by Linda Warren
“Oh, Callie.” Noah stopped her. “Wanda never finished high school and I’m trying to talk her into the GED program. If you could help me influence her…”
“I’ll be glad to.” Callie saw Ethel waving to her from the kitchen. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Callie hurried into the kitchen.
“We’ve run out of fried onion rings and carrots to garnish the plates and I know how you like to garnish everything,” Ethel said.
“I have some sliced in the refrigerator. Won’t take but a minute to flour and fry them.”
She didn’t have time to take a breath until about two when the crowd thinned out. Going into the dining room, she saw Ethan and Kayla sitting close together at a table, watching the kids outside on the veranda.
Adam, Brit, Brad, Megan and Heather were chatting and laughing away. Callie took a seat. “They seem to be having fun.”
“Yeah,” Ethan said. “That’s why we’re still here.”
“Dad left a while ago, but when Ethan mentions leaving to the kids, we get that look. You know that how-can-you-be-so-cruel look, and of course, Ethan’s been served a second helping of banana pudding so we may never leave.”
They shared a laugh and Ethan got to his feet. “This time we have to go.”
“It was lovely.” Kayla reached for her purse. “We’ll be back often.”
“Thank you.” Callie waved as they walked away.
Mary Beth met them, offering the goodies, then came and crawled into Callie’s lap. The other kids were older and she was feeling left out again.
“Can Rascal come into the house now?”
“Yes.” She kissed her forehead. “Go get Rascal.”
In a flurry, she was gone. Callie toyed with the napkin on the table. Wade hadn’t come and she wasn’t surprised. It didn’t keep her from being disappointed, though. To keep those thoughts at bay, she headed for the kitchen.
The evening meal was as busy as lunch and Callie was exhausted by the time the kitchen was clean and she closed the door on the last person. The kids were back in their pouting mode and she was feeling the pressure of hurting everyone.
The next morning, they went to church and the kids were excited they were going to see the other kids again. Wanda was in church and Callie sat by her. She looked for Wade but she didn’t see him. Was she always going to be looking for him?
After church, they visited with all the new friends they’d made, then went home to a very quiet house. The pouting mode had shifted into high gear. So Callie decided to do something they really enjoyed; making individual small pizzas and letting them choose their own toppings. Chocolate s’mores were next. Usually this was a fun time with lots of giggling, but today there was stony silence. She fought tears and every adult emotion in her. By the afternoon, she couldn’t fight it any longer.
“Okay,” she said to three very sad faces. “I’ll call Jock and see if you can come riding.”
Three faces beamed back at her. So easy. Then why was it so hard?
She poked out Jock’s number and he answered on the third ring.
“Yeah,” he bellowed.
“Jock, this is Callie.”
“Yeah, so what?”
The grouchy, irrepressible man she’d first met was back. “The kids would like to come riding and I’m calling to see if it’s okay.”
There was a slight pause. “You don’t have to call to ask that. They’re always welcome here.”
“Thank you. I’ll bring them shortly.”
She turned to tell the kids, but they’d disappeared. Upstairs, she heard thumps and noises and soon all three were back in jeans and boots. And they were smiling.
Grabbing her purse, she thought that in the cool light of day, hard decisions made in haste and guilt could come back to haunt her. Or was it their cool faces?
Or was it Wade?
Once in college, a professor had told her that happiness was an elusive thing. But if one was lucky enough to find it, to hold on tight and enjoy the rare sensation that few people experienced. With everything going on in her mind, she’d somehow forgotten that.
Maybe it was time to hold on tight and enjoy the ride.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED, Callie didn’t regret her decision. The kids were happier, Jock was happier, and she and Wade had reached a new understanding.
That Sunday afternoon, they sat on a bale of hay watching Mary Beth play with Kitty. Jock had taken Brit and Adam riding to check on some heifers.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“I know.” He reached out and took her hand. “You had reasons for doing what you did and we agreed to just be friends. I never said it would be easy though.”
She looked into his warm eyes. “But can we just be friends?”
He rubbed his thumb over her palm. “Probably not.” His eyes hovered on her trembling lips. “I want to kiss you like hell.”
She licked her lips. “Please don’t. I don’t have the strength to resist.”
“And we have to be adult, responsible.”
“Yes.”
His expression grew somber. “I’m really beginning to hate that phrase. I liked it better when we threw caution to the wind and went with our basic instincts—in a jail cell.”
“Hmm. It’s nice to be in—” The word froze on her tongue as she realized what she was about to say. Her eyes flew to his and she could see he was thinking the same thing, but neither of them would say it. They couldn’t. Parting would be that much harder.
Callie’s professor had never said how to hold on to a love that wasn’t meant to be. Maybe it wasn’t possible. Maybe…
“Please let the kids continue to see Pop while they’re here.”
“I was trying to protect everyone.”
He squeezed her hand. “I know.”
And she knew he did. He probably understood her better than anyone ever had. That’s why loving him was so easy.
“I talked with Simon this morning,” he said. “And the daughter, Candace Avery, finally agreed to speak to him. She hesitated because she wanted to be sure he wasn’t working for Nigel.”
“Did he find out anything?”
“Yes. Tremont divorced her mom.”
Callie sagged with disappointment.
“Seems Tremont got her mother to sign a power of attorney a week before the accident. With her mother in a coma, Tremont told Candace he was now in control of the estate and showed her the power of attorney. Candace was shocked, but immediately went to the banks where she was a cosigner with her mother and withdrew all the money, leaving a small checking account. The bank people knew her and didn’t question anything. Tremont was furious when he found out and tried to have her arrested. The police did a lot of investigating, but Candace was never arrested.”
“It’s basically like my situation,” Callie murmured.
“Yes. But Tremont learned his lesson and made sure everything was in his name before you found out.”
“Yeah.” She sucked in a breath. “I still can’t believe my mother was taken in like that.”
Wade shifted uneasily and she knew there was more. “What?”
“Candace told Simon that her mother came out of the coma and was coherent for awhile. By this time, Tremont had filed for divorce. Mrs. Wagonner told Candace that Tremont threatened Candace and her children’s lives if Mrs. Wagonner didn’t do as he wanted. That’s the only reason she signed the power of attorney. Evidently he’d hit her a couple of times and she was afraid of him.”
“Oh my God!” Callie turned to Wade. “Nigel probably threatened to harm the kids if Mom didn’t agree to a new will giving him control. She was crying when she called me, saying she’d made a terrible mistake and had to explain. That has to be it. That would explain so much. My mother had an impulsive nature but her kids always came first. I just couldn’t understand, but now…” She gripped her hands together. “What kind of accident did Mrs. Wagonner have?”
“Car wreck. She
was forty-seven.”
“At night?”
“Yes.”
“This is all too similar.”
“That’s why I have Simon doing more checking. But he got a piece of information from Candace he wants to check out first.”
“What?”
“There’s another wife in Seattle. Candace found a letter in her mother’s house from April Gantor to Nigel Gantor asking for money, so Candace called her to see what it was about. The lady wasn’t too friendly and wouldn’t talk to her, but she did say she’d been married to Nigel Gantor and didn’t know who Nigel Tremont was.”
Callie frowned. “Another wife? Another name?”
“That’s what Simon is going to find out and to see why she needs money. Candace saved the letter and gave a copy to Simon.”
“So we wait.”
“You stay busy running your café. I’ll tie up all these loose ends and get them to your lawyer, and please let the kids continue to enjoy themselves while they’re here.”
She touched his cheek. “You’re a special man and I’ve been so rude to you.”
“I know those protective instincts. I was once a parent.”
A shadow crossed his face and he turned his cheek into the comfort of her hand.
They sat that way for a moment until Mary Beth demanded their attention.
CALLIE ADJUSTED HER SCHEDULE a bit, but Jock didn’t seem to mind. He came to the café for lunch and the kids would go back with him to the ranch. He’d bring them home for supper and he and Wade ate with them after the café closed at eight. This way the kids were with her in the mornings and helped out around the house. No one complained.
Callie threw herself into the café, changing menus to suit her customers. Monday was her mesquite-smoked-ham day. Tanner’s had exceptional hams and Callie had to try them. With black-eyed peas, corn bread and sweet-potato casserole, the special was a favorite. Bread pudding was also becoming very popular along with her cobblers.
Tuesdays there was always a line for chicken and dumplings. On Wednesdays she prepared stuffed chicken breast, and Thursdays featured pork tenderloin. There were so many fresh vegetables in Homestead that she had a variety of choices. People were beginning to expect certain dishes on each day of the week so she stopped changing the menu and concentrated on making the food as good and as attractive as she could.
The days slipped into August and Wade still had no concrete evidence on Nigel. April Gantor refused to talk to Simon, but he still worked diligently on the case. Gail was growing restless as the hearing loomed closer and closer and they still had nothing but a string of marriages to older women, except April. She was the same age as Nigel. Simon and Gail were still trying to piece together the details of that relationship.
In spite of how busy she was with the café, Callie couldn’t keep her mind off Nigel. Mostly, she thought about her mother and the torment she’d been going through before her death. How Callie wished she’d dropped everything and gone to her that night, but Glynis had insisted on meeting somewhere other than the brownstone. The restaurant had seemed logical. What-ifs pounded inside her head.
AUGUST WAS HOT. That Saturday, Odell and Wanda made homemade peach ice cream and served it to anyone who wanted some. Wade, Jock and the kids were enjoying theirs on the veranda as Callie finished up in the kitchen with Ethel, Wanda and Essie.
Yo now came in to work in the kitchen since she said she had nothing to do on the ranch. Callie was glad for her help and amazed how she kept the dishes washed with terrific speed. Yo had left long ago to take supper to Tex and Poncho.
Coming out of the utility room where she’d put table linens in to wash, Callie saw Odell and Wanda whispering by the back door. Callie smiled. Odell was spending a lot of time restoring the servant’s quarters, and he spent an equal amount of time showing them to Wanda.
“Go ahead, you two,” she said. “We’re through here.”
Wanda turned to her with a big smile. “Odell’s going to church with me in the morning.”
The pot Ethel was drying clattered to the floor. Essie’s jaw dropped to her chin. Were they blind, or what? Surely they’d seen this coming.
Callie hugged Wanda. “That’s very nice. I’m sure Father Noah will be happy to see Odell.”
“You’re going to church with Wanda?” Ethel’s voice was high and squeaky.
Odell held his head high. “Yes, I am, Mama.”
Ethel picked up the pot and slammed it onto the counter. “How many times have I asked you to go to church?”
“I’m not going to church with my mama.”
“And you’d rather go with her?” Ethel flung a hand toward Wanda.
Wanda trembled and Odell’s face turned red in anger, so Callie stepped in before Ethel completely alienated her son.
“Wanda, would you get the bowls from the kids on the porch, please?” The kids could bring in their own bowls, but she needed to get Wanda out of the way.
“I think I’ll help,” Essie said and quickly followed Wanda.
Odell stormed out the door.
Callie put her hands on her hips. “Ethel, what are you doing?”
Ethel blinked, as if she were in a daze. “What?”
“When I first came here, you told me your greatest wish was for Odell to find a girlfriend. Now he has. Why aren’t you happy?”
“It’s Wanda,” Ethel said under her breath.
Callie was taken aback. “So?”
“It’s Wanda,” Ethel said again.
“I’m getting the impression that you don’t think Wanda is good enough for Odell.”
“You said you’d find him a girlfriend,” Ethel reminded her.
“Who did you think I was talking about? A movie star? A model? Or the next Miss America? Because if you did, I think you need to look around. There aren’t any of those women in Homestead. I could see what was happening between Wanda and Odell. Why couldn’t you?”
Ethel’s lips disappeared into a thin line.
“Oh, wait a minute.” Callie walked to Ethel. “You don’t really want him to have a girlfriend, do you? You want Odell to come home to his mama.”
“He’s my baby,” Ethel muttered.
Callie put an arm around her. “Ethel. Ethel. Let Odell be happy. He deserves it and Wanda does, too.”
“She has red hair.”
Callie laughed. “She’s kind, sweet and a very caring person. She’s all alone and needs a family.”
“I suppose.”
“And Odell’s happy. Doesn’t that make you happy?”
“I’d be happier if he was back home with his mama.”
“Ethel! You told me yourself that kids shouldn’t move back with their parents.”
“I wasn’t talking about Odell. He’s my baby.”
“Ethel…”
“I’m a clinging mama and I know it. I just thought Odell would be with me forever.”
“And he will be. He lives in Homestead and you’ll see him every day. Make the most of this opportunity. Accept Wanda. If you don’t, you’ll push Odell away.”
“You go through excruciating pain to have kids, then they step on your toes and mangle your heart. After that, they’re ready to throw you in the grave.”
“Well, Ethel.” Callie patted her shoulder, trying hard not to laugh. “If I were you, I’d make sure they were crying when that happens. If you keep this attitude, they’ll be smiling.”
“Kids,” Ethel snorted in disgust, marching to the back door and yanking it open. “Odell,” she shouted. She glanced at Callie. “Tell Wanda to meet us in the backyard.”
“Now Ethel…”
“I’m letting go, Callie, and I’m going to do it nicely.” She frowned. “Can you imagine a passel of redheaded grand-babies?”
Callie sighed. “They’re going to church. That’s all. But I, for one, think they’re perfect for each other.”
“You would, and if I think about this long enough I’m sure it’s all your fault.”
> Callie grinned. “Be careful what you wish for, Ethel, because sometimes it comes true.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Callie went to the veranda to give Wanda the message and debated whether she should go with her. But she’d let Odell handle his mama. She had a feeling he wasn’t letting Ethel browbeat Wanda.
Jock had gone home and Callie sent the kids to take baths. Wade pushed to his feet. “I better get to the beer joints and make a round just to let all the cowboys in town for a good time know that I’m on duty and watching them.”
“Have you heard anything else from Simon?”
“He’s still trying to get April to talk to him, but she’s resisting. Simon feels she knows something and is too afraid to tell him what it is.”
“I’m running out of time.”
Wade looked up to the big moon hanging in the sky. “I spoke with Candace and she’s agreed to testify on your behalf if you need her.”
“Oh, Wade.” Unable to resist, she hugged him. “Thank you.”
Wade breathed in the scent of her hair, her skin, and his mouth trailed from the side of her face to her lips. Gently, achingly, he tasted her sweetness. With a tiny moan, she opened her mouth and he was lost in the wonderful sensation that was Callie.
The kiss deepened, then lingered. He slowly stepped back. “Night,” rasped out low and husky. He wasn’t going to apologize for something he wanted so badly. He strolled away before primitive needs overtook his good sense. But for the life of him he couldn’t equate good sense with not loving Callie.
He drove over to the Saddle Up beer joint thinking that life sometimes was just too cruel.
CALLIE WENT TO BED with Wade’s kiss fresh on her lips. As the mindlessness of sleep claimed her, she wondered why she was depriving herself of something she needed. The answer eluded her.
The next morning, Wade wasn’t in church. She’d talked to him earlier and he’d said there’d been a stabbing at the Saddle Up and he was going to be busy most of the day. But he made it out to the ranch by late afternoon. He looked tired, and all Callie wanted to do was hold him. Once you find happiness, you better hold on tight. Tonight she was going to do just that—hold on to the best man she’d ever known.
