"Only met her once huh?" Duncan announced his presence as his son was lining the saddles up to polish them. They did this once a week, to make sure they lasted longer and for them to look their best should anyone be interested in buying them. They usually only sold them as part of the care package for a horse, but every now and again if they were offered enough they'd sell the saddle on its own.
"What makes ye think it was more than once?" Jake asked casually, maintaining his innocence. He was not going to give him the satisfaction of winning this conversation.
"Gimme some credit boy, ye think I don't remember what it feels like, fallin' in love?" his father said now, getting a shake of the head back.
"I don't know her well enuff to be fallin' in love," he responded, stubbornly continuing his chore. If he didn't look up at his father, it would be a lot easier to stand his ground and keep his expression neutral. It also allowed him to focus himself on the task at hand rather than her terrific figure in her new jeans.
"Sure, if ye say so," Duncan seemed to concede for a minute. "I'll give it to ye though, she can ride any horse in my string," he said, meaning to say she sure did look pretty.
"Pa!" Jake exclaimed now, wanting him to stop this conversation right now. He didn't want to hear his father appreciate her looks, especially not the way he appreciated her.
"Oh come on, she got more curves than a barrel o' snakes," his father continued to wind him up. "Don't even try to deny ye noticed," he goaded him now.
"Fine, pa, she's pretty. That don't mean nuffin'," Jake conceded. "Now please stop droolin' over her," he pleaded, thinking it was just wrong to hear him say that about a girl that was his son's age. Especially if he was so convinced that his son liked her, which he was trying to deny he did.
"Why? If yer not interested, ain't no harm in lookin'," Duncan said with a wink, trying to wind him up even more.
"Pa, that makes ye sound like such a perv, it ain't good," Jake said simply now in disgust, getting a chuckle in response.
"Fine, I'll leave ye be for now. But ye better keep up with yer chores if yer gonna keep seein' her," he warned with one last dig before he headed back to the house. His son looked after him with a shake of the head, wondering how on earth they could be related. There was no way he was that annoying.
By the time Jennifer came home, Molly had made sure to have dinner on the table, to score some brownie points to make up for what she was about to do that night.
"Thanks Molls, you're a star," her sister said gratefully as she sank into one of the dining room chairs. "What have you been up to then?" she asked as she started eating. She hadn't realized how famished she actually was until then. The only thing she'd eaten since she left the house that morning was a sandwich and an apple as she drove from one town to the other.
"Googled jobs but didn't get very far. Signed up to this website to get job alerts, though I don't have much faith in that to be honest. Then I went by a couple of the ranches to see if anyone needed help," Molly answered as casually as she could.
"Did they?"
"They did, but not paid. But one of the closer ones said they'd be happy to give me a good recommendation if I help out every now and again," she said with a shrug. "It's not much, but better than nothing," she finished.
"True," her sister agreed. "This tastes good Molls, thanks again. I might have myself an early night, maybe have a bath," Jennifer said, as her younger sister could scarcely believe her good luck.
"Ye do look tired," she said carefully not to offend. "Bet you did a lot of drivin' huh?" she blamed it on the activities of the day.
"You can say that again. I'm definitely takin' a break tomorrow. Fancy doing something together? Apart from unpacking, we've hardly done anything together since we've been here," Jennifer suggested now, making her sister smile.
"That sounds good. After a nice long lie in, I can't believe how early I've been getting up since I've been here," Molly said, with only a hint of a genuine complaint in her voice, getting a laugh in response. She needed a cover for if she and Jake stayed out too late tonight for her to be up early and still function like a normal person.
"Me neither, you're so not a morning person," Jennifer teased. She finished her food and, as recognition that her sister had done the cooking, did the washing up while Molly sat at the table with one of her books. "Right, I'm beat. I'll see you in the morning," the older girl said, despite it only being close to 9. "I can't believe I'm going to bed this early," she muttered and gave her sister a hug.
"Me neither... grandma," Molly teased, hoping it wouldn't change her mind too much.
"You cheeky..." Jennifer started to lecture her as she narrowed her eyes and pinched her sister's cheek in warning. "Don't stay up too late, and don't forget to lock the doors," she gave in and headed towards the stairs.
"I won't," her younger sister promised, holding up her book, as if that was any guarantee of her going to bed on time. Usually when she got caught up in a book she was reading, she could be up all night. But if Jennifer picked up on that, she didn't show it; all she could think about was a quick shower and her bed, with even the idea of a bath sounding like too much effort right now. "Night."
"Night," Jennifer said, already feeling like she was sleepwalking up the stairs. The food had definitely made her even sleepier than she already was. She quickly stepped under the warm shower, and within five minutes of that was in her bed, dozing off.
Molly stayed downstairs with her book for about 10 minutes after she heard her sister get out of the bathroom, before she tiptoed up the stairs to see if she was asleep already. She pressed her ear to the door but couldn't hear any movement. It wasn't a full guarantee that Jennifer was fast asleep already, but it was probably the closest she would get without opening the bedroom door. She didn't want to risk that waking her up.