Page 21 of The Talk of Coyote Canyon

“I will,” Hendrix told her. “I have to stop by the office, anyway.”

“Thanks for watching him.” Stuart started to follow his wife back to the car but then turned. “Did Ellen say anything to you about your attempt to steal her driller?”

“No.” Thank God. Hendrix had been afraid she might start an argument in front of Veronica, even though he’d apologized. Ellen had to resent what he’d done, and an apology did little to fix it.

“She was nice to Leo?”

He’d already acknowledged that but nodded to confirm it again. He couldn’t fault Ellen for the way she’d behaved—and not just with Leo. As a matter of fact, he’d found it quite generous, considering she could easily have made a snide comment or two, if only to embarrass him in front of his date.

Stuart said, “Sounds like you got off easy.”

That was true. But not as easy as he could’ve gotten off. Why’d she have to be there in the first place? he wondered. Why’d his cousin have to take such a big interest in her? And why was he suddenly finding it so hard to dislike and dismiss her?

Don’t you feel sorry for me! Don’t you ever feel sorry for me!

He remembered her yelling that at him, essentially throwing his apology back in his face. That should’ve made him mad.

But if he was being honest, he couldn’t help but respect her.

It rained the next day. By the time Ellen got home, she was wet, cold and muddy. “What a glamorous life I lead,” she mumbled as she peeled off her clothes, tossed everything except her boots and her coat in the washer and headed for the shower. After she got warm and clean, she planned to heat up a can of soup and watch whatever looked interesting on TV until she fell asleep. She was exhausted. Today had been rough in more ways than just the weather. Ben had come to work and helped her set the pressure tank in the Slemboskis’ garage before they moved the rig to their next drill site. But winning the salary battle they’d had on Saturday had imbued him with too much of a sense of his own power. It was one thing to have to pay him more; it was another to have to put up with him acting as though he was suddenly in control of the whole business.

Damn Hendrix Durrant.If something didn’t change, she’d have to let Ben go. She was already thinking of how she could spread out her jobs to make time to interview and train someone else. It would mean she’d have to move more slowly in the months ahead, which would impact her bottom line. But it could arguably be the cheaper route...

She’d just stepped out of the shower, pulled on some sweats, shoved her feet into a pair of fluffy slippers and traipsed into the kitchen, where she started going through the cupboards looking for some vegetable soup, when she heard her phone ring. The Slemboskis had paid her today, so she’d already let her mother know she’d be able to send the money for rent as soon as the check cleared. She was hoping this wasn’t about that again, but she had a sinking feeling it was more of the same. Jan tended to be obsessive.

Ellen followed the sound until she located her phone. She’d left it while undressing in the laundry room. But it wasn’t her mother. Although the call was coming from a number she didn’t recognize, she answered. It had a local area code, which meant it could be someone trying to reach her about a well. “Hello?”

“Ellen?”

Immediately recognizing Rocko’s voice, she kicked herself for being so eager to answer. “Yes?”

“It’s Rocko. From the burger joint.”

“I know,” she said. “But... I’m curious. How’d you get my number?”

“I found your business card on the bulletin board at the Chamber of Commerce.”

She’d posted it there to draw in more business, and to keep things simple and save money, she used her cell for everything. “Oh, right.” Of course she’d get this kind of call and not the opportunity that sort of advertising was intended to create.

“How are you?” he asked.

She was hungry and tired, but she said, “Fine. You?”

“I’m great. I was just calling to see if you’d like to go out with me tonight to grab a bite to eat.”

The meal part of his offer was actually tempting. She was tired of soup, which she ate more nights than not. But there was no way she was going to allow something to get started with Rocko. “I’m afraid not. I just got out of the shower and I’m planning to stay in for the night. But thanks for the offer.”

“What about tomorrow night—or another night this week?” he asked.

She knew it had to be hard to ask someone out and was sensitive to how it would feel to be rejected. So she said, “I’m sorry, but I... I’m seeing someone.”

“You have a boyfriend?”

“Sort of,” she said.

“Who?” he asked in surprise.

Most of the town assumed she was unattached, since she was never seen with anyone—other than Brant a few times early on—who might qualify as a partner. But several months ago, during a low moment and at Talulah’s urging, she’d created a profile on an online dating site that had put her in touch with a few guys. She still corresponded with two of them, and last week she’d given her number to one who was a dentist. Dr. Jordan Forbes hadn’t called yet, so it was a stretch to say they werein a relationship. But it was an easier, kinder way to let Rocko down. And for all she knew, the situation with Jordan could grow serious at some point—not that she was particularly planning on it. “A guy I met online.”

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