Pushing the curtain aside Marissa looked out into the yard as a group of excited guests rode by on horseback headed out for the chuckwagon dinner and dance that night. On the leading edge of the group, she spotted the cowboy she had been talking to earlier that day.
The man sat tall and straight in the saddle, his movements confident and relaxed as he kept a watchful eye on those in his care. The rays of the setting sun caught the red in his light blonde hair sparking it to fire and Marissa caught her breath for a moment.
There was no denying that the cowboy was handsome, his strong jaw, and clean-cut look appealing after a few too many years of the bad boy look with her ex.
Was the cowboy actually what he seemed? Was he one of those admirable men like her sister had married, or even Phil’s husband Chase? For long moments she held the curtain aside while the riders passed, her eyes steady on the wide shoulders and easy movements of the cowboy.
As the ‘dudes and dudettes made their way across the shallow stream that separated the main ranch from the outer fields, the man pulled rein turning in his saddle to check that all the guests were in line then turned further gazing up at the window where Marissa stood.
With a start, Marissa dropped the curtain and stepped back as the light of the man’s blue eyes seemed to find her from her hidden spot, and she stepped back with a quiet gasp.
“Oh, you’re up,” Michelle called peering through her open door. “Supper will be ready soon if you’re hungry. I’m afraid it will be just the two of us and Kadence tonight since Kade has to work.”
Marissa smiled at her big sister, turning away from the window, as the image of the buff cowboy seemed to drift gently into her brain. “Sounds good,” she said. “Sorry I baled on you earlier.”
“You were tired,” Michelle said with a grin. “Last time I saw you right after school let out, I thought you were going to sleep for a week,”
Marissa laughed. The first real laugh in a long time as she followed Michelle down the stairs toward the kitchen, “I’d sleep for a month if I could,” she admitted. “You know what they say,” she added with a twinkle. “There’s no tired like end of the year teacher tired.”
“Misa,” Kadence called jiggling his spoon excitedly where he sat in his highchair. “Misa,” he crooned again making Marissa walk around the table to kiss him.
“There’s my little Boo,” she said sitting in the chair next to her nephew and grinning at his bright smile. “You have a spoon,” she finished.
“’poon,” Kadence said waving it more as his little legs kicked at his chair.
“I can’t believe how much he’s grown,” Marissa said, gently pinching his chubby cheeks.
“They do that,” Michelle said. “It doesn’t seem possible that he’s almost two years old.”
Marissa watched her sister as she placed spaghetti and meatballs on the table along with a salad and a crispy loaf of garlic bread. It was nice to see Michelle so comfortable and confident after so many years of putting up with her ex-boyfriend. Marissa wondered if she could ever actually have what Michelle and Kade had, then shook her head pushing the silly thoughts away.
She had hoped that her news would have made Ray love her, but instead, it had pushed him away forcing her to realize that he had only been comfortable in their relationship, not committed.
“So what do you want to do tonight?” Michelle asked pulling Marissa away from her dark thoughts.
“I don’t know, maybe a movie and popcorn,” Michelle’s younger sister shrugged.
Michelle studied her sister knowing she had to tread lightly. Telling Marissa what to do usually meant she would do the exact opposite.
“That sounds nice,” she said with a smile. “Would you mind giving Kadence his bath while I clean up then we’ll put a movie on.”
Marissa reached for her nephew laughing at his spaghetti face as she lifted him from the old handmade high chair and setting him on her hip. “I’d rather give this little fella his bath than do the dishes, any day.”
Turning and heading up the stairs Marissa tickled Kadence on the belly. In a few minutes, giggles, bubbles, and splashes emanated from the big tub, and Marissa found herself laughing at the little boy’s bath time fun, with his Winnie the Pooh treehouse and friends toys floating in the warm suds.
The little boy’s laughter went straight to Marissa’s heart, and she wondered about what it would be like to have a baby of her own. Someone to love and call her own. She wanted that so badly, but she was afraid of having to try on her own.
Lifting Kadence from the tub, his little cheeks pink from laughter Marissa wrapped him in a towel and sighed as he laid his head on her shoulder and snuggled closer.
“You’re so sweet,” she said with a soft smile, even as she remembered Phil and her grumbling bundle from that very morning. Could she do this on her own? Did she even want to?
“All done?” Michelle asked walking into the bathroom. “We’ll get him settled in bed then have a girl’s night.”
Marissa smiled at her sister. Michelle had grown strong and confident over the past few years, and no matter how much she wanted to give the credit to Kade and his love for her sister, Marissa knew that there was something else that had let Michelle find her center.
“I’ll help you put him to bed,” she said still snuggling the little boy who gazed at his mother with sleepy blue eyes.
“I’d like that,” Michelle said walking toward the bedroom down the hall.
“He’s such a good baby,” Michelle offered, handing Kadence to his mother while she grabbed his fuzzy pajamas from a drawer.
