Sally smiled at her. “You’ll have dozens more friends in no time.”
When they were in the car, Penny pulled onto the street. “We’ll go to the bank now. Remember, let me do the talking.”
“Gratefully. I’ll just be your dumb childhood friend who recently moved to Terry Springs.”
Penny parked at the bank. “Don’t make any explanations unless you have to. The less said the better. I explained you’ll need a business account and a personal account. You know the address of the barber shop?”
“Yes, it’s 302 Main Street. I’ll follow your lead.” Ellie hated having to lie, but how could she tell the truth? She’d be locked in an asylum if she did.
Inside the bank, Ellie was impressed with the décor and the efficiency of the staff. She hoped they’d get through without seeing Caleb. Sally sat a short distance away and looked at a magazine while Penny and she took care of business.
Apparently, the new accounts clerk was used to Penny opening accounts for people. Everything went quickly and smoothly. Ellie was given temporary checks for each account, a debit card, and a charge card.
When they were outside, Ellie turned to Penny. “I don’t intend to charge things. You said that was a way I might get into trouble.”
“Some people do, but I don’t think you will. You’re cautious about business things. You have to have a charge card to do business in some places but most will accept your debit card.”
Sally said, “We’d better notify the post office to send your mail to the ranch until you move into your apartment.”
Ellie almost skipped with happiness. “The workmen have started. If you want to go by, we can park in back and I’ll give you a tour.”
Penny laughed. “Wonderful. Sally and I thought we’d have to ask.”
They parked then skirted supplies to reach the stairs. Ellie was excited to get her friends’ opinion. Loud banging came from the first floor and dust hung in the air as men worked.
Ellie led the way up the stairs. “Bart thinks the apartment is grim but I like it. I don’t mean compared to my former home, but this will be mine and not something my ancestors chose. I’ll paint, of course. The furnishings are quite dated but are perfect for a vintage store.”
Sally examined the range. “I agree. This stove is—as you often say—the berries. I don’t like the water heater out in the open there, though.”
“It’s going to be moved and put into a little closet.” She led the way to the bedroom windows.
“You can see there’s a lovely view of downtown. I can even see Bart’s apartment from here.”
Penny joined her. “Oh, yes, I see it. I’ll bet this is pretty at night.” She scanned the room. “Not bad furniture but the walls are drab. I can help paint.”
Ellie shook her head. “I have an idea of who to help me. I hope to hire Mrs. Colgate and her son Bobby.”
Sally checked the closet. “Her name is Nancy. She’s a nice woman who’s had a tough life lately.”
Penny clasped her hands together. “What a great idea. She won’t see that as charity and will be a good worker. Won’t she be happy to have only one job?”
“I hope so. I also hope having her son help will get him away from his awful new friends.”
Sally touched the worn chenille bedspread. “Looks as if you need to go shopping, Ellie.”
“Not until I see how things are going. I’ll launder everything if the washer and dryer downstairs are still in operation. If not, I’ll load them up and take them to a laundromat.”
Sally opened a drawer of the chest. “Men’s undies. I think we can help you box these up and donate Mr. Norris’ clothes to charity.”
Penny strode to the kitchen. “Maybe there are some trash bags we can use in here.” She rummaged and came up with a box of them. She shook one out and held it for Sally to drop in clothes.
Ellie grabbed another. “Thank you, that’s a good idea and something I can do today.”
She removed clothes from the closet. “These aren’t old enough to be vintage and not new enough to take to a resale shop.”
Sally wrinkled her nose. “And not in the best of taste either. Look at that sports coat. Is this shade mustard? Have you ever seen such a wild plaid?”
Ellie nodded. “I have but that doesn’t mean I liked it.”
Within an hour, they’d bagged all of Mr. Norris’ clothes and sorted linens.
Penny grabbed a bag of discarded clothing. “I’ll put these in the trunk while you and Sally check the kitchen. You should make a list of what you need to buy and what you can use.”
Sally opened a cupboard. “I’ll check use-by dates. This group looks as if he was a hoarder.”
Ellie opened another door. “I’ll check the dishes and cookware.”
She picked up a plate. “Decent dishes even though a couple are chipped.”
She peeked into another section. “My stars, will you look at all the plastic drink ware and each with the name of a fast food place? Poor man must have eaten out most of the time, though I don’t know what compelled him to save all of these.” She tossed them into the trash bag.
Sally chucked cans and boxes into the same bag. “Apparently he bought enough for a siege and then didn’t use it or rotate food containers.”
Penny returned and grabbed another bag of clothes. As she passed by them hefting her load, she asked, “Have you checked the refrigerator?”
Sally stood in front of it. “I’m almost afraid to open the door.”
Ellie looked over her shoulder. “I checked. I suppose his heir cleared out that much even though he didn’t leave it tidy. At least there’s no spoiled food. The only thing I regret about this one is it doesn’t dispense ice like the one at the ranch.”
Sally checked the freezer section and found it empty. “You can replace this, you know.”
“No, I like this one. It matches the kitchen. I’m going to repaint the table and chairs sage green but the only things I’ll change are painting the walls and adding some artwork.”
By the time Sally finished tossing out of date food, there was very little left. She tied the two trash bags but left them on the floor. “This is far too heavy for us. We’ll have to get a workman to take them to the dumpster for you.”
Ellie washed her hands at the sink and dried them on a paper towel. “I think we deserve a treat. I promise to take you two to celebrate as soon as I can.” She laughed. “First, I’ll have to get a car.”
Penny said, “To do that, you have to have insurance.”
“Oh, I met someone yesterday.” She dug in her purse and pulled out a card. “Chip Gordon gave me this.”
Sally sent her a serious gaze. “Remember, you’ve depended on buses or walking until you came here.”
“No, thank heavens Penny checked and Kerrville has no downtown bus service. I walked or rode with a coworker.” She sighed. “I am so deep in lies I’m starting to believe them myself.”
Penny patted her arm. “I understand, and believing the lies is safest.”
Sally herded them to the car. “Time to go home, ladies. Hungry men will appear soon and expect to be fed.”
Ellie and Penny pitched in to help with supper since Sally had been gone most of the day. By the time Jake and Howard returned near six, supper was prepared.
Howard entered sniffing the air. “Sure smells good. I’m starved half to death.”
Ellie laughed at him. Apparently he was always hungry, yet he was not overweight. He might be ten pounds heavier than Jake, but not much more.
Sally had set the chicken-fried steak, cream gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, and salad on the table. Penny brought the hot biscuits from the oven. Ellie poured the iced tea into glasses. She had already set the butter, honey, salad dressing, salt, and pepper on the table.
Sally looked at Howard. “Your turn to say grace.”
He gave a brief prayer. “Amen, dig in.”
Ellie took a serving of potatoes and passed them. “Howa
rd, when are you moving back to the ranch?”
He looked at Jake then Sally. “Might move next week. House seems lonely with Bart gone.”
Penny nodded. “It sure does. You need to move back here so all the family is in one place. I know Bart’s in Terry Springs now, but that’s close.”
Sally passed the gravy. “He promised to come out often. Caleb’s here a couple of times a week.”
Ellie spread gravy on her steak and potatoes as she had seen the others do. “You could have family dinners each Sunday. Sally, you cook a lot then anyway so it wouldn’t mean extra work except a few more dishes.”
Sally beamed. “What a great idea. Oh, I’d love having all my boys here to eat at the same time.”
Howard sent her an odd look. “Guess they are your boys, too. Never thought of them that way before.”
Jake sent a loving gaze to Sally. “She’s the one who raised us along with you, Dad. Sally’s the one who made sure we did our homework and took baths and wore clean clothes. She’s also the one who nursed us when we were sick and patched up our scrapes and bruises.”
Sally reached over to pat Jake’s hand. “I wouldn’t take back a minute of seeing you boys grow into such fine men.”
Howard sat as if deep in thought. He ate but not with his usual gusto. Penny met Ellie’s gaze and widened her eyes. Ellie gave a slight nod, as if she understood Penny’s concern for Howard.
After the kitchen was clean and the dishwasher running, everyone moved to the family room behind the study. Penny had explained this was built on to the house sixty or so years ago.
The two men watched television while they discussed the ranch. Ellie asked Penny for her phone number then did the same with Sally. Penny also added Jake’s and Howard’s numbers.
Slightly embarrassed, Ellie asked, “Do you mind telling me Bart’s number?”
Penny kept Ellie’s phone. “I’ll put it in. I think I even have Margaret’s number but it might be the shop and not her personal number.”
Sally held out her phone. “Here are both her numbers to copy.”
Ellie watched Penny. “Isn’t it amazing how necessary something is that I didn’t even know existed when I came here?”
Sally chuckled. “You have to go with the flow. I think both you girls are doing really well.”
“Thank you,” they said in unison then laughed.
Later, when Ellie was getting ready for bed, she jumped when her phone rang. She spotted Bart’s name and answered. “You startled me out of a year’s growth.”
“A little bird texted me your number and I was compelled to call you. Guess you had a busy day.”
She was so happy to hear from him. Too happy. “I did. Um, I was wondering if you could advise me on buying a car. I want something economical and used to keep the cost down. I’m at a loss as where and what to buy.”
“How about I come get you about ten in the morning? I’ll be on call, but nothing much happens on Saturday until later.”
“Wonderful. I’ll be ready.” She felt odd. Hadn’t she talked to men on the phone a million times in her former life? Why was she so silly about conversing with Bart?
His baritone sounded sexy even over the phone. “Bring a book to read while I negotiate. I’ll look forward to seeing you. Goodnight, Ellie. Sleep well.”
“You too, Bart.” She lay back on the bed with the phone clutched to her heart. She was acting as if she were sixteen. What a ninny she was.
Chapter Sixteen
The following morning, Bart came into the house to find Ellie waiting by the door. He leaned in and kissed her lips lightly. “Let me tell Sally we’re leaving.”
Sally came from the kitchen. “As if I hadn’t heard you arrive.” She gave him a hug.
He kissed her cheek. “See you later, gorgeous.”
On the way to the dealer he’d decided would give her the best buy, he coached Ellie. “Whatever you do, don’t act eager to have a particular car. I’ll have to haggle with him but if he thinks you don’t care, I can save you some money.”
“I’ll appreciate that, Bart. I’m trying to stretch my money as far as I can. I realize I do need a car, though, for grocery shopping and visiting Penny and Sally. You know, that sort of thing.”
“I do. You simply have to have a car now days in a small town. First, we have to go by Chip’s office and get your car insurance.”
“I called him this morning and told him I’d probably be buying a car today. I answered a lot of questions over the phone. He said I’m all set as soon as he knows something called the VIN number and I pay.”
“Good thinking, Ellie. Any instructions for me?”
“I’d like a car with four doors like Sally has so I can invite people to go places with me. Not an SUV like Penny’s, but something more the size of Sally’s.” She wrung her hands. “It’s hard not to appear excited but I’ll try to look bored instead of eager.”
“That’s good. Here we are. Any particular brand you want?”
“I don’t know anything about today’s cars. I want a pastel, like blue or green.”
“Not yellow again?”
“I only had yellow because it was a gold bug. Now I don’t want anything bright. White would be okay or silver.”
“Stick with me, kid, and we’ll soon have you a fine vehicle.”
“How’s this for my bored look?”
He laughed. “Perfect. All you need is some bubble gum to complete the picture.”
“I don’t understand what that means but you can tell me later.”
Bart had gone to school with the salesman, Jeff Eagle. Ellie tagged along as if uninterested while the salesman showed her several cars.
Jeff, asked, “Is there one you’d like to drive, Miss St. Eaves?”
She looked at Bart for guidance.
“Try the blue one.”
“All right.” She climbed into the driver’s seat. “I don’t think you can fit in the back seat, can you?”
“I’ll see.” Bart proved he could get in but he wasn’t comfortable. “I think Penny would be okay but I’d hate to ride far with my knees under my chin. But, if Jake or I were along, one of us would be driving something larger.”
“I guess you’re right.” She drove around the block.
The salesman beamed. “What do you think?”
“It’s nice.” She kept her voice and face neutral.
Bart asked, “You want to try the silver one?”
“I suppose.” She followed the salesman and the three of them drove around the block again. Bart was more comfortable in the back seat this time. This was the more expensive of the two and the salesman put the hard sell on her due to all the features.
When they were back on the lot, Bart opened her door for her. “Well?”
With her back to the salesman, she mouthed, “This one.”
Bart asked, “Do you see another one you want to try?”
She scanned the lot for a second. “I don’t think so.”
“Okay, then Jeff and I are going to talk. You brought your book, right?”
“Yes, Penny loaned me one. I’ll wait in that chair while you talk.” She sat down and pulled out a paperback.
He was proud of her. When he came out thirty minutes later, he tapped her on the shoulder. “The silver one is yours. Time to pay up.”
“I can do that. Can I drive it now?”
“Not quite yet.”
In Jeff’s office, she wrote out the check and showed him her ID. “As you can see, I’ve just moved to Terry Springs.”
“You sure you don’t want to pay this out over forty-eight months?”
“I prefer to pay cash.”
Jeff shook his head and bent over the papers. Finally he said, “As soon as you return with proof of insurance the car’s yours. I called Chip with the VIN number and he’ll have everything ready when you get to his office.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t ask any questions until they were in his truck. “Why was Jeff suddenly
cool because I wouldn’t pay the car over time?”
“He counted on making something off the interest by selling the note.”
“You mean if I’d financed the car, he would have sold the loan to someone else?”
“That’s right, for a small percentage of the interest you would have paid. That little bit of profit adds up over time.”
“That kind of seems like cheating.”
“Naw, he’s a nice guy and that’s the way car dealers do business. Have to consider every angle to compete.”
When they’d completed everything necessary, Jeff handed Ellie the keys. “You remember me when you want to upgrade.”
She smiled at him. “You can depend on that.”
Beside her car, Bart opened the door for her. “Do you remember how to drive to the ranch?”
“Yes. Bart, thank you so much for your help. You’ve been wonderful to me, even if you won’t make whoopee with me. I’m so excited to have a car and soon I’ll be able to move into my apartment and start on my store.”
“They’re moving the water heater today. You can start on the upstairs by tomorrow.”
She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. Before I go to the ranch, I’m going to stop and hire Nancy Colgate if she wants to work for me.”
He nodded and asked even though he knew the answer. “I suppose you’ll hire her son, too.”
She offered her radiant smile that never failed to increase his heart rate. “Of course, if I can. Neither may be interested, but I have to try.”
“Make sure you have plenty of gas.” He showed her how to open access to the gas cap. “You use regular and unscrew the nozzle then pump in the gas. Be sure and tighten the nozzle afterward and close the access.”
“I’ll remember. Penny showed me how she pumps gas for her SUV.”
“You’ll be happy to learn your tank takes far fewer gallons. You see this sticker? This tells when your oil was last changed. Every three thousand miles you have to have it changed again.”
She nodded and repeated, “I’ll remember.”
Texas Rainbow Page 10
