“Church?” said Fiona. She looked like she hadn’t ever heard the word before.
“Yes, church. C-h-u-r-c-h.” He spelled it out for her. Maybe the word brought back bad memories.
“I haven’t been inside a church in years,” she said and made a funny face that involved scrunching up her nose.
“It won’t bite or give you a disease,” Jake said. “I’m going to play guitar, and I thought you might like to ride along. That’s all.”
She studied him. “I’m finding out new things about you all the time.”
He shrugged. “This is part of ordinary living. People go to church Sundays in a lot of places in this world. It doesn’t involve chasing down clues to a mystery. It’s not some intense drama like finding Glory unconscious in the pasture or what we went through back in Virginia. It’s just plain ordinary living.”
Fiona smiled. “That’s why I didn’t recognize it. It’s too ordinary. I never found church exciting even as a little girl. I suspect it hasn’t changed.”
Jake smiled back at her. “I kind of like these last two days. No excitement. I got a good night’s sleep last night. The hay is raked. We should be able to bale this week. The cows are in their new pasture and have water. Life is good. I’m going to church to celebrate.”
Fiona watched him with a smile. “Ranch life is back to normal. Being with you I realize how important this way of life is for you.”
He nodded in agreement. “It’s not for everyone though.” He felt sad saying that because she might not fit here. She might choose to go back to her old way of life. She was the round peg in the square hole. But maybe she’d get to like him more and want to stay. Being the practical man he was, he told his hopes to be quiet and lie down.
Then she said, “What should I wear?”
He looked her over with a discerning eye. “What you are wearing is fine. You never look bad to me. Jeans are always good here. This isn’t New York. We’re going to church in rural America. Nothing fancy. I’m wearing what I got on.”
She looked him up and down. “Pressed jeans. Fancy cowboy shirt, black vest with bolo tie. No wonder you’re all duded up. You’re going to church. You look nice. You make a fine cowboy.”
“Buckaroo,” he said. “I’m a buckaroo today. Are you going or aren’t you? If we don’t leave soon I’ll be late, and I’ll have to drive eighty miles an hour.”
She smiled the pretty smile that he always fell for. “All right. I was telling Opal the other day that I have more exciting adventures in me. Why not church?”
“Attagirl.”
They made it to the cowboy church outside of Rocky Point with ten minutes to spare. Jake walked in with his guitar and amplifier. He was particular about an amplifier and always travelled with his trusty Fender. Fiona sat in a back pew. He couldn’t persuade her to sit up close to the musicians. That was asking too much. Having his girl in the audience made his male ego light up and glow with a thousand watts. He had the lead in all the songs, and he sang them for her. Her smiling face made him sing all the better.
After the service she managed to smile her way through people coming up to greet him and even participated in a conversation about how they were going to start baling hay this week. He couldn’t help puffing up like the proud, love struck buckaroo that he was, showing off his girl. Yes, he certainly was showing her off.
After the service he loaded his instrument and amplifier back in the truck. He said, “How about breakfast at Fast Freddie’s truck stop? They have great steak and eggs.”
“Fast Freddie’s sounds like my kind of place.”
He smiled at her as they stood beside the truck. “Thanks for coming. I loved showing you off.”
“Is that what you were doing?”
“You bet.”
They stood looking at each other. He wanted to kiss her but he thought that might be going a bit too far since they were standing in the church parking lot with people getting in their rigs and leaving.
Darn, if she didn’t come up and brush her lips across his.
“You’re a good man, Jake Manyhorses,” she said.
Didn’t she understand the effect she had on him? Even one little kiss like that made his jeans get tight. She was a tease, and one of these days he was going to carry her cave man style to his bed and satisfy the lust he knew they both felt. Love might have to come later for her.
Fast Freddy’s was hopping. The Sunday church crowd had descended. They found one small table in the middle of the crowded restaurant.
Fiona studied the menu. “So you recommend steak and eggs?”
“They’re the best.”
“Then that is what I’ll have. I’m hungry, and it’s lunch time.”
A group of three men stopped by the table to say hello. Three women acompanied them. Jake introduced Fiona.
“Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” said one man with husky shoulders and a belly to match. He looked to Jake. “I heard about the trouble you’re having. Have you found who stole your cattle?”
Jake shook his head and gave him the abbreviated version of the trouble. “The doctor called yesterday and said that Glory’s vital signs are improving. I’m going over to the hospital after we eat to check on him.”
“What a run of bad luck. You aren’t the only one missing cattle though. I heard yesterday that the Simpson ranch has a few head missing.”
The men talked on and one of the women asked Fiona how long she was staying.
“I’m not sure.” She explained about losing the bunk house.
“I’m sorry to hear that. And how is Opal? It is such a shame about her illness and all.”
“She was feeling better yesterday. She started treatments, and they make her very tired.”
“You tell her the Marys asked about her.” The woman laughed and indicated the three of them. “We’re all named Mary.”
Coming out of Fast Freddie’s they ran into Lauren coming in the door with another gal, and Fiona stopped to talk.
Jake was polite and said hello, but he told Fiona he’d get the rig. While he was waiting, he pulled up to a gas pump and had the attendant fill the tank. He wasn’t a great admirer of Lauren, the furniture and decorator whiz. She specialized too much in gossip for Jake’s liking, and he suspected her of spreading rumors about him. Fact was one thing. Rumor and gossip another.
When Fiona got into the rig, she looked troubled. Jake suspected Lauren of spreading more gossip. He pulled out of Fast Freddie’s and drove toward the hospital.
“Do you have anything else in town to do?” he said. “I thought we’d go by and check on Glory.”
“Good idea. I don’t have anything to do that I can think of.”
“What’s wrong? You look worried or something.”
She was quiet for a few moments which increased Jake’s anxiety.
Keeping her eyes straight ahead she finally said, “I think it is important to be honest with each other.”
“I’ve always been honest with you.”
She looked at him. “You never told me anything about your ex-wife and little girl.”
“I don’t talk about it. The memories are painful for me.”
She sighed and studied the back of her hands. “Lauren warned me about you.”
“Warned you about what?”
“She said to be careful. That you have a history of roughing women up.”
“Me? A history? I can count on one hand the women I have dated in Rocky Point. All of them are well known, and I’ve never roughed up a woman in my life.”
“What about your former wife?”
Jake’s face turned to stone. He felt the hardness of it through his frown. “My ex-wife found someone more to her liking and left with my little girl. That was fifteen years ago if my memory serves me correctly. Lauren wasn’t around then.”