by Emmy Eugene
“You’re seeing someone?”
Janelle just sighed. She’d told him she was seeing someone almost a month ago, when they’d worked out their holiday plans. He’d taken the girls from Wednesday to Sunday for Thanksgiving, and Janelle hadn’t expected to hear from him again until at least January. Maybe even February.
She needed to get him out of the building. Out of her life for good. For some reason, she had a weakness for this man, and if he was nice to her at all, she might give him what he wanted.
Her phone brightened, and she glanced down at it. Russ’s name flashed across the top of the screen. Her emotions had been belted into a roller coaster, and she was glad she hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast. Not that she ever did. Only coffee for her, and usually as she ran out the door to get the girls to school on time.
“You need to leave, Henry.” Janelle rounded the desk and headed for the door. She opened it all the way, though Henry hadn’t even gotten up yet.
He sighed as he did, buttoning his suit coat as he turned toward her. “You look good, Janelle.”
She said nothing as he approached, and Janelle wasn’t afraid of him. He wouldn’t hurt her physically. He’d only reach right into her chest and squeeze the life out of her heart. He’d already done it three times, and Janelle was ready to move past him completely.
And she felt this close to achieving that milestone. Maybe this Saturday, when she finally involved another man in her children’s lives. Janelle’s nerves vibrated in her chest, both about the huge step she was about to take with Russ, and the nearness of her ex.
She felt nothing for the man, but he was the father of her children, and Janelle believed families were better together than they were apart. But Henry was all wrong for Janelle, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make a relationship with him work.
She wondered if she could make any relationship work, as Henry had implied that their marriage would’ve worked if Janelle had made some changes.
She reminded herself that she wasn’t the one sneaking out with someone else several times a week. She hadn’t lied about where she was. She hadn’t been unfaithful to him, not even once. Not even remotely.
He stepped past her without another word, and relief filled Janelle. She gave Libby a look that said add Henry to the list of lunch topics and stepped back into the conference room. “Lilly,” she said diplomatically. “I’m so sorry for the interruption. Did you find those paystubs?”
A couple of hours later, Janelle finally sat down behind her desk while Libby passed out a soup and salad combo from the local deli. “Ham and cheese with pesto,” Libby said. “Tomato basil.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Libs,” Janelle said, giving her friend a grateful smile. “Which do you want to hear about first?”
“Henry,” Libby said, opening her own bowl of soup. She always ordered vegetable chowder and started stirring in a spoonful of cheese. She didn’t look at Janelle, which was a tactic to get Janelle to talk more freely.
Which she usually did. “He just wanted to come home. Those were the words he used.”
“And you said…?”
“No,” Janelle said. “Emphatically. I mean, I have Russ now, and I’m not going to give him up for a fourth chance at Henry. There’s no way he’s going to remain faithful to me for longer than a week.”
Last time, he’d been home for eight days before she’d learned he’d driven an hour south to meet up with a former female client. And it wasn’t for a business meeting, no matter what Henry had claimed.
“You have Russ now? I thought you didn’t want him to meet the girls and you broke up.”
“Technically, what I said was I needed a break, but I don’t think I communicated it very well.” Everyone thought Janelle had wanted to break up with Russ. Everyone but her. “Anyway, I went back over there a couple of nights ago, because someone dropped off another rescue dog, and we’re back together.”
Libby watched her for a moment. “Did someone really drop off another dog?”
Janelle almost choked on her sandwich. “Libby. Of course they did.”
Libby giggled and shrugged, and before Janelle knew it, she was laughing too.
“So who brought the dog over?” Libby asked.
“I don’t know.”
“And I don’t believe that at all.” Libby just kept stirring and stirring her soup. “You know everyone in town. Someone shows up on your doorstep with a dog, you know who they are.”
“Fine,” Janelle said. “It was Will Huff.”
“Oh, boy.” Libby finally took a bite of her soup.
“He didn’t ask me out.”
“Uh, honey, I think him stopping by, at night, with a dog, is him asking you out.”
“Well, I’m with Russ again.” Janelle took another bite of her sandwich.
“Yeah, and I need more details about this reunification.” Libby’s eyes twinkled, and Janelle really wanted to talk everything out with a trusted friend. So she did, laying out everything that she’d heard on Russ’s doorstep to him refusing to kiss her last night to their “date” that night.
“Wow, honey,” Libby said. “So he just needs some time.”
“Do you think that’s what it is?”
“I mean, I don’t know Russ Johnson really well,” Libby said. “But from what you’ve told me, he’s very loyal, and well, you broke up with him.”
“I know.” Janelle stared at the last of her soup. “I just…I shouldn’t have freaked out. I know better.” She really did. She was old enough not to let her heart rule things and not to let her mind run away with itself. “I’m trying to fix it.”
“So you said you need to go slow, and he’s respecting that. And he probably needs to go slow too, because he’s trying to make sure you’re not going to break up with him again.”
Janelle nodded. “Okay, I think you’re right.”
“Oh, honey.” Libby laughed again. “I’m always right.”
“And shockingly, you don’t have a boyfriend,” Janelle said, plenty of sarcasm in her voice.
“Well, you could help with that,” Libby shot back. “I mean, how many brothers does Russ have?”
Chapter Seven
Russ fed all the animals on the ranch, that job his favorite. He loved talking to them and calling them by name, giving them their favorite treats, and watching them snack happily in their pens or corrals or fields.
After that, he went out to the dog enclosure and went through the paperwork Seth had for each dog. He didn’t have any for the newer dogs, so Russ didn’t pick them to take to Janelle’s. He sorted out the six tamest dogs, got down leashes, and memorized their names. He texted them to Janelle, but she didn’t answer right away.
He knew she was busy at work, and she’d reduced her hours at the beginning of the new school year, so she did the same amount of work in less time. Russ often got messages from her in the middle of the afternoon, while she waited in the school pick-up line for her girls.
So he continued his work, helped Travis begin the order for the supplies, and listened to his brother give all of the brothers a lecture about Millie’s mother, who was coming to lunch the next day.
“Her mom?” Rex asked. “Wow, you guys have gone straight to serious.”
“No,” Travis said, looking disgruntled. “Her mother is lonely without Millie in the evenings, and I said she could come out here for lunch. Simple. Let’s just treat her like Momma.”
“Will do,” Russ said. “Am I making dinner tonight?”
“Whatever,” Travis said. “Don’t you—?” He cut off at Russ’s glare, and Rex and Griffin looked back and forth between the two of them.
“What?” Rex asked, never one to let things go. He actually thrived on having hard conversations. Sometimes he perpetuated them.
“Nothing,” Travis said at the same time Russ sighed.
“They’re going to find out anyway.”
“Find out what?” Griffin asked.
“T
he lunch tomorrow is for everyone,” Travis said. “Brian, Tomas, and Darren too.”
No one even looked at him. Rex and Griffin kept their eyes right on Russ, who rolled his eyes. “I started seeing Janelle again.”
“No way,” Rex said, but he smiled at the same time. “That’s great, Russ. I’ve always thought you two were good together.”
As if what his brother thought counted in the grand scheme of things. “I’ll tell her you said that,” he said. “I’m sure it’ll convince her that we’re made for each other.” He shook his head, though he did wear a smile.
The brothers laughed, and Russ went with Griffin as they walked into the equipment shed. Griffin was a wizard with a wrench in his hand, as was another of their ranch hands, Darren.
“So what’s going on now?” Russ asked.
“Seth bought some new machinery, and it works great,” Griffin said. “But we need a couple of new tractors too. Or someone better than me to work on them.”
“Better than you?” Russ didn’t know such a person existed. He looked at the pair of green tractors sitting the shed. They looked well-loved, with dirt on the tires. “They won’t start?”
“The one does, and it runs for maybe twenty minutes.” Griffin moved over to the one of the left. “And no one wants to be in the middle of a field when it quits.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t.” Russ oversaw the agriculture on the ranch, but he didn’t actually do it himself. Griffin did a ton with the planting schedule, the rotation of fields, the fertilization of everything. He was good at keeping records, and he kept a modest office in the corner of the shed here.
“How are things with Rex?” he asked.
Griffin shot him a look. “Okay, I guess.”
“Is he as intense in private?”
“He’s less.” Griffin turned and walked over to a small fridge next to the door. “You want something to drink?”
“Sure. Then I have to get over to the corral and see how the horseshoeing is going. I hired a new farrier.”
“I’m going to work on the ATV,” Griffin said. “Then I’ll get over to the house and clean up for Millie’s mom.”
“The house isn’t that dirty,” Russ said. “Me and Travis are fairly clean.”
“I know,” Rex said. “But our washing machine is broken, and I need to do laundry anyway. Thought I’d just pick up and maybe vacuum.”
“Check out the Christmas tree Millie and Travis put up too,” Russ said. “It’s really pretty.”
“Oh, right.” Griffin tipped his hat at Russ and started over to a huge tool chest. He’d tinker with the ATV, and he could probably fix their washing machine too. Maybe he just hadn’t had time to do it yet.
Griffin and Rex got along great, but Rex was definitely the most intense of all the brothers, and his personality dominated Griffin’s. They lived together in a house in the center of town, and Russ tried to keep in touch with both of them separately to make sure they weren’t driving one another crazy.
And for right now, Griffin seemed to be doing okay. Russ left him in the equipment shed in favor of the corral, because he’d much rather work with horses than metal. The new farrier had brought an assistant, and they seemed to have everything under control. All the horses were lined up, carefully tethered to the post where they had access to hay and water.
Only one horse was brought out at a time, and the farrier had a calm, peaceful air about her. “He needs a new shoe here,” she said to her assistant, glancing up. She caught sight of Russ, who raised his hand.
“Alex,” he said. “He was just shod last month.”
“He’s throwin’ ‘em,” she said. “And it looks like he’s been gnawing at his ankles too.” She frowned as she put the horse’s hoof down. “Have you had a lot of pests around?”
“Not more than normal.” Russ frowned as the woman came closer. She had reddish brown hair that held a tight curl and fell halfway down her back despite the ponytail she’d contained it in.
Her dark brown eyes smiled at him as she approached. “Good to see you, Russ.”
“Yeah, I think I was moving cattle when you came last month.” He shook her hand, and she sighed as she turned back to the horses. “Overall, they look good. Their shoes are holding strong, and we’re working on the regular rotation of horses. But Gallup here doesn’t seem to like his shoes. I’m going to try one with a false center. It’ll make the shoe lighter, and maybe he won’t feel like he wants to kick them off.”
“Maybe he needs more support, not less,” Russ said.
“Maybe,” she said. “I have full support shoes too, but I want to try the lighter center first.”
“All right,” Russ said. He hired a farrier to come, because he didn’t know all the ins and outs of horse foot care. Alex did. “I’m just gonna watch for a while if that’s okay.”
“Of course,” Alex said. “You remember my assistant, Ted?”
“Yeah, of course.” Russ shook the man’s hand, and they got back to work. Russ watched for several minutes, and his horses were definitely in good hands. He went to his office, which was in the barn, and looked at the distribution of cattle. Travis had just brought in most of them, so they were much easier to take care of the closer to the center of the ranch they were.
Russ loved the cows, even as stubborn as they were sometimes. He managed all of the sales on the ranch, including cattle and excess crops. He filed a few pieces of paperwork from nearby ranches who’d bought hay from him last week, and he looked up the date of the winter auction, which wasn’t until January.
He hoped the price of beef would go up over Christmas, as it sometimes did, and depending on the rate, he might sell a few hundred head. He flipped some pages in a folder, looking at his herd projections for the next year.
He’d need to buy some calves if he sold that many mature cows, and he had good bulls for siring.
An hour later, his stomach reminded him that he needed to eat, and he tidied up his small desk and headed inside. Travis was there, and Russ asked, “How’d everything go with the ordering? Are we on track to get started right away?”
“Yep,” Travis said, pouring himself a glass of sweet tea. He left the pitcher on the counter for Russ and moved behind the bar to sit down. “How was last night with Janelle?”
Russ felt his vocal chords dry right up. “Great.”
“Okay,” Travis said, and that was all. That was the number one reason Russ liked living with Travis over Rex. First off, Rex wouldn’t have asked like a human being. He would’ve joked about Russ’s rekindling with Janelle and how it had gone, said something about how he should kiss her as often as possible, and then laughed if Russ tried to defend her at all.
With Travis, there was nothing to defend. Russ didn’t even have to talk if he didn’t want to. Out of all the brothers, Travis was the quietest, but Russ didn’t fault him for that. “What about you and Millie? The tree looks nice. Sorry I came home and ruined everything.”
“You didn’t ruin everything,” Travis said.
Russ turned to the stove, where Travis had started making a grilled cheese sandwich. Russ flipped it and put together one for himself with the ingredients still laying on the counter beside the stove. “I’m nervous about meeting her kids.”
“Understandable,” Travis said. “When’s that happening?”
“Saturday, apparently,” he said. “We’ll have all the supplies by then, and she’s going to bring them out to the ranch to help with the building.”
“The kids will like that,” Travis said. “And if they don’t, they can play with some of the nicer dogs.”
“I’m taking the nicer dogs to Janelle’s tonight,” Russ said. “Her stables are in great shape, and she can house six of them. I’ll teach her how to get them in and out safely, how to feed them, all of it.”
“You think she can handle it?”
“Yes,” Russ said without hesitation. Janelle Stokes could handle anything, Russ knew that. She was a powerful woman, with a lo
t of confidence. At the same time, she’d demonstrated some vulnerability for him, some weaknesses, provided him with a more rounded picture of who she was. She looked no-nonsense and professional on her website, but Russ had seen her with sweat dripping down her face as they hiked, and he’d listened to some of her deepest worries.
“All right,” Travis drawled, and Russ finished cooking his sandwich for him.
Later, with the ranch chores done, Russ went back to the homestead at the same time Darren was pulling out in his truck too.
“Cards tonight?” the other cowboy asked him.
“I want to,” Russ said. “If I’m done by eight.” Really he needed to be on the road, with all the dogs, by seven-forty-five. “Seven-thirty,” he amended.
“Brian made sloppy Joes. Come over anytime. We can deal you out at seven-thirty.” Darren tipped his hat and continued down the driveway.
Russ decided to get as much loaded up that he could. Then all he’d have to do at seven-thirty is drive out to the enclosure and get the six dogs he’d designated as going to Janelle’s.
She’d texted that afternoon that she loved the names of the dogs coming to her stables, and she’d sent six dog emojis. Russ liked her texts; they made him happy. He wasn’t sure if that would be considered cute or pathetic.
He decided he didn’t care. He liked Janelle Stokes, plain and simple. He wanted to meet her girls to see if they could like him, and he could like them, and they could maybe be a family.
Don’t think too far ahead, he told himself. But Russ couldn’t help it. He had to think into the future with Janelle. She wasn’t the average woman, and she did come with more complications than someone like Millie Hepworth.
After loading up leashes, bowls, and dog food, Russ went home and showered. With a freshly shaven jaw, plenty of cologne, and his best boots on, Russ went down the road to Darren’s cabin.
He didn’t knock before going inside, where the heater had been running and the food had been simmering. “Smells good in here,” he said, and the two cowboys sitting at the dining room table looked up.
