Texas Homecoming

by Carolyn Brown

  Stevie opened the side door of the van before it was even unhitched. Dolly jumped out and meowed several times. Kittens came from different corners and followed her over to where the hay was stacked up. She flopped down on her side and started to purr, and soon all her babies were kneading her belly and nursing.

  “I guess she figures a barn is a barn, no matter where it is,” Stevie said as she picked Dixie up and carried her toward the stalls.

  The mama hembra began to hum when she saw Dixie, and her baby ran over to stick her little nose out from between the rails. Dixie wiggled as if she wanted to be free from Stevie’s arms, so Stevie opened the stall gate, set her down, and removed her diaper. The hembra sniffed the new baby all over, and her daughter headbutted the newcomer. Stevie moved slowly into the stall with all three alpacas and put Dixie’s nose against the hembra’s milk bag. Dixie’s tail shot up and she started nursing.

  “Thank you, Miz Hembra,” Stevie sighed.

  “Would you look at that?” Cody came up beside her. “Looks like you won’t have to come to the barn every four hours in the cold to feed the baby. I was going to suggest that we take her and the cats to the bunkhouse if Maggie didn’t adopt her.”

  “That’s sweet, but she’s so much better off here, and the cats have probably never known anything but a barn. They’d feel all cooped up in a bunkhouse,” Stevie said.

  “I’m not surprised.” Jesse joined them. “Alpacas are herd animals, and they’re loving toward their own. The only trouble you’re going to have now is if you try to take that baby back from Maggie. She will fight you for it.”

  “I’m just glad she’s found a good mama. I think the cats saved her life, but she needs her own kind,” Stevie said.

  Jesse’s phone rang, and he slipped it out of his hip pocket. “Hello, darlin’. Yes, we’re in the barn and yes, Maggie has taken to the cria, so all is good.”

  He listened for a few minutes and then said, “That’s a great idea. I’ll tell them.”

  “Tell them what?” Cody asked.

  “Mama says that she’s put food in the oven at the bunkhouse, and that she’s pretty sure Stevie would like food and a bath before she comes up to the ranch house.” Jesse put his phone back into his pocket. “Mia has plowed a path from the ranch house to the bunkhouse and out to here. You can either use the work truck or walk, but be careful. It’s still pretty slick.”

  “And?” Cody asked. “I can see by that grin you can’t wipe off your face you’re hiding something.”

  “Y’all just go get cleaned up, have some food, take a nap, watch television or whatever you want to do. Supper is at five so be there for that,” Jesse chuckled.

  “I’m heading straight to the bunkhouse,” Stevie said. “I’m going to eat and then take a long, hot bath. Tell Pearl and Addy I love them both for everything.”

  As soon as she was gone, Jesse chuckled again.

  “What’s so funny?” Cody asked.

  “You and Stevie O’Dell stranded together,” Jesse laughed, “and now you’re going to have to live with her for another week. That’s funny, I don’t care who you are.”

  “I may be moving up to the house and sleeping on the sofa,” Cody said, “but even that would beat the hard floor of that tack room.”

  “Good God, brother!” Jesse gasped. “You could have both slept on the sofa.”

  “Yep, and it even made out into a bed—with a bare mattress that was lumpy—but…” Cody shrugged. “We were like a couple of banty roosters, ready to spar most of the time. I wasn’t about to suggest that we share the sofa bed, and she didn’t offer.”

  Jesse shook his head. “Missed your chance, brother. Has it been so long that you need one of those how-to books to learn how to flirt?”

  Cody clamped a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “If you’ve got your book still hiding up in the house, I might borrow it. Seems like you sure needed it when you came home and found Addy living here. Ever think that maybe I preserved my life by not suggesting we share that bare mattress?”

  “You going to give Stevie your room and king-sized bed?” Jesse asked.

  “Yep, but after the past three nights, one of those bottom bunk beds sounds like heaven right now.” Cody got his doctor bag and Stevie’s go bag from the van and followed Jesse outside. “Thanks for the rescue. See you at suppertime.”

  “You’d do the same for me. If me and Addy ever get stranded, don’t come get me for at least a week.” Jesse closed the barn door and took off in half a jog toward the ranch house.

  The sunshine was a sight for sore eyes—one of Sonny’s favorite sayings—but it did little to warm the bitter cold wind blowing in Cody’s face. Tex, the ranch dog, met him halfway to the bunkhouse and followed him the rest of the way. When Cody opened the bunkhouse door, Tex ran in ahead of him, jumped up on the sofa, and curled up with his paw over his nose.

  “Who’s that?” Stevie asked from the kitchen table.

  “Tex, meet Stevie.” Cody dropped her go bag and his doctor bag on the coffee table. “Stevie, meet Tex. He’s part ranch dog, part spoiled pet. He’s a big baby, so you’ve got nothing to fear. Tex, Stevie is all redheaded fire, so be afraid. Be very, very afraid.”

  “That’s not funny,” Stevie told him. “I’ve set the table and there’s a breakfast omelet in the oven, along with biscuits and a pan of gravy heating on top of the stove.”

  Cody went straight to the kitchen sink and washed his hands in warm water. “I will never take hot water for granted again.”

  “Me either. Or jelly, or salt or…” She nodded toward the coffeepot that had just gurgled and finished dripping.

  Cody filled two mugs, handed one to her, and held his up. “A toast to surviving the business of being stranded.”

  She touched her mug with his. “To hoping we make it through the next week.”

  “We’ve already made it through the worst of it.” He took a sip and held it in his mouth for a few seconds.

  “Heavenly,” Stevie whispered.

  “Amen,” Cody agreed. “The gravy is bubbling, and I’m about hungry enough to drink it like a warm milkshake.”

  “Me too,” Stevie agreed as she set the pan on a trivet in the middle of the table, and then brought out the biscuits and the omelet. “This right here is better than what we could get at a five-star restaurant.”

  “And this old bunkhouse is better than a five-star hotel.” Cody sat down at the table and bowed his head. “I can’t eat this food without giving thanks. We could have frozen to death or been killed out there. Let’s have a moment of silence.”

  Stevie bowed her head. “I agree.”

  Cody said a short prayer of gratitude and then raised his head. He didn’t know if Stevie was giving thanks or if she was asking God to help her make it through the next week, but it was a full minute before she opened her eyes. She picked up a biscuit, split it open, covered it with sausage gravy, and moaned when she put the first bite in her mouth.

  “Hey, I thought my steak and potatoes were pretty good,” he said as he followed her example and then dipped out a big helping of the omelet.

  “They kept us from starving, but this is amazing,” Stevie said. “It’s just like Mama used to make.”

  “See, another good memory,” Cody said. “Wonder what she would think of this situation.”

  “She would say that things happen for a reason.” Stevie spooned omelet onto her plate. “I don’t have any idea what the reason for this might be, but that’s what she would say,” she answered. “Yes, having breakfast with Mama is a good memory, and I do need to dwell on more of those, not the pain of her being gone.”

  “And me, too, when it comes to Dineo,” Cody said. “The good should outweigh the bad, right, love?”

  Stevie eyed him without blinking.

  “What’d I say?” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

  “You almost sounded British when you said that word, love,” Stevie answered.

  “Sometimes a little of wh
at I listened to over there comes out. My only consistent friend for the past five years was Nate Fisher. He was born and raised in a village outside of London,” Cody explained. “We’re both doctors, and after our first six months, we asked if we could be stationed close by each other. They did what they could, so we spent a lot of time together. I picked up on his Queen’s English, and he learned a little of my Texas drawl.”

  “I like the Texas drawl better,” Stevie said, and went back to her breakfast.

  “Well, then, love, I’ll do my best to talk like a true Texan,” Cody said with an almost flawless British accent.

  Stevie poked her fork at him. “Don’t call me love.”

  He went back to his normal drawl. “Yes, ma’am, darlin’.”

  “Or that either,” she told him.

  “Little cranky today, are you?” Cody asked. “I thought you’d be ecstatic we’re in a place with hot food and water.”

  “Sorry about the attitude,” Stevie said. “I do appreciate everything your mama has done so much for me. There’s a note in the bedroom from Mia. I met her a couple of times when I was called out here to the ranch. I wasn’t sure if she wanted to learn more by watching me treat the alpacas or if she was making sure I knew what I was doing.”

  “Mia is a good kid,” Cody said. “I just wish Addy would have told us that Jesse fathered her before she was nineteen years old. I’ve had a niece all these years and didn’t even know it.”

  “But she and Addy have lived here on the ranch for years.” Stevie frowned. “How did you not know? She’s even tall like Jesse and has his dark hair. I’m glad she’s tall and close to my size because she sent flannel pajamas and other clothing for me to borrow while I’m here.”

  I bet you’re even cute in flannel pajamas. Cody wondered where that thought came from. He hadn’t blushed since he was a sophomore in high school, but he almost did right then. “Mama and Dad did figure it out, but they didn’t say anything. Addy did good raising her as a single mother,” Cody said.

  “I got to admit, I was shocked when it came out that Jesse was Mia’s father. Addy sure kept that secret well for almost twenty years,” Stevie said, “but then I would have done the same thing if I’d been in her shoes. Has Mia settled down after that rebellious streak she had last summer?”

  “Yep, good as gold,” Cody said. “She realizes she dodged a bullet by leaving that worthless Ricky kid in Las Vegas and coming home where she belonged. She’s a wonderful big sister to the twins Addy and Jesse adopted, and she’s taking online courses at home to finish up her education, plus she’s a fine hand on the ranch.”

  “I agree on Ricky being worthless. I heard that he’s got a baby in Honey Grove and one in Bonham, and he’s only about twenty. Sometimes, the DNA will surface. His daddy was a bad boy, and his mother was wild,” Stevie said.

  Oh, yeah! Cody thought about his biological parents, who’d been addicted to painkillers to the extent they could no longer take care of him. Cody was aware of all the pitfalls he may have inherited, but was also thankful he’d grown up in such a loving and nurturing environment, never tempted by bad habits.

  “I’m glad Mia got away from Ricky. Whatever happened to open her eyes was worth it. Sometimes it takes a shake-up to realize what you’ve got right in front of your nose. I’m talking about all this.” Stevie waved a hand around to take in the whole bunkhouse. “I didn’t even have to ask, and your family came to our rescue like true friends. Addy sent shampoo, conditioner, and sweet-smelling bath salts, and Pearl changed the bedsheets,” Stevie said. “I shouldn’t be cranky, but I am.”

  “We are all your friends.” Cody laid a hand on her shoulder. “Finish eating, go take a bath, and sleep off the crankiness. Everything will be just fine, and we’ll get you back in your own home as soon as we can.”

  “As cold as it is right now, that might be spring,” Stevie grumbled, “but thank you for trying to make me feel better.”

  “Anytime, Miz Stevie”—he grinned—“and since you set the table and got everything ready, I’ll take care of the cleanup.”

  * * *

  “That’s so sweet.” Stevie was surprised that she had gotten all misty eyed. She tried to convince herself that it was relief at being rescued, but down deep she knew that she would miss the time she’d spent with Cody in the tack room. “I don’t deserve it, but it’s nice to have friends.”

  “Why wouldn’t you deserve friends?” Cody asked.

  Seeing what she took as a look of confusion on Cody’s face, Stevie said, “I have been downright mean to you ever since you came home, and here your family is being nice to me.”

  “Everybody needs a helping hand sometime,” Cody said. “Now finish up your breakfast and go run a hot bath.”

  She cut her eyes around at him. “I don’t take well to bossing.”

  “No bossing intended. I’m being selfish, actually. I want to take a shower and to sink down into one of those bunk beds over there, and you are holding me back by either arguing or being too grateful for little favors,” he said. “I’m not sure which it is.”

  “You’ve always been blunt.” Stevie finished the last bite on her plate and picked up her empty mug. “I shouldn’t expect you to change now, should I?”

  “I’m too old a dog to start changing, but, darlin’”—he dragged the endearment out—“you are the pot calling the kettle black, when it comes to bluntness.”

  Stevie refilled her mug and topped Cody’s off, then put the pot back on the warmer. “You don’t change a zebra’s stripes.”

  She carried her mug to the bedroom, stopped inside the door, and turned around. “Do you need to come in here and get clean clothing or anything from the bathroom?”

  “Yep, I do.” He pushed his chair back, popped the last bite of a biscuit filled with strawberry jelly into his mouth, and crossed the room in a few long strides. It only took him a few minutes to gather up whatever he needed. “Have a good nap,” he said as he eased the door shut behind him.

  Stevie took stock of the bedroom and adjoining bathroom. Back in the day when the bunkhouse was full, this would have been the foreman’s quarters, but both had been remodeled in recent years. She figured the closet had been built in since the original foreman stayed in this room, and most likely, the first foreman didn’t have a king-sized bed with a memory-foam mattress. The bathroom offered a nice claw-foot tub with a shower, a vanity with a mirrored medicine cabinet above it, and a toilet. Nothing fancy, but that tub looked like it had been dropped out of heaven to Stevie.

  She adjusted the water in the bathtub and poured in some of Addy’s bath salts, then dropped her clothing in a pile on the floor. Before the tub was half-full, she sunk down into the water and closed her eyes at the wonderful sensation of warmth surrounding her body. She leaned her head against the end of the tub and had almost dozed off when she came awake with a jerk and quickly turned off the faucet.

  “I would have felt terrible if I had run this tub over,” she muttered as she dunked her head under the water and then worked shampoo into her wet hair, rinsed, and used a coconut-scented conditioner. After that she just leaned against the sloped back of the tub and didn’t waste a single bit of the warmth.

  Once the water went lukewarm, she stood up and wrapped a wonderfully thick and fluffy towel around her head, and another one around her body. Towel-drying her curly, shoulder-length hair, she noticed a hair dryer on the vanity, and a broad smile broke out across her face.

  “So, cowboys do dry their hair,” she said to her reflection in the mirror. “Why does that surprise me. They are proud of their hair, and as women, we wouldn’t want to go out with a guy with nasty hair.”

  You take time to make yourself presentable too, her mother’s voice in her head reminded her.

  “Whose side are you on?” she asked as she used the dryer.

  Her mother didn’t have anything else to say, so Stevie fumbled around in the suitcase at the end of the bed and brought out a pair of underpants
and pajamas. The flannel brought back memories of long nightgowns in the same fabric that her mother always bought special for her at Christmas. Little girls, according to her, should wear a granny gown when they opened their presents from under the tree.

  “Little girls?” Stevie smiled at the memory. “I was thirty years old when you bought me my last flannel gown. I still have it, Mama, even though I only wore it the one time for a picture beside the tree.”

  Stevie crawled in between sheets that smelled like she imagined heaven would—all fresh and sweet like her mother’s did right out of the dryer. Cody said that good memories would help her find closure. Maybe he was right. She snuggled down into the pillow and closed her eyes.

  In seconds, she was asleep and dreaming of that day all those years ago when Cody Ryan told her that he had to follow his dreams and help other people. Only instead of turning away with tears in her eyes, in the dream she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a hot, steamy kiss on his lips.

  Chapter Seven

  In a work of literature, the villain defines the heroine.

  Stevie had learned that in her English Comp class—which she hated. That idea came back to her as she unbuttoned the shirt of her flannel pajamas and then took off the bottoms. She tossed both pieces on the end of the bed and got dressed in borrowed jeans and a sweatshirt with a picture of Luke Bryan on the front. Evidently, Mia liked country music too.

  If Stevie were writing a book with herself as the heroine, then who was the villain, and who was the hero? she wondered. She sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled on a pair of clean socks, another thing she would never take for granted again.

  Is Cody Ryan the villain in my story? she asked herself and nodded while she stomped her feet down into her cowboy boots. “Maybe not is, but was,” she whispered.

  Can a villain also be a hero? she asked herself as she braided her hair and let it hang over one shoulder.