A Randall Hero

by Judy Christenberry

  “She’s a little partial to John,” Lucy said softly.

  “Yeah, I can tell,” Harry said with a grin.

  “I really like this room, Lucy. When you move out, I hope Mom will keep the room for when Emma visits and when my baby comes to visit.”

  “Yes, I’m sure she will. I need to fix Emma’s bottle.”

  “Of course.”

  When they reached the kitchen, they discovered Camille had already fixed Emma’s bottle.

  “Oh, thank you, Camille,” Lucy said, taking the bottle. But John took it from her and sat down at the table to feed Emma.

  Lucy settled in the chair beside him, in case her baby needed her.

  “I suppose Dad is the only one who hasn’t fed her,” Melissa said.

  “Not true. I fed her her first day home from the hospital,” Griff said. “She loved it.”

  “She always loves her bottle,” John said. “I fed her that first bottle while Lucy slept.”

  “Was the childbirth difficult?” Melissa asked, concern in her gaze.

  “No, not really. Caro gives good drugs,” Lucy told Melissa.

  “I know she’s a good doctor, but thanks for telling me that,” Melissa said, smiling warmly at Lucy.

  “Of course, she was only in labor for about half an hour,” John added.

  Melissa’s eyes grew large.

  Before she could say anything, Lucy said, “That’s because I was in labor off and on during the night before I got to the hospital.”

  “Oh. That must’ve been difficult for you.”

  “Yes, it was, but John…I mean, I got to the hospital in plenty of time.” Lucy smiled at Melissa.

  “I guess it’s been a long journey for you.”

  “Yes, but your journey will be much nicer. I hope Harry is being a good husband.”

  “He’s the best,” Melissa said with a big smile for her husband.

  Camille sent a big smile to Harry, also. “I knew he’d be a good husband.”

  “Thanks, Camille,” Harry said.

  “Now, when is your baby due?”

  “We’re not sure. She’s going to go see Caro next week. She’ll help us with the details.”

  “I think they do a sonogram early these days,” Camille said. “Will you call us with the date?”

  “Of course. But I think we’d better head for home. Melissa still has to catch up on her sleep.”

  They all said their goodbyes, even John. Emma looked at them leaving but didn’t stop taking her bottle.

  “Really, Emma,” Camille teased, “at least you could take a breath.”

  “I’m afraid she’s hungry. Of course, her uncle John encouraged her to keep eating,” Griff pointed out. “If only he’d taken the bottle out of her mouth for thirty seconds!”

  John immediately did so. “You want to see what she’d do?” John asked. “What do you think, Emma, my love?”

  Emma began cooing to John.

  “That’s right, sweetheart. I knew you would be a good girl.”

  Lucy stepped forward. “Maybe I’d better finish giving her the bottle. You’re too distracting, John.”

  “To Emma or to you, Lucy?” John asked, winking at her.

  AT BREAKFAST the next morning, Griff asked Lucy, “Have you figured out anything that you want to do?”

  “I took a lot of accounting courses. Is there an accounting office in Rawhide?”

  Camille was eating some scrambled eggs, but she almost choked at that question. When she could speak again, she said, “You met Tori, didn’t you? Brett and Anna’s daughter?”

  “No. I don’t think so.”

  “She and her cousin Russ own the accounting firm in town and she does the investing for a lot of the family, conferring with Griff, of course.”

  Lucy stared at Camille. “Really?”

  “Yes, dear, I’m sorry, I thought you knew.”

  “She met a lot of Randalls that first week,” Griff said.

  “So if I wanted to work for them, they might try me out? If they needed someone.”

  “Just happens they do. And I guess I could recommend you,” he said with a grin.

  “But you don’t know whether I’m any good or not, Griff,” Lucy protested. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “Hmm, maybe I could give you a test? How much is twelve times twelve?”

  Lucy laughed with him. “All I’m asking, Griff, is a fair chance to take a test and see if they would give me a chance.”

  “Okay, how about we go into town this morning. You can talk to Russ and Tori.”

  “Today?” Lucy asked. Then she gulped. “Okay. Can we be back in time to feed Emma?”

  “I can feed Emma,” Camille said. “I’d be happy to. It’s been hard for me to get a chance to hold her when John’s around.”

  “Okay. I guess we could go. I have to get ready. I’m not sure I have anything to wear.”

  “I think I can loan you a few things.” Camille got up from the table. “Let me go lay out a couple of things for you to borrow.”

  “I should—” Lucy began, but Emma still had to finish her bottle.

  “Hand me the little girl. I don’t need to look at clothes. The two of us will be right here when you finish,” Griff said, leaning over to take Emma from Lucy.

  “Thank you, Griff. I’ll hurry.”

  LUCY, DRESSED IN her own black pants and Camille’s black shirt and herringbone jacket, looked and felt good when she got to the accounting office. She was accompanied by Griff.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Lucy whispered as he opened the door for her.

  “I’m sure.”

  “Hi, Griff,” Tori greeted him. “Hello,” she said to Lucy.

  “This is Lucy, Harry’s sister. She’s staying with us.”

  “Welcome. I was getting a cup of coffee. I needed a break. Can I interest either or both of you in some?”

  “I’ll take a cup. How about you, Lucy?”

  “Uh, no, Griff, I mean, Tori. Thanks anyway. I’m here to talk to you about possibly working for you and Russ.”

  Tori’s eyes lit up. “You’re looking for a job? Do you have any accounting training?”

  “I don’t have any work experience, but I took some accounting in college.”

  “Oh, really? Do you mind taking a test?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “All right. Let me talk to Russ and pull something together. Will you excuse me?”

  Lucy nodded, still standing near the front door.

  “Come on, Lucy, sit down,” Griff ordered. “You can’t stand at attention while they’re making up a test for you.”

  “But what if I can’t do it, Griff?”

  “Lucy, you gotta believe. What if you get the job? Then you have to go tell Camille and John. That could be tougher than the test.”

  Lucy sat down next to Griff. “I owe you for bringing me down. I would’ve put it off if you hadn’t forced me to come this morning.”

  “I know. But if you’d worried about it for several days, I figured you would’ve gotten cold feet. Now, it’ll be over in an hour or two.”

  Russ’s door opened and he came out with Tori. “Lucy, I’m glad to meet you.”

  “Yes, I’m glad to meet you, too. I’m here looking for a job.”

  “Yes, that’s what Tori said. We need some help right now, and we’d be glad to take you on if your skills are reasonable.”

  “I hope so, too. Do you have a test I can take?”

  “It just so happens we do. If you’ll sit at that desk, there are pencils in the drawer.”

  Lucy moved to the desk, trying to swallow past a suddenly dry throat and casting a look at Griff. Once seated, she looked at Russ. “I’m ready.”

  He handed her a page of figures. “You’re going to be timed.”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  Russ came over to greet Griff quietly as Lucy worked away in the background.

  “I can’t tell you how much we want this to w
ork,” Russ said.

  “Me, too. Lucy needs to feel good about herself.” Griff grinned at Russ. “Of course, she’ll have to figure what to do with her baby if she gets the job.”

  “Hmm, we could work something out. I’m telling you we’re desperate. We’re falling behind since Bill passed away.”

  “Yeah. That was sad.”

  “I’m finished.” Lucy stood at the desk, holding out the paper they had given her.

  Tori took it. “Thanks, Lucy.” She looked at it and then handed it to Russ.

  “Excellent, Lucy. You would be welcome here. As soon as possible, actually. Will you come work with us?”

  “I have to find a place to live and somewhere to leave my baby.”

  “Why don’t you bring your baby to work with you?” Tori asked. “I did that when mine were little.”

  “Seriously?” Lucy asked, staring at Tori.

  “Oh, yes. We can do that until your baby starts getting noisy.”

  “That would be wonderful. Now, if I can only find a place to live.”

  “I can help there,” Russ said. “One of the upstairs apartments is vacant. It has two bedrooms, two baths, a living area with a fireplace and a nice kitchen and breakfast area. You want to see it?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Griff and Tori followed the pair leaving the office.

  “I haven’t seen one of the apartments since Russ lived in it before he married Isabella. Have they changed much?”

  “No. Actually, this one has a lot of furniture. A deputy came in to town and moved in with no furniture. Half the family volunteered leftovers. I’d bet Russ is hoping she’ll need some furniture so he won’t have to move it out.”

  “Is there a crib?”

  “No, I’m afraid not.”

  “We might be able to buy a crib for Emma.”

  “I’m glad the baby was born healthy. It wasn’t a very happy start, but I heard John helped her out with his sharpshooting.”

  “Yeah. He wasn’t sure he wanted to do that, but he wouldn’t trust it to anyone else.”

  “Well, Lucy seems to have come through very well.”

  “Yeah, she’s one fine little lady.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Lucy sat silently in the truck next to Griff, afraid to speak. She might bubble over if she tried to talk.

  “You’re being awfully quiet, Lucy. I hope you’re happy about everything,” Griff said after a few minutes.

  “Oh, I’m ecstatic! I’m afraid if I start talking I won’t be able to stop. I’ve never had a job of my own, or a place to live that I’m paying for. See what I mean?”

  Griff smiled. “I see. Well, you’d better save your enthusiasm because you’re going to have to make Camille happy now.”

  “Oh, I think that’ll be easy. To be in charge of my life is so amazing. I never was the decision maker. I know I’ll make mistakes, but I can make choices!”

  Griff actually chuckled. “You think life is going to be good?”

  “I think it’ll be incredible!”

  Griff parked the truck beside the house and they both went inside.

  Camille jumped up. “How did the interview go?”

  “It was amazing,” Lucy gushed. “They liked me, they liked my skills and they say it’s fine for me to bring Emma to the office!”

  “Bringing Emma to the office? Why would you do that?” Camille asked sharply.

  Lucy shared a look with Griff. “Because she’s very quiet and there’s no one there for her to bother. Both Russ and Tori can close their doors if she’s a bother. Just for a few months. When she gets older, I’ll have to find a sitter.”

  “I think she should stay here with me. She’ll be able to sleep in her own crib! That would be better.”

  “But—but I won’t be living here. Russ has a really neat apartment upstairs, with two bedrooms. I’ll be a few feet from my apartment when I go to work.”

  “But I want you to stay here!” Camille said.

  Griff walked over and put his arm around his wife. “Little birds grow up and have to try their wings.”

  “But, Griff, she needs me to help her with the baby and do her laundry. She can’t manage on her own,” Camille protested.

  “That’s the other nice thing, Camille. The apartment has a washer and dryer. I can do my own laundry right there in the apartment.”

  “But you’ll be tired, after working all day. I can have dinner on the table and several loads of clothes done when you come in the door.”

  “But you should be enjoying your life, not doing my chores. You’ve got a grandchild coming. You may want to make things for Melissa’s baby.”

  Camille turned her body into Griff’s and hid her face on his chest.

  Lucy knew she was crying, but she didn’t know what to say. Finally, she patted Camille on the shoulder. “Camille, you’ve done so much for me. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. Right now I’m going to go check on Emma.”

  Once Lucy had left the room, Griff eased Camille away from him a little. “I have to tell you how excited Lucy was on the way home. She’s never lived alone, held down a job, made decisions, except when she made the wise choice to leave Cecil. She was like a different woman, filled with courage to do all these things on her own.”

  Camille sniffed. “She might’ve left him earlier if she’d known how to live her own life. You’re telling me I need to let her do that.”

  “Do you remember how you told me Melissa deserved the chance to learn how to live while we were still here to help her? Lucy needs to make her decisions for the first time with us nearby. But she needs to make them.”

  “Yes, but—but will she come back to us? It took Melissa six years before she came back.”

  “I know, sweetheart, but you were the most patient mother anyone could have. Lucy didn’t have a mother who loved her daughter enough to sacrifice for her. But you can be that mother for Lucy. You can stand back and let her make her decisions and answer any questions she has. And welcome her back home whenever she wants to come.”

  “John’s not going to be happy, either,” Camille said, her chin signaling her stubbornness.

  “I know. But he’s going to have to let her have her independence, too. I’ll talk to him before he comes in for dinner.”

  Lucy came back into the room with Emma in her arms. “Look, Emma is awake. She wasn’t crying, though.”

  “Hello, Emma, my girl. Did Mama tell you what a great morning she had?” Griff asked the baby.

  “I told her about everything. Camille, have you thought about my job and my place to live?”

  “Yes, Lucy,” Camille said, hugging her. “I don’t like it, but I realize you need to spread your wings. But you must promise to ask for help or ask questions if you need to. Or borrow money if you run short, as if we were your parents. Will you promise to do that?”

  “Of course, Camille. What a wonderful offer. But I’ll try not to bother you too much. I would like to come visit every once in a while.”

  “Of course. We expect that. If we don’t see Emma often enough, we might not recognize her.”

  “You’ll see her as often as you like. And if you come to town, you can stop in the office and visit.”

  “Good deal,” Camille said. “When do you start?”

  GRIFF WAS IN the horse barn waiting for his son when John rode in. He was tired. He’d worked long and hard, moving a herd to a nearer pasture for the winter.

  “Hi, Dad. What’s up?”

  “Not much. I, uh, took Lucy to see Russ and Tori today.”

  “Why?”

  “It turns out that Lucy does accounting. She’s never actually had a job, but that’s what she’d studied in college.”

  John had been unsaddling his horse as his father talked. When he reached the end of his explanation, John swung around, with the saddle in his hands and said, “Are you telling me that they gave her a job, just like that?”

  “And an apartment, too. She can even bring Emm
a to the office while she works. Everything’s set up.”

  “Dad, what did you do? Lucy’s never lived on her own.”

  “That’s the point. Lucy is so excited about living in her own place, just her and Emma. She may hate it after a while. It may be too much for her. But she has the right to try. She gets to make decisions that are good for her and Emma. And if she gets in trouble, we can be there to lend a hand.”

  “Damn it, Dad, that’s not what I want! I want to help take care of Emma. I want to protect Lucy so she won’t be hurt again! I want—”

  “I know you’re in love with Lucy. But do you think she’s ready for another relationship? Do you think she’ll want to make a family with you? If she does, she’ll realize it a lot faster going out on her own.”

  “But Emma is so little.”

  “Of course she is. But she’ll also keep Lucy from having a social life. That’s a good thing, don’t you think?”

  “Well, yeah, I guess.”

  “Lucy is going to be careful. Just keep that in mind.”

  “Of course, but—Okay, I’ll be happy for her. That’s what you’re telling me, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. And be positive with your mom, too. She’s having a hard time letting go of Lucy and that sweet baby.”

  “You’re sure this is going to be all right?”

  “I think it’s the only way it will be all right.”

  LUCY AND EMMA MOVED into the apartment in Rawhide the next Sunday. Camille, Griff and John helped Lucy gather her and Emma’s belongings and move them to the apartment. Camille and Griff bought a new crib.

  Once they set it up, Lucy was thrilled with the way the room looked for her child. Her own room looked wonderful, too, thanks to the bedding Camille brought.

  “I can’t thank you enough, Camille.”

  “I want you to have a comfortable place to rest. Griff bought you a television this afternoon, too. He’s bringing it up now. That way you can watch your favorite shows in the evenings.”

  “And I bought you this,” John announced from the hallway, holding a wooden rocker. “Where do you want this?”

  “Oh, it’s beautiful, John. I hadn’t thought about not having a rocker for Emma. Thank you so much,” Lucy said, putting her arms around John’s neck after he set the rocker down in the living room.