A Cowboy For The Twins. Carolyne Aarsen

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СКАЧАТЬ his mother said, then turned to Shauntelle. “I think we’ll take this chocolate one.”

      “Good choice,” Shauntelle said, reaching for a box to put the cake in.

      “And the meat pies,” Noah prompted.

      “Right. Sorry. I forgot about them.” She boxed up the cake, disappointed to see her hands trembling as she closed the flaps. She wanted to show him that she was capable and in charge, unaffected by his presence, but the pounding of her heart made that impossible.

      Seriously, she really had to get a handle on her emotions.

      She tied a ribbon around the box and handed it to him with a forced smile. “That will be fifteen dollars.”

      “And the meat pies?” he reminded her.

      She did a mental facepalm. “Of course.” She boxed up a couple of pies and handed them to him as well, giving him the final total.

      “That’s pretty cheap,” he said, taking them from her. “You might want to consider raising your prices.”

      “I’m still trying things out.”

      “For what?”

      “The restaurant I want to start up.”

      “Really? That’s ambitious. Where will it be?”

      “It’s going to be part of the arena. I’ll be running a snack bar as one part of the operation with a restaurant attached to it. The contractor said he might put in a courtyard where I could have outdoor seating. People like to look at trees and flowers when they’re eating, I guess, and I’m not going to argue with that. I think it will look nice.” She stopped her babbling. He was making her uneasy, and she was doing that talking-too-much thing that she did when she was agitated.

      He took the boxes from her, his own lips curving slightly. “Sounds like you have a good plan in place.”

      “I work in a bank. The only way I’d get the money was if I had everything figured out down to how many teaspoons of baking powder I’ll need.”

      He chuckled at that, and the shift in his expression was a surprise to her. He looked more approachable. More like the old Noah she remembered from school.

      But right behind that came the memory of her brother.

      “Enjoy the cake,” she said, looking away.

      He didn’t leave, which made Shauntelle more uncomfortable.

      “I know I should have said it earlier but I didn’t get a chance.” He took a breath, and she steeled herself for what he was going to say. “I’m sorry about your brother.”

      The apology sounded heartfelt and it should have made Shauntelle feel better, but if anything, it brought back her anger.

      Josiah was gone, and Noah was still alive. Her parents had lost a son and she a brother. A hole in their family that could never be filled.

      She didn’t know what to say, so all she did was nod to acknowledge his apology. Then, as if sensing her pain and anger, Noah took a step back, turning to his mother.

      “We should go, Mom. Time to get you home.”

      “Did you get the meat pies?” Mrs. Cosgrove asked, looking from Noah to Shauntelle. “I thought we were getting some meat pies.”

      “We did,” Noah muttered.

      But just before they could leave, someone was calling out his name and Owen Herne joined them by Shauntelle’s table.

      “Hey, Noah, good to see you again,” Owen said, clapping him on the shoulder. “How long you back for?”

      “Just for Cord’s wedding, then back to Vancouver.”

      “So a couple weeks?”

      “Probably less.” He looked like he was trying to edge away, but Owen stood in front of him, blocking his way.

      “Okay. I need to talk to Shauntelle and was hoping I could catch you too somewhere along the way.” Owen glanced over at Shauntelle, and the foreboding look on his face wasn’t encouraging. “Do you have time?” he asked Shauntelle.

      “You want to talk to me here?”

      He jerked his chin in the direction of the now-empty coffee table. “We could go over there.”

      “Give me a minute?” she asked, wiping suddenly damp hands down the side of her pants. She shot a look over to Millie and Margaret, wondering if they should be here. “Girls, why don’t you go check out Rory’s booth? See if she has any new jewelry.”

      “But I thought you said we had to stay and help,” Millie said, looking very interested in whatever Owen might say.

      “We need to talk, and I’d like you to go,” she said.

      Margaret looked like she was about to protest as well when Mrs. Cosgrove, sensing what Shauntelle wanted, walked over to the girls, taking their hands. “You know, I haven’t been to the Farmer’s Market in a while. Maybe you could show me around. Would that be okay?” she asked Shauntelle.

      “Sure.” Everyone knew everyone here, and the layout wasn’t that large. Shauntelle could keep an eye on them.

      “I’ll come with you,” Noah said.

      “Actually, I wouldn’t mind if you stuck around too,” Owen said.

      Noah frowned but nodded at his mother. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up. But be careful.”

      “I’m not made of glass,” she said with a warning shake of her head. “Shall we go, girls?” she asked, and walked away.

      Shauntelle watched a moment, but the girls seemed very comfortable with Noah’s mother, chattering as they walked alongside her, pointing out the various tables.

      Owen led the way to the empty table, glancing around as he did, but no one was within earshot.

      When they got there, Shauntelle turned back to Owen, her heart slowly increasing its tempo. “So what were you going to say?”

      “The contractor bailed on us,” Owen said, dropping his hands on his hips. “Took his crew and left us in the lurch. It seems to be a recurring theme with this place. Anyhow, I thought I would tell you because you have a stake in the arena. I wanted to let you know in time so maybe you can make other plans.”

      “But he was supposed to help me plan out my restaurant,” Shauntelle cried out. “We’re installing the doors in a week or so, getting the walls put up. He had plans for my benches. My furnishings. The decor.”

      “Well he’s gone, which means that work on the arena has officially come to an end.”

      And wasn’t that just typical, Shauntelle thought, fighting down a wave of anger and bitterness.

      One more man she couldn’t count on.

      * СКАЧАТЬ