Lila stopped at the school and helped her son unload his bike and chain it up. “You have your cell phone? I put it on the charger for you.”
Rory opened a small pocket on his backpack and let her see the phone.
“Okay, have a good day. I’ll see you at Memaw’s café shortly after three.”
He closed his pack and dashed up the walkway to catch up to another boy about his height. Lila watched the two horse around then go inside with a gaggle of kids. She waved to a mom pulling into the drop-off circle.
Climbing back into her vehicle, Lila spent a moment missing the kindergarten days when Rory’d wanted a hug and kiss before he skipped into class. They’d gone from that to her giving a quick brush of a stubborn lock of his hair, to a wave, to now nothing but him scurrying away without glancing back. Those milestones signified the passing of time as nothing else could. So many things around her changed, yet she seemed stuck.
On the drive back to the B and B her mind drifted. She’d been a single mom longer than she and Kevin had shared parenting. She wasn’t sure why she thought of that now. Other than Seth Maxwell joking this morning about them having a torrid affair.
Lila felt her face heat again. Not only would she not class the sex she’d shared with her husband as torrid, in the five years since his death she hadn’t dated.
Thinking back over her marriage, she tried to be honest. She’d been totally green about sex when she’d married at age eighteen. To Kevin, a farm kid, it was a perfunctory part of life. Yes, they’d dated for four years prior to getting married, but dating in Snowy Owl Crossing consisted of sitting together at ball games. Or meeting at the gym for a school dance where, mostly, they stood around. Maybe they held hands at potlucks. That was pretty much it, because kids worked hard in their family businesses. No one had time to hang out idly.
That didn’t mean she never had fanciful dreams. Sometimes Kev had fallen asleep, leaving her hot and wanting—wanting to share passionate love with him. But it never happened.
When she arrived back at the ranch that claimed so much of her time and energy, she spared a second to wonder if she’d ever share intimacy with a man sure of himself in the bedroom. Not only sure of himself but caring of her needs, as well.
She parked and went in to clean the now-empty rooms and ready them for the folks scheduled to check in at eleven.
Collecting a stack of clean sheets, she recalled how Seth Maxwell claimed he’d never had a torrid affair. She puzzled over whether she thought that was a lie. Thirty-two, handsome as sin and a world traveler, his saintly declaration didn’t fit.
Well, he hadn’t claimed to be a saint. And there was a whole lot of space between celibacy and indulging in a torrid affair. But look how fast she’d chastised him for the mere suggestion. Mostly out of habit. Because in a small town rife with gossip she worried about other people’s opinion of her. Her best friends pointed out that she cared too much how others judged her. Maybe Seth saw that, too, and had elected to tease her.
But why would he? The sum total of their association had been brief. She stored that thought and called herself silly for presuming to even picture him settling here, let alone the two of them becoming more than passing acquaintances.
Blanking her mind, she hurried on to strip beds and start laundry.
* * *
IT WAS 4:00 P.M. when Seth walked into the Snowy Owl Café. It’d been a long round-trip to the Billings Logan International Airport. None of the three guys he’d driven there had been booked on the same flights. For his job, he spent a lot of time sitting in airports, so it hadn’t been any big deal for him to wait to be sure none of their flights got canceled, even though they said there was no reason for him to hang around.
The fact was, he had spent too much of his life booked on Podunk airlines prone to delays and cancellations. He’d forgotten how dependable American carriers were. Dependable schedules, plus nice food courts and gift shops that sold snacks, books, magazines and other stuff in short supply in many foreign airports where he’d twiddled his thumbs. But with all Billings Logan airport offered in the way of food, none of the guys had been hungry after Lila’s great breakfast. So here Seth was, well after lunch, and famished as a bear fresh out of hibernation. And there was nary a free seat to be had in the café. He’d never seen the place this full.
Aha! He spotted Zeke and Myra sitting at a table with four burly men—other ranchers, if their faded jeans, plaid shirts and cowboy boots were anything to go by. Cowboy hats hung on the backs of their chairs.
Seth smiled to himself. Cowboy boots was something he’d bought at the airport gift shop. And a hat. The three guys had kidded him, but if he planned to live in the ranch community for a while, he wanted to fit in. The black boots made from buttery leather with a few turquoise cutouts had called to him. Surprisingly they were comfortable. He wondered if Zeke would notice he wasn’t wearing his sneakers.
Actually he saw that his brother and new wife were deep in conversation with the folks at their table and four other guys seated at an adjacent one. He wouldn’t barge in.
This must be the cattlemen’s meeting Zeke had mentioned. Maybe he should just leave and go to Cody’s Bar. They served burgers and fries.
He backed toward the entrance, hearing the ding, ding of a bell and a woman yelling, “Order up!” That was when he first noticed Lila taking an order on the far side of the room. She ripped a page from her pad and wove between the tables, headed for the pass-through, where two plates sat beneath a warming light. For a moment she looked straight at Seth, did a double take, stopped and changed course in his direction.
“I only have a minute. Are you here for a meal or to ask me something about the B and B?”
“I stopped to eat, but there’s no seating.” He jerked a thumb toward the exit. “I figured I’d run down the street to Cody’s.”
“If you don’t mind sharing a small booth with Rory, he’s doing homework over in yonder corner.” She stabbed her pencil for emphasis.
“Do you think he’ll be okay sharing with me? Never mind, I’ll go ask him. You have hungry customers.”
“Right. And another order to hand in. Mom has a high school student who helps out serving at these big meetings, but she called in sick. It’s been crazy.” As if to underscore that, Doreen Mercer slapped the bell twice. Orders were waiting.
Lila puffed out a breath and sped off.
Seth made his way to the back booth. His brother looked up and raised a hand in recognition then swiveled in his seat, seeming to check for an empty chair.
Seth shook his head, pointed toward the back and Zeke nodded.
On reaching Rory’s booth, Seth said, “Hi, sport. I stopped by to eat, but the place is full up. Your mom suggested maybe I could sit with you.”
The boy stopped toying with the fork stuck in a Cobb salad. “Sure.” He sat straighter. “Hey, if you want, you can have my dinner. I haven’t licked the fork or anything.”
Smiling, Seth slid onto the bench seat across from Rory, venturing a guess that the kid disliked lettuce. From the size of the mound left in his bowl, Seth judged the whole of it remained untouched. “It looks good,” Seth said. “I may order the same thing. You know, you’ll need all of that protein if you’re going to play ball.”
“Really?” Rory dug his fork under the egg and slices of ham, but kept scowling. “I don’t like vegetables, but Mom says I gotta eat ’em.”
“You should listen to her. Veggies build strong joints, which you need to swing a bat hard enough to hit a home run.”
The kid appeared to still be mulling that over when his mother rushed up, order pad in hand. “Seth, do you need a menu?” She happened to glance down at her son’s bowl. “Rory Jenkins, you’ve hardly taken a bite. Tonight’s dessert is your favorite chocolate pudding. But if you don’t make a substantial dent in your dinner, you aren’t getting sweets. Sorry, Seth.” A short sigh escaped her. “What can I bring you?”
“I told Rory that salad looks good. I’ll have one, too. And coffee, black.”
Lila stood a moment with her pencil poised over her pad. “Uh, I’ll go turn in your order.” She gestured toward the kitchen, still not moving, as if she expected him to change his mind.
He flashed a smile. “Great. I’m starved. It’ll be a race to the finish to see if Rory beats me to that chocolate pudding.”
“You are so full of it,” Lila murmured, bending nearer to Seth so only he heard before she whisked away, stopping at a table where four ranchers hailed her.
Satisfaction rippled through Seth when the boy pulled his bowl close to his chest and said, “I’m starting now. I bet I can beat you.”
“Hmm, okay, but chew it well so you don’t choke.”
Seth watched the egg disappear, followed by the cheese. And for perhaps the first time he wondered what he’d be like as a dad. His own father had encouraged and guided him and Zeke, patiently answering scores of sometimes dumb questions. He’d taught them by example, too. Seth couldn’t recall a time he’d ever heard his father raise his voice to his boys or their mother, or to anyone at their games as some dads were prone to do. He’d want to be a husband and dad like that.
Stuck on the subject of family, he realized he was almost at the age now that his folks were when they’d had him and his brother. Now that Zeke was married, Seth wondered how long they’d wait to have a kid. Maybe not long. So he’d be an uncle.
Maybe it was time to find his life partner. But, as he’d told Zeke before coming to visit, with his nomadic life the few women he’d found interesting didn’t consider him a good long-term prospect.
He couldn’t blame them. Sooner or later he always succumbed to the lure of a possible mother lode. It was his career, after all. So was it surprising some women accused him of being more passionate about chasing new gems than he was about them? Spending a minute examining past relationships, he gave an inward wince.
What did that say about him? What would Lila Jenkins think?
He cracked the knuckles on his left hand. It was a restless habit.
Rory paused in his eating. “My teacher says not to do that...crack your knuckles. It’ll make ’em fat so they won’t bend when you get older.” The boy’s forehead wrinkled. “But you’re old and your fingers still bend.”
“Hey, I’m not that old.” Seth laughed, but flexed his fingers several times.
“That’s a cool ring,” Rory noted. “Is it a snake?”
Seth spread his right hand open on the table. “Yes, I had a silversmith in Italy make it. The snake’s eyes are chips from emeralds I found in Thailand.”
“Huh. Me ’n Kemper found a snake in his mom’s garden once. He had yellow eyes.”
Seth shrugged. “I guess I could have had his eyes made from citrine—that’s a yellow stone. But I was stoked from finding a nice cache of emeralds that I sold at the Vicenza gem fair.”
For a second the boy’s expression went totally blank, then he picked up his fork and began eating again.
Obviously emeralds didn’t impress the kid. Seth had encountered that dismissive look before in some adults who learned what he did. Usually not from women who wanted him to give them expensive jewelry. Perhaps that’s what he hoped to find in a woman—someone genuinely interested in him, not the gems he unearthed.
Seth saw Lila on her way toward him, juggling what were most probably his empty mug and two coffeepots. As she made her way between tables, she paused to refill cups, including for the table of ranchers who’d waylaid her after she’d taken his order. She had a ready smile that Seth liked. In fact, he found a lot about her to like—very attractive, hardworking, patient, a good mom.
Finally reaching their booth, she set the mug in front of him. “You didn’t specify leaded or unleaded. I brought both.”
“I’ll take regular so I have enough energy to go for a run after I get back to the ranch.”
She poured from the pot with the brown top. “Do you run every evening?”
“When I can.” He caught her studying his torso. “I’m blessed with good genes. But much of my work requires climbing mountains, which demands that I stay in good shape.”
“I know you’re a gem hunter. I saw Myra’s wedding band. She told us you found the stones, had them cut and set with diamonds. The colored stones are pretty. Blue at times. Purple at others.”
“Tanzanite. They’re only found in Tanzania and are becoming quite rare.”
“Do they just lie around on the ground?” Lila shifted the coffeepots.
Seth laughed. “Most quality gems are dug out of pockets in mountainsides. Rough-cut stones look very different from the finished product you see set in rings or necklaces.”
“Oh.” The bell announcing an order up dinged a couple of times, causing Lila to turn her head. “Your salad’s ready. Would you like a roll and butter with that?”
“No, thanks. I’m probably going to lose the race to Rory. He’s been shoveling his in while we’ve been talking.”
Lila shifted her gaze to her son’s side of the table and her eyebrows rose in surprise. “He is. Shocking. It’s always a battle to get him to eat vegetables, especially green ones. How’d you get him to listen to you?”
Rory answered. “Seth said I need to eat vegetables if I want to hit a home run. And he knows, ’cause don’t you remember me telling you Mr. Zeke said Seth got trophies for playing baseball?”
Lila bobbed her head, but before the conversation advanced further she was called away to replenish coffee at another table. She soon scurried back with Seth’s salad and was off again.
Seth had decided to let Rory win their eating contest if need be—to help his ego, and so that maybe he’d be happier to eat vegetables in the future. But then wondered if letting a kid win was like throwing a game?
Had his folks ever held back and let him or Zeke come out victorious? He didn’t want to think they had. He wanted to think he and his twin had been good enough to win on their own. But he’d definitely ask his dad the next time they spoke. He and Zeke had always had their father as a role model. Who did Rory Jenkins have? It must be hard when a boy only had one parent and she worked two jobs. And Rory seemed as if he understood that his mom was doing her best to make a living.
Rory waved his empty bowl in front of Seth who, himself, was slightly half done.
“I get chocolate pudding before you,” the boy crowed.
“So you do. And well deserved. Your mom’s swamped. Maybe you should take your bowl and show your grandmother. Isn’t she the keeper of the pudding?”
“Yeah.” So saying, he slid out of the booth and headed off with his bowl.
Seth had taken another few bites when Zeke walked up. “We’re going home,” he said. “One of the things that came up during our meeting was that a couple of the larger ranches haven’t finished branding their calves yet. Generally they hire extra help, but it seems with our long, harsh winter, not as many cowboys needing part-time work came this far north.”
“You’re telling me...why? You think I should sign on to brand calves?” Seth’s laugh rolled up from his belly.
Zeke laughed, too. “It’s not that I don’t think you could learn like I did. But late as it is for them to drive their cattle to summer grass pastures, there’s no time to train anyone. I’m telling you this because I volunteered to give them a hand the next few days. Which means a delay in roofing my barn. I didn’t figure you’d be too bent out of shape. This way you’ll get more time to fish. I hear the steelhead are running. Oh, and Lila’s mom will buy your catch.”
Seth blotted his mouth with his napkin. “I’m not sure I’m keen to fish these swift rivers alone. But Gavin brought up something that snagged my interest. He said before coming here he read up on the area, and some articles said gem hunters have found sapphires near here. Have you heard that?”
“Yep. In fact I told Myra if I mentioned it to you, you’d be sure to visit. Then you phoned to say you’d decided to come and our wedding coincided... Frankly the sapphires slipped my mind.” He glanced around the room. “You might want to ask some of the older guys for specifics.”
“Cool. I’m no stranger to going online to ferret out information. And a county courthouse will have the facts on what kind of permits are needed and such.”
“That’d be in Wolf Point. Not hard to find. It’s where Myra and I went for our wedding license. So it sounds as if you’re okay having a few days to yourself?”
“I am.” Looking past Zeke, Seth saw Rory coming back, carrying a bowl of pudding and wearing a big smile.
“In fact, this morning Lila said her horses needed to be ridden more. I may carve out time to go take a look at the hills beyond here now that I know they may yield some nice gems. Say...how long has Lila lived in Snowy Owl Crossing? Maybe she’ll know where sapphires were found. They’re probably in defunct mines.”
Zeke lowered his voice. “Ixnay on asking Lila, dude,” he murmured as Rory approached the booth. “Her husband died in a mining accident.” The last bit he imparted half under his breath since the boy noisily plopped down his bowl and spoon and reclaimed his seat.
As Seth tried to digest what Zeke had said, he crushed the napkin he held. Startled by the information about Lila’s husband, he quickly decided he’d get particulars on sapphires from another source. He wouldn’t want to cause Lila any anxiety.
Myra broke off talking to the couple at another table and signaled Zeke that it was time to go.
“Call or text me after you finish helping your neighbors,” Seth said. “In addition to what I said I may do, I may play catch with my little buddy here after he gets out of school.”
“Really?” Rory stopped licking pudding off his spoon and his eyes widened. “Really?” he repeated, exhibiting more excitement. “I wanted to ask you, but my mom said no. Oh, but I need a bat. And a mitt that fits,” the boy added glumly. “She never has time to shop, ’cause she works so much.”
“Equipment isn’t a huge deal,” Seth told him.
“Gotta take off, bro.” Zeke squeezed his twin’s shoulder. “Cost for new stuff could turn out to be a big deal. Perhaps you should’ve spoken with Rory’s mom first,” he said, a vague warning in his tone. “Pride, you know,” Zeke added.
“I will. Go on, get outta here and let me finish my supper or I won’t have time to order any of that chocolate pudding before they close the café.”
“It was good,” Zeke called back with a grin as he moved off and slipped his arm around his wife.
“Will you talk to my mom? She’s thinking about signing me up to play on Kemper’s Little League team. But she can’t seem to decide. Maybe we can’t afford it.”
Seth registered Rory’s downcast demeanor. The poor kid felt let down a lot. But there could be legitimate reasons his mom held back on signing him up to play ball. “How do you do in school?” Seth asked.
Sitting straighter Rory pulled his spoon out of the pudding and stuck it in again. “In school how?”
“In your classes. How are your grades?”
The kid hiked both skinny shoulders and dolefully eyed Seth, who continued to work on finishing his salad.
“I dunno. Mom’s not happy if I don’t get As on my report card. But Memaw says she got some Bs. Memaw says only Ds and Fs are bad. I never get those.”
“Who’s Memaw?”
“You know... Memaw.” Rory stabbed his finger toward the kitchen just as Lila whipped back to their table carrying the coffeepot.
She gestured with it after topping off Seth’s mug. “In Kentucky where my mother grew up, grandparents were called memaw and papaw. I asked her preference when Rory was born. Here people go by grandma and grandpa. But she chose memaw.”
Seth grinned. “Whatever makes her happy?”
“Right. I don’t know about your mother, but when it comes to guilt trips, mine is the biggest travel agent in the world.”
Tipping his head back, Seth laughed long and loud. “Sorry, that description could fit my mother, too.”
Lila wagged a finger at her son. “Don’t you dare tell Memaw what I said. It’s a joke, honey, okay?” Returning her attention to Seth, she grew serious. “It looks as if you’re finished. Do you want anything else or just your check? We close in half an hour.”
“If that gives me time for chocolate pudding I’ll have some. Otherwise I’m good to go. Oh, but something I wanted to discuss with you before I take off... How would you feel about me playing catch with Rory after school? I used to play a lot. I’ve taught kids in underdeveloped countries. Maybe if you agree, I could give Rory a few batting tips, too.”
Rory’s eyes widened. “I didn’t ask him, Mama. Honestly!”
“No, he didn’t ask. Zeke suggested it. And since my brother is going to help some ranchers and is delaying the roofing, I’ll have some free time.”
Lila fidgeted. “Rory comes here to do his homework after school. But...it is staying lighter longer. If we get home before dark and you’re around, I’m sure he’d love some tips. But I don’t want him bugging you,” she quickly added when her son did two fist pumps and squealed “Yeesss!” with an ear-to-ear grin.
Seth darted a glance between them. He and Zeke had always had each other to play ball with when no adult was around. “I feel bad that Rory is stuck playing catch with a dog.” He said it, but still worried that he might be treading on thin ice with the boy’s mom. So it was with hesitation that he broached the next subject. “This morning Zeke and I saw Rory trying to play catch with Ghost. His ball is pretty tattered. And his glove seemed too big. I’ll be out tomorrow running errands. Would it be okay if I pick up some equipment more his size?”
Lila’s eyes narrowed markedly. Seth steeled himself to be told not only no but hell no from the sparks aimed his way. Funny—it also struck him that her eyes resembled fine, clear, aquamarine stones like those he’d found in Colorado, until hunting them had grown too dangerous due to landslides. But he’d done enough admiring her eyes. Her anger made him wonder if he’d overstepped and ruined everything for the kid.
Then as fast as her temper seemed to flare, her eyes lost their fire. “I know his stuff that I found at a garage sale is old. But I can’t afford outlandishly expensive things. Lori Barnes said her husband paid two-hundred-fifty dollars apiece for Kemper’s bats. I can’t recall what she said mitts cost.”
Seth shook his head. “Expensive doesn’t necessarily equate to better playing, especially at Rory’s age.”
“Keeping that in mind, I guess it’ll be all right if you buy some new stuff. But only if you promise to give me the bill. I know right now he’s anxious to play ball, but who knows if in a month he’ll stick with it? I’m just saying he doesn’t need equipment with Michael Jordan’s name on it or anything.”
“Mom!” Rory rolled his eyes. “Michael Jordan played basketball. You mean I don’t need a Derek Jeter bat.”
Breaking in, Seth said, “Jordan did play pro baseball for a time. He found he liked basketball better. But that’s not the point.” Glancing at Lila again he said, “I do recommend buying two or three Cal Ripken signature balls. I can probably find them for six bucks or so each. A good, solid ball doesn’t get out of round, providing he only lets Ghost play with the old one that’s already got teeth marks,” he added, turning his attention to Rory again.
Even Lila laughed at that. “I’ll go get your pudding,” she said, taking off but returning quickly with Seth’s dessert.
“Thanks.” He smiled at her. “I was afraid it’d be all gone.”
“Well, enjoy it, because it’s the last one.”
Seth didn’t dip right in. Instead he followed Lila’s progress to another table, registering that she looked good from every angle. Really good. Then it came flooding back—the tidbit that Zeke had imparted about Lila’s husband dying in a mine. Maybe, considering his career, he shouldn’t be admiring her. In fact, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to have offered to help Rory. He’d done it mostly because he was a sucker for sad-eyed kids. In the poor countries where he frequently hunted gems, he’d always bring baseballs or soccer balls to hand out to local kids. And he’d give them tips on game rules.
However, Snowy Owl Crossing wasn’t a village in a poor country. Seth tried to keep that uppermost in his mind as he polished off the pudding and listened to Rory prattle on about how excited he was to tell his friend Kemper that he got to learn baseball from somebody who had trophies.
Pushing his empty bowl aside, Seth dug out his wallet and peeled off bills enough for his meal and a substantial tip. He dropped the money on the table, stood and said to the boy, “Tell your mother I’m going back to the B and B. Remind her I plan to run. I may take Ghost again. As the only good place to run is along your lane, have her slow down a lot when she leaves the highway.” He left the café without checking on Lila’s whereabouts.
* * *
LILA CAUGHT SETH’S exit from the corner of her eye as she counted out change for Dave Ralston. He was a Cattlemen’s Association officer and generally lingered to book a date for their next dinner meeting.
“May we have the last Thursday in June, Lila? Same terms. You close during our business meeting and open to the public after we’ve all ordered food.”
Lila got the calendar on the shelf under the cash register. “Mom hasn’t scheduled anything else on that day, Dave. It’s yours for the taking.” Locating a red marker, she circled the date. “The quilters gather here, but they come after closing. Cattlemen are the only group that’s so big you require the whole restaurant.”
“I wish we could decide on meeting dates for a whole year at a time, but the ranchers can’t all commit so far in advance.”
“I know you used to meet at the Grange hall. Mom appreciates the extra business you’ve brought her since you started coming here.”
The leathery-skinned man grinned. “Our guys griped over only getting one kind of meal at the Grange. That’s because we hired a camp cook to come in. Now some gripe they can’t order a beer with meals here. When’s Doreen getting her alcohol license?”
“She’s applied. Shall I go ask? She’s putting dishes in to wash. Our helper called in sick, which has left Mom and me doing extra duty.”
“Nah, don’t bother her. She can’t get the state liquor board to move any faster. Hank Watson knows someone who sits on that board. I’ll ask him to nudge them. G’nite, Lila.” As he turned and walked toward the door, he saw Rory crossing the restaurant and he waved to the boy.
“Hey, you’ve grown a few inches since I saw you at the Thanksgiving bazaar. Is your mom going to hire you to help around the B and B this summer?”
Rory shook his head. “I’m a kid. I was only nine in April.”
“Then I guess you’ll enter the junior rodeo at the Wild Horse Stampede.”
“Huh?” Rory screwed up his face. “I wanna play Little League baseball. Seth’s gonna help me learn to throw good. And bat. He’s got baseball trophies. Mr. Zeke said.”
“So that’s who shared your booth? I thought he looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. Of course I only saw him at Zeke and Myra’s wedding.”
“Do you know why Seth left before I gave him his check?” Lila questioned her son.
“I brought his money. He left it on the table.” Rory scampered to the register and held up the greenbacks.
“Good luck with your ball playing,” Dave called and went on out the door.
Accepting the money, Lila counted it and pursed her lips. “Seth left too much. A lot too much,” she said. “Even adding in a tip it’s still too much.” And Lila wasn’t sure how she felt about getting a tip from someone who paid to rent from her. She quickly totaled his ticket, put the correct amount in the till and stuck what was leftover in her uniform pocket to return when she next saw Seth.
“Rory, will you lock the door? I’ll see if your grandmother needs me in the kitchen for anything.”
“I’ll sweep,” Rory said, tossing the words over his shoulder.
“Bless you. Let me wipe down the tables and get the chairs put up first.” She poked her head into the kitchen and spoke to her mom. “Do you need help or should I clean up out here? Rory volunteered to sweep tonight.”
“I have the kitchen under control. Could you count out the till? And if you wouldn’t mind making a night deposit on your way home, it’ll save me walking to the bank. I’ll admit I thought it a waste of money when you hired a student to help when we host big meetings. In her absence today it brought home how many steps she saves me. My legs never used to get this tired.” Doreen shook her head and wiped her hands on her apron.
Lila stepped fully into the kitchen. “Are you all right, Mom? I don’t know when the last time was that I ever heard you complain about anything.”
“Like mother, like daughter.” Doreen aimed a pointed frown at Lila. “When were you going to tell me about driving your car into a ditch last night?”
“Uh, never. I didn’t want you to worry. Who told you?”
“Rory. And by the way, just who is the man who rescued you? How is it that you’re letting him buy baseball equipment for Rory? Is he the guy I saw seated with my grandson? He and some other young men came in for lunch a couple of days this week. I thought they were visitors passing through town.”
“They were all in Myra’s wedding. You were too busy with the reception, I think, to have met them. Three are gone now. Seth Maxwell stayed. He’s Zeke’s twin and rents from me. He’s who sat with Rory tonight. But, Mom, I fully intend to reimburse him for any baseball stuff he purchases.”
“Why would he purchase anything?”
“According to what Zeke told Rory, his brother was good enough at baseball to have scouts after him. He’s offered to give Rory pointers. Rory’s so anxious to play, why not take advantage of his expertise?”
Doreen began pulling pans from the dishwasher and banged them around as she put them away. “I’m not blind, Lila. You spent a good deal of time tonight talking to him. I had to ring more than once to remind you of an order up. All I’m saying is you need to have a care that Rory doesn’t come to depend on a man who’ll be moving on. Kids, especially fatherless ones, wear their hearts on their sleeves.”
“You’re thinking about me—about how attached I got to Clay What’s-His-Name, that cowboy you dated for two or three years after we moved here.”
“Shafer. Clayton Shafer. Hard as it was on me to have him pull up stakes and go work at some ranch in Colorado, it was harder on you. You were ready to call him Dad. When he left, you cried a lot—and blamed me.”
“I remember,” Lila said slowly. “I’m sorry. Back then I didn’t understand that he was a cowboy drifter. I’ll keep that in mind now when it comes to Seth Maxwell.” Making an X over her heart, she eased out of the kitchen.
But Lila couldn’t shake off the exchange she’d had with her mother. An hour later as she drove home and every other sentence out of Rory’s motor mouth started with “Seth’s gonna teach me...” she honestly didn’t have the fortitude to dash his hopes. Learning to play ball so he could join his best friend’s team was all Rory wanted at this moment. And she’d had to refuse him things too much in his short life.
She could limit their time together. That’s what she’d do. Along with pointing out to her son that Seth was nothing but a coach. A temporary one at that.
Yes, that was a smart plan she decided, driving to the side of the house to park.
“We didn’t go in the ditch tonight,” Rory announced. “I forgot to tell you Seth might take Ghost for a run and he said you needed to slow down.”
“Oh, he did? Well, the house is dark except for the automatic porch light. That means all the guests, including Seth, have retired for the night.”
Rory yawned. “I’m sleepy, too.”
Inside Lila found Ghost snoring away in the laundry room. So if Seth had taken him for a run earlier, apparently they were both done in.
After tucking Rory into bed, Lila made her nightly visit to the kitchen, where she liked to wind down with tea. She was disappointed not to share Seth’s company tonight as they’d done the evening before.
“Whoa, girl,” she muttered. “Just...whoa!”
Skipping tea, she went to bed wondering why, when she’d never wasted time mooning over other guests, she could not get Seth Maxwell out of her mind.