The Lockwood Legacy - Books 1-6: Plus Bonus Short Stories

by Juliette Harper

“Guilty conscience,” Kate said. “She wanted my opinion about the whole thing.”

  “And what did you tell her?” Jenny asked. “As if I don’t know already.”

  Kate laughed. “I told her to call me after she’s talked to Baxter,” she said. “From what I can tell, he sounds like an old hippy living out there growing organic vegetables and living on solar power.”

  “If he’s Mama’s age,” Jenny said, “he’s what, about 66?”

  “Thereabouts,” Kate said. “Plenty young enough to be a part of Mandy’s life, and her baby’s life.”

  “How do you feel about that?” Jenny asked curiously.

  Blowing out a long sigh, she said, “I think it would be real nice if one of us got to have a good relationship with a father figure,” she said. “If Phillip Baxter is the real deal and wants to be a part of Mandy’s life, it just might be a good thing. What do you think Josh will have to say about it?”

  “He’s curious to meet his uncle,” Jenny said. “Josh’s folks were killed when he was young and his great uncle raised him. All he ever heard about Phillip was that he came back from Vietnam ‘different.’”

  “Didn’t all the boys who went over there come back different?” Kate asked. “Was it just the two of them, Phillip and Josh’s father?”

  “James,” Jenny said. “Josh’s father was named James. There’s a third brother, Edward, but no one knows what became of him. He was a real renegade. Left home before he was 20 and no one has ever heard of him again.”

  “Great,” Kate said, “just what we need. More stray family members in the game.”

  “Well,” Jenny said, “that one is a Baxter stray. Josh inherited the Baxter land free and clear. And if Phillip really is some latter-day hippie, he’s not going to want to get involved in a land squabble.”

  “I’m not thinking about Baxter land,” Kate said. “I’m thinking about the Rocking L. If Elizabeth is right, a lot of this place may not belong to us.”

  Jenny held up her hands. “Stop!” she said. “That’s a worry for another day. I think we have more than enough on our plates right now without stewing over whether the Baxters are going to come out of the woodwork trying to take the Rocking L away from us.”

  Kate got up and moved to the counter to refill her coffee cup. “As far as I can tell, honey,” she said, “with our family history? A little preemptive worry is never out of line.”

  83

  When Jolene emailed Phillip Baxter from the Chisos Mountains Lodge at Big Bend National Park, she expected to have to wait for a response. Before she could even get up from her chair, however, a reply popped up in her Gmail account.

  “Hi,” the message read. “I did know a woman named Irene in the hospital in Austin. What is this about, please?” It was signed simply, “Phil.”

  Jolene chewed on the inside of her lip and pondered how to word her next message. “I’m her youngest daughter’s best friend,” she typed. “Mandy was born in August 1986. We have reason to believe that you are her father. She doesn’t know I’m contacting you and she has no desire to disrupt your life.”

  This time Jolene waited for the response. “I didn’t know,” the message said simply. “Did Irene tell her?”

  Oh, God. He doesn’t know about Irene. Jolene started typing again. “I’m so sorry to tell you that Irene died in 1992,” she wrote. “The man who raised Mandy was very difficult. I don’t want her to be hurt again.”

  The reply was instant and emphatic, “I would never do anything to hurt that sweet child,” Phillip wrote. “You’re a good friend to be looking out for her. Would you like for us to meet so you can check me out?”

  “Yes,” Jolene answered. “Where and when?”

  “Maiya’s in Marfa tomorrow at noon,” he said. “I’ll wear a Grateful Dead t-shirt so you’ll know me.”

  Of course, you will, Jolene thought. “I’ll be there,” she wrote back. Now she just had to convince Rick not to have a fit about her plan.

  Although he knew better than to try and stop her, Rick wasn’t thrilled with the idea of her meeting Phillip Baxter alone.

  “Would you just simmer down,” Jolene said. “It’s a public place. You’ve already promised the girls you’re taking them river rafting tomorrow. I’ll be fine.”

  “How do you know he’s not some crazy old hermit?” Rick demanded.

  “You are the one who said he looked perfectly harmless when I showed you his website,” Jolene countered.

  “Well, that was before you told me you wanted to go meet him by yourself,” Rick grumbled.

  “Look,” she said. “The guy may well be a crazy old hermit, but crazy doesn’t mean dangerous. I’ll be careful. Quit your fussing.”

  The next day, as soon as she saw Phillip Baxter walk into the cafe, any apprehensions Jolene might have had vanished. He was a slightly built man, but wiry and strong, with lively blue eyes and a kind, soft smile.

  “Hi,” she said, holding out her hand. “You must be Phil.”

  “Jolene?” he asked, shaking her hand firmly. “Wow. Your hair is really pretty. Sorry, but I just love redheads.”

  From any other man it might have sounded odd or even creepy, but there was a boyish innocence about Phillip Baxter that immediately reminded Jolene of Mandy.

  “Thank you,” she said. “My twin daughters aren’t so sure they’re happy about inheriting this red hair though.”

  “Oh, wow!” he said. “You have twins? What are their names?”

  “Savannah and Madison,” she said, “but we call them Sissy and Missy."

  “Aw,” Phil said, sitting down at the table with her. “That’s cute.”

  The waitress appeared and Phil said, “Hi, Mona. Can I get the usual?”

  “Sure thing, Phil,” she grinned. “Every vegetable in the kitchen coming up.”

  When she walked away, Phil shrugged sheepishly. “They know I don’t eat meat,” he explained, “so they just throw a bunch of stuff on a plate for me.” He paused and then said, “My . . . my girl is named Mandy?”

  Jolene thumbed through the photos on her smartphone and handed it to Phil. An image of Mandy at her wedding filled the screen. A look of indescribable wonder passed over his features as he looked up. “She’s married?”

  “Just a couple of months ago,” Jolene said. “To Joe Bob Mason, the town mayor.”

  “Is he sweet to her?” Phil asked earnestly.

  “Sweet as pie,” Jolene said, watching his face as he went back to studying the image.

  “She’s so pretty,” he whispered. “I can see Irene in her and . . . well, she looks like my Mama.” Tears filled his eyes. “Was Irene’s husband mean to her like he was to the other girls?”

  “No,” Jolene said. “I can’t say Langston was loving with Mandy, but he didn’t talk to her the way he did to Kate and Jenny.”

  Relief washed over his features. “I’m so glad,” Phil said. “Irene so wanted to get her girls away from that man. I . . . I wanted to help her, but I had my own family and I came back so messed up from Nam. I wanted to try to make it right for my kids. I never knew about her.”

  “She knows that,” Jolene said.

  “How?” he asked.

  After the waitress delivered their plates, Jolene explained how Mandy learned about her parentage. As the story unfolded, Phil sat back, plainly shocked.

  “Irene was married to a Lockwood?” he said. “I had no idea. We didn’t use last names at the hospital. I just knew that her husband was a cruel man. She never told me his name.”

  “That may be true,” Jolene said. “But somehow or another, she found out your last name. In fact, she used your family’s connection to the Rocking L to get the better of Langston. She forced him to adopt Mandy and to leave the ranch equally to all three girls.”

  Phil considered this information for a minute. “She said she didn’t want her husband to touch what we had,” he said, “but I did talk to her about my family. She must have decided it was better not to tell m
e who her husband was because of that.”

  “I would imagine so,” Jolene agreed. “Langston had a reputation for ruining people. She must have been protecting you.”

  Keeping his eyes cast down, Phil said, “That would be like her. Irene was an amazingly strong woman.” He fell silent, playing with the pile of carrots on his plate. “This is all so surreal, Mrs. Wilson . . . ”

  “Jolene,” she said.

  He smiled. “Jolene,” he repeated. “Just like that song by Dolly Parton.”

  Jolene laughed. “I certainly hope Mama didn’t name me after some husband-stealing hussy.”

  “Well,” he said reasonably, “that Jolene had red hair, too.”

  They both laughed. “You remind me of your daughter,” Jolene said seriously. “A lot.”

  “I do?” he said, his face brightening. “Does she say stuff sometimes before she thinks, too?”

  “All the time,” Jolene said. “It’s one of the things we all love about her.”

  “So she’s loved?” Phil asked. “That’s so important. To have people who love you. She’s close with her sisters?”

  “She’s very loved,” Jolene said seriously, “and she’s very loving. You couldn’t pry those Lockwood sisters apart with a crowbar, and trust me, Langston tried.”

  “Why would he do that?” Phil asked.

  “He wanted the Rocking L to go to the State of Texas,” she said, “so he drew up a will that requires the girls to live on the ranch for the rest of their lives to keep it. He didn’t think they’d do it, but they fooled him; they’re making a good life out there.”

  “Good for them,” Phil said. “I haven’t been there in years, but that’s mighty pretty country.”

  Jolene took a sip of her tea and then said, “Look, Mandy is the one who started trying to find you, I’m just being a mother hen doing this behind her back. She wants to know you, and you’re clearly a nice guy, so how do you feel about getting together with her?”

  Equal amounts of joy and fear played across his tanned face. “I . . . I’m not always good with people,” he said nervously. “I moved out here because it’s quiet and I don’t have as many ways to make mistakes. I don’t want to make a mistake with her. She’s . . . she’s my baby.”

  “What about your other kids?” Jolene asked gently.

  “I haven’t seen them in years,” he said sadly. “My wife left me. I don’t blame her,” he added hastily, “but she convinced the judge that I’m crazy. I’m not.”

  Without even thinking, Jolene put her hand over his on the table. “I don’t think you’re crazy, Phil,” she said sincerely.

  He looked up surprised. “You don’t?” he asked.

  “I don’t,” she said.

  “It’s just that sometimes the world gets so . . . loud,” he said, fumbling to find the words to express himself. “Do you understand what I mean?”

  Jolene nodded. “I think I do,” she said. “I survived a cancer scare a year or so ago. There were days when I just needed to be by myself because it seemed like the treatments had rubbed all my nerve endings raw with sandpaper.”

  “Yes,” Phil said. “Yes. It’s like that. And, well, I want so much to meet Mandy, but . . . but what if I do something wrong and she doesn’t like me? I don’t want her to think I really am some crazy man. I think it would break my heart if Irene’s child thought that about me.”

  “She’s your child, too,” Jolene said. “And Mandy is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known in my life. She’s like a ray of sunshine.”

  “My child,” he repeated the words almost reverently, shaking his head. “My child with Irene. I just almost can’t believe it’s true.”

  “Well,” she said, “it is true. So what do we do about it?”

  Phil thought for a minute and then he said, “Hey! Why don’t you bring your husband and your kids out to my place? That way you can see how I live and you can really tell Mandy about me. You can take pictures or video or anything you like. Then when you show it all to her, if she wants to meet me, we can work something out.” He hesitated, “You’ll help us, right?”

  Jolene smiled. “Of course I’ll help,” she said. “And we’d love to come out and see your place. Your blog is really interesting. My husband, Rick, loves to know how things work. He’ll be fascinated with all your solar stuff.”

  Mentioning his off-the-grid lifestyle was like dropping a quarter into Phillip Baxter. He spent the next hour animatedly telling Jolene how he came to live in the isolated desert, describing in detail building his first home from adobe, and all the mistakes he made in the beginning.

  “It’s a wonder they didn’t find me out there all dried up and desiccated,” he laughed. “That’s why I started the website, so some other old hippie wouldn’t run the risk of getting himself killed from being an idealist without a lick of common sense.”

  “You write really well,” Jolene said. “You should take all the entries on your website and turn them into a book. People could learn a lot from you.”

  Phil ducked his head and smiled. “I’ve thought about doing that,” he admitted. “I always had a hankering to write, but when I got back from the war, I took a job as a car salesman to support my family. It was just awful work. I’m a terrible salesman. I’d just as soon have given all those people the cars than to have asked them for money. I think a lot of the evils of the world have to do with money.”

  “I suspect you’re right,” Jolene said. Then she caught sight of the clock behind the counter. “Oh my gosh,” she said. “I have to get back or Rick is gonna have my hide.”

  She started to reach in her purse to pay the check, but Phil stopped her. “Let me,” he said. “I don’t get to have lunch with a pretty lady very often . . . or really ever,” he added with a laugh.

  “Thank you so much,” Jolene said as Phil walked her to her suburban. “We’re at the park for another day or so and then we’ll come see you on our way to Carlsbad Caverns. Will that work?”

  “Oh, sure,” he said happily. “I never go anywhere. Just email me and I’ll give you the directions and everything. If you come at lunchtime, I’ll feed everybody. If your girls like hot dogs, I’ll get some at the store before I go back.”

  “That won’t compromise your principles?” Jolene asked, grinning.

  “Oh, no,” he said seriously. “I want your kids to like me. It’s kinda practice so Mandy will like me.”

  “Trust me,” Jolene said, “Mandy is going to love you.”

  84

  Jenny pulled onto I-10 and pointed her SUV east toward San Antonio. She’d come up with all sorts of creative reasons for spending the day off the ranch, but it was Kate who skewered her with the truth that morning over their usual cup of coffee.

  “Can’t stand one more day of forced happy family relations with Cousin Jessica?” Kate asked, leaning against the doorframe of the studio.

  The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon and Jenny was stuffing her iPad into her over-sized bag. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said with mock innocence.

  “Liar,” Kate said, grinning.

  “Really, Katie?” she demanded. “So tell me why it’s absolutely vital for you to drive all the way to San Angelo today to buy . . . what is it again . . . saddle soap?”

  It was Kate’s turn to feign wounded shock. “Leddy’s has the brand I like.”

  “So does Amazon,” Jenny countered. “And UPS delivers to the front gate. But, no, you just have to drive 90 miles for a can of saddle soap. Because you’re having a, what, leather crisis?”

  Kate burst out laughing. “We both have to get off the ranch or Mandy is going to expect us to come to lunch . . . at the pool . . . again,” she said. “I can’t say no to Baby Sister and I can’t choke down one more delicate lady sandwich while listening to Jessica gush about . . . anything. The only solution is to run like hell.”

  “My thought exactly,” Jenny said, zipping her bag shut. “Besides, I really do
want to find some cute baby clothes and surprise Mandy. She loves that kind of stuff. And I also want to go down to the Riverwalk and take some pictures and do some sketches.”

  As they started out the door together, Kate said, “Lord, if she does have a girl, can you just imagine the frilly duds Mandy is gonna slap on the kid? I’m going to have to make sure this child gets on a horse as soon as possible.”

  “How old were you when Langston put you on a horse for the first time?” Jenny asked curiously.

  “According to Mama,” Kate said, “I was in the saddle before I could walk, which is exactly the way it should be.”

  “Mandy can sit a horse as well as either one of us,” Jenny pointed out.

  “Yes,” Kate agreed, “but neither one of us ever worried about getting dirty doing it. It is our solemn duty as aunts to ensure that our niece or nephew gets dirty — a lot.”

  Jenny grinned. “My God, are we gonna have fun corrupting this kid or what?”

  “It’s probably the ‘or what’ part that will scare Mandy half to death,” Kate said. “And it’s gonna be a blast.”

  Jenny climbed into her SUV and rolled the window down so they could finish their conversation. “Are you sure it’s alright for us both to be gone today?" she asked. "Did you talk to Miles about it?”

  “Yes,” Kate said, “it’s fine. McManus won’t be sneaking Jessica into the command trailer until the wee hours of the morning. We have plenty of time.”

  “Good,” Jenny said. “Because I do not want to miss that show.”

  “Me either,” Kate said. “It’s going to be quite illuminating.”

  “Alright,” Jenny said. “I have to get on the road. How long are you planning to be gone?”

  “Until supper if I can manage it,” Kate said. “Tell you what, I’ll take the long way back and swing through Brady and pick up some barbecue from that place we like. I’ll get enough for the four of us if you think Josh would like some.”

  “Josh? Turn down food?” Jenny asked. “That’s not gonna happen any time soon. Want to shoot for 6:30?”