The warmth crept up Kaycee’s neck. No way this fake engagement would stay secret. “He brought the kids into town for Sunday school. How’s the painting coming in the house?”
“Don’t change the subject—but not so well. And Jon Rider just happened to stop by your vet clinic on a Sunday with his whole brood?”
“I fixed breakfast for them.”
Sarah’s face lit up. “Wait a minute! Have I missed something? Didn’t I just see you the day before yesterday? You didn’t let on you’d ever met Jon. When did you start cooking for his family?”
Kaycee wouldn’t be able to put Sarah off for long. If she didn’t fill her in, Sarah would pick at her mercilessly. One good thing, Sarah was no gossip. Kaycee would never tell Jon’s business, but whatever she did say wouldn’t be repeated. If all of Little Lobo was watching, she might do well to have Sarah as an ally to waylay rumors. So she briefly touched on her visit to the ranch and the subsequent invitation to breakfast. She skipped the parts about the social worker’s visit and the fake engagement.
“And then there was church…sitting with his kids,” Sarah prodded.
“Boy, you were everywhere today, weren’t you?”
“You know, Jon would be hot property if he’d lighten up.”
“Really?” Although hearsay wasn’t necessary. Kaycee had been close enough to feel that heat firsthand.
“He’s got a big ranch, made some good money from bull riding when he was young so he’s better off than a lot of the ranchers around here. And he’s a genuinely nice guy. Yep, even with all those kids, he wouldn’t have trouble finding another wife. But he doesn’t want one.” Sarah leaned on the filing cabinet, staring outside. “All he wants is to have Alison back.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Small town. There are no secrets around here.”
That was exactly what Kaycee feared. And how long before her own private life was spread out for the town’s scrutiny?
“What happened to his wife?”
“A tragic accident. The way I heard it, the girls missed the school bus that morning. Jon and Alison took the girls to school and were on their way to Bozeman to shop. An elk ran into the road, smashed through the windshield on Alison’s side. She died in Jon’s arms.”
“Oh, no,” Kaycee whispered, recalling Jon’s determination to save the newborn calf yesterday. An unbidden image formed of him desperately trying to save his dying wife. “How horrible.”
“Thank goodness they’d already dropped off the kids.”
“Was Jon hurt?”
“Nothing major. They say he blames himself.”
“Still wounded then.” Kaycee recalled the sadness in Jon’s ice-blue eyes.
“Well, there you go. You’re a doctor—you can heal him.”
Kaycee laughed and shook her head. “I’m a vet, Sarah, not a physician.”
“Well, looks like you’re doing pretty well after just one visit. Maybe the way to a rancher’s heart is through a cow C-section.”
“Oh, stop it, Sarah. There’s nothing going on.”
“Knowing Jon, I don’t doubt that. Still, he did bring his brood over for breakfast. That’s got to mean something.”
“Means they were hungry. Any luck on getting a restorer for the house?”
“No,” Sarah said, the frustration evident in her voice as she resumed filing. “Nobody wants to touch it. I’ve put ads in papers as far away as Denver, but no bites. But, thanks for this job. The extra money means I can move faster.”
“Then it works for both of us. Full-time help’s out of the question until I get more business. And don’t worry about the restoration. Somebody will come along. Just the right person at the right time. You’ll see. What all did you get done tonight?”
As she finished her work, Sarah rattled on about her favorite subject. By the time Sarah left, Kaycee decided it was too late to call Jon. She went to bed, but lay awake a long time thinking about his predicament. She fell asleep wondering what more she could do to help.
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