Flyboy's Fancy (River's End Ranch Book 21) Read online

  “But you love me and little Begonia, so you will?”

  “Of course I will. I don’t know why I didn’t fall for Dani though. She’s at least halfway sane.”

  “Don’t insult my sister that way!” Kelsi demanded.

  Debbie laughed, shaking her head. “It’s not very busy today. I wonder why.”

  “It will be.” At Frank’s words, the bell over the front door rang and suddenly every booth was full.

  “How?” Debbie asked, her eyes wide.

  “Most of them are guests. There was a sleigh ride this morning, and they just finished.”

  “Do you know everything that goes on around here?” Debbie asked.

  He shrugged. “Mostly. I have a helicopter tour this afternoon.”

  “Do you prefer flying a plane or a helicopter?” she asked, taking another big bite of her burger.

  “Helicopter is more fun,” he said. “I can see what’s going on around me better. The planes are to get people from point A to point B. The choppers are to check out the ground around you. Lots more fun.”

  “I’ll have to have you take me up one of these days. I’ve never been in a helicopter, and I’d love to see the ranch that way.”

  “What are you doing Sunday?” he asked.

  “Going to church and having lunch with my daughter and her husband.”

  He shrugged. “Another time then. You’ll love it. There’s no better way to see everything on the ranch.” He was disappointed that she didn’t want to go right away, but he didn’t let it show. He’d agreed to friendship, and he wasn’t going to push it in a way that made her feel uncomfortable.

  “What do you usually do on Sundays?” she asked.

  “I usually go to church, either here on the ranch or in Riston. When Pastor Kevin first arrived, he didn’t have service every weekend. But he’s started to, and we all like that. It’s nice to see the little church in the Old West Town in use for a real church service.”

  “Do you ever fly guests on weekends?”

  “All the time. I don’t have any scheduled for this weekend yet, but it could happen. Some of our more affluent guests have me fly them from the airport in Lewiston.” Frank took a bite of an onion ring. “I don’t mind the flights. I like to keep busy.”

  “Your place must take a lot of work.”

  He shrugged. “Not really. I chop my own wood, but that’s not a difficult task. I have to deal with snow at times. I cut my own grass, but there’s always at least one day off during the week. Well, there wasn’t at Christmastime, but there usually is.”

  “What do you have going this afternoon?”

  “A newlywed couple wants to see the area from the helicopter. They booked me for a two-hour tour.”

  “As opposed to a three-hour tour? You could get shipwrecked!”

  Frank shook his head at her. “Sounds like a mom joke.”

  “I am a mom!” Debbie said with a laugh.

  “What are you doing for supper tonight? Do you want to go to the restaurant with me? There’s usually a live band on Tuesdays.”

  She thought about it for a minute but finally shook her head. “I don’t want to get used to other people cooking for me. I need to be able to keep doing for myself.” She’d always cooked at least one meal a day, and she wasn’t going to slip into his bad habits.

  “Okay.” He wasn’t going to press her.

  “Do you want to come over to the cabin for supper? I can cook, you know.”

  Frank was a bit surprised at her offer, but he immediately nodded. “I’d like that a lot.”

  “Okay. I’ll have it ready around six.” She wasn’t quite sure why she’d asked him over, but she couldn’t take it back now. It would certainly give him the wrong idea.

  “What are your plans for the afternoon?” he asked.

  “I have four interviews scheduled for teachers today. They’ve made it through the ranch’s screening process, and now I need to talk to them, see what I think. I’d love to have my teaching staff scheduled before the middle of February. Then we’d have two weeks to get everything in order before our official open.”

  “Is there a lot to do once you have teachers in place?”

  She shrugged. “I need to approve lesson plans. I want all the teachers to go through first aid and CPR training. I like to know that we’re always prepared. When I was teaching three-year olds many, many years ago, one of the girls was eating so quickly that she started to choke on a French fry. I had to use the Heimlich on her, and I was so thankful that I’d learned it. There’s a different way to do it for children and infants, so I want to be sure all the teachers know each type.”

  “Lesson plans? For two-year olds?”

  She nodded emphatically. “Sure. It’s a little hard, because we won’t know what children we’ll have from one week to the next, but we’ll be prepared regardless. None of my teachers will be sitting their kids down for movies all day every day. One day a week for a couple of hours is a maybe.”

  “Do some teachers do that?” he asked, surprised.

  She nodded, glancing at the time on her phone. “I have an interview in ten minutes.” She opened her wallet and pulled out a twenty, pushing it toward him. “I’m paying today.”

  Frank looked at her money with surprise. “I can’t let you pay for me!”

  Debbie got to her feet, shaking her head. “You paid for me yesterday. My turn today.”

  “Okay.” He thought she was taking the friendship thing a little too far, but he wasn’t going to argue too much. He’d find a way to slip it back into her purse later. Or drop it somewhere in her house. It wasn’t like he’d really let her pay for his lunch…or hers for that matter.

  She hurried out of the diner, waving at Kelsi who was pouring coffee for a couple of the ranch’s guests, obviously keeping them entertained with her stories of Bigfoot.

  She got back to the Kids’ Korral just as a car was pulling up. It was her first interview, and she’d almost been late. Frank was taking up an awful lot of her time. She wasn’t sure if that should make her happy or scare her. She needed to focus on her job and her family.

  She sighed as she opened the door for the young woman who was interviewing with her. There was no need to concentrate on her family. Her kids were grown!

  “I’m Debbie. I’m the director here. Do you live in the area?” she asked as she led the way into her office. There was a file on her desk with her interviewees in order. She’d know this woman’s name in a flash.

  “No, I’m from Lewiston. My family came here every summer as I was growing up. I love this place, and it was always my dream to one day work here. I didn’t think that was possible with a degree in early childhood, so I’m thrilled the Kids’ Korral is opening.”

  Debbie sat down at her desk and peeked at the top folder. “Tell me, Michaela, what age group would you prefer?”

  Chapter Four

  Debbie found the first of her teachers before hurrying back to her cabin—she couldn’t think of it as home yet—to cook supper. What had she been thinking to invite Frank over with no firm plans for what to cook? And it was Lazy Love night! She wondered if he watched for a moment, then shook her head. Of course, he didn’t watch! Not a lot of men did, but she was a huge fan.

  She looked in her fridge to try to decide what to cook for them, not knowing his tastes well. Other than loving everything Bob had ever cooked, but how was she supposed to make that work for dinner?

  She pulled a packet of ground beef from the fridge, and threw the meat into a bowl, adding finely ground crackers and a bit of egg. She would make Swedish meatballs over noodles, along with soup and salad. It was quick and easy and something her children had always enjoyed.

  Once the meatballs were in the oven, she set the table and made the salad, watching the clock as she worked quickly. She’d expected to leave work thirty minutes earlier than she had, and the time crunch was making her a bit nervous. Though why she’d be nervous about cooking for a friend, she didn’
t know.

  She hurried to the living room and set Lazy Love to DVR, just in case they weren’t done by the time it came on. She refused to miss a single episode. JoAnn should be having her baby any week, and she was not going to miss it!

  She was just pulling the meatballs from the oven when the knock sounded at the front door. She called out loudly, “Come in!” as she dropped them into the sauce she’d already prepared.

  Frank stepped in, removing his ball cap. It was a different cap than he’d worn at lunch. “Exactly how many ball caps do you have?” she asked.

  “Seven-hundred eighty-three.”

  She looked at him for a moment, blinking rapidly. “Did you make that number up?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. I collect ball caps, and I did an inventory of how many I had a few months ago. I’m still missing a few states. Repeat visitors tend to bring me caps from their state, so I’ve got most of them. I still need Hawaii, North Carolina, Vermont, Maine, and Rhode Island.”

  Debbie grinned. “If I make it to any of those states, I’ll grab you a ball cap.”

  “I’d appreciate it.” He hoped she wouldn’t be doing any traveling without him, but if she was going to be nervous about their relationship, then he wasn’t going to say that out loud. “Where’s your son going to school?”

  “He’s in Moscow at the University of Idaho. He loves it there.”

  “So you’re closer to him now, too.”

  “Yeah, I am.” She handed him the salad to set on the table. “I hope you’re hungry.”

  “Definitely. I haven’t eaten since lunch. Was in the chopper all day.”

  Debbie put the water glasses on the table, leaving the meatballs and the sauce simmering on the stove. “We can go ahead and start with the soup and salad.”

  “Sounds good. You went all out.”

  She shook her head. “Not really. Just threw together one of my kids’ favorite meals. Seemed simplest. I ended up working a little later than I’d planned so I needed something easy.” She eyed him for a moment. “You don’t happen to watch Lazy Love, do you?”

  “That show Kelsi’s always going on about?”

  “Yeah, that one.” Debbie grinned, knowing she now had something fun to talk to Kelsi about other than the baby.

  “I haven’t seen it. It’s a soap opera, isn’t it?”

  “Not at all! It’s just a nighttime drama. About a ranch in Texas.”

  “You watch it?” Frank asked.

  She nodded. “Every week. I have it set up to DVR tonight, so I can miss it and watch it later if I need to.”

  He sighed. “You want me to watch that show with you, don’t you?”

  “It’ll give you and Kelsi something else to talk about…”

  He shook his head. “Fine. I’ll watch Lazy Love. Why do they call it that anyway?”

  “The name of the ranch is the Lazy something or other. I can never remember.”

  “Ah. What’s so dramatic about a ranch anyway?”

  Debbie grinned at him. “Well, it’s really about a couple of privileged young ladies whose father dies, and they’re left to run the ranch themselves. It’s a lot of work, and they’re adjusting to ranch life. They were both pretty much raised in boarding schools and barely know each other at the beginning, but by the end they’re best friends.”

  “Just about two girls?”

  “And the veterinarian who helps out, and the ranch foreman. It’s a good show. I promise!”

  Frank wasn’t going to argue with her. He didn’t know anything about the show, so he really couldn’t. “All right.”

  She jumped up, clearing their salad and soup bowls and coming back a minute later with the Swedish meatballs. “These are pretty yummy.” She put his in front of him and sat down again. “Where’d you grow up? Around here?”

  Frank shook his head. “I’m actually a California transplant. I came here because I wanted out of the L.A. smog. After my time in the Air Force, I needed to be somewhere that wasn’t too cluttered, if that makes sense.”

  “It does. And how do you like Idaho? Will you stay here?”

  “Oh yeah. This is home now. I can’t imagine going back.”

  She frowned. “No family?”

  “I have a sister who still lives in L.A. My parents both passed.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Thanks.” He took a bite of the meatballs, pleasantly surprised. He wasn’t sure why he’d been so sure she wouldn’t be able to cook. Her daughter was an absolute baking marvel. “What about you? Are you from around here?”

  She shook her head. “I grew up in Kansas. As you know, my husband was in the military, and we were in Idaho when he died. I didn’t have the heart to try to move two kids, so I stayed. I’ve grown to love it here.”

  “I can see that. It’s a pretty special state.” He leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. “You can really cook.”

  She smiled. “You didn’t think I could?”

  “Well, for some reason, I didn’t. I know Miranda bakes like nobody’s business, but I had in my head that you wouldn’t be able to cook. I’m pleasantly surprised to learn I was wrong.”

  Debbie laughed. “I’m happy to prove you wrong.” She stood up and carried the dishes into the kitchen, setting them in the sink to soak. “I didn’t have time to make dessert, but Miranda left a pie on my counter.”

  “Pie?” Frank asked. “What kind?”

  “I honestly have no idea. Shall we cut into it and find out?”

  “I’d love to! I’m mighty fond of Miranda’s pies.”

  She served them each a piece and carried them to the table. “You want milk or coffee with it?”

  “Milk would be great. I don’t know why, but I always want milk with baked goods.”

  “You’re not the only one.” She hurried to the kitchen and poured them each a tall glass of milk. “Have you figured out what kind of pie yet?”

  He shook his head. “I was waiting for you to go first.”

  “Are you afraid of my daughter’s pie?” Debbie asked with a shocked look on her face.

  Frank shrugged. “Not really. She’s never disappointed me. I just thought you’d want to discover what flavor the pie was on your own.”

  Debbie shook her head as she cut off a bite with her fork. “Looks like berry. Huckleberry maybe?” She ate the bite and nodded. “Yup, huckleberry. Delicious, too.”

  He dug in then, knowing he’d love it. As he watched her eat her pie, he knew that she was going to have to give in and date him. She was too special for him to give up.

  Lunch the following day was more hectic than it had been. Debbie and Frank had no firm plans to get together, but they met up at the café just the same. He walked in and saw where she was sitting, walking over to join her. “Have you ordered yet?”

  She nodded. “I got us each the special.”

  “Did you ask what it is today?”

  “Nope. I decided to trust your taste and Bob’s cooking. I hope I didn’t make a mistake.”

  Frank shook his head. “Absolutely not. It’s not possible to go wrong with Bob’s cooking.”

  Kelsi hurried over with drinks for them both and rushed off without a word. Debbie watched her go with an odd look. “What’s up with her?”

  “No idea. And I’m not going to try to guess. Kelsi scares me a little.”

  Debbie grinned. “Maybe she’s nervous after watching JoAnn have a baby last night.”

  “I could have done without the delivery room parts of the show!”

  She shrugged. “Real life is real life. I love how Dylan passed out in the delivery room. The actress who plays JoAnn had her baby recently. A little boy.”

  “Is that why she had a boy in the show?”

  “I think so. I don’t know if it will be her real kid on the show or not, but I think it’s cool that they wrote her pregnancy in the way they did.”

  Kelsi hurried over with two plates. “Shepherd’s pie today. You need anything
else?”

  “Yeah, I need to know what you thought of Lazy Love last night. Fabulous, wasn’t it?” Debbie grinned at Kelsi, who turned a little green.

  “It was good, but now I’m scared. I want my mother here before Esmerelda is born!”

  Debbie didn’t even blink at the new name. She was onto Kelsi’s games now. She was going to change the name every day until the baby was born. “Is she going to be?”

  “Only if she hurries!” Kelsi turned and waddled away, going to sit with Shane.

  “I thought that might be her problem. I hope Mrs. Weston does make it.” Debbie shook her head. “I’m not going to be a great mother substitute at this point.”

  Frank shrugged. “I think you’ll do fine.”

  She took a bite of her shepherd’s pie and smiled. “Yup. You’re right. Bob never misses, does he?”

  “He doesn’t.” Frank took a sip of his water, watching her over the rim of his glass. “Are we still on for sledding Saturday morning?”

  Debbie nodded. She felt like they were spending a little too much time together, but at that moment, she didn’t care. She was enjoying herself with a friend. What was wrong with that? “Yeah. Did you find your toboggan?”

  “Yup. And my sled. We’ll see who’s faster.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

  “The next weekend is our annual snow sculpture contest. My team wins every year.”

  Debbie raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Who’s on your team?”

  “I don’t know. Haven’t put it together yet. Want to be on my team?”

  She thought about it for a moment, before shaking her head. “I think I want to create a team of my own for the express purpose of beating you.”

  The glint in her eye made Frank laugh. “Oh yeah? You think you can beat me?”

  “Yup.” She leaned back against the back of the booth, calling loudly, “Anyone want to be on my team when we upset Frank’s team in the snow sculpture contest?”

  “Yes!” Kelsi yelled back.

  “You can’t sculpt snow! You’re pregnant!” Shane said.

  “Wanna bet?” Kelsi sounded determined. “I had to be careful at the beginning of my pregnancy, but Esmerelda’s just about cooked. It would be fine if I went into labor at the snow sculpture contest.”