Chapter Three
Bella wiped a hand across her brow and studied the mountain of plates, pots, pans, and silverware she’d left to pile up while she made sure every diner got fed. She’d originally had one of her servers to help out in the kitchen, but they’d had an unexpected rush of tourists, and she’d had to send him back out front. To make sure she got the food out, she’d decided not to clean up as she went, which was her normal practice.
The thought of doing it all over again in the evening was almost making her weep.
A knock at the back door had her spinning around to see Billy Morgan peering through the glass. She let him in and walked back into the kitchen proper as he took in the chaos.
“Are you okay, Bella?” Billy asked.
She let out her breath as he came toward her. “Barely.”
“So I can see.” He took off his thick denim jacket and hung it on the back of the door. “I’ll start loading the dishwasher.”
With a calm efficiency that startled her, he managed to help her bring order to her kitchen in a remarkably short period. By the time the dishwasher was humming and the pots were put back in their places, she’d regained her composure and they were working happily alongside each other.
“What do you need to prep for tonight?” Billy asked as he cleaned down her work surfaces.
She waved a hand at the refrigerator. “Just fruit and veg mainly. The bread’s here, the patties are made, and everything else comes out of the freezer.”
“So the same as we did the other day?”
“Yes, exactly,” she said, smiling at him. “But I’m good now, really
. Jay will be in soon. He just had to take Erin to pick up her new car in Bridgeport.”
Billy put his hands on her shoulders. “How about we do this? You go upstairs, get yourself some lunch, and I’ll come find you when Jay gets here?”
“I’m fine,” Bella immediately protested.
“Have you eaten anything substantial today?” His blue gaze captured her attention.
“Not really,” she admitted.
“Then go and fix yourself something.” He gently rocked her back and forth. “Take half an hour. I promise I won’t ruin your business in that time.”
Despite her tiredness, he’d made her smile, and she really was feeling a bit wobbly.
“Okay, half an hour, and then I’ll be down again.”
“Great.” He turned her to face the exit. “Off you go.”
At the door she looked over her shoulder. “Are you sure you know where—?”
“Whatever it is, I’ll find it.” He pointed his finger at her. “Go.”
Bella climbed the stairs to her apartment and let out a relieved sigh as she closed the door. That was possibly the nicest thing any man had done for her in decades—if ever. And all without a lecture or any mansplaining . . .
Okay, so she’d wanted to kiss him again, but this time he deserved it.
Her smile faded. She couldn’t go on without a full staff. She’d have to talk to Jay.
* * *
Billy set about dealing with the fruit and vegetables until he’d filled the stacks of boxes, and replaced everything in the refrigerator. Noticing there was very little soup left, he set a huge pan of vegetable and lentil soup on the stove to slowly cook through. He glanced at the kitchen clock, noting that an hour had gone past, and that Bella hadn’t reappeared. He could only hope she’d fallen asleep.
She was a strong woman who’d prioritized the needs of her customers over the state of her kitchen, and he could only admire her for that. The problem was, one person couldn’t do everything. She was wearing herself out.
The back door banged, and Jay came into the kitchen. Billy nodded to him.
“Hey, Bella’s just upstairs getting herself some lunch. I volunteered to finish up in here for her. She had quite a day.”
Jay glanced at the door that led into the bar. “Is everything okay? I asked two of my waitstaff to help out so Mom wouldn’t be alone in the kitchen.”
“I think it got busy out there, so Bella sent them back out.” Billy wiped his hands on the towel. “I know it isn’t any of my business, but I don’t think she should be trying to do everything out here.”
“It’s okay. You’re preaching to the choir.” Jay sat down at the table with a thump
. “She’s always been reluctant to accept any help out here. I even offered to get a full-time chef and staff so that she could retire, but she was horrified at the idea.”
“She sounds just like my mother,” Billy said. “Are you okay if I talk to Avery our event coordinator about getting someone to help out more permanently? She usually has really good leads, and great ideas.”
“Be my guest.” Jay sighed. “I feel like I’m failing her all around right now.” He struggled to his feet. “I should go up and make sure she’s okay.”
“I think she might be taking a nap,” Billy said. “She looked worn out.”
“Then I’ll leave her to it.” Jay nodded. “Thanks for helping out again. Are you sure you don’t want a job?”
“I’m happy to help out when I can.” Billy shrugged. “And I’m cheap.”
“A win-win for Mom then.” Jay grinned at him. “I’ll be back in two hours to check the bar stock and get set up for the evening rush. There are fewer orders for food, so hopefully we’ll cope. I’m sure Erin will lend a hand, too.”
With a brisk nod, Jay left and Billy made himself a cup of coffee. He’d given up alcohol after ending up in prison, and still attended the regular AA meetings held in the church hall in Morgantown. He’d never really liked the taste of alcohol, and had just used it to drown his own guilt. Fifteen years ago he’d vowed never to touch another drop, and he hadn’t.
Even being this close to the bar wasn’t making him regret that decision, which gave him a great deal of satisfaction. But he knew himself now—knew how easily a good man could turn to crutches to help himself deal with grief. He finished his coffee and remembered his original reason for turning up at the bar. In the immediate emergency of helping Bella out, he’d completely forgotten to mention the wedding party.
At least he hadn’t blabbed anything to Jay, who did seem genuinely concerned about his mother and was definitely trying to help her. Billy glanced up at the ceiling. Should he go up there and see if Bella was awake, or come back later when she was working the evening shift?
The floorboards creaked, and he made up his mind. If she was already up and about, he’d go and speak to her.
* * *
Bella yawned so hard she almost dislocated her jaw as she brushed her teeth in the bathroom. The apartment felt more like hers again since Jay had moved up the street, and secretly she quite liked it. After being widowed so young, and Jay being away in the military, she was comfortable in her own space and almost never felt lonely. She’d lived in Morgantown her whole life, knew everyone, and never felt like she had to be alone if she didn’t want to be.
She came out of the bathroom and glanced at the clock in the kitchen. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but her chair had proved too comfortable, and after finishing her sandwich she’d drifted off. . . .
There was a knock at the door, and she went to peer through the peephole, not wholly surprised to see Billy Morgan standing there.
“Hey.” He smiled at her when she opened the door. “Just wanted to see that you were okay.”
She held the door open. “Come on in.”
He hesitated, his Stetson in his hand. “I don’t want to be a bother.”
“You are not bothering me in the slightest.” She turned away. “Come in and at least let me make you a cup of coffee or something for all your hard work.”
He followed her inside, wiping his boots on the mat, and shut the door behind him. He took his time walking through to the eat-in kitchen, quietly assessing the place, which amused her greatly.
“When was the last time you came up here?” she asked him as she set the coffeemaker working.
He perched himself on one of the stools set against the countertop. “About thirty-five years ago, I think. I came to pick up Ron for a football game.” He smiled at her. “It looks a lot nicer than it did back then.”
“Ron’s parents weren’t much into decorating.” Bella smiled. “And there were five of them crammed into two rooms.”
“Yeah, it certainly felt quite small to me, having grown up an only child in a big old Victorian ranch house.”
“I’m surprised Ruth didn’t have a big family.”
Billy made a face. “She was young when she had me, and there were . . . complications. We both almost died, and my parents decided one kid was enough to carry on the family name.”
“That was a sensible decision, and Ruth sure made up for it with grandkids.”
To her surprise Billy didn’t look any happier. “Maybe we should’ve stopped at one as well.”
Bella stared at him. “You don’t really mean that? I’ve seen the pride you take in your family. You love them all.”
“Sure I do, but Annie . . .” He sighed. “She didn’t do so well.”
Bella held his gaze. “I knew Annie quite well, and I can tell you that we all asked her why you wouldn’t get the snip. She insisted she didn’t want you to do that or get her tubes tied.”
“I did offer several times,” Billy said. “I should’ve just gone ahead and done it anyway.”
“Hindsight is a marvelous thing,” Bella said softly. “We’ve all done things that we just wish we could go back and erase from our timelines.”
“Even you?” He studied her carefully. “I think you and Ron were the happiest couple I knew, apart from the Millers.”
“We were happy, but we still had our differences.” It was her turn to sigh. “I’ll never forgive myself for letting him drive off the night he died. He’d had a few beers after the football game and decided he’d go pick Jay up from practice. I told him I’d go, and then I got busy, and just let him do it anyway.” She looked down at the countertop. “He crashed into a wall on black ice and never got there.”
“That was hardly your fault,” Billy said gently.
“But it doesn’t matter, does it?” She pressed her fist to her heart. “In here
I feel responsible, and I always will.”
He met her gaze. “Yeah.”
She tried to smile, aware that she was actually closer to tears. “Thanks for understanding.”
His answering smile was wry. “Remember you’re talking to the king of regrets here. I let my wife down, walked out on my kids, and
left my mother to run the ranch for me.”
“That’s certainly a long list,” Bella agreed. “But you’re forgetting that Annie made some bad choices as well. Ruth told me Annie tried to stab you with a kitchen knife.”
“She was ill.” Billy glanced down at his scarred hands. “She didn’t know what she was doing.”
Bella raised an eyebrow. “She knew enough to run off with another guy, and take your daughter with her without stopping to see if you were bleeding to death.”
“That’s true, but—”
“And she never came back. In fact she changed her name and went on with her life without you.” Bella held his gaze. “You weren’t the only one who walked out on their children, Billy.”
“Okay, I get that, but—”
“If she had
stayed, what would you have done?” Bella asked.
“I would’ve got her the treatment she needed.”
“And you would have remained on the ranch looking after your kids, and none of the rest of it would have happened.” Bella nodded. “Annie chose to leave, and her actions caused a lot of yours.”
“I thought Annie was your friend.”
“She was.” Bella got two mugs down from the cupboard. “That doesn’t mean I didn’t see her faults. She wasn’t suited to ranch life. She hated it out here, and she wasn’t very happy.”
Billy took the mug of coffee she poured him. “Seems as if everyone in town knew that except me. I was too busy running the ranch and trying to help out with the boys to have much time to ask the right questions.”
“Just like me letting Ron drive when he was drunk because I was too busy doing other things.”
“Bella, I appreciate the support,” Billy interrupted her. “But stop trying to equate one stupid mistake with a whole catalogue of misdemeanors. I went to prison
, for God’s sake.”
“I’m not.” She met his gaze head-on. “I’m just saying that we all do things we regret. How we deal with that regret and move forward is more important than wanting to do the impossible, and go back in time to fix it.”
“I think we can agree on that.” He sipped his coffee. “I’m definitely trying to make it up to my family.”
Bella added cream to her coffee and slowly stirred it in. She’d never imagined herself sitting in her kitchen exchanging heartfelt confidences with Billy Morgan of all people. But she’d noticed since his return that he was always making other people feel good about themselves, and had wanted to repay that instinct in kind.
“I forgot to tell you earlier that Chase and Ruth are happy for you to hold your wedding party up at the ranch,” Billy said.
Billy had obviously decided the serious conversation was over, and she hastened to reply.
“That’s wonderful.”
“Maybe you could come up to the ranch one day this week, take a look at the kitchens, and create a menu?” Billy pointed at his chest. “I’m cooking, so don’t make it too fancy.”
“I don’t think I want to do a sit-down dinner or anything,” Bella said. “Just a buffet where everyone can serve themselves, and then maybe free-for-all speeches?”
“If you think that’s a good idea.”
Bella grinned at him. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to get drunk and air my grievances at not being at the actual ceremony or anything.”
“You
might not, but what about Erin’s parents? Weren’t they the whole reason the couple eloped in the first place?”
“You’re right.” Bella frowned and tapped her spoon on the countertop. “Maybe we should have preapproved speeches instead—although those sometimes go off the rails as well.”
“Feed them lots of carbs and limit the alcohol. They’ll be too full and too sleepy to cause any problems,” Billy advised. “That’s what Avery says, and she should know seeing as she’s organized hundreds of weddings and celebrations over the years.”
“That’s a great idea,” Bella agreed. “I’m thinking it will only be about fifty people. It’s short notice as well.”
“Are you going to tell Jay or is it supposed to be a surprise?” Billy asked.
“I was thinking of surprising him. He certainly deserves it.”
“Then I’ll remind everyone at the ranch to keep quiet about the details.” Billy finished his coffee and slid off his stool. “I’d better be getting home. They’ll be wondering where I’ve gotten to.”
Bella put down her mug and came around to his side of the counter. “I’m disrupting your life again, aren’t I?”
“Trust me, this is much more fun than inoculating cows.” He looked down at her, mischief dancing in his blue eyes, and she couldn’t look away.
“I’m glad to hear that.” She licked her lips and he stared at her mouth. “May I kiss you good-bye?” she asked.
He leaned in offering her his bearded cheek. She put her hand under his chin until their mouths lined up and kissed him full on the lips. It felt so good that she did it again, and with a groan, his lips parted, and she dove inside. He tasted like coffee, leather, and the great outdoors.
His arm came around her hips, locking her against him, and he took control of the kiss, pressing her against the countertop as she settled her hand on the back of his neck. He kissed with the same tender care he showed her in other ways, which made her feel so cherished.
Eventually he drew back and looked down at her for so long, she had to say something.
“Was I that bad? I am out of practice.”
“Not at all, I just . . .” He continued to study her. “I just don’t know what to do with this.”
“With me kissing you?” Bella asked.
“No, with me kissing you back.”
Bella smiled at him. “Well, if we both liked it, then maybe we should try it again sometime?” She held her breath.
He nodded. “I need to think about it. Is that okay?”
She shrugged, even though she was feeling pretty stupid now. So much for following her instincts like Maureen had suggested. She wasn’t a kid anymore, and actions had consequences.
“Nothing to think about.” She dismissed him with an airy wave of her hand. “Thanks so much for helping out today, Billy. I don’t know how I would’ve coped if you hadn’t turned up.” She walked toward the hallway to the front door and opened it wide.
He came after her and was still putting his Stetson on when she literally shoved him out the door, saying, “Bye! I’ll be in touch about the party.”
She shut the door and leaned against it. He’d definitely kissed her back, and if she hadn’t been mistaken, other areas of his anatomy had definitely been interested, too. What had she wanted him to do anyway? Toss her over his shoulder and head for the bedroom? A delicious shiver went through her as she contemplated that little fantasy.
Okay, so she wanted more, but she wasn’t going to pursue him. Maureen wasn’t always right. One thing being an adult had taught her was that patience and perseverance mattered far more than impulse. If Billy Morgan wanted more, then he’d have to work out how to ask for it without any further encouragement from her.
* * *
Billy almost fell down the stairs as he exited the top floor of the bar. Not that he wanted to get away from Bella. It was more a case of self-preservation—if he didn’t get away he might do something really stupid like bang on her door and demand more. He let out a frustrated breath as he continued out into the parking lot. She’d tasted so good.... He missed that kind of physical intimacy so much. He’d tried to be honest though. He really didn’t know what he wanted. The thought that Bella Williams liked him that way was still hard for him to get his head around.
Thinking about hard . . . Billy glanced down at his worn jeans. He was way too old to be worrying about embarrassing himself in public. He hadn’t expected to react to Bella’s kiss so fast, or so physically. With a groan, he checked his cell, and noticed he’d missed several messages from various family members. He’d been away half the day helping Bella, so he wasn’t surprised they were all worried.
“Hey, Mr. Morgan.”
He looked up to see Nate Turner hanging out the window of his official car in the street alongside him.
“Hey, Nate.” Billy tried to look responsible. “Have you caught Axel yet?”
“Nope. He’s disappeared. Hopefully back to wherever he came from, but I’m still keeping an eye out.”
“Good. If he didn’t get his wages, he might need the money.”
“Bella has first-rate security at the bar,” Nate said. “I went over the place with her and Jay to make sure.”
“Yeah, but the bar is a public space, so anyone can get in there,” Billy said. “It’s never one-hundred percent secure.”
“I know that, but I also reckon most people who know Jay wouldn’t risk trying to get past him to his mother.” Nate nodded. “I’ll keep in touch. Have a great day, Mr. Morgan.”
“Thanks.” Billy found his truck and got inside. The temperature had dropped considerably since he’d arrived around lunchtime to find Bella in a fix. He used the time waiting for the condensation to clear from his windscreen to text his nearest and dearest that he was on his way home.
Quite what he was going to say to them when he got there, he wasn’t so sure.