometimes being an adult really sucked.

  Duke disappeared down the hall and Carrie silently poured water into the dinner glasses. When Quinn and Amber came into the kitchen, he was holding her in his arms, his face tight as he tried to keep the bandaged parts from bumping anything. Amber’s face was buried in his shoulder and Lacey knew without asking that he was enduring the pain because what his kid needed most right now was a hug and reassurance.

  “Amber, honey,” she said quietly. “Your daddy’s probably really hungry. Do you want to help me put supper on?”

  Amber’s tear-streaked face peeked up at her. “My house got burned,” she said in a devastated voice. “And my daddy got hurt.”

  “I know, honey.” She reached out and put her hand along Amber’s back, feeling Amber’s pain, Quinn’s, and her own, because despite the difficult day and circumstances, it hurt to know she’d never have this life as her own. “But know what? Everyone is okay. Your daddy’s going to heal up just fine and we’re all going to work together to fix things up like new.”