Bear Lake Grammar School, home of the Grizzlies according to the sign outside, was a one-story brick building about three blocks from the town’s main street. There were still cars parked in the lot, presumably belonging to the teachers. Only a handful of students were hanging around in front of the school waiting to be picked up.
Paige hurried in through the double-door entrance, Jay right with her.
“Principal’s office is on the left,” he said.
She wheeled in that direction and pushed open the door without knocking. Sitting on a nearby chair, Bryan had his elbows on his thighs and his chin resting on his fists.
Paige knelt down in front of him. “Are you all right?”
He lifted his head. “I’m okay.”
Leaning in closer, Jay lifted the boy’s chin. “Looks like a cut lip. We ought to get some ice on that.”
Bryan’s gaze slid up to meet Jay’s. A faint smile lifted his lips. “Other guy has a black eye.”
Jay’s reaction was to bump fists with Bryan, as though he condoned giving another boy a black eye.
Far more worried about her young charge’s behavior, Paige asked, “Why were you fighting? Did the other boy start it?”
“Yeah, he did.” His gaze slid away from hers.
“He hit you first?” Outraged, Paige looked around to see if the other boy was also being detained.
“Not exactly,” Bryan admitted. “He sort of said something I didn’t like.”
“So you hit him?” She couldn’t imagine why Bryan would strike out at someone just because he’d said something unpleasant. “Surely you know you were in the wrong to do that.”
A woman in her mid-forties with brown hair graying at the temples stepped out of the office behind the counter. “I assume you’re here for Bryan,” she said. “I’m Mrs. Waterfield, the school principal.”
Paige got to her feet and extended her hand. “I’m Bryan’s aunt, Paige Barclay, his mother’s sister. And this is Jay Red Elk, my grandfather’s wrangler.”
Jay acknowledged the principal with a nod.
“I was so sorry to hear about Bryan’s mother having such a terrible accident,” the principal said. “You have my condolences.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry Bryan started a fight. I know he’s upset about losing his mother, but—”
“As I understand the situation from Bryan,” Mrs. Waterfield said, “the fight was about something the other boy said about you, Miss Barclay.”
Paige’s mouth dropped open. Her brows lowering into a frown, she turned to Bryan. “What in the world did the boy say?”
Bryan fidgeted, shuffling his feet back and forth. He didn’t meet her eyes. “He’d heard about you trying to saddle Bright Star. He was making fun of you in front of all the guys.”
“How in the world did he hear about that?” Paige couldn’t imagine Jay had spread the word. Or Grandpa.
Bryan scrunched up his face. “He’s Nathan’s little brother.”
She knelt again, placing her hand on his knee. “You hit the other boy because of me?”
“I guess.” He glanced up at Jay. “People shouldn’t laugh at stuff like that.”
“You’re right, son,” Jay agreed in a tone that was both tender and loving. To Paige he said quietly, “I’ll have a talk with Nathan later.”
She nodded her thanks to Jay.
“Oh, Bryan...” A strange sense of joy filled Paige’s chest and tightened her throat. Instinctively, she reached out to him, pulling him into an embrace. He’d been trying to defend her. However misguided the impulse might have been, she cherished the knowledge that he cared. “I’m so sorry you felt you had to hit him. It’s never right to fight, you know.”
“Yeah, well, you’re my aunt and stuff.”
“Yes, I am.” Leaning back, she brushed his blond hair away from his forehead. “And I love you. But no more fighting, okay? Not about me or anything else.”
His shrug was an acknowledgment of her words, but not a promise.
She struggled to her feet again. “May we take him home now, Mrs. Waterfield?”
“Of course, but I would like a moment to talk with you alone, if you have the time.”
Jay got the hint. “Come on, buddy.” He snared Bryan’s arm. “We’ll meet you out at the truck.” As they went out the door, Jay slung his arm around the boy’s shoulders.
Paige turned expectantly to Mrs. Waterfield. “Is there another problem?”
“No, not a problem.” She clasped her hands in front of herself. “Bryan tells me you’re to be his guardian and you’ll be taking Bryan to Seattle. He’ll be living there with you.”
“Yes, that’s the plan. My job is there and I own a small condo.” Did the principal not approve? Was that what she had on her mind?
“I just wanted you to know we’ll miss Bryan. He’s been a fine student and a leader. I hope he’ll be happy living in Seattle.”
Paige heard an echo of doubt in the principal’s voice. “I’m hoping for that, too, Mrs. Waterfield. Very much so.”
As Paige left the office, she wondered if the principal had intentionally tried to get her to question the decision she’d made. But what other choice did she have? Paige couldn’t very well live here in Bear Lake. Her career was in the hospitality business. Not wrangling horses. Or working in a small-town diner or fast-food joint.
And that was about the only future a town like Bear Lake had to offer someone like her.
Krissy had to have known that when she appointed Paige as Bryan’s guardian.
* * *
The next afternoon, while Bryan was still in school, Paige groomed Peaches under Jay’s encouraging supervision.
“How’d you get into the hotel business?” he asked, handing her a brush for Peaches’s mane.
Paige suspected the question was meant to take her mind off horses and onto something else. She supposed it was his way of being kind. Sweet of him, even if it didn’t entirely work. But in fact she was mostly thinking about Jay and the easy way he had with horses. And wondering, if they weren’t at odds over Bryan, if something more than merely being polite might develop.
“Growing up in Lewiston, I kept dreaming of visiting faraway places. I knew I’d never have enough money of my own to travel very far, so I decided to major in the hospitality business.”
“Makes sense, I guess.”
“Trust me, it does.” Peaches turned her head to listen to the conversation. Idly, Paige petted her nose. “Particularly since I landed a job with Elite Hotels. They have properties all over England and Europe. I’ve already managed to visit a couple. It’s wonderful to see the countryside and learn about different customs and cultures. Someday, with a lot of hard work, I’ll be managing one of those hotels.”
“That’s a pretty ambitious goal. I’ve never felt the need to travel myself.”
“Not everyone does.” Jay seemed so content in his own skin. He knew his place in the world while Paige had struggled to find that sense of belonging that came so easily to him.
Which was one more reason she and Jay were so different. Just as she’d had different dreams than her own sister. And their parents.
* * *
Thursday afternoon, after she had finished brushing Peaches’s coat, she led the horse out of her stall and into the corral. A mild case of nerves caused her hand to shake. But the horse followed her just like a well-trained dog on a leash. Except Peaches was much bigger.
Jay grinned at her as she walked the horse back into her stall. “You’re looking like an old pro.”
“I don’t feel like one.” She gave Peaches one quarter of an apple and unsnapped the lead rope.
“I think you’ll be up on Peaches’s back any day now.”
She laughed, feeling good about her progress. “In your dreams, cowboy.”
* * *
Friday morning, Jay, Grandpa and Paige all climbed in Jay’s truck and left in time to be at Bryan’s school at ten o’clock for Game Day. It was beautiful and sunny with only a cloud or two in the blue sky. A light breeze moved the tops of pine trees, making their needles shimmer. Days like this didn’t often happen in Seattle, Paige mused.
Adults and children swarmed the playing field adjacent to the school. Babies in strollers and toddlers perched on their fathers’ shoulders watched the passing crowd in fascination.
This was the kind of event Paige had so wished her parents had attended when she was in school. Now here she was with Jay acting as parents should, taking an interest in the their child’s activities.
Except she and Jay weren’t a couple, and she was doing her best to be a good guardian for Bryan.
On the field, chalked lines designated running races, and a temporary stage had been set up for the presentation of awards.
Standing on tiptoe, Paige tried to spot Bryan in the crowd. “How will we know when Bryan is going to race?”
“They’ll announce the races over the loudspeakers,” Grandpa said. He looked flushed with excitement. Paige knew her cheeks were pink, too.
She did worry that Grandpa was breathing harder than he should be after such a short walk.
“I wish we could see him. I want to make sure he knows we’re here.” She remembered anxiously searching the audience to find her parents when she was playing for the student musicals in high school. More often than not, she was disappointed. She had tried hard to understand her parents were busy with the hardware store, but that did little to assuage the letdown she always felt in their absence.
The hardware store was their life. And their livelihood, she admitted.
“There he is.” Jay’s shrill whistle nearly pierced Paige’s eardrums.
She looked where he was pointing, spotted Bryan waving and waved back to him. Once she and Brian were in Seattle, she vowed to attend every event Bryan was in, no matter how inconvenient it might be for her. Then she remembered how annoyed her boss had been that she hadn’t returned to Seattle for the doctors’ conference.
This is way more important, Mr. Armstrong.
The loudspeaker sputtered. A male voice announced, “Fifth grade boys. Line up for the forty-yard dash.”
“That’ll be Bryan’s race,” Grandpa said.
“Follow me.” Using his size, Jay led them through the crowd to get closer to the starting line. Once there, he stepped behind Paige and Grandpa to give them the best view.
“Good luck, Bryan!” she shouted.
He gave her a cute little grin then put on his determined face again.
There was lots of jostling on the starting line as more boys joined the group.
Acting as the starter, Mrs. Waterfield raised her starting gun. “Ready. Set. Go!” The gun went off and away the boys went.
Bryan had a good start, but he was neck and neck with another boy.
Jumping up and down, Paige’s cheers mixed with Jay’s big booming voice and those of the other parents in the crowd.
The race was over too fast. The crowd near the finish line cheered.
“Did he win?” Paige asked.
“Couldn’t see,” Jay answered, stepping out into the first lane and craning his neck to get a better look.
She went right with him. “We should’ve stood near the end.”
But that hadn’t been necessary. Bryan broke away from the gaggle of boys and trotted back to them with a big grin on his face. He held up one finger. “I told you I’d beat Toby this year.”
“Way to go, kid.” Jay gave him a big high five. So did Grandpa.
Paige started to do the same. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her nephew and hugged him tight. “Congratulations, Bryan. I’m so proud of you.” For a moment, her eyes misted as she realized all that Krissy would miss not being here to watch her son grow up. I’ll take good care of him, Krissy. I promise.
As the games went on, Bryan won the baseball toss but he ran out of steam on the longer race that took the runners all the way around the playing field. Toby won that one. Bryan didn’t seem to mind too much.
The grand finale of the games was the tug-of-war between the fifth and sixth graders, boys and girls included.
Jay and Paige were maneuvering to find a good place to watch when she looked around for Grandpa. She’d lost track of him.
“What happened to Grandpa?” An uneasy feeling raised the hair on her nape.
“I don’t know.” Jay glanced over the crowd behind them. “He was right with us a minute ago.”
“Maybe he felt like he was getting too much sun and needed to find some shade.” She looked toward the narrow ribbon of shadows the school building cast, but didn’t see him. The temperature wasn’t all that hot, maybe seventy degrees. Unlike Paige, Grandpa was wearing a hat, as was Jay.
“I’ll go look for him.” Jay strode off toward the brick building.
Torn, Paige peered through the crowd. She’d really like to see the tug-of-war but was worried about Grandpa. For the moment, he’d have to be her priority. She jogged after Jay.
He checked the restroom while she stuck her head in the empty classroom nearest the playing field. He was sitting at one of the low desks, his head resting on the desktop.
“Are you all right?” Worry had her heart beating fast, and she sat down at the desk beside him.
He lifted his head. His face looked pale, his forehead beaded with sweat. “I’m fine, girl. Little too much excitement for these old bones is all.”
“Are you sure?” He didn’t look fine. Thinking he might be running a fever, she touched his forehead with the back of her hand. Despite the sweat, he didn’t seem too hot. “Do you need to go home? We can take you.”
“The games aren’t over, are they?”
Jay had come into the room. “Almost over. The tug-of-war is finishing up and then come the awards.”
“Well, then...” Grandpa straightened. “You two better get out there to see Bryan get his medals. I’ll wait here for you. The boy can show me when it’s all over.”
“I’ll stay with you, Grandpa. Jay can—”
“No, you both go on. I’ll rest here. I’ll be raring to go in a few minutes.”
Paige didn’t like the idea of leaving him alone. She didn’t like the way he was so pale yet sweating. Maybe she could get him in to see a doctor this afternoon. Over his strong objections, she imagined.
Just then a young woman she took to be a teacher stepped into the room. “Is everything all right here?”
Paige rested her hand on Grandpa’s shoulder. “I think my grandfather may have gotten too much sun.”
“That can definitely happen,” the teacher said. “Let me get him some water.” From a nearby cabinet, she produced a bottle of water. “Here you go.”
“Thank you so much.” Paige twisted the cap off and handed the bottle to her grandfather.
He took a long drink. “Now, you two go on. You want to see the boy get his medals.”
Still reluctant, Paige hesitated.
The teacher said, “I’ll keep an eye on him. Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
“We won’t be gone long, Henry.” Jay gestured for Paige to come with him. “You stay put and we’ll be right back for you.”
Relieved the teacher had agreed to stay with Grandpa, Paige followed Jay out of the classroom. “He looks sick to me. It may be something more than too much sun. I think I ought to stay.”
“The teacher will watch out for him for few minutes. Henry gets extra tired these days when he has to stand for any length of time. That’s why he sits to clean tack. I should’ve thought to bring a folding chair along today.” He took her hand and hurried them toward the crowd waiting for the awards to be presented.
Even as she was tantalizingly aware of Jay’s large hand wrapped around hers, Paige prayed that Grandpa was simply feeling his age. That the problem wasn’t more serious.
They reached the front of the stage as the last of the awards were handed out by the principal.
Bryan hopped down from the platform and ran toward Jay and Paige, his medals swinging on red, white and blue ribbons around his neck.
“Hey, buddy, you did good.” They high-fived.
Paige lifted the medals to get a better look. “If these were made out of real gold, you’d be a pretty rich kid.” Filled with pride at his success, she ruffled his sweaty blond hair.
“Where’s Grandpa?” Bryan asked.
“He’s resting in one of the classrooms,” Jay said. “He got too much sun. Let’s go show him your medals.”
The school bell rang, announcing lunchtime. Children hastily told their parents good-bye and raced for the cafeteria.
“Okay. But I gotta get my lunch soon. It’s pizza day. I don’t want ’em to run out.”
“No problem. I’ll race you.” Jay took off, giving himself a head start.
“Hey, wait!” Bryan pounded after him.
Paige followed, worry about Grandpa hurrying her pace. Although, by the time she reached the celebration in the classroom, he seemed to have recovered. His color looked good, his enthusiasm high for Bryan’s accomplishments.
Bryan didn’t hang around long before he dashed out to buy his lunch.
As Paige rode back home in Jay’s truck, she relived the morning, etching every exciting moment in her memory. This is what it feels like to be a parent. She wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
Nor would she have missed the lingering warmth of Jay’s hand as he held hers.
* * *
After lunch, Grandpa firmly refused to see a doctor. Instead he went to his room to take a nap. Despite her concern, Paige couldn’t very well order him to be checked by a doctor.
So, with a sense of anticipation, Paige went out to the barn hoping for another horse grooming lesson from Jay.
To tamp down her bubbling excitement, she firmly reminded herself that in another week, after the guardianship hearing, she and Bryan would be in Seattle. She’d probably only see Jay once or twice a year, so there was no reason to expect more than a casual relationship during the remaining time she’d be in Bear Lake.
Inhaling the now familiar scents of horse, leather and hay, she walked to Peaches’s stall and stopped abruptly. Her gaze skittered to Jay, who was saddling the horse. Disappointment took the fizz right out of her.
“I guess Peaches is going on a trail ride, huh?” Although she hadn’t seen any would-be riders gathering at the corral and Nathan didn’t seem to be around.
“Nope. No trail ride.” Jay made sure the saddle was firmly in place. “I figure you’re ready for a short stroll around the corral.”
“On top of Peaches?” Her throat constricted.
His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Unless you’d prefer a piggyback ride.”
No, she didn’t think that was a good idea, for far different reasons than her fear of getting on a horse—and falling off.
“I thought I’d still be grooming her,” she protested.
“You already wield the brush like an old pro. Unless you want to spend the time learning to clean hooves.”
She wrinkled her nose. That didn’t sound like fun, and it meant she’d be within kicking distance of the horse.
He untied Peaches’s lead rope. “Come on. I’ll be right beside you the whole time. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” He led the horse out of her stall.
Paige stood frozen in place for a moment. She could go back to the house. Maybe find something to read. Or she could go for a walk. She still hadn’t strolled up the dirt road to see where it led.
But without her permission, her feet followed Jay instead of running the other way. It was as if Krissy’s boots had a mind of their own and were determined to return to their old life stuffed into a pair of stirrups.
Jay had the horse tied to a railing. “Come on, I’ll boost you up.”
He clasped his hands together. Grabbing the saddle horn, she placed her foot in his hands and up she went.
“Oh,” she cried, clinging tightly to the horn for fear she’d slip off. Memories of her fall off the horse as a child sent chills down her back and made her leg ache.
“You okay?”
No! “It’s so high up here.”
Chuckling, he fussed with the stirrups. “Wait ’til I get you up on Thunder Boy.”
She rolled her eyes. That was so not going to happen.
He checked to be sure the stirrups were the right length. “Now sit comfortably kind of back in the saddle. Squeeze your knees to hold on to the horse.”
Use her knees? He had to be kidding. Her legs were bowed around Peaches’s girth, only to have Paige’s feet pointing in opposite directions, like an awkward plié; no way could she squeeze anything.
“Maybe Peaches needs to go on a diet,” she muttered.
His mouth quirked into an amused smile as he handed her the reins. “I want you to hold the reins loosely in your left hand. You’re not going to do anything with them this time. Just hold them.”
“If I hold the reins, I’ll have to let go of the saddle horn with that hand.” That seemed like the most obvious thing in the world to her. And, at the moment, the most dangerous.
“Seems that way, doesn’t it?”
She closed her free hand so tightly around the horn her knuckles turned white.
He untied the lead rope from the railing and patted Peaches on the nose. “I’m going to walk you around the corral now just like you walked her yesterday.”
“Except I wasn’t riding her then.”
Jay stepped away from the railing. She rocked in the saddle with each step Peaches took. Paige closed her eyes. I do not like this. No, I don’t. I do not like this at all. In her head, she sounded like the Grinch in the land of Who.
“You’re doing great, Paige. Open your eyes. Enjoy the view.”
She peeked. To her surprise they were halfway around the corral. The sun cast shadows from nearby trees, turning a part of the corral into a variegated pattern in shades of brown. She caught sight of the blue waters of Bear Lake down the hillside. But most of all, she saw Jay looking up at her. His rugged jaw relaxed into a smile. His eyes shone with encouragement.
Her heart did a tumble. Had anyone ever looked at her in quite that way? With approval? Pride? And something that seemed to be much more?
They reached the place where they had started.
“You want to go around again?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I think that’s enough for today.”
“You’re sure? I’ll let you steer if you want.”
“Definitely not,” she said with a laugh.
He looped the lead line over the railing. “Down you come then.”
She swung her leg up over the horse’s rump. His large hands closed around her waist, warm and strong, as he eased her to the ground. She turned to look up at him.
Their eyes met, and something electric sparked between them. Something that defied explanation. A snap. A connection.
“You were terrific.” Slowly, he lowered his head.
When his lips touched hers, a shiver of yearning quickened her heartbeat, and her breath lodged in her lungs. Excitement churned through her midsection. Dreams she had never dared to dream raced through her head. The kiss didn’t last long. The quick brush of his lips on hers was almost like a reward for a job well done. Even so, she continued to feel the imprint of his warmth. The sweetness of his kiss.
He took a step back, leaving her slightly unsteady on her feet.
“How about we go around twice tomorrow?” His voice sounded raspy, breathless.
She didn’t know how to answer. It didn’t matter. No matter how hard she might try, his kiss had left her unable to form a coherent thought.