Dakota Home

He’d just started up the stairs when he heard the phone. He paused, his foot on the bottom step, half-tempted to let it ring. But he didn’t get many calls, and curiosity got the better of him.

“Yeah?” he barked into the phone.

“Hey, is that any way to greet your one and only Buffalo Gal?”

“Merrily? Where the hell are you?”

“Same place as always.”

“What the hell are you doing there when you should be here?” He knew she didn’t like it when he made demands, but he couldn’t stop himself. “When’re you coming back?”

“Miss me, do you?”

She didn’t know the half of it. “You could say that,” he said, playing it low-key.

Her laugh was quiet and sexy. Just hearing it sent shivers racing down his spine. It hurt his pride to let her know what a sorry excuse for a man he was without her. But, dammit, she meant more to him than even his pride.

“I’ve been thinking about you,” she whispered, as if it was a concession for her to admit that much.

“You coming back or not?”

“I’ve been considering it.” She laughed again and he could imagine the look on her face—her teasing smile, her eyes wide open, eyebrows raised.

“When will you get here? I’ll put out the welcome mat.” Despite everything, he couldn’t keep the eagerness from his voice.

“I can’t say,” she murmured.

“You need help?”

“What kind of help?”

“I could send you money.” Buffalo Bob realized the minute he said the words that he’d made a mistake. Like him, Merrily had an abundance of pride, and he’d already stepped on it once, earlier in their relationship, by offering her a loan. In fact, she’d come to him that day, wanting to help him without stepping on his pride. Her generosity had touched his heart and it was then that he’d recognized something profound. He loved her.

Buffalo Bob wasn’t a man who loved easily. Over the years he’d had plenty of women, and sex had always been available. He hadn’t been looking for emotional engagements. Women passed in and out of his life; he barely noticed. Merrily was different, had always been different.

“I don’t need your money,” she said curtly.

“Okay, okay. But if you ever do—”

“I gotta go.”

“Merrily,” he shouted, stopping her, “don’t hang up!”

“What?” she snapped.

“You didn’t say where you were.”

“So what?” She sounded bored.

“What’s the weather like?” It was a silly question and without purpose, other than keeping her on the line.

“I don’t know. Gotta go outside and look.”

“It was over eighty here last Tuesday.”

“In Buffalo Valley?” Her voice was skeptical. “I thought you’d have had your first snowfall by now.”

“We could get snow this month, but more likely it’ll come in November.” He grimaced; he was beginning to sound like a television weatherman.

“Gotta go,” Merrily insisted.

“Call me again, all right?” He tried not to plead.

“I… I don’t know if I can.”

“Why not?” he demanded. A hundred scenarios raced through his mind and he didn’t like any of them. “You’re with someone else, aren’t you?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snarled back.

“Yeah, well it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Every time you’re not with me, you’re with him.”

“Believe what you want.” The second’s delay in her response told him he’d guessed right. Merrily was with someone else. His gut contracted in a hard, painful knot.

“You can’t have us both,” he said angrily.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she repeated. She seemed to be forcing the words from between clenched teeth.

“Don’t call again.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” With that, she slammed the phone in his ear.

Buffalo Bob banged the receiver down with such fury it was amazing the telephone remained in one piece.

That settled that. It was over.

After tonight, Merrily would never come back. He stalked away from the phone, and then turned abruptly. He could punch in two numbers that would automatically redial the number of the last person who’d called.

Buffalo Bob couldn’t let the relationship end. Not like this, not in anger. He shouldn’t have said anything, shouldn’t have asked about there being another man. If there was—although he prayed it wasn’t true—he wanted the chance to fight for Merrily. Wanted the opportunity to prove himself.

He punched in the numbers and waited. Barely a second passed before he heard the phone ring. A deep sigh of relief eased the tension between his shoulder blades.

Three rings, and no answer.

“Come on, baby,” he urged, “pick up the phone. Let’s talk this out, you and me.”

Five rings, no answer.

“Merrily, dammit, don’t end it like this,” he said to himself.