****
Trish, who usually got ready to go in twenty minutes, took the whole hour to get ready. Instead of brushing her hair into a ponytail or braiding it, she blew it dry and curled it, wearing it as she had the night before. She told herself several times that it had nothing to do with Jake’s comment about wearing it down more, but she didn’t really believe it. Then she took extra time on her makeup. Highly unusual. She didn’t pile it on or anything, but she did put on the whole works instead of just a little blush and mascara. Then, she had to decide what to wear. What a nightmare! Jeans and a light sweater? Slacks and a long sleeved blouse? Everything she tried on looked too teacherish. Or too motherish. Oh brother! She finally settled on jeans and a long sleeve button down cotton shirt. She thought she looked okay. She put on some loafers and grabbed a sweater, although it looked like a nice day.
Jake honked the horn when he pulled into her driveway, just like he always did, and she grabbed her purse and locked the door behind her.
“Hey.” Trish climbed up into his truck and reached for the seatbelt.
“Hey yourself. You don’t look the least bit hungover. In fact, you look real nice. Ready to go look at the house?”
“Yep. Thanks for picking me up and acting as the middle man.”
“You bet.” He pulled out and drove the short distance to the rental and pulled into the driveway. He used a remote control to open the garage door, and they let themselves inside.
“It’s got three bedrooms and two baths, a nice sized back yard, and two living areas, one of which could be used as an office. No formal dining room, and the laundry room is small but serviceable. Go ahead and look around.”
“It’s really nice, Jake, but I don’t know if I can afford it. What’s the rent?”
“It’s negotiable. What ballpark are you looking at?”
“I can’t go more than about eight hundred or so, and that’s a stretch, although most apartments are close to that. I’m sure the owner wants more than that.”
“Actually, I can go as low as six fifty, so the price is right. Now let’s see if it’s what you’re looking for. Take a look around.”
Trish fell in love with the little house. It wasn’t very big, but it was big enough for her and the kids. The master bedroom was a nice size with its own bathroom and walk-in closet. The other two rooms were on the small side, but then so were her babies. The kitchen was small, but had plenty of storage, and the living room had a fireplace in the corner. All the kitchen appliances were part of the deal, and the other living area would indeed make the perfect office space. The more she saw, the more she liked. She opened the back door and sighed. Not only was it grassed in with raised flower beds on the sides and back, it had a shiny, new looking swing set.
“I absolutely love it, Jake. Can’t you just see the kids all over that swing set? Where do I sign, and when can I move in?”
“Well, great. The owner will be thrilled it won’t be empty anymore. I’ll work on getting the paperwork. It’s ready to move into when you are.”
“Yay! The kids will be so surprised, and my parents will be, too. This is so exciting. Someday, I’m going to buy my own house, but for now, this is great. Thank you, Jake.” Trish threw her arms around his neck and hugged him hard, thrilled at the prospect of having her own place again.
It took every ounce of self control that Jake Dubeck possessed not to grab hold of Trish and kiss the living daylights out of her until she begged him to make love to her. It was truly a testimony of his inner strength and determination to think of the long run instead of the here and now. Somehow, he managed to break away from her without jumping her bones. He planned to make up for lost time later that night.
“I need to start finding boxes and packing, although we really don’t have that much stuff. I sold most everything before I moved back to El Paso. Oh my gosh, I’ve got to … I can’t take it after all, Jake.” Trish looked like she was about to cry, but she stiffened her back and threw her shoulders back and turned around to head for the garage.
Jake stopped her and made her turn around. She wouldn’t look at him, so he put his index finger under her chin and lifted it until she met his eyes. “Why can’t you take it, Trish? I know you want it.”
She blinked away tears rapidly. “I don’t have any furniture, Jake, and my credit is so shot, I could never qualify for a loan. If it was just me, that would be fine. I could sleep on the floor, but the kids … I can’t do that to them. I’ll have to save up the money for furniture and look again when I can afford it.”
“Trish, I can cosign for a furniture loan if …”
“Absolutely not. I’ll wait till I can do it on my own. Thanks, anyway.”
Jake thought if she straightened her back anymore, it might snap. “Okay, but we can still work around that. Josh and Cade have furniture in their garages that they don’t want anymore, since their women told them it had to go. You’d be saving them the trouble of getting rid of it if you took it off their hands. I’ve been looking to upgrade myself, and I had planned on just giving the furniture I’m getting rid of go to Good Will or some such place. It’s not in real bad shape, although it’s used, and I don’t know how you feel about that. You might at least take a look at it.”
Hope blossomed anew in Trish’s eyes. “Really? I mean, you’re not just saying this, are you, because I’m your friend? And the other guys really have stuff they don’t want?”
“Cross my heart.” And his fingers behind his back. He was perfectly happy with the furniture in his place, but hell, this was for a good cause. He couldn’t stand to see her disappointed like that.
“I’ll buy it from y’all.”
“Trish, I don’t want anything for it. Like I said, ...” He saw her chin stiffen and knew he’d made a mistake.
“I pay my own way, Jake. Other than from my parents – and I simply didn’t have a choice when I moved back here – I’m not taking charity from anybody, including you.”
“Okay, okay. I figured since we were friends, it wouldn’t matter, but if you feel that strongly about it, pay me whatever you think it’s worth, as long as you take into consideration that it’s used. You’re not paying me full price, and that’s final.”
Trish looked at him and smiled slowly. “Okay, that’s fair. I’ll talk to the other guys tonight at the barbecue. I don’t mind if it’s used. I don’t even care if it matches. Eventually, I’ll replace it with new stuff, but for the time being it’ll do just fine. I can shop garage sales for anything I still need. I think I can make this work. Thank you again, Jake.”
Doing a mental ‘phew’, wiping his forehead and shaking off the imaginary sweat, he let out a deep breath. Man, she was touchy about her independence. He respected her for it, but he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened in her past to make her that way. He also wondered how her finances had gotten into such bad shape. Trish seemed pretty frugal. She didn’t strike him as someone who would live beyond her means, go into debt, and end up in financial ruin.
Now he just had to find the right time and place to break it to her that the house she just agreed to move into belonged to him without her thinking of it like charity. He figured he’d better save that for another day, preferably after she moved in. He liked the idea of her living in his house, not because it gave him any control over her, but it was pretty close to his own house – the one he lived in – and wouldn’t that be a definite plus, especially if his plan succeeded, and he could move a step closer to starting a relationship with her.
Jake had been thinking about getting together with Trish almost since the time she came back into his life. He hadn’t seen her much since she and Callie went to school together, but what he saw now, he liked. Not only was she beautiful, she was smart, successful, and had a heart of gold. She was also a great mother, and someone he could picture pursuing a future with. He loved her kids already.
> He knew a lot of guys would think him crazy to be interested in someone who came as a package deal, but that didn’t bother him at all. He’d lost his parents as a teenager, and his grandparents had raised him without a thought to the hardship and sacrifices to be made. He had no problem with that scenario applying to him.
He’d wanted to settle down for awhile now. He was the oldest in the family, and his brother and sister had settled already. Josh and Eva might not be officially married yet, but in their hearts they were totally committed to each other. He wanted what they had. He felt ready for a family and wanted to settle down. He had a pretty good idea that Trish was the one he wanted to settle with. Now, he just had to convince her of that, or at the very least to give it a try.
They left the rental, and went back to her parents’ house, so she could throw together a salad to take to the barbecue. Jake helped her chop some of the veggies, and they decided they might as well ride together.
When they arrived at the ranch, they walked right in the front door, through the kitchen and out onto the back patio where everyone congregated. Hello’s were exchanged, and Josh handed Jake a beer.
“What’ll you have, Trish?” Josh stood over an ice chest as he asked her the question.
“I think I’ll stick to water tonight, thanks.” Trish smiled ruefully.
“That’s funny, Eva and Callie said the same thing. This wouldn’t have anything to do with girls’ night out last night, would it?” Josh smiled along with the other men.
“It could. I think I’ve had my share of margaritas for the next year. We did have fun, though, didn’t we ladies?” Trish held up the water bottle Josh had given her and toasted her friends.
Eva smiled as Josh put his arm around her. “We sure did. Callie and I were a little worried about you. Cade and Josh waited up for us to make sure we made it to bed alright. We knew you were home alone last night with everyone on vacation. I guess you made it okay, though.”
Trish could feel the heat rise to color her cheeks. “Oh sure. Jake took me home. And left. I mean, he made sure I got home safely and made it to bed. Alone. Right, Jake?”
All eyes were on Jake. “I was a gentleman the whole time, so stop looking at me like that.”
“Well, of course you were, Jake. Nobody thought differently.” Cade covered a smile as he commented. “Say, why don’t the three of us guys head over to the barn for a minute and look over the petting zoo. Your granddad’s thinking about expanding, and we wanted your opinion. He’s out there now feeding the animals.”
“Sure.” The three men headed toward the barn, and the ladies stayed behind.
“So… what have you two been doing all day?” Callie looked eagerly at Trish for her answer.
“Jake took me to look at a rental property that I’m going to move into as soon as I can get it furnished. By the way, he said y’all had some furniture you wanted to part with. I’d like to look at it and possibly buy it from you, if you still have it and want to move it.”
“As a matter of fact, Josh and I were just talking about replacing some of his furniture. It’s kind of bland, but it’s in good shape. You can just have it.” Eva took another gulp of cold water.
“No, I’ll buy it from you.” Trish set her shoulders as she replied.
“I really don’t know what to charge you, Trish. Why don’t you come and look at it and tell me if you even want it, then we can talk price.” Trish nodded at Eva’s response.
“Cade and I have a dining room set we don’t want anymore, and possibly a bedroom set. We’re also getting new lamps. His are ugly, but you’re welcome to them.”
“I’ll come by and see them sometime next week, and I’ll buy those too, if they’re what I need.” Trish smiled at both her friends.
“Whatever floats your boat, but I swear, I’d likely pay someone to take it all off my hands. You want the neon Coors Lite sign, too?” Callie laughed.
“I think I’ll pass on that, but thanks anyway. Something about beer signs and kids just doesn’t mix for me. Call me strange.” Trish smiled again as she sipped more water.
“Well, if you’re sure. It goes nicely with the moving waterfall clock advertising Bud Lite. Or was it Michelob? Either one, you’re welcome to them.”
“Very generous of you, but no thanks.” Trish smiled as she shook her head.
“Well, if you’re sure. Eva, don’t you have some things you’d like to dump, I mean donate, to the cause?” Callie looked over at Eva, and so did Trish.
“Nothing quite up to par with those lovely items. Men and their idea of décor. You’ve got to wonder. Josh has pictures of hockey players framed and hanging in the guest room. When I took them down, he insisted that they were collectors’ items, autographed no less. Can you imagine? What about Jake’s place, Trish? Give us some examples of his taste.”
“I have no idea. I’ve never been to Jake’s place. We’re just friends.” Trish nodded with determination as she made the statement.
Eva and Callie exchanged all knowing looks again.
“What? We are just friends.” We are just friends. Just friends, just friends.
“No offense, Trish, but you weren’t exactly acting like just a friend when you gave that woman a dirty look as you pulled Jake over to our table last night. Callie and I both noticed that you appeared to be kind of possessive.” Eva raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Trish.
“Oh, honestly. I was just helping him out of a distasteful situation. He’s such a nice guy, he probably didn’t know how to let her down easy. He appeared to be not interested.”
“And why do you think that is, girlfriend?” Callie trapped Trish with her stubborn gaze.
“I don’t know, Callie, but I have a feeling you’re about to tell me.” Trish took a deep breath and prepared to stand firm.
“You and Jake have been drifting closer and closer over the last few months. Both Eva and I have noticed. I think Granddad has, too. He’s hinting at a matchmaking plot.”
“Oh, good grief. Jake and I are friends. I think he’s a great guy, but I told you, I’m not interested in getting into another relationship any time soon if ever. In fact, never again is highly likely. Been there, done that, girls. Don’t want to go there again. Once was more than enough for me, thank you very much.” Trish refused to give an inch.
“Why?” Eva dropped the one word question, and it hung in the air.
“What do you mean, why, Eva? I’ve already been married, I have two kids to raise, and I plan on raising them on my own. I don’t need a man in my life for anything. I can take care of me and mine without anybody else’s help.” Trish huffed out a breath and dared her friends to argue the point with her expression.
Eva looked at Trish steadily. “Of course you can take care of things on your own, but wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to share responsibilities with, both good and bad? Wouldn’t it be nice to come home to someone and spill your bad day and get some sympathy? I never thought I would ever marry again, either, but Josh has changed my mind about a lot of things. My first marriage was a nightmare, but my second marriage is going to be great. This time I’m marrying the right guy. It makes a huge difference.”
“I’m very happy for you, Eva, truly. Have you set a date yet?” Trish smiled at her friend with genuine happiness and well wishes.
“Not yet, but we’re talking about it. We want something small. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m taking the plunge again. I told Josh not too long ago that I’d move in with him, but I didn’t want to consider marriage for awhile. He’s been so great about it. He’s let me set the pace from the beginning, and he worked hard to earn my trust. I thought I was ruined, but it turned out that everything was repairable. He fixed me.”
Trish raised her water bottle in salute. “That’s great, Eva, but I don’t need to be fixed. I’m doing fine on my own, and I like it that way.”
“I respect that, Trish, but I can’t help but think you’re still living some kind of nightmare, and that’s why you refuse to consider getting together with Jake. You don’t have to tell me if that’s the case, but if you ever want to talk about it, you know where to find me.” Eva reached over and patted Trish’s arm.
“Thanks, Eva. You’re a good friend.”