Page 17 of Operation: Return

Did he want her to?

“If that’s something you’re interested in, let me know.” Edwyn gave a nod to each of them. “Welcome to Wayside. I hope you have a good stay. If you need anything at all, you can ask Cole. If he’s busy with Trace, come to me. I’d be happy to help.”

“And if he’s busy, Brendon, our counselor is the next in the chain of command,” Cole said.

Edwyn flinched slightly. “We don’t like to think of it that way, but yes. If Lacy was here, she’d be the first one you could go to, but she’s staying in Cheyenne with Connor.”

Erica nodded her understanding, then looked to him for what she should do next. He could read her unease and it bothered him. “Let’s grab your bag and I’ll show you to your cabin. Since we grabbed food before we left, you won’t need the dining room until lunch, but I’ll show you that room too and how it works.”

Pete skipped along ahead of them and Cole’s heart sounded the same. He’d never been interested in any of the women he’d worked with. Even with Connor’s rule #5, honor, that said they couldn’t have a relationship deeper than a friendship, he hadn’t wanted one. There were no other women on the ranch besides Lacy and Victoria, his boss’s ex-wife and the young but ultimately motherly chef who worked for Wayside. He had no time to date and didn’t leave the ranch.

But now his heart was clattering like he’d run a twenty-mile race. He took some deep breaths to calm it as he stopped in front of her door. There were three rows of cabins, but they only had used the first row until now. He’d never even looked into the second two rows. Erica and her son wouldn’t have anyone around them.

He waited with his hand on the door, needing to say what was on his mind before he went through the motions of letting her rest or taking Pete out for a quick ride while Trace was with Edwyn. “I completely understand that living without an income for a month or even a few weeks if that’s all you decide to stay would be really hard. Without a car, working in town would be difficult. You’d have to find a job that exactly matched Gabby’s hours and she doesn’t always work full days.”

“You sound like you’re trying to talk me out of it, not understanding that I need it.” She crossed her arms over her stomach, watching Pete as he hopped around following a butterfly a few feet away from the cabin.

“I’m not. I just want you to consider working here. Edwyn is right. Lacy’s position is so important, and we’ve missed her presence a lot. If you were here to help, she wouldn’t come back to a desk piled high with overdue work.” Not that he wanted to scare her, either.

“I don’t think you understand. I’m not qualified for that kind of job. I’ve never worked anywhere longer than a few months. There is no way I’d have recommendations good enough to do a job like that.” She blinked quickly and looked away.

He wouldn’t push her to consider it when the offer obviously bothered her. When she was ready to talk, he’d let her know she was welcome to the job no matter what her skill set. Lacy hadn’t been trained before she started which meant Erica didn’t need anything more than training. He’d let the subject drop for now.

“Well, you don’t need to find a job immediately anyway. Take a few days to relax. I bet you haven’t for a long time.”

Her spine straightened and she froze, staring at the door. “You’re right, but how did you know that?”

He couldn’t resist laying a hand on her shoulder and when she didn’t flinch away from his touch, he held in a smile. “You’re a single mom who has done a great job. That means you’ve sacrificed a lot. You probably haven’t had a real day of rest since Pete was born.”

He pushed open the door and understanding dawned on him. Victoria had chosen the third row of cabins because they were bigger with two bedrooms, a larger kitchen, and a more specious living room. While his own cabin had always suited him just fine, this one felt like a home.

“I’m in 8A, so if you need me my number will be easy to remember.”

She slowly nodded as she touched things in the kitchen and living room, gradually moving from area to area. Pete raced down the hall and he heard a squeak as Pete jumped on the bed. “Mom! Come see my room! I’m so glad you’re here with me.”

Cole swallowed the foreign emotion welling up inside him. He was so glad she was there too. Erica gave him an apologetic smile and headed down the hall. She exclaimed over Pete’s room, but there was a fatigue to her voice that he hadn’t noticed until that moment.

“Hey, bud!” Cole called to Pete. “Do you want to go for a ride?”

Pete raced past his mom, his mouth open in a huge grin. “Are you serious? We can go right away?”

Cole nodded, though he was exhausted after being awake all night. He could rest later. Erica might not be able to. Pete might struggle sleeping in a different bed, forcing her to be up with him. He could give her some time to rest while he did what came naturally.

She sighed heavily, like she was afraid to believe he was going to do anything for her son. Maybe she’d learned over time that people let her down. He wouldn’t do that again.

He allowed himself to gently take her shoulders until she met his gaze. Her eyes were beautiful, and tired making him resist the urge to rub her back. “Take the next few hours all to yourself. I’ll take Pete for a little ride on the trails, something easy. I’ll bring one of the dogs with me for security. At lunch, I’ll come back here and we can all go to the dining room together.”

A soft smile tugged on the edge of her lips that left him with more energy than he’d had all morning. “I’m not sure what I’ll do first, take a hot bath or sleep.” She laughed. “I can’t even remember the last time I had the option to choose.”

* * *

As soon asthe cabin door closed behind Cole and Pete, Erica slumped onto the sofa and found it comfortable. The silence, however, was not. When was the last time she had silence that wasn’t because Pete was in bed or quietly playing—and she still had to be watchful even then.

She’d grown up in the foster system, so there were no grandparents to offer to take Pete for a day when she needed a break. Now that she had a few hours to herself, she wasn’t at all sure how to spend them. She grabbed her phone to turn on some music but there wasn’t enough signal there to open the ap.

“I’ll run a bath, then take a nap. This isn’t rocket surgery. I can manage a little self-care if given the opportunity,” she chastised as she headed for her luggage. She deposited the little pistol in the locking side pouch and promised to forget about it now that Cole and his team were there. Someone else could handle protecting her for a change.

The bathroom was about the same size as the one in the rental house back in Rock Point. Honestly, much of the house was the same size just in a different configuration. If she had to live here for a long time, she wouldn’t be unhappy.

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