His Texas Wildflower

by Stella Bagwell

  Another long silence followed Rebecca’s statement and then Arlene said in a mollified tone, “Now wait a minute, Rebecca. Let’s not get so hasty about things. You’re a great asset to Bordeaux’s and I don’t want to lose you.” She paused and released a long sigh of surrender. “All right. Take as long as you need. Your job will be waiting when you do get back to Houston.”

  Arlene’s concession should have inspired Rebecca, filled her with joy to know that she was that good, that appreciated at her job. Yet she felt nothing but relief that her conversation with the woman was over.

  “Thank you, Arlene. I’ll be in touch soon.”

  Ten minutes later, she parked her vehicle behind a Ford pickup truck that sat beneath an expanse of sagging roof connected to the left side of the house.

  Rebecca recalled a truck being listed in Gertrude’s will and she assumed the old red F-150 had belonged to her aunt. In this isolated place a person had to have transportation of some sort. She wondered if the vehicle was still in running condition and made a mental note to check the thing out after she’d put away the perishable groceries. Keeping a rental car for an extended length of time would run into a huge expense. The truck would solve that problem.

  At the back of the car, she opened the trunk and started to lift a sack of groceries when she suddenly heard a low whine and felt a nudge against the back of her leg.

  Turning, she saw the dog had spotted her arrival and come to greet her. His mouth was open and he appeared to be grinning as though he couldn’t be happier to see her.

  For a moment, Rebecca forgot the grocery bag and squatted on her heels to wrap her arms around her furry brown friend.

  “Well, here you are again, big guy,” she said to him, then stroked a hand down his back. Beneath his long, thick hair she could feel his backbone and realized the animal had obviously not been getting enough to eat since Gertrude had died. “I’ll bet you’re hungry, aren’t you? I’ll bet you’d like a big bowl of juicy dog food.”

  As if on cue, the dog let out a long, loud whine. Rebecca smiled and patted his head. “All right. Come along and I’ll see what I can do,” she told him.

  With plastic bags dangling from both hands, she urged the canine to follow her onto the porch. Once she opened the door, she pushed it wide and invited him in.

  “Just for a while,” she warned him as he shot past her, his tail wagging furiously.

  During her visit yesterday morning before the funeral, she’d discovered several dozen cans of dog and cat food stacked in a small pantry. She emptied two of the cans into a plastic bowl and set it on the floor.

  While the dog gobbled it hungrily, she stored what perishable food she’d purchased in the refrigerator and found places for the rest of the things in the cabinet.

  By the time she was finished with the chore, the dog had cleaned the bowl and was looking up at her, his head tilted curiously to one side. No doubt he couldn’t understand why his mistress was gone.

  The notion was a sad one. Especially when Rebecca tried to imagine her aunt and the dog together. It was difficult to form such a picture in her mind when she didn’t have the tiniest idea of what Gertrude had looked like. There were no photos of the woman sitting around the house and even in death, she’d clearly been a private person by leaving orders with her lawyer to keep her casket closed.

  If Gertrude and Gwyn had been identical twins, then the woman would have been petite and dark-haired with hazel-green eyes and a square face. But her mother hadn’t seen fit to tell her even that much about her sister, so Rebecca could only guess and imagine Gertrude’s appearance.

  Trying not to dwell on the loss and become maudlin all over again, Rebecca spoke to the dog, “I have no idea what your name is, boy. Is it Furry? Smiley? Buddy? No. None of those fit. What about Beau? Back in elementary school I knew a boy named Beau. The tips of his ears sort of flopped over like yours. But he was nice. And I liked him.”

  The dog responded with another whine and pushed his head beneath Rebecca’s hand. Smiling, she gave him a loving scratch between the ears. “Okay. Beau it will be. Now let’s see if we can start cleaning up this place.”

  A week later Jake was at Marino’s Feed and Ranch Supply, purchasing several sets of horseshoes, when he heard a woman’s soft voice call his name.

  Turning, he was completely shocked to see Rebecca Hardaway standing a few feet away from him. What was she doing in a place that was mostly frequented by farmers and ranchers? More important, what was she doing still here in New Mexico? He figured she’d probably already wrapped up her business and gone back to Texas.

  His heart was suddenly beating fast as pleasure ricocheted through his body. “Hello, Rebecca.”

  He started toward her and she met him in the middle of the dusty aisle filled with pesticides and grass fertilizer.

  Smiling, she extended her hand to him. “Hello, Jake.”

  He took her hand, while his gaze quickly encompassed every inch of her. She was dressed casually in blue jeans and a pink hooded T-shirt. Her blond hair was pulled into a ponytail and her face was completely bare of makeup. She looked fresh and beautiful and rested. And just looking at her made something inside of him go as soft as gooey candy.

  “This is a surprise to see you,” he admitted. “I figured you’d already left the area.”

  She shook her head. “No. I’ve decided to stay on for a while. I’m living out at my aunt’s place now.”

  It was all Jake could do to keep his mouth from falling open. That day he’d visited Gertie’s place with her, she’d seemed almost indifferent to the place. What had changed her mind so much that she’d actually been motivated to move out there?

  “Oh. How’s that been going?”

  She laughed softly and Jake warmed to the sound, warmed even more to this different, more approachable Rebecca.

  “Well, let’s say I’ve never done so much cleaning in my life, but the house is coming around. I’ve decided I’ll have to hire a man to help with the outside. There’s so much heavy junk that needs to be hauled away. But I did get the truck going and turned in my rental car.”

  He peered toward the front of the building where plate-glass windows looked out over the graveled parking lot. Was she driving Gertie’s old truck? He couldn’t imagine such a thing. But perhaps there had always been another side of this woman and he’d not yet had a chance to see it.

  His mind racing, he said, “Uh—that’s good. Is it running okay?”

  She nodded proudly. “Great. I took it by a mechanic’s shop and had it checked out. The only thing it needed was new tires so I had those put on.”

  “Sounds like you’ve been busy.”

  She smiled again and as he looked at her, he realized the expression on her face was genuine. The fact made him happy. Very happy.

  “I’ve made a start.”

  He glanced at the red plastic shopping basket dangling from her hand. “You needed something from the feed store?”

  “A few things for the cats and dog. Flea collars, wormers, things like that. They’re probably not going to be too happy about it all, but I want them to be cared for properly.”

  “So you didn’t give them up to a pet adoption agency?”

  Her cheeks turned pink and her gaze drifted away from him as though she was embarrassed she’d ever mentioned doing such a thing. Jake was truly baffled by this turn of events.

  “No. I changed my mind about all that.” She directed her gaze back to his. “That day of the funeral was—well, I was very upset and said some things before I had a chance to think them through.”

  And done some things before she’d thought them through, Jake decided. Like bury her face against his chest and grip his shoulders like she never wanted to let him go. Now she was probably embarrassed about that, too.

  But she didn’t appear to be uncomfortable with him holding her hand. In fact, she wasn’t making any sort of effort to draw it away from him. The idea encouraged him.

  “W
e all do that from time to time,” he told her.

  She let out a faint sigh and then a tentative smile curved the corners of her lips. Jake couldn’t tear his eyes away from her face or even consider dropping her soft little fingers.

  “I’m glad I ran into you like this,” she said. “I’ve been wondering if you might do me a favor. That is—if you have the time and happen to be going by my place.”

  My place. So she was calling it her place now. He couldn’t believe how such a little thing like that could make him feel so good. And he wondered if he was coming down with some sort of sickness that was throwing his thinking off-kilter. He’d always been drawn to women. Down through the years he’d probably had more girlfriends than Quint had cattle, but he’d never had one that made him feel like happy sunshine was pouring through him and painting a goofy grin on his face.

  “I’d be glad to help if I can,” he told her.

  She said, “The horse has been coming up and hanging around the barn. I found some feed for it stacked away in a storage room, but I wasn’t sure how much to give it. The cats and dog I can deal with, but I know nothing about horses. And I remembered that you do. If you would be kind enough to look it over and make sure everything is okay. Maybe show me the correct amount to feed it? I’d be very grateful.”

  God was definitely smiling down on him today, Jake thought. For the past week, he’d struggled to get this woman off his mind. He’d tried to think of any reasonable excuse to drive over to Gertie’s place and see if she was there. But he’d figured if she was still in New Mexico, she’d be staying in a hotel in Ruidoso and hardly likely to be around the old homestead. And then, too, he’d tried to convince himself that she was off-limits, a woman who could never fit into his simple life, even for a short while.

  Now here she was inviting him to her place as though it was as natural as eating apple pie. He couldn’t believe his good fortune and it was all he could do to keep from shouting with glee.

  “Sure,” he said as casually as he could manage. “I was thinking about driving out to Apache Wells this evening, anyway. Would that be soon enough?”

  She smiled. “That would be great,” she said, then glanced around his shoulder. “You were looking at horseshoes when I first spotted you. I don’t want to keep you from your business.”

  She extricated her hand from his and Jake felt ridiculously bereft. “It’s nothing that pressing.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to be over at the track—Ruidoso Downs—in an hour or so to shoe some racehorses for a trainer that I’m friends with.”

  “Oh. Is that something you do often?” she asked curiously.

  “Occasionally. There are some folks I just can’t say no to.”

  Like you, he thought.

  “Well, I should let you go, then.”

  Before she could turn to leave, he reached out and caught her by the hand. She looked at him, her brows arched in question.

  Jake was amazed to feel warm color creep up his throat and onto his face. Hell’s bells, women didn’t make him blush. Nothing did. So why was he doing it now?

  “I was wondering if you’d like to go have a cup of coffee?” he invited. “That is, if you have the time.”

  “Do you?”

  He grinned. “It doesn’t take me ten minutes to get to the track. I have plenty of time.”

  “In that case, I’d love to,” she replied. “Just let me pay for my purchases and I’ll be ready.”

  They both took care of their business in the feed store, then walked out to the parking lot together. Jake was about to suggest that she ride with him to the Blue Mesa, but before he could get the words out of his mouth, he noticed Gertie’s dog was sitting in the cab of the old Ford.

  Surprised, he asked the obvious. “You brought the dog to town with you?”

  “Yes. I discovered that Beau loves to ride in the truck. And I enjoy his company. He’ll be fine while we have coffee,” she added. “I’ll leave the windows rolled down and there’s a nice breeze. He’ll probably curl up on the seat and go to sleep.”

  Wonder of wonders, Jake thought. Was this the same fashionista who’d walked across the barnyard in a pair of high heels? No matter. She was here with him now and he was going to enjoy every second of her company.

  “Okay,” he told her. “Then follow me. The café is only a few blocks down the street.”

  Since it was midmorning, the crowd had mostly dispersed from the little café and they both found parking slots directly in front of the entrance.

  Jake suggested they sit at an outside table. That way she could keep an eye on Beau. As they climbed onto the wooden deck filled with small round tables, she looked around with obvious pleasure.

  “How nice of you to bring me here, Jake. This is so quaint and lovely,” she exclaimed. “Can we take any table we like?”

  “Sure. As long as it isn’t already occupied.”

  Since there was only one other couple making use of the outside seating, Rebecca chose a table at the far corner, where a few feet below them a small brook trickled through tall pines and blue spruce trees.

  A waitress appeared almost instantly after they were seated and Jake didn’t waste time ordering coffee and a piece of chocolate pie.

  “You’re having pie, too?” Rebecca asked with a shocked tone that implied eating such a thing in the middle of the morning was absolutely sinful.

  Jake chuckled. “I have a lot of work ahead of me today. Besides, the Blue Mesa makes the best pie in town. Try some. It won’t put any pounds on you,” he added with a wink, then glanced up at the redheaded waitress. “Will it, Loretta?”

  The waitress laughed and Rebecca could tell by the light in the young woman’s eyes that she knew Jake well and found him more than attractive. Probably one of many, she thought, then wondered why the idea annoyed her.

  “Not at all,” the waitress answered. “I eat it all the time and I don’t get any complaints.”

  Rebecca deliberately avoided giving the waitress’s curvy figure an inspective glance. “Okay,” she said to Jake, “you’ve talked me into it. I’ll have a piece of peach.” Glancing up at Loretta, she added, “If you have peach.”

  The woman’s smile was faintly suggestive. “We have every flavor a person would want. Just ask Jake. He’s tried them all.”

  Rebecca assured the waitress that she’d be satisfied with the peach and the redhead quickly swished away to fill their orders.

  “Don’t mind Loretta,” Jake said. “She’s a big flirt, but she doesn’t mean any harm.”

  He probably didn’t mean any harm either, Rebecca thought. But she figured he’d broken plenty of hearts with that dimpled grin and amber-brown eyes. Was she trying to be the next woman on his roster?

  No. She simply liked him. Liked being around him. That didn’t mean she wanted anything serious to develop between them. In fact, where women were concerned, she doubted the word serious had ever been in Jake Rollins’s vocabulary.

  “So how has it been staying out at Gertie’s—uh, your place?” he asked after a moment.

  She leaned back in her chair and wished she didn’t feel so self-conscious about her bare face and messy hair. But for the past few days she’d felt like a child again, free to be herself. When she’d driven into town this morning, the last person she’d expected to see was Jake.

  “It’s been different to say the least. I’m still not used to the lack of an air conditioner. Or the idea that I can’t drive a couple of blocks to a convenience store whenever I need something. But I like the quietness. Last night while I was sitting on the porch I heard a pack of coyotes howling in the distance. It was an eerie sound.”

  “Guess a city girl like you never heard anything like that.”

  “No. Actually—” The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted the rest of Rebecca’s words and she turned her head to see Loretta arriving with their orders.

  Once the waitress had served them and ambled away, Jake prompted Rebecca to finish what she’d
been about to say.

  “It was nothing important,” she told him as she spread a napkin across her lap. “I was only going to say that since I’ve come out here to New Mexico I’ve been learning about a lot of things. Mainly about myself.”

  His expression was gentle on her face as he stirred a spoonful of sugar into his coffee. “Are you liking what you’re learning?”

  She grimaced. “No. But I’m trying to change what I don’t like.”

  He didn’t ask what she meant by that remark and Rebecca was relieved. She didn’t want to admit to this man that it had taken the death of her aunt to open her eyes about her own life.

  As she cut into the peach pastry, he leaned back in his chair and studied her with open curiosity. “This probably isn’t any of my business, Rebecca, but are you planning on staying here in Lincoln County for an extended length of time?”

  A faint frown creased her forehead. For the past week, his question was the same one that had gone round and round in her head. Was she going to stay for long? At the moment everything about being in this new place felt right and wonderful. But was that only because she was away from her demanding job? Away from the rift between her and her mother? Or was the contentment she’d been feeling these past few days trying to tell her that she’d finally discovered where she was truly meant to be?

  “Maybe,” she answered slowly. “It depends. On a lot of things.”

  He sipped his coffee, then thoughtfully reached for his fork. “Well, I suppose there’s a man back in Houston who won’t take kindly to you staying out here for very long.”

  She looked at him with faint surprise. “Not hardly. I don’t have a boyfriend. And even if I did, I wouldn’t allow him to tell me what to do. Unless I was madly in love with him.”

  He arched a brow at her. “That would make the difference?”

  “Of course. Love always makes the difference. Doesn’t it?”

  One corner of his mouth curved upward as he reached across the table and closed his hand around hers. “You’re asking that question to the wrong man, Rebecca.”