Be My Guest

by Caroline Clemmons

  "I am determined to become an independent businesswoman." Aurora paused

  Will saw the wounded sheen in her eyes as she fought to control her voice. His anger grew toward this Russell guy as he heard the tremor in Aurora's voice. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

  "I made the mistake of becoming engaged to the son of my boss. Then, just before Christmas, he told me he had never really loved me, and only asked me out initially to please his father. It seems he was just trying to appease his father also when he asked me to marry him. He said some very hurtful things about my compulsive, over-achiever personality-type and said that he couldn't go through with marriage to me even to insure that he remained in his father's good favor financially."

  Aurora shifted herself to make her back more comfortable, then gazed back up at Will. He saw tears forming in her eyes even though she tried to hide them. Will’s anger toward this Russell character snowballed with her every sentence.

  She threw her hands up and let them flop down to her sides. Her eyes met his and she added quickly, "But, Will, that's not why I left."

  "No?" Will spoke softly. "Then why did you leave?" He wondered what could possibly make a beautiful woman leave a good job to wander around the countryside.

  She paused again as if searching for the words to convey her feelings. "I made a very good salary and made some very good investments even early on in my career. Part of what Russell said is true--I am compulsive about doing the best job I possibly can. I know I tended to be a workaholic and worked far too many hours, but that in turn meant that I didn't have a lot of time to spend my money."

  “That’s the person I was, but not anymore. Working such long hours left me little time to myself. I vowed to live more moderately from now on, but that vow would never lessen my vow to become independent. I will have my own business and depend on no one but myself for my livelihood!

  Will wondered at someone too busy to spend any time or money on herself. Maybe she worked compulsively to offset deficiencies elsewhere in her life. He could supply numerous reasons for her to relax and enjoy life more if he could only convince her to give him that chance.

  "Well, if Russell and I had actually gotten married, I planned to buy into James' business and I had quite a little nest egg built up. With the break off of that relationship, I began to re-evaluate my entire lifestyle."

  Aurora twisted the sheet with her fingers. "I took the job in Houston because it seemed such a wonderful opportunity for someone just out of college, but it's always been my dream to own my own business. I decided to try a small town not far from a metropolitan area."

  “It seems absurd to me now that I ever considered life in Houston, commuting downtown to my office each day. The thought now of facing that congested traffic on a regular basis appalls me. I’m amazed at how much I’ve changed in the past few months.” She leaned forward and her eyes pleaded with Will. "I'm working toward something, not running away. Please understand, Will”

  Will smiled. If only she would let him be the end to her search. He tried to conceal the importance he gave to the next question. "And what did you decide you really want from life?" He picked up her right hand again, but this time he held it firmly in his own hands.

  Aurora sighed. "I worked all the time I was in college, so never had free time. Once in the business world, I never took vacations, other than a day or two to visit my parents. So, I decided to first spend some of the money and tour around the Southwest for about six months."

  Her eyes twinkled as she added, "You know, take time to smell the flowers for a while." Her eyes widened. "Oh, that's what first got me into trouble yesterday."

  Will nodded reassuringly as he played with her fingers. "So, after traveling the Southwest, then what do you plan?" The calm, casual tone of his voice belied his question’s importance.

  "It's my goal to find a place--probably Durango--where I can open a small business of my own and keep my personal life totally uninvolved until I get my new business on a sound footing. The owner of the gift store in Durango has given me until the end of the year to let her know if I want to purchase it before she puts it on the open market. I left Houston the first week in January and I've been travelling since then."

  "You don't plan to start your own marketing firm then?" Will asked. Alternate plans for her personal life were racing through his mind, and they did not include her remaining uninvolved or moving around the Southwest. Will's plans definitely did not include Aurora living in Colorado.

  "No. Other than the gift store, I thought possibly a greeting card-gift shop combination would be good for me. I'm not interested in the clothing business, nor in anything to do with the food business--well, perhaps a health food store. If I don't like the gift store or Durango as well as I think I will, there might be another established business for sale in one of the other areas I've seen."

  "You've put a lot of thought into this. It sounds like a good plan." Mentally he reviewed the businesses in Post for possibilities as he spoke. "Where have you visited so far?

  She pushed the same errant strand of hair once more from her face. "Well, I went to San Antonio first, then on to Austin. Next, I tried Fredericksburg, Waco, Dallas, Fort Worth, and now here. I spent Thursday night in Abilene. I'd really planned for my next working stop to be Lubbock or Amarillo. Now I'll just make it Post or nearby until I get this car situation all squared away” Aurora rubbed her temples and sighed.

  Will stood and grabbed his crutches. "I'll leave you alone while you call your insurance agent. When that's done, I'll call the sheriff while you continue to rest."

  Aurora retrieved her auto information from the briefcase and called her insurance agent. The insurance company office was closed for the weekend, but she left a message on the answering machine and promised to call again on Monday. That call completed, she sighed and settled back against the pillows. All the activity of breakfast followed by talking made her head ache worse. She closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.

  Chapter Four

  When Will tried to retrieve the phone from the bed beside her, she awakened. Sleepy eyes stared up at him and a smile spread across her face. Will's heart pounded with strange fibrillations. Under the covers she moved her legs aside so he could once again sit beside her on the bed.

  Her auburn hair lay spread across the pillow. The neck of the oversized pajama top revealed ivory skin to the cleft of her ample breasts. Will very much wanted to forget the sheriff and just crawl into bed with Aurora. So strong was the feeling that, for a moment, it took his breath away. She seemed, however, to have no idea of the effect she had on him.

  In spite of his carnal longings, Will sat on the bed in the place she had made for him. "Sorry, I tried not to wake you. This damn cast and the crutches make it hard to sneak in and out of the room. I thought I'd better let the sheriff know you're safe in case a pilot spots your car."

  His eyes focused on the pale light from the window across the room. "Rain may begin again any minute, but for the present it's stopped. Small planes and helicopters are already flying over the area to assess the extent of the flood damage."

  Will called the Garza County Sheriff and reported Aurora safe but the location of her car unknown. The deputy with whom he spoke promised to alert the air patrols about the car.

  "Now, I need to call my daughter Kelly. She's at my mother's home in Lubbock. She had an appointment with the orthodontist yesterday. With my talk at the college scheduled, my sister Lori Beth agreed to take Kelly to the orthodontist." As way of explanation, he added. "Lori Beth's pregnant and had an appointment with her doctor in Lubbock anyway."

  Will tapped the cast on his leg. "I consulted Nick in Snyder for this leg because Nick's a close friend whose skill I trust. There's a medical school and teaching hospital in Lubbock, though, so normally we go there for medical needs as Lori Beth and Kelly have done. Nick's on the staff in Lubbock and does his more complicated cases there."

  He chuckled to himself, then explained, "
The trip also gave Lori Beth and Kelly a chance to go shopping for new spring clothes. My daughter prefers shopping with her aunt as opposed to shopping with me." He shook his head in bewilderment. "Kids seem to grow in spurts and she recently shot up out of all of her clothes. My brother-in-law Tommy Joe went with them to try to reign them in before the two bankrupted both of us."

  Aurora smiled at his description of the outing. "How old's your daughter?"

  He smiled again at the thought of his spunky daughter. "She's ten--going on thirty. She thinks she has to take care of me since Nancy died."

  The mention of his wife was like a dousing of cold water to Aurora, but she found herself sympathetic. "It must have been very hard for both of you, your wife dying so young."

  The humor died from Will's eyes and a mask came across them as he clenched his jaw. "Yes. Words can't describe how hard it was...and is."

  She saw the pain in his eyes at the mention of his wife. Although uncertain she should probe further, her curiosity forced her to ask, "Was she in an accident?"

  "No." He took a deep breath, as if even talking about it hurt too much to bear. "She had leukemia--one of the rapid kind that spreads immediately. We didn't even realize she was ill. She'd been feeling tired for several weeks, but hadn't mentioned it to me. One day when we waked up, she was covered in bruises. I rushed her to the doctor, and the doctor did a lot of tests on her that day." He shook his head and turned away to hide the pain the memory brought with it.

  After a few moments he swallowed hard a couple of times before he continued. “I didn't know leukemia could be that rapid. I had a friend who lived with it for twenty-five years. Nancy only lasted two months after her diagnosis." He gazed into space as if lost in the unpleasant memories.

  The pain on his face left Aurora at a loss for words. She was an intruder who happened onto a very private scene. Quickly, she sought to divert Will's mind from his wife's death. "Do your sister and brother-in-law live here with you now or is it just you and Kelly?"

  Will remained lost in memories for a few seconds before he returned his gaze to Aurora. He took a deep breath and smiled apologetically for momentarily shutting her out of his thoughts. "Kelly and I live here alone. You haven't seen it yet, but there are a couple of houses near this one that are part of the ranch complex although they're...well...I guess it would be the equivalent of a city block or so away. My foreman Bob Hankins, his wife Mary, and their teenage son Greg live our former house my parents built when I was about seven or eight. Bob's good at his job and I've relied even more heavily on him since I've been forced to wear this damned cast."

  Will ran his hands through his hair. "In the other house, my housekeeper Lily Chapa lives with her husband Raul, who helps on the ranch and is also a partner with me on the cutting horses. Raul and Lily are longtime friends of mine. They have two sons, Juan and Hector, and a daughter, Catrina.

  "Lily only works weekdays or she would have been over here by now. I'll try to get her over here later to help you. Her kids have flu or something, but I hope Lily can get away for a little while."

  Aurora wished this Lily would hurry and get here if she were coming. "Where do your sister and brother-in-law live?" The number of people and buildings associated with the ranch surprised her. She could only guess at how prosperous the ranch must be to support so many people. It was a lifestyle foreign to her and seemed much more complex than she had imagined.

  "My brother-in-law--Tommy Joe Vestal--owns a ranch that's been in his family for a couple of generations. It's about two miles east from here, which is how Lori Beth met him. He's a couple of years younger than I am, but we all grew up together. I try to remember to call him Tom now that he's older and soon to be a father, but old habits are hard to break."

  Aurora let her gaze roam around the room. "This house is fairly new. How long have you lived here?"

  "Nancy and I lived in Post until we built this house six years ago. My father developed serious heart problems while I attended college, so he and Mother moved into Lubbock to be close to any medical care he might need. That's when the Hankins moved into my folks' old house here on the ranch."

  Almost as an afterthought he added, "When Dad died five years ago, Mother wanted to remain in Lubbock. I don't think she ever really liked the isolation of ranch life."

  Aurora picked up his left hand from where he rested it on the bed beside her. She couldn't decide whether or not to mention it. The words came out while she was thinking them before she had a chance to stop them, "You wore your wedding ring yesterday. It's gone now."

  He laced the fingers of his hand with hers. "That's right," Will searched her face. "I took it off when I got home yesterday."

  "Why yesterday?" Aurora lay back against the pillows, mesmerized by those gray eyes that now peered right into her soul. The rest of the world failed to exist for her, and her heart caught as she waited for his answer.

  Will shifted uncomfortably, as if he did not know how to answer her question. He paused and turned away, then took a deep breath. "Kelly and Lori Beth have tried to get me, um, back into circulation, as they phrase it, and pestered me to remove my wedding ring."

  Slowly, he turned his gaze back to hers. "I promised Kelly that if I ever met a woman who aroused my interest, I'd quit wearing the ring."

  Aurora's eyes widened, but she said nothing. Unconsciously her tongue flicked over her lips as she continued to gaze into Will's eyes. He kept his left hand entwined with her fingers as he leaned over her to rest his weight on his elbow, partially pinning her under him. His finger traced the line of her brow. He let his hand travel down her cheek slowly until it came to rest on the bed near her shoulder. His face was so close she could feel his breath sweet on her face as he spoke.

  "When I met you yesterday, I was, well, I guess you could say fascinated." He kissed the tip of her nose and smiled down at her. "No--I think bewitched is a better word. I saw you get out of your car and twirl around at me, your hair whirling out in the wind and your eyes twinkling. Your smile hit me like a ton of bricks. When you blew me that kiss...well, I can't explain why, but I knew I had to find a way to meet you."

  The alluring picture he drew of her actions of the day before amazed her. He made her sound like some sort of siren or temptress, certainly much different from the way she perceived herself. "You surprised me when you sat down in that booth beside me. When I realized I'd stolen the park of someone with a broken leg I could have died of shame. You glared so ominously, I thought you wanted to choke me."

  Will ran his finger lightly across her lips, "No, that wasn't what I wanted at all."

  Aurora sank further under his spell, and tried to resist. Remember your resolve, she told herself. In an attempt to break his spell on her, Aurora reminded him, "You said you were going to call your daughter."

  Will let his eyes memorize every detail of her face before, with resignation, he sat up and picked up the phone again to dial his mother's phone number. Kelly answered the phone and he told her briefly about his houseguest. Once again he laughed and winked at Aurora as he answered Kelly's questions. Finally, he told her they would discuss the situation further when she got home.

  Aurora loved the way his voice changed tones as he talked to his daughter. He sounded friendly and polite when talking to her father, and very professional when he talked to the deputy at the sheriff's office. His tone with his daughter was entirely different--patient and loving. His pride and love for his little girl showed in every word he said.

  While Will talked on the phone, Aurora absentmindedly organized the medical supplies on the bedside table into a neat little group on one corner of the tabletop. She realized what she’d done and found he watched with an amused expression. She blushed and put her hands in her lap. Why, why did she have to be such an organization nut? Will probably thought her totally crazy by now, just as Russell had.

  When Will finished his call to Kelly and his mother, Aurora crossed her arms and accused, "That's the second time you
've done that."

  "What?" Will frowned. “What did I do?”

  "You know, laughed while you answered questions over the phone. What did you say about me?"

  "You heard what I said about you." Will grinned innocently.

  His stone gray eyes came to life when he smiled, and each time it made her even more aware of her attraction to this man. She tried to fight the spell he cast over her, to concentrate on her goals. Her experience with Russell remained too recent a reminder of her bad judgment where men were concerned. And her childhood convinced her of the necessity for a woman to be independent rather than falling for a man she hardly knew. She never wanted to end up like her Aunt Faye.

  "You know very well what I mean. For instance, just what did my father ask that you found so amusing, anyway?"

  Will's smile became mysterious. "That's my secret for now. Let's just say we had a meeting of the minds. I'm sure I'm going to like him."

  Aurora scowled at him, but ignored the implication. "What did your daughter ask that was so funny?"

  "She wanted to know if I still wore my wedding ring--that's been such an unbelievably big deal to her lately. Most kids don't want a stepmother, but she's determined to get one. I think it's because the father of her friend Marcie remarried last year, and Marcie has been lording it over her with tales of how great it is to have a stepmother. When I admitted I removed the ring, she wanted to know if it was because of you."

  Will shrugged. "I never lie to her, so I had to tell her yes. Then, she wanted to know if I plan to keep you here. That's when I said I certainly intend to try."

  Aurora relaxed her arms and folded her hands primly together in her lap. "Oh, you know very well that I'm on my way to Colorado."

  "I know what you told me." Will said as he took her hand. For a moment he sat examining her hand. When he again met her gaze there was a new intensity there. "Yesterday I let you walk out of the restaurant and hated myself for letting you get away without my even knowing how to contact you. It may sound foolish but I determined to find you again if I had to go to Durango to do so." He traced his finger across her palm. "I promise you it won't be so easy to get away from me next time."