by Juliet Chase
Except that the cold she’d been fighting off for what seemed forever finally broke through her defenses overnight. Tess blew her nose for the seven hundredth time that morning and moaned. Then she sneezed, and Daisy put a paw on her leg. She tried to focus her eyes on her book, but the little black letters refused to arrange themselves in neat lines. She put it back down again and closed her eyes, aware of the impending drip forming at the end of her nose.
She was surprised and grateful that Nate had stayed home to take care of her and the cows. He claimed that since he didn’t have court or depositions, he could just as easily work from home. But Tess still felt a little guilty, since she didn’t see how he was going to find the time to get any of his own work done. Vanity played into it a bit, too. Even though she was not going to have a romantic relationship with him, she didn’t think she needed to leave him with the image of her all puffy and drippy.
Nate’s voice hailed her from the bottom of the stairs.
“Hey, Tess, you’ll want to see this. Come out to the barn.”
“Really? I’m sick!”
“I know, but this will help you feel better, I promise.”
How could something in the barn possibly make her feel better? She’d have noticed a humidifier or a sauna if there’d been one. But now curiosity had the better of her. She heard the back door close, so she knew that Nate had left the house again. If she wanted more details, she was going to have to get up and go out to the barn.
She wrestled the covers back and gathered up all her used tissues before Daisy started playing with them. Bending down to put her shoes on had her head pounding so badly she considered canceling the whole trip. But she was up now, so she might as well go to the bathroom and get something to eat too. Then she could collapse again. She hung onto the banister as she made her way downstairs still in her PJs. Heading out to the barn to see what all the fuss was about, she felt like she might not make it all the way.
Nate met her at the door and put a steadying arm around her shoulders. A comfortable sense of rightness penetrated her cold-induced fog. Her head fit perfectly in the shallow of his shoulder, and she felt marginally better. Nate pointed into the corner. A cow and a very new calf were separated from the rest of the herd. “Congratulations on your new addition, and one less cow that you have to milk, since Junior will do the job for you.”
“Oh, she’s so tiny!”
“He is tiny, even for a mini cow.”
“He’s a he?”
“Yep. The mom’s much later than the other cows, so I’m not sure what Callie was doing there. Guess it doesn’t matter too much now. That’s the last calf of the lot.”
Buoyed by the total cuteness at the other end of the barn, Tess couldn’t resist, and started walking slowly toward the mom and baby. She kept an eye on the mother in case she started getting upset. But the cow didn’t. Tess thought this one might be the one named Petunia, and she just stood there calmly chewing her cud, occasionally giving Junior a nuzzle and a lick. Junior, on the other hand, already seemed ready to explore the world. When Tess was about five feet away, he came wobbling in her direction, bumping her knee with his head. She looked into his big, dark, chocolaty eyes and amazingly long lashes and fell in love.
“His name is Ferdinand.”
“Is it, now? That’s going to mess with your Gran’s naming scheme,” he added cheerfully. Tess was coming to think that annoying her grandmother was one of his favorite hobbies, although she couldn’t see that he ever really took the initiative.
“Damn it! No, it doesn’t. There are two towns named Ferdinand. She’ll probably love the name.”
Tess looked over her shoulder to see Nate had pulled out his phone. She’d have been worried if he’d known that without having to look it up. Then she turned back to adoring the little calf that had toddled back to his mother.
“Do we need to do anything special for him?”
“Naw, not right now. And if Callie is really coming back soon, she can take care of any shots, but those usually come later. As long as he’s eating and looking healthy, they’ll be fine on their own. I just thought you’d like to see him.”
“I did. I am. Thank you.” She almost gave him a spontaneous hug, but realized her nose was dripping. “Umm, do you have any tissues?”
“Not on me. Why don’t you go back to the house? I’ve still got some cleaning up to do in here.”
She nodded, and felt a little foolish for no particular reason.
Tess was doing a little better in the afternoon. Well enough to sit up in bed with her laptop, anyway. So she checked her email. Very little she had to pay attention to, but the one on the top was from Nate, with an attachment. Puzzled, she opened it and found he’d sent her a picture of Ferdinand from his phone. She smiled with delight and immediately made it her desktop background. He was such a cute baby.
She frowned a little over the lack of other email. It was like she’d dropped off the face of the earth or something. Nothing from her parents, and no job requests or responses, either. Those usually came in waves, but she’d been hoping there might be something that she could start soon so she could replenish her bank account. It would take a few weeks to finalize everything anyway, and by then she should be ready to leave town. She frowned at that and flipped back to her desktop. That meant leaving Ferdie too. But what was she going to do with a male cow? She tried to imagine keeping a mini cow in an apartment, and failed. Could they even do stairs? She wasn’t sure. But that wouldn’t be fair to him anyway. He deserved to romp with his family in a daisy-filled pasture. She smiled at the mental picture she’d painted, and settled back into her pillows.
That was how Nate found her when he checked on her an hour later. He gently closed the laptop and set it on the chair by the window. He felt her forehead; she still had a slight fever but he figured she’d be back on her feet soon. She still looked worn out. Getting her to move in had seemed like divine intervention, but she was still holding back. She didn’t seem to trust him that much, either. Maybe it was time to try something else.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Two days later, Tess was almost back to her old self. Nate had finally gone back to work. They’d done the milking together before breakfast, and Tess was glad, because she wasn’t sure how long it would have taken by herself. She’d already had to cancel with Sarah yesterday.
Now she was stopping by Sarah’s house to pick her up on their way to their new plan to walk in Washington Park every morning. Nate said he was happy she was making friends in the area, but otherwise hadn’t mentioned her staying since her first night at his house.
When she pulled up in front of Sarah’s cute little cottage with the window boxes full of petunias, she saw a sports car pull away from the curb with a squeal. It looked a bit like Brendan’s car, but he was miles away in Seattle, wasn’t he? When Sarah immediately opened the door, still in a slinky robe instead of walking gear, Tess was even more suspicious. Sarah was a grown woman, so it was none of her business… but Brendan?
“Who was that?”
“Ah, ummm.”
“It kinda looked like Brendan’s sports car, but I’ve only see that once.”
She noticed Sarah’s natural cheekiness wasn’t present.
“It was Brendan. I had a weak moment. Okay, a weak night. Sue me.”
“I didn’t even know you knew each other.”
“Brendan had some difficulty in high school when his parents split up. He got a bit out of control—vandalism and stuff like that—so they sent up here to live with Walt. We dated for a while our senior year but went on to separate colleges and didn’t try to keep it going. Brendan looked me up and I was feeling sorry for myself, and, well, the wine and the pity… I just wanted to see what I’d been missing.”
“Do you mind my asking…?”
“Yes, it was good. Really, really good. And now I wish I hadn’t, because he won’t be coming back!” Sarah flung herself on the couch, crying.
“Uh, I
wasn’t going to ask that, but what do you mean he won’t be coming back? Why wouldn’t he?”
“Because when he woke up he threw on his clothes and ran down the stairs like the devil was after him. When I ran after him he kissed me on the cheek and said, ‘That was fun, babe.’ A man that says that isn’t coming back. Anyway,” Sarah continued, snuffling back the tears, “what were you going to ask me?”
Tess hesitated. She wasn’t sure it was such an appropriate question with such raw wounds, but… “Does he make love with his cell phone glued to his ear?”
Sarah snorted with laughter, and just like that she was back to her usual bouncy self. “No, but I’m sure it was nearby. Maybe he knew if he took a call I’d lose my nerve. I dunno. It’s done and dusted, anyway. Let me go get changed and we can get going. I’m sorry to hold you up.”
“Are you sure you want to go? We can always start tomorrow.”
“No, let’s go. I need to move when I get upset—might as well get some scenery in while I do it.”
Tess poked around the bookshelves while Sarah went upstairs to change, but didn’t find much besides antique veterinary books. An old Basset Hound wandered in from the kitchen, his tail more animated than the rest of him put together. He put his head against Tess’s knee and bumped it until she rubbed his ears.
Sarah came down the stairs dressed for a serious workout and holding an expensive-looking cell phone by the corner. “Look what I found under the pillow. Looks like maybe you were right after all. What should I do with it?” She eyed the phone dubiously, as though it were responsible for all of Brendan’s sins.
“Well,” Tess said slowly, “he could have left it as an excuse to return, or he could have been in such a hurry to escape that he forgot it wasn’t in his hand. Maybe leave it for a day to see if he contacts you. We both know he’ll figure out it’s missing pretty quickly. If he doesn’t want to face you, then throw it in the bay.”
“Oooh, good idea!” Sarah stuck the phone on the fireplace mantel and gestured toward the door. “Ready?”
“Let’s go.”
They drove the short distance to the city park that took up an entire peninsula. A paved walking trail wound through the forest along the perimeter with magnificent views of the bay. It was a popular spot with locals and tourists alike, so it was few minutes before they got past the cluster of dogs and walkers at the trailhead. Sarah wasted no time once they were out of eavesdropping distance.
“So now you know the state of my sad love life, what about yours? How are things with Nate?”
“I thought I told you we don’t have a relationship.”
“You did,” Sarah said cheerfully, “I just didn’t believe you—still don’t. So what gives? Has he asked you out?”
“No.”
“Really?”
Tess looked down at her much shorter new friend. “Really.”
“Well… has he given you any gifts?”
“Yes.”
Sarah looked expectant and excited.
“Calm down, it was a pair of rubber boots.”
“Oh. You know, the pool is really getting active. There’s a pick for every day between now and Christmas.”
“Seriously? Don’t people have something better to do with their time, not to mention their money?”
“Apparently not. Ever since that ditzy designer tried to trap him, he’s been a hot topic. Did he tell you about that?”
“Sort of—he said that’s why the other bedrooms aren’t finished.”
Sarah frowned slightly. “You mean they’re not all glam?”
“No, I mean they don’t have walls and floors.”
“Tiffany wouldn’t have done that. She didn’t do any actual work. She brought in crews from Seattle. That’s partly why people didn’t like her—she wouldn’t hire the locals.”
“Must have been expensive.”
“It was. Nate paid for the parts she’d already done, but told her in no uncertain terms not to do anything else. That crib was the last straw. Did you know his mother was the one that took delivery?” Sarah giggled at the memory. “Mrs. Hale didn’t know what end was up. She hated Tiffany but had given up hope for more grandchildren. In the end, though, I think she was relieved when it was over. So anyway, I don’t think you can blame Tiffany for unfinished rooms. But your bedroom is okay, right?”
“Sure, it’s lovely—except for being right next to Nate’s.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow at her. “Now we’re getting to the good stuff.”
“Not really. Daisy goes in there all the time—they definitely have a relationship.”
“Ha ha ha. So he keeps his door shut tight and never comes out?”
“No, he leaves the door open for Daisy.”
“Uh-huh.”
“What does he wear to bed?”
“Boxers, why?”
Sarah did a little dance in the middle of the trail while Tess blushed, realizing she’d been caught out.
“I suspect that’s just for your benefit, don’t you think?”
“I haven’t thought about it.”
“Liar.”
“Look, I’ve been sick—I’m sure by now the thrill of the chase has worn off for him. He’s been nice to take care of me, but he didn’t try to cop a feel or anything when he brought me soup.”
“Nate wouldn’t do that. He’s a good guy—a bit annoying at times, but still, he’s decent. Now that you’re feeling better, I bet he turns on the charm.”
Tess just grimaced. She didn’t think she could take a full-on offensive.
Sarah may have been on to something, though, because when Tess got back to the house and logged in to her email, there was a note from Nate. It just said, What do you think of the white one? And there was a link. She clicked on it because she couldn’t stand not to. She immediately got flustered when it opened to a high-end baby store’s offering of cribs. There were probably sixteen white ones, so she knew he hadn’t been really serious, but she was bemused just the same.
She jumped up and speed-walked around the living room and kitchen in agitation, and then sat down and read it again. Should she reply? But what could she possibly say that wouldn’t encourage him to go further? Reluctantly, she closed the email and went back to what she’d sat down to do—start hunting for an affordable rental in Idaho. She had three good possibilities within an hour, but would have to contact them regarding having a dog, as every last one said, “Please inquire.”
Maybe they wanted to see her picture. Tess glanced over at Daisy, sacked out in front of the fridge door. That would be the ideal photo op. No way did that dead dog on the floor look like it was even capable of property damage. Best not to mention the banister she’d chewed through as a teething puppy.
Time to get some chores done, she thought with a sigh. She’d made some progress, and would make more this evening. Gran was coming back soon, and Tess was becoming resigned to the fact that she would probably need to leave before the cows’ situation was solved. Ferdie’s big, dark eyes popped into her head, and guilt washed over her. He needed her to make sure he had a safe home. Don’t do it, she thought. Nate’s right. He’s just a cow, or whatever male cows are called. She paused to consider if she should look this up, and decided against it. He was Ferdie—that was all that mattered. And she didn’t want him euthanized or butchered or kept in an overcrowded, dark barn. And technically he wasn’t hers anyway. Gran or whatever official took charge would have custody. She felt instant empathy with all the other foster parents who got attached to their charges.
It was past time to get some laundry done, anyway. She gathered up her dirty clothes and took them downstairs to sort. Then she realized that there wasn’t quite a full load of any one type. Should she do Nate’s laundry too? She might as well; he had taken a lot of his time to help her out while she was sick. She took a basket up to his room and looked around. No hamper in the main room, but maybe the closet? She opened it cautiously, as though expecting something to jump out. Not
hing did, and she managed to find the light switch. Rows of suit jackets and dress shirts hung neatly. A special pegged hanger hung on the wall with his collection of ties—some she’d seen, and some were a little more on the wild side. She smirked at the one with a tiny geometric print made up of reindeer. No dirty clothes here either. She checked the bathroom and scored—if you could call dirty clothes a victory. He actually had two hampers, and she quickly figured out that one was for the dry cleaners, so she left that alone. After loading her basket with jeans, t-shirts and boxers in prints that made the ties look boring, she headed back downstairs.
In between loads, she sent emails to the potential rentals and looked for a few alternatives. She thought about calling her mom, but decided she’d better find out what kind of long-distance plan Nate had before she ran up his bill.
Her mom could wait until tomorrow, probably.
She could email him, of course, and went back to do so. But Nate had sent her more messages. He didn’t think she should exert herself cooking, so what did she want for dinner? She replied to that one with: Pizza. The next one was a link to a survey: If you were a space alien, what kind of alien would you be? She ignored that one; she really didn’t want to know. And then there was one touting the most romantic spots on Fidalgo Island. She read that article with interest, but not because of Nate. She should, after all, take advantage of the local scenery while she was here. She doubted she would ever be back—in spite of or because of Gran, she wasn’t quite sure which.
The last one didn’t have a subject line, but she opened it anyway and then wished she hadn’t. A single line of text lay there like unexploded munitions: I think I’m falling in love with you.
That was it, no signature, nothing further. Tess snapped the laptop closed like it was going to bite her, and ran out to seek the solace of the cows.
