by Liz Isaacson
He pulled up to the homestead, where several cars and trucks had parked. The front door stood open, likely letting in the evening breeze through the screen door. His nerves crackled as he approached, the flowers gripped in one hand and his gift in the other.
No one greeted him at the door, and he went in without knocking. He was a few minutes late, but they obviously hadn’t started yet. Her birthday cake sat on the counter in the kitchen, and Betsy bent over the oven to pull something out.
“Pizza’s ready,” she said. “Let’s call everyone over, Jessie.”
She turned around, saying, “C’mon, everyone. Time to eat.” Her eyes landed on Flynn, and everything narrowed between them. He had the wherewithal to lift his hand to his hat to acknowledge her, but he hung back as the rest of her family got up from the living room and came over to the kitchen area.
“Hey,” Rhodes said. “You made it.”
“Yeah,” Flynn said, glad his voice didn’t sound as choked up as he felt.
Her father said grace, and after everyone had chorused, “Amen,” he added, “And happy thirtieth birthday to our little girl.” He swept Jess into a tight hug, where she laughed as the others said happy birthday.
“We’ll do cake later,” Betsy said. “Jessie wanted pizza, and we have pizza.”
Flynn waited while the others got in line, glad when Jess came over to him. “Hey,” he said, extending the flowers to her. “I got these for you.”
“They’re beautiful.” She took them from him with a smile. “Thanks, Flynn.”
“Happy birthday, Jess.” He’d said it this morning, too, but he really wanted her to have an amazing birthday. “Is there a place for presents?”
She eyed the brown box he hadn’t even wrapped. “I know what that is.”
“Do you?” He felt flirtatious and playful, but he tried to tame it. He hid the box behind his back. “What is it?”
“I’m hoping it’s a candle from Scentiments.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “A man can’t even surprise you.” He handed her the box. “I know you like citrus scents, so it’s a lemon and pink grapefruit one.”
Her eyes burned into his, and she whispered, “I’d hug you if we were alone.”
“Next time we are, then,” he quipped.
She ducked her head, took her flowers and her candle over to the kitchen, and started arranging the blooms in a vase.
Flynn got in line, determined not to give anyone in her family anything to talk about. He piled his plate with pizza and salad and sat at the end of the table near Rhodes.
“How’s your mother, dear?” Charity asked, and Flynn looked at Rhodes’s mother.
“She’s okay, ma’am.” Flynn smiled at the woman who’d been a second mother to him his whole life. “I get up to Lewiston to see her as often as I can.”
“And how’s Widow Jones?”
“Oh, she’s already complaining about the heat.” Flynn chuckled. “I checked on her air conditioner, and it’s working fine.”
“She just loves having something to complain about,” Gertrude said from a few spots down the table. “I should have her out to the ranch.”
“You should, Mom,” Harvey said, looking from her back to Flynn. “You’re a good man, Flynn. Keeping Widow Jones’s property up to snuff.”
“Thank you, sir,” Flynn said, but he didn’t feel like a good man. Would a good man go out with his boss’s daughter behind the boss’s back?
Somehow, he didn’t think so.
Besides, he helped Widow Jones with basic things. Lawn care in the summer and snow removal in the winter. He checked on her almost every day, and brought her groceries in between her weekly deliveries if she needed them.
He did visit his mother as much as possible, as his only sibling lived an hour north of Lewiston. And Wendy was married, with two kids. She couldn’t get down as often as she’d like.
“I saw your dad’s old place go up for sale this week,” Harvey said, and Flynn dropped his piece of pizza.
“What?” he asked.
“Your place went up for sale,” he said again. “I guess the Washburns are going back to Virginia. The price is high, but I heard they’ve done a ton of improvements on the house, the land, the outbuildings. All of it.” He took another bite of pizza as if he hadn’t just blown Flynn’s whole world wide open.
Jessie sat down next to him, a completely normal thing to do, as Betsy filled in the spot beside her. “You should go look at the place,” she said. “Maybe you could buy it back.”
Flynn just looked at her, unsure of what to say. He’d never told anyone how deep the wound was over losing the farm. “Maybe,” he said, knowing he couldn’t afford the farm. Sure, he had a little bit of money, but he wasn’t wealthy by any means.
The conversation moved to something else, and most of the attention moved down the table to the Locke brothers, who were telling a story from their childhood.
Jessie twisted toward him slightly and whispered, “I’ll go with you, if you want.”
He nodded, because he’d like that very much. He’d get to see her and spend time with her, and no one could call walking through memories a date.
The next morning, Flynn got to work on the widow’s yard early, before the sun could heat the earth beyond bearable. It wasn’t quite July yet, but Idaho had a funny way about the weather. Some days would be scorching, and by afternoon, the rainclouds would roll in.
Flynn didn’t check the weather, unless opening the door and deciding if he needed a jacket or not counted. He knew it was bright and warm that morning, and he got the lawn mowed before heading back to his tiny house next door to Widow Jones. He’d just finished mowing his own lawn when his phone rang.
Jenny Pedraco.
“Flynn,” she said when he’d answered. “I got your message, and we can go look at that farm any time you want. The family has already vacated the premises.”
“They have?”
“Yes, they had to move suddenly, and apparently, the wife just returned this week to finish getting it ready to list.”
“Great,” he said, thinking about Jess and when she might be able to go. “When are you free?”
“How about this afternoon?” she asked. “I have an open house until one, and then I can go. Say, three or so?”
“That should work,” he said. “I’ll text you for sure in a minute. I need to check with someone.”
“Sounds good.” Jenny hung up, and Flynn appreciated her no-nonsense approach to real estate. She’d sold the farm all those years ago, and she’d helped Flynn find his place in town too.
He dialed Jess, hoping she was somewhere where she could talk. He knew Rhodes worked the ranch on weekends, and sometimes Flynn did too. It happened to be his weekend off, and he’d like to fill it with all things Jess if he could.
“Hey there,” she said, her voice already filled with flirt. He wondered why she seemed upset with him over the flirting he did with other women when she was seriously the biggest flirt he knew.
“Hey,” he said. “I can go see the farm this afternoon at three. Are you still in?”
“Of course,” she said.
“You can get away from the ranch?”
“I’m already done with the essential chores.”
“Good,” he said, pushing his hat back and wiping his hand through his hair. “Maybe you’d like to come eat lunch with me.”
A beat of silence passed, and a flash of frustration filled Flynn at the same time. He’d thought they were past this. She’d agreed to keep things below board for now; she’d called him her boyfriend.
“I’d like that,” she said. “When?”
“Whenever you want,” he said. “I’ll text you my address.” She couldn’t get there faster than he could shower, even if she left as soon as they hung up. Which she wouldn’t. Flynn had the feeling Jess knew exactly how to be in a relationship, though she’d been in very few that he knew of.
“All right,” she said. “I
have to stop by my granny’s, and then I’ll head into town.”
Jess didn’t arrive for another hour and a half. Flynn didn’t care, as it was actually lunch time when she pulled up in that old blue and white truck she rumbled around the ranch in. He watched her through the window, and she checked her appearance in the rear-view mirror and seemed to be talking to herself.
He wasn’t sure what that was about, but he stepped away from the window and went out onto the front porch. She saw him and got out of the truck. “Nice place,” she said, taking in the house in one sweeping glance.
“It’s small,” he said. “But it does just fine.” His dogs got up when Jess came up the steps, their noses already sniffing. “Leave her be,” he told them.
But Jess didn’t leave them alone. She crouched down right in front of Shep and started stroking her hands down both sides of his face. “Oh, hey, you old man,” she said. “What’s he? Like, eight now?”
“Nine,” Flynn said. “Sally’s eight.”
“That’s right.” Jess let Sally lick her face, and Flynn shook his head.
“Gross,” he said. “I can’t believe you let her do that.”
“She likes it, don’t you?” She grinned at the dog and finally stood up. Flynn wanted to kiss her cheek too, but he didn’t need dog slobber on his mouth, thank you very much.
“Come on in,” he said. “I’ll give you the grand tour. This is the porch.” He gestured to it. He had a rocking chair out here he rarely used. “The dogs like it here.” He stepped inside, where a small living room bled back into the kitchen area. A set of steps went up just inside the front door, and he had two bedrooms and a bathroom up there.
“Bedrooms upstairs,” he said, deciding not to do the grand tour. “Living room. Kitchen. Bathroom behind the steps. Laundry room. Back door.”
Jess looked around at everything, picked up a picture of him and his parents on graduation day, smiled at it, and set it back down. “Are we ordering lunch? Or…?”
“No, I’ll cook,” he said. “I mean, cook is such a relative term, don’t you think?” He got out a pan and put it on the stove. “Are you okay with grilled ham and cheese sandwiches?”
“I’m okay with whatever,” she said. “I’m not a great cook.”
“Neither am I,” he said. “I can do a few things. Nothing big.” He got to work buttering bread and slicing cheese. “What did Granny want this morning?”
“Oh, she lectured me about finding a husband now that I’m thirty.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I wish.” Jess sat at the bar and watched him work. “You don’t think thirty is too old, do you?”
“Not at all,” he said. “I mean, look at Betsy. She’s what? Thirty-something.” He actually only kept track of Jess’s important dates, and that fact didn’t escape him. “And she and Knox aren’t even engaged yet.”
“They will be,” Jess said quietly. “And she’s thirty-four.”
“There you go. Has Granny been lecturing her?”
“I don’t think my grandmother knows what to do with a woman like me,” Jess said. “Honestly, I don’t. It’s nothing against her. She just doesn’t…get me.”
Flynn looked at Jessie and found the worry and sadness on her face. “Well, not everyone can be the same.”
She didn’t say anything, and Flynn got the sandwiches into the pan before turning back to her. “Jess, you’re a great woman. Strong, hardworking. You know more about horses and cattle than anyone I’ve ever met. You’re gorgeous, and, I don’t know.” He shrugged. “If your grandmother can’t see any of that, then that’s her loss.”
“It’s all of those things you just said that she doesn’t get.”
“So what?” he asked. “You’re going to let it define you?”
“No,” she said, the softness in her eyes turning hard.
“Good,” he said, pulling a spatula from the drawer so he could flip the sandwiches. “You said you know who I am, and Jess, trust me when I say I have a pretty good idea of who you are too. And you’re amazing.”
A smile bloomed on her face, and Flynn was glad he could put it there. It was nice being real with someone, and he flipped their sandwiches before saying, “I’ve never had a woman over to my house before.”
“I don’t believe that,” she said. “You’ve been out with so many women.”
He cringed, but he didn’t argue with her. “You don’t go out much.”
“No one asks me,” she said. “They see Cami, or they see Georgia. Never me.”
“I see you,” he said, turning around to get plates out of the cupboard.
“I know,” she said. “It’s kind of weird.”
“Why?” He slid a sandwich onto one plate, and then the next.
“I don’t know,” she said. “You’re like, this amazing man, and I’m just Jessie.”
Flynn gaped at her. “You have no idea how backward that sentence is.” She looked at him, and Flynn grinned. He moved around to the bar and sat beside her. “Hold my hand while I say grace.”
“You just want to hold my hand,” she teased.
“Yep,” he said, still waiting for her to put her hand in his. “Come on, now. I won’t bite.”
Jess finally slipped her hand into his, and he laced their fingers together nice and tight. She made him feel more whole than he had in five long years, and he bent his head, a silent prayer of gratitude lifting up to God before he said grace over their lunch.
Flynn knew how to get women. He simply didn’t know how to keep them. So after he said, “Amen,” and she echoed it, he added silently, Please help me with this one, Lord. I don’t want to hurt her, and I don’t want to lose her.
As they started eating, Flynn had the distinct thought that he’d have to be truthful with her. And that tied his stomach in knots.
Chapter 5
“Flynn, this place is nice.” Jessie couldn’t seem to take everything in at once, and she stood just underneath the arch announcing their arrival at Twin Sisters Ranch.
“The name would need to change,” he said.
“That’s easy,” she said, slipping her hand into his. Tension radiated from his broad shoulders in waves, and she wanted him to go back to his easy, casual, laid-back self. But Jessie was beginning to realize that was the façade Flynn put on for everyone else to see.
And she got to see the man who worried after his neighbors and knew how to make perfectly crispy, melty grilled sandwiches, and who desperately wanted his father’s farm back.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Dad didn’t have a will,” he said, his voice hollow. “No estate planning. Nothing legal. So things fell to my mother, and we didn’t have family trying to take things from us or anything.” He started walking, though the real estate agent hadn’t arrived yet.
The barns and cabins Jessie could see from here looked pristine, with fresh coats of paint. She couldn’t wait to get inside and see what they looked like. The homestead sat down the lane a ways, and Flynn couldn’t seem to look away from it.
Along the sides of the road, the fields of grass and hay waved in the breeze, and she wanted Flynn to get this place back.
This was where he belonged, not on her family’s ranch. Not working land for someone else.
“Dad had a piece of paper that said Wendy and I got a small sum of money, and my mother honored that, though it wasn’t legal, and she didn’t have to give it to us. Then we found out my dad had been terrible at finances. The farm was in debt, and the only way my mother could get out was to sell the place.” He stopped walking, his throat working against itself as he swallowed. “So she sold the place and moved to Lewiston. She got enough to pay off the debts and buy her condo.”
Jessie’s heart tore for this cowboy. “All these years,” she said. “You never told me.”
“Nothing to tell.” He cleared his throat. “I’ve been happy at Quinn Valley.”
Jessie shook her head, but she decided not to argue. If Fl
ynn had truly been happy, he wouldn’t have tried to fill his life with dancing and women for the past five years. No, the loss of this ranch had cut him deeply, and those things were Band-Aids when he needed surgery.
She kept all of that to herself, wondering if there was more about him that she didn’t know.
Of course there is, she told herself. But she didn’t need to learn it all today.
The sound of a car pulling up came from behind her, and Jessie turned, a prayer in her heart that the Lord would help Flynn get this ranch back.
“There’s Jenny,” he said as the severe blonde woman got out of her sports car. She wore a crisp gray pantsuit that looked like it belonged in a board room and not on a ranch.
Flynn smiled at her and shook her hand, introducing Jessie as “a friend of mine.”
Jessie cringed inwardly at the label, but she couldn’t have him broadcasting their relationship, even to a real estate agent who probably didn’t know a single Quinn. Still, the degrees of separation in Quinn Valley weren’t nearly as large as the six for other people around the world.
“Let’s start with the land,” she said. “Forrest Washburn acquired seventeen more deeds to water rights three years ago. That’s more than enough for the acreage of this place, which is—”
“Nine hundred acres,” Flynn said. “I know.”
“It’s planted already,” Jenny continued as if she hadn’t heard the hollow quality of Flynn’s voice. But Jessie heard it. “It comes with all the animals, and a neighbor is taking care of them until the ranch sells. The Washburns had a family emergency in Virginia, and they decided suddenly to move.”
“Can we look around?” Flynn asked.
“Of course,” Jenny said. “Would you like to start in the homestead? It’s been completely redone, Flynn. It would be a fresh start for you here.”
He nodded, his hand gripping Jessie’s too tightly. She pulled away, and he said, “Sorry. I guess I’m a little nervous.” They walked back to his truck, and Jessie climbed in, still trying to find the right words to say.
