“It’s been a while, but not that long.”
Old Bill shrugged.
“It’s not like I went anywhere. Damn.”
Bill picked up a rag and wiped the glass-topped counter.
Cade strode through the diner to the side room, which was reserved for parties in the evening, and unofficially, for the farmers in the morning. It had four tables, a commanding view of the street, and its own coffee carafe, which Shirley kept full most of the time. If she was too busy, the guys would brew their own, but they grumbled about it.
Most of the regulars were here. It was a good time for it. Nine thirty: all their chores were done. Some of the guys had hired help that did the grunt work now that they could finally afford it, but they still kept the real hours, waking at four or four thirty. The meal they met over looked like breakfast, but acted more like lunch.
The core group was here: Pete, Jesse, Landers, Hooper, and Stephens.
And every one of them looked startled as he walked in the back room.
Cade sat in his usual seat, next to Stephens.
It remained quiet. Stubbornly, Cade didn’t break the silence. He helped himself to a cup of coffee, and when Shirley came for his order, he pointed at his regular plate of eggs and sausage on the plastic menu. “And a blueberry muffin. Please.”
Shirley nodded and bustled back into the main dining room.
Finally, after another long silence, Pete said, “Alpacas?”
The entire room broke into guffaws. They roared. The higher the volume of their laughter got, the redder Cade’s face became.
“You’ve been just waiting for this, haven’t you?”
“Man, we thought you was
never
gonna come in here. We been dyin’ for you to come by. It’s been weeks!” Stephens raised his coffee cup as if toasting Cade.
Landers said, “So Mort finally got to you, huh?”
Hooper said, “I knew he’d get someone to take those critters, but I never woulda figgered it to be you, son.”
Jesse laughed so hard he went into a coughing fit. He hid his face behind his blue bandana.
Cade shook his head. “Hell, no! It wasn’t me.”
The men’s laughter rose again.
“No, really! It wasn’t me! Mort suckered the girl who’s taking over the cottage.”
The laughter died, leaving only Jesse spluttering.
Landers said, “We heard something about that, but we didn’t believe it. Did Eliza really give away the ranch?”
“Not the whole thing. But yeah, the cottage. And its land.”
“But that’s smack in the middle of your property.”
“It’s only mine since she died. It’s not like it was always mine.”
Pete slammed his coffee cup onto the table, coffee spilling over its sides. “That’s been your land for ten years, ever since she left. We all knew she was never coming back.”
Landers said, “And now you have alpacas?”
“Like I said, that’s all her. I’m not touching them. If they die, she’ll have to hire someone to cart them off.”
Stephens said, “I hear she’s cute.”
Cade nodded. “The female alpaca is kinda cute, yes. I’d agree. But I still don’t like her.”
Jesse folded his handkerchief. “But do you like the girl? I saw her down at the Laundromat. She’s just my type, if I do say so.”
Landers poked Jesse with a fork. “Just your type if she likes eighty-year-old men with consumption.”
“I’m only sixty-five. And it’s asthma.”
Stephens said, “So, Cade. Is she? Pretty?”
Cade inclined his head in a half nod. They weren’t going to let this go, so he might as well meet them halfway. “She’s pretty. I guess you could call her really pretty. But she’s annoying. Way too excited about everything. Why was she at the Laundromat? I have a washer and dryer.”
“Excited is a good thing, son.”
“Not like that. She’s just a little…enthusiastic. And I don’t want her there.”
“She’s moving into the cottage?”
“As soon as she can fix it up.”
“You helping?” Landers winked at Cade.
“No, sir. I’m avoiding her as much as possible.”
Jesse sighed. “What if your gal looked like her?” He pointed out the window with his spoon.
Two of the men wolf-whistled as Abigail walked past the window, her hair swinging behind her in a long ponytail.
“Now, that’s what I call a looker!”
Cade slumped further into his chair.
Pete noticed his posture first. “Is that her? You gotta be kidding me. Really?”
Cade rubbed the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes. “Damn.”
“Oh, sweet Mary, I’m gonna handle this.” Stephens scooted into the main dining room and out the front door before Cade could move to stop him.
“Hell.”
Less than thirty seconds later, Abigail was escorted into the side room on Stephens’s arm. Her eyes were wide.
“Yes, I’ve only been here a couple of weeks…Am I being kidnapped?”
“You probably haven’t even had time to meet many people. Let me introduce you to some of our local ranchers and farmers.” Stephens started to move her around the room. Cade wondered what his chances were of making it out of the small room unnoticed.
Too late. Cade knew he’d been spotted. He didn’t actually see Abigail look at him, but two pink circles flamed on her cheeks. By the time Stephens was saying, “And I believe you know our boy, Cade?” Abigail’s cheeks were completely red. She nodded.
“Funny, real funny, Stephens,” said Cade.
“And you know what?” Stephens went on, “I’m all done with my breakfast. You just sit right here, next to Cade.”
“Oh, no…”
“That’s right,” Cade said. “I’m sure she’s busy….”
“Don’t be rude, son.”
Oh, hell. Cade gave up. He knew when he was outnumbered. “Go ahead, sit.”
“How gracious. How could I say no?”
Was she laughing at him?
Cade said, “We were just talking about your alpacas.”
“Oh, my God,” she said, leaning forward over the table toward Pete and Jesse. “Did you know they hum?”
Pete’s bushy eyebrows shot up. “Pardon?”
“I thought I’d read that it’s only the mothers who hum to their young to keep them calm, but I heard them humming to each other three days ago. They were all settled in to go to sleep, and they were humming. It was the cutest thing ever. I’ve been listening for it since, but I haven’t heard it again.”
None of the men had an answer for this, just puzzled smiles.
“Cade won’t tell you this, but he really wanted alpacas.”
“He what?” Jesse started coughing again.
“That’s what Mort said, when I got them. He said they’d make a fine gift, but I think I’ll do one better than that. I’m going to keep these for myself and just give Cade the babies.”
The men were falling for it. And her. Cade could see each one of them going a little goo-goo eyed at her. She was charming, he had to give her that. She took the time to smile right at each one as she looked around the table.
“No, you’re not,” said Cade. “They’re vanity pets. A pyramid scheme.”
Abigail down turned the wattage noticeably and looked at him. “How can an animal possibly be a pyramid scheme?”
“People just raise them in order to sell the babies to other people who will raise them and sell
those
babies to more suckers. They’re not good for anything else.”
Abigail shook her head and the ponytail bounced. Cade wished she didn’t smell so good. It was distracting. “Are you crazy? Alpaca fiber is insanely wonderful! I can’t wait to spin my own, from my own alpacas.” She grinned at Landers. “Doesn’t it sound like we should say
alpaci
or something, for the plural?”
All the men’s heads nodded, up and down. Cade knew they had no idea what she was talking about. They were smitten.
Shirley came back to refill coffee. She splashed coffee on the table when she noticed Abigail.
“Whoa. I had no idea there was a lady back here. I’m so sorry. What can I get you?” She cleared Stephens’s plates out of the way.
Abigail shrugged. “I’m not that hungry. I wasn’t planning on eating. Just a latte?”
Cade waited for it. Shirley and the men always mocked tourists who came in asking for a fancy espresso drink, the ones that plain old coffee wasn’t good enough for.
“I’m sorry, dollface, all I have is coffee. But I could have Emilio in the kitchen steam you a little milk, if you want.”
All right, Abigail did look adorable, in her green-and-white gingham blouse and still-new Wranglers, but did Shirley have to fall for her, too? Cade snorted.
“Oh, no, don’t go to any trouble.”
“Emilio wouldn’t mind,” said Landers.
“Regular coffee’s fine by me.”
“Well, okay. Something to eat?” Shirley asked.
“Maybe just a blueberry muffin?”
“Oh, shoot, honey. Cade here got the last one this morning.”
Quick as a snake, Pete’s arm shot out, took Cade’s muffin off his plate and set it on the table in front of Abigail. “There you go. He wasn’t gonna eat it.”
“I was, too!”
“I’ll get you a lemon scone, Cade. And hold tight, honey,” Shirley said to Abigail. “I’ll get you a fresh cup of coffee from the front. The pot out here is old now.”
“Scone. What the hell’s a scone?” Cade grumbled, but no one was listening. They were busy asking Abigail questions about the alpacas.
He listened to her charm them. It was impossible, really, to sit near her and
not
be charmed. She gave each man her full attention as he spoke, and responded immediately, enthusiastically.
She wasn’t faking it either. Cade sat back and watched her. Abigail really was excited about the idea of coming to see Pete’s peacocks, and she really did want the recipe for Jesse’s wife’s apricot jam. She smiled at Shirley when she got a refill, and Shirley beamed back. Abigail’s face lit up every time the men brought up something new, something else to learn about their valley.
She turned to Cade. “Do you know where that is?”
He hadn’t been paying attention. “Um, run that by me again?”
“The falls? With the hot spring at the base?”
“Smythe Falls? Yeah, of course. It’s kind of between here and the ranch, just after Mills Bridge. If you take the little dirt road to the right after Mort’s place…”
Abigail cut him off. “Can we go there?”
“Maybe.”
“Now?”
Cade spluttered on the sip of coffee he’d been taking. “Now? No way.”
She shoved the last bit of his blueberry muffin in her mouth and talked around it. “Why not? It’sch a boot’ful mornin’.”
“I have things to do.”
Pete said, “Nothing important, though.”
Landers said, “Nothing that can’t wait another hour or two.”
Jesse said, “Are you insane? Show her the falls, you idiot.”
Stephens said, “I’ll take you, Abigail.”
Oh, hell, no. He wasn’t going to be upstaged by a man pushing seventy who would probably use the opportunity to shuck off his overalls. “Fine, I’ll take you,” Cade said. “Someone has to protect you from him.” Cade pointed at Stephens. Stephens leered at Abigail.
Abigail stood, smiled at everyone, and then leaned over to kiss Stephens’s cheek. “I don’t need
that
much protection.”
Stephens looked ecstatic.
Rest in the stitches. Rest in the yarn. Rest in the motion.
—
E.C.
S
he was a good follower, he’d give her that much. She drove behind him, but not on his tail, nor did she follow so far behind he was worried he’d lose her entirely. His truck rattled down the dirt road toward Smythe Falls, and he wondered for the twentieth time what he was doing.
Going to the falls? In the middle of the day, a day in which he’d planned to move some irrigation pipes that needed moving before the rains came. And he’d been going to check the hens. They weren’t laying enough, and he wanted to check for signs of coyote. Maybe the chickens were stressed out. If coyotes moved toward the chickens, they’d be after the lambs soon enough.
But now here he was, with Abigail.
He pulled over into the makeshift parking lot, a dirt circle ringed by trees. On the weekends it was packed with cars, but now it was deserted.
He’d only take a minute to show her where to go. Then he’d go back to work.
She bounced out of her truck, her ponytail bobbing behind her. “Is it this way?” She pointed.
“That’s the only trail, so, yes.”
“Let’s go!”
“Um, no, I think I’m going to get on the road. I just wanted to make sure you could find your way here. Now just follow this path up about a quarter of a mile, turn left at the oak bench and you’ll be there. Enjoy.”
Cade turned, but then felt a hand on his arm.
Abigail said, “Please? Come with me? I love waterfalls, and I’d love the company.”
Cade heard something in her voice, something different from the friendly tone she’d used at Tillie’s Diner. She sounded like she was trying to be brave, which meant that she was scared of something.
She was scared of him. She’d been avoiding him like the plague at the house, and he’d been doing the same to her.
He didn’t want her in the house or on his land, no, but he wasn’t a monster.
“Okay, I guess. Yeah, okay.”
Her smile was so bright it lit up her whole face.
The hike to the falls was short but steep. It was dark under the trees, and he pointed out tree roots to avoid. She thanked him politely every time, but there was no hiding the excitement in her voice.
The creek ran next to the trail, and the riparian smell of wet leaves and natural rot hung in the cool air.
“Almost there.” Automatically, he held out his hand to pull her up onto a huge fallen tree that had blocked this portion of the trail for years.
She slid her hand into his.
Damn, her hand was soft. He pulled Abigail up and they stood there, balancing on the fallen tree. He knew he should let go of her hand, that it would be the sensible thing to do, but she teetered a little, and her hand tightened in his.
His heart raced. He dropped her hand and jumped down. This was a stupid idea. He’d just get it over with and then get back to the ranch.