“Is this a favorite spot of yours?” Seth thanked the waitress that left ice waters at their table and brought his glass up to his lips.
“My half-sister used to work here, back before she had my nephew. And I came here a lot growing up, but haven’t been lately. It’s been instant noodles and canned chili for me while I tried to scrimp by on savings. Now that the cast is off and I can start making money again, looks like I’ll be able to afford such fine dining establishments as this one.” She made an exaggerated sweeping motion to encompass the dingy restaurant and laughed.
“Not necessary. You’re on my tab.”
“I can pay for my own food, Seth.”
“I know you can,” is all he replied.
Josie chewed on her lip. “You know, married people often share their finances. That means you gotta let me chip in, too.”
He grumbled a little at the obvious loophole. “Okay, you got me there. But today is my treat. We’re celebrating.”
“What are we celebrating?”
“That you just shod your first horse in months. Not to mention—if my eyes weren’t deceiving me this morning—you not only got a wild stallion haltered, but it also looked like he joined up with you, too. That’s a big win.”
Josie’s skin went hot. She didn’t think anyone was there when she set out for the horse paddocks at the break of day. Bruiser was in an uncharacteristically social mood, following her around like a puppy dog as she watered and fed the others their morning ration of grain. She figured it was as good a time as any to try her luck with the halter and lead rope. She hadn’t counted on his easy compliance, but was undoubtedly grateful for it.
“We did have some success this morning. But how did you know that?”
“I had the early morning shift with Hank.”
“Hank?”
“Yep. The baby cow. I named him. He looks like a Hank, doesn’t he? I mean, if a cow can look like a name other than Tri-Tip or T-Bone,” Seth rambled. “Anyway, I saw you on my way out to the barn to bottle feed and had to stop to watch you at work.”
“That’s not creepy at all,” Josie said warily, but teasing still.
“It’s not like I was spying on you or anything. Just admiring you. There’s a difference.”
“Not sure there’s much to admire.” She shrugged. “I’ve got a long way to go with those mustangs.”
“I bet you get there sooner than you think.”
The waitress came back to take their orders and Josie and Seth made small talk about their days while they waited for their food. Seth was easy company. Being around him felt like wearing a favorite sweater. Warm. Comfortable. Familiar. In a week, she’d slipped right into very real feelings for him. She could only imagine what another week, month, or even year might hold.
“So the cook tells me we’re celebrating,” their waitress declared fifteen minutes later when she came back with their meals balanced in her hands. She set each plate down and then placed her palms on her hips, a mischievous smile working at her mouth.
“It’s just a cast…” Josie started to say.
“Congrats, newlyweds!” The woman shouted boisterously. Every head in the establishment swiveled their way, every eyeball fastened onto their corner of the restaurant.
If diving under the table to hide was an acceptable thing to do, Josie would have hit the floor. She slunk lower in the booth.
“I didn’t even know you were dating anyone, much less ready to settle down and get yourself married, Josephine.” While the waitress looked only vaguely familiar, she wasn’t someone Josie would expect to be privy to this sort of information. The woman caught Josie’s blank, uncomprehending stare. “I’m good friends with your mama, sweetheart. I’ll have to tell her I got to see you in person to congratulate you on your big news. This is wonderful. So happy for you.”
“No!” The word flew out of Josie’s mouth like a slap. “I mean, no, that’s not necessary. I’m seeing her this afternoon and I’ll be happy to pass along that I ran into you.”
“Well, okay. I guess that’s fine, too. Anyhoo, you two lovebirds enjoy your lunch. I promise to stay out of your hair and let you eat in peace. Just holler if you need anything.”
The jolly waitress sashayed back to the diner’s long counter, leaving Josie and Seth to their lunch but Josie no longer had an appetite for it.
“You’re seeing your mother today?” Seth mumbled around a huge bite of hamburger.
“Looks like I am now.”
Josie’s toes tapped the ground like a nervous, uncontrolled tick. Each time the boot met the dusty earth, Cowboy would swat at her foot, claws bared. She didn’t even have the mental energy to shoo him away. Her brain was coiled up and wrapped around the thought of her mother coming out to the ranch for dinner. For dinner with Seth’s parents, of all things.
The day had started off on the right foot with the horses, then slowly deteriorated into this cluster-mess of emotions and now, a sinking feeling of inevitable dread. She had called her mom that afternoon to arrange for her to join them for dinner, not even thinking that it was Thursday. Thursdays were Ford family dinner nights, a routine that had yet to become a part of Josie’s new normal.
“That’s no problem,” Donna had assured Josie at the mailbox that afternoon when she declined the invitation which really wasn’t an invitation at all. Nothing ever was with that woman. “We’ll have plenty of food. Tell your mother to be here at six. Can’t wait to meet my newest in-law.”
Josie sat waiting on a rusted folding chair in front of her trailer for over an hour, hoping to intercept her mother before she pulled all the way into the drive and up to the Ford’s sprawling farmhouse. There was a whole load of explaining to do and she still didn’t quite know how to broach the topic of her fake marriage, her real feelings, and her new overbearing, pretend family waiting in the wings to welcome Peg Friar to the farm.
Chest burning with anxiety, Josie’s eyes lifted at the sound of rubber tires rolling over pocked gravel. Her mother’s sedan crept slowly beneath the arbor arc, the motor humming like a cat’s purr. Not that Josie was all too familiar with that. Cowboy wasn’t typically the purring sort of cat.
Pushing up from her chair, Josie waved frantically to flag her mother down. The car turned away from the Ford house and redirected its path toward the trailer, Peg’s smile wide and beaming through the dirt-speckled windshield.
“Sure nice to see you out of that cast,” Peg said upon exiting the vehicle. She placed her purse on the cooling hood of the car and then wrapped Josie in an embrace so tight it nearly made her yelp. Peg took her by the shoulders and pushed her out at arm’s length to give her a motherly assessment. “I’m so happy you called today, Jo. I’ve been thinking about you a lot and have been trying to get in touch with you.”
“I’ve got some news, Mom.”
Peg’s eyes twinkled. “I do, too.” If she had been trying to conceal her enthusiasm, she failed miserably. Peg’s entire face lit up with a massive, unabashed grin. “Me first.” Then she thrust her hand into the gap between them, wriggling her fingers to showcase the modest ring adorning her previously empty fourth finger. “I’m engaged!” She squealed and stomped her feet like a dance.