Chapter Eight

Just as he was turning out the light, Caleb found a pair of glasses on the closed laptop sitting next to his recliner. Laura wore glasses? Could he dampen down his hormones enough to deliver them to her tonight?

After changing from his smoke-scented jeans and shirt into sweats, he left the comfort of his private room and went down the hallway, carrying the laptop and her glasses. As he reached the stair landing, loud music assaulted his ears. Following the noise like the lines on a map, he ended up outside Angel’s room.

Ignoring the noise—it was Angel’s ears, not his—he walked to the end of the hall. Phyllis’s room was dark, her door wide open. Laura’s door was closed and silent as he leaned his ear against the wood. She was probably back asleep. He rapped once, wondering how she could possibly sleep with the racket at the other end of the hall.

When she didn’t answer, he tried the door, and it clicked open. A lamp burned low next to the bed, lighting the room in a soft glow. Laura was lying on her side, facing away from the door. Caleb set the laptop and glasses on the table by the door and then walked quietly to the bed and touched her shoulder. She flipped toward him, her eyes wide with the surprise.

“What’s wrong?” she asked and pulled a set of headphones off her ears. He could hear strands of classical music before she paused it.

“I’m sorry,” Caleb said. “I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you.”

“You did?” she asked, a confused look on her face.

“You know damn well I was going to.” He sat on the edge of the bed and then changed his mind and stood up again. “I think it’s better that I…that we didn’t….”

“Because you spent the evening with Jenny?” Laura chuckled. “Or is it because you’re already getting what you need from Angel?”

“Come again?”

“You spent the—”

“Wait. Wait.” He held up both hands to stop her. “Yes, I was with Jenny. Not exactly with Jenny But what are you implying about Angel?”

“I saw you in the kitchen with her, Caleb. She was dressed in a flimsy, slinky robe thingy, and you were all over her. I’m not blind.”

“Stop already.” He chuckled. Hell, Laura was jealous. “She was trying to get on my good side.”

“Whatever.” Laura sighed.

He could tell she wasn’t buying it. Recalling what happened in the kitchen, he imagined she’d caught an eyeful.

“What do you need from me now? Can I not get some sleep?”

“Sure.” Calling himself ten times an idiot, he nodded. He should have just waited until the morning to see her. He pointed to the table where he had set the laptop and glasses. “I thought you might need them.”

“You couldn’t have just set them on the table for me and left?”

Of course, he could have. How dumb of him not to. He didn’t answer her.

She lifted her earphones up off her lap. “On your way out, would you ask Angel to lower the volume? Or maybe have her take the party elsewhere?”

“Will do.”

He watched quietly as she put her headphones back on. She turned her back on him and cuddled back into the bed, just as she was when he’d entered. He wanted to climb in behind her; it was almost midnight, and he was tired.

Closing the door quietly, he steeled his courage to face Angel again. He didn’t need to listen too closely at the door to hear male laughter. “Damn.” That was the last thing he wanted to deal with.

He banged on the door loudly enough to be heard. Laura had music and her headphones, Phyllis was still out, and Con was too far away to hear, so he pounded away. When the music didn’t quiet, he tried the door but found it locked.

“Angel, shut the music off now!” he screamed.

The music ended abruptly, and even through the door Caleb could hear the wrestling of sheets and curses.

He pounded the door again. “Who’s in there with you?”

More curses and giggles. Caleb had a good idea who would be sharing her bed. When he’d left the bar, she and Paul had been making out in a dark corner booth. The man had practically been under her skirt even then.

The door opened and Paul stepped out, not meeting Caleb’s eyes. Paul carried his boots under an arm while buttoning up his shirt. Glancing inside, Caleb could see Angel holding something behind her back, having trouble standing up without swaying.

“What’s behind your back?” he demanded.

She produced a half-empty bottle of vodka and giggled. “Guess we’re busted.”

“I hope it was worth it,” Caleb grumbled. “You’re both fired. I would have let you off with a warning if it was just the sex part, but no way with the liquor.”

“Aww.” Angel shimmed up to Caleb. “You jealous, baby? You want a little lovin’ too?”

Caleb rolled his eyes and stepped back into the hallway to avoid the smell of the vodka. “Pack your bags. Both of you. You’ll get a free ride to town tonight. You’ve got an hour to pack.”

Angel slammed the door in Caleb’s face; Paul just turned on his heel and walked downstairs, holding the rail tightly as he went.

“Aw, hell.” Caleb shoved a hand through his hair. He was going to have to wake Laura again. She’d have to watch Connor. Phyllis wasn’t home yet, and Caleb was not going to wake up his six-year-old in the middle of the night to cart off two horny drunks. Maybe he’d just wait until the morning and have Josh take them home. He sure didn’t want to be driving around in the middle of the night. He would, however, haul them back to town and get them a hotel room for what was left of the night.

Sighing, he went back to Laura’s room, hoping she wouldn’t end up quitting because of this fiasco.

 

* * *

 

“How many times did you wake up that poor girl?” His mother asked Caleb. She’d come up for the morning after hearing about the troubles at the ranch when she filled up her gas tank in town.

“What could I do? I couldn’t just let her sleep on the couch.” Caleb sipped from his mug and sighed.

“Just think. Had you let her be, then you wouldn’t have found Angel and the guy.” She leaned against the counter and tilted her head. “You would have gotten all your sleep and wouldn’t be so irritable this morning.” She fluffed her high hair and refilled her coffee cup. “I’d maybe be eating something wonderful instead of these stale donuts. Where is she now? Laura, I mean.”

“My bed.” He grinned and choked on the coffee when Mom slapped his back.

“Very funny. Ha, ha.” She sat in her usual spot at the table. “You slept in her room then?”

“Yep,” he answered.

“Good morning!” Josh breezed into the kitchen, holding Holly’s hand. He kissed their mom on the cheek and plopped himself down at the table, pulling Holly onto his lap.

Caleb hadn’t seen them the night before in town; they usually came to the bar when a band was playing.

“Hate to burst your bubble of happiness.” Caleb chuckled. “I need you to return Angel and Paul to their homes.”

“What happened?” Holly asked.

Everyone knew about the ranch rules, so it would be an easy story to tell. Caleb filled them in and even included Laura’s involvement.

“They didn’t even last a week.” Josh shook his head. “That Paul was a good worker.”

Caleb thought about it as he sipped on his coffee. “Maybe you could drop Angel off first, then just bring Paul back. Give him a stiff warning about the alcohol and such?”

“That’s not fair!” Holly said. “Why keep the guy and not the cook? They were equally guilty.”

“We have two really good cooks,” Caleb told her, “but we need more ranch hands.”

“But Laura got all the men sick. You’re keeping her and getting rid of Angel just because she sleeps with guys?”

“I don’t think Laura did it,” Caleb answered. “Someone else doctored up the lunch with laxatives. I have a pretty good idea that it was the person I canned last night.”

“Angel?” Josh asked.

“Yeah. I found the laxatives in the chili.”

“Laxatives? Well, I’ll be damned. I suppose the chili disguised the flavor.” Josh sighed. “That would have worked. Not sure why you think it was Angel though.”

“Got my reasons,” Caleb said. “Laura and Phyllis will do just fine.”

“Paul was fitting in real good with the other guys. I liked him.” Josh winked at Holly. “On a different topic. We’ve got some news to share.”

“Good news, I hope. After last night, I’ve had enough bad for a while,” Caleb grumbled.

“Holly’s expecting,” Josh said quietly, a grin threatening to split his face into two.

“As I live and breathe!” Mom was up and out of her seat. She kissed Holly first and then threw her arms around them both. “How far along?”

“I think about three months already.” Holly flushed. “Just wanted to be sure before we told you.”

“Congratulations.” Caleb smiled.

Christie’s news about Connor hadn’t been a particularly happy event. She and Caleb hadn’t been married, and she hadn’t been interested in getting hitched—baby or no baby. But Caleb loved Connor the minute he was born and committed himself to do anything to make him safe and happy. He was proud of the dad he’d become, proud of the son he was raising.

“Did I miss something?” Laura stepped into the kitchen with her usual beautiful smile.

Caleb caught his breath and swallowed.

Purple suited her, brought out the blue in her eyes. She had her dark hair down this morning, and it laid in waves about her shoulders. She had on makeup too, which was uncommon for her in the morning. She wasn’t wearing a running outfit either. Instead, she had on a pair of jeans that looked as if they’d been custom made for her.

“I’m pregnant.” Holly smiled.

“Oh, how wonderful!” Laura told them, her smile getting even larger. “Congratulations to you both.” She smiled at his mother. “Hi, Mary Grace.”

“Surprised you’re up already,” Mom said. “Caleb filled me in on what happened last night.”

“It was a long one, that’s for sure.” She poured herself a cup of coffee and added a bit of milk and sugar. “Holly, you probably shouldn’t have been rolling around in the dirt with me the other day.”

“What’s that?” Mom asked, making both men groan.

“They helped me cull down in the barn, so we could get the younger ones tagged before calving and the cold comes,” Josh told his mom. “Holly, let’s head out; we’ve got a good six hours on the road today.”

“In the party van?” Laura asked with a laugh.

Caleb shot a look her way and was delighted by the laughing twinkle he saw. She had been humored by her mode of transportation to the ranch—as cheesy as it may have been.

“Nope. Had to take that back. Someone might be riding in it right now, as a matter of fact. It was reserved for a wedding in Scottsbluff for yesterday.” Josh put his mug in the sink.

“Angel and Paul are at Sally Baker’s in town. They’re expecting you,” Caleb informed them.

“Okay.” Josh slipped an arm around Holly and guided her out. “You know where to find us. I’ll answer the cell this time, should you happen to call.” He saluted Caleb and went out. “Bye, Mom.” The screen door slammed shut behind them.

“So, what have you got planned today?” Mom asked Caleb.

“The trucker never made it yesterday to pick up the grain. Don called to say he’d be out this morning. I should be out at the bins to watch him load it.”

“Sounds like fun.” Her voice held a sarcastic edge. “Will you take Connor out there or should I snag him home for the rest of the weekend?”

“Could.” He nodded. “I’ll ask and see what he wants to do.”

“And you, Laura. What’s going on with you?”

“Lunch duty.” She shrugged. “I should write some emails. Nothing too exciting. Maybe I’ll even take a nap today.”

She laughed, and he wondered if it was because she never napped or because it was so obvious they all needed one?

Connor entered the kitchen and plowed into Caleb’s hip. “You want to go watch them load the corn or you want to hang out with Grandma today?”

“What about Laura?” He whispered the question, but his voice was still loud enough for all three of the adults to hear him.

“What about me?” She leaned closer to him.

The little boy flushed and turned his head and to his dad’s hip. “Can we make more cookies today?” His voice was muffled.

“Sure,” Laura readily agreed with a laugh. “But maybe Grandma wants to spend the day with you?”

“Maybe I’ll just stay out here and help bake cookies?” Mom said. “We’ll make some extras for Grandpa Hank.”

“How about you go and get dressed while I figure out what to make for lunch?” Laura said. “I’ll come get you in a bit, okay?”

“Okey-dokey.” Connor scampered off.

“You don’t have to, you know. This isn’t part of the job description,” Caleb said.

“I know, but I don’t mind,” Laura answered.

“He needs a woman’s touch, Caleb,” Mom said.

“He’s got you.”

“Yes, but I’m Grandma. I’m an old lady. Laura here is full of energy. Have you seen her run? Those beautiful legs of hers?”

Laura flushed. Caleb was sure his mouth was hanging open. His mother never quit. Was she matchmaking or was it his imagination?

Too bad he’d sworn off women.