Pumpkins, Cowboys & Guitars

by Patti Ann Colt

  “You have to see Bill to understand why I felt the way I did. I want you to meet him. I want to start back at the beginning and show you everything.”

  Kendra stuffed her hands in her jeans pockets and dug her toe in the grass. He’d give anything to see the look in her eyes, but she was looking at everything but him.

  “I want to jump ahead and say I forgive you. I want to put this behind us and pick up where we left off. But I can’t. Not yet, anyway. I’m shattered inside, Shane. I’ve spent the last year trying to put myself back together after my father betrayed everyone and everything I thought he stood for. I didn’t see this coming from you and that makes me doubt myself.” She pressed her hand against her chest. Shane could feel the pain radiating off her. “What if I can’t work this through?”

  Shane swallowed hard. “Well, I’ll have to keep trying until you can.”

  ∞∞∞∞

  Kendra licked her fingers and stepped back from Bill’s birthday cake. She’d made a simple, two-layered melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cake. She’d sliced each layer in half and put white buttercream frosting between each quarter layer and then on the top and sides. The square cake had ended up about five inches tall. She’d put red and white Texas flag stripes on the side and blue stars around the edges. Then she’d created a gold rearing horse in the center of the cake. It needed something. But what?

  The Low Down’s desserts were on the counter and waiting and this was the last thing she had to do before showering.

  Her nerves were jumping like she’d mainlined caffeine. She was fussing in her head over what she planned to wear – her jeans, sandals, and a red-striped blouse. Hair up or down? Up? And God, she hadn’t fussed this much since her first date with Shane.

  She stepped back from the cake. Maybe it was okay.

  “Kennie?” Shane stood in her kitchen doorway. “I knocked. You didn’t hear me.”

  “Don’t knock. It’s not necessary. Especially since you’re getting in anyway and washing dishes.”

  He grinned at her. “Well, that was the deal.” The teasing dropped from his eyes and changed to amazement. “What is this? It’s wonderful.”

  “Bill’s birthday cake. It needs something. I think.”

  He stepped to the counter and turned the cake to all four sides. “It doesn’t need a damn thing. It looks fabulous. Taste?”

  “Pieces left. Over there.” She pointed him to the few spots that had broken away when she sliced to make the layers.

  He brushed against her and popped a piece in his mouth. “Mmmm, yep. Really good. Is there anything you make that isn’t really good?”

  “Hmmm, probably should let you try the experiment that’s in the garbage, but I’ll take the fifth on that and say no.” She grinned at him and turned Bill’s cake again. “You really think this is enough?”

  He leaned over her shoulder. “I think Bill will be thrilled. It looks like Goldie is wild and free and you can’t get much better than that.”

  She dropped her frosting knife to the counter. “Okay, then. What are you doing here? I thought I was meeting you at the Low Down and leaving my car there.”

  “You are. I was on the way to the ranch to get the trailer and round up Goldie. Wanted to stop and say good morning and do this.”

  He kissed her.

  Oh God, she missed this, too. She savored the warmth of his lips, but mourned that he was being so careful. In this, at least, she could give a little. What would it hurt? If that was a justification for doing what she was dying to do, then so be it. She fully shifted into his arms and thrilled at the solid length of him against her. His intake of breath was all the encouragement she needed. She traced his lips with her tongue and delighted in how fast he responded.

  “Ah, Kennie,” he whispered against her lips.

  “Shh. Kiss me.”

  He lifted her to the edge of the counter and she wrapped her legs around his waist. His mouth sealed over hers and their tongues danced together, sending shivers through her. His hands laced with her fingers, seeming not to care they were sticky with frosting. He tasted like the chocolate he’d eaten and coffee. She was breathless when he pulled away.

  His pulse pounded in his neck. “I didn’t come here for this.”

  She nuzzled him and kissed the spot. “Don’t ruin a stellar idea with a bunch of regrets. We’re starting over, right?” She dropped her legs.

  “I hope so.” He kissed her forehead and helped her down.

  “I have to clean up in here and shower.”

  “I’ll leave you to that then.” He reached for another piece of cake, kissed her again and left.

  She contemplated her reaction to his touch all the way through washing dishes and her shower. Should she hold back and wait until she sorted out her feelings a bit better?

  What’s to sort out? You wouldn’t have been so hurt if you didn’t love him.

  “Or at least love who I thought he was.” She grimaced at herself and brushed her wet hair.

  Was it possible she could like this new Shane even more than she liked the old one?

  She dropped her brush on the counter and stared in the mirror. “If you don’t open your eyes, Kendra, you might miss the whole picture.” Shane had only showed her a part of who he was. Lie aside, what happened when he trusted her with everything? Would she fall more in love than she already was?

  Yes, she loved him. She hadn’t said the words, holding back to protect herself. So did that mean she hadn’t shown all her true self to Shane either?

  “Oh God, Kendra.” She walked back to the bedroom and collapsed on the bed. “Pot. Kettle. Black.” Maybe she hadn’t liked the lie, but maybe like Amy Rose said, there was an intent involved. They’d only known each other three months. Even if he hadn’t hid his family and his years in rodeo, he wouldn’t have dumped his entire background in her lap at first. Levels of trust had to be tended like a delicate garden. She’d done as much to rip things out by the roots as he had, because she’d expected complete and total trust. Maybe she hadn’t earned it. She had issues with her father and his criminal activity which had put her in protect herself mode ever since. She couldn’t honestly say she’d let down her defenses, making earning her trust the most difficult of all.

  She pulled her hair back in an intricate braid and spent some time on her makeup ripping apart that thought, trying to justify her anger at Shane, but finding it fizzling. Consequently, she looked at the clock. “Late. Dammit.”

  She dressed hurriedly and loaded her car. Last in was Bill’s cake.

  “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Her high school English teacher’s favorite saying. A long time ago she and Cris had sat in in that class passing notes. The memory poked her.

  She took a tremulous breath and started her car.

  ∞∞∞∞

  Amy Rose rolled over in bed and looked at the clock. Sunday mornings were a light chore day. Jess usually got up early, drove down and cleaned the barn, fed the horses and let the hired hand take care of the cattle. He was always back before ten and they had breakfast together. He should be home any minute and they planned to pack boxes and spend part of the day moving to the big house.

  She stretched carefully, testing for morning sickness, and when all seemed well, she moved. She used the bathroom, got a glass of juice and pulled the mail on the kitchen table toward her. The post office had finally executed the forwarding order she’d left from the homestead to the ranch and they’d delivered an obnoxious pile yesterday. She’d been too tired to deal with it last night. She grabbed the recycling can and sat at the table. Advertisement, credit card offer, advertisement, advertisement. She tossed them all.

  She stopped on the envelope from the insurance company that held the homestead’s policy. She tore it open. “Probably another ‘fill out this form’ request.”

  She opened the letter and found a handwritten letter from the agent, an old friend of her father’s. The check in full made out to her for the house and her possessions t
ook her breath away. “Holy moley.”

  Amy Rose heard Jess’s truck pull up. She snatched the letter and went out to meet him, waving the check like a flag.

  Jess got out of his truck and swept her into his arms. “What is that?”

  “It’s a check made out to me. The insurance payment. Finally.” She went on tiptoe and kissed him. “That talk with my father really helped.”

  “More than you know.”

  She dropped back to her feet, puzzled at the sheepish expression on his face. “What does that mean?’

  Jess reached behind him and pulled a manila envelope off the seat. “I asked him for something else while I was there. Didn’t want to tell you and get your hopes up.” He handed the packet to her.

  “What did you do?” Amy Rose glanced at the envelope addressed to Jess, and opened the flap. She gave him a stern wife look and he shrugged.

  “Open it before you yell at me.” Jess leaned back against his truck and crossed his arms.

  She pulled out a sheaf of papers and stared at her father’s letterhead. “Per your request.” She turned over the top page and checked the document. The strength sapped out of her knees and she started to collapse to the ground. Jess grabbed her.

  “It’s a quit-claim deed.” She turned the paperwork over and over again. “It’s a quit-claim deed. We own the homestead!”

  “No, darling. You own the homestead. He gave it to you. That’s not exactly what I asked him to do.”

  Tears started and she didn’t bother to stop them. All the frustrations with her parents and the fire collapsed into relief and joy. “I thought that property was lost to me. What did you ask him to do?”

  “I asked him to sell it to me.” Jess shook his head. “He had to one up me. He sent me the papers to show me he could outfox me.”

  She hugged the papers to her chest. “Doesn’t matter. It’s ours!”

  “Well, that leads me to one more surprise.”

  “What could possibly be left?”

  He chuckled. “Good things come in threes?”

  She went into his arms and kissed him. “I’m going to be paying for this triplet thing for a long time, aren’t I?”

  “Going to use it as my excuse every time I want to surprise you.” He opened the door and picked up another thick manila envelope from the seat. “After I talked to your father, I met an architect. Was thinking that we should build a house on the site of the old homestead.”

  “Build a house?”

  “Well, we can’t live with my parents forever. I mean, I know for the first few months the babies are here, we’re going to need a lot of help, but after that I thought a new house on that land would be a good start for us and the babies.”

  Amy Rose choked up and couldn’t say anything for several breaths. “This is why I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too, honey.” He pulled her close and held her. She knew once and for all that she’d made the right decision to walk away from her father and all he’d been pressuring her to do.

  “This packet is for us to fill out to help him understand what we want before he does the design.”

  Amy Rose blew out a breath. “Oh wow. That’s not something I ever thought about.”

  “We have a lot of time.” He kissed the top of her head.

  “The Triple A lives. Oh my God, the Triple A lives, Jess! I think my grandmother is smiling.” Her lips trembled and she tipped her head up to kiss him again.

  He reached in his back pocket and wiped her tears with his handkerchief. “Yes, darlin’, I believe she is. The Triple A lives.”

  ∞∞∞ ∞∞∞

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Bill Fudd’s home was a small three bedroom house on the southeast side of Tyler, Texas. Neat and tidy on a corner lot, the red brick house had a small yard and a wide handicapped ramp to the front door. A green van sat in the driveway.

  Shane maneuvered the truck to the curb, careful to keep full access to the back of the horse trailer. “Bill lives here with his sister, Lexie. She’s widowed. Lost her husband in Iraq and has never remarried. She sells craft items online to supplement her income.”

  Kendra studied the other houses on the block. “Lots of tragedy, then. I bet you help out when you can.”

  Shane turned to her with somber eyes. “When I can and as much as I can. It’s why I took the horse, too. They couldn’t keep him.”

  She reached across the console for his hand. “I understand.”

  “I hope so, because I can’t stop what I’m doing. I promised myself I was in this for the long haul. A lot of his friends have dropped off, forgotten. I won’t do that.”

  She squeezed his fingers. “I know. I’m with you on that.”

  He turned his gaze back to the house. “This is Lexie’s house. Bill traveled with the rodeo, so didn’t really have a place he called home except his camper.”

  “Must be rough.”

  “Yeah, he can only sit in a chair if he’s propped and tied in. Lexie has to feed him. He’s lucky he can still swallow and has the ability to talk some.”

  A slender woman came out on the porch and waved. Shane got out of the truck and walked around to open the passenger door. Kendra stepped out. “Should I get the cake? It’s a bit hot in the truck.”

  “Yeah.”

  The woman came down the ramp to meet them. “He’s been awake since five a.m. waiting for you.”

  “Hi, Lexie.” Shane gave the woman a hug. “Lexie, this is Kendra Dawson. Kennie, this is Lexie.”

  Kendra wasn’t expecting a hug from the woman, but she returned the embrace.

  Lexie’s smile was wide and welcoming. “Welcome. So glad you could come.”

  Kendra reached into the truck for the cake.

  Shane shut the door behind her. “We brought Bill a cake. Kendra’s a pastry chef. Guarantee he’ll love it!”

  Kendra shifted the cake in her hands. “You’re partial.”

  “For your desserts, honey, you bet.” He winked at her.

  “Bill will love that. He never turns down sweets.” Lexie put a hand on the horse trailer. “Do you want to get Goldie out?”

  Shane lowered his voice even though there was no way Bill could hear him. “Did you tell him?”

  Lexie grinned. “No, I thought you might like to spring the surprise. I have his wheelchair parked back away from the door so he can’t see the street. He’s a bit teed off at me.”

  “Then let me get Goldie out and settle him some before we go in. Will Bill wonder what’s up?”

  Lexie looked back to the door. “Yeah, he probably will. How about we go in? Kendra and I will keep him occupied while you come back out.”

  “Okay with you, Kennie?”

  “Yeah.” She balanced the cake more firmly in her hands.

  The three walked up the ramp to the front door and Shane went in first. “Bill, if you don’t stop watching those dastardly Miami Dolphins, we’re gonna have words.”

  Bill Fudd had a shock of red hair and deep green eyes that danced with merriment. He was positioned in a wheelchair in front of the television in the living room wearing soft gray pants, an NFL t-shirt and tennis shoes. The channel was indeed on a football game.

  “Shane!” His voice was low and rough, but understandable.

  Shane went down on one knee. “Happy birthday! I brought someone for you to meet.” He held out a hand to Kendra.

  She handed the cake to Lexie, who disappeared to the kitchen. A cellphone rang and she heard the woman answer.

  Kendra moved closer to Shane and slipped her fingers through his. “Hi, Bill. I’m Kendra. Happy birthday.”

  “Girlfriend?” Bill grinned.

  “Friend and more.” Shane glanced up at her and shrugged. They really hadn’t talked about how she’d be introduced.

  Kendra squeezed Shane’s hand to reassure him. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Bill.”

  “Lies.” Mischievousness turned up the corners of Bill’s mouth.

  Shane
’s eyes filled with dismay and he squeezed her hand. “No, I only told her the good stuff.”

  “Good stuff is the lies.” Bill laughed. “She’s pretty, Shane. Keep her.”

  “I’m planning on it.”

  Kendra’s blushed, nerves falling away. “Hey, I’m standing right here.”

  Bill winked at her. “Leave him. I’m available. You’ll have to lead when we dance, though.”

  Kendra sat on the sofa to bring herself to Bill’s level. “No one told me you were such a flirt.” She tipped her head at Shane. “Why don’t you leave us alone?”

  Bill hooted.

  “Well, since I have a surprise for Bill, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Shane rose.

  “A surprise. Tell.”

  Shane gave a devilish laugh then cut it off. “No. Flirt with Kendra. I’ll be back.” He glanced at her and she sent him an “I’m okay” message with her eyes.

  “I brought cake, Bill.”

  “What kind?”

  “Double chocolate. What’s your favorite?

  By the time Shane came back, she knew every sweet concoction Bill liked, that he’d been a Miami Dolphin fan since age twelve when he’d met Dan Marino, that he’d been the class clown in high school, loved horses still and he couldn’t get enough zombie movies. He’d weaseled out of her how much in love she was with Shane.

  Shane came back in, holding up a finger. He went to the kitchen doorway. “You ready?”

  “Yes.” Lexie followed Shane back to the living room, cellphone still at her ear. “I’ll have to call you back.”

  “No business on Sunday.” Bill scowled at Lexie.

  “The only day I could connect with this supplier. You know that.”

  Bill frowned. “Okay. Only call, though.”

  “I promise, Bill.” She kissed the top of his head and lifted the locks on his wheelchair. She took a remote off the mantel.

  Shane went ahead of them. Kendra took her cellphone out, determined to take pictures. She walked down the ramp ahead of Bill’s motorized wheelchair.

  Lexie maneuvered Bill’s wheelchair to a spot on the sidewalk.