Gabe ran his hands over his face. “We haven’t told the kids yet, but she’s pregnant.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” He gave Jace a tired smile. “It was a complete surprise. Let’s just say I must be more man than most because the procedure Doc Taggart did a couple of years ago reversed itself.”
Jace laughed. “I’m impressed.”
“I’m depressed.” Gabe chuckled. “I can’t believe I have to go through it again.”
“The procedure or a new baby?”
“Both.” He groaned and shoved his hands in his pockets. “MaryEllen gets so sick she sometimes has to be hospitalized. And then there will be the all-nighters with a fussy baby for at least the first year. It’s why we only have two kids and decided not to have anymore.”
The boys were starting to chase each other around again, and this time Shane was participating. Jace figured they were only good for twenty to thirty minutes solid practice anyway and running around helped get out all their wiggles.
“Well, if coaching is too much, don’t worry about it.”
Gabe slanted him a glance. “Pregnant women are also very hormonal. I’m not my wife’s favorite person right now so coming here with Shane is good.”
“Great.” He picked up a baseball bat. “Let’s give them all a chance to hit, and Shane can start out pitching. Kyden isn’t here yet.”
Not only were the two boys best friends, they were also great pitchers and took turns starting out. As Gabe gathered the boys around and separated them into two teams, Jace felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. It was a text from Victoria, and she needed him to call her back about Kyden.
“Gabe, can you go ahead and work with them?” Jace held out his phone. “Victoria needs me to call her about Kyden.”
A sly grin tipped one side of Gabe’s mouth. “When are you going to ask that woman out? It’s obvious to everyone but you how into you she is.”
Jace didn’t tell him he’d already asked Victoria out. He still wasn’t sure if he was going to go through with it. “I’ll let you know,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound guilty.
He called Victoria and she answered on the first ring. “Jace, I’m so glad you called. Today has been so stressful.” Her voice was soft and he detected a neediness that made him feel uncomfortable. She was looking for more from him than just her son’s coach.
Aware of what Gabe was thinking, Jace didn’t ask her why her day was stressful. He felt like a jerk, but he wanted things to go back to the way they were before he’d impulsively asked her out.
“I just got the text. What’s up with Kyden?”
A few seconds of silence seemed to buzz louder than the rowdy kids cheering for Gabe to hit the ball high and inside for an easy infield catch.
Finally, she cleared her throat. “I, um, just wanted to let you know he has strep throat, and won’t be to practice today. Depending on how he feels he may have to miss Saturday’s game.”
Her voice was clipped and he knew he’d hurt her feelings. “Oh, man. I’m sorry. Tell the little guy we’ll miss him.”
“I will.” She cleared her throat again. “About our date on Saturday.”
Jace’s gut twisted with the reminder. He gripped his phone tight and debated about what to say. Victoria beat him to it. “I’m afraid I’ll have to cancel. Even though Kyden will be on antibiotics and Dr. Taggart says he won’t be contagious, I doubt MaryEllen will want him sleeping over. I don’t feel comfortable getting him a sitter, either. He’s sort of a mama’s boy when he’s sick.”
Those words right there were really the reason Jace had been attracted to Victoria in the first place. She was beautiful. Any man could see that. But what drew him to her was her sweet nature and devotion to her son, not her beauty.
“He’s got a great mother.”
“Thank you.”
He knew it wasn’t fair to keep Victoria on the hook, especially when he knew how she felt about him. He liked her, and still wanted to be her friend, but he knew there couldn’t be anything more. It was time to man up and talk to her about their relationship. He needed to level with her about his feelings so she could move on and find someone else.
“Look, why don’t I stop by after the game on Saturday. I’ll give Kyden an update about how it went and bring him some ice cream.”
“I’d like—I mean, Kyden would like that.”
“Okay. I’ll see you after the game.”
“Jace?”
He tensed up again, afraid of what she was going to say.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For being Kyden’s coach…and for being my friend.”
He rubbed a hand over his churning stomach. All he could say was, “You’re welcome.”
Practice went by fast. At the end, Jace told the kids about Kyden’s illness and Gabe had to deal with a disappointed son about the canceled sleep over.
“Okay, so remember no practice tomorrow,” Jace said, handing out the fruit snacks and juice boxes one of boys had brought for treats. “You guys are doing awesome and you can have a day of rest, especially since our game is scheduled for early morning.”
The kids all dispersed to their waiting parents. Gabe was the last to leave. “I’ll see you Saturday morning.”
Jace grinned. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate your help.”
“No problem.” Gabe lowered his voice. “It’s nice of you to stop by to check on Kyden. I’m sure his mother appreciates it.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m a great coach.”
Gabe snorted. “I’m sure that’s just what Victoria thinks.”
“Go home to your wife.”
A look of unease changed Gabe’s countenance before he covered it with another grin. “There’s no place like home.”
The words were said with humor, but Jace detected an underlying note of sadness. He needed to be a better friend to Gabe. Maybe the guy needed to talk. Jace didn’t have much experience with pregnant women. Not unless you counted all the mares at the ranch who were ready to drop a foal any day. Now that he thought about it, they were all pretty cranky. Not that he blamed them.
“Later,” Gabe said, walking away with his arm around his son’s shoulders.
As soon as everyone was gone, Jace slung the equipment bag over his shoulder and made his way to his truck. He was tired, hungry and eager to get home. He tried telling himself he was eager to go home because he was tired and hungry. The truth was he wanted to see Caytie.
Listening to Kellen talk about her all day today, and hearing Ian’s enthusiastic desire to meet Caytie had made Jace decide he needed to try to be a little more charming around her. At least he was man enough to admit that he was attracted to her, and that the attraction scared him.
He rolled his shoulders back, and tried to relax. Just because he’d met a girl who stole his breath with just one smile, didn’t mean she was the one he was supposed to settle down with. They were totally wrong for each other.
Jace doubted a girl like her would be satisfied living in a small Montana town after growing up in California. She already voiced how much she missed shopping. She also asked Ilene to teach her how to cook, and admitted she’d never baked anything aside from her cooking class in junior high. And after her unpleasant run in with ranch life, he could only guess how fast she would leave as soon as she had the opportunity.
By the time he rolled his truck to a stop behind the garage, he’d resolved to lighten up around Caytie. He needed to try to have some fun with her instead of acting like he really did need to add more fiber to his diet.
Chapter 10
“I’m not gonna do it, Grandma.” Kellen folded his arms across his chest and scowled. “Don’t keep bugging’ me about it.”
Hiding her smile, Caytie played a game on her phone, and did her best not to take sides in the argument between Kellen and Ilene. Her uncle and Ian were out doing the evening chores, whatever that meant, and Kellen had been happy to stay behind with Caytie. Until his gr
andma asked him to put himself on the auction block. Literally.
Ten minutes ago Ilene excitedly told Kellen about the change of plans for the fundraiser they were putting together to raise money for new playground equipment at the city park. In addition to the bake sale and barbeque dinner, the ladies had decided to have a bachelor auction at the upcoming Founder’s Day celebration.
Caytie actually thought it was a great idea, considering how cute the men around here seemed to be. She might even plan to participate, what with her shopping withdrawals and all.
“I’ll bet Jace is willing to do it,” Ilene said, clearly not ready to back down.
“Good for him.”
“I don’t understand why you won’t do it,” Ilene placated.
Kellen snorted. “I think it’s pretty obvious.” He gestured toward the empty lower part of his left leg. “Jace’s a whole man. I’m not.”
“Kellen Robert Thomas,” Ilene snapped, making both Caytie and Kellen pay attention. “Your injury does not define who you are.”
He grabbed his crutches and stood up. “Yeah, I know. That’s what everyone keeps telling me.” He angrily moved across the floor on his crutches. “Sorry, but it’s all a load of crap, and I’m sick of hearing it.”
Caytie saw the pain written on Ilene’s face as she watched her grandson storm away. She stood up, not sure if she should follow Kellen or hug Ilene.
Jace suddenly appeared in the doorway. The baseball cap he wore didn’t hide the concern etched on his face. “What’s going on?”
Ilene twisted the corner of her apron in her hands. “I think I pushed him too hard.” She visibly paled when Kellen slammed a door shut.
“Want me to go talk to him?” Jace asked.
“No, honey.” Ilene looked toward the kitchen. “I better go do it. I need to apologize.”
Ilene glanced over at Caytie. “I’m sorry you had to see that. Kellen has always been such a sweet boy.”
“He’s hurting.” Caytie offered her a smile. “For the record, I’d bid on Kellen.”
Jace’s eyebrows shot up. “Pardon me?”
Ilene laughed. “I’ll let Caytie explain. She can tell you all about it while you eat dinner. Your plate is in the fridge.” She moved across the floor and said, “By the way, Jace, I’m counting on your help with the ladies auxiliary fundraiser at Founder’s Day next week.”
“I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
“That’s the spirit,” Ilene said. “With your good looks, you’ll bring in a lot of money.”
“What?” Jace asked.
Ilene kept her back to them and waved her hand. “Ask Caytie.”
She disappeared through the door, leaving Caytie and Jace alone. He looked at her expectantly. “Well?”
She sized him up, not sure if she liked him better in a cowboy hat or a baseball hat. “Remember, don’t shoot the messenger.”
“Geez, am I gonna be as ticked as Kellen?” He took off his ball cap and ran a hand through his hair.
Probably. “That all depends on how you feel about auctions.”
His chocolate colored eyes looked confused. “As long as no one is trying to sell my favorite horse, I like them fine.”
“Great,” she said, passing by him on her way toward the kitchen. “Your horse isn’t going to be auctioned off. You are.”
Caytie stifled a laugh at the irritated growl he made, and was glad she couldn’t hear what he muttered under his breath.
When he followed her into the kitchen and asked for details, Caytie couldn’t help wondering what the going rate was for a sexy cowboy who coached little league baseball and had a surly edge to him.
“Don’t look so disgruntled. It’s for a good cause.”
“Whatever.” Jace grabbed his plate out of the fridge and stuck it in the microwave. After punching in some numbers, he turned around and leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t understand why it has to be a bachelor auction. Why not a bachelorette auction?”
Caytie laughed, and grabbed an apple from the table. “Because men don’t like shopping or spending money. It wouldn’t be a very successful auction.”
“You obviously haven’t been to a livestock auction before. I’ve spent thousands of dollars bidding on a pretty filly.”
“I sure hope you’re talking about a horse and not a girl.” She bit into her apple and took a seat at the table.
Jace grinned and turned around to get his food out of the microwave. He brought his plate to the table and sat down across from her. “So if the roles were reversed would you volunteer yourself to be auctioned off?”
“Sure.” She was tempted to ask Jace if he’d bid on her, but decided she didn’t want to know the answer to that question.
The back door opened and she heard Ian and Uncle George come in. “I’m sure Ian is willing to volunteer to be one of the bachelors,” Caytie said more as a challenge. During dinner she caught on that Ian and Jace were both highly competitive with each other.
Jace’s gaze narrowed. “Ian has a girlfriend.”
Really? The guy hadn’t once mentioned a girlfriend, and he’d flirted with Caytie throughout the meal.
“Are they engaged?” she asked, taking another bite of her apple.
“No.”
“Well, then he’d probably bring in a lot of money with all the other women bidding against his girlfriend.”
She could tell Jace was bugged. She wondered if it was due to the ongoing competition between the two men or if he was just a tiny bit jealous.
Uncle George and Ian entered the kitchen, and Caytie immediately knew something was wrong by the concerned look on her uncle’s face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, hoping her father hadn’t tracked her down.
“I’m sorry, honey,” Uncle George said, “but Betty somehow got loose and ate everything on the clothesline.”
Caytie stared at the scrap of denim material her uncle held up, and wanted to cry. She’d completely forgotten to bring in her clothes off the line.
“The goat ate all of my jeans?”
Jace made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. She glanced at him but he had his head down, shoveling in mashed potatoes.
“Technically, no,” Ian said, “but she thoroughly shredded them.”
“I’ll buy you some new ones,” Uncle George said.
While her uncle had more than enough money, she doubted he’d be willing to drop a thousand dollars for three pairs of jeans. “You don’t have to do that. It’s my fault for leaving them outside.”
“No, honey. I’ll replace them. I heard you tell Ilene you only brought a limited number of clothes with you. Maybe the two of you can drive to the mall in Billings this weekend.”
Actually, Caytie still had one pair of jeans she could still wear, although they weren’t her favorite. She also had several skirts, shorts and capris, along with two dozen shirts left in her wardrobe. Still, she was dying to go shopping, even if she could only afford to buy one pair.
“I’ll talk to Ilene to see is she has time, if not I can drive by myself.”
“Hey,” Ian said, coming to sit beside her. “I’ve needed to make a trip to Billings to pick up some medical supplies. Just name the day you want to go and I can take you.”
Jace’s head snapped up, and he stared at Caytie, as if waiting for her answer. Sure Ian was cute, but she didn’t want to lead him on. Plus, didn’t he already have a girlfriend?
She pulled her eyes away from Jace and smiled at Ian. “That’s really sweet of you. I’ll talk to Ilene first and then let you know.”
“Ian,” Jace said, his voice sounding slightly irritated. “You might want to see if Karlie wants to go too.” He scooted his chair back. “Girls typically like shopping more than men.”
A grin crossed Ian’s face as he watched Jace grab his plate off the table and take it to the sink. “Good idea, Jace.”
Caytie was just about to ask who Karlie was—a
lthough she guessed it had to be Ian’s girlfriend—when one of the ranch hands came rushing into the kitchen.
“Casey just called and he spotted the cougar up by the north pasture.” He glanced at Ian. “She injured one of the horses, Doc, so we’re gonna need you too.”
George, Jace and Ian simultaneously made a beeline for the backdoor. Caytie heard her uncle order Jace to get a shotgun just as they exited the back door. While she might be bored out of her mind, she realized that running a ranch was anything but boring.
Caytie stood up and walked to the backdoor in time to see the taillights of Jace’s truck disappear. Part of her wished she could’ve gone with them. Not to shoot a cougar, but to make her feel like she belonged. If she planned on living here for the next couple of months, she needed to figure out a way to contribute so she didn’t feel so useless.
So far any efforts she’d made to learn to cook or bake hadn’t turned out so well. At least shopping for a new pair of jeans would allow her to observe the native Montana shoppers. People watching was a great way to glean inspiration for new designs.
Thinking about the lifestyle on the ranch sparked a few ideas, and Caytie retired to her room and pulled out her sketchpad. She visualized the finished handbag in her head and started drawing. Her father said she was wasting her time with her sketches, claiming she didn’t have what it took to be successful, and he wouldn’t be investing any of his hard earned money into something doomed to fail.
More than anything, Caytie wanted to prove him wrong. Even better she wouldn’t need a dime from him once her birthday came around.
Chapter 11
Despite having stayed out until midnight hunting down the rogue cougar, Jace woke up early the next morning. He crawled out of bed, pulled on a T-shirt and padded into the bathroom.
He turned on the light and squinted at his reflection in the mirror. His hair stuck up every which way and Jace knew it was time to cave and get a haircut. Maybe he’d volunteer to take Caytie to Billings and he could get it done there.
His gut twisted with irritation when he thought about Ian offering to take Caytie. He’d wanted to talk to Ian about that, and remind him once again about his girlfriend, but unfortunately he’d been busy taking care of the older mare the cougar had attacked. If he took Caytie shopping, Ian wouldn’t get the chance to ask her when he stopped by the ranch to check on the horse.
Summer in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance Anthologies Book 2) Page 7
