Texas Temptation

by Kathryn Brocato

  “Mom, he has to have a place to stay for a few days. We can’t expect him to find a place in town the first night he’s here, can we?” She patted her mother’s forearm. “Stop worrying, it’ll be fine, you’ll see. It’s temporary. Just give the guy a chance to find a decent place in town. I know without a doubt that this is the right thing to do.”

  “And I know it’s not,” her mother insisted, with an equal amount of determination, clutching her apron with wet hands. “Put a stop to this, Hailey. Now!”

  “Come on, Mom, you’re getting your blood pressure up for nothing.” She circled her mom in her arms, offering an affectionate hug. “You’ll get used to the idea and realize that as usual, I’m right,” she teased, offering a silent prayer. Okay, Lord, it’s all about You and Dad. Soften her heart, please.

  Her mother’s stiff body wiggled from Hailey’s grasp, returning her attention to the vegetables with sharp agitation. “We’ll just see about that.”

  Something in her mom’s tone sent a warning flag to Hailey’s weary brain. “Now mom, you’re not going to fly off the handle like you did that time about poor Chester, are you?” The memory of her mother, letting loose with an earsplitting scream, chasing that poor little goat around the house with a broom, flashed through her mind. It was traumatic for the entire family, but especially for Chester.

  “I’m going to have a talk with Mr. What’s His Name, and we’ll straighten this mess out once and for all. You’re not reopening this business, and that’s final.” Her mother turned from the sink and stepped toward the back door, tugging and fumbling with the strings on her apron in an angry effort to remove it from her waist. “And we’re not having a total stranger living fifty feet from our back door, and that’s final.”

  “It’s fifty yards.” Hailey plucked a fresh ripe tomato from the countertop and stepped between her mother and the door. She held the tomato in the air. “Don’t make me use this, Mom.”

  “I’m in no mood, Hailey, and you’d best get out of my way. Now.”

  Hailey made moves at her mom as if she planned to launch the squishy red weapon at her. “Come on, Mom, be in the mood.”

  This was how her dad had always smoothed her mom’s ruffled feathers. Why wasn’t it working for her?

  Rinnie Holman slapped the tomato from her oldest daughter’s hand. It fell with a splat. Tomato seeds and juice covered the otherwise spotless floor. “Now look what you’ve done.” The words radiated at Hailey, and neither woman made a move to clean the mess.

  Hailey’s teasing instantly vanished. Her heart dropped. This was more serious than she thought. And more serious than she wanted it to be. “I’m sorry, Mom. I was only trying to … ” She stopped herself. She was going to admit that she was only trying to do what Dad would have done. But, admittedly, maybe she was trying too hard. Maybe she was pushing her mom too quickly. Her throat tried to close up and she swallowed hard.

  She certainly didn’t want to make her mom this upset.

  “I don’t mean any disrespect to you, Mom. I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too, Hailey. Yet you do what you absolutely well please regardless of how I feel or what I want.”

  Hailey ripped a few paper towels from the roll attached under the cabinet and stooped to scoop squashed tomato from the floor. “I’ll go talk to him myself. But I’ll be honest with you, Mom.” She stopped to look up at her mother. “I won’t tell him to leave, but I will tell him how you feel. I love you dearly, but I have to do this. It’s what I’m meant … ”

  “There you go again with that,” her mom shot back at her. “You sound like a blasted broken record. You have to do what you’re meant to do.”

  Hailey’s heart ached. She rose to her feet and stepped to the trashcan to drop the soggy wad of paper towels. She felt like a broken record sometimes. She felt like a broken something every time her and her mom went at it. All I want to do is help mend this family. All I want to do is keep us together and afloat. All I want is for my dad to be here.

  As the door closed behind her, Hailey heard the angry tones of her mom’s voice calling after her daughter. “You’re meant to break your mother’s heart? That’s what you’re meant to do?”

  The words jabbed at her own heart. “No, Mom,” she whispered, stepping out onto the yellow brick road. “But I am meant to carry on. And so are you.”

  Her thoughts fled to the One she knew she could turn to. Oh, Lord, please. Reason with her. Put it in her heart to understand. I know I keep asking You. I have to trust You.

  Hailey continued on the path leading her to the other side of the hangar and to the cottage, where Jack Stinson had pulled his Jeep around to unpack what he’d need for a few days.

  She wasn’t sure yet what she would say to him. His introduction to the Watsons didn’t go so well. How would he take her mom’s objections? The words will come, she reminded herself. Somehow, they always did.

  She stopped in her tracks. Jack was treading the steps between his vehicle and the cottage.

  The handsome lines of his face intrigued her. He had the sturdy shoulders of a linebacker. And the steady stride of a man on a mission. He seemed so perfect for her … for the business.

  She gave herself a swift reminder. I’m not going to look at this man on a personal level. I can’t think of him as anything more than a colleague. An employee. A fine-looking employee … Sigh. Lord, help us, please. As she approached the Jeep, Jack looked her way and hoisted a bag of hanging clothes over a shoulder. “Well, Miss Holman,” was the extent of his greeting.

  Her nod his way was slow and thoughtful. “Well, Mr. Stinson.” She attempted a genuine smile, but right now her lips feel heavy. I will not look at his eyes. This might be a bit more difficult than she thought.

  First thing, she would take care of the damage done to his vehicle. And then she’d dig deep into her soul and insist that they get down to business. Putting in place her and dad’s safety policies and procedures first and foremost. Then making sure the Skycat IV is air worthy. The sooner the business reopened, the sooner her mom would work through the process of accepting it. It would be the best therapy for all of them. The same as it always has been for Hailey.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Hailey patted the Jeep’s rear end. “I’ll have this taken care of for you, Jack.”

  He threw her what he hoped was a no-nonsense look. “No need.”

  “Yes, need. First thing tomorrow, after I get you started working.” She flashed him a “See, everything’s going to be fine” smile. “It’s the least I can do.”

  “I said no. But thank you. That’s not necessary.” He repeated a bit firmer, transferring the bag from his shoulder to hang over his forearm.

  “I said I’ll take care of it and I insist.”

  He stiffened his back and observed her with a stern eye. Stubborn woman. “Are you always this bull-headed?”

  “Apparently.” She offered him a jovial smile, but he didn’t return the favor. “Okay, maybe. Yes, guilty. Bull-headed. But only when I feel strongly about something. Shouldn’t we all stand firm on things we believe in?”

  “I’ve always thought so,” he conceded. “But there’s a difference between standing firm and being just plain stubborn.” Stubborn woman, he repeated to himself.

  “Good. We’re on the same page.” She moistened her lips and pushed a wisp of hair behind her ear, as if the matter was perfectly settled. “Because I have something else to talk to you about.”

  “Don’t tell me,” his voice was flat. “The Watson boys are back.”

  “No. Of course not. Nothing that … simple. Besides, you would have heard Kisses tearing down the curtains by now if they were back.”

  He eyed her in tight-lipped silence as she continued.

  “This is about my mom.” She scratched her ear. And watched a sparrow flit
from one electric pole to the next. “She’s not exactly thrilled with the idea of my reopening the business.”

  He didn’t hesitate. “That seems to be a universal consensus around here.” His stare lingered on her face, waiting for the next bombshell. “I’m beginning to wonder why, exactly.”

  “Maybe it’s the enemy.”

  Enemy. Was she kidding?

  “You don’t believe me?”

  “Yah, you have enemies alright. At least two that I know of. Plus a mother with a serious problem, from what you’re telling me. You might as well go ahead and spill. How many more enemies are there?” He braced himself.

  The reluctance in her eyes made his stomach sink. Who was he kidding? He was about a step and a half out of here already, so if she had more, what did it matter? Tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep …

  “It does seem like we have some obstacles. But they’re not deal breakers,” she insisted.

  “No? What would constitute a deal breaker to you? The earth opening up and swallowing that whole hangar over there?” He jerked his head toward the metal building.

  “Maybe.” She shrugged. “Ya gotta know the difference between a deal breaker and a challenge.”

  “I want to know what I’m up against here. Just tell me,” he said tiredly.

  “I can sure understand that. And I’m sorry. Since you got here it’s been … trying.”

  Trying? He rubbed the back of his neck. No, it’s been crazy.

  She took his cue. “Look, you’ve had a long day. We all have. Go on in and relax. Tomorrow’s going to look different, I promise. Don’t worry about Neal and Paul. I’ll get that light fixed tomorrow. And don’t be concerned about my mom … .”

  “I said, I’ll take care of the light.” Jack undraped the garment bag from his arm and rested it on the hood, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t evade the subject. Right now I want to hear your mother’s concerns about this business.”

  “I’m not evading anything. Okay, yes, I can’t lie. I’m evading. But we can’t discuss the car later. I have to settle it now.”

  “Look, Hailey. Ms. Holman. I’m exhausted. I want to shower and relax. Now, please. Tell me what you need to tell me about your mom.”

  “Okay, then. Since you’re too tired and grumpy to be reasonable, we’ll discuss the light later. And I’ll give you the short version of my mother’s objections. That is, unless you’d like the seven-hour version, and in that case … ”

  “Another short version. Give me,” he let out a sigh, “the short version.”

  “Good choice. Because there really is a long and short version to every situation.”

  Silence. Glare. It was his only choice to move this conversation along.

  “Alright, alright, I don’t have time to go into the life history of my mom and her endless list of objections to the way I’ve turned out, so in the interest of time … ”

  “Just give me the short version, please,” he interrupted. “Give me any version.” He leaned against the Jeep with a weary thud.

  She took in a deep breath. “All right. The short version.” She smiled. “My mom’s always hated our love for flying, and she doesn’t think I can handle running the business on my own. Which, I won’t be on my own, since I have you.”

  He returned her wide smile with more deadpan silence.

  Hailey continued. “She refuses to recognize the fact I helped my father run this business before I left for college. She hated it then, she hates it now. My dad trusted me to take care of things. Why can’t she?”

  He didn’t bother to hide his annoyance. “Maybe she just wants to make sure you’re not in over your head. That’s not an unreasonable thought, you know.”

  “It’s more than that. And don’t defend her. You don’t know the situation.”

  “Just like I didn’t know the situation with the Watsons. If I’m going to put my reputation on the line, then I need to know what I’m getting into.”

  A look of determination replaced annoyance on her face. “It’s flying. My mom hates anything to do with flying. She’s obsessed with hating it.”

  He raised himself to stand upright. This is getting more complicated by the minute. “Is that how your father … ” His voice trailed off.

  “No. Flying was my dad’s life.” She met his eyes boldly. “Flying had nothing to do with his death.” Mist stung her eyes but she worked to hold it in check. “He had a heart attack.”

  He hesitated. “I can see how the business could stir up painful memories for her. Can’t you?”

  “Why are you defending her again? She has to face the memories head on, every memory, like we all have. Then she can get past that pain and remember the joy again. She knows how much flying meant to my dad. And she insists that I give it up even though she knows how much it’s always meant to us. She just wants to control me, that’s all. Why can’t she be thankful we still have something left that was so much a part of Dad?”

  He stiffened. If anyone knew anything about trying to be controlled, it was him. And her mom might be a little insistent, but controlling? From what he perceived of Hailey so far, he wasn’t sure anyone on earth could control her.

  “Everyone’s different. Cut your mother some slack. Your joy happens to be her pain. Maybe you need to sit back and show her some sensitivity. See it from her side.”

  “I can’t believe you!” Blue eyes flared. “Why do you insist on taking her side? I’m not being insensitive. I’m very sensitive to how she feels. She’s being stubborn. It’s the one thing she couldn’t control in my father. No matter what’s happened in the past, I was born to fly, Jack. And she’ll have to get used to it with me, just as she had to get used to it with Dad.”

  “Obviously, she didn’t get used to it with your dad, Hailey. She may have tolerated it. And from what I’m seeing here, stubborn didn’t fall far from the tree.” He reached to close the Jeep door with a solid push. “Listen, I don’t think this is going to work out for me. I’m here for two reasons. To do what I love, which is working on planes. And to find some sense of peace in my life. Obviously this is the wrong place for either. I’ll stay here at your cottage tonight if that’s okay, and be on my way tomorrow. We’ll call it even. Lodging for a night in exchange for you not having the taillight fixed.” He held his hand out to her. “Let’s just shake on it. How’s that?”

  She ignored his hand. “I certainly won’t hold you here, but for heaven’s sake, Jack, don’t let these little things scare you away.”

  “Little things? You have two drunken lunatics out to stop you from opening this business. They might be nuisances you’re used to dealing with, but come on, I’m thinking it’s bound to be a little nuts around here and since my goal is a significant lifestyle change, that’s not exactly the scenario I’m looking for. And your own mom is so disturbed by what you’re doing that she’s throwing produce at you.”

  “Oh. You heard.”

  “Ms. Holman, I’m not sure exactly how big this county is, but I’m sure at least half of it heard. I wasn’t going to mention it because I thought it might embarrass you. So your idea of ‘little things,’” he air parenthesized the words, “don’t compute to ‘little things’ in my book. This situation seems hopeless from where I stand.”

  She nodded. “Okay, I can see your point. Jack, I’ll tell ya, when God writes a big fat N-O in the sky, then I’ll say that’s a big thing. Then the plans will be over.”

  The look he cast in her direction hopefully conveyed his skepticism.

  “Seriously, Jack. But I can tell you that’s not going to happen. It’s my calling. I know it as sure as I know that I’m Web Holman’s oldest daughter.”

  He squeezed the spot between his eyebrows before giving her a frustrated sigh. “I’ll tell you what. I’m probably going to regret this, but I do not go
back on my word.” He rubbed a hand over his face and then looked her square in the eye. “I’ll stay until you find another victim … I mean applicant. Or until I find another job. Whichever comes first. And then I’m gone. Agreed?”

  He knew he’d won this round when she met his hand halfway with hers. Maybe this isn’t the right job for him after all.

  Jack watched the confident young woman make her way back along the brick walkway and into the back door of the main house.

  He didn’t know whether to be irritated with her or impressed. She certainly knew what she wanted, he had to give her that. He’d never met anyone like her. Whether that was good or bad was yet to be seen.

  Jack moved up the steps and onto the cottage porch. He’d unloaded enough of his things to get by. At this point he really wasn’t sure whether he’d be here one day or ten, but he had always been good for his word. He stopped in his tracks. Did I just promise to stay until she finds someone else? He groaned out loud. I need to have my head examined.

  Walking into the living room of the well-crafted cottage, he tossed his keys onto the entry table and set his clothes and bag on the nearest chair. He surveyed the homey surroundings before sinking down on the blue and white striped sofa.

  A weary sigh slipped through his lips. What is it she kept saying? That this business was her “calling”? He massaged his aching temples. The only calling he could remember hearing about was someone being “called” into the ministry.

  Jack tossed the thoughts around in his head. It seemed so complicated. What would his calling be? What about his dad? What about those boys … those Watson boys? We choose a path and hope it’s the right one. It’s our choice to make. God just makes sure we behave ourselves. He’s sort of the big disciplinarian in the sky. Right?

  Jack tugged at his boots, letting them drop to the floor before falling back to stretch across the sofa. He let his eyes fall shut. Maybe he should have continued to attend church with his mother after he’d started working at the company. But who could spare the time? As it was, he’d been working seven days a week. His father had never seen the need for church. Maybe that was reason enough to have continued going with her, Jack thought wryly.