In a Texas Minute

by Bagwell, Stella

  The tsking of Rosita’s tongue told Sierra that the other woman was a little disgusted with her, although she didn’t understand why. Sierra was the one who’d come straight home from college to be with her parents, to help them with the restaurant, illnesses, family matters, anything that they needed help with. Sierra was the one who’d worn herself to a frazzle trying to patch the rift between her sisters and keep peace in the family. Most of the time during that period her private life had suffered greatly.

  “But they do worry about you, Sierra. They want you to be happy, too. You have proved your love and dedication to them over and over. Don’t think they ever forget that.”

  Regret saddened Sierra’s features as she looked at the other woman. “Sometimes I feel awful, Rosita. Sometimes I resent how my sisters ran off from home and responsibilities and left everything to me. And now—it looks like they’ve been rewarded for their past bad behavior. Gloria is pregnant and marrying into the Fortune family. Christina will marry a Rockwell. And me—well, why does life happen this way, Rosita? Is it fair?”

  The older woman smiled gently at Sierra. “You know the old saying, Sierra. The only fair is one with cows and pigs. But you’re not to worry. I had a dream about you the other night.”

  Like Sierra had told Alex at dinner the other night, Rosita had been having dreams and intuitions for years. The ones that came true always left an eerie chill down Sierra’s back. She honestly didn’t want to know what Rosita had dreamed about her for fear that it really would come to pass. “Really?”

  Glancing down at Bowie, Rosita shifted the baby to a more comfortable position in her arms and then she looked up to pin her dark, serious gaze on Sierra.

  “Yes. I dreamed that you would become a wife before your two sisters married.”

  Sierra sucked in a shocked breath and then, the longer she thought about it, a laugh erupted from deep in her throat.

  “Rosita! Have you been getting into Ryan Fortune’s wine collection? I believe you’re nipping the sauce. Or you must have had indigestion the night you had that dream. I’m not even engaged.”

  “You have a fella, don’t you?” Rosita countered, clearly irritated that Sierra was fluffing off her important dream.

  Sierra started to say no, Chad had left her in the dust. But Chad had never been her fella in the real sense of the word. Making love with Alex had shown her just how shallow her feelings had been toward the man.

  “Uh, yes. Sort of.” After last night Alex felt like her man. At least she had to believe he’d be her man for a while. Knowing Alex’s fleeting relationships, that was the best she could hope for.

  “Then you mark my word. You’ll be kneeling before the priest, saying your vows very soon.”

  Unsettled by Rosita’s strange prediction, Sierra quickly rose to her feet and grabbed the diaper bag holding all the baby’s necessities. “I’m—I’m running late for work, Rosita. Let me show you about mixing Bowie’s formula and then I’ve got to be going.”

  More than an hour later, Sierra was sitting at her desk, going over a family visitation report, when a co-worker paused beside her chair.

  She looked up to see Vivian, a divorced, middle-aged redhead, who Sierra could always count on as a friend. The woman had worked for social services for many years and had been a veteran when Sierra had started out as a green field officer. The stressful toll showed in Vivian’s faded blue eyes and the cynical droop of her mouth, and oftentimes when Sierra looked at her friend, she wondered if that’s what trying to help people did to a person. Drained the very life from them. While her sisters had been gone from the family it had certainly taken a toll on Sierra’s outlook.

  “Hi, Viv. What’s up?”

  The other woman’s smile was a bit hesitant. “I’m glad you came in today. I tried to call you yesterday, but you must have been out of the house.”

  Sierra turned the swivel chair so that she was facing Vivian. The woman placed a short envelope on the corner of the desk.

  “What’s that?”

  “A letter from Ginger’s mother. At least that’s what the return says. I didn’t open it. It came here to the department, but it’s addressed to you.”

  An uneasy feeling hit Sierra’s stomach as she reached for the envelope and slowly slipped the top open with a fingernail file.

  “Do you think she wants Bowie back?” Vivian asked, as she worriedly chewed on her bottom lip. “Or maybe Ginger wants him back and she’s too afraid to approach you about him.”

  Just the idea of having her baby taken away made Sierra quake with fear. He was beginning to feel more and more like a child that she’d actually given birth to. Especially now that Alex was sharing the baby with her.

  “I don’t know—just let me read,” Sierra answered in a strained voice.

  The letter was short and to the point, the grammar and spelling not even close to being correct. But the words were full of emotion and after a moment Sierra was forced to close her eyes and blink back tears.

  Placing a supportive hand on Sierra’s shoulder, Vivian asked in a hurried rush, “What’s the matter?”

  Shaking her head, Sierra dabbed at her eyes and sniffed. “It’s just so sad, Viv. To think of any woman living like Mrs. Rollins is forced to live.”

  “What do you mean, Sierra? The woman isn’t forced,” Vivian said mockingly. “She chose the loser husband who enjoys slapping her around. She could definitely get rid of him if she wanted to.”

  Sierra glared at her co-worker’s pessimistic attitude. “Viv! Since when did you become so heartless? The woman is trying to get rid of him without getting herself killed. And that’s what she says in this letter. She and Ginger don’t want the baby to be in the Rollinses’ home. She says they love him too much to see his life ruined and they know he’ll get a good life with me.”

  The last part of Mrs. Rollins’s message had left Sierra feeling very humble and weepy. She didn’t understand why the two women had considered her to be the right person to raise Bowie, but they had, and she couldn’t help feeling proud and immensely relieved.

  Vivian suddenly looked deflated. “Oh. Well, I’m glad about the baby.” She cast a guilty glance at Sierra. “And that part about Mrs. Rollins doing better, I know that she’s trying. And I realize it’s hard for her. I guess—I’m just getting hard-nosed.” She sighed with weary regret. “When you see so much abuse and poverty over and over for years, you tend to get hard, Sierra. You’ll learn that after you’ve been here several more years.”

  Sierra didn’t think so. If she ever stopped really caring for the people she was trying to help, then she would know it was time to get out of the job.

  Patting Vivian’s hand, she said, “Maybe you should take a little time off, Viv. You could go on a nice long vacation. Heaven knows you’ve paid your dues here. I can’t remember the last time you took even a day away from work.”

  Vivian batted a hand through the air and smiled. “Oh, don’t worry about me, Sierra. I haven’t burned out yet. What I’d like to know, though, is what you’re going to do about Bowie?”

  Ignoring the ringing telephones and the workers bustling through the aisles of cubicles that served as offices, Sierra put the letter away and looked at her friend. “What sort of question is that?”

  “A normal one, I’d think. You’re a young, beautiful woman and you’re single. Do you really think you want to be saddled with a child? And when you meet the right man, he might not want to raise someone else’s child, he might only want his own flesh and blood. Then what sort of problems are you going to have on your hands?”

  Her lips pressed together, Sierra turned the chair back to her desk and picked up the file she’d been reading. “Viv, I wouldn’t allow a man like that to live in my doghouse, much less close to me.”

  “Oh, come on, Sierra. You know what I’m trying to say.”

  Sierra sighed. She loved Vivian, but sometimes the woman was like sandpaper scratching a blackboard.

  “I know that
any man who wouldn’t accept a child of mine would be crossed off my list,” Sierra said flatly.

  “Well, I suppose a woman who looks like you can afford to be choosey when it comes to men. The rest of us have to kowtow.”

  Groaning, Sierra said, “Not hardly. Besides, I—well, I already have someone in my life. And he loves Bowie.”

  Vivian’s eyes popped wide, but before she could fire any questions at Sierra, the office manager stuck her head around Sierra’s cubicle and ordered the other woman to her office.

  Once Vivian was gone, Sierra tried her best to get back into the file she’d been going over, but some of what Vivian had been saying kept popping up in her thoughts. Sierra realized that there were men in the world who refused to raise another man’s child. But she couldn’t imagine Alex having such a selfish attitude. After all, he was adopted himself. He knew how important it was for a baby to be given a good home and family. And he seemed so attached to Bowie. If she did decide to adopt Bowie, would Alex stand beside her? she wondered. Oh God, she hoped so. Because she was beginning to realize that she couldn’t give up either one of them.

  Chapter Nine

  A week later, Alex was sitting in his office contemplating a lunch of tuna sandwich and a bag of potato chips when Pauline sounded off from the room next door.

  “Alex, your mother is on the line.”

  Since the office was empty, Pauline preferred to use the strength of her lungs rather than the intercoms on their desks. Like a blow horn, her voice nearly rattled the windows.

  “I’ve got it,” he called back to his secretary and with a heavy sigh he punched in line two and picked up the receiver.

  He wasn’t in the mood to talk to his mother. He’d had a particularly rough morning in court defending a man who’d been accused of stealing from his business partner. And once the lunch recess was over, he was facing an even rougher afternoon with a hostile witness. For the first time he could ever remember, he honestly wasn’t looking forward to the courtroom sparring between lawyers and judge. He’d rather be home with Sierra and the baby.

  “Hello, Mom.”

  “Hi, honey. I hope I’m not interrupting. Pauline said you had a minute or two.”

  Alex couldn’t deny his mother was a lovely woman. At fifty, Emily Calloway’s face was nearly line free, her reddish-brown hair threaded with only a handful of gray and her figure trim and fit. On the inside, she was equally pretty, and since Alex had grown up and moved away, she’d spent most of her time trying to help the less fortunate people of Dallas.

  His father, Dave Calloway, was a successful businessman and had made a fortune in the construction business in and around the Forth Worth-Dallas area. He was a gentle, good-hearted man who’d worked hard to see that his wife had anything she needed, along with his son.

  His son. But he wasn’t actually Dave Calloway’s son. Alex’s real father was out there someplace, a man whom he would never see, but someone whose genes and blood ran through his body.

  “Alex? Are you there? Hello?”

  Shaking his head, Alex pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to concentrate on his mother’s voice. “Yeah. Sorry, Mom. I—I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

  “Your work?”

  Not exactly, he thought. His work was always unpredictable and stressful. He was accustomed to the chaotic schedule. Frankly, he was worried about himself, about Sierra and, last but not least, little Bowie. Spending more time with her and the baby had seemed like the logical thing to do. He wanted to be with them. But he’d not expected staying under the same roof with a woman and a baby would have such an impact on him. He’d not expected to feel so happy, so peaceful and settled. That wasn’t like him at all, and it scared the hell out of him to think that it was all going to end.

  But Alex didn’t want to share any of those thoughts with his mother. It was all too fresh, too personal to pour out to anyone.

  “Uh—yeah,” he answered. “Tough trial. But it’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Well, I won’t keep you long, Alex. I was just wondering when you might be driving up to Dallas? We haven’t seen you in a long time and your dad’s birthday is at the end of the month. We’d love to have you with us for the celebration.”

  Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Alex swallowed at the wad of emotions trying to collect in his throat. Damn it, the two people he’d loved so much, whom he’d trusted with all his heart and soul, had lied to him. Over the years, he’d tried to forget and forgive them for the deceit. And he had forgiven them. His parents loved him; he couldn’t doubt that. But the two of them had never realized what their deception had done to him or how it constantly guided his decisions.

  “I’d love to be with you, too. But I don’t think I’ll be able to make a hole in my schedule. I’ll have Pauline to see what’s lined up for that date, though,” he added, to soften her disappointment.

  “Oh.”

  He could hear her sigh and it made him feel awful. Hell, being around Sierra was making him soft; as soft as a pat of warm butter.

  “Well, it’s good that your business has picked up that much. Maybe Dad and I could drive down to San Antonio. That way you wouldn’t have to do anything except put up with us for a night or two.”

  Oh Lord. He might as well spit out the truth. “Uh— Mom. I don’t—I’m not always living at my apartment.”

  “Whaaat? What’s happened?”

  Five foot three inches of sugar and spice, Alex thought. Aloud, he said, “Nothing. I still have the apartment. I’m just—spending a lot of time with someone else now.”

  “A woman.”

  He could hear the excitement rattling her voice.

  “Naturally.”

  Emily chuckled. “Naturally? You’ve never mentioned staying overnight with a woman before. What does this mean?”

  Of course she’d have to ask, he thought wryly. And how did she expect him to answer when he had no idea what it meant? Except that he was crazy about Sierra. And Bowie, too.

  “Don’t start jumping the gun, Mom. We’re taking things slowly.” Yeah, right. He’d gone from being her friend to her lover all in the matter of one night. That was a real snail’s pace.

  “Well, this is wonderful news, son. Maybe I can finally look forward to some grandchildren,” she said with another suggestive chuckle.

  Alex wasn’t about to give his mother a hint about Bowie. She’d be on a plane tomorrow to see him. “Mom, I really have to go. I’ve got to be back in court in twenty minutes and I haven’t finished my lunch yet.” He paused, pinched the bridge of his nose, then added, “And as for Dad’s birthday, I’ll try to make it up there somehow.”

  “Wonderful, son! I love you. Bye now.”

  “I love you, too, Mom.”

  Alex tossed the receiver onto the hook and let out a weary sigh. What in hell was happening to him? It wasn’t like him to cave in to someone else’s wants and wishes. He normally put his own needs first. After all, who was going to take care of him if he didn’t? But the whole time his mother had been speaking, he’d been thinking how disappointed Sierra would be with him if he didn’t make an effort to observe his father’s birthday.

  Raking both hands through his brown hair, he stared blankly at the view of the street beyond the windows. Did he love Sierra? he wondered. Did he want to marry her? The questions sent something like panic rushing through him, but like a witness facing a judge, he had to at least try to answer honestly.

  And the truth was, he couldn’t imagine not having Sierra in his life. He’d known her since he was nineteen years old and through the years he’d never let their relationship drift apart. Even though she drove him batty with frustration at times, he’d always wanted her company. Maybe something had always been trying to tell him that she was supposed to be his woman.

  But Alex had never been good with the idea of loving a woman. Hell, he even had trouble keeping a real, true friend around for more than a year or two. Oh, there were Trey, Mario and Gayle, but t
hey were just people to laugh and have a beer with once a week. Sierra was the only one of the bunch he’d ever hung out with outside their lunch meeting.

  Sierra. Sierra. Always Sierra.

  “Alex! Have you seen a UFO? You’re in a trance!”

  The sound of Pauline’s harsh scolding jerked Alex out of his thoughts and caused him to outwardly flinch as though a bomb had gone off in the outer office.

  “Pauline, damn it, I’ve got trial in—” he paused long enough to glance down at his wrist “—ten minutes!”

  Jumping up from the desk chair, he grabbed his notes, stuffed them into a black leather briefcase and adjusted his tie. “I’ve gotta get going.”

  Leaving the desk, he jogged toward the door with Pauline racing right on his heels. “Alex, I’m making you a doctor’s appointment!” she exclaimed. “You’re sick. You’re not yourself!”

  With Pauline yelling after him, Alex hurried around the building to his SUV. As he started the vehicle and headed down the street to the courthouse, he wondered if his secretary was right. Maybe he was sick. Lovesick. Maybe that’s the reason he couldn’t get Sierra out of his mind for more than five minutes at a time. Or why every night he couldn’t wait to get home to make love with her.

  No. God help him, no. He couldn’t be in love. He didn’t want to feel that close to a woman. If he did, he’d have to start trusting her. He’d have to believe that she would always be honest with him and he wasn’t at all sure that he could ever do that again.

  Sierra hummed along to a song on the radio as she set plates onto the table and stirred jambalaya on the gas range. Outside the kitchen, rain poured from the roof of the porch and splashed onto her boxes of tomato plants.

  Darkness had fallen a few short minutes ago and she knew Alex would be arriving home soon. The knowledge filled her heart with joy and she realized that each day she spent with him was more precious than the last.

  “Mmm. Mmm. Something smells good.”

  As Alex entered the warm kitchen, he spotted Sierra stirring a pot on the range. A pair of worn blue jeans fit snugly against her pert little bottom and shapely legs. A halter made of red bandana material was tied against her smooth brown back and the sexy sight of her was enough to push away his mental fatigue.