by June Faver
When he turned onto the road leading up to the house, he pulled to a stop close to the barns and outbuildings. He swung out of the truck and strode over to the fence. “Hello, Leroy.” He greeted the red-and-white longhorn bull who waited patiently for his arrival. “I didn’t forget you, boy.”
He reached over the barbed wire to rub the massive bull’s face and nose. “Good boy. I just got hung up on a really pretty little filly. Let me get you some grain.”
Cade went to the barn and scooped grain into a wide bucket. Leroy did not need the extra feed, but it was part of the bond they shared. Leroy was the reigning alpha bull of Cade’s small herd of prime Texas Longhorn cattle. He treated them like pets, gave them names, and enjoyed the hell out of looking at them.
When he climbed back into his truck and drove close to the house, he found another reason to admire his property. The house was quite well maintained and attractive.
For a moment, he felt a twinge of dread to walk into his empty house. Just one twenty-nine-year-old bachelor to rattle around inside. It had never felt lonely before, but after having the children with him, it was quiet as a tomb.
Cade entered, tossed his Stetson onto a peg near the door, and slipped out of his boots. Walking around in his stocking-clad feet was a secret pleasure. Mrs. Reynolds always kept the floors mopped or vacuumed.
He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a longneck, flipped the cap into the trash can, and let the icy liquid roll down his throat. He used the remote to turn on the wall-mounted television that took up a lot of the available wall space. Scrolling through the channels, he settled on a sports program but failed to really hear the announcer.
The picture was preempted by the vision of a beautiful face with flawless skin, a mass of blondish hair, wide-set blue eyes, and the most luscious, kissable lips on the planet.
Chapter 11
At 9:00 am, the phone rang. It was the landline.
Jenn shot into the kitchen to snatch the receiver off the wall phone. She had to untangle the curly cord before she could gasp, “Hello!”
“Kids chasing you, Miss LaChance?”
She recognized Breckenridge T. Ryan’s deep, articulate voice immediately. “Um, no. I just had to run in here to grab the call.” She stretched the cord and cautiously opened the swinging door to peek at the children playing with Minnie on the dining room floor.
“I called to see if I can get you to drive out to the airstrip this afternoon. You and Cade Garrett need to take over the business officially. The office has been closed, but maybe the two of you can figure out some way to keep the airstrip open. The community needs this business.”
“Oh, I…uh…” Jenn drew a deep breath and blew it out forcefully. “I’m sure I can be there. I’ll probably have the children with me.”
“You can bring the kids over here if you want. My office manager is a Garrett by marriage.”
“Oh? There seem to be a lot of Garretts around Langston.”
“That’s the truth.” Breck let out a deep chuckle. “You can’t throw a rock around here without hitting a Garrett. Misty is married to Colton Garrett, Big Jim’s oldest son.”
“I guess that will be okay. I’ll see you at your office this afternoon.”
“Great. I’m calling Cade next. We should be able to get things settled.”
Jenn hung up thinking that her day had just gotten to be a whole lot more complicated. It seemed everyone had a plan to care for the children. She sat down beside Lissy, who was receiving lessons from her big brother on how to pat the dog.
“No, Lissy,” Leo said. “Like dis.” He demonstrated the fine art of dog patting by plopping his little hand up and down on Minnie’s head. She didn’t seem to mind, although his pats were somewhat rough. Lissy leaned over to kiss Minnie on her head.
Jenn started to interrupt, but it was over, and now Minnie was lying on her back, exposing her belly and begging for belly rubs. Jenn reached out to gently rub the dog’s underside. “That’s right. Just like this. So sweet. Minnie really likes that. Nice doggy.”
Lissy reached out, and Jenn guided her hand to stroke instead of beat on the dog.
“Goggy!” Lissy exclaimed.
The phone rang again and Jenn scrambled to her feet. She made it back to the kitchen just slightly out of breath. “Hello?”
“Hello, Jennifer. It’s Cade.”
She found herself grinning, feeling suddenly flushed.
“I got a call from Breck Ryan. I told him to let Misty off the hook because I was bringing Mrs. R to look after the kids. She can stay while we have lunch and after, when we go to the airstrip. So we can have a nice meal and then meet up with Breck at his office.”
“That sounds like a great plan,” Jenn said.
“I’ll be there about a quarter of twelve.”
She hung up, oddly buoyant. She wasn’t sure what in her minimal wardrobe would be appropriate to wear to lunch with a hunky cowboy in a small town. She finally settled on the blue dress. That should be okay for lunch and being indoctrinated into the world of airport management.
By eleven thirty, she had bathed and dressed the children and was dressed herself. She kept glancing out the front windows, anxious to be at her best when Cade arrived. She wanted to be calm and composed as opposed to her usual state of near hysteria. She would be cool and sophisticated.
She paced a little, keeping an eye on the children who were running around with Minnie, but she could not tell who was chasing whom.
There was a knock at the door and Jenn tried to ignore the herd of butterflies flying formation in her stomach. She fixed a smile on her face, trying to appear composed, and opened the door.
Cade stood beside an older woman who appeared to be friendly. Maybe he was a little nervous too. He stared at her and swallowed hard.
“Hello, Jennifer. I’m Maybelle Reynolds. I keep house for Cade here.” She gave him a pat on the arm.
“Oh, yes… Please come inside. Of course you know the children.” Jenn turned to gesture to the children, but the woman pushed past her and squealed when she saw Leo and Lissy.
“My babies! I’ve missed you.” Mrs. R spread her arms and gathered a rather bewildered Leo and Lissy in her arms.
“Well, I guess you’re all set.” Jenn shrugged. “The children have eaten their lunch, but there are snacks in the refrigerator.”
Mrs. R turned, a wide grin on her face. “You young folks go on to lunch. We’ll be fine here.”
Cade looked on proudly, Stetson in hand, as though he had single-handedly solved a major world problem. “Are you ready?” He nodded toward the door.
“Uh-huh.” Jenn grabbed her small handbag and waved goodbye to the children. Cade took her hand and walked her to his truck. When he opened the passenger door for her, she remembered it was too high for her to climb into in her slim dress.
It took a moment for Cade to figure out why she was not climbing into his truck. “I…uh…I can help you up…if it’s okay. It’s a little higher than standard pickups.”
She nodded and he picked her up as though she weighed nothing. Being held in Cade’s very strong arms sent a thrill spiraling through her core. He gazed into her eyes intently, but then he glanced at her lips and she could read his desire. If she just lifted her chin a little, he would kiss her.
Jenn looked down. “Thank you,” she said, and he slid her onto the seat. “I’ve been so busy with the children, I haven’t had a chance to get back to Dallas for more clothes.” She shrugged, hoping he understood that she had more than a few dresses in her wardrobe.
“Seat belt.” He closed the door and hustled around to climb behind the steering wheel. He started the truck but let it sit idling. “Do you have a preference? I mean, would you prefer the steak house or Tio’s?”
“Tio’s, please. I really like Mexican food.”
“Yes, ma�
��am.” He flashed a remarkably boyish grin and put the truck into gear.
When he smiled like that, she couldn’t remember why she had thought him grim and distant. He drove her to Tio’s, smiling all the way. There was no conversation, making her wonder if their meal would be consumed in silence.
When he parked, he gave her a long look before jumping out of his truck and rounding the hood to open her door. He reached up to her, holding both hands out.
Jenn’s heart fluttered, and her stomach was doing flip-flops. She wanted to throw herself down into his arms, but she held herself in check. Be cool. Don’t blow this. She leaned down to him and allowed herself to be gathered and lifted gently down to the street. There was a moment when her feet first made contact with the pavement and she was gazing up into Cade’s eyes when she ached to have his arms draw her closer, to have him lean down and kiss her. Her hands were on his shoulders, and she was locked onto his gaze.
“Thanks for the assistance.” She dropped her hands and turned toward the restaurant. “I’m starving.”
Cade gestured to the entrance of Tio’s. “We better get you fed, then.” He escorted her inside, where Milita Rios greeted them with a wide smile.
“Hello, Cade. And Jennifer, it’s so nice to see you again.” She picked up two menus and two napkin-wrapped sets of eating utensils. “Where would you like to sit?”
“Somewhere quiet,” Cade said.
This struck Jenn as funny, since there was some lively Mexican music playing. But Milita showed them to a table against the far wall. When they were seated, Milita placed a menu and the utensils in front of each of them and left to attend another customer waiting at the cash register.
“What looks good?” Cade asked.
“Everything, but I’m thinking about the puffy tacos with a side of guacamole.” She looked at him over the menu. “What about you?”
“I’m having the Tio’s Special Platter. It’s got a little bit of everything.” He folded the menu and slid it to the edge of the table.
“Oh, I cannot eat that much in one sitting.”
Milita returned to bring ice water and take their orders. She also placed a bowl of salsa and a basket of tortilla chips in the middle of the table. “Enjoy.”
Jenn reached for a chip and dipped a small area in the salsa.
Cade watched as she tested the heat with her tongue. “How is it?”
She nodded. “Tasty.”
Cade scooped the salsa with a chip and managed to get it into his mouth without spilling any.
“I hope the children are doing okay,” she said.
“I’m sure they are. Don’t worry about Mrs. Reynolds. She was helping me with them before you—” He stopped abruptly. “I mean, right after Sara and Jason were—” He shook his head.
“Got it,” she said.
“I just wanted you to know that Mrs. R is great with the kids.” He sat scowling at her, reminding her of when they first met. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up…”
“It’s okay. They’re gone… I’m trying to deal with it.” Jenn concentrated on unwrapping the eating utensils and spread the napkin in her lap. She made a quick note of what she had ordered in the food diary and replaced it in her small handbag. “We just have to get over losing our loved ones and go on without them. The children need both of us in their lives.”
Cade’s frown suddenly disappeared. He looked as though she had offered him a sandwich when he was starving. “Both of us?”
She huffed out a little sigh. “Of course they need both of us.” She gave a little shake of her head. “No matter how much I love Leo, I cannot demonstrate to him how to become a good man.”
Cade nodded furiously. “Yes, I was thinking that too.”
“And Lissy… She needs a good man in her life to be there for her.” Jenn shrugged. “You know, to look daggers at her boyfriends and make them quake in their boots,” she finished with a grin.
Cade broke into a grin of his own. “I can do that. I’ll scare the little weasels into oblivion.”
Jenn picked up her ice water and saluted him with it. “So you’re willing to co-parent with me?”
His face reflected his surprise. “Co-parent? Uh, yes. That sounds great. We can be parents together…I mean…”
She sat smiling at him, allowing him to gather his thoughts.
“Yes!” he said, lifting his glass to touch it to hers in a toast of sorts. “Yes, we can do a great job of parenting the children.” He seemed to be greatly relieved.
She wondered what he had imagined she would demand of him. He was the children’s uncle.
But she was the children’s legal guardian.
* * *
Breckenridge T. Ryan approached the Langston airstrip. It was a bright, sunny day, but he was on edge. He had to climb out of his truck to punch the code into the entry gates. The heavy barrier rolled completely open on wheels to the accompaniment of screeching metal scraping metal.
He stood in the roadway, surveying the ghost-town atmosphere. There were no other vehicles on the property that had formerly been abuzz with traffic and people. Rows of grounded aircraft gave silent testimony to the lack of activity in the installation.
Breck couldn’t imagine how Cade Garrett and Jennifer LaChance would be able to run the airstrip.
Cade was a rancher. Plain and simple. He had no experience in working with the public. He didn’t own an aircraft and had shown no interest in his younger sister’s business.
Jennifer was a mystery. He had no idea what her background was. He guessed she knew nothing about managing an airstrip.
Breck shook his head and climbed back in his truck. He drove past the silent hangars and parked in front of the building where Jason LaChance had had an office. His wife had worked with him, bringing their baby son with her to keep up with the books, but the arrival of their daughter had caused the young couple to hire a couple of office workers, now laid off, waiting to find out the fate of the airstrip. Would it be sold? Would new owners bring their own staff or rehire the former employees?
When Breck unlocked the office, he thought it looked as though the owner had just stepped out for a moment and would return shortly. He turned on lights and tried to shake off the feeling of dread hanging over him.
There were two entities interested in buying the airstrip. He figured that neither of the heirs would be involved in or capable of running the business, so he hoped they made a decision that would serve the community. “Lord knows we need the airstrip.” His voice hung in the silence like a shroud.
He stood in the open doorway and leaned his forearm against the doorjamb, gazing out at the open field. No planes in the sky. No aircraft being prepared. The total silence was like a vacuum.
Time did not exist.
And then another truck rolled through the gate and came to a stop beside his own. Cade and Jennifer appeared to be in high spirits. Breck could see them laughing and talking through the windshield.
He blew out a lungful of air before stepping out, waving both arms in greeting. “Come right in, folks. See what you two have inherited.”
* * *
Cade glanced up to see Breckenridge Ryan waving his arms over his head. He was reluctant to let anyone else into this little interlude he had enjoyed with Jennifer. It seemed that the interior of his truck was a special environment that only the two of them shared. Now the sanctity would be broken. “Are you ready for this?”
Jennifer gave a little shake of her head. “Probably not. I’ve been dreading coming to this place that Jason built. Missing my brother is worse here because I know I should have come to see him in his own rarified environment, but I’ve never been to the airstrip. I mean, we communicated almost daily, but it was mostly digitally. I should have been more involved in his life, but with Mom and Dad, it just wasn’t possible.” Her lower lip trembled, and
she caught it between her teeth.
For some reason, that gesture aroused something primal in Cade. He wanted to rise up and surround her—protect her with his very being.
She quirked her head to one side and gave a tight-lipped smile. “That’s what I have to deal with.” She raised a hand to wave at Breck. “There’s our guide to Wonderland.”
“Yeah, let’s go find the Mad Hatter.” He opened the door and climbed out. He had intended to open Jennifer’s door, but she slid out on her own. He gave himself a mental head smack for feeling disappointed and fell into step behind her as she made her way to the airstrip office.
Breck spread his arms. “Welcome to your own domain. Let me show you around.” He pointed out the hangars and the different kinds of aircraft whose owners were renting space for them.
Jennifer shrugged. “It’s so big. I mean, how can we possibly get up to speed?”
Breck gave her a puzzled look. “It sounds as though you’re considering keeping the place open.”
“I—I don’t know. I mean, the people we loved most built this place together and made a go of it.” She shrugged again. “We could try.”
Cade frowned down at her. “I don’t know…”
Breck joined him in frowning. “Cade here has a sizable ranch to run. Lots of stock to take care of. I don’t know how he would have time or energy to run the airstrip too.”
She looked crushed. “Oh, well…I was hoping maybe we could learn to run the airstrip. I hate for it to pass out of the family.” She raised her eyes to Cade as though pleading for understanding. “My brother put his whole life into this. It somehow feels as though I’m letting him down…” Her lips tightened. “I know it’s improbable, but still…”
Cade nodded. “Um, I can see what you’re thinking.” He looked at Breck questioningly.
Breck huffed out a loud sigh. “Look, it’s not my job to have an opinion. I just need to help transfer your inheritance to the two of you. If you think you can manage the airstrip, I would advise you to go over the financials with the person who was doing the bookkeeping for Jason after Sara became a stay-at-home mom. That’s the best I can do for you.”
