Megan's Hero (The Callahans of Texas Book #3): A Novel

by Gillenwater, Sharon

  Will didn’t laugh, but he couldn’t hold back a grin. The women in his family were busy, but they always managed to get everything done on time.

  “I’d also love to have someone prepare nice desserts for the luncheons at the museum. If she’s willing, that would be part of her job. We don’t plan on having her work full time. She needs to get plenty of rest too.”

  “I should have known you’d come up with something.” Will stood and leaned down to drop a kiss on his mom’s forehead. “Thank you.” He looked back at his father. “Anything else?”

  “That’s all Peters had. If he finds anything else, I’ll let you know.” Dub stood too. “Are you goin’ over to Red Ridge this afternoon?”

  “That’s the plan. I need to check the cut on that heifer’s leg. It looked pretty good day before yesterday, but nobody’s made it over there since then. Nate’s going with me. For some reason that silly cow refuses to stand there peacefully and let me doctor her leg.”

  Dub laughed and walked around the desk toward the door. “Wouldn’t it be nice if they were that cooperative.”

  Megan slept all afternoon. She and Will shared a quiet supper with his parents, then he invited her to walk out to see her van and to show her what Chance and Nate had recovered from the pasture. He had helped them set up several tables in the old bunkhouse the night before and spread her things out to dry.

  It was a pleasant stroll from the ranch house, past flower beds vibrant with roses of all colors and numerous other flowers, as well as the large vegetable garden.

  “Who takes care of the grounds and the garden?”

  “Ace.” Ace was Ramona’s husband. She’d met them at dinner, but his dad had simply introduced him as their jack-of-all-trades. “He grows the vegetables and fruit in the orchard, and Ramona and Mom freeze or can what we don’t eat fresh. He takes care of a lot of things around here, which frees up Dad and me to run the ranch.”

  She looked across the garden to the three other houses in the family compound, each an acre apart to give them some breathing room. “Who lives where?”

  “Jenna, Nate, and Zach live in the older house. It was built in 1910 and served as the ranch house until Dad built the current one. After my grandparents passed on, Mom converted it into a guest house. When Chance and I moved out, she wound up having visitors stay in the ranch house, and the old place sat empty for a while. She kept it furnished and clean in case it was needed for overflow if we had a crowd. Jenna and Zach moved into it a few months before she and Nate got married.” He glanced at her, noting a tiny frown. “Jenna was married before. Nate isn’t Zach’s daddy by birth, but he is in every other way.”

  “They sure seem to love each other. That’s what counts.” She motioned toward the other two houses. “Which house is yours?”

  “The one with the wraparound porch. I’ve always enjoyed the one on the ranch house, so it was at the top of my want list. Second was an open floor plan with the kitchen, dining area, and living room all combined. Chance’s house was the first he ever built. Mine was second. He was learnin’, so they aren’t perfect. But it’s still a good family-sized house.”

  “So you aren’t set on being the town’s most eligible bachelor forever?”

  “Reckon you picked up on the eligible bachelor part at the hospital.”

  “Hard to miss when the handsome bachelor alert went off and every single woman on the premises happened to wander by.”

  Will laughed and leaned down to pull a weed from the edge of the otherwise meticulous garden. “I’ve always suspected there was such a thing.”

  “Guys have a girl alert too.”

  “Yes, ma’am. We go through a special initiation in the seventh grade and promise to never, ever reveal the secret to a female.”

  She laughed and started walking along the path again. “Oh yeah, the old elbow nudge and ‘check her out, dude’ is such a big secret.”

  “Oh, man! Who betrayed us?”

  “Half the guys in any group.”

  All of whom would notice her when she walked into a room. She wasn’t a stunning beauty like his sister-in-law, but she was more than pretty enough to catch any man’s eye.

  No one had talked to her yet about working for them. Emily spent the afternoon at the museum, and Jenna had been at the Mission, receiving a shipment of goods for the food bank. His mom had gone to a planning meeting for an upcoming luncheon at the museum. His mother quietly told him that she and the girls wanted to talk to Megan together, hoping if one couldn’t persuade her to stay, then the three of them could.

  When they reached her van, she sighed heavily. “There are more dents than I remembered.”

  “About a gazillion. And the right side got pretty banged up when it flipped over.”

  “Can they hammer out the fender so the front tire will turn?”

  “Should be able to. But the only way to get rid of the mold and musty smell will be to completely gut the interior.”

  “It already stinks, and it will only get worse.” She tugged on the front passenger door but couldn’t get it open. “Did y’all get everything out of the glove box and console?”

  “Yep. Even checked under the seats. Found one ballpoint pen and two rock hard French fries.”

  “An indulgence from a couple of weeks ago. I was so hungry for fries that I just couldn’t help myself.”

  “Aren’t pregnant ladies supposed to crave ice cream and pickles?”

  “For me it’s French fries and ice cream, though not together. Sometimes I’d give anything for a bowl of Blue Bell orange swirl.”

  “But you haven’t had any,” he said quietly.

  “I gave in last week and bought a pint. Since I was living in the van, I had to eat the whole thing at once.” She smiled up at him. “I enjoyed every bite, but I need to eat healthy.”

  And she couldn’t afford frivolous things. Will made a mental note to pick up a good supply of orange swirl ice cream.

  “Do you know of a junkyard that will buy the van?”

  “There are some in Abilene that should. I’ll give them a call tomorrow if you want. After I saw it, I didn’t check with the high school kids about fixing the body. The inside is ruined too. It needs more work than they can handle.”

  “It would be a waste of money to try to repair it.” With a resigned expression, she looked away from the destroyed vehicle. “Is that the bunkhouse?”

  When he nodded, she turned and walked through the tall, natural grass toward the one-story, rectangular building. He caught up with her in two steps.

  “Selling it for scrap would give me a little cushion while I look for work in Abilene. I could also make my first payment toward what I owe you.”

  “You don’t need to worry about that.” When she started to protest, he held up his hand. “Not until after you have the baby and are settled in somewhere with some money coming in.”

  They walked onto the long bunkhouse porch, and he opened the door, stepping back so she could enter first. “We spread things out so they’d dry. Most of the clothes are just dirty, no glass slivers. Probably because the suitcases were sucked out of the car before they burst open.”

  “That’s something to be thankful for. I don’t know how to get glass out of cloth.” She smiled when she saw the blue sweater. “Emily said Chance retrieved it from the tree. That must have taken a bit of ingenuity.”

  “Not much. He just stood in the pickup bed and stretched real tall.”

  “My cookbooks and recipes!” She hurried over to a plastic tub and opened the lid. “And they didn’t get wet. I could live without them, but I’m so glad I don’t have to. You rescued the mixer and most of my baking equipment. I couldn’t bring everything with me, especially all the pans. There just wasn’t room.”

  “I didn’t find any of it. Chance and Nate had already collected everything by the time I got home from town. Is this most of your things?”

  They’d left the photo album of the cakes and desserts at the ranch hous
e so his mom could see them. She’d given it to Megan when they brought her home from the hospital.

  “There are some clothes missing, but not a lot.” She walked slowly around the room, touching a blouse here, a pair of dressy pants there. “There were a few towels and washcloths, two pillows, and a light blanket.”

  “I tossed those because they were full of glass.”

  Nodding, she picked up a slinky black shoe with a two-inch heel. “Just one?”

  “Sorry, they didn’t come across the other one.” He figured she’d worn those shoes with the little black dress lying on the other end of the table. When she wasn’t pregnant and could fit in it again, she’d be a knockout in that simple little number.

  She stopped beside another covered plastic tub, resting her hand on it. “My business and tax records. That’s a relief. I doubt if I’ll ever need them, but I could just imagine what the IRS auditor would say if I told him a tornado ate them.”

  Will laughed with her, then picked up the tattered teddy bear and held it out to her. “So they found most of the important stuff?”

  She took the bear and held it close, a tear slipping from one eye. “Yes, they did. There’s nothing missing that can’t be replaced.” Looking down at the stuffed toy, a tiny frown creased her forehead. “How did Bear get picked up by a tornado and not come out a dirty mess?”

  Will rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. “He took a bath.”

  Amusement replaced her frown. “He took a bath? Will Callahan, did you wash this thing?”

  “Yes, ma’am. He was soaking wet and muddy, so I figured a little more water couldn’t do any more damage. He still looks pretty scruffy, but he’s clean.”

  “Mom bought him at a garage sale. He’s always been ratty-lookin’.”

  “But loved,” he said quietly.

  “Yeah. He’s good at keeping secrets.”

  He wondered what Megan had shared with her fuzzy little friend. “When I was little, my secret-keeper was a stuffed horse. I switched to a real one when I got older. He talked back sometimes, but he never spouted off to anybody else.”

  “That’s good. If he’d been gabby, Chance could have blackmailed you.”

  “He did that occasionally anyway, as I did him.”

  As they started to leave, she paused and glanced around the room. “It’s a tremendous relief not to have lost everything.”

  “We already had too many people here in that situation after the fire. I’m very glad you aren’t another.”

  “Your mom told me some about it this morning. It must have been horrible.” Still clutching the bear, she headed toward the door.

  He opened it for her and followed her out. “It was the most frightening day and night of my life. I pray I never have another one like it.”

  When they returned to the ranch house, he rested his hand lightly at the small of her back and guided her toward a group of big wicker chairs and a couple of wicker rockers on the wraparound porch. “Is it too hot for you to sit out here for a bit?”

  “I’m fine.” She sat down in one of the rockers and laid the bear on a small table. “It’s so quiet and peaceful here.”

  He took the chair nearest her. “A big change from the city.”

  “Yes, but I’m used to the city. I’ve always lived in town.”

  “Where besides Austin?”

  “We moved around a lot but settled in San Angelo when I was eight.”

  Another lead for the investigator. Will was tempted not to share the info with his dad, but he knew he would.

  “Dalton is moving out of the camp house tomorrow.”

  She nodded. “Jenna and Lindsey were talking about it this morning.”

  “Since it will be vacant, you’re welcome to live there. It’s furnished because Nate left just about everything when he married Jenna. Dalton isn’t taking much because he and Lindsey picked out new things for their house. Or if you’d prefer, you can stay here with the folks. Either way is okay with us, but we’d like you to remain at the ranch, at least until after the baby comes.”

  “Why would y’all do that for me?”

  He shrugged. “Because we can, and God put you here. Because we like you.” He reached over and flicked a soft brown curl with his fingertip. “And we’re suckers for little kids.”

  10

  That evening, Chance and Emily arrived first, but Jenna and her family were only five minutes behind them. Their little boy, Zach, made a beeline for Megan. They’d hit it off at dinner, but she had a feeling the cute little guy made friends with everyone he met. She hadn’t been around kids a lot and was surprised at how well—and how much—he talked.

  Giving her a big grin, he handed her a small G.I. Joe action figure and climbed up on the couch beside her, sitting on his knees facing her. “That’s Duke. He’s a sergeant like my daddy.”

  Megan didn’t quite know what to make of that statement. No one had mentioned that Nate was in the military. The toy was a bit worn. “He looks like he’s been in some battles.”

  Zach nodded, his short, pale blond hair gleaming in the lamplight. “He was Daddy’s when he was little. He played with him a lot.”

  He looked up at her, his expression serious. He had amazing dark blue eyes with light gray starbursts radiating outward from the center. He was a beautiful child.

  When the little boy held out his hand, she laid the toy in his palm. “Maybe you should turn around and sit down. I’m afraid you’ll fall off.”

  He frowned slightly but did as she asked, plopping down beside her. “Daddy was in the army. In I-wrak.”

  “And Afghanistan,” said Will, sitting down on the other side of his nephew.

  Zach walked Duke across the couch cushion and up onto Megan’s arm, then he pretended the G.I. Joe character jumped off, landing on his feet on the couch. “But he won’t ever go back. He’s gonna stay right here with me and Mommy.”

  “That’s right.” Will gave the little boy a hug. “We all like that, don’t we.”

  “Uh-huh. I want to play Legos.” Zach scooted forward and slid off the couch with a little help from Will. “You play with me?” he asked, looking up at him.

  “Sure. We’ll use the coffee table. Do you need some help?”

  “I can get ’em.” Zach walked around the massive dark brown leather and oak coffee table that sat between the two red leather couches. A matching red leather chair occupied the space at one end, a mission style rocker with red and gold southwestern print cushions at the other.

  Jenna joined them on the couch, making Will scoot a little closer to Megan. She noted that he was careful to leave a little space between them, which was fine with her. Nate took the rocker next to Jenna. Chance, Emily, and Sue occupied the other couch, and Dub settled into the big chair.

  “Amazing,” Dub drawled. “All the adults are sitting on the furniture.” He met Megan’s gaze and smiled. “Usually at least one or two of them are sprawled on the floor playing with my grandson.” When the child walked past him, lugging a box that was almost too big for him to carry, the pride and love on Dub’s face tugged at her heart.

  Sweet Baby would never have a grandparent to love her like that. I’ll love you enough to make up for it, she silently promised.

  “I’ve got a gripe,” continued the rancher. “I wasn’t invited to Megan’s gettin’-out-of-the-hospital party this morning.”

  “It wasn’t a party.” Sue gave him an indulgent smile.

  “Well, sure sounded like a party to me, with doughnuts and everything. And y’all didn’t even bring me one.”

  Will laughed and looked at Jenna. “Don’t let him razz you, sis. You saw how he made up for it at dinner by eating half the plain cake.”

  “There was enough for everybody.”

  “I don’t know, Dad, I had to eat crumbs.” Will winked at Megan.

  She chuckled at the family’s banter. Will had scraped the crumbs from the bottom of the pan and sprinkled them on top of the four scoops of ice cream that
covered a big piece of cake. The women, including her, had passed on dessert since they’d had a treat earlier. But these hardworking men didn’t have to worry about watching their weight.

  The family chatted about their day while Will and Zach built a couple of Lego cars and a garage to put them in. Zach practically built one car on his own while Will made the other. The little boy needed more help with the garage, but Will took his time and showed him how to put it together.

  She was surprised by Will’s patience and gentleness with Zach. She’d never known her father, but her two stepfathers, most of her mother’s boyfriends, and her grandfather hadn’t been patient or gentle. They’d had no use for her. She’d learned very early in life to stay out of their way. The only relatives who had shown her a smidgeon of kindness had been her Uncle Riley and her cousin Josh.

  She’d had a variety of male bosses over the years. Some gruff, some kind, all demanding. On a personal level, out of the handful of guys she’d dated, only one had truly been a kind person. But he’d moved to California and found himself a blonde surfer girl. The rest, like her baby’s father, Ken, had seemed nice enough at first but turned out to be jerks.

  The interaction between the Callahans was fascinating. Were they being nice to each other because they had company? Or did they really get along so well? Not all rich families were this happy. She’d worked with people who had tons of money but a lousy family life.

  Will had said that he didn’t always agree with his father, but that he loved and respected him. Jenna had talked about how Will and Chance used to fight over things when they were younger. Did they still argue? Or sometimes get in knockdown drag-outs like her uncle and grandfather? Surely not. It would be impossible to do that and have the kind of relationship they seemed to have.

  After half an hour of chitchat, the men decided to move into the TV room and watch the baseball game. When Zach tagged along, Megan felt a twinge of disappointment.

  “We have a proposal for you.” Jenna’s face broke into an excited smile. “I expect Will has already told you that we’d like for you to stay here at the ranch. Mom, Emily, and I were talking this morning—complaining a little, actually,” she said with a laugh. “We’re all pretty busy, and sometimes we can’t keep up with things without getting a little frazzled.”