"We're
not perfect for each other. I hardly know anything about him."
"Well,
let me tell you—"
"That's
not what I meant, Natalie. Yes, he seems to be a nice guy, but I don't have
time for any kind of relationship. I'm leaving for Billings in a month. I'll be
there for three years. Long distance relationships don't work."
"Just
get to know him, Liz. You never know where things will lead."
Mabel
returned with their drinks and winked as she stepped back. "Doctor Melton
has enough women chasing
him,
he won't miss you if you
don't pursue him, Elizabeth."
"I'm
not interested…"
"I'm
only giving you my opinion. He has enough of the women in this town panting
like their little dogs when he's around. Gorgeous and eligible around here gets
noticed rather quickly."
Elizabeth
closed her eyes. Everyone seemed to be interested in matching her up with Marcus,
not that she didn't think he would be a catch, but she couldn't take the time
to formulate anything with anyone, much less Marcus right now. He had his life and
she had to finish her residency.
Within
moments, their food arrived and they dug in as they talked about her niece and
nephew, her schooling, how things actually went down with Ari and what she
planned when she got to Billings. She mentioned the cattle. Natalie agreed
something suspicious seemed to be going on, especially when she mentioned this
was the second time in two weeks.
"Dad
is going to have the water tested in the pool. It seems the other incident
happened in the same location or close to it. Marcus mentioned the water might
have been contaminated by a dead animal or something."
"No
one has seen anything weird?"
"No.
I talked to Jackson, you know, Dad's foreman. He hasn't seen anyone except
Marcus up there." She tapped the fork in her hand against her lips.
"What?
You look like you're thinking of something."
"You
don't think…no, he can't be involved."
"Who?
Marcus?" Natalie slammed her fork down on the table and Elizabeth jumped.
"No way Marcus would be involved in something like this. He loves animals.
He'd never hurt one. Not even a cow."
"Why
would he anyway? It doesn't make sense."
"See?
Even you couldn't really believe he would behind something like this. It has to
be an accident."
"If
Dad didn't know the pool might be contaminated, he wouldn't know to keep the
other cattle away." Elizabeth cut off another piece of dumpling. "What
do you know about Dad's foreman?"
"Jackson?
Not much. He's been there for a few years, I guess."
"I've
never seen him before."
"I
think he avoided you the last several times you've been home. I doubt you two
have much in common. He's a cowboy after all." Natalie laughed. "I
know how you are about cowboys."
"Marcus
is a cowboy."
"That's
why I think it's so funny you're attracted to him.
Why such
an affinity for them?"
"I
went out with a few in high
school
. They always seemed
so egotistical and worried about themselves rather than the woman they're
with."
"Lost
your virginity to one?"
"Yep
and he dumped me the next day."
"That
was high school, Liz. Boys are more worried about getting laid than anything
else including girls."
"I
know, but it still hurt."
"I
can imagine so."
"Who
did you lose yours to?"
"A
guy in California named Jason Grant.
Football hero and
gorgeous.
We went out for about six months before we had sex. We lasted
another three before I dumped him."
"You
dumped the football star?"
"Yes.
He kept pressuring me to get married."
"Married
at eighteen?
No way!"
"Oh
yeah.
He wanted a wife on his arm when he went off to
college, but when I turned him down, he got mad at me.
Smacked
me around a bit.
I dumped him immediately." Mabel came over and the
girls ordered pie. "I wasn't about to put up with being smacked."
"I
would have dumped him too."
"See,
we're a lot alike you and I."
"In
some ways, yeah."
The conversation died when Mabel
returned with two slices of apple pie and ice cream. "How are the
kids?"
"Great!
Growing like weeds."
"So
when's are
you going to have another one?" Elizabeth
asked, running her observant gaze over Natalie's form.
"We
aren't for awhile. We really don't want anymore this soon."
"If
you're on birth control, you should be good."
"Yeah,
but I hope it works. I've missed a day here and there."
"Be
careful then until you get back on a schedule or you will end up being pregnant
before you want to."
Natalie
frowned as tears welled up in her eyes. "I hope if something like that
happened, Cade would be happy. I don't want to disappoint him. He's my
life."
"Oh
stop now. He loves you so much you two make me ill." She grabbed Natalie's
hand and squeezed. "Besides, he always said he wanted a big family."
"I
don't know how I got so lucky."
"I
do.
Your grandmother."
Natalie
laughed. "You aren't kidding. She's got her hands in everyone of the kids
who've gotten together lately. She even helped Delaney, Jake and Colby get
things straightened out."
"Speaking
of.
What's the scoop? I know Delaney and Jake got
married…"
"Oh,
they're in a nice little triad with Colby Mason."
"Seriously?"
"Yes,"
Natalie said, drying her eyes with the edge of the paper napkin.
"Apparently Jake and Colby had been lovers before. It's the reason Jake
took off right after high school even though he was in love with Delaney.
They've worked everything out now. They all live together as a happy
threesome."
"Those
threesome things seem kind of weird to me even though Emma is happy as a pig in
shit with Beau and Brandon."
"Isn't
she due with another little bundle soon too?"
"Yeah.
Last time I talked to her she was feeling like a cow and ready to burst any
day, but she still had a month to go."
"I
haven't talked to her in a couple of weeks. No one has mentioned her going into
labor yet so I figured she was still holding onto her little girl."
"It's
a girl?"
Natalie
nodded. "The last ultrasound showed a girl. Beau and Brandon are over the
moon. They'll have one of each."
"See,
I'm not sure I could keep two men happy. One would be plenty for me." She
glanced at Natalie and noticed her deep red blush. "I'd forgotten about
you, Cade and Kale. I didn't mean…"
"It's
fine. It was a onetime thing.
Something to try and be done
with.
We didn't plan to make it a permanent thing. I don't think your
brother would handle sharing me anyway. He's pretty possessive."
"
To each his own,
I guess. I think having two men might be
something to try." Natalie's blush deepened. "I could get some
pointers from you."
"Can
we talk about something else?"
"Oh,
come on Nat. You're not embarrassed by what happened, are you?"
Natalie
leaned over and whispered, "I don't broadcast it. Enough people in this
town know I dated both men, but I really don't want everyone knowing we had a
threesome."
"We'll
talk in private then one day. Okay?"
"Why
are you so interested? Do you really want me to tell you how your brother and
his best friend were in bed?"
"Not
details…well yeah maybe details just don't mention names."
Elizabeth glanced out the front windows, noticing Laurel Dunn standing near her
police car as she talked with a gangly young man. "How is Laurel with knowing
it happened?"
"We
don't discuss it, Liz. She knows. It's not like it happened more than
once."
"Did
you want it to?"
Natalie
sighed. "I'm not talking about this here and no, I didn't. I love your
brother. Nothing else mattered. Maybe you should discuss the threesome thing
with Emma if you want a permanent take on the whole thing."
"Maybe
I will."
Mabel
came by with refills on their sodas and the check. "Are you two finished?
Can I get you anything else?"
"No.
I think we're done, Mabel. Thanks," Elizabeth replied. "The food
melted on my tongue as usual. I'll make sure to be back before I leave
again."
"You
aren't staying, Elizabeth? I thought you were done with school?"
"School
yes, residency, no. I have to spend three more years working in the hospital in
Billings before I can practice."
"Are
you planning on coming back here when you're done?"
"Yes
ma'am. I plan on opening a practice here."
"Really,
Liz?
I didn't know you planned to stay. That's
fantastic!" Natalie said, taking out some money and handing everything to
Mabel. "Keep the rest for your tip."
"Hopefully
it will all work out. I need to get a really rounded education while I'm in
Billings so I can do family practice."
"You'll
be able to follow the kids and everyone then."
"I
know we need a doctor here in Red Rock so people don't have to go all the way
into Billings to be treated for minor things. I won't be doing surgery or
anything, but I can treat sprains, ear infections and whatnot. I want to put an
office right down at the corner where the old grocery store used to sit. It's
got plenty of room. I can divide everything up into exam rooms very easily.
Maybe Cade would help with the construction for me."
"You
know he would, Liz, but that's a few years down the road."
"I
know." She sighed. "I wish things would move a little faster. I'm so
ready to be done with all of this."
She
noticed over Natalie's shoulder, a tall, dark-haired man come into the diner.
When he removed his sunglasses and grinned, she couldn't help but smile back.
Of course, Natalie noticed. "Marcus, come join us."
"Hello
ladies. What are you two gorgeous girls doing sitting alone?"
"We
finished our lunch and were just about to leave."
"We
can stay a little longer, Liz. Refill our glasses, Mabel, and we'll talk to
Marcus while he eats his lunch."
"I
really should get back to the house."
"To
do what pray tell?" Natalie asked, not moving so Marcus had to slide in
the booth next to Liz.
"I'm
sure Dad has some kind of work I could be doing."
"I
just left there. Everything is fine."
"What
about the dead animals?"
"He's
having the water tested right now. Until the results come back, he's having the
hands put up a temporary fence around the watering hole. He's going to keep the
cattle down in the lower pasture."
"I
should be helping with the fence then."
"You
build fences too?"
"I
can. What's it to you?"
"Nothing."
He laughed. "You amaze me is
all.
You definitely
aren't the typical woman."
"I
was raised a rancher's daughter. We did those things. All of us helped whenever
something needed to be done. It didn't matter whether we were male or female and
Dad treated us all the same."
"No
offense, Liz. I think you'll make a wonderful rancher's wife someday."
"Thank
you…I think."
"It
was a compliment."
Mabel
returned to the table with a plate of the chicken and dumplings for Marcus. He
dug right in with gusto.
"Hungry?"
"Starving.
I hadn't eaten since last night's
dinner which, by the way,
thank
you for the meal."
"My
pleasure.
We should do it again before I
leave."
"How
about tomorrow evening?
I'll buy this time."
"Okay,
sure."
"Oh,
another date," Natalie added, clapping her hands.
"It's
not a date," the two said in unison.
"It's
just dinner, Natalie," Elizabeth replied. "We aren't dating."
"Nope.
No dating," Marcus said between mouthfuls of dumplings. "Casual
dinner is all."