Averil had been invited to Talulah’s for a girls’ night. Her mother had agreed to babysit, but she’d almost used the excuse that she couldn’t go because her mother wasn’t available. Two months ago, she would’ve turned down the invitation for sure. The animosity she’d felt coming from Ellen in particular seemed to be changing. Ever since they’d reupholstered the chair together, Ellen had been sending her links to inexpensive furniture and decorating ideas for her new apartment, some of which she’d actually used or planned to use.
Although Averil was still afraid to rely on those overtures, she got the impression Ellen was giving her a second chance, which was surprising. Ellen was so close to Talulah these days it would be all too easy for her to sabotage any kind of reconciliation.
“There you are!” Talulah said when she answered the door. “We were getting worried you wouldn’t be able to make it.”
Were they really? Or were they hoping she wouldn’t be able to make it?
She grimaced at her own skepticism as she handed Talulah a bottle of sparkling apple cider and the bottle of wine she’d just bought after spending more than twenty minutes in the grocery store trying to decide which kind to get. Since this was her first foray back into Talulah’s social circle, it seemed important she bring the right thing. Nothing too pretentious; that would come off as trying too hard. Nothing too cheap, or they’d assume she hadn’t contributed as much as she should. And nothing inconsiderate, hence the sparkling cider for those who were pregnant.
“Sorry if I’m a few minutes late. I had to drop off Mitch at my mom’s.”
“No problem. We’ve just been chatting. I don’t know if I told you, but Linda Redmond is coming over at eight to give us facials. Won’t that be fun?”
Linda was a stylist in town who had a large family and was currently going through a divorce. Averil guessed Talulah was trying to support her by giving her extra work. That was probably where the idea of a girls’ night had originated in the first place.
“Sounds great.”
Talulah stepped aside so Averil could come in. “She made it,” she called out to the others.
Averil entered the kitchen to find Jane and Ellen sitting in the breakfast nook—Ellen with a margarita and Jane with a glass of water with a slice of lemon.
Talulah set the wine Averil had brought on the counter and offered her a margarita.
“I’d love one,” Averil said.
After Talulah poured what was left in the blender into Averil’s glass, she carried it to the table, along with her own water, and sat down.
They talked and laughed until Linda arrived. Then they talked and laughed some more as they took turns getting exfoliated and hydrated. Although it took some time to grow comfortable, eventually Averil began to relax and enjoy herself. Talulah insisted the facials were on her—part of the party—so Averil was careful to tip well to show her appreciation and help Linda, too.
After Linda left, Averil assumed they’d break up and go their separate ways, but Talulah had a movie for them to watch—a chick flick she said Brant wouldn’t care for. Then they sat around on Talulah’s large, horseshoe-shaped couch, talking about Ellen’s engagement to Hendrix and when they might be having the wedding—they still hadn’t set a date and didn’t seem to be in any hurry, since they were already living together.
“How are things going with Jordan?” Ellen asked, swinging the conversation around to Averil.
Averil always felt self-conscious when Ellen mentioned Jordan. “I’m not seeing him anymore.”
Ellen didn’t seem surprised. “Why not?”
Averil finished the last of the wine she’d poured for herself and Ellen before the movie started. “Because you were right about him.”
Ellen drained her own glass, then made a face. “I was hoping he was different with you.”
“No. I just... When you go through a divorce, the rejection is pretty tough to deal with. I mean, if the man who was supposed to love you more than anyone else doesn’t want you anymore, you feel as though there must be something fundamentally wrong with you, and no one else will want you, either. At least, that’s how I felt. Jordan seemed like the best I could get—better than nothing, anyway.” Especially because she’d lost her closest friends, too. She’d felt as though she’d been tossed overboard in a vast, roiling and raging sea, and he was the only piece of driftwood she could find to cling to.
Ellen leaned forward. “You’re selling yourself too short. You know that, don’t you? You can get anyone you want. And you definitely don’t want Jordan. If Hendrix hadn’t been around the night Jordan followed me home, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”
Averil had heard he’d gotten physical with Ellen when their date hadn’t gone as planned, and she’d believed Ellen from the start, even though she’d pretended not to. Jordan had never gotten that angry with her, but that had only reinforced the idea that she wasn’t anyone he was all that interested in. She’d figured he must’ve wanted Ellen more. She was at such a low point in her life that every other woman she knew seemed more desirable. “That’s scary. But I doubt I’ll be hearing from him. I told him never to contact me again. Then I blocked him.”
“I’m glad,” Talulah said. “I hated to think he might be treating you the way he treated Ellen.”
“No.” Averil was sitting on the couch next to Jane, who reached over to squeeze her arm under the blanket they’d been sharing during the movie. Her smile was encouraging—it said she understood how difficult the past few years had been and that the transition she was making wasn’t easy—and Averil was grateful for the support.
Ellen, on the other side of Jane, kicked off her blanket. “Well, I for one am happy to hear you’re available because I have a friend I’d like to introduce you to.”
“Me?” Averil pressed a hand to her chest.
“Yes, you,” Ellen said. “I’ve had him in mind for a while. Thought I’d mention it if I ever got the opportunity. I used to work with him—before I moved to Coyote Canyon.”
“So...he’s a driller?” She liked the strong, rugged type. After dating Jordan, who was a dentist, and her ex, who was a salesman when he worked, she thought finding someone more like Hendrix—or Brant, although she didn’t want to acknowledge that now that she was sitting in his home with Talulah—would be a welcome change.
Ellen yawned. “Yep. Stephen is the nephew of the guy who owns the drilling company I used to work for.”
“Ross is the one who gave you your start, right?” Talulah said.
“The one and only.”
“But where does Stephen live?” Jane asked. “Not in Anaconda?”
“Anaconda’s not that far,” Ellen replied. “It’s a lot closer than Libby.”
That was true, but Averil had never expected anything serious to happen between her and Jordan. He’d merely been a placeholder for her—just as she’d been a placeholder for him. “What makes you think we might be a good match?”
“Well...he’s gorgeous, for one,” Ellen said. “And super nice. He’s also a hard worker, and he’ll probably inherit Ross’s business one day, so there’s some stability there.”
“Did you ever date him?” Averil asked.
Ellen grimaced. “Ew, no. He’s like a little brother to me.”
“Little brother?” Averil echoed. “How old is he?”
Ellen’s gaze shifted to Jane. “He’s Kurt’s age.”
“Five years younger than us?” That seemed like a lot to Averil, but she didn’t want to sound as though it was that big a deal, not with Jane in her current situation.
“There’s nothing wrong with dating a younger guy.” Ellen nudged Jane. “Is there?”
Jane blushed. “Kurt and I were never really...dating. We were...”
“Just sleeping together?” Ellen said with a laugh.
“He agreed to help me,” Jane finished lamely.
Talulah didn’t seem to find teasing Jane as enjoyable as Ellen did, probably because they were talking about her brother-in-law, and it was a serious situation. Averil had noticed that it’d been a little tense between them tonight. They didn’t interact as much as usual.
“But you enjoyed being with him,” Talulah said, watching Jane closely.
“He’s a great guy,” Jane said, which certainly wasn’t a denial.
“Have you two seen each other lately?” Talulah asked as she started to pick up the bags of chips and plates strewed about the coffee table.
When Jane shook her head, Averil saw Ellen exchange a glance with Talulah.
“Do you miss him?” Talulah prodded.
Jane began to rub her temples. “I don’t know.”
“I think you do,” Ellen said.
“What makes you think that?” Jane sounded surly, defensive, which wasn’t like her—but the pregnancy was changing a lot of things.
“You’ve been so quiet since you found out you’re expecting,” Ellen replied. “Just tonight, I’d look over at you while the rest of us were talking, and you’d be gazing off into space, your mind a million miles away.”
Creases formed in Jane’s forehead. “I’ve been thinking about my baby, and what might be best for him or her.”
“You haven’t been thinking of Kurt?” Ellen challenged.
“No,” Jane insisted, but Averil was the one who heard what she had to say each morning when she wasn’t watching her words quite so carefully. She could’ve jumped in and told Talulah and Ellen that Kurt was all Jane had been able to talk about lately. But she didn’t want to betray Jane’s confidence.
“Why would anyone turn away a man like Kurt?” Talulah asked.
“I’m not turning him away,” Jane said. “He’s not exactly banging down my door, okay? I haven’t heard from him. And...I’m not sure I’m ready to settle down. I feel like I’ve been standing at the gate, waiting to bust out of this town for so long. It’s hard to simply add another padlock.”
“I get it,” Averil said so that it wouldn’t seem as though they were ganging up on her. After all, she felt most loyal to Jane, who’d forgiven her first.
“I get it, too,” Talulah said. “I just don’t understand how you’ll find anything better than what you have right here.”
Jane didn’t say anything, but Averil knew she was worried about that, too.
Would she be missing out on something special? Would she regret not including her baby’s father in her life, too?
Since she’d learned about the pregnancy, those questions swirled around in Jane’s mind almost all the time. She’d never been more torn, worried and distracted. The decision she made could make a huge difference to her future. Was she being selfish by moving on with her original plan? Did she even want to? Because recalling what Brant had told her about Kurt’s feelings made that even harder...
She didn’t have a good answer—mostly because there were times when she wanted to see Kurt badly enough that nothing else seemed to matter. She was so tempted to give in to that desire, to tell herself it was okay to see him—for now. But she knew where that could possibly lead. Would she be locking herself in Coyote Canyon and throwing away the key?
She got a call as she was pulling into her driveway after leaving Talulah’s and was surprised to see her sister’s number, especially so late. Kate had watched Papa a few times while Jane was at the store, as usual, but she’d been careful to come after Jane left and leave before Jane could get home. This was the first time she’d called since Jane had told her about the baby.
“Hello?”
“I fed Papa spaghetti and meatballs tonight—in case he can’t remember. Just wanted to let you know so you won’t cook the same thing for him tomorrow.”
“Got it. Thanks for coming over and being with him while I went out.” Papa had mentioned she was coming by, so Jane had felt free to stay and enjoy herself, which was nice.
“He’s my grandfather, too,” she snapped.
“I understand that. I just...” Kate was obviously still angry with her. Jane didn’t want to discuss what her responsibilities might be where Papa was concerned versus what constituted a favor. That was a minefield. When it was convenient to help, Kate acted like she was only fulfilling her responsibility. When it was inconvenient, she acted as though she was putting herself out for Jane. That grated on Jane, who had to carry the heavy end all the time. But she didn’t want to create an even greater divide between her and Kate. Papa had done more for Jane, so Jane did more for him. She tried to leave it at that.
“No problem,” Kate said. “He told me you’re getting married, by the way. Is that true?”
Jane stiffened. Judging by the pique in Kate’s voice, she wouldn’t be happy if Jane got together with Kurt. She probably thought it was bad enough that they were having a baby together. But Jane had been watching Talulah closely tonight and couldn’t miss how happy she was. The way Talulah’s eyes lit up when she talked about her husband made their marriage seem pretty damn idyllic. But Talulah had had the chance to leave Coyote Canyon. She was gone for twenty years before she returned.
“No,” Jane said. “He’s confused. I told him I’m having a baby.”
“They’re almost one and the same to him. Back in the day, if you got pregnant, you got married.”
Was that a leading statement to see if she was considering a relationship with Kurt? Jane wished she could allay her sister’s fears, but there were moments when she did want to be with Kurt. She was just afraid to reach for what Talulah and Brant had for fear her wanderlust would eventually overcome her and she’d feel the need to back out. It would be much worse to leave him later than to never get with him in the first place.
“Papa doesn’t understand that times have changed and that the last thing you want to do is get married,” Kate added.
Jane turned off the engine but didn’t leave her car. She thought of how it felt to make love with Kurt—those memories were never far from her mind—how easily he could make her laugh, what it would be like to have his warm body in bed with her on a regular basis. She’d feel safe, protected.
Would she be happy, too? “How are things with Will?” She couldn’t reassure Kate, so she changed the subject, hoping for a reprieve.
“He’s on his best behavior. He’d better be if he doesn’t want me to leave him again.”
Jane wondered how long his good behavior would last. Would he still be true after they were married? What about once Kate had a couple of kids or gained a few pounds? Kate had already proved that she’d put up with his cheating. Jane didn’t think that had set a good precedent. “I’m happy to hear it.”
“So...are you excited about the baby?”
“I am.” But she was equally uncertain about so many things.
“Have you seen a doctor yet?”
“I have. I had to drive halfway to Anaconda, but I saw a woman named Dr. Hazar, and I love her.”
“When are you due?”
“Around December 19.”
“Wow. That’s close to Christmas.”
“Not ideal, considering that’s my biggest selling season, but at least I should be able to get through most of it before I go into labor. If I’m late, I might even make it all the way.”
“Have you told Mom and Dad about the baby yet?”
Jane was quickly coming to realize how many people her decision affected. She hadn’t told her mother. She’d had several opportunities but had procrastinated, despite knowing Kate could say something before she did.
Maybe she was hoping Kate would do just that. It was starting the conversation that seemed hard. “Not yet.”
“You’d better hurry. They still talk to people here in Coyote Canyon, so if word starts to get out...”
“I will.”
Kate paused, as if she’d keep pushing but must’ve decided against it because her next question was about something else entirely. “How have you been feeling?”
“Nauseous most of the time.”
“Really? Yet you’ve been working?”
“I have no choice. At least I work for myself so I can run to the bathroom and throw up if necessary. And the weekend’s here. Tomorrow is a busy day but a bit shorter.” Then Sunday was even shorter, and she had Monday off. She felt like she was going into the home stretch.
“Who watches the store when you’re in the bathroom?”
“No one.”
“You leave it unattended?”
“I’m not far away, and nothing’s gone missing yet.”
A few moments of silence ensued, then she said, “I’ll try to help out more with Papa.”
“I appreciate that,” Jane said, but she knew her sister’s support would wither if she changed her mind about Kurt.
That didn’t matter, though, because she wasn’t going to change her mind about Kurt—was she?
Averil had intended to go home at the same time Jane did, but Ellen wanted to show her something on her phone—a desk/dresser combo for Mitch’s room that someone was selling secondhand—so she got held up, and once Jane was gone, they fell into another conversation, this one about Jane.
“She’s making a mistake where Kurt’s concerned,” Talulah said. “He’s such a great guy. She’ll never find a better man.”
“This is more about timing,” Ellen said. “She wants to get out and see the world, not settle down in the same small town in which she was born and raised. Coyote Canyon isn’t where she wants to spend her life.”
Talulah frowned. “And I can’t see Kurt going anywhere else. He works on his family’s ranch—that’s his inheritance. What would he do in a big city, anyway?”
“He could help her with her store, I guess,” Ellen suggested.
“I can’t imagine he’d be happy doing that,” Talulah said.
Averil started to clean up, too. “Maybe they could go away for a while and then come back in a few years.”
“It’d be weird for him to leave,” Talulah insisted. “He couldn’t just walk away and then expect to return and have everything remain equal between him and his brothers.”
“You faced a similar choice about whether to stay,” Ellen said. “Are you happy that you married Brant?”
“Of course. But I’d had the chance to see what was out there, in the bigger world. Jane’s been handcuffed to Coyote Canyon since she was a child.”
“She longs for freedom,” Averil agreed.
“Then I guess she’s already made her choice.” Talulah sounded resigned.
“Actually, I don’t believe that’s the case.” Averil wanted to be careful not to reveal too much of what Jane had shared with her. But she also agreed that Jane wouldn’t find a better man than Kurt and knew, from being a single mother herself, how important a good companion could be, how easy it would be for her to regret walking away at this particular time.
Talulah, her hands filled with empty glasses, had been walking toward the kitchen but turned back. “What do you mean?”
“She cares more for Kurt than she wants to admit.”
“She talks about him when you have coffee together?” Ellen asked.
Averil was hesitant to admit it. Would Jane get upset with her for sharing what she knew? She didn’t want it to cost her the closeness she’d begun to feel with Jane. That was part of the reason she’d been so much happier of late and could cut Jordan out of her life. And yet...Jane’s ultimate well-being was more important than anything. So she nodded. “All the time.”
A contemplative expression came over Talulah’s face.
“What?” Ellen said, noticing that look, too.
“Maybe...maybe even in this small town it’s too easy for them to avoid each other.”
“You’ve got an idea...” Averil said.
“I do.” Her lips curved into the grin of the Cheshire cat. “I think it’s time we went to the lake.”
“The lake?” Averil echoed. She knew the Elways owned a boat and went water-skiing, and the weather was finally getting warm enough that they’d be able to do that soon. But how would one day of water-skiing help anything?
“A few months ago, Mick Miller, who owns the feedstore, offered to let Brant and I stay at his cabin at Canyon Ferry Lake for a week. We weren’t sure we’d be able to go—it’s hard for us to get away from our jobs—but we said we might go in May, for Brant’s birthday. We just talked about it last night and said we should probably cancel. But instead of doing that, I think we need to find a way to make it work, and we need to make sure Jane and Kurt are both there with us, away from this small town and the pressures of their jobs, where they can unwind and simply enjoy each other.”
“Maybe they’ll discover they can’t live without each other,” Ellen said, catching on.
“But Jane has a business, too,” Averil pointed out. “And her grandfather to take care of. I don’t think she’d ever leave, not for a whole week.”
“Maybe we can get Kate to agree to take care of Papa while she’s gone.”
“And I’m sure Hendrix would support me if I took a few days off so I could cover the store for her,” Ellen said.
Averil had her own job working for the man who’d offered the cabin, but she could stand in for Ellen when she wasn’t at the feedstore. “I can help with that,” she volunteered, getting into the spirit of what they were planning. “I can cover evening hours and go in on my days off so you can have some time to work, too.”
“You can work nights at Jane’s store?” Ellen said. “What about Mitch?”
“He can be there with me, doing his homework and helping customers. He’s old enough that he won’t cause a problem. And we live above the store, so he could even watch TV upstairs or go to bed before I close.”
Ellen used her fingers to spike the front of her hair, which, right now, was shorter than Hendrix’s. “But will Kurt feel he can get away?”
“Brant could ask his father to help Ranson and Miles while we’re gone,” Talulah replied. “I doubt we’ll run into a problem there, not if it’s only for a week.”
“Great,” Averil said. “So it should be possible, if we pull together and cover for them. But...how will you convince both of them to go? After hearing everything Jane’s said, I think Kurt’s afraid of getting hurt, and she’s afraid of making the wrong decision, so they’re avoiding each other. You heard her earlier tonight. She said Kurt hasn’t even called.”
Talulah nibbled at her bottom lip. “Getting them both all the way to Canyon Ferry without the other knowing might be tricky. Brant can probably devise something for Kurt, but—”
“Ranson and Miles won’t cause a problem because they weren’t invited?” Ellen broke in.
“They probably won’t like it,” Talulah allowed. “But it’s understandable that we can’t take all of them away from the ranch at the same time.”
“True,” Averil said. “I’m guessing Jane will be harder to convince than Kurt. She won’t want to leave Papa even if we get Kate to help out.”
“She seemed to enjoy coming over tonight,” Ellen pointed out.
“Tonight was a girls’ thing, and it didn’t take her too far from him,” Averil responded.
Talulah screwed up her face in thought, but before she could say anything else, Brant walked through the door, interrupting their conversation.
“Did I come back too early?” he asked when he saw that Averil and Ellen were still there.
Ellen threw away the dirty napkins she’d collected from the coffee table. “No, we were just leaving.”
While Brant helped himself to some of the snacks they’d left, Averil and Ellen carried the rest of the dirty dishes into the kitchen. Then Talulah walked them both to the front door. “I’ll think of something,” she promised as they went out, and Averil knew—as did Jane, no doubt—that she was talking about Operation Canyon Ferry.
“Okay,” they both said and waved.
After she’d said goodbye to Ellen, too, who was walking home since she lived right next door, Averil smiled to herself as she climbed behind the wheel of her car. Things really were looking up for her. Whatever had happened between her and her friends, it was over now—thank God—and, boy, did it feel good to be back.