A Family of Her Own (Dundee, Idaho #3)(39)
Author: Brenda Novak

“Are the other cabins occupied yet?” She glanced down the row of bare concrete slabs, none of which had a chair or flowers.

“Most of them. We have one empty.” He nodded to his left. “It’s down there at the end, but we haven’t furnished it yet and probably won’t this year because we’ve hired all the ranch hands we’re going to hire.”

“Where is everyone?” she asked.

“Still working. I’m sure you’ll meet them as they come straggling in.” He checked his watch. “They’ve got an hour or so yet.”

She eyed her new chair and plant. “Thanks for the porch accessories.”

“No problem. They’re not exactly something you’d see on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, but I hope they’ll make you a little more comfortable.” She could barely see his grin beneath the shade of his hat, but she knew he wore a pleasant smile. Everything about Mike was pleasant. “Dinner is served at six every night over at the main house,” he said.

Mike and Josh used to live together, but since Josh got married, he and Rebecca had built their own place on a more wooded part of the property, near a small pond. Mike now lived alone in one section of the main house. The rest served as the High Hill Ranch offices and, evidently, the mess hall.

“Sounds good,” she said.

“Breakfast is at six. Boxed lunches are prepared at the same time, if you want to grab one for lunch. Otherwise, you’re on your own until dinner.” He started digging in his pocket. “And I’ve got a set of keys I want to give you.”

“Keys for what?” she asked. Not to the office. They’d decided to run a cable from the house to her cabin so she could work whatever hours suited her best and so she could use her own computer.

“I want you to have access to one of the ranch trucks—” his eyes dropped to her belly “—just in case. Of course, if you need me to take you somewhere, you can always knock. But if for some reason I’m not around—” He shrugged. “I just think it would be best.”

“But I can’t impose on you by borrowing one of your vehicles.”

“Sure you can,” he said. “These keys are for the little red Nissan parked over by the barn. There’s no sense letting it sit there if you need it. Hardly anyone drives it, so it certainly won’t hurt to let you use it for the next few months.”

She accepted the keys he handed her. “Thank you. I’ll be very careful with it.”

“Drive it whenever you want. I’m not worried about it.” He adjusted his hat, allowing her a clearer glimpse of his hazel eyes. “Any chance you could give me a haircut in the next few days?”

“Of course. We could do it tonight.”

He checked his watch again. “I’ve got to finish a few things before supper. Could I come back around eight?”

Katie had nothing but time. Her computer was set up, but she wouldn’t have Internet service for another few days. “That works for me.”

“Great.” He tipped his hat. “See you then.”

KATIE HAD BROUGHT HER scissors from San Francisco. She didn’t have the fancy chair with the adjustable seat or the cape she used at the salon, but she wasn’t doing a color treatment or giving a perm. This was a simple haircut. She could cover Mike with a towel, shake off the hair when she was done and sweep it up. No problem.

He arrived a little early, and Katie was glad. After the sleepless hours of the night before, she was exhausted. And the stress of the move, as well as agonizing over what to do about the baby, wasn’t helping.

“I appreciate this,” he said as she let him in. “I could go to the salon, I suppose, but I’m always so busy I keep putting it off.” He removed his hat and set it on the small kitchen table before folding his tall frame into the chair Katie had pulled into the center of the floor.

“Until we run that cable for Internet service, I don’t have much to do anyway,” she said.

“That should happen by Tuesday or Wednesday.”

“I can wait until then.” She put one of the four towels from her bathroom around his broad shoulders and used a clip to fasten it at the neck. Then she wet his hair with her spray bottle. She wasn’t going to give him a shampoo in her kitchen sink. That was one of the luxuries he’d have to sacrifice in order to get a free and convenient haircut. “How are things with Mary?” she asked.

“Fine, I guess.”

She combed through his wet hair to find that it was much longer than she’d expected. “When did you two start dating?”

“We’re not dating.”

Katie arched an eyebrow at him. “What would you call it?”

“We’re just friends. We get together occasionally.”

She could hear the dismissal in his voice and wondered why he seemed to be having so much trouble falling in love—with anyone. “Whatever happened to that woman from McCall you were dating? Everyone was so sure you’d marry her.”

He gave her a sheepish grin. “She said our relationship wasn’t progressing and broke it off to date someone else. She married him almost six months ago.”

She started cutting the front of his hair. “Do you regret not making a move when you had the chance?”

“Not really.”

“Do I sense that you have a problem with commitment, Mr. Hill?” she teased.

“I’m not afraid of commitment. I just…I don’t know. Haven’t met the right woman, I guess.”

“Well, I, for one, have decided that being single isn’t so bad.” She moved toward the back of his head.

“What happened between you and Andy?”

Several clumps of hair fell to the floor before she answered. “That’s a long, sad story. Bottom line—”

“He’s not in your league.”

Katie held her scissors aloft, smiling down at him. “That’s a nice thing to say.”

“It’s true.”

She sprayed his hair some more because it wasn’t wet enough.

“He’s in town, you know,” he said after a few seconds.

“That’s what I’ve been told.” She let his hair slide through two of her fingers as she checked to make sure it was even.

“You haven’t heard from him?”

“Not yet.” She clipped his hair a little shorter on the left side, where it seemed slightly longer than it should be.