The Baby And The Cowboy Seal. Laura Altom Marie

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СКАЧАТЬ me out. The point I’m trying to get at is that as annoying as you were, I still had—have—affection for you. You might be a pain in my you-know-what, but you’re mine, you know?”

      “Oh, my God, you’re awful.” She left the shadow-filled living room in favor of occupying a rocker on the porch and plopped Henry onto her lap. “You’ve gone from telling me I’m stumpy and have ugly hair to calling me a pain in the rear.”

      “You totally misunderstood what I was trying to say.” He’d limped after her, and leaned on the low porch rail in front of her chair. “Even though it’s been years since we’ve seen each other, I have fond memories. You’re the kid sister I never had.”

      Yet another low blow. From the first day she’d met him when she’d been six years old, she’d suffered from a serious case of puppy dog adoration. On that day, she’d announced her plan to marry him. But now that she was grown, she realized he was nothing more than a neighbor—not even a particularly good one! If that was the case, why did her pulse quicken just being near him?

      “Thank you for your help in the garden. The past few months have been tough. I didn’t mean to take my frustrations out on you. From here on, I guess we’ll just agree to keep our distance, and—”

      “Why?” Macy asked.

      “Excuse me?”

      “Why should we make an effort to stay apart?” For some unfathomable reason, her breaths turned erratic from just asking the question. She’d meant it in a purely platonic way, yet the girl who’d crushed on Wiley as if he’d been a hunk straight off the cover of her coveted Teen magazines didn’t acknowledge that fact. Forging ahead even though her best course would probably be to hush, she said, “Think about it. You, me and Henry are all alone up here. Every day I struggle to care for the animals and garden and cook and still have time to spin my fleece and knit. You’re probably messing with the same chores. Think how much more efficient we’d both be if we did everything together—just like we used to when our grandparents made us muck stalls and weed their gardens.”

      For a long time he was quiet, which made her wonder if she’d done the wrong thing in even making the suggestion.

      “If you don’t think it’s a good idea,” she finally said, unable to take any more of his stony silence, “that’s okay. I mean, my feelings won’t be hurt.”

      “Look, your idea has merit, and if I were in a different—”

      “Forget I asked.” Because now that he was turning her down, Macy felt stupid—ridiculous, considering she shouldn’t have even asked him in the first place. But despite the brave front she put up for her parents, the truth about her daily existence was that she often felt starved for adult companionship. She hooked one of Henry’s curls with her pinkie finger. She loved being a mom, but sometimes she caught herself carrying on conversations with an eight-month-old and actually expecting him to answer. “Guess I’ll go ahead and finish planting, then be on my way.”

      “I told you I’d do it.”

      “Yes, you did. But I don’t like feeling indebted to someone, and the fact of the matter is that my llamas trampled your tomatoes and ruined your entire row of green beans and zucchini. Since your plants were already established, and starting you over from scratch with seed didn’t seem right, I dug up mine.”

      “You what?” He frowned. “Macy, that’s crazy. It’s not like if I don’t have green beans and zucchini I won’t survive the winter. You do realize there’s a grocery store just down the mountain in Eagle Ridge?”

      “I know, but—”

      “Look...” He sighed. “You were honest with me about your ex, so I’m going to return the favor. You might not have noticed yesterday, but I don’t get around as well as I used to. God’s honest truth? My pride didn’t want you seeing me in my current condition. The fact that you dug up your own garden to replace mine? Well, it’s real decent of you—especially after the way I acted. And since we’re now down to only one patch of beans and zucchini between us, how about we share?”

      “You sure it won’t be a bother?”

      He scratched his head. “Forget all I said about your plan, and let’s team up on our gardens—but that’s it, okay? I’m not good company right now, and—”

      She rose from her chair to hug him.

      “Please don’t say that about yourself.” She’d meant for the gesture to be no big deal—a casual hug between old friends. But with the baby between them, and her past feelings for Wiley creeping in like a seductive fog, she couldn’t help but long for something more. But was that longing so much about Wiley? Or her desire to go back in time to a period when life had been uncomplicated and happy, with her only cares centered around where she’d traipse after her favorite cowboy on any given summer afternoon?

      What she hadn’t expected was for Wiley to hug her back—fiercely, as if she were a lifeline. “Thanks.”

      “For what?” When she summoned the courage to pull back, she peered up at him, halfway expecting to find the answers in his brown eyes for why he’d turned so bitter. But then did she really need further explanation beyond the aggravation he must feel about his leg? And about being forced by circumstance to retire from a job that—if her dad’s VFW hall gossip was correct—had been more like his life’s passion?

      “I’m thankful for your help with the garden—but mostly, for you being you. I’ve been so wrapped up in feeling sorry for myself, I never stopped to consider just how many folks have it worse than me. Raising Henry on your own can’t be easy.”

      “It’s not, but...” Did he really equate her son with his having a disability? Just when they’d taken a baby step forward in behaving civilly toward each other, why did she feel as if they’d now taken two giant leaps back? “You do understand that no matter what happened with my ex, Henry’s a blessing?”

      “Oh, sure. I meant that we all have our own crosses to bear.” He conked his forehead. “That came out wrong. I didn’t mean to imply you’re not a great mom, and your baby’s not cute as a button—just that it’s tough enough caring for your livestock and garden on your own, caring for a baby alone must be ten times harder.”

      “True. But I don’t dwell on the fact. I prefer to look on the bright side, which is that I’ve been gifted with an angel to remind me how sweet life can be.”

      “Wish I were able to share your optimism.” He looked down. “Right now all I can see is about three steps ahead, and that’s scary. I’ve always believed I could weather any storm, but this thing with my leg is different. From the start, it was totally out of my control—and I hate that. If something’s happening in my life, I ought to be able to confront it head-on.”

      “I’m sorry,” she said. “What you’re going through—I can’t imagine. But things are going to be okay. They always are.”

      His gaze turned cold. “Wish that were true, but it’s been my experience that a lot of times, shit goes from bad to worse.”

      “I think you were right...” It was on the tip of her tongue to scold Wiley about cursing in front of her baby, but why waste her breath? Considering his dour frame of mind, he’d only do it again. “It’s probably best if we keep to our own parts of this old mountain. All the plants I owe you are in my wheelbarrow СКАЧАТЬ