And maybe her mother had been the reason that Chris’s parents had promptly sent him away... A girl he used to date ended up pregnant, and they wanted to get him as far away from her as possible. While she knew that Chris wasn’t her father, had the possibility occurred to his parents? Frankly, it sounded like a whole lot of judgment and cowardice to her, and she could see why her mother had left town to raise her daughter. Winona had done just fine on her own away from the drama and she’d been a good mother—strong, resolute, devoted. Young and single didn’t add up to anything negative. She just got an earlier start than most, and considering that she’d passed away so young, maybe that was best. She’d been able to see her daughter grow into womanhood. Avery knew Winona had done an admirable job in raising her, and the thought of this town’s judgment about her mother, even after all these years, rankled her.
“This girl here—” Louis tapped the photo of the girls laughing together “—she’s now the principal of the high school.”
“Really?” Avery looked up. “And she was friends with my mom?”
“Good friends.” He nodded. “They had a falling out, though. I don’t know what happened exactly. You know how kids are in high school.”
“What’s her name?” Avery asked.
“Hillary Neufeld.” Louis said. “You said you wanted to know more about your mother, and the high school is a good place to start. You know your mom’s cheerleading days, I’m sure. There are pictures of her up in the hallway.”
Cheerleading?
“I actually didn’t know that...” How was it possible that her mom had lived this life and then never said a word about it? But talking with a woman who had known her mother might be a nice balance from what she’d heard from Louis. Louis was holding firm on the story that he and her mother had been nothing but friends. Perhaps Hillary would have a different perspective on Winona’s relationship with Louis.
“Thank you,” she said. “I think I will check it out.”
“Well...” Louis nodded and gave her a smile. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Hank is going into town today for some errands. He could probably give you a lift.”
“Do you think he’d mind?” she asked.
“Don’t see why. I’ll tell him to come find you. He normally heads out by ten.”
“Thanks.”
Louis left and Avery stood for several beats in the middle of the kitchen, her mind spinning. Her mother had a life filled with friends, boyfriends, cheerleading...and then ran away from it all so effectively that Avery had no idea about any of it. If she hadn’t seen the photo evidence, she’d never have believed it.
And yet Louis stayed adamant about his friend-zoned status with her mother. Why? Was it her? Or was he doing the exact same thing her mother had done, hanging on to a version of the past that he figured his youngest kids needed?
* * *
HANK PULLED HIS cell phone out of his shirt pocket and looked down at the text. It was from his boss.
Hank, I’m assuming you’re still going into town this morning. I told the cook you’d be leaving at about 10. Take her with you, if you could. Thanks.
The cook. Funny how Hank had stopped thinking of her as “the cook,” and she’d become something more. He didn’t like that... If Avery were just a little less interesting, less attractive...less her, he’d be able to see her as the employee she was and wouldn’t give her another thought between times. But as it was, he’d been beating himself up for last night’s familiarity. That was well past professional courtesy, and Mr. Harmon didn’t fool around with his rules. If one person could get away with breaking them—especially the ranch manager—then everyone gave it a try.
It had been dark, and holding her hand had been the easiest way to guide her down the road without twisting an ankle or getting sprayed by a skunk, but it hadn’t done a whole lot for keeping those boss-employee boundaries neatly drawn. He might have kissed her last night if he’d had less self-control. Standing there in the moonlight with her, those big green eyes fixed on him, had felt like the most natural thing in the world, but someone would have seen him, and he’d be fired as an example. Still...he found himself wondering what it might feel like to tug her closer, brush the hair away from her face and catch those soft, pink lips with his—
He pulled his mind away from the edge. This could ruin everything he’d worked for over the years. Mr. Harmon thought Hank was trustworthy, and once trust was lost...
But Mr. Harmon was more than a boss, too. When Vickie left Hank, Mr. Harmon had taken him aside and treated him more like a friend or a son, and helped him to move on. In return, when Mrs. Harmon died in the riding accident, Hank had been there for his boss. He knew heartbreak, and for some reason, Mr. Harmon had been able to accept Hank’s support easier than someone else’s. That kind of bond, forged in the trenches, as it were, mattered more than a simple boss-employee relationship, and to lose Mr. Harmon’s trust wasn’t even an option.
As he drove down the dirt road that led away from the barns and went toward the bunkhouse, he had to wonder what his boss thought of Avery. Hank’s interest should be obvious—she was gorgeous, and he was a red-blooded male. But Mr. Harmon couldn’t be falling for her, could he? At his age? Calling her “the cook” didn’t exactly undo the unusual request that Hank bring her along on his weekly trip to town. Mr. Harmon was taking an interest in Avery, too. But last night Avery had told him that she was here looking for her father...
Could Louis be the father she was hoping to get to know?
He pushed that suspicion back. Jumping to conclusions was never a good idea, especially when his boss’s reputation might be at stake. Hank was a loyal guy, and he owed his boss a whole lot. He hadn’t climbed to this position without learning some hard-won wisdom along the way, like never assume anything without some pretty solid proof.
Hank pulled up in front of the bunkhouse and he didn’t even have to turn off the motor because Avery was waiting by the door. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a white blouse. Her hair hung fiery and loose around her shoulders, and when she saw him, she shot him a smile. Smiles like that one made keeping those boundaries all the harder.
“Good morning,” she said as she hopped up into the cab next to him. She banged the door shut and reached for her seat belt. The scent of vanilla wafted through the cab. He put the truck into gear and headed back to the road.
“Thanks for bringing me along,” she said. “As long as I’m back by one, I’ll have enough time to cook dinner.”
“Meat loaf tonight?” he asked.
“In all its glory. This is one I know how to make.”
She had started to settle in, and it was good to see. As a manager, he’d done a good job getting her self-sufficient in her position. He hadn’t had to help her out in the kitchen for a full day now, and he wasn’t supposed to be wishing that she’d need more help from him...but he was—just a little bit.
“So where are you wanting to go in town?” he asked.
“The high school, actually,” she replied. “Mr. Harmon says that there are pictures of my mom from her cheerleading days on the walls, and the principal there was one of her friends.”
Small world. Actually, it was just a small town, but her mother had been friends with Hillary?
“Hillary Neufeld is my cousin,” he said.
“Seriously?” She shot him a look of surprise.
“Yeah. I can give you an introduction, if you want.”
“That would be great,” she said. “That’s lucky.”
“In a town this size, there are a lot of family connections,” he said with a short laugh. “The Grangers are a big ranching family out here. My dad didn’t inherit any land, though. Mr. Harmon is my ex-wife’s second cousin. That’s a fun one for you.”
“Wow...” She turned toward him. “So, when you got divorced, that did
n’t make things awkward for you at work?”
“Nah.” Should he talk about this? But he couldn’t help himself. She was easy to talk to, and somehow it felt good just to open up for a change. “I think Mr. Harmon felt a bit sorry for me. Vickie wasn’t a bad person, but we wanted really different things out of life. When I took the job on the Harmon ranch, she hated it, and I couldn’t do too much about that. I mean, I needed to support her, and I made more as ranch manager here than as a hand somewhere else. She liked the money, she just hated being stuck out here.”
“And Mr. Harmon could see that you’d done your best,” she concluded.
“Yeah, pretty much.” Blood was only so thick, and Vickie had embarrassed Mr. Harmon, too.
Hank drove past the main house and waved at Owen, who was working under the hood of his truck in the driveway. Owen was a good kid—a man, just about. There’d been a time when he would watch Hank working on the ranch vehicles, and now he was tinkering away on his own Ford. Hank was proud.
“So...you’d say that Mr. Harmon was fair,” she said.
“Definitely.” He braked at the main road that lead toward Hope and let another pickup pass before he made his turn.
“Is he the kind of man who lies?” she asked.
That was a strange question, especially about the boss. Mr. Harmon was moral to a fault.
“Where is this coming from? Louis Harmon is a straight shooter. If he’s told you something, you can trust it.”
Hank glanced over at her and she was looking out the window, her face turned from him.
“You said last night that you were hoping to meet your dad,” he said. “Is your question...connected?”
It seemed that Louis had known her mother years ago, but did he know who Avery’s father was, too? A lot happened in this town, and if a man was wise, he kept his mouth shut. Still, gossip was the fuel for Hope, Montana...
“It is...” She looked over at him, green eyes filled with misgiving. “Hank, this is really delicate. I...” She sighed. “Can I trust you to be discreet?”
Those eyes weren’t appealing to her boss, they were appealing to the man in him. And blast it, that was the part of him that always seemed to respond to her.
“Yeah, of course,” he replied.
“Louis Harmon is my father.” Her gaze flickered toward him, and she licked her lips, waiting.
It took a moment for those words to sink in, then he shot her an incredulous look. “What?”
“My mom never wanted to tell me who my father was. I asked over and over again, but she always said it didn’t matter. And I suppose it didn’t. He never contributed anything to my childhood. It was always just Mom and me. On her deathbed, I asked again, and this time she gave me a name—Louis Harmon.”
Hank let out a long breath. “Wait... So does he know about this?”
“I’m not entirely sure.” She leaned her head back against the headrest. “I haven’t told him, at least. I’m still trying to figure out if my mother told him at some point and he just wasn’t interested in the role.”
“If he thought you were his daughter—” Hank began.
“He might not want his younger kids to know,” she interrupted. “That’s why I wanted your opinion of how honest he is. But then again, this isn’t an ordinary situation, is it?”
“So why haven’t you said anything yet?” Hank asked. This seemed like the kind of thing that wouldn’t get easier the more time passed.
“I was going to,” she confessed. “But it’s harder than you think to announce something like that.”
“I could see that...” He took off his hat and dropped it into his lap, then ran a hand over his hair. “So you applied for this job—”
“To get to know my father,” she confirmed.
His gut had been right, he realized. She’d had some ulterior motives, just not the ones he’d imagined. This was a whole lot worse than a gold-digging beauty. This would be personal for Louis—really personal. And the twins...yeah, they wouldn’t take this easily, either.
“When Louis hired you, it was because we needed a cook,” he said. “This isn’t a game, you know.”
“And I haven’t treated it like one!” she countered. “Granted there was more to the story, but I offered to step down and you told me not to. Remember?”
Yeah, vaguely. They didn’t have anyone else applying right now anyway, but he couldn’t help but feel a little bit duped.
“You must have talked to Mr. Harmon some,” Hank said, trying to pull it all together in his head. “I mean, he did get me to drive you into town...”
“I’ve asked questions about my mom, that’s all.” She sighed. “He’s pointing me in the direction of the pastor at the church here in town.”
“Pastor Mayfield?” Hank knew him quite well. He was married with two daughters. A nice family. Pastor Mayfield was a good preacher, too. “So, he knew your mom back then?”
“He dated my mom, actually,” she replied. “And it seems to me that Louis is suggesting that Chris might be my father.”
Mr. Harmon obviously didn’t know what was coming at him right now, and he probably thought he was helping by giving Avery some clues into her mother’s past. But if his boss had been intimate with Avery’s mom, then he should be able to connect the dots himself...right? So knowing Mr. Harmon like he did—
“Is it possible that Chris is your dad?” Hank asked.
“My mom would know who my father was, don’t you think?” she asked drily. “She gave me his name. She wouldn’t have done that if it weren’t true. You didn’t know my mother.”
Hank shrugged. She was right—he hadn’t known her. But he did know Mr. Harmon, and he wasn’t the kind of man to send his daughter off on a wild-goose chase to save face. He’d do the right thing. So either Chris Mayfield was an actual contender in her paternity, or Louis had no idea he was her father.
“Well...” Hank said carefully. “I’ve known Mr. Harmon a long time, and we’ve been through a lot. He isn’t the kind of man who would lie about something like this. If he thought he was your father, he’d face it head-on. I can guarantee you that.”
“Okay.” She sucked in a breath and nodded. “Good to know.”
“Do you mind if I ask what your plan is?” he asked.
“I don’t really know...” She sighed. “But if you could, please keep this private for now.”
“For how long?” he asked. “Because I owe Louis a lot, and I’m not really comfortable keeping this kind of secret.”
“I can understand that,” she said, fixing her deep, soulful eyes on him. “But if you could just give me a few days. I don’t have much longer that I can even stay here in Hope, anyway. I have to get back to the flower shop. So let’s say three days.”
That wasn’t an outrageous request, and he wasn’t promising to keep his mouth shut for longer than that. Louis had always been straight with him, but this wasn’t Hank’s secret, either. He didn’t really belong in the middle of this mess.
“Okay,” he agreed. “Three days, but you’ve got to tell him the truth, Avery. He deserves to know.”
And what would happen then, he had no idea, but at least Louis would have the chance to deal with it directly. And Avery... He looked over and saw her chewing the side of her cheek. She’d be on her way anyway—out of town and back to Kansas.
It finally all made sense. That nagging in the back of his mind was stilled. For all those irritating suspicions, he wished he hadn’t been right after all, and that she was just a woman wanting to work as a cook on a ranch...nothing more complicated. Then the biggest problem he’d have was his attraction to her...because even knowing everything that he did right now, the way he felt about her hadn’t changed. And that was dangerous ground.
Chapter Seven
After
a trip to the ranch supply store, where Avery watched as Hank picked up some mousetraps, salt licks and several large bags of ear tags, Hank drove them over to the high school. It was a low brick building that was looking a little faded. The bike rack out front was full, and from some open windows, Avery could hear the drone of voices. School was still in session, even if the weather felt like full summer.
So this was her mother’s high school. It felt strange to be looking at the place where her mother had been pregnant with her. Winona had told Avery a little bit of the story—how she’d been about five months pregnant by graduation, and she’d tried to hide her baby bump under the grad gown. But everyone knew by then, anyway. Winona had graduated, and a week later, she moved to Kansas, where an aunt helped her to get ready for the birth of her baby.
Her classmates hadn’t been cruel, exactly. Winona said that she’d needed a fresh start—her reputation wasn’t going to improve any if she stayed in Hope. Avery wondered what it would be like to walk the hallways of this school five months pregnant. The whispers. The gossip. The curiosity over the father...
It had been a long time since Avery had been in a high school, herself, and the couple of kids she saw wandering out of the there looked so young. She’d felt so much older when she’d been a senior in high school, but she’d probably been just as fresh faced.
“So your mom was a cheerleader?” Hank said as they trotted up the front steps.
“Apparently,” she replied.
“What about you?” Hank asked. “Pompoms? Short little skirt?”
Avery laughed and shook her head. That couldn’t have been further from her own high school experience. “Debate club and school newspaper.”
Her mother had been quite judgmental about cheerleading and the jocks who played on the sports teams. Avery was starting to wonder what her mother had been through. Maybe those five months of pregnancy while she still attended school had been more traumatizing than she’d admitted to. Still, Avery hadn’t been the cheerleading type. She’d liked to read. And debate—she’d been rather skilled in that arena.
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