Starting Over in Maple Bay by Brittney Joy
CHAPTER TWENTY
“You two make a cute couple,” Myra said as she added cream to two iced coffees.
Hazel was leaning out the trailer window, handing a napkin-wrapped vanilla bean scone to a customer. She nearly dropped it. “What?” Hazel shuffled and managed to save the scone from falling to the grass.
“You and Jesse.” Myra clipped tops on the iced coffees, grabbed two straws, and handed them out the window. “Here you go, Beth. How’s that new horse of yours doing?”
“Amazing,” Beth replied as she took the cups. “Going to run him today.”
Myra made small talk with Beth, mostly about their horses. Hazel tidied up the counter, half-listening as she wondered what Jesse had told his cousin. In the past few weeks, Hazel had fantasizing about being in a relationship with Jesse, but that’s all it was. A fantasy. They simply couldn’t make a relationship work long-term, and Hazel wasn’t going to broadcast her new feelings for Jesse to the world, even if they were starting to take up a good portion of her thoughts. She wouldn’t risk Grace or Charlie’s hearts.
Beth walked off and there was a little reprieve, which was good because the coffee pot was empty, and they were on the last box of pastries.
“We’re just friends,” Hazel said quietly, referring to Myra’s cute-couple comment.
Myra pulled a bag of coffee grounds from a cabinet. “I didn’t mean to pry.” She looked a bit surprised as she opened the top of the coffee maker and removed a full, wet filter. “I just assumed you guys were dating. I haven’t seen Jesse look at someone like that in . . . well, ever. And he hasn’t brought anyone to Sunday dinner since Emily.”
Hazel’s heart did this weird pitter-patter thing, and she didn’t know if it was excitement from the first part of Myra’s comment, or leeriness from the name she dropped. “Emily?” Hazel tried not to look too interested, but Myra made a face at her question, and that only piqued Hazel’s interest.
“I need to learn when to keep my big mouth shut.” Myra poured a carafe of water into the coffee maker. “Sorry. If you guys haven’t talked about that yet, it needs to come from Jesse’s mouth. Not mine. Forget I said anything, okay?”
“Sure.” Hazel’s mind turned. Who was Emily? She wiped down the counter, busying her hands before she started asking questions. Did it matter who Emily was? Jesse had a past, just like Hazel did. He was in his late thirties as well. Of course he’d had serious relationships, but why hadn’t he shared anything about them? Had he been married before? Would he keep that to himself, even after she’d confided in him about the downfalls of her own marriage?
“There he is,” Myra announced with a trill to her voice. “Here comes that handsome Prince Charming.” Hazel glanced up from her scrubbing to see who Myra was referring to.
Jesse was riding toward the coffee trailer. On a white horse.
Myra joined Hazel at the window, putting her elbows on the counter, and Hazel felt the need to reiterate that Jesse was just a friend. No matter how handsome he looked smiling at her from under a black cowboy hat.
Instead, she spilled out, “He does kind of have that modern-day prince charming thing down, doesn’t he?” Hazel meant it as a joke, especially because he was literally riding a white horse.
Myra laughed and gave Hazel a soft pat on the back, almost like she was consoling her. “Oh, boy. I don’t know who you guys think you’re fooling.” Hazel looked at Myra, who now wore a knowing grin. “If you guys aren’t dating yet, you should be.” She gave Hazel a wink as Jesse neared.
Jesse stopped the horse in front of the window like he was rolling through a drive-through on horseback. “How you guys doing over here?”
“Amazing,” Myra shot back. “Almost sold out of Hazel’s pastries and I made one more pot of coffee for the afternoon sippers. Thanks for grabbing my horse for me.”
“No problem.” Jesse dismounted and gave the horse a rub on the neck. “Frankie tacked him up.”
“Perfect. I have just enough time to warm him up before the first round of barrel racing starts.” Myra glanced at Hazel. “Hazel, this is my horse, Prince Charming. I call him Charm for short.”
Hazel’s mouth popped open and she laughed nervously, like she’d just been caught in a silly lie. Myra walked out the backside of the trailer, leaving Hazel with her mouth hung open. She slapped it shut when Jesse looked at her, confused.
“Did I miss something?” he asked, just as Charlie and Grace came out of the tent and strode over to pet the horse. Charm lowered his head and sniffed them.
“Nope, not at all.” Myra flipped around the chalkboard sign that displayed the specials. The backside of the sign read In the saddle, come back later. Myra hopped up on her horse, Charm. “Thanks so much for all your help today, Hazel. Was really nice to get to know you. Enjoy the rodeo, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Hazel reached for words. “I can stay here and watch the trailer while you ride.”
“You’ve done more than enough. You guys go enjoy the rodeo. I’ll be back soon enough to serve coffee.” Then Myra trotted off on her Prince Charming, and Hazel cursed her tongue for speaking the truth.
Hazel sat down on the bleachers next to Jesse and took a bite of her corndog. Grace and Charlie were sitting in front of them, sharing a rainbow-colored cotton candy, laughing at the rodeo clown as he did a skit with a stick horse in the arena. The four of them had spent the afternoon together, riding carnival rides, watching the rodeo, and exploring the barns. Jesse was quite the tour guide and Hazel had eased out of her awkwardness, hoping Myra wouldn’t say anything to Jesse about her Prince Charming comment.
“The broncs are up next, and Creed is the first rider,” Jesse said.
Charlie waved the cotton candy in the air, and yelled, “Yeah!”
“What’s a bronc?” Grace asked. She’d been using Jesse as her own personal rodeo encyclopedia all day. He’d been happily giving her answers as fast as she could ask the questions.
“It’s a bucking horse,” he replied, and she gave him a face, like she didn’t understand. “The horses will come out of the blue chutes on the other side of the arena. The rider needs to stay on for eight seconds. If they do, they’ll receive a score based on their ride. The highest score wins.”
“Eight seconds isn’t very long,” Grace replied, unimpressed.
Jesse laughed. “Oh, believe me. It’s plenty long on a horse that can buck as hard as these broncs do.”
This was the first rodeo Hazel and Grace had ever attended, but Hazel had seen rodeos on TV and in movies. Frankly, she thought these men were crazy for getting aboard a horse that was intent on tossing them through the air. It was like getting on a roller coaster and choosing not to buckle your safety belt.
“Seems a little dangerous,” Hazel said.
“Oh, it is,” Jesse replied.
The announcer introduced Creed, said the name of the horse he was about to ride, and then one of the blue gates burst open to prove Jesse’s point. The bronc bound out of the chute like a firecracker shot from a box. It jumped, bucked, and jerked through the air. Creed had one hand on a rope that was connected to the horse’s halter. The other hand waved through the air as he endured the wild ride. Hazel put her hand over her mouth as she watched, thinking eight seconds was way too long. She only took a breath again after the buzzer sounded and Creed made it safely to the ground with the help of a pickup man.
Jesse hooted and hollered for his friend, as did the rest of the audience. Creed took off his cowboy hat and waved it at the crowd, looking happy with the score that’d just gone up on the board. Hazel clapped, but mostly because Creed was walking away in one piece.
“Wow.” Grace gave Hazel and Jesse a wide-eyed look, and then turned back to the arena to watch the next rider.
Hazel leaned toward Jesse. “And you used to do this?” He’d told her that Creed and he used to rodeo together.
“Not this,” he said. “I used to do team roping. No bucking involved there. At least, there shouldn’t be.”
“Thank goodness,” she replied, quickly, and he gave her a curious look. “I mean, I wouldn’t want you getting hurt.” There was absolutely no way she could watch someone she cared about ride broncs or bulls. She barely knew Creed, and the ride she just witness had sent her blood pressure into the hot summer sun.
Jesse gave her a warm smile. “When I get in the saddle, I always intend to keep my butt on the leather.”
“Good plan,” she replied.
They watched the rest of the rodeo together, although Hazel found herself putting her hand over her mouth or eyes through each of the bucking events. She pitied these men’s wives and mothers. When the rodeo was over, Jesse drove Hazel and Grace back to Frankie’s. In the short, ten-minute drive, both Charlie and Grace fell asleep.
“They sure had a lot of excitement today.” Hazel glanced at the backseat and smiled to herself. Grace was slumped against the door. Charlie had her head back against the seat. Her mouth was wide open. “I think I’ll let Grace sleep in tomorrow while I bake. I’m going to try and get to the fairgrounds by seven-thirty. That’s when Myra is going to open the trailer in the morning.”
Jesse parked in Frankie’s driveway. The house was still dark. It looked like they were the first to get home.
“I can drive you over,” Jesse offered.
“Are you sure? I don’t want you going out of your way.” Hazel knew he didn’t have any rodeo duties until ten o’clock. “You don’t want to sleep in? It’s a Saturday.” She planned to be up before four in order to get dressed and bake all the goodies she planned to make, but that didn’t mean Jesse needed to be up early as well.
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Seven o’clock is sleeping in for me. And I’d love to drive you and Grace over. I like spending time with you, Hazel. I had a great time today, and was hoping we could do the same tomorrow.”
Jesse tentatively reached for her hand, which lay on the arm rest. She watched as he slid his hand around hers, lacing their fingers together. She looked up and met his gaze. She wanted to kiss him. Badly. Instead, they stared at each other in the dark. The radio played a soft song, and Hazel thought how easily she could fall in love with him. Her head and heart had forged a war. Her head was losing the battle.
“Hazel?” Jesse ran his thumb over hers.
“Yes?” Her breathing increased with every passing second.
“Would you and Grace accompany me and Charlie to the dance tomorrow night? After the rodeo. Would you two be our dates?”
She swallowed. “Yes, we’d love that.” Her heart swelled. He hadn’t just asked her on a date. He’d asked her and her daughter.
Even in the dark, she could see his blue eyes twinkle. Then he raised their intertwined hands to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand. Hazel closed her eyes and focused solely on his tender kiss, on his lips pressed against her skin.
Until Charlie screamed out, “Yeah! We all going to the dance together!”
Hazel’s eyes popped open at Charlie’s voice and she lurched backwards, nearly out of her own skin. In the same motion she yanked her hand free of Jesse’s, and Jesse somehow managed to hit the steering wheel with a flailing body part. The truck’s horn beeped and made them jump, again.
Hazel turned toward the backseat. Charlie was staring at her from her booster seat, wide awake and smiling.
“You guys are funny.” Charlie laughed.
How long had she been awake? What had she seen?
Grace stirred and rubbed her eyes with her palms. “Who honked the horn?”
Jesse mouthed, “Whoops.”
“Okay, we’re here,” Hazel said, nervous energy bundling in her chest. She was glad they hadn’t kissed on the lips, and that Charlie couldn’t read her mind. “Time to go to bed.” She opened the door and stepped out. Grace followed and sleepily walked toward the front porch.
“I’ll see you in the morning.” Hazel gave Jesse a nervous grin and wondered if she should just start baking now. Unlike her daughter, Hazel wasn’t sleepy. Not anymore.