Under the Open Sky (Montana Heritage Series) (43 page)

             
“What color nursery do you want?”

             
“Pale green,” Amanda offered decisively.

             
“Let’s have it mixed while we get the stuff to paint.”

             
“Thank you, Jenny,” Amanda smiled at her friend.

             
“For what? I’m having fun,” Jenny grinned back.

              That afternoon Amanda and Jenny painted Trent’s old room together after having, Kyle and Steven, two of the hands, clear out the unneeded furniture. The room was now starting to look soft and clean; all she needed was a crib, a rocker, a changing table, Amanda almost groaned at the thought.

             
“Wow, you girls have been busy,” Naomi spoke from the doorway to the room. “It’s looking nice in here.”

             
“Jenny gave me the nudge I needed to get started,” Amanda shared.

             
“Good,” Naomi nodded. She lingered for a few minutes before disappearing. When she returned later that afternoon it was with Trent and one of the hands in tow.

             
“You may or may not want to use any of these things but I thought you might want to look them over; some of them have been in the family for years,” her aunt indicated several baby items.

             
A wicker bassinet was among them, all the ruffles freshly cleaned according to her aunt. An antique rocking chair that Amanda recognized from her Aunt’s own bedroom and a changing table completed the furniture Naomi had delivered.

             
“Your old crib is around too, but after you got your head stuck trying to get out I would recommend you buy a new one,” her aunt advised.

             
Amanda laughed and moved to hug her aunt. “Thanks, Naomi.”

             
“You’re welcome; now I have to get back to supper, why don’t you two join us. You’ve both been working hard today,” Naomi invited.

             
“I’ll take you up on that,” Amanda nodded.

             
“Your Aunt Naomi has kind of surprised me,” Jenny admitted.

             
“Me too,” Amanda smiled; then frowned. “Jenny?”

             
“Yes?”

             
“You don’t think he used me do you?” Amanda couldn’t help asking.

             
“No! Mandy, no! Cade loves you anyone can see that,” Jenny protested. “In fact, you remember the day Angie came swimming over here and you all went to eat afterward?”

             
“Yeah; why?”

             
“That night after Angie came home she was laughing. When I asked her why she turns to me and says ‘I can’t believe it! Cade Winston is head over heels for Trent’s baby sister!’”

             
“She said that from one evening in town when nothing remarkable happened?”

             
“She did; she talked like it was pretty obvious. And, Mandy, I saw it too.”

             
Amanda was quiet as she contemplated Jenny’s words. After she and Jenny finished up in the nursery, Amanda changed into some of her new maternity clothes and she and Jenny walked up to the main house together.

             
“You really do look cute; I’m almost jealous,” Jenny told her.             

             
“Jealous?” Amanda glanced at her friend as though she was nuts.

             
“I love babies,” Jenny sighed.

             
They entered the house and both men glanced over Amanda, their gazes settling on her rounded abdomen. Amanda looked at Jenny to find a bemused expression on her face.

             
“They act as though they’ve never seen a pregnant woman!” Jenny whispered before sitting down at the table. Amanda smiled at her friend.

              Later that night, Amanda settled in the rocking chair where it sat in the newly painted nursery and rubbed her belly lightly before opening the journal and starting to write.

             
Cade,

             
  Today Jenny and I painted the nursery a soft green and moved a few pieces of baby furniture in. I also bought my first maternity clothes; I wasn’t excited at first. Now I’m glad I did. Today made it all so real to me. This little one who flutters inside me is really going to arrive in a few months. I bought a sleeper today; a cute little green one with a bunny on the front. I can’t believe how small it is. After I opened it this evening I just stared at it, trying to imagine a warm little body wiggling and stretching inside it. I miss you
.


_____________________________________

             
Amanda brushed out Dandelion’s coat and enjoyed being close to her horse even if she wasn’t supposed to be riding right now. She needed out of the house, anyway; sitting and staring at the four walls was only driving her crazy.

             
“Hi, Greg,” Amanda smiled at the man as he entered. He was one of the younger hands, only a few years older than her brother, though Amanda had never gotten to know him as well as she had some of the others.             

             
“Hey, Mandy,” he nodded and started to pass, only to veer his course before stopping to stand before her, his face troubled.

             
“Look, Mandy, I know this is none of my business and Ben wouldn’t really like me saying anything to you, but it don’t make sense, Mandy,” Greg announced.

             
Amanda frowned, not sure what he was saying. “What doesn’t make sense, Greg?”

             
“Cade’s leaving and not coming back; it don’t make sense,” the man’s brown eyes were earnest.

             
“It doesn’t,” she agreed.

             
“No, I mean, what I’m sayin’ is,” the man stopped and sighed. “Look, Ben and your Daddy, they told us not to talk to you about Cade but you should know this, Mandy. Cade was crazy over you! We all knew it; we all teased him about unmercifully when Benjamin wasn’t around. A summer or two ago; I don’t remember exactly, before your brother started inviting him to stay at the house so he could keep closer tabs on him,” he paused and watched her nod; she knew her brother had been keeping tabs on Cade.

             
“Well, he brought home this box he kept shoved under his bed and Steven kept teasing him to share, he thought there was something…anyway,” Greg was blushing. “One day Steven pulled it out while Cade was distracted; it was full of your letters, lots of them and what looked like stuff you had sent him. He kept your picture in his wallet. It don’t make sense, Mandy; It don’t,” Greg insisted.

             
“Thanks for sharing, Greg,” Amanda said sincerely; it was nice to know that others had expected him to return as well.

             
“He said he loved you.”

             
“What?” Amanda’s gaze snapped back up.

             
“One night Steven, Jason, and Nate were teasing him and he got angry, stood up, and said: ‘Yeah, I love her, what of it?’ We was all so floored we just stared at him.”

             
Amanda blinked against tears, he’d never actually said as much to her; but then she hadn’t said as much to him either, she reminded herself.

             
“Thanks,” she smiled at Greg.

             
“I thought for sure he’d kick old man Harris’s son’s ass one day too. You know James, right?” he referred a nearby rancher’s son; the man was a nuisance.

             
“Yes,” Amanda nodded.

             
“He said some stuff about you…it weren’t nice about what he would like to do…anyway, had me and Jason not grabbed Cade I think he woulda really torn his ass up; we kinda all wanted to,” Greg hesitated a moment before continuing. “Your dad said he would fire any man who tried contacting Cade or who went looking for him. We all came to be real good friends after a while and none of was to happy to see Cade go; he was a hard worker and we all liked him.”

             
“I know Daddy doesn’t want anyone talking about him or finding him; I keep running into a brick wall in town. It’s as if the whole community, with the exception of a few of my friends, has suddenly forgotten who Cade was. Daddy has too much pull in this town for his own good,” Amanda returned on a sigh.

             
“I just wanted you to know, Mandy; we all know he loves you.”

             
“Thanks so much, Greg,” Amanda, tears threatening, smiled at him.

             
“Yeah; good luck, Mandy.”

             
Greg turned and continued to one of the horses’ stalls.

             
Amanda finished grooming Dandelion and then walked slowly back to her cabin, she was encouraged by Greg’s words and even more confused by Cade’s silence.

Twenty-Five

              Amanda groaned as she tried to button her coat; she was going to have to break down and buy a maternity coat, she realized. There was no question any more as to whether or not Amanda was pregnant; one look at her round belly was all that was needed. Was she really in her third trimester? With a sigh of resignation, Amanda left the bottom of her coat unbuttoned and gathered her purse. She was meeting Jenny in town for lunch. Jenny took one look at her and made her go buy a proper coat. After lunch with her friend, Amanda went into the office to work.

             
“Hey, Amanda,” a voice greeted.

             
Amanda glanced up and frowned at the man on the other side of the desk a moment before she recognized him; she smiled when she did.

             
“Kevin! How are you?” she stood to offer him a hug.

             
“I’m good. I can see how you are,” he teased.

             
Wow, she hadn’t seen Kevin in forever.

             
“Yeah, I know; I’m huge,” she laughed.

             
“Nah, it’s all baby,” he assured her. “I didn’t know you had married.”

             
“I’m not,” she admitted.

             
“Oh, well, I didn’t mean that to sound…bad, um,” Kevin stuttered.

             
“It’s okay,” she assured him. “What brings you back?” Amanda changed the subject.

             
“Mom needs help. After dad left she went to pieces and her sister came to help and felt I was better off not in the middle of mom’s break down. She was doing better by the time I left for college but I was leaving for college. Now I’m helping her see to a few things.”

             
“I know she’s glad to see you,” Amanda smiled at him.

             
“Do you mind if I ask who the father is?” Kevin inquired.

             
“What?!” Amanda demanded and then laughed. She watched Kevin smile. “Cade.”

             
Kevin’s brows rose. “Cade Winston?”

             
“Yeah,” Amanda nodded.

             
Kevin whistled. “I had a feeling there was something between you two; it’s why I never really made my move,” he admitted. Amanda felt heat climb into her cheeks. “How is Cade?” Kevin snatched an apple off her desk and tossed it up and down.

             
“Um, I don’t know,” she admitted.

             
“What?” Kevin placed the apple on the desk and pushed off it where he had been leaning one hip against it.

             
“My dad and brother sent him packing and I haven’t heard from him.”

             
“Amanda! Are you okay?” Kevin demanded. Amanda nodded. She had always been able to talk with Kevin.

             
“I’m trying to find him, he doesn’t know about,” Amanda waved her hand at her large belly.

             
“I’m sorry, Mandy; that must be hard.”

             
“It’s not the easiest thing in the world,” she admitted. “So how are you, besides helping your mom, what have you been up to?” she asked him.

             
“I got my degree in radiology and I’m going to be working at the hospital.”

             
“Good,” Amanda smiled. Had anyone told her Kevin would be anything other than a rancher she would have laughed; but if he was happy who was she to ask questions?

             
“Yeah, my mother wanted me to have something besides the ranch; it’s been struggling,” he admitted. “I always thought I would be a rancher, you know?”