Debbi Rawlins - Need You Now

They were all watching Pinocchio, a notoriously mischievous pygmy goat, so they didn’t see her approach. It wasn’t until she came up behind them that she saw what was so amusing. The determined Pinocchio was trying to mate with Selma, an unfazed older Nubian nearly twice his size. The poor little guy would never reach, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

Melanie wasn’t sure what embarrassed her more...watching the animal giving it his all or being embarrassed over something so silly. If it had been only Kathy and Levi, no problem. She would’ve had a chuckle along with them. For a second she wondered if she could back out of the barn without anyone the wiser. The thought had barely flitted through her brain when Lucas saw her.

That smile of his. Heaven help her, it was really something. She smiled back, felt the heat in her face and knew there wasn’t a thing she could do about the blush.

“That was fast,” Lucas said, mercifully uncrossing his arms and relaxing them at his side.

Kathy and Levi turned to her, as well. The instant the older woman saw her, she tilted her head, her sympathetic expression confirming Melanie’s fear. Her stupid cheeks were flaming. She wasn’t even a redhead but a mousy brunette. It wasn’t fair.

“If I had known you had entertainment, I wouldn’t have rushed,” she said breezily.

“I put the invoice from the hardware store on the desk,” Kathy said, and Levi added, “Jorgensen mentioned he could wait until next month to be paid if need be.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” She looked at Lucas and wondered again about his white shirt. Had she somehow soiled it? “I’m ready whenever you are.”

“I was going to help Levi finish unloading his truck. Unless you’re in a hurry....”

She lifted her gaze from his chest and met his eyes. “What happened to your other shirt?”

“He didn’t know I was gonna put him to work,” Levi said, grinning. “This young buck stored feed in half the time it takes me. What do you do to get arms and shoulders like that?”

“Levi.” Kathy gave her husband a warning glare.

Lucas just smiled but he seemed a bit embarrassed himself. “You want help unloading that truck, or what?”

“Not if you’ve got business with Mel.” Levi clapped him on the back. “Go on. I’ll take care of it.”

“Am I going to hold you up?” Lucas asked her. “You got a husband and kids waiting at home for their supper?”

“Me?” She let out a laugh. “No.”

Curiosity flickered in his eyes. “It won’t take long to finish unloading. Maybe fifteen minutes.”

“I know Levi would appreciate the help.” She glanced at the truck. It would take more like half an hour, though she didn’t care. “I’ve got things to do in the office.”

Lucas pulled a pair of Safe Haven work gloves out of his back pocket and left to catch up with Levi.

Kathy moved closer and bumped Melanie’s shoulder. “Now, that’s a fine-looking man. He’s not married, either.”

“How do you know?”

“I asked.”

Melanie laughed. “You didn’t.”

“Of course I did,” she said, and they both watched Lucas swing onto the truck bed with ease and grace. “I knew you wouldn’t, so I figured I’d step in and make sure he was up for grabs.”

“For who? You?”

“If I were thirty years younger and single, you bet.” Kathy nudged her again. “He’s real polite, too. Offered to help Levi without being asked.”

“Well, good for him.”

“Don’t use that tone with me, missy.”

They’d both continued to stare at him. Melanie finally turned to Kathy. “I swear, if you tell me I’m not getting any younger, I’ll...” She just sighed. How pathetic. After hearing her mother say it a thousand times, Melanie should really have had a witty retort.

Kathy gave her a quick hug. “I expect you get that enough. Promise me one thing, though. If he asks you to dinner, you go.”

She groaned. “Where is this coming from? He’s here on business. I only just met him myself, and anyway, he isn’t interested in me.” Melanie frowned at the self-satisfied gleam in the other woman’s eye and gave her a long look. “Should I be worried about you putting in too many hours?”

Kathy snorted. “I raised three boys. Good luck trying to shake me off. Think I didn’t hear him work in whether or not you were married? He’s interested.”

“You said it yourself—he’s polite. He doesn’t want to hold me up, that’s all. But you think what you want.” Melanie turned toward the office. “Just don’t embarrass me.”

“Oh, honey, you know I wouldn’t do that.”

“No, you’re right.” Something had been bothering Melanie. She’d tried to let it go, but it still nagged at her. At least she could count on an honest answer from Kathy. “Would you consider me old-fashioned?”

Her friend’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Not in the least. Why on earth would you ask such a thing?”

“One of my students said something....”

“Oh.” Kathy flapped a hand. “Kids always think their teachers are older than dirt. Levi was barely forty when the Weaver boy asked if he was getting ready to retire. Course, Tim’s not a boy anymore. He’s got two young ones of his own. Back then he was a junior and Levi was his history teacher. My poor husband hadn’t even sprouted his first gray hair yet, and goodness but he came home in a foul mood that day.”

Melanie smiled. Levi had been her teacher, as well, and she knew Tim Weaver, despite his being four grades ahead of her. And here he already had two kids. She wasn’t anxious to get married or start a family, but sometimes it bothered her that there were no prospective men in sight. The guys she’d dated in college had been fun at the time. Though living in a dorm two hundred miles from Blackfoot Falls had had a lot to do with the fun factor. Here she couldn’t sneeze without someone handing her a tissue.

“I guess I should get to work on those invoices,” she said. “You and Levi don’t stay too late, huh? Nina and her boyfriend offered to pull the night shift.”

Kathy looked as if she was dying to say something but only nodded and headed out the back. Melanie turned and started to walk toward the office. She had a good idea what was on the woman’s mind. Kathy didn’t like Nina’s boyfriend. He’d been a drifter who’d hired on at the Circle K. Sure, he was young and cocky, but he was fond of animals—otherwise Melanie wouldn’t allow him to volunteer.

That was the trouble with living in a small town. Everyone had an opinion about everything that went on. Her being a teacher and the minister’s daughter—it was a triple whammy.

Since coming home, she’d gone out with a rancher from the next county who had an unfortunate fondness for chewing tobacco, then a slightly older widower who hadn’t gotten over his deceased wife. A cowboy she’d met at a rodeo in Billings had lasted a few weeks. But they hadn’t clicked well enough to make a long-distance relationship work. Her mother hinted that Melanie was too picky. That was partly true. She’d never settle for the sake of a gold band on her finger. But it was also laughable since she doubted her parents would approve of half the men she found appealing.

She wondered what they’d think of someone like Lucas. He obviously had a generous heart. She assumed he was a volunteer for Prison Reform Now. But even if he held a paid position, a man doing that job wasn’t looking to get rich.

Hefting a bag of feed off the flatbed, he flashed her a smile.

A soft gasp escaped her. Without realizing, she’d actually stopped and was staring again. Nearly tripping over herself, she hurried to the office. Once inside, she planted her butt in the chair behind the desk and waited for her heart rate to slow down.