Six

THE LAST TWO weeks had flown. Merle was up before dawn and in bed after dinner. He worked twelve-hour days, and some of it was backbreaking. Despite the tough work and long days, he loved his new job and being on the ranch.

For the first time since Merle’s grandma died, he had money in his pocket, a bed to sleep in, and three squares a day. He’d even gained weight. Eating three meals a day will do that to a person. The pants Jensen had given him didn’t fit anymore. Merle was also gaining muscle in his arms, which he liked very much.

It was late in the afternoon, and he had an hour to himself. Saturdays were a lighter workload. They weren’t really lighter workdays, but he appreciated Jensen giving him some time for himself, even if only for an hour. Merle also had use of Jensen’s truck.

Last week, Jensen had taught Merle to drive. He didn’t have a driver’s license but he didn’t care, and neither did Jensen when Merle told him he was going into town to buy a new pair of pants.

Several times his new boss had called him a quick study while learning the ropes around the ranch and driving the truck. He hoped he’d get his driver’s license soon.

Quick study were words he’d heard before when he was young, but as Merle grew up, he disregarded the words his teachers had told him. Being made to feel like a burden and a waste of space, he had little faith in himself and his abilities to amount to anything more than a homeless person.

He strutted out to the truck, keys in hand and a small smile on his face. My, how his life had changed.

“Hey! Where’re you going?” Peggy hollered, prancing over. Her ponytail swung from side to side, her smile competing with the sun. She won and brightened his whole day.

It might sound crazy to some, but over the last couple of weeks, Peggy made Merle’s life better. She’d appear when he least expected it and would talk his ear off. She might prattle on about a song or her horse, Daisy. She’d often hum a tune while working in the garden. Her laugh made him smile.

Then there were the other ranch hands, who nodded at her or said hi. Merle found himself feeling protective, maybe even a little possessive. He’d never felt those emotions for a girl before. He also discovered that when he shot a narrowed glance at any of the other men, they’d dart away and leave Peggy alone. He liked when they weren’t around her.

“Going to town.” His eyes traveled over her face, down the gentle slope of her neck, to her shoulders, and down her graceful arms. Everywhere his eyes landed, he mentally committed the spot to memory for when he’d one day kiss it.

Merle was smitten, though he shouldn’t be. The feelings he had for the blonde approaching him totally screwed with his plans to move to California. But Peggy Jensen would not be ignored. He couldn’t ignore her even if he tried. Each day, she pushed him to talk during dinner and he liked it. His plan of moving was fading fast, and his interest in her was growing even faster.

“Can I tag along?” Her cheeks turned pink, and her eyelashes fluttered. She smelled good—sweet and innocent, while tempting the snot out of him.

“What for?”

She pouted. “Because I’m bored.”

He enjoyed her pouty lip far too much. Her lips were constantly tormenting him from afar. Being around Peggy daily was the sweetest kind of torture. He loved seeing her, listening to her, smelling her… But not getting to touch her, kiss her… do more with her had left him tossing and turning throughout the night. It had gotten to the point where he needed to always have something in his hands so he could hide his arousal when she was around.

“You could bake cookies.” He loved her oatmeal cookies. And carrot cake.

She stepped closer to him, an angelic expression on her pretty face.

“Please, Merle. Let me tag along. I won’t be a bother.”

He chuckled. That was debatable. Standing a foot away from her was bothersome. “What would Jensen say?”

“Well, he’s the one who told me you were going into town and asked if I wanted to tag along.”

“He did?” Why would her father tell her anything about him? Why would he encourage her to go with him into town?

Her smile widened. “Uh-huh. Is that a yes?”

“You gonna talk my ear off?” He knew she would, but he didn’t want to appear to be a pushover, though he was when it came to her.

“Of course. Does my talking scare you?” She inched closer, her baby blues sparkling with amusement. “Please?”

The talking didn’t scare him at all. It was the pull toward her that scared the crap out of him.

He jerked his chin toward the truck. “Get in.” There was no doubt about it; he was weak. Refusing her might make her sad, and the thought of it put an ache in his chest.

Doomed. He was doomed.

They bounced along the dirt road for several minutes. The quiet was nice, but he couldn’t help wondering what she might be thinking.

Merle enjoyed this moment more than he expected. He felt freer than ever behind the wheel of a truck. He had a little money in his pocket and a beautiful girl sitting beside him. If she weren’t Jensen’s daughter, the daughter he’d been told to stay the hell away from, he might ask her out on a date.

A date.

In all his nineteen years, taking a girl out on a date had never entered his mind. Lately, though, it’d been on his mind a lot. Right along with Peggy.

“Merle, why didn’t I ever see you at school?”

It wasn’t a topic he enjoyed talking about, especially not with a girl he liked. Peggy was the first girl Merle had shared more than a few words with over the last few years. When he dropped out of high school, he avoided girls altogether. While living on the streets, he spent his days alone or talking to older folks, mostly drunks.

“I didn’t go to your school,” he answered, a partial truth. They would’ve gone to the same school had he not dropped out. Strangely, he didn’t recall seeing her in junior high, probably because she hung out with the rich kids.

“Oh…” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Those pink lips he dreamed of sampling were calling to him. “Then where’d you go to school? What do you want to do with your life?”

Merle gripped the steering wheel tighter as they rolled into town. He didn’t want to lie to Peggy. It wasn’t his way. Still, she’d probably lose interest in him—if she had any interest—once she heard he didn’t graduate. He shouldn’t care what she thought of him, but he did.

“What do I want to do with my life?” He snorted with an attitude. “Live.”

“We all want to live, Merle. What kind of job do you want? What kind of house?”

“I have a job, Peggy, one I like. I don’t need much by way of a house. Four walls and a roof are all I need.” A safe, clean place to call home would suit him fine.

“Why are you being difficult?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I want to know you better, but you’re not very forthcoming. What are your goals? Your dreams?”

He bit down on his molars. He didn’t want to talk about this with her. She would look down on him like everyone else. Mostly, he didn’t want to see disgust or pity in her eyes.

“What are your goals and dreams, Peggy?” Maybe he could get her talking about herself. Didn’t girls like talking about themselves?

Her face brightened as she smiled. Sweet relief washed over him.

“I want to get married, have a family, and live in town. On the east side.” Her smile grew wider, and his stomach churned.

“The east side? Where all the snobby, rich people live? All the lawyers, doctors, and business owners? That’s great.” He glowered out the window, turning onto 10th Street. Peggy had set the bar impossibly high. As she should have. Peggy was vivacious and sweet. She deserved the best of everything.

Clearly, they had different ideas about life. Or did they? He had planned to move to California and marry a movie star. Did he really believe Farrah would marry him? Not at all. Besides, she wasn’t nearly as beautiful as Peggy. When he’d cooked up the idea of moving out West, he was reaching for the stars, wanting to escape his past.

But now? Well, now there was Peggy.

“Don’t judge. Not everyone is snobby.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have said anything.” This conversation was about to go downhill and fast. Merle needed to put some distance between them. No matter what Peggy said, she wouldn’t convince him there were nice people who lived on the east side of town. He’d encountered enough firsthand, and they all treated him like a leper.

“A girl can dream, right?” Her voice softened as she turned toward him.

“Sure.” He glanced at her while at a stop sign. His heart hurt. In one short conversation, all his hopes had been destroyed. He’d never be able to afford living on the east side of town, nor did he want to, but for Peggy, he’d move heaven and earth to give her what she wanted. Unfortunately, he wasn’t God.

“Is working on a ranch all you want to do?” Her tone was sincere, no hint of judgment in it.

“It’s honest work. I don’t mind it.” He shrugged, taking his eyes off her.

“Where’re you going?” She looked around, with a look of surprise on her face.

“Feed store.” Jensen had told him it had the best prices in town for jeans. He only wanted to get two pairs of Wranglers. One pair for work, the other for play.

He searched for a parking spot.

“What for?”

He eased into a space in the parking lot. “Pants.”

“Oh… I’ll wait here.”

He twisted in his seat and faced her. He wished he could wrap her ponytail around his hand and pull her in for a kiss. Wishful thinking. She’d never be his.

“Peggy, you’re free to like what you like. If living on the east side of town is what you want, then go after it.” He meant it. Her happiness mattered to him. What he thought about her choices didn’t. He might be disappointed he’d never have a shot with her, but he wished her no ill will. He only wanted to see her happy.

“Don’t you want to go to college? Get an office job or something?”

He shook his head. Go to college? Work behind a desk? Never gonna happen, and he didn’t appreciate her pushing him in a direction that didn’t suit him.

“No. I don’t want either of those things.”

“Then what do you want?”

He wanted her, which he now saw was stupid. She wanted the stars, while he was happy working below them.

“I’m a simple guy, Peggy. I only need a roof over my head and food on the table.” He dropped his head and inhaled a breath. And a girl to give his heart to. “I don’t do fancy—east side fancy.” He felt like he’d lowered the boom, and his hope of exploring things between them was crushed. The bottom line was Peggy Jensen was out of his league.

“I see. I appreciate your honesty, Merle.” She folded her hands in her lap. “I’ll wait here for you.”

That was his cue to leave and to bury his dreams of ever being with Peggy.

“I won’t be long…”