Merry Manager: River’s End Ranch Series #17 Read online

  "That looks like dessert," he said.

  "Whatever, just drink and enjoy it," she demanded. She always was a bossy little thing, but Wade knew it was best not to argue with either of his sisters. When he did as instructed, everyone was happier. And Kelsi did make a good milkshake.

  "They take good care of you," Jaclyn said. She was sitting a few stools down at the counter, along with her best friend Simon, who worked part-time in the pro shop. The rest of the restaurant was almost empty, with just two groups that were finished eating and counting out money to pay their bills.

  "They do," he agreed. "Will I see you two at trivia this week?"

  "That's a silly question. Of course you will. If you go, that is. We haven't seen you there in a while." Her tone was slightly accusatory and Wade smiled.

  "You're right. I haven't been in a few weeks. I've missed it. I'm definitely going this week, though. Maybe you'll let me join your team?"

  "We'd be insulted if you didn't," Simon said. "Bernie and Lily usually play with us, and Lily's husband sometimes, too." Lily recently married Wade's friend Cody, and he hoped that they'd both go this week. He hadn't seen Cody in a while.

  "Don't forget, it's your turn to cook this week for family dinner," Kelsi reminded him. "Though if you're not up to it, one of us would be happy to do it." Her expression softened and he knew she was worried about him. He had completely forgotten about cooking this week. They all took turns cooking for the rest of the family and it was the one time of the week when they could all count on being together. He always looked forward to their dinners. And he did enjoy cooking, though he wasn't anywhere near Bob's level of skill.

  "I didn't forget," he lied. "I was thinking barbecued ribs, baked beans and coleslaw."

  "Your usual," Kelsi laughed. "That sounds good to me."

  "I can supply you with the baked beans. I'm planning to run a hot dog and baked beans special on Saturday. Should be plenty of leftovers for your dinner, and that's one less thing you'll have to make," Bob said casually. Wade knew that was his way of helping. Bob hadn't said a word about Wade being in the hospital, but Wade knew Kelsi had filled him in and he was grateful for the help.

  "Thanks, I'll gladly take you up on that."

  "I'll leave them in the walk-in for you, so you can just heat and eat."

  They all cooked their family dinner and ate in the Kafe on the night it was closed, and it worked out perfectly, especially as the family kept growing and they needed more space.

  "How are you feeling?" Wade asked Kelsi as she settled onto a stool and absent-mindedly patted her stomach. Kelsi was very pregnant and Wade wondered how much longer she planned to work. She waited tables and managed the café, and it was a physical job, being on her feet most of the day. He'd taken his time at the gym, and relaxed in the sauna and steam room after his workout. By the time he arrived at the café, it was half past one and the lunch rush had died down.

  "I'm good. Starting to feel quite large, but it helps working here and moving around, I think. I am glad it's getting near closing time, though. Shane may have to rub my feet tonight."

  Wade laughed. "Is that something new?"

  "No, he's actually been pretty good about doing that ever since I got pregnant. I'm a lucky girl."

  He nodded at that. "You both are." They were very well-suited. All of his siblings had found great partners, people that complemented them. Except for him and Dani. They were both very single and Dani dated about as much as he did, which meant hardly ever. It wasn’t that he didn't want to date. He used to go out regularly and had several serious girlfriends over the years, but the relationships often ended for the same reason. Wade wasn't as available as they would like and he was never looking to take the relationship to the next level, meaning marriage. So, he supposed that he couldn't blame them for being frustrated and eventually calling it quits.

  * * *

  Maddie's cell phone rang just as she and Vivian were about to walk out the door.

  "Honey, go get in the car. I'll be right out." She didn't recognize the number on her caller ID and in case it was Paul, she didn't want to have that first conversation in front of her daughter.

  "Hello?"

  "Is this Maddie Johnson?" The voice was male, unfamiliar and sounded a bit unsure.

  "Yes, this is Maddie."

  "Um, this is Paul Shipley. Sadie at the Saloon gave me your number. I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time?"

  "Hi, Paul. My daughter and I are heading out but I can talk for a moment. Sadie said that you might call."

  "Oh, good. I'm not very good at this, but she said you might be interested in meeting sometime. I thought we could meet for a drink or cup of coffee sometime next week."

  Maddie thought about that for a minute. Coffee would be easier. She wouldn't need to get a sitter and it was more casual, too.

  "Coffee would be nice."

  They made arrangements to meet that Saturday morning at a coffee shop down-town. Sadie had offered to watch Vivian if she wasn't working and Maddie knew she was usually home on Saturday mornings. She ended the call and went to join Vivian in the car. She was nervous about meeting Paul, but glad that she was taking what she knew was a necessary step to get back out there.

  At least she wasn't dreading it as much as she'd dreaded meeting Andrew, the last person Sadie had set her up with. She really wasn't ready then. Poor Andrew. It wasn't his fault at all. At least she knew he'd moved on quickly and had probably forgotten all about her. First dates were always awkward. She was much more excited about meeting Wade and the others for trivia.

  When they reached the Old West town, Maddie saw that the line for a picture with Santa was just out the door of the general store. It looked as though it was moving quickly, though. She and Vivian got in line and when they stepped inside, she took a good look at the Santa. It was impossible to tell that it was Wade. The costume was a good one. She almost laughed when Santa shifted as a child got off his lap and Maddie saw the big belly that must be some sort of pillow. She knew from giving him massages that Wade didn't carry any extra weight around his middle. If anything, he tended toward lean muscle and she knew he occasionally forgot to stop to eat when he was busy at work.

  Finally it was Vivian's turn, and Maddie watched from a distance and took several shots from her cellphone as Vivian sat on Santa's lap and whispered something in Santa's ear. Santa said something that made her laugh and Maddie got a cute shot of both Vivian and Santa waving at her. Vivian climbed off his lap and ran over to Maddie, and they walked a few doors down to Sadie's saloon where both Violet and Sadie were behind the counter.

  Sadie looked up and smiled as they came in and Violet came running out to greet them. "We just made a new flavor and you have to try it. Can she have some, Mrs. Johnson?" Maddie couldn't resist Violet or Vivian when they looked at her like that, all big eyes and pleading expressions.

  "Only if I get some, too. What's the flavor?"

  "Oh, it's good. Coffee with caramel, pecans and fudge swirl," Sadie said.

  "Yum!"

  Sadie scooped cones for the girls and two small dishes of ice cream for her and Maddie.

  "Sprinkles?" she asked and Maddie nodded. She always liked sprinkles on her ice cream.

  There was no one else in the shop at the moment, so Sadie joined Maddie at a small table.

  "Have you heard from Paul yet?" she asked as soon as the girls were out of sight.

  "He called just as we were leaving. We're meeting for coffee on Saturday."

  "Oh, good! Drop Vivian off on your way. She and Violet can visit for a few hours while you meet him and run any other errands."

  "Thanks. I might hit the grocery store, too. It's faster to zip in and out when I'm by myself."

  Sadie nodded and took a look around to make sure the girls were not in earshot. "So, Violet informed me this morning that she is fully aware that Santa Claus does not exist. It broke my heart a little."

  "Oh, no! Did she say how she figured it out? I w
onder if Vivian knows."

  "I asked her that and made her promise not to say anything to Vivian. She said she wasn't sure if she did or not. But she said it was just something she woke up knowing one day. Oh, and she confirmed it by hunting all over the house until she found the trash bags I am hiding some of her wrapped gifts in."

  "She's a natural detective!" Maddie laughed. "That sounds like something Vivian would do."

  "They are two peas in a pod," Sadie agreed. The ate their ice cream and chatted until the front door chimed and four children came running in, followed by two sets of parents.

  "Duty calls," Sadie said as she polished off her last bite and went back behind the counter.

  "Vivian, let's go," Maddie called as she put her empty cup in the trash.

  Vivian came running out from behind the counter and they waved goodbye as they left. Maddie noticed as the walked past the window of the general store that the line to see Santa was even longer. She watched for a moment and thought she actually saw Wade wink and then laughed, realizing she must have imagined it.

  "So what were you and Santa laughing about?" she asked Vivian as they pulled out of the parking lot.

  "Mom, please. You know that's Wade. I told him that you'll be going to trivia since I'm going to have dinner with Nana and Grandpa."

  Maddie shook her head in disbelief. Her daughter never failed to surprise her. "How did you know that was Wade?"

  "I recognized his voice. But I also know that there's no such thing as Santa, unfortunately." She sighed heavily and Maddie smiled. Vivian had dramatic tendencies.

  "How did you figure that out?" Maddie was curious.

  "Logically, of course. It just doesn't make sense, if you look at the size of a man and the size of a chimney. And it would take longer than one night to visit every child's house and all those presents would never fit in one sleigh. You see how it all falls apart?" she asked sensibly.

  "I remember feeling very disappointed when I figured it out," Maddie admitted. "I pretended that I didn't know for a few more years because I didn't want the magic to end."

  Vivian nodded. "I understand that. We could do that, too. Pretend a little. To keep the magic going."

  "I think that's a good idea."

  Chapter 5

  Maddie noticed right away that Wade seemed more relaxed when he came for his Thursday appointment. He wasn't as tense as usual and there weren't as many knots to loosen up. Of course he’d been in to see her just a few days before. But still, she noticed a difference and was glad to see it.

  "How are you feeling?" she asked as she carefully pressed on either side of his spine to loosen up the muscles.

  "Better than I expected. It's been a quiet week so far. I haven't had a single call. My sister Dani and Bernie are handling everything. I might never go back," he joked.

  "You could always be a professional Santa," she teased.

  "It is actually more fun than I expected," he admitted. "The kids are really cute, and so sincere. You know Vivian told me you found a sitter?"

  Maddie laughed. "She shocked me, to be honest. She also told me that she'd logically figured out that there is no Santa. She really thought it through."

  "She's a smart girl. Takes after her mother."

  "I can't take all the credit for that. I see a lot of her father in her, too."

  "Tim was a smart guy, I'll agree with that. But you're raising her alone. I really admire that."

  "Thanks." Maddie was glad that Wade was face down so he couldn't see the tears that welled up in her eyes. His words touched her. It was really hard sometimes, trying to juggle it all and make sure that Vivian had everything she needed. She was lucky, though, as Vivian was a relatively easy child and fun to be around.

  "I saw Jaclyn and Simon at the cafe the other day," Wade said. "They're expecting us to play with them and Bernie. Lily and Cody are joining us, too. We'll have a good team."

  "I haven't played trivia in so long."

  "You'll do great. Everyone has their thing they're good at. I'll come and get you a little before six."

  That surprised Maddie. She'd assumed she would meet everyone at the restaurant.

  "Are you sure? I don't mind driving."

  "Of course I don't mind. I invited you."

  "Well, all right, then."

  * * *

  Maddie dropped Vivian off at her grandparents’ house and told her she'd be by in the morning to pick her up. Her original plan had been to get her after trivia, but when Vivian asked to sleep over and sounded so excited about it, Maddie happily agreed after ensuring that her grandparents really didn't mind keeping her. They seemed just as excited to spend time with their granddaughter and loved spoiling her.

  When she got back to the house, Maddie fiddled with her hair and changed her lipstick. She realized that she felt a little nervous, almost as if she was going on a date—which was silly because, of course, she wasn't. It was just Wade and they were friends, going to meet other friends for trivia. She took a deep breath. It had just been so long since she'd been out with just adults. She was really looking forward to it. She checked her outfit in the bathroom mirror.

  She'd tried on several sweaters before settling on a light blue one that made her look a few pounds thinner. It was her favorite color and always made her feel happy when she wore it. She paired it with faded, soft jeans and caramel-colored cowboy boots. She reminded herself that she wasn't looking to impress anyone. Just to look and feel good. But still, when the knock on the front door came, she jumped a little.

  When she opened the door to let Wade in, she breathed deeply. She didn't recognize the scent, but whatever he was wearing smelled so good. He looked great, too. His hair was thick and wavy, maybe a little longer than he usually had it, probably because he'd been too busy to get it cut. Maddie had a weak spot for slightly long hair on men. She'd always loved Tim's the week before he got it cut when he was complaining about it being too long. She also couldn't help noticing how well Wade's jeans fit and how the hunter green button-down shirt brought out the green flecks in his eyes.

  He smiled when he saw her, and she drew in her breath at the sight of the laugh lines that danced around his mouth and eyes. She'd never really noticed them before.

  "You look great," he said with appreciation and then quickly added, "but, of course, you always do." Was it her imagination or did he seem a little nervous, too?

  "Thanks. You clean up well, too," she teased.

  "Ready to go?"

  She followed Wade out to his truck and he gallantly opened her door for her. It was a little thing, completely unnecessary, but she had to admit she liked it. She liked the feeling of being taken care of, and appreciated. Not that she needed to be taken care of, but still.

  The ride to the ranch was a short one, less than ten minutes, and they chatted easily about nothing. Wade found a spot near the entrance of the restaurant and when they walked in, Simon and Jaclyn were already there, at a large round table with a pitcher of root beer in the middle.

  "Oh, hello, dear. Have a seat right here." Jaclyn patted the chair next to her. Maddie slid into it and Wade sat next to her.

  "Root beer?" Simon offered and pushed the pitcher their way as Barbi, their waitress, came to the table.

  "What would you like to drink? Since I'm sort of on vacation this week, I'm going to have a beer," Wade said.

  "I'll have a glass of chardonnay."

  When Barbi returned with their drinks, the others walked in—Bernie, Lily and her husband, Cody. Once they were all settled with drinks, they ordered a bunch of pizzas as it was buy one—get one free night at the restaurant, and that and trivia always brought in a good crowd.

  "Best pizza in town," Simon said when their pizzas arrived. Maddie helped herself to a slice that had spinach, feta and fried eggplant. It was every bit as good as it smelled.

  "I think you're right, Simon," she agreed.

  They were almost done eating when Arthur, the trivia host for the night, came arou
nd with pencils and score sheets, and explained the rules of the game. There were four rounds of trivia and four questions in each round. And at the end there was one final question where they could bet all or nothing or anything in between, depending on how much they liked the category.

  Maddie was surprised and amused by how seriously everyone took the game. Bernie and Lily were really good overall. Jaclyn seemed to know the most random questions that stumped the rest of them. Simon, Wade and Cody were all strong with sports and history, and Maddie helped out when she could with books and food-related questions. Simon kept score and informed them proudly that they were in the running for first place.

  She noticed that both Bernie and Lily glanced her way with interest a few times throughout the night, and assumed they were both looking at Wade and wondering how he was doing. He seemed to be doing great. He'd been chatting and laughing with everyone all night.

  "Are you having fun?" Wade asked halfway through the night.

  "Yes, so much! Thank you for including me. It's nice to get out." Maddie had forgotten how fun it was to be out with her friends.

  "You're always welcome, you know. We come most weeks. You should come again."

  Maddie smiled, feeling happy. "I will, definitely. Not every week, but often, hopefully."

  "Good. I'm going to hold you to that."

  Maddie glanced around the restaurant as they neared the end of the game. It was emptying out, but more people were still coming into the bar side. She felt an energy shift and noticed Wade looking toward the bar where a tall, handsome, black-haired man walked up to a pretty blonde woman, gave her a hug and then sat down next to her. Wade was scowling and Maddie wondered if he knew the man or if he was just thinking about work. She hoped not. She put her hand on his and gave it a light squeeze.

  "Is everything okay? You're not worried about work I hope?"

  Wade smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes right away. "It's nothing. I'm new at this relaxing thing. But I've been doing pretty good so far, I think."