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“And you won’t drink.” Her blue gaze turned hard and serious. “I want to enjoy myself.”
“All right.” Maybe if she got tipsy he could squeeze her for more details about the ranch history or whatever she might be using against Payne and his children.
He packed up his toolbox and then wedged the old wine cooler into the new cooler’s box to protect the glass front. “I’ll just pull my truck around to get all this out of here.”
She caught his elbow. “In a minute. At the party, if anyone asks, you are totally into me.”
“Of course I am, sweetheart.”
She tilted her head, a sneaky smile on her face. “You’ve done this before.”
“Feigned avid interest in a pointless conversation? Yes. Yes, I have.”
She smacked him lightly on the shoulder, then bit her lip. He guessed she thought the rehearsed expression was sexy and appealing. Maybe it was for other men. For him, Selina was too obvious for her own good. “Stop.”
“You first,” he said. “There’s a lot of ranch to cover and I should get out there. Unless you have more rules and requirements? Have a little faith. Everyone there will see that you have me wrapped around your little finger.”
“Do I?”
“Selina.” He picked up his toolbox and treated her to one of those long, obnoxious looks. “We both know you’d toss me out the minute you believed that.” She was pretty and she’d kept herself in shape, she just didn’t spark his interest beyond a basic appreciation for the packaging. He winked at her. “Until next week.”
“Fine.” She sniffed. “How long until the new cooler is ready to go?”
“Give it two more hours,” he suggested.
He walked away from her lovely, entertaining space, taking the long way rather than cutting through her house to get to his truck. He supposed his truck out front served as solid groundwork for their “date” next week. Anyone in or around the main house would notice his personal truck and wonder who’d stopped by. She would definitely make up a detailed story that painted her in the best possible light. He didn’t care. Let her say whatever made her happy. A happy Selina posed fewer problems for Asher and the rest of the crew.
Grimacing at the hours he’d spent with Selina, he sent a text update to Asher and then went out to see how he could best help the crew make the most of the day. Assuming they didn’t run into any trouble, he might get some time for his search after all.
Chapter 4
Mia wasn’t the least bit ashamed about the waves of gratitude that had been flowing through her all day. At this point, those buoyant feelings were probably the
only thing keeping her upright. Silas had been fussy all day, despite the vast improvement in both weather and their accommodations.
The bunkhouse must have been remodeled and updated sometime in the past few years. The building was an excellent use of a simple rectangular layout, with four bunk beds at one end, a bathroom and kitchenette on the other end, and a square oak table in between. Big windows let in plenty of light and she even had a decent internet connection. Jarvis had been right on point about how much easier life was with running water and power. For Mia, this modest building might as well have been the luxurious sprawling country house she was supposed to be selling for her father.
Her shower earlier had cleared her mind and given her a wonderful boost, but she needed sleep. So far, Silas had only slept if she rocked him, despite being up all night long. Whenever she tried to put him down so she could nap, too, he wailed. And the wailing meant more worries, since her son’s cries had exposed her original hiding place. Although Jarvis hadn’t been joking about the remote location. Surrounded by acres of fallow fields and a clear view to the horizon, there was no chance of anyone surprising her out here.
Though the parenting books and classes had assured her this would happen, she fretted over every detail, worried he was running a fever or coping with colic. His temperature was normal and his food was staying down. His tummy felt normal rather than distended. She stripped him to his diaper and confirmed his clothing wasn’t the problem. She changed her hold as she rocked him and tried the pacifier. Nothing helped.
Since she had electricity and her phone was charged up, she reached out to her pediatrician via online chat. The professionals concluded that her baby was perfectly healthy, just in a foul mood.
Well, that made two of them.
During the discussion, she was encouraged to let Silas cry a bit. In Mia’s mind, two months seemed far too young to expect a baby to self-soothe, but she supposed the suggestion was more about giving her some space and a measure of peace than for her son.
Choosing to believe Jarvis’s claim that they wouldn’t be found, Mia buckled Silas into his car seat and stepped outside. She set her cell phone timer for ten minutes and focused on the stunning mountains in the distance while her son’s miserable cries nearly broke her heart.
It was the worst ten minutes of her life. She rushed back to him and cuddled him close, murmuring nonsensical apologies. Neither she nor her son were any happier for the experiment, but no one could accuse her of not complying with professional guidance.
Swaying side to side with Silas in the crook of her arm, she picked up her phone to call Tamara. No, no, no. That call would leave Tamara in the awkward position of lying if Regina asked about Mia and Silas. Babies and mothers had been surviving moments like this since the beginning of time. It wasn’t pretty or fun, but they would get through.
She paced outside, wishing for a cool breeze, but nature didn’t cooperate, just gave her more of the still afternoon heat. If they’d been home, in her suite at her father’s house, she would’ve had Silas’s swing or bath seat. She would’ve had the option to relax outside in the glider swing under the shade tree, where she’d grown up chatting with her mother about anything and everything.
Everything but the emptiness that death would leave. She hadn’t known to ask about that. After moving back in, that glider was where she’d first talked to Silas about the grandmother he would never know. That special place had been where she dreamed about a yard of her own with a swing set, sandbox and a baby pool for her son.
Her father had mentioned creating a space for his grandson with all of those things in his yard, whether or not she stayed. He’d wanted to have everything that would keep Silas happy when they visited. Thanks to Regina, that grand plan was wrecked. Mia had been shoved out of her father’s life until she found a viable solution. Regina would never accept Mia’s promise to keep quiet about what she’d seen, which meant Silas would never be safe at their home. Gone was her hope for family dinners and frequent visits with Grandpa, reminiscing over the past and imagining the future. It hurt her heart to think Silas would grow up without his grandpa and they’d never enjoy those strong family connections.
