Come Sundown(14)
“Well then, you take a nice slab of it over to the shack when you leave.” She gave him a pinch on the cheek, and his grin flashed like a summer lightning bolt.
“Welcome home. I’m going on now.” Instead of a pinch on the cheek, Bodine got a light slap on the back of the head that ended in a caress. “Every bite, young lady. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night, Clementine.” Bodine let the door of the mudroom close before she let out a sigh, picked up her wine again. “You don’t have to sit here and watch me eat.”
“Said I would. I swear I’d run off and marry that woman for her bite alone. Her cooking’d just be a bonus.” He took a slow pull on his beer, watching Bodine over it. “You got prettier.”
“You think?”
“I see. You always were pretty, but you added to it. How are you otherwise?”
“Good. Busy. Good and busy. You?”
“Glad to be back. I wasn’t sure I would be, so that’s a nice bonus, too.”
“You haven’t had time to miss Hollywood yet.”
He rolled his shoulders. “It was good work. Interesting. Harder than you think—harder than I thought when I jumped into it.”
To her mind the best and most satisfying work usually was. “Did you get what you needed from it?”
His eyes met hers again. “Yeah.”
“I know it’s been a couple years, but I want to say I’m sorry about your father. And sorry I wasn’t at the funeral.”
“Appreciate it. I recall you were sick, flu or something.”
“Or something. Three days of it. Sickest I’ve ever been, and I don’t look to repeat it.”
“While we’re at the sorrys, I’m sorry about your grandpa—great-grandpa. He was a good man.”
“About the best. How’s your ma, Callen?”
“Doing good. Better off where she is, with a grandbaby to spoil, another coming. We’re selling off the rest of the old place to your daddy.”
Bodine picked at the salad. “I don’t know if I should say I’m sorry.”
“No need. It doesn’t mean anything to me. Hasn’t for a long time.”
That might be true, she thought, but it had still been his birthright. “We’ll make good use of it.”
“I reckon you will.” He got up, took her plate out of the oven. “And look at you, Bodine,” he said as he set the plate in front of her. “Running the whole damn resort.”
Since Clementine wasn’t there to give her the beady eye, Bodine added a few good grinds from the pepper mill.
She liked the heat.
“I don’t do it by myself.”
“From what I hear, you all but could. I did some work for you today,” he added. “Chase figured it’d be best if I went over and worked with Abe, since it’s been some years, and get a feel for the operation.”
She’d known—only because Chase had thought to text her, after the fact. “Did you get a feel?”
“Got a start of one. So I’ll tell you, if you want to hear it.”
He waited a beat. She shrugged and ate lasagna.
“I agree with Abe on how you should hire another horseman. It’s true enough you can pull from the ranch, but you’d be better with somebody over there who sticks over there. I can take over for Abe easy enough by the time he leaves next month, but you’re still one short.”
Since she agreed with the logic, couldn’t argue with the advice, she nodded. “I’m working on it. I just haven’t found anybody yet.”
“It’s Montana, Bodine. You’ll find your cowboy.”
“I’m not just looking for a pair of boots.” She gestured with her fork, and on that stood her ground. “If I didn’t know you, you wouldn’t be filling in for Abe.”
“Fair enough.”
“But I do know you. Maybe you know somebody back in California who’s after a change of scene.”
He shook his head, studied his beer. “Change of scene’s built in, as you go where they need you. And the money’s too good if you are. I could call in a favor, but I wouldn’t feel right about it, asking somebody to give up that pay to do some trail rides and lessons, muck and groom.”
His gaze lifted to hers. “Why did I?”
“I didn’t ask.”
“Yeah, you did. It was time to come home.” Then the lightning grin flashed again. “And maybe I missed you and your long legs, Bodine.”
“Mmm-hmm.” The sound was both amused and sarcastic.
“I might’ve, if I’d known you’d gotten prettier.”
“I might’ve missed you back if I’d known you’d filled out that skinny build.”