Soon they were driving through the part of town ravaged by the wildfire eighteen months earlier. Most blocks contained at least one or two new homes. A few blocks were almost filled with new houses.
There were dozens of empty lots with bare dirt and weeds. On some, concrete or paved driveways indicated that a house had once been there. It was hard to tell on others if they had ever been occupied. The handful that held FEMA trailers often had a house in some stage of construction beside them, sometimes with a crew working. There were still some large trees scattered about, their trunks blackened but the limbs full of summer leaves.
Sue explained that they’d lost ninety-eight homes in town and two in the country, including their friend Dalton’s. Several businesses and other buildings, along with the cotton gin, also burned or were so badly damaged they had to be torn down.
“It started southwest of town. The firefighters couldn’t establish a fire line until that night. Dub and the boys are members of our volunteer fire department and were right in the thick of it. Until the wind died down, all they could do was make sure everyone was evacuated. It was heartbreaking for them to have to let so many homes and businesses burn.”
“That must have been frightening for you.” Megan had followed the news reports on TV. She couldn’t imagine having someone she cared about fighting the monster blaze, much less practically your whole family.
“It was. I prayed constantly and tried not to look scared because of Zach. Jenna was in town when it first hit, and Zach was home with me, so it was even more important to try to make things seem normal until she got home.” She slowed the car as they approached a busy construction site.
As Sue parked across the street out of the way, Megan watched two men put up sheeting on the sides of the roofed and framed house. She’d worked with a builder in Austin, a small contractor who built one thing at a time. This crew worked well together, no effort wasted. Unlike most of the other new homes, this was a two-story.
She shifted her attention to the tall, muscular, dark-haired man standing in front of a pickup, a set of plans spread out on the hood. When he spotted Sue’s car, a wide grin lit his face, and he rolled up the drawings. Even if she hadn’t seen him at the wreck the day before, he resembled Will enough that she would have known they were brothers.
They got out of the car, and a pickup pulled up behind them. Megan was surprised to see Nate. She turned to Jenna with a bemused smile. “Does your husband have a built-in radar for sweets?”
Jenna laughed. “Not quite. He was in town, so I sent him a text that we had goodies and were stopping by the job site.” Will came zipping around the corner, parked behind Nate, and hopped out of his truck. “Looks like he passed on the message.”
Chance walked up, gave Emily a quick kiss, and greeted everyone. “Party time.”
“The word got out,” Nate said with a grin as he and Will joined them. He slipped his arm around Jenna’s waist and gave her a squeeze. “You know we never turn down an opportunity for food and the company of pretty ladies.”
Chance turned to Megan. “I’m Chance. Nice to finally meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too. Thank you for searching high and low for my belongings yesterday. Thank you too, Nate. It’s wonderful to have clean clothes.”
Will took a step closer, drawing her gaze. “They suit you better than mud. You clean up good, Miz Smith,” he drawled, a glint of admiration in his eyes.
“Thanks. I agree, mud isn’t my style.” She was glad she’d taken the time to put on makeup.
When Jenna handed Chance the big box of doughnuts, he hollered at his crew to take a break. Then she gathered up the smaller bag of chocolate ones and the milk for the ladies. “Sorry, guys, we didn’t buy drinks for everyone.”
“There’s a case of water in the back of my truck if anybody wants some,” said Chance. He set the doughnut box on a stack of lumber.
Will fell in step beside Megan as they moved toward the house. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good. I have some sore spots but nothing too bad. They’ll be gone in a day or two.”
“Did you find the pills Cindy wanted you to get?”
“Yes. They had them at the grocery store like she said.” As they maneuvered around a pile of scrap lumber, Will cupped her elbow. She enjoyed his gentle touch, but at the same time she was a little annoyed that Mr. Macho thought she wasn’t capable of dodging broken boards. “I’m okay. I worked with a builder so I’m used to walking around job sites.”
“Were you pregnant then?” They were on clear ground, and he dropped his hand.
“No, but what does that have to do with it?”
His smile held a trace of mischief. “Center of gravity? Seeing where you put your feet?”
Megan stopped, rested her hands on her hips, and attempted to glare at him. Not easy to do when she was about to laugh. “I’m not that big!”
“No, you aren’t. But can you see your feet?”
She looked down. No feet. Just a round stomach in a loose top. She burst out laughing and held out one foot. “I can still see when I take a step.”
“Yeah, but I made you laugh.” He lowered his voice and leaned slightly toward her. “And that’s a sweet sound.”
Oh, he was a charmer, but in an endearing way. “There you go, being Mr. Nice Guy again.”
He just grinned. “We’d better grab a doughnut before the guys eat them all.”
“Not a problem for me. Jenna bought us ladies some of our own. I’m going to enjoy every bite.”
A little later, as she was licking the last bit of chocolate off her fingers, she looked up and caught Will watching her. His tender expression took her breath away. He nodded toward the big box of sweets. “There are still some left. Help yourself.”
“Thanks, but I’m good. Don’t want a sugar overload.” She glanced around to see if anyone was watching them. Thankfully, they were busy chatting with the carpenters.
Maybe she was just paranoid, but she didn’t think a wealthy mama would be too keen on her son looking at her that way. Even nice rich people had expectations for their children, and they didn’t include getting involved with poor white trash.
She’d worked hard to rise above that stigma, but it clung to her like stink on a skunk. No matter what she did, she still came from a long line of crooks and drunks. People who looked for what they deemed an easy buck and who seldom did an honest day’s work. If the Callahans learned of her background, they’d think she was just like her mother’s family and out to get whatever she could.
The crew headed back to work while the Callahan clan discussed their plans for the day. Curious to see the inside of the house, Megan started toward the building. Will tagged along. Not exactly what she’d planned, but she couldn’t deny that she liked his company.
“Checking to see if my brother does good work?”
“I’m sure he does. I like to look at houses under construction, see if I can figure out what goes where.”
“He’ll show you the plans.”
“That takes away the challenge.” Smiling, she stepped up onto the block that served as a temporary porch. Will instantly rested his hand against her back to steady her even though there was no need. The block was on flat, solid ground. His concern was touching, even if she didn’t want it to be. She’d never had anybody treat her with such gentle care, not even the man she’d hoped was going to marry her.
“This is the entry.” She made a sweeping motion with her hand and met Will’s twinkling gaze. “And a guest closet.”
“I never would have guessed.”
“This part is easy. A great room, dining area, and kitchen combination.” She studied the framed-in walls and pointed to a smaller room. “Den or office. Maybe a TV room.” She led him down a hallway. “Master bedroom and bath. Nice size too.”
When she looked up toward the second floor, Will laid his fingers on her arm. “Don’t even think about going up that ladder.”
Frow
ning, she drew her arm away. “I’m not stupid.”
“Sorry. I know you aren’t, but if you weren’t pregnant, I bet you’d be zipping up that ladder faster than a kid climbing up a waterslide.”
“How’d you know?”
He smiled that lazy, enticing smile of his. “You have a very expressive face. For a second you were tempted to go up there for a better look, then you decided against it.”
“Wrong. I wanted to go up there but knew better from the get-go. Wanting to do something and actually being tempted to do it are two different things.” She was talking about more than going up a ladder, and he knew it.
“I stand corrected.” He tipped his head slightly to the side. “You’re good at this.”
“I was a good agent, and I enjoyed it. But I don’t think I’ll go back to it until Sweet Baby is in school. Maybe not even then. It’s not easy to sell real estate when you have a baby or small children. One of our best agents tried it, but she soon gave up. You have to be flexible and fit your schedule around your clients’ needs. If someone you’ve been working with comes to town to look at houses, you can’t leave them hanging because you have a sick baby. Sometimes another agent might fill in for you, but they aren’t always able to do it.”
“I have a friend from college who went into real estate after we graduated. He works long hours, as many as I do on the ranch. He’s done well, but he doesn’t have nearly as much fun as I do.”
“How do you know that?”
“He doesn’t get to ride a horse.”
They went back outside. “Not everyone thinks that’s fun.”
“Have you ever ridden a horse?”
“No, and I don’t intend to start now.”
He chuckled as they walked back to rejoin the family. “I’m not recommending it. But you should give it a try sometime.”
“I’ll put it on my someday-adventures list.” Near the bottom since she’d never been around a horse and wasn’t sure she wanted to be.
“What do you think of the house?” asked Chance.
“It’s a great floor plan. How many bedrooms upstairs?”
“Three and two bathrooms. I’ll show you the drawings tonight if you want. Can’t do it now because I have to get back to the office for a meeting.”
“I’d like that. Thanks.” Megan turned to Sue. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”
“Not at all. Though we should head on home and put the groceries away.” She looked at Chance. “Will we see you at dinner?”
“Sorry, not today. Too busy. But we’ll come over tonight.” He glanced at Emily, who nodded.
As they strolled back to their vehicles, Will once again walked beside Megan. They didn’t talk, but as he opened the car door for her, she noticed Sue watching them with a tiny frown.
Busted.
9
After dinner, Will was about to stretch out on one of his folks’ big red leather sofas for a short afternoon snooze when his mother asked him to join her and Dub in their office. Megan was lying down in her room. The rest of the family had scattered after they ate, heading back to their respective houses.
He followed his mom into the office. His dad looked up from the computer and motioned for Will to shut the door. After he sat down, Dub said, “I heard from Peters. He confirmed what Megan told you about being in real estate. He didn’t find any marriage or divorce records. Got the scoop on the boyfriend from a former co-worker. He’s married and already has four kids.”
Will’s heart sank. She’d had an affair with a married man? It happened all the time, but somehow he hadn’t expected her to do something that sleazy.
“The woman didn’t think Megan knew he was married, but she wasn’t positive. Megan was friendly enough at work but didn’t do anything with the people from the office any other time. So her associate didn’t know too many details of her life outside of work.
“The manager of her apartment building said she kept to herself. Though he saw her talking to a few other tenants occasionally. Never had anybody over except for one guy several months ago. He was there four times for dinner and stayed the night once.”
“Good grief, was the manager spying on her?”
“That was my reaction too, but Peters thought he was equally nosy about all of the tenants. It’s a small building.”
“Life in the big city.” Will grimaced. “No thanks.” It didn’t sound to him like she’d had a long-term affair. Which meant she might not have known he was married. Some guys were experts at that kind of deception. “Anything else?”
“He also confirmed that she’d worked at a restaurant before going to the real estate office. She’d been there about eighteen months. But he didn’t get any leads on where she worked before that, if she did. You said she’d lived in Austin since she was sixteen?”
“That’s what she told me.”
“He hasn’t been able to find any school records.”
“Does that mean she didn’t finish high school?”
“Not necessarily. He’s still working on it. Though he did say that a high school diploma or GED isn’t required for a real estate license. All you need is to be eighteen, take all the required real estate classes, and pass the exam.”
“Does he know where she’s from originally?”
“No. In fact, so far he hasn’t been able to find any earlier info on her. The trail goes cold at the restaurant. Evidently they’ve had a big turnover from management on down. There was only one waitress that remembered her, but she started working there right before Megan left and didn’t know her well.”
“So no obvious family to turn to for help.”
Dub nodded. “Things are going to be mighty tough for her to keep going on her own.”
“She won’t have to,” Will’s mother said. “God put her in our care, and here she’ll stay.”
“I don’t know if she’ll go along with your plan, Mom. She has an independent streak a mile long and doesn’t like being indebted to anyone. It took the promise of Ramona’s leftovers just to persuade her to come out here for a few days.”
Sue stared at him. “Leftovers?”
“I told her that Ramona still cooks like she’s feedin’ a bunch of single cowboys. So unless all the family is here, she winds up with a lot of leftovers.” He shook his head. “You should have seen Megan’s face. She looked like a little kid longing for a special treat.”
“Bless her heart. That settles it. She’s staying. We’ll convince her.” Sue’s eyes narrowed. “You’ll have to help, but it’s going to be tricky. You don’t want to give her the wrong impression.”
Her tone made Will uneasy. His mother didn’t miss much where her kids were concerned. Sometimes she saw things they didn’t know they were revealing. Or maybe hadn’t realized yet. Occasionally she also read them wrong. “About what?” he asked cautiously.
“Your feelings for her.”
He caught his dad’s quick frown and lowered his gaze, buying a few seconds to think. His brother had fallen in love with Emily the first day they met, and his mother had thought it was wonderful. Did she think he’d done the same thing? If so, she didn’t look at all happy about it.
“Like you, I’m concerned about her and know that God led me there to find her.” He met his father’s concerned gaze. At one time Dub hadn’t thought Nate was good enough for Jenna. Did he or Sue have the same idea about Megan? That wouldn’t sit well with their oldest son. He didn’t believe they were any better than anyone else, even if they had a lot of money.
“I like her and admire her spunk. I want good things for her. But I’m not in love with her.” He focused on his mother, expecting to see relief in her expression. Instead, she appeared even more concerned. “Could I fall in love with her? Maybe.” He sat up a little straighter. When he spoke, he kept his voice calm but firm. “Does that bother you?”
His dad twirled a pen around on the desk. He glanced at his wife. “I learned my lesson about judging people with Nate, but there are dif
ferent things to consider with Megan.”
“Like the baby.” Will had spent a lot of time thinking about that during the night. “Care for the woman, care for her kid. It’s a package deal.”
“I don’t have anything against Megan,” his mother said quietly. “Of course, none of us really know her, so our opinions may change. You have a tender heart, son. I’m worried that you may mistake compassion for love. Or that she might. For someone in her situation, you’re the knight in shining armor who can make all her dreams come true. I don’t want to see either of you hurt.”
“We need to help her. To take care of her until after the baby is born, and she gets back on her feet financially,” Will said. “Show her she’s not alone in the world, that she has friends. With the whole family involved, she won’t focus on me.”
His mother laughed softly. “That’ll be the day. You’re the last eligible Callahan. Why should she be any different than every other single female in the county?”
“I’m no expert on women”—that drew an unladylike snort from his mother—“but given how her boyfriend apparently abused her trust, I doubt she’s all that interested in finding another man.”
“You have a point there.”
“I’ve never met any woman who is so blasted determined to take care of herself. I’m sure she appreciates having a place to stay until she gets her bearings, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she takes off as soon as she can.”
“We’ll have to show her that there are good people in the world.” His mother’s eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief. “I have a couple of ideas that may make staying here more palatable to her.”
Will relaxed back against the chair. “What do you have in mind?”
“With Dalton moving out of the camp house, we can offer her a choice of places to stay, either there or here with us.”
“That’s a good start. But I’m not sure she has enough money to buy food if she has a place of her own.”
“She can take most of her meals here, especially if she’s working for us. Jenna, Emily, and I have decided we need a personal assistant.”
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