“A little. A lot of their paperwork comes through the mayor’s office. Cole is out at a friend’s ranch now—Henry Markham, who lost his brother, too, in the storm.”
“His ranch was badly damaged. Cole’s probably helping him.”
“The storm was hard on everybody. I’m sure you keep busy with the Double R.”
“Some days I’m too busy to think about anything else. Is Cole staying very long with Henry?”
“It should be four or five more days.”
“How’s the mayor?” Paige asked. “I’m sure you’re keeping up with his condition.”
“It’s a slow healing process, but each time I check, he’s holding his own or getting better.”
“It’s been nice to talk to you because you have some good news. Sometimes I dread coming to town because of more bad news,” Paige said.
“This week I’ve gotten some hopeful reports. It’s been great to see you, and you take care of yourself.”
“Thanks,” Paige replied with another faint smile. “You take care of yourself.”
Stella left Paige and greeted other people in the store while she got the things she needed, paid for them and left. Outside she ran into two more people she hadn’t seen for a few weeks. They talked briefly and she finally started back to the hotel. Her thoughts shifted from the people she had seen to being with Aaron shortly.
At the Cozy Inn, she walked through to her bedroom and went straight to a mirror to study herself and how she looked. So far, she didn’t think she showed no matter which way she stood. She felt fine. The baby should be due next summer. Her baby and Aaron’s. She felt weak in the knees whenever she thought about having his baby.
Did she want to go out with him, keep quiet and hope they both fell in love before she had to confess that she was pregnant?
She didn’t think that was the way it would work out. She pulled out a navy skirt and a white cotton blouse from the dresser, then put on a navy sweater over the blouse. Once again she brushed and pinned up her hair. She saw she just had a few minutes to get to the lobby to meet Aaron.
If anything, when she spotted him standing near the door of the main restaurant, her excited response resonated deeper than it had the night before. At the same time, she had a curl of apprehension. How would she tell him? When would she? How long could she wait until she did?
Wearing a navy sweater, navy slacks and black cowboy boots, he stood near a potted palm while he waited. She crossed the lobby with its ranch-style plank floor scattered with area rugs. Hotel guests sat in clusters and chatted with each other. The piano music from the restaurant drifted into the lobby. So many local hotels had become temporary homes for the folks displaced by the tornado; whole families were staying and becoming friends.
When she approached, she saw a look in Aaron’s brown eyes that made her tingle inside. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day,” he said in greeting.
“So have I,” she said. “I haven’t had many leisurely dinners with a friend since the storm hit and I hope we can have one tonight.”
“We’re going to try. You know you can turn that phone off.”
She shook her head. “This from the man who would never turn down helping someone. There are too many real emergencies. Later, when everyone calms down and is back on an even keel, I’ll think about turning it off, but not yet.”