Rugged Hearts

by Amanda McIntyre

Wyatt interrupted. “What Ms. Worth means to say is we agreed the children of this community should not be denied an education regarding the business and industry so vital to the livelihood of our town. Isn’t that right?”

  She nodded, readying to volley back another reply. “Well, yes, but—”

  “Well now, are you changing your mind?” Wyatt had more fun watching the puzzled expression on Principal Kale’s face as his gaze bounced from Wyatt to Aimee.

  “Of course, not. I know what I said. But I—”

  “Of course you’re not. Further, Principal Kale, under the circumstances, I don’t know if I’d have been as capable under the same pressures. Given what I saw when I came upon the accident, things might have turned out much, much worse had it not been for her calm and clear thinking. Even with her injury, which I would encourage her to have checked out by a physician as a precaution, she helped me get the kids to safety first, risking her own life to make sure they were okay.” He placed his arm around Aimee’s shoulder in a gesture of support. “In my opinion, this has got to be one of your finest teachers, sir.”

  Aimee stood rigid next to him, a grin plastered on her face.

  “Very well, Mr. Kinnison. I appreciate your input and your graciousness. I hope that the children were not too much of an inconvenience or hardship.”

  They were both, but I had a blast. Wyatt smiled in response.

  The principal grabbed Wyatt’s hand. “We’re certainly in your debt for the well-being of Ms. Worth and the children. Thank you.” He paused. “On the matter of the Suburban….”

  “My brothers and I will take care of it.” Wyatt nodded with a tip of his hat. “The garage isn’t going to be open today, anyway. It won’t take us long.”

  “That’s very kind of you, son. But it can wait until Monday.”

  Wyatt glanced up at the blue sky. “You never know when another storm might hit. We can get it.” It felt good to offer to help, and while it wasn’t absolution for years of saying “no, it was a start.”

  “Well, if you’re quite sure, I’d be most grateful. Very good, then. Merry Christmas to you both.”

  “Wow,” Aimee stepped out from under his arm. “Could you have been any more obvious?”

  “What?” Wyatt lifted his hands in question.

  She lowered her voice. “You don’t think he suspected anything?”

  He was at a loss for words. “I tried to watch your back. Anyway, I didn’t like his insinuation that you weren’t being responsible. Seriously, I don’t think I could have handled the last few days without you.”

  “Okay, okay. I do appreciate it.” She frowned. “It had to be Stanley who told him I didn’t exactly have it in writing that we’d spoken about us visiting.” She spoke her thoughts aloud. “He probably eavesdropped on my conversation with Sally.”

  Wyatt tipped his head. “Well, the truth is, we didn’t have anything in writing. We agreed by word of mouth.”

  “I misunderstood your nod as yes.”

  Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Aimee, I promise next time to get our agreements in triplicate if it will make everyone happy. It all worked out and really well, in some ways. But more importantly, who is this Stanley?” Curious, he propped his elbow on the truck and studied her. Though brief and fast their encounter, Wyatt had a twinge of jealousy thinking of other men being close to her.

  She shot him a look. “Stanley?” She waved her hand in dismissal. “He’s a single, very lonely teacher I work with. He maybe has a crush on me, but I’ve never even been on a date with him.”

  He shifted, uncomfortable with the way her response sounded, though in all truth, he had no say in whom she chose to date. He’d made it clear he wasn’t interested in a relationship and even though they could have chosen to discuss it, the fact was every time they’d gotten a second alone in recent days, he had a damn hard time keeping his hands off her.

  Her eyes widened as though she’d realized the direction of his thoughts. “Make no mistake. I have no interest in Stanley.”

  “Aimee.” He didn’t want to place undue pressure on her. She needed time to process what happened, to sort out her feelings. Wyatt wanted her to be sure of them, because he sure as hell didn’t want another scene like with Jessie. “You can see whomever you want.” He averted his eyes so she wouldn’t see that he was lying.

  “Oh, well sure. You, too, right?” She gave him a bright smile and looped her book bag over her shoulder.

  He nodded but avoided her gaze.

  She studied him a moment longer, then pushed to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, for everything.” She gave him one quick glance then trudged off through the snow to where her car waited. “You’re sure about the Suburban? It is Christmas, after all. Don’t you have plans?”

  He shrugged. “Just the usual chili, beer, and football. We’ll take care of it this afternoon and get it back to the parking lot.”

  A light snow had begun to fall and in the partial sunlight, the flakes sparkled briefly as they landed on her pink coat, dissolving into the fabric.

  “You and your brothers have a good Christmas.”

  He tasted his response on his tongue, but the words “Merry Christmas” wouldn’t come. Dalton and Rein sauntered over to join them.

  “Merry Christmas, Aimee,” Dalton said and tipped his Chicago Cubs ball cap. The four of them had sat at the kitchen table into the wee hours of the morning, discussing everything from the mountain lion episode to technology in schools. Wyatt sat back and observed how effortlessly she carried on a conversation with his brothers. There was no question they liked her, and she got on well with them—perhaps a little too well with Dalton, he noticed, but then he didn’t put it past his ornery brother to lay on the charm just to irritate him. Dalton reached out, snagged her around the waist, and drew her into a quick hug. Her bright laugh tickled Wyatt’s ear.

  “Don’t be a stranger,” Rein added and held out his arm. She put hers around his waist and hugged him.

  She glanced at Wyatt. “Merry Christmas, gentlemen.” She headed to her car, her book bag bumping softly against her faded jeans.

  Wyatt chewed on the corner of his lip and watched the gentle sway of her hips, his mind replaying every second in that dark foyer.

  She turned suddenly and called out. “As to the rest, that’s up to Wyatt.”

  Dalton nudged him as the three stood and watched her get into her car. “Are you going to ask her out?”

  “Don’t push me, Dal.”

  His brother shook his head. “God no, Wyatt. Thirty-two years old and we find you locked in the arms of a beautiful woman who somehow managed to get you to put up a tree after some ten-odd years. Yeah, you shouldn’t rush this.”

  Wyatt shot him a glance. “You’re a pain in the ass.”

  “Oh, buddy, it takes one to know one,” he responded.

  Wyatt grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at his brother, then strode off toward Aimee. The least he could do was help clean her car windows.

  “Why don’t you get in and start her up? It’s been sitting out here a few days.” He plucked the long-handled scraper from her hands.

  “Okay, he comes to my rescue again. You like this hero worship, don’t you?” She smiled and climbed in her car. It took a couple of times before the engine finally roared to life, but by the time it was running steady, Wyatt had scraped all the windows.

  “Here you go.”

  “Thanks,” she took the scraper from him and placed it on the floor beside her.

  Wyatt sighed and nodded. It occurred to him she was waiting to close her door. “Uh, okay then. I’ll see you around?”

  “Yeah, I might be pretty busy for a few days after the holiday, but I’m sure I’ll see you. It’s a small town. Maybe we can try having coffee again.” She smiled.

  He chuckled. “Right, coffee. Have a good holiday, Aimee.”

  “I already have, Wyatt. This has made me realize once more how much I have to be grateful for.”

 
He mulled over those words as he shut the door and watched her drive off. Maybe it was best if they let the dust settle a bit. He didn’t want her thinking what happened between them was a result of only the unusual circumstances.

  Rein came to his side. He adjusted his hat and followed Wyatt’s gaze. “You didn’t ask her.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

  “I have my reasons,” he replied.

  “They must be pretty damn good, because what we walked in on last night looked pretty hot.” Rein stated and stuffed his hands in his coat pockets.

  “I don’t wish to discuss it.” Wyatt turned his attention to the man who knew him as well as Dalton. “Come, on, we’ve got a ’burb to haul out and chores to do.”

  ***

  Christmas came and went and with no word from Wyatt.

  “My grandma had a saying for the way you look, darlin’.” Betty topped off Aimee’s coffee cup.

  Aimee yawned and covered her mouth. “What’s that?”

  “Like you’ve been drug through a wringer backward.”

  “Thanks, Betty. That helps.” She sat at the breakfast counter at the café with her friend Sally, glad to still be on break until after the New Year.

  Unfortunately, it didn’t diminish her current problem or her guilt. The snow had canceled the fundraiser and with Christmas over, and everyone recovering still from the storm, there seemed a lack of enthusiasm for helping one’s fellow man. “I have been on the phone calling about everyone in town to drum up interest to reschedule the potluck, but no one seems to care. Don’t people realize that folks still have to eat after the holidays?”

  Sally patted her shoulder. “People can be fickle, Aimee. It’s not your fault the storm blew in.”

  She shrugged. “I know, but it was my first real involvement in the community and I’m disappointed, I guess.”

  “Maybe we could plan something down the road in spring?” Sally suggested.

  Betty pushed two plates toward them, with a delectable slice of pie on each. “Tell me what you think of this. Rebecca experimented with it. She calls it caramel apple pie.” She leaned on the counter and Aimee caught her curious look.

  “Just say it, Betty. I know you’re thinking it.”

  “Okay.” Betty nodded. “Have you heard anything from Wyatt Kinnison?”

  Aimee glanced at her phone. She’d hoped for a call and had held back calling him the past couple of days. Slowly she was coming to grips with the idea maybe the sparks she’d felt between them had indeed been a product of their circumstances. “Nothing,” she answered. “Besides, I’m not sure what I’d say.” She poked at her pie. Her desire for food had also diminished. Stress about Wyatt, about school, and the potluck were beginning to take their toll.

  “You never mentioned what happened out there,” Betty remarked casually.

  She glanced at the two women, who looked at her expectantly. They weren’t fooling anyone. Gossip was gossip and there’d been plenty of speculation. “This pie is delicious.” Aimee shoved a forkful in her mouth. “Um, really good. You should try it.” She pointed her fork at Sally’s plate.

  Betty chuckled. “You know I just had a thought. Is there any reason your fundraiser has to be a potluck?”

  Aimee stopped stuffing her face, interested in the change in topic. She looked at Sally, shrugged, and swallowed her pie. “I guess not. But we’re in the week between Christmas and New Year’s. What’s going to inspire people to get out in this subzero weather?”

  “What about a karaoke night at Dusty’s? This week is usually his busiest time of year with families visiting, the games on television, and the place is packed almost every night. Of course, it couldn’t be a family-friendly event, adults only—but honestly, that’s where the money comes from.”

  Sally’s gaze brightened. “You could charge five dollars to sing and maybe offer challenges at higher donations. I like this idea, Aimee. It sounds like it could be fun.”

  “You could talk to Dusty,” Betty interjected. “He might be willing to give you a percentage of his cover for the night, or at least a discount on drinks. But if I know Dusty, he’ll toss in his cover anyway, just to bring business to the bar.”

  The idea simmered in Aimee’s head. “Do you think we could pull it together by New Year’s?” She was slowly getting a third, maybe fourth wind in her sails.

  “You tell Dusty that Jerry and I will cater the snacks. Rebecca can make her pies. Jerry can help behind the bar.”

  Sally piped up. “Maggie over at the paper is in our online class. Maybe she’d help us with advertising?”

  Aimee considered the idea and grabbed Sally’s hand. “Let’s go talk to Dusty and see how he feels about this.” Aimee’s phone buzzed in her hand as she was getting in behind the wheel, but by the time she found it in her purse, the caller had hung up. She checked the missed calls list and her heart leaped to see that it was the number of the Kinnison ranch.

  “Do you need to make a call?” Sally tossed her a look as she buckled herself in.

  Aimee wondered why he hadn’t left a message. She’d call him as soon as she talked to Dusty and got things set up. “I’ll call them back. If it’s important, they’d have left a message.”

  “You’re sure?” Sally prodded.

  “Positive,” Aimee responded.

  By evening of the next day Aimee had an enthusiastic Dusty on board. He offered to take care of getting a karaoke machine from a friend of his. Betty had taken charge of the food. Maggie gave them a free full-page ad in the Wednesday social section of the End Times and printed flyers to place in businesses in surrounding towns. Sally posted details of the fundraiser after her online class. Aimee noticed, too, there’d been no posts from Montana.

  Later that night as she sat on the couch, surrounded by the stacks of notes for her karaoke event, she dug into her purse and found her phone. Perplexed when she realized she hadn’t heard it ring all day, she checked her charger and discovered it hadn’t been completely plugged into the outlet. She pushed it into the wall and plugged in her phone, gasping as it sparked to life and she saw the list of missed calls. The only messages left, however, were a couple from her parents, who’d indicated they’d just returned and had a wonderful time in Vegas. Seeing the Kinnison number, she pressed the call back and waited while it rang. She reasoned that she’d been busy with planning her event and hadn’t included him because of his preference not to participate in such things. It was, perhaps, a lame excuse for being afraid that she might find out how she felt was only one-sided. She sighed as she waited through several rings and was about to hang up when Wyatt answered.

  “Hello.” The shortness of his response caused her to think she’d interrupted him.

  “Hi, Wyatt. How are you?”

  “Good. You?”

  Aimee chuckled. “Well, pretty busy to be honest.”

  “So it seems.”

  “I’m sorry, Wyatt. I had every intent of returning your call, but in the chaos of my life, I just realized that I hadn’t gotten my charger plugged into the wall properly and my phone…well, and while it sounds like a lame excuse, you didn’t really leave me any messages, so didn’t know whether that meant it was important or not.”

  “It means I don’t like to leave messages.”

  “Oh, well, was the reason you called important?”

  He cleared his throat. “Uh, Dalton found a pair of socks in his sheets when he laundered them. I thought I remembered Rory wearing a pair like them.”

  There was a twinge of pain in her chest. “Oh well, you can bring them up to the school anytime, or here if you happen to be in town.”

  “Okay,” was his unrevealing answer.

  Aimee felt as though she was crawling out on a limb. “Was there any other reason you called?”

  A long silence followed before he spoke. “Maybe now’s not a good time, Aimee. You’re pretty busy with things.”

  She stumbled over her words, trying to understand what was happening betwee
n them, or if in fact, anything ever had. She ran her hand through her hair. “Listen, the annual potluck was canceled due to the storm and um, well, instead we’ve come up with a karaoke fundraiser at Dusty’s this Friday night to raise money and nonperishable for the food pantry.”

  Another a moment of silence.

  “I’ll pass along the information to Rein and Dalton.”

  Aimee was taken aback by his clipped response. “Well, I guess I hoped you’d come, too.” She attempted to ease the tension between them. “I promise not to make you get on stage and sing, even though it would be for a good cause.” She heard his sigh on the other end of the phone. “Wyatt, is this because I didn’t answer your calls?”

  “No, it’s not, Aimee. Listen, it’s like I said, fundraisers just aren’t my thing. I wish you great success with it and I’m sure Rein and Dalton will make a sizeable donation to the cause.”

  “But, Wyatt—”

  “Say, I’m in the middle of something here. I’m going to have to let you go. Good luck, and maybe we can catch up later. Bye, now.”

  As though hit by a freight train, Aimee held the phone to her ear and listened to the silence. Maybe he was upset about her not returning his calls, but he’d not left her any messages asking her to, or to say that he was remotely interested in seeing her again. In addition, she’d made the first move and given him the option to help her with the fundraising project.

  He turned her down…flat.

  She tossed her phone beside her and crossed her arms across her chest. Could she have been wrong about him? Had what happened between them at the ranch meant nothing? Frustrated, she squeezed her eyes shut and mentally smacked him upside the head. Then she took a cleansing breath, picked up her clipboard, and scanned the list of things she had to accomplish before Friday. Dammit. She didn’t have time for this. Whether the events of those two days meant anything to Wyatt or not, they had to her. If he didn’t want to pursue it then it was his loss. If she’d learned nothing else from losing her sister, it was that she had to move on. Life didn’t stop just because her heart was breaking.

  ***