The Callahan Ranch record book would be added when the display case was finished. She had transcribed its contents onto the computer and printed out a copy. That gave people access to the information without handling the book. It pleased Dub so much that he surprised both her and Sue by deciding to donate the ranch chuck wagon, which had been in use since 1885.
He tried to make light of it, though he knew both of them were thrilled. “We only use it once every year or two anyway, and it’ll need some major work if we keep hauling it around 295 the ranch.” Sue had hugged the stuffing out of him and whispered something in his ear that made him grin. When Emily gave him a hug, he leaned down and said quietly, “Consider it a wedding present. Not the only one, but I figure it’s a good way to show you that I’m glad you’ll be part of the family.”
All the Callahans enthusiastically shared his sentiment and had taken time individually over the past four days to tell her so. No one mentioned the possibility of them moving away, though she knew it was on their minds. Chance said it was their way of showing respect and support for whatever decision he and Emily made. She hoped he was right.
She also hoped Dub and Chance could figure out a way to get the wagon inside the building without too much trouble. Going through the door at the loading dock wouldn’t be a problem. The storeroom doors, though they were double, might be an issue. Her sweet fiancé said he would dismantle part of the wall if necessary and put in a larger door in case someone else donated something big.
On Thursday morning, Emily started seriously reading through Miss Olivia’s journals. She’d browsed through a few of them over the past week whenever she had a minute, or when Sue wasn’t looking at them.
She planned to spend two hours a day recording Miss Olivia’s history of the town on her computer. The remainder of her work time would mainly be at the museum setting up exhibits. The Historical Society had finished the inventory at the Bradley-Tucker House. Now it was up to Emily to decide what to use in the museum. There were more than enough items to have some revolving displays as well as permanent ones.
At some point, it would be worthwhile to transcribe every 296 word of the journals, including the very thorough lists of purchases. For now, she mainly recorded events and comments, adding brief notations when Olivia picked up something special such as seasonal fruits and vegetables. When she got to 1886, it would be interesting to compare Olivia’s observations with those in Aidan’s record book.
She glanced at her watch and decided to try to catch her mom and wish her happy birthday before her schedule filled up. There hadn’t been a good time since Sunday to call her parents and tell them about her engagement.
No, she thought with a sigh. That wasn’t really true. She hadn’t wanted to listen to their rants and raves, so she’d put it off. If only they could be as happy for her as all of her grandparents were. It was so typical of her life. She’d called Grandma Rose and Grandpa and Grandma Denny right away to share her good news, but she kept putting off contacting her parents.
Since her mother’s birthday was on April 1, she might think it was an April Fool’s joke if Emily said anything about the engagement. But telling her mom on her birthday was the one guaranteed way to talk only to her and not to her dad. She’d let her mother break the news to her father.
Taking her cell phone, she stood and walked over to the bunkhouse window. Spring had arrived in full force with new green leaves on some of the trees, except the mesquites. Wildflowers were springing up here and there. The lovely pink flowers on the two redbud trees in Dub and Sue’s backyard were mostly gone. But the Texas mountain laurel shrubs were in full bloom. Medium green, shiny leaves provided a nice backdrop to the beautiful deep purple flower clusters.
Emily waited as her mother’s secretary put her call through and her mother answered.
“Happy birthday, Mom.”
“Why, thank you, Emily. What a nice surprise, as were the Yellow Rose Chocolates. Those are wonderful. I’ve already had six and hid the rest in my desk.”
Emily chuckled, wondering how long it had been since she’d shared a laugh with her mother. “I thought you’d like them. Chance gave me some for Valentine’s Day, and I thought I’d gone to chocolate heaven.”
“Is Chance a cowboy there at the ranch?” Disapproval crept into her mother’s voice.
Emily tried to ignore it and keep her tone light. “Chance Callahan, Dub and Sue’s son. He’s a rancher, Mom. There’s a difference. He’s also a successful builder, with his own company.”
“Building houses in the toolies. How grand.”
“Even people in the toolies need new homes. Especially now.”
“How are things after the fire? Are folks beginning to recover?”
“Slowly. They’ve received almost a million dollars worth of donations, some of it in money and some in goods. We’re hearing of people in churches around the state, even some other states, who plan to come in and help build houses.
“Chance is already building two houses for folks who had insurance. He has contracts for two more but is waiting for the permit on one. The other one will have to wait a month or so until he can shift some of his crew. He spent some time at first helping with the cleanup, then turned his attention to building.”
“So is this Chance good-looking?” Depend on her mother to get to the important stuff – at least what she deemed important.
“Amazingly so. Six one, muscular, dark brown hair, and green eyes. He’ll turn heads at your charity auction and gala.”
“You’re coming?” Her mother’s voice rose an octave in surprise.
Emily grinned to herself. “If I’m invited. I hear it’s a buffet, so you won’t have to order more food.” Although the way Chance ate, it might not hurt. “Supporting the homeless shelter is a worthy cause, and I’d like to help.” She paused, hoping her mother would be receptive. “And I’d like to see you. I miss you, Mom.”
“I’d like to see you too. But bringing your cowboy . . . do you think that’s wise?”
Emily had expected the question. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. He can hold his own even with your friends.” She thought she even managed to say it without contempt in her voice.
“It’s a black-tie affair.”
“I know. I’ll take care of it. I promise he won’t spit chewing tobacco in the punch bowl.”
“Don’t even joke about such a thing.”
“He doesn’t chew tobacco. Or smoke. Or even drink, for that matter. He’s a good Christian man.”
“He won’t get all bent out of shape because there’s alcohol, will he?” Poor Mom. One minute she was afraid Chance would do something uncouth, and the next she was worried he’d start preaching.
“No, ma’am. He knows what to expect. His family owns the largest ranch in this area, plus they have oil. Grandpa Doyle has known his father for years.”
Her mom sniffed as if something stunk. “Doyle knows a lot of people. Many of them would be a disaster at my party.”
“I promise, he’ll be fine.”
“What about you? I’ll never forgive you if you cause a scene.”
Emily took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, biting back the retort on the tip of her tongue. “Have I ever caused a scene?”
“Well, no. Not that I can recall. But you have a way of letting people know of your displeasure without saying much.”
“Just the way you taught me. I’m working on not being so critical. I might slip up, but bear with me, I’m trying. I’ll be on my best behavior.” It would help to have Chance with her. She didn’t want to look like a brat in front of him.
“What brought this on?”
“God pointed out to me that I was being judgmental and that it was wrong. So I’m trying to change.”
“As simple as that?”
Emily laughed. “It isn’t simple. It’s hard. But I want to be a better person. I want our relationship to be better, to be based on mutual respect. Focusing on the good we se
e in each other and not the things we disagree on will help that.”
“But you still think me being in the fashion industry is frivolous.”
Did she?
“No, actually, I don’t. I dislike the emphasis people put on being fashionable, but I enjoy finding new styles when I go to the store. I know that all the shows and ads may have helped make the clothes I like available. So when I’ve put you down in the past, I’ve been hypocritical. You love what you do, and you’re good at it. I’ve been wrong to criticize your career. You take care of the people you represent and those in your office. You also use your position as a platform to help a lot of people. And that makes me proud of you.”
It was true, though she hadn’t realized it until she spoke the words. “I’m different since the fire. Looking back on that day, I realize I was in more danger than I thought at the time.” She hadn’t told her mother about stubbornly trying to rescue things from the museum. If her parents knew, they would never let her hear the end of it. “I’ve also discovered that I’m a compassionate person.”
“You always have been, Emily.” Her mother’s voice had softened minutely. “That’s why you had trouble with your peers in school. You felt sorry for the person who didn’t belong, the one who was on the outside of the group. You always wanted to include them, and it only brought you trouble.”
“Maybe that was part of it. But mainly I just didn’t like the people you and Dad wanted me to hang out with. Most of them were self-centered jerks.”
“True, but there were a few good ones.”
Had she heard right? Emily could only remember her mother criticizing someone in the group one time. Her mother was too concerned about offending any of the influential people within their sphere of acquaintance to risk anything negative getting back to them. “Mom, are you all right?”
“Just having an introspective day. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when you turn fifty? Look back at your life?”
“I don’t know. I’m not fifty.”
Her mother laughed, but it sounded hollow, almost sad. “That’s good. If you were, I’d be seventy-four.”
“And the most beautiful seventy-four-year-old ever.” She waited for a comment, but none came. Emily concluded she’d been distracted by something. That happened often when they talked, especially when she was at work.
“Your father is trading me in on a new model,” her mother said quietly. “Literally.”
25
“What!” Emily almost dropped the phone. She walked to the closest table, pulled out a chair with a shaky hand, and sat down.
“A twenty-four-year-old from my agency. Cover and runway,” she added, which told Emily the woman was following in her mother’s shoes in more ways than one.
“She’s younger than me.” Emily was momentarily stunned, then decided she shouldn’t be. Her father had always had an eye for pretty ladies, particularly those in their twenties. An incident from her early childhood had caused her to suspect that he hadn’t stopped with looking at them.
“I’ve known he was seeing her for some time, but we finally talked about it this morning. He’s filing for divorce.”
“He told you on your birthday.” Her father was a harsh, self-centered man, but this was over the top even for him. “That’s Dad. Such a sweet, sentimental guy.”
Closing her eyes, Emily tried to calm the rage that swept through her. She had never liked him. She didn’t think she’d ever loved him, certainly not in the way that Jenna and her brothers loved Dub. That had been bad enough. But this felt like hate, and it made her sick to her stomach. Please God, help me not to feel this way about him. She needed to forgive him for all the hurt, but she hadn’t been able to.
“I confronted him.” Her mother sighed. “I wanted it out in the open and over with. I’m relieved. I didn’t realize what a heavy weight our marriage had become. We’ve never loved each other, though at the beginning we were greatly attracted to each other. Still, it was more of a business arrangement than anything. He wanted a beautiful wife, and I wanted a rich husband who moved in elite circles.”
“Why? You already had money and a great modeling career.”
“I needed security. I’d gotten used to moving within the moneyed set. I didn’t want to lose that. I’ve been a benefit to him over the years, as he has to me. But as my daddy used to say, it’s time to fish or cut bait. Clark is moving out today. And in with her, I expect. I wish her luck. She’ll need it.”
“Are you keeping the house?”
“For now. He doesn’t want it, and I’d just as soon sell it. But that will happen later. Our attorneys can hash all that out in due time.”
Her mother sounded too happy. Emily wondered if she was trying to hide her true feelings. “Are you okay? Do you want me to come stay a few days?”
“There’s no need. I appreciate your concern, but I’m really doing fine. I’m going to be free of him, Emily. You can’t know how good that feels.” The chair creaked. “Then again, perhaps you do. I’ve expected this for years. As long as he doesn’t get mean and ornery, we should be able to resolve everything amicably.”
“Moving in the same circles afterward could be a little dicey.”
“People in our world do it all the time. There is no reason your father and I can’t stay within the larger circle and remain civil to each other. I expect he’ll come to the gala. I told him it wasn’t necessary, but he thinks he should make an appearance. Make a grand show of support for the cause so he looks good.”
“You’ll both put up a good front, but people will know about the divorce by then.”
“It won’t matter. We’re a cynical bunch. People know about his affair already. That’s how I found out. However, attending the party might be hard on you.”
“I can handle it. I want to be there to support you now more than ever.”
“Thank you, dear. Are you and your rancher staying with Doyle and Iris?” It was a natural assumption. Emily hadn’t stayed with her parents when she visited Dallas since she’d finished college.
“That’s the plan. I assume that you’ll be swamped with last-minute details for the auction.”
“As always. But if you can stay in town a while on Sunday, I’d like for you and Chance to come over for lunch.”
“We’ll do that. Have you talked to Grandma Rose?”
“She called a bit ago to wish me happy birthday.” Her mother sighed. “I didn’t have the courage to tell her about the divorce. She’ll be upset.”
“Probably. Though she might surprise you. She never has liked Dad.”
“I’m well aware of that.”
“She misses you.”
“She washed her hands of me years ago.”
“If that were true, she wouldn’t have called you on your birthday. It won’t be easy to patch things up between you two, but I hope you’ll try. She’s not getting any younger.”
“Is she ill?” There was a note of worry in her mother’s voice.
“Not that I know of. I saw her a couple of months ago, and she seemed fine. But the way things are between you two hurts her.”
“I know you think she walks on water, but she’s hurt me plenty too.”
Emily rubbed her forehead, where a king-sized headache was setting in. “I know. I just want y’all to make peace with each other.”
“Like you’re trying to do with me,” her mom said, surprisingly without sarcasm.
“Yes.” She wanted the kind of relationship Dub and Sue had with their kids, but she didn’t think blurting that out would help. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life constantly being at odds with you.”
“Nor I you. I’m willing to try, Emily.”
“That’s all I’m asking.” Her head pounded, but her heart felt lighter. On that score anyway. “Do you want me to tell Grandma Rose?”
“I guess you’d better. Otherwise, she’ll get wind of it somehow. But wait a few days.”
“So you won’t get chewed out
on your birthday.” Emily didn’t envy her mom. Rose was liable to give her what-for.
“And I need some time to regroup before I do battle with her.”
“I don’t blame you. Do Grandpa and Grandma Denny know?”
“Yes. Iris called earlier. She was concerned about me. They’re angry with Clark. It’s a shame such kind people have an overbearing, egotistical, self-centered son. Although these days, they freely admit they’re much to blame. They gave him everything he ever wanted, right down to setting him up in his medical practice.”
“So he expects to have his way in everything.”
“I soon learned that challenging him wasn’t an option. He never retaliated physically, but as you know, he has other ways of making life difficult. It was easier to give in or support him, even though I didn’t always agree.”
Emily heard a soft thump, like a drawer shutting. Was her mom digging into the candy again? “Did you stop him from locking me in the basement?”
“Yes.”
Any other time, the quiet sound of chewing in her ear would have made Emily laugh. Instead, knowing her mother had stood up for her brought tears to her eyes. She’d always wondered if Miranda had intervened or if her father had changed his mind after she’d been left there overnight. The sound of her fastidious mother licking her fingers brought a smile despite the tears rolling down her cheeks. Emily cleared the lump from her throat. “Thank you.”
“I threatened to leave him and take you with me. Obviously, keeping me as his wife meant more to him then. I hadn’t been aware of how you were being treated. I’m ashamed that I was too busy to notice. I’m sorry, Emily.”
“It’s all right, Mom.” Not really, but she wasn’t going to heap more guilt on her mother. “I think Nanny and Dad went out of their way to hide it from you. They took me down the back stairs if you were home.”
Emily's Chance (v5) Page 25
