Jeannie Watt - To Kiss A Cowgirl

Jolie bit her lip.

They’ll tell you whatever it is when they’re ready .

But she hated unfinished business and her stomach was working its way into a knot, so she did what she always did—smiled and pretended nothing in the world bothered her. She should have known better than to try that with the sister who knew her too well.

“It’s nothing,” Dani said as they followed Gabe into the house.

Jolie nodded and trotted upstairs to change into a sweatshirt and jeans. When she got back downstairs, Gabe had the wine open and Dani was reheating the pasta in the microwave.

“That little black heifer calf slipped under the wire again and her mama went nuts,” Dani said conversationally.

“I take it she slipped back in?”

“After wandering around, exploring. I think she was just torturing her mom a little.”

“Like we did,” Jolie replied.

“I can’t believe you two would do that,” Gabe said on a wry note.

“We didn’t mean to,” Dani said. “It was just that Mel and Allie were so—”

“Anal.”

“I was going to say perfect.”

“Have it your way,” Jolie said. She caught her sister’s eye and they laughed. The four Brody sisters were tight, and had become tighter after their father had passed away, but it was no secret that Allie and Mel were the serious older sisters, who’d taken it upon themselves to help shoulder their mother’s burden. Dani and Jolie had done what they could, but they’d been young.

“They were overly responsible,” Dani said to Gabe.

Gabe handed them both a glass of wine. Dani raised her glass in a salute. “To the arena.”

Glasses clinked and once again Dani and Gabe exchanged a glance.

Jolie set down her wine. “I was going to be polite and not pry, but...what’s going on? Is one of you pregnant or something?”

“N-no,” Dani sputtered, looking startled at the question.

Jolie shrugged one shoulder. “I wouldn’t have really minded that.”

“In good time,” Gabe said, settling a possessive hand on Dani’s shoulder. He looked down at her and she nodded.

“It’s no big secret—”

“It’s more like a startling new development,” Gabe said. “I just got offered an eighteen-month position filling in for a friend of mine.”

“Where?” Jolie asked, lowering the wine she’d been about to sip.

“Pennsylvania.”

“That’s a long way from here.”

“Yeah,” Dani said. “But it’s only eighteen months, great contacts for Gabe.”

And no doubt a nice chunk of change. Gabe had invested almost everything he had in the Staley property next door to keep the Lightning Creek Ranch from becoming neighbors with a large resort and water park.

“So what does this mean?”

“We still have to decide.” Dani spoke a little too brightly. And she’d yet to touch her wine.

“You know I’d hold down the fort while you’re gone,” Jolie said.

“I plan to stay here,” Dani said.

“Why?”

“I’m building a business.”

“You could take a hiatus. You started from scratch a year ago and look what you have now. A crammed schedule.”

“We talked about that,” Gabe said. And that was all he said. The microwave bell dinged and they all glanced over at the machine, as if it had some answers.

“I had a startling development myself,” Jolie said, sensing the need to change the topic. Dani and Gabe obviously still had some talking to do and she couldn’t blame them. Eighteen months was a long time. “Dylan agreed to let me set up a commissioned Western gift shop at the store.”

“I didn’t know you wanted to do that.”

“It seems a good way to attract people.” Jolie took the bowl out of the microwave and carried it to the table. “It can’t hurt. I’m working on expanding his stock, too, but he has this thing about not having stuff that doesn’t move well.”

“He has a point,” Gabe said.

“The store is dying. I know a gift store isn’t the big answer, but it might spark more business. We have to do something or I’ll be looking for another job and I like working there. It pays okay and I’m pretty much my own boss for most of the day and it’s close.”

“It’s hard to compete with chain stores,” Gabe said.

“But Culver’s is a local institution. You’d think people would—”

“Do what’s convenient unless they have a reason to do otherwise.” Gabe made a considering gesture with one hand. “The gift store isn’t a bad start. Maybe some advertising.”

“Yeah. I thought of that, too. Dylan’s only here until Finn comes back, so on the one hand, I don’t think he wants to make tons of changes, but on the other, I don’t think he wants the store to die on his watch.”

“He’s not staying?”

Jolie shook her head. “He’s only here until Finn gets back.” Rather than talk about Dylan, a subject that made her feel oddly unsettled, she wanted to ask more questions about the arena—when the walls would be installed and the canvas cover arrive—but one look at her sister’s strained expression and she didn’t say a word on the subject.

Later that evening, though, as Dani was getting ready to walk to the Staley house with Gabe, Jolie cornered her upstairs in her old bedroom where she was digging through her coat closet.

“Have you seen my gray fleece?”

“I think you already took it over to Gabe’s.” Her sister was in the slow process of moving her belongings to the mansion, where she spent most of her off time.

Dani continued shuffling through the hangers with a slight air of desperation. “I can’t find it over there.”

“Are you okay?”

Dani leaned back out of the closet. “Of course.”

Jolie nodded in a way that clearly stated her disbelief. Dani gave a small snort and went back to her search. “He needs to take this job. It’ll be a boost to his consulting business.”

“Is business bad now?”

“No. But there’s a lot of competition out there and he isn’t exactly in an urban environment. He depends a lot on word of mouth and this could really help.”

“Eighteen months is a long time.”

The hangers quit clacking together and Jolie heard her sister sigh. “It isn’t like he’ll be gone the entire time. Military wives put up with long separations.”

“Yes, they do.”

Dani poked her head out again. “I’m just a little taken aback. It never dawned on me that we might have a lengthy separation in our future.”

“Why don’t you go with him?” Even though Jolie hated the thought of running the ranch alone on top of everything else. But she could do it. For her sister.

“I might,” she said. “But...what’ll I do? Sit in an apartment and knit?”

Jolie raised an eyebrow. “Really, Dan? Worst-case scenario? That’s not like you.”

Dani came out of the closet, a fleece in each hand, neither of them remotely gray, and sat on the bed. “I know.” Her shoulders sank. “I didn’t expect this. The job offer or my reaction.”

Jolie sat beside her and put an arm around her. “Yeah. Just when it looks like smooth sailing, a bump always appears.”

“I need to man up.”

“No one wants to spend time away from someone they love.”

“I’m tougher than this. But...” She made a helpless gesture. “I have never felt so freaked out by a separation before. What is wrong with me?”

“You guys will figure this out.”

“I guess. If you see my gray fleece, let me know.” She gave Jolie a sharp look. “It’s not in your closet?”

“I never wear gray if I can help it.”

After Dani and Gabe said their goodbyes and headed off across the pasture to his place, Jolie poured herself a glass of wine.