Millie
When I entered the kitchen the next morning, I found Jesse sitting at the table drinking coffee.
“Oh hey,” I said as I rubbed Addy’s head. “Haven’t seen you here for breakfast for a while.”
“One of the ranch hands had to go home for a while, so it wasn’t so easy to break off and come over. He’s back now,” he explained. “So, I’m gonna be workin’ on Wyatt’s horse today.”
“Morning, Millie. I’m making pancakes,” Bonnie said brightly. “You want some?”
“No, Granola is fine for me, thank you though.” I sat next to Addy and grabbed the cereal.
“How was your date?” Bonnie asked, while she emptied the pancake mix into the sizzling pan. “You have a good time with Brandon?”
“Yes, it was good thanks.” I added milk to my bowl and started to eat.
“That all,” Jesse said, his deep voice rumbling through the kitchen. “Just good?”
“Yep. What about you, how was yours with Angie?” I asked with a sickly sweet smile.
“Weren’t no date, but Angie is Angie.”
My insides knotted and I wanted to reach across the table and punch him.
“Jesse!” Bonnie chastised. “I thought that was over and done with.”
Addy suddenly stopped eating her cereal and looked to her grandma. Bonnie reached over and cupped Addy’s cheek.
“Eat your breakfast, sugar.”
Addy’s gaze moved to Jesse who gave her a short nod and Addy continued eating, but her movements were slow, and her head was down with her long blonde hair shielding her face. I watched her carefully and saw her shoulders shaking and then heard a little sniffle.
“Hey, Addy, what’s wrong?” I asked, putting an arm around her tiny body. “What’s upset you?”
“Nothing,” she sniffled. “I’m okay.”
“Something has, you can tell us.”
Her head came up and her bright blue eyes, so like Jesse’s, looked at her father. Jesse looked at her impassively, ignoring the pleading in her gaze.
“Jesse,” I urged.
Jesse let out a long breath through his nose and leaned forward, placing a hand on Addy’s head.
“Stop crying, Addy, and eat your breakfast.” He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. “Sorry, Mom, I don’t have time for pancakes.”
As the door banged shut behind him, Addy started to sob.
“I made Daddy cross,” she cried, scrunching her hands into tiny little fists and rubbing her eyes with them. “Daddy will stop coming to see me again, won’t he?”
Bonnie turned off the stove and put the cooking pancakes to one side. “Oh sugar, you didn’t make him cross. You shouldn’t think that.”
“I did, Granma, I did and now he hates me.”
Her sobbing was heart breaking as Bonnie drew Addy into her arms. “Oh, Addy baby, tell me what’s wrong, tell Granma.”
“Daddy loves that lady more than he loves me. He shouted at me when she was there and now he’s friends with her again, he’ll stop coming to see me again.”
My heart totally shattered for the poor child. She truly believed that now that Angie was back in Jesse’s life, he wouldn’t want her anymore. What also hurt was that I had taken part in shattering her by bringing Angie up, just to be spiteful.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered to Bonnie. “I shouldn’t have mentioned her.”
Bonnie shook her head and continued rocking Addy. “He shouldn’t have taken up with her again and he damn well should be here dealing with this.”
I shoved my chair back. “I’ll go and get him.”
“He’ll likely be at the corral, it’s around the back of the bunk house,” Bonnie offered.
I ran all the way but by the time I’d made it to the corral, Jesse was already in the middle, talking softly to the horse while he held a blanket over one arm. I didn’t want to shout and startle the horse, but he needed to get to Addy as soon as possible. I skirted the fence until I was in his eye line and waved. It took a couple of minutes but he eventually saw me, spoke something else in the horse’s ear, and then strode over to me with his hands on his hips.
“What?” he asked as he took his hat off and wiped his brow.
“You need to come back to the house. Addy needs you.”
“I’m busy. She has you or is that not what you are employed for?” He crossed his arms and inclined his head, waiting for an answer.
“It’s you she wants, Jesse. She’s sobbing in your mum’s arms, crying for you.” My chest tightened as Jesse sighed and looked down at the floor. “Please, Jesse, if there was any time to show Addy you love her, it’s now.”
Jesse looked up at the sky and I could see the muscles clench along his jaw line.
“I can’t come runnin’ to the house every time Addy has a cryin’ fit,” he seethed.
“This is not just a crying fit, Jesse!” I practically screeched. “She needs to know that you love her.”
“Keep your damn voice down.” He looked over his shoulder at the horse that was stomping around and kicking up dirt.
“Does your stupid job mean more to you than your daughter?” I asked, my voice lower. “She needs you. You came during the storm, when she needed you, so what’s so different now?”
“Because there is no reason for her being upset now.” He focused his eyes on mine and thrust his hands to his hips. “Now can I get on with my work?”
“You’re a bastard, you know that,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around my middle. “That little girl is so special and you have no damn idea what you’re losing.”
With purpose, Jesse turned and walked quickly back to the middle of the corral and continued to work with the horse.