"So which of you is dating Jayce?" Tiara asked.
Sarah laughed, hoped it would dispel the hurt in Tiara's tone. "Neither, really."
"Is that what you came here to tell me?"
"No, actually, after this afternoon, I need a favor," Sarah said. "I'd like to keep Juanita and Sarah separate. It's a vacation for me, after all."
"Don't want anyone asking you about your recent breakup?"
"You read the gossip rags? Tiara, I'm shocked."
Sarah watched Tiara's face darken in embarrassment. "I may have seen something while standing in a checkout line recently."
Sarah shook her head. "That's why I need your help. There are certain expectations I can avoid as Sarah the stunt double. Most folks around here are aware and play along."
Tiara bit her bottom lip. "I understand. After all, I also got caught up in the Juanita character when you rode up today. Okay, I won't let on."
"Thank you, Tiara. Well, have a good night." Sarah turned and started to walk away.
"You answered, 'neither, really' a moment ago." Tiara said from behind her, barely audible.
She stopped and looked over her shoulder at Tiara. "I love Jayce, deeply. Would I turn her down if she were serious about a relationship other than what we have as dear friends? Probably not." Sarah started walking away, just a little louder added, "I'd have her as Sarah or as Juanita."
Though Sarah was curious about Tiara's reaction to the statement, she forced herself to keep her course and not look back. Yeah, Jayce is definitely under your skin too, she concluded with relief.
TIARA MOVED SLOWER than usual this morning. Sleep should have come easily, what with exhaustion from all the work in the Colorado heat; but, once again, she'd tossed and turned with dreams of gangsters and, now, the addition of gunslingers. She just hoped that today would go better than the last couple of days. When she got to the kitchen, Darla was drinking a cup of coffee at the table, grinning as if she was the cat that ate the canary. Tiara expected little yellow feathers to fly out of her mouth when Darla asked, "Fine morning, isn't it?"
"Did I miss something? Or is this one of those pregnancy moments?" Tiara grabbed a mug from the dish drainer, filled it with coffee, and brought it to the table. She plopped into a chair. "Okay, spill it."
"You're so suspicious," Darla said, putting her cup down and waddling over to the walk-in pantry. She opened the door with a ta-da expression. Sitting on the floor was a large bouquet of flowers: a mix of daisies, roses, and lilies all in whites, yellow, and oranges. Darla picked up the vase and brought it to the table. "It's such a sunshiny arrangement and there's a card, too. Please read it out loud."
Reluctantly, especially with an audience, Tiara opened the card, and read, "You're invited to a picnic supper with someone who wishes to make amends. The buckboard will arrive at four o'clock to pick you up. Hope you are waiting. Until later, and ever optimistic, Jayce."
Darla giggled. "First the cookies, and now this romantic gesture. Tiara, this woman's a keeper."
"There's too much to do. I can't go off willy-nilly, whether the mood strikes me or not. I'm the boss for goodness sake. What kind of example is that?"
"I know Mark would find it a fine thing, as do I. It'll be close to your usual quitting time anyway, and no one cares what Craig thinks. I ask you, when was the last time you did something fun like this, or had a date? And it's so wonderful--"
"Maybe you should go, then."
Darla said, "If I didn't think the ride might be uncomfortable for the baby, I'd go in a heartbeat."
"She got over her TV star girlfriend quick enough," Tiara said sarcastically. "Dinner must have been a bust. I don't fancy being the rebound."
"Arrgh, you're driving me crazy. I adore you, Tiara, but I'm getting a taste of Jayce's frustration with you. You've been rebuffing her since her first hello. Jayce is extending the olive branch. Take it, clear things up." Darla pointed at Tiara's face. "If nothing else you'll have a chance to relax after what appears to have been a rough night's sleep. Come on. Go. Please."
Tiara shook her head. "Okay, fine. But if this turns out badly I get to say I-told-you-so until Baby Chester is in college."
"Deal," Darla said excitedly. "Honest, Tiara, if I thought you'd regret this I would be the first one to talk you out of it."
"I better get to work before I have to meet the infamous cowgirl Jayce." Tiara gulped the now cold coffee. "By the way, smarty, any special outfit you think I should wear to this rendezvous will need to be laid out for me. Otherwise, she gets me all sweat-drenched in these very jeans and t-shirt."
KNOTS BUILT IN Jayce's stomach. She worried she'd pull up and find Tiara had turned her down. She felt a bit irrational over being so concerned, it wasn't as if no one had stood her up before. She growled menacingly. "I can't believe you talked me into this."
"Hold still." Sarah tugged on Jayce's shirt to get the collar adjusted. "There," she said and stood back for a final review. "Perfect. Tiara won't be able to keep her hands off of you." Sarah brushed a stray lock off Jayce's forehead, then plopped Jayce's hat on her head.
Jayce rolled her eyes dramatically. "I don't think that's a problem for her."
"Then she's a fool." Sarah leaned in and kissed Jayce's cheek. "You're irresistible."
Jayce asked, "Why couldn't I keep you, then?"
Sarah shook her head. "You know why. You're too much woman for me."
"Always the smooth talker."
This time Sarah laughed and said, "Snake charmer, more like." They both laughed. "Take care of my Arabelle," Sarah said, and glanced in the horse's direction from her place behind the buckboard that Buster would be pulling.
Jayce took a deep breath. "Okay. Guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." She turned around and climbed onto the bench seat of the buckboard. After making sure the picnic basket was safe under the seat, Jayce picked up the reins, grinned at Sarah, who slapped Buster's hind end to get him started.
"Bring Tiara home before dark, young lady," Sarah yelled out.
"I still don't understand why I'm doing this," Jayce mumbled as she pulled the reins to the right, and steered the horse down the dirt driveway. "I'm no better than Aunt Edna, always waiting on a Summers to catch and keep us. Sheesh." Her nerves got the best of her, and Jayce wanted to turn the buckboard around. Or head it down the road and away from Falling Down Acres. Instead, she turned it left and pulled in front of the porch.
No one was there.
Hurt filled Jayce. Well, that answers that. Guess Tiara seriously isn't interested anymore. What foolishness was Sarah thinking? Jayce tried to count to ten, got to four before she snapped the reins, and guided the horse toward the pasture that separated their properties. She hadn't gone more than twenty feet when she heard a panicked shout behind her. "Whoa," she said and pulled back on the leads. Jayce twisted on the bench and looked behind her. Darla stood on the porch, breathing heavily and holding her stomach as if the baby would slide out if she didn't hold on. "Oh my word," Jayce muttered as she turned the buckboard around and brought it in front of the porch once again.
"Oh, thank goodness," Darla said, as she rubbed a hand over her swollen stomach. "Tiara's running a little late, and getting dressed right now. Please, give her a moment." Jayce stared at Darla with disbelief. The tall woman grinned. "Honest. She'll be--"
"She's right here," Tiara said as she exited the screen door. "Sorry I'm late, Jayce." She turned to Darla and glanced to where the woman was rubbing her belly. "Are you okay?"
Darla pulled Tiara into a hug. "I am now." Pulling away, Darla said, "Get up there, and have a great time."
Jayce looped the reins through a metal ring on the dashboard, jumped down, and bowed as she took the cowboy hat off her head. "Ma'am, it would be my honor to escort you on a buggy ride and picnic." She extended an arm in Tiara's direction and said, "Shall we?" She didn't know what was going on in Tiara's head, but Jayce was glad when Tiara tentatively took her hand and let Jayce assist her onto the bench
seat.
"Have her home at a decent hour, Jayce," Darla said in mock scold.
Putting her fingers to the hat's brim, Jayce dipped her head slightly and said, "Yes, Ma'am. I'll do that." Inwardly, wondering at some preternatural issue with Tiara since everyone was worried about her being out after dark. Did she shape shift when the sun went down? Picking up the reins and with one quick wave to Darla, Jayce started the buckboard toward her back property.
Chapter Thirteen
NEITHER JAYCE NOR Tiara spoke for a good twenty minutes of the ride. Arabelle must have found that fact disconcerting as she snickered loudly from behind them. Jayce glanced back at her. "Hush, and concentrate on your training."
"What kind of training is she getting?" Tiara asked quietly.
Jayce stared at her a moment. Much as teasing came naturally to Jayce, she knew Tiara's sense of humor was more mercurial, and decided she should probably stick with a straightforward answer. "Um, just to get used to walking behind the buckboard, the noise, the dirt and dust, stuff like that. Arabelle already believes herself a star. She doesn't like not being in control of the moment."
"I know the feeling," Tiara's voice was so low, Jayce pretended she hadn't heard the remark. More loudly, Tiara said, "Thank you, for this invitation."
"Thank you for accepting. I thought for a moment you might hide from me." Tiara turned red.
Jayce said, "You did think about it, then?"
"Well, yes, but Darla wasn't going to let me get away with it. She can be quite persuasive with guilt. She must have had a Catholic upbringing."
"I see." Jayce felt a twinge of hurt. She had hoped Tiara might want to spend time with her. How had she let Sarah talk her into this? "I can take you back to Slim's."
As she started to pull back on the reins, Tiara placed a hand over Jayce's, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, please don't turn around. I want to do this, be here with you, cross my heart."
There was a tiny bit of reluctance in her tone, but Jayce decided to accept Tiara's decision. "All right, then." She took a deep breath. "Then let me finish showing you the very best parts of Silver Waters, right here on Mansfield Meadows."
Tiara raised an eyebrow. "Conceited much?"
"Nah, no conceit needed when the topic is my property," Jayce replied with a teasing smile. "It honestly speaks for itself."
Tiara shook her head and seemed to relax some and actually enjoy the scenery, pointing out landscape that had caught her eye and asking questions that Jayce excitedly answered. In Jayce's mind, she had only been forthright, not bragging, when she stated her land was the best components of Silver Waters. Her land had a variety of sites that included timberland, streams, hills and flatland. A point she enthusiastically brought up to Tiara. "The incentive to specializing in training Arabelle, and other horses before her, was from a terribly lost movie location director."
"How do you mean?" Tiara asked with what seemed genuine interest.
"He was surveying areas for potential filming sites, originally intending to use Cañon City. Taking the back roads got him all confused with directions, and subsequently very lost. I was out for a ride with one of the boarded horses when I caught him just walking around snapping pictures."
Amusement flashed across Tiara's face. "How bad did you scare him?"
"Hey." Jayce grinned crookedly in dismay. "It's my property. I am duty bound to defend it." The statement brought a giggle from Tiara. Jayce gave an offended huff, but was immensely pleased she and Tiara had reached a more relaxed standing. "Anyway," she said, adding a playful roll of her eyes, "when he regained consciousness--" She paused to watch Tiara as she held onto the seat and laughed hard. "I brought him home to Edna."
"Who promptly gave him milk and cookies," Tiara finished for her.
"Yeah, Edna's enduring cure-all."
Tiara's laughter subsided, but a smile remained on her lips. "I'd take it any day of the week," she said, honesty in her tone. She turned and a lump formed in Jayce's throat, witnessing the turbulent emotions in Tiara's gray eyes. "But were the cookies from Edna's cooking?"
"What makes you ask that?" Jayce felt the flush of embarrassment.
Tiara's smoky gaze held hers for a long moment, before she looked away. "There are sides to you I wasn't aware of." She sighed. "Or have totally forgotten. Thank you, by the way, for the cookies the other night. I almost hated to share with the crew, not that I had much say in the matter."
Jayce didn't respond, afraid she'd lose control of the jealousy she barely kept contained, remembering Craig's version of hello at the mention of her crew. Apparently, Tiara didn't expect a reply.
"So, what happened next?"
"Huh? Oh, well some folks came back to film different locations, for background on other projects and, realizing I did horse training they made some phone calls and hired me on a temporary basis to teach a particular stunt to an Appaloosa they were using. Nine years have passed since then. Basic boarding and training became more than work. Now I have a career. Guess I did okay."
"Is that how you met Ms. Juarez?"
Tiara's voice was so low that Jayce almost missed the question. She didn't want to not answer, or need to lie, but hadn't the right to divulge Sarah's private life without permission. Jayce settled for a simple answer. "We met before then, under different circumstances entirely."
"I see," Tiara said quietly.
"Do you?" Jayce asked of her, with a frown. She cared for the Tiara from over ten years ago, and those feelings were resurfacing with each moment they spent together, but Jayce would defend Sarah, if the need arose, as she would a beloved sibling. There must have been something in her tone, because Tiara stared at her for a moment.
"No, I guess I don't," Tiara said. "But I've no right to invade your personal life, when I won't grant the same courtesy to you."
Time seemed to stop in their silence. Jayce focused on the landscape and realized they had reached her favorite spot, and the destination for their picnic. "Here we are," she said, wrapping the reins round the metal ring near the brake handle, crossed in front of Tiara and jumped down from the buckboard. When she landed, Jayce held up a hand to assist Tiara down. "Hope the view meets with your approval."
Hesitant at first, Tiara allowed Jayce to help her from the seat. For just an instant, their bodies met and warmth consumed Jayce. She released Tiara as soon as it was safe to do so, and took a step back, hoping her breathing was under control.
Tiara's gaze took in her surroundings. "Oh, Jayce, it's gorgeous."
"Thank you," she said. Noting the mischievous twinkle in Tiara's eyes, Jayce added, "on Mother Nature's behalf, of course, as I had no hand in it." Tiara giggled causing Jayce's pulse to quicken. "I'll get the food and a blanket." Jayce needed some space. Maybe Tiara in a bad mood was the safest atmosphere. Tiara in a good mood elicited responses in her body that were becoming difficult to control, wreaking havoc on Jayce's emotions. She was acting like a hormonal teenager.
Tiara unfolded the blanket with a quick snapping motion, and placed it on the thick grass under a tree near where Jayce had stopped the buckboard. She sat and Jayce placed the picnic basket on the corner edge and joined her. Leaning against the tree trunk, Tiara pulled her knees toward her chest and draped her arms over them. "This is exquisite, Jayce," she said, breathing deeply and closing her eyes.
Jayce beamed at her comment. "Glad you like it," Jayce said, opening the basket's lid and pulling out plastic containers of food, one by one, and arranging them neatly between the two of them. "Just the pleasure of hearing you laugh, even once, is worth giving you anything, my lady fair."
Tiara opened one eye speculatively. "Lady fair?"
"In all my vast land." Jayce gave as gallant a bow as possible from her sitting position and raised her hand to indicate the open area surrounding them.
Tiara sniffled. "Did Aunt Edna pack your head with that stuff when she packed the basket? Or is this sentiment residual from your TV star?"
Jayce put a hand to h
er heart. "I'm wounded. To insinuate such a thing grieves me greatly."
"It doesn't answer the question. Or does it?" Both eyes opened wide and stared directly at Jayce. A hint of the ever-present sadness seemed to return, before she blinked it away.
"No, it doesn't. Not in the way you're thinking." Jayce pulled a bottle of wine from the basket, then two gold colored plastic goblets. She uncorked the wine and laid it on a small wire rack she'd brought along to let the wine breathe. "You'll have to excuse the uncouth picnic ware, it came with the basket. To clear your obvious misconception, Edna didn't fix this repast or pack it. I did. Therefore, she couldn't have filled my head with anything. As for Ms. Juarez, it wouldn't be right to take advice from the woman I'm ignoring so I get to spend time with you."
Surprise danced across Tiara's features. "You really do cook?" Jayce was astounded that Tiara focused on the news of food rather than bring up another woman. Tiara's interest in what lay beneath the plastic covers appeared to have been piqued as she pulled lids off. After Tiara had opened every container, she gasped. "You did all this? The fried chicken, the pasta salad, the pie, all of it was made by your hands?"
"All but the fruit. I only washed and sliced those, and the cheese, which I painstakingly chunked." Her face warmed in embarrassment, Jayce suddenly worried if it had been a good idea to be honest, at least on this matter. Maybe she should have let Tiara believe Edna had prepared it all. What if she knew Jayce actually enjoyed cooking?
"I let Darla cook, since she wanted to be useful while we fixed Dad's place." Tiara pulled a couple spiral pasta free from the bowl with her fingers, tilted her head back as she dropped them in her mouth. "Oh, heaven," Tiara crooned, rolling her eyes.
When Tiara lowered her head and groaned, Jayce panicked and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I lied," Tiara said in a bare whisper, shaking her head.
"It's not heaven?" With the sun setting, shadows from the tree branches crossed Tiara's face. Jayce hoped the same was happening for her, not wanting Tiara to see the hurt she felt, the expression probably racing across her face. Jayce had wanted to impress her, and hadn't realized how much until now.
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