“Men have a way of doing that,” Jordan offered. She shoved one of her sopapillas across the table. “A little pastry with a lot of honey goes a long way in making you forget an annoying boyfriend, if only for a while.”
Sandy reached for the dessert. “It’s not a boyfriend.” She snorted. “I’ve just about given up on finding anyone in Ranchero who doesn’t still live with his mother.”
Jordan grinned. “You know what they say about men—that all the good ones are taken.”
“Or gay,” Sandy added. The smile faded when her phone rang again. “Dammit. I wish he’d leave me alone.”
Jordan leaned closer. “Anything I can help with? I grew up with four brothers, and I know how they think.”
“I appreciate the offer, but unless you have an extra three thousand bucks lying around, you can’t help.”
“Why do you need that kind of money?” Jordan asked before slapping her hand over her mouth. Where was that filter when she needed it? “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so personal.”
“It’s all right,” Sandy said, blowing out a breath and glancing up to stop the lone tear from spilling down her cheek. “I have to pay the back taxes on my grandfather’s house.”
“Oh,” Jordan said. “Can’t your grandfather go to the bank and see about getting a loan or maybe even a second mortgage?” She thought of Alex and his cover as bank manager when he’d been in Ranchero. “There’s a possibility someone I know might be able to help.” The next time Alex called, she would ask him to contact the bank to plead Sandy’s case.
This time Sandy made no attempt to hide her tears. “My grandfather died about six months ago.”
Jordan reached across the table and grabbed Sandy’s hand. “I’m so sorry. I remember when my grandfather died. He was my hero.”
“Gramps was mine, too. Since my parents are missionaries and always traveling to who-knows-where, I spent a lot of time out at the lake with him. When he died he left the house to me, knowing how much I loved it out there in the woods so close to the water.” She sighed. “He named every single duck on the lake, and they still hang out on his dock even though he’s not there to feed them anymore.”
“Sounds wonderful. What a great place to go after a mad day at the newspaper.”
“I don’t live there,” Sandy said, a hint of sadness still in her voice. “I wish I did. Then I wouldn’t have an apartment in town, and I could start saving to pay off the county tax assessor before the city steals the lake house right out from under me.”
Jordan shrugged to hide her confusion. “So why don’t you just move out there?”
“I can’t.” Sandy bit her lip. “You’ll think I’m nuts if I tell you why.”
“Hey, I grew up with brothers, remember? I can handle anything after that.” Jordan scooted her chair closer to Sandy’s. “What on earth is keeping you from moving to a house you love, especially when that’s the only way you can save it?”
“It’s haunted.”
“Haunted? Like spooks and bumps in the night?”
“Exactly.”
Never having been one to believe in such things, Jordan had to resist the urge to make light of this. The last thing she wanted was to give Sandy the impression she thought she really might be crazy. She’d finally found someone her own age who could actually turn out to be a friend—two, counting Brenda Sue. She didn’t want to blow it by coming across as judgmental.
“Why do you think it’s haunted?” she asked, thinking that going along with the idea might be the safest way to play this.
“I hear the ghosts at night.”
“Do they talk to you?” Jordan was beginning to worry about her new friend. What if she was like Sybil and heard people conversing in her head?
“They don’t talk, but they’re there. I hear them pounding.”
“Pounding what?”
Sandy shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t happen every night. The last time I spent the weekend out there, it only happened twice. I tried to brave it out, telling myself it was nothing, but I got spooked and went home immediately when I heard it the second time.”
“Could it be a neighbor working on a project or something? You know, maybe someone fixing a barn or a fence?”
“At three in the morning? No way. It’s ghosts. I’m sure.”
There was no doubt in Jordan’s mind that her new friend genuinely believed what she was saying. An idea formed in her head. “Do you play cards, Sandy?”
“I love cards. I used to play Texas Hold ’Em in college nearly every day. Why?”
Jordan thought about Lola and how she had convinced Lucas Santana, just by reading his tarot cards, that the beef market would rebound. Although Lola wasn’t a psychic, Jordan was sure she could help Sandy somehow.
“Can you come to my apartment on Friday night?” she asked, thinking ahead to the next Screw Your Neighbor potluck night. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Cooper, why are you calling me?” Jordan leaned back, knocking a stack of papers from her desk. Scrambling to retrieve them, she nearly fell out of the chair.
“The newspaper seemed like the easiest way to reach you.” He paused. “Personals? I thought you wrote the food column.”
“I do both,” she responded, anxious to find out why he was really calling and end this conversation. It was already Thursday, and she still hadn’t finished her post for this week’s Kitchen Kupboard.
“Two jobs, huh? I hope they pay you well.”
“What do you want, Cooper?” she asked, unable to hide the annoyance in her voice.
“Right to the point? Okay, then. I’m following up on that conversation we had at the Pavilion and calling to invite you to Beef Daddy’s for dinner tomorrow night. Afterward, you can swing by the warehouse on Greenville Avenue, and I’ll give you a tour of the facility.”
Spending time with Cooper was at the bottom of her list of fun ways to spend a Friday night. The man had flirted openly with her in front of his fiancée when she’d first met him. No way she’d chance one-on-one time with him, even though she loved Beef Daddy’s food.
“Thanks, but I spend Friday nights with my friends. Maybe some other time.”
“Bring them along,” he fired back. “The more the merrier.” He laughed. “There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
The sound of his laughter ground on her last nerve. She didn’t like this man, and free food wouldn’t change that.
“I don’t—”
“Think about it and give me a call back. I’d really like to show you my Greenville Avenue facility.” Before she had a chance to decline his invitation again, he hung up.
For a few seconds Jordan stared at the receiver, unable to come up with a single reason why Cooper might want to talk to her. Did he know something about Rusty’s death? Or about Maria?
She pushed the conversation to the back of her mind, positive she wasn’t about to find out.
Unfortunately, that night she made the mistake of mentioning his call to Rosie and Victor, who’d popped in to watch Grey’s Anatomy with her and Danny. The idea of taking their Friday night get-together on the road plus the lure of free food was too tempting, and they ganged up on her. Finally, she’d agreed to call Cooper back and set it up, if only to be able to watch the end of one of her favorite shows in peace. When Victor sprang from the couch and ran out the door to tell the others, she bit her lip to hide her smile. The man loved anything free.
The next day, Jordan put the finishing touches on the typed recipes for Sunday’s edition of the Kitchen Kupboard, certain the Ranchero citizens were going to love both the Chicken Salad and the Watergate Salad. When she’d called Brenda Sue for the recipes on Wednesday, Jordan was surprised that her new friend had reverted back to her jovial hostess persona. Apparently Mister Taylor wasn’t around.
Good grief! Why were some women so intimidated by the men in their lives?
First there was Bella, who looked the other way while
the man she’d given the last ten years of her life to flirted outrageously with other women. Then there was Carole Anne, who spent way too much time trying to please her father when it was painfully obvious he would never see her as anything other than a mindless female. Even though, according to Bella, the woman was the reason North Texas Beef Distributors was the overwhelming leader in beef sales in the metroplex.
And Jordan still hadn’t figured out the relationship between Brenda Sue and Marcus Taylor. It was obvious the woman still had feelings for Rusty Morales, and even more obvious that Marcus knew about them. Is that how he controlled her, by using that guilt to keep her at home like a Stepford wife?
Jordan shook her head, vowing to never give a man that much power over her for any reason, before she remembered how easily she’d caved when Egan had dangled the Cowboys tickets in her face.
“Are we still on for tonight?”
She looked up just as Sandy Johnson approached her desk. She’d already forgotten she’d invited her coworker to join the gang for cards that night.
“Oh geez, Sandy. I meant to call you, but things got really hairy around here.” She tapped Send, praying the recipes were the big hit she predicted.
“If you’ve changed your mind, it’s okay,” Sandy said, disappointment flashing in her eyes. “One more take-out pizza won’t kill me.”
Jordan sighed, remembering Sandy’s story about her grandfather’s haunted house on Lake Texoma. “My friends aren’t playing cards tonight. I—”
“Just my luck,” Sandy said, lowering her eyes.
Jordan wondered how many times the shy girl’s hopes had been dashed in the past. “We’ve been invited to have dinner over at Beef Daddy’s Barbecue Joint in Dallas and afterward to tour the warehouse where the food for all the metroplex franchises is made.”
Sandy’s eyes lit up. “I love their sliced brisket, although I don’t make it into Dallas very often to get it.”
“Then why don’t you come with us?”
“Really?”
Jordan couldn’t help herself and smiled, wondering if Sandy had any other friends. “Sure, why not? You can meet the woman I think will be able to help you get rid of the ghosts.”
Visibly excited, Sandy hugged Jordan. “What time should I be at your apartment?”
Jordan glanced at the clock above the main entrance. It was already after five, and she’d have to hustle to get home and squeeze in a shower. “How about six thirty? We’ll all pile into my friend’s Suburban and head down to Beef Daddy’s.”
“I’ll be there.” Sandy raced back to her desk, reminding Jordan of an excited ten-year-old.
She made a mental memo to try harder to get to know the people at the newspaper. Maybe she had misjudged them. What if she’d misread their behavior as cliquishness when in fact they were all as shy as Sandy?
She glanced up just as the middle-aged woman in the cubicle next to her stood to leave. Even though she made eye contact with Jordan, the frumpy woman in a black pantsuit and matching shoes turned quickly and left without ever changing expressions.
Nothing shy about that rebuff!
Jordan opened the desk drawer and grabbed her last Ho Ho and threw it into her purse, adding a trip to the grocery store to her list of things to do that weekend. God forbid she had to go through the coming week without them.
She shut down her computer and headed for the door, thinking Lola would have her work cut out for her if she was to succeed in convincing Sandy she could actually scare the ghosts out of the secluded lake house.
Her last thought as she slid in behind the wheel of her Camry was, What if there really were ghosts?
CHAPTER 9
Sitting between Michael and Rosie in the middle seats, Jordan was so bloated she was tempted to unsnap her jeans. She and the rest of the gang had eaten way too much at Beef Daddy’s and were now on their way to the company warehouse to thank Cooper Harrison for the great meal. She’d especially enjoyed watching her brother put the moves on Sandy. From the moment she’d introduced them, Danny had taken an obvious interest in getting to know her better, which surprised Jordan. Danny usually went for the extroverts who loved to party.
He’d been a ladies’ man as far back as junior high, when he’d stolen the most popular girl out from under the richest kid’s nose. Jordan never could figure out why the girls gravitated to him, but she was pretty sure he didn’t burp or ask them to pull his finger like he did with her.
The guy’s smooth. Halfway through the meal, he’d reached up and pushed a stray lock of Sandy’s hair behind her ear. For the first time she could sort of understand the intoxicating effect he had on the West Texas girls.
Eew! Even thinking now about it sent shivers up her spine, and she quickly forced herself to look out the front window. She had no intention of turning around again to see him flirting with Sandy in the last row of seats in the Suburban.
“How far down Greenville Avenue did Cooper say we had to go, Jordan?” Ray asked, interrupting her thoughts.
Grateful for the diversion, Jordan reached into her purse for the directions scrawled on the back of a napkin. “He said the warehouse was about ten miles or so, almost into downtown Dallas.”
“And we’re finally going to meet the guy who comped that fantastic meal back there?” Lola asked, letting her finger stroke the back of Ray’s head as he drove.
“Yes. Cooper apologized for not being able to meet us at the restaurant, but some business-related thing came up,” Jordan answered.
“That was really sweet of him to feed us all,” Rosie said before arching her eyebrows in a Groucho Marx kind of way. “Is this guy married?”
“Engaged,” Jordan replied. “Matter of fact, his fiancée runs a company that supplies all the beef for his restaurants.” She failed to mention Cooper was a big flirt, but unless he suddenly developed laryngitis and couldn’t speak, they’d see it firsthand. And knowing her hip fiftyish friend who made no secret of her battery-operated social life and her penchant for marrying a guy every time she sneezed, Jordan was positive Rosie would love every minute of it.
“And how did you meet him, sugar?” Ray asked.
“Cooper and his fiancée sat with us at the Cattlemen’s Ball. He and Rusty knew each other through Lucas Santana.” She stopped short of saying they were friends, remembering the interaction between the two of them that night.
“That reminds me,” Danny said. “I forgot to tell you—”
“There it is,” Victor hollered, pointing to the huge warehouse on the right. “Maybe he’ll give us some freebies to take home.”
“You already have half a cow in your doggie bag, love,” Michael chided.
“The waiter said we could order as much as we wanted—all gratis, Michael,” Victor said, trying unsuccessfully to look pouty before breaking into a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. “Nobody gave me a time limit, and I can’t help it there was so much left on my plate. They would have had to throw it away.” He flipped his hand in the air. “Remember those starving kids your mom always told you about when you left food on your plate?”
“Yeah, my boy here was just looking out for the less fortunate, right, Vic?” Rosie twisted around and gave him a fist bump.
“Tell that to the young man who waited on us. Did you see the look on his face when Victor asked for his fourth helping?”
“Oh Lord, I hope he doesn’t tell Cooper,” Jordan said, joining in the laughter. It was a known fact that Victor liked to eat. Michael was always reminding him to watch his weight, and Victor was always ignoring him.
Ray turned off the main road and drove around to the parking lot at the back of the building. “The place looks deserted.”
“Cooper said the night shift doesn’t come in until midnight to start smoking the beef and preparing the side dishes. That’s why he invited us to tour the facility now.”
Rosie playfully punched Jordan’s shoulder. “Obviously, there are some perks with this new job of yours, sweetie. I’ll
bet the tab would have been a few hundred bucks tonight.”
“Easily,” Michael said, pointing to the bag on Victor’s lap.
“Some of us know how to take advantage of a free meal.” Victor patted the food and made a big production of taking a whiff. “While I’m enjoying barbecue sausage tomorrow, you guys will be eating bologna.”
Lola laughed. “You’re confusing us with Jordan. Ray and I are grilling steaks.”
“Yes, but you had to pay for those steaks, my dear,” Victor said.
“Okay, guys, let’s not let this man hear us talking about how we took advantage of his generous offer,” Ray said when they’d piled out of the car and were headed for the door.
“Cooper said to pick up the phone and dial this number.” Jordan handed the napkin to Ray and watched while he punched the keypad next to the door.
Before long, a buzzer sounded and the door opened. Cooper walked toward them as they filed in. He moved right to Jordan’s side and hugged her as if they’d known each other all their lives.
“Cooper Harrison, meet my friends,” Jordan said introducing each one.
“We sure did appreciate the meal tonight, Mr. Harrison,” Rosie said, inching closer to the attractive host.
Ohmygod! She did not just bat her eyelashes.
“It was my pleasure,” Cooper said, either ignoring Rosie’s outlandish display or missing it entirely. “Let me show you around the place.”
He grabbed Jordan’s hand and nudged her down the long hallway where boxes were piled high on metal racks. “These are the supplies that don’t need refrigeration—condiments, napkins, paper plates, et cetera.”
Next Cooper led them to a room full of smokers where the smell of barbecued meat overwhelmed them before he’d even completely opened the door.
“This is where all the cooking is done.”
“Wow! Your barbecue is the best I’ve ever tasted, Mr. Harrison. And believe me, I’ve tasted a lot of it. Do you ever give out your recipe?” Rosie gave him another eyelash flutter, followed by a hair flip that could only be interpreted as a possible play for husband number five, or four by her count.
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