Page 19 of Dependable Cowboy

Joy: Lol. What a flatterer you are!

Man, the nerves he felt on that first date were back. This time because of a little girl. He knew this would be like some crazy job interview, except instead of getting a position somewhere, he might be meeting someone who could become a member of his…

Well, maybe he was jumping the gun on that one.

He and Joy had been having a wonderful time together, but he had no idea what to call what they currently were. Ex-best friends who occasionally kissed? His old love that got away coming back? His second chance at a new life as long as he didn’t do anything to mess it up?

No pressure.

Still, when he arrived at Joy’s place, both she and her daughter were standing at the top of the stairwell beside the garage to welcome him up.

“Kara, that’s Aaron,” she introduced him loud enough he could hear it even as he tramped up those steps. “He’s the friend I told you about.”

Aaron would give a lot of his salary to know exactly what “friend I told you about” entailed. Did Kara know that they grew up together? That they dated? That she passed him over for the man who would become her dad?

“Pleasure to meet you, Kara,” he greeted her once at the top, and she smiled at him but blushed.

“Hello.”

That reminded him to bring his arms out from behind his back. “These are for you,” he offered the cute bouquet of three sunflowers to Kara. “And these,” he spoke to Joy. “Are for you.” Joy’s bouquet was made up of lavender blooms along with a lavender satchel and some homemade lavender soap. “Compliments of the Hunter Lavender Fields.”

Joy brought them to her dainty nose, took an audible whiff. “Ah, that scent. That takes me right back.” She hugged him, and he was pretty sure his smile became goofy. “Thank you so much.”

“Yes, thank you,” Kara added, when her mother nudged her shoulder.

“Why don’t you go put these bouquets in some water for us,” Joy suggested to her daughter, and Kara obediently trotted off to do what she’d been asked. Then, she settled in to play with a digital tablet on the couch.

“She’s super well-behaved, isn’t she?” Aaron observed, and the corner of Joy’s mouth lifted.

“I have to admit that I don’t often think about that, but you’re right. She is. She’s quiet, creative, and a little shy. Don’t know where she gets that shyness. Definitely not me or her father. Come on in and have a seat.”

Aaron did as he was bid, but he couldn’t help tripping a bit over the mention of Kara’s father. Joy hadn’t mentioned Wayne Randall to him so far. Hadn’t made even the briefest of allusions to him. He had to admit that his curiosity was piqued.

Over the course of their evening together, they ate spaghetti and meatballs, had some fruit punch, and then indulged in ice cream for dessert. And quietly, Kara worked on her coloring, but it wasn’t always just coloring books. Sometimes, she drew something, then colored it in.

She was good, too.

Kara drew turtles and frogs. Horses and cattle. Then, pigs with little iridescent wings. Joy snorted at that one.

“I once said if pigs could fly as a figure of speech, and she took it literally enough to draw.”

“Joy,” Aaron murmured in her ear, sincerely impressed. “She has some real talent. Especially for a kid. I don’t think I could draw those animals that well if I tried.”

“She’s always had an artistic bent.” To her daughter, she said, “All right, Kara-bear, time for bed. Why don’t you thank Aaron for coming over?”

Kara did, word for word. Then headed into their single bathroom. There was also only one bedroom. Aaron wondered if they shared that room or even a bed. The space was miniscule, but he knew what it was like to go out on your own without having much.

“She’s amazing, Joy, really. Is she doing okay in school?”

“As and Bs. Well, her only B is math. But yeah. I think she’s doing fine all things considered.”

There it was. Another hint as to what brought Joy back here.

“How are Mr. and Mrs. Taylor doing?” he asked, and she tensed. That’s right. He’d heard something about Joy being on the outs with her parents, even though she hadn’t mentioned it herself. Was that still going on? Had they stayed with her parents when they first moved?

“Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. You still do that at twenty-eight?”

“Well, that’s what I always called them.” The Taylor’s had been somewhat formal with visitors that were kids. Even him, and he’d been there more than once. Still, she came to his family’s farm way more often than he came to her place. “When I see them in town to this day, I call them that.”

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