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Make him dinner? What was Hendrix thinking?
Ellen shook her head as she watched Jay get out of his truck and walk toward her. She’d rather pay Hendrix, she told herself. But the truth was she’d enjoyed being with him today. They’d spent hours and hours together, and she’d loved every second of it.
“That’s dangerous,” she mumbled to herself. But she didn’t have long to stew about it.
“That was Hendrix Durrant I just passed, wasn’t it?” Jay asked, gazing after Hendrix’s truck. “What was he doing here?”
Hoping to divert Jay’s attention as soon as possible, Ellen located the video of the water spouting from the well. “Nothing. He’s just pissed off that I’m drilling this well instead of him.”
“Was he giving you any trouble?”
She didn’t know how far Hendrix wanted her to go to keep what he’d done a secret, so she hedged as best she could. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
Jay winced. “I’m sorry if he said something he shouldn’t have. I can see why he might be upset. He’s my neighbor and was expecting the job.”
“He’s a big boy. He’ll get over it.” She stuck her phone under his nose before she had to elaborate any further. “Look at this,” she said. “We, er, I... I mean Ben and I... Well, not Ben exactly, because... Well...”
Fortunately, he wasn’t listening to her, so she just let her words fade away. The water gushing in the video had completely distracted him.
“You didn’t run into any sand like we were worried about?” he asked.
“Doesn’t look that way.” She could smile now that she’d gotten away with her gaffe of a moment before. “But we’ll know more when we finish up. We’ve still got another fifty feet to go.”
“What time will you start up again in the morning?”
Ellen covered a yawn. She’d forgotten to ask Hendrix when he could make it. “I’ll come when I can. I’ve got some other things to do first,” she said in case Hendrix couldn’t start right away. “But don’t worry. The well will be finished before your folks arrive.”
He rubbed his beard growth as he nodded. “Perfect.”
They spent a few more minutes talking about the size of the pump and if she’d drilled a big enough hole, and she assured him both would be sufficient for his needs. Then she stumbled wearily to her water truck. Tomorrow morning would come far too soon, but she’d get up whenever Hendrix said he could make it. She was so relieved to be able to do this job, after all, that she was willing to push through any inconvenience.
As she drove off the property, she felt a great deal of gratitude to Hendrix for stepping in and saving her from the consequences she would’ve faced otherwise.
Smiling dreamily, she headed toward town, allowing herself to revel in what she was feeling for a moment. Then she sat up taller and gripped the steering wheel more tightly. Was his help really as good for her as it seemed? Spending time with him, feeling so grateful, it was changing the dynamic between them.
It was difficult to hold a grudge when she was no longer angry...
She was so caught up in trying to figure out if she was still on safe and stable ground that she almost missed it when a white Audi that looked exactly like the one Jordan had been driving raced past her. White Audis were common enough, but not so much in the country.
Still, it didn’t have to belong to Jordan. But she adjusted her rearview mirror to get a better look just in case—and could’ve sworn it had a green tree and blue sky license plate.
Montana had never issued a license plate like that.
But Oregon had.
“Do you really think it was Jordan?”
Talulah had brought over a plate of pastries. Because the diner was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, she cleaned out the display cases and brought home whatever she had left, since it wouldn’t be fresh enough to sell on Wednesday. What Ellen didn’t eat or freeze—which usually wasn’t much since she wasn’t all that big on sweets—Talulah gave to Brant to take over to the ranch. His brothers could seemingly devour any number of calories without gaining an ounce.
Ellen had inspected the barn and the rest of her property as soon as she got home to make sure everything was as it should be. From what she could see, nothing had been disturbed. But she couldn’t get the vision of that Oregon plate out of her mind. “I’m not positive.” She scooted her chair closer to the kitchen table as she took a bite of the toasted almond coconut cake that was her favorite Talulah creation. “It was odd to see that license plate when I looked in the rearview mirror. That’s all.” She didn’t add that it probably struck her as more ominous than it should have because Hendrix had seemed so concerned about how Jordan might react to her refusing to remove the complaint she’d lodged. So far, she’d left Hendrix out of the conversation.
Talulah watched Ellen take another bite. “How long ago did Jordan move from Oregon?”
The sweet creamy frosting—her favorite part of the cake—melted in her mouth. “Last year. At least, that’s what he told me.”
“Shouldn’t he have changed his plates over by now?”
“Depends on when his registration expires, right? Not everyone does it immediately.”
