True Love Cowboy by Jennifer Ryan

Jon made his way through the grocery store aisles, picking up the steaks, potatoes, and other groceries he needed at the house. He couldn’t wait to see Trinity tonight. They needed the alone time to reconnect.

He hated dropping the bomb on her that if things went south with Steph he might have to move back to California. He didn’t want to. In fact, raising Emmy on the ranch, running cattle, being with Trinity, and helping her with Almost Homemade sounded like a damn good life to him.

If only Steph would . . .

He let that thought go. There were too many things he hoped Steph would do.

He picked up a couple bottles of wine and a case of beer and headed for the checkout, grateful he managed to do all his shopping without running into Steph. He hoped she was holed up in the back office and he could get out of here without a confrontation.

But Steph didn’t stop him before he checked out; the store owner, his buddy Henry, did.

“Jon. I was hoping I’d see you soon.” Henry glanced around like he was looking for someone.

Jon had a feeling they were both avoiding the same woman. “It’s good to see you. How’s business?”

“We’re the only store in town, so great.”

“What’s your take on Almost Homemade?”

“I like their concept. It’s something I’ve wanted to add to the store here so shoppers can pick up quick and easy ready-made meals. We have some in the deli, but nothing like what they’ve done.”

“Ever thought about partnering with them?” It was part of the proposal he’d put together for Trinity and Adria. No harm in laying the groundwork now. Even if Trinity didn’t go along with his plan, he could connect her with Henry and they could work something out.

“Yes. In fact, it’s part of why I wanted to hire a new manager here.” Henry inherited the family business, but he didn’t want to run the stores on a daily basis. He loved being a veterinarian, not a businessman, which was why he’d approached Jon to buy him out.

Henry’s eyes filled with frustration. “Part of the directive I gave Stephanie is to connect with Almost Homemade and follow up on the proposal they delivered to us.” He tapped Jon on the shoulder. “I’m still waiting to hear from you about buying this place.” Henry held up his hand. “I know. You’re still settling in. You’ve got plans to be a rancher. You could manage this place with your eyes closed. But I can’t keep up with my day job and the stores. Which leads me to why I stopped you. Stephanie, well, it’s been challenging working with her.”

Great. This was the last thing he needed. “How so?”

Steph was more than qualified to do the job. She’d managed a small clothing store before the move. She knew how to schedule shifts, direct her employees, and find solutions to problems. Mostly she knew how to delegate so she did as little of the actual work as possible but still looked good because tasks got done.

Henry’s eyes filled with concern. “She’s late more often than not, which sets a bad example for our employees. While she does her work, she’s not very conscientious about it. It’s sloppy and lacks attention to detail.”

Just like keeping her apartment clean.

“It’s like she doesn’t care.”

Jon thought that about her all the time. And in relation to Emmy, it made him sad.

“I see it. The employees feel it. I’m not sure she’s the right fit.”

“Listen, Henry, I appreciate that you gave her the job to begin with, but I don’t expect you to . . . give her special treatment. It’s up to her to earn and keep the job.”

And if she lost it, that might be another reason for her to move back to California, complicating his life even more, and possibly making him lose Trinity. The thought broke his heart and made it hard to breathe.

But Henry had to do what he had to do for his business.

Jon got that. “If she’s not meeting your expectations and the job requirements, by all means do what you have to do to either get her in line or fire her.”

It would suck. It was the last thing he needed, especially facing a potential custody battle, but he couldn’t expect his friend, who did him this favor, to keep an employee who didn’t do her job and made his life difficult.

“I’ve been reluctant to pursue the matter in any rigorous way because I didn’t want to jeopardize our friendship.”

“We’ve known each other a long time. You gave me a lot of great advice when I started in the grocery business. I asked for a favor, and you obliged me. But if it’s not working out for you, I don’t expect you to wring your hands and do nothing when it’s affecting your business.”

“Okay then. I’ll start a discussion with Stephanie about my expectations going forward and consequences if they aren’t met.”

“I’d do the same with any employee of mine.” He hoped Steph listened to Henry, took it to heart that her job was on the line, and stepped up and tried harder to keep her job. Though he hoped it wasn’t one too many people scrutinizing her every move, sending her over the edge. “As for Almost Homemade, I’m seeing one of the partners and am very interested in their success. Maybe I can broker the deal between the two of you.”

“Up to your old tricks again, Jon?”

He didn’t see Steph coming and wondered how long she’d stood in the aisle next to where he and Henry stood talking.

“I see you’ve found your next conquest. I thought you were limiting your work in favor of being Father of the Year to our little girl and now you’re scouting businesses again.” Steph shook her head like he’d done something wrong.

“It’s not your concern, Steph.”

“Right. Except talking to your girlfriend is on my list of things to do. I’ve put off talking to her about the partnership with the grocery store, but it sounds like you’re already stirring the pot, so I guess I better get on that before I have to do the deal with you.”

“That’s not what’s happening.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Does Trinity know just how interested you are in her business?”

“Leave it alone, Steph.” His irritation turned to pure anger.

“Right. You keep her in the dark just like you did me about all your business dealings.”

Henry stepped in. “Jon, this sounds like it’s personal. I think I’ll handle the Almost Homemade deal myself. Steph, you can focus on your other duties.”

She glared at Jon, then turned to Henry. “I’m actually not feeling very well. I think I’ll go home early and rest so I can be here bright and early tomorrow.”

Henry frowned, but he couldn’t do anything about Steph going home sick. Not really. Even if, like Jon, he didn’t believe a word coming out of Steph’s mouth.

“If you’re not feeling well, I’d be happy to take Emmy tonight.” He could pick her up right now and take her back to the ranch. It would derail his plans with Trinity, but she’d understand. After Emmy went to bed, he could talk to Trinity about Almost Homemade and Tate suggesting they work together by running cattle on his ranch.

Not that he could make any plans while he waited for the court hearing to find out if he’d get full custody. And if not, if Steph was going to do what he expected but dreaded and run home to Daddy to take care of her, creating an even bigger mess of their lives.

Steph glared at him. “No. It’s my night. And I won’t let you use one more thing against me to try to take my daughter from me. I’m her mother, not your precious Trinity!” She caught herself losing her shit and turned to her boss and tried to cover. “I’m sorry. I’m really feeling off today. I’ve been under a great deal of stress and it’s causing me a lot of mental and physical upset.” She pressed her hand to her stomach. “I’m going to pick up my daughter early from day care and take her home.” She gave Jon a hard look, then turned and walked away.

He tried really hard to forget walking in on Steph and that guy naked and asleep in bed, but all of a sudden he wondered if maybe she was pregnant. God, he hoped not.

Henry sighed. “Looks like I’ll have to save my talk with her for tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll go over the Almost Homemade proposal again, refresh my memory, and get in touch with the owners myself.”

He couldn’t get his thoughts off Steph and whether or not she was really sick, tricking her boss into getting the afternoon off, or if she could be pregnant again. “Great. I’m sure they’d love to hear from you.” He and Trinity would clear the air tonight, and he could talk to her about his discussion with Henry and moving forward with it.

He said goodbye to Henry and went to pay for his groceries. He really needed to get the cold items into his cooler for the trip home. The checkout line went quickly and so did packing up his car.

Steph remained on his mind. She really did look stressed out and ready to snap. It had to be hard on her, having everyone breathing down her neck, watching her every move. He could only imagine what her family was saying to her about DPHHS getting involved because of Steph’s behavior. He’d tried to tell them, but they never quite believed him and took Steph’s side by making excuses for her. Still, her father paid for her attorney.

He felt like he was fighting everyone to protect his daughter.

He needed to check in on Emmy as soon as he got home and make sure Steph was up to taking care of her tonight. While Steph would lie to his face, Emmy would spill the beans if Steph crashed in bed and left Emmy to fend for herself.

He hoped his gut feeling that this would end badly was wrong and he didn’t need to rescue Emmy tonight, but when Steph was involved, things never seemed to go his way.

Jon stressed the whole way home and all through putting away the groceries.

One of the heads of his companies called with an emergency that required his attention and distracted him from contacting Emmy to be sure Steph picked her up on time and took her home. Was she taking care of Emmy or crashed out in bed?

If she was, he wouldn’t blame her. People got sick. But she should have taken him up on his offer to take Emmy for the night.

To ease his mind, he called the second he finished his business call.

His stomach tied into a knot when she didn’t answer the video call.

He tried again.

Nothing.

Dread filled his heart.

He called her and got voice mail.

It could be nothing. It could be something completely innocent.

His gut said otherwise.

He hated to put Trinity out or in this position, but he had no choice. He hit the speed dial and thanked God she picked up right away.

“Hey, sweetheart, I’m headed your way in a few minutes.”

“Steph went home sick from work today. She said she was picking up Emmy early from day care and going home. I can’t reach her, or get Emmy on the video chat.” The words spilled out in a frantic tone he couldn’t help.

“I’m on my way. I’ll check it out.”

“It could be nothing. Maybe she’s giving Emmy a bath or helping her with her homework.” He didn’t think so. He felt like something was really wrong this time.

“Maybe. I’ll find out. I’m in my car headed there right now. I’ll call you back as soon as I see Emmy.”

“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I’m sure everything is fine.” She tried to reassure him, but he knew she was just as worried as he was right now. “I’ll be there in a few minutes and call you back with good news.”

Steph and good news didn’t go together.

And waiting for news nearly killed him.