by Tessa Gray
Rachel nodded, recalling that her boss had mentioned that several times during the training. Eager to get the girls served, she spoke. “Let’s start you both out with some coffee since I know that’s your drink of choice, at least this early in the day, it is.”
Kelsey nodded, and quickly spoke. “Jake told Nathan you want to start your own business. And for the record, I fully support you.”
“I wish my parents were as on board with this as you are, Kels.” She hesitated, before continuing. “Let’s get your order in, and we can talk later.”
She took the women’s orders and strode over to the kitchen. Stephanie smiled, giving her a thumbs up and spoke. “Sit with your friends for a few minutes. The morning rush is pretty much over. I can handle things from here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” Her boss smiled and began walking toward one of the tables.
Gathering the coffees and several packets of cream, Rachel made her way back over to where the girls sat. Meredith reached for the coffees, handing one to Kelsey. “See, I haven’t lost my touch. There’s a part of me who still wants to waitress.”
Kelsey leaned across the table. “Like I mentioned earlier, Jake called Nathan this morning. He told him about the amazing recipe you have for your meema’s chicken and dumplings. They must really be something.”
“I appreciate the compliment, Kelsey. You know, as they say, word of mouth is the best way to promote yourself.”
“That is absolutely the truth.” Meredith patted her hand and smiled.
The girls finished their meal, and as Rachel paced about the restaurant, waiting for more customers, a familiar figure walked through the door.
~ ~ ~
Jake had barely made his way inside when he spotted Rachel. He briefly considered leaving, having no idea she’d be here today. In his mind, things were still awkward between them. But as she walked toward him, he decided to stay and order something to eat.
“Party of one, sir?”
He laughed and nodded. “I had no idea you’d be working here today. Please don’t tell me you mentioned it last night, and it went right over my head. If you did, I apologize for not being a very good listener.”
Shaking her head, she laughed aloud as her eyes lit up. He missed that gentle lilt, the one people often referred to as infectious.
“I didn’t mention it at all, Jake, so you can quit beating yourself up. Let’s get you seated and get some coffee in you. How did things go at the bar last night?” Her concern pleased him, and he followed her to a booth in a back corner.
After he was seated, he answered her question. “To be honest, I’m beginning to wonder if I should sell the place. Maybe I’m getting too old to be working until two in the morning.”
She handed him a menu. As he looked it over, she spoke. “Maybe you should consider turning it into another venue. You could always get Wi-Fi and turn it into a student hangout. You could serve sandwiches and desserts. You’re not all that far from campus, and quite honestly, I suspect some of the students would enjoy being off-campus.”
“Like a coffeehouse?”
“Kind of.”
“Wouldn’t I be competing with you and your café?”
“Well, yes, I suppose you would.” She shrugged and nodded.
“Knowing you, you’d be doling out advice, asking me to add desserts to the menu, like your meema’s apple pies. Am I right?”
“Well, now that you mention it, that’s not a bad idea.”
As she stood there, ready to take his order, he noticed Kelsey and Meredith sitting at a table in the back. “I see Mere and Kelsey are sitting over there. Be sure and give them my best, will you?”
“I will absolutely do that.” Rachel gazed at him. “Are you ready to order?”
“I’ll have a cheeseburger and fries.”
“Anything to drink, besides coffee?”
He stared at her, a long, hard stare. Surely she remembered his drink of choice.
“Yes, Rachel, I’d like—”
“The only carbonated beverage worthy of a Texan.”
He nodded as she finished his sentence. “Yeah, that one.”
She jotted down his order and stood stiffly, as though wanting to ask him something.
“Give Kelsey and Meredith my best.”
“I will. If you ever need an extra hand at your bar, Jake, just say the word. I’d be happy to help. You wouldn’t have to pay me. I could work for free. Or, I could just keep the tips.” She stared down at the floor after she spoke.
Rachel was a proud woman. She wasn’t one to ask for help. Even when she needed it. The place she was renting was fairly inexpensive, but instinct told him she was struggling to make ends meet.
Common sense told him not to get involved in her problems. Despite his reservations, he tossed out a lifeline. “Next week Adam will be cutting back on his hours. I could actually use an extra hand.”
Her eyes twinkled, and she touched his shoulder. “I appreciate this so much, Jake. Thank you.” She let out a sigh, signaling that he’d probably been an answer to her prayers.
After she walked over to place his order, he struggled to come to terms with what he’d just done. Was having her hanging around the best decision? Probably not, but what’s done was done.
Chapter 12
Jake wandered over to the train station to enjoy the weather, the promise he’d made to Rachel about working at his bar weighing heavily on his mind. Brushing it off, he tried to focus on something else.
Flopping down on a bench, he watched as the two o’clock train began pulling out of the station.
The train was about fifty yards down the track when an elderly woman and two young boys came barreling toward him. The woman was screaming at the top of her lungs, and he chuckled as he watched the drama unfold.
“Oh, no. Boys, we just missed the last train to Marfa. I told you not to dawdle.” Despite the fact they’d already missed the train, the woman continued shooing them toward the station, as though situating themselves near the depot would mysteriously cause another train headed to Marfa to barrel down the tracks.
The woman hobbled slowly, her arms outstretched as she gathered the two children, corralling them like a herd of cattle. When the threesome plopped down on a bench outside the train station, he walked over to them.
When he got closer, he noted that the woman looked well into her seventies, far too old to be herding two rambunctious boys.
She sat quietly, flushed now, and the boys sat stiffly, hands clasped, as though recognizing the seriousness of the situation.
As she fanned herself, Jake tapped her on the shoulder and peered down at her. “Ma’am, are you all right?”
“Yes, of course. I’m perfectly fine.”
The younger boy spoke, his speech halted. “I’m sorry, Ms. Kathryn. I’m sorry we made you miss the train.” When the boy rubbed his eyes, the woman stretched out her arms and hugged him.
“It’s all right, Parker. We’ll figure out a way to get us all home.”
The older boy crossed his arms and frowned. “Why can’t we just stay here?”
“Because we don’t have enough money to pay for a hotel. Why it would cost half a month’s social security check to pay for it.” The old woman snorted after she spoke, and the elder boy shrugged.
She turned to face Jake. “You’d think since Caden’s the older one, he’d have more sense,” she harrumphed.
Jake grinned, thinking about how much grief he’d given the Wainwright’s as a kid. You had to give the older kid credit. At least he was trying to figure out a way to solve their immediate problem. As he studied his watch, Jake realized he had ample time to drive the threesome to Marfa.
“Ma’am, I should have introduced myself earlie
r. I’m Jake Crenshaw. I own a bar down the street. I don’t have to be at work until tonight. I’d be happy to drive you and the boys to Marfa.”
“I couldn’t let you go to all that trouble.” Her eyes softened, and as the flushed look on her face faded, he realized she probably could use a break. She might be too old to drive a car, so she might be relying on train schedules every time she went somewhere. Not a great way to live, really.
“It’s no trouble at all, and honestly, it’s such a beautiful day for a drive. I’m parked right across the street. I’ll just get my truck and you can meet me at Ivy’s Emporium.”
“Well . . .” She hesitated, and he wondered if she couldn’t bring herself to trust a total stranger.
“If you’d like, we can go inside one of the shops. People know me here and can vouch for me.” He hoped his offer put her mind at ease. When she smiled, he suspected it had.
“No, that’s okay. I’ve been around long enough to know a guy I can trust when I see him.” Her eyes twinkled and he felt pleased she accepted his offer. That was the thing about Alpine; people didn’t distrust you unless you gave them good reason to.
“Like I said, I’ll get my truck and be back in a minute. Ma’am, what did you say your name was?”
“Oh.” She laughed before continuing. “Actually, I don’t believe I property introduced myself. I’m Kathryn Bradshaw. I’m fostering these two boys, but they’re almost like my own now. Caden is ten; Parker just turned six. As you can tell, they’re a handful.” As she rolled her eyes, Jake laughed out loud.
“Yeah, I’ll bet they are at that.” He thought back to his own childhood, recalling how the townspeople always referred to him as scrappy. Although he’d made a conscious decision to forgo marriage and children, he often wondered what raising kids might have been like.
But he quickly shrugged off the unexpected twinge of regret and walked over to where his truck was parked.
~ ~ ~
Several hours later, Kathryn Bradshaw stared across the seat of Jake Crenshaw’s pickup truck, touched by his kindness and generosity. Not only had he taken her and the boys to a drive-through when the boys complained about being hungry, but he’d taken them to Fort Davis to see the military site for the first African American soldiers, stationed right here in Texas.
To her utter amazement, the boys had behaved perfectly. Maybe hanging out with someone so full of energy had a positive effect on them.
Parker was sitting in the back seat of Jake’s truck when he leaned forward and tapped Jake on the shoulder. “Do you have a wife?”
“Parker!”
“It’s okay, ma’am. He’s not the first one to ask me, and I don’t suspect he’ll be the last. No, I’m not married, Parker. Never have been.”
“How come?”
Kathryn moaned, wishing the boy wasn’t so nosy. “Parker, hush. He probably just never found the right person.”
“Well . . . that’s not entirely true. Actually—I did find the right person. Once. But it didn’t work out.”
Jake turned around and smiled at Parker before continuing the drive to Marfa. It seemed like when he’d mentioned things not working out, there was a sadness about him, like a man who had regrets but didn’t quite know what to do about it. Maybe he had the wanderlust. A lot of men couldn’t settle down, didn’t make good husbands. She thought of how this handsome cowboy had turned her depressing day into a good one and decided any woman would be lucky to have him.
He almost reminded her of Lyle. Her husband of forty years had been gone a long time now, but she’d done what he said no other woman could do-tamed him.
Curiosity got the best of her, and despite warning the boys about prying into Jake Crenshaw’s affairs, she pressed him for more information. “So, tell us about the one that got away.”
He turned to face her, his eyes widening. “Wow. I didn’t see that coming.”
Caden seized the opportunity to criticize an adult. “Ms. Kathryn, I thought we weren’t supposed to ask people personal questions.”
Jake glanced over the seat at the boy, a smirk sweeping across his face. Turning back around, he pointed to the upcoming intersection. “Do I turn left or right at the corner?”
“Left.” Kathryn began helping Jake navigate his way to her house.
He’d grown quiet now, and she regretted pressing him about his personal life. She had no right to do that, but deep down, she felt as though he was struggling with something. And that leg. What had happened to cause him to be hobbling about on crutches. She wouldn’t ask him, of course. But she was curious.
His pickup truck rolled to a stop and Jake climbed out. Before she could stop him, he slowly made his way over to her side and helped her out. She took his hand, impressed by what a gentleman he was. Then he helped both boys out and began walking them to the front door.
Her stomach pitched when she considered he might want to come inside. He’d surely notice the bedsheets hanging from the front windows, serving as curtains. She wanted to say ‘temporary curtains’ but never once during the four years she’d lived there had she managed to put aside enough money from her social security check to purchase curtains.
“The place is kind of a mess, Jake.”
He touched her shoulder, a look of tenderness on his face. “It’s fine, ma’am. I imagine these boys keep you far too busy to worry about housework. In my book, you’ve got your priorities straight.”
What a fine man he was. If she had a son, she’d want him to be exactly like Jake.
“Lyle, my late husband, God rest his soul, always intended to paint the inside. As you can see, he only got about half of it done when he took sick.”
Jake walked toward the center of the room and looked it over. He was quiet for several seconds, and she stood next to him, her head bowed.
“Ma’am, how about if you choose some colors you’d like for the inside of the house. I have a couple of buddies who would be willing to help paint the place. I’ll bet we could knock this off in no time.”
“Oh, my . . .”
“If you’ll give me the measurements for those windows, I can probably get my friend’s mom to make you some curtains.”
“Oh, my. I couldn’t let you do that.”
“I’ve had some people, along the way, reach out to me and help me. That’s what community is all about—people helping each other.”
He pulled his phone from a pocket and asked for her number. As he punched in the digits, she stared at this tall, broad-shouldered cowboy and wished there was something she could do to repay him.
~ ~ ~
Rachel gazed out the enormous bay window of Meredith’s house and sighed. “What a view. You and Adam must absolutely adore this place.”
“You’re right about that. We do.” Meredith pushed back several tendrils of her blonde hair and smiled, a look of utter contentment on her face. “Adam made sure I ended up with the dream kitchen I always wanted.”
“I think it’s safe to say you ended up with an amazing kitchen and a pretty awesome husband, as well.”
“Some people claim their spouse hangs the moon. Mine actually does.” Meredith exhaled after she said it and Rachel smiled.
“I can’t thank you enough for letting me cook here. The kitchen at the Antelope is so tiny that I was getting claustrophobic.”
Meredith walked over to the top oven. “What temp do you need for the pies?”
“Four hundred should do it.” Rachel peered at the array of copper kettles hanging on pegs, wishing she had a kitchen half this size.
As she arranged the pie pans, rolling pin, and other baking items across the counter, she made a promise to herself that she’d get together more often with Meredith and Kelsey. But as she thought of how busy both women were, raising young children, she wondered if th
at was plausible.
Taking a deep breath, she wondered whether she should tell Meredith that she’d accepted Jake’s offer, and that she’d be working at his bar. Eager to get Mere’s perspective, she broached the topic.
“Jake mentioned that Adam’s going to be cutting back on his hours at the bar. I’m probably going to be taking his place.” After she made the pronouncement, she poured the flour into the measuring cup and dumped it into the bowl.
When Meredith didn’t respond, she scolded herself for being so forthcoming.
Nearly a full minute passed before Meredith spoke. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I know that Jake acts as though the two of you are a thing of the past. Deep down I think he still has feelings for you.”
Several song birds chirped outside, and Rachel strode over to the window, watching them. Closing her eyes, she tried to process what her best friend was telling her.
Meredith joined her and both women stood side by side, not making eye contact. If there was ever a time to share what she felt deep inside her gut, it was now.
“Can I tell you something, Mere?”
“Anything.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching since the accident.”
“I have no doubt.” Meredith reached over and squeezed her shoulder.
“Breaking up with Jake was the worst decision I’ve ever made.” Rachel bowed her head, unable to continue.
Meredith folded her arms and looked directly at her. “It was never very clear to me why you broke things off with him.”
“I’ve felt restless for a very long time. I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong. Jake and I didn’t always have the best relationship, but looking back, he was only part of the problem. A very small part of the problem.”
