Chapter 26 Part 26
Maggie
The next four weeks sped by. Asher had been right; the mornings and evenings had started showing a chill, and suddenly, it felt like winter, then gradually warmed up again. A week earlier, Eden had taken her into town and helped her with winter clothes of her own.
She smiled as she thought back to the morning that changed her life yet again. That morning, she’d opened the laptop and started working the moment Asher left to help his brothers. She had been so engrossed in her work, she hadn’t heard Eden.
“Here you go,” Eden said, handing her an official-looking envelope.
“What’s this?” Maggie took the envelope, and looked at it. It was thick, and she was clueless as to what it could be.
“Your salary. What else would it be?” Eden said, laughing.
“My salary?” Maggie frowned, as she looked at Eden.
“You’ve been working for a month, Maggie. Did you think you were helping me for free?”
Maggie chuckled. “Well, yeah. I didn’t expect to get paid.”
Eden laughed loudly, and shook her head. “It’s cash now because I haven’t loaded you onto the system yet, but Colt and Dylan both said they were very happy with your work, and they want to offer you the position full-time.”
“What?”
“Maggie, you’re a great asset to them. I’m so busy with Blair’s stuff that I never get time for their business. This works out perfectly, plus you can do this job wherever you have an internet connection,” Eden said.
Maggie opened the envelope, gasping as she counted the money. It was more money than she had hoped to earn, and she clutched it to her chest as she cried. She started to laugh, and wiped her eyes as Eden frowned at her.
“I’m sorry, I just didn’t expect this.”
“Oh, Maggie, you’re worth every cent. I can’t even begin to explain how much you’ve helped me these past few weeks. You literally saved my behind, and now, I don’t have to worry about Fitzgerald Equines anymore,” Eden said. “You are going to take the job, right?”
“Yes,” Maggie said, with a laugh.
Eden’s eyes twinkled as she grinned. “You want to go spend some of that money, don’t you?”
“Well, I do need some winter clothes, but it can wait. I have a job to do!”
Eden laughed, and sat down next to her. “We can always go tomorrow. We don’t work on weekends, unlike the boys; they work every day.”
She’d bought herself much-needed clothes, and toiletries for herself and for Melody. On a whim, she bought Asher a new cowboy hat. A gift to say thank you for everything he’d done for her. Things had been going really well.
Asher’s dreams had simmered down to him only clutching the sheets, and when she touched his arm during the night, he’d relax, and let go. He always stayed on his side of the bed, sleeping in one position. He never turned, remaining on his back, with his one hand curled over his abdomen.
They were at a comfort level where Asher helped her to the bathroom at night and helped her to dress. It didn’t feel like it had just been 5 weeks since she’d known him. It felt like forever, and it felt right. It felt so right, that she didn’t want to leave.
Now, when she thought back to Eden’s words, she didn’t have the feeling of wanting to run away. Instead, she looked forward to her future with Asher. His ribs had healed, not that he’d ever complained about being in pain, or taken anything that she saw; he just carried on helping out on the ranch.
He was never too tired to spend time with Melody, or put her to bed. He always asked how her day was, and the few times they’d forgotten about dinner, he’d cooked, even after working all day. He was the perfect man, always smiling, always happy.
She had an appointment with the doctor in a week, and hopefully, he could remove the cast. She felt better, and she moved around more freely. The stairs were still hard to navigate with the crutches, but once she was downstairs, she could do everything for herself.
Eden had taken her to the other side of the ranch, and showed her where Colt and Dylan’s offices were. She’d be working there once her cast was off. Thomas stopped by in the afternoons after Melody’s nap, and disappeared with her for a few hours. He always returned her a little sticky, and a little dirty, claiming that she was very good at getting the ranch hands to do their work.
Her life was idyllic, and she settled into a new routine, making dinner for the three of them, working, and watching Melody.
“Do you think you might take Melody to daycare once you start working in the office?” Eden asked her.
“I should. She’s getting bigger, and will need to socialize with other children. I’m not sure how the others will feel about it, but I could use the break during the day,” Maggie said.
Eden laughed, and rolled her eyes. “Daddy will probably miss her the most.”
Maggie smiled. How had she gotten so lucky? She’d always wanted a family, and now she had a big one. Blair, Colt, Dylan, and Finn treated her like they treated Eden. They pulled pranks and always helped when she asked for it. They were good people, and Melody was surrounded by a lot of good men as examples.
A car parked near the front of the house, and both women automatically looked through the living room window. Maggie’s eyes widened, and Eden bristled as she got to her feet.
“What the hell does she think she’s doing here?” Eden stormed out of the living room, and Maggie could hear her footsteps all the way down the porch steps.
“Hi, Eden,” she said, in an overly sweet voice.
“What do you want, Lorelei?”
“I brought Asher his favorite pie. The poor man must be half-starved having to survive on your cooking,” Lorelei said.
Eden’s fists balled next to her side, and Maggie grabbed her phone. It rang and rang before Asher answered. “Hey, is everything okay?”
“You better get over here. I think Eden might attack Lorelei.”
“I’ll be right there,” Asher said, and the call ended. Maggie watched with wide eyes as Eden pushed Lorelei.
“Asher doesn’t want or need your pies, and just for the record, he’s not living alone in this big house of his. Maggie and Melody keep him company. So turn your scrawny ass around and get off our property!”
“I see she’s managed to worm her way into his house. She’s going to ruin him; don’t say later, I didn’t warn you!”
Asher’s truck pulled to a stop next to the two women, and Maggie smiled as she watched him walk over to them. He planted himself in between them, and shook his head. Maggie couldn’t hear what he was saying, his voice too low.