There wasn’t a motel in the entire city who didn’t take pets. I knew that for certain since I’d called around when I’d returned to Missoula, settling on the Super 8 since it was cheap and rightoff the road. I’d done so in the middle of the night without telling anyone and I was certain I couldn’t stay at the house.
“They do take pets,” I said, without thinking I might rouse his anger.
“Yeah, I know. I saw the sign and lo and behold, I can read.”
Ouch. He was rightfully angry, not just with me but the entire world. “What he did was uncalled for. What did you do?”
“I almost knocked his head off.”
“Do you usually do that when you don’t get what you want?”
He was studying me the same way he had at the Farmer’s Market clinic. As if he could trust me. What secrets was he hiding?
“I just don’t like discrimination.”
Whatever the reason, the subject matter was currently off the table. “I don’t blame you. Neither do I.” I thought about how I could help. There was an easy solution, one that I might regret, but what choice did I have? We both stared at each other until my skin was crawling with the oddest excitement. “Well, okay then. You can’t stay here.”
He didn’t react right away, but when he did, the emotionless man shut down completely. “Come on, Sailor. We’re not wanted here.” He didn’t give me a chance to make an offer, storming toward the two dogs.
“Wait a minute.” I rushed after him, forced to grab his arm when he wouldn’t stop. “Wait a damn minute. Are you always this hardheaded?”
“I know when I’m not wanted.”
“Just let me finish. Okay? What I was going to add was I’m not going to allow you to stay in a dirty, hot barn when I have a guest room you can stay in.” That caught him completely off guard. He had no idea how to take me or my offer.
“Nah. I can’t do that.”
“Why? Because what happened between us? If that’s the case, I’ll make it easy on you. We can’t do that again.”
“Why not?”
Goddamn, the man was edgy. “Because I can’t handle… I mean I’m not ready for anything. What we shared was great. Amazing. But we need to be friends and nothing else. Can you do that?”
“What about Sailor? I’m not getting rid of him. He needs a place he can stay.” He hesitated. Why was everything like pulling teeth with the man?
I tilted my head. “I’m confused.”
“Fuck,” he groaned, rubbing his jaw. “When I work. I can’t take him with me.”
“Oh, I see. Okay. As friends, he can stay and keep Ellie May company.” The hemming and hawing he was doing provided a clear representation of the man never catching a break. That much I knew innately.
“Friends don’t take advantage of each other.”
“Then you can pay me rent.”
He shook his head, laughing in a sad, bitter, angry tone all at the same time. “Not until I get paid.”
“You are the most frustrating man alive. Fine. Then you can work it off. Yes, when you have the time. I don’t know what your new job is but when you find a few spare minutes, you can help me around here. You said so yourself the ranch needs work and I obviously don’t know what I’m doing.”
To add emphasis to my admittance, the floodlight went off and we were still standing right in the line of the sensors.
My groan was at the previous level of the dogs being thrilled to see each other.
“I’ll think about it,” he gritted out.
“Fuck. So unless you have a better offer, bring your truck and Sailor to the house. And if you don’t, I’ll chalk it up to you being just another arrogant asshole. What do you do anyway? Just so I know.”
“I’m going to be a smokejumper. At least until they figure out they don’t need me.”
