The Trouble With Mini Cows (Fidalgo Island Book 1) Read online

  Tess invited Gran and Walt over for dinner. Nate let them in while Tess finished setting the table. “So what’s all this about, then?” Gran asked before she’d taken off her jacket.

  “We think we may have a solution for the cows, Gran. We want to go over it with you.”

  “You couldn’t just do that on the phone? You know how I feel about lawyers.”

  “Gran. At home he’s Nate—he’s more than just an lawyer.”

  “Why thank you, Tess!” He kissed her on his way out of the kitchen, carrying the pan of lasagna. “See, Callie, I have facets.”

  Gran harumphed and sat down. Walt looked uncomfortable, but he sat too.

  Tess decided it was time to go for broke. She probably wasn’t going to get a better opportunity than when everyone had food in their mouths.

  “So Gran, I’ve been wondering: how come you didn’t tell Mom and me about the cow expansion and the cheesemaking?”

  “Well I…”

  Tess waited, but Gran didn’t add to her unfinished sentence. “Are there other things you haven’t told us?”

  Gran and Walt exchanged a look.

  Walt spoke up for the first time: “Your grandmother and I got married two years ago.”

  Tess sat back, stunned. “Gran!”

  Gran looked guilty.

  “Now, I know you are probably upset, but you need to see it from your gran’s point of view. She didn’t want your mother thinking I was trying to replace her father. We’ve talked about how to tell you but it didn’t seem right to do it long distance, and, well, it got hard to travel with the cows.”

  “But you’re living in separate houses!”

  “Not all the time, dear. Walt doesn’t like pink and we’re both pretty set in our ways, so we have our space, but it’s hardly across town.”

  “Well, Grandpa died fifteen years ago. I think Mom knows you have a life. Anything else?”

  Gran and Walt both shook their heads.

  “Well, congratulations, I guess. It seems belated and I wish you could have told us. You know I have to tell Mom?”

  “Of course, dear, I wish you would. I’d have done it long ago, but your mother is such a stick in the mud. She got that from Tom’s side of the family,” she added in an aside to Walt. “And she was always a daddy’s girl.”

  Tess just sighed. Nate got up and brought out the bottle of champagne from the fridge, where it was still waiting for a big occasion. “Well, despite the delay I think that announcement is worthy of a small celebration.”

  Gran smiled with relief and delight.

  Tess got up and planted a kiss on Walt’s cheek. “Yes, indeed, welcome to the family, Walt.” He blushed a little and looked more relaxed than Tess had ever seen him. The subterfuge must have been weighing on his mind.

  After dinner, Tess got out the presentation materials and went over it with Gran. She was intrigued but concerned. She didn’t want the cows being sent to Japan. She wanted the milk from the production so she could keep making cheese. She wanted a lot of things. Tess took notes but made no promises. She glanced over at Nate and noticed he was getting grimmer and grimmer as the list of Gran’s demands lengthened.

  “Bottom line, Callie: is it worth it to risk jail or euthanizing the cows to get what you want?”

  “I’m not risking anything. I know my rights!”

  “I don’t think you do.” But he leaned back and didn’t contribute to the conversation beyond that.

  When the elderly couple left, Tess turned to Nate while they cleared the table together. “Now what?”

  “I don’t know, Tess. No business in their right mind would agree to all those terms. And Callie really doesn’t seem to understand that she’s losing ground fast.”

  She nodded and worried her lower lip. Nate pulled her close and kissed her briefly. “Tell you what—I’ll get with Mike and see what I can do.”

  She smiled with relief. “Thank you! I know you didn’t want any of this, and you’ve been very patient.”

  “Yes, I have.” His dimple flashed again. “I’ve got a list of my own, of ways you can express your gratitude.”

  The hint that she might like to ask for this list lay in the air. Tess ignored it. She aimed a quick kiss at his dimple. “We’ll see.”

  The next day, Tess called her mom from the phone in the kitchen and broke the news.

  “Are you kidding me? All this because she thinks I’d be upset. I don’t believe her.”

  Tess bit her lip to keep from interjecting. She hated being in the middle.

  “I’m coming up there,” her mom announced. “Soon as your dad is back from his golf trip I’m coming up to see for myself. This has gone on long enough.”

  Tess mulled that one over. Would her mom help or make things worse? It could go either way. But telling her not to come would only bring her sooner. “Okay, Mom. It will be great to see you.”

  “Eighty-six and she might as well be a teenager for all the sense she shows!”

  Tess hung up and looked at the clock on the stove. She supposed nine in the morning really was too early to start drinking. She sighed and fixed herself a cup of coffee instead. She’d check her email; that would get all the bad news outlets out of the way for the day, maybe. Except that there was good news. She was being offered the contract for the western book adaptation, “based on your superior skills in portraying the interactions with cattle.”

  The mini cows had gotten her a job. She forwarded the email to Nate, who replied back instantly, inquiring how she wanted to celebrate.

  She had to think about that one. What did she want? It was too cold and wet for a picnic. Then she had it: “I want to eat one of Mick’s rhubarb thingies in your tub. Is that weird?”

  “No. Can I join you?”

  “Maybe.”

  She smiled when she closed the laptop and went to get ready for the Japanese.

  Flirting with Nate was fun.

  Cars starting pulling up, first Mike and some local business organization folks, and then a long passenger van. About ten Japanese businessmen in nearly identical suits and shiny black shoes stepped out into the mud of the farmyard. If they noticed it slurping over their shoes, they didn’t give a hint. Tess showed everyone around the barn and introduced them to several of the cows toward the front. She’d moved Ferdie to the back area earlier. She didn’t want anyone latching on to the one she considered hers. There was a lot of nodding and smiling, but not very many questions. Tess wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. She’d gone into town and made multiple copies of her research, as well as the names and ages of the cows, and distributed those. Then everyone left except Mike, leaving her none the wiser.

  “So what did you think? How did that go?”

  “Pretty well, I thought. I think we just have to wait for them to do their due diligence, crunch the numbers and the like. I’m not sure how Callie’s list of demands will go over.”

  Tess just nodded. That was hardly news.

  The next day, Mike stopped by after dinner, his face grim. Tess took one look at him and called Nate down from his office.

  “So they didn’t like Callie’s list, as we’d expected. But they hit a bigger problem based on owning cows and the business classification for insurance and taxes. Apparently if you own livestock you’re a farm, but that doesn’t extend into entertainment. I don’t quite understand the details, but somehow it’s not putting them where they want to be for tax breaks and insurance costs. I’m afraid we’re back to the beginning.”

  Nate spoke up: “Did you get anything in writing? Anything that detailed the problems?”

  “No, but I’ve got the guy’s email address here if you want to inquire. I’m not sure it would do any good, though. He seemed pretty emphatic.”

  Nate wrote down the email address. “Just the same, might be worth asking a few more questions.”

  Mike left, and Nate pulled Tess close. “Come on, darkest hour and all that. We’ll figure something out.”
r />   “But Nate? Gran’s not helping.”

  “No, she’s not, is she? Still, first things first. Worst case, I’ll start charging her exorbitant rent for use of the barn, not to mention a salary for a really stellar dairy maid.”

  Tess smiled sadly. “Come on, let’s do something fun. I think it’s time for Daisy and me to show you what we’ve been working on.”

  Nate looked intrigued, and followed her out to the yard, where it was still barely light out. Daisy was fast on his heels, bouncing happily for what came next. Tess left Daisy and Nate in the little pasture behind the house and headed into the barn. She came back leading Ferdie on a halter. He was a lot bigger than he’d been just a few weeks ago. She closed the gate behind him and unhooked the lead. Daisy lay down and her tail started going a mile a minute. Ferdie started checking Tess’s pockets for treats, but she gently pushed him away. “Daisy!” And she whistled a few commands. The dog whipped into action, moving up against Ferdie’s hind legs so he moved away in reaction. In a second Ferdie was standing still in the center of the pasture, looking unconcerned while Daisy lay down about ten feet away, her tongue lolling out of her smiling jaws.

  Nate clapped his hands. “That’s awesome! How did you learn that?”

  “I did some research on the web. I wouldn’t try it with the other cows, but I wanted Ferdie and Daisy to get to know each other and play well together. He’s gotten used to it—sometimes I think they even play together when my back is turned.”

  “Attached to the little guy, aren’t you?”

  She nodded. “I know I shouldn’t, but…”

  She re-clipped the lead on the calf’s halter and took him back to the barn, giving him lots of praise and scratching behind his ears. She was worried about his future.

  When she came back out, Daisy was sitting at attention, waiting for the treat that Nate was teasingly holding over her nose. When he turned his head to see her, Daisy snuck out her tongue and slurped the treat up. Nate just laughed, and they all went back in the house. It wasn’t lost on Tess how homey this all was. It wouldn’t last, though. It couldn’t last.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Sure enough, the calm was shattered the very next day. Tess went into town for groceries and to run some other errands, which took her the better part of the day. On impulse she called Sarah and met her for lunch at one of those cute little cafes she’d so admired when she first arrived.

  So she was surprised on her return when Nate came into the kitchen where she was unloading groceries and leaned against the doorjamb with his arms crossed. “When were you going to tell me you’re leaving?”

  “Huh? What are you talking about?”

  “A woman named Marjorie called today. Said she was thrilled that you were coming back to Oregon—wanted to find out what time you’d be arriving next Saturday because they’re planning some kind of party. So when are you leaving, Tess? Were you going to say goodbye or just sneak out with Daisy when I’m at work?”

  “Don’t try that Perry Mason stuff on me, Nate. I’m not going anywhere just yet, unless you’re saying I’m not welcome here?”

  He didn’t say anything, just cocked an eyebrow.

  “Marjorie was my landlord and house-sitting client. We both thought I’d have to clear out when the house sold, but it turns out her son-in-law bought it as an investment and wants me to stay.”

  Nate turned to leave.

  “However… I didn’t say yes or no. My stuff is all there, so I’m going to have go back sometime to pack it up, and now seemed as good a time as any. Mike and Sarah agreed to look after the cows for the weekend. That’s why I planned to go down then. And just for the record, I was going to ask you to come with me.”

  Disbelief was written on his face, and he went to leave again.

  “And Nate?”

  He turned back around, but she could see it was with reluctance.

  “I need to know I have something here to come back to. Things between us have moved kind of fast, and it seems to me you’re telling the members of the betting pool more about the status of our relationship than you’re telling me. So how about filling me in? Are you running for office? Where you planning on dragging me along for that ride? Or are we just playing house for the summer?”

  “I’ve told you I’m serious, and I’m definitely not running for office.”

  She was skeptical, and made sure her face showed it. “You say you’re serious, but not in ways that I can be sure you really mean it and aren’t just playing around. Like this, for instance—you come blazing in here convinced that I’m planning to run out on you without a word. So is it that you don’t trust me or don’t trust our relationship?” She angrily put air quotes around the last two words. “That’s okay as far as it goes—trust comes with time, and we haven’t known each other very long. So I don’t know how to interpret your seriousness with your lack of trust. Which is it?”

  “I trust you.”

  She raised both eyebrows in disbelief. “You trust me not to steal your credit cards, but what about the really important stuff?”

  He nodded. “I need to get back out to the barn. Will you just promise that you’ll talk to me in person if you feel an urgent need to leave town? No running away?”

  “Sure, pinkie swear.” She held up her little finger, but he just nodded one more time and turned away. Tess guessed he needed some time to cool his original ire, and gave him the space. She’d talk to him about taking her down in his truck to pack up her stuff later. Now was not the time to discuss putting things in his precious truck bed that might scratch the enamel. She went back to what she’d planned to do in the first place after putting the food away. She wanted to look through a high-end farm catalog she’d found on the web for a cute halter for Ferdie. She quickly found one she really liked—the green one with the little red ladybugs on it. It would stand out nicely from his cream-colored fur. What size did a baby mini cow need, anyway?

  When Tess was ready to go to bed, Nate was still holed up in his office. She could hear him on the phone with someone, so she didn’t want to interrupt. And after earlier, she didn’t want to make any assumptions either, so she went to bed in her old room. She was reading when he pushed open the door and came in. Tess moved her legs over so he could sit down.

  “I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

  “Yeah?”

  “About trust and moving too fast and all that. I agree with you.”

  “You do?” Dismay flooded her. This was it, then—he’d come to his senses and she’d need to move on.

  He took the book out of her hands and placed it on the nightstand. Then he curled his fingers through hers.

  “We need to get the cow problem solved so we can just be two regular people in a relationship. I want you here. I think deep down you want to be here. I want to be able to take you out to dinner without worrying about milking time or both of us being too tired to just talk.”

  “But Ferdie…”

  “I’ll talk to your grandmother about Ferdie. I think we can manage one small male cow as a pet.”

  “You will?” She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. Then pushed back on his shoulders so she could kiss him with all her might.

  “Well, if I’d known you’d feel that way I’d have talked to her when she got back. But there’s a condition on it.”

  “What?” she inquired cautiously.

  “You have to agree to stay here until we both agree the relationship isn’t going to work.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. I do not need a pet cow and I’m confident that we’re meant to be together. I can handle it if in the end that doesn’t work out, but you do have a slight tendency to overthink things. This is about what you really want, not what you think you should want.”

  She gulped and nodded. Something in her wanted to cry, because she was afraid to believe him.

  “And why are you in here, anyway?”

  “Because I didn’t know if you want
ed—”

  “Tessa, I’m a man. I always want.”

  “But you were mad before.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her fiercely. “Yes. Because I can’t seem to convince you to believe me. I’ll let you make it up to me, though.”

  “Really?” Sarcasm laced her voice.

  “Yes. But can you make it up to me in the other room? This bed is too small.”

  “What if I want to stay here? I’ve gotten comfortable.”

  He shrugged. “Just be prepared to have me half on top of you all night.”

  She considered that carefully for a moment. She pointed to the light switch by the door. “Will you turn that off before you get into bed?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  On Monday, Nate stayed home and worked in his office. Tess knew that he needed some quiet time, so she didn’t interrupt him. When he didn’t come down for lunch she almost went to check, but then decided he was a big boy and knew where his own kitchen was. When she was out in the barn for the afternoon milking, she heard his truck leave in a hurry. How odd. She finished up and went back into the house to see if he’d left a note. No note, just Daisy waiting for her dinner. “Did he tell you where he was going, Dais? Or how long he’d be gone?” As usual, Daisy kept any confidences to herself and just moved her empty dish with her paw, as if to say, “See how easy this is to move when it’s empty? It shouldn’t be like this.”

  It was nine o’clock that night when Nate returned. He looked both jubilant and haggard. “Is there any food left? I’m starving.”

  “Have you not eaten all day?” She was astounded.

  “I keep some granola bars in the truck, but that’s not the same as real food.”