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About fifteen minutes later, Simon staggered into the kitchen. Rubbing his eyes like a small child, he yawned. It took a moment for him to look around. Once he did, his jaw dropped. The kitchen was a mess. Black smoke billowed from the oven thanks to some concoction Delta had whipped up. Broken eggs were on the stove next to the skillet instead of in it, and flour dusted various places, including the side of Delta's face.
They had stashed her beautiful biscuits in the dining room.
Simon covered his cheeks with his hands. “Oh, my... what is going on? What happened?”
“The stove is on the fritz,” Delta said.
“Sorry,” Beth said. “There won't be any breakfast this morning. You and I need to get to work anyway. Maybe Delta will have it under control in five or six hours so we can have lunch.”
Simon whined, “Five or six hours? Are you kidding me? I need to eat before then.”
“Don't worry,” Beth said before physically turning him and pushing him out the door. “I'm sure there's a granola bar or something in the barn office.”
She winked at Delta.
To give Simon his due, he didn't back down. He grumbled the whole time and slacked off more than he did actual work. But he didn't jump into his car and take off the way she thought he would. At the end of a long, grueling day, he was still there.
Her muscles ached. Every part of her body hurt because she had done extra work to get him to do more than he ordinarily would have. After a soothing bath, she dressed in her pajamas and went downstairs. Somehow, she knew Simon would be waiting.
In the kitchen, she found him stuffing his face with as much food as he could find. He had almost everything from the fridge on the table. She sat across from him and helped herself to a sandwich from the platter. He had made four. Was he that hungry, or had he known she would join him?
“The men had better feel like working tomorrow,” he said. “I'm not doing that again. We can hire some day-workers from town if you need them. It’s not like you don’t have the money.”
The smug smirk twisting his lips told her that he knew what she had done. He was onto her. Maybe she should try something else. Her father used to insist the truth worked more often than not.
“I love Jared,” she said.
Simon rolled his eyes. “That isn't newsworthy, dear. You've always loved him, even when he didn't deserve it.”
“If you do anything to mess this up for me, I will never forgive you.”
“Oh, relax. When your marriage goes into a nosedive, it won't be because of me.”
She put her sandwich down. “What does that mean?”
He leaned back in his chair and stared at her. “Are we still friends? I mean, we've been best friends for years, but things feel different now. Maybe we should talk it out.”
“You slept with Trish, my only female friend, while engaged to me. It may not have been a love match, but we were supposed to get married. Then I have to hear from her on our wedding day that you knocked her up. Friends don't treat friends that way.”
He hung his head for a moment. “You are right. I am a giant sleazeball, and I beg for your forgiveness. Please, be my friend again.”
She tried to count how many times she had heard this particular apology. Simon always acted contrite. It didn't last. She shook her head. “I want to be friends, but you keep screwing me over. How am I supposed to trust you? It was your idea for us to get married. Then you leave me at the altar and at the mercy of your brother.”
“You did okay.” His eyes narrowed. “As a matter of fact, you should be thanking me.”
Her jaw dropped. “Thanking you? For what?”
“My brother wouldn't have married you if I hadn't run off that day. I think you owe me a little something.”
She stiffened. “Excuse me?”
“I'm sure it hasn't failed to register that you own half the ranch now. You could divorce Jared tomorrow and take it from him. Knowing my brother, he'd give you the whole thing. So, I think you should send some of that good luck my way.”
“What are you saying?”
He sighed. “Money, honey. I am talking money. You have a lot of it now, and I need some.”
“The ranch isn't mine yet, and maybe it never will be. If Jared and I get divorced tomorrow, I won't go after the ranch. That wouldn't be fair.”
