the movement.
The man she remembered from the wedding had been tall and smiling, purposeful but with an easiness about him—like he might actually know how to let loose and have fun. What had happened to cause such a difference in him in such a short time? Because this version of Callum Shepard was abrasive, grouchy and had a very large stick up his posterior.
Except there’d been the gentle way he’d said he didn’t want to take Nell away from her. Like he understood.
And the way he insisted on proof as if he’d been lied to before.
Nell started to cry and Avery turned away from the sight of Callum walking away. Callum’s reasons didn’t matter. She’d go through the formality of a test for his peace of mind and then she’d go back to Ontario and get on with raising Nell.
The movement of the stroller on the sidewalk temporarily soothed the baby as they headed in the direction of the diner. She had to remember one important fact when it came to Callum. He’d had a fling with her sister when they’d barely known each other. And never, in either of their meetings, had he asked what had happened to Crystal, how she’d died.
What kind of guy did that?
She didn’t like the answer.
CHAPTER THREE
CALLUM HUNG UP the phone and sat at the kitchen table for a moment, trying to make sense of his thoughts. Avery hadn’t answered her cell, so he’d left a voice mail giving her the time of the doctor’s appointment. It would take a day or two to get the test in, so he hadn’t been able to get an appointment until midmorning on Friday. Avery probably wasn’t going to be happy about that, but it was out of his hands.
If she could just understand his reasons for asking for it in the first place…
But she didn’t nor would she. There was no sense bringing up the past when it couldn’t be changed. He’d learned his lesson and was smart enough not to get caught in the same trap ever again.
Now he’d lost the better part of the day. He’d planned to put the cows in the west pasture until milking time and it hadn’t happened. Then there was the load of hay he’d bought from the Diamond brothers over at Diamondback Ranch. It needed picking up.
Not to mention the fact that he ignored the house most of the time. He’d put on his last pair of jeans this morning and had thrown a load of laundry in the machine out of pure necessity. He knew the place looked bad. It hadn’t taken Avery’s turned-up nose yesterday to tell him that.
He’d probably been foolish to buy this place. He should have taken a job instead of trying to run everything solo. It was just…the idea of taking orders from someone again was so repulsive that he couldn’t see himself doing it. And he’d chosen the farm because the most uncomplicated time in his life for as far back as he could remember had been working summers on his uncle’s farm on the lower mainland. Nothing had been complicated when he’d been cutting hay or feeding calves or laughing—a lot.
It was the laughter he missed the most.
He knew everyone in Cadence Creek thought he was plumb crazy for wanting to raise dairy cows in the heart of beef country. Maybe he was. But for him the only real cow was a Holstein, and it made him happy. Five o’clock in the morning came early, but the time he spent in the milking parlor with the radio on was the best part of his day. Calm, quiet. Just him, the cows and country music.
And when George Grant had decided to retire and sell off his quota, it had seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Callum pushed away from the table and took his plate to the sink. It was full with dirty dishes. God, what a disaster. He had to do something, especially if Avery Spencer came around again.
He picked up the phone and dialed the only person he’d trusted since moving to the area: Tyson Diamond. Ty and his brother Sam ran the biggest ranch around but you’d never know it. Friendly, down-to-earth and always ready to offer advice or a willing hand, the brothers had eased Callum’s way as he’d taken over Grant’s farm. And neither of them had asked too many questions, either.
Ty answered on the first ring. “Tyson Diamond.”
“Ty, it’s Callum.”
“Hey, brother.” Callum suppressed a smile; Ty had an easy-going way about him that his older brother, Sam, didn’t and it showed, even in the simple greeting. There was a scuffling noise and then the sound cleared. “What can I do for you?”
“I need your advice. Or maybe your wife’s advice.”
“Clara? She’s up at the house. I can get her to call you. What’s it about?”
“I need a hand and thought she could recommend someone.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I need someone to help me clean out this pigsty. I can’t afford anyone really expensive…”
Ty’s laugh came over the line. “You’re calling for a maid.”
“Just temporarily. To help me get caught up.”
“You should talk to Angela. She might have someone at the women’s shelter who’s looking for a job or even just a few extra hours somewhere. If that’d be okay, I’ll pass the info along.”
“That’d be fine. And the sooner the better.”
“Any particular reason?”
He thought of Avery looking down her nose at the state of his living room, then pictured her clear blue eyes as they’d stared into his this morning. “Uh, not really. Just needs to be done, and I don’t have the time to do it.”
“Nothing to do with the woman you were seen with in town this morning, then?”
This was exactly why he’d wanted to talk privately instead of on a bench in the middle of Main Street. “Honestly, you’re a worse gossip than the women.”
Ty’s laugh echoed in his ear. “No gossip. I passed you on my way to the hardware store, but you were talking and didn’t notice. But you’re awfully sensitive about it…”
The teasing note in Ty’s voice reminded Callum of what it was like to have friends, and the thought sent a spear of pain through him. “If you could pass on the request, that’d be great.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure. No problem. Got that load of hay for you here, too, whenever you’re ready. We can deliver it on the weekend if you like.”
“Thanks, that’d be great. Gotta run.”
He hung up and wiped his hand over his face. Tyson reminded him of Pete, and maybe a little of Matt and the others. Always good for a laugh or a favor.
Except they weren’t anymore. Callum’s fingers tightened on the edge of the table. They’d all followed their orders—all except Callum. He’d been sleeping off a night of drunkenness in the brig. Because of it, the section had gone out without him. When the IED went off, he’d been safe and sound. They hadn’t, and he’d had to live with that ever since.
On Friday morning Avery splurged on a long-distance call to her boss, Denise. Working at The Icing On Top was a dream job, and she wanted to reassure Denise that she’d be back to work as planned in a few days. Denise had been incredibly sympathetic to Avery’s situation, giving her whatever time she needed after Crystal’s death. Instead of applying for parental leave and trying to make do on a reduced salary, Denise had even allowed Avery to bring Nell to work at the bakery. Once Nell was older, Avery knew she would have to put her in day care, but for now, during these first precious months, Avery was able to keep Nell with her. She was getting quite good at decorating with the baby in the Snugli carrier, and she kept the playpen in the back office and a baby monitor in the bakery kitchen. When the time came for Denise to expand, Avery wanted to be first in line to manage the new location.
She owed Denise a lot, and the last thing she wanted to do was take her generosity for granted. She wanted to reassure Denise that she’d