Between Two Sisters (contemporary western romance novella) (12 page)

“So,” Mr. Haffner began, after taking a sip of his scotch, “I’ve got two daughters at home, both in tears, and one pregnant. You mind telling me how you plan to clean up this mess?” His
tone was still calm but his eyes were harsh.

Billy
drew in a shaky breath and gulped down a swallow of scotch himself before answering him. “I’m going to marry Melanie, Sir. I want to do right by her.” He made it a point to look Mr. Haffner in the eye as he announced it.

Mr. Haffner met his gaze.
“And how do you know she’ll agree to this?”

“I haven’t formally asked her yet, but we’ve discussed it.”

“You’ll marry before the baby comes?”

“I’d like to, Sir. We haven’t
gotten that far with our plans yet.”

Mr. Haffner swirled the scotch around in his glass and studied it as he considered what to say next.

“This is hard for me, you know, Billy. I’ve known you a good bit of your life, before you moved away, and you’re a good kid. My two girls are all broken up right now because of you, and Cass has some hard feelings towards her sister about it. I can’t say I blame her. I blame you.”

Billy’s cheeks colored with shame. He had always respected Mr. Haffner, and now he had gone and caused so much trouble within his family.

“But you’re young, and young men make mistakes. We all do. Cass will get over it, in time. And don’t think I haven’t noticed how you and Melanie feel for each other; it was obvious, even when you were teenagers. I can’t say this whole mess surprises me, Billy, but I’m very disappointed in you, and Melanie.”

His words cut Billy to the core. Mr. Haffner had been like a second father to him growing up, and the words stung as if his own departed father was saying them.

“I’m sorry,” he offered. And he was. He was sorry for all the hurt he had caused everyone, and sorry for the disruption his return had brought into their lives. He wished he had never come back to the Haffner ranch, never met Cass, and never slept with Melanie. They all would have been better off if he had stayed away, and just let his dreams of Melanie burn bright in his heart instead.

“What’s done is done,” Mr. Haffner sighed as he pushed his chair back to leave. “I think you and Melanie have a chance to go on to live a good life together, and I can’t deny that the Missus and I are excited about our first grandbaby, even in these circumstances. But you leave Cass be now.” There was heat in his eyes as his tone turned to steel. “If I hear of you dragging her around in all of this again, things will change between us. You got me?”

Billy nodded solemnly. He couldn’t fault the man for his harsh words. If Cass were his daughter, he’d probably do the same. He was just trying to protect her.

Mr. Haffner paused in the doorway to tell him one last thing. “You’re still welcome here, Billy, both on my ranch and in my home. But if I were you, I wouldn’t come to the house for a good, long while. Cass needs her space from you right now, and you’d be a fool to ignore that.” He stepped out and closed the door behind him without waiting for a reply.

After he left, Billy sat down at the table again and laid his face against the cool, hard surface as he stared, unseeing, at the wall. In his mind, he kept replaying the exact moment when Cass realized the ring was for her sister, and not her. As long as he lived, he knew he’d never forget the look of shock and pain on her face when the truth hit her. The fact that he had caused her so much pain left a black mark on his soul.

He lost track of time, but eventually, he heard light footsteps climbing his front steps, and then a timid knock at the door. He knew it was Melanie; Cass wouldn’t be so quiet, should she come looking for him right now.

“I told Marty,” she announced as she stepped into the cabin. “Everybody knows now.”

“So it’s done, then.”

Melanie nodded. “Yes. It’s bad, but it could be worse, and at least it’s out in the open now.”

“How’s Cass?” He couldn’t help himself; he had to know how she was.

“Honestly? A mess. She won’t even talk to me right now. My mom’s with her. She’s taking it hard, but you know Cass- she’ll be okay in a few days.”

Billy nodded to show he agreed, but inside he wasn’t so sure. Cass may have been a strong, resilient woman, but even
a woman like that could be broken. She had said yes, when she thought the ring was for her. She felt strongly enough about Billy to agree to be his wife, and he doubted anyone recovered from losing someone they cared for in that manner so quickly. Cass had a long, hard road ahead of her. They all did.

“So now what?”

“Now my dad needs to keep you and Marty working on different things each day, away from each other!”

“Do you think he’ll be a problem?” Billy knew he would be, if the situation were reversed.

“I don’t think so. He’s mad as hell, and had a lot of unpleasant things to say about the both of us, but if you stay out of his way I don’t think you’ll have any trouble. I suspect he’ll leave the ranch soon.”

“Should we still leave, if Marty goes?” He wanted to leave the Haffner ranch regardless of Marty’s choice, but he couldn’t make that decision unilaterally.

“Yes, I think it would be best. Even if he goes, Cass will still be here.”

Billy was tempted to give her the ring then. Not because it was the appropriate time but just because he couldn’t stand seeing her so unhappy like this.
He resisted the impulse and kept the ring in his pocket instead. From what he gathered, Melanie didn’t know about it yet. He’d save that surprise for a better day.

“I’m worried about you,” he admitted to her. “All of this stress can’t be good for you, or the baby. You look exhausted!”

“I am. But I can’t go home; Cass is way too upset. Seeing me will only make it worse.”

Billy bit his lip as he thought. “So stay here tonight,” he offered.

Melanie thought it over. “For real?” She seemed surprised by his offer.

“Yes, of course.” He
rose from the table and pulled back the covers on his bed. “Come on, climb on in.”

“Where will you sleep, then?”

“I’ll sleep on the floor.” He felt ridiculous saying it, but he was trying to be a gentleman about it.

“Don’t be silly. I mean, I’m carrying your child. There’s no need for you to sleep on the floor!”

“Okay. I guess you’re right.”

“Get used to it,” Melanie teased as she kicked off her boots and socks. She walked over to the bed, slid off her jeans, and hopped in with only her shirt and panties on. Billy did his best not to gawk at her, but then he realized that was ridiculous too. He and Cass were no longer together, and he was going to marry Melanie. Besides, he’d seen her in a lot less before.

She slid into bed and looked at him expectantly. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Sure. I just need a minute to get ready.” He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. Back in the main living area, he stripped down to his bo
xers, aware of Melanie’s eyes on him as he undressed. Once he was ready, he slid into bed next to her.

It felt awkward, at first, having Melanie in his bed when they were both sober.
Both of them were on their backs, staring up at the ceiling. She was the first to break the ice by turning on her side and pushing closer to him, so she could drape her arm across his mid-section. He hesitantly laid his hands on her arm as regret coursed through him. This was not the Haffner sister he wanted in his bed after all, but he had sealed his own fate with one reckless night. He would just have to get used to it, if he wanted to make it work between them for the baby’s sake.

He could tell by Melanie’s breathing that she fell asleep quickly, but he lay awake for a long time, stroking her auburn hair and thinking about her
golden haired sister. He almost had a good thing, but he had ruined it all, and now he had to face the consequences. As he listened to Melanie’s quiet breathing, he tried to convince himself that perhaps the consequences weren’t all that bad. Sure, he’d lost Cass, but he’d gained the woman that drew him back to the ranch in the first place. Maybe it was meant to be. Maybe this surprise pregnancy was a blessing in disguise in more ways than one. As hard as he tried to convince himself, he had a hard time believing it.

The sound of glass shattering awoke him some time later. He didn’t know when he had finally fallen asleep, but he cast off his sleepiness immediately and climbed out of bed to investigate the source of the noise.

Melanie opened her eyes and looked at him blearily.

“It’s okay, Mel. Go back to sleep.” By the time he had slid on his jeans, she was back
in dreamland.

He hastily threw on his boots. If there was broken glass around somewhere, he didn’t want to step in it with his bare feet. Before opening the front door, he checked the front window and wasn’t surprised to see it was still intact. The noise had definitely come from outside the cabin.

Slowly he opened the cabin door and peaked outside. It was a clear night, and the moon gave off enough light to see things decently. Nothing and no one stirred. Perplexed, Billy made his way over to his truck to check on it.

The back windo
w of his truck was shattered, and inside the vehicle he found the brick responsible for the damage. He cursed under his breath. He had insurance on the truck, so the only thing the repair would cost him was his time, but he was furious that someone had vandalized his truck. It had been Marty or Cass for sure, though he would be hard pressed to pinpoint which one was most likely responsible. Both had good reason to hate him.

He decided the mess could wait until morning and headed back to bed. By the dim light of the side table lamp, he admired Melanie. She slept soundly, with her mouth open slightly and her waves of auburn hair spread out beside her. She was lovely, even in her sleep. Billy leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead as the love he felt for her bubbled to the surface.  They had made a mess of things, that was for sure, but she was still the woman he had dream
ed of since he was young. He tried to remember to be grateful she’d even agree to try to build a life together. She could have refused him, but she didn’t. Things could have been worse.

In the morning, he awoke to an empty bed. Melanie had slipped out to return home at some point, and he hadn’t even heard her. He’d give her a call later, if
she didn’t call him first.

He downed a cup of coffee and went outside to tend to his shattered truck window. As he was sweeping up the shattered glass inside of his truck, Ramiro stopped by.

“I heard, man. I told you, that blonde one, she’s trouble!”

Billy set down the brush and dustpan and looked him square in the eye. “I don’t know what you heard,
and I don’t care, but let me make one thing clear: this mess I’m in is no one’s fault but my own. Cass had nothing to do with it, and it wasn’t Melanie’s fault, either. It was
my
fault,
my
doing. I don’t ever want to hear you, or anyone else, blaming Cass.”

Ramiro gasped. “You knocked up
Melanie
? Yeah, that’s a heap of trouble you made for yourself there.”

Billy silently berated himself. He had stupidly assumed the rumors spreading around the ranch were the accurate story, but that was not so. He had just accidentally set the record straight, and now everyone would know it was Melanie, and not Cass, he had impregnated. With a sigh, he realized it didn’t matter anyway. The truth about that would be obvious soon enough.

-12-

O
ver the next few days, Melanie moved into his place, bit by bit. Living with Cass was unbearable at this point, and they agreed it would be better for her to get out of the house, away from her. Billy just hoped that Cass didn’t end up at the cabin, looking for either of them. It seemed unlikely.

Mr
. Haffner wisely assigned him and Marty jobs around the ranch that would keep them well out of each other’s way. Billy never so much as passed him in his travels, or Cass. They were all just trying to keep away from each other, and so far it was working. Word reached him that Marty had put in his formal notice and he would be gone in a few weeks, so soon he would no longer be an issue. No more vandalism occurred, and he had the back window of his truck repaired on Tuesday after the work day was finished.

On Wednesday afternoon he received word that there was a job for him back at his former place of employment. The pay was a bit less than he was earning at the Haffner ranch, but lodging was included, and it was a start. The only problem was the position wouldn’t open up for a month.

He broke the news to Melanie over dinner, and it was hard to read her reaction. She pretended to be pleased about the news, but he suspected that her heart wasn’t in it.

“Do you want to stay?” he asked her gently. “I don’t have to accept the offer, you know.”

She sat silently for a minute, then shook her head. “I want to go. We need a fresh start, away from this place. But you have to understand- it’s a little bit scary for me. This is my home. It always has been.”

“That’s why we can stay, if you want to.”

“I don’t think it’d be fair to Cass,” she explained simply.