“For real?” Zaylie’s sudden intake of breath said that she couldn’t believe her ears. “Aunt Claire, can we do that?”
“If Gussie don’t mind, I sure don’t.” Claire hung her jacket and Zaylie’s on a hook beside the coveralls that Levi had removed. “Is this the right place to put these?”
“That’s just fine. And it’ll be great to have some girl company while we’re snowed in,” Retta answered.
Zaylie danced around the table. “I get to have a pet,” she sing-songed and then stopped to hug the dog again. “Can Beau come in our new house too?”
Levi pulled out a chair for Claire and then one for Zaylie. “Gussie loves Beau, and yes, he can go inside the bunkhouse.”
“It’s like Christmas and my birthday,” she said.
“Your birthday is Christmas.” Claire laughed.
“For real? You were born on Christmas Day?” Retta asked.
“Yep. Daddy says it’s double special ’cause me and Jesus gots the same birthday,” Zaylie said.
“I agree with him,” Retta told her.
Justin sat down in one of the remaining chairs and picked up a mug of coffee. “As soon as I finish this, I’ll take the tractor out to the barn. Cade might need some help herdin’ them cats.”
“I’ll go with you,” Levi said.
Retta slapped a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think so. You haven’t had breakfast yet. If two big old strappin’ Maguire men can’t catch a cat and three kittens, then I’ve misjudged them. And besides, Mavis is worried about you, so you are going to call her as soon as you get through eating.”
“Who’s Mavis?” Zaylie asked.
“That’s my mother,” Levi answered.
“Can I see her sometime?” Zaylie asked.
“Of course you can,” Levi said. “Now let’s dig into this good food. I’m starving.”
“Me too,” Zaylie chimed in.
“Good, because I made a lot of food,” Retta said. “Now, Miz Zaylie, would you like chocolate or white milk?”
“White, please. We didn’t have milk at the cabin. But Levi cooked us some homey cakes and they was good.” Zaylie held her plate out toward Claire. “Biscuits and gravy and then I’ll have some of them cimamum rolls.”
Retta glanced over at Levi. “Homey cakes?”
“Cornbread hoecakes,” he explained.
Retta set a glass of milk beside Zaylie’s plate, and then she took a place across the table from her. Claire kept a close watch on everyone. Justin was staring at the Band-Aid on her forehead. Was he waiting for her to explain how it got there? Retta couldn’t wipe the smile off her face or blink as she watched Zaylie.
“There’s enough food here for an army,” Claire said as she covered a biscuit with gravy for Zaylie.
“Air Force,” Zaylie corrected her with a frown. “I will say the prayer?”
Levi grinned and bowed his head. Claire did the same. You never knew what would come out of Zaylie’s mouth when she said the prayer, but it always came straight from her heart.
Her little head dropped to her chest, and she shut her eyes. “Thank you, Jesus, for everything but ’specially for this milk. Amen.”
Retta stifled a giggle, and she winked at Claire. “She gets right to the point, doesn’t she?”
“Oh yeah,” Claire said. “Always has.”
“When y’all get done with breakfast, Levi can go on out and help with the chores, and I’ll take you down to the girls’ bunkhouse. There’s a huge bathtub in there, and I bet you’d both love a long, hot bath,” Retta said.
“That sounds heavenly,” Claire said. “We were grateful that the cabin was there, and we had hot water in the kitchen, but I didn’t want to take a shower or let Zaylie have one and then get out in the cold. But if I can use the house phone, surely a tow truck or someone can come and get me and Zaylie. We can go to a hotel and call for someone from Randlett to come get us.”
“Nonsense,” Retta said. “It’s no trouble at all to have you here, and we’ve got plenty of room.”
“I want to stay here and play with the kitties and pet Beau,” Zaylie chimed in. “Don’t make me go to a hotel, Aunt Claire.” Tears ran down her cheeks. “Please don’t make me go to a hotel. What if they don’t even have matches and we freeze.”
Claire wiped Zaylie’s cheeks with her napkin. It was rare to see her niece so distraught, and this spoke to just how frightened she must have been after their accident. “Okay, okay, but only for a day or two until the snow melts and our preacher can drive down here and get us.”
“Thank you, Aunt Claire.” Zaylie sniffled. “Did I ruin my makeup?”
Retta giggled, and both cowboys chuckled.
“What?” Zaylie sighed loudly. “That’s what Aunt Claire says when she cries. She almost ruined her makeup when we got so cold before Levi rescued us.”
“She couldn’t find the matches,” Levi explained as he passed the food.
“Oh my!” Retta gasped. “It’s a wonder you didn’t freeze. They should be kept on the mantel from now on, Levi.”
“Already taken care of.” He set about eating breakfast. “This is a whole lot better than what I stirred up yesterday morning.”
“Y’all are all welcome. Excuse me, please.” She hurriedly pushed her chair back and practically ran from the room.
When she returned she was slightly green around the mouth, and her eyes were watery. Bless her heart. She’d cooked breakfast when the smell of food gagged her. Now that was a good hostess. There was no way that Claire’s sister-in-law, Haley, would have cooked anything at all when she was pregnant. She barely came out of her bedroom that first three months. Claire had carried crackers and warm tea to her every morning just so she could get out of bed. Retta couldn’t be very far along. She wasn’t showing yet, and usually morning sickness was over after the first trimester.
Retta went to the cabinet and brought down a box of chamomile tea. “Would anyone like a cup of tea?”
“Not me.” Justin finished his coffee and pushed back his chair. “You okay, Retta?”
“I’m fine. Just a little stomach bug.” Retta smiled.
“Well, keep it to yourself. We don’t need it on Thanksgiving,” Justin teased. “I’m going to shove off now and get the tractor back to the barn. I’ve got to go hunt down a couple more cows, so if you’ll give me the keys to your van, I’ll bring the rest of your things to the bunkhouse, Miz Claire.”
“It’s not locked and thank you.” It would be great to have more than what she’d packed in the small suitcase. Good old organized Claire—that’s what her mother called her from the time she was a little girl. Well, by golly, no one fussed when she made her lists and things went like clockwork. She always packed big suitcases full of Zaylie’s clothing and toys and one small just-in-case suitcase for emergencies. It held a change of clothing, nightshirts, and toiletries in case they had to stop in a hotel.
“You’re welcome.” Justin nodded and disappeared out the back door.
“So your daddy’s in the Air Force?” Retta asked Zaylie. “I bet you miss him when he’s gone.”
Zaylie nodded. “I stay with Aunt Claire when Daddy is ployed or on a mission.”
“We live in Randlett, just over the line into Oklahoma.” Claire reached for a cinnamon roll. “These look delicious. Before my grandmother took sick, she used to make them often.”
“Aha! So you are an Okie!” Retta’s smile got bigger. “I’ll have an ally for a few days in this land of Texas Longhorns. I’ve felt like the only chicken at a coyote convention and with the bowl games coming up? Well…” Retta threw up her palms defensively.
“Bless. Your. Heart,” Claire said seriously. “And I mean that in a good way. Are they all enemies of our precious Boomer Sooners?”
“Hey, now!” Levi exclaimed. “Way I see it is that y’all are enemies of our precious Longhorns.”
Claire shot a look across the table at him. “All depends on which side of the Red River you a
re from.”
“All these cowboys are Longhorns,” Retta told her. “It was the one thing that almost kept me from marryin’ Cade.”
“Well, honey, I haven’t always lived in Oklahoma, but I’m a Boomer Sooner now and you’ve got a friend,” Claire said.
Even if she hadn’t been an OU fan, she would have joined Retta. Three against one was horrible odds, and the woman had made breakfast for her. They might never see each other again after the snow melted, but Claire had always had a soft heart for the underdog. Not that the Sooners could ever be called the underdogs, but Retta deserved her allegiance.
“Am I a Bloomer?” Zaylie asked.
“That’s Boomer, baby girl, and yes you are when you live with me, which is a lot of the time,” Claire answered. “That makes three against three. Those are a little better odds, right Retta?”
Levi groaned as he took a second cinnamon roll from the platter. “Sassy women against us cowboys.”
“You ain’t got a chance,” Retta told him.
“I don’t think Zaylie is a Sooner. She lives in Texas, right? That makes her a Longhorn,” Levi argued.
“She lives with me part of the time.” Claire was enjoying the bantering. It had been a very long time since she’d spent more than an hour around people her own age—and that was at church where she didn’t argue about what state had the best football team.
Levi tilted his chin up a few notches. “Don’t you think we should let her grow up and make up her own mind?”
“She might change when she’s grown, but right now she’s a Sooner.” Claire accentuated every word with a shake of her forefinger. He leaned back like he was afraid she’d put his eye out. Hadn’t a woman ever argued with him? Well, he was in for a surprise while she was there because she spoke her mind and stood up for herself. If he didn’t like it, he could get out a snowplow and figure out a way to get her to a hotel—even if Zaylie did throw a bawlin’ fit.
Zaylie reached for a second cinnamon roll. “I like red and white pom-poms. What color is your team?”
“Ugly old orange,” Retta answered for him.
“I like red better.” Zaylie bit into the roll. “Mmm, just like you made for me and Nanny.”
“Out of the mouths of babes. Even a four-year-old knows that red is better than orange.” Retta patted her on the shoulder.
“Y’all are ganging up on me, so I’m going to the barn.” Levi finished the last bite of his roll and pushed back the chair. “Thanks for breakfast, Retta. There’s no way the hired hands can get here today, so we’ll have to double up on the work.” He leaned forward and whispered in Claire’s ear. “This ain’t over. I’ll convince her that orange is beautiful before she leaves.”
“What are you whisperin’ about?” Zaylie asked, suddenly fidgety.
“Big people stuff,” Claire answered.
“You’ll come back, won’t you, Levi? You didn’t tell her that you were going away forever, did you? You ain’t goin’ to call that towin’ truck to come and get us and take us to the hotel, are you?” Zaylie asked.
“Of course I’ll be back. I live here on the ranch, and besides, I’ll have to see if you have a favorite kitten and if you’re makin’ friends with Gussie,” Levi answered. “I wouldn’t leave you all alone or call the tow truck. What if you couldn’t find the matches?”
Zaylie cut her eyes toward Claire.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that,” Claire said. “How was I to know they were behind the cereal on a shelf so high I couldn’t see them?”
Zaylie turned back toward Levi. “Don’t forget.”
“I won’t.” He patted her on the head. “You get all settled in, and I’ll be there before lunchtime. I promise.”
“Okay.” Zaylie nodded, seriously.
“See y’all later.” He carried his plate to the sink. “Breakfast was delicious, Retta.”
“Don’t forget to call Mavis, or we’ll both be in trouble,” Retta reminded him, then turned back to Claire. “I lived in the bunkhouse until Cade and I got married.” She talked as she cleared the table. “I went down there last night and got it warmed up and checked the cabinets. There are still a few things from when I was there, but we’ll need to take milk and snacks down there. You and Zaylie can come up here to eat your regular meals. What do you like, Zaylie? Bananas or apples?”
“Is a bunkhouse bigger than the cabin?” Zaylie asked. “And I like apples better. Bananas are squishy.”
“Thank you,” Claire said softly. “This has been pretty traumatic. She’s always sad when her dad has to leave for a while, and then she’s sad when I take her home and I leave. It’s a tough life for a little girl with no mama.”
“I can only imagine.” Retta nodded. “What happened to her mother?”
“She died when Zaylie was just a baby.”
“I’m so sorry.” Retta’s eyes filled with tears. “I can’t imagine the turmoil in her little heart and life. She’s lucky to have you.”
“Thank you,” Claire said.
It had definitely been hard on Zaylie, but then it hadn’t been easy on Claire either. She’d been on standby for five years—make that six because she’d helped take care of Haley until the baby was born. That wasn’t right either. It seemed like she’d been on standby her whole life. Not that she was complaining. Someone had to do the jobs that she’d taken on.
“We gotted really cold before Levi came. He will come back, won’t he?” Zaylie was saying when Claire tuned back in to the conversation.
“Well, honey,” Retta said, “there are plenty of work coats around here. That jacket you were wearing is way too thin to keep you warm. Benjy left a coat here last time he was on the ranch too. It’ll be miles too big, but we can roll up the sleeves, and yes, Levi will come back. He lives here.”
A weak smile barely turned up the corners of Claire’s mouth. Zaylie didn’t put much trust in the fact that someone lived there. Her daddy lived in base housing, but when he left, he didn’t come back in a few hours. Her Nanny lived in the house in Randlett, and she left to never come back.
Claire made herself think of something else. “If I’d known about all this, I would’ve packed warmer things, like gloves and coats instead of jackets. They would have sure come in handy when we were trudging through the snow to the cabin.”
“Aunt Claire was bleedin’ when the car hit the tree,” Zaylie said. “We had to walk, and my feet got wet.”
“We made it though didn’t we?” Claire was determined to banish wandering thoughts and pay attention to the conversation. “All I could think about was making it to that cabin. I had a suitcase in one hand and held on to Zaylie with the other. I was so glad to get inside and under the quilts on the bunk bed so we could stop shivering.”
“Did all the airbags pop open?” Retta loaded food into a couple of brown grocery bags.
“Every one of them. When the front end hit the tree it felt like we were bein’ invaded inside as well as outside with all that white,” Claire answered.
“You realize you might have totaled that vehicle, don’t you?” Retta asked.
“I’m pretty sure it is, but I keep hoping that it can be repaired. Tell me what I can do to help you.”
“Not a thing.” Retta headed toward the back door. “I’ve got it ready now. Y’all ready to go to the bunkhouse? We have a spare bedroom here in the big house, but you’d have to share, and I thought you’d be happier in the bunkhouse where you’ll have more privacy.”
“Thank you. The bunkhouse sounds great. And yes, I’m ready to go. I’d really like a bath and a long nap. I didn’t sleep well either night,” Claire admitted. “We’ll be out of your way as soon as possible.”
“I wouldn’t have slept in that situation either. You wouldn’t have known it, but Levi has a heart of gold. He would have protected you against anything, not harmed you.” Retta handed them each a warmer coat. “Is being away from your job going to create a problem?”
“I work at home. I ma
ke and sell quilts on Etsy,” Claire answered. She started to tell her that on the way down to San Antonio, she’d spotted a small, empty building in Sunset where she’d love to put in a quilting shop. But there was no need talking about it when the place might not even be available.
“I love Pinterest and Etsy so much. We’ll have to compare notes when you get settled,” Retta said.
“We gots ’terio in the van,” Zaylie said.
“What?” Retta slipped her arms into a warmly lined jacket and handed one to Claire and to Zaylie.
“Material in the van,” Claire translated. “I bought several bolts of fabric in San Antonio. Levi offered to bring it to the bunkhouse so I can cut the pieces for several quilt tops while we’re waiting to get home,” Claire answered. “I’ll try to stay out of everyone’s way and not be an imposition.”
Retta laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry that all this happened, but I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason. In a few weeks or months, we’ll look back and see why it all went down this way. When I came to the ranch in June, I figured it was for five weeks, but lookin’ back, I can see the plan in it all.”
“I hope you’re right.”
A picture of Levi popped into Claire’s mind, and she wondered what kind of plan this was for him. Common sense said that he had a girlfriend or maybe even a fiancée in the wings. No man that was as kind and sweet, plus as handsome, as Levi Jackson was single. It just wasn’t possible.
The first thing that Zaylie saw when Retta opened the bunkhouse door was a big fluffy yellow cat in a basket with three little black kittens curled up against her belly. Zaylie immediately dropped to her knees and began talking to them in the high-pitched tone she used when she was playing with her baby dolls.
“Looks like she’s going to spoil those cats,” a man commented as he stood up from the sofa. He towered over Claire, even more than Levi did, but he wasn’t as stocky.
Retta went to him, and he draped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m Cade Maguire. You must be Claire.”
Cowboy Honor--Includes a bonus novella Page 5
