Chapter Forty-Five
MY LAST WEEK IN BAKER City flies by. I rarely see Ian, with all the cows dropping babies in the snow, little Candy demanding to be fed all the time, and Andie finally getting some sleep and wanting visitors. Sarah has barely started looking around at things and it’s time for me to go. I’m just a tiny bit stressed to think she hasn’t adequately imprinted on me.
I’m also ten times more nervous about Ian meeting my life back in Florida than I was when he first mentioned it. Now it’s Andie trying to give me advice and pep talks, a total role reversal.
“You’ll be fine, he’ll be fine. Believe me, he’s very open minded.” Andie watches as I pack my bag, nursing Sarah like it’s second nature. She’s so good at being a mom. I’m no longer jealous of her, just looking forward to the day that I can try and emulate her super mommy skills.
“But what about Jorge and Sunil and all my people?” I only have one employee, technically, and that’s Sunil. Jorge is my partner and all the others are independent contractors who rent space from me in the salon. They’ve all been there for years and years, so long that it’s like they’re my family. If they don’t like Ian I don’t know how it could possibly work between us.
Andie rolls her eyes. “Jorge is gorgeous, Sunil is a doll, and your people are amazing. Trust me, Ian will fit right in.”
“He’s a cowboy,” I say, laughing at the idea of him fitting into a group of gays, immigrants, and fashionistas.
“You’ll see.” Andie moves Sarah to her other breast. “Love conquers all.”
“You really think he loves me?” I sit down on the side of the bed and look at Andie, trying to do the human lie detector on her. Her pupils appear to be staying the same size and her eye contact is pretty good. I think she’s telling the truth.
“Of course I do. I wouldn’t be encouraging this if I didn’t.” She grimaces in pain as Sarah latches on. “I don’t want to see either of you get hurt,” she says, “but you can’t risk nothing and get everything.”
“I want to have everything. Like you have.” I reach out and squeeze her arm.
“Thanks to you,” she says, lifting an eyebrow.
I smile. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Please,” she scoffs. “The day after you took Ginny out, I had two invitations to Tupperware parties and a girl I’ve only spoken to twice started arranging a baby shower for me.”
“Hey, that’s on Maeve. She’s the one who started introducing you around.”
“But you’re the one who showed the whole town that Ginny is a liar.”
“Ginny is a liar in jail,” I add, happy that she got what was coming to her. That stupid wench made me get a horrible knot in my arm muscle that’s probably permanent. I still can’t hold up a flat iron for longer than five minutes without my hand going numb.
“That’s what you get for committing an assault and battery,” Andie says. “I talked to the prosecutor. She’s probably just going to get a slap on the wrist.”
“Better than nothing,” I say. “My goal was to get the truth out there and that’s what we did.”
“You’re my superhero,” Andie says warmly, her eyes going moist.
“No crying,” I say, pointing at her face. “You’ll make my mascara leak all over the place.”
“You really have to leave today?” Andie asks in her whiney voice.
“Yes, I really do. Jorge is threatening to move to Fiji if I don’t come back to work tomorrow.”
“Did you tell them that you’re bringing Ian with you yet?”
I grimace. “No.”
Andie shakes her head. “Good luck with that.”
She knows Jorge well, so there’s a lot of meaning in that sentence of hers. “Thanks. I think.”
Ian sticks his head in the doorway. “You ready to go yet? We need to scoot if we’re going to make that flight.”
I nod. “Ready.” I zip up my bag and take one last look around the room to make sure I didn’t forget anything. The place is empty but full of memories I hate to leave behind.
Ian comes in and takes my case, and I’m struck by how different everything is now, just two weeks after I arrived. My first day here I didn’t want him touching my things or coming near me. He was the bad guy making my best friend miserable. Now I want nothing but him touching me, and he was never really Andie’s problem. He’s been one of her biggest supporters besides Mack. I feel like I’ve not just gained a little god-daughter in my life but a whole other family too. I can’t remember a time in my life when I was happier. It scares the ever loving shit out of me.
“Promise you’ll call as soon as you arrive. I want to hear everything,” Andie says, hugging me as best she can with one arm. Sarah keeps sucking away like nothing’s going on.
“I promise.” I kiss the baby’s fuzzy head. “Don’t forget me while I’m gone.” Inhaling her heavenly sent, I smile when her tiny hairs tickle my nose.
“She can’t forget you. I show her your picture every day. And if you send me videos, I’ll play them for her daily.” Andie grabs me in another hug. “I don’t want to let you go.” She’s crying again. She still does that a lot.
I pat her on the back. “I’ll be fine. And I’m going to visit again soon.”
Neither of us speaks about the possibility that Ian and I might not make it out in Florida and that this would make visits to Baker very uncomfortable. We’ve decided to cross that bridge when and if we ever come to it.
“I’m leaving!” Ian shouts from downstairs.
Andie laughs, wiping her tears away. “He sure is anxious to get to Florida.”
“I know,” I say, wiping some dust from my eyes. Stupid polluted snowflakes. “I hope he’s not too disappointed when his balls start sweating as soon as he gets off the plane.”
Andie’s laughter is like a balm for my aching heart. I hate leaving this place. I’ve been living in a fantasy world where Ian loves me and we have crazy awesome sex every night that just keeps getting better and better and nothing can stand in the way of our love at first sight romance. I’m afraid the real world will come crashing down on our heads in Florida, and all I’ll have left are the memories of Ian. Just like Ginny has. Crazy Ginny who throws darts in people’s bodies at bars.
“Call me. Don’t forget,” Andie reminds me as I walk down the stairs.
“I won’t forget,” I say.
I’m almost to the car when I’m struck by the overwhelming urge to go out to the barn one last time. I’ve been practically living out there all week, and Candy and I already said our goodbyes earlier this morning, but I have to see her just one more time.
“Come on, babe, we have to go!” Ian shouts from the car.
“I’ll be right back!” I shout as I run through the snow to the barn. I don’t even slip, my body completely adapted to the icy surfaces now.
“Hi, Candy girl,” I say to the baby as I stare over the stall door. She’s already bigger, even more so than she was yesterday. “I’m going to miss you.”
She looks up at me and moos. My heart breaks into about ten pieces. I wish the airline would have let me take her with me. I so would have paid to put her in a Great Dane doggie crate, but they said they couldn’t transport livestock. Buttheads.
A man’s voice comes from deeper in the barn, headed in my direction. “We’ll look after her for ya.”
I smile, looking over at him. “Thanks, Angus. I appreciate it. I’m really going to miss her.”
“She’ll miss you too, I expect. No cow on this ranch has ever had so much attention, I can tell you that.”
I know his words are meant to soothe me, but now I’m worried. “What if she gets lonely? What if she’s afraid to be alone?”
Angus smiles and points to the corner of the stall where the straw is deepest. “Don’t think you’re gonna have to worry about that so much.”
I squint so I can see better. “What is that?” I ask, noticing a movement in the shadows.
“Baby goat. Brought her in yesterday. She’s a buddy for Candy so she doesn’t get too stressed.”
I throw my arms around Angus and nearly cry with relief, ignoring the pain in my arm. “You are so nice! Thank you so much!”
He pats me awkwardly on the back. “You’re welcome. Thanks for helping Ian out so much.”
I pull away to look at him.
“Maeve and I are very grateful to you for showing him around out there in Florida. I know he’s been wanting to go pretty bad for a while.”
“To Florida?”
“To anywhere but here.” Angus looks at the ground. “My boy’s been lost for a long time. Seems like maybe he’s found again, but I guess we’ll see.”
“Yes. I guess we will,” I say softly. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that I really care about him a lot.”
He pats me on the shoulder. “I know you do. So does Maeve. Just be honest with each other and you’ll be fine.”
I nod, accepting his sage advice. “See you again soon, I hope!” I try to stay cheery even though I want to cry. Leaving this place is a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. I don’t know what I’d do if Ian were staying behind.
Now I think I know what Andie was going through when she came out here to tell Mack goodbye. Once you’re in with these MacKenzies it’s pretty much impossible to feel good without them again. No wonder Ginny went ballistic on us. I can almost forgive her for putting holes in me and Ian. Almost.
“Have a safe flight. I have to go see to the chickens,” Angus says.
“I thought chicken butts were Maeve’s domain.”
Angus frowns. “Well, I suppose. But I’ve got to put a new brooding box together. Seems likes she’s got some chicks coming in by mail.”
I don’t even want to get clarification on that statement. “Okay, well, bye. Thanks for your hospitality.”
“You bet. Any time.” Angus waves to me as he walks off, and I make my way back to the truck. Ian has the engine running and the heater blasting.
I get inside and put on my seatbelt, hunching over the vent to warm my hands up.
“You ready to get this party started?” Ian asks, his face alight with excitement.
“You know I am.”
“Kiss for luck,” he says, leaning in towards me.
I lean over and lock lips with him, taking the kiss deeper until my toes are tingling.
“Mmmm,” he says, sitting back straight and shifting the truck into drive.
“That a good one?” I ask.
“Hell yeah, that was a good one. All your kisses are good ones.”
I smile all the way to the airport in Boise, Idaho.