Wisteria Cottage

Cowboy Jack

Carter

The past two weeks have been eye opening in a lot of ways. I enjoyed my first few days off because I rarely have time to lounge around. When I'm at work I'm constantly covering shifts for guys who need to do a kid thing or catch whatever germs their munchkins have brought home. That lasted about three days before I got stir crazy and started running around the island every morning. I gotta tell you, the views are spectacular and if I get up and run before the first ferry arrives, there aren't many people about. Yesterday I took a kayak out on the water and went to the Farmers market. It's a really nice one for a place this small.

I've also been keeping an eye on the gardener and I have decided that there is definitely something going on with him. One, he's always really happy at the coffee shop. I'm sure they give the employees free coffee but I have watched him wave at and charm everyone who walks in, even people who are obviously tourists and he's never met before. Who is that damn chatty? Makes me think he's hiding something. Or on something. I've seen him at the cottage too, happily humming to himself as he seemingly enjoys menial labor. He smiles. All the time. At no one. He caught me creeping at him through the window the other day and just waved. Waved. I don't get him and I don't like not getting things. It makes me curious. Makes me want to figure it out. Him out.

I decide, after a shower and about a gallon of water because it's hot out already, that breakfast is in order. I pop a pod into the coffee maker, pull out a few slices of some amazing swiss cheese I got at the market and roll them up and pop them into my mouth while I grab a nectarine. Shit. They're peaches. Fuzzy, gross peaches. Ugh! I grab the whole bag and put them outside on the trash. At least I'm pretty sure the strawberries are safe. Luckily my allergy meds kicked in last week and I can now sit out on the porch and breathe at the same time.

I see his blonde locks over the bushes before I see him, but there's no way he's coming back here again. I don't even wanna know how much whoever owns this place pays TaR because apparently gardening is a full time freaking job here. I was wrong, he's back. I hear the gate open, then the squeak of the hose being turned on. I ignore him until he comes onto the porch to water the huge planters that flank the front door. He lets out a little 'eep', then smiles and waves as he drags the hose around me. At least he doesn't try to make conversation.

That is until I'm washing up my dishes in the kitchen and I hear him talking through the kitchen window. "You'll feel much better, I promise" he coos and there is no way I can resist opening the back door to see what the hell is going on. He has some huge torture device in his hand and is taking whole branches off some bush. He's talking to a plant. I can't with him. I have questions but there's no way I'm opening up that can of worms. 

 That's when a dude in a cowboy hat, yes, a cowboy hat, waltzes into the yard. He even walks like one, like some John Wayne wannabe. He's hot, I give him that, and it's hard to be hot wearing khaki pants and some Skye Island staff shirt. He and my gardener chat for a few minutes and then there's a knock at the door.

"Yes?" Cowboy is even hotter close up.

"Hey, I'm Jack. Just wanted to introduce myself and make sure everything's going okay over here."  He extends a hand and I shake it.

Ah, Jack the boss. Cowboy Jack. Hot Cowboy Jack. I would flirt except that he's sort of scowling at me and I did yell about his employee during the only other conversation we've had. Yeah, he'll have to be a lot drunker to let that go and that's impossible around here. "Carter.  Uh, yeah. Fine. I mean" and I am nice enough to look and make sure gardener boy is across the yard decimating a small tree of some kind so he won't hear me, "he talks to the plants which is really damn weird and he's here like all the damn time. I mean, is he okay?"

"Finn?"

Right, Finn. "Yeah. Oh, is he a little uh, special?" That would explain a lot. "I really hope I didn't get him in trouble calling, if he is."

Cowboy Jack is now almost laughing. "He's very special, to me and lots of other people, but not in the way you're implying. I talk to the plants too, for the record. You get to know them, tending to them year after year. But you're a city boy through and through, aren't you? I get that it sounds weird. But no, our Finn is just about the sweetest ray of sunshine on my team and I get the impression that maybe you could use some of that." He literally steps back and tips his hat. "Feel free to chat with the homeowner if our schedule is bothering you but it's all settled and planned ahead of time.  And you can give me a holler if you need anything. Just so we're clear, you speaking unkindly to him, or anyone on my team, would create problems."  Oh, he's got a backbone.  Nice.  "You have nice day now."  Yeah, it's never happening.  Oh well.