Taking Their Second Chance

by Brenna Welles

  "Look at you two, thick as thieves," Jake said as he bent to give his mother a kiss on the cheek. She passed him her notepad.

  I'm so proud of you. And don't you ever try to give your poor mother another heart attack again!

  "Again" had been underlined three times. Jake laughed and kissed her one more time. "Sorry, Mother. You weren't supposed to see that." He leveled his gaze at Letti, though he knew he couldn't hide his glee, ruining the effect.

  To prove his point, Letti shrugged and grinned back at him from her place behind Esther. "She wanted to come see. Who was I to stop her?"

  "Her nurse," Jake said. "You are literally pushing her in and out of here."

  Esther slapped a playful hand on his forearm, wordlessly telling him to quit his teasing.

  "Thank you," he said, looking at Letti. "I'm glad you two were here today."

  "Jake! We gotta start rounding up!"

  Turning around, Jake lifted his hand and nodded. He knew he'd have to go and get back to work, though he wanted to spend the day with his girls instead.

  His girls.

  "Letti," Jake said, nerves clutching at his stomach as he walked to her side. He reached for her hand resting on one of the handlebars. When she let him take it, some of the nerves eased and he smiled.

  "I'll be home soon. Then, I was hoping we could talk?" he tried to make it sound as optimistic as he could. "Maybe we could go to dinner?"

  Letti's eyes flickered down to Esther, who sat quiet and unassuming in front of them. Jake would have to give her a big Mother's Day present this year. Then Letti's smile bloomed as she looked up at him.

  "I'd like that. Dinner. Let me call a friend to care for Esther. Is that alright with you?" she asked his mother. Jake's heart swelled, grateful that Letti always made sure to include Esther in any and all decision making. Just because she couldn't talk, didn't mean she didn't have an opinion.

  Esther nodded, clapping her hands over her head to convey her enthusiasm. Jake and Letti laughed.

  "I gotta go," Jake said. He stepped closer, pulling Letti's hand toward him, tucking it in his hand up against his chest. He reached for her cheek with his other hand, drawing her closer to him. Then he laid his lips on hers, more meaningful, more present than their previous kiss had been.

  Warmth shot through him, and all at once, Jake felt complete. Unable to stop himself, he smiled against her lips, feeling her answering one before he withdrew. Then he kissed her nose, a sign of affection he used to do a long time ago.

  "See you later." Then he bent to kiss his mother goodbye before turning on a heel and heading back toward the animal barns.

  It had been the perfect day.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Jake gritted his teeth against the pain that radiated from his hips and lower back as he turned the horse around, guiding more heavies into the birthing shed.

  So much for his dinner plans with Letti tonight. The calves had started dropping as soon as he was ready to call it a day. He had been envisioning taking her to that little Italian place just off of Third, ordering a bottle of wine and just enjoying himself for the evening. And after Letti went home, soaking in a long bath filled to the brim with Epsom salts.

  He had never felt so old in his life.

  But the beginning of calving season on the ranch meant all personal wishes were sacrificed. He had called Letti, apologized for their canceled dinner and had asked if she'd be willing to stay the night. He offered up his bed, grateful he had just washed the sheets, explaining he didn't know when he'd be home.

  Letti had been surprisingly understanding and lighthearted about the whole thing. She told him to take it easy and wished him luck. This wasn't his first calving season, but he had never worked one right after a rodeo performance, either.

  It had been days. Days segregating out heavies, supervising births, moving calves and heifers out. Morris had been in a foul mood for most of the past week, biting out demands and orders as though he were General Patton. Jake had been tempted on more than one occasion to pull Morris aside and ask him what was gnawing at him, but Jake had either been too tired or too busy whenever he thought about it.

  It seemed like the first wave of births was drawing to a close. Jake couldn't help but send up a prayer of thanks at the break, looking forward to a long shower and his bed. He hadn't been home in five days, sneaking cat naps on Morris' couch or even in the tack room once against a pile of blankets. Everybody worked hard, keeping mostly to themselves in their exhausted stupor.

  "Jake," Morris called, waving him over as Jake ushered the last of the heavies into the shed.

  "Yes, boss?" he asked, keeping an eye on the cows. They liked to wander back out, as though they knew what was coming.

  "Get out of here. I don't want to see you for twenty-four hours, got it? I think this is as much of a break as we're gonna get."

  Jake nodded, too tired to bother arguing with him. "I'll be back in twenty-four hours. Call me if you need me." He gave the offer, hoping Morris wouldn't take him up on it.

  Morris grinned. "I won't. But thanks all the same."

  Jake kicked the sides of his horse. This time, he rode Daisy. The horses had all been worked hard over the last few days, just like every year, and were rotated among the cowhands and sleep.

  He took his time brushing her down, giving her extra attention and petting her rough brown and white coat. She chewed at the bottom of his shirt, searching for apples.

  "Sorry, girl," he said on a soft laugh. "I'll bring you extras next time, I promise."

  Jake moved as though he were in a daze as he put the equipment away and walked out to his truck. He doubted he should be driving, but he wanted to be home.

  The sun peaked up and over the horizon, its rays weak, the morning cold enough that his breath fogged in the air. He climbed into his truck and turned the engine over, blasting the heat and hoping the truck would warm up fast enough to thaw his fingers and toes before he arrived home.

  He allowed himself to think of Letti as he drove home. He hoped she wasn't upset with him for not being home these past few nights. He called every night to check on them, please to hear they were doing just fine without him.

  "In fact, don't come home anytime soon," Letti had joked. "We're right in the middle of Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Darcy had just proclaimed his love for Elizabeth."

  Jake had no idea what any of that meant but he appreciated that Letti and his mother were having a good time.

  He hoped they would be awake when he got home. And just in case they weren't, his game plan was to hole up in the bathroom and stand in the shower for at least an hour. That would give everybody enough time to wake up and make themselves decent.

  The porch light was on when Jake pulled into the driveway. He half-stumbled up the stairs and slipped his key in the doorknob. Pushing open the door, Jake let out a grateful sigh at the warmth that surrounded him.

  And the smell of breakfast.

  "Marry me," he said without thinking, slipping off his jacket and hanging it on the coat rack.

  "Excuse me?" Letti gave an amused chuckle as she spooned scrambled eggs out of the pan. Then she opened the oven and pulled out a plate of bacon, transferring a heaping pile of it onto the plate of eggs. "Sit. You're delusional."

  Jake nodded and wandered to the dining room table, his stomach suddenly twisting with hunger pains. Gone were any thoughts of his hot shower and bed. All he wanted was food and Letti's company.

  He was flexible that way.

  Letti set the plate in front of Jake and passed him a fork. Jake smiled his thanks up at her for just a moment before diving in. He barely tasted the food before swallowing.

  "I'll go change the sheets on your bed," Letti said, then left before Jake could protest.

  As Jake ate, he looked around the house. It was as though nothing had changed and yet everything had. There were flowers on the coffee table. A fire burned in the hearth. Did Letti build that all by herself? He didn't know she knew how, but
it made sense that she would. Everything was spotless, even the dishes Letti had used to make breakfast were done except for the pan of eggs. Had she been making the eggs for herself and decided to give them to Jake when he arrived? A carafe of orange juice sat on the table next to Jake's plate, condensation dripping down the side. He poured himself a glass and drank deeply.

  He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Something felt off.

  It felt... homey.

  Jake's stomach clenched, this time not in hunger. He looked around once again, listening to the sounds of Letti snapping the sheets in his bedroom as she made his bed.

  Since when had Letti stopped being his mother's nurse and turned into Suzy Homemaker?

  Jake didn't want this. He didn't want someone to watch after him like this, to worm her way into his life like this. He worked better on his own. He had hired Letti to care for his mother. That was it. He didn't hire her to take care of him too, to make him breakfast and make his bed with fresh sheets after a long few days of work.

  All he had asked her for was dinner. A conversation. To figure out if they could be together once again. Not all this. He had been wrong.

  He couldn't put them both through this again.

  Letti walked out of the hallway with a smile on her face, as though pleased at a job well done. "All set in there. Ready when you are."

  Jake could only sit there, staring at her, wondering when all of this went horribly, horribly wrong.

  "How's mother?" he asked, forcing the words out of his throat.

  "She's good. Sleeping in this morning," she said, then grinned. "We stayed up a little too late finishing up the Pride and Prejudice miniseries."

  Jake nodded, as though he could understand. But his mind had been taken up with warning bells and alarms.

  "Why don't you go ahead and go home for today," Jake said, standing and picking up his own plate, which he would put in his own sink to wash when he wanted to. "Morris doesn't need me back until tomorrow morning."

  Letti's brow furrowed. "Your mom has an appointment today at two. Are you up for taking her?"

  No, he thought, giving a mental grimace. The smart thing to do would be to have Letti stay and take care of his mother. But all he wanted was for her to leave his house. Let him breathe.

  He was spared answering the question when his mother's bedroom door opened. Without a word, Letti left Jake to stand there, plate in hand, as she checked on Esther.

  A few minutes later, Jake had deposited the plate in the sink, just like he wanted. Letti had helped his mother to the couch, where she scribbled on her notepad furiously. When she finished, she held the notepad out, waiting for Jake to come and take it himself.

  Letti is staying. You are taking a shower and going to sleep. She will take me to my appointment. No arguments.

  Jake scowled at the handwriting. Then his mother's hand, paper thin and light, rested on his arm. He looked over the notepad to meet her sharp hazel eyes.

  "You've done enough," she rasped, more a whisper than a voice. "Let her help us."

  Jake nodded, unable to do otherwise. Looking back over to Letti, he watched as she stared at her fingers, clenching them tight in her lap. She knew something was wrong. That Jake was upset about something.

  When had everything gone so wrong?

  "I'm going to shower then go to bed," Jake said, handing the notepad back to his mother. "Thank you for taking care of Mom," he added to Letti, hoping it would sooth any ruffled feathers. Then he turned on his heel and rushed toward the bathroom.

  Shower, then sleep. He would know what to do in the morning.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The next morning, Letti pulled into the driveway of the Waller's house, surprised to see Jake's truck sitting there. She had thought he would be up and out before dawn, anxious to get back to the ranch, anxious to be away from her.

  She had spent most of the night tossing and turning, catching minutes of sleep here and there. Her brain wouldn't stop replaying the events of yesterday morning and Jake's arrival home. He had looked exhausted, even delirious with his proposal of marriage to her as soon as he walked in the door. Then, in between the time she went to change the sheets on his bed and returned, he had morphed into a different man. The same man she had met her first day on the job.

  Concealer could only do so much magic beneath her eyes this morning. She brought her extra-large thermos along with her, filled to the brim with coffee. She already planned on topping it off after breakfast.

  She didn't know what she had done, but Jake's defenses had snapped back into place with a vengeance. He had even insisted she leave! It had taken Esther's intervention for him to back down and go to bed. Even then, she could hear him tossing and turning throughout the morning. In the end, she suggested that they go out to lunch before Esther's afternoon appointment. Esther had readily agreed.

  Jake had remained in his bedroom through dinner, though there was evidence that he had come out for a sandwich at one point. She washed up after him and kept a dinner plate warmed for him in the oven, in case he decided to come out after she left.

  She just didn't understand. What happened to their kiss after the rodeo? What happened to the promise of dinner and a conversation? Letti could have sworn that Jake felt the same way that she did, so why the attitude?

  Relax. He's probably just tired from the last few days.

  Letti took a steadying breath, forcing herself to let it out slowly. She knew the calving season was a tough one for everyone. Ranchers, cowhands, their wives and family. Tempers were short and nerves frayed. Things were always done and said in the heat of the moment that people didn't mean.

  It was the same for people who had just won their events at the rodeo. That rush and release of adrenaline.

  Letti would have been lying if she said that thought hadn't occurred to her. That maybe Jake hadn't really meant his offer of dinner. Maybe he was caught up in the excitement of being in a rodeo again, of winning, and it had resulted in an unfortunate promise.

  She shook her head. There was no use worrying about it. But she did resolve to ask him about it.

  If he waited around long enough to talk to her, that is.

  In truth, watching him in the arena had been an even bigger eye-opener for her than her conversation with Esther had been. As she watched Jake's strong frame maneuver his horse where he needed to be, controlling the animal with all the command at his disposal, she couldn't help but feel awed at the display. She remembered watching him when they were younger, cheering him in from the stands, giving him a quick kiss of good luck on the cheek.

  In a different time, in a different life, he had confided in her that rodeo had once been his dream. But he also had a strong sense of responsibility, one that wouldn't let himself miss his chance at going to college and making a better life for himself and his family.

  It was just a shame that there had been no room for her in his life in either scenario.

  And maybe there wasn't any room in his life now, either.

  As much as the thought hurt, Letti forced herself to shove it aside as she gathered her things and exited her car. She walked up to the front door, slipping her key into the door. It opened before she could turn the knob.

  "Colette," Jake said, tone icy.

  Letti froze. Nobody called her Colette, not even her brother. That Jake felt he needed to...

  "Good morning," she said, forcing herself to behave professionally. "I hope you got plenty of rest."

  "I got enough." He didn't move from the doorway. Letti raised an eyebrow.

  "Is Esther up?" she asked, trying to take a peak over one broad shoulder.

  "No."

  "May I come in?" Letti asked, confused why he wasn't letting her inside.

  "No." Then Jake removed her keys from the door and proceeded to remove their house key from the ring. Letti's stomach sank at the sight, knowing what was coming and having no way of stopping it.

  Jake held out her keys to her. "I'm afraid we ha
ve to let you go."

  Letti sucked in a breath, feeling her chest tighten to the point of pain. She backed up a step, her eyes blurring.

  "I don't know what happened, or why you feel like you need to do this," she said, refusing to apologize for something she didn't know about. "Is anybody else coming to care for Esther?"

  Jake's face hardened impossibly further. "Yes, but that is no longer your concern. Now, if you don't mind, we all have a long day ahead of us."

  Dismissed. She was being dismissed. A tear fell down one cheek. Nothing had hurt this bad since the last time they had broken up. And they weren't even back together.