Chapter Six
An hour later, when she heard Kayla greeting the girls in the backyard, Dana sighed in relief. “C’mon, sweetie.” She gave Stacey a hug. “Let’s go out to your swing.”
Kayla stood in the yard, still talking with the girls. Becky had already joined them at the picnic table. Though the five-year-old was much younger, Lissa and the rest of the girls got along well with her. Surprisingly, P.J. did, too. He especially enjoyed her visits when she brought her lively little puppy along.
Today, she’d come without Pirate. Still, her arrival might help him settle down and accept that he needed to be nice to Lissa and the other girls.
She hoped Kayla’s arrival might help her settle down, too.
After her uneasy conversation with Ben earlier, he had gone upstairs. As he worked in Lissa’s bedroom, directly over the kitchen, every squeak of a floorboard made her hold her breath, waiting for his step on the stairs. Every pound of his hammer reassured her she didn’t need to worry. For that moment.
On the shady back porch, she strapped the baby into the swing, wound the crank and gave the seat a gentle push. Stacey waved her arms and giggled.
P.J. sat on the top step. He gestured toward the potted plants and gardening tools that took up one end of the porch. “Mama,” he said, “there’s no place for my dinosaurs to walk.”
“I know, sweetie,” she said. Most of the plants should have been hung, but she hadn’t found time to put up the hooks she’d bought. “I’ll make space for them one day soon.”
Earlier she had seen him keeping watch on Lissa and her friends, who had gathered at the picnic table. Now that Becky had arrived, he looked almost with longing at the group. “Why don’t you go and sit with them? Becky will be happy to see you.”
He shook his head. “Nah. I don’t wanna play with girls.”
“Oh.” She smiled. Now wasn’t the time to explain that Becky fell into that dreaded category. As she went down the steps, she ruffled his hair.
Kayla had crossed the yard to talk to Dana’s next-door neighbor, Clarice, and Tess’s aunt Ellamae.
Dana joined them. “Good morning, ladies.”
“A loud morning, too,” Clarice said.
Her tone surprised Dana. Clarice never minded the kids’ play in the yard. And truthfully, the girls hadn’t made much noise at all after coming outside this morning. Then her neighbor’s gaze drifted to the second floor of Dana’s house. The sound of hammering rang through the open bedroom window.
“Ben’s here,” Ellamae stated.
Dana nodded.
“He’s been here quite often lately,” Clarice said.
“Stands to reason, doesn’t it, since he bought the house?” Ellamae asked. Not waiting for an answer, she sent Dana a sideways glance and added, “He’d help out whether he owned the place or not. In fact, I reckon he’s volunteered a time or three before now. That’s just his way.”
At this obvious attempt to fish for information, Dana clamped her jaw tight. But for a second, doubt assailed her. Ellamae always knew everything. Maybe she was hinting at something. But she couldn’t know what had happened here the other night.
There was no use arguing over the older woman’s assumption about Ben. Her good opinion of him would never change. Besides, she only said what everyone else in town thought.
“Gotta hand it to him,” Ellamae went on. “Ben Sawyer’s always been such a good, steady boy. A good thing he bought the house, too. No offense, Dana, but I’ll bet there’s plenty needs fixing up. That lazy George would let the place fall to ruin. Of course Ben will take care of things over there.”
Of course. That was the problem. No one in Flagman’s Folly thought twice about Ben helping her. In fact, they expected it. She shivered, thinking of what they would all say if they ever suspected what had happened between the two of them.
“Ben is a very good friend to Dana,” Clarice said. “He was like a brother to Paul. And you couldn’t find a better man than Paul. My Vernon always said so. Rest both their souls...” A loud buzzer almost drowned out her hushed words. When the noise stopped, she said in a normal tone, “Well, that’s the dryer.” She hurried away.
“Before I forget,” Ellamae said, “Roselynn wants y’all to come over tomorrow to welcome the newlyweds home. Two o’clock. Nothing fancy, just burgers. Kayla, you’ll tell Sam?”
“Sure. Roselynn mentioned it the other day.”
Ellamae turned to her. “You and the kids’ll come?”
“Of course.”
“Good. I’ll leave it to you to extend the invitation to Ben—seeing as he’s here more than he’s home lately.” Ellamae nodded and headed toward Clarice’s back door.
Dana bit her tongue. She should have realized Ben would be included in the invitation. But she couldn’t back out now.
She and Kayla walked over to stand near the porch. Overhead, Ben’s hammering continued.
“Sounds to me like those ladies attempted to say something without coming right out with it.” Kayla smiled. “And I can make a good guess what that was. I don’t know about Clarice, but Ellamae, at least, wouldn’t pass up a chance to do some matchmaking—as Sam and I have good reason to know.”
They did. So did Tess and Caleb and a few dozen other couples Dana could name. But she shook her head. “Not this time. Matchmaking would be the last thing on their minds. That was their not-so-subtle reminder.”
“Of what?”
“Of the fact Ben was my husband’s best friend.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could call them back. Kayla’s puzzled expression only emphasized her need to watch what she said. She waved at Stacey, happy in her swing, then forced a laugh. “They just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to sing Ben’s praises. That’s a tune I’ve heard all my life.”
“Maybe he’s worth singing over, if he puts all this effort into everything he does. Besides, you’ve been friends forever, too, haven’t you?”
“That’s exactly what those two want me to remember.” The hammering ended abruptly, and her words sounded loud in the sudden quiet. She lowered her voice. “And it explains why they’re so interested in what’s going on over here. I’ll guarantee they’re peeking through Clarice’s curtains right now.”
Kayla glanced over at the house and smothered a laugh. “You’re right.”
“I knew it.” She sighed. “Kayla, you don’t know what you walked into, moving to Flagman’s Folly from the big city.”
“I’m not sure I’d agree with that. We had our...interested neighbors in Chicago, too.”
“Busybodies, you mean. Not like this. It’s one of the biggest drawbacks of a small town. Your life is not your own.”
“Actually, I love that.” To Dana’s relief, Kayla held out the plastic file folder she’d been holding and changed the subject. “Here are the copies of the ordinances. I’ll leave them with you. Thanks again for keeping Becky while we go to the airport.”
“My pleasure. She’ll be happy playing with the girls till you get back.” She took the folder and tucked it under her arm. “I’ll look at this during the week. By then, we should be down to just a final read-through on the proposal. No worries, though—the idea’s so perfect, the council won’t be able to turn it down. The members will all vote yes the minute they hear about it.”
“Is that so?”
She and Kayla both jumped at the sound of the deep voice booming from over their heads. Ben stared down at them from the porch, his hands braced on the railing in front of him.
“What is it we’re going to be so all-fired excited about?”
Dana froze. She needed to remember to watch what she said around him, too. Especially around him. Naturally, as chairman of the town council, he would take an interest in any new proposals. “We’re not ready to discuss it yet.”<
br />
“Why not, if you already know which way the vote will go?”
Smiling, Kayla moved a step away. “Gotta run. I’ll leave you two to sort this out. Sam and I need to pick up Lianne.” She crossed to the group at the picnic table. As she said goodbye to the girls, she signed her words to Becky.
The little girl answered, hands flying in the air.
Dana watched for a moment, smiling. Then, knowing she couldn’t avoid Ben forever, she turned and trudged up the steps to the porch.
Arms crossed, he rested against the railing. He’d kept his T-shirt on—thank goodness!—but even through the fabric she could see the muscles of his chest and upper arms flex. Good old Ben. The reminder only made things worse. He didn’t look a bit old—but he sure looked good.
She could look, couldn’t she? Just as long as she didn’t touch? As she waved goodbye to Kayla, her fingers trembled.
He glanced across the porch to where P.J. still sat on the top step playing with his toys. “Dinosaurs are fine,” he said, his voice low enough that her son didn’t hear. “But they’re just toys. All kids ought to have a dog.”
“Maybe.” Shrugging, she glanced at P.J., too, then quickly away.
“Remember Buster Beagle?” Ben asked.
She had to laugh. “Of course. You know I adored him. I’d love to have another dog—someday. That just won’t work for us right now. I wouldn’t want the poor thing cooped up in the house when we’re gone all day. And I can’t see staking him to a tree in the yard, either.” She frowned. “Besides, there are plenty of other things we need around here first.”
Like school clothes. A washing machine to replace the one on its last legs. A nest egg to cover all the incidentals she and the kids needed. To pay off all the debts she owed.
Army survivor benefits only took her so far. And if not for Caleb’s new ranch, the income from her real estate office wouldn’t have taken her anywhere this year.
Ben looked out toward the picnic table. “With all the girls around here,” he said, his voice still low, “he could at least use a few other boys around.”
P.J. pushed the cardboard box he used as his dinosaur “cave” closer to their side of the porch steps. To get within hearing distance of their conversation, she was sure.
“There aren’t any boys his age close by,” she said. “And it’s hard for parents to set up playdates, especially when they don’t live in town. I don’t have to convince you of that.” Why she also didn’t want to share her plans, she didn’t know...
All right, she knew very well. Once he’d heard about the project, he’d make it one more thing he wanted to help her with.
“It’s easier over the summer,” she added, “when the kids have more free time. Right, P.J.?”
He nodded, confirming her thought about listening in.
“He went for art classes the past couple of years.” She smiled. “That’s where we first met Becky and Kayla.”
“Yeah, I recall that. Speaking of Kayla, don’t you two want to start collecting votes for that proposal you’re working on?”
He must have taken fishing lessons from Ellamae. She forced a smile. “Since your eavesdropping told you I’m so sure about the proposal, you must know I’m not worried about votes.” Not meeting his gaze, she lifted Stacey from the swing. “You’ll just have to wait till the next Town Hall meeting.”
“If that’s the way you want it.” He sounded irritated. “Then I’ve got a proposal of my own.”
She stiffened, her arms unconsciously tightening around the baby, who squirmed. “What are you talking about?”
“I propose to take a ride over to the Double S and pick up some tacos to feed this gang lunch.”
“Thanks, but I—”
P.J.’s hand on her arm cut her off. He hauled himself to his feet. “Can I go with you? I can help you carry the tacos.”
“Sure,” Ben said. “Pick up your dinosaurs first, though. You wouldn’t want them getting trampled.”
“Okay!”
To her surprise, P.J. immediately began scooping the dinosaurs into their cave. He’d reacted with more enthusiasm than he ever showed when she asked him to straighten up his toys. Maybe the lunch menu had given him the incentive. He loved Manny’s tacos, but with her need to watch her pennies so closely, they hadn’t eaten out in a while.
Over his head, she met Ben’s gaze again. Trying to ignore the sparkle in his dark eyes, she said, “I had lunch planned.”
“Not enough for me, I’m sure.”
None for you at all. But she couldn’t say that with P.J. just inches away.
As it was, he looked up, his forehead wrinkled in concern. “We’ll bring a taco home for Mama, too, right, Ben?”
“We sure will. Two for your mama,” he promised. “After all,” he continued, eyeing her as P.J. finished gathering his toys, “I’m working here through the afternoon. We might as well all eat together.” He glanced down again. “C’mon, P.J., let’s go see how many tacos the girls want.”
“Okay.” This time, her son took Ben’s hand to haul himself to his feet. P.J. lowered his voice and confided, “I can count high. But don’t tell the girls if I have to use my fingers.”
“No problem, buddy,” Ben said as they started across the sun-drenched yard. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
On the shadowed porch, Dana shivered. Ben’s words rang in her head. She didn’t want to think about secrets. At least, not her own. But his comment reminded her of the truth she’d kept from her family and friends all these years—the truth about her husband that no one, especially Ben, would ever accept. Because it wouldn’t agree with their image of Paul.
Snuggling Stacey even closer, she breathed in the calming scents of baby powder, a laundered playsuit and just plain baby.
Over at the picnic table, Becky looked expectantly at Nate. The older girl raised her eyebrows and curved her hand into a claw, then ran her fingertips down her stomach. “Hungry?”
Becky bobbed her fist in the air emphatically. “Yes!”
Dana smiled. A shadow in Clarice’s living room window caught her eye. The twitch of the curtain confirmed the two women still had her yard under surveillance.
Her smile slid away.
No matter what Kayla said, she couldn’t really know what it felt like to live her entire life under a microscope. Dana did.
She loved her hometown and could never see herself leaving it. But even as a child, she’d realized there were things about growing up in Flagman’s Folly she’d wished she’d had the power to change.
Such as knowing your past would always haunt you because no one would ever let you forget it.
* * *
“DANA WENT BACK INSIDE with Stacey,” Clarice reported, peering around the edge of the window curtain. “Ben’s out in the yard with P.J. and the girls. That man is wonderful with those children. But I’ll tell you, Ellamae, he’s spending a good deal of time over there. What will people think?”
To tell the truth, Ellamae didn’t much care about anyone’s opinion but her own. “We covered that, didn’t we? He owns the house now. You ought to be happy. Considering all the work he’s putting in, he’ll raise the property values of the entire neighborhood.”
“You think so?”
“Who mails out the town tax statements?” she asked, not expecting an answer. They both knew very well that she did.
“Ben’s taking off in the truck now,” Clarice said. “But he’s got P.J. with him, so they’ll be back again.” She let the curtain fall into place and went over to her recliner.
“I’d like to know what those girls are up to,” Ellamae said.
“Lissa and Nate?”
“No. Dana and Kayla. I heard Kayla came into Town Hall the other day to look up some zoning ordinances.”
> “What for?”
“I don’t know.” The admission bothered her. She liked keeping up with what went on in her town. “The judge and I were in court at the time, and nobody in the office asked her.” That would never have happened if she’d been at the front desk that day.
And she would have asked Kayla outright when they’d all stood outside just a bit ago, if she hadn’t been busy working on a more important plan. Or trying to, anyhow.
“I was talking with Kayla just before you pulled up,” Clarice said. “She mentioned a proposal for the council.”
Ellamae stared at her. “A proposal to do what?”
Clarice shrugged. “She didn’t say.”
Ellamae bit her tongue. The other woman did her best. Not like some folks who just didn’t have a proper curiosity bone in their bodies at all.
As if she’d heard Ellamae’s thoughts, Clarice said, “I’ll see if I can find out from Dana.”
“Good luck with that.” Her own lack of progress still rankled. She cared for Dana almost as much as she did her own niece, Tess. One way or another, she’d find a way to get through to that girl. “When it comes to talking, she could give Ben competition. Except when there’s something she doesn’t want to discuss.”
“She’s got a hard life, raising those three children on her own. But she never says a word of complaint. Some people like to keep their troubles to themselves.”
“Well, they shouldn’t,” Ellamae said flatly.
Clarice stared at her.
“I mean, they shouldn’t be closemouthed with their friends.” She ought to be more careful about what she said, though. Clarice didn’t always understand what she was getting at. And worse, the other woman didn’t always agree with her aims. “Talking over troubles is what friends are for.”
“Maybe she’s doing all her talking with Ben Sawyer now.” Clarice shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe him stopping over there isn’t so bad. They’re friends, aren’t they? They’ll always have that connection, through Paul. And you know what my Vernon always said, rest his soul. You couldn’t find a better man. And wasn’t he right? Paul turned out to be a real hero.”
Honorable Rancher Page 7
