“Your rib?” she asked.
He nodded. “Are you going to lecture me?”
“I should,” she muttered. “But I won’t. You knew the risks.”
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “You’re right. I did.”
What really bothered her was that he’d known—and participated, anyway. He was fully aware that he could have been badly injured, or worse. And for what? She simply didn’t understand why a man would do anything so foolish when he had so much to lose.
“I’m ready to go home,” he said. “How about you?”
Jane nodded, but glanced longingly over her shoulder at the dance floor. Maybe next year.
The phone rang, shattering the night silence. Cal bolted upright and looked at the glowing digital numbers of the clock radio, then snatched the receiver from its cradle. It went without saying that anyone phoning at 3:23 a.m. was calling with bad news.
“Pattersons’,” he barked gruffly.
“Cal? It’s Stephanie.”
Jane’s mother. Something was very wrong; he could hear it in her voice. “What’s happened?”
“It’s…it’s Harry,” she stammered.
Jane awoke and leaned across the bed to turn on the bedside lamp. “Who is it?” she asked.
He raised one hand to defer her question. “Where are you?”
“At the hospital,” Stephanie said, and rattled off the name of a medical facility in Southern California. “Harry’s fallen—he got up the way he sometimes does in the middle of the night and…and he slipped.”
“Is he all right?”
“No,” his mother-in-law answered, her voice trembling. She took a moment to compose herself. “That’s why I’m calling. His hip’s broken and apparently it’s a very bad break. He’s sedated and scheduled for surgery first thing in the morning, but…but the doctors told me it’s going to take weeks before he’s back on his feet.”
“Cal?” Jane was watching him, frowning, her hair disheveled, her face marked by sleep.
“It’s your mother,” he said, placing his hand over the mouthpiece.
“Is this about my dad?”
Cal nodded.
“Let me talk to her,” Jane demanded, instantly alert.
“Stephanie, you’d better talk to Jane yourself,” he said, and handed his wife the phone.
Cal was pretty much able to follow the conversation from that point. With her medical background, Jane was the best person to talk to in circumstances like this. She asked a number of questions concerning medication and tests that had been done, explained the kind of orthopedic surgery her dad would undergo and reassured her mother. She spoke with such confidence that Cal felt his own sense of foreboding diminish. And then she hesitated.
“I’ll need to talk to Cal about that,” she told her mother, voice dropping as though he wasn’t supposed to hear.
“Talk to me about what?” he asked after she’d replaced the receiver.
Jane paused for a moment, then took a deep breath.
“Mom wants me and the kids to fly home.”
“For how long?” The question was purely selfish; still, he needed to know. Being separated would be a hardship on them all. He understood the situation and was willing to do whatever he could, but he didn’t like the thought of their being apart for any length of time.
“I don’t know. A couple of weeks, maybe longer.”
“Two weeks?” He hated the telltale irritation in his voice, but it was too late to take back his words.
Jane said nothing. Then, as though struck by some brilliant idea, she scrambled onto her knees and a slow smile spread across her face.
“Come with us,” she said urgently.
“To California? Now?” That was out of the question, but he hated to refuse his wife—especially after this business with the rodeo. “Honey, I can’t. Glen and I are getting ready for the bull sale this week. I’m sorry, but this just isn’t a good time for me to be away.”
“Glen could handle the sale.”
What she said was true, but the prospect of spending two weeks at his inlaws’ held little appeal. Cal got along with Jane’s mother and he liked her father well enough, but Harry had a few annoying mannerisms. The two of them tended to become embroiled in ridiculous arguments that served no real purpose and usually went nowhere. Cal suspected it was more a matter of their competing for Jane’s attention. Jane was Harry’s only daughter and he doted on her. Cal figured he’d be doing Harry a favor by staying away. Besides, what would he do with himself in a place like Los Angeles?
“Don’t be so quick to say no,” she pleaded. “We could make this a family vacation. We always talk about going somewhere and it just never happens.” She knew he found it difficult to leave the Lonesome Coyote Ranch for longer than a few days, but this was as good a time as any.
“A vacation? I don’t think so, not with your father laid up and your mother as worried as she is. Besides, Stephanie doesn’t want me there.”
“That’s not true.”
“It’s not me she needs, it’s you. Having the kids around will boost your father’s spirits, and your mother’s too. Whereas I’ll just be in the way.”
Jane’s disappointment was obvious. “You’re sure?”
He nodded. “You go. A visit with you and the kids will be the best thing for both your parents, and you’ll have time to connect with your friends, too. It’ll do everyone good.”
Still Jane showed reluctance. “You’re sure you don’t mind me being gone that long?”
“I’ll hate it,” he admitted, and reached for the lamp to turn off the light. Then he lay back down and drew his wife into his arms.
Jane released a deep sigh. “I’m going to hate it, too.”
Cal closed his eyes, already experiencing a sense of loss, and Jane and the children hadn’t even left yet.
The next morning was hectic. The minute she got up, Jane arranged the flight to California and threw clothes, toiletries, toys and baby supplies into several suitcases. No sooner had she finished than Cal piled them all into the car, and drove his family to San Antonio. Paul was excited about riding in an airplane, and even Mary Ann seemed to realize there was adventure ahead.
As always, San Antonio International Airport was bustling with activity, and after checking them in with the airline, Cal quickly ushered Jane and the kids to their gate, where the flight was already boarding.
Kneeling down to meet his son at eye level, Cal put both hands on Paul’s shoulders. “You be good for Mommy, understand?”
His three-year-old nodded solemnly, then tossed his small arms around Cal’s neck, hugging him fiercely.
“I’m counting on you to be as much help to your grandma and grandpa as you can,” Cal added. He felt a wrenching in his stomach. This would be the first time he’d been apart from his children.
“I will,” Paul promised.
Cal noted that his son’s “blankey” was tucked inside his backpack, but said nothing. The blanket was badly worn. It’d been a gift from Jane’s friend Annie Porter, and a point of contention between him and Jane. Cal didn’t like the idea of the boy dragging it around, and Jane felt that Paul would give it up when he was ready.
Cal stood and scooped Mary Ann into his arms. His daughter squirmed, eager to break free and explore this wonderful new place. It was probably a good thing they didn’t have a lot of time for farewells, he reflected unhappily.
“I’ll phone often,” Jane said after he kissed her.
“Do.” Saying goodbye to his family was even more difficult than Cal had anticipated.
The four of them moved toward the jetway, slowed down by the children’s pace and Jane’s carry-on luggage.
“I’m going to miss you,” he murmured as they reached the airline representative who collected the boarding passes.
“Two weeks will go quickly.”
“Right,” Cal agreed, but at the moment those weeks loomed before him in all their emptiness.
&nbs
p; Juggling two bags and clutching both children, Jane disappeared into the jetway. Had it been anyone else, Cal would have left then, his duty completed, but he stood at the window and waited until the plane had taxied toward the runway. The feeling of emptiness stayed with him, growing. Deep in his gut, he recognized that he’d let his wife down. He should have gone with her; it was what she’d wanted, what she’d asked of him, but he’d refused. He shook his head miserably. This wasn’t the first time he’d disappointed Jane.
As he turned toward the parking garage, Cal couldn’t shake his reaction to seeing his wife leave. He didn’t want to go to California, and yet he regretted not being on that plane with his family.
“You heard about Jane, didn’t you?” Dovie Hennessey asked her husband. Frank had just come home from the golf course, where he’d played eighteen holes with Phil Patterson, Cal’s father.
Frank, who’d retired three years earlier from his position as sheriff, nodded and made straight for the refrigerator. “According to Phil, Cal drove Jane and the kids to the airport yesterday morning.”
“I give him a week.”
Frank turned around, a pitcher of iced tea in his hand. “A week before what?”
“Before Cal heads into town.”
“Why?”
Exasperated, Dovie rolled her eyes. “Company. He’s going to rattle around that house like a lost soul.”
“Cal? No way!” Frank argued, pouring himself a tall glass of tea. “You seem to forget he was a confirmed bachelor before he met Jane. I was as surprised as anyone when he decided to marry her. Don’t get me wrong. I think it was the smartest thing he ever did….”
“But?” Dovie said.
“Cal isn’t any stranger to living alone,” Frank continued, sitting down at the kitchen table with his tea and the newspaper. “He did it for years. Now, I know he loves Jane and the kids, but my guess is he’s looking forward to two weeks of peace and quiet.”
Dovie couldn’t help herself. Peace and quiet? Frank made it sound as though Cal would welcome a vacation from his own family. She planted her hands on her hips and glared at her husband. “Frank Hennessey, what a rotten thing to say.”
He glanced up from his paper, a puzzled expression on his face. “What was so terrible about that?”
“Jane and the children are not a nuisance in Cal’s life,” she said in a firm voice. “Don’t you realize that?”
“Now, Dovie—”
“Furthermore, you seem to imply that he’s going to enjoy having them gone.”
“I said no such thing,” Frank insisted. “Cal’s going to miss Jane…of course he is. The children, too. What I was trying to say is that spending a couple of weeks without his wife might not be all that bad.” Flustered and avoiding her gaze, Frank rubbed his face. “That didn’t come out right, either.”
Dovie suppressed a smile. They’d been married long enough for her to know what he meant, but she liked giving him a hard time once in a while—partly because he made it so easy. He’d remained a bachelor for the first sixty years of his life. Like Cal, he’d grown accustomed to his own company. He and Dovie had been involved for more than ten years, but Frank had resisted marriage until Pastor Wade McMillen had offered a viable solution. They became husband and wife but kept their own residences. In the beginning, that had worked beautifully, but as time passed, Frank ended up spending more and more nights with her, until it seemed wasteful to maintain two homes. Since he’d retired, Dovie, who owned an antique store, had reduced her hours, as well. They were traveling frequently now, and with Frank taking a role in local politics and becoming active in the senior citizens’ center, why, there just weren’t enough hours in a day.
Patting her husband’s arm as she passed, Dovie said, “I thought I’d make Cal one of my chicken pot pies and we could take it out to him later this week.”
Frank nodded, apparently eager to move away from the subject. “Good idea.” Reaching for his paper, he claimed the recliner and stretched out his legs. Almost immediately, Buttons, the small black poodle they’d recently acquired, leaped into Frank’s lap and circled a couple of times before settling into a comfortable position.
“Nap time?” Dovie asked with a grin.
“Golf tires me out,” Frank said.
“You promised to drive me to the grocery store,” she reminded him, although she was perfectly capable of making the trip on her own. It was the small things they did together that she enjoyed most. The small domestic chores that were part of any marriage.
“In a while,” Frank said sleepily, lowering the newspaper to the floor.
True to his word, an hour later Frank sought her out, apparently ready to tackle a trip to the supermarket. Once they arrived, he found a convenient parking spot, mentioned her offer to make a meal for Cal and grabbed a cart. Dovie marched toward the produce aisle, with Frank close behind.
“Do you have any idea what Cal would enjoy with the pot pie?” she asked.
“I know what I’d enjoy,” Frank teased, and playfully swatted her backside.
“Frank Hennessey,” Dovie protested, but not too loudly; that would only encourage him. She didn’t really mind, though. Frank was openly affectionate, unlike her first husband. Marvin had loved her, she never doubted that, but had displayed his feelings in less obvious ways.
“Who’s that?” Frank asked, his attention on a tall brunette who stood by the oranges, examining them closely.
It took Dovie a moment to remember. “Why, that’s Nicole Nelson.”
“Nicole Nelson,” Frank repeated slowly, as though testing the name. “She’s from Promise?”
“She lived here a few years back,” Dovie said, taking a plastic bag and choosing the freshest-looking bunch of celery.
“How do I know her?” Frank asked, speaking into her ear.
Which told Dovie that Nicole had never crossed the law. Frank had perfect recall of everyone he’d encountered in his work as sheriff.
“She was a teller at the bank.”
“When?”
“Oh, my.” Dovie had to think about that one. “A number of years ago now…nine, maybe ten. She was roommates with Jennifer Healy.”
“Healy. Healy. Why is that name familiar?”
Dovie whirled around, sighing loudly. “Frank, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten Jennifer Healy!”
He stared back at her, his expression blank.
“She’s the one who dumped Cal two days before their wedding. It nearly destroyed the poor boy. I still remember how upset Mary was having to call everyone and tell them the wedding had been canceled.” She shook her head. “Nicole was supposed to be her maid of honor.”
Frank’s gaze followed the other woman as she pushed her cart toward the vegetables. “When Jennifer left town, did Nicole go with her?”
Dovie didn’t know, but it seemed to her the two girls had moved around the same time.
“Cal was pretty broken up when Jennifer dumped him,” Frank said. “Good thing she left Promise. Wonder why this one came back…”
“Mary was worried sick about Cal,” Dovie murmured, missing her dearest friend more than ever. Cal’s mother had died almost three years ago, and not a day passed that Dovie didn’t think of her in one way or another.
“I know it was painful at the time, but Jennifer’s leaving was probably a lucky break.”
Dovie agreed with him. “I’m sure Jane thinks so, too.”
Frank generally didn’t pay much attention to other women. His noticing Nicole was unusual enough, but it was the intensity of his focus that perturbed her.
She studied Nicole. Dovie had to admit that the years had been good to Jennifer’s friend. Nicole had been lovely before, but immature. Time had seasoned her beauty and given her an air of casual sophistication. Even the way she dressed had changed. Her hair, too.
“She’s a real looker,” Frank commented.
Dovie saw that her husband wasn’t the only man with his eye on this woman; half the men in the s
tore noticed her—and Nicole was well aware of it.
“I’ll admit she looks attractive,” Dovie said with a certain reluctance.
Frank turned back to her. She didn’t realize right away that he was frowning. “What is it?” she asked.
“What she looks like to me,” he said, ushering her down the aisle, “is trouble.“
Chapter Two
Cal had lived in this ranch house his entire life, and the place had never seemed as big or as empty as it did now. Jane hadn’t been gone a week and already the silence was driving him to wander aimlessly from room to room. Exhausted from a day that had started before dawn, he’d come home and once again experienced a sharp pang of loneliness.
Normally when Cal got back to the house, Paul rushed outside to greet him. The little boy always launched himself off the porch steps into his father’s waiting arms as if he’d waited for this moment the entire day. Later, after Cal had showered and Jane dealt with getting dinner on the table, he spent time with his daughter. As young as Mary Ann was, she already had a dynamic personality and persuasive powers to match. Cal knew she was going to be a beauty when she grew up—and he’d be warding off boys. Mary Ann was like her mother in her loveliness, energy…and her stubborn nature.
Cal’s life had changed forever the day he married Jane. Marriage was more than the smartest move of his life; it was the most comfortable. Being temporarily on his own made him appreciate what he had. He’d gotten used to a great many things, most of which he hadn’t stopped to consider for a long time: shared passion, the gentle companionship of the woman he loved, a family that gave him a sense of purpose and belonging. In addition, Jane ran their household with efficiency and competence, and he’d grown used to the work she did for her family—meals, laundry, cleaning. He sighed. To say he missed Jane and the kids was an understatement.
He showered, changed clothes and dragged himself into the kitchen. His lunch had been skimpy and his stomach felt hollow, but he wasn’t in the mood to cook. Had there been time before she left, Jane would have filled the freezer with precooked dinners he could pop into the microwave. When they heard he was a temporary bachelor, Frank and Dovie had dropped off a meal, but that was long gone. The cupboards were full, the refrigerator, too, but nothing seemed easy or appealing. Because he didn’t want to bother with anything more complicated, he reached for a bag of microwave popcorn. That would take the edge off his hunger, he decided. Maybe later he’d feel like putting together a proper meal.
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