Page 3 of She Autumn Be Mine

“I have one.”

“You know what I mean.”

“This argument again? Tell your mama I’d rather be here, buddy.” He winked at me, or maybe at the baby. Either way, there was no flirtation in it. No angle. Just Jake. Or so I convinced myself.

“You know I feel guilty keeping you from other things you could be doing.”

“Don’t.”

Easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one leaning on somebody else, or wondering how she’d ever repay the kindness that he’d shown.

“You spoil us.” I gestured around the kitchen.

“I buy groceries, half of which I eat while I’m here.”

He pulled the high chair over from the dining room and set the baby in it. From the remaining bag of groceries, he produced a package of Stetson’s current obsession: sweet potato puffs. With a pile shaken out in front of him, the baby dug in.

Oof, my breasts ached. I longed for those sweet and quiet moments of breastfeeding him. Weaning him off had been another heartbreaking chapter of my life.

“You’re a grown man, babysitting every night. You stepped in when I needed someone, but I’m sure you never intended to become the Manny,” I quipped.

“Manny?” he balked, eyebrow cocked. “Never call a cowboy that. I’m simply hanging out with my bestest buddy.”

I arched my brow right back. “You work all day and then you come here and never complain.”

“Nothing to complain about. I promised your brother I’d be here for you; here I am.” He found my pot and set the water to boil. The stove clock caught my eye.

“Shoot. I’m going to be late.”

“Thank God. We were done with this conversation anyway, right, little guy?” Jake made a silly face. The baby giggled. “Yeah, that’s right. I’ll teach you to be a fine man, yet.”

Cute. But on that note, outnumbered, I ran to the bathroom and traded my shorts for my tightest jeans. I tore my tee over my head and replaced it with the Saloon’s signature blue one, tying it tight in a knot at my waist. It revealed just enough skin with the plunging V-neckline. I added a little rosy lipstick, one more pass of mascara, small hoops in my ears, then let down my hair and fluffed it into waves down my back with my fingers—nothing too overdone. People in this small town weren’t flashy, even on a Saturday night.

When I came back out, Jake eyed me with a double take from the sink as I pulled on my boots. His friendly glances never escaped my attention.

He cleared his throat. Twice. “A bunch of the ranch hands are heading to the saloon tonight. If you need anything or if customers get handsy with you⁠—”

“I know. I know. You tell me every time I walk out the door how much I can rely upon the ODRR guys, like family.”

“Yep. We take care of our own.”

That stopped me. Family…something I’d had little of in the past.

“Since I can’t be there, and with you dressed like that—” he motioned up and down my body.

“What’s wrong?” I peered down.

Lucky for me, my stomach went back to flat, with hardly any loose skin after giving birth. But my thighs and ass were a little thick now, and my God, my breasts had doubled in size. My bras hardly fit from pre-pregnancy; I had to remove all the padding, which meant my nipples often poked out, but I didn’t have the money to waste on a larger size. Generally, I liked the curves that becoming a mom had produced.

I shrugged. “I have to look the part if I want all the tips, because I’m not working five nights a week for my health.”

Jake muttered to himself, which I barely caught as I circled the apartment gathering my purse, keys, and phone, something about if he saw me in a bar he’d tip me real good, and that was exactly why he worried about other cowboys seeing me like this.

“Aha, Stetson, you little bugger.” A quick search of the couch cushions produced my keys; he must have hidden them earlier. “Let’s see. I’m forgetting something.”

I breezed through the kitchen, and Jake stopped me in the middle of my spiral, calming me with a simple hand on my forearm. In his other hand, he held my phone out.

“Thanks. You’re always there when I need you,” I breathed, ignoring the warmth of his hand on me.