Deal of a Lifetime

by T. R. McClure

  “Uh-huh.” Cy propped his hands on his hips. “Listen, Sera...”

  Sera placed the kitten next to the others, and it quickly got into a game with its siblings. “Let’s go over to the house.”

  She opened the lower door and waited for Cy and Alex before shutting it and latching it securely. The two men walked on either side of her. When she looked up, she saw Chance speaking with Kristen. He was leaning against the barn, his cowboy hat tipped back at a rakish angle. Beneath the silver maple, Katie paced back and forth talking on her phone.

  “Go on up to the house, Cy. I’ll be there in a minute.” She left the two men and walked over to her brother, curious what he was discussing with the woman from New York. “What’s up?”

  Kristen smiled at her as she joined them.

  “I was asking Kristen about the best place to put a stage in the barn.”

  “A stage? Why do we need a stage? The ceremony is supposed to be under the trellis in the backyard.”

  “For me. I was thinking after the wedding I could plan a few shows.”

  “Shows? Singing? You?”

  “Well, not just me. I could find people. Local people, or friends passing through on their tours.”

  “Chance, we’re kind of out in the middle of nowhere. Who’s going to come to shows in Bear Meadows, Pennsylvania?”

  Great, now her little brother thought he was a producer. And how much was this going to cost?

  “I’ve got a problem.” Slipping the phone into a pocket of her jeans, Katie walked up the incline to where the three of them stood.

  “I’ll leave you two alone then.” Sera started to leave.

  “I’m afraid this concerns you, too, Sera.” Katie frowned. “My sister just phoned me. Somewhere in South Dakota, she and Josh have decided to call off the wedding.”

  Sera felt sick. She was back to two streams of income. She turned and saw Cy and Alex waiting on the back porch. And from the look on Cy’s face, if she weren’t careful, she would soon be down to one.

  * * *

  ALL ALEX COULD think about was telling his cousin that he, Alex, had his back. That Cy could count on him. So what was he doing taking advantage of the first moment he had alone with Sera to steal a kiss?

  Alex recognized both of the women standing with Sera. This had been the first day in a week he hadn’t been on the road before breakfast. His stomach dropped as the three women and Chance started toward the house.

  “Have a seat, ladies. I’ll bring out some iced tea.” Sera disappeared into the kitchen.

  Brow furrowed, Katie Valentine stopped abruptly in front of him. Then her look of confusion cleared. She reached out her hand. “Alex Kimmel. Fancy meeting you here.”

  Sera returned with a pitcher and glasses. “You two know each other?”

  “Don’t forget, Alex has been a New Yorker for years, Sera.” Cy leaned against the porch railing, his eyes on Sera.

  Alex wondered why his cousin chose to point that out to Sera. Unless he was feeling insecure. Since his announcement about marriage, things had seemed to shift slightly between them. He reached out to shake Katie’s hand. “Nice to see you again.” He caught Sera’s surprised expression.

  Sera handed both Katie and Kristen glasses where they had settled onto the swing. “So how do you know each other?”

  “We did an interview.” Katie looked at Alex. “Do you know Kristen, Alex? She owns Kristen Rose Events.”

  Alex leaned forward and shook the other woman’s hand, relieved that Katie had sidestepped Sera’s question. “You handled the wedding for the mayor’s daughter last year. I heard you did an exceptional job.”

  She inclined her head and grinned. “Thank you for saying so.”

  Chance perched on the porch railing near the swing. “So you think the back corner is the best place for the stage?”

  For once, Alex was glad the aspiring country star was self-absorbed. He had no desire to revisit the embarrassing news interview with Katie Valentine.

  “Wait a minute, Chance. We have to talk about the wedding.” Sera looked at Katie. “So does everything stop?”

  Katie gazed up at the porch ceiling, obviously thinking. “I should run this by my parents.” She sipped iced tea, her thoughts far away. She paused and said to Sera, “We’ll stay on track until my parents come home. In the meantime, let’s hope this is just a case of cold feet.”

  * * *

  SERA LAY FLAT on her back on the carpet in front of the fireplace, trying to stretch out the pain in her back, caused by the hours of hand weeding the tomato patch. Bella sat in her crib, talking to her in unintelligible baby gibberish.

  “How’s my girl this morning?” Chance walked into the room and picked up his daughter, who chortled and waved her arms in delight. He looked down at Sera, as if surprised to see her there. “What are you doing on the floor?”

  “My back’s killing me.” Sera brought her knees to her chest. Her back muscles contracted, then relaxed. She sighed with relief.

  “Maybe you should go to the chiropractor.”

  Let’s throw some more money away. Sera glanced at her brother, wondering if he could read her thoughts but he was oblivious. He sat in the chair at her feet and shook a rattle for the baby. “I need a check for the carpenter today.”

  Sera lifted her head from the floor. “What did you say?” She had heard him, but she couldn’t possibly have heard correctly. “Why do you want a check from me?”

  “The stage in the barn benefits Last Chance Farm, so I figured the farm should pay for the fixing up.”

  “But neither the wedding nor the farm require a stage. The stage was your idea.”

  “For possible future concerts.”

  “Possible? I thought you were making arrangements for singers.”

  “Well, about that...” He stood, the baby in his arms. “Let me see if Jean’s here yet, then we can talk.”

  Sera dropped her head to the carpet and closed her eyes. Was Chance’s lack of maturity her fault? Should she have sheltered him less? Or were a lot of twentysomethings that immature?

  He walked back into the room, his arms free. “Jean’s here. She loves looking after Bella.” He sat down. “There are a couple things I’ve been meaning to talk over with you.”

  Bringing her knees to her chest once again, Sera wrapped her arms around them, then rocked the small of her back on the carpet. Jean was another issue. Why did Chance need a sitter when he wasn’t working? Luckily so far Jean had refused payment. “Shoot,” she grunted.

  “Alex, for one. How long is he staying here?”

  Sera gritted her teeth. She wished Chance would drop his assault of Alex. “Until his work’s done. Why? He’s paying rent and we can use the money.”

  Chance propped his ankle on his knee and rubbed his whiskered chin. “Did you see his interview with Katie Valentine on TV?”

  “How could I? We don’t have a television.”

  Chance tilted his head toward the ten-year-old model on the other side of the room that had been too heavy to carry out. “Yes, you do.”

  “We don’t have cable out here.”

  “People in the country use satellite dishes.”

  “I can’t afford satellite. I can barely afford internet. Luckily it comes with the phone line package.” She sat up and leaned back on her arms. “So what about Alex?”

  “Find the interview online. He doesn’t come across as a nice guy. I’m just not sure of his motives. And I don’t like how he looks at you.”

  “What?” Chance had a different girl every day of the week and he didn’t like one man in ten years showing an interest in his much older sister? Sera shook her head in confusion.

  “I thought you and Cy were an item.”

  “What made you think that?”<
br />
  “You went to New York together.”

  Sera shut her eyes. “It didn’t happen. And I don’t want to talk about it, Chance. You want me to pay the carpenter. Put the bill on the desk. I have work to do.” She pushed herself into a sitting position. “Are we done?”

  Staring down at the floor, Chance ran his hand through his wavy locks of hair and took a deep breath. Then he winked and gave her his charming Nashville smile. “I got an offer.”

  Sera’s heart stopped but her brain seemed to speed up, trying to decipher the four simple words. Her words came out hoarse. “You got an offer?”

  He nodded and then stood, obviously too excited to sit still. “The Grand Ole Opry needs a backup guitarist.” He paced back and forth across the carpet, right over the spot where Sera had just stretched out her back. He turned and held out his hands as if beseeching her. “Do you know where this could lead? Do you have any idea?” His smile was wide as he paced.

  “You’re going back to Nashville?”

  Chance continued his pacing and waving. “Well, heck yeah. Dad would want me to. Don’t you?” He paused then and stared at her, still smiling.

  “But, Chance, what about Bella?”

  Chance shrugged. “She’s fine, Sera. I already talked to Jean. She doesn’t mind staying a little longer every day. You and Aunt Hope would just have Bella in the evenings, and she sleeps most of the time.” He whooped and threw his hands in the air. “Finally, Dad’s predictions are coming true.”

  Sera leaned back against the couch and shut her eyes. Chance would have to celebrate his good news alone, because she just wasn’t up for it.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  UP AT THE crack of dawn, Sera wore a T-shirt and shorts for her morning run. Though the sky in the west was dark, the rising sun was warm and bright. Chance had been gone a week. So far, Jean had been a great help with the baby and showed no signs of tiring. She said she loved being around the baby, especially since Cy showed no signs of marrying.

  As the morning went on, the clouds moved in until the only bit of blue was a strip over the far ridgeline. Arms crossed, Sera leaned against the kitchen door watching the storm front approaching from the west. Through the screen she had felt the temperature drop just in the last ten minutes. The ridgetops were already grayed out, and she could see sheets of rain descending across the creek.

  “The air coming through that door’s getting cold.” Wearing her everyday slippers, Aunt Hope padded into the kitchen and came over to stand beside her. She had been much happier since Bella’s arrival and the subsequent decision to keep the farm. A rumble of thunder sounded. “Why don’t we have soup and sandwiches for lunch?”

  “Okay.” Sera wasn’t hungry, but since Jean had been spending the day with them to care for the baby while Sera was working, they had begun to make a regular meal.

  Jean walked in with Bella. The baby’s eyes were damp. She lay her head on Jean’s shoulder. “The thunder has the baby worked up.”

  “Lunch will be ready in a bit, Jean.” Hope opened the refrigerator door and looked inside.

  “I’ll make a bottle for Bella.”

  “I’ll get it.” Sera found the formula. After a midnight wakening, she had quickly learned how to fix a bottle. “I can’t believe how dark it is.” Worry ate at her. “Is this supposed to move through quickly?”

  Jean sat in the rocker with the fussy baby. “I haven’t heard.” Taking the bottle, she cradled the baby in her arms. “Is Alex here?”

  “He’s checking on some property near Shadow Falls.” Sera glanced out the window over the sink. “The rain should bring the corn on. I can probably start picking next week.”

  “Last Friday, the ladies at Vera’s asked when your corn would be ready. You should have lots of customers.” Hope placed bread and leftover sliced turkey on the table. Thunder crashed somewhere close by, and all three of the women jumped. The bottle forgotten, Bella opened her mouth and wailed.

  Sera glanced out the window. “Cy just pulled in.”

  Jean offered the bottle to the baby, who wanted no part of it. “I told him not to come until dinnertime.”

  “I wonder what he wants.” Cy had been distant since she had told him the sale was off.

  He ran out of his truck and up the stairs. The door banged open. He scanned the room, his gaze finally lighting on his mother, rocking the baby. “You have to come with me, Mom.”

  “What happened?” Jean looked up. “This isn’t a good time, Cy. The baby’s fussy.”

  “Too bad. Dad fell down the cellar stairs.”

  “What?” She looked around as if unsure what to do with the baby. Sera took the child from her arms. “What happened?”

  “I guess the stairway was dark, and he was carrying a snack down the stairs and missed a step. Hurry up. He’s on his way to the hospital in the ambulance.”

  “The ambulance?” Her face drained of color, Jean seemed to be in shock.

  Sera spotted Jean’s purse on the counter and handed the bag to the woman, who then rushed out the door.

  Rocky nudged her knee. “You need to go out, fella? You better hurry up.” Sera pushed open the screen door and both dogs brushed past her and ran into the yard and out through the trellis.

  Since Jean had left, they didn’t bother with soup. After she and her great-aunt ate their sandwiches, Sera picked up her niece and they all went into the den. The room was so dark Sera turned on the desk lamp, then settled onto the couch. Maybe she and Bella would take a nap. The hail pinged on the windows.

  “I hope Bob is okay.” Settled in the Queen Anne chair with a book, Hope pulled an afghan onto her lap and stared out the window.

  “Cy said he’d call.” Sera looked down at her niece, whose dark lashes lay like petals on her pink cheeks. Rising carefully from the couch, Sera carried the child to the crib and laid her down. She covered her with Chance’s quilt, then returned to the couch with a sigh. “Finally,” she said quietly.

  The two women sat in silence, the only sound was the occasional rumble of thunder and the whisper of water running down the drainpipe. Sera was almost asleep when her great-aunt spoke.

  “I’m surprised your dogs aren’t in here. Lucky’s afraid of thunderstorms.”

  Sera’s eyes popped open. She was instantly awake. “Oh, no. I let them outside and forgot to bring them back in.” She jumped off the couch. “I should find them.” Running into the kitchen, she grabbed her poncho off the hook behind the door and sprinted onto the porch.

  In the time she, her great-aunt and niece had spent in the den, the temperature must’ve dropped thirty degrees. Wind and rain whipped sideways, hitting her poncho even while standing under the porch. She started down the steps and almost lost her footing. She looked down. “Oh, no.” Pea-sized balls of ice littered the ground and the steps leading up to the porch. She looked west, but there was no sign of the storm easing. “Here, Rocky. Here, Lucky.”

  Avoiding the ice as much as she could, she eased down the stairs and went hunting for her dogs. Thunder boomed and streaks of lightning followed. She was only a few feet away from the ancient silver maple when a branch came crashing down across the driveway. She dived back toward the house and landed on the gravel. The wet leaves of the long, heavy branch just covered her feet. She got to her hands and knees, her knees stinging from the impact with the gravel. She looked up just in time to see the wind bend the cornstalks sideways. The entire field of green was now no higher than her waist. She stared in disbelief. A light flashed. She turned and looked into headlight beams.

  “Sera, what happened?” Cy jumped out of his truck and came and knelt beside her. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine. What about your dad?”

  “He’s fine, too. Mom’s with him now. What are you doing outside?”

  “I can’t find
the dogs. They’re probably afraid. And the corn. Look at the corn, Cy.” She gripped his upper arms and stared up into his face. “The hail and the wind are ruining the corn.”

  Cy stood and pulled her to her feet as easily as if he were lifting a child. “Don’t worry about the corn. Let’s look for the dogs.”

  “I think they’re under the mock orange.” Sera ran across the lawn and lay down to peer under the bush. Two sets of brown eyes peered out at her. She stretched out her hand. “Come on, fellas. It’s okay.” But the two dogs just crouched closer to the base of the big bush.

  * * *

  THE STORM STRUCK just as he crossed the bridge over Little Bear Creek. Hail pelted the car. He hoped there was room in the shed so the hail didn’t damage Jean’s car. Driving around the corner of the house, he was surprised to see Cy’s truck, lights on and still running with the driver’s-side door open. Then he saw Cy and Sera running across the yard, each leading a wet dog. They disappeared into the house.

  Alex parked the car in the shed and then went and pulled Cy’s truck next to it. Sera’s truck was nowhere to be seen but of the three, he figured Old Blue could handle some hail damage.

  He took a deep breath and raced across the open space between the barn and the porch, slipping and sliding on round balls of ice. He opened the screen door just as Sera flew past him. “Sera.” He reached for her arm, but she shrugged him off.

  Cy stood next to him, just as soaking wet as Sera. “What’s she doing?”

  “She’s checking the corn.”

  “Why?”

  “She has some crazy idea she can save her crop.” Cy looked at him, his face grim. “There’s no chance in hell.” He started down the steps but stopped when Alex grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?”

  Cy turned and looked at him. Water streamed down Cy’s face, making his curly hair cling to his head. “I’m going to convince Sera the time has come for her to face reality.”

  Alex watched his cousin take huge strides through the yard. He walked as if the hail were cotton balls instead of ice. Cy reached the arbor and called back to him. “Help Hope dry off those dogs.” Then he strode off toward the barn.