“That sounds like more than coffee.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Jace texted as promised, at seven. Renie had two hours before he’d be there. She forgot to tell Ben he was coming, so she hoped her mother had. She didn’t want Jace to have any reason to come to the ranch after they had coffee, so she wanted to be sure he saw everyone on the front end of his visit.
“You want coffee, or are you waiting for your date to have some?” Ben asked when she came upstairs.
“Oh good, Mom told you.”
“I can’t wait to see him, myself. How ’bout you?” He smirked.
“Stop it.”
“What?”
“You know what.”
“Aw come on, have fun with it. You have two cowboys chasin’ your skirt. This is how life is supposed to be at your age.”
“They’re not chasing my skirt, and I have to tell Jace about Billy today. I don’t plan on seeing him again.”
“Okay,” Ben said, with a lilt of reservation.
Renie went downstairs to take a shower and get ready. Jace would be here too soon as it was.
She heard a truck drive up, and she looked out the window of the family room. It was Bud and Ginny, not Jace. The closer it got to the time he’d be there, the more nervous she got. When her cell phone rang it made her jump.
“Hey, Billy.”
“Hey, sweetheart, how are you this morning?”
“I’m good. How’re you?”
“I’m not good. I miss the hell out of you.”
“I miss you too.”
“Ten more days, if I can wait that long. I may pack little miss Willow in the truck and head over later today.”
“What? No, you can’t do that!”
“Huh? I was joking. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing. I’m not…”
“What? Ready yet? I know. That’s why it was a joke, Renie.”
She didn’t answer.
“What else is goin’ on? There’s somethin’ you don’t want to say.”
“Jace is coming over from Aspen to see Ben and his parents. He’ll be here in a little while,” she blurted out.
“Jace? The guy from the ranch? Why is he coming to see Ben and his parents?”
“He’s Ben’s cousin. Their grandfathers were brothers.”
“How long have you known this?”