by Jill Sanders
She rushed into the bathroom, just in time to hear her sister lose her dinner. She didn't know what to do, so she stood outside the door, wishing she could do something, anything to help her.
When Lauren walked out of the stall, a hand on her stomach and a smile on her face, Alex encased her in a hug.
“Are you okay? Maybe we should take you home?” She pulled back and looked at her sister. Her eyes were a little dull. Her skin color was coming back, but she could see she wasn't back to her normal self, yet.
Lauren shook her head, “No, I'll be fine now.” She walked over and rinsed her mouth out, looking in the mirror at her sister. “I almost always only throw up once. Now it'll settle down.” She put a hand over her stomach again.
Alex wrapped her arms around her sister. “I'll be glad when the morning sickness is over.”
They both heard a squeal and looked over to see Savannah's back receding out the bathroom door.
Lauren looked over and shrugged. “Now at least we know that the news will travel fast.” She chuckled. “Come on, I'm sure my husband is worried sick.”
They walked out and when Chase saw them, he rushed over and took his wife in a light hug, whispering to her. Alex walked over and sat next to Grant, smiling to him. “She's okay.” She picked up her cold beer and took a sip as the couple came back and sat down.
“Alex, tell your sister we should head home.” Chase frowned and motioned towards Lauren.
Alex shook her head. “If you can get her to do something she doesn't want to, then you have more influence over her than I've ever had.”
Lauren laughed. “I'm fine, really.” She took a sip of her drink and smiled. “Besides, you promised to dance with me, cowboy.” She pulled Chase up off the chair and walked with him to the dance floor. Alex sighed when she saw them slowly gliding across the floor in each other’s arms.
“They look good together,” Grant said next to her ear. His arm came around her shoulders, pulling her closer.
“Yeah,” she sighed again, “they do.”
Just then Savannah walked up to them with two of her friends, a sneer plastered on her face.
“I hear congratulations are in order.” She crossed her arms over her chest, causing the buttons on the front of her red blouse to almost pop.
Alex nodded, not really giving her any attention. She knew she was just trying to provoke her in front of her friends. So instead, she pulled Grant away towards the dance floor.
“What was that all about?” he whispered into her ear as they slowly moved to the sad song.
“She walked into the bathroom right after Lauren was sick. She's been a friend of Lauren’s since they were kids. The least I can do is be polite when it concerns Lauren.” She leaned back and smiled up at him. “Doesn't mean I have to actually talk to her, though.”
He chuckled. “You know, I never did like that girl. She used to call me hippo.” He frowned and she could see the pain in his eyes. “Hungry hippo.”
“How horrible.” Alex looked around for Savannah, feeling like dumping something over her head again. Maybe a pitcher of beer?
He chuckled. “I'm supposed to be the one defending your honor, not the other way around.”
“Hmm. What?” She looked back up at him.
He chuckled and shook his head. “Never mind. Forget her. It was a long time ago and it didn't mean anything.” He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. “Besides, it made me a stronger person.” He kissed her again as they swayed on the dance floor.
“Mmmm, what were we talking about?” She laughed and pulled him down for another kiss.
Chapter Twelve
That night Alex stayed at Grant’s place again. He loved that he woke with her sexy scent filling his senses. Her soft skin was up against his, and when he opened his eyes and looked at her sleeping face, he started dreaming of their future together.
Tonight was the dinner with his folks, and even though he was a little nervous to bring her over, he was very eager to make it official with his folks. It wasn't as if they didn't know Alex. His dad and her dad had been best friends since grade school. He even thought that his folks were godparents to all three of the West sisters, but he wasn't sure.
He rolled over slightly and watched her sleep for the last few minutes before the alarm went off. Her blonde hair was tied back in a loose braid, which fell over her shoulder. It was soft and smelled of flowers. She'd brought some stuff over and now his bathroom was slowly filling up with sexy smelling bottles.
Her skin was soft and the color of ripe peaches. Her lips were pink and always tasted so good that he never wanted to stop tasting them. Reaching over, he ran his fingertips over her cheek. In sleep, she moaned and snuggled closer to him, causing his body to react to the nearness of her naked one. Closing his eyes, he thought that if she woke, he might be late feeding the livestock again. When her dark eyes slid open, he knew he wouldn’t be leaving the bed for a while.
When he finally made it outside, he walked out onto the porch to rain and thunder. He went back in and grabbed his rain jacket and boots and made his morning rounds.
By noon the sun had broken through the layer of clouds, and sweat was pouring down his back as he worked with one of his new horses. Alex had left shortly after sun up, heading into work at the diner. He was going to pick her up at home around six thirty so they would be at his folks in plenty of time for dinner. His mother was a stickler for punctuality. She always had been, so he'd learned at an early age to be someone who was always early.
He'd gotten the corral back up and the smaller animals spent a lot of time there playing in the sun, while the horses and cattle spent their days in the larger fields.
He loved that his little piece of land was crowded with all kinds of animals. He'd never really been allowed a pet growing up, though he'd tried several times as a child to talk his parents into it. His mother was the classic Type A personality and vacuumed and swept at least four times a day. Animal hair was the last thing she would have allowed in her house.
Over the years, he'd brought home everything from kittens to a small alligator he'd found in the grass behind a dumpster when they'd taken a trip near the coast one weekend.
He'd begged his mother to let him keep the little guy when she'd caught him letting Roger swim in the bathtub. It had been three days since he'd snuck him into the house under his jacket. He'd promised her that Roger would live in the bathtub and wouldn't get the rest of the house dirty. But in the end, his father had taken Roger away, promising he'd deliver him back to the water.
As he looked around his yard now, he smiled at the diversity he saw there. He had a lot of different kinds of animals, but no alligators.
He chuckled at the geese and ducks as they fought for space in his small pond. For some reason they kept coming back, and even though he technically had no claim to them, he thought of them as his. It didn't hurt that he threw them his stale bread every day. He knew they nested in the tall grass around the smaller pond.
He smiled and looked around again. The place was his, and there was no way he was going to leave it anytime soon. It was home, and he knew who he wanted to share it with in the future.
He looked off towards the house where he could just imagine Alex coming out the back door and waving at him. Children would be running around the trimmed back yard, chasing each other, three of them, maybe four. She'd plant flowers in all the window boxes and along the back pathway; their sunny faces would catch the sunlight.
Looking down at his watch, he realized he'd spent too much time daydreaming and was likely going to be late. Gathering the animals, he tucked them away for the night and went in to shower and change, making sure to put on his good shirt and tie for his mother's sake.
When he drove through Saddleback Ranch's gates, he noticed the large herd of cattle being driven into the fields by half-a-dozen ranch hands. Waving, he continued up the long drive and stopped in front of the front porch. The place was sure big, almost tri
ple the size of his house.
He knew the third floor was a large attic, but even so, the place had enough room for the four people living in it to be comfortable. His heart skipped and he began wondering what it would take to convince Alex to live in a smaller place.
By the time he walked up to the front door and knocked, he'd pretty much talked himself into believing that she'd never agree to live on a small farm with a man who used to be chubby and nearsighted and the victim of bullying.
As the door opened, he wondered why she was even agreeing to go to dinner with him at all. Nothing could have prepared him for the classy woman he saw on the other side of the threshold.
Alex was so nervous, she'd changed her outfit seven times. A new record. She finally ran into Haley's room wrapped in only her towel and started digging through her closet. When Haley walked in ten minutes later, she squealed.
“What are you doing?” Haley bent down and picked up the brown skirt Alex had tossed on the floor by accident.
“Help!” She turned around with a desperate look in her eyes. “Dinner. The Holton’s. Less than an hour away.”
Haley smiled and grabbed her sister's shoulders. “Breathe. We'll make it through this.” Then she closed her eyes and Alex could tell she was imagining the best outfit. Alex knew that Haley had a talent for seeing which clothes would be perfect, so she stood silent until finally Haley opened her eyes and a large smile crossed her face.
“Come with me.” She tugged her hand until she followed her down the hall. At first Alex thought she meant to take her into Lauren and Chase's room. Lauren had nice clothes, but she was at least two sizes bigger around the hips than Alex. Even Haley's clothes were a whole size bigger, but with the right belt, Alex could have made it happen. But when Haley walked past her sister's bedroom, she felt even more frustrated.
“Where are you taking me?” She tugged a little on her sister's hand.
“Wait and see.” Haley pulled her towards the door that lead up to the attic. Alex hadn't been up there in years. To be honest, she didn't want to go up there. There were too many memories of her mother, too many emotions. She'd avoided opening the heavy wood door as long as she could. Now she followed Haley up the narrow stairs, listening to them creak as they made their way into the darkness above.
“Haley.” She felt like pulling away from her sister's light grip and running.
“Just wait. You're going to love this. I was up here the other day, seeing if there was anything up here for our surprise.” She whispered the last part. “Anyway, I stumbled upon this old trunk full of clothes. I think they were Grandma's, maybe Mother’s.” She shrugged her shoulder and dropped Alex's hand. “Anyway, I found the most perfect dress.” Haley bent down and opened the lid of the old box.
Alex's first thought was that anything that came from it must be too old and destroyed by now, but when Haley fished around and pulled out a square of dark gray material, Alex took a step closer.
“What is that?” She bent down and took the square from her sister. Haley sat back and smiled.
Alex opened the vacuum-sealed bag and pulled out the dress. It was gorgeous. The light material easily straightened as she shook it out. A large collar crossed over the breasts and hung below the shoulders on the sides; the half-sleeves would hit her mid-arm. There were two oversized buttons that would sit across her lower ribs, just above a wide black belt with a simple silver buckle. The skirt flared out, and when she held it up to her, she realized it would hit her mid-calf.
Looking down at Haley, she smiled. “It's perfect.”
“Oh…” Haley turned and dug around the trunk again. “There are shoes.” She pulled out pair after pair, some of which Alex swore she'd come back upstairs and try on later. Finally, she pulled out a pair of simple yet elegant black heels, which would have been all the rage in the thirties. If only they fit.
Haley set them down in front of her, since her feet were bare. She slipped right into them and closed her eyes at the comfort she found.
“If they were a size smaller, Lauren would fit into them, or a size bigger and they’d be perfect for me. But,” Haley looked up at Alex and smiled, “they were meant for you. They're perfect.”
She smiled down at her little sister and for a moment believed in destiny. It took almost a half an hour for her to settle on a hairstyle. In the end, she let Lauren come in and tie her hair up in a bun at the top of her head. Lauren had rushed back to her room and pulled out their mother's pearl earrings and choker to finish the ensemble. Looking in the full-length mirror in Lauren's room, the three sisters sighed together.
“You look like mother,” Lauren said, under her breath.
“Really?” Alex turned a little, and the skirt of the dress twirled around her. She could barely remember what her mother had looked like. But she had to admit, she'd never looked better. None of her short skirts and tube tops had ever done what the simple, elegant dress was doing for her now. Classy was the best word for it. Now if she could just pull it off for the night, maybe she wouldn't screw up her relationship with Grant.
Five minutes before he was scheduled to arrive, she put the finishing touches on her make up and walked down the stairs to wait. Haley had snapped a few pictures of her as she'd walked down the long staircase. Her sister had always tried to capture special moments such as this, but for the most part, she and Lauren had done everything they could to avoid posing for long sessions in front of their sister's camera.
“Just one more,” Haley said just as the light knock sounded at the door.
Alex walked over and, taking a deep breath, pulled open the door.
The look on Grant's face was priceless. He was only jolted out of his shocked state by the click of Haley's camera. His eyes blinked a few times, and she thought she saw him sway a little.
Reaching out, she took his arm and laughed. “Grant?” He looked good in a black blazer and slacks. His collared shirt was loose at the top, and he’d left the top button undone.
“Just give me a moment.” He closed his eyes quickly, then re-opened them. A smile slowly crossed his lips. “Wow.”
Alex smiled and Lauren and Haley laughed in the background.
“Wow,” he said again and shook his head slightly. “Where—?” He started, then shook his head again.
“It was our grandmother's. Well, at least we think it was. Do you like it?” She turned for him, showing him how the skirt swayed with her movements.
“I love it. You look so…” He shook his head again as she smiled.
“Thank you.” Then she looked down and smiled even more. “Are those for me?”
“Huh?” He looked down at the small bouquet of white flowers he was carrying. They looked as soft as the material she was wearing and no doubt smelled as good. “Oh, yeah.” He handed them to her, his eyes still fixed on her. Then his eyes traveled down to her feet and she saw him struggling all over again.
“Lauren, would you put these in some water. I'm sure Grant would like to get to his parents’ place before they start serving dessert.” She chuckled as Lauren stepped forward and took the flowers from her, but not before she buried her face in and drank in their sweet scent.
When she turned, he held out his elbow for her to take. She placed her hand through his and held onto him as they walked to the edge of the porch.
“Hey!” Haley said, and when they turned around, she snapped a picture of them together. “Thanks! Have a wonderful night.” Then her sister shut the door as they laughed.
By the time they drove up to his parents’ house, she'd talked herself into being nervous again. She didn't know why. After all, she'd seen his parents every week of her life. She knew every detail about them and had on numerous occasions been over to their house. But this time, it was different. She still couldn't put her finger on why, other than she wanted their approval for seeing their son. It wasn't as if she was going to marry him. After the whole ordeal with Travis, she'd sworn off marrying anyone for at least several ye
ars. After all, twenty-four was way too young to know what you wanted, or who you wanted to be with, for the rest of your life.
Grant walked right in the front door without knocking. The place was just as she remembered it—spotless. Her house was clean, but nothing compared to this. Not even Grant's house was kept this clean. Alex was sure that a crew from Better Homes and Gardens was waiting just outside to rush in and take pictures of the place for the next month’s magazine. There were fresh flowers on the tables in crystal vases, and little doilies sat on the shiny wood surfaces to keep the vases from damaging them. The old wood floors gleamed, and she swore she could see her reflection in them.
Just then Grant’s father walked into the front room. “Oh, there you are.” His dad smiled and crossed the sitting room, shaking Grant’s hand.
“I brought beer.” Grant held up the six-pack and shook it.
“That's a good boy.” His father took the case from him and reached for Alex’s hand. “Alexis, you're looking very lovely tonight.” He smiled and leaned down and kissed the back of her hand. “A spitting image of Laura.”
She hadn't heard her mother's name in years. It still shocked her to hear people talk about her, especially when they had a sad look in their eyes upon mentioning her.
“Glenn?” Grant's mother Carolyn came walking into the room. Her simple flowered skirt and silver top looked pristine, as did her husband’s shirt and slacks. “Oh, there you are. Right on time, too.” His mother smiled and walked—no, more like glided—over to them, and placed a kiss on her son's cheek. She turned to Alex and her smile got bigger. “Oh, look at you.” She took Alex's hands and held them out. “How beautiful.” She looked her up and down with a smile on her face. “What a lovely dress, it suits you well.” She leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek as well.
“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Holton. Thank you both for having me tonight,” Alex said nervously.
Grant's father huffed. “What's all this Mr. and Mrs. stuff? You've been calling us by our first names since you could talk. No use in changing that now.” His father walked over and took her hand from his wife's. “Now, tell me all about how you plan on beating everyone in the barrel races tomorrow.” He walked her into the back of the house, towards the dining room.
