She slid her key into the lock and was met by an excited bouncing bird.
“Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!”
“Yes, I see Rudy! Hi Rudy!”
“Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!” He fussed and talked for a few minutes, warily eying the tall stranger that hung by the front door. Carissa spoke softly to the bird, talking to him like he was a person. She couldn’t help it. She’d been lonely a long time and Rudy had been her only companion.
“Rudy, this is Trey. Momma’s friend Trey.”
“Rudy! Momma!”
“Yes, Momma’s friend Trey. He’s a nice man. Rudy, be nice,” she warned the temperamental bird.
“Rudy! Rudy!”
Carissa shook her head and smiled at Trey. She didn’t let Rudy out but she could see he wanted to spread his wings. She’d hoped that Angela had let him play yesterday. She’d called the college student and she agreed to watch him for her this second week. She slipped a few bills under Rudy’s bird food container and left Trey in the living room so she could pack more clothing and work.
She stuffed some pajamas, underwear, and a few dresses in her suitcase. She heard Rudy puffing. That was a sound he made when he was trying to learn new sounds or words. She stopped and listened to Trey talking to the bird softly. The man had a way with animals. She smiled to herself and stuffed some more jeans and underwear in the suitcase. Zipping up the bag she walked into her small office and pulled a few files to take with her. These were the files of the families that would be going on the first Audrey House Trail Tour at the Easy R Ranch. What an exciting time this would be! “I’m doing it, Audrey,” she whispered to the air.
She stuffed the files and some other office supplies into a portfolio briefcase and walked out of the office. Trey was sitting on a barstool next to the cage making sounds to the bird.
“I better fill up his dishes while I’m here. He’s going to want to get out but I don’t have the time to chase him right now. Rudy is a bit of a runaway every chance he gets.”
“Rudy!”
“Yes, I’m talking about you, Rudy!” He bobbed up and down on his perch as she reached in to get his water bottle. He wasn’t too mad at her because he didn’t hop on her hand or try to nip at her. The parakeet sometimes did that when he wasn’t happy. She filled up his water and replaced it, then reached for his food dish. She added a treat to his cage and replaced the food dish, now full. He began chomping away and stopped to look at them both, twisting his head sideways.
After checking the mail and tidying up a bit, Carissa was ready to leave and head back to the ranch. “Are you hungry? I could cook something.”
“Let’s grab a bite on the way out of town. I know the perfect spot.”
“Sounds like a plan. Bye, Rudy!” She waved to the bird and grabbed her keys. He didn’t say a word, just kept munching on his honey treat. “I know it sounds strange but I had to see him and make sure he was okay. I trust Angela but you have to see for yourself sometimes.”
“Yeah, I understand that. I’ve never owned a bird, but he seems like he’d be a lot of fun.”
“He can be, except when he’s upset. He’ll scream in the middle of the night sometimes just to wake me up, even if I put a blanket over his cage. He’s very temperamental but I’ve had him for three years now. I can’t imagine life without him.”
“I would never have imagined you as a bird person.”
“Really? I can’t have anything else. I have no time for a cat or a dog. Rudy is pretty low maintenance except for cleaning up after him. I don’t have to walk him or groom him too often. He’s low maintenance, like me.”
Trey tossed her suitcase in the back of the truck. She hopped into the front seat with her purse and portfolio. “You ready to eat?” he asked.
“Yep, I’m starving.”
They drove out of the parking lot into the Texas evening.
Chapter Eighteen
Firehouse Burgers was bustling tonight. He hadn’t been to the spot in years much less on a Saturday night. Dad brought him and his brother here after every cattle drive. They loved the flashing lights in the windows, sitting on the red vinyl seats, and sliding coins into the jukebox. He was sad to see that the jukebox sat unplugged and dusty, some of the red vinyl booths and seats had tears, and only one red light flashed in the window tonight.
Carissa smiled beside him and the pair claimed a spot in a nearby booth. A server came to take their order and after some discussion, the couple asked for made-to-order burgers and a shared basket of French fries. “This place is neat. Do you come here a lot?”
“Used to come here with Dad and Chase but that’s been quite some time ago. This place looks like it could use some help.”
“I don’t know. I think it’s quaint. You don’t see too many Mom-and-Pop diners anymore. Now it’s all restaurant chains and franchises. I get so tired of eating fast food but cooking for one is no fun at all.”
“You’ll have to cook for me sometime.”
She laughed and leaned forward. “I’m not that great at it but I like it. Do you like Italian?”
“Sure do. Sounds like a date. My cabin or yours?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “I guess yours since I don’t have much in the way of supplies at mine.”
“Tell me about your family. Are you all from Dallas?”
She shook her head. “No actually, we are originally from George County, Mississippi. Home of the big town of Lucedale. Close your eyes and you’ll miss it. After Audrey died, we moved here—my mom and me. I felt guilty about that for a long time. It was like we left her behind.”
“I don’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
“No, Audrey isn’t a bad memory. Let’s see. She was brilliant with math. As a matter of fact, she won every math competition we had at our school. She had so many ribbons that she had a whole bulletin board covered with them. I used to be jealous of how smart she was. She could ride a bike downhill with no hands. She was fearless, Trey. Audrey had long blond hair and she always had a tan because she lived outside.”
“Sounds like you admired her.”
“Don’t all kid sisters admire their big sisters?”
“I don’t know. I’m the oldest and I don’t have a sister.” He smiled playfully and handed her a straw for her drink. “Tell me something else.”
“We used to go camping and she’d steal all the Slim Jims that our dad packed—that was before he got, you know, sick. Man, we used to fight like cats and dogs over those. Audrey couldn’t sing a lick, but she didn’t let that stop her. She sang all the time. We played the radio from sun up to sun down in the summer. Me and Audrey were a force to be reckoned with.”
“I bet. Sounds like you and your sister were closer than most siblings I know.”
“I guess.” A shadow passed across her face, and Carissa could feel some of the joy slipping away. Trey noticed it too and swiftly changed the subject. They talked about horses, about his first horse, his first fall, and other tales from the trail.
The burgers arrived hot and steamy. Each plate also had an open bun and a pickle spear along with a slice of tomato and some lettuce. “Wow, that’s one big burger. How am I going to eat the whole thing?”
“You can always take half home. Stick it in the fridge. I guarantee you’ll eat it because this is the best burger north of the ranch. If you ever get a chance to eat one of Nancy’s, get in line. Her burgers are a work of art.”
They ate quietly for a few minutes. Carissa was dying to ask him, “What made you want to kiss me, Trey?”
“Which time?” He seemed surprised by her question.
“That first time this week. Behind Painted Rock.”
“If I recall correctly, I asked for permission to kiss you and you said yes.”
“I’m not arguing the history, I was just curious as to why you kissed me.”
“You mean, why do I like you?”
“I guess you could put it that way.”
“I don’t know the why, Carissa.
I just do.” He put the burger in the basket and wiped his face with the napkin. “Why? Are you regretting it?”
“No! Not at all. I guess I over-analyze everything. I’m sorry I asked.”
“I don’t make it a habit of kissing girls behind the Rock. And especially not girls with Viking boyfriends. But, I have no regrets.”
Carissa wondered what life would be like living with no regrets. She seemed to regret everything. She regretted Devon—how it started and how it ended. She regretted arguing with Melody—she could have chosen her words more carefully. She also regretted … well, no more thinking about that today.
“I don’t regret it either.” Time to change the subject, she thought. “Did I hear you have a drive to go on this week? Does that mean an overnight trip for you?”
“Maybe, but that all depends on Chase. He’s here to do the drives while Uncle Robert is in the hospital. I haven’t decided yet if I’m comfortable with letting him go without me on this one.”
“Is he sick? I had heard he’d be going into the hospital this week and you were running things.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure how much Uncle Robert wants everyone to know, but he’s having surgery on his heart and will probably be out of commission for several weeks.” He paused and continued nervously, “It’s kind of scary to me, actually, because my dad died of a heart attack.” He wasn’t used to talking about such feelings and this conversation was making him rather uncomfortable, but he felt like he could confide in this woman, felt like he needed to, actually.
“That stinks. I hate to hear that but that explains why your Aunt Nancy was crying in the pantry. She wouldn’t tell me what it was about it, but I figured it was something serious. I told her I’d be happy to talk with her if she needed someone to talk to but she isn’t likely to show up at my doorstep, is she?”
“No, never. Nancy isn’t the kind of person to talk about her feelings. I guess that’s a family trait. My parents were like that too.”
“My mom was too until the thing happened. Then we kind of had to talk about it just to keep it together.” Trey could see that whatever tragedy had occurred with her sister still affected Carissa in a major way. That was understandable. He could live with that because he knew that she was persistent. Someone who didn’t quit when challenges got in her way. Wasn’t she the girl who insisted on finishing the ride even when her horse threw her and a snake bit her arm? She was the ideal woman, beautiful, strong, and flawed. Perfection was a fantasy that only brought heartache because it wasn’t a real thing. Jessie had been like that. Perfect. Not real.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and stared at the screen. “I have to take this.” She tapped on the screen. “Hello? Ernesto?” He watched her lovely face display a myriad of emotions from surprise, sadness, and then happiness. “Yes, that’s wonderful. Don’t forget to remind your momma to send that form back to Miss Clare—the one about the food. We need to know if anyone has any food allergies.” She nodded and said, “Yes, that’s wonderful. I’m so happy to hear that. Okay, I’ll see you and your momma in two weeks, then. I’ll email you some pointers about what to wear, okay? Great. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye now.” She hung up and smiled at Trey. “We’ve got our first family confirmed. They met all the qualifications and Ernesto is so excited about this. He’s such a nice young man. He is fourteen and just the smartest kid. They’ve been in recovery for about a year now and he’s doing well. His mother isn’t quite as well as he is but the kids always bounce back first, it seems. Without getting into the details, I can tell you that they both are walking miracles.”
“Okay now I’m curious. I can see the need for privacy but what kind of recovery have they been in?”
“Ernesto’s father was the member of a motorcycle gang. When Fortunato, Ernesto’s mother, tried to take Ernesto and leave, his father doused them with gasoline and set them on fire. They’ve been through multiple surgeries and tons of counseling but they are getting there.”
“And what happened to the father? I hope he’s rotting in jail.”
“No, he’s dead actually. Fortunato’s brother took care of him. Now the brother is in jail though. Probably for the rest of his life.”
“Good for him.”
“Well, I don’t want to paint too cozy of a picture. He was never a nice guy either but he loves his family in his own weird, warped way.”
“At least he’s got that going for him.”
“So yeah! We’ve got a family!”
Trey couldn’t help but grin—it was nice to hear that there were nice people in the world like Carissa. People willing to help others that might not otherwise make it.
“Do you ever get down about all the broken families?”
“I can if I look at it for too long. When I first graduated, I was ready to change the world. I worked sixty hours a week, sometimes more, but one day you just realize. The only way to keep sane—and hopeful—is to make sure you make time for yourself. You know, downtime. Like this. Thanks again for riding with me and for introducing me to Firehouse Burgers, the best burgers north of the Easy R.”
“You’re welcome.” He dipped his fry in ketchup and ate it. “You told me about Audrey but what about you? Did you ever ride your bike with no hands?”
She laughed her pretty laugh. “No, I was too much of a coward for that but I have been known to swim in the ocean whenever I get the chance.”
“A mermaid? Those are hard to find in Texas.”
“Yes indeed. I’m very rare,” she joked.
“I won’t argue with that.”
They enjoyed their meal making chitchat occasionally. Broken speakers played an old country song, something about a rocking chair and a baby. When their bellies were full, Carissa asked for a to-go box and Trey paid the bill. They left Firehouse Burgers and drove back to the highway that would take them to the Easy R. Trey didn’t feel compelled to talk constantly. The silence was easy, comfortable—he liked that. Beside him the lovely brunette with the soft skin leaned her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes. Yeah, he could get used to this. He stole a look at her, thankful that she didn’t bust him. He smiled into the dark night, squinting slightly against approaching car lights.
The new transmission on the Beast worked smoothly. That was a relief. The idea of tearing that sucker apart again didn’t appeal to him. “Oh, look! That’s good luck, right?” Carissa leaned forward in her seat, pointing at a star that streaked across the sky.
“I think so.” He watched the star fade away. “Weren’t we supposed to make a wish?”
Carissa smiled. “I already did.”
Chapter Nineteen
Carissa sat on the couch, the files on the coffee table in front of her. It was almost midnight but she couldn’t sleep. She’d come back to the cabin and just an hour later, finished off the delicious Firehouse burger. That was probably why she couldn’t sleep now, that and thinking about the kiss she shared with Trey. His warm skin and soft lips had been a magical combination. He couldn’t have known how attracted she was to him. There was no game-playing, no demands. She knew that he would be a very different lover than Devon.
Get focused, girl. You’ve got to go bed soon. “Okay, I knew I’d take Ernesto and Fortunato on this first trip but they needed socialization,” she said aloud to herself. “Who would be a good pick to go with them? Hmm …”
She flipped through the manila folders and turned to a picture of Holly. Carissa’s finger ran over the lines. Only the oldest child could participate though. If Holly would agree with that, she would take them. These two mothers had similar background, similar challenges. Putting them together would be good for both families. She filed the rest of them away in her briefcase and re-read the files, finally feeling a little sleepy. All she needed was a warm shower and that would probably do her in.
Carissa left the files in the living room, kicked off her shoes, and padded to the shower. Twenty minutes later, she was clean, dry, and dressed for bed. She went to sl
eep feeling happy, glad that she’d decided to stay. Through the window, she could see the big starry sky and the moon rising high above the ranch. Sleep came quickly and she slept through the night. No dreams came. No dreams of Audrey crying, riding her bike away from her. No dreams at all. It was a relief.
The sounds of activity were all around her. Trucks were running, cowboys whistling at cattle, equipment moving. She had lingered long enough. She wasn’t hungry this morning thanks to last night’s burger. Stretching, she slid out of bed and reached for her blue jeans and a T-shirt. Instead of a cowboy hat, she decided to wear a baseball hat. Brushing her dark hair quickly, she pulled it back in a ponytail and eased the ponytail through the back of the hat and pulled the brim down over her eyes.
No need to worry about makeup, other than mascara and a touch of lip gloss. She planned on sweating today—she’d do her best to keep up with Trey, if he let her tag along. If not, she was sure Nancy would find something for her to do. She was right. She hadn’t crossed the yard when Nancy yelled to her. “Good morning! You missed breakfast! I’ve got a broom for you.”
Sheepishly she joined her on the porch as the older lady swept away. “Yeah, I slept in. Worked late last night but don’t worry about me. I’m not hungry.”
Nancy chuckled. “I’m not worried at all. I figure if you’re hungry, you’ll come eat when you’re supposed to. In the meantime, take this broom and finish the porch.” Carissa tried not to look disappointed. She’d hoped for a day with Trey and Sterling.
As if she read her mind, Trey’s aunt called over her shoulder as she walked away, “When you’re done with that, Trey’s in the barn. I’m sure he could use some help.”
Carissa swept the dusty footprints off the porch as quickly as she could, stowed the broom in the broom pantry, and jogged to the barn. Trey was there, brushing down Sampson. He appeared deep in thought, and Carissa didn’t want to disturb him so she walked past him to visit Sterling. The bright-eyed horse snorted at her as if to say, “Where have you been?”
Captivated By A Cowboy (Canton County Cowboys 3) Page 12
