Belle's dimples creased her face. "Cody wants you to call for his mail when you go to the post office."
"If you don't mind, that is." Cody swallowed the last crumb of his biscuit, and dusted his hand across his whiskers. "Just ask for mail for Cody Carter. My social security check should be there. I have friends in Big Springs, that's my hometown, who put my check in a plain envelope, and send it to me every month."
"We owe you for three days' work." The thought that Cody would soon be leaving caused Kate an undue amount of regret. "If I could afford to, I'd offer you a job, Cody. You have been a life saver."
Cody's face wreathed in a smile. "Your mamma and I sat in the kitchen last night and heard the deal you made with Hank Sinclair." Cody sent Belle a knowing glance. "We've been talking, and I think maybe your mamma and I have a deal too."
Surprise caused Kate's head to snap back. "What kind of deal?"
"A good deal," Belle chimed in, "Cody is willing to stay here and work for a part of the profit from Paradise."
What was this? Mamma and Cody making deals? "There may not be any profit, Cody. I'm not even sure I can keep my part of the bargain I made with Hank. I agreed to ride around Paradise every day, and I can't even ride a horse."
"I can teach you that, in a short while." Cody's voice took on a somber note. "You and Belle can't make it here without some help."
Kate's growing suspicion was, that those words were true. "It's such a risky venture. We can't promise you anything."
"I know who I can trust," Cody answered. "But I'm not sure you do. Take, for instance, this contract you agreed to sign with Hank. Who's going to draw it up?"
"You know who, Hank's lawyer." Mamma had some nerve, discussing their business with a total stranger. Kate caught her mother's eyes in a hard gaze, and was rewarded with a deliberately blank stare. It was enough to tell her that Belle was the instigator of this 'deal' with Cody. "You and Mamma have already talked this over, haven't you?"
Cody smiled. "Your mamma and I speak the same language."
The complicated looks these two were exchanging said maybe they had done more than talk.
"Are you going to sign that agreement?" Cody's strident question pulled Kate's thoughts back to the discussion at hand.
"I don't think I have a choice." Why did Kate have the urge to give her mother a good shake?
"Just like that? First pop out of the bottle." Cody snapped his fingers into the still air. "Without even reading it?"
Kate fumed, "Of course I'll read the damn thing before I sign it."
"Kate, don't swear," Belle scolded.
"And will you understand all that lawyer jargon?" Cody asked.
"Probably not all of it." Kate was reluctant to admit her own folly in not having thought of this herself. "Are you suggesting that you come along with me and read it?"
"Oh, no. I don't know anything about legal matters. Belle and I think you should ask your banker friend to look at it."
Kate lifted one eyebrow. "You and Belle, huh?"
Cody's silver eyes fairly shimmered. "That's right, me and Belle."
"Are you sure you want to tie yourself down this way, Cody? You've been on the road for a long time."
"I never found anything worth staying for before." Cody looked directly at Belle. "I think now, I have."
Belle brushed imaginary crumbs from the table. "Cody wants to build a little rack for his camper. He can sleep there, and we can use the pick up around the place. We thought we'd start building the rack today."
"There's a lot of building material behind the barn." The way Cody looked at Belle spoke volumes. "Belle says it's what's left over from building the barn and loading chutes." He licked his lips. "Your mamma's a very smart woman."
"Too smart, sometimes." Good Lord, Kate thought, the man is completely besotted, and Mamma is encouraging him. "Let's do the dishes, Mamma."
"You do the dishes. Kate. I'm going to help Cody." Belle stood, and dusted her jeans.
"I'll get a bucket of water for the dishes." Cody picked up a bucket from the sink and stepped out the back door with Lady at his heels.
Before Belle could follow, Kate grabbed her arm. "What the hell is going on here, Mamma?"
"I don't know what you mean, Katie baby, and don't swear."
"Don't you 'Katie baby' me, don't tell me not to swear, and don't play dumb. You know exactly what I mean." Kate held on to Belle's arm. "What do you mean, carrying on with Cody this way? You have him acting like a love sick school boy. What happened to, 'He may be a serial killer'?"
Belle laid her hand over Kate's fingers. "Cody makes me feel like a warm-blooded woman. Nobody's made me feel like that in a long time."
Belle's soft words hit Kate with the impact of a physical blow. "You're serious, aren't you Mamma?"
"I don't want Cody to leave, so I found a way to keep him here."
"And from the looks of things, he wasn't hard to persuade." Kate squeezed her mother's hand. "I'm glad he's staying, too Mamma."
"You might take a lesson from your old mamma." Belle returned Kate's squeeze. "You have two eligible men right under your nose. Don't you like either one of them?"
"Mamma, honestly!"
"It's time you quit feeling married to a man who is not coming back." Belle pulled the screen door open. "I've been down that road too, Kate, and it's a dead end street. The future is all you have now, and it's looking good."
"I know, Mamma." But Kate doubted her mother's bright prediction. Her heart had taught her to guard against hope.
Belle sent her daughter a skeptical look, but she didn't pursue the subject. "Make a grocery list, Kate." Belle held the door open for Cody, then waited as Lady hopped in behind him. "And go by the utility company when you get to St. Agnes tomorrow. The meter loop is ready for inspection."
Cody set the bucket on the table. "I'm going to fix this cabinet tomorrow, Belle, just after we lay off a plot for a garden." He scanned the cabinet with a knowledgeable eye.
Belle was still holding the screen open. "Thank goodness you decided to stay." She stepped out the back door, and Cody followed.
Over the door's slam, Belle said, "I think maybe we should plant a row or two of pole beans. I do love pole beans."
"I'm partial to pintos myself, " Cody answered. "And how about some..." The voices grew faint, then faded away.
Kate began to stack dishes. "Mamma has a boy friend," she told Lady, who had chosen to curl up in the corner rather than trot at Cody's heels. "And even you are smart enough to know that three's a crowd."
Lady laid her head between her paws, and put her ears back.
"Are you smiling at me?" Kate narrowed her eyes in the dog's direction. "You shouldn't be, you know. Someone is stealing your master's affection."
Suddenly, it surfaced, a stab of pain that vanished almost as soon as it appeared, leaving in its wake, the lingering ache of regret.
Lady's wagging tail thumped the floor.
Kate stacked dishes in the sink. "Don't complain. It's your own fault."
The rest of the day passed in a busy flurry. Kate wondered if life was always this busy on a ranch, and found herself hoping that it was.
The next morning, she woke early, and remembered that Hank would be here soon. Hopping out of bed, she began to dress.
"Did you make a list of all the things you have to do in St. Agnes?" Belle asked, as Kate came into the living room, and sat beside her on the couch.
"I made a list, Mamma." Kate patted the brief case that lay in her lap. "It's in here."
"Do you have my power of attorney?"
"In here, Mamma." At least one good thing had come from Mamma going to Cedar's to live. The home had advised that Belle make a will and give her next of kin power of attorney. "Thanks to Cedar's."
"Cedar's," Belle snorted. "I am so glad to be out of that place."
"Michael thought Cedar's was one of the best retirement homes around." Kate glanced at the clock on the mantle, and wished that Hank
would put in an appearance.
"The trouble with retirement homes," Belle reasoned, illogically, "is you have to retire from the living, to live there."
"And you weren't that old?"
"Age is not a matter of years, it's a matter of perspective." Belle's dimples creased the sides of her face. "This morning I feel about sixteen."
"Mamma? You haven't done something foolish, have you? "
"That depends on what you call foolish."
"Mamma! You and Cody didn't...?"
"Don't look so shocked. I haven't done anything illegal, or even immoral."
Kate didn't know if she should scold Mamma, or compliment her. "I don't know if I should leave you and Cody here by yourselves."
Belle chose to ignore that remark. "Did you put, 'go to the post office' on that list?"
"It's on the list. Mamma, and don't change the subject."
"Did you put corn meal on the grocery list?" Belle's voice was as guileless as a child's. "I'm going to make some cornbread tomorrow. Would you like to have some homemade cornbread, Kate?"
"I would like to have a straight answer, Mamma. What the hell are you up to?"
"Don't swear, Kate. And don't forget to call for Cody's mail when you go to the post office."
"Mamma, honestly." There was no dealing with Mamma when she chose to short circuit Kate's questions. With a groan of exasperation, Kate threw both hands in the air."What's the use? I'll get Cody's mail."
"And pick up a newspaper? Not a San Antonio paper; Cody likes to read the St. Agnes Weekly."
Kate asked, with cold sarcasm, "Is there anything else you want me to do for Cody, Mamma?"
"No, thank you." Belle's smile was enigmatic. "Anything else Cody needs, I can provide. Right now, I'm going to make him a pan of biscuits."
After letting out a shocked, "Mamma!" Kate added, "You know the old adage, Mamma, about there's no fool like an old fool? You might want to think about that."
Belle stood and stretched. "Isn't that a coincidence? You remind me of an old adage."
"Don't start, Mamma."
"It takes one to catch one, Katie baby." Over the roar of an approaching vehicle, Belle added, "Your ride's here. See you later."
As Belle's slim back disappeared through the kitchen door, Kate picked up her brief case and started outside. She hadn't won an argument with Belle in forty-six years, Why should she think she could start now?
Kate stepped through the front door to see Hank's battered pickup stopping in the yard. She smiled to herself. She had been wrong again. The pickup was a Chevrolet.
As she reached for the door, Hank gunned the motor. The sudden noise made Kate jump. She yanked the door open. "You are one impatient man."
"I'm a little late. I unloaded a horse for you. He's in the barn. I left my trailer there. I can pick up the cow and calf when we get back from Saint Agnes."
Kate's heart began to beat a little faster. "Is the horse gentle?" She studied Hank's unyielding profile. "You promised me a gentle horse."
Hank glanced briefly toward her. "You're wearing a dress. That's nice."
Kate asked again, this time with much more force. "Is the horse gentle?"
"Yes, he's gentle. I expect you to take good care of him. He's a quarter horse, a gelding, out of Wheeler stock. Do you know anything about horses?"
She knew they ate oats and hay, and had four legs. "A little."
"A damn little, I'll bet." Hank braked the pickup, and waited for Kate to open the gate.
As she got back in the car, Hank noted, "You put up a mail box."
"Mamma and Cody did that, yesterday."
"The box has three names on it. Does that mean the old man's going to stay?"
"Yes. Not," Kate added, over the click of her seat belt, "that it's any of your business."
They rode for several minutes in tense silence. Feeling an urgent need to say something, Kate asked, "What kind of trees are those?" She pointed to the huge trees that grew along the fence row.
"Oaks. They grow from little acorns."
Kate slid down into the seat. "You're not funny."
From out of the blue, Hank observed, "He must have been a real bastard."
That remark pulled Kate upright in a hurry. "Who?"
"Your ex-husband, who else?"
"Don't tell me you're psychic." Kate pierced him a stabbing glance.
"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm just perceptive. What did he do to you, or is that none of my business, either?"
"What makes you think he did anything?" Kate moved around in her seat. He was making her uncomfortable.
"Lady, you've got a chip on your shoulder a yard wide."
Kate wasn't about to discuss Jim with a complete stranger. "Mr. Sinclair..."
Boldly, he interrupted, "Hank."
"Hank, I haven't pried into your past, so why..."
Again he interrupted. "Go ahead, ask anything you want to ask. My life's an open book."
And probably a dirty one, Kate thought. "And in turn I tell you the sordid details of my messy divorce?" She thinned her lips, and glared at him. "You tricked me." In an effort to change the subject, she asked, "You're going to an auction?"
An exasperating little half-smile clung to his lips. "It's First Monday."
"Does First Monday have some special significance?"
"The first Monday of every month Saint Agnes has a farm sale. It's like an outdoor market. Sellers set up, lookers look, buyers buy."
"Are you a buyer or a looker or a seller?"
"At times I've been all three. Today I'm a looker, definitely, a buyer, maybe. Would you like to come with me?"
"I don't know," Why should she feel a sudden tingle of elation? "I have errands to run in St. Agnes. I thought I'd get them done while you were at the auction. And we do have to sign that agreement. That's going to take quite a bit of time because..." Kate stopped, her words levitating in midair.
"Because why?"
There was no easy way to break it to him. "Because Mamma and Cody think I should have York Taylor look over the agreement before I sign it." She watched Hank's face for some sign of surprise or anger. She saw only a kind of resigned amusement. "And what do you think?"
Kate shrugged to cover her confusion. "I think you think I don't trust you."
"Do you?"
"Should I?" Kate countered.
His fleeting side glance locked into the blue of her eyes. "Did you ever consider that I might have that same problem?"
Hank's tone was flippant, but underneath that easy going facade Kate suspected there lurked a man who knew what he wanted, and went after it, no-holds-barred.
"But you have an attorney. The only one in town, I believe."
"Who told you that?"
Kate spoke before she thought. "York did." Then bit her tongue at her own stupidity.
"And you do trust York Taylor."
Kate ran nervous fingers around her briefcase. "I trust myself, and Mamma, sometimes."
Hank pulled into a parking space in front of the attorney's office. "Yep, he must have been a real bastard."
CHAPTER FIVE
Kate had never been to a First Monday sale. What she saw intrigued her. The parking lot around the auction barn teemed with vendors. Most of the sellers conducted business from the back of a pickup, letting down the tail gate to better display their wares. "This place has the air of a celebration," she told Hank, as she unfastened her seat belt.
The smell of fresh baked pastries, mixed with the less aromatic odor of livestock of every size and description, made Kate wrinkle her nose. "And smells like a rodeo, and looks like a giant flea market." Her eyes sparkled as they swept to take in the panoramic scene.
"Or a three-ring circus." Hank caught her hand in his. "You haven't seen anything yet." His fingers reached all the way around her hand, making escape impossible.
As they moved from stall to stall, Hank was greeted by back slapping and loud hellos from men, and smiles and coy looks from women.
/> "Look." Kate pointed to a line of jars that decorated the tailgate of a pickup. "Pickled beets. Mamma loves pickled beets." She broke from Hank's grasp and hurried toward the display. "I'm going to buy a jar for Mamma."
"You look like a kid in a toy store." Hank teased.
Kate met his warm scrutiny. "That's how I feel. I don't know when I've had so much to look at in so small a space." She pointed to the next stall. "Look, fresh cut flowers, daisies, and cannas, and gladiolus. Mamma and I used to grow daisies in a window box when I was a little girl. I have to buy a bouquet of daisies."
"Whoa," Hank pulled her to a stop. "Let's get the pickled beets first, then we can bargain for the flowers."
"Bargain?" Kate questioned, "I don't understand."
"Watch. I'll show you how it's done." Hank sauntered to the tailgate of the pickup that displayed the beet pickles. An elderly woman was seated in a folding chair beside the display. "Howdy, Mrs. Smith."
Mrs. Smith put her farm journal down, and pushed her glasses up on her head. "Hello, Hank. How's your Aunt Catherine?"
Hank picked up a squatty pint container. "She's doing much better, thank you Ma'am." Perusing the label on the container, he asked, "Is this some of your famous corn relish?"
"You tell your aunt I asked after her, you hear? That's tomato relish. I put it up myself, just a few weeks ago."
Kate was set to tell Hank she wanted the pickled beets, not the tomato relish. A slight shake of his head cautioned her to keep her mouth shut.
"Yes Ma'am, I'll tell her. Is this tomato relish hot or sweet?" Hank held the jar up to the sun.
"I have both. It says on the label. You can choose which you want."
Hank set the jar back down. "How much?"
"Two dollars a jar, for anything here. The woman waved her hand around. "That's a real bargain."
"That sounds reasonable." Hank picked up another jar, and held it to the sun. "I do believe this is watermelon rind preserves."
"Yes it is. Cousin Effie put that up. She's famous for her watermelon rind preserves." Mrs. Smith beamed with pride.
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